Individual Freedom And Rights

Individual Freedom And Rights Is it most important to value ones own life, happiness and interest or to obey the higher authority of the state? This statement raises the question of the individuals freedom and rights in comparison to the states control over individuals life. In this paper I will be arguing against Socrates and Confucius view of placing the state ahead of the individual. This paper is constructed along my line of defense which looks at the issues and arguments around the individual freedom and rights. This argument largely dwells on the concept of freedom from Socratic and Confucius philosophy, Christianity and individual freedom and also modern/postmodern thinking on this subject. The concept of freedom and rights in ancient Greek Philosophy Socrates and Confucius are two major philosophers who tried to develop the relationship between the individual freedom, rights and the state control (Philosophy study guide). According to Beck both Confucius and Socrates lived in cultures where hereditary privilege was the main factor in social status. Neither of them was extremely high-born, but they certainly were not peasants either (Beck 2010:14) .Socrates contributed much on political discussion, he did not engage in political career. He was so much concerned with how state laws were implemented in city life style, which determined a healthy relationship between the citizens and the state. However, this relationship should not be forced or coerced on them rather it should come naturally. Both Socrates and Confucius teachings were meant to prepare men for the world of politics. This is why they both stressed the value and importance of ideals and portrayed the ideal state in the midst of various prevailing governments which were far from perfect. They criticized their unjust practices and diagnosed their problems. Socrates seems to have gone into more detail in delineating the different types of government (Beck 2010:7). But Confucius went further by teaching about the importance of self control and temperature. It taught about the ideals of social controls and proper behavior. Beck maintains that for Socrates and the Greeks personal behavior was focused more on the individual as his own responsibility of self-discipline and did not extend so strongly into the social milieu. The rules of propriety were designed to bring harmony in relationships, while temperance is concerned with the harmony within the individual (Beck 2010:5 ).This shows how individual freedom and rights played an important role in the mind of the Greeks. Of course, the State is important but too is individual liberty. However, both men emphasized the need for advancement of knowledge. This knowledge is to be taught in schools and public places. Confucian philosophy it today, being practiced in Japan, Korea and China. It puts much emphasis on learning and educational values but imitating the master teachers words and deeds. Education is therefore, being used to correct some unbecoming behavior from the ethical perspectives (Philosophy study guide). The ideals of Confucius philosophy has been translated into human behavior and values in the Far eastern societies. Taking the lessons from the Socratic and Confucius ideology, this philosophy emphasizes the need to practice virtue and temperature at all times, thus avoiding friction and rash actions (Beck, 2010). Christianity and individual rights Christianity was born in Palestine at the time of Roman colonial rule. The relationship between Christianity and the State was somewhat not healthy, as these two entities often collided both in principle and practice. Being a Roman Citizen at the time would incorporate many responsibilities and roles which one needed to follow. However, the Romans were considered to be atheists for their insistence on emperor worship. Roman Citizens were commanded by the law to publicly follow and worship the cultic figures that represented the Roman gods. This worship was characterized through private and public worship and giving of sacrifices (Stumbaugh Balch, 1996) in special places and temples. However, for many years intellectuals and philosophers began to question this cultic worship. Roman Citizens were required to perform some rituals, prayers and sacrifice to company their worship. Through this worship all citizens were obliged to affirm their allegiance to the emperor. Christians refused to follow the demands of the state to follow the worship of demi gods of Roman religions. As a result, this refusal led to the persecution of Christians who insisted in worshipping their only God and Lord Jesus Christ. Christians decided to live in different set of life style which is different from the religious institutions of the Roman Empire and its social environment. This shows the unhealthy relationship between the state and the church. This forced the Apostle Paul to address the issue of obeying the state laws and control in the Romans Chapter 13. The divine right of rulers has been disputed and discussed over the years. The question often asked is whether Christians are obliged to follows state laws and regulations. How far should Christians go to obey the laws of the state even when it is against their religion? For many years, Christian theologians and theologians have tried to grapple with the concept of the State and the Church. There are those who believe that the Church and State are mere sides of the same coin and therefore, Church leaders should be involved inn the affairs of the State. This view was largely developed by theologians such as Martin Luther, Zwingli and John Calvin (Stumbaugh Balch, 1996). It is through this theological thought that led to State Churches such as the Church of England and Lutheran Churches that are commonly found in the Scandinavian countries. On the other hand, there are those theological views which holds that Church is supreme over the State because it subscribes to the higher heavily powers. It is this divine authority which makes many churches to argue that they subjected to divine power and not state control. Those theologians who subscribes to this thought argue that the State is in subsidiary position to Church. Through out the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church view developed the notion that Church and State must be separate or remain separate entities. This thought also advocates that State and Church that must not just remain separate but is also independent of one another (Bramsted, 1978). Most of theologians hold the view that Church and State different entities and have different origins. The Church owes its origin and allegiance to God and therefore Christian followers need to express their allegiance from God. Whereas the State, is seen as the divine institution that has been put in place by God for human Society to exercise power and authority of human beings. However, the Church has no control over men, but can only appeal to their minds, hearts and consciences. As a result, those who have accepted to be under the rule of the Church must adhere to Cannon laws, rules and regulations (Stumbaugh Balch, 1996). In this case, the church would exercise authority over them, control their behavior patterns, thoughts and lives. The Church also has the power to correct, admonish or even discipline those who contrary to the rules of their faith. The concept of freedom and rights in modern European philosophy Modernity is considered to be the period between 1750 to late 1960s. The development of ideas in the western world is closely connected with the philosophical thoughts of their day. This period was associated with enlightenment thought often associated with scientific progress, technological advancement and industrial revolution. This new thinking permeated social thinking, values and relations. One those of those philosophers who contributed greatly to the development of enlightenment thinking in relation to individual freedom and rights were Jean Jacques Rousseau. Jean Jacques Rousseau, who lived between 1772 to 1778, is one of those philosophers who committed his life to follows the ideal of liberty during his political career. He followed the political line of republican persuasions and sympathized with the Republican ideals. He argued that the advent of western civilization corrupted the goodness of human nature (Friend, 2004). He emphasized that progress in the arts and sciences contributed to moral degeneration and the decay of modern societies. He argued that human beings existed because they live social groups that later produced inequality. And therefore, once people begins to live in fixed relations like social groups, the quest for freedom begins to emerge because they want to free themselves from social bondages and oppressive social contracts. Therefore, this is the beginning of social inequalities and oppressions. Concerning Civil Society, Rousseau argues that it was founded by the person or people who emerged by enclosing people in groups. Then it claimed ownership over the piece of land. Therefore, civil society has been used by individuals to justify and maintain relations in property, which is based on inequality and associated moral decays (Friend, 2004). However, although people have the will to choose what is right for them, it is important for everybody to set aside their own personal and ethno-cultural interests for the common good of others. Although, the concept of common goal is important, most scholars believe that it leads to a form of dictatorial leadership or authoritarian leadership. It also leads to dictatorship of the majority. The other European who developed this concept of the rights of man is Thomas Paine. He advocated for the rights of man theory was about the defense of the Principles of French Revolution. The other philosopher who contributed to the development of individual freedom was Thomas Pain. According to Paine, human beings are born with equal, human rights even though they do not live isolation with others in the society. Every human being has the right to live in freedom and enjoy the benefits of cooperation with others in the society. However, this is not often realized, in our societies because these principles are often violated because human beings are not perfect. They have imperfect and naturally deprived nature that always wants to do evil. Paine argued therefore, that the natural rights of all people can only be secured when people learn to deposit those rights which they cannot uphold as individual human beings. Nevertheless, the state has the overall of the individuals life especially when it comes to addressing the issues of violence against humanity. The state also has the overall rights over the protection against the harm of others. To him, it is only the state that has the mandate to ensure the stability of our societies. This means that a legitimate government must be based on the concept of people rule for the sake of the people (Friend, 2004). This type of government is what is often refereed to as democracy. It is only the democratic government that can be considered as a legitimate form of government which represents the rights of the people. Democratic governments are meant to defend and protect the rights of individual human beings and secure the security of all citizens (Bramsted, 1978). The concept of freedom and rights in the post modern world views Much of the western culture resulted from the matrix of the enlightenment period. It promoted the attitude of tolerance towards others and relative view towards belief of any time. The Enlightenment doctrine promoted then doctrine of individualism, purporting that individuals are free, emancipated and must act in autonomy. The basic principles democracy is based on the notion of government consent, in other words, it is about people centered government that is elected by people for the people. The power given to people derives from the electorates. The concept of individual rights to freedom has attracted lots criticism from the intellectual communities and philosophers. The Marxist philosopher argues that the rights of individual go contrary to social progress because they are not in line with cultural or historical relativity (Bramsted, 1978). Postmodernism rejected the enlightenment views that characterized much of then 18th to 19th century. Post modernism promoted the notion of pluralism, individualism and relativism. It rejected the notion of one blue print or overall dominant theme that dictates the thinking of man. Instead, it calls for the plural form of human relations. It opposes the notion of meta-narratives and calls for one many narratives in expanding human story. Contrary to the Enlightenment theory, post modernism attacks this concept of development or progress or the so called notion of forward match of history. Therefore, the principles of justice, freedom and rights in the postmodern world view are very much fragmented. It is also socially constructed depending on the social, economic, cultural and political contexts. The World western mostly exercise liberalism which is based on freedom and rights of individual human beings. This is why post modernism is often in loggerhead with modern enlightenment theor y (Bramsted 1978). However, the Liberal individualism which subscribes to Liberal democracy promotes the ideals of civil and political liberties. Civil liberty is big movement in the USA that pressures for the rights of Citizens. The theory of rights advocates for the rights of others and as well as their own. Such rights include life and liberty of others. This view has developed into human rights movement that taken centre stage in the world of politics advocating for universal human rights. Liberalism emphasizes the value of universal freedom and cosmopolitan citizenship. This view argues that individuals are allowed to display distinctive commitment to their personal lives but not to enforce them others. Civil liberties also argue that the government has no right to infiltrate into their personal lives. This means that we all have the rights to live a peaceful and free life without interference from the state (Bramsted, 1978). Personal Opinion Freedom is some thing which we all cherish and hold on to ideally. But individual freedom is something that is socially constructed. The concept of freedom has been misinterpret and misconceived. These views of freedom are erroneous in nature. Some people think that freedom is the absence of laws, regulation and restrictions. I have personally heard a teenager shouting back saying that they want to be free from their parents rules and regulations. Some even think that freedom is without anarchy or live a life without rules and regulations or rules. Many people and especially young people think that freedom is about living irresponsibility, without being responsible or being accountable to any body. For some people freedom is about the avoidance of work and obligation. This equates to laziness and being slack. But from my own understanding, freedom demands much of our time and work than when in bondage. When your are bound, you are well looked after by your captors for instance when you are in prison, it is the responsibility of the prison authorities to look after you. Further I have heard some people saying that freedom is retiring from responsibility. But is not true because one cannot separate freedom from responsibility these are two sides of the same coins. Indeed, some extend, say that freedom is about relaxation from social boundaries and rules, but this is misconception. One does have to relax because they are free. By and large, some even argue that freedom is being released from external control. They argue that it is about being left alone to do what they want or like without control from the parents, employers or even the government. Conclusion This paper has attempted to answer the question whether it most important to value ones own life, happiness and interest or to obey the higher authority of the state. It is question which address the question of individual freedom and rights. Individual freedom and rights are two concepts that are intertwined together. One cannot do without the other. The concept of freedom is often associated with being released from the external controls whereby one thinks that they are not held accountable or responsible to the others. These two views have been very contentious for many years as scholars contend with them. Beginning with the Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Confucius, individual freedom and rights were discussed in more details. These philosophers taught that although we are free agents were are still subjected to human control and governance. This means that we are still obliged to follow the rules and regulations of the state. However, the issue of obeying the state and its decrees is what caused much friction between the church and the state. For many years, the first century were persecuted by the Roman governments for now disobeying the emperors orders on cultic worship. This factor was taken board by theologians for many years latter as to whether the church is free from the powers of the state. This is also implied as to whether indeed Christians are free from following the rules and regulations ordered by the state. During the enlightenment period various thoughts began to emerge concerning the issue of individual freedom and right from modern Europe philosophers. These discourse produced further debates on liberalism, democracy and human rights. Following the end of modernity the postmodern paradigm began to emerge to give different views to those ones held by modernity thinkers. The post modern mind view argues that there is one met narratives, that we all have our stories of what is right and wrong, we should follow what is appropriate for us. I would not subscribe to any of these views but a mixture of both. I would like to argue that individual freedom is there, but we have to be accountable to what we do to others. Our concept of freedom, rights and happiness must be inline with the laws of our societies.

Research Paper: Crime Prevention Strategies

Contents Page Executive Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 Research Question (or hypothesis)†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Research (including methodology)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 Literature Review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 Findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 Reference List†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Executive SummaryThe focus of this paper will be based upon different crime prevention strategies implemented by members of the communities, local and government authorities. It will focus mainly on those practices involving community cooperation and portray how they are successful or unsuccessful in reducing criminality in high crime areas. Firstly, the topic of this research report in clearly stated below. The methods used to acquire the information contained in this research report are also described below.The literature review discusses the three main themes found in the allocated articles relating to community crime prevention. These include techniques to reduce juvenile crime; fear of crime between the community members and the social divides that are created by implementing community crime prevention strategies. The findings discuss, in depth, the effects on the three themes mentioned above once these prevent ion strategies were implemented. It gives examples of peoples experiences with crime and crime prevention. Finally the discussion presents the outcomes achieved, that are shown by the various uthors. It also touches on the government’s involvement and how it can be improved. The conclusion sums up all the findings in this report and gives an idea of future hope for less crime. Research Question (or hypothesis) ‘What are the leading practices in the field of community crime prevention? You can choose to either research and discuss a wide range of different community crime prevention strategies, or focus on an example of a particular technique and research its successes, limitations and applications. ’ The topic of this paper discusses community crime prevention.It talks about a range of different types of prevention strategies that are used to reduce or minimise crime targeted areas or fields. The various effects of these strategies are shown throughout the report . Research (including methodologies) Before composing this research report, the methodology exercised for this task was content analysis. Content analysis demands for the reader to read ‘in between the lines'. Its main requirement is to draw conclusions from the information presented and apply it to the point being made.The requirements of this methodology are to research and locate a range of reliable secondary resources, applying them to strengthen the argument of crime prevention. Primary research was not conducted as that would have been a more advanced project and is not part of the academic requirement for an undergraduate level. Many different databases were used such as the internet, university databases, academic libraries and Google scholar. Access to libraries and the internet were vital in achieving this task.The scholarly articles were beneficial to this task as the composers of these articles had conducted detailed research themselves, allowing their information to support the point being made in this task. Literature Review Many areas are now trying to implement community crime prevention in order to get citizens more involved in reducing or preventing crime in their neighbourhoods. The articles discuss the different techniques being used to implement this change. One main strategy is connecting the citizens to the criminals.By doing so the citizens are able to see the results that occur when people become criminals. The three main themes explored in these articles are: 1. Youth/ juvenile violence, 2. Social divide created between communities, and 3. Reducing fear of crime The philosophy of Robert Peel that â€Å"the police are the public and the public are the police†, is one that perfectly sums up the relationship between the police and the rest of the community (Lentz & Chaires 2007). This quote suggests that law enforcement needs approval from citizens and residents of neighbourhoods to perform their duties correctly.Meaning, th is requires the police to maintain an informed relationship with the community. By doing so they are reducing the reoccurrence of the themes in crime prevention mentioned above. Previously, there was not enough knowledge or resources amongst communities to raise awareness or organise crime prevention programs for juveniles. Today, schools together with police and community-based workers are aiming to provide the expertise to help create crime prevention programs for juveniles.It is believed that that one of the most active crime prevention strategies is effective intervention programs. A substantial number of crimes amongst adolescence are detected from anti-social behaviours. Youth need to be more involved in their community activities such as church associated groups, sports clubs, recreation centres (Dodington et al 2012, p. 1026). Other school organisations such as ‘Links to Learning’ helps adolescences engage in activities that will teach worthy skills for future w ork and careers.All these extracurricular activities will give youth less time to consider committing crimes and more time to become involved in the community. The National Crime Prevention 1999 quotes â€Å"an improved understanding of the early childhood origins of juvenile delinquency highlights the opportunities for prevention programs† (Bor et al 2001, p. 5). One of the limitations of creating community based crime prevention and linking the citizens to crime and criminal is that it creates social divisions between citizens.Usually the higher and middle class citizens are involved in community project and the lower class citizens are left out. This makes the lower class citizens inferior and targeted for being the ones who are expected to commit acts of crime. This creates a division of ‘us’ (higher class) and ‘them’ (lower class). Ward (1997, p. 4) suggests â€Å"situational crime prevention approach may displace crime, tends to benefit middle and upper classes at the expense of the poor people, and may increase the fear of crime. It also may create a siege mentality, isolating individuals and families. He then further states that complaints, of disturbances, made to the police are not always filed. Firstly, the police are given the authority to decide whether the complaint is serious enough, secondly if the victim and criminal have met before and finally judging by the victims social class (Ward 1997, p. 5). In order to effectively reduce crime, relationships between communities and local authorities need to be addressed. The presence of police may be quite contradictory to residents, it can be comforting for some but disturbing for others.If residents are not aware of measures being taken by police to help prevent crime, they cannot assume their presence is positive but rather understand that more crime is occurring (Mesko et al 2007, p. 70). This will further increase the fear in residents caused by the occurrence of criminal activity in their neighbourhoods’. One resident of Hyde Park describes her lifestyle to have become based upon fear. Since her home was broken into 3 years ago, a gun is always present beside her through the night; the TV is on the entire time she is at home and an alarm system has been installed.The extreme fear is shown in these extra precautions, â€Å"When I come home late at night, I always blow my horn before I get out of the car, so I make sure that a neighbour is looking out. When I sleep at night, there are at least three lights on. † (Ward 1997, p. 5). Complaints have been made to the police, however not knowing the severity of the case; no serious action has been taken. This, again, clearly shows a lack of communication between authorities and their neighbourhoods. Findings It is very clear from the above review that great measures are being taken to try and reduce or even eliminate crime within communities.Law enforcement authorities originally wou ld address crime; however, today citizens are becoming more active and involved in keeping their own communities safe. The results of the first theme, youth/juvenile violence, found that this violence originated from childhood behaviours and therefore should be addressed at these early stages. In doing so crimes committed by youth should be minimised. The main notion believed to reduce youth violence is ‘diversion’. Creating a distraction or alternative for youth is the only way to keep them from winding up face to face with the criminal justice system.This idea argued that juvenile offenders who are placed before the justice system are done more harm than good and are more likely to reoffend. On the other hand, diversions such as sporting activities or after school programs need to be created. These diversions will keep the minds of these ‘adults in the making’ off negative thoughts to commit crimes (Tilley 2005, p. 356). Detective Sergeant Heslop (1991), agreeing with the notion of diversion, states â€Å"Often there is little point in punishing an offender, as the punishment can be shown to be counterproductive. †¦ ] By charging them we are often condemning them to further and deeper involvement in the juvenile justice system, which is, it is submitted, a failure. † He also goes on to say that diversion is the greatest prevention tool and if used appropriately law enforcement can battle juvenile crime more efficiently. The next discussion was the social divide created within the communities when trying to implement crime prevention. Not all citizens were eager to work side by side with police to manage criminal activity.Studies show that people with higher levels of wealth and quality of life are more likely to cooperate with police as they have more to lose. However the rest of the general public, those classified to have lower levels of wealth and standards of living, were reluctant to become involved as they didnâ₠¬â„¢t have much to lose and were viewed as those more likely to commit crimes (Mesko 2007, p. 84). This divide within the community allowed citizens of the higher class to feel a sense of empowerment through their involvement with the police and once again created isolation for those individuals classified as a part of the lower social class.However the people of the lower social class can also be to blame. It is asserted by Podolefsky (1983) that generally when crimes are committed and no action is taken, liability is placed upon the police. Community members prefer to abuse authorities rather than cooperate and help put criminals away (cited in Ward 1997, p. 5). The final theme discussed is reducing the fear of crime in citizens. Findings show that people are afraid for their safety and do not want to be victims of crime. As a result of this fear, rates of crimes are increasing.In order to relieve this fear people started using different methods to defend themselves such as carryi ng guns, knives and other protective weapons (Mesko 2007, p. 75). Ward (1997, p. 5) also proves this as â€Å"(a)lmost all residents and business owners interviewed either formally or informally owned guns and kept them nearby, ready for use. † Police are given the primary role of fighting crime and are expected to â€Å"eliminate all evil in society so that the ‘good citizen’ can live in freedom without living fear† (Mesko 2007 p. 81).But to give this role to police solely and not have community crime prevention programs will not guarantee reducing crime within communities and furthermore not reduce fear of crime. Discussion The main point for discussion in this research paper is that community development is a necessary approach to addressing crime and promoting justice in our nation (Acosta & Chavis 2007, p. 653). Over the years, police were given the main responsibility to deal with crime; however the development of a community approach will allow memb ers to engage in ddressing socials issues such as crime. This approach also gives member a responsibility to help maintain a safe living location. As pointed out in Acosta and Chavis (2007, p. 654) â€Å"In the community development approach, community members are responsible for solving community problems; to meet this responsibility, community members are given a voice and collective power to influence decisions and social outcomes that will affect their lives. † Some authors argue the effectiveness of an approach involving community crime prevention.The National Crime prevention Framework (Australian Institute of Criminology 2011) believes this approach has proved to be effective, with outcomes such as: †¢Reducing crime and other concerning problems within the community, †¢Increased safety and unity leading to less victimisation, †¢More emotional and psychological support for those who have been victims of crime, and †¢Reducing crimes by those who have previously offended or been engaged in antisocial behaviour. The efficiency of allowing the public to participate in the decision making related to crime, is also shown through the great outcomes achieved in the youth discipline.Partnerships were created with local universities that resulted in service learning programs and continuous student internships which were important in establishing students’ careers by putting them on the right path. Another great accomplishment was that students were achieving better results in school and their behaviours and negative attitudes were definitely improving (Pickens 2011, p. 19-21). An important outcome as clarified by Pickens (2011, p. 20) was â€Å"increasing youth’s awareness about risky behaviour, violence, weapons, drugs, and alcohol†, which was said to be the major motivation for all the other improvements.A topic that has been mentioned by various authors is the amount of government involvement in community crime pr evention. It is suggested by Australian Institute of Criminology (2011) that first and foremost the government can help to minimise crime, â€Å"Governments can address factors that influence the opportunities for crime to occur through its various responsibilities in areas such as managing public space and building design, providing community recreational services and developing policies that affect local businesses and urban development processes. Furthermore, Greenberg and Rohe (1984) indicate â€Å"(t)he physical design and appearance of a community (i. e. , structural assets) affect criminal access†(cited in Acosta & Chavis 2007, p. 654). Consequently, through developing safer public places governments can begin to create safer public environments. The articles and supporting documents used to assemble this research report were generally discussing very similar aspects of community crime prevention.Topics included juvenile crime prevention, the fear of crime that has be en developing in citizens and the community crime prevention strategies that were being used to reduce and prevent crime within neighbourhoods. To increase the effectiveness of these approaches further research should be conducted in the areas of government participation. To take community crime prevention to the next level, local government should consider formalising or enforcing requirements that must be met by all citizens.All citizens should be expected to be involved in creating a safer and combined community. Conclusion Summing up, the involvement of community members in prime prevention is an effective technique. With the help of schools, police, and citizens crime has been reduced in youth, fear of crime has been minimised and social relationships strengthened. More communities should be encouraged to implement more strategies involving their citizens. A final thought is whether governments should consider enforcing community crime prevention in all areas to enable safer li ving environments.

Reasons behind Government Intervention in the Market Free Essay Example, 3250 words

This essay explores two reasons behind government intervention in the market: social efficiency and macroeconomic objectives. Social efficiency is achieved when the marginal cost of the production or the consumption is equal to marginal benefits to the society for production or consumption. It is very difficult to judge between fair and unfair distribution. The government also can intervene in the market to promote fairness such as promoting income distribution, basic standard of services to all citizens such as helping people with mental or physical disabilities. Another one can promote safety where a customer is not aware of the product. In the United States, a regulator call Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is there who has the authority to regulate the sale and manufacturing of thousands of consumer products. Also, the government promotes sick firms or the firms which are working for the sake of humankind like green energy, biofuel etc. Macroeconomic objectives are cont rolling inflation; counteract the effect of an economic cycle, control the countries balance of payment. Inflation can be controlled by changing the monitory policy. Economic cycle can be counteracting by keeping employment steady during a recession. We will write a custom essay sample on Reasons behind Government Intervention in the Market or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page

The Boiling Point of Alcohol

The boiling point of alcohol depends on which type of alcohol youre using, as well as the atmospheric pressure. The boiling point decreases as atmospheric pressure decreases, so it will be slightly lower unless you are at sea level. Here is a look at the boiling point of different types of alcohol. The boiling point of ethanol or grain alcohol (C2H5OH) at atmospheric pressure (14.7 psia, 1 bar absolute) is 173.1 F (78.37 C). Methanol (methyl alcohol, wood alcohol): 66 °C or 151 °FIsopropyl Alcohol (isopropanol): 80.3 °C or 177 °F Implications of Different Boiling Points One practical application of the different boiling points of alcohols and of alcohol with respect to water and other liquids is that it can be used to separate them using distillation. In the process of distillation, a liquid is carefully heated so more volatile compounds boil away. They may be collected, as a method of distilling alcohol, or the method may be used to purify the original liquid by removing compounds with a lower boiling point. Different types of alcohol have different boiling points, so this can be used to separate them from each other and from other organic compounds. Distillation may also be used to separate alcohol and water. The boiling point of water is 212 F or 100 C, which is higher than that of alcohol. However, distillation cant be used to fully separate the two chemicals. The Myth About Cooking Alcohol out of Food Many people believe alcohol added during the cooking process boils away, adding flavor without retaining alcohol. While it makes sense cooking food above 173 F or  78 C would drive off the alcohol and leave the water, scientists at the University of Idaho Department of Agriculture  have measured the amount of alcohol remaining in foods and found most cooking methods dont actually affect the alcohol content as much as you might think. The highest amount of alcohol remains when alcohol is added to boiling liquid and then removed from heat. About 85 percent of the alcohol remained.Flaming the liquid to burn off the alcohol still allowed for 75 percent retention.Storing food containing alcohol overnight with no heat applied resulted in 70 percent retention. Here, the loss of alcohol occurred because it has a higher vapor pressure than water, so some of it evaporated.Baking a recipe containing alcohol resulted in alcohol retention ranging from 25  percent (1 hour baking time) to 45 percent (25 minutes, no stirring). A recipe had to be baked 2 hours or longer to bring the alcohol content down to 10  percent or lower. Why cant you cook the  alcohol out of food? The reason is that alcohol and water bind to each other, forming an azeotrope. The components of the mixture cant be easily separated using heat. This is also why distillation isnt sufficient to get 100  percent or absolute alcohol. The only way to completely remove alcohol from a liquid is to boil it away completely or allow it to evaporate until its dry.

Argument Between The Theistic And Atheistic Viewpoint

The argument between the theistic and atheistic viewpoint has been and always will be relevant. The relevance of this argument continues to carry over throughout generations because, as humans, we all have the desire to know the answers to the questions presented about life. We all want to be able to answer the hard questions, is God real? If the answer is yes, how did we come to that conclusion? H.J. McCloskey is the author of an article titled, â€Å"On Being an Atheist,† within this article he argues against the theistic viewpoint in hopes of shaking the theists conclusion that there is a divine creator. He answers the questions about God and his relevance to life by saying there is no God. He came to this conclusion by determining that if†¦show more content†¦He does not choose how we respond when faced with the decision of right and wrong because if he did there would be no choice to allow our free will to contemplate. Satan tempts humans by coating sins in the i llusion of happiness. We would not indulge in sin if it was presented to us as toxic as it actually is so Satan manipulates us by making it sound as if it will bring ultimate happiness. However, happiness is temporary and we all have the knowledge to access the sin that is presented in front of us and decide if it is right or wrong. We are given the choice through our free will to choose what is right or what is wrong and it is communicated to us through our moral conscience. William Lane Craig, a cosmological theist, firmly believes that an individual’s sense of morality exist because of God and his convictions. Theists believe that God often communicates His path through an individual’s moral compass, also known as that â€Å"still small voice†. When we choose wrong we allow evil to enter, misusing the gift God has allowed our minds to obtain. To a non-theistic mind McCloskey’s argument may have relevance but when someone who has knowledge on both theism and atheism analyzes the problem of evil the question regarding the worlds need for God without evil has to be considered. If God were to create all humans with the inability to make the mistake of falling into temptationShow MoreRelatedEssay on Right to Religion589 Words   |  3 Pagesparticular focus on the United States of America. The Right to Religion Basically, the right to religion involves the liberty to have as well as practice religion together with principles of one’s selection, encompassing theistic along with non-theistic beliefs in addition to atheistic beliefs. In this case, the right of religion covers freedom to practice one’s religion in terms of adoration, honoring and practice not leaving out teaching. However, this right to manifest a doctrine is contingent uponRead MoreThe And Evolution Between Creationism And Creationism1023 Words   |  5 PagesAmericans consider the controversy between creationism and evolution as existing on a dichotomous scale. This belief is inaccurate which is why the exercise of presenting the Creation/Evolution Continuum is highly successful both in middle and high school as well as universities. The continuum is not meant to change a student s beliefs or exalt one position over another, it is rather to demonstrate that there are many points of view and show the complexity of the argument (Scott, 2000). The continuumRead MorePhilosophical Analysis of a Non-Philosophical Stimulus1956 Words   |  8 Pageselements of his external world: but the photograph is the depiction of how the individual is still infinitely free in his capability to act and react to events: to choose and be responsible for his own actions. There are contradictory philosophical viewpoints, for example Freud might argue from a perspective of psychic determination. As Erich Fromm summarises, Freud might claim that ‘there is this secret, hidden, dissociated personality, and...this personality has a tremendous effect on everything weRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 Pagesor goal. In this sense, humans are free to choose their own destiny.   * is a philosophical term which asserts that there is a distinction between essential and non-essential (contingent or accidental) characteristics of an object. Essentialism assumes that objects have essences and that an object’s identity is its essence. Aristotle distinguished between an object’s essence and its existence. Its essence is â€Å"what a thing is.† Its essence is â€Å"that a thing is.† An object’s essence is the collection

Walmart Global Expansion Free Essays

Wal-Mart’s Global Expansion Introduction Sam Walton established Wal-Mart at Arkansas in 1962. It has grown dramatically over the last 40 years and has become one of the world’s largest retailers with the sales of $401 billion in a year ending Jan. 31st 2009. We will write a custom essay sample on Walmart Global Expansion or any similar topic only for you Order Now Wal-Mart has approximately 7,000 stores globally with 2 million employees. It is the largest private employer in Mexico and Canada with the employee figures hitting around 1. 4 million in this region. It also operates 3,600 additional stores in 16 worldwide markets that include China, Japan, South Korea, India and United Kingdom. Wal-Mart does particularly well in Canada where they have a chain of 314 stores. In 2008, it had 92,284,000 dollars of gross profit. Wal-Mart serves its customers and members over 200 million times per week and ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine’s 2009 Most Admired Companies survey. Wal-Mart provides sustainability- focused products. Wal-Mart not only provides jobs for senior citizens and students but also provide opportunities to build careers with competitive salaries. The retailer claims that 75% of its stores management team joined the company as hourly sales associates. Wal-Mart has also got an impressive ethical policy which includes regular use of recycling products and creating almost zero landfill waste. The company also makes vast amount of donations to different local level charitable organizations every year for improving people’s lives, which made Wal-Mart a trusted organization for funding the community programs to address hunger, homelessness, education, job training and other basic needs. International Expansion of Wal-Mart and its Benefits By 1990, Wal-Mart realized that the opportunities for growth in United States is becoming limited because of the saturation of the market and decided to expand their business globally. Their international expansion put a greater impact on international market and has changed the way business is conducted globally. It has also increased the benefits for the consumers as it helps them spend less money on goods they purchase. The company’s relationship with their key suppliers such as General Electronics (For appliances), Unilever (For Food Products) and Procter Gamble (For Personal care products) is very good. All these suppliers are internationally recognized with vast global expansion and because of this Wal-Mart are able to demand deeper discounts from the local operations of its suppliers. Apart from these world renowned suppliers Wal-Mart also does business with more than 2,500 minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE). The result of this good relationship with suppliers means they can lower their prices to attract more consumers, gain market share and increase their profit margins in international market. Wal-Mart claims in its data sheet for December 2009 that its international business achieved 11. % rise in sales for the whole financial year. Except the profit and market share another benefit of international expansion for Wal-Mart is the flow of different ideas for example, a double-floor store in New York was opened because of the success of multi-floor stores in South Korea. Other ideas such as the layout of the wine department in Argentina have now been used into th e layouts of company’s stores worldwide. Wal-Mart is also constantly trying to improve its reputation ethically and consistently helping over 100,000 charitable and community-focused organizations by providing financial and volunteer support. Retailer’s policy of buying fair-trade products in the international market is also attracting the attention of many consumers to shop in Wal-Mart. Risks When Entering Other Retail Markets The idea of expanding internationally was initially jeered off and the critics showed that Wal-Mart’s style of trading only suits to an American market, which in other countries is not going to work because of the different market structure, people’s taste and the popularity of already established retailers. But instead of all the critics Wal-Mart went ahead with an idea and in 1991opened their first international branch in Mexico. Expanding business internationally also brought some risks for the retailer as being new in the market they faced problems like bad infrastructure, lack of leverage from their suppliers and no knowledge about consumers taste, which resulted the rise in prices of their products and lack of interest from the consumers. One prime example of this kind of mistake was in Mexico where they merchandised products like ice skates, lawn mowers and fishing tackles which were good sellers in United States but without a surprise didn’t do well in Mexico. Managers had to reduce prices to sell that stock but it was re-ordered because of the automated ordering system. These problems created a large risk to prove the critics right about Wal-Mart not surviving internationally. Diminishing the Risks Wal-Mart learned vastly from their experience in Mexico and after that whenever they entered any international market they took strict measures on not repeating the same mistakes. To avoid risks of making past mistakes they made deals with vehicle companies which means improved and frequent distribution system, adapted local environment and merchandised goods in stores that appealed local tastes. With the grown presence of Wal-Mart in the international market their suppliers built factories near the distribution centers so they could serve the company better, which meant frequent inventory and cutting down the cost to get better market share. These are the tactics that has made Wal-Mart one of the most successful and globally recognized retailer in the world. Entering Mexico via Joint Venture Wal-Mart first entered Mexico through a joint venture with Cifera, because it was the largest local retailer in Mexico which was somehow within the standard as Wal-Mart was in the United States. The other reason it entered through a joint venture was because they wanted to be on the safe side when entering a new market considering they had no previous experience of the market they were planning to enter and hoped the experience from Cifera will help them in making their brand global, which they had planned to do after the market in America got saturated for domestic growth. Financial Aspect of Joint Venture As for the financial aspect of joint venture seems to be that both companies can benefit from the profit as well as share the risk and cost. Get a greater access to resources which both companies can share with each other and also the availability for both companies to a new market distribution. While not to forget the risk of this particular idea for a business is that every company has different objectives on how to move forward with the business. The other risk is the communication flow as one company can be centralized and the other decentralized. Purchase of Joint Venture Partner The major reason believed to push Wal-Mart to buy of their Mexican joint venture partner Cifera. Was that they had gained enough experience working in Mexico which was around about 7 years and during that time they had increased their sales of good as well as made contacts to help them prosper without the help of having a joint venture. After getting exposed and experience within the market they had considered to start their own chain of stores to have a firsthand control rather than having to collaborate with their partner to make certain decisions. The other reason could be considered that is since their deployment in the Mexico during 1991 when goods were being sold at 20 percent more than in the States due to various different conditions such as transport and production of goods. They were able to sort out the problem by at first having a deal in place with a major transport company to bring products from their factory to the stores in Mexico, which later on opted on suppliers to open factories around areas where stores were located which enabled to cut down on logistics cost. Having this in place they were able to provide the same goods in the same price as they did in the States. Difference of Strategy for Dominance Before explaining the strategy that Wal-Mart pursued it would be helpful in understanding the strategies. As per the question four different strategies were provided to consider and show the one chosen by Wal-Mart to match its strategic choice and why. The four strategies are global strategy, localization strategy, international strategy, and transnational strategy. Global standardization strategy is a â€Å"strategy that focuses on increasing profitability by reaping cost reductions from experience curve and location economies† (Hill, 2009). Localization strategy is a â€Å"plan which focuses on increasing profitability by customizing the goods or services to match tastes in national markets† (Hill, 2009). Transnational strategy is a â€Å"plan to exploit experience-based cost and location economies, transfer core competencies with the firm, and pay attention to local responsiveness† (Hill, 2009). Lastly international strategy is â€Å"trying to create value by transferring core competencies to foreign markets where indigenous competitors lack those competencies† (Hill, 2009). Domination The strategy that Wal-Mart used to go global from United States was the global strategy at first in Mexico but after noticing that the strategy has no affect rather than sales going up they had to cut down the price of goods to be able to sell them. This enabled the company to change from global to localization strategy which is to focus on increasing profitability by customizing the firm’s goods or services they provide a good match to tastes and preferences in different national markets. This enabled them to adapt to the local market and provide goods that matched the local environment. As for making sense of this strategy it was a valuable and the right decision considering the outcome from the change. As profit grew so did the hold in the market as well as outsmarting their nearest rival by having more than twice as many stores within the country. Conclusion To conclude, Wal-Mart benefited vastly from their global expansion. It experienced an increase of global market share, reputation and profit margin. It also gained economies of scales. Although, they faced massive problems when they took their business internationally but they quickly learned from their mistakes and adapted the strategies according to different international markets, which benefited them in many ways. Wal-Mart ranked 8th in 2009 Forbes Magazine’s of global companies but 1st in global retailers ranking and if they keep attracting consumers by their business strategies then without a doubt it will stay the top retailer for a long time. How to cite Walmart Global Expansion, Papers

My Three Weeks in the Dominican Republic Essay Example For Students

My Three Weeks in the Dominican Republic Essay As of today at about 2:44 p.m, I will be landing at one of the most beautiful islands in the world, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Hopefully this trip will be a good get-away for me to relax and figure out what I really want to accomplish in my life, all this â€Å"I have to get good grades† has gotten me a bit out of track and a bit confused as well but hopefully this trip is enough. I need get on the plane to Punta Cana at 7:40 a.m. The round trip ticket cost me $442.20 not bad actually, bringing my total of $5000 down to $4,557.8. The trip has one stop in the Philadelphia airport where I will have to wait an hour and 45 minutes, then take the next flight to Punta Cana at 9:50 a.m. I get to the Punta Cana airport at 2:44 p.m but because of security purposes and certain procedures a passenger has to follow I will be leaving the airport at around 3 or so, where a taxi driver is waiting to take me to the Four Point hotel in the Punta Cana resort village. Upon arrival I pay the man in $50 US dollars and book a room for 5 nights costing me $107 a night for a total of $535 bringing down my total to $4,022.8. Crazy how money goes huh? I have spent above a thousand dollars in one day, the first day. I actually have a pretty good impression on my choice of hotel though. I decide to walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator just so i can get familiar with the hotel and so far so good, I am not regretting anything. Everything seems to be perfect and clean. Just the way i like it. Day 2 Day 2, today is the official day. Hopefully today I will be venturing some cool adventures. It is 8:30 in the morning, not so bad of a morning, it’s pretty chill outside. I head down to the resorts buffet for breakfast, luckily for me I dont have to worry about paying for a plate of food because all meals come bundled with the room. The steaks were pretty good actually, I mean it is a Spanish country right? Honestly from reader to writer, one of the main reasons why I came here, was because of the food and because of that fact that I knew I can definitely got get the extremely needed tan. It is exactly 12:00 p.m just when the sun is hitting the middle sky. Perfect time for tanning. I go back to my room and get my towel and some tanning oil. About 4 hours have passed by and gosh I can already see a difference, well hopefully the lines a under my biking mean a good thing. It is about 4:30 and I just remember I have to visit the car enterprise so i can rent car- seems like paying a cab everyday will probably lead me to my last dollar bill. Day 3 I am actually thinking of going to visit my family, wait, you know what? that is part of my plan now. It is day 3, 6 in the morning to be exact. I kind of want to hit the gym but ill rather go for breakfast and give my family a surprise. Oh man I cant even remember when was the last time I saw them, hopefully they remember my face, i tend to hear a lot that Ive changed over the past years. Hopefully i look better now. It is about 15 of 12 I head to the other side of Punta Cana where most of my family is at. Cant lie, i am pretty excited but nervous at the same. I am already imagining what their reactions are going to be if they actually do remember me. Day 4 You dont understand how amazing this place is, there might actually be a possibility of settling a life here, after college of course, though what if i come to a college here in Punta Cana?. I definitely would not mind. Well, it is day 4, 7:30 in the morning, and todays plans are, to make plans, since i dont have any yet. I am thinking of visiting a lot of different places. I have no idea what places I want to visit but i’ll find out, hopefully with the help of the internet and some locals that i will strangely be approaching today. But first thing is first and that is my stomach. I am currently at one of the local â€Å"Cafe† restaurant in the resort. The coffee definitely tastes different but it sure tastes wonderful. I head down to the â€Å"mini library†, i mean my room is bigger than this â€Å"library†. The research is going good so far, a lot of amazing different sites and lands and historical places and parks and beaches and lakes. God i love this place. Day 5 Day 5, last day at the resort. Tons of packing to do, well not really. If the packing goes well hopefully by 12:00 pm Ill be free. I heard about samba classes that is held by a profession dancing crew that the resort has a partnership with just so they can have a variety of activities for us to do and well, you know, I am definitely in there! It is 12:30 sharp, 30 minutes past my original plan but it’s okay. I head down to the dance studio about a block away from my room. I am definitely ready for this. One thing I know about Dominican Republic. They love dancing. I wish i wouldve found out about this classes earlier though, not the last day ugh. Day 6 Day 6, I am currently on my way West of Punta Cana, to the city of La Romana. From there I exchange some of my USD to the countries currency, pesos. I took $1000 USD and converted it to pesos, each USD is around 43 pesos so I was left with around 43,000 Dominican Pesos. Since I was already in the city I decided to check in the Hotel Frano that was around the area since it was getting late. I pay 2161 for the night, not bad, I mean it is no longer a 4 point hotel anymore but i mean, it doesnt matter because as of tomorrow I will be visiting tons of places, hopefully. Monopoly or is it just phony EssayDay 14 I pack up the supplies and take a personal cab down to the airport of Puerto Plata to pick up the vehicle I reserved. The cab ride was very long and took the majority of the day. When we finally arrived I gave the taxi driver $150 USD leaving me with $1,509.8 USD left. I rent the vehicle for six days costing me a total of $476 USD tax included. This leaves my total to $1,033.8 USD. Im running very low on money so I decide to stay in a cheap hotel called Celuisma Cabarete for three nights which costs $34 per night. This leaves me with $931.8. It is late at night so I park the car and head to my room to sleep. Day 15 I was already in the Puerto Plata area so I decided to check out a swimming place called the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua which is a free lagoon type thing where anyone can go swim by the waterfall or jump from it if they want. The place is fully inhabited by locals who go daily for a free routine of jumping from waterfall, the lake, and back. I eat what the local merchants sell me, wasting about 200 pesos plus the food I still have from the night on the beach. At the end of the day I drive back up to the hotel, Day 16 Today I left the car in the hotel and was picked up early in the morning for a Dominican Outback Safari tour which cost me $80. The truck took us along dirt roads to the lesser inhabited areas of Puerto Plata. The tour was very educational and fun. It lasted around 7 hours approximately and I got to learn more about the countries history and its rich culture. After the tour the tour truck made a stop to a local restaurant where the meal cost me a total of $80 (minus the $80 for the tour today i spent $160 USD). I figured the prices are so high because this is a large tourist attraction in the city. Today I was left with $771.8 USD. I now have to find a way to stretch that amount for the next five days. Day 17 Today I spent the day around the hotel seeing what it had to offer. After breakfast I went down to the pool area and decided to try out yoga with one of the personal instructors. Later today I stocked up on supplies and went to a personal hiking trip in Pico Isabel de Torres. The trail was 5 miles long and took moderate effort to complete. It didnt cost me anything because it was a natural trail for anyone to use. At the end of the day I book the hotel for one more night ($737.8 USD left) and prepare for sleep. Day 18 From Puerto Plata I drive down to the City of Santiago, arguably one of the more modernized cities of the country. Its an hour trip and I spend about $30 on gas ($707.8 USD left). Upon reaching the city I quickly check into the Hodelpa Hotel which costs $100 USD a night and I book two nights. After the free lunch I go to a baseball field and play some baseball with a friendly group of girls. I spend the whole evening playing and after losing I head to the mall to do some girl shopping. Today has been a very long but enjoyable day, I head back to my hotel room to sleep. Day 19 Today there is a special event taking place in the city called Las Patronales which is a celebration of the countries independence and culture that travels across different parts of the country all year round. I spend the entire day in the hotel and leave at night for the event. Everyday there is a special guest star appearance in the festival and in the Patronales in Santiago it happens to be Romeo Santos. Everyone is having a good time drinking, dancing, going on the rides, and singing that I lose track of the time and head back to the hotel at dawn. Day 20 Today I checked out of the hotel and slowly drove through cities, countrysides, and military bases making my way back to the Punta Cana area. Dominican Republic as a whole is very diverse in its scenery. I check back in the Hotel I first arrived to. I pay the usual $107 ($400.8 left) and I turn the car back in around the airport. Arriving back to the hotel, at night I go to the pool area and bar where I drink some pià ±a colada before heading back into my room. It has definitely been the vacation of my life but I am crazy for a bed right now. Day 21 The complimentary hotel bus takes me back to the airport free of charge. I get on my 1:33 p.m flight and ill be landing in Philadelphia airport again, i’ll then wait 2 hours and 33 minutes. Hopefully by 8:31 i’ll be landing in Boston. Since I have money to spare I pay $25 to upgrade my seat to first class. Bibliography: Flight Ticket hhtps://m.cheapair.com/air/bookflight?sid=1cid=379 Dominican experiences http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dominican-republic/travel-tips-and-articles/76828 Map of Dominican Republic https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Santo+Domingo+Zona+Colonialie=UTF-8ei=T6wKU_n2AcPFsATh9YHYCAved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ Dominican Outback Safari Tour Bus http://www.viator.com/tours/Puerto-Plata/Dominican-Outback-Safari/d795-2476POP_7 Alisei Hotel Rates http://aliseihotelspa.com/rates-reservations/ http://www.adventurerentcar.com/flotilla.php 27 Waterfalls guide http://www.27charcos.com/index.php Dominican Holiday Calendar http://www.listindiario.com/rd_festivos Hodelpa Hotel Chain http://www.hodelpa.com/en/ Few Facts about Dominican Republic http://dr1.com/articles/twenty_one.shtml Dominican Festivals http://www.welcome-dominican-republic.com/Dominican-Republic-holidays.html http://www.sixt.com/php/reservation/offerconfig