The European Union: International Relations

The European Union: International Relations The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the European Economic Community. With almost 500 million citizens, the EU combined generates an estimated 30% share (US$18.4 trillion in 2008) of the nominal gross world product and about 22% of the PPP gross world product. The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states, ensuring the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital. It maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Sixteen member states have adopted a common currency, the euro, constituting the Eurozone. The EU has developed a limited role in foreign policy, having representation at the WTO, G8, G20 and at the UN. It enacts legislation in justice and home affairs, including the abolition of passport controls by the Schengen agreement between 22 EU and 3 non-EU states. As an international organisation, the EU operates through a hybrid system of supranationalism and intergovernmentalism. In certain areas, decisions are made through negotiation between member states, while in others, independent supranational institutions are responsible without a requirement for unanimity between member states. Important institutions and bodies of the EU include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Court of Justice, and the European Central Bank. The European Parliament is elected every five years by member states citizens, to whom the citizenship of the European Union is guaranteed. The EU originates from the European Coal and Steel Community formed among six countries in 1951 and the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Since then, the EU has evolved through a process of enlargement, while new policy areas have been added to the remit of its institutions. HISTORY After the end of the Second World War, moves towards European integration were seen by many as an escape from the extreme forms of nationalism which had devastated the continent. One such attempt to unite Europeans was the European Coal and Steel Community which, while having the modest aim of centralised control of the previously national coal and steel industries of its member states, was declared to be a first step in the federation of Europe. The originators and supporters of the Community include Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Paul Henri Spaak and Alcide de Gasperi. The founding members of the Community were Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. In 1957, these six countries signed the Treaties of Rome which extended the earlier cooperation within the European Coal and Steel Community and created the European Economic Community, (EEC) establishing a customs union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in developing nuclear energy. In 1967 the Merger Treaty created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the European Communities (EC), although commonly just as the European Community. In 1973 the Communities enlarged to include Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Norway had negotiated to join at the same time but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a referendum and so Norway remained outside. In 1979 the first direct, democratic elections to the European Parliament were held. Greece joined in 1981, and Spain and Portugal in 1986. In 1985 the Schengen Agreement led the way toward the creation of open borders without passport controls between most member states and some non-member states. In 1986 the European flag began to be used by the Community and the Single European Act was signed. In 1990, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the former East Germany became part of the Community as part of a newly united Germany. With enlargement toward Eastern and Central Europe on the agenda, the Copenhagen criteria for candidate members to join the European Union were agreed. The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993, and in 1995 Austria, Sweden and Finland joined the newly established EU. In 2002, euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. Since then, the eurozone has increased to encompass sixteen countries, with Slovakia joining the eurozone on 1 January 2009. In 2004, the EU saw its biggest enlargement to date when Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary joined the Union. On 1 January 2007, Romania and Bulgaria became the EUs newest members and Slovenia adopted the euro. In June 2009 the 2009 elections which later led to a renewal of Barrosos Commission Presidency and in July of that year Iceland formally applied for EU membership. On 1 December 2009 the Lisbon Treaty came into force after a protracted and controversial birth. This reformed many aspects of the EU but in particular created a permanent President of the European Council, the first of which is Herman van Rompuy, and a strengthened High Representative; Catherine Ashton. MEMBER STATES The European Union is composed of 27 sovereign Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Only six of these France, (then-West) Germany, Italy, and the three already integrated Benelux countries; Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg were members at the start, with membership having grown as countries willingly accede to the treaties and by doing so, pool sovereignty in exchange for representation in the institutions. To join the EU a country must meet the Copenhagen criteria, defined at the 1993 Copenhagen European Council. These require a stable democracy that respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy capable of competition within the EU; and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including EU law. Evaluation of a countrys fulfilment of the criteria is the responsibility of the European Council. No member state has ever left the Union, although Greenland (an autonomous province of Denmark) withdrew in 1985. The Lisbon Treaty now provides a clause dealing with how a member leaves the EU. There are three official candidate countries, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Iceland are officially recognised as potential candidates. Kosovo is also listed as a potential candidate but the European Commission does not list it as an independent country because not all member states recognise it as an independent country separate from Serbia. Four Western European countries that have chosen not to join the EU have partly committed to the EUs economy and regulations: Iceland, which has now applied for membership, Liechtenstein and Norway, which are a part of the single market through the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, which has similar ties through bilateral treaties. The relationships of the European microstates, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican include the use of the euro and other areas of co-operation. GEOGRAPHY The territory of the EU consists of the combined territories of its 27 member states with some exceptions, outlined below. The territory of the EU is not the same as that of Europe, as parts of the continent are outside the EU, such as Switzerland, Norway, European Russia, and Iceland. Some parts of member states are not part of the EU, despite forming part of the European continent (for example the Isle of Man and Channel Islands (two Crown Dependencies), and the Faroe Islands, a territory of Denmark). The island country of Cyprus, a member of the EU, is closer to Turkey than to mainland Europe and is often considered part of Asia. Several territories associated with member states that are outside geographic Europe are also not part of the EU (such as Greenland, Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and all the non-European British overseas territories). Some overseas territories are part of the EU even though geographically not part of Europe, such as the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira, Lampedusa, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and RÃ ©union, Ceuta and Melilla. As well, although being technically part of the EU, EU law is suspended in Northern Cyprus as it is under the de facto control of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, a self-proclaimed state that is recognised only by Turkey. The EUs member states cover an area of 4,422,773 square kilometres (1,707,642 sq mi). The EU is larger in area than all but six countries, and its highest peak is Mont Blanc in the Graian Alps, 4,807 metres (15,771 ft) above sea level. The landscape, climate, and economy of the EU are influenced by its coastline, which is 65,993 kilometres (41,006 mi) long. The EU has the worlds second-longest coastline, after Canada. The combined member states share land borders with 19 non-member states for a total of 12,441 kilometres (7,730 mi), the fifth-longest border in the world. Including the overseas territories of member states, the EU experiences most types of climate from Arctic to tropical, rendering meteorological averages for the EU as a whole meaningless. The majority of the population lives in areas with a Mediterranean climate (Southern Europe), a temperate maritime climate (Western Europe), or a warm summer continental or hemiboreal climate (Eastern Europe). GOVERNANCE The EUs work is divided into three areas of responsibility, called pillars. The original European Community policies form the first pillar, while the second consists of Common Foreign and Security Policy. The third pillar originally consisted of Justice and Home Affairs, however owing to changes introduced by the Amsterdam and Nice treaties, it has been reduced to Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (other matters were transferred to the Community). Broadly speaking, the second and third pillars can be described as the intergovernmental pillars because the supranational institutions of the Commission, Parliament and the Court of Justice play less of a role or none at all, while the lead is taken by the intergovernmental Council of Ministers and the European Council (which operate more by consensus than majority in these pillars). Most activities of the EU come under the first, Community pillar. This is mostly an economically oriented pillar and is where the supranati onal institutions have the most influence. The activities of the EU are regulated by a number of institutions and bodies that carry out the tasks and policies set out in the Treaties. These procedures are all subject to the principle of subsidiarity which requires that action only be taken at EU level where an objective cannot be sufficiently achieved by the member states alone. The EU receives its political leadership from the European Council, which usually meet four times a year. It comprises one representative per member state-either its head of state or head of government-plus its President as well as the President of the Commission. The member states representatives are assisted by their Foreign Ministers. The European Council uses its leadership role to sort out disputes between member states and the institutions, and to resolve political crises and disagreements over controversial issues and policies. On 19 November 2009, Herman Van Rompuy was chosen to become the first permanent President of the European Council. He took office on 1 December 2009. The European Council should not be mistaken for the Council of Europe, an international organisation independent from the EU. By virtue of a rotating presidency, every member state takes the helm of the EU for a period of six months during which that countrys representatives chair the meetings of the Council of Ministers. The member state holding the presidency typically uses it to drive a particular policy agenda such as economic reform, reform of the EU itself, enlargement, or furthering European integration. INSTITUTIONS The European Commission acts as the EUs executive arm and is responsible for initiating legislation and the day-to-day running of the EU. It is intended to act solely in the interest of the EU as a whole, as opposed to the Council which consists of leaders of member states who reflect national interests. The commission is also seen as the motor of European integration. It is currently composed of 27 commissioners for different areas of policy, one from each member state. The President of the Commission and all the other commissioners are nominated by the Council. Appointment of the Commission President, and also the Commission in its entirety, have to be confirmed by Parliament. The European Parliament forms one half of the EUs legislature. The 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are directly elected by EU citizens every five years. Although MEPs are elected on a national basis, they sit according to political groups rather than their nationality. Each country has a set number of seats. The Parliament and the Council of Ministers form and pass legislation jointly, using co-decision, in certain areas of policy. This procedure has extend to many new areas under the Treaty of Lisbon, and hence increase the power and relevance of the Parliament. The Parliament also has the power to reject or censure the Commission and the EU budget. The President of the European Parliament carries out the role of speaker in parliament and represents it externally. The president and vice presidents are elected by MEPs every two and a half years. The Council of the European Union (sometimes referred to as the Council of Ministers) forms the other half of the EUs legislature. It consists of a government minister from each member states and meets in different compositions depending on the policy area being addressed. Notwithstanding its different compositions, it is considered to be one single body. In addition to its legislative functions, the Council also exercises executive functions in relations to the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The judicial branch of the EU consists of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the Court of First Instance. Together they interpret and apply the treaties and the law of the EU. The Court of First Instance mainly deals with cases taken by individuals and companies directly before the EUs courts, and the ECJ primarily deals with cases taken by member states, the institutions and cases referred to it by the courts of member states. Decisions from the Court of First Instance can be appealed to the Court of Justice but only on a point of law.

The Myth of the Lost Cause :: American America History

The Myth of the Lost Cause Following the defeat of the Confederacy and to lift the morale of a shattered people momentum gathered to enshrine the Myth of the Lost Cause which would transform the Southern soldier living and dead, into a veritable hero. In order to come to terms with defeat and a look of failure in the eyes of God, Southerners mentally transformed their memories of the antebellum South. It became a superior civilization of great purity which had been cruelly brought down by the materialistic Yankees. At the head of this revival was the memory of Stonewall Jackson, closely followed by Robert E. Lee (who would rise to the prominent position following his death in 1870). Other generals of the Confederacy who had died during the war followed, as did those who would pass on later. D.H. Hill, a friend of Longstreet published LAND WE LOVE, a magazine devoted to Literature, Military History and Agriculture. In 1869 Hill sold out to a Baltimore periodical, NEW ECLECTIC, which in the same year became the SOUTHERN MAGAZINE, official organ of the SOUTHERN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. In 1871 it changed its name to the SOUTHERN MAGAZINE and together with a later periodical, SOUTHERN BIVOUAC kept the memory of the War alive and fresh in the public mind. Filled with poems and stories of loyalty to the LOST CAUSE sent in by veterans. Hill was Stonewall Jackson's brother in law and he filled the magazine with stories, anecdotes and poems of the now legendary general. Other Confederate heroes received their share of attention from a flood of material supplied by readers commemorating Southern dead and using religion to explain the defeat. Book - writing was prolific in the '70s & '80s mainly from veterans but much on the romanticism of the Cause from women. The most prominent of the writer of the period was John Esten Cooke, who was related by birth and marriage to virtually all the prominent families of Virginia he helped enshrine the Confederate dead into chivalric knights and symbols of the LOST CAUSE. Cooke's impressive literary output polarized Southern perceptions of the War transforming the stigma of defeat into a badge of honour that Confederate veterans could wear proudly. His portrayal of the War as a wonderful adventure, in which participation was an honour. When Lee died on 12 Oct. 1870 he was one of a significant number of Confederate heroes running second to Jackson.

Features of HRM

Human resources refers to the people that work for an organization and the capabilities of these people. The fun resource management covers (HRM) all the activities that are designed to acquire, preserve, develop and use th in an organization. The basic purpose of HRM is to make effective and efficient use of human resources of an o towards achievement of the goals and objectives of the organization. The various areas of influence of the HRM include the following. Determination of the right quality and quantity of different types of human resource assets required by th meet its current and future requirements. Determining and implementing business policies and practices that are best suited to acquire, develop, re effectively the human resources in the organization. ?Recruitment of people. Ongoing management of activities related to remuneration of people and development and maintenance organizational culture and work environment, conducive to effective and efficient working of people as groups. ?Providing support for recruitment of the required people in the organization. Providing support for decision making on increment, promotions, transfer and other similar people relate organization. Providing support for ongoing development and training of the people, in line with requirement of the or current availability of skills and capabilities. Pervasive Force: HRM is pervasive in nature. Ii is present in all enterprises. It permeates all levels of organization Action Oriented: HRM focuses attention on action rather than on record keeping, written proced problems of employees at work are solved through rational policies. Individually Oriented: It tries to help employees develop their full potential. It encourages them to gi organization. It motivates employees through a systematic process of recruitment, selection, training coupled with fare wages. People Oriented: HRM is all about at work, both as individuals and groups. It tries to put people on ass to produce good results. The resultant gains are used to reward people and motivate tem towards furthe productivity. Future Oriented: Effective HRM helps an organization meet its goals in the future by providingwell-motivated employees. Development Oriented: HRM intends to develop the full potential of employees. The reward structure is of employees. Training is offered to sharpen and improve their skills. Employees are rotated on variou gain experience and exposure. Every attempt is made to use their talents fully in the service of organizat Integrating mechanism: HRM tries to build and maintain cordial relations between people working at v organization. IN short, it tries to integrate human assets in the best possible manner in the service of an o Comprehensive function: HRM is to some extent concerned with any organizational decision wh workforce or the potential workforce. Auxiliary Service: HR department exist to assist and advise the line or operating managers to do their pe effectively. HR manager is a specialist advisor. It is a staff function. Inter-disciplinary function: HRM is a multi-disciplinary activity, utilizing knowledge and inputs drawn sociology, anthropology, economic etc. To unravel the mystery surrounding the human brain, managers and appreciate the contributions of all such â€Å"soft† disciplines Continuous function: According to Terry, HRM is not a one shot deal. It cannot be practiced only one h week. It requires a constant alertness and awareness of human relations and their importance in everyday Explain On-Job and Off Job Training. Trainings in an organization can be divided to two broad types. They are on-the-job trainings and off-the-jon-the-job trainings are given to the employees while they are conducting their regular works at the same place do not lose time while they are training or learning. After a plan is developed for what should be taught, em informed about the details. A time table should be establish with periodic evaluations to inform employees ab On-the-job training techniques include orientations, job instruction training, apprenticeships, internships, rotation and coaching. Employee training at the place of work while he or she is doing the actual job. Usually a professional trainer experienced employee) serves as the course instructor using hands-on training often supported by formalclassr Training methods are usually classified by the location of instruction. On-the-job training: With on the job training, employees receive training whilst remaining in the workplace. The main methods of one-the-job training include: *Demonstration / instruction – showing the trainee how to do the job Coaching – a more intensive method of training that involves a close working relationship between an experienced employee and the trainee *Job rotation – where the trainee is given several jobs in succession, to gain experience of a wide range of acti (e. g. a graduate management trainee might spend periods in several different departments) *Projects – employees join a project team – which gives them exposure to other parts of the busines s and allow to take part in new activities. Most successful project teams are â€Å"multi-disciplinary†. OFF-THE-JOB training. This occurs when employees are taken away from their place of work to be trained. Common methods of include: Under this method of training, the trainee is separated from the job situation and his attention is focuse material related to his future job performance. Off-the-job techniques include lectures, special study, audio or discussions, case studies, role playing, simulation, programmed instructions, and laboratory trainin techniques are too costly. This is any form of training which takes place away from the immediate wor training includes more general skills and knowledge useful for work, as well as job-specific training. rovided by specialist trainers working for National Grid or by an outside company hired to help with tr training is particularly effective for non-technical skills, as employees can use these across different areas of Off Job training methods are as follows: a)Vestibule training: In this method, actual work conditions are stimulated in a c lass room. Material, files, an that are used in actual job performance are also used in the training. b)Role playing: It is defined as a method of human interaction that involves realistic behavior in imaginary situ of training involves action, doing and practice.

Why You Return to a Story to Revise

Why You Return to a Story to Revise Free Online Research Papers Revision has always been difficult work for me. Often I will let an idea tumble around in my head for a few weeks or months (in some cases, years), and one day I am caught up in a sort of fever and I sit down and write it out. Usually, one of two things happens; either I am immediately sure that I’m created a work of surpassing genius and set it gently aside to wait until my work is finally appreciated, or I am immediately disgusted by the vile abortion I’ve foisted off on the innocent world and I quickly set it aside before anyone can see it. In either case, nothing further happens. In a plastic tub in my closet I have some solid gold stories from Jr. High School, just waiting until the public is ready for them. Now, in many of my college classes, I have been required to return to a story and revise it. A funny thing happens with this process. I find that those perfect stories often have obvious errors†¦weird and disconcerting point of view shifts, rickety plot devices, wooden dialogue. They are still pretty good, but they need to be spruced up, and maybe in retrospect some of the characters’ behavior doesn’t make sense, and a little color text needs to be added. Often, the imperfection is what strikes me, and the end result of the revision is much better than the original, although I am less confident in it. On the other hand, while I loathe returning to the apparent failures, I’ve found that they are like infected boils. Covering them up and keeping them still in a dry place without stimulus for a while makes them a lot better. Generally, a good idea and some hard work will leave you with a product from which something can be culled, no matter how bad it looked the first time. I consider working with â€Å"failed† stories to be akin to surgery. In the best cases, you can remove the bad bits, nip and tuck the ordinary stuff to make it look really good, and cover up the results with a flap of style that leaves only the faintest scar to show how that anything serious was ever done. In the worst case, you’ll have to admit that the patient is terminal and start thinking about organ donation. Even Hitler painted roses, and even the worst piece of writing has something artful. Get out your scalpel (The computer is invaluable for this†¦copy and paste work with a separate file for salvaged bits) and find the good lines, the scenes that work, the snappy dialogue. Even if the story itself can’t be salvaged, you can take the best parts and use them later. Drop an evocative landscape from a dead story into a novel you’ve been stuck on, or transplant a mouthful of a vanished character’s dialogue into a poem you’re playing with. Nothing is a completely lost cost. In summation, those authors who claim not to edit their work fall into three categories. Those whose work is edited by others, those whose work is not as good as it should be, and those who are lying. Don’t be any of these. Instead of admiring your favorite renegade writer who never revised their work, mourn for the much better work you’ll never see due to their hubris. That said, I still hate actually DOING revision, and find it the most difficult part of writing. Research Papers on Why You Return to a Story to ReviseMind TravelStandardized TestingBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Fifth HorsemanTrailblazing by Eric AndersonPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay

The Disuniting of America essays

The Disuniting of America essays Those who want to join America must be received and welcomed by those who already thnk they own America. ... Not only must they want assimiliation and integration; we must want assimilation and integration too. With the complacent majority than with the beleaguered minorities. (pg24) Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Who Schlesinger was referring to by they are the minorities and the new immigrants to the United States of America. And when he said we he was referring to the people who consider themselves Americans. We do have the power to make this a just land for all but, the question is will we ever do that? The Constitution has rights for everyone supposedly. The constitution was initially written for the rich white man and this will never change unless the people do something about it. Yes, I agree with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. that we must except everyone and strive to be one people. How can we say that we are moving in the direction of becoming one people when there is still segregation going on. I am not saying that segregation is going on like it was after the African Americans were freed from slavery, it is going on in other forms that are not very easy to see. For example if it is a rich area they will have the best schools and education. Those people will get further in life and the people that live in a rundown neighborhood will get a very low form of education and will not succeed they will always stay at the bottom. How can all the schools in Oakland in the rundown areas, where the majority of the students are African Americans, do not have good schools. Why is there a difference between the schools in Oakland and lets say Pleasanton, which is a dominant white area. These are all public schools so why are the standards so different. When you walk in to a school in Oakland it will be mostly minoritie ...

Offshore drilling (debate- my stance is against the offshore drilling) Essay

Offshore drilling (debate- my stance is against the offshore drilling) - Essay Example This is a knee-jerk response to our continuing energy crisis which has significant environmental concerns. Controversy surrounding offshore drilling is nothing new. According to Kamalick (2008), the controversy started as early as 1937 with the states asserting their jurisdiction over sea beds. In 1945, President Truman asserted Federal jurisdiction, and over the next several years, the Supreme Court affirmed this by specifically saying the Federal government had paramount rights over the continental shelf and the resources under the soil (and under the water), including oil. A 1953 compromise, the OCS Land Act, allowed states limited involvement and issued a mandate for the Federal government to explore and develop oil and gas deposits under the outer continental shelf. The 1969 oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel changed all that, and environmental lobbyists entered the argument in full force. In 1978, the OCS Lands Act was amended to allow states more control over resources, and environmentally-sensitive language was added. Lease sales began to pick up speed, and the Reagan administration made more than 1 billion acres of the OCS available for lease. Environmentalists made headway with George H.W. Bush, and â€Å"federal supremacy has been steadily eroded . . . by environmental interests† (Kamalick 2008). More recently, a 2008 Gallup Poll found that 57 percent of respondents favored offshore oil drilling, and 41 percent were opposed. A Zogby poll showed that 74 percent of voters favored U.S. coastal water drilling and 59 percent supported Alaska National Wildlife Refuge drilling (Baird 2008, 13). Politicians have been seriously considering a Department of the Interior recommendation to expand coastal exploration, while giving a nod to environmental concerns and assuring taxpayers there are no subsidies to big oil (Baird 2008). The American people, instead of

CRIMINAL LAW Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

CRIMINAL LAW - Coursework Example In the process, he releases a lion and a tiger. The lion then proceeds to kill a person nearby. The issue is whether the entry release of the dangerous animals and the subsequent killing renders Oscar liable for murder or not. In examining the murder, it is essential to evaluate if it leads to a liability of involuntary manslaughter or not. Rules In involuntary manslaughter, the actus reus is an unlawful and dangerous act. In R V Slingsby (1995), a woman died when a man conducted dangerous sexual acts on her. Although the defendant argued that it was an ordinary sexual act that had gone out of scope, it was held that he was guilty because the act was dangerous and unlawful. In R V Church (1965), the term 'dangerous' was interpreted to mean that it exposes another person to a risk of some harm. Based on this, if such an act is conducted, a person will be guilty of committing involuntary manslaughter. The mens rea of involuntary manslaughter is to commit an act that is obvious to every reasonable person as a dangerous act. In spite of this obvious indication, the defendant proceeded to commit that act. In DPP V Newbury and Jones (1976), the defendants were two teenage boys. They threw a piece of stone from a bridge into a passing train. This hit and killed a guard who was sitting in the driver's compartment. It was held that they had committed involuntary manslaughter because it was obvious to them as reasonable people that they undertook a dangerous act when they foresaw the consequences of their actions. Due to the nature of involuntary manslaughter, the most likely defence is diminished responsibility under section 2 of Homicide Act, 1957. This means that the defendant was suffering from an abnormal mind which caused him to fail to exercise willpower and committed such acts (R V Byrne 1960). Also, a person with a substantially impaired mental responsibility could be plead on the grounds of the impairment (R V Lloyd 1967). Application In this case, Oscar decide s to go to the premises of Peter's circus. He did this and released the dangerous animals because he believed they were being ill-treated. In releasing the animals to prevent them from being 'ill-treated', he failed to realize that he was releasing them into a populated area where the animals could cause havoc to human beings. Releasing a lion and tiger was dangerous. Also, it is apparent that he did not seek the consent of Peter who is licensed to keep the animals under lock and key as a circus operator. This constitutes a trespass under Common Law and makes the act illegal. It should have been obvious to Oscar that an ill-treated lion or tiger was much better caged than released into the society. This is because if the caged lion or tiger is released in an urban centre, it would cause carnage and kill a lot of people. On the balance of probabilities, it should have occurred to him that releasing the animals could cost human lives. However, he did not take time to reconsider that. This makes it a valid mens rea for the commission of involuntary manslaughter. Conclusion In conclusion, Oscar committed the actus reus of unlawfully entering the premises of Peter and releasing dangerous animals that killed a human being. Also, he was negligent and did not think much about his actions. As such, he is guilty of manslaughter. Due to the circumstances, his only credible defence is to plead on the grou