A correct view of women precis

Women must always be pleased by the work of a man in order to strengthen his character and image and be a helping hand to him, but not a second brain. Argument Structure: -Chesterfield constructs his argument using Logos to get his son to share the same point of view as him. -Although he argues that women are meant to keep men company and construct their character, he believes that women can't make Important decisions due to their lack of growth. -They are only children of a larger population without a solid reasoning or good sense.Chesterfield notes that to keep women, you must make them feel they are contributing to a man's declension, but this Is only a mask of flattery because man already has their declension made. -Compliments must be given, varying on the women. Conclusion: Although Chesterfield's views seem very cynical and outdated, I still see the points he made as a significance part In modern treatment of women. Many lobs require making critical decisions go to men. I beli eve that this is because as Chesterfield mentions, women do not have solid reasoning or good sense.I do not Greer with this but do think this was a large view in the past generations for some cultures that has subtly passed down the generations. As for flattering women, from observation, most women do enjoy being complimented. I see this more general though; I would believe everyone likes being complimented, both men and women. Chesterfield mentions that women shape a man's character, and with this I do agree. Well presented women give their husband a better image by far than sloppy and lazy women. Overall I would say Chesterfield's idea are very concentrated, but we do see the diluted form nowadays.

Mali Empire and New World Encyclopedia Essay

Timbuktu was established by the Taureg, a nomadic group, in the tenth- eleventh century along the caravan routes that were along the west coast of Africa (New World Encyclopedia 2007). Timbuktu was in a good spot for trade but not for defending against attacks, and Timbuktu was constantly attacked by Taureg raiders (New World Encyclopedia 2007). Timbuktu was never able to grow due to the raids, but Gao, Timbuktu’s neighboring city grew to be the political capital (New World Encyclopedia 2007). As Timbuktu developed and became a city that traded gold, ivory, slaves, and salt Timbuktu became immensely wealthy (New World Encyclopedia 2007). Since Timbuktu was so wealthy it was a target for many European empires seeking wealth (New World Encyclopedia 2007). It started to decline in the 16th century by the Portuguese traders choosing to send the goods upriver instead of down river (New World Encyclopedia 2007). As Timbuktu developed into a more intellectual center in the early 15th century it became known for its religious study of Islam (New World Encyclopedia 2007). While Islam was the main religion of Timbuktu, most of the rural population were non-Muslim traditionalists (New World Encyclopedia 2007). The University of Sankore, also known as the most prominent Islamic institution, was established in 1581 C. E. and taught mostly centered around the Qur’an (New World Encyclopedia 2007). In Timbuktu there were more than 120 library’s in which housed millions of books, and some of which have not been found yet (New World Encyclopedia 2007). As stories of Timbuktu’s wealth reached Europe many explorers journeyed downward into Africa to have their own taste of the wealth (Timbuktu: The El Dorado of Africa 2013). As countless European explorers journeyed to Timbuktu and never returned The Geographic Society of Paris offered a reward to whatever explorer that could make it there and 2 back and live to tell the tale (Timbuktu: The El Dorado of Africa 2013). The first explorer to reach Timbuktu was Gordon Laing in 1826, but he didn’t make it back alive (Timbuktu: The El Dorado of Africa 2013). The first explorer to reach Timbuktu was Rene-Auguste Caillie in 1828, by disguising himself as an Arab traveling in a caravan (Timbuktu: The El Dorado of Africa 2013). When Rene returned to Europe he wrote three volumes over how unimpressed he was about the city in that it being a mud-walled city, in the middle of the desert, and not having any gold (Timbuktu: The El Dorado of Africa 2013). Although in 1512 when Timbuktu was at its peak and Leo Africanus visited he stated: The rich king of Tombuto hath many plates and sceptres of gold, some whereof weigh 1300 pounds†¦ He hath always 3000 horsemen†¦ (and) a great store of doctors, judges, priests, and other learned men, that are bountifully maintained at the king’s expense. (New World Encyclopedia 2007) Although from Shabeni’s point of view of Timbuktu in 1787 he stated: On the east side of the city of Timbuctoo, there is a large forest, in which are a great many elephants. The timber here is very large. The trees on the outside of the forest are remarkable†¦ they are of such a size that the largest cannot be girded by two men. They bear a kind of berry about the size of a walnut, in clusters consisting of from ten to twenty berries. Shabeeny cannot say what is the extent of this forest, but it is very large. (New World Encyclopedia 2007) In 1591 Timbuktu started to slowly decline due to the Morisco mercenaries armed with guns (New World Encyclopedia 2007). One of the few reasons Timbuktu is still in existence is 3 because it is a major tourist attraction that attracts people from all over the world to see the mystical city (New World Encyclopedia 2007). 4 Alistair Boddy-Evans (2013). Timbuktu: The El Dorado of Africa. [ONLINE] Available at: http://africanhistory. about. com/od/mali/p/Timbuktu. htm. [Last Accessed September 10 2013]. unknown (2007). Timbuktu. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Timbuktu. [Last Accessed September 10 2013]. unknown (2013). Sankore Madrasah. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sankore_Madrasah. [Last Accessed Sepember 10 2013].

Relationship between prison overcrowding and violence Essay

Relationship between prison overcrowding and violence - Essay Example A number various alarming issues are emerging as warned by policymakers and scholars, due to this undesirable trend, such as the administrative chaos, unprecedented violence and health issues. Consequently, corresponding emergency measures have been taken, to cater these issues.As stated by Gaes and McGuire it has been reported based on the laboratory experiments that crowding and congestion leads to aggression. Linear regression techniques were used in the late 1970’s to detect the connection between the customary indicia of antagonism and increasing prison populace for instance the official ‘incidents’ and convict aggression. Most if these researches were on strong belief that the increasing population's densities in prisons may result in convict violence and hostility and lead to mismanagement in the prison facilities. Nevertheless, even though some early declarations to the converse, their studies have on the intact failed to ascertain an unequivocal associati on between spatial concentration, communal concentration, or convict discernment of swarming, and enlargements in prisoner aggression. Most of the studies in this regard, associated the raise in the inmate violence with augment in populace levels of the prison facility. Nevertheless, most of these researches were unable to realize other critical variables in reaching there results such as racial segregation tensions, prison’s administration, and inmate age trends. ... Linear regression techniques were used in the late 1970's to detect the connection between the customary indicia of antagonism and increasing prison populace for instance the official 'incidents' and convict aggression. Most if these researches were on strong belief that the increasing populations densities in prisons may result in convict violence and hostility and lead to mismanagement in the prison facilities (P. 41-65). Nevertheless, even though some early declarations to the converse, their studies have on the intact failed to ascertain an unequivocal association between spatial concentration, communal concentration, or convict discernment of swarming, and enlargements in prisoner aggression. Most of the studies in this regard, associated the raise in the inmate violence with augment in populace levels of the prison facility. Nevertheless, most of these researches were unable to realize other critical variables in reaching there results such as racial segregation tensions, priso n's administration, and inmate age trends. Moreover, studies that were carried out more recently and claim to have incorporated these aspects in their studies seem to elucidate the previous incoherent conclusions. (Freedman, P. 83-88) According to the findings of Robert Leger (P. 167-181) for the notion of overcrowding, ethnic tensions were mainly responsible, particularly in those groupings that are in the minority prisons. He adds that density adds no logical variance to these issues. Moreover, Ekland-Olson (P. 163-176) and quite others recognized that for the deviations in inmate misdemeanors rates, not crowding but the age of the convict population was

Building Services & Sustainable Engineering--Plant & Maintenance Essay

Building Services & Sustainable Engineering--Plant & Maintenance - Essay Example As for expected learning outcomes, we will be able to size heating and cooling plant; also, it will be possible to predict summertime temperature and design systems to reduce overheating risks; furthermore, it is needed to estimate the preheating period required and annual energy use and carbon emmission; finally, we would prepare effective preventive maintenance schedule, considering innovative systems. Building Renovation Case Study Initially, we need to represent client's requirements, task, and marking criteria. Accordingly, as for the client's reauirments, the amount of outdoor air is required to the first and second floors of the given building which needs renovation. (Temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction are given properly in the Climate Record Data table.) Additionally, concerning the task, it is strongly recommended to review building regulation, suggesting some constructions which will meet building regulations for the room; then, it is needed to e stimate the operative temperature which is likely to occur in each of the rooms, calculating the cooling and heating loads for the building to keep the room operative temperature at a comfortable level; moreover, we have to select a heating and cooling plant capacity based on the design loads, showing the processes on psychometric charts for the summer season and proposing a maintenance procedure with estimation of a life cycle cost for the building owner to keep the system running. Therefore, to solve Problems 1 and 2 as they were represented by Figures 1 and 2, we might firstly state the most relevant points of the assignment: we have a task to reconstruct one of the two-storey buildings, which has a flat roof; running four production lines and having the width and length of respectively 150 and 100 metres, this first floor is shown in Figure 1; from the other perspective, as for the second floor, it has 60% of walls facing toward the South and East, being triple glazed with 6.4 m m air space, along with each window dimension as being estimated like 1.5x1x0.15 (respectively, its width, height, and thick); hovewer, the annual electricity supply fee to run the building is $20 per kilowatt, and the energy price is expected to increase 10% per year. So, due to the very hot temperature in the apartments during the summertime, it was suggested by the management that the building needs renovation concerning walls, windows, and ceiling: certainly, it must have been done according to Building Regulations' requirements. To conclude with, we are asked to estimate the capacities of the heating and cooling (see Appendix 1), keeping in view the sustainability and CO2 emmision issues. Review Building Regulation and Suggest the Constructions Which Will Meet Building Regulations for the Room We will start this sub-chapter with room conditions, then, will be analyzing current building regulations, being finally able to answer why the management wishes to renovate the building by reconstructing the walls, windows, and ceilings accordingly to the current building regulations, keeping in view the sustainability and CO2 emission issues. As we know, task is to reconstruct on

God exists OR God doesn't exist OR We should believe in God OR We Essay

God exists OR God doesn't exist OR We should believe in God OR We shouldn't believe in God - Essay Example The planets, the stars and the suns move in certain direction that their gravitational systems do not collide with each other. In our own solar system, planets revolve around the sun in an orderly and predictable manner which makes us wonder, who created all these things to move in such controlled and orderly manner? If there is no God out there who created the universe and all the creatures that exist on it, then, who created all these things? The universe is so vast and almost impossible to comprehend and it revolves along logical paths that are exact and well defined. Many scientists and scholars suggest that the universe was created through some kind of random engineering design but if we take a close look at the solar system (Peacock, 1999), the planetary system and all of creation, there is nothing random in these things and everything has to be in their right places to achieve balance and harmony. If it was not God who created all the heavenly bodies and set the rules as to how they should move around and produce elements that sustain life, then, who created all these things? If the universe has been created by an accident of nature as some people would like to believe, such accident would have been of phenomenal magnitude that it created order in the universe. Besides, if we go with the idea that the universe and us who live in it, are created by accident of nature, then we are not as special as we are supposed to be. If we do not believe in God, then we do not consider ourselves as made in the image and likeness of God. By believing that we are created by accident is like denying our own divine beginning. On the other hand, by accepting the existence of God, we also accept our divine nature. In arguing against the existence of God, many scientists suggest that at the beginning of time, the chaotic first elements ordered themselves to form a complex system that we now call the universe (Singh,

Position paper - What does it mean to compute Essay

Position paper - What does it mean to compute - Essay Example It was decades ago that he presented the concept of a machines that would be able to calculate input variables in accordance with a function that would be provided to it. The much acclaimed Turing Test then evolved that distinguished a man from a computing machine and narrated that the better a computing machine is to the conceptual understanding of a man the batter it is. Later on, based on Turing’s principles, modern day computers were evolved from a simple calculator where the function that required to be executed is now replaced by a program. A program in itself is a series of steps that need to be executed so as to calculate or rather ‘compute’ something. â€Å"The fact is the notion of computing is a generalized concept which is essentially divorced from any physical or biological mechanism. There are two models of computation which are widely used today-both are exactly equivalent in power. One is a purely function and logic based formalism invented by the mathematician Alonzo Church called the Lambda Calculus. The other is an abstract device formalism invented by the mathematician Alan Turing called the Turing Machine.† (University of New Mexico, n.d.) The above is an excerpt from a document at the University of New Mexico Department of Computer Science website.  The models of computation discussed in the statement above were discovered in those early times when mathematicians were busy finding out ways to automate their mathematical calculations. It was then that Turing Machine became the first device that was actually attempting to compute something. It was made up of an extremely long tape. The tape was being read by a single head. There were either 0s or 1s inscribed on the tape. The concept of finite states could also be incorporated into the machine. To date, so far, no machine has been able to compute better than done on the principles of the Turing Machine. This is meaning to say that though the modern

A Study on the Self-Perception of Young Female and Male Students from Literature review

A Study on the Self-Perception of Young Female and Male Students from Somali Ethinic Group in Britain Today - Literature review Example It will attempt to unravel current and pressing issues and problems of the Somali youths and delve into potential recommendations to improve their situations. a. Rationale Caught in unending violence and conflict situations which victimized thousands of Somali from their original home of abode, thousands of them immigrated to Britain to liberate themselves from seemingly unending atrocities and economic decadence. Such diasporas to better their lives and from wanton discriminatory chaotic situation of the past unfortunately resulted to identity confusion as new generation now lacked appreciation of their cultural and original identities. This is illustrated in the absence of direct and contextual experience in their homeland after years of enjoying relative peace as an asylum in Britain. Long detachment of these naturalized Somalis from their original homeland introduced young generation to British culture although there is no explicit claim of such identity as Brits are prominently known of their milky white skin, quite a contrast of Somali’s black skin-tone. Neither do they identify themselves with African lineage. As a consequence, there is a need to bridge intergenerational cultural gaps of adults and of the new generation, where the latter struggle to integrate themselves within British community. Youths and children felt that they are discriminated, as there is apparent perception of dearth of support to mainstream or socially accept them. To cite an example, youths and children felt that there is lack of educational support for them to learn English as language and they felt they are unfairly prejudiced in their daily affairs with other people. b. Significance This study is significant because it will empirically contribute to existing literatures and researches relating to the condition and perception of Somali youths as migrants within United Kingdom. It will also serve as evidence how conflict-situations compromised the identities of people and lost their very selves in a social quagmire and in an unending quest for peace. As part of the outcome of the study, researcher will attempt to make recommendations for policy advocacy and social action. It will also motivate government to look into the plight of Somali youths, prominently tagged as asylum seeker, to respond on their urgent concerns and problems. c. Motivation Youths are said to be the future of the world. There education and value formation are crucial to make themselves complete, instead of being fragmented due to confusion of identities while and at the same time marginalized by the system where it seek protection. Such dilemma will have serious implication to their worldviews, may frustrate them, and if not seriously dealt with will impact to desired societal interaction and to social fabric in the nearest future. Even in the simplest humanitarian consideration, language is important to communicate and to nurture mutual understanding. Hence, efforts should be m ade to bridge understanding, to educate them of their roots to inculcate better understanding of their identities, and to holistically develop them while in the process of integrating themselves in the British society. d. Potential Users This research study will be useful for the following: a. Professionals who are interested to know young Somali’s self-perceptions; b. Researchers and policy makers of the

Legal Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal Practices - Essay Example However, it is the responsibility of the corporate leadership to ensure that all its business practices are being conducted in accordance with the law of the land in which it operates and what is understood to be ethical. If the operations extend to multiple countries and cultures, the differences in business practices can often pose some complications. Some practices that are taken for granted as standard practices in some cultures may be viewed negatively in others. Differences in laws relating to pay, working hours, safety at work, and environmental protection etc. are normally of a minor nature, and not usually problematic, so the company can easily ‘localize’ its working and other conditions accordingly. But there are also extreme examples of multinational companies operating â€Å"in countries where bribery, sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and lack of concern for the environment are neither illegal nor unethical or unusual† (Columbia Encyclopedia) but of course are in the US. The leadership must then decide â€Å"whether to adhere to constant ethical principles or to adjust to the local rules to maximize profits† (ibid). We shall consider the differences of child labor laws. To the western mind, this would bring up images of child abuse and slavery, which these laws are designed to prevent. But in countries where children are employed in work they are often compelled to do so in order to alleviate their own conditions of family poverty, and not through working as slaves. In addition, laws and regulations can also change within the same place over time. So, this requires a leader even more to â€Å"stay aware of the constantly changing legal and illegal practices† (Workplace Moxie, 2005) and ethical standards wherever in the world it operates its business. This includes child labor laws, which were recently Although child labor

Share Price Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Share Price Report - Essay Example Therefore; this study will provide a sharp insight of Tesco plc and Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets PLC as discussed. 1. A plot of the share price of the project companies (Tesco plc and Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets PLC) over the study period relative to movements in the FTSE 100 index. Source: Author Source: Author 2. Assess major economic and other events that have affected these companies and their share price over the project period (1st October 2012 – 22nd March 2013). Tesco supermarket operates under the parent Tesco private limited company that operates supermarkets and 5 hypermarkets. The supermarket operates under retail industry and offer products such as clothes, toys, Groceries, music, electric products to mention just but a few. The company reported revenue of 3.15 billion pounds as at 2008.Additionally the profit margin was reported to rise by 9.5% in the subsequent periods (The Telegraph, 2013). This increase was attributed to its large market share of non-food items c ausing the prices and the value of its shares to rise. In above connection, Tesco Company had shown great improvements with respect to its shares prices. This could have been attributed to adoption of online trade making it possible for Tesco supermarket to reach numerous customers within a shortest time possible (The Telegraph. 2013). On the other hand, Morrison (Wm) Supermarket is the public limited company that operates in retail industry with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. Additionally, the company offers variety of products such; food stuffs, wines, health products, spirits, furnitures, entertainment items pharmacy items to mention just but a few. It has been reported that Morrison supermarket is the fourth largest super market after Tesco and is among FTSE 100 index. Morrison (Wm) Supermarket reported revenue of 18.116 billion pounds in 2013 and a net income of 647 billion pounds (The Telegraph, 2013). Morrison share prices have been influenced by market forces, econo mic factors such as recession, competitors and technology employed causing a fluctuation on its share prices as shown in table 1.2 at the end of text. According to The Telegraph, 2013, the company was planning to employ grocery technology in order to increase its efficiency, it is predicted that application of grocery technology will help to improve its stocks performance (The Telegraph, 2013). 3. Discuss factors which have affected the sector as a whole. Economic condition was reported to affect performance of the retail sectors more significantly. For instance, the 2008 economic recession was still felt in 2012 and 2013. Such condition may have impacted significantly causing the two supermarkets to increase prices of food staffs (Yahoo finance, 2013). This further caused share prices for both Tesco and Morrison supermarkets to decline making the value of shares to fall. On the other hand, government and market regulations may have impacted on share prices. Whereby, government may increase corporate taxes, making the company to experience low returns. This may consequently cause a negative influence to the entire sector. Connectively, unfavourable political climate may negatively influence shares price due to uncertainty (Puxty, Dodds and Wilson, 1988). 4. Compare and contrast these events and share price movements in these companies with what has happened to the comparator company (Sainsbury (J) PLC) over the project

Whistle Blowing Essay Example for Free

Whistle Blowing Essay The challenger disaster that took place in January 28 has led to the explosion of the shuttle itself and the death of all the crew members including the chosen teacher. A real disaster that occurred due to some wrong decisions and overriding some important information from professional employees within the company is considered a real catastrophe. Applying pressure on senior management team of the company that has developed the rocket in order to change their opinion about launching can be considered to be another catastrophe. All these misjudgment actions from the NASA team and the Morton Thiokol team have lead to the challenger real crisis. Whistle blowing A whistle blower is a person who reveals some wrong actions done by his employer or the company he works for in an investigation or to some authority and in some cases to public and press. This is mainly the case of Boisjoly who reveled during the commission investigation all the information he had regarding the problems that they discovered within the shuttle and the way the NASA reacted towards the problem and the way Morton Thiokol ignored the problem and refused to scrub the launch and went with the launch that caused the explosion of the challenger and the death of the seven crew members. Whistle blowers are heroes in the eyes of some people and they are betrayers in the eyes of other. From here rises the conflict of whistle blowers. Looking at the whole idea of whistle blowing we can easily say that this act has its harms and its benefits. Concerning benefits this would be the end of the any wrongdoing by any employer, management team or employees and this means consequences of wrong acts would be eliminated. As for the weakness or the harm of such practice it would cause terminations for the employee who performed the whistle blowing act, the work environment if he continued would be hard because the employer and the fellow employees will always think of him as the betrayer who took the secrets of the company publicly. Conclusion Challenger exploded 73 seconds after its launch and this means that the problem was massive and it needed to be addressed. People watching the launch and families who lost beloved ones needed to know what really happened and who was responsible for their great loss. Children who were watching their teacher joining the crew needed to know what the reason that this person died was. From all what preceded the truth should have appeared and the company should not treated Boisjoly a whistle blower because he showed the world what really happened and didn’t take into consideration the image of the company in the eyes of people and government. Failing to produce quality products and putting lives on the edge is not something that can be ignored and from here we can easily say that whistle blowers are heroes and not betrayers. Question 1:Do you regard Boisjoly as a disloyal employee or a heroic whistle blower? Why? Boisjoly in my opinion is not a disloyal employee. Although I agree to the saying that secrets of work should not be announced to anybody outside the company but is mainly when there is something regarding progress and success key elements and not wrongdoings that causes problems. In the case of challenger, seven people died from the explosion. The company was aware of the problem and they decided to ignore it and go on with the launch of the challenger. Boisjoly reported the problem and tried to convince the Morton Thiokol to scrub the launch but NASA had their way to convince the management to ignore everything and launch challenger. This led to the crisis. Families of the crew who died on challenger had the right to know what happened and this is what Boisjoly did and this is not betrayal but showing the truth behind a crisis. What he did also will definitely help the company make sure not ignore problems and solve them first in order not to reach this situation again. Question 2: Did Morton Thiokol treat Boisjoly fairly? Why or why not?  Explain We can easily say that the company was not fair in the way they treated Boisjoly after what happened and they have blamed him for the situation the company was facing. The environment they made him work within where he was looked at as a betrayal who took the secrets of the company out to the public and press was hard for him. They did not feel that what they did caused a disaster and they need to take responsibility for their actions. They only felt betrayed by Boisjoly and this is unfair by all means. They have treated him in a way that led to his resignation at the end because the work environment was no longer acceptable for him. Question 3: what if anything, ought Morton Thiokol managers have done differently? Explain Looking at the problem and the disaster that occurred due to some wrongdoing from the management team of Morton Thiokol we can say that they should have considered their engineers report, they should have scrub the launch of the challenger and not accept the pressure that NASA performed on the management team to ignore the report and go on with launching. If they have done so they would have been able to overcome the disaster, solve the problem and launch challenger on latter date. The management team failed to take the right decision.

Congestive Cardiac Failure With Digoxin Toxicity

Congestive Cardiac Failure With Digoxin Toxicity Contents (Jump to) Criterion-1 Causes, Incidences and Risk Factors of Congestive Cardiac Failure with Digoxin Toxicity: Comprehensive Understanding of the Disease on Patient and Family: Criterion-2 Signs Symptoms Pathophysiology Criterion-3 Drug Class Physiological Effect Criterion-4 Interventions-Rationales: Comprehensive Treatment of the Identified Condition: Supportive care Electrolyte abnormality management Bradycardia management Hemodynamic compromise management Ongoing monitoring and change of medicine CASE STUDY ON CONGESTIVE CARDIAC FAILURE WITH DIGOXIN TOXICITY Criterion-1 Causes, Incidences and Risk Factors of Congestive Cardiac Failure with Digoxin Toxicity: Digoxin toxicity caused by high levels of digitalis in the body. As in our case study Mrs. Sharon McKenzie, a 77 year old woman, used to take daily 250 mcg of digoxin, which is a very high dose for adult patients. Especially those, who are suffering from congestive cardiac failure, like our patient Mrs. Sharon McKenzie (Neo, et al, 2010). Body receives the therapeutic effect when it stores of 8 to 12 mcg/kg generally with minimum risk of toxicity in most patients with failure of heart and normal sinus or breathing rhythm (Mangoni, 2010). People withheart failurewho have this digoxin are commonly prescribed medications called diuretics that remove excess fluid from the part of body. This is also happens that many diuretics can cause potassium loss from the body (Johnson, Inder, Nagle Wiggers, 2010). Though ultimately it increases the risk of digitalis toxicity. Again, our patient, Mrs. Sharon McKenzie’s potassium level is low; 2.5 mmol/l. whereas a normal potassium level ranges from 3.5-5.0 mmol/l. You are more likely to fall into that condition if you take digoxin, digitoxin, or other digitalismedicinesalong with the higher effective drugs that interact withit such as flecainide, quinidine, amiodarone, verapamil, and others. Similarly, Mrs. Sharon McKenzie’s was also taking medication with digoxin like furosemide, warfarin, and enalapril (Siabani, Leeder Davidson, 2013). In recent years the incidence of digoxin toxicity has dropped among patients in hospitals. A study has been done on 183 outpatients, who are receiving on going treatment of digoxin toxicity at 10 urban and rural Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the Rocky Mountain region, to evaluate whether a similar decline of digoxin toxicity has occurred or not. The statistics over 1-year period, of that study is like that: Out of the 183 patients: 50 (27.3%) had one or more risk factors for digoxin toxicity. Serum digoxin levels were elevated in 13.6% of patients. Hypokalemia in 14.3%. Elevated creatinine levels in 17.9%. And possible drug interactions in 5.5% of patients. The most common risk factor of digoxin toxicity is the patient’s elderly age. Like in our case study, Mrs. Sharon McKenzie is also 77-year old woman. However there are other risk factors too, which render the elderly more vulnerable to digoxin toxicity. These contain an age-related decline in renal function and a decrease in volume of digoxin distribution. There is also an increase in the number of comorbid conditions, including cardiovascular and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which heightens vulnerability to digoxin toxicity. Comprehensive Understanding of the Disease on Patient and Family: Digoxin toxicity is a life-threatening condition, and when a serious disease like congestive cardiac failure caused by digoxin toxicity then it can impact severely in a bad way on a patient as well as his/her family (Betihavas, 2011). Due to which his/her family also suffer by seeing their loved one mentally disturbed. Often the patients with CHF who are depressed or who lack social support, the higher the support from the social side the higher the rate of healing as the family and the patient both in complex and double trouble. Criterion-2 Signs Symptoms Pathophysiology Severe ventricular arrhythmias: Sudden cardiac death and loss of consciousness are the basic signs and symptoms of the cardiac arrhythmias. Complaints such as dizziness, lightheadedness, fluttering, dizziness, and pounding, chest discomfort, quivering, shortness of breath, and forceful or painful fast beats are commonly reported with arrhythmias patients. Often, patients notice arrhythmias only after checking their peripheral pulses (Mudge, et al, 2010). The pathogenesis of the arrhythmias falls into one of two basic mechanisms: increased or covered up automaticity, triggered activity, or re-entry. Triggered activity occurs when early after depolarization and delayed after depolarization initiate spontaneous multiple depolarization, precipitating ventricular arrhythmias (Johnson, Inder, Nagle Wiggers, 2010). Arrhythmogenesis is probably the most common procedure and results from re-entry. It causes the change of state of mind and mood too. 2) Hyperkalemia: Higher potassium rate in your blood can affect how your heart works. Symptoms of hyperkalemia can include: Abnormal heart rhythm arrhythmia that can be life-threatening Slowheart rate Weakness (Neo, et al, 2010) Hyperkalemia may result from an increase in total body potassium secondary to imbalance of intake vs. excretion or from misdistribution between intra- and extracellular space (Nanda, 2009). 3) Hypokalemia: Usually symptoms of low potassium are mild Weakness, tiredness, or pain in arms or legs muscles, sometimes this might be so severe to cause inability and disability to move arms or legs due to weakness of muscles (much like a paralysis) (Hughes Crowe, 2010) Tingling or numbness Nausea or vomiting Abdominal cramping, bloating Constipation Palpitations (feeling your heart beat irregularly) Urine passing rate is too high simultaneously feeling thirsty mostly (Neo, et al, 2010). In the heart, low potassium levels make the myositis hypo-polarized or hyper excitable. Thus, arrhythmia occurs as a result of the atrium’s lowered membrane potential due to recovery from inactivation of the Na channel, which may trigger an action potential. In addition to this, reduced potassium in the extracellular space inhibits the IKr potassium current activity, and ventricular depolarization is delayed, which thereby promotes reentrant arrhythmias (Jeon, Kraus, Jowsey Glasgow, 2010). 4) Neurologic Symptoms: In the identified condition, the patient may also go through with neurologic symptoms which are: Visual disturbances, disorientation, and confusion.You might experience confusion. Although rare, you might also see bright spots, have blurry vision, or experience blind spots. In addition, you might urinate much more or less than usual (Betihavas, 2011). Your body could also become swollen. The physiologies of neurological symptoms are not easy to judge and too complex and our getting of them are incomplete mostly. From an evolutionary perspective it is easy to judge the neurological symptoms. Though it makes sense that the genuine physiologies of neurological symptoms are intricate and interrelated (Courtney, et al, 2009). 5) Sinus Node Dysfunction: Sinus node dysfunction refers to a number of conditions causing physiologically inappropriate atrial rates. Symptoms may be minimal or include weakness, effort intolerance, palpitations, and syncope. Diagnosis is by ECG. Symptomatic patients require a pacemaker. Sinus node dysfunction includes inappropriate and misbalancing the sinus bradycardia, alternating bradycardia and atrial tachyarrhythmia, sinus pause or arrest, and sinoatrial exit block (Jeon, Kraus, Jowsey Glasgow, 2010). SND also causes the abnormalities in SN impulse formation and propagation that also causes abnormalities in the atrium and in the conduction system of the heart (Higgins, et al, 2013). Slow ventricular rates and pauses at the time of stress is the general causes, furthermore, it includes following: Fatigue Angina Syncope Dizziness Fall Confusion Heart failure symptoms and palpitations Criterion-3 Drug Class Physiological Effect Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: ACE inhibitors cause blood vessels broadness, further descent the amount of work the heart has to do they may also have direct beneficial effects on the heart. These drugs are reducing the symptoms and the need for hospitalization moreover they are helpful to prolong life (Mudge, et al, 2010). Beta-blockers: Beta-blockers drugs lower down the heart rate and block excessive blockage in the heart. They also helpful in the heart disease. These drugs are usually used with ACE inhibitors and provide an added benefit. They may temporarily worsen symptoms but result in long-term improvement in heart function (Betihavas, 2011). Although ACE inhibitors improve outcome in patients with systolic dysfunction, many patients with hypertension experience congestive heart failure due to diastolic dysfunction related to left ventricular hypertrophy. ACE inhibitors have been shown to reverse left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with hypertension.A meta-analysis of the effects of several antihypertensive agents suggested that ACE inhibitors were the most effective agent in reducing left ventricular hypertrophy (Katz Konstam, 2012). Beta blocker is helpful in improving the function of the failing LV and need to prevent or reverse progressive LV dilation, sphericity, chamber and hypertrophy. Beta blockers also lower down the heart beating rate and LV wall stress. According to recent studies from laboratories have also proven that beta blockers can satisfy cardiomyocyte apoptosis in HF. These are the basic advantages and benefit of beta-blocker for the patient of heart at any higher stage (Katz Konstam, 2012). Criterion-4 As a registered nurse, my care plan for a patient suffering from Congestive Cardiac Failure with digoxin toxicity would be like, (Driscoll, et al, 2009) Interventions-Rationales: I realize that I would hold the medication Due to possibility of toxicity Wait for Electrolytes and digoxin test, as these tests were already ordered for our patient electrolytes can affect the action of dig and cause dysthymias and to find out the level of dig Monitor I O monitoring for renal function Monitor for edema and auscultator the lungs Monitor symptoms, VS S/E of dig toxicity Call the doctor. To get orders to carry out interventions and inform doctor Start an IV. For administration of medications (Mudge, et al, 2010). Comprehensive Treatment of the Identified Condition: The main goal of treatment is to correct cardiac toxicity.If the person has stopped breathing, as our patient Mrs.Sharon McKenzie confronting with shortness of breath, startCPRand get emergency medical help (Betihavas, 2011). Initial treatment includes: General supportive care Discontinuation of digoxin therapy and prevention of further exposure Administration of digoxin-specific antibody fragments (digoxin immune Fab) Treatment of specific complications: for example, dysrhythmias and electrolyte abnormalities (Jeon, Kraus, Jowsey Glasgow, 2010). Supportive care General supportive care includes attaching patients to a cardiac monitor, providing IV fluids in patients with hypotension or volume depletion (with caution for patients with CHF), supplemental oxygen, and/or repletion of electrolytes in patients with electrolyte abnormalities (Mudge, et al, 2010). Electrolyte abnormality management In case of Mrs. Sharon McKenzie, hyperkalemia is only corrected (e.g., with insulin/glucose) if it is considered life-threatening, because of the risk of producing hypokalemia, because her potassium level is low i.e. 2.5 mmol/l. One study showed that insulin interacts directly with Na(+)/K(+) ATPase pump and alters the effect of digoxin (Betihavas, 2011). This supports the finding that for patients with diabetes, insulin has been shown to have cardio protective effects after digoxin intoxication. Calcium is not used to treat hyperkalemia in patients with suspected digoxin toxicity as it may induce arrhythmia or cardiac arrest. Bradycardia management As Mrs. Sharon McKenzie’s ECG report showed sinus bradycardia, this will be treated with atropine. Atropine can be given every 3 to 5 minutes until there is a response or the 3 mg maximum dose is reached (San Miguel, et al, 2013). Hemodynamic compromise management As Mrs. Sharon McKenzie has signs of hemodynamic insufficiency and/or compromise (e.g., hypotension, altered consciousness or dizziness), digoxin immune Fab is given as primary management (Mudge, et al, 2010). Ongoing monitoring and change of medicine Ideally, digoxin is discontinued and a different medicine for rate control or a different inotrope prescribed (for AF, atrial flutter or CHF, respectively). If the patient has to remain on digoxin for some reason, then the dose of digoxin is adjusted for the patients medication profile (Edgley, Krum Kelly, 2012). Referencing: Jeon, Y. H., Kraus, S. G., Jowsey, T., Glasgow, N. J. (2010). The experience of living with chronic heart failure: a narrative review of qualitative studies. BMC health services research, 10(1), 77. Hughes, J., Crowe, A. (2010). Inhibition of P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux of digoxin and its metabolites by macrolide antibiotics. Journal of pharmacological sciences, 113(4), 315-324. Mangoni, A. A., Woodman, R. J., Gaganis, P., Gilbert, A. L., Knights, K. M. (2010). Use of nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ steroidal antià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ inflammatory drugs and risk of incident myocardial infarction and heart failure, and allà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ cause mortality in the Australian veteran community. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 69(6), 689-700. Siabani, S., Leeder, S. R., Davidson, P. M. (2013). Barriers and facilitators to self-care in chronic heart failure: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. SpringerPlus, 2(1), 320. Courtney, M., Edwards, H., Chang, A., Parker, A., Finlayson, K., Hamilton, K. (2009). Fewer Emergency Readmissions and Better Quality of Life for Older Adults at Risk of Hospital Readmission: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Determine the Effectiveness of a 24à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Week Exercise and Telephone Followà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Up Program. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57(3), 395-402. Nanda, A., Chen, M. H., Braccioforte, M. H., Moran, B. J., D’Amico, A. V. (2009). Hormonal therapy use for prostate cancer and mortality in men with coronary artery disease–induced congestive heart failure or myocardial infarction. Jama, 302(8), 866-873. Edgley, A. J., Krum, H., Kelly, D. J. (2012). Targeting Fibrosis for the Treatment of Heart Failure: A Role for Transforming Growth Factorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ÃŽ ². Cardiovascular therapeutics, 30(1), e30-e40. Betihavas, V., Newton, P. J., Du, H. Y., Macdonald, P. S., Frost, S. A., Stewart, S., Davidson, P. M. (2011). Australias health care reform agenda: Implications for the nurses’ role in chronic heart failure management. Australian Critical Care, 24(3), 189-197. Mudge, A., Denaro, C., Scott, I., Bennett, C., Hickey, A., A Jones, M. (2010). The paradox of readmission: effect of a quality improvement program in hospitalized patients with heart failure. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 5(3), 148-153. Johnson, N. A., Inder, K. J., Nagle, A. L., Wiggers, J. H. (2010). Attendance at outpatient cardiac rehabilitation: is it enhanced by specialist nurse referral. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 27(4), 31-37. Higgins, R., Navaratnam, H. S., Murphy, B. M., Walker, S., Worcester, M. U. M. U. (2013). Outcomes of a chronic heart failure training program for health professionals. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 3(7), p68. Driscoll, A., Davidson, P., Clark, R., Huang, N., Aho, Z. (2009). Tailoring consumer resources to enhance self-care in chronic heart failure. Australian Critical Care, 22(3), 133-140. Neo, J. H., Ager, E. I., Angus, P. W., Zhu, J., Herath, C. B., Christophi, C. (2010). Changes in the renin angiotensin system during the development of colorectal cancer liver metastases. BMC cancer, 10(1), 134. Katz, A. M., Konstam, M. A. (2012).Heart failure: pathophysiology, molecular biology, and clinical management. Lippincott Williams Wilkins. San Miguel, J. F., Sonneveld, P., Orlowski, R. Z., Moreau, P., Rosià ±ol, L., Moslehi, J. J., Richardson, P. G. (2013). Quantifying the risk of heart failure associated with proteasome inhibition: a retrospective analysis of heart failure reported in phase 2 and phase 3 studies of bortezomib (Btz) in multiple myeloma (MM).Blood,122(21), 3187-3187

Lost Freedom Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For many ages freedom has been one of the main priorities in human life. People are determined to have freedom of spirit, religion, opinion, speech; they aspire to be free to decide where and with whom to live, where to work, what to wear, and how to live their lives in general. However, a lot of people are deprived of freedom one way or another, either they are physically imprisoned or influenced by circumstances and life situations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Physical imprisonment is one of the most devastating experiences for a human being, and affects a person in many ways, physically and mentally. Some of the factors that endanger the physical health of imprisoned people are poor environmental conditions, lack of healthy food, medicine, immediate con...

Martin Luther :: History

Martin Luther When studying the facets of Western Civilization, a few recurring questions must be analyzed. Will those in power abuse it? Unfortunately, yes. Does freedom spawn intellectual, technological and social progress? For the most part, yes. Was Martin Luther, in historical terms, a â€Å"bad ass?† Carter Lindberg states in his book The European Reformations, â€Å"An initial move to control the complicated and multifaceted reality of the Reformation is to define the terms used for it and the era it covers.† In order to secure Luther in the annuals of history as a â€Å"bad ass†, one must not only clarify the characteristics of that title, but also view his accomplishments in a 21st Century frame of reference. First, it should be determined which historical figures might fall into the category of being labeled a â€Å"bad ass.† At this point, the common characteristics of a historical â€Å"bad ass† will become evident. Second, after determining these cha racteristics, they then must be applied to Luther and the result will be forthcoming. Possible historical â€Å"bad asses† (chronologically): Hammurabi, Socrates, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Marc Antony, Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ, Augustus Casear, Muhammad, William the Conqueror, Genghis Kahn, Leonardo da Vinci, Magellan, Louis XIV, Thomas Jefferson, Và ¢clav Havel, Roberto Baggio and Bill Clinton. Just looking at this shortlist, it’s noticeable that most of these men were in a position of power. Except for Socrates, Jesus, Leonardo, Magellan and Baggio, these individuals were in a position of direct political or military authority and in some cases both. Let’s take a more detailed look at Alexander, Hannibal, Jesus, Muhammad and Magellan. Alexander the Great- Son of King Phillip of Macedonia. He was tutored by Aristotle and despite his classical education became one of the greatest military geniuses ever. At the time of this death, Alexander commanded an empire that stretched from the Mediterranean basin to Persia. Glenn Blackburn, author of Western Civilization: A Concise History Vol. 1, gives this description of Alexander. â€Å"Some historians believe that he was simply a great military leader who knew well how to fight and conquer. Others see Alexander as what he claimed to be, an apostle of Greek culture who used Greek language and institutions to unify a cosmopolitan empire† (p.82). Alexander’s greatness was even acknowledged in the motion picture Die Hard. The films antagonist, Hans Gruber remarks, â€Å"And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept.

Art Analysis of The Luncheon of the Boating Party vs A Sunday on La Gra

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre-Auguste Renoir is a piece full of rich colors that reflect both the time period and the artist’s impressionist style. This composition not only conveys a leisurely gathering of people, but also expresses the changing French social structure of the time due to the industrial revolution. To portray these themes Renoir uses, shape, space, color and texture. Shape is seen in the modeled figures and bottles, and space is created by overlapping of the bodies, but it does not give a realistic illusion of depth. Color is most evident in the painting by the deep blue and green contrasted by the vibrant red and greens making it very rich in colour. Texture is also evident in the clothing which was emphasized by the artist’s impressionist brushstroke style. Renoir also used principals of design to make his composition more effective like balance, movement, repetition and unity. A symmetrical balance is evident because most of the subjects in the painting are on the right side. Movement is achieved in this painting by the gesture and expression of the subjects as well as the drapery on the table and the gazebo cover. Repetition can be seen in the curves of the gazebo cover, the stripes and the posts in the railing. All these elements and principals of design unify this piece and make it very pleasing to the eye. Renoir reflects the theme is this painting because the impressionist style was new to the art field, just as the advances fr...

Rhetorical analysis of “Migration on Ice” Essay

â€Å"Migration, on Ice: How Globalization Kills Chickens for Their Parts† is an article that was written by Malia Wollan, a regular contributor to that New York Times. The article was originally published in an issue of a magazine called Meatpaper, a magazine devoted to discussing the policies, ethics and other issues that surround meat. Although Ms. Wollan does not have a direct call to action in the article, it’s argument is that globalization of the meat industry has a lot of ill effects on the people on the receiving end, in addition to it’s obvious benefit of cheap meat. The article uses the persuasive tactics of ethos, logos and pathos throughout in order to establish credibility with the reader and direct them to the conclusion that she wants. The author uses Ethos effectively throughout the article. There was obviously a lot of research done about the topic, including personal interviews and statistical analysis. She wants the reader to think the globalization of the meat industry is essentially unethical. She writes, â€Å"In a country where more than 30 percent of the population lives in poverty, cheap protein is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it provides affordable nutrition. On the other, it eliminates livelihoods.† I think that this quote appeals to the ethics of the reader and provides them with some form of proof that this practice should change. She also interviews chicken farmers in Ghana whose lives have been ruined by this importation of chicken, further appealing to the ethical side of the reader. Overall, Ms. Wollan seems to be making a fair request in the article. It appears that she is very knowledgeable about the subject and that she is a trusted source and isn’t trying to misl ead the reader.

Plugged In or Plugged Out?

The technological age has dawned upon us. 80 percent of Americans own a computer; they're constantly sucked into their iPods, iPhones, Blackberries, TVs, computers – you name it – from the time they awaken to the time they fall asleep. American teenagers, born into this world of technology as soon as it began to take off in the 1990s, find themselves completely at ease with computers, a trait that is, so far, unique to their generation. Schools have slowly started to implement new technologies into the classroom – the latest computers, tablets, projectors, smart boards – however schools must be weary of introducing too much new technology, because as instructive as they can be, they can also be disruptive and dangerous. When the right balance is found, the public school system – and the students – will surely prosper. The Internet, bursting into the homes of Americans in the 1990s, revolutionized American life. Entire businesses can be created and destroyed with the click of a mouse; doctors and nurses rely on it to store medical records and ensure the health of their patients. Newspapers, once so imperative to American life, and in shaping the history of our nation, have been completely replaced with online news websites, and businesses have learned to adapt to advertise and sell in the online world, when they had previously been limited only to print, television and radio. Countless numbers of student help websites have opened; the college application process simplified. Yes, the Internet is an incredible place, bursting with knowledge, but it is also a breeding ground for cheating and plagiarism. To accompany the honest educational websites, there are sites with prewritten essays – pay a small fee, copy and paste, and you're done. Students abuse websites such as Sparknotes and Cliffsnotes instead of reading the book that they're assigned, and they rely on search engines such as Google to do their homework for them. The lewd content, displayed so boldly and proudly, splashed across the pages of millions of websites, is also a problem for schools – one wrong click on a search engine and you could be viewing something you never wanted to see. It's a free-for-all in cyberspace, and there is certainly no quality control, as the Supreme Court ruled it a violation of privacy to regulate free speech on the web. Although technology to conquer these problems is in wide use – Turnitin, a plagiarism detector, and various Internet blocking s ystems are just a few – they are never 100 percent successful in their quest to make the Internet a less vile place. However, by taking proper safety precautions, schools can protect their students and still ensure they have access to the educational tools the internet provides. Read also Twitter Case Study Technology has impacted our daily routine so much that rarely do we ever find ourselves using the â€Å"old-fashioned† pen and paper. Why would we need to? We have cell phones to store phone numbers in and word processors to write papers in. Even keeping a journal seems like a thing of the past when our lives are documented so well by Facebook, Twitter, and various blogging sites. Pens and pencils have been exchanged for a keyboard, paper exchanged for a word processor. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing; with less paper consumption comes a healthier Earth. This is what e- books such as the Kindle attempt to accomplish. They read just like a book, store upwards of 10,000 books, are extremely lightweight and portable, and, of course, use no paper. Textbooks are available for purchase through these e-books for half the cost of traditional textbooks, and implementing them in schools could not only save the environment – they could also save money. The world is at the fingertips of students using the Internet – literally. One can take a tour of Paris, London or Rome, and even walk on the surface of the Moon or Mars using Google Maps. Google Art Project gives students the chance to explore art museums around the world, viewing old and new masterpieces with the click of a button. They can easily have a casual conversation via webcam in the foreign language of their choice with someone who lives halfway across the world. The can communicate with their teachers instantaneously outside of school and learn like never before. So what's stopping schools from investing in this new wealth of technology for the betterment of their student body? With sufficient Internet protection in place, students can learn better, and more quickly and effectively, than ever before. If the next generation is properly equipped with the right technology, they sky will no longer be the limit; they can reach for the stars and beyond.

Is Playing Computer Games Really That Bad for You Essay

Anyone who has really been into video games has experienced this. Kids and adults alike think about getting home and playing games. They also spend a great deal of time reading gaming magazines, participating in online gaming forums, looking for future game releases, and of course, spending countless hours playing games. When they aren’t doing any of these things, they’re wishing they were. 2. Video Games Can Be Expensive It cost a lot of money to stay current with the latest video games and hardware (console and/or computer). Many gamers spend all of their money on gaming. For example, it’s not uncommon for a gamer to have 50-100 games that cost $40-$50 each. They also often have at least 2 different game consoles and 1 high-end PC. This can easily add up to thousands of dollars a year to maintain a typical gamer’s habits. 3. Video Games Can Hurt Relationships There’s often a direct correlation with the amount of time spent playing video games, and the amount of time spent engaging in a quality relationship. In the most extreme example I could find, there was a couple that was so consumed with playing video games that they ended up neglecting their 3 children — to the point that they were malnourished, naked, and covered in their own feces. Although that’s an extreme case, I still think there’s something to be said about people who spend the majority of their free time playing video games. My guess is that they’re probably not dating or pursuing a meaningful relationship in their free time. Update: A reader brought to my attention an online group dedicated to loved ones who have been affected by their partner’s addiction to World of WarCraft (WoW). Their description includes the following Do you have a loved one that plays World of Warcraft so much that you feel like you are a widow? This group isn’t just for wives, but for anyone, husbands, girl or boyfriends, mothers, fathers, sons or daughters, or anyone that has had a relationship effected by this addictive game. 4. Video Games Can Be Distracting Avid gamers are similar to people who smoke a lot of marijuana — in that they don’t get much done. Reading a good book, taking care of bills, writing an article, inventing something, mowing the lawn, etc†¦ are simply not a priority when it comes to getting to the next level or finishing a game. Many gamers have things they would like to do in life, but they never get around to it, because they spend so much of their time playing games. Then, when they do have time to work on one of their projects, they’re too tired to do it, because they stayed up till 3am playing a game. 5. Video Games Can Rob You Of Real Life Experiences Instead of taking a trip, mountain biking, or hanging out with friends at a cafe, gamer’s spend their time in a virtual reality. Whereas real life experiences bear long lasting friendships and memories, videos games do not. The only pictures that come from video games are screenshots, and the memories that are created from playing those games are ultimately meaningless. Living means interacting, growing, learning, teaching, and loving — none of which can be accomplished in the virtual wasteland of video games. †  The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright  © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Bad Eating Habits

Judging from the tidal waves of low-fat foods washing up on supermarket shelves and the proliferation of health clubs popping up in cities, one would think that America has become the land of the lean and the home of the fit. However, this is not the case at all. The obesity problem is rising to epidemic proportion. It is beginning to spawn health problems and is even growing everyday. There are more and more people who are acquiring bad eating habits because of a lot of factors. The problem has gone to alarming proportions and it is time that experts on nutrition join hands to look more closely at the causes of these bad eating habits.People need to be more conscious about their increasing weight. As one eats, one becomes aware of how he/she feels when satisfied. When one is full and stuffed, one must decide to stop eating whenever he/she hits the full mark. People hear a lot of advises and one very good advice is â€Å"If you eat only when you are hungry and stop when you are sati sfied, then your body will reach its optimal weight. † However, this might be easily said than done for the statistics of overweight people continue to rise.Because of rising health costs, food experts say that we are essentially subsidizing the food industry to peddle junk food to kids. This is not that easy though since regulation is not an ideal solution. Multi-national corporations like Unilever, Pepsi and Coke had all voluntarily changed their products and practices to respond to clamor for growing health concerns. There was the pressure on them to do their own regulation in coming up with better, healthier foods. It was even revealed that Unilever was asked to reduce trans-fatty acids in their products. Unilever’s response was dramatic.It eliminated them altogether (World Economic Forum). However, Dr. Marion Nestle feels that poor nutrition is the ultimate reason for obesity. Diets lacking calcium, phosphorus and other nutrients tremendously affect the weight gain or loss of a teen’s fat cells. Dr. Bedell, agrees with the findings. † Any family below the poverty level has an incredible amount of outside stress,† she said. † If there’s no education of nutrition, it’s a matter of surviving emotionally and physically. † (Gard MC, 1996). Concern is expressed over the person’s tendency to eat between meals.However, the choice of foods is much more important than the time or place or eating. Fresh vegetables and fruits as well as whole grain products are needed to complement the foods high in energy value and protein that adolescents commonly choose. Similarly, a special concern in cultures today is the amount of fat in the diet. This person in study who has a low budgeted food is not exempted. She virtually lives on fast-food meals, which contributes to the increased fat levels in their diet. The average adolescent, though, does not worry about getting enough protein.What is of more concern is t he vast number of adolescents who consume large quantities of fast foods such as French fries and burgers, that are not only high in protein but high in fat (Drake, 2006). To illustrate this further, statistics show the fact that the average teenager watches approximately 22,000 commercials – 5,000 of them for food products, the majority of which are high-sugar, high-calorie, and low-nutrition items. Research indicates that 67 percent of Saturday morning commercials are for sugared cereals, candy bars, and other sweets. Only 3 percent of TV food ads are for fruits and vegetables (Medical News Today).Considering that some members of the average family watch more than seven hours of TV per day, it is not surprising that contemporary research indicates that human development and behavior are affected by television to a degree far exceeding earlier judgments (Robinson, T. , 1999). Promoting healthy diet and exercise remains one of the most challenging goals in today’s mode rn world. REFERENCES Drake, L. (26 April 2006). The USDA Food Guide Pyramid: New and Improved? Gard MC, Freeman CP, (1996), The dismantling of a myth: a review of eating disorders and socioeconomic status.Int J Eat Disord (1996), 20(1):1-12. Medical News Today, (13 May 2004). 10% of the world’s children are overweight or obese and the figures are rising Article Retrieved Feb. 12, 2006 at: http://www. medicalnewstoday. com/medicalnews. php? newsid=8277 Reducing the Size of the Obesity Problem, World Economic Forum, Jan. 24, 2004, Retrieved Feb. 12, 2007 at: http://www. weforum. org/site/knowledgenavigator. nsf/Content/_S10222? open&industry_id= Robinson, T. Reducing children’s television viewing to prevent obesity: A randomized controlled trial, Journal of the American Medical Association 1999: 282: 1581-1587

Naming, Taxonomy, Classification of viruses Essay

Naming, Taxonomy, Classification of viruses - Essay Example Other examples of pathogens include the nematodes, fungi and bacteria. In Biology, the term nomenclature is used to refer to the naming the various taxonomic groups as per the international conventions. When it comes to the naming of viruses, there is a special body tasked with this responsibility. It is called the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), (formerly known as the International Committee on the Nomenclature of Viruses) which was established in 1966. It is the committee of the Virology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies. Unlike the nomenclature of other living organisms, viruses are not named with respect to Carolus Linnaeus’ Latinized binomial system. They are named by use of words of English origin new international taxonomic names this is according to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, R. I. B. Francki (1991). Rule No. 10 – rules pertaining the spelling of names with respect to the language used are outlined in Section 6 of Chapter 3 of the proposed viral nomenclature. This is as per the minutes of the meeting held in Moscow in 1966, Rule No. 13 - where agreed upon, the symbols may come after an abbreviation of a Latin name of a given host genus of a particular host, but if need be, a full name instead of the abbreviation may still be used, When it comes to the taxonomy of viruses, which is the classification of viruses into various taxonomic groups, the International Committee n Taxonomy of Viruses came up with a unified taxonomy. The classification system makes use of the below ranked taxons; The current list from the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) indicates that there are three (3) viral orders namely; Caudovirales – these are the tailed double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) phages, Mononegavirales – these are the ones having enveloped globular virons bearing similar single stranded negative ribonucleic acid (ss (-) RNA) genomes and

Prodigies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prodigies - Essay Example Teachers at Queensmill encouraged him to speak by taking away his art drawings so that he could ask for them when he needs them. He responded by making some sounds, which made him to eventually utter his first word paper and he finally, learned to speak when he was nine years old (Sacks, 2012). He is highly interested in American cars; Stephen became fascinated with architectural drawing of landmark London buildings. One of his teachers took him on a drawing excursion and entered his work in children’s competition, of which he won many of the awards. The media become impressed and suspicious on how a young child could sketch such masterful drawings. The interest from the local media became national when he attained eight years of age; thus, enabling him launch his lifelong career. When he turned nine, he received his first work from the Prime Minister Edward Heath to make an architectural drawing of Salisbury Cathedral. At the age of 10, Stephen embarked on his project dubbed, London alphabet, which was a group of pictures depicting landmark structures that are found in London starting from Albert hall to London zoo (HappeÃŒ  & Frith, 2009). He did many things correctly to achieve fan base, fame and financial stability that he enjoys currently. A mixture of good intuitive decisions and raw talent from that tender age was his recipe for success. He is much motivated and he feels encouraged when he makes other people feel happy thereby making him proud, he has a motto that says, â€Å"Do the best you can and never stop. He cannot live alone because he needs moral support from close family relatives; this is evident as he still lives with his mum (Sacks, 2012). Stephen is very confident and loves London. He is an ambassador for those suffering from autism and their parents. He also assists the disabled by talking to them and telling them how drawing changed his life. Wiltshire is

Can Compatibilism be Defended Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Can Compatibilism be Defended - Essay Example However, the reality may not necessarily lie in line with the compatibilist’s line of argument. Most philosophers before this point have attempted to deal with compatibilism using their own customised definitions of free will and determinism. For example, Peter van Inwagen uses his own definitions (Van Inwagen & Zimmerman, 1998) while Narverson accepts them and bends them during his subsequent reply. (Naverson, 1977) Similarly the definitions of Robert Kane, Strawson, and Campbell will differ largely with those of older philosophers such as Humes. (Kane, 1996) (Campbell, 1957) (Bok, 1998) Most of these definitions have only intensified the problem rather than solving it in any form. If the classical definitions of free will and determinism are used, the issue of compatibilism can be solved with much greater ease. I will attempt to define compatibilism using simple definitions of free will and determinism and will then proceed to exposing weaknesses in the compatibilist line of argument. The compatibilist is simply a proponent of the idea that free will and determinism are compatible ideas. This implies that both lines of argument can be conceded to without being logically inconsistent. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2009) In order to create an association between free will and determinism, certain very â€Å"hard to digest† definitions have been provided. ... It is not as if this simple definition is not comprehensive enough. Consider for example a very common scenario. I cannot coerce a person to commit any actions against his free will such as I cannot do anything in my power right now to say move your hand unless you wish to move your hand. You will only move your hand when you feel obliged to do so for whatever your free will demands of you. The general view includes coercive behaviour such as rape, imprisonment and the like to define free will which I believe is not totally justified. A person being raped may be coerced to perform under threat but that is merely usurpation of their free will. Such a person always has the choice of fighting back no matter what the outcome. This choice to fight back is again a constitution of free will. In a sense, human free will is like a skill one can master. Certain people have far more control over their actions because they allow their free will to do so. On the other hand most people have little control over their actions especially when they are emotionally charged such as when angry, excited or in pain because they choose not to control their behaviour in these scenarios. Just as human beings possess different characteristics, it cannot be expected of them to possess the same degrees of free will too. Doing so would serve as a major error in dealing with human free will. Hence as per the libertarian’s views, human free will allows each of us to do as we want to do, when we want to do and how we want to do. Others would argue that man is not free to do as he pleases in society and hence society controls or determines man’s free will. However, there is little to support their argument that falls on itself paradoxically.

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN-WHIG INTELLIGENCER(ANDREW JACKSON) Essay

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN-WHIG INTELLIGENCER(ANDREW JACKSON) - Essay Example Hailed as a manipulative politician, in his eight years as President of USA he achieved the impossible, not always turned out to be good for a section of the people. He made the best use of the ‘divide and rule policy’ so secure his power and chair. From an ordinary soldier to reach the office of the President was a big leap and hold on to it for two terms was a bigger achievement. For a practicing politician, the powerful chair is more important than the welfare of the ‘chair-less powers’ (people) The important tool with the people to check the political ascendancy of a person or a party, is the need to know how to apply brakes. This can be done by not electing the party in power for the second term. Andrew Jackson successfully met the challenges posed by his rival politicians. Nevertheless, he was the protector of popular democracy and individual liberty. This tough President deserved the nickname â€Å"Old Hickory.† His portrait on the United States twenty-dollar bill is the constant reminder to his popularity. Populism, once in a while, is understandable for a political figure, but the repeated populist measures will not be for the good of the Nation. In the first flush of enthusiasm Jackson invited the poor people on the occasion of the inaugural ball during the 1829 presidential inauguration, in their homemade clothes. This was a magnanimous gesture that nearly went beyond the controlling capacity of the security guards at the White House. He converted political problems into opportunities. When the scandal related to Senator John Eaton, his trusted friend, blew out of proportion and the Cabinet Ministers resigned, it was a God-sent opportunity for him to reshuffle the Cabinet and appoint Officers who were loyal to him. Some of his attempted socio-political reforms crossed the borders of fantasy. The designs of destiny worked in his favor and in 1830 the Indian Removal Act was passed by his administration by a singe vote. That decided the fate of

Inside the Romney Campaign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inside the Romney Campaign - Essay Example (Murray, 2012) It has been suggested that his compaign is based upon interlocking circles and contacts which he managed to win during his business days. It is however, critical to understand that campaign is managed by a manager however, Romney himself is considered as the man calling all the shots. This strategy therefore may fail to achieve excellent results because it is felt that too much involvement by the candidate in the details may distract the overall focus of the campaign. It is also been suggested that the campaign is actually been run as a business rather than for a Presidential election therefore may not serve the overall purpose for winning the elections. This paper will therefore discuss the structure of Romney’s election campaign and analyze from a strategist point of view whether the current structure is effective and efficient and can deliver required results to Romney in winning Presidential elections against Barrack Obama. At the start of the Campaign, Romney announced to form a exploratory committee to kick start his campaign for Presidential elections. This committee was considered as an initial organizational structure of the campaign and how it will be directed in the future. It is critical to note however, that since the start, there were plans to restart once Romney wins the nominations for Presidential elections. (Steinhauser, 2011). The plan therefore was to completely shakeup the existing set up and starts over again with new vigor and energy. Many however, still believe that there is a lack of one common figure at the top who can actually engineer the whole campaign and lack of such personality may not serve the purpose. Separation of candidate from the menial actions taken in day to day operations may allow Romney’s campaign managers to work more innovatively and creatively. It has been suggested that the people involved in the

Thoughts 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thoughts 2 - Essay Example Forcing an accused to depose against oneself under the threat of physical or emotional abuse is contrary to all the essential values attributed to a free and fair trial. The paramount concern is the case of involuntary confession is not that whether the confession is true or false, but whether it was solicited by using fair means or whether it was achieved through threat and violence. Besides the provisions made in the United States Constitution go against involuntary confession and consider it to be wrong and illegal. The right to counsel facilitated by the Sixth Amendment and the right against self-incrimination facilitated by the Fifth Amendment go against the coerced confessions and as per these amendments, any confession wrenched out through coercion is illegal. 2) I totally agree with the given paragraph. It is the nature of human physical and mental constitution that it is averse to pain and by extending a pain that is physical or emotional in its scope, beyond a limit that is conducive to human tolerance, one could draw out any inappropriate or unethical confession from an accused. Hence, going by the fact that there ought to be a limit to the force and the method that a police officer could resort to, to gain a confession from an accused, for otherwise the laws pertaining to soliciting confessions from the accused will be but a mere mockery of the due process. Thereby it is imperative to set a limit pertaining to the extent and the method beyond which a confession ought to lose its legal and ethical validity. In that context the method used by the officer to get a confession from an accused and the impact of that method on the accused need to b e codified and restrained by legal provisions, as has been done in the United States Constitution. In 1966, the Supreme Court made provision for the Miranda warnings that govern the methods that could be resorted to by a police officer to gain a confession from the accused. The Miranda warnings not only extend t o an accused the right to remain silent, but it also enjoins on the police officer making an arrest to clearly convey these rights to a suspect or an accused. 3) I strongly agree with the given paragraph. It is a staunch Western philosophical and ethical dogma that all men are born equal. However, in a pragmatic context, it is a known fact that all men are not born equal and the individuals tend to immensely differ in a range of contexts and abilities, are they race, education, social status, material wealth or access to power. However, the dogma that all men are born equal is of paramount relevance in the sphere of law for it is before law that not only all men ought to be equal, but it is also a must that they have an equal access to legal aid and remedies. Hence, it is important for the law and order machinery to assure that all the accused that come before it for a trial do get access to the requisite legal counsel. For in the absence of such a provision, the Western imperative of the equality of all men will lose its meaning or significance and law will become but a convenient tool in the hands of the rich and the powerful which they could readily use to absolve themselves of the wrongs they do or could use it to persecute others who are not powerful or rich enough to have a say before the law. The Western legal approach is based on the equality

Examine and assess the role of the government in managing the UK Essay

Examine and assess the role of the government in managing the UK economy - Essay Example government in determining long-term success of the country. The economy of U.K. has faced several financial crunches since World War II. It is claimed by some researchers that financial crisis during 2008 in U.K. and other Western nations was caused primarily due to deregulation of financial markets, that had significantly gained speed in these nations 1980 onwards (Trading Economics, 2014). The policy deregulation had drastically lowered control of the government authorities over financial markets of respective economies. Lower state control in the monetary financial market generated certain market exuberances. The real estate sector investments in these economies were made for speculative purposes, which finally generated the property price bubble. Several banks collapsed due to failure of unproductive investment projects, thereby resulting in the recession in 2008; this was because aggregate money supply in the economy had fallen in these nations. During the recession, as aggregate supply of money in U.K. had fallen, degree of productivity in the economy had declined. Lower level of production of several goods and services had greatly increased the level of unemployment in the country. It can be observed from the above graph that the extent of inflation in U.K. had astonishingly increased during the recession in 2008. This was due to expansionary, monetary as well as fiscal policies adopted by regulating authorities of the country at that point of time (Hirsch, 2008). The authorities had implemented these polices for stimulating the depressed market of U.K. In order to maintain welfare of the European economy during recession, its government authorities had adopted expansionary fiscal policies by increasing expenditure in the economy and lowering tax rates so as to enhance employment and output level of the country. Figure 4 in the Appendix shows the way in which fiscal policies attempt to revive an economy from the state of

Infertility Essay Example for Free

Infertility Essay What is infertility? Infertility is defined as inability to conceive despite have regular unprotected intercourse for at least 12 months or for at least six months for a woman over the age of 35. Infertility can also refer to a female who can not carry a pregnancy to full term. What causes infertility? There is no one thing that causes infertility. Infertility can be caused by complications with the body such as ovulation disorders, premature ovarian failure, poor egg quality,overactive or underactive thyroid gland,etc. Other factors that affect infertility include age,smoking,heavy drinking, being overweight or obese, over or under exercising, eating disorders, sexually transmitted infections and even being stressed. Are only women infertile? No,about 20% of cases of infertility are due to a problem with the man. Just as women can have complications with their reproductive organs men can experience this as well. Complications include sperm abnormalities like low sperm count, abnormal sperm shape, poor sperm motility. Other problems include structural abnormalities and problems with ejaculation. Are there other options? Although infertility affects about 15% of couples, the research and treatment has come a long way. weather its the male, female, or both are experiencing fertility problems there are options. There are many different ways that assisted conception can be done these include IUI, IVF, ICSI, and sperm or egg donation. IUI (intrauterine insemination) commonly done when men have a low sperm count. it is the insertion of sperm directly into the uterus during the time of ovulation. IVF (in vitro fertilization) is when sperm and eggs are combined in a petri dish and then the embryo is placed in the uterus. ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is when a single sperm is injected into and egg and then placed directly into the uterus. Sperm or egg donation is when there is either no sperm or egg in one if the partners, its possible to receive sperm or eggs from a donor. How does this relate to me? Most teens do not even think about having a baby, but what we are doing as teenagers can affect us down the road. Teens are becoming sexually active at a much younger age and the increase of STI’s is creating a big problem for these teens fertility. Researchers predict a jump in infertility in the next 5-15 years due to the high chlamydia rates in women in their teens and early 20’s. Many other activities that are increasing in the teenage population can increase the risk of becoming infertile. These activities include smoking, heavy drinking, being overweight, over or under exercising, eating disorders, mental stress or illness and illegal drugs. What else should i know about infertility? It is estimated that one in six couples face difficulties in conceiving about 10% of women ages 15-44 have difficulty getting or staying pregnant about 20% of women have their first child after 35Â  infertility affects men and women equally up to 13% of female infertility is caused by cigarette smoking ovulation abnormalities and sperm deficiencies are the most common causes of infertility 29 year old woman has a 20% per month chance of getting pregnant compared to 7% for a woman at age 39 25% of infertile couples have more than one factor that contributes to their infertility after age 35 a womans chances of getting pregnant go down and chance of miscarriage goes up

History of U.S. in 400 Words Essay Example for Free

History of U.S. in 400 Words Essay I am very proud of my country because it was formed on the foundation of freedom and has continued to support freedom for all of its citizens as well as helping to spread freedom throughout the world. First, America was founded by common people looking for a better way of life, one in which they were able to practice their religion and participate in how their settlements were governed. Committed to their beliefs, America endured eight years of war to gain their freedom. There were many hardships along the way: disease, starvation, and suffering; but we hung in there and eventually beat the British, the most powerful nation at that time. Then, we did something shocking; we made it a democracy, the first in the world. People thought it was crazy, this American experiment, but we proved it could work. Unfortunately there was a problem brewing – slavery! It ended up causing a great civil war, the North pitted against the South. We got through it and in the end the nation was reunited and freedom for all prevailed. Women still had some problems, though, and after nearly one hundred years of protesting they finally received the same rights as men as they got the right to vote. Our ideals of freedom were then tested outside our boundaries. We got involved in World War II as we helped to purge the world of the atrocities that the Nazis inflicted. We helped in the Korean and Vietnam Wars in their struggle for freedom and equality. After a long Cold War, we were successful in our efforts to get the Soviet Union to end communism and tear down the Berlin Wall. We also got involved in the First Gulf War as we worked to get the Iraqis out of Kuwait and restabilize the country. Then, on September 11, 2001, terrorists struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an airplane in route to Washington, D.C. and we again had to defend our freedom. We are continuing to help put an end to the senseless acts of terrorists along with teaching the people in Iraq and Afghanistan how to defend themselves against the Taliban. The United States of America is a world power, supporting the individual rights and freedom of people throughout the world. It stands for and supports liberty and justice for all, and that makes me incredibly proud.

Buddhist And Christian Ethics Theology

Buddhist And Christian Ethics Theology Buddhism and Christianity are religions with comprehensive and contrasting ethical laws and customs. Throughout this essay the ethical practices of both religions will be described in detail, with an exploration of their similarities and differences presented. Description of Buddhist Ethical Practices Seven weeks after Prince Siddhartha Gautama had attained enlightenment whilst meditating under a bodhi tree, he delivered his First Sermon to his five former ascetical companions under that same tree. The contents of that initial sermon are knows as the Four Noble Truths, which are essentially the foundation of the religion. They are as follows: (Gwynne 2011, p. 93) 1. Suffering: Now this, monks, is the noble truth of suffering: Birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering. 2. The Source of Suffering: Now this, monks, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: It is the craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination. 3. The Cessation of Suffering: Now this, monks, is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: It is the remainder-less fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, and non-reliance on it. 4. The Way to the Cessation of Suffering: Now this, monks, is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: It is this Noble Eightfold Path: that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Like its parent religion Hinduism, Buddhism teaches that the ultimate goal of the lives of adherents is to break free from the wheel of reincarnation and attain nirvana. Where it differs from Hinduism is instead of stressing the importance of obligations related to caste, gender and age (varna ashrama dharma), it stresses the embodiment of the sublime truth that was rediscovered by Prince Siddhartha on his night of enlightenment, which was imparted to his early followers in his First Sermon. The essence of Buddhist dharma (as opposed to Hindu dharma) is the Four Noble Truths which, along with the Buddha himself and the community of adherents (Sangha), make up the Three Jewels of Buddhism. The last of the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, is often divided into three categories: 1. Wisdom (panna) right view and right intention 2. Meditation (samdhi) right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration 3. Virtue (sila) right speech, right action and right livelihood. This category specifically provides ethical instruction for Buddhists, insisting that adherents must refrain from abusive, deceitful or divisive words through right speech; calling buddhists to be generally righteous in their actions; and implying that certain occupations may be immoral and hence unsuitable. (Gwynne 2011, pg. 92) Buddhism lacks a clear belief in a supreme being, resulting in Buddhist morality being based upon the degree as to which thoughts and actions will advance or impede ones quest for final liberation. It is not based upon commandments issued by a transcendent God which are to be unquestionably followed by adherents, as is the case in the Abrahamic religions. Without a God to dictate what is good and evil, Buddhists refer to certain actions as skillful (kausalya) or unskillful (akausalya) rather than right or wrong. Buddhist morality is based upon considerations of individual progress on the road to liberation from the wheel of reincarnation rather than practicing the will of a divine God. The cornerstone of Buddhist ethical teaching is the Pancasila, the five precepts. They are as follows: I refrain from destroying living creatures I refrain from taking that which is not given I refrain from sexual misconduct I refrain from false speech I refrain from intoxicants which lead to carelessness. (Gwynne 2011, p. 94) These precepts provide a basic moral code for Buddhists, so integral that they are often recited on a daily basis by the laity, chanted by monks at crucial moments such as birth, marriage and death, and are a popular sermon topic. The Pancasila can be interpreted in a variety of ways. In one sense it provides a basic definition of goodness or skilfulness in Buddhist faith, reflecting the virtues of a spiritually advanced person. In another sense it is understood as the five training rules (pancasikkha) as they were sometimes referred to as by the Buddha. In this view the Pancasila can be seen as a list of practical guidelines to ethically guide the individual Buddhist toward a more liberated state of being, rather than a set of moral commandments cast down from the heavens by almighty God. The Pancasila is mostly negatively phrased, focusing on what actions should be avoided rather than encouraging virtuous actions. However, upon closer inspection one notices that with every negative, I refrain from phrase, there is a positive phrase to compel the adherent to strive for higher spiritual advancement, getting closer and closer to enlightenment. Thus the first precept is to refrain from killing living beings, not just humans but also animal and even plant life. This idea fits perfectly with the wheel of reincarnation as within the Buddhist world view one may be reincarnated as other life forms. (Gwynne 2011, pg. 95) The second precept forbids theft, stemming into the obsessive desire of material objects which leads to stealing. This positively encourages adherents to be generous in all aspects of life, not just financially but in their time and energy. The third precept discourages sexual misconduct, making it known that sexual desire is such a strong human instinct that it poses a considerable threat to ones spiritual path. It is not considered unskilful for adherents to have sexual relations, but it is known that celibacy is a higher form of spiritual existence. The fourth precept forbids any lying or form of deceit, forging a reverence for truth which is a crucial component of individual enlightenment. Finally, the fifth precept prevents the consumption of any intoxicant, instilling on adherents the importance of clarity of mind, an essential quality for Buddhists who are serious about their spirituality. (Gwynne 2011, pg. 96) Description of Christian Ethical Practices Jesus, when approached by a teacher of religious law and asked which of the commandments is most important, answered The most important commandment is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbour as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these. (Mark 12:29-31, NLT) The commandment for Jews to love the one and only God with all their being is found in Deuteronomy, with Leviticus stressing the importance of loving ones neighbour. What Jesus said was not revolutionary, he merely reinstated the ethical values that are symbolized in the Jewish Decalogue. A comparative table of the Decalogue in its various forms is provided below (Gwynne 2011, p. 102): Jewish Catholic and Lutheran Orthodox and Protestant 1. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the house of slavery. I am the Lord your God and you shall have no other gods before me. I am the Lord your God and you shall have no other gods before me. 2. You shall have no other gods besides me. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. You shall not make for yourself any graven image. 3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember to keep holy the Lords day. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. 4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Honor your father and mother. Remember to keep holy the Lords day. 5. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not kill. Honor your father and mother. 6. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not kill. 7. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbours wife. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. 10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbours goods. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbour. Jesus himself demystifies any misunderstandings that may occur regarding the Christian perspective of the Jewish ethical teachings in Matthew 5:17 with Dont misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfil them. (NLT) Like its parent religion Judaism, the Christian mindset involves an intelligently designed world in which humans have the opportunity to live out Gods divine plan for them, to have eternal communion with him. Moral behaviour is an integral component of this divine plan, being part of the final judgement each person must face. However, as can be seen in other religions, Christianity acknowledges that all human beings have an instinctive moral code regardless of their faith or lack of faith (Gwynne 2011, pg. 101). This inner morality is mentioned by St Paul in Romans 2:14-16 When outsiders who have never heard of Gods law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that Gods law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes Gods yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to Gods yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences. (The Message Bible) Although the existence of this instinctive moral code is confirmed throughout Christian denominations, there is debate over the extent as to which it can be distorted by human sinfulness. The Catholic church takes a rather accepting stance on the issue, acknowledging the existence of natural law within its moral teachings, while Protestant and Orthodox churches tend to be more suspicious of non-religious sources of ethics. All the denominations are however united in their belief that Christian ethical teaching are a more comprehensive guide to moral living. The Old Testament, as aforementioned, is the essential first step towards Christian moral living, whilst Jewish customs and practices such as kosher, Sabbath laws and circumstances were abandoned by the early church as they were deemed unnecessary in the development of ethical living practices within the religion. As important as the Jewish tradition is in providing a moral base for Christians, they are often deemed insufficient in the eyes of Christians. Evidenced in the writings in St Paul, the law of Moses is respected as good and holy yet somehow incomplete, lacking the motivation that drives Christian ethics. Christians believe in the importance of a new law which provides the motivation behind embodying the type of ethical practices expressed in the Decalogue, faith that Jesus is the incarnate Son of God and Saviour of humankind. (Gwynne 2011, pg. 93) The ethical practices of Christianity are unsurprisingly christocentric. Christians view Jesus as sinless and perfect, making him the ultimate model for Christian living. The Christian understanding of the next stage of pre-established Jewish ethics were unveiled through Jesus, and a standout instance of his moral instruction is contained within his Sermon on the Mount. The comprehensive sermon notably contains moral instruction on the topics of anger, adultery, divorce and, strikingly, love for ones enemies. A selection of verses particularly relevant to Christian ethical practices is presented below: You have heard that the law of Moses says, Do not murder. If you commit murder, your are subject to judgement. But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgement! Matthew 5:21-22 (NLT) You have heard that the law of Moses says, Do not commit adultery. But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28 (NLT) You have heard that the law of Moses says, A man can divorce his wife merely by giving her a letter of divorce. But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Matthew 5:31-32 (NLT) Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, Do not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord. Just say a simple, Yes, I will, or No, I wont. Your word is enough. Matthew 5:33-37 (NLT) If you are slapped on the right cheek, turn the other, too. Matthew 5:39 (NLT) You have heard that the law of Moses says, Love you neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Matthew 5:43-44 (NLT) Similarities and Differences Although Buddhism and Christianity may outwardly seem very different, it may come as a surprise to some to learn that at the heart of their morality, as is the case with all the major religions, they are very similar. This is largely due to what the Catholic church refers to as natural law, the inner sense of morality which is shared throughout humanity. Perhaps the most important piece of evidence for this concept is the fact that the Golden Rule of ethics in both religions (and the other major religions) is essentially the same: (Gwynne 2011, pg. 111) Comparing yourself to others in terms such as Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I, he should neither kill nor cause others to kill. (Sutta Pitaka) In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. (Gospel of Matthew) Although the ethical practices taught in both religions are similar, perhaps the most striking difference between the two religions in the role that God plays in their ethical practice. Christian ethics are viewed as the result of divine intervention through the prophets and the human incarnation of God himself. Obedience to the will of a omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent divine being is undoubtedly a crucial component of Christian morality. This is a stark contrast with Buddhism as it is the only major religion which does not acknowledge the existence of a God at all. Buddhist ethics are not handed down by almighty God, they are teachings designed to guide the individual on their path towards attaining enlightenment in accordance with the eternal dharma. It is also worth noting that Buddhist teachings are generally understood to be less strict than their Christian counterparts, more like suggestions of how to live a spiritually advanced life than divine commandments. While Christianity and Buddhism differ considerably in regards to the contrasting ideas of living a single life then facing judgement versus the wheel of reincarnation (Samsara), both religions are concerned about the repercussions that an individuals morality will have on their spiritual status. Christian ethics are understood by adherents to be a set of guidelines put in place to achieve and maintain eternal communion with God in heaven (Gwynne 2011, pg. 110), and are a crucial aspect of the criteria used in their final judgement, while the aim of Buddhist ethics are to guide the Buddhist throughout their journey towards nirvana. Although the practicalities and world views of the two religions are contrastingly different, the concern for the individuals spiritual progress and future is a common theme. Perhaps the strongest similarity in the ethical laws and customs of Christianity and Buddhism is the total emphasis Jesus Christ and Sakyamuni are given. Both are infallible models for adherents to base their morality upon, and in both cases they single-handedly (along with their early followers) provide the next stage of religious ethics of their parent religions, as well as abolishing former practices that were deemed unnecessary, inadequate, or even counter-productive. Much of the New Testament is devoted to narrating the life of Jesus and the lessons to be learnt from it, and Buddhists are even able to study the previous lives of the Buddha through the Jataka Tales in addition to the close study of his final incarnation before reaching nirvana. In conclusion, through the exploration of the two contrasting religions, Christianity and Buddhism, an immense ray of apparent similarities appear among what one would expect from a clash of western and eastern philosophies. One can argue that their differences can be set aside to make way for the common ethical laws and customs they both share, with their pivotal figures, Jesus Christ and The Buddha, providing examples of morality which are very similar in nature. The end result of this is Christians and Buddhists leading ethical lives which both have their own merits and most importantly a common love for humanity.