Pride and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Pride and Prejudice Essay Pride and Prejudice is a nineteenth century novel written by Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is about a lady named Elizabeth Bennet, one of the five Bennet sisters who must marry a wealthy man, as she stumbles across the prideful Mr. Darcy. This novel is particularly interesting because it shows the overcoming of huge character flaws for love. The author, Austen, tries to stress the point about love always finding its way. Admittance of love and proposal, omitting initial prejudices, and two lovers falling in love and marriage proves the point of two people falling in love and overcoming prejudices towards those in different social classes. Omission of initial prejudices allows for people to interact more frequently leading to better relationships. Austen says, â€Å"Gave him to understand, that her sentiments had undergone so material a change since the period to which he alluded to† (354). Elizabeth, in this quote, is trying to tell Mr. Darcy that her mind has changed since his last proposal, essentially, overcoming her initial prejudice towards him and the people of his social class. Elizabeth truly loves Darcy, and that is why she has undergone such a change to prove it which also shows the supersession of her character flaw, prejudice. The novel encourages a sense of superiority over other characters† (Neckles). Christina Neckles acknowledges the fact that Mr. Darcy feels a sense of superiority over Elizabeth because of her social class. This quote relates back to the theme because as he lets go of this feeling and prejudice it enables him to truly and willingly love Elizabeth fully and vice versa for Elizabeth, she feels superior in a knowledgeable sense. â€Å"Darcys pride, which causes him to reject Elizabeth and her family, and Elizabeths resulting prejudice, which is reinforced by Wickhams false story about Darcy. (Zimmerman) This quote from Zimmerman reinforces the idea that it is Darcy’s pride and Elizabeth’s prejudiced that leads them away from each other and yet brings them together. Their relationship was tarnished because of these flaws but with the omitting of their problems it allowed to realize the loved each other. Because of Elizabeth’s strong sense of love towards Mr. Darcy, she was able to overcome her initial prejudice towards him. Admittance of love and proposal towards a person stresses the theme of love finding its way. Mr.  Darcy states, â€Å"In vain have I struggle. It will not do. My feelings will not be represses. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. †(188) Mr. Darcy is trying to tell Elizabeth that he does not want to love her but unfortunately, he cannot do anything about and he is truly in love with her. By Mr. Darcy proposing and saying this, it shows how Austen is trying to portray the fact that his love for Elizabeth, overcomes the fact that she is in a lower social class. â€Å"Darcy’s letter is not persuaded to change her opinion† (Soni). Mr.  Darcy’s letter of his admittance of love was a huge swallowing of pride towards Elizabeth, and this quote shows how Elizabeth still upholds her pride. Although the letter towards Elizabeth temporarily leaves her confused about Mr. Darcy, this is the turning point and crisis in the book where love starts to find its way. â€Å"Elizabeths attachment to Darcy results from the clarification of her vision, not from the modification of her values; consequently, the view that the novel suggests a blending of two contrasting value systems, two extremes searching for a middle† (Zimmerman). This quotes says that since Darcy’s extreme pride and Elizabeth’s extreme prejudice, they found love and a common place in the middle of their matters. Their love and admittance of love is found because they despise each other so much that they meet in the middle. Through Mr. Darcy’s proposal, and letter, it proves that his love for Elizabeth is strong enough to overthrow his pride and also his prejudice towards her, and her social class. People, falling in love and getting married even further proves the theme of love finding its way. Elizabeth says, â€Å"Gave him to understand, that her sentiments had undergone so material a change since the period to which he alluded to† (354). Elizabeth says here that she accepts Mr. Darcy’s proposal and she would like to marry him. Mr. Darcy overcame his pride and proposed to Elizabeth, and she overcame her prejudice of Darcy and said yes. â€Å" But when Elizabeth decides to marry Darcy, there is finality to her Judgment. (Soni) This quote is showing how her judgment of Darcy has come to an end, the matter of social class difference no longer is of concern to the two lovers. This quote also proves that love always finds its way regardless of personal pride and social classes. â€Å"I always had a value for him. Were it for nothing but his love of you, I must always have esteemed him† (Morgan). This quote relates to the marriage and love Elizabeth has for Darcy which relates to love finding its way. She always had a â€Å"value† for him which shows she always cared but didn’t know how to show it. By the marriage of Darcy and Elizabeth, it supports the theme of love finding its way, regardless of social class and pride. Love between two people will always find its way, regardless of personal pride, and also regardless of the prejudices we bestow on the people of a different social class. Now, and even back then, the â€Å"class† we are put into is essential to who we associate ourselves with and who we marry as a result. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen proves that those in a different social class can fall in love and get married.

The traditional Chinese legal system Essay Example for Free

The traditional Chinese legal system Essay The traditional Chinese legal system has been designed to keep order, rather than to enforce a system of individual rights and equality. (Orts, 2001) The state is protected by reinforcing a social and moral structure that mirrors relationship within family to the relationship of the individual to the state. (Orts, 2001) At the heart of traditional Chinese thought is the idea that everything is dominated by a cosmic universe of which there are three forces: Heaven, Earth and Man. Worship of a Supreme Being is not part of the traditions beliefs, however the political foundation of the state is based on a supernatural order that Heaven’s representative on earth is the Emperor. (Orts, 2001) The Emperor therefore expected his subjects not merely to follow but to worship. The basis for his rule is almighty, but the laws by which he governs have no divine origin except that they are promulgated by the Emperor. (Orts, 2001) A new dynasty could, and usually did, wipe out the previous Code and establish an entirely new one. Since these laws were valid only to the extent that they had come from the Emperor, it would be difficult for a new dynasty to justify using the previous code. (Orts, 2001) Three major schools of thought dominated the Chinese empire: Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism (Fa Jia). (Orts, 2001) Taoism is both a religion and a philosophy, but since its primary influence is on Chinese art and poetry, it has little to say that is applicable to the legal system. The Confucian and Legalist schools of throughout have competed to dominate the imperial system of justice. (Orts, 2001) As the first â€Å"unified† Chinese imperial dynasty, the Qin dynasty relied on a legalist code of laws to ensure unity, obedience and loyalty to the governing body. (Fu, 1996) The later Han Dynasty maintained the Empire using a very different code derived from the teaching of Confucius. Though both dynasties ruled a vast unified Empire for a number of years, the methods, laws and governments they used were markedly different. The question underlying the contrast between legalism and Confucianism is whether either provides a formula for long-lasting, peaceful imperial rule. Although it was very short, the Qin is one of the most important legal system because it is the closest China came to a purely Legalist system. (Fu, 1996) The best original source on law in the Qin dynasty is from the grave of a Qin official discovered in the 1970s. (Fu, 1996)A set of administrative laws inscribed on sheets of bamboo set out common crimes and their punishments. These range from killing children or slaves without permission (as in later dynasties, a parent could seek approval from the magistrate to kill a child who had failed to obey them) to failure to care for one’s horses or not using the standard weights and measures. (Fu, 1996) The Qin were able to centralize their rule in central-eastern China as the most powerful of the Warring States. (Fu, 1996) Under the Qin, a centralized bureaucracy was established and the separate portions of the Great Wall were unified. The Qin dynasty also saw the construction of a road system, the division of the empire into states, and adoption of a series of standards in currency, weights and measures and an official script. (Fu, 1996) Under Qin ruler Qin Xioagong, Shang Yang wrote a series of reforms that would form the basis for the legal system under the Qin. (Fu, 1996) Although there was little time to implement his reforms before the Han took over, Shang’s reforms are considered the basis of the Legalist approach. In 356 BC, Shang ordered the destruction of documents on Confucian thinking, which unfortunately included volumes of material on the pre-Qin Confucian material such as the Book of Songs, and the Book of Documents. (Fu, 1996)He also organized the military into ranks and implemented Li Kui’s book of law. Six years later, Shang reformed the tax system and a standardized system of land allocation. (Fu, 1996)Shortly after the death of the Qin Xiaogong, Shang found himself the victim of one of the harsh punishments he advocated when he was executed by being pulled apart by four chariots. Following the death of Shang Yang, the campaign against Confucian scholars continued and hundreds of Confucian scholars were buried alive. (Fu, 1996) The Qin dynasty is important in comparison to later systems because despite the substantial success it had in establishing an infrastructure and a solid base of power from which to exert authority, the system collapsed upon itself. (Ren, 1997) The harsh punishments caused revolts by people who had incentive to revolt because they would otherwise be executed. (Ren, 1997) The rule of law during the Qin dynasty was influenced by the philosophical tenets of legalism. (Fu, 1996)Legalism is a philosophy that advocates strict adherence to law and obedience to authority. The laws in question tend to focus on punishment for disobedience. (Fu, 1996)The characteristics of legalism were necessary for the government to exercise the degree of control that it did, in order to unify China, and administer this large empire. (Fu, 1996)The legal philosophy of legalism defines law as a tool used by the powers that be to enforce behavior demanded of the leadership in question. As such, legalistic philosophy focuses upon the punitive aspect of law, rather than a positive aspect(Fu, 1996). A 1975 discovery of Qin legal documents gave historians their first detailed look at the specifics of administrative and criminal law in the Qin dynasty. (Fu, 1996) In terms of punishment given for offenses, the Qin legal code offered a gamut of severity that included several forms of execution, five types of mutilation, forced labor, shaving of a beard, and any number of monetary fines. (Fu, 1996) Theft of property had many penalties that were predicated on a number of factors. Such factors included the social rank of the perpetrators, the number of participants, and the value of the property stolen (or targeted for theft). (Fu, 1996)Punishments in the category of theft ranged from monetary fines to terms of bonded service. In the area of violent crimes, the penalties are clear and precise. An act of violence against a spouse or child warrants cutting off of a beard, as does mutilation of another in a fight. (Fu, 1996) The killing of children is punished with tattooing and hard labor. This only applies if the child in question is without physical or mental defects; in other cases, it is not illegal to kill a child. Conspiracy to commit murder is punishable by death, as is the murder of a male heir to a relative. Despite the reputation of Qin justice as cruel and arbitrary, investigation of crimes was done in a fairly meticulous manner. (Fu, 1996) Torture of witnesses, for example, had to be documented, and was only allowed in cases where a witness’ statement, freely given, did not make sense or contradicted known facts of the case. (Fu, 1996)It is also noted in Qin law that flogging is not the preferred way to obtain accurate information. In general, the laws of the Qin dynasty, rather than being arbitrary and cruel, reflect a sophisticated consideration of such matters as intent, mens rea, and degree of severity. (Fu, 1996)While the penalties outlined may seem to be quite extreme, they reflect nothing more than the practices and standards of the time and culture in which they were executed. (Fu, 1996) The Han dynasty is recognized for centralizing the Chinese empire and dissolving the noble-run state system. (Perenboom, 2002) In the place of the feudal system, the Han developed a bureaucracy, ostensibly merit-based, which would last for the next two millennia. Although we know less about the Han legal system than we do the later dynasties, the Han dynasty is worth a discussion because of the foundations it laid for physical and political infrastructure. (Perenboom, 2002) The population of the Chinese Empire under the Han was about 50 million. (Perenboom, 2002) It was during this period that the Silk Road, the trade route to the west, was developed. (Perenboom, 2002) Although the Han adopted Confucianism as the official state doctrine legalist influences remaining in the penal emphasis of the system and the formulaic quality of the laws (the crime of x is punished with y). From a Confucian perspective, modeling proper conduct was the best way to maintain order. (Perenboom, 2002) These rules of behavior are called li, a general code of proper human conduct in human society. (Perenboom, 2002) These rules incorporate institutions and relationships that are necessary for harmonious living. Legalists, however, propounded a written law with specific punishments that would deter bad behavior, which is referred to as fa. (Perenboom, 2002) Where li is designed to prevent conflict, fa is designed to punish it, and thereby deter. The school of philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BC) formed the basis of the traditional political system beginning in the Han Dynasty. (Perenboom, 2002) Confucius was from a minor noble family in what is now Shantung province. Although he never obtained an official position of any significant power, his students passed on his teaching on government and social relationships. (Perenboom, 2002) Confucianism recognizes five key relationships in society, each with its correct virtue. One of the most important was the relationship between father and son, and the primary virtue in that relationship was filial piety. (Perenboom, 2002) Another key relationship was that between ruler and subject, where loyalty was the proper attribution. (Perenboom, 2002) Brothers should exhibit, not surprisingly, brotherliness, and between husband and wife love and obedience was paramount. (Perenboom, 2002) Finally, between friends there should be faithfulness. (Perenboom, 2002) The moral feelings and obligations between people generally, and in the five relationships especially, are called jen. In Confucian thought, there is no separation between duties and mores in and to the family and the state. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Although the emperor has the greatest responsibility because he must care for his subjects as his children but he has little accountability to them. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) The people’s relationship with the emperor is within the relationship of filial piety, they depend on him to be fair and act in their best interest, but they have no right to expect him to do so, and no recourse when he did not. The emperor was not accountable to the law; he had absolute authority to change and overrule the law on a case-by-case basis. He could also issue edicts to change the laws, and create ex post facto law. The hierarchy of relationships (li) was primary to the codified law (fa), and where the two conflicted the li should triumph. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Individual rights were subjugated to the paternalistic authority of the state. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Adherents to Confucianism were suspicious of an institutional law but accepted it as a necessary evil. Confucianists argued that a legal system of fa would encourage people to act exclusively in self-interest and lead to corruption. (Hucker, 1975) If everyone acted in their proper roles in accordance with the li and in the interest of their family and the state as the two concentric duties, theoretically there would be no need for a legal system. (Hucker, 1975) Practically, however, Confucian officials knew punishment would still be necessary where people failed to obey the li. However, Confucian scholars continued to argue that the moral training of the ruler was more useful to promote harmony than coercion. (Hucker, 1975) In the end, the Chinese legal system had a healthy amount of both. (Hucker, 1975) The first Han Emperor, Gaozu (256-195 BC), was one of only two Chinese emperors to rise from the peasant class. (Hucker, 1975) During the Qin dynasty, he was a low-level police officer in Jiangsu province who was detained in his duty of transporting prisoners by bad weather. According to the laws of the legalist Qin, this failure, even though he was not at fault, was punishable by death. Having nothing to lose, he led the prisoners in revolt. (Hucker, 1975) This group eventually grew into an army and he ended up in position to overthrow the Qin and establish a dynasty of his own. (Hucker, 1975) Although Confucianism was embraced as the official state doctrine, Gaozu recognized the importance of creating a written legal code. (Dull Chu, 1972) The official in charge of the legal code was Xiao He, who had served with Gaozu during the uprising. The code eventually the legal code took up 906 volumes, and was divided into 60 sections. (Dull Chu, 1972) Under Emperor Wu Di, the official Dong Zhongshu required that the verdicts be supported by a rationale which applied the statutes to the facts of the case. (Dull Chu, 1972) It was during this period that the first laws against the killing of slaves appeared. In addition, nobles and officials were not permitted any deference compared to peasants when it came to prosecution and punishment. (Dull Chu, 1972) Dong also imbued the laws with elements cosmic harmony. He believed that the legal system should try to sort out imbalances in yin and yang and reflect the harmony of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. (Dull Chu, 1972) Despite the wide application of laws, severe and grisly punishments were still popular. (Dull Chu, 1972) Typical punishments included killing of the defendant’s relatives, facial tattooing (particularly for theft), castration, amputation of the nose or of one or more of the feet, wearing an iron collar, exile, and a variety of methods of execution, such as death by cutting in two at the waist, boiling and beheading. Among the non-capital punishments, minor offenders were often subject to long terms of servitude on state projects. (Dull Chu, 1972) Exile was also used as a common punishment during the Han dynasty. (Dull Chu, 1972) Despite the similarities between Qin and Han law and punishment, the Confuscian philosophy of the Han dynasty became the one from which the rule of future dynasties would derive, while the legacy of the Qin dynasty was largely lost in the annels of history.

Ethical Analysis Of Investment Into The Alcohol Industry Commerce Essay

Ethical Analysis Of Investment Into The Alcohol Industry Commerce Essay Virginia Tech invests in multiple initiatives each year, being ethical in doing so is a job of its own. Analyzing all aspects of the investment and how it will impact financially, socially, environmentally, and ethically are extremely pertinent. Virginia Tech receives donations of every size, daily. Virginia Techs total endowment value as of September 30, 2012 was $610,035,977.00, most options are limitless for Tech. The mission of the Virginia Tech foundation ultimately states that the foundation takes the funding and manages the assets to help supplement funds. The foundation also offers funding for standing initiatives as well as new initiatives requested by the university. They state that this is all while being a corporate citizen, so for interests that not only affect the university (Virginia Tech Foundation, 2011). Virginia Tech seeing themselves as a corporate citizen, is an important note to stop on. Being ethically and socially responsible for all their actions, Virginia Tech must determine how each investment will affect their reputation and profits. These two characteristics, being ethical and socially responsible can affect Virginia Tech for years to come with potential students and the impact they have on the environment. Researching the current investments Virginia Tech conducts as well as the potential for Virginia Tech to invest in the alcohol industry themselves has brought up many ethical issues and pressures. Virginia Techs current policies on alcohol stands, that students and guests over the age of 21 may possess alcohol on campus and within their dorms. Students under the age caught with possession of alcohol are subject to a Conduct Review and strikes against their record. If further action is needed a formal charge from the Virginia Tech police can be issued. Virginia Tech does although permit ABC Approved parking lots for the Virginia Tech Football games, which are monitored by Virginia Tech and Town of Blacksburg Police. Here, many students and guests can be ticketed for breaching the open container or public intoxication laws. Investment in the Alcohol Industry could cause most students and guests to consider a double standard between them and Virginia Tech. Ethical standards and social responsibility must work together in the decision factor. Ethical Issues Due to the nature of the alcohol industry there are several ethical issues involving both the products and the marketing practices implemented by companies within the industry. Two main ethical issues concern marketing to those who are underage and health related issues. Many argue that marketing practices of alcohol companies target those who are underage and encourage them to participate in illegally consuming alcohol. Others argue that even if marketing efforts arent directly targeting those who are underage they are still exposed to alcohol related advertisements which could influence to them to consume alcohol while underage. It has been reported that 45% of commercials teens see are somehow related to alcohol, which is a tremendous amount of exposure to products which they are not yet allowed to consume. One last argument for this issue is that there is no way to differentiate marketing efforts attempting to target those who are 21-30 from also appealing to those who are under 21. There are many similarities of what appeals to those who are any of these ages. Many liquor companies have developed brightly colored labels, creative names, and a vast number of flavors; all argued to appeal to a younger crowd. In many forms of advertising drinking alcohol is made to look fun, exciting, and creates an atmosphere that viewers wouldnt want to be left out of. Many advertisements create a sense of unity and fitting in and that participating in drinking alcohol can accomplish that. Many companies attempt to counteract these claims by adhering to marketing regulations and running responsible drinking campaigns that advocate sensible drinking for recreational purposes only. These campaigns aim to help prevent alcoholism, drunk driving, and underage consumption. Marketing efforts implemented by companies within the alcohol industry are heavily regulated; at least 70% of the target audience must be over the legal drinking, the ad cannot be designed to appeal to those who are underage, and no part of the advertising can encourage irresponsible drinking. The second ethical issue surrounding the alcohol industry concerns with public health. Alcohol provides no health related benefit but can instead harm the body and empower people to harm others. Not everyone is capable of self-control and consuming alcohol in moderation. In the United States there are approximately 17.6 million adults who live with alcoholism, which not only affects them, but their families and anyone close to them as well. Consuming enough alcohol can cause judgment to be impaired and might cause a person to make a decision that they would not regularly make. Decisions can include, but are certainly not limited to, drunk driving. Three out of ten people will be involved in an alcohol related car crash at some point in their lives. Also, in 2009 a person died every 48 minutes due to an alcohol impaired driver. Many ask the question if the number of fatalities is really worth the ability to consume alcohol, at any age. An important element to take into consideration is that ethical issues regarding the alcohol industry can and will vary from country to country depending upon how alcohol consumption is viewed. For example, there is quite a difference in opinion and normality between drinking behavior in Ireland versus the attitude of drinking in the United States. Certain events in particular countries are not allowed to have alcohol companies be sponsors, and even in some countries all forms of advertising are banned. Pressures Facing the Alcohol Industry When it comes to the alcohol industry there are many barriers and pressures that limit the industrys success. The majority of problems come from activist organizations that negatively portray alcohol and bring to light the harmful effects alcohol can cause. There are organizations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that attempt to stigmatize alcohol, de-legitimize drinking, marginalize drinkers, and create a de facto quasi-prohibition of the legal product.(Hanson). This organization has dedicated itself to limiting the alcohol industry in America. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation spent over a quarter of a billion dollars ($265,000,000.00) in just four years alone further developing and funding a nation-wide network of anti-alcohol organizations, centers, activist leaders, and opinion writers to promote its long-term goal (Hanson). Although the Robert Wood Foundation may not be well know by the public, nearly every study disparaging adult beverages in the mass media, every legislative push to limit alcohol marketing or increase taxes, and every supposedly grassroots anti-alcohol organization is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). One of the well-known organizations supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Mothers Against Drunk Driving points out the most severe effect that is related to alcohol, death. Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving is the nations largest nonprofit organization that works towards stopping alcohol related harms (MADD). Through testimonies and videos Mothers Against Drunk Driving attempts to educate teens about the dangers of driving under the influence as well as underage drinking. MADD publicly exposes the alcohol industry in a way that persuades individuals to think negatively about it. This creates a pressure on the alcohol industry, as they must fight to direct the publics eye away from the negativity and more towards the positive and profitable side of the industry. Although the pressures facing the alcohol industry seem severe, we believe the profitability and shareholder value will not be affected. The alcohol industry is a vital element in the American economy and no matter how negatively activist organizations portray it, the alcohol industry will remain profitable. Pressures from these organizations may slow the alcohol industry slightly, but with the superior influence alcohol has on the American people the alcohol industry will always persevere. Corporate Social Responsibility To address the pressures that are facing the alcohol industry, companies have come up with several initiatives to promote responsible drinking, address sustainability issues, and other charitable programs important to each specific company. The International Center for Alcohol Policies, ICAP, is an organization that promotes understanding of responsible drinking and helps reduce the abusive behaviors associated to drinking. Their policy approach is based on drinking patterns, targeted interventions, and partnerships. The organization provides the current alcohol policies countries, worldwide. ICAP has partnered up with thirteen companies and other organizations working towards the same cause. Bacardi, a sponsor of ICAP, is also a founding member of The Century Council which promotes responsible drinking, fighting against college binge drinking, and drinking and driving. They also have an campaign called Champions Drink Responsibly which educates drinkers on the importance of taking your time while drinking, staying in control of the amount of drinks you consume, planning your night out, and making sure you have a ride home or back to a safe place at the end of the night and also throughout the night. Bacardi uses a professional athlete as the face of the campaign. During 2011, Bacardi measured a 4 percent reduction in total water usage, a 7 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, over 37 million people engaged with their Champions Drink Responsibly campaign, and having 3,750 employees from numerous countries participate in 128 various activities. Smirnoff briefly describes their corporate social responsibility on their website. Their campaign, Drink Responsibly focuses on three main objectives, effects of alcohol, tips for drinking responsibly, and tips on how to get home safely and the importance in doing so. It was disappointing to see their lack of interest in taking on more responsibility to give back to the community and world around us. There is definitely much room for improvement to make the company more well-rounded. We also found it important to touch on a couple beer companies, as well, when looking into whether Virginia Tech should invest in the industry because beer and liquor are the main drinking preferences for college-aged students. We took a look at MillerCoors, which is also a sponsor of ICAP, breaks their corporate responsibility into several areas. Their slogan, Great Beer, Great Responsibility shows their dedication and stand on their responsibility to various areas of public concern and not just responsible drinking. Most recently, MillerCoors came up with a competition amongst eligible colleges to win $10,000 grants by supporting responsible consumption efforts for legal-age students. This program is called Great Play Grant Program and the grants were issued for the first time in 2012 with a totle of $230,000 in grants. MillerCoors also addresses the issue of drinking and driving by providing free rides in certain cities on holidays, specifically, as well as sponsoring 1-800-TAXICA B service, which is a toll-free phone number that passengers can call and connect to taxicab companies in their local area. MillerCoors also worked to install a new cooling system that saves 100 million gallons of water each year. They also reduced energy consumption in their major breweries by 4.3 percent for that last 4 years. Along with these two sustainability efforts, MillerCoors also worked with their supply chain to make sure they are working to find ways to decrease energy and water usage and grow to use sustainable practices throughout each step in the supply chain. Anheuser Busch uses a similar slogan as MillerCoors, Our World. Our Responsibility They do not even address their product in this slogan, but instead focus the attention on their belief in being responsible for the world around us. 2012 marks the 30th year since their first responsible drinking campaign. They launched many initiatives since the first campaign to prevent drinking behaviors and most recently started a campaign, Nation of Responsible Drinkers, which asks adults nationwide to take the pledge which is promise to respect the legal drinking age, enjoy responsibly and know when to say when, be the designated driver or use one. This is another company that knows their responsibility does not end with their responsible drinking efforts. They must also show the importance in other issues that this world is facing, such as environmental threats. Anheuser Busch has reduced water usage by 34 percent in the last three years. They have also gotten to the 99 percent marker of recycling the solid waste in their breweries. Both, Anheuser and Miller have reduced the materials in the packaging stages and coming up with ways to use renewable fuel in their factories. Both brewing companies we took further look into, Anheuser Busch and Miller Coors, have also participated in many charity and philanthropic events. MillerCoors employees spent more than 53,000 hours during 2011 in local community fundraisers. MillerCoors specifically participates in Great Water Month which aims to improve the watersheds around the breweries. Anheuser Busch has a foundation that has contributed $490 million to organizations that support education, environment, economic development, and preparation of disasters and relief. Social/Ethical Investment Policy Recommendations When making investment decisions, Virginia Tech absolutely should take into account Corporate Social Responsibility and ethical issues pertaining to the alcohol industry and its particular firms. Â  Especially when we are talking about this amount of money, you must think about the responsibility and possible outcomes of our decisions. In this case there are red flags surrounding the alcohol industry that must be studied. Â  By red flags we are talking about issues that could look bad for Virginia Tech. Â  For the alcohol industry in particular there are problem areas such as; misleading the public, along with the concerns for the health and safety of its users. Â  The way you understand and deal with these possible negative issues can have a major impact on your decisions and outcomes. Although we know that maximizing shareholder value is important, when making decision with investments we take into account not only the financial payoff but also what we believe is ethically correct. Â  Virginia Tech needs to be very careful when dealing with situations that would lead to benefited financial return while sacrificing ethical reasoning. Â  Overall, we believe there is no room to take ethical risks for financial returns because the possible negative outcomes. Â  A major negative outcome we consider comes in the form of being negatively publicized. Â  Having this negative publicity could have an even greater impact than the possible increased profit. Â  Even legal industries, such as the alcohol industry, are very baiting because of the possible financial rewards. Â  These are areas/scenarios that Virginia Tech should steer away from. Â  We believe it simply sends a wrong and conflicting message to our community and to an institution that prides themselves on the ir high moral ground. Â   After completing our research we do recommend that Virginia Tech NOT invest in the alcohol industry. Seeing much of this activity as inappropriate as an academic institution. A majority of the Virginia Tech student population is under the age of 21, making sponsorships and other endowments an inappropriate presentation of the Virginia Tech reputation and hypocrisy against the standing alcohol policies. Investing in this industry could also create bad publicity with the potential to destroy the Virginia Tech reputation and standards. Also, many could see this as Virginia Tech supporting underage drinking on their campus. Overall this investment could destroy the brand Virginia Tech has been building for so long. Financially, this investment would be profitable because the alcohol industry only seems to be growing, but ethically inappropriate to pursue. Many people see the alcohol industry as having impressive corporate social responsibility and not supporting underage drinking, while also leveraging the saying drink responsibly on every marketing campaign. So as an academic institution with a majority of the student population under the age of 21, Virginia Tech should NOT support it either.

The Role of Women in Society According to Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, and Leo Tolstoy :: Feminism Roles Society Camus Tolstoy Essays

The Role of Women in Society According to Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, and Leo Tolstoy I am beautiful and mysterious. I take joy in the simple pleasures of life. I have no desires higher than appearance and beauty. I am intelligent, but there is no need for me to show my intellect. In fact, showing my intellect would ruin me; it would diminish my sexual desires and defy my beauty. My intelligence would destroy my desirability. I am filled with fear. It is this fear that defines my womanhood; this fear helps me fulfill my womanly role. The darkest parts of my being are kept in check by my fear. If I were to conquer this fear, I would lose the dearest parts of myself. I would no longer chase away worries, lighten burdens, or find joy and grace in day-to-day living. I am passionate and wild. My passions are stirred by love and hate. When love or hatred is stirred up inside of me, I am moved to action. I become fierce and strong, even more barbarous than men. These passions ignite in me that which is sometimes beautiful and sometimes ugly. I can love like no other; I can t ake revenge like no other. I am seductive. My greatest art is the lie, and I use that art to deceive men. I have the power to make them love me. I hide my intellect, my ugliness, my quest for truth, all in order to deceive the opposite sex. My greatest enemies, however, can be found within my own gender. Watch how I interact with the other members of my fair sex. I ridicule them; I pick at their desires; I detect their faults and detest their beauty. I have a personal contempt for women. I am living proof that woman is most despised by herself. I am dissatisfied with my secondary role. I resent the fact that I am inferior to men. I have in me a fear of them, yet slowly society is trying to drain me of that fear. I long for self-reliance. As a result, I no longer desire the role that used to satisfy me. Not only am I intensely dissatisfied with my role, but I despise what it has done to me. Society has filled me with a dissatisfaction that I desperately want to do something about. In stead, I find myself falling into the stereotypes the world has created for me.

Balancing Principles in Beauchamp and Childress :: Beauchamp Childress Ethics Essays

Balancing Principles in Beauchamp and Childress ABSTRACT: In the latest edition of Principles of Biomedical Ethics, Tom Beauchamp and James Childress provide an expanded discussion of the ethical theory underlying their treatment of issues in medical ethics. Balancing judgements remain central to their method, as does the contention that such judgements are more than intuitive. This theory is developed precisely in response to the common skepticism directed at "principlism" in medical ethics. Such skepticism includes the claim that moral reasoning comes to a dead halt when confronted by competing conflicts between moral norms in a given pluralistic situation. In this paper, I use examples from the text to show that despite the authors’s arguments to the contrary, balancing judgements are the product of unreasoned intuitions. Given the necessity of some such judgements in any principle-based system, my argument highlights the degree to which principled ethical reasoning rests upon an arational core. "Principlism" is the term often used, sometimes derisively, to refer to a method of moral reasoning found in medical ethics and elsewhere. At the core of principlism is the idea that ethical justification rests primarily, if not exclusively, in appeals to more general or "higher level" moral norms under which any more particular ethical claim can be subsumed. Principles of Biomedical Ethics, by Tom Beauchamp and James F. Childress, has for many critics in medical ethics exemplified the worse sins of "principlism." From its first edition, the authors have argued for the importance and usefulness of general principles for justifying ethical judgments about policies and cases in medical ethics. The organization of their book reflects this conviction, dividing discussion of particular ethical problems under the rubrics of the key ethical principles which the authors believe should govern our moral judgments: principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence and justice. It was always a caricature of their views to label them as straight-arrow deductivists. (1) At the very least, they have from the first insisted on the necessity of making judgments about the proper balance to be struck between competing ethical commitments when they are in conflict. Since Beauchamp and Childress disavow appeal to any overarching framework from which such a balancing judgment could be derived, particular moral judgments could never for them be simple deductions from any single moral principle. But then one may ask how Beauchamp and Childress handle one of the key criticisms of principlism, which points to the inevitable conflict among principles in the sort of pluralistic system favored by many, (2) and the resulting need to "balance" or prioritize the norms in conflict.

Allegorizations of the Active and Contemplative Lives in Philo, Origen,

Allegorizations of the Active and Contemplative Lives in Philo, Origen, Augustine, and Gregory This paper examines the allegorical interpretations given to several Scriptural pairs as they relate to the idea of the active and contemplative lives in Philo, Origen, Augustine, and Gregory. As will be shown, Augustine combines elements found in the two previous writers to form his allegory of the two wives of Jacob as representative of the active and contemplative lives. In Philo, most of the essential elements of later Christian thought on the active and contemplative lives are already present. The superiority of the contemplative life is given at the beginning of his treatise on it: "I have discussed the Essenes, who persistently pursued the active life and excelled in all or, to put it more moderately, in most of its departments. I will now proceed at once in accordance with the sequence required by the subject to say what is needed about those who embraced the life of contemplation" (De Vita Cont. 1 [471]). The idea that the contemplative life follows upon the active is also present here, and is elaborated elsewhere: "... infants have one place and full grown men another. The one is named ascetic training and the other is called wisdom... For what life is better than a contemplative life, or more appropriate to a rational being?" (De Migr. Abr. 9 [443]). Both the active and contemplative lives are virtuous, but the contemplative is the more matur e and fuller expression of the life of wisdom; it should, however, only be practiced once the former has been used as a training ground. Philo allegorizes Leah and Rachel in several related ways in his works (cf. Sly, 163-74). At one point he identifies Rachel with bodily beauty, ... ... moves away. She loves to contemplate her lovely eyes; I love to use my hands to adorn myself: her joy is in reflection, mine in act." (Purgatorio xxvii, 101-08, [Musa trans.]) What has been called "the breadth of [Augustine's] vision and the lyrical exaltation of his language" (Mason, 45) has cast a long shadow indeed. Works Cited * Butler, D. C. Western Mysticism: The Teaching of Augustine, Gregory and Bernard on Contemplation and the Contemplative Life. 2nd ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1966. * Mason, M. E. Active Life and Contemplative Life: A Study of the Concepts from Plato to the Present. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 1961. * Runia, D. T. Philo in Early Christian Literature: A Survey. Assen: Van Gorcum/Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. * Sly, D. Philo's Perception of Women. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1990.

Ongoing Stroke Rehabilitation Programs Health And Social Care Essay

A really of import factor in long-run recovery is go oning stroke rehabilitation at place. Surveies have shown that one time stroke patients return place there is a diminution in their rehabilitation and less attending is given to it. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System conducted research in 2005 and concluded merely 31 % of shot subsisters receive outpatient rehabilitation. This resulted in lower rates of functional position and reduced quality of life. In the longer term surveies besides show that less than 10 % of people after a shot receive occupational or physical therapy. However, lower degrees of disablement and on-going jobs were reported by those patients who did have therapy. Ongoing Stroke Rehabilitation Programs The benefits for patients who received uninterrupted, long-run rehab were legion. Patients were able to larn new schemes to counterbalance for abilities lost, created new nervous connexions to short-circuit damaged encephalon cells, decreased medical complications, reduced the hazard of another shot, and made the most of their new functional abilities. Fiscal factors are one obstruction in the manner of therapy, healers and professional health professionals. On traveling conformity of patients can besides interfere with follow-up intervention, particularly for those who may experience better or have become independent already. But the biggest challenge comes in the transportation of information and engineering to those who will really utilize it. In order to maximize recovery continiuing shot rehabilitation at place is really of import. It should be made a precedence because of how important it is for the shot subsister ‘s uninterrupted recovery.Life after a shotThere are ways to do life easier if your abilities are impacted due to stroke. Dressing can be made easier by choosing apparels with front fasteners and replacing buttons, slide fasteners, and lacings with Velcro closings. There are besides several dressing AIDSs available, such as pole-handled shoe horns on Internet sites and in wellness supply shops. Particular utensils such as flatware with built-up grips which are easier to hold on and rocker knives for cutting nutrient with one manus can assist people with physically-impaired weaponries and custodies. Helpful bathroom devices include, among others, grab bars in shower or bath, raised lavatory place, bath bench, electric razor and toothbrush and flip-top toothpaste tubing. A strokeA can beA life-changing and life-altering, nevertheless, one can stillA hold a great quality of life.A A A better name for shot may be â€Å" encephalon onslaught. â€Å" A The affects of a shot depend on the location of the encephalon attack.A An of import point to retrieve is that every shot is different and therefore, each shot subsister must be treatedA separately based on their shot outcome.A While every shot subsister has one thing in common — evidently, they have suffered a shot, they are still a alone individual — they have a name, a face, and a personality ( and some personalities are more alone than others. ) A A shot may non merely impact a individual physically and cognitively, but besides emotionally and financially as well.A A While the route to recovery depends on the person, health professionals play a particular and of import role.A There is so much information and cognition about shot now compared to the pastA Our infirmaries are better equipped to cover with the ague attention of shot and get down the person on their route to recovery.A Rehabilitation Centers continue that route and assist the shot subsister and convey them to the following level.A However, that period after a rehab centre, stroke subsisters and their households find themselves inquiring the inquiry: â€Å" What Now and What Next? â€Å" A Fortunately, in Kansas City there is the American Stroke Foundation where shot subsisters can go to and go on on their recovery road.A A ASF is non a medical installation, but instead a Wellness Center for shot subsisters and their families.A Stroke subsisters can go to categor ies and activities to re-build their life.A ASF is the lone non-profit organisation in the United States that is entirely dedicated to working hands-on with shot subsisters to authorise them to get the better of the challenges from their shot.Post-Stroke Rehabilitation Fact SheetAAIn the United States more than 700,000 people suffer a stroke* each twelvemonth, and about two-thirds of these persons survive and require rehabilitation. The ends of rehabilitation are to assist subsisters go every bit independent as possible and to achieve the best possible quality of life. Even though rehabilitation does non â€Å" remedy † shot in that it does non change by reversal encephalon harm, rehabilitation can well assist people achieve the best possible long-run result.What is post-stroke rehabilitation?Rehabilitation helps stroke subsisters relearn accomplishments that are lost when portion of the encephalon is damaged. For illustration, these accomplishments can include organizing leg motions in order to walk or transporting out the stairss involved in any complex activity. Rehabilitation besides teaches subsisters new ways of executing undertakings to besiege or counterbalance for any residuary disablements. Patients may necessitate to larn how to bathe and dress utilizing merely one manus, or how to pass on efficaciously when their ability to utilize linguistic communication has been compromised. There is a strong consensus among rehabilitation experts that the most of import component in any rehabilitation plan is carefully directed, well-focused, insistent pattern – the same sort of pattern used by all people when they learn a new accomplishment, such as playing the piano or fliping a baseball. Rehabilitative therapy begins in the acute-care infirmary after the patient ‘s medical status has been stabilized, frequently within 24 to 48 hours after the shot. The first stairss involve advancing independent motion because many patients are paralyzed or earnestly weakened. Patients are prompted to alter places often while lying in bed and to prosecute in passive or active range-of-motion exercisings to beef up their stroke-impaired limbs. ( â€Å" Passive † range-of-motion exercisings are those in which the healer actively helps the patient travel a limb repeatedly, whereas â€Å" active † exercisings are performed by the patient with no physical aid from the healer. ) Patients advancement from sitting up and reassigning between the bed and a chair to standing, bearing their ain weight, and walking, with or without aid. Rehabilitation nurses and healers help patients execute increasingly more complex and demanding undertakings, such as bathing, dressing, and u tilizing a lavatory, and they encourage patients to get down utilizing their stroke-impaired limbs while prosecuting in those undertakings. Get downing to reacquire the ability to transport out these basic activities of day-to-day life represents the first phase in a shot subsister ‘s return to functional independency. For some shot subsisters, rehabilitation will be an on-going procedure to keep and polish accomplishments and could affect working with specializers for months or old ages after the shot.Physical healersPhysical healers specialize in handling disablements related to motor and centripetal damages. They are trained in all facets of anatomy and physiology related to normal map, with an accent on motion. They assess the shot subsister ‘s strength, endurance, scope of gesture, pace abnormalcies, and centripetal shortages to plan individualised rehabilitation plans aimed at recovering control over motor maps. Physical healers help subsisters regain the usage of stroke-impaired limbs, teach compensatory schemes to cut down the consequence of staying shortages, and set up on-going exercising plans to assist people retain their freshly learned accomplishments. Disabled people tend to avoid utilizing impaired limbs, a behaviour called learned non-use. However, the insistent usage of impaired limbs encourages encephalon plasticity** and helps cut down disablements. Schemes used by physical healers to promote the usage of impaired limbs include selective centripetal stimulation such as tapping or stroking, active and inactive range-of-motion exercisings, and impermanent restraint of healthy limbs while practising motor undertakings. Some physical healers may utilize a new engineering, transdermal electrical nervus stimulation ( TENS ) , that encourages encephalon reorganisation and recovery of map. TENS involves utilizing a little investigation that generates an electrical current to excite nervus activity in stroke-impaired limbs. In general, physical therapy emphasizes practising stray motions, repeatedly altering from one sort of motion to another, and practising complex motions that require a great trade of coordination and balance, such as walking up or down stepss or traveling safely between obstructions. Peoples excessively weak to bear their ain weight can still pattern insistent motions during hydropathy ( in which H2O provides centripetal stimulation every bit good as weight support ) or while being partly supported by a harness. A recent tendency in physical therapy emphasizes the effectivity of prosecuting in purposive activities, such as playing games, to advance coordination. Physical healers often employ selective centripetal stimulation to promote usage of impaired limbs and to assist subsisters with neglect regain consciousness of stimulations on the ignored side of the organic structure.Occupational and recreational healersLike physical healers, occupational healers are concerned with betterin g motor and centripetal abilities. They help subsisters relearn accomplishments needed for executing autonomous activities-occupations-such as personal training, fixing repasts, and clean housing. Therapists can learn some subsisters how to accommodate to driving and supply on-road preparation. They frequently teach people to split a complex activity into its constituent parts, pattern each portion, and so execute the whole sequence of actions. This scheme can better coordination and may assist people with apraxia relearn how to transport out planned actions. Occupational healers besides teach people how to develop compensatory schemes and how to alter elements of their environment that bound activities of day-to-day life. For illustration, people with the usage of merely one manus can replace Velcro closings for buttons on vesture. Occupational healers besides help people make alterations in their places to increase safety, take barriers, and ease physical operation, such as put ining grab bars in bathrooms. Recreational healers help people with a assortment of disablements to develop and utilize their leisure clip to heighten their wellness, independency, and quality of life.Speech-language diagnosticiansSpeech-language diagnosticians help stroke subsisters with aphasia relearn how to utilize linguistic communication or develop alternate agencies of communicating. They besides help people better their ability to get down, and they work with patients to develop problem-solving and societal accomplishments needed to get by with the aftereffects of a shot. Many specialized curative techniques have been developed to help people with aphasia. Some signifiers of short-run therapy can better comprehension quickly. Intensive exercisings such as reiterating the healer ‘s words, practising following waies, and making reading or composing exercisings form the basis of linguistic communication rehabilitation. Colloquial coaching and dry run, every bit good asA the development of prompts or cues to assist people retrieve specific words, are sometimes good. Speech-language diagnosticians besides help stroke subsisters develop schemes for besieging linguistic communication disablements. These schemes can include the usage of symbol boards or mark linguistic communication. Recent progresss in computing machine engineering have spurred the development of new types of equipment to heighten communicating. Speech-language diagnosticians use noninvasive imagination techniques to analyze get downing forms of shot subsisters and place the exact beginning of their damage. Troubles with get downing have many possible causes, including a delayed swallowing physiological reaction, an inability to pull strings nutrient with the lingua, or an inability to observe nutrient staying lodged in the cheeks after get downing. When the cause has been pinpointed, speech-language diagnosticians work with the person to invent schemes to get the better of or minimise the shortage. Sometimes, merely altering organic structure place and up position during eating can convey approximately betterment. The texture of nutrients can be modified to do get downing easier ; for illustration, thin liquids, which frequently cause choking, can be thickened. Changing eating wonts by taking little bites and masticating easy can besides assist relieve dysphagia.Vocational healersApproximately one-quarter of all shots occur in people between the ages of 45 and 65. For most people in this age group, returning to work is a major concern. Vocational healers perform many of the same maps that ordinary calling counsellors do. They can assist people with residuary disablements identify vocational strengths and develop resumes that highlight those strengths. They besides can assist place possible employers, aid in specific occupation hunts, and supply referrals to stroke vocational rehabilitation bureaus. Most of import, vocational healers educate handicapped persons about their rights and protections as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This jurisprudence requires employers to do â€Å" sensible adjustments † for handicapped employees. Vocational healers often act as go-betweens between employers and employees to negociate the proviso of sensible adjustments in the workplace.Where can a shot patient acquire rehabilitation?Rehabilitation should get down every bit shortly as a shot patient is stable, frequently within 24 to 48 hours after a shot. This first phase of rehabilitation normally occurs within an acute-care infirmary. At the clip of discharge from the infirmary, the shot patient and household co-ordinate with hospital societal workers to turn up a suited life agreement. Many stroke subsisters return place, but some move into some type of medical installation.