Police Brutality Essay -- The Growing Epidemic of Police Violence

Policing places men and women in an often dangerous and stressful role, dealing with suspects at every level of criminal offenses. In such situations, an incident may arise that needs to be dealt with decisively. Policing agencies have strict guidelines, categorizing forcible coercion into separate levels of severity. It is when an officer uses a more than acceptable means of coercion that this physical manipulation becomes excessive. Police brutality is arguably the most publicized form of Police misconduct, especially in recent history. There are several points of view to be examined, including the offender’s, the victim’s and the public’s reaction to the incident. It is clear that this is one of the most controversial aspects of policing, concerning the dangers that come along with the delicate balance of power and discretion allowed to a select group and amount of observation required. Any interaction between police and the public could easily turn into a situation leading to violence. A simple traffic stop could turn violent, but the deciding factors are the officer in question and the suspect. Because there is no concrete definition to the amount of force reasonably required to deal with a suspect, it is hard to follow the growth or declinations in police brutality across the country. It seems that the most closely examined and often the most controversial cases of police brutality are those that are accompanied by tape of the incident. The most famous being the Rodney King Assault in which a black motorist, following a high speed chase, was pulled from his vehicle and beaten. The following year, after the four officers in question were acquitted of charges, the Los Angeles Riots of 1992 ensued, though there ... ...y (pp. xi-xiii). New York City: NYU Press. Retrieved April 14, 2009 Lawrence, R. G. (2000). The politics of force: media and the construction of police brutality (pp. 13-15). University of California Press. Retrieved April 14, 2009 Kleg, M. (1993). Hate, Prejudice, and Racism (pp. 13-15). Albany: State University of New York. Retrieved April 14, 2009 Street Battle's at Night [Editorial]. (1919). New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2009 Cohen, H. (1986). Exploiting Police Authority. Criminal Justice Ethics Volume:5 Issue:2 Dated:(Summer-Fall 1986). United States. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Goldstein, H. (1975). Police Corruption – A Perspective on its Nature and Control. United States. Police Foundation Newburn, Tim. (1999). Understanding and Preventing Police Corruption: Lessons From the Literature. Research Development Statistics.

Education in “The Republic” & “Discourse on the Arts and Sciences”

The role and significance of education with regard to political and social institutions is a subject that has interested political philosophers for millennia. In particular, the views of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, as evidenced in The Republic, and of the pre-Romantic philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau in his Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, present a striking juxtaposition of the two extremes of the ongoing philosophical and political debate over the function and value of education. In this paper, I will argue that Rousseau's repudiation of education, while imperfect and offering no remedy to the ills it disparages, is superior inasmuch as it comes closer to the truth of things than does Plato's idealized conceptions. To do so, I will first examine Plato's interpretation of the role of education and its function in shaping the structure of society and government and in producing good citizens. I will then introduce Rousseau's view of education and the negative effects of the civilized culture which it produces, and using this view, will attempt to illustrate the naivete and over-idealization of Plato's notions. Finally, I will attempt to demonstrate that it is Rousseau's view, rather than Plato's, that is ultimately more significant in assessing the actual (vs. idealized) merits (or lack thereof, in Rousseau's case) by which education should be judged with regard to the nurturance of good citizens. For Plato, the question of the role of education arises near the end of Book II (377e), after a discussion of both the necessary and consequent attributes of Socrates' kallipolis or â€Å"Ideal City. Such a city, Socrates argues, will, before long, have need of both a specialization of labor (in order for the greatest level of diversity and luxury of goods to be achieved) and of the establishment of a class of â€Å"Guardians† to protect the city from its envious neighbors and maintain order within its walls (i. e. , to police and govern the city). This, in turn, leads inexorably to the question of what attributes the Ideal City will require of its Guardians, and how best to foster such attributes. The early, childhood education of the Guardians, Socrates argues, is the key. What, then, asks Socrates, should children be taught, and when? This quickly leads to a discussion of censorship. Socrates cites a number of questionable passages from Homer which cannot, he thinks, be allowed in education, since they represent dishonorable behavior and encourage the fear of death. The dramatic form of much of this poetry is also suspect: it puts unworthy words into the mouths of gods & heroes. Socrates suggests that what we would call â€Å"direct quotation† must be strictly limited to morally-elevating speech. Nothing can be permitted that compromises the education of the young Guardians, as it is they who will one day rule and protect the city, and whom the lesser-constituted citizens of the polis will attempt to emulate, assimilating, via the imitative process of mimesis, to the Myth (or â€Å"noble lie†) of the Ideal City in which justice is achieved when everyone assumes their proper role in society. The process of mimesis, is, of course, yet another form of education, in which those of Iron and Bronze natures are â€Å"instructed† and inspired by the superior intelligence and character of the Gold and Silver members of the Guardian class. It is therefore a form of education without which the polis cannot operate. Thus, for Guardian and ordinary citizen alike, the education of the young and the continuing â€Å"instruction† of the citizenry are crucial. In addition to these aspects, Plato also conceives of another function of education, and one which is quite significant in its relation to Rousseau's views. For Plato, education and ethics are interdependent. To be ethical, in turn, requires a twofold movement: movement away from immersion in concrete affairs to thinking and vision of unchanging order and structures (such as justice) and then movement back from dialectic to participation and re-attachment in worldly affairs. It is a temptation to become an abstract scholar. But the vision of the good is the vision of what is good for oneself and the city — of the common good. If one does not return to help his fellow human beings, he becomes selfish and in time will be less able to see what is good, what is best. An unselfish devotion to the good requires an unselfish devotion to the realization of this good in human affairs. Just as the purpose of understanding order and limits in one's own life is to bring about order and restraint in one's own character and desires, the understanding of justice requires application in the public sphere (through education). A man who forgets the polis is like a man who forgets he has a body. Plato thus advocates educating both the body and the city (for one needs both), not turning one's back on them. If education is, for Plato, the means by which man comes to fully realize (through society) his potential as a human being and by which society as a whole is in turn elevated, for Rousseau it is quite the opposite. Education, argues Rousseau, does not elevate the souls of men but rather corrodes them. The noble mimesis which lies at the heart of education in Plato's kallipolis is for Rousseau merely a slavish imitation of the tired ideas of antiquity. The ill effects of this imitation are manifold. Firstly, argues Rousseau, when we devote ourselves to the learning of old ideas, we stifle our own creativity and originality. Where is there room for original thought, when, in our incessant efforts to impress one another with our erudition, we are constantly spouting the ideas of others? In a world devoid of originality, the mark of greatness, intelligence, and virtue is reduced to nothing more than our ability to please others by reciting the wisdom of the past. This emphasis on originality is in marked contrast with Plato, who finds no value in originality, deeming it antithetical to a polis otherwise unified by shared Myths of the Ideal City and of Metals. Rousseau rejects this â€Å"unity†, rightly denouncing it as a form of slavery , in which humanity's inherent capacity for spontaneous, original self-expression is replaced with the yoking. of the mind and the will to the ideas of others, who are often long dead. In addition to suppressing the innate human need for originality, education (and the appetite for â€Å"culture† and â€Å"sophistication† that it engenders) causes us to conceal ourselves, to mask our true natures, desires, and emotions. We become artificial and shallow, using our social amenities and our knowledge of literature, etc. , to present a pleasing but deceptive face to the world, a notion quite at odds with the ideas of Plato. We assume, in Rousseau's words, â€Å"the appearance of all virtues, without being in possession of one of them. Finally, argues Rousseau, rather than strengthening our minds and bodies and (a critical point) moving us towards that which is ethical, as Plato contends, education and civilization effeminate and weaken us physically and (perhaps most significantly) mentally, and cause us, in this weakness, to stoop to every manner of depravity and injustice against one another. â€Å"External ornaments,† writes Rousseau, â€Å"are no less foreign to virtue, which is the strength and activity of the mind. The honest man is an athlete, who loves to wrestle stark naked; he scorns all those vile trappings, which prevent the exertion of his strength, and were, for the most part, invented only to conceal some deformity. † Virtue, as opposed to Plato's conception, is an action, and results not from the imitation inherent in mimesis, but rather in the activity — in the exercise — of the body, mind and soul. Education, however, demands imitation, demands a modeling upon what has been successful. How, then, do we rightly assess the merits of education with regard to its it molding of the public character — in its ability to produce â€Å"good† citizens. The answer to this hinges, I submit, on how we choose to define the â€Å"good† citizen. Clearly, if obedience (or â€Å"assimilation to a political ideology†, or perhaps â€Å"voluntary servitude†) is the hallmark of the good citizen, then we must regard Plato's disposition towards education as the proper one. However, obedience, despite its obvious centrality to the smooth operation of society (as we would have social chaos were it completely absent), has its useful limits. Over-assimilation to a political idea or â€Å"blueprint† is every bit as dangerous — indeed, far more so — as the utter under-assimilation of anarchy. For those inclined to dispute this, I would urge them to review the history of Nazi Germany as perhaps the definitive example of what sad, awful spectacles of injustice we humans are capable of when we trade in our mental and spiritual autonomy for the convenient apathy and faceless anonymity of the political ideal. Furthermore, if , as Rousseau contends, our civilization is such that, â€Å"Sincere friendship, real esteem, and perfect confidence [in each other] are banished from among men,† what is the quality of the society for which education — any modern education — purports to prepares us? When, â€Å"Jealousy, suspicion, fear coldness, reserve, hate, and fraud lie constantly concealed under †¦ [a] uniform and deceitful veil of politeness,† what is left to us to educate citizens for, other than the pleasure we seem to derive in pedantic displays of hoary knowledge? If we remove the civility from â€Å"civilization†, what remains to us that any education will remedy?

Free Essays on Crown, Cork & Seal

Introduction: In the face of a changing business landscape in the metal can industry, William J. Avery, Crown’s new CEO, had planned on revising his predecessor, John Connelly’s business strategy. Suppliers and customers of can makers were beginning to integrate into can makers themselves, which was redefining the metal industry. Under Connelly, Crown attained sustained success over three decades due to Connelly’s strict strategies, which emphasized cost efficiency, quality and customer service. Avery was trying to determine whether or not to break with tradition or expand Crown’s product line due to the changing nature of the metal can industry landscape and/or participate in the supplier and customer consolidation that had become traditional in the metal can business. Analysis: In order to understand how the industry is changing, we must first look at the forces involved and trends that are emerging. One fact in particular that immediately stands out is that industry operating margins began to fall in spite of persistent demand for metal cans. This can be attributed to several factors. First, Five large firms dominated the industry with close to 100 lesser firms. The distribution of market share closely represents an oligopoly, which would suggest that there might be lower profits. Second, the case states that pricing was very competitive and can manufacturers aggressively discounted to protect their market share due to overcapacity and shrinking customer bases. A third reason for drops in operating margins were due to pricing that did not consider substantial increases in costs, increased can making capacity, increases in backwards integration of breweries and can-makers, and soft drink bottling consolidation. Another important force to consider is the customer and what impacts they have on the metal can industry. The soft drink industry is a thriving and profitable industry based on overall sales of ma... Free Essays on Crown, Cork & Seal Free Essays on Crown, Cork & Seal Introduction: In the face of a changing business landscape in the metal can industry, William J. Avery, Crown’s new CEO, had planned on revising his predecessor, John Connelly’s business strategy. Suppliers and customers of can makers were beginning to integrate into can makers themselves, which was redefining the metal industry. Under Connelly, Crown attained sustained success over three decades due to Connelly’s strict strategies, which emphasized cost efficiency, quality and customer service. Avery was trying to determine whether or not to break with tradition or expand Crown’s product line due to the changing nature of the metal can industry landscape and/or participate in the supplier and customer consolidation that had become traditional in the metal can business. Analysis: In order to understand how the industry is changing, we must first look at the forces involved and trends that are emerging. One fact in particular that immediately stands out is that industry operating margins began to fall in spite of persistent demand for metal cans. This can be attributed to several factors. First, Five large firms dominated the industry with close to 100 lesser firms. The distribution of market share closely represents an oligopoly, which would suggest that there might be lower profits. Second, the case states that pricing was very competitive and can manufacturers aggressively discounted to protect their market share due to overcapacity and shrinking customer bases. A third reason for drops in operating margins were due to pricing that did not consider substantial increases in costs, increased can making capacity, increases in backwards integration of breweries and can-makers, and soft drink bottling consolidation. Another important force to consider is the customer and what impacts they have on the metal can industry. The soft drink industry is a thriving and profitable industry based on overall sales of ma...

Compare the pre-titles sequences of two James Bond films- Goldfinger and Goldeneye Essay Example

Compare the pre Compare the pre-titles sequences of two James Bond films- Goldfinger and Goldeneye Paper Compare the pre-titles sequences of two James Bond films- Goldfinger and Goldeneye Paper Essay Topic: Film There has been a large change in society in terms of excitement for the audience. The old film Goldfinger, and the more recent Goldeneye, are films to suit two different types of audience. Over the past thirty years, there have been higher expectations within the action film industry such as action, humour and stunts. The two James Bond films have many similarities because they are the same theme. The classic opening with the barrel of the gun and blood down the screen are in every James Bond film. It is almost a trademark. Another trademark is the theme tune in both films. People know what the film is just from the theme tune because of its large popularity. The action scene at the beginning is to attract the audience interest and attention. It shows the kind of action to expect. For example, in Goldeneye the start has many stunts such as the bungee or plane. Therefore, it will have lots of stunts later through the film. James Bonds personality is the same. His charm and witty puns is what attracts people to him. The style of his clothes such as his smart white tuxedo makes the audience still familiar with the same type of James Bond. Because he is a ladys man he is admired by both woman, for being attractive, and men, for his exceptional charm with any woman. His similarities with woman are also in the title sequence. The actions of the women give a sort of prologue for the film. As well as many similarities there are also many differences. The technology in the films is very different. They supply an expectation from the audience because they usually get the high-tech gadgets. The action is also different especially the stunts. More modern films such as Goldenye have more thrilling and ambitious stunts. This is done by new technology and graphics. Societys cloths have changed in the past thirty years. In Goldfinger, James Bond wears a wet suit which covers his tuxedo. In Goldeneye he wears a stealthy black outfit for infiltration. The plots of the films have also changed. The bad person in Goldenye is a classic villain who paints his dead victims gold (to go with his name). In Goldenye it has a good agent who seems to be killed. However, the film later reveals that he is actually the main villain. This twist in the film gives a greater excitement to the audience. The directing of James Bond is different. In Goldfinger his moves with a hop, skip and a jump. He has a hand to hand fight with a bad person. These basic actions are what would be expected from a film thirty years ago. However, today it would be seen as boring to the audience. In Goldenye, James Bond sneaks around the facility with a silence pistol. When his cover is blown they end up shooting lots of guards. The large amounts of violence from the deaths of the guards help to fill up the audiences excitement. When his fellow agent is killed which makes it even more interesting James Bond is left pinned with many guns aiming at him. As well as excitement it also builds tension as the audience wonder what he is going to do. To finish the pre-title opening, he rides over a cliff into a plane. Before the title sequence there is a large explosion. All these different actions and violence give a greater thrill. The light and camera angles are also used to entertain the audience. In Goldfinger the scene is done under the cover of darkness. Although in Goldenye it is done during the day. This is to make the scene look more dangerous as he will be more easily seen. This builds up tension for the audience. He meets the other agent in a dark storage room to show the stealth of the mission. The stealth makes it look even more exciting. Camera angles in Goldfinger are mainly focused on him. James Bonds facial expressions are used to emphasise action and danger. The camera angles on Goldeneye are focused on him and the surrounding area. The close up shots is used to create the feelings of tension with facial expressions. The far out shots indicate danger and large action scenes. For example, the far out shot of the dam in Goldenye shows the danger James Bond has to do. When the camera looks over the dam to show the great height it makes the audience nervous from looking at the great height. There are far more camera angles in the modern film with quicker shots. This is used to build up the tension and excitement in the audience. For example, when James Bond is running along the dam there are many angles. These are focused from a side to show his action, at his feet to show the pace of his running and his body from a far out shot to show the distance of his running. These fast camera shots are used to build up the excitement. There are no camera angles on his face to help create mystery. Because it does not show his face the audience cannot be completely sure it is James Bond. The only sound in the film is the running of his feet which also create tension. In Goldfinger, there are only a few camera angles which change over a longer time. This does not create as much excitement and tension in the audience. They are mainly further out shots so the shot captures more of James Bond from one angle. The camera angles was not as important in that time as society had a lower expectation for action and thrill. The title sequences of the two films are different because of the change in society. There are naked woman in Goldeneye because it entertains the audience more. It is now seen as acceptable in society to show woman naked because of the more lax nature. There are dressed woman in Goldfinger but are wearing revealing cloths. The film has tried to make the woman as naked as possible without overstepping the boundaries of society. People have higher expectations in Goldeneye than in Goldfinger. They want more killing, violence and stunts. This is to give the audience an all round thrill. The action in the film is represented with music to give an audio perspective. The music is usually the James Bond theme so people can always associate it with action and excitement. As well as expectations of the film, people also have expectations of James Bond. They want him to have action, humour as well as some sexual content. This is because it is what the audience have previously seen from James Bond and enjoys his personality. His classic speech of Bond, James Bond is well known and used by every actor to identify him as James Bond. The technology in both films has gadgets, cars and woman. This is the usual from James Bond and is admired by men as they are boys toys. The technology has to keep up with society. In Goldfinger, James Bonds explosive was on a timer like a clock. In the more recent Goldfinger, the explosive were on a more modern digital timer. Technology is very important in James Bond especially in later films. Goldenye is based on advanced technology such as the helicopter and satellite. As the technology has improved in the film it has also improved out of the film. More advance graphics means that the action and stunts can be even wilder. Blue screening makes the film and action better as they can add scenes where they have never been. This was done in Star Wars to add different scenes and other worlds. If the two films were made at the same time, the plot would be different but the technology similar. Both Goldfinger and Goldeneye were able to satisfy society in their time. However as technology and stunts improve people want to see more action and excitement. Both the films have action in the pre-title sequences although the action is much better in the more recent Goldeneye than Goldfinger.

Business Management and Leadership Personal Statement - 1

Business Management and Leadership - Personal Statement Example While working as an event specialist for Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, I have to handle and manage various financial statements by using the software such as Excel and Quikbooks. The business of Jamaica Chamber of Commerce mainly deals with renting space to those clients or businesses that intend to host any sort of event that may include birthday parties and bridal showers among others. One of my chief roles along with responsibilities as an event specialist in this business is to organize events for the customers and also closing contracts on a weekly basis. Apart from this, I also work as a college assistant at York college. In this job profile, my main tasks are to handle purchase requisitions and also handling e-mails for the department of student activities of this college. Thus, by taking into concern the above discussed tasks that I perform, the online Master’s degree of Business Management and Leadership (M.S.) program would prove quite beneficial for me. This can be j ustified with reference to the fact that the above mentioned core business areas on which the stated online program mainly focus upon will make me to learn and acquire in-depth understanding about how to conduct such activities efficiently within a definite timeframe. From the very beginning, I had a keen interest to work in Army and for that I am currently attending officer candidate school in the Army National Guard. I have certain targets to accomplish in the future. One of such targets is to become a Financial Officer in the Army and thus, I expect that the online Master’s degree of Business Management and Leadership (M.S.) program would guide me to fulfill such target. The fulfillment of such target matters a lot for me owing to the reason that it would make me to realize my own job responsibilities and also enable me to take better professional decisions. There lay certain

The problem of gangs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The problem of gangs - Essay Example This is made up of majority legal and illegal immigrant youth and includes those born in the U.S. by legal and illegal immigrant parents. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement data shows that 75% of those arrested are from Mexico and El Salvador from gangs such as 18th Street Gang and Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13 known to have massive illegal immigrant members. In an article released by the National Immigration Law Center it clarified that under New York law as decided by the Board of Immigration Appeals, a youthful offender’s adjudication is not equivalent to a conviction in relation to the Immigration and Nationality Act. This was decided on the â€Å"Matter of Devison-Charles,† given a permanent resident status in the United States in April 1996 who was a citizen of the Dominican Republic. Back in 1992, he was involved in attempted possession of a controlled substance where he was adjudicated as a youth offender. The ruling affirms that conviction under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 does not apply to juvenile offenders.The liberal policy of a number of states granted to juvenile offenders in view of their immigration status sometimes become an area of abuse wherein states like Florida through its Florida Department of Juvenile Justice increased efforts to impose background checks to ensure those that come into the agency are actually within the age limit. The State Senator was able to get an appropriation for additional funding for such purposes as identifying illegal juvenile immigrants.

Response 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Response 2 - Essay Example Though the paper presents both models almost similar in such a way that these models are comprised of five steps within it, the PMMM is a general business model that can be used on any project type, but RAD is a software development model that cannot be adaptable to other engineering disciplines. Do RAD model users need to follow the five phases sequentially? The paper comes to a conclusion that there is no need to follow it. The paper fails to provide more reasons or more arguments that can support this conclusion. Meanwhile, it says that PMMM cannot be considered as an agile model since it is not adaptable to changes quickly in the model structure when new project management processes take place. As a conclusion, the paper gives detailed discussion on whether both models can be used simultaneously. It is rather better conclusion as it provides reasons such as the PMMM model will work well in requiring some level of project management for the software development teams using the RAD model to create new programs. The paper offers an analytical outline of RAD and PMMM models with comparisons, scopes and application levels. The L O paper is an attempt to outline the differences between two project management methodologies; Project Management Institute’s (PMI) study plan and Rapid Application Development (RAD). Though it is not a detailed discussion of comparison between these two methodologies, it provides the features of each method and outlines the areas that are adaptable to each one. The paper would be exceptionally good and extremely easy to the readers to grasp the features, if the paper includes the differences between these methods along with the advantages and disadvantages of each method in regard to particular application level. The paper explores some features of RAD development. RAD is represented as an agile methodology that works well associated with software and industrial products. This paper gives the efficiency as