Motorcycle Club Activities And The Response By Law Enforcement Research Paper

Motorcycle Club Activities And The Response By Law Enforcement - Research Paper Example Although RICO has been one method of dealing with the organized nature of the clubs, the effectiveness to date has not been encouraging. The American myth of the outlaw motorcycle gang is still a living and thriving entity that had yet to be controlled by law or authority. Motorcycle club activities and the response by law enforcement One of the iconic images of the 1960s was the idea of the motorcycle club, glamourized by films and supported by the almost mythical existence of the Hell’s Angels which was commonly known across the United States. While the emergence of street gangs has overwhelmed the urban legends of the motorcycle gang activities, eclipsing the romance of the open road with the romance of the gritty streets of the city, motorcycle gangs are still in existence and are tied both to street activities and prison gang activities. The primary business of MCs or motorcycle clubs is that of the drug trade, although with their ties to organized crime they have their h ands in quite a bit of illegal activity. The flesh trade is another popular form of enterprise for the MCs as it became a natural extension of the hedonistic lifestyle embraced. Illegal activities occur through complex and extensive relationships with other forms of organized crime and with networks of chapters and clubs that support the criminal businesses that they run. The MCs are powerful with a strong organized culture in which the hierarchy and the military style authority with which they operate provides both security for the members and a strict code of behaviors with violent consequences when violated. Law enforcement on the local level has the problem of handling the club while federal authorities are freer to act more aggressively towards taking apart the organizations, but to date other than disassembling portions of the club, a bit at a time; they have not been able to take down the system. Biker Culture According to Nichols (2010) â€Å"Any time society breeds a natio n of sheep – when people grow to lazy or meek or subservient to power – a few wolves emerge to attack these weaknesses and keep the human herd strong† (p. 62). The biker culture emerged, primarily in the aftermath of World War II, although the official beginning was in 1935 (Birzer, 2011). Men who had been in the war came home to a world in which they were now disenfranchised. Although the economy was booming, the soldiers were suffering from the same feelings of displacement that most veterans of war experience. In reaction to both the economy that was emerging in a new society that had no place to them and the need for the return to the social structure and brotherhood of the armed forces, the creation of ‘clubs’ to provide for these men became the result. If one looks at the nature of the membership, they have a uniform, earn patches for performance which gives them honor, and have a structured hierarchy (Nichols, 2010). Another important element to membership is that the bike that is owned must be of American manufacture, thus the clubs, although outlaw show a sense of pride for their nation (Birzer, 2011). While the origins of the original comment that began the idea of the ‘one percenter’ is lost to history, the comment that created this outlaw ideal was based upon a quote that stated that 99% of all bikers were law abiding citizens (Joans, 2001). From this comment was born the elite, those bikers who lived the myth of the outlaw biker, wreaking havoc on the world and living a life of relentless hedonism. Sonny Barger of the Hell’s Angels began the tradition in the 1960s of adding the ‘

Ageism in Nursing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ageism in Nursing - Research Paper Example As the discussion declares the country identified to manifest the highest shares of aged population (those with citizens 60 years old and above) was Japan as of 2011 and projected way into 2050. Likewise, in addition to the challenges facing the size and quality of workforce who would be qualified and competent to address ageism, other challenges which were noted included addressing non-communicable diseases and pension issues, to name a few.From this paper it is clear that  the causes of ageism was expounded through identifying the factors that allegedly contributed to its perpetuation. It was noted that culture, media, language and the perception of old age have led to enforcement of stereotyped beliefs on the aged population. Among the language or colloqualist terms apparently associated with the older population are: â€Å""geezer," "old fogey," "old maid," "dirty old man," and "old goat"†. Other contributory factors to ageism that were identified include institutions (o rganizations which preclude aged people from being promoted or from being hired); a reported focus of the American health care system on acute care and cure, rather than practicing chronic care which is identified to be most needed by this segment of the population; and government policies that seem to skew regulations and benefits to other sectors more than to the elderly.  The negative stereotyped beliefs add to the dilemma and non-disclosure or dissemination of factual information on the aged population.... d in the study written by Bloom, Boersch-Supan, McGee, and Seike (2011) have disclosed some relevant findings, to wit: â€Å"while aging is taking place in almost all countries of the world, rich or poor, very high longevity is still a matter of very high income levels† (p. 4). In fact, the country identified to manifest the highest shares of aged population (those with citizens 60 years old and above) was Japan as of 2011 and projected way into 2050. Likewise, in addition to the challenges facing the size and quality of workforce who would be qualified and competent to address ageism, other challenges which were noted included addressing non-communicable diseases and pension issues, to name a few. Different studies have been conducted to closely examine relevant issues that pertain to ageing in contemporary times. Authors Kane and Kane (2005) have delved into disparities related to ageism between long-term care and acute care as well as issues related to age-based rationing. Another study by Nolan (2011) examined dimensions of ageing and belonging as well as the effects of ageism. The various challenges faced by health care practitioners in addressing diverse needs and health-related issues of the aged population were expounded by Bloom, Boersch-Supan, McGee, and Seike (2011). There were negative myths and stereotypes that were also apparently presented by Palmore (1990) which have been vividly clarified through presentation of facts on concerns such as illness, impotency, ugliness, mental decline, mental illness, uselessness, isolation, poverty, depression, and political power (Chapin, Nelson-Becker, Gordon, & Terrebonne, 2002). The causes of ageism was expounded through identifying the factors that allegedly contributed to its perpetuation. It was noted that culture,

Gangs in America Why are they so out of control Essay

Gangs in America Why are they so out of control - Essay Example Gang problem in New York and California have been a long persisting issue. When comparing to others states in the US, juveniles and young adults joining gangs in these states are quite noteworthy. Notably, in majority cases, the common cause for participating in gang violence has been concentrated on sourcing money through illegal means within a short-term period. To be mentioned in this regards, California accounts for low rate of employment and low education standards that in turn substantiates the motives of young people getting involved in gang violence to suffice their economic requirements. However, in the case of New York, the motive has been identified to be more social and persisting as a trend among the youngsters (Sherwell, 2013). Concerning the legal issues associated with gang crimes, the foremost concern arises regarding social security of the community people. To be noted, as guns and other life-threatening weapons become readily available among criminals and gang memb ers, social security is hindered in the community, raising risks of domestic terrorism and various other crimes. In addition, young members of the society are also likely to become more vulnerable to gangs, hampering the stability of the society as well as its legal system at large, which will be a long-term challenge (Greenfield, 2012). To counter the issues raised by gang crimes in the society, legal authorities in New York and in California have been taking major decisions through courts, which in turn have imposed massive impressions on the nature and trends of gang violence in these states. Correspondingly, a direct influence of these court decisions can be witnessed on the strategies taken to demoralize gang involvements amid the society. For instance, the government in the US has taken effective and useful steps to reduce the crime in the nation, empowering law enforcers (Richard, 1999).

Surveillance and Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Surveillance and Democracy - Essay Example As seen in s8(2) there has been built into the statute several exceptions which leaves the law somewhat open to interpretation. Firstly, as held in Malone v UK (1984) 7 EHRR 14, the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence is not to be infringed upon unless there is statute to the contrary to which the citizens are aware. As stated in Taylor (2002) the EU court has been especially stringent with regard to personal communications (see Kopp v Switzerland (1999) 27 EHRR 91). In this case, the court held that state infringement upon private communications of the citizens displayed a serious breach against their right to a private life. The EU Convention of Human Rights has maintained that if there is to be a breach of citizen's right to private life it must be for a specific legal purpose, that is to say supported by legal statute. The last area to consider within the framework of the EU Convention of Human Rights is to ascertain the balance of individual citizens' rights against that of the greater good. In short, according to Taylor (2002) this balance requires a test of proportions, essentially measuring the pros and cons. In short, it is imperative that the state within the legal framework on a case by case basis weigh the facts and determine if the great good will outweigh the individual infringement upon an individual citizen. As stated previous the EU as found in the Human Rights Act and as discussed previous has upheld that any infringement must be legitimized by state statute. This was upheld with regard to the tapping of personal phones in the UK. In Malone v Metropolitan Police Commissioner No.2 [1979] 2 WLR 700 the court held that the police had used a wiretap to obtain information regarding the defendant's criminal activity. As the UK had no statute on the books legitimizing the wiretap and therefore infringement on the defendant's right to privacy with respect to personal communications the conviction was overturned upon appeal to the EU. Even though there had been prior precedent for wiretapping as established by the government without a binding legal framework, the EU found the legitimate exception rule had not been met. In an attempt to reactivity the lack of statute the UK passed the Interception of Communications Act 1985. However this act provide ineffective in providing the legal framework necessary to obtain little more than wiretaps for public telephones. In case and after case specific modes of communication were found to be exceptions to this law (i.e. cordless telephones, private networks etc). The statute was tested even further when the police used a listening device to obtain a confession and eventual conviction of a heroine smuggler. On appeal within the UK in (R v Khan [1996] 3 WLR 162, the court found that even if the confession were to be determined later to be in breach of s(8) the court could not justify overturning the verdict. The defendant did appeal to the EU and the court found t

Management and Leadership development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Management and Leadership development - Essay Example Based upon the overall theories defined in part 1, this part will define and provide practical application of the same. There has been a consistent increase in the way technology is changing over the period of time. The changing nature of technology also changes the overall consumer preferences and choices as customers are given more and more choices as technology improves over the period of time. In such a scenario, a company likes Orange UK which operates in the telecommunication industry needs to continuously focus upon the leadership which can easily visualize such future scenarios and prepare the firm for the future.( Avolio, 2011) Leadership management therefore holds significant importance for Orange to continue to dominate the market and remain as one of the leading telecommunication services providers in the country.( Bernel, 2009) Leadership is considered as one of the ways through which management and staff can effectively communicate with each other.( Arendt et al., 2005). Orange is basically an owned company by the French Telecom which remained a government owned entity for longer period of time. It is still owned by the Government of France as the majority shareholder however, it is operating like a private corporation. Over the period of time, overall management structure changed in UK with different leadership and management structures put in place. This may result into the development of leadership at the individual business unit level.( Kelly-Hiedenthal , 2004) It is important to note that Orange changed the overall structure of its Board and management in 2008 making it more adaptive to the customer changes. The more important and significant leadership management issue therefore pertains to the inability of Orange UK to actually design an overall structure which suits the changing customer needs.( Brooks,2012).   Telecommunication industry has

Protection Individual's Freedom From the Excessive Power of Government Essay

Protection Individual's Freedom From the Excessive Power of Government - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the concept of democracy is fundamentally described as a strong mechanism, which can be directly exercised by the people through electing their preferred agents. It is indeed a strong set of principles and ideas, which tends to protect the freedom of individuals belonging to any particular society. With regards to the brief understanding of academic history, terms democracy and freedom were often interchangeably used. However, these two terms have distinctive approaches in the context of their respective practices and procedures associated with a particular society, state or a nation as well. Although democracy demonstrates a clear and wide concept concerning individual freedom and liberty, it also entails a set of distinctive processes and practices that have been shaped by a long and convoluted political history. Emphasising diverse concepts and ideas of democracy as represented in different kinds of literature, the essay critically demonstrates the extent of democracy in protecting individual freedom from the excessive power of government. According to various observations, democracy is further defined as a set of specific government institutions possessing a well-structured group of values, practices, and attitudes that may include dissimilar sorts of expressions amidst the societies and the cultures prevailing across the world. With regards to demonstrating the purposes and functions of democracy, the term democracy may entail a number of strong values along with principles and practices.

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Research Paper Example Likewise, information contained in â€Å"Today’s Job Seeker Report† published by Simply Hired (2012) revealed that from among the American job seekers surveyed, 70% revealed that they use mobile technology to search for job opportunities (Simply Hired, 2012, p. 5). Also, other relevant information disclosed was that 40% of companies rely on social networking sites, particularly Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and even MySpace for recruitment purposes (Kwoh, 2012). A much higher rate of 60% in 2012, as compared to 54% in 2011 was actually reported by Simply Hired (2012) for job seekers to have resorted to social networks. Regardless of the accurate figure, it is evident that job seekers have significantly relied on social networking sites as potential sources of employment; and employers have likewise sought information from these sites to gain more information about prospective applicants and candidates. The currrent discourse hereby aims to present the benefits and costs of using social media during job search. The next section provides relevant and crucial statistical information that identifies the use of specifically identified social networking sites and the users that rely on these for employment. Subsequently, the benefits and disadvantages of using social media would be presented in detail prior to a recommendation and concluding portion. Statistics Use of Social Media in Job Search The information revealed by the Pew Research Center in 2012 has disclosed that the general profile and landscape of social networking site users fall under the following gender and age categories, shown as Table 1, below: Table 1: Profile and Landscape of Social Networking Site Users Social Networking Sites Percentage of Internet Users Demographic Profile Facebook 67% Women, 18 to 29 years old Twitter 16 African Americans, urban residents, 18-29 years old Pinterest 15 Women, white, under 50 years old Instagram 13 African Americans and Latinos, women, urban residen ts, 18 to 29 years old Tumblr 6 Adults 18 to 29 years old Source: Duggan & Brenner, 2013, p. 2 The percentage of internet users identified to be using social networking sites are shown below: Figure 1: Percent of Social Networking Site Users As noted above, both potential applicants and employers utilize these sites for employment purposes. Since Facebook leads in social networking site users, it was reported in the Huffington Post (2012) that â€Å"a survey commissioned by the online employment website CareerBuilder has found that 37 percent of hiring managers use social networking sites to research job applicants, with over 65 percent of that group using Facebook as their primary resource† (37 Percent Of Employers Use Facebook To Pre-Screen Applicants, New Study Says, 2012, par. 1). More interesting are the findings from a survey conducted by the Corporate Executive Board cited by Kwoh (2012) that provided explicit insights from the perspectives of employers which revealed that since employers are making their respective research on potential candidates for employment, those who apparently lie on their resume, provide fake references, and seek unrealistic salaries were found to be the top three pitfalls that should