Pro-Life Essay -- essays research papers fc

Pro-Life English I 1 Abortion, when the topic comes up, it is usually something people do not like to discuss. People may tend to avoid this issue for fear of offending or angering others but it is extremely important that the horrors of this brutal practice be addressed. During the years 1965-1996 over 515 million babies have been murdered, this is if you add the number of chemical and surgical abortions (www.rockforlife.org). This is what we need to understand: abortion kills and we need to know where it came from. The legalization of abortion started in Mississippi in the year 1966; it was used in the cases of rape. Then other states began to expand the use of abortion. For instance, if it was the case of rape, incest, or the fetus had abnormalities or if it could seriously affect the mother’s health. In the year 1973 the Supreme Court decided on two cases, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. These decisions now effectively legalized abortions for any number of reasons. 1976, things have barely changed at all, but some laws have been passed to somewhat protect the babies. In Missouri permission for an abortion now had to be granted from the mother’s parents if the mother is under eighteen or if she is married permission from her husband. May 12 1994, Bill Clinton virtually eliminated our first amendment rights of peaceful pro-life protestors by signing the law the freedom of Access Clinics Entrance Act (FACE). This act halted the right to demonstrate out...

Psychology Learning Essay

A desirable behavior that I would like strengthen a lot would be my studying and homework habits. I would like to study or do homework for a designated hour every night. When I come home from work, I want to grab my books and go straight to the library for at least an hour. I selected this behavior because I believe that I need to dedicate more time to my school work. I have always waited until the last minute to study and do homework; therefore, having a set time of day every day to do my work will help me keep track of everything going on. The learning principle I am going to implement to make myself study every day at the same hour is the Premack Principle. A daily routine I have with my suitemate is before we go to bed we watch a movie. So I used this as my reinforcement. I will not watch that movie until I have dedicated at least an hour to school work and studying. I trained myself to study first then as a reward I was able to watch the movie with my suitemate. I did this ritual every night for the past week. It is not yet set it stone but I still continue to do this ritual daily. I hope that soon it will be habit and I will not have to continue to reward myself with a movie. The first couple of days it was extremely hard to remember to study after work. Other times it was hard for me to have the energy to continue to study for the whole hour. After a while everything became easier. In my personal opinion I think that the Premack Principle worked well for me. It has helped me discipline myself in a very helpful way. Because I have decided to partake in this principle, I have seen a result of better grades and more relaxation as test time approaches. The Premack Principle is a wonderful approach to anyone seeking success while embarking on their college experience. This reinforcement principle is a great form of a â€Å"healthy† form of punishment, and it proves to be very rewarding in the end.

Kosovo Movement

Kosovo served as a centre of Serbian kingdom with old Serbian monasteries and Serbian Eastern Orthodox Churches. These survived the harsh ottoman rule until 1912, when there was liberation. Large number of Serbs hard firm attachment to Christian faith thus, opposed the conversion to Islam. This made them to leave Kosovo region because of fear of persecution by the Turkish. The Albanians settled in their places and their number increased. Kosovo Problem. The problem faced by Kosovo is the highly increasing Albanians population. The population increasing rate outweighed the industrial growth, despite heavy investments on the region. Many efforts have been made to develop the regions especially the Yugoslav Federation to no success. The region continues to become poor, and remains the poorest region in Yugoslavia. An extensive autonomy was given to the Albanians with the aim of enhancing development, only to understand that the autonomy was abused by the Albanians since they used the autonomy to clear the Kosovo habitants who were non-Albanians. The Albanians aim of when clearing the Kosovo region of the non-Albanians was to start up a succession process as they needed to be greater Albania. The Albanians in Kosovo are self satisfied, small political classes of Western Europe. The Albanians claim that they are solving the problem selling drugs illegally, and carrying out other illegal activities in the west, and the income got from the trade, are used to cause more disaster in the region, since they purchase illegal weapons, which they used in the conflict and continued spreading terror throughout the region.( Booth, 2001). The conflict had inter-ethnic tensions in Balkans and despite how much the Serbian tried to find ways of implementing peaceful solution, the Albanians never cared.  The west have tried to use many method to solve problem, but most of the methods they used, and especially the ancient methods are aimed at getting chances to access the great mineral resources which the region owns. This explains why the Americans supported the Albanian terrorists. Important Actors and their interests The Milosevic acted in the Kosovo tragedy. He had power over the Kosovo region, and his interest was to control and clear the Kosovo autonomy. The Albanians in Kosovo lost their jobs, their access to school, and health care was limited, and they lost administrative control. He also had interest in creating Greater Serbia, and to clearing the minority from the region. The Kosovo Albanians responded against the Milosevic power, where they created a parallel civil administration, and other social facilities such as schools and health care facilities. Under the leadership of Ibrahim Rugova, the Kosovo Albanians resisted the Milosevic regime in a non violent way, where they applied Gandhian tactics. The Kosovo Albanians’ interest was to have their rights considered, because despite the frequent periodic reports made by human right investigators, and International diplomats who investigated the gross and systemic human rights violations, Milosevic continued to violate their rights. After the failure of non violent demonstration, the Kosovo Albanians decided to use violent demonstration. The Kosovo Liberation Army joined the fight against Milosevic, and the army publicly asked for help from the entire community. The crowd provided overwhelming support, but the Serb had a disproportionate retaliation responds. The conflict between the Serb and the KLA continued, and revenge was persistent. The human rights continued to be violated, with no intervention, instead the Milosevic increased the military to clear KLA. The Contact Group intervened, with the interest of enhancing negotiations between the two groups and subsequent signing of peace plan. The Contact group required the KLA to disarm, Milosevic to reduce his military, and to restore autonomy, and to have NATO peace keeping force to be implemented. This brought more conflict because the Kosovo needed full independence guarantees, while the Milosevic wanted total control over the Province and the people, so they could not allow a new military force in the Province. The NATO joined the fight with the aim of enhancing the signing of the peace plan, and threatened to bomb Serb if they failed to sign. Kosovo signed after a delay, but Milosevic refused to sign, and continued to destroy Kosovo. NATO launched air campaign targeting the Serb military. Milosevic fought the NATO, and the Kosovo population in respond. (Ruga, 2007). Why does this conflict exist? The Kosovo conflict exists because of the existing form of revisionism which has prevailed for many years among the critics of Kosovo population desire for independence. This has been caused by failure of scrutiny, ignorance, racism, culture and religion. The various sides are guilty of varying degree, and mall the actors have failed in one way or the other. No actor wants to be held responsible of the conflict, despite the fact that each of the actors has played a role in the conflict. Serbia blames the Serb security force of the 1998 and 1999 massacre. The Kosovo Albanians explains their innocence by convincing people that they flew from their land to be refugees because of the fear of NATO bombing (Loyd, 2007). This has led to continued conflict in Kosovo. References: Booth, K (2001) Kosovo Tragedy. New York: Routledge. Loyd, A (2007) Kosovo deserves its independence, Retrieved April, 2008, from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article3037002.ece Ruga, G. (2007)   History of Kosovo war, Retrieved April, 2008, from http://www.friendsofbosnia.org/edu_kos.html.      

Immanuel Kant’s Philosophy Essay

If a billionaire were to leave behind all his fortune but makes a dying request to donate $1 million to his favourite football team when the same can be used for a better cause, what would one do? Donating it to charity would seem like the right thing to do, but the answer to it, according to Kant would be quite the opposite. Here, it’s not the consequences that determine the rightness of an action. Rightness is in accordance with morality. According to Immanuel Kant’s views, a supreme moral principle must entail an absolute necessity and should be done out of duty. He believes that, only actions that emanate out of a sense of duty are moral actions and any act performed keeping one’s own self-interest in mind are, regarded as actions that are not born out of morality. For an example, consider a shopkeeper who is at the liberty of pricing his goods. He could over charge the customers and attain increased profits but that would be an act contrary to one’s morals. He could also choose to price his goods inexpensively, in order to increase the sales. However, in this case, he is acting is a way to ultimately benefit himself and not out of morality. Morality ultimately rests not on sense, experience or feelings, but on reason. If the same shopkeeper, sets fair prices merely because it’s the right thing and not for the fear of getting caught, then he is fulfilling his duty to morality. Furthermore, Kant feels morality is something one ought to adhere to, unconditionally, that is, without doing so to gain any reward or merit. For example, if one senses the possibility of a robbery occurring, one must report it to the police out of a sense of duty as he is in a position to do so. Then his action is a moral one. However, if he were to do so, with hopes of making the headlines and getting rewarded, then in this case, he acts out of self-interest and such an action is not considered a moral one. According to the Kantian philosophy, the one thing that’s good in itself, without qualification, is good will. He believes in the existence of an element of certain common sense in the foundation of moral law, which arises out of good will. Morality is valuable in its own right and not based on the fact that it has instrumental value. All other intrinsic goods, moral or intellectual, can serve the vicious will and accord to evil deeds. They are only morally valuable, if accompanied by a good will. Honor can lead to pride. Not even success and happiness is good in themselves. Thus, a good will is good not in virtue of wanting to bring about happiness, but in virtue of wanting to obey the moral law. For Immanuel Kant, motive is the antecedent of all moral worth and not consequences. He argues that one must perform moral duty solely for its own sake i. e. , duty for duty’s sake. Some conform to the moral duty they presume it in their own enlightened self-interest to be moral. Rightness of actions is determined by their accordance with morality. In order to decide order to decide whether an action was moral or not it is not enough for one to simply help the person in need, but their intention behind providing the aid has to be known. Even if one were to provide aid to someone in need out of a sense of compassion, it would not be considered a moral action according to Kant as it was motivated by emotion. For example, a father playing baseball with his son, should do so out of a sense of duty and not because he loves him. For Kant, the only acceptable motive for a moral action was a sense of duty. The reason is that the consequences of an act are often beyond our control and hence cannot be used to gauge the morality of an action . For Kant, an unsuccessful attempted murder is as bad as a successful one because they had identical motives. It didn’t matter to Kant, if an act was act performed improperly or left unfinished. For example, if a fire-fighter in an attempt to save a man from reducing into ashes, accidently gets him killed having performed the act erroneously, such an act would still be considered a moral one by Kant as the fire-fighter was carrying out his duty. Consider another illustration, Two soldiers volunteer to cross enemy lines to contact their allies on the other side. Both start off and do their best to get through the enemy area. One succeeds; the other doesn’t and is captured. But, aren’t they both morally praiseworthy? The success of one in no way detracts from the goodness of the other. Kant considered the duties that instigate moral actions as absolute. For him, moral duties are said to have imperative nature and they were to be followed irrespective of the consequences. And this is termed as ‘Categorical imperatives or duty’ and this can be categorized into two: where in the examples of ‘Hypothetical’ duties included, â€Å"If you want a good job, get good education. † Whereas, ‘Categorical Imperatives’ suggests the intrinsically right thing to do like, â€Å"Tell the truth. † But Kant believed that, for an action to be moral, the motive behind the action and the principle underlying the action (maxim) must be universally applicable. For example, one is expected not to honk near hospitals, one must be kind to old and disabled etc. Categorical or unqualified as they recognize the imperial status of moral obligations, unlike Hypothetical. Any actions done in violation of Kantian theory would be considered immoral. Kant also persuades people not to view others as a means to an end and degrade the value of human life. But to respect them for the person they are. For example, one should be polite to people they meet without anticipating any favour, in return. On the other hand, he feels all that choices should be autonomous as every single person is capable of reason. Our natural inclinations and influences shouldn’t limit our choices. This very briefly summarizes Immanuel Kant’s view on Morality. Kant’s views outline a clear structure of moral judgments but firstly, he fails to provide us with guidelines as to how go about taking rightful moral decisions when faced with tough situations. For example, if one has to lie about a friend’s presence in order to save his life, to choose between speaking the truth and protecting the friend leaves one in a fix as the universal maxims seem to conflict each other. Further, Kant disregards the emotional aspect that is involved in everyday decision making process, by expecting people to alienate feelings like compassion, pity etc. He also seems to completely ignore the consequences of one’s actions, which is quite impractical when looked at, from a practical point of view. Finally, there is no mention of how certain acts are clearly immoral while he strongly advocates the following of universally applicable maxims. As much as his views bear an influence, his principles find very little effectiveness and practical applicability in one’s daily life. Bibliography – BOOKS AND WEBSITES AND MORE – 1) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – plato. stanford. edu 2) Encyclopedia on Philosophy published by Macmillan. 3) Kant’s search for the Supreme Principle of Morality by Samuel J. Kirstein 4) Ethical theory of Immanuel Kant – bellevuecollege. edu.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 97

Assignment - Essay Example It also leads to an increase in annual crop yields by approximately 30 to 135 million metric tons as well as reduction in projected global mean warming by 0.5Â °C by year 2050 as a result of reductions in ozone in 2030 and beyond. On the other hand BC measures are able to provide significant global climate benefits; however, uncertainties are much larger. In addition, it leads to a reduction in disruptions in regional hydrological cycle, improved agriculture yields and large regional human health benefits. The fact that these policies helps in the protection of food supplies and public health as well as mitigation of climate change may aid in motivating policies to be implemented on the same. Methane and BC measures are complimentary to and distinct from CO2 measures. Early adoption of CH4 and BC measures has little impact on long term temperatures but provides much larger short-term benefits. Mechanisms such as the Prototype Methane Financing Facility and the Clean Development Mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reduces CH4 emissions. Because such measures can provide agricultural benefit, improve health, slow the rate of climate change and enhanced warming mitigation necessitates their early and widespread implementation in order to realize such

Media article critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media article critique - Essay Example The sodium in the American diet does not significantly come from the saltshakers but in the abundance of processed food consumption. It should be noted sodium is usually used to enhance the flavor, stabilize, and preserve processed food. Accordingly, sodium intake can be reduced by opting fresh, whole food closest to their natural state. Another option is to look for canned food which are sodium-free or with reduced-sodium content. The DASH (Dietary Approach to Solving Hypertension) eating plan, which prescribes a diet comprised of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy food, and food with limited saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, is clinically proven to dramatically reduce blood pressure by infusing enough levels of potassium in the body to counter the effects of sodium. It has been verified by the Tulane University Health Science Center that adequate potassium intake may lower systolic blood pressure by 3 points and diastolic by 2 points. The level of sodium in the body as well as its effect is tied to an individual's physiological sensitivity to salt. It has been found out that 10-25 percent of the entire population is salt sensitive meaning that their bodies will respond faster with the reduction or increase in salt intake. Salt sensitivity is determined by heredity as it is passed on through genes and age as elders naturally experience higher blood pressure necessitating the reduction of sodium intake. With the current rise in the number of people who suffers from heart disease, I believe that this article is very helpful and timely. I completely agree with the information presented. Having a family history of hypertension, I'm seeking ways on how to reduce the risk of acquiring the disease. Reducing sodium intake is probably one of the easiest and most enjoyable way to avoid heart diseases as it requires me to take in a variety of fresh foods and challenge my creativity in coming up with recipes containing less salt. Works Cited Miers, Megan. Shake the salt habit: Limiting sodium intake can have many benefits. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, May 18, 2006, Pg.1; Washington ARTICLE May 18--Whether already added or sprinkled on in the form of salt, sodium is one additive that keeps us clamoring for our favorite foods over and over again. But the same seasoning that brings out the flavor of salad dressing and gives potato chips their savory crunch also can wreak havoc with our health. Many Americans far exceed the recommended daily limit of sodium in their diets, and that's not good news for a country in which cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer. Excess sodium in the diet can lead to fluid retention and hypertension (high blood pressure), which in turn can lead to stroke and other potentially deadly conditions. But with a few simple steps, anyone can slash dietary sodium and drastically reduce health risks. "The maximum recommended limit is less than 3,000 milligrams of sodium per day," said Rachel Vincent, a registered and licensed dietitian at St. John Medical Center. "The average American gets about 8,000 milligrams a day." To function properly, our bodies need about 200 milligrams of s

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19

Case Study Example The separation of the Lakeberg twins put forward a number of ethical issues related to saving lives at the slimmest chance of survival. When Reitha was observed to be carrying Siamese twins, doctors recommended an abortion due to the limited chances of survival for the babies. This recommendation poses an ethical issue relative to the doctors’ choice that seemed to highly influence the parents. This situation was worsened by the underlying financial challenges that the couple was going through at the time the doctors made the recommendation. The doctors failed to assess the couple’s family situation, given that their consent to abortion may have been forced by their financial situation. On the abortion issue, a critical dilemma emerges. Both Ken and Reitha had a difficult decision to make. This decision would consequently measure their ethics and respect for human life. Although Reitha never undertook the abortion, her ordeal was not set to end at that point. Seven weeks after she delivered, the couple took its chance to have the Siamese twins separated. With slim chances of one baby surviving, if not both, the move to separate the twins puts medical ethics on the spot. A combination of high medical costs and slimmest survival chances in cases of medical practice might present doctors as money-oriented and patients as medically irrational (Snyder, 2005). However, doctors have a duty to save lives, attend to patient needs, and satisfy patients’ will. The dilemma in this case lies in deciding the point at which such provisions fail to hold. Given that the Siamese twins had a fused liver and a shared heart, it was medically obvious that one of the babies would be sacrificed to save the other. In this case, Amy would be saved subject to the doctors’ medical decision. The parents were provided with an already made decision, an aspect that questions whether it was ethical to make that decision on behalf of the couple. Notably,