American Alcohol Prohibition Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

American Alcohol Prohibition - Thesis Example Crime, especially organized crime, was on the rise and many believed alcohol was at the root of many of these problems including the changing American family values. When Herbert Hoover introduced prohibition in 1919 he called it "the noble experiment", presenting it as a law that hoped to curb sin and poverty across America. In fact, the 18th Amendment was part of a wider reaction from white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPS) against social changes within the USA brought on by mass immigration and the growth in demand for African-American rights. Therefore despite claims of prohibition being a progressive reform, in fact, it symbolized a rejection of modernity. So, on January 17, 1920, the United States Government enacted the eighteenth amendment to the Constitution which â€Å"prohibited Americans from manufacturing, selling, or transporting alcoholic beverages.†1 This decision, also known as the Noble Experiment, would remain in effect just short of thirteen years regardless of intense opposition. The position of those in favor of this law was that it was the duty and responsibility of the government to protect all of its citizens. In spite of the controversial nature of this decision, this was not a new concept as Asbridge and Weerasinghe note that â€Å"Concerted national policy efforts around prohibition in the United States began in 1913 (facilitated by the Webb–Kenyon Act) followed, a few years later, with the enactment of the War Prohibition Act in 1918, banning the manufacture and sale of all beverages with more than 2.75% alcohol.†2 Various states had their own adoptions of state restrictions on alcohol particularly in areas where alcohol-related incidents were high. â€Å"For Chicago, alcohol’s link to organized crime was particularly troubling. Not until the election of Mayor William Dever in 1923, a man who believed firmly in the letter of the law and who enforced prohibition stalwartly, did a formal attack on bootleggin g and organized crime emerge; however, this led to intense territorial wars between organized crime gangs, including the famous Chicago Beer Wars that resulted in dozens of homicides.†3 The hope was that limiting alcohol could limit the crime as well as growing immorality and concern of compromising ethical values of the American people. However, this act received huge opposition as it decreased income for many but also created losses in sales tax revenue. The demand for alcohol only led to the illegal sales of alcohol and bootleggers soon emerged creating additional problems while the sales of alcohol continued in spite of the legality. This example alone should have provided evidence that limiting alcohol on a national scale would not be any more successful. Although consumption of alcohol fell at the beginning of Prohibition, it subsequently increased. Alcohol became more dangerous to consume; crime increased and became "organized"; the court and prison systems were stretch ed to the breaking point, and corruption of public officials was rampant. No measurable gains were made in productivity or reduced absenteeism.

Rock and roll music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rock and roll music - Essay Example The speaker in the song is a male lover who has lost his partner. He acknowledges that he is very lonely so that he now found a new place to stay, at the Heartbreak Hotel. He speaks in the first person and so the song effectively communicates the deep emotions of the speaker. Consequently, he is able to present a realistic situation and causes his listeners to empathize with him. Moreover, the narrator uses simple yet vivid imageries which many people understand and relate with. He speaks of a feeling and circumstance which every individual somehow experiences one way or another, a familiar episode which is easily understood by listeners of different ages. Presley, as the speaker and singer, effectively expresses the message of the song through a manner that is not boring or ordinary but through his unique way of singing he was known to be a king of. The text of course tells the pathetic story of a man left by his lover. He now lives alone lonely at heartbreak hotel with other heartbroken people. He says that the men who are there have been crying for so long while the women wore black dresses. Such imagery reflect depressed men and women who did not simply lost their lovers but have lost them forever so that there seems to be no tomorrow. As their love died when their lovers left, they feel that they have nothing or no one to return to but stay at Heartbreak hotel forever. Such despondent atmosphere is emphasized by the equally melancholic music. Although the instruments are quite upbeat, the singer sounds hopeless and seems to really be crying. His pauses and breathes make him sound like a man crying over the death of a loved one. The emotion expressed in the song is quite strong and moving. What makes the song more expressive perhaps is the use of double entendre. For instance, in the third verse, a picture of the hotel attendant

Seductive Powers of Women in the Medieval Era Essay Example for Free

Seductive Powers of Women in the Medieval Era Essay Women of the medieval genre employed sexual prowess to manipulate and gain control of their men. This was their only means of power in an otherwise powerless role as a female. Chaucer and de France portray in their poems the female’s struggle for power and dominance in relationships and the use of sexuality to achieve that goal. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue exploits a woman’s endeavor for power over men and the wicked measures she employs. The wife, the protagonist of The Wife of Bath’s Prologue, bragged of her successful manipulation resulting in having had five husbands. This power of persuasion, also noted in The Canterbury Tales General Prologue, â€Å"Of remedies of love she knew parchaunce, For she coude of that at the olde daunce,† which exclaims the wife’s familiarity with the art of love. (477, 478) The character of the wife used powerful seduction as the main means of manipulation, but she also beguiled them into guilt in order to get what she wanted from them. Ultimately, as depicted in by the wife’s own admission, â€Å"Namely abedde hadden they meschaunce, Ther wolde I chide and do hem no plesaunce†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (403,404), it was in the bedroom where she wielded her best feats, teasing them and refusing to bring them to sexual satisfaction until they promised to give into her plea for money- a cunning way in which she made her men submissive. Chaucer depicts the wife as a feminist character who is debauching in one sense, yet she contradicts that very essence by only having sex with her husbands when she wanted money from them. Ironically, she confesses to being the fondest of, and loving only her fifth husband, whom she could not control. The fifth husband, some 20 years younger, satirically reverses roles of the wife and her previous husbands by using the same manipulative schemes on her that she previously used on other men. Husband number five dominates the wife and alludes to her that he is aware of her wicked ways by reading to her from a book of stories of the most wicked, deceitful wives in history. Even though husband number five demonstrated more control over her than any of her previous husbands, she still managed to use her sexual talents to convince him to sign over his estate to her. Not only did Chaucer suggest the use of sexual temptations as tools for women used to obtain power in their domain, Marie de France also hinted to a similar use of sexuality in Lanval. de France’s Lanval depicts analogous use of beauty and sexuality by the queen as she seduced the protagonist, Lanval. Lanval was the object of a different seductress, one with the power of royalty. The queen used words of love along with her beauty and body to manipulate and seduce Lanval, evoking the pathos of love in him. Because of her position as queen, she demanded secrecy of her adulterous affair, which served as her means of control over Lanval. He had no choice but to agree to her demand of silence if he desired more favors from her. He eventually rejected her, which in turn infuriated her, therefore subjecting him to her bitter wrath as she sought to ruin him in an attempt to lessen the pain of rejection. In this poem the seductress doesn’t desire money, for she had all that she needed, but nonetheless she used her sexuality to obtain her desire, which is in this case was sex with Lanval. Sweet seduction manifested by soft-spoken, sweet words of love along with lust for the female body have lured men into the manipulative ways of women for centuries. Women have sought the dominance they so desired over their men with the only means of power they’ve had – and with much success. The works of Chaucer and deFrances illustrate the desire women have had for power throughout the ages.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the Person Centred Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the Person Centred Therapy Since the late 20th century, psychotherapy has been described as an important aspect in the study of psychology. Due to its importance, psychologists have been actively involved in the identification of the critical approaches in counselling and psychotherapy (Corey 2009). Psychologists have come up with different theoretical models of counselling that are applicable at different situations during psychotherapy (Fall Holden 2010). The application of these theoretical models of counselling have helped in overcoming the impact of several emotional as well as psychological difficulties such as stress, depression, anxiety, anger, and other emotional problems (Fall Holden 2010). However, despite the universal application in solving similar problems in human beings, these theoretical models of psychotherapy possess distinct differences as well as similarities. A comparison and contrast of the major theoretical models in counselling is therefore critical in understanding the application o f each theory in psychotherapy (Corey 2009). This paper compares and contrasts three theoretical models of counselling. For comparison and contrasting purposes, the paper has identified three main modalities: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the Person-Centred Therapy, and Gestalt Therapy. This paper will describe the underpinning assumptions of each model, the goals of therapy in relation to each model, the therapeutic relationship including the role of the counsellor and the client, the key techniques of each model and the major limitations in relation to each particular model. The paper will describe each theoretical model of counselling while comparing and contrasting with the others utilizing the aforementioned aspects. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Person-Centred Therapy, and Gestalt Therapy CBT, Person Centred Therapy and Gestalt Therapies are three theoretical models that have been applied in psychotherapy for many years. Despite their similarities and use in counselling, the three theoretical models hold distinct differences from each other. These differences are realized especially in regard to the assumptions, the goals of each, therapeutic relationship, key techniques of each and limitations (Corey 2009). Being one of the most preferred theoretical models in counselling, CBT has demonstrated explicit justifications as well as definite rates of success in most of the instances where it has been applied (Brewin 1989). The diversity of its applications in major psychological and emotional problems has also encouraged most psychotherapists to utilize it in therapeutical sessions (Stallard 2002). In contemporary psychotherapy, as described by Stallard (2002), CBT has been integrated with other theoretical models due to its multidimensional nature. CBT has been applied in clinical psychology and other psychological therapies on the basis of its premise of the importance of thinking about individual actions and feelings in relation to psychological and emotional health (Fall Holden 2010; Ingram Siegle 2000). Person-Centered Therapy was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940s, and has been a critical theoretical model in counselling. According to Fall Holden (2010), this theory of counselling developed in three different phases. In the first phase, the theory focused on how the nondirective counsellors conduct differed from that of more directive psychotherapists such as psychoanalysts and behaviour therapists (Fall Holden 2010, p 171). The second phase focused away from the counsellor and firmly onto the client as a responsible agent whose nature provided the rationale for the counsellors therapeutic conduct (Fall Holden 2010, p 171).The third phase emerged when the theory included past counselling philosophies which formed major requirements of conventional psychology (Vacc Loesch 2000). Gestalt Therapy, on the other hand, emerged in the 20th century. As described by Fall Holden (2010), Gestalt therapy grew from a reaction to classical psychoanalysis that permeated the psychological community of the early twentieth century (p. 201). Developed in the 1940s by Frederick Fritz Perls, Gestalt Therapy focused on cultivating growth rather than pathological remediation, (Fall Holden 2010, p 202). Actual psychological experiences are the major emphasis of the gestalt therapy. Underpinning Assumptions Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Person-Centred Therapy and Gestalt Therapy have differing underpinning assumptions that make each therapy distinct. CBT assumes that the occurrence of behavioural and emotional problems in most individuals is due to the nature of people incorporating faulty thinking (Dryden Bond 2000). CBT also assumes that the manner in which individuals perform and believe is determined and influenced by individual cognition. The counselling is therefore focused towards the cognition and behaviour of the individual (Ingram Siegle 2000). During CBT, the importance of decision making, thought, questioning and action is stressed. CBT assumes that counselling is a process that entails learning, acquisition of novel talents as well as learning new coping mechanisms for common psychological and emotional problems (Corey 2009, Stallard 2002). In person centred therapy, it is assumed that humans are positive and due to this positivity, they tend to be inclined towards the achievement of complete functionality of both their bodies and minds (VanKalmthout 1998). In applying this model in counselling, it is assumed that the immediate experiences in an individual have occurred due to lack of past awareness about the problems. The theory has it that after therapy, the individual will possess actualization that will impact on his or her potential to move from being unaware to being aware of his or her feelings, and will have self trust and think positively in relation to his or her life (Rennie 1998). Gestalt Therapy assumes that for an individual to achieve personal wholeness in terms of thinking, feelings as well as behaviour, they have to work hard (Brownell 2010). This theory assumes that if an individual is allowed to flashback on past experiences, they will be able to relate them to the present experiences and then connect the two. Fall Holden (2010) claim this model of counselling utilizes an experiential advance that holds its grounds on the immediate experiences therefore emphasizing on individual responsibilities as well as choices. Goals of Therapy The three theoretical models possess different goals. CBT challenges individuals to face the behaviours, norms, and beliefs that affect their psychological and emotional health (Dryden Bond 2000). CBT also encourages clients to be more aware of their thoughts therefore encouraging clients to change their feelings (Vacc Loesch 2000). Person-Centred therapy aims at providing individuals with an environment that is safe and favourable for exploring their well being (Rennie 1998). By encouraging clients to explore well being, Person-centred therapy ensures that clients recognize all the challenges that they have faced in their emotional and psychological growth. Further, this therapy enables clients to realise aspects of self worthiness that had been imprecise during their past (Tudor Worrall 2006). The goals of the Gestalt Therapy also differ from those of CBT and person centred therapies. Basically, Gestalt therapy aims at assisting emotionally and psychologically affected individuals in advancing towards self awareness in relation to their day to day experiences (Brownell 2010). This encourages clients to be expansive especially in making choices in regard to their lives. However, the gestalt therapy in contrast with the CBT and person-centred therapies aims at assimilation but not at psychoanalysis which is common in the other two therapies (Fall Holden 2010). Therapeutic Relationship In relation to therapeutic relationship, the role of the counsellor and client becomes critical in ensuring that the outcome of the therapy is desirable. In relation to the three theoretical models of counselling under discussion, the therapeutic relationships differ from one model to the other. In each model, the client and therapist hold different roles (Corey 2009). The therapeutic relationship in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the therapeutic relationship resembles the relationship between a teacher and a student. The therapist acts as the teacher and the client as the student. According to Romana (2003), the role of the therapist is to give therapeutical instructions to the client who listens and does what the counsellor says. In this relationship, the counsellor employs directive structures to direct clients on behaviour changes (Dryden Bond 2000). In this case, the counsellor acts as the focal point since he impacts much on the cognitive and behavioural changes in the client. However, for desirable results, collaboration is ensured during therapy (Gilbert Leahy 2007). The counsellor utilizes the Socratic dialogue that is critical in supporting clients in tenets such as the identification of the beliefs, norms and values that have impacted on the psychological and emotional functionality (Romana 2003). Further, the counsellor encourages the client to change these beliefs as well as identify an unconventional rule for present and future living. In this case, the counsellor helps in promoting the adoption of remedial skills of learning (DeRubeis, Tang Beck 2001). In this relationship, the client always gets new insights in relation to the problems he/she is experiencing and therefore decides on efficient and effective means of acquiring change (Gilbert Leahy 2007). In the person centred therapy, the therapeutic relationship is distinct from CBT and gestalt. In Person-Centred Therapy, the relationship between client and counsellor is crucial (Tudor Worrall 2006) because therapy is centred towards the client as the client is the focal point of the therapy. Due to this, the counsellor must ensure that respect, genuineness, and empathy towards the client are maintained. Further, communication is also critical in this model especially between the client and the therapist. The relationship must equal as it is crucial in aiding behaviour change in the client (Wilkins 2010). Therapeutic relationships in the Gestalt Therapy hold central significance. The counsellor and client establish a relationship that is centrally placed. In this therapy, the relationship only depends on the nature and quality of the therapeutic measures being given (Brownell 2010). In contrast to CBT and person centred therapies, gestalt therapy depends much on the attitudes of the counsellor towards the client. The client is his own interpreter hence the counsellor only helps the client to interpret his behaviours and experiences (Brownell 2010). Therefore the role of the counsellor is as an aid. The client identifies his experiences and works on how to change the experiences that affect his current psychological and emotional health (Fall Holden 2010). Key Techniques There are different techniques applicable in the three models of counselling described in this paper. CBT utilizes techniques aimed at personal counselling. The theory utilizes the Socratic model that entails several questions to be answered by the client. Corey (2009) denotes that therapists utilize a variety of cognitive, emotive, and behavioural techniques; diverse methods are tailored to suit individual clients, (p. 466). However, the client is also allowed to ask the counsellor some questions. Further, the theory employs the aspect of homework that encourages the clients to practice the skills learnt. Therefore the major technique of CBT is the ABC technique that utilizes the Socratic model (DeRubeis, Tang Beck 2001). In client centred therapy, the techniques differ from those of CBT. While CBT applies assignments and Socratic model, Person centred therapy makes use of the attitudes of the counsellor as the major technique. The attitude of the counsellor towards the client dete rmines the outcome of the therapy (Tudor Worrall 2006). However, this therapy utilizes aspects of hearing and listening and clarification of ideas and feelings. This therapy does not utilize techniques that entail directive aspects. In person centred therapy, there is no probing and questioning; common aspects in CBT therapy (Wilkins 2010). In the Gestalt therapy, the techniques used contrast those of CBT and person-centred therapy. As asserted by Corey (2009), this therapy uses a wide range of experiments designed to intensify experiencing and to integrate conflicting feelings, (p. 466). Limitations Though the theoretical models of counselling described in this paper are necessary in counselling, each model has several limitations. The CBT is believed to have an aspect of playing down the emotions of the clients. It lacks the focus on determining the underlying unconsciousness in the clients and due to this fails in relating the clients past with the present experiences. Since it entails confrontation, this therapy may witness cases of termination as most clients may not cope with its expectations (Fall Holden 2010). The limitations of the person centred therapy are distinct as compared to those of CBT and Gestalt. Since the therapist is a passive entity during this therapy, cases of limited responses are occasional. There is lack of direction for most clients since the counsellor remains inactive (Wilkins 2010). In cases when crisis occurs, the clients will lack support. The theory lacks the application of novel knowledge hence cases of rigidity are common (Tudor Worrall 2006 ). In Gestalt Therapy, limitations include expressions of emotion due to the techniques that are employed. Clients in most cases fail to acquire or reach the required thresholds of the therapy since cognitive aspects are not dealt with. Conclusion This paper has described three theoretical models including CBT, Person-Centred and Gestalt. The paper has explored the underpinning assumptions of each model while comparing and contrasting the assumptions. It has also identified the goals of each therapy as well as the therapeutic relationships. The paper has also compared and contrasted the key techniques utilized in the three models as well as the limitations of each model. Although it is established that each of the three models is distinct from the other in terms of the described concepts, the three theoretical models are critical in psychotherapy.

Renaisance Education: Values and Purposes :: European Europe History

Renaisance Education: Values and Purposes The Renaissance was a time of change. It began in Italy during the 14th century, and spread throughout the North. People all over Europe were affected, for the better and for the worse. Some people finally had a chance to control their own fate. Others, like upper class women, lost their social status. The values and purposes of Renaissance education were to improve the society, increase the economy, and restore the religious beliefs. The social lives of people were greatly influenced by advancements in education during the Renaissance. More people then ever before were send to schools and educated. Schools for girls were built, and they were taught sewing, reading, writing, and dancing. Some of these schools even had teachers for singing and playing instruments. Upper class women were taught language, philosophy, theology and mathematics. But their education only prepared them for social life at home. Women lost political power, access to property and their role in shaping society. People were taught to understand and judge the writings of others. Courtiers, aristocrats and nobles were able to write poetry and text. By being well educated, having good penmanship, knowing how to ride, play, dance, sing, and dress well, men of high status gained respect and reputation. These skills also helped attain preference and support among princes. Nevertheless, the school system did not teach youth how to behave in daily life situations. They spent too much time on Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic. Those studies that were realistic, enlightened men's minds, and prepared them for life, were reserved for the Universities. Therefore, students had a slight understanding of the meaning and the true use of knowledge. They were only able to write Latin, which no one of judgement would want to read, and when they went to universities, they wasted their friends' money and their own time. Afterwards, they would return home again, as unsophisticated and uneducated as they were before. In addition, many individuals thought that having to many schools was a terrible thing. They believed that only a minority of men should study literature, because more farmers were needed than judges, more soldiers than priests, more merchants than philosophers, and more hard working groups than dreamy and thoughtful individuals. Italian humanist Piccolomini, who himself was educated, believed that philosophy and literature, should be taught to every individual, because these studies reveal the truths about the past, the reality of the present, and the prediction of the future. Renaisance Education: Values and Purposes :: European Europe History Renaisance Education: Values and Purposes The Renaissance was a time of change. It began in Italy during the 14th century, and spread throughout the North. People all over Europe were affected, for the better and for the worse. Some people finally had a chance to control their own fate. Others, like upper class women, lost their social status. The values and purposes of Renaissance education were to improve the society, increase the economy, and restore the religious beliefs. The social lives of people were greatly influenced by advancements in education during the Renaissance. More people then ever before were send to schools and educated. Schools for girls were built, and they were taught sewing, reading, writing, and dancing. Some of these schools even had teachers for singing and playing instruments. Upper class women were taught language, philosophy, theology and mathematics. But their education only prepared them for social life at home. Women lost political power, access to property and their role in shaping society. People were taught to understand and judge the writings of others. Courtiers, aristocrats and nobles were able to write poetry and text. By being well educated, having good penmanship, knowing how to ride, play, dance, sing, and dress well, men of high status gained respect and reputation. These skills also helped attain preference and support among princes. Nevertheless, the school system did not teach youth how to behave in daily life situations. They spent too much time on Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic. Those studies that were realistic, enlightened men's minds, and prepared them for life, were reserved for the Universities. Therefore, students had a slight understanding of the meaning and the true use of knowledge. They were only able to write Latin, which no one of judgement would want to read, and when they went to universities, they wasted their friends' money and their own time. Afterwards, they would return home again, as unsophisticated and uneducated as they were before. In addition, many individuals thought that having to many schools was a terrible thing. They believed that only a minority of men should study literature, because more farmers were needed than judges, more soldiers than priests, more merchants than philosophers, and more hard working groups than dreamy and thoughtful individuals. Italian humanist Piccolomini, who himself was educated, believed that philosophy and literature, should be taught to every individual, because these studies reveal the truths about the past, the reality of the present, and the prediction of the future.

Capital Punishment Essay -- Death Penalty

Capital Punishment is the legal infliction of the death penalty. In the United States capital punishment is legal in thirty-nine of the fifty states. Beginning in 1973, prison populations began an inevitable growth. There were 204,211 inmates in 1973, and by 1977 the number of prisoners had grown to 285,456, which later grew to 315,974 in 1980. By 1976, it was clear that the death penalty had to be reinstated. America’s experiment with capital punishment has resulted in a total of 944 executions, fifty-nine of which took place in 2003. Every year about 15,000 killers are charged and only about 300 wind up on death row. The death row population is constantly increasing. It is now more than 3,000. Because of constant appeals, it takes a person on death row typically between five to eight years to finally get executed. To kill all the prisoners on death row, it is estimated that it would take two executions a day for seven years. Crimes such as aiding in suicide, causing a boat collision resulting in death, forced marriage, procuring an abortion resulting in the death of the mother, espionage, castrating another, rape, homicide, child molesting resulting in death and conspiracy to kidnap for ransom among many others are, in some states, crimes that are punishable by death. What the law permits, however, is not always used by the courts or the executive authorities. Most executions are a result of a murder or rape, and a small number for robbery, kidnapping, burglary, aggravated assault and espionage. In the US, the death penalty is currently authorized in one of five ways: hanging, which has been the traditional method of execution throughout the English-speaking world; electrocution, which was introduced by New York S... ...ting crimes. A sweeping sixty percent don’t think that vengeance is a legitimate reason for killing a murderer. Many court decisions of the 1980s and early 1990s have lowered bars to executions. In 1986 the Court ruled that opponents of executions may be barred from juries in murder cases. The following year the Court ruled that the law may be applied to accomplices in crimes that led to murder, then rejected a challenge to capital punishment based on statistics that indicated racial bias in sentencing. In separate decisions in 1989 the Court decided that the death penalty could be applied to those who were mentally retarded or who were underage, but at least 16, at the time of the murder. In the early 1990s the trend of Supreme Court rulings was to cut back on the appeals that Death Row inmates could make to the federal courts. Capital Punishment Essay -- Death Penalty Capital Punishment is the legal infliction of the death penalty. In the United States capital punishment is legal in thirty-nine of the fifty states. Beginning in 1973, prison populations began an inevitable growth. There were 204,211 inmates in 1973, and by 1977 the number of prisoners had grown to 285,456, which later grew to 315,974 in 1980. By 1976, it was clear that the death penalty had to be reinstated. America’s experiment with capital punishment has resulted in a total of 944 executions, fifty-nine of which took place in 2003. Every year about 15,000 killers are charged and only about 300 wind up on death row. The death row population is constantly increasing. It is now more than 3,000. Because of constant appeals, it takes a person on death row typically between five to eight years to finally get executed. To kill all the prisoners on death row, it is estimated that it would take two executions a day for seven years. Crimes such as aiding in suicide, causing a boat collision resulting in death, forced marriage, procuring an abortion resulting in the death of the mother, espionage, castrating another, rape, homicide, child molesting resulting in death and conspiracy to kidnap for ransom among many others are, in some states, crimes that are punishable by death. What the law permits, however, is not always used by the courts or the executive authorities. Most executions are a result of a murder or rape, and a small number for robbery, kidnapping, burglary, aggravated assault and espionage. In the US, the death penalty is currently authorized in one of five ways: hanging, which has been the traditional method of execution throughout the English-speaking world; electrocution, which was introduced by New York S... ...ting crimes. A sweeping sixty percent don’t think that vengeance is a legitimate reason for killing a murderer. Many court decisions of the 1980s and early 1990s have lowered bars to executions. In 1986 the Court ruled that opponents of executions may be barred from juries in murder cases. The following year the Court ruled that the law may be applied to accomplices in crimes that led to murder, then rejected a challenge to capital punishment based on statistics that indicated racial bias in sentencing. In separate decisions in 1989 the Court decided that the death penalty could be applied to those who were mentally retarded or who were underage, but at least 16, at the time of the murder. In the early 1990s the trend of Supreme Court rulings was to cut back on the appeals that Death Row inmates could make to the federal courts.

British Girls and Women of the 90s †the Spice Girls, Girl Bands and Their Influence on British Culture

British Girls and Women of the 90s – The Spice Girls, Girl Bands and their Influence on British Culture The twentieth century will, without doubt, be viewed by historians as the Woman’s Hour. The status of women in Britain changed. More and more women started to leave their homes and join the labour market. They started to fight for their independence and political, economic and social rights. Women got more recognition from the society and they started to pursue equality with men.They progressed from being (almost) possessions of men, with no legal status of their own, to being considered legal citizens in their own right. As far as the political background is concerned, it is worth saying a few words about Margaret Thatcher. Following the defeat of the Conservatives in 1974 election, Margaret Hilda Thatcher was elected as the new leader. She wentaon to lead the Conservatives toathe victory in the election of 1979 andathe party remained in power until 1997. Christopher states that, â€Å"She was developing economicaideas which were guided by the fashionable theories of monetarism†(Christopher, 12).These involved reducing inflation with high interest rates and submitting all aspects of the economy to free-market theories and the laws of supply and demand. Her economic and political ideas, which came to be known as ‘Thatcherism’ began to be fully expressed and implemented. But in Britain, there were high rates of unemployment during the periods of the 1980s and early 90s. The jobs people lost were mostly skilled jobs in manufacturing industry, which were regarded as ‘men's jobs'. Massive cuts in state spending led to job losses in the public sector, which affected women equally.According to Christopher’s study: Because these jobs were usually semi-skilled or unskilled and low paid, the women were more interchangeable as employees and could find part-time office work or cleaning work, similarly low paid, elsewhere. ( Christopher, 13) Women wereabeginning to occupy postsain traditional male-dominatedaareas such as business,alaw and banks. aMany of them couldaenjoy the benefitsaof increasing financialaand sexual freedom,aand were postponing marriageaand children. By 1986 the economy wasastrong. There was an airaof enterprise and optimism asaa new society emerged. aBritain became oreaaffluent, competitive andamore interested inacash. There was a newageneration of stylishaand image-conscious consumers,aand spending on restaurants,aclothes, cars, homes and holidays reached recordalevels. Many various feminist groups appeared and the third-wave of feminism in the USA began. In the early 1990s, an underground feminist movement called Riot Grrrl jumpstarted the idea of female empowerment. Riot Grrrl was anaunderground feminist punk rock movementathat originally started inaWashington, in the early to mid-1990s – it wasaoften associated with third-waveafeminism. According to some, â€Å"Riot Grrrl . ands often addressed issues, such. as: domestic abuse, rape, sexuality, patriarchy, racism and female empowerment. Riot Grrrls were knownato start chapters, hold meetings,aand suport andaorganize womenain music. †(Schilt, 6). Theamovement allowedawomen their own spaceato create music andamake political statementsaabout the issuesathey were facing inathe punk rock community asawell as inasociety. Those ideas soon entered Great Britain. Shortly after that, British marketers began latching onto the catchphrase ‘girl power’ – which expressed aacultural phenomenon of the 1990saand earlya2000s. It is also linkedato third-waveafeminism.The most memorable example of ‘girl power’ is the Spice Girls. The Spice Girls wereaa Britishapop girlagroup formedain 1994 and the biggest popular cultural icons of the 1990s. As McGibbon mentions, â€Å"performing pop music, Spice Girls achieved a worldwide success, selling over 55 million albums all over the world , the most from among all female singing groups in the twentieth century. †(McGibbon, 23). Wherever they appeared, they could count on the support of the army of fans from all over the world, as well as the hysterical reaction of the media. The pop phenomenon – the Spice Girlsachanged the courseaof popularamusic andapopular culture.Both albums and eight of their singles releases achieved number one chart position in the UK. No pop group since the Beatles attracted as much media attention as the Spice Girls. Ginger,aBaby, Posh,aSporty andaScary were international stars, adored and ridiculed in equal measures which was the ultimate expression of media fame in the Nineties. The girls have made many achievements such as Wannabe – the Spice Girls’ first single – and the most successful song in their career. It plays a crucial role in their fame. The single Wannabe toppedathe UK Singles Chartafor sevenaweeks and acquired a latinumacertification byathe Bri tish Phonographic Industry. Sinclair concludes, â€Å"Itabecame theabest-sellingasingle by aafemale group, sellingaover six millionacopies worldwide. † (Sinclair, 78). In June 1997 the Girls undertook to make a feature-length film called Spiceworld – The Movie. The film was directed by Bob Spiers (director of Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers, and Are You Being Served? ) and was a comical narrative from the Spice Girls’ real life adventures. According to some, †the film was a runway success, becoming the second highest-grossing British film of 1997 (after Bean). (McGibbon, 45). Theayear 1997 sawathe Spice Girls capitalisingaon their fame throughaa multimillion dollaraphenomenon ofamerchandise, with hundredsaof official products. They may have made a great pop music, but if ever a group regarded their creative endeavours as a means to achieving a commercial end it was the Spice Girls. While pop stars through the decades have generally tried to a greater or lesser extent to protect their artistic integrity by not appearing to endorse unrelated or unsuitable products, the Spice Girls did the exact opposite.They were up for anything. According to Sinclair, „When it came to endorsements, it seemed that Spice Girls didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘No’. †(Sinclair, 50) There was apparently no product of consumer interest, however mundane or embarrassing, that it was beyond their ingenuity to adapt to the girl power credo. By the middleaof 1997, theaSpice Girlsahad signed up for product tie-in deals with Pepsi, Benetton, Feberge, Sony PlayStations, Polaroid cameras and Walker’s crisps. By the September 1997, the group were estimated to have earned $47 million by Forbes magazine, which ranked them at number 32 in their list of highest paid entertainers†. (http://www. sociology. org. uk/fchan1. pdf). This was a staggering achievement considering how little time they had been operating in the ma rketplace. All these achievements of the Spice Girls corroborate a huge potential of the band. Theaarrival of the Spice Girlsaadded to the new imageaand re-branding of Britain,aand underlined the growing worldapopularity of British, ratherathan U.S. , pop music. aThis fact was visible at the BRIT Awards ceremony in 1997. aThe group won twoaawards but itawas Halliwell's Union Jack mini-dress which she designed herself thataappeared in media coverageaall over the worldaand eventually became a symbol of ‘Cool Britannia’. They were the first pop phenomenon truly to understand the demands of the modern multi-media age, and to tailor their efforts accordingly. To their credit, the Spice Girls had an immensely powerful influence on children and teenagers. The girls were crazy about them.The kids of a generation whose musical horizons had previously been restricted to Mr Blobby, a character from a television show Noel's House Party, and Sesame Street singalongs, became sensitis ed to pop music thanks to the Spice Girls. Teenagers modelled on the girls dyeing hair red, performing dances and dressing up as their favourite Spice Girls. There were many all-girl bands which appeared during the existence of the Spice Girls such as: Attomic Kitten, Sugababes or Girls Aloud and many of which were created after the collapse of the group. All or most of them modelled themselves on those five wonderful girls.Despite the fact that there were, and still there are, many girl bands, none of them – also the aforementioned ones – has left such a big impression on pop music as the Spice Girls. As Sinclair states, ‘They became, almost overnight, a fondly regard and instantly recognisable part of British pop's royal family. † (Sinclair, 89). In summaries of their achievements ranging from the most informed biographies to the most aimless of pub conversations it was a generally held and often stated belief that, „the group put British music back on the world stage and ushered in a global renaissance in pop. † (Sinclair, 90).