Propaganda in the movie Casablanca Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Propaganda in the movie Casablanca - Essay Example Such an approach is something of an arrogant approach. This is of course due to fact that the individual who engages within such an interpretation is of the opinion that films of several decades past could not have had the skill or finesse of incorporating such nuanced and non-lateral forms of propaganda within their storyline. However, as this brief analysis will discuss, the fact of the matter is that even films of over one half century ago were expertly able to integrate nuanced forms of propaganda within their storylines and integrate them with the viewer. The key differential that must be understood is with regards to whether or not the viewer ultimately understood what they were consuming was propaganda or not. In such a way, such a representation of propaganda within films such as Casablanca serves as a type of gold standard for propaganda due to the fact that the viewer may very well be unaware of the fact that the information that they are consuming has strong elements of pr opaganda built into it. ... However, instead, the Germans are portrayed as fully human; albeit unemotional and unnecessarily egotistical. Moreover, one of the most effective means by which propaganda is elucidated within the movie is with regards to the sinister threat that such a worldview and violent empire poses to all of humanity. As a means of affecting this particularly sinister understanding of what the Nazi regime embodied, the filmmakers purposely allowed for a languishing pause between Colonel Strasser’s question and Rick Blaine’s response with regards to what a German invasion of the United States might look like. To the viewer within 2013, such an eventuality seems all but preposterous and impossible; however, the propaganda effect that this necessarily had upon the viewer of the film must necessarily have been much different. This of course brings the analysis to the vitally important understanding that propaganda within film cannot and should not be related solely with regards to wha t might strike the current viewer as propaganda. Rather, it must be understood within regards to the way in which propaganda would have been understood and integrate with the audience of the time. Ultimately, the answer to such a question is that the audience of the time would find such a mental image highly troublesome and likely would have engaged with this subtle portrayal of propaganda to a much greater degree than they would have likely responded to a more overt style of propaganda. Another vitally important way in which propaganda is related within the film Casablanca is not with regards to any specific image, dialogue, or scene. Rather, one of the most

Week 8 - Observation Journal Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 8 - Observation Journal - Personal Statement Example She also taught the basic language structure and helped us to develop reading and writing skills through effective reading and creative writing techniques. There was an Asian student, Theresa, whose basics regarding the English language were very weak. Ms Holly made sure to work on her and develop her skills in all forms of communication, oral as well as written. Theresa was very shy and an introvert. She never socialized with the rest of the class students and sat at the back of the class. Ms Holly made sure to help her in this aspect as well by encouraging group conversations. Ms Holly provided us with various scenario-based, definite and highly organized setting for dialogue and conversation on various topics. This enabled us to enhance our language skills by learning basic mechanics such as spelling, grammar and punctuation; as well as learning clarity which includes correct sentence structure, ideas and paragraph writing. Ms Holly not only made sure that we students had the basics of English right but she further improved the oral communication by teaching us the techniques and methodologies of oral presentation. She trained us and then we were required to give short as well as long oral presentations which highly enhanced our speaking, listening and presentation skills. In addition to this, Ms Holly worked on our vocabulary as just knowing a language is not enough; it is necessary to speak it well and fluently. Students were taught new words, synonyms and replacements and alternatives of different words which significantly increased their English vocabulary. This of course also expanded their academic skills that are required by various careers and jobs around the world. Also, Ms Holly took care of the various cultures and countries each student was from and tried to mingle us. She gave us projects and work that had to be done in groups and each group had students from different backgrounds. This ensured

Objectives of sustainable development

Objectives of sustainable development Introduction The UK construction industry has undergone an unprecedented change in construction technology. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) have been invented and are increasingly being used. With regard to residential apartment blocks, up to the 1980s greater emphasis was being placed on economy of construction rather than sustainability and lifestyles. Since 1980s, factors such as (i) the speed of construction (ii) sustainability (ii) flexible use of space. The need for rapid construction has led to more use of off-site prefabrication to reduce time spent on site and increase cost-effectiveness. The advancement of construction technology has also benefited from Government policies particularly relating to sustainable development. Perhaps one of the most significant initiatives of the UK Government to encourage sustainable construction was the setting op of the â€Å"Construction Task Force† by the Deputy Prime Minister Mr John Prescott. The task force, which comprised Sir Michael Lathum and Sir John Egan, produced a report ‘Rethinking construction (Egan, 1998). This report became influential in making Government policy. Sir John Egan argued that the use of standardization, prefabrication and innovation would improve the sustainability of the construction industry in the UK. Egan also compared construction to a manufacturing process where improvements are always sustained. The report recommended the use of prefabrication and standardization in building work as a method of achieving value of money, better value for clients and other users. Such an approach is now favoured by most people in the building industry, especially in house building. The use of modern methods of construction allows homes to be built more quickly and efficiently. Modern methods also improve site safety and supplement skilled workmanship where there may be shortages. Nevertheless, modern methods of construction have some disadvantages compared to traditional methods in that construction costs are relatively higher and also some section the public may object to futuristic building designs that go against what they are used to. Developers using MMC may need to be accredited to certain regulating authorities (such as NHBC in the UK) to ensure high quality and durability of their materials. Prefabrication Review-History of MMC Prefabrication was used in UK during periods of high dement, as after the world wars and the slum clearances in 1960s. The technical success of many of these systems was shadowed by social failing of high-rise living. In the 20th century about a million prefabricated houses were build. Most technical problems which were experienced were related to materials and poor workmanship. Prefabricated systems have been used in many public building in UK and other European Countries. The UK parliamentary office of Science and Technology studies showed (MORI poll, 2001) negative attitudes pre-fabrication were result of a big published disaster problem in the 60s. In mid of 1990s interest of UK was significant based system (e.g. roof trusses, steel frames etc) but the complete system of housing development was little, using relatively unskilled labour has been the predominant of UK house building. Off-site Review Government reports suggest that modern methods of construction (MMC) could be part of the solution to improve the quality of housing (Baker 2003). The industry has been slow to develop innovative building technologies, according to Ball and Barrow (1999). Many studies of modern methods of construction have taken the approach of promoting off-site applications without considering all the issues (Roy et al. 2003). The off-site processes help reduce the project construction time. Bakers review 2003 In 2003 the UK Government appointed Sir Martin Baker to review and report on the economic and social impacts of home building. The review examined affordability of homes in the UK. The Government is encouraging modern methods of construction (MMC) and increased supply of homes. One of Bakers highlights (2003) is that it challenges the home building industry to change construction to satisfy housing needs. Planning new levels of housing stock been based on demographic trends (Baker 2004). Benefits of MMC involve the manufacture of homes in factories, which is the faster construction. Evidence-Audits report The Commission for Architecture and Build Environment (CABE) has been investigate for the scope for building more quickly using modern methods of construction (MMC). The objective criteria of the audits, they are open to criticism them also some in house building industry criticized which schemes are determined ‘good or ‘average. In 2005 the modern methods of cost might be higher, it was report and it was possible to: Reduce the construction of houses on-site To build home up to four times with the same amount of on-site labour The performance should be also good as for home build in traditional way. During the twentieth century The new building in the UK (1996) were smaller 13% than the existing stock compared to the European countries houses that were largest that order ones. The size of a new home it was roughly 15.m2, the smallest in the Western Europe and the other European countries tend to be 20 m2 and 30 m2. In the 1981-2001 a particular in new buildings is roughly 20% smaller than the typical pre-1919 home. A combination of social in 1950s, economical and political factors renewed to construct housing system (Boverker,2004). Modern Methods of construction-Embodied carbon The most serious threat to human society that has created itself is climate change. In the 1750s the global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouses gases, carbon dioxide (CO2). The building construction is a substantial contributor of global CO2. Global emissions attributable to energy use in buildings with quarter of total CO2. An important goal for the Government climate police is the reducing of energy and carbon emissions attributed to buildings. In housing construction standard embodied energy is equivalent to a few years of energy; there are some exceptions to low energy buildings. Embodied carbon is important for low energy buildings, because less energy is used in occupation, and additional energy required for the insulation level, energy consumed in the construction materials, transport and installation. However the embodied carbon of low energy house is to contribute a better proportion of lifecycle carbon emissions during the building lifetime than a convention house. Many of the benefits of Modern methods of construction for housing are contentious and unproven. The manufacture suggest of the Government of MMC are: Environment- houses can be more energy efficient, less transport of materials and produce less waste. Social- fewer accidents and less impact during construction. Economic- MMC can be build more quickly. Overview of MMC-Types Modern methods of construction its a term to saw a number of construction methods. In the UK, the methods that being introduced in the building industry significant from so-called construction methods such as brick and block. The MMC was debated in the industry and was no universally agreed definition. The housing corporation that is used for its own purposes in 2003 is a published construction classification system (table 1). Housing corporation construction 1. Off-site manufactured -Volumetric 2. Off-site manufactured -Panelized 3. Off-site manufactured-Hybrid 4. Off-site manufactured -Sub-assemblies and components 5. Non Off-site manufactured construction Other terms of describing the MMC, is the factory building assembled, industrialized construction, innovative systems constructed on-site and pre-fabrication construction. The sectors of the modern methods of construction have five categories used by the housing corporation: off-site manufactured volumetric, three dimensions units produced in the factory, fully fitted out before being transported in the site. The majority of off-site manufactured volumetric construction in the UK to date has been used in housing. Modules may be delivered to site in variety of forms; volumetric off-site brings all the critical activities to the structure to a factory based environment which ensures better quality control. Light steel frame off-site techniques are more used to the traditional construction methods and are used in all sectors of constructions industry. Light steel offers better quality control and reduction in waste. Off-site manufactured-panellised construction is flat panel units build in factory, fully fitted out before being transported to site, panellised systems such as walls, roofs, floors and it consists two types of panels, open panels when assembled forms a skeleton structure and are usually timber or frame and closed panels may include internal lining materials. Off-site manufactured-hybrid is the combination of panellised and volumetric systems, is used to create the skeleton of the structure and volumetric units are used for the bathrooms and the kitchens. The environmental impact of MMC products sector were assessed including timber frame, timber frame with straw bale. A hybrid construction is a panellised system and is good design for economy. There are many manufactured of panellished systems and volumetric. Precast concrete is a construction material where concrete is cast mold which is the cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into pl ace. Barriers of MMC Some MMC homes builders are less expensive that the traditional methods of construction, increased cost about 7-10%. The reasons of different cost (higher) are difficult to discern because most of projects traditional masonry buildings cost widely. The cost apper high because in the MMC, there are different used of benefits such as better quality of construction, fewer accidents and reflect in project account MMC is the faster construction buildup to 50% and thus reducing labour costs. Capacity is a barrier of increasing the number of houses using MMC. In the two categories difficulties fall: factory capacity to manufacture parts and shortage of skills. Historical overview of sustainable development A great number of civilizations in human history it had been recognized the need of harmony between the society, the environment and the economy. More to the point, sustainable development is a very old idea that focuses, on improving the quality of life without exceeding the environmental supplies of natural resources. Unfortunately despite the predictions, the concept of sustainability gained momentum in 1980s when the problem became extremely obvious (Kenny, M., Meadowcroft, J., (1999). In 1973 was the first time that United Nations discussed about environmental solutions in Stockholm (Langton, C., A., Ding, G., K., C., (2001). Subsequently, the ideas discussed again in the World Conservation Strategy and new strategies were adopted by the governments of fifty countries but with very small practical impact. In 1983 the United Nations created the Worlds Commission in Environment and Development (WCED) and in 1987 they published a report in sustainable development with the name â€Å"Our common future† also known as the Brundtland Report (Langton, C., A., Ding, G., K., C., (2001). According to Langton, C., A., Ding, G., K., C., (2001) this report had critically signaled the rush of thinking for a second time the ways of governing and living as also the need of international coordination and cooperation. In 1992 in Rio Conference was the first time that the worlds leaders discussed about the future of the planet and agreed to set out principles to achieve sustainable development. The major agreement of this meeting was a 900 page program of actions with steps towards sustainable development at international levels. In 1997 the Kyoto climate summit set targets for the industrial countries in order to bring their gas emissions 5% below 1990 levels by 2012. Pioneering ways must be found to ensure that individual behavior and institutional structures will change targets, towards a sustainable future and will understand the consequences of inaction. Sustainable concept To begin with, it can be critically mentioned that the sustainable development should take into consideration the potential impacts on three main sectors, the environmental, the social and the economic; as it has been advised from Munasinghe (1993). Essentially, he advocated that, the natural habitats, the people, and the economy are interrelated and should be managed as a one. Therefore, the environmental approach it can be claimed that is so to protect the biological features, the social concept is to stabilize the cultural system and the economic approach are to maximize the income and preserve the stock of resources (Munasinghe, 1993).Ultimately, it would be imperative to append that some more important concepts in sustainable development are the futurity the equity and the irreversibility. Table 3 provides further details as per those important concepts. Further Important Concepts: Futurity: concern is given not only for the short term horizon, but also for the long term that affect the future generations. Equity: Emphasis is given to the least advantaged in society in order to provide their needs and a fair treatment. Irreversibility: Some types of environmental degradation are not possible to be restored by human ingenuity. Source: Based on Strange, T., Bayley, A., (2008) Objectives of sustainable development Taking into consideration all of the above, hence explicit information that academic definitions are providing; the reviewed literature suggests that numerous previous empirical studies have been conducted based on main advantages supported as a result of the sustainable developments up to date. Economy: Sustainable development is so to promote an economy that improves environmental quality and meet peoples needs. Energy: Reduction of energy use to suitable levels and encouragement of the consumers to spend less energy. Land use: The main concern is to minimize the loss of rural land and to maintain the viability of town centers Forestry: The main issue is the management of forests in a way that sustains their ecological qualities and their productive potentials. Climate change: The key objective is the limitation of gas emissions that contribute to climate change and global warming. Air quality: Key issues: reduction of pollutant emissions in order to improve local air quality and chemical pollution control especially in urban areas. Mineral extraction: The main objective is the minimization of the environmental harm from mineral extraction by the efficient use of materials. Waste materials: Sustainable Waste management can decrease the amount of waste production. The hierarchy of waste management options start with the reduction of waste materials, it then goes to the re-use and finally to disposal. Raw materials The raw materials inputs change depending upon the systems of MMC being factored. Common raw materials including metal, board materials, timber, concrete, class wool insulation. Off-cuts of these materials typically end up as waste within the factory environment. Timber is a raw and recycled material, timber panel products are usually kept separate from the clean timber as they are currently different to recycle. Steel is readily recycled material, due to its value established recycling routes. Also glass wool insulation is potentially recyclable Raw materials are often packaged and it is this packaging that ends up as waste. Packaging wastes have various waste management routes depending on the individual manufacturer. Modern methods of construction are about better product and processes. They aim improve business efficiency, quality environmental performance, sustainability and the predictability. MMC are more broadly based that a particular focus on product MMC should make it possible to build more with the same amount of on-site labor.MMC other than open panel techniques continue to be slightly more expensive than more established techniques but the cost ranges for different techniques overlap substantially, in any particular set of conditions in MMC could be as cost-effective as brick and block or more cost effective. Sustainable development definition One of the most popular definitions for sustainable development was given in Brundtland report (1995): â€Å"Sustainable is the development that meets the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (Kirby, J, OKeefe, P., Timberlake L., 1995). This definition indicates that an activity can be considered sustainable if it doesnt exhaust the natural resources and doesnt have serious impacts to the environment that the future generations will inherit. For instance, if the ozone layer is destroyed, if the green-house gases build up, if the natural resources are exhausted and if water and air are polluted, it is reasonably obvious that this generation dont give the ability to the next one to support their selves. Sustainable development can be considered as: A theoretical framework: a method that will make the world more balanced and holistic. A process: techniques to apply the principles of integration to all decision. A target: methods of fixing the problems Sustainable construction Sustainable construction focuses on the issues of procurement, assembly and Procurement: The processes of procurement introduce the objectives that the contractors must have during the construction. These objectives may include environmental commissioning. It consist matters like site planning, tendering, selection of materials, recycling and waste minimization (Smith, P., F., (2007). standards and reporting requirements. Assembly: The assembly activities are managed by the contractors in order to contribute to the ecological performance. It consist issues as the excavation methods, the reduction of noise, the disposal of wastes and storm-water containment. Commissioning: It gives information of how the design will operate in the future. It should relate performance specifications and maintenance methods. In order the environmental performance of the construction to be improved, the site operatives and the supervisors should have a proper training (Smith, P., F., (2007).

The Eating Behaviour of Young People Essay -- Adolescence

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adolescence is a stage in life that has many biological, cognitive and sociocultural changes. This stage in life is when individuals are most vulnerable and health behaviors play an important role in their future. An adolescent today is bombarded with many behaviors that can affect their future such as; smoking, drug use, and sex. These behaviors can carry immediate and severe consequences but there are other health behaviors such as eating choices and physical activity that can carry risks as well (Lytle, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lytle explains that there is data that suggests that adolescent’s current eating behaviors are putting them at risk for many different diseases later in life. Some of those diseases include: cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Adolescents today have decreased physical activity and poor diet habits which makes nutritional issues for adolescents a very important topic that needs to be addressed (Lytle, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cardiovascular disease begins in childhood. A study completed by Kelley, Krummel, Gonzales, Neal and Fitch examined 279 children. There hypothesis was that children who were at high risk for cardiovascular disease based on their family history would have diets that were different than the low risk children. The children’s height, weight, and total cholesterol were measured and each child filled out a food frequency questionnaire. 23% of the children were at risk for cardiovascular disease and their cholesterol was significantly higher. However intakes of energy, fat, cholesterol and fiber were similar in both the high risk and low risk groups. The researchers concluded that all children whether high risk or low risk need to change their dietary patterns in order to prevent cardiovascular disease. Those at high risk need specific guidelines in order to lower their risk for the disease. Healthcare professionals must promote the healthy benefits of healthy eat ing habits to both children and their families and finally it is critical that public health research address behavior modification in children (2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Diets high in saturated fat, total fat, sodium and low in fiber are associated not only with cardiovascular disease but also some types of cancer. Also diets low in fruits and vegetables are associated with increased risk of some types of cancer. National nutrition surveillance data ... ...zine and have their stories told to millions of readers. Keri Kulik, an exercise physiologist, who helped the Schall’s with monthly strategies to meet their goals, followed them for the next 6 months. Each month Keri gave the Schall family key strategies for success. Strategies started small like walking two nights a week together, watching less television and decreasing soda intake. By month 3 the family was including more sports like cycling, tennis and baseball in their routine also they have started circuit weight training together and have been drinking more water. By month six the Schall’s have consistently included exercise in their daily life and love it. They had one goal as a family and that was to increase physical activity, now the Schall’s are interested in working on their diet. They had made a consistent effort to eat a healthy breakfast every morning and include more healthy meals and snacks in their day. As Keri stated, â€Å"they now see th e big picture and are motivated to continue their healthy lifestyle.† Fit Family Fit Kids has shown how making small behavior changes in one families life can make big changes in both parent’s and children’s health (Fitness, 2005).

Blades Inc. Case Study Essay

1. What are the advantages Blades could gain from importing from and/or exporting to a foreign country such as Thailand? Ans: The advantages Blades could gain from importing from and/or exporting to Thailand could be Decrease their cost of goods sold, and increase Blades’ net income since rubber and plastic are cheaper when imported from a foreign country such as Thailand. Due to its superior production process Thai firms could not duplicate the high-quality production process , so establishing a subsidiary in Thailand would preserve blade sales before Thai competitors. Allow Blades to explore the option of exporting to Thailand by building relationships with some local suppliers. As far as exporting is concerned, Blades could become the first firm to seller roller Blades in Thailand. Diversify their investment by opening option to export to other countries beyond Thailand to ensure company sustainability. 2. What are some of the disadvantages Blades could face as a result of foreign trade in the short run? In the long run? Ans: The disadvantages Blades could face as a result of foreign trade in the short run are: Exchange rate risk. Blades would be exposed to currency fluctuation in the Thai baht if importation cost increase without Thai suppliers adjusting their price. International economic condition; if Thailand’s economy undergoes recession, Blades would suffer from sales decrease in Thailand. In the long run, Blades should be aware of the political risk involved in operating in Thailand, such as any regulatory changes or tax increase may impact on Blade’s subsidiary.

Impact of the Internet and Media for Modern Youth

INTERNET ON MODERN YOUTH The content of the current media culture is often blind to a young person’s cultural,economic and educational background. The concept of a media culture has evolvedowing to the increased volume, variety and importance of mediated signs and messagesand the interplay of interlaced meanings. In the world of young people, themedia are saturated by popular culture and penetrate politics, the economy, leisuretime and education. At present, the global media culture is a pedagogic force that hasthe potential to exceed the achievements of institutionalized forms of education.AsHenry Giroux puts it:â€Å"With the rise of new media technologies and the global reach of thehighly concentrated culture industries, the scope and impact of theeducational force of culture in shaping and refiguring all aspects of  daily life appear unprecedented. Yet the current debates have generallyignored the powerful pedagogical influence of popular culture,along with the implicat ions it has for shaping curricula, questioningnotions of high-status knowledge, and redefining the relationship  between the culture of schooling and the cultures of everyday life. 6The concept of media culture encompasses not simply symbolic combinationsof immaterial signs or capricious currents of old and new meanings, but an entire wayof life7 in which images, signs, texts and other audio-visual representations are connectedwith the real fabric of material realities, symbols and artificialities. 8Media culture is pervasive; its messages are an important part of the everydaylives of young people, and their daily activities are structured around media use.Thestories and images in the media become important tools for identity construction. A  pop star  provides a model  for clothing and  other style choices, and language used  bya cartoon character becomes a key factor in the street credibility of young people. Under the present circumstances, there are few places left i n the world where onemight escape the messages and meanings embedded in the televised media culture.In a mediated culture, it can be difficult for young people to discern whose representationsare closest to the truth, which representations to believe, and whichimages matter. This is partly because the emergence of digitalized communication and the commoditization of culture have significantly altered the conditions under whichlife and culture are experienced. Many are still attached to the romantic image of  organic communities in which people converse with one another face-to-face and livein a close-knit local environment.Digital communication is gradually undermining thistraditional approach:â€Å"Most of the ways in which we make meanings, most of our communicationsto other people, are not directly human and expressive, butinteractions in one way or another worked through commodities andcommodity relations: TV, radio, film, magazines, music, commercialdance, style, fashion, co mmercial leisure venues. These are major  realignments. † 9In the world of young people, the media culture may be characterized primarilyin terms of three distinct considerations. First, it is produced and reproduced bydiverse ICT sources.It is therefore imperative to replace the teaching of knowledgeand skills central to agrarian and industrial societies with education in digital literacy. A similar point is made by Douglas Kellner, who contends that in a media culture it isimportant to learn multiple ways of interacting with social reality. 10 Children and young  people must be provided with opportunities to acquire skills in multiple literacies toenable them to develop their identities, social relationships and communities, whether  material, virtual, or a combination of the two.Second, the media culture of youth extends beyond signs and symbols, manifestingitself in young people’s physical appearance and movements. The media cultureinfluence is visible in how youth present themselves to the world through meansmade available by prevailing fashions; the body is a sign that can be used effectivelyto produce a cultural identity. Furthermore, various kinds of media-transmitted skillsand knowledge are stored and translated into movements of the body. This is evidentin a number of youth subcultures involving certain popular sports, games andmusic/dances such as street basketball, skateboarding and hip hop.The body is highly susceptible to different contextual forms of control. Whilethey are in school, pupils’ movements are regulated by certain control mechanismsand cognitive knowledge. In the streets, youth clubs and private spaces, however, their bodies function according  to a different logic. Informal knowledge absorbed throughthe media culture requires some conscious memorizing but also involves physicallearning, quite often commercialized. 11Third, in the experience of young people, media culture represents a sourceof pleasure and relative autonomy compared with home or school.As P. Willis states:â€Å"Informal cultural practices are undertaken because of the pleasuresand satisfactions they bring, including a fuller and more roundedsense of the self, of ‘really being yourself’ within your own knowablecultural world. This entails finding better fits than the institutionally or  ideologically offered ones, between the collective and cultural senses  Ã¢â‚¬â€the way it walks, talks, moves, dances, expresses, displays—  and its actual conditions of existence; finding a way of ‘beingin the world’ with style at school, at work, in the street. 12Experts on young people have long appreciated the complexity of the conceptof youth, especially when examined from a global perspective. The best summation is  perhaps that the concept of youth today is historically and contextually conditioned;in other words, it is relative as well as socially and culturally constructed. 13 In the presentmedia culture, the age at which childhood is perceived to end is declining, and the  period of  youth seems to be  extending upward.It is useful, however, to recall that the majority of young people in the worlddo not live according to the Western conceptions of youth. For them, childhood andadolescence in the Western sense exist only indirectly through media presentations. The same media culture influences seem to be in effect outside the Western world,  but their consequences are  likely to be somewhat different owing mainly to variationsin definitions of childhood and youth and to the different authority relationships  prevailing in individual cultures.Children and young people are often seen as innocent victims of the pervasive and  powerful media. In the extreme view, the breakdown of the nuclear family, teenage  pregnancy, venereal disease, paedophilia, child  trafficking and child prostitutionspreading through the Internet, drug use, juvenile crime, t he degeneration of manners,suicide and religious cults are all seen as problems exacerbated or even inflicted upon

CA Energy Crisis essays

CA Energy Crisis essays After dodging power outages for many months, California experienced its first power outage on January 17th, being the first time since World War II when state officials ordered blackouts to protect the coast from the Japanese. The blackouts stretched from Central California to 500 miles north at the Organ border, leaving 657,000 homes and businesses without electricity for several hours at a time. The blackouts continued left the affected areas in a state of chaos along with billions of dollars lost in sales, productivity, and wages. Many blame the power shortages on the 1996 deregulation which had promised to lower the consumers power bills by providing a competitive market, ironically wholesale prices later skyrocketed to over $300 per megawatt in December of 2000. After the opening of five power plants earlier this summer, the power crisis has pretty much diminished, but later last year and earlier this year businesses in Silicon Valley were questioning weather or not they s hould stay in California and risk losing millions more. Companies who have an interruptible energy source contract with the energy companies, which means in exchange for cut-rate electricity they would have their power cut off during an electricity shortage, experienced 24 interventions from the summer of 2000 to December of the same year. The Miller plant in Irwindale, California, who typically runs nonstop all year, has laid off some employees and had shifted some of its production to Dallas, Texas. The disruptions cost them on average $600,000 a week , and more importantly they are looking at alternate areas to do business in fear of another outage. The same thought is running through the minds of Silicon Valley corporations, they want to stay in California but if the power isnt reliable they must go somewhere else or loose business. Intel has also sent a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein stating unless they receive reli...

Top Man essays

Top Man essays In the story Top Man; JR Ullman proves that Nace is the Top Man. He went on a dangerous journey on K3. He will to give his life to save another. Nace also have determination to go on to the mountain that took his friend. Can you image what the setting in this story must be like? Just think, mid 20th century, a huge mountain, K3, exceeding 28,000 feet, shutting out half of the sky. A mountain with no other mountain higher in British India, one of highest in the surrounding area. Sweeping glaciers running up the mountain, with enormous snowdrifts. What seems like 100 vertical cliffs, and one sharp and jagged spine. You could almost feel the soft snow and it hear the avalanches. It was cold enough to take off your nose. Then there is a grope of advancers with Osborn and Nace it was obvious of the tension between them. Nace and Osborn are the main characters that are racing to the top of K3. The internal conflict is who is the top man/the leader. K3 is the external conflict. The rising actions of the story starting when Osborn saw the mountain first, then argued if they should use their sleeping bags for the first night. Nace has also came within 500 feet of the peak of K3, but had to turn back. Another rising action is the location of the camps. Camp one and two are on a glacier, camp three is also on the upper end of the glacier, Camp four is 2,000 feet farther up the mountain from camp three, and camp six is 26,500 feet from the base of the mountain. A storm moves in and it pass over in three nights. There are two groups; the first group consists of 11 people Nace, Johns, eight porters and myself. The second group consists of ten people Osborn, Wittmer and eight porters. Osborn has been finding new shortcuts. Osborn left in the middle of the night by himself to try to make it to t he top. Nace and myself caught up to Osborn the next day, they found him stan ...

Capital Gains or Losses Tax

There are certain sales made by Dave in the financial year 2015 and the task at hand is to calculate the capital gains or losses arising from it. He received 850,000 from the sale of his two storeyed house in St. Lucia which was purchased for 70,000. This means that he made a gain of 780,000 in this sale if we don’t account for the expenses incurred in the commission expenses. However, the proceeds received by Dave from sale of his residence at St Lucia is fully exempted from capital gains tax because as per ATO proceeds from a sale of personal home are fully exempted if the individual has been living it for the duration for which he/she has owned the property and the property hasn’t been generating any assessable income. The proceeds received from the forfeiture by a buyer is also application for exemption under capital gains as it as part the capital proceeds from the disposal of that asset which was exempted due it being a main residence of the taxpayer. Hence even t he forfeited amount wont attract any capital gains tax liability. The painting is not eligible for exemption as neither was it purchased under $500 nor was it acquired before 16 th September,1995 hence the net capital gains are taxable. So the net gains of 110,000 are to be taxed under capital gains tax. The figure of 110,000 dollars is the selling price less the acquiring price which are 15,000 and 125,000 respectively. The taxable amount arisen due to the benefit provided can be calculated using either of the two methods prescribed by the ATO i.e. indexing method or the discount method whichever yields the lowest value subject to the constraint that it satisfies the conditions laid down to use a particular method for discounting. Since the asset has been held for more than a year and since the asset was acquired before September,1999 he can apply the indexation method to calculate the discount. The indexation factor is given by CPI (Consumer Price Index) in which the sale was made divided by the CPI for the quarter in which the initial investmen t was made. CPI values were obtained from the website of ATO and the indexation factor calculated to the fourth decimal point is obtained as 2.6952. Since the sale was made in 3 rd quarter 1985 the indexation factor for this was 39.7 and that for the sale was 2 nd quarter 2015 for which the indexation factor was 107.Hence the cost of the painting would be increased by that factor to get the capital gain. Hence now capital gain would be 84,572 as the cost for calculating capital gain would be 40,428 dollars which is 15,000 multiplied by the indexing factor. But the discount factor gives a better result as under the discount method the capital gains are discounted by 50% hence under this method capital gains would be 55,000 dollars which is the net gains of 110,000 discounted by 50%. Since the discount method gives the better result which in this case is the lower value we would use this method to calculate the capital gain at 55,000 dollars.   The capital gain can be reduced only after all the capital losses for the income year have been applied. It is imperative to mention here that net losses from collectables can only be deducted from capital gains made from collectables, not from other capital gains. The capital loss on the boat boat which was purchased in 2004 would be calculated using the other method which would give the highest possible result of 50,000 dollars. The amount is obtained by subtracting the sale price of 60,000 dollars from the acquisition cost of 110,000 dollars. For the capital gain tax on the shares, the other method will be used. The cost base would include the cost price of shares and also the brokerage paid on the shares and the stamp duty. Hence total cost would be 71,000 dollars and since the shares were sold for 80,000 dollars the total capital gain is 9000 dollars. It’s explicitly mentioned that the interest charges are not to be included in the cost base. The net capital gain or loss is given by total capital gains for the year less the capital losses for the year further brought down by any discounts allowed. Hence, the net capital gain from sale of painting and shares is 64,000 dollars or 93,372 dollars depending on the method used for the painting. Net capital loss from sale of boat is 50,000 dollars Hence net capital gain of 14,000 dollars or 43,372 for Dave for the current year. Since Dave has had a net capital gain of 14,000 dollars he can use this to deduct the net capital loss carried forward from the previous year which amounts to 50,000 dollars. His net capital loss would now stand at 36,000 dollars as the capital gain this year would be deducted from the carried forward capital gain loss. If Dave has a net capital loss it would be added to the capital gain loss carried forward from last year. Hence now his total capital loss would stand at 50,000 dollars and the additional capital loss incurred this year Capital loss cannot be used to offset the tax liability and would be carried forward and can be used to deduct it against capital gains in the coming years. To calculate a car fringe benefit, an employer must work out the taxable value of the benefit using either of the below mentioned methods as per ATO. Even if a different method was used in the previous taxable year, the method to be used this year would be determined by the method which gives the lowest value. However, if the required documentation for the operating cost method (for example, log books) have not been kept then the statutory formula method must be used. The operating cost method requires the company to maintain a log book which specifics the usage of car in terms of business and non-business use. Since this has not been maintained the statutory method of valuation would be used to evaluate the taxable value of the fringe benefit arising from the use of the car. Under the statutory formula method, the steps involved are estimating the cost of the car, estimating the statutory rate and determining the number of days the car was used for private purpose. The taxable value is then given by A*B*C/365 where A is the base value of the car, B is the statutory rate and C is the number of days in use of the car in a given assessment year. The statutory rate for calculating the fringe benefits tax would be 20% since ATO prescribes a flat tax rate of 20% for calculating the benefit provided if kilometres travelled are less than 15,000 kilometres. In fact, for any benefits provided after 2011 the tax structure is a flat rate of 20%. The car held by Emma for a 11 month period which constituted 336 days. During the 11-month period or the 336-day period from 1 st may to 31 st March no days would be deducted in determining the number of days of usage of car as ATO clearly lists that annual maintenances are to be listed as days when it is available for use and whenever it is garaged at the employee’s house would also be not deducted, in this case when Emma was interstate would not be deducted, Keeping the above factors in consideration the tax liability would be calculated at 20% of the cost price of the car which is 33,000 and it would be factored by 336/365. Hence 6075 is the taxable value. A company is said to provide a loan fringe benefit if it extends to its employee a loan and charges no interest or a low rate of interest. Any interest rate lower than the prescribed or the benchmark interest rate qualifies as a loan fringe benefit. The  benchmark interest rate  for the Fringe Benefit Tax for the assessment year ending March 31,2015 is given as 5.95% by ATO. Hence for the given scenario since the loan is provided by Periwinkle to Emma at 4.5% it qualifies as a loan fringe benefit. The taxable value of a loan fringe benefit is the difference between: Since Emma uses the loan for purchase of a holiday home and for lending it to her husband the entire amount is to be taken into consideration. For the given scenario the taxable value of the loan fringe benefit is the difference between the two amounts 29,750 dollars and 22,500 dollars which is 7,250 dollars. While the former is the rate of interest charged by the company to Emma, the latter is the interest to be paid in accordance with the statutory rate in 2015. There is no specific information regarding cheap sale of its own products to its employees and neither is it under any exempt category but since the price Emma paid for it is anyways more than the manufacturing cost we exclude it from our scope of taking out the fringe benefits provided to Emma. Hence the total taxable value of the fringe benefits is the loan fringe befit of 7,250 dollars and the car fringe benefit of 6,075 dollars which is a total of 13,325 dollars. Hence the total fringe tax liability would be 6262.75 dollars as the fringe benefit tax is 47%. Had the 50,000 been used by Emma herself instead of being lent to the husband to buy the shares it would be eligible for deduction. ATO prescribes that the taxable value of a loan fringe benefit may be reduced in accordance with the 'otherwise deductible' rule, subject to the constraint hat the investment is made by the employee himself or herself rather than an associate which was the case in first place. Putting it simply it implies that the taxable value would be reduced to the extent to which interest payable on the loan is, or would be, allowable as an income tax deduction to the employee. We look at an example to understand the implications better. Supposing an employee uses a loan from his/her company wholly to invest in interest bearing financial instruments, then the interest that he would have to pay the company is deductible fully for tax purposes. Hence what the mentioned scenario implied is that under this rule the taxable value of the fringe benefit provided would be ze ro, irrespective of the rate of interest charged by the company on the loan. Therefore, where the otherwise deductible rule applies, the taxable value of a loan fringe benefit is: Hence for the given scenario the taxable amount under loan fringe benefit would be reduced by the differential interest paid on 50,000 dollars since this would now be deductibe for tax purposes. This would mean that the loan fringe benefit would now be 6525 dollars instead of 7250 dollars and the total taxable amount under fringe benefit tax would be 12,600 dollars. ATO, 2016. Capital Gains Tax. [Online] Available at: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Capital-gains-tax/ ATO, 2016. Fringe benefits tax. [Online] Available at: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Fringe-benefits-tax-(FBT)/

Communication Game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Communication Game - Essay Example ses into words when acting so, before the game starts, you can give them time to plan on their secret codes like showing the ring, middle and point fingers up to denote ‘W’ for word and making a fist to tell the group members that they are to guess for a phrase. Sticking out the point finger can mean the first word or syllable and raising two fingers mean the second word or syllable, and so on. No actor is allowed to make sounds or let his/her group mates read his/her lips, that is the lips of the actor should never move. Pointing to a thing to give away an answer is to the teacher or host’s discretion if it is allowed or not. The time limit for each actor should be given. Three minutes is ideal or can be adjusted to cater to all participants at a given period of time. If there many participants, you can lessen the time for each participant to act. To reach the aim of improving verbal communications of the participants, guesses can be required to be in sentences and not just words. For example, instead of just saying ‘word’, the guessers should say, ‘Is this a word?’. Appropriate punishments must be explained before the game starts to avoid misunderstandings during the game like, if an actor is caught moving his mouth, the group will have deductions from their score. Scoring should also be well-defined. For instance, a group guesses correctly in two minutes and one second to three minutes, they will have a score of 1, if they correctly guess the answer in one minute and one second to two minutes, they will be credited 3 points but get 5 points if they answer correctly in one minute or less. More punishments can be imposed depending on the discipline the teacher or host would like to draw from the participants. After giving all the instructions and rules, the game can start with one actor from each team playing alternately until all have acted. The actor picks a strip of paper where a word or phrase is written. The actor is the only one allowed

An examination of the efficacy of Behavioral Finance Essay

An examination of the efficacy of Behavioral Finance - Essay Example 383) -The weak form hypothesis asserts that stock prices already reflect all information that can be derived by examining market trading data such as the history of past prices, trading volume, or short interest. Numerous papers have demonstrated that early identification of new information can provide substantial profits. Insiders who trade on the basis of privileged information can therefore make excess returns, violating the strong form of the efficient market hypothesis. Even the earliest studies by Cowles (1933,1944), however, make it clear that investment professionals do not beat the market. It has already been stated that an efficient market is one where the prices of securities fully reflect all available information, but then what are the sufficient conditions for capital market efficiency? In an idealized world, such conditions would be The debate about market efficiency has resulted in thousands of empirical studies and literature attempting to determine whether particular markets are in fact ‘efficient’, and if so to what degree. In fact, the majority of studies and researches of technical theories have gone to the result that it is difficult to predict prices. Moreover, the random walk theory indicates that price movements will not follow any trends and so by knowing the past price movements it’s not possible to predict the future price movements. All these state that markets are in fact efficient. However, researchers have also exposed many stock market anomalies that seem to be inconsistent with the efficient market hypothesis. Trading strategies seem to be widespread among fund managers and there is little evidence that they would generate excess returns in practice (Malkiel, 2003). Evidence proof that the use of trading strategies might be closely related to behavioural anomalies. It is impossible to consistently make abnormal returns using a

English literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

English literature - Essay Example He finds his job degrading with long working hours and little time for sleep and rest. His boss is a woman and â€Å"It was funny to have a white woman for a boss in a plant like this one† (Petry n.p.). His lack of interest in work often infuriates his boss. Their stern and hostile behavior makes him angry and it gets hard for him to resist the urge to beat her white employer, saying that he would never beat a woman. Further in the story, Mr. Johnson encounters a white girl working at a coffee shop who refuses to serve him just because he is black; it could be solely Mr. Johnson’s thinking that made him to think that every white person hates the black person. However, he resists his anger with his heart pounding to beat her but somehow; he learns to control his angers and walks out of the coffee shop. Anne Petry further explores how the bad sense of humor that Mae possesses makes Johnson to think that he is a black man with no respect in the society. She jokingly calls him a â€Å"nigger† (Petry n.p.). Her bad sense of humor provokes him to take out his anger, frustration and humiliation he encountered the entire day on her. The story projects that how the evils of racism was a bitter part of reality in American society in 1946. The story revolves around two main themes such as racial discrimination and domestic abuse. The domestic abuse that Mae faced was the outcome of the psychological aggression that was brought into Mr. Johnson due to the humiliation he faced by the hands of two white women. He hated to raise his fist against a woman but his aggression let him do that but this led to the death of his family’s belief, not to hit on any female. Anne Petry explains how our bottled aggressions and frustrations make us to do things that we consider immoral. Johnson is a colorful example of a man who fails to control motions unwinding his sheets of anger and frustration on his

International Security in the Global Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Security in the Global Era - Essay Example of invulnerability of the basic vital interests of the global community, the interests, for protecting of which it will rather start the war, than look for compromises. In other words, global security is a strategy, directed at providing the vitally important interests of the global community. This is the classical realistic approach to the issue. (Buzan 2003, p. 11) It should be reminded, that from the viewpoint of political realism, international relations always exist in the shadow of the war. Thus, the main means of achieving and protecting international security in realism and neorealism is supposed to be force (in its military and political dimension) and the main instrument for guaranteeing international security – is the balance of forces. (Lawrence 1998, p. 49) There also exists and is developed the understanding of the international security based on the liberal-idealistic paradigm. One of the central notions of this paradigm is the idea of international cooperation, based on universal values and general human interests. From these positions, the threat is presented by those participants of international relations, which refuse from cooperation and break the generally accepted moral and legislative norms. Collective security is the only way for overcoming the security dilemma, which goes through creation and strengthening of international institutions, further improvement of international law and following the generally accepted moral norms. (Buzan 2003, p. 44) The notion of collective security is the main and the most operational in the total security complex. Collective security is the situation, under which all members of certain community refuse from applying force in relations with each other and agree to give any assistance to each participating state, which has been attacked by any state of the mentioned community. International security at present time should meet a number of conditions, which are very difficult to accomplish. They may be

The challenges, benefits and trade-offs of expanding the reach of Essay

The challenges, benefits and trade-offs of expanding the reach of international law - Essay Example The essay will discuss what is done normatively, touching upon individual rights and responsibilities at the institutional level. Benefits A number of things have evolved normatively and also at the institutional level to incorporate individual responsibilities and rights in international law. This has led to the significant advancements and benefits for individuals. Firstly, the individual rights are recognized in a more formal and appropriate capacity, as it is evident within the context of the Universal Declaration of The Human Rights. It identifies the people’s dignity and also the equal and inseparable rights of individuals, such as freedom of belief and speech. These rights should be protected by the rule of law. It became adopted in 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. It indicated that member-countries had to publicize the Declaration text, disseminate, display, and have it revised principally in all educational institutions, without distinctions based o n the status of the political mood of nations or territories. This has enabled the education of individuals about their rights on a global scale (Diehl, 2009). The fact that there is the documentation of the rights and they have become codified provided people with confidence to step forward and seek protection when their rights are violated. For example, the Geneva Convention and its two added protocols regulate the behaviour in an armed conflict. It is now common for soldiers globally to treat each and every person injured in combat with the same respect and dignity even if he or she is an enemy. The more people become aware of their fundamental human rights, the easier it is to take steps in cases of abuse. Citizens who have their rights violated with no action taken by their government will become aware that justice is possible within the framework of the International Law (Sharon, 2010). Not only is the International Law efficient or effective but it also is a departure point, and it contains extensive potentials. In different instances, individuals seek compensation for injuries and are able to help other sufferers in the future. There are other instances where individuals do not have their government on their behalf. For example, when the 16 year old Michael Dominiques sentenced to death for committing murder in the state of Nevada lost his appeal in 2000 at the Supreme Court, he took it forward to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. His state had failed to protect the third article of the United Nations Charter, the right to life. He had the opportunity of taking the law into his own hands and claiming that the application of the death penalty would violate the United States treaty and the customary international law refusing the execution of juveniles. Based on the fact that the execution of criminal offenders under the age of 18 was considered an issue of jus cogens in international customary law, the sitting judge concluded that executing a minor would be a grave and irreparable violation. Dominique’s life was spared due to the international law. Also, with the help of Roper versus Simmons case, by 2005 America changed its stance and proclaimed that the death penalty for minors would be considered

Constitutional Policing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Constitutional Policing - Research Paper Example stood their duties as far as the constitution is concerned, however, there are instances where they have been seen overstep their mandate in the process of constitutional implementation. When this happens, the individual or party that is offended has the right to take the matter to courts for prosecution or constitutional interpretation of the validity of the action done by the police (Zotti, Dubs & Machado 2005). In this case, the United States Police are said to have overstepped their mandate and failed to follow the constitutional procedure in arresting Weeks, in establishment of this case; the police had entered Weeks home and seized his papers, convicting him later of transporting lottery tickets through mail. What Fremont weeks was not happy about is the search in his house was done without a search warrant, something that he thought was unconstitutional in his thinking. Later, Fremont weeks decided to report and take the police to court, protesting that they searched his house unconstitutionally without a search warrant and confiscated his work documents. In the process, he also decided to petition the court to return his private possession since he relied on them to do his work. In reaching its unanimous decision, the court agreed that the process by which Week’s possession was seized by the police was wrong and unconstitutional. At the same time, the court ruled that the decision by the government to withhold and refuse to hand back Weeks possession was also unconstitutional. Allowing seizure of an individual’s private documents and using them as evidence against him would be interpreted is being of no value, this would make it impossible to protect citizens against such searches and seizures as put forth in the Fourth Amendment. It is important o understand that the first application of this law later became the first of its own, setting precedence in future cases that would take the same path, it was later referred to as the â€Å"exclusionary

The challenges, benefits and trade-offs of expanding the reach of Essay

The challenges, benefits and trade-offs of expanding the reach of international law - Essay Example The essay will discuss what is done normatively, touching upon individual rights and responsibilities at the institutional level. Benefits A number of things have evolved normatively and also at the institutional level to incorporate individual responsibilities and rights in international law. This has led to the significant advancements and benefits for individuals. Firstly, the individual rights are recognized in a more formal and appropriate capacity, as it is evident within the context of the Universal Declaration of The Human Rights. It identifies the people’s dignity and also the equal and inseparable rights of individuals, such as freedom of belief and speech. These rights should be protected by the rule of law. It became adopted in 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. It indicated that member-countries had to publicize the Declaration text, disseminate, display, and have it revised principally in all educational institutions, without distinctions based o n the status of the political mood of nations or territories. This has enabled the education of individuals about their rights on a global scale (Diehl, 2009). The fact that there is the documentation of the rights and they have become codified provided people with confidence to step forward and seek protection when their rights are violated. For example, the Geneva Convention and its two added protocols regulate the behaviour in an armed conflict. It is now common for soldiers globally to treat each and every person injured in combat with the same respect and dignity even if he or she is an enemy. The more people become aware of their fundamental human rights, the easier it is to take steps in cases of abuse. Citizens who have their rights violated with no action taken by their government will become aware that justice is possible within the framework of the International Law (Sharon, 2010). Not only is the International Law efficient or effective but it also is a departure point, and it contains extensive potentials. In different instances, individuals seek compensation for injuries and are able to help other sufferers in the future. There are other instances where individuals do not have their government on their behalf. For example, when the 16 year old Michael Dominiques sentenced to death for committing murder in the state of Nevada lost his appeal in 2000 at the Supreme Court, he took it forward to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. His state had failed to protect the third article of the United Nations Charter, the right to life. He had the opportunity of taking the law into his own hands and claiming that the application of the death penalty would violate the United States treaty and the customary international law refusing the execution of juveniles. Based on the fact that the execution of criminal offenders under the age of 18 was considered an issue of jus cogens in international customary law, the sitting judge concluded that executing a minor would be a grave and irreparable violation. Dominique’s life was spared due to the international law. Also, with the help of Roper versus Simmons case, by 2005 America changed its stance and proclaimed that the death penalty for minors would be considered

Natural Gas Essay Example for Free

Natural Gas Essay Qatar is known to have the third largest reserve in the world for natural gas. It is a colorless, shapeless, odorless gas in its natural form. Main property of this gas that made it so prized is its combustibility. When burned, natural gas emits a great deal of energy (NaturalGas. org, 2004). But not like fossil fuels, natural gas is a clean burning gas with lower level of potentially harmful byproducts is emitted into the air as resultant to the combustion process. Natural gas is usually composed of a mixture of combustible hydrocarbon gases. While natural gas is formed primarily of methane, it can also include ethane, propane, butane and pentane. The composition of natural gas can vary widely but in its purest form it is mainly composed of methane. Usually found under the earth, this gas is usually associated with oil deposits. Natural gas is another form of fossil fuel, like coal and oil, and is essentially the remains of plants and animals. Use of natural gas as an energy source comprises 24% of the total energy consumption in the US for the year 2000. Natural gas, with its varied usage and has many different applications for industrial, commercial and residential sectors, is vital component of the nations energy supply. PHOTOVOLTAICS Photovoltaic literally means light electricity, which was derived from the Greek words photo and volt. Photovoltaic materials and devices basically generate electricity by converting light or solar energy into electricity that can be utilized by devices requiring electrical power. It was discovered by a French physicist Edmond Becquerel on1839 while conducting an experiment involving electrolytic cell connected by two metals as electrodes. Since then harnessing of solar electricity has been developed and used (Solar_Energy_and_Technology_Program, 2005). Since the discovery of photoconductivity, solar energy has been harnessed to generate electricity. On 1873, Wilby Smith identified Selenium to demonstrate photoconductivity. Photovoltaic property was also observed Adams and Day to be exhibited by Selenium while in its solid form. The first solar cell was created by Charles Fritts on 1883, which was made from Selenium wafers (Corrosion_Doctors, 2007). PV was originally developed to provide power to devices on places that would require a renewable source of energy like in outer space. With the development of PV devices or solar devices, PV cells have been used in providing power to spacecrafts and devices. The first reported usage of PV cells was during 1959 for the Vanguard 1 satellite using silicon wafers in the solar device. This satellite lasted for 8 years in operation (Corrosion_Doctors, 2007). Since Vanguard 1 other spacecrafts and satellite were reported to utilize also PV technology in providing power to manned and unmanned crafts and satellites. PV generation is gaining increased importance as renewable source due to its advantages like absence of fuel cost, no noise or wear due to absence of moving parts and little maintenance. The world market for photovoltaic exceeded 200 MW in 1999 could rise to 650 MW in 2005 and 1800 MW in 2010 – provided that installed costs for grid-connected PV drop to less than US $4/ Wp in 2005 and $3 in 2010. The world grid-connected market grew to 110 MW in 2000, 400 MW in 2005 and will grow to 700 MW in 2010 provided the installed costs will decrease to $3/W by 2010. The following tables and graphs show a general idea of how the PV world market is growing and how the prices of PV modules/Wp is dropping since the year 1990 up until now and in the upcoming future. PV Cells PV cells or solar cells, composed of semiconductors that are made from crystalline solids, which permits electrical conduction when connected to two metals, are devices that converts solar or radiant energy into electrical energy. This thin wafer of semiconductor is chemically treated to produce negative charge on one side and positive charge on the other side. A p-n junction separates and connects the two oppositely charged sides. The process of converting sunlight into electricity is explained in three processes 1. Sunlight is absorbed by the thin semiconductor wafer. 2. Positive and negative charges are generated and are separated in the different parts of the cell. The movement of these particles generates voltage within the cell. 3. And, the electrical current generated by the separation of the charges is transferred to the intended device via the electrical terminals connected to the cell. When sunlight is absorbed by the solar cell, electron hole pairs are generated, and if their recombination is prevented they can reach the junction where they are separated. The electrons are moved into the front side or negative side of the cell. Commercial solar cells usually designate the negative side in the front part. The back or other side of the cells is designated as the positive side. When these two are connected electrical current flows between through wires connected to the electrical device. The current that flows is usually proportional on the intensity of the sunlight that the solar cell captures (Elwell Komp, 2007). The back contact or positive side is usually made of continuous layer of metal but the front contact, on the other hand is usually made into thin fingers. The front contacts are evenly spaced to allow the as much sunlight to reach the positive side of the cell. The cell is covered with an anti reflection coating to maximize the absorption of sunlight. A thin protective coating covers the cell to allow cleaning and maintenance (Elwell Komp, 2007). An example of a single solar cell structure is shown in figure 1. PV cells are manufactured in many shapes and sizes. Some are even smaller than a postage stamp. While there are individual cells that are many inches across. Interconnected PV cells form a PV module. Modules are interconnected to form a PV array. The module is designed to contain a number of Silicon cells interconnected as a series of thin layers. This is purposely intended to protect the solar cells from the ambient and as well as generate a higher voltage compared to a single cell, which delivers less than 1 volt. Arrays varies in the size that is needed dependent upon the amount of sunlight that the location is receiving and the needed power generated by the array depending the intended usage. The array is not just composed of the PV modules, which comprises the majority of the PV system, it also includes the electrical connection, mounting hardware, power-conditioning equipment and batteries that store the generated electricity intended for use during the times when the sun is not available or shining (Solar_Energy_and_Technology_Program, 2005). Crystalline silicon solar cells are used in more than half of all solar electric devices. Like most semiconductor devices, they include a positive layer (on the bottom) and a negative layer (on the top) that create an electrical field inside the cell. When a photon of light strikes a semiconductor, it releases electrons (see animation). The free electrons flow through the solar cells bottom layer to a connecting wire as direct current (DC) electricity. Some solar cells are made from polycrystalline silicon, which consists of several small silicon crystals. Polycrystalline silicon solar cells are cheaper to produce but somewhat less efficient than single-crystal silicon (Solar Electricity, 2004). A simple silicon solar cell can power a watch or calculator. However, it produces only a tiny amount of electricity. Connected together, solar cells form modules that can generate substantial amounts of power. Modules are the building blocks of solar electric systems, which can produce enough power for a house, a rural medical clinic, or an entire village. Large arrays of solar electric modules can power satellites or provide electricity for utilities. Solar Electric System Components (Solar Electricity, 2004). PV cells can be made from different semiconductor materials but the most commonly used in manufacturing is crystalline silicon. Crystalline silicon has gained popularity since it was the first material used in the earliest successful PV devices. Silicon has 14 electrons and its orbital arrangements allows up to four electrons to be given, shared or accepted. These outermost electrons, known as valence electron, play a vital part in photoelectric effect of solar cells. Solar cell technology benefited greatly from the high standard of silicon technology developed originally for transistors and later for integrated circuits. This applied also to the quality and availability of single crystal silicon of high perfection. In the first years, only Czochralski (Cz) grown single crystals were used for solar cells. This material still plays an important role. As the cost of silicon is a significant proportion of the cost of a solar cell, great efforts have been made to reduce these costs. One technology, which dates back to the 1970s, is block casting which avoids the costly puling process. Silicon is melted and poured into a square SiO/SiN coated graphite crucible. Controlled cooling produces a polycrystalline silicon block with a large crystal grain structure.

Increasing Time Efficiency of Insertion Sort

Increasing Time Efficiency of Insertion Sort Increasing Time Efficiency of Insertion Sort for the Worst Case Scenario Surabhi Patel, Moirangthem Dennis Singh Abstract. Insertion sort gives us a time complexity of O(n) for the best case. In the worst case where the input is in the descending order fashion, the time complexity is O(n2). In the case of arrays, shifting is taking O(n2) while in the case of linked lists, comparison is coming to O(n2). Here a new way of sorting for the worst case problem is proposed. We will use arrays as data structures and take more space. We will take 2n spaces where n is the number of elements and start the insertion from (n-1)th location of the array. In this proposed technique the time complexity is O(nlogn) as compared to O(n2) in the worst case. Keywords. Insertion Sort, Time Complexity, Space Complexity Introduction Insertion sort is a simple sorting algorithm[1], a comparison sort in which the sorted array (or list) is built one entry at a time. It is much less efficient on large lists than more advanced algorithms such as quicksort, heapsort, or merge sort. Every repetition of insertion sort removes an element from the input data, inserting it into the correct position in the already-sorted list, until no input elements remain. The best case input is an array that is already sorted. In this case insertion sort has a linear running time which is O(n). During each iteration, the first remaining element of the input is only compared with the right-most element of the sorted subsection of the array. The worst case input is an array sorted in reverse order. In this case, every iteration of the inner loop will scan and shift the entire sorted subsection of the array before inserting the next element. For this case insertion sort has a quadratic running time which is O(n2). The average case also has a quadratic running time of O(n2). Literature Survey In an insertion sort algorithm, there are always two constraints in time complexity. One is shifting the elements and the other one is comparison of the elements. The time complexity is also dependent on the data structure which is used while sorting. If we use array as data structure then shifting takes O(n2) in the worst case. While using link list data structure, searching takes more time, viz. O(n2). We will take the following examples: Sort 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 using arrays. Shifting = 0, Comparison = 0 Shifting = 1, Comparison = log1 Shifting = 2, Comparison = log2 Shifting = 3, Comparison = log3 Shifting = 4, Comparison = log4 Time Complexity in Shifting: O(n2) Time Complexity in Comparison: O(nlogn) Total time complexity: O(n2) Here as the array is sorted, we can use binary search for comparison which will lead to a time complexity of O(nlogn) but Shifting takes O(n2). Therefore the total time complexity becomes O(n2) To solve this problem, link list can be used as illustrated in the following example. Sort 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 using link list. In a link list shifting takes O(1) as new elements can be inserted at their right positions without shifting. Comparison = 0 Comparison = 1 Comparison = 2 Comparison = 3 Comparison = 4 Time Complexity in Shifting: O(1) Time Complexity in Comparison: O(n2) Total time Complexity: O(n2) Here as we cannot use binary search for comparison which will lead to a time complexity O(n2) even though shifting takes a constant amount of time. As we have observed in the examples illustrated above, in both the cases the Time complexity is not getting reduced. Hence we are proposing an improvised insertion sort taking additional space to sort the elements. As space complexity is less important than time complexity[2][3], we have concentrated more over the time taken instead of space. Proposed Work In the insertion sort technique proposed here, we will take 2n spaces in an array data structure, where n is the total number of elements. The insertion of elements will start from n-1th position of the array. The same procedure of a standard insertion sort is followed in this technique. Finding the suitable positions of the elements to be inserted will be done using binary search. In the following cases we will discuss the details of our work. Case 1 For the best case scenario in a standard Insertion Sort is the input elements in ascending order using proposed technique. e.g. 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 Shifting =0 , Comparison = 0 Shifting =0 , Comparison = 1 Shifting =0 , Comparison = 1 Shifting =0 , Comparison = 1 Shifting =0 , Comparison = 1 Total Shifting =0, Total Comparison = n-1 Therefore time complexity is O(1)+O(n) = O(n) Case 2: For the worst case scenario in a standard Insertion Sort is the input elements in descending order using proposed technique. e.g. 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 Shifting =0 , Comparison = 0 Shifting =1 , Comparison = log1 Shifting =1 , Comparison = log2 Shifting =1 , Comparison = log3 Shifting =1 , Comparison = log4 Total Shifting =n-1, Total Comparison =log( 1*2*3*4) =log((n-1)!) =log((n-1) (n-1)) =(n-1)log(n-1) =nlog(n-1) log(n-1) Therefore time complexity is O(n)+O(nlogn) = O(nlogn) Case 3: For the average case scenario in a standard Insertion Sort, the input elements are in random order. We are following the same procedure but comparison is done via binary search algorithm. Hence it takes O(nlogn) for comparison. For shifting the elements, the time taken tends to O(n2) but is not equal to O(n2). As we have more spaces, there are possibilities that the shifting of some elements may be reduced because elements may be inserted both at the end as well as in the beginning. Results Now we compare the time complexities of proposed sorting technique and the standard Insertion sort. Conclusion We are decreasing the time complexity of worst case scenario in Insertion sort algorithm by increasing the space complexity. Our future scope of work includes decreasing time complexity of the average case which is O(n2) currently. There are promising results shown in the average case scenario where the time complexity may be reduce from O(n2), if the probability of the input elements is a combination of increasing and decreasing order. Acknowledgement We would like to thank Prof Anirban Roy, Department of Basic Sciences Christ University Faculty of Engineering for helpful discussions and support. REFERENCES Insertion Sort,http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Insertion_sort.html Michael A. Bender, â€Å"Insertion Sort is O(nlogn),† Third International Conference on Fun With Algorithms(FUN), Pages 16-23, 2004 H. W. Thimbleby, â€Å"Using Sentinels in Insert Sort,† Software Practice and Experience, Volume 19(3), Pages 303–307, 1989.

Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Violence Against Children

Child Abuse Child abuse and neglect is frightfully high. As a country this is unacceptable. We need to come up with better ways to fight this â€Å"disease† before we destroy our children, our future. An estimated 903,000 children across the country were victims of abuse or neglect in 2001, according to national data released by the Department of Health and Human Services. The statistics indicate that about 12.4 out of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect, a rate comparable to the previous year's victimization rate of 12.2 out of 1,000 children. "A nation as compassionate as ours should ensure that no child is a victim of abuse or neglect. The number of children that are being abused and neglected this country is an unacceptable daily tragedy," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "We must do more to protect our most vulnerable children. That's why President Bush has proposed an important new approach to give states the tools and resources they need to prevent abuse and care for these young victims." As part of HHS' fiscal year 2004 budget request, the Bush Administration is proposing a new approach to protect children in the child welfare system. Under the plan, states would have the option of using some money now designated solely for foster care to support a range of abuse-preventive services and programs. The proposal provides the flexibility and sustained financial support necessary to build innovative programs for children and families...

The Evolution of Science Fiction Essay -- Literature

Despite decades between their writings, the similarities between H.G. Wells and P.K. Dick are numerous and include the fact that both authors were far ahead of their time, had aspirations regarding the universe and a future electronic era to come, had a theme revolving around a distant planet, and challenged humanity. Both science fiction authors were beyond their time. Wells had the capability of â€Å"lifting up our fathers’ hearts with hopes, exciting them with the feeling that a new world was at the point of being born and they were to inherit itâ€Å" (Dickson 17). Throughout all of his works, P.K. Dick â€Å"focused on conveying the truth of his many-faceted visions without regard for critical expectations and genre conventions† (Mackey 128). It is said that â€Å"knowledge of Dick’s biography is essential to an understanding of his work† (Umland 2). This too is similar to Wells. Both authors led fascinating lives and each found their own unique wa y to incorporate their events and interest into their works as demonstrated by their various novels and short stories. In order to fully understand each authors views, style, and most importantly to establish ethos, one must first understand the authors life. Dick and Wells were greatly influenced by the world around them. Whether it be obvious or not, Dick included his life experiences into his books. He also included many of his own personal interest into the book. Wells writings were mostly influenced by his own views, opinions, and interest. It is easy to assume that a book was written simply off a good idea however, there is often more to it. An underlying interest, an attempted degree, an unexpected adventure. In 1949, Dick began studying philosophy at the University of California Berkley (1... ...rld, there is power in numbers and we have the ability to lead future generations further, not only into the science fiction world, but science itself. Despite nearly three quarters of a century between their writings, the ideas these two magnificent authors had were similar in many ways. They both challenged science and society to their limits. Works Cited Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. New York: Random House, 1968. Print. Dickson, Lovat. H. G. Wells: His Turbulent Life and Times. New York: Lovat Dickson (?), 1969. Print. Mackey, Douglas A. Philip K. Dick. Massachusetts: Twayne, 1988. Print Wells, H. G. â€Å"A Story of the Days to Come.† 28 Science Fiction Stories. New York: Dover, 1952. 730-820. Priint. Wells, H. G. â€Å"The Time Machine.† The Complete Short Stories of H. G. Wells. London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1966. 9-91. Print.

Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay

John Steinbeck at the beginning of the novel creates dislike towards Curley’s wife. However by the end of the novel we feel sympathy for her. Steinbeck uses many different techniques to present Curley’s wife such as†¦ Colour imagery Appearance Metaphors Similes Dialogue Foreshadowing Descriptive words QUOTES The rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off Tart E ver’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am i doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs—a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep—an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else.† well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny. ‘I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.’ ‘I could made somethin’ of myself†¦Maybe I will yet.’ ‘Coulda been in the movies.’ ‘I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.’ On Lennie ‘Jus’ like a big baby.’ ‘Her body flopped like a fish’ ‘He pawed up the hay.’ CONTEXT Curley’s wife is the only women at the ranch, women in 1930’s America where treated as less just like Curley’s wife. Women where seen as unintelligent and this is just like Steinbeck portrays Curley’s wife. Also in 1930’s America blacks and whites did not get along. There were many segregated places like hospitals and church’s etc. people where racists just like Curley’s wife was towards Crooks. Curley’s Wife Curley’s wife knows her beauty is her power, and she uses it to flirt with the men at the ranch and make her husband jealous. Steinbeck at the beginning portrays Curley’s wife to be mean and seductive. She brings evil into the men’s lives by tempting them in a way they cannot resist. Eventually, she ends the dream of, the little farm where George and Lennie wanted to live.

Racial Discrimination from Police Essay

Racial discrimination in the United States is as old as America itself. The United States motto deduces that, although America is a single country, it is made up of people of all walks from all the corners of the world, but some as slaves, especially from Africa. The American population is diverse both culturally and racially thus the name ‘Melting Point’. Racial discrimination is the act of subordinating an individual due to the color of the skin or race. Discrimination against people of color began long ago while slavery still existed, and it took a Civil War between the Northern and Southern states to end slavery. In history, racist violence, police brutality, has been used to suppress the racial blacks and to preserve power and privileges for the white race. This was done for five primary purposes. First, it has forced black people into slavery or low wage situations. Secondly, to steal land and other resources. A third was to maintain social control. A fourth purpose was to eliminate conflict in politics, social life, and employment. Lastly, the fifth purpose was to unite white people across the ethnic, class, and gender boundaries. It is not really different of what we see nowadays through every day in the street. It is just getting a little bit smoother , cover up by law that a certain category of people make to protect themselves and the ones who as the privilege to use it. Most of the times, they do not been treated as the minority whenever they do the same mistakes by the justice in this country. The following grounds for suspicion of criminality are among the many reasons that African American motorists are pulled over: Driving a luxury automobile (e. . , Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, etc. ), driving in a car with other black men, driving early in the morning or late at night, driving in a low-income neighborhood, known for its drug traffic, driving in a neighborhood where there have been recent burglaries,†¦ Although the above list may in fact be the reason that a prejudice officer’s attention is obtained, none of the reasons listed can be filed as a probable cause in the police report. I have so many bad experiences with the police that I think, it is just getting worst. We all know, minority people, that they use theses bunch of †laws† to still keep us down because they still, and for more of the â€Å"white people† ,think that they are a â€Å"superior race†. One day, I was with my dad driving around a nice neighborhood with some friend to go pick up one our friend to go at the club. It was late around 11 pm that night. From nowhere the police pull us over and start actin really at their defensive. They asked us to get out of the car, after checking if the car has the proper paper (insurance & driver license). They asked us what we were doing there and we answered without stress that we are going to pick up a friend of us to go at the club. One of us asked us, straight up on our face, if we were not here for other illegal purpose in the neighborhood. We were still acting cool, at the same moment two others police cars pulled over. We were surprise by the number of units just for 3 people. They start searching us with some brutality and still asking stupid questions. The car also has been check. They brought a K-9 dog to search the car. We did not know what they were looking for and even if they have a warrant on us. After some so long minutes, they let us go. The think that really made us feel that we were inferior was the fact that one of the cars was following us through the neighborhood until we got out. That experience was the most shameful one I ever been into. I really hate cops since this experience. Being a minority and particularly black is not a crime. I totally presume that most of the police are like that. Racial bias and discrimination are existent in the minds of many individuals, some of whom may have, if it is at all possible, a justification for such thoughts. But when it comes to the protection and justice of a society, race should not even be an issue. The criminal justice system of today fuels its flame of democracy with decisions influenced by a certain individual’s race and stature in society, and allows these preconceptions to be the basis of such decisions. Whether it is the African American motorist being pulled over with no probable cause, or the racially spurred brutalizing by the police, racism prevails in the world of criminal justice. Most communities that suffer police discrimination and violence have little control of the economy, or political overseers of the police. Typically the people who do have these powers are the richer communities, with primarily white citizens. I do not think the community or even education can do something about it, it is already in their manners and nothing will change it, The only think that could make a minority person close to their tight circle is â€Å"money†.

Characterizing Mrs. Bennet

Who is Mrs. Bennet? While Mrs. Bennet speaks to her husband we can see many of the same characterizations through what he says in response. As far as the Mrs. being a gossip, it is clear that Mr. Bennet has heard his fair share of it from her. When asked if he wants to know who is moving into Netherfield he replies that he knows that she wants to tell him, but that he does not particularly â€Å"want† to hear it. We also see that Mr. Bennet knows his wife is somewhat of a drama queen and he is constantly poking fun at her with his sarcasm, which she never seems to understand as such. Yet another example of Mr. Bennet’s experience with his wife’s personality is his seemingly un-caring behavior towards his daughters getting married. Mrs. Bennet is convinced that Mr. Bingley could be her new son-in-law, Mr. Bennet points out that Bingley is not necessarily there to find a wife. Through all these ways we can see a bit of Mrs. Bennet’s personality through the words of another character in the book. We can get even more information through words not necessarily spoken in the book, but spoken to us through the voice of the narrator. Even the simplest of comments can show a huge personality trait. The simplest way the narrator shows us that Mrs. Bennet loves to gossip and talk is when Mr. Bennet says he has no objection to hearing her story, the narrator points out that â€Å"That was invitation enough,† showing us that Mrs. Bennet is very eager to get her information out. Although we can gather much of Mrs. Bennet’s character through the entirety of the page, the narrator makes sure we have gathered what we need to about her by giving us a summary at the very end of the page. The narrator tells us that â€Å"She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news. † So, once again we gather that she loves â€Å"visiting and news,† or gossip, and that the business of her life is to get her daughters married. Mrs. Bennet is not hard to figure out with Jane Austen’s excellent characterization techniques. With her great narration techniques we have the author there to tell us much of what we need to know. Even better is that much of the time we don’t even need the narrators help, through the speech in the book; whether it be Mrs. Bennet herself, or somebody speaking to her or about her. Through either the character itself, the characters around it, or the author herself, Jane Austen manages to use all three â€Å"characters† excellently to show us the personality of Mrs. Bennet, as well as the rest of her characters.

Public safety debate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public safety debate - Research Paper Example There is a growing concern among the human rights group regarding the morality of such stringent punishments as a means to deter crime. However regardless of such public outcry against the immorality of death penalty, and the violation of human and civil rights it continues to be implemented in different parts of the world. In the wake of high-profile international cases such as terrorism and war crimes which are continuously on the rise which threatens to disrupt the social fabric of the society, capital punishment or death penalties have garnered more support bringing the topic back to public consciousness. Historically, diverse forms of punishment which were implemented to ensure law and order in society have been influenced by a range of factors including social, economic, political as well as cultural, regardless of its impact on the outcome (Strange, 1996; Garland, McGown, and Meranze, 2011; Pate, Laurie, and Gould, 2012). Thus the issue of capital punishment is not merely rest ricted to legal issues but extends far beyond that and the only crucial question that looms large is the one concerning its moral legitimacy rather than its efficacy. It has been often observed that with respect to issues aimed at questioning the legality, efficacy and credibility of policymaking process and its implementation, opinions are often sharply divided and staunch supporters as well as opponents exist that defying the claims made and weakening the arguments put forward by the rivals on either end of the spectrum (Weiss, 1991; Majone, 1989). The literature supporting and dismissing the credibility of capital punishment is on the rise; pointing to opposing conclusions, which itself acts a barrier preventing the formation of an informed public opinion. Some such discussions are included hereunder: Death penalty as a crime deterrent: Proponents of death penalty argue that the threat of punishment acts a deterrent to criminal offenders and prevents them from committing crime. I t attracts large scale public disapproval and has a serious impact on their attitudes towards the criminals thus affecting the morality of those convicted of serious crimes. There is large amount of literature which provides empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of criminal punishment as an effective crime deterrent. Researchers have argued that the fear of such harsh punishment instills a fear of execution among the people and hence results in the reduction of homicides (Dezhbakhsh, Rubin, and Shepherd 2003; Mocan and Gittings 2003; Shepherd 2004; Zimmerman 2004; Shepherd 2005). Furthermore it has also been argued that the threat of punishment induces compliant behavior among the public which results in following the law by the citizens as a matter of habit, thus successfully establishing a natural law and order in the society and safeguarding the well-being and security of the citizens in the process (Siegel, 2012). However contrary to such claims, it has been observed by various researchers that most criminals are unyielding to harsher punishments either due to their ignorance regarding the perceived risk associated with the crimes and the severity of the punishment or their complete lack of knowledge regarding the consequences of their actions (Siegel, 2010; Brody & Acker, 2011). The proponents of death