Abstract
The United States is the only Western democracy in the world which still employs the death penalty in its criminal justice system. This paper discusses how a careful analysis of its recent legislative and executive contention with the issue illustrates that the United States remains collectively supportive of the death penalty but that significant demographic trends in public opinion are revealing that long-standing attitudes may be changing. It looks at some of the clear logical arguments against its use, particularly its arbitrary nature, which renders the death penalty as an instrument of punitive enforcement that is subject to the economic, racial and political peculiarities of the judiciary system.

From the Paper
"However, most evidence suggests that the correlation between socioeconomic status and proclivity toward death penalty sentencing is far too high. Indeed, "most have contended that the death penalty is bad because it is poorly administered. In many jurisdictions, the argument goes, public defenders are incompetent." (Carlson, 1) In jurisdictions where this is true, allegations that public defenders are anything from incompetent and unprepared to sleeping through trial or defending while under the influence of drugs or alcohol denotes that those without the means to hire a fit attorney are at the mercy of a deeply unequal system. To the point, a recent "study found that those defendants whose representation was the least expensive, and thus who received the least amount of attorney and expert time, had an increased probability of receiving a death sentence." (DPIC1, 1) "

Tags:judiciary, system

Abstract
This paper looks at the arbitrariness of the application of the death penalty. It finds that race, geography and economic status are the main determining factors as to whether or not the death penalty is sought.

From the Paper
"The death penalty, as it is applied in the United States, can be considered arbitrary in that it is not applied consistently and fairly to all who meet the criteria for receiving a death penalty sentence from the courts. It is meted out based on irrational factors which include the race of the defendant and the victim, the county or state in which the crime was committed, and the quality of the defense counsel provided or hired by the defendant. Most defendants who face the death penalty..."

Tags:death penalty, arbitrary, discriminatory, race

Abstract
This paper discusses how the socio - economic background of Carroll's time is reflected and inherently criticized in "Through the Looking Glass". The paper attempts to analyze the strings that made up the adult world of Carroll's time by briefly discussing the Victorian era. Carroll's genius in using the nonsense to undercut the denominative power of language and its arbitrariness which was prevalent in the power structure of the Victorian society is also looked at as well as the skilled technique of empowering his characters with different types of nonsense verses and power of arbitrary use of language. The issues of education and technology in accordance to the Victorian period are also analyzed in the final sections of this paper with a focus on how they again bring out the arbitrariness of the adult world of Carroll's time.

From the Paper
"Carroll's nonsense can also be examined in the light of M.M. Bakhtin's theory of carnival and carnival laughter. His madmen and eccentrics who inhabit, and indeed, one could almost say create that particular 'anti-world,' that 'unreality', that topsy - turvydom that is the very essence of English nonsense. Bakhtin's remark on the "element of play" in carnival forms may be important for a better interpretation of the nonsense world. This theory is clearly applicable when the knights hit each other furiously with clubs that they hold with their arms, as if they were Punch and Judy. The participants of the quarrel first conduct a dialogue, which often leads to competition, quarrel, squabble - Tweedledum and Tweedledee fighting each other over a rattle. The hilarity, ridiculousness and utter foolishness of the fight is highlighted by juxtaposing their so called squabble with interludes of calm dialogue between the two brothers. The veneer of hypocrisy beneath which the adult world of the Victorian society flourished is mocked here via comedy. The degree to which satire is allowed in by a particular dual is controlled by the carnival quality of the specific scenes. "

Tags:Alice, Red, Queen, Tweedledum, Tweedledee

Abstract
This paper presents an overview of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), explaining that it specifically relates to workers of age 40 and older, as Congress believed that this was the age when there was the most evidence of age discrimination. The paper explains that the ADEA directly focuses on a number of issues that affect concerns of age discrimination. These issues include the hiring of employees, the promotion of employees, the salaries of employees and the ability of the company to discharge workers. The paper further explains that the Act discusses the publication of materials for workers that relates to their employment and how these publications may have a direct impact on the interpretation of the ADEA in courts.

Tags:age, discrimination, employment

Abstract
The paper explains that proponents of the principle believe, if any of the constants of life were any different than the observer knows them to be, then life as he or she knows it would not exist. Basically, the anthropic principle questions the origin of everything in the universe. The author reports that Brandon Carter, who presented his ideas about the anthropic principle in 1974, claims that the principle was meant only to caution astrophysicists and cosmologists of possible errors in the interpretation of astronomical and cosmological data unless the biological constraints of the observer were taken into account. The paper relates that the anthropic principle presents no definitive answers, only the suggestion that everything in the universe is interrelated and interdependent, and perhaps there is some type of intelligent design, a fundamental core that holds all these variable together.

Table of Contents
Introduction
The Anthropic Principle
Thought Leaders

From the Paper
"The most significant premise of the anthropic principle is that our place in the universe is special. Further, we occupy a unique segment of cosmic history. This of course is the controversy of the principle. Since the early days of scientific thought, it has been believed that there is nothing special about our place in the universe. Believers in the anthropic principle hope to disprove this. Theologically, the anthropic principle has led to a revival of the argument from design, which had lost its intellectual respectability when Darwin came along."

Tags:doomsday, origin, astronomical, constraints, interdependent

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that there are many examples in children's literature where child characters act as adults. The writer points out that the characterizations of Alice in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' as well as Dorothy in 'Ozma of Oz are excellent examples of the phenomena in literature. The writer also points out that the reality of the phenomena is that, for the most part children's literature is created by adults, and these same adults, as children wish they had been able to act as adults, upon the arbitrary world of adults. The main characters in these two works demonstrate this phenomenon by calmly dealing with the world around them as if they had years of adult conflicts under their belt, as the desire to be recognized as having power, as a child demonstrates a desire to emulate adults and therefore resolve the arbitrary conflicts that occur in the adult world. The writer concludes that part of the the purpose of the writer is to recount the innocence of a child, and still manage to fulfill one's obligations as an adult. The writer maintains that the children in these two fantastic stories are reflecting the need to remember the fantasy of childhood as well as the obligations of adulthood, without losing either.

From the Paper
"The resolution to resolve the arbitrary conflicts of adults, in the magical world of mystery, as well as in the real world are clear intentions of personal growth. To act as an adult, and to have the influence of an adult, is the aspiration of all children, especially in a world where such actions are recognized as brave and necessary. Adults who write works of fiction for children, remember their own days as children, being unable to navigate the mysteries of the adult world and wishing more than anything to have influence over them. The reflection of the desire, as a child to understand and resolve the mystery of the adult world is reflected in fantasy. Childhood is a period of clarity and innocence, that writers of children's works wish to retell to children of the younger generations. There is no sense of real childhood fear, as the innocence of a child drives his or her clarity in the world of adults, no matter the level of mystery. The idea of personal growth and influence, drives the child's actions, and the child seeks this recognition in the real as well as the world of imagination. Upon waking, Alice's sister, now an adult recognizes in Alice's recalled dream the nature of children and the need to remain innocent."

Tags:childhood, adult, power, bravery, Dorothy

Abstract
In this paper, the writer notes that as a profession that directly involves working with people, teaching is a very arbitrary profession. What constitutes "good" teaching is considered even more arbitrary, as the writer points out that definitions of good vary from person to person. Furthermore, the writer discusses that perceptions of teaching vary from student to student, each of whom has his or her own ideals and expectations regarding good teachers. A good teacher, in the writer's view, should connect with his or her students in a personal and targeted way. Most importantly, the teacher has a responsibility to make the teaching experience enjoyable for students. The writer concludes that students tend to be more responsive to a learning experience that is associated with enjoyment than one associated with pain or worse, boredom.

From the Paper
"Aesthetic enjoyment can also be used to bring about the integrated sense of humanity that has become so important in the more tolerant 21st century. Multicultural classrooms can for example learn to appreciate the aesthetics of the art from a variety of cultures. In the scientific classroom, children can learn to appreciate the visual beauty created by combining certain formulae. Nature, as Haynes also states, can also be appreciated in an aesthetic sense for its beauty and uncorrupted wildness."
"While aesthetic appreciation is conventionally associated with the visual and the other physical sense perceptions, it can also relate to other forms of enjoyment, such as the imaginative appreciation of literature. Students can learn to expand their imagination via not only an appreciation of work written by others, but also by creating literature of their own. This can again be combined with pragmatism and functionalism in terms of learning language and grammatical structures and usage."

Tags:students, aesthetic, classrooms, functionalism

Abstract
To understand the point of the humor in "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut, it is necessary to examine the point of the story itself. All of Vonnegut's books touch on broad social issues in a rather cartoonish way that serves a much darker and difficult purpose than what they appear to address. Like Breakfast of Champions, and Hocus Pocus, Cat's Cradle, is a humorous take on the organizations and social structures that the world holds as absolutes with the angle that such things do not exist - all is arbitrary. In this work, we find that there is a brilliant combination of lampoon (in the form of the polarized roles taken by the two friends who created the island nation dictatorial politics and religion, Bokononism; which are intended to oversimplify the arbitrariness of politics and religion) and of black humor (which is clearly marked in the violence, deprivation, and oppression that are used only to perpetrate the lie that is the society). Irony, perhaps, is the constant of every event and passage in this book. It is irony that makes us understand that the humor in the story is a rather caustic, disbelieving, and disenchanting look at our own and every other society.

Abstract
The paper shows that Lincoln's actions during the Civil War towards agitators against the government may not have been completely justified. If one were to examine the arbitrary arrests, and temporary closure of antiwar press, it is seen how Lincoln was able to curb dissent that may have gotten out of hand. It discusses that if his actions were solely to protect the people's liberty as a whole, by punishing a few opponents, Lincoln was just assuring his victory. It shows how Lincoln was bombarded by "Peace Democrats" that were purposely pressuring him by, "resisting the laws of embarrassing in every way the action of the Government, of communicating information to the rebels in arms, and in many cases inflicting serious damage on the lives and property of the Unionists". The paper uses sources such as Kunhardt, Mark Neely Jr., John Nicolay and John Hay.

From the Paper
"So when Lincoln suspended the writ of Habeas corpus in order to arrest those accused of treason, the "Peace Democrats" had more ammunition against the president. There was much controversy as to whether the president had the power to suspend habaes corpus, and it was argued that only Congress had that right. The writ of habeas corpus protects people from arbitrary arrest and detainment. The power to do so was both that of the legislative branch as well as the judicial branch. It was unclear whether the Philadelphia convention placed it in Article I, just to identify it or define it as a legislative function. Either way, Lincoln did so, and the suspension of the writ of Habeas corpus brought on thousands of arbitrary arrests. Many of those who were arrested were spies, foreigners and smugglers. The question is: Did Lincoln go too far and unlawfully exercise his executive powers to manipulate constitutional limits?"

Tags:constitutional, copperheads, liberties, liberty, vallandigham

Abstract
This paper analyzes Bret Easton Ellis's novel, "The Rules of Attraction", a commentary on society's loss of family values where the pages are filled with the characters' mindless bouts with sex, drugs and alcohol. It questions why each character accepts the meaningless, arbitrary sexual and drug-related acts they commit on a regular basis and attributes the answer to the idea that true love is unobtainable and senseless sex is the only thing that is real. Ellis has created a world where everybody loves someone who loves somebody else or who does not care to love anyone.

From the Paper
"From the very first sentence of the novel, the reader can see that The Rules of Attraction will offer no fulfilling conclusion. The book begins in the middle of a sentence. If there is no clear opening to the story, how can it be concluded in a standard sense? The sentence also runs on for roughly 13 lines. It is Lauren discussing the loss of her virginity. The passage is amazing though because in its several lines it provides no real information. The sentence is pointless because Lauren only remembers flashes of the experience, not including the date of the event or the man present."

Tags:alcohol, college, contemporary, drugs, literature, sex, family, values