Looking at the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Looking at the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet Essay Romeo and Juliet, a play originally written by William Shakespeare in 1595 1600 is a tale of love and tragedy involving two young people who fall in love, but find it ends in disaster due to their age old family feud. This play had been directed as a film in 1968 starring Olivia Hussey, but never before has it been modernised as a film. By choosing to do this the problem that faced Baz Luhrman when he was directing the film version of Romeo and Juliet was that he could not predict whether there would be an audience for Shakespearean stories in a modern culture. Particuarly as the age group he was targeting were those who would probably still be at school, where Shakespeare had been stereotyped as boring. This problem was tackled by updating the swords involved by replacing them with guns, adding a famous cast known to the particular chosen age group and backing the film up with modern music. The opening scene of Baz Luhrmans Romeo and Juliet begins with a screen of black, and a very small television screen in the centre. As the shot continues the camera zooms in on the television screen that is showing a coloured female newsreader, with a plain background and a split ring in the top right hand corner. This entrance to the first scene of the film forces the audience to concentrate on the film by introducing it slowly, making you feel anything missed will detract from the films impact. The newsreader is dressed in red, the classic colour of love, danger, passion and blood, and the ring split in two with the words Star-crossed lover subtly introduce the main themes of the films while the audience is focusing on what the newsreader is reporting. The screen around the television is black, focusing all attention on the newsreader, and her voice is quiet and sounds almost muted while she talks of the feud of Verona, re-enforcing the directors obvious wish to capture the attention of the viewers. With this red on black theme it seems to represent the blood and tragedy of the story of Romeo and Juliet on the rest of the town, and almost shows the final tragic word on the darkness of the two feuding families. From this opening, though the newsreader does not directly speak of the main characters, Romeo and Juliet, you feel as if the feud is already familiar before entering in to the actual film. The change from the first scene to the second is a very quick jump cut. The camera zooms very close in on the newsreader tilting, and jumps through to a street in Verona, travelling down it and coming to a halt at a large statue of Jesus, but only allowing you a very quick glance before switching to a black screen with the words In Fair Verona in large white capitals at eye level. It then jump cuts back to a the same picture of Jesus, but this time it is a closer shot, and holds for a bit longer, before very quickly zooming back to show the statue in between two sky scrapers, one named Capulet in red, and one named Montague in blue. The buildings are the highest in the street, and with the statue in between them seem very important and noble, informing the audience of the familys wealth and power, and also of their rivalry. The statue standing dead centre between the two towers shows that while religion is important in this story, and does to a certain extent act as a barrier between the two families, it is much smaller then the buildings, symbolising that their feud may prove stronger then their religion. The next shot is a jump cut on to the camera moving on to the streets of Verona, and a tracking shot of a police car with the words Verona Beach written down the side. This shot of the police car informs the viewers that police are involved, and the place the play is set in is called Verona Beach. Once focused on the car the camera tilts and zooms out, jumping in to a zoom in shot of the same statue of Jesus, which it zooms in on, jump cuts back to a second shot and zooms in again, this time blurring the statue. This blurring shows the disregard held by the families towards their religion as the feud gets greater. The scenes by now are moving very quickly and are very separated, not flowing smoothly at all. It is quite difficult to keep with the speed at which the film is moving, Luhrman once again trying to keep the audiences attention. Following on from the blurred shot of the statue, the camera, remaining blurry, focusing in turn, on the signs above each building, reading first Capulet in red and then Montague in blue. These choices of colour cause you to question whether or not the Capulet family are more fierce, with their name in red. You then get a tracking shot of a police helicopter against what you assume to be a church, and the city of Verona. Again re enforcing the religion verses law theme that is apparent throughout this film in Verona. Following this is a zoom in shot of a person lying on a mattress in the street surrounded by dirt and people in black. Through this shot you assume the person involved is injured, showing the severity of the feud. Again, jump cutting to the next scene, though seeming to slow the pace slightly, you get an aerial tracking shot from the helicopter with the diagetic sounds of the propellers, of a large statue of the Virgin Mary standing with open arms. Quickly moving on through a jump cut the statue of Jesus seen before is briefly shown, before zooming in on his face, although it is made up of many small dots, and shown in dark grey and black. This shot is held and zoomed out to reveal a family tree with both families on it, starting at the top with Ted Montague and Fulgencio Montague. Symbolic of the hatred that is passed down the family through each generation. The music up to this point has been very loud and menacing, increasing in volume when what I see as relevant shots are held. The lighting has been bright throughout, all shots set in the day, and there have been no characters introduced until the family tree. The beginning shots seem to be more introducing the place and the themes than the characters themselves. The layout of this tree implies that the rivalry started between these two men and has been passed down through the family. With the statue of Jesus with open arms set between the two families reminds us of the strong religion present in the city, and the grey colour of the pictures and background sets in almost like a cloud of grey, strongly contrasting with the colour we have seen in the previous scenes. As well as being the first shot of the characters, also introduced in this scene is the first voice since the newsreader, although this time it is non diagetic, in the form of a voice over. The music reaches a climax and then fades away to a quiet backing for the deep male voice commenting on the family trees in front of us. The shots of this tree are broken up by shots of fire and newspapers titled Montague vs Capulet, and while the speed of the changing shots has slowed down, now dissolving in to each other, Luhrman makes up for it with the impact of the shots he is using, you need more time to look at each one then before. Coming off the newspaper shot using dissolving and fire, we see the familiar screen of black with white text reading In Fair Verona, reminding us of the setting while looking in to the characters, as seen before when the city was being introduced and we were shown the names of the families. This subtle mixing of the two is very effective in showing the strong relationship between the setting and characters, and the effect that they have on each other. This phrasing of Fair Verona is ironic, as although we are being told the city is fair, we are shown only violent shots of the goings on and only controversial shots of the place itself. Moving on from the text shot we are shown a series of tracking shots of Verona, similar to those shown before, combining diagetic sounds such as the helicopter propellers with non diagetic such as the voice over. We then get another still shot of a newspaper reading Ancient Grudge followed shortly by a third newspaper reading New Mutiny and a picture of one of the young Montague boys. This ancient grudge followed by new mutiny re enforces the idea of the feud being passed down the family that we were introduced to through the family tree. The text is also in older style writing, showing that such an old thing has carried through in to modern day. This picture of the young Montague holding a gun is the first we see of the younger generations of the families, and it is associated with anger through his face and death through his gun. The next newspaper clip we get is Civil blood, also read out to us by the voice over, this emphasises the fact that the brawls caused by the families do not only affect themselves, but the rest of Verona. We are shown a tracking shot of a middle ages coloured man wearing helicopter equipment against a dark background, fitting as the shots seem to be getting darker, set later on in the day. The word Police is shown in large white text against black, symbolising their affect on the feud, good on bad or clean on dirty. There is then a series of shots of Verona and magazines with bullets on the covers, showing how much violence there is in the city. It is made out to be a loud, busy dangerous place reflected in the characters themselves. The feuding families seem to sum up the rivalry present within the city, Religion verses hatred, Law verses war. Although you may argue that at this stage you are unable to establish whether it is the place reflected through the characters or the characters strife being the reason for the way the place is. We then get our first shot of a man and a woman in a black car, both look drawn and very worried. Jump cutting through to a shot of a second couple, obviously the other family, recognisable only because of the quick glance we got of the man on the family tree. This creates a broken up image of the families, imposing the idea that the families get in the way of each other. As the music builds up again there are two screens of just text, when put together reading A pair of star crossed lover take their life. The T in the take is actually a cross when you look at it, bringing religion in to death. At this point the voice over is stopped and the music becomes loud again. Following the text the camera then jumps from one to another introducing through text and a frozen image of each character, the Capulets, the Montagues, both with the under text Romeos mother/father and Juliets mother/father. To follow we meet the chief of police Captain Prince, the Governors son Dave Paris and Mercutio, Romeos best friend, in a provocative position with his face angry and his finger pointed with a gun on him. Each character has a shot held on them for about 5 seconds before jumping straight on to the next. As the music builds up we see a pair of eyes, later recognised to be those of Romeo Montague, pushing the door of a church open to reveal light and flowers, portraying the church as a place of sanctity. This relates to the theme of religion present throughout the film, and it also gives a preview of the place in which the lovers lives end. Luhrman would have realised that as Romeo and Juliet is such a widely read play the majority of the audience would know then ending of the film, thus giving him a lot of scope to play around with previews of the rest of the film. The music quickens pace and very quickly we are run through the text previously shown and spoken but at a speed that it is not supposed to be read. This is followed by shots of fireworks, choirboys singing high piercing notes almost as a climax, guns shooting showing violence, main characters and eventually finishes on a black screen with William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. This creates a point of high climax, quickly let down by the still almost dead screen in comparison to previous shots. The mention of William Shakespeare is the first we hear of the author, and in mentioning him Luhrman has made himself seem almost modest, discarding any impression made implying that it is Luhrmans own play. The title then moves off the screen to the left and the film begins. As an opening sequence for this particular film I find it very effective. The setting of such a film in modern day would have proved very difficult, but the replacement of swords by guns has a huge impact on its success. The violence is portrayed well and you learn just about enough to follow the film as it opens but not enough to know what happens between now and the death of the characters. I like the way Luhrman lets the audience know the resulting death of the characters, but he does not say who dies. This builds up an immense suspense throughout the film. This introduction is done in such a way that it will captivate almost everyones attention through moving so quickly and creating such a tense atmosphere.

Essay on Silence and its Importance

Essay on Silence and its Importance The key aim of this research paper is to draw attention to the importance of silence in general, for students in particular. Thus, the introductory part of this research is devoted to the definition of silence and its important in our noisy world. The second section focus on the key powers of silence as located by the Irish writer Tony Cuckson, the importance of silence for students, how could we improve our relationship with silence? And examples of when can we use silence. Finally the third part consists of the analysis of the questionnaire data and summarizing the key ideas of the research. What does silence mean? Literally speaking, the word silence comes from the Latin word silens meaning to be still, quiet, or at rest. In English, it still maintains some of these meaning as most modern dictionaries define silence as the condition or quality of being or keeping still and silent, the absence of sounds, stillness or as a period of time without speech or noise. However depending only on these definitions we just learn silences first fundamental sense. Hence the silence is more than the state of being silent; entire absence of sound or absolute stillness. The silence, this research paper is concerned about, is the silence that enhances concentration, promotes meditation and allows us to be in touch with our inner. In other words, the silence that has the power to get people to think and to act. The word silence has become associated in our minds with passivity boring and inactivity. Moreover, we see silence as intrinsically dangerous, anti-social or abnormal. We fear and hate silence and we do everything possible to avoid it. In her book A Book of Silence , Sara Maitland stated*: instant and constant verbal communication is experienced not so much as a pleasure, but as a necessity. Background music, even in shopping malls where there is already a great deal of noise, so that no one can actually hear the music, is ubiquitous. The length of an acceptable silent pause on the radio has been reduced steadily over the last decade. Silence in public places, like libraries or churches, is increasingly considered oppressive rather than valuable. The silence of mourning is being replaced by cheering. In this statement, Sara Maitland has tried to draw our attention to our strange fear-hate relationship with silence. She gives us some habits that we unconsciously used to do in the everyday life to avoid silence. Sara Maitland has also noticed that people try to fill the void of silence with needless chatter, with TV, with Music, with noise of some kind. She noticed that Silence has become disconcerting and make people feel uncomfortable and alone, thats why -according to Sara Maitland- the world is filled with TVs that have been left on when nobody is watching it, for just a background noise. Yet people forget that the great forces, by which we live, are silent. The vast immensity of space is silent, because sound waves, unlike light or radio waves, cannot travel through a vacuum. Gravity electricity, the warmth of sunlight, the turning of the tides are all silent. Organic growth, life itself, the division of cells is silent. Society just forgets about these facts, Sara added. To sum up we could say that we hate or fear silence because we do not perceive its true meaning. Silence is not a mere absence of sounds or noises, it is more than that. Silence is a natural phenomenon that could be a source of creative energy that we should all use and benefit from it rather than simply avoiding it. *Sara Maitland is an English writer. Born in 1950, she grew up in Galloway, studied at Oxford University and currently tutors on the Distance Learning MA in creative writing for Lancaster University and is the Mentor Co-ordinator for Crossing Borders. She has undertaken writer residencies at HMP Ashwell and at Lincoln Cathedral The importance of silence in a restless world (noise pollution) It is obviously clear that we are living in noisy word. Unwanted sounds and noises pursue us everywhere we go. In the street, restaurants, supermarkets and even in the places where silence is considered as a necessity like schools and hospitals are not exceptions. From the early morning we step out home till we come back, we encounter variety of terribly noises. Our lives nowadays tend to be so busy that we have become accustomed to a constant barrage of tasks, inputs, and general noise. How often do we come home only to turn on the T.V. just so we can have something going on in the background? We used to not esteem the value of silence in our lives. Mike Moore* has described this phenomenon in his book Living Life Fully by saying When you add lawnmowers, snow blowers, leaf blowers, jack hammers, jet engines, transport trucks, and horns and buzzers of all types and descriptions, you have a wall of constant noise and irritation. Even when watching a television program at a reasonable volume level you are blown out of your chair when a commercial comes on at the decibel level of a jet. A recent study conducted by the Cornell University** about the impact of noise on employees in an open area office space where people are constantly exposed to fax machines, telephones, office chatter, shredding machines, etc revealed that workers in an open area had high level of adrenalin*** in their urine. When these employees were compared to those in quiet offices the results were startling. Workers in quiet offices did not have the same high levels of adrenalin in their urine. Besides, they were much more relaxed and less stressed. Moreover, a puzzle demanding attention and concentration was given to both groups of employees. The results revealed that the open area workers were found to be less diligent in the solution of the puzzle. They easily frustrated and gave up much earlier than the employees from the quiet offices. Another striking results found by the study are about sleeping, digestion and the psychological state of the employees under study. The study has revealed that workers from the quiet office slept better at night, had better digestion, were much less irritable at home and felt better at the end of their workday than employees from the open area offices. It seems clear from the results of such studies that noise does not only affect our focus and productivity but also impact our physical and psychological balance. Noise pollution tends to increase stress levels which in turn can result in increased frustration and anger. There is no doubt that the results of this study should push us to revise and re-establish our relationship with silence. In other words, we must begin to establish a friendship with silence. *Mike Moore is an international speaker and writer on human potential, motivation and humour. You can check out his website at www.motivationalplus.com **It is an American university ***Is released by the body when under stress. It prepares us for fight or flight. The key 4 powers of silence Till now, we have seen and known -from the introduction- the type of silence this research is concerned about and its true meaning. We have also recognized the importance of silence in a terribly noisy world showing some startling facts and striking recent studies. In this chapter, I have managed to devote it to the key four powers of silence as located by the Irish writer Tony Cuckson*. In fact, Tony has located seven powers but I have chosen the most important ones that everyone could experience regardless of his/ here possibilities or where s/he lives. In his valuable article Enjoy the Silence Tony has summarized the benefits of silence by saying that: silence is creative, silence promotes the inner and builds trust, silence gives rest, and silence allows listening. In this chapter I will try to explain these powers of silence respectively. 1 Silence is creative: In his article, Tony has defined creativity as creating unprecedented and unexampled things into being. He expressed that Creativity is not found within the known. Creativity means to bring the new into being. * Tony Cuckson is a writer on learning to be enough in the 21st Century. He is author of the ezine -an electronic magazine- Irish Blessings Subscribe to Irish Blessings Matter ezine a FREE weekly input of inspiration to lift the heart and heal the soul. With this sense creativity is a required quality in all fields. We need creative employees, creative writers, creative teachersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and more importantly creative students. Man is creative by nature; however, we often destroy this quality by some unhealthy habits. For instance, doing a task, homework or writing an assay while listening to music or television, surely will affect our concentration and consequently will affect the quality of the work that we try to accomplish. Yet creativity needs silence and quiet environment. A quiet environment allows the creative person to develop his talent and to think deeper. Inspiration always comes in silent environment. For instance, intellectuals, thinkers, poetry writers, inventors and creators in all fields always seek absolute silence and quiet environment so that they could work comfortably and get inspiration. Imagination also springs from silence. Silence and quiet are to an artist, an author or inventor etc, what fertilizer is to crops. In conclusion, it can be said that Silence and creativity are one Tony asserted. By relating silence to creativity, he has insisted on the idea that silence is the wellspring of creativity. 2 Silence promotes the inner and builds trust: When we silence we turn our thoughts and focus inwards and gain the power we need to refuel our minds Steven Aitchison* has stated. Our ego** is temporarily switched off or at least made to be quiet for a bit, and we start to see the real world as it should be (he continued). Our thoughts get in the way of our reality sometimes and we dont see the beauty of the world around us. When there is silence there is time for introspection and to allow your true-self to speak, not the ego, not the conscious mind but the true-self connected to the flow of energy around us (Steven added in his online Blog). Tony Cuckson agrees with Steven Aitchison by saying that through silence we could trust our selves. Silence enables us to listen to our inner voice and to detect our unique methods of thinking. It gives us a chance to understand our selves better. Consequently, we improve and re-establish our relationships with our selves. We simply used to think that others know better than we do. We have been taught this for most of our lives. Listening silently to the promptings of our hearts we begin got know our own voices. We become our own masters. To put it more simply, we could say that silence helps us to find our values, understand our strengths, identify our tendencies, acknowledge our limitations, set our goals and then establish our direction. * Steven Aitchison currently lives in Scotland working as an Addiction Worker, helping clients with alcohol and drug issues. He has a degree in psychology, a sense of humour, and a down to earth approach to self help. ** The self of an individual person; the conscious subject 3 Silence gives rest: The lack of silence in our modern life results in lack of comfort. Anuradha Vashisht* has expressed this idea by saying: The fidgetiness, the restlessness we see in the majority of people these days indicates how far removed they are from the silence of the body Anuradha wants to say that people nowadays cannot be still or calm in one place for a considerable period of time mainly because of the hyperactivity phenomenon. The problem of hyperactivity is increasing as most people constantly need a prop for their bodies like shuffling feet, shaking a leg while sitting in a chair, swaying their bodies, inane scratching, constantly doing something with their hands, asking for tea or coffee to get over boredom, and so on. Most of the physical activities that have been described above often reflect the clatter and the noise one has in his mind which would prevent him from enjoying his rest. To overcome this hyperactivity we should devote a considerable period of time for silence in order to give ourselves a deep rest. In silence the *Anuradha Vashisht, Delhi-based journalist, researcher, writer and media professional, has over 15 years experience in the media. Having trained as a journalist with the Times of India Group, some of her major assignments were with Financial Express, Indian Express and The Pioneer. body slows. The rate of breathing slows. Our heart rate drops. We just forget about the past and future to live the present moment. We enter our essential self. There is no need to go anywhere. There is no place to go. This is our time for relaxation. This is our time for simply catching a breath and recharging our batteries. 4 Silence allows listening: Silence gives us the opportunity to listen to others and more importantly to ourselves. When others speak or during a conversation, silence could be used as sort of politeness and respect that would make the communication successful (we will tackle this idea in depth in the next chapter (Examples of When to Use Silence)). Yet the inner-silence also is very important. Since, it gives us a chance to listen to our inner voices. It helps us to turn our thoughts and focus inwards and live the present moment now not the past not the future. The inner-silence enables us to save our minds from the inane thoughts and eliminate all mental noises. Thus we make our minds calmer. Consequently, we can work and study more efficiently and our productivity will increase. The mental silence should be the prime goal in our daily life. If we can be mentally calm we can solve many problems of life and find ways to do difficult tasks. Finally, we could say that by listening to others we will gain respect and by listening to ourselves, we will not be afraid of the battles of life, because internally we will be very strong. By developing the virtue of inner silence, we should be broad like sky (tolerate others thoughts) and deep like ocean (where all life problems will be sunk). The importance of silence for students Besides all the silences powers that we have mentioned earlier which all are so important for all people, students can get much more from silence. As we know, our education system encourages students to get ahead of their competition and to get excellent marks so that they could conserve their chance to get a respectable job. Naturally when we are competing each other we can never be at ease. We become bound to be stressed and this pressure will keep on increasing with every passing day. Silence and meditation are the perfect tools to release this pressure and feel at ease with ourselves. In fact today every student- whether from engineering, management, business or arts- needs meditation more than ever. Connecting with ones deeper self leaves him refreshed and regenerated so that he can move forward in life without being exhausted or stressed. As any other part of our bodies; our minds need rest too. We must just think what would happen to our bodies if we keep on working for example for 16 hours or more per day and never get a chance to take repose? Automatically we will be tired, exhausted and unable to master any kind of work. Same is the case with our minds, they need break likewise. Thence, we could say that silence and meditation are more essential to students in particular as all their tasks demands great mental efforts. It can be concluded from what we have seen till now that silence is not mere an absence of sounds or noises but also a technique and a therapy that all people and students in particular are in-need of. After recognizing the key powers and benefits of silence, the question now is how could we reconcile and re-establish our relationship with it? This is what we will see in the next chapter. How could we improve our relationship with silence? Before starting this chapter we have to remember that people do not have an absolute control over all the noises they hear daily in the street or in places where they work, study etc; however, they do have control over their own private environment. In this private environment we can reorganize ourselves, reconsider our habits and attitudes towards silence. In our private environment we could cultivate a good friendship with silence following several steps. In this chapter, I have selected from Mike Moores advices the most important, simplest and applicable ones that we could -as students living in Meknes- easily follow. Firstly, we should change the negative image that we have in our minds about silence. In other words, we have to learn about and extend our knowledge about the value of silence. We can do that either through reading psychological books, asking the psychologists or searching in the internet about the benefits of silence. To put it more simply, we should prepare ourselves morally and mentally for practicing Mike Moore steps. After changing your attitudes towards silence, you should try to change some of your habits. For instance, when walking to school avoid using your MP3 player or any other such devices and try to walk in silence. When you read a book or prepare for an exam, do it in silence. If you used to read, write and prepare for exams while listening to music or watching television you should try silence. You will find it much helpful. When you are alone in your residence, try to turn off all noise sources for a specific period of time. Begin with fifteen minutes of silence a day and gradually increase the duration. If you succeeded to change your habits and attitude towards silence then you should enlarge your experience with silence by learning how to meditate. Attempt to schedule a ten minute for meditation and contemplation period once or twice a day. Then extend your meditation time gradually. Mike Moore concluded by saying: Soon you will begin to cherish the periods of silence you have built into your day and long for more. You will quickly discover that you are becoming more relaxed and less tense even in the midst of our noisy world. You will have made an invaluable new friend of silence, a friend which can comfort, heal and soothe your spirit. What a gift you will have given yourself. In conclusion, it can be said that if we followed Mike advices we would reconcile our relationship with silence and certainly would discover the restorative power of silence that students are in need of it. Examples of when to use silence Silence is often mis-characterized as unimportant or awkward. As a result the modern conversations become chaos in which two or more people racing to see who can speak more without paying any attention to the other. Yet, people forget that silence can be used as a technique of communication, kind of respect and as an anti-gossiping. I- Silence as a technique of communication As a technique of communication silence could be used in daily conversation, during arguments and job interviews. To get a better conversation, one must use brief pauses to give the other person a chance to think, get better understanding of the topic and then react effectively. Just as he needs in return a chance to absorb and process all that information the other person has just said. Another best time to use the power of silence is during an argument. For instance, when someone is shouting at you, looking for an argument you can literally take all the power away from him and save all your energy by simply looking back at them saying absolutely nothing. Yet it is extremely difficult to do but very powerful. Students also can use silence to their advantage in job interviews. Students often do not consider silence as one of the most valuable interview techniques that can be used both by the job candidates and the interviewers. For many interviewees, the silence of the interviewer is seen awkward because it tends to imply that they have been found lacking and do not satisfy or fit the interviewers standards. However, good interviewers use silence when listening attentively to what the interviewee is saying; so a job candidate should not be frightened if the interviewer does so. Also, a job candidate can use the same silence to demonstrate critical thinking skills and an ability to remain poised in difficult situations. Here are a few tips* to help you use silence in a job interview to your advantage. A Use brief pauses (no more than 15 seconds) when you need to collect your thoughts, recall the information the interviewer requested B Introduce a silent pause when several questions are asked in rapid succession before you have had a chance to answer the first one. Repeat the first question and answer it; then request the interviewer to ask subsequent questions. C Avoid any urge to fill the silence with unsolicited information about your background or experience. Many interviewees have lost the job by impulsively blurting out details that led the interviewer to ask questions for which the interviewees were unprepared to answer. D Finally, do not forget to remain mentally alert during the silence. *To get more information about how to use silence in a job interview follow this link: http://www.ehow.com/how_5093570_use-silence-advantage-job-interview.html 2 Silence as kind of respect Silence could also be used to show respect in many occasions. It has long been recognized by many religious groups as a key component of an ascetic path to spirituality. For example, we as Muslims we silence when we hear someone reading the Quran. We also recommend silence in the funerals. Moreover, silence has become a universal practice used in all over the world. As we used to held one minute of silence as a remembrance of the people died in a natural disaster or an important person died recently. During conversations silence also may be used to express admiration and esteem. Just let people talk and listen to them and use your facial expressions and movements to acknowledge that you are listening. Thus, you will imply that you are respecting them and you will gain their respect in return. In contrast, when you do not listen to or interrupt people before they have finished, you are essentially indicating that the other persons thoughts are not that important. What could be considered as a kind of impoliteness and discourage him/her to continue talking. 3 Silence as an anti-gossiping When there is a crowd of people in the workplace while the boss is absent or in classroom before the coming of teacher there are always gossipers who speak about other people. What makes gossiping dangerous is that it is contagious. When we dont like someone and someone else starts speaking about him we naturally tend to voice our opinion, Ive done it lots of times and have to stop myself. Try and stop yourself from catching the virus of gossiping and use the power of silent whenever it occurs. If you are a gossiper yourself and people around start to notice that you are not your usual self, do not give an explanation just ignore them or say that silence is golden. Be still and know the restorative power of silence. (Ideas we should keep in mind) Besides, isnt it nice to say nothing when you have nothing to say? We need to rediscover the power of attention and we do that through silence the concentration that we use in prayer can be used in everyday life, THE QUESTIONNAIRE 1-In few words, what comes to your mind when you hear the word silence? 2-Silence is golden Agree? Silence is boring Agree? Golden Boring 3-Do you find sometimes that you are talking just to break the silence? Answer options Never Sometimes Always 4-Do you think that silence is important for your health balance? Absolutely not To some extent yes Of course, yes Could you justify your answer? 5-Have you ever thought to get regular periods or moments of silence? Never I have 6-Do you actually allocate regular periods from your time for silence? Absolutely no from time to time weekly daily If you do not answer by no, could you explain why or for what purpose? 7-Do you prefer silence while preparing for exams or soft music? I prefer silence Soft music It depends on the subject being prepared

US Role in Middle East Democracy

US Role in Middle East Democracy Democracy is described as a system of government whereby the power is vested in the people by electing representatives who rule them. It is also described as a government of the people by the people. Democracy was started in the ancient Greece and in England after the Magna Carta treaty of 1215. Greece citizens were allowed to speak and vote in the assembly. The Magna Carta treaty, on the hand, delegated some of the king’s powers to the people. The American Revolution is also credited with making a landmark in democracy by the creation of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Democratic principles require the equal treatment of all people and running an institution in a manner that is deemed impartial and fair. Other principles of democracy include respect to the rule of law and protection of the rights of the minorities (Diamond, Plattner, Brumberg). Democracies have been for and granted as a result of wars, revolutions, and economic circumstances. Tod ay the Middle East and in the greater Arab states’ democracy has been plagued by conflicts and authoritarian regimes exercising total control over the people. In the early 1990’s the United States began emphasizing on the development of civil societies in the Middle East through democratic aid pacts. By the 2009 fiscal year, the US annual assistance in the region surpassed the total amount of democratic aid pacts spent between 1991 and 2001. Though the pacts were categorized as democratic aids, it was not necessarily meant to promote the Middle East democracy rather than stability. Most of the Ngo’s who received US assistance avoided doing any act that could be construed as supporting a regime change (Diamond, Plattner, Brumberg). The US is more concerned about maintaining stability rather than the tenets of democracy. Democracy entails the alternation of power from the state to the people. America’s diplomacy in the Middle East is based on maintaining t he status quo and endorsing sheer stability, rather than upholding the ideals and principles of democracy. Tamara Wittes on Americas role in building Arab democracy In the recent years, the promotion of democracy has been a pillar of the US foreign policy not only in the Middle East, but across the globe. However, the true tenets and principles of democracy have always been evaded and questionable in the US foreign policy in the US. The US has supported authoritarian regimes and dictators to ensure stability and US interest and in return turned a blind eye to regime’s usurping of democracy. The US supported Saddam Hussein in Iran-Iraq war but later turned against him when he was perceived as weak after invading Kuwait, a longtime US ally in the Middle East. The Middle East is known to harbor over 60 percent of the world’s global oil reserves, and thus the US is more inclined to maintain stability in the region by overlooking implementation of democracy by the ruling regimes (Wittes,2008). Democracy is an evolutionary aspect rather than revolutionary. After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the country held its first general election in 2005 to mark a transition from an authoritarian regime to democracy. However, to date, America still maintains a military presence in Iraq not to further the course of democracy but to maintain stability and security crucial to US foreign policy interests. Schools of thought in the US foreign policy international relations in the Middle East believe the country pursues stability at the expense of democracy in the region. When the Bush administration failed to prove Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction after 9/11, the administration used the notion of democracy to invade Iraq to stamp out Al-Qaeda. The use of democracy as an affront to war was based on the notion that, the overthrow of Saddam’s rule would bring a democratic domino effect across the entire Middle East region. The invasion of Iraq was not entirely based on ensuring democracy, but a US policy of maintaining security and stability in the region. The then, US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice on her nomination hearing before the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee in January 2005, announced that one of the administration’s diplomacy priorities is to strengthen the community democracies to fight and alleviate common security threats and ensure stability (Wittes,2008). The US ‘soft democracy promotion’ in the Middle East can be explained in two ways. The US fears it may bring about unfavorable results that may not be in tandem with Washington’s interests. This can be attributed to the election of Islamic factions in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq who oppose America’s liberal democracy in the region. In Palestinian, the US pushed for elections in return for a guaranteed US support for a future Palestinian state. The elections culminated in the election of Hamas, an Islamic group classified as a terrorist organization by the US and EU. Hamas refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and it later led to the refusal of the UN, EU, US and Russia to recognize Hamas as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. (Wittes,2008). Witte also articulates that, the US fears a conflict of interest situation with its allies which may hinder co-operation on strategic issues in the region. For example, to openly deman d for the promotion of democracy in Saudi Arabia may constrain its relationship with the US and push towards China or Russia or run the risk of Islamic radicals taking over the country. Principal determinants of the US Policy in the Middle East Since the Second World War, the Middle East has been of essential interest to the United States. Today, the Middle East has evolved to become a permanent US geopolitical interest. The US policy in the region has long been based on economic factors and regional stability. These determinants have been essential to US that they have overridden democracy and the principles of democracy in the region (Dodge, 2008). Middle East’s presence of oil reserves is a key determinant of the US policy and elations in the Middle East. A 1945 US State Department memorandum described Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves as a stupendous source of strategic and one of the world’s greatest material prizes in history. In 2006, 27 percent of the world’s oil came from the Middle East with the US buying over half of it. President G. W. Bush acknowledged this by stating that, ‘America is addicted to oil’ (Dodge, 2008). US’s dependence on the Middle East oil illustrates that the US will always be cautious about taking any aggressive stance that might be upset or strain its Middle East allies. Nonetheless, as the world’s most powerful nation and the biggest economy, the US has a responsibility to protect this vital interest. In return, the US gets favorable oil prices and strategic partners in the region. The vital oil interest in the Middle East makes the US overlook the exercise of democracy in the region, keep supporting the ruling regimes to ensure there is stability in the region. Today, in Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to vote or lead certain key institutions and the US is its biggest oil importer (Dodge, 2008). The US turns a blind eye on this key violation of democracy for fear that democracy may lead to instability in the region. The US instead keeps a diplomatic policy that maintains the status quo in the region to maintain stability and protect this key economic interest . US democracy effects of in respective Middle East states The US and Israel-and the Palestinians The Jewish state is a key US ally in the Middle East since the recognition of the state by President Harry Truman in 1948. Since then Israel has continued to enjoy US support over time. Israel’s support has remained to be a pillar of US foreign policy in the Middle East as the one of the few democratic states in the region. The US policy of the state is based on several factors in that, to ensure stability in the region and a stable ally. However, Israel’s unwavering US support however, pitted it against its neighbour states who viewed it as a threat to Palestine (Dodge, 2008). Israel has over time been accused of violating known international human rights, and the tenets of democracy but the US has however supported the state for the maintenance of stability in the region. The US backed Israel in its military strikes against the Palestinian authority and militants in the Gaza strip and the occupied territories of the west bank during the rule of Ariel Sharon. Subsequently, the US push for democracy in the Palestinian territories led to the election of a religious extremist group with terrorist affiliations. The US preconditioned the Palestinian territories to allow room for democracy and in return the US would support the formation of a future Palestinian state (Dodge, 2008). The elections culminated in the election of Hamas, an Islamic group classified as a terrorist organization by the US and EU. Hamas refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and it later led to the refusal of the UN, EU, US and Russia to recognize Hamas as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The preset preconditions were that the Palestine territories would accept Israel’s right to existence, abandon violence and acknowledge previous Palestine-Israel agreements. In 2007, following a forcible capture of Gaza by Hamas the US responded by imposing economic sanctions on the Palestinian enclave. The US at the same time rapidly increased funding of the West-Bank under the control of Fatah. Fatah was headed by Mahmoud Abbas had received US support in his candidacy for prime minister and president in 2003 and 2005 respectively. The US’s intention of the increased Fatah’s funding was to undermine the Hamas movement and strengthen the Fatah party. This scenario indicates that the US promoted Fatah because there was a viable condition for having a democracy and ensuring in the region (Dodge, 2008). Bahrain In the Middle East Bahrain is an key US ally primarily due to the location of US Navy Fifth Fleet command headquarters situated in the country’s capital and due to Bahrain’s importance to Saudi Arabia as a check to Iran. Bahrain’s ruling government is comprised of the Sunni minority whereas the Shia Muslims, who are the country’s majority are minimally represented in government. The principles of democracy articulate that, in any democratic setting the ruling government must respect and teat the minority in equal measure as the majority. However, the US tends to overlook this aspect for the maintenance of stability in the region. Military aid in the country increased in 2001 from 235,000 dollars to 90.4 million in 2004 (Carothers Ottaway,2010). This was largely attributed to the US’s policy of key Bahrain as an ally and maintaining stability in the region by allowing the continued stay of US troops in the region. Iraq The Iraq invasion of 2003 was based on based on the notion that there was a need to counter US threats and bring stability and the only way viable way to do so was by introducing democracy in Iraq. Saddam’s twenty four year rule was overthrown amid an effort to bring democracy to the country and the entire Middle East region. The introduction of democracy in Iraq was seen as the cornerstone of democracy in the entire region. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice termed the transformation of Iraq as a key element of a very distinct Middle East (Dalacoura,2005). The fall of Saddam’s Baath party led to a collapse of public order which was highly unanticipated by the US. The collapse gave birth to the formation of Islamic insurgent groups that engaged the US in a war to push them out of Iraq. An extreme shortage in basic necessities such as food and water swept across the country. Insecurity became rampant and majority of the people were displaced, and a new conflict was fo rmed. A conflict between the US military and Iraq insurgents. The collapse of public order threatened stability in the region and led engagement of the longest US war in history. In Saddam’s twenty-four year rule, Iraq largely experienced stability and public order which was constrained by US’s introduction of democracy in the country. After the formation of an elected government, the country privatized all state -owned companies in all sectors except oil and minerals. This was viewed an economic reform of the country. New bilateral agreements were signed to ensure stability in the region (Dalacoura,2005). Jordan Due to its constitutional monarch, Jordan has for a long time been regarded as one of the most stable states in the Middle East. During the Bush administration, Jordan and the US only engage on an ‘as needed’ basis only. However, after the Iraq invasion in 2003, this need be basis changed. The US reviewed its relations with the Jordan and democratic reforms. However, the renewed interest of democracy in US was based on ensuring stability in the region and the significance of maintenance of peace with Israel. An agreement with the US was signed that allowed Jordan to consolidate its debt with the US. In return, Jordan agreed to train Iraq police on its soil to help combat the growing insurgency in Iraq. State interactions between the two countries increased (Carothers Ottaway,2010). Lebanon Renewed calls for democracy in Lebanon led to the country’s first free and fair general elections in 2005. The election resulted in the election of Hezbollah, a terrorist group in government. Election of the group to government led to widespread negative press against the US, but the US still kept maintaining diplomatic relations with the country for the sake of stability. The introduction of democracy in the country by US was perceived as a way maintaining stability by giving people a chance to elect leaders of their choice (Carothers Ottaway,2010). However, the election of Hezbollah faced the US with a dilemma of how to maintain diplomatic relations with the country with a government that representatives with known terrorist affiliations Syria Due to Syria’s classification as a state sponsor of terrorism the US only exercises minimal direct interactions with the state. Syria has been ruled by the Assad dynasty for decades. The Assads practice total authoritarian rule over their subjects. Under the Obama administration, the US threatened to invade Syria to impose democracy and rule of law in the country. The invasion was vetoed by Russia in the UN Security Council meeting. After the veto of military intervention, the US sponsored a revolution to topple that Assad government by supplying weapons to the revolutionary groups Documents on Democracy. (2014). A general election was held in 2014, and Bashar al-Assad won by a landslide victory. 88.7 percent of the electorates elected him even after been opposed by the US. Though the US did not explicitly acknowledge Assad’s election it recommended the people for participating in the election. References Carothers, T., Ottaway, M. (Eds.). (2010). Uncharted journey: promoting democracy in the Middle East. Carnegie Endowment Dalacoura, K. (2005). US democracy promotion in the Arab Middle East since 11 September 2001: a critique. International affairs, 81(5), 963-979. Dodge, T. (2008). US foreign policy in the Middle East (pp. 214-235). Oxford University Press. Documents on Democracy. (2014). Journal Of Democracy, 25(4), 180-185. doi:10.1353/jod.2014.0078 Diamond, L. J., Plattner, M. F., Brumberg, D. (Eds.). (2003). Islam and democracy in the Middle East. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press. Wittes, Tamara Cofman (2008). Freedom’s unsteady march: Americas role in building Arab democracy. The Brookings Institution

The Minimum Wage Should Not Be Increased :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

"The minimum wage is something that F.D.R. put in place a long time ago during the Great Depression. I don't think it worked then. It didn't solve any problems then and it hasn't solved any problems in 50 years." -- John Raese The minimum wage in the United States was established under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 in an effort to stabilize the economy following the Great Depression. It was designed to create a minimum standard of living by ensuring that workers could provide for the health and well being of their families. With its passage workers were legally ensured that they would receive a minimum of 25 cents for each hour worked. With each increase of the minimum pay rate ($7.75 today) there has been an increased level of debate. Such discussions have resurfaced again as the country attempts to deal with the impact of the Great Recession of 2008. Economists generally agree that minimum wage increases do not affect national employment significantly. However the size of an increase can have a dramatic impact on the employment of segments of the population, GDP, price of goods, and other measurements of productivity. From an economic perspective, mandated wages negatively impact society in the long run (all other variables being held constant); therefore we recommend that other policy measures be considered to narrow the inequality gap in our country. A review of the supply and demand curve provides the simplest explanation for our recommendation. A minimum wage is essentially a price floor for labor. If this floor is set above the current market price – as would be the case with an increase in minimum wage - the demand for workers will be reduced while the supply of workers will increase. As illustrated below the result would lead to increased unemployment. http://notatthedinnertable.weebly.com/uploads/3/4/1/1/3411210/5183225_orig.png Firms will retain more productive and higher paid workers, however lower skilled and lesser paid (those you intend to assist) will be shed. Those who lose their job will then require government benefits, such as unemployment compensation and welfare, to survive thus increasing government expenditures and debt. In the event that a firm does not fire workers the cost of the additional wages must be addressed. Typically the increased cost of doing business can be managed in two ways. The firm will transfer the increased cost to consumers by raising the selling price of its goods or

James v. Lorenz :: essays research papers

William James and Konrad Lorenz are at a cafà © in the middle of Piccadilly Circus having coffee, smoking cigars, deep in conversation. J: What say you about this Konrad, I have a Scotch terrier that used to live in the barn, and I recently moved him into my home. In the barn, he had this nasty little habit of burying things into the ground, and upon being moved into the house continued with the same behavior. After a few days, he eventually stopped trying to dig altogether. How would you explain this? L: I believe that your carpet was not the right stimulus for your beloved terrier. An animal needs to have a specific stimulus in order to elicit a certain response; in this case, the dirt would elicit the digging. Because the dog was not in an environment that had dirt readily available to him to be able to dig, he had no need to do so. J: Okay, but why did he continue, if even for a few days, to try to dig into my carpet and deposit useless items such as gloves into the floor? L: He was so used to digging in your barn that he continued to do so in your house. The intensity of the stimulus changed, so the response followed suit and changed as well. J: But that is like my fly-wheel of society, he kept on trying to dig into my carpet because he was used to doing it†¦but then that is considered to be a habit and not an instinct. L: It was instinctive for him to bury in the barn not only because he had the right stimulus to elicit the digging, but also what was he burying in the barn? Food, I suppose. I believe that if you take for example the concealment response of Corvids, you will see that some animals purposely hide their food so that in the future, they can retrieve it if necessary. Because as you know of course, that unlike domestic animals, wild animals need to search for their food in order to survive. Your terrier was doing as much in trying to hide his food in the barn, probably because there were other animals that were present and he assumed they might try to take his food. After having been in your home for a few days, he realized that there was no need to continue with the act of burying items such as gloves because it was useless.

How to plan and provide environments and services support children Essay

Describe the factors to take into account when planning healthy and safe indoor and outdoor environments and services: All staff has a duty of care for children and each other within the setting. It is important that everybody is aware of government legislation regarding the schools Health and Safety policy in regards to potential risks and hazards and what should happen if an incident occurs. As health and safety is primarily common sense it becomes second nature when working with children to abide by the Health and Safety policy. When working within a school staff should always make sure that areas are fit to purpose prior to any learning or play activities this could mean doing a risk assessment to ensure areas are safe and free from any potential risks. If a risk is spotted it should be reported immediately or logged for attention. The factors to take into account are: Every child is an individual and progresses at different rates and each child has different needs which depend on their age and ability. When we plan activities we should think about ways in which way we can keep all children active and the layout of the room and the needs of the child if you have a baby in the room you would not allow toddlers to be running round. Also if children wanted to ride bikes this should be done outside with more space and under supervision. Some children may have more specific needs than other children if they are have a sensory impairment provisions should be put in place so the child will enjoy mainstream school as much as the next child. An adult could also have specific needs where a risk assessment may need to be done at some time like if the person is pregnant or impaired in some way. Individual support may be offered to families/carers that have different needs to others. When working with children we should always be aware of our environment as we would not allow a child to run around the classroom with scissors, if this did happen we would explain or ask the child why this is a dangerous thing to do. In any school yard there should be separate sides of the yard were say football is played rather than all the children playing in line of the ball as this may cause injury. Explain how health and safety is monitored and maintained and how people in  the work setting are made aware of risks and hazards and encouraged to work safely: Within school settings health and safety is monitored and maintained by the schools policies and procedures these are implemented by a governing body then must be carried out to the letter. Anybody running a place where members of public visit must have a duty of care and not let people be exposed to hazards that may cause illness or harm them. Visitors must follow the set guidelines to ensure the safety and well being of all children within the setting. Children who are being collected must be collected by a person known by the teacher unless prior information given, if a child requires medicine then this will be left in the office with a consent form received from the parents. Within school if a accident / incident happens then it is recorded and parents are informed of the child’s injury i.e. bumped head letter. W ithin schools there will always be a first aider available to deal with an injury. Confidentiality policy is always kept within school the only time confidentiality should be broken is when neglect or a form of abuse is suspected and the relevant authorities need to know. Risk assessments are carried out daily by teachers and all staff to ensure no potential risks or hazards. If anything is found it must be recorded and reported immediately relevant staff must be notified. Identify sources of current guidance for planning healthy and safe environments and services: All settings should have copies of the latest legislation as recorded in 1.4 they will also have their own policies and procedures. There is also a lot of information to be found on the internet: Health and safety executive Child accident prevention trust Department for education Explain how current health and safety legislation, policies and procedures are implemented in own work setting: When working with schools we have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of all children and fellow colleagues as they are entrusted in our care listed below are the main policies: Policies and procedures regarding Health and Safety at Work are given to all staff including volunteers on the first day of employment  within the setting this is based on the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The main responsibilities of this act are that all buildings should be maintained to a high standard, designed with safety in mind. The environment should always be clean and tidy; all equipment should be stored away safely. As is good practice working practice should promote the health and safety of children. These acts also provides protection for employees by the workplace being a safe place and not pose a risk to employee’s health as stated in COSHH all hazardous substan ces and cleaning equipment stored away safely. Training should be provided for all employees on health and safety. PPE clothing should be provided free of charge. Certain injuries, diseases and incidents should be reported immediately to the Health and Safety Executive. First aid facilities and a first aider should be accessible at all times, within each setting there will be a safety representative who can be consulted regarding issues which may affect health and safety. Finally the legal duties of all employees must be responsible to take care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their actions. All employees must cooperate with the health and safety at work act. This will be kept in the office and available to all. Fire precaution act 1971 and regulations :The fire authority will issue a fire certificate when happy that all correct procedures are in place .They also check the fire equipment and correct fire escapes and routes of departure COSHH (control of substances hazardous to health) this is monitored and maintained within schools by ensuring all chemicals and cleaning equipment is locked away in a cupboard away from all children. All chemicals must be clearly marked. RIDDOR 1995 (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Da ngerous Occurrence Regulations )this is a legal duty to explain work related deaths, any major incidents or injuries, work related diseases and dangerous occurrence. When carrying children or equipment always promote good practice. The Childcare Act 2006 this sets out the statutory framework for health and safety within all settings including that of the EYFS their standards are monitored by Ofsted. Product safety marking these must be (PAT tested) regularly and they will hold the kite mark to say they have been tested. Toys must carry a CE showing that the product meets European standards. Motor vehicles regulations 2006 seat belts must be worn at all times and booster seats provided for children under a certain height (135cm). Smoking ban 2007 EYFS  this includes a legal requirement to ensure all children are in a smoke free zone. The manual handling operations regulation act 1992Employers must ensure that correct guidelines are followed when lifting pupils or equipment. Hygiene legislation 2006 This covers the safe preparation and storage of food .All kitchen staff must hold a current food hygiene certificate .There must be posters displayed within the kitchen reminding staff of good practice i.e. different coloured chopping boards and how food is stored correctly. The early years foundation stage (EYFS) Statutory framework for eyfs 2008 ensuring all aspects of welfare for children is covered ,this includes safeguarding ,suitable people ,suitable premises and equipment .There must be correct documentation within the organisation. Other procedures which are in place to safeguard children are: Safety fence and locked gates disallowing children to leave when in outdoors areas. All doors which provide entry and access are locked and door handles unobtainable to children. All visitors must sign in and wear a badge if there for a while must be notified about health and safety. Children must be picked up by the named person unless by prior arrangement. Confidentiality maintained at all times unless abuse is suspected. Admissions where no child can be looked on more favourably than another. Accident/incident must be recorded if a child has a bump or injury then this must be sent home to parents explaining what happened if a major incident must be forwarded to relevant people. Taking of medic ines they must be stored correctly parents must sign a consent form to say what the medicine is and how much and when their child is allowed it. Within the setting there will be a notice in the staff room of which child is asthmatic or allergic to food or other things so each staff member can see.

Personal Dilemma Paper Essay

In February 2014, Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice and his fiancà ©e Janay Palmer (now wife) were arrested, charged and later released in Atlantic City on what was called simple assault charges. The details were not clear at the time. However, what was known was that Rice and Palmer got into a some form of an altercation inside the Revel Casino. Rice’s lawyer stated in was just a â€Å"minor physical altercation.† Not long afterward video footage surfaced showing Rice dragging an unconscious Palmer out of an elevator. The Ravens organization as a whole defended Rice after he was arrested and reiterated he would continue to be the team’s running back. Steve Bisciotti, the team owner, praised Rice and his good character and noted that Rice had no prior off-field trouble. The charges against Rice were elevated to aggravated assault after prosecutors presented the case to a grand jury. At that point, the charges were dropped against Palmer for simple assault (AP, 20 14). Palmer stated she did not wish to proceed with prosecuting Rice. However, that did not keep the state of New Jersey from moving forward with prosecuting the case. Rice did not accept a plea deal that would keep him out of jail in exchange for going through anger management and the successful completion of probation. Instead, he decided to plead not guilty and apply for a first-time offender program that might remove any charges in as little as six-months. Under this program, Rice would need to keep out of any trouble and partake in counseling on a regular basis. Prosecutors did allow Rice into this program instead of going to trial. If he stays out of trouble and completes the 12-month program, his record will not reflect the case. Interestingly, this program is normally only used for non-violent and victimless crimes. Also, entry into the program has been granted in less than 1% of all domestic violence cases in the state of New Jersey (AP, 2014). The National Football League (NFL) claimed it had not seen any video of an altercation within the casino elevator. A law enforcement official stated the elevator video was sent to the NFL in April and he had proof in the form of a 12-second voicemail with a number within the NFL offices that confirmed the videos arrival. The league office denied ever receiving it. The league claims it requested the tape, but was denied. The Ravens also claimed not to have seen the video until it was released by TMZ (AP, 2014). Rice is basically assured of not going to jail, but was not able to keep the NFL commissioner from laying down a little justice of his own. He originally suspended Rice for a mere two games. This decision was met with considerable public outrage. Goodell had to admit that his initial punishment was wrong and beefed up the NFL’s policy on domestic violence in reaction to the public outrage. The new policy would suspend a player six-games with no pay for a first offense, and lifetime banishment for a second offense. After seeing Rice knocking his wife unconscious, the Ravens terminated his contract. Allegedly, the team made this decision because Rice was not honest with them. Shortly after his release from the team, the league suspended him indefinitely. Since the league had previously suspended Rice (the initial two-games), the commissioner needed justification to indefinitely suspend him. The commissioner notified the Players Association that an indefinite suspension resulted from Rice telling them something different than what appeared on the video of him hitting Palmer. Contrary to the commissioner’s statements, there were several sources (including Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome) who stated that Rice was being truthful (McManus, 2014). By all accounts, Rice was known as a good guy. The commissioner said seeing the video changed everything. But, why? Everyone knew what happened before the video was released. Rice knocked out his then fiancà ©e in an elevator. Nothing changed before or after the video was released. Goodell stated they should have seen it earlier and should have pursued their own investigation more vigorously. That is true. So, why didn’t they? The question still remains. Why would seeing the video change their minds about his punishment? Initially, it was only worth a two game suspension. Remember,  nothing changed. After the video was released, he is suspended indefinitely. Since this is his first offence, shouldn’t he be suspended for only six games? Why should he lose his job and income. Wouldn’t it be better of the NFL and the Ravens organization to help this man and his family instead of just tossing him away like trash? Rice was clearly tried and found guilty by the court of public opinion. It is amazing how fast we are as a society to be publicly correct, jump to conclusions, and show our willingness to take away a person’s livelihood. References AP, (2014). Timeline of Key Events in the Ray Rice Case. Retrieved on 13 Sep 14 from http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/timeline-key-events-ray-rice-case-25441413 McManus, J. (2014). How the NFL’s new domestic violence stance came to be. Retrieved on 13 Sep 14 from http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/11464303/how-nfl-new-domestic-violence-stance-came-be