How Well Does Parliament Perform Its Various Functions free essay sample

How well does Parliament perform its various functions? There are several important functions that Parliament must perform. The word Parliament derived from the Latin ‘parliamentum’ and the French word ‘parler’ which originally meant a talk- which is what Parliament does most of the time. Parliament consists of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarchy. Parliament is the highest judicial, legislative and executive body in Britain. A parliamentary form of government acknowledges that it derives its power directly from the consent of the people. This sort of system ensures democracy and an active interaction between the people and their representatives. The three functions that I am going to focus on are Scrutiny, Representation and Law Making. Scrutiny is carried out in four main ways- Prime Ministers Questions, Select Committees, The Back Benches and The House of Lords. Prime Ministers Questions is a weekly opportunity for backbenchers to scrutinise the Prime Minister. We will write a custom essay sample on How Well Does Parliament Perform Its Various Functions? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This happens every Wednesday and is an opportunity for the leader of the opposition as well as other MPs to highlight government failings or ask the Prime Minister a question. This is a good way to scrutinise the Prime Minister as it puts them under pressure to justify their actions and normally with potentially no pre-warning of what topics will have to be defended. The element of surprise allows opposition MP’s as well as backbenchers and sometimes members of the cabinet to catch the prime minister out with an awkward question. The relative performance of each of the main party leaders is closely watched and each is under great pressure to get the better of their opponent. The main weakness of this form of scrutiny is that it is often accused of being more like ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ as many believe the questions are â€Å"planted† and therefore the Prime Minister and Opposition can prepare their answers beforehand. Select Committees in both the House of Commons and the Lords investigate the work of government departments and produce reports of policy proposals. They have the power to call witnesses in the course of their proceedings. Their role is multi-faceted and includes many tasks such as investigating the work of the government departments to determine whether they have acted efficiently and effectively. This is a strong form as scrutiny as it reports back to the public what is happening behind the scenes in the government but the Select Committees lack resources, expertise and power to create damage if the government weren’t doing their job properly. Select Committees have been described as a â€Å"mere irritant†. The government relies on backbenchers in providing services to their constituents and relaying the opinions of their constituents. Although backbenchers do not hold power, a concerted revolt could topple the ruling party through a â€Å"no confidence† vote. An example of a successful rebellion occurred during November 2006 over the Terrorism Act 2006 when a large number of backbenchers voted against the 90-day detention provision of the anti-terror legislation in order to stall the bill. This provided to be the single largest defeat for then Prime Minister Tony Blair since his government. Recently David Cameron faced a threat of a fresh backbench Tory revolt as traditionalists lined up to oppose government plans to legalise gay marriage but many debated that this in fact could not be counted as a rebellion as backbenchers would probably be given a free vote in any vote on legalising gay marriage. This therefore is a strong form of scrutiny as it has been proven extremely powerful and has even overthrown past governments for example Margaret Thatcher and James Callaghan. One of the main issues with scrutiny and backbenchers is that they are often under the control of the Whips (MPs or Lords appointed by each party in Parliament to help organise their party’s contribution to parliamentary business) and one of their main responsibilities is making sure the maximum number of their party members vote the way their party wants. Unless the backbenchers have enough people to rebel they will not succeed and therefore it is not often that a government is defeated, for example Blair’s government was only defeated in the Commons four times over their three terms in power. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK Parliament and is independent to the Commons although it complements the work of the Commons. Members of the Lords play a vital role in scrutiny, there are two main reasons for this, the first being that they are independent to the Commons and in many ways have increased power which they often use to stand up to the Commons by blocking reforms. Lords also have a better balance of parties so no government has a majority. The Government however can override Lords by using Parliament Act; this was used when the fox hunting ban was being put through under Blair’s government as there were too many in opposition of the ban in the House of Lords. The Parliament Acts, although rarely used, provide a way of solving disagreement between the Commons and the Lords. The Parliament Act of 1949 also prevents Lords from delaying bills for more than one year. The second function that I’m concentrating on is Representation. In the Commons MPs are elected every five years to represent local constituencies. The link between the House of Commons and the local constituency is very important as it provides information to the government on how the public is responding to their policies and ideas for new laws, reforms and ideas. In recent years there has also been many attempts to make the government more diverse – for example more women and ethnic minorities. This was especially pushed by Tony Blair as it was obvious to him that the UK was far behind the US in being diverse, he started by pushing for there to be more women in government and these became known as â€Å"Blair’s babes†. The Lords are also a large part in representing the ‘national interest’ as they are less party political and many have had long careers in public service, business, arts and culture, or another area of activity. Therefore the members of the House of Lords contribute their expertise and knowledge to Parliament and its work and consequently able to take the bigger picture into account. However there are many downfalls in representation in the government. The most often referred to is how First Past the Post (FPTP) does not produce a very accurate representation in the House of Commons as it produces many ‘wasted votes’. In the Institute for Public Policy Research report, which looks at the ratio of votes to MPs under FPTP for the main parties in the 2010 general election, it was shown that it took 33,468 votes to elect a Labour MP, 35,028 votes to elect a Conservative MP and 119,780 votes to elect a Liberal Democrat MP. This therefore is an interesting piece of evidence showing the unfairness of the FPTP system as it strongly favours some parties over others. However there was a referendum in May 2011 which asked the public whether the Alternative Vote (AV) system should be used for general elections instead of FPTP and more than two thirds of those who voted said to keep the FPTP system- although many of those in opposition to FPTP says this in itself was unfair representation as the turnout was less than 65% of the population. The lack of women in MPs has also been blamed on the FPTP system; there are currently 504 male MPs and 145 female MPs nationwide. Therefore the House of Commons is unrepresentative of the UK as there are roughly 28. 6 million males in the UK and 30. 2 million females. The House of Lords is also seen as unrepresentative as it is unelected and even more out of ratio with the population of the UK as it has many old, socially elite members. Another one of Parliament’s main functions is Law Making is debating and passing statue law. The Government introduces most plans for new laws, with many included in the Queen’s Speech at the opening of each session of Parliament. However new laws can originate from an MP or a Lord. Parliament passes about 100 laws each year and every law goes through several stages and is debated continuously in much detail before being passed. Emergency issues such as the threat of terrorism all contribute to the need for the new laws. Before draft laws, known as bills are introduced to Parliament there is often consultation or discussion with Standing Committees and as these consist of MPs from every party they guarantee that every view point is reflected in discussion. The House of Lords main role when it comes to the function of Law Making is to amend bills or make suggestions of improvements. The Lords also have the power to reject bills that appear unworkable or undesirable (for example the fox hunting bill and identification cards bill). The governments’ majority always ensures that its proposals are passed as they have ‘elective dictatorship’ and can also use Parliamentary Acts to override the House of Lords. Also the House of Lords is also limited to only one year of delaying bills and therefore the government can pass new laws fairly easily after one year. Standing Committees also generally reflect the composition of the House of Commons and therefore the party in government will always have a higher majority. Government often imposes time limits on Standing Committees discussions. In my opinion Parliament performs its various functions- scrutiny, representation and legislation (law making)- well. Although there are many weaknesses to each function it would be extremely hard to remove these weaknesses without making the executive separate like they have in the United States.

Free Essays on Typical Cheerleader

The Stereotypical Cheerleader â€Å"That’s typical of a cheerleader.† â€Å"Cheerleading isn’t a sport, those airheads.† These phrases and many more have, more than once, been directed towards cheerleading as a sport and towards cheerleaders themselves. This stereotype is not only false but discriminating. Those who conform to this stereotype only need to be educated on the amount of hard work and athletic ability that it takes to be a part of this elite sport. It takes coordination, flexibility and strength to be a cheerleader. It also includes more than just physical traits; it takes heart. You have to be dedicated, outgoing, and you also have to know how to work as a team. Many think that cheerleaders just dance and yell. It is more than that. Cheerleaders are commonly known as airheads, dumb blondes, and preps. Actually some doctors, lawyers, dentists, and other professionals have been cheerleaders, for example, our president; George W. Bush was a cheerleader at Phillips Academy. Other famous cheerleaders who now live very predominant lives include Paula Abdul, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock and Katie Couric. Furthermore, I do not believe that any of those professionals have been referred to as â€Å"airheads† or â€Å"dumb blondes.† Being a cheerleader taught them many life lessons, one of the most important being: teamwork. Cheerleading has also struggled with the fact that many think it is not a sport. What defines a sport? The Webster’s dictionary defines a sport as â€Å"an outdoor or athletic pastime; fun, diversion. An athlete is defined as, â€Å"one who engages in sports or other exercises, especially those requiring physical agility and strength.† Cheerleading requires physical agility and strength so therefore it is an athletic pastime consequently defining it as a sport. These facts are not debatable, however; cheerleaders will still fall under stereotypical skepticism. Being a cheerleader for the... Free Essays on Typical Cheerleader Free Essays on Typical Cheerleader The Stereotypical Cheerleader â€Å"That’s typical of a cheerleader.† â€Å"Cheerleading isn’t a sport, those airheads.† These phrases and many more have, more than once, been directed towards cheerleading as a sport and towards cheerleaders themselves. This stereotype is not only false but discriminating. Those who conform to this stereotype only need to be educated on the amount of hard work and athletic ability that it takes to be a part of this elite sport. It takes coordination, flexibility and strength to be a cheerleader. It also includes more than just physical traits; it takes heart. You have to be dedicated, outgoing, and you also have to know how to work as a team. Many think that cheerleaders just dance and yell. It is more than that. Cheerleaders are commonly known as airheads, dumb blondes, and preps. Actually some doctors, lawyers, dentists, and other professionals have been cheerleaders, for example, our president; George W. Bush was a cheerleader at Phillips Academy. Other famous cheerleaders who now live very predominant lives include Paula Abdul, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock and Katie Couric. Furthermore, I do not believe that any of those professionals have been referred to as â€Å"airheads† or â€Å"dumb blondes.† Being a cheerleader taught them many life lessons, one of the most important being: teamwork. Cheerleading has also struggled with the fact that many think it is not a sport. What defines a sport? The Webster’s dictionary defines a sport as â€Å"an outdoor or athletic pastime; fun, diversion. An athlete is defined as, â€Å"one who engages in sports or other exercises, especially those requiring physical agility and strength.† Cheerleading requires physical agility and strength so therefore it is an athletic pastime consequently defining it as a sport. These facts are not debatable, however; cheerleaders will still fall under stereotypical skepticism. Being a cheerleader for the...

International Trade Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Trade Theories - Assignment Example Therefore, in order to have a positive balance of trade the nations tried exporting to other countries and restricting imports as it negatively affected their balances and hence their wealth. According to the mercantilism theory, there was a fixed amount of money present in the world and in order for one country to have more money; it had to export to other. So, mercantilism refers to the concept of exporting more and importing less (â€Å"Classical Theories of International Trade†, n.d.). Absolute Advantage Toward the end of the century, economic growth was being hindered by mercantilist policies. Adam Smith in his book, The Wealth of Nations (1776) presented a response to mercantilism where he claimed that these policies granted the producers an advantage at the cost of a disadvantage to the consumers. Adam Smith’s theory did not regard imports as bad but rather mentioned imports as good because other countries may be making a particular good that is more appealing to the consumers therefore trade, imports as well as export, would be profitable and lead to better satisfaction for the consumers. This meant that countries that had an â€Å"absolute advantage† in producing a particular good would produce that good and export it while it would import a good that another nation has an â€Å"absolute advantage† in (Theory of International Trade, n.d.). ... The principle of comparative advantage has been described as that occurring as a result of specialization and the division of labor (Maneschi, 1998). According to the theory, due to technological or other factors some countries specialize in producing a particular good at a lower cost. This implies that such countries have a â€Å"comparative advantage† in producing a particular good and should therefore export these goods to other countries. The same country should only import those goods in which it does not specialize that is has a comparative disadvantage in due to the higher relative costs. However, the theory also assumes that countries try to maximize their production and consumption which is not true in the real world at times. Balance of Trade Balance of trade refers to a country’s payments and receipts which results from the transactions of its residents. In ideal conditions, the balance of the receipts and payments should be equal, which is the condition of a balanced trade. However, trade is not always balanced. The trade balance in some cases can even be a trade surplus and trade deficit. Trade surplus occurs when a country’s exports exceed their imports. Trade deficit occurs when a country’s imports are greater than its exports. Trade deficits are not necessarily bad as it depends upon the life cycle and the economy and therefore may assist the economy during expansion. However, during a recession, trade deficits may prove to be detrimental for the economy. Influence of Government Governments play a pivotal role in encouraging or restricting international trade. The policies set by the government impact trade unlike free trade where there is no government role in the economy. Governments provide barrier to trade by setting

Government regulations in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Government regulations in business - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the government has the mandate to overlook all business activities, and also have the power to control certain businesses. The government has the responsibility to impose various regulations to ascertain that the customers are not exploited, and there is a fair competition among the firms in any given industry. Government regulations in marketing are crucial towards customer protection as well as maintain fairness in competition. The number of government regulations in marketing is sufficient to ensure that there is a reasonable business environment. The government imposes laws on marketing regarding product safety and warranties. Such laws ensure that the advertisers are limited to advertising only true information. Warranties ensure that the manufacturer produces high-quality goods. The limits obtruded on freedom of speech are beneficial to controlling what one organization says about the other and hence fairness is maintained in the market. Government r egulations on validation of advertising claims ensure that the customers are only fed with true information. Therefore, it is evident that government regulation on marketing activities plays three main roles. It ensures that producers of the advertised good or service produce goods of similar quality to what they claim while advertising. It regulates the relationship between competitors. They ensure that the customers receive the best services or goods and are not misguided by the advertisement.

Managing Oneself and What You Dont Know About Making Decisions, Term Paper

Managing Oneself and What You Dont Know About Making Decisions, - Term Paper Example I can surely say that I am good at management because I was in charge of my own salon and spent 32 years running it. My management skills thus were developing gradually year after year as I was gaining more and more experience. I can surely get on well with colleagues and subordinates with the help of courtesy and efficient communicative skills. I was always aware of the internal atmosphere in my salon because I often communicated to the people who worked there. I always considered effective delegation of responsibilities to be an important aspect of good management. It is crucial to know how approve, encourage ad criticize employees without hurting anyone. People need to know that their efforts will contribute to the general success that is why I aimed to underline my workers` achievements when appropriate. The most difficult part for me was to learn how to distribute tasks and responsibilities among employees equally and how to maintain constant balance. Moreover, it was crucial for me to arrange effective communication within a team at my absence. I consider leadership skills to be the core of good management and I can say that my leadership technique and abilities required a lot of efforts and time to get improved. Leadership presupposes abilities to organize and to motivate team and control its performance (Leatherman, 2010). It was a challenge for me to create a team out of people who did not know each other and could not rely on each other but after some preparation and time I managed to build trust and create clarity among my colleagues. Nevertheless, there is still strong necessity to enhance my existing strengths to make my performance even more efficient. First, I would pay more attention to the effective criticism which is a part of my communication skills. Being a leader requires an ability to criticize subordinates from time to time and

The Process Of Workforce Planning In Supermarkets Business Essay

The Process Of Workforce Planning In Supermarkets Business Essay Work force planning is the process of analysing an  organisations likely future needs for people in terms of numbers,  skills  and locations. It allows the organisation to plan how those needs can be met through  recruitment  and  training. It is vital for a  company  like Tesco to plan ahead. Because the company is growing, Tesco needs to recruit on a regular basis for both the food and non-food parts of the business. Positions become available because: jobs are created as the company opens new stores in the UK and expands internationally vacancies arise as  employees  leave the company when they retire or resign or get  promotion  to other positions within Tesco new types of jobs can be created as the company changes its processes and  technology Tesco uses a  workforce planning  table to establish the likely  demand  for new staff. This considers both managerial and non-managerial positions. In 2008/09, for example, Tesco calculates that to support its business  growth  there will be a demand for around 4,000 new managers. The planning process This planning process runs each year from the last week in February. There are quarterly reviews in May, August and November, so Tesco can adjust staffing levels and recruit where necessary. This allows Tesco sufficient time and  flexibility  to meet its demands for staff and allows the company to meet its  strategic  objectives, for example, to open new stores and maintain  customerHYPERLINK http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/glossaryservice-standards-1285.phpservice standards. Tesco seeks to fill many vacancies from within the company. It recognises the importance of motivating its staff to progress their careers with the company. Tesco practises what it calls talent planning. This encourages people to work their way through and up the organisation. Through an annual  appraisal  scheme, individuals can apply for bigger jobs. Employees identify roles in which they would like to develop their careers with Tesco. Their manager sets out the technical skills,  competencies  and behaviours necessary for these roles, what training this will require and how long it will take the person to be ready to do the job. This helps Tesco to achieve its  business objectives  and employees to achieve their personal and career objectives. Job descriptions and person  specifications An important element in workforce planning is to have clear job descriptions and person specifications. A job description sets out: the title of the job to whom the job holder is responsible for whom the job holder is responsible a simple description of roles and responsibilities A person specification sets out the skills, characteristics and attributes that a person needs to do a particular job. Together, job descriptions and person specifications provide the basis for  job advertisements. They help job applicants and post-holders to know what is expected of them. As they are sent to anyone applying for jobs, they should: contain enough information to attract suitable people act as a checking device to make sure that applicants with the right skills are chosen for interview set the targets and standards for job performance Job descriptions and person specifications show how a job-holder fits into the Tesco business. They help Tesco to recruit the right people. They also provide a  benchmark  for each job in terms of responsibilities and skills. These help managers to assess if staff are carrying out jobs to the appropriate standards. Tescos  organisational structure  has the customer at the top. Tesco needs people with the right  skills  at each level of this structure. There are six work levels within the organisation. This gives a clear structure for managing and controlling the organisation. Each level requires particular skills and behaviours. Work level 1   frontline jobs working directly with customers. Various in-store tasks, such as filling shelves withstock. Requires the ability to work accurately and with enthusiasm and to interact well with others. Work level 2   leading a  team  of  employees  who deal directly with customers. Requires the ability to manage  resources, to set  targets, to manage and motivate others. Work level 3   running an operating unit. Requires  management  skills, including  planning, target setting and reporting. Work level 4   supporting operating units and recommending  strategicchange. Requires good knowledge of the business, the skills to analyse information and to make decisions, and the ability to lead others. Work level 5   responsible for the performance of Tesco as a whole. Requires the ability to lead and direct others, and to make major decisions. Work level 6   creating the purpose,  values  and  goals  for Tesco plc. Responsibility for Tescos performance. Requires a good overview ofretailing, and the ability to build a  vision  for the future and lead the whole organisation. Tesco has a seven-part framework that describes the key skills and behaviours for each job at every level in the company. This helps employees understand whether they have the right knowledge, skills or resources to carry out their roles involves attracting the right  standard  of applicants to apply for vacancies. Tesco advertises jobs in different ways. The process varies depending on the job available. Internal recruitment Tesco first looks at its internal Talent Plan to fill a vacancy. This is a process that lists current  employees  looking for a move, either at the same level or on  promotion. If there are no suitable people in this Talent Plan or developing on the internalmanagement  development  programme, Options, Tesco advertises the post internally on its  intranet  for two weeks. External recruitment For external recruitment, Tesco advertises vacancies via the Tesco website www.tesco-careers.com or through vacancy boards in stores. Applications are made online for managerial positions. The chosen applicants have an interview followed by attendance at an  assessment centre  for the final stage of the  selection  process. People interested in store-based jobs with Tesco can approach stores with their  CV  or register though Jobcentre Plus. The store prepares a waiting list of people applying in this way and calls them in as jobs become available. For harder-to-fill or more specialist jobs, such as bakers and pharmacists, Tesco advertises externally: through its website and offline  media through television and radio by placing advertisements on Google or in magazines such as  The Appointment Journal Tesco will seek the most  cost-effective way of attracting the right applicants. It is expensive to advertise on television and radio, and in some magazines, but sometimes this is necessary to ensure the right type of people get to learn about the vacancies. Tesco makes it easy for applicants to find out about available jobs and has a simple application process. By accessing the  Tesco website, an applicant can find out about local jobs, management posts and head office positions. The website has an online application form for people to submit directly.

elderly abuse :: essays research papers

? The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study ? Executive Summary ? Introduction and Background America's burgeoning elder population has affected every segment of the social, political, and economic landscape. Public debate of the issues surrounding the special needs of the approximately 44 million persons in this country age 60 years and over has heightened national awareness and concern. As a result, public policies relating to issues such as retirement security, affordable long-term care, and quality of life are changing to meet the unique needs of the aging population. Yet, as the public looks toward improving the lives of the elderly, abuse and neglect of elders living in their own homes have gone largely unidentified and unnoticed. The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study has shed new light on this significant problem with the finding that approximately 450,000 elderly persons in domestic settings were abused and/or neglected during 1996. When elderly persons who experienced self-neglect are added, the number increases to approximately 551,000 in 1996. Additionally, thro ugh this study we have learned that: Â · Female elders are abused at a higher rate than males, after accounting for their larger proportion in the aging population. Â · Our oldest elders (80 years and over) are abused and neglected at two to three times their proportion of the elderly population. Â · In almost 90 percent of the elder abuse and neglect incidents with a known perpetrator, the perpetrator is a family member, and two-thirds of the perpetrators are adult children or spouses. Â · Victims of self-neglect are usually depressed, confused, or extremely frail. The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study (NEAIS) was conducted by the National Center on Elder Abuse at the American Public Human Services Association (formally known as the American Public Welfare Association) and the Maryland-based social science and survey research firm, Westat. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Administration on Aging (AoA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services jointly funded this research. The study asked the fundamental question: What is the incidence of domestic elder abuse and neglect in the United States today? In public health and social research, the term "incidence" means the number of new cases occurring over a specific time period. The NEAIS used a rigorous methodology to collect national incidence data on what has been a largely undocumented phenomenon, and it provides the basis to estimate the incidence of domestic elder abuse and neglect among those aged 60 and above in 1996.

Legal Reasoning

Introduction:This paper aims to draft what I believe to be the US Supreme Court opinion for the case of Brigham City, Utah V. Stuart including the concurring and dissenting opinions. Knowledge from of the Fourth Amendments will be used to draft the opinion or opinions and an identification of particular justices with each of the opinion will be made as much as possible.In as much that the Supreme Court has made the decision (May 22, 2006) on the matter, at the time of theis, this paper is now converted into a digest of the case but still following the structure of the original instruction that is to draft (now to analyze) the opinion (now the decision) of the Supreme Court with the concurring and dissenting opinions.2. Analysis:Facts:   The policemen were responding to a 3 a.m. call about a loud party by arriving at the house in question when the said policemen heard shouting inside said house. They then proceeded down the driveway, and saw two juveniles drinking beer in the backya rd. The police then entered the yard where they saw through a screen door and windows an altercation in the kitchen between four adults and a juvenile, who punched one of the adults, causing him to spit blood in a sink. (Cornell Law School, n.d.) (Paraphrasing made)An officer from the group of policemen opened the screen door and announced the officers’ presence. After having been ignored amid the commotion, the officer entered the kitchen and again cried out, whereupon the squabble gradually subsided. The officers made an arrest of the respondents and charged them with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and related offenses. The trial court granted private respondents’ motion to suppress all evidence obtained after the officers entered the home on the ground that the warrantless entry violated the Fourth Amendment, and the Utah Court of Appeals affirmed.The State Supreme Court affirmed further by holding that the injury caused by the juvenile’s punch wa s insufficient to trigger the â€Å"emergency aid doctrine† because it did not give rise to an objectively reasonable belief that an unconscious, semiconscious, or missing person feared injured or dead was in the home. In addition, the same Supreme Court suggested the doctrine was inapplicable because the officers had not sought to assist the injured adult but had acted exclusively in a law enforcement capacity. It further held that the entry did not fall within the exigent circumstances exception to the warrant requirement.   (Cornell Law School, n.d.) (Paraphrasing made)The issue in said case is whether or not the police may enter a home without a warrant under the given circumstances as described above.The US Federal Supreme Court held that the police may enter a home without a warrant when they have an objectively reasonable basis for believing that an occupant is seriously injured or imminently threatened with such injury. The Supreme Court said:Because the Fourth Amen dment’s ultimate touchstone is â€Å"reasonableness,† the warrant requirement is subject to certain exceptions. For example, one exigency obviating the requirement is the need to render emergency assistance to occupants of private property who are seriously injured or threatened with such injury. Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U.S. 385. This Court has repeatedly rejected respondents’ contention that, in assessing the reasonableness of an entry, consideration should be given to the subjective motivations of individual officers. Because the officers’ subjective motivation is irrelevant, Bond v. United States, 529 U. S. 334, n. 2, it does not matter here whether they entered the kitchen to arrest respondents and gather evidence or to assist the injured and prevent further violence. Indianapolis v. Edmond, 531 U. S. 32, and Florida v. Wells, 495 U. S. 1, distinguished.Relying on this Court’s holding in Welsh v. Wisconsin, 466 U. S. 740, that â€Å"an importan t factor to be considered when determining whether any exigency exists is the gravity of the underlying offense for which the arrest is being made,† respondents further contend that their conduct was not serious enough to justify the officers’ intrusion into the home. This contention is misplaced. In Welsh, the â€Å"only potential emergency† confronting the officers was the need to preserve evidence of the suspect’s blood-alcohol level, an exigency the Court held insufficient under the circumstances to justify a warrantless entry into the suspect’s home. Ibid. Here, the officers were confronted with ongoing violence occurring within the home, a situation Welsh did not address. (Cornell Law School, n.d.)The Supreme Court further added that the officers’ entry here was plainly reasonable under the circumstances. It said that given the tumult at the house when they arrived, it was obvious that knocking on the front door would have been futile a nd that moreover, in light of the fracas they observed in the kitchen, the officers had an objectively reasonable basis for believing both that the injured adult might need help and that the violence was just beginning.The court explained that nothing in the Fourth Amendment required them to wait until another blow rendered someone unconscious, semiconscious, or worse before entering. It further said: â€Å"The manner of their entry was also reasonable, since nobody heard the first announcement of their presence, and it was only after the announcing officer stepped into the kitchen and announced himself again that the tumult subsided. That announcement was at least equivalent to a knock on the screen door and, under the circumstances; there was no violation of the Fourth Amendment’s knock-and-announce rule. Furthermore, once the announcement was made, the officers were free to enter; it would serve no purpose to make them stand dumbly at the door awaiting a response, while t hose within brawled on, oblivious to their presence.† (Cornell Law School, n.d.) (Paraphrasing made)The Supreme Court reversed and remanded the UTAH Supreme Court’s decision via a unanimous decision, hence there, is no dissenting opinion.   Chief Justice ROBERTS delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court while Justice STEVENS filed a concurring opinion.3. Conclusion:The case was unique in the sense that a state court namely the UTAH Supreme Court, which has decided unanimously, was reversed by the US Federal Supreme Court also unanimously. The case involves the interpretation of the Fourth Amendment where there the policemen were upheld in effecting the arrest in the absence of the warrant since the case is case falling under justified exceptions.Bibliography:Bond v. United States, 529 U. S.Cornell Law School, (n.d.), BRIGHAM CITY v. STUART (No. 05-502) , 2005 UT 13, 122 P. 3d 506, reversed and remanded, {www document}   URL   http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/htm l/05-502.ZS.html, Accessed June 10,2006. Florida v. Wells, 495 U. S. 1Fourth Amendment , United States Constitution Indianapolis v. Edmond, 531 U. S. 32Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U. S. 385 Welsh v. Wisconsin, 466 U. S. 740

Example of Confidence Interval for Variance

Example of Confidence Interval for Variance The population variance gives an indication of how to spread out a data set is. Unfortunately, it is typically impossible to know exactly what this population parameter is. To compensate for our lack of knowledge, we use a topic from inferential statistics called confidence intervals. We will see an example of how to calculate a confidence interval for a population variance.​ Confidence Interval Formula   The formula for the (1 - ÃŽ ±) confidence interval about the population variance. Is given by the following string of inequalities: [ (n - 1)s2] / B ÏÆ'2 [ (n - 1)s2] / A. Here n is the sample size, s2 is the sample variance. The number A is the point of the chi-square distribution with n -1 degrees of freedom at which exactly ÃŽ ±/2 of the area under the curve is to the left of A. In a similar way, the number B is the point of the same chi-square distribution with exactly ÃŽ ±/2of the area under the curve to the right of B. Preliminaries We begin with a data set with 10 values. This set of data values was obtained by a simple random sample: 97, 75, 124, 106, 120, 131, 94, 97,96, 102 Some exploratory data analysis would be needed to show that there are no outliers. By constructing a stem and leaf plot we see that this data is likely from a distribution that is approximately normally distributed. This means that we can proceed with finding a 95% confidence interval for the population variance. Sample Variance We need to estimate the population variance with the sample variance, denoted by s2. So we begin by calculating this statistic. Essentially we are averaging the sum of the squared deviations from the mean. However, rather than dividing this sum by n we divide it by n - 1. We find that the sample mean is 104.2. Using this, we have the sum of squared deviations from the mean given by: (97 – 104.2)2 (75 – 104.3)2 . . . (96 – 104.2)2 (102 – 104.2)2 2495.6 We divide this sum by 10 – 1 9 to obtain a sample variance of 277. Chi-Square Distribution We now turn to our chi-square distribution. Since we have 10 data values, we have 9 degrees of freedom. Since we want the middle 95% of our distribution, we need 2.5% in each of the two tails. We consult a chi-square table or software and see that the table values of 2.7004 and 19.023 enclose 95% of the distribution’s area. These numbers are A and B, respectively. We now have everything that we need, and we are ready to assemble our confidence interval. The formula for the left endpoint is [ (n - 1)s2] / B. This means that our left endpoint is: (9 x 277)/19.023 133 The right endpoint is found by replacing B with A: (9 x 277)/2.7004 923 And so we are 95% confident that the population variance lies between 133 and 923. Population Standard Deviation Of course, since the standard deviation is the square root of the variance, this method could be used to construct a confidence interval for the population standard deviation. All that we would need to do is to take square roots of the endpoints. The result would be a 95% confidence interval for the standard deviation.

Buckaroo Banzai

Buckaroo Banzai is a science fiction movie from the mid-1980. It is considered to be a cult classic, with a large fan base that loves the movies silly, yet strange plot. I personally thought that the movie was average; it had its good moments, but the acting was poor and the plot was odd. Still, though, it was a decent film that portrayed the theme of time travel. The movie is about a man named Buckaroo Banzai, who does many different jobs. Not only is Buckaroo a neurosurgeon and a martial-arts expert, but he is also a rock star and a government officer. He travels into another dimension and brings back a life form that wants to invade the Earth. A group of friendly aliens comes along and zaps Buckaroo to allow him to see the evil aliens that wanted to take over the Earth. The evil aliens are criminals that were imprisoned in the eighth dimension. Dr. Lizardo, a deranged psycho, escapes from a mental institution and joins the evil aliens. Buckaroo and his friends all join together and fight the evil aliens. A young boy helps Buckaroo and his friends fight the evil aliens while armed with a rifle. The evil aliens killed Buckaroos girlfriend, but the friendly aliens brought her back to life. Eventually, Buckaroo and his friends are able to defeat the evil aliens and save the world. Overall, if I had to rate this movie on a scale from one to five, I would give it a 2.5, an average score. While the plot was odd and the acting was poor, the movie did have its moments. Aside from that, the movie was an average time-travel movie. Back to the Future would have been a better choice for a time-travel movie, but Buckaroo Banzai was not so bad.

The Concept Of The Post-Human Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Concept Of The Post-Human - Essay Example But, the outstanding development of sciences, especially such as genetics, biotechnology, informatics, cybernetics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, astrophysics, cosmology and others, led to significant changes in the customary understanding of the relationship between humans and nature. Pepperell (1997) argues that new findings in the modern scientific researches pose today more questions than answers about the universe, nature and humans; moreover, â€Å"the tendency towards the developments of artificial life, synthesised intelligence, instant telecommunications and virtual reality means that we are now aware of a disappearing barrier between ‘natural’ and ‘human-made’ phenomena† (p.165). As a consequence of the shifts in the understanding of human power and beliefs in human’s superiority, an idea of â€Å"post-humanism† was born in 1940s and nowadays it has become quite popular, especially within â€Å"science-fiction-minde d† circles (Clark 2010). This paper is aimed to explore the meaning of the concept of the â€Å"post-human† and to discuss major assumed hazards for humans related to the concept, with the references to two famous movies – Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982) and the Terminator series (James Cameron, 1984; 1991). The films not only help to realise the possible threats to humanity from uncontrolled development of technologies, but, importantly, they â€Å"raise even more probing questions about the consequences of our definitions of the human† (Pyle 2000: p.124). What is the â€Å"post-human†? The early definitions of a post-human society are connected with the cybernetic movement started by Norbert Weiner in the 1940s, then ideas of the post-humanism have been popularised by American futurists (such as Stephen Hawking, Alvin Toffler and others) (Clark 2010). Gradually the concept of the â€Å"post-human† has been developing, inspiring many of na tural scientists and philosophers, as well as science-fiction writers, artists and film-makers. Generally speaking, a post-human is a conceptual imaging of â€Å"biotechnological or cybernetic systemic couplings† (Cobley 2010: p.294). Currently this concept is used in several meanings. Pepperell (1997) suggests three cases of the term’s using: (1) it is used to indicate the end of the Humanism period in the historical process of the world social development; (2) it is used to emphasise the transformation of a human being’s concept, mentioned above; (3) it refers to the current persistent convergence of technologies and human organisms, leading to â€Å"a future state of humanity in which biology is merged with technology† (p.174). The latter meaning draws the most attention in the world research society and causes heat debates, especially between the so called transhumanists and their opponents. According to the definition of Marx More: â€Å"Posthumans will be persons of unprecedented physical, intellectual and psychological ability, self-programming and self-defining, potentially immortal, unlimited individuals. Posthumans have overcome the biological, neurological, and psychological constraints evolved into humans. †¦Our personalities having been transferred â€Å"into† more durable, modifiable, and faster, and more powerful bodies and thinking hardware† (cited in Pepperell 1997: p.175). Bostrom (2003) explains what advantages the posthuman persons will have in comparing with the current state of human beings. Among them there are: a higher level of intellectuality and consciousness; resistance to many diseases and nonsusceptibility to aging;

Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change of Substance Abuse Research Paper

Transtheoretical Model of Behavioral Change of Substance Abuse - Research Paper Example Individuals engaged in this need help since engaging in substance abuse is absolutely based on one’s will. Using the Transtheoretical model a person’s willingness to accept change in behavior can be measured and efforts can be made to move the person through all the stages of change and help adopt a new behavior. The principles of this theory can be applied, to help a person progress through each of the stages and finally discard the habit of substance abuse thereby leading a healthier life. The rate at which substance abuse has grown in the recent years is of major concern. According to the National survey of Drug use and health (2013),23.9 million Americans of age 12 and above used illicit drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, heroin etc while 23% of Americans were binge alcohol drinkers and almost 69.5 million Americas used tobacco (NSDUH,2013). However, the numbers are expected to grow rapidly judging by the current trends. Taking too much of drugs or alcohol has detrimental impacts on the person’s health especially on the brain. Scientific studies have shown that prolonged usage of substances such as drugs stimulates the brain leading to addiction and becomes a relapsing brain disorder (Lashner, 1997, p45). The condition of drug abuse poses a threat not only to the user’s health but also to that of others. Risks such as violence, child abuse, criminal activities, car accidents, teenage pregnancy, STD’s, suicide are associated to the condition (Wagn er, 2001, 115). The problem of substance abuse is associated with certain alterations or modifications in ones behavior. In most people depression in life, lack of decision making ability, lack of judgment, anxiety over certain issues, over dependence on drugs, peer pressure, lack of self confidence, physical dependence, personal problems are the major behaviors that leads to substance abuse. Changes in certain behaviors would promote a