Computers in Medical Field Essay

A computer has become an essential commodity in every hospital. Everything is computerized today, from open heart surgeries to X-rays to various clinical tests. Everything is carried out efficiently and effectively by the computer. There are many advantages of computers that make it a must have by every medical professional. This article tells you about the use of computers in the medicine that would help you understand the wide array of computer applications used across the medicinal practice. Computers in the Medical Office There are various uses of computer in medical field as it plays a vital role in every medical office. It contributes a lot to the hospital administration where all the administrative processes are computerized. For example, staff records, recording incoming and outgoing time of the staff, the holiday records of the staff, etc. It is difficult to keep track of such things manually but with the help of computers, the task is simplified and is less time-consuming. In most of the offices, accounting is also computerized that helps you keep the daily record of the financial transactions of the office. It also reduces the chances of money related frauds as all the data is stored properly that can be used for future reference. Computer also helps in recording the names and contact details of the doctors and associated people. It is useful when it comes to recording the medical history of the patient, such as, previous treatments, tests, diagnosis, and symptoms, etc. Such information comes handy for the doctor in case of emergencies and when a new treatment is to be designed. The patients can also avail to computer counseling with the help of computers. Today, the bills are computer generated and hence, the chances of miscalculation are less. Apart from this, to avail the online transaction facilities computer is essential. Use of Computers in Medicine Use of computers is also associated with the research and inventions in health sector. Various research studies are carried out with the help of various applications in the computer. For example, studying certain cells, micro organisms, bacteria, etc., is easily possible with computer. It helps you save all the related information that you can refer to, whenever required. One can also create electronic presentations of certain diseases or treatments that are useful to understand by the junior or trainee doctors so that they can prepare themselves for small and uncomplicated operations by taking guidance from senior doctors via web conferencing. In seminars and paper presentations on the health related topics, computerized presentations create more impact on the audience. It also helps the audience understand the issues well. With the help of computer networking, doctors across the world can communicate with each other about new inventions and unique health conditions, etc. All the countries are conducting research studies and this information can be mutually shared by the medical fraternity with the help of computers and internet technology. The computer makes the world smaller and brings people together. Uses of Computers in Hospitals Computers are widely used in all the hospitals for numerous purposes apart from administration, accounting, billing, and appointments. It literally helps doctors in performing various surgeries, especially laparoscopic surgeries are possible because of computers where doctors insert the medical tools and small camera and conduct an operation with the help of computers and monitors. Many high tech surgical machines and instruments are endowed with small computer systems so that every surgical process is recorded and monitored to avoid complications. Many clinical imaging processes are conducted and examined with the help of computers, such as X-ray and CT scan, etc. Computers also play a vital role in conducting various clinical and biological laboratory tests in hospitals that help in correct diagnosis of the disease. Many critical patients, whose heart rate, pulse rate, and brain readings, etc., need be recorded and monitored continuously, are observed through computers. Its virtually impossible for humans to note down every movement of the internal organs of the patients but computers do it with ease. Importance of computers in medicine has grown so much that many patients who need to be provided with life support system are also governed by the special computerized system only. Such is the impact of computers on a medical practice.

The Story of an Eyewitness Essay Analysis

In The Story of an Eyewitness, journalist Jack London gives readers a vivid first-person account of the terrible aftermath of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. London's report originally appeared in Collier's Weekly, May 5, 1906. As a reporter, London uses his writing experience to illustrate the devastation he witnesses by using similes, metaphors, irony, and personification. His incredible descriptions transport the reader right into the burning streets. The story begins with the earthquake destroying many buildings and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage. However, London expresses emphases on the fire that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. He uses a metaphor to describe what he saw, â€Å"San Francisco's burning was a lurid tower visible a hundred miles away. † Next, he uses personification to illustrate his picture, â€Å"and for three days and nights this lurid tower swayed in the sky. London states that the fires spread quickly throughout the city, and could not be controlled by any man. Again, he uses personification to bring the fire alive, â€Å"Thus did the fire of itself build its own colossal chimney through the atmosphere. † London uses irony to describe the fires on Wednesday night, â€Å"Remarkable as it may seem, Wednesday night while the whole city crashed and roared into ruin, was a quiet night. † The fires lasted two days, Wednesday morning until Thursday night. While the city was burning, inhabitants tried to flee the city with their belongings. People tried to make it up San Francisco’s many steep hills, but had a hard time, so they ended up leaving most of their things behind. London uses a simile to paint the picture of the people giving up, â€Å"In the end, completely played out, after toiling for a dozen hours like giants. † After the fires burned out, all of the buildings, hotels, stores, and houses in San Francisco were gone. Many people became homeless. London’s simile describes the aftermath, â€Å"San Francisco, at the present time, is like the crater of a volcano, around which are camped tens of thousands of refugees. † Ironically, Jack London does not end the story with gloom and doom. After all the destruction and devastation, London brings back hope by informing readers that the United States Government is going to help the refugees. Also, we are assured that San Francisco is not dead because the bankers and business men have already set about making preparations to rebuild San Francisco.

Brand launches by agencies, an arrogant pursuit of tactical Essay

Brand launches by agencies, an arrogant pursuit of tactical opportunism which misunderstands the core competences of an advertising agency or a profitable opportunity to earn respect from clients - Essay Example ly focused on how firms try to capture target markets by setting an oligopolistic trend, characterised by an arbitrary controlling mechanism which tap the instinctive faculties of the mid of customers (Jones 1998a:33). There is hardly any room for argument that such practices are, or in fact should be, assessed on the basis of righteousness or reason. This is because any firm or production house reserves the intangible right to maximise its profit by operating within a legitimate proviso. What is still vaguely understood by the proposition of branding is that it is primarily based on creative usage of available resources, and yet, it tends to expand its scope and field of implementation through quantitative measures. The fundamental dualism inherent in these two mechanisms makes it a complex issue to address. Majority of the pioneering ad houses, famous for their innovative business strategies, adopt not so frequently tried means to promote their brands. It is the uniqueness of approaches to what can otherwise be termed as routine brandishing of various products that sets the boys apart from the men, so to speak. As for creating an oligopolistic market and seizing it at the right moment, brand equity plays a defining role. While most of the top brands offer more than what is generically expected out of a non-branded product having similar attribute(s), the topnotch players disseminate their products in a way that encourage fairness and transparency. Brennan et al. (2007) argue that in our age of heterogeneous competition, the chance of discreet marketing can never be discarded altogether. Therefore, retaining the credibility value of production should always be prioritised, regardless of the business model espoused by the concerned firm (105). In line with this principle, it is imperativ e to give out a fair deal on the principle of equity. It will let shareholders and customers feel confident and assured about the products that they want try out for

Commenting on discussion forum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Commenting on discussion forum - Essay Example To the contrary, his family cheerfully accepts him as he plays the function of a mother substitute nursing his family. The movie, â€Å"The blossoming of Maximo Oliveros,† demonstrates that gay life does not necessarily follow preordained patterns or preconceived ideas. Maximo undergoes transformation, but with little suffering, which is not in the manner in which casual viewers might anticipate. Contrary to most films, the family does not appear to undermine personal preferences such as gender. The dichotomy between gender and sexuality can be regarded as significantly interchanged within the film. The film, The blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, can be considered to place a positive reinforcement of homosexuals into perspective. The film depicts the stereotypical and real lives of gays in good light, especially regarding gender reassignment and cross-dressing. The film, The blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, mirrors cultural acceptance of homosexuality within Philippines. The treatment of homosexuality is distinct and refreshing, and the film does not resort to stereotypes at the expense of gay characters. One of the film’s most interesting aspects relates to the portrayal of the possibility that effeminate homosexuals can live relatively peacefully in the slums. The film depicts that the general mood in Philippines regarding homosexuality situated between tolerance, amusement, and acceptance; however, this does not necessarily mean that the Philippines is immune from the spurts of homophobia (Roces and Grace 61). The film demonstrates the easiness of accepting others who are diverse from the norm as long as they build a bond. The Filipino film industry has grown over the years and is increasingly embraced by the world. Presently, the film industry criticized as â€Å"poorly made† in the description of quality of films been produced. Filipino needs to embrace new genres and add innovation in the

Importance of Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Importance of Corporate governance - Essay Example However, different types of definitions are provided in various reports. A very simple definition can be found in the reports like South African King Report and Kingdom Cadbury Report. In these reports corporate governance is defined as a â€Å"system by which companies are directed and controlled† (du Plessis, et al, 2010). Clearer definitions began to come after two big companies namely Enron and HIH Insurance Ltd collapsed. In 2007, Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) released a proper definition where corporate governance is said to be a framework of rules, systems, processes and relationships by and within which authority is controlled and exercised in corporations (du Plessis, et al, 2010). With the rise of globalization an aspect that has come up as a significant issue is the convergence of corporate governance systems. This paper attempts to gain insight into this issue. It tries to find out whether the convergence of various governance systems is actually possible or not. In the process of doing that, the paper includes several important data that are collected from different books and previous research works. Not just facts, but a major portion of the paper is consisted of the analysis of these facts. Corporate Governance Before getting straight into the main subject i.e. ‘convergence of corporate governance systems’, one must have enough idea about the concept known as ‘corporate governance’. The introductory paragraph contains few definitions of the term, but they are needed to be further explained. According to Prasad, corporate governance is the relationship that has existence among various participants and that define the performance as well as the direction of corporate firms (Prasad, 2006). He believes that the main actors who play crucial role in corporate governance include the CEO, the shareholders and the board of directors. Beside them there are actors like employees, customers and suppliers who are also c apable of influencing the governance system in a particular organization (Prasad, 2006). There are number of essential elements that are associated with corporate governance. Seven of such elements which are mentioned in South African King Report (2002) are transparency, discipline, independence, responsibility, accountability, social responsibility and fairness. In 2003, ASX recognized important principles that are basis of good corporate governance (du Plessis, et al, 2010). Strong foundations for management’s roles, structure of the board that is capable of adding value, responsible and ethical decision making are some of these crucial principles that make the governance an effective one. Convergence of Corporate Governance Systems Over the past few years experts from both professional as well as academic world have been arguing whether the governance systems that are present across various nations should be converged or not. It is observed that there are different governa nce models that are in use in several countries. For instance, the outsider model has been followed mainly in US and United Kingdom. On other side, there is insider model which has been followed in other OECD countries like France, Germany and Australia. Another system namely, the family/state system is found in nation like Sweden (Nestor & Thompson, n.d.). Over the years global business environment has experienced significant changes. Changed situations

What shaped the economic policy reactions during the Great Depression Essay

What shaped the economic policy reactions during the Great Depression 1929-1933 - Essay Example In the 1920s stock prices jumped a tremendous amount, to highs never seen before. Many people such as investors believed that stocks were a for sure thing. So they started borrowing heavily which would enable them to invest more money into the stock market. That was all about to end, for in 1929 the bubble was popped and stocks started to go down very quickly. By 1933 the market had reached its lowest point ever, down a total ÃŽ ¿f 80%. This hid the American economy hard; the strong demand for goods, such as major appliances went down, no more money to invest. The stock market had let many people down. During the history ÃŽ ¿f the stock market in the United States, there have been many days in which the market declined numerous points. This is referred to as a market crash. One is called "Black Thursday," which marked the beginning ÃŽ ¿f the Great Depressions. It was decades ago, when the roaring twenties came to a booming halt on October 24, 1929, as the stock market crashed. It is called Black Thursday because it was the first day ÃŽ ¿f panic and the start ÃŽ ¿f the Great Depression. Investors tried to sell stock as fast as possible on this day. Within the first twenty days ÃŽ ¿f the crash, the value ÃŽ ¿f stock held by investors in the United States fell thirty billion dollars. During the Great Depression, production and sale ÃŽ ¿f goods rapidly declined. Employment numbers dropped drastically. Many banks and businesses were forced to close their doors. Not only were jobs and savings lost for many people, but also their homes and farms. Thousands depended upon charity to survive. During the worst part ÃŽ ¿f the depression more than fifteen million people were unemployed. This figure amounted to twenty-five percent ÃŽ ¿f the nations work force. However, even the seventy-five percent ÃŽ ¿f the workforce who were able to maintain or find a job were severely affected. Many experienced major wage reductions or were given only part time work. (Great) In the

Public Utilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Public Utilities - Essay Example Regulatory commissions must them establish the measure of value for each of these items; these value determinations are made, not found, rendering the overall value relatively unknown. In a competitive market, value is determined by normal market processes such as supply and demand. However, in the case of regulated industries, earnings are dependant upon the rates established by the regulatory commissions-if rates are set low, the value is consequently low, and the same results from rates that are set high. Time variant rates might occur when the public being served fluctuates in their demands of the public utility. For example, residents living in the northern states will go through periods within the year where they will need more heat, creating a demand for electricity and gas power and services. These times, referred to as "peak times," can cause temporary fluctuations in the rates to ensure proper distribution of the appropriate services. Similarly, phone and Internet companies can see the same fluctuating demands at various times in the day as changes in shifts occur at work or school for the public. As people are relieved from their jobs, they might see the need to begin using the phone to contact family members, set appointments, or call other places of business for problems or clarification of services and bills. These time variant rates can often lead to drastic increases or decreases in rates for a short period, and can also add to the public's opinion of how necessary the s ervices might be. For example, several phone companies across the United States offer a standing rate for service; however, the rates on Sundays for long distance service might decrease drastically to provide consumers with an opportunity to contact family members that live out of state. The development of cell phone technology has further dropped the rates for long distance phone service. However, to continually regulate the rates at which the public utility companies are charging the public, regulatory commissions at the public, state, and federal levels are necessary for several reasons. The first step to successfully regulating industries categorized as public utilities is making sure the public within the communities realize the economic advantages of holding regulated monopolies rather than competitive businesses. After the need for regulations have been expressed, the agencies provided these responsibilities must ensure that they are regulating the industries to the best of their abilities; doing so will not only provide necessary services to the public, but will also offer large economic growth to the community. (Phillips 9). To regulate effectively, state and federal regulation commissions must pay close attention to the methods with which they are regulating their respective areas of industry. They must carefully watch the overall expenditures of the industry to ensure that they are within acceptable limits. Performance evaluations should be used to ensure the overall effectiveness of employees working in the public utility industry. Regulating price control by maintaining knowledge over the current markets being served and the overall cost of

IT CAN BE ABOUT ANYTHING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT CAN BE ABOUT ANYTHING - Essay Example Many protesters on the West Coast are starting to form a general game plan that protesters on the East Coast have not done. They are shutting down ports owned by large financial firms such as Goldman Sachs. These are the real firms that the protestors are trying to harm. Alliances with some labor groups have put the protestors in a position of power. Some sociologists see this as a recipe for increasingly militant protests in the coming months up and down the West Coast. I rally liked this article because it was very informative and answered questions that I had about the Occupy Wall Street movement on the West Coast. I did not understand why so many people showed up to shut down the Port of Oakland. As far as I was concerned, that wasn’t hurting anyone other than the men and women working at the dock. They surely didn’t get paid for that missed day of work. I now realize that it was actually a part of a plan between the protestors and the workers on the docks. This article is an important one because it confirms how I feel about the Occupy Wall Street movement. I do not think it is going to go away. Something is sure to happen eventually that will motivate more people to get out in the street or to elect different sorts of people to government in Washington DC and in state governments all over America. I believe in this movement and would like to see the rules that favor the richest Americans changed so everyone can have a better chance at moving up in life. These are some of the issues that will define my generation. How we handle ourselves at this point in time is very critical, because if this Occupy Wall Street movement fails or fades away, then that will embolden the richest Americans even more. I felt that the authors Wholsen and Collins did a great job with this story. It was a fair, unbiased

Cognarive and behavioral therapy for physically abused kids in low Coursework

Cognarive and behavioral therapy for physically abused kids in low income areas - Coursework Example Question 2: Did you find any outcomes that opposed your expectations or the expectations of the researchers? How might this information change your thinking about your proposed intervention? If not, what did you find that was surprising and or challenged your assumptions? No outcomes opposed my expectations or the expectations of researchers although it was surprising to find that although there is a relatively high number of clinicians skilled in the use of TF-CBT in the United States, a comparatively low number is putting the components into play despite previous studies showing that TF-CBT components were evidently productive. The level of success in Community-based participatory examination ideologies applied in Zambia was also unexpected but positively welcomed. Question 3: Did you include qualitative research in your review? If so, was there a clear statement of the aims of the research and did it seek to illuminate subjective experiences/actions of participants? Was the research design appropriate to address those aims (Questions adapted from Canadian National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools NCCMT 2010)? I also included a qualitative review, an incidence I found particularly sufficient in addressing the aims of the research. Drawing on the findings, it is clear that the research seeks to shed a light on the subjective experiences the participants incurred. More so, this research design would suffice in addressing the aims of the overall research. Cary, C. E., & McMillen, J. C. (2012). The data behind the dissemination: A systematic review of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for use with children and youth.  Children and Youth Services Review,  34(4), 748-757. Mannarino, A. P., Cohen, J. A., & Deblinger, E. (2014). Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. In  Evidence-Based Approaches for the Treatment of Maltreated Children  (pp. 165-185). Springer Netherlands. Murray, L. K.,

Ghost Town Essay Example for Free

Ghost Town Essay A graveyard at midnight was always going to be scary. I just hadnt expected it to be quite so scary. Shadows scuttled behind crooked grave-stones. Street lights glowered like white unblinking eyes through the fog. Cold, clammy fingers stroked the back of my neck. Its just the wind, I told myself. Dont go shrieking like some silly girl, or youll give them away. I clutched my bad tighter, keeping my eyes on the circle of bobbing torches. Those Cool Club kids thought they were so cool, coming to the graveyard in the middle of the night, dressed all in black. I could hear them giggling, and making spooky sounds, as Reaper whose real name was Matt held a torch under his chin and told some stupid ghost story. Skeleton was glugging down some disgusting black drink they called bats blood, though I knew it was really blackcurrant cordial with green food colouring and a bit of flour. I knew this because Skeleton is my big brother Hamish, and hed chased me all round the house this afternoon trying to make, me drink it. Hamish and his mates thought they were so cool, but Id show them! I crouched down behind a broken stone angel, and carefully rummaged through my bag. A bag of flour, a toy microphone that made your voice echo loudly, a length of ragged white muslin curtain right, I was ready. Just then, I heard a weird shuffling sound right behind me, I whipped round and saw A rage infected dog! It was moving rapidly, in my direction and ready to pounce. Slowly and quietly it snuck up on me edging closer and closer. Without out any sudden warning the mad dog pounced. Rapidly, I moved just in time to get out of the way. The rage infected dog sensed my fear and I stood still as still can be. Furiously, I ditched my plans and I decided to make a run for it, leaving my bag and equipment behind. As soon as I started running, the dog came racing behind me, just waiting to take a bite out of my, little legs. The graveyard was a dark and mysterious place, which I would have never dared to go. My thoughts and my fear were getting the better of me and my legs. I started to slow down. In the moments of shear disbelief, the river came upon me, which ran past the graveyard. Without any conscious decision I leapt into the river with full force. The dog came to an abrupt halt. The blood was pumping frantically throughout my body. Moments later my heart rate began to normalise. The dog lost my scent and gave a frightening howl, which temporarily paralysed my hearing. The rage within the dog was building. I looked up through the shrubs, in the direction of the river bank. Slowly and quietly I swam towards the bank. The dog turned back and bailed. I was determined to get back to the club but the winds and the noises of the graveyard were again taking advantage of me, breaking me down slowly and slowly. I made the most immediate decision, and that was to follow the dog. As stupid as I was, I would always keep a safe distance away from the unpredictable creature. With no clear path and all dense shrubs, I had trouble getting out of the banks. My body was shivering; the hairs on my legs and arms were all straight and upright. The deep cuts from the bushes started to emerge on my legs and the lacerations started to sting as the dry wind grazed against them. With blood trickling out of the cuts on my legs I started walking, keeping a good distance from the dog. I soon got back to the clubs location and no one was there. And then it hit me, I had just lost track of the dog. The problem was where was the dog? After 10 minutes of walking, I soon spotted the club whimpering behind a cold hard abrasive rock. I was worried. There was no sign of Hamish, my big brother. Matt said that Hamish had gone off wandering tying to find me. One of the other club members spotted a dark red trail just ahead of the rock. Matt, his mates and I grouped together and we started following the blood trail. It seemed endless. The trail went on and on and no one knew when it would stop. After endlessly travelling in the middle of a graveyard, I became weary. Then we heard a noise. It was a deep heavy growl. Matt peeked through the bushes and gave a terrifying shriek. His face was purple. I looked through the bushes I looked up and I saw the rage infected dog right at him. It was Hamish. He was missing a great chunk from his neck and the dog was furiously tugging at the remaining leg. The shear force of the dog ripped the leg off. It was sent flying. The dog rapidly chased after the remaining leg and chewed it to pieces. All the blood and flesh went everywhere. I felt weak and dizzy. My brother was dead. Right in front of my eyes, in pieces! I had sunk to an all time low. I began weeping on Matts shoulder. My brother had gone. Just perished Matt tried calling for help but there was no answer. The group started moving on. We all walked up to Hamishs body, which was ripped up in pieces. We all thought the dog was long gone, until I turned around. Black creatures were emerging from the bushes. Slowly they grew bigger. The street lights around the graveyard began flickering. Suddenly they went out. From nowhere howling began to start. The lights started flickering again. And then everything stopped. Matt looked around and immediately clenched my hand. We were surrounded. Dogs were everywhere. Suddenly, Matt pulled out a knife. But how? Matt handed me a silver serrated knife, which was identical to his. I could barely hold on to it with one hand. With both hands I gripped it. And with my life on the line, we all charged at the dogs. Waving our knives back and forth, hurling flesh everywhere. In a flash, one of the dogs started heading in my direction. With a last and desperate attempt, the dog made a frantic move. It pounced at me I moved the knife right into the view of my face. I hacked the dogs face off with the knife. Its mangled body came flying into my face and knocked me over. Another ferocious creature came and looked over me. I was finished! Suddenly the wind started howling and a silver knife came down on the dog. Its innards flew everywhere. What looked like a stomach came flying into my mouth. Furiously I spat it out. With my mouth bathed in blood, I felt sick. The dogs had bailed. But what was ahead of us?

The Problem Of Evil Philosophy Essay

The Problem Of Evil Philosophy Essay The Problem of Evil is a provocative philosophical issue that has perplexed the minds of great thinkers throughout the ages up to the present time. Intellectuals such Aristotle, Averroes, and Kant have vigorously debated and held various positions concerning the reality of malevolence in the world and how it correlates to the eminence of a Higher Being, better known as God. Questions such as If God is altogether good, where does evil come from? and Why does God reveal that he is going to punish the wicked if He created them to be that way in the first place? are among literally hundreds of others that have been contemplated in the minds of millions all over the world. The objective of this paper will be to address questions such as the aforementioned, as well as to spotlight an associated dilemma, The True Innate Nature of Man, which quite fittingly arises as a subheading under this broad heading of The Problem of Evil. The True Innate Nature of Man also serves as a quandary for numerous individuals who aspire to comprehend the supposed world beyond sensible perception. This too can be a confounding issue for most students of knowledge, as there are various opinions about what the correct stance of mans nature in relation to Gods is; although some may be deemed as more correct than others. Is it that man was created in the image of God, yet still in a corrupt state of sin due to a crime committed by his alleged father Adam for which he needs redemption, as affirmed by Christian theologians such as Thomas Aquinas? Or is that man is born absolutely pure on the true, bona fide nature of goodness or fitra (in Arabic) but may be tarnished by his environment, as asserted by Islamic metaphysicians such as Avicenna and Averroes? Perhaps it is neither, and man was actually born inherently evil and immoral, but may be trained to do good by following the Tao or Proper Way as is taught by Confucians including Xun Zi, also known as Hsun-tzu. A thorough investigation into the topic of The Problem of Evil and its sub related subject matter, The True Innate Nature of Man, is sure to clear many misconceptions and reveal the fundamentals of the issue. God, as defined by The American Century Dictionary, refers to the creator and ruler of the universe and the being or spirit worshipped as immortal and with supernatural power over nature, human fortunes, etc. As such, due to the postulation that God is the One that creates human beings, bestows on them reason and intelligence, provides for them food and drink, and promises a reward in one way or another for the righteous, while not asking anything from them except that they worship Him alone, the rational mainstream view is that He is a good God. Not only is he just a good God, but He is a perfect God; a God that is absolutely and eternally free from any and all faults and shortcomings of any kind, whether inwardly or outwardly, or deliberately or unintentionally. The supposed problem does arise for the skeptic, however, when this perception of God is applied practically to the sensible world that is filled with crimes such as theft, murder, and rape, as well as diseases including HI V/AIDS, leukemia, and cancer. There seems to be an apparent contradiction in the notion of God being a good God and there being evil in the world. According to the logic of the skeptic, since God created everything from nothing and can be traced back to the origin of everything and identified as the unmoved mover, He must also be accredited with having evil as one of His attributes. In reality, there is no genuine contradiction between the actualities of God being good and there being evil in the world. The misapprehension here stems from the fact that there is confusion in the minds of many with regards to the free will of man and the omniscience of God. Human beings have been created with a choice of whether or not they want to be virtuous upright citizens on earth. Their free will allows them to commit immoral actions if they truly wish to do so. The choices that they have are merely a reflection of the circumstances around them which may or may not be favorable. Nevertheless, they still do have a choice and may opt to do the right thing. The selection to be virtuous or immoral is ultimately made by the human being himself and not by God. Even though God knows any and all things that have already happened or will take place in the future, the choice is left to the person to do as he pleases. The knowledge of God is not to be confused with the deeds of man; th e latter being imperfect, while the former, flawless. Evil actions such as murder and prostitution are thus a result of the imperfections of man and are not to be attributed to God directly because He does not force any of His servants to commit the crime. Rather, He allows them to commit the offenses out of their own desires and in conjunction with His infinite wisdom. As a result, it may be said that since God is the creator of each and every single thing in the universe from nothing, He is also indirectly the creator of evil since even though human beings are directly to blame for the evil perpetrated on earth, He created the human beings to begin with. With that issue being settled, a more complicated one still remains in that of natural diseases, disasters, and occurrences. Part of the reason that diseases such as HIV/AIDS and cancer infect people is because of their refusal to act in a prudent and temperate manner. Before proceeding, however, it is necessary to explain what this virtue of temperance is and how it should apply in human beings day to day life: The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines temperance as a habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions. The ancient, as well as contemporary scholars of philosophy such as Thomas Aquinas, Stephen Pope, and Diana Cates generally seem to agree with this definition by consensus on a broad level. It is located in the concupiscible appetite, which deals primarily with the human lusts of eating, drinking and sexual desire; as opposed to the irascible appetite that is involved in the emotions of anger and exasperation. As Thomas Aquinas indicates in Summa Theologica IIa IIae, q. 141, a. 2, ad 2, temperance is a habit of responding with tranquility or serenity of soul to sense impressions of food, drink, and sexual relations. Its principal function is to moderate in the mean between extremes the emotions of enjoyments and service concerning the pleasures of touch and taste in order to achieve the good of reason as known in the concupiscible passions. Furthermore, it is con cerned with the sentiment of maintaining the gratification of sense pleasure as a whole, especially in the elation supplementing the impression of predominantly touch and secondarily taste. The ideal balance of temperance is generally found between the excess extreme of indulgence and the defect extreme of insensibility, while leaning slightly towards insensibility in this respect. Since the human species has an overwhelming innate desire for excess with regards to the pleasures of the flesh, it is only natural that most people seek to avoid this excess, and lean towards the defect while seeking to uphold the integrity of moral standards. The proximate object of temperance is the concupiscible appetite; pleasure on a general level, and contentment and grief more specifically. The remote object of this cardinal virtue is anything and everything that generates the gratification of touch and taste in an individual person; that is to say, food, drink, and sex. Through habitual moderation of temperance, as with any other virtue, the good of reason can be achieved in this regard. (Introduction to Ethics by John A. Osterle) It is clear from this brief introduction to temperance that this is a most serious issue that many people are heedless of. Moderation in deeds, particularly those of the sexual nature, preserves the wellbeing of individuals while an excess leads to their ruin. HIV/AIDS is the direct cause of the choice of human beings to be promiscuous in their sexual activities or act in some other carnal manner. God should not be held liable for the intemperate and depraved actions of human beings. Similarly, the diseases of certain types of cancers such as lung cancer and other ailments of the kidneys and such are usually the result of the choices of man to smoke sedatives or drink alcohol. Even though man has knowledge of the fact that these items have harmful effects on their wellbeing, he still chooses to willingly purchase and utilize them anyway; not only damaging ones self, but paying money to do so as well! The evil result of these diseases is brought upon only from the intemperate and male volent actions of man. While God did indeed create these types of diseases, He undoubtedly cannot be attributed as being the direct cause of someone acquiring them, as He does not force anyone to take the means to obtain these diseases even though He has perfect knowledge of the unfortunate individuals who will. The final type of alleged evil that occurs in the world which some people mistakenly attribute directly to God is that of natural disasters or occurrences such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, inherited diseases (both mental and physical), and the like that result in casualties. With regards to this type of evil, there is no clear cut definitive answer and it must be accepted that since God is described as All-Wise, there is wisdom behind all of these perceived tragedies. To explain, the perception of human beings is deficient, while Gods knowledge and wisdom are perfect. Even the greatest of metaphysicians such as Aristotle and Plato attested to this actuality. It would be irrational to try and prove that God creates evil through these calamities because human beings do not know the wisdom behind these occurrences. The truth of the matter is that there is actually much good behind these perceived dreadful and appalling incidents. A case in point example which may be likened to the understanding of this concept of the perception of natural disasters by human beings is that of when a parent accompanies his or her young child to the doctors office to obtain a flu vaccination from the doctor. The young child would be shocked at the fact that his parent would allow a person to thrust a six inch needle into his arm. The child does not have the foresight to understand that this is what is best and most beneficial for him; his perception of the action leads him to believe that this is a malicious undertaking being committed. However, it is apparent to any logical person that the good of this action by the doctor far outweighs any temporary harm that the needle may have been caused to the youth. Accordingly, this action would not be deemed an evil act. On the contrary, this action would be considered virtuous and very much necessary, even though the child might not agree at this point in his development. Similarly, since all human beings are mortal and vastly dis similar to God in that they are neither All-Wise nor Omniscient, they do not have the foresight that God does. Therefore, it would be extremely rash for them to label something as evil even though they do not understand the very core foundation of it. The good of these so-called natural disasters is evidently there, even if people do not have the perception to sense or understand it. A sub-related theme to The Problem of Evil is known as The True Innate Nature of Man. The genuine natural disposition of human beings is essential to understanding The Problem of Evil because if it can be proven that the mans natural disposition is one that is towards righteousness, this would also strengthen the argument in favor of the proposition that there is no valid Problem of Evil. Since the creation often reflects the creator, a legitimately good concept of the internal disposition of man would indicate an eternally good God, while an evil concept of the internal disposition of man would suggest some legitimacy to the Problem of Evil. Basically, the two main views with regards to The True Innate Nature of Man are that it is either one of vice and iniquity or it is one of morality and virtue. Scholars have rigorously debated this topic with great diligence in order to persuade the masses of people to see things from their perspective. The vast majority of religious scholars, h owever, have settled upon the notion that man is born virtuous, but with the ability to perform evil. The reasons for this view are abundant and not difficult to comprehend. Another view held by some of the scholars is that man is born inherently evil, but may be trained to do virtuous deeds. Attempting to explain and refute this view would certainly be much more remarkable, as the vast majority of people are oblivious to the arguments presented by the philosophers for this view and whether or not they actually carry any weight. One such unorthodox philosophical intellectual who believed that The True Innate Nature of Man is evil was a Confucian by the name of Xun Zi, better known as Hsun-tzu. He held the belief that all human beings are born inherently evil by nature. According to him, human beings must be trained thoroughly in order to become virtuous. Goodness is acquired by learning and cultivation from the sages. He puts a great deal of emphasis on the sages and regarded learning from these sages as an essential aspect in an individuals journey towards righteousness. Furthermore, Hsun-tzu made a clear distinction between nature and conscious activity. Whereas the nature of humans is the characteristics they are born with (i.e. natural instincts) and can never be changed or controlled, conscious activity is something that can be learned and taught by the sages; this is the part of man than can be changed and acquired through learning and effort. In order to support these various claims, Hsun-tzu also lai d down several arguments so that he could expound his bold stance on this issue. His foremost argument to support his claims is the notion that if a ruler did not have any limits or rules to abide by, then he would be unjust to his subjects beneath him. A different argument he uses is that the sage kings and ritual principles recognized that man was born evil, and hence, had to train the common man so that he would be good. Yet another argument presented was the assertion that people are born with intrinsic desires naturally in them, and these desires are never-ending. Clearly, Hsun-tzu is one of the greatest philosophers ever known to hold the view that human beings are born evil, but his arguments for this are questionable at best. Hsun-tzus primary argument for deeming the human nature of man to be evil is his allegation that the people underneath a ruler would be treated unjustly if he did not have any limits to his power. If the entire world were to function this way, there would be immense commotion and disarray. Similarly, if a man did not have any rules to live by, he would also be corrupt and evil. Conscious activity would be needed to show any goodness, and the leaders natural inclination would be towards evil. Therefore, the sage kings are needed so that a person can be transformed from the person he is born as into a moral individual that can eventually be able to honorably lead an entire nation. It may contended, though, that while it is true that a person needs to have some kind of formal training in order to be a just leader, the sage kings and Confucianism in general are not always required. This occurrence has undoubtedly taken place in many parts of the world. Authoritative rulers such as dictators tend to abuse their powers more than democratically elected officials do. This has always been the case throughout history. Since dictators are given much more power than elected individuals, they tend to oppress their citizens more as well. On the other hand, le aders that are given less power, such as the ones in most of the Western world, have a less chance to of becoming tyrannical and obsessed with power. The citizens of these Western countries are more easily able to prevent corruption in the government when it takes place. However, there are exceptions to this argument proposed by Hsun-tzu. There have been instances in history where dictators have not had a repressive stance towards their people. Leaders such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk have been classified by historians as treating their people with dignity and respect. These dictators, as well as others, did not abuse their powers even though they were never trained by the sage kings or even followed the Tao. While Hsun-tzu may argue that the dictators of recent centuries do not have unlimited power, it should be noted that they still have enough to be able to oppress the masses of people in their country and still get away with it. Perhaps following the Tao woul d help improve upon the leadership performance of many of todays heads of states, but this remains to be seen. Hsun- tzus argument that leaders would be unjust if no limitations were placed upon them is an unpersuasive one, as there are still some flaws in it which need to be addressed. Another of Hsun-tzus foremost arguments regarding the True Innate Nature of Man as evil is the affirmation that the sage kings of ancient times were aware of the fact that man was born inherently evil, and thus, they had to train the common man so that he would be good. By the use of ritual principles and setting guidelines and punishments for the individuals actions, a person is refined from his original malevolent nature into a more honorable and virtuous individual. This person then must continually practice Confucianism and the Tao and continually strive to become a better person. According to Hsun-tzu, there would be absolutely no need for sages if the people were naturally born righteous. Logic would hold that this view is vastly constricted. Hsun-tzu is thinking only from the point of view of a Confucian. If a person does not want to follow the Tao or Confucian way or life, then it becomes impossible for this person to develop into a state of goodness. Furthermore, Hsun-tzu is assuming that the sage kings are good people and able to cultivate others just because they are sages, but if they are not known as such in the community, does that make them any less wise or less competent in terms of teaching others about how to become righteous people? Just because a person known as a sage decides something to be correct, doesnt make it so. The sages arent the only morally good people in the world. People in todays society can be known as righteous, and many of them have never even heard about the Tao. The conclusion that Hsun-tzu seems to be drawing is that the fact that there are sages is proof that human beings are intrinsically inclined towards evil. This is illogical because he is basing his whole argument on what some people during the ancient times decided upon. There are people in todays society that do not follow the way of the sage kings and ritual principles, and can still be considered to be moral, righteous beings. This argument of Hsun-tzus may have been true during his time, but definitely not today. The fact that the sages teach humans to be good is not evidence that they are evil. On the contrary, this can go to show just how good humans actually are in their quest to improve their virtuosity from when they are born until they die. Conclusively, a final argument of Hsun-tzus is that human beings are born with intrinsic desires naturally in them, and these desires are endless. No matter how often these desires or natural impulses are acted upon, human beings are never satisfied and will always strive to satisfy these desires, though they can be contained by following the Tao and learning from the sages. Goodness is not natural to people; conscious activity is required to reach a certain level of virtuousness. According to Hsun-tzu, this is proof that people are naturally born evil and must learn to be good. This view of Hsun-tzus is a flawed one because it actually can be proven that goodness is natural to people. An example of this is when human beings deal with infants. Even the most hardened criminals in jail seem to show an exceptional amount of mercy and compassion when dealing with babies and little children. This shows that there is a quantity of good in all human beings that can come out when the circums tances are right. It is definitely true that humans have innate carnal desired similar to those which animals have. In spite of this, humans can be classified of being moral or immoral, while animals cannot. The intelligence of human beings is the aspect that separates them from animals and allows them to be judged according to their respective actions. This same intelligence that people possess causes them to learn to distinguish between what is right and wrong. If peoples psyche can be honed so that they can easily perceive malevolence and righteousness and act accordingly, they can undoubtedly become better human beings. This means that according to this logic, the true nature of human beings must be virtuous because there is an amount of good in the human, however small, that can be honed and cultivated. If humans continually give in to all of their desires like most species of animals do, they will eventually be overcome by them and be deemed immoral by society. Since people are naturally not adept at containing many of our societys taboo desires, they must learn to do so from experienced people such as the sages. Consequently, people will learn how to contain their infinite desires, and over time it will become like second nature for regular people as it has already become for the sage kings. This argument of Hsun-tzus can definitely be deemed as an adequate one, but still not sufficient to prove that human beings are inherently evil. Human beings have to greatly strive in order to stop themselves from acting upon these instincts, so this must mean that they have to continue to consciously act to become virtuous, and goodness is something natural and feasible if one tries hard enough. Clearly, the debate on whether mans intrinsic nature is truly virtuous or immoral is a highly controversial one that many people have strong opinions on and tend to disagree about. The Confucian philosopher Hsun-tzu was of the opinion that human beings are born naturally evil and must be thoroughly trained in order to become good people. He further believed that man is born with natural inclinations towards profit, envy, hatred and desire and if left unattended, these mere inclinations can transform into attributes of strife, violence, crime, and wantonness. However, he also believed that there is no limit to how righteous an individual can become, but true goodness must be attained through thorough and continual learning and cultivation from the sages. Anybody and everybody can become virtuous, although not just anyone can reach the moral level of a sage. The key is to follow Confucianism, the Tao, and learning from the sages. Learning is the most essential concept in an individuals path towards righteousness. Hsun-tzu also made an apparent distinction between nature and conscious activity. By conscious activity and learning from the sages, and following the Confucian rites rigorously, he can transform himself into a morally good person. To further expand on his views, Hsun-tzu presented a number of arguments to convince the masses of people to see things from his perspective. Firstly, he felt that if a ruler is not subject to any limits or rules, then he would be unjust to his the citizens beneath him. This assertion is true sometimes, but not always. There have been exceptions throughout history that contradict this theory. Another argument he proposes is that the sage kings with their ritual principles took notice that people were born evil, and as a result, had to teach the common men so that they would be good. This logic may be deemed as flawed because it took place during th e ancient times and may not be applicable today or even true for that matter, as many individuals would strongly disagree with this claim. The final and most reasonable, although unsound, argument presented by Hsun-tzu is the contention that human beings are born with intrinsic desires naturally in them, and these desires are endless. These desires are never to be completely satisfied no matter how much a person tries to satisfy them. However, they can be controlled through learning from the sages and following the Tao, which is to be in harmony with the laws of heaven. Clearly, there are various positions that can be taken with regards to the true nature of man and Hsun-tzu was of the opinion that human nature is evil. This is a rather ineffectual view, as it can be easily disproven by the use of logic in examining the arguments he presents. The Problem of Evil is a subject matter of philosophy that has been around since the first days of scholarly discussion. The metaphysicians have held various positions on it with the correct position being that there is no real Problem of Evil, but only an apparent misunderstanding of what evil actually is and how it takes place. God may be seemed as the creator of evil in the sense that He is the creator of each and every single thing in the universe out of nothing. In spite of this, He is not the direct reason that evil continually comes into existence, but rather it is due to the actions of human beings and their misjudgments of what the accurate perception of good is that the evil comes to be. Hence, God is indirectly the cause of evil, while man is the direct cause. As for the natural disasters and occurrences such as floods or diseases that happen on earth, there is the perception of evil by human beings but actually there is good in all of these happenings. The All-Wise and Omniscient God is far above what any human being can ever imagine or become, so it is only logical that the humans perception has some weaknesses and shortcomings in it, while Gods does not. This can be likened to a baby in front of its parents; the parents know what is good for the baby while the baby does not even really know what is good for its self. Likewise, God knows what is good for the human beings while the human beings, even though they may think they know, do not unquestionably know what is right or wrong for themselves. As one can clearly see, due to the cumulative evidence provided, The Problem of Evil is not really a problem at all and may be accounted for if a person uses logic and reason to try and contemplate over the nature and characteristics of God. The Innate Nature of Man, as proven earlier, is not inherently evil and thus, by default, should be inherently good. Hopefully, in the future, people will begin to realize these realities so that they can cease to blame others, such as God, for their shortcomings and live up to their respective natures as being citizens with a natural propensity towards goodness and excellence in conduct.

Cellular Respiration Lab Report Essay -- essays research papers

Cellular Respiration Lab Report I.Introduction In this lab we are measuring the amount of oxygen used in both germinating and non germinating peas. We are measuring the oxygen consumption by taking a reading of a respirometer submerged in two water baths. The first bath will be cold water and the second warm to determine the effect of temperatures on oxygen consumption. Our negative control will be glass beads to measure to increase or decrease in atmospheric pressure or temperature changes. There is a direct relationship between oxygen consumption and Carbon Dioxide produced, therefore the more O2 consumed the more CO2 produced. To keep the amount of CO2 produced from canceling out any pressure gained or lost from the consumption of CO2 we are adding KOH(Potassium Hydroxide) to the respirometers. Since the CO2 will be selectively removed the change in the volume of gas in the respirometer should be directly related to the oxygen consumed. In this experiment the germinating peas, in both water baths, should consume much more oxyg en than the non-germinating peas or the glass beads, because germination has began thus accelerating cellular reactions and the rate of respiration. The cold water bath should slow the respiration down in all three respirometers. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Materials and Procedures. For this experiment we have prepared to water baths. One bath is ice water, around 10 degrees Celsius, the other warm, around 25 degrees Celsius. Both water bath...

Comparing Crime in Beloved, Crime and Punishment, and Utopia :: comparison compare contrast essays

Crime in Beloved, Crime and Punishment, and Utopia      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To begin with an omniscient and philosophical frame of reference, crime is only defined as crime by the society defining it.   When a mass of human beings coagulate to ¬ gether and form a civilized society, they are bound to make rules and laws to follow and bide by; for laws are one of the cornerstones of a civilized society.   If there were no laws, society would be uncivilized and in a chaotic state of anarchy.   These laws are decided and administered usually by elected officials who act as leaders in the society.   From the input of the citizens, they make laws to run the society by.   And when a person breaks the law, that is defined as a 'crime'.   For example, purposeful and alleged manslaughter is a crime, because it is a law to not kill others; people are not allowed to go cavorting around killing whomever they please, if they did, civilization would fall.   Laws and rules hold us to civilization.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another way to define crime is through ethics and morals.   Each person on this Earth possesses a conscience; when we do something wrong, our conscience makes us feel guilty, although some people feel less or more guilt than others about certain acts; it varies individually.   Based on this, one can define a crime as the things that make us feel guilty, although some crimes do not make us feel guilty.   Some people do not feel any guilt when committing immoral acts; these people are deemed psychopaths or sociopaths by society. For example, most people do not feel guilty when they break the law by speeding, its just a way of life these days, but with complex ideologies (stealing, killing), we feel guilt if they are committed.   Our consciences also hold us to civilization.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, the laws are already defined in Early Nineteenth century St. Petersburg, Russia.   Henceforth, when one breaks a law they have committed a crime and are eligible for arrest and punishment by the upholders of law in society, the police.   A particular act that is defined as criminal is that of murder. Raskolnikov knows of this very well, for he has

Change Foreign Policy to Win the War on Terrorism :: Politics Political Essays

There are many advocacy groups that have long been doing important good works in the international arena, but on issues that have not officially been seen as being a proper part of foreign policy: the environment, human rights, women's rights, the condition of children, labor, international public health issues (e.g., AIDS in Africa), sustainable development, refugees, international education, and so on. The metaphors that foreign policy experts have used to define what foreign policy is rules out these important concerns. Those metaphors involve self-interest (e.g., the Rational Actor Model), stability (a physics metaphor), industrialization (unindustrialized nations are "underdeveloped"), and trade (freedom is free trade). I would like to propose an alternative way of thinking about foreign policy under which all these issues would become a natural part of what foreign policy is about. The premise is that, when international relations work smoothly, it is because certain moral norms of the international community are being followed. This mostly goes unnoticed, since those norms are usually followed. We notice problems when those norms are breached. Given this, it makes sense that foreign policy should be centered around those norms. The moral norms I suggest come out of what I called in Moral Politics "nurturant morality." It is a view of ethical behavior that centers on (a) empathy and (b) responsibility (for both yourself and others needing your help). Many things follow from these central principles: fairness, minimal violence (e.g., justice without vengeance), an ethic of care, protection of those needing it, a recognition of interdependence, cooperation for the common good, the building of community, mutual respect, and so on. When applied to foreign policy, nurturant moral norms would lead the American government to uphold the ABM treaty, sign the Kyoto accords, engage in a form of globalization governed by an ethics of care-and it would automatically make all the concerns listed above (e.g., the environment, women's rights) part of our foreign policy. This, of course, implies (a) multilateralism, (b) interdependence, and (c) international cooperation. But these three principles, without nurturant norms, can equally well apply to the Bush administration's continuance of its foreign policy. Bush's foreign policy, as he announced in the election campaign, has been one of self-interest ("what's in the best interest of the United States")-if not outright hegemony (the Cheney/Rumsfeld position). The Democratic leaders incorrectly criticized Bush for being isolationist and unilateralist, on issues like the Kyoto accords and the ABM Treaty.

Global Warming and Drought in The Southwestern U.S. Essay

Pumphrey (2008) rightly observed that until fairly recently, no one would bought the idea that the world’s climate was changing, let alone that it was been influenced by human activities. The first insight into what is today known as global warming was first conceived by the Swedish scientist Arrhenius, who, late in the 19th century, suggested that the activities of the rapidly developing industries could cause the planet to warm up. Such ideas were often ignored, but over the course of the 20th century, opinions about climate change, â€Å"even rapid climate change† were becoming more apparent (Pumphrey, 2008, p. 1). As things stand now, there appears to be a growing pile of irrefutable evidences that point to the fact that human activities are affecting the heat/energy exchange between the earth, the atmosphere and space (Justus and Susan, 2006). The primary cause of global climate change has been attributed to the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants in the earth’s atmosphere. These ‘green house gases’, as they are now known, form a blanket over the earth atmosphere, thus trapping the sun’s heat inside the planet and causing it to warm up (National Resources Defense Council, 2007). A substantial population of the world’s scientist have agreed that human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, have increased atmospheric â€Å"concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 36% from pre-industrial levels of 280 parts per million (ppm) to 380 ppm over the past 150 years, leading to an increase in global average temperature of 0. 9oF over the past 100 years†. Consequently, there has been considerable increase in global average temperature and sea levels, decreases of sea ice in the Artic and melting of the planet’s continental ice sheets and mountain glaciers (Justus and Susan, 2006). More frightening, however, is the assertion by scientists that if green house gases continue to accumulate at the present rates, more rapid and devastating consequences could result within a short period of time. While scientists largely agree on the evidences pointing to a warming planet, the severity and ramifications of its consequences is often a subject of controversy, doubts and heated debates. The drought in the Southwestern U. S presents one such example of the controversies and uncertainties surrounding the consequences of global warming. In the history of the Southwestern U. S. , drought has been a relatively periodic occurrence, due to climate variability that characterizes this region. For example, after reviewing the history of climate changes in the region, Thompson and Anderson (2005) concluded that over the long term, the climate of the region is constantly changing and that in the â€Å"18,000 years since the last glacial maximum the southwestern United States has experienced conditions that ranged from much colder to somewhat warmer than today. Moisture conditions have also varied, both through time and across the region† (Thompson and Anderson, 2005). However, despite these assertions, scientists through several studies have pointed out that the present multi-year drought in the region is not another result of climate variability but a consequence of climate change. They assert that the present climate situation might be the new climate of the region and that drier and more sever droughts lies ahead if urgent measures are not taken. The proposed study intends to support and add weight to the contention that climate changes is already impacting the region and that increasing global warming will increase the severity of drought in the Southwestern U. S. Purpose Statement McNab and Karl (2003) observe that drought is a complex phenomenon that can be very difficult to define. They contend that the problem with defining drought derives partially from the fact that the term could be approached from different perspectives. That, notwithstanding, the central theme that underlie any definition of drought is the absent or deficiency of water. However, they point out that to completely define drought, the â€Å"component(s) of the hydrologic cycle affected by the water deficit and the time period associated with the deficit, must be specified†. The Southwestern U. S is a region vulnerable to droughts due to its variable climatology that derives from its peculiar topography. The entire Southwestern states of the United States fall into a climatic region generally known as the ‘subtropics’. These regions are known to be dry and susceptible to drought because the atmosphere moves water ‘out of those regions into higher planes’ (Thompson, 2007). It is argued that the evaporation is higher in subtropics and the moist air from here is transported to temperate regions at higher latitudes. This climatic condition sometimes causes excessive ‘dryness’ (drought) in these regions. The infamous dust bowl conditions of the 1930s and the severe droughts of the 1950s are typical examples. Pointing out the vulnerability of the region, Davis (2007) observe that â€Å"in some years, â€Å"exceptional drought† has engulfed the entire Plains from Canada to Mexico; in other years, crimson conflagrations on weather maps have crept down the Gulf Coast to Louisiana or crossed the Rockies to the interior Northwest† (Davies, 2007). Based on this argument, it is convenient to describe the present drought in the region as a result of such climatic variability. Unfortunately, recent data on global warming indicate otherwise. Scientists have shown that this time, the drought in the region is not just a passing phase in climatic conditions, it is a reality that has come to stay. It is evident that this time, it is the base climate that is changing and dire consequences looms ahead. Supporting the argument that the aridity in the Southwestern U. S is different this time, Davis (2007), point out that â€Å"Lake Powell had fallen by nearly eighty feet in three years, and crucial reservoirs along the Rio Grande were barely more than mud puddles. The Southwestern winter of 2005-06, meanwhile, was one of the driest on record, and Phoenix went 143 days without a single drop of rain†. Noting that some scientists have regarded the present situations as the worst drought in 500 years and with the several scientific evidences showing the link between global warming and severe drought, Davis concluded that the present climate condition is not â€Å"simply episodic drought but the region’s new ‘normal weather'† (Davies, 2007). Statement of the Problem Both global warming and droughts portend grave dangers for both the region and the world at large. Despite the sometimes dissenting voices in the science world, there is unanimous certainty that the planet is warming up. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its 2007 report stated that it is ‘unequivocal’ that the planet is heating up and that, with utmost certainty, the warming is caused by human activities. It is clearly understood that increased global temperatures will facilitate the propagation of certain deadly bacteria and the spread of diseases. For example, Kolivras and Andrew (2004) carried out a study that revealed that the presence and spread of four diseases; hantavirus, plague, dengue and coccidioidomycosis in the Southwestern U. S could be attributed to the increased in temperature in this region. Again, it is clear that higher global temperatures will lead to increase in the incidence and severity of droughts which will affect agricultural production, causing global food crisis. Also, the melting of continental and Artic ice, due to global warming, will cause flooding and other devastating problems that will affect millions of people globally. Persistent drought, on the other hand, also severely impacts a society. Besides the shortage of food and water that characterizes drought conditions, Davis (2007) also point out that drought rapidly destabilizes the natural ecosystem. Buttressing this fact, he observed that, without sufficient moisture to produce protective sap, â€Å"millions of acres of pinyon and ponderosa pine have been ravaged by plagues of bark beetles; these dead forests, in turn, have helped to kindle the firestorms that have burst into the suburbs of Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Denver, as well as destroyed part of Los Alamos† (Davies, 2007). However, despite the frightening consequences of droughts and/or global warming, the real issue here is the misunderstanding of the problem at hand. A clear understanding of the real cause and nature of the drought in the Southwestern United States will greatly help in containing the problem before it get out of hand. In a study for the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Richard Seager and other scientists point out that all the models used for the third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated a general decrease in rainfall in the subtropics during the 21st century and gradual drying up of the region with increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (Seager et al, 2007). The present drought in the region is therefore, evidently a consequence of a much bigger problem, the realization of this fact is important in shaping public attitudes and opinions required for finding a lasting solution to the problem. Theoretical Framework The states of the Southwestern United States fall in a climatic region known as the subtropics. The climate in these regions is characteristically dry because the atmosphere moves water out of these regions. Moist air from these regions is often transported to temperate regions at higher latitudes. This phenomenon is referred to as the â€Å"Hadley cell† (Thompson, 2007). This flow of moist air away from subtropics induces rising air over the equator and descending air over the subtropics. The descending air over the subtropics suppresses precipitation, which further increase dryness of the regions. With global warming, the blanket of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere heat up the air over the subtropics enabling it to carry and transport more moisture away from the region. Furthermore, with increasing global temperatures, ‘Hadley cell’ (the flow of air out of the subtropics) expands pole ward, bringing the United States Southwestern region under the increasing influence of descending air, further compromising precipitation and further worsening drought. The link between reduced precipitation and drought was established by McNab and Karl (2003) who asserted that â€Å"precipitation can be considered to be the carrier of the drought signal and stream flow and ground-water levels can be considered to be the last indicators of the occurrence of a drought† (McNab and Karl, 2003). It has been argued that whilst past droughts in the region was because La Nina brought ‘cooler ocean temperatures to the equatorial Pacific, which resulted in drier conditions over North America’, the present drought is caused by changing climatic conditions characterized by increasing global temperatures that enable more moisture to be transported out of the region and suppressed precipitation.

Review Literary Terms, Eng 125 Essay

Imagination is the power to create. It is the key component to literature. Without imagination, there won’t be an interesting story, I believe. Imagination is not only important to the writer, it helps the reader broaden their interpretation of the story. â€Å"When you allow reading to unlock your imagination, your connection sets the stage for intellectual engagement. It allows the experience of reading literature to include the pursuit of ideas and knowledge. † (Clugston, R. W 2010). With imagination comes genre. Choosing what category or type of literature. It can be a short story, poem, or drama. â€Å"It can be used to make broad distinctions or to identify specific categories within a broad category. The short story and the novel, for example, are specific literary genres within the broad category of fiction. â€Å"(Clugston, R. W. 2010). I think another very important component to literature is the tone. Setting the tone will let the reader know what attitude the literary work is going. For example, â€Å"the final lines in Updike’s poem create an initial feeling of sympathy, which is likely to become empathy if the reader reflects on the dog’s predicament in not being able to communicate its final struggle. † (Clugston, R. W 2010). Tone is followed by image. Image represents the experience that go through your senses, the idea. Writers use specific language to describe the imagery. Again, in Frost’s and Updike’s poems about the dog, â€Å"In Frost’s image of an old dog there’s an initial feeling of sadness, but if the reader reflects on what the poem has to say about the inevitable life cycle that both the dog and the speaker face, sadness is likely to fade somewhat into acceptance. † Reference Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Enough – creative writing

William Peterson rapped his knuckle against the hollow ply-board and gathered the familiar stench of damp cigarette stubs and oil into his lungs. The finger-stained door flapped open carelessly and the soft sound echoed round the concrete walls. A hand appeared, thrusting some worn keys towards William. It belonged to Janet. She was only fifty-ish, but the fifteen years spent doing nothing in the fumes had eroded her eyes deep into her face and had buried her personality even further down. William didn't even nod in acknowledgement; speaking to Janet would have been like conversing with a piece of machinery. The door closed. William was late, as usual, but didn't hurry. He walked casually across the bus station, passed a small line of irritated passengers, and then clambered aboard the number 51 bus. Once in the driver's seat, William removed his coat slowly, much to the annoyance of the passengers, who were either looking purposefully at their watches or directing quick, sour glances in his direction. They started to board. First in the queue was a young mother carrying a chubby baby awkwardly on her narrow hips. Her face was sallow, and she wore a frown that was accentuated by two smooth streaks of black lip-liner. An old lady sidestepped up next, balancing a puffed ball of grey hair precariously on her head. She spent several minutes counting out the exact fare in five pence pieces, before falling into the nearest seat in one robotically arthritic movement. Following her was William's friend Sam, a tall black man. He was wearing a brand new baseball cap that aged him considerably. After greeting William and paying for a return ticket, Sam turned and beamed at the chubby baby, and then climbed the clammy steps to the top deck. Then three teenage girls giggled their way on to the bus, just finishing their conversation. â€Å"Oh-my-God, did you hear what happened?!† â€Å"I know, she's such a bitch.† Their self-absorbed world of mobiles and Bacardi Breezers swept its way to the back seats and settled. Only a few more people climbed aboard and the bus was not even a quarter full. William checked his watch, and tried to start the engine. It wheezed for a few seconds and then stubbornly staggered into silence once again. This bus' reliability had ventured beyond temperamental. Cursing inwardly, William gingerly twisted the key for a second time†¦ It started – thank God. The 51 pulled out of the concrete hovel into mellowing autumn sunshine. The bus groaned, stretching its filthy bodywork as it picked up speed. It was late afternoon. The girls at the back laughed some more and rearranged their bulging shopping bags. William visibly relaxed and sank deeper into his seat. The soft pad had moulded itself perfectly to the shape of the buttocks that had occupied it for so many years. For a moment, William almost regretted that he had decided to retire in two month's time, but this absurd feeling quickly passed as he recalled how much he hated the job. The sweet-sour smell of cigarette smoke wafted down the steps. â€Å"No smoking!† shouted William over his shoulder, though he felt utterly hypocritical as he did so; he smoked like a chimney himself. As he turned back round, William looked with horror at the road ahead. Directly in front of him was a young girl, staring up at him, frozen with fear. William screeched on the 51's protesting brakes and prayed for the first time in his life†¦ Final Chapter A crushing semi-silence had descended on the courtroom. The second-hand of a clock was jumping round somewhere above William's head. In front of him, he could see Carla Greene walking sedately. Still sporting the same hideous shade of lip-liner, she stepped up to the witness box. The dark curves round her mouth buckled and puckered as she started to speak, and William fixed his eyes on them, though he did not hear what she said. He was transported back to the day when Carla's lip-liner had formed a great oval, and when her mouth had issued piercing screams as she pointed at a small, lifeless mound in the road. He had been haunted by that image ever since, and saw her face almost every time he closed his eyes. William's chest tightened and he took a deep, choked breath that brought him back from the verge of breaking down into tears. The sound of it made several people look over at him. William dipped his head down to avoid their stares. He knew the girl's parents would be looking, and he couldn't face them. The pain of this guilt was worse than anything he had felt before. He dared not look up. Instead, he pretended to be engrossed in picking a callous on his thumb. After a while, Carla's voice stopped, and the sound of the clock ticking could be heard again. William ventured a glimpse up, and was relieved to see Rose's parents were looking at the judge. He studied their faces: the mother, despite her show of strength today, could not hide the devastating grief she obviously still felt. Though quite young, her skin appeared dull in the harsh light, her eyes were puffy and her brow was lightly wrinkled. The father, who was receiving counselling along with his wife, looked vacant and bewildered. Though William had told himself countless times it had been an accident, blame had engulfed him during the past few months. A part of him still couldn't accept that a moment's lapse in concentration could destroy a young life, and ruin the lives of a whole family. William had wanted the court case to be over, so that he could put this all behind him, but now, actually sitting in the court room, confronted with so many sad faces, he felt that he would never be able to do that. Somehow a sentence of community service – the norm for a charge of driving ‘without due care and attention', wasn't enough to heal the wounds left by the accident. The court was adjourned for the day, and some window blinds were opened as they all stood, letting thick shafts of sunlight into the room. The general mood lifted slightly and a low hum of conversation developed. William saw Cynthia up in the gallery and also noticed Thomas peering over the high railing, his cool blue eyes darting around inquisitively. After a few moments, Cynthia turned and smiled at him. At least, William thought, he had people around who cared for him. William walked out of the courtroom, staring at the green carpet tiles beneath his feet as he did so. Once in the corridor, Mr O'Brien walked over and spoke to him briefly. The conversation passed completely over William's head. â€Å"I think you're going to get away with a relatively short sentence of community service, Mr Peterson. The evidence the girl gave was hardly incriminating.† â€Å"Mmmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"So, I'll see you tomorrow then.† â€Å"Uh, yes.† William could see through into the foyer where Cynthia and Thom were waiting, and he willingly broke off the stilted conversation to hurry off and meet them. â€Å"Hi dad!† Cynthia said, kissing him on the cheek, â€Å"How've you been?† â€Å"Oh, I'm fine†¦I see you didn't manage to find anyone to look after Thom, then.† â€Å"No, but he was fine up in the gallery – didn't hear a squeak out of him!† â€Å"No, but a court is no place for a child.† Cynthia fell silent at her father's criticism, but readily took his arm as they walked outside. The Crown Court was a Sixty's building, and through the door they were greeted with a typical concrete courtyard, complete with matching shallow flowerpots in which some thoughtful person had planted beautiful purple pansies. Their colour pinpricked the otherwise monotone surroundings. William and Cynthia stopped so that Thom, who was playing on the steps, could catch up. It was then that William saw Rose Eliot's parents exiting through the doors behind them. They were walking slowly as Mrs Eliot was obviously heavily pregnant, a fact which had escaped William until then. He watched as they came down the steps past Thom, and saw them look at him. Suddenly, William found himself walking over towards them. He didn't really know why. He just realised that he desperately needed to speak to them, to tell them how sorry he was, to tell them he would never forgive himself†¦ Mr and Mrs Eliot looked quite shocked at first, but as William drew closer, they just looked expectant, as if they had wanted to speak to him as well. When he had reached them, William said the only thing he felt that he could, the only thing he wanted to say, and the only thing, it seemed, they wanted to hear. â€Å"I'm so, so sorry.† That was all. That was enough. That said more than a whole court case could say, or a huge bunch of flowers sent to a funeral could say. It was enough.

Bioethics of Euthanasia

As biological organisms, humans design patterns of how to live by way of autonomous lifestyle choices, only after being born into a subjective realm of existence with social opportunities and limitations suggested by how one is nurtured and raised. A sense of a connection to objectivity is gained depending on how closely one associates themselves with an organized institution such as religion, or other form of moral code. The idea that knowledge learned from a moral superior at a young age can suggest, or sometimes in early adulthood, coerce decision-making is indicative of a set of parameters or expectations that one must achieve so to honor the objective family belief. Therefore, the family is also an institution which generates the same attachment to objectivity that encourages a certain set of goals. Ultimately though, it is one’s subjective experience that has it’s own social, physical, mental, and spiritual habits and attachments that cause the mind and body to perform and exist in a particular way. The overarching illegality of euthanasia across North America is supported by religious institutions which act as the sole moral platform for questioning the professional conduct of medical practitioners. The hegemonic belief that is fostered views euthanasia as a breach of non-maleficence, though doctors have and will likely continue to comply with life-ending aid in North America, regardless of recent deliberation regarding legislation. A legalization of euthanasia could ease tensions for physicians and patients dealing with chronic fatal health conditions, but would require specific criteria for legality. The debilitating suffering from a terminal illness should be the first criteria, as well as an autonomous request made by the sufficiently competent patient. Those who advocate for the legalization of euthanasia are part of a particular morality that sees beyond the mystical value of medical non-maleficence and opposes overarching institutional moralities that forbid life-ending decisions. Also of concern is the slippery slope argument, whereby any level of legal euthanasia would likely incite requests for more flexible criteria, publicly bringing into question the intangible value of human life. A central notion of biomedical ethics that stands as a major contender against the legalization of euthanasia is non-maleficence. To generally adhere to the principles of non-maleficence, physicians should not provide ineffective treatments to patients as these offer risk with no possibility of benefit and thus have a chance of harming patients. In addition, physicians must not do anything that would purposely harm patients without the action being balanced by proportional benefit (Beauchamp, 155). This benefit is not necessarily beneficial to the terminally ill individual who has requested euthanasia. The benefit referred to in the medical field is generally an extension of life and a restoration of health, which is not a reality for the terminally ill, rather a benefit might be an end to incurable suffering. Because many medications, procedures, and interventions cause harm in addition to benefit, the principle of non-maleficence provides little concrete guidance in the care of patients, and acts as a fairly weak argument against euthanasia. A helpful distinction when debating the validity of physician assisted suicide is that of ‘killing’ and ‘allowing to die’. If a patient is too frail to undergo restorative treatment, it can be said that the withholding of that treatment is allowing the patient to die. On the other hand, ‘killing’ entails taking action that would hasten the onset of death. There is considerable overlap between these two concepts, to the point that a clear distinction is not readily discernible (Beauchamp, 172). The prima facie nature of allowing a patient to die, as expressed by Beauchamp is acceptable under certain conditions whereby a medical technology is considered futile, or ineffectual, or a patient and/or surrogate decision maker has validly denied a medical technology (173). In the case that a patient is suffering unnecessarily, and has denied or been denied the opportunity for treatment due to severity of illness, should euthanasia not be an acceptable option? This action would undoubtedly fall under the category of ‘killing’, but if the nearest solution is the imminent death of a terminally ill patient, the concept of non-maleficence should not apply to a deliberate hastening of the patients’ biological shutdown. It can also be argued that fading to death in palliative care with little to no cognition is of little value, and coming from a strictly utilitarian perspective, in some cases, may be unnecessary. If an elderly patient has no immediate family, and is in the final stages of a degenerative disease, the option of the patient to deny extended care and hasten the imminence of death should ot be considered immoral. The approval of certain cases such as the example above would definitely introduce a ‘slippery slope’ argument whereby the notions and parameters of conducting euthanasia would be challenged, inflated, and publicly scorned. The infamous example of Dr. Kevorkian is indicative of the demand for physican-assisted suicide, and the flexible moralities of perhaps many physicians who are faced with the challenge of allowing a patient to pursue a hastened death. Michigan doctor Jack Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder for delivering a lethal injection to a 52-year-old man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. It was the first time in five trials that Kevorkian was found guilty of a crime after participating in, by his count, at least 130 assisted suicides. Likened to â€Å"a medical hit man† by the prosecution, Kevorkian compared himself to Martin Luther King and told the court he was no more culpable than an executioner. The 70-year-old doctor had dared prosecutors to charge him and threatened a hunger strike if convicted. â€Å"Suicide†). The case of Kevorkian’s assisted suicides shows that public hegemonic belief places all burden on the physician involved, for it is technically legal to carry out or attempt suicide, but not with the aid of any other person, especially a clinician. These laws tend to make sense in every realm except the medical world, where euthanasia is an issue that arises with the terminally ill, and particular moralities strongly advocate for the right to die under certain circumstances, as illustrated by Kevorkian’s rash threats of a hunger strike if convicted. Obviously viewing himself as a liberator, Kevorkian’s particular morality quickly earned him a reputation, and having participated in over one hundred assisted suicides, he stands not as a reputable opposition to hegemony, but rather a moral pariah. Kevorkian’s comparison of his ‘moral fallacy’ with the conduct of an executioner is an interesting philosophical idea, and also illustrates the exclusivity of moral professionalism within the medical world. This is mostly apparent in the United States where there is a domination of privatized health care, and plenty of capital punishment. The application of morality is varied when it comes to death and dying, in a society where a 20 year old can be put to death for committing murder, and in the same society, a terminally ill, suffering patient cannot decidedly seek a peaceful death without moral intervention. In both cases, strong moral impositions are made, and guide the fate of both individuals. The convict has a chance at rehabilitation, and renewing his moral adherence and contribution to society, but is not rewarded the chance because his actions stripped him of his dignity. On the other hand, the dying patient is not permitted to seek assistance in death because common morality forbids it, much like the same common morality denies the convict a second chance. The patient is denied euthanasia because the hegemonic function of the medical field is to avoid non-maleficence, so according to the same morality, the criminal is denied rehabilitation and put to death because the function of the law is to appropriately punish offenders. This paradox shows how two distinct versions of the same common morality are stamped like a ‘cookie cutter’, yielding the anticipated results of the societal function: the patient can’t die because medicine is designed to keep him alive, and the criminal can’t live because capital punishment is designed to eliminate him. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to suggest that the application of euthanasia in the medical field should be acceptable in certain circumstances, and that exclusive clinical moralities should allow deliberation on the subject, and not continue to function in a ‘cookie cutter’ fashion. In Canada and the United States, laws distinguishing ‘active’ and ‘passive’ categories of euthanasia are divided into four sections: â€Å"deliberately killing persons who wish to die or assisting them in suicide (active voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide), deliberately killing persons whose wishes are unknown or opposed to such treatment (active involuntary euthanasia), withholding or withdrawing life-preserving means from those who do not want them used (forgoing treatment of competent individuals), and letting persons die by withholding or withdrawing life-preserving means when their wishes are unknown or when they want, or would tolerate, such means to be applied or maintained (forgoing treatment of incompetent individuals)† (Dickens, 136). According to these legal parameters, it would seem that active and passive euthanasia should only occur when indicated by the patient, living will, or a surrogate, such as active voluntary euthanasia, an d the forgoing of treatment to competent individuals. These two forms provide the patient with the moral decision to adopt the institutional values of their choice and affect their course of longevity and suffering. In the cases of active involuntary euthanasia, and the withholding of treatment from incompetent patients it can be said that, morally, the physician has no right to change the course of the patient’s treatment without clearance from a living will or surrogate. To conduct active involuntary euthanasia, or withhold treatment for no apparent reason indicated by the patient or surrogate, negligence would necessarily apply and represent the justified fault of the attending physician. Dealing with death is a subjective experience that generates fear, and causes humans to seek comfort in institutional beliefs, whether that be family, religion, other forms of spirituality, or modern medicine itself. Death reminds humans of their biological capacities and fleeting opportunities for experience in life, and generates a desire to medicalize suicide. â€Å"We want physicians to provide the means to end life in an antiseptically acceptable fashion. Knives, guns, ropes, and bridges tend to be messy. We seek a more aesthetically pleasing way of terminating life, one that leaves the patient looking dead, but not disgusting. For this, as in so much else in the 20th-century quest for happiness, we turn to the physician† (Paris, 33). Much like we seek aesthetic modifications from plastic surgeons, and mental stability from psychologists, we turn again to professional doctors for a method of dealing with the harsh reality of death. Though euthanasia may be an acceptable option for some people in certain sets of dire circumstances, it is the fear of death generated by the triumphs of medicine that provide the illusion that death and suffering are something a physician can cure. Medicinal miracles and the rise of technological medicine give people the impression that old losses are new triumphs, at least insofar as one can be kept alive for longer with chronic diseases. This notion sparks the fear of suffering before death, and that morbidity will be extended instead of compressed. Essentially then, it is the physician who bears all weight of the laws pertaining to euthanasia, which seems unjust when there is little more that medicine can do for a terminally ill patient than aid in their peaceful departure from life. The argument that legalized euthanasia would initiate the slippery slope, and â€Å"hospitals would become cruel and dehumanized places† are refuted by the suggestion and observation of the exact opposite (Schafer). As Schafer suggests, â€Å"experience has shown that what happened was exactly the opposite of what was predicted by the naysayers: Doctors and hospitals have become kinder and gentler, patients' wishes are better respected than previously and society has come to accept the importance of individual autonomy at the end of life† (3). Clearly, the legalization of euthanasia would not entirely disrupt the nature of medical care in Canada, and with current debates indicating the possibility of change, society may undergo a change of ideas in the near future. The idea that euthanasia may provide a patient with more dignity at death than what is often referred to as ‘sedation to unconsciousness’ is becoming more common, and should not be deemed unacceptable next to palliative care. With the right safeguards in place, euthanasia should be one of many life-ending options available to Canadians near the end of their life, with palliative care being a morally adjacent decision. The subjective experience of death is one’s own, and even familial institution can only do so much to comfort the process of being terminally ill. Therefore it should be a decision of the patient to seek medical help, either in the form of sedation and longevity, or immediate peace.