Capital Punishment is Not the Answer Essay -- social issues

Capital Punishment is Not the Answer Capital punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as many people. Public support for the death penalty has decreased only a little in the last years. Meanwhile, many countries have outlawed the practice - capital punishment doesn't exist in the European Union countries - and strict laws about who may be executed are becoming more common. Despite of all this capital punishment is racially, socially and economically biased and allows the possibility of the execution of innocent persons, too. Furthermore, there is no benefit to society that would make it necessary to continue it. For these reasons, the death penalty doesn't support what the ideal criminal justice system tries to achieve and therefore must be abolished. Capital punishment cannot be a collective act of revenge. It must never be allowed to become a release for collective anger. Bud Welch lost his twenty-three year old daughter, Julie, in the Oklahoma bombing in 1995. "I'm opposed to the death penalty. It's vengeance that doesn't do my heart any good..."-said Mr. Welch. Capital punishment is no answer to the major challenges we face as a society. Moreover, it has not proven to be a deterrent to violent crime, and it has mainly occurred to the poor, and more to minority poor. This is not surprising, since a well-paid, high-powered defense team can make all the difference. In the United States there lives a conception of justice: a figure of a blindfolded woman holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. The scales symbolize the careful investigation of evidence, the sword represents the speed with which justice is dealt with, and the blindfold symbolizes the unprejudiced reach of decision. This has the message that the poor, uneducated defendant has the same opportunity for a quality defense, and has the same chance for justice as the wealthy one. Yet, this could be questioned. Wealthy defendants are able to pay for false witnesses and expensive tests that are not available to poor defendants. The ill-paid Counsel of Defense may not really pay attention at the trial missing important evidence, so they result in their client being sentenced to death. Capital punishment is biased not only this way but also racially. The color of the skin of the accused and victim alike decides whether the death penalty wi... ...n for no reason must also be handled equivalently. There is a problem with a society that allows such a corrupt institution. In the year of 2000, 3058 people were sentenced to death in 65 countries from which 88% took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and in the USA. These numbers are terrifying! No longer should it be believed that executing a person is the only way to ensure that they do not get released from prison and kill again. It would be more necessary to increase the prison sentences of murderers. Imprisonment without the possibility of parole could be the sentence of those who would be sentenced to death under the current system. Such a move would help to calm down the fears of recidivism and would send a strong message to lawbreakers. The abolition of the death penalty would mean the end of executions and that the government wouldn't put any more prisoners to death. It should be recognized that murder is wrong in and of itself. Beyond that, it is wrong even as a secret plan within the heart. It is as old a human problem as Abel's death by his own brother, Cain. We should really keep ourselves away from the spiral of violence because violence begets violence. Capital Punishment is Not the Answer Essay -- social issues Capital Punishment is Not the Answer Capital punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as many people. Public support for the death penalty has decreased only a little in the last years. Meanwhile, many countries have outlawed the practice - capital punishment doesn't exist in the European Union countries - and strict laws about who may be executed are becoming more common. Despite of all this capital punishment is racially, socially and economically biased and allows the possibility of the execution of innocent persons, too. Furthermore, there is no benefit to society that would make it necessary to continue it. For these reasons, the death penalty doesn't support what the ideal criminal justice system tries to achieve and therefore must be abolished. Capital punishment cannot be a collective act of revenge. It must never be allowed to become a release for collective anger. Bud Welch lost his twenty-three year old daughter, Julie, in the Oklahoma bombing in 1995. "I'm opposed to the death penalty. It's vengeance that doesn't do my heart any good..."-said Mr. Welch. Capital punishment is no answer to the major challenges we face as a society. Moreover, it has not proven to be a deterrent to violent crime, and it has mainly occurred to the poor, and more to minority poor. This is not surprising, since a well-paid, high-powered defense team can make all the difference. In the United States there lives a conception of justice: a figure of a blindfolded woman holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other. The scales symbolize the careful investigation of evidence, the sword represents the speed with which justice is dealt with, and the blindfold symbolizes the unprejudiced reach of decision. This has the message that the poor, uneducated defendant has the same opportunity for a quality defense, and has the same chance for justice as the wealthy one. Yet, this could be questioned. Wealthy defendants are able to pay for false witnesses and expensive tests that are not available to poor defendants. The ill-paid Counsel of Defense may not really pay attention at the trial missing important evidence, so they result in their client being sentenced to death. Capital punishment is biased not only this way but also racially. The color of the skin of the accused and victim alike decides whether the death penalty wi... ...n for no reason must also be handled equivalently. There is a problem with a society that allows such a corrupt institution. In the year of 2000, 3058 people were sentenced to death in 65 countries from which 88% took place in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and in the USA. These numbers are terrifying! No longer should it be believed that executing a person is the only way to ensure that they do not get released from prison and kill again. It would be more necessary to increase the prison sentences of murderers. Imprisonment without the possibility of parole could be the sentence of those who would be sentenced to death under the current system. Such a move would help to calm down the fears of recidivism and would send a strong message to lawbreakers. The abolition of the death penalty would mean the end of executions and that the government wouldn't put any more prisoners to death. It should be recognized that murder is wrong in and of itself. Beyond that, it is wrong even as a secret plan within the heart. It is as old a human problem as Abel's death by his own brother, Cain. We should really keep ourselves away from the spiral of violence because violence begets violence.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Civil War General Sherman once said, â€Å"War is hell. † He was right. In the short story â€Å"The Things They Carried,† Tim O’Brien shows us the hell that our soldiers suffered. The narrator shows us a captivating, and up-close story about our soldiers in the Vietnam War. While the title relates to the story about things carried, but the soldiers carry more than just the physical burdens-in many cases, they are weighed down by emotional baggage. The emotional baggage that lies heavy in their hearts outweighs the physical weight. In addition to the items that they must carry, they also carry personal mementos. To show how much the soldiers are carrying the narrator tells us â€Å"things carried were largely determined by necessity. † Some of the necessities included, â€Å"P-38 can opener, pocket knives†¦candy, cigarettes†¦C rations and two or three canteen of water. Together, these items weighed between fifteen and twenty pounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The narrator goes on to give us even more detail about the things the soldiers carried; â€Å"†¦. carried the standard M-16 gas-operated assault rifle. The weapon weighed 7. 5 pounds unloaded, 8. 2 pounds with its full twenty-round magazine†¦. grenade launcher, 5. pounds unloaded†¦Ã¢â‚¬  By telling us exactly what the men carried and how much it weighed, it gives us an insight on the physical burdens that the men had to carry. The narrator tells us that the intangible items that these men carried proved heavier than any backpack and gun. The main character in the story is Lieutenant Cross, platoon leader. He is in l ove with a young girl in the United States. She is always on his mind and because he allows his thoughts to take him away and be with her. Because of this, he blames himself for the death of another platoon member even though there was nothing he could have done to protect him. Lieutenant Cross felt the pain. He blamed himself. † â€Å"He pictured Martha’s smooth young face, thinking he loved her more than anything, more than his men, and now Ted Lavender was dead because he love her so much and could not stop thinking about her. † I think here he is being a little unreasonable. His love for her didn’t kill Lavender. He didn’t feel only the burden of being responsible for Lavender’s death, â€Å"it was the burden of being alive. † They all carried great emotional weight. â€Å"They carried all the emotional baggage of the men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing-these were the intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight. † With all the physical and emotional things they carried, they also carried things that were close to their hearts. They carried mementos and other small weapons. â€Å"Mitchell Sanders carried brass knuckles. Kiowa carried his grandfathers feathered hatchet†¦. Kiowa always took along his New Testament†¦Lee Strunk carried his slingshot; ammo, he claimed, would never be a problem. † We’re told that Lieutenant Cross carried letters from Martha in his rucksack, and pictures of her in his wallet and a pebble. †¦Lieutenant Cross received a good-luck charm from Martha. It was a simple pebble, an ounce at most. † These things, although that was something else they carried, I feel like that, these items are things that made them feel like there was a world outside the war. They carried a silent awe of the power of the weapons, which kept them alive by killing the enemy. They carried infection, the weak or wounded, the thumbs of slain Viet Cong, guilt, and the soil of Vietnam itself. Perhaps the only certainty of a rather ambiguous war was that there would never be a shortage of things to carry.

Debt Policy and Value

EMBA 8500 #1 Book value of debt Book value of equity Market value of debt Market value of equity Pretax cost of debt After Tax cost of debt rd Market value weights of: Wd Debt We Equity bL Levered beta Rf Risk-free Rate Market Premium RM Ke Cost of equity WACC EBIT – Taxes (34%) EBIAT + Depreciation – Capital expense Change in Net Working Capital Free Cash Flow Value of Assets ( FCF/WACC) CASE # 31 0% Debt 100% Equity $ $ 20,000 $ $ 20,000 7. 0% 4. 62% $ 34% $ $ $ $ $ $ 0 1 0. 8 7% 8. 6% 13. 88% 13. 88% 4,206. 00 1,430. 04 2,775. 96 1,000. 00 (1,000. 00) 0 2,775. 96 19,999. 1 25% Debt 75% Equity $ 5,000 $ 15,000 $ 5,000 $ 16,700 7. 0% 4. 62% 12/2/2012 50% Debt 1) As the firm becomes more leveraged the WACC will change because debtholders have a 50% Equity fixed claim on cash which increases the risk for stockholders. This can cause the stock to go up $ 10,000 and firms can reduce the taxes paid, thereby freeing up more cash. Debt also increases the risk $ 10,000 of bank ruptcy. $ 10,000 $ 13,400 (Debt * Tax Rate) + BV Equity 7. 0% 4. 62% (Pretax * (1-Tax Rate)) 23. 0% 42. 7% 77. 0% 57. 3% 0. 96 1. 19 7% 7% 8. 6% 8. 6% 15. 24% 17. 27% 12. 79% 11. 6% $ 4,206. 00 $ 4,206. 00 $ 1,430. 04 $ 1,430. 04 $ 2,775. 96 $ 2,775. 96 $ 1,000. 00 $ 1,000. 00 $ (1,000. 00) $ (1,000. 00) 0 0 $ 2,775. 96 $ 2,775. 96 $ 21,699. 69 $ 23,399. 66 Added Tax Shield increase value VL = VU + TD MV Debt / (MV Debt + MV Equity) MV Equity / (MV Debt + MV Equity) 0. 8 is the b u b L = b u [1+(1-T) * D/E HAMADA D/E Ratio 29. 94% 74. 63% Ke = Rf + (b L * RM) CAPM WACC = (Wd * rd) + (We * re) EBIT * Tax Rate EBIT – Tax amount V = FCF/WACC M3DISK – Maryann Albert, Mike Arendosh, Mark Jarboe, Dan Pool, Ivo Hegelbach, Sean McPherson, Krista Massell 1

Biography of Lizzie Borden, Accused Murderer

Biography of Lizzie Borden, Accused Murderer Lizzie Borden (July 19, 1860–June 1, 1927), also known as  Lizbeth Borden or Lizzie Andrew Borden, is famous- or infamous- for allegedly murdering her father and stepmother in 1892. She was acquitted, but the murders are memorialized in a childrens rhyme: Lizzie Borden took an axeAnd gave her mother forty whacksAnd when she saw what she had doneShe gave her father forty-one. Fast Facts: Lizzie Borden Known For: Accused of killing her father and stepmother with an ax  Born: July 19, 1860 in Fall River, MassachusettsParents: Andrew Jackson Borden, Sarah Anthony, Abby Durfee Gray (stepmother)Died: June 1, 1927 in Fall River, MassachusettsEducation: Morgan Street School, high schoolNotable Quote: Maggie, come quick! Fathers dead. Somebody came in and killed him. Early Life Lizzie Borden was born on July 19, 1860, in Fall River, Massachusetts, the third of three children born to Andrew Jackson Borden (1822–1892) and Sarah Anthony Morse Borden (1823–1863). The eldest was Emma Lenora Borden (1851–1927). A middle child, a daughter, died in infancy. In 1865, Andrew Borden remarried to Abby Durfree Gray (1828–1892), and the couple and their daughters lived mostly quietly and uneventfully until 1892. Lizzie attended the Morgan Street School, which was not far from her home, and the local high school. After graduating, she was active at church by way of teaching Sunday school and serving as secretary of the local Christian Endeavor Society. She was also a member of the Womans Christian Temperance Union and dabbled in the Ladies Fruit and Flower mission. In 1890, Lizzie briefly traveled abroad with some friends. Family Conflict Andrew Borden started out his business career as an undertaker but bought rental properties and went into banking and textile mills as well. At the time of his death, he was a bank president and a director of several textile mills, and estimates said he was worth about $300,000 (about $8.5 million in 2019), not counting his real estate. He was, however, known for being miserly with his money. In contrast to the fathers wealth, the house they lived in was small and shabby, not in the part of town where the rest of Fall River elite society lived, and had neither electricity or indoor plumbing. In 1884 when Andrew gave his wifes half-sister a house, his daughters objected and fought with their stepmother, refusing thereafter to call her mother and calling her simply Mrs. Borden instead. Andrew tried to make peace with his daughters. In  1887, he gave them some funds and allowed them to rent out his old family home: at the time of the murders, Lizzie had a small weekly income and $2,500 in a bank account (what would be $70,000 today). Lizzies Difficulties According to various accounts, Lizzie was mentally disturbed. She was known to be a kleptomaniac- local shopkeepers would check for missing objects after she had been in and send a bill to her father, who paid them. And in 1891, Abbys jewelry box was rifled, after which her father bought locks for his bedroom door. In July 1892, Lizzie and her sister Emma went to visit some friends; Lizzie returned and Emma remained away. In early August, Andrew and Abby Borden were struck with an attack of vomiting, and Mrs. Borden told someone that she suspected poison. John Morse, the brother of Lizzies mother, came to stay at the house. Morse and Andrew Borden went into town together on the morning of August 4. Andrew came home alone. Killings The reconstruction of the crime found that around 9:30 a.m. on August 4, 1892, Abby was hacked to death with an ax, interrupted while she was in the guest bedroom. Andrew arrived about an hour later, met Lizzie and the maid at the door, and went to sleep on the sofa in the sitting room. He was killed, also hacked to death, at roughly 10:45 a.m. The maid, who had earlier been ironing and washing windows, was taking a nap when Lizzie called her to come downstairs. Lizzie said she had been in the barn and returned to find her father dead. After the doctor across the street was called, Abbys body was found. Because Andrew died without a will, his estate went to his daughters, not to Abbys heirs. Lizzie Borden was arrested in the killings. The Trial Lizzie Bordens trial began on June 3, 1893. It was widely covered by the local and national press. Some Massachusetts feminists wrote in Bordens favor. Townspeople split into two camps. Borden did not testify, having told the inquest that she had been searching the barn for fishing equipment and then eating pears outside during the time of the murders. She said, I am innocent. I leave it to my counsel to speak for me. Evidence included a report that shed tried to burn a dress a week after the murders (a friend testified it had been stained with paint)  and reports that she had tried to buy poison just before the murders. The murder weapon was never found for certain- a hatchet head that may have been washed and deliberately made to look dirty was discovered in the cellar. No blood-stained clothes were found. Without direct evidence of Lizzie Bordens part in the murder, the jury was not convinced of her guilt. She was acquitted on June 20, 1893. After the Trial Although the towns social elite supported Lizzie during the trial, they cooled to her after the acquittal. Lizzie remained in Fall River, but she and Emma bought a new and bigger home in the elite part of town that she called Maplecroft, and she began calling herself Lizbeth instead of Lizzie. She dropped her club and charity work and began attending theater performances in Boston. She and Emma had a falling out in 1904 or 1905, possibly over Emmas displeasure at Lizzies friends from the theater crowd. Both Lizzie and Emma also took in many pets and left part of their estates to the Animal Rescue League. At the time of her death, Lizzie was a very wealthy woman; her estate was worth approximately  $250,000, the equivalent of about $7 million in 2019 dollars. Death At the age of 66, Lizzie Borden died of pneumonia in Fall River, Massachusetts, on June 1, 1927, her legend as an accused murderer is still strong. Her sister Emma died a few days later, at her home in Newmarket, New Hampshire. They were both buried next to their father and stepmother. The home in which the murders took place opened as a bed-and-breakfast in 1992. Legacy The World Catalog lists 1,200 entries dedicated to Lizzie Borden, including 580 books, 225 articles, 120 videos, and 90 theatrical pieces, the latter including ballets, operas, plays, television and movie scripts, and musical scores. Google Scholar lists over 4,500 entries, including 150 in 2018 alone. There are other accused and convicted murderers who attract more attention, of course, but there is a seemingly unending fascination with this particular story, primarily speculation about why this Victorian middle-class woman may have killed her family. Among all the literature, books, movies and other forms of art, postulated possible and impossible hypotheses about why or whether Lizzie Borden did hack her parents to death include:   She was criminally insane, with a dual personality like Jekyll and Hyde.She was irresponsible and ill, and hysteric in the Victorian sense.She was a free spirit who was oppressed by Victorian values.She adored her father who infantilized her, and one day she snapped.She was physically abused by her father and stepmother.She was a victim of incest.She was angry because she missed exercising the social standing she felt she deserved.Her father killed her stepmother and then Lizzie killed him because of it.Somebody else did it (a stranger; a rejected suitor; her uncle; the maid).Her stepmother broke up Lizzies relationship with a lover.She was involved in a lesbian affair with the maid and the parents found out.She was in love with her sisters suitor.For the money. Sources Bartle, Ronald (2017).  Lizzie Borden and the Massachusetts Axe Murders. Sherfield-on-Loddon, Hampshire: Waterside Press.Kent, David and Robert A. Flynn. The Lizzie Borden Sourcebook. Boston: Branden Books, 1992.Lincoln, Victoria. A Private Disgrace: Lizzie Borden by Daylight: (A True Crime Fact Account of the Lizzie Borden Ax Murders). Seraphim Press, 1967.Robertson, Cara W. Representing Miss Lizzie: Cultural Convictions in the Trial of Lizzie Borden. Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities 351 (1996): 351–416. Print.Roggenkamp, Karen S. H. A Front Seat to Lizzie Borden: Julian Ralph, Literary Journalism, and the Construction of Criminal Fact. American Periodicals 8 (1998): 60-77. Print.Schofield, Ann. Lizzie Borden Took an Axe: History, Feminism and American Culture. American Studies 34.1 (1993): 91–103. Print.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. â€Å"Lizzie Borden.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 15 July 2018.â€Å"Lizzie Borden.†Ã‚  Famous Trials .

How to Write a Good Thesis Statement

How to Write a Good Thesis Statement In composition and academic writing, a  thesis statement (or controlling idea) is a  sentence  in an essay, report, research paper, or speech that identifies the main idea and/or central purpose of the text. In  rhetoric, a  claim  is similar to a thesis. For students  especially, crafting a thesis statement can be a challenge, but its important to know how to write one because a thesis statement is the heart of any essay you write. Here are some tips and examples to follow. Purpose of the Thesis Statement The thesis statement serves as the organizing principle of the text and appears in the  introductory paragraph. It is not a mere statement of fact. Rather, it is an idea, a claim, or an interpretation, one that others may dispute. Your job as a writer is to persuade the reader- through the careful use of examples and thoughtful analysis- that your argument is a valid one. Developing Your Argument Your thesis is the most important part of your writing. Before you begin writing, youll want to follow these tips for developing a good thesis statement: Read and compare your sources: What are the main points they make? Do your sources conflict with one another? Dont just summarize your sources claims; look for the motivation behind their motives.Draft your thesis: Good ideas are rarely born fully formed. They need to be refined. By committing your thesis to paper, youll be able to refine it as you research and draft your essay.Consider the other side: Just like a court case, every argument has two sides. Youll be able to refine your thesis by considering the counterclaims and refuting them in your essay. Be Clear and Concise An effective thesis should answer the reader question, So what? It should not be more than a sentence or two. Dont be vague, or your reader wont care. Incorrect: British indifference caused the American Revolution. Correct: By treating their U.S. colonies as little more than a source of revenue and limiting colonists political rights, British indifference contributed to the start of the American Revolution. Make a Statement Although you do want to grab your readers attention, asking a question is not the same as making a thesis statement. Your job is to persuade by presenting a clear, concise concept that explains both how and why. Incorrect: Have you ever wondered why Thomas Edison gets all the credit for the light bulb? Correct: His savvy self-promotion and ruthless business tactics cemented Thomas Edisons legacy, not the invention of the lightbulb itself. Don't Be Confrontational Although you are trying to prove a point, you are not trying to force your will on the reader. Incorrect: The stock market crash of 1929  wiped out many small investors who were financially inept and deserved to lose their money. Correct: While a number of economic factors caused the stock market crash of 1929, the losses were made worse by uninformed first-time investors who made poor financial decisions.

Slavery Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Slavery Trade - Essay Example As the report stresses various abolitionist laws were instituted, though slave trade still grew dramatically spreading to the Northern parts of the American continent.   During this time, there was a gradual growth and expansion of the cotton industry. With the tremendous expansion of the cotton industries which were mostly found in the southern part of the American continent, labor force became a challenge to the industry stakeholders. Acquiring and retaining an adequate workforce that could carry out the day to day activities within the cotton industry became a major challenge to the industry players thus they had to seek a solution.From this paper it is clear that  most of the laborers within the cotton industry at that time were of British origin and were only available as indenture servants. These laborers offered their services in the cotton fields and industry on contractual basis, thus were never reliable to the industry players. They had the tendency of signing contracts that were indenture in nature. They in return received payments in various forms for their services in cotton industries and fields. In most cases, the laborers received payment in the form of upkeep. The cotton field owners and the industry stakeholders had to offer upkeep for the laborers as payment for the services they offered in their fields and cotton industries. Either, the laborers received passage from the cotton field owners and industry owners for the services they offered.

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell Essay

The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell - Essay Example Rainsford becomes the prey and in doing so the author unveils the resourcefulness and animal instinct that lies below Rainsford's pompous exterior. Here we glimpse the evil that lies at the primal core of all men such as Rainsford. Rainsford is portrayed as a man of breeding and good manners. He hunts animals because he believes they have no understanding and are incapable of feeling fear or pain. He shows his arrogance on the yacht by insisting he knows the mind of the jaguar and rebuffing the anecdotal tales of Ship-Trap Island as nonsense. Rainsford's smug attitude is further revealed as he "indolently puffed on his favorite brier". However, in his first physical challenge, Rainsford falls overboard as he struggles to retain the symbol of his self-indulgent aristocracy, his treasured pipe. The pompous Rainsford now confronts the sea and a more resourceful man is revealed. He "wrestled himself out of his clothes", as the yacht became a dim drone in the distance. The keen-witted Rainsford is able to make his way to the direction of the gunshots and locate the chateau of General Zarnoff. Zarnoff feeds and clothes Rainsford and tells him of his grisly preoccupation with hunting humans. Rainsford is repulsed by the idea and demonstrates his basic belief in puritan civilization by perceiving Zarnoff as a murderer.