Minors Rights Supreme Court Essay Example for Free

Minors Rights Supreme Court Essay Throughout the United States’ history, the Supreme Court has decided many cases. Their job is to decide whether or not laws, or punishments given by lower courts, abide by the rules written in the United States Constitution. Their decisions are based upon precedents set by other court cases, or their opinions of what the Constitution means, if there is no precedent. On the topic of the rights of minors, the Supreme Court has justly protected these rights as shown in the cases of In Re Gault, Tinker v. Des Moines, and New Jersey v. T.L.O. In Re Gault was the Supreme Court’s â€Å"first foray† (Dorsen) into the rights of minors as decided by the Constitution. Fifteen year old Gerald Gault was taken into custody for making lewd comments to a neighbor, over the phone. His parents were not notified and he was not given access to an attorney. He was not notified of his right not to self-incriminate and was eventually convicted as an adult and sentenced to jail until age 21. If he had been tried as an adult, it would have been a misdemeanor. Before this case it was considered that minors had no rights until they turned 18 and were legally considered an Adult. Under our Constitution the condition of being a boy does not justify a kangaroo court. †¦Due process is the primary and indispensable foundation of individual freedom. It is the basic and essential term in the social compact which defines the rights of the individual and delimits the powers which the state may exercise†¦. (Fortas). The supreme court definitely interpreted the constitution correctly because the constitution states, â€Å"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor 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. This is saying that juveniles accused of a crime must have the same rights as adults. Tinker v. Des Moines covers the controversial topic of minors’ rights in school. Students, including John Tinker, decided to wear black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam war, violating a school policy. â€Å"The school officials banned and sought to punish petitioners for a silent, passive expression of opinion, unaccompanied by any disorder or disturbance on the part of petitioners. There is here no evidence whatever of petitioners interference, actual or nascent, with the schools work or of collision with the rights of other students to be secure and to be let alone. Accordingly, this case does not concern speech or action that intrudes upon the work of the schools or the rights of other students† (Fortas). The final decision of the Supreme Court was that minors do not lose their rights once they walk in the school doors. As long as they are not disrupting the learning process, they are fully protected under the first amendment. New Jersey v. T.L.O. is also very controversial as it deals with minors’ fourth amendment rights of search and seizure. Two freshmen students were caught smoking in the bathrooms of the Piscataway school system. One student denied smoking and was asked to empty the contents of her purse. The principal found cigarettes, rolling papers, marijuana, a pipe, baggies, money and a card indicating people who owed her money for drugs. She was charged as a juvenile for the drugs and paraphernalia found in the search. She fought the search, claiming it violated her Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, held that the search was reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. A school does have the right to search the students on probable cause. In this particular case the school acted on a â€Å"plain view† search once the rolling papers were found in plain view after the cigarettes were lifted out of the bag. . . . The warrant requirement, in particular, is unsuited to the school environment . . . [T]he legality of a search of a student should depend simply on the reasonableness, under all the circumstances, of the search . . . Such a search will be permissible in its scope when the measures adopted are reasonably related to the objectives of the search and not excessively intrusive in light of the age and sex of the student and the nature of the infraction. (White). There was no need for a warrant because the police were not searching her and they were not searching her house or car, only her person. These three cases show that the Supreme Court has been just in ruling on the rights of minors. Juveniles are afforded the same rights to due process as adults when they have criminal charges presented against them. They also have the right to a peaceful demonstration even in a school. In a school setting, it is acceptable that the Court ruled against the rights of minors, in order to provide a safe environment. On the topic of the rights of minors, the Supreme Court has justly protected these rights as shown in the cases of In Re Gault, Tinker v. Des Moines, and New Jersey v. T.L.O.

Belonging Essay Example for Free

Belonging Essay Belonging is about how one views their self and how one interacts with those around them. It colours who and what we are and how we fit into the world around us. People seek belonging for identity, relationships, acceptance, and understanding. Steven Herrick’s free-verse novel, ‘The Simple Gift’, effectively explores the notions of belonging through the protagonist’s journey. In a similar way, David Michod’s film ‘Animal Kingdom’ and Tim Winton’s short story ‘Neighbours’ both present protagonists that go through long journeys to find belonging through developing meaningful relationships and discoveringa sense of place. Steven Herrick’s free-verse novel ‘The Simple Gift’ clearly portrays that alienation and a lack of connection with people will lead to a lack of belonging. Immediately Herrick introduces the readers to Billy, a sixteen-year-old runaway who is alienated and isolated. Herrick implicitly displays that Billy’s father has abused him, which is the cause of his alienation. This is evident as Billy recounts how his father â€Å"gave me one hard backhander across the face, so hard I fell down†¦. And slammed the door on my sporting childhood. This metaphor allows readers to understand that his father’s abuse led to Billy’s disconnection to from normal childhood experiences, thereby not allowing him to ‘fit in’ and belong to society. Billy’s isolation from the community is reinforced as he leaves the neighbourhood throwing â€Å"one rock on the roof of each deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Longlands Road, Nowheresville. † Colloquial adjectives and expletives make evident Billy’s feelings of disconnection and resentment towards his hometown, suitably named â€Å"Nowheresville† by Billy. It is from this place that Billy seeks escape, and so chapter one ends as he begins his journey towards belonging â€Å"on a speedboat out of town†¦ heading to the Waggawang Coalfields. † Herrick portrays that Finding a sense of place and meaningful relationships leads to belonging with Billy’s arrival in Bendarat where he is metaphorically and literally entering a new life. Although at first Billy is anxious, upon entering the town, he feels it brings a sense of hope for his future as he â€Å"walks slowly into Bendarat†¦with the sun finally lifting. Through this use of weather motifs and personification of the sun lifting the fog, hope and positivity are unveiled for Billy after a life of negativity and uncertainty. He finds â€Å"Bendarat is the perfect town† and he makes â€Å"carriage 1864 home. † Billy begins his movement as he finds a physical sense of place. While the town of Bendarat Billy begins to move towards belonging through meaningful relationships, when he meets Caitlin; a representative from the ‘other’ society from which Billy and Old Bill are hiding. Ironically, Caitlin has everything she wants, but is still discontent. She represents her family’s wealth, acknowledging that her â€Å"Dad is too rich for his own good. † Caitlin and Billy develop an immediate bond, as they are able to talk and listen to each other without judgment or prejudice. As they meet, the narrative perspectives begins to overlap, and the reader gains insight into Caitlin through her strong voice, suggested through the use of personal pronouns â€Å" I felt good†¦ I kept mopping. As their relationship develops, Billy finds meaning and purpose for his life as seen through this extended metaphor that Billy’s life has become â€Å"a circuit of plans with Caitlin at the centre, and me a badly-dressed satellite spinning crazily in her orbit. † With Caitlin in his life, Billy is centered and feels connectedness: she is someone to whom he can belong. Similarly, Billy begins to find belonging through a relationship with Old Bill; a h omeless alcoholic with a sad past. Through the use of superlative in Billy’s description of Old Bill as the â€Å"saddest man in the world† the reader understands that Billy and Old Bill have the chance to change each other’s lives through meaningful relationships. Old Bill is the catalyst for Billy’s movement towards belonging, just as Billy is able to help Old Bill re-entre society. Billy’s journey from alienation to belonging is completed as he enters with Caitlin into his new â€Å"home†, the tangible address that Old Bill offers them for their â€Å"simple gift†. The key to his home that Old Bill offers Billy is the most significant gift in the novel. This key is a motif symbolizing Caitlin and Billy’s joining together and entering a new life â€Å"I insert the key†¦ and push the door†. They enter this new life together. Ironically, Old Bill finally belongs again through moving away and experiencing freedom. For Billy and Caitlin, the ultimate connectedness comes through love making. The reader understands the significance of this moment through Billy’s use of a simile; â€Å"it was like falling headlong into clear waters of the Bendarat River’†. Billy finds a place to call home, a place to which he can belong, in Bendarat, where he forms his own family and in turn gives simple gifts to and helps other find their own sense of belonging. Like ‘The Simple Gift’, David Michod’s film ‘Animal Kingdom’ effectively explores the concept of belonging through its protagonist Joshua ‘J’ Cody, a teenage boy thrown into a world of crime after his mother dies of a heroin overdose. Similar to Billy, J is alienated due to family circumstances. It is J’s first person narrative voice over that draws us into the world of the Cody family. He speaks to us: â€Å"After my mum died this was just the world I was thrown into. † This way of having him speak to the audience, allows us to be a part of his search for belonging throughout the film. Michod also utilizes the animal motif throughout the entire film. It is established in the opening credits through the artwork that is shown through extreme close ups. The Cody family is a den of lions and J walks in as a cub â€Å"The weak survive when they are protected by the strong†. From the beginning of the film there are a number of times this motif recurs, but perhaps the most significant moment is the conversation where Detective Leckie tells J all about the bush and the creatures in it and says â€Å"you’ve gotta work out where you fit†. J’s journey throughout the film is a search for belonging within this ‘animal kingdom’. Although J needs to choose where he belongs, we see he does not really have a choice due to the Cody family constantly dragging him into their problems. Viewers clearly observe this when J is having dinner away from the Cody family and at his girlfriend Nicky’s house. The diagetic sound of the family having dinner fades out and the eerie and ominous music comes in, suggesting something negative and frightening. The camera shows a close up J’s face as he views the news on the television, emphasizing J’s fear of his family. J’s eyes are now glued to the television and the medium shot of him having dinner loses focus forcing the viewer to watch the television just like J. Camera shots are used in many other significant parts of the movie to display J’s slow journey to belonging. Long and medium shots often used to show Smurf kissing her sons, significant because the final shot of the film is a long shot of J holding Smurf in a position of authority over her because he has killed Pope. This symbolizes him becoming one of them and perhaps even suggests that within the animal kingdom he has taken his position as leader like Craig encouraged him to be at the start. J has finally found belonging with the Cody family as leader of the animal kingdom. Similar to the previous two texts, Winton’s short story ‘Neighbours’ begins with a young couple that is in a state of alienation â€Å"like sojourners in a foreign land†. Like ‘the Simple Gift’, the lack of understanding prevents meaningful relationships and therefore leads to alienation. ‘Neighbours’ opens with the young couple having just arrived in their new suburb. Winton chooses to tell the story in third person, creating a distanced and simplistic quality throughout. Leaving all characters nameless only to be referred to by generalized titles such as â€Å"the Macedonians†, â€Å"the Polish widower† and â€Å"the young couple† enhances the texts impersonal nature. This opens the story up so that anyone can see themselves in each of the roles allowing them to connect with the characters and storyline in a unique and powerful way resulting in Winton being able to effectively portray his message of belonging. Another element to the piece is ‘The 20th Century Novel’ a project ‘the man’ is working on for what could be a university extra honors degree, that soon becomes a reoccurring motif. The novel is a symbolic tool used to represent the abstract world of intellectuals; however its presentation becomes a contrast with the real world that the couple discovers within this suburb. As the story progresses Winton uses the seasons as the structure of the story and the young couple’s journey to belong. In Autumn the young couple plant vegetables to live on, by beginning this common activity to their neighbours the Macedonians feel comfortable enough to begin to bond and also offer the young couple help and give them a gift of garlic cloves. Like ‘The Simple Gift’, through small gifts and acts of kindness come understanding, building of relationships and belonging. This significant event marks the beginning of the couple’s path to belonging â€Å"the neighbours come to the fence and offer advice about spacing, hilling, mulching†. As winter began the young couple smile in return to their neighbours and receive a visit from their parents who they were once like. The juxtaposition of the parents and their children show how much the young couple have changed and begun to belong â€Å"They felt superior and proud when their parents came to visit. Their parents are in complete shock of the neighbours behaviour as they do not understand the beauty behind their lifestyle, this juxtaposes the young couples behaviour as they have accepted their neighbours behaviour and have begun to understand their lifestyle and see the beauty and freedom of it. The final significant experience for the couple is the unexpected pregnancy of the woman, followed by her natural home birth. Throughout the pregnancy the couple are constantly approached by well- wishers in the neighbourhood, presenting the ommunities acceptance of them despite any differences and joining them in the celebration of this impending birth. During the home birth of their child the couple unexpectedly experience both interest and support from their new neighbours, displaying their final connection as a community. The birth process is rich with descriptive language, highlighting not only the beauty and power of this moment but the final step in claiming their place in this community with this new life. Each of the moments experienced above are all highly natural, reflective of the traditional European culture they are now living amongst, forever making ‘The 20th century novel’ more redundant as the story progresses. The man is developing his understanding of the 20th century world however the one he really needed to understand to find his sense of belonging was the one surrounding him, â€Å"The twentieth century novel had not prepared him for this. † People seek belonging for identity, relationships, acceptance, and understanding. Steven Herrick’s free-verse novel, ‘The Simple Gift’, effectively explores these notions of belonging. Through Billy’s character, the reader sees that belonging comes when there is acceptance and understanding, especially through meaningful relationships and human connectedness. In a similar way, David Michod’s film ‘Animal Kingdom’ and Tim Winton’s short story ‘Neighbours’ both present protagonists that go through long journeys to find meaningful relationships and a sense of place to discover their own sense of belonging.

Tristram Shandy: Postmodern texts

Tristram Shandy: Postmodern texts Does Tristram Shandy demonstrate that there can be postmodern texts before Postmodernism? Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy dominated the London literary marketplace during its serial publication from 1759-1767.   Like his contemporary writers, Sterne engages in debates concerning what we would now regard as the disciplinary boundary between literature and philosophy which has established its canonical status as a work of postmodern fiction.   It is difficult to ascribe, as many scholars have, to Tristram Shandy the title of ‘postmodern’.   To characterize this novel through a future literary movement which defines itself through the rejection of the principles of the previous movement is incongruous.   How can a novel which precedes postmodernism by over a century and a half reflect the cultural and political formations which sparked the movement itself?   However, Tristram Shandy does contain fictional and narrative elements which clearly invite comparison with the fiction of the postmodern movement. Born into the Augustan Age, Sterne’s discordant writing makes him seem out of place in his own era   Differing drastically from the contemporary imaginative literature of Defoe, Richardson and Fielding and the philosophical writing of Johnson, Tristram Shandy has been explained by critics as an example of ‘process writing’, a text presented in the very act of creation and change.   This analysis can be applied to Sterne himself; moving away from the Augustan poets and the sentimental writers, Sterne’s writing is termed postmodern because it is a rejection of realism, turning from the objectivity of external truth to examine inner states of consciousness.   Sterne’s novel clearly exhibits the postmodernist theory of metafiction, in which the writing self-consciously points to itself as an object in order to question the relationship between reality and fiction.   Sterne was certainly not alone in critiquing methods of narrative construction an d exploring the fictionality of the external world, but what sets Tristram Shandy apart from its contemporary fiction is the use of language as an arbitrary system.   The elements of Tristram Shandy which inspire comparisons with the postmodernist movement are clear: questioning the relationship between text and the self, and an argument for the constitutive power of language.   Postmodern scholars question the fundamental representation of identity and history itself, that is, history as what ‘really’ happened as opposed to history as an objective ‘narrative’ of what happened.   Sterne has a clear understanding of how some element of self-definition and identification is involved in the fictional writing process, and freely admits the element of autobiography in his writing.   ‘Tis †¦ a picture of myself’ he tells David Garrick in regards to Tristram Shandy (Letters 87).   The autobiographical element in Sterne’s writing suggests multiple definitions of the same reality, which depend upon perspectives rather than objective truth.   This comes across as a convoluted and fragmented narrat ive that confuses fiction and reality, narrative and truth. Tristram himself says of his father’s masterpiece, the Trista-paedia, ‘My father spun his, every thread of it, out of his own brain, or reeled and cross-twisted what all other spinners and spinster had spun before him’ (Sterne 93).   Sterne, like his character Tristram, spins his own narrative in an intricate and complex web, so convoluted and transparent that it is difficult to tell where it ends and he begins. Tristram Shandy clearly embodies this ambiguity between reality and representation through language.   James Swearingen writes that in Tristram Shandy ‘language does not just facilitate communication: it establishes the phenomenal horizon in which speakers and things spoken about are constituted’(Swearingten 117).   Tristram constructs his biography through textual language, which reveals itself to be an ambiguous rather than a concrete medium.   He admits that he is better associated with the text itself than the subject to which it refers.   Tristram’s escape from his inevitable death is described as a journey in which ‘life follows the pen’ (Sterne 754).   Once again returning to the autobiographical element of Sterne’s writing, if Tristram’s journey follows the pen, then he, like Sterne, is creating and documenting his own existence, shaping his narrative according to his liking rather than according to objective truth. At the same time that Sterne celebrates the constructive power of language, he reveals its ultimate failure.   Sterne was ‘concerned almost exclusively with the problem of communication among men’ wrote John Traugott, illuminating both the genius and failure of Sterne’s text.   When words fail, as they sooner or later do, communication becomes the business of sensibility.   ‘My uncle Toby looked brisk at the sound of the word siege, but could make neither head nor tail of it’ (Sterne 312).   Traugott concludes that Tristram Shandy seeks to re-establish a community where reason, in the form of language, threatens to destroy it (Traugott 15).   Rather than basing a notion of community upon concrete notions of order and hierarchy, the Shandy world is built on the unstable base of subjectivity.   ‘In Sterne’s world, each individual consciousness establishes itself at the centre of a universe of feeling and ignores any such thing a s objective reality, until the subject of Tristram Shandy finally seems to be the nature of fiction itself’ (Byrd 59).   Virginia Woolf has noted Sterne’s unexpected prose as a means of exploring a materialist critique of the conventions of the novel itself.   The jerky, disconnected sentences are as rapid and it would seem as little under control as the phases that fall from the lips of a brilliant talker †¦ The order of the ideas, their suddenness and irrelevancy, is more true to life than to literature †¦ Under the influence of this extraordinary style the book becomes semi-transparent.   The usual ceremonies and conventions which keep the reader and writer at arm’s length disappear (Woolf 79) Stylistically, Sterne’s novel deconstructs the narrative and linguistic form of the novel in favour of multiplicity and ambiguity. Indeed, the author’s preface is found in volume three, chapters are disordered, and symbols and blank pages are found throughout the book.   Playing with novelistic conventions, Sterne draws attention to the instability of the written form itself, paralleling the ambiguity of the text with the ambiguity of the self. Sterne uses reflection to expose the constructedness of his narrative, encouraging the reading to approach it not as subjective truth but as an aesthetic.   This is clearly apparent in the treatment of various forms of madness within the novel.   Madness figures prominently in Tristram Shandy.   The metaphor of madness appears in many critical discussion of the novel because helps to underscore the link between Sterne and his contemporary Augustan satirists, for whom the classical idea of madness as supernatural inspiration is missing.   Indeed, Sterne seems to anticipate the Romantic poets who, by contrast, represent madness as a sign of alienation, in which the faculty of imagination is the source of anxiety rather than creative freedom. In Tristram Shandy many kinds of madness are manifest.   Characters such as Toby and Walter serve simply as the necessary comic eccentricity, similar to the figure of Yorick to whom Tristram refers throughout his story.   Tristram, howe ver, cites John Locke as an explanation of why ‘my poor mother could never hear the †¦ clock wound up, but the thoughts of some other things unavoidably popped into her head’ (Sterne 39).   The ‘sort of unreasonableness’ which Locke describes is, ironically, the driving force behind Tristram’s unorderly pattern of narration.   Tristram clearly expresses Sterne’s own narrative technique: ‘By this contrivance the machinery of my work is of a species by itself; two contrary motions are introduced into it, and reconciled, which were thought to be at variance with each other.   In a word, my work is digressive, and it is progressive too, -and at the same time’ (Sterne 95).   Sterne questions what it means to live in a world in which the boundaries of the self and the body politic are redefined.   Challenging the conventions of body narrative form and philosophical notions of the self, Sterne questions, ‘is a man t o follow rules or rules to follow him?’ (Sterne, 583) One bibliographer described Tristram Shandy as ‘postmodernist in every sense except the moment in which it was written,’ and most critics have agreed.   However, despite the similarities between Sterne’s own engagement with philosophical and literary critique in his novel, it is impossible to call Tristram Shandy a postmodernist text, if purely for semantic reasons.   It is tempting to explain instances of extraordinary forms of artistic and critical reflection with the tools of the present, but this is a fallacy.   Sterne’s novel engages with the epistemological, philosophical and literary crises of his time, and cannot possibly be explained with a theory born out of the crises of the twentieth century.   As Tristram’s mother exclaimed, ‘L—d! †¦ what is all this story about? –‘ It is, and will remain, ‘A COCK and a BULL, †¦ And one of the best of its kind, I ever heard’ (Sterne 615). Works Cited Byrd, M. (1985) Tristram Shandy London: George Allen Unwin. Swearingen, J. (1977) Reflexivity in Tristram Shandy: An Essay in Phenomenological Criticism New Haven: Yale University Press. Sterne, L. (1967) The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, London: Penguin Classics. -(1775) Letters to his Friends on Various Occasions, London. Traugott, J. (1954) Tristram Shandys World: Sternes Philosophical Rhetoric. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press. Woolf, V. (1932) The Common Reader: Second Series. London: Hogarth Press.

Gateway to the Smokies Essay example -- Observation Essays, Descriptive

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is the "Gateway to the Smoky Mountains." It is located approximately 120 miles southwest of the ETSU campus. Pigeon Forge is a highly recognized tourist town with many activities. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee contains many forms of entertainment, such as Dollywood, lodging, and restaurants for the average student tourists. The entertainment industry is the main reason why Pigeon Forge is such a well-known tourist town. Dollywood is usually the main attraction. Dollywood is an Appalachian theme park that draws in thousands of tourists each year. It is located at the next-to-last traffic light in Pigeon Forge and to the left. The admission prices vary between adult and children. Price for an adult admission is $34.25 and for a children’s it is $24.30 (http://www.dollywood.com). If you would like to visit Dollywood more frequently, then you can purchase a Season Pass for $61.85 for an adult or children’s for $46.40 (http://www.dollywood.com). When you are at Dollywood you can also watch craft workers build random novelties and purchase them. One such craft shop sells glass bottles that you can see formed and blown by a glass worker. Also there are live shows throughout the week such as "Let the Good Times Roll" (http://www.dollywood.com). This is a musical show about the 50’s. I did not get to see it but I have heard it is really good. Dollywood also houses David Tallent, who performs in a magic and comedy show. He was invited to Hollywood’s Magic Castle by the Academy of Magical Arts, which was a great honor for the magician. There are also dozens of rides such as water, family, thrill, and children rides. Some of the rides are the "Thunder Road," and "Smoky Mountain Rampage" (http://www.dollywood.com). "T... ...esides the possible bad food. Pigeon Forge has a common problem each year, the massive amounts of traffic. It is nearly impossible to get anywhere during the tourist season. The city has been working on the roads though. Hopefully this will resolve the traffic problem. Also it is kind of difficult to find a parking place if you just want to get out of your car and walk through Pigeon Forge. Pigeon Forge is an easy city to get to. You drive toward Knoxville and take Exit 407 off of I-40. From then on you just follow the signs to the Smoky Mountains. Considering the distance it might be easier and less costly to drive back to ETSU for the night. The average college student would most likely end up spending more money on lodging than in gas. Overall, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is a great tourist town for people that are local to East Tennessee, such as ETSU students.

Against Illegal Downloading Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Peer Pir

Against Illegal Downloading At the dawn of the internet, many things such as books and text became obsolete, due to insufficient monitoring of internet activity and sites. Individuals were able to gain free access to books and publications that normally needed to be bought, or required a fee. This is something that has caused problems for booksellers and publishers. Now, as technology advances, it also begins the decline of music, software, and television industries—but something can be done before it’s too late. Illegal downloading is a problem that affects us all, either directly or indirectly. Many people do not take it too seriously. They have not realized that it is an epidemic; like a disease that keeps growing as people become more knowledgeable about computers and learn more about how software runs. People openly burn music CDs and download music and movies for friends who in turn give it to their friends; it’s a never-ending cycle on illegal practices. The problem started when Nap ster came out and should have ended when it was shutdown. Unfortunately, not enough has been done to stop the illegal transfer of files. It’s time someone takes full action and ends this detrimental offense.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Napster is a company that developed the so-called peer-to-peer technology that lets people search and retrieve music files directly from one another's personal computers. When Napster first came out, millions of internet users worldwide were illegally downloading and distributing copyrighted music, videos, images, and software for free. After being vilified by the entertainment industry, which claims that Napster and any similar programs could make piracy of almost any digital work unstoppable, and many court battles, Napster was ordered by court to be shutdown in 2000. The technology has been praised as a revolutionary development for the Internet—unaware of the problems that would arise from such practices. However, the termination of Napster was not enough, months later, dozens of new, like programs were being developed and used. And since Napster, not much has been done to stop these latest downloading programs. Although there was a period where the Recording Industry Association of America (the RIAA), an organization that investigates the illegal production and distribution of sound recordings, went after a few users, including a twelve year old ... ...ement a chip into the motherboards to scan and analyze people’s online activities. The motherboard is the main system component of computers and all the hardware such as hard drives, video cards, sounds cards and anything else that you connect to your computer must be run through the mother board. So essentially all your activities could be monitored—especially the transfer of large files, such as songs and movies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As explained above, illegal downloading is a great problem affecting the entertainment industry and could soon be an even bigger problem for consumers. Downloading copyrighted material illegally is just as unlawful as stealing from a store or someone’s personal item. To prevent shutting down businesses and industries, internet pirates must be stopped and actively sought after. So if one is downloading material illegally take in to mind what harm it can do to and who is being hurt in the process. Free does not mean that it’s moral or fine; one must analyze and see the consequences of such actions before they continue—otherwise, it could be the end of something great because people were stealing and driving companies out of business, with no force stopping them.

Medicinal Uses of Rainforest Plants Essay examples -- Exploratory Essa

Medicinal Uses of Rainforest Plants It is estimated that nearly half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants, animals, and micro-organisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation. Rainforest plants are complex chemical storehouses that contain many undiscovered compounds which are a vital part for the growth and development of the world. Therefore, we can only gain access and knowledge to these materials if we study and conserve the species that contain them. Rainforests currently provide sources for one-fourth of today's medicines, and 70 percent of the plants found have anti-cancer properties. However, they are only found in the rainforest. The rainforest and its immense undiscovered biodiversity holds the key to unlocking tomorrow's cures for today's devastating diseases. In 1983, there were no US pharmaceutical manufacturers involved in research programs to discover new drugs or cures from plants. However, today over 100 pharmaceutical companies and several branches of the US government, including Abbott, Merck, Bristol-Meyers, Squibb and the National Cancer Institute are actively engaged in plant-based research projects for possible drugs and cures for viruses, infections, cancer, and AIDS. However, I am presenting the preservation of the world=s rainforests by showing how much more valuable plants are standing rather than cut down. Indeed, it is a race against a clock whose every tick means another acre of charred forest. Yet, in a competitive market, whoever presents new evidence in chemical bioprospecting will secure health and a piece of scientific immortality. We are now losing the earth=s greatest biologic... ...avin, and Hilary French Sate of the World. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 1999. Caufield, Catherine. In the Rainforest. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1994. Emerich, Monica. AWhat You Should Know About Rainforest Remedies.@ Preserving Mayan Medicine. March 1998, Galileo. Online. Dialog. 1 Oct. 2003. Gay, Kathlyn. Rainforests of the World. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1999. Henahan, Sean. ARainforest Medicines.@ Newsmaker Interviews. (1996): 6 pages. Online Internet. 1 Oct. 2003. Available Jenkins, Mark. AThe Secret Garden.@ Men=s Health. Oct. 1997, vol.12: 142. Galileo.Online. Dialog. 25 Sept. 2003. Available Meyers, Norman. Rainforests. Emmaus: Rodale Press, 1993. Newman, Arnold. Tropical Rainforest. New York: Edison Sadd Editions, 2000. Taylor, Leslie. Herbal Secrets of the Rainforest. Rocklin: Prima Publishing, 1998.

Bluffing

HUMN 330 Values and Ethics Online Course Syllabus Credit Hours: 3 Delivery Method: Online (Internet / Blackboard) Required Textbook Rosenstand, N. (2013). The moral of the story: An introduction to ethics (7th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 978-0078038426 Course Description This course focuses on the process of practical ethics as a way of resolving moral conflict and of understanding professional responsibility in a multi-culturally diverse society without devaluating specific viewpoints of ethical or metaphysical theory, ideology, or religion.Students will use proposals, value judgments, observation statements, assumptions, and alternate-world assumptions in arguing contemporary issues of moral importance. With this basic moral logic, students will resolve issues in terms of rights, responsibilities, and the community of rational beings; in terms of consequences and contingencies; and in terms of habituated virtues and character. Free and unrestricted discourse will be enc ouraged so as to let students find common ground in diversity. Course Goals This course is designed to help students: 1. Understand the basic vocabulary and fundamental theories of ethics. . Discover life's values and determine which values are the most worthwhile. 3. Relate the textbook theories to actual life situations. 4. Find greater personal peace by choosing more constructive values. 5. Apply understanding of ethics to personal lives. 6. Understand the relationship between attitudes, values and moral conduct. Learning Outcomes This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 Upon course completion, students will be able to: 1. Judge the role and importance of ethics and evaluate moral behavior based on the criteria of value and self autonomy. . Assess the psychological, sociological, historical, and philosophical background of ethics. 3. Relate the nature and role of reason in understanding values. 4. Relate the nature and characteri stics of freedom when responding to values. 5. Distinguish and apply ethical principles in ethical situations. 6. Explain the various arguments for and against the major contemporary ethical issues. 7. Discuss one’s options for identifying and replacing inferior values. 8. Explain the role, nature, and characteristics of responsibility. 9.Defend the value of and the process of foreseeing the consequences of an individual’s conduct. 10. Defend the choice of a viable ethical theory in solving an ethical problem. 11. Utilize the principles of critical thinking to enhance learning skills and to increase intellectual and moral growth. 12. Evaluate their conduct in the light of constructive ethical expectations. Grading Your final grade will be based on the following evaluation items: Grade Scale 90 – 100% 80 – 89% 70 – 79% 60 – 69% 0 – 59% A B C D F Evaluation Items and Weights Weekly Assignments Discussions Midterm Exam Group Project Fina l Exam Total 5% 30% 15% 15% 15% 100% Activities and Assignments Activities Each module, excluding Module 9, contains various assignments related to the respective module, such as: ? Chapter and Lecture Notes. This activity consists of reading the text and the lecture notes that are posted in each module. ? Reading and Reflection. This activity contains a reading activity that is assigned to stimulate additional thinking and some discussions within the topic area. This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 ? ? Research and Critical Thinking.This activity varies with each module; however, they are typical outside readings with associated discussion questions of short essay-type answers to the topic area. Application. This activity varies with each module and is integrated into the learning modules to help you apply and reinforce the concepts that each module introduces. Weekly Assignments The assignments vary from module to module and a re based on the activities that were contained within the module. Each includes a combination of threaded discussions, short essays, or study questions based on text or outside readings.The weekly assignments comprise 25% of your grade. Discussions The Discussion Board is an integral part of your learning in this course. You are encouraged and expected to participate in online discussions. Regular and meaningful discussion postings are part of your final grade. Each module, excluding Module 9, contain Discussion Board topics or questions that will help sharpen your critical thinking and written communication skills as you study the theories and concepts related to values and ethics.Thirty percent of your course grade will come from your original responses to module discussion prompts and responses to classmates submitted to the appropriate Discussion Board forum in response to these module discussion activities. Please refer to the Checklist for Meaningful Discussions and Discussion Rubric in Module 1. Discussions account for 30% of your grade. Exams Both the Midterm and Final Exams are time-limited online tests. The Midterm will cover Modules 1 through 4 (Chapters 1-6) and is to be taken in Week 4. The Final is comprehensive (Modules 1-4 and 5-9, Chapters 1-13) and is to be taken during Week 9.The Midterm and Final are each worth 15% of your grade. Group Project Module 8 is devoted to the group project. The Instructor will divide the class into four virtual groups to discuss a case involving an ethical issue. ? ? ? ? Group 1: Media Ethics Group 2: Theory of Just War Group 3: Animal Welfare and Animal Rights Group 4: Death Penalty Each group will have its own private group discussion forum. Accessing this private forum is a little different from reaching the public discussion forums. You will need to click the Groups menu item, not the Discussion Board.After clicking Groups, you will see the four groups listed but you will only have access to the group you hav e been assigned to. Click your group link to see a list of the other members of your group and then the Group Discussion Board link to access the discussion forum. This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 Work with your assigned group members on the ethics case for your group in your private discussion forum. Identify ethical or moral justifications to support your arguments from the text or additional sources as necessary.Use the Internet to research any additional information you would like to use in your group's discussion. After groups have had time to review and discuss their cases and reach a consensus on the topic, one member of each of group will post its findings to the appropriate thread in the public Module 8 – Group Presentations forum. As individuals, each student will then comment on at least two other group presentations. The group project makes up 15% of your grade. Additional Information Library Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has one of the most complete library collections of aviation-related resources in the world. ? ERAU Libraries: http://library. erau. edu/ Hunt Library Worldwide: Information, Services, Help o Worldwide Library: Basic Training o Worldwide Library: Ask-a-Librarian o Reference: Research Request Contact Information ? Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 a. m. – 5:00 p. m. Eastern Time ? Telephone: 1-800-678-9428 or 386-226-6947 ? Email: [email  protected] edu RefWorks RefWorks is an online database tool that can manage references and citations from almost any source. It provides specific guidance in how to collect and use references, create bibliographies, and write research papers.You may access it through this ERAU organizational login link when signed in to ERNIE or directly from the RefWorks website (http://www. refworks. com). A different link must be used for off-campus access (see these instructions). RefWorks requires users to create a RefWorks-spe cific username and password. Please contact the Hunt Library if you have any questions. Online Sources There are many websites that offer current information on values and ethics and any search engine (Google, etc. ,) will get you to both historic and current information that is relevant to the content of this course.In addition, many links are provided within the online learning modules. APA Format ERAU students should master the American Psychological Association (APA) editorial style format for research papers and other written assignments. Two good websites to bookmark for help citing references used in your assignments and discussion posts are listed below. (See the Academic Resources folder in the Resources area of the course for additional sites on APA style. ) This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 The OWL at Purdue, APA Formatting and Style Guide APA Style. rg Course Policies Academic Integrity Embry-Riddle is committed t o maintaining and upholding intellectual integrity. All students, faculty, and staff have obligations to prevent violations of academic integrity and take corrective action when they occur. The adjudication process will involve imposing sanctions which may include, but are not limited to, a failing grade on the assignment, a failing grade in a course, suspension or dismissal from the University, upon students who commit the following academic violations: 1. Plagiarism: Presenting the ideas, words, or products of another as one’s own.Plagiarism includes use of any source to complete academic assignments without proper acknowledgement of the source. Reuse or resubmission of a student’s own coursework if previously used or submitted in another course, is considered self-plagiarism, and is also not allowed under University policy. 2. Cheating: A broad term that includes, but is not limited to, the following: a. Giving or receiving help from unauthorized persons or material s during examinations. b. The unauthorized communication of examination questions prior to, during, or following administration of the examination. . Collaboration on examinations or assignments expected to be, or presented as, individual work. d. Fraud and deceit, that include knowingly furnishing false or misleading information or failing to furnish appropriate information when requested, such as when applying for admission to the University. Online Learning This course is offered through ERAU Worldwide Online (Blackboard) and runs nine (9) weeks. The first week begins the first day of the term and ends at midnight EDT/EST (as applicable) seven days later.Success in this course requires in-depth study of each module as assigned, timely completion of assignments, and regular participation in forum discussions. Late work should be the exception and not the rule and may be downgraded at the discretion of the Instructor, if accepted at all. Unless all work is submitted, the student co uld receive a failing grade for the course. Extensions may be granted for extenuating circumstances at the discretion of the Instructor and only for the length of time the Instructor deems appropriate. The most important element of success in an online course is to communicate with your Instructor throughout the term.Conventions of â€Å"online etiquette,† which include courtesy to all users, will be observed. Students should use the Send Email function in Blackboard for private messages to the Instructor and other students. The class Discussion Board forums are for public messages. It is highly recommended that students keep electronic copies of all materials submitted as assignments, discussion board posts and emails, until after the end of the term and a final This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 grade is received.When posting responses in a discussion forum, please confirm that the responses have actually been posted after you submit them. Course Schedule Module Title Understanding Values, Morals, and Ethics Activities / Assignments 1. 1 – Introductions 1. 2 – Read Chapter 1; View Morality Video 1. 3 – Reading and Reflection: Morality and Ethics 1. 4 – Application: Current News Search 1. 5 – Discussion 1: Ethical Behavior 1. 6 – Discussion 2: Moral Issues 2. 1 – Read Chapter 2 and 3 2. 2 – Research and Critical Thinking: Haroun and the Sea of Stories Study Questions 2. – Discussion: Understanding the Past 2. 4 – Application: Moral Dilemma 2. 5 – Discussion: Ethnicity vs National Identity 3. 1 – Read Chapter 4; 3. 2 – Research and Critical Thinking â€Å"The Ethics of Emergencies Study Questions† 3. 3 – Reading and Reflection: Altruistic Behaviors 3. 4 – Application: Essay on Rand’s Ideas 3. 5 – Discussion: Understanding Altruism 4. 1 – Read Chapters 5 and 6 4. 2 â €“ Reading and Reflection: Utilitarianism and Deontology 4. 3 – Research and Critical Thinking: Flight 93 and Utilitarianism in Times of Crisis 4. – Discussion: Ends and Means 5. 1 – Review Modules 1 through 4 Learning Objectives 5. 2 – Discussion: Midterm Q & A 5. 3 – Midterm Exam 6. 1 – Read Chapters 7 and 8; Listen to â€Å"I Have a Dream Speech† 6. 2 – Reading and Reflection: Walmart Employment Practices 6. 3 – Application: Education Equity and Social Justice Awareness 6. 4 – Discussion 1: Person vs. Human Being 6. 5 – Discussion 2: Rights and Responsibilities 6. 6 – Research & Critical Thinking: The Trial of Socrates 6. 7 – Application: Resolving Ethical Dilemmas 6. 8 – Discussion 3: Socrates’ Trial 7. – Read Chapters 10 and 11 7. 2 – Research and Critical Thinking: â€Å"Either/Or† Study Questions 7. 3 – Reading and Reflection: Philosophers 7 . 4 – Application: â€Å"Why Courage Matters: The Way to Braver Life† Study Questions 7. 5 – Discussion: Politics 7. 6 – Group Project Preview 8. 1 – Read Chapters 12 and 13; View Gender and Ethics Video 8. 2 – Reading and Reflection: Group Case 8. 3 – Research and Critical Thinking: Group Case 8. 4 – Application: Group Findings 9. 1 – Review Modules 1 through 8 Learning Objectives 9. 2 – Discussion: Final Q and A 9. – Final Exam 1 2 Moral Lessons Through Time and Ethical Relativism 3 Exploring Psychological and Ethical Egoism 4 Utilitarian Reasoning and Universal Law 5 Midterm Exam Week 6 Human Rights, Justice and the Concept of Virtues 7 The Contemporary Perspectives and Case Studies in Virtue 8 Feminism, Virtue, and the Exploration of Ethics in a Global Context 9 Final Exam Week This syllabus was developed for online learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712 This syllabus was developed for onl ine learning by Dr. Moseby HUMN 330 Online Syllabus 0712