Ways to Improve Architectural Practice

Certainly, architectural prime is fading away and thus putting the architectural practice in a secret crisis. Eventually, the profession has eradicated the integrity of building construction. When asked of what they exactly do, architects should not merely state that they design constructions. Architecture comprises wider matters and not just dealing with aesthetics or forms.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ways to Improve Architectural Practice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, architects ought to respond to an inquiry concerning what they do with creative thinking. As conceited as one might consider, architects are proud of their knowledge and their commitment shows it. Nevertheless, such achievements are currently not sufficient. Our opportunity for resolution is diminishing. We are short of flexibility in our performance and thus we give away more positions to other sectors of practice. Due to work sharing, which assumes a more holistic structure, the profession has broken down into several specialisations and consequently driven the development of architectural practice into a manifold that cannot be depicted in just a single sentence. In simple terms, architectural practice should show ability to acclimatise and lead other sectors to facilitate its survival in such transformations. Could lack of a unique contemporary theory of practice in present architectural offices contribute to this occurrence? Did we cause it ourselves as we attempted to outbid with deceptions of too much form and practice? Debatably, architects are frequently branded with interruption and thus the profession has the urge to progress outward, as if detaching from other standards. The present unclear function of architectural practice might be the reason for bad timing. Whatever the cause, architecture and its practices should embrace the inevitable transformation. The character of architecture has const antly been concerned with having authorisation from higher authorities. Accordingly, the connection with politics is indestructible as political roles come with profound accountabilities. In this regard, architects have detached themselves and with time, a stereotype has been built up. Architects have become less official and assume a more artistic project quality thus siding with contemporary architects taking in the fundamental idea; that is, the yearning to share information with others and extend knowledge by accommodating broad range of views. If an individual cannot make clear his or her intentions, then that individual cannot assume authority. An expected inquiry, concerning sharing as a means of survival for architectural practice, underscores the extent to which sharing should take place.Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apparently, the notion of teamwork is not only to sha tter â€Å"I discern more than you† stunt, but also to move away from the predetermined constructions and focus on architectural practice and promote its principles. In other words, this aspect is a means of unlocking criticism. Philosophers have just interpreted the globe in different manners; the logic is, to transform. Sharing is not sufficient and thus an accurate teamwork tactic is necessary. Close attention to the sharing notion and sharing vital information by the project and its comrades are as well required attributes. Just as the initiative of â€Å"municipality, privatisation, and ownership† transformed the structure of constructions and the extent of political control necessitated constructions, such tactic might bring rescue to the architectural sector. This essay on Ways to Improve Architectural Practice was written and submitted by user Jazmin Sutton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Human Cloning- for Heavens Sake! essays

Human Cloning- for Heavens Sake! essays Cloning has literally crossed the limits of exploitation of nature, by the human race. For centuries man has been producing, so called solutions to the problems it has, which in turn produce even greater problems. Cloning is one of the them. The most important reason for getting so much help in terms of funds and fame is that its a process of making an identical clone of a person, which really excites the people. I still dont get it how the act of making a clone of a person is ever going to benefit the human race problems. Just because it is a great bio-technological advancement, it is seen as boon to human life. From the scientific point of view cloning is not a simple process as it is portrayed. Till date human cloning is still in its infancy. Loads of research is done first on animals for experimenting the process of cloning. And once the scientists start the experimentation would produce abnormal and dysfunctional clones. The news of cloning of the sheep; Dolly was flashed across the papers like a miracle occurred. But the news of the number of abnormal and dysfunctional clones the scientists produced in the process was totally concealed. Unless cloning is banned, any lay scientist or quack would go ahead with the cloning process and even might produce totally different kind of virus. The kind and variety of viruses that are released in the atmosphere has increased since man started such advancements; especially bio-technical advancement. Talking about human ethics, cloning totally degrades the laws of nature. Cloning is totally stealing the right of nature to produce life with a right balance. The past has taught man a lot of lessons like the production of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. These advancements were made even when their terrible effects were known. But still the scientists went ahead with it and now the present generation has to deal with the after effects. ...

Political Cartoons, Chinese Immigration and the Manifest Destiny Essay

Political Cartoons, Chinese Immigration and the Manifest Destiny Belief - Essay Example The Whites, as a result, started portraying in negative stereotypes as evil and corrupt. With time, the Chinese population tripled and continued replacing those blacks and whites who were striking for higher wages. This led to Sino phobia a fear for Chinese people and as a result, the implementation of the Exclusion Act to control Chinese immigration. The Act resulted in a major decline among the Chinese population. The Chinese faced extreme violation of their rights but could do nothing since they were not citizens. The woman is an allegory of independence. She represents freedom from the hampering conditions.The Chinese man’s hair and cultural cloak represent resistance to American progress. Ironically, the woman has the railroad to the west inscribed in her dress meaning she is advocating for white civilization to the west. The cutting of the Chinese man’s hair is the significance of assimilation into the white culture. Manifest Destiny was a belief by the white Amer icans that they were to possess and occupy the North American Continent. People got lured to move westwards. In the belief, that they were to acquire large tracts of land at low prices. .The idea of Manifest Destiny thus relates to the image since the woman with the railroad inscribed in her gown symbolizes the Whites civilization towards the west despite resistance by the Chinese. It shows that the Whites will stop at nothing since they believe it is their divine right to do so. Reasons why the Chinese artists lacked recognition in the U.S in the 19th Century. Most of the immigrant races in America could blend into the Anglo society. Unfortunately,due to their physical appearance, The Chinese faced a lot of discrimination and got denied citizenship. Therefore, they had no access to justice in case their rights got violated. They lacked access to pursue professional painting. They did not have the resources to engage in the scholarly art. The Chinese were illiterate thus practicing painting as an art was difficult for them. Most of them had travelled to the States in pursuit of greener pastures to cater for their families. Unlike the Whites, the Chinese were not recorded for inclusion in the historical sources of art meaning there would be no source of remembrance for them. The Chinese rarely participated in the Western European art of oil painting that would have provided a platform to master and sharpen their skills. However, those who did such as Wore’s students received very little recognition. The Chinese focused only on their cultural heritage and whatever paintings they worked on got sent home to their families. They did not include European complements and signs of status. The Exclusion Act led to heightened Sino phobia. This led to confiscation of their art objects which made it difficult for them to practice the art profession. Part Two: Short Answered Questions 1. Significance of Edmonia Lewis’ Forever Free Sculpture The sculpture is a visual proof to a society in which the female is inferior to the male. It presents a reformed image of the African-American family after slavery.The role of women applied to free black people as well as to white people, and in this sense, Lewis' freedwoman got connected to all women.Like partner, the African-American female was supposed to be submissive and pious.The enslaved woman lived in paradox. She was both the

Advantages and Disadvantages of Conducting Business Offshore Essay

Advantages and Disadvantages of Conducting Business Offshore - Essay Example Therefore, the tax reasons for offshore business are the principal factors in deciding to start the business offshore, though there are other advantages and disadvantage. Making a decision of conducting business offshore entails the motives of establishing a business for a given purpose in a country having different corporate and commercial laws. In fact, there are alternatives allowing solutions like organization of relationships, which are created between the stakeholders of the business contrary to the commercial laws. Consequently, this is a significant way of reducing the level of administrative duties regarding financial statements and tax return, which are not submitted or entries made in the commercial register. Nevertheless, the main objective of the paper is to explore the advantages and disadvantages of conducting business offshore (Gitman and McDaniel 44). Advantages One of the advantages of conducting business offshore relates to the investor or owner protection due to a nonymity that is considered a vital factor of investing. Therefore, there is an advantage associated with anonymity in the beginning phase of a business regarding the utilization of anonymous business with unknown owners. In fact, this is mainly for the purpose of protection against interference from the government bureaucracy and crime. Moreover, this reduces the regulations imposed on a certain business activity in situations such as transacting in business environments in less developed countries. An exemplary example is options regarding a trade of the foreign securities in a country with rules concerning the foreign exchange. Therefore, this makes the business to avoid being subjected to these regulations, given that these kinds of regulations are not common (Bertho 100). The other advantage relates to the taxes, where the international businesses seek ways of maximizing their profit through reduction of cost, which include the tax burden. Therefore, this has been a source of i nspiration for many counties in the world, whereby they reduce taxation imposed on international business in order to attract investors, since the business started through their ventures contributes significantly to the economy due to creation of employment. In this case, this is used as a way of utilizing the advantages provided by governments in this countries and the fiscal system in order to optimize profit or reduce the tax burden through the international tax planning (Committee on the Offshoring of Engineering 143). However, international tax planning has gained popularity due to inappropriateness associated with the taxation in the developed counties. In fact, there is cost incurred by the companies seeking to earn income from which tax is deducted, for example there are cost incurred due to assignment of variables or the sale securities. In situations when a company suffers losses associated with these activities, the subsidiaries that are established become helpful due to the suitability of the tax environment. Therefore, the businesses conducted offshore benefit substantially through minimization of the rate of income tax, where by the business environment can offer a chance for increasing number of tax deductions from revenue gathered from the transaction (Ramanathan 18). Disadvantages There are disadvantages associated with the offshore business, which makes its business model to be unsuitable for some investors. One of the reason is that is poses the threat of destroying the economy of a country, since there are numerous permanent jobs that are lost, while the increasing number

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Relations - Essay Example This would involve the Americans thinking the worst about Iran and to act out of self-interest. This probably would mean that Iran would be bombed. The second approach could be a liberal one which would involve the U.S. acting within the bounds of the international system. Both of these approaches will be explored in this brief essay. Realism involves looking at the political system in a way that takes self-interest as the paramount motivator for actors. There is not really any such thing as altruism in this theory, only power and efforts to accumulate power. In order to have power, a country must have security (Bell, 2008, p. 25). For the United States, Iran represents a serious security threat to the world order it has established. Iran threatens Israel and to a less extent Saudi Arabia. A lot of the rhetoric from Iran is poisonous and also suggests Iran is a threat. Washington can only take Iran at its word when it says that it wants to destroy Israel, America's ally. The way that Iran treats its own people lends all of this credence too. Because of these factors, the United States should act decisively. Clearly, negotiation has not been successful. For many American realists, the only thing that Iran will understand is force. Following this theory through to its conclusion, it seems necessary for America to bomb Iran. Politicians like Dick Cheney might be described as realists.

Change Resistance In Bureaucratic Organizations In Jordan Management Essay

Change Resistance In Bureaucratic Organizations In Jordan Management Essay A method of appraising managerial employees that has received a great deal of attention in recent years is 360-degree appraisal (also known as multi-rater feedback), whereby rating are given not just by the next manager up in the organisational hierarchy, but also by peers and subordinates. Appropriate customer ratings are also included, along with an element of self-appraisal. Once gathered in, the assessment from the various quarters are compared with one another and the result communicated to the manager concerned. The idea itself is nothing new. Management writers, particularly in the United States, have long advocated the use of upward and peer appraisal as a means of evaluating management performance., but such views have taken a good deal of time to become generally acceptable. The past few years have seen the publication of the major studies of practice in this area, allowing us to reach judgement about the processes involved on the basis of solid evidence. Redman (2001, p65) quotes surveys that show around 40 per cent of major UK companies use it, and 75 per cent of companies in the United States. However, usage in smaller organisation appears to be less common. The recent CIPD survey into performance management practices found that only 14 per cent of respondents worked in organisation that used 360 degree approaches (Armstrong and Baron 2005, p65). Change Resistance in Bureaucratic Organizations in Jordan In this case writer tries to understand why employees resist to accept something new introduced to them, Khassawneh (2005) highlights the reasons and causes behind employees resistance to administrative and hierarchal change in several bureaucratic organizations in Jordan. There were eleven factors, were identified as being major causes of change resistance in bureaucratic agencies. These factors include: inadequate financial and non-financial incentives offered to government employees, lack of employees participation and involvement in the change process, distrust between employees and higher management, expectation of more control and supervision from higher management, expectation of additional job demands and requirements, comfort with status quo, disruption of stable work standards and social relations, lack of goal clarity, lack of employees conviction in the goals of change, fear of loosing job and/or job prerogatives, and the sudden and confused manner in which change is introduced (Khassawneh, 2005) According to Khassawneh (2005) the most significant reason of resistance to change was found out to be lack of employees participation in the change process. This factor was assessed on the basis of two parameters: seniority in organization and number of training programs attended by employees. Senior employees who were part of the organization for five years or less resisted strongly due to lack of participation in the change process than their seniors who had served in the organization for periods ranging from 6-20 years. Employees who had served for five years or less in such government institutions made up 32% of the sample (133 respondents). These individuals were involved in activities concerning of an executive nature and therefore played a significant role in the running of the bureaucratic organizations. Employees who had not attended any training program felt that lack of involvement led to resistance to adopt to new processes/ systems. Therefore this attitude goes to show what an important role the training programmes play, boosting employee morale and involvement as training enables individuals to discover their strengths and weaknesses and also instill in them a sense of belonging in their organization. Therefore the respondents who did not get an opportunity to participate in any training programs claimed to have low sense of involvement with the organization treated the management with greater suspicion, than those who took part in certain training programmes for their career development. Another major cause of resistance to change was as found out by Khassawneh (2005) was lack of proper incentives. This lack of proper incentives was correlated to five of background characteristics of respondents which were namely; seniority, administrative rank, number of training programs attended, age and level of education (Khassawneh, 2005). Younger, low level ranking employees resisted more due to lack of proper incentives. Employees who have served for longer periods of time tend to receive greater incentives as the longer they remain in a government organization. Resistance to adopt a new system also came about when the employees viewed the management with suspicion and distrust (Khassawneh, 2005). Younger employees working at a low level position who did not get adequate decision making authority or those who did not attend enough training programs were mainly the individuals who highly resisted any sort of newly introduced change. Khassawneh (2005) states that if such low ranking employees are also not given enough information regarding the change process, then such employees would always create issues in the organization. The IBM Making Change Work Global Study IBMs (2008) research department addressed the issues as to why most organizations cannot bring about a change successfully in an organization. IBMs research was conducted using a sample size of more than 1,500 key practitioners through surveys and detailed interviews. The purpose of the research was to find out why implementing a change program was met with resistance by the employees and why the program failed to be implemented in most organizations successfully. The study revealed that 44% the projects failed to be completed on deadlines, or within budget or without decided quality of end goals, while 15 percent either ceased or failed to meet any of the objectives. The reasons cited for these failures range from lack of clarity of goals, failure to execute the project successfully from the perspective of the top management and lack of employee involvement, age factor, educational level and fear of new change from the perspective of the employees. The major challenges to change were divided on two parameters; soft factors and hard factors. The soft factors of resistance to change included: changing mindsets and attitudes, corporate culture, complex nature of the change process, lack of dedication from the side of upper level management, and deficiency of motivation of employees involved. While the hard factors of resistance to change included: shortage of resources, lack of change information, not much transparency because of incomplete or unreliable information, change of process change of IT systems, technology barriers. It is was found out from this study that while the hard factors play an important part in hindering the process of change, surprisingly it was the soft factors that was harder to get right. Altering thinking, behaviours and norms of an entity typically need different methods and skills that are applied time after time and over the time. Sometimes they require being applied over a series of consecutive assign ments and even some of them often continue after the project has been finished formally. (IBM, 2008). In order to overcome these resistances, the study then focused on the parameters that made a change successful. While leadership, employee engagement and honest communication were cited as the major areas providing impetus for change; again the list was divided into hard and soft factors that made a change process successful. The soft factors comprised of: higher managements commitment and support, employee motivation and participation, open and accurate communication on timely basis, organization environment and culture that motivates and promotes change. The hard factors included: efficient training programs, adjustment of performance measures, efficient organization structure and monetary and non-monetary incentives. The major responsibility of implementing the change was that of the top management. The results of the research revealed that Practitioners firmly place key responsibility for the fate of change projects in the executive suite, an overwhelming 92 percent named top man agement sponsorship as the most important factor for successful change (IBM, 2008). Therefore it can be concluded from this study that while employees would always be suspicious of any kind of change and would resist the efforts of the management out of this fear and suspicion. It depends upon the top management to ensure timely communication, encouragement of employee involvement and appointing of professional change agents would pave the way for a successful change processes for any organization. Factors Affecting Resistance to Change: A Case Study of Two North Texas Police Departments Gaylor (2001), tried to explore the issues that affect conflict with change. For this purpose a law enforcement agency was chosen as the case in point i.e. two North Texas Police departments where the police consequence of mature education and expectation on the police teams level of opposition to change and the results of contribution and mutual understanding on reliance were examined. There were 5 factors that were identified as very influential on organizational change. These factors were: 1) Employee participation in resistance to change, 2) Trust in management, 3) Communication process, 4) Quality of information available and 5) Education (Kent, 2001) Research resulted that factors that affect resistance from employee side are involvement in the process, believe in management, processes of communication within organization, and exchange of information. The synopsis by Kent (2001) states that employee involvement in the process of change encourages him to feel to be owner for the new system and therefore, boosts the level of comfort and trust between employees and the management. Secondly, the organization needs to have a proper system of communication for employee remedy and support. This also increases the level of trust between the two stakeholders. Third, employees must be provided with accurate and timely information so as to reduce the level of chaos that is normally created at the time of change in any organization. And finally, to feel secure about their jobs and statuses and other issues of change process, employees have to have a high level of trust in management. Leading and Coping with Change Woodword Hendry in 2004 undertook 2 surveys to look at different perspectives in research on how change is being managed in financial services institutions of Londons. These involved representatives of senior management personnel who were responsible for initiation of change in the organizational and all other employees inclusive of managers experiencing change while serving at different levels. The aims of the study were: To define the skills and attitudes required to lead change and those needed effectively to cope with change and To develop a model to show how change is absorbed within the organization They organized their findings in five parts as described below, which have been arranged in the following manner. In the 1st section, as people keep on seeking to explore that what is going on in their organization, states what the employees and employers consider as the main pressures for change, their formal boss responses, and in what ways these changes have impacted their careers. Then, as conventional ways of working are tempered, in parts two and three they show how people cope and what different resources are required in terms of skills and competencies to perform well in this new changed environment. Then in part four they describe specific qualities required by the change managers to cultivate with respect to employee needs. Finally, they state what the organizations do in order to support their employees throughout the change process, and how senior management and employees perceive this. The results of this research provide the researchers with reasons behind the failure of many initiatives of change process and how failures may be managed successfully. Woodword Hendry (2004) then investigated what various employee coping strategies were adopted during the change process. They told employees to indicate the level of their readiness in responding to any further changes in their job or work. A considerably large fraction of those who were surveyed were seen to be ready for the change and considered it a part of life with a positive feel about it. As coping is about creating a balance between demands and living within the limitation of the system, employees were told to specify main hindrances they had to handle with in the new environment. Five factors that were extracted from this exercise were: Increased accountability but reduced resources. A focus on tasks with a corresponding neglect of employees. Feelings of insecurity and uncertainty in roles and direction. Other employees not coping and lacking skills to adapt. Managers themselves failing to cope, and employing poor coping strategies. On a question of most helpful personal coping strategies, employees listed several strategies, which included from proactive approach to denial or avoidance. The researchers also studied the various competencies that are required for coping with the change. Adapting to negative or positive coping strategies is affected by the way in which employees perceive demands and resources balance in the new employee-to-work relationship in changed environment. Hence, coping strategies are influenced by the availability of resources. Skills and competencies are a major personal resource. Employees specified a number of skills and competencies they found especially helpful in absorbing and coping with change: Communicating with others holding different perspectives (since nowadays people work in teams for many activities). Organizing work and managing time effectively (in response to increased job scope and the need to meet a variety of objectives). Assimilating and interpreting information (to identify significant information and filter out irrelevancies). Dealing with people (since financial and professional service organizations deliver many of their services through people). Innovative problem solving. Also specifying the above mentioned skills, employees rated many other personal abilities, skills and qualities as very important. These include motivation; judgment accuracy; customer need understanding; commercial awareness; ability of influencing and negotiation; lively mind; and positive attitude towards change. Senior managers were of the view that key personal skills or capabilities of performing well in a dynamic environment should also contain a dedication to change, acceptance of the changing situation, an ability to gel in the changed environment, and a variety of personality traits. Woodword Hendry (2004) then go on to discuss how important is it to for the change managers to lead change in a competent manner. However, this important part is still overlooked by a considerable minority level, with 33 percent of senior managers claiming that human aspects were ignored in the change initiatives. Only 20 percent employees rated the concerned management as very able enough to implement changes in the organization. Almost all the rest had equally divided responses, ranging from average to poor. In spite of the low rating, employees were observed have a sense of sympathy and appreciation for difficulties faced my management in leading and managing the change. Employees were inquired as to when and how sometimes it becomes difficult or hard for employees to absorb change or adopt it. These key areas were classified into six categories, as follows: Communicating (not being kept informed, receiving conflicting messages, wanting to understand but not being given explanations); The change process itself (when change is perceived as happening too slowly or too fast, when leaders are seen to hold unrealistic expectations, or when change is managed with incorrect sequencing); Relationships (including situations when change leaders seem remote and isolated from employees, do not exhibit constructive attitudes and behaviours, or behave in an autocratic fashion); Consultation (when employees do not feel they are informed or consulted, and when staff needs and ideas are disregarded); Skills and experience (when change leaders are seen as lacking the required skills, abilities and experience, and when the change leader lacks credibility); Motivation for change (when there appears a lack of involvement or motivation for change at the top, or among senior managers elsewhere in the organization). The employees were also inquired about how managers, actions could be was most helpful to them to cope with changes in the organization. Out of 19 objects gathered from the traditional change management literature, each except one was rated very helpful or quite helpful. Senior managers identified the competencies such as strong leadership, purpose/mission clarity, enthusiasm, participative employees, and improved communication. These were somehow similar with then ones identified by the employees. Again this is not applicable to conventional behaviours and with top-down attitude. Finally, employees were told to express their feelings on the extent they received support while the implementation of change in the organization with the statement: employees are provided with adequate problem prevention and support to cope with organization changes. While a majority of the senior management staff agreed with this statement, less than 25 percent of employees did. There is, therefore, a gap in how each looks at the quantity of support provided. For example, a majority of employees said that their employer entity let them have sufficient authority to get their work done in an effective manner, and hence, there existed better professional relationships but for other factors, only a minority reported availability of support. On the other hand, the most common mechanisms of support that senior managers report included detailed career development counseling with their employees so that they could be skilled enough to be ready their new job responsibilities; skills enhance ment; telling them as to where the organization is heading, and what would be the roles and responsibilities of employees; measures to make sure that there is an alignment between structures and systems and improved salary and perks packages through career management programmes. Comparing this with what employees report, Woodword Hendry (2004) state that employees and managers do agree on some of the important points, but show disagreement on how adequately the provision of these is. Managers also rely on comparatively few major sources of support. Eventually, organization employees emphasize more or less entirely on those things that give them a sense of control and autonomy, while managers rely on the things which they control as managers. This then continues in the pattern where senior managers exhibit a traditional leadership model, while employees be able to get a wide variety of behaviours that are useful for them.

Personal Statement Essay -- College Admissions Essays

Personal Statement Hmmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦What shall I tell you about me? You, the person who will decide my fate, my fate as to whether I would go to CU-Boulder, go live in Colorado, go snowboarding in the mountains, meet lots of interesting people, and have the most wonderful experience†¦I better make myself sound worthy. First off, I want you to know that I'm an unparalleled individual, whose outlook on life is of total optimism. Through out my 18 years, I've become freinds with people from all walks of life. I've learned to empathize with just about every one of them, gaining the greatest understanding in a variety of remarkable characters. One of my favorite, a homeless lady who's called Polly, tells the most incredible stories of love and the many men she has encountered in her 54 years of life. She lives under a bridge and panhandles for a living, yet she appears so happy and dandy, and she can put a smile on my face any day. She's the kind of person who makes me appreciate all the little things people like myself normally take for granted. I come from a family in which the parents struggled starting fresh at 30 years old in a new world, America. They came here in refuge from a country whose leader had forsaken his people, leaving them in a four year long nightmare in which over two million people were done to death. That country is Cambodia. The parents came to America, after having survived such evil and cruelty, not knowing a word of English, yet they persevered with desire of better lives for their two daughters. One of them, the oldest, is I. My father made me start training in Martial Arts, Tae Kwon Do, when I was 13 years old. He wanted me to have self-discipline and self-confidence†¦well, I guess I should thank him because all that training worked. Tae Kwon Do is a way of life for me. The tenants in which I practice are integrity, self-control, perseverance, and indomitable spirit. They may sound cheesy, but if you think about it, hey, it's actually ver y ethical. My father gave me martial arts, and my 14-year-old sister introduced snowboarding to me when I was 16. I love snowboarding! I basically taught myself how to board, well†¦ with the help of viewing my sister's skillfulness. I plan on indulging myself with Tae kwon Do and snowboarding for the rest of my life! I just can't stress enough on how much I love it! My parents and I have many expectations for m... ...of the National Honor Society (and I would also like to thank the reader for having the tenacity to make it this far). My involvement with People to People has taught me such traits as personal responsibility and integrity, through Jets TEAMS and my participation on the Granby Tennis Team I have learned about the importance of teamwork and group dynamics, and by being a web-master for a completely non-profit website, I have learned how to be self-sacrificing, and about how rewarding this can be. I would hope that all these instances have already been elaborated upon completely enough in the previous paragraphs that I do not need to do so again. If this is not the case then maybe I really do not have what it takes to become a member of the NHS. I believe that by now I have demonstrated that I posses the qualities of scholarship, leadership, character, and service. I also feel that if I am fortunate enough to earn inclusion in the NHS, that I would do nothing detract from the prest ige and respectability that is associated with the National Honor Society. But ultimately that is a choice which is left up to you, the reader. Now that I have had my say, it is time for you to have yours†¦

The Effect of Exclusionary Rule and Fourth Amendment

The Effect of the Fourth Amendment is to put the courts of the United States and Federal officials, in the exercise of their own power and authority, under limitations and restraints as to the exercise of such power and authority, and to forever secure the people, their persons, houses, papers and effects against all unreasonable searches and seizures under the guise of law (Ronald 605). The Constitution does not tolerate warrantless, therefore illegal, police searches and seizures–unless there is probable cause. The rights which the Fourth Amendment states were strengthened when the Supreme Court preceded the Exclusionary Rule, and herefore, the rights of the people were strengthened as The Exclusionary Rule, first preceded in 1914, is the understanding, based on Supreme Court precedent, that incriminating information must be seized according to constitutional specifications of due process, or it will not be allowed as evidence (Schmalleger 273). Even the guilty have a right to claim innocence. Hence, this right would be worthless if incriminating evidence was allowed to be obtained, distributed, and used illegally. Furthermore, according to the Supreme Court, â€Å"If letters and private documents can thus be seized and held and used in evidence gainst a citizen accused of an offense, the protection of the Fourth Amendment declaring his right to be sure against such searches and seizures is of no value, and, so for as those thus placed are concerned, might as well be stricken from the Constitution† (Ronald 605). If that â€Å"tainted violence† can be used in court, then the 4th Amendment offers no real protection to a person accused of a crime (Magruder 524). The exclusionary rule was intended to put teeth into the 4th Amendment, and it has (Magruder 524). The Court further built upon the rules concerning evidence in 1918, with the Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine-a legal principle which excludes from introduction at trial any evidence later developed as a result of an originally illegal search or seizure (Schmalleger 274). The Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine was enforced after the case of Silverthorne Lumber Co. v. United States in 1918. Frederick Silverthorne and his sons were accused of avoiding payment on federal taxes. They were asked to hand over their company's books. The Silverthornes refused, citing their Fifth Amendment privilege against self- incrimination (Schmalleger 274). Shortly thereafter, some federal agents ignored their rights and without warrant, eized the wanted books anyway. Since this was an unconstitutional act, the Silverthorne's lawyer testified and asked for the books to be returned. The prosecutor granted his request, and the books were returned. Expecting all incriminating evidence to have descended, the Silverthornes where testified in trial. Much to their surprise, however, the prosecution had made photocopies of the books they seized, and used them as evidence against the Silverthornes. Hence, they were convicted in federal court. They appealed their conviction and their appeal reached the Supreme Court. The Court uled that just as illegally seized evidence cannot be used in a trial, neither can evidence be used which derives from an illegal seizure (Schmalleger 274). The conviction of the Silverthornes was overturned and they were set free. The illegal evidence reproduced from materials obtained by an illegal seizure dismissed the whole case because the prosecutors did not follow the Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine. Think of it this way: If you have a box full of apples, and then you put a rotten one in the bunch, they will all become rotten at some point. Hence, all the evidence–fruit–obtained from an illegal mean–poisoned ree–is not admissible even if the evidence itself is good† (Gomez interview). Even if a case is developed on years of police research, it may be dejected if that research and the evidence it revealed was obtained Like the Constitution, however, the exclusionary rule is not written in stone. It can be amended and exceptions can be installed to it. In the case of United Sates v. Leon in 1984, the exclusionary rule was first modified with â€Å"the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule. † This exception states that law enforcement officers who conduct a search, or seize evidence, on the basis of ood faith (that is, where they believe they are operating according to the dictates of the law) and who later discover that a mistake was made (perhaps in the format of the application for a search warrant) may still use, in court, evidence seized as the result of such activities (Schmalleger 277). In the Leon case, the officers involved acted upon probable cause, a legal criterion residing in a set facts and circumstances which would cause a reasonable person to believe that a particular other person has committed a specific crime (Schmalleger 277). The suspect, Leon, was accused of trafficking drugs. He was placed nder surveillance, which showed evidence of large amounts of hidden drugs. This lead the investigators to apply for a search warrant. They believed that they were in compliance with the Fourth Amendment requirement that â€Å"no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause† (Schmalleger 277). Although Leon was convicted of drug trafficking, a later ruling in a federal district court resulted in the suppression of evidence against him on the basis that the original affidavit, or document demonstrating the probable cause, prepared by the police had not, in the opinion of the court, been sufficient to establish probable cause (Schmalleger 277). Shortly after, the government petitioned the Supreme Court to decide if the evidence gathered by the officers may still be admissible in trial. The Court decided: â€Å"When law enforcement officers have acted in objective good faith or their transgressions have been minor, the magnitude of the benefit conferred on such guilty defendants offends basic concepts of the criminal justice system† (Schmalleger 277). Due to this, Leon's It is no doubt that over the past few decades more and more justice agencies have become dependent upon computer technology for record management and other purposes (Schmalleger 282). Hence, the likelihood of omputer-generated errors will vastly grow When this trend continues. Computer-generated errors have become the base of another exception to the exclusion rule, the â€Å"computer errors exception. † It was first created in the 1995 case of Arizona v. Evans. Mr. Isaac Evans was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. With a computer check reporting an outstanding arrest warrant, he was taken into custody. Shortly after, Evans was convicted due to the police finding marijuana in his car. After his arrest, however, police learned that the arrest warrant reported to them by their computer had actually been quashed a few eeks earlier but, through the clerical oversight of a court employee, had never been removed form the computer (Schmalleger 282). The Court later decided that the officers who made the arrest cannot be held accountable for their unintentional disobedience of the exclusionary rule. They were simply acting in good faith according to the information that was provided to them at the time. Isaac The Supreme Court's articulation of the exclusionary rule came in Weeks v. United States, 1914. This was the first landmark case concerning search and seizure and it changed to Fourth Amendment forever. The defendant, Mr. Freemont Weeks, was convicted for selling lottery tickets through the US Postal Service. The evidence against him included various letters and documents that had been seized from his house during a warrantless search (Ronald 604). When Weeks moved for a return of the property due to the violation of the Fourth Amendment in the officers' part, only the non-incriminating evidence was given back. Hence, Weeks was convicted. However, shortly after, he appealed his conviction and it reached the Supreme Court. There, his lawyer reasoned that if some of his client's belongings had been illegally seized, then the emainder of them were also taken improperly (Schmalleger 273). The Supreme Court reversed: â€Å"The United States Marshal could only have invaded the house of the accused when armed with a warrant issued as required by the Constitution, upon sworn information and describing with reasonable particularity the thing for which the search was to be made. Instead, he acted without sanction of law, doubtless prompted by the desire to bring further proof to the aid of the Government, and under solor of his office undertook to make a seizure of private papers in direct violation of the constitutional prohibition against such action. Under such circumstances, without sworn information and particular description, not even an order of court would have justified such procedure, much less was it within the authority of the United States Marshal to thus invade the house and privacy of the accused† (Ronald 605). The Court held that the seizure of items from Week's residence directly violated his constitutional rights and that the government's refusal to return Week's possessions violated the Fourth Amendment (Oyez). Thus, the Supreme Court overturned Week's earlier convictions and the However, the Weeks case made the exclusionary rule pertinent to only the federal government. It was not until Mapp v. Ohio that it also became applicable to the States. Miss Mapp and her daughter by a former marriage lived on the floor of the two-family dwelling (Case 1). Police officers had been on her trail because she was suspected of obscuring, in her house, a man wanted for information on a recent bombing, and for the possession of lewd books and pictures, which was unconstitutional (Supreme 1081). When the officers insisted on entering her home for investigation, she refused, asking them to get a warrant first. The officers advised their headquarters of the situation and undertook surveillance of the house (Case 1). Some three hours later, a larger amount of officers arrived at the scene. When they asked her to come out once again and she repeatedly refused, one of the doors in her house was forcibly opened and the policemen commenced their illegal search in the house. Miss Mapp's lawyer arrived shortly after but the officers, having secured their own entry and continuing their defiance of the law, would permit him neither to see Miss Mapp not to enter the house Miss Mapp continued to protest this illegal act and demanded to see the search warrant. One of the officers help up a fake one, which was snatched from his hand by her and placed in her bosom. As a result, there was a big struggle and she was handcuffed. Afterwards, she was forced upstairs where the investigators searched her closets, dressers, rooms, the rest of the second floor, the child's room, the living room, the kitchen, and a dinette. During that widespread and illegal search, the materials which she was suspected of holding were found, Prior decisions by the U. S. Supreme Court had led officers to expect that the exclusionary rule did not apply to agents of state and local law enforcement (Schmalleger 275). Nonetheless, Mapp's conviction was overturned by the precedent-setting decision that the officers were acting gainst the Fourth Amendment's guarantee that the exclusionary rule should be applicable to the States: â€Å"†¦ or shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. † (Schmalleger 275). The majority court's opinion, as Mr. Justice Black states, was that the constitutional basis of the rule announced by the Court in the present case was the Fourth Amendment ‘s ban against unreasonable searches and seizures considered together with the Fifth Amendment's ban against compelled self- ncrimination (Supreme 1081). Thus, the exclusionary rule The exclusionary rule's precedent brought forth two argumentative problems, however. One of these problems if that the present appeals system, focusing as it does upon the â€Å"rules of the game,† presents a ready-made channel for the guilty to go free (Schmalleger 273). â€Å"If you think about it, the evidence needed to prove a person guilty of a crime is, to my understanding, enough the confirm the person's culpability, and that person should be punished nonetheless. It shouldn't matter whether or not the arresting officer(s) acted unconstitutionally, in which ase, both the criminal and the officer both should be punished. A person's â€Å"guilt† can never be decreased because of the misconduct of another (Gomez interview). Weeks, Mapp, and the Silverthornes are all examples of this problem. The evidence used to incriminate them, whether obtained legally or illegally, prove that they are guilty of disobeying the law in one way or another. Even if the police knowingly violate the principles of due process, which they sometimes do, our sense of justice is compromised When the guilty go free (Schmalleger 273). As police officers, it is their duty to make sure that the guilty are punished. The exclusionary rule somewhat gets in the way of this responsibility. Of course officers should not take advantage and act recklessly, â€Å"but desperate times do call for desperate measures (Gomez Despite these problems, the exclusionary rules has obviously had some positive effects and changes on society. The Fourth Amendment is a very important and critical one in maintaining citizens' property and privacy theirs and the exclusionary rule has established real value to it. The Exclusionary Rule has been justified in part on the ground that it is essential to prevent the fourth amendment from becoming â€Å"a form of words, valueless and ndeserving of mention in a perpetual charter of inestimable human liberties† (Ronald 604). Also, the Weeks, Mapp, and Silverthorne cases are all examples of the exclusionary rules protection against police misconduct. â€Å"Just because they're the boys in blue does not mean that they can be the boys who abuse (Gomez interview). † As an American citizen, and thanks to the exclusionary rule, one has the right to object against illegal searches and seizures. The exclusionary rule In conclusion, the exclusionary rule totally revolutionized the power and rights against invasion of privacy and police misconduct.

Free Essays on Basquiat

I saw Basquiat the movie, and it wasn’t what I expected. Although, I am not sure what exactly I expected. Before watching this movie, I had no knowledge of John-Michel Basquiat, except for the slides that were shown in art appreciation of his work. I was quite confused by his economic status, did he have money and pretend to be poor? Or was he actually poor because he didn’t get along with his wealthy parents? He was sleeping in a box in the beginning and then he was staying at his friends house, then he had his own place, then he lived with his girlfriend and then someone said something about his parents having money, I was very confused by all of this. Also, I didn’t know that Andy Worhol was whacked, but I guess all creative people have to be at least a little crazy, that’s not a bad thing. David Bowie was very endearing as Worhol, I really liked the way he played it. Another thing that surprised me is that people were smoking in buildings, I was n’t really around back when that was aloud so it was kind of surreal to me. And it looked like Basquiat constantly had a joint in his hand! I don’t know how things were back then, but smoking weed in an art gallery? I just don’t see how that’s appropriate, maybe they let him get away with more because he’s the revered artist, but that’s crazy! Basquiat really showed the bad side of the art world, a side I had never contemplated before. For instance, when Basquiat was sleeping in the box outside and Rene was on the bench, Rene didn’t even acknowledge him when he stepped out of his box. They ran into each other a few more times without any conversation or acknowledgement. Until they were both at a party and Basquiot had some of his work there, Rene saw it and all of the sudden, he cared who that grubby looking black boy was. That’s so superficial. Then Rene took him under his wing, but once everyone heard that Basquiat was the hot new thing, they all wa... Free Essays on Basquiat Free Essays on Basquiat I saw Basquiat the movie, and it wasn’t what I expected. Although, I am not sure what exactly I expected. Before watching this movie, I had no knowledge of John-Michel Basquiat, except for the slides that were shown in art appreciation of his work. I was quite confused by his economic status, did he have money and pretend to be poor? Or was he actually poor because he didn’t get along with his wealthy parents? He was sleeping in a box in the beginning and then he was staying at his friends house, then he had his own place, then he lived with his girlfriend and then someone said something about his parents having money, I was very confused by all of this. Also, I didn’t know that Andy Worhol was whacked, but I guess all creative people have to be at least a little crazy, that’s not a bad thing. David Bowie was very endearing as Worhol, I really liked the way he played it. Another thing that surprised me is that people were smoking in buildings, I was n’t really around back when that was aloud so it was kind of surreal to me. And it looked like Basquiat constantly had a joint in his hand! I don’t know how things were back then, but smoking weed in an art gallery? I just don’t see how that’s appropriate, maybe they let him get away with more because he’s the revered artist, but that’s crazy! Basquiat really showed the bad side of the art world, a side I had never contemplated before. For instance, when Basquiat was sleeping in the box outside and Rene was on the bench, Rene didn’t even acknowledge him when he stepped out of his box. They ran into each other a few more times without any conversation or acknowledgement. Until they were both at a party and Basquiot had some of his work there, Rene saw it and all of the sudden, he cared who that grubby looking black boy was. That’s so superficial. Then Rene took him under his wing, but once everyone heard that Basquiat was the hot new thing, they all wa...

Should You Send the 4 Free SAT Score Reports

Should You Send the 4 Free SAT Score Reports SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Few things in life are free – especially when it comes to college admissions. You have to shell out for prep books, test fees, application fees, and more. It adds up quickly! So doesn’t it make sense to save money where you can, like on those four free score reports that come with your SAT registration? Maybe – or maybe not. We will examine the issue in depth and help you learn how to save your money and also maximize your college admission chances. Why Students Often Send the 4SAT Reports When you register for the SAT, you have the option of choosing four colleges for your score report to be sent to, free of charge. You even have until 9 days after the test to add or change the colleges. Scores normally cost $11.25 per school to send, so you’re saving yourself $45 dollars. Many students go ahead and send the four free score reports. It’s free, so it seems like there isn't much to lose. Plus, you have to send your scores eventually, so why not do it when it’s free? Furthermore, some students think it demonstrates interest in a college to choose them as a score recipient. It might also motivate a student to study hard if they know their scores are being sent straight to their top-choice schools. All in all, it seems like a pretty good option, right? Well, that all depends on which schools you pick. Reasons Sending the Reports Could Be a Bad Idea While you certainly can save money by sending the four free score reports, there are several risks that come with using them. First of all, it’s worth clarifying you’re not getting any kind of a leg up in the college application process by sending scores early – colleges don’t keep track of or favor students who began their applications earlier or communicate with the admissions office in any way. The overall strength of your application matters most, not when you begin it. â€Å"Your completed application is all the demonstrated interest we need. We don’t track visits, communications, college fairs, or web events to enhance or detract from anyone’s application," says Dartmouth College on their admissions website. Stanford University says the same thing:"We know by the very fact of your applying that you are seriously interested in Stanford. We do not keep records of prospective student contacts with our office." Bottom line, the strength of your overall application is what matters to colleges. And a huge chunk of your application will be the test scores you send. Which is why the score reports can be a risk. The free score reports are sent automatically after your test is scored – you can’t take them back if you look at your scores and they’re lower than you wanted. This means a college you might really want to go to now has your less-than-stellar score. Unless you feel like chasing down a mail truck and stealing back your scores... This will negate using Score Choice (choosing your top SAT scores from multiple sittings) at any school you send the free score reports to. This is a risky move, especially if you send your scores to competitive schools. Plus, there are many reasons why the four free score reports might not be as helpful as you think. You might not end up applying to all four schools you list, especially if you’re taking the test as a sophomore or in junior fall. Most students’ college lists fluctuate a lot over the course of high school. While you're not wasting money if you don't end up applying to the four schools you send your scores to, it goes to show how those four reports are not necessarily helpful. Furthermore, if you retake the SAT, unless you choose the exact same four schools, you’ll have to re-send any new reports if you get a higher score the second time. So unless there are four schools you’re positive you’re going to apply to and you’re not worried sending lower scores will hurt your admission chances, the four free score reports can be a risk. While you can potentially save money by taking advantage of the free reports, you should be careful about which schools you choose. We will discuss two potential ways to get around this below. Our Strategy For the Free Score Reports While we wouldn’t tell you to never send the score reports, as it can be a cost-saving option, there is a way to be smart about it. Read about the two best options below – not sending the score reports at all or sending them only to your safety schools or â€Å"all scores† schools. Option 1: Don't Sent Any Reports This is the only way to be sure you won't accidentally send poor SAT scores to a college you're interested in. Not sending any score reports allows you to relax and focus on the test. You’re the only one who will see your scores for now. If you need to retake it, you’ll retake it. You don’t have to stress about a college seeing your scores immediately. Furthermore, not sending scores can be smart because you’re likely not going to finalize your application list until senior fall. It’s hard to predict where exactly you’re applying as a sophomore or junior when you take the SAT. In fact, the only schools you might be sure about are your dream or â€Å"reach† schools, precisely the schools you don’t want to be sending scores to blind. While you may end up paying more for score reports down the road, you will only be sending the scores you want to send to the colleges you want to apply to. By keeping your college application list manageable, you can save money on score reports and application fees. Option 2: Send the Reports to Safety and "All Scores" Schools If you really want to take advantage of those score reports, send them to your safety schools – ones you are fairly sure you will apply to and you know you won’t have trouble getting into. Or send them to any schools you’re interested in that require all scores anyway. Yale is one of many schools that require your complete testing record to be sent. By sending scores to safety schools, even if your score is lower than expected, you’re likely not hurting your chances of admission. And even if your scores are lower than expected and they go to all scores schools, that would happen anyway, even if you didn't send the reports for free. This way, you can save some money down the line when you’re applying to college without jeopardizing your chances of admission at competitive schools that accept Score Choice. How to Request Free Waivers for More Score Reports Many students today apply to more than four colleges, which means sending more than four score reports. If sending additional SAT scores presents a financial hardship for your family, you can get four more as part of a fee waiver from College Board. (The fee waiver also allows you to take the SAT twice for free, as well as two SAT Subject Tests.) Your high school counselor has to request the fee waver, so make an appointment with them as soon as possible to begin the process. This will take the pressure to send the four score reports just because they’re free. Other Tips for Keeping Costs Down Make sure you finalize your college application list early in senior fall and give yourself plenty of time to send scores so you don’t have to pay the extra rush delivery fee. This is a way to keep application costs down, not to mention your stress levels! Also, you shouldn’t be applying to a super long list of schools. All of those application fees and score-sending fees will add up quickly. Try to keep your list to 10 or fewer, and with a mix of safety schools, likely schools, and reach schools. Finally, carefully research score choice versus all scores schools. If you are mostly applying to schools that accept Score Choice, you will have the option to only send your best SAT scores. Don’t throw that chance away by sending SAT scores before you’ve seen them yourself. What’s Next? So what kind of SAT score should you be aiming for? Use our guide to create a target score based on your top-choice schools. Not sure if you should retake the SAT? We have a guide to help you decide. Need some help getting ready for the SAT? Learn how to stop running out of time on the Math section, how to read the passages in Critical Reading, and the grammar rules you must know for the writing section. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Law Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law - Term Paper Example Consequently, copyright law functions more as a tool to defend creators and not as a system promoting innovation and creativity. Indirect infringement in the US comes under vicarious liability (Shapiro, Bernstein v. HL Green 326 F.2d 304 (2nd Cir. 1963)) and/or contributory liability (Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios, 464 U.S. 417 (1984)). Where as, in Canada indirect infringement is known as secondary infringement. At the same time with regard to "fair use" doctrine this doctrine can be used in the US in a very broad sense than in Canada. This means that the provisions of fair use are more liberally interpreted in the US than they are in Canada. This is the background of the discussion for this paper. The most important factor of copyright law is linked to the public interest. Copyright law actually protects and for ever tries to equalize the requirement for motivators for creativeness and the requirement to allow society to approach works created (B Kaplan, 1967; P Goldstein, 1970; R C Denicola, 1979; M J Radin, 1982; D Baird, 1983 and I E Novos and M Waldman, 1984). Widening the security rendered by copyright furnishes better incentives for generators, but constricts the public area, that is, the general cultural resources to which the public has contact. Bringing in the right balance linking adequate incentives for originality and limiting the public domain has at all times been, and yet is, one of the major tests of copyright law. The Canadian and US laws look very different on their face as one anticipates different consequences in both the countries with regard to infringement of copyright laws. This is true only to a certain extent. Therefore, when a report is published by the Canadian government or a group which is the agent of the crown can claim copyright of the report in Canada (Dableh v. Ontario Hydro, 1993)i. Whereas the same report, if published by any arm of the US federal government, cannot claim

Variation of Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Variation of Capitalism - Essay Example This essay declares  with the globalization of management structures and the integration of global economic systems, all the economic systems in the world are supposed to follow a standardized structure, but in actuality that is not the case. There are several variations in the economic structures in the world, as well as in the practices of capitalism.According to the paper findings  the effort of converging to a single and effective type of market economy, from the late 19th century has been diminished by the substantial variations among the dominant firms, practices of employment, supplier-customer relationships. As the global economy continues to become more integrated, the societies having different institutional arrangements will eventually continue to develop and create a variation in the economic systems.  The variations are on the grounds of economic and social capabilities in particular sectors and industries. As a result, a country becomes specialized in one sector b ut lacks in the other. The UK economy in the late 20th century was strong in financial services and architecture; on the other hand, they were weaker in construction and assembly line manufacturing.  The institutional subsidiary systems which govern the capital and labour market shape the capitalist models, and when they act in a calibrated manner they reinforce all the sub systems.  The comparative advantage system creates specific ways to adjust any incoming changes.