Critical Review of three Scholarly Journal Articles Essay

One of the most important finding generated by this paper is the effects of race on the view that police is biased on race. This includes racial profiling of police where Black or minority group in general are most like stopped by police than White American. In all four models, blacks and Hispanics are more likely than whites to believe that police bias is a problem (Weitzer & Tuch, 2005). Blacks however, according to this article perceives police bias more of a problem than Hispanics. One interesting subset of this is that Blacks tend to perceive police discrimination against Hispanics than Hispanics see themselves. So that Black Americans tend to see that Hispanic drivers are being racially profiled compared to white drivers. Another important finding presented by this article is the role of media in shaping the perceptions of people regarding racial discrimination. People who frequently hear or read about incidents of police misconduct, as transmitted by the media, are inclined to conclude that the police engage in racial profi ling, are prejudiced, and discriminate against minority individuals and neighborhoods (Weitzer & Tuchs, 2005). The data gathering method and analysis technique used in this article is solid considering that it is based on a national survey of national survey of 1,792 white, African American, and Hispanic adult residents of U. S. metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 population (Weitzer & Tuch, 2005). The survey results where advantageous in the sense that oversampling African Americans and Hispanics, in contrast to the small number of minority respondents common to other surveys. Another advantageous factor is the tapping of both attitudes toward police and personal and vicarious experiences with the police. Another very important correction factor they have added is idea that there are differences in the number of households with phone access from the three different races, Black, Hispanics and White American. This is very important consideration since the data was collected using random dialing of phone numbers. So in general the data was very reliable. Race-Based Policing: A Descriptive Analysis of the Wichita Stop Study Unlike the previous article which discusses racial discrimination of policing in a wider perspective, this article focuses on racial profiling. The results of this rigorous effort put on the analysis of enforcement pattern do not prove race-based policing. The result of this document instead provides guidance for what are needed on studies to determine if race is a significant determinant for police to decide whether to stop them for inspection or not. According to this article, in order to fully understand the results of these decisions we must document the process by which these decisions are made (Withrow, 2004). Unfortunately, nothing in this data-set or any similar data-set is capable of such an analysis (Withrow, 2004). Although important findings emphasized by this study is that police awareness of the incorrect conceptions of well-established beliefs regarding race plays an important role in dealing with this sensitive police profiling issue. It is however certain that by asking the appropriate questions police administrators have a real opportunity to raise their department’s level of sensitivity to the issue (Withrow, 2004). One important finding that supports this idea is the result of this study that the proportions of searches that produces contrabands does not vary with race. The data gathering method used in this study is based on qualitative information recorded on every police stops from the Wichita Stop Study Dataset and the analysis technique are based on logical reasoning. In late July 2001 representatives from the Wichita Police Department provided the author with a data-set representing the first six months of collected information including 37,454 stops (Withrow, 2004). What is interesting about this data is that to date (relative to this article) this is the largest qualitative data set of this type. This provides reliability of the data gathered and provides validity of the results of this study. Perceptions of Racial Profiling: Race, class and Personal Experience The important result study is to provide a significant basis for the need to examined both race and class determinants of citizens’ relation with the police. In the discussions provided by the author, it was indicated that disadvantage black are more likely to believe that police are abusive of African American because of their personal experience. Another very important point generated in the discussion is with regard to racial profiling. We found that better educated African Americans are more likely than are less educated to disapprove of profiling, to view it as a pervasive practice, and to say that they have personally experienced it (Weitzer & Tuch, 2002). The authors argued that the reason for this is that higher education fosters greater exposure to media and information related to profiling problems. The data gathered were collected from a nationwide random-digit-dialing telephone survey of 2006 respondents conducted by the Gallup organization between September 24 and November 16, 1999 (Weitzer & Tuch, 2002). This offers reliability on the data gathered and considering it has the same strength of oversampling African Americans. Couple this data with various related literature from refutable sources, the data collection are quite valid. The analysis employed in the discussion where supported by citations from previous studies which further validates the ideas presented. CONCLUSION The important results generated by these documents suggest that minority group and Black American in particular, perceives that racial discrimination in the form of racial profiling is an issue. Through proper police awareness of incorrect conceptions that race is a factor that determines people tendency to commit crime, the sensitivity of this issue can be controlled. Couple this with the important role of education in providing proper understanding of the situation there is a possibility of correcting this perception. References Weitzer, R. & Tuch, S. (2005). Racially Biased Policing: Determinants of Citizen Perception. Social Forces from the University of Carolina Press, 83 (3), 1009-1028. Withrow, B. (2004). Race-Base Policing: A Descriptive Analysis of the Wichita Stop Study. Police Practice and Research, 5 (3), 223-240. Weitzer, R. & Tuch, S. (2002). Perceptions of Racial Profiling: Race, Class, and Personal Experience. Criminology, 40 (2), 435-453.

Challenges to foster a national identity during the Meiji restoration period.

There was a small island in the south of Japan where the Japanese imported goods from the Dutch, Chinese, and Korean nations, but there was little or no trade with any other country. Thus, the country of Japan was closed to outside influences, partly to maintain political domination control and to prevent the foreigners from stealing their gunpowder. In the mid 1860’s an American diplomatic fleet of steam powered battleships arrived and insisted upon the opening of Japanese trade with the US. The feudal Shogun government, however apprehensive of the threat to their control over the people of Japan, had no choice but to allow trade with the US. This opened the door for international trade and relations with the world beyond Japan for the first time in hundreds of years. I 1868, the shogun(the military leader) was forced to step down and the sixteen year old Emperor Meiji was â€Å"restored ,† so that Japan might catch up military with the West. There was the end of a relatively stable number of years of Shogun government called the Edo period. During this period a primary Shogunate (military dictatorship) was essentially running the government and the various different Samurai clans of the country were managed by this primary Shogunate, which was based in Edo (the city now known as Tokyo). Thankfully this particular military dictatorship was a relatively noble group monetarily, but their own noble and self-sacrificing way was actually part of what allowed the imperial family to take over the government of Japan at this rather pivotal moment. Essentially Meiji was the heir son of the imperial family and so those who stood to benefit from him being placed in as leader of the country helped to make it happen. The leadership of the Shogunate in Edo was handed over rather effortlessly as the Shogunate was apparently duped by Meiji and his supporters. Meiji’s primary supporters, of course, were leaders of some of the primary opposition to the Shogunate. This assertion of the leadership of an imperialistic family was known as the â€Å"Meiji Restoration†, yet it was not really a restoration as there had apparently never been a truly united Japan ruled in such a way before. Suddenly Meiji took over and any Samurai opposition to the changes was essentially stopped with force until the Samurai class was finally outlawed. The Meiji constitution was written as part of this â€Å"restoration† and basically fabricated a national identity for Japan. It also conveniently fabricated a nationalistic mythology which attempted to falsely present Meiji and his family as Shinto divinity. The result was a fanatical religious theocracy with a false history and deluded national patriotism. This ultimately led to the sad events of WWII and the immense disgrace of the Japanese people. It was essentially a nation-wide cult fabricated by politicians. Rationale: Westernisation influence in Japan during the Meiji Restoration Period: Political influence: In 1889, a constitution was promulgated which established a parliamentary government but left it accountable to the emperor rather than to the people. Administrative power was centralized in a national bureaucracy, which also ruled in the name of the emperor. There as a change in the feudal system. The classes were declared equal, so that samurai and their lords lost their feudal privileges, while the role of merchants began to be respected. Japan received its first European style constitution in 1889. A parliament, the Diet was established while the emperor kept sovereignty: he stood at the top of the army, navy, executive and legislative power. The ruling clique, however, kept on holding the actual power, and the able and intelligent emperor Meiji agreed with most of their actions. Political parties did not yet gain real power due to the lack of unity among their members. Economic influence: In order to transform the agrarian economy of Tokugawa Japan into a developed industrial one, many Japanese scholars were sent abroad to study Western science and languages and businesses, while foreign experts taught in Japan. The progression and improvements in education would boost the economy because of the increase in knowledge and skills. Industrialization created more importance on businesses and the prospering of them, than the farming and agrarian economy. After means of large governmental investments, the transportation and communication network in Japan were improved. The government also directly supported the prospering of businesses and industries, especially the large and powerful family businesses called zaibatsu. The large expenditures led to a financial crisis in the middle of the 1880s which was followed by a reform of the currency system and the establishment of the Bank of Japan. Thus, Japan’s economic grew tremendously during the Meiji restoration period. Education influence: A universal education was implemented. The education system was reformed after the French and later after the German system. Among those reforms was the introduction of compulsory education. Compulsory public education was introduced both to teach the skills needed for the new nation and to inculcate values of citizenship in all Japanese. This means that the money is going towards education, which goes to the people, and creates more capital, because of more knowledge. Military influence: There was a high priority for Japan in an era of European and American imperialism. Universal conscription was introduced, and a new national army modelled after the Prussian force was established, and a navy after the British force was established. Arts influence: In 1876, the government opened the Technical Fine Arts School (Kobu Bijutsu Gakko) and invited the architect Giovanni Cappelletti (d. ca. 1885), the sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa (1841–1928), and the painter Antonio Fontanesi (1818–1882), who was deeply influenced by the Barbizon school, to teach its students in Western techniques and media. Fontanesi’s students Yamamoto Hosui (1850–1906), Kuroda Seiki (1866–1924), and Asai Chu (1856–1907) all later travelled to Europe to study academic painting, and are looked upon today as the Meiji period’s greatest producers of Western style paintings (yoga). On the other hand, the government took the acquisition of Western art techniques as a means of fostering industrial development, as opposed to promoting an appreciation of Western aesthetics or art theory. This was to let the young Japanese gain appreciation for the potentially important role of the museum in society, and the establishment of Japan ’s first public museum at Yushima Seido Confucian shrine. Conder taught at the University of Technology (Kobu Daigakko). His students Tatsuno Kingo (1854–1911), Katayama Tokuma (1853–1917), and Sone Tatsuzo (1853–1937) were responsible for many of the major architectural monuments during the Meiji period. Education system in Japan during the Meiji Restoration period: School system reform: The reform of the school system has contributed the most to the enlightenment of the Japanese people. By the 1906, the school attendance was as high as 95%, which Japan boosted the one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The resorted Imperial government immediately realised the importance of universal education to the nation’s pursuit of modernisation and progress of Japan. Gakusei, a education system was implemented in the 1872 and the promulgation of the Imperial Rescript on education in the 1890, these laid the foundation for modern education system in Japan. The school system was then modelled after the westernisation. Universities established: Universities as well as technical and professional schools were established to promote higher education to meet the demands of a labour force. Except for the terakoya, small regional schools providing basic education, most traditional schools from the Edo period were almost exclusively reserved to boys belonging to the samurai class. Despite this, the level of literacy in the late Edo period was remarkably high, which no doubt paved the way for the Meiji educational reforms. Primary school: The nationalisation of the education system made primary school compulsory for both boys and girls. At first, the attendance was very low. However, after tuition was abolished for elementary schools in 1900, then there was an increase in attendance. Many things in the school was influenced by the westerners. Firstly, the school was furnished western-style were built throughout the Japan. Secondly, the school curriculum was also based on western models. This includes history, science, geography and arithmetic. Schools also continued to give moral instruction based on Confucian tradition, which encouraged patriotic loyalty and filial piety. Games like sugoroku, the New Year’s game, were used to introduce young children to the scripts in a fun way. The sugoroku board shown here illustrates the different steps a student must follow before earning a degree. Education in the Empire of Japan was a high priority for the government, as the leadership of the early Meiji government realized the critical need for universal public education in its drive to modernize and westernize Japan. Overseas missions such as the Iwakura mission were sent abroad to study the education systems of leading Western countries. After 1868 new leadership set Japan on a rapid course of modernization. The Meiji leaders established a public education system to help Japan catch up with the West and form a modern nation. Missions like the Iwakura mission were sent abroad to study the education systems of leading Western countries. They returned with the ideas of decentralization, local school boards, and teacher autonomy. Such ideas and ambitious initial plans, however, proved very difficult to carry out. After some trial and error, a new national education system emerged. As an indication of its success, elementary school enrollments climbed from about 40 or 50 percent of the school-age population in the 1870s to more than 90 percent by 1900, despite strong public protest, especially against school fees. By the 1890s, after earlier intensive preoccupation with Western, particularly United States, educational ideas, a much more conservative and traditional orientation evolved. Confucian precepts were stressed, especially those concerning the hierarchical nature of human relations, service to the new state, the pursuit of learning, and morality. These ideals, embodied in the 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education, along with highly centralized government control over education, largely guided Japanese education until the end of World War II. There are two different perspective to the modernization of Japan. Some Japanese think that it is a chance to achieve collective, national glory. However, others do not really encourage modernization. Change to them meant danger, decadence and loss of moral virtues. They fear of three areas: gender disorder, cultural concern and political disorders. Firstly, for the gender anarchy, the Japanese banned women from adopting short hairstyle in the 1872. It emerged again when the government sharply restricted women’s political activity in 18890. However, during the Meiji period, the primary duty of the women was to serve the twin roles of good wife and wise mother was not purely reactionary or restrictive. During the Meiji formulation, wise women needed schooling. This was to ensure that the mother raises the children well in a new era, thus the mother needs to be literate. They had to know something about the world beyond the home. â€Å"Good mother, wise mother† was aggressively promoted by the Japanese government that the women have to be educated. The imperial institution took part in the project to prescribe new roles of women for men. The imperial signaled that men should have western haircuts by adopting that style of him. While the hair of the women should be kept long and braided up. The women’s appeara nce was also influenced by the westerners. the westernized facial appearance encourages the women to stop shaving their eye brown and blackening their teeth. However, it was later changed with support from the throne in the face of western examples and criticisms. Secondly, the Japanese fear of political disorder. They fear that a restless populace might challenge their political control which led to the decision for a conservative constitution. It inspires for a call for scarification for the state in Imperial Rescript. It also inspired a spark for military drills in school. Thirdly, it is the open of the port to the outside world. Japanese fear that people from across the sea would poison the soul of the Japan. They fear that they would influence the Japanese or to convert them into Christianity and demolish their true identity and cultural, they fear the lost of their cultural. Due to the rapid modernization and adapting many things from the westerners, they start to fear that there is no unique identity of Japan. Thus a magazine â€Å" The Japanese† was published. The writer thinks that the nation followed a path towards the so-called civilized. They feared that it might â€Å"forfeit our nation national character and destroy all the elements in References: Websites: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2130.html 21/4/11 , on the western influence on Japan. http://www.travel-to-japan.com/the-meiji-restoration/ (21/4/11), the background of Meiji Period. http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitLo.do;jsessionid=AA30BECF533CBA0ECFF8450FC71FF6C1?method=previewlang=ENid=12991 23/4/11, education system during the Meiji period. Challenges to foster a national identity during the Meiji restoration period. There was a small island in the south of Japan where the Japanese imported goods from the Dutch, Chinese, and Korean nations, but there was little or no trade with any other country. Thus, the country of Japan was closed to outside influences, partly to maintain political domination control and to prevent the foreigners from stealing their gunpowder. In the mid 1860’s an American diplomatic fleet of steam powered battleships arrived and insisted upon the opening of Japanese trade with the US. The feudal Shogun government, however apprehensive of the threat to their control over the people of Japan, had no choice but to allow trade with the US. This opened the door for international trade and relations with the world beyond Japan for the first time in hundreds of years. I 1868, the shogun(the military leader) was forced to step down and the sixteen year old Emperor Meiji was â€Å"restored ,† so that Japan might catch up military with the West. There was the end of a relatively stable number of years of Shogun government called the Edo period. During this period a primary Shogunate (military dictatorship) was essentially running the government and the various different Samurai clans of the country were managed by this primary Shogunate, which was based in Edo (the city now known as Tokyo). Thankfully this particular military dictatorship was a relatively noble group monetarily, but their own noble and self-sacrificing way was actually part of what allowed the imperial family to take over the government of Japan at this rather pivotal moment. Essentially Meiji was the heir son of the imperial family and so those who stood to benefit from him being placed in as leader of the country helped to make it happen. The leadership of the Shogunate in Edo was handed over rather effortlessly as the Shogunate was apparently duped by Meiji and his supporters. Meiji’s primary supporters, of course, were leaders of some of the primary opposition to the Shogunate. This assertion of the leadership of an imperialistic family was known as the â€Å"Meiji Restoration†, yet it was not really a restoration as there had apparently never been a truly united Japan ruled in such a way before. Suddenly Meiji took over and any Samurai opposition to the changes was essentially stopped with force until the Samurai class was finally outlawed. The Meiji constitution was written as part of this â€Å"restoration† and basically fabricated a national identity for Japan. It also conveniently fabricated a nationalistic mythology which attempted to falsely present Meiji and his family as Shinto divinity. The result was a fanatical religious theocracy with a false history and deluded national patriotism. This ultimately led to the sad events of WWII and the immense disgrace of the Japanese people. It was essentially a nation-wide cult fabricated by politicians. Rationale: Westernisation influence in Japan during the Meiji Restoration Period: Political influence: In 1889, a constitution was promulgated which established a parliamentary government but left it accountable to the emperor rather than to the people. Administrative power was centralized in a national bureaucracy, which also ruled in the name of the emperor. There as a change in the feudal system. The classes were declared equal, so that samurai and their lords lost their feudal privileges, while the role of merchants began to be respected. Japan received its first European style constitution in 1889. A parliament, the Diet was established while the emperor kept sovereignty: he stood at the top of the army, navy, executive and legislative power. The ruling clique, however, kept on holding the actual power, and the able and intelligent emperor Meiji agreed with most of their actions. Political parties did not yet gain real power due to the lack of unity among their members. Economic influence: In order to transform the agrarian economy of Tokugawa Japan into a developed industrial one, many Japanese scholars were sent abroad to study Western science and languages and businesses, while foreign experts taught in Japan. The progression and improvements in education would boost the economy because of the increase in knowledge and skills. Industrialization created more importance on businesses and the prospering of them, than the farming and agrarian economy. After means of large governmental investments, the transportation and communication network in Japan were improved. The government also directly supported the prospering of businesses and industries, especially the large and powerful family businesses called zaibatsu. The large expenditures led to a financial crisis in the middle of the 1880s which was followed by a reform of the currency system and the establishment of the Bank of Japan. Thus, Japan’s economic grew tremendously during the Meiji restoration period. Education influence: A universal education was implemented. The education system was reformed after the French and later after the German system. Among those reforms was the introduction of compulsory education. Compulsory public education was introduced both to teach the skills needed for the new nation and to inculcate values of citizenship in all Japanese. This means that the money is going towards education, which goes to the people, and creates more capital, because of more knowledge. Military influence: There was a high priority for Japan in an era of European and American imperialism. Universal conscription was introduced, and a new national army modelled after the Prussian force was established, and a navy after the British force was established. Arts influence: In 1876, the government opened the Technical Fine Arts School (Kobu Bijutsu Gakko) and invited the architect Giovanni Cappelletti (d. ca. 1885), the sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa (1841–1928), and the painter Antonio Fontanesi (1818–1882), who was deeply influenced by the Barbizon school, to teach its students in Western techniques and media. Fontanesi’s students Yamamoto Hosui (1850–1906), Kuroda Seiki (1866–1924), and Asai Chu (1856–1907) all later travelled to Europe to study academic painting, and are looked upon today as the Meiji period’s greatest producers of Western style paintings (yoga). On the other hand, the government took the acquisition of Western art techniques as a means of fostering industrial development, as opposed to promoting an appreciation of Western aesthetics or art theory. This was to let the young Japanese gain appreciation for the potentially important role of the museum in society, and the establishment of Japan ’s first public museum at Yushima Seido Confucian shrine. Conder taught at the University of Technology (Kobu Daigakko). His students Tatsuno Kingo (1854–1911), Katayama Tokuma (1853–1917), and Sone Tatsuzo (1853–1937) were responsible for many of the major architectural monuments during the Meiji period. Education system in Japan during the Meiji Restoration period: School system reform: The reform of the school system has contributed the most to the enlightenment of the Japanese people. By the 1906, the school attendance was as high as 95%, which Japan boosted the one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The resorted Imperial government immediately realised the importance of universal education to the nation’s pursuit of modernisation and progress of Japan. Gakusei, a education system was implemented in the 1872 and the promulgation of the Imperial Rescript on education in the 1890, these laid the foundation for modern education system in Japan. The school system was then modelled after the westernisation. Universities established: Universities as well as technical and professional schools were established to promote higher education to meet the demands of a labour force. Except for the terakoya, small regional schools providing basic education, most traditional schools from the Edo period were almost exclusively reserved to boys belonging to the samurai class. Despite this, the level of literacy in the late Edo period was remarkably high, which no doubt paved the way for the Meiji educational reforms. Primary school: The nationalisation of the education system made primary school compulsory for both boys and girls. At first, the attendance was very low. However, after tuition was abolished for elementary schools in 1900, then there was an increase in attendance. Many things in the school was influenced by the westerners. Firstly, the school was furnished western-style were built throughout the Japan. Secondly, the school curriculum was also based on western models. This includes history, science, geography and arithmetic. Schools also continued to give moral instruction based on Confucian tradition, which encouraged patriotic loyalty and filial piety. Games like sugoroku, the New Year’s game, were used to introduce young children to the scripts in a fun way. The sugoroku board shown here illustrates the different steps a student must follow before earning a degree. Education in the Empire of Japan was a high priority for the government, as the leadership of the early Meiji government realized the critical need for universal public education in its drive to modernize and westernize Japan. Overseas missions such as the Iwakura mission were sent abroad to study the education systems of leading Western countries. After 1868 new leadership set Japan on a rapid course of modernization. The Meiji leaders established a public education system to help Japan catch up with the West and form a modern nation. Missions like the Iwakura mission were sent abroad to study the education systems of leading Western countries. They returned with the ideas of decentralization, local school boards, and teacher autonomy. Such ideas and ambitious initial plans, however, proved very difficult to carry out. After some trial and error, a new national education system emerged. As an indication of its success, elementary school enrollments climbed from about 40 or 50 percent of the school-age population in the 1870s to more than 90 percent by 1900, despite strong public protest, especially against school fees. By the 1890s, after earlier intensive preoccupation with Western, particularly United States, educational ideas, a much more conservative and traditional orientation evolved. Confucian precepts were stressed, especially those concerning the hierarchical nature of human relations, service to the new state, the pursuit of learning, and morality. These ideals, embodied in the 1890 Imperial Rescript on Education, along with highly centralized government control over education, largely guided Japanese education until the end of World War II. There are two different perspective to the modernization of Japan. Some Japanese think that it is a chance to achieve collective, national glory. However, others do not really encourage modernization. Change to them meant danger, decadence and loss of moral virtues. They fear of three areas: gender disorder, cultural concern and political disorders. Firstly, for the gender anarchy, the Japanese banned women from adopting short hairstyle in the 1872. It emerged again when the government sharply restricted women’s political activity in 18890. However, during the Meiji period, the primary duty of the women was to serve the twin roles of good wife and wise mother was not purely reactionary or restrictive. During the Meiji formulation, wise women needed schooling. This was to ensure that the mother raises the children well in a new era, thus the mother needs to be literate. They had to know something about the world beyond the home. â€Å"Good mother, wise mother† was aggressively promoted by the Japanese government that the women have to be educated. The imperial institution took part in the project to prescribe new roles of women for men. The imperial signaled that men should have western haircuts by adopting that style of him. While the hair of the women should be kept long and braided up. The women’s appeara nce was also influenced by the westerners. the westernized facial appearance encourages the women to stop shaving their eye brown and blackening their teeth. However, it was later changed with support from the throne in the face of western examples and criticisms. Secondly, the Japanese fear of political disorder. They fear that a restless populace might challenge their political control which led to the decision for a conservative constitution. It inspires for a call for scarification for the state in Imperial Rescript. It also inspired a spark for military drills in school. Thirdly, it is the open of the port to the outside world. Japanese fear that people from across the sea would poison the soul of the Japan. They fear that they would influence the Japanese or to convert them into Christianity and demolish their true identity and cultural, they fear the lost of their cultural. Due to the rapid modernization and adapting many things from the westerners, they start to fear that there is no unique identity of Japan. Thus a magazine â€Å" The Japanese† was published. The writer thinks that the nation followed a path towards the so-called civilized. They feared that it might â€Å"forfeit our nation national character and destroy all the elements in References: Websites: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2130.html 21/4/11 , on the western influence on Japan. http://www.travel-to-japan.com/the-meiji-restoration/ (21/4/11), the background of Meiji Period. http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitLo.do;jsessionid=AA30BECF533CBA0ECFF8450FC71FF6C1?method=previewlang=ENid=12991 23/4/11, education system during the Meiji period.

Exploring Human Nature and Destruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exploring Human Nature and Destruction - Essay Example For some it is to do in good for one another, for others it is just to make it another day. Human nature consists of moments of love, hate, passion, living and dying. In this case, it is destruction, both in war conflict and from the standpoint of considering suicide to end an internal war. A person is born and a person will die but it is what the person does in between these two milestones that is of importance. The purpose of life is unknown but while these writers look at a reflection of human nature, only each individual can narrate their own story. When looking at the references that William Manchester discusses, he analyzes the concept of war. He includes in his essay about Okinawa the concept that war has existed for several years. Manchester uses World War II as a reference discussing how it came to an end eventually with the United States being crippled in the middle of war by its opponents. Using a landing force, a fleet of 1200 ships as part of the United States invasion i n Okinawa, the people on these ships were subjected to attack from other ships in the sea and from the dropping of deadly bombs from the air. When analyzing the two enemy forces, the goals were similar: to destroy one another. The Japanese planned to attack the United States Marines as they approached the island by sinking the ships. Alternately, the Marines were on a mission to attack the Japanese by creeping onto shore and driving them into the sea (Manchester). While this is just a simple narrative of a historical event that deeply impacted the United States, it is evident that human nature was at work here. Both Americans and Japanese fighters were together in combat but were working against each other. Both sides of the war saw their opponents as enemies and the goal was to kill or destroy. Each side desired to win the victory of the war. Human nature is at work here because by just where a person was born determined which side they fought on. While many outsiders rarely know t he purpose of a war, the goal is always for their country to be victorious. It is like rooting for a team, wanting to see the opponents walk away, holding their heads in shame. Everyone wants to be on the winning team. Though human nature is not necessarily to kill, it is to fight for one's own side. When looking at this issue further, these U.S. Marines did not know each other when they walked into battle but they became teammates, fighting for their country, fighting for their lives and most of all, fighting for each other. Outside of war, they may have had nothing in common but in war, they let down all guards and help each other toward a common goal. Being an American or being Japanese gave each person in this war an identity. This defines battle lines and identifies the enemy. Marines more than likely had a feeling of hatred toward their Japanese enemies and as a result, aimed toward destroying them. When it comes to human nature, what goes on in one's mind that causes destruct ion? In war, it is the motive to devote oneself to their country and pray to come home to their families alive. However, some people self destruct as well, fighting a battle against themselves. This issue is discussed by Hoagland's essay discussing â€Å"Heaven and Nature,† and describes suicide. A person that is contemplating suicide is instead at war with themselves. Human nature is a different force here where a

Take Away Their Guns by James Q. Wilson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Take Away Their Guns by James Q. Wilson - Essay Example Wilson has managed to leave an empty spot by having an indirect message instead of a direct one. This encourages readers to read the entire essay in order to find out what the author is passing across. Wilson asserts that every patrol officer should be given lists of people on parole or probation so that they make frequent checks ascertain that they are not carrying a weapon. I concur one hundred percent with the author on that issue. I have a strong conviction that providing the list to police officers is a good step towards providing safety to people in the society. Additionally, it may reduce the crime rate. Wilson has also suggested that the government and scientists should work hand in hand in order to come up with powerful metal detectors that may assist police officers in detecting guns, even those hidden in pockets of criminals. The underemployed electronics engineers and nuclear physicists of the post-cold war era have the capacities of designing better gun detectors (Wilson). However, the author failed to address another issue that could be used to minimize crimes in the society. The author forgot to mention throughout the entire essay that the mental capacity of gun owners should be tested. Some people in the society is not mentally fit to own a gun. These individuals tend to pose threats to themselves and those living around them (Wilson). Therefore, the government needs to put in place a system that will test the owners’ psychological mind set. Individuals who fail the test should not be allowed to own fire arms for the rest of their lives. This is because some people have racist and criminal tendencies that may lead them to commit crime with their personal weapon. Some people may fail the tests due to depressions or other mental illness. These may lead them to suicidal tendencies and compel them to commit crimes. Consequently, after committing these crimes these individuals may run

Brown Jim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Brown Jim - Essay Example He played from the Cleveland Brown’s side from 1957 to 1965. He showed excellent skills and expertise in the game in his high school and university life that earned him more opportunities to get proper training and move ahead to playing for NFL. He is considered to be among the greatest running back players of all times. Due to his success in sports, he received All-American honors in football and lacrosse. His name has appeared in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well as US Lacrosse National Hall of Fame (Jim Brown Biography). An amazing thing about this player is that he retired at the age of 30 when he was at the peak of his career, yet he has been able to collect numerous awards and recognitions for his outstanding game. He has even set multiple records as a running back player for his team. 2. Life after Football After his retirement, he joined the film industry to pursue his career as an actor. He always believed in equal rights for all humans, irrespective of their rac e, religion or origin and this attitude even prevailed in the film industry. Due to this positive attitude towards equality, he got the opportunity to act in numerous films and performed the kind of work that had not been done by an African American actor before. He also directed and produced films in Hollywood. 3. Contributions to the Society Jim Brown has been a social activist and a humanitarian, who has made numerous contributions for the betterment of the societies. He was one of the few famous people of his times who realized the powers that they had- fame and fortune. He realized that he could use these powers for many valuable causes. One of his first endeavors was to help the African Americans who were struggling to start their own businesses to earn their livelihood (Simmonds). This endeavor was termed as Black Economic Union and the main aim of this effort was to make the African Americans self-reliant and to earn them a respectable position in the society. The law enforc ement agencies took this as a threat for the peace and security of the region since Jim Brown and his peers were perceived to aim for something harmful, rather than meaningful. The suspicion earned Jim Brown a place in the watch list of the FBI, but times have shown the world that Jim Brown meant nothing but good for the people. In 1966, Jim Brown and his associates got a major grant of over $ 1 Million from the Ford Foundation Grant (Jim Brown - NFL's Greatest) for the social cause. It has been recorded that over 400 African American benefitted from the monetary support and technical guidance provided by the respective establishment. In 1980, the humanitarian joined hands with an organization Vital Issues Project to help the ex-convicts (individuals who had completed their sentence in jails and prisons) (Brown). Such people require guidance and opportunities to earn their livelihood and become useful members of the society. Jim Brown’s efforts and reputation as a social refo rmer earned that company a respectable position in the market, due to which they were able to help greater number of such individuals to get back to their lives. The dedication of Jim Brown towards the cause of getting the ex-convicts settled in life, can be analyzed by the fact that 95% of the jobs at Amer-I-Can Foundation (Jim Brown’s non-profit organization) have been given to them (Jim Brown - NFL'

Statutory Interpretation Business Law Assignment Essay

Statutory Interpretation Business Law Assignment - Essay Example Since statutes are presented in written form, it is within the court’s power to translate the written word into the actionable form of law i.e. known as breathing life to the law. However, due to the complexities of language and the imperfect nature of legislation, sometimes the intention or purpose of the law may not be conveniently passed in the wordings of the various Acts. This is where the courts derive their power; ensuring that the intention of Parliament is carried into the law. The power of the court to interpret statutes i.e. statutory interpretation has generated controversy for as long as Parliament has been in existence. This is because of the subjective nature of interpretation which relies heavily on the beliefs and understanding of the presiding judge. Over time, judges have been accused of usurping the role of Parliament and ‘making law’ by giving interpretation to statutes in a manner that suits their version of the law. Lord Denning himself once drew criticism in Magor and St Mellons v Newport Borough Council (1952) HL when he remarked that We do not sit here to pull the language of Parliament to pieces and make nonsense of it. We sit here to find out the intention of Parliament and carry it out and we do this better by filling in the gaps and making sense of the enactment than by opening it up to destructive analysis (pg. 25). While he well intended to maintain Parliament’s supremacy by attempting to interpret acts based on its intention, he went a bit overboard by suggested that the courts could ‘fill in the gaps’ in the law which in itself would be tantamount to making law. On appeal to the House of Lords, Lord Simonds described Denning’s interpretation of the powers of the courts as a â€Å"naked usurpation of the legislative function under the thin guise of interpretation.† The House of Lords instead stated that gaps disclosed in laws can only be remedied through appeals. The extent o f the judicature’s power to interpret law remains blurred which is a major reason judges have often been accused of making law; a role not within their mandate. In Fischer v Bell (1961) and Stock v. Frank Jones (Tipton) Ltd. [1978] 1 WLR 231, the interpretation of the courts of statutes was so distasteful to Parliament that the rulings themselves were overturned through statutes in the same year they were made. This shows that the powers of interpretation are sometimes abused as judges attempt to ‘redefine’ statutes which in their opinion are ambiguous, unfair or unjust. Over the years, several rules of interpretation have come up all in an attempt to guide the courts in the correct usage of their power or in a manner respectful of the separation of powers doctrine. Despite these rules, Twining and Miers (2010) state that over 50 percent of High Court cases and 90 percent of cases before the House of Lords involve aspects of interpretation of the law. Since the c ourt’s interpretation of the law determines how they apply it e.g. in criminal law for purposes of sentencing, the interpretation of the law continues to be a major cause of appeals and a major driving force for litigation. At this juncture, it is necessary to state that the courts may have powers to apply the law; this power is merely incidental to the interpretation that the court makes of the pertinent law. In fact, this power is often

Globalization in Transition Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Globalization in Transition - Research Paper Example It is in the interest of the welfare of humankind to allow a new system to emerge. What has happened about globalization so far, challenges the imagination of all concerned. It is impossible to predetermine or predict the outcomes and the shape of things to come. Human intervention and creativity have reached new zeniths and the developments that have taken place in various segments of globalization do not fall within the definitions of Capitalism, Communism, Socialism or Theocracy. Spread of democracy in the hardcore communist countries, which resulted in liberalization of trade relations, is also an important factor in hastening up the process of globalization. Narrow perspectives of nationalism have failed to check the economic reforms that are part of the process that accelerates the pace of development. The discussion is no more about whether there should be reforms to facilitate the march of globalization; it is about the strategy to implement reforms. The importance of transit ion economics is an accepted fact. The tug of war of votaries of globalization and the local manufacturing and local food markets will continue and the ultimate gainer is the consumer, as he has the choice. Globalization—its reach Is it possible to reconstitute local manufacturing and local food markets, or has globalization ultimately made this impossible? A straight forward answer to this question is impossibility. It is an admitted fact that the narrow domestic walls have crumbled. Firstly, let us try to understand the institution of market. The complex market institutions cannot develop in a theoretical or laboratory setting and then transplant them to economy. For the markets, transition to the ground realities is a complicated exercise. Institutions will take a long time to reshape and attain perfection. Globalization has challenged and will continue to challenge many of the old social and economic norms. Many such norms will die and many will need complete rejuvenation . Getting the reforms off from the national to the international ground calls for tough choices. One has to be realistic about the possible achievements, while giving up the existing set up in favor of the new one. Advantage Globalization Countries need an active domestic agenda and remain ready to follow the path of economic reforms well in time, to challenge the environment of integrated world economy. The domestic front needs to develop the fine sense of anticipation to capture the gains of globalization. Globalization is multi-dimensional. Global trade volumes are on the increase for more than one reason. Every country would like to take advantage of the technological breakthroughs and no one minds from which country it originates. Technological innovations have boosted immensely the quality of life in many countries of the world, but at the same time this has benefited the rich section of the society and the poor have no means to share the benefits. Volatile capital markets do not go well with the economy of the developing countries. The experts in the field of economics and commerce are not sure about the contribution of trade to the superior growth performance of the votaries who followed globalization. A country opens up trade channels and many domestic policy changes go in tandem with it. So it is difficult to assess the contribution