Sunday, November 10, 2019

Intermediate Sanctions

Intermediate sanctions are the sanctions that are more restrictive than the probation and less restrictive than imprisonment. It is also intended to relieve the pressure on the over crowed facilities that deal with the corrections and the probation departments that are understaffed. The purpose for the intermediate sanction in the criminal justice process is that it helps with any of the concerns from the facilities being packed and over crowed. Jails and the prisons are packed more this century then the last century. It also helps with the short staff that is in the offices and the probation officers short staffed. The government should take it under consideration that the criminal justice system needs the staff and the money to make the criminal justice organization work together. There are two functions as a sentencing alternative in the intermediate sanction. They are to divert the offenders from the overcrowded jails or prisons. The second one is to place the different offenders under the higher levels of the control. It is the risk that the community poses to. * I believe that the intermediate sanctions are not an appropriate punishment. People should not have to serve their time behind bars because they prisons and jail cells are over packed and crowded. The government should put in more funds so that if people do the crime, then they should do the time. Also, probation is an advantage and that people should not be misused. * In conclusion, I believe that the intermediate sanction can work out if people do not take advantage of the probation punishment. This punishment should only be used if there is no room in the jail cell or the prisons. I believe that once someone does a crime, that that person may do it again.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Serial Killer Nurse Kristen Gilbert

Serial Killer Nurse Kristen Gilbert Kristen Gilbert is a former Veterans Administration (VA) nurse who was found guilty of murdering four VA patients in the early 1990s. She was also convicted of attempting to murder two other hospital patients and has been suspected in the deaths of dozens more.   Childhood Years Kristen Heather Strickland was born Nov. 13, 1967, to parents Richard and Claudia Strickland. She was the oldest of the two daughters in what appeared to be a well-adjusted home. The family moved from Fall River to Groton, Mass., and Kristen lived out her preteen years without any significant problems. As Kristen grew older, however, friends say she became a habitual liar and would boast of being related to Lizzie Borden, a notorious serial killer. She could be manipulative, threatening suicide when angry, and had a history of making violent threats, according to court records. A Nursing Job In 1988 Kristen earned her degree as a registered nurse from Greenfield Community College. That same year, she married Glenn Gilbert, whom she met at Hampton Beach, N.H. In March 1989, she landed a job at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Northampton, Mass., and the young couple bought a home and settled into their new life. To fellow workers, Kristen seemed competent and committed to her job. She was the type of co-worker who would remember birthdays and organize gift exchanges during the holidays. She seemed the social butterfly of the C Ward where she worked. Her superiors rated her nursing as highly skillful and noted how well she reacted during medical emergencies. In late 1990, the Gilberts had their first child, a baby boy. After returning from maternity leave, Kristin switched to the 4 p.m. until midnight shift and almost immediately strange things began to happen. Patients began dying during her shift, tripling the medical centers rate of deaths over the previous three years. During each incident, Kristens calm competent nursing skills shined, and she won the admiration of her fellow workers. An Affair After the Gilberts second child was born in 1993, the couples marriage seemed to falter. Kristen was developing a friendship with James Perrault, a security guard at the hospital, and the two often socialized with other workers at the end of their shifts. At the end of 1994, Gilbert, who was actively having an affair with Perrault, left her husband and their young children. She moved into her own apartment and continued to work at the VA hospital. Kristens co-workers began to grow suspicious  about the deaths that always seemed to occur during her shift. Although many of the patients who died were old or in poor health, there were also patients who had no history of heart problems, yet were dying of cardiac arrest. At the same time, supplies of ephedrine, a drug with the potential to cause heart failure, began to go missing. Suspicious Deaths and a Bomb Threat In late 1995 and early 1996, four patients under Gilberts care died, all of cardiac arrest. In each case, ephedrine was the suspected cause. After three of Gilberts coworkers voiced their concerns that she may have been involved, an investigation was opened. Shortly thereafter, Gilbert left her job at the VA hospital, citing injuries she sustained while at work. By the summer of 1996, Gilbert and Perraults relationship had become strained. In September, federal authorities investigating the hospital deaths interviewed Perrault. Thats when the bomb threats began. On Sept. 26 while working at the VA hospital, Perrault took a phone call from someone claiming to have planted three bombs at the hospital. Patients were evacuated and police called, but no  explosives were found. Similar threats were made to the hospital the next day and on the 30th, all during Perraults shifts. Two Trials It wasnt long before police linked Gilbert to the calls. She was tried and convicted in January 1998 of making a bomb threat and sentenced to 15 months in prison. Federal investigators, meanwhile, were getting closer to linking Gilbert to the patient deaths at the VA hospital. In November of 1998, Gilbert went on trial for murder in the deaths of Henry Hudon,  Kenneth Cutting, and  Edward Skwira, as well as the attempted murders of two other patients,  Thomas Callahan, and Angelo Vella. The following May, Gilbert was also charged in the death of patient Stanley Jagodowski. The trial began in November 2000. According to prosecutors, Gilbert committed the murders because she craved attention and wanted to spend time with Perrault. In seven years at the hospital, prosecutors said, Gilbert was on duty when more than half of the 350 recorded patient deaths occurred. Defense lawyers countered that Gilbert was innocent and that her patients had died of natural causes. On March 14, 2001, jurors found Gilbert guilty  of the first-degree murder in three of the cases and second-degree murder in the fourth. She also was convicted of  attempted murder in the case of two other hospital patients and sentenced to four life sentences. She dropped her appeal of the sentence in 2003. As of February 2017, Gilbert remained incarcerated in federal prison in Texas. Sources Farragher, Thomas. Caregiver or Killer? The Boston Globe. 8 October 2000. Goldberg, Carey. Former Nurse on Trial in Patients Deaths. The New York Times. 23 November 2000. Gorlick, Adam. Murderous Nurse Escapes Death Penalty.  ABC News. 26 March 2001. HLN Staff. When Serial Killers Strike: The Angel of Death on Ward C. CNN. 1 April 2013.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Turkey in the European Union

Turkey in the European Union The country of Turkey is typically considered to straddle both Europe and Asia. Turkey occupies all of the Anatolian Peninsula (also known as Asia Minor) and a small part of southeastern Europe. In October 2005 negotiations began between Turkey (population 70 million) and the European Union (EU) for Turkey to be considered as a possible member of the EU in the future. Location While most of Turkey lies geographically in Asia (the peninsula is Asian), far western Turkey lies in Europe. Turkeys largest city of Istanbul (known as Constantinople until 1930), with a population of over 9 million is located on both the east and west sides of the Bosporus strait so it straddles both what are traditionally considered Europe and Asia. However, Turkeys capital city of Ankara is fully outside of Europe and on the Asian continent. While the European Union is working with Turkey to help it move toward being able to become a member of the European Union, there are some who are concerned about Turkeys potential membership. Those opposed to Turkish membership in the EU point to several issues. Issues First, they state that Turkeys culture and values are different from those of the European Union as a whole. They point out that Turkeys 99.8% Muslim population is too different from Christian-based Europe. However, the EU makes the case that the EU is not a religion-based organization, Turkey is a secular (a non-religion-based government) state, and that 12 million Muslims currently live throughout the European Union. Nonetheless, the EU acknowledges that Turkey needs to Substantially improve respect for the rights of non-Muslim religious communities to meet European standards. Secondly, naysayers point out that since Turkey is mostly not in Europe (neither population-wise nor geographically), it should not become part of the European Union. The EU responds that, The EU is based more on values and political will than on rivers and mountains, and acknowledges that, Geographers and historians have never agreed on the physical or natural borders of Europe. Too true! A third reason Turkey might have problems is its non-recognition of Cyprus, a full-fledged member of the European Union. Turkey will have to acknowledge Cyprus to be considered a contender for membership. Additionally, many are concerned about the rights of Kurds in Turkey. The Kurdish people have limited human rights and there are accounts of genocidal activities that need to stop for Turkey to be considered for European Union membership. Finally, some are concerned that Turkeys large population would alter the balance of power in the European Union. After all, Germanys population (the largest country in the EU) is only at 82 million and declining. Turkey would be the second largest country (and perhaps eventually the largest with its much higher growth rate) in the EU and would have considerable influence in the European Union. This influence would be especially profound in the population-based European Parliament. The low per-capita income of the Turkish population is also of concern since the economy of Turkey as a new EU member might have a negative effect on the EU as a whole. Turkey is receiving considerable assistance from its European neighbors as well as from the EU. The EU has allocated billions and is expected to allocate billions of euros in funding for projects to help invest in a stronger Turkey that may one day become a member of the European Union. I was particularly moved by this EU statement on why Turkey should be part of the European Union of the future, Europe needs a stable, democratic and more prosperous Turkey which adopts our values, our rule of law, and our common policies. The accession perspective has already driven forward bold and significant reforms. If the rule of law and human rights are guaranteed throughout the country, Turkey can join the EU and thus become an even stronger bridge between civilizations as it is already today. That sounds like worthwhile goal to me.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Fashion is never still, it constantly changes and evolves Essay

Fashion is never still, it constantly changes and evolves - Essay Example The essay "Fashion is never still, it constantly changes and evolves" investigates the notion of fashion. Fashion can be applied to many fields of human activity, for example, art, music, theatre, politics, economy, architecture –and it is not the complete list. In the past the term fashion when used in terms of clothes implied the generic style for everyone who wanted to be fashionable. Nowadays the things have changed completely – clothes are no longer the manifestation of equality with others. Choosing one’s style in fashion is the way to express oneself, to express the mood or in most cases to distinguish oneself. So, today, to be fashionable means to have your own creative fashion but not to stick to the trend of the season. People all over the world may choose from the variety of styles: to be a got or to wear romantic clothes, to have a business style or extravagant – everything is fashionable nowadays. However, fashion originates somewhere and seve ral great minds decide upon the trends of the coming season. These decisions come from the Fashion Weeks where the prominent fashion designers demonstrate their vision of seasonal trends. The most popular collections dictate fashion to the rest of the world. However, fashion can spread and in another way - via celebrities. Seeing a famous person in unusual clothes or with extravagant hairdo or make up, thousands of fans start copying him/her. Fashion varies tremendously not only in time, but also in class, income, nationalities ad world views.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Preditory Business Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Preditory Business Practice - Essay Example The bad thing with predatory lending that the borrower is left at a very big economic disadvantage, and this in most cases ends up disrupting their financial and economic stability. The fact that these bad loans are given to so many people mean that when these people are financially disrupted, the economy at the end will suffer (Moses, 2010). There is a debate of who should carry the blame and bear the responsibility with regard to such loans. The truth is that the loan originators use very aggressive and sometimes methods that border the illegal practices to be able to lure the borrowers. Most people do not have an inside understanding of how finances work and if the lenders refuse to disclose all the implications of the contract that a customer enters into when taking such a loan the borrower can end up entering into a predatory relationship. The loan may look attractive to the borrower while the truth is that it is very harmful and it will eventually place them at a point of disadvantage. However, both the borrower and the lender can be seen has bearing some level of reasonability when such a loan turns out to be a predatory loan. The lenders or the originators of these types of loans should bear some responsibility in that they cheat the customer to think that the loan is going to be simple to pay off and that it will leave them at an advantage. Most of these subprime lenders do not consider the customer’s interest when giving such loans but instead only look for ways to benefit them. In most cases, it is the loan brokers who benefit the most, sometimes even more that even the lenders themselves. In such a case, they have to bear the responsibility for not carrying out fair business activities. If a relationship between a lender (or a loan originator) can be said to be a contract, then the lenders may need to bear some of the

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Sustainable Packaging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sustainable Packaging - Essay Example A sustainable packaging is the designing and use of packaging materials that are more sustainable. In designing a company’s sustainability strategy, packaging comes in handy as a very fundamental factor. The sustainable packaging design aims at increasing the use of life cycle inventory and reducing the environmental impacts. Its main objectives are the maintenance of quality human life, secure habitats for the present and future generation needs. Government regulations, corporate goals, branding, logistical optimization, and consumer expectations determines the design of a sustainable packaging. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) and the Sustainable Packaging Alliance (SPA) provides businesses and factories with the best information for making sustainable packaging decisions that commercially an environmentally beneficial. The sustainable packaging products emanate from materials that are healthy, recyclable, and environmental friendly throughout their lifecycle. The materials may include papers and recyclable plastic products. The manufacturing process of sustainable packaging uses clean production technologies and best practices that minimise environmental pollution. Gas emissions from manufacturing factories may cause air pollution and global warming. Hence, the production of sustainable packaging must consider this hazard in ascertaining a habitable environment. The design of sustainable packaging products aims at optimizing materials and energy use. This ensures cost effectiveness in production. According to Pike Research, the demand for packaging is valued at $429 billion (Pike Research Web). Packaging ahs also employed more than five million people in the world (SPC Web). The employment, security and protection of human life are social aspects that sustainable packaging offers. With the demand e xpected to rise with relative increase in population and industrial growth, it is very important to use the most sustainable packaging materials. Non-renewable and non-recyclable materials decrease t he level of cohabitation. Air, land, and water pollution are some of the effects of using hazardous packaging products. Hence, manufacturing companies should strive to use eco friendly and life supporting materials in producing the sustainable packaging products should be eco friendly and with an ability to support life. The manufacturing process should conserve raw materials, water, and energy. We can achieve this by shifting from the use of fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. This would reduce or eliminate toxic emissions, which are harmful to human life and environmental conservation (SPC Web). The products should equally meet the market criteria and guarantee effective performance throughout their life cycles. The process of tendering, acquisition, and production of sustain able packaging should be cost effective to realize targeted comp-any profits. Paper and paper-based packaging dominate the global packaging market. However, according to pike research the use of plastic-based packaging will also grow significantly by the year 2014. Moreover, the demand for sustainable packaging is considerably more than that of general packaging. Better disposal methods

Monday, October 28, 2019

Macbeth - Directing Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2 Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Directing Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2 Essay From the directors point of view, this scene is very dramatic because of the impact on Macbeths decision in Act 1 scene seven. In this scene Macbeth almost decides that he has talked himself out of killing the king, but his wife Lady Macbeth has other plans and forces him into a decision that will lead to the death of the king. This affects the two scenes I will be directing because in these two scenes the decision is put into practice when Macbeth kills the king. So I have to direct the two crucial scenes that see the king murdered by Macbeth. The setting for act two scene one is in Macbeths castle. It is dark and Banquo and Fleance are in the courtyard discussing what time of day it is, and as to whether it is past midnight or not. They work out what time it is by seeing if the moon is down, and then the candles are blown out. Now it is at this point large gusts of wind are heard howling throughout the castle with thunder and lightning clashing down around the audience. Owls are heard calling and all manner of nightlife is heard. This effect is used so that the audience are made intense and unaware as to what is happening next and to create tension. The sounds would be achieved through sound effects being played over the speakers and sharp, crisp lighting would be used to symbolise the lightning. A background tune will be played very lightly to create a mood so scary it will keep the audiences fixed to the stage from the edges of their seats. When Macbeth meets Banquo, Macbeth tells him that he is sorry for not being as good a host as usual and Banqou reassures Macbeth that he has been an excellent host to the king. Then he brings up the subject of the witches. He says that he dreamed of the weird sisters the night before, and tells Macbeth To you they have showed some truth. Macbeth replies, I think not of them, which is a deliberate lie. It is true that we havent heard him mention the witches, but he has been thinking of nothing except how to make the prophecies come true. If I was the director I would introduce Macbeth by letting him enter from right and to walk on quietly, sneakily in fact with only soft dull lighting to imitate the moon light. He would be wearing a long black smock to represent the fact he was upset or in regret that he was about to commit a terrible deed. The black would be used because it is traditionally the colour of the night and Macbeth had to blend into the background and move like the night in order not to be spotted or noticed. Banquo would be wearing red pants and a silver lightweight vest created out of steel with the imprinted cross of Scotland on the vest. He would be wearing a polished steel helmet with a sword placed neatly in its pouch, left hanging on the brown leather belt fastened around his waist. He would also have a spear in his hand with a long shaft that would also be used as a walking stick. He would be dressed like this because as a general protecting Duncan king of Scotland he would be expected to wear the kings finest military uniform. As a director I would expect Macbeth to deliver his lines to Banquo in a nervous manner. I would have him stutter and muddle up his words he would also jolt and pause in mid-sentence to give the impression to the audience he is unsure and nervous as to the crime he is about to commit. The lighting in this part of the play as I have already touched on would be dull yet crisp to create a sense of atmosphere and to create a mood, which would help Macbeth, deliver his lines. The torchlight the servant would be carrying at this point would be quite sharp and a glowing effect would be used to create the fire effect. Macbeths facial expressions would be few and far between because I would want him to be pale and blank faced so that it looked like he had other things on his mind, more important and life threatening things. At the opening of Act 2 scene two, Lady Macbeth is stood near to Duncans room waiting for Macbeth to return. At this point, I would want to emphasise the crime that is about to be committed and to create strong tension between the audience and the stage. Ideally the audience would be sitting focused, eyes fixed on the events and I would want them to feel a sense of danger and betrayal the moment Macbeth kills the King. The effects used to create this feeling would be sudden cold gusts of wind lashing through the audience. A strong gust of smoke would slide swiftly along the surface of the stage creating a dark musty atmosphere. Sharp lightning would be seen jolting over the stage with deep blasts of thunder to follow. Lady Macbeth would be dressed in a long silk red dress to represent betrayal and guilt even though she does not show any. When Macbeth returns with the daggers, I think it would be a dramatic moment, so I would chose to have a powerful spotlight focusing on Macbeth as he staggers across the smoke filled stage to his wife. My decision for this is that I would like the whole audience to be fixed to Macbeths every movement. I would want this because I would want the audience just to think about him and the crime that he was just committed. Makeup would be used on Macbeth to make him look like a ghost he would be completely white except for the small dashes of red on his face that would represent the kings blood. His hands and the area around his waist would be completely covered in blood to give the impression that he had hacked the king to pieces. At the opening of act two scene one, Macbeth is confident that he is ready to kill the king. When he tells the lie to Banquo that he has given no more thought to the witches predictions, he should deliver these lines with a certain stutter including repeating and missing out some words. He would also stop and jolt in mid sentence. I think he should speak like this because it makes the audience think he is not sure about what he is about to do and he isnt sure as to whether he can or not. When Macbeth hallucinates he thinks that there is a dagger before him and he reaches out for it and of course cant grasp it. Macbeth is not sure, and wonders whether it is A dagger of the mind, a false creation. If I was the director, I would make Macbeth say these words with confidence then I would make him sound confused as to what he was saying. To give the impression his mind was thinking one thing but common sense was thinking about something else. As Macbeth speaks of the bloody business and how wicked dreams abuse/the curtained sleep, he appears much more confident. To indicate this, I would make him start of whispering the lines then slowly increasing the sound so by the time he had delivered the lines he was screaming them from the rooftops. I would expect his face to be blank, a dark spotlight would be shining on him, as he started shouting his lines he would smile and the spotlight would be turned up, eventually when he had finished Macbeth would be smiling, and the spotlight would be shining brightly. After Macbeth has murdered the king and he returns with the bloody daggers, he seems to be nervous and edgy. His repeated question whos there? What ho? indicates this. I would show this by making Macbeth speak his lines in a slow, shallow majestic voice with the words flowing slowly but surely one after the other with a short silent pause between each precious word. Macbeth considers the enormity of the crime that has been committed, and is terrified, as he knows that he can never be forgiven. He stresses how he could not say Amen after the murder, and how he thought that they heard a voice cry Listning their fear, I would not say Amen, when they did say God bless us. To make this point more dramatic, I would chose to make Macbeths voice cry lightly and sharp frequent drops of water would be seen running across his chin and dripping onto the stage. It would sound like he was in pain with sudden shrieks lashing through the audience as though he wants everyone to experience the heart breaking pain that he is going through. After the murder, Macbeth says I am afraid to think what I have done /look ont again I dare not. Perhaps Macbeth does feel genuine remorse for his crime, or maybe he is more afraid about what will happen to his soul when he dies. I think that he does show some genuine remorse because I think deep down he didnt want to kill Duncan but was in fact talked into by his wife and has now noticed the error of his ways. I could show this by making him drop to his knees and holding his head in his hands crying out for mercy from God. In act two scene one, I would choose to have Banquo to speak in a stern but tired way, as he is Macbeths friend. I would indicate to the audience that he is honest by making sure that he is looking loyal and worthy along with proud and upstanding when he is speaking to another character. Throughout the scenes, Lady Macbeth is revealed to be calm and calculated. When Macbeth returns from the scene of the murder, he says I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. Did not you speak?. I would reflect her unemotional state by having her speak nicely; soft and quiet. Her eyes would wonder as if she were thinking of something completely different. Lady Macbeth seems ill concerned with her husband when he talks of his inability to sleep. She warns him You do unbend your noble strength to think/ so brain of things. Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there: go carry them, and smear the sleepy grooms with blood. If I were the director, I would show her irritation by speaking to her with an abrupt sarcastic voice with a tone that suggests that shes speaking to an idiot. She will snap and snarl at Macbeth and look down on him. To conclude I have tried to answer each section as best I can. I have tried to incorporate the mood set by each characters lines by using lightning and sound effects as well as the way the actors portray their lines. My aim was to try to get the audience involved in the play without them actually acting, so that they could experience one to one the characters moods, so that they could really understand and get into the play. I would chose Ozzy Osborne to play Macbeth because he is older than some, dresses in black and has a certain element of disguise in him which I feel Macbeths actor needs to portray well. I would choose Halle Berry to play Lady Macbeth because her latest film Gothika was a perfect example of a spooky story of which she played her part extremely well.