Jessica Dirr: The Most Outstanding Law Student Essay

Different people have different callings in life. Some shine above their peers, while others just try to blend in and mix with others. The different challenges that this university give its students provide numerous opportunities to excel in their chosen fields. This academic institute, hones the talents and the knowledge that students have helping them shine and be recognized.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Every year, our organization nominates the graduate who has exemplified high academic achievement, and the most positive impact in leading the organization. For this year, our organization has nominated Ms. Jessica Dirr as the most outstanding Law student. She was hand-picked for this award because of the extraordinary contributions   and the exemplary performance that she made both in her co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jessica is a very determined and hard working student. Her commitment to the school is astounding. She completed more than half of the program on her first year, while working on a part time basis. Jessica was even selected as the graduate reasearch assistant of Mr. Jimmi Manning, the over-all project director of Critical Ethnography. This is one of those unique courses that requires a screening process before being allowed to enroll.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even as a student, she still managed to be actively involved with professional organizations. She is the Social Chair of the Graduate Student Organization, while still being an active member and alumnae of the Theta Phi Alpha.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even if Law took up most of her time, Jessica still managed to demonstrate a high level of involvement on the different organizations, both on campus and in the community. Being the Social Chair of the Graduate Student Organization, she planned and executed social events for a program which aided in the development of close relationships among the people involved. Since she was an active member of the Theta Phi Alpha, she assisted and helped in the recruitment of the members for her chapter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jessica’s involvement in different fundraisers provided excellent leadership for her sisters. She is well respected, and is often the person her sisters run to for support and assistance regarding the problems of the chapter and of their personal lives. Recently, she teamed up with another graduate in planning a large scale fundraising event, called Dancing with the Scholars. This event has been generating tons of discussions among NKU students. It was predicted that this event will be watched out by the students, and will be one of the most successful events of the year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jessica Dirr also represented our school in different regional and national conferences. She and her classmates responded to a topic through a debate regarding research, practice, and pedagogy. Their topic was â€Å"Graduate Call to Action: Re-Invigorating Communication through debate regarding research, practice and pedagogy.† They answered the topic as fluent and as confident as they can. In May, she will represent our school again as she attends and presents at the CSCA Conference. Her presentation will be about interdisciplinarity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With everything that has been mentioned, we believe that Jessica Dirr is the perfect recipient of this year’s Most Outstanding Law Student Award. Her accomplishments, both as an individual and as a student of this university, are very much impressive and should be recognized. The numerous contributions that she has made have paved way for the betterment of this university and of its students. She is an extraordinary individual who students can look up to, and a esteemed person who students admire with dignity.

EMI Corporate Finance Essay

In this Internet age, the consumer is using music content more than ever before— whether that’s playlisting, podcasting, personalizing, sharing, downloading or just simply enjoying it. The digital revolution has caused a complete change to the culture, operations, and attitude of music companies everywhere. It hasn’t been easy, and we must certainly continue to fight piracy in all its forms. But there can be no doubt that with even greater commitment to innovation and a true focus on the consumer, digital distribution is becoming the best thing that ever happened to the music business and the music fan. —Eric Nicoli, CEO, EMI Group1 In early spring of 2007, Martin Stewart drove through the darkened streets of Kensington in West London. As chief financial officer (CFO) for global music giant EMI, Stewart already knew most of the news that would break at the company’s April 18 earnings announcement. Annual underlying revenue for the company was down 16% to GBP 1.8 billion (British pounds). Earnings per share (EPS) had also dropped from 10.9 pence (p) in 2006 to −36.3p in FY2007 (fiscal year). Those disappointing numbers were roughly in line with the guidance Stewart had given investors in February. The performance reflected the global decline in music industry revenues, as well as the extraordinary cost of the restructuring program EMI was pursuing to realign its investment priorities and focus its resources to achieve the best returns in the future. The earnings announcement would include an announcement of the dividend amount, which had not yet been determined. The board would meet soon to review EM I’s annual results, International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI), â€Å"IFPI: 07 Digital Music Report,† January 2007. This case was written by Elizabeth W. Shumadine (MBA ’01), under the supervision of Professor Michael J. Schill, based on public information. Funding was provided by the L. White Matthews Fund for Finance case writing. Copyright  © 2008 by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All rights reserved. To order copies, send an e-mail to sales@dardenbusinesspublishing.com. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the Darden School Foundation. Rev. 2/09. .2 On an annual basis, EMI had consistently paid an 8p-per-share dividend to ordinary shareholders since 2002 (Exhibit 1). Now in light of EMI’s recent performance, Stewart questioned whether EMI should continue to maintain what would represent a combined GBP 63-million annual dividend payment. Although omitting the dividend would preserve cash, Stewart appreciated the negative effect the decision might have on EMI’s share price, which was currently at 227p. Stewart recognized that EMI faced considerable threat of a takeover. Although its board had recently been able to successfully reject an unsolicited 260p-per-share merger offer from U.S. rival Warner Music, there remained considerable outside interest in taking  over EMI. It seemed that boosting EMI’s share price was imperative if EMI was to maintain its independence. EMI With a storied history that included such names as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, and Duran Duran, it was not difficult to understand why EMI considered its current and historical catalog of songs and recordings among the best in the world. EMI, Warner Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group, collectively known as â€Å"the majors,† dominated the music industry in the early 21st century and accounted for more than two-thirds of the world’s recorded music and publishing sales.3 Exhibit 2 contains a list of the global top-10 albums with their respective record labels for the last four years. Recorded music and music publishing were the two main revenue drivers for the music industry. EMI divided its organization into two corresponding divisions. EMI Music, the recorded-music side, sought out artists it believed would be long-term commercial recording successes. Each EMI record label marketed its artist’s recordings to the public and sold the releases through a variety of retail outlets. EMI’s extensive music catalog consisted of more than 3 million songs. Recorded-music division sales came from both new and old recordings with existing catalog albums constituting 30% to 35% of the division’s unit sales. Exhibit 3 contains a list of EMI’s most successful recording artists in FY2007. EMI Music Publishing focused not on recordings but on the songs themselves. Generally, there were three categories of publishing-rights ownership in the music industry: the lyric’s author, the music’s composer, and the publisher who acquired the right to exploit the song. These publishing-rights owners were entitled to royalties whenever and however their music was used. Music publishers categorized their revenue streams as mechanical royalties (sales of recorded 2 In the United Kingdom, companies typically declared dividends twice a year, first with the midyear results and second with the full-year results. Typically, EMI paid an interim dividend of 2p per share and a final dividend of 6p per share. In addition, both EMI’s interim and final dividends were paid out to shareholders in the following fiscal year. In November 2006,  EMI’s board committed to paying the interim dividend of 2p per share following its 2007 fiscal midyear results with actual payment to shareholders expected in April 2007. Both the 2p interim dividend and the recommended final dividend would be reflected in the 2008 financial statements. 3 EMI included a fourth category of royalties labeled â€Å"other,† which included sales of sheet music and, increasingly, mobile ring tones and ring backs. Similar to the recorded-music division, the music-publishing division identified songwriters with commercial potential and signed them to long-term contracts. The division then assisted the songwriters in marketing their works to record companies and other media firms. EMI’s current publishing catalog encompassed more than 1 million musical compositions. Exhibit 3 includes a list of EMI’s most-successful songwriters in FY2007. EMI’s publishing business generated onefourth of the total group revenue. Revenue in the publishing business was stable, and  operating profits were positive. In addition to seeking out and signing flourishing recording artists and songwriters to long-term agreements, both EMI divisions also expanded and enhanced their individual catalogs and artist rosters by strategic transactions. Two key acquisitions for EMI’s recorded-music division were the 1955 acquisition of a leading American record label, Capitol Records, and the 1992 acquisition of Virgin Music Group, then the largest independent record label. Together the transactions added such key recording stars as Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Janet Jackson, and the Rolling Stones. The music-publishing division similarly targeted existing publishing assets with large, proven commercial potential such as the purchase in various stages of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s music catalog in 1997, 2003, and 2004. Since the company’s founding in 1897, EMI’s model had been that of â€Å"constantly seeking to expand their catalog, with the hits of today forming the classics of tomorrow.†4 Both divisions pursued the goal of having the top-selling artists and songwriters and the deepest, mostrecognized catalog assets. EMI welcomed technological innovations, which often drove increased music sales as consumers updated their music collections with the latest music medium (e.g., replacing an LP or cassette with the same recording on compact disc). But the latest technology, digital audio on the Internet, was different and revolutionary. Digital audio on the Internet demanded rethinking the business model of all the majors, including EMI. Digital Audio and the Music Industry Digital audio had been around since the advent of the compact disc (CD) in the early 1980s, but the 1990s combination of digital audio, Internet, and MP3 file format brought the music industry to a new crossroads. The MP3 format had nearly the same sound quality as CDs, but its small file size allowed it to be easily downloaded from the Internet, stored on a computer hard drive, and transferred to a digital audio player, generally referred to as an MP3 player. Peer-to-peer file-sharing Internet services, most notably Napster, emerged in the late 1990s. First available in mid-1999, Napster facilitated the exchange of music files. The use of Napster’s file-sharing program exploded, and Napster claimed 20 million users by July 2000. EMI Group PLC annual report, 2007. Napster’s swift growth did not go unnoticed by the music industry. While the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was eventually successful in using the court system to force Napster to remove copyrighted material, it did not stop peer-to-peer file sharing. New services were quickly developed to replace Napster. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organization representing the recording industry worldwide, estimated that almost 20 billion songs were downloaded illegally in 2005. EMI was an early presence on the Internet in 1993. In 1999, EMI artist David Bowie’s album, hours†¦, was the first album by a major recording artist to be released for download from the Internet. None of the record labels were prepared, however, for how quickly peer-to-peer file sharing would change the dynamics of the music industry and become a seemingly permanent thorn in the music industry’s side. In the wake of Napster’s demise, the music labels, including EMI, attempted various subscription services, but most failed for such reasons as cost, CDburning restrictions, and incompatibility with available MP3 players. Only in the spring of 2003, when Apple launched its user-friendly Web site, iTunes Music Store, did legitimate digital-audio sales really take off in the United States, the world’s largest music market. Apple began to expand iTunes globally in 2004 and sold its one-billionth download in February 2006. According to the IFPI, there were  500 legitimate on-line music services in more than 40 countries by the beginning of 2007, with $2 billion in digital music sales in 2006. Despite the rise of legally downloaded music, the global music market continued to shrink due to the rapid decline in physical sales. Nielsen SoundScan noted that total album units sold (excluding digital-track equivalents) declined almost 25% from 2000 to 2006.5 IFPI optimistically predicted that digital sales would compensate for the decrease in physical sales in 2006, yet in early 2007, IFPI admitted that this â€Å"holy grail† had not yet occurred, with 2006 overall music sales estimated to have declined by 3%.6 IFPI now hoped digital sales would overtake the decline in physical sales in 2007. Credit Suisse’s Global Music Industry Forecasts incorporated this view with a relatively flat music market in 2007 and minor growth of 1.1% to 1.5% in 2008 and 2009.7 The Credit Suisse analyst also noted that the music industry’s operating margins were expected to rise as digital sales became more significant and related production and distribution costs declined.8 Lehman Brothers was more conservative, assuming a flat market for the next few years and commenting that the continued weakness in early 2007 implied that the â€Å"market could remain tough for the next couple of years.†9 Many in the industry feared that consumers’ ability to unbundle their music purchases— to purchase two or three favorite songs from an album on-line versus the entire album at a physical retail store—would put negative pressure on music sales for the foreseeable future. A Bear Stearns research report noted: While music consumption, in terms of listening time, is increasing as the iPod and other portable devices have become mass-market products, the industry has still not found a way of monetizing this consumption. Instead, growing piracy and the unbundling of the album, combined with the growing power of big retailers in the physical and iTunes in the digital worlds, have left the industry in a funk. There is no immediate solution that we are aware of on the horizon and in our view, visibility on sales remains poor.10 Recent Developments at EMI The last few years had been incredibly difficult, particularly within EMI’s recordedmusic division, where revenues had declined 27% from GBP 2,282 million in 2001 to GBP 1,660 million in 2006. (Exhibits 4 and 5 show EMI’s financial statements through FY2007.) Fortunately, downloadable digital audio did not have a similar ruinous effect on the publishing division. EMI’s publishing sales were a small buffer for the company’s performance and hovered in a tight range of GBP 420 million to GBP 391 million during that period. CEO Eric Nicoli’s address at the July 2006 annual general meeting indicated good things were in store for EMI in both the short term and the long term. Nicoli stressed EMI’s exciting upcoming release schedules, growth in digital sales, and success with restructuring plans. EMI’s digital sales were growing and represented an increasingly large percentage of total revenues. In 2004, EMI generated group digital revenues of GBP 15 million,  which represented just less than 1% of total group revenues. By 2006, EMI had grown the digital revenue to GBP 112 million, which represented 5.4% of total group revenues. The expected 2007 digital sales for EMI were close to 10% of group revenues. Given the positive expectations for its 2007 fiscal year, financial analysts had expected EMI’s recorded-music division to see positive sales growth during the year. EMI’s surprising negative earnings guidance on January 12 quickly changed its outlook. EMI disclosed that the music industry and EMI’s second half of the year releases had underperformed its expectations. While the publishing division was on track to achieve its goals, EMI’s recorded-music division revenues were now expected to decline 6% to 10% from one year ago. The market and investor community reacted swiftly to the news. With trading volume nearly 10 times the previous day’s volume, EMI’s market capitalization ended up down more than 7%. EMI further shocked the investment community with another profit warning just one month later. On February 14, the company announced that the recorded-music division’s FY2007 revenues would actually decrease by about 15% year-over-year. EMI based its new dismal forecast on worsening market conditions in North America, where SoundScan had calculated that the physical music market had declined 20% in 2007. The investment community punished EMI more severely after this second surprise profit warning, and EMI’s stock price   dropped another 12%. British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported shareholders were increasingly disgruntled with performance surprises. One shareholder allegedly said, â€Å"I think [Nicoli]’s a dead duck. [EMI] is now very vulnerable to a [takeover] bid, and Nicoli is not in any position to defend anything. I think the finance director [Martin Stewart] has also been tainted because it suggests they did not get to the bottom of the numbers.† EMI analyst Redwan Ahmed of Oriel Securities also decried EMI management’s recent news: â€Å"It’s disastrous †¦ they give themselves a big 6% to 10% range and a month later say it’s 15%. They have lost all credibility. I also think the dividend is going to get slashed to about 5p.†11 Exhibit 6 contains information on EMI’s shareholder profile. As its fiscal year came to a close, EMI’s internal reports indicated that its February 14 forecast was close to the mark. The recorded-music division’s revenue was down, and profits were negative. The publishing-division revenue was essentially flat, and its division’s margin improved as a result of a smaller cost base. The company expected underlying group earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), before exceptional items, to be GBP 174 million, which exceeded analysts’ estimates. Digital revenue had grown by 59% and would represent 10% of revenue. EMI management planned to make a joint announcement with Apple in the next few days that it was going to be the first major music company to offer its digital catalog free from digital-rights management and with improved sound quality. The new format would sell at a 30% premium. EMI management expected this move would drive increased digital sales. Management was pleased with the progress of the restructuring program announced with the January profit warning. The plan was being implemented quicker than expected and, accordingly, more cost savings would be realized in FY2008. The program was going to cost closer to GBP 125 million, as opposed to the GBP 150 million previously announced. Upon completion, the program was expected to remove GBP 110 million from EMI’s annual cost base, with the majority of savings coming from the recorded-music division. The plan reduced layers in the management structure and encouraged the recorded-music and publishing divisions to work more closely together for  revenue and cost synergies.12 One headline-worthy change in the reorganization was the surprise removal of the recorded-music division head, Alain Levy, and Nicoli taking direct responsibility for the division. The Dividend Decision Since the board had already declared an interim dividend of 2p per share in November 2006, the question was whether to maintain the past payout level by recommending that an additional 6p final EMI dividend be paid. Considering EMI’s struggling financial situation, there was good reason to question the wisdom of paying a dividend. Exhibit 7 provides a forecast of the cash flow effects of maintaining the dividend, based on market-based forecasts of 11 Alistair Osborne, â€Å"Nicoli ‘a dead duck’ as EMI issues new warning,† Daily Telegraph, February 16, 2007. Restructuring efforts over the previous three years had collectively saved the company GBP 180 million annually; however, the result was a one-time implementation cost of GBP 300 million. Omitting the dividend, however, was likely to send a message that management had lost confidence, potentially accelerating the ongoing stock price decline—the last thing EMI needed to do.13 (Exhibit 9 depicts trends in the EMI share price from May 2000 to May 2006.) Many believed that music industry economics were on the verge of turning the corner. A decision to maintain the historical 8p dividend would emphasize management’s expectation of business improvement despite the disappointing recent financial news. Forecasts for global economic growth continued to be strong  (Exhibit 10), and reimbursements to shareholders through dividends and repurchases were on the upswing among media peers (Exhibit 11). As Stewart navigated his way home, the radio played another hit from a well-known EMI artist. Despite the current difficulties, Stewart was convinced there was still a lot going for EMI. Historically, there was strong evidence of significant negative stock-price reactions to dividend cancellations (see Balasingham Balachandran, John Cadle, and Michael Theobald, â€Å"Interim Dividend Cuts and Omissions in the U.K.,† European Financial Management 2:1 (March 1996), 23–38, for a study using only British firms, and Roni Michaely, Richard Thaler, and Kent Womack, â€Å"Price Reactions to Dividend Initiations and Omissions: Overreaction of Drift?† Journal of Finance, 50, 2 (June 1995), 573–608, for a larger study using U.S. firms. Both academics and practitioners vigorously debated the impact of dividend policy. In fact, Nobel laureate economists had argued that dividend policy should maintain little relevance to investors. Exhibit 8 contains a summary of Modigliani and Miller arguments.

International criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International criminal law - Essay Example urder or conspiracy to kill members of a particular group with the aim of eradicating that group in totality.1 For genocide to qualify as a crime it must have two elements namely; the physical element and the mental component. The physical component involves committing five acts that are stipulates in Article two of the Convention that include; forcibly transferring children of a particular group to another one, killing members of a certain group, imposing measures or rather sanctions that are of the intent of hindering births within a particular group and causing mental and bodily torture to members of a group. The mental element is primarily based on the intent to destroy partly or in whole a religious, national, ethnic or racial setting. 2 In order for a crime to be regarded as genocide, it has to satisfy the provision of the two elements to make the perpetrators culpable under the internal criminal law. Both factors are crucial in forming the premise of genocide as a crime since none of them is independent, and thus they have to be satisfied to substantiate the crime. 3 Article three of the Genocide Convention outlines five distinct acts that are punishable in the context of the crime of genocide. These acts are as follows; complicating in genocide, attempt to commit genocide, genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide. When the actions outlined in this article are combined with the actual acts described in Article two of the Convention the result is the crime of genocide. Under the Convention of Genocide, the law protects four particular groups whose execution should amount to genocide. A religious group involves one whose members share common religious practices and beliefs. An ethnic group is that whose members can be identified by a common language or any other cultural identities. A racial group is primarily people who can be defined by standard physical characteristics for instance; skin colour. A national group is composed of individuals

Investigating a Case Study of a Literacy Learner Essay

Investigating a Case Study of a Literacy Learner - Essay Example Asked about her educational background, she gave confusing answers as to what level she finished school, because she mentioned something about earning a certificate to be a primary school teacher. She kept saying â€Å"grade 2 teacher†, and it was unclear if she meant she can only teach second grade or â€Å"grade 2† was a level of skill in Nigeria. Sarah understands that learning the English language well will open many doors for her. Being a second language, she admits difficulty in mastering it because back home, she uses her native language which is Yoruba. Her parents are illiterate people and she does not speak English to them. She adjusts her language to the people she relates to. If her friends understand English, then she speaks to them in English, but if not, then she resorts to her native language. She enrolled in the current class to further her skills in the English language. She knows that her vocabulary skills will improve with reading books and if there are words she does not understand, then she refers to a dictionary to check its meaning and how it should be pronounced. Her use of language can sometimes be unclear due to the run-on sentences she attempts to express. Her listener can get lost in comprehending what she means. Sometimes, she contradicts herself. She said â€Å"I don’t borrow any story book . I borrow my English, vocabulary yes†. It might be confusion on her part on the proper use of the English language, as she may be trying to translate what she wants to say from her native language. She admits, â€Å"I try for example I try to speak more than the way I am to have more knowledge in English to improve in order to further my education because for any step I want to take English is desiring me for that.†. Although to her listener, she may seem to say the say things in the same sentence, one needs to consider that it may be the way she emphasizes a point in her native Yoruba. To English speakers, it may sound too wordy and somehow nonsensical, but to Sarah it might make perfect sense. . Still, her interview provides much information on her yearning to improve herself, to reach her dream of becoming a nurse. It also reflects on how she treats people. From her explanation of her work experience, she enables people to be independent and not to be stagnant, and she would do anything to help them. She is indeed a lifelong learner and encourages others to be the same. Her overwhelming desire to optimize her potentials makes her move towards her goals, and she tries to overcome potential impediments such as work or busy schedules. The motivation to learn is affected by the reinforcements to learning namely intrinsic motivation or the inner drive to learn which leads to personal fulfillment; extrinsic motivation, which consists of rewards such as high grades or a prize for performing well; social reinforcement, an example of which is praise and approval from significant persons in an individual's life; and achievement, or the attaining of the learning goal. Having an interplay of the four kinds of reinforcement is the most effective way to motivate a learner to pursue more knowledge and acquire more skills (Stoll, L., Fink, D. & Earl, L., 2003). From the interview, Sarah’s main motivation is to be a nurse so she can continue enabling ot hers. Her journey to learning is more intrinsically motivated. Even how she assesses her improvement is intrinsic, as she said, â€Å"You know that when you love something you have to put all your effort because you are looking to achieve something on it, you have to put your effort how difficult it is you have to continue. When it’

Enviromental issue Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Enviromental issue - Research Paper Example The severity of air pollution in China and the extent it creates serious health hazards are evident from alarm that its people are warned are warned to stay indoor in order save their breath from contaminated air. This piece of paper considers three articles that talk about air pollution and its effects on human environment and sums up major emphasizes from those articles. This paper is to analyze how media, based on these articles, played its role in spreading about this severe environmental issue and what solutions have been recommended by them to make people aware of its severity. Air Pollution: a superpower in to a ‘worst-land’? (defining the issue) BBC in August 2006 reported, in an article titled ‘China hit by raising air pollution’ that China has become world’s largest sulphur dioxide polluter, due to that it has emitted 26 million tons of the gas in 2005, showing a 27% increase from the figure of 2000. This excesses emissions of sulfur dioxide has been causing acid rains in different part of China and other parts of the world. As Kahn and Yardley noted in their article- ‘As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes’, published in New York Times (2007), China’s air pollution itself is a cancer leading to a large number of deaths. Costs yield benefits. Its economically true and naturally very evident, especially from China’s case. This fact has been highlighted in their article. China, being unparalleled in the history, emerged as a major industrial power, but created a legacy of environmental issue, air pollution that may negate all the credits its economic growth has conferred. The article has defined and described the issue in detail. Pubic health is extremely affected by air pollution as it alone causes hundreds of thousands deaths every year. One of the most critical and perhaps more dangerous effects of this pollution is that around 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water . Both cities and rural areas have been turned to be toxic areas where only around one percent of air is considered quite safe. In industrial cities, people more often are not able to see sun, not due to raining or sky being cloudy, but due to the pollution that made the air and sky dry. The atmosphere has largely been contaminated. On one side, the economy gains ever-recorded growth and large multinationals still attempting to grab the slice of this international marketing pie, whereas on the other side, people die for bad breath due to air pollution. As this article emphasized, China’s pollution is not only China’s problem. It is adverse effects have widened to other countries. Dangerous chemical elements like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that are spewed from China’s coal plants caused acid rains in Seoul, South Korea, Tokyo etc. Tatchell in 2008 wrote in their article titled ‘The Pollution Marathon’, published in the Guardian, about the iss ue of China’s air pollution and its drastic impacts on every one’s life in the Guardian newspaper. This article starts with Ethiopian long-distance runner Haile Gebrselassie’s decision not to participate in 2008 Olympics held in China. He was highly concerned about the extremely hazardous air pollution in China and its impacts on his health if he stays few days

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment Essay

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment - Essay Example Thus, for most people, the term pedophilia is not a legal term but a diagnostic one. Prosecutors and law enforcement in cases involving computers frequently use the word pedophilia (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Hall and Hall (2007) state that pedophilia is a clinical diagnosis generally made by a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is neither a legal nor criminal term like forcible sexual offense, and legal term id generally used in criminal statistics. There are laws that govern acts committed by pedophiles. One such law is the Megan’s law. However, it is difficult to estimate how the Megan’s law affects pedophiles. The definition of the term pedophilia does not allow the determination of whether the pedophilic individual is a sexual offender (a child molester) or not. It is important to note that not all pedophilic individuals are child molesters. An individual with any paraphilia condition can be legally involved in it through masturbation and fantasizing (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Punishments given to those who commit pedophilia usually vary. There are states where the punishment is harsher compared to other states. In regard to punishment, there is an ongoing debate on whether the punishment for those committing sexual assault crimes should be made harsher or not. However, majority of the people are of the opinion that harsher or tougher laws will reduce the occurrence of these crimes (CQ Press, 2006). Thus, punishments for those who have committed pedophilic crimes should be made harsher. Harsher punishment will reduce the rate of pedophilic crimes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the form of punishment given to sexual offenders such as pedophilic individuals and propose the punishments to be harsher or tougher. As stated before, experts are of the opinion that harsher punishment will reduce the incidences of sexual crimes. In some states, there are tests done to ascertain if the individual has really reformed before release from prison . In Texas, sixteen months before the release of an offender, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice can have the individual evaluated to know whether he is an SVP (sexually violent predator). If the individual is found to be an SVP, then he is eligible for treatment as an outpatient sex offender upon his release (Garib, 2011). The study is of great significance because the majority of the sex offenders are treated with blanket punishment, thus, they cause collateral consequences which develop more risk to the entire public (Hiller, 2011). Failure to treat pedophilic individuals and their release back to the society defeat the whole purpose of child protection. Despite the fact that experts are advocating for harsher punishments, there is a need for an individual to be treated before he is released to the society. This makes sure that the individual is fully reformed after he has served his sentence in prison and the risk of children being harmed is reduced. Literature Review A pe dophile and a child molester have been often confused by child abuse professionals, the media, and the general public. They regard pedophiles as all individuals who sexually victimize children. However, there is no uniform definition of the word pedophile. It is important to note that pedophilia is a psychiatric diagnosis done only by qualified psychiatrists or psychologists. Not all child molesters are pedophiles. As mentioned before, an individual suffering from any form of paraphilia can be legally involved in it through

Child labor in India & Peru Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child labor in India & Peru - Essay Example One of the key reasons as to why children are being used in the force labor is to support their families due to poverty and other conditions. Lack of schooling and inadequate financial resources, caste system and other socioeconomic conditions force parents to engage their children in child labor Peru is another country with one of the worst records in terms of the child labor, however, its government is believed to be working towards the implementation of strategy to overcome this. What is critical to note that children in Peru are working under the hazardous conditions and are being employed mostly in the agriculture and mining sector? Recent data suggests that approximately 68% of the children under the working age are being employed in various sectors with majority being employed in the agriculture and mining sector. In agriculture sector, children are mostly assumed to be working for growing rice, sugarcane, barley and other crops indicating that the children may be involved in the hard labor wherein they may be forced to work in areas where they may not be suitable for this type of hard labor. The herding of livestock is another area where children are being employed or forced to work. (Bekele and Boyden). It is however, critical to note that most of the forced child labor in the country is in gold mines as mining is the second largest area where children are employed as workers. It is critical to note, however, that the working conditions in the gold mines are relatively difficult and hard for children.