Mexican War of Independence essays

Mexican War of Independence essays The Mexican War of Independence was certainly a unique one compared to the other Latin American Wars of Independence. After the American and the French Revolution, Mexico could not stay behind on being controlled by the Spanish. This struggle for liberty was caused by three internal factors; the social oppression before the War of Independence, events such as the Grito de Dolores, and the Plan of Iguala. The social oppression sparked the people into consideration for a reform in the area, Grito de Dolores becoming the act that demonstrated the people ¡Ã‚ ¯s thoughts about the situation, and the Plan of Iguala becoming the statement that showed what the  ¡Ã‚ °Mexicans ¡ wanted. These three factors become crucial for the development of the Wars of Independence which becomes a key period for the history of Mexico. The people in Mexico were furious about the oppression they were experiencing in the nation. Privileges were given to the high class, especially the Peninsulares; the Spanish born people, so the people who were in the middle and lower class felt unfairness. This sensation of inequality was commonly among the Criollos the people Spanish people born in the colonies, where they were not given the same privileges as the Peninsulares. Their main concern was how the Peninsulares were the people who were governing the colonies; the Criollos wanted to take control over the colonies by themselves. Since the Bourbon Reforms taking effect in Europe, the Spanish colonies became unsettled; where the Spanish born were trying to tax the colonists in order to restore the economic stability. The increase of sales tax hit the colonists. Wealthy Creoles were repeatedly being pressured by the Spanish born in Mexico (Peninsulares) and the Crown in Spain. The sale of church lands was becoming usu al and it impacted the priests dramatically. The Indian communities were also harassed by a demand of a greater tribute than the previous ...

The Value of Apple Certification

The Value of Apple Certification Apple certification is something not many people even know is available. One reason is that Macs are still not nearly as popular as Microsoft Windows in the corporate world. Still, it does have a specific niche in business. Creative organizations like advertising agencies and media outlets like newspapers, magazines, and video production facilities normally rely much more heavily on Macs than other businesses. In addition, a number of school districts nationwide are Mac based. And most large companies have a few Macs scattered around, especially in corporate art and video departments. That’s why it can make sense to get an Apple certification. Although not nearly as numerous as, for example, Microsoft certified individuals, Mac certified pros are valuable in the right setting. Application Certifications There are basically two certification paths for Apple: application-oriented and support/troubleshooting-oriented. Apple Certified Pros have expertise in particular programs, like the Final Cut Studio video editing suite or DVD Studio Pro for DVD authoring. For certain applications, like Logic Studio and Final Cut Studio, there are several levels of training, including the Master Pro and Master Trainer credentials. These can be handy to have if you’re self-employed and do contract video editing work, for example. If teaching is your thing, consider becoming an Apple Certified Trainer. The chief benefit of a certification like this would be for instructors and trainers working with students learning the programs. Technology Certifications Apple also offers a number of titles for the more â€Å"geeky† folks. Those who like computer networking and digging into the guts of an operating system are targeted here. There are three Mac OS X certifications offered, including: Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP). This is an entry-level credential for support personnel, equivalent to the MCP. It covers the Mac OS X client, but not Mac OS X server.Apple Certified Technical Coordinator (ACTC). The next level adds Mac OS X server support and is geared toward entry-level system administrators working on smaller networks.Apple Certified System Administrator (ACSA). This is for high-end Mac system administrators, working in complex and often large environments. You should have several years experience working with and administering, Mac networks before attempting this one. Apple also has credentials for hardware and storage specialists. Apple’s storage device is called Xsan and offers two titles for experts in this area: Xsan Administrator and the Apple Certiï ¬ ed Media Administrator (ACMA). The ACMA is more technical than Xsan Administrator, involving storage architecture and networking duties. On the hardware side, consider becoming an Apple Certified Macintosh Technician (ACMT) Certification. ACMTs spend a lot of their time pulling apart and putting back together desktop machines, laptops, and servers. It’s the Apple version of the A credential from CompTIA. Worth the Money? So, given the range of Apple certifications available, the question is whether they’re worth spending the time and money to achieve since there are far fewer Macs in business use than PCs? One blog by an Apple fan asked that question and got some interesting answers. â€Å"The certifications are very useful and are valid industry recognised accreditation. Im pretty sure that a having Apple accreditation on my CV helped me get my current job,† said one Apple Certified Pro. Another compared the Apple certifications and Microsoft: â€Å"As for Apple vs Microsoft... MCSEs are a dime a dozen. Any Apple Cert is rare and if you have both (like I do) it is very marketable and valuable to clients. Scarcity is key to being valuable and my business in the past 18 months has exploded due to Apple and our requirement for dual certs.† One multiple-certification Mac expert had this to say: â€Å"The certifications definitely help, when it comes to showing prospective clients (and even future employers) that you know Macs.† Additionally, this article from Certification Magazine discusses how one college is starting to turn out Apple-certified students who are finding work, in part thanks to the credential. Judging from those responses, it’s safe to say that Apple certification is quite valuable in the proper situation.

My Experience with the Council Form Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My Experience with the Council Form - Essay Example The council helped me accept diverse opinions than before, in addition to understanding those who disagreed with me. During the session, I noticed that it was interesting to listen to others particularly those who had different opinions from mine, especially when they supported them with studies and pieces of evidence. My little voice was thinking on their reactions, telling myself that they could be either right or wrong. I did not have a problem listening because I listened to each and everyone in the group and realized that life is cool when we communicate to each other, as well as when we give each other an opportunity to argue and speak his ideas. To add to this, I discovered that, if one believes what he says and have evidence, then your conversation has a great effect on other participants in the group session and everyone will agree with you. I also learned from the controversial topic that we can all discuss and come up with a correct answer, although I did not expect such a topic and therefore, my opinion was not changed since I hate to hear or talk about it, though it was nice to hear people give their opinions on it. During the group meeting and group presentation, some of my strengths as a group participant were supporting my opinions with studies and pieces of evidence, showing that marijuana should be kept illegal. I was also the only member who was against marijuana, and therefore, my position was a specialist opinion. I played the role of trying to convince them in regards to marijuana risks, but at the same time respecting their views, though they insisted that they had to read and see more studies on its risks. However, they tried changing my views but they could not give me any strong and logic pieces of evidence either. I have learned a lot from the group sessions, like having to listen to each and everyone, in addition to, those who disagree with me and respect their opinions. During the preparation of our presentation, leadership emerged from our group, where Tom was elected to be the leader, where he led us effectively. The leadership was also shared, where Eric helped Tom in leading us as well as, helping each one of us. He was helpful as well as a good friend. There was also satisfactory leadership in our group session because we all got A’s. It was also easy for us to make decisions on how our presentation would be structured. This is because we respected and understood each other, which is very important in group work. If group members do not understand and respect each other, the group becomes disorganized in their final presentation. The consensus was easily reached because we all worked as a team although there were members with different views, we still maintained the friendship.  Ã‚  

Certification in sustainable tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Certification in sustainable tourism - Essay Example The paper will also deal with the actual implication and meaning of the sustainable tourism along with the evidences through certain case examples that will explain the applicability of the certification in sustainable tourism (Certification for Sustainable Tourism, 2010). In the research paper, the entire aspects which are essential in the certification of the sustainable tourism will be taken up and the objectives defined will be fulfilled. The growing trend of the tourism industry all over the world has initiated the undertaking or conduction of survey in this perspective. The recent prospect of the tourism industry contributes to country’s development in terms of creating new jobs and adding revenue to the country’s GDP. Thus, considering the growing importance of the sector, this research study has been carried out. The most widely accepted definition of the sustainable tourism has been provided by the World Tourism Organisation. According to them, sustainable tourism is â€Å"the tourism which leads to the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic need can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems† (United Nations Foundation, 2002). Thus, the World Tourism Organisation describes the sustainable tourism as a process that satisfies the demands of the tourists and host communities and at the same time protects and enhances the future needs and demands of the tourists (United Nations Foundation, 2002). Tourism, over the years, has evolved as one of the largest industries in the world. However, the huge resource and infrastructural demands of tourism, for example, usage of energy, waste generation and water consumption can have an adverse effect on the environment and local communities if proper management plan is not taken up. The various regions all over the

Constitutional Law of the European Union Essay Example for Free

Constitutional Law of the European Union Essay The European Court of Justice is the driving force behind European integration. The ECJ had elaborately defined the doctrines of supremacy and direct effect of the EC Law and provided remedies for damages caused by breach of EC Law by a Member State . Despite the initiatives of the ECJ, there have been conflicts between Community law and national law. Moreover, the ECJ made it clear that the EC law had supremacy over national law in the event of conflict as evidenced in the case of Costa v ENEL, wherein it held that a preliminary ruling by the Italian courts based on their national law would be of no significance. In Simmenthal, the ECJ clarified that the Community law was to take precedence over national law and that any provision of the national law that contravened the Community Law would be rescinded by it. Moreover, the ECJ prohibited the implementation of any national law that was in conflict with the Community law. The ECJ further ruled that no fundamental provision of any national law could challenge the supremacy of a directly applicable Community rule . This supremacy of Community law is one of the constitutive principles of the integration of the European Community legal order and it has been well embedded in the Treaty that established a Constitution for the European Union. The doctrine of supremacy of Community law, the principles of direct effect and uniform applicability are the primary ingredients of the Community. They are fundamental to the promotion of an effective Community legal order and form the unseen pillars of the European Constitution. Further, the doctrine of supremacy is the actual concrete personification of this constitutional power . The national constitutional courts of Member States found it very difficult to adopt the doctrine of supremacy and in the initial stages the Italian and German constitutional courts almost refused to adopt this doctrine into their respective national legislations, because they felt that they would be surrendering their power of constitutional review of secondary community law. Subsequently, the enlargement of the European Union provided a new paradigm to this doctrine of supremacy. This doctrine of supremacy was enforced by the ECJ in Costa v ENEL . This doctrine is a jurisprudential creation of the ECJ. Further, the Court clarified that the EEC Treaty had adopted a new legal system, which the Member States had integrated into their national legislation. Accordingly, the national courts were required to apply the Community law without any deviation and this generated a number of debates in the Member States. Ultimately, it was accepted by the Member States. However, total supremacy over the national constitutional provisions has not been achieved . In Frontini the Italian Constitutional Court had opined that the 1957 Act, which had accepted the provisions of the EEC Treaty, did not breach the Constitution. Moreover, the Italian court reserved to itself the right to review the continuing compatibility of the Treaty with the Constitution . In another case the Italian Constitutional Court, while accepting the precedence of Community law, maintained that the court had competence over any aspect of the relationship between Community law and municipal law . These decisions clearly established that the national constitutional courts had not completely accepted the supremacy of Community law. The German Constitutional Courts voiced their concern over the protection of fundamental rights in the decisions given in Solange I and II and introduced the concept of Kompetenz – Kompetenze. Even in the Banana case the German constitutional Court declined to give up its power to review secondary community legislation in order to protect fundamental rights . In the United Kingdom this doctrine created several problems, because the UK constitution bestows absolute power on Parliament. Further, the UK ratified a dualist policy concerning the relationship between international treaties and national law. Although such treaties were signed by the UK, they were not incorporated into the domestic law of the UK. In order to incorporate the treaties into national laws, the Parliament had to ratify them and this resulted in a problem in respect of accepting the doctrine of supremacy of Community law over national law. In the famous Factortame case the concept of the supremacy of Community law was subjected to a vast amount of discussion. In that case Spanish fishermen had argued that the norms for registering vessels under the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 were discriminatory and in conflict with the provisions of the EC Treaty. The House of Lords refused to grant any interim injunction against the Crown. The applicants in this case claimed that this would violate the Community law and the result was that a reference was made to the ECJ, which ruled in favour of these applicants. The ECJ further held that any piece of legislation in the national law that prevented a court from issuing interim relief would be tantamount to the violation of the Community law . The EOC case dealt with the suitability of the UK statute regarding unfair dismissal and redundancy pay in the broader context of the EC law . The UK law provided different benefits to employees working in full –time and part – time jobs. The appellant in the case, the Equal Opportunities Commission, opined that the statute was discriminating against female employees, which was in contravention of Article 141 of the EC Treaty and to other Community directives. The House of Lords held that the national legislation had violated the EC law and upheld the contention of the EOC. The approach of the European Court of Justice is at variance with the customary doctrine of precedent that is entrenched in domestic law. The objective of the ECJ is to bring about a European Union that follows the same law throughout its Member States and to this end it constantly endeavours to promote the EC Treaty. This could result in a change in the interpretation of legal principle over a period of time. Moreover, the ECJ bases its decisions on the extant circumstances and not on precedent. National courts of Member States in the European Union can obtain a preliminary ruling regarding the interpretation of European Union Law from the ECJ on the basis of the provisions inherent in Article 234 of the EC Treaty. However, it is not the primary objective of the ECJ to take decisions regarding the compatibility between the domestic and European laws. Further, it is also not the primary aim of the ECJ to apply the European Union Law to some specific facts of a case . The ECJ indicates the principle to be applied in a particular case and the case will have to be decided in the originating court, however, the ECJ ruling will have to be implemented by such a court. In the absence of an appeal from a national court, a reference will have to be made by the originating court, in case it is of the opinion that a clarification in respect of European Union Law is required. Nevertheless, there are instances where an ET, EAT or Appellate Court has to make a reference to the ECJ in order to pronounce judgement that is in accordance with the EU law. The function of the advocates general is to aid the judges in their judicial work. They do this by submitting analyses and recommendations regarding the issues raised in a particular case . In addition to the rights conferred on the nationals of the EU Member States by their respective national constitutions, the EU law comprises of another source that grants rights to them. As such the European Union law constitutes a legal system that in addition to being independent also, perhaps more importantly, takes precedence over the national laws of the Member States of the European Union. This European Union law comprises of treaties, which constitute primary legislation and regulations and directives that constitute secondary legislation. The importance of regulations is that they directly require compliance from the Member States without having to be codified into the national laws. However, in respect of the Directives, which are also legally binding, the onus of implementing them rests squarely with the Member States and these Member States have to do so by resorting to the relevant national law legislation on or before the final date set by the EU for such implementation. Accordingly, Article 189 of the European Economic Treaty states that â€Å"A Directive shall be binding, as to the result to be achieved, upon each Member State to which it is addressed, but shall leave to the national authorities the choice of form and methods. The European Court of Justice, subsequent to taking cognizance of the fact that Directives have to be implemented by the Member States, declared that individuals were well within their rights to ensure the implementation of Directives even in the event of failure by the Member States to meet the deadline set by the EU. In addition, individuals were permitted to enforce such rights in the national courts. The Van Gend en Loos decision unequivocally established the fact that in addition to creating obligations for the Member States to implement the Directives it also creates rights for the individual citizens of these Member States . The right of the Member States and the European Commission to proceed against other Member States before the European Court of Justice does not prohibit the lodging of complaints by individuals against the Member State to which they belong in their national courts. In this context, the European Court of Justice ruled that Article 12 of the EEC results in direct effect, which in turn result in the creation of rights for individuals and that these rights had to perforce protected by the national courts. Consequently, individuals have been empowered to ensure that rights granted by the Directives are enforced in the national courts . The offshoot of this is that individuals can ensure the implementation of human rights by resorting to legal action. In the Becker case it was clarified that if there is unconditionality and adequate precision in the provisions of a Directive that bestows individual rights, then individuals can resort to such provisions to contest the relevant national law . Furthermore, in the Francovich case the European Court of Justice established a test in three parts, which was to be utilized in order to ascertain whether the provisions that were inherent in a Directive, were sufficiently precise and unconditional in creating a right that was applicable to individuals. The ECJ has to consider the identity of the persons who are supported by the guarantee and the content of the guarantee. The identity of the person in breach and who is liable to pay the guarantee has also to be ascertained. Private persons and institutes cannot be subjected to the provisions of the Directives, because it is only the state that is subject to the Directives. The decision in the case of Francovich served to establish that damages could be claimed by an individual in a national court, in the event of a Member State’s failure to implement a Directive properly. The ECJ clarified that the spirit of the European law and the protection of rights would become ineffective if an individual failed to secure compensation. Moreover, the States are required to implement Directives wholly and properly. The ECJ decided in Brasserie du Pecheur v. Germany that there must be a sufficiently serious breach by the State in order to determine its liability. This dictum applies to situations where national legislation is implemented improperly and inconsistently with a Directive. In order to determine whether Community law was breached with sufficient seriousness, it is sufficient to demonstrate that the Member State or Community institution had seriously and knowingly ignored the limits to its discretionary power. Some of the factors that the court has to consider are the exactitude and clarity of the rule that was breached, the amount of discretion allowed to the national or Community authorities, whether the damage caused was intentional or not and whether there had been any adoption or rejection of measures that were in violation of the Community law . Member States for whom the Directives are specifically issued should be bound by them. Sometimes Directives can be addressed to one Member State or a group of them, but in general Directives are addressed to all the Member States. The exception to this practice is in respect of Directives that pertain to Common Agricultural Policy. The European Commission initiates a binding legal action in situations where a Member State fails to incorporate the provisions of a Directive into their national legislation or if the national legislation fails to properly fulfill the requirements of the Directive. Previously, the Directives were not adequately binding upon the Member States in their implementation. To address this problem, the ECJ promoted the doctrine of direct effect. Thus even if a Member States fails implement the Directives there is legal initiation under the principle of direct effect. This was clearly established in the case of Francovich v Italy. In that case, the ECJ attributed liability to Italy for its failure to implement a Directive. The Easytalk was a private limited company that had been formed with help from the UK government. It was established in order to encourage students in the EU to come to the UK in order to learn English. This company advertised all over the EU universities by means of pamphlets, in which it was stated that the course instructors would be highly qualified scholars in English with a great deal of teaching experience. A Directive was issued by the EU that prohibited the issuance of advertisements that misled and imparted false information. This Directive was to be implemented by January 2007. However, the UK government failed to implement this Directive by this deadline and in effect this Directive had been ignored by the UK government, because the latter was of the opinion that this Directive was unlawful. Subsequently, a French student, Antoine came to the UK and registered for a course that taught English. However, once the classes commenced, Antoine realized that the faculty comprised of students who were not qualified teachers of English as a foreign language. On being approached, the institute where he had enrolled refused to refund the fees paid by him. The direct effect of directives has been restrained by the concepts of vertical and horizontal effect. Van Duyn and Ratti affirmed that directives only have vertical effect so that an individual who is affected by the states’ failure to implement a directive properly or not at all only has rights against the state and not against a non-state entity or other individuals, as the directive imposes the obligation of implementation upon the state. Therefore a horizontal limitation was placed upon the scope of the direct effect of directives. This principle was addressed in Marshall v Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority , in which the applicant who was employed by the Health authority, was required to retire at the age of sixty – two years, while men doing the same work did not have to retire until the age of sixty – five years. Although under national law, by virtue of the Sex Discrimination Act, this was not discriminatory, she succeeded in her claim for unfair dismissal by relying on the Equal Treatment directive, which had not been implemented in the UK. This directive was sufficiently clear to have direct effect but the courts took the opportunity to confirm that a directive may not of itself impose obligations on an individual and that a provision may not be relied upon as such against such a person. Therefore since the health authority was an organ of the state, the directive had vertical direct effect. Since the respondent in this problem is a private limited company, the claimant cannot approach the Commission under the vertical direct effect. However, he can seek justice under the EU law by resorting to the procedure of indirect effect. Since, the UK government had not implemented the Directive; the claimant can approach the national courts of the UK to compel the government to apply the Directive. In respect of damages, the ECJ further held in R v H. M. Treasury, ex parte British Telecommunications plc that parties who had sustained loss as a result of incorrect implementation of a directive by a state, could claim damages for the loss sustained on such an account. In contrast to this, if a state has failed to fulfill its obligations regarding Directives, whether by non-implementation or incorrect implementation, an individual cannot request invocation of the horizontal direct effect of a directive against another individual. Similarly the effectiveness of non-implemented or incorrectly-implemented directives that do not have direct effect through the horizontal limitation has been enhanced through the doctrine of indirect effect, which emerged from Von Colson . In this case the ECJ held that national courts are required to interpret their national law in light of the wording and the purpose of the directive so that the directive is given some effect despite the absence of proper domestic implementation. This principle may be used under two circumstances; first, where the defendant is a state entity but a directive is not vertically directly effective as its provisions are insufficiently precise, conditional and require further state action for their implementation. Second, the provisions of a directive could be indirectly enforced against a non-state entity i. e. it could be applied horizontally as between individuals. The court was confronted with a ‘horizontal’ situation in Marleasing , in which this position was confirmed. Therefore, if national law was in existence that could be read in conformity with a non-implemented directive, then an individual could enforce a legal remedy against another individual through the interpretative route without seeking to enforce the directive directly and encountering the barrier to horizontal effect. In respect of the Easytalk institute the claimant can file a case for breach of contract and false representation in the UK courts in order to obtain redressal for the loss, damage and frustration caused to him. The question arises as to whether the aggrieved individuals can claim damages against the state in the national courts. The ECJ clarified that the state had to pay compensation for the damages caused due to non – implementation of a Directive and that the conditions laid down for such claim of damages must not be less reasonable than what was specified for a domestic claim. Furthermore, the Member State should not unduly complicate the claim process.

Citizenship and The French Revolution Essay -- European History Resear

Citizenship and The French Revolution The French Revolution of 1789 changed the meaning of the word â€Å"revolution.† Prior to this year, revolution meant restoring a previous form of government that had been taken away. Since then, revolution has meant creating a new institution of government that did not previously exist. This required that a constitution be drafted. After a series of four mini-revolutions from May to July, the â€Å"Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen† was released on the twenty-sixth of August, 1789. When the French revolutionaries drew up the Declaration, they wanted to end the traditions surrounding hereditary monarchy and establish new institutions based on the principles of the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment brought the application of scientific laws and formulas to society through the use of observation and reason rather than religion or tradition. The Declaration â€Å"brought together two streams of thought: one springing from the Anglo-American tradition of legal a nd constitutional guarantees of individual liberties, the other from the Enlightenment's belief that reason should guide all human affairs. Reason rather than tradition would be its justification.†1 â€Å"Men are born and remain free and equal in rights,† began the â€Å"Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen,† a document that was supposed to be applicable to all Frenchmen. But did the Declaration really apply to the Jews, Black African slaves, and women in the same respect as it applied to its creators, and was it even intended to do so? Historians have taken diverse approaches to the study of the French Revolutionary era. Perhaps this is because the French Revolution impacted different groups of people in quite contradictory ways. The interests o... .... PRIMARY SOURCES Hunt, Lynn, ed.. The French Revolution and Human Rights: A Brief Documentary History. Boston, New York: Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 1996. Very useful collection of primary sources including from the French Revolution including The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen and the Declaration of Rights of Woman among others, with good biographical references. WEBSITES Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution. Washington, D.C.: the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, and New York: the American Social History Project at the City University of New York, supported by the Florence Gould Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. American Social History Productions, Inc., 2001. [cited 4 November 2001.] Available from the World Wide Web: (http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/index.html.)

Pros and cons of the Death Penalty Essay

Capital Punishment, legal infliction of death as a penalty for violating criminal law. Methods of execution have included such practices as crucifixion, stoning, drowning, burning at the stake, impaling, and beheading. Today capital punishment is typically accomplished by lethal gas or injection, electrocution, hanging, or shooting. The death penalty is the most controversial penal practice in the modern world. The United States stands apart from the general trends on capital punishment. It is the only Western industrialized nation where executions still take place. Furthermore, it is the only nation that combines frequent executions with a highly developed legal system characterized by respect for individual rights. Some of the pros and cons are as follows: Pros- Just Punishment- A punishment is just if it recognizes the seriousness of the crime. â€Å"Let the punishment fit the crime† is a generally accepted and sound precept. In structuring criminal sentences, society must determine what punishment fits the premeditated taking of innocent human life. To be proportionate to the offense of cold-blooded murder, the penalty for such an offense must acknowledge the inviolability of human life. Without a death penalty, the criminal law’s penalties will essentially â€Å"top out† and will not differentiate murder from other offenses. Only if the sentencing structure allows for a substantially greater penalty for murder will the range of penalties fully reflect the seriousness of ending the life of an innocent human being. Deterrence- The death penalty is also justified because of its deterrent effect, which saves the lives of innocent persons by discouraging potential murderers. Logic supports the conclusion that capital punishment is the most effective deterrent for premeditated murders. A capital sentence is  certainly a more feared penalty than a prison term. The lengths to which convicted murderers go to avoid imposition of this sentence clearly demonstrates this fact, as do interviews with prison inmates. To be sure, the death penalty does not deter all murders. But because a capital sentence is more severe than other penalties, it is reasonable to assume that its existence will lead at least some potential murderers to decide against risking execution. As the Supreme Court has observed, â€Å"There are carefully contemplated murders, such as the murder for hire, where the possible penalty of death may well enter into the cold calculus that precedes the decision to act.† Incapacitation- Capital punishment also serves to effectively prevent murderers from killing again. This incapacitation effect is particularly important because of the continuing risk posed by those who have already taken a human life. For example, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, of 52,000 state prison inmates serving time for murder in 1984, an estimated 810 had previously been convicted of murder. Had some of these murderers been given the death penalty for their first murders, innocent people would have been spared. . Only a capital sentence can permanently end the threat to others posed by the most serious murderers. The death penalty gives closure to the victim’s families who have suffered so much. It provides a punishment and deterrent for someone who’s already sentenced to life in prison. Prisoner parole or escapes can give criminals another chance to kill. Cons- Risk to the Innocent- The risk that an innocent person might be executed, Unlike all other criminal punishments, the death penalty is irrevocable,(IRREVERSIBLE) CAPITAL PUNISHMENT COSTS MORE THAN INCARCERATION A murder trial normally takes much longer when the death penalty is at issue than when it is not. Litigation costs – including the time of judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and court reporters, and the high costs of briefs – are mostly borne by the taxpayer. A 1982 study showed that were the death penalty to be reintroduced in New York, the cost of the capital trial alone would be more than double the cost of a life term in prison. It is barbaric and violates the â€Å"cruel and unusual† clause in the Bill of Rights,some people believe. We as a society have to move away from the â€Å"eye for an eye† revenge mentality if civilization is to advance. It sends the wrong message: why kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong. Some jury members are reluctant to convict if it means putting someone to death. The prisoner’s family must suffer from seeing their loved one put to death by the state. It is useless in that it doesn’t bring the victim back to life. The death penalty is racially biased against African Americans Statistical evidence conducted on cases of similar crimes found that African American defendants are over four times as likely to be executed as their White counterparts. A similar study noted that White defendants face almost no chance of execution when their victim is African-American. While African Americans make up only 13% of the U.S. population, over 40% of death-row inmates are African-American. In light of these gross inequalities, the continuation of capital punishment constitutes egregious discrimination. it is also true that those on death row come disproportionately from low-income and high-crime geographic areas. That such areas are disproportionately  populated by African Americans is a tragic correlation, painting a troubling portrait of a nation that lacks equality. Mistakes can be made, Advances in forensic medicine and DNA testing are leading to more and more exoneration’s of convicted criminals.

A comparison of the Ideas of William James and the Teachings of Christ Essay

William James had an incisive insight about a number of intellectual and psychological dealings. He was a trained medical doctor yet he excelled in the field of philosophy and wrote enormously about his thoughts and ideas. Pragmatism, Meaning of Truth as a Sequel to Pragmatism, Pluralistic Universe, and Varieties of Religious Experiences are considered as the major philosophical premises proposed by William James. The ideas of Pragmatism demand scrupulous attention to understand. As per William James, the meaning of an idea or a proposition or a thought lies in its observable practical consequences. Hence the idea under proposition must exhibit this quality of direct practical results. He believes that a thought or an idea must always be based on the verity of faith. He writes: â€Å"A fact [may] not come at all unless a preliminary faith exists in its coming†¦ Faith in a fact can help create the fact. † (James, â€Å"The Will to Believe†, 1897) Therefore trust and idea are sometimes inter-reliant and may often cease to exist without each other. He opines that the truth or falsity of a judgment depends on the obtainment of the expectations that follow the judgment under question. For a judgment to comply with this, one needs to be pragmatic [= as a matter-of-fact] in his approach towards the events which are going to be judged. We can also see a contrast between his thoughts when he constantly vacillates between science and religion. The general credence that religious experiences involve a supernatural domain, on the whole, is somehow remote to science. However, to the individual human being these remote things are accessible as their driving force is faith and not empirical examination. James tries to bridge this gap between science and religion. The difference between the scientific principles and religious beliefs are woven to arrive at a multipart thinking procedure which we can call as the â€Å"Science of Religion†. He wrote about this as follows: Religious experience, in other words, spontaneously and inevitably engenders myths, superstitions, dogmas, creeds, and metaphysical theologies, and criticisms of one set of these by the adherents of another. Of late, impartial classifications and comparisons have become possible, alongside of the denunciations and anathemas by which the commerce between creeds used exclusively to be carried on. We have the beginnings of a â€Å"Science of Religions,† so-called; and if these lectures could ever be accounted a crumb-like contribution to such a science, I should be made very happy. (James, The Varieties of Religious Experiences, Lecture XVIII) These thoughts point towards that eternal question of can there be a God who created this universe? A pragmatist, such as James Williams, would say â€Å"Yes, there indeed must be an empirical God who made all this universe provided the consequences are proved or the relations established†. That, simply put, is another state of perplexity where the vision of identifying the ‘Cause’ and ‘Effect’ may cease to exist. Now let us examine what pure religion and religious thoughts or philosophies (sans James Williams! ) say about such perplexities of life. The Bible and the preaching of Jesus Christ and other religious foundations categorically decline the right to question. They demand absolute ‘surrender’ in order to get absolute ‘delight’. The teachings of Jesus must be quoted here: â€Å"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. † (Matthew 7:24-27) The teachings of Christ demands unquestionable faith in the supernatural in order to attain absolute delight. This absolute delight or state of freedom is in total contrast to what we have seen so far in the flow of William James’ ideas. However there is one similarity: That both the schools of thoughts agree to the fact that humanity is something which, neither needs to be empirically analyzed nor pragmatically accepted. The laws of both pragmatism and religion bend and tend to converge at one solitary point and this point of convergence is diligently referred to as ‘Kindness’. Historically, William James lived in the 19th Century. (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) During this period of time America was witnessing the industrial revolution and started emerging as the international power. It was also that phase of the history when the country was reeling under aftereffects of the Civil War and the laborer strikes. The ideas of William James were widely accepted from both laymen and intellectuals alike. The very concepts of ‘Pragmatism’, â€Å"Will to Live’, ‘Pluralistic Universe’ and ‘A Study in Human Nature’ were regarded as the new hopes amidst turbulent times. Even though the dynamics of the contemporary society have changed immeasurably, I still feel some of James’ ideas would be contentedly accepted. Economical imbalances (Read: The Recession), and religious conflicts (Read: Fundamentalists/Extremists) have rendered a sense of cynicism. The thoughts of William James will surely be a respite if understood and implemented diligently. The astute adoption is the key as James writes: â€Å"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. † (William James â€Å"The Principles of Psychology†, 1890) Let us hope better sense prevails upon the humanity and the thoughts of William James guide us through the testing times. References William James, â€Å"The Will to Believe†, 1897 William James, The Varieties of Religious Experiences, Lecture XVIII Bible, Matthew 7:24-27 William James â€Å"The Principles of Psychology†, 1890

Free Essays on Js Bach- A Musicians Musician

Throughout the history of music, many great composers, theorists, and instrumentalists have left indelible marks and influences that people today look back on to admire and aspire to. No exception to this idiom is Johann Sebastian Bach, whose impact on music was unforgettable to say the least. People today look back to his writings and works to both learn and admire. Bach, who came from a family of over 53 musicians, was nothing short of a virtuoso instrumentalist as well as a masterful composer. Born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, he was the son of a masterful violinist, Johann Ambrosius Bach, who taught his son the basic skills for string playing. Along with this string playing, Bach began to play the organ, which is the instrument he would later on be noted for in history. His instruction on the organ came from the player at Eisenach's most important church. He instructed the young boy rigorously until his skills surpassed anyone’s expectations for someone of such a young age. Bach suffered early trauma when his parents died in 1695. He went to go live with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who also was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. He continued his younger brother's education on the organ, as well as introducing him to the harpsichord. The rigorous training on these instruments combined with Bach’s masterful s kill pa! id off for him at an early age (Geiringer). After several years of studying with his older brother, he received a scholarship to study in Lunenburg, Germany, which is located on the northern tip of the country. As a result, he left his brother’s tutelage and went to go and study there. The teenage years brought Bach to several parts of Germany where he mainly worked as an organist in churches, since that was the skill he had perfected the best from his young training. However, a master of several instruments while still in his teens, Bach first found employment at the age of 18 as a violini... Free Essays on Js Bach- A Musicians Musician Free Essays on Js Bach- A Musicians Musician Throughout the history of music, many great composers, theorists, and instrumentalists have left indelible marks and influences that people today look back on to admire and aspire to. No exception to this idiom is Johann Sebastian Bach, whose impact on music was unforgettable to say the least. People today look back to his writings and works to both learn and admire. Bach, who came from a family of over 53 musicians, was nothing short of a virtuoso instrumentalist as well as a masterful composer. Born in Eisenach, Germany, on March 21, 1685, he was the son of a masterful violinist, Johann Ambrosius Bach, who taught his son the basic skills for string playing. Along with this string playing, Bach began to play the organ, which is the instrument he would later on be noted for in history. His instruction on the organ came from the player at Eisenach's most important church. He instructed the young boy rigorously until his skills surpassed anyone’s expectations for someone of such a young age. Bach suffered early trauma when his parents died in 1695. He went to go live with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who also was a professional organist at Ohrdruf. He continued his younger brother's education on the organ, as well as introducing him to the harpsichord. The rigorous training on these instruments combined with Bach’s masterful s kill pa! id off for him at an early age (Geiringer). After several years of studying with his older brother, he received a scholarship to study in Lunenburg, Germany, which is located on the northern tip of the country. As a result, he left his brother’s tutelage and went to go and study there. The teenage years brought Bach to several parts of Germany where he mainly worked as an organist in churches, since that was the skill he had perfected the best from his young training. However, a master of several instruments while still in his teens, Bach first found employment at the age of 18 as a violini...

Black Actresses Speak Out About Colorism

Black Actresses Speak Out About Colorism Gabrielle Union, Tika Sumpter, and  Lupita Nyong’o have all been praised for their good looks. Because they are dark-skinned, however, they have all been asked to discuss how  colorism, or skin color discrimination, affected their self-esteem. These women and other actresses, such as Keke Palmer and Vanessa Williams, have all had unique experiences in and out of the entertainment industry based on their skin color. Hearing them discuss their encounters, or lack thereof, with colorism, sheds light on the hurdles that have yet to be overcome in race relations. Pretty For a Dark-Skinned Girl Actress Keke Palmer of â€Å"Akeelah and the Bee† fame discussed her desire to be lighter-skinned while sitting on the Hollywood Confidential Panel in 2013. â€Å"When I was like 5 years old I used to pray to have light skin because I would always hear how pretty that little light skin girl was, or I would hear I was pretty ‘to be dark skinned,’†Ã‚  Palmer revealed. â€Å"It wasn’t until I was 13 that I really learned to appreciate my skin color and know that I was beautiful.† The actress went on to say that African Americans need â€Å"to stop separating ourselves by how dark or how light we are.† Praying For Light Skin Palmer’s prayer for lighter skin sounds eerily similar to Lupita Nyong’o’s prayers as a youth. The Oscar winner revealed in early 2014 that she, too, begged God for lighter skin. Teased and bullied for her dark skin, Nyong’o desperately believed that God would answer her prayer. â€Å"The morning would come and I would be so excited about seeing my new skin that I would refuse to look down at myself until I was in front of a mirror because I wanted to see my fair face first,†Ã‚  she said. â€Å"And every day I experienced the same disappointment of being just as dark as I was the day before.† The success of dark-skinned model Alek Wek helped Nyong’o to appreciate her skin color. â€Å"A celebrated model, she was dark as night, she was on all of the runways and in every magazine and everyone was talking about how beautiful she was.† â€Å"Even Oprah called her beautiful and that made it a fact. I couldn’t believe that people were embracing a woman who looked so much like me as beautiful. My complexion had always been an obstacle to overcome and all of a sudden Oprah was telling me it wasn’t.† Colorism Still Affects Gabrielle Union Actress Gabrielle Union has no shortage of admirers but  she revealed in 2010 that growing up in an all-white town led to her developing low self-esteem, particularly about her skin color. Her white classmates did not pursue her romantically and she did not meet black boys until she, an athlete, headed off to basketball camp. â€Å"When I got to go to basketball camp and I got to be around black boys, I was like cool†¦until I got dumped†¦for a light skinned girl,† she said. â€Å"And then that whole thing started. My hair isn’t straight enough. My nose isn’t pointy enough. My lips are too big. My boobs aren’t big enough. And you start going through all of that. And I realize as I’ve gotten older a lot of issues that I was dealing with at 15, I am still dealing with today.† Union said that she’s also witnessed her teenaged niece confront the same issues with skin color and hair texture, leading her to believe â€Å"that there is a lot more work to do be done.† In Hollywood, where there’s a high premium on looks, Union said that she continues to grapple with insecurities. â€Å"In the business that I am in now, it is incredibly tough, and to be honest, sometimes it is hard to keep my head above the water, sometimes I feel like I’m drowning,† she said. â€Å"†¦You don’t get a job, and you immediately want to blame it on, if my hair was different, or maybe if my nose†¦or they just want to go with light-skin girls, and you start to doubt yourself, and the self-doubts and the low self-esteem starts to creep in.† Tika Sumpter Never Felt Less Than Actress Tika Sumpter remarked in 2014 that being dark-skinned never made her feel less than her five siblings, all of whom are lighter than she is. She said that her mother, who is lighter than her, and her father, who is also dark-skinned, always appreciated her complexion. â€Å"I never felt less than, so even growing up and getting into this business I always felt like well yeah of course you’re going to like me,†Ã‚  she told Oprah Winfrey. â€Å"†¦I never felt like, wow, the light-skinned girl- she’s going to get all the boys. Growing up I was like, yeah, of course I’m cute. †¦Of course I’m going to be the president of my class three years in a row. I was never made to feel less than, and it starts at home. It really does.† Hollywood Poses Challenges For All Black Women Actress Vanessa Williams, who has light skin and eyes, was asked in 2014 to discuss the success of Lupita Nyong’o and whether skin color poses a barrier for dark-skinned women. â€Å"Getting a good role is hard no matter what you look like, and Lupita did a phenomenal job,†Ã‚  Williams said. â€Å"She went to Yale School of Drama and this was the first thing she did out of her tutelage there and she’s a brilliant actress†¦ She’s amazing because she embodied that role and made you feel. â€Å"It’s hard to get good roles anyway, no matter how fair your skin is†¦no matter how brown your skin is. It’s up to you to make the best out of each opportunity that you’re given.†

Plan for Low-Cost Automated Inventory System Assignment

Plan for Low-Cost Automated Inventory System - Assignment Example It includes 3 more sub systems. Manually, it is very difficult to keep such information accurate and updated in the stock registers and the business financially may become in loss when incorrect information of their item has been entered in these registers. So, it is very necessary to make their inventory and accounting system computerized. For that purpose you create a database for your small business â€Å"Cloth-Shop†, which provide you such environment from which you can handle the process of inventory and accounting at the same time by investing nominal cost on it. Ms-Access, a database system is basically just a computerized record keeping system used to create such programs where transactions are needed because it keeps the data in the form of tables on which a user can perform variety of operations easily and quickly. Such as: Create 3 tables, one for customer information, second for item information, and third for stock availability. Required fields for Table # 1 are Customer-id, Customer-name, Item-no, Date-Purchase, Item-Price, etc. For Table # 2 are Item-no, Size, color, Quantity, date-received, company-no. etc. For Table # 3 are Item- no., Item-sold, Item available