Short Reflection on the Problem of Evil Essay Example for Free

Short Reflection on the Problem of Evil Essay The question of evil is a common hot button topic among atheists and non-Christians who attempt to disprove Christianity. They argue that an omnipotent and omniscient God cannot exist in a world with so much evil. The argument is used by them to try to prove that Christianity is â€Å"internally self-contradictory and thereby to be rejected.† Many claim that a benevolent and caring God would certainly not create evil or allow it to flourish in the world that He created. So, the problem of evil is how to explain that there can be a perfect, all-powerful, and all-loving God that exists in a world with so much moral and natural evil. First, natural and moral evil need to be distinguished from one another. Natural evil is defined as â€Å"evil which occurs in the process of the functioning of the natural order.† People are not responsible for these happenings; they are simply the victims and no one is to blame. The devastation that resulted from Hurricane Sandy is a perfect example of such evil, along with other problems such as cancer and earthquakes. Moral evil, on the other hand, is defined as â€Å"evil produced by activities of moral agents.† This evil stems from intentional action, such as murder, stealing, and adultery. Natural evil is part of the consequences of moral evil that resulted from the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. The vast amount of evil that exists in the world is not because God created it, but because man allowed it. Man was not was not created by God with a built in evil nature; he was created with a free will that was exercised to purposefully sin. God gave Adam a choice whether to do right or wrong and he failed. The moment Adam chose to sin in the Garden of Eden the rest of the human race would be born in sin, too. God did not force this choice on Adam but allowed him to have complete free will. God is wholly benevolent and did not create evil; man brought it into the world by his sinful actions. Adam’s wrongdoing also brought condemnation the perfect world God created. Natural evils like illness and natural disasters are a direct result from the moral evil that man commits. Just as this God-given free will brought sin into the world, though, it gives us the chance to show our true love for God. He did not leaves us hopeless and abandoned when sin entered the world; He offers us a way of escape through His son Jesus Christ. There will always be evil in this world until Christ returns in glory one day. The evil that exists, both moral and natural, are not created by God but are a direct result of man abusing his free will and choosing wrongly. Bibliography Gerstner, J. H.. â€Å"Evil.† Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. E. Walter A Elwell. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. 384-385. Print.

Identity In Post Colonial Australian Essay

Identity In Post Colonial Australian Essay In the second half of the 20th century, after two centuries of colonial oppression and assimilation policies in Australian history, political and social break thoughts of aboriginal people in to the dominant European culture was bought to an end, thus enabling Aboriginal Artists to have the freedom to express their traditions, culture and identity. According to Oxford Art Online, the Simultaneous explosions of the Australian art market in the 1990s, gained international recognition for Aboriginal Art that emerged into the contemporary Aboriginal art that appealed to White Australias conflicting a desire for cultural reconciliation. The recognition of artistic production in Aboriginal communities across Australia enabled artists to explore themes of cultural alienation. The first wave of contemporary Aboriginal painters including Clifford Possum, Rover Thomas, Paddy Bedford and Emily Kame Kngwarreye, utilized repertoires of dots, blocks of color, with stimulating negative spaces or gestural brushstrokes to evoke the sense of a sacred, collective knowledge. Collectors and museums began to actively collect contemporary Aboriginal works, whose conceptual paintings reinterpreted Australian colonial history. Today Aboriginal Australians are producing art in the remote regions where artists continue to explore their connections with their ancestral land and traditions of ground designs, body art, painted canvases, and bark paintings using contemporary materials. The practice of art is seen differently by indigenous art-makers than their contemporary artist counterparts; the works themselves often have a lot in common with much contemporary artwork, particularly with conceptual, installation and issues-based art. However, in early times, art had a different function than the modern ideas of self-expression or decoration; created with spiritual and hunting/survival purposes in mind. The identity of the individual artist/maker of cave paintings, masks and other traditional art forms was not as significant as it is today. Still, the traditional art objects perceived today also as a work of art, and valued for its aesthetic qualities. In addition, they are exploring contemporary art forms such as photography, film, multimedia, theatre, sculpture, printmaking, and installation. Artists such as Tracey Moffat, (b.1960), Fiona Foley, (b.1964), and Gordon Bennett (b.1955), whom consider indigenous art as a way to express political and social issues in new forms of contemporary media, reflects unique perspectives of a distinctive experiences. Whilst their art proclaims aboriginal identity, it often acts as a medium for cultural renewal, operating beyond the classical idioms, conforming to the inspiration from aboriginal practices and European, and other visual language and techniques. As, written in Wally Caruanas book, Aboriginal Art, chapter 6, Artists in the Town and City: In the second half of the twentieth century, as the movements for the recognition of aboriginal rights gained momentum, urban and rural artists found compelling reasons to produce art. Aboriginal people required imagery and symbols with which to express their ideals and inspirations. These issues of dispossession, broken families, racism-the secret history of Australia- and an intensifying of the sense of cultural identity provided strong motivation, and these themes are all apart of the repertoire of artists. For instance, works by aboriginal instillation and mixed media artist Fiona Foley, from Harvey Bay, Frazer Island, engages with the history, ideas, family tradition from her cultural heritage from the Wondunna clan of Badtjala tribe from her mothers side, and her work reflects the remembrance of colonial oppression, the colonized vision of Australia and her ancestors. Foleys work deals with the issues of displacement and dispossession of land, the people and some of her work is highly political, committing herself to the history of Aboriginal people and represents racism and violence and identity, and raises issues from a historic and contemporary cultural view. (http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2644/6/part5, (Morphy, Illus 260, 273). Annihilation of the blacks (1986), is a frightening sculptural installation which is a part of the permanent collection of the Australian National Gallery (Caruana, 1993).The work represents the massacre of the disturbing treatment of Aboriginal people by the colonizers; the work consists of a white figure standing in front of 9 hanging black figures. The upright forked posts and cross poles are a powerful symbolic medium in traditionally-oriented Aboriginal communities for shelters and homes (Reser, 1977b). It is also a sacred complex and symbol for the first residence of the Wagilak in Arnhem Land, which represents the Kunapipi ceremony (Berndt, 1951). Also within the young Aboriginal boys waiting to be born again, as young men, are viewed metaphorically as flying foxes, hanging from the beam, it is said that the flying fox ancestral spirits brought circumcision to the central Arnhem Land clans and because the flying fox is a central totemic species to clans in this region. Fiona Foley often draws inspiration from traditional Aboriginal culture and life, while making powerful and contemporary political statements. All of this gives the sculpture a very strong traditional as well as contemporary symbolic quality, with multiple and intertwined meanings and messages. Annihilation of the Blacks 1986 wood, synthetic polymer paint, feathers, string 278 x 300 x 60 cm Collection National Museum of Australia, Canberra Image courtesy National Museum of Australia, Canberra  © the artist Photograph: George Serras, National Museum of Australia http://www.mca.com.au/general/FFoley_resource.pdf In her large sculptural installation work such as Land Deal, 1995, is about the response to the words of the nineteenth colonial official John Batman, when he described how he purchased 600, 000 acres from local aborigines in Port Phillip, in exchange for beads, blankets and knives, scissors. (http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2644/6/part5.pdf). This work consists of a spiral of flour on the floor; representing the loss of lifestyle and health that consequently came about during white settlement, and also by invoking the genocidal colonial practice of poisoning the flour given to aboriginal people, (Evans, Raymond, Fighting Words: Writing about Race, University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia, 1999. The work also incorporates the objects, which hang from the walls. The real projection is that her expression to suggest the indigenous loss the land, as a dialogue of transaction, reminding the public of the cold absence of indigenous voice, and the lack of understanding that for the ongoing cam paigns for land return in which Foley and her own family have embarked in. Land Deal 1995 installation view, Savode Gallery, Brisbane, 1995 mixed media, flour, found objects, text dimensions variable Collection National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Image courtesy the artist and National Gallery of Australia, Canberra  © the artist http://www.mca.com.au/general/FFoley_resource.pdf Foleys personal searches to discover Badtjala material culture by referring to these objects, examining the history of their collection and interpretation. Foley reclaims their true significance to Aboriginal people. The ambiguous relationship between the descendants of the white settlers and Australias original inhabitants in Fraser Islands recent history as the struggle for recognition of native title for the Badtjala people continues. Avril Quaill Gordon Bennett, also from an aboriginal heritage from his mothers side; he was an orphan from Cherbourg reserve 240km northwest of Brisbane. Known for his paintings, installation and multimedia art forms focuses on a more personal viewpoint of past and present struggle for identity as an Australian of Aboriginal and Anglo-Celtic descent. His works present and examine a broad range of philosophical questions related to the construction of identity, perception, and knowledge. (http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gordonbennett/education/intro.html) within cultural and historical inequities created by European settlement in Australia, (http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gordonbennett/education/02.html) For example, he uses his self-portraits as a concept of self-identity and questioning stereotypes and labeling on a larger national scale, immersed within a White European culture. Bennett was unaware of his Aboriginality until his early teens as he described this knowledge as a psychic rupturing, (Ian McLean, Towards an Australian postcolonial art in Ian McLean & Gordon Bennett, The Art of Gordon Bennett, Craftsman House, 1996, p. 99). (Ian McLean, Towards an Australian postcolonial art in Ian McHis art attempts to depict the complexity of both cultural perspectives. Self portrait (Ancestor figures), 1992 deals with broader issues of cultural identity as well as personal identity. The installation consists of images of his family and drawing. The self- portrait of the artist seems to be present everywhere within the installation but is in fact nowhere. The dresser draw labelled self is closed while the drawers for history and culture that is partly open and partly closed. Bennett in dicates the need to be reconciled within the context of culture and history to develop a full sense of identity. An understanding of self in the context of family does not seem enough as the mirror, acts as a chronic symbol within his work, is not a two- dimensional illusion but an honest construct. The viewer does not confront the artist, but self. Bennett uses this symbol because: In the mirror, everything is possible because nothing is there (Ian McLean, Towards an Australian Postcolonial Art in The Art of Gordon Bennett, p.105) Gordon Bennett born Australia 1955 Self portrait (Ancestor figures) 1992 chest of drawers, watercolour, photocopies, lead, rocks, masking tape (variable) (installation) Collection of the artist, Brisbane  © Courtesy of the artist Photography: Phillip Andrews http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gordonbennett/education/02.html What emerges for all who take part in this piece is in fact an examination of the self. The I am from Self portrait (But I always wanted to be one of the good guys) is replaced with We all are. In addition, the grid and perspective lines on the floor represent another symbol acting as the groundwork of the installation that appears to confirm this sense. In European tradition, the means to map a particular space, land, etc alludes to ownership and territory. It recalls the way stereotypes, labels, identities, and systems of thought are fixed. On each corner of the grid are the letters A B C D . While these may indicate the way maps are constructed to find different locations, they also represent the first letter of racial slurs. Identity is fixed and self is understood in the context of words such as Abo, Boong, Coon and Darkie . The Other is clearly marked out as not only different but by necessity inferior. These contrasting and complex meanings and ideas are not accidental. Bennett purposefully constructs these layers to blur fixed ideas and raise questions about the way identity is constructed. He uses his self as the vehicle to do so. Lean & Gordon Bennett, The Art of Gordon Bennett, Craftsman House, 1996, p. 99) You have to understand my position of having no designs or images or stories on which to draw to assert my Aboriginality. In just three generations, that heritage has been lost to me. Gordon Bennett 9 Blood is a potent symbol and has historically been a measure of Aboriginality. In the past Quadroon, was a socially acceptable term used to label Indigenous people as a way of establishing genetic heredity. The purer the bloodlines, the more Aboriginal you were. Mixing of pure blood with European blood was feared by Europeans, authenticity was at risk and identity diluted. As an Australian of both Aboriginal and Anglo Celtic descent, Bennett felt he had no access to his indigenous heritage. He states: The traditionalist studies of Anthropology and Ethnography have thus tended to reinforce popular romantic beliefs of an authentic Aboriginality associated with the Dreaming and images of primitive desert people, thereby supporting the popular judgment that only remote full-bloods are real Aborigines. Gordon Bennett 10 Gordon Bennett explores these ideas in Self portrait: Interior/ Exterior , 1992. Once again, the arena of self- portraiture becomes a vehicle to take over and challenge stereotypes. Here he exposes the truth of colonial occupation it was a bloody conquest. Bennett depicts self as a black empty vessel, coffin- like with lash markings almost disguised by a thick layer of black paint. Literally opening up this black skin of paint are the words cut me. They act as deep welts created when tissue scars. Gouged into the skin like a tattoo, these markings will never heal or fade away. They powerfully describe pain and violence. Bennett only uses two colours, symbolically, red and black. Gordon Bennett born Australia 1955 Self portrait: Interior/Exterior 1992 synthetic polymer paint on canvas on pine frames, leather stock whip, paper tags (1-2) 187.0 x 60.0 x 25.0 cm (each) (1-3) (variable) (installation) Collection of the artist, Brisbane  © Courtesy of the artist Photography: Phillip Andrews http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gordonbennett/education/02.html There is no physical body. The coffin- like box acts as the body, both inside and outside are scarred with Pollock inspired lashes of paint. These scars are not just physical they are also emotional. This imagery is reinforced by the whip neatly hanging on the wall beside the body. Ultimately, this piece, one of a series of welt paintings, explores identity through pain, exploitation and suffering. Bennett does not wish to romanticise or sanitise this bloody history. The viewer is challenged to face it. The blood splashed and flowing under the layer of black skin does not discern the colour of the skin it contains, only the potency of life. Bennett challenges the viewer with contrasting identities. The oppressors, those who use the whip, and the oppressed, those enslaved by the whip. These opposites are not absolute. Bennett is more interested in exploring what lies between. My work is often seen as about exploring my identity in order to secure it, like Im searching for it, like Ive lost it somewhere, which is the total opposite to what Im doing. Sure, Im exploring identity, but Im trying to make it obvious about how open it is; how its a process of the negotiation of these different sites of memory, human relations. It is all those other things, and it shouldnt be closed off. It shouldnt be a thing that constricts nor should it be an imposed thing, from outside oneself, like a prison. Gordon Bennett 11 Bennetts art practice attempts to remove the obstacles that interfere with a positive development of self. Tracey Moffatt, born into a fostered white family in Brisbane, close to were her Aboriginal ancestors grew up, on a mission outside of Brisbane called Cherbourg, (Moffatt qtd. in Rutherford 52, plays a huge part in representing a multicultural role in society as she examines the ways Australias colonial past enlightens the present. The photographs, mostly still from her film-making, places a narrative images into many of the stories being told, representations past and present times in Aboriginal History, her perspective seems to identify to her Aboriginality and feminist view point. However, she cautiously uses her style of narratives with multiple and specific politics concern of Australian identity, with an inspiration of the lives of her Aboriginal heritage and culture. Her unique visual style of cinematic images challenges the stereotypes of race and gender, with issues symbolic of political references, (http://admin5.lisjc.lism.catholic.edu.au/~mark/Visual%20Arts%20documents/Id entity%20unit/Tracey%20Moffatt%20from%20Australian%20Artists.pdf) Her compelling and very powerful photographic works such as Up in the Sky 1998, is a sequence of twenty five monochromatic narrative photographs set in the vast desert concerning the Australian Stolen Generation. Indigenous Australian children were taken from their families and forcibly relocated under Government policy was enacted and performed on location in Queenslands outback, (http://www.answers.com/topic/tracey-moffatt). In these images Moffatt refers to both the collective memory of her own personal experiences as well as the constructing reality of the influence of culture, alienation, desolation, and the wider concerns of remote living. Tracey Moffatt Up In The Sky # 1, 1997 series of 25 images off set print 61 ÃÆ'- 76cm 72 x 102 paper size Edition of 60 http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/26/Tracey_Moffatt/73/32634/ In her films still Night Cries: A rural Tragedy 1989, she represents the truth and memory about a mother and daughter relationship with a focus on events that took place focusing on Death, childhood, loneliness and memory. The film brings forth the powerful issues related to the black and white relations of Australian history during the attempts to assimilate Australian Indigenous people into the white society, (http://www.qag.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/27504/qld_edu_kit_web.pdf) Tracey Moffatt: Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy, Still, 1989 http://www.qag.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/27504/qld_edu_kit_web.pdf Tracey Moffatt . The interest in Aboriginal art which has flourished since the 1970s has created new opportunities for indigenous artists, as their work leaves the communities to be shown in museums and galleries around the world. Meanwhile, the imperatives to produce art for traditional purposes continue, and the expanded environment in which indigenous art now operates has created further compelling reasons for artists to continue expressing the values of their culture to the wider world. In the public domain, Aboriginal art can be appreciated for its spirituality and aesthetic qualities, and as a reflection of the social and political achievements and aspirations of the peoples who create it. . Avril Quaill: World of Dreamings, Traditional and modern art of Australia, An exhibition held at the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg | 2 February 9 April 2000 H , Robinson: Feminism-art-theory: an anthology, 1968-2000, Wiley-Blackwell, 2001 Bonwick, J., John Batman, the Founder of Victoria, Melbourne: Samuel Mullens, 1867. Caruana, W., et al, The Eye of the Storm: Eight contemporary indigenous Australian artists, Canberra: National Gallery of Australia, 1996. Cooper, C., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections in Overseas Museums, Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press, 1989. Elder, B., Blood on the Wattle: Massacres and maltreatment of Australian Aborigines since 1788,second edition, Sydney: New Holland Publishers, 1998. Moon, D. & Krause, J., Deutsche Auswanderer Hope and Reality, History of the nineteenth century German settlement of Mount Cotton in south east Queensland, Cleveland, Queensland:Redland Museum Inc., 1999 Gordon bennetts ref: Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe in Ian McLean & Gordon Bennett, The Art of Gordon Bennett, Craftsman House, 1996, p. 33 Ian McLean, Towards an Australian postcolonial art in Ian McLean & Gordon Bennett, The Art of Gordon Bennett, Craftsman House, 1996, p. 99 Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe in The Art of Gordon Bennett, p. 22 Rebecca Lancashire, Blurring the lines of history, The Age, Monday 5 May , 1997 Kelly Gellatly, Citizen in the Making: The art of Gordon Bennett in Gordon Bennett (exh. cat.), National Gallery of Victoria, 2007 p. 16 Gordon Bennett, The manifest toe in The Art of Gordon Bennett, p. 34 Gabriella Coslovich, Bennett puts on a brave face, The Age, 28 April, 2004 Ian McLean, Towards an Australian Postcolonial Art in The Art of Gordon Bennett, p.105 Gordon Bennett & Chris McAuliffe, Interview with Gordon Bennett in Rex Butler (e d.) What is Appropriation? An Anthology of Writings on Australian Art in the 1980s and 1990s. IMA Publishing, Brisbane, 2004, p. 27 http://leonildeviljoen.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/fiona-foley/ http://www.quitnow.info.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/C143D432E3817918CA2571F10000CC3A/$File/indall.pdf http://www.newrepublics.com/GordonBennettHomeDecor.pdf http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/33990/cda_5.pdf http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1931/is_1_27/ai_n29415749/ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1931/is_1_27/ai_n29415749/pg_2/?tag=content;col1 http://www.artaustralia.com/images/currentbookpdf/Tracey%20MoffattVol41No2.pdf http://www.artlink.com.au/articles.cfm?id=2596 http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/00/10/night.html

Case Study On The Ethics Of The Police Law Essay

Case Study On The Ethics Of The Police Law Essay This paper will discuss decisions made by police in a scenario. This paper will critique decisions that the police in the scenario have made. I will be discussing whether or not the decisions made by the police were ethical or not and I will discuss what I would have done in the situation. I will be discussing ethical considerations. I will discuss a number of topics related to ethics such as NSW Police Oath of Office, Statement of Values and Code of Conduct. I will also be talking about human rights, coercive and excessive force, discretion, power, authority, reporting misconduct and loyalty. Numerous policies and legislation need to be followed to perform the role of a police officer and to maintain ethical standards and to make ethical decisions. Ethical decisions are made every day by police and it is important to be ethical to be a police officer. The first decision by police that I will critique is Senior Constable Cullens decision to keep Scotts Ipod. Senior Constable Cullen demanded Scott to give the Ipod that he stole. Senior Constable Cullen did not give the Ipod to the lawful owner. Instead he decided to keep the Ipod for himself. The decision to keep the Ipod is the wrong decision and is an unethical decision. An ethical decision involves obvious ethical standards. An ethical decision is being able to distinguish if a decision is lawful, moral and the correct decision which will impact a number of stakeholders. NSW Police Oath of Office requires states: police to keep the peace, to the best of your ability, faithfully according to law (Oath of Office, Clause 7, Police Regulation, 2008.). The Oath of Office is a legally binding promise that all NSW Police officers take. The Oath of Office is legislation and has to be followed in order for police to function ethically and responsibly. In the scenario Senior Constable Cullen decided to keep Scotts Ipod. Senior Constable Cullen did not follow the Oath of Office and failed in his duties to perform to the best of his ability. This makes the decision that Senior Constable Cullen made one that is unethical, unjustified and against legislation. The decision to steal Scotts Ipod also breaches NSW Police Statement of Values. The Statement of Values outlines the collective values of the NSW Police. It provides employees with clear guidelines on the conduct required to support the values of the NSW Police Force (pp.49, Policing Issues and Practice Journal, May 2007, the NSW Police Force Revised Statement of Values and Ethics). The NSW Police Statement of Values states: Excellence; having the highest professional standards and integrity. Senior Constable Cullen did not follow this value when he made the decision to take Scotts Ipod and not give it back. Having excellence is to have high standards and to act morally and ethically, have good character and to be honest which Senior Constable Cullen did not show in his decision of stealing the Ipod. Senior Constable Cullen also breached the NSW Police Force Code of Conduct and Ethics policy. This policy states that NSW Police employees act professionally, honesty and to be ethical The Code of Conduct and Ethics policy guides NSW Police to act ethically and have good conduct. The NSW Police Force Code of Conduct and Ethics states: An employee of the NSW Police Force must not make improper use of their position or NSW Police Force information or resources. Senior Constable Cullen breached this policy when he stole Scotts Ipod. Senior Constable used his position as a police officer for an unlawful purpose. He stole the Ipod for personal gain. This policy states that a NSW Police employee cannot use their position as leverage to perform an unlawful act such as stealing. Senior Constable Cullen had no justification under any law, legislation or policy to steal Scotts Ipod, therefore his decision is an unethical, unlawful decision without any justification. In Senior Constable Cullens decision, he used inappropriate discretion when he stole Scotts Ipod. Discretion is acting according to your own judgment wherever your authority leaves you free to do so (PPP123 Study Guide, 2010, p.23). Senior Constable Cullen has discretion whether to arrest and charge Scott and keep his Ipod. Although he used his discretion to steal the Ipod, it was an unlawful use of his discretion because it is against the law to steal. Discretion is supposed to be applied in good faith and to uphold the spirit of the law. The way Senior Constable Cullen used his discretion was unethical, was not done in good faith and was not justified. Senior Constable Cullen has breached an important human right when he made the decision to keep Scotts Ipod unlawfully. Human rights are the rights and liberty in which all humans are entitled to. Article 17 states: No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (Article 17, United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948). Police can breach human rights justifiably such as taking property. The justification for taking property would be for the gathering of evidence or if a person is in custody. Police officers are not justified in taking property of others for their own personal use. All humans in the world are entitled to human rights. Police are required to protect everyones human rights in order to keep the peace, uphold standards of living and to keep society a safe place. This shows that Senior Constable Cullen violated human rights by taking Scotts Ipod and therefore this deci sion is an unethical one. There are numerous potential consequences for Senior Constable Cullen for stealing the Ipod. It is a criminal offence to steal property belonging to another. Senior Constable Cullen may face criminal prosecution for his decision to steal the Ipod. By not following the NSW Police Force policies and legislation such as, the Oath of Office, Code of Conduct and Ethics and Statement of Values, human rights declaration and proper use of discretion, Senior Constable Cullen may face disciplinary action by NSW Police. Senior Constable Cullen may also be terminated from the NSW Police Force for his actions if he cannot justify why he took the Ipod from Scott. He may also be sued by Scott for taking his Ipod. I would not have made the decision to steal Scotts Ipod. I would have no justification to steal Scotts Ipod. I would also not be following legislation and policy if I took Scotts Ipod without giving it back. If I was the police officer in that situation, I would give the Ipod back to Scott who is the rightful owner. The second decision made by police that I will critique is Senior Constable Cullens decision to push Scott heavily into the fence. Pushing Scott heavily into the fence is considered excessive force. Excessive force is defined as: force than cannot be justified (PPP123 Study Guide, 2010, pp70-71). Senior Constable Cullen has to justify his decisions and the actions he takes and he is held accountable for his actions. Senior Constable is accountable for his action because he has original authority. Original authority is defined as: acting from your own will. It is granted and exercised as a result of holding the office of constable (PPP123 Study Guide, 2010, p.69). Due to the fact that police officers have original authority, they are all accountable for their own actions. No one else is accountable for the decisions they make. The Police Act 1990, Statement of Values, Code of Conduct and Police Regulation 2008 states that Police officers are held accountable for their actions and must justify the decisions they make and the actions they take. Senior Constable Cullen was not justified in pushing Scott heavily into the fence. Coercive force would have been a better option to take. Coercive force can be used when: the amount of force used to be adequate to the intended outcome. Only the minimum amount of force is necessary to achieve the outcome. (PPP123 Study Guide, 2010, p70). Coercive force is making someone do something they would not otherwise have done. Instead of pushing Scott heavily into the fence, I would have instructed Scott to turn around and would have handcuffed him because by law I am justified in handcuffing a person when they have escaped or tried to escape and I need to handcuff Scott to prevent future escape when I start talking to him. That would have been the minimum force needed at that moment. Pushing Scott hard into the fence was not necessary and there were other coercive force options available like handcuffing him and telling him hes under arrest. The consequences of his actions may have resulted in a civil lawsuit against him and being charged with assault and being terminated from the NSW Police Force. The third decision that I will critique is Constable Blacks decision to not report the misconduct of her partner Senior Constable Cullen. Senior Constable Cullen made a number of unethical decisions like pushing Scott hard into the wall and stealing Scotts Ipod. Constable Black did not address the misconduct of her partner. Misconduct is where a breach of some form of policy, law or other stringent requirement occurs (PPP123 Study Guide, 2010, p.118). If a police officer is acting in a way which you consider to be misconduct, the police officer is legally required to report misconduct (cl. 49 Police Regulation 2008 Point 10 Code of Conduct and Ethics). Constable Black might not have reported the incidents because she thought there might be ramifications to her career and possible the career of her partner Senior Constable Cullen. Her inactions of not reporting misconduct may jeopordise her career. Constable Black does not have the moral courage to report the misconduct of Senior Constable Cullen. Moral courage is to stand up for yourself and take a stand on what you think is the right thing to do. As a police officer, Constable Black should be aware that she can report misconduct to the Commissioner, Internal Witness Support Unit, Corruption hotline, NSW Ombudsman and many other avenues. Constable Black is loyal to her colleague, but loyalty doesnt work once your career is on the line. Constable Black can be loyal to her partner in situations such as lawful arrests and general policing functions. Loyalty in policing is valuable because it allows police to pursue their goals and objective effectively (PPP123 Study Guide, 2010, p122). Although when her partner starts to do things which are in contradiction with law, policy and guidelines, Constable Black need not be loyal to her partner, but to be loyal to the NSW Police Force and to report the crime. I do not agree with Constable Blacks decision of not reporting misconduct of her colleague Senior Constable Cullen. There is no justification for her to not report misconduct. If a complaint was made against Senior Constable Cullen about him stealing the Ipod, Constable Black would be questioned as to what she did about him stealing the Ipod and why didnt she report it to anyone. This might have potentially caused an end to her service in the NSW Police Force. If I was Constable Black, I would suggest to Senior Constable Cullen to give the Ipod back. If he still decided to keep the Ipod, I would then report his misconduct by following the relevant avenues. In conclusion I have critiqued 3 decisions that the police officers made in the scenario. The two police officers were Senior Constable Cullen and Constable Black. I discussed the potential consequences of their decisions and what I would have done in their situation. I talked about various weekly topics including discretion, NSW Police Oath of Office, Statement of Values, Code of Conduct. I also discussed human rights, coercive and excessive force, discretion, power, authority, reporting misconduct and loyalty. To be ethical and to be justified for your actions, A police officer must follow legislation and policies such as Statement of Values, Oath of Office and Code of Conduct and Ethics and NSW Police standard operating procedures which is readily accessible. I came to a conclusion that the options that Senior Constable Cullen took were not justified, were not ethical, nor were they following NSW Police guidelines, standard operating procedures and legislation. I also came to the conclusion that Constable Blacks decision of not reporting misconduct is unethical, not justified and breached Clause 9 of the Police Regulation 2008 which states that all NSW Police officers are legally required to report misconduct.

Oliver Twist, Hamlet, and Autism :: essays research papers

There are things in life which have an impact on us, an event, a place, movie, a person and many other experiences influence our thoughts and emotions. People also feel touched by things they read. There are books which make you cry or keep you in tension all these things are considered memorable. I have been affected by innumerable books and articles of which I am going to discuss the three most memorable pieces of literature I have read. Which are: Hamlet, Oliver Twist and an article on Autism. I chose to write about these pieces of literature because apart from having impacted me they have a similar topic which makes the term paper more appealing. Hamlet is one of my favorite plays written by William Shakespeare. Just by being written by my favorite author, Shakespeare, makes it memorable, but apart from that the play has a well structured plot and vivid characters. The play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, was first performed around 1600. Since then, it has proven to be one of the English language's most enduring stories, and there has never been a decade that hasn't seen dozens of new productions. Hamlet has come to the screen numerous times, in incarnations varying from early, silent versions to grand, colour epics.1 The story centres on Hamlet, a thirty-year old Prince of Denmark during the twelfth century, who is mourning the death of his beloved father and the untimely wedding of his mother, Gertrude, to his uncle Claudius.2 Hamlet sees his mother's sudden re-marriage as a betrayal of her union with his father, but worse news is yet to come. An apparition, appearing in the shape of Hamlet's father, haunts Elsinore Castle, and when Hamlet confronts the ghost, it claims to be the true spirit of the late king, doomed to walk the Earth for a set time. It also states that, by using a fast-acting, deadly poison, Claudius committed murder to claim both queen and crown for himself. Hamlet vows revenge, and thus begins either his slow spiral into madness or his carefully orchestrated act to appear insane.3 The mixture of fantasy and reality if one of the things I like about Hamlet. The appearance of the â€Å"ghost† at the beginning of the play makes the plot exiting and grabs people attention immediately.

War and Bush Essay -- essays research papers

War and Bush   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  War has taken place all over the world. It is brutal at times even necessary, and the United States of America has seen its own share of wars. Since September 11, 2001, the President of the United States has launched a war on terrorism, and currently we are still at war. The War on Terrorism has been one of the most important battles our country has ever had and overall it has been the best for the U.S. as well as Iraq. The United States does have its motives for the war, and those purposes are what make this country as safe as it is today. Before September 11, 2001 many individuals assumed they were living in a safe country. The news showed bombings and war in different countries, but people in the U.S. were too ignorant to know such things can occur in the land of the free. When the brutal 9/11 attack occurred President George W. Bush made the proper decision of fighting back by launching a war on terrorism. This was a logical decision because most of the country felt vulnerable after the attack. Furthermore if our country did not fight back, other countries would take it into consideration that we are weak and they can take advantage of us. About 90% of polls conducted by various news stations before and the beginning of war stated the people overall supported it. (http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm) People argue now that we have been at war for a while some people are changing their minds, but not as many as the media makes it seem out to be. All the media has done for the war is damage it. The media's main desire is to make ton of money and in doing so they will try to make the Iraq war seem as pointless as Vietnam. Polls that are conducted may be rigged. One fact that can easily display that is that conservative news sources will have more people supporting the war than media that is non-conservative; this is too close to be a coincidence (www.chronwatch.com). Furthermore, many times on the news a group of kids from school will be interviewed and say how terrible of a job Bush is doing with the war. It does not make sense to interview these kids who probably do not even know why there is a war, much less looked up information from a reliable source and know what they are talking about. People who pose as experts never are experts, the only people who can give a clear aspect of the war are someone who has ... ...r country is not fighting to stop it. The plans for the war have not changed at all. Even though the name has changed to the march toward freedom it is the exact same thing as the war on terrorism. The U.S. is full of Euphemisms and the war on terrorism was changed to the march toward freedom mainly because most Americans cannot face reality. These same people who cannot face reality are the same people who are hurting the war. Whether these individuals like it or not we are at war and complaining will not do anything to benefit it. Many people argue that polls state that most of the U.S. opposes the war this obviously cannot be true because after all Bush was elected our president by a majority of the American people. In conclusion, the Iraq war is not a pointless battle that the U.S. continues to fight each day. The country has motives to fight and those will continue to be carried out despite what the media as well as anti-war individuals persist to believe. Only the people who have been in the war can give a good aspect of the war. The battle for security has only made the country feel much safer. Without the war the U.S. would not be as secure from terrorism as it is today.

Tanning Beds and Skin Cancer Essay -- Medical Medicine Papers

Tanning Beds and Skin Cancer What is UV radiation? Before one can discuss harmful effects of tanning equipment and increased sun exposure, one must be familiar with the components of ultraviolet light and how affects the skin. Sunlight contains two types of ultraviolet (UV) light: UVA and UVB. UVA rays consist of longer wavelengths that penetrate deep into the dermal layer of skin. Limited exposure to UVA rays causes skin to tan; however, most experts agree that overexposure to UVA can lead to other long-term skin damage. UVB rays’ wavelengths are much shorter, affecting the outermost layers of skin. UVB rays are known as the "burning rays" and are considered more dangerous. Tanning beds and sun lamps generally emit 93% to 99% UVA radiation increasing the benefits of a tan This is three times the UVA radiation given off by the sun (http://www.wraltv.com/features/healthteam/1998/0520-sunscreen/). What’s the difference between a tan and sunburn? It is also important to know what happens to the skin as it is tanned or burned and what the long-term, harmful effects may be. UVB rays are most responsible for a skin’s burning. The rays actually pop the capillaries just beneath the surface of the skin (http://www.cybermall2000.com/stones/tanning/index.html). Long-wavelength, UVA rays have totally different results on the skin. As UVA rays penetrate into the skin, melanin granules are oxidized and tan, or, turn golden brown. However, UVB rays are required to stimulate these melanin granules to rise to the skin’s surface, especially in skin that possesses small amounts of the pigment, melanin (http://www.shop.net/suncity/). What makes tanning beds safer? Most tanning bed industries agree that indoor ... ...A ‘sun-bed.’ British Journal of Dermatology 1982; 107: 275-284. Kennedy, M., Kim, K., Harten, B., Brown, J., Planck, S., Meshul, C.,Edelhauser, H., Rosenbaum, J.T., Armstrong, C.A., & Ansel, J.C. (1997). Ultraviolet Irradiation Induces the Production of Multiple Cytokines by Human Corneal Cells. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Sept, 1997, Vol. 3, No. 10. Bolseman, C., Beitner, H., Jansson, B., Nilsson, B., &Ullen, H. (1996). Sunbed use in relation to phenotype, erythema, sunscreen use and skin diseases. A questionnaire survey among Swedish adolescents. British Journal of Dermatology 1996; 135: 712-716. Douglass, H.M., McGee, R., & Williams, S. (1997). Sun behavior and perceptions of risk for melanoma among 21-year old New Zealanders. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 21(3): 329-334. (abstract).

Child Labour Essay

Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, on part or full-time basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Poverty, lack of good schools and growth of informal economy are considered as the important causes of child labour in India. The 2001 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour, aged 5–14, to be at 12. 6 million. The child labour problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 217 million children work, many full-time. In 2001, out of a 12. million, about 12 million children in India were in a hazardous job. UNICEF estimates that India with its larger population, has the highest number of labourers in the world under 14 years of age, while sub-saharan African countries have the highest percentage of children who are deployed as child labour. International Labour Organisation estimates that agriculture at 60 percent is the largest employer of child labour in India, while United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates 70 % of child labour is deployed in agriculture and related activities. Outside of agriculture, child labour is observed in almost all informal sectors of the Indian economy. Companies including Gap, Primark, Monsanto and others have been criticised for child labour in their products. The companies claim they have strict policies against selling products made by underage kids, but there are many links in a supply chain making it difficult to police them all. In 2011, after three years of Primark’s effort, BBC acknowledged that its award-winning investigative journalism report of Indian child labour use by Primark was a fake. BBC apologized to Primark, to Indian suppliers and all its viewers. Article 24 of India’s constitution prohibits child labour. Additionally, various laws and the Indian Penal Code, such as the Juvenile Justice (care and protection) of Children Act-2000, and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act-1986 provide a basis in law to identify, prosecute and stop child labour in India. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that child labour may be defined in a number of different ways, and a different definition yields a different estimate of child labour in India as well as other countries. According to ILO, children or adolescents who participate in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling, is not child labour; rather it may generally be regarded as being something positive. e is also a man who tiheir parents around the home, assisting family or earning pocket money outside school hours and over holidays. These kinds of activities, suggests ILO, may contribute to children’s developmentlly, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children, or work whose schedule interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or work that affects in any manner their ability to focus during school or experience healthy childhood. UNICEF defines child labour differently. A child, suggests UNICEF, is involved in child labour activities if between 5 to 11 years of age, he or she did at least one hour of economic activity or at least 28 hours of domestic work in a week, and in case of children between 12 to 14 years of age, he or she did at least 14 hours of economic activity or at least 42 hours of economic activity and domestic work per week. UNICEF in another report suggests, â€Å"Children’s work needs to be seen as happening along a continuum, with destructive or exploitative work at one end and beneficial work – promoting or enhancing children’s development without interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest – at the other. And between these two poles are vast areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development. † India’s Census 2001 office defines child labour as participation of a child less than 17 years of age in any economically productive activity with or without compensation, wages or profit. Such participation could be physical or mental or both. This work includes part-time help or unpaid work on the farm, family enterprise or in any other economic activity such as cultivation and milk production for sale or domestic consumption. Indian government classifies child labourers into two groups: Main workers are those who work 6 months or more per year. And marginal child workers are those who work at any time during the year but less than 6 months in a year. Some child rights activists argue that child labour must include every child who is not in school because he or she is a hidden child worker. UNICEF, however, points out that India faces major shortages of schools, classrooms and teachers particularly in rural areas where 90 percent of child labour problem is observed. About 1 in 5 primary schools have just one teacher to teach students across all grades. After its independence from colonial rule, India has passed a number of constitutional protections and laws on child labour. The Constitution of India in the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy prohibits child labour below the age of 14 years in any factory or mine or castle or engaged in any other hazardous employment (Article 24). The constitution also envisioned that India shall, by 1960, provide infrastructure and resources for free and compulsory education to all children of the age six to 14 years. (Article 21-A and Article 45). India has a federal form of government, and child labour is a matter on which both the central government and country governments can legislate, and have. The major national legislative developments include the following: The Factories Act of 1948: The Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in any factory. The law also placed rules on who, when and how long can pre-adults aged 15–18 years be employed in any factory. The Mines Act of 1952: The Act prohibits the employment of children below 18 years of age in a mine. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986: The Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in hazardous occupations identified in a list by the law. The list was expanded in 2006, and again in 2008. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act of 2000: This law made it a crime, punishable with a prison term, for anyone to procure or employ a child in any hazardous employment or in bondage. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009: The law mandates free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years. This legislation also mandated that 25 percent of seats in every private school must be allocated for children from disadvantaged groups and physically challenged children. India formulated a National Policy on Child Labour in 1987. This Policy seeks to adopt a gradual & sequential approach with a focus on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations. It envisioned strict enforcement of Indian laws on child labour combined with development programs to address the root causes of child labour such as poverty. In 1988, this led to the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) initiative. This legal and development initiative continues, with a current central government funding of 602 crores, targeted solely to eliminate child labour in India. Despite these efforts, child labour remains a major challenge for India. For much of human history and across different cultures, children less than 17 years old have contributed to family welfare in a variety of ways. UNICEF suggests that poverty is the big cause of child labour. The report also notes that in rural and impoverished parts of developing and undeveloped parts of the world, children have no real and meaningful alternative. Schools and teachers are unavailable. Child labour is the unnatural result. A BBC report, similarly, concludes poverty and inadequate public education infrastructure are some of the causes of child labour in India. Between boys and girls, UNICEF finds girls are two times more likely to be out of school and working in a domestic role. Parents with limited resources, claims UNICEF, have to choose whose school costs and fees they can afford when a school is available. Educating girls tends to be a lower priority across the world, including India. Girls are also harassed or bullied at schools, sidelined by prejudice or poor curricula, according to UNICEF. Solely by virtue of their gender, therefore, many girls are kept from school or drop out, then provide child labour. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and spreading smiles through education organisation(OSSE) suggests poverty is the greatest single force driving children into the workplace. Income from a child’s work is felt to be crucial for his/her own survival or for that of the household. For some families, income from their children’s labour is between 25 to 40% of the household income. According to a 2008 study by ILO, among the most important factors driving children to harmful labour is the lack of availability and quality of schooling. Many communities, particularly rural areas do not possess adequate school facilities. Even when schools are sometimes available, they are too far away, difficult to reach, unaffordable or the quality of education is so poor that parents wonder if going to school is really worth it. In government-run primary schools, even when children show up, government-paid teachers do not show up 25% of the time. The 2008 ILO study suggests that illiteracy resulting from a child going to work, rather than a quality primary and secondary school, limits the child’s ability to get a basic educational grounding which would in normal situations enable them to acquire skills and to improve their prospects for a decent adult working life. An albeit older report published by UNICEF outlines the issues summarized by the ILO report. The UNICEF report claimed that while 90% of child labour in India is in its rural areas, the availability and quality of schools is decrepit; in rural areas of India, claims the old UNICEF report, about 50% of government funded primary schools that exist do not have a building, 40% lack a blackboard, few have books, and 97% of funds for these publicly funded school have been budgeted by the government as salaries for the teacher and administrators. A 2012 Wall Street Journal article reports while the enrollment in India’s school has dramatically increased in recent years to over 96% of all children in the 6-14 year age group, the infrastructure in schools, aimed in part to reduce child labour, remains poor – over 81,000 schools do not have a blackboard and about 42,000 government schools operate without a building with make shift arrangements during monsoons and inclement weather. Biggeri and Mehrotra have studied the macroeconomic factors that encourage child labour. They focus their study on five Asian nations including India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. They suggest that child labour is a serious problem in all five, but it is not a new problem. Macroeconomic causes encouraged widespread child labour across the world, over most of human history. They suggest that the causes for child labour include both the demand and the supply side. While poverty and unavailability of good schools explain the child labour supply side, they suggest that the growth of low paying informal economy rather than higher paying formal economy – called organised economy in India – is amongst the causes of the demand side. India has rigid labour laws and numerous regulations that prevent growth of organised sector where work protections are easier to monitor, and work more productive and higher paying. The unintended effect of Indian complex labour laws is the work has shifted to the unorganised, informal sector. As a result, after the unorganised agriculture sector which employs 60% of child labour, it is the unorganised trade, unorganised assembly and unorganised retail work that is the largest employer of child labour. If macroeconomic factors and laws prevent growth of formal sector, the family owned informal sector grows, deploying low cost, easy to hire, easy to dismiss labour in form of child labour. Even in situations where children are going to school, claim Biggeri and Mehrotra, children engage in routine after-school home-based manufacturing and economic activity. Other scholars too suggest that inflexibility and structure of India’s labour market, size of informal economy, inability of industries to scale up and lack of modern manufacturing technologies are major macroeconomic factors affecting demand and acceptability of child labour. Cigno et al. suggest the government planned and implemented land redistribution programs in India, where poor families were given small plots of land with the idea of enabling economic independence, have had the unintended effect of increased child labour. They find that smallholder plots of land are labour-intensively farmed since small plots cannot productively afford expensive farming equipment. In these cases, a means to increase output from the small plot has been to apply more labour, including child labour.