Control Theory Corporate Crime Essay Example

Control Theory Corporate Crime Essay Conflict theory primarily argues that it is the economic system of capitalism itself that produces crime however, in order to understand the causes of corporate crime, the neoliberal framework and its utilization must be examined. Neoliberalism accords the state not to intervene or regulate the market, and in effect produces inequality but most importantly crime. Criminal acts are committed by the elites that are following the core of the neoliberal doctrine which is maximizing profits while minimizing costs. Corporate crimes are committed by executives or executive officers n behalf of corporations to further their own interests or the interest of the organizations. These crimes can result in harming the working class which may consist of employees, consumers, stockholders, or the general public (Snider, 2005; pg 170). These crimes vary from marketing unsafe products, maintaining unsafe workplaces, defrauding workers, environmental pollution, price fixing, anti-trust violations and other malpractices (Passas, 2005; pg 773). The analysis and understandings of the causes to corporate crime is crucial to Criminology because it costs society severely and entails; physical costs, financial costs, environmental amage, undermines the democratic system and undermines economic growth. However, these crimes remain unpunished because neoliberal knowledge claims allow these acts to remain invisible, unregulated, neutralized, difficult to prosecute, ambiguous in the law and in criminal status and have a lack of responsibility. Marxism hypothesizes that society is structured based upon the relationship of people to the production of material goods. In other words, those who own the means of production also control the works, politicians as well as the development of criminal and economic law. Following the Marxist perception, this essay will argue that corporate crime is not caused but rather it is a by-product of the neoliberal framework elites govern society by. We will write a custom essay sample on Control Theory Corporate Crime specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Control Theory Corporate Crime specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Control Theory Corporate Crime specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer THE POWER OF THE NEOLIBEARL DOCTRINE To begin with, the neoliberal framework was designed to benefit individuals and organizations of elite status which allowed them to gain independence and power from the state. This then allows them to engage in criminal activites and Justify them as responding to competitive forces from the market. Neoliberalism accords the government an active role in securing and producing the conditions for the market ut disagrees strongly with government intervention Codi, 2008; pg 67), which means the markets must be set free to follow their internal logic which is profit. This means that in order to cut costs; the most inexpensive means may be an illegal means. Key elites in the New World economy have invested billions of dollars, reputations and the power of nation states in obtaining certain interpretations (of laws, issues, scientific data) accepted and others rejected these claims are called neoliberal knowledge claims (Snider, 2005; pg 181). Furthermore, they push for certain nterpretation of laws of how to govern the market in accordance with the neoliberal privileges in a number of ways. For example, interpreting scientific data in ways that prove genetically engineered plants are safe, is worth a trillion dollars to the transnational companies that hold the patents on this genetic material and to the nation-states which grantee their legitimacy (Snider, 2005; pg 181). On the other hand, inequality is more closely related to the acceptance of the neoliberal ideology and its allied ideology of globalization; for instance, employees frightened of losing heir Jobs to third world works are more likely to accept lower wage Jobs, unsafe work conditions and higher levels of exploitation (Snider, 2004; pg 266). The neoliberal framework (that encourages pro-business behaviour) allows corporations to utilize whatever means possible in order to maximize profits which may result in exploiting the working class in a countless number of ways; from inducing them to consume harmful products to forcing them to succumb to unsafe working conditions. This result in a conflict between the culture of competition and ethical standards however, orporations are not like humans they are artificial legal entities with perpetual life chartered by the government for their existence (Nadar, 2004; pg 8). Corporations have achieved a status where they have all constitutional rights that people have except the right against self-incrimination. Corporations engage in criminal activites on a number of different levels that harm and affect the general public however, the public for the most part remains unaware of these activites because these elites invest in hiding the truth which thereby renders their actions invisible. THE INVISBALITY OF COPRORATE CRIME Secondly, Marxists argue that is it the connected ability of the powerful to manipulate values of society which is why corporate crimes are rendered invisible. Academics find it difficult to analyze corporate crime because large scale survey data is not available so researchers have to rely on non-objective crime statistics collected by impartial government agencies such as StatsCan or the Home Office which usually yield tiny samples (Snider, 2005; pg 186). Corporations do not want sociologist investigating their business practises, unlike traditional offenders they have the ability to resist such incursions. On the other hand, the Justice department for the most part has an inadequate budget for investigated let alone prosecuting corporate crimes. Police agencies cannot keep up with the geographic bounders of victimization, the mobility of the offenders and the complexities of the crimes because they usually involve investigating and prosecuting at the same time and also extensive knowledge of the corporate infrastructure which policing agencies, for a reason, are not equipped for (Schlegel et al. 1999; pg 15). According to Marxism, the law is developed and implemented by the elites to control the working class and rime is a product of class-based inequality, the policing agencies are funded by the government which are heavily influenced by the elites therefore, conflict theory asserts that criminal law is designed to target the working class in order to protect the interests of the elites. Conversely, unlike street crime there is a general lack of media attention with regards to corporate Wrongdoings however, in the rare instance that these cases are nature (Williams, 2008; pg 474) these are neutralizations, which purposely overlooking their status as crimes. Business culture from the neoliberal framework ot only provides incentives to engage in illicit activites but also contains justifications that can be used to neutralize ethical restraints; this is part of the neoliberal knowledge claims. For instance, when corporate Wrongdoings do surface to the publics attention they are quickly neutralized as accidents, isolated episodes, bad apples or voluntary consent. Accidents are portrayed as unintended, unanticipated and unavoidable events that could not be reasonably prevented (Williams, 2009-04-21). Isolated episodes are when organizations or individuals momentarily depart from their usual ethical behaviours and engage in criminal ctivites (Williams, 2009-04-21). In addition, bad apples is a theory of corruption that asserts the problem of an individual engaging in misconduct rather than the department as a whole, which means a lack of responsibility (Williams, 2008; pg 476). Last, voluntary consent is a neutralization for harms inflicted on employees that work in dangerous industries, the harms are neutralized by stating that those employees consented to those risks and conditions however, the company may not have fully disclose all the risks and harms (Williams, 2009-04-21). Corporate crime is systemic owever; its ability to neutralize its criminal activity and characterize it as rare accidents or uncommon wrongdoings allows it to continue without question. In addition to neutralizations, in the rare event that corporate crime is prosecuted, one of the most common ways of differentiated corporate crime from street crime is to point at the lack of Mens Rea which is the criminal intent to inflict harm (Schlegel et al. , 1999; pg 17). Nevertheless, clear conscious decisions are made when cutting back on workplace safety budgets, quality control funding etc. with the knowledge hat with these decisions human life may be harmed however, because corporations are seen as impersonal, faceless and complex entities which results in a lack of responsibility and therefore the harms are dismissed because there is no definitive way of knowing whether the intent was there. Moreover, because elites have the resources and are finically equipped they invest in hiding these truths. THE FAILURE OF REGULATION Moreover, the neoliberal framework asserts that the market remain deregulated, with that deregulation, corporations continue to engage in criminal activites until hey accumulate imbalances that contribute to finical crisis, the government must then intervene with regulations however, those regulations are quickly removed by corporate influence. History of regulation in Canada was weak from its initial attempt at regulating the market. To start with, Canadas Combines Investigation Act was designed to prevent competition in the market and to do so it criminalized corporate monopolies (companies that dominant specific products or services in the market), mergers and price discrimination. However, the legislation was weak because no rosecutions against corporations were registered, it never received adequate funding or enforcement and each attempt to strengthen it was strongly opposed by the elites (Snider, 2005; pg 173). This act lasted for over 96 years until 1969 when the Interim Report on Competition Policy was created and its policy implications were act it had little political support due to the political pressures from corporations (Snider, 2005; pg 174). For the next 10 years, several versions of the Bill were created and each weaker than the last finally in 1976 attempts at reforming laws that govern he market were abandoned (Snider, 2005; pg 174). In 1984, the Conservative government was elected with the new Prime Minister Brian Mulroney; following the neoliberal doctrine he denounced the anti-American and anti-business stance that the previous Canadian laws attempted to accomplish and created the Competition Act (Snider, 2005; pg 175). This Bill encompassed the neoliberal ideology, it compelled the government to create the conditions necessary for market exchange, it promoted competitiveness and enhanced business prosperity however to do this, mergers, monopolies and price discrimination was decriminalized. On the other hand, influential Criminologist Edwin Sutherland advanced the concept of corporate crime that not only revealed new types of crime but it also threatened to expose the traditional myth of the neutrality of the law (Shover et al. , 2006; pg 78). He pointed to the role of privileged and their power in shaping of the law as well the existence ofa double standard of Justice in the implementation of the law, with regards to benefitting the upper-class and controlling the lower class offenders. This concept raised the basic question about the nature of law and the intentions of the criminal ustice system. Furthermore, the neoliberal framework furthers the prevalence of greed, the systemic nature of corporate corruption, the necessity of regulation and the inherent instability of the capitalist mode of production (Williams, 2008; pg 472) that creates discernable forms of real harm. The neoliberal doctrine pushes for the failure of regulation in market societies which allows corporations to create their own governing through political influence and suitable environments for their malpractices. In addition, the Neoliberal doctrine has provided the means for corporate entities o gain insurmountable powers and influence in the political and economic realm; this allows them to keep the market and their behaviour unregulated and decriminalized. The main reason why their criminal practises remain legal and respected is that these industries have the ability to mobilize financial, political as well as other resources in order to avoid stricter regulation (Passas, 2005; pg 772), Furthermore, the globalization of markets (the dismantling of trade barriers between nations and the integration of economies Oodi, 2008; pg 17)) is another component of he neoliberal framework and it furthers the fragmentation of regulation. The more a corporation grows into new geographic areas, the less subjected it is to control, accountability and supervision. An example of this is the use of child labour in developing countries that export the manufactured goods to developed countries, the same countries that criminalize that practise (Passas, 2005; pg 775). This demonstrates the double standard set by capitalists nation-states whereas the laws that are created to criminalize these practises are only applicable when it is not in he best interest of these corporate entities. In contrast, over regulation and government interference in corporate business practises are claimed to be rendered uncompetitive or unprofitable, so when governments assert some form of regulation, thereby negatively affecting local communities or the whole country (Passas, 2005; pg 777). Corporations threaten governments by downsizing and taking their business elsewhere- to a less regulated state, therefore governments must obey these demands because they have become so dependent on their services, employment, and financial contributions to the economy. Furthermore, the government not only allows them to remain unregulated but corporations also activity participate in defining and legalization their own criminality. Ironically, when policy makers and legislatures, write laws outlawing rape, burglary, armed robbery, larceny and theft they do not consult or negotiate with the criminals who committed those crimes (Kappeler et al. , 2005; pg 160) but when legislatures enact laws in regulating corporations they actively seek input and advice from those they seemingly are setting out to punish thus, decriminalizing corporate Wrongdoings. Also, the laws that have been created to criminalize illegal acts by corporations are made to be so complex and full of loop holes that they are almost impossible to enforce. Decriminalization is the successful reduction of restriction, oversight thereby permitting individuals and organizations to operate with greater latitude (Snider, 2005; pg 83). Decriminalization in relation to corporate crime occurs daily, privileged and powerful interests have been successful in revising the internal revenue code to their advantage, leading to a substantially increased share of the tax burden shifted o the working class citizens (Snider, 2005; pg 85). This close relationship of the state and corporate criminals illustrates the state regulation of traditional crime while punishments for corporate criminals are being eliminated; incarceration rates for traditional blue-collar criminals are doubling. The working class are criminalized because of the inequality and brutalization of low wages and the frequent threat of unemployment. Prison which is seen as the control tool for the working class is both a material deterrent and an ideological weapon (Schlegel et al. 1999; pg 96) of the apitalist state ensuring the suppression of threats from below. The power gained by corporations allows them to strongly influence governments in relation to criminal law and policy making but most importantly making them dependant on corporations for their services. CATERING TO CORPORATE NEEDS Additionally, governments have now become so dependent on corporations for their economies that, employers are considered to be doing governments favour merely by setting up shop (Snider, 2005; pg 171). This means that nations and their subunits compete to offer business the best tax breaks, the highest subsides, the owest minimum wage levels and the least regulation (Passas, 2005; pg 775). The decriminalization of once illegal activites attracted international and fortune 500 companies to set up shop in Canada, shortly after these corporations convinced governments into massive privatization, keeping minimum wage at its lowest form possible with regards to inflation, decertifying unions as well as a variety of other exploitation and harms to the Canadian working class. The organizations that engage in what used to be called corporate crime seem to now be responded by reasoned persuasion, rewards with tax breaks and market incentives. Harsher punishments fill and overfill the prisons of modern capitalist societies (Snider, 2005; pg 174). Contrastingly, in an attempt for the government to appear fair to all its citizens, it has created laws that can be used by the non-capitalist class to protect themselves against the powerful such as: anti-trust monopoly laws, consumer laws, progressive tax and factory safety laws. However there is an immense struggle to have those laws evoked in the working class interest (Schlegel et al. , 1999; pg 98). Contrary to common assumption that these legal practises and industries are beneficial to society; as llustrated by the government catering to corporate needs, society is actually worse off by allowing certain operations and practises to continue. In a sense, the more these industries flourish the more societies fail for the non-capitalist citizens. Lastly, the neoliberal stronghold that drives elite behaviour has taken grasp of government officials, policy makers and politicians to further their own personal gains. To ensure corporate interests corporations need to obtain access; this is done through social contracts, personal favours, paid lobbyists and monetary contributions . The privileged gain the access needed to ensure their perspectives are known and taken seriously by political leaders and state managers (Shover et al. , 2006; pg 87). Then, these politicians make sure that the public is aware of the contributions and higher quality of life they receive by the presence and services of these industries. Critics say that one of the key reasons to why corporate crime is not pursued; is the all to close relationship between the financial regulators and the finical industry this is because many of the leaders in the securities commissions ome from the financial industry or were lawyers that previously served them (Schlegel et al. , 1999; pg 15). An example of this close relationship; a real-estate investor saw that a company that he had invested in was committing fraudulent crimes, he decided to report this to the Ontario Securitas Commission (OSC) and a sister company the Investors Dealers Association (IDA) [ a combination of up banks and brokerages]. The realtor realized that the one of the men he was reporting to about the fraudulent crimes was the same man that was committing those crimes nd was a member of the IDA (CBC Sunday Night, 2008- 11-23). It was concluded that the people he was complaining to were the same people that were the problem. Another instance of this relationship is of David Wilson who is now presently head of the Ontario Securitas Commission (OSC); he was previously the chief executive officer of the bank of Nova Scotia (who is guarding your money? ). Presently, Canada has a patch work of 13 regulators, provincially and other self-regulating watchdogs that attempt to regulate the markets of Canada (Biggs et al. , 2003; pg 3). They all regulate ndependently of one another and have different policies on regulation, this shows that there is no serious attempt at regulating the markets of Canada. Arguably, the credit crisis that we are seeing recently in Wall Street had already happened in Canada but did not receive publicity because the securities regulation system in Canada works with the investment industry to cover up its own bad behaviour and fraudulent activities (CBC Sunday Night, 2008- 11-23). According to Bay street analysts, it is estimated that Canadian investors loose $20 billion a year in fraud but are unaware of it (Zedner, 2006; pg 5). Moreover, politicians have been bought by fraudulent activity turns out to be working with those that commit those crimes. In summary, criminal law works, is the message, and harsher criminal law works best. However when it comes to crimes of marketing unsafe products, maintaining unsafe workplaces, defrauding workers, dumping toxic waste, misrepresenting the benefits or not disclosing the risks of products- criminal law does not work. According to Marxism, this is because criminal law is created to protect the interests of the elite and to control the working class from breaking out of the cycle of nequality created by the capitalist neoliberal claims. Breaking out of the cycle or disobeying its elements means committing a crime, criminal law is then a form of social control. Deviance and crime represent conflicts in society which are managed by the suppression of the ruled by the rulers. The public is unaware of the crimes because of the massive lobbying by corporations, elite investment in scientific, sociological and political knowledge claims, neutralizations of corporate incidents, decriminalization of corporate Wrongdoings and the generally invisibility of corporate crime. This then leads the public to believe that corporate crime is not a threat to society or their means of living. Also, the rare incidents that are available to public knowledge are deemed as natural incidents that occur from time to time because of the competitive nature of neoliberal capitalism. Conversely, elites have invested in convincing the public that street crimes are committed by the working class; and are imminent threats to society therefore, need deterrent action in order to maintain the quality of life in capitalist societies. Neoliberal claims further the rowth of corporations allowing them to participate in creating the laws that govern their activites; these claims have swayed politicians, market watch dogs, policy makers and governments. By this governments favour corporate actors because of the economic gains they will obtain for personal interests rather than providing a decent minimum wages, quality working conditions, safe products etc. for the working class. This proves that corporate crimes are a by-product of the neoliberal capitalism framework rather than having specific causes and this claim is an important tool for Criminology in order to understand corporate crime. The neoliberal ideology that has been adapted by elites and politicians ensures that the illegal and criminal acts that corporations commit remain invisible. From this essay, it has been noted that criminal law is used by corporate actors and politicians in order to maintain social order and suppress the working class. However, in a larger context and using the Marxist perception; how have laws and criminal Justice, as forms of social control, been used to contain class struggle and maintain class divisions at different times in different societies? Biggs, C. , Coleman R. (2003). Rules and Prevarications. CMA Management, 7(3) 1-20. CBC Sunday Night. (Nov. 23, 2008) Who is guarding your money? CBC, Toronto. Dean, Jodi (2008). Enjoying Neoliberalism. Cultural Politics 4(1), 47-72. Kappeler, V. , Potter, G. (2005). The Mythology of Crime and Criminal Justice (4th Ed. ). Illinois: Waveland Press Inc. (Course Text) Nadar, Ralph (2004). Legislating Corporate Ethics. Journal of Legislation, 30, 193-204. Passas, Nikos (2005). Lawful but Awful: Legal Corporate Crimes. The Journal of Socio- Economics, 34, 771-786 Schlegel, K. , Weisburd, D. (1999). White-Collar Crimes Reconsidered (Revised Ed). Boston: Northeastern. Shover, N. , Hochstetler, A. (2006). Choosing White-Collar Crime. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Snider, Laureen (2000). Sociology of Corporate Crime: An obituary. Theoretical Criminology, 4(2), 169-206. Snider, Laureen (2004). Resisting Neo-Liberalism. Social and Legal Studies, 13(2), 265-289 Williams, James (2008). The Lessons of Enron. Theoretical Criminology, 12(4), 471-499. Williams, James (2009) White-Collar Crime l. Criminology. York University. (Lecture) Zedner, Lucia (2006). Liquid Security: Managing the Market for Crime Control. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 6(3), 276-288.

Computers in our World

Computers in our World In the 1950's, computers were a new race of machines and most common person did not know anything about them. Today, computers and new Innovation like the internet has changed the business world and even our daily lives. How did it change the business world and our own personal lives and is it for the best, that's what will be discussed here. How Computers changed our lives . Large businesses now mostly depend on computers to stay competitive, they not only save time and effort, but sometimes they are used to do very complex application that are necessary to this business. More and more companies have there own "Web Page" on the net. Some use the Internet only to display information about there business, others really go "all out" and use the Internet as another way for a client to purchase their goods and services. Either way, the Internet is getting larger and larger, therefore, businesses that want to stay on top cannot omit the Internet as another way to transact with their clien ts.Internet!Although computers have become necessary in the business world, it also has become a "must" for certain individuals in their daily lives. With computers today, the things you can do are unlikely to do with out it. It affects people in a variety of ways. It changes the way we communicate, the way we do business and the way we spend our days.The modern world of high technology could not have come about except for the development of the computer. Different types and sizes of computers find uses throughout society in the storage and handling of data, from secret governmental files to banking transactions to private household accounts. Computers have opened up a new era in manufacturing through the techniques of automation, and they have...

The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis during 1993-4 Essay

The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis during 1993-4 - Essay Example gh it seems difficult to oppose that view, the â€Å"crisis† was resolved in 1994 when North Korea obeyed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The situation had been considered as a nuclear crisis when the North Korea withdrew from the NPR on March 12, 1993. This became the onset of the North Korean nuclear crisis which became a major concern in the international arena. Different countries participated to be able to resolve the problem. These countries include China Japan, Russia and the members of the IAEA which held important roles in the process of settling the nuclear crisis. The most important and most affected countries though with the most significant participation in the issue are the South Korea and the United States. For South Korea, the danger had been the fact that the relationship with the Northern region had been volatile since the civil war. In addition, South Korea is facing the North’s dangerous play over the demilitarized zone and the United States, a superpower which deployed about 37,000 American military in the South and played a leadership in international community. For that matter, South Korea and United States can be considered as the major role players in the resolution of the North Korean nuclear crisis. Many of existing literature on the North Korean nuclear problem tend to focus on political aspects of the program and strategy to solve the issue. The political perspective is necessary to analyze the stake of North Korean nuclear program. Although this is the case, it is not sufficient to understand the full scope of a more complicated picture, especially the 1994 crisis which can be considered to be affected by the complicated interaction of history, politics, military and economy. Some published works have been able to reveal more thoroughly such as â€Å"Going Critical† written by insiders during the crisis. The authoritative account of the crisis recounts a detail about how

My History about a Guard in the Mall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

My History about a Guard in the Mall - Essay Example The guard looked like part of the furniture by virtue of his immobility. He was an inch or two shies of six feet and had a ruddy face. However, I could only see an outline of his nose and chin as he was not facing my direction. He had which I thought contrasted to his military style hair cut. On his head, he had blond crossly cropped like soldiers would be. He had on a well-starched blue short sleeved shirt and a pair of pants made of the same material. He had regulation boots, but it was the way he positioned his feet that made my neck snap up from my examination. From where I sat, I could tell his right shoe was clearly more buffed than the right one. I tried to play Sherlock Holmes and looked to see if he held his baton with his left hand. He did his holster was on the same side, so I concluded he was right-handed. He lifted up his face to examine something in the distance somewhere across the door his eyes were blue, and he had exceptionally busy eyebrows, which were not quite as brown as his hair. His eyes had a faraway look like a sailor trying to spy a distance inland from the deep sea. I wondered if he had been in the navy, and he seemed to be staring at a point far in the horizon even in an enclosed mall where there was not much of a horizon. His hands, which had shifted the baton to a peg on his belt, they were big pinkish callused hands which could have seen hard labor in the past. The fingernails on his left hand looked like they had been chewed on rather on rather than clipped. He stood with his feet apart, and this seemed to give him an element of stability as well as size. When he stood there, with his feet aside his hands constantly felt at his pockets area.  

Graphic Novels in education Essay Example for Free

Graphic Novels in education Essay Graphic novels and comic books have been some of the most debated topics recently in many different areas. Many people think that they could be helpful in education, while some others completely disagree. Some people think they are childish, and some think they require just as much comprehension as long, fictional novels. However, despite all the criticism graphic novels often get, the genre is growing recently. Many things have led to this rise in interest, from easier access on the Internet to the many superhero movies sparking interest in a younger audience. Due to this recent rise in popularity for graphic novels, several people believe that this genre can be helpful in all levels of education. There are positives and negatives to this possibility, like everything else, but the positives seem to outweigh the negatives. One thing that weighs in favor of adding more graphic novels into education is that they are easier to read and can be more encouraging for students who may not like to read. There are several things that one must be able to do to read and understand graphic novels, including comprehending visual imagery and making inferences. The biggest factors that are helping push graphic novels into education are what was just mentioned; the way students now learn, the need to make inferences, and the need for students to learn visually. Every teacher can admit to having a few students in class that were not particularly good readers or that did not enjoy reading. If graphic novels were read more widely in classrooms, that would help with these certain students learning. The vocabulary and diction used in this genre is much simpler than in most word-based novels that would be read in class. Often, students who are given a very long book, they simply do not even read for their assignments. However, if one of these same students was given a longer graphic novel, like Watchmen for example, it is very likely that they would be more willing to read. Another method that makes these works easier for some students is that the words are more spread out, which makes the student only comprehend small parts at a time. This makes students who are less confident with their reading skills able to better manage comprehending the purpose in a novel. Although the speech in graphic novels is simpler, students are still â€Å"challenged by the need to infer and decipher a variety of literary devices† (Constantino). Another positive factor in graphic novels is how visual it is. Children today are becoming much more visual learners. This is probably due to the prevalence of television and computers in today’s society. While, television and computers have often been looked at as negative impacts in children’s learning, many students have figured out that there are good things on television and the internet. Also, these students have found out that there are books that are not particularly good, despite what they have been taught. While there is still going to be those people out there who will have their doubts about allowing this genre in education, students would benefit from having more visual learning and less long narratives in class, which is just what graphic novels would bring. One of the most important abilities for a student when reading is learning how to make inferences. Many times in comics and graphic novels, the author will give a â€Å"bare outline† of what is going on, and leave the reader to â€Å"fill in the blanks† with the scenery or facial expressions of the characters (Walter). This ability is key to not only reading, but also in daily life. Inferences often need to be made in conversation to know exactly what situation that person is going through. If graphic novels were added to more school’s curriculum, then not only would students’ reading abilities improve, but their conversational skills would also improve. The reader of comics must also be able to decode the messages that the writer displays in his work. No matter how discrete of a message the author may insert into a work, the reader must be able to put together the pieces of the puzzle to create a continuous story. The reader must perform closure in between the â€Å"encapsulated moments in order to create a completed whole out of fragments† (Duncan and Smith 12). This closure that the reader must make is very similar to making inferences. To do both, one must apply background knowledge and relate events that may be described indirectly to blend these sequences into a constant story. Because of the important skill of making inferences that is necessary to read and understand graphic novels, they can be used as a gateway to reading more challenging works by developing this skill in children. As was mentioned previously, children are relying more and more on learning through visual techniques. Because of that, comics can be much more helpful than long narratives in teaching students to understand imagery, tone, symbolism, and many others. One example of how visual aids can help students learn is by using facial expression or body language of the drawn characters in graphic novels. Students will be able to gain many details of the story by simply looking at these two things. By looking at a character’s facial expression, one can learn the current mood of the story, along with what tone the character may be using. Teaching students to look at these things will not just help them when reading a graphic novel, it can also help them figure out certain situations that may occur during their lives. While some people argue that graphic novels are much simpler or not as mentally stimulating, they do share some characteristics with text-based narratives. One characteristic in particular is that they both use onomatopoeia. While these text-based narratives will insert these words into a sentence, graphic novels will make an entire panel out of one of these words. Although both of these genres do use onomatopoeia equally as much, the usage in graphic novels is more imaginative. In graphic novels, the word is usually brought to the center of the page, and made colorful and exciting. Because of the way that graphic novels display this literary technique, students can easier realize when that literary device is being used. Students can get a better understanding of when this literary device is applicable, and that will make them more confident as they continue reading. Despite the fact that graphic novels can often maintain a simpler vocabulary, they can still teach students simple literary devices like onomatopoeia. While the vocabulary is usually simpler, the material is more complex. As Linda Starr states in her article, an advantage of using graphic novels in the classroom is that these books â€Å"present complex material in readable text†. This gives graphic novels an advantage over other, harder to read, novels because more often than not, these students have a greater understanding of issues that are dealt with in books, but not all the time can they decipher what the issues are because of the more difficult vocabulary. One way to simplify things for these students, while still challenging them mentally is to provide more graphic novels in the curriculum. There is always going to be crowds of people who will deny graphic novels ever being relevant in education, but the different ways students are learning, the way students must make inferences, and the visual techniques that are displayed in graphic novels all provide reasons why these texts should be included in the classroom today. Graphic novels can serve as a spring into a lifelong love of reading or it can simply keep the student interested enough to get through an assignment. Whatever a student’s level of reading skill, there is no doubt that they will be able to read a graphic novel, while still maintaining a certain complexity in the ideas presented. Graphic novels can also teach students how to make inferences, as well as recognize and understand common literary techniques. Above all, students’ imaginations, and possibly interests will rise because of this genre being implemented into a curriculum. As Jesse Karp notes about graphic novels, â€Å"the form reaches young people in a way no other can†, and that is what is most important to future students’ learning. Works Cited Constantino, Correne. â€Å"Teaching English and Reading with Graphic Novels†. Education. cu-portland. edu. Concordia University, n. d. Web. 3 May 2013. Randy Duncan and Matthew J. Smith. The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2009. Print. Karp, Jesse. â€Å"The Case for Graphic Novels in Education†. Americanlibrariesmagazine. org. Chicago: American Library Associarion, 1 Aug. 2011. Web. 3 May 2013. Starr, Linda. â€Å"Eek! Comics in the Classroom! †. Educationworld. com. Education World, 11 Jan. 2008. Web. 3 May 2013. Walter, Carlene. â€Å"Graphic Novels†. Eclection. wikispaces. com. Tangient LLC, n. d. Web. 3 May 2013.

Cloning: The Double-Edged Sword :: Biology

Cloning: The Double-Edged Sword Such a furore was created when the birth of Dolly the sheep; the first successfully cloned mammal, was announced to the world in 1997, that the scientific community was gasping for air. Time and space seemed to have come to a virtual standstill as scientists vigorously, not to mention obsessively, hypothesized the cosmic future potential of Dr. Wilmut's team's revolutionary breakthrough in the dynamic realm of science. The euphoria of the moment, it seems, took some time to settle before scientists began to unravel the possible detrimental ramifications of the discovery. Have Dr. Wilmut and team then generated a scientific miracle on one hand, while opening a Pandora's box on the other? It is difficult to dispute the fact that the successful cloning of Dolly has far-reaching applications in the twin fields of biotechnology and bioengineering. The advanced genetic reprogramming techniques employed to fashion the clone have opened the door to a multitude of potential avenues for application: genetic engineering of organs for transplant purposes, xenotransplantation, cell therapy for illnesses such as Leukaemia, Parkinson's disease and diabetes, "therapeutic cloning" (the notion of growing tissue for patients that is genetically identical to their own, for example neural cells could be made for people with Parkinson's disease, new muscle for those with ailing hearts and, later, perhaps even whole organs might be grown, all free from the threat of tissue rejection), and even in curtailing the extinction of endangered animal species, just to name a few. While the advantages of nuclear transfer and genetic reprogramming seem manifold, the cloning and 'manufacture' of transgenic life forms for research purposes, and not to mention the prospect of cloning humans, unearths countless compelling ethical questions which can, in my opinion, under no circumstances be satisfactorily answered. Here are a few to whet your appetite- Do we humans have the moral right to 'play God'? What would happen to animals (or humans) cloned unsuccessfully; with deformities, since the technology and its complementary knowledge are still embryonic and in their primacy? How would we ascribe an identity to a human clone? Since there is no powerful and effective international regulation on the utilization of this technology in place today, how can we know for sure it is not being misused?

Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is an enigmatic town popular for its rock-cut temples and monuments. It is also known as Mammalapuram and was one of the most flourishing port towns during the historic rule of the Pallava Dynasty. Till date one can clearly feel its historic charm and grandeur through the rich legacy that lies in its stone sculptures and temples. There are many tourist attractions in Mahabalipuram most of which are historic and dedicated mostly to the Hindu gods and goddesses. Mahabalipuram made significant development under the rule of the Pallavas in the 7th century. The city is said to have derived its name after the Pallava king Mamalla and in the ancient times it was famous as Mamallapuram. It was after the downfall of the Guptas that Pallavas came to prominence and exercised full control over this town. They were very powerful and very astute in their perspective. The Golden Age of the rule of the Pallavas was from 650 AD to 750 AD. Many great poets, dramatists, artists, artisans, scholars and saints emerged during this period. Mahabalipurm is also referred to as the â€Å"open air museum† due to the presence of so many architectural marvels. During the rules of Narsimha Varman I (AD 630-668) and Narsimha Varman II (AD 700-728), most of the temples and rock carvings of this place were built. Although the first kings of Pallava dynasty followed Jainism, the conversion of Mahendra Varman (AD 600-630) to Shaivism resulted in majority of the monuments to be related with Shiva or Vishnu. Mahabalipuram experiences a hot and sweltering climate all year round with a maximum temperature of 35 °C and minimum temperature of 19 °C. A trip to Mahabalipuram can best be enjoyed from October to March; however the monsoons should be avoided. Mahabalipuram is not just about the temples and architecture but it is also about the natural beauty of the surroundings. The long stretch of the beaches dotted with palm-groves is ideal to spend a few moments away from the usual cacophony of the city. A visit to this place is also an educative experience, showing visitors the great architectural achievements of the ancient artisans of India.