Euthanasia Background Essay

* What’s Euthanasia? * The Pro-Life Alliance defines it as: ‘Any action or omission intended to end the life of a patient on the grounds that his or her life is not worth living.’ * The Voluntary Euthanasia Society looks to the word’s Greek origins – ‘eu’ and ‘thanatos,’ which together mean ‘a good death’ – and say a modern definition is: ‘A good death brought about by a doctor providing drugs or an injection to bring a peaceful end to the dying process.’ * Three classes of euthanasia can be identified — passive euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide and active euthanasia — although not all groups would acknowledge them as valid terms.† * What is physician-assisted suicide/physician aid in dying? * It is descriptively accurate and carries with it no misleading connotations. * Other contributors to this volume prefer the synonymous term physician-assisted suicide because it is technically accurate, and still others prefer physician aid in dying because it is relatively neutral. * Although suicide can be considered heroic or rational depending on setting and philosophical orientation, in much American writing it is conflated with mental illness, and the term suggests the tragic self-destruction of a person who is not thinking clearly or acting rationally. Pros: * Everyone has the right to die * The right of a competent, terminally ill person to avoid excruciating pain and embrace a timely and dignified death bears the sanction of history and is implicit in the concept of ordered liberty. * The exercise of this right is as central to personal autonomy and bodily integrity as rights safeguarded by this Court’s decisions relating to marriage, family relationships, procreation, contraception, child rearing and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment. * In particular, this Court’s recent decisions concerning the right to refuse medical treatment and the right to abortion instruct that a mentally competent, terminally ill person has a protected liberty interest in choosing to end intolerable suffering by bringing about his or her own death. * Patient suffering should be able to end their life. * At the Hemlock Society they get calls daily from desperate people who are looking for someone like Jack Kevorkian to end their lives, which have lost all quality. * Americans should enjoy a right guaranteed in the European Declaration of Human Rights — the right not to be forced to suffer. * It should be considered as much of a crime to make someone live that with justification does not wish to continue as it is to take life without consent. * What about palliative (end-of-life) care? * The evidence for the emotional impact of assisted dying on physicians shows that euthanasia and assisted suicide are a far cry from being ‘easier options for the caregiver’ than palliative care, as some critics of Dutch practice have suggested. * We wish to take a strong stand against the separation and opposition between euthanasia and assisted suicide, on the one hand, and palliative care, on the other, that such critics have implied. There is no ‘either-or’ with respect to these options. * Every appropriate palliative option available must be discussed with the patient and, if reasonable, tried before a request for assisted death can be accepted. * What about living wills? * Living wills can be used to refuse extraordinary, life-prolonging care and are effective in providing clear and convincing evidence that may be necessary under state statutes to refuse care after one becomes terminally ill. * A recent Pennsylvania case shows the power a living will can have. In that case, a Bucks County man was not given a feeding tube, even though his wife requested he receive one, because his living will, executed seven years prior, clearly stated that he did ‘not want tube feeding or any other artificial invasive form of nutrition. * A living will provides clear and convincing evidence of one’s wishes regarding end-of-life care. * Healthcare * Even though the various elements that make up the American healthcare system are becoming more circumspect in ensuring that money is not wasted. * The cap that marks a zero-sum healthcare system is largely absent in the United States. * Considering the way we finance healthcare in the United States, it would be hard to make a case that there is a financial imperative compelling us to adopt physician-assisted suicide in an effort to save money so that others could benefit. Cons: * There will be a slippery slope to legalized murder. * In a society as obsessed with the costs of health care and the principle of utility, the dangers of the slippery slope†¦ are far from fantasy. * Assisted suicide is a half-way house, a stop on the way to other forms of direct euthanasia, for example, for incompetent patients by advance directive or suicide in the elderly. So, too, is voluntary euthanasia a half-way house to involuntary and nonvoluntary euthanasia. * If terminating life is a benefit, the reasoning goes, why should euthanasia be limited only to those who can give consent? Why need we ask for consent? * The Hippocratic Oath and Prohibition of Killing would make it impossible. * The prohibition against killing patients†¦ stands as the first promise of self-restraint sworn to in the Hippocratic Oath, as medicine’s primary taboo: ‘I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect’. * In forswearing the giving of poison when asked for it, the Hippocratic physician rejects the view that the patient’s choice for death can make killing him right. * For the physician, at least, human life in living bodies commands respect and reverence–by its very nature. As its respectability does not depend upon human agreement or patient consent, revocation of one’s consent to live does not deprive one’s living body of respectability. * The deepest ethical principle restraining the physician’s power is not the autonomy or freedom of the patient; neither is it his own compassion or good intention. Rather, it is the dignity and mysterious power of human life itself, and therefore, also what the Oath calls the purity and holiness of life and art to which he has sworn devotion.† * There is also Government involvement in end-of-life decisions. * Cases like Schiavo’s touch on basic constitutional rights, such as the right to live and the right to due process, and consequently there could very well be a legitimate role for the federal government to play. * There’s a precedent–as a result of the highly publicized deaths of infants with disabilities in the 1980s, the federal government enacted ‘Baby Doe Legislation,’ which would withhold federal funds from hospitals that withhold lifesaving treatment from newborns based on the expectation of disability. * The medical community has to have restrictions on what it may do to people with disabilities – we’ve already seen what some members of that community are willing to do when no restrictions are in place.Healthcare spending implications will shut it down. * There would be healthcare spending implications. * Savings to governments could become a consideration. * Drugs for assisted suicide cost about $35 to $45, making them far less expensive than providing medical care. * This could fill the void from cutbacks for treatment and care with the ‘treatment’ of death.† * Social groups would also be at risk. * It must be recognized that assisted suicide and euthanasia will be practiced through the prism of social inequality and prejudice that characterizes the delivery of services in all segments of society, including health care. * Those who will be most vulnerable to abuse, error, or indifference are the poor, minorities, and those who are least educated and least empowered. * This risk does not reflect a judgment that physicians are more prejudiced or influenced by race and class than the rest of society – only that they are not exempt from the prejudices manifest in other areas of our collective life.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 18

There were two hundred blocks between the Richards' mansion and downtown New York City. Just under ten miles. But moving like a vampire isn't like running in a normal sense, especially as I had just drained one of the Richards' goats. If I was a blur to the world, so was the world to me. My head was down as I spent my entire focus on avoiding the obstacles right before me and trying to exhaust myself. Down from the rocky cliffs and heights of Fort Tryon with its cool trees, and through the valley that separated it from the rest of the city. Back into civilization, the unpaved dirt roads that smelled of dust and plants, particularly the tobacco I recognized from my native Virginia. After enduring a week of waiting and watching and trying to outthink my brother, I just wanted it to all be over. And now it wasn't. Damon couldn't kill Winfield until the cash was available, and who knew how long that was going to be. In the meantime I had to stay with Bridget, keep tabs on the Sutherlands, pretend to be happily married, and continue to try and figure out Damon's endgame. I was caught in a web of guilt; every move of mine stuck another limb deeper. I just wanted to break free. I wish I could live in solitude. If I had to live out eternity as a vampire, at the very least I could leave no evidence of it. No deaths, no injury, no hurt, no evidence of my unnatural existence at all. I was running from myself, my new self, and could never escape, just as I ran from Damon, my shadow in this endless afterlife. The scent of nature soon gave way to the reek of sewage and rot that clung to even rich neighborhoods. In the alleyways behind the giant houses, servants dumped slop out into back streets and milk carts left fresh dairy products on back steps. All they would notice was a strange rush of wind, a vacuum that had been created in my passing, a momentary darkening against a brick wall like a cloud had passed over the sun. In the Garment District my nose was assailed by the harsh tang of chemicals and the singeing of fibers as young women cut, sewed, and dyed cloth in the factories that were beginning to replace the farms in New York City. Leaning against the fire escape with their sleeves pushed up, small clusters of these young women smoked cigarettes on their precious breaks. As I tore by one girl, cutting it very close, my tail wind snuffed out her match. I looked back to see her staring, confused, at the feather of smoke. Soon I was overcome by the smell of human flesh and waste. Of horse manure and flickering gas lamps. Of industry, print and ink and black smog, of the river, briny fish, and finally a fresh breeze. These were the only details of the city I took in, all sounds and sights muted to a roaring black and white. Expensive perfume and flowers. Butchered meat and smoky bacon. Lemon and ginger†¦ I stopped suddenly, in the middle of Washington Square. That was Katherine's perfume. A hand clasped my shoulder, and I spun around expectantly. But instead of seeing the dark curls of the woman who had made me, I found myself face-to-face with Damon, who stood there, one eyebrow raised in condescending amusement. My face fell and I slumped, exhaustion and despair overtaking me. I didn't even bother shaking off his hand. Where was I going to go, really? My brother had followed me all the way up the East Coast. So long as I refused to drink human blood, he would always be stronger, faster than I was. I was only delaying the inevitable by trying to escape whatever he had planned next. â€Å"It's our wedding night, brother. Where are you off to?† Damon's voice was sharp. Exhausted from my marathon of pain and escape, I just stood there. â€Å"I was going to come back.† Damon rolled his eyes. â€Å"I'll get us a cab,† he said, snapping his fingers. One came over immediately. â€Å"Seventy-third and Fifth,† he ordered, through the trap door. â€Å"We're going to the Sutherlands'?† I asked, confused. â€Å"Not the Richards'?† â€Å"We're going home,† Damon corrected. â€Å"And yes, the reception's over. You ran out at the very end.† â€Å"What did you tell Bridget?† I couldn't help asking. While I didn't love her, I felt bad about abandoning her at her own wedding. In some ways, it was the worst thing that I could do to a girl like her. Damon rolled his eyes. â€Å"Don't worry. They don't even realize you've gone missing.† â€Å"So you haven't killed them yet?† â€Å"Whoever said I was going to kill them?† he asked innocently. â€Å"Do you think I'm some kind of monster?† â€Å"Yes,† I said. â€Å"Well, I am what you made me,† Damon said with a tip of his hat. â€Å"You're not making this any easier,† I muttered. â€Å"You must have me mistaken for someone who cares about making your life easier,† Damon said, suddenly cold, his eyes flashing. â€Å"You know, you've taken a lot of effort to make sure you stay in my life,† I pointed out. â€Å"Are you sure it's just to make me miserable?† He stared at me. â€Å"What are you getting at?† â€Å"I think you need me, Damon,† I growled. â€Å"I think that under your anger, you're scared and horrified of what you've become. I am the last link to your human self, the only person who knows who you are. And I'm the only person for the rest of eternity who will.† Damon narrowed his eyes at me. â€Å"Brother, you don't know anything about me,† he hissed. He threw the door of the cab open and swung himself up and out. A soft thunk indicated he had landed on the roof. I stuck my head out the window and looked up. I watched with horror as Damon picked up the driver and ripped his neck open, sucking only a mouthful or two before throwing him off the cab and on to the street. â€Å"Damon! Stop!† I yelled, but it was too late. I tried to dive out the door, to go after the injured man, but Damon threw an arm out and pushed me back into the carriage as he sped around a corner. Perched on top of the cab, mouth covered in blood, Damon whipped the horse into a frothing frenzy. And so we two brothers hurled northward, one driving and one being driven, like Satan compelling the damned.

Barbie Doll:Represent What A perfect American Woman Is

Jennifer Perez ENC 1102 Research Paper Marge Piercy ever herd this name before? Well if you have, did you know she was the founder of Leap track Press? Marge Piercy is very well known as an American poet, novelist and social activist. Many of he founded work has been graded as best-selling. Piercy has a goal to have her feminist voice be herd by society. She shares her opinions threw the characters she makes in her writing and poetry. Piercy wrote the poem Barbie Doll, and in this poem she states woman do not need to fit into society’s point of view of what a woman should look and act like.Piercy has a fascinating history and high valued awards, but what was Piercy’s message to her audience when Barbie Doll was published in 1973. Piercy was born on March 31, 1936 in Detroit, Michigan into a family that was greatly affected by the great depression. As a child Piercy lived in a segregated neighborhood. Piercy has a half-brother from her mother’s side who is fourtee n years older than her. She was raised in the Jewish religion by her grandmother and her mother. Till this day Piercy still remains a Jew.Piercy attended a public school in Detroit and half way through grade school she became sick with the German measles and rheumatic fever. When she got ill Piercy was disabled from doing what all of the other kids were doing as a result she built an unconditional love towards the world of literature. Piercy attended the University of Michigan and was the first in her family to attend college. At seventeen, Piercy won a Hopwood award for poetry and fiction. The scholarship money that she had won because of the award enabled her to finish college.She enjoyed the college style of life but found it very difficult to find her comfort zone because of all of the political decisions government had made for woman. Her schooling finished with an M. A from Northwestern University. After her first marriage Piercy lived in Chicago. She proceeded in writing and tried her best to develop poetry and fiction she was not yet able to produce. As a woman society had a horrible out-look on her. Piercy was a twenty three divorce woman living pay check to pay check on multiple part time jobs. She became and activist for the civil rights movement. She wanted woman to be valued not minimized.Piercy’s early work was omitted because of her feminist viewpoints. In 1982 Piercy married Ira Wood. As soon as her marriage was finalized the couple moved to Cape Cod. Wood and Piercy are both a part of the same work field. Wood is an author, teacher, a former publisher, and the host of a weekly radio talk show called â€Å"The Lowdown. † The due wrote a play titled â€Å"The Last White Class† and a novel called â€Å"Storm Tide. † In 1997 they founded a small literary publishing company called Leapfrog Press. Piercy and Wood have a very intimate and loving relationship, till this day the couple is still living in Cape Cod.Piercy neve r considered herself to fit into the image of what a woman was supposed to be like in the 1950’s. Piercy published her first novel called â€Å"Going Down Fast† in 1969. It was very difficult for Piercy to publish her first book because many did not agree with her feminist viewpoints. Piercy is the author of seventeen novels including four of New York Times best sellers and eighteen volumes of poetry. Piercy has played major roles in progressive political battles of our time. She was in activist in the anti-Vietnam war and the woman’s movement, and most recently an active participant in the resistance to the War in Iraq.Her novels â€Å"Woman on the Edge of Time† and â€Å"He, She and It† have great political commitment and imaginative power. With the Baby Boom era in play woman were becoming wives and mothers rapidly. During the Mid fifty’s thou 35 percent of all woman were working and a quarter of them married. Piercy was divorced, unsucce ssful, and had multiple part time jobs at a young age. She worked as a secretary, a switchboard operator, a clerk in a department store, an artist model, and a faculty instructor.Consequently society looked down upon her and fell into the 35 percent of working woman. Piercy’s poem â€Å"Barbie Doll appears in her collection, â€Å"To Be of Us,† published in 1973. Piercy fundamentally states how humanity classifies woman for their stereotypical demeanor. Piercy uses a Barbie Doll to represent what a perfect American woman should appear as. The Poem begins with a normal young â€Å"girlchild† who plays with dolls, miniature kitchen items and pretend make-up. The poem takes an unsuspicious turn when the young girl was criticized by an outsider.He or she claimed she had to â€Å"exercise, diet, smile and wheedle† (page 647 line 14). The poem continues and there is a visual moment of her lying in a casket without her nose and legs â€Å"So she cut off her no se and her legs and offered them up†(page 647 line 17-18). Piercy uses the young child’s image as a representation of a Barbie Doll. The young child shows description that challenges were being faced by women of all ages who do not feel as if they do not fit society standards of being a woman. Despite of how sorrowful she felt the truth is she was healthy, happy, intelligent, and beautiful.

Brittany maynard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brittany maynard - Essay Example This itself becomes a testament to the fear of not complete living, which is what Brittany Maynard’s husband feared in the first place. Overall, the ethics regarding euthanasia and tube feeding are going to be very imperative in the future. Medical professionals must have a balanced approach to tackle these issues that will continue to be prevalent in near sight. In accordance to Oregon state law regarding death with dignity, a brain tumor is recorded as the official cause of death on her death certificate. For example in which a patient is explicit in their decision making. In Brittany Maynard case, this was true. As a matter of fact, when a patient denies treatment- it is the moral obligation of the medical professional to question the motives and the justification to not be provided with treatment. It was clear that medical professionals do have the right to indulge in this issue, even if seems to be highly personal. Maynard married Daniel Esteban, who did not have much say in this say. I felt that he should give his perspective on this issue. Confronting Death: Who Chooses? Who Controls? A Dialogue between Dax Cowart and Robert Burt . (n.d.). Digital Common Laws. Retrieved August 11, 2014, from

Violence and Computer Games Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Violence and Computer Games - Research Proposal Example Video games are a relatively new type of entertainment that first appeared only some thirty years ago in the 1970’s. However, they become really popular only in the late 1980’s and only then the interest emerged in exploring their impact on children’s psychology. This rsearch proposal tries to give more than one opinion on the problem. Majority of researchers consider violent computer games to be among the top causes of aggressive behavior and violence in real life. Yet some psychologists think that computer or television violence does not really causes violent actions in real life, rather on the contrary: it helps people to give a loose to their negative emotions and thus reduces probability of aggressive style of behavior in real life. This research proposal covers a history of video games studies, from the one that was carried out in the beginning of 1980’s that failed to prove their effects on children’s behavior. But in more recent studies and reports this connection has been confirmed by Zisman in 2000. This research proposal focuses on two main approaches in social psychology that throw light on the nature of how computer games influence children. The first one is called the cultivation theory. Other studies on the subject do not differ much: they prove positive correlation between playing violent computer games and aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior for â€Å"they [violent video games] introduce a unique feature: the individual creates and participates in the violence† - Funk.

Market-Based Management Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Market-Based Management Application - Essay Example Moreover, the principles encourage employees to learn from their failures and always think in terms of opportunity cost. Therefore, MBM entails learning how to understand and deal with the human nature and apply the concepts in an organization to ensure that the products or services are viewed positively by the customer since they satisfy their needs. This essay focuses on the concepts of Market Base Management (MBM), overview of Koch Industries and how the company implemented the MBM, MBM relates to Values Theory, challenges involved in implementing MBM and possible Solutions. Concepts of Market-based Management In companies, individuals possess varying knowledge regarding the operations of the company. Therefore, managers are required to learn how to manage the varying knowledge to enhance the performance of the company. Previously, most organizations focused on hiring competent managers since they believed that the persons would be capable of understanding the situation in the org anization and make plans that would apply to the diverse employees. However, this approach has been unsuccessful in most companies since they failed to realize that a single individual could not possess all the skills required for apposite management. On the contrary, the skills are dispersed amongst the various employees. Understanding this led Charles Koch to develop varying concepts that he combined to come up with the Market Based Management, which is opposed, to centralization of management (Gable, Elllig, & Ellig, 1993; Koch, 2007). The philosophy entails setting clear vision and incentives in an organization and measuring the performance of the employees, which results in establishment of an entrepreneur behavior in organizations. The decision making power is distributed amongst employees and individuals do not have to consult the managers or superiors while making minor decisions. However, the company has a clear vision and the employees are encouraged to ensure that their d ecisions aim at ensuring the company’s vision is realized. Since the employees understand what they are required to accomplish, have integrity, and expect some incentives from their efforts, they become focused towards achieving their goals, which are in line with the companies vision (Kratzer, 2000). The incentives aim at ensuring that employees are compensated for their works as well as the value they create for the organization. Moreover, the philosophy emphasizes on having appropriate measures to quantity the individual performance, on time delivery, asset performance, as well as performance of the entire organization. Furthermore, the philosophy highlights the role of market principles in an organization (Gable, Elllig, & Ellig, 1993; Kratzer, 2000). Overview of Koch Industries Recently, Forbes magazine ranked Kochs industries as the largest privately held company in the world. Koch industries is an American multinational and is involved in activities such as trading, in vestments and manufacturing, refining and distribution of products such as petroleum, and manufacture of chemicals energy, polymers, fertilizers, fiber, paper and pulp. Fred Koch co-founded the company with other partners in 1940 but his sons Charles Koch and David Koch currently run it. The company is the best example of how the MBM philosophies have been applies since the

The Relationship between Poverty, Governance and Development and an Essay

The Relationship between Poverty, Governance and Development and an Analysis of the Strategies used by Key Actors in Dealing with these Three Variables - Essay Example Globalisation has taken the centre-stage in national affairs around the world in the past twenty years.This has been characterised by the fast growth in cross-border communication and travels, harmonisation of standards, stronger international treaties and the growth in the number of multinational organisations and entities.Globalisation has been supported by global partnerships and improved systems of cooperation amongst nations. It is obvious that governance in nations have changed and there are communities affected by global governance and standardisation now than ever. In spite of this, there are huge disparities between nations in different parts of the world. The aim of the research is to identify the relationship between poverty, governance and development and an analysis of the efficiency of methods used to deal with these three variables by governments and other key actors. In attaining this end, the following objectives would be explored by the researcher in order to draw a conclusion on the dominant trends in the relationship under review: 1. A critical examination of the key concepts: poverty, governance and development. 2. An evaluation of the key stakeholders and approaches used to deal with poverty and the metrics in examining them. 3. An assessment of the results of the strategies and approaches used to deal with poverty and its effectiveness. 2.0 Critical Examination of Key Concepts: Poverty, Governance and Development This section of the research would examine the key concepts under discussion in the paper. It would involve the definition of the three main concepts of poverty, governance and development. This review of literature will assess important trends that describe these three ideas in the international and global context. The popular definition of global poverty was set by the United Nations in 1995 (Segal-Horn and Faulkner, 2009). The definition include the people who live on â€Å"less than one dollar a day† (Segal-Horn and Fa ulkner, 2009). This classification provides a standardised view of who are poor and cannot afford the basic necessities of life. Generally, the world is divided into nations where there are few people who live below the poverty line and those who have most of their citizens living above it (Held and McGrew, 2007). The classification on the basis of the majority of nations provides a categorisation of richer nations and poorer nations. The classification provides an idea of the quality of life of nations and how much is available to people and how wealth is distributed in each of the nations. Another approach of viewing poverty on the global scale is to view the infrastructural development of the nation (McNeill and StClair, 2009). To this end, McNeill and StClair identify that some nations have better developed infrastructure whilst others have less developed systems and structures (2009). The classification on the basis of infrastructure puts nations into classes of developed, emer ging and underdeveloped nations (Thomas, 2000). Developed nations are those that have the best and most advanced structures and amenities which provides a good life for their citizens. Underdeveloped nations are those that have limited infrastructure whilst emerging nations are those in the transition between developing and developed nations. Most developed nations are in the northern continents like Europe and North America whilst the underdeveloped states are in the southern hemisphere. The criticism of the model of classifying nations according to their infrastructural base is that, they do not give a clear picture of how well wealth is distributed in these nations. A typical example is the case of large federal nations in the developing world like India, Mexico and Brazil who have huge national funds which can afford to fund the largest projects. Yet, these

Most Important Interpersonal Skills Required of a Compliance Officer Research Paper

Most Important Interpersonal Skills Required of a Compliance Officer - Research Paper Example In some jurisdiction, complains officers can perform consultative roles such as advising and supporting business transactions as well as other functions performed by the firm. The compliance officer has the responsibility of overseeing all compliance activities and has substantial authority in an organization (Heller, Murphy and Meaney 20-24). Moreover, compliance officers have direct access to senior persons in an organization such as the company president and chief executive officers. In addition, compliance officers are required to operate independently without the influence of other persons in an organization. Therefore, compliance officers have critical roles to play in enhancing successful performance of a firm. In order for compliance officers to be effective in their duties there are certain interpersonal skill they are required to possess. This paper focuses on the most important interpersonal skills required of a compliance officer, which include negotiation skills, communi cation skills, investigative/analytical skills, qualifications, and confidence. Having appropriate negotiation skills  is important in several jobs including being a compliance officer. Compliance officers are often involved in making company policies are thus required to be able to negotiate with other department heads they may be working with. Moreover, compliance officers often negotiate with regulators such as external auditors on the measures that firms are required to take in order to satisfy the set regulatory requirements. Moreover, when disputes regarding compliance arise in a company, the compliance officers are required to settle the disputes (Heller, Murphy and Meaney 105-109; Safian 28-31). Some compliance officers are accorded great mandate and are required to negotiate with powerful stakeholders such as important political figures or producers in a firm such as financial

Explain the significance of property in Lockes theory of natural Essay

Explain the significance of property in Lockes theory of natural rights - Essay Example Locke states specifically that â€Å"mens lives, liberties and estates, I call by the general name property†3. So here, it is apparent that Locke defines property in a way that is quite unique and distinct from the mainstream definition we are accustomed to. Again, Locke states that â€Å"by property, I must be understood here as in other places to mean that property which men have in their persons as well as goods†4. Locke repeats the wider definition of property which seem to define property in relation to the estates and goods a person owns as well as a persons life as a living person. Looking at Lockes definition of property in the macrocosmic sense, it is apparent that he was arguing that once a person has a life, he has a property. This property is of a value even if the person does not own any property. Locke puts forward several cases and arguments that supports his points in England of his era. Most of these arguments are rooted in Biblical principles and precepts and it weaves into the wider society by building a hedge around the human lives to ensure that people get good and fair treatment wherever they find themselves. Locke argues that human beings have been given rights by God to take dominion over the earth and exercise control over the natural environment and the lesser creatures5. This is supported by the Bible in Genesis. Locke therefore states that â€Å"man should live and abide for some time upon the face of the earth†6. This therefore means that every individual on the earth has some rights to control some portion of the earth because it was an in inherent and inalienable right given to Adam by God. This therefore means that every human being is by extension, a representative of God who seeks to honour the purpose for which Adam was created: to take dominion and guard over the natural environment. Although God gave dominion to Adam, this was held exclusively by all human beings

Western Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Western Civilization - Essay Example These are examples of things that have been brought about the western civilization; they have improved efficiency in business operations like faster communication, management and general quality improvements (Wright W. 1913). However, other practices from western civilization have been discouraged in many societies, for instance, some kinds of fashion; music and entertainment have been described as insane, increasing immorality and eroding the conservative nature of most other world civilizations. Following worldwide concern over the influence of western civilization, the violations experienced from this civilization can be said to be changing forms in the wake of modern developments in technology (Wright W. 1913). For this reason, the internet invention has risen to become the chief influence of people’s behaviors and actions. Western civilizations Influence of human violence has been seen to be changing forms, this has been necessitated by new lifestyle patterns and technological advancements. Before, human violence based mostly on nations superiority, ground and military might, however, in modern times, the dimension has shifted to include economic patterns. In this case, the violence that was experienced earlier can be seen to have changed its form

Conceptualizing a Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Conceptualizing a Business - Essay Example Eating healthy is significant because it reduces the risk for certain diseases, improves the physical well-being, weight management, strengthen immune systems and extended life expectancy. The federal government spends a lot of money on maintaining a healthy nation; thus, the need for addressing the healthy eating habits is crucial. Many scholars argue that the increased fast food restaurants in the United States have contributed to increased diseases such as obesity and other related diseases. This is because the food is cheap, but it has many calories that pose health risks to citizens. Therefore, this aspect brings the writer to the choice of opening up a restaurant that has nutrient facts and serves healthy food at affordable prices. The restaurant will offer varied types of products, which will be served on different occasions. For instance, it will serve healthy products and services to customers such as colorful fruits and vegetables, which are rich in vitamins. It will also serve whole grains, and low-fat dairy product and other products, which have rich carbohydrates. Other products include fish, groundnuts, starchy, lean poultry and unsaturated oils like olive oil and canola that have low calories, hence reducing increased risks for diseases. These are beneficial because they have low calories; hence, they will help customers to have sufficient energy; thus living a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, the restaurant will target all categories of customers including students, civil servants and even tourists from varied parts of the globe. The mission of the restaurant is to offer customers nutritious products and services at affordable prices. This mission is significant because it will improve the health living standards of many people; thus maintaining a healthy nation.

Adapting Communication for Age of Pupils Essay Example for Free

Adapting Communication for Age of Pupils Essay When working with children each age group requires a different level of support and also a best way to communicate, communication doesn’t just change on the age of the child but also the child themselves. When working with children in the foundation stage F-1 it is appropriate to speak to children n there level whenever possible this helps the child to feel more comfortable as they haven’t got someone towering over them, also for the adult it helps them to hear the child correctly as younger children are likely to not be as loudly spoken and may lack in confidence. Also another non verbal communication in this age is to use lots of facial expression as children will pick up the meaning of a word or what context it is meant in by facial expression as well as tone of voice. Younger children also benefit from the use of actions to go with words such as having a hand action for hello waving etc. this makes language more remember able to them and easier for them to use. The verbal communication for this age needs to be simple, using words which the child will understand both the meaning of the word and the context it is meant in for example clear instructions are helpful such as â€Å" go and get your coats on, its cold today, they need to be done up, and then line up please† a opposed to â€Å" coats on† the children will not know to do up or line up. Clear tone of voice I also needed and children quickly respond to this if a member of staff has a calm happy tone of voice and changes to a stern tone the pupils are likely to recognise she is upset about something as her tone of voice has dramatically changed. Where as if a member of staff always had a flat tone of voice which doesn’t change children are likely to be less aware or able to pick up on the contexts things are meant as they are unable to relate to the changing of tone. See more:  Mark Twains Humorous Satire in Running for Governor Essay In KS-1 pupils have much better language skills and can use more complex words, Verbally I can use more complex words such as time words, and more complex description words when communicating with them light humour is also appropriate as they will be able to understand it. In KS-1 pupils are likely to find it a little unnerving If I were to always speak to them on their level as they are older and may see this as been spoken to like a baby, however eye contact is still important when speaking to them. Hand actions will no longer be needed at this stage, also facial expression is still important but needn’t be as exadrated. As children get older depending on their development they are likely to be able to communicate on a more adult level, exploring language and understanding its context and meaning, using humour and asking questions if unsure of how something is meant. The context of the communication. How I communicate with the CYPs in the settiing will be adapted also to the context in which I am talking for example when in the classroom working with a pupil on a task I will speak in a calm relaxed tone of voice, encouraging them while they do the task, if a pupil had been struggling I may change my tone of voice to a more enthusiastic pitch recognising their achievements. When in a classroom and a pupil might talk whilst the teacher is talking either to myself or another pupil usually saying their name in a stern tone and unsmiling face is enough to get them to correct their behaviour. Whilst in the playground speaking to a pupil on a social subject I can relax use light humour, be interested in what they are saying without asking inappropriate questions. I can use hand gestures and have a more relaxed pose. Communication differences. Pupils depending on their individual needs, preferences may need different communication from their peers for example is a pupil is quiet shy and quietly spoken they may feel more comfortable with the adult to speaking to them in a calm quiet manner whereas a adult being load and confident may make them feel very nervous etc. Pupils who have SEN. may need communication to be different to suit their needs for example if they have additional learning needs they may have difficulty understanding language as well as there peers and need simple language with actions and facial expressions to help them. Pupils with sight difficulties may need more physical communication such as leading around the room by hand or being allowed to explore activity’s by touch. Pupils with a hearing difficulties may benefit from visual aids around the classroom such as school rules such as no running. They may also need adults to repeat things to them if they are unsure and also for adults to always face them when talking to them to enable them to lip read, and speak in a clear load voice. TDA 3.1( 2.3) The differences between communicating with adults, children and young people. The way I communicate with adults and pupils varies depending on the context, however in a professional situation a lot of the communication is the same such as using a calm happy tone of voice, good eye contact and open body language. Some things which are different which may be appropriate for a child but not for a adult such as using a stern tone of voice to discipline a child, wouldn’t be suitable for use on a adult as they are adults and this would cause conflict as it isn’t my place to get them to correct their behaviour, Adults don’t need me to speak to them on their level although in some situations this may be useful for example in a noisy pace to bend down to talk to another adult who is seated. Depending on the age of the child humour used may not be appropriate although as with children as any humour used is likely to be hear by children it will remain light and clear so no one misunderstands its context and also humour must never hurt someone else’s feelings. Hand actions and exadirated facial expressions aren’t needed with adults as they might be benifitual to communicating with children. How to adapt my communication with adults to meet adults individual communication needs. Adults within the setting like children too will have their own needs, preferences when communicating Also their communication preferences may change depending on the situation/ environment they are in for example if a member of staff is outside in a busy playground supervising, they have to supervise the pupils so are unlikely to maintain full eye contact which in some situations may be seen as having bad communication however in this situation the child is paramount and they are putt ing the child’s safety first. Also in a noisy environment they are likely to need me to speak louder and clearly. In a situation where the member of staff may be doing some written work I will approach them quietly so not to disturb them as the written word may be important. Adults may also have a disability or need such as a hearing impairment which will mean I will need to make sure my face is visible when talking to them so that they can lip read, also I would never talk to them across the room but make sure I am stood in front of them when communicating with them, I will also speak in a clear load voice. Managing disagreements with CYP. If I were to become in a situation where myself and a child came into a disagreement I would firstly make sure the child has understood something I said probably by repeating myself and use simpler words. It may be that I may have misunderstood the meaning of something a child said so to confirm I will ask questions to make sure I am clear on the context they meant It in. It may be a achedemic disagreement for example a child telling me they have already read a certain book, I would refer to their home/ school book to check as all books children read are written down. Most disagreements via myself and a child can easily be resolved either by clarifying meaning, they might not have meant what they said in that manner , or if its about their school work I can check with the teacher or through any written records the school has that are relevant. In my setting I will have to maintain professional communication even if I disagree or experience any conflict with another adult. I would keep this unobvious to the pupils within the room instead dealing with the issue outside of the classroom at a appropriate time i.e. in the staffroom at a designated break time. I feel that in most instances I would be able to solve the issue with a verbal open conversation with the other adult explaining to them what I am unhappy about and why. However if the incidence was serious where the other member of staff showed a misconduct of practise i.e. racism poor health and safety etc. I may feel it appropriate to consult the head teacher of what has happen/what I have witnessed. I will refrain from criticizing the member of staff myself. In a more serious event I may be asked to write down what I have encountered if the head teacher needs to seek advice take the incident to the school governors or local authority. TDA 3.1 (3.2) An explanation of the importance of reassuring CYP and adults of the confidentiality of shared information and the limits of this. As part of safeguarding I in some cases am required to break any confidentiality if the information may mean a child is in potential harm or at risk from harm. Any disclosures from children concerning adults both within and outside of the school setting have to be reported to help risk to be assessed and prevented. In the case of adults it may be they a adult has concerns over another adults practise maybe due to a action taken by the adult , their mental health at a certain time or something a child has informed them off. When hearing any concerning information I will always firstly reassure the information giver that they have done the correct thing, I will them tell them that I cannot keep it to myself but will have to tell a appropriate person however it wont be told to anyone just the people who need to know. It is important that I tell them this so they don’t think of me a misusing their trust, or doing something to upset them, they need to know that the children’s safety comes first and any information that is passed on is done so only to protect them and only the relevant people will be told about it.

Human Superiority Over Animals

Human Superiority Over Animals Superior is a relative term. Humans are capable of doing advanced things, which set us apart from other species on earth, such as using tools. We have the physical advantage of using our hands, which due to our opposable thumb makes it much easier for humans to use tools compared to a bird, or a four-legged animal. Hands also allow the human race to compensate for their inherent lack of anti-predator adaptations, such as camouflage, venom, claws and general muscle mass by building weapons and protective shelter. Humans consider these adaptations to be far superior to any other species on earth, and this certainly goes a long way to the feelings of dominance over animals. Most people would agree that humans differ from other animals in terms of intelligence; however, biologically speaking humans are classified as animals. Dictionary.com (2010) describes an animal to be A multicellular organism of the kingdom Animalia, differing from plants in certain typical characteristics such as ca pacity for locomotion, nonphotosynthetic metabolism, pronounced response to stimuli, restricted growth, and fixed bodily structure. All of these qualities apply to humans and other animals alike. As plain as it is to see the similarities between humans and chimpanzees, with which we share 98% of our genetic information (Science Museum, 2010), there is no doubt that humans have pedestaled themselves above the animal kingdom. We generally use the term animal to describe a creature that is not human. For example, you would never see RSPCA(EH) Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Excluding Humans). Hunting Humans have hunted wild animals since the beginning of the Homo genus 2.5 million years ago, long before civilizations were formed (Holzman, 2003). From hunting solely for survival, ensuring that every part of the captured animal was put to good use, to trapping live prey to sell and ultimately becoming a sport, huntings role in society has changed and evolved dramatically throughout history (Lewis, 2009: 49). Hunting with horses and dogs is emblematic of how hunts in modern Britain are typically perceived, but this has not always been the case. Horses and sometimes dogs were an important part of our food chain long before they were partnered with man (Lewis, 2009:50). Although it is unclear when man started to work along side the original wolf descendents of the 10.5 million estimated canine pets in the UK alone (Browne et al., 2010), it appears that they developed their relationship around 20,000 years ago (Serpell, 1995: 7). The domestication of wolves was a natural and logical st ep in improving early mankinds hunting development. Wolves have a strict natural order in their packs identifying one leader that they will all follow, a position that was taken by Late Stone Age man (Lewis, 2009: 54). Wolves superior senses were hugely beneficial to humans. Smell, sight and hearing coupled with their instinctual need for protecting their pack would have provided man with excellent added protection from carnivores and hostile groups of other humans. Apart from the advantages these senses would give humans during a hunt, all of these reasons helped to form the foundations of their symbiotic relationship. There are many possible processes that may have lead to the domestication of the wolf with the most popular theory having a basis in natural selection (Serpell, 1995: 7-21). This hypothesis maintains that wolves ventured into human communities to feed from their left over food waste. Over many generations these wolves would have become more comfortable and less fearful of humans resulting in greater sustenance. Natural selection would favour the wolves less inclined to flee the humans, and this lack of fear would have been learned by the wolf cubs. This process would have eventually led to the domestication and introduction of dogs. Once these dog ancestors were inducted into communities, humans would have begun to breed the animals selectively to produce traits specialized in hunting local prey. Selective breeding from early prehistory was the basis of the huge variations in dog breeds that we see today. As hunting became a sport rather than a life duty, the role of dogs continued to evolve and certain groups of dogs were specifically bred developing strong bloodlines (see Appendix one) There are two main types of hunts typically associated with Britain. The most popular is fox hunting which is an activity that involves tracking, chasing, and sometimes killing of a (traditionally red) fox. A group of followers are led to the fox on horseback or on foot by the trained scent hounds. Deer hunting is also enjoyed by many and either involves the chasing and killing of deer with a pack of hounds or deer stalking and shooting. This is usually done just with human participation as dogs can cause too much of a disturbance (Bateson and Bradshaw, 2000). Bow hunting deer is also a recreational sport that can be seen all over the globe. Although 10,000 deer per annum are thought to be killed by this method in the EU alone, the UK is one of two countries worldwide (the second being Senegal) where the practice is illegal due to welfare implications (Gregory, 2005). Hunting has long been a fashionable British pastime for royal and rural society. William the Conqueror was a keen huntsman who supposedly loved red deer as much as if he were their father (Griffin, 2007: 15). He realised that in order to maintain a huntable population of red deer in this country he needed to ensure their protection and conservation. He introduced control over when and where hunting was acceptable, which included the prevention of deer hunting during their mating season. This ensured a new generation of the animals to replace those killed. He established royal forests for the preservation of deer, which consisted not just of woodland, but also common land, arable land, moors and heaths. These royal forests lay outside of common law and became subject to forest law, placing them directly under the personal rule of the king. This action caused new ideas concerning ownership of the wild animals to come to life. Where it had once been the case that the hunted deer belonge d to whomevers land they lived on, William I declared that only he had the right to hunt wild deer as they belonged solely to him (Griffin, 2007: 20). Ultimately the kings laws made it very difficult for all those living in woodland areas. He prohibited hunting of all animals so as not to disturb his royal game and ruled that all dogs living in or around woodlands must be mutilated in order to prevent them chasing his deer. The necessary toe-removing procedure was known as lawing, and was later described by an authority as follows: The mastive being brought to set one of his forefoot upon a piece of wood eight inches thick and a foot square, then one with a mallet, setting a chisel two inches broad upon the three claws of his forefoot, at one blow doth smite them cleane off (Griffin, 2007:18) Hunting animals for food is often seen to be much more acceptable than hunting purely for the sake of killing (Lewis, 2009: 181). Foxes are largely thought of as vermin and for generations farmers had regularly killed them as a form of pest control. It wasnt until a decline in the UKs deer population in the eighteenth century that foxhunting evolved into its modern incarnation and was considered a sport in its own right (Craig, no date given). The activity grew in popularity with dogs being bred specifically for their scent tracking abilities, speed and stamina. The specialized breeding of the dogs resulted in longer, more exciting hunts, which were more attractive to those involved. The expansion of the British Empire under the reign of Queen Victoria spread fox hunting to far reaches of the globe. The European fox was introduced into Australia during the nineteenth century solely for recreational hunting (Dickman and Glen, 2005). Fox hunting in Britain continued to grow in populari ty well into the twentieth century despite the sport being banned in other European countries such as Germany (BBC, 1999a). In recent years however, the sport has undergone much controversy and has been involved in a great deal of debate between those who support the activity and those who oppose it. Many believe that fox hunting, in particular with mounted hunters and dogs, is cruel and outdated (BBC, 1999b). Foxes are considered to be vermin by some farmers and country folk who experience/fear loss of livestock due to these wild animals (Baker et al., 2000). Foxes are also known to kill many animals but only take one for feeding, which does not help improve farmers opinions of them when they are faced with so much unnecessary waste of livestock. Because of this, it is common practice for some farmers to shoot a fox on sight. This can have further consequences, such as the case of Edward Tibbs, a farmer who works in Essex. He was arrested on the grounds of attempted murder in Augus t 2010 as he shot two human trespassers with a shotgun after mistaking them for a fox. His gun licence has since been removed as the police consider him a danger to public safety and peace (Twomey, 2010) (See appendix 2 for full article). The argument that mounted fox hunting is performing an important role in the British countryside by helping to control huge numbers of foxes is an idea that sits uneasily for many people. It has been suggested that the method of this process is more uncomfortable than the principle of killing (Baker et al., 2003). Commonly a pack of dogs is used to chase a fox through the countryside, until it is either caught, manages to escape the scenting abilities of the hounds or until it reaches its den (but even then it can be flushed out and shot). It is argued that by using dogs, the hunt is made fairer by giving the fox the opportunity to escape rather than been located by humans and shot outright. Another justification behind this method is that the heal thier the fox is, the more likely it is to out run the hounds, therefore only the elderly and infirmed foxes are captured which helps to maintain a healthy population (Support Fox Hunting, 2010). It is also argued that mounted hunts are not an effective form of population control. The number of foxes killed during hunts are insignificant when compared to those killed in road accidents. The pest control argument has also been discredited by the fact that there have been times when there has been a shortage of foxes in Britain and that they have had to be imported from Europe to maintain a huntable population (May, 2010). Scientific research performed during the nationwide one-year hunting ban in 2001, during the foot-and-mouth disease crisis showed that the ban played no significant impact on fox populations (Baker et al., 2002). With talks of introducing a ban on hunting the Burns inquiry was commissioned in 1999 to establish the facts about fox hunting (Lord Burns, 2000). The report found that there were over 200 active hunting packs in England and Wales and that the number of foxes killed annually was between 21,000 and 25,000, around 6% of the 400,000 foxes estimated to di e annually (Leader-Williams et al., 2002). The report also established that there were a high number or foxes being dug out and shot by individual landowners and farmers on top of those being hunted. There are many jobs dependent on fox hunting ranging from kennel workers to clothing industries that make the pinks for the huntsmen. The report found there is still a great deal of support for the hunts especially in the rural communities. The hunts provided a very important social function, bringing together vast networks of otherwise isolated people. Although it claimed that hunting with dogs seriously compromises the welfare of foxes, it did not outright support a ban on the activity (Lord Burns, 2000). The government introduced an options bill in 2000, which led to the House of Commons voting for a ban of the sport and the House of Lords voted for self-regulation. In 2004, The Hunting Act was passed to protect foxes (BBC, 1999). As of February 2005 it has been illegal in England an d Wales to hunt animals with more than two dogs, which is a step towards giving foxes similar legal protection against cruelty that other, more popular animals have received for generations. The Hunting Act affected not only hunters and the hunted, but reached contemporary art practice. Scenes of fox hunting have traditionally focused on the aesthetics of the chase. Detail would go into the beautiful countryside, the red coats that the hunters wore, the powerful horses or the groups of hunting dogs. The depiction would be centred on the prestige and glory of the hunters, with nothing for the brutality of the victims death (Fig. 1). Generally, they do not show the full truth or the outcome of the hunt. This is something that animal rights activist and artist Angela Singer feels very strongly about. Her works centre on the violence and pointlessness of the hunt that is rarely seen in art as well as the relationships humans share with animals. We cherish and adore those animals that we choose to share our lives and homes with, yet mass-produce others in predominantly appalling conditions purely for consumption. The majority of the animals are caged indoors for their entire lives and some get so bored and agitated by the intense overpopulation and lack of external stimulation, they fight and ultimately end up eating one another (Channel 4, 2008a,b). Singer maintains that hunting in modern day western society represents a disgraceful attitude toward animals, which reinforces the idea that these animals are disposable, soulless creatures and promotes human superiority towards them (Duffy, 2009). In reaction to the thought of the country woman sitting at home, waiting for her hunter husband to return, oblivious to the reality and brutality of the hunt, Singer created a piece of work entitled, Fall (Fig. 2). It is a twist on traditional cross-stitch designs. These designs tend to show an idealistic interpretation of what would happen during a hunt. The hunted animal is shown rather content being run down by packs of dogs and men with guns (Duffy, 2009). The tapestries would not show blood, massively reducing the evidence of the animals violent death experience. Singers tapestry depicts a more authentic and genuine representation of a hunted games death. It shows a duck that has been shot, falling from the empty sky surrounded by blood red woollen spray. The work is made much more interesting by Singers choice of medium. By using cross-stitch she accentuates the different traditional roles of men and women: the hunter man, and supposedly naive cross-stitching woman. Singer does nt want her viewers to be like the wife, unaware of the animals senseless death. By showing a truthful representation of the killing she is in some way honouring the animals death and by the nature of tapestry she is literally bringing home the truth about the hunt. The historic looking frame also highlights the out-dated way humans regard animals. Singers more recent works have focused on using taxidermy to reflect on issues surrounding hunting. Singer lives in New Zealand where hunting for sport is very common and as a result so are hunting trophies (Potts, 2009). She recycles donated hunting souvenirs to challenge the publics attitudes towards these sports (Baker, 2008). Taxidermists traditionally try to make the animal look alive, all traces of the animals death are removed and the creature is placed into a serene pose. Singers approach to the frozen animals is what she describes to be de-taxidermy (Mudie, 2007). She strips back the taxidermists work to expose bullet wounds and scars, revealing the evidence of the aggression inflicted upon on the animals. By undoing the taxidermists work, Singer forces the viewer to confront their own attitude toward hunting. It can be easy to forget what the animals must have gone through in the name of sport, when they are positioned into these calm poses; this is something Singer wishes to address. She is surprised by how indifferent the majority of people seemed to respond to the presence of hunting trophies being hung in bars and resturants. Singer said that, It seems to me very disturbing that an enormous dead animal in a room could be ignored in that wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It gave me the idea to use old hunting trophies to explore the human-animal relationship. I hoped to be able to make the trophy more controversial, it gave it a greater presence and makes it not so easy to ignore (Pacheco, 2009) One of her works titled Brand New Wilderness shows just how powerful using taxidermy can be (Fig. 3). There is one image of a rabbit included in the work that is particularly disturbing to look at. The rabbits formerly concealed wounds have been reopened and adorned with red beads and buttons symbolizing the blood and suffering the animal went through in its death. When first looking at the piece, the viewer instantly feels disgust and then guilt; the audience is forced to question how and why the animal was killed. After the initial shock has worn off the viewer then has the opportunity to see the beauty and care that has gone into creating the work. There is a huge contrast between the aesthetics of the beads, which are traditionally used to make jewelry and other attractive objects, and the morbid nature of the work which confronts the observer to deal with creutly involved. Singer is also inspired by the way in which the animal has been killed to influence her work. For example, her piece entitled Sore (an archaic name for a fallow deer (Baker, 2009)) shows a stag trophy head covered in blood like red wax (Fig. 4) (Aloi, 2008).The piece relates to the history of the stags death. When the hunter had originally killed the deer and sawn off its antlers, both he and the deer would have become covered in blood. Antlers contain a blood reservoir so naturally when cut blood pours out. The resultant work is alarming and hard to look at. The stags gaze creates unease in the viewer as it glares accusingly. This is undoubtedly not a piece of subtle, serenely posed taxidermy. Sore certainly makes the observer question the morality of hunting and forces them to think about their own feelings and relationships toward animals. Polly Morgan is another artist who uses dead animal bodies as her raw material. Her work is much more focused on preserving the animals in death, compared to Angela singer, whose work is a celebration of the animals life. Singer uses recycled taxidermy to create her pieces, whereas Morgan taxidermys her animals freshly after they have died. Unlike Singer, Polly Morgan does not want to make political comments on animal welfare through her artwork. She is interested in how the animals look when they are brought to her, not in what sort of life they might have lived, nor how the animals came to die (Pengilley, 2010). Morgan admits to not being sentimental regarding the animals that she uses: I confess I think less about their souls the more I handle them. I prefer live animals but I have this selfish overbearing urge to hold them and examine them and just generally do all the things they hate. Dead, I can spend as long as I like looking (Morgan, 2010: 89). Polly Morgan recently put on her first solo show, titled Psychopomps at the Haunch of Venison gallery (Eyre, 2010). One piece of work that she exhibited was a large birdcage suspended from the ceiling, seemingly being held up by an array of orange finches and canaries. The birds are attached to a burnt cage-like flying contraption inspired by an old Victorian image (Fig. 5) (Morgan, 2010: 7). The birds, in various stages of flight are tethered to the contraption, supposedly flying it through the gallery space. Systemic Inflammation (Fig. 6) is a re-visioning of an earlier, larger work titled, Departures (Morgan, 2010: 39). The idea of the artworks is that the space inside the cage is large enough for a man to fit. The man can be transported around by the birds but he is himself trapped inside the cage, while the birds have the real freedom of flight despite the fact that they are bound to the structure. The charred and distressed human cage, coupled with the birds dyed various shades of orange (Fig. 7) creates a surreal and slightly nightmarish atmosphere in the gallery. This piece coupled with the two suspended spheres, each made of 60 right wings, makes the space feel fantastical, yet very macabre. This feeling is clearly her intention; all of the pieces shown in the exhibition are named after deadly afflictions or illnesses. Blue fever (Fig. 8) the first hanging orb is made entirely of pigeon wings and Black fever (Fig. 9) crow. In both objects the wings are positioned in different stages of flight, causing the work to feel organic, as though it has a pulse. By discarding most of the birds bodies and only using the right wings, Morgan helps the viewer to detach from their feelings and emotions regarding the animal as a whole [Collinge, 2010]. By only seeing an explosion of wings, the audience is less distracted by what the work is made of allowing them to appreciate the animals as the objects they become in death. Animal Testing As well as using animals for sport we have for a long time used them for scientific purposes. Physiological research has been common on animals for centuries, but the event that is considered by many to have sparked the British debate on the subject came in the 19th century. In 1874 a French scientist Eugene Magnan gave a lecture to the British Medical Association which culminated with a demonstration where he induced epileptic seizures in a dog by injecting it with Absinthe. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Creulty to Animals (formed 50 years previously (RSPCA, 2010)) brought legal charges against Dr Magnon who fled prosecution by returning to France (Matfield, 2002a). The press ran the story with enthusiasm and the worlds first anti-vivisection group was formed in London a year later, The National Anti-Vivisection Society (Matfield, 2002b). With the wars of the 20th century the issue was put on the backburner, as the general public became more understanding towards military development and had more pressing welfare issues of their own (Matfield, 1991). The public backlash returned with greater force than ever before in the 1970s and reached its peak at the end of the millennium. In 1997 peaceful protests lost their media coverage in favour of a few extremist acts (Matfield, 2002a). Consort, a laboratory dog breeder ceased trading following continuous harrassment and attacks of staff members, as did Hillgrove farm, a cat supplier, Regal Rabbits and other animal breeders (Davies, 1999). In 2000 animal rights extremists focused their attention on Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), the company that has since become synonymous with this issue. Several videos, filmed by hidden cameras were released which severely dented the companies reputation (see supplementary CD for examples). The extremism continued to escalate until, amongst other illegal activites, activists almost blinded HLSs marketing director and broke several ribs of the companies managing director (Anon., 2001). These actions were interpreted in the media as a step too far, and damaged the fight against animal testing. Along with greater police powers to crack down on extremists (Abbott, 2010a) and counter campaigns set out by the lobby group Understanding Animal Research in 2005 (Campbell, 2010), the British public seems to be rather more neutral towards the subject. In 2010, Lord Drayson, the UKs science minister who was the chief executive of a biotechnology company at the height of the violence, said about animal testing and the British publics opinion: The picture is much better nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I think we have made and won the argument, but we have to continue to make the argument (Gray, 2010). However around the world, scientists still clash with politicians on the content of ethical laws. For example, in 2008, Switzerland banned the use of macaque brains in research as the fundamental understanding gained had no immediate advantages. The Swiss courts consider this t o be unconstitutional as the benefit to society is not worth the burden placed upon the animals. Kevan Martin, a leading Swiss researcher in the area argues that We need to understand the basic biology of our brains in order to be able to successfully treat brain diseases such as Parkinsons (Abbott, 2008). EU laws on the issue are constantly being redrafted to varying degrees of strictness. Currently the proposed laws allow moderate pain to the animals and have recently scraped the condition that animals must be destroyed immediately after a single procedure. It also introduces benefits to lab animals such as minimum cage sizes for all species (Abbott, 2010b). Animal testing is essential in the development of new drugs. Take for example the steps involved in bringing new cancer medicines to market. First a compound has to be designed and synthesized. This process usually involves a trial and error system of slightly changing existing drugs, or making a molecule that will specifically target a part of a cancer cell. This drug will then be incubated with specifically grown cells of different forms of cancer. If it kills a certain proportion of these cells then it will enter clinical trials. Here, animals, most commonly mice, with cancer are exposed to various quantities of the future drug. This plays two essential roles. Firstly, it shows whether the drug actually works in a real biological system or if it kills a large amount of healthy cells as well. Secondly it sets a benchmark for how much of the drug can be administered to a person before serious side effects occur. After this the drug is tested on critically ill human patients, paid vo lunteers and eventually is licensed for prescription by doctors (Nako, 2010). Larger animals, such as dogs and monkeys, are often necessary in the drug development process and after a walk around Parliament Square, London it seems apparent that graphic images of these animals are used more than those of mice in protester art (Fig. 10). According to a chart taken from the HLS website shows that in 2003, mice, fish and birds account for the vast majority of regulated procedures on animals in the UK. (Fig. 11) These animals are generally perceived by the British public as being superior, or perhaps dogs are seen as pets, and monkeys as too humanoid. Some scientists, having become aware of the role that public opinion can have in their research (Hobson-West, 2010), have embarked on the RETHINK project which is designed to help reduce, replace and refine animal testing by using a special breed of pigs called minipigs (Bode et al., 2010a). Pigs have remarkably similar toxicology to humans and until recently slightly altered pig insulin has been given to Type I diabetics (Norman, 2009). Currently over 60,000 pigs are used per annum in the EU alone as they have similar skin, cardiovascular and digestive systems to humans (Svendsen, 2006). The pig is a food animal, bred in their millions for worldwide human food consumption, they hope that the British public will be even more understanding and sympathetic to future research (Bode et al., 2010b). Studies suggest that with further education, public attitudes could change dramatically. 84% of people surveyed in 2000 called themselves conditional acceptors of animal research. This means that they would accept the research if there was little burden on the animals and that the experimentation was for a serious purpose. The study also found that the vast majority of those questioned did not realise that these conditions have been met and thoroughly enforced since the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act of 1986 was passed by the UK government(Matfield, 2002b). An assessment of the standard of laboratory mouse welfare in the UK was conducted in 2008 and was considered to be good, with generally good health and often much more living space than legally required. Some units were found to have an excess of negative environmental factors, such as noise and light intensity, but it could be argued that, to some extent, these factors are far from ideal for wild mice living in some parts of the country (Leach, 2008). Another study has shown that due to strict animal testing rules, laboratory animals may get a better standard of welfare on average than pet, farm, or wild animals (Honess and Wolfensohn, 2007). The researchers claim that there are little restrictions placed upon who can keep pets unless the person has already been caught committing an offence, such as Mary Bale, a woman who caused a media storm in 2010 after being caught on CCTV placing a cat in a wheelie bin. (Fig. 12) She was made to pay costs of almost  £1,500 and has been banned from keeping pets for 5 years (Cooper, 2010). A pet owner also has no legal commitment to take their pet to a vet when they become ill, no commitment to pay for the necessary treatment and even the most loving and devoted owner may cause welfare issues, for example, overfeeding the animal until it is obese. Farm animals were found to often suffer more discomfort over prolonged periods of time as the welfare of the animals becomes a profit issue. Although fundamental research may have no immediate advantage for society, animal products are needed in day to day diagnostic techniques. Animal blood is vital in diagnosing many diseases, ranging from the relatively benign to life threatening. According to Elizabeth Nakoneczna (2010), senior microbiologist at St. Thomas hospital, London Horse blood is used as an essential ingredient in the routine culture of bacteria. Some pathogens such as Neisseria meningitidis, the most dangerous form of meningitis, require blood to grow and many of these require the detection of haemolysis, the break down of red blood cells, for correct diagnosisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I am not sure how the horse blood is obtainedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Some diagnostic tests have improved significantly since I was a trainee 25 years ago. For example, to test for TB, microbiologists used to take a sample from the patient and inject it in a rabbit. After a month or so the rabbit would be killed and scientists would look for signs of the disease. Although now the test still takes up to six weeks, specialist culture media is used instead of live animals. When asked if she can foresee an end to animal participation in hospitals within her lifetime, she replied With rapid scientific progression, The use of polymerase chain reactions for the detection of bacteria is already starting to replace the need for blood infused agar. With rapid scientific progression it seems reasonable to imagine a future where animal products are no longer necessary in diagnostic medicine. (Nakoneczna, 2010) Scientists try to use computer modeling and other research techniques that exclude animals (Dolgin, 2010), but there are still plenty of studies that need them (Coghlan, 1996). Amongst these are experiments into sheep with human livers. Human bone marrow stem cells are injected into fetal sheep so that when the lamb is born its liver is made up mostly of the humans cells. The lamb is then sacrificed and its liver transplanted into the human. The bodys immune system quickly eliminates the lambs liver cells resulting in a brand new organ, perfectly matched for the human. Because the liver is made predominantly of the humans cells, it makes the body much less likely to reject the organ, potentially saving hundreds of human lives, but at the cost of those of hundreds of sheep (Bailey, 2004). Scientists have really begun to obscure boundaries between animals and humans by creating hybrid creatures. In 2005 human cells were successfully fused with rabbit eggs to create the first human-anim al chimeras. The resulting embryos were then allowed to develop in a laboratory dish for a number of days before they were destroyed to harvest stem cells (Mott, 2005). Another artist that q

Successful Enterprises as Means for Economic Growth

Successful Enterprises as Means for Economic Growth Comparative Study of Polish Regions Podkarpacie and Dolnoslaskie Research Question How can unsuccessful entrepreneurship of a region affect the economic growth of two Polish regions, Podkarpackie and Dolnoslaskie? State of the Art The aim of this research project is to find out how unsuccessful entrepreneurship of a region affects the economic growth of Polish provinces. In Polish language the word province is used interchangeably with the word region. In this proposal the word region refers to administrative unit, an entity of governance within a state (Van Langenhove, 2013). Poland is divided to 16 regions, some of which, for example the regions forming the Eastern wall are not as well of as the central region Mazowieckie, in which Warsaw, the capital is situated, or the other regions at the western border of Poland, such as Dolnoslaskie. According to analysis of Statistical Center in Rzeszow (2009), the synthetic measure defining the level of economic development of territorial governance units (regions) is gross domestic product per capita. The Raport Poland 2011 published by the Ministry of Regional Development (MRD) in Poland (2011) presents results gathered by Central Statistical Office (Glowny Urzad Statystyczny, GUS) which show that the real growth of Polish economy between years 2000 and 2010 was as large as 46 percent, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union (MRD, 2011). However, the inequalities between the wealthiest and the poorest region have deepened as well. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the most active region was at the beginning of year 2000 more than 9 times higher than in the weakest region. After ten years this disparity grew up until almost 11 times higher (MRD, 2011). The disparities in GDP per capita, on the other hand were in year 2000, two times higher in the wealthiest region than in the poorest region and grew up to two and a half times higher by the year 2010 (MRD, 2011). Shares of individual provinces in GDP in 2012 varied significantly from 2.1% in Opole region to 22.7% in the region Mazowieckie (in 2011, from 2.1% to 22.4% in the same regions)(GUS, 2014). Studies of Statistical Centre in Rzeszow (2009) show that regional GDP and the amount of income attributable to the disposal of per capita situatePodkarpackie region on one of the last positions in the European Union, except for Bulgarian and Romanian regions. The regional GDP per capita in 2012 was at the level of 27 719 zÅ‚ in the province of Podkarpackie (67.0% of the average country) to 68299 zÅ‚ in Mazowieckie (165.0% of the national average) (GUS, 2014). These studies provide quantitative evidence on disparities in economic growth between Polish regions, however they are missing the reasons for these gaps in regional economic growth. According to measures by GUS (2014) Mazowieckie is clearly the wealthiest and most attractive region in terms of living, working or investing, thus the disparities in economic growth between this region and the regions in the East of Poland are much higher. Witold Czudec (2013) from Portal for Innovative Trasfre of Knowledge in Science (PITWIN) has conducted a comparative study of competiveness of regions of Eastern Poland and the central region Mazowieckie. However, Mazowickie is the region pulling most of the investors as well as wealthy residents which may be a cause of research bias. In order to avoid the bias in this study Mazowieckie is left out. Instead, the two regions that will be compared in this research are the region Podkarpackie, situated at the south-eastern border of the country and the region Dolnoslaskie, at the western border of Poland (see map). The GDP per capita of region Podkarpackie in years 2008-2010 amounted in approximately 24070PLN, which is equivalent to 5775 euros and GDP per capita, in the same period of time of region Dolnoslaskie was approximately 38708PLN, which is equivalent to 9318 euros (GUS, 2012). The regional economic development, can be defined as quantitative and structural development entities engaged in the economic activity of the region, which should be identified by the improvement and introduction of new products and services, expanding markets, upgrading of technology, investing , increasing employment and production efficiency , and the strengthening of the company’s financial actions (Sztando, 2000). According to Andrzej Sztando’s thoughts the area of economic growth is therefore based on individual entities and manifests itself in achieving a high level of efficiency and its constant increasing over time. While each company is an entity extracted from the environment in terms of legal, organizational and economic activities. However, isolation of an entity does not mean gaining independence from its surroundings. The survival and development of the individual entity depends on existing external conditions and those that will occur in the future. In t urn, by increasing the efficiency of individual companies, sectors, cities and regions, increase their efficiency and consequently the efficiency of the whole country (Sztando, 2000). Basing on the thoughts of Sztando, it has been concluded that at least one of the reasons for fast economic growth within a region is successful entrepreneurship. However, Sztando does not present concrete examples, for example by involving regional data in his study. Therefore this research will be concentrated on impact of entrepreneurship on regions, by focusing on two Polish regions as concrete examples. In the era of globalization, regionalization and departing from classical approach of degrading the role of industrial policy in favor of regional policy, the importance of research on entrepreneurship in regions and cities increases. Increasing number of research institutes and academic centers dealing with regional development is a proof of interest in this field. Studies conducted by them focus primarily on those aspects of the development of entrepreneurship (competitiveness, accumulation of wealth which is seen as indicator of economic development), which are stimulated by appropriate regulation of regional policy and socio-economic policy of the country, for example, tax policy, regulation of labour code, etc. (Platonoff et al., 2001). A research project conducted at University of Szczecin (Platonoff et al., 2001) analyzes and evaluates the economy of the city Szczecin and looks at the condition of entrepreneurial entities in the city and their impact on city’s economy. The study and its results are attention-grabbing and give a great insight to the economy of Szczecin and impact of entrepreneurship, however it is focused only on one city in the West of Poland. Thus basing on this research, it is interesting to conduct a similar kind of study in regions with one of the slowest growing economies in Poland, Podkarpackie region, and in one with fastest growing economy (right after Mazowieckie), which is Dolnoslaskie, in order to find out how unsuccessful entrepreneurship of a region affects the economic growth of Polish provinces. Objectives The current situation of Poland is quite difficult. On the one hand, the businesses are not liquid enough, they do not expand and go bankrupt more often. On the other hand, the Polish government does not have sufficient financial resources to cover basic needs for health, education, construction roads, etc. and many others. Businesses pay attention to too high taxes, and officials are looking for ways to enlarge their meet increasing social needs (Platanoff et al, 2001). Moreover, it has been observed that in bad times weak regions become worse. Weak regions do not have any mechanisms for immunizing: they are not competitive, they are not productive, they do not operate on a global market , they have diversified economy that would facilitate a soft landing (Maciejewicz, 2013). This perpetuates the division between the less prosperous Poland B, covering the eastern regions of the country and better developed Poland A, with the western and central regions. The latest GUS findings show that the gap between Poland A and Poland B deepened , even though the weaker regions received a remarkable sum of EU funds worth millions of Euros in order to help them to mobilize the regional operational programs . The per capita payments to the eastern provinces in 2007-2012 were significantly higher than those of Western . In addition, five provinces of the eastern wall had to use an additional pool of 2.4 billion euro allocated for the equal opportunities of developm ent (Tomaszkiewicz Kowalski, 2014). Regions of Eastern Wall of Poland are in the circle of slow economic development and one of the main reasons for that is inhibiting the development of entrepreneurship. For example, low income and high costs result in no or a low gross profit, and this in turn, lead to lack or low amount of money obtainable from taxes. Low budget revenues from taxes impede the development of infrastructure which would support entrepreneurship within the regions (for example: highways, health, education , promotion of the region in the world and other procedures established by the local and national authorities ). This leads to decreasing profits of individual companies which in turn restrain their development (lack of sufficient funds for investment, training staff, finding new customers, research and marketing , etc.), resulting in lower quality of the offered products or services and a decrease in their domestic and international competitiveness. In addition, low salaries of employees reduce their purchasing power by limiting the demand. Consequently, the reduction in the number of transactions has a negative effect on the revenues of companies causing depletion of other actors in the economic chain. This results in low competitiveness, thus slow economic growth of a region (Platonoff et al, 2001). Composition of Economy of Podkarpacie The gross value added (GVA) in Podkarpacie is composed of following shares: trade (29.46 %), followed by industry (27.02 %) and services (25.8 %). Construction (8.28 %) is also of a great importance in the economy of the region , which is traditionally considered one of the major sectors of the economy of the region. Slightly more than 7 % of GVA generates financial and insurance activities . Agriculture, forestry , hunting and fishing occupy the last place among the sections that shapes the GVA of Podkarpacie (Marshal Office of Podkarpacie (MOP), 2011). In the region of Podkarpacie at the end of 2012, there were just over 155 thousand registered entrepreneurial entities (including more than 148 thousand in the privte sector) , which accounted for 3.9 % of entities registered in the whole country. In spite of being close to reaching the national average of small and medium-sized enterprises ( SMEs) in the total number of enterprises , the companies of the Podkarpackie region absorb a much smaller share of labour force than any other Polish regions. While in Poland this percentage is 50 % it is only 40 % in Podkarpackie. In the case of micro-enterprises , this percentage is only 37 %. These proportions indicate the weakness of the SME sector in the region (MOP, 2011). Composition of Economy in Dolnoslaskie The GVA of Dolnoslaskie is generated mainly by the service sector (60%) , including 45.7% of market services, this is followed by industry (32%), and agriculture (2.2%) (GUS, 2014) . In the region of Dolnoslaskie in 2008, the average employment in the enterprise sector amounted up to 418.8 thousand people, and was higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year by 6.4%. At the same time, in terms of national employment in the enterprise sector increased by 4.8 percent. According to the data from the Central Statistical Office in 2008, on average 89,7% of labour force involved in enterprise sector was employed by the private sector in Dolnoslaskie. Employment in the private sector increased by 7.4 percent compared to the previous year (amounting to 375.6 thousand . Persons), public sector employment fell by 1.4 percent (amounting to 43.2 thousand persons). Average number of employees compared to the previous year increased by 5 percent (GUS, 2008). The Main Objectives of the Project The cognitive goal of the project is to: Make the diagnosis of effectiveness of management processes in business entities in context of their entrepreneurial potential in Podkarpackie and Dolnoslaskie. Develop proposals for rationalization of these processes and consequently, to stimulate the entrepreneurship in Podkarpackie. The scientific goal of the project is to: Develop model assumptions in order rationalize the management process in business entities Finally, the practical goals of the project are mainly to: Prepare reliable information on the economic condition of Podkarpackie and Dolnoslaskie on micro and macro scale Shape effective policy instruments and strategies for the support of regional business entities (mainly in Polkarpackie) Methodology: Possibilities for the development of entrepreneurship, and thus sources of wealth of region’s economy, should not only be looked at in macroeconomic parameters (cost of labour, the level of interest rates, the value of the national currency, etc.), but also in regional settings (resourceful and effective use of different opportunities, predisposition for progress and collaboration between different actors) and microeconomic parameters (differences in management of companies) (Platonoff et al, 2001). The starting point for establishment of a regional development program is to understand the economic potential rooted in economic operators and analyzing the main problems that hinder their functioning and growth. The potential of entrepreneurship lies in the individual business entities. First, a researching team has to be recruited. The research team will be composed of academic staff and students from two major universities in studied regions, Rzeszow University in Podkarpackie and University of Wroclaw in Dolnoslaskie. In the first phase of the research a representative sample of entrepreneurial entities in the region has to be collected, since studying the whole population entails high costs related to large amount of staff members and a long period of time in order to collect the data. Since the whole population is not studied, a proper sample size needs to be decided upon in order to assure a representative sample. 1550 enterprises from Podkarpackie region and 4188 enterprises from Dolnoslaskie region are to be selected, representing 1% of the entire population of each of the regions. By random selection of the sample it is meant that in the collection process each unit has the same probability of getting into the sample. After conducting randomized sampling, the business entities must be divided into categories by sizes of enterprises, that is micro, small, medium and large sized enterprises, as well as, into and profile of activity (construction, trade, manufacturing, agriculture and services) Bibliography Beata Tomaszkiewicz, Janusz K. Kowalski (2014) Bogate region uciekaja biednym, Forsal, Retrieved on 30.3.2014 from: http://m.forsal.pl/makroekonomia/bogate-regiony-uciekaja-biednym-polska-wschodnia-rozwija-sie-coraz-wolniej Macjejewicz, P. (2013), PogÅ‚Äâ„ ¢biajƦ siÄâ„ ¢ rà ³Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¼nice pomiÄâ„ ¢dzy najbogatszym a najbiedniejszym regionem w Polsce, Gazeta Wyborcza. Retrieved on 30.3.2014 from: http://wyborcza.pl/1,75248,13101621,Poglebiaja_sie_roznice_pomiedzy_najbogatszym_a_najbiedniejszym.html#ixzz2xeeEaLzh Platonoff, A.L.,Sysko-RomaÅ„czuk, S., Burlita, A., CypryjaÅ„sk, J., Dobrodziej, B., Gos, W., Iwin, J., Markowicz, I., MiÅ‚aszewicz, D., NarÄâ„ ¢kiewicz, J., Gadomska, K., Putek, E., Ruta, M., Siwy, A., UrbaÅ„ski, P., Wizner, A., Zobel, A. (2001). Research report: Ogà ³lna diagnoza szczeciÅ„skich przedsiÄâ„ ¢biorstw, University of Szczecin Czudec, W. (2013), Konkurencyjnosc regionow Polski Wschodniej, Pitwin Retrieved on 30.3.2014 from: http://www.pitwin.edu.pl/attachments/1053_019%20czudec.pdf Statistical Center in Rzeszow (2009), ANALIZA ROZWOJU SPOÃ…Â ECZNO—GOSPODARCZEGO WOJEWÓDZTWA PODKARPACKIEGO W LATACH 1999—2008, Analizy statystyczne Marshal Office of Podkarpackie – Departament of Strategy and Planning (2011) ‘’Monitoruj Podkarpackie†, retrieved on April 1st 2014, from http://monitoruj.podkarpackie.pl/gospodarka-regionu/ http://monitoruj.podkarpackie.pl/przedsiÄâ„ ¢biorczoņºÃƒâ€žÃ¢â‚¬ ¡/

Household Energy Usage and Conservation :: Environmental Essays

Household Energy Usage and Conservation Household energy conservation is a very practical and realistic approach to conserving energy within our society. US households consume a tremendous amount of natural gas as well as electric energy. It has been calculated that the amount of energy consumed within the US increased exponentially from about 1850 to 1975. If energy continued to increase at this rate, we would be experiencing severe energy shortages in our current society. Luckily, steps towards conservation, including various energy regulations, have curbed that growth somewhat, brining the predicted 160 Qbtu/yr for the year 2000 down to around 93.8 Qbtu/yr by the year 1996. However, household energy usage is still a major issue as households consume about 38% of the total consumed energy and contribute greatly to natural gas consumption and issues such as global warming. Therefore, it is important that people understand how we use energy in the household and what steps can be taken to conserve that energy. One process within households that contributes greatly to energy consumption is space heating. Space heating simply refers to the heating of the air throughout the house. It has been calculated that space heating consumes about 5.3 Qbtu per year. About 3.7 Qbtu come from natural gas and about .9 Qbtu come from Fuel oil. Only about .4 Qbtus of electricity are consumed by space heating. There are various ways which one can space heat their house. The most common way is to use a furnace, however, stoves, fireplaces, electric resistance heaters and electrically powered heat pumps can also be used to heat the house. Furnaces run mostly off natural gas and tend to be around 60-90% efficient. Older units can be as low as 50% efficient. Electric resistance heaters are usually around 100% efficient at producing heat. However, this statistic is slightly misleading when thinking about total efficiency because you must account for the electric energy being consumed by the heater. Power plants are only able to produce electric energy from natural gas at about 35% efficiency. Consequently, electricity is more expensive than natural gas to produce, making electric resistance heaters more expensive to operate. This energy cost must also be accounted for when adding up the total cost of electric resistance heating. Another way to heat ones house is to use a fireplace.