Commercialization of Education Essay

Bacteria, Virus, and Parasites — Years ago, waterborne diseases accounted for millions of deaths. Even today in underdeveloped countries, an estimated 25,000 people will die daily from waterborne disease. Effects of waterborne microorganisms can be immediate and devastating. Therefore, microorganisms are the first and most important consideration in making water acceptable for human consumption. Generally speaking, modern municipal supplies are relatively free from harmful organisms because of routine disinfection with chlorine or chloramines and frequent sampling. This does not mean municipal water is free of all bacteria. Those of us with private wells and small rural water systems have reason to be more concerned about the possibility of microorganism contamination from septic tanks, animal wastes, and other problems. There is a little community in California, where 4,000,000 gallons of urine hits the ground daily from dairy cows! Authorities say that at least 4000 cases of waterborne diseases are reported every year in the U.S. They also estimate that much of the temporary ills and everyday gastrointestinal disorders that go routinely unreported can be attributed to organisms found in our water supplies. INORGANIC IMPURITIES: Dirt and Sediment or Turbidity — Most waters contain some suspended particles which may consist of fine sand, clay, soil, and precipitated salts. Turbidity is unpleasant to look at, can be a source of food and lodging for bacteria, and can interfere with effective disinfection. Total Dissolved Solids — These substances are dissolved rock and other compounds from the earth. The entire list of them could fill this page. The presence and amount of total dissolved solids in water represents a point of controversy among those who promote water treatment products. Here are some facts about the consequences of higher levels of TDS in water: 1. High TDS results in undesirable taste which could be salty, bitter, or metallic. 2. High TDS water is less thirst quenching. 3. Some of the individual mineral salts that make up TDS pose a variety of health hazards. The most problematic are Nitrates, Sodium, Sulphates, Barium, Copper, and Fluoride. 4. The EPA Secondary Regulations advise a maximum level of 500mg/litter (500 parts per million-ppm) for TDS. Numerous water supplies exceed this level. When TDS levels exceed 1000mg/L it is generally considered unfit for human consumption. 5. High TDS interferes with the taste of foods and beverages, and makes them less desirable to consume. 6. High TDS make ice cubes cloudy, softer, and faster melting. 7. Minerals exist in water mostly as INORGANIC salts. In contrast, minerals having passed through a living system are known as ORGANIC minerals. They are combined with proteins and sugars. According to many nutritionists minerals are much easier to assimilate when they come from foods. Can you imagine going out to your garden for a cup of dirt to eat rather than a nice carrot; or drinking a whole bathtub of water for LESS calcium than that in an 8 ounce glass of milk? 8. Water with higher TDS is considered by some health advocates to have a poorer cleansing effect in the body than water with a low level of TDS. This is because water with low dissolved solids has a greater capacity of absorption than water with higher solids. Toxic Metals or Heavy Metals — Among the greatest threats to health are the presence of high levels of toxic metals in drinking water – Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, and Silver. Maximum limits for each are established by the EPA Primary Drinking Water Regulations. Other metals such as Chromium and Selenium, while essential trace elements in our diets, have limits imposed upon them when in water because the form in which they exist may pose a health hazard. Toxic metals are associated with nerve damage, birth defects, mental retardation, certain cancers, and increased susceptibility to disease. Asbestos — Asbestos exists as microscopic suspended mineral fibres in water. Its primary source is asbestos-cement pipe which was commonly used after World War II for city water supplies. It has been estimated that some 200,000 miles of this pipe is presently in use to transport our drinking water. Because these pipes are wearing, the deadly substance of asbestos is showing up with increasing frequency in drinking water. It has been linked with gastrointestinal cancer. Radioactivity — Even though trace amounts of radioactive elements can be found in almost all drinking water, levels that pose serious health hazards are fairly rare–for now. Radioactive wastes leach from mining operations into groundwater supplies. The greatest threat is posed by nuclear accidents, nuclear processing plants, and radioactive waste disposal sites. As containers containing these wastes deteriorate with time, the risk of contaminating our aquifers’ grows into a toxic time bomb. ORGANIC IMPURITIES: Tastes and Odours — If your water has a disagreeable taste or odour, chances are it is due to one or more of many organic substances ranging from decaying vegetation to algae; hydrocarbons to phenols. It could also be TDS and a host of other items. Pesticides and Herbicides — The increasing use of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture shows up in the water we drink. Rain and irrigation carry these deadly chemicals down into the groundwater as well as into surface waters — There are more than 100,000,000 people in the US who depend upon groundwater for sources whole or in part of their drinking water. As our reliance upon groundwater is escalating, so is its contamination. Our own household use of herbicide and pesticide substances also contributes to actual contamination. These chemicals can cause circulatory, respiratory and nerve disorders. Toxic Organic Chemicals — The most pressing and widespread water contamination problem is a result of the organi c chemicals created by industry. The American Chemical Society lists 4,039,907 distinct chemical compounds as of late 1977! This list only is comprised of chemicals reported since 1965. The list can grow by some 6,000 chemicals per week! 70,000 chemicals may still be in production in the US. As of December, 1978, 50 chemicals were being produced in greater quantities than 1,300,000,000 pounds per year in the US. 115,000 establishments are involved in the production and distribution of chemicals, with the business being worth $113,000,000,000 per year. According to the EPA, there are 77,000,000,000 pounds of hazardous waste being generated each year in the US. 90 percent of this is not disposed of properly. This would equal 19,192 pounds of hazardous waste disposed each year on every square mile of land and water surface in the US including Alaska and Hawaii!! There are 181,000 manmade lagoons at industrial and municipal sites in the US. At least 75 percent of these are unlined. Even the lined ones will leak according to the EPA. Some of these are within 1 mile of wells or water supplies. There is still a lack of information on the location of these sites, their condition, and containments. THIS IS A HORROR STORY OF THE MILLENNIUM. Chemicals end up in our drinking water from hundreds of different sources. There are hundreds of publications each year highlighting this problem. The effects of chronic long term exposure to these toxic organics, even in minute amounts, are extremely difficult to detect. Contaminated drinking water may look and taste perfectly normal. The users’ symptoms might include recurring headache, rash, or fatigue – all of which are hard to diagnose as being water related. The more serious consequences of drinking tainted water are higher cancer rates, birth defects, growth abnormalities, infertility, and nerve and organ damage. Some of these disorders may go unnoticed for decades!! Just how toxic these chemicals are may be illustrated by looking at two examples: TCE is a widely used chemical which routinely shows up in water supplies. Just two glassfuls of TCE can contaminate 27,000,000 gallons of drinking water! One pound of the pesticide, Endrin can contaminate 5,000,000,000 gallons of water. Chlorine — Trihalomethanes (THM’s) are formed when chlorine, used to disinfect water supplies, interacts with natural organic materials (e.g. by-products of decayed vegetation, algae, etc.). This creates toxic organic chemicals such as chloroform, and Bromodichloromethane. A further word about chlorine: Scientists at Colombia University found that women who drank chlorinated water ran a 44% greater risk of dying of cancer of the gastrointestinal or urinary tract than did women who drank non-chlorinated water! Chlorinated water has also been linked to high blood pressure and anaemia. Anaemia is caused by the deleterious effect of chlorine on red blood cells.

Write a comprehensive note on the role of a teacher in the Montessori classroom

The teacher in a Montessori classroom takes on a completely different role to a teacher in a traditional classroom. So much so, that directress or guide are preferred over the word teacher. The reason for this is that it is the teachers main role to guide the children and help the children in their learning. The teacher isn't a person who pushes the child to learn when & what she wants them to learn. The teacher doesn't cause the child to learn. They aren't the conduit for knowledge that than flows into the child's mind. The child's active mind will do the learning on its own.Being a guide doesn't just consist of just talking to the children. A guide must be aware of each child's personality, how they work,what they are interested and which stage of development that are at. They must also understand child development and growth. The guide must also be aware of her behaviour and attitudes as well. The teacher is responsible for putting Montessori principles into practise in the classr oom. The environment in a Montessori classroom is also vitally important. It is the role of the teacher to prepare the environment to allow the learning process to happen naturally.A full understanding of the Montessori method is vital so she she can use the correct classroom materials and techniques to encourage the child's learning. A teacher shouldn't be the focal point in the environment she is creating. The learning materials very important and must cater for the needs and interests of the children in her class. She will usually be found working with an individual child or a couple at at time. It is very rare that the teacher will present a large group lesson. She may present a new lesson and observe and advise the students, as the priority is the child's learning.She needs to meet as many needs as possible for as many students as possible each day. This is a big part of planning the environment because each child is an individual with different needs and are all at different d evelopmental stages. Interests, desires and learning styles also differ immensely. It is important that all these factors and all students are considered when preparing an environment. When an enviroment is set up correctly students should be able to easily choose their own activities and find their own answers to problems with their teacher there to mentor and guide them.Students will be scattered through out a peaceful classroom, individually or in small groups of 2's and 3's, totally absorbed in working on appropriate activities for their stage of development. Often it can be difficult to pick out the teacher in the type of environment. A teacher in a Montessori classroom would normally be involved in the following activities through the course of a day. Preparation of the environment. This needs to be in line with the students in her class, the activities they are interested in and the stages of development they are at.She is the link between the environment and the child and is engaged actively between the two. The teacher is also responsible to keep the classroom in perfect condition. It is important that the children can make their own choices easily. The environment needs to be changed and updated whenever required. At times things will need to be added and at other times, things taken away. The teacher will experiment with the environment to work out what is needed to meet the needs of her children. Observing the child is vital in the Montessori classroom.By constantly observing the children, the teacher is able to understand their interests and tailor the environment to suit. All observations should be done in a systematic way and all observations must be noted. Through these observations the teacher is always aware of the children's sensitive periods, their progress, needs & interests. She is always carefully noting the outcomes of her observations. A Montessori teacher will give only brief lessons. She does this with the simplest information needed to entice the child to work alone on the project that he is curious about.Her presentations need to be demonstrated in a clear and interesting fashion which is relevant to the child. The way this all comes about is, the teacher will be watching the child as they explore the shelves & equipment to make their choice. She will go to the child and take consent to work with that particular material or piece of equipment. She will get the child to help take the material to an area where he will work and specify its place on the shelf. The teacher gives the child the rules for using that piece of equipment and gives a brief, precise demonstration of the things that can be done with that equipment.This demonstration is a brief introduction and an initial exploratory procedure. The child is encouraged to explore further on their own. The goal of Montessori is for the child to become independent and self disciplined. Presentations let the child investigate, work autonomously and at their own pace, moving on to the next step when they have achieved their objective, therefore helping to achieve independence as the child learns to use the materials & the classroom with a minimum amount of supervision and no interruptions.The main purposes of a Montessori guide are to focus on the child rather than the lesson. She evaluates the child and his progress each day. Through these evaluations she is also discovering whether her preparation of the environment has been effective too. The teacher nurtures the child and inspires him to ask questions and be a thinker so he can discover and keep exploring for himself. She does all this in an atmosphere of warmth, safety, stability and friendship. She is the child's mentor & coach.She learns when it is appropriate to offer help or set limits and when it is best to leave the child to himself. She needs to communicate with the child and encourage him to communicate with her. She is a role model for the children in the area of behaviour an d consistency and also follows the classroom rules as an example to the child. It is her responsibility to report to parents and other staff on the progress of each child. The roles of a Montessori teacher are wide & varied and one where the child's best interest is of the highest value.

Changes in 1750 to 1850

This period of time (1750-1850) was the Industrial Revolution. This meant that the factory system and use of machines increased. There were also more wealth for Britain and increase of population! However there changes in social, religion, economic and more political changes, this resulted in incidences such as calls for education, voting, equality and so on. But the main changes were transport, industry, home/leisure and health. Transport changes quickly 1750-1850, it was an increase for much better methods of moving heavy goods such as fruit and vegetables! However the changes did not just happened at once, it had several stages. First roads were improved, than canals were built and finally the Railway was developed! This has a good impact because in 1750 travel was slow, usually on foot, but many main roads had been improved by becoming turnpikes (toll roads). Toll roads is a public or private roadway for which a fee, or toll is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recuperate the cost of road construction and maintenance, which on public roads amounts to a form of taxation. Journey times: London to Manchester took 4 days, London to oxford took 2 days. Over time the roads become flatter, they were not dirt tracks anymore, they made roads straighter, levelled out and they also built bridges on the roads. Canals were built so factories could move raw materials from factory to factory. The cannels had several advantages! Firstly a boat is not going to have a bumpy journey; so fragile goods are much less likely to smash on route. Secondly a canal barge is much larger than a horse drawn wagon and so it can be used to carry much more than wagons on Turnpike roads could be expected to. Also canals were cheap to use and could carry 50 tonnes! Railways developed quickly because of Stephenson! Stephenson invented steam trains. The steam trains would be used to power motors and would be used in mines to help bring coals to the surface quicker! In 1850 railways connected every major town and city in Britain, making much faster travel available for all. Journey times: London to Manchester 6 hours; London to oxford 2 hours! The most important change for the industry was the invitation of machines to do the work of hand tools. Iron was very important because it was used for machines, tools, ships, railways and trains. However the factories were making clothing and goods on time because the machinery made them quicker! The industry was now becoming more advanced. Power had changed from water to coal. Coal is very important because it power domestic homes, machinery and transport

Graduation (Narrative Writing) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Graduation (Narrative Writing) - Essay Example Unfortunately, when my father lost his way to the place, I started to get nervous that I might be late or my name would be called and I would not be there. This was a shameful thing to even think of yet I had these open-eyed dreams again and again. There was something seriously terrible happening that day, not only with me but also the ones who were linked to me in one way or the other. My family had to take the brunt of my worry. Eventually my father reached the place safe and sound and in one piece. I quickly wore the graduation gown and the weird cap that made me feel uneasy all the time. It kept getting off my head and I chased it more than anything else that I have chased all my life. The ultimate moment came when my name was called out on the stage but I did not pay heed to it, more so because I was busy finding my cap and then putting it back up on my head again. I was really angry when my name was called out the second time as I quickly got up and started to march towards the principal in order to collect my degree. This was a difficult walk since I stumbled upon back and forth. Eventually I reached the place where the principal was standing and took my degree and left the stage as soon as I had entered. I believe all of this happened within a blink of an eye. I just could not come to terms with what had happened with my own self all this while. I believe whatever happens, happens for a reason and so is the case with my graduation day. I laugh at the events that happened on that day and it makes me realize that nearly all events of life must be enjoyed as they teach one lesson or the other at different stage of one’s career. I was unsatisfied earlier that my graduation day went really bad and I had no fond memories of the same to share with my friends yet when I think about the same now, I come to the realization that it makes me feel happy and at ease and more than anything else, it spreads a smile on my face

Environmental policies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Environmental policies - Research Paper Example As a result of the popularity of this issue, there have been key debates on whether the challenge it posses is dangerous for the world with another side dismissing global warming as an affair that is dangerous and does not exist although the two sides identify the importance of protecting the levels of greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere. This essay focuses on the challenging issue of global warming. The essay will provide a brief definition of global warming and engage in a discussion of global warming and especially on its key definitional aspect of climate change. Thereafter, the essay identifies the reasons that contribute to the aspect of climate change while identifying the main cause of climate change, which is the greenhouse gases emission. The essay will also identify the main responses to climate change and in particular, the main issues of adaptation to climate change and mitigation processes. Before engaging on any discussion on global warming, it is essential to und erstand what global warming means. By its very name, global warming is the increasing temperatures in the atmosphere of the earth and in oceans. It is important to differentiate between the weather and the climate of the world. In this case, the weather in a particular area includes temperatures, the amount of rainfall experienced in a place, the cloud cover, and the wind speed experienced in the place. On the other hand, the climate of a region or a place is quantified by finding the average of the weather in the place (Fern, 2009). Hence, the weather of a place could be defined as dry and hot, cool and wet, or even cool and dry while the weather could be sunny, rainy, windy, or any other type of weather. It is evident that the weather of a region could change anytime. This implies that the climate of a region could also change, which explains the phenomenon the world currently experiences in relationship to global warming as the world becomes hotter and hotter each day. Evidence o f Climate Change The last two decades have remarkably been characterized by the changes in the climate of the world. In this case, the 1980s and 1990s were noted as very warm years and this was the beginning of the issue of global warming since this period ushered in the changes in world climate (Houghton, 2004). In these two last decades of the 20th century, climatic records indicate that there have been issues of climate change with the world’s climatic conditions growing hotter and hotter. Case in point, there has been evidence of unusually strong winds in Europe with the early morning of 16 October 1987 experiencing blowing down of â€Å"over fifteen million trees in the southeastern part of England and in its capital of London† (Houghton, 2004, p.2). Most recently, the world has experienced its fair share of disasters resulting from typhoons and hurricanes that have brought devastating effects on the environment with the effects of these challenges felt on the liv elihoods of people and on their lives. Rainfall patterns have also changed, which is part of the climate changes that the world continues to experience. In this case, the world has experienced increasing incidents of strong rains that lead to flooding while other areas have experienced low

Investigate the available technologies and benefits of Environmentally Research Paper

Investigate the available technologies and benefits of Environmentally Friendly Offices - Research Paper Example Facing this dilemma we have to find a green source of energy that can help to reduce the usage of the gas turbines without affecting the operations of the factories (Pacific Controls, 2013). UAE being highly populated and with the emergence of a large number of businesses, the region is looking seriously towards alternate energy plans. Industries, factories and offices all are heading up with efficient ways of acquiring and producing electricity. The trend is towards alternate energy systems because of the rising prices of oil and petroleum constraining businesses to adapt the alternate plans of energy production (Pacific Controls, 2013). UAE upholds outstanding trend in alternate energy production and acquisition. The high rise building systems, the factories, the inventory lots and the massively spread production houses all are allocating alternate energy systems. The trend is actually inviting international allocators to bring direct energy solutions. To make power a green resourc e for businesses, with high efficiency and productivity the allocators are working on the alternate energy systems to come out responsive to the current market trend (Bachellerie, 2012). ... Aim To study the Viewed technology that can provide a green source of energy and investigate the feasibility of applying the Green offices that operate with a source of energy that is environmental friendly. Objectives To analyze the trend of the UAE market in construction of the environmental friendly offices applying the concepts of alternate energy. To identify the Viewed and the possible alternate energy solutions for green office construction. To identify the most feasible and economic energy solution for green office construction Research Methodology In order to find more information a research of the latest technology will be conducted to find the most effective and suitable ways of turning the offices to be environmental friendly. There are many organizations and companies specialized in providing green solutions, which can be contacted to provide advices and help to implement their ideas. Taking the suggestions of the specialists can hand out to the most effective energy sol ution. This is the initial phase of the research in which understanding of the UAE market with respect to environmental friendly office will be made. Offices, which are on allocating alternate or renewable energy plans, will be brought to assessment. The analysis of the market will identify the possible alternate energy solutions, out of which the best solution with respect to green offices will be proposed and recommended. On further, will explicate the experiences of the companies and organizations have implemented similar projects. Their experience can give a clear idea of how to install and what are the problems that can appear while and after finishing the

Sopholces plays often seem to support the idea of democracy. What Essay

Sopholces plays often seem to support the idea of democracy. What specific statements and events in Antigone make this true If you disagree then show how antigone is actually undemocratic - Essay Example All democratic acts are regarded as tyranny against the state and thus, punishable. The first instance is made in reference to the burial of the two brothers of Antigone. Eteocles who was not honorable by Greek’s standards, was given a respectful burial but Polyneices, who was considered an honorable man was denied the right to a respectful burial (Butler, 2000). The play begins at this instance when Antigone is pleading with her sister Ismene to help her bury their brother regardless of Creon’s orders. Ismene refused to help as she is afraid of the law as declared by Creon. She confesses to her sister that, â€Å"I yield to those who have authority† (line 67). She states that the divine law that allows her to give a befitting burial and respect the dead was being taken away from her and she strongly decided to respect the law of the gods as they were conflicting with those of Creon. In lines 453-55, she says, Even though Antigone is aware that being disobeying Creon’s orders will cost her life, she cannot risk disobeying the gods. She says that she is not afraid of Creon’s wrath than she is of â€Å"the gods’ tribunal† (458). There is no democracy in Antigone as the whole state is in uproar over the wicked reign of Creon as king. He has become very unpopular and people are just tired of him, even his son, Haemon who he has always considered very obedient has resorted to mocking him. Creon is not even moved when Teresias approaches him to tell him what people in town are saying about him. Creon believes that the state is supreme than all the people in Thebes and as a ruler, he makes the decisions for the benefit of the state as his will sovereign. In line 188-190, he says, Democracy means that the rule doesn’t discriminate between genders but in Antigone, women are not given a chance before men (Ruthann, 2007). When Antigone brothers died, Creon took the crown because he was a male

Jeffersonian Political Idealogy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Jeffersonian Political Idealogy - Essay Example Jefferson’s influence was instrumental from the beginning. Having authored the Declaration of Independence, he objected to the wording of the Constitution on various points, among these that it made no provisions for individual freedoms, that there were no term limits for the chief executive, and that there was no guarantee of state rights. These objections led to the first Ten Amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights. The last of these amendments stated specifically that "all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States or to the people," which came to be a focal point for much of Jefferson’s following political career. With the United States so newly founded, there were many matters of governance still to be addressed. One of the first issues to arise involved Alexander Hamilton’s proposed fiscal plans, which involved the creation of a federal currency and banking institute. The creation of this agenda would ultimately give the national government control over the economy, creating a balanced unification throughout the country while at the same time removing the states’ rights of minting their own currency to control inflation. Because this would help centralize the federal government position of authority, Hamilton and his supporters became known as the Federalists. Jefferson fought this plan, fearing that by all power being given to the Capitol, it would negate the system of checks and balances that had been designed. The Bank of the United States was established in 1791 over Jefferson’s objections, but was given a twenty year charter of operation. The charter, when reviewed at that time, was not renewed, primarily for the initial reasons of contention. More important than fiscal matters, however, was the establishing precedent of opposing political parties. Thomas

John Steinbeck's Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

John Steinbeck's Life - Essay Example Published in the Stanford Spectator, a student enterprise, "Fingers of Cloud" seems out of place within its own deceptively-titled context, and, indeed, has been out of place, beyond the pens of Steinbeck critics, for over eighty years. Only Hughes and Timmerman have ventured more than the obligatory sentence or two that Steinbeck's biographers have deigned to scribe and share. Hughes's most helpful contribution is re-stating Thomas Kiernan's biographical information concerning Steinbeck's job as straw-boss on the Spreckels sugar-beet ranch in January 1921 (Hughes 4-5), which is likely the basis for some of the content in "Fingers of Cloud"; Timmerman's is noting the "mysterious pull of the mountains upon the human spirit" in the story, which "would surface in later works of Steinbeck's," and insisting, incorrectly, that Steinbeck's initial offering is "clearly inferior" when compared with "the later Steinbeck canon" (Timmerman 11, 22). Regardless of the opinions regarding the source and worth of "Fingers and Cloud," ecocriticism of Steinbeck's first story, as well as its place within Steinbeck's overall environmental context, have never been attempted. "Fingers of Cloud" is brief, only five pages long. In the story a young orphaned woman named Gertie appears, sweeping the floors of her house, singing gaily to herself. Steinbeck describes Gertie's "flat, pink face," her "benign smile," her "hair, as white as a washed sheep's wool and nearly as curly," and her "pink eyes" (160). In the span of only a few pages, Gertie ascends a mountain; gets caught in a rainstorm; barges into a Filipino labor camp; meets, seduces, and is seduced by Pedro, the boss; is married to him the following day; sets up house within the labor camp; gets beaten for days after; realizes and makes realized her whiteness and her new husband's blackness; and then, finally, re-Â ­ascends the mountain after apparently leaving Pedro, for good, behind. In terms of characterization, setting, and d ialogue, "Fingers of Cloud" offers tantalizing tastes of Steinbeck's style--a style that would allow Steinbeck to begin realizing his deepest wish, and a style that would cement his status as American's finest twentieth century American writer. Steinbeck's first character, Gertie, disregards her worldly duties, embracing instead the brilliant mystery of tall mountains and bright skies. At the story's opener, Gertie chants to herself, "Don't have to sweep no more--don't have to wash no more--don't have to do absolutely nothin'--no more" (160), repeating the last two words for extra effect. With her parents absent, and the family home now her own, the naive Gertie is well aware of her newfound freedom but does not yet realize how an absence of human connections will negatively impact her life, which comes into play later in Steinbeck's story. It is as if, with her mother and father gone, Gertie's purpose departs; and though her life may now be carefree, an emptiness still remains. Thu s, Gertie decides to leave behind her neighborhood--which is a monotonous collection of "houses and fences and grass plots" followed immediately by "new houses and fences and grass plots" (160)--and instead succumbs to the pull of the wild from the top of a mountain. Interestingly enough, upon

The Health Care System in the United States Essay

The Health Care System in the United States - Essay Example Basically, the government plays a vital role in the healthcare system. It is usually the policymaker and regulator of the health care system. It has formed entities to ensure compliance with the current laws of the United States that affect and govern the healthcare industry. These entities include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Health care is a basic human right and it is, therefore, the responsibility of the United States government to ensure that all citizens can access affordable and quality healthcare. According to Wolper (173), as a stakeholder in the health care system, the government plays various roles. It provides and ensures access to health care especially to the vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with disabilities. The government does this by building public hospitals that provide cheaper and quality medical care to all its citizens. It supports the acquisition of new knowledge, regulates health care markets and develops and evaluates new health care technologies and practices. The government is known to be a very supportive stakeholder in the adoption of new technologies in medical care particularly in the adoption of electronic health records. Government entities such as the FDA are also charged with the role of evaluating health care technologies and practices to ensure that they meet the safety laws set for the healthcare industry by the government.

The impact of the internet Essay Example for Free

The impact of the internet Essay 1. INTRODUCTION The Internet has taken the business community by storm since the early 1990s. When the community realised the potentiality of the Internet they hailed it as the most transforming invention in history. It has the ability to completely change the way business is being done. And, it is doing so at a feverish pace, turning business upside down and inside out (The Economist 1999). Information Technology (IT) experts went on to use the Internet technology to spin off the Intranet and Extranet to enhance business competition. Together with the Internet, their innovative implementations were able to provide competitive advantage for a company. The Internet, Intranet and Extranet collectively have dramatically affected business. A growing number of corporations believe in the technologys potential to lower cost, add value, improve productivity and create new business opportunities (The Economist Intelligence Unit 2001). So much has been written about the Internet, Intranet and Extranet. What exactly are they? What are their impacts on current business practices and activities? This report seeks to address these questions in the Trading Process Network, a business tool that integrates the Internet, Intranet and Extranet technologies. First, the report introduces the Internet, Intranet and Extranet. Then, it goes on to provide a brief description of the Trading Process Network. Subsequently, the study proceeds to critically review the positive and negative impacts of the Trading Process Network on current business practices and activities. It concludes with some key findings resulting from the positive impact and then provides some suggestions to overcome the negative impacts. 2. INTERNET, INTRANET AND EXTRANET. The Internet technology has risen so fast in the last ten years that it is now considered a business necessity. The Star (2004), a local newspaper, published the figure below summarising the history of the Internet. (source: Star 2004) Figure 1: History of the Internet. Presently, business corporations all over the world are scrambling to implement this technology to take advantage of its impact on their business practices and activities. The Internet The Internet is a dynamic group of computer networks that interconnect computers around the globe (Comer 1997). It is a network of networks thus a powerful form of information and communication technology. Figure 2 illustrates the Internet setup. (source: GE Lighting, www.gelighting.com) Figure 2: The Internet network Computers linking to the Internet communicate by using a common Internet protocol to disseminate information across computers (Kambil 1995). Users of the Internet can communicate electronically, retrieve information and interact with other computers. Therefore, Kambil (1995) said that the Internet is basically used for: * Electronic mail and news services * File transfer to and from remote computers * World Wide Web * Telnet the ability to use remote computers The World Wide Web is the information space for storing and retrieving hypertext documents on the Internet through a unique addressing scheme (Schaper Volery 2002). Often, the Internet is known as the World Wide Web or Information Superhighway because of its superior information reservoir. Any information placed on public web servers can be viewed by anyone with Web access using a browser such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer (Bullock et al. 1997). The Intranet. The Intranet is an internal corporate communication networks riding on the transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP/IP) (Szuprowicz 1997). (source: GE Lighting, www.gelighting.com) Figure 3: The Intranet network It is designed for staff use only and does not to allow outsiders access. The intranet hooks into corporate databases giving the individual users access to all this data through the standard Web browsers that access Web pages on the Internet (Competia n.d. in Knowlegdepoint 2002). Although the Intranet still allows company employees access to the Internet, outsiders are prevented from entering the internal corporate sites by security features (see Figure 3). The Extranet. An extranet is an extension of the Intranet that is partially accessible to authorised distributors, suppliers, customers and business partners (Long and Long 2005). Simply, an extranet is set up on the same TCP/IP network as the Intranet which allows outsiders access to that same internal corporate information (Bullock et al. 1997). Refer to Figure 4. (source: GE Lighting, www.gelighting.com) Figure 4: The Extranet network Like a private business club, the extranet centralises business transaction by using the same user-friendly technology that has made the Internet a global network. Its members can include companies of all sizes located in virtually every corner of the world (GE Information Services 1999). The Hierarchy. The Internet is the conceptual incubator of both intranets and extranets, and universal connectivity has liberated corporate communications practices (Franklin Jr. 1997). Though they are all Internet and Web based technologies, there are differences between them such as: * The type of information each are designed to disseminate * The targeted group of people allow to access the information * Security Table 1 below compares some of the common differences: Information Type Targeted Group Security Internet general general public lacking Intranet corporate employee moderate Extranet specific to business selected outsiders good Table 1: Common differences between Internet and Web based technologies Wailgum (1998, p. 1) appropriately summed up the differences with this statement: First there was the Internet, which is available for everyone to use. Then businesses got smart and started developing their own intranets that used the same friendly Web interface but put up firewalls so that only employees could see the information on the site. Finally, the extranet was created. It finds itself somewhere in between. Theres still a firewall, but you allow only selected outsiders, such as business partners and customers, inside. Following the differences, the structural hierarchy can actually be illustrated as shown in Figure 5 below: (source: Bullock et al. 1997) Figure 5: The Internet hierarchy The Internet, the World Wide Web and Internet-based technologies such as intranets and extranets provide global links to a businesss customers and suppliers. This allows electronic commerce (e-commerce) applications (Schaper Volery 2002). Phil Gibson, director of interactive marketing at National Semiconductor, is blunt about the importance of the Internet, Intranet and Extranet to the applications when he said, Without all the nets, you just cant do that. (Franklin Jr. 1997). 3. THE TRADING PROCESS NETWORK. The Trading Process Network (TPN) is a technology that integrates the Internet, Intranet and Extranet into a package to revolutionise the way  business is done. It is pioneered by General Electric (GE), a well diversified company with business in technology (aircraft engine, plastics, power generators and consumer electronics) and services (financial services, television broadcasting and medical and science services) (General Electric 2004). (source: General Electric, www.ge.com) GEs leadership in management has long been recognised and progressive. Many of its successful business portfolio management, strategic planning, quality initiatives, employee empowerment and business process reengineering are business models for companies worldwide ( 1997). Jack Welch, GE former chief executive officer, anticipated the potential threat of the Internet. He told the MRO Today magazine (Arnold 2001, p. 1) that: Its like any big change. You can look at it in one of two ways: as an opportunity or as something to fear. You have to have a certain amount of fear to see the opportunities. The Internet is all about getting information from its source to the user without intermediaries. The new measurement is how fast information gets from its origin to users and how much unproductive data gathering, expediting, tracking orders and the like can be eliminated. Seeing reality today means accepting the fact that e-business is here. Its not coming. Its not the thing of the future. Its here. The challenge is to resolve issues in the context of the new Internet reality. Tentativeness in action can mean being cut out of markets, perhaps not by traditional competitors but by companies never heard of 24 months ago. GEs challenge is to leverage the Internet technology as a strategic weapon at a corporate level to change its business practices and activities. It started developing the TPN in 1995 as just an internal GE Intranet using an Oracle7.2 database server with a Netscape Communications commerce server and custom software developed by GE. One year later, it developed to include the Extranet. Full integration with the Internet occurred in 1998 when GE, Thomas Publishing Company and Oracle together created a data registry accessible via the web to search out suppliers of such goods or services. The database lists over 60,000 products from about 6,000 vendors and it took six IT people three months to create ( 1997; 1998; Linthicum 1996; 1997; n.d.). Figure 6 shows a typical TPN concept. (source: Bullock et al 1997) Figure 6: A typical Trading Process Network model. Basically, the TPN allows GE to call for tenders and manages bids from suppliers around the world via the web. Using the TPN Intranet software and other standard office applications, GE creates a set of tender documents with a response form. GE then searched the TPN Internet database for suppliers and decides whom it would like to receive a quotation. The tender documentation is forwarded to the list of prospective suppliers through the TPN Extranet. Suppliers who are interested in bidding began to download the call for tender and passed back to the TPN upon completion. GE may then access and evaluate them anytime ( n.d.). The TPN is so successful that many corporations wasted no time in emulating GEs initiative by creating their own version of the TPN. Today, many corporations have implemented the TPN system in one form or another. For example, Tesco developed the Tesco Information Exchange that linked the retailer with all its suppliers to increase product availability and reduce wastage (GE Information Services 1999). Presently, GE is also commercially offering its TPN technology comprehensively to companies around the world ( n.d.). Its global implementation has impacted business practices and activities which shall be discussed shortly. 4. POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE TPN ON BUSINESS. Since the TPN is a collaboration of the three web-based technologies, it is essential to critically review the positive impact of the three technologies on current business practices and activities separately. Many of the evidences presented here are taken from the impact on GEs business practices and activities. This is because as the world most admired company (General Electric 2004), GEs business practices and activities has been acknowledged and adopted globally as role models. The TPN Internet Impact. As an Internet solution to conduct business electronically and simplify business processes like purchasing, selling and marketing, the TPN impacts business practices and activities in many ways (http://www.mngt.waikato.ac.nz/depts/mnss/courses/ 456/cases/geis.htm n.d.). Some of these impacts are listed on the Computing Insights website (, n.d.): * Instantaneous Communication. The Internet establishes immediate communication between companies and their prospects, customers, and employees without waiting and down time. It is a very fast and efficient method of communication, with messages arriving anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds (Schapel Volery 2002). By taking advantage of this the TPN enables GE to evaluate suppliers bids and award within the same day and orders may start arriving to the supplier within 24 hours ( 1997). Speed in despatching specialised information enhances service relationship thus providing superior service (Khambil 1995). * Global Access. The worldwide reach of the Internet opens the door to unlimited business opportunities by instantly placing it in any office or any home. Business  websites are doors to businesses that never close. Information about products and services are accessible anytime. The web is ideal for providing whole year round self-services ( 1998). GE Lightings 46 plants around the world procure materials and parts from more than 25,000 suppliers globally. By utilising the TPN, GE Lighting has electronic access to this list. With only a set of catalogues and documents GE Lighting obtained multiple feedbacks instantaneously ( 1997). Furthermore, the TPN provides global access to Gary Reiner, CIO of GE to monitor GEs mission operations once every 15 minutes across the companys 13 different businesses around the globe with different time zones (Lindorff 2002). * Instantaneous Customisation The Internet keeps businesses in the fast lane by offering goods and services in real time thus providing individual company the ability to tailor to the needs of customers. According to Barua et al. (n.d.), Dell Computer implemented an online supply chain management application which is somewhat similar to the TPN to help its component suppliers increase the accuracy of their forecasts by providing them access to direct customer order information. This way Dells suppliers can customised their products to Dell customers needs. Frantz (2000, p. 2) provided another example from GE Aircraft Engines: GE Aircraft Engines maintenance and overhaul market frequently requires decision on retention, rebuilding or discarding a worn part. Previously, the worn part was sent to the customer to be evaluated or the repairs had to wait until a customers representative could inspect it at GE, often taking many days. Today, a new customised part can be graphically transmitted over the TPN and quickly evaluated by the customer before installation. * New Distribution Channels. The Internet can rapidly reduce the time to market for new products because direct distribution shortens the path to markets. Electronic commerce can be used to find the best deal from distributors in terms of time and cost (Schapel Volery 2002). The TPN is a secure electronic commerce environment that supports the business-to- business buying and selling of goods and services. It provides GE the ability to find new distributors based upon the database records ( n.d.). Home Depot is one such distributor when it set up a TPN form of Internet application that enables GE appliances purchased at Home Depot to be delivered directly to consumers homes from the nearest GE warehouse (Barua et al. n.d.). * E-Shopping The Internet enables many companies to create an electronic shopping environment that enables users to browse, review, select and purchase products instantly. It is a revolutionary business tool, guaranteed to attract new, web-knowledgeable customers who buy everything online (Schapel Volery 2002). This is the TPNs primary solution where the TPN Marketplace provides purchasing professionals access to a searchable catalogue of GE goods and services including pricing and contract terms in a standardised format (Mark 2001). The TPN Intranet Impact. By allowing company staff exclusive access to corporate information electronically, the TPN Intranet positively impacts current business practices and activities. Some of these impacts are mentioned in the  Vialogix website (Vialogix n.d.): * Increase productivity. The Intranet has the ability to increase staff productivity. According to the Vialogix website, many companies have invested in intranets to boost productivity and encourage knowledge sharing. Its to have tools aimed at productivity, at letting employees do their jobs better and more efficiently, says Pam Wickham, e-business public relations manager and manager of GE (USA Today (Tech Report) 2001). Bill Snook, a sales manager at GE Energy Services in Canada said his TPN Intranet sales portal home page is the gateway to all the applications that he has. Anthes (2003, p. 2) reported Snook as saying: Before I used to go from one application to another to search for things randomly and each required a separate sign-on and password. The new portal has made multitasking much more efficient and has increased face time with customers. In May 2001, IBM launched its TPN offshoot known as the WorldJam where its 52,600 employees worldwide convened online to swap ideas on how to work faster without undermining quality (Fast Company 2001 in Vialogix n.d.). * Reduced paperwork. When employees communicate through the Intranet they effectively reduce the amount of paperwork required such as internal memos, invoices and printed company newsletters. Forbes (2001 in Vialogix n.d.) reported that GE processed 3.1 million paper invoices in 2000. Today, half of those invoices are processed digitally. John Rice, the chief executive of GE Transportation system, confirmed this fact when he said that the 1 million pieces of paper GE faxes to suppliers  each year are going to go away (GE Transportation System 2000). * More informed/empowered employees. There are many types of competitive or business intelligence information that can be included on an Intranet. Users can easily navigate and locate this information using the point-and-click hyperlinking technology (Linthicum 1996) to be informed and empowered. General Electric uses the TPN to manage its business intelligence by keeping its globally dispersed workforce informed. In a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, more than 85% said the intranet is useful for disseminating information (USA Today (Tech Report) 2001) Szuprowicz (1997, p. 7) found out that the information available in the TPN are: Annual report of the company, financial data and business information designed to allow employees to manage their own investments. In addition, GE provides employees direct access to the GE travel centre which allows them to schedule their own business trips. * Savings in expenditure. Companies exploit the inexpensive Intranet web technology for in-house applications. Since the web applications use only a single browser, training is less. Moreover, implementation costs are considerably low due to a single interface, protocol and middleware architecture (Linthicum 1996). In a 1997 survey, American Express discovered the magnitude of the savings (Fast Company 2001 in Vialogix n.d.): It was found that at a typical company where paper still predominated, the average cost of handling a single expense account was #36 or more. After switching to a similar TPN approach the cost reduced to as little as $8 per  account. * Connects users across disparate platforms. The TPN Intranet is a new dynamic client/server application development platform for corporate applications that uses open standards such as TCP/IP, HTTP, HTML, CGI, ODBC and Java to connect heterogeneous database (Linthicum 1996). Venki Rao, an IT leader in GE Power Systems, said that the TPN sales portal software has an open architecture and is flexible, making it especially easy to connect all the different platforms (Anthes 2003). USA Today (Tech Report) (2001, p. 1) reported that after GE revamped its Intranet last year, 10 million visitors a week used it: By connecting all its disparate platforms through the TPN, GE employees can now create personalised pages, read industry-specific news or check the weather. They also can download tax forms and review benefits information. An online marketplace offers discounts on GE appliances, Dell computers and other products.

Technology and Communication in Criminal Justice Essay Example for Free

Technology and Communication in Criminal Justice Essay Technology affects our everyday life. Technology also affects the criminal justice field, especially in communication. The criminal justice system has different databases thanks to technology. These databases do things that humans wouldn’t be able to do or wouldn’t have the time to do. Two specific types of databases are AFIS and Iris scan. AFIS (also known as IAFIS) stands for Automated Fingerprint Identification System. AFIS is just that, a database created to keep track of fingerprints. Iris scan is the scanning of the iris as a method to identify people based on unique patterns within the ring-shaped region surrounding the pupil of the eye. Even though we use technology every day it can also have its drawbacks. Technological advancements will always come with positives and negatives. A positive is that technology makes life easier for everyone who works in the criminal justice field. A negative would be if a form of technology breaks down or there isn’t any electricity to keep it up and running. AFIS is one of the most important and commonly used databases available to officers. This special database searches the fingerprints of over 74 million subjects in the National Criminal History Record File. AFIS is a system that compares fingerprints. It isnt precise enough to make a final determination on a case but what it does do is cut out all of the people whose fingerprints dont compare very closely to the initial fingerprint at hand. This is a huge asset to the criminal justice system because its probably close to impossible for an officer to sit and compare a million different fingerprints to one single one without the probability of overlooking the correct fingerprint. As humans we are more open to errors where as databases are more reliable with the information they give out. The AFI system comes up with a short list of candidates and the officers can compare that short list instead of 74 million other fingerprints. Another very important and extremely reliable database is the Iris scan which came around in about 1994. The name of the Iris scan pretty much describes itself. Iris scan is the scanning of the iris as a method to identify people based on unique patterns within the ring-shaped region surrounding the pupil of the eye. The color of the iris is different from person to person. If looked upon closely you would be able to see the complex patterns of the iris that make each person unique. The iris is like a snowflake, no two are alike. Since every iris is unique and different it is a perfect way to identify people and it  is harder for people to commit identity fraud since it is an internal organ. A sophisticated high resolution camera is used to take one or more images of the eye. The images are then put into a matching engine where it searches a database for similar irises. This database can search thorough millions of images per second, something physically impossible for a human being to do. Because of this, the technology behind the iris scan is very important to the criminal justice system. The AFIS and Iris scan databases are similar in some ways but also very unique each in its own. These databases can do things in a matter of seconds or minutes that are physically impossible things for offic ers to do in any acceptable amount of time. Both of these types of technology make cases and work life easier for every officer using them. The AFIS and Iris scan make information available to officers as well. They both have to do with peoples unique and distinct body parts so they are able to separate one subject from the other like other databases can’t. They are different because AFIS deals with fingerprints while Iris scans deal with the iris in the eye. Also, a fingerprint can change slightly over time whereas an iris stays the same for the most part throughout someone’s life. Fingerprints are more commonly used though mostly because they are more cost effective. Fingerprinting is also faster and easier to do. In my opinion, technology in the criminal justice field has made communication so much better and easier. Even though technology makes things easier and faster it still has its drawbacks. One of the many positive effects of technology is that communication in the criminal justice field goes around much quicker. At their disposal are technological advancements like faxes, internet, and email. All three can help get information to other counties or stations a lot fas ter than if that technology wasn’t available. For example, if there is a man that is wanted and on the run an officer can fax over the information and a picture to another county. The same officer can also send out a massive email to other stations and counties to keep the eye out for the suspect. An email or a fax can be done in a matter of seconds to just a few minutes. If it wasn’t available the officers would have to depend on phone calls or snail mail which just doesn’t do the job a fax or email with an attached picture would do. The internet is also at their disposal and it is completely stocked with information of great magnitudes. With any great things there are drawbacks. One of the main drawbacks of fax, email or internet is if there is no power. If there is a shortage or a blackout these types of technologies are no longer available for use. They all depend completely on electricity and without it cannot function. There is also the problem of breaks or glitches. There are times when internet or email runs very slowly because of glitches. There could also be a problem with the cords that doesn’t let the internet be used. A fax machine or computer can also easy break or get damaged. They can give out at any given time and will need to be repaired. Sometimes it is easier to use technology but not always convenient. As can be seen, technology is a part of our everyday life. Thanks to technology many useful databases are available to the criminal justice field. Two specific types of databases are AFIS and Iris scan. Technology is used every day but it can also have its many drawbacks. Technological advancements will always come with positives and negatives. A positive is that technology makes life easier for everyone who works in the criminal justice field. A negative would be if a form of technology breaks down or there isn’t any electricity to keep it up and running.

Enrichment Issues in Animals: Andean Bear and Asian Elephant

Enrichment Issues in Animals: Andean Bear and Asian Elephant In this write-up the environmental enrichment issues of two species housed at the Belfast Zoological Gardens will be discussed. Environmental enrichment can be defined as the development of stimulating settings for animals within a zoo as a means for them to demonstrate species-typical behaviour such as exercising control or choice (Shepherdson, 1998). The two species in this piece being investigated are that of the Andean (spectacled) bear and the Asian elephant. Information on Environmental enrichment Environmental Enrichment has often been described as a vital role to the daily care and integration of a species. The process of enrichment techniques can divide into two broad categories; inanimate enrichment and animate enrichment. Inanimate enrichment includes subdivisions such as novel objects, exhibit design, visual, auditory and olfaction stimulation. Animate enrichment includes training, research and interactions with humans and other animals. The two broad categories of environmental enrichment are essential as a means to enhance naturalistic actions from a species kept in captivity, for example, exhibit design needs to provide varying substrates and complexities rather than just being aesthetically pleasing. Nevertheless, it has been discussed that animal captivity has a negative effect on a species independent behavioural traits (Reference) and that environmental enrichment settings do not encourage the same behaviours as those found in the wild. Zoo habitats are more static in general compared to the wild as food, shelter, safety and medical care are all provided. Most problems which occur in captivity can be caused by a lack of stimulation and even the best kept zoos can have animals who suffer with psychological discontent (Jordan, 2005). Carlstead and Shepherdson, (1994) have suggested that prolonged exposure to an environment which has low levels of stimulation can cause an animal to become aggressive, lethargic and be slower to habituate in its new surroundings. Jordan (2005) has suggested that many animals can suffer from stress in captivity which can be shown in their behavioural responses such as pacing, regurgitation, excessive grooming and rocking. These types of behaviours are repetitive patterns and are referred to as stereotypic behaviours. Scientists have suggested that these repetitive behaviours may in some cases be an animals’ way of providing novelty to an environment lacking in stimulation. Asian Elephant -798 words Belfast Zoological Gardens currently houses ‘BLAH’ Asian elephants, who have an important role in the zoos conservation projects. The Asian elephant is a species located in Southeast Asian countries such as Sir Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam (References). It is smaller than its African cousin and considered an endangered species. In the Belfast Zoological Gardens, the staff members try to ensure the Asian elephants have a stimulating environment by adding novel items such as tyres and puzzle devices into the elephant’s enclosure. By the Belfast zoo having novel objects such as the tires, it encourages the Asian elephants to demonstrate species typical behaviours as the elephants have choice and control with objects thus providing active stimulation. Additionally Belfast zoo incorporates other enrichment amenities such as having mud and rubbing posts in varying sizes. However, it has been noted that enrichment amenities should be rotated such as logs, balls and tires as a means to sustain stimulation for the elephants . Asian elephants typically spend up to 16 hours per day foraging for food in the wild, eating herbs, leaves, bark, roots, fruits and flowers (Stoinski, et al. 2000). Elephants food diets in captivity tends to offer less variety than in the wild and by a zoo adding new food elements to their diet it can be considered a method of enrichment. At Belfast Zoological Gardens, keepers place food in trees, in food containing devices and in blocks of ice as a means to add stimulation for their Asian elephants. It has been suggested that more complex enrichment methods such as the food containing devices, can involve teamwork which allows the animals to demonstrate more species-typical behaviours. Desmond and Laule (1998) and Mellen and Sevenich (1999) have noted that when animals have been given a choice of their food, they would prefer to work for it rather than be presented with it. Therefore, training enrichment provides one of the most complex learning devices for species. Additionally, Be lfast Zoo spatially provides food which can be found in irregular locations. Research has suggested that the Asian elephant strongly relies on its sense of smell in contexts such as foraging for food (Santiapillai and Read, 2010) or in social communication (Langbauer, 2000; Rasmussen Krishnamurthy, 2000; Scott Rasmussen, 2005). Rasmussen (1999) and Langbauer, (2000) noted that the Asian elephant’s long-term stability is dependent on the effectiveness of its intraspecific communicational skills within its herd. The Belfast Zoological Gardens tries to ensure the species at their zoo such as the Asian elephant are in group sizes which they would be used to in the wild as a means to facilitate species-typical behaviours and communicational vocalisation. Visually the Belfast Zoo also places animals such as zebras and giraffes next to the elephant enclosure as they are often found near each other in the wild. It has been suggested that the visual stimuli of species can increase stimulation for the Asian elephant and have a calming effect on its behaviour . The shape and the size of an animal’s enclosure are equally important for creating a stimulating environment for a species. It has been suggested that an open area should have defined spaces such as pools and rock features as a means to create a sense of the enclosure being larger and aiding in stimulation for the Asian Elephant. The Belfast Zoo also tries to encourage species typical behaviour in their Asian elephants by providing exhibit designs which would be encountered in the wild, for example having trees, slopes, water found in a shallow pool and sandy terrains. It has been noted that bathing pools are common enrichment amenities found in zoos, as they provide the elephants a low-impact exercise as well as the species finding the water enjoyable. Blah (2009) suggested that captive elephants suffer at times life threating foot problems which could be the result of spending more time on hard surfaces than the variety of choices available to them in the wild. The Belfast Zoological Gardens provides its Asian elephants many levels of enrichment, including human related contact by keepers and through medical care. It has been suggested however, that a rotational exhibit design could be used as a means to increase stimulation, such as the one found at ‘Denver Zoo which has five distinct areas. The rotational design means that the species can awaken to a new enclosure adding to environmental enrichment. Additionally, the new enclosure will have housed a different species the day before thus the overlapping scents can also provide a level of enrichment especially for the Asian elephants which rely heavily on their senses. Andean (spectacled) bear Introductory of animal habits – sex, survival instincts, housing, learning, other animal interaction, habitats – this needs to be backed up with relevant research The difference between those found out in the wild and those found in captivity Is the exhibit design complex, provides various substrates and levels Training which occurs to build trust between the animal and keeper Olfactory: a keeper can introduce natural predator or prey scents, in addition to novel smells or pheromone scents. Auditory: taped sounds or vocalizations can simulate things that an animal may hear in the wild. Food related: this is the most widely used form of enrichment. Keepers can present food in a variety of ways such as in a simple puzzle feeder, hidden throughout the enclosure, scattered about the enclosure, or buried in a substrate. To get the food, the animal must use natural foraging behaviors and/or mentally solve the puzzle. Novel objects: various items placed in an animal’s enclosure allow the animal to mimic behaviors exhibited in the wild or could challenge them. These items could include burlap bags, sheets, boomer balls, chew toys, or a hammock. Research: Participation in a research projects offers mental stimulation. (i.e., foraging skills research with giant pandas, cognitive research with orang-utans) Differences found between the environments of the two species – which one provided better species-typical enrichment Environmental Enrichment has often been described as a vital role to the daily care and integration of a species. The process of enrichment is dependent on the integration of subcategories, such as how the exhibit is designed, the auditory noises, the scents introduced, food relevance, novel objects, training and research of the animal. The subcategories of environmental enrichment are essential as a means to enhance naturalistic actions, for example, exhibit design needs to provide varying substrates and complexities found in the animal’s natural environment as a means to enhance the species-typical behaviour. Improvements which may need to occur for the animal to have a more productive lifespan Environmental Enrichment has often been described as a vital role to the daily care and integration of a species. The process of enrichment is dependent on the integration of subcategories, such as how the exhibit is designed, the auditory noises, the scents introduced, food relevance, novel objects, training and research of the animal. The subcategories of environmental enrichment are essential as a means to enhance naturalistic actions, for example, exhibit design needs to provide varying substrates and complexities found in the animal’s natural environment as a means to enhance the species-typical behaviour. Improvements which may need to occur for the animal to have a more productive lifespan Environmental Enrichment has often been described as a vital role to the daily care and integration of a species. The process of enrichment is dependent on the integration of subcategories, such as how the exhibit is designed, the auditory noises, the scents introduced, food relevance, novel objects, training and research of the animal. The subcategories of environmental enrichment are essential as a means to enhance naturalistic actions, for example, exhibit design needs to provide varying substrates and complexities found in the animal’s natural environment as a means to enhance the species-typical behaviour. provide varying substrates and complexities found in the animal’s natural environment as a means to enhance the species-typical behaviour. CONCLUSION – NOT WRITEN AS OF YET In conclusion the animals found in the Belfast zoological gardens did demonstrate some species typical behaviours due to the environmental enrichment techniques in place. Environmental Enrichment has often been described as a vital role to the daily care and integration of a species. The process of enrichment is dependent on the integration of subcategories, such as how the exhibit is designed, the auditory noises, the scents introduced, food relevance, novel objects, training and research of the animal. The subcategories of environmental enrichment are essential as a means to enhance naturalistic actions, for example, exhibit design needs to provide varying substrates and complexities found in the animal’s natural environment as a means to enhance the species-typical behaviour (Reference) operant conditioning as a means for animals to engage in. design needs to provide varying substrates and complexities found in the animal’s n atural environment as a means to enhance the species-typical behaviour. provide varying substrates and complexities found in the animal’s natural environment as a means to enhance the species-typical behaviour.

Change Through Thought- American Romantics and Radicals Essay -- Histo

Change Through Thought- American Romantics and Radicals Many of the American romantics and radicals seek to inspire change through thought before action. First, Ralph Waldo Emerson promoted his ideas on the importance of nature and self-reliance. Second, Henry David Thoreau demonstrated his ideas on civil disobedience as well as sustainable independent living. Third, Margaret Fuller promoted her ideas of female equality. Fourth, Frederick Douglass showed a side of slavery that had not been seen before. Finally, Walt Whitman’s new style of writing changed writing and perceptions of America. None of these people promoted immediate change. Instead, they all inspired and promoted thought about their various topics, and hoped, through thought, that there would be change. In one of Emerson’s initial writings, Nature, written in 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson suggests that people should look at the world differently, compared to how they normally did. He believes that there is more to nature than meets the eye. His writings presented the idea that â€Å"Nature†¦was less a spectacle to be seen that it was a text to be read†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Myerson 124). One needed to interpret nature to be able to live a true life. In order to do this Emerson recommends the idea of the eye. He says that: In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life, — no disgrace, no calamity, (leaving me my eyes,) which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground, — my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space, — all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eye-ball; I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. The name of... ...d the way people see things, and list things. He repeated over and over again situations that made everybody equal to each other. He was a revolutionary, and he did all this without directly addressing the issue. He inspired people to think about these issues and he let them find the answers. These people all brought about change in the United States, and they all did this through their influence of thought. We would be nowhere today without these revolutionaries of change. Works Cited Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. New York: Oxford, 1987. Myerson, Joel, ed. Transcendentalism A Reader. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and â€Å"Civil Disobedience†. New York: Signet Classics, 1999. Warner, Michael, ed. The Portable Walt Whitman. New York: Penguin Books, 2004.

Matilda :: essays research papers

Matilda Directed by Danny DeVito Matilda is a family comedy which takes place somewhere in the USA during the nineties. Matilda is a brilliant girl neglected by her stupid, self-involved parents. Ignored at home, Matilda takes interest in reading and she develops telekinetic powers. Eventually, her insensitive parents send her to a school run by the cruel Miss Trunchbull. Matilda befriends her schoolteacher, Miss Honey. She soon realizes Matilda's talents, but is later amazed to see the full extent of Matilda's powers. I think that Matilda is the most colorful character in the movie. Matilda is very independent for her age, due to her parents’ irresponsibility, and she manages to keep her head up and not let her parents put her down. The young actress, Mara Wilson, does a great performance with her interpretation of Matilda. I believe that she makes the character come to life. Matilda’s family is the kind of family you’d never wish to have. Her father, Harry, and mother, Zinnia, are both conceited and don’t care about anyone but themselves, except Michael of course, their son and Matilda’s older brother. He is a spoilt brat who’s mean to Matilda and who likes to cause trouble. Miss Trunchbull is the vicious principal who hates the pupils in the school; especially Matilda after Harry sold a car to Miss Trunchbull and she discovered it’s not in good condition. Miss Honey, Matilda’s teacher, must be the most wonderful person in the whole movie. She’s one of those teachers you’d be really lucky to have and she’s a complete opposite to Miss Trunchbull. The special effects in the movie contain flying objects. Most of them are hard to see just how they are done, which in other productions can be quite obvious and might ruin the whole film. Personally, I like the movie. It is funny at some points where you can’t help but smile or laugh.

Jessie James :: essays research papers

Jessie James: Murdering Outlaw or American Hero There are two sides to everything. Coins have both heads and tales, the moon has a dark side and a face that we are so familiar with, and yes, the Lochness Monster has both a head and a tail. To every opinion, or story, there will always be one that contradicts it. This is the case with conceptions regarding Jesse James. Jesse Woodson James was born on the cold and early morning of September 6, 1847 in Kearney, Missouri. At the age of fourteen, Jesse joined the Confederate effort during the Civil War and fought until a Union bullet injured him in 1865. Instead of becoming a farmer like most of the rest of the beaten Confederacy, Jesse turned to crime. From 1866 to 1882, Jesse, his brother Frank, and other ex-Confederates robbed over fifteen different banks and trains. The James Gang operated in the Mid-west until a fellow gang member shot Jesse in the back of the head. There are two different schools of thought regarding James. Most people consider Jesse James a murdering outlaw who was driven by a greed for money, while others sympathize with Jesse and view him as an American hero who had no choice but to turn to crime. . Ironically Jesse’s father was a Baptist preacher, but he did not have much if any influence on Jesse considering that his mother married three times. Jesse’s childhood abruptly ended when he was 14 years old. During this time, Civil War had broken out, dividing the United States into two parts. Not wanting to be left out, Jesse joined a Confederate regiment led by Lieutenant Bloody Bill Anderson. Unlike most other confederate regiments, Bloody Bill Anderson’s regiment would "use small gang hit-and-run attacks" and raid mostly northern cities in Kansas and Missouri (Bruns 35). James rode with Anderson until he was wounded and sent home in 1865. After Jesse’s recovery, he and his brother Frank began to work on their family farm. As time wore on however, the James boys grew tired of this and living under the control of "Yankees". Thus, Jesse James, along with Frank, his cousins Bob, Cole, and Jim Younger, and about seven other ex-confederate soldiers, turned to crime. The "James" gang committed their first robbery on a cold February day in 1866. The gang masqueraded in Union Army issued uniforms and entered the bank in Liberty, Missouri.

Humanities Today Essay

The academic discipline known as humanities is the study of how man interprets the world around him. The study of humanities has been around since mankind began investigating and questioning the world they lived in. According to the article â€Å"What are the Humanities?†(2000), when the National Endowment for the Humanities was established in 1964, Congress created the following definition of humanities which included the study of:history; literature; philosophy and ethics; foreign languages and cultures; linguistics; jurisprudence or philosophy of law; archeology; comparative religion; the history, theory, and criticism of the arts; and those aspects of the social sciences. In this definition the key point for distinguishing humanities from other modes of human inquiry is the fact that humanities are based on historical and expressive interpretation rather than theory and logic. Humanities inquire about the human’s interpretation of his or her surroundings. The inquiries come from the general population or an individual’s own expression of human reaction to historical events and the way that it is expressed through art, science, politics, literature, music, architecture, and religion. Other modes of human inquiry are based off of proven facts and scientific theories. A person’s interpretation has little to do with science (What are the Humanities, 2000). ArtOne of the more controversial ways that the arts have been affected by modern humanities is the showcasing of human bodies as art. An exhibition called Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS: The Original Exhibition of Real Human Bodies is now touring the United States. This exhibition displays human bodies that have been plasticized, doing various normal human activities. Some displays have cadavers in the middle of making a shot in basketball, while others displays a family sitting around a kitchen table. In this day of rapid technological advances, it is sometimes hard to distinguish pure art from criminal activity. At fist glance most people are amazed to see that technology has allowed a concept like this to be possible. Many people feel that there is much to be learned about the human body through this display of art. On the other hand many people are outraged by the exhibit calling it a denigration of the human spirit. Others have  called it a criminal act. The companies that process these human bodies are currently being investigated by the U.S. government. Many fingers have been pointed at China for having a black market for cadavers. No one knows for sure how the companies even come across so many cadavers and if the person’s permission was given. One thing is for sure that this form of â€Å"art† represents the mind set of the world today. This tiny fraction of the art world represents the change in religious beliefs, technology, and artistic expression today (Cattani, 2008). MusicMusic is definitely an area that changes through the attitudes and expression of past generations, especially in the African-American community. During the time of slavery music was a way for slaves to capture some of the heritage that was so violently taken away from them. Similar to musicians today, one of the way slaves used music was as a way to express the way they felt about the environment around them. Many songs from those days represented oppression and sorrow. Some other songs represented times of joy or the hope of overcoming oppression. Slaves also used music for celebration, communication, and mourning (Slave Songs, n.d.). Today’s African-American community still uses music in some of the same ways. Times have changed. Slavery has been abolished but from slavery there arose racial separatism, feelings of hate between the races, and distrust of Caucasians by other races. This is where the harshness and intentionally angry voice of â€Å"gangsta rap† is derived. This genre of music is an outlet for young African American males to voice the inequality and unjust behaviors that they feel from society. ArchitectureFrank Lloyd Wright is one the foremost fathers of modern American architecture. He believed that past methods for architecture were relied too heavily. Wright made it a point to reject the 19th century European architecture that people were used to. His style was attributed to the blocks he played with as a child and from modern Japanese architecture. Since the world was going through a new industrial period, Wright felt is was necessary to include materials that emphasized the world around him. He began to use materials such as steel and glass in his architecture. Open  floor plans with few walls separating rooms were also a turn from traditional architecture (Modern Architecture, 2007). PhilosophyOne of the noted pioneers of modern philosophy is John Dewey. Among other branches of philosophy, Dewey was relentless on the subject of experimental education. Dewey believed that the current method of education was more concerned with feeding children information rather then learning from the child’s experiences. Dewey believed that it is the educator’s responsibility to facilitate learning in a way which accounts for each student’s uniqueness. Today, many school philosophies are still based on Dewey’s theory of experience (Neill, 2005). LiteratureThe information age has had a lasting effect on modern literature. Through T.V., the internet, and the media information is capable of being exchanged over long distances in a very short period of time. Mankind has shown a hunger for information in modern years. In the 21st century literature related to true events have become very popular. Because of this, the status of celebrities has somewhat fallen. The people who used to be held as iconic figures have become as human as everyone else today. Instead of the imaginative fiction literary works that used to be the norm, today autobiographies and tabloid magazines are flying off the shelves. The situation only reflects the information driven society from which it comes. The study of humanities is an ever changing journey. Humanities will changes with the questions and expression about every generation to come. Humanities are unique in that a quest for the purpose and meaning of the human life is being sought. As time goes on, the study of humanities will be become broader, taking with it all the questions of yesterday. References Cattani, T. (2008). Human cadavers on display†¦as an attraction?. Retrieved February 22, 2008,from Living Lake Country Web site: http://community.livinglakecountry.com/blogs/from_another_side/archive/2008/02/15/human-cadavers-on-display-as-an-attraction.aspxModern Architecture, (2007). Retrieved February 22, 2008, from Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia Web site:

Leadership in “Norma Rae” Essay

â€Å"Norma Rae† is a film based on a true story set in a Southern mill-town. The title character and fellow mill workers start a branch of the Textile Workers Union of America through the use of leadership. The two characters of Norma Rae and Reuben Warshofsky combine their talents to empower and lead the people of the mill from downtrodden workers to proactive union members. When Rueben first comes upon the town, he finds the managers of the mill oppressive to their workers. People have no rights. They make small wages. They work long hours. Rueben starts the revolution for the mill workers by inspiring Norma Rae through Superleadership. Norma Rae in turn empowers and motivates the mill workers to attain their common goal: a union. Superleadership occurs when a leader leads others to lead themselves. Superleadership is appropriate for Reuben Warshofsky because it applies well to organizational leaders. Reuben is a representative of the Textile Workers Union of America. He came to Norma Rae’s town to start a union at her mill. For his job to succeed, Reuben needs to be able to start the call for union, and leave the area confident that the cause is in good hands. Superleadership is designed to facilitate the leader within every individual. A leader who exercises Superleadership is not necessarily a â€Å"charismatic† leader. He may have a set vision and great oratory skills, but he does not lead to be followed or obeyed. He leads so that others can lead themselves and better themselves in the process. Superleadership maximizes the human resources of an organization. In the case of â€Å"Norma Rae,† it maximized Norma’s ability to have a voice. In Superleadership, the power is shared. While Reuben started the union movement, he shared a mutual responsibility with Norma Rae once she was up to speed. Followers lead because they want to. They have a stake in what they do. They believe their actions are for a greater cause. A Superleader develops self-leadership through compensation and constructive reprimand. He fosters an environment where people can be free to explore their abilities and gain confidence in what they find. This environment is essential to Superleadership. Only in an open environment can this type of leadership employ the potency and knowledge of the followers. It is the duty of the Superleader to help  develop a group’s skills once power is divided among the followers. Self-leadership can be learned through Superleadership. People are not â€Å"born† to lead. They need not be educated to be motivated or to learn. A Superleader provides a self-leader with direction. He orientates the person with the situation and helps explore the talents and skills necessary to get the job done. Reuben Warshofsky practices Superleadership on Norma Rae. He is a labor organizer looking for aid in a town that is ignorant of unions. The first person he meets is Norma Rae. She is a thirty-one year-old working-class mother of three. She is poorly educated and going nowhere fast. Her two children were by two different men. Only at the beginning of the movie does she brake off her relationship with a married man. Men oppress her in her life. Her bosses at work oppress her. They care not for her mother when she goes deaf. They reject every attempt Norma Rae makes to improve working conditions. She is a woman battered by life, but above it all she reveals an acute understanding of the world. â€Å"You lie with dogs, you get fleas.† She tells this to Reuben on their second meeting shortly after the married man slapped her. Reuben sees this glimmer of life in her and offers her hope when he says, â€Å"I think you’re to smart for what’s happening to you.† Reuben eventually leads Norma to self-leadership. Reuben tells Norma Rae the way things could be at the mill and she is inspired. He explains that the textile industry is the only industry not unionized. Reuben says to people at the first church meeting that things will not change, â€Å"not unless you make it happen.† Reuben encourages the people to join him and share in the goal to unionize the mill. Norma Rae is the only one who accepts the challenge at first. Reuben gives Norma a voice. He teaches her how to fight for a union. She starts by signing a union card. She then wears a union button and hands out others. The woman before was pushed around and uneducated. Now she is typing documents, making copies, and cold-calling her fellow workers; all for the sake of the union. Reuben’s Superleadership extends to things outside of the union. She begins to read Dylan Thomas. She allows blacks and whites to visit her home together. Norma makes her own  decisions. Her priest insults her when he will not allow a bi-racial meeting and without delay, leaves the church. When her new husband is upset with her time-consuming work, she yells back at him, and he respects her for it. Norma Rae no longer allows people to push her around. Her bosses at work continually try to make her quit: they make attempts at character assassination; they work her father literally to death; through it all Norma Rae perseveres. The management posted a sign on the bulletin board to enrage anti-union sentiment. They try to stop her from copying it and she responds, â€Å"I started it, I’m going to finish it!† Norma Rae shows her self-leadership by facing the managers of the mill. She serves a higher purpose that they cannot defeat. She evolved as a person through Reuben’s guidance. When times were tense, he was there to compliment her or to sit her down and chew her out. She was arrested soon after she copied the bulletin board and she was in tears. Reuben explained to her that she had just a taste of what was to come. He prepared her for the battle, and gave her the skills to fight it herself. The path proves to be an uphill battle, yet Norma Rae is able to encourage and motivate her followers at the mill. She bears pressure from management, resentment from mill workers and suspicion from her husband, but she stays true to her goal. She motivated people using situational approaches. She changed certain aspects of the situation in order to fit the needs of the followers. Her means of motivation were great and diverse, but it fit best under the title of the operant approach. The operant approach modifies rewards and punishments based on observable behavior. If someone’s direction, intensity, or persistence needs to be changed, a reward or punishment is delivered. In the case of Norma Rae, if someone aids the union, they can imagine a brighter future. If someone denies unionization of the mill, they will continue to work long hours for subsistence pay. Norma Rae has her own system of rewards and punishments. She knows the workers at her mill. She speaks to them as a fr iend, a friend who knows about them personally. Her reward can be a compliment or a question about a loved one. Through Reuben she developed the ability to influence people by means of flattery. She compels people to volunteer their time for the union movement so that their children can live a better life than they do. Norma knows what  makes people tick and she uses this knowledge to motivate the people to her cause. When her father dies at the mill, he becomes a modern-day martyr to rally around in hopes of a brighter future. The mill workers follow Norma Rae not because she is a saint; they know of her quick temper and sexual history. They follow her because she is passionate about her cause. The more confident Norma becomes in her role, the more she embodies her cause. She does not pretend to be anyone but herself, but she holds the union to higher standards. She is able to command the allegiance of her peers and yet remain equal to them. Her passion is what compels them to follow. In the end she gives them their greatest reward: they become a union. She sacrificed her job–and almost her marriage–to bring her goal to fruition. The union debate came down to a vote, 427 to 373 in favor of a union. This close ballot likely gained the extra needed votes due to Norma’s most memorable moment of self-leadership and motivation. In the climax of the movie, Norma Rae scrawls â€Å"union† onto a board and climbs upon a table. The sign is held above her head for three long minutes. She stands on the table willing to sacrifice everything she has for the sake of the union. She stands on the table holding up a word that is a promise for a better life. On the table, scared but determined, she inspires her co-workers. One by one they turn off their machines. A floor that one moment was a whir of noises and movement is reduced to a deafening silence. Norma demonstrates the power an individual can have to motivate people when they believe so fully in their cause. â€Å"Norma Rae† is a wonderful example of Superleadership and the motivation techniques of a leader. The journey of the mill starts with Reuben Warshofsky and his affect on Norma Rae. She in turn gains self-leadership and is able to use it to motivate her peers to unionize. It is leadership from the bottom up. It is an example of the fortitude of individuals when they are able to channel their power and organize change. It is an example of the change that can be made when backed by the strength of many able followers.

Media Convergence Essay

What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? For technology, media convergence is when different media come together to do a similar task. The poster child for this is the smart phone. Smart phones are used to talk, text, email, social network, school, business, web browsing, and take picture and video. There are things that I’m sure I missed, but the smart phone has become the epicenter of technological convergence. I spend a lot of my time on my phone posting and promoting for my business. I make jewelry, cat pads, and blankets so I make my items, take a picture, post it to my Etsy page, and promote my store with my phone. When I get an order, I get an email to my phone I contact the buyer for details, and take payments all with my phone. With going to school, I need to check up on the forums to read and respond per class requirements. It makes it easy to do my schoolwork when I’m not home at my laptop. I can pull up the reading for the class on my document reader on my phone and catch up while I’m out and about. I have a six month old and I love taking his picture! I take his picture and post it on Facebook, Instagram, and send it to my family. My family lives in another state so I use my phone to do FaceTime with them so we can see each other all the time. The smartphone has made productivity so much easier because it’s all in one place and instant gratification is satisfied. For some people, the smartphone has become a big distraction and a burden. I think that cell phones, in general, have done damage to people’s grammar and spelling. They use shorthand and abbreviations for words and have forgotten the rule of your and you’re because they are using the shorthand ur. It’s sad.

A critical discussion on the ethics of abortion?

Most cultures accept the premises that it is wrong to kill another human being. If murder is an absolute truth, cultures, which allow killing, can be persuaded through reason that murder is wrong. For example the Aztec empire when discovered in the 16th century would keep human blood pouring down the steps of their teocallis (Aztec temples). They did this because they believed without constant human sacrifices the cosmos would stop existing. Simple reasoning tells us this is not the case; human sacrifice doesn't make a difference to the cosmos. However, are we wrong to judge other cultures and people by are own standards? Are we not being liberal and open minded enough? Well if that is the case I will make up my own rules and kill YOU now! I believe you disagree with that. Absolute truths are there for a reason, to be obeyed. If absolute truths exist, it is logical to assume that there are absolute truths for everyone; otherwise it wouldn't be an absolute truth. For the person who cries out â€Å"I am the god of my own universe†¦ there are no absolutes,† I ask them, â€Å"are they ABSOLUTELY sure about that!!! † and, if you are the â€Å"god of your own universe†, then I am the god of mine and I say it is fine for me to kill you. Surely this is ridiculous? However the wrongness of killing is not primarily explained by the brutalisation of the killer but rather the premature ceasing of life for the individual. What the individual is being deprived of is not a past life but a future existence, a loss of future consciousness. So IF it is wrong to kill other human beings, what IS a human? Biologically humans are made when the egg with 23 chromosomes joins a sperm with 23 chromosomes; this creates a fertilised egg called a zygote, which has 46 chromosomes. Therefore this is the beginning of life. The egg by itself is not alive and the sperm by itself is not alive. Life can only come into existence when the sperm meets the egg and develops. Therefore I say to Catholics, that using contraception in sex is no more killing a potential baby than a Catholic person masturbating. A potential life is ONLY formed when the egg meets the sperm and growth begins. A sperm or egg on it's own is not a potential life just the ingredients for life. For a sperm or egg on their own do not contain the complete DNA of a human. Life is only formed when both the egg and sperm meet (we are all DNA, we are all life). SCIENCE tells us that the instance the egg meets the sperm; a complete set of unique DNA is formed that will last a lifetime. Everyone in the world is unique and science tells us this uniqueness was formed mile-seconds after conception. The unique DNA holds the complete characteristics of the future baby, child, teenager and old man. For the fetus, the baby and the old man are one in the same DNA. Therefore from the moment of conception the complete characteristic's of what we will be is established. Defendants of abortion disagree with the premises that the fetus is a human being from the moment of conception and instead believe as Thomas states â€Å"only a bit of tissue that will become a person at birth. † Therefore this statement suggests a person's rights only begins after birth. This statement therefore is saying a fetus in its first weeks has the same rights as a fetus hours before birth. However how many people would accept to aborting a baby just before birth? Though according to the pro-abortionist the fetus is only a bit of tissue, until birth when it becomes a person with rights. However to determine the moral status of abortion you must distinguish what attributes are needed to be a member of the moral community, what does it means to be a person with rights? Mary Anne Warren defines a human being as â€Å"a full-fledged member of the moral community that is also a human being. † These are moral entities capable of respecting and inventing moral rights. To be morally human Warren identifies certain traits that must be present such as sentience, emotionality, reason and self-awareness. Therefore you can spot species, which deserve moral respect from these traits. She uses an example of an alien arriving and using these qualities to determine whether it deserves moral respect. If these behaviours cannot be identified in certain species then they cannot be given moral respect and be regarded as â€Å"a person. † She distinguishes this â€Å"moral sense† from the â€Å"genetic sense† of a human. Warren believes that for abortion to be wrong you must prove whatever is genetically human to also be morally human. She believes fetus's can only be genetically human and therefore do not fall under the category of a human, thus forfeiting human moral rights. Despite Warren's observation that a seven-month-old fetus can feel pain and respond to external stimuli, she reasons that this still does not put the fetus under the category of personhood. Therefore she concludes a seven month fetus is no more a person than none human animals. However if only those people who have psychological attributes of a person can enter into moral contracts with others, what then is our duty not to inflict pain and suffering on animals or to another level small babies. Suffering however is a misfortune when experienced by us, so we should therefore uphold and shun away from participating in the suffering of animals or other humans. For if we are going to kill animals or infants we will do so in a way, which brings about the least amount of suffering. Regarding animals Kant has argued that treating animals with care is important for the sole reason that in doing so mans heart won't harden in their treatment of humans. However Feinburg shows treating infants with care is important because they need to be trained in moral behaviour so by treating them with care benefits us. However this argument shows, just as we can treat with care the infants we intend to keep we can kill the infants we intend to discard. In the same way we can treat with care the fetus's we intend to keep but discard the fetus's we don't want. Warren argues in some situations it can be practical anyway to abort babies or even young infants. This is in cases when the current population is unable to sustain new life. It seems barbaric that creatures, which possess developed social structures and morals could result to such behaviour. From a utilitarian perspective however in some circumstances this outcome could be argued the most beneficial to the majority of society. However in normal circumstances it seems absurd to pick and choose infants who can live or die which could be argued have the same moral standing as fetus's or animals. Bearing in mind this Don marquis believes a different approach is needed, this approach regards the question of whether the fetus deserves the right to life. A premature death results in the loss of the future goods of consciousness therefore killing is wrong because it deprives a person of a â€Å"future like ours. Fetus's will became human and develop and grow into sentient creatures therefore having dispositions like ours, so does this mean they deserve the same chance as us? The misfortune of contracting an incurable disease is that the disease denies that person a future like ours that they would otherwise have and which they would no doubt rather have. The will to live is strong for life is sweet, and because we recognise this, doctors will do their up most to preserve someone's life who is unconscious or suicidal because they don't want to deny the person the chance to have a future like ours. In the same way a fetus or infant whether unconscious or not deserves a chance to experience future consciousness for no one would like their future conscious or the chance to have a future consciousness prematurely eliminated. However the future like ours argument does pose some problems. The degrees of wrongness in killing do seem to be in proportion with the victim's age. For a 5-year-old child has more potential future than an 80-year-old man, leading from this it would seem more right to deny an 80 year old man a future like ours than a 5 year old child. However stating as Marquis puts it, â€Å"adopting the legal equality of murder†, can put down this criticism. Some have argued that contraception is denying a potential FLO when conception is possible. However since at the time of conception there is no individual to be harmed, there is no entity with a FLO, there is just millions of possible potential FLO but nothing with an actual one. For in the case of contraception nothing has been harmed therefore their was no potential suffering. Despite pro-abortionists disagreeing to â€Å"drawing a line† to where a fetus becomes a human with rights, many agree that the fetus has become a person with characteristics well before birth. Are they drawing a line here? Do you draw the line at the birth of the child which when born still does not necessarily posses the qualities of personhood. Does this mean you can treat small babies like animal's which its characteristics are more similar to, however as I mentioned earlier, causing suffering is wrong. Surely you should treat the baby like the species it is from with the set of morals that it will grow into. All species under the banner of the same DNA should be treated with the same moral respect even if they haven't developed the capacity or will never – such as disabled people. These people have observed and agreed that a young fetus does have human characteristics such as internal organs, limbs and brain activity. However the developments of this young fetus have all come from the DNA initiated moments after conception, therefore the moment of conception is the beginning of the person, which then will grow. However pro-abortionists still argue that at conception the fetus is just a clump of cells and no more a person than an acorn is an oak tree and no more valuable than a lifeless rock. Thomson suggests that even if life begins at conception it does not necessarily follow that abortion is morally impermissible. He suggests the possibility that a women's right to decide is stronger than a fetus's right to life and that to deny a women the choice of abortion is to deny her the right to control her own body. This is outlined by the use of an analogy of a famous violinist. I would like to suggest that this is not an acceptable argument in the debate about abortion because there is a different duty in sustaining life and looking after new life, which originates in you. The analogy states that you have been kidnapped and connected to a violinist in order to keep him alive and only you have the qualities for this purpose, to unplug yourself from him would result in the violinists' death. This analogy is suggesting that all human beings have a right to life and dispite unwillingly being connected to the violinist, disconnecting yourself would not be giving the violinist a right to life. To stay consistent the anti-abortionist would have to stay in bed with the violinist however long that may be because all humans have a right to life. This analogy is trying to suggest that someone's right to decide what they do to their body is greater than someone's right to life? I'm sure you would be outraged if you were unwillingly and knowingly put in this situation. Although if you were feeling generous you might decide to save the violinist by staying connected, if 1 hour of being connected to him would save his life. However that is the individual personal decision to make. A law, which required you to stay in bed with the violinist, would be an unjust law. If the right to decide is greater then the right to life, Thomson is saying, then the anti-abortionists premise of life beginning at conception is irrelevant. This analogy is trying to distinguish whether people who oppose abortion will make an acceptation, if the conception was due to rape and therefore as the violinist analogy puts forward, the participant was unwilling. Therefore do some people have a less of a right to life than others? Surely there is no distinction between the circumstance that life is created, life is life and people have the same feelings however conception takes place. A test tube baby is still an original, unique life. Rape is wrong but is it right to punish the innocent party (the baby). If anyone is going to be killed as a result of rape, surely that should be the rapist?! A pro-abortionist could argue that the mother is the innocent party and therefore is being punished through the conception. Again the question comes down to the premises of whether a right to life is greater than the right to choose. However just because a fetus is down to rape doesn't make that new life any less important – it is still a life. However I would like to suggest that there is a difference in sustaining life and promoting new life. There is a difference of responsibility in life as a result of a pregnant women (regarding the fetus. For all of us need our organs to function and we don't have a responsibility to sacrifice ourselves and are organs or freedom to sustain life randomly because we are life ourselves and have the same right to sustain our life and not give are bodies to the goodness of life for everyone. If this statement is wrong I challenge everyone to go down to the hospital tomorrow and willingly sacrifice themselves for the good of sustaining life (or violinists! ). However new life is the result of conception, this conception is not sustaining life but rather giving new life, this is completely different. The violinist analogy poses the question that there is a ladder of people who have more right to life than others. A human chose that the violinist's life was more important to sustain than the person who was attached to him, what about the violinists responsibility to promote life. If someone is being forced to keep you alive, life isn't being promoted but the opposite is occurring. The violinist analogy automatically assumes that one person is more valuable to sustain than another. Therefore this leads us to the question; can we use a person who is less valuable to society in order to sustain the life of someone who brings more value to society, such as use murderers and rapists in this way and their organs? The question this raises is, what human has the right to decide who lives or dies or how you use your body. In the violinist analogy a human decided that someone's life was not as valuable as the violinist's. The anti-abortionist can argue that this example is not acceptable to the debate. There is a difference in sacrificing yourself to SUSTAIN existing life and sacrificing yourself to KEEP new life. Existing life was their before you decided or were forced to sustain it (e. g. sustaining the violinist) but new life originates in the person and wasn't around before. The person who was attached to the violinist was attached to sustain the violinist's life NOT to keep a new unique life. A new life comes into existence though conception at birth. The person attached to the violinist was sustaining his life but the violinist did not originate in the person that was attached to him, it was a different situation and not properly relevant to the abortion debate. The issue is complicated if the mothers life is in danger as a result of the pregnancy. If we conclude that all have a right to life, can we add to the mothers write to life the right to decide? Theirs no doubt the mother unlike the fetus has the opportunity to decide and if she is acting in a way as to save herself, she is acting in self-defence. Thomson here uses the house analogy here to illustrating that a women has a write to defend herself from the threat of an innocent baby in the example a women and child are both in a house, the child is growing and will eventually unknowingly crush the women. This illustration is designed to provoke us. However is it the women's body to decide? For the women is a carrier and the baby is a separate life. Thomson does say that it is indecent for seven-month pregnant women to have an abortion so she can go on a trip to Europe. People instead should get their priorities in order. Thomson believes each situation should be judged on its own merits. For an example she believes it acceptable for a 14-year-old pregnant rape victim to have an abortion to relieve the trauma but the situation changes if a pregnant women changes her mind or became pregnant because of no contraception. In other words a person behaves in a way that could have been avoided. However as more and more people start using abortion as a form of contraception we should ask the question, what did the sexual revolution of the sixties bring us? It brought us, sexual diseases, single parents, less stability, aids, increased abortions – â€Å"free love† is starting to look more like â€Å"free death†. The issue of abortion comes down to people's own moral belief. Human logic can dictate, which I have highlighted that abortion could be justified in extreme circumstances although should not be used constantly as a form of contraception. However the biblical view states very clearly that abortion is a sin. From the moment of conception the DNA cells have divided into areas and the characteristics of that life has been established. In the eyes of God therefore it has been given the breath of life.