Organized Crime Essays

Organized Crime Essays Organized Crime Essay Organized Crime Essay Organized crime can be a number of different types of things. According to Lyman Potter, (2007), â€Å"The NCIS describes organized crime as having four salient attributes: An organized crime group contains at least three people; The criminal activity the group engages in is ongoing and indefinite in duration; The group is motivated by a desire for profit or power; and, The group commits serious criminal offenses†(p. 15). The group we chose is the American Mafia families of New York City. This mafia family has been the top of organized crimes in New York City since 1930. There are five different families and they all have their own kind of power over the part of the city they live in. Organized Crime Group Analysis The America Mafia families of New York have one goal in mind and this goal is to make a profit off the weakness of other individuals in our society. The American Mafia family of New York has killed an estimated number of 400 people over a period of time. The American mafias ran several illegal operations that included charging high interest for loans and hard paybacks for not returning the money they borrowed. These mafia families describe themselves as more of businessmen instead of gangsters because they ran a lot illegal businesses. The families killed or do other criminal activities to make a profit to help support the mafia. Prohibition provided the families with the majority of their wealth in the past and in the current future. In the past Prohibition included manufacturing alcohol or other liquors. These families gathered raw materials for marketing and paid police for the freedom to avoid interference with their operations. In the past they sold alcohol, which they called rot- gut to make a profit. According to Messick (1972), â€Å"In those first years the Mafia in America was similar to the Mafia in Sicily; it preyed on nonmembers among its own countrymen. Immigrants unaccustomed to the laws, traditions, and language of the United States were easy victims of extortion and could be forced to contribute a percentage of their small earnings as they had done in the old county. † (Pg. 11). The American Mafia family made a majority of the profits from victims that were weak and that could be taken advantage of. These mafia families fought in streets over street corners and used brass knuckles hen needed. This mafia family used strong-armed goons to provide use in prohibition when distributing drugs or hurting other individuals that took advantage of them. This group includes a group of criminal syndicates that engaged in counterfeiting, prostitution rings, and drug distributions. Today these criminals organize illegal activities with the Sicilian Mafia to remain one of the l argest mafia families. Various Business Interests When people think about organized crime groups, in particular the mafia, they generally think about violence and murder. These thoughts would be legitimate in regards to affiliation to the mafia. The mafia, the American Mafia in particular, has changed over the years in regards to business interest. The one thing that has not changed is the fact that all the activities are generating from illegal business and crime based activities. Business interest and principles have transitioned with time in the American Mafia families. During the 1930s Charles â€Å"Lucky† Luciano and his allies, which included Jewish crime boss Meyer Lansky, were at the top of the New York crime scene. The older mafia bosses focused on settling old vendettas, not on making money. Luciano and Lansky concentrated entirely on making money and killed anyone who got in their way. (law. jrank. org, 2010) That point isn’t to misconstrue what the mafia stood for. The mafia still worked to earn money, but the focus wasn’t geared entirely on what the next business venture would be. It was more of a power and respect issue early on. The same still holds true, but years ago, it meant more to the group to prove a point and throw around their weight. The groups didn’t care if they were seen and known. In present day, it is more beneficial for the organized groups to run efficiently, but more so behind closed doors. Some major interest that the American Mafia has been focused on is gambling, loan sharking with very high interest rates, prostitution, and drug distribution. Labor racketeering was another popular criminal activity. Members of the groups worked their way into positions of power in a labor union and then stole from the union’s retirement and health funds. (law. jrank. org, 2010) Organized crime groups have become very business savvy and managed to masks their illegal activities behind very legitimate business fronts. There have been all types of business ventures that were financed with illegal monies from organized crime groups. In an article focusing on the Rochester Family of Rochester, New York, it detailed activities of Angelo Morachino. Morachino ran a construction company that specialized in fraudulent contracts and corrupting labor officials. Rosario Chirico, a member of the same mafia family, specialized in operating a stolen car ring and providing weapons for the gang. He removed serial numbers from guns and fitting them to silencers. (www. americanmafia. om,1999) Business interest for the American Mafia families has been totally based around money. The basis for the criminal activities has been inspired by the greed and love of money. If there is no gain to be made then the interest of the American Mafia probably has not been there. Conclusion Organized crime and the Mafia’s have been around for many centuries, it will be very hard to completely take them out of commission. Thes e groups are around for much reason, to give people product or control over things that they can’t get legally. They use their power to have control and wealth so they can support themselves and their families. The members of the American Mafia had to do many things to earn certain roles that they hold. They did not care if they had to hurt anyone to get there; they just knew what they had to do to succeed for their Mafia. Until we can find a way to prevent some of these illegal things from going on in our cities, then the organized crime groups and the Mafia’s will continued to do what they have to do to keep their groups going. References Goldblatt, Burt Messick, Hank. The Mobs and the Mafia. (1972). Toronto, Canada: Fitzhenry Whiteside Limited.

Annotated bibiography (euthanasia) Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bibiography (euthanasia) - Annotated Bibliography Example Mainly intended for medical practitioners and health professionals, the work contains a set of discussion cases addressed by an interdisciplinary panel, which , it is to be hoped, would lead to more work on these lines. 2. Milton D. Heifez. "The Right to Die" Putnam. New York 1975. The author, while putting forward the cases of adults and defective infants and their right to die , gives well documented examples. While the author puts forth powerful arguments on the issues of merciful death, more information could be given on organ transplants. An insightful book, "The Right to Die" is a useful tool for psychologists as well as sociologists. Being a summary of the history of the Right to die movement, the book is insightfully written. Derek Humphrey being the founder of the Hemlock Society, is well qualified to write about the various cases and aspects of the movement. Addressing an audience of adults , the book gives detailed reports of some of the most famous cases of euthanasia. While it is full of information, an easier style would have been more apt. 4. Hoefler, James. M. . "Managing Death" Westview Press (1997). Boulder. 206 pages While the book is mainly intended for the health professionals, it is well written and readable by the layman.

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

Marketing Mix - Research Paper Example the core product, the augmented product and the tertiary product (Ferrell, 2010). Before a company enters the process of creating a product, it has to answer some questions like; what type of product do they want to sell, what would be the quality of their product and also decide whether they will label their product as only new or sub brand. Based on these questions, some decisions have to be made. These product decisions affect all other marketing mix variables e.g. launching a machine of the highest quality influence the price and marketing strategy to be adopted to promote it. Being the determinant of any other marketing variable, a product features can be altered to make it fit in the marketing mix (Ferrell, 2010). This variable is largely dependent on other marketing variables therefore calls for regular review. The key factors that affect the price of products are advertising expenses, marketing expenses, distribution cost of the product, cost of creating a product and any damage fluctuation in the market (Dogra, 2007). These factors varies independently thus causing price of a product to bear the brunt of changes for a certain period of time. The change in these other variables calls for reduction or increase in the price of the product accordingly. Other external factors also hugely affect the pricing strategy to be adopted by a company. Competition vastly determines the pricing strategy to be adopted by a company. Especially if, the two companies’ products are substitutes, then a company has to set prices that are appropriate to the so as to avoid losing the market advantage to the competitors. Some companies choose to use pricing as a tool to position their product. Others use pricing as a tool to support sales promotions. They give their esteemed customers sales promotions inform of trade discount (Dogra, 2007). This usually refers to the distribution channels a company uses to make its product to the market. A consumer based

Medieval and Renaissance Art Essay Example for Free

Medieval and Renaissance Art Essay The most significant difference between medieval and renaissance art is that renaissance art paid more attention to the human body, and to detail. Both, however, focused mainly on religious themes, although not necessarily Christian. Renaissance artists are remembered because they brought about the changes that led to the art of today. When looking at medieval art, such as The Notary of Perugia Writing a Document it is quite obvious that very little attention to detail is included. There is no depth to the painting, the writing on the parchment bares no resemblance to actual text, and everyone in the picture has the same face. In contrast, when looking at a renaissance painting, like Christ the Redeemer by Titian quite a bit more attention is given to detail, even though the scene does not encompass nearly as much. It is possible to see shadowing in the painting, as well as to the behavior of fabrics. There is also a good feel of depth with much attention paid not only to making a nice background, but separating it from the foreground as well. There are many similarities in the two styles; they are, after all, separated by a short period in history. One similarity might be a choice of colors, as the most visually appealing color combinations had yet to be discovered. Another similarity would be the lack of understanding of how to accurately represent the human body, as this was considered sinful by the church; Leonardo di Vinci did began to change this with some of his works though. The short period in time left similarities between the styles of art, but they were few, far between, and diminished fast. Renaissance artists put forth much greater effort into these works and it really shows in the quality, rather then the quantity produced.

Modest Proposal Essay -- essays papers

Modest Proposal Animals or Students? It brings great obstacles to those who walk down the halls of Silverado High School day in and day out to be by bombarded by thirty-six hundred plus students. This prompts trying to go to the bathroom between classes beyond implausible, for it’s intense enough to just make it to class on time as it is without trying to make a pit stop at the bathroom. Students have been reduced to plowing and shoving their way through people in order to possibly make it to class and be in their seat before the tardy bell rings. I think all parents and more important, students involved will agree that this gargantuan number of students trying to push through one another to make it to the restroom or simply to be on time for class is leaving all entangled in a present state of rage and irritation over this subsequent grievance to their already stressful existence. Therefore, we, the students and parents, need to find an economical, practical solution to allow students to walk the hallways w ith ease. Having contributed multiple years pondering this very subject, and after careful consideration of the suggestions of my colleagues, I continually discovered them to be dreadfully mistaken in their computations. With that in mind, here’s my plan of action, I propose to herd students just like the cattle they are, with hall monitors being awarded the job of herding students up and down stairs and preventing the slowing or stopping, for that matte...

We Simply Cannot Wait

I was near the emergency ward of a hospital to claim my laboratory results when an ambulance came rushing in, carrying two victims of a vehicular accident, both of them seriously wounded and unconscious. From there I thought, should these things happen, who will the hospital attendants respond to, if both patients are in danger, both in need of immediate care, and both cannot wait, does the hospital have enough resources and capability to respond to such situations? Such reflections immediately come to mind when I read about Dr. Martin Luther King’s idea on the myth of time. Undoubtedly, he is right when he says, We Can’t Wait (2000) when dealing with problems in our country. . The attitude of waiting for time to come when all things will be good and beautiful is basically an old Christian tradition. Priests in the earlier times usually advise people to beg for God’s mercy and wait for His providence. In contrast, King tells us that while hunger and suffering per sist in the land, we cannot just wait until someone, like the government, finally decides to help us alleviate our sufferings. Applying this in broader terms, we realize that given the everyday struggle that Somali children face each day, we simply cannot wait for when donors will schedule sending relief goods. We need to act right away. Similarly, when we see people lying cold on the streets, we do not think of rallying in front of the senate the next morning to fight for their equal rights, we do not go to the social welfare to refer these people for help. While these actions could help the majority of the needy in the long run, these would take too much time, and before the government agency responds, the person would already be ill or dead. The challenge that Dr. King imposes in his article is timeless. It is addressed not only to the government, to civil rights organizations, or to wealthy businessmen. Rather, it is addressed to everyone, to all of us, regardless of race, gender, age, religion or economic status. This challenge requires only one thing, that is, to respond to the problem at hand, right away, right on time. Responding to this challenge, we give immediate help to those in need. To those feeling cold on the streets, we give out our jacket, old sheets, shirt, etc. Likewise, to those who are hungry, we provide some food and water. These things are not difficult, especially since we do not consume everything we have on our plate. When we eat, we always have some leftovers which we put inside the refrigerator, and most often, we forget about them so they still end up in the trash bin the next day. Moreover, reflecting on this challenge in the education area, teachers cannot take too much time before they respond to the needs of their students. In the classroom setting, they take responsibility over the needs of their students, and not wait for the school’s recommendations. Likewise, on a personal level, students extend help to others who are in need, and avoid feeling indifferent to the needs of their schoolmates. In sum, the challenge that Dr. King imposes on each of us requires our efforts to lift a finger and be good Samaritans to others. In addition, it also asks us not to discriminate, but rather help those in need regardless of their culture or origins. If we can exercise this in our everyday life, there will be less suffering. Therefore, the next time we encounter people needing our help, we should bear in mind the words of Dr. King, â€Å"We (simply) can’t wait. †

Being Biracial-Personal Narrative Essay - 902 Words

Being Biracial-Personal Narrative I was late for school, and my father had to walk me in to class so that my teacher would know the reason for my tardiness. My dad opened the door to my classroom, and there was a hush of silence. Everyones eyes were fixed on my father and me. He told the teacher why I was late, gave me a kiss goodbye and left for work. As I sat down at my seat, all of my so-called friends called me names and teased me. The students teased me not because I was late, but because my father was black. They were too young to understand. All of this time, they thought that I was white, because I had fare skin like them, therefore I had to be white. Growing up having a white mother and a black father was tough. To†¦show more content†¦I was ashamed to be black and white. Since I have very fair skin, I tended to lean towards the white side. If people didnt know about my father, I wouldnt tell them because I didnt know how they would have reacted. I guess this was just because I didnt want to be different from my friends and they also didnt want me to be different from what they were. Its like they were pulling me into their own world, and didnt want to see what I actually was. They insisted that being both was just not acceptable. This was the way I lived my life, seeing myself as only white because thats the only way my friends would see me. When Steele was younger, he saw himself as black and didnt fret about his class. He said, race took on an almost religious significance (Steel 211). But when he got older and after hearing his friends comment, his faith was weak (Steele 212). He started to realize that he was both black and middle class. And as I became older, I began to realize that I didnt have to hide the fact that I was both white and black. When I came to the campus, I wasnt sure how people would react to me. I wasnt sure how I should act. Would people look at me differently if they knew I was biracial? I mean I couldnt just decide to be white one day and black the next. Some people think it is like waking up and deciding what to wear, Hmm, should I wear the red or blue shirt today? Hmm, should I beShow MoreRelatedRace And Ethnicity : Cape Verdean American Immigrants Essay1631 Words   |  7 Pagesraced people group of Portuguese and African decent, struggled to attain and maintain their social identity in America, all while enduring isolation and ridicule from both Whites and Black in the new world. After reading this Halters book and her narrative depiction of the Cape Verdeans experience migrating to America. 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