Music Censorship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Music Censorship - Essay Example There are two sides on this issue, there those supporting and others opposing music censorship. At this point, the main question that lingers in many is what action transcends from the consumer matter to the censorship matter. A study carried out by Rabkin (2002) indicates that, censorship plays a fundamental role to the American government. One of the issues involving music censorship is at what age is appropriate for children to listen and watch music that is profanity. Following this, this paper affirm that parents and governments should not desist their children from listening to music, because as they do that, they deny them from grasping what’s happening in the society. It is worth noting that, music may serve as a purpose of motivation, or be used for moral, military, religious, or political reasons. These ideas may augment critical thinking and encouragement to many who are wounded by life experiences and encourage those desiring to achieve their dreams. It may express aspirations and hopes thus, promote a desirable society. Music is free expression of thoughts and ideas thus no one should be stopped from expressing his or her thoughts. Countries like China, Sudan, and Afghanistan comprehend the need of breach of musician’s rights to the freedom of expression in music (Szurek, 2008). However, other countries like Algeria and USA keep off popular music in the concert stage and out of the retail and media. In ex-Yugoslavia, musicians encounter challenges as their freedom of free expression has much been affected (Dahir, 1995). Many nations fail to regard music as the therapy to life and instead see it as vulgarity and cursing. However, this is not the case in most cases as some songs are just ridiculous and funny and they create a platform to understand how the world is. Those in support of music censorship believe that children are not mature people to listen and watch music with profanity.

Sustainable Practise journals Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sustainable Practise journals - Assignment Example In the context of value, the journal has provided five major efforts that have a major influence on individuals shaping their sustainable position. In this regard, the five major attributes include the historical chronology, taxonomy of sustainable developmental goals, the earth charter, millennium declaration, and continuous transitional scenario of the global environment. These efforts are the core factors in terms of setting trends towards sustainable development of values, attitudes and behavioral traits of each human being across the overall natural ecosystem (Leiserowitz et al., 2004). According to my understanding, I would like to mention that historical chronology along with different transitional stages is the core factors shaping attitude and behavioral skills of individuals. I believe that the changes in developmental goals are often influenced by different chronological facts. Moreover, I think that the severe changes in development of a global economy along with socio-cu ltural aspects also have a major influence on building effective behavioral skills and attitude for long term sustainability. In relation to the present day context, different scholars have provided numerous definitions and have described the impact of major factors that have a profound influence on shaping human attitude and behavioral skills over the various transition stages. In addition, the increasing pace of globalization along with the unabated fluctuation of the socioeconomic and political trends also has a similar impact towards changing the attitude and behavioral skills of the individuals (Rogerson et al., n.d.). With respect to the view of the scholars, I conjure that changing cultural aspects in terms of conserving continuous development in the living standards along with the unabated external forces are few of the key driving forces behind the major changes in the individuals’ attitude and

Book Store With A Cafe Included Marketing Essay

Book Store With A Cafe Included Marketing Essay We have chosen a book store with a cafe included. We have chosen this as coffee shops and bookstores are popular in the city. We have also chosen Auckland Citys, Queen Street (main downtown) as our prime location. Since there are many surrounding businesses and universities, this seemed like the best location. Our target market for our product/ service will be ranging from the ages of 20 and over. We have these groups as our target audiences because 20 to 25 year olds are most likely to be university students. 25- 50 year olds is the working group that we have also targeted, this age group is most likely to gout for coffee while on breaks. Our older target market consists of ages 55 and onwards. This age group was chosen because many people have either left the workforce or retired. Retired citizens receive the gold plus card which gives them the privilege to travel free on public transport after 9 am. Many people in this age group tend to gather friends and go out. Market Analysis DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL SUPPLIERAs we will be running a combined product/ service company, our distribution channels for both would be different. For the bookstore our distribution channel would be: CONSUMER RETAILER This would be the most appropriate distribution channel as books will be bought directly from the supplier, which than will be sold on to the retailer (Village Poets Cafe) and then passed onto the consumers. A certain percentage of mark up will be added before sold on to the consumer. Our coffee house distribution will be different as this will require more than three channels. Products for the coffee house can either be bought directly from the producer or from the wholesaler who buys form the producer. Coffee houses will generally use both. So our distribution channel will consist of three channels. PRODUCER WHOLESALER OR RETAILER CONSUMER RETAILER CONSUMER ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Demographic- our demographic ranges from age 20 to 55 plus. Our demographic market is so wide because of the combination of the bookstore and coffee store. The 20 25 age groups are mainly focused for the book store. This is because of the surrounding tertiary institution. As this is a book store and a coffee store, students that visit coffee shops usually like to sit and have a read. With both stores combined, students coming to buy can also be encouraged to buy a book or stationery. This way income will be generated from both the stores. Other age group of this organisation is mainly focused on the coffee house. This is the best place as people can just read and relax. Technology- technologies have huge impacts in businesses. As many new technologies have been developed, many jobs that needed human labour were replaced by machines. It is the sasme for books, as many application have been developed that makes it possible for readers to download and read books e.g. eReader and Kindle. This means that less people are buying fewer books. This also means that book stores are not generating as much income as they did. This is an abstacle for our book store as we will have to think of ways to attract customers to come into our store. Technology can be our biggest factor. Politics- the only political factor that will affect the coffee store are the health and safety and food safety measure. We will have to be able to get food safety certificates in order to run the coffee house effectively. We will also need to have effective pest control measures in place. If we fail to comply, the local council can penalise and this will affect the businesses reputation in the community. Natural Forces- for the coffee shop, the coffee beans would be imported from elsewhere. If not from another country than it would definitely be bought from a wholesaler who may import beans from another country. E.g. Ethiopian Sidamo Fair Trade Coffee beans from www.globalcoffee.co.nz. If there was a flood or drought in Ethiopia, than this may mean that the beans will be unavailable for some time and we may need to find alternatives. Other natural forces that can affect the business are earthquakes. As these are becoming common in New Zealand, we have to ensure that the premises are insured. Earthquakes could cause a lot of damage and may result in the premises being shut down for some time. Income will be lost for that time being. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS Our main product of the store will be coffee and books. But as we are perceiving coffee as our main source of income, we will have to do lots of campaigning. We will lots of competitors at the location we are based on. Since we are located on queens street, our main competitors for coffee will be Starbucks/ McDonald McCafe, and for books will be Whitcoulls. We will compare prices for coffee. Prices of books will also be compared with the likes of Whitcoulls. Channel Market Comments Internet Amazon.com (Books) Ficton/Books/Magazines Lee Child story boo. k- A Jack Reacher Novel for 18.48 and Where We Belong for 16.78 Amazon offers an easy pathway for book lovers to buy books online. These are easily dispatched. Village Poets Cafe will have to have promotions that would want to make the customers come to the shop and get the books. Local Market- e.g. Whitcoulls Whitcoulls are really successful in New Zealand. They usually have cheap offers on books e.g. container sale. To maintain steady sales we will have to campaign on books with complimentary coffee perhaps or buy 2 books and get a coffee free. Local Market Starbucks and McDonalds (McCafe) Starbucks will be our main competitor. McCafe will also be competitive as they are more convenient for people and usually offer promotions such as Free Muffins. Established brands that take over will be a great way to test quality of coffee. MARKET MEASTUREMENTS Customer Perceptions No formal measurement of customer perceptions has been undertaken as yet. We are meaning to measure the perceptions through the advertisings. However, it is expected that customer response may be positive because of the convenience. Market Share Market share is not yet considered at this stage. Other Considerations Observation and feedback will be used as tools to measure the market against the competitors. For e.g. foot traffic and sales can be measured against competitors. Feedback from customers and determining the right price for the products/ services can be used to set up pages on social networks e.g. Facebook and also News paper advertisements. PROFITABILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY ANALYSIS In the current phase of the business, we are wanting to breakeven in the first few months. The profit margins will be very narrow. There will be lots of over heads to consider e.g. equipment purchase, employees, training, packaging, utensils, resources, rent, and electricity. Product 1 Large Coffee Product 2 Pastries Product 3 Books Retail Price 4.60 3.00 29.99 Expenses Coffee Beans 0.45 Paper cups 0.15 Freight Inwards 0.45 0.20 5.00 Electricity 0.70 0.50 1.50 Ingredients 0.60 0.70 Total Expenses per product 2.35 1.20 16.50 Gross Profit per product 2.25 1.80 13.40 Total gross profit altogether is 17.45. A projected sale for one week is $2000. 180 cups of coffee x 4.60 = $828 400 pieces of pastries x 3.00= $1200 100 books x 29.99 = $29999 which equals to $5027. Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Gross Profit 2.25 1.80 13.40 Market Sales 180 400 100 Total Sales $405 $720 $1340 PC 1.2 a.) Cultural Factors -Peoples views of nature/technology as technology is expanding it is coming up with ideas that makes things available on fingertips e.g. Kindle book reader. This in many ways lessens the environmental factors. Peoples views of the organisation- we will have to demonstrate that we as an organisation are trust worthy. We will have to adopt and ask for opinions and suggestions to accurately monitor and measure sustainability and customer perceptions. b.) Ethical Factors We will be using Fair Trade coffee beans as well as coffee cups that are recyclable. We may also encourage customers to buy coffee cups that are reusable. Reusable coffee cups can be made available in store if we market it the right way and make its benefits bold. Recycling signs need to be emphasized on the cups. Not recycling effectively can become an issue overtime, there fore best practices will be put in place from the start. PC 1.1 SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths (Internal) Access to technology and teams having to necessary knowledge Knowledge of local market and geography Ability to design the store ourselves Weakness (Internal) Very less knowledge about the finance of the business Have to rely on foot traffic at the this stage Having to use only New Zealand suppliers Opportunities (External) Lots of new ways to market our products and services e.g. Facebook pages Making of more contacts with the suppliers locally Threats Lots of competitors (McDonalds, Starbucks, Whitcoulls) Weather New competitors Recession Suppliers not having enough stock or running out of stock PART TWO: MARKETING OBJECTIVES To get effective marketing campaign for Village Poets Cafe. Some marketing objectives that we have decided on are radio advertisements, flyers and facebook page. These marketing campaigns have been chosen specifically because they are the most common ways of making direct contact with potential customers. Our measures of success will be taken when the store has opened. We will conduct a little survey or just ask customers how they heard about the store. To make the objective attainable, we will have in place a set budget fro spending on campaigns and use resources or opportunities that may have been previously looked upon. With the target market in place we will work towards on how much the marketing will cost. The goal is to create an effective marketing campaign before the store opens to get customer traffic whether it be foot traffic or by other means. To find out whether the main objective had been achieved or not, will only be known when store has commenced business. Whether if the marketing campaign has been achieved or not will be known when the store opens but a time frame that we have given for marketing the store is at least 3 weeks. PART THREE: OPERATIONAL PLAN PC 1.3 Activities, Responsibilities, Timeliness and Resources Activities Responsibilities Timeliness Resources Flyers To create attractive flyers with promotions that would be eye catching and perhaps a glimpse of the store. Flyer to be colourful and should be catchy Zabeen/ Shaista To be produced before the store opens and be distributed prior to opening (one week) Laptop, Google, Promotional materials, Paper, Ink. Radio sales To establish radio stations that would be relevant to our audiences. Responsible for running adverts and scripting them. Need to sort out the suitable times e.g. mornings Amandip Two weeks before opening and two weeks after opening Market/ geographic research Target audiences Materials e.g. information for advertising Facebook To establish a Village Poets Cafe page on facebook. Also in charge for ongoing maintenance of the page and updating with photos and posts. Krishneel Page to be established and up and running by the opening of the shop. Ongoing Laptop and digital camera. COMMUNICATION PLAN As a medium based organisation, we have a communication plan that shapes our organisation. The communication plan is for our internal and external shareholders. Our values shape our communication plan. Our values are: Honesty our motives should be honest. Our customers and staff will be treated with honestly and work must be done with honesty. Respect be respectful towards customers and staff. By doing things with respect, business ethics will become stronger. Stakeholder Materiality To engage with the stakeholders, we as an organisation need to understand what resources are important for them. For most stakeholders, money is the biggest factor and rely on that as it is their livelihood as well as ours. Some of our stakeholders are: Customers- customers should receive value for their money. In return we provide them with coffee that is rich and offers value for money. E.g. large cappuccinos for $3.60. We would also stress on customers bringing in their own cups as a plan for promoting good environmental practices. Suppliers- need to be paid on time. This helps to create a relationship that can be mutual later on. Applying with the legislative rules and components and paying rent on time. Use the infrastructure and the facilities available on site regularly. Community- making sure that we also promote on environmental factors and recycle and throw away garbage appropriately and keep the business clean and tidy at all times. CONTINGENCIES AND OPTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION Some risks that Village Poet Cafe may face are poor weather, conflict with suppliers, staff shortages. Risk Probability Impact Rating Contingency Poor weather 1 2 2 Business maybe very slow on some rainy days, on rare cases. Can have rainy day promotions e.g. buy a book and get a cup of coffee free. Conflict with suppliers (Books and other wise) 1 3 3 Can be disruptive if bills are not paid on time. Ensure to pay bills on time and build trust over time. Staff shortages 1 2 2 Have enough staff to cover all shifts. Also employ students on part time / casual basis who are trustworthy. PROVISIONS FOR DATA ACQUSITION Since we are using flyers, radio and facebook as our intended ways of advertising, the best way to keep data acquisitions is to record daily sales. Also get the customers to give feedback on a form which could state them to tell us where they heard about Village Poets Cafe. Complaints and compliments can also be used to record feedback. MARKET POSITIONING Village Poets Cafe is a cafe with a bookstore which is not common in the New Zealand market. Village Poets Cafe wants to provide the best service to its customers in terms of providing the best coffee and a place for the customers to relax and unwind. Competitors such as starbucks, McDonalds, Whitcoulls are well known brands around the globe, but they dont provide the benefits of buying a book and taking time out to buy coffee as well and relax at the same time. Village Poets Cafe are to make sure and emphasise on this benefit of the store. We are to also emphasise on the Fair Trade Coffee beans that are to be used and recyclable coffee cups. MARKET MIX At Village Poets Cafe we will focus on the 4Ps Product- our focus is on coffee and books under one roof. Our focus is on why customers should come to us. It provides them with the benefit of being able to buy a book or magazine and relaxing afterwards with coffee. The advantage for our customers will be that they will also be able to sit and read there. People will come in for either on of the products. It is likely that at least coffee maybe purchased. Pricing- our price for a standard coffee is 4.60 which allows us to make a profit of $2.25. this price us reasonable when compared with our competitors. Prices off books will differ and maybe the same prices in some cases. Using schemes such as loyalty cards can be handy as it can be another way of promoting our store. Promotion- our products/ services are marketed using flyers, radio and facebook pages. Since we are a new business starting up, we will be working on attracting customers locally first. We will also be running promotions on buying 5 cups of coffee and get the 6th free. Also be running loyalty card schemes where a customer can get 10% after their 3rd purchase on the books. Market bonds can be made stronger when really interacting with customers and delivering with what they want. Place- as we are located on Queen Street, we wont be focusing on reaching out to new markets. We will be focusing on getting established in the current market. By 2013, we may look at expanding out of Queen Street. QUALITY CONTROLS Quality coffee will be an integral part for Village Poets cafe. We are ensuring that our coffee will be of Fair Trade and of top quality. We want to give customers, value for their money. Quality controls will be our focus and regular customer feedbacks will help us keep on track. EVALUATION PROCESSES AND CRITERIA Evaluation processes and criteria are embedded in the objectives. STEP 7 (PC3.2) Other marketing activity and potential synergies Internal synergies With Village Poets Cafe, inter synergies are very limited. External synergies We would need to engage with partners e.g. Fair Trade dealers to create a more environmental environment.

The Country of Liberia :: Africa Profile Geography Anthropology Essays

The Country of Liberia This paper is about a small country on the west coast of Africa called Liberia. It is a country built with the help of The American Colonization Society. It was established to place freed blacks in the days of slavery in the United States in the 1800s. The government was modeled after the United States. Monrovia, the capital and principal, port is named after a president of the united states, James Monroe. This country has historical significance for african Americans. As Africa's oldest republic, established by former black American slaves, Liberia played and important role as a model for African colones seeking independence. HISTORY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberia's tribal peoples migrated to the area between the 12th and 16th centuries. The Portuguese arrived in 1461 and began a trade in ivory, pepper, and later in slaves. In 1820, the first colonists arrived. Their successful settlement was named Monrovia in 1824. More colonists gradually arrived and established separate colonies. In 1847 the colonies united and Liberia became the first independent republic in black Africa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The new nation faced many problems. Some of them were tribal wars, low exports, and land claimed by other countries. Liberia was able to maintain its independence only with the help of the United States. Following World War II, the modern port, airport, hospitals, hydroelectric station, and other projects, all financed by the United States, were opened. There has been frequent military conflicts and civil wars. In August 1990, forces from several African countries entered Liberia to try and stop the bloody civil wars. The fighting only became worse and the Prospects of a negotiated settlement were dim. LAND AND RESOURCES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberia's straight sandy coast is 350 miles long. It is broken by lagoons and mangrove swamps. It gives way to a low rolling plain about 20 miles wide. Further inland, foothills ranging in height from 600 to 1000 feet high are found. They become mountains in the north and east. The highest point in the country is Mt. Wutuvi which rises to 4,531 feet. Land area of the country is 43,000 square miles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberia's rivers are short and flow parallel to one another from the mountains to the ocean. The largest rivers are the St. Paul, St. John, and Cavalla.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberia's tropical climate is hot and humid. The usual temperature ranges from 60 degrees to 87 degrees. Annual rainfall, as much as 177 inches at the coast, gradually decreases inland to 96 inches. The rainy season occurs between May and October. A dusty winter wind blows during December.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are 90 different kind of usable wood in Liberia's vast timber resources. Mineral resources include large deposits of iron ore, diamonds, and

My Tub

A girl and her tub should not be messed with. My full-body slnklng hole with relaxing jets is my form of relaxation in this rat race called life. Even though, I am surrounded by dirty clothes, piles of forgotten cosmetics and beauty products with plastic toy animals staring at me, I am alone. I lock the door and barricade myself from my husband, two small boys, phone calls, laundry, and life. I turn off the overhead light and let the natural sunrays from outside come through the window.I might exfoliate the soles of my tired feet or I might run the dull razor up and down my hairy legs, but mostly I Just sit. I close my eyes while putting up my feet and letting my mind race to an imaginary world where things are simple. I let the heat from the hot water steam up my glasses. I let the heat turn my skin pink from the extreme temperature differences in the room and melt away my stress and worries.The sweat runs down my face and mixes with the washed away make-up, dirt, and tears. It form s puddles and trickles down my body and drift away In the Immense pool. I conquer all of life's dilemmas, family squabbles, and work stress on deserted island in the bathroom. And when it is over, I would like to think they all disappear down the drain for a temporary leave. This is my secret clubhouse that I retreat to for relief. My tub is my own and should not be messed with.

Governments Should Not Negotiate With Terrorists Essay

Would you give a thief $100,000 to get your stolen purse back? If you were to give a thief $100,000, you would make him think that he can make a profit out of stealing purses. The thief would also use the $100,000 to buy a gun or other weapons or vehicles that would help him steal future purses. Now think about the thief as a terrorist and you as a government. Should governments negotiate with terrorists? Terrorism activities have increased these past few years due to faulty decisions made by governments when dealing with terrorists. Many have made the mistake of compromising with terrorists, which makes them appear weak and targetable, which only sponsors future terrorist acts. The outcomes of past government agreements with terrorists have only worsened and perpetuated this situation. The paying of millions of dollars as ransom to terrorist kidnappers and hostage/takers has also fueled future terrorist attacks and has only made terrorism profitable, making it more attractive to terrorists. Governments legitimize terrorism by compromising; therefore governments should not negotiate with terrorists, rather marginalize and weaken their organizations by refusing them any concessions and targeting individuals within their groups. The reasoning behind terrorism is that violence can be used to attract the attention of governments and the general public, who as a result, succumb to the terrorist’s ideas and/or desires. Unfortunately, this terrorist tactic is sometimes effective, like in the 2004 Madrid Bombings. On March 11, ETA, a terrorist organization, bombed four commuter trains in Madrid. Their objective was to cause a political change in Spain; the elections were that same weekend. Before the bombings, the People’s Party was the voter’s favorite, but ETA’s terrorist attack caused a drastic change in the ballot and the Socialist Party won. After winning the election, the Socialist Party decided to remove the Spanish troops in Iraq, which is what ETA wanted. Because of this turn of events, Downing says: â€Å"†¦the terrorists would be able to claim that their bombings had influenced both a European election and the situation in Iraq. † (Downing 38-39) Since the people and the government reacted to the attack the way ETA wanted it too, the terrorists could have considered the attack successful, and as a consequence may attack again. The message the government sent ETA is that if they want a change, they should just use violence to obtain it. Governments must be careful with terrorist’s interest and their own interests when making controversial decisions, especially those made shortly after terrorist attacks, like the bombings in Madrid. In that case, the decision was whether or not to remove Spanish troops from Iraq. ETA wanted them removed, and the Socialist Party decided to remove them because of the pressure they were put under. Removing the troops was a mistake because it just pleased the terrorists; it made the terrorists feel they can manipulate the government through pressure induced by brutality. Governments should always include terrorist interests in important decision-making, but not to make the decision in the terrorist’s favor, rather to make the decision in a way that terrorists are not satisfied by it and cannot take any credit from it. Governments must show that they are strong, and that they are not and will not be influenced by terrorism. (Downing 38-39) Governments make themselves appear weak by succumbing to pressure, and sometimes the pressure does not even come from the terrorists in the situation, but from other governments, leaders or groups. Even if they might want to interfere for the most pacific reasons, peace negotiations with terrorists do not have the best outcomes. First of all, they are terrorists; therefore, their favorite and only way of attempting to achieve their goals is through violence. This means that if they do not receive what they desire through force, they believe they cannot get it through peace either. Secondly, terrorists are unpredictable; they cannot be trusted. Thirdly, most terrorists do not back down, especially jihadists, because they are willing to lose their life for what they believe in. Lastly, if a government makes peace with terrorists, and the terrorists do not keep their end of the deal, then the government will appear weak and defeated, while the terrorist will appear victorious. These are the reasons for which governments should not attempt to make peace with terrorists. They should try to end terrorism instead of making a truce with it. A perfect example of why governments should not seek peace from terrorists is an incident the U. S. government had in Fallujah. U. S. Marines attempted to compromise with jihadists in Fallujah after being pressured by European officials and human rights groups. The U. S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said they wanted peace instead of war in Fallujah, but the jihadists misunderstood and considered the compromise a victory over the Americans. (Rubin 19-20) As a result, the misunderstanding led to 30 car bombings. Not only did the U. S. appear weak because of this failed compromise; it also encouraged the jihadists to carry on with their terrorist acts because the jihadists believed they defeated them, and that they were capable of defeating them again. Truces with terrorists are very tricky and unpredictable, and should always be avoided because an unfavorable outcome can be catastrophic and can lead to more violence. Just as truces with terrorists can be very tricky, negotiating with terrorist kidnappers and hostage-takers can be very tricky as well. Recently terrorists use these tactics to create an audience full of suspense. These tactics now create more attention than massacres and bombings because people are getting more accustomed to them as they happen. (Rubin 22) Kidnappings/hostage takings are becoming more and more popular and sadly, governments have been making it even more popular by making it profitable. They make it profitable by negotiating and paying ransoms to terrorists because negotiating with kidnappers legitimizes their act and as a result further proliferates terrorism. It has spread terrorism because the terrorists have learned that kidnapping/hostage-taking has become very profitable. (Rubin 23) In March 2000, Muammar al-Qadhafi, a Libyan leader, paid Abu Sayyaf, a hostage-taker based in the Philippines, a $25 million ransom for the release of priests, teachers, and children he had kidnaped from a school. (Rubin 23) After receiving the money, Abu Sayyaf expanded his terrorist group from a couple hundred to more than a thousand members and bought speedboats and weapons, which were used for other kidnappings. By paying the terrorist such a large ransom to keep the captives from getting harmed, Muammar al-Qadhafi funded future kidnappings, putting more people in danger. The paying of the ransom also made kidnapping productive for Sayyaf, because they technically rewarded him for terrorism, encouraging him to carry out more terrorist acts because he will get money or other concession out of them. The same case occurred in Sahel. The â€Å"Bin Laden of the Desert†, Ammari Saifi, took 32 European vacationers in the Algerian desert, and held them hostage for 177 days. The German government paid a five million euro ransom and they were released, but Ammari Saifi used the money to buy weapons and vehicles. (Rubin 24) The German government funded future kidnappings similar to how the Libyan leader did. It is a pattern: terrorists kidnap citizens; they ask for reward in return for the hostages; and then they use the ransom they get paid to repeat this cycle more effectively (with new and more members, weapons and vehicles). Governments should not keep rewarding terrorists with million dollar ransoms because all they have been doing is perpetuating the cycle instead of ending it. Governments should use force to recover captives and avoid rewarding terrorists with ransoms. It is an actual U. S. government policy â€Å"to deny hostage takers the benefit of ransom, prisoner releases, policy changes, or other acts of concession. † (â€Å"Counter-Terrorism: History, Strategy and Tactics† Web) Western governments should also respond to kidnapping by thinking about the safety of the majority of their citizens instead of an individual. Even though it could end in injury or death of the captive, in the long term it prevents further kidnappings. (Rubin, 24) So governments should try their best to recover captives, but without the use of ransoms because in the long run, a short tragedy is better than the endangerment a larger amount of citizens. Governments should not appease with terrorists, they should use intelligence to take them down instead. â€Å"In a war between networks, the side with superior intelligence wins. † (Garreau 60) The more information and technology is obtained, the better the chances of defeating the terrorists are because more effective strategies can be put into action. Governments should use this knowledge to find the leader and how to target them. The leader of the group is key because the disruption or terrorist leaderships weaken terrorist organization and causes them to struggle and expose themselves. (Rubin, 27) This has been happening with Osama bin Laden and his terrorist organization: â€Å"The loss of bin Laden and these other key operatives puts the network on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse. † (â€Å"Country Reports on Terrorism 2011† Web) Be careful with this strategy: â€Å"Better the devil you know. Like [Libyan dictator][Moammar] Gaddafi, keep him alive, because you know him. Who knows what sort of clever mastermind might replace him. † (Garreau 60) Past concessions to terrorists have proven that government negotiations with them make terrorism productive; therefore governments should marginalize, isolate or eliminate the threat. Doing so would make terrorist acts unprofitable for those who carry them out. In order to avoid the further proliferation of terrorism, governments must take a firm stand against these foes and send a message of zero tolerance against terrorist acts. ? Works Cited â€Å"Chapter 1. Strategic Assessment. † U. S. Department of State. U. S. Department of State, 31 July 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. . â€Å"Counter-Terrorism: History, Strategy and Tactics. † Counter-Terrorism: History, Strategy and Tactics. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. . Downing, David. â€Å"Madrid Bombings. † The War on Terror. Mankato: Arcturus Publishing, 2008. 38-39. Print. Garreau, Joel. â€Å"Intelligence Gathering Is the Best Way to Reduce Terrorism. † At Issue. Are Efforts to Reduce Terrorism Succesful? Ed. Lauri S. Friedman. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2005. 57-63. Rubin, Michael and Suzanne Gershowitz. â€Å"Governments Should Never Negotiate with Terrorists. † At Issue. Should Governments Negotiate with Terrorists? Ed. Amanda Hiber. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 15-29.

Argumentative Essay Sample on Death Penalty Pros and Cons

Argumentative Essay Sample on Death Penalty Pros and Cons Just like the debate on the legalization of marijuana, the death penalty has elicited mixed feelings on all the citizens globally. There are those who strongly argue that capital offenders must be sentenced to death. In America, for example, crime has become a national disaster. What makes the matter worse is that incarceration has done very little to correct wayward behavior. In the recent past, national authorities have embraced correctional policies in a bid to persuade citizens to stop engaging in criminal activities. When viewed from this lens, one may contend that the death penalty is the sole sure way of deterring would-be criminals from capital crime. On the other continuum of this dilemma are civil rights bodies and humanitarian groups. Everybody understands that the human life is sacred and that it should be treated as such. In addition to this, every national constitution has a universal clause that seeks to protect human life. In consideration of this truth, it emerges that the death penalty is neither advantageous nor prejudicial. Common dissertations written by students take the form of persuasive essay on death penalty: the pros and cons. When writing such an essay, one must provide a background into the topic. The next step is to take a position, either to support or refute the notion of imposing death penalty. The reasons for the position taken must be provided. This is followed by a counter argument, with supporting reasons. For illustration purposes, a brief persuasive essay on this topic is as follows: Serious offenses like murder and rape generally attract a death penalty. It is perceived that in executing death penalty, serious offenses are denounced. There cannot be denying the fact that crime is highly prevalent in modern societies. This leaves innocent citizens with profound fear of robbery attacks, beastly rapes, and murders. More often than not, for example, the victims of horrible rapes are children and elderly women. The pain of losing a loved one or a close colleague to violent robbers and murderers is so unbearable that one wishes the perpetrators could be hanged. It is very worrying that the people who commit these heinous crimes have been in and out jail severally. Thus, it helps very little if the court system keeps sentencing a serial murderer to imprisonment. Imposing a death penalty will clean all killers and rapists from the society. It might sound irreligious to sentence an offender to death; disobedience to laws is denounced in all religions. Therefore, if a person does not have respect for life, then why should others respect his/her life? Is it okay to see our young girls lose their dignity to insufferable criminals who have no justification for the acts they commit? Let every one be answerable for his or her actions. There is need to comprehend that a death penalty might be the only effective way of portraying crime as serious. Let the government do what it deems effective for the security of its citizens.