Essay about Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - 735 Words

I believe it was the great and powerful Napoleon Bonaparte who once said, â€Å"In the long run, the sword is always beaten by the spirit†. Bonaparte was not merely referring to the fact that the spirit of the people is stronger than the might of the sword, but he was also referring to the fact that there is no such thing as true oppression. It is this same misleading oppression that we can see happening in the modern day continent of Africa. The African people have lived through â€Å"the complexes of denigration and self-abasement† (Achebe). In Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, he tries to help his ‘society regain belief in itself and put away’ these complexities. For Achebe the African image still has hope, and it is through the†¦show more content†¦Achebe says that in preparation for the courts to be held, â€Å"large crowds began to gather on the village ilo â€Å"and that, â€Å"the titled men and elders sat on their stools w aiting for the trials to begin† (Achebe 87). The mentioned quote has a considerable amount of meaning with it. Not only does it show Achebe’s people how united they used to be when they gathered, but it also shows them how structured their society once was. Achebe uses the excuse of the court gathering so that to show his people the endless amount possibilities that they similarly can accomplish when they unite with one another. In context the Igbo people united with one another so that they could discuss and solve a great deal of issues that surrounded them. Such an issue occurred when an Umofia daughter was killed by a neighboring village, not only did the Igbo village gathering produce a fair punishment for the opposing village, but it also brought the people closer to one another against their enemy. Achebe in short mentions the Igbo village gathering to show his people the benefits of a united society, and that by gathering together with one another they can streng then themselves against even the worst of enemies. All in all Achebe is successful in showing his people the accomplishments of the Igbo people because he strongly saturates his work with the success and benefits that the Igbo people used toShow MoreRelatedThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1415 Words   |  6 Pagesbook Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe does just that. This book should be taught in schools because it shows the values and traditions of Achebe’s Igbo culture, persistently teaches life lessons throughout the book, and shows the darker reality of European colonialism in Africa. Chinua Achebe is known as one of the most influential and famous authors to ever write. Chinua Achebe originates from an Igbo background and he expresses that through his writings very well including Things Fall ApartRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe1324 Words   |  6 Pages Chinua Achebe chose to write his novels in English to reveal a deep response of his people to colonisation and to make that response understood to people all over the world. Things Fall Apart was written in English to teach people worldwide of the struggles he faced and the people of Nigeria faced growing up. Many authors and critics have written about Achebe’s ‘Things fall apart’ adding their valued opinion on what he was trying to say and his decision to write in English. In the followingRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1203 Words   |  5 Pages who took their land for monetary gain. This was a dark period of time for Africans that live there. The U.S. Civil War and The Great Depression both can be related, in this instance, to how down their people were because of what happened. Chinua Achebe said it best, â€Å"I would be quite satisfied if my novels...did no more than teach my readers of their past...was not a long night of savagery from which the first European acting on God’s behalf delivered them†(qtd. in â€Å"Morning Yet† 45). In theRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1452 Words   |  6 Pagesassume control over the Roman Empire. However, imperialism in Africa remained a recorded element from 1750 to 1945. This paper visits how control and changes were influences over the Africans during this time period as seen through Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. (UKEssays, 2015) Europe was experiencing a few financial and political changes that forced the major European forces to investigate abroad regions to add to their resources during the seventeenth century. In order for the EuropeanRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe2361 Words   |  10 PagesThings Fall Apart Book Critique Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a historical fiction novel describing the life of Okonkwo in a Nigerian village succumbing to European ways, in order to portray Achebe’s view on imperialism. It was chosen for us to read by our teacher because it describes imperialism and its effects in an Ibo village of Nigeria. It also shows the treatment of natives by the Europeans and how the natives reacted. Things Fall Apart is useful to our course of studies because itRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1265 Words   |  6 PagesThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is markedly relevant to our current course of studies in World History, as it tells a story based on European Imperialism in Africa. Coming off the heels of our Imperialism unit, this post-colonial novel provides very helpful context on different civilizations’ perspectives throughout the Age of Imperialism; aside from analyzing death tolls, descriptions of conflicts, and names of countries, it was previousl y hard to envision what life was actually like during thatRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 735 Words   |  3 PagesThings fall apart. Achebe. Ernest Gaines once said, â€Å"I write to try to find out who I am. One of my main themes is manliness. I think Im trying to figure out what manliness really is.† Indeed, every society or culture has its own understanding of an ideal man. Even though these characteristics are different in various parts of the world, the significance of masculinity can never be overestimated. â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe is considered as one of the best examples of a riseRead MoreThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe692 Words   |  3 Pagesthe way to go. Through commercial trading Islam spread into Igboland, and this led to more Igbo people leaving the Igbo way of life for another, whether it be Islam or Christianity which divide the country in two. In the novel Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe British colonialism and the migration of Muslims to Nigeria led to the change in the faith, social and economic changes in the Igbo society. Traditional Igbo faith believes that there is only one creator or god known as ChinekeRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe897 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† by Chinua Achebe the Igbo tradition revolves around structured gender role. Everything essential of Igbo life is based on their gender, which throughout the novel it shows the role of women and the position they hold, from their role in the family household, also planting women crops, to bearing children. Although the women were claimed to be weaker and seemed to be treated as objects, in the Igbo culture the women still provided qualities that make them worthyRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe Essay1851 Words   |  8 Pageschoice and styles are critical not only to the reader’s understanding of the text but to his appreciation as well. How language is effectively manipulated in their writings enhances the reader’s valuing of the works. The selected novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a representation of Igbo culture and their language. It explores the life of an Igbo tribe at the time of when colonization hit Africa. It could be considered as a post-colonial text, as the protagonist of the story and the other

Anthropology Lesson Plan - 866 Words

ECED 355 Water Unit Lesson Identification: Curriculum Area: Social Studies -Anthropology Target Age/Grade: 3rd Grade Group Size: 25 students Context/Time of Day: During the afternoon Social Studies period. Time Needed: 45 minutes Rationale: This activity allows students to broaden their cultural understanding of the world, and how that relates to the self, and the United States in particular. This activity will allow students to develop greater cultural awareness of the uses of water in the past and present. State Goal 16 Social Science: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. Learning Standard E.†¦show more content†¦5. The whole group will then share their legends briefly, while the teacher writes the main role water plays in the legends on the board. 6. Students will then use the information shared to compare their legend with one other legend discussed. 7. After completing the graphic organizer students will discuss in the whole group what they know about the importance of water scientifcally and what they have learned about the importance of water culturally. Extension/follow-up activities: Have students search more information on how water is used culturally or tarditionally and bring in photos or a summary of their findings. Safety Measures: None Assessment Evaluation: Informal and Formal Students will be assessed as to their participation during the group activity and according to the completion of graphic organizer sheets at the end of the experiment. The following rubric will be used for assessment: Water Legend Activity Way to Go! (5) Almost There! (3-4) Not Quite There (0-2) Total Score Participation during Group Experiment Student participates in the group by reading aloud, and comparing their knowledge of water to the way water is depicted in the legend. Student participated during the read aloud and discusses some information relating to water, but does not compare his/her knowledge of water to the depiction in theShow MoreRelatedTextbook Analysis Essay1101 Words   |  5 PagesTextbook Analysis Dwanna Foster Grand Canyon University EED-465 April 5, 2013 In the subject of social studies there are several ways and strategies in creating your lesson plan and making sure the topic of the matter is getting across to all students. With technology being a popular tool now a days educators have the opportunity to bring social studies more to life that is more interesting to the youth. Collecting and doing different thingsRead MoreElementary Social Studies Methods Tina C. Denning1695 Words   |  7 Pagesexperience. 2) Provide students with integrative lessons along with social studies. 3) Provide students with active social studies lessons. 4) Challenge students with lessons that encourage deeper thinking. These 4 beliefs are more important now because of the short amount of time that was spent in a 4th grade classroom. Combining the two sets of beliefs will be shown in a new social studies belief statement. 1) Meaningful Relevance: In practicum the lesson was citizenship and the three branches of governmentRead MoreEssay about Teaching Portfolio Analysis953 Words   |  4 Pagesinclusion class in an urban middle school. Although these lesson plans might not as good as my lesson plans of the future will be, I feel they reflect a great deal of work and dedication that came through creating my first unit for a classroom. With time limitations, I had to base my unit plan on a chapter in the book that was meant to be an introduction to the studying of world history, including the basics of geography, anthropology, archaeology, and history, for these eighth grade students.Read MoreWhat I Learned From My Childhood862 Words   |  4 Pagesthat were different from my own. I treated this interest as a hobby until I started to attend college when I took an anthropology class. The anthropology class made me realize that I could mold my interests into a career, but I didn’t really know how. What I did know was that I was passionate about my studies and that culture was important, even outside of what my first Anthropology professor called the â€Å"For Your Information Field.†. If there was one thing that I learned from every culturally focusedRead MoreEssay on Is College Worth The Effort?883 Words   |  4 Pageshelp me later in life? But, then again, college gives me more control over my life and where I want it to go. In trying to figure out what exactly made college like this, and whether the way I felt was felt by others as well, I interviewed an Anthropology teacher at Las Positas College, Mr. Toby Coles, and I examined an essay by Caroline Bird called College is a Waste of Time and Money. The two sources offered interesting views from both side of the spectrum. While interviewing Mr. Coles, I foundRead MoreMontessori : Born On August 31, 31 Years Old At The Age Of 61374 Words   |  6 Pagesof Rome. (Philosophy at the time included much of what we now consider psychology.) She studied theoretical and moral philosophy, the history of philosophy, and psychology as such, but she did not graduate. She also pursued independent study in anthropology and educational philosophy, conducted observations and experimental research in elementary schools, and revisited the work of Itard and Seguin, translating their books into handwritten Italian. During this time she began to consider adapting herRead MoreAdapting to Life in American Universities: Rebekah Nathan780 Words   |  3 Pages After numerous years of educating anthropology at state campus, Rebekah Nathan was perplexed by her students’ deeds. They had established strange actions of eating meals on their desk, not finishing reading projects and remaining silent during class debates. S he felt she was dealing with an external culture. As an anthropologist, she decided to go and cohabit with them as an covert student to study more about them. She registered as a freshman scholar at the university she was coaching. She expendedRead MoreMy Life At The Museum823 Words   |  4 PagesEducation and Events Intern, working with gallery educators, event planners, and the marketing team to brainstorm, build curriculum for, organize, host, and publicize interactive programming for families, all the while incorporating the themes and lessons of Asian art. This six month position offered me a new perspective of the museum world—instead of a patron, I was a professional. As I completed this job, I took an intriguing course offered at SMU: War, Looting, and Collecting of Art in/of the AncientRead MoreEssay on Textbook Analysis: the American Journey1499 Words   |  6 Pagesthe definition of, social studies bring forth the relevance of the book in effective planning and instruction. Whether or not the book conveys separate classroom activities for class participation and a chance to form a deeper understanding of the lesson is desirable. Furthermore, the book should integrate other subjects such as writing to incorporate a deeper interest in social studies. The textbook needs to include methods of assessing the students learning both formally and accurately in each chapterRead MoreIs Medicine A Life Changing Doctor?880 Words   |  4 Pagesdrive to try it, without the understanding of the course my first semester seemed weak, but as soon as orientation was properly delivered by practicing professionals and senior colleagues, I got the grasp of what social is and felt complete as every plan I had down for now and the future correlated with this profession. With proper study, involvement and participation in the social work practice both within and beyond my region (exchange school program) rooting from Babcock University, Ilishan Remo

Wildlife-Conservation and Importance (India) Free Essays

Conservation is the act of using and protecting resources properly. Catching animals, throwing garbage, and using and harnessing the different resources should all adhere to the proper way of conservation. \ Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. We will write a custom essay sample on Wildlife-Conservation and Importance (India) or any similar topic only for you Order Now Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems. Deserts, rain forests, plains, and other areas including the most developed urban sites Importance for Wildlife Conservation * Maintains ecological balance the organisms have their unique positions in food chains, food webs which keep ecological balance. * Wild life contributes to the maintenance of material cycles such as carbon and nitrogen cycles. * For improvement and progress in agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries the genes from wild life preserved as gene bank are utilised in breeding programmes. * Wild life provides a number of useful products like food, medicine, honey, lac, wax, resin, etc. * Colourful birds, insects, beautiful flowers, trees make environment beautiful. Nature†¦ (Indescribable) Food, pets, traditional medicines Anthropologists believe that the Stone Age peoples and hunter-gatherers relied on wildlife, both plant and animal, for their food. In fact, some species may have been hunted to extinction by early human hunters. Today, hunting, fishing, or gathering wildlife is still a significant food source in some parts of the world. In other areas, hunting and non-commercial fishing are mainly seen as a sport or recreation, Many Amazon species, including peccaries, agoutis, turtles, turtle eggs, anacondas, armadillos, etc. are sold primarily as food. Others in these informal markets, such as monkeys and parrots, are destined for the pet trade, often smuggled into the United States. Still other Amazon species are popular ingredients in traditional medicines sold in local markets. The medicinal value of animal parts is based largely on superstition. Religion Many wildlife species have spiritual significance In different cultures around the world, and they and their products may be used as sacred objects in religious rituals. For example, eagles, hawks and their feathers have great cultural and spiritual value to Habitat destruction and fragmentation Farms sprawl across the landscape with paddocks. Media Wildlife has long been a common subject for educational television shows. National Geographic specials appeared on CBS beginning in 1965, The BBC natural history unit in the UK was a similar pioneer, the first wildlife series LOOK presented by Sir Peter Scott, was a studio-based show, with filmed inserts There are many magazines which cover wildlife including National Wildlife Magazine, Birds Blooms, Birding (magazine), and Ranger Rick (for children). Tourism Fuelled by media coverage and inclusion of conservation education in early school curriculum, Wildlife tourism Ecotourism has fast become a popular industry generating substantial income for developing nations with rich wildlife specially, Africa and India. Destruction The rate of extinctions of entire species of plants and animals across the planet has been so high in the last few hundred years it is widely considered that we are in the sixth great extinction event on this planet; the Holocene Mass Extinction. The four most general reasons that lead to destruction of wildlife include Overkill. Overkill occurs whenever hunting occurs at rates greater than the reproductive capacity of the population is being exploited. Hunting, fishing and so on, has lowered the competition between members of a population. However, if this hunting continues at rate greater than the rate at which new members of the population can reach breeding age and produce more young, the population will begin to decrease in numbers. Habitat destruction and fragmentation The habitat of any given species is considered its preferred area or territory. Many processes associated human habitation of an area cause loss of this area and decrease the carrying capacity of the land for that species. Examples of habitat destruction include grazing of bush land by farmed animals, changes to natural fire regimes, forest clearing for timber production and wetland draining for city expansion. Impact of introduced species The vast majority of species exposed to a new habitat do not reproduce successfully. Occasionally, however, some populations do take hold and after a period of acclimation can increase in numbers significantly, having destructive effects on many elements of the native environment. The Rattus Rattus is native to India, but it has spread to almost everywhere in the world. This rat has directly caused, or contributed to, the extinction of multiple wildlife species including a variety of birds, plants and other small mammals. They’re blamed for the incredible decline in seabirds on several islands, including many Hawaiian species Some introduced species (such as most of our food crops and pets) are beneficial. However, others are very damaging. People have moved species around the world for millenia, sometimes by accident, but often with considerable enthusiasm. English garden birds in New Zealand are merely quaint curiosities introduced by settlers wanting the familiar species of their former homes. Some introductions have been devastating — goats or rabbits on various islands, for example. Other introductions, such as those of genetically engineered organisms, present potential problems yet to be considered in any detail. Chains of extinction This final group is one of secondary effects. Large herbivorous animals such as the hippopotamus have populations of insectivorous birds that feed off the many parasitic insects that grow on the hippo. Should the hippo die out, so too will these groups of birds, leading to further destruction as other species dependent on the birds are affected. Also referred to as a Domino effect Wildlife of India The wildlife of India is a mix of species of diverse origins. According to one study, India along with 17 mega diverse countries is home to about 60-70% of the world’s biodiversity. India’s wildlife is both rich and varied. More than 4% of India’s land is under forest cover- there are at least 90 national parks and 482 wildlife sanctuaries. The country is one of the 12 mega diversity areas in the world, in terms of animal. Many Indian species are descendants of taxa originating in Gondwana, to which India originally belonged. Peninsular India’s subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian landmass set off a mass exchange of species. Fauna the political boundaries of India encompass a wide range of ecozones—desert, high mountains, highlands, tropical and temperate forests, swamplands, plains, grasslands, areas surrounding rivers, as well as island archipelago. It hosts three biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas, and the hilly ranges that straddle the India-Myanmar border. The region is also heavily influenced by summer monsoons that cause major seasonal changes in vegetation and habitat. India is home to several well known large mammals including the Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Leopard and Indian Rhinoceros. Some of these animals are engrained in culture, often being associated with deities. These large mammals are important for wildlife tourism in India and several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries cater to these needs. The need for conservation of wildlife in India is often questioned because of the apparently incorrect priority in the face of direct poverty of the people. Skins of various animals including the tiger in Kashmir However Article 48 of the Constitution of India specifies that, â€Å"The state shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country† and Article 51-A states that â€Å"it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures. Recent extinctions Exploitation of land and forest resources by humans along with hunting and trapping for food and sport has led to the extinction of many species in India in recent times. These species include mammals such as the Indian /Asiatic Cheetah, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros Many species have not been seen since their description. The Bengal Tigers in India, although they are threatened to extinction. Some species of birds have gone extinct in recent times, including the Duck and the Himalayan Quail Flora The Flora of India is one of the richest of the world due to a wide range of climate, topology and environments in the country. With about 47000 species of plant species, it occupies tenth place in the world. It is thought there are over 15000 species of flowers in India, which account for 6 percent of the total plant species in the world. [1] and probably many more species. Since ancient times, use of plants as a source of medicines has been the inherent part of life in India. There are more than 3000 officially documented plants in India that holds great medicinal potential. India comprises of seven percent of world’s flora. India is divided into main eight floristic regions namely – Western Himalayas, Eastern Himalayas, Assam, Indus plain, Ganga plain, the Deccan, the Malabar and the Andamans. The classification and ranking of plants varies. Recent extinctions Kerala Legume Tree(1870, India) Arunchal Hopea Tree(1996, India)Nilgiri Holly –(1859, India)Karnataka Sapota(1900, India)Meghalaya Sterculia (1877, India)Courtallum Wendlandia(1997, India) Avi-faunas In India India is blessed with over 2000 species and sub-species of birds. The diverse birdlife of the forests includes large hornbills, serpent eagles and fishing owls, as well as the elegant national bird, the peacock. Waterbirds, such as herons, ibises, storks, cranes, pelicans and others, are seen not only in parks but at numerous special waterbird sanctuaries. These sanctuaries contain large breeding colonies, and are of great importance for the countless numbers of migrating birds which visit India annually. Reptiles In India Among the other wildlife are over 500 species of reptiles and amphibians, including magnificent king cobras, pythons, crocodiles, large freshwater tortoises and monitor lizards. A huge number of snake varieties, lizards and crocodiles account for the reptile count. Snakes include the deadly King cobras to the equally poisonous Kraits. Scorpions and insects are a plenty in this country. Major threats to wildlife Major threats to wildlife can be categorized as below: Habitat Loss: Fewer natural wildlife habitat areas remain each year. Moreover, the habitat that remains has often been degraded to bear little resemblance to the natural wild areas which existed in the past. †¢ Climate Change: Because many types of plants and animals have specific habitat requirements, climate change could cause disastrous loss of wil dlife species. A slight drop or rise in average rainfall will translate into large seasonal changes. Hibernating mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects are harmed and disturbed. Plants and wildlife are sensitive to moisture change so, they will be harmed by any change in the moisture level. Pesticides Toxic Chemicals: Pesticides are deliberately spread to make the environment toxic to certain plants, insects, and rodents, so it should not be surprising that other plants and wildlife are deliberately harmed at the same time. In addition many chemical pollutants are toxic to wildlife, such as PCBs, mercury, petroleum by-products, solvents, antifreeze, etc. †¢ Hunting and Poaching: Unregulated hunting and poaching causes a major threat to wildlife. Along with this, mismanagement of forest department and forest guards triggers this problem. †¢ Natural Phenomenon: Floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, lightning, forest fires How to cite Wildlife-Conservation and Importance (India), Papers

Was the dropping of the atomic bombs justified free essay sample

On December 8th, 1941 the United states of America, â€Å"Land of the free and home to the brave† declared war upon the Empire of Japan in response to Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbour the prior day. On December 7th, 1941, Pearl harbour was attacked and bombed by Japanese pilots without warning, destroying and crippling everything in their path. In one swift stroke Japan had silenced yet enraged the whole of the United States. To avenge all those American lives lost, the United States launched the Manhattan project, developing the greatest weapon created at that time, the Atomic Bomb. On August 6th, 1945, The Atomic Bomb was first unlatched from a bomber above the city of Hiroshima, reducing the city to rubble. Three days later, the next bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, marking the quick yet gruesome end of WWII. There has been a big debate and a lot of controversy towards the dropping of these two bombs; ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat man’. We will write a custom essay sample on Was the dropping of the atomic bombs justified? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Was it really necessary? Some think it was necessary as the country had no other choice, but some people think differently and believe that the Atomic Bomb was an unnecessary sinister and shameful act. There are both valid and compelling arguments on both sides of this Ethical Dilemma. Many believe that the Atomic bomb was the lesser and a necessary evil. This is because in 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. The Americans believed that they had not done much against the Japanese but cut trading to try and stop them from invading more of southern Asia. But this enraged the Japanese more, causing them to attack the states. This attack was uncalled for, as behind the Japanese planes left utter chaos, 2,403 dead, 188 planes destroyed and the remains of the Pacific Fleet that included 8 damaged or destroyed battleships. The U. S wanted revenge for killing all those innocent people in one swipe, so they designed the Atomic bomb, a weapon that would cause mass destruction in a matter of seconds. It was so show Japanese that is was a bad idea to start was on America, and it was a taste of their own medicine, to show them what would happen if they tried to attack again. In addition, this was nearing the end of WWII. Hitler and Germany were already out of the picture, but Japan was still strong, holding several hundred islands in the Indian Ocean. They were the nightmare of the Americans, an extremely powerful force equipped everything from the latest technology to the toughest soldiers. The 5,000,000 soldiers in the Japanese army were trained to the extent of rather dying than surrender, trained to know and face that they could die any moment for their country. America moved to take out Japan by defeating the Japanese on several islands, but because of their kamikazes, they took heavy casualties, and the Japanese lost far less men than they did. A full-scale invasion of Japan would have cost thousands upon thousands of American lives, and that was simply unacceptable! America would have been weakened in the sense that their military could have been reduced drastically. It was estimated by the army that 500,000 to 2,000,000 American lives would be lost in a successful invasion, as the Japanese would not surrender and would rather die fighting. Dropping the atomic bombs saved American lives and killed over 50,000 Japanese in total, instead of the large number that would have died in an invasion. The bomb crippled the Japanese and stopped them from attacking the states, thus effectively ending WWII in the Pacific Ocean. People also believed that President Harry Truman was justified in not one but both atomic bombs on Japan. Ending the war was the main reason why President Truman launched the atomic bombs in the first place. He wanted the unconditional and quick surrender of Japan, but even after the first bomb of destruction, he failed to gain this, leaving him no choice but to drop the second bomb. But with the second launch came the surrender of Japan, and World War II would come to a halt. Americans would have to no longer keep fighting in this brutal war and return troops home back to their families. The last argument proposed from the U.S. Stated that the Director of the Manhattan Project wanted to see the price of his labours before the war ended. The equipment used to arm the Americans and to develop the atomic bomb was approximately $20 billion, and they wanted to make sure they did not waste any money. They felt like they needed to see the aftermath of the bomb, and felt like the whole worl d needed to see the aftermath, so after the war, there would be no more major attacks on the U. S. A. On the other hand, some argue that the dropping of the atomic Bomb was necessary, some believe that it was immoral and unjustifiable in every way. It was simply an act of cruelty, torture, pure evil. The bombing killed over 50,000 people in Hiroshima was immoral and shameful. People who survived the blast of the bomb had their skin melted off, eyes burned out, disintegrated by a bomb with an explosion equal to over 20,000 tons of TNT. And for the Americans so stand there and watch it happen is inhumane and unacceptable. This has to be considered a war crime, the United States were too uneducated at the time. This was nothing other than a brutal murder. If the bomb wasn’t dropped, it would have saved thousands and thousands of lives. The effective sea blockade and the successful bombing with ordinary weapons had already done enough damage for the Japanese to surrender. Furthermore, the bomb was not needed as said by the allied commander Eisenhower, as he said Japan was already largely defeated and the bomb was no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives. Yet Truman ignored this advice and still decided to bomb Japan. If the bombs hadn’t been dropped, Japan possibly would have surrendered shortly as they were defeated to an extent of losing most of their navy and air force. The dropping of the American Bomb showed that they did not care what happened to Japan, as long as they won the war. The people most affected by the Atomic Bomb would not be military men who killed Americans, but innocent civilians Women and Children, I repeat, innocent children, were butchered. Many of these children died slow, horrible deaths. I can only imagine the outrage that would come from the citizens of the United States if New York had been bombed, and instead you were the ones who had to watch the skin melt off of your childrens faces. â€Å"They had adopted the moral standards of the Barbarians of the Dark Ages. † Said Admiral Leahy. Also, during the war, most of the Americans, if not all, were Christians. In 1946, a report by the Federal Council of Churches entitled Atomic Warfare and the Christian Faith, includes the following passage: â€Å"As American Christians, we are deeply penitent for the irresponsible use already made of the atomic bomb. We are agreed that, whatever be ones judgement of the war in principle, the surprise bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are morally indefensible. † This was against the ten commandments of Christianity and the words of God, the Bible, which states clearly that ‘Thou Shalt not Kill. ’ In conclusion, I believe that both sides of the argument, as said previously, have very strong and justifiable reasons. The Americans Certainly did a bad evil that killed thousands of innocent children and civilians, but in my opinion it was necessary, as they were putting their own country first, being independent to save as many American lives as possible. In a war like this, it is survival of the fittest. They were trying to lessen the impact and damage whilst also ending the war, as quickly as possible as they wanted no more violence. Although the Americans were unaware of the long term effects of the bomb, they did this in retaliation to the lives lost by a surprise attack that was not suspected. The Americans played fair and gave Japan 5 days to surrender. I respect President Truman’s decision and I would have agreed to give them a chance, but if America gave them another chance, it would make them look weak and Japan may attack with full force, and this will lead to more American casualties and Japanese casualties. I believe that the atomic bomb is was the lesser and necessary evil, and although many died from the bomb, it would not add up to the lives lost if the war didn’t end immediately. Statistics say that If the bomb wasn’t dropped, over ten times the casualties of the bomb would die from a full scale invasion. If the bomb wasn’t dropped, many of us wouldn’t be here today.

The Civilian Conservation Corps Essay Example For Students

The Civilian Conservation Corps Essay CCC The hardships of the Great Depression of the early part of the twentieth century lead to many drastic decisions by our countries leaders on how to deal with the problem. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States at the time, decided to infiltrate the country with government money to create jobs and better the country as a whole. The Civilian Conservation Corps Essay, or CCC created many of these jobs. The Civilian Conservation Corps, which was established in 1933 to conserve the wilderness and give young able men jobs. This program was one of Roosevelts New Deal programs that were to bring the country out of the depression. We will write a custom essay on The Civilian Conservation Corps specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The Civilian Conservation Corps took in unmarried men from ages eighteen to twenty-five and moved them to the wilderness to work. They planted trees, built parks, fought soil erosion, and preformed timber culturing (Davidson 718). The Civilian Conservation Corps set up camps all over the country with many of them right here in the western part of Virginia. There were eight different camps in the Shenandoah Valley. Seeing as the Shenandoah Valley, specifically Staunton is where I am from, I wish to focus on the three camps that were located within Augusta County. North River, West Augusta, and Sherando were the names of the three camps located within Augusta County. North River Camp, also known as Mount Solon Camp, was first established on May 31, 1933 by one hundred eighty-six men. These men first had to create a clearing for the camp and establish living quarters. They built nineteen different buildings for Jennings 2 uses such as recreation, dining, worship, storage and sleep. The camp men built many of the surrounding areas attractions. These men developed an intricate maze of fire roads, horseback trails and timber paths for future development of the National Forest in that area of Augusta County. Another accomplishment of this particular camp was the cleaning up of Staunton Dam, or Elkhorn Lake. This lake supplied the camp and Staunton with its water and had been contaminated by erosion. The men spent considerable time fixing the erosion problem and beautifying the area into a wilderness attraction. Now many families still retreat to this lake for picnics and camping trips. The West Augusta Camp was located further into the wilderness than the North River Camp or the Sherando Camp. The West Augusta Camp men spent most of their time constructing roads throughout the underdeveloped and extremely impoverished area. Being surrounded by the George Washington National Forrest, the men also did many timber culturing; tree plantings, and timber stand improvements. This area was an extremely wet area so they constructed many fish dams for the production of trout. This camp was quite active and production was well noted. They completed 28.5 miles of roads over the Appalachian Mountain range, built and maintained three fire towers on three different mountains, constructed two new hiking trails, flooding control, improved fish habitat, roadside pull offs on Shenandoah Mountain, and road and trail signs. The West Augusta Camp was considered one of the Civilian Conservation Corps best camps in the United States. Many of the structures that were constructed and all of the trails and towers are still standing and used to this day. In fact the area is now call Jennings 3 Ramseys Draft and the highways they built are considered one of the most beautiful to visit during the fall foliage. The final Civilian Conservation Corps camp located in Augusta County was named Sherando Camp. This camp was established on May 15, 1933 and was manned by one hundred fifty-two enrollees. Approximately ninety percent of the work done by this camp was road construction of some sort. The other ten percent of the work was done on a recreational lake to be named Sherando Lake. The lakes dam required thirty thousand cubic yards of fill. .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 , .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .postImageUrl , .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 , .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4:hover , .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4:visited , .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4:active { border:0!important; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4:active , .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4 .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u819b8ff568dadab47f9ff3e7289cc8c4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The escape from kraznir Essay The lake was to be twenty-five acres in area and around fifty feet deep at its deepest point. They also constructed streambeds, telephone lines, sewer system, water system, parking lots and buildings for the Sherando Lake site. Today Sherando Lake is one of the biggest wilderness tourist attractions in the Augusta County area because of its beauty and remoteness. . The Civilian Conservation Corps Essay Example For Students The Civilian Conservation Corps Essay CCC The hardships of the Great Depression of the early part of the twentieth century lead to many drastic decisions by our countries leaders on how to deal with the problem. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States at the time, decided to infiltrate the country with government money to create jobs and better the country as a whole. The Civilian Conservation Corps Essay, or CCC created many of these jobs. The Civilian Conservation Corps, which was established in 1933 to conserve the wilderness and give young able men jobs. This program was one of Roosevelts New Deal programs that were to bring the country out of the depression. We will write a custom essay on The Civilian Conservation Corps specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The Civilian Conservation Corps took in unmarried men from ages eighteen to twenty-five and moved them to the wilderness to work. They planted trees, built parks, fought soil erosion, and preformed timber culturing (Davidson 718). The Civilian Conservation Corps set up camps all over the country with many of them right here in the western part of Virginia. There were eight different camps in the Shenandoah Valley. Seeing as the Shenandoah Valley, specifically Staunton is where I am from, I wish to focus on the three camps that were located within Augusta County. North River, West Augusta, and Sherando were the names of the three camps located within Augusta County. North River Camp, also known as Mount Solon Camp, was first established on May 31, 1933 by one hundred eighty-six men. These men first had to create a clearing for the camp and establish living quarters. They built nineteen different buildings for Jennings 2 uses such as recreation, dining, worship, storage and sleep. The camp men built many of the surrounding areas attractions. These men developed an intricate maze of fire roads, horseback trails and timber paths for future development of the National Forest in that area of Augusta County. Another accomplishment of this particular camp was the cleaning up of Staunton Dam, or Elkhorn Lake. This lake supplied the camp and Staunton with its water and had been contaminated by erosion. The men spent considerable time fixing the erosion problem and beautifying the area into a wilderness attraction. Now many families still retreat to this lake for picnics and camping trips. The West Augusta Camp was located further into the wilderness than the North River Camp or the Sherando Camp. The West Augusta Camp men spent most of their time constructing roads throughout the underdeveloped and extremely impoverished area. Being surrounded by the George Washington National Forrest, the men also did many timber culturing; tree plantings, and timber stand improvements. This area was an extremely wet area so they constructed many fish dams for the production of trout. This camp was quite active and production was well noted. They completed 28.5 miles of roads over the Appalachian Mountain range, built and maintained three fire towers on three different mountains, constructed two new hiking trails, flooding control, improved fish habitat, roadside pull offs on Shenandoah Mountain, and road and trail signs. The West Augusta Camp was considered one of the Civilian Conservation Corps best camps in the United States. Many of the structures that were constructed and all of the trails and towers are still standing and used to this day. In fact the area is now call Jennings 3 Ramseys Draft and the highways they built are considered one of the most beautiful to visit during the fall foliage. The final Civilian Conservation Corps camp located in Augusta County was named Sherando Camp. This camp was established on May 15, 1933 and was manned by one hundred fifty-two enrollees. Approximately ninety percent of the work done by this camp was road construction of some sort. The other ten percent of the work was done on a recreational lake to be named Sherando Lake. The lakes dam required thirty thousand cubic yards of fill. .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 , .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .postImageUrl , .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 , .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352:hover , .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352:visited , .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352:active { border:0!important; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352:active , .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352 .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0d41c2024ef67a6fef80d15231f48352:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Why Home Schooled Students Should Have Access to Extracurricular Activities Essay The lake was to be twenty-five acres in area and around fifty feet deep at its deepest point. They also constructed streambeds, telephone lines, sewer system, water system, parking lots and buildings for the Sherando Lake site. Today Sherando Lake is one of the biggest wilderness tourist attractions in the Augusta County area because of its beauty and remoteness. .

Essay Writing Guide

Essay Writing Guide Essay Writing Guide Essay Writing Guide College essay writing is a specific work that demonstrates students knowledge and skills in definite discipline. The main goal of the essay writing is to persuade the reader in the actuality of the problem and to give a possible solution to problem from the point of view of a student. English essay writing is expected to be an independent work of a student. According to the experience of our professional writers, there is a number of mistakes (errors) students tend to make while writing their essays. The following essay writing tips are presented here to help you avoid the most common errors done in introduction, main part, and conclusion. Errors in the introduction: Failure to include a clear thesis statement defining the topic and setting the direct for essay writing Mixing the notions: object of study and subject of study; Statement of the purpose, objectives, scientific innovation and practical significance, which is not disclosed in the body of essay writing; Indication of the knowledge base that is not used in the main body of the essay. Terms definition vagueness. Errors in the main part: Substitution of arguing statement (there are too many or to less argumentations); Illogical structure of the English essay writing: Absence of linking paragraphs, sentences, words; Errors in the conclusion: Triviality and obviousness; Formulation of the interim results; The use of statements that are not essential for the essay writing and do not flow from the purpose of research. Custom Essay Writing If you are in need of professional custom essay writing services, you have great opportunity to rely on professionalism of our experienced essay writers who are able to write an impressive essay for you. We do not resell written projects and we do not plagiarize! We simply write perfect essays from scratch! Undoubtedly, there are many assignment of diverse complexity; nevertheless, our pricing system is adjusted only to deadline! It means that you know what you are paying for and can easily choose the most suitable deadline as well as price for your assignment! Read also: Writing a Dissertation Proposal Thesis Writing Thesis Writing Format My Dissertation How to Make a Thesis

Chemometrics and Statistics coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Chemometrics and Statistics coursework - Essay Example nce in pharmacological activities (Xu et al,2012).They are also known to be similar in terms of morphology, hence normally classified by experts or herb farmers. This process needs a long term experience and it is based on the judgment that is subjective. Furthermore, they tend to be fragile as well as very hard to be differentiated in cases when the aerial parts are missing. In regards to this, it is important to develop a method that could be able to differentiate this plants and the method which is not based on the plant appearance (Fan et al, 2006). There are previous methods that are used in the differentiation of AS and AH.They include gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and relies on essential oils and X-ray fluorescence analysis (Su, 1999). In relation to these procedures, in the course of the isolation of the essential oils through either solvent extraction or hydro-distillation, it is seen to be tedious and there is a high consumption of a large volume of both the solvent and the sample (such as 50–100 g). Hence, at this point, it is important to have solvent-free, a simple and rapid sample pretreatment method like headspace sampling. Such technique has also the advantage whereby fewer samples is required (normally less than 1g) and the capacity of being automated through a commercialized sampling system Head space is a gas space in a chromatography vial located above sample. The component of the volatile sample usually diffuse into the gas phase and later if forms headspace gas. Therefore, headspace analytical technique involves the analyzing the components that are present in that gas. Â  Headspace G-C is the most appropriate in the analysis of volatiles that are very light in the given sample which can be partitioned efficiently into the headspace gas volume from the solid or liquid matrix sample. Higher boiling semi-volatiles and volatiles are known not to be detected in such a technique because in the gas headspace volume, they do

People Express Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

People Express Case Analysis - Essay Example & development (T&D) of skills, employee relations, retention and motivation strategies, workplace culture and delegation of power, authority and responsibility. People Express indeed adopted some far reaching HRM practices to achieve organizational goals. The most powerful motivator of the workforce was the requirement to become shareholder of the company in addition to being an employee. Next the company encouraged team work in which 3 to 4 employees were teamed together so that time waste in coordinating work effort could be reduced and employees would be motivated by team spirit. In addition to these employee friendly work practices and motivators a number of others were also adopted. However the organizational outcomes were poor and questionable. In the first place People Express’s HRM practices were purely based on the textbook theory. Secondly motivation related HRM practices ignored productivity. In other words these HRM practices at people Express were poor growth drivers. For instance work teams don’t on their own produce efficiently simply because they are allowed to be self-reliant. In fact at People Express, work teams tended to be smugly satisfied with their own performance in the absence of standards of reference. Performance of work teams has to be measured against relative performances of others and this requires common standards to be set up on a priority basis. Broader level of employee participation, minimal hierarchy, in-house expertise and problem solving and job rotation practices were good measures but they were not backed by a system of performance-based metrics. The airline was operating in a relatively competition-free and regulation-free domestic market then. However, with the ever increasing threat of competition the airline HRM practices at People Express were oriented towards creating a pleasant work environment without a set of well defined corporate goals. Effective HRM practices must be aligned with organizational outcomes

A Donors Major Gift Path with the Seven Faces Assignment

A Donors Major Gift Path with the Seven Faces - Assignment Example According to the mission, Tzu Chi does not discriminate people but it provides gifts to people without consideration of the religion. The organization is a Buddhist foundation but provides the gifts to members of other religion because it does not require the person receiving the gift to disclose the religious practice (Tzu Ch 2). Tzu Chi has many sub-organizations located in different part of the world. The sub-organizations include international medical association and the college youth association. The foundation was established in 1966 by Master Cheng Yen in Hualien, Taiwan. Other branches for Tzu Chi are located in Asia, Europe, Africa and North and South America. The organization provides services with the help of paid and volunteer staffs. The staffs are recognized in the world with their color of the uniform they ware while providing services. They ware white and blue informs known as the blue angels. The salary for the paid staff is obtained from the gifts provided by the donors. The volunteer are not paid but are given tokens for lunch and personal needs. Tzu Chi undertakes many tasks and it has different workers who provide different services. The services provided by the organization are education, medical, case management and disaster relief. The organization has staff workers who provide services in those departments. The volunteers are given task in respect to their qualification while the paid workers are employed to fill the vacant position which needs specialist or professional (Tzu Ch 5). Most of the donors come from Taiwan. Tzu Chi does not target the rich but accepts a donation from people of different class. The founder, Master Cheng Hen states that giving is the sincere privilege and not privilege of the rich. The donor who was giving out the gift was a man and due to the privacy, his name was not disclosed by the development officer.  

Important Ethical Theories Is Utilitarianism Philosophy Essay

Important Ethical Theories Is Utilitarianism Philosophy Essay One of the most important ethical theories is Utilitarianism. For utilitarianism, moral duty is to be determined through an assessment of the consequences of an action. In other words, utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory of ethics. More specifically, utilitarianism finds moral worth in those actions which maximize overall happiness the happiness of the greatest number of people. The premise of the theory is a naturalistic view of ethics: ethics is said to be associated not only with consequences of actins but, more specifically, with pleasure-maximizing consequences. This is the case because utilitarianism sees human nature as pleasure-seeking. For pleasure you can substitute utility, preference, or happiness if you insist, but the main point remains the same. This is not an implausible human psychology, of course. Ethics cannot be about psychology [it is about what ought to be done and not about what is in fact the case], but ethical theories cannot ignore human psychology, either; if an ethical theory ignored human psychology, it would be running the risk of recommending what might be impossible for human nature what is called supererogation, or sainthood to put it in a different way. Utilitarianism claims to be a theory that appeals to common sense. This is certainly strength and an asset for a theory. It is indeed a matter of common sense that if we want to perform moral deeds toward people, we should wish to make them happy. Pay attention to this: For utilitarianism, it does not matter at all whether we intend to make people happy. As said above, utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory it pays attention to consequences; all that matters is that the outcome of our action redounds to the greatest possible happiness of the greatest possible number. A strange corollary of this is that we are supposed to have done something moral even if our motives for benefiting the greatest possible number of people are not at all moral even if they are self-interested. Notice also that utilitarianism does not recommend that you pay attention to your own happiness and pleasure. Utilitarianism is not a form of moral egoism it is not a theory that tells you to put yourself above everyone else. Utilitarianism does not tell you to put those close to you above all else either. Clearly, if you did that, you would not be taking into account the benefit or happiness of the greatest possible number of people. You might be wondering now: why should one care about the greatest possible number of people? This is not an objection against utilitarianism in particular any more than it is an objection against any ethical theory: why should we care about doing the right thing? This is not always an easy question to answer theoretically but it becomes an easier question once we pay attention to common sense and to the ways in which human beings are constituted and known to comport themselves toward other people. If you want to do the right thing, utilitarianism give s you an objective and almost formulaic answer: act in such a way as to benefit the greatest possible number of people. In other words, you should act in such a way as to maximize the happiness of the greatest number or overall happiness. There are many particular variants of utilitarianism. For some, you maximize happiness of the greatest number; for other versions, you maximize a utility that can be minutely calculated; or the preferences of people, after you ask them directly instead of appealing to expert opinions. But, in any case, for a theory to be utilitarian, what is maximized must be the happiness, utility curves, average utility, preferences, happiness, or whatever of the greatest number. A major disagreement that erupted within utilitarianism from early is this: Do all pleasures count as the same, or is there a hierarchy or ranking order of pleasures with certain refined and distinctly human pleasures counting as much higher than other, lower, pleasures? Bentham, a felicific utilitarian and originator of the utilitarian school of thought, held that all pleasures are the same. It is clear in this that utilitarianism is anti-elitist and egalitarian there can hardly be a more dramatic manifestation than this equal counting of pleasures. It is still necessary to weigh pleasures to multiply them by different numbers as you try to calculate the consequences of your action but the criteria for a differential weighing of pleasures are subjectively felt intensity, duration, purity [no amalgamation with painful after-effects], and other considerations of this nature. John Stuart Mill, on the other hand, who succeeded Bentham in the utilitarian movement, disagreed. Mill thou ght that it is better to be Socrates unsatisfied rather than a pig satisfied, whereas Bentham had famously opined that push pin is as good as poetry push pin being a mindless and elementary game for children. It is controversial which version of utilitarianism is more consistent as an ethical theory. The strengths of utilitarianism are: It is an objective theory it affords you a method for calculating how you should act regardless of personal confusion or momentary perplexity. The theory is also better than many other theories when it comes to dealing with challenging moral dilemmas cases in which it seems that, no matter how you choose to act, you risk failing to perform a basic human duty you have. Utilitarianism is also consistent with many ethical intuitive insights human beings have about what it takes to be human and what is required in performing moral deeds toward ones fellow human beings. Unlike most other ethical theories, utilitarianism has the apparent advantage that it includes in its compass not only rational i.e. human beings, but all sentient beings, which can experience pain and pleasure. So, animals are not left out by utilitarian ethicists and cruelty toward animals can be consistently condemned by utilitarian theory. Utilitarianism is quite straightforward to apply excepting vagueness as to calculation methods and ways of counting intensity and permanence of pleasures, the method is not difficult to understand. The method of utilitarianism is surprisingly consistent with ethical insights from other moral traditions including, for instance, Christianity, which also appeals to human beings to love and benefit and avoid to harm others, and promises recompense of happiness in the form of a good feeling in this life and heaves rewards in the afterlife. Utilitarianism also satisfies another intuition we have about what is needed for an ethical theory: it treats people equally, provided they are equally situated. Conveniently, utilitarianism finds one common denominator pleasure or happiness to which consequences of actions are reduced. This allows for a calculation to be performed, and ones moral duty to be determined, regardless of how complex and challenging the actual case is. There are also problems with utilitarianism. Utilitarians begin with a logically fallacious equivocation on the meaning of the word desirable. Notice that the foundation of utilitarianism its attempt at procuring a proof of its validity consists in its claim that pursuit of happiness is evidently desirable in human life and the claim of utilitarians is that this is so evident that the proof itself is solid and easy to grasp. But the word desirable is equivocal: It can mean something that is desired in fact; or it can mean what should be desired. Utilitarians claim that we can easily see that the latter meaning is implied this is actually question-beginning, because utilitarianism is actually trying to prove to us that pleasure-seeking is desirable in this sense, in the sense of what ought to be desired for others, and for the greatest number of people, in moral action. But, actually, what is more obviously clear is that pleasure-seeking is desirable in the first sense: it is what people actually desire, but we are still awaiting for a proof to the effect that this is what people ought to desire. Other problems are even more serious: It is not clear why anything should be accorded a non-negotiable, infinite, or intrinsic value. Why shouldnt everything be thrown into the utilitarian calculus? This means that even those things which we hold to be intrinsic goods and non-negotiable, are to be added and subtracted and might be dispensable if the outcome is that the greatest possible number benefits. This dispensability must then apply even to rights, to privacy, and to life itself. For instance, why shouldnt we sacrifice one perfectly healthy person so that we can use his internal organs as transplants for ten otherwise viable patients? No matter how you calculate this referring to this particular action of sacrificing this individual the outcome is indeed maximization of overall happiness in the society. Some utilitarians might even suggest that, shocking though this may sound, it is not clear why this exchange of one life for ten is not the moral thing to do. You can construc t other hypotheticals in which sacrifice of ones right might sound morally appropriate if the stakes affect the happiness, or life, of a greater number of individuals. And yet, there is a problem when rights, and even human life, are thrown into the utilitarian calculus. Utilitarians realized that there is a problem here that can prove potentially fatal for the theory. There is an answer within utilitarian theory and the answer consists in the important distinction between act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Everything we have said so far covers act utilitarianism application of a utilitarian calculus with a view to determining what is the moral course of action to take: you should, in this view, do what maximizes overall happiness for the greatest number and you can take into account the long run, and so on. But, for rule utilitarianism, you should actually apply the utilitarian calculus not to the projected consequences of an action but to the projected consequences of adopting a certain rule of behavior for the whole society to follow in the long run. This saves utilitarianism from the embarrassment of cases like the one mentioned above and others like it for instance, cases of sacrificing one innocent person to appease a riotous mob that is threatening many more lives in its violent path, or torturing the innocent daughter of a terrorist to induce the terrorist to turn himself in and prevent several deaths. But, switch now to rule utilitarianism and see what happens: What would be the consequences of adopting as a societal rule the random sacrifice of a healthy person for the sake of organ harvesting? It seems that a society that lived according to this rule could not be a happy society people would be anxious lest the lot fell on them next time organ harvesting became necessary. Still, there are rules which, as a utilitarian, you will have to adopt as maximizing the happiness or utility of the greatest possible number, and which, at the same time, violate individual rights or other values we hold intrinsic and unalienable under most circumstances. This seems to be the Achilles heel of utilitarianism. But do not lose sight of the strengths of utilitarianism mentioned above. Utilitarianism is the alternative to Kants ethical theory called deontology. The two are the two major ethical theories. Defining Utilitarianism. Differing definitions It may be noticed by the scholar of utilitarianism that the definition of the core of the theory (the principle of utility) has changed over the years, such that the modern version has a number of significant differences from that given by Jeremy Bentham: By the principle of utility is meant that principle which approves or disapproves of every action whatsoever, according to the tendency it appears to have to augment or diminish the happiness of the party whose interest is in question: or, what is the same thing in other words, to promote or to oppose that happiness. The modern definition is effectively this: An action is right if it produces as much or more of an increase in happiness of all affected by it than any alternative action, and wrong if it does not. There are a number of differences between the two versions my thoughts on these differences follow. 1. Subject matter The modern version is explicitly to do with right and wrong, and, since utilitarianism is an ethical theory, this would seem to be quite appropriate. Benthams version is about approval and disapproval, and he seems quite unconcerned with right and wrong indeed he goes on to say only that Of an action that is conformable to the principle of utility one may always say either that it is one that ought to be done, or at least that it is not one that ought not to be done. One may say also, that it is right it should be done; at least that it is not wrong it should be done: that it is a right action; at least that it is not a wrong action. When thus interpreted, the words ought, and right and wrong and others of that stamp, have a meaning: when otherwise, they have none. The apparent ambiguity from Bentham may be to cover the (hypothetical) case where two different actions have exactly equivalent results Bentham may simply be avoiding the implication that someone ought do two mutually exclusive actions (if so, he uses a very blunt tool to achieve his task see below). Or, and this is what I am inclined to believe, he just might not be particularly concerned with right and wrong as they are commonly understood. What I mean by this is that if we say, of two possible different exclusive actions, that one leads to a better state of affairs than the other, then we have said all that needs to be said about them to go on to say that the first action is right and the second wrong either adds nothing, or it seems to suggest (some deontologists would say implies) that to do the second action is blameworthy, or rightfully punishable, or morally disgusting or some other phrase indicating a conditioned morality rather than an objective value-maximizing one some thing that Bentham (and myself) would take care to avoid. When right and wrong are stripped of their punishment connotations, I believe they are equivalent to approval or disapproval by a principle, provided that this principle is justified or warranted by the existence of objective (moral) value. 2. Obscurity Part of Benthams definition is quite obscure: according to the tendency it appears to have. Appears? Appears to whom? Is the core evaluating principle of utilitarianism subjective? And why be concerned with appearances rather than the actual effects? I think this is a mistake by Bentham, where he has tried to deal with the problem of uncertainty in the wrong section of his theory. I believe tendency is also open to misinterpretation if it is thought to imply that utility involves (only) a class of actions, but this should not happen since it has already been established that it is for any particular action. 3. Extent Benthams definition is of utility for some particular party, whereas the modern version is for everyone affected by the action. Neither is really what we mean we normally consider that Utility considers all (relevant) interests, which is not necessarily what is being said in the modern version (which is potentially subtly misleading). To illustrate: if I am trying to show that the (specific) action I have just performed was the right one, it is not only those who were affected by this action (compared to inaction) whom we must consider, but also all those who wouldve been affected had I chosen another action instead. I am sure this ambiguity is very common in discussions about Utility, especially those involving an effort to explain utilitarianism in simple (or laymans) terms though whether or not it actually deceives (that is, that people get the wrong impression) I am not so clear about. There is really no need for this ambiguity: we can say simply that the right action is simply the one that maximizes total utility or maximizes total happiness or whatever, we need not say for whom. Any limit we suggest for the scope of our consideration only lengthens the explanation and as weve seen introduces the potential for misunderstanding. So let us agree with Bentham when he decided that the greatest happiness principle is a better mnemonic for the principle of utility than its predecessor the greatest happiness for the greatest number (or the same with good substituted for happiness). And let us hope that any new definition we produce replaces the current one faster than Benthams later suggestion effectively replaced his former for this replacement is, in common usage, yet to occur. 4. Compared to what? According to Bentham, we are concerned with augmentation and diminuation of happiness, which is to say the changes from the present situation. Utility approves of an action if it makes things better, it disapproves of it if it makes things worse; it approves of one action more than another if that action makes things better than the other. The modern version is quite different on this point. What is compared against is not the current situation, but the situations that would result from alternative actions. So of two exclusive actions, both of which would increase the level of happiness compared to the present level but by different (positive) amounts, the modern principle would call the better action right and the not-so-good wrong, whereas Benthams utility would approve of both (but approve of the better one somewhat more) and hold that both actions are right, and ought be done, or at least that they are not wrong, that it is not the case that they ought not be done. It is surprising to note that neither Benthams nor the modern version admit of degrees of right and wrong, where it is quite in accordance with common usage to do so: we may usually speak of the right action in a given situation, the alternative actions beings wrong, but it is quite common to speak of one such alternative action being more wrong than another yet this is quite unaccounted for under these definitions. There is also a potential stumbling-block for the modern versions comparison: it may be thought that, in choosing between alternative actions, that it implies that there are actually some possible alternative actions in existence. This is a problem if the universe (and particularly psychology) is deterministic, for then it will be the case that there are no possible alternative actions. An agent can only do what he does to do something else would take a different agent or a different situation, so given the agent and the situation, only one outcome is possible. If determinism is true, the modern version of utility would (thus interpreted) tell us that everything that happens is right. This problem can be solved only with the acknowledgement that the alternatives under consideration may not actually be possible. In this case, in order to prevent the required analysis of wild fantastical actions, the range must be limited to those actions that can be done, if the agent chooses to do them. That the agent can choose anything other than what he goes on to choose, is (under this interpretation) neither implied nor denied. In contrast, Benthams version is clearly unaffected by the presence or absence of non-deterministic free will: it can go on approving or disapproving of actions whether these actions are necessary or not, and whether there are alternatives or not. If what happens is determined solely by the fundamental laws of physics, as they existed at the big bang, then to that extent Benthams Utility can imply approval or disapproval of the universe as is, has been, and will be. More Bentham Bentham clarifies the position and extent of Utility in various later parts of the text: An action then may be said to be conformable to the principle of utility, or, for shortness sake, to utility, (meaning with respect to the community at large) when the tendency it has to augment the happiness of the community is greater than any it has to diminish it. Notice that, in this expression, utility is concerned with actual not apparent tendencies, and that utility is also shown to apply to the effects on the community at large (which we can take to mean everyone) rather than some specific party. Also: A man may be said to be a partizan of the principle of utility, when the approbation or disapprobation he annexes to any action, or to any measure, is determined by and proportioned to the tendency which he conceives it to have to augment or to diminish the happiness of the community Here I think it is reasonable for this approbation to be determined by the conceived utility of the action, for this is the judgement of a man and a man must make his judgements without full knowledge of the relevant facts. If it were defined by actual rather than conceived utility, a utilitarian would not be a utilitarian when he was factually mistaken! The point about Utility being with regard to the community is also remade here. The History of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is one of the most powerful and persuasive approaches to normative ethics in the history of philosophy. Though not fully articulated until the 19th century, proto-utilitarian positions can be discerned throughout the history of ethical theory. Though there are many varieties of the view discussed, utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. There are many ways to spell out this general claim. One thing to note is that the theory is a form of consequentialism: the right action is understood entirely in terms of consequences produced. What distinguishes utilitarianism from egoism has to do with the scope of the relevant consequences. On the utilitarian view one ought to maximize the overall good that is, consider the good of others as well as ones own good. The Classical Utilitarian, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, identified the good with pleasure, so, like Epicurus, were hedonists about value. They also held that we ought to maximize the good, that is, bring about the greatest amount of good for the greatest number. Utilitarianism is also distinguished by impartiality and agent-neutrality. Everyones happiness counts the same. When one maximizes the good, it is the good impartially considered. My good counts for no more than anyone elses good. Further, the reason I have to promote the overall good is the same reason anyone else has to so promote the good. It is not peculiar to me. All of these features of this approach to moral evaluation and/or moral decision-making have proven to be somewhat controversial and subsequent controversies have led to changes in the Classical version of the theory. 1. Precursors to the Classical Approach 2. The Classical Approach 2.1 Jeremy Bentham 2.2 John Stuart Mill 3. Henry Sidgwick 4. Ideal Utilitarianism Precursors to the Classical Approach Though the first systematic account of utilitarianism was developed by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the core insight motivating the theory occurred much earlier. That insight is that morally appropriate behavior will not harm others, but instead increase happiness or utility. What is distinctive about utilitarianism is its approach in taking that insight and developing an account of moral evaluation and moral direction that expands on it. Early precursors to the Classical Utilitarians include the British Moralists, Cumberland, Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Gay, and Hume. Of these, Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746) is explicitly utilitarian when it comes to action choice. Some of the earliest utilitarian thinkers were the theological utilitarians such as Richard Cumberland (1631-1718) and John Gay (1699-1745). They believed that promoting human happiness was incumbent on us since it was approved by God. After enumerating the ways in which humans come under obligations (by perceiving the natural consequences of things, the obligation to be virtuous, our civil obligations that arise from laws, and obligations arising from the authority of God) John Gay writes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦from the consideration of these four sorts of obligationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is evident that a full and complete obligation which will extend to all cases, can only be that arising from the authority of God; because God only can in all cases make a man happy or miserable: and therefore, since we are always obliged to that conformity called virtue, it is evident that the immediate rule or criterion of it is the will of God. (R, 412) Gay held that since God wants the happiness of mankind , and since Gods will gives us the criterion of virtue, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the happiness of mankind may be said to be the criterion of virtue, but once removed. (R, 413) This view was combined with a view of human motivation with egoistic elements. A persons individual salvation, her eternal happiness, depended on conformity to Gods will, as did virtue itself. Promoting human happiness and ones own coincided, but, given Gods design, it was not an accidental coincidence. This approach to utilitarianism, however, is not theoretically clean in the sense that it isnt clear what essential work God does, at least in terms of normative ethics. God as the source of normativity is compatible with utilitarianism, but utilitarianism doesnt require this. Gays influence on later writers, such as Hume, deserves note. It is in Gays essay that some of the questions that concerned Hume on the nature of virtue are addressed. For example, Gay was curious about how to explain our practice of approbation and disapprobation of action and character. When we see an act that is vicious we disapprove of it. Further, we associate certain things with their effects, so that we form positive associations and negative associations that also underwrite our moral judgments. Of course, that we view happiness, including the happiness of others as a good, is due to Gods design. This is a feature crucial to the theological approach, which would clearly be rejected by Hume in favor of a naturalistic view of human nature and a reliance on our sympathetic engagement with others, an approach anticipated by Shaftesbury (below). The theological approach to utilitarianism would be developed later by William Paley, for example, but the lack of any theoretical necess ity in appealing to God would result in its diminishing appeal. Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury (1671-1713) is generally thought to have been the one of the earliest moral sense theorists, holding that we possess a kind of inner eye that allows us to make moral discriminations. This seems to have been an innate sense of right and wrong, or moral beauty and deformity. Again, aspects of this doctrine would be picked up by Francis Hutcheson and David Hume (1711-1776). Hume, of course, would clearly reject any robust realist implications. If the moral sense is like the other perceptual senses and enables us to pick up on properties out there in the universe around us, properties that exist independent from our perception of them, that are objective, then Hume clearly was not a moral sense theorist in this regard. But perception picks up on features of our environment that one could regard as having a contingent quality. There is one famous passage where Hume likens moral discrimination to the perception of secondary qualities, such as color. In modern terminology, these are response-dependent properties, and lack objectivity in the sense that they do not exist independent of our responses. This is radical. If an act is vicious, its viciousness is a matter of the human response (given a corrected perspective) to the act (or its perceived effects) and thus has a kind of contingency that seems unsettling, certainly unsettling to those who opted for the theological option. So, the view that it is part of our very nature to make moral discriminations is very much in Hume. Further and what is relevant to the development of utilitarianism the view of Shaftesbury that the virtuous person contributes to the good of the whole would figure into Humes writings, though modified. It is the virtue that contributes to the good of the whole system, in the case of Humes artificial virtues. Shaftesbury held that in judging someone virtuous or good in a moral sense we need to perceive that persons impact on the systems of which he or she is a part. Here it sometimes becomes difficult to disentangle egoistic versus utilitarian lines of thought in Shaftesbury. He clearly states that whatever guiding force there is has made nature such that it is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the private interest and good of every one, to work towards the general good, which if a creature ceases to promote, he is actually so far wanting to himself, and ceases to promote his own happiness and welfareà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (R, 188) It is hard, sometimes, to discern the direction of the because if one should act to help others because it supports a system in which ones own happiness is more likely, then it looks really like a form of egoism. If one should help others because thats the right thing to do and, fortunately, it also ends up promoting ones own interests, then thats more like utilitarianism, since the p romotion of self-interest is a welcome effect but not what, all by itself, justifies ones character or actions. Further, to be virtuous a person must have certain psychological capacities they must be able to reflect on character, for example, and represent to themselves the qualities in others that are either approved or disapproved of. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in this case alone it is we call any creature worthy or virtuous when it can have the notion of a public interest, and can attain the speculation or science of what is morally good or ill, admirable or blameable, right or wrongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.we never say ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.any mere beast, idiot, or changeling, though ever so good-natured, that he is worthy or virtuous. (Shaftesbury IVM; BKI, PII, sec. iii) Thus, animals are not objects of moral appraisal on the view, since they lack the necessary reflective capacities. Animals also lack the capacity for moral discrimination and would therefore seem to lack the moral sense. This raises some interesting questions. It would seem that the moral sense is a perception that something is the case. So it isnt merely a discriminatory sense that allows us to sort perceptions. It also has a propositional aspect, so that animals, which are not lacking in other senses are lacking in this one. The virtuous person is one whose affections, motives, dispositions are of the right sort, not one whose behavior is simply of the right sort and who is able to reflect on goodness, and her own goodness [see Gill]. Similarly, the vicious person is one who exemplifies the wrong sorts of mental states, affections, and so forth. A person who harms others through no fault of his own à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦because he has convulsive fits which make him strike and wound such as approach him is not vicious since he has no desire to harm anyone and his bodily movements in this case are beyond his control. Shaftesbury approached moral evaluation via the virtues and vices. His utilitarian leanings are distinct from his moral sense approach, and his overall sentimentalism. However, this approach highlights the move away from egoistic views of human nature a trend picked up by Hutcheson and Hume, and later adopted by Mill in criticism of Benthams version of utilitarianism. For writers like Shaftesbury and Hutcheson the main contrast was with egoism rather than rationalism. Like Shaftesbury, Francis Hutcheson was very much interested

Vouchers and School Choice - The Use of School Vouchers :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Use of School Vouchers There has been a lot of debate recently over the use of school vouchers. Voucher programs offer students attending both public and private schools tuition vouchers. It gives taxpayers the freedom to pick where their tax dollars go. In theory, good schools will thrive with money and bad schools will lose students and close its doors. Most people feel that taking taxpayer money from public schools and using this money as vouchers for private schools is a violation of the constitution. Most private schools in America right now are run by religious organizations. There has been a lot of controversy over this issue mainly because of the importance of an education in a modern society. School choice initiatives are based on the premise that allowing parents to choose what schools their children attend is not only the right thing to do, but is also an important way for improving education. Instead of a one-size-fits-all model, School choice programs offer parents various options from which to pick the educational settings they believe will work best for their child. However, there is Supporters of school vouchers claim that it levels the educational playing field for lower income families who would have the option to send their kids away from an "ineffective" poorly funded public schools. Some lower class families feel that their kids would have a better chance with a tuition voucher to go to a private school where more money is spent on education. Many feel that vouchers would undermine public schools, by taking away public money for smaller class sizes, teacher training and innovative curriculum. Also, many feel that vouchers would erode the support for public education. In Milwaukee, voucher schools say they do not give special services to students with disabilities. Most of the voucher schools refused to sign a letter that they will honor constitutional rights such as free speech and due process. The letter stated that the schools would not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, pregnancy, or marital status. Despite the controversy surrounding vouchers, the private school choice movement may be gaining support. In June of 1999, The Florida legislature approved a plan to give children in the state's worst schools taxpayer-funded tuition payments to attend qualified public, private, or religious schools.

QR Codes and Nursing Essay

Originally invented in 1994, by the Denso Wave Corporation in Japan, Quick response codes, or QR codes were intended to for the auto manufacturer Toyota as a means to track vehicles, as well as vehicle parts, during the manufacturing production stages of building their cars. The QR codes were designed to allow Toyota manufactures to identify parts by scanning a two dimensional barcode, or, QR code at high speed. Since its inception in 1994 QR codes have become one of the most popular types of barcode used in Japan. Used primarily through Smart phones, this technology quickly allows consumers to access information contained in the QR code. In recent years the QR barcodes have infiltrated the United States via consumer advertisers and packaging companies. QR codes can be found on direct mail from advertisers, billboards, buses, internet ads, and have even crossed boarders into the healthcare industry (Wikipedia, 2012). Even the Federal Government is adopting the use of QR codes to redu ce the risks associated with mistaken personnel identification. The United States Department of Defense has also boosted identification (ID) security of employees by adopting smart ID cards, which are essentially QR codes. Instead of using the traditional ID card with employee photos, the Department of Defense has issued smart ID cards which act much like QR codes, however, they more are more expensive to produce, and require ongoing IT support. Although they are more expensive than a traditional ID card, The Smart ID cards allow for faster verification of personnel, and may ease some of the pressure on security officials who have to use their judgment based on an ID card flashed in their face. With one scan of the QR code, down to the minute, information can be displayed, which includes, authorizations for the employee, or their qualifications and, or credentials. The purpose of this communication is to explain the advantages and disadvantages of participating in a QR code pilot program, such as Lifesquare, who has partnered with emergency workers in Marin County, California to improve their ability to save lives in emergency situations through the use of QR codes, which allow them to access patient medical information including, medical history; and medications currently taken. In many cases this is critical with regards to saving someone’s life. Having access to their medical history, and or current medications could be critical in an emergency situation, when time is of the essence. In the medical field, this has become known as BCMA, which is bar code-assisted  medication administration. BCMA technology is being used as an aid to combat medication administration errors, improve patient safety and provide more accurate medication administration documentation. Not only is this technology being used in the United States, â€Å"however, this technology is also used in European countries including Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands† (Hassink, Jansen, Helmons, 2012). There have been many studies conducted over the years to conclude whether or not BCMA technology is advantageous to the medical field, including hospitals, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists’. Research has concluded, that there are both advantages and disadvantages when implementing BCMA technology, as well as contrasting information when it comes down to whether or not the BCMA technology is actually reducing errors in medicine administration. Although, the studies have concluded that there are many issues with BCMA technology, none indicate that BCMA technology is failing to prevent patient safety, which should be the main concern when administering medicine (Hassink, Jansen, Helmons, 2012). When researching the advantages to using BCMA technology, there weren’t many sources that provided straight to the point advantages, however, according to a â€Å"2010 quasi-experimental study Poon, et al., report that barcode medication administration systems have been associated with a 41% reduction in non-timing administration errors and a 51% reduction in potential adverse drug events from these errors, carrying the potential to prevent 95,000 possible ADEs† (Poon 2 010). If these numbers are correct, BCMA technology has to potential to prevent nearly 100,000 cases of ADE, which is and adverse drug event, in which are â€Å"defined as an injury resulting from the use of a medicine or omission of an intended medicine† (Hassink, Jansen, Helmons, 2012). Basically, when a patient is injured due to a medication error, it is considered and ADE. On the other hand, it seems that there was lots of information when it came down to the disadvantages of using BCMA technology. Since many of the studies conducted could not present any clear cut evidence and the fact that many of the studies regarding BCMA technology have contrasting information have produced many barriers to stop its implementation. Of the disadvantages, one of the main concerns was the price to implement this technology. This includes the costs of the equipment and installation, along with training the staff on how to use a new and very complex technology such as BCMA. You also have to  deal with the fact that not all people are computer savvy, and complicated software programs such as the BCMA technology may not be user friendly. Having a nurse that does not know how to operate this type of system may do more harm than good. Many nurses also feel that the BCMA process is very time consuming, however, studies found that there was no issue with regards to the time it took to administer medicine using this process. In conclusion, I would like to state that I feel that the BCMA process will be very effective in the future and will most like be used throughout the medical field and in all hospitals. Although BCMA technology is not necessarily new, it is new in the field of medicine, and those that don’t understand this process may be having a hard time accepting it. Eventually they will work out all of the kinks associated with BCMA technology, and we will see the numbers associated with medicine administration errors decrease, while we see an increase in patient safety. References Hassink, J.J., Jansen, M.M., and Helmons, P, J. (2012). Effects of bar code-assisted medication administration BCMA) on frequency, type and severity of medication administration errors: a review of the literature. Eur J Hosp Pharm 19, 489-494. Doi: 10.1136/ejhpharm-2012-000058 Quick response codes. Retrieved November 22, 2012 from Wikipedia Poon, E. G., Keohane, C. A., Yoon, C. S., Ditmore, M. B., Bane, A. R., Levtzion-Korach, O. M., et al. (2010). Effect of Bar-Code Technology on the Safety of Medication Administration. New England Journal of Medicine , 362 (18), 1698-1707 We Can But Should We? Chamberlain College of Nursing Britney Adams