The eNotes Blog The Good, the Bad, and the Gross Dark Origins of Our Favorite FairyTales

The Good, the Bad, and the Gross Dark Origins of Our Favorite FairyTales Were all familiar with at least some aspects of most fairy tales. After all, who hasnt seen a Disney movie complete with singing princesses and their trusty dancing spoons? To some, these stories are perfection and you dont mess with perfection. But alas, the original creators of these beloved tales werent thinking about singing teacups and whistling puppies.  No, these writers were a bit more, shall I say, Grim(m)? Rapunzel To start on the relatively tame side, we have the story of Rapunzel, the long-haired beauty held captive in a tower by a wicked witch, whos eventually  saved by a handsome prince. The original tale doesnt start all too differently except that  she isnt rescued the first time the prince comes by- in fact, the prince comes by a lot, and  ends up getting our girl pregnant (he doesnt rescue her though- shes fine up there, captive in her tower). At a certain point, as many of you know, it becomes difficult to hide a pregnancy. The witch, being of sound mind and good vision, realizes that a man must have been stopping by the castle and flies into a rage that culminates in chopping off Rapunzels hair (something of a scalping, actually) and banishing her to wander the wilderness  forever. But thats not all! Not satisfied with simple banishment, the witch plants a trap, throwing Rapunzels stolen hair over the balcony when the prince comes a-knockin. As soon as the  prince reaches the top of the tower, the witch pushes him back out the window, where after falling a great distance, he manages to survive, but has his eyeballs pricked out by rose bushes. Romantic! The Pied Piper Long ago, a town called Hamelin had a rat problem- a really big rat problem (the rats themselves may not have been big, but there were a lot of them). Being a responsible man, the towns mayor decided the rats needed to go,  and called upon the Pied Piper to lure the rats out of Hamelin with his pipe. The Piper says okey dokey and charms the rats out of the town and into a nearby river to drown. Now that was all well and good, but  for reasons unbeknownst to us, the mayor refused to pay the Piper as much money as he had originally promised. Understandably, the Pied Piper is upset by being stiffed of his fee. Not understandably, the Piper decides to exact his revenge by luring the children of Hamelin into the river and drowning them as he did the rats. On a historical note, it is believed that this story was written in an attempt to explain why so many children in this region went missing with great frequency. While its doubtful that children were actually lured to their deaths by a rat-charmer, the fact remains that there were a lot of disappearing children and thats concerning in and of itself. Well get to infanticide a little later. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves We all know Snow White, the beautiful stepdaughter to the kings jealous new wife, ends up banished to the forest to be killed. Well,  according to canon, the jealous stepmother was actually Snows birth mother, which is somehow a little creepier. Also  creepy: not only was the huntsman sent to abandon Snow in the woods  but he was also supposed to kill her, extract her liver and lungs, and bring the organs home for her mothers dinner. Nothing like a little cannibalism among family. Fast forward to the bit with the poisoned apple putting Snow White to sleep. Originally  the apple wasnt meant to  promote beauty rest, but rather a case of dead-ness. Fortunately for Snow White, she had a little magic and a lot of luck on her side. A prince miraculously discovered the beautiful girl and came to her aid. When  attempting to lift the girl, he did an  accidental Heimlich Maneuver and dislodged the apple. Somehow, in spite of being dead to the world for some time, Snow began breathing again and fell in love with her rescuer, immediately agreeing to marry him (does anyone else have problems getting dates?). At the wedding, the evil queen arrives, not realizing who it is that her prince is marrying (ignore the hints of incest). At the wedding, the wicked wench is forced into a pair of shoes that had been cooking over a fire and is made  to dance in the burning shoes until she literally drops dead. Cinderella The beginning of this tale is well known, save  for the fact  that instead of glass, the famous shoe was actually made of gold.  Where the story gets a little tricky is when it comes to the trying on of the gold/glass slipper. Of course, the prince searches the kingdom and doesnt find the proper foot for the slipper. Eventually he comes to Cinderellas house. Cinderella is pushed behind her stepsisters in their dash to try on the shoes. To understand the motive behind  their coming actions one has to understand  that since the prince has already been to every other house in the kingdom, the stepsisters have figured out that the shoe somehow belongs to Cinderella (they know that neither of them was dancing in slippers of gold/glass). And since they also know that their stepsister has smaller feet than they, the sisters decide to do something drastic.  They decide to cut up their feet- the oldest sister chops off her toes and the younger stepsister slices off her heels. While the shoes do end up fitting,  the dripping blood somehow tips off the prince that these are not actually the feet hes looking for. Eventually, the prince learns of Cinderella and has her try on the shoes, which of course fit perfectly. To end the tale, the prince marries Cinderella and the stepsisters are left with their dismembered feet and probably terrible balance. To add insult to injury, Cinderellas pet doves dive-bomb the stepsisters and peck out their eyes during Cinderellas wedding ceremony. Sleeping Beauty Like all fairy tales, Sleeping Beauty is a little messed up from the get-go. A  wicked witch puts a baby girl to essentially an  eternal sleep on her sixteenth birthday (I say eternal because shes doomed to sleep until her true loves kiss, but no one can  really fall in love with you when youre unconscious).  This was done all because she didnt get invited to this kids birthday party- and that could be because the king and queen were worried that exactly this sort of thing would happen. But I digress. I will give the newer version some credit for  leaving out the, for lack of a gentler term, sexual assault. In the first version of Sleeping Beauty, our heroine is alone and  asleep in a random room in the  castle (in this version, she isnt the princess, but the  daughter of a nobleman). During some wandering of the castle (we assume),  the king found her. When he  found he could not  wake the girl, he decided to have sex with her, and possibly a few times- Beauty gave  birth to two children while still asleep. In the end,  Beauty is only woken due to random circumstance; one of her children sucked  on her finger and inadvertently removed the magic splinter that was keeping her asleep. To his credit, the King was really happy when Sleeping Beauty awoke from her nap and decided he wanted to be with her. Of course, being married in the days before legal divorce made it difficult for him to be with Beauty, so he went ahead and boiled his wife to death. In all fairness though, his wife did apparently try to cook his illegitimate children for dinner a couple times without his knowledge, so  maybe  she had it coming. Hansel and Gretel The earliest hints of this tale start to appear  around the beginning of the Middle Ages and star not only an evil witch, but also her husband, the Devil. Like in many versions of the story, little Hansel and his sister Gretel are led into the forest to be abandoned by their parents. In this version, however, instead of finding a house of candy, they were lured into a house by a woman with promises of food and a warm place to sleep (stranger danger!). It all went  downhill from there when it quickly became apparent that there were no beds  for the kiddos to sleep on, but cages to keep them in while they fattened for the witchs husband (again, the Devil). It  seems that the Devil preferred his meat  raw, so when it came time to make the children into a meal, instead of cooking Hansel and Gretel, the witch instead planned to tie them to a sawhorse and bleed them to death. Nice. Gretel did not  know  how to climb aboard the sawhorse, so  when the witch attempted to demonstrate, she and Hansel tied the witch  down and slit her throat. During their escape from  the house, they were  chased by the Devil but thwarted his effort by crossing the river, because apparently the Prince  of Darkness cant  swim and forgot his floaties.

Information Security The Physical Security Factor

Information Security The Physical Security Factor Today, more than ever before, healthcare organizations are increasingly becoming dependent on computer-based systems to access critical patient data and provide treatment solutions remotely via virtual private networks (VPNs).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Security: The Physical Security Factor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consequently, any kind of disruption targeting these information systems may occasion consequences ranging from inconvenience to catastrophe (Loch, Carr Warkentin, 2002). But while research in both academia and industry has developed effective technological and software-based solutions to protect information systems against possible threats and attacks (Stajano Wilson, 2011), only a handful of the articles found in various databases pay close attention to the physical aspect of information security (Huigang Yajiong, 2010). This paper is devoted to outlining some of the fundamen tal steps that need to be considered for the physical security of computers used in an urgent care center to access patient data and their email system via a VPN. Stajano Wilson (2011) note that effective countermeasures against security threats to information systems depend on first strengthening the human element to make users understand how they can naturally fall victim to fraudsters. This therefore implies that users, in this case physicians and other health practitioners, need to be exposed to some form of training on how they can use the system without compromising the security aspect of the network. For instance, system users could be exposed to formal training on how to discard used electronic media containing sensitive patient information through available techniques instead of leaving the information on the computer drives.Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Purging is one such technique that could be used by the practitioners to completely erase sensitive files which may have been deleted from the computer drives but not overwritten with other data (Walters, 2007). From a holistic security engineering standpoint, computers are often vulnerable to instances of theft and other possible attacks if the immediate physical environment is not secured (Stajano Wilson, 2011). This therefore implies that doors leading to the computer rooms must not only be secure, but must be kept under lock and key and windows adequately grilled to curtail any occurrence of unauthorized access to the computer rooms (Walters, 2007). Indeed, many organizations have a policy that restricts entry to the computer and server rooms to authorized personnel, in most occasions a systems analyst or administrator. It should be noted that this aspect of physical security is fundamentally important since all the other factors are dependent on how safe the computer or server room is from possible attacks and illegal access. Engaging trained security personnel and dogs to physically protect the information systems is yet another physical aspect of information security that is intrinsically important yet seldom considered by many organizations (Loch et al, 2002). Patient data is sensitive in nature, thus the need to engage all efforts that may be deemed necessary to protect the computers from theft or illegal access. Consequently, trained security personnel forms a critical aspect of the physical security of information security needed to secure the computer rooms and the immediate environment from possible attacks, which may result in the theft of computers and by extension the loss of critical data (Perrig, Stankovic Wagner, 2004). Dogs are always useful in repelling thieves from accessing the urgent care center.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Information Security: The Physical Security Factor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/pa ge Learn More Access to computer areas and server rooms should be restricted through the use of identification badges or authorization cards to ensure that only the authorized health practitioners gain access to these critical areas (Perrig et al, 2004). For instance, the organization may invest in electronic identification badges that must first be accepted by the system or the door lock for them to gain access to the information stored in the computers. Research has demonstrated that identification cards and access control points inarguably decrease the possibility of attackers to physically tamper with information stored in computer systems or to even have access to areas where such computers may be located (Loch et al, 2002). Physical security of information systems cannot be complete without engaging the authentication processes via personal identification numbers (PIN), passwords, computer locks, and other devices that may be used to limit access to authorized users only. According to Renaud De Angeli (2009), â€Å"†¦authentication is required to verify that the user’s proffered identity is valid† (p. 135). It is only plausible for physicians and other health practitioners using the VPN to access sensitive patient data to memorize their PINs and/or passwords rather than writing them down on a piece of paper because such information could be accessed by other employees or external individuals harboring ulterior motives. Computer locks could always be employed to prevent other employees or strangers from gaining access to the data stored in the computer or from manipulating computer hardware configurations with the aim to steal data or remotely control the computer system (Stajano Wilson, 2007). Lastly, the environmental factors need to be effectively controlled to make the physical security of information systems a reality.Advertising Looking for essay on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Instances of fire outbreak, flooding of computer areas and server rooms, extremely high temperatures, electricity variations and other environmental concerns need to be effectively managed to prevent loss of use and loss of productivity of the information systems (Perrig et al, 2004). For instance, flooding of the server room may occasion protracted dysfunctions of the server system, leading to loss of connectivity and subsequent loss of access to critical patient data even among the authorized users. Going by this example, therefore, the urgent care center should invest in an effective drainage system to prevent instances of flooding. Reference List Huigang, L., Yajiong, X. (2010). Understanding security behaviors in personal computer usage: A threat avoidance perspective. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 11(7), 394-413. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Loch, K.D., Carr, H.H., Warkentin, M.E. (2002). Threats to information systems: Today’ s reality, yesterday’s understanding. MIS Quarterly, 16(2), 173-186. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Perrig, A., Stankovic, J., Wagner, D. (2004). Security in wireless sensor networks. Communication of the ACM, 47(6), 53-57. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Renaud, K., De Angeli, A. (2009). Visual passwords: Cure-all or snake-oil? Communications of the ACM, 52(12), 135-140. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Stajano, F., Wilson, P. (2011). Understanding scam victims: Seven principles for systems security. Communications of the ACM, 54(3), 70-75. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database. Walters, L.M. (2007). A draft of an information systems security and control course. Journal of Information Systems, 21(1), 123-148. Retrieved from MasterFILE Premier Database.

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY ( Promotion Events) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY ( Promotion Events) - Essay Example Section A The function is being organised for young managers who are in lower or lower middle level in any mid / large size organization in the city. The guest list also includes middle or senior level HR and marketing managers who are working for similar profile of organizations. The rationale behind choosing two sets of guests is that, one set of guests will be the user of the product that we plan to offer right now i.e. an executive MBA course, while the other will act as opinion leaders and referees for this product, but as customers for our corporate learning products that we plan to offer in future. Demographic – Males and females, married and single, belonging to age group of 20- 35 years, working in various functions like sales & marketing, finance and accounting, HR, operations, IT etc, with work experience ranging from 3-12 years. Psychographic – People who are ambitious, excited about growth, Love learning new things and sharing them with others, , Interested in further education, who believe in pushing hard to succeed, Love reading career blogs. The process starts with customer’s exposure to the product or its idea through either marketer’s cues like various P’s of marketing or socio-cultural environment. The idea is, before someone thinks he needs a car, the person either must have seen a car or heard, read about it. This learning may take place by seeing some thing in a shop or a friend’s place, or watching or hearing its advertisement, being told by some one to try such and such product. Every thing in the event is aimed at that purpose only i.e. influencing consumer decision making positively. Some of them will be working directly in the sense their contribution can be seen or evaluated with the help of this model, while others may help at a subliminal level. For example Taxi – Hiring an upmarket car will give higher image to our organization, We will hire the best Band available in the

The Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Holocaust - Essay Example He mentions the inhumane agony that the soldiers put prisoners through only because they were homosexuals. Their uniforms were marked blue to identify them. He complains that to this day there would be several other prisoners like him who witnessed the torturous death, Pierre’s loved one; an eighteen year old boy was put through in front of all prisoners and yet they choose to be silent about it (Seel, 1995). Going through these testimonies, historians can do a lot in developing our understanding of the holocaust. They can shift our focus to the main matters that made people victims, the society, the choice that people made which the soldiers thought were punishable at that time. The ways that were adapted for punishments; the killing centers, extermination camps (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum), and such and spread the knowledge so people may know what their ancestors had to go through for them to get here. The modern society has much to learn from the Holocaust. Believing on differentiating and dividing everything never helped anyone. Defining someone from their differences from others is not the way a society is supposed to be. The modern society, instead of following into the footsteps of such people, should learn to make a difference by developing a sense of acceptance and proving themselves greater. History should not be repeated, it should be made.Bibliography Seel, Pierre, and Joachim Neugroschel.  I, Pierre Seel, Deported Homosexual: A Memoir of Nazi Terror, 25, 26. New York: Basic Books, 1995. Accessed July 27, 2012.

Autonomy in Death Essay Example for Free

Autonomy in Death Essay Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic with only a few states having legalized it; however, many groups are advocating for its approval. Physician-assisted suicide has ethical limitations that only allow a doctor to prescribe, not administer, a lethal dose of medication for a patient who has been deemed terminally ill with less than six months to live by two physicians. The prescription allows the patient to choose both the timing and setting of death and the physicians only role is provision of medication. This gifts patients with autonomy in their death and relieves the doctor of any moral burden in participation with death keeping this action an ethical practice. Oregon was the first of few states to have legalized physician-assisted suicide but I would like to argue its potential advantages to the entire United States. Ball (2010) said, â€Å"In Oregon the one state in the U.S. where assisted suicide is legal – doctors are allowed to help only state residents who are expected to die within six months† (p.1). Giving terminally ill patients the power to choose a peaceful death demonstrates empathy toward the ill patients and their families. Terminally ill patients without this empowerment face the difficult choice of using limited resources to end their lives if not given the legal freedom to choose how and when they die. The Code of Ethics for Nurses provision 1.4 is the right to self-determination and it states that Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights, particularly, the right to self-determination. Self-determination, also known as autonomy, is the philosophical basis for informed consent in health care. Patients have the moral and legal right to determine what will be done with their own person; to be given accurate, complete, and understandable information in a manner that facilitates an informed judgment; to be assisted with weighing the benefits, burdens, and available options in their treatment; to accept, refuse, or terminate treatment without deceit, undue influence, duress, coercion, or penalty; and to be given necessary support throughout the decision-making and treat ment process. Such support would include the opportunity to make decisions with family and significant others and the provision of advice and support from knowledgeable nurses and other health professionals. Patient should be involved in planning their own health care to the extent they are able to choose to participate (American nurses association, 2001, p.148). Giving this added right to chose physician assisted suicide allows patients the autonomy described in the Nursing Code of Ethics. The purpose of this paper is to argue that physician-assisted suicide is ethical and beneficial because it allows for patient autonomy. â€Å"I would argue that by denying terminally ill people recourse to death with dignity via physician prescribed medication, they are inflicting their own brand of coercion and abuse. The concept of a merciful death needs to be part of this discussion. It is a sad commentary that our society responds to our pets terminal suffering more humanely than to our fellow human beings end-of-life struggles†(â€Å"Death is best approached†, 2012, p. 1). Many feel that denying patients the right to choose is not advocating for their best interest and is a form of abuse. We wouldnt leave our ill family pet alive to suffer so why wouldnt we consider letting our loved ones put themselves out of their misery in a peaceful way? The entire point is to give the public a choice. It would still be up to each individual to decide whether or not to exercise that right if their physician deemed their situation appropriate. The Code of Ethics for Nurses says that â€Å"Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights, particularly, the right of self-determination† (American nurses association, 2001, p.148). This statement implies that the patient should have the right to make end of life decisions on their own. When terminal patients are in pain and suffering, they may not have the strength or will to fight any longer. It is cruel to prolong a patients pain and suffering and deny their autonomy to make the decision of having a peaceful death. Also, it can be argued that when patients have their mind set on ending their lives, they tend to follow through on their own even if their physician cannot assist them. This may lead to a more traumatic death and a scene that can be quite traumatizing for the family member or friend who finds their loved ones remains. The alternative is a prescribed medicine that the patient may take home, choosing the preferred place to die, to allow the patient to die peacefully without sustaining disfiguring injuries thus allowing them a more dignified burial if the family chooses to view the body one last time. However, in most of the United States, physician-assisted suicide is still illegal so very few Americans are afforded the right to choose to end their life when they are terminally ill. Because physician assisted suicide was brought to the publics attention as an option by the unconventional tactics of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the idea of legalizing this was tainted from the beginning, making many states hesitant to allow assisted suicide. Miller (2011) notes that â€Å"Jack Kevorkian rose to national prominence as Dr. Death, a physician who insisted that sometimes a doctors first duty to his patient was to help him die. The retired pathologist, who became an assisted suicide advocate claiming to have had a hand in 130 deaths in the 1990s, helped spark a national debate over euthanasia† (p. A5). Jack Kevorkians tactics were questionable because he publicized the deaths of elderly, disabled, and terminally-ill patients using inhaled carbon dioxide or using his self-made suicide mach ine. Although the patients had asked for Dr. Kevorkians assistance to end their suffering by assisting in their suicide, he received a lot of negative attention because he publicized his assistance in this process by encouraging CBS to broadcast a video of himself injecting a cocktail of lethal drugs into a patient suffering from Lou Gehrigs disease (Miller, 2011). After much backlash from the public over the fact that he actually injected patients with lethal drugs, he developed a suicide machine which allowed the patient to press a button that caused the machine to administer a mixture of sodium pentothal and potassium chloride which was first used on Janet Adkins, a 54 year old sufferer of Alzheimers disease (Miller, 2011). The last thing Janet Adkins said was, You just make my case known,' Dr. Kevorkian told the Associated Press† (Miller, 2011, p. A5). Although his tactics were extreme and caused a lot of public controversy, his patients wanted to end their suffering and his act ions caused others to advocate for ethical standards to be put into place for legal physician assisted suicide while at the same time completely turning others away from the concept of legalizing euthanasia. Dr. Goodwin, a general practitioner, said he began advocating for the right to help terminally ill people die after listening to his patients (Miller, 2012). They want autonomy at this time, to be allowed to die at home with the comfort and support of their families, Dr. Goodwin said in a 2001 interview (Miller, 2012, p. 1). Because of the extreme tactics used by Jack Kevorkian, who initiated the debate on legalizing euthanasia, many people view those who advocate for the clients right of physician assisted suicide as cruel or lacking in empathy for patient and families. However, â€Å"Peter Goodwin, a family physician who wrote and campaigned for Oregons right-to-die law in the 1990s, died after taking a cocktail of lethal drugs prescribed by his doctor, as allowed under the legislation he championed. Dr. Goodwin, 83 years old, had been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder similar to Parkinsons disease and had been given less than six months to live.†(Miller, 2012, p. 1). Dr. Goodwin believed in a patients autonomy in death so much that he chose to exercise his own rights in the same fashion in order to end his own suffering. In an interview with the Oregonian, the local newspaper in Oregon, Dr. Goodwin said that his health was deteriorating and he would soon end his life. â€Å"His family gathered to bid him farewell. The situation needs thought, it doesnt need hope, he said. Hope is too ephemeral at that time†(Miller, 2012, p. 1). This clearly articulates the feelings of a terminally ill man towards the importance of autonomy in concern of his own death. â€Å"End-of-life decisions are not arbitrary or impulsive. Why shouldnt a person choose to end his or her life with dignity if it is obvious that all options for leading any kind of meaningful life are non-existent? I would think any modicum of compassion would respect such a momentous, personal decision. Suffering, physical and mental, and the anguish it causes should produce empathy for t he patients wishes and desires, even if they run counter to our own sense of rectitude. It is not about us. Its about the patients right of autonomy. We need to understand that it is ultimately his or her decision to make, not ours†(Death is best approached, 2012, p. 1). In this statement, an unknown author expressed the utmost sympathy for those suffering from terminal illness. Physician assisted suicide is ethical as it demonstrates compassion and empathy towards someone elses pain, suffering, and rights. There is nothing cruel about autonomy over the decision to die. These kinds of laws need to be considered using a deep emotional understanding of the terminally ills feelings and problems. Other countries have legalized euthanasia and have less restrictive laws which allow them to provide services for foreigners. Because of this, if all United States citizens arent granted the autonomy they desire in their own country they will still be able to get the results they so desperately want but the outcome may be more painful to family members whose loved ones would end up dying in other countries and in less desirable conditio ns. Mr. Minelli, who is head of Dignitas, a Swiss company that provides euthanasia services only to foreigners, said that â€Å"a memory of his seriously ill grandmothers pleading in vain with her doctor to help her die left him with a particular interest in Switzerlands growing right-to-die movement, and he joined one of the main groups. In 1998, he quit to found Dignitas†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). In 2008, his neighbors complaints forced Dignitas out of his rented apartment that he had been using to conduct the assisted suicides and Zurich city officials refused permission for a new venue. In response to this Mr. Minelli organized suicides in cars, a hotel room, industrial sites, and his own home which drew the attention of local officials. Someone who is used to a five-star hotel cant come to Dignitas and expect the same, says Mr. Minelli†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). Is it really beneficial to force terminally ill patients into a foreign country to a harsh environment to grant them the freedom to end their own lives? If terminally ill patients really want a physician assisted suicide, they will find another setting in which they can achieve one but allowing patients to have one in their own country optimizes the setting and allows for more family support near the time of death. It also saves the family the trouble of getting the body of a loved one from a foreign country after t he time of death and allows the family to begin funeral arrangements sooner so that they can go through the stages of grieving that they need to in order to move forward with their own lives. This act of ending the life sooner also spares the family the pain of watching their loved one suffer longer than they want to. Another benefit to approving physician assisted suicide is that just know that the option is available can be therapeutic for terminal patients. â€Å"Mr. Minelli argues that making assisted suicide available removes a taboo around suicide, helping people who want to kill themselves open a dialogue and seek help. About 70% of people who get the green light from Dignitas for an assisted suicide never contact the group again, proving the palliative effect of knowing help is available, he says†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). This clearly proves that just knowing that euthanasia is an option is enough to help patients carry on with terminal illness. Even if a patient chooses never to exercise the right to a physician assisted suicide, the knowledge that they have an option for a way out of their suffering is comforting in itself. Craig Ewert was a retired university professor who suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrigs disease. He decided to end his life because he wanted to make this decision before he lost the ability to decide his own fate, overcoming the resistance of his doctors (Ball, 2010). When youre completely paralyzed and cant talk, how do you let someone know you are suffering? he told a television interviewer before his death in September 2006. This could be a complete and utter hell (Ball, 2010, p. 3). Mr and Mrs. Ewerts were from the U.K. but they traveled to Switzerland and chose Mr. Minellis group, Dignitas, because it accepts foreigners. Mrs. Ewert said that had she not been able to travel to get her husband the assisted suicide services that he desired she may have been forced to help her husband die and she worried that she wouldnt have known exactly what to do (Ball, 2010). She defended Mr. Minelli saying Sure, there have to be some protections for people, but I think were going way beyond what there needs to be, I admire Minelli for being willing to take the heat (Ball, 2010, p. 3). Because Craig Ewert was allowed to make his own decision to die, his wife was spared the pressure that he may have put on her to help him end his life. Furthermore, had he been denied the right to make his own decision and his wife Mary had been coerced to help him commit suicide, there would have been extreme emotional and possibly even legal consequences to her action despite the fact that it was her husbands wish. This is a situation that may Americans are also threatened with because physician assisted suicide is illegal in most of the country. All United States citizens should be afforded the right to choose a physician assisted suicide if they have been deemed terminally ill because this freedom shows compassion and empathy towards the patients suffering. If patients arent allowed to legally choose death here, they may travel to another country to receive services or chose to carry out suicide on their own. If patients chose to take matters into their own hands this would be harder on the patient as the death would probably not be as peaceful as the lethal injection that the physician would prescribe and if would also be harder on the patients loved ones. If patients decide to go to another country to achieve the death they desire they would lose the privilege of dying in their own comfort zone and the distance would make the death harder on the family to make funeral arrangements and move on with their own lives. The Code of Ethics for Nurses stated that â€Å"Respect not just for the specific decision but also for the patients method of decision-making is consistent with the principle of autonomy† (American nurses association, 2001, p.149). Regardless of whether or not we understand an individuals motivation for seeking a physician assisted suicide, nurses should support the autonomy that patients needs to make this choice on their own. Giving terminally ill patients autonomy in their death, by making physician assisted legal for every United States citizen, is only giving patients additional rights that they may or may not chose to exercise and is the most compassionate way to show empathy for those who are dying.

What The Mind Is And How It Wo :: essays research papers

What the Mind is and How it Works The first section of this book addresses the question whether or not the mind actually exists. Some believe the concept that because the mind does not have physical abundance that it does not exist at all. Bros goes on to say that "If we mistake concepts for fact, we will become increasingly ignorant of reality…" After this one would think that the author would go on to explain his view, however Bros does no such thing and rather leaves the issue hanging. The book goes on to talk about insults and how they affect our minds and bodies. Insults are not of physical abundance but our mind generates them and the effects occur within our bodies and hurt. Physical harm is controlled in our society and many times emphasized with. However mental harm is not controlled and the results are many a times looked down upon. Bros believes that there is no difference between a physical blow well aimed and a mental blow well aimed. The 1st crushes muscle and blood from the outside, the 2nd from the inside. He also believes that if there is a difference in degree between the two, it favors the first. The damage from a physical blow comes to an end when the physical impact ends. A mental blow reoccurs whenever we think back. Physical blows hurt! Mental blows keep on hurting. The author also disagrees strongly with the belief that we use only a fraction of our brain-in fact, he refers to it as absurd. He uses Darwin's theory as the basis of his argument. He states that nature does not create a complex of tissue the size of the human brain so that we can utilize 1% of it. I very much agree with Bros on this one. The rest of the book goes on to explain Peter's theory on how our minds actually work and what there functions are. Despite the big words and rambling on, I still find much of this book very hard to swallow because the author makes no attempt to explain the reasons for his beliefs. He also does not cite facts that backup any of his beliefs making the rest of the book sound much more like a bunch of assumptions. Anyway, Bros goes on to tell us his theory, stated as fact, of what our minds do.

“A Property Of the Clan” by Nick Enright: Analysis Essay

“A Property of the Clan † unravels the death of a teenage girl at an underage drinking party and explores how the youths handle the situation. â€Å"A Property of the Clan† is not light entertainment, or an easy play to read. It deals with an ugly and disturbing subject, but does so in a thoughtful and sensitive way, acknowledging the brutal reality of violence against women as an unfortunate experience in life. The plot of “A Property of the Clan † is about teenage violence that existed within Australia at the time; an example is that the language and actions teens make are very abusive throughout the play when ever they drink alcohol. The play contains many themes that involved the lifestyle of Australian youth including; Surf culture, mateship, teenage rebellion, peer pressure and partying (Underage Drinking and Drug use). However, A Property of the Clan” centralises on the idea of Mateship, where you are put into a position to do the right thing or betray your friend. Jared is to choose either do the right thing and tell the police who the murderer is or to keep the secret. With supporting themes such as teenage rebellion where the person opposes their parents command, peer pressure is when you are forced to do something because people are basically abusing you to do so otherwise you will be unpopular. Also the theme of partying is quite important to the Australian youth culture, compared to other countries. Australian teens tend to underage drink and abuse drugs more. It also explores the diminished responsibilities of people under the influence of alcohol and the dire consequences of actions linking to the events in “A Property of the Clan”. † A Property of the Clan’s† targeted audience should be about 17 years old and over, whether a less mature person can understand and explore their own ideas and experience or as an adult (or parents) can further understand the surrounding culture their children are in due to the sensitive content. The main characters from “A Property of the Clan † are from the surfing community of Newcastle, Australia. At the beginning of the play you can see the community in the play is quite rough, Ricko, an aggressive boy, is the leader of the group. The other characters always seem to be intimidated by him; the relationship between Ricko and others is interesting because they know that he isn’t a good person, but still ‘hang out’ with him. This links  to the idea of mateship and peer pressure because of Ricko’s violent characteristics. People who watch this play will be influenced by the violence at first, but towards the end of the play, you can see the change of Ricko’s characteristics transform from a â€Å"Hardcore† to week depressed teen when he admitted that he murdered the girl. The language of “A Property of the Clan” contains very Australian typical 1990’s slang, using slang to communicate often, i.e â€Å"Bush pig†, â€Å"Pay out† and â€Å"mate†. Also the swearing is quite intense for a drama play being performed; it contains a lot of swearing and abusive words. Bibiography : Play script ‘ A Property Of The Clan’

Analysis of a Job Advert and My Employability Skills Essay

Describe the qualifications required: GCSE A*-C standard English and Maths, this is essential because you need to be able to simple adding and English is a necessity because you need to be able to read and speak fluent English. To have a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 1 or 2 in customer service you can also have a food safety certificate. Describe the level of experience in a similar role required: To have a previous experience at least 1 year or 2 year in a quality restaurant or bar. Describe the level of experience in the industry required: N/A Describe the knowledge of goods and services required: To have good knowledge about the Restaurant and other department’s hotels. Describe the level of effectiveness in meeting personal and team targets required: Ensure that you have a high level of effectiveness in meeting personal and targets so that you are happy for the job and show appreciation to the job. Describe the level of ability to observe and raise professional standards required: The level of ability should be high because you will need to be able to show individual courtesy to customers for example if there is a bad product on the shelf you tell them immediately and they will get you a better product. Personal Skills Organisation Name: Frontline Role: Food and Beverage Assistant Describe the amount if patience required: Good interpersonal and customer facing skills, maintain professionalism, display patience and politeness within a busy environment are some of the skills required. Describe the level of hard work required: Candidates must be reliable, flexible and have a ‘can do’ attitude. You must have good attention to detail, ability to work within a close team and also work with minimal supervision. Describe the level of ability to work as part of a team: Candidates must show the ability to have an excellent work ethic and be part of a team as required. Describe the level of good interpersonal skills required: Interpersonal skills are essential when socialising with colleagues and friends. Interpersonal skills include everything from communication and listening skills to attitude and deportment. Describe the level of cooperation with line managers and colleagues required: Line managers play a vital role in businesses as their duties are to ensure that activities are planned and organised in their area that involve a significant risk to the health and safety of staff. Candidates must cooperate effectively to line managers at all times. Describe the level of negotiation in seeking agreement with customers required: Negotiation is essential with customers as potential candidates must be able to negotiate with customers effectively and try to provide the best prices as possible to the customer. Describe the attributes you already possess or expect to posess by the end of course: 1. I will develop the habit of meeting deadlines. 2. I will develop my planning skills in order to prioritise myself for my coursework deadlines. 3. I will try to participate in all team/group activities. 4. I will ensure to communicate effectively with my team mates 5. I will try to practice my presentational skills effectively. 6. I will try to develop my patience. 7. I will try to organise myself by bringing the right equipment to lessons. 8. I will time manage my work and try to ensure to hand all coursework in on time. 9. I will ensure to use my essay skills effectively 10. I will ensure problem solving skills are used to the best ability.

Tuskegee Experiment Essays

Tuskegee Experiment Essays Tuskegee Experiment Essay Tuskegee Experiment Essay Cole Deck Mr. Russell English 10a 6 March 2012 Tuskegee Experiments This is possibly one of the most inhumane things to ever happen in the 20th century in the Untied States. The experiments that took place were the root of medical misconduct and blatant disregard for human rights that took place in the name of science. The ghastly medical expirements that took place between 1932 and 1972 was merely an observation of the different stages of syphilis. The men in these experiments for the most part were illiterate and from one of the poorest parts of Alabama. The men were also never told the disease they were suffering from the U. S Public Health Service told them they were being tested for â€Å"bad blood. † They were only watching the disease devour these unknowing men alive. If syphilis is untreated in such conditions, it can cause tumors, heart disease, paralysis, blindness, insanity, and death (drum). If the patients knew of the nature of the experiments, to ensure their complete cooperation. They were persuaded by free medical care for minor ailments, a hot meal, and fifty dollars for their time. Hardly any of these men have never been to see a doctor of any kind. The unsophisticated men were easy to manipulate and lie to, thus allowing the doctors to observe it without any question, which allowed it to reach the point of pure calamity. To the medical government, these men where only pawns in their chess game (drum). Eventually, penicillin was a standard cure for the disease, but was withheld from the men, because the scientist at Tuskegee wanted to continue the experiments to see how it spreads and kills (NPR). Tuskegee patients were put through hell for decades, the scientist saw them as animals in a lab. They reasoned that the knowledge gained would benefit humankind. Researchers could study the natural progression of the disease as long as they did not harm their subjects. Three hundred ninety nine black men were recruited for the trial, and 201 without syphilis as a control group. Reported from 1946 to 1948 American scientists intentionally infected prisoners, soldiers, and mental patients with syphilis. Almost 700 people had been exposed to syphilis without willing consent. After the subjects contracted this disease they were given antibiotics, but it was not noted that all parties were fully cured (Time). The aftermath of these experiments were atrocious. Out of the original 399, 28 had died of syphilis, 100 died of related complications, and 40 of their wives had been infected and 19 of their children had been born with congenital syphilis (NPR). One of the original doctors had admitted it â€Å"was necessary to carry on this study under the symbol of a demonstration and provide the treatment† (drum). The men were given the remedies for syphilis everyday, bismuth, neoarsphenamine, and mercury, but in such small amounts that only 3 percent showed any improvement (drum). The medicine prescribed didnt interfere with the initial study. Eventually they replaced all those remedies with aspirin. Plus to keep the attention of the subjects they sent out a promotional letter, that said it was the last chance for free medical treatment. Another doctor explained that if the patients become aware that accepting the free medical resulted in post-mortem, then they would lose all of their patients. Even the Surgeon General of America assisted in luring black men with syphilis to remain in the experiments, by sending them letters of appreciation after 25 years into the study (drum). Its not hard to assume that all of the government officials were racist, but they do you explain the local black collaborating doctors, people participated in these trial and error procedures (drum). The most know black nurse is Eunice Rivers. She explained on a report that her role was only passive obedient, she explained that she was only following doctors orders. Having her on their side was only helping gain trust within the black community in Alabama (drum). In 1973 the NAACP filed for a nine million dollar lawsuit, the money was divided upon the remaining patients who either survived or were affected unfairly. The case never came to trial until December, 1974, the government agreed to a $10 million out of court settlement. The living victims from the experiments each received 37,500 in damages, the living family members of the deceased, received 15,000 dollars (drum). The medical doctors involved in these experiments never apologized or admitted to any wrong doing. In 1990, a survey showed that 10 percent of African Americans believed that the United States government created AIDS as a plan to eliminate blacks, and another 20 percent could not rule out that this could possibly be true. As absurd and neurotic as this may sound, at one time the Tuskegee experiment must have seemed equally bizarre (Time). Who would think that the government, all the way up to the Surgeon General of the United States, deliberately allowing a group of its citizens to die from an awful disease for the behalf of a preposterous experiment (drum)? With this in mind and many other embarrassing occurrences in our history, African Americans far-flung mistrust of the government and white society in general should not be a shock to anyone (drum). It wasnt until 1997 that the government formally apologized for the corrupt study. President Clinton conveyed the apology, saying what the government had done was genuinely, thoroughly and morally wrong (NPR). Bill Clinton had stated in the apology, â€Å"To the survivors, to the wives and family members, the children and the grandchildren. What was done cannot be undone. But we can end the silence. We can stop turning our heads away. We can look at you in the eye and finally say, on behalf of the American people: what the United States government did was shameful. † (NPR). Remembering the Tuskegee E. NPR. NPR. Web. npr. org/programs/morning/features/2002/jul/tuskegee/. Time Magazine. Web. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2024238,00. html. THE TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS EXPERIMENT. THE TALKING DRUM. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. http://thetalkingdrum. com/tus. html.

12 Angry Men The Image of American Democracy with Its Flaws

12 Angry Men The Image of American Democracy with Its Flaws â€Å"12 Angry Men† is an unequaled masterpiece of American literature, which serves to unfold the poignant matters of the legal system, justice, and democracy as it is. â€Å"12 Angry Men† is a gorgeous image of the American democracy in action. Deep inside the play holds a profound patriotic credence in the legal system  in general. This dramatical piece concerns the deliberations of the jury of a homicide trial, centering on Juror Eight, who was the only hanger-back in the whole guilty vote. He didn’t want to prove that others were wrong, he wanted them to look at the situation without personal prejudices or inclinations. Reginald Rose, the author of the play, deliberately uncovers the true men’s faces to see the full picture of America itself. Democracy in Action Abraham Lincoln once said that democracy is the government â€Å"of the people, by the people, and for the people†, and â€Å"12 Angry Men† is the effort to remind about our responsibilities. The democracy will work flawlessly when we honestly carry out our duties when we try to understand each other and stay consolidated, otherwise, the nation will fall. Eventually, the whole point of the jury’s deliberation was not about declaring the accused one guilty or innocent, but about the ability of all those absolutely different 12 men to figure out how to cooperate and make a resolution. WHY DIVERSE TEAMS ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL? The play uses not-using-name approach, addressing to each man as his juror number. This concept totally justifies itself, because such an anonymity makes this drama germane for anyone anywhere in America. The overall situation intends to make a disturbing social comment on the whole legal system of the country and the way prejudices influence it. Justice vs. Prejudice Each juror described in the play wants the verdict to be fair, but the problem is that everyone sees justice in a different light and there is no unique definition of it among the jurors. Juror Eight seeks to remind that when talking about JUSTICE, our desires, passions, backgrounds and failings do not count. This thought made everyone doubt about their personal definition of fairness and look for the right one. Cindy Coffey, an American history blogger, makes such a point: â€Å"This play becomes a public service announcement of sorts in reminding the public that our democratic system renders someone innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and the civic responsibilities of American citizens should be taken seriously as a right and an honor of being a member of that democratic society.† The United States Constitution, the art of compromise in the modern world, has a principle of an equitable doubt, which means that a defendant is considered to be innocent until proven guilty. This is one of the most enlightened parts of the document, still, some Americans do not understand it as intended. It is just inappropriate to accept blindly the testimony, without any pursuit to figure it out. Doubt – is a powerful thing sometimes. For the Sake of the Country In the play, we distinctly see, that jurors have different and totally unacceptable reasons to convict the accused. While Juror Eight tries to start a serious dialogue about the fate of the accused, others play Tic Tac Toe or just want to leave for Yankees game, another one gets over the flu etc. Is this the design of democracy as we want to see it? Is it really an effective system, when everyone seems to be so indifferent and unenthusiastic about the treatment the accused and so the whole judicial system? The lack of seriousness makes it pointless. Moreover, convicting someone in the terrible crime  due to their social class and/or the race makes it worthless. The democracy is about the collective sense of civic responsibility and duty as the key to justice within the society. The final shot of the film, describing Juror Eight and Juror Nine shaking their hands and introducing themselves, admits the fact, that the men overcame themselves as individuals in the courthouse in order to become unified about the choice they had to make, the decision they were responsible for and the fate of the person they governed. â€Å"12 Angry Men† is an unequaled masterpiece of American literature, which serves to unfold the poignant matters of the legal system, justice, and democracy as it is. Our duty is to be responsible to the society and to ourselves first of all for the way we act, the way we think and the way we govern our country.

Critical Thinking envi 423 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Thinking envi 423 2 - Essay Example on the continent of Asia but has strong cultural and geographical ties with many parts of North Africa with aspects such as religion and language getting assimilated by them as a result. In ancient times the Middle East connected major trade routes between Asia and Europe through both land and seas. Caravans from India and China brought their goods to the busy markets of the Middle East for trading purposes. From there, the traders ferried the goods across the Mediterranean and into Europe to venture into other new markets. Other routes took traders across the red sea or down the coast of Africa with some traders penetrating further into the hinterlands. These bands of migrating people made up of traders and even conquerors, acted as agents of change in that they spread new and foreign ideas, religious traditions, inventions and different forms of achievements into the nations of Europe, Asia, and ultimately Africa. This movement of ideas, and or customs from one place to another con tributed to cultural diffusion (Arab Contributions to civilization). The Middle East is home to many different peoples with a variety of languages, religions and traditions. But Arabs whose major language is Arabic are the majority group in the Middle Eastern countries, but the Middle East is also home to other groups such as the Iranians, the Turks, and the Kurds. The major religions dominant in the region include Islam which is the leading religion by number of devout followers, followed by Christianity that also boosts of a substantial following, and lastly but not least Judaism. These are people who were born and raised in the desert or mountain wilderness and lived in tents or caves. They engaged in raising goats, sheep, donkeys, horses and camels. Bedouins consider the desert as their home, travelling in small bands or groups. Interestingly, the Bedouin are still living today as they have been living for thousands of years back, travelling from one oasis to another in their

Harnessing Information Management, the Data, and Infrastructure Assignment

Harnessing Information Management, the Data, and Infrastructure - Assignment Example General Electric deals with sale and manufacture of GE’s jet engines, hospital MRI equipment, trains, and turbines. The components require utmost efficiency in their operation which require analysis of a lot of performance and service data that will be analyzed to create better gadgets and machines. Information management is, therefore, crucial to GE in that: It reduces operation cost that require constant processing of information. A good management of information will ensure that all the departments like manufacturing and sales departments get already processed information in real, and this reduces overall cost.It ensures that a lot of information is gotten from the same data source.It will reduce conflicting information requirements for either the management, production of the marketing departments since they might require the same data in their daily processes. Information management also ensures data security due the access controls and authorization levels created. Access controls can be implemented by giving particular people only write or read capabilities to the database with database administrators being given all the privileges. Information management will ensure that there are flexibility and responsiveness of information. It is required that all GE departments and branches all over the world have instant access to information in their databases. Instant access of information is achieved through effective management of data and processed information. New Information Technologies come up to replace existing ones with the hope of improving performance. GE Electric is a big swing company that has invested in new IT architectures to improve its performance. GE has invested heavily in technologies like cloud deployment and implementation of digital sensors in their devices (General Electric, 2015). Cloud has enabled a lot of data or processed