Oral History Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Oral History - Research Paper Example I thought that the best way to explore this would be through learning about her experiences with culture shock when coming to the United States. To do this, I knew that I needed to get to know Soo Park’s reasons for coming to the United States. This would have an impact on the level of culture shock she experienced and how she dealt with it. Soo Park was born in a rural area of Korea. Today, we would call it South Korea, but Soo Park never used this term. She insisted that there is only one Korea and that soon there would be no rebel government in the North of the country anymore. Her family was well off. Her father had a shop that supplied everything from fertilizer to small tractors for local farmers. Soo Park recalls that she was luck to have such a good man for a father. He loved her and never made her feel unimportant. In those days, she explained, the rural Koreans placed all privileges upon their sons. Soo Park’s younger brother was chosen to take over the family business at a young age. She said that it was typical for girls to simply prepare for marriage. But she loved school and was a good scholar. Her father saw this and arranged for her to go live in Seoul at a private school that taught in English as well as Korean. There were American students that attended the school along with Korean students. The only problem with this plan was that problems were starting in Korea. Soo Park was twelve when she was to enroll in the school. This was 1958 and Korea was still an uncertain place as a result of the recent war. There were any American soldiers in and around Seoul and many of the rural Koreans did not trust the Americans. Soo Park remembers her father speaking favorably of the American soldiers he had met, but still expressed concerns about them being in Korea. She remembers him telling her that the Americans would be here in Korea for 100 years. Soo Park knew that her father was a wise man, but she had no idea that his words would be so true. In 1964, Soo Park finally could go to Seoul to finish her schooling. Her father had kept his word and felt confident that his daughter would be safe for one year in Seoul. She earned the equivalent of her High School diploma and tried to learn some English, but found it very difficult. Soo Park recalls being so good at everything in school ex cept English. She was actually a better math student than most of the boys, which made some of them furious. There was one male student, Henry Lee, which was even better than she at math. They became friends and fell in love. She knew that Henry was going to spend the next four years in the United State attending college on a scholarship. She wante3d to go with him badly, but knew she could not. The next four years of her life were difficult. She lived for letters from Henry. He studied in California, but she was not able to attend college. Her mother pressed her to find another boy to marry, but she refused. Her father was sad because she was sad. She spent her time helping in the family business and writing to Henry. Finally he graduated and sent a letter that informed her he was graduating, had become a United States citizen and was going to work for a statistics firm in northern Virginia. He invited her to come to live with him in America as his wife. Soo Park arrived in Washing ton D.C. in 1970. Her father and mother accompanied her. She spoke little English and was completely unfamiliar with American culture, save the bit she picked-up from her classmates during her last year at school. Soo Park’s mother was glad she was marrying a Korean boy, but was disappointed there would be no traditional wedding. Henry, who spoke perfect English now, said that a traditional weddin

Reflective Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Reflective Report - Essay Example something and that the business they choose to give is going to be rewarded by an organisation that truly looks out for his or her own best interest. At the same time, the resources that any given business has to deploy are limited. As such, it is equally important that they understand all that they can about any individual supplier or business in their efforts to streamline costs, and maximise exposure and profitability. It is striking to consider the technology that is available today to meet the increasing demand for knowledge. This has much to do with the daily operations of a business, as customers want and require knowledge quickly and easily. They desire the business to be accessible to them, on their terms, and at their own skill level. I now better understand the nature of my potential in any future business endeavour. The natural objective and purpose behind this concept is to develop a way to organise and assimilate data in a user friendly way that both employee and customer can benefit from. This is easier said than done, but the process of developing customer and brand loyalty is at stake here. Through this experience, I have learned the nature of customer knowledge management and its various components. From a business perspective, a working knowledge of all the customer within an organisation helps a company stay competitive both locally and globally. It is apparent that customers are no longer by bound by physical and geographical location. It is often just as easy to do business with a company several continents away as it is to associate with a business right down the street. With this reality in mind, companies have begun to treat customer knowledge management processes with renew vigour and enthusiasm (Borges, 2007). This process also means that business today have opened up their doors across borders and they, themselves, are no longer necessarily constricted to time and space. Knowledge, if harnessed properly, enables a business

The Importance Of Peat Bogs Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Peat Bogs Environmental Sciences Essay Peat is a material that is left in the ground by decaying vegetation, and is found in many parts of the world. Conditions most favourable to peat are low temperatures and a fairly moist atmosphere. Peat is formed in waterlogged, sterile, acidic conditions of bogs. These conditions favour the growth of mosses, especially Sphagnum. Sphagnum is a pale or ashy moss from the genus Sphagnum whose decomposed remains from peat. Peat is brownish/black in colour and in its natural state is composed of 90% water and 10% solid material. Peat consists of sphagnum moss along with roots, leaves, flowers, seeds of heathers, grasses and sedges. There are several types of peat: Fen Peat: is a black peat and contains a large amount of lime. It is usually found in hollows or in the beds of shallow lakes. This is found mainly off the Curragh, Co.Kildare. Blanket bog Peat: is generally found in Irish mountains and in flat areas in Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Kerry. It is composed primarily of grasses. Raised bog Peat: is formed mainly from sphagnum moss. Sphagnum is the main type. These are found exclusively in central Ireland, mainly in the Shannon basin. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 2002). Here is an example of a peat bog landscape taken in Dublin, Eastern Ireland. (Travel Pod, Peat Bogs Dublin, Ireland). What is a bog? A bog is a type of wetland characterized by a thick mat of partially decomposed material and highly acidic water. Bogs have been useful to humans for thousands of years, providing a source of fuel in the form of peat and food in the form of berries which grow on bog shrubs such as cranberries. Peat bogs are wetland sites with poor drainage. Peat bogs are fed by rainwater and the soil builds up its own water table and acidity. Sphagnum mosses grow and decompose eventually forming layers of peat. Peat piles below the surface and may be many metres deep. (Environment and Heritage Service 2004). Formation of a Peat Bog: Flooded hollows and basins provide idyllic growing conditions for reeds and sedges. When the vegetation dies, it does not rot away completely as the water in the hollows prevents oxygen from reaching the dead plants. The partly-rotted plants steadily build up to form fen peat. Eventually dark fibrous peat completely fills the hollow to form a fen. Most of the nutrients are tied up in the peat and so the only minerals available for plant growth are those dissolved in rainfall. Layers of bog moss, which has the ability to create their own acid environment, begin to replace the fen vegetation and alter fen into true bog. A growing thickness of sphagnum peat slowly accumulates and the surface of the bog starts to rise above the surrounding land. The original fen has now become a raised bog. Raised bogs are mostly found on the lowlands around Lough Neagh, along the Bann Valley and in counties, such as Fermanagh and Tyrone. (Natural Heritage 2005 Abbot 1997). This image is of a raised bog in the Bann River Valley, which is situated in Northern Ireland, separating Londonderry from Antrim. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 1998). The importance of peat bogs and there benefits. Peat bogs are very important and extremely beneficial to the environment and humans. They are; A living archive. A rich record of information lies sealed in our bogs. Much of this is organic and has a capacity to expand our understanding of people, culture, economy and climate far back to prehistory. Peat bogs have produced some of the most impressive finds of Irish archaeology, including extremely fresh-looking bodies of some of our ancestors. The lack of oxygen in the peat prevents the normal decomposing processes from taking place and so bogs have sealed within them a vast assortment of gold, bronze, amber, wooden and stone objects. These can tell us about how and where people lived in ancient Ireland. Archaeologists have discovered many fascinating structures within and below the peat. Some remains can be revealed without digging the peat. For example; the Stone Age farmland in the Cà ©ide fields, co. Mayo, is covered by up to 4 metres deep. The outline of the farm walls can be mapped by probing with iron rods which go down through the peat until they hit a solid structure. By inquiring at the right angles to the wall, its possible to establish the level of the old ground surface under the bog and the location and elevation of the wall built on the surface. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 2002). A Habitat. Peat bogs are rich in range of plants and wildlife, some of which are exclusive to these environments. They are home to thousands of insects, including butterflies, dragonflies, and a rare raft spider. Nearly up to a thousand plants grow here, including carnivorous plants such as the great sundew as well as mosses and fungi. Birdlife is rich with waders, wildfowl, nightjar, winchat, merlin and the short-eared owl. A Carbon Source. Peat is rich in fossil carbon which has been removed from the atmosphere by plants accumulated over many years. Drainage and damage of raised bogs results in the quick loss of the stored carbon in the form of greenhouse gases, as the peat decays. Globally, Peat stores twice as much carbon as forests. A fuel source. Peat has been the traditional domestic fuel in Ireland since the early 1300s when peatlands were more widespread. Traditionally peat was cut by hand, using a special turf-spade called a sleà ¡n/slane. It is a slow, labour intensive process that can allow the bog to recover partially. (Godwin 1981) Endangered species. Many rare and unprotected species of plant and animal are found on bogs. For example, The GreenLand White-fronted Goose relies on wet bogs with pools for feeding and roosting. The invertebrates found on bogs contain many rare species. The bog moss Sphagnum imbricatum is entirely restricted to bogs and is the main peat performing species in the oceanic peatland types. Sphagnum imbricatum is becoming rarer as further sites are brought into development and bogs are being destroyed therefore killing off this bog moss. An electricity source. Milled peat moss is used to produce electricity. Milled peat is air dried peat in the form of powder or crumbs. This began first in co.Offaly in the year 1957. Bord na Mà ³na is responsible for peat production in Ireland. Bord na mà ³na owns 80,000ha of peatland and harvest 4 million tonnes of milled peat per year. The main market for milled peat is the energy sector both for burning in power stations and for domestic consumption via briquettes production. A tourist attraction. Due to huge areas of bog land in Ireland, many tourists visit the peat bogs. This is benefiting the local surrounding area economically and making people more aware of the importance of peat bogs. Peat bogs are a great place for Bird watchers as there is a huge diversity of birds. (Godwin 1981 Irish Peatland Conservation Council 1996). Although peat bogs are very important, they do however face many threats, the main one being; Peat extraction and human intervention, the introduction of machines for peat-cutting and milling has destroyed vast areas of bogland. Once the peat is cut, the area is drained and in turn damages the delicate ecosystem. The surface of the peat bog lowers and becomes drier and the wildlife there begins to die or leave. Humans can benefit from cutting peat economically. When humans cut too much peat at one time out of greed, they damage the bog as the peat does not have sufficient time to recover. If the peat was extracted gradually, the bog has a better and longer chance of survival. (Natural Heritage 2005 Environment Waikato Regional Council 1997-2007). There is a huge demand for peat from amateur gardeners. Peat actually isnt a great source of nutrients for plants as it contains very little biological activity. Manufacturers add nutrients to boost its chemical fertility. If gardeners were to make their own compost our peatland wildlife would have a more secure future and there would be less peat extracted from our peat bogs. Another threat faced by our peat bogs is silage run-off. This poisonous run-off can seep into the bogs water table; the results are devastating to both animal and plant life within, killing large numbers of different species present here. Overgrazing can have huge effects on our bogs. This can disturb wildlife and it damages the surface of the bogland. However, it has the ability to increase nutrient levels through animal urine and dung. When there are plant pests present and living, they threaten the biodiversity. They can grow very quickly and will compete against native plants for space, light and nutrients. These pests are reducing the original and native plant diversity. (Backyard Gardener) The Government has had a huge success in introducing laws to protect our peat lands. This was mainly prompted by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council. Our peat bogs need to be protected for many reasons. Bogs contain a wide variety of plants and animals. Without bogs as a habitat some of these animals may become extinct. Animals and plants can live and breed there without being disturbed. (Godwin 1981). Bogs contain a lot of water. Most of the water comes from rainfall. This is an excellent source of water when the community is in need. The peat bogs also help to filter water, leaving it fairly clean. The carbon contained in peat bogs make up 60% of the carbon in terrestrial ecosystems. If the bog is still living, (not destroyed or damaged) then carbon is slowly emitted to the atmosphere which helps reduce carbon dioxide pollution. In return, this provides for a better and cleaner environment. (Poland. Pl 2009) Peat bogs are a natural archive to our past. We can investigate into the changes of climate and the anthropogenic history of the area. Peat takes a long time to accumulate, so by analyzing the remains of plants preserved in peat, we can research changes which took place in the environment over the years. To observe nature in its natural condition unchanged by human intervention becomes a very popular way of spending free time. Therefore, people travel to see this landscape and it becomes a tourist attraction in many ways. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 1996). What can we do to help save our peat bogs? Its easy and requires simple tasks such as; Refuse to buy peat or plants grown in peat. Stop using peat in your garden; you can start a compost heap as an alternative. Visit a peatland reserve close to you and see the wildlife. Once you do this, youll never want to buy peat again. Raise awareness of the importance of our bogs and inform the local community about our peat bogs. If you live near one, keep an eye out and report any illegal cutting or dumping. Recycle kitchen/garden waste to make your own compost and persuade others to do the same. Oxigen waste company have even introduced a brown bin collection day for all kitchen and garden waste that can decompose. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 1996). In conclusion, although we may not think about it, peat and peat bogs have a huge influence on humans and the environment and vice versa. Without bogs, a wide variety of species would be killed off, there would be no natural source of history available to historians etc., there would be a lot more carbon in the air which would result in ozone damage, some animals would be left without a habitat and finally, they are a source of water when we are in need. However, Peat lands help humans in many ways and have a huge importance in the world today.

Child’s Development is Influenced by Environmental and Cultural Influen

Attention to every stage of a child’s physical, emotional and educative development is â€Å"both critical and vital† (Alison Dunn, 2004). Research shows that the care young children receive has dramatic long-term effects on how children develop and learn, how they cope with stress, and how they react to the world around them. â€Å"Science tells us that consistently positive and stimulating experiences in their early years helps children’s brains to grow† (Frank Oberklaid, 2008); it can also affect how they continue to learn later on in life. This paper will discuss how a child’s development is influenced by environmental and cultural influences as well as parenting styles and education. This will be argued through four topics including environmental factors such as the socio economic environment in which a child is reared into, cultural influences, the effect of the four different parenting styles and how education from both the parent and teacher can also play a significant role. Environmental Factors There are many environmental factors that influence a child's early years of development (George G. Graham, 1972, pp. 1184-1188) For example issues such as the type of physical environment that a child is bought up within can impact on the development of that child. These factors, broadly divided into two areas, include their socio-economic status and state of the physical environment they grow up within. The socio-economic status of the immediate family and the wider community can have either a â€Å"positive or detrimental† (Understanding the Early Years, 1999) influence on the individuals development. For example research has shown that children brought up with parents that are poor and have limited educational qualifications wi... ...le, successful and happy children (Dr. F. Elahi, 2010, p. 16). Whereas the authoritarian parenting style can produce children that are obedient and competent but rate lower in the areas of self-esteem, social skills and happiness, and are more likely to be aggressive. The permissive parenting style does not involve following through with consequences for unacceptable behavior, these children will think they can get away with average effort, can be angry and demanding when they don't get their way. Children of uninvolved parents tend to lack self-esteem and the ability to regulate themselves; as a result, they are less capable and resilient than other children. An education is essential to early childhood academic development. Children who receive schooling at an early age are more likely to stay in school, and those children perform better later with academia.

Death and Dying: Before and After Stages Essay

Each new day begins with a sunrise. It brings to earth a new light that has never been seen before. The new light starts small and gradually reaches its peak in the vast sky. It nourishes the land, provides warmth and comfort, and inspires epic tales. As the day ages the light slowly sinks behind the horizon leaving behind brilliant splashes of color as if to reflect upon its accomplishment, but the pallet of colors will quickly fade to black as the light leaves the sky to go to places unknown. Even though the day was bright and created wonder it must give way to the tranquil, mysterious, and cool night. Just as the dawn must give to the night each birth must yield to an eventual death. The night, like death, holds a sense mystery and tranquility for some. To others it invokes all the horrors found in the scariest nightmares. While man may find ways to prolong the inevitable, each must yield to the waning light and go into that which he may have no knowledge of prior to the journey. It is a journey he will make alone. He will be stripped of all his earthly possession including his body. Only his soul will be allowed to pass into the dusk; the time of night. My friends, he must die and yet you must live on. As with every story, death too, has more than one perspective. The lone warrior who must take the solitary journey and the spectators watching the eternal sunset both have their story about the same event, but each story is unique. The dying and their family do not have to face the uncertainty and often fearful process alone however. Organizations such as RMH Hospice Care can help both the dying and their loved ones. Any person that has a terminal diagnosis, and is not expected to live for more than six months is eligible for Hospice assistance. Hospice Care helps to alleviate the stress that is encountered during the dying process by taking a holistic approach to treatment. It often severs as an educational tool to the person and their family. Hospice also provides awareness of the options that are available to the dying person. They also seek to educate the community and health care workers. The word hospice comes from the root word for hospitality in Latin. In basic  terms Hospice means to provide hospitality to the dying person and their family. This means giving palliative or comfort care to the dying and helping their loved ones in many ways. Hospice nurses provide medications to the clients that help to alleviate pain, ease breathing and treat depression that accompanies the process of dying. The nurses also educated the family so that they can understand better what is happening with their loved ones. Hospice workers also provide some counseling to the family and patient. After the death they continue to keep in touch with the family. Historically nuns were caring for the dying persons in monasteries prior to the construction of hospitals. The word hospital also comes for the Latin word for hospitality. In the late sixties a doctor named Dame Saunders applied the term Hospice to the care of the dying (History of Hospice Care – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization). She would also introduce the practice of caring for the dying to the United States. One of the purposes hospice serves is to help the dying person and their family to work through the stages and processes of accepting the fact death will occur and to provide help for the family after the death of their loved one. Hospice workers are aware of and educate about the stages that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross introduced to the realm of death and dying. The dying person experiences intimately the process of dying that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified, but their loved ones who are left behind after the death experience the grief associated with the loss of a loved one must complete the tasks of mourning identified by William Worden in order to achieve an acceptable quality of life without their loved one. Everyone reaches a point in their life when they understand that they will die. Sometimes this revelation comes as a part of a terminal disease diagnosis. Other times it is simply the realization that their age is greater than the time they have left. When the time of death is near those who are dying often begin working though a process that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross presented in the late sixties. She identified five steps that the dying person works through. These steps are now looked at as process because a person may go between the steps and in various orders (L.Bee &  Bjorklund, 2005). Kubler-Ross identified denial, anger, barraging, depression, and acceptance as the processes that dying person experience. Denial is simply denying that one is close to death. The person may continue to present the illusion that there is nothing wrong with them. A woman with breast cancer was observed by her friends as refusing to have surgery, and sought out several â€Å"second† opinions. A man in hospice care because of prostate cancer may tell the nurse who is making a home visit, â€Å"I don’t know why you are here I am fine.† One particular client who lives in a nursing facility with several levels of care has recently been moved to the special care unit because of his terminal condition and the new requirements of care. He is in deep denial despite his diagnose of terminal lung cancer. He has made no effort to commission a will. He has established no living will or a person to act as his power of attorney should he be unable to make decisions concerning his medical needs or finances. He has even refused to meet with the social worker. His daughter is currently going through le gal process to obtain power of attorney. She requested Hospice care for him. A hospice nurse met with him, and he agreed to sign consent and keep his current DNR status active, but he stated, â€Å"I am only doing this so Sally will leave me alone.† He still refuses to fill out the wish book given to him by hospice. The wish book allows for the dying persons to write down wishes they would liked honored as they are dying and after they are dead. It is assumable that he feels there is no need to express this information because he is â€Å"fine.†Denial from family members can also be seen. Aides and nurses who go to the homes of the hospice clients report denial from family members as a part of their observations. At a home visit one hospice nurse has met opposition from the daughters of a 59 year old man in the Hospice program. She is reluctant to sign important papers because â€Å"daddy is gonna live a long time still,† despite his need for high amounts of oxygen and advancing congestive heart failure. Another man, observed at an assistant living facility in Harrisonburg by a nurses aid working on the special care unit, response to his 69 wife’s terminal cancer diagnosis and recent move to the new unit by saying â€Å"those d@#n doctors they don’t know anything anyway. She’ll pull through this. She’s been through worse.† He is reflecting upon the first time she was diagnosed with cancer 6 years ago. This time however  she has chosen to not go through the aggressive treatments for her cancer. Anger is another process identified by Kubler-Ross. Anger refers to the feelings felt once the person realizes they are dying. It is only natural for a person feel angry at the loss of their most precious asset. Anger is sometimes seen in sudden outburst. An elderly woman at an assistant living facility who is normally peaceful and quite was observed by a student throwing her little glass birds in her room and cursing God a few days after receiving bad news from her doctor. In the same facility the student was confronted with a young man who has AIDS. He was almost unapproachable because of his hatred of persons with much life ahead of them. Anger is not restricted to the dying person only. Family members experience this emotion as well. A middle age man whose wife is visit frequently by a hospice nurse due to the effects of the end stages of terminal cancer curses God for taking his wife instead of someone who had done terrible deeds. He clenches his fist and looks to the sky as if to challenge God himself. Anger is reflected in family members of an elderly woman who has suffered a fall as the result of neglect. The fall caused much trauma for the woman, and it became evident she would not recover from the damage. Her family vocalizes their anger and feelings of unfairness to the aides who care for their mother in the special care unit. Bargaining is the offer of a sacrifice in return for more life. The dying cancer patient may ask God to grant him life until the end of the holiday season, and he will ask for nothing else. A little woman in a hospice care program asked God to grant her enough time to see her gardens bloom one last time. This too was a last request. Another gentleman promised good behavior and greater religious commitment in return for a longer life. Bargaining is also seen among family members. They are willing to give up a lot in order to preserve a loved one’s life. For example the middle age man losing his wife to terminal cancer reported asking God to save his wife, and take his instead. He also promised to be a better person and give more money to the church. To show that he was serious he donated several thousand from  the sale of property to the church. His sincerity and hurt made the observer want to cry. He was clearly trying to save his wife’s life. Depression affects the mental health of the dying. Depression in the dying is a reaction to the disorder of their life created by the disease and because of the realization that they must prepare to meet death (Strickland, 2005). Depression in the dying person is often observed by caregivers in the form of the refusal to eat, not going out, refusing to see other people, and showing no interests in hobbies they one enjoyed. The man with congestive heart failure often enjoyed building small wooden toys. When asked if he had been in his workshop lately he said, â€Å"No, just have not felt like it. Not really much point.† The young man suffering from AIDS has not turned on his playstation in a month. He used to play several hours a day. His mother has offered him several new games. Acceptance of one’s death is not the same as giving up. It is actually the act of accepting death in a manner that allows for the need reflection of the life lived. The middle aged woman with terminal cancer put her â€Å"affairs in order,† made all her own funeral arrangements so her family would not have to, and dictated her living will and estate will to her attorney. She has accepted her own mortality. An elderly woman has sold property she does not use, started giving away her possessions to family members, and is writing her memories in a journal. She also decided to empty her bank account and split the money between her five grandchildren. With a evil little smiled she said, â€Å"Now the greedy lawyers won’t get a dime of it.†During the last week of his wife’s life the middle aged man came to accept his wife’s very near death. He quit asking for her life to be extended. When he asked for the nurse and aide to join him in prayer he now prayed for comfort and a peaceful passing for his wife. He asked for guidance in the days after her death. He also asked her what she wanted to be buried in. He knew she was a particular woman when it came to dressing. A person or family member can experience these stages in any order. They may also experience more than one stage at once. For example the man with congestive heart failure had accepted the fact that he would soon be dying,  but he still bargained for more time. He wanted to live though his daughter’s wedding. He felt he could die in peace if he could attend his youngest daughter’s wedding. Anger was the first reaction to one woman’s terminal diagnosis, but instead of bargaining she went into depression. Her depression was often mixed with angry actions. If she bargained it was in her personal space and time. On the eve of her death she became afraid to be alone, and she verbalized for the first time her acceptance of death. â€Å"I do not want to die alone. Please stay with me,† she asked several aids in the nursing home she lived in. The young man with AIDS knows he is dying and he is quick to state â€Å"I am going to die soon,† and he has signe d a DNR form, made request for his funeral, and signed his property over to his mother. He show acceptance by the above mentioned acts, he is still very angry and considers himself unjustly persecuted by the Gods, he can be heard often barraging for more time, and is severely depressed. The only stage he seems not to be in is denial. It is possible in the depths of his mind he may still try to convince himself that he normal, well, and has many years to live. Denial was once an issue for him however, for nearly six years he refused treatment for HIV because he did not want to admit he was carrying the virus in his blood. He pursued numerous â€Å"second opinions.†Family members display the same fluidity in the stages indentified by Kubler-Ross. The daughter who refused to sign important papers for her father because she felt he was not in the dying process eventually agreed to sign them. However she stated, â€Å"I do not think he is dying, but I need the help so I will sign them.† The family angry because of the neglect that lead to the terminal condition of their mother never let go of the angry feelings even though they moved through the four other processes. The middle aged man was depressed during the time his wife was dying. He also bargained with God despite being angry with him. In a few cases the family members simply accepted the fact their loved one was dying. If there were any of the other stages present they hid their feelings very well. In these cases the dying person was very old, had lived a full life, and there was not the presence of terminal illness. Once the loved one has passed away the tasks of mourning and recuperating from the loss is placed on the survivors. William Worden has established four tasks of mourning. These tasks must be met in order for the survivors to return to the quality of life that they experienced before the death of their loved one (Worden, 2001). These tasks, unlike Kubler-Ross’s stages, are worked through in order. Worden’s first task requires that the mourners â€Å"accept the reality of the loss,† (Worden, 2001). Worden acknowledges the reality of death is tough to accept even if the death was anticipated. In post-death visits done by Hospice this is most common seen in a verbal form. The daughter of the man who died from congestive heart failure remarked upon a comment made by an observer about the toy train her father had made, Daddy is- I mean was always good with his hands.† She had a hard time accepting the fact her father was dying, but is working into accepting his death. The middle aged husband who lost his wife to terminal cancer also showed signs of making the adjustment to accepting his loss. He would often say â€Å"it’s what she would’ve wanted me to do,† or she was this and she use to do that. A woman whose husband recently passed made the comment â€Å"that was my husband’s favorite ice cream,† at an ice cream social event at her assistant living facility. Sometimes this type of speech is noted before the person has passed away. Visitors of an elderly man who was in his last few hours of life were overheard saying, â€Å"He was a good man.† Nurses in nursing homes also do the same type of behavior. â€Å"She was sick, even though she is still sick, and â€Å"he wanted to die peacefully,† despite the fact he has not yet passed away. Funeral homes often help with the acceptance as well. The remembrance cards are written in past tense. Funeral directors give the option for an open casket funeral or viewing. The practice of being able to view the body of their loved one often helps people to accept their loss as reality. The ideas that are associated with a funeral and funeral parlors also help the surviving members to come to terms with the fact a loved one has died. Worden’s second task involves the chore of â€Å"working through the grief,† (Worden, 2001). Grief can include both physical, emotional and behavior aspects. It is often referred to as the â€Å"pain of loss, the empty space in my  heart, and nothingness.† Family members can become depressed after the loss. A newly widowed woman refuses to eat, and stays in her room. Prior to her husband’s death she was active within the assist living facility’s community As the weeks turned to months she began eating at every meal, and once again participating in the activities. Occasionally she will even make small humorous remarks about all the time she has now that she does not have to worry about her husband. Adjusting to the changed environment is the third tasks in Worden’s four tasks to mourning the loss of a loved one. The changed environment is the places where the loved one is missing from. The home, or apartment, and place of work are examples of the environments that experience a change when a person dies. When a widow allows for the removal of her husband’s clothes from her closet she is making a small change in the environment to reflect its change. In the case of the man who passed from the effect of chronic heart failure, his daughters removed the hospital bed from the living room, and returned the sofa and book cases. The same occurred in the house of the middle aged man whose wife died from terminal cancer. Part of this change was prompted by the fact that the hospital beds were rentals from medical supply companies. The nurse who did the follow-up visit to his home noted that the man had chosen to completely rearrange his living room after the hospital bed was moved. He also purchased some new furniture for the room. His daughter took to only setting the formal dining room with three table setting instead of the four place settings. The imbalanced of the table settings contrasted greatly with the theme of symmetry in the room. All the decorations and furniture in that room was bought in pairs and arranged evenly. The table looked odd with its uneven number of place settings. The granddaughter has removed all the blankets from the â€Å"sick room† (her reference to the living room) because they were only for sick people. Adjustment to the changed environment can sometimes be problematic when the environment the person occupied most during their last days were in a nursing home. Because rooms in a nursing facility are often in high demand the rooms have to cleared and cleaned quickly. In some cases this change occurs with hours after the person death. This can be upsetting to family  members who may have wanted to spend some quite time among their loved one things. Nurse aids often report that it makes them feel like the person meant nothing to anyone when the rooms are cleared and cleaned quickly. Even though the nurses only spend a short amount of time with the person their personalities often lend to quick attachments. Sometimes nurse aids will take keepsakes from the person room, with family permission of course. One nurse aid was given a house plant by the family of a resident she grew very close to. She still talks about the plant and the person frequently despite the passing of two years. The fourth task is to â€Å"emotionally relocate the deceased and moving on with life,† (Worden, 2001). To accomplish this task the mourner must acknowledge that while they will never forget or renounce their love for that person, there are other they can love (Worden, 2001). An example of this can be seen when a widowed person after sometime meets, falls in love with, and marries someone else. They understand that they will always love their first spouse, but they have accepted and properly mourned their loss. That being done they are able accept and give love to another person. Parents who have experienced the loss of a child may choose to become pregnant and have another child. They have not forgotten the child they once had and loved. They simply now realize that they can still have the love for the child that has died and for a new baby. A widow who goes out and seeks meaningful relationships among her peers so as not to be socially isolated is allowing for some of the â€Å"empty space in her heart† to be filled with the love and understanding found in the new friendships. When a person is in the twilight of their live they must work through stages like those attributed to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Along with the dying person the family also experiences the emotions linked with these stages. The dying person and their family may not experience the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance in order or at the same time. The person may experience more than one stage at a time. Once the sunset has set on a person’s live their family members are left with the chore of accepting the loss and mourning the dead. William Worden set  forth four tasks of mourning that if completed successfully the mourner will be able to return to the quality of life they experienced before their loss. The mourner must accept the loss, master their grief, acknowledge changed environments, and â€Å"relocate the deceased. (Worden, 2001)†While part of the grieving process starts before the death, and can be experienced with the dying person, the tasks of mourning are solely up to the survivors to complete. It is unknown what stage if any the deceased experience after their death. This is a heavily guarded secret only imparted to those who make the journey into the great unknown. Works Cited Gina Copp RGN, D. M. (1998). A Review of Current Theories of Death and Dying. Journal of Advanced Nursing , 382-390. Kipp, S. W., & Kemp, E. (n.d.). Consumer Awarness of the Legal Obligations of Funeral . L.Bee, H., & Bjorklund, B. (2005). The Journey of Adulthood. Boston: Pearson. Ph.D., T. A. (2007). The Human Odyssey: Navigating the Twelve Stages of Life. New York: Sterling. Strickland, L. A. (2005). The last Dance:Encountering Death and Dying (7th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw. Terry, W., Olson, L., Wilss, L., & Boulton-Lewis, G. (2006). Experience of Dying: Concernc of Dying Patients. Internal Medicine journal , 338-346. Worden, W. (2001). Grief Counceling and Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Professional. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Acc/230 Week 2 Assignment Lucent Technologies Case

Week 2 Individual: Lucent Technologies Case Assignment: Read Case 2. 1: Lucent Technologies on pp. 79 and 80 (Ch. 2) of the text. Compose a 500- to 750-word paper that includes your answers to questions 2-4 on p. 79. Question #2: Evalutat the asset, debt, and equity structure of Lucent Technologies, as well as trends and changes found on the common-size balance sheet. After reviewing the case of Lucent Technologies, we discover that the assets for Lucent Technologies suffered a decline between 2003 and 2004.According to the information provided in the case revealing, the current assets in 2003 was 49. 4% of Lucent Technologies total assets, whereas the current assets in 2004 decreased to 48. 5%. Although, after reviewing the case the percentage of inventory rose from 4. 0% in 2003 to 4. 8% in 2004. We can then calculate there is about a 20% increase in the total inventory holdings. Also it is apparent that Lucent Technologies entire assets in 2003 was 24% and had a decrease in 2004 t o about 20%. This can be measured by the company's cash equivalents and cash.The total debt structure of Lucent Technologies decreased between 2003 and 2004. Lucent Technologies had a decrease in their current liability. In 2003 their current liability was 25. 6% and decreased to 24. 3% during 2004. According to the debts that increased from 23% in 2003 to 26. 4% a year later in the company's total liability, the debts of Lucent Technologies would be considered long term. In 2003, Lucent Technologies had decreased in the representation of total liabilities and shareholders equity on the equity side for Lucent Technologies when compared to a year later.Improvements can happen and the situation of the company now can improve as the year progresses so the company won't look deficit. Question #3: What concerns would investors and creditors have based on only this information? Based on only this information for Lucent Technologies, a concern investors and creditors would have when lookin g at this balance sheet would be the debt structure. When looking at the given information we see a decrease in the total liability, but an increase in the long term liabilities.This could caurse harm to the company since the current liabilities are decreasing from one year to the next. Although, since there is an increase shown for the long term liabilities it balances out to prevent showing a loss. The equity portion is in a superior position for the company. In conclusion, with the given information, Lucent Technologies has been improving looking at 2003 and 2004 and will continue to improve steadily. Question #4: What additional financial and non financial information would investors and creditors need to make investing and lending decision for Lucent Technologies?Some additional financial information that investors and creditors would need in order to make investing and lending decisions for Lucent Technologies would be the company's financial statements. Investors and creditor s would need financial statements for Lucent Technologies because the financial statements contain all the financial information that the investors and creditors would need to make sound investing and lending decisions for Lucent Technologies. The financial statements are the inner workings in a company.The financial statements of a company can be looked at and compared with previous years, in order to find trends in the financial statements and guide investors and creditors to figure out where the company stands and what direction the company may have facing them. Some nonfinancial information that investors and lending decisions for Lucent Technologies would be to know the operating units were created to work together in order to provide cost-efficient solutions and innovative for customers. The business structure can sometimes play a key roll in financial decisions.

Free Essays on A Change Of Thought

that Todd Beamer said to a fellow passenger of flight 93 before it crashed in a rural Pennsylvania. Him and the other passengers planned to over power the hijackers and gain control of the plane again. They did not achieve all of their intended plans but were able to save possibly thousands of people from death. This is an obvious example of the heroism in the 21st century. Due to the events of September 11 heroism has been something greatly publicized and appreciated by the whole country. Before September 11th modern heroism was usually thought of a person who was famous or influential. People such as movie stars, sports figures, or other people who appear to be special and amazing in some way. Once 9/11 happened peoples view point on heroes completely changed, and so did the ideas of what heroes do and accomplish. Now attributes of a hero are someone selfless, courageous, giving, companionate, and willing, instead of the idealistic attributes of hers prior to the attacks. Once real people were seen being much more heroic than any movie star or sports figure. They redefined the idea of a hero. Todd Beamer and the passenger of flight 93 are some of the modern heroes that came to light due to 9/11. The firefighters in New York became major heroes in the eyes of all Americans. They displayed all the characteristics of a hero on 9/11 and did it with out even hesitating. Rescue workers and civilians of 9/11 also displayed their abilities to be heroes. Most of the heroes in 9/11 hade to over come a stressful situation, not panic, all were all also in some immediate danger, weather it be their lives or the lives of others, they had a lot of responsibility. Another major attribute that mostly all of the heroes of 9/11 shares is the overwhelming amount of selflessness they have, many died trying to save others. Also in the modern world there are always... Free Essays on A Change Of Thought Free Essays on A Change Of Thought A Change of Thought â€Å"You ready? Ok, lets roll† were the famous words that Todd Beamer said to a fellow passenger of flight 93 before it crashed in a rural Pennsylvania. Him and the other passengers planned to over power the hijackers and gain control of the plane again. They did not achieve all of their intended plans but were able to save possibly thousands of people from death. This is an obvious example of the heroism in the 21st century. Due to the events of September 11 heroism has been something greatly publicized and appreciated by the whole country. Before September 11th modern heroism was usually thought of a person who was famous or influential. People such as movie stars, sports figures, or other people who appear to be special and amazing in some way. Once 9/11 happened peoples view point on heroes completely changed, and so did the ideas of what heroes do and accomplish. Now attributes of a hero are someone selfless, courageous, giving, companionate, and willing, instead of the idealistic attributes of hers prior to the attacks. Once real people were seen being much more heroic than any movie star or sports figure. They redefined the idea of a hero. Todd Beamer and the passenger of flight 93 are some of the modern heroes that came to light due to 9/11. The firefighters in New York became major heroes in the eyes of all Americans. They displayed all the characteristics of a hero on 9/11 and did it with out even hesitating. Rescue workers and civilians of 9/11 also displayed their abilities to be heroes. Most of the heroes in 9/11 hade to over come a stressful situation, not panic, all were all also in some immediate danger, weather it be their lives or the lives of others, they had a lot of responsibility. Another major attribute that mostly all of the heroes of 9/11 shares is the overwhelming amount of selflessness they have, many died trying to save others. Also in the modern world there are always...

Conjugating Comer in Spanish

Conjugating Comer in Spanish Comer is a common Spanish verb to eat and has most of the meanings that the English verb has. Most commonly, comer means simply to consume food through the mouth: Me gusta comer pizza sin anchoas. I like to eat pizza without anchovies.El comer es uno de los placeres de la vida. Eating is one of the pleasures of life.Comieron en el aeropuerto de Lima antes de abordar el avià ³n. They ate at the Lima airport before boarding the plane.Leah come como un pajarito. Leah eats like a bird. Sometimes, depending on the context, comer refers specifically to eating lunch or dinner. Desayunamos en casa y comemos en el camino. Were eating breakfast at home and eating lunch on the road. Like eat up, comer can be used colloquially to suggest immense pleasure: Mi abuela comià ³ el libro. My grandmother ate up the book. Comer can be used figuratively to refer to corrosion, erosion or the eating up of something by natural processes. The translation varies with the context: El mar comià ³ toda la arena. The sea washed away all the sand.El cido comià ³ el concreto de la cisterna. The acid ate away at the tanks concrete. Similarly, the reflexive form comerse can be used in a variety of ways to indicate that something is swallowed up or otherwise consumed or missing:  ¿Cuntas pginas se comieron? How many pages were missing?Parece que se comià ³ la letra N. It looks like the letter N was omitted.La inflacià ³n se come el ahorro de la gente. Inflation is eating up the peoples savings. The reflexive form is also sometimes used to add emphasis. In such a case, the difference between comer and comerse is roughly the difference between to eat and to eat up. Los chicos se comieron todos los dulces. The boys ate up all the candy. Comer is conjugated regularly, following the pattern of beber.

What Is a 529 Plan How Can It Help You

What Is a 529 Plan How Can It Help You SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you want to save in a smart way for college (either for yourself or your child), you’ll want to make the most of your money. One of the best savings plans meant specifically for growing a college fund is called a 529 plan, or a qualified tuition plan. But what is a 529 plan? Like any sort of investment plan, there are several types of 529s, all with their own benefits and drawbacks. In this post, I’ll talk about the basics of 529 plans, why they’re helpful, whether they affect financial aid, and where you can get one. What Is a 529 Plan? According to the IRS, a 529 plan is an investment savings plan with tax incentives (and sometimes other benefits) to make it easier to save for post-secondary education. It’s an account in which you contribute a portion of your income to save for future college expenses. They’re generally run by state governments or education institutions, not banks. A 529 is typically a â€Å"set and forget† sort of savings plan (although you have a few different options that I’ll get to shortly) - you decide to make whatever contributions you’d like and a fund manager makes investment choices for you. Some plans require you to purchase â€Å"packages† to cover future tuition costs, whereas others allow to contribute however much you want, however often you want. One of the things that makes it special is that it can only be used for education expenses in the future, and can be opened by anyone (the saver) for anyone (the beneficiary). The main advantage to having a 529 plan is that earnings (i.e. the money that the plan makes while your money is invested) are not subject to federal tax, and are generally not subject to state tax, when used for educational expenses. Eligible expenses usually include things like tuition, fees, books, room, and board. In sum: You contribute some amount of your post-tax income either on a regular or more flexible schedule. The money you contribute to the plan is invested, and will usually grow (or will be guaranteed to be worth a certain amount in the future). When the plan’s beneficiary wants to use the money for eligible educational expenses, the money can be withdrawn and you don’t have to pay taxes on any money that your plan makes (e.g. capital gains taxes). I’m Still Confused - Why Is a 529 Plan a Good Thing? 529 plans are similar to retirement savings plans in a few different ways. Because people are generally more familiar with the way retirement savings plans work, I’ll use them as an analogy. Just like with 529 plans, there are a few different retirement savings options (e.g. traditional IRA, Roth IRA, 401k), but the bottom line is that they’re all options with tax benefits and incentives to help you save. Depending on what plan you decide to go with, you may have more or less flexibility and/or opportunities for capital gains. As with retirement plans, time is your friend when it comes to 529s - more time means you can contribute more money to the plan, and your money has more time to grow on its own as an investment. You could just stash money away in a savings account, but you’ll probably see less growth due to low interest rates, and you’ll have to pay taxes on any earnings. Just like with any other investment, there is some risk involved in putting your money in some types of 529 plans (I’ll talk more about this shortly). You may not gain as much money as you anticipate, for example. Overall, though, 529 plans are pretty conservative and provide respectable earnings. Once again, time is your friend! This holds true for any investment or savings plan, really - if you give your money more time to earn, you’ll generally be happier with the outcome. Types of 529 Plans There are two main types of 529 plans: prepaid tuition plans and college savings plans. I’ll talk about both of these plans here. Prepaid Plans Prepaid plans are primarily sponsored by states. Investments are â€Å"guaranteed,† which means that your money is certain to be worth a certain amount in terms of tuition (and sometimes room and board) dollars when the beneficiary heads off to college. Ultimately, these plans â€Å"lock in† a certain rate of tuition. Savers purchase â€Å"units† or â€Å"credits† at participating schools (usually public, in-state schools) for future education expenses for a beneficiary. You usually have the option to choose from several available packages that lump units together (e.g. one year of tuition, two years of tuition, tuition plus housing, etc). It’s typical to have the option to pay with a lump sum or with monthly installments. The older the beneficiary is when you start purchasing credits, the more expensive these units become. These plans often have residency requirements, which means you have to live in the state that sponsors that particular plan. You should be able to transfer the value to private and out-of-state schools, but you may not get the full value of your plan (this varies widely by state). Ultimately, prepaid plans are fairly â€Å"safe† because of the guaranteed nature of the investment (although some argue that the deal isn’t as great as it’s made out to be). They are fairly inflexible, however - if the beneficiary chooses to attend a private or out-of-state school, you probably won’t be able to transfer the full value of the plan. Here’s an example of a prepaid plan in action: Let’s say you’re interested in the Florida state 529 prepaid plan for your newborn. There are different packages available, but you choose to buy the four-Year Florida University tuition package. This would cost you $28,888.39 in 2016. In 18 years when your newborn heads off to college, the money you spent in 2016 would cover all tuition expenses at an FL state university, no matter how high the costs are in 2038. College Savings Plans College savings plans are a bit easier to understand than prepaid plans. Simply, a college saver opens an account for a beneficiary (the student) to pay for the student’s eligible college expenses (room, board, tuition, fees). Tax-advantaged college savings plans are usually run by states themselves - some banks offer these plans, but they won’t come with the same advantages that you can get through your state plan. There are often many investment options to choose from, so the saver can freely customize his/her investment. Withdrawals from this type of plan can usually be used at any college or university, which offers a lot more flexibility for the beneficiary when it’s time to head off to college. Your rate of return on your investments will depend on your specific choice of plan, but some college savings plans may earn as much as 3 to 3.5%. The downside to college savings plans is that unlike prepaid plans, your investment is not guaranteed - they’re subject to market fluctuations, just like any other investment. The upside to these plans is the degree of flexibility they offer, both in the beneficiary’s choice of college and the amount the saver chooses to contribute. College savings plans are sort of like this gymnast - they’re flexible but also not afraid of a little risk. Here’s an example of a college savings plan in action: Let’s say you’re interested in a college savings plan for your 8-year-old. You’re not sure where he’ll want to go to school, so you prefer a college savings plan to a prepaid plan because it’s the more flexible option. Your son will be ready to head off to school in 10 years, so you start contributing $5,000 annually to the 529 plan of your choice. Your money is invested in a mutual fund, so you know a certain rate of return is not guaranteed. Your investment does well, however, and you see an annual rate of return at 3.5%. After 10 years you will have contributed $50,000 to the plan, but your ending balance will be $60,710 - you won’t have to pay any taxes on these gains. If you’d put away the same amount into a savings account with an interest rate of 3.5% over 10 years, your ending balance would come to $57,818 (assuming an annual tax rate of 25% on capital gains). Overview: The Main Differences Between Prepaid and College Savings Plans Prepaid Tuition Plan College Savings Plan Tuition Price Lock Locks in tuition prices at certain schools No lock on tuition costs Eligible Education-Related Expenses Generally just for tuition and mandatory fees For all college-related expenses, including tuition, room, board, fees, books, computer Investment Guarantee State plans are guaranteed or backed by the state No state guarantee; your investment is subject to risk just like any other investment (money could fail to grow, or you could even lose money) Age Limits Most plans have an age limit for the beneficiary (student) No age limits; open to adults and children Residency Requirements Most state plans require either the owner (saver) or beneficiary (student) to be a resident of that state No residency requirement, but there may be some limitations in how you can purchase the plan Enrollment Periods Most plans have limited enrollment periods (periods when you can start participating in the plans) Open enrollment; you can start participating whenever you’d like Should You Get a Prepaid or a College Savings Plan? Your choice of 529 plan will depend on a few different factors. First, how much flexibility in school choice are you looking for? Prepaid plans are less flexible, and as such are best for in-state public schools. You should be able to transfer credit from a prepaid plan to out-of-state and/or private schools, but you probably won’t get the full value of the plan. The actual amount that you’d be able to transfer depends on the individual plan. Bottom line: If flexibility is a priority, college savings plans may be the better option. If you’re confident that your child will attend an in-state public school, prepaid plans may be the best fit. Second, what’s your preferred level of risk? Prepaid plans are generally sponsored by the state - the investments, credits, units or whatever you purchase tend to be guaranteed by the state with these plans. College savings plans, on the other hand, don’t generally guarantee returns (unless, of course, they’re sponsored by the state). If the market performs very well your money could do better than you expected in a college savings plan, although the opposite is also true. Bottom line: If you’re particularly risk-averse, you may prefer a prepaid plan. If you value flexibility over the relative safety of a conservative investment, you might be happiest with a college savings plan. Will a 529 Plan Decrease Financial Aid Eligibility? You might worry that having an investment account earmarked for college expenses might decrease student aid eligibility. In reality, a 529 savings plan has little effect on how much money a student will receive in financial aid. 529 plans are considered parental assets. As such, they’re factored into federal financial aid formulas at a max rate of 5.6% - that means that 5.6% of your 529 savings are included in the â€Å"expected family contribution,† the figure that’s so important in the calculation of financial aid. Ultimately, family income is considered a much more important factor when it comes to determining aid eligibility. Learn more about calculating your financial aid eligibility. Where Can You Get a 529 Plan? Each state has its own sponsored 529 plans, but enrollment is sometimes limited based on the type of plan and your own (and/or the student’s) state of residency. You may be able to enroll directly in the plan, but in other cases you’ll have to enroll via a financial broker. To get information on state-specific plans, Google â€Å"[state] 529 plans.† Any page that talks about a state-sponsored plan will have more information about plan details and how to enroll. There are a lot of ads that come up with 529 plan searches, but the first non-ad result is your best bet, like in this example. Summary Hopefully you have a better idea of what 529 plans are and how they can be useful. There are a lot of different options depending on your savings goals, state of residency, and flexibility needs. I encourage you to look at your own state 529 options to see if particular plans appeal to you. If it’s an option, I also encourage you to talk to an expert or trusted financial advisor for advice and guidance! What’s Next? If you’re thinking about saving for college (for either yourself or a beneficiary), pat yourself on the back for being so proactive and forward-thinking. Something else you can do to prepare for the future is learn more about college expenses and how to minimize them. First, check out our complete guide to college costs - this outlines all the obvious and hidden expenses associated with going to college. If you’re surprised by how expensive college really is, you may want to read up on why college costs so much. Don’t get discouraged by these sticker prices, though! To figure out how to tackle these costs, check out our complete guide on how to pay for college (it may not be as daunting as you think). Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

How might we (best) justify the freedom of speech Term Paper - 1

How might we (best) justify the freedom of speech - Term Paper Example This raises questions over the restraint of freedom of speech in protection beyond the minimal principle of liberty. In my own opinion, there exists no single justification that would be sufficient to justify freedom of speech. In this regard, therefore, I would advocate for various justifications based on consequentialist and non-consequentialist approaches. This paper seeks to illustrate various viewpoints to the justification of freedom of speech using the communicative principle (Greenawalt 3-15). The philosophical position of a consequentialist approach contributes to desirable set of circumstances and relies on the association of facts between practice and the expected results of such practice. I agree with the suggestion that the freedom of speech promotes the discovery of truth as put forward by Stuart Mill. Individuals have the capacity to distinguish true ideas from deceitful ideas in reality in the presence of free speech. Thus, people would always demonstration careful understanding in settling for truth. In this case, any claims of value and an understanding by individuals of these claims of value constitute truth. In addition, any sensible idea and level of confidence would make individuals to identify truth and conditions that promote it. By contrast, liberal states object the justification of truth discovery based on an assumption that truth does not exist. In their view, neither truth not its conditions could be identified and if it does, freedom of speech would contradict the existence of various ideas in practicing the discovery of truth (Greenawalt 16-24). Freedom of speech significantly contributes to social stability and the accommodation of competing desires and interests. This usually occurs during the process of learning where individuals discover other people’s desires. Accommodation in free speech creates a balance between conflicting interests using truth in resolving issues of concern such as capital punishment.

Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema - Laura Mulvey Essay

Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema - Laura Mulvey - Essay Example These are the issues that Muvley is attempting to address using psychoanalysis. In essence, Muvley outlines that the female can only fit within the male dominated society by considering herself as castrated due to her lack of a male sexual organ. In addition, the female also has the alternative of constructing meaning through her child. Muvley continues to outline that the film industry especially Hollywood has not been able to give meaning to the role played by the woman in a perspective that it free of the male perception. According to Muvley, the source of female persecution is the society’s poor understanding of the role of the female and the same aspect is reflected in the film industry. Reading the article has significantly changed my perception of movies especially in the contemporary world where some movies claim that they support feminism. In other words, most movies claim to be supporting the role and position of the woman in the society while in actual sense they are just displaying the woman as a shadow of her male counterpart. The observation also brings into question the strategies that can be employed by the society to ensure that the female is adequately represented and that she can be able to identify with female protagonists in films. An example of such a film is the movie A League of their Own. The film recounts the story of women who engage in professional baseball after most of the men are sent to war during the 2nd World War. Although the film might be taken as a film emphasizing on gender equity because the female has been given the chance to demonstrate her skills in a male sport, there are aspects in this photo that indicate that the female is still a shadown of the male. The photo displays the female as being strong and bold and even managing to take a role in a sport that was previously known to be

Character analysis of the book Crooked letter, crooked letter by Tom Essay

Character analysis of the book Crooked letter, crooked letter by Tom Franklin - Essay Example The novel, â€Å"Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter† can be considered as a literary piece catering the themes of a thriller. However, at the same plane, the novel is undoubtedly one of the powerful redemptive studies of characters which make it a psychological tale as well. This essay intends to explore the subtle intricacies of human character presented in the novel, â€Å"Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter† and therefore forms one of the best suitable and apt formative studies for the character analysis. At the outset of the novel, the readers are introduced to a masked man mysterious in nature committing various crimes. However, browsing through the pages of this crime thriller, any sensible mind would be easily able to judge the novel from a different realm as well. An undefined story of friendship lies at the centre of the novel which generates a different flavor for the novel. At this paradigm, the readers are introduced to two characters quite opposite to each other. The characters are Silas Jones, who was called â€Å"32† a name he got from his jersey in high school athlete team and the lonely, Larry Ott. He also receives a nickname but quite opposite to Jones. He receives the name of â€Å"Scary Larry† after the lineage of the boy with the disappearance of a girl whom she takes for a drive and a date. However, with the development of the novel, the characters conceived by Franklin appear to be quite credible characters with much impression from the real life and flawed by the pragmatic traits of mundane human nature. Larry Ott is a white from a lower-middle-class family and Silas Jones was a black boy who used to stay in a cabin at rent within the premises of the property owned by Larry’s father. Silas was a poor boy from a sole black mother. Their childhood was therefore marked by a total difference of socio-economic parameters and they used to hardly interact with

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Management - Essay Example While performing analysis of my work history and my related experience, I learnt that by understanding management theories like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg motivation theory and equity theory I became a better worker as I was able to assess the factors that motivated and de-motivated me. I have worked in a security agency full time for around five years now. During this period, I have worked in security for two years and later on I was rotated to the management department. During the first two years of my employment, it was difficult for me to adjust as work conditions were not amiable and I did not get along well with my manager. Due to these differences, I was least motivated to come over to work let along giving my 100 percent input towards the job. Although salary package and other benefits were market-competitive and the job was stable even during times of recession however it was not fulfilling for me. Secondly, due to differences with my manager, I was also fi nding it hard to be a part of special assignments since the guidelines were not clear or his attitude was not acceptable for me. As a result, my relationship with other co-workers was also getting strained. I shared my discontent with my HR manager and how I would wish to stay with the company but things were getting difficult. After listening to my concerns and checking out my performance record, HR department rotated me to the management department. After a while, I liked my work and also the work environment in the deportment. I realized that manager was also very considerate. In fact, he used to pay personal consideration to every team member and also treat them after considering their personal needs. After spending an year in this department, I came to know that one of my friends who was also at the same position, was getting more salary than me which lowered my motivation for a little while despite other work related elements remaining the same. After talking to my department manager in an appraisal meeting, I shared my expectations with them and received the desired raise. These changes in my motivation level made me analyze the factors that had a tendency of affecting my willingness to work effectively and efficiently with the same company. For this purpose, I studied few management theories and tried to identify basic reasons behind changes in my motivation level. In the beginning of my career, I was content with my work and also with the working conditions. However, my tolerance for adverse working conditions changed after my friend told me about other positions. Analyzing my attitude towards work conditions in the light of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I realized that my basic physiological, safety and belonging needs were fully satisfied since I had other opportunities along with family support (Torrington, Laura and Stephen 313). Therefore, I needed more esteem at workplace as the attitude of manager was not conducive enough. I realized that satisfaction of basic needs has an important role in other overall satisfaction level regarding work. Secondly, when I was shifted in the management department, I found the work conditions very amiable. Although salary, benefits and other facilities remained the same but nature of work became very interesting as manager was really supportive. Studying Herzberg theory helped me understanding that

Pathopharmacology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pathopharmacology - Essay Example There are left-ventricular, right-ventricular, acute, and chronic heart failures. An estimated 70 percent of the patient populations have been found to have systolic heart failure (Mann, 2010). Additionally, the most common etiology of the systolic heart failure is ischemic heart disease. The pure diastolic heart failure may be caused by hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and both hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathies. Clinical manifestation of heart failure include weight gain, dyspnea, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, peripheral edema, JVD, tachycardia, hepatosplenomegaly, ascites, fatigue, weakness, nausea, poor appetite, renal hypoperfusion, and chachexia. Neurohormonal responses to heart failure are adaptive at first, and then become deleterious when they are sustained. Modern treatment of heart failure is based on neurohormonal modulation. (Steimle, 2007) Management of heart failure is a very complex issue that is why heart failure care needs to be delivered in a multi-professional manner. Although the standard of practise of managing heart failure has some consensus among healthcare providers, I based my heart failure disease management on the clinical guidelines that I developed at my organization. Using the clinical guidelines I was able to identify, summarize, and evaluate the highest quality evidence and most current data about prevention, diagnose, prognoses, and provide therapy including medications and cost-effectiveness. Using my clinical guidelines that I developed in the place I worked, I noted that there are four stages in the heart failure development namely stage A, B, C, and D. According to McDonagh et al. (2011), those patients who are in stage A and B usually do not have heart failure. However, they have risk factors that predispose them towards heart failure development. Patients in stage C comprise of those people with current or past

Rationale and Teaching Episode Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rationale and Teaching Episode - Assignment Example These cultural differences and preferences affect effective curriculum implementation in Australia. Curriculum is able to mobilize understanding of culture in Australian Society through various ways which are practical in nature. This is because it is able to instill good schooling system standards in an effort to impart knowledge to the Australian Indigenous population (Phillips & Lampert, 2005).Since some cultures are associated with bad habits or practices that does promote crime rate. For instance, alcohol is known to be a common antecedent to offending among the Indigenous Australians. This indicates that it is a factor contributing to the high crime rate of all the indigenous Australian people. The crime culture has led to the establishment of committee whose role amongst others include having initiatives on ways of diverting any cultural practice that promotes crime in one way or the other. The drop in crime and certain cultural practices enables good environment for promoting education standards. Curriculum specialist provides the avenue for promoting education system even to the Indigenous Australians. For instance, it is quoted that every indigenous young people with self education support fund is to be assisted. This is by promoting their participation which then enables their retention in the education system (Phillips & Lampert, 2005). ... At this point there is across culture mix. The system of education must support this in order to strengthen the population. Teachers have a daunting tusk in playing a crucial role to ensure that existing curriculum system is implemented effectively across the divide (Phillips & Lampert, 2005). In identification of multicultural classroom setting, the international students, indigenous Australian and non indigenous Australians come together irrespective of the cultural differences among them. The teacher must have a definite approach to the scenario in away of implementing the curriculum effectively (Clancy, 2004). In this case, there are several individual differences some of which includes personal interest, gender, nationality, hobbies among others. Curriculum enhances cultural understanding and confirms that the presence of unique identities within several families from different communities which contributes to the greater concept of being Australian .All these need to be integra ted in the cultural teaching (Clancy, 2004). Make up of classes should promote social cohesion plus cultural diversification of various communities. Emphasis on cultural diversity should also exist in monoculture classes just as it exists in multicultural classroom setting. There should also be an emphasis on the Australian identity. When the name of the greater nation is shared among different personalities, this enhances unity and promotes social understanding of people of different cultures (Bell, 1998). In the school setting, the most appropriate thing to be done is to expand students’ knowledge on their identity. The students should also be urged to develop tolerance and understanding amongst themselves and

Pathopharmacology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pathopharmacology - Essay Example There are left-ventricular, right-ventricular, acute, and chronic heart failures. An estimated 70 percent of the patient populations have been found to have systolic heart failure (Mann, 2010). Additionally, the most common etiology of the systolic heart failure is ischemic heart disease. The pure diastolic heart failure may be caused by hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and both hypertrophic and restrictive cardiomyopathies. Clinical manifestation of heart failure include weight gain, dyspnea, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, peripheral edema, JVD, tachycardia, hepatosplenomegaly, ascites, fatigue, weakness, nausea, poor appetite, renal hypoperfusion, and chachexia. Neurohormonal responses to heart failure are adaptive at first, and then become deleterious when they are sustained. Modern treatment of heart failure is based on neurohormonal modulation. (Steimle, 2007) Management of heart failure is a very complex issue that is why heart failure care needs to be delivered in a multi-professional manner. Although the standard of practise of managing heart failure has some consensus among healthcare providers, I based my heart failure disease management on the clinical guidelines that I developed at my organization. Using the clinical guidelines I was able to identify, summarize, and evaluate the highest quality evidence and most current data about prevention, diagnose, prognoses, and provide therapy including medications and cost-effectiveness. Using my clinical guidelines that I developed in the place I worked, I noted that there are four stages in the heart failure development namely stage A, B, C, and D. According to McDonagh et al. (2011), those patients who are in stage A and B usually do not have heart failure. However, they have risk factors that predispose them towards heart failure development. Patients in stage C comprise of those people with current or past

Drug test Essay Example for Free

Drug test Essay Case Study Analysis Paper COMM/215 Oct 20, 2014 Winifred Donnelly ? Case Study Analysis Paper In the case study, Carl is a new recruiter for ABC Inc. Upon being assigned to his position, he beat expectations by successfully hiring several new people despite his lack of time on the job. Because of this, he probably feels a lot of pressure to succeed and continue to perform better than his previous efforts at all times. He has made a number of mistakes in the case study and is at a loss as to what he should do next. Specifically, well look at the mistakes Carl made, what he should. have done in the first place, and the options he has available to him now to correct the mistakes hes made. First of all, Carl started off wrong by assuring Monica that everything would be taken care of in time and leaving it at that. There is quite a bit involved with making sure each hire has their applications and resumes filled out and submitted correctly. Additionally, drug screening is something that has to be done at an approved facility for your company or corporation since there are potential legal issues if the urinalysis tests are done at your place of business. Even hospitals  send their employees urinalysis bottles to other medical facilities to have them checked rather than doing the drug screening at their own facility though there are companies that are offering on-site drug testing (OHS Health and Safety Services, Inc. , 2014). Physicals are also a potential headache to schedule for even one person, let alone a group of people. Rarely does it ever seem that a doctor isnt busy doing something. People are constantly getting sick, injured or dying and its the doctors duty to help them even if that means making their death less painful for them. Trying to get a doctor  to conduct a physical isnt necessarily difficult, one just needs to schedule the appointment a month or two in advance which Carl did not do. As for the booklets, pamphlets, and manuals, Carl should have looked into getting those right away instead of blowing it off. This particular problem isnt quite as dire as the drug screening or the physical, but it will take anywhere from a few days to a week or more to get all the literature he is going to need for the new hires. Finally, he should have de- conflicted the training classroom schedule with the other departments in the company. In any  organization, there is a need for some kind of classroom environment that is conducive to learning but it doesnt do you any good if someone else is using the classroom when you need it. With this in mind, there was a schedule on the wall that Carl checked when he went to the classroom that projected out for at least a month or two. Carl waited too long to get his reservation placed in the calendar because Joe has the room for the rest of the month or more. Carl was off to a good start despite all the issues found with how he has handled the situation so far. Carl established himself as a quick learner and hard worker by making successful hires so quickly into his job time as a recruiter. Some people would say that the job is mostly natural skill because it only involves talking to people, but there is much more to it than that. Obviously, otherwise Carl would not have found himself in the mess he is in now. On top of talking with potential hires about the company, what they are all about, what they are looking for, and how the potential hire could fit into the job, they have to seal the deal by ensuring the hire meets all the companys qualifications too. If the potential hire isnt capable of meeting the basic company standards of education, behavior, attitude, ethics, etc. then they likely will not be a productive member of the workforce and its the recruiters job to find those things out on his/her own or go about making sure the potential hire gets to the right organization that can find that out. Upon receiving the phone call from Monica, Carl should have pulled out a pad of paper, his scheduling calendar, and a writing utensil and made notes during his conversation with Monica. He should have found out exactly what she wanted to happen and give her immediate feedback with his own ideas and timelines related to how long it would take to accomplish a certain task or the timeframe he would need to get an individual hire ready to start working. Once they had both come to an agreement on the plan they would use to get the hires ready to become employees, they could have both hung up the phone with a positive feeling of accomplishment and understanding. Carl should have started going about accomplishing said plan as soon as he hung up with Monica. The first things to be scheduled should be the things that are the most difficult to schedule the physical and drug screening. With those two things out of the way and taken care of, Carl should make sure he brings in and talks to face to face at least three hires a day to go over 1 / 2 their applications and resumes to make sure they are complete and filled out correctly. As an added bonus, if Monica had a particular format she desires on a resume, when Carl brings in the hires he can help them re-write their resumes so they meet Monicas desired format. Once the appointments have been scheduled and before individual meetings with the hires take place, classroom space should be reserved for the orientation. If the situation still plays out the way it is currently then Carl will have to find someplace else to conduct the orientation unless he can work out a deal with Joe. Depending on how long Carl will need the classroom, perhaps he can slip in, conduct orientation, and slip right back out while Joes class is on lunch or out at another site doing on-the-job-training (OJT). Finally, the literature should be compiled between meeting each hire and helping them with their paperwork. If need be, Carl can request more literature from whichever department of the company issues those documents, he can order them himself from their distributer, or have an assistant take them down to a place like Kinkos and get copies made. With the situation being what it is for Carl now, he still has several options open to him if he could get himself in a state of mind to recognize them. The drug screening and the physicals are going to give him the hardest time so he  should try to get them taken care of first. If hes able to schedule his hires before the orientation date then he is good, but if not he should go ahead and schedule them when he can and adjust based on that. The problems hes facing with the paperwork can be handled fairly easily by getting one good copy of each pamphlet, manual, etc. and get copies made or requisition more from the department in charge of stocking those supplies. They may not be happy being asked to cough up a whole mess of literature on short notice, but that is part of their job and he should do something to make it  up to them in the future. It is important to be on good terms with the folks who are in charge of supplies, especially from a military standpoint. As far as finding classroom space, Carl should approach Joe with his problem and see if he can fit his class in before or after one of Joes classes. If not, Carl should look into booking a conference room similar to the ones most hotels have for rent or like some restaurants have where the room is closed off from the rest of the dining floor. Either way, Carl has options in that regard as well. Additionally, and here is the hard part, Carl is most likely going to have to let Monica know that her new hires might not be ready in the timeframe they previously agreed upon. Due to his inexperience and lack of time on the job, this should not be a career-ender for Carl but it isnt going to make Monica happy with him. If Carl is able to still get everything in order in time to conduct the orientation on the date he agreed to with Monica, then everything is good. Carl is in a tough position, but hes not out of the fight yet. Carl made some  mistakes, mostly due to inexperience or perhaps he became cocky after doing so well on his previous recruiting scenario. In order to get back on his feet and save face, Carl has several different routes he can take to get his mission accomplished. Ultimately, Carl should do his best to right his wrong, get his mission accomplished, learn from his mistakes and press on. References University of Phoenix. (2014) Week Two supplement, Case Study for Student Analysis. Electronically retrieved October 19, 2014 from University of Phoenix, Week Two, Resource. COMM215 Essential of College Writing OHS Health and Safety Services, Inc.. (2014). On-site drug testing services versus clinic services. Retrieved from http//www. ohsinc. com/on_site_drug_testing_onsite_drug_test_specimen_collection_CH ART. htm PAGE 6 PAGE MERGEFORMAT 1 Y, dXiJ(x(? I_TS? 1EZBmU/xYy5g/GMGeD3Vqq8K)fw9 xrxwrTZaGy8IjbRcXI u3KGnD1NIBs RuKV. ELM2fi? V? vlu8zH (W uV4(Tn 7_m-UBww_8(/0hFL)7iAs),Qg20ppf DU4p MDBJlC5 2FhsFYn3E6945Z5k8Fmw-dznZ? xJZp/P,)KQk5qpN8KGbe Sd17? paSR 6Q POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Right and Wrong Ethics Philosophy

Right and Wrong Ethics Philosophy In everyday life, we are always faced with the task of determining whether certain actions are right or wrong. Ethics can thus be defined as a branch of philosophy that addresses issues of morality. Ethics is also referred to as moral philosophy. Moral philosophy is the systematic study of the nature of morality (Furrow 1). Questions involving such concepts as good and evil, right and wrong, vice and virtue are addressed in this systematic study. Such questions include; what I ought to do in a certain situation? How I ought to live? Ethics is a coherent discipline in philosophy that strives to answer some practical questions that form a basis of establishing the guiding principles and values of an individual or society. Gensler (3) outlines two major branches of moral philosophy or ethics namely: Metaethics is the branch that attempts to study the nature and the methodology of moral judgments. Questions to be addressed under this branch include; what do good and ought mean? Are there moral truths and how can we justify or rationally defend beliefs about right or wrong? A metaethical view of morality has two parts; one part is concerned with the nature of moral judgments which is often the definition of good, the other part is about the methodology usually outlining how to select moral principles. Gensler (3) states that normative ethics studies principles about how to live. It asks questions like; what are the basic principles of right and wrong? What are the basic human rights? And is abortion right or wrong? Normative ethics is further classified into two levels; normative theory which looks for the very general moral principles and applied normative ethics which studies moral questions about specific areas like abortion, lying, euthanasia and surrogacy. Why study ethics? The study of ethics and more specifically the development of major ethical theories can be traced back to the Ancient Greek philosophy propounded by such philosophers as Aristotle and Socrates. In the modern life, ethics has captured the attention of various philosophers in diverse fields who are progressing in an attempt to answer various questions that are raised by the contemporary moral issues. Thus some of the reasons for studying ethics include; The study of ethics deepens our reflection on the ultimate questions of life. This reflection helps an individual to understand himself or herself better regarding the principles of some pertinent issues in life. Gensler (4) argues that if you have not wrestled with some of lifes deeper questions, then you are not a well-educated person. Ethics enables an individual to be an all-rounded person in life. The study of moral philosophy can help us to think better about morality. Some issues arise especially in the modern world and individuals are faced with ultimate questions on the moral basis of those issues such as abortion. For instance individuals adopt different approaches in dealing with the issue of abortion, while the proponents maintain that the mother has the principal right to make decisions concerning her body, the opponents argue that the sanctity of life should be maintained at all times and that the growing foetus has a right to life which is a major basic human right. Thus Gensler (4) states that moral philosophy or ethics can improve our perspective, and make it more reflective and better thought out. Another major reason of studying ethics or moral philosophy is to sharpen our general thinking processes. In philosophy we are able to learn very significant intellectual skills that guide our reasoning and thinking. Thus we can logically reason out concerning fundamental or ultimate questions in real life while critically evaluating the conflicting view points and consequently settle for decision that reflects on our values and principles as individuals. Ethics is undoubtedly a very interesting subject to study. Ethics provokes some good or healthy debates with other people, especially if the two or more people naturally have conflicting view points on major issues of life. These interesting debates stimulate and sharpen our thinking and imagination enabling people to re-think our view point giving room for alter or improve our perspectives in future events. History of ethics The history of ethics can be traced to three periods of thoughts as outlined by Gensler et al (25) namely the ancient, medieval and the modern period of thought. Ancient period of thought; philosophers who contributed to the development of ethics in this period include Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicureans and stoics. In the west, philosophical inquiry into ethics began with the ancients Greeks. Greek ethicists inquired into how a person could use reason to achieve the good life but they did not reach a consensus about what the good life is and the nature of the practical reason that can reach it. Socrates and Plato were concerned with act-oriented ethics which is primarily concerned with what we do. Aristotle (384-322BC), a student of Plato, modified a number of his Mentors idealistic and quasi-religious ethical views (Gensler et al 27). Aristotle is said to have rejected Platos ethical views and subsequently developed the aretaic, or virtue ethics. Gensler et al (27) argues that Aristotle proposed that virtue ethics is interested ultimately who we are despite our actions. Aristotle further clarified that virtue does not come naturally; an individual needs to be trained or educated to be virtuous. Virtue if of two types; Moral, which deals in part with the irrational part of the soul and the intellectual, which involves only the rational part of the soul. Gensler et al (28) argues that the highest form of virtue is found not in enjoying friends but in contemplating truth. During the period of Epicureans and stoics, philosophers became concerned with the practicalities of dealing with the political and social instability since in 323 BC, Greece fell into a significant decline leading to numerous battles for parts of the empire. Medieval period of thought: prominent philosophers in this period include St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus and William of Ockham. The political and social instability in the ancient period of thought continued into this period as the philosophers got more interested into gaining a deeper insight into this issue. This led to the analysis of human actions by the philosophers. Augustine proposed that human freedom stemmed from the lack of causal influences while Aquinas believed that human freedom stemmed from the internal deliberation that causes our actions. Gensler et al (31) claims that Aquinas analyzed actions on the basis not only of their conformity to the natural law but also of their specific features; the object of an action defines the action (talking to a person), the circumstances consider the context in which the action takes place (in a lecture hall during a lecture), and the end is the acts purpose (to ask the person a question about the lecture). All these t hree aspects of action must be proper for the act to be considered good. Both Scotus and Ockham maintained that the matters of moral judgement were settled ultimately not by reason but by faith. Thus Gensler et al ( 31) claims that their views reinforced a stronger sense of individual autonomy both in moral and political matters. Hence the medieval view on ethics was the belief in the existence of God and that eternal salvation should be the principal motivation for the ethical behaviour. Modern period of thought: philosophers use the term modern to denote the enlightenment period which is approximately the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Modern is contrasted with the contemporary that roughly covers the last hundred years, the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries. Philosophers who made immense contributions in ethics during this period include; Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. Gensler et al (32) states that ethics in the modern age began with a movement from the other-worldly focus that dominated medieval ethics. Although these prominent philosophers of the time did not reject the existence of God, a medieval idea, they rejected the view that humans should look up to God as a guide to their actions. They equally disputed the medieval idea that eternal salvation should be the motivation for ethical behavior. To the modern philosophers, the purpose of ethics is not to instruct humans how best to love God, but, rather, to show hum ans how best to live together in this world (Gensler et al 32). Major ethical theories Some of the major ethical theories that have influenced modern thinking in the United States include; utilitarianism, Kantian ethics and Aristotelian ethics. Utilitarianism also known as the consequentialist theory states that the consequences of an action of a given individual make an action moral or immoral. Hence, an action that contributes to beneficial consequences is considered right or moral while an action that results in harmful or destructive consequences is immoral or wrong. Driver (3) claims that the theory holds that an action or a law is right if only it produces the best outcome; only if it brings about the greatest good for the greatest number. To the proponents of this theory, any action is morally justified to the extent that it maximizes gains and minimizes the costs or harms. Some of the philosophers in support of this theory are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Bentham, an 18th century philosopher usually likened happiness with pleasure thus a good life and unhappiness with pain thus an unhappy life. Mill who was a 19th century philosopher, used his theory of utilitarianism to criticize laws that he felt were poin tless and even harmful to society such as womens suffrage (Driver 3). Hence it is clear that utilitarianism ethical theory maintains that an action is moral or right when the consequences are beneficial to the majority of the parties involved and not only the person doing that action. In addition, the consequences of such an action must be evaluated, not only the immediate consequences but also the short-term and long-term consequences. Kantian ethics: this is a theory that stresses on the duties and rights in the moral evaluation of any human action. The proponent of this theory, Immanuel Kant has rejected the consequentialist proposition of considering the consequences of an action to determine whether it is moral or immoral. Kant argues that the motivation behind any human action is what matters in the moral evaluation of such actions and not the consequences. Thus actions that are moral or right are those done out of a sense of duty, which means that an individual does it since one recognizes that it is the right thing to do. Bennett (75) states that Kant used some famous formulations of categorical imperative i.e. the name he gives to the fundamental principle of morality. Kant believed in the respect of persons and thus people should never be treated as a mere means, but only ever at the same time as an end. We are able to know our duty since we are uniquely rational as human beings, a special nature that we p osses that distinguishes us from animals. This theory maintains we should act morally depending on our rights and duties at all times and under all circumstances. Consequently moral actions promote the dignity and worth of other person, not using other persons for own purposes. Aristotelian ethics: the most famous proponent of this theory is Aristotle who stressed on a virtuous life. Virtue ethics do not dwell on the principles or the rules governing our actions like the previous ethical theories but seeks a deeper insight in gaining knowledge on the kind of character that should be possessed by a moral human being. According to Aristotle, a moral virtue is the inclination to do the right thing and avoid doing wrong. This virtuous character does not come naturally but through thorough training and education, thus it is an achievement not a natural predisposition in a human being (Gensler et al 27). Courage, temperance, prudence and justice were considered by Aristotle as the most fundamental moral virtues. In conclusion, the study of ethics is important since it helps us to evaluate our actions based on principles. This critical evaluation of ethical behaviour guides our thinking and action for future events. Ethics is an interesting subject that every person will enjoy studying since it sheds light into how we make decisions concerning the contemporary moral issues.