Iran and Us Relations

International Relations Between Iran and the United States | |Group Paper | | | |Jorge Goytizolo, Donna Linares, Reuben Mateus | |INB3550 – International Business | |Dr. Veronica Diaz, Professor | |10/10/2010 | | | We intend to present how both countries; Iran and the United States, are affected economically by the disagreeable relationship they have forged, which has further worsened due to the United Nations Security Council having added additional sanctions to Iran. Content will include: History of the US and Iran domestic and business relations. o Iran’s OPEC affiliation and history along with current Iranian decisions which are affecting its approach to business relations with the United Nations and the rest of the world. o United States affiliation with the United Nations and how our latest decision towards Iran is affecting the UN and its approach to the business policies with Iran. o US and Iran International Business approach to the world. o Direct US and Iran Relations. History of the US and Iran domestic and business relations. The History of United States-Iran relations date back to the 1800’s, but has become more volatile in just over the last half century.One cannot discuss United States-Iranian history without observing the 1953 Coup, which has been cited as the â€Å"turning point† in United States-Iran relations. The 1953 Coup was a covert operation headed by America's Central Intelligence Agency and has been documented as the Agency's first successful overthrow of a foreign government. The Aim of the 1953 Coup, code named Operation AJAX, was to bring to power an Iranian government â€Å"which would reach an equitable oil settlement, enabling Iran to become economically sound and financially solvent, and which would vigorously prosecute the dangerously strong Communist Party† (Iran Chamber Society, n. d. ) â€Å"Early in the 1960's, the Shah of Iran, announced social and economic reforms but refused to grant broad political freedom.Iranian Nationalist condemned his United States supported regime and his westernizing of Iran. During rioting in 1963, the Shah cracked down, suppressing his opposition. Among those arrested and exiled was a popular religious nationalist and bitter foe of the United States, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini† (Jimmy Carter Library ; Museum, 2006). During his United States backed reign, the Shah spent billions of oil dollars on military weapons, but soon began to lose popular support. â€Å"Unable to sustain economic progress and unwilling to expand democratic freedoms, the Shah's regime collapsed in revolution† (Jimmy Carter Library & Museum, 2006), causing him to flee January 16, 1979.With the departure of the Shah, the exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran in February of 1979 bringing rabid anti-Americanism with him. Amidst rumor and fear of another United States led Coup and a return to power of the exiled Shah Reza Pahlavi, a group from the Iranian Student Union took matters into their own hands by seizing the American Embassy. Inside the American Embassy the students held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. The United States responded by freezing billions of Iranian assets, including bank deposits, gold, and other property. This event became known as the 1979 Hostage Crisis. The 1979 Hostage Crisis had drawn domestic criticisms against President Jimmy Carter.Criticisms of President Carter further grew with failed rescue attempts of the American hostages, some of which resulted in the deaths of American Soldiers whose bodies were paraded in front of television cameras by angry Iranians. This political nightmare prevented President Carter's bid for re-election and promptly came to a close the day President Ronald Regan was inaugurated January 20, 1981. The Iran-Iraq War, which lasted from 1980-1988, played a significant role in United States-Iran relations. The United Nations Security Council issued resolutions calling for all its member states to avoid from contributing to the Iran-Iraq conflict, and is why the United States initially decided to take a neutral position.Although it had supplied both countries with weapons, the United States decided that an Iranian win would prove to be detrimental to their interests in the region and began to place their support behind an Iraqi Regime led by President Saddam Hussein. This support came in the form of loans, some of which benefited United States industries and all while the country of Iran was being hammered with many American enforced sanctions. In the 1990's the United States placed more sanctions on Iran. In 1995, President Bill Clinton banned United States investments with Iran, prohibiting all commercial and financial transactions with Iran. This measure was unfortunate, as trade relations between the two nations had begun to increase after the end of the Iran-Iraq War.In 1996, the United States passed into law one of its most stringen t measures to affect Iran, the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act. Designed to prevent Iran's ability to get its hands on weapons of mass destruction and fund terrorist groups, the Iran-Libya Sanction Act imposed penalties on all foreign companies that provided investments over $20 million dollars for the development of Energy Sector (petroleum) in Iran. Any progress made in United States-Iran relations late in President Clinton's second term was soon forgotten, as the new American President George W. Bush came into office. The events on September 11, 2001 have scarred relations between America and Iran to a point that appears irreparable.Although Iran was not involved in the 9/11 attacks, the United States feels Iran harbors and supports the terrorist who threaten America and it's interests. The United States and Iran are not at war, but both countries have peppered each other over the last decade with rhetorical missiles. Some of the accusations include the fear of Iran's nuclear weapons am bitions and its alleged membership to the â€Å"Axis of Evil†, while Iran feels the encroachment of United States military bases in the region provide reason for furthering armaments and political jousting. Despite each country's contempt for each other the two countries continue to do business together. â€Å"U. S. Exports to Iran grew more than tenfold during President Bush's years in office even as sponsoring terrorist† (Associated Press, 2008).The Bush Administration used sanction exemptions to ship a variety of goods to Iran ranging from perfume and fur clothing to cigarettes and bull semen. Both the United States and Iran joined the United Nations on October 24, 1945, however the United States represents 1 of 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Iran is currently not even a non-permanent member. Although Iran is not a member of the Security Council, it has two powerful allies in China and Russia who are permanent members. The latest deci sions towards Iran have obviously been affecting the regulations now imposed by the United Nations Security Council. Sanctions issued by the Security Council are primarily intended to disrupt progress in Iran's ability to obtain nuclear weapons and build it's military.United States Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice announced at the Security Council meeting that the resolution will target 40 entities and one individual, Javad Rihiqi, head of a nuclear center where the Iranian government possesses uranium. It was reported that China, one of Iran's largest trading partners, had pushed back on more stringent language, saying that broader restrictions – especially those targeting Iran's Central Bank –would â€Å"harm Iran's day-to-day economy† (Wagner, 2010). Russia has been reluctant to support United States backed sanctions, as Iran and Russia trade in the range of billions of dollars annually. From 2002 to 2008 Russia and China exported a combined 80 per cent (by dollar value) of Iran's arms.These sanctions are now being recognized not only within the United Nations Security Council, but also by financial powers, such as the European Union. Under the strain of sanctions and the Iran-Libya Sanction Act, some members of the European Union have been critical of the United States causing it to compromise on the first project cited as a violation of the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act by waiving sanctions on the 2 billion dollar project. â€Å"The Clinton Administration announced the waiver on May 18, 1998, citing national interest, after the European Union pledged to increased cooperation with the United States on non-proliferation and counter-terrorism† (Katzman, 2003).The Bush Administration decided followed suit with collaborative efforts with the European Union and its members to limit Iran's nuclear ambitions and terrorism sponsorship, preserving the path for future sanction waivers. Iran’s OPEC affiliation and history |Iran ’s OPEC Affiliation began early in the 1960’s,when a meeting request was made to the oil companies operating in Venezuela and in the | |middle east by the Venezuelan minister of mines and the Saudi Oil minister, to consult with the â€Å"hosting† countries before any price | |changes were made. Attending this meeting were the representatives of Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. In that atmosphere,| |the foundation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was formed. Hamilton, 1983) Currently, the Organization has a total of| |12 Member Countries. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created | |at the Baghdad Conference on September 10–14, 1960, presently with its meeting headquarters located now in Vienna, Austria (OPEC, 2007). | |OPEC's objectives still today is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure fair and stable | |prices for petroleum producers; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on capital | |to those investing in the industry (OPEC, 2007).Iran’s business relation in regards to its affiliation with the United Nations has been | |weakened in most part because of the correlation with the United States. Currently we have seen that the US has tried to prove time and | |time again that the monies directly benefiting Iran through their returns from the oil, and gas sector are being funneled into making the | |country a nuclear power (Alverez, 2009). Iran, OPEC’s second largest exporter with an output of 4. 2 million barrels per day, traditionally | |pushes for higher prices. It is also one of the most dependent on oil exports, with some 80 percent of its foreign revenue coming from oil | |sales (OPEC, 2007).In addition to this, Masoud Mir-Kazemi as Iran’s new oil minister stated in August that Iran plans to offer 5 billion | |Euros in bonds by 2015 to help Iran finance government projects (Nagaraj, 2010). This is indubitably leading the UN to assume the | |â€Å"projects† are those of a nuclear matter and are beginning to take steps in the agreement of sanctions until it can prove otherwise. | |Business relations with the United Nations | |The U. N. Security Council approved a resolution calling for a new round of sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran on its nuclear program. The | |measure passed with 12 countries voting for it, Brazil and Turkey voting against and Lebanon abstaining (Wagner,2010).Mir-Kazemi said his | |country already sold some 250 million Euros ($342 million) bonds in foreign markets. He also said the countries which pursue the sanctions | |have managed only to deprive themselves of the chance to tap into some of the world’s largest proven reserves of conventional crude oil. | |â€Å"If they want to have a secure long-term energy supply, they have to inve st in Iran’s oil industry,† he said (Nagaraj,2010). Iran well | |aware of its abundant natural resource knows it has negotiating power. They continually stand by the fact that they state the nuclear | |significance is only linked to bettering its country’s infrastructure with plants to provide power and energy .In 2009, the 25-3 vote by | |the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, was then seen as a sign of deepening exasperation over the impasse when | |they stated that Iran had the right to generate nuclear power for peaceful purposes, which is what is says it wants to do (Alverez, 2009). | |It has been asked by the IAEA to discuss evidence of warhead-related research activities but has refused. Having been caught cheating in | |the past, its repeated denials have little credibility (Alverez, 2009). This is where the UN has its most concerns focused on. | |The UN wants more transparency to this project and with Iran denial to the inspec tions; they then feel pressed to pursue the newer | |sanctions.The resolution puts in place travel bans and financial restrictions on individuals and entities involved in Iranian nuclear | |and/or ballistic missile activities, including those owned, controlled or acting on behalf of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps. It | |also includes an arms embargo and pushes for inspection of ships suspected of carrying cargo that may be involved in Iran's nuclear program| |(Wagner, 2010). | |With a history stemming back almost more than a quarter of a century the latest round of imposed sanctions on Iran by the US have been the | |toughest we have seen yet. These sanctions are now being recognized not only within the Security Council of the UN but also by financial | |powers such as the EU.These entities continue their efforts trying to persuade all countries financial institutes not to deal with Iran. | |US and Iran International Business approach to the world | |United States and Iran h ave two totally different approaches. United States promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation. United | |States also promotes sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and prudent regulation. | |All these activities and efforts are monitored and guided by the USCIB (United States Council for International Business).As the whole | |world is trying to move from recession, United States promotes open markets along with competitiveness and innovation; we can see it in all| |the international summits, meetings in which United States participates. An example of this was when United States (USCIB) took the leading| |role n the G8 business summit in Italy. United States also was one of the participants of the G20 business summit in London in which the | |world’s largest economies agreed to a $1. 1 trillion package of measure to restore growth, jobs and rebuild confidence and trust in the | |financial system. All these coun tries including United States came together to fight the economy recession. United States has the same | |ideas and goals towards international businesses and wants to make it work around the world. |On the other hand we have Iran that overshadowed all the efforts for world progress and development by not being in compliance with its | |international obligations and announcing the development of its nuclear program. | |Iran’s approach to international business is little. Iran is part of the OPEC, which we had previously discussed. The main reason why | |Iran’s does business with other countries is to aid its goals in becoming a powerful nuclear country. The reason why Iran’s is so hungry | |for nuclear power is because it feels the need to protect itself against the development of capitalism, especially in other countries such | |as like the ones geographically close (Israel). Iran’s government is linked to the country religious beliefs.New movements with in the | |country itself are trying to change this approach towards the world by gearing and convincing its citizens that capitalism will help the | |country get out of their financial crisis. Unfortunately, Iran, like many other countries, is being divided by two social classes; the | |educated and professional middle class and the laborers or poor class. The laborers or poor class are the majority on this country; they | |support the actual government (President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) and his decisions. Once Iran and its citizens make the decision that opening | |up and cooperating with the world they may realize that it would improve their country’s establishment. |Direct US and Iran Business Relations | |Based on the research made by a renown New York times reporter and veteran correspondent, Stephen Kinzer; he recommend the alliance of | |Iran, United States and Turkey would the best way to increase the business and politics relations between these 3 countries. He stated t hat| |it would be a radical new course for the United States in the Middle Eastern region. The United States need to partner with Iran and Turkey| |to create a â€Å"powerful triangle† whose activities would promote a culture democracy and combat extremism. This is a debatable argument. At | |this time we have Iran, rule by radical ideologies and have set its mind on a burgeoning nuclear program.As we all know this one of United| |State government’s biggest headaches. Stephen Kinzer also reiterated that we have to remember that although Turkey is a long time United | |States ally, their relations has been deteriorated in the past years. An example of this deterioration it can be seen on an incident placed| |on last June where the relationship between these two countries was tested, Turkey’s representative on the UN Security Council voted | |against United States regarding backed sanctions on Iran. At this moment most of the United States government is asking the mselves â€Å"Who | |lost Turkey? † rather than envisioning more extensive cooperation with this country. | |Even hough United States and Iranian relations are a long term project and the idea has ample grounding in the modern history and politics| |of the region; unlike other Muslim countries Iran has a century worth of experience struggling for political freedom, during which they | |â€Å"developed an understanding of democracy and they are longing for it†. | |Unites States and Iran do share some fundamental values. Both countries have educated middle class, as we all know the middles classes are | |the basis for a strong civil society and also the two countries share strategic goals. Some of these common goals are the desire to see | |Iraq and Afghanistan stabilized and to suppress radical movements such as the Sunnis and Al Qaeda. |Though this alliance or relations would not be achieve at this moment or in today’s worlds until Iran changes dramatically and turn into | |democracy before any relations could be formed. | |One way this relation could happen still unclear but in the meantime Stephen Kinzer proposes a twofold strategy: engage with the current | |regime as effectively as possible and wait for the day democratically minded masses make their way to power. Though there are some | |processes of engagement in the Obama administration’s stated policy; Kinzer urges Washington to be bolder and to launch a â€Å"direct, | |bilateral, comprehensive, and unconditional negotiations with Tehran.This process of engagement was practiced by President Nixon and his | |diplomatic breakthrough with communist China when at the time of the US-Vietnam war Beijing was selling weapons to North Vietnam to kill | |Americans. Nixon recognized that â€Å"diplomacy works the opposite way. Agreement comes first; changes in behavior follow†. In order to | |â€Å"activate† the direct US relations with Iran, US diplomacy needs to give Iranians what they are looking for â€Å"respect, dignity and | |restoration of lost of pride† We have to remember us-USA is dealing with a nation ten times older than ourselves and the key to turn to | |better relationships with Iran is not to make Iran’s regime feel more threatened; it is to make it feel more secure. | | | | | | | | References Akyol, M. (2010, September). An unlikely trio. Foreign Affairs, 89(5), 124-129. (Akyol, 2010) Alverez, J. (2009). In the era of a new presidency, a new us. policy towards the united nations? : us policies towards and in the un security council. ISIA Journal of International ; Comparative Law, 15(319), 228-231. Associated Press. (2008, July 8). Despite Conflict, U. S. Does Business with Iran.Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/25588135 Hamilton, J. (1983). Oil and macro economy since World War II. Journal of Political Economy, 91(2). Harvey, C. , Sabatini, R. (2010, April 15). Russia's Lukewarm Suppo rt for International Sanctions Against Iran: History and Motivations. Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http://www. nti. org/e_research/e3_russia_lukewarm_sanctions_against_iran. html Iran Chamber Society. (n. d. ). A Short Account of 1953 Coup. Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http://www. iranchamber. com/history/coup53/coup54p1. php Jimmy Carter Library & Museum. (2006, February 9). The Hostage Crisis in Iran.Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http://www. jimmycarterlibrary. gov/documents/hostages. phtml Katzman, K. (Updated 2003, July 31). The Iran-Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA). Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http://fpc. state. gov/documents/organization/23591. pdf Kinzer, S. (2010). Iran, Turkey and America’s future. Time Books, 274 London Summit. (2009). Summit Outcomes. Retrieved from: http://www. londonsummit. gov. uk/en/summit-aims/timeline-events/summit-outcomes McMahon, Robert. (Updated 2006, April 4). Iran, the United Nations, and Sanctions. Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http://www. cfr. org/publication/10222/iran_the_united_nations_and_sanctions. html Nagaraj, A. (2010).Iran has some of the world's richest oil reserves but has not been able to fully utilize it due to production and refining constraints. International Business , Retrieved from http://www. ibtimes. com/articles/64168/20100921/us-un-sanctions-turkey-iran-middle-east. htm Nasr, V. (2009). The rise of Islamic capitalism: Why the new Muslim middle class is the key to defeating extremism. New York, NY: Free Press. The National Security Archive. (2003, February 25). Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein: The US Tilts toward Iraq, 1980-1984. Retrieved September 23, 2010 from http:www. gwu. edu/~nsarchive/NSAEBB/NSABB82/ (References continued) OPEC. (2007, April 29). Member countries.Retrieved from http://www. opec. org/opec_web/en/ on September 18, 2010 Wagner, A. (White House Correspondent). (2010). United nations security council backs new sanctions on iran. [Web]. Retrieved from h ttp://www. politicsdaily. com/2010/06/08/iran-united-nations-sanctions-and-the-new-world-order/ Nova Southeastern University Farquhar Center for Undergraduate Studies Business ; Administrative Studies Division Assignment for Course: INB 3550 International Business Submitted to: Dr. Veronica Diaz Submitted by: Donna M Linares, on Behalf of Group : Jorge Goytizolo, Donna Linares, Reuben Mateus 9118 Palos Verde Dr Orlando FL 32825 07-625-1854 NSU N00717427 Date Submission Due: October 9th 2010 Title of Assignment: Group Paper Project CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed in the paper. I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas, or words, either quoted directly or paraphrased. I have added quotes whenever I used more than three consecutive words from another writer. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course. S tudent's Signature: ___DM Linares__________________ Instructor's Grade on Assignment: Instructor's Comments:

Free Appropriate Public Education Essay

One of the six aspects of IDEA is Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). FAPE is technically defined as a â€Å"Special education and related services that are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge; meet SEA; include preschool, elementary, or secondary school education; and are provides through an individualized education program (IEP)†. (Mandlawitz, 2007)An individualized educational plan (IEP) that is designed to meet the child’s unique needs and from which the child receives educational benefits and prepares them for farther education, employment, and independent living. These unique education needs includes â€Å"Mastery of academic subjects and basic skills, Social, health, emotional, physical, and vocational needs, and functioning and self-help sills†. (Jalvarado) FAPE consist of an education that meets the individual needs of the child, the child with the disability must be educated with students without disabilities, an evaluation and placement decisions must be made appropriately. IDEA does not explain the exact meaning of the term â€Å"appropriate†. Parents and schools interpret this term uniquely which has resulted in countless court cases. This aspect of IDEA has be one of the most challenged out of all six because there are so many places of misunderstanding and loop holes that allow for some school districts to slip through. Even though this principle does mention the child should be in the least restrictive environment. This environment could vary from complete involvement in a classroom with children without disabilities, a separate classroom that has one on one help for the child and/or a combination of both. This environment is not truly known until an IEP is developed. The IEP would state the special education, related services, supplementary aids and services that will be provided for the child. This allows a child regardless of the severity of their disability to receive an education. It is important for families that have children with disabilities to know about FAPE because they may not know that there child is entitled to receive an education. FAPE is beneficial for families and their children to know their rights to receive an education. In, addition this could save families a lot of money that they may spend on special services or private schools that they could be receiving for free from the school district. For example a deaf child that may need a speech and auditory therapist and an interpreter these types of services could all be provided by the school district with no cost to the families in addition to the child’s normal academics. Also the children would become more social with peers and interacting with others that could not be learned in a confined area like home schooling and schools that isolate the child. The child would develop social skills that are desperately needed day to day to survive. FAPE is beneficial for parents because it could relieve stress that maybe caused by their misunderstanding of why their child is different and how to help them grow. The parent may also learn things about their child that they did not know like their child is very motivated to learn, enjoys working in groups, and is very inquisitive. These characteristics about this child would not have been known if their child was not put into public schooling. Educators also play a part in the child and them receiving extra help provided under IDEA because they create the IEP and keep everyone up to date about the child’s improvements and problem areas. This aspect of IDEA impacts me as a future educator because it will force me to broaden my horizons and views of the â€Å"normal† classroom experience. Meaning, that there are not any students with LDs or disabilities in the class. Knowing that FAPE is a defining factor in the educational experience for children with disabilities will allow me to understand their exceptionalities and how effectively help them gain an education. In addition I will learn how to properly mainstream them into the classroom with other students. For example, I would figure out ways to decrease to possibility of labels and teasing by the other students because it was noticeable that the students were in special ed. classes. To prevent teasing caused by misunderstanding I would develop projects that would create learning experiences for students to learn that everyone is different in their own way. Also to explore these differences and focus more on their abilities and talents as an individual for students with and without exceptionalities. The students being combined could create new relationships between the disabled and normal students. Before this aspect of IDEA was created children with disabilities were segregated from the â€Å"normal† student. Knowing that there is large possibility that my classroom will consist of students each uniquely different it is important for me to well informed and educated. So that I will be able to effectively educate my students.

Do Video Games Make Violence to Children Essay

Italy has many beautiful and historic cities worth a visit. Travel to cities is best done by train as driving in Italian cities may be very difficult and the extensive Italian train system is inexpensive. Most city centers are well-suited to walking and parts of the city centers may be closed to transportation. Large Italian cities generally have good public transportation, too. Check the distances between cities with our Distance Calculator. 1. Rome – Roma Piazza del Popolo picture by James Martin Rome is the capital of modern Italy. Rome is full of history everywhere you look. It has many ancient monuments, interesting medieval churches, beautiful fountains, museums, and Renaissance palaces. Modern Rome is a bustling and lively city and has some excellent restaurants and nightlife. The Vatican and St. Peter’s are also found in Rome. 2. Venice – Venezia Basilica San Marco  © by Martha Bakerjian, licensed to About.com Venice is a unique city built on water in the middle of a lagoon. Venice is one of Italy’s most beautiful and romantic cities as well as one of the most popular for visitors to Italy. The heart of Venice is Piazza San Marco with its magnificent church. There are many museums, palaces, and churches to visit and wandering along Venice’s canals is interesting. Venice is in the northeast of Italy and historically was a bridge between East and West. 3. Florence – Firenze Ponte Vecchio  © by Martha Bakerjian, licensed to About.com Florence is one of the most important Renaissance architectural and art centers. Its Duomo and Baptistery are magnificent but crowded with tourists as is their large piazza. Florence has several interesting museums with many famous paintings and sculptures. There are also Medici palaces and gardens. Florence is in Tuscany. 4. Milan – Milano Picture of Milan Duomo  ©2006 by James Martin Milan, one of Europe’s richest cities, is known for stylish shops, galleries, and restaurants and has a faster pace of life than most Italian cities. It also has a rich artistic and cultural heritage. Its Duomo, with its beautiful marble facade, is magnificent. La Scala is one of the world’s most famous opera houses. 5. Naples – Napoli Castel dell’Ovo  © James Martin Naples is one of Italy’s most vibrant cities. It lies on the coast south of Rome and is the most important city in southern Italy. Naples has recently undergone some renovation but still retains much of its old character. It holds many historical and artistic treasures. 6. Verona Roman Arena  © Martha Bakerjian, licensed to About.com Verona is known for the story of Romeo and Juliet and for its Roman Arena, the third largest in Italy and the venue for a top opera festival. Verona has a good medieval center, Roman remains, and an interesting castle complex. It’s the fourth most visited city in Italy and well worth a stop on a northern Italy travel itinerary. 7. Turin – Torino Turin Picture  ©2006 by James Martin Turin, host of the 2006 Winter Olympics, is a major cultural hub with excellent museums, elegant shops, and good restaurants. There are also some very nice examples of baroque architecture and historic palaces. Turin has many historic cafes, artisan workshops, and arcades. Turin is in the northwest of Italy, between the Po River and the foothills of the Alps. 8. Bologna Bologna Picture  © James Martin Bologna is known for its beauty, wealth, cuisine, and left-wing politics. Its streets are lined with beautiful arcades, making it a good place to walk even in the rain. It has one of Europe’s oldest universities and a nice medieval center. There are several attractive squares, lined with buildings with nice porticoes. Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. 9. Perugia View of Perugia  © by James Martin Perugia is a very cosmopolitan city and home to two universities. It hosts a world-famous jazz festival in the summer and its University for Foreigners is a great place to learn Italian. It’s a walled city on a hilltop with great views over the valley and has several important monuments and a good central square. Its history goes back to the ninth century BC. Perugia is in the center of Italy and is the capital of the region of Umbria. 10. Genoa – Genova Genoa Duomo  © James Martin Genoa, on the northwest coast of Italy, is Italy’s principal seaport. Genoa was a 2004 European Culture Capital; money flowed into the port city made famous by Columbus and now it’s a better place than ever to visit. Genoa has a fascinating aquarium, an interesting port area, and a historic center said to be the largest medieval quarter in Europe, with a wealth of churches, palaces, and museums.

Canadian Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Canadian Identity - Essay Example The immigration of people from all over the world and their adoption of an essentially Canadian way of life have led to a situation where the people of this country have been united. This union has come about mainly because the increasing number of immigrants has been able to counter the some of the negative effects brought about by the British- and French-speaking populations. Immigrant communities have been able to bring about diversity in the political, social and economic life of Canada. These individuals have, in addition, been able to adapt to life in Canada so effectively that they have become a basic part of life in the country. They have further been able to promote a strong Canadian identity, especially in the second and third generations after the original immigrants, that they have not only transcended the political and social conflicts previously experienced, but have also been instrumental in the creation of a strong Canadian identity that has allowed the nation to cont inue thriving. In conclusion, the discussion above has attempted to show that Canadian identity has come about as a result of its multicultural nature, the identification of a common destiny by its people, and immigration which has become a basic part of the country’s policies. Among the most significant aspects of these has been its multiculturalism which has allowed for the creation of a diverse nation. Through the development of a strong national identity, these cultures have been brought together in such a way that they have fostered unity.

Introduction Of Restorative Justice In The Superior Courts Essay

Introduction Of Restorative Justice In The Superior Courts - Essay Example The current paradigm of the justice system is under immense pressure to showcase its effectiveness as it has been plagued by dilemmas and controversies that could derail public trust, a critical prerequisite for justice systems. A new philosophy/approach to justice issues is being muted as a solution based on a perspective that views crime as a symptom hence seeks to address the underlying causes in a more participative and inclusive direction in regards to all relevant stakeholders. This philosophy termed restorative Justice (RJ) recognizes that crime is injurious to individuals and communities and seeks to involve these two parties in the repair of this injury. The increasing importance of RJ is the justification for this study to inform the Attorney General on the philosophy and practicability in the judicial system. The concept and processes involved will be discussed, followed by establishing the admissibility of various cases to it and finally the legal basis as to why it shoul d be introduced. The Concept of Restorative Justice Restorative Justice has been described as a concept that offers both a philosophy for conflict resolution and a model for criminal justice and can be termed to be a model for resolution of conflict and repairing of harm. The basic tenets of RJ are based on criminology and victimology wherein respective fashion those responsible for harm are encouraged to acknowledge the impact of their actions and are given an opportunity to make amends for their actions while the victims are given the opportunity to have their harm or loss acknowledged beside amends being made. In essence, RJ has the ultimate goal of restoring the well-being of all the parties involved i.e. the victims, offenders and the community with an aim to reduce the impacts of crime and prevent similar occurrences in future (Strang, 2001). Barton (2003) is of the view that RJ is more of an empowerment model of justice where circumscribed/bounded empowerment is availed throu gh restorative processes that are consistent with shared societal norms and standards and the law itself. For a restorative justice definition to be operational it should consist of three elements. To begin with, crime is a conflict between individuals that result to injuries to the victims, offenders, and the community at large hence it is a primary violation to these parties and only a secondary violation to the state. The second idea that informs criminal justice is that the essential aim of the justice system in any nation should be to repair the damage caused by crime and bring peace to the community through reconciling all parties involved. The previous two elements are philosophical in nature while the third one is based on how RJ should be undertaken. It should involve the participation of the victims, offenders and the community actively and not victimise any individual but to find solutions to the initial conflict that brought the crime.

Retail marketing strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Retail marketing strategy - Essay Example The entrepreneurs behind these ventures risk their capital, invest their time and make a living by offering consumers something they need or want. Most retailing involves buying merchandise or a service from a manufacturer, wholesaler, agent, importer or other retailer and selling it to consumers for their personal use. The price charged for the goods or services covers the retailer's expenses and includes a profit. Each year, this vital sector of the UK economy accounts for about 08 percent of our gross national product--more than $1 billion.. Most are store retailers, though there are other types of enterprises--such as e-commerce, mail order, automatic-merchandising (vending) machines, direct retailing (door-to-door and home party sales), and service providers. There are a considerable number of commentaries on the changing food retailing sector in UK. The sector is seen as being at the fore front of change and the leading food retailers are amongst the largest companies. Growing concentration in the economy has been associated with the increasing power of multiple retailers and a decline in the strength of the co-operatives and independents. The rise of the multiple retailers particularly through economies of scale and replication has produced a situation where only a handful of companies dominate food retailing. Currently the leading food retailers are Sainsbury and Tesco with Safeway in third place.

On what basis should the presence of mental disorder influence Essay

On what basis should the presence of mental disorder influence decisions in the criminal justice system - Essay Example It should be noted that the latter law was abolished during the nineteen sixties; however some individuals may still be liable to such conditions. (UK government, 2008) In the guilty bust insane verdict provided for in the 1883 Lunatics Act, the law states that when a certain individual was accused of a crime and that sufficient evidence is given in order to support those accusations as to make that respective individual guilty, then that person may be found guilty but insane of it was also proven that that respective individual was insane. The special verdict can be passed even when the person under consideration seems to be in good mental health at the time of the trial but it was affirmed that during the process of committing the criminal Act, this was not the case. (The BBC, 1999) Back in the year 1907, The House of Lords held that there should be no appeal against such cases that an accused had in fact committed the act owing to the fact that the suspect does not posses a guilty mind to carry out that Act. The latter decision was validated during Felstead [1914] AC 534. It should be noted that this law was applicable throughout much of this century until the nineteen sixties. At that time, Northern Ireland passed a law of not guilty on the basis of insanity. This was known as the Mental Health Act. Additionally at that time, the Insanity Act of 1964 was passed in England and Wales where a guilty but inane verdict was changed to one known as the guilty by reason of insanity. In the Criminal Appeal Act of England and Wales (1968) it was put forward that there sections 12 and 14 allowed for appeals. On the other hand, there were of appeals against the guilty but insane verdict within Northern Ireland. (Giddens, 1998) In the Criminal Cases Review Commission, there was a need to look into some of the issues to be

Ransomware Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ransomware - Research Paper Example The way the ransomware attacks a computer system is similar to the way a computer worm operates. This means that a ransomware uses the route of downloaded data and it may even enter a computer system through a network that is vulnerable against such attacks and is not properly secured. Ransomware developers use payload to password protect personal files of a user, encrypt data that is textual in nature or minimize the users communication with his/her personal computer by displaying notices that the system has been used for illegal purposes, it even overrides files in the windows registry area such as the file of explorer.exe or restrict the user from being able to use the system until the user has not repaired the entire system. The system of coercing the computer user through display of messages is regarded as scareware. The first ever created ransomware was created by Joseph Popp who named his ransomware as PC Cyborg Trojan (Emm, 2008, p.15). In this ransomware the developer had developed a payload that used to state that the license of a particular software has been expired and the ransomware even used to password protect the softwares on the hardrive and use to coerce the user into paying an amount of $189 to the developer if the user wanted to reuse the software or unlock the encrypted system. Josephy was caught by the criminal justice system and he was recognized as mentally unfit, Josephy gave his earned money to help in funding AIDS related research. During the season of 2010, ten people were arrested by the local authorities of Russia for developing a ransomware named as WinLock (Celtnet, 2012). This ransomware was indulged in the act of displaying images that were pornographic in nature and used to coerce the users into sending a premium rate text message which was priced at $10 in order if the users wanted to unlock their computer systems through a code. The developers of this ransomware earned more than $16 million; this ransomware did not use the technique of encrypting files and computer systems. During the year of 2012 a huge ransomware named as Reveton which was even recognized with the nick name of Police Trojan started spreading in US. This ransomware displayed a message on the user’s pc stating that the law enforcement organizations have detected illegal activities conducted on the computer system. For example: viewing and downloading of softwares that are pirated in nature and downloading of pornographic material. The playload used by this ransomware required users to reimburse the authorities by utilizing a voucher from an unknown cash service that was prepaid in nature. To increase the fear of the law enforcement agency, the developers used to display the IP address used by the user and the ransomware even showed the users that the intelligence agenc ies are recording their activities. During the month of August 2012, the developers of Reveton attacked US computer system and the message displayed by the playload stated that the user has to compensate for their illegal activities by paying a total of $200 to the FBI through MoneyPack card (PERLROTH, 2012). Defense Several methods have been identified by security software developers and other software develope

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cross-sections and Longitudinal Re Assignment

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cross-sections and Longitudinal Research for Measuring Life Course Changes - Assignment Example As seen in the work of Quadagno (2014), cross-sectional research is advantageous as is allows making comparisons between diverse aged persons of different age cohorts. This is to mean that the researchers can ask similar questions to different persons then make comparisons from the responses given through analysis and evaluation. Secondly, cross-sectional studies are advantageous as they have the capacity to survey the age differences in the attitudes and the conduct of the aged (Quadagno, 2014; Settersten & Angel, 2011). This explains the extent to which the cross-sectional studies are valid in an assessment of the aged. However, the cross-sectional studies as indicated by Quadagno (2014) and Settersten & Angel (2011) have the disadvantage that they do not have the capacity the changes that occur as the person's age. The studies, therefore, is a key concept in gerontology. As seen in the research conducted by Grenier (2012), longitudinal research is the most appropriate way of studying the age. First, Quadagno (2014) indicates that through the longitudinal research, it is possible that the researcher traces the development of them as they progress over time. The second advantage of the longitudinal research revolves around the fact that this kind of research, is better placed for differentiating between the age, period as well as the cohort effects. However, the major disadvantage of longitudinal research as Quadagno (2014) writes relates to cost issues. Since the longitudinal research involves tracing the development of individual overage, the researcher may incur lots of costs in an attempt to follow-up progressive growth of individuals. In this perspective as well, it is important to note some of the persons may even die prior to completion of the research. Conclusively, the past events of  the life of an aged person play a role in gerontological research. Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies contribute a great deal to the study of the aging population.  

Homeland Security Essay Example for Free

Homeland Security Essay Over the last few decades, a large number of terrorist organizations have sprung up around the world and the United States Homeland Security Policy has rapidly evolved to counter the threats that these terrorist organizations come as. The modes and methods of operation that these organizations use have become increasingly sophisticated and one cannot help but agree that amongst the most prominent of these terrorist organizations is the infamous Al Qaeda (Madsen, 2005). This paper seeks to examine the origin, ideology, infrastructure and history of Al Qaeda and provide an analysis of the United States Homeland Security Policy in light of the destructive potential Al Qaeda holds. By doing so, an analysis will be made of the effectiveness of the current Homeland security policy in light of the terrorist threats that are faced by the United States. The first traces of the establishment can effectively be traced back to the Afghan-Soviet War. It was during this war that the desire to join the Afghan Marxist Regime grew exponentially amongst foreign Arab Mujahedeen. In order to utilize this fervor, the Maktab-al-Khidmat was formed. This organization was formed by Osama Bin Laden And his teacher/mentor Abdullah Yusuf Azzam (Williams, Al Qaeda: Brotherhood of Terror, 2002). Together they established carried out extensive recruitment and fund accumulation from 1984 onwards. This organization had its headquarters in Pakistan and it was the Maktab-al-Khidmat that later evolved into the Al Qaeda and this phase of evolution can be traced to the point where Abdullah Yusuf Azzam began to persuade Osama Bin Laden to channel his own finances and resources into the operation (Global Security, 2008). During the soviet war, the involvement of the United States was primarily through the funding that it provided the afghan mujahedeen (Gerges, 2004). Quite a bit of this funding was done through the Pakistani intelligence agency known as the Inter Services Intelligence Agency. This involvement was code named Operation Cyclone and was designed to deal an indirect defeat to the Soviets. An aspect of the Maktab-al-Khidmat was that even though it did not manage to generate any significant numbers in terms of man power, it still allowed likeminded people from over forty countries to find a platform upon which they could unite and work together for bigger projects. When the war ended, the mujahedeen were back in power within three years time and Afghanistan was once more under the control of religious radicals. In 1988, Osama bin Laden, who had returned to Saudi Arabia, decided to form groups such as the Maktab-al-Khidmat in other parts of the world but at this stage in the evolution of the group, Osama had no desire to develop the group on entirely military grounds. Rather it was Abdullah Yusuf Azzam who considered the element of militarism and aggression to be undeniably important. Osama Bin Laden was later joined by former American special forces member Sergeant Ali Mohammad after Abdullah Yusuf Azzam had been assassinated, investigations carried out later showed that Osama Bin Laden worked closely with Ali Mohammad to devise plans for attacks on various United States civilian and military facilities. Later when the Gulf War began, complications grew between Osama Bin Laden and the Saudi government when the Saudi government chose to resort to asking the United States for support instead of taking up Osama Bin Laden on his offer to provide arms and support in the Gulf War. As a result of these complications, Osama Bin Laden was exiled from Saudi Arabia to Sudan, where he continued his objection against the Saudi government (Williams, The Al Qaeda Connection: International Terrorism, Organized Crime, and the Coming Apocalypse, 2005). This resulted in Osama bin Laden losing his Saudi passport as well as his Sudanese passport along with the humiliation of being disowned by his family. In these hard times, Osama Bin Laden turned to Afghanistan where he was welcomed by the Taliban. Afghanistan served as the ideal recruiting and training ground that was needed for Al Qaeda to develop itself and to strengthen its infrastructure. After having sought and found refuge in Afghanistan in 1996 (Burke, 2004), Osama Bin Laden began to establish training camps and began to gather local forces under his flag who he found shared his opinions from the time of Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. Ideology Objectives It is believed that the ideology that runs in the Al Qaeda network is one that has been inspired by the writings of Sayyid Qutb who was an author, educator, poet and was considered to be a leading intellectual of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Around the 1950’s and the 1960’s, Sayyid Qutb worked extensively on religious ideologies and published works which denounced the American way of life and the culture that prevailed in the American society. One of the few areas upon which Sayyid Qutb’s work had the most influence was that of Jihad, which is the Arabic term used for the struggle for Islam.   Through the teachings of Sayyid Qutb, the aggressive aspect of jihad became increasingly hostile and violent in its justifications. It is believed that the current set of beliefs that run through the foundations of Al Qaeda are based upon the very same principles of Sayyid Qutb’s political and religious philosophy that justifies the barbaric actions that the Al Qaeda takes today. According to Sayyid Qutb’s philosophies, the more non-Muslim dominance grew, the more justified it became to wage war against these elements. Concepts such as socialism and nationalism are highly criticized and condemned in the beliefs of Sayyid Qutb as were reflected in his teachings. This would explain the momentum that Al Qaeda appears to be gathering the last few years. It is believed that the traditional leader of the Al Qaeda, osama was also   highly influenced by Sayyid Qutb in his days as a student and would relish opportunities to debate upon them and learn more about them. Modern day religious analysts believe that Sayyid Qutb’s teachings served to provide extremists a loop hole through the interpretation of religious scriptures through which they could justify not only their wars but also the techniques that they use in their war. Moreover, interpretations of Sayyid Qutb’s teachings made in the late part of the last century built upon this loophole and reached a degree where it became obligatory to wage war against any and all elements that were non-Islamic. This mutated version of the philosophies of Sayyid Qutb made it obligatory to wage war not only against non-Islamic elements but also against any Islamic elements that refused to join the war. This can be observed to explain the Al Qaeda attacks on muslim countries as well as non-muslim countries. Organizational Structure The core organizational structure is one that centers on the base and develops and operates from that base (Gunaratna, 2003). Al Qaeda follows a Hydra like organizational structure in which distanced modules of the organizations are placed around the world and kept highly active while the central nerve is kept well hidden and it is ensured that information and funding are supplied to the distanced modules to keep them running. This way, Al Qaeda traditionally operates on a centralized leading structure where decision making and resource distribution is managed and coordinated by the center while the execution of the decisions is assigned to the nodes of the organization. However, the modern day organizational structure of Al Qaeda has evolved considerably as a result of the recent measures taken by the United States military with its partners in the war on terrorism (Wright, 2006). It is believed that the measures taken by this war on terrorism have led to the scattering of these nodes to a point where they have become isolated from each other and are operating independently in a majority of their catchment regions. It is believed that this decentralization of the nodes of Al Qaeda has caused the name Al Qaeda to become something of a brand name amongst terrorist organizations. This would explain attacks such as the 7 July London bombings of 2005 in which the involved elements were identified to be more Al Qaeda trained than of Al Qaeda origin (Corbin, 2002). It was attacks such as these that brought forth the fact that Al Qaeda had begun to optimize itself by making use of likeminded elements rather than spending time and resources to establish itself in regions where it desired to carry out operations. This can also be observed to explain the increasing number of Al Qaeda members who are educated and belong to well to do and sophisticated families. The arrests of Al Qaeda personnel made in the last few years have led to the origination of the belief that perhaps Al Qaeda does not operate by itself any more but has either chosen to disperse itself and inject itself into smaller terrorist organizations or has chosen to take on prodigies in the form of smaller terrorist organizations in reply to the increasing number of measures being taken by the coalition of the members of the war against terrorism (Vidino Emerson, 2005). Al Qaeda does not operate solely by its own self, more than often it utilizes smaller more agile terrorist organizations to obtain its objectives. Frequently groups that it has coordinated with include Abu Sayyaf Group from Malaysia, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Jemaah Islamiya from Indonesia and   Lashkar e Taiba from Kashmir. Hierarchy The current hierarchy that Al Qaeda employs is an element that has not been ascertained by American intelligence in its structure. However, the arrests of Al Qaeda personnel have led to an inference in this regard. It is believed that Al Qaeda is divided into seven divisions. The first of these divisions is that of the Shura Council which comprises of the senior Al Qaeda members and where the emir presides. The second and perhaps most active section is the Military Committee which oversees and managers training of personnel, weapon acquisition, arsenal maintenance and strategic planning. The third and perhaps even more significant section is the Business Committee which ensures that consistent funding is maintained through businesses around the world and also handles the responsibility of the providing of false documentation when needed. The Law Committee evaluates the plans to decide whether or not the plans drawn comply with the religious principles that the organization follows. Closely working with this committee is the Study/Fatwa Committee which is in charge of the drawing up and publication of religious edicts (Bajoria, 2008). A media committee was also formed in the late 1990’s but it is believed now that it has been replace by the As-Sahab which is an advanced media production house which is in charge of handling public relations as well as ensuring a supply of the video and audio requirements that the organization requires. The United States Homeland Security Policy The Department of Homeland security was established on the Cabinet level on June 6, 2002 as an enhancement to the White House Office of Homeland Security. It was through the department of Homeland Security that the Patriot Act was passed and it was observed to be one of the most deep reaching and most extensive of measures that had ever been taken by the Bush administration. In order to gain an understanding of the United States Homeland Security Policy it is first essential to gain a concrete understanding of the major events that have shaped its formation in the past and are currently shaping its evolution in the present through their long term implications. When studying the attacks that Al Qaeda has made in its history, it is necessary to understand that it was not merely the destruction because of the attacks that was the cause for concern, but the degree of information acquisition, ammunition and explosive acquirement and intelligence implementation that is staggering. The modus operandi of Al Qaeda involves well educated and sophisticated people who are well funded. This makes the implications of the attacks of this organization all the more profound and deeper in the long run. One of the first attacks that the Al Qaeda staged was in 1992 in Yemen. As per the objectives of the Al Qaeda discussed above, the objective of this attack was to discourage the prevalence of American armed forces elements from proceeding to Somalia in international famine relief efforts. The operation under which the soldiers were moving was Operation Restore Hope and was meant for the sheer purpose of discouraging the American armed forces and the American people. Seven people were injured severely and two people died, all of them were civilians. Formerly, Al Qaeda had chosen to exercise its resources in battle and against military installations. This attack was perceived as a change in the Al Qaeda’s stance towards the war it was waging. It was in this attack that the Al Qaeda first presented justification for the killing of civilians and this aspect of the Al Qaeda’s evolving modus operandi was one that has been the focus of almost every homeland security policy that has developed ever since.

Genetic Causes of Choroideremia (CHM)

Genetic Causes of Choroideremia (CHM) Choroideremia (CHM) is a rare genetic impairment of the CHM gene, located on the X sex chromosome, that affects vision, as the retina, a crucial part of the eye involved in sight, loses functionality. This condition affects 1 out of 50,000 to 100,000 and is 4% of all causes of blindness in humans (GHR, 2017). Choroideremia is a sex-linked recessive trait, which means that females who do not express the trait are called carriers because only one of their X-chromosomes has the recessive trait, which is masked by the dominant trait of not having the condition. For males, it only takes the mothers affected X-chromosome to become affected by CHM for life (GHR, 2017). With the assistance from adeno-associated virus gene therapy, conditions like Choroideremia can be treated and cured. The CHM gene on the X-chromosome is responsible for producing the Rab escort protein-1 (REP-1), however if the CHM gene is mutated or absent, the lack of REP-1 CHM is supposed to produce causes cell death in the retina, causing Choroideremia (Mura, 2007). Escort proteins are the cells traffic facilitator, regulating intracellular proteins, organelles, and matter. Rab proteins are characterized by their geranylgeranyl functional group, a fundamental structure involved in prenylation, which is important in binding proteins (Preising, 2005). REP-1 allows for other essential proteins to enter cells, allowing for cellular processes to occur. Choroideremia occurs when the CHM gene fails to produce the REP-1. If there happens to be a lack of REP-1, the body has a backup, REP-2, that can perform nearly all of the same processes as REP-1, except there is little to no REP-2 present in the retina, which is why Choroideremia exists. With the absence of REP-1, the cells lack the facilitator requi red for them to do their work, resulting with premature cell death, or dystrophy (NCBI, 2016). Choroideremia can be treated, and possibly cured, with the use of adeno-associated viruses (AAV) because of its ability to target locations on chromosomes. The adeno-associated virus was discovered in the 1960s as a contaminant of adenovirus (Weitzman and Linden, 2011), and was seen as a useless virus because it required the assistance of another virus in order to replicate (Gonà §alves, 2005). However, the adeno-associated virus is admired for its useful abilities. The adeno-associated virus is admired for its simple structure, consisting of single-stranded DNA with genomes that are controlled by hairpin shaped telomere structures (Cotmore and Tattersall, 2014). Another characteristic of the AAV is the precise targeting of Chromosome 19; in fact, the AAV is known as one of the only viruses with such capacity to specifically act upon on one chromosome nearly 96% of the time (Daya and Berns, 2008). A crucial aspect about the adeno-associated virus is that it lacks pathogenicity, whic h means it does not cause disease in its host nor does it cause cell death. It is the lack of pathogenicity that has allowed medical professionals to pursue new treatments for genetically caused diseases. Because AAVs can act on a specific location on a chromosome without killing the host cell, treating sex-linked traits has become a reality. A clinical study used stem cells from patients with CHM and experimented the virus abilities with an in vitro model using CHO cells, which transferred the hCHM, human CHM DNA, into mice eyeballs to view the precision of genetic transfer. The results revealed that the CHO cells had elevated levels of the REP-1 protein levels, indicating that the introduction of AAV was able to specifically target the X-chromosome and alter the CHM gene. For the hCHM, it responded well to the application of AAV, as REP-1 proteins increased with regular dosage of AAV and compared to control cells, there was a 50-fold amount of REP-1 protein levels with the treated hCHM cells, indicating that AAV is a very promising option for gene therapy (Vasireddy, 2013). A 2014 clinical trial decided to directly administer an AAV encoding REP-1 to six mature males with Choroidere mia (all with little ability to see), waiting for six months after the trial to evaluate the effects of raw AAV administration. The results reveal all of the test subjects gained eyesight from the treatment, as their lines of vision increased as well as increased levels of retinal sensitivity (MacLaren, 2014). With a single mutation in a genetic sequence, life-changing conditions, like Choroideremia, leave people impaired for the remainder of their lives. However, with the assistance of adeno-associated viruses, researchers are able to treat and cure such conditions permanently. Citations/References: Matthew D. Weitzman and R. Michael Linden (2011). Adeno-Associated Virus Biology. Retrieved December 30, 2016, from http://www.hixonparvo.info/Matt%20AAV%20book%20chaptor.pdf Manuel Gonà §alves (2005). Adeno-associated virus: from defective virus to effective vector. Retrieved December 30, 2016, from https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-422X-2-43 Susan F. Cotmore and Peter Tattersall (2014). Parvoviruses: Small does not mean simple. Retrieved January 6, 2017, from http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-virology-031413-085444 Choroideremia Genetics Home Reference (GHR). (2017, January 10). Retrieved January 11, 2017, from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/choroideremia#genes CHM CHM, Rab escort protein 1 [Homo sapiens (human)] Gene NCBI. (2016, December 21). Retrieved January 11, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/1121 Vasireddy V, Mills JA, Gaddameedi R, Basner-Tschakarjan E, Kohnke M, Black AD, et al. (2013) AAV-Mediated Gene Therapy for Choroideremia: Preclinical Studies in Personalized Models. PLoS ONE 8(5): e61396. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0061396. Retrieved January 11, 2017, from http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0061396 Preising, M., and C. Ayuso. Rab Escort Protein 1 (REP1) in Intracellular Traffic: A Functional and Pathophysiological Overview. Retrieved Retrieved January 11, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15370541 Mura M, Sereda C, Jablonski MM, MacDonald IM, Iannaccone A. Clinical and functional findings in choroideremia due to complete deletion of the CHM gene. Retrieved Retrieved January 11, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=17698759 MacLaren RE, Groppe M, Barnard AR, Cottriall CL, Tolmachova T, Seymour L, Clark KR, During MJ, Cremers FP, Black GC, Lotery AJ, Downes SM, Webster AR, Seabra MC. Retinal gene therapy in patients with choroideremia: initial findings from a phase 1/2 clinical trial.Retrieved January 11, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=24439297

Contribution Of Emile Durkheim Study Of Society Sociology Essay

Contribution Of Emile Durkheim Study Of Society Sociology Essay Durkheim (1858-1917) who devoted himself to the scientific study of sociology is widely regarded as a pioneer in French sociology. It is known that Emile Durkheim inherits some of Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencers ideas and developed a systematic sociology both in theory and methodology (Moà ±ivas, 2007, p. 18). However, some of his works have been questioned and criticized. In order to examine the contribution of Emile Durkheim to the scientific study of society critically, one should consider Durkheims groundbreaking works including: The Division of Labour (1893), Rules of Sociological Method (1895), and Suicide (1897), all of which reflect a popular topic about individualism and a new social regulation in modern industrial society (Barnes, 1920, p. 4).This essay will first describe Durkheims notion of social facts which run through as a principle concept in his sociology. It will discuss its characteristics as well as importance, and then introduce Durkheims methodological appro ach to study social facts. The essay will move on to explore Durkheims contribution to the social sciences through the use of examples which include his study of The Division of Labour and Suicide. In addition, limitations will be mentioned when examine his works. This essay will argue that in spite of some criticism both in theories and methods. The overall contribution of Durkheim remains one of the peaks in modern sociology. Second, social facts are external from individuals. Durkheim rejects Comtes opinion to unify social science with other scientific disciplines and try to treat it independently. He argues that social facts are different from those assumptions in peoples mind and regular acting such as drinking or sleeping in everyday life. As a result, one could distinguish a kind of conduct and thought out of biology and psychology and classifies it into the particular category of sociology (Allan, 2005, p. 102). Casteel (2009) considered this as an important issue to Durkheim that complete Comtes project and establish sociology as its own academic discipline. Besides, such externality also reflects on continuum and social facts are kind of objectivities that prior to individuals, but individuals are born into them and enact them, thus social facts could be observed and measured by statistics (McCormack, 1996). However, Lukes (1973, p. 11) argues that Durkheims concepts about externality is ambiguous . For example, collective consciousnesses, which defined as a kind of similar and general perspectives and emotions such as religion that could react on people in an indirectly way that without crystallized forms. As is regarded as a social fact, it should be outside and independent from individuals. Nevertheless, Durkheim explained that collective consciousnesses are derived from most individuals in a society as a group mind thus failed to support his notion about externality. Thirdly, social facts have external coercions on individuals. It limits the choices of individuals and if individuals try to go against them, they may likely to get resistance by certain external constraint power such as public laws. Additionally, those coercive powers are not only administered by social organization but also potential moral awareness which called social currents (Harrington, 2005, p.28). However, Durkheim failed to distinguish the power of coercion and prestige. For examples, the power of public law which administered by institutions composed on individuals not only by means of the acceptance of legitimacy, but also fear of sanction. On the other hand, beliefs may probably constraint individuals through prestige or moral obligation (Lukes 1973, p. 13). Moreover, it is argued that Durkheim neglects the reaction from individuals on social facts. Some critics who challenged Durkheims theory believe that individuals could have the capability of creation on social facts (Casteel, 2009). In his book The rules of Sociological Method, Durkheim highlights the importance of study social facts as well as the methods to study them. He accepts Comtes idea that every social phenomenon should be studied as a thing within the context of society. Due to its objectivity, one could use positive approaches to observe, experiment, compare and analysis social phenomenon in favour of finding the sociological laws, demonstrating the normal and pathological as well as speculating the future development of society (Craib, 1997, p.30). In Durkheim methodology of social science, he stresses the importance of looking at society scientifically and discovering the formations (collective consciousnesses etc.) as well as functions (social cohesion, change etc.) of social facts and how they have effects on individuals within the scope of society (Brown, 2008). Emirbayer (1996) point out that Durkheim has rejected metaphysics and uses statistical methodology and comparative strategy (p. 264) to explore the correlations and casual relations among a number of systematic and connected variables by collecting and interpreting evidences. Durkheim has exercised his theory and methodology in two of his major works: The Division of Labor and Suicide. In The Division of Labor, Durkheim argues that there have other approaches to integrate the society beside religion. One of them is the division of labor, which he regarded as a powerful evidence of how social bonds transit from collective consciousness to division of labor (Brown, 2008). Durkheim highlights the functional interdependence of different individuals or units of the society which could be explained by the term of solidarity (Allan, 2005, p. 122). In the division of labor, he illustrates two kinds of solidarity: mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity. He compared primitive society and modern society using the organismic approach to explore how individuals maintain solidarity. In primitive society where there is low productivity, individuals are automatically bond together by the collective consciousnesses, an external uniform beliefs imposed on individuals . On the other hand, organic solidarity exists in modern society. Spencer enormously influenced Durkheims Division of Labor. Spencer believes that society was stimulated by the fundamental force of population growth, which changes the way of society to distribute production and wealth (Jones, 205, p. 345). Durkheim developed his evolutionary and organism doctrine. According to Barnes (1920, p. 240), for Durkheim, social evolution is characterized by a decrease in this repressive and mechanical type of social cohesion or solidarity and by a corresponding increase in the development of individual consciousness and personality. That is, with a dense growth of population as the determinant cause of raised intensive division of labor, individuals are more interdependent on diverse contribution of others to perform a cooperatively function instead of the dominance of collective conscience (Sirianni, 1984). Brown (2008) points out that individualism becomes more important than the collecti ve to maintain social solidarity and represents the characteristic of modern society. It is apparently Durkheim provide a sociological platform which benefits to interpret social process. However limitations could probably exist in his theories as well as methodology such as the cause of the division of labor and the interpretation of its effects. Tarde (citied in Lukes, 1973, p. 304) suggests that Durkheims opinion on the division of labor only concern the social internal problem without international relationship. Meanwhile, the division of labor could also result from variety of creation instead of population density. Moreover, Merton (1994, p. 22) argues that in Durkheims presentation of social evolution, he diminished the effectiveness of civil law in primitive society and common interest in the modern society in order to give prominence to main power of cohesion : collective consciousnesses and the division of labour, in mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity respectively. As a result, a precise relationship between solidarity and law may not be obtained. Finally, in the conclusion of his work, he personally regard the society as pathological due to the lack of social regulations that do no match the level of the division of labor and excessive individualism during transition, it is likely to push the society into anomie as well as increase the suicide rate (Mutchnick et al., 2009). In another significant book Suicide Durkheim explained a popular moral phenomenon in the 19th society. Suicide can be defined as every case of death which results directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act, accomplished by the victim himself which he knows must produce this result (Lukes, 1973, p. 202). Durkheim first considered suicide is a private action but also as a matter of a social fact that exists external to each individual in the society. Thus, the statistics of suicide could reflect diverse outside forces through which one could access to the origins of the weakness of the society as well as solution to those problem. Then he theoretically categorizes different but general social causes of individual suicide and draws its effect by deduction approach. There are four forms of suicide respect to two levels of imbalanced social forces: integration and moral rule (Thompson, 1982). Firstly, it is regarded that egoistic suicide is the consequence of excessive individ ualism. In a deteriorated society, individual who integrate less with others and act on their own interest is likely to act egoistic suicide. By contrast, altruistic suicide is result from excessive conformity, Durkheim stats that suicide becomes ones obligation. It often happens in modern societies among civilized people who sacrifice themselves in order to save others such as military (Durkheim, 1979). The other two kinds of suicide are classified into the group of moral regulation. Durkheim again divided the situation that people tends to conduct anomic suicide into four aspects of crisis: decline in the capability of social organizations to instruct peoples lives; rapid social transformation; wealth no longer satisfied people and unbalanced marriage. Finally, Durkheim view fatalistic as the product of rigid but strong moral norm which often committed by slaves (Jones, 1986). It is suggested that if examine Durkheims work critically, one may noticed flaws in his notion of Suicide (Gane, 1988, p. 152). First, one may question whether such phenomenon causes by external force such as society but shared awareness from individuals. However, Durkheim defends it by the term of conscience collective which is also a kind of a social fact and points out the strength of linking morality to discover social laws (Craib, 1997, p. 32). Secondly, Lukes (1973, p. 202-206) argues that his classification of suicide form has limited the causes and types. Moreover, Durkheim concerned the causes of suicide only with social facts and rejected the relationship between suicide and personality in terms of psychology, physic as well as alcoholism. Additionally, the subject of suicide is more like to exist in disordered societies thus lead to an unbalanced research which prone to the theory of pathology. As a result, the contribution of suicide to sociology is actually restricted. However, Thompson (1982) states that regardless the shortages, Durkheim work of suicide is an essential contribution because they effectively combine sociological theory with empiricism to explain social phenomenon. Durkheim suggests that the study of suicide could reveal the connection between social members which closely go with the original subject of social bond in sociology. Moreover, by examining suicide could help one to discover the law of sociology and thus give a direction of the development of society (Lukes, 1973, p. 193). In the research, he related series of common characteristics of the society as social facts to suicide rate statistics and draw a general conclusion that particular social environment and current could lead to a growth of suicide rate. For example, insufficient economy growth and social mode changes generate a remarkable suicide rate in the 19th century of European. Aimed at solving this problem, Durkheim also proposed to strengthen the backbone of econ omy and support individuals with the sense of belonging (Lukes, 1973, p. 220). In conclusion, this essay explored Durkheims main works in sociology. As one of the founder of professional sociology, Durkheim identified social facts thus built the dimension as well as the skeleton of sociology. Based on previous work, he formulates a systematic methodology to discover the social laws by observing and comparing the relationships between different variables. Durkheim further applied his methodology and theory into his work of The Division of Labor and Suicide. He discovered the procedure by which individuals socially integrate into society, and provide different types to explain the relationship between people and society. Although there are certain indistinct interpretation in terms of concepts and correlations, Durkheims work is considered to have significant to the scientific study of society. Word count: 2105

Essay --

The Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) The definition of tourism and the tourists ----------------------------------------- (1) The reasons that make the tourists come to the UAE-----------------------------(1,2) The advantages of tourism -----------------------------------------------------------(2) The negative impact of tourism -----------------------------------------------------(2,3) The Comparison between Dubai and other countries according to GDP Growth : --------------------------------------------(3) The Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------(4) The references list ---------------------------------------------------------------------(4) Among ages the life in the UAE has been changed from all the aspects , It becomes sophisticated in a huge way . In the construction field the UAE become a competitor to the advanced countries, it also make great achievements in the entertainment field .All of that make tourism more active in the UAE . Tourism become in the UAE as a big business , it considered as the one of the largest industries in the UAE , it rises the economic income with a high percentages . In this report I will write about the definition of tourism and the tourists , the reasons that make the tourists from each corner of the globe come to the UAE , the effect of tourism in the UAE and finally Comparison between Dubai and other countries according to GDP* Growth . The definition of tourism and the tourists : Tourism is to travel from one place to another mainly for recreational or leisure purposes and the companies in the receiver country will provide all the s... ...rica Region . Arabia 2000 .(P-1) . Dubai has strong and dynamic tourism sector .(2010).Arabia 2000.(P-1). IMF World Economic Outlook ,Econstates, Ministry of Economy .Retrieved December4 , 2011, from : http://www.google.ae/search?q=dubai-economy_clip_image004 Mourtoiza . (2008) .Positive impact of tourism in Dubai . Retrieved December 2,2011, from : http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Impact-Tourism-Dubai/158196 The disadvantages of the tourism .(2010) . Retrieved December2 , 2011, from : http://wiki.answers.com/Q/what arethe disadvantages of tourism Tourism . (2008) . Retrieved December2 , 2011 , from : http://sidestore.com UAE travel and tourism sector emerges as one of key contributes to GDP. (2011). Arabia 2000 .(P-1). United Arab Emirates Archeologicalsites . (2005) . Retrieved December 2 , 2011, from: http://www.uaeinteract.com/culture/default.asp Essay -- The Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) The definition of tourism and the tourists ----------------------------------------- (1) The reasons that make the tourists come to the UAE-----------------------------(1,2) The advantages of tourism -----------------------------------------------------------(2) The negative impact of tourism -----------------------------------------------------(2,3) The Comparison between Dubai and other countries according to GDP Growth : --------------------------------------------(3) The Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------(4) The references list ---------------------------------------------------------------------(4) Among ages the life in the UAE has been changed from all the aspects , It becomes sophisticated in a huge way . In the construction field the UAE become a competitor to the advanced countries, it also make great achievements in the entertainment field .All of that make tourism more active in the UAE . Tourism become in the UAE as a big business , it considered as the one of the largest industries in the UAE , it rises the economic income with a high percentages . In this report I will write about the definition of tourism and the tourists , the reasons that make the tourists from each corner of the globe come to the UAE , the effect of tourism in the UAE and finally Comparison between Dubai and other countries according to GDP* Growth . The definition of tourism and the tourists : Tourism is to travel from one place to another mainly for recreational or leisure purposes and the companies in the receiver country will provide all the s... ...rica Region . Arabia 2000 .(P-1) . Dubai has strong and dynamic tourism sector .(2010).Arabia 2000.(P-1). IMF World Economic Outlook ,Econstates, Ministry of Economy .Retrieved December4 , 2011, from : http://www.google.ae/search?q=dubai-economy_clip_image004 Mourtoiza . (2008) .Positive impact of tourism in Dubai . Retrieved December 2,2011, from : http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Impact-Tourism-Dubai/158196 The disadvantages of the tourism .(2010) . Retrieved December2 , 2011, from : http://wiki.answers.com/Q/what arethe disadvantages of tourism Tourism . (2008) . Retrieved December2 , 2011 , from : http://sidestore.com UAE travel and tourism sector emerges as one of key contributes to GDP. (2011). Arabia 2000 .(P-1). United Arab Emirates Archeologicalsites . (2005) . Retrieved December 2 , 2011, from: http://www.uaeinteract.com/culture/default.asp

An Analysis of Ode to the West Wind Essay -- Ode to the West Wind Essa

An Analysis of Ode to the West Wind Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" appears more complex at first than it really is because the poem is structured much like a long, complex sentence in which the main clause does not appear until the last of five fourteen line sections. The poem's main idea is held in suspension for 56 lines before the reader sees exactly what Shelley is saying to the west wind, and why he's saying it. In the first four sections Shelley addresses the west wind in three different ways, each one evoking the wind's power and beauty. And each section ends with Shelley asking the West Wind to "hear, oh hear!" The reader's curiosity is therefore both aroused and suspended, because we know the west wind is supposed to "hear" something, but we aren't told what the wind is suposed to hear or is supposed to do. The first stanza develops the idea of the west wind's effect on the autumn leaves. The associations we automatically make with autumn&emdash;the end of the year, the death of the year's life, the onset of winter&emdash;are important, but just as important are other life-giving aspects of the wind's power. Shelley tells us that the wind not only blows the "Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,/ Pestilence-stricken multitudes" (4, 5) of autumn leaves, but also "Chariotest to their dark and wintry bed/ The wingà ¨d seeds" (6, 7) which will lie dormant throughout the winter until the spring breezes&emdash; "Thine azure sister of the spring" (9)&emdash;blow over the landscape to awaken the life in them. The west wind drives dead leaves, but also scatters the seeds that will later give the world new life. This life-giving aspect of the west wind seems significant, but the reader cannot quite see yet why Shel... ...he minds of his readers. But the readers are hard to reach, unresponsive. It can seem to a poet struggling for an audience, as Shelley did, that winter was coming. It took a lot of faith to believe that spring would follow. The west wind is a revivifying force, something that can (metaphorically if not literally) drive his poetry forward to a new birth in whatever spring lies ahead: "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" (70) It is the poet's plea for a rebirth of energy. We don't know for certain that the poet's energy has been sapped by the struggle to make his voice heard, but we know for much of Shelley's career he did struggle with the depressing feeling that no one was reading him. In any event, this powerful natural force becomes for Shelley a symbol of a power that can drive out the year's death, his deep depression, and plant the seeds for a rebirth.

Religion, Morality, and the Good Life

Religion, Morality, and the Good Life Does morality depend on religion? Many believe the fundamental aspects of morality and religion join to form the basis on how one chooses to live their life. Some would define morality as a system we humans use to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. Morality could derive from a number of different factors including, religion, culture, and upbringing. Those that believe that morality derives from religion or God’s commands trust in the Divine Command Theory.The Divine Command Theory is the idea that morality is dependent on God; that one’s moral obligation be determined by their obedience to God’s commands. This theory has been and probably will continue to be controversial to many. Morality must have a purely secular foundation. Although religion might not be the concrete basis for morality, it is certain that religion is needed sometime when dealing with specific aspects of morality. There are 2 types of mor ality, justified and unjustified. Justified morality is common sense and does not require intense interpretation.For example, â€Å"Do not steal† is a justified moral command because when one steals they are bringing evil to someone and that is immoral. Unjustified morals are much harder to find reason for than justified morals which can be easily justified by common knowledge. â€Å"Do not have sex before marriage,† is an example of an unjustified morality. It is difficult to explain why doing the act is immoral. This moral standard is irrational in that there is no reasonable answer why one should not do this act in order to remain moral.Religion comes in handy when dealing with grey areas of morality. Those grey areas are known as the unjustified moral commands or unjustified morality. Given the example for an unjustified moral command, one could answer the question â€Å"Why should I not do this in order to remain moral,† by saying it is immoral to have sex before marriage because God commanded us not to because he will punish one who does not follow his commandments. There is no central harm because if this action but one’s self-interest or fear of God’s wrath will keep one from committing this immoral act.The use of God and religion to justify these issues is only useful when dealing with a God-fearing and moral person. Although using religion with morality, in this case, may cause one to agree that morality needs religion and that the Divine Command Theory explains why, it does not justify that religion is the basis for morality. Are right and wrong actions commanded by God? The Divine Command Theory states that good and bad are created by God, not by humans. It has been illustrated that the Divine Command Theory cannot be logically true.The Divine Command Theory states that if God commands â€Å"A,† his commands by itself are sufficient to make â€Å"A† good. â€Å"A is good† just means â€Å"A i s commanded by God. † God’s commands are good simply because God commands it. If there were no God, or if God did not issue any commands, then there would be no such thing as moral right or wrong. However, if actions are good on their own without influence from God, then the Divine Command Theory is false because it is naturally commanded that we do things which are good and avoid those in which we know to be wrong.One’s belief in the existence of a god or gods may cause one to believe that morality assumes God’s existence. Their beliefs seem to give their lives purpose and clear understanding. In Genesis 1:27 it says, â€Å"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. † (NIV) According to Christianity, God created us in his likeness as to fulfill the plan or purpose that he had intended for us. With this idea, the Catholic Church developed the concept of natural law.This natural law concept stated that by working out what one’s purpose is, we will be able to see how we should act and/or behave; it would be apparent in the way in which we have been designed. Within the Catholic Church, the Pope’s condemnation of homosexuality is an example of the natural law theory at work. The natural result to sex is conception, and any other sexual act that is not available to this possibility would be an immoral rejection to the plan God had intended for them. It is obvious that this natural law approach to ethics can cause controversy.It might be perceived as a poor imitation of morality in that it fails to provide justification for many basic moral principles. The supposed link between God and morality provides the idea because God is omnipotent and our creator; we have an obligation to obey his commands. With him being our creator, we owe him our existence. Many ask the obvious question, â€Å"Why do we have this obligation? † Although this view has n ot stood up to reflection, people once believed that children owed the act of obedience to their parents only because children depended on their parents. This view is remarkably similar to the reasoning given for feudalism.In feudalism, in exchange for the protection of the lord, the vassal would give some sort of service to the lord. The obligation between the lord and the vassal regarding the fief or land forms the basis of the feudal relationship. The weakness in this political system was that the vassals never agreed to this plan. By answering the above question in saying that our obligation to obey God’s command is because obedience is morally right, the assumption has been made that morality exists independently of God. Why things are right in the first place is justified and explained by the Divine Command Theory.The Divine Command Theory shows an apparent resemblance to the natural law approach as discussed just before. Rather than focusing on features of his assumed creation as with the natural law theory, the Divine Command Theory implicates a focus on God’s orders. An obvious example of God’s orders would be the Ten Commandments. The most common objection to this approach is that it makes morality seem somewhat subjective. It implies the theoretical likelihood of rape being right simply because God commands this. Some may say that God would never command such an act as rape. God has not, in fact, commanded that rape is good.Assuming that the Divine Command Theory is, in fact, true, it would see God’s goodness in that he will not do anything wrong. But it does not follow that he won’t be unjust or cruel. As long as he is not violating any of his commands, no matter what God does, he will not be doing anything wrong. God is omniscient and morally perfect. Surely this gives us exact reason to why we ought to obey his commands. God’s moral perfection, after all, guarantees that he will issue only those commands that he thinks are right. His overall insight and expertise assures that he will never be wrong in what he believes is right to command of us.It sees God as the highest possible moral guide, giving us reason to always obey his commands. Although this is correct, it does not support the Divine Command Theory. To argue this point is to assume that the greater moral quality is dependent of God’s will, in which the basis for what he commands is. Some thinkers like Immanuel Kant and John Newman, just to name a few, have argued that a sense of conscience is evidence of God. With morality and religion being independent of one another, the independence is considered to be compatible with the existence of God.If we accept that the existence of conscience assumes a being to whom we owe responsibility, God would seem like the only candidate. He is the only person with omnipotent power to see and judge our every action. Newman furthered this thought by asking why people would feel guilty if they did not think they were being watched. In conclusion, there is something wrong with every way of linking morality to religion. I am not claiming that religion cannot have things to say about morality or that it is incapable of helping people do what is morally right.Instead, my claim is that ethics is enhanced with a religiously neutral foundation. Religion can be defined a set of practices independent of a belief system. Religion is the way in which you worship. Some people have participated in religious worship for a while without giving a great deal of thought to a belief system. Morality can be based on religion, but it also can be independent of one’s religion or faith. Although it is possible to hold a religion and not hold to any strong moral principles and vice versa for holding just moral principles, many people hold religious and moral principles.As with Christianity, religion is doing what you are told to do regardless of what is right, and morality is doi ng what is right regardless of what you are told to do. Although morality and religion are used at times to justify one another, they are not dependent of one another. . Works Cited â€Å"Genesis 1 NIV – The Beginning – In the beginning God – Bible †¦ † Bible Gateway. Web. 15 Apr. 2013 . â€Å"The Internet Classics Archive | Euthyphro by Plato. † The Euthyphro. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013

Economics and Environmental Hazards Essay

In the 21st century, global warming, littering, waste, and temperature rises have been the subject of focus for many scientists. While examining the many causes of global warming, scientists found fossil fuel emissions and CO2 emissions to be a major cause. Although Earth is known as the Blue Planet for its vast water sources, much of that water is saltwater. Only 3% of the Earth is fresh water, and 70% of that is in glacial ice, unreachable by most. Thus, only 0. 5% of the Earth is made of usable freshwater. This limited amount of water is unsuitable for the world’s expanding population. Much of this water, however, can be easily conserved by switching from bottled water to tap water. Through using tap water and conserving plastic, we can save 27 times the amount of water we currently are saving, and use water sources wisely so as to not run out. Literature Review In the 1930s, the subjects of global warming, water, and lack of resources for fossil fuels became concern for Americans. The New York Times ran their first global warming article in 1929, when it first was considered a myth. Now that global warming has become a major concern for people, we realize how much we have wasted nature’s resources- especially water. Although 75% percent of the Earth is made up of water, less than 1% is drinkable and accessible by people. Countless blogs, websites, newspapers, and academic journals, such as the Journal of Dental Association (2003) and BioMed Central (2009), describe how our thoughtless actions have led to water depletion. Through processing, we waste 26 liters of water to get 1 liter of bottled water. The bottles are made in China using crude oil and transported thousands of miles on oil-eating machines, causing the ozone layer to melt. There are now seldom disputes to the existence of ozone depletion, and media uses print and internet to support the cutting down on bottled water. Bottled Water: Economics and Environmental Hazards. Thousands of years ago, water was a gift from the gods, to be saved and cherished. It allowed ancient civilizations to grow into structured societies, and gave people the ability to survive on domesticating animals and growing plants. Today, in the modern world, water is often taken for granted, and has become a daily thing of our lives. We see water fountains everywhere, and bottled water can be purchased in bulk. However, at the current rate we are using water, freshwater amounts are likely to decimate. This gift from the gods has brought environmental harm to the world and wasted the money of thousands of people. Thus, in order to protect the environment and save our own money, we must make good choices and switch from excessively using bottled water to using tap water. One of the top reasons people often buy bottled water is because of the convenience it provides (Ferrier, 2001, pp. 118-119). Easy life is what the entire economy runs on, as we have seen from the declining economy. As income lessens, people are reverting back to an older lifestyle of doing things themselves instead of purchasing services and goods. While bottled water may taste better because of chemicals that companies add in, it also costs significantly more. A New York Times reporter calculated that eight glasses of New York City tap water were about 49 cents a year, but 8 glasses of bottled water would be 2,900 times more expensive- as much as $1,400 per year. Because water is something that every household needs, it is reasonable to conclude that by switching to bottled water, families could cut their water expenses in half (Helm, 2008) and America as a whole could save. The high costs of purchasing bottled water are often due to the processing that bottled water must go through and the costs of shipping and plastic. Instead of drinking water from a local river or other water source, people choose to drink water shipped from Fiji, where extra charge is added for shipping. The plastic that is used to make the bottle also adds charge. A replacement for this kind of convenience is drinking from the bottles and then continuously refilling them to save your money and the environment. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 85% of water bottles in the United States end up in landfills (cited in Aslam, 2006). Unfortunately, plastic takes up to 1,000 years to decompose and the fuel emissions that delivery trucks emanate destroy the ozone layer. Even more smog and smoke is given off by the manufacturing plant, contributing to global warming, evaporation of our current freshwater supply, and melting/mixing of glacial freshwater and ocean water. About 70% of freshwater is in glacial ice, and as a result of temperatures rising, the freshwater melts, mixing in with saltwater and becoming undrinkable until further chemical processing. Another common myth about bottled water is that it is healthier. A study conducted by University of Birmingham researchers found that â€Å"†¦The majority of participants believed that bottled water has some health benefits but that they were not necessarily significant or superior to the benefits provided by tap water† (BioMed Central, 2009). The participants, users of the university’s sports center, stated that the health benefits of bottled water were negligible, and it was taste and convenience that truly motivated them to buy bottled water. Some research even suggests the opposite- that bottled water is less beneficial to health than tap water. While communities actively add in fluoride – a cavity fighter- to the water supply, the majority of bottled water contains little to no fluoride (Rugg-Gunn, 2003). Many large water companies currently undergo processes such as distillation and/or osmosis – both remove all fluoride from the water (American Dental Association, 2003). Since we now know that bottled water is not healthier than other water sources, we must reflect again on the numerous drawbacks of bottled water. Landfills continue to grow and grow, leading to larger emissions of ozone-depleting gases (Sarma, 2002). Birds and other small animals choke on plastic, mistaking it for food, and also die as a result. The ecosystem is dying as a result. The world works as a whole, a cycle, a circle. The consequences of our actions will always come back to bite us, or in the case of water, our posterity when they have low water supply. Conserving water today will benefit people later. In addition, as we become closer and closer to high UV radiation exposure and losing our ozone layer, scientists are frantically trying to build labs, gather money, and conduct extensive research about how to conserve the environment and water. By not procrastinating, and saving plastic and water resources now, we will save great amounts of money. The exotic island of Fiji is known for its pure, fresh, crisp water, even to Americans who live thousands of miles away. A 16 ounce bottle of Fiji water currently costs from $1. 50 to $2. 50. At a rate like that, when we are at the edge of the Great Lakes and other vast water sources, but purchase water from the other side of the world, our money is being sold away to foreign countries. Most of 2. 7 million tons of plastic used for bottling and packaging come from China (Aslam, 2006). The result is a national economic breakdown, not only in the water industry, but in all industries, since people cannot cut down on the amount of water they need to drink. It takes 63 million gallons of oil per year to manufacture water bottles (Niman, 2007). That is not only more water than Fijians themselves drink that we are buying, but also 63 million extra gallons of oil and plastic that we toss away. Ironically, one third of Fijians are in destitution and lack the amount of water they need. Because one liter of bottled water uses 26 liters of water, one kilogram of fossil fuel, and one pound of CO2 (Thangham, 2007), little is left for the Fijians in destitute. This is true for not only Fiji waters, but all waters in the world. In 2007, Fiji, one of the world’s most popular drinking water sources, became the first bottled water company to release its carbon footprint -85,396 metric tons of CO2eq (Corporate Social Responsibility, 2008). Imagine the carbon footprint total for the world, or even the United States. Perhaps American water companies have not released their carbon footprints because of how overwhelmingly large they are. If we could cut down on how much bottled and imported water we drank, we could preserve a large amount of water for the future.