No Laughing Matter: a Comprehensive Overview of Nitrous Oxide Abuse

No Laughing Matter: A Comprehensive Overview of Nitrous Oxide Abuse Ryan Ardelle Anatomy & Physiology, Period 3 Mr. Syvret Due: March 14, 2013 SUBSTANCE OVERVIEW The issue of inhalant abuse is a multifaceted problem, stretching across many communities and locales in the entirety of the United States. Inhalants as a class of drug vary widely, ranging from volatile solvents and aerosol propellants, to more broadly, any drug delivered by inhalation. Nitrous oxide straddles these categories, as it finds use not only a common dental analgesic, but also as a propellant, in such uses as whipping cream, automotive racing, and rocketry.As a result, nitrous oxide is found in many forms: medical-grade, food-grade, and industrial-grade, with various purities (Erowid). Commonly known as â€Å"laughing gas,† nitrous oxide wears many hats and goes by many names. For example, those who use nitrous oxide in automotive racing or rocketry applications know it as NOS (Alai). In this usage, nitrou s oxide is applied as a powerful oxidizer, allowing a vehicle’s engine to combust gasoline more rapidly, with an associated increase in horsepower (Winter). This form of nitrous oxide is packaged with many additives to not only improve its performance but also to deter its abuse (Erowid).When abused recreationally however, nitrous oxide finds many more colorful nicknames, such as â€Å"hippie crack† and â€Å"nangs† (Erowid). It is a true gas, existing as a gas under atmospheric pressure at room temperature, although it assumes a liquid state when compressed in a gas cylinder (Alai). Nitrous oxide is a strong oxidizing agent with a density of 1. 9kg/m 3, and it has a linear molecular form consisting of two atoms of nitrogen and one atom of oxygen (Winter). Nitrous oxide has no color and has a sweet odor, familiar to anybody who has tasted whipped cream (Erowid).Nitrous oxide is commercially manufactured by heating ammonium nitrate to 240C. Impurities such as amm onia and nitric acid in addition to excess water vapor are removed through an extensive gas scrubbing process. Food-grade nitrous oxide is often stored in white, 8-gram cylinders with a sealed metal puncture cap and packaged in boxes of 100 cylinders. Medical-grade nitrous oxide is stored in French-blue cylinders and is pressurized to ~4400 kPa at room temperature. The Pin Index Safety System configuration for nitrous oxide cylinders is 3-5 (Banks and Hardman). HISTORY OF NITROUS OXIDE ABUSEBritish chemist and Presbyterian minister Joseph Humphrey first synthesized nitrous oxide gas in England in 1772. Priestly later published his work in a 1776 journal, â€Å"Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air† (Priestly). This publication proved extremely intriguing to the scientific community, leading to additional research and Humphry Davy’s influential 1800 book, â€Å"Researches, Chemical and Philosophical: Chiefly Concerning Nitrous Oxide. † Throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century, nitrous oxide’s usage as a recreational drug became increasingly popular.Traveling medical shows and carnivals featured affectionately named â€Å"Nitrous Oxide Capers,† in which attendees paid a small fee to inhale a minute’s worth of gas (Brecher). In 1844, Dr. Horace Wells, a British dentist, first demonstrated the use of nitrous oxide as a dental anesthetic. His initial testing on a patient at Harvard Medical School was unsuccessful, resulting in the public dismissal of nitrous oxide as a legitimate anesthetic. Nevertheless, nitrous oxide had a sudden resurgence in the dental community in the early 1860s, thanks to a series of dental institutions opened by lecturer and showman Gardener Quincy Colton.These practices utilized nitrous oxide as their primary form of dental anesthesia, henceforth standardizing its usage in the United States (Erowid). METHODS OF ADMINISTRATION Nitrous oxide is administered via inhalation o f compressed gas. Users most frequently obtain nitrous oxide from small, 8-gram canisters used to charge whipped cream dispensers. These canisters are readily available for purchase in most restaurant supply stores, on the Internet, and in head shops across the nation (Narconon).Once obtained, the contents of the canisters are released into empty whipped cream dispensers or into a balloon. A pressure release valve, or â€Å"cracker†, must be used in order to safely siphon the gas into a balloon (Erowid). These valves are also available for purchase online or in head shops (Narconon). Users with access to larger cylinders of nitrous oxide sometimes inhale the gas through a nasal hood or anesthesia mask, as used in dental surgery. However, this method is extremely dangerous without proper medical supervision, as users can inhale larger amounts of gas without access to fresh oxygen.As a result, the vast majority of nitrous oxide users prefer to use the aforementioned whipped cre am dispenser or balloon methods of inhalation (Wagner, Clark, Wesche, Doedens, and Lloyd). Whipped cream canisters and standard latex party balloons have a maximum capacity of approximately three 8-gram cylinders. Depending on personal preference, users can fill their vessel of choice with one, two, or three cylinders at a time (Creamright). Once the whipped cream dispenser or balloon is filled to the user’s liking, the gas inside is rapidly inhaled into the user’s lungs.The gas is often held in the lungs for twenty to sixty seconds to induce hypoxia and enhance the euphoric effects. The gas is then exhaled normally, and the user resumes regular respiration of room air (Erowid). IMMEDIATE EFFECTS Once inhaled, nitrous oxide is immediately absorbed through the lungs, dissolving directly into blood plasma. Within ten to fifteen seconds, nitrous oxide molecules replace oxygen molecules in the user’s lungs, thereby stimulating a euphoric sensation. Users then experi ence a brief â€Å"high† usually lasting between thirty seconds and two minutes with a standard dose (Erowid).Symptoms of nitrous oxide abuse include slurred speech, impaired coordination and balance, difficulty thinking clearly and processing information, unresponsiveness to verbal and painful stimuli, and occasionally loss of consciousness. Assuming the user returns to regularly breathing room air after the initial gas inhalation, these symptoms should subside within two minutes. The onset and peak effect timing of nitrous oxide is determined by the quantity consumed (Narconon). Nitrous oxide inhalation impacts the function of numerous physiologic systems.First, nitrous oxide decreases tidal volume and increases respiratory rate following activation of the central nervous system. Myocardial depression and an increase in central sympathetic outflow also occur following nitrous oxide inhalation. Inhaled nitrous oxide may produce the second gas effect, as nitrous oxide has a m ore rapid rate of diffusion across alveolar basement membranes than nitrogen gas. This rapid exit of nitrous oxide from the alveoli initiates a concentration of other alveolar gases, thereby accelerating the uptake of nitrous oxide into the bloodstream (Banks and Hardman).The primary method of nitrous oxide elimination is via the exhalation from the lungs. Nitrous oxide exits the body entirely unchanged in chemical formula and structure. Small amounts of nitrous oxide diffuse through the skin and the renal system, and anaerobic bacteria in the GI tract reduce any outstanding nitrous oxide into nitrogen gas (Erowid). ACTION ON THE BRAIN Nitrous oxide causes vasodilatation, resulting in an increase in cerebral blood flow and causing a corresponding increase in intracranial pressure (Erowid). Unlike most inhalants, nitrous oxide does not augment the effects of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockers.Accordingly, nitrous oxide does not produce the same neuromuscular depression experienc ed with other inhalant abuse. Nitrous oxide activates opioid receptors in the periaqueductal grey of the midbrain, stimulating a release of norepinephrine and activation of 2-adrenoceptors in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord (Banks and Hardman). LONG TERM EFFECTS Risks involved in nitrous oxide inhalation revolve primarily around displacing oxygen. Although nitrous oxide does not bind with hemoglobin and instead dissolves into the blood, continued inhalation of pure nitrous oxide without supplemental oxygen can lead to hypoxia.Nitrous oxide-induced hypoxia is especially dangerous because users may not realize that they asphyxiating themselves – the impulse to breathe is triggered by a build-up of carbon dioxide, rather than a lack of oxygen (Banks and Hardman). Aside from hypoxia, there are relatively few physiologic dangers associated with nitrous oxide abuse. The most significant of these effects is Vitamin B depletion and deficiency. This can potentially lead to acute or chronic paresthesia, the sensation of â€Å"pins and needles,† and can inhibit the activity of methionine synthetase, thereby interfering with DNA synthesis in leukocytes and erythrocytes.However, Vitamin B and Folate supplements can prevent these side effects (Banks and Hardman). Nitrous oxide can also induce potentially dangerous airspace expansion in the body, such as pneumothorax or bowel obstruction, due to its rapid diffusion properties. Other potential side effects include respiratory depression, apnea, hypotension, cardiac arrhythmias, dizziness, neuropathy, nausea, vomiting, ileus, bone marrow depression, and malignant hyperthermia. Pregnant women should not use nitrous oxide, as the gas diffuses into the placenta and can cause fetal depression (Erowid).A few cases of frostbite on the vocal cords have been recorded following direct inhalation of nitrous oxide from a canister (Banks and Hardman). Also, nitrous oxide users are at risk of traumatic fall injuries such a s broken extremities and concussions due to impaired balance and possible loss of consciousness (Narconon). STATISTICS Nitrous oxide abuse is most common among younger adolescents aged 16-17, although abuse does occur among older individuals. A 2011 study from the University of Michigan showed that 13% of 8th grade students reported abusing inhalants at least once (National Institute on Drug Abuse).A similar study from the University of Virginia revealed that nitrous oxide was one of the top five substances abused by adolescent inhalant users (Narconon). According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the rates of inhalant abuse â€Å"increased steadily from 3. 4 percent at age 12 to 5. 3 percent at age 14, then declined to 3. 9 percent by age 17 from 2002-2006. † Data from this study also showed that â€Å"adolescents age 12 to 17 represented 48 percent of all substance abuse treatment admissions reporting inhalants. Among these adolescent admiss ions reporting inhalant abuse, 45% had a concurrent psychiatric disorder (SAMHSA). Erowid. com, a popular website that provides information on psychoactive drug use, conducted a series of online surveys in September 2009 in a study examining the possible presence of contaminants in nitrous oxide chargers. One of the surveys asked regular nitrous oxide users their preferred method of inhalation; 46% preferred using a cracker with a balloon, 34. 4% preferred inhaling directly from a whipped cream dispenser, 11. % percent preferred a whipped cream dispenser with a balloon, 1. 7 % preferred a cracker with a bag, 0. 7% preferred a whipped cream dispenser with a bag, and 5. 0% preferred other methods (Erowid). Nitrous oxide is not physiologically addictive, although certain individuals can use it compulsively. While psychological addiction is possible, the only symptom of withdrawal is the desire to inhale more nitrous oxide (Dartmouth College). Furthermore, statistics on inhalant-related deaths are difficulty to determine, as most deaths are severely under-reported.Most of the time, death is attributed to cardiac or respiratory failure subsequent to inhalant abuse. Studies from the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse between 1990 and 1993 revealed an average of 15 inhalant abuse-related deaths per year in the state of Texas. Of those deaths, 94% of victims were male, and 91% were Caucasian, on average (National Inhalant Prevention Coalition). Most recreational nitrous oxide-related deaths are caused by hypoxia when users affix masks without oxygen or place bags over their heads to concentrate the gas (Erowid). EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ABUSEThe topic of inhalants has been addressed by multiple small grass-roots efforts in local communities, but has also seen national discussion. Although no national legislation is in place restricting the sale, consumption, and distribution of nitrous oxide, several states and municipalities have passed laws in an attempt to curb u sage. Most of these laws specifically target underage consumption and sale of nitrous oxide to minors (Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics). For example, the Article 34 Title 7  § 3380. 5a-5b of the New York State Controlled Substances Act states: a) No person shall use nitrous oxide for purposes of causing intoxication, inebriation, excitement, stupefaction or the dulling of the brain or nervous system of himself or another. (b) No person shall sell any canister or other container of nitrous oxide unless granted an exemption pursuant to this subdivision. In no event shall any canister or other container of nitrous oxide be sold to a person under the age of twenty-one years. â€Å"Any person who violates any provision of subdivision four or five of this section shall be guilty of class A misdemeanor† (New York State Legislature).A number of non-governmental organizations such as the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition work to educate the public on the facts and dangers of inhalant abuse. These organizations frequently lobby on the state and federal level in attempt to pass more restrictive anti-inhalant abuse legislature. These preventative efforts have helped to several states integrate inhalant abuse education into primary and secondary school health education curricula (National Inhalant Prevention Coalition). Works Cited Alai, Nili N. â€Å"Nitrous Oxide Administration. † Ed. Rick Kulkarni.Medscape Reference, 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . Banks, Amelia, and Jonathan G. Hardman. â€Å"Nitrous Oxide. † British Journal of Anaesthesia: Continuing Education in Anaethesia, Critical Care, and Pain (2005): 1-4. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . Brecher, Edward M. â€Å"The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs. † Consumer Reports Magazine 1972. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Drug Facts: Inhalants. † Inhalants. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Sept. 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . Erowid Nitrous Oxide Vault. Erowid, 21 Feb. 2013. W eb. 4 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions. † Nitrous Oxide Whipped Cream Chargers. Creamright, 2013. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas). † Health Promotion. Dartmouth College, 21 Jan. 2009. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. lt;http://www. dartmouth. edu/~healthed/groups/dapa/otherdrugs/no. html>. â€Å"Nitrous Oxide. † Nitrous Oxide. Narconon, 2013. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . Priestly, Joseph. Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air. Vol. 2. London: n. p. , 1776. 6 vols. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Public Health. † Laws of New York. New York State Legislature, n. d. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Statistics on Inhalants Show Young Teens at Risk. † SAMHSA News. SAMHSA, Mar. 2008. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"US Nitrous Oxide Laws. † State Laws Concerning Inhalation of Nitrous Oxide. Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics, May 2002. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"View Point. † National Inhalant Prevention Coalition Quarterly Newsl etter.National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, 2013. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . Wagner, Scott A. , Michael A. Clark, David L. Wesche, David J. Doedens, and Alan W. Lloyd. â€Å"Asphyxial Deaths from the Recreational Use of Nitrous Oxide. † Journal of Forensic Sciences 37. 4 (1992): 1008-15. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Winter, Mark. â€Å"Nitrous Oxide. † WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements. WebElements, n. d. Web. 4 Mar. 2013. .

Homeschool vs Public Schools Essay

Education has always been an important factor for many people in today’s society. For some being able to have a higher education is very important. There are two forms of general education homeschooling and public schools. Homeschooling is taught at home in an isolated place with a personal instructor. Students are requiring to study without the surrounding of other children. Public school are different children are able to connect and grow with others. This is the most general way students study. Both homeschooling and public school has its advantages and disadvantages such as relationships, achievements, and some risk of danger. One of the main differences between homeschooling and public schools is the daily environment. Difference between Homeschooling and Public Schools People have been homeschooling their children for many years. Some people believe that homeschooling is best choice to go. Homeschooling there are no distractions from other children, because students are studying at their own risk. This is no communicating face to face with friends. It causes less trust and little memories. Students do not have the advantage of going to prom and walking across the stage, with fellow classmate. In homeschooling student are not stable mentally. Many students need the advice that can help organize the values from teachers. A young adult needs the attention and require serious communication among instructors and followers. Students have a hard time with reality from advice, on what is required. This causes them to be more confused. While public schools offer students the chance to develop relationships. Friends are able to meet and create wonderful memorable times. They will be necessary existence towards each other. Therefore, teachers can counsel from personal experiences. It helps and intensifies fellowship. The disadvantages for Homeschooling  Academically homeschooling and public schools; both provide him or her with general education. Each of them has qualified and professional instructors to help with learning experience. Generally grade, awards and achievements are good significant points. Many things can distract homeschooling students from concentrating on home studies. With the technology of internet, face book, and video games can be a major distraction. People don’t realize how much time and energy are spending on the internet alone. The stress that it will have on family is homeschooling causes confusion. Parents have to prepare a lesson plan on every subject. This will be so that the parent is comfortable answering questions on different topic. A huge amount of work goes into teaching at home, but there is still question on how the lesson is represented. If the child is struggling to understand, it might cause a conflict between the parent and child. Disadvantages for Public Schools When we cosign children to public schools, we feel satisfied that they are receiving the right quality of education. Parents always like to know if they are getting their money worth. More importantly if their children are safe at a public school. Students have a chance to socialize with others young adults. Some students are getting bully every day in public schools. This can result in suicidal thoughts or depression, because of the high stress level. It leave parents with concern of did I make the right decision for my child. School environment are ways peers interact with one another and develop different attitudes. A homeschooling environment brings in a more a natural social environment. There is little long- standing knowledge among regular school goers, because most things are learnt for mainly exams. With children there is no correlation of fact with life. It can be why parents are more comfortable with homeschooling their children at home. Public Schools Public schools, despite all of their bad press, are still the most popular way to educate a child. Like most services consumers deal with in their daily lives, there are outstanding public schools and some that can receive a failing grade. Students attend school for the primary purpose of learning and that’s what any school should be judged on most heavily. Looking at the average of performance in some schools are very poorly, but comparing a public school to the other option isn’t entirely fair. Public schools are charged with educating all students in a class size of 25 or more students. However, public schools offer more than academic. Homeschooling doesn’t offer the same opportunities in the arts, athletics and other activities that students get in a public school. A study in Chicago found student who participate in the arts, achieve higher test scores then those who did not. Although these types of classes and activities are offer in private and homeschooling environments, they aren’t offered at the same level of many public schools. Homeschooling There is no doubt that researchers speaks very highly of homeschooling. Not only is it cheap compared to other education options, but the results are generally better. Most parents who homeschool spend less than $600 per year. In a public school parents are spending $10,000 way more in the public school systems. However parents who homeschool still pay a percentage of 10,000 expenses. Surprisingly, spending such a low amount on a child’s education produces impressive result. The averaged homeschool outperform student out preformed the average homeschool student the average public school students by roughly 30 percentile points. The largest drawback mention by opponents of homeschooling is that kids are lacking socialization once they enter college. Homeschoolers are no less socialized than other children. Just like public schools, the quality of the homeschooling experience depends on the drive of the drive and motivation of the teacher. It takes a discipline, motivated and intelligent person to homeschool his or her child.

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Personal Leadership Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Leadership Development Plan - Essay Example From the description given, personally, I prefer sensing rather than intuition. Sensing is then followed by thinking as opposed to feeling. Sensing is then followed by thinking as opposed to feeling. I prefer thinking critically before making a decision. The criterion is then finalized with judging as opposed to perception. I have more preference to judging as compared to perception (Farcht, 2007). From this assessment, it is evident that I will need to improve on judgment and try to form not so strict deadlines and expectations (Ricketts, 2011). This is so because they cause stress and can demoralize someone so much. From the argument, it is clear that in life, there are downfalls and I should take that in mind to continue with life in a better way. As a leader, I will need to show steadfastness and to be strong even if here in an unexpected happening. This will help give my followers a good example to maintain the pace of work and calmness even in cases of misfortunes. Looking at i ntroversion as a trait, it looks to be strict and mind tasking. Therefore, it needs to be done, with moderation, to avoid stress issues (Ricketts, 2011). ... This is a wide range of testing and is sure to give the required result. These tests are also very reliable since they have been tested with many individuals. This assures that they are perfect with what they measure in an individual. A combination of these tests also gives confidence that it measures about all aspects related to an individual. The tests measure interpersonal adaptability, leadership derailers, distinct personality types, job performance description, and reasoning ability based on a theory of intelligence and real world performance (Granville, 2010). The five assessments have different categories of information that is considered. First, there is the reliability measure of the tests (Granville, 2010). Reliability shows how dependable or true the result obtained after someone has been tested will be. It is an indication of the percentage of previous tests that have already been done and gone through. All the tests given have good reliability, and one is assured that i t will give the required results. The cost of assessment is another category that has been listed. It sums up the cost of carrying out the test online or manually per individual or to a group of people. Doing the test as a group looks cheaper as compared to doing it individually (Ricketts, 2011). Validity of the tests tries to give an idea if at all the results of the test will hold only for a short time or indicate a day-to-day trend of an individual. The tests also are of two different types. There are manual and online tests. Manual tests require the presence of the individual to be tested while online tests can be conducted at any place and any time over the internet (Granville, 2010). Looking at the core areas

Witnesses Fear of Retribution by the Gangs Essay Example for Free

Witnesses Fear of Retribution by the Gangs Essay In America there are a lot of many gangs such as Pico Rivera and Pico Nuevo and many Americans have fallen victims of them. These gangs terrorize people and the police are very determined to control then but their efforts are hampered by one thing, and this is the fact that the witnesses to particular cases refuse to give their testimonies for fear of retribution by the gang members. My focus on this essay is to discuss on why witnesses fear to testify in courts and how this fear should be allayed. According to the deputy attorney general Gary Haearnsberger, out of 258 cases that were heard, over 170 of them were murder cases and witnesses refuse to testify for fear of reprisal by the gang. People feel free to explain to the police what they saw but when it comes to testify in the court they refuse. As per the West Covina detective Dan Nalian in his news report on gangs noted hat there are people who witness shooting scenes and even identify the culprits but when they are asked to be witnesses in court they object. This has even become like a norm in the United States of America that it is not the right thing to testify against any gang for fear that you shall be attacked in retaliation though others refuse to testify due to their criminal related records. A case in point is of 4th March 2005 where a four-man gang tricked a woman claiming that they were his boyfriend’s gang mates only to demand to be directed to them. After they reached where his boyfriend and his two friends were, fierce shooting ensued and a fifteen-year-old boy sustained head injuries while her boyfriend and his partner went unhurt. This woman clearly identified the four-gang members as the residents of Pico Rivera. According to her eye account, these gang members were: Joseph Aranda who was aged twenty years old and Fernando Aranda aged twenty years. She forwarded their names to the police department and promised that she would testify in court against them. But as time went by she could not fulfill the promise she made to the police officers that she would testify in court against them. After a period of three years later the woman refused to testify claiming she couldn’t remember exactly what happened on that fateful day or even remember who the men in a jeep were. Not that it was hard to remember what happened but she feared retribution by the gang. (Gonzalez R. 2008) According the Gary Hearnsberger, the Deputy District Attorney, all gang cases have one thing in common and this is that no one is willing to appear in a courtroom to testify of anything because they fear that the gang who would then seel reprisal would mark them. These gangs have their working code that disallows anybody from testifying against any gang group in court. As per this town code, even the gangsters are not allowed to talk with the police or have any relationship whatsoever. The gang members are very stubborn individuals who are ready to suffer rather than cooperate with the police. They would rather go to jail than reveal their secrets. Many people have been victims of witnesses in courts and these gangs have killed some of them. â€Å"Some gang members live up to this code even if it means going to prison. They see that as a badge of honor, Hearnsberger said. What is kind of funny about the gang culture, as much as they completely disregard rules and laws, they will live up to their own. † (Gonzalez R. 2008) As the president of the California Gang Investigators put it, people confide to the police on everything that they witnessed but when it comes to making a testimony against the gang members it becomes extremely hard. All people should wake up to the fact that gangs rarely attack law abiding citizens and this includes those who are willing to testify in courts on a particular case but this does not mean that they cannot be attacked. In accordance with the 6th amendment, the accused person is entitled to a speedy and public trial conducted by a jury in the place the cat was committed. The accused person must be told in no uncertain terms the reasons for the arrest and then be challenged by witnesses with their evidences or what they saw. The witnesses should be escorted by police officers in and out of the courtroom to prevent them from being attacked by the gangs, as this has been the case in the past. No body should be imprisoned if there is no enough evidence given by the witnesses and the defendant should also be allowed to call his/her witnesses and they should be compelled to testify if they refuse. If the accused persons are capable of representing themselves in court according to the 6th amendment, then they should be given that chance. The defendant is also given a chance to cross-examine the other witnesses who are against them so that the truth could be established. The witnesses from both sides should be protected to allay their fear of retribution. There is nothing that worries the witnesses more than to hear that their families would be attacked just because they tesfied in courts. According to Cmdr. Karpal, witnesses who refuse to testify in court even after they are provided with proper security they should be charged of court contempt like that woman who witnessed robbery and even identified the gang members but when the time for testifying came, she refused to turn up though she was assured of protection by the police. This woman when she was arrested gave an information that contradicted the information that was recorded when she reported the case by saying that she could not identify the gang members. It was later established that this woman was an accomplice of one of the members that were standing on Rex road and this is why one of the reason that was given by the police for witnesses’ failure to testify was that some of them have criminal records though to others it is fear of retribution. (Gonzalez R. 2008) Witnesses should also be fully convinced that they would be guaranteed security even if it means being relocated to another area. The Pasadena police is determined to ensure that witnesses are given the protection they deserve. The Pasadena police are also prepared to arrest those gang members who victimize and intimidate witnesses. If there arises a situation that the gang members are intimidating any witness, then the police would relocate the witness and protect them. For example, the woman who was tricked by the thugs was to be relocated after she reported that those thugs were threatening her. â€Å"Her car was vandalized, she was being stared down and having stuff thrown at her. † (Gonzalez R. 2008) If witnesses could be assured of maximum security, then the fight against gangs would be won, as the main stumbling block is that witnesses fear to testify for fear of reprisal by gang members though there are others who fear to testify because they have some criminal records. The police has come up with a new plan so that they could offer protection to all those that are willing to testify in courts. They also go for those gang members who intimidate witnesses from testifying against their case. Reference. Gonzalez R. 11th March 2008. Witnesses Fear Retribution from Gang Members. Star News Pasadena, CA.

Market Demand For Knitwear: Competitive Analysis

Market Demand For Knitwear: Competitive Analysis Industry Analysis: Current market demand for knitwear is involved with the quality and competitive pricing of products. There is a close competition between the manufacturers and marketers to hit the best bargain and offer promotional discounts to consumers. Cut-throat competition has made manufacturers to offer multi-pack products at inexpensive prices. Developments in knitting, and advanced treatments such as digital printing, glossy foil prints, inkjet printing, flocking, and burn-outs have heated up the market. New knitting machines have opened up possibilities hitherto into unknown segments such as technical textile, for instance; products such as fishnet, fruit-net, shade net and composite products. The Smart Fabrics and Interactive Textiles market will return to growth, reaching a value of US$1.8bn by 2015, according to new research by Global Industry Analysts (GIA). (just-style.com)It seems that the revival of economic growth, a recovery of consumer confidence, product innovations and sustainability would all help to put growth back on track. On the other hand, demand for unique product offerings, served by unexplored, developing markets, will sustain growth. It can be safely assumed that the knitwear the industry lifecycle is at the mature stage as shown in the figure below. According to GIA, the intimate apparel industry is defined by new fabric developments, including innovations in fashionable and comfortable garment designs. The report found that competition within the industry had resulted in falling prices and a shift in production, prompting manufacturers to expand their operations into South America, Central Europe and Asia (Network). Europe is identified as the single largest regional market for knitwear, although the US; they dominate global knitwear sector with a 65% market share (LTD). Asia Pacific is currently growing to be a promising market for the same. During the recession, the Asia-Pacific market was buoyed by rapid growth in China, India, Korea, Indonesia and Taiwan. The global knitwear market is competitive and fragmented. The economic crises have narrowed the gap between the upper and lower end of the market with style differentiation almost vanishing.(Ltd.) With advancements in the industry in the recent years, RadiciGroup is introducing CornLeaf, a 100% biodegradable solution-dyed continuous yarn. Produced by Noyfil SA, the yarn is made from Ingeo, a polylactic acid (PLA) polymer derived from renewable vegetable resources. Compared to traditional dyeing and finishing processes, the manufacturing of CornLeaf requires less water and energy consumption as solution dyeing technology is integrated into the spinning process. CornLeaf lighter than other natural fibers, and has tenacity comparable to other synthetic fibers. According to RadiciGroup, the yarn also has greater hygroscopicity compared to synthetic yarns and is faster drying than natural fibers. RadiciGroups yarn is available in a range of lightfast, wash-resistant colors intended for use in intimate wear, furnishings and consumer goods. (W. T. Ltd.) Company Information: Sana Hastakala (P) Ltd. main office, that houses training, product design and development, and retail outlet, is situated in Kupondole, Kathmandu, Nepal. The address is: G 10/113, Kupondole, Kathmandu, Nepal Corresponding address: P.O. Box No. 3901, Kathmandu Nepal Sana Hastakala (SH), when translated to English, literally means Small Handicrafts. This company was established by conglomerates of handicraft businesses in Nepal to encourage the local artists and producers to participate in producing handmade goods and sell them abroad. In 1989, United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF, now known as United Nations Childrens Funds) provided technical and financial support, in addition to assistances from local handicraft businesses, to launch SH. After a year, the organization was able to sustain on its own and, though registered as non-government organization with Government of Nepal, now is a private limited company. SH strives to foster the resurgence of traditional craft skills as well as applying modern techniques in order to generate income for under privileged craft producers who are mostly women (Sana_Hastakala). SH has more than 1,500 individual producers, and collaborates with 80 producers groups. Income is distributed amongst producers and employees. Profits, also, strengthen the organization and finance community development initiatives. The community development fund is used to assist craft producers in purchasing raw materials and equipment, and provide skills training (SanaHastakala_Producers). SH has been proactive in establishing fair trade in Nepal and is the founding member of local chapter Fair Trade Group Nepal. Though many organizations have provided definition of fair trade, the definition offered by World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) has been widely accepted. It states that Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seek greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers especially in the South (WFTO). There are ten standards for fair trade and the list includes stipulations about labor conditions, gender equity, environmental considerations, and transparency to name a few (Weber). Fair Trade Group Nepal (FTG Nepal) is a consortium of fair trading organizations working with the aim to uplift socio-economic status of underprivileged and marginalized producers of Nepal (FTGN About Fair Tr ade Group). SH contribution to social development has been highlighted in periodicals. In 2007, World Fair Trade Day published series of case studies on Why Kids Need Fair Trade that exemplified how SH has helped Babita Rajbhandari, who had been previously trained in SH, to educate her daughter Boibha after her husband passed away (WFTD). In order to increase awareness of the fair trade, SH regularly promotes educational programs at local institutes that offer social work courses. To provide hands-on experience of fair trade, SH provides two 8-month long internships every year to students from the colleges (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures; FTGN Annual Activity Report). SH has two outlets located in Kupondole and Lazimpat. Their annual turnover in 2009 was NRs. 40.5 million (CAD 550,000), exports accounting for 78% and domestic for 22% of sales. Information regarding which categories contribute most to the sales was not disclosed; Japan is the number one importer of knitwear products (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). Many promoters of fair trade have associated with SH to promote local handmade products in the global market; most notably is Ten Thousand Villages, which has 75 retail stores in the United States of America (TenThousandVillages_USA) and 49 stores across Canada (TenThousandVillages_Canada). As promoter of fair trade, SH will provide brochure that highlights the activities of SH, and access to merchandise producers and manufacturing centers will be provided. The third party inspection can be arranged, but the buyer has to provide the cost of hiring external agency (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). Sana Hastakala has website http://www.sanahastakala.com that provides information to the products, and the services provided by the organization and information on Nepalese handicrafts. The website, however, lacks web-based ordering system. This is due to the lack of laws for e-commerce (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). SH recently won Best Entrepreneur Award given by Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal for their contribution in product development, employment creation, export and sales promotion, technological, management and environmental improvements, socially responsible activities, and support to other handicraft entrepreneurs and buyers (WFTO-Asia). Competitive Analysis: Our top three competitors are, Ecowool: Ecowool is located in New Zealand; it has been selling the ship skin and woolen products for almost 20 years. Mayfair overseas: Mayfair overseas is the largest knitwear manufacturing and exporting group in India. Trident Craft Pvt. Ltd: Trident Craft is a handicraft company located in Nepal. All these three competitors offer similar knitwear products, such as cap, jacket, socks, gloves, hat, scarves, and sweaters. Competitive advantage over each of the competitors: Ecowool: All our products are handmade with Nepals rich artistic skill and craft techniques We are the founding member of fair trade group Our main objective is to provide financial and technical support to craft producers Mayfair Overseas: We do not use harmful chemicals in production because all products are hand made Traditional craft skills with modern techniques Designs and based on both traditional Nepali and classic western motifs Trident craft Pvt. Ltd: We use high quality sheep wool and agora wool from Nepal and imported wool from New Zealand to create beautiful knit wears We are the founding member of fair trade group and provides marketing services to our producers of our company Product Information: Sana Hastakala, in collaboration with local women and producers, market variety of handicraft products. Besides producing and exporting handicrafts items, SH helps entrepreneurs with financial and technical assistance; some of these business enthusiasts operate in a very small scale and usually manage their business operation from home. Such assistances usually consist of capital needed for raw materials, health checkup, product development and design, and marketing (Sana_Hastakala About Us). The products are beads, ceramics, hemp products, knitwear, metal crafts, silver jewelry and others. The complete list of products is provided in Appendix A. We are looking for prospect buyer(s) in Canada for knitwear products offered by SH. The knitwear products include woolen cap with earmuffs (or ear-flap woolen hats), mittens (boxer gloves and hunter mittens), woolen sock, and mufflers. Appendix B provides the images of these products. SH uses high quality sheep wool and agora wool from Nepal, and also uses imported wool from New Zealand. The quality of yarn has to be approved by the client prior to production. SH has its own catalog for the designs, which are based on both traditional Nepalese and classic western motifs (SH_Woolen). The design catalog is provided to clients upon request. SH also provides professional to develop pattern and design in collaboration and consultation with the clients. The samples, after approval, will then be sent to producers. All the knitwear products are hand-made and will have 100% Hand-made in Nepal labels (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). It is worthwhile noting that all knitwear (except for sweaters which is not in consideration because of size-requirement discrepancies between Asia and North America) products are unisex. The knitwear products are available in two different sizes: small (kid-size), and large (adult-size). Since these are hand-made, SH admits that it is hard to enforce size requirements, but will comply with clients requirements (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). The knitwear products are available in a range of fashionable colors. The local woolen yarn colors are usually pale white and grey. These wools are from sheep and yak, and no animals are harmed during the production of wool. The wools are dyed based on the clients requirements. The design catalog contains the range of colors available. The hats or caps and boxer gloves can have fleece lining upon request by the clients. These linings provide extra warmth and are usually preferred by most of the clients. The requirement of linings will be decided after consultation with clients. Being a member of World Trade Organization, Fair Trade Group, and Fair Trade Group Nepal, Sana Hastakala strictly adheres to the guidance and regulations to maintain quality and standards, which are regularly checked by these organizations. Besides quality and standard, SH ensures that these ten standards are followed: Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers, Transparency and accountability Trading practices Payment of a fair price Child labor and forced labor Non-discrimination, gender equity and freedom of association Working conditions Capacity building Promotion of Fair Trade Environment The details of these standards are discussed in detail by any Fair Trade organizations (FTGN_Standards). The compliance certificates can be obtained upon request by the clients. The client can request to be affiliated with Sana Hastakala to promote Fair Trade practices in Nepal. Some clients have expressed the positive outcomes and boost in profits because of this affiliation. SH assures that the client will develop business relationship that will benefit everyone and SH will be committed once this relationship is established (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). Transportation Procedures: Sana Hastakala (SH) offers two types of shipping: sea and air. If the client prefers DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), then SH will use its own freight forwarding firm, handled by third party, and the freight, insurance and cost of goods will be the landed cost. Some clients prefer EXW the products are picked up from the SH warehouse located at Kupondole, Nepal. The client will be responsible for all the charges thereafter (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). Nepal is member of World Trade Organization and strictly adheres to rules and regulations of WTO. Prior to 2005, Nepal enjoyed quota free access to major global markets. Nepal does not have any restrictions in exporting knitwear as long as it maintains quality standard requirements (Shah). However, importing textiles and clothing to Canada is subjected to Export Import Permit Acts and requires import permit from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) (DFAIT Import Conditions). The import also is subjected to certification fees and custom fees based on the total value of goods (DFAIT Schedule (Paragraph 3(1)(a)): Fees for Import Permits). SH prefers exporting through seaway for exporting goods, but this requires order in advance one year so that the product reaches the buyer in time. SH can also provide merchandise through air cargo the order is required four months in advance. The seaway shipment is cost-effective compared to air cargo. Currently, the shipping price through sea is US$ 3.00 below 500 kg and US$ 2.00 over 500 kg, whereas the air cargo cost depends upon the courier service used for transportation; on the average, air cargo costs US$ 9.50 below 500 kg and US$ 7.25 over 500 kg (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). The method of transportation will depend upon after discussion with buyer and their preferences, but sea shipment will be recommended to keep the landed cost minimized. The turn-around-time depends upon the quantity of merchandise ordered. A minimum order of 1,000 units of knitwear, mix and match of any products, is required to minimize the packaging and handling charges. The seller has to keep in mind that the estimated delivery time through sea is three to four months, whereas the estimated delivery time through air cargo is five to seven business days (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). The packaging will be done in weather-proof packages so that there is minimal damage to the merchandises due to weather and other natural disasters. The packaging is either in the tarp sacks or boxed, the latter being more expensive and will cost more to buyer (Sana_Hastakala Polcies and Procedures). Pricing Policies and Procedures: For selling any of goods or services some type of cost analysis is required. SH, according to the cost analysis, set prices, for their three merchandise (Caps, Mittens and Mufflers), as below: Caps: $3-4/Piece Mittens: $3-4/Pair Mufflers: $2-3/Piece A part of analysis is verification of pricing. For better understanding the market situation, the table one shows comparing prices between three supplyer that are competing in the market and SH. Obviously, this is one of the best means for validating price. By asking three or more suppliers of their prices for the same product, we can determine if a particular price is reasonable. However, the lowest bid may not always represent the lowest cost. There may be cost associated with making the lower cost product perform to standards, the additional cost of early replacement or the cost of redesign and/or testing required making the lower cost product applicable. This total cost of acquisition is the real cost that must be compared. Its obviously shows that SH prices are higher than the other competitor in the market and it is because of their quality and being handmade of the products. SH doesnt have any discount offer for first order but for compete with other competitors they offer discount for second and subsequent orders. They promote 12% discount for orders more than 70,000 and 20% discount for orders more than 100,000. Furthermore they have discount for fair trade members about 25%, also these excludes VAT which is 22% in Nepal. The company use advanced order to take advance payments to cover the cost of raw materials purchase. Then SH use totally prepaid advanced payment for first order and for the second order they recommend 75% advance payment, 25% after shipping. Also they recommend 50% advance payment and 50% COD payment for third order and subsequent orders. The firms policy on extending credit to its customers is depending on the loyalty of the customers to SH and their participation in promoting fair trade globally and locally. PART B: Prospecting/Qualifying Potential Customers: We propose these methods for prospecting and qualifying potential customers. Exhibitions and Demonstrations: Prospecting Exhibitions and demonstrations will be our primary prospecting method. This types of events gives a sales person extensive contact with large number of potential buyers over a brief time. Using this method we can set-up an interesting display to get peoples attention for example popcorn machine, lightning etc. We can set up our display to maximize visibility based on the flow of the traffic. We can use lead cards to write down prospect information for efficient and effective post- show follow up. In this kind of trade shows we can get the major buyers we want to pursue for contact. Qualifying: For qualifying potential customer in such kind of exhibitions or trade shows we can set up a booth with one sales person to qualify leads and get name and addresses to contact them later at their home or offices. Our sales persons approach to the customers will be assertive rather than common; we can use some questions such as have you ever use hand crafts products? Or by offering them sample to handle that make them get involved into conversation. We can write our message so that it fits on the back of the business card. Our website: Prospecting: Our company website would be our one of an automated prospecting tool. We can use our company website as prospecting tool by doing number of things such as, We can make the site attractive and easy to use We can get come in to their contacts by contact link on every page We can put call me links, whereby they can enter their phone numbers and we call them back. Qualifying: To qualify potential customers through our websites we can put our full product catalog online and also let them download a pdf and order a paper copy. Our website would allow them to make both free-text queries and guiding them through a product list. Our potential customer can get all information about our products price range from our web sites. We can use cookies so we can track the prospect and offer customized information. Networking: Prospecting: To find new prospects, networking can be the most reliable and effective prospecting method. We can focus on meeting the Centre of influence people by which we can come in to many valuable contacts. By networking we can get to know about prospects business and find key people in our industry. By meeting people we can tell them what we sell, exchange business cards. Eventually we can build a network of people talking to each other, sharing ideas and exchanging information. We can get networking prospects business card and follow up with our new contact. By doing networking we can develop credibility and a valuable, long lasting relationship that would be helpful in our business. Qualifying: To qualify potential customers through networking we can share information about their business and our business. We can ask them some open ended question or feel good question about our industry and also their industry like, What do enjoy the most about your industry? By making contacts through networking we can build up relationship by sending them something every month such as notepad with our company name and picture. These things will be reminded us and our products. Monthly hard copy and newsletter: Prospecting: This is one on of the good prospecting method that we can use to find potential customers We can target particular market by publishing monthly hard copy and newsletters of our company and our products. Though monthly hard copy and newsletter we can offer them an invitation to a seminar, free training session etc. Qualifying: We can send to our prospecting customer contacts articles, newsletters, books, brochures etc. to guide them about our company and our product. We can publish questionnaires to encourage the conversation. Securing an Appointment: The letter seeking an appointment is provided in the next page. February 21, 2011 Mountain Equipment Co-op 400 King Street West Toronto, ON M5V 1K2 Dear Sir/Madam, Sana Hastakala is Nepali Handicraft Company. We are the founding member of fair trade group Nepal (FTG) and member of International federation of alternative trade (FAT). This is a non-profitable organization and our main objective is to foster traditional craft skills as well as applying modern techniques in order to generate income for craft producers who are mainly women. We produce different woolen items and other handicrafts products. Sana offers you variety of woolen items which can be used in everyday life. We use high quality wool such as sheep wool, agora wool from Nepal, imported wool from New Zealand to crate beautiful knit wears, sweaters, jackets, hats and gloves. Designs are based on both traditional Nepali and classic western motifs and are available in beautiful range of fashionable colors. At your convenience, I would like to introduce you to some of our products features and benefits. Please let me hear from you if you would like to find out more about Sana Hastakala and what we can offer you. Regards, Jasmin Upadhyaya (Marketing Manager) Appendices: Appendix A Product Catalog for Sana Hastakala Beads necklaces, earrings Ceramics Earthenware statues, water and storage jars, flower pots, glass, cup and plate, tea pot, flower vase, serving bowl, soup bowls, paper Mache masks, puppets and dolls Dhaka Shawls, and cloths Dolls (made from cloth and corn husk depicting various occupational and tribal ethnic groups represent the culture of Nepal) Felt Hand Made Paper Products greeting cards, stationary sets, notebooks, gift wrapping paper, bags, envelopes, photo frames Household accessories Knitwear sweaters, jackets, hats and caps, gloves and mittens Metal Craft Singing bowls, trumpets, drums, various kinds of flutes, cymbals, cutlery items, such as knife ,spoon and forks with traditional designs , and bagh chal and chess games Mithila paintings, mirrors, ceramics, table cloths bed sheets and T-shirts Natural fiber Allo Hemp bags, cushions covers, wallet, and clothing Pashmina Shawls, mufflers Silver Jewelry Wood carving picture frames, mirror frames, small boxes, animals, buttons, decorative wall hangings, masks X-mas hanging Filigree Christmas hangings, and felt decoration Appendix B Images for knitwear products: Ear Flap Hats (DSC08796) Cap with Earmuffs (DSC02910) Boxer Gloves (DSC01045) Hunter Gloves (DSC02905) Mufflers (DSC01063) Woolen Socks (DSC01059) Works Cited:

God’s Transition to a Feared, Cruel Deity in Modernist Literature and P

Previous literary schools, such as the Renaissance writers and Romanticism, depicted God as an extremely powerful, but benevolent deity that ensured that the conclusion to most events turned out in a positive fashion. After World War I’s catastrophic cost in lives, souls, and property, many authors and poets changed their views of God. Instead of a loving, all-powerful force for good, God turned into a cruel, supernatural being that chooses not to intervene when humans suffer. Many modernists felt that if God could not prevent a disaster such as World War I, he either looked passively at humans or even assisted in their abilities to destroy fellow men, women, and children. Authors such as T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and Ernest Hemingway described God in this manner, especially during their European expatriate periods. Since God gave humans, the power to be cruel, God must also possess a cruel side to his image. Among such finest literary artists, the name of T.S Eliot tops the list. His work illustrates a clear view of modernism. Being a spectator of the critical conditions of the twentieth century, his demonstrations in poetry and essays confirms a supreme blend of thoughts towards religion and belief (William). Eliot’s another distinction in poetry The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock was taken as an upper hand with appreciation. He mentioned the thesis of simplicity and silence in human nature. Turning towards the religious side even in his practical life as well, Eliot expressed a variety of such themes. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, he symbolized how men try to decipher the feelings of women as after the World War I they came out to be working on their new function of bread earner. The measures of women exhibit the def... ...so Rises. EPub Edition. New York: Harper Collins, 2012. 115. eBook. MacDonald, Harold, ed. "Ash Wednesday: Ash Wednesday by T.S. Eliot." Insight. Lenten Poems, 2012. Web. 10 Apr 2012. Moody, Anthony David. The Cambridge Companion to T.S. Eliot. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1994. 121. Print. Pound, Ezra. "Ballad for Gloom." Bartleby.com. Bartleby. Web. 6 Apr. 2012 Pound, Ezra. â€Å"The Cantos.† Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin 1492-98. Read, Forrest. "The Pattern of the Pisan Cantos." Sewanee Review 65.3 (1957): 400-19. jam. 12 Apr. 2012. Rodgers, Audrey T. â€Å"T. S. Eliot's â€Å"Purgatorio†: The Structure of Ash Wednesday.† Comparative Literature Studies 7.1 (1970): 97-112. JSTOR. 8 Apr. 2012. Videnov, Valentin A. "Human voices in silent seas: a reading of Eliot's Love Song." The Explicator 67.2 (2009): 126+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 May 2012.

Internet Censorship - Just Say No Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive To

Internet Censorship: Just Say No    In December of 1994, a young college student named Jake Baker posted one of his fiction pieces in an alt.sex newsgroup. Usually, his contributions to this widely-read site consisted of short stories about rape, torture, and murder of women. In this particular newsgroup post, he continued with his usual contributions; however, he took it a bit further by writing about one of his fellow classmates, using her name and identity in the piece. Faculty members at the University of Michigan discovered his story and later expelled him from school. Federal agents then raided his house, arrested him, and discovered copies of e-mail Baker had exchanged with a Canadian, mapping out his and the Canadian's plan to meet in Ann Arbor the following summer to commit rapes and murders together. Baker was indicted in federal court for threatening his classmate, but the indictment was later revised to drop the charges based on the newsgroup posting and to rely on the threats to unspecified "victims" made in the e-mails Baker exchanged with the Canadian. Late in June, a federal judge dismissed charges against Baker, holding that his acts were not a federal crime (http://www.spectacle.org/). Now, four years later, the questions still remain: Did Baker cross the line when he used the victim's name and personal description? Did he violate the free speech/free press rights? Did Baker abuse his posting privileges, and did he commit a crime via the Internet? My answer is no, that his newsgroup posts didn't constitute a real threat. Baker may have written hard-core pornography and offensively viscious articles, but he had the freedom to do so. Many would disagree with me, arguing that Baker was way out of line when ... ...the Internet: Allow people to publish their own work on the Internet and in newsgroup posts. Don't try to regulate something that's almost impossible to regulate. And if you're a concerned parent, get Surfwatch or some other kind of Netfiltering program -- it's up to you to protect your own child's innocence. If you're offended by something you read on the Internet, keep going and don't look back. And finally, I'd leave the person with a statement that I read on the Internet itself: "Censor yourself, not others....The internet is the largest gathering of human beings ever assembled....One of the ground rules is that there is No-One-In-Charge, which means there is no censorship....This freedom is the prime reason that the Internet has become so important and why there are so many diverse resources" (http://www.trifectanet.com/safety.html). What a powerful statement.

History of Gypsies Essay -- Gypsy

The first and to date only reliable assertion of the origin of word Gypsy for the members of â€Å"specific† group, dates back to 1068. At that time the Georgian monah st. George Antonski, from the monastery of Iviron (Greece) reports to his people that on the mountain of Athos in the time between 1001 and 1026 a group of â€Å"Athiganos† arrived. The word Athigatos or Acinkan in Greek would be â€Å"untouchable†. Different synonyms of this word were used later as name for â€Å"that† nation around Europe. In literature we find: latin-Cingarus, Turkey-Cingeneler, France-Tsiganes, Germany-Zinger, Russia-Cjganji, Hungary-Ciganjiok, Italy-Zingari, Spain-Gitanos. In Croatia the name is Cigani and in Dubrovnik Republic Jedupi or Egyptians. The name Egyptians was probably brought to Dubrovnik by Italians (Greece was at the time under Venetian rule) where together with the former name Jedupi for Gypsies the name Egyptians started to be used. On 08. April 1791 the first World congress of Gypsies was held in London. Important decisions and accepting of Roma flag, official anthem and official languages were brought. It was decided that the flag consists of two basic colours that symbolises everlasting wandering of Roma. The green is a symbol of boundless natural space as freedom of movement. The blue is symbol of sky and in the middle of the flag is a wheel which marks the everlasting journey of Roma. The official anthem is famous Roma song â€Å"Gelem, Gelem† and as official language Lovari Roma language was accepted. In the same time as unique world wide used name for Gypsies was term â€Å"Htom†, which in Gypsy-lovari language means a man. Sound ht does not exist in graphic system therefore for the sake of easy writing this sound is spelled as sound R. There... ...father Stepan Iuan Sainouich dictus Oliuerich, 1490. father Sain We strongly believe that the Dubrovnik Gypsies are ancestors of today’s Lovari Roma as this tradition of names and surnames can today be found among Lovari Roma in Croatia. Music Anthem: Gelem,gelem Anthem lyrics: Gelem, gelem I have travelled over long roads I have met fortunate Roma I have travelled far and wide I have met lucky Roma Oh, Romani adults, Oh Romani youth Oh, Romani adults, Oh Romani youth Oh, Roma, from wherever you have come With your tents along lucky roads I too once had a large family But the black legion murdered them Come with me, Roma of the world To where the Romani roads have been opened Now is the time - stand up, Roma, We shall succeed where we make the effort. Oh, Roma adults, Oh, Roma youth Oh, Roma adults, Oh, Roma youth

Rugby Football Union

Rugby What is it all About? â€Å"In 1823, William Webb Ellis first picked up the ball in his arms and ran with it. And for the next 156 years forwards have been trying to work out why. † – Sir Tasker Watkins (1979) The History of Rugby, many believe that Rugby was born in 1823 when William Webb Ellis whilst spending his time at Rugby school, took the ball in his arms during a game of football and ran with it. This then became the distinctive future of the Rugby game. Although this is not fact as there is little in the way of evidence to substantiate this view, it is more by popular belief. The true year Rugby Football Union was founded was in the year 1871, in the month of December 1870 two men published a letter in The Times suggesting that anyone who plays the Rugby Game should meet and form a code of practice. On 26 January 1871 a meeting was held in Pall Mall, London with representatives from 21 clubs of the game. As a result of this meeting the Rugby Football Union was officially founded. Three lawyers who were former students of Rugby school drew up the first laws of the game which were approved in June 1871. The first ever International game was when England faced Scotland in Edinburgh on March 1871, the England team wore white with a red rose and Scotland wearing brown with a thistle. The game was played over two halves, 50 minutes each way. Scotland won by scoring a goal, a goal then was a try followed by a successful conversion kick. The name and game of rugby has evolved dramatically over the years. In 1886 found the formation of the International Rugby Football Board, this was formed by Scotland, Ireland and Wales as England refused to join after a try against Scotland was disallowed by the Referee. England finally agreed to join in 1890, since then the International Rugby Football Board changed its name in 1997 are now known as the International Rugby Board. The game is always started with the toss of a coin to deicide what team will kick off first. Play then starts with a drop kick, with the players chasing the ball into the opposition’s territory, and the other side trying to retrieve the ball and then taking the ball forward. If the player with the ball is tackled to the ground the team will then form a ruck to protect the ball and organize to set up play, throwing or passing the ball is always made to the player behind the ball, forward passing is not allowed. The ball can only move forward in three ways, by kicking, a player running with it and the ball moving within a scrum or ruck. Blocking is not allowed and only the player with the ball may be tackled if the ball is knocked forward by a player with his arms a knock on is committed and play is restarted with a scrum. Protective equipment is optional and strictly regulated. The most common items are mouth guards, which are worn by most players. Other protective items permitted include thin head gear no thicker than 10mm, non-rigid shoulder pads and also shin pads. Some players will wear bandage or tape to protect injuries. Over the years more and more countries have got involved in the game of rugby. 1910 was the start of the Five Nations Championship between England, France Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 1987 saw the start of the Rugby World Cup this championship was won by New Zealand who defeated France 29-9 at Eden Park, Auckland. 1996 the Tri Nations Series began between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. 2000 the Five Nations became the Six Nations Championships with Italy joining in the competition. Even the points system has dramatically changed in 1890 a try was 1 point and a conversion 2 points now its 5 points for a try and 2 points for a conversion. My conclusion to rugby is that the history and tradition will grow stronger and stronger over the years, from famous victories to famous trophies for instance the Six Nations Championship Trophy as plenty of tradition and history, the current trophy was presented to the championship winners France in 1993, the sterling silver trophy, designed by James Brent-Ward and made by a team of eight silversmiths is valued at ? 5,000, although this trophy was originally silver inside over the years of celebratory champagne fillings the trophy became corroded and is now plated with 22 carat gold for protection. The trophy has 15 side panels representing the 15 members of the team and three handles to represent the three officials, this tradition will never die. â€Å"In our country, true teams rarely exist . . . social barriers and persona l ambitions have reduced athletes to dissolute cliques or individuals thrown together for mutual profit . . . Yet these rugby players. ith their muddied, cracked bodies, are struggling to hold onto a sense of humanity that we in America have lost and are unlikely to regain. The game may only be to move a ball forward on a dirt field, but the task can be accomplished with an unshackled joy and its memories will be a permanent delight. The women and men who play on that rugby field are more alive than too many of us will ever be. The foolish emptiness we think we perceive in their existence is only our own. † – Victor Cahn (The New York Times in June 1973)

Introduction to Science

2 Moderately unfamiliar Assumptions About AY-Qaeda Introduction to Homeland Security Research Paper August 17, 2013 Mr.. William R Did Lori 2 moderately unfamiliar assumptions about al-Qaeda Abstract From intellectuals to policy-makers alike. All of the extraordinary output on the subject of al-Qaeda, has recently led to a number of far-reaching theories about the group which remain startlingly unexplored.The two assumptions, this paper examines and reveals each one's foundational role in assertions as well as debates about leaked, despite the relatively unexplored status of each. These 2 assumptions relate to: (1) the role of the internet in actual terrorist activity; and (2) the association between combating a global â€Å"AY-Qaeda and combating al-Qaeda In Iraq†. Introduction Miller's ever-burgeoning bookish literature which anyone familiar with terrorism would recognize, quickly titled the ‘Six rather unusual propositions about terrorism'.Is what my research paper pl ays off. In 2005, Miller's astute and incisive piece brought to the forefront six unfamiliar assumptions about terrorism that should already have spawned discussion among intellectuals In the field, but ad not, until his work provocatively presented those propositions. In a similar stratum, this research paper focuses on 2 rather unfamiliar theories about al-Qaeda which I think demand far greater research, attention, and debate than Miller's had received thus far.It Is my Intention to focus these reflections on some Insufficiently explored theories regarding particularly al-Qaeda. However, most of the theories relate more broadly to terrorism concerning Issues In general. What Is meant here by the phrase moderately unfamiliar assumptions ? By ‘ unfamiliar this dialogue reposes that the thinking explored here prowl beneath many of the affirmations made by intellectuals on al-Qaeda. This coupled with getting beneath many of the affirmations frequently put forward by political ty pes (politicians and policy-makers).Humbly, this Is not to Imply that these particular assumptions are shared universally: in fact, many of the theories are really opposing pairs of, dichotomous conjectures, Witt those partisan to one side to a certain debate embracing that conjecture while their opponents reciprocate the other. Centrally the point is that these outright and racial foundational notions concerning al-Qaeda, are for many assertions made by those addressing key issues and debating in the field.By ‘ assumptions these reflections suggest that Miller's six assumptions have been given inadequate attention in terrorism scholarship and dialogue. Not saying that these assumptions have been converted into the bases for other claims because they have been considered so obviously true and were taken for granted, or so indispensable research as to be automatically accepted for any scholarship whatsoever to continue. Contrarily, these assumptions engross some complex, incons equential matters.This being said too often they have been accepted and neglected in favor of important research in other directions. What I hope to achieve with this paper is to draw attention to them, and in doing so, persuade their investigation through due diligent research and in depth analyses. Far too often these assumptions have not been totally ignored, but they have been left moderately unexplored. In addition, they also have been taken as the basis for other claims and assertions.For this reason, this research paper investigates 2 of the six assumptions, n an attempt to reveal what is habitually taken for granted in many conversations about al-Qaeda. This coupled with the consequent penalty for assertions made about counterterrorism and terrorism. In addition, proposals for how each assumption could be explored more completely and systematically are offered. This research paper then concludes by making a note of social science, and that it may never offer perfect answers on issues such as those brought up earlier.Moreover, headway towards a more scrupulous and more researched deliberation on these matters would represent significant progress. Assumption 1: The role of the internet The first moderately unfamiliar assumption requiring in depth research concerns the function of the internet in the dynamics of al-Qaeda, and its product of terrorism. Generally it has become normal to refer with awe to the purportedly amplified central – role that the internet has assumed in the progression of terrorist activities regarding al-Qaeda and its cells .As for the most part, in a thorough discussion, Atman (2006) suggesting that it ‘is no embellishment to say that the Internet is the solitary most significant factor in transforming mostly local Jihad concerns and actions into the truly universal network that al Qaeda has developed into today', and culminating in the claim that ‘al Qaeda is hastily becoming the foremost web- directed guerrilla network in the world' (up. 124, 149). Atman and others who trenchantly talked about the position of the internet in al-Qaeda progression collects evidence of vast amounts of Jihads online activity to craft their case.Chat rooms, emails and Web sites all bristle with Jihads discussion, dissemination, and debate, providing resources vital to individuals studying al-Qaeda. However, the real mentality of such virtual movement to al-Qaeda and its acts of terrorism remains a relatively unexplored theory in these intellectual accounts of the internet transformation role for al-Qaeda. Some questions some, are internet-based communications in tact bringing together factions who would not otherwise have met?Or question two dose it Just simply provides an easier, less costly, and more rapid platform for terrorist or radical type exchanges that nevertheless would likely have otherwise taken place? Thirdly, do the social networks acknowledged by Seaman (2008, esp.. up. 109-123) being facilitate d ND amplified through use of the internet, or is the primary meaner of face-to-face contact still the way in which definite terrorist goings-on come about? Lastly, is virtual training materials replacing actual physical terrorist training camps.Or dose those found guilty of the 7 July 2005 bombings in London, demonstrate connections to ‘conventional', physical training camps and are they still a key element of terrorist activity? Moreover, dose a rather simplistic, but nevertheless helpful, similarity underscores the point and again asks this question. If an unfamiliar person were to investigate my wan communications, they would surely find an enormous amount of correspondence taking place over the internet, mostly through emails and research. They might be coaxed to conclude that such correspondence would not be taking place if I were lacking access to the internet.Now a conclusion such as this is not inevitably warranted however, as many of the very same correspondence that I currently converse through emails are the very same I would communicate if the internet didn't exist. Instead I would use phone calls, letters, and face to face letters, meetings. So, my use of the internet definitely would exhibit an advancement in my earns of communication, the real effect if truth be told would be a displacement of associations and communication that would on the other hand occurred otherwise. So that meaner that the substantive effect would, in reality, be far slighter than it first appeared.Scholarly Works such as that of â€Å"Limit already have begun to suggest that at least somewhat similar phenomenon may characterize the role of the internet in radical Salamis discussions and activity. † [1] â€Å"Limit (outwitted a doubt, the internet has played an important and significant role in spreading al-Qaeda ideology and usage, especially as images and videos from Iraq have disseminated quickly and widely around the country, and indeed, around the world . But the oft-asserted and oft-bemoaned link between the role of the internet and actual terrorist activity remains undocumented, unclear – and a sixth rather unexplored assumption.Research must continue in the direction provided by Bunt (2003), Wingman (AAA, Bibb), and others, and evolve further still from an analysis of what terrorists try to accomplish over the internet to what in fact the actual effects and consequences of such virtual activities are. † Assumption 2: The relationship between fighting ‘AY-Qaeda in Iraq' and fighting al- Qaeda globally On November 16, 2002 in a notoriously proclaiming speech President George W. Bush stated that â€Å"We're taking the fight to the terrorists abroad, so we don't have to face them here at home. [3] This bold statement that he and several of his constituents have repeated numerous times since. In response, pundits , scholars, and critical politicians, like Simon and Benjamin (2005, up. 192-193), have retorted that such a notorious proclamation coupled with the conception of the threat faced in Iraq by Americans and its allies alike, is deeply misguided. Several of these critics push and take it a step turner still, declaring Nat t there is little to no correlation between now America fares in Iraq as well as how a global counterterrorism campaign in opposition to al-Qaeda would proceed.The dichotomy of these opposing views constitutes some relatively unexplored yet significant opposing assumptions. Of course Bush and his constituents reciprocated several arguments in their favor as well fore example: â€Å"not only that killing or capturing terrorists in Iraq prevents them room ever getting to American shores,†[3] also, and probably more convincingly, â€Å"that dealing â€Å"AY-Qaeda in Iraq† a visible defeat will turn the tide of global support against the group. [3] Supporters of these views in particular are later fond that invoking Osama bin Alden's own claim that â€Å"w hen people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse. † This statement by Bin Laden was used to the advantage of Bush which meet that, for those who supported his comments, meet that success in Iraq holds the the key and potential of becoming a success globally in slowing the momentum spawned by al-Qaeda in recent years. By saying this the assumption of the right is that crushing ‘AY-Qaeda in Iraq' can and will contribute to crushing al-Qaeda globally.Conversely, Left wingers (Bush's critics) uphold that there was little to no al-Qaeda presence in Iraq before the American invasion in 2003 coupled with the notion that America's expensive and gory efforts in Iraq are in fact, purely a distraction of capital and attention from the global operation against the terrorist group that actually attacked the US on 11 September 2001. The left wingers in general focused on the first and weakest of Bush's two main arguments.The Intel into Iraqis show that terrorist cells in Iraq are in fact mostly Iraqis as opposed to outsiders who were not affianced in terrorist actions before America entered Iraq. Consecutively, critics assert that even dealing â€Å"AY-Qaeda in Iraq† a evident defeat will yield little to hinder al-Qaeda globally. This assumption in this regard by left wingers is that even a comprehensive defeat of â€Å"AY-Qaeda in Iraq† would offer an immaterial role to America's global counterterrorism efforts. So the question is which one these partisan assumptions â€Å"if either† are correct.This is enormously the meat of today's debate/research concerning forward momentum in Iraq. The dichotomy of opposing assumptions sadly, and shockingly, had been given virtually no attention by intellectuals at the time. Scrupulously, the question of whether an observer crushing of ‘AY-Qaeda in Iraq' would persuade Shadiest and potential Shadiest worldwide hadn't been the subject matter of almost all d etailed research at the time. Cook's (2003) intuitive paper entitled, â€Å"The recovery of radical Islam in the wake of the defeat of the Taliban,† spelled out the type of research that could be a necessary modeled.In that paper, Cook traces Jihads debates and proclamations to reveal the ways in which America's notable but incomplete defeat of the Taliban in late 2001 was hastily rationalized and explained away by Shadiest globally. This left them with little if no impression helpful to America's counterterrorism efforts. [10] Some would say that what is needed for success in Iraq is a parallel study, tracing Jihads debates since 2003 coupled with investigating whether the evident success or failure of â€Å"AY-Qaeda in Iraq† shows to have had any impact on generating or dampening though undoubtedly more difficult concern for al-Qaeda globally.Also it is by no meaner definitive as to the probable results of future developments in Iraq, such a study of the past ten yea rs would provide enormous input to ongoing debates coupled Witt laying the dauntlessly tort evaluating, in a grounded and intellectual manner, the inferences that success by the US against â€Å"AY-Qaeda in Iraq† either will or will not yield useful effects against al- Qaeda on a broader scale. In addition, exploring another prospectively intuitive approach to these dichotomies of assumption could emulate Shannon and Tennis's (2007) fascinating â€Å"Militant Islam and the futile fight for the reputation†. 27] Just as these intellectual types examine past manifestations of American determination in order to evaluate whether militant Psalmists ever truly rework their opinion of the US as wish-washy, current and future research can and should explore whether defeats in one ring for worldwide terrorist groups in reality have any impact on the drive of such groups globally. Research down both these positions, and in other directions additionally one hopes, would fall short of providing any definitive answers as to the connection between the war against â€Å"AY-Qaeda in Iraq†and the war against al-Qaeda globally.

Is the Use of the Death Penalty Justice and Is It Fair Essay

It is fair to say that capital punishment is under attack, particularly in the South where it is most commonly practiced. Not only have serious criticisms been raised by scholars in criminal justice, criminology and related disciplines, but newspapers have published scathing news reports suggesting that innocent people have been sentenced to death and even executed, and alleging racial discrimination in capital punishment practice. According to Robinson (2011), four basic facts establish the realities of American capital punishment. The first is that capital punishment is practiced in most but not all United States jurisdictions. Specifically, there are 34 states with the death penalty, and 16 without. The federal government also maintains capital punishment, as does the military, but the District of Columbia does not carry out executions. However, of these death penalty jurisdictions, only nine regularly carry out an execution, meaning they have averaged at least one execution a year since 1976 when capital punishment was reinstated; thus only about one-quarter (26%) of death penalty states (nine of 34) and 18% of all states in the country (nine of 50) average one or more executions per year. Further, only one state has carried out at least ten executions per year since 1976, Texas. In fact, only about 10% of counties with the death penalty imposed a death sentence between the years 2004 and 2009. Justice is typically defined as administering and maintaining what is just or right. Robinson (2011) says that there are three broad issues discussed and debated by scholars of justice theory: freedom, welfare, and virtue. Some justice theorists argue that what matters most for deciding what is right or just is freedom; whether individual rights are respected and protected. Another school of thought is the egalitarian libertarians. These scholars suggest that what matters most for justice is equality of opportunity in society and taking care of the least advantaged citizens. Other justice theorists focus on welfare, or general well-being and happiness of people in society. They argue that what matters most for justice is the welfare of society, or its overall happiness. Finally, other justice theorists argue that what matters most for justice is virtue, or moral goodness and righteousness. The purpose of the death penalty is incapacitation, deterrence, and retribution. Incapacitation is understood as removing the ability of offenders to commit future crimes. Incarceration is the typical form whereas execution is the ultimate form. Deterrence refers to creating fear in would be offenders through punishment to prevent future crimes. Capital punishment can only be aimed at preventing crime by would-be murderers, general deterrence, since it cannot create fear in murderers who have already been executed, specific deterrence. Retribution refers to righting or rebalancing the scales of justice through punishment in order to achieve justice for crime victims. Executions are often depicted as retribution for the crime of murder, as well as a source of closure for murder victims’ families. Robinson (2011) claims that criminologists and capital punishment scholars overwhelmingly indicate that the death penalty fails to achieve these goals, mostly because of the rarity of death sentences and executions. Logically, if death sentences and executions were more common, capital punishment would be more likely to achieve these goals. Yet we also know that the more frequently the death penalty is used, the greater the costs associated with the policy, including not only additional financial costs but also a greater risk of convicting, sentencing to death, and executing the innocent. This ultimately has great significance for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment. Van Den Haag (1986) says that the death penalty is an effective form of deterrence because it is feared more than life imprisonment. Many of the convicts under death sentence appeal their sentence and try to get it reduced to life imprisonment. Van Den Haag argues that even though there is no factual evidence that the death penalty deters would be criminals more than life imprisonment, the fact that more people fear the death penalty makes it a better deterrent. Reiman (1985) agrees with Robinson’s view that the use of the death penalty is not successful as a deterrent. He gives four main reasons that refute Van Den Haag’s argument. His first reason is that although people fear the death penalty more than life in prison, nobody wants to spend life in prison either. People do not have the mentality that they can commit a crime because they will â€Å"only† get sentenced to life in prison. Although the person will be alive, they will have all freedom taken from them, which after awhile, can be seen just as horrible, if not worse, than death. Reiman’s second point is that if a person is contemplating committing a crime, they are already facing an enormous risk of being killed in the process. Roughly 500 to 700 suspected felons are killed by police in the line of duty every year and many Americans own their own guns. When taking that into account, it does not seem very likely that the would be criminal will be able to commit the crime without at least being injured by the police or the would be victim. His third reason against Van Den Haag’s view is that using the death penalty is hypocritical. The law states that a person cannot take the life of another, but when they do, their punishment could be death. It is not possible to say murder is illegal and then have it as a possible punishment. He argues that not having the death penalty better exemplifies that idea that murder is wrong. His last point is that it is illogical to practice the death penalty simply because it is feared more than life imprisonment. He says that people would fear death by torture more than lethal injection, so does that mean we should begin the practice of death by torture because more people are afraid of it? Unless it can be proven that the death penalty is a better deterrent than life in prison, Reiman (1985) argues that the death penalty should be abolished. Robinson (2011) says that as for the issue of innocence, there is little doubt that people are wrongly convicted of murder every year and that a handful are even sentenced to death. More than 130 people have been freed from death row during the era of â€Å"super due process† that began in 1976 when the US Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment. Wrongful convictions often occur due to honest errors such as mistaken eyewitness testimony and faulty forensic evidence, but when they occur due to issues such as: false confessions, lying informants, government misconduct, and ineffective defense counsel. There is also little doubt that innocent people have even been executed, although most of the known cases are from prior to the era of super due process in capital sentencing. There remain at least eight widely known cases where men have been recently executed despite serious doubts about their actual guilt. On the issue of executing the innocent, Van Den Haag (1986), makes the argument that the advantages of using the death penalty as a punishment outweigh the unintended losses. He states, â€Å"Miscarriages of justice are offset by the moral benefits and the usefulness of doing justice (139). His argument is that mistakes have and do occur in innocent people being sentenced to death, but the benefits of using it are more important. It would be more of a detriment to society to stop the use of the death enalty than it is when an innocent person is executed. In regards to race, America’s death penalty has always been plagued by serious racial biases. Little evidence remains of the historic discrimination by race of defendant, although state-specific anecdotal evidence suggests blacks are still occasionally discriminated against, especially when accused of killing whites and when juries are overwhelmingly white. Robinson (2011) says that most experts now point to a â€Å"race of victim† effect, whereby killers of whites are far more likely to be sentenced to death and executed than killers of other races and. For example, a comprehensive study of race and the death penalty in North Carolina showed that killers of whites were more than three times more likely to receive death sentences than killers of blacks. In the state, 80% of those people executed since 1976 killed white people; only about 40% of North Carolina homicide victims are white. Further, a study of capital punishment practice in the state from 1999 to 2006 found that blacks who killed whites were 14 times more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who killed blacks. Also, there were six executions of blacks who killed whites during the time period, yet zero executions of whites who killed blacks. Van Den Haag’s (2011) stance on the distribution of the death penalty being discriminatory is that â€Å"punishments are imposed on persons, not on racial or economic groups† (138). The death penalty is not specifically issued to certain races. It depends on the crime that the person committed. Van Den Haag also says, â€Å"Justice requires that as many of the guilty as possible be punished, regardless of whether others have avoided punishment. To let these others escape the deserved punishment does not do justice to them, or to society. But it is not unjust to those who could not escape it† (139). Van Den Haag does not view the fact that black people or other minorities receive the death penalty more than whites as being unjust. However, what is unjust is the white people who were not sentenced to death when they should have been. Given these important empirical realities of the death penalty, the next issue to address is which of them are relevant for the â€Å"justice† of capital punishment practice. As noted earlier, it depends on which theory of justice is being referred to. Libertarians ask whether capital punishment respects liberty or freedom. The most important question for egalitarians is whether capital punishment practice is equal or applied in an equal fashion. For utilitarians, the most important question is whether capital punishment increases overall utility or happiness in society. Finally, for virtue-based theorists, the question is whether capital punishment respects and promotes our values, our moral goodness, and whether it is the right thing to do. The questions above do not have universal answers. Everybody will have his or her own opinions on whether the death penalty respects a person’s freedom or whether it is the right thing to do. Reiman, Robinson and Van Den Haag all made successful and convincing arguments so it is hard to determine one view as more convincing than the other. It comes down to a personal choice and what a person chooses to believe as to whether the death penalty is fair and a proper form of justice.