Hate-crime Legislation

Hate-crime Legislation Free Online Research Papers A public policy issue that is fairly new is that of hate crimes. After Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and left to die, and did, people began to understand the magnitude of these hate crimes and wanted to do something. I have found many web sites and legislation on the subject that support laws against hate crimes. Although most people think hate crimes are specifically against homosexuals, many other people are affected by them. Hate crimes are committed based on gender and race, ethnicity and religion as well as physical disability. Laws prohibiting hate crimes would be beneficiary for many people from many different backgrounds. After September 11, many hate crimes were committed against people of any kind of Arab background. Many people are at risk of becoming a victim of a hate crime, and there is legislation out there to try to prevent them from happening. Prevention is very hard to accomplish, but at least we can hope that those who commit hate crimes will pay for what they do. Also, the public needs to become more concerned about the well-being of those attacked because of their sexual orientation instead of just those attacked based on race, religion, or other forms of discrimination. â€Å"Hate-crime legislation increases a criminals sentence if it can be proven that the crime of which they were found guilty was motivated by hatred of the victim because of their race, religion, sex, or some other factor. Hate speech legislation criminalizes the denigration, ridicule, or expression of hatred against a person or group on the basis of the victims race, religion, etc.† (religioustolerance.org) The effects of hate crimes have been noticed and the government has put into effect laws against hate crimes. However, certain types of individuals are being left out. â€Å"Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have established some sort of mechanism to respond to and/or record information about hate crimes related to sexual orientation. Of these only the states of California, Minnesota, Vermont, and the District of Columbia also identify transgendered people as a protected group for purpose of hate crime laws.† (Meide, 2000) Therefore, over half the states, including North Carolina, do not have laws against hate crimes specific to sexual orientation. â€Å"Although the federal Hate Crimes Statistics Act requires the United States Justice Department to collect and repot on information about hate violence related to sexual orientation, recording and reporting of information by all local police is not required.† (Meide, 2000) The government, especially local government and police, seem very lax about the issue of hate crimes because of sexual orientation. What these states are trying to do is put an end to hate crimes. However, the way the United States is right now, homosexuals and especially transgendered people do not have the rights that people who are victims of hate crimes for other reasons, such as race, have. Many people in this country oppose homosexuality and can turn their head when a hate crime is committed. From what I have read, the public opinion on hate crimes appears to be in favor of laws against them. However, I do believe that laws against hate crimes based on sexual orientation are not as favored as laws for other forms of hate crimes. Most of the people who want to see these types of laws strongly enforced are homosexuals and transgendered people. Most people do not want to see that a gay man has been brutally murdered on the news. They want to believe that things of this nature do not take place in our society. They are also unwilling to do anything to help. â€Å"It is important to note that both anti-discrimination and hate crimes laws do not only protect members of, for example, ethnic, religious, or sexual minorities. These laws protect all people from hatred and unfair treatment based upon, for example, a person’s race, religion, and sexual orientation.† (Meide, 2000) Several different types of people benefit from this public policy. Any type of hate crime or anti-discrimination is protected by the legislation. Those who cost from this public policy would be the ones who commit the crimes. Stronger punishments are being enforced for people who commit hate crimes. Many people who are against this bill have said they oppose it because it makes thought a crime. It does not. This is about actionsmotivated by hatred. (religioustolerance.org) Tate said this about a defeated hate crime bill in Colorado. The main argument against hate crime laws is that the crimes being committed are of thought. That does not make any sense. These people are not thinking about brutally attacking someone. They are actually doing it. We have seen evidence of this several times. Actually, people who might be thinking about committing a hate crime might decide against it because of the punishment that would follow if caught. â€Å"The opportunity to be threatened, humiliated, and to live in fear of being beaten to death is the only ‘special right’ our culture bestows on homosexuals.† (Carma) A public policy issue that is very important in our society is being actively supported by many homosexuals and transgendered people. However, there are dissenting opinions about every issue. Many people oppose and not very many states have tried hard to help the situation. When it comes to hate crimes based on sexual orientation, the public does not care very much. It will take a new perspective on the issue to help pass stricter laws and enforce them. Carma, Diane. Denver Post. hatecrime.org/index.html Meide, Wayne van der. Legislating Equality: A Review of Laws Affecting Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered People in the United States. January 1, 2000. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. religioustolerance.org/_hat9.htm Research Papers on Hate-crime LegislationCapital PunishmentThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraPETSTEL analysis of IndiaUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresHip-Hop is ArtEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Personal Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Finance - Case Study Example This would have the effect of reducing payments for the renters insurance. The personal life insurance and disability insurance would also have the effect of reducing Mark’s motor vehicle insurance. As a result of economic cycles, the value for their shares investment might fluctuate and it would be best if they invested in fixed income investment as it involves less risk. This is one of the best ways to cater for any speculative risk such as investment risk (Dalton et al, 2015). Mark and Ava should consider having an emergency fund as a form of self-insurance. This can also assist them manage their risks. It is very evident that the emergency fund has to be created from funds that can be shrank or by cutting their expenditure. The Lanes can create an emergency fund by reducing their expenditure on entertainment and vacation. They can also reduce their expenditure on clothing and channel the money to a bank account which will be used as an emergency fund. This kind of fund should be easily accessible due to its nature thus the need for it to be either in liquid cash or cash equivalent instrument. The Lanes can also consider paying their credit card debts on time so as to avoid unnecessary cash outflows in the form of interests and fines. Part of the couple’s income from investments can be channeled to the emergency fund and the rest be reinvested for future incomes and to grow the investment (Dalton et al, 2015). A debt management and pay down plan for he Lanes would involve identifying all their debts which are paid monthly quarterly, half yearly and annually. The next step would be to prioritize the debts in order from the smallest to the largest debts they have. This order should consider the debt magnitude and not the interest rates involved. The reason for this is that it is easier and quicker to clear smaller debts and this will give them motivation to be clear even the larger debts. The next step in the pay down plan

Ebola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ebola - Essay Example This epidemic ultimately reported a gross increase in fatality cases up to about 71% in West Africa. Additional cases of Ebola virus have been experienced in Nigeria and Senegal. Consequently, some of the United States of America medical doctors who were on life-saving missions in West Africa contracted this virus. This research paper elucidates on the origin, global distribution and health impacts of Ebola virus. The discovery of Ebola virus traces its origin from central Africa along river Zaire in Congo-Zaire. Baron Peter Piot was the lead researcher behind the discovery of Ebola cure. This Belgium microbiologist helped in the discovery of Ebola virus in 1976. He embarked on a mission to contain the first ever recorded Ebola virus in the same year. The natural reservoir for Ebola virus was basically never identified initially. This virus causative agent nonetheless was later unearthed in the year 1989. Ebola Reston (EBOR), on the other hand, was first identified in 1989 (Wilson 111). This virus emerged from imported primates when infected monkeys were imported from Mindanao in Philippines into Reston, Virginia. Unfortunately, a fewer population around was also infected with Ebola Reston (EBOR). This virus was an inactive form (Seroconverted). The virus, therefore, did not regenerate in the RNA. Additionally, Ebola virus conclusively failed to develop into Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF). Ebola first emerged as a simple infection though involved with a massive loss of lives in Congo-Zaire. As much as there were myths and misconceptions behind this unknown virus, scientific interventions had to prove religion wrong. Ebola emerged in 1976 in Congo-Zaire and Sudan. Therefore, this virus was named after Ebola River in Zaire. The First Ebola (Ebola-Sudan) outbreak infected about 284 people. Consequently, the infected individuals had a mortality rate of 53% (Wilson 127). A few months later, there was a re-infection of Ebola in Yambuku Zaire. This strain

The Cross-Cultural Care Survey to Assess Cultural Competency Article - 5

The Cross-Cultural Care Survey to Assess Cultural Competency - Article Example Chun, et.al. used the Cross-Cultural Care Survey (CCCS) as the â€Å"multidimensional tool to assess knowledge (preparedness), skill, attitudes, and quantity of cultural content integrated into a resident training program† (Chun, Yamada, Huh, Hew, & Tasaka, 2010, p. 97). As explicitly indicated, the authors primary objective for conducting the study was identified as enhancing â€Å"the feasibility and further provide support for t validity and reliability of this tool for use in assessingcultural competency among residents across specialties. The authors first a sought the approval for revising the CCCS to enhance comprehensive ability and to update the applicability of the survey to current knowledge, attitudes and skills identified in the health care setting. The survey was conducted using 84 participants who are residents of four identified specialties located in a community-based health institution. As disclosed, two relevant variables were used in the study, to wit: â€Å"(1) whether residents were able to treat patients who speak a language other than English, and (2) whether they were born in the United States or another country. An additional section asked participants about the extent of cross-cultural care training beyond medical school† (Chun, Yamada, Huh, Hew, & Tasaka, 2010, p. 97). The results of the study revealed that the CCCS was a valid and effectively reliable tool in measuring the preparedness of the residents in addressing and providing health care to the diverse cultural needs of the patients. In detail, the following findings were eminent:

Government Capital Punishment Essay Example for Free

Government Capital Punishment Essay Theories of punishment have significant role to play in the ongoing debate on capital punishment, especially for murder. Some retributivists appeal to the lex talionis, the law of retaliation, to determine the appropriate amount of punishment . This principle specifies that the punishment should inflict on offenders what they have done to their victims; â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†, and â€Å"a life for a life†. Capital punishment is therefore the only appropriate punishment for murder. But the lex talionis is deeply flawed. It focuses on the harm done by offenders without regard to their mental states. A life may be taken intentionally or accidentally; a person may be killed for personal gain or in order to relieve him or her of the agony of a terminal illness. Even if we restrict the scope of the lex talionis to cases in which the wrongdoing is fully intentional, there is still the problem about the level at which the punishment should imitate the crime (Singer, 1993). Should murderers be killed in exactly the manner that they killed their victims? In any case, it is impossible to apply the lex talionis to many offenders; the penniless thief, the tooth assailant who knocks out his victim’s teeth, the tax evader, etc. If conscious of the defects of the lex talionis, retributivists merely insist that the punishment should be appropriate to the moral gravity of the offence, then this requirement can be satisfied so long as the murderer is punished more severely than less serious offenders. There is no need for capital punishment. From the utilitarian point of view, capital punishment can only be justified if it produces better consequences than less severe forms of punishment. This condition would be satisfied if capital punishment is a superior deterrent to alternative forms of punishment such as long periods of imprisonment. So a utilitarian will try to settle the issue on the basis of the evidence about the effects of capital punishment. The statistical evidence is based on comparisons of murder rates in countries where there is capital punishment with those in socially similar countries where there is no capital punishment, and no comparisons of the murder rates in one and the same country at different times when it had capital punishment and when it later abolished it, or when it restored capital punishment after a period of abolition. The evidence does not show that capital punishment is a superior deterrent. However, the utilitarian approach is rejected by those who wish to place greater value on the lives of the innocent victims of murder than on the lives of convicted murderers. It is suggested that the evidence does not conclusively rule out the superior deterrence of capital punishment, and in the presence of such uncertainty, it is better to have capital punishment. If there is capital punishment, and it turns out that capital punishment is not a superior deterrent, then convicted murderers have been unnecessarily executed. If, on the other hand, we abolish capital punishment, and it turns out that it is a superior deterrent, then there would be additional victims of murder. But this argument is unacceptable because where there is capital punishment, it is certain that convicted murderers will die, but in the absence of capital punishment and in the light of available evidence there is only a remote probability that there would be more innocent victims of murder (Conway, 1974). In any case, there is a risk of a few innocent people being wrongly convicted of murder and executed if there is capital punishment. This has to put on the scales against capital punishment.

Effects The Newspaper Industry Media Essay

Effects The Newspaper Industry Media Essay The benefits aggregation services like Google News gain is that the information they put on the site have additional content and provides a broader view of the topic, industry and subject matter. That is what appeals to the readers, as they can skim through the important news they want to read and dont need to go through the unimportant news like in newspapers or TV. Online news aggregation services like Google News are changing the way news is being advertised to people. Since the creation of Google News, it has become one of the best innovations for the company in terms of subscriptions to their feeds and revenues they generate through readers. What Google does best is that it gathers interesting things and presents them in new ways to appeal to the vast audiences. Effects on the newspaper industry During the past decade, the Internet has become an important news source for most Americans. According to a study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, as of January 2010, nearly 61 percent of Americans got at least some of their news online in a typical day. (Isbell, 2010). This statistic shows us that there is a lot of reliance on the internet for news. People have forgone the traditional practices of getting their news through newspapers, magazines and TV. Thus, there is a decline in the traditional media these days. News Corporations Rupert Murdoch and Associate Press Chairman Dean Singleton have reasoning to believe that the major cause of the decline in the traditional media is due to the rise of the news aggregators. According to this theory, news aggregators from Google News to The Huffington Post are free-riding, reselling and profiting from the factual information gathered by traditional media organizations at great cost. (Isbell, 2010). Aggregation services threaten the print media because they are emerging as the new front page which people skim through every morning for headlines instead of going to any single newspaper site. (Schonfeld, 2009). The other reasoning behind low print media numbers is that companies have started to advertise more on the sites as they cost much less as compared to advertising on the newspapers. The problem with newspapers these days is that there are about 20% top headline stories and the rest of the 80% is usually not relevant or uninteresting to the reader. Aggregation sites create loads and loads of important headlines from all over thus captivating the audience. The value not only comes from skimming through the website material but clicking the links to the various headlines creates value. Of course newspapers are failing because you surely cannot capture the readers attention with only 20% news and the other 80% being irrelevant. Aggregation services use automated logarithms to get really good content, and thus its not only the front pages that captures the audience attention but the other pages are as interesting as the first one. Basically newspapers cater to the needs of a higher class of people who earn higher than average income whereas aggregation services like Google News cater to every age group as anyone can access the news from anywhere with no fear of purchasing any material on the web they read. Plus, the cost of paper, ink, postage, and physical distribution will never be a contender in a world of electronic communication. Therefore, newspapers are now creating websites for their readers and advertisers. The classified sections on the newspaper are being threatened because sites like Craigslist are seeking a share of the classified market. This shows that the task is becoming more difficult as newspapers try to serve a diverse audience of readers. Aggregation services are fast in staying up to date in their industries, track competitors, monitor industry blogs, and follow specific Websites. Aggregation services get the best of their data in a very speedy manner meaning that they get their news feeds as soon as a special event or news occurs. In short, newspapers are struggling to attract the customer base they once had due to technological advances on the internet. Aggregation services improving over the years I will take example of Google News and how they have approached online aggregation services. Google News over the years has improved and has grown smarter than many other aggregation services. They keep track of user behavior which is very important as peoples view and opinions change daily and is never on one thing. Google News uses a very different algorithm to that used for their Google search. Google News uses a closed index whereas their search engine uses an open index. Now, the difference is that in a closed index Google News will only capture the news related items, whereas in an open index the search engine will take everything into consideration thus making the database even bigger. Thus, Google News gets their information in a more real time manner which is faster and becomes easier for users to find what they are looking for. Other aggregation services are also taking note of this and improving their services as well. Aggregation services are less concerned of what type of medium they will be using and are more concerned about making sure that the news continues to be flowing for example those enterprise journals, editorials and other things that can be seen in the newspapers. Therefore, their main concern or interest is to try and make sure that the news not only survives but thrives. The only way to ensure the speediest delivery of news to the audience, aggregation services use specialized algorithms to get these cluster of news out to the readers thought their internet sites rather than the traditional newspapers which takes longer and hold up to 60% of ad space. If we look at the pace at which the media is going online, news is the area which would benefit the most when it is online. With something new happening every other minute, breaking news becoming a daily issue, with updates and alerts which require something more than the traditional media network, it is the time that the news gets online. Every time there is breaking news it is posted online for the internet users to stay in touch without any effort to do the same. (Chris Williams, n.d.). I mean the best way for a person to stay up to date with the latest information is to log in to one of the online sites and check the news rather than having the hassle of buying a newspaper or turning on the TV or the radio. It saves a lot of time for a person to do this. The competition to make the news more attractive is lesser in the online world, considering the fact that it is simpler in most ways than the print media. The print media requires you to come up with innovative ideas every other day to stay afresh in the emerging competitive market. Comparatively, in the online news market the competition to stay new is less. (Chris Williams, n.d.). Therefore, sites like Google News and The Huffington Post dont really care whose site is better, but rather are interested that the news they are providing is being read by the audience and that it is getting to every person in a timely manner.

Harry Potter Essay -- J.K. Rowling Literature Wizards Papers

Harry Potter A young, scrawny boy who wears horn-rimmed glasses and has a scar on his forehead has catapulted into the hearts of millions of readers, young and old alike. This same boy has generated nationwide controversy over censorship versus freedom of speech. In particular, the community of Zeeland, Michigan has banned reading aloud from Harry Potter and required written parental permission to check the book out from the school library. Although the Zeeland community as well as other segments of the population claim that the Harry Potter books should be censored because they believe wizardry is a dark and malignant reality, Harry Potter should be made available to all children because he reinforces a sense of good and evil, provides a protagonist that embodies Christian values, and nurtures a lifelong love for literature. Millions of children around the world along with a good many adults are now familiar with Harry Potter. Created by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter is an orphan who, for the first eleven years of his life, has lived with and suffered abuse from his relatives, the Dursleys. His life changes dramatically, however, when he turns eleven and finds out that he is in fact a wizard and will be attending Hogwarts, a wizardry school. Adventures abound as Harry begins his new life learning to be a wizard. The Harry Potter books, four of which have been published, with another three planned, are so hugely popular that the New York Times Book Review was forced to revise their best-seller list in order to appease publishers and authors of adult material. Because the first Harry book dominated the best-seller list since its inception in 1998, children's books must now appear only on t... ...Search. Goshen College Good Library. 15 March 2001. "Letters to the Editor." Horn Book Magazine Oct. 2000: 499. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 15 March 2001. Maudlin, Michael G. "Virtue on a Broomstick." Christianity Today 4 Sept. 2000: 117. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 15 March 2001. Samuels, Art. "Pooh-poohing Pottermania." U.S. News & World Report 24 July 2000: 12. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 19 March 2001. Swartz, Elizabeth. "Wild About Harry (Potter)!." Teaching PreK-8 31.1 (2000): 76. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 15 March 2001. "Tale of Two Wizards." Reading Today 18.3 (2001): 15. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 19 March 2001. <![endif]>