The death penalty as a form of punishment

The death penalty as a form of punishment The death penalty has been used throughout all of history as a form of punishment. In the past it was used by leaders to keep citizens in line. There are currently 35 states in the US that have the death penalty in place. This particular social issue is still under a lot of debate in the United States and around the world. Some of the questions it raises is what happens if the wrong person is sentenced, what are the financial costs of the process, how should it be done? However, the main question that is raises is whether it is morally acceptable. Today the death penalty is used in about 70 different countries, a number that has been rapidly declining in the past few decades. In societys effort to be just and to protect the rights of criminals in the justice system, a reasonable effort, let them not ignore or diminish the rights of the victims. Capital punishment is an instrument that insures the murderer will not cause harm to another victim and it authenticates the sacredness of hu man life. There are many philosophers that think capital punishment is morally acceptable if it is done for the right reasons. Two such philosophers are Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. By analyzing Kants ethical theories it can be said that he is for the death penalty as he comes right out and says he is, however there have been objections to this as part of his ethical theory can be interpreted as hypocritical. John Stuart Mills is more straight forward as seen in his book entitled Utilitarianism and also his speech on capital punishment. Kant is an avid believer in the old saying an eye for an eye as evidence by his statement that if someone has committed murder, he must die. In this case, no possible substitute can satisfy justice. He believes a victim has the right to have their accuser inflicted with the same pain that they had. Therefore, if a person commits murder then that person in return should be subject to the death penalty. He goes on to specify that a person must be judged by a court first, but if they are found guilty of murder and the court does not sentence them to death, then they themselves are contributing to the crime. He also believes that a murder does not deserve a worse punishment than the crime they committed. To Kant a life in prison, which in his mind is a life of embarrassment, is worse than a death sentence. In the end Kant believes in the death penalty, but not in the case of all crimes. The punishment must be fitting to the crime itself. If a person is sentenced to death for something li ke stealing then the legal system has failed to achieve its rightful intention. Even though Kant comes right out and says he is in favor of the death penalty, with regard to his ethical theories the line is more blurred. One of the main points of his theory is the idea of a universal law. In the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals he talks about the categorical imperative. One of the keys to this theory is that one should act so that their maxims can become a universal law. He believes that an immoral action cannot become a universal law. The universal laws in his mind make up what he calls the Kingdom of ends. This is an ideal moral community where everyone is held to the same moral standards, or laws. Universal laws should be followed by everyone, including, and especially those in power. This is where the contradiction can come in. In his defense of the death penalty Kant states that it is the head of states obligation to fulfill this and that as a result of their job they should be exempt from the punishment, however, in his theory of the categorical imp erative he believes that no one including the head of state should be allowed to break a universal law. Another contradiction regarding Kants ethical theory is seen in his respect for persons theory. Kant believes that each person has intrinsic value and this makes them deserving of moral respect from others. Is killing someone giving them moral respect? The argument against this objection is that if a person kills another, not in self defense, do they in return deserve moral respect? Kants answer is no. People who have dignity and reason are the ones who are priceless to society and deserve respect. In order to achieve the ideal Kingdom of Ends there has to be laws, and if people dont follow those laws they need to be punished. This is the only way in which to ensure that people act in moral ways. Another theory that can be used to advocate the death penalty is Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism was written by John Stuart Mill in 1878. Though on the surface it might seem to say capital punishment is not morally right, Mill is actually for the death penalty, as long as it is for the betterment of society as a whole. What is considered right and wrong in society is dependent not on the motive of an action, but the incentive. The difference between the two is a motive is the feeling that makes a person act, while an incentive is what the agent wills as an ultimate end of that action. An example of this distinction can be found in the scenario of saving a drowning man. If someone wants to save the man in the hopes of getting a reward that is still considered the right thing to do. The greed would be the persons motive but the intention would still be to save the mans life. However, if someone wants to save the man in order to torture him afterwards this would be considered wrong. The motive here would be power and the incentive would be to bring pain to the drowning man. Utilitarianism does not evaluate people, but only the actions. It is then the actions that are judged by their consequences. Any consequences that, in the end, betters society as a whole is acceptable. There are many ways that society would benefit from the death penalty. Keeping prisoners locked up for life is expensive, especially when there is overcrowding in prisons and money must be spent on the construction of new ones. Instead this money could be spent on education and healthcare, which in the end would hopefully decrease murders that occur. There is also the possibility that a person will get released from prison. A person who has already committed a crime is much more likely to repeat it which would cause more harm to society. John Stuart Mills not only advocates the death penalty through his ethical theory of Utilitarianism, but directly in his speech to the British Parliament in 1868 in defense of it. He believes, as does Kant, that sentencing someone to life in prison is worse than sentencing someone to death.(footer). This is the basis of his argument, that the death penalty is a more humane form of punishment than a person serving a life in a tomb. Capital punishment has been used throughout all of history but the real question is does the death penalty really work in modern times? The death penalty can be morally acceptable if it is used for the right reasons and not abused by people who just want power. When it is for the betterment of society as a whole it can be a justifiable action as said by two of the most respected philosophers Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mills. Through their ethical theories, though Kants has been scrutinized, and in direct quotes they have supported the death penalty. It is a declining form of punishment in the modern world, and continues to be one of the most heated issues in the United States and around the world. The death penalty can be morally justified if it is not abused and used in the right way. When it is used in such a way it can actually be a more humane, though still affective, form of punishment that protects the sanctity of human life and betters society. I defend this penalty, [the death penalty] when confined to the atrocious cases, on the very round for which it is commonly attacked- on that of humanity to the criminal; as beyond comparison the least cruel mode in which it is possible adequately to deter from the crime(65).

Solutions to Problems with the No Child Left Behind Act :: Teaching Education Essays Schools

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) deals with student achievement standards by holding schools accountable for the achievement of their students (Implementation 11). The NCLBA uses standardized tests to chart the success of students. If students are not meeting standards, the school is required to offer tutoring, which is funded by the state with Title I, the education mandate passed in which granted all public schools access to federal grants, money (No Subject 7). The Act itself is not the problem; the problem is that the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standard which is a big part of the NCLBA is not being met. The AYP standard is not being met because schools are not changing their methods quickly enough. It was said in the NCLBA that schools nationwide were to have 100% proficiency of the AYP standard within 12 years (Implementation 9). Since the passing of the NCLBA in 2001, most public schools, nationwide have not improved at all. Solutions There are a number of ways that this problem can be solved. To start, teachers could have to have higher credentials, thus giving them a better understanding of the subject areas in which they teach, and giving the students more and better sources (Facts). Right now teachers are only required to have a bachelor’s degree and be certified to teach, have a teaching certificate. Also, schools could require a minimum amount of studying per week for each student (Implementation 8). As of now, the only schools that require a certain amount of study time are private schools. In each class, there is scheduled time each day/week set aside for studying. Basically, it is a study hall. A lot of schools have study halls already set in place, but, for example, Aransas Pass High School is one of the many schools across the nation which do not enforce studying during that time (Crenshaw). There is one very obvious, but extremely flawed solution to this problem. Schools need to change their curriculums and start focusing more on the

Overestimation of the Placebo Effect :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Overestimation of the Placebo Effect The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the Placebo Effect is overestimated through misinterpretation of the data. Specifically, the objective is to explore whether the passage of time during clinical trials accounts for many results widely attributed to the placebo effect. That is, the passage of time in itself-through a combination of spontaneous changes in symptoms, regression effects, and homeostatic changes-produces most of the favorable results credited to the placebo. Despite its widespread acceptance for approximately fifty years, the Placebo Effect has recently become controversial, with several researchers claiming that the presumed benefits of placebos are overestimated. Dr. Asbjorn Hrobjartsson and Dr. Peter C. Gotzsche of the University of Denmark and the Nordic Cochran Center reviewed journal articles looking for the original research stating that 35% of patients improve if given a placebo. Interestingly, none of the papers they examined included original research on the placebo effect, but all cited the same reference. The original source was a 1955 article, "The Powerful Placebo," published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and written by Henry Beecher, chief of anesthesiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Beecher had analyzed about a dozen studies and had come up with the 35% figure (1). Challenging the validity of this finding, Drs. Hrobjartsson and Gotzsche hypothesized that two important factors were ignored. First, that the natural course of many diseases is to wax and wane. Second, that a patient who feels terrible one day will almost certainly feel better the next day. Hrobjartsson and Gotzsche analyzed 114 studies conducted between 1946 and 1998 that used not the usual two, but three groups of patients. One group received appropriate medical treatment, one group received placebo treatment, and the third group received nothing. (The studies involved 7,500 patients with 40 different medical conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, asthma, behavior disorders, such addictions as alcohol abuse and smoking, and such neurological diseases as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, epilepsy, as well as bacterial infections and the common cold (5). As Hrobjartsson and Gotzsche predicted, the patients in this third group improved as often as the patients in the placebo group (1). Carol Hart (2) cites Shapiro and Shapiro, who offer possible confounds that lead to overestimation of the placebo effect. Observations of the third control group-the group with neither treatment, nor placebo-may have improved because of three mechanisms.

Macro Economic Factors Affecting the Video Game Console Essay

Demographic Factors: Age is the main demographic factor affecting the market for video game consoles although common misconceptions are that the market is mainly comprised of teenagers. Recent Studies shows that the largest market sector of video game console purchases are teenagers or young adults. ESA demographic data shows that America’s average game player’s age is 34 and the average age of game purchasers is 40 (see article x) Generational factors play a big role in the market sector of gamers who purchase more than one game console, buy the latest version and buy games into adulthood. In 2010 26% of gamers were over 50. There is a definite generational factor as many of the consumers were in their teens when the mass video gaming culture began and now are in their 40s or 50s and have retained their gamer status, therefore are also ready to adopt new products. Gender is another factor that should be noted. Female gamers are a large portion of the video console market although significantly less than their online gaming counterparts. ESA research predicts that 40% of video game players are females. Economic Factors: Household income  ± studies have shown that video games in the toys and games market are able to gain a significant share of the market the larger the average household incomes are of a given market segment or particular region. For video games to comprise of 15% market share in toys and games of a given country, 60% of the population must earn incomes above US $15,000 (see figure x). Business cycle-The sale of consumer electronics andnovelty products are influencedby macroeconomic factors of a country. If there are recessionary or inflationary pressures, sales are likely to be affected sincechanges in consumers behaviour is determined by the perceived increase or decrease in the level of disposable income. This is, however, likely to have a short term impact and in the long run will have negligible changes on the sales of video game consoles, as business cycles return to a favourable position for higher consumer spending. Demand elasticity- Video Game consoles have a price elastic demand (for a portion of the consumer market) and combined with a high substitutability factors creates susceptibility to changes in competitor’s prices or quality hence impacting the size and share of the market for our product. Factors that change the cross price elasticity of our product need to be considered and addressed. Technological Factors: Innovation R&D- Technology, particularly technological innovation is a critical factor in the video game console market, and the leading competitors Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo have significant R&D invested in technology improvements. If our product development lifecycle does not include product improvements that are comparable to the leading competitor’s product, future success will not be guaranteed. Compatibility – Hardware issues include compatibility with existing hardware and the ease and cost of switching to the use of new hardware. Our product has the benefit of not requiring additional video output devices, i. e. television sets and monitors. Software Development -Technological developments in the software developing industries with which we have partnerships and licencing contracts will affect the attractiveness of our virtual video game console and hence indirectly affect sales generated. Also revenues generated from licencing and subcontracting are dependent on the success of game software publishers; a tactic to reduce risk would be to diversify the scope and use of our product, i. . develop a large partner relation database. Political Environment: Industry Regulation plays an important role in the success and growth of any technology specific product. It will invariably depend on the industry regulations specified the country code of regulatory law when production and manufacture will be conducted but also within the countries where target market segments reside. Ownership of manufacturing, distribution, and exporting firms also vary in different countries and will need to be considered before launching a worldwide market strategy. Trade Barriers -The trade and product specification restrictions on use of certain technology and/or products as well as licencing and exporting costs of the distribution and sale of various product categoriesdiffer between countries/regions and will have a large impact on the competitiveness of the virtual video game console. This can be in the form of trade barriers or indirect barriers through the use of health and safety standards, product labelling and advertising laws and restrictions. Intellectual Property Rights – Legal issues in country of sale, aside from aforementioned industry regulations, include trademarks, copyrights, licensing, patent applications, online ownership, and revenue recognition. Piracy and counterfeiting issues will need to be considered. It has become an accepted practice for the console manufacturers to lose money on the hardware and to recover the loss by charging high licensing fees to game publishers and developers. IPR standards are weakly enforced in many emerging markets with large market potential such as China, Brazil, and Russia. Environmental Factors: Raw Materials  ± The Video Game industry uses a lot of plastic resources and requires the use of scarce metals for its hardware. Given the negative public view on large amounts of non-biodegradable waste product, manufacturing processes and the use of valuable raw materials in the virtual video game console need to be carefully considered. Energy usage and efficiency- The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently published a study on American energy usage with specific regard to game consoles and found that game consoles consume roughly 16 billion kilowatt hours annually(see figure x). These finding were based on the assumption that half of the consoles are left on or on standby after use. A console that has timed automatic shutdown, as the virtual gaming console does, reduces this energy wastage. Health related concerns ± There is a general perception that frequent video gaming has a negative impact on a person health. However this perception may subject to change as research shows contrasting outcomes that there is the view that considers such side-effects to be ‘relatively minor or temporary’ (Griffiths 2002) and that finds playing computer games is comparable to a mild intensity exercise: with normal use, playing may neither improve nor harm physical fitness (Emes 1997)? Cultural Factors: Fashion Trends: Video Game console purchases are often made according to similar purchases made in a consumer’s social reference groups. Word of mouth and peer reference can play a crucial role in the choice of video game consoles. Networkingcapabilities ± the ability to connect to a large number of players online through a portable console has a definite cultural factor as the popular use of online networks determine the success of the addition of these features. Recreational Alternatives- changes in the demand for video game console may be created through a shifting trend in choice of recreational methods. Advances in the market for other toys and games could play an important role.

The bad things about Obama’s economic plan in foreign policy

To say the economic state of America is the most pressing need on the minds of most Americans today, would certainly not be too far from the truth. This is perhaps why both candidates realize that they have to say something at least on this subject. It is sad however to note that Obama’s plans depict a gross lack of understanding of our economic travails. Indeed, a group of respected economists noted recently that â€Å"Barack Obama’s economic proposals are wrong for the American economy†. Firstly, Obama proposes an overall increase in tax rates just as he admits that this proposal would not serve a weak economy. One wonders therefore how he thinks this would work in present day America. Or is this the strong economy Obama imagines for Americans? Increased tax rates would raise federal spending, bring about a slow in economic growth and of course result in massive job losses which of course heads us for another depression which we sure do not pray for. Again, Obama intends to end America’s trade ties the world over. Now, to decide against international trade is certainly not in our best interest, at least not in these times for the economists said â€Å"international trade is also a powerful source of strength in a weak economy†. Also, more jobs are created when we export our goods abroad and cheap products are also imported for the middle class and low income earners to especially to consume. It is this set of people that Obama’s plans would deprive of this veritable source of livelihood. As part of his plans, he also wishes to withdraw American forces from Iraq so as to free funds for the local economy. But we know that can not be true when an holistic view of the costs and benefits of the war would become after such rash withdrawal. In conclusion, Obama’s plans lack depth and appear destined to fail beyond redemption if allowed to run.

Research Critique Essay

This paper will review a quantitative study comparing the outcomes of physicians that use sterile versus nonsterile gloves during simple soft tissue lacerations repairs in the Emergency Room. It will address the protection of human participants, their risks/benefits, and a review of the study’s data collection, data analysis, and problem statement along with an interpretation of its findings. Article The article is from 2004, and was published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. It’s entitled â€Å"Sterile Versus Nonsterile Gloves for Repair of Uncomplicated Lacerations in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial†. Protection of Human Participants A random sampling of patients were taken from populations that presented to multi-center emergency rooms in the Toronto area, with simple soft tissue lacerations that required suture repair. Of the 1,100 people approached, 902 gave voluntary consent to participate in the study. Of those, 86 were excluded for a final total of 816. There were 245 patients who refused to participate, with 40% being children (the study enrolled any patient over the age of one). There was suggestion that the large amount of children who â€Å"refused† participation was related to â€Å"parental anxiety of entering their child into the study† (Perelman et al., 2004, p. 363). Specific physical, psychological, social or economic risks to patients were not addressed in this article, but a patient information sheet was given to participants before they signed the consent. The handout provided background information on wound management, infection, and the rationale for the study. There were no imm ediate or direct benefits for patients to be involved in this study. The protocol, patient consent form, and all other related information during  this trial were reviewed and approved by the ethic and review boards of all facilities involved. Data Collection Patients that arrived to one of three large community ER’s in the Toronto area, with a wound that was viewed to meet criteria, were provided written information on the rationale of the study and asked to participate. Inclusion criteria were addressed by a physician or resident that included assessing for complexity of laceration, location on the body, and if it had occurred within 3 hours from patient’s arrival. A signed a consent was obtained and data was collected through completion of a checklist noting the patient’s age, sex, site of laceration, type of injury, time of injury, time of injury from the time of repair, and technique of repair. The patient was given a self-addressed, pre-stamped envelope that was to be completed by the physician who took the sutures out. This physician filled out an explicit questionnaire using specific guidelines on wound assessment (pus, erythema, fever,) their clinical impressions (infection vs. no infection), and their management plan (topical/oral/IV antibiotic use, or need for referral to wound specialist). The follow up physician was unaware of which gloves were used in initial repair of the wound. The returned questionnaires where coded to collate with the initial assessment forms. There are several independent and dependent variables in this study. They include: not being able to run an equivalency trial related to the large sample size of the study, and the study was only partially blind (blind to the patients, not the physicians) because the sterile and nonsterile gloves are packaged differently. Also, the study could not 100% standardize the technique of wound repair by the physicians, although they did receive orientation on â€Å"ideal† wound repair techniques with irrigation, and a there was not a single follow up clinic site that could have provided more standardization in the evaluation of wound assessment during the follow up visit. No time period for data collection was specified in this article. Data Management and Analysis Statistical software was used in the analysis of data retrieved during this study. â€Å"Demographic and clinical data were presented descriptively as means, medians, or proportions with SDs where appropriate. The χ2 test was used to compare differences in infection rate between the 2 glove groups. A 2-tailed  P value less than .05 was considered significant† (Perelman et al., 2004, p. 364). There were 4 discrepancies noted in the data between the objective wound assessments and the follow up clinicians notions of the wound, with (2) being clarified by the researchers with the documenting physician, and the remaining 2 were placed in the â€Å"infected group†. Findings/Interpretation of Findings The researchers found that there is clear evidence to support that nonsterile gloves can be used in place of sterile gloves for simple laceration repairs in the Emergency Department, without an increase in wound infections. This writer believes that the findings are valid for several reasons. One, this study cites other previous studies that had similar outcomes in related topics such as: using tap water for cleaning/irrigating wounds, or the absence of gloves, caps or masks did not affect wound infection outcomes. Secondly, this has already become practice for many physicians in the United States. This is supported in the article by researchers when a preliminary survey of 18 ER physicians and 24 PCP showed 70% often used nonsterile technique in their repairs. Lastly, the study showed comparative infection rates of 6.1% for sterile glove use and 4.4% nonsterile glove use with a level of significance of 0.05. Limitations were defined above as variables. Implications for nursing are two-fold. One, nurses can help support this nonsterile technique and continue to ensure good wound cleansing and irrigation of wounds. Using this techniques can save hospitals up to $2000/year in ER’s that see an average of 10 suture repairs/day. Secondly, as previously mentioned, this study cites others that address wound care (ex: irrigating with tap water vs. sterile saline), so this research can be used in the future to study methods of successful wound management for nursing. Conclusion In conclusion, this was a successful study in showing that there was no increase in wound infections when nonsterile gloves are used while repairing simple lacerations in the Emergency Department. It is also showed that there can be economical savings for health care entities. References Grand Canyon University [GCU]. (2011). NRS433V.v10R research critique, part 2. Retrieved from: https://lc-ugrad1.gcu.edu Perelman, V. S., Francis, G. J., Rutledge, T., Foote, J., Martino, F., & Dranitsaris, G. (2004, March). Sterile versus nonsterile gloves for repair of uncomplicated lacerations in the Emergency Department: A randomized controlled trial. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 43, 362-370. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annemerged.2003.09.008

Managing Homework

The point of view in managing homework focused on teaching strategy used by the teacher, to convey students to learn subject matter that has been discussed in class. When motivating students to learn, there’s likely to be to be a few students, if not many, do not understand the subject matter. Likewise, effective teaching can be measured by amount of learning the students get. Teachers should find means to let students have greater learning acquired through teaching and learning process. Teaching strategy is one of the factors to consider in determining the degree of learning that takes place. One of the tasks of the teacher’s lesson plan is giving assignments or homework to students. Effective teacher corporate and plan well lesson and incorporate there in the lesson plan the quality homework to ensure thorough learning. Also, a good homework is the one that is structured in the planning ahead of time.  The role of the teacher in the classroom is a good planner and a manager of his or her own class. The teacher should see to it that giving homework would be a part of the teaching strategy that is imparted to students. A good teaching strategy is the one that includes to ensure students homework that are well and properly planned. A good homework reflects teacher’s effective means of managing the student learning process. Thus,† homework should contain consolidated skills†(Newsam, Peter, Teaching and Learning) already taught by the teacher and the students has a wide knowledge of the skills needed to make the homework accomplished. That skill that has been learned and mastered by students is the one to used in the making of the homework. It’s just a sort of applying those skills in real situation outside classroom, that is, the home. So that in they’re respective house, the parents acts as the substitutes in the absence of the teacher. There is still continuous learning that takes though there is absence of teacher’s guidance and motivation. Let us take for example skills acquired in learning counting numbers in mathematics subject. In the classroom teacher in math teaches the students how to count by using four operation skills. Objectively, students have mastered all those acquired skills in the teachers teaching in the classroom. But students of course don’t apply yet thoroughly those skills that have been acquired. Definitely, students should continuously learn at home by applying in real situation. These aspects, of continuous learning at home by making homework will help lessen errors, when the teacher gave the time of assessment to students. So definitely effective learning takes place on the students. There is no hard time for the teacher to teach the students when proper instruction in classroom is given. It is important that you let the students know that you believed on him or her and recognized the effort they’ve done. These statements addresses, â€Å"She needs to see you’re â€Å"in her corner† –they’re to listen, provide support and guidance, and seek help for her† (www.proteacher.com, cited by Speer, 2005), giving importance to the student’s homework. Also the assignment is in line with the present lessoning that teacher taught in the class. This reminds the students that homework should be accomplish since its important. References: 1. Newsam, Peter, Guest Essay. Retrieved October 1, 2006. Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from Microsoft Encarta Premium Suite 2005. 2. Speer, Pat, Editor in chief. July 1, 2005. Managing Change Requires Diligence, Homework and Systematic Approach to CEO’s Office. Retrieved October 1, 2006, from htt//www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/dispitem.cgi? item=36893&norate=up.