Surging poverty in a key to crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Surging poverty in a key to crime - Essay Example You will not be permitted or approved to walk that street, you are not even allowed to sit or sleep and it is strictly prohibited for you to roam around like a normal citizen of the society. This forces me to ask a simple question that is being poor a crime itself or is being poor a doorway to crime? If questioned, City officials come up with a self-satisfactory answer that the State’s laws are constituted in a way, not to discriminate. They have their own way of explaining it. If someone is lying down on some random sidewalk, whether that someone is wealthy or a homeless, he has violated the ordinance. Another way these officials put up the law and equality is by saying that it actually forbids both, the rich and the poor to sleep under bridges. This arouses a thought: why would the wealthy even consider of sleeping under a bridge when he knows he has a better, luxurious and comforting place to spend his night. Moreover, the recent study indicates that poverty has intensified as recession has continued to eliminate jobs, thus generating higher poverty ratio. Deriving information from the study highlighting poverty and homelessness, conducted by the National Law Center shows that the statistics of poor public have continuously increased since the year 2006. As a result, a higher ticketing ratio and an increased number of arrests have been observed. People have been ‘taken in’ for more neutral violations such as littering, holding an open bottle of alcohol or jaywalking (Ehrenreich 2009). Therefore, the connection between the two, poverty and crime has been a controversial debate. However, it can be said that in our country there is an obvious relationship between them.  Poor in our society make up the overflowing majority (Williams 2007). It is well said that an improved society can be evaluated by how it administers the poor. In the light of this saying, the Americans are a hopeless failure. Current situation indicates that on a nationwid e scale, up to 20% of children reside in poverty. In Los Angeles, almost 30% of children suffer from poverty (Holmes 2002). The brutality of the official’s temperament towards the poor, indigent and homeless in our society can at times be breathtaking. ‘Food Not Bombs’ was the name of a group that started to function a few years back. The group’s motive was to feed the poor in the society and therefore, launched free vegetarian food in public parks, with a hope to serve hungry people nationwide. Not long after, when this activity was initiated, many cities including Las Vegas approved an ordinance that forbade food sharing with the hungry and poor in public places. As an outcome, most members of this public service group were taken into custody. This is yet another cause that further spoils our social situation. Such acts play an important part towards criminalizing people (Ehrenreich 2009). Furthermore, criminal justice professors and sociologists have fo und mutuality between poverty and crime.  Logically people who are victims of poverty are much likely to be connected and involved in criminal acts such as street crimes, larceny, burglary and shoplifting. As per the evaluations, city of Detroit is one of the poorest regions in America and  Michigan’s economy is estimated to have the worst economic conditions as compared

HS Class Observation Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HS Class Observation Report - Essay Example As a function of this observation, this analysis report will focus specifically on the means by which the educator interacted with the classroom in order to effect shareholder engagement and buy in within the process of education and the transfer of key points of information. The first thing that this student noticed with respect to the means by which the educator attempted to convey the information to the class was the degree of interaction that the educator created with the students. Although many theories of student participation contend that the means by which the educator attempts to convey a sense of interaction and inclusion into the learning process directly affects the engagement with which the students/shareholders will engage upon such a topic, the fact of the matter is that the correct application of such a practice is oftentimes difficult to achieve. The educator in question did so in a way that both encouraged classroom participation while at the same time working to ke ep a level of order and control. Oftentimes, as has been noted by educators, seeking to engage the class on a topic can quickly break down in a type of cacophony of competing voices. However, due to a structured environment, the class was able to engage on the topics that the educator presented without losing focus upon the purpose of the structures that defined the interaction. This leads conveniently into the second observation that this student made while visiting the classroom in question. Due to the fact that such a high level of structure existed, it went almost unnoticed (LoCasale-Crouch et al 2012). However, had it not been for the tacit acceptance of such a structure by the shareholders in question, the engagement that the educator was able to achieve would never have been an option. Moreover, whereas this student could easily observe the level of interaction and integration between the educator and the students within the classroom, the structure that existed once class be gan was a construct that obviously had existed for a long period of time and had been formed from a point in time that the observer was not present. With respect to how the students were able to be engaged and motivated, this observer noted that although there was no threat of a negative consequence through non-involvement/engagement with the material that the instructor was presenting, there was a conscious mention, near the beginning of the course section, that reminded the students that careful attention to the discussion that was about to ensue would help them greatly with respect to understanding the requirements of upcoming course work and exams (O'Leary 2011). In this way, rather than providing a summarily positive or negative incentive to engage with the exercise, the instructor was able to motivate the students to take grasp of the opportunity that was being provided to them and engage with the material so that they could be more responsible for affecting the development of the educational process and as a function of this, effect a positive change on their overall grade in the course. Due this experience, this observer was able to make note of key ways in which the educator and the students interacted, the means through which the educator was able to shape the discussion, and the level of inte

Role of Ecotourism in Sustainable Development

Role of Ecotourism in Sustainable Development Nowadays in developing countries, ecotourism is used as an excellent tool for promoting sustainable development. It is very beneficial for local communities creating environmental, economic and social benefits. Ecotourism is carried out by many tourism planners and marketers nowadays. The important aspect involved in ecotourism is its proper planning and implementation. In the case of improper planning it converts all the economic gains into social and environmental disasters. Ecotourism has gained popularity developed into a worldwide phenomenon showing no signs of slowing down. Even though it is not a universal remedy for attaining sustainable development, its potential towards promoting sustainable development deserves considerable attention. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of ecotourism in attaining sustainable development in Costa Rica. Ecotourism The concept of ecotourism was well identified in 1960s by Hetzer who contributed to this by identifying four principles of ecotourism. They are minimizing environmental impacts, respecting host cultures, maximizing benefits to local communities maximizing tourist satisfaction. Ecotourism is an integration of social, environmental and economical benefits meeting both human and environmental needs. One of the major causes for the evolution of ecotourism is the dissatisfaction with mass tourism creating over development, pollution and foreign investment. According to International Ecotourism Society (2004) Ecotourism is a Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people. Sustainable Development The term sustainable development received international recognition in 1980s. In 1987, Bruntland commission defined sustainable development as Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. It is a combination of social, economical and environmental development. Ecotourism Sustainable Development It is nothing but sustainable tourism. In 1995 World Trade Organization stated in Agenda 21 that Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future. Sustainable tourism involves a number of principles in it. Sustainable development is not the only goal of ecotourism, but sustainable development is very important for achieving the goal of ecotourism. About Costa Rica Costa Rica which means Rich Cost is a country in South America bordered by Nicaragua in north, Panamma in south, Caribbean Sea in east and Pacific Ocean in west. The government is constitutionally democratic. It constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949 becoming military neutral. It was ranked first among the Americas for Environmental Performance Index in 2010. Total area 19,653 sq.m Water percentage 0.7 Population 4,253,897 GDP (nominal) $29.318 billion It contains 5% of the worlds biodiversity. Around 25% of the countrys land area is covered by protected national parks and protected areas. About 24 national parks are found in Costa Rica. The Monteverde cloud forest reserve is a home for about 2000 plant species, over 400 birds, over 100 species of mammals and numerous orchids. Growth of ecotourism in Costa Rica Costa Rica earned reputation as a premier ecotourism destination in the world also considered as ecotourisms post child. Some of the factors that influenced ecotourism in Costa Rica are pleasant climate, excellent national park, best public health care system, best public education, highest literacy rate in Latin America etc. It is also blessed with abundant natural resources such as beaches, mangroves, mountains, caves, waterfalls, volcanoes and tropical rainforests which is one of the most biologically diverse areas of the world containing 5% of entire planets biodiversity. In a short period Costa Rica has reached high level of maturity in ecotourism creating both beneficial effects and detrimental consequences on sustainable development. It is considered as a model in implementing ecotourism in many other areas. Economic impacts Globalization plays an important role in global economic decision making. As globalization and unbridled economic competition continue to dominate the global agenda, the travel agents who came up with the idea of ecotourism were now looking for new markets and not the ways to save the world. Because of this issue, many protected regions of Costa Rica are increasingly integrated into the global economy. Park entry fees and other form of revenues increase the value of protected land rather than the revenue obtained from deforestation. Ecotourism also earns foreign exchange to developing countries by bringing tourists from north ( from developed countries). A survey states that in early 1990s Costa Rica was the leading overseas ecotourism destination for U.S travellers, but only 20% of its revenue went to the local community and the remaining was paid to the tour operators, tickets on foreign owned airlines, to import products that appeal foreign tourists. A certain percentage of profits can be recycled to the local community development through legislation so that revenue leakage is reduced. In general, the employment opportunities of the people living near to ecotourism destinations is based on the tourists. In Costa Rica, people living near to Monteverde cloud forest reserve is an excellent example who have gained great economic values with this. Contrast to the previous point, Osa peninsula a ecotourism spot in Costa Rica has made its inhabitants even more poorer than before over attraction by ecotourists which created profit to outsiders. Marketing in general is used to elaborate a buisness scale. In Costa Rica in regions where outsiders dominate, marketing is used es an efficient tool by the local community to elaborate their buisness. Fake marketing is also done in some regions which is of no environmental responsibility. Since ecotourism is a seasonal activity, it can fluctuate over time to time and the local community cannot entirely depend on this for their earnings which leads to economic discomfort. Outsiders took over many regions in Costa Rica which have become distorted and the prices have increased drastically so that many Costa Ricans have been priced out of land and home ownership. Social impacts Even though the local communities are not traditionally involved in ecotourism planning and implementation, it becomes essential for them to get involved in different phases of it for their own benefits. Also the local communities are very familiar with the local resources, it makes them essential to involve in decision making. Stakeholder participation and community involvement are very important in decision making process since they have the greatest stake in the outcome of any ecotourism project. The culture of the local community plays an important role in ecotourism. For a sustainable ecotourism, cultural structures of the local community must be well understood so that the disintegration of the local communities can also be avoided. In Costa Rica, people in many rural areas did not support ecotourism instead they felt it as a threat to their cultural dynamics. Ecotourism brings many advantages to the local community if they integrate themselves with it otherwise it can lead to commofication resulting in erosion of culture and community cohesion. Ecotourism provides some employment opportunities to the local community such as hotel servicing, crafting, government agency staff, tour operators etc. In Costa Rica local community people are trained in the areas of park maintanance, habitat restoration, management etc in order to incorporate them in protected area management. Govrnment should provide some subsidies and intensives to local poor people to own a buisness. Many innovative and resposible locally owned ecotourism projects fail due to insufficient investments and their competition with large foreign companies. The goal of ecotourism is that the profits from ecotourism must be reinvested into the local community to meet their basic needs. Additional revenues are channeled into programmes which directly benefit the local people in their health and education. When people get focused to ecotourism getting support from their community, they will devote their time and energy to it, understanting that the success of ecotourism is directly linked to their individual capacity to achieve greater standards of life. Environmental impacts National parks in Costa Rica are the backbone of its ecotourism industry contributing much to the countrys tourism industry as a whole. In 1960s Costa Ricas first strictly protected area was established, after that four national parks were offically created in 1970s to preserve its biodiversity. There are 30 and above national parks and more than 230 protected areas in costa Rica. Cost Rica forms a variety of ecosystem with 850 bird species, 1260 tree species, 1200 orchid species, 270 mammal species, 361 species of reptiles and amphibians and more than 35,000 species of insects. The creation of parks and protected areas protect natural species, but it resulted in deforestation. National parks form the crucial part of ecotourism in Costa Rica which was increasing since 1980s and attained maturity at the end of 1990s. Even ecotourism earnings have contuined to increase, the Costa Rican government is not properly funding to the parks and protected areas leading to dependancy on foreign donations much. Other than national parks and protected areas, private reserves have emerged as another important way to protect Costa Ricas natural resources and biodiversity. About 68 reserves were found in Costa Rica in which more than 40 involves in ecotourism in which La Selva, Rara Avis, Monteverde cloud forest reserve are some of those in it. Monteverde forest reserve recieves nearly 50,000 visitors per year which contains most important population of quetzal, an endangered bird species. Private reserves serve as an intimation to the government that ecotourism has good earning potential and it can be economically viable when sufficient resources are invested. Ecotourism projects results in natural degradations when the natural areas are overcroweded with visitors. Solid waste generation, pollution, habitat destructions, forest degradations and trail erosion results in increase of local carrying capacities. The negative effects of ecoourism can be minimized by emphasising low- impact construction, controlling the number of visitors, taking care in interacting with local flora and fauna. A balance between development and conservation should be created in order to avoid the degradation of natural environment. Education is often cited as on of the most crucial element for every individual as well as for a society. Environmental education contributes much for ecotourism. Knowledgable tour guides can provide a quality environmental education. Local guides have more advantage over foreign guides since they have more knowledge about local ecologic, natural history and local culture. Lack of experienced and knowledgable trail guides is one of the major problems with ecotourism in Costa Rica. Creating educated public understanding the importance of ecotourism in Costa Rica will help the countries benefit for long run.

Ronald Reagan and the End of the Cold War Essay example -- Ending the

The cold war was a post-World War II struggle between the United States and its allies and the group of nations led by the Soviet Union. Direct military conflict did not occur between the two superpowers, but intense economic and diplomatic struggles erupted. Different interests led to mutual suspicion and hostility in a rising philosophy. The United States played a major role in the ending of the cold war. It has been said that President Ronald Reagan ended the cold war with his strategic defense policies. In the year1949, Germany was divided by the victors of World War II and they occupied different zones. The western regions united to form a Federal republic and the Soviet eastern region became communist East Germany. The cold war had begun. Berlin, the former capital of Germany was divided into East Berlin and West Berlin but was located deep inside the soviet controlled zone.1 Then, in 1961, the Soviet government built a wall which separated the two halves of the city. It was not until the 1980s that cold war tensions eased through the glasnost (openness to public debate) polices of soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Finally, in November 1989, the wall crumbled under the hands of the Germans and the cold war ended.2 The downfall of the cold war started when Ronald Reagan came into office in 1981. Reagan had two main priorities. He wanted to cut taxes and increase defense spending. He felt that the United States of America should take a confrontational approach towards Russia.3 Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader of Russia in 1985. He wanted to improve the Russian economy. He also wanted to improve relations with the United States. He used his glasnost (openness to public debate) policy and perestroika (restructuring) to help the Russian economy.4 Both leaders wanted a "margin of safety". Reagan took a tough stand against Russia and it's allies. The soviets could clearly see that when Reagan said he wanted a "margin of safety", he meant that the United States should be superior to Russia. Moscow would not let this happen. They wanted equality.5 Reagan also believed that military power and respect for America abroad were inseparable from economic strength. However, Reagan's defense policy resulted in the doubling of the debt of the United States. He used the money for new strategic ... ... References 1 Walter Lippman, The Cold War: A Study in U.S. Foreign Policy (New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1947) 48-52. 2 Charles S. Maier, ed., The Cold War in Europe: Era of a divided Continent (New York: Markus Wiener Publishing, Inc., 1991) 27. 3 Ralph B. Levering, The Cold War (Illinois: Harlan Davidson, INC.,1988) 169. 4 Levering, 169 5 Levering, 169 6 John Young, Cold War Europe 1945-1989 (New York: Edward Allen, 1991) 26. 7 Levering, 171-2 8 Levering 173 9 "The End of the Cold War" http://usa.coldwar.server.gov/index/coldwar/ 2 Feb. 1997 10 http://usa.coldwar.server.gov/index/coldwar/ 11 Young, 28 12 Young, 28 13 Tom Morganthou, "Reagan's cold war 'sting'?", Newsweek 32 August 1993: 32 14 Levering, 180 15"Ending the Cold War", Foreign Affairs Spring 1988: 24-25 16 Young, 28 17 Young, 29 18 Young, 29 19 Levering, 187-188 20 "Ending the Cold War", 27 21 "Ending the Cold War", 28 22 Brinkley, Alan An Uneasy Peace 1988-, Vol. 10 of 20th Century America, 10 vols. (New York: Grolier 1995):22 23 Brinkley, 30 24 "George Bush addresses Europe" http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/burke/ 13 March 1997.

Presidential Election of 1828 Essay

A rematch between two bitter rivals, Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, the presidential election of 1828 was highlighted by the split of electoral votes in New York and Maryland. Andrew Jackson had swept through the west, gaining every single state, and even got Pennsylvania. The winner from the election of 1824 by the ‘corrupt’ bargain, John Q. Adams, had gained the support of all the northeast states. However, the real surprise was the split electoral votes in Maryland and New York. The northern states loved Adams because he favored elites and their manufacturing industries. The south and west favored Jackson because he believed in equal opportunity for any citizen of the United States of America. Two states, Maryland and New York, did not give all their electoral votes to either Adams or Jackson, but were divided equally among the two. The reason for this split was both states were divided into districts that all had one vote. These districts could settle on who they wanted to give their electoral vote to. In every single other state, the electoral votes were decided upon by the state legislature, and once decided, all the electoral votes would be given to one candidate. However, in lone New York, the whole state could back Adams, but if one small self-sufficient farmer district wanted Jackson, then they could award their one electoral vote exclusively for him. So, if there was a dispute in states with a system like New York, the electoral vote could be split. The split between these two states showed how divided and diverse one state could be. If one little district went against the majority, it changes where the electoral votes are distributed, and can thus change the outcome of the election. New York and Maryland proved that one little group can make a large difference. These small changes made the election of 1828 unique, and actually exemplified how dissimilar one state’s people could be.

Physical Activity and Education Standards Essay

It is a matter of fact that with the increased accent on academic education, physical exercise programs are declining in public and private schools. Nowadays there are minimal opportunities for students to lead active life during school time. It was reported that the number of students who attend physical training every day had decreased to 29 percent in 1999 compared with 42% in 1990. It is possible to maintain ideal body weight and health due to physical education classes. Students must receive at least an hour of physical training daily. Such process should involve vigorous activity during 10-15 minutes daily. It is apparent that sport is available in public schools, although not all children like to attend these classes. (National Standards) It is necessary to design such physical activity for students which will firstly meet required standards and secondly arouse interest among children. The most interesting and exciting activity is school sports competitions, because they involve many kinds of physical activity and develop team spirit in participants. School competitions will involve all students who are physically fit and also who are weaker. The competitions will last two days and embrace different activities. The first day will pass through l team games such as basketball, volleyball for girls and football for boys. The second day will process through team competitions devoted to running: long-distance races, sprints, running on the spots, high jump and standing (running) broad jump. It is necessary to explain why such physical activity is chosen. The first reason is that students will demonstrate their competency in different movement forms and their proficiency in selected ones. The second reason is that during team activities students will demonstrate team spirit, responsible social and personal behavior. The last reason is that students are taught in such way to understand and to respect differences among students with different physical abilities.