An Overview of Historic Preservation

An Overview of Historic Preservation Historic preservation is a movement in planning designed to conserve old buildings and areas in an effort to tie a places history to its population and culture. It is also an essential component to green building in that it reuses structures that are already present as opposed to new construction. Additionally, historic preservation can help a city become more competitive because historic, unique buildings give areas more prominence when compared to the homogeneous skyscrapers that dominate in many large cities. It is important to note, however, that historic preservation is a term used only in the United States and it did not gain prominence until the 1960s when it started in response to urban renewal, an earlier failed planning movement. Other English-speaking countries often use the term heritage conservation to refer to the same process while architectural conservation refers just to the preservation of buildings. Other terms include urban conservation, landscape preservation, built environment/heritage conservation, and immovable object conservation. History of Historic Preservation Although the actual term historic preservation did not become popular until the 1960s, the act of conserving historic places dates back to the mid-17th Century. At this time, wealthy Englishmen consistently collected historic artifacts, leading to their preservation. It was not until 1913 though that historic preservation became a part of English law. In that year the Ancient Monuments Act in the United Kingdom officially preserved structures there with historical interest. In 1944, preservation became a major component to planning in the U.K. when the Town and Country Planning Act put the preservation of historic places into the forefront of laws and approval of planning projects. In 1990, another Town and Country Planning Act passed and the protection of public buildings grew even more. In the United States, the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities was founded in 1889 in Richmond, Virginia as the first state historic preservation group in the country. From there, other areas followed suit and in 1930, Simons and Lapham, an architectural firm, helped created the first historic preservation law in South Carolina. Shortly thereafter, the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana became the second area to fall under a new preservation law. The preservation of historic places then hit the national scene in 1949 when the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation developed a specific set of goals for preservation. The organization’s mission statement claimed that it aimed to protect structures providing leadership and education and that it also wanted to save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize [its] communities. Historic preservation then became a part of the curriculum at many universities in the U.S. and the world that taught urban planning. In the U.S., historic preservation became a large component in the planning profession in the 1960s after urban renewal threatened to destroy many of the nation’s most historic places in major cities like Boston, Massachusetts and Baltimore, Maryland. Divisions of Historic Places Within planning, there are three main divisions of historic areas. The first and most important to planning is the historic district. In the United States, this is a group of buildings, properties, and/or other sites that are said to be historically significant and in need of protection/redevelopment. Outside of the U.S., similar places are often called conservation areas. This is a common term used in Canada, India, New Zealand, and the U.K. to designate places with historical natural features, cultural areas, or animals to be protected. Historic parks are the second division of areas within historic preservation while historic landscapes are the third. Significance in Planning Historic preservation is important to urban planning because it represents an effort to conserve old building styles. In doing so, it forces planners to identify and work around the protected places. This usually means the insides of buildings are renovated for prestigious office, retail, or residential space, which can result in a competitive downtown as rents are normally high in these areas because they are popular gathering places. In addition, historic preservation also results in a less homogenized downtown landscape. In many new cities, the skyline is dominated by glass, steel, and concrete skyscrapers. Older cities that have had their historic buildings preserved may have these but they also have interesting older buildings. For example in Boston, there are new skyscrapers, but the renovated Faneuil Hall shows the importance of the areas history and also serves as a meeting place for the citys population. This represents a good combination of the new and old but also shows one of the main goals of historic preservation. Criticisms of Historic Preservation Like many movements in planning and urban design, historic preservation has had a number of criticisms. The largest is the cost. While it might not be more expensive to renovate old buildings instead of building new, the historic buildings are often smaller and therefore cannot accommodate as many businesses or people. This raises rents and forces lower income uses to relocate. In addition, critics say the popular style of newer high rise buildings can cause the smaller, old buildings to become dwarfed and undesirable. Despite these criticisms, historic preservation has been an important part of urban planning. As such, many cities around the world today were able to retain their historic buildings so future generations can see what cities may have looked like in the past and recognize that times culture through its architecture.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was one of the most influe Essays

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was one of the most influe Essays Jfk John Fitzgerald Kennedy was one of the most influential people in history. Many people adored him because of his intelligence and his way with people. On November 22, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was riding in Texas, in his car, when he was shot dead by Lee Harvey Oswald. Kennedy was a outstanding president, he also served time for his country. Kennedy was a very intelligent man, he His symbolic figure represented all the charm, vigor and optimism of youth as he led a nation into a new era of prosperity. From his birth into the powerful and influential Kennedy clan, much was to be expected of him. Kennedy was born on May 29,1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. His father, Joe, Sr., was a successful businessman with many political connections. Appointed by President Roosevelt, Joe, Sr., was given the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission and later the prestigious position of United States ambassador to Great Britain(Anderson 98). His mother, Rose, was a loving housewife and took young John on frequent trips around historic Boston learning about American So 2 revolutionary history. Both parents impressed on their children that their country had been good to the Kennedys. Whatever benefits the family received from the country they were told, must be returned by performing some service for the country(Anderson 12). The Kennedy clan included Joe, Jr., Bobby, Ted and their sisters, Eunice, Jean, Patricia, Rosemary, and Kathleen. Joe, Jr., was a significant figure in young John's life as he was the figure for most of John's admiration. His older brother was much bigger and stronger than John and took it upon himself to be John's coach and protector. John's childhood was full of sports, fun and activity. This all ended when John grew old enough to leave for school. At the age of thirteen, John left home to attend an away school for the first time. Canterbury School, a boarding school in New Milford, Connecticut and Choate Preparatory in Wallingford, Connecticut completed his elementary education(JFK 98). John graduated in 1934 and was promised a trip to London as a graduation gift. Soon after, John became ill with jaundice and would have to go to the hospital. He spent the rest of the summer trying to recover. He was not entirely well when he started Princeton, several weeks later in the fall of 1935. Around Christmas the jaundice returned and John had to drop out of school. Before the next school year began, he told his father he wanted to go to Harvard(JFK 98). On campus, young people took interest in politics, social changes, and events in Europe. The United States was pulling out of the Great Depression. Hitler's So 3 Nazi Germany followed aggressive territorial expansion in Europe. It was at this time that John first became aware of the vast social and economic differences in the United States. In June 1940, John graduated cum laude(with praise or distinction) from Harvard. His thesis earned a magna cum laude(great praise)( JFK 98). After graduation, John began to send his paper to publishers, and it was accepted on his second try. Wilfrid Funk published it under the title Why England Slept. It became a bestseller. John, at twenty-five, became a literary sensation. In the spring of 1941, both John and Joe, Jr., decided to enroll in the armed services. Joe was accepted as a naval air cadet but John was turned down by both the army and navy because of his back trouble and history of illness(JFK 98). After months of training and conditioning, John reapplied and on September 19, John was accepted into the navy as a desk clerk in Washington. He was disgusted and applied for a transfer. In June 1941, Kennedy was sent to Naval Officers Training School at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and then for additional training at the Motor Torpedo Boat Center at Melville, Rhode Island. In late April 1943, Lieutenant John F. Kennedy was put in command of a PT 109, a fast, light, attack craft in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. Kennedy saw action in the form of night patrols and participated in enemy bombings. On August 1, 1943, during a routine night patrol, a Japanese destroyer collided in the

2 media commentaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

2 media commentaries - Essay Example cision to write down the carrying value of some of our building products businesses by $31.6m due to lower residential building activity and the inability to immediately recover the full impact of the carbon tax," Chairman Robert Milliner said. Mr. Partridge said that the past year had been particularly tough for the building products group, with the level of new homes being built falling to almost 30 year lows in the final six months of the financial year. $1.3 billion for around 1.4 million additional services for adults on low incomes, including pensioners and concession card holders, and those with special needs; who will have better access to dental care in the public system; and This is in addition to the $515 million announced in Labor’s 2012-13 Budget, which addressed public dental waiting lists, additional dental training and support for people in rural and remote areas.     Ã¢â‚¬Å"While Medicare and free hospital care have been basic rights for Australians for decades, millions of people in this country still go without adequate dental care,† Minister for Health, Ms Plibersek, said. Children from the age of two to 17 in Family Tax Benefit Part A-eligible families will be entitled to subsidized basic dental treatment, capped at $1,000 per child over a two-year period. The initiative aims to address dental decay in children, which has been increasing since the 1990s. â€Å"We know that poor childhood oral health leads to poor adult oral health, and has wide-ranging impacts on general health and wellbeing, including strain on our health and hospital system.’’ said Ms

Emerging Issues in Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Emerging Issues in Criminal Justice - Essay Example The US Supreme Court has maintained that DNA testing and storage of records does not violate this right. The report further describes the value of DNA testing in the prevention of repeat offenders of violent crimes. Statistics are included on the scope of the program and reports on the number of cases that it has aided, as well as the number of potential cases that it could help in the future. In addition, it was found that the economic expense might become overwhelming to operate the program in a prudent manner. The rapid expansion of the program has called for increased lab space, storage facilities, and technicians as law enforcement begins to rely more heavily on DNA evidence. In addition, social pressure needs to be handled in a manner that does not give the public the perception that it has further eroded their constitutional guarantees. The report reaches the conclusion that meeting the financial and social challenges presented by NDIS will be an important step for the future of forensic investigations. Recent advances in DNA technology have been both a blessing and a curse for the United States' justice system and federal and local law enforcement agencies. It has offered law enforcement officials an important new tool to track, investigate, and prosecute dangerous criminals. DNA evidence has provided for the proof beyond a reasonable doubt in thousands of cases involving the most serious crimes of murder and rape. DNA evidence has also been useful in the exoneration of countless convicts that had been wrongly convicted, many of them on death row. To take advantage of this new technology, the US government has pursued a program of compiling a databank of DNA information taken from US citizens. This database can later be used to crosscheck for suspects that may be linked to crime scene DNA evidence at a later date. The US system is similar to the program that is operated in the United Kingdom. While there are significant benefits to be gained from maintaining a large DNA database, it has come at a substantial cost. The economic cost places a burden on law enforcement's already scarce resources. There are also significant social costs due to the perception of the invasion of privacy and the constitutional questions regarding the right to privacy. In addition, there are several logistical challenges to be overcome to assure the proper collection, analyzation, and long-term storage of the mounting quantities of DNA evidence. Determining the most appropriate policies regarding the US DNA databank requires an evaluation of the benefits and costs of the program, while examining the issue in light of the US constitution and global human rights standards. The federal government coordinates the DNA databank program as advocates have sought to expand the database. Individual states vary in their DNA reporting requirements but all states participate in the gathering of DNA information on the most serious violent crimes, which is passed to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a program managed by the FBI (Walsh, 2006). This DNA information is made available to law enforcement agencies through the National DNA Index (NDIS), which currently has over 6,384,379 offender profiles and 241,685 forensic profiles on file and has aided 77,700 investigations as of

Fairytales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fairytales - Essay Example An important theme of Cinderella is male superiority. All men discussed in the story are in dominating and controlling positions and accordingly, the women are shown in submissive positions to the men. There are two men performing main roles in the story i.e. Cinderella’s father and the king’s son. While Cinderella’s father is shown to be a rich man, her mother is said to be old and sick. Death of Cinderella’s mother is an important event in the story as it changes Cinderella’s life. It does not take Cinderella’s father long to get married to another woman, and there is no mention of memories or love of Cinderella’s mother in her father’s mind or heart in the story that follows. This is suggestive of the notion that it is very easy for a man to forget a woman and that a man never falls short of women ready to be his wife, irrespective of his age. While her father happens to be a rich man, this hardly helps Cinderella in any way. Her father does not intervene anywhere as Cinderella’s step-mother and step-sisters make her their servant. This is suggestive of the ignorance of men toward women even in the position of their children, thus again mentioning the superiority of men over women in a way. Finally, when the king organizes the festival, its main purpose is to provide the prince with an opportunity to have all the beautiful girls in the town right in front of him and select anyone he wants to marry among them as his future wife. Not just this, but also the element that all girls in the town are so eager to be there at the festival, knowing the purpose for which it has been arranged suggests that men are far advanced in terms of power and superiority in comparison to women. It is understood that any girl the prince would pick up would sure be his wife, there is no question of the girl’s readiness for this. Even Cinderella, the main character of the story with whom, children sympathize and wh om they love finds a way to attend the festival. All these elements imprint this fact in the minds of the children that men assume a strange and obvious sort of superiority over the women. Rapunzel Rapunzel is another fairytale that never fails to get admiration from the little readers. There are many elements in the story that spark interest for it in the children. Some of these elements include the long and beautiful hair of Rapunzel, the garden that accommodates all sorts of beautiful flowers, not to mention, the magical rampions in it, use of the long hair of Rapunzel as a rope, and most importantly, her pitiful life. For a fact, a common element between many fairytales is that the main character of girl in the story is always pretty but is in pitiful circumstances, waiting for a prince to come to her rescue. Rapunzel is no different in this sense. Marriage is an important theme of Rapunzel. All couples talked about in the story are married couples. When children read such stori es in their childhood, they are raised with the assumption that marriage is the only way two people can live together and procreate in the society. Such stories lay the foundation of the fundamental status of marriage as the building block of the society and the criticism toward cohabitation and same sex marriage observed in everyday life. The story starts with the depiction of a couple of man and woman that are husband and wife to each other and have a

The social and bio medical model

The social and bio medical model The bio-medical and social models of health offer different views of health and disease. Outline the main characteristics of each model and assess their strengths and weakness in explaining health and disease. Health can be viewed as the state of being fit and well, as well as a state of mental sanity (WHO 2005). According to Blaxter (2004), if a person can perform daily functions such as going to work, taking care of the household, etc he/she is healthy. Many studies have found that lay people define health as the absence of illness (Williams 1983, Calnan 1987, Hughner Kleine 2004). However being healthy means different things to different people as much have been said and written about peoples varying concepts of health. Some lay perceptions are based on pragmatism where health is regarded as a relative phenomenon, experienced and evaluated according to what an individual finds reasonable to expect, given their age, medical condition and social status. For them being healthy, may just mean not having a health problem, which interferes with their everyday lives (Bury 2005). Some taxonomies have evolved in attempt to define health. In this work, health has been considered from the perspective of biomedical and social models. According to Baggott (2004) the biomedical model of health looks at individual physical functioning and describes bad health as the presence of disease and illness symptoms as a result of physical cause such as injury or infections and attempts to ignore social and psychological factors. Baggott (2004) states that the features of biomedical model rest mainly on biomedical changes, which can be defined, measured and isolated. In effect this is directed towards the dysfunction of the organs and tissues of the body rather than the overall condition of the patient. Biomedical treatments often involve the removal of the cause, for instance the virus or bacteria. The biomedical model is based on the belief that there is always a cure and the idea that illness is temporary, episodic and a physical condition. The basic values of the biomedical model of health consist of the theory called doctrine of specific aetiology, which is the idea that all disease is caused by theoretically identifiable agents such as germs, bacteria or parasites (Naidoo Wills 2004). The advantage of biomedical model shows disease as representing a major public health problem facing our society. This model sees disease state as an issue that needs to be treated, and that disease can be readily diagnosed and quantified (Ewles Simnett 2003 2010). This approach appears narrow, negative and reductionist. In an extreme case, it implies that people with disabilities are unhealthy and that health is only about the absence of morbidity. Further, this model is limited in its approach by its omission of a time dimension. Modern biomedicine rests upon two major developments, both of which remain influential to this day. It is first important to consider the Cartesian revolution after the seventh century French philosophy Rene Descarts. The Cartesian revolution encouraged the idea that the body and mind are independent or not closely related (NRC 1985). In this mechanistic view, the body is perceived to function like a machine with its various parts individually treatable, and those that treat them considered engineers (Naidoo Wills 2004). Biomedical also concentrates on the individual unlike the social model. Biological model adopts a negative perspective on health as it views health more in terms of the absence of disease than the possession of healthy attributes (Baggott 2004). This model stresses the importance of advancing technology both in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, an approach that has undoubtedly improved both the knowledge and understanding of numerous diseases. Biomedical model has led to the improvements in the treatment of patients, which has favoured gains both in the length and quality of life of people. Despite the aforementioned feats, the biomedical model has received considerable criticism, as many writers have argued that it was inappropriate to modern, complex health problems (Inglis 1981). The medical model, in terms of specific health risks, does not encompass all of what health means to an individual. For instance, a physician speculating on what, based on current knowledge at the time, would be the composite picture of an individual with a low risk of developing coronary artery disease. Further criticisms of this theory focused principally on the suggestion that it over simplified biological processes now known to be very intricate. For many diseases there are multiple and interacting causes. Moreover, such a theory looks only to the agent of disease, and ignores the host, and the possibilities of biological adaptation. The theory is much more easily applicable to acute conditions than to chronic ill-health and is difficult to apply to mental disorders. The second theory of the biomedical model is called the assumption of generic disease. This is when each disease has its own distinguishing features that are universal, at least within the human species. These will be the same in different cultures and at different times, unless the disease-producing agent itself changes. Criticisms of this focus on the rather obvious point that diseases are differently defined in different cultures and that medical definitions of disease have clearly changed over time. Each new advance in knowledge of physiology and each new wave of technology have added new definitions of ill health to the accepted canon. Despite the doctrine of specific aetiology many conditions, which are still only symptoms or syndromes, are recognized within medicine as diseases. Generally, it can be seen that what is viewed as illness in any particular society and at any historical time depends on cultural norms and social values (Naidoo Wills 2004). Thus new diagnoses such as alcohol, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic fatigue syndromes are born through an interaction of new knowledge about both their possible causes and how they might possibly be helped. As a definition of disease what doctors treat has obvious problems, however, it implies that no one can be ill until recognised as such and leaves the concept at the mercy of idiosyncratic individual medical decisions. The third theory is the scientific biomedicine, which accepts the model of all ill-health as deviation from the normal especially the normal range of measurable biological variables. There is an association with the definition of health as equilibrium and disease as a disturbance of the bodys function, with the purpose of medical technology the restoration to equilibrium. The immune or endocrine, or neuropsychological systems attempt to restore the normal and the purpose of medicine is to instigate or assist this process. But medical science now realizes that the human organism has no set pattern for structure and function, and it is often unclear where normal variation ends and abnormality begins. The fourth theory of medical model is based on the principles of scientific neutrality. Medicine adopts not only the rational method of science but also its values objectivity and neutrality on the part of the observer, and the view of the human organism as simply the product of biological processes over which the individuals themselves have little control. The reply to this is that the practice of medicine, whatever its theory, is always deeply embedded in the larger society. It cannot be neutral, for there are wider social, political and cultural forces dictating how it does its work and how the unhealthy are dealt with. Biomedicine now admits multiple and interactive causes, and that the whole may be more than simply the sum of the parts. Social and psychological causes of ill health- stress, unhappiness, life events- are admitted as agents of disease or contributing factors, but they are not themselves defined as ill health. Modern medicine has moved on, to incorporate elaborate ideas about the various and interrelated causes of ill health. Studies of the way in which doctors make diagnoses demonstrate this, while at the same time lip service is paid to the importance of the social. Moreover, even when social and psychological influences are admitted this is still a very negatively oriented approach to health. The social model came about in mid twentieth century when there was increasing dissatisfaction with the dominant model of health offered by biomedicine. The preoccupation with disease and illness made it less able to deal with any positive concept of health. The ideology, which viewed the individual in mechanistic ways justified ever-increasing use of medical technologies, precluding the exercise of other therapies and diminishing the importance attached to positive health or preventive medicine. Since the last decade medical professional practice has become a major threat to health. Depression, infection, disability and other specific estrogenic disease now cause more suffering than all accidents from traffic or industry by transforming pain, illness and death from a personal challenge into a technical problem, medical practice expropriates the potential of people to deal with their human condition in an autonomous way and becomes the sources of a new kind of un-health. The emphasis on health as simply the absence of disease encouraged thinking about only two categories the health and the disease. As we are meant to believe that science can produce a utopia of disease free and lengthy life meaning scientists only look for their magic bullet. There is a feeling that the most angry critiques of the biomedical model was wilfully ignoring the contributions of modern science to human welfare. But claims to the unique truth of biomedicine were weakened by some loss of faith in sci entific objectivity and a distrust of a Frankenstein technology that could run out of control, and this was part of the modern movement towards a new model usually called social health. Social model of health imbibes social constructs and relativity in its approach to health. It tends to define and redefine health in a continuous manner, and views health differently between individuals, groups, times and cultures. Some supporters of Social model have written extensively about sickness having a role to play in various societies (Parsons 1951) as this helps to determine the structure of and functionality of the society. The concept of social health incorporates many differences of emphasis though it has to be noted that it is more than simply the recognition that social factors such as poverty have to be included in a model of the causes of ill health. The social model is a different construction, locating biological processes within their social contexts and considering the person as a whole rather than a series of distinct bodily systems. The social model is organic and holistic rather than reductionist mechanical method. A mechanical system acts according to its programming, its instructions, or natural laws. The social model allows for mental as well as physical health and wider sphere of taking part in active life. This model also allows for more subtle discrimination of individuals who succeed in leading productive lives in spite of a physical impairment. Another disadvantage of this model is that the conception runs the risk of excessive breadth and of incorporating all of life. Thus they do not distinguish clearly between the state of being healthy the consequences of being healthy nor do they distinguish between health and the determinants of health (Ewles Simnett 2010). The medical profession is a social institution, which cannot be separated from the values, pressures and influences of the society in which it practices. As health has been defined in various ways, most part rests on the ideas of the normal and of seeing health as opposed to disease or illness. In practice, the definition of health has always been the territory of those who define its opposite: healers, or practitioners of medicine as a science or a body of practical knowledge. Since medicine is one of societys major systems, it is obvious that it is these definitions which will be institutionalised and embodied in law and administration, though the extent to which lay models adds to or diverge from this body of ideas is significant to the individual in respect of their perception of health. Whilst the medical model built on the Cartesian theory of the body as a machine disorders can be corrected by repairing or replacing parts of the organism, holism describes the view that the whole cannot be explained simply by the sum of the parts, just as healthiness cannot be explained by a list of risk factors. Every disturbance in a system involves the whole system. Human beings are living networks formed by cognitive processes, values, and purposive intentions, not simply interacting components (Blaxter 2004). The development of this social model has been accompanied among the public, by a growing enthusiasm for alternative therapies, which tend to rest on holistic theories. Gradually, these too have been integrated to some extent into the mainstream model. In order to have a comprehensive understanding of health, one has to look at the phenomenon from various premise of health definition, as just one aspect may not provide complete answer to the enquiry about our health at a particular given time. It is therefore important to consider the various aspects of health when making judgement and decision about the health status of an individual. In summary, the biomedical model of health is obviously most easily defined by the absence of disease, though the model is also compatible with more positive definitions in terms of equilibrium of normal functioning. In the social model health is a positive state of wholeness and well being associated with but not entirely explained by the absence of disease, illness or physical and mental impairment. The concepts of health and ill-health are unbalanced. The absence of disease may be part of health but health is more than the absence of disease.

George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 :: Free Essays on 1984

George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Totalitarianism is a word that has many definitions that are true to their own time and their own society. One of the most common definitions used world wide is very complex, but very understandable when you are done reading the book 1984 by George Orwell. Totalitarianism is a system of government and ideology in which all social, political, economic, intellectual, cultural and spiritual activities are subordinated to the purpose of the rules of the rulers of a state. Several important features distinguish totalitarianism, a form of autocracy peculiar to the 20th century, from suck order forms as despotism, absolutism, and tyranny. In the older forms of totalitarianism, people could work and live on their own as long as they didn’t try to enter the political state of the society in any way. In the newer forms of totalitarianism, the people of the society are dependent on other people that are higher then them in every thing they do in everyday life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Oceania, the world or society in the book 1984, the life of the state was very different from everything that we are used to in everyday life in this time. In Oceania the state life was all by a man that they called â€Å"Big Brother† that everyone worked for, lived for, and did all of their everyday things just to make him happy. The sate would say just what and when they could do. In the form of the society, the people really didn’t get to live in any true type of society. They weren’t a loud to talk to others about what was   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Knight 2 really on their minds, they couldn’t thing about the past or what is really the history, and they couldn’t have any kind of love life or sexual activity with anyone. In the form of daily life, the people had to go to work and do whatever the â€Å"Big Brother† said they had to do. In many instances they had to go around and change the newspapers so that the true history of the world wouldn’t be revealed to anyone but the top people of the society. No personal life was a loud to take place. The thought police had to know and did know everything that the people did or even thought of doing.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oceania compares to the totalitarian state of the 20th century very well.

Racial Differences in the Corrections System Essay

â€Å"According to Black Star Project Executive Director, Phillip Jackson, in 2007 there were 321 African American men enrolled at Northwestern University (1.7 percent of the student body) but four times that number – 1,207- imprisoned at Western Illinois Correctional Center (60 percent of the prison population)† (Walker, Spohn & Delone, 2012). This is only one example of the astounding percentage of young black men currently serving jail time as opposed to pursuing a college education. Something must be vitally wrong with our criminal justice system, since it allows these staggering numbers to hold truth. Overall the total percentage of young African American males is almost five times more than that of their young white or Hispanic male counterparts. I find this statistic very disturbing and chose to research the why and how this is occurring. There are many possible reasons such as limited access to public health clinics, racial profiling, unfair judicial systems, racial differences in judges, lawyers, and law makers, poverty, and parental upbringing; to name a few. How do these young men get sucked into a life of crime, do they have an alternative or a role model to seek counsel form? The numbers do not lie and there must be sound reasons behind them. In this paper I will research and discuss the various reasons why young African American males are grossly over represented in the criminal justice and corrections facilities. While the overall white population is higher than the African American population, 10.4 percent of African American men between the ages of 25-29 can expect to spend time in jail, compared with 2.4 percent of Hispanics and 1.2 percent of white men. Throughout this paper I will discuss not only the staggering numbers but also the reasoning behind them and possible solutions or at the very least a starting point to help fix the problem at hand. â€Å"†¦People of color are disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system, as crime victims, offenders, persons arrested, and persons in prison† (Walker, Spohn & Delone, 2012). It Starts at a Young Age There is more than one reason behind the racial imbalance in the criminal justice system. Areas that have been evaluated are parental involvement, peer groups, neighborhoods, the individual, and racial discrimination at all  levels. It appears that the problem is present in the juvenile justice system as well, something is not working right if these children are not receiving the rehabilitation and or help they need to lead a non-criminal life. Redding & Arigo, 2005 state this about the number of African American juvenile offenders, â€Å"†¦compromising only 15% of the juvenile population†¦and 57% of the juveniles in state prisons† I decided to discuss juveniles because I found it interesting that they also represented a large number of the criminal offenders in the juvenile justice system in a very similar way that the 25-28 year old African American males do. Several avenues I researched concluded that African American’s have a harder time accessing health facilities such as metal health clinics, where many of the common mental health disorders that criminal offenders suffer from can be treated. â€Å"As many as 70 percent of youth in the system are affected with a mental disorder, and one in five suffer from a mental illness so severe as to impair their ability to function as a young person and grow into a responsible adult† (Hammond, 2007). It seems to me that if we can stop the current process at a young age, why wouldn’t we? Poverty and Single Parent Homes Walker, Spohn & Delone state that 9.4 % of white Americans live in poverty compared to a shocking 25.8% of African American’s that live in poverty. There are thousands of studies that link poverty and poor neighborhoods with criminal activity, both victim and criminal. With a quarter of the African American population living at poverty level it is not surprising that they also retain such a large portion of the inmate population. â€Å"Regardless of whether poverty is a cause or an effect, however, the conditions associated with poverty can work against the development of human capital—that is the ability of individuals to remain healthy and develop the skills, abilities, knowledge, and habits necessary to fully participate in the labor force† (Nilsen, 2007). If people are not allowed the opportunity to reach their full potential often times a life of crime if the only way to survive. The United States Government recognizes that there is a link yet the problem still exists. Yes there are federally funded programs such as Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, but the poverty level is still alarmingly high. â€Å"The most telling fact about poverty in the  United States is how thoroughly it is ignored† (Royce, 2009). While there is a link between poverty and crime, there is also a link between single parent homes or absentee parent homes and crime as well. The percentage of African American families run by a single parent, usually the mother, is astounding, â€Å"†¦50% of all black households with children under age 18 are headed by black women† (Bush, 2004). Often times the majority of these families live at or below the poverty level, leading to a higher chance of violence and criminal activity. The evidence above begins to show the reasoning behind why African Americans have the highest racial population in prisons. In addition they often are judged harder and serve longer sentences in jail than there non-black counterparts. While racial profiling seems to be a likely source I found various accounts of whether or not it is a direct cause of the higher numbers of African American men in prison, the problem seems to lie further up the judicial system. â€Å"Young African American and Hispanic males, in other words, face greater odds of incarceration than young white males primarily because the commit more serious crimes and have more serious prior criminal records† (Walker, Spohn & Delone, 2012). Even though they may commit more serious crimes, when sentenced next to a non-minority for the same crime, their sentences are often longer. Clifford Levy 1996 of the New York Times states,† black and Hispanic people sentenced for minor felonies or misdemeanors in New York were treated more harshly than whites in similar circumstances.† His statements are based on a study released by the Pataki administration. Higher Up the Judicial System Other areas that may lead to the disproportioned numbers in the jails are judges, juries, and lawyers. Next I plan to discuss the differences in race among the judges, juries, lawyers, and law makers. â€Å"The jury is the heart of the criminal justice system† (Cole, 2000). How can racially fair rulings be handed out if the jury consists of mostly non-minorities? Racially biased judgments could be a cause of the difference in numbers in our criminal justice system. â€Å"An analysis of Jefferson Parish, La., by the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center found that from 1999 to 2007, blacks were struck from juries at more than three times the rate of whites† (Dewan, 2010). In  additional differences amongst the jurors, judges and lawyers are mostly white males. â€Å"Combined African American and Hispanic representation among lawyers was 7% in 1998†¦ There are fewer active African American federal appellate judges today than when Jimmy Carter was President† (T he collaboration the, n.d.). The buck does not stop here, the racial inequality continues up the ladder to Congress, the Senate, and the House. The article Do Your Lawmakers Represent all Americans, or is it Time to Change Congress states, â€Å"The U.S. population includes 12 percent African Americans, 9 percent Hispanics, and 3 percent Asian/Pacific Islanders and other groups. Congress, however, is 87 percent white; 85 percent in the House and 96 percent in the Senate.† If fact black members of the three government bodies above are often times questioned about decisions and their backing status far more than their non-minority counterparts. These numbers back the idea that African Americans face a discriminatory criminal justice system that starts at the top. Unfortunately racial biased is still something that is ingrained in most Americans and until the minorities are fairly represented in the government and judicial system, racial inequality within these entities will still exist. Comparison As mentioned previously African American males face longer prison sentences due to the fact that they commit more serious crimes and have longer criminal records, in general, than white Americans. The racial differences also extend to length of time served, higher rate of convictions and prison sentences. â€Å"The national incarceration rate for whites is 412 per 100,000 residents, compared to 2,290 for African Americans and 742 for Hispanics† (Mauer & King, 2007). Incarceration rates are directly affected by the sentencing process. As one might expect African Americans and Hispanics face a harsher time during the sentencing process than white Americans. â€Å"Of the estimates of the direct effect of race on sentencing at the state level, 43.2% indicated harsher sentences for blacks, and over a quarter (27.6%) of the estimates on the direct impact of ethnicity registered harsher sentences for Latinos† (Kansal, 2005). Per the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics in 2007 the conviction ratio broken down by race is as follows: whites 28.8%, blacks 24.4%, and Hispanics 43%. Overall the percentage of African American males and Hispanics males that will serve  time in prison compared to white males is significantly higher. Structural Inequality Based on the information above I believe it is apparent that there is severe structural inequality starting at the top with the government down through to the jurors. How can racial unbiased laws be passed if the government writing them is made up the racial majority. It is impossible to truly understand what it is like to be a minority without living it. Some may say they understand and can make unbiased decisions, but the fact remains that without living the lifestyle this is impossible to truly accomplish, which is why African Americans and Hispanics must fight to increase their numbers within the governing bodies. Next the judicial system needs to be addressed; they face the same racial disparities that the government does. White judges and juries are handing out the majority of the convictions and sentences, including those handed out to the minorities. It is evidenced that African Americans face harsher sentences and longer jail times than their white counterparts. â€Å"Efforts should be made to reinstate judicial discretion into the sentencing process to permit judges to craft sentences that accurately reflect the charged conduct and circumstances of the offense and defendant† (Mauer & King, 2007). Efforts need to be made to correct the imbalances that the United States criminal justice system currently faces. Conclusion â€Å"To be sure, criminalizing young Black males and warehousing them in jails and prisons will further exacerbate the problems of racial domination and ossify the economic and social inequities structuring their everyday lives† (Hill & Lee, 2010). The evidence does not lie; there are sound reasons why African American males between the age of 25-29 have more of their population behind bars. It often times starts at home and works it all the way up to the top. The same problem has been recognized at the juvenile level. African American juvenile offenders represent with a higher number of their population in the criminal justice system. I found some interesting studies that link mental illness to criminal activity. Many families living in poverty have limited access to mental health clinics, thus a possible source of aggression and criminal behavior is going untreated. Poverty levels are still extraordinarily high and it has been proven that living at  or below the poverty level and in rough neighborhoods, leads to criminal activity. As many as 50% of the African American families at or below the poverty level are run by a single parent, leading to even more family strain and stress. Another area that is giving rise to the above mentioned numbers is the fact that the criminal justice system, itself, has very few minority members. The House, Senate, and Congress also are compromised of mostly white. The numbers do not correlated with the overall populations in the United States. White judges, lawmakers, juries, and lawyers comprise over 90% of the judicially system and government bodies. It is easier to understand why minorities are dealt harsher sentences, serve longer jail times, are convicted at a higher rate and hold a larger percentage in the prison system. With the current system in place and the obvious structural inequality within the criminal justice system, I fear that the numbers will not change. Action must be taken to incorporate the minorities into these governing bodies. The issue needs to be addressed at the juvenile level, by helping these troubled teens; their numbers may start to decrease at all age levels. The reasoning behind the numbers has been laid out, is know by most, and yet is still a problem. It is time to make a change, if not 1 in every black male born today will see the inside of a prison cell and this is not acceptable. References Bush, L. (2004). How black mothers participate in the development of manhood and masculinity: What do we know about black mothers and their sons? The Journal of Negro Education, 73(4), 381-391. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4129623?uid=3739256&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21101002202873 Cole, D. (1999). No equal justice: Race and class in the american criminal justice system. New York: New. The collaboration the legal profession. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.lfoa.org/barnone/barnone_collaboration. Dewan, S. (2010, June 1). Study finds blacks blocked from southern juries. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/us/02jury.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Blacks Still Being Blocked from Juries in the South, Study Finds&st=cse Do your lawmakers represent all americans, or is it time to change congress?. (n.d.).

My First Conk essays

My First Conk essays Malcom X and his article titled My First Conk say that black men conked their hairs to unify their existence in the society of white people. This was never done to truly satisfy a personal desire. Conking was a popular procedure done in black males to straighten their hair in 1940s. The author explains that getting his hair conked was definitely not a delightful experience. Going through the pain of the hot lye burning in his scalp was part of the conking procedure. This was to be done every time someone had to be conked, but evidently was a procedure worth going through each time. Malcom X looked at himself in the mirror admiring his straight hair like he had gone under some kind of miracle transformation of a white man, and told himself that he would never be without one. This type of change gave him a some type of recognition to himself. The author stated that no matter where a negro resided, there was conking going around, and black woman wearing wigs of various colors to endure a white womans appearance that hoped to give them a sense of class to their name. But in actuality only made them look foolish pretending to be someone they are not. What they failed to realize was that they have lost their sense of identity, stated Malcom X. They are black men and woman trying to live their lives in a community where the whites are superior and the blacks are inferior. This became a standard in which almost everybody grew up to believed in. Malcom X also implied that the black community tried to change their ways of physical appearance to get appreciated and they were just as human as the white community. They were simply changing materialistic properties of themselves to become what they think the white community wanted to see. The author identified that while the black community was so rapped up in their conking stages, they neglected to realize that their intellectuality still strongly ...

Annexation of Mexico essays

Annexation of Mexico essays That American annexation of Mexico would be mutually beneficial is nearly beyond dispute. The first is an ever-expanding "Land of Opportunity." The second is a troubled political and economic failure. The former stands as the economic success story capitalism. The latter crawls as a nation either unwilling or unable to utilize its own resources and, thus, languishes in economic collapse. While America sits to a small degree dismayed with the unethical maneuvering of her politicians, Mexico reels from the daily instability of a horrendous government system that bears no responsibility to the people it governs. In short, the bulk of the Mexican Republics major problems would be eliminated or, at least, alleviated by her annexation. With this in view, the most pressing question rears itself out of the mire of international policy: "By which means shall America gain Mexico?" The term "pressing" is used here sarcastically, for-though a few actually do consider this question a pressing on e-the means remain today as patently obvious as they were in the nineteenth century. Quite simply, the best method for the expedient annexation of Mexico-which most everybody deems both imminent and necessary-is that of invasion and subjugation. Please allow for the presentation of a scenario. Thirteen days after the first American battletank rolled across the border south of Santa Fe, Toms and his wife (with five children in tow) proceed to a mandatory convocation in the small towns square. An American announces in unbroken Spanish that Mexico and her states are now America and her states. It is a hot Mexican day. The American representative relates a brief summary of the twelve day incursion and how Mexico gave her rule over to the United States with few casualties (resultant largely from the American show of force). He goes on to explain that the former Mexico will be included in the free states of her captor with full rights and ...

Euthanasia and our civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Euthanasia and our civilization - Essay Example Therefore, nobody can argue that letting die is better than killing in certain cases. â€Å"If a doctor lets a patient die, for humane reasons, he is in the same moral position as if he had given the patient a lethal injection for humane reasons† (Rachels 4). Arthur J. Dyck in his article An alternative to the ethic of Euthanasia argued against all forms of euthanasia. In his opinions, euthanasia is a dangerous policy and it is impossible to support a social policy in which people kill themselves. Compassion for those who are painfully ill and the concern for human dignity associated with the freedom are the major arguments cited in favour of euthanasia. Dyck has argued that these values have nothing to do with the process of dying. Regardless of the method employed for, the ultimate result of all forms of euthanasia is the same; the patient’s life is shortened. If one can justify the shortening of life using a method, then others forms of shortening life also be justif ied based on the utilitarian principles of ethics. Instead of euthanasia, Dyck put forward another term called benemortasia or happy death. Benemortasia provides the choice of how to live to while dying. â€Å"How a person dies has a definite meaning for those to whom that person is related. In the first year of bereavement, the rate of death among the bereaved relatives of those die in hospitals is twice that of the bereaved relatives of those who die at home† (Dyck 254). Joy and suffering are part of life and it is the duty if the community to provide assistance to those who suffers. Encouraging people to commit suicide is the failure of a society. It is dangerous to allow a physician... Right in the beginning, the essay makes a clear understanding of joy and suffering being part of life and it is the duty if the community to provide assistance to those who suffers. Encouraging people to commit suicide is the failure of a society. It is dangerous to allow a physician to decide whether a patient’s life is not worth living. Even after huge advancements in science and technology, we are still unable to unveil the secrets behind birth and life after death. Then the essay provides an example of Oregon, which is currently the only state that has an assisted-suicide law. On January 17, 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that the 1970 Controlled Substances Act (CSA) does not give the U.S. attorney general the authority to prohibit Oregon doctors from prescribing lethal doses of drugs to certain terminally ill patients who want to end their own lives. Then the essay brings us to the point, where human life is the most precious thing in this world. It should be noted that no body can return it once it is taken. It is quite possible that the doctor who is assisting a patient top commit suicide may lose his life at the very next moment. Nobody can predict or control the future of a person. In conclusion, the essay summarizes the aforementioned by reminding that life and death are beyond our control and it is logical to let it finish by itself. Euthanasia may not be a suitable option for a civilized world like ours. Increased rate of euthanasia definitely reflects the failure of the society.

Bilingual Education Curriculum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Bilingual Education Curriculum - Essay Example It is then necessary to lay down the reasons why despite several convincing arguments on the effectiveness of bilingual education, the arguments and debates continue. And to shed light on the cloudy controversy, Crawford (1998) presented the ten misconceptions or common fallacies about bilingual education as follows: 1. English is losing ground to other languages in the United States. More of a panic view than an empirical one, Crawford (1998) acknowledged that there are more world languages spoken in the US now more than ever but quantitative, he argued and not a qualitative change from earlier periods. He pointedly added the concentrations of non-English language speakers common in the 19th century provided for by laws authorizing native language instruction in several states and territories. Children in big cities and rural areas attended bilingual and non-English schools with a diversity of French, Norwegian, Czech or Cherokee while "English survived without any help from government such as official-language legislation," (Crawford, 1998). 2. Newcomers to the United States are learning English more slowly now than in previous generations. Another unfounded belief, Crawford (1998) argued that recent immigrants "appear to be acquiring English more rapidly than ever before" while minority language speakers grow, bilinguals fluent in both native and English language "is growing even faster. Waggoner (1995) reported that between 1980 and 1990, the number of immigrants who spoke non-English languages at home increased by 59%, while the portion of this population that spoke English very well rose by 93% . Likewise, Crawford (1998) added that only 3 percent of US residents reported speaking English less (as compared to well and very well) while only a very insignificant portion spoke no English at all. Also, Veltman (1998) found that about 3 in 4 Hispanic immigrants were reportedly able to speak English on a daily basis after 15 years of residency, and that 70 percent of their children became monolingual English speakers 3. The best way to learn a language is through total immersion. Rodriguez (1982) and de la Pea (1991) were often cited to have "succeeded in school without a special program and acquired a very high level of English literacy," (Krashen, 1997) but it was found out, both had substantial advantages. Rodriguez grew up in an English-Speaking neighborhood in Sacramento, California instrumental in his informal immersion from classmates while de la Pea had the bilingual education advantage in Mexico until fifth grade, and was placed two grades backwards in his schooling in the United States. Crawford (1998) further argued "there is no credible evidence to support the "time on task" theory of language learning-- the claim that the more children are exposed to English, the more English they will learn" emphasizing quality over quantity of exposure while Krashen (1996) pointed out that second language input must also be comprehensible to promote second language acquisition. Crawford (1998) adde d that children left alone to learn on their own in an all-English classroom setting with little or without help via native lessons, English learning will be of little use. And that native instruction will make learning