Over the Hedge Essay Example for Free

Over the Hedge Essay Over the Hedge is an animated film about the difficulties little harmless animals experience when man encroaches on their habitat (Fry, 2006). The film starts with the end of winter and the animals in the forest are coming out of hibernation. A hyperactive and mischievous raccoon named RJ forages on the junk food of the bear; he escapes alive with the promise of returning all of the bear’s food within a week. On the other side, a family of cute little animals awakens with a green wall in the middle of their forest and suddenly fears what lies beyond the hedge. Verve the turtle ventures over the hedge to find out what was on the other side; however he was subjected to the ferocious human machines like the lawn mower, grass sprinkler, bikes and etc. He returns to the forest and warns that no one should ever venture over the hedge as it is dangerous. The group of animals however had another problem, they had no food. Then here comes, the rascal raccoon RJ and convinces the group that humans throw out their food every time and all they needed to do was go out there and gather it. Verve disagreed and warned them against the idea, but as food became scarce Verve finally agreed with RJ. RJ on the other hand was really thinking of how the group could help him gather the food he owed the bear and here the conflict started. The rest of the film tells about friendship, trust, honesty and love of family. The film does this effectively within the context of man’s environmental responsibility to be stewards of Mother Nature. The plot of the story was actually very simple however, since the characters were cute, furry, funny and adorable animals, the film held much interest. The visuals were very good; it was clear, crisp and very alive. Although one would notice that it was not created in the traditional way, in fact the movie’s animation were all computer generated, from the drawing to the filming. The sound was in the standard Dolby format, and it was clear and loud, however some of the characters dialogues were tweaked to resemble that of the animal, sometimes the dialogue got lost in the way it was pronounced but one could still understand the gist of the sentence. I especially liked the three baby possums because they were really cute, and they were very funny. They had this way of saying things in chorus and then either refuting or supporting each other and their thoughts resembled the candidness of children. The vividness of the colors and images really fed my interest in the film, however I was lost in the burping of the squirrel and the farting of the skunk, maybe the director thought it would add to the comedic element of the film, but it did not feel that way to me. The film talks about the importance of living well with our animal friends, and it shows a very real example of how man react to animals when they start invading our homes and community. The film however had the ability to make us realize that man had been the first to invade the animals’ home and since they get their food from their ecosystem, man’s invasion of their habitat also affects their existence (Peabody, 2006). The film is far from serious and boring, it is funny, entertaining and honest, and brutally honest I must say. The film actually appealed to my sense of justice and equality knowing that man and beast should live together in the best possible way. Although, the film was targeted for children of all ages, some of the dialogues were brazen and crude, thus the film landed in the PG rating, but all the same it contains the essential elements of a good story, interesting characters, excellent animation and great actors and this held my interest in the film until its end.

Population of Bird in Acacia Mangium Proposal

Population of Bird in Acacia Mangium Proposal BIRD POPULATION IN EIGHT YEARS OLD OF Acacia Mangium PLANTATION IN SABAH LEE WOONJAH 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background of Study Bird is a class of animals that live in a wide range of environments, from the tropical regions to the polar region. Them consists over 10,000 species (Betz Parr, n.d.). Each species of bird has a restricted range of size from small to large because the wing size of birds is vary. In tropical region, birds play roles as pest controller or pollinator to plants and animals. In Borneo, there are 643 species of birds recorded. (Wong, 2012). However, bird species found in natural forest and plantation are different. Many tropical forests have been converted into plantation or agriculture due to the demand of raw materials. According to FAO (XX), many private sectors are involve in forest plantation plan such as Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), Sabah Softwoods (SS), Sabah Forest Department Authority (SAFODA) and other companies. Those companies are established fast growing tree species in forest plantation area. Tree species planted are generally exotic such as Acacia mangium, Paraserianthes falcataria and Tectona grandis. The reason for plant exotic species is provide sustainable supply of wood materials for its industrial uses in short periods. To ensure the sustainable wood material supply, fast growing species of trees are recommended to the industrial plantation. Acacia mangium is a species that contribute for the wood production in Malaysia. A. mangium has been planted widely in East Malaysia for the wood based industry. (Adam et al, n.d.) This species of tree is well develops in Sabah because of its desirable properties which is rapid growth, good wood quality and tolerance to poor soil condition. (Krisnawati et al., 2011) Acacia mangium is originates from the humid tropical forest of north-eastern Australia. The tree species was successful introduced to Sabah in the mid of 1960’s. (Krisnawati et al., 2011) This fast growing species can produce more raw materials for the industrial uses in a shorter period. However, conversion of natural forest to plantation or agricultural will influence the habitat of bird. In forest plantation, the food resources may decrease or confine and also influence the place for nesting. As such, the relationship between species of bird and its population is important to be investigated. 1.2 Problem Statement Birds consist of different composition base on its attribute and adaptation to forest plantation. Bird can be biological controller and pollinator. For example, biological pest control is more suitable for control of pest compare to chemical in order to ensure the quality of trees. However, bird population is different in many types of forest. The reason is mostly the development of land under the plantation planning. The land-use planning confines the vegetation such as monoculture. Vegetation in primary forest is dense and richer then forest plantation. Therefore, bird species is more diverse and the population of bird is higher. Birds are migrates from one place to another place due to vary reason. The most common reason is environment change. Food resources are not diverse as primary forest. Mostly forest plantation is undergoes monoculture planting method. Tree species for plantation in Sabah are generally fast growing species such as Acacia mangium, Eucalyptus deglupta, Tectona grandis and others species. Clear felling before establish plantation can cause bird population decline dramatically. The reason is no suitable place for nesting and feeding. On the other hand, this type of research is seldom done in forest plantation. However, there are some researches done in Sabah Softwoods (SS) but not yet done in SFI. The previous study is not focus on bird population in forest plantation. The study of bird population requires to updates constantly due to the global changing. Therefore, this comparison is important to obtain more precise data with the previous study. 1.3 Justification Bird species in forest plantation remains lack of publishable information for investigate bird population in Sabah. Limitation of data will influence it credibility for future plantation planning and management. Through this research, general bird species will be investigated and evaluate the bird population in Acacia mangium plantation at the age of five year old. This finding of study can act as the future references for the occurrence and assemblage of bird species in forest plantation. 1.4 Objectives To investigate the population of bird in Acacia mangium of eight years old. To compare the bird diversity in forest plantation with the previous study. 1.5 Limitation There are some limitations in this research. First limitation is weather. Bird observation is usually conducts under sunny or cloudy day. Observation normally does not conduct during raining day because birds are hard to identify and the safety factors. Secondly, Timing for bird observation is critical. Bird observation is conduct start from seven o’clock at morning until noon. The reason is observer require to know the bird habitats such the duration time for searching food sources. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Definition of Bird Bird is an animal that consists of more than 8600 species worldwide. (McDade, 2005) Birds are grouped into the Animalia Kingdom, Phylum of Chordata and under the class of Aves. (â€Å"Bird Calssifications/ Families†, 2009). All types of birds consist of backbone and hence are grouped into the Chordata Phylum. In the Class Aves, birds can be classify into 23-40 orders.(â€Å"Bird classification†, 2015) The size of birds are vary due to its habitat and also influenced by the environments. Birds have few characteristics such pair of wings, bill, tails, and feathers to distinguish them with others. Wings are the important part for birds to fly. Birds, unlike the others animals, are walk on the ground but mostly they have evolved the capability for flight. Birds have moveable wings but not alike to the fixed wings of aircraft. Their wings are powered by muscles and can soar to the sky rapidly. Some soaring birds like albatross, can fly using their wings and using air currents as a source of power. (Betz Parr, n.d.). Bird forelimbs have evolved into wings and their bones are hollow and can decrease their weight. Weight is also an issue that influence their flying capability. For example, goose and domestic chicken. Feather is one of the unique characteristic of birds and make them difference among living animals. Feathers are made of keratin and adapt to flight. Wings made of feathers are adjustable, which mean the soft down feathers is thermally insulating a bird body. Birds can fly to escape their enemies or nesting at higher place that they enable to walk to. (McDade, 2005) Feathers are crucial for bird to fly. The contour feathers on the body establish the smooth, streamlined contour of bird body and enlarged the flight feathers. However, feathers also provide a windproof and waterproof covering for birds to prevent them from get cold and maintain their body temperature. In bird behaviour, feathers are an important factor to attract the female birds during the courtship and mating. In many species of birds, male birds are generally has brighter color of feathers while female birds have drab feathers. (â€Å"Aves: More on Morphology†, n.d.) Bills of bird are different in shapes and colors. Different shaped of bills serve different ecological purposes and adapt to the bird’s feeding habits. For instance, Bird’s with short thin bills is for insect eater, long thin bills can for probing flowers or soft mud for worms. The bill is allows the birds to pick fruit or food sources from the end of branches. A bird bill is composed of a number of rhamphotheca that is made of keratin. 2.2 Definition of Acacia mangium Acacia mangium also known as Acacia mangium Wild, or called as akasia mangium in Malay, is a type of fast–growing tree species in plantation programs throughout the Asia and Pacific. This species of tree is origin from the north-eastern Australia, eastern Indonesia and western Papua New Guinea. (http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/134648/2/PR035.pdf#page=157). Krisnawati, Kallio and Kanninen (2011) reported that A. mangium has been widely introduced to many Asia countries and successful introduced to Malaysia in the mid of 1960. A.mangium become one of the major tropical plantation forestry species because of its fast growing capability and cam adapt well in the poor soil condition. (Dhamodaran Chacko, 1999) This tree species can grow rapidly in the acidic soils and degraded sites but it is intolerant to the shade condition, and grows to be stunted. (Krisnawati, Kallio and Kanninen ,2011). Acacia mangium is a species of tropical lowland climatic zone characteristic and required high total annual rainfall (about 1000- 4500 mm). Tree growth will be slow down if the dry period is prolonged. Acacia mangium generally can grow up to a height of 25-35 meter with a straight bole and the diameter at breast height (dbh) of over 60cm. (Dhamodaran Chacko, 1999). However, it is rare for Acacia mangium tree grow until 60cm of dbh because it is time consuming and growth of tree will declines rapidly after seven or eight years and except under very ideal conditions over a long periods. (Dhamodaran Chacko, 1999). A. mangium tree height can increase up to 10-15m in the first two to three years and increases dramatically up to 25 m at about 5 years. Acacia mangium wood has potential be the raw material for pulp and paper, furniture, woodchips and others wood products. Its leaves can serve as the forage for livestock or decomposes be the soil fertilizer. Besides that, Acacia mangium sawdust can provide the substrate for the edible mushroom. (Lemmens etal, 1995) However, this tree species also useful for improve soil fertility. They can maintain the percentage of nitrogen and increase the soil biological activity. This tree is suitable to plant at the areas that heavily infested by weeds and it have the ability to overcome the competition from weeds such as Immperata grass. (Dhamodaran Chacko, 1999) 2.3 Biodiversity in Forest Plantation Forest plantation is covered more than 80 percent globally and Asia region is covered around 116 hectares (62 percent) in 2000. Forest plantation defined as forest stands established by planting in the afforestation or reforestation process. However, forest plantation area is establishes rapidly worldwide due to the demand of wood material. This trend has become loss of biodiversity especially for developing countries. Vegetation in primary forest is dense than In Sabah, forest plantation is mostly developed by state government during 1970an. Biodiversity in Malaysia is vary among the world. For example, there are more than 220 species of birds in the primary jungle of Malaysia. (Phillipps Phillipps, 2014) The index of biodiversity is changing based on the land use planning. Biodiversity is different between different types of forest as such as primary forest, secondary forest and plantation estate. Birds are migrates from one place to another place due to vary reason. The most common reason is environment change. Food resources are not diverse as primary forest. Mostly forest plantation is undergoes monoculture planting method. Tree species for plantation in Sabah are generally fast growing species such as Acacia mangium, Eucalyptus deglupta, Tectona grandis and others species. Clear felling before establish plantation can cause bird population decline dramatically. The reason is no suitable place for nesting and food searching. 3.0 Methodology 3.1 Location of Study The study site for this research is the eight years old Acacia mangium plantation in Sabah Forest Industries (SFI). Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) is located Sepitang, Sabah (Coordinates: 5 °144N 115 °3123E) and at the southwestern of Sabah state. This company is manages about 288138 hectares of forest estates that consist of natural forest management (NFM) area and industrial tree plantation. The total area for NFM area is 104822 hectares and industrial tree plantation area are consist by titled land (11845 hectares) and non-titled land (171471 hectares). This company was operated since 1987. Currently, SFI is own by Ballarpur Industries Limited which is a part of Avantha Group of companies. Geographical location Map Topography at sfi Historical of sfi and size of plantation SFI is the only one integrated pulp and paper manufacturer and is one of timber growers and wood processors in Malaysia. In SFI, consist of saw mill, veneer and plywood factory and pulp and paper manufacturing facilities. Market for SFI includes the domestic and international market of writing paper and market pulp. Wood material of SFI is harvest from forest estate that included NFM area and plantation. 3.2 Methods I will use transect survey to conduct this research. Transect is situated in Acacia mangium plantation. Each transect is 500m long and consist of 10 points. Each point is 50m apart. Observer obtains the incident data by bird sighting. I use incident observation as the method to observe bird in plantation. Observations are made using 3060 binocular. (Mohammad et al. 2011). Binocular is equipment that used to observe the bird species and its characteristics. After observation, the bird characteristic is sketched and recorded in sketch book. The incident data is recorded including the date, time, location and morphology of bird species. The bird species are then identified using Wong (2012). 3.3 Data Analysis After all data is collect, I identify each species of bird according to their morphology. The data is then analysis by using Shannon Index. 4.0 Expected result The species of bird is expected to have babbler, fantail, flowerpecker and spiderhunter at five years old A. mangium plantation. The reason is they are mainly insectivores species. Acacia mangium trees will produces seed pods once a year and this can attract some bird to foraging in the plantation. 5.0 Budget Binocular is the essential item for bird observing and it cost RM 30 which brought through website. There are two references books needed in this research. â€Å"Birds of Borneo† is a references book for identify bird follow the data that recorded in the sketch book. This book is written by Wong Tsu Shi and published by John Beaufoy Publishing Limited. This book cost RM 49.40. Another references book is â€Å"Phillipps’ field guide to the Birds of Borneo† written by Quentin Phillipps and Karen Philipps. This book is cost RM 79.20 and its function is same as the book â€Å"Bird of Borneo†. Besides that, budget for the documentation is around RM 200.00 including five copies laser jet printing, photocopy, binding and expenses for stationary. I also budget about RM 150.00 for transportation fees that include the fees for field trip to collect data. Furthermore, budget for food sources requires to considerate during fieldtrip. So, food sources budget is given a round RM 350.00 for 30 days fieldwork. The total up of all expenses in this research is about RM 808.60. 6.0 Work Schedule References â€Å"Aves: More on Morphology†. (n.d.) Retrieve from http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/birds/birdmm.html. 11Jan 1996 â€Å"Bird Classification†. (2015). NewMedia Holdings,Inc. Retrieve from http://www.birds.com/species/classifications/. 22 feb 2015 â€Å"Bird Classifications/ Families†. (2009) Nutty Birdwatcher. Retrieve from http://www.birdnature.com/borderintro.html 1 Dec 2009 Wooff, W.G. 2012. Sabah Forest Industries. http://www.avanthagroup.com/downloads/Sabah-Forest-Industries-Sdn-Bhd.pdf. 1 Nov 2011 Adam, N. S., Jusoh, I., Ishak, N. D. 2012. Growth Characteristics of Acacia mangium Plantation in Sarawak. International Plantation Industry Conference Exhibition. September 4-9, 2012. Kota Kinabalu Sabah. Betz,J. Parr, C. (n.d.) Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieve from http://education.eol.org/resources/topics/birds.pdf Dhamodaran. T.K. Chacko, K.C. 1999. Growth and wood characteristics of Acacia mangium growth in Kerala. Kerala Forest Research Institute. Retrieve from http://docs.kfri.res.in/KFRI-RR/KFRI-RR174.pdf Krisnawati, H., Kallio, M., Kanninen, M. 2011. Acacia mangium Wild.:ecology, silviculture and productivity. Indonesia: Center for International Forestry Research. Lemmens, R. H. M. J., Soerianegara, I., Wong, W. C. 1995. Plant resources of South-East Asia No. 5 (2). Timber trees: minor commercial timbers. London: Backhuys Publishers. Mead, D. J., Miller, R. R. (1991, February). The establishment and tending of Acacia mangium. InACIAR Proc vol. 35, pp. 116-122. Styring, A.R., Ragai, R.,Unggang, J., Stuebing, R., Hosner, P.A., Sheldon, F.H. 2011. Bird community assembly in Bornean industrial tree plantations: Effect of forest age and structure. Forest Ecology and Management, 261, 531-544. Wong, T.S. 2011. Birds of Borneo. United Kingdom: John Beaufoy Publishing Limited. McDade, M.C. 2005. Grzimek’s student animal life resource, Birds. Canada: Thomson Gale. Phillipps, Q. Phillipps, K. 2014. Phillipps’ field guide to the birds of Borneo. United Kingdoms: John Beaufoy Publishing. Krishnapillay, D.K. 1998. Edited by Varmola. M. Case study of the tropical forest plantations in Malaysia. http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/134648/2/PR035.pdf#page=157 1

Ethical Issues In Contemporary American Police

Ethical Issues In Contemporary American Police Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to provide a modern overview of three major ethical issues pertaining to contemporary American policing and criminal justice. Corruption for personal gain is one of the most fundamental ethical violations in policing relates and relates to the misuse of authority for personal betterment. Truthfulness in court testimony, good faith, and constitutional compliance differ from traditional corruption because the underlying motive is to pursue what the police officer believes is a just outcome rather than personal gain. Racism and Racial Profiling refer to targeting individuals solely based upon their race. Major ethical issues in contemporary American policing and criminal justice Introduction Law enforcement and policing are areas where ethical values are crucial, by virtue of the powers and authorities that are granted to law enforcement officers. Police have the power to make arrests and to use force, including deadly force, to overcome resistance to arrests. They also enjoy considerable latitude and discretion in the exercise of their policing authority, such as in terms of who they choose to investigate and how they execute their responsibilities. Naturally, policing powers can be misused, such as for personal gain, and that problem was rampant in many police agencies in the early history of American policing; in many countries, bribes and graft continue to be ordinary means of negotiating for leniency with police authorities. American policing has evolved tremendously in the last century with respect to ethical values and the standards of conduct expected of police personnel. Nevertheless, ethical issues still arise, such as in connection with the veracity of police testimony at trial, constitutional compliance in the field, and with respect to racism in policing. Corruption for Personal Gain One of the most fundamental ethical violations in policing relates to the misuse of authority for personal aggrandizement. It was rampant in early American policing, largely because the entire process of appointment to the position of police officer in cities like New York and Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th century depended on illicit payoffs to political officials and their proxies (Conlon, 2004). In the 1970s, the now-infamous case of New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer Frank Serpico sparked the establishment of the Knapp Commission to identify and put a stop to rampant corruption within the nations largest municipal police department. Those series of investigations revealed that the entire police department, from patrol officers all the way up through the highest ranks of police administration was corrupt. Instead of bribery, and extortion of criminal suspects being the rare exception to the rule, it was the police officer like Frank Serpico who refused to part icipate who was the exception. Moral integrity in that regard resulted in the honest police officer being ostracized by his fellow officers; in Serpicos case, it nearly proved deadly when other officers deliberately failed to provide adequate backup when he confronted an armed assailant (Conlon, 2004). Generally, empirical studies of police corruption distinguish the misuse of police authority for the overt, aggressive pursuit of illicit gains from the passive participation in corrupt practices on the part of individuals within an existing organizational culture in which such practices are condoned or considered unremarkable (Cloud, 1994). Police officers who engage in the former are considered meat-eaters; those who participate only in the latter form of corruption are considered grass-eaters (Delattre, 2006). The most important significance of that distinction is that when a police agency maintains an organizational culture in which corruption of any kind is treated as criminal deviance and punished accordingly, only officers who are inclined to be meat-eaters still engage in corrupt practices. Generally, those officers who would have been grass-eaters within a corrupt police culture do not initiate corruption spontaneously and would have only been susceptible to corruption in an environment where it was expected by their fellow officers and where refusing to participate would have undermined their peer-to-peer relationships (Delattre, 2006). Meanwhile, more discriminating hiring practices, better training, and increased supervision have all but eliminated overt police corruption in American policing (Schmalleger, 2009). Today, when police corruption occurs, it is typically in connection with isolated instances involving individual officers or units rather than entire police agencies, and it results in newspaper headlines and calls for immediate administrative action, including appropriate actions against supervisors and police administrators who failed to prevent, identify, and take immediate action against any type of police corruption on their watches (Schmalleger, 2009). Truthfulness in Court Testimony and Good Faith and Constitutional Compliance Another important issue in contemporary policing ethics relates to the conduct of police officers as witnesses in court proceedings. Unlike traditional police corruption that prevailed a century or more ago and that was dealt with more recently by the Knapp Commission in New York, this type of unethical conduct is fundamentally different because the underlying motive is to pursue what the police officer believes is a just outcome rather than personal gain. Specifically, police officers often face a difficult ethical dilemma in connection with testifying at criminal trials: namely, they know that the defendant is guilty but that the outcome of the trial may hinge on what they say on the stand (Raymond, 1998). If they testify with absolute truthfulness on the witness stand when being questioned by seasoned defense attorneys, defendants may be exonerated by juries if defense counsel can successfully introduce any basis for doubting the accuracy of the factual accounts provided by police officer testimony. As a result, even otherwise ethical police officers may be tempted to alter their testimony at trial in the interest of securing a conviction that they believe represents justice more than exoneration as a result of their completely truthful testimony (Raymond, 1998). This particular ethical problem is more complex than simply training police officers to testify truthfully on the witness stand. It includes the problem of training police officers not to misrepresent the facts in their initial incident reports in articulating their accounts of arrests and about how they characterize what they actually observed (Cloud, 1994). The unethical approach used by many officers in some police departments includes simply misrepresenting the truth in their written characterizations to justify police conduct, particularly in connection with justifications for searches and the use of force (Foley, 2000). To a great degree, police agencies control how truthfully their officers represent the factual circumstances detailed in their field reports and arrest reports. In that regard, the phrase articulation can be used to mean careful attention to detail or, alternatively, it can mean that officers make sure to include any details required to support their actions at trial, irrespective of whether or not those descriptions actually represent the truth of what happened on the street (Raymond, 1998). For a typical example, a patrol officer may know from practical experience that drug dealer frequently try to secret small amounts of drugs or weapons under the seats of their vehicles or in between the cushions. Generally, the 4th Amendment prohibitions of unwarranted search and seizure require either consent from the driver or probable cause to permit a police officer to search anywhere within a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation beyond what is plainly visible to the officer from his vantage point during the traffic stop (Zalman, 2008 137). Similarly, under Terry v. Ohio (1968) police officers may only conduct a cursory pat-down of the external clothing of subjects of their investigations and only for the purpose of ensuring their safety in connection with concealed weapons; they may not search through pockets for contraband of conduct other searches beyond the scope of the so-called Terry frisk (Schmalleger, 2008 p256). However, as a practical matter, compliance with both rul es depends substantially on the ethical commitment of the patrol officer, and of the commitment of his agency as reflected in his training and in the leadership of his supervisors. To get around the 4th Amendment limitations of vehicle searches, all the police officer has to do is record in his report that the driver made a furtive movement or that the officer observed him reaching beneath his seat as he pulled over for the officer (Raymond, 1998). He could also simply record that a portion of the baggie containing drugs was visible in between the seat cushions or that the handgrip of a pistol was visible protruding from underneath the passenger seat from the officers normal vantage point. From the perspective of the police officer, misrepresenting the literal truth in such cases may be less important than taking drugs and illegal handguns off the street (Raymond, 1998). Complying strictly with constitutional requirements is an ethical issue that reflects the commitment of the police agency, or, where doing so is routinely ignored, reflects the lack thereof. Consider the effect of police supervisors who caution their subordinates very specifically never to violate constitutionally legitimate police procedure for the sake of making an arrest as opposed to the effect of supervisors who preach only that whatever officers do in the field must be articulated properly in their reports to support prosecution. In practice, the first approach teaches officers that they may not impose their desire to interdict drugs and weapons and that they may not indulge even their strongest practical suspicions without constitutional authority to do so. Conversely, the second approach teaches officers not to wait until they get to court to lie; rather, the necessary lies to support their actions in the field must be properly articulated in their field reports so that they support their testimony at trial. Sometimes, police procedure evolves specifically to circumvent constitutional protections against unwarranted searches and seizures in ways that are not susceptible to easy challenges. When officers engage in those behaviors independently or spontaneously, they represent ethical violations only on the part of those officers. However, when those practices become part of police training, they represent ethical violations at the departmental level. Such was precisely the situation in connection with police practices in Missouri that prompted the 2004 ruling by the United States Supreme Court in Siebert v. Missouri that now prohibits one such particular strategy: namely, two-tiered interrogations intended to circumvent the Miranda protections against self-incrimination (Hoover, 2005). Generally, the standard police practice necessary to satisfy the landmark 1966 Supreme Court ruling in Miranda v. Arizona requires police to advise suspects of their 5th Amendment right to remain silent before any custodial questioning (Zalman, 2008). In Missouri, as in several other jurisdictions, police had adopted the practice of questioning criminal suspects extensively prior to arresting them, but in a context in which the suspects would not have reasonably believed that they could simply refuse to answer, such as when surrounded by uniformed police. Technically, the only penalty for questioning suspects outside of Miranda is the application of the exclusionary rule preventing the prosecution from using that evidence at trial (Zalman, 2008). Missouri police had adopted the specific strategy of first questioning suspects outside of Miranda, then advising them of their 5th Amendment rights, and subsequently re-interviewing them (Hoover, 2005). Since suspects typically do not understand the legal implications of Miranda compliance, they would repeat statements in subsequent questioning under Miranda that they knew they had already answered previously. Since those subsequent interviews occurred in full compliance with Miranda, the prosecutors would introduce those statements at trial (Hoover, 2005). In Siebert, the U.S. Supreme Court expressly prohibited such practices, precisely because they amounted to nothing more than deliberate attempts to do what Miranda had prohibited for (then) almost forty years. Police may not extract information from criminal defendants during custodial questioning, which does not necessarily require formal arrest under circumstances where an individual would is believe that he is free to terminat e the interaction with police or to refuse to respond (Hoover, 2005). By deliberately employing a two-tiered (i.e. pre-Miranda and post-Miranda) interrogation strategy, Missouri police had engaged in unethical conduct that eventually required judicial intervention at the highest level. Currently, similar practices in New York have resulted in widespread complaints in connection with routine practices employed by NYPD officers to make marijuana possession arrests (CCR, 2012; NYCLU, 2012). Typically, the officers initiate an investigatory detention to conduct an interview with subjects based on subjective suspicions that would not justify a search of the subject. They ask the subject to show them what is in his pocket and if he complies by producing a small quantity of marijuana, they arrest the individual for possession. The charges stemming from those arrests are eventually dismissed in criminal court on a case-by-case basis (CCR, 2012; NYCLU, 2012), but the specific matter of unethical police conduct has not yet been addressed by a higher court. Racism and Racial Profiling Prior to the American Civil Rights Era, racial and ethnic minorities were routinely subjected to police procedures that were manifestly unconstitutional and unethical (Crutchfield, Fernandes Martinez, 2010; Staples, 2011). During the 1950s and 1960s, the National Guard had to be deployed to protect black students enrolling in schools in states where local police would not and federal law enforcement authorities had to take over law enforcement and criminal investigation functions in Mississippi after local authorities with links to the Ku Klux Klan were complicit if not directly involved in the murder of four civil rights workers from New York (Schmalleger, 2009). In the modern post-Civil Rights era, racism is still a ripe area of ethical issues in American policing (Staples, 2011). Typically, racism arises in policing in connection with the racial profiling of drivers subject to traffic stops. Specifically, racial profiling occurs when police officers target drivers based on their apparent race or ethnicity for ordinary traffic enforcement stops (Schmalleger, 2009; Zalman, 2008). This type of ethical violation, like many others, can represent either the prejudices and biases of individual officers or the condoning of such practices at an organizational level. Conclusion Outright police corruption, particularly on the scale of whole police departments, was eliminated nearly completely in the last few decades of the 20th century after one especially high-profile egregious case within the largest police force in the country. However, more subtle ethical problems still emerge and require judicial intervention even in the modern era. Police sometimes manipulate their procedures in the field to take advantage of apparent loopholes in laws meant to protect citizens from excessive police intrusions. Likewise, racism also continues to present a background for unethical conduct among police officers inclined in that direction. In almost all types of contemporary ethical issues in American policing, the expectations and leadership messages coming from the employing agency is all that stands in between individual instances of unethical conduct and the spread of those unethical practices throughout the agency. References Center for Constitutional Rights. 2012, NYPDs Stop and Frisk Practice: Unfair and Unjust. Accessed 2 February 2013 from: http://ccrjustice.org/stopandfrisk Cloud M 1994 The dirty little secret. Emory Law Journal (43): 1311 1349 Conlon E. (2004) Blue Blood. New York: Riverhead. Crutchfield, RD, Fernandes, A, Martinez, J 2010, Racial and ethnic disparity and criminal justice: how much is too much? Journal of Criminal Law Criminology 100(3): 903-932 Delattre E. 2006 Character and Cops: Ethics in Policing. Washington, DC: AEI Press. Foley M. 2000 Police Perjury: A Factorial Survey. U.S. Department of Justice, Accessed 1 February 2013 from: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/181241.pdf Hoover L 2005 The supreme court brings an end to the end run around Miranda. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 74(6): 26-32 New York Civil Liberties Union 2012 Stop-and-Frisk Campaign: About the Issue. Accessed 2 February 2013 from: http://www.nyclu.org/issues/racial-justice/stop-and-frisk-practices Raymond M 1998 Police policing police: some doubts. St. Johns Law Review 72(3): 1255- 1264. Schmalleger F 2008 Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall. Staples R. White power, black crime, and racial politics 2011 Black Scholar 41(4): 31- 41. Zalman M 2008 Criminal Procedure: Constitution and Society New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

The Tarahumara People and Running :: Run Sports India Indians Essays

The Tarahumara People and Running For the people to whom running is a lifestyle, ultra marathon running seems an old phenomenon, one that has been a part of daily life since its beginnings. Running more than twenty-six miles a day seems a menial task to a Tarahumara, a daily chore, while to the Americans running next to them it is an all consu ming feat. These people, known world wide as "the running indians" have recently made their appearance in the ultra world and are showing everyone how easy running really is for them. As they breeze by the likes of Ann Trason and many respectable others, the questions mount. Who are they and how do they run so fast? There are currently about 50,000 Tarahumara living in the Sierra Madre Occidental in northwestern Mexico. They live in small isolated clusters with most the population concentrated in the Barranca del Cobre, or the Copper Canyon. The Tarahumara indians are part of the Uto-Aztecan indian lineage and are closely related to the Apaches of the Southwestern United States. The area of Northwest Mexico that the Tarahumara lives in is very rugged and unforgiving. The Barranca del Cobre is a chain of five very deep canyons surrounded by very tall mountains that reach almost a mile and a half above sea level. Three of the five canyons are deeper than the Grand Canyon of the United States. The area is different though because it receives much more rainfall and is covered with more vegetation. The terrain is very rugged, so much as to lead to the fact that the area has never been thoroughly mapped or explored (Lutz 66). The area is one of th e coldest in Mexico and soil conditions are very poor. It is because of this that the Tarahumara are semi-nomadic and are cave dwellers for part of the year. The statement that, "The Tarahumara may be the finest natural distance runners in the world", made by University of Arizona archeologist Michael Jenk inson, offers some insight into just how good the indians are at running (Lutz 21). The Tarahumara routinely run distances only covered by only the most advanced ultramarathon runners today. To these indians, running is more than sport, running is literally life. The Tarahumara live in very rugged land and travel by wagon or horses is usually impractical. Because of this, foot travel is more often than not the best option for getting from one place to another and it is usually the quickest.

Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide Essay -- Argumentative Essay

Physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option, if requested, for terminally ill patients. For decades the question has been asked and a clear answer has yet to surface. It was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. Can someone's life be put into an answer? Shouldn't someone's decision in life be just that; their decision? When someone has suffered from a car accident, or battled long enough from cancer, shouldn't the option be available? Assisted suicide shouldn't be seen as cheating death, but as a way to pay homage to the life once lived. As far as including the mentally challenged in this equation, I am against it. The mentally challenged, although less likely to grasp information, still has the physical awareness to grow. It can be subdued with medicine and psychotherapy. From personal experience I am a witness of being around mentally challenged adults who love life regar dless of their conditions. Most don't have the ability to express a request such as life or death. Living life is a daily task just like it is for healthy citizens. Most if not all mentally challenged people aren't in any pain throughout their entire life. For this they shouldn't be targeted for assisted suicide. Death is an occurrence in life, whether it's unexpected or expected, it can't be cheated nor can it be avoided. The terminally ill should have the option to end their suffering with dignity. Assisted- physician suicide also goes by many names such as euthanasia. 'Euthanasia' rings an enormous bell as the same structure used during the holocaust in the 1940s. The difference between now and then is the innocent lives lost because of their inc... ...end ones terminally ill life should be up to the patient and no one else. Religion plays a major part on why the law hasn't been pasted yet. Just like the hippocratic oath, religion doesn't prohibit suicide in any way. One of the most basic commandments is â€Å"Thou shall not kill.† But no one knows where humans go once they past so it seems hypocritical to judge such situations on a myth. I do not encourage anyone to end their life nor would I request such a thing. However, I do support ones choice to die with dignity if facing medical reasoning such as terminal illness. The government should grant such request to honor their citizens. Works Cited http://www.balancedpolitics.org/assisted_suicide.htm http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000134 http://www.religioustolerance.org/euthanas.htm http://www.assistedsuicide.org/future_of_right-to-

Steve Jobs’ Personality Led to His Success

Steve Jobs was one of the founders of one of the most common technology-based companies today: Apple. With the advancement of computers, the Macintosh computer by Apple arose. More and more advancements in technology led to a series of computers, tablets, phones, and mp3 players made by Apple to become popular. Apple’s advancements in technology made it, in my opinion, one of the most favorable companies when it comes to technology. Jobs success can be attributed to his perseverance, intuition, and personality traits. It wasn’t easy for Jobs.Though a big part of the launch of Macintosh computer, he was let go from Apple due to power struggles. However, twelve years later, Jobs returned to help the company from falling into bankruptcy. He was conscientious about his work. Even though Jobs had been let go, he saw this as an opportunity to return to the work he loved. In this time, Jobs founded Pixar, a successful movie studio that produced animated films. He had also crea ted NeXT computer, which Apple eventually bought out and incorporated into their current systems. Jobs believed the only way to do great work were to do what you loved.Conscientiousness is just one of the big five traits Jobs portrayed. Jobs clearly had to be very open to experience in his career. If Jobs had not been intellectual and imaginative his work might not exist. Had he not thought and pursued his ideas, Apple would not have asked Jobs to return to save the company. They knew he was smart enough to handle the job. Jobs also had to be open-minded to new ideas to help with the advancement of Apple. Their technology was ahead of other companies and is what led to its success, to do this, companies have to be proactive and open to new ideas.Jobs displayed much emotional stability throughout his career. I think you have to have emotional stability to be able to handle such a big company with all the challenges. Jobs stressed always â€Å"being yourself. † He would walk ar ound with dirty feet and would even do odd things around the office to relieve stress. It seemed as Jobs battled with cancer, he rarely slowed down. He used this disease to drive him to pursue his dreams and focus on his efforts. Though Jobs’ wasn’t the most philanthropic man, he still offered a personality of extroversion and agreeableness. I feel his lust to do what he loved, made him amicable.

Educational Tour

Banares, Roselyn C. BSBA- Fin. Mgt4 â€Å"Educational Tour† (BSP, PSE and NEDA) BSP destination (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) September 12, 2012 that was the date of our educational tour. 6:00 am in the morning is the call time, that’s why I tried to wake up early morning to fixed my things and go to school in time. We leave at 7:30 am and we’re first destination was Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas money museum. BSP allowed us to watch the video on how they made money. I leaned that they consumed of ten months in making money. They showed us the minting process of money.It so happened that I enjoyed watching the minting process. I learned also that the money has security features of money and the history. In security features there is a security threads, security fibers, code for the blind on 200 peso bill, florescent printing, optically variable ink, concealed value on 500 peso bill, perfect see- through register and micro prints. Then after we watched the video, th e speaker orients us about the old money that we have in the past. We saw different shapes, color, size and kind of money in the Philippines.I have enjoyed the tour in that part most especially when I tried to play they’re touched screen machine. We played puzzles and trivia and we’re happy that we got 4 number of right out of 5 questions. We also go to the BSP library to search about our report in monetary policy. Ms. Rose Garcia helped us to enter in the library even though we don’t have a letters of reservations. Then after that we take pictures outside the museum for our remembrance. We also want to take pictures of the old money that we have but the management of BSP did not allow us.As its history of the BSP, the museum of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Inaugurated on January 3, 1999, as part of the celebration of the 50 years of central banking in the Philippines, the museum showcases the Bank's collection of currencies. As repository and custodian of the c ountry's numismatic heritage, the museum collects studies and preserves coins, paper notes, medals, artifacts and monetary items found in the Philippines during its different historical periods. These collections have been placed on permanent display at the useum. Designed to â€Å"walk† the visitor through a number of galleries, individually dedicated to a specific historical period of the country, the museum visually narrates the development of the Philippine economy, parallel to the evolution of its currency. Complementary paintings from the BSP art collection, together with chosen artifacts, enhance each gallery. A panoramic memorabilia of 50 years of central banking in the Philippines showcases the strides made in bringing about price stability, to sustain economic growth in the country.The exhibition hall also carries the busts of the governors of the Central Bank/ Bangko Sentral. We learned all of this inside the BSP money museum. PSE destination (Philippines Stock Exc hange) Our second was Philippine Stock Exchange, and it located in to ortigas city. Sir Harvey told us about the history of PSE which was our speaker. And we knew that the current Philippine Stock Exchange is a conjunction of the Manila Stock Exchange (1927) and the Makati Stock Exchange (1963). The Manila Stock Exchange, when in existence, was the first exchange in Manila and the oldest in the Far East.Regardless of having existed separately for nearly three decades, the two bourses combined in 1992 under President Fidel Ramos. Association was deemed suitable because the two exchanges basically traded the same listings. Ramos also aimed for a more efficient capital market. In 1994, its operations were in full swing with two trading floors – one in Pasig City; the other in Makati City. On January 4 1993, the PSE incorporated the Status Trading System – a mechanical approach for their operations. Six months later, on June 15, they also adopted the MakTrade trading syste m.Although the two systems were linked on March 25 1994 to allow for the same opening and closing prices, it was not until November 13 1995 that the systems were unified under the Unified Trading System – operating under the MakTrade. In 1998 the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission named the PSE a self regulating organization, which allowed it to execute its own policies and regulations. By 2001, the PSE had formed into a stock-shareholder based organization by taking the shape of a profit earning corporation.It also began trading bonds. By 2003, in an effort to be more publicly held, the exchange only allowed shares to be listed through an opening, rather than an initial public offering. He also gathered a game to us to be listened to him. He gave a cd about PSE in every person who answered correctly to his questioned. He also shows us and discusses to us what happened in the real stocks trading. He teaches us the use of electronic board and how to read it. He also told us on how can we buy or sell our stocks in the trading day.He explained to us the importance of stock brokers and where we can meet the stock brokers. He also told us how much the minimum money that we need to have to buy stocks in the market. NEDA destination (National Economic Development Authority) Our last destination was the National Economic Development Authority. The NEDA was established in 1973 with Dr. Gerardo Sicat as its first director general. With the exception of Sicat, the Prime Minister of the Philippines was usually the head of the agency before the First People Power Revolution. Former President Corazon C.Aquino re-organized the NEDA into its present form July 22, 1987 until the administration of President Ninoy Aquino. Former president Corazon C. Aquino appointed Winnie Monsod as its first director-general after EDSA I. the legal basis of NEDA are the following the present form of the NEDA was organized by President Corazon C. Aquino on July 22, 1987 through Executive Order No. 230. It defined the composition of the NEDA Board and the Secretariat and its powers and functions, the powers and functions of the Authority and its committees. On July 26, 1994, President Fidel V.Ramos signed Memorandum Order No. 222 which reactivated the NEDA Board Executive Committee and mandating that the decisions of the NEDA Board Executive Committee shall be final, executor and binding upon the NEDA Board. On July 27, 1992, President Ramos signed Republic Act No. 7640, which constituted the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Committee (LEDAC). The LEDAC serves as a consultative and advisory body to the President as the head of the NEDA and gives advice on certain programs and policies, which are essential to the realization of the goals of national development.While we are staying in NEDA the speaker let us to watch their video while he discussing their goal and the importance of NEDA and why NEDA established and their duties and responsibilities . The speaker also let us asked about he discussed and some of our schoolmates asked some questioned and the speaker maybe amazed and he told us that we as a group are having a good questioned regarding to what hi discussed to us. After we reached our last destination we go back to our school and go home. Educational tour picturesThis picture was taken when we are in BSP money museum. We took pictures for remembrance and for compilation of our final product. We also took pictures when we are in the bus and waiting for our tour guide to tell us that we can go inside the BSP money museum. This picture was taken when we are in the NEDA and PSE. Sir Harvey let us to take pictures inside the PSE when he gathered his discussion about the PSE. He told us to take a picture having the trading floor as our background. We asked him if we can take a picture together with him and he agreed.