Gun Control Research Essay

ProCon. org recently featured an article that studied gun control. â€Å"Stricter state gun laws associated with fewer gun deaths, study finds. † The article discussed gun control laws in states with stricter laws tend to have lower rates of gun related homicides, and a suicide (ProCon para. 1) Gun control in the United States is becoming a wide spread issue and is becoming a problem everywhere. Although I am living in a city with uprising crime that has been skyrocketing over the years, I wasn’t aware of this being an issue all over the United States.I decided to do some research to find out whether I am in favor of Gun control laws or not. After reviewing many articles for and against gun control, I found out that I do in fact agree with gun control laws. It became difficult to determine my side of the controversy due to there being a lot of negative and positive opinions about the issue. I feel like gun laws should be in place to restore our countries gun related cri me rates in the U. S. The ProCon article argues that states with the strictest gun control laws have lower rates of gun related homicides and suicides.The argument for gun control laws revolve around the statistics of gun control laws being stricter in certain states verses states with not so strict gun control laws. According to ProCon, â€Å"the most restrictive gun control laws have an average of 6. 64 fewer deaths per 100,000 people per year than those with the least restrictive laws† (ProConpara. 1). ProCon continues on to discuss the study â€Å"Firearm Legislation and Firearm Related Fatalities in the United States,† that was studied by different researchers that measured the association between the â€Å"legislative strength of state gun control policies† (ProCon para.1). The researchers then began to study the five categories used to create the legislative strength score which included laws designed to: curb firearm trafficking; strengthen background ch ecks on purchasers of firearms beyond those required by Brandy Handgun Violence Prevention Act; ensure child safety; ban military style assault weapons; and restrict guns in public places (ProCon para. 1). The researchers then ranked all 50 states from 0 to 28 based on their score (ProCon para. 2). â€Å"The higher the score, the more restrictive the gun lawsin that state,† stated the researchers (ProCon para. 2). â€Å"This study is a very important addition to our understanding of the connection between gun control and gun violence,† said John Roman, a PhD, senior fellow. â€Å"In addition to the general relationship between gun safety laws firearm deaths, also suggests that increasing the number of gun safety laws increases the reductions in firearm related deaths. So the benefits just get bigger with more laws† (ProCon para. 3). After reading the ProCon article, I found myself agreeing with the researchers.I can see different levels of gun related crimes all over the United States. Just by living in Fort Wayne, IN where there has been a peak in gun related crimes and deaths gives me proof that their study was indeed accurate. If more states had stricter gun control laws they would start to have lower rates of gun related homicides and suicides. Next, I went to an article by Chuck Baldwin, an American Politician, who disagreed with gun control laws: â€Å"Here we go again. We have another mass shooting at yet another â€Å"gun free† zone.Not only was the location a â€Å"gun free zone, it was located inside the nation’s capital, which has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the entire country,† Stated Chuck Baldwin, (Baldwin para. 1). Mr. Baldwin clearly has a strong disagreement about gun control laws in the United States. In the title of the article, he stated, â€Å"Guns don’t kill people; gun control laws kill people† (Baldwin para. 1). Mr. Baldwin then proceeds to talk about people basicall y abusing gun control laws and that they are useless because people are still using guns in â€Å"gun free† zones. Mr.Baldwin argued, â€Å"I thought gun-control laws and â€Å"gun-free† zones were supposed to protect people from gun violence† (Baldwin para. 1). Mr. Baldwin proceeded to argue that â€Å"Gun-Free† zones are actually â€Å"Free Killing† zones (Baldwin para. 1). He then went on to explain how â€Å"This is the second time in recent memory when some wacko shoots up a military installation† (Baldwin para. 2). I feel like Mr. Baldwin’s logic behind gun control laws is kind of persuasive because even though there are gun control laws, and â€Å"gun free† zones, doesn’t mean that people are going to stop committing gun related crimes in places where there are laws in place.I expected that I might be swayed by Mr. Baldwin’s information, but I was not. I am definitely in favor of gun control laws. I also th ink that Mr. Baldwin’s argument was kind of true and he had a lot of good reasoning, but I still think that by enforcing gun control laws helps a lot of states to lower their gun related crimes. However, I did not see anything on Chuck Baldwin’s article that proved gun control laws were good or bad. The final article that convinced me of my position came from the Congressional Digest.The article, â€Å"Prevalence of Gun Use and the Regulatory Response† doesn’t focus on one side of the issue. Instead, it focuses on the different reasons gun control laws could or could not be effective. Some argue that the low violent crime rates of other countries have nothing to do with gun control, maintaining instead that multiple cultural differences are responsible (Gun para. 1). â€Å"Through the years, legislative proposals to restrict the availability of firearms to the public have raised the following questions: â€Å"What restrictions on firearms are permissibl e under the Constitution?Does gun control constitute crime control? Can the Nation’s rates of homicide, robbery, and assault be reduced by the stricter regulation of firearms commerce or ownership? Would restrictions stop attacks on public figures or thwart deranged persons and terrorists? Would household, street corner, and schoolyard disputes are less lethal if firearms were more difficult and expensive to acquire? Would more restrictive gun control policies have the unintended effect of impairing citizens’ means of self-defense? † (Gun para.2) This article provided a lot of questions that I asked myself and I answered â€Å"yes† to more than half of the previous questions. I had not considered these questions until I read the Congressional Digest. I think that if the government really cracked down on gun control laws, people would actually see a change in gun related crimes. I feel like yes, more restrictive gun control policies have unintended effect o f impairing citizens’, and yes different cultural differences have nothing to do with gun control issues.After reading these articles on gun control laws, I am now more informed and can still say that gun control laws still should be enforced. I am surprised at the different views this issue has received. I found out that I do in fact agree with gun control laws. It became difficult to determine my side of the controversy due to there being a lot of negative and positive opinions about the issue. I feel like gun laws should be in place to restore our countries gun related crime rates and fatalities in the U. S.

Statement of Intent

Statement of Intent The title of my Final Major Project is â€Å"Military Hero†. I will focus on the area of fashion and will work towards producing a small capsule collection consisting of a jacket/coat and a dress that I hope to create and display on show. It will be based around the ever popular military style; which has always been a favourite of mine. In my pathway project my theme was â€Å"Architecture in Fashion† of where I looked at structure and form, I found this theme to be very broad and endless.I also produced a garment based on the theme of shirt-making for a design competition, as I am progressing to University of Ulster to study the BA Hons Degree in Textile Art, Design and Fashion I feel I have made the right area and theme to work with for this project. I will start by looking at period weapons, medals, and armour of which I will use to produce a range of observational studies at A1 size.As I am focusing on Military Fashion I will take my inspiration from fashion designers Frida Giannini, Christopher Bailey, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano as I find their work and style to have elements of what I’m aiming to achieve as a final outcome for my final major project. I will also refer back to the uniforms worn by the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Fashion magazines and the internet as well as my college’s library are also resources I will use. On completion of my visual recording and references I intend to begin the design cycle of the final outcome.I will start by researching the style of garments I shall design through creating moodboard’s relating to colour, style and my military theme; I will then produce a capsule collection board of fashion designs which I will then develop further. Through completing class critiques I will refer to my peer comments and advice from specialism tutors to make a final decision. Once decided I will move on to creating a pattern that will then lead on to the making of a toile this will help me to make any adjustments needed. After this is completed I will compose the final pieces onto fabric that I have chosen.To make sure I do not have to deal with any complications I aim to do each stage two weeks in advance. All work that I do will be critically evaluated as I go along, this will help me to stay on track and I will also record websites, ideas and my schedule in my daily diary. The military styled capsule collection will be on exhibition and modelled on two size 10 mannequins at my college’s end of year show. I will have couture photography of the garments mounted in the background and will also have my project sketchbook displayed on a plinth.If I have any spare time I will also make myself a top based around my military theme. Appendix Bibliography Books: Antonio Mancinelli, (2010), â€Å"Fashion Box: The Immortal Icons of Style†, Thames & Hudson. Richard Martin, (2001), â€Å"The Fashion Book†, Phaidon. Kr istin Knox, (2010), â€Å"Alexander McQueen: Genius of a Generation†, A & C Black Publishers. Bonnie English, (2010), â€Å"Fashion: The 50 Most Influential Fashion Designers of All Time (Icons of Culture)†, Barrons. Websites: Who What Wear http://www. whowhatwear. com/Style http://www. style. com/ Vogue http://www. vogue. co. uk/ Lookbook http://lookbook. nu/ Fashion Is My Inspiration http://fashionismy-inspiration. blogspot. co. uk/ Polyvore http://www. polyvore. com/ Wikipedia http://www. wikipedia. org/ Trendstop http://www. trendstop. com/ Fashion Era http://www. fashion-era. com/ What I Wore http://whatiwore. tumblr. com/ Gucci http://www. gucci. com/ Fashion Net http://fashion. net/ Style and the City http://www. styleandthecity. com/ Alexander McQueen http://www. alexandermcqueen. co. uk .

Case study 4 -BUDGETING STATEMENTS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case study 4 -BUDGETING STATEMENTS - Essay Example Hence for 4000 patients visited during the month, the number of hours expected to be spent by the nurses is (4000 * 0.5) 2000 hours. But the actual time spent by the nurses on the patients is 2080 hours. This indicates that an additional 80 hours, i.e, (80 * 12)  £ 960 was spent on the patients. It is essential to investigate the reasons for this variance as the effect of this variance is adverse. As this measure is directly related to the efficiency of the nurses working at the hospital, one of the reasons for this variance might be that some of the nurses might be inefficient (Drury, 2005). The other possible reason could be that, some of the patients might have required additional care and attention which could have resulted in additional hours spent by the nurses. Appropriate action can be taken to improve the efficiency of the nurses can control this variance to a great extent (Blocker, 1951). The cost incurred in terms of the payment made to the nurses amounts to  £ 33,180. However the estimated pay based on the average pay per hour ( £ 12) is computed as (2080 * 12)  £ 24,960. This additional  £ 8,220 also has an adverse effect on the budget. Hence it is essential to understand the reasons for this variance in order to adjust the budgeting accordingly for the future periods. It is known that the pay for the nurses vary from  £ 7 to  £ 28, whereas the average is  £ 12. In the budget prepared, this average was only taken into account. However, the reason for the variance might be that more number of nurses with payment more than  £ 12 were on duty during the month. This variance can be controlled by noting the nurses who will be on duty for the following month and estimating the pay based on their pay scales, instead of using the average pay value. The quantity of supplies and variable heads are associated with the nursing hours as per the statistical studies. According to the standard, an average of  £ 10 worth of supplies and variable overheads are

Wellness project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Wellness project - Essay Example First, the physical dimension refers to the physiological state of the body system, ensuring that a person is free from illnesses and maintains physical activity through exercise and healthy diet. If a person is physically healthy, he can function well in the society and make significant contribution to the community. As such, being involved in one’s community also entails responsibility with the surrounding environment. Environmental dimension of health means that a person is able to take responsibility over his environment through protection and conservation of nature. Doing one’s part for environmental conservation also means involving one’s self in the community. As such, a person who builds good relationship with the people in the community shows a healthy social dimension (Corbin et. al., 2008). In a way, building relationships in one’s community is related to emotional dimension because person is capable of recognizing his and other people’s personal feelings. Aside from this, emotional dimension includes the ability handle stress and copes with life’s challenges. While emotional dimension deals with feeling, mental dimension of health deals with cognition or thought. A person is in good mental health if he does not suffer from anxiety and depression. Lastly, if one able to establish inner peace and find deeper purpose in life, it means that the individual is in good spiritual health. Spiritual dimension refers to one’s inner values and realization that we exist for a reason and that each of us has a higher purpose in life. It is only when an individual is able to develop his spiritual dimension, along with other five health dimensions, that we can say one

Should drugs and steroids be legalized in professional sports Research Paper

Should drugs and steroids be legalized in professional sports - Research Paper Example III. Negative Effects of Steroid Use. (i) Risks for the human body (ii) Risks for Men (iii) Risks for Women IV. Steroids in College Athletics and Professional Sports (i) Reasons for steroids use (ii) Testing for Steroid Use (iii) Incidents in the lives of Professional Athletes as a result of Steroid Use V. Steroid Use in the Adolescent Population (i) The "Hero Factor" (ii) Peer Pressure (iii) Risks for Teenagers who abuse steroids VI. Conclusion Ways of discouraging steroid use Name Professor Module Date Should Drugs and Steroids be legalized in Professional Sports? INTRODUCTION Eitzen, Stanley, & George, Sage. Sociology of North American Sport 7th Edition. California: McGraw Hill, 2003. Anabolic steroids refer to group molecules that contain synthetic analogs of testosterone as well as the authentic male sex hormone, testosterone. In the present sports scene, many athletes use anabolic steroids in order to build up on muscle mass. The history of the use of steroids goes back to the 1930s. Steroids first appeared in World War 2 when they were developed for the German army and legalized so that German soldiers could use them to be more destructive in war. After the war, American as well as European doctors often used steroids to take care of blood disorders such as anemia. Today, most steroids are utilized in veterinary medicine in the production of meat. Steroids help in building more muscle in lean beef cattle. Steroids are also used to generate muscle mass in race dogs and horses. According to this Sage and Fitzen, there is evidence to suggest that there are more than 3,000,000 standard anabolic steroid users in America even though they have not been legalized. Most of these users procure anabolic steroids through illegal means. ... Most of these users procure anabolic steroids through illegal means. According to these authors, who have comprehensively addressed different issues concerning the use of anabolic steroids, it is mainly the healthy athletes who turn to steroids in order to improve their already amazing performances in sports. The colloquial name for steroids, by which it is commonly referred in the streets, is ‘juice’ or ‘roids’. Benefits of Steroid Usage Assael, Shaun. Steroid Nation: Juiced Home Run Totals, Anti-aging Miracles and a Hercules in Every High School: The Secret History of America's True Drug Addiction. New York: ESPN, 2007. According to Assael, who has given a graphic account of the extent of steroid abuse among teenagers as well as professional athletes, steroids are not just the preference of athletes in sports that value a ragged physique (Assael 93). Some male and female athletes in different sports fields such as weightlifters, body builders, football pla yers, baseball players, runners, tennis players, basket ballers and swimmers have in the past used steroids to enhance their performances. In the present sports culture where many sport’s body’s have began to institute regulations that call for regular testing of athletes in order to counter steroid use, there are many tests that athletes in competitions like the Olympics have to undergo. This has not been successful in lessening steroid use, but has simply served to cause athletes to come up with more ingenious ways of ingesting steroids. By imitating the anabolic impact of testosterone, athletes believe that steroids help in generating additional tissues, contributes towards muscle recovery when they experience injuries in the field and

Review of the Economic Development Theories in Africa Essay

Review of the Economic Development Theories in Africa - Essay Example This paper offers an analysis of practical implementation of the four models of development in African countries. These models includes Harrod-Domar Model, Exogenous Growth model, Surplus Labor Model, and Harris-Todaro Model. Economic development theories and models are built on three main blocks; the saving function, the production function and labor supply function. Growth rate and saving function are equal to s/AY (where s is the saving rate and AY is the output ratio). South Africa is one of the developing countries in Africa that has implemented the Exogenous Growth Model since it has acknowledged the inclusion of technology and innovation in its plans. This model explains the importance of technological change (and capital accumulation in an economic growth. In Ethiopia Harrod-Domar model applies where high population growth rate is constraint to the rate of technological change. Harrod-Domar model outlines an economic function relationship in which the â€Å"growth rate of gross domestic product (g) depend directly on the national saving ratio (s) and inversely on the national capital/output ration ratio (k) Libya is one of the developing countries in Africa with the highest income per capita GDP, however, most of its population still remain poor and unemployed because of the rural-urban migration in accordance to the Harris-Todaro Model. This is a theory of rural-urban migration and it is strives to address the high rates of unemployment problem issue in the developing countries (Ezeala-Harrison,p3). Rural to urban migration is mainly fueled by the creation of more employment opportunities in the urban areas than the rural areas. This is the reason why most of the Africa’s developing countries such as Kenya have introduced policy of rural industrialization and development to help deal with the problem of high population and unemployment rates in the urban areas. Creation of more industries and other employment opportunities in the rural areas has attracted more people to the rural areas and this is one of the policies required for a balanced development in any country. In developing countries such as Algeria and Tunisia most of the citizens move from their rural homes to urban areas in search of education, employment and high living standards. Some people are also driven away by the poor status of their lands which are unproductive. The current surveys show that about 53 per cent of the populations of Kenya, Tunis, Algeria and South Africa reside in the urban areas. Rapid urban growth rate in the current economic status of the developing countries is a strain to the level of national and local governments to provide basic necessities such as electricity, sewerage, water and adequate health facilities. In such situations, squatter settlements and over crowded slums begin sprawling up. In a country like Kenya over-crowded slums are the homes to millions of the citizens. In most developing countries, this growth rate reflects rural crisis other than urban-based development (Ezeala-Harrison, p5). Harrod-Domar Model Harrod-Domar model outlines an economic function relationship in which the â€Å"growth rate of gross domestic product (g) depend directly on the national saving ratio (s) and inversely on the national capital/output ration ratio (k) (Jurgen & Paul, p257). Mathematically it is expressed as g= s/k. This equation derived its name from two economists (E.V Domar of U.S and Sir Roy Harrod of Britain) who proposed it. This th eory has been majorly utilized by the developing countries in planning their economy in the early post wars. For a targeted growth rate to be realized, a required growth rate must be set. Countries which are unable to set this require savings can resort to a jurisdiction for borrowing from international agencies such as International Monetary Funds and World Bank. Most of the African countries are developing countries which are unable to set the required savings to meet the targeted growth rate. They therefore resort to borrowing from international agencies. Huge debts are disadvantages to developing countries because of the higher interest rates and poor credit (Jurgen & Paul, p257). Problems usually a rise when these countries make irregular loan payment and underestimate the project cost. Every country

China increasing presence in sub-saharan africa Dissertation

China increasing presence in sub-saharan africa - Dissertation Example China despite having high population (over 1 billion people) compared to numerous states globally, the state continues to exhibit a remarkable economic improvement each year (Bloomberg 2010). This is due to its insistence on economic investment not only inside the state but also globally whereby China attains incomparable benefits in return. Some of these benefits/returns to the China embrace available market for their exports, raw materials, imports and even oil. The latter commodity (oil) is almost getting exhausted in the states which China used to rely on besides the US developing political interests in these regions with the intention of dominating the states (Middle East states), hence yielding to stiff competition. Relationship between China and Sub Saharan African region that has yielded to current strong involvement between the two sides is mutually beneficial. This implies the involved parties regardless of their varying economic grounds, maximally benefit from each though due to China’s high demand for raw materials it ended up initiating the move. This is evident from the China’s numerous economic activities evident in SSA region contrary to those of the western states that had initially and up to date invested in Africa (Kaplinsky, McCormick, and Morris 2007). Hence, exhibiting China is out to compete with its rivals (Europe and US) though the tactic is not political as witnessed with US seeming to dominate the other region. China in its quest to attain and ensure cordial relationship with SSA region, embarked on heavy investing that will not only guarantee present benefits but also the future (Kaplinsky, McCormick, and Morris 2007). Hence, being prudent in their actions especially in shunning the areas that have for long maintained a high reputation of rich oil reserves, though currently are undergoing depletion (Broadman 2007). This has prompted China to focus on developing SSA region via establishing and supporting varied key proje cts. Most of these projects encompass those, which for long superpower states (west and US) evaded or heightened their bids especially when negotiating about terms once they finance them. Hence, prompting China to use this opportunity to offer interest-free loans meant for varied states’ projects in this region to back and fund their projects. For instance, this is evident in Libreville where China gave $2 billion and an additional of $6 million loan in return for timber (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and PRC.2000). This is among numerous interventions and incidences regarding trade, which China has involved itself by concentrating on ensuring cordial relationship with SSA region besides constant flow of raw materials for their home industries. The inception of china’s interest in SSA region started with the tour of President Hu Jintao who ended up entering into various agreements with the key SSA states, for instance, Algerian and Gabon regimes. His core intention enco mpassed seeking constant suppliers of oil for his states. Consequently, this prompted china to finanncing oil exploration projects after signing an agreement with Omar Bongo in Lbreville (China Monitor 2006). In addition, Sinopec and Total-Gabon company made an agreement where the latter was to export 1Millions tons of oil to china (China Monitor 2006). This prompted China to give a loan of 420 Million euro meant to develop Zarzaitine oil field, which was after signing agreement in 2002 (China Monitor 20