Immigration and the Immigrant Policy Initiative in Britain and the EU Essay

Immigration and the Immigrant Policy Initiative in Britain and the EU - Essay Example The law, introduced in February 2005, obliged people born outside the European Union and who only had a six-months to one year visa to seek special permission from the Home Ministry to marry even if their partner was a British or an EU national. The plight of the many people caught up in this intricate legal tangle had complained of pain, misery, suffering, and humiliation. The move by the High Court came as a relief to many. Rights campaigners had opposed it saying that it did not make a distinction between genuine and sham marriages and sought to tar all non-EU nationals who applied for marriage as potential fraudsters. The law was challenged when one immigrant was refused permission to marry a woman from within the "European Economic Area" (EEA) who had been living legally in Britain. The court ruled that it was incompatible with human rights law as it did not apply to those who wanted to marry within the Church of England. This amounted to discriminating against people of other faiths, including Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. It was not persuaded by the argument put forward by the Home Office that the exemption for the Church of England was valid because there was no evidence of any sham marriage rackets involving Anglican ceremonies. This act was a knee-jerk reaction based on speculation rather than evidence. The House of Lords complained that the Act had not received proper scrutiny. By this judgment of the High Court, their concerns have proved to be correct. Doctors, other than those from the European Union and favoured countries need to have a work permit under new immigration rules. This is for non-European countries starting July 2006. Those already here and do not have a work permit will have to return to their home country and apply for the same. However, work permit will be given against specific vacancies for which suitable "home-grown" doctors are not available. The move has sparked criticism not only from overseas doctors but also from British medical experts. It is termed as a blow to "Meritocracy" as hospitals would have to give preference to "sons-of-the soil" over better qualified foreign applicants. The decision to scrap the traditional permit-free training arrangement for international doctors is intended to give more opportunities to local doctors and those from the European Union countries. Under the new rules, hospitals will have to show that they are not able to find suitable local candidates. Overseas doctors from non-EU countries will

The Warning Video about Financial Crisis Movie Review

The Warning Video about Financial Crisis - Movie Review Example The move to have the unregulated derivative fund regulated was countered by the introduction of the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, which then took away the power of Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the federal agency that oversees the trading of derivatives, thus making it impossible for the over-the-counter derivatives market to be regulated (Kirk, n.p.). Although the CFTC is meant to play the role of government oversight in the financial market operations, the attempts by the agency to have the derivative market regulated were thwarted by the closest administrators of President Clinton, who argued that an attempt to regulative the lucrative multi-million dollar market would certainly cause a financial crisis, while in reality it is the deniability of the administrators to act on the fundamental aspects that would have helped prevent the crisis, that ended-up blocking the necessary financial reforms that would have streamlined the financial markets, as proposed by the CFTC (Kirk, n.p.). The major problem with the over-the-counter derivatives market is that; it was operating as a black market, and thus lacked transparency. This way, the operations of the markets were able to continue undercover, until when the market collapsed, triggering a depression of the financial market and the consequent recession of the USA economy (Kirk, n.p.). While the Commodity Futures Trading Commission was empowered to regulate the trading of derivatives in the market, the powerful administrators in the Clinton administration stripped the agency those powers, through imploring on the Congress to pass the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, which took away the powers of the agency to control the derivative market, thus leaving the market to care for itself (Kirk, n.p.).  Ã‚  

The problem with Management of Police Corruption

The problem with Management of Police Corruption Introduction Police corruption is a problem facing many global law enforcement systems. Most countries are faced with challenges of dealing with corrupt police women and men who undermine enforcement of the law. Police corruption involves acts of misconduct aimed at obtaining personal benefits, financial gain or advancement in careers which are performed in exchange for selectively pursuing or not pursuing an arrest or investigation (Peter 74). There are many forms of police corruption and one of the most common is acceptance of bribes in order to ignore arrest or investigation of certain criminal activities. In the US, this form of corruption is seen where organized crime such as prostitution or drug activities are concerned. Another common form of police corruption especially in the US is flouting conduct and procedures to gain conviction of a suspect. This may take the form of falsifying evidence which implicates a suspect. In rare cases, police participate in criminal activities. Most law enforcement agencies do not state statistics of police corruption due to fear of loss of public support for the force in fighting crime. However, it is acknowledged that police corruption is one of the greatest obstacles to fighting of crime. It is even harder to fight organized crimes since in many cases; police officers receive payment to protect the criminals. In countries such as Mexico, fighting drug use is a serious problem since most police officers are corrupt and protect the drug lords. This paper will evaluate poli8ce corruption, the forms it takes and appropriate recommendations which should be implemented in order to end the vice and ensure equal application of the law. The discussed issues will be summarized at the end. Forms of police corruption There are various forms of police corruption which are witnessed in the police force. These will be briefly discussed below; Opportunistic thefts This is a form of police corruption where officers engage in theft whenever they encounter an opportunity which facilitates the same. This is a major challenge facing the police force since it is difficult to prove opportunistic thefts by police officers in courts of law. An example of an opportunistic theft may occur when officers recover stolen property or money but intentionally undervalue it in order to keep some for themselves. Others may arrive at accident scenes or murder scenes and steal valuables from the injured or dead. In certain cases, police officers steal money or valuables from people they arrest. Such forms of corruption are difficult to prosecute since in most cases there are few if any witnesses who witness the crime (Roleff 16-18). Protection of illegal activities Protection of illegal activities is one of the greatest challenges facing established law enforcement agencies across the world. There are many police officers who are involved in protecting perpetrators of organized crime and in many cases, such officers have high authority. This makes it difficult for junior officers to arrest and prosecute such offenders (Jerome 8). Organized crimes such as sale of drugs, prostitution, human trafficking and gambling usually thrive due to protection from police officers. Usually officers are offered cash incentives or other benefits which compromise their principles. In yet other cases, police officers are either blackmailed or threatened with harm to their families or themselves in order to guarantee their protection of illegal activities. Such forms of police corruption are also difficult to prove in a court of law since organized criminals are usually intelligent and hide their activities very efficiently. Police officers who protect them also m ake prosecuting such criminals very difficult. Corruption of authority This is a form of corruption which involves the reception of free meals, drinks and gratitude from people the police are supposed to serve. This form of corruption may or may not be originally be intended to corrupt the police officer. Sometimes the public gives officers free gifts as a means of appreciation for services rendered. However, over time, this culture leads to corruption in the police force since officers feel obliged to serve people who reward them more efficiently than those who do not (Punch 53-58). Some corrupt individuals may also use such gifts as a means of blackmailing officers to perform specific services which may not be lawful. Many police departments have outlawed the reception of gifts of any form by police officers from the people they serve. Direct criminal activities There are cases where law enforcers including policemen directly commit crimes which they are supposed to prevent. Such police officers commit crimes while disguised as civilians and this makes it difficult for other law enforcers to arrest and prosecute them. Police officers have sophisticated training beyond that possessed by ordinary civilians and they are likely to leave little evidence when committing crimes which creates a challenge of prosecuting officers who engage in crime. Some officers have also been known to lend their weapons or uniforms to criminals who may commit crimes which masquerading as police officers. Other collaborate with criminals to commit crimes especially crimes involving stealing of large sums of money such as money escort services. Police officers who commit crimes are usually sacked fro the force and prosecuted as civilians. However, as was previously mentioned, their knowledge of handling weapons and gathering evidence makes tracking and prosecuting su ch officers difficult. Sabotaging criminal cases This is a serious form of police corruption which involves directly sabotaging evidence or court processes in order to ensure that a particular suspect is found not guilty and released. Some officers tamper with evidence gathered or intentionally do not follow rules of gathering evidence in order to ensure that suspects are released on a technicality. Other do not attend court sessions when summoned in order to ensure that there is inadequate evidence against a suspect. In extreme cases, officers have been known to aid the escape of suspects from custody. All these are serious offences since they undermine the justice system and prevent guilty people from being prosecuted for crimes committed. Solutions for preventing corruption in the police force There are various recommendations which may be useful in discouraging police officers from facilitating or engaging in criminal activities. These will be discussed below; Legislation Legislation is one of the most effective deterrents to crime. Harsh fines and sentences usually deter criminals from engaging in criminal activities. This form of deterrence also applies to corrupt police officers. Heavy punishment and fines against police officers who are proved to be corrupt in court will act as deterrent to other officers who are considering engaging in criminal activities. Legislators should pass laws which encourage stiff sentences to officers who engage in corruption. Local police departments should also develop tough policies which discourage corruption against police officers. These policies should encourage the sacking of officers who are found to have engaged in corruption at any level. This will encourage officers to follow their code of conduct and observe equal application of the law to all. Effective remuneration In many countries, police officers are underpaid and they are forced to work in dangerous conditions with little or no incentives. In fact, many officers are unable to cater for the basic needs of their families on their income alone and they are forced to supplement their income with income from other activities. This is one major factor which encourages police corruption. Many officers engage in corruption due to an inability to sustain their families with the income they earn (Tim 31-37). They are forced to engage in illegal activities in order to supplement income. Effective remuneration of officers including adequate allowances will reduce their motivation to engage in corruption and it is likely to reduce cases of police corruption significantly. Sensitizing police and the public Police and the public should be sensitized on the adverse effects of corruption in the police force as a long term solution to police corruption. This is the most effective solution to the problem of police corruption. The police should be informed that corruption goes against the oath they took and that it destroys the fabric of society. They should also be aware of the consequences of being caught practicing corruption. The public should also be made aware of the harm caused to society by collaborating with corrupt police. They should understand that corruption within the police force makes society unsafe and causes an upsurge in criminal activities (Prenzler Ransley 78-83). Community policing should be encouraged and communication avenues given to the public to report corrupt police women and men. Recording contact with public Recording contact between officers and the public is very effective in reducing corruption. Many officers are unlikely to engage in corruption if they are aware that their actions are being recorded. This is an effective strategy which has worked well in the US where police cars have cameras which record contact between such officers and the public. However, it must be noted that this is not a very effective long term solution to corruption in the police force since police have devised other methods of practicing corruption away from the glare of the camera. It must also be noted that such recordings are usually effective when police officers are dealing with relatively minor offences such as traffic offenses. Summary and conclusion Police corruption has been seen to be a serious problem affecting society. Although there are few statistics on police corruption, the effects of police corruption are clear to all. Various types of police corruption have been discussed and these include opportunistic thefts, protection of illegal activities, corruption of authority, direct criminal activities and sabotaging criminal cases. These forms of corruption lead to an increase in crime and few prosecutions of criminals. Solutions to the problem of police corruption include legislation, effective remuneration, sensitizing police and the public and recording contact with public. Once these recommendations are implemented, cases of police corruption will drastically reduce.

Essay --

Walaupun Kalah dari Napoli, Arsenal Tetap Lolos Arsenal menelan kekalahan saat melakoni laga matchday terakhir Liga Champions di markas Napoli. The Gunners mengalami kekalahan dengan skor 0-2 dari tuan rumah Napoli, tetapi hasil itu tetap membuat Arsenal lolos ke babak 16 besar. Pada laga terakhir yang berlangsung di San Paolo, Kamis (12/12/13) dinihari WIB, pada babak pertama kedua tim gagal membuat gol ke gawang lawannya. Napoli mencetak gol pertama pada menit ke 73. Gol itu dicetak oleh Gonzalo Higuain. Di injury time, Napoli berhasil menambah kedudukan lewat gol yang dicetak oleh Jose Callejon. Dengan tambahan tiga angka, Napoli mengoleksi poin yang sama dengan Arsenal, yakni 12 poin. Namun, mereka terpaksa harus tersingkir sebab Napoli hanya berada di posisi ketiga klasemen karena kalah selisih gol dengan para pesaingnya. Sementara itu, Juara Grup F diraih oleh Borusia Dortmund yang juga mengumpulkan 12 poin, Setelah di laga terakhirnya berhasil memetik kemenangan atas Marseille. Pada pertandingan tadi, Napoli mendapatkan peluang pertama untuk mencetak gol di menit kedelapan. Go...

Descartes & Hume Essay

Rene Descartes was a rationalist, meaning he thought that reason alone, not sensation or experience, was the source to attaining knowledge about the eternal truths of the universe, such as mathematics, epistemology, metaphysics and the existence of God. He excluded physics from this list, admitting that knowledge of physics only comes through experience (Descartes). Regardless, his rationalistic epistemology made it so that Descartes could only accept the truth about something if it was based upon a principle that was clearly and distinctly certain. Innate, a priori knowledge is fundamental to Descartes philosophy. A priori refers to any knowledge that is attained without appealing to sensation (O’Connor, Class Notes). Being a rationalist, he completely doubted every sensory experience he had ever had. Sensation is ever-changing and sometimes misleads or deceives us, so according to Descartes, trusting in an experience of sensation to provide us with any kind of universal truth would be foolish (Descartes). Whereas rationalism directly focuses on reason as being the only way to attain knowledge about the world, empiricism concentrates fully on all knowledge being a posteriori, or attained through experience and sensation. In an obvious way, David Hume’s empiricist epistemology directly contrasted Descartes rationalism, specifically by how he believed humans can attain knowledge. According to Hume, humans understand the world by experiencing different perceptions: impressions/sensations and ideas/thoughts. The amount of force and vivacity of the perception allows humans to differentiate between the two. Impressions and sensations are more forceful and lively since they are a product of direct experience. Ideas and thoughts are simply weak recreations of the original impressions that were perceived. While Descartes believes that certain ideas are innate, such as the existence of God, Hume absolutely denies the possibility of innate ideas. He claims that humans could never fully know or comprehend anything beyond our impressions. If an impression is not perceived, then it cannot be acknowledged. Since our knowledge is limited to the impressions we perceive, we have no real way of comprehending causality, instead it is often confused with correlation. Cause and effect events tend to occur in close temporal order, but that does not mean we can know whether those events are intrinsically related or not. Instead, we can only place our faith in the customs and habits of human life. Oppositely, Descartes believed we gain knowledge a priori, and we can only know that which we have clear and distinct justification for. In order to justify what we know, we cannot appeal to anything except for reason. Lastly, we must judge those justified ideas by applying Descartes’ specific and logical method of reflection. Thusly, by accepting Descartes’ method, the universal and eternal truths of the world can be known.

History of African American Music

The history of African American music has been characterized by a mixture among various forms of music. Country blues, urban blues, New Orleans Jazz, Bebop, big-band jazz, and rhythm and blues, have all influenced each other profoundly. These influences flowed back and forth among the various forms. But, black gospel music had only a very limited effect on popular styles, until a few church-trained artists, such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, began to incorporate gospel styling into their popular work.The result is usually described as â€Å"soul music,† a mix of blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel voices. But, if Ray Charles was one of the â€Å"originators† of soul music, â€Å"Aretha Franklin reshaped it,† by bringing even more of her gospel background to bear on secular love songs (Wade and Picardie 27). By combining popular elements with her stunning voice, her great musicianship, and the feeling for a song that she learned in church, Aretha became one of the greatest soul singers to ever live. Aretha Franklin is a well-known pop, R&B, and gospel singer.She has been nicknamed â€Å"The Queen of Soul† and is an internationally known artist and a symbol of pride in the African American community. Her popularity soared in 1967 when she released an album containing songs â€Å"I Never Loved a Man†, â€Å"Respect†, and â€Å"Baby I Love You. † Throughout her career she has achieved fifteen Grammy Awards, Lifetime Achievement Award, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Legend Awards, and many Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. In 1987 she became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.Time magazine chose her as one of the most influential artists and entertainers of the 20th century. She sang at Dr. Martin Luther King’s funeral and at former President Bill Clinton’s inaugural party. Although she has all these accomplishments and awards there are other reasons that have driven Fr anklin to fame and landed her on the front cover of Time magazine on June 28, 1968. The reasons I believe allowed Aretha Franklin to become so successful are the following: Her family’s involvement with religion, the inspiring people that surrounded her, and the pain she suffered.It is clear that because her family’s involvement with religion would be one reason why Aretha Franklin became as famous as a Gospel singer. Some people would say that her love for religion is unbelievable, but after researching her childhood it is very believable. Her father, Reverend Clarence LaVaugh Franklin lived in Shelby Mississippi and preached while living the life of a sharecropper. As soon as he had enough money, he would move to Memphis, Tennessee to become a pastor of two churches. After a couple of years he attended LeMoyne College, and he studied Education and English Literature.With his education he was able to bring a more liberal view to his preaching’s. Then he moved t he family to Buffalo, New York. When he had the resources, he moved the family again to Detroit, Michigan were he settled and became a pastor of a churched called New Bethel Baptist Church. He quickly became one of the most famous pastors in the city of Detroit. Aretha was two years old when they made their final move, she would grow up here and grab the emotion of Church and incorporate it into her music. Aretha Franklin’s mom, Barbara V. Skaggers, served as choir director and pianist.Aretha describes her mom as â€Å"a Superb singer, her voice was clear and distinctive†. (Franklin and Ritz, 6) Her parents taught her how to sing with great pride. This was a big issue because the late ‘50s, early ‘60s was a time of turmoil for African Americans. Her father especially tried to instill pride into her. He was a Civil Rights activist and he was a close colleague with Dr. Martin Luther King. With her parents keeping her involved in Church she was bound to become one of the world’s greatest singers. At around age 12, the father recognized Aretha’s talent as a singer.So he took her on the road with his traveling gospel show. This was important because it shows the kind of support Aretha received from her family. It was said, â€Å"She was a spellbinding performer at the age of fourteen. † (Franklin, 3) So her family really supported and inspired her to become a gospel singer. What also made her a great artist was that she had inspiring people all around her. Aretha grew up in Detroit which at the time was a rousing city or a city of hope for the African Americans running away from the brutality of the South.Though Detroit still had its problems such as race riots, many famous musicians grew up there. Also since New Bethel Baptist Church was so prominent, many musicians and political leaders used Reverend Franklin’s pulpit as a platform to sing or speak to the Black’s of Detroit. Aretha was introduced to cla ssical music by Smokey Robinson’s sister Sylvia Burston. She listened to well known local DJ’s like Ruth Brown and Senator Brystal Brown. When Aretha was younger, she would ride her bike to the local park, and on her way home she would stop by a night club where you could here B.B. King perform. She says, â€Å"You could hear the soft sound of his guitar all the way to the sidewalk (Franklin and Ritz, 22). National and local political leaders would give there speeches. Speakers such as Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. , Dr. Martin Luther King, and Reverend Jesse Jackson would speak powerfully to the church. Aretha was directly influenced by Miriam Anderson, Sammy Davis, and Roy Wilkins. Detroit was overflowing with talent and speakers which I believe also contributed to Aretha’s success.Pain was probably what really drove Aretha Franklin’s success. As stated before, Franklin’s family was highly religious and was continually involved in the Church. But that doesn’t mean that she hadn’t been through a tremendous amount of pain. Early in life her mother and father got a divorce. The father was better suitable to raise Aretha and her four Siblings. The mother moved to Buffalo, New York and tried to make regular visits to see her children. She was supported her children in the best way she could, but when Aretha needed her, she still was not reachable.Matters became worst a few years later when Aretha’s mom dies of a stroke. Aretha described her mom by saying â€Å"she was the absolute lady† (Smith, 3). At age 15 she had her first child and two years later another would come. But Aretha still wanted to go out and be with friends, so her grandmother usually babysat for her periodically. In a time when Black Activism, Feminism, and Sexual Liberation were high, she needed to provide for herself. So when Aretha was old enough and was ready to start performing, she hired a man named Ted White to be her manager. He later became her husband. In the future she would divorce him for a famous actor which would end in divorce, too. Even though in 1968 to 1969, Franklin’s career was rising rapidly. She was still described by her Producer Jerry Wexler as â€Å"a person whose depressions runs deeper than the sea† (Ritchie Unterberger, 3). Then one of Franklin’s highest admirers, gospel giant Mahalia Jackson died. Right after her death a extremely emotional gospel album was released my Aretha â€Å"Amazing Grace† This record was considered to be one of the most emotional records of its time.Much of the pain that Aretha suffered was not really publicized, but still it had to be one of the reasons for her to have such a powerful voice. Aretha Franklin was a successful artist and still inspires musicians today. Her voice is still described as incredible. She has all the awards that she needs to show her talent. Works cited Franklin, Aretha, and David Ritz. Aretha: From These Roots. New York: Villard, 1999. Print. Carroll, Jillian. Aretha Franklin. Chicago: Raintree, 2004. Print