Capital Punishment Essays (1820 words) - Human Rights,

Capital Punishment Capital punishment is the lawful infliction of the death penalty and since ancient times it has been used to punish a wide variety of offenses. The Bible prescribes death for murder and many other crimes such as kidnapping and witchcraft. Major felonies carry the death penalty and some of these felonies are treason, murder, larceny, burglary, rape, and arson. In the 1800's however, England enacted many new capital offenses, and hundreds of persons were being sentenced to death each year. In the United States prior to the Civil War the death penalty was imposed on slaves for many crimes, but the penalty for others were less severe. Today, in 37 of the 50 states you can be sentenced to death if found guilty of a crime worthy of the death penalty. The United States is the only western democratic nation that has not banned the practice of capital punishment (Levine 160). Capital punishment is not answer to crime. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only lig ht can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction" (mccsc.edu). Due to lack of a fair trial, innocence on death row, and the myth that it saves citizens money, the death penalty should be abolished. The US constitution states, "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense." The US system is very good about keeping this right for every accused criminal. Although, there are those lawyers who don't care about the people they represent. There are lawyers who have passed the bar, and have taken the oath to honorably defend. However, because of their illegal and immoral actions they were disbarred. Lawyers like this should not defend the accused, but they do. This does not protect the right to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense. A major aspect of the death penalty is that it is final. So what should happen if mistakes are made? As of today April 28, 2000 there are about 3,500 men and women on death row (icomm.ca/aiusa). Even if only half of one percent were innocent that would mean that about 16 people are waiting their death for a crime they did not commit. There are so many aspects that go into the conviction that it is impossible to have an infallible legal system. Witnesses can mistake identification, false testimony can be given, and an overall prejudice can all affect the outcome of a trial. Prejudice and inadequate defense can all lead to a false death sentence. People who advocate the death penalty argue the point that it is cheaper to kill an inmate on death row, than it is to house them in a correctional facility. The idea is because they are dead the taxpayers will not have to pay for the inmate. One aspect that contributes to the support of capital punishment is that it affirms the principle of the rule of law. Law should be reflective over the ideas of the community that is outraged over the vicious crimes. Therefore, it would be fitting to sentence a punishment that is worthy of the crime. When a child is growing up and he takes a cookie out of the cookie jar, parents would say something like, "OK, well now you can not have any sweets after dinner." They would not ground the child for a week. It is human nature to make a punishment that fits the crime. In these terms the death penalty would be a sensible punishment. It states in the Bible an eye for an eye, which would support this claim fully. Although the sixth Commandment also states that though shall not kill. So because one sin has

Reading Chapter Books for Children

Reading Chapter Books for Children As your children grow in their reading ability, transitioning from sounding out each word and following the sentences with their fingers to reading more quickly on their own, they will need to graduate to more complicated reading material. As they become stronger readers, children develop appetites for richer and more complex stories and can handle multiple characters. Chapter books are an important tool in their development and intellectual abilities. What Are Chapter Books? For young and new readers, books tend to be very short. They are made up of just words or a few short sentences. They are primarily very picture heavy and have a simple, linear story. Chapter books are the next stage for readers. Chapter books are stories that are long enough and complex enough to require chapters to break them up. At a young age, they are not too long; they are shorter than novels but longer than typical picture books. Chapter books often have illustrations, too, but they are not as large or as prevalent as early reading material. In general, children are ready to progress to chapter books around the age of seven or eight. Encouraging Active Readers For children who love to read, they will likely dive into chapter books without much hesitation. Providing them with an assortment of stories and types of books can increase their interest and keep them learning. Taking your child to the library and having him or her pick her own chapter books can be a great way to engage them in reading. As your children read chapter books, resist helping too much. If your child is an independent reader, he or she will likely want to learn on their own. But make sure they know they’re available if they have any questions. Helping Struggling Readers On the other hand, if your children are struggling with reading and resist transitioning to chapter books, you may have to have more of a presence. As reading becomes more difficult, children can become more resistant to it and it can become a chore. You can help by having your children pick books they’re interested in. Actively participate in reading with your child. You can take turns reading chapters to one another; that way, your children get to practice but also get a break while you read aloud. Hearing you and listening to the story can engage them and encourage them to read on their own to get to the next part. Popular Chapter Books To help your child make the transition to chapter books, compelling stories can help pique his or her interest. Popular chapter books include The Boxcar Children, Freckle Juice, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Amelia Bedelia series. You can also try different genres, such as adventure stories, animal-centric tales, and fantasy books. Transitioning to Chapter Books Making the switch to chapter books is a big step in your child’s education. With your support and engagement, you can help a lifelong love of reading that can help your child throughout his or her lifetime.

Air Pollution in Ontario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Air Pollution in Ontario - Essay Example There has a problem of urban sprawling that has become a cause of major pollution in the capital. (Marianne, 2000) Air pollution has been one of the major problems that have been affecting the city of Ontario for along time now. It has been a subject of study and research but there have been little that has been done in order to mitigate the situation. Air pollution in Ontario has been contributed by the rising urban sprawl in the area. Thus has come with a lot of problem with multiple effects on the health and general life of the people in the area. Urban sprawling has seen the gobbling up green space in the southern part of Ontario. This has been happening at an alarming rate which has come with a lot of environmental impacts in the area. According to the Neptis Foundation which has been monitoring the issue, there are addition 260,000 acres of rural land that is expected to the urbanized by 2030. This shows that it will be double the rate of the current size of the city of Toronto. This has been compounded by the fact that about 92% of the land in Ontario is best for farmland. Urban sprawling in the areas has lead to a lot of effects. It has led to destruction of green space and farmlands which has affected the rate of food production in the area. There has been an effect of river pollution and pollution of other water ways and streams. The population has been forced to be over dependent on vehicles which has been having a lot of air pollution with the consequential problem of climate change. (Ontario Greenbelt alliance, 2008) It has been shown that the Golden Horseshoe area on Ontario has been growing with more than 115,000 people coming in the area every year. In the coming 15 years, it is estimated that it will be the third largest urban region in the North America behind New York and Los Angles. This has been coming with a lot of problems and strains for the population living in the city. The Toronto area has also approved the development for 128,000 acres of land since 1989 which has been at a rate of 9,100 acres every year. The Toronto region conservation authority has shown that increased loss of biodiversity is having an effect on the natural resource. For example of the 180 animal species that are found in greater Toronto, 110 have been classified as having a risk of extinction due to encroachment of their land. These are some of the problem that has led to the compounding problem of urban sprawling in the area. In this regard there have been many problems that have come with the increase in population and the consequent reclaiming of arable land for the purpose of settling the population. In comparison to other cities around the city of Toronto has been adversely affected by the problem of increasing population since the local authority had to deal with the problem of increasing access of basic services to the population. There are several problems that have come as a result of increase in the population of the province in general. (Bates, 1997) Challenges of urban sprawling in Ontario There have been several effects that have resulted from urban sprawling in Ontario. These have resulted from the increasing population pressure and decreasing land resources and amenities to accommodate the population. In specific there has been