The Mack Essays - Characters In Macbeth, English-language Films

The Mack English Literature Period 2 Macbeth's Downfall or The Downfall of Macbeth One of the most hotly debated questions in English literature is: What was the primary cause of Macbeth's downfall? In my view, the primary cause of Macbeth's downfall was his wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth caused Macbeth's downfall by her own ambition to be the queen of Scotland and by her constant belittling of her husband. The main reason for Macbeth's downfall was Lady Macbeth's ambition to be Queen of Scotland. Lady Macbeth originally was like any normal woman, wanting to outdo the other noblewomen of Scotland. After Macbeth related the three weird sisters' prophecies (that Macbeth would first be the Thane of Glamis, then the Thane of Cawdor, and finally the King of all Scotland) to Lady Macbeth, she started to aspire to becoming the queen of Scotland. She was already the Lady of Glamis, and then Cawdor, but she didn't have enough patience to see the third prophecy come true on its own. Her ambition is shown beautifully in the following quote: "'They met me in the day of success; and I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire to question them further, they made themselves air, into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-hailed me 'Thane of Cawdor'; by which title, before, th ese weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewell.' Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o' the milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great; Art not with ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly That wouldst thou holily; would not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win. Thou'ldst have, great Glamis, That which cries, 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it'; And that which rather thou dost fear to do Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, And chastise with the valor of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal" (Macbeth 1.5, 1-24). The quote sh ows Lady Macbeth's glee in reading Macbeth's letter about the three weird sisters' prophecies and how the first two had already come true. Lady Macbeth knew that the third one would definitely come true, but she decided to speed things up a little bit because she knew that her husband didn't have the will to do so. Lady Macbeth then planned the murder of good King Duncan of Scotland, framing the two guards in his chambers and blaming them for the foul deed. Macbeth then slew them after everyone else woke up, before the guards had a chance to deny that they killed Duncan. After that, Macbeth was chosen as the new King of Scotland because Duncan's two sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, fled to England and Ireland respectively. Macbeth then became a tyrant and killed many good people including Banquo (a fellow general in King Duncan's army), young Siward (the son of the great English general who helped Malcolm in his quest to wrest the throne of Scotland from Macbeth's clutches), and the wif e and children of Macduff (a good man, soldier, and the Thane of Fife). Macbeth was then just fully beheaded by Macduff, and Malcolm became king. If Lady Macbeth had not been so ambitious, Macbeth and she would have lived comfortably as the rulers of Glamis, then Cawdor, and eventually as King and Queen of Scotland. However she did not have patience, was not satisfied with what she had, and caused Macbeth to change from a good, noble, and brave man into an evil, tyrannical, and despised king. Lady Macbeth's constant belittling of her husband was another reason for Macbeth's downfall. If Lady Macbeth had not kept on getting after Macbeth to

Imagine a cold dark room with cages lined against the walls

Imagine a cold dark room with cages lined against the walls. The cries of living creatures echoes throughout the building as if the entrapped animals are able to sense their fate. Lying on a table are several rabbits strapped down with tiny cups attached to their bellies. These rabbits are going through an enormous amount of pain due to the fact that they were not given painkillers of any sort. Sadly these helpless creatures are not the ones being tested on; they are there only as a source of food for the insects that are being researched on. The practice of experimenting upon animals to gain scientific insight dates back to ancient Greece and were part of the earliest medical experiments. For centuries, doctors and researchers have used animals to enhance their knowledge about how the various organs and systems functioned, as well as to sharpen their surgical skills. Although these experiments may seem useful in the scientific community there are never the less activists on the other side of the spectrum who argue that these types of methods are cruel and unusual. Though rather controversial, the use of animals continues to grow for not only medical research, but for cosmetic purposes as well. Many scientists have united in the belief that animal experiments are necessary in order to provide vital information in the continued effort to provide new cures and safe products. While animal testing may be important for certain medical research, certain procedures are not only unethical, but also unnecessary for obta! Many of the procedures used today to enhance societys advancement of information seem irrelevant to what is actually essential in todays world. Many experts believe that testing of products on animals, before they go on the market, is imperative to providing safe products for people who need depend on these products for their own well being. However, many activists claim that the testing of pr...

Annotated Bibliography on Policy Argument Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On Policy Argument - Annotated Bibliography Example Moreover, the article helps in ensuring that there is enough ground to make a claim on ways in which video games have been detrimental to children and teenagers. Lam, Lawrence, Cheng, ZaoHuo and Liu, XinMin.Violent "Online Games Exposure and Cyberbullying/Victimization Among Adolescents." Ebscohost.com. Web. 20 July 2014. . The authors use exploratory study to establish a connection between exposure to violent online -games and cyber-bullying and victimization among adolescents. A recent survey by national population Health Behavior in School-Age Children found that of those involved or affected by cyber bullying "5.3 percent were victims only, and 4.5 % were both perpetrators as well as the victim" (159). The article is relevant to my study, as it has largely focused on school-aged children most of which are teenagers. As a result, it will be of help in making a claim that video games should not be accessible to teenagers and young children. The article questions whether parents are aware of the effects of video games on children. The author notes of various negative influence it has on children such as violent action, having negative image on children, and social isolation. As the author notes, video games make student not to care about grades or learning and want to stay away from other people (1). The article helps to highlight the rise of antisocial behavior due to prevalence of the games and helps to reinforce my call for banning of games. The rise of antisocial behavior should be controlled in all possible ways including making it illegal to make video games available to children and teenagers. Stephen, Burgess, Paul, Stermer Steven and Melinda, Burgess. "Video

Micro Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Micro Economic - Essay Example The giant company then dominates the market. The author refers to a monopoly that arises from economies of scale as a natural monopoly (Mukherjee 333). If the average cost goes down over the whole range of demand, then one seller can offer the product at a lower cost per unit, and more effectively than multiple suppliers. The market may start with numerous sellers, but naturally ends up with one seller that can take advantage in the best way to decrease the average cost. Public utilities such as natural gas sellers, electricity distributers, and garbage collectors have natural monopoly inclinations. A market that experiences decrease in average costs is likely to lead to a natural monopoly. Monopoly may come up because of artificial legal barriers to new firms’ entrance to an industry. The law provides that no other organization can offer this service (Mukherjee 335). For instance, the law in India does not permit any other firm to supply Indian currency except the Reserve Bank. Government policies can be in different forms, though they all aim at limiting what a business can do, where particular products or prices become mandatory while others are illegalized. The ideal form of regulating monopoly may involve forcing a business to set equal prices to its marginal costs. Prohibitions may include anti-competitive agreements and referrals to the completion commission in which an agreement can be reached to correct the offending area of dispute. A company may dominate the market of a product if it totally controls the supply of raw materials. If it is a sole owner of the raw materials, it can keep new competitors out of the industry (Sandhu and Jain 308). A commodity of the same value can therefore not be manufactured to compete in the market. This will mean that the owner can utilize it to enjoy full power of monopoly. A patent may give an exclusive right to the patent holder to produce a given

Auditing & Insurance services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Auditing & Insurance services - Essay Example (c) As may also be noted from the Annual Reports for the year ended 30 June, 2009, the financial data was available in the form of Standard Statements, which effectively compare the Council’s budget against its actual performance, which provides ample scope for assessing how accounting practices are improving the efficacy of performance of the Council. (d) On the basis of its annual report for 2009, it may also be seen that the Council appears to be in a good financial position, because it is breaking even and shows revenues over and above budgeted amounts, which is noteworthy in a recessionary period where many public sector organizations all over the world have faced a strain on their resources and gone over their budgets. The impact of the recent recession is one of the important aspects to be studied in this report and this ability of the Council to balance the budget offers good scope for study. (e) There are an adequate number of related aspects, such as the incorporation of significant diversity into the council and operates a range of facilities which the citizens rate as satisfactory, all of which are funded through the Council budget, therefore the study of the financial management aspects is likely to be very helpful. An examination of the financial statements of the Council in order to ensure that they are presented fairly in terms of all material aspects and in accordance with generally accepted Australian Accounting Standards. The fees proposed to be charged for this service will be $60,000. The Council would like to have a second review of their internal audit in order to arrive at a comparative estimate. They do not currently employ an external auditor, but carry out a process of internal audit. We are suitably employed in their place to carry out an additional review audit. The client is a public sector enterprise that has

Media Coverage of Womens Sports

Media Coverage of Womens Sports Women and Sports Introduction Media coverage of sporting activities performs a role in shaping attitudes of the society with regards to women’s sports. This is largely attributed to the thousands of hours or sports recording undertaken by the television network record each year. But for many decades, men’s sports activities have dominated the airwaves (Carlisle et al.). The domineering nature of men’s sports has led to women sports receiving little to no airplay; this is in large parts attributed to the lack of equal coverage between the two genders. A recent survey in the United States affirmed that women sports only received 1.6 percent airplay across all television network as compared to 96.3 percent given to men’s sports. This paper takes the position that the mass media is not doing enough when it comes to encouraging women sports (Messner and Cooky). The lack of adequate media coverage with respect to women sports has dealt a negative impact on the growth of the game. Even after the enactment of the Title IX legislation, women are yet to be treated in the same way as their male counterparts (Www2.ed.gov). The legislations ensure that men and women are treated equally when it comes to any activity that is federally funded, sports included. Problem definition Mass media companies don’t accord women the same prominence in their sports segments only relegating a small portion of the airtime. Some of the reasons women get little airtime on mass media companies include: Sexual Objectification Female athletes are still targets of being sexualized and objectified by the commentators. Despite the commentator not speaking about the athlete in a sexual manner, the inclusion of visual images of the women diverts attention from what is really important (Tanner). This is not an entirely new phenomenon, in the 1920s women basketball players’ pictures were used to draw the cognitive attention of the male audience to come and watch games. The women were being fitted with short shorts and tight t-shirts. Studies conducted in the United States revealed that women objectification has not changes even in the twenty-first century. The revelation was informed of the fact that most television networks were still portraying women in humorous and sexual as compared to their male counterparts. The objectification of women is further aggravated by the comments made by the sports commentators. Most of the commentators are male, as such they take most of the time to objectify women by put ting sexual visuals and making trivial jokes that demean women sports (North). Gender marking Another impediment faced by female athletes is the gender marking on their game titles. For instance, when an advert is being put up to announce the finals of the feminine game it is always marked as â€Å"Women’s Finals Tournament† (Tanner). This is in contrast to their male counterparts when men are playing there are no gender markers in the advertisements. Most broadcasters and mass media companies assert that they use gender markings to differentiate games that are being played at the same time. For instance, In the United States Tennis opens, all the games are played on the same day and at most times simultaneously. Some mass media companies use visuals that reinforce gender difference in games played (Tanner). For instance, CBS’s coverage of the 1989 NCAA basketball tournaments used the pink color to denote women’s matches while using the blue color to denote men matches. The mass media companies ought to drop the genders markers for women games sinc e it gives the notion that women games are in the â€Å"others† category (Tanner). Cause of the problem This section highlights the different reasons why women are not accorded the same prominence in the sports segment in all major media houses. Some of these reasons include: Society Society is another impediment to women’s sport and also gives mass media an excuse to reduce women sports coverage. Society defines that there are games that are lady-like which women can participate, these games include tennis and golf. But when women attempt to play games that are seen to be masculine in nature, the society shuns them. The main point as to why it is difficult for women to participate in such sporting activities is because it is seen as though they are going against social norms and customs. The stereotype with respect to the types of games women should play can be attributed mostly to media framing. Media framing can be defined as pieces or exhibits a journalist, or a news editor considers to be most important (Shaller). Through media framing, the editors bring about the most important characteristics of a story and highlight them; it is also an opportunity for both the editor and the journalist to stress the most important things they consider to be more im portant to their audience. The use of this tactic has been detrimental to women’s sports coverage; this is because most journalists and editors emphasis on masculinity as compared to femininity (Shaller). Media framing manipulates the audience’s psychology and makes the audience follow what the editor and journalist are putting across. Media framing one of the reasons why men sports are given prominence over feminine games in mass media. Another critical aspect is male hegemony; this can be defined as the process of male domination in the society. The mass media promotes male hegemonic beliefs when it comes to their domineering tendencies in the sports realm (Shaller). Commentators The field of commentators is largely dominated by men. A study of all major sports media companies indicated that there was an increasing incorporation of racial diversity in their news coverage (Messner and Cooky). But there was little progress with respect to women being given archonship positions or commentator positions. Most of the women in the sports scene are not regular anchors and used as auxiliary reporters. Despite the accomplishments that have been made with respect to women’s sports participation, there is still sexual segregation with respect to women holding influential positions on the sports desk. The commentator makes remarks that do not reflect women’s professionalism in sports. For instance, a commentator said, â€Å"the new mom Candace Parker leads the Los Angeles Sparks,† this was to reinforce the societal stereotype of women. This segregation ensures that the amounts of women sports feature being aired on these main mass media companies wou ld largely remain the same (Messner and Cooky). As already attested to earlier, having more women on board and in positions of making decisions enable them to cover women feature stories better; as they tend to give their female counterparts better airtime as compared to male reporters in the same field. Racial diversity has not yet been emphasized in with regards to women anchors. The study confirmed that women anchors were still largely white, this means that women from all different ethnic backgrounds need to join. This will ensure that women from all walks of life would be able to participate in sporting activities or develop an interest in watching sports feature, this will mirror the accomplishments that have been done by their male counterparts (Messner and Cooky). Gatekeeping A study performed in America showed that mass media companies with female reporters as editors tend to shed positive light to women’s sports. The coverage was seen to be more positive with regard to the progress women have made since the introduction of the Title IX amendment. Despite these the positive indicators, the survey also affirmed that female reporters did not offers equitable coverage to women’s sports as their male counterparts (Kian and Hardin). But women reporters were apt to giving women athletes airtime as compared to their male counterparts. The study also confirmed that when an editor wanted a women’s sport story to be aired, he/she would assign the story to a female reporter; but this assignment is largely considered as trivial as compared to male sports (Kian and Hardin). The study also expounded on the decision-making process editors embroil in when trying to make a story coverage assignment; these factors include work routine, expectation of readers, organizational demand and also the editor’s attitudes and biases with respect to the a women’s sports. All these factors encourage editors to further neglect and put aside women sports in their coverage features (Kian and Hardin). The effects of seclusion The constant neglecting of women in sports has an effect on consumer utilizing the mass media. It impairs their psychology in that they become bias with respect to what games they can watch and which ones not to. These effects can be explained through: Cultivation theory This theory explores the impact the comments made by sports commentators have on their audience (Tanner). This theory is highly applicable to those members of society that are considered to be big consumers of television content. The way these individuals experience the real world would be greatly influenced by the content they have been exposed to while they watched television. The act of cultivation occurs by the continuous accrual of images and voices they pick up while watching television; these pictures and stories that have accrued over time will thus have the ability to skew an individual to be biased against a particular social issue. With respect to sports, people are exposed to sporting actions most of the time during the day; this means they collect images and stories from commentators and store them in their minds. Most of the time, people are exposed to information that does not accurately portray the real image of female athletes. Some of the stories are exposed to sugg est women to be sexual objects and does not highlight their competencies as athletes. The continuous accumulation of negative portrayal of women in sport greatly impacts the ability of the audience to be objective when it comes to female athletes; in the end, they dismiss media coverage of women games (Tanner). Another effect of cultivation theory is the mainstreaming notion. With respect to mainstreaming, heavy consumers of television content are not affected by the gains made by women in the fields of sports. The events happening in social realities have little impact in influencing these types of individuals; factors like politics, regional differences do not resonate with their belief systems (Tanner). Over the decades, women’s participation in sporting activities has increased. But heavy television users are most time oblivious to these facts while watching television (Tanner). They hold the notion that women are sexual beings and are emotional but do not appreciate their prowess when it comes to sporting actions. These types of individuals also believe that women sports are still second tier as compared to men’s sports; this is further encouraged by the use of gender markers while advertising the sporting actions that are going on. Such individuals in society will always view women as sexual objects first before considering them as competent athletes (Tanner). Advertisement revenue Studies indicate that there is a vested interest when it comes to sports journalism. Male athletes are considered to produce the highest turnover with respect to sponsorships, advertisement revenues, and television viewership. In retrospect, mass media companies will gravitate toward covering stories that would culminate in them getting more advertisement revenues. The stories are designed to draw male viewers and increase the advertisement revenues from companies that advertise products while the sports news are commencing. This form of bias against women’s sport relegates women to waiting until the Olympics when they receive considerably better media coverage. In advertising, male athletes are usually chosen (Jones). The reason is because they are more recognized all over the world; this, in essence, means that the advertisement revenue would be higher as compared to when female athletes are on the magazine. Due to the low recognition of women as compared to their male count erparts, media companies are skewed to favor male sports as compared to women’s sports due to the advertisement revenue generated. In most magazines in the United States, men get almost 13 times more photographs in newspapers and sports journals as compared to women athletes (Jones). Agenda Building Through agenda building, mass media conglomerates advertise events they believe are important and the audience should be waiting for (Tanner). This is done by carefully choreographic what events to give airtime to and what not to. As already asserted in the earlier, they do this because they have vested interest in the game. By giving prominence to a particular game and neglect, other sends out a message to the audience that some games are far important as compared to the others. This is what happens to women’s games. The media corporations ensure that they give a lot of airplay to games like Nation Football League as compared to women’s soccer (Tanner). This undoubtedly tells the audience that women sports are second tier to men’s games, the corporations also stand to make a lot of income with respect to advertisement that would be brought to them when they will start airing the games. Another factor that leads to poor advertisements for women’s games is the general lack of interest from viewers. The mass media conglomerates assert that the production of women’s events is below average (Kane). The producers of such events do poorly with respect camera work and graphics editing; the combination of these factors renders women’s events as less attractive to the majorly male dominated viewership. They also assert that some features in men’s games are missing, features like slow motion and broadcasting prowess that is in tandem with men’s games (Tanner). Another factor that diminishes the position of women’s sports in media conglomerates is the fact that men are present in all levels of management; this means that they have a say with respect to what stories to highlight and how the stories are going to be shown. Male dominance ensures that all male sporting events are flashier and more glamorous as compared to women’s sporting events (Tanner). Possible solution For the mass media companies to make positive change with regard to women sports they need to hire more women. As already cited previously, when women are given the opportunity to interview athlete, they stand a better chance of giving fellow women more airtime as compared to their male counterparts (Kian and Hardin). The second possible solution is the media companies changing their agenda-setting strategies. As mentioned earlier, media companies turn viewers focus towards men’s games, it would be fruitful if the same tenacity is provided towards women sports. This will ensure that more fans gravitate towards women’s sports. These companies ought to invest the same amount of technology with respect to graphics like the ones in men’s sports. It has been cited that people dislike women’s sports due to poor graphics and lack of glamor. If this equipment is put in place, the game stands a better chance to gain more following both locally and abroad. Media com panies ought to hire more women commentators who should work alongside their male counterparts (Messner and Cooky). Women commentators will ensure that the use of derogatory phrases and sexually objectifying visuals while depicting female athletes (Kian and Hardin). Another front to improve women sports is the disbandment of gender makers in games. This phenomenon has been cited to relegate women’s games to the â€Å"others† category. The disbandment of gender makers would shed a positive light on women’s sports and make people more willing to watch the games. Finally, media companies have to use media framing in equal proportions; previously it has been used to incline audiences to watch male games as compared to female games. With positive media framing to women’s games, the audience’s psychology towards women’s games would be changed to a less bias one (Shaller). Conclusion Since the enactment of the Title IX act, women have made incredible strides in bringing their sports to the mainstream media. The act ensured that everyone participating in any form of sport funded by the federal government should not be discriminated against with reference to gender or race. But there is a considerable amount of resistance from the mass media companies. In tandem with other factors such as the objectification of women as sexual beings rather than considering their athletic prowess are major roadblocks. It is important and necessary that the media organizations put equal emphasis on the way the share out airtime. The media framing used for the men should also be used to women; this will ensure that the public perception of women’s games is gradually changed. This will ensure that the stereotype associated with women in sports is dispensed with, and a culture of professionalism is cultivated. Commentators are also supposed to refrain from making comments that a re deemed derogatory to women in sports and also refrain from using visuals that don’t represent the professionalism of women participating in sports. References Bernstein, Alina, and Neil Blain. Sport and the media: The emergence of a major research field.Sport in Society5.3 (2002): 1-30. Carlisle, Margaret Duncan et al. Gender Stereotyping In Televised Sports LA84 Foundation. LA84 Foundation. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015. Cooky, Cheryl, Michael A. Messner, and Robin H. Hextrum. Women Play Sport, But Not on TV A Longitudinal Study of Televised News Media.Communication Sport1.3 (2013): 203-230. Hanson, Valarie. The Inequality of Sport: Women Jones, Dianne. Womens sports coverage: online images of the 2008 Olympic Games.Australian Journalism Review32.2 (2010): 89-102. Kane, Mary Jo. Media coverage of the female athlete before, during, and after Title IX: Sports Illustrated revisited.Journal of sport management2.2 (1988): 87-99. Kian, E. M., and Marie Hardin. Framing of sport coverage based on the sex of sports writers: Female journalists counter the traditional gendering of media coverage.International Journal of Sport Communication2.2 (2009): 185-204. North, Louise. The gendered world of sports reporting in the Australian print media.JOMEC journal(2012). Messner, Michael A., and Cherly Cooky. Gender in Televised Sports.Center for Feminist Research(2010). Tamir, Ilan, and Yair Galily. Women’s Sports Coverage in Israel: Perception Versus Reality.International Journal of Sport Communication3.1 (2010): 92-112. Shaller, Jessica. Female athletes in the media: Under representation and inadequacy.Undergraduate Review: a Journal of Undergraduate Student Research8.1 (2013): 50-55. Tanner, Wendy. Marginalization and Trivialization of Female Athletes and Women’s Sports through Commentator Discourse A Study of ESPN’s SportsCenter. (2011). Womens Sports Foundation,. Womens Sports Foundation. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015. Www2.ed.gov,. Title IX And Sex Discrimination. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.

Steven Hawking :: essays papers

Steven Hawking Steven William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England. He was always interested in science and how things worked. From about the age of 20, he was awarded a first class honors degree in Natural Sciences. After receiving his degree, Steven went to Cambridge, to do research on Cosmology. After receiving his Ph.D., he left the Institute of Astronomy and since then he has held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. In the late 1960's, Steven proved that if general relativity is true and the Universe is expanding, a irregularity must have occurred at the birth of the Universe. In 1974, he first recognized a truly remarkable property of black holes, objects from which nothing was supposed to be able to escape. By taking into account quantum mechanics, he was able to show that black holes can radiate energy as particles are created in their vicinity. Dr. Hawking has also worked on the basic laws that govern the universe. With Rodger Penrose, he showed that Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implied space and time would have had a beginning in the "Big Bang", and an end in black holes. These results indicated it was necessary to unify General Relativity with Quantum Theory, the other great scientific development of the first half of the 20th century. One consequence of such a unification that he discovered was that black holes should not be completely black, but it should emit radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear. Another speculation is that the universe has no edge or boundary in imaginary time. This would imply that the way the universe began was completely determined by the laws of science. While studying at Oxford, Steven noticed that he was becoming rather clumsy during his first year. When he returned home one Christmas 1962, his mother persuaded him to go to the doctor. In 1963, he was diagnosed with ALS (Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or best known as the lou Gehrig's disease).This disease is progressive and slowly affects the nerves supplying all the muscles in the body. Dr. Hawking has several books, but his most prestigious feat may be "a Brief History of Time", which was published in 1988. When asked recently about his disability and other questions surrounding it he replied: "People are fascinated by the contrast between my very limited physical powers, and the vast nature of the universe I deal with. I'm the archetype of a disabled genius, or should I say a physically challenged genius, to be politically correct.

Moral psychology Essay

The articles in this special section express a common theme: the use of information technology in society is creating a rather unique set of ethical issues that requires the making of new moral choices on the part of society and has spawned special implications for its members. Technology itself is not the only, nor necessarily the most responsible, cause of these issues. All ethical questions arise initially out of human agency. Technology, due to its capability to augment mental and physical powers of human beings, does stand in the role of a coconspirator. The lure of power-enhancing capabilities makes technology an inducer of sorts, a necessary but not sufficient underpinning to many of the ethical issues we face today. An ethical issue is said to arise whenever one party in pursuit of its goals engages in behavior that materially affects the ability of another party to pursue its goals. When the effect is helpful—good, right, just—we say the behavior is praiseworthy or exemplary. When, however, the effect is harmful— bad, wrong, unjust—the behavior is unethical. This purposeful theory of ethics is reflected in the issues discussed in these articles. For example, email and being online are applications of information technology, the lure of which is based on their ability to expand the scope, range, speed, and ease of interpersonal and corporate communications. Useful as they are, the schemes and the manifold of issues addressed leave one question unanswered: What moral guidance can be provided to the agents whose behavior create these issues? And, this question leads to others: How should the many knowledge workers, systems analysts, programmers, hardware designers, authors, executives, and so forth, who set in motion the actions which bring these issues to the fore, guide their own behavior? Knowing their technology-based actions will intercede in the course of human affairs, how should they direct them? The crucial point occurs when a moral agent—one that by definition has choices—decides to change the state of information or information technology in a human system. Changes in hardware, software, information content, information flow, knowledge-based jobs, and the rules and regulations affecting information are among the many things agents do that affect others. I call these crucial juncture points moments-of-truth. If those of us who make decisions in any of these areas are to behave ethically, we must be able to identify the significant momentsof-truth in which we participate and be able to reflect on the effects of our actions. We must use our moral imagination to guide our choices so that we can contribute positively toward making the kind of ethical world in which we want to live and want to bequeath to our future generations. How can we do this? The ACM Code of Ethics [1], as well as the schemes and other articles in this special section provide initial grist for the mill. More fundamental, however, is our conscience, aided by our understanding and expertise in information technology. If we have an inkling our behavior as information professionals might in some way harm others, we probably should examine our decisions a little more carefully and from an ethical point-of-view. Getting the Morally Relevant Facts The facts of an ethical situation can be summarized by four factors. The first factor is to clearly identify the moral agent. Whose actions will bring about the technology-induced change? The frameworks and discussions presented here will be helpful because they point to a variety of possible forms of agency. The next factor is the set of alternative courses-ofCOMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM. December 1995/Vol. 38, No. 12 55 action available to the agent. These are the realworld acts that will have an effect on the human system under consideration. Acts have consequences, hence the third factor: a delineation of the results that are expected to occur if each act is taken. Finally, it is essential to identify the stakeholders who will be affected by the consequences of the acts. A stakeholder is any individual, group, organization, or institution that can affect as well as be affected by an agent’s actions. In a word, stakeholders have an interest in what an agent does [3]. These four factors—agent, acts, results and stakeholders—are the basic facts from which an ethical analysis proceeds. Applying Ethical Theories Renowned medical ethicist William F. May refers to the method of ethical reflection as corrective vision. â€Å"Ethics supplies a type of corrective lens,† he observes, â€Å"and relies heavily on the distinction between what is and what ought to be† [4]. These four crucial factors serve to establish what is. For what ought to be we must turn to ethical theories. These theories are the prisms—the optometrist’s collection of lenses—through which we can observe reality and see the choices to make as we attempt to direct reality towards our ethical ideals. There are many, perhaps an infinity, of theories we might apply. The optics of ethics is very large indeed. We can be comforted in this effort, however, by the realization that the evolution of ethical thinking has resulted in four major themes. These are meta-lenses through which to look at an ethical situation. One theory emphasizes an agent’s duty. This theory seeks to create a good society by having people do the right things. As Immanuel Kant emphasized, there are prohibitions against taking some acts and obligations to take others. We have a prima facie or a priori duty, for example, to respect the autonomy of others according to one principle evolving out of this theory; any acts an agent might take that would invade a stakeholder’s privacy or right to choose for themselves should be avoided. More specifically, it is reasonable to assume members have a prima facie duty to adhere to the provisions of the ACM Code of Ethics. But, and this is a significant point, we may not always be obliged to do so. Subsequent theorists in this deontological vain, W. D. Ross in particular [5], have held that while these duties are compelling they are not definitive. When two or more duties come into conflict the agent must make a reasoned choice. For example, the advantages obtained from using email may be deemed to be more important than the exposure to loss of privacy it brings about. These moral losses, however, should be made explicit in making a moral choice. The same principle applies, as we will see, among theories themselves. The second great tradition is the pursuit of happiness. Applying this theory requires that we assess the consequences of the agent’s actions and deter56 December 1995/Vol. 38, No. 12 COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM mine how much pleasure or pain, good or bad, happiness or unhappiness, benefits or costs they inflict on stakeholders. The guiding principle, which originates with Bentham and Mill, is that an agent should choose an act resulting in the greatest good for the greatest number. The good society is reached according to this theory by doing good for others. However, since what is good for the collective-at-large may not be good for a given individual (or may violate a basic duty or right), advice emanating from this consequentialist tradition may conflict with advice deriving from other theories. A third great tradition is the pursuit of virtue. This theory focuses on improving the character or traits of the agent. The ancient Greeks averred that a moral person should take acts that enable and enhance the agent’s courage, prudence, temperance and justice. Their predecessors focused on accumulating individual power. â€Å"Might is right† formed the basis of their concept of virtue. One of their successors, St. Thomas Acquinas, drew on the Pauline tradition to add the more spiritual virtues of faith, hope and charity to the list. And, in the industrial age, industry, honesty, and trustworthiness were added because they were necessary for commercial relationships. All of these virtueoriented guides have the effect of creating a good society by having each agent be a good person. Finally, there is the tradition of the pursuit of justice. Justice requires that every stakeholder in the system should enjoy, so far as possible, an equal opportunity to develop his or her knowledge, skills and talents, and to reach his or her potentialities. This comes from fair dealing and right action and is usually based on rules that society has made, rules that should be the same for all and applied equally. The rules are based on criteria such as merit, need, work or other agreed-upon standards. The social contract theories to which several of the authors refer have emerged as a part of this tradition. The good society according to theories of justice is achieved by doing fairly, both in the fair allocation of privileges, duties, and goods, and in the meting out of punishments. When facing a moment-of-truth, one is well advised to view the situation through each of these ethical lenses. Each provides insight into the moral complexity of the issue being examined. Frequently, however, the guidance deriving from one of these theories will conflict with that of one or more of the others. This requires a moral judgment, one that shows how one theory or principle trumps another. The reasons behind the choice made should be grounded in at least one moral theory and justified accordingly. The pitting of facts against theories is a necessary —and the most important—aspect of deciding on an ethical issue. There are also four additional considerations to take into account: Who should decide? Who should benefit? How should the decision be made? And, how can the issue be prevented from arising in the future? Who Should Decide? Presumably if you are facing a moment-of-truth you are also engaged in a decision process. Should you go it alone? Often, not. Before an agent acts he or she should take into account the answers to two questions: 1) Which other stakeholders ought to participate in the making of this decision because of their knowledge, their values, or their interests? The voices of future generations should always be considered in this determination as well as the voices of contemporaries. 2) Which other stakeholders must take part in the decision and its implementation because of their institutional jobs, responsibilities or the resources they control? As debates on the basis of a â€Å"just war† have concluded, a decision that does not carry legitimacy or a reasonable probability of success is unlikely to lead to a satisfactorily moral outcome. Who Should Benefit from the Decision? Many stakeholders may be affected by a decision. Some of these outcomes should have been considered during the application of ethical theories to the situation at hand. Nevertheless, before enacting a choice one should assure himself or herself the benefits of the decision flow to morally justifiable parties and that no undue harm is done. How Should the Decision be Made and Carried Out? From a stakeholder’s point-of-view a decision cannot be separated from the way it is made and delivered. Whenever possible, important moral decisions should be made as the result of due process. Beyond any legal requirements, the processes by which decisions are made should be fair and they should follow established procedures when applicable. It is essential the parties who are potentially harmed by decisions, as well as those who are benefited, recognize the legitimacy of the decision-making process. This, however, is not enough. Decisions should be carried out in a humane, moral way. During the trumping process just described, some ethical principles or dictates are relegated to a secondary position. But they do not go away. A decision should be framed and fulfilled in a manner which maximizes the accomplishment of all of the ethical principles identified. All decisions should be carried out with due respect, in the sense that they should preserve the dignity of all stakeholders involved to the extent possible. How Can the Issue be Prevented from Arising in the Future? Every decision becomes a precedent in the future. A decision that resolves an acute and pressing moral issue today may not look so good in light of the passage of time. It may create worse problems than the ones it solves. Or, our moral reflection may reveal flaws in our institutions that can be—perhaps, should be—changed so the ethical issue at hand does not emerge again, at least in the same degree of intensity or severity. Thus, procedures and processes should be put in place, eliminating the root causes of this issue or handling it more effectively in the future. The essential question: In making this ethical decision, what sort of social transcript do we want to write? The last four considerations have a common thread: To be ethical, a decision-maker must think beyond just the facts and theories pertinent to the current issue. One must reach beyond the present and be sure to bring in additional voices, insure that ethical procedures are employed, adopt a humane style of conduct, and look to the future. Moving Ahead The articles in this issue form a rather gritty as well as a cerebral basis for getting on with the task of creating a good society in our information age. The ethics of being online, using tools such as email, and infusing of information technology into our lives in areas ranging from business process reengineering to installing large-scale systems are, arguably, among the most important ethical issues of our time. As good citizens in this information age we must be able to identify the crucial moments-of-truth in which our behavior as information professionals shapes the direction our society will take. By understanding the facts of each case, drawing on ethical traditions for guidance, and doing this with a concern for the broader implications of our actions, we can create the kind of ethical society we want. This is the challenge of our times [2]. C References 1. Anderson, R. E. , Johnson, D. G. , Gotterbarn, D. and Perrolle, J. Using the new ACM code of ethics in decision-making. Commun. ACM 36, 2 (Feb. 1993), pp 98–107 2. Mason, R. O. , Mason, F. M. , and Culnan, M. J. Ethics of Information Management. Sage, Thousand Oaks, Calif. , 1995. 3. Mason, R. O. and Mitroff, I. Challenging Strategic Planning Assumptions. Wiley, New York, 1981. 4. May, W. F. The Physician’s Covenant. Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1983. 5. Ross, W. D. Moral Duties. Macmillan, London, 1969. Richard O. Mason is Carr P. Collins Professor of Management Information Sciences at the Edwin L. Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Tex. Parts of this article are based on material originally developed for Mason, R. , Mason, F. , and Culnan, M. Ethics of Information Management. Sage, Thousand Oaks, Calif. , 1995. Permission to make digital/hard copy of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage, the copyright notice, the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of ACM, Inc. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers, or to redistribute to lists requires prior specific permission and/or a fee.  © ACM 0002-0782/95/1200 $3. 50 COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM December 1995/Vol. 38, No. 12 57.

Warriors Dont Cry Essays

Warriors Dont Cry Essays Warriors Dont Cry Paper Warriors Dont Cry Paper Essay Topic: Push Precious WARRIORS DONT CRY I picked the theme of self-reliance. As I read the story it was unbelievable to me that she did not give up, even though there were many times when she could have. What she thought was a good idea in the beginning, being just a teenager, she had no idea what the impact she would make on herself and the future Africain American people in. May 24, 1955: The Little Rock school board adopted a plan to limit intergraton to Central High School. One day at school the teachers asked student at Melba’s school who wanted to attend Central High School. Melba raised her hand, she felt that if they opened the school to her people she would have access to other opportunities. August 1957: Melba’s father received a phone call saying that melba had been assigned to go to Central High School. Her mother and Grandmother India were not happy. They had no idea that she had signed up for this. As adults they were knew more of what could happen. Even thought her mother and grandmother tried to make her see things, melba knew there was a better life out there. She thought she could make a difference September 4, 1957: Melba was going to Central High School, at least she thought she was. Nobody expected what took place that day. The crowds and the riots were unbelievable. As Melba and he mother tried to get close to the school, they knew the danger would be great. None of the 9 black students attend Central High School that day. Melba wrote that she didn’t know if she should go back, but her grandmother said that if she didn’t go back they will think that they won. This is only the beginning of the things that her Grandmother said to make Melba how strong she was. September 23,1957: Melba’s first day walking into Central High School. I don’t think Melba knew that it would be that bad. Nobody wanted them at this school. The students were hitting, pushing, and calling them names and no one was really protecting them. Every time she was about to give up she would remember something her grandmother would say †god loves you, child; no matter what, he sees you as his precious idea. † Or â€Å"God never loses one of his flock. † September 25, 1957: The 101st airborne were sent in to protect us. She just wanted them to keep her safe. She really believed that if she was given a real chance that everything would be okay. Deep down inside if she didn’t think that, how would she be able to keep on going? What she did know was integration was more bigger word than she thought. November 1957: The 101st airborne was being pulled out of the school. Danny, Melba body was leaving. He watch over her and taught her many things, he was like a hidden treasure. One of the few people in Central high that looked out for her and now he was leaving. As these troopers pulled out day by day the students were getting worse. How would she survive? December 1957: Melba was starting to have little hope. She prayed that things at Central High next year would be much better or she wanted to be somewhere else. January 1958: Melba didn’t realize how little hope she said. She wrote several times in her diary that she wanted to die, than she realize the request to disappear for a couple of months. She went to tell her Grandmother how she felt and to Melba’s surprise her grandmother said â€Å"Good Idea† She said it was because she was afraid to face God’s assignment for her. At that point she realized once again from her Grandmother that would be giving up and her Grandmother made her see that it shouldn’t be an option for Melba. March 1958: Things were just getting worse and worse. There were hardly any troops at school by now. It was so hard to keep on going. Danny the 101st guard said â€Å"when you let yourself lose your focus, you make big mistakes† This keep Melba going. She trusted Danny, this lead her to trust another white boy that help her Link. Link was her next protector. May 1958: As the end of the school year started to approach things just continued getting worse. Link had tried to give her heads up to different things that would happen. She try hard to trust him and I think deep down she did. She liked the friendship that she had with him. May 1958: Melba’s mother was going to lose her contract of teaching. Without a job what would happen to them. If they pulled melba out of Central High she could have her job back. But what example was this setting for Melba’s. Melba’s mother wrote an article and called the newspapers. She did what she had to do let people know. She got her job back. Summer 1958: Melba made it through the school year. She was just happy that she survived. The 9 students travel to accept more awards for what they did. September 1958: Little Rock schools were closed. What was supposed to be my senior year was not. Everyone waited for the courts to reopen Central High. September 1959: The NAACP had sent out announcements asking for families that would volunteer to give safety and to help with finish our education. Melba went to Dr George McCade and family. She was treated like part of their family. They show me the support I need to still fight the fight. In my own life I have many people around me who love me. They teach me to stand up for what I believe in. They have taught me to use what God has given as my strength and to build on that. That it is okay to be afraid but unless you try it is hard to succeed

A New Technology of Cloning Humans essays

A New Technology of Cloning Humans essays Is cloning the new method to treat human beings in the future? Recently, there has been an argument about cloning a human being. When it comes to cloning, people seem to want it both ways: "no" to reproductive cloning on moral grounds and "yes" to therapeutic cloning on scientific grounds. But, which one is the right decision? Human therapeutic cloning helps the ill to recover more efficiently. Therapeutic cloning helps recreate cells and tissues for better health. The Advanced Cell Technology say: 'therapeutic cloning is cloning for the possibility of recreating young cells and tissues potentially of any kind, genetically identical to the person who needs them, to replace worn out cells and tissues? (www.advancedcell.com). This therapy would help patients with Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, heart muscle cells for heart failure, cartilage for arthritis, pancreatic cells for diabetes, as well as many others. Cells are obtained from embryos during women first stage of fertilization. This is one problem that part of society is concern about. They think this act is against moral grounds. Politicians are very concerned with this new therapy method too. They rail against the scientists and try to prohibit a whole tide of research. But such social and political responses ignore the dynamism of medical science its complexity and possibility. At this point, society and politicians have asked many questions to this new issue. Are women allowed to do this? Should there be a restriction on who is able to provide embryos? Is this against religious judgment? But, adult women are capable of their own decisions. If she has chosen to be a donor, it's because she needs a financial support, and at the same time she wants to help people not capable to ideally complete certain present treatments. Before she donates, she is aware of the causes and consequences for which she'd ...

Hart-Devlin Debate Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Hart-Devlin Debate - Term Paper Example They often defined right or wrong in the society, and people often stand to those principles. The law is not enacted when one is not moral or does not act in a certain moral way. The reparations of not being moral are often individual. Morality and laws often contradict in their formation and implementation. Moralities develop after a while, are not easy to alter, and are often a mindset that people have. Laws on the other hand, are easily amended and do not require a lot of time. The well-known debate between hart and Devlin addressed the relationship between law and principles. The debate sought to address several issues in criminal law. The issues at hand are mainly how homosexuality was a part of criminal law (Curzon pg 36). Laws and morality have been debated on for many years. The line between the two is often thin, and some morals turn out to be ethical issues. Laws are often enforced by the administration of a country. Morals on the other hand, are often supported by the admi nistration but by the society at large. In 1957, the Wolfenden commission met to discuss a few issues. The committee aimed at decriminalization homosexual activities of men who acted in private. The debate questioned the relations that existed between morality and the law. The commission members questioned the extent to which criminal law was limited immensely. They did not understand how morality and criminal law intertwined. The commission had an extremely weighty argument that formed the basis of the debate to date (Lee pg 160). Devlin’s view The commission felt that if the actions of an individual did not harm the society then the offence was not significant. They felt the law would be justified to allow liberty of preferences even though the actions were considered immoral by the society. According to the committee, the role of the legal system consisted of defending the members of the society. The court was to protect the rights of the public from unpleasant and harmful acts. The court has no right to enforce any form of moral decision on an individual (Lee pg 161).What an individual does is purely personal, and no one has the right to interfere. There are various categories of harm in the society. It is not a criminal offence to hurt a person’s feeling. Devlin did not agree with this report and published an article to disclaim this. He argued that the law was not only meant for persons but for the public at large. The society has a lot of people, and it needs protection. The needs of an individual are less than society’s. The society morals cannot be compromised because of the rights of one individual in society. He argued that morality should come on its own. Devlin asserted that principles ought to stem from a sober mind what should be done to improve the society at large (Curzon pg 43). The society has the biggest role to play in the governing of the country. One individual’s actions affect the society at large. The action s of such individuals should therefore, be taken into account and in protecting the rights of one individual, lawmakers risk tarnishing the reputation of the society. In Devlin’s view, lawmakers have to consider a person’s liberty. They also have to take into account the fact that the society is constantly changing. The way the public views social customs and the liberty of an individual to act in private is also changing. Not everyone accepted the thought that Devlin had and one person in particular sought to challenge the thought. The man who challenged this thought went by the name Hart. He did not agree with what Devlin had said and responded through a radio broadcasting. He later published an article in the magazine in contradiction to Devlin’

Implications of Flexibility in the Recruitment and Retention of Essay

Implications of Flexibility in the Recruitment and Retention of International Nurses on UKs Health Care Sector - Essay Example The International Council of Nurses Workforce Forum (2002 as cited in Parker & McMillan 2007) reported that majority of developed nations is or will be confronting shortages in the supply of nurses stemming from a shrinking availability of nurses alongside heightened needs for healthcare services. As the involvement of the UK in the international community expands, it is fundamental to explore likely implications for the growth of IHRM. With intensified advertising intended to persuade nurse to seek for employment opportunities abroad, as stated by Dowling (2007), the population of nurses vacating their current position to fill a vacancy in a richer nation, or those refusing to return to their native soil after obtaining their diplomas in Western colleges or universities is enlarging. Therefore, there is an immediate need to identify the effects of such trends on healthcare provision and to explore techniques in which recruiting organisations and firms can cope successfully. In the context of the current shortage of nurses, recruitment of health care workers by richer nations, like the UK, may witness critically scarce supply of highly trained and experienced nurses in nations where they are in demand. Certainly this is by now the situation in developing countries where vast population of nurses was employed by health care organisations in the UK. Flexibility in the Recruitment and Retention of Migrant Nurses in the UK Nurses wanting to work abroad should be informed of a broad range of recruitment and qualification barriers. Some of these major challenges are expensive and demanding immigration processes, adjusting to diverse clinical traditions, the requirement to become proficient in a new language, the expense of migration, and the requalification procedure (n .a. 2010). Although the procedure could be restructured in a number of instances in behalf of immigration, official endorsement is an indispensable patient and specialised security process that should be rigidly sustained (Connell 2007). National regulatory agencies, according to Choy (2010), are assigned to guarantee the quality and aptitude of migrant nurses. Communication is one of the obstacles to migration, but regarded a foundation of health care organisations. Patients communicate their problems, express their physical or emotional issues, and provide descriptions of their health concerns to healthcare providers (Hearnden 2007). Nurses should be capable of communicating with other stakeholders, including families of patients and health care personnel. They require the technical and existing language proficiency to converse under pressure and constraint. Language has been a significant consideration in the choice of destination country (Hearnden 2007). Nevertheless, according to Kingma (2008), while the supply of nurses in major source nations decreases new source countries are sought for and migration obstacles are not impervious anymore. In the UK, even though nurses offer important health care provisions and nursing is an attractive profession, there exists a critical problem. Budget cuts have led to unsafe and intolerable working conditions. Inflexible recruitment practices