Environmental Effects of Fossil Fuel Exploration and Extraction Essay

As the fossil fuels, such as coal, gas, LPG and coal mixed gas and so on, has been used in the modern production process since the industrial revolution happened, the environment effects of fossil fuels’ exploration and extraction is the biggest concerns for public life. To illustrate this, data collected by Marland, Boden, Andres, Brenkert and Johnston (2003) points out that the fossil fuels industry has caused the release of approximately 337 billion metric tons of carbon to atmosphere since 1751, and the greenhouse gases’ accumulation caused by the industry can increase the risk of heat waves, droughts, malnutrition and other disasters (Haines, Kovats, Campbell-Lendrum and Corvalà ¡n, 2006), leading to social panic and complaints. Fossil fuels’ exploration and extraction in this essay refers to an industrial process of prospecting the petrochemical resources and transferring it to consumable goods. The environmental effects of this process could be varied; th is essay will focus on air pollution, land subsidence and the degradation of water quality. Initially, air pollution is considered as a negative effect of exploring and extracting the fossil fuels due to the increasing content of carbon dioxide and air dust. Since fossil resources were found and applied, the global warming issues become worse due to the increasing content of carbon dioxide. For instance, Arup(2013) states that 759 million tons more carbon dioxide will be produced if coal production keeps expanding over the level of 2011 and this will push emissions over carbon budget, causing the failure to control the climate change. Moreover, the increasing content of solid particles or air dust during this procedure may also a threat to general air quality. According to G... ...& Johnston, C. A. (2003). Global, regional, and national fossil fuel CO2 emissions. Trends: A compendium of data on global change, 34-43. http://cdiac.ornl.gov/trends/emis/overview Moffatt, S., & Pless-Mulloli, T. (2003). â€Å"It wasn’t the plague we expected.† Parents’ perceptions of the health and environmental impact of opencast coal mining. Social science & medicine, 57(3), 437-451. doi: 10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00369-6 Shi, T. G., Jiang, L. G., Li, Y., & Yang, Y. L. (2013). Disaster Analysis and Countermeasures of Land Subsidence caused by Coal Cutting in China. Chinese Geographical Science, 13(2), 130-133. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11769-003-0006-7# Tiwary, R. K. (2001). Environmental impact of coal mining on water regime and its management. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 132(1-2), 185-199. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1012083519667#

Game Industry Forecast Shows Solid Growth

The global game industry will generate $60 billion in revenue for 2011, and is growing at 10% annually according to a new research report by industry analyst Colin Sebastian for RW Baird. That growth rate should see overall industry revenue hit $80 billion by 2014, but the some areas of the business will remain flat or even decline, while other areas will be growing at an annual rate of 15% to 20%. The growth areas that Sebastian sees are in online and mobile games, â€Å"driven primarily by downloadable content (DLC) and mobile games† and social games to a lesser extent.These areas will be growing annually at a rate of 15% or more for the next several years, Sebastian believes. Unfortunately, other areas of the game business won't be faring as well. He sees packaged software sales staying flat this year, with the growth in Xbox 360 and PS3 sales being offset by the decline in Wii and handheld game sales. This quarter will see strong sales with many big titles coming out, but that positive sales picture will only be enough to pull the sales out of the loss category for the year.The good news for the game business is that it's the only media business with a strong positive growth forecast for the next several years. Newspapers, magazines, music, TV and other media businesses are struggling with the transition to a digital distribution model, but the high level of innovation in the game industry has kept the overall picture positive. That's not to say there are no problems; Sebastian sees â€Å"many video game companies will continue to struggle through this transition. † Sebastian sees the mobile market as bringing in $2 billion in revenue this year, with growth continuing due to rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets.He cites studies showing that games are the leading applications on smartphones, and consumers consumers have been very willing to pay for games or for in-app purchases with â€Å"freemium† hgames, which now represent the ma jority of revenues for mobile games. Sebastian believes tablets can be the next great market for games, given that the form factor is better than a smartphone for playing games. Studies also show that gaming is the number one usage of tablets, with over 70% of tablet owners playing games on the devices.The difficult business climate for traditional game companies means there are fewer clear winners to invest in right now. Sebastian sees GameStop as a good holiday play given the large number of AAA titles coming out this quarter, and beyond that he picks Activision and Electronic Arts as the best performers for long-term investors, followed by Take Two. The nature of the game market is changing in the USA, according to studies cited by Sebastian. He points to the Entertainment Software Association study showing 72% of US households play games, with the average age of gamers being 37.Additionally, more than half of gamers play on their phones and other handheld game devices, and women now represent 42% of the gamer population. † It's a far cry from the traditional â€Å"our market is teenage boys of all ages† that used to be the only demographic for game companies to care about. Sebastian sees hope for the core games segment, in that the broad appeal of casual games may get more people interested in gaming, and eventually looking for the deeper experiences that console games and PC games can offer. He sees the PC game market doing better in 2012, mostly on the strength of hit releases like Diablo III.Handheld devices, lead by the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PSP (and soon the PS Vita) will be flat in 2012, with the launch of the PS Vita helping to offset the shift to smartphones, at least for a while. Sebastian believes the PS Vita may be able to take the leading position from the 3DS. Finally, Sebastian sees social games continuing to grow and develop in depth and richness, eventually being able to appeal more to core gamers. Console games will add mo re social elements, too, and eventually social games outside of Facebook will become more popular.He sees growth rates surpassing 10% annually for the next 3-5 years. The current leaders are Zynga, with 262 million monthly average users (MAU), followed by Electronic Arts with 203 million MAU. Overall, it's a complex portrait of a rapidly growing and changing industry. Clearly there are dangers ahead for many companies as business models are changing, and once-profitable businesses are seeing their audiences depart for other types of gaming. Successful companies will be the ones who stay flexible as conditions continue to change rapidly. What's your opinion on the future of the game industry?

Extended commentary of ‘The Darkling Thrush’ by Thomas Hardy Essay

On the title: A thrush is a bird; plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized, often inhabiting wooded areas. They feed on the ground or eat small fruit – but aren’t famed for their songs. Examples include a robin. ‘Darkling’ is an archaic word for ‘a creature of darkness’ or ‘in the dark’. Hardy uses it in its latter sense – the bird appears in a very gloomy scene, at the end of the day, at the end of the year (and century, for that matter). It also has negative connotations as well, however – for obvious reasons. Potential other implications: ‘darkling’ is perhaps used to create a diminutive form of the thrush (like a ‘duckling’). Other critics have identified the title as explaining, or preparing the reader for the unexpected advent of the bird half way through the poem, appearing into the scene from nowhere. Perhaps Hardy was attempting to use an antiquitated word to further demonstrate the bird is bringing joy to a dark land, and that there exists an enormous time difference between the new century and the old? Overall Structure: Hardy uses four regular eight line iambic stanzas; in either ‘tetrameter’ or ‘trimeter’, depending on the length of the line. This meter creates a poetic lilt, with alternate stressed feet. It seems very out of place in such a depressing poem – we must question why this is. Does it reflect the hope expressed at the end of the poem, or prepares us for it? Or does it tell of an oddity within the persona; is his negative manner actually genuine – perhaps we shouldn’t accept the persona’s judgment/emotions to the same extent as he’d like us to? His choice of rhyme scheme and meter along with the harsh subject fail to match up. Themes: Time (passing of century), Isolation, Man and the Natural World. Difficult Language Notes: ‘Darkling’ – discussed above. ‘Illimited’ is an archaic form of ‘unlimited’. First and Second Stanza Notes: As usual, Hardy presents us with an image, this time of a landscape – a depressing one, at that. This poem was published at the end of the century – 31st December 1900 (Hardy was one of those people who believe that a century is complete when the hundredth year is over.) It is very cold and frosty and the day is growing to a close. It really is the end of a century. And Hardy presents us with a very clear image of death – he later personifies the Century itself as being dead. The first two stanzas are full of death-language: 1. â€Å"When Frost was spectre-gray†. A clear example of ghost imagery (‘a spectre’). This line is of interest on its own, due to the obvious personification of ‘Frost’. This is a good place to make a key note about the poem itself. Throughout, we discover a distinct Hardy-esque style; the environment is unpleasant and it demonstrates his usual antics in animism. Hardy develops complex (and often deeply personal) symbolic systems which deal almost exclusively with the natural world. The reader is made personal with non-human entities like frost and birds but avoids people – even the persona is a subject avoided in great detail. 1. Back with the ‘death imagery’, â€Å"The weakening eye of day†; a comment on the darkening sky – the day is dying. 1. â€Å"All mankind that haunted nigh† – haunted is clearly a reference to death and ghosts. Hardy is commenting on the lack of human life in his scene; they â€Å"had sought their household fires†. A further indication of the low temperature. Is it a hint that the world is ending? Or is that just a little extreme? In any case, note how the rest of humanity are seeking light in an otherwise dark environment. The second stanza contains an extended metaphor involving the dead century, but we need to examine the first stanza more before moving on. Hardy’s persona is leaning upon a coppice gate – a gate into a small woods or ‘coppice’. It is a highly ambiguous persona (another thing to explore), but he leans nevertheless. The scene is wintry, indeed, along with Frost, Winter is personified equally – â€Å"Winter’s dregs made desolate/ The weakening eye of day.† The dregs of the season indicate a very cold atmosphere; one without much colour. Clearly this has emptied the scene of any colourful sight upon which the â€Å"eye of day† weakens. The day is ending; thus dusk darkens the scene. â€Å"Tangled bine-stems scored the sky/ Like strings of broken lyres†. As before mentioned, the persona is standing in woodland, thus â€Å"Bine-stems† are tree branches. Hardy’s comparison of them to broken lyres is interesting. Lyres are a) harmonious in Classical literature and b) belong only in Classical literature. Hardy is clearly stating that the scene is not ‘harmonious’ or perhaps the ‘death-lament’ later mentioned isn’t. Or is it also a reference Hardy’s romantic passion for the past, that it was somehow better than the day in which he writes? Second Stanza Notes: The first four lines of this stanza deal explicitly with Hardy’s ‘dead Century’ metaphor. He imagines the land before him as â€Å"the Century’s corpse outleant.† Quite what ‘outleant’ means, I have no idea, (The OED has confirmed that ‘outleant’ is not, nor ever has been a word) but â€Å"his crypt [becomes] the cloudy canopy† (the cloudy sky) and â€Å"the wind his death-lament†. One need not explain it in any more detail; the implications are quite explicit. Hardy’s persona clearly didn’t approve of the past century, but had yet to indicate an emotional reflection on the future. He imagines England as a rotting corpse, essentially. However, note the use of the verb ‘seems’ – is all as it seems? However, Hardy goes on to write even more damningly of his persona’s scene. ‘The ancient pulse of germ and birth’ – the regenerative power of life, following Winter’s onslaught – ‘was shrunken dry and hard’. Nothing appears to be growing back – is this another indication of the end of the world, or certainly of an era. Hardy appears to be making the simple change of an arbitrary number into something quite different, and more serious. A degeneration of life itself. Indeed, â€Å"every spirit upon earth/ Seemed fervourless than I.† Very negative. Observe how silent the description is up to this point in the poem. There is an implied sound in both the death-lament and of broken lyres, but otherwise, the sound is non-existent. That changes soon. Here comes the VOLTA. Third Stanza Notes: â€Å"At once a voice arose among The bleak twigs overhead In a full-hearted evensong Of Joy illimited;† Hardy emphasizes a sudden change with the words â€Å"At once† – indeed, there are multiple changes which create this volta: * Note the sudden inclusion of sound – the thrush is singing! This breaks the poetic still (of death) which has held the poem so far. * The length of ‘sentence’ also changes. Note the semicolon at the end of these four lines above. Previously, each quatrain had completed with a full stop. Perhaps Hardy is opening up his poetic form to mirror the sudden movement in the lines themselves. The use of enjambment accentuates this. There are perhaps religious connotations with ‘evensong’. Much as Hardy may simply be again referring to the mundane fact that the bird is singing a ‘song’ and ‘eve’, we pray that the man is capable of higher minded comparisons. These vaguely religious nuances are maintained throughout the poem. The crucial fact is that the mood has changed, perhaps. â€Å"Of Joy illimited† suggests a pleasant image, which stands in stark contrast to the surrounding gloom. â€Å"An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small, In blast-beruffled plume,† Yet the mood is suddenly plunged back into the red with Hardy’s following lines. The thrush, which is, admittedly, a very odd bird to chose (not famed for their song), is an elderly figure in a storm – hence the ‘blast-beruffled plume’. In this otherwise grim situation, the reader’s immediate concern is whether the bird itself is going to survive at all! The use of â€Å"frail, gaunt, and small† mirrors the ghoulish imagery used in the first two stanzas – the thrush is alive, for certain, but perhaps the persona questions for how much longer? Note how the thrush is NOT personified. Every other element of the natural world takes an animated form, but not the bird! Why does Hardy do this? â€Å"Had chosen thus to fling his soul Upon the growing gloom.† Perhaps desperation is the key word in this stanza, but also hope. There is a powerful message in the face of this ghoulish bird; that, in spite of all the darkness and death, the thrush maintains his song. Stanza Four Notes: â€Å"So little cause for carolings Of such ecstatic sound Was written on terrestrial things Afar or nigh around,† Once again, Hardy’s use of enjambment allows for the lines to ‘bleed’ into each other – in a direct contrast to the poem’s former rigidity. Perhaps he is now gathering momentum for a change in mood? Yet, in terms of sense, Hardy appears to be doing the opposite. He states that the bird has no reason to be singing a joyful song amongst so much desolation. However, perhaps, by even considering such a fact, the persona’s own deep-rooted pessimism is beginning to shift away? On some key language points: * Note more religious emphasis: ‘carolings’ typically sing hymns at Christmas time. Hymns are definitely religious! * Perhaps there is an equally religious connotation which Hardy applies to his comments on the ‘terrestrial things’. If there is not any cause for singing about things on Earth, then perhaps, reciprocally, there is cause for celebrating the sky, or heaven? â€Å"That I could think there trembled through His happy good-night air Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew And I was unaware.† It is a rather ambiguous ending upon which Hardy chooses to conclude, but he achieves a sense of dramatic effect through it. The persona realises the presence of (a perhaps religious) hope, in the fact of utter desperation, but it is unintelligible to him. In an odd way, the reader is forced to consider whether the persona is being entirely accurate: * Can one be unaware of something, yet still able to write about it? * Does this tell us that the persona, as a Modernist, is able to perceive such an uplifting messages but unable to interpret them in such a way as to ‘release’ himself from the ‘dark’? Hardy himself was a modernist and therefore dwells upon an odd lot of ideas. Amongst them was ‘searching for hope/meaning to darkness and cruelty’. Despite being a realist, he was deeply influenced by Romantic notions (look them up) – perhaps this exploration is one of them? * The use of ‘blessed’ again implies a deified presence within the thrush’s message. Is the persona experiencing some divine inspiration?

Discounting the Myth of the First Three Years

Discounting the Myth of the First Three Years Introduction Today, more than ever before, most parents have accepted the notion that the first three years of a child’s life are critically important in determining whether or not the child will mature into an individual of high mental and cognitive abilities. Proponents of the ‘myth of the first three years’ argue that much of the child’s brain development takes place within the first three years and, therefore, parents need to utilize this time-frame to ensure their children gets the best start to life (Bruer, 1999).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Discounting the Myth of the First Three Years specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, controversy surrounds the issue, with current literature revealing that brain development does not shut at three years of age and that there is no objective evidence to indicate that the first three years are of critical importance in the development of var ious abilities that enhances individual success (Gormley et al., 2010). By relying on literature and practical experience, this paper purposes to demonstrate that there is no such thing as the myth of the first three years. Towards Understanding the Myth First coined by Bruer (1999), the myth of the first three years presupposes that â€Å"†¦the first three years of life determine, in an all-or-none, once-in-a-lifetime manner, the success of a child’s development across the lifespan† (Lerner, 2002, p.124). The description implies that the first three years are critical in shaping a child’s cognitive and learning abilities to a point where this period in a child’s lifespan determines whether or not the child will succeed or fail in life (Gormley et al., 2010). As a consequence of this myth, many parents interested in the success of their children might believe that by the time the children enrolls in kindergarten and grade schools, all the brain devel opments critical to their success in life will be behind them. The concept have received criticism from various quarters for putting unnecessary pressure on parents to utilize the first three years to develop their children’s cognitive and learning skills or else risk condemning them to a life of failure. However, neurobiological and behavioral studies conducted over time in addition to our own experiences demonstrate that brain development and cognition are not exclusively limited to the first three years of life. Critiquing the Myth Gormley et al (2010) notes that the first years of life are critical in the development of a child due to a number of varied reasons, which orients more towards attachment and emotional development than towards cognitive development. Indeed, the first few days are critical for the newborn to develop appropriate attachment tendencies to its primary caregiver. A wealth of literature also demonstrates that significant brain development and cognitiv e growth takes place during the first years of life (Lerner, 2002), thus the years form a critical phase of the child’s overall development and growth. But the suggestion that the child’s brain development is exclusively limited to the first three years of life is, at best, an understatement that lacks scientific justification.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Lerner (2002), â€Å"†¦the brain remains an instrument for learning and development across life and, indeed, there are data pertinent to very old age that indicates that cognitive development and learning can occur in the ninth and tenth grade of life† (p. 124). My own personal experience gained through rearing my first two children indicates that teaching kids in the first three years ultimately benefits them later in life, but it is not in itself a plethora of how successful the y will become later in the lifespan. Studies have found that the nature of synapse formation and the cultivation of some synaptic circuits depend to a large extent on the immediate environment and experience (Lerner, 2002). An average child undergoes a multitude of experiences in his or her life time and, in deed, no single experience is likely to impose a domineering influence on the child’s development. As such, a child’s cognitive development and learning should be understood as a life-long process that is shaped by daily experiences not limited to the first three years of life. Positive interactions in the first three years of life will inarguably aid the child to form sharp cognitive skills and mental capacities, but cognition and learning goes past the three initial years to encompass the entire lifespan. In this context, parents may use the first three years to jumpstart their child’s learning and cognitive development, but they should not lose hope that all is lost when the child fails to open up within the first three years. The human race enjoys a long evolutionary history that is filled with numerous life experiences. Studies have revealed that â€Å"†¦many of the so-called enriched experiences some parents seem to intent on providing their children will likely not matter later in life† (Lerner, 2002, p. 125). It is well known the education system changes with the needs of the society and, as such, it is only plausible to suggest that encouraging children in the first three years of life through providing them with enriched experiences is one among several ways that can be targeted on the youngsters to improve their mental and cognitive capabilities (Gormley et al., 2010).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Discounting the Myth of the First Three Years specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Learning contexts automatically change as one progress through the li fespan, and early reinforcement assists the child to adapt adequately to environments as they change. In this context, it can be argued that the learning processes that takes place in the first three years offers the child a platform that can be used to relate to upcoming experiences as they continue to learn and develop cognitively. From my own experience with children, I learnt that providing enriched experiences during the first three years offers the child a distinct advantage when it comes to learning and the development of trust and self-control components, but it does not imply that learning, cognitive, and mental development stops at the lapse of the first three years of life. The fact that the brain develops dramatically in the first three years of life cannot be denied (Learner, 2002). However, parents should consider these years as comparable to erecting a strong foundation for a house. In this respect, the first three years, when well utilized, offers the child a solid f oundation to base their further mental and cognitive growth and development. To suggest that development of these critical capacities stops at three years is analogous to arguing that the house is complete just because the foundation has been laid. Building the house requires more time, resources, and energy, just as is the case with developing mental and cognitive capacities. Unless development continues throughout the lifespan, the child will obviously experience deficits in his or her mental and cognitive capacities. This argument provides strength for the socialization process as a key determinant of the child’s mental and cognitive development. Various studies have positively correlated the process of positive socialization with the development of critical mental, emotional, and cognitive capacities, and there is compelling evidence that greatly socialized children are more likely to be successful later in life (Bruer, 1999). However, socialization is a life-long process which cannot be limited to the first three years of life. As such, the first three years should be used to aid the child in developing behavioral patterns that may be critical in determining how well the child is able to socialize with peers later on, but the lapse of the three years should not be construed to mean the end of the socialization process or any other process that assist the child to grow mentally and cognitively. Moreover, studies have revealed that â€Å"†¦even those systems whose development is tied to sensitive or critical periods (e.g. our sensory system) provide some flexibility both in the quality and timing of certain experiences† (Lerner, 2002, p. 125). This assertion implies that the quality and timing of certain life experiences is critical to the mental and cognitive development of the child rather than the bracketing of the first three years.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It would be impractical to expect a six-month old baby to master the alphabet just because he or she is in the first three years of development and the mother is engaged in exposing the child to the alphabet. In consequence, early reinforcement becomes a secondary but important component aimed towards the child’s mental and cognitive development, and the quality and timing of the life experiences exposed to the child will principally determine his or her mental and cognitive capabilities. Various developmental theories such as Sigmund’s psychoanalysis view the child’s development as a process involving various interconnected phases (Lerner, 2002). Many of the theories adduce evidence to the fact that each of the phases of development is intrinsically important towards the holistic development of the individual. Some of the phases of development occur when the child is past the age of three and, as such, it could prove difficult to tie the child’s mental a nd cognitive development to the first three years of life. The structural arrangement of most of these theories refutes the possibility of a myth of the first three years in as far as human development is concerned. To argue that the success of a child’s development across the life-span is predominantly determined by the first three years is synonymous to adopting a largely mechanistic framework for understanding human development while it is known that development relies on a multiplicity of factors that may not necessarily interrelate in a mechanistic way (Gormley, 2010). For example, my first-born child was discovered to have a learning disability when he was enrolled in a preschool program known as Head Start, but the child has risen against all odds to perform well in grade school. This example reveals that though the preschool learning assisted the child, his mental and cognitive development was not tied to these formative years of development. This is in line with the various theories of individual development. Studies have also adduced evidence to the fact that some children may exhibit a specter of intelligence during the formative years of development only for them to become dull and unproductive later on due to indulgence in certain behavior patterns such as alcoholism and drug use and abuse (Gormley et al., 2010). This line of thinking demonstrates that life-time experiences rather than the first-three years of life are critical in shaping the intellectual and cognitive life of individual. The world is full of examples of individuals who were bright during one phase in their lifespan only for them to deteriorate due to varied factors affecting their immediate environment. As such, the first three years of life must never be seen as the foremost factor in determining whether or not a particular individual will succeed in life. Similarly, our life experiences have shown us that life is much more that the first three years upon birth, and every day is a learning experience. The experiences we undergo on a daily basis helps to sharpen our mental and cognitive abilities, and no single study has ever mentioned a phase of active life where cognitive development and learning ceases to take place (Bruer, 1999). Conclusion From the discussion, it is clear that some of the arguments that perpetuate the myth of the first three years have no basis at all. Our own experiences reveal that learning and cognitive development cannot in any way be limited to the first three years as the myth suggests. Consequently, our responsibility to our children, particularly in efforts geared towards making them succeed in life, must be distributed throughout the course of their lives rather than focusing attention to the first three years of life. It cannot be denied that the first three years can offer a solid foundation to a child’s further cognitive development and learning, but parents must also know that human development is a life-long process (Lerner, 2002). To limit our focus on the first three years would not only be short-sighted, but it would go against the rules of science. Reference List Bruer, J.T. (1999). The myth of the first three years: A new understanding of early brain development. New York, NY: The Free Press Gormley, W.T., Philips, D., Adelstein, S. (2010). Head start’s competitive advantage: Myth or Reality? Policy Studies Journal, 38(3), 397-418. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database Lerner, R.M. (2002). Concepts and theories of human development, 3rd Ed. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc

A Wise Decision Essays - Crime, Penology, Illinois, Brian Dugan

A Wise Decision Essays - Crime, Penology, Illinois, Brian Dugan A Wise Decision A Wise Delay Governor Ryans decision to suspend the death penalty is already starting to have a valuable impact on the rest of nation. Other states are starting to aid in Governor Ryans quest to improve death penalty systems. Last week, a representative from the state of Wisconsin, requested that President Clinton put a hold on executions until the federal death penalty system can be reviewed. Clinton is an avid supporter of the death penalty and only promised to consider it. Since 1973, eighty-five people have been released from death row in the federal system because of mis-verdicts. Twenty-one federal inmates still remain on death row. Juan Raoul Garza is one of these death row inmates. Despite the governments past mistakes, he is scheduled to be executed this year. President Clinton should think long and hard before reopening the federal death chamber. Because the federal justice system dose not do its job correctly, many innocent people may have or will die on death row. According to the article, A Federal Execution Moratorium-misconduct, unbelievably erroneous evidence and false testimony by jailhouse informants can and has lead to mistaken verdicts. Rolando Cruz is an excellent example of a terrible mistake made by the federal government. He was convicted of the 1983 rape and murder of ten-year-old Jeanine Nicarico, and put on death row. His freedom was suspended to him even after Brian Dugan came forth to admit his sole involvment in the murder. Cruz remained on death row while prosecutors try to prove Dugan was lying! DNA testing proved that Cruz was not the source of semen samples taken from Nicarico's body; however, Dugan was a perfect match. Cruz remained on death row. November 4, 1995, 12 years after his original arrest, Cruz was released. Not only did Cruz loose twelve prime years of his life; He almost lost his whole life. Judge Ronald Mehling said he released Cruz because the initial murder investigation was sloppy, very sloppy, and the government's case against Cruz was riddled with lies and mistakes. It is suggested in the article that a wise approach to this problem would be to appoint a commission to study the federal death penalty system. I am in agreement that Clinton must suspend the death penalty until the bugs in this system are totally irradiated. More states need to come forth to force Clinton to see that he needs to do more than think about suspending the death penalty. Taking innocent lives is wrong. no matter who or how powerful you are!

A close focus on act III of The Crucible Essay Example for Free

A close focus on act III of ‘The Crucible’ Essay The Crucible (395) , John Proctor (276) , Tituba (113) , Giles Corey (38) , Actions (5) Haven't found the essay you want? Get your custom sample essay for only $13.90/page ? The play, ‘The crucible’, shows how people react to mass hysteria caused by a group of people, as people did during the McCarthy hearings in the 1950’s. The â€Å"House un-American activities committee† searched for communist sympathisers because they were felt to be a threat to the state. Many Americans were wrongly accused of being communist sympathisers and were convicted and sentenced without any real evidence of them having committed a crime. Mere suspicion was classed as evidence. And like the during the witch hunts, anyone who spoke out was accused which made defending yourself a death wish. This is how McCarthyism was linked with the witch-hunts that had taken place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The title of the play describes exactly what was happening at the time of the witch-hunts. A crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extracted the pure element from impurities, and crucible is another word for a cauldron that witches use to brew their magic potions in. So the word ‘crucible’ could metaphorically be used to explain how the activities in Salem were like a potion brewing in a cauldron with the potion being ‘mixed’ to separate the witches (impurities) from the good, god-loving citizens (element). The opening scene of the play shows the girls dancing in the woods around a cauldron, they are spotted by Parris who also see’s that one of them is naked.  The people of Salem were Puritans and so dancing was perceived as a sin.  The morning after the dancing, two of the youngest girls cannot wake from bed. A doctor is called to help the girls but he cannot diagnose what is wrong with them or how they can be helped, His only advice is to look to the unnatural. The girls do not confess to their activities until Parris confronts them. Abigail says all that they did was dance and strongly denies that any of them were naked, ‘Uncle, we did dance.’ ‘There is nothin’ more. I swear it, uncle.’ Mrs Putnam, the mother of the other ill child, believes that her daughter Ruth and Parris’s daughter Betty’s illnesses are caused by the devil. Parris calls for Hale who is an expert on ‘demonic arts’  Parris is the minister of the Village, much to the Putnam’s dismay. Mr Putnam’s brother was in competition with Parris for the position of minister and so the Putnam’s have a grudge against not only Parris, but the Nurse family who prevented him from being minister and many of there neighbours for various reasons. Especially with Giles Corey who has worked out that the Putnam’s will do anything to get their hands on other peoples land, ‘This man is killing his neighbours for their land!’ John Proctor also has a grudge against Parris. Hale arrives in Salem, He is a confident and well education young man who believes he has all the answers. As he is examining Betty Giles Corey distracts him by asking him questions about his wife. Giles says that his wife reads strange books whilst they are in bed and while she is reading, he cannot pray. Hale carries on trying to help Betty with little effect. Parris tells Hale that he thinks he saw a kettle in the grass with the girls in the wood with something moving inside it. Hale questions Abigail but she denies that she drank blood and called the devil. Abigail then realises that if the truth is found out she will get in a lot of trouble and so she passes the blame onto Tituba, Parris’s black slave, by saying that Tituba forced her to drink blood and even blames her wicked dreams on the slave. Tituba confesses to save herself from being hung. She mentions four people’s names that she supposedly saw with the devil. Abigail mentions more and more names and then the rest of the girls join in, mentioning the names of anyone they hate, have a grudge against or just dislike. As the girls cried out more names, the hysteria began to grow.  By accusing others of witchcraft they are diverting attention away from their original misdemeanours. We can see that the Proctors relationship is not very strong, they make petty small talk over dinner and don’t appear to be happy together. One reason for this may be that Elizabeth has not forgiven John for having an affair with Abigail whilst she was ill.  Whilst Mary was at court with the other girls where people were being tried for witchcraft she made a poppet for Elizabeth. Abigail was sitting next to Mary whilst she made it. By now 39 women had been arrested and Goody Osborn was sentenced to hanging.  Mary, who had always been a very shy, timid girl was now becoming very easily led along by Abigail and just as confused between fact and fantasy as the other girls and. This is apparent when she tells the Proctors that Sarah Good had confessed to having made contact with Lucifer, and that Sarah Goods spirit tried to choke her in the courtroom. Mary then speaks of even more fantasy when she says that terrible stomach pains had been inflicted upon her when she had turned the old woman away whilst she was begging. Mary also accused the old woman of mumbling a spell to her, but Sarah Good claimed it was not a spell, it were her commandments. The court asked her to repeat the commandments, but she could not. A close focus on act III of ‘The Crucible’. (2017, Oct 04).

Should fast food chains in the US be held legally and socially Research Paper

Should fast food chains in the US be held legally and socially responsible for contributing to consumer obesity because of failu - Research Paper Example The number of fast food chains has also been on the increase since the early 1970s with the number of operational food chain stores having doubled over the years (Schlosser 3). With this, researchers have blamed the increase in the number of fast food chains to blame for the increase in obesity reported cases across the US. However, two sides exist in the debate in which others argue that fast foods also allow people that have lower income rates or the homeless to access affordable food (Bagchi & Preuss 854). As much as critics have suggested that obesity and fast food chains have a direct correlation, it has been difficult to establish empirical evidence supporting or negating this fact hence making the debate to be inconclusive. With this as a basis, this research essay will delve intowhether fast foods are legally or socially responsible to blame for their influence on consumer obesity because they do not disclose the ingredients or calorie levels in the foods that they sell. Furt her, the essay will assess the ways in which this scenario is likely to affect the economy of the US in terms of profit generation and customer oriented services. Linking obesity and fast food establishments In a definition, obesity refers to having a condition in which a person’s body fat is more than 30% of the ideal body weight in relation to their height. Over the years, children with obesity have received a diagnosis of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension among a list of many other preventable diseases. In the past, these lifestyle conditions only afflicted adults but the emerging trend has been that children and young adults alike have developed these conditions over time. The costs of treating obesity related conditions have been soaring over the years and critics have shifted focus to the possible cause of obesity rather than preventing the gain of unnecessary body weight of the young population. For one, critics argue that f ast food chains are to blame for the increased rates of obesity because of the many offers that they give to their customers in order to edge out market competition for themselves. For instance, McDonalds and Burger King have in recent times introduced offers on oversized burgers as a way of reciprocating customer loyalty where they dished out large servings of fizzy drinks and French fries at discounted prices. Further, families that have incredible busy work schedules also rely on fast food for ready-cooked meals as they do not have time to prepare home cooked meals for their young ones. Therefore, many families rely on taking out from fast food establishments because of the convenience and the minimal costs attached to acquiring meals from these joints. Subsequently, the consumption of greasy foods on a regular basis without engaging in active physical exercises leads to increase in a person’s BMI hence making them to become obese. In relation to litigation suits, lawyers have sought to establish the link between obesity and fast food joints in the same way that they illustrated that tobacco companies are partly to blame for the increased rates of complications associated with cigarette smoking. The argument that lawyers present is that fast food companies sell greasy foods to unknowing consumers without disclosing the calorie percentage in the foods that they retail. Therefore, fast food compani