Commercial Practices in European Union - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1084 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Analytical essay Tags: European Union Essay Did you like this example? Introduction The memorandum is intended to deal with two issues arising from Mr.Nedkova related to the unfair commercial practice Directive (UCPD) in European Union. First of all, whether a commercial practice in Mr.Nedkova case considered as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“unfairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and to what extent commercial practice may be regarded as unfair? Furthermore, the second issue concerning on which measures may be taken by Bulgarian Consumer Protection Authority for ensure compliance of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Money4Uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  with the provisions of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive? Assessment of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Unfairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  To begin with, there are three steps in order to analyze whether a commercial practice in present case fall within the scope of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“unfairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  under the UCPD. First of all, it is important to check whether advertisement of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Money4Uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ in present case violate the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“black listà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  of Annex I under the UCPD. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Commercial Practices in European Union" essay for you Create order The Black List includes the 31 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"exhaustive list of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“misleadingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“aggressiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  practices which shallà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, in al circumstances, be considered as unfair and shall ban uniformly in member states. If the commercial practice can not be found in black list of Annex I, then second step is to test whether à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“commercial practice constitute a misleading (Art 6, and Art7 UPCD) OR an aggressive practice (Art8, and Art9 UPCD) which is likely to distort the transactional decision of the average consumerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [1]? If practice is not fall with the scope of Art 6 to Art9 UPCD, third step is to analysis whether commercial practice infringes the professional diligence under Article 5(1) of UPCD. In the end, if none of above three steps can found the infringement of commercial practice, it will not consider commercial practice as unfair under the UNPD. According to paragraph 14 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…â €œblack listà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  of UNPD provide that misleading practice shall ban whenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å" Establishing, operating or promoting a pyramid promotional scheme where a consumer gives consideration for the opportunity to receive compensation that is derived primarily from the introduction of other consumers into the scheme rather than from the sale or consumption of products.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢[2] In this case, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Money4Uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  advertised its loan services by stating that anyone who registers on its website can receive 10 lev. Or 20 lev credit for introduction of friends. A commercial practice, in this case, shall be prohibited under UNPD. Next, in order to make sure this commercial practice is considered as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“unfairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  under the UNPD. It is necessary to assess the second steps. Art 6 and Art7 of UNPD provide that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“a commercial practice shall be regarded as misleading if: (a) It contains false information and is th erefore untruthful; Or (b) it misleads or is likely to mislead the average consumer even if the information is factually correct; Or (c) it omits certain relevant information that the average consumer needs and in all three alternatives this practice causes or is likely to cause a consumer to take an economic decision that he would not have taken otherwise.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [3] In this case, the advertisement was not contain any false information, promotion was directly mislead consumers, since the pyramid scheme fall within the black list of Annex I, therefore, the assessment of average consumer test is unnecessary. Furthermore, Art8 and Art9 of UNPD stated that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"A commercial practice shall be regarded as aggressive if: a) It by harassment, coercion, including the use of physical force, or undue influence; Or b) significantly impairs or is likely to significantly impair the average consumer ´s freedom of choice and thereby; c) causes or is likely to cause him to take economic decision that he would not have taken otherwise.[4]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  In present case, the advertisement of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Money4Uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  can not be considered as aggressive practice, because the company neither harassment, coercion impair on average consumerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s freedom of choice or cause consumer to take economic decision. Last but not least, the third step also should not be overlooked. Art 5(1) indicates that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the practice shall be unfair when the practice is contrary to the requirement ofprofessional diligence.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ [5] Professional diligence, in this case, Money4U was not act bad faith of field of activity. Advertisement of Money4U did not infringe the professional diligence under the art5 (1) UCPD. Therefore, concerning to first issues, instead of sale or consumption of products, the main purpose of advertisement of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Money4Uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  was to gain abundant consumers by using a pyram id promotional scheme. Since Mr.Nedkova had suffered detriment due to the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"pyramid schemeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ of Money4U, as a result, in this case, advertisement of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Money 4Uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  can be regarded as an unfair misleading commercial practice and shall prohibited under the paragraph 14 black list of UNPD. Enforcement of UCPD According to Art 11(2)(a) of Unfair commercial Directive stated that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Member States shall confer upon the courts or administrative authorities powers enabling them, in cases where they deem such measures to be necessary taking into account all the interests involved and in particular the public interest: (a)to order the cessation of, or to institute appropriate legal proceedings for an order for the cessation of, unfair commercial practices.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢[6] In present case, the promotion of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Money4Uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  has been advertised four month from October 2013 to February 2014. Thus, the Bulgarian Consumer Protection Authority shall eliminate the continuing effect of unfair practice and order the cessation of unfair commercial practices which arise from Money4U Company. To sum up, it is necessary to comply with UCPD framework of analysis in order to decide whether a commercial practice can be regarded as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“unfairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  under the UCPD. Moreover, since Mr.Nedkova had suffered detriment due to the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"pyramid schemeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ of Money4U, as a result; in this case, advertisement of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Money 4Uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  is misleading commercial practice and infringes the paragraph 14 black list of UNPD. Finally, the Bulgarian Consumer Protection Authority shall fulfill art 11(2) (b) of UNPD, and termination of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"pyramid schemeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ of Money4U. [1] Council Directive2005/29/ECof the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market [2005] Art6,7 [2] Council Directive2005/29/ECof the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market [2005] Art8.9 [3] Council Directive2005/29/ECof the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market [2005] Art6,7 [4] Council Directive2005/29/ECof the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market [2005] Art8-9 [5] Council Directive2005/29/ECof the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market [2005] Art5(1) [6] Council Directive2005/29/ECof the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market [2005] Art11(2)(a)

Video Games And Real Violence - 944 Words

Video games and real violence, is there a relationship? Just take a minute and think about the question. According to HealthLine news 91% of kids play video games and 90% of these video games are violent video games. So one would automatically assume video games promote real violence. I believe this is not true and through expert analysis and through my own experience I will not only show but, prove that video games do not promote violence. I have been playing video games for as long as I can remember. I started out playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Nintendo when I was six and now I play a variety of games for the PS3. These games include Need for Speed, Madden NFL 16, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto 5. What I am basically saying is that I have many years of experience with violent video games, but I have never been in a situation to where I thought it would make me more aggressive toward anyone. If anything I calmed me down. After a long day at work or even after a small ar gument with my girlfriend I would go to my room and play my games, it was a stress reliever for me. I have never been in any fights nor have I been arrested for any violence in my life. According to Cheryl Olson, Lawrence Kutner, and Dorothy Warner, â€Å"Playing violent video games reduces violence in adolescent boys by serving as a substitute for rough and tumble play. Playing violent video games allows adolescent boys to express aggression and establish status in the peer group without causingShow MoreRelatedReal World Violence And Video Games1513 Words   |  7 PagesReal-World Violence and Video Games From news outlets, to politicians, to parents: when tragedies occur they place the blame on many different sources. After the Sandy Hook shooting, media networks fiercely debated whether or not video games played a part in the shooter’s motives, as he had played games from the notorious Grand Theft Auto series prior to the shooting. Some even suggested banning video games outright, despite the fact that other mediums that can portray violence, such as moviesRead MoreThe Effect of Video Game Violence on Physiological Desensitization to Real-life Violence2765 Words   |  12 Pageschildren who play video games for many hours daily. Addiction controls life of people, there is addiction to drugs, cigarettes, alcohol or gambling, and there are some forms of addiction associated with modern life, such as Internet and video games. Most people think that video games are harmful and waste of time. As a result, the main question of the research is how video games can influence on children and many minor questions come to mind about video games: Do video games influence a child’sRead MoreDo Violent Video Games Affect Real World Aggression And Violence?1727 Words   |  7 PagesDo violent video games influence real world aggression and violence, among other harmful behaviors, within children and young teens? Yes, they do, without a doubt. Children and teens that extensively play violent games tend to be less stressed, but are also more prone to stealing, over-eating, and acting out in minor rages when playing violent video games for long extensions of time. Though most of the side effects do not damage a young child or teen physically, the effects can result in social problemsRead MoreThe Real-World Effects of Virtual Violence: Perspectives on Video Games and Mass Media1507 Words   |  7 Pagesof the fact that video games are becoming more realistic and violent, nor that they are becoming much more beautiful and engaging in the way they look. What many people doubt, though, is whether they have a profound effect on a person’s character or not. Aggression as a result of video games seems to be a nebulous issue among much of the public. The research is there, but it is fragmented and covers many different issues that could (and are) problematic as far as video games go. This paper willRead MoreNegative Effects Of Violent Video Games712 Words   |  3 PagesHave you heard? Many people are debating whether or not Violent Video Games cause kids to be aggressive and violent. While others, like myself agree violent video games aren’t the problem of violence, real-life violence is. And therefore, you should to why, because Violent Video games allow kids especially boys to let out anger and relax themselves from emotions. It also helps entertain kids. And creates less real-world aggression. Kids already know the difference between virtual and reality byRead More Video Games Violence Essay1580 Words   |  7 Pagesplayed video games once in their lives. There are various genres and types of video games such as action, first person shooters, adventure, education, role-playing, strategy, and many more. 89% of video games contain some violent content (Slife, 2008). The most addictive, common, and popular video games among children are the violent vid eo games (Slife, 2008). A lot of video games these days depict â€Å"real-life violence† meaning that the settings and plots of these video games are taken from real-lifeRead MoreEssay about Do Video Games really Cause Violence?1028 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"No one is suggesting that [violent video games are] the only reason they went out and committed those horrific acts, but was it a tipping point? Was it something that pushed them over the edge? Was it a factor in that? Perhaps. That’s a really big deal,† This is a really controversial subject amongst gamers and parents, on whether violent video games cause real-life violence. Lots of people think they do, while lots of people think they don’t. There is research that points both ways in the subjectRead MoreEssay on The Negative Effects of Violent Video Games1529 Words   |  7 Pagesyears, video games have come under scrutiny as to whether or not violence in video games numbs children and teens to the consequences of real-life violence. The answer to this question is yes. Young children and teens are very easily influenced, especially in a society in which violence, whether fictional or real, thrives. Video-game violence has become a common link in tragedies, such as Columbine.   The content of video games desensitizes a young person to the ramifications of real violence.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Read MoreVideo Games And Its Effects On Children1519 Words   |  7 PagesVideo games in the 21st century have transformed from friendly competing into guns, explosions, and major violence. Video games are getting away with more violence every year and the games are becoming more extreme. The consistence and severity of violence is at an all-time high leading the most popular games in the gaming community to have a ‘mature’ rating due to the considerable amount of violence involved. For example, one of the highest selling video games of all time grossing one billion itsRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Violence In Video Games1145 Words   |  5 PagesSince the beginning of the video game industry, violence has been a huge factor in the entertainment aspect. Even the more subtle, friendly games like Super Mario Bros. are full of underlying violence such as having to kill small and sometimes large creatures to advance the game. The most popular games among children and teens today happen to be the more gory, dark, and killing heavy games. These games almost always have very toxic communities full of people who love to scream at other players for

New York Police Department Recruitment And Challenges Free Essays

string(113) " highly tempted to go for the least expensive item and it is common sense that least expensive is least quality\." Some of this is funny†¦most of it, if accurate, is outrageous. While some of the latter is verifiable, it is difficult to sort out just how much is simply sour grapes and whining because 40 miles to the East, Suffolk Country MOS have a huge contract. New York Police Department cannot get enough applicants to give a test for Police officers 88% of Port Authority Police Department Academy graduates are from New York Police Department cops, 50% of a new class of NYFD class are from New York Police Department. We will write a custom essay sample on New York Police Department Recruitment And Challenges or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Lung Worthy et al, 1986). Introduction The New York City Police (NYPD) has over the last years been known to be the largest municipal police force in the world with a vital primary responsibility to enforce the law and carry out investigations within the five boroughs of the New York City, which include Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester etc. (Fred. M. Rafilson, 2000). NYPD is dedicated to work towards enhancing the quality of life in the city by working in accordance to the constitution. This is achieved through its mission statement, which is â€Å"Enforce the law, preserve the peace, reduce fear and provide for a safe environment†. (Fred. M. Rafilson, 2000). This in result entails to preventing fear and responding to crime. In the United States, NYPD is considered as being the first modern style police department being an array of specialized services. It is contracted and dedicated to offering expertise in technical operations, K-9, diving or marine skills, aviation or helicopter skills, bomb disposal technology, counterterrorism technology, intelligence skills, antigang techniques, narcotics detection, public transportation, control and public housing. The NYPD has extensive crime scene investigations and laboratory resources while not also overlooking their units, which assist with computer crime investigations. (Fred. M. Rafilson, 2000) Recruitment Requirements for NYPD To pace afoot into the NYPD academy, the following requirements are a prerequisite: one must be an United States citizen at the time of application; one must possess a valid high school diploma or an educational equivalent; one must have successfully completed either sixty (60) college credits from a credible college or a university with at least 2.0 GPA or two (2) years full time United States Military Service. (Reaves, Brian A., 1996). However, one could achieve the above qualifications yet be disqualified for admission because of the following factors: – One may have been convicted of an offence, which indicates lack of good moral character, or disposition towards violence or disorder or which is punishable by one or more years of imprisonment; one may have undergone repeated convictions of an offence, which indicates disrespect of the law; one may have been discharged from an employment as a result of poor behavior or inability to adjust to discipline; one may have been discharged in a dishonorable manner from the military service; one may have been convicted of an offence for domestic violence misdemeanor; and lastly, one may have been convicted for committing a felony. (Lung Worthy et al, 1986). A Practical Situation Despite all these requirements and all the theoretical expectations from these special, well-trained and skilled cops a great problem looms in their working circumstances. For any person to work there is always expectations of commensurate benefits from the field of occupation necessary for the daily upkeep of the individual and dependants. The standard of life should also have a direct relationship with the rightful inputs of an individual to the workplace. Future progress should also be projected by the current occupation performance and renumeration. Other workplace related benefits are also very crucial determinants of an employee wellbeing and welfare. All these issues if not properly addressed, will lead to decreased morale, decreased output and poor performance and ultimately high degree of employees’ dropout leading to high turnovers. This is the critical condition facing the NYPD. In 2005, there was a state arbitration and a panel of judges’ decree covering a contract negotiation between NYPD representatives and state representatives, which came up with a pay decrease for new officers. The new outcomes have been discussed here: – On admission, a new hire during training is supposed to earn $25,100 per year. This continues for the next six (6) months. On the completion of the Police Academy, the respective individual becomes entitled to an annual salary increase up to $32,700. To explain this, the state argues that the salaries were adjusted as a result of inflation. In practice these figures are far much low below the living standards of an employed person and they happen to be the lowest pay levels in history for rookie NYPD cops. This was a wrong decision by the jurisdiction of lowering the starting pay for new officers at such a time that the officers are most impressionable and this act seems particularly unwise to majority of the people. The salary plunge is blamed on state arbitrator and is seen as a bad public policy to reduce the starting salary. The union officers argued that the city first suggested lower starting salaries to fund the pay raises and arbitration was taken to because the city refused to negotiate across the table. The conventional wisdom when applied tends to purport an inverse relationship between salary and corruption as witnessed in the jurisdiction such as New Orleans. (Fred. M. Rafilson, 2000). The issue at hand is very crucial towards motivation of workers. A person of proper orientation cannot even dream or think about joining this career, which is devoid of motivation considering that there exists a high degree of risk in this profession. The situation is further compounded by the fact that out of the meangle pays, the respective officer is expected to purchase virtually all of their belongings and personal items. The items include officers’ uniforms and equipment, which one would expect to get from the Academy or employer. Some issues of quality items in this respect it is worth mentioning. Due to the fact of fluctuated pay anybody is highly tempted to go for the least expensive item and it is common sense that least expensive is least quality. You read "New York Police Department Recruitment And Challenges" in category "Essay examples" The practice of officers buying uniforms and equipment for themselves has an outlay that can easily run into thousands of dollars. As a solution, the Municipal Union in 2007 through the Municipal Credit Union began issuing visa credit cards to the Police Academy as a way to borrow the money needed towards the mandatory equipment purchases. Top pay for experienced officers is no better compared with pay of other potential employers. The recommended top pay for an experienced NYPD officer is $59,588 not including overtime payments and other forms of compensation. The major contributor to these problems is the municipal funding agents, which although it has continually funded other city project. The new basketball arena in Brooklyn got an approximate 8.3 acres land, which although it was a part of a forest the administration asserts that this is no land grabbing. For the sake of its development it got a further $100 million. (Kleining John, 1996). The Second Avenue Train line got the full funding agreement with a massive $2.5 bond issues and its work expected to follow within weeks to months. (Kleining John, 1996). The Mayor’s Green Plan is raising quite substantial amount whereby drivers are levied for entering Manhattan at rates of $8 for personal vehicles and $21 for truck operators. Major tugs of war have been evidently available as is the case of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), which urged the council members to provide the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) with adequate funding and to hold it accountable for recent lapses in its performance. NYCLU decried to Mayor Bloomberg’s proposals to cut CCRB funding by $1.2 million eliminating twenty four investigator positions and urged the city council to restore the CCRB’s funding to demand cooperation from NYPD and other agencies involved in the civilian review process. The NYCLU was actively instrumental in the creation of the independent CCRB in the year 2002, and has been an outspoken advocate for a vigorous and independent civilian review system. As part of this effort, the NYCLU has fought CCRB budget cuts year after year and has been highly critical of NYPD efforts to undermine the CCRB’s work. (Kleining John, 1996). Whereas the policy makers and implementers argue that they are in favor of keeping tabs on the people suspected of unlawful activities, they argue that the police should not be scrutinizing law abiding New Yorkers’ activities without regulations. Low pay is driving more and more New York’s finest to leave the job despite ranks being bolstered. Especially in 2005 and 2006, 1,769 officers were reported to quit job before their retirement eligibility. (Kleining John, 1996). The numbers have had a real impact on the streets and city hall does not have the courage to solve the problem. Difficulties Compounding Police Force Issue Some extremely difficult times were experienced in the city brought about by the economic downturn of the 1970. An arson attack particularly plagued Bronx leading to permeability of an atmosphere of lawlessness in the city. In addition, the city’s financial crisis led to a hiring freeze on all city departments including the NYPD from 1976 to 1980. (Eli B. Silverman, 1990). A crack epidemic of late 1980s and early 1990s followed in suit the arson attack, which is believed most certainly led to the city’s homicide rate to soar to an all time higher. A marvelous record of murder, so great that it has yet remained difficult to break in any other US major city, was recorded in 1990. (Eli B. Silverman, 1990). The situation was further complicated by continuous thefts associated with drug addiction increasing became common. Furthermore, on September 11, 2001, twenty-three NYPD officers were killed when the World Trade Centre collapsed due to terrorist attack. More lives were lost that year than any other year in the NYPD’s history. (Eli B. Silverman, 1990). All through history, the NYPD has suffered from numerous allegations of corruption. However, as the many commissions of inquiry convened to inquire about these alleged matters, the results have shown these instances of corruption reflect far greater on the individual’s involved rather than do on a systemic form of corruption. As a matter of fact, the instances of corruption when compared through statistics to the sheer number of the departments as a whole, the NYPD actually has a lower corruption rate than many other departments. Most commissions on corruption blame low morale and chronically low salary as the large contributing factor. As things sour up to such heights it remains questionable as to the destiny and way out for these unlucky officers. Information permeability is in place of existing training and working condition in other departments of equal capacity as the NYPD. Situation Outside NYPD It is crystal clear that in nearby departments’ payments is considerably more ranging from $50,000 for new hires and over $90,000 for experienced officers. Over the last few years hundreds of NYPD city officers have been found to leave for higher paying jobs with other agencies notably the Nassau County Police Department, the Suffolk County Police Department and the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey. (Bratton et al, 1998). Discontent over pay issues has become so widespread and so well known that higher paying departments in the lower cost of living areas such as the Rochester New York Police are actively recruiting NYPD officers to join their forces. Large numbers of NYPD officers have also migrated to the New York City Fire Departments where, although the payments are similar to that of NYPD, work schedules are more attractive and they are privileged to have a more amicable relationship with the public. (Bratton et al, 1998). However, the NYPD is not comfortable with the exodus taken by their trained employees. Resources have been used for the training and therefore the exodus is a big loss to NYPD. Employees’ turnover is also a bad influence facing NYPD as a result of this exodus. Therefore, to counteract the exodus, the NYPD is using contract changes to forbid the prior practice of allowing police officers who join the fire department to transfer their seniority for a compensation purposes. With all new firefighters now compelled to begin working at the same starting pay, the number of NYPD officials willing to exit over to the FDNY is likely to fall considerably. (Bratton et al, 1998). Some NYPD officers charge that the department leadership is seeking to stem the flow of officers to other jurisdictions by administrative means. In January 2006, 35 NYPD officers seeking to move to the Port Authority Police sued the NYPD claiming that it was refusing to make their personal records available to Ports Authority Police Department (PAPD) background investigators. The plaintiffs won the injunction at the trial level but the appellate division in January 2007 overturned that ruling and ordered that case to trial. (James T. Hamilton, 2000). For its part, the NYPD claims that its actions are merely in line with the personnel practices of any other employers and that there is no â€Å"stealth† effort to prevent officers from moving elsewhere. Nonetheless, it is a fact that no NYPD officers have been included in the last PAPD Police Academy as a result of the deliberate confinement of their background records by their employer NYPD. Despite these obstacles, there are signs that the exodus from the NYPD may become accelerating. In 2006, 902 officers resigned before eligibility for retirement. The number had been 867 in the previous year (2005) and 635 in the other previous year (2004), which contributes for an attrition rate of around 2%. (James T. Hamilton, 2000). While the Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly insists that the figures compares positively with the turnover rates in private industry, police union officials note that the proper comparison should be with prior years on the NYPD records in past years. For example, in 1991 only 15% officers left early thus recording an attrition rate of less than one half of one percent. (James T. Hamilton, 2000). The unfair state in NYPD has impacted negative picture of the Academy. Recruits and skilled officers are expected to take care of their transport costs. They are also supposed to cater for costs of their duty belts, handcuffs, flashlights etc. whenever they wear out. The cost of maintaining fresh supplies has been uncatered for by the Academy. The supervisors treat recruits and officers like children and the harsh manner of the supervisors create disrespect in the Academy. Recruits are taken for field experience and during the occasion they are given up to supervisory jobs. Due to the frequent turnover some identified officers and recruits are forced to act on supervisory capacity without an extra pay. At the end of it all participation in unions is crippled due to crippled financial status. They are also incapacitated to play meaningful roles in the society and their background society issues are very poor. The potential recruit of NYPD should expect to earn the lowest pay while working in the most dangerous environment in the tri-state area and should also expect picayune disciplinary action with a trial room having nearly 100% conviction rate. Dozens of civilian complaints from criminals and then complaints are investigated by cop hating, democratic club hacks. The recruit should also expect to be a great â€Å"white defendant† seeking publicity, grand-standing district attorney have their life ruined when they make a good faith mistake they become financially destroyed plus their families by paying huge money in legal fees. The cop expects the boss ever behind while executing duties, any civilian complaint with a controversial case falls on the cops shoulders. The supervisors of the cops are ready to protect politicians at the expense of their junior cops. The members of the department above the rank of lieutenant are ready to earn promotion through suppression of their juniors. The NYPD cop members are the most demoralized army group. They give protection to millions of liberal, unappreciative citizens and democratic officers who hate them. The cops are also vilified by phony ministers who command huge sums of government poverty money to aid and assist crime. The cops transcend through six months of training then in disquiets join other police departments leaving their leaders searching for reasons of the exodus. As senior members of NYPD shift to other departments, such as Suffolk County Cop, a vacancy opening leaves a promotion slot quickly. Conclusion The result of poor funding in NYPD is a poor social economic structure. This leads to exit and exodus of those who enter NYPD Academy leading to brain drain and employee turnover. The lack of funding has created a huge salary disparity between NYPD and other same category departments. Any well-qualified person fears any indulgence with NYPD. Although their entry requirements are well outlines, a number of recruits gain entry into the Academy without the possession of valid driving licenses, relevant credentials possibility of suffering some disqualifications creates problems of retention of probationary employees since discontent and lack of motivation is the cause of exodus to a better place. References Bratton, William J. Knobler Peter (1998) Turnaround: How American Top Cops Reversed the Crime Epidemic. New York: Random House. Eli B. Silverman (1990) NYPD Battles Crime: Innovative Strategies in Policing. North Eastern University Press. ISBN-13:978-15555340011. Fred. M. Rafilson (2000) Police Officer Arco; 13th Ed. ISBN-13:978-0028637419. James T. Hamilton (2000) Channeling Violence. Princeton University Press. New Ed. ISBN-13:978-0691070247. Kleining John (1996) The Ethics of Policing. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Lung Worthy, Robert H. (1986) The Structure of Police Organizations. New York. Praeger. Reaves, Brian A. (1996) Local Police Departments. Diane Pub Co. ISBN-13:978-0788130076. How to cite New York Police Department Recruitment And Challenges, Essay examples New York Police Department Recruitment and Challenges Free Essays string(124) " anybody is highly tempted to go for the least expensive item and it is common sense that least expensive is least quality\." Thesis Statement Some of this is funny†¦most of it, if accurate, is outrageous. While some of the latter is verifiable, it is difficult to sort out just how much is simply sour grapes and whining because 40 miles to the East, Suffolk Country MOS have a huge contract. New York Police Department cannot get enough applicants to give a test for Police officers 88% of Port Authority Police Department Academy graduates are from New York Police Department cops, 50% of a new class of NYFD class are from New York Police Department. We will write a custom essay sample on New York Police Department Recruitment and Challenges or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Lung Worthy et al, 1986). Introduction The New York City Police (NYPD) has over the last years been known to be the largest municipal police force in the world with a vital primary responsibility to enforce the law and carry out investigations within the five boroughs of the New York City, which include Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester etc. (Fred. M. Rafilson, 2000). NYPD is dedicated to work towards enhancing the quality of life in the city by working in accordance to the constitution. This is achieved through its mission statement, which is â€Å"Enforce the law, preserve the peace, reduce fear and provide for a safe environment†. (Fred. M. Rafilson, 2000). This in result entails to preventing fear and responding to crime. In the United States, NYPD is considered as being the first modern style police department being an array of specialized services. It is contracted and dedicated to offering expertise in technical operations, K-9, diving or marine skills, aviation or helicopter skills, bomb disposal technology, counterterrorism technology, intelligence skills, antigang techniques, narcotics detection, public transportation, control and public housing. The NYPD has extensive crime scene investigations and laboratory resources while not also overlooking their units, which assist with computer crime investigations. (Fred. M. Rafilson, 2000) Recruitment Requirements for NYPD To pace afoot into the NYPD academy, the following requirements are a prerequisite: one must be an United States citizen at the time of application; one must possess a valid high school diploma or an educational equivalent; one must have successfully completed either sixty (60) college credits from a credible college or a university with at least 2.0 GPA or two (2) years full time United States Military Service. (Reaves, Brian A., 1996). However, one could achieve the above qualifications yet be disqualified for admission because of the following factors: – One may have been convicted of an offence, which indicates lack of good moral character, or disposition towards violence or disorder or which is punishable by one or more years of imprisonment; one may have undergone repeated convictions of an offence, which indicates disrespect of the law; one may have been discharged from an employment as a result of poor behavior or inability to adjust to discipline; one may have been discharged in a dishonorable manner from the military service; one may have been convicted of an offence for domestic violence misdemeanor; and lastly, one may have been convicted for committing a felony. (Lung Worthy et al, 1986). A Practical Situation Despite all these requirements and all the theoretical expectations from these special, well-trained and skilled cops a great problem looms in their working circumstances. For any person to work there is always expectations of commensurate benefits from the field of occupation necessary for the daily upkeep of the individual and dependants. The standard of life should also have a direct relationship with the rightful inputs of an individual to the workplace. Future progress should also be projected by the current occupation performance and renumeration. Other workplace related benefits are also very crucial determinants of an employee wellbeing and welfare. All these issues if not properly addressed, will lead to decreased morale, decreased output and poor performance and ultimately high degree of employees’ dropout leading to high turnovers. This is the critical condition facing the NYPD. In 2005, there was a state arbitration and a panel of judges’ decree covering a contract negotiation between NYPD representatives and state representatives, which came up with a pay decrease for new officers. The new outcomes have been discussed here: – On admission, a new hire during training is supposed to earn $25,100 per year. This continues for the next six (6) months. On the completion of the Police Academy, the respective individual becomes entitled to an annual salary increase up to $32,700. To explain this, the state argues that the salaries were adjusted as a result of inflation. In practice these figures are far much low below the living standards of an employed person and they happen to be the lowest pay levels in history for rookie NYPD cops. This was a wrong decision by the jurisdiction of lowering the starting pay for new officers at such a time that the officers are most impressionable and this act seems particularly unwise to majority of the people. The salary plunge is blamed on state arbitrator and is seen as a bad public policy to reduce the starting salary. The union officers argued that the city first suggested lower starting salaries to fund the pay raises and arbitration was taken to because the city refused to negotiate across the table. The conventional wisdom when applied tends to purport an inverse relationship between salary and corruption as witnessed in the jurisdiction such as New Orleans. (Fred. M. Rafilson, 2000). The issue at hand is very crucial towards motivation of workers. A person of proper orientation cannot even dream or think about joining this career, which is devoid of motivation considering that there exists a high degree of risk in this profession. The situation is further compounded by the fact that out of the meangle pays, the respective officer is expected to purchase virtually all of their belongings and personal items. The items include officers’ uniforms and equipment, which one would expect to get from the Academy or employer. Some issues of quality items in this respect it is worth mentioning. Due to the fact of fluctuated pay anybody is highly tempted to go for the least expensive item and it is common sense that least expensive is least quality. You read "New York Police Department Recruitment and Challenges" in category "Essay examples" The practice of officers buying uniforms and equipment for themselves has an outlay that can easily run into thousands of dollars. As a solution, the Municipal Union in 2007 through the Municipal Credit Union began issuing visa credit cards to the Police Academy as a way to borrow the money needed towards the mandatory equipment purchases. Top pay for experienced officers is no better compared with pay of other potential employers. The recommended top pay for an experienced NYPD officer is $59,588 not including overtime payments and other forms of compensation. The major contributor to these problems is the municipal funding agents, which although it has continually funded other city project. The new basketball arena in Brooklyn got an approximate 8.3 acres land, which although it was a part of a forest the administration asserts that this is no land grabbing. For the sake of its development it got a further $100 million. (Kleining John, 1996). The Second Avenue Train line got the full funding agreement with a massive $2.5 bond issues and its work expected to follow within weeks to months. (Kleining John, 1996). The Mayor’s Green Plan is raising quite substantial amount whereby drivers are levied for entering Manhattan at rates of $8 for personal vehicles and $21 for truck operators. Major tugs of war have been evidently available as is the case of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), which urged the council members to provide the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) with adequate funding and to hold it accountable for recent lapses in its performance. NYCLU decried to Mayor Bloomberg’s proposals to cut CCRB funding by $1.2 million eliminating twenty four investigator positions and urged the city council to restore the CCRB’s funding to demand cooperation from NYPD and other agencies involved in the civilian review process. The NYCLU was actively instrumental in the creation of the independent CCRB in the year 2002, and has been an outspoken advocate for a vigorous and independent civilian review system. As part of this effort, the NYCLU has fought CCRB budget cuts year after year and has been highly critical of NYPD efforts to undermine the CCRB’s work. (Kleining John, 1996). Whereas the policy makers and implementers argue that they are in favor of keeping tabs on the people suspected of unlawful activities, they argue that the police should not be scrutinizing law abiding New Yorkers’ activities without regulations. Low pay is driving more and more New York’s finest to leave the job despite ranks being bolstered. Especially in 2005 and 2006, 1,769 officers were reported to quit job before their retirement eligibility. (Kleining John, 1996). The numbers have had a real impact on the streets and city hall does not have the courage to solve the problem. Difficulties Compounding Police Force Issue Some extremely difficult times were experienced in the city brought about by the economic downturn of the 1970. An arson attack particularly plagued Bronx leading to permeability of an atmosphere of lawlessness in the city. In addition, the city’s financial crisis led to a hiring freeze on all city departments including the NYPD from 1976 to 1980. (Eli B. Silverman, 1990). A crack epidemic of late 1980s and early 1990s followed in suit the arson attack, which is believed most certainly led to the city’s homicide rate to soar to an all time higher. A marvelous record of murder, so great that it has yet remained difficult to break in any other US major city, was recorded in 1990. (Eli B. Silverman, 1990). The situation was further complicated by continuous thefts associated with drug addiction increasing became common. Furthermore, on September 11, 2001, twenty-three NYPD officers were killed when the World Trade Centre collapsed due to terrorist attack. More lives were lost that year than any other year in the NYPD’s history. (Eli B. Silverman, 1990). All through history, the NYPD has suffered from numerous allegations of corruption. However, as the many commissions of inquiry convened to inquire about these alleged matters, the results have shown these instances of corruption reflect far greater on the individual’s involved rather than do on a systemic form of corruption. As a matter of fact, the instances of corruption when compared through statistics to the sheer number of the departments as a whole, the NYPD actually has a lower corruption rate than many other departments. Most commissions on corruption blame low morale and chronically low salary as the large contributing factor. As things sour up to such heights it remains questionable as to the destiny and way out for these unlucky officers. Information permeability is in place of existing training and working condition in other departments of equal capacity as the NYPD. Situation Outside NYPD It is crystal clear that in nearby departments’ payments is considerably more ranging from $50,000 for new hires and over $90,000 for experienced officers. Over the last few years hundreds of NYPD city officers have been found to leave for higher paying jobs with other agencies notably the Nassau County Police Department, the Suffolk County Police Department and the Port Authority Police of New York and New Jersey. (Bratton et al, 1998). Discontent over pay issues has become so widespread and so well known that higher paying departments in the lower cost of living areas such as the Rochester New York Police are actively recruiting NYPD officers to join their forces. Large numbers of NYPD officers have also migrated to the New York City Fire Departments where, although the payments are similar to that of NYPD, work schedules are more attractive and they are privileged to have a more amicable relationship with the public. (Bratton et al, 1998). However, the NYPD is not comfortable with the exodus taken by their trained employees. Resources have been used for the training and therefore the exodus is a big loss to NYPD. Employees’ turnover is also a bad influence facing NYPD as a result of this exodus. Therefore, to counteract the exodus, the NYPD is using contract changes to forbid the prior practice of allowing police officers who join the fire department to transfer their seniority for a compensation purposes. With all new firefighters now compelled to begin working at the same starting pay, the number of NYPD officials willing to exit over to the FDNY is likely to fall considerably. (Bratton et al, 1998). Some NYPD officers charge that the department leadership is seeking to stem the flow of officers to other jurisdictions by administrative means. In January 2006, 35 NYPD officers seeking to move to the Port Authority Police sued the NYPD claiming that it was refusing to make their personal records available to Ports Authority Police Department (PAPD) background investigators. The plaintiffs won the injunction at the trial level but the appellate division in January 2007 overturned that ruling and ordered that case to trial. (James T. Hamilton, 2000). For its part, the NYPD claims that its actions are merely in line with the personnel practices of any other employers and that there is no â€Å"stealth† effort to prevent officers from moving elsewhere. Nonetheless, it is a fact that no NYPD officers have been included in the last PAPD Police Academy as a result of the deliberate confinement of their background records by their employer NYPD. Despite these obstacles, there are signs that the exodus from the NYPD may become accelerating. In 2006, 902 officers resigned before eligibility for retirement. The number had been 867 in the previous year (2005) and 635 in the other previous year (2004), which contributes for an attrition rate of around 2%. (James T. Hamilton, 2000). While the Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly insists that the figures compares positively with the turnover rates in private industry, police union officials note that the proper comparison should be with prior years on the NYPD records in past years. For example, in 1991 only 15% officers left early thus recording an attrition rate of less than one half of one percent. (James T. Hamilton, 2000). The unfair state in NYPD has impacted negative picture of the Academy. Recruits and skilled officers are expected to take care of their transport costs. They are also supposed to cater for costs of their duty belts, handcuffs, flashlights etc. whenever they wear out. The cost of maintaining fresh supplies has been uncatered for by the Academy. The supervisors treat recruits and officers like children and the harsh manner of the supervisors create disrespect in the Academy. Recruits are taken for field experience and during the occasion they are given up to supervisory jobs. Due to the frequent turnover some identified officers and recruits are forced to act on supervisory capacity without an extra pay. At the end of it all participation in unions is crippled due to crippled financial status. They are also incapacitated to play meaningful roles in the society and their background society issues are very poor. The potential recruit of NYPD should expect to earn the lowest pay while working in the most dangerous environment in the tri-state area and should also expect picayune disciplinary action with a trial room having nearly 100% conviction rate. Dozens of civilian complaints from criminals and then complaints are investigated by cop hating, democratic club hacks. The recruit should also expect to be a great â€Å"white defendant† seeking publicity, grand-standing district attorney have their life ruined when they make a good faith mistake they become financially destroyed plus their families by paying huge money in legal fees. The cop expects the boss ever behind while executing duties, any civilian complaint with a controversial case falls on the cops shoulders. The supervisors of the cops are ready to protect politicians at the expense of their junior cops. The members of the department above the rank of lieutenant are ready to earn promotion through suppression of their juniors. The NYPD cop members are the most demoralized army group. They give protection to millions of liberal, unappreciative citizens and democratic officers who hate them. The cops are also vilified by phony ministers who command huge sums of government poverty money to aid and assist crime. The cops transcend through six months of training then in disquiets join other police departments leaving their leaders searching for reasons of the exodus. As senior members of NYPD shift to other departments, such as Suffolk County Cop, a vacancy opening leaves a promotion slot quickly. Conclusion The result of poor funding in NYPD is a poor social economic structure. This leads to exit and exodus of those who enter NYPD Academy leading to brain drain and employee turnover. The lack of funding has created a huge salary disparity between NYPD and other same category departments. Any well-qualified person fears any indulgence with NYPD. Although their entry requirements are well outlines, a number of recruits gain entry into the Academy without the possession of valid driving licenses, relevant credentials possibility of suffering some disqualifications creates problems of retention of probationary employees since discontent and lack of motivation is the cause of exodus to a better place. References Bratton, William J. Knobler Peter (1998) Turnaround: How American Top Cops Reversed the Crime Epidemic. New York: Random House. Eli B. Silverman (1990) NYPD Battles Crime: Innovative Strategies in Policing. North Eastern University Press. ISBN-13:978-15555340011. Fred. M. Rafilson (2000) Police Officer Arco; 13th Ed. ISBN-13:978-0028637419. James T. Hamilton (2000) Channeling Violence. Princeton University Press. New Ed. ISBN-13:978-0691070247. Kleining John (1996) The Ethics of Policing. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Lung Worthy, Robert H. (1986) The Structure of Police Organizations. New York. Praeger. Reaves, Brian A. (1996) Local Police Departments. Diane Pub Co. ISBN-13:978-0788130076. How to cite New York Police Department Recruitment and Challenges, Essay examples

Amazing Grace Essay Example For Students

Amazing Grace Essay Amazing Grace, by Jonathan Kozol, is about the authors interviews with, and thoughts about, some of the poorest people who live in the poorest sections of New York. The facts stated in Amazing Grace startled me with the prevalence and desperation of the poverty situation in areas like the South Bronx and Mott Haven. These are areas where there are hundreds of thousands of people living in broken, crowded, and rundown apartment buildings, That, says Kozol, most people would not even kennel their dogs in. pg. 51 I have been to areas near my home that I thought were poverty stricken, but they pale in comparison to some of the situations that I read about in Amazing Grace. On the very first page I was surprised by the fact that, In 1991, the median household income of the area, according to the New York Times, was 7,600 dollars. pg. 1 I was amazed that a family of three or four could sustain themselves on such a small income I make more than that and could not even come close to supporting myself, then, as I read about the conditions that they live in I realized how they did it. Without luxury! The number of buildings that are rat infested, have faulty wiring, bad elevator doors, and broken staircases are incredible. If you were to put animals in housing like that you would have all kinds of rights activists on your back for being inhumane, yet we house people there. Why? Because they are poor and not white is the only reason I can think of. After the people are put into the housing in those neighborhoods, they are even further broken down by the poor services given to them. For instance, hospitals who have employees with cards saying not to take them in an emergency to the hospital where they work and schools that are so small and have so many students that they have to hold classes in the hallways and bathrooms. They are furthermore burdened by a Police force that when called for a burglary, shows up three hours later saying, The truth is, when your call came in three hours ago, a number of us heard it but we all knew the address and no one wanted to respond because nobody wants to come here to this building. Everyone is scared. I was shocked that someone in that profession would say that so easily, as if it were expected behavior. One question the book poses is How does a nation deal with those whom it has cursed. A start would be to cut some of the funding that is used to help foreign Countrys until we help our own. Use that money to create jobs, after school programs and more drug rehab centers, clean up the hospitals and build better schools so that these people at least have a fighting chance to better their lives and contribute positively to society. The list of things that are horribly  wrong in these neighborhoods is virtually endless and the interviews in Amazing Grace only touch the surface of them. As members of the working, middle, and upper class, we need to change the way the poor are seen. As long as the poor remain repressed and regarded as inferiors, we can not make a change for the better and we will continue to have the same problems we have now, only they will escalate even further, as they have been doing for longer than I can remember.

10 Ways to Stay Positive About Your First Job Out of College

10 Ways to Stay Positive About Your First Job Out of College We’re all so excited at the prospect of graduating and getting our first job out of college. Then we get there and the success feels start to wear off and the tedium of adulthood sets in. We feel a sense of let down. And it’s perfectly normal. You’ve worked hard for so long, but almost all things had an end point- courses, semesters, years, and even schools. Now your whole life is stretching out before you and you have†¦ buyer’s remorse? Boredom? Don’t worry. Your life doesn’t have to be tedious. You’re not done succeeding yet; you’re just beginning. Here are 10 things you can do to stay sharp and make the most of the world of grown-up opportunities. It takes a little longer, and a bit more strategizing, but it will be worth it in the end.1. Be purposefulYes, most people have to work. But if you’re in the privileged position of being able to choose the kind of work you do, that’s huge. Keep track of why youâ⠂¬â„¢re working. What about this field or career makes you passionate. Know your purpose- both for being where you are and for heading in the direction of your particular goal. Hold onto it. The day-to-day tedium won’t touch you.2. Connect with coworkersYes, you’re on the stairway to success. But you will need help along the way. Make friends. Your coworkers might not be your college pals, but you’re going to see a whole lot more of them. Invest in these relationships and they may prove to be invaluable. You’ll all work much better together and will succeed much faster.3. Keep learning new thingsThe difference between this job and college is this: you’re now getting paid to learn. Learn as much as you possibly can and keep looking for the next opportunity to learn. Make your success as much about the journey as the destination.4.  Pick up new skillsSet yourself goals to pick up new skill sets or certifications, or even degrees. Have targets for e very few months and every few years and hold yourself to them. If you commit to learning more and more, you’ll be amazed how much more quickly you succeed.5. Break  up your goalsIf you’re daunted by the future stretching out endlessly before you, break it up. Plot out milestones for yourself. First promotion. First big project. First big client. Fiftieth small victory. This will help you make better narrative sense of your time at this job, and any job, as a stepping stone on your way to greater things.6. Remember that your job funds your hobbiesEven if you’re not 100% fulfilled by your new job and you’d rather be at the movies all afternoon mainlining popcorn, remember that your job funds your fun. When you lose sight of all else, remember that your time at the office makes your social life possible. Save up for special things like trips to make the experience more meaningful.7. Go above and beyondBest way to combat boredom: keep looking for ways to do more. Challenge yourself to get things done before a deadline, or to double your quota, or to go the extra mile on a project. You’ll feel more satisfaction, and your dedication will be noticed, and hopefully rewarded.8. Talk to your bossChecking in regularly with your boss is a great way to keep tangible track of your progress. Having someone else help keep track of your goal-setting and goal-meeting will be useful to keep you dedicated and also to notice when you’re killing it.9. Rethink foreverYou’re sitting at your desk despairing. There’s no end in sight! Reimagine your situation. What if you think of it as endless possibility? An infinite horizon? Think bigger than you have been thinking†¦ and your open-ended forever job won’t feel so terrifying.10. Find a mentorA good mentor can make all the difference in keeping you motivated and focused on what’s most important in the scope of your career. Find someone you admire and respect an d ask them to help shepherd you through your early stages. After all, they blazed this trail before!

Using TDictionary for Hash Tables in Delphi

Using TDictionary for Hash Tables in Delphi Introduced in Delphi 2009, the TDictionary class, defined in the Generics.Collections unit, represents a generic hash table type collection of key-value pairs. Generic types, also introduced in Delphi 2009, allow you to define classes that dont specifically define the type of data members. A dictionary is, in a way, similar to an array. In an array you work with a series (collection) of values indexed by an integer value, which can be any ordinal type value. This index has a lower and an upper bound. In a dictionary, you can store keys and values where either can be of any type. The TDictionary Constructor Hence the declaration of the TDictionary constructor: In Delphi, the TDictionary is defined as a hash table. Hash tables represent  a collection of key-and-value pairs that are organized based on the hash code of the key. Hash tables are optimized for lookups (speed). When a key-value pair is added to a hash table, the hash of the key is computed and stored along with the added pair. The TKey and TValue, because theyre generics, can be of any type. For example, if the information you are to store in the dictionary is coming from some database, your Key can be a GUID (or some other value presenting the unique index) value while the Value can be an object mapped to a row of data in your database tables. Using TDictionary For the sake of simplicity, the example below uses integers for TKeys and chars for TValues.   First, we declare our dictionary by specifying what the types of the TKey and TValue will be: Then the dictionary is filled using the Add method. Because a dictionary cannot have two pairs with the same Key value, you can use the ContainsKey method to check if some key-valued pair is already inside the dictionary. To remove a pair from the dictionary, use the Remove method. This method will not cause problems if a pair with a specified key is not a part of the dictionary. To go through all the pairs by looping through keys you can do a for in loop. Use the TryGetValue method to check if some key-value pair is included in the dictionary. Sorting The Dictionary Because a dictionary is a hash table it does not store items in a defined sort order. To iterate through the keys that are sorted to meet your specific need, take advantage of the TList a generic collection type that supports sorting. The code above sorts keys ascending and descending and grabs values as if they were stored in the sorted order in the dictionary. The descending sorting of integer-type Key values uses TComparer and an anonymous method. When Keys and Values Are of TObject Type The example listed above is a simple one because both the key and the value are simple types. You can have complex dictionaries where both the key and the value are complex types like records or objects. Heres another example: Here a custom record is used for the Key and a custom object/class is used for the value. Note the usage of a specialized TObjectDictionary class here. TObjectDictionary can handle objects lifetime automatically. The Key value cannot be nil, while the Value value can. When a TObjectDictionary is instantiated, an Ownerships parameter specifies whether the dictionary owns the keys, values or both and therefore helps you not have memory leaks.

Liberalism and Conservatism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Liberalism and Conservatism - Essay Example It calls for minimal change in the society. It is established that both ideologies oppose each other, while one calls for change and liberty, the other calls for traditionalism and minimum change. In essence liberalism states independence and growth. It covers the basic meaning of humanity and society. Though there have arisen different strands liberalism, the basic fundamentals of liberalism remain same. The liberal philosophy ignites individualism, egalitarianism, meliorism and universalism. Individualism asserts independence and self reliance while egalitarianism imparts political, social and civil equality among individuals. Meliorism and universalism both have common motives. That is to allow greater sociopolitical interaction. All these separate ideologies converge towards a few common postulates. These are equality and individual liberty, support of private property and individual rights, limited constitutional government and pluralism, toleration and autonomy. In history there have been various critiques on the liberal chain of thought. The most significant of which has been by the conservatives. They have argued that liberalism is in fact pursuit of progress and mate rial gain. This argument was further augmented by a Hungarian philosopher, Karl Polyani. Polyani attacked the liberal economic thought. He stated that human behavior is supported through social interactions not through greed and rational, which in fact drove the free markets (Hill). He also argued that the created free markets brought with it fictitious money. In his view the liberal economic system would ultimately bring with it artificial commodification of land, labour and capital. This would lead to the destruction of the society. The counter ideology is conservatism. It promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and structure. The ideology allows minimal and gradual change in society. As with liberalism, there are many different strands of

The Bill of Rights and Later Amendments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Bill of Rights and Later Amendments - Essay Example Due to the continuing reluctance of the Southern states in abolishing slavery, the federal government had found justification in going against state’s rights us protected by the Tenth Amendment by introducing the Fourteenth Amendment and establishing further federal authority to protect human rights. (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas [1954]. The right to vote by each citizen is not based on federal constitutional right but based on state’s right as protected by the Tenth Amendment and further explained in the Latin maxim Expressio unius est exclusio alterius (the express mention of one thing excludes all others) that applies to the federal governments powers (Calabresi and Prakash 1994). The powers of the federal government are limited to what is provided by the Constitution and all other powers are hence given to the state, giving them more independence and local autonomy. As an old rule, the federal government cpuld not interfere with state acts and must keep its interaction in arms length, avoiding any form of violation of each state’s rights. ... Furthermore, aside from the Equal protection clause that is also provided in the Fourteenth Amendment, the federal constitution does not guaranty political representation or right to vote. It was held in Alexander v. Daley (2000) that "The Equal Protection Clause does not protect the right of all citizens to vote, but rather the right of all qualified citizens to vote". Qualification to vote depends on state laws and so is the right to vote. The interpretation of the Tenth Amendment provides that it is the state who has the authority to provide for the voting rights of its citizens. The Constitution again has given respect to local state’s independence and autonomy. In the case of Bush v. Gore (2000), Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Associate Justice Antonin Scalia provided that "the individual citizen has no federal constitutional right to vote for electors for the President of the United States.". It is the state legislature who has vested power to choose presidential el ectors, the right is rooted from the Constitution that provides that â€Å"Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature therefore may direct, a number of Electors†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Article II,  § 1, cl. 2). Individual citizens participate in the Presidential elections by voting a representative of their state (elector), who in turn would vote for the nominated and pledged candidate by the given state. State election is won by plurality of votes in each state as they chose for a senator or state representative that will represent them in Congress and in the Presidential elections (Patterson 8). A candidate must obtain an absolute majority in the Electoral College that is followed by most states except Maine and Nebraska whose votes are in proportion to the popular

A critical response to Donald Davidsons views of self-deception Essay

A critical response to Donald Davidsons views of self-deception - Essay Example Such event, according to the theory, will "permit" the idea that an individual may at any given time cling to incongruous viewpoints and ambiguous judgments about her/him or about a given state of affairs. The concept, Davidson contends, is that if parts of the mind are, to some degree or level, independent, we can comprehend how they are able to entertain and embrace inconsistencies, contradictions and variations, and to intermingle and cooperate on a causal level. This, I beg to disagree. If we take a cursory glimpse, Davidson's account offers a fascinating depiction of self-deception. It seemed to naturally and readily settle the absurdity and the irony of the concept. Nonetheless, if we investigate seriously the sketch of this phenomenon on the "divided-mind" paradigm, grave doubts and opposing protestations will come to our mind.However, before explicitly elucidating my disagreement, let me first discuss another angle that runs parallel to Davidson's idea of the divided-mind occ urrence - Freud's embodiment of the human mind consisting of an ego, super-ego, and id. To the Freudian picture, the ego matches up with the conscious part of the mind, while the super-ego and the id, to the unconscious. The id is steered by impulses, cravings and desires; as the super-ego flushes out the "undesirables" conceived by the id, the ego puts things into action. A Freudian version of self-deception, then, would justify for the absurd possession of diametrically opposed beliefs. The unconscious id discerns and understands that p, but is compelled by a desire to believe that not-p, so it "cooperates" or "works together" with the super-ego to deceive the ego. In this scenario, the agent may deliberately and knowingly assumes a belief this same agent instinctively knows to be false, but the fact that this belief is false is one way or another "concealed" from such agent. In this manner, self-deception becomes unequivocally comparable to interpersonal deception, with two agent -like structures misleading/deceiving a third into believing something they know to be false. Though desisting to succumb to the Freudian concepts of ego, super-ego and id, Davidson concurs with Freud that particular facets of the mind must be put forward in order to explain self-deception or absurdity of any kind: [First,]the mind is to be regarded as having two or more semi-autonomous structures. [Second, we assign] a particular kind of structure to one or more subdivisions of the mind: a structure similar to that needed to explain ordinary actions. [Third,]certain mental events take on the character of mere causes relative to some other mental events in the same mind. [I]n order to accommodate [this feature] we must allow a degree of autonomy to parts of the mind (Davidson 1982) As Davidson puts it, one psychological event can be a cause of but not a sufficient reason for another mental event. Certainly, this framework can be a probable occurrence in interpersonal interaction. For instance -- I yearn for Mr. X to be inside my bedroom, so, I positioned a hundred scented candles of different sizes and colors in strategic places, allow some erotic music to reverberate inside the room and open the door a few inches apart just enough for Mr. X to have a wondrous peek of what's inside and what he can expect if he gets in. As he saw what's in store for him inside that room, he then craves to enter and will want to

The Emotional Impact of Infertility and Assisted Reproduction

The Emotional Impact of Infertility and Assisted Reproduction 1. Introduction It is assumed by the majority of young people that they will conceive later in life and have their own family. Unfortunately, a significant proportion will have difficulty in reproducing and will need to seek help. Infertility is the inability to conceive after regular unprotected intercourse for a minimum of 12 months (NICE guidelines) and affects approximately 80 million people worldwide (WHO 2002). It is estimated in the UK that one in seven couples will have difficulty conceiving (HFEA). The inability to conceive can be a very stressful situation, and can bare huge strain on individuals and their relationships. Infertility is not solely a physiological condition but also a psychological and social condition; of which is often overlooked. Having difficulty conceiving can have vast psychological consequences on the individual which may affect social relationships and cause a feeling of isolation and stress. It can have a negative influence on relationships provoking marital issues sometimes resulting in divorce. Many patients who are undergoing assisted reproduction treatment (ART) find it difficult to fit into social situation and struggle with the personal management of infertility. This report aims to review the literature available to discuss the emotional impact of infertility and ART by examining the social and cultural impact of infertility, including gender and marital issues, and stress and depression. It also aims to briefly assess the effects of stress on ART outcome. 2. Sociology Infertility affects all parts of an individuals life; it is a social situation. The value of fertility is often misunderstood and the role of parenting is natural and assumed. An integral part of adult development is the ability to reproduce (Leiblum and Greenfield 1997). Individuals who have fertility problems often find themselves challenging their identity and self-worth (Greil 1991). They may feel that their body has failed its natural function. Female patients, in particular, undergo severe emotional suffering and find they feel a loss of control. They may feel confused and angry and often isolated from the fertile world. It is common for women to blame themselves for the infertility the couple experience, particularly if caused by a female factor. They may feel guilt from previous relationships, indiscretions or abortions (Domar and Seibel 1997). Patients have reported a lack of empathy from friends and family who are unable to relate to their situation. A vast proportion of ART patients are anxious that they will not receive the support they require (Miall 1986). Interestingly, different people suffer more at different points in their treatment, for example some exhibit the highest levels of anxiety and stress whilst trying to conceive and others during or after treatment (Cousineau and Domar 2006). Confronting infertility can, in some people, be the most difficult part. Studies have shown that discussing infertility can reduce stress levels in men and women (Schmidt et al 2005), and that women are more likely to discuss their situation with friends, colleagues and professionals (Abbey et al 1991). The infertility becomes a focal point of life, disorganising their world. This focus can result in eliminating or postponing other important aspects such as careers, aspirations and social connections (McLaney et al 1995). The balance between managing infertility and its treatment and maintaining healthy relationships with family, friends and work is extremely difficult. Firstly, the patients must rearrange their lifestyle and schedule to undergo vigorous medication and examinations which will have a significant impact on their body and mind (Mahlstedt 1985). Secondly, patients have reported that social settings become increasingly difficult due to feelings of upset and anger towards people who are pregnant or those who have children (Domar and Seibel 1997). In addition, some women may chose to bury their distress, through feelings of embarrassment or self-consciousness, further increasing the difficulty in social situations. The psychological impact of infertility is certainly under -estimated. 2.1 Culture In many cultures procreation is encouraged and the importance of biological parenting is vast. For example, for Islamic women there is huge emphasis on fecundability, and marriage is highly associated with a subsequent family (Fido and Zahid 2004). Women are expected to continue the family name and reproduce as assurance that elderly relatives can be cared for. The majority of cultures are accepting of ART, however, in some religions some aspects are forbidden. For example in the Islamic community the donation of eggs or sperm is prohibited as it is classified as adultery (Serour and Dickens 2000). Irrespective of whether cause of infertility is a male or female factor, in many cultures, for example some Arab and Asian communities, the females are usually blamed (Fido and Zahid 2004). In these communities infertility is associated with an enormous amount of shame. By Western norms infertility has become very accepted, in particularly for the male to take responsibility for the cause of infertility in a significant proportion of couples. Unfortunately this is not the case with all cultures, in extreme situations women can be blamed and subsequently subjected to violence and exile, irrespective of whether they are the cause of the couples infertility as their status is now diminished (Rustein and Shah 2004). 2.1. Gender In the past infertility has always been associated with the female. However, over half of couples undergoing treatment are due to both male and female infertility (Johansson et al 2011) and half of these are solely male factor infertility (NICE guidelines 2004). Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has further increased the acceptance of male infertility and in many cases enabled the couple to overcome it. As previously discussed many cultures have not come to terms with male factor infertility and woman can be severely victimised against, suffering dramatic consequences (Rustein and Shah 2004). The literature demonstrates that women feel significantly more pressure on them to reproduce, they find infertility treatment considerably more stressful and they suffer more emotionally than their male partner (Jordan and Revenson 1999). Despite this, the psychological well-being of the male partner should not be ignored. Men are severely affected by infertility (Wright et al 1991, Carmeli And Birbaum-Carmelli 1994), however there is much less exposure of this. The males feelings are often overshadowed by the females and they may hide their emotions in order to support their partners. Male patients are reported to use different coping mechanisms (Peterson et al 2006) such as engaging in extra work and other activities (Jordan and Revenson 1999), which may give the impression they are less affected emotionally than the female. Men can feel a severe loss of masculinity, particularly if there is male factor infertility, and can become extremely embarrassed resulting in low self-esteem. Men may feel inadequate in fulfilling their role in the relationship being unable to provide their partner with a child. Additionally the stress of being unable to conceive and the subsequent treatment can lead to impotency and sexual dysfunction (Saleh et al 2003). Although the patients are treated as a couple, the female is normally the identified patient, irrespective of the cause of infertility. The emphasis on the psychological well-being of the female is understandable considering the female will undergo the immense and invasive treatment necessary for IVF/ICSI. It is the female that must inject herself daily and rearrange her schedule to have blood tests and scans for weeks before her eggs are even collected. Despite this, it is important to be aware that both the male and female will be under enormous amounts of psychological and emotional strain and neither should be ignored. 2.1. Marital There is varying information about the effect of infertility on relationships and marital status. Interview studies have shown that going through infertility and assisted reproduction can bring relationships closer together and often strengthen marriage in approximately one-third of couples seeking treatment (Schmidt 2009). Other studies have demonstrated marital problems as a result of their infertility, in particularly suffering from a lack of effective communication and often using active-avoid coping mechanisms. Evidence suggests there is increased marital stress between couples when they do not conceive in the first year compared to those couples who do (Benazon et al 1992). Additionally, couples have reported their physical relationship suffers whilst trying to conceive and whilst undergoing infertility treatment (Benazon et al 1992). Although not always recommended, many couples have intercourse at specific times in the females cycle, which can diminish intimacy and sexual fun ction, further enhancing relationship stress. 3. Stress and depression Stress is defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the stimulus which produces mental tensionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Cousineau and Domar 2006). The inability to conceive is undoubtedly a very stressful situation. It is extremely difficult to measure psychological stress as it can be subjective. Despite this, it is clear that mild to moderate stress and depressive symptoms are present in the majority of people undergoing ART treatment (Demyttenaere et al 1998). Studies demonstrate that depression and anxiety levels in women who are experiencing fertility problems are dramatically increased and are significantly higher than in fertile women (Domar et al 1992). These levels of depression and anxiety have been reported to be comparable to patients undergoing cancer treatment, myocardial infarction and HIV-positive patients (Domar et al 1993). Unsuccessful IVF attempts can result in severe depressive symptoms and it has been shown that over 10% of women experience passive suicidal ideations (Baram et al 1988). This highlights the importance of monitoring patients emotional state before, throughout and after treatment. 3.1. Affect on ART outcome There is conflicting evidence that suggests stress factors may influence IVF outcome. A prospective study carried out by Klonoff-Cohen et al (2001) demonstrated that baseline stress levels were significantly related to biological end-points. This included oocyte number, fertilisation rates, and pregnancy and live birth rate. These findings emphasise the importance of emotional and psychological support early on in treatment. In contrast, a recent meta-analysis, by Boivin et al 2011, collated 14 studies with a total of 3583 women and assessed the effect of emotional distress in infertile women undergoing fertility treatment on the outcome of their treatment. The conclusions were confident that stress does not compromise their ART outcome. Although the jury is still out with regards to stress affecting ART outcome, stress has an impact during pregnancy. High emotional stress levels can increase glucocorticoid levels which negatively affect foetal development and birth outcomes (Bolten et al 2011, Schulz et al 2011). Therefore patients stress levels should be monitored during assisted reproduction treatment, and importantly also after treatment, whether successful or not. 4. Conclusion In conclusion, this report has demonstrated that infertility patients undergo significant emotional distress. Infertility and its treatment can bare huge strains on all aspects of their lives particularly social interactions with friends and partners. Patients feel a loss of control and their infertility becomes the focus of their life often resulting in the neglect of other aspects. They may feel upset, anger and a lack of self-worth. This is heightened in some cultures which do not accept infertility and bare huge pressures on reproduction. In these cultures women, in particular, can be subjected to very severe treatment such as exile. Women appear to suffer more emotionally than their male counterpart; however this may be due to the male hiding his feelings to support his female partner. Males can experience a severe loss of masculinity and feel inadequate in fulfilling their role. Both members of the couple will be experiencing substantial distress and this can have positive and negative impacts on their relationship. Some marriages benefit from treatment by becoming emotionally closer, others do not. It is clear from this report that there is significant stress associated with infertility which can result in depression and anxiety. This can be particularly serious in those patients who have unsuccessful attempts at IVF. There is varying evidence to whether this stress and anxiety affects ART outcome. Whether or not it affects outcome it is fundamental that the psychological aspects of infertility and ART are not ignored. Counselling and emotional management should be offered to all patients before, during and after treatment. Stress and depression levels should also be monitored a various time points as the welfare of the patient is paramount.

Looking for God :: Papers

Looking for God Where are you supposed to look for God? How are you to look for God, and does it help to decide what sort of thing you are looking for first? What kind of thing is God? Looking from the perspective of someone with no previous faith, looking for general revelation, I would have to say you have to perceive what you think is God-like first. If you ask the majority of people with a faith what God is like, they would probably say 'all good and all-powerful'. So are you looking for general signs of goodness, beauty, power and awe? If you are then you can rule out finding God in evil, ugliness, weakness and un-impressiveness. Or can you? I know that black isn't white, but people thought Hitler was 'good'; beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so an 'ugly' person to me might be stunningly 'beautiful' to someone else; the queen bee is supreme over mere drones, however it looks a bit pathetic in comparison to even simple humans; and David Beckham's match and free kick against Greece last year left thousands of footy fans awe-struck, yet my brother just couldn't see what the fuss was about. God is deeply personal, so will be found in different places for everyone. If you thought that 'The Miracle Of life' was completely un-earthly, and could only be explained with a super-human being, then I bet I could find half a dozen more that just think we are here accidentally. [IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE]If you are solely looking for good, you can still find it in atrocities. In Sept. 11 you could find God in the 'power' and 'awe' of it all, but also in those brave people whose spirit never wavered, in those volunteers determined to help, in those fore-fighters who gave their life to save others, those selfless rescuers, counsellors, vicars, children. Osama tried to devastate American spirit and attitude as well as massacre, but he failed in crushing the love and goodness in people's heats and minds.