Effect of Bicarbonate Supplement on Kidney Function

Effect of Bicarbonate Supplement on Kidney Function Bicarbonate Supplementation Slows Progression of CKD and Improves Nutritional Status Ione de Brito-Ashurst, Mira Varagunam, Martin J. Raftery, and Muhammad M. Yaqoob  Lay Abstract Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the long-term damage of the kidney. Symptoms only start presenting when the disease is progressing towards the advanced stages. It is a disease of the elderly population, and with the UK’s ageing population, cases are likely to increase in the near future. Metabolic acidosis (MA) is a common complication of CKD and treating this has been thought to slow down the decline in kidney function. Bicarbonate supplementation has previously been used as an experimental treatment on rat models to correct the MA but results have been inconclusive. There is also a lack of long-term trials investigating the effect on humans. The results showed bicarbonate supplementation was beneficial to kidney function and nutritional status of patients, while causing minimal side effects. More clinical trials need to be performed to consolidate these findings and to look at alternative treatment regimens before being implemented into clinical practice. Background Information and Rationale for Carrying Out the Work Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the long-term decline in kidney function. It is defined as kidney damage resulting in a GFR ≠¤ 60 mL/min/1.73m2 for more than 3 months, or kidney damage for more than 3 months with evidence of structural or functional abnormalities, with GFR not necessarily reduced (1). In advanced stages it can lead to metabolic acidosis (MA) due to a decreased tubular bicarbonate secretion, which has been known to cause protein catabolism and increased insulin resistance (2), and impaired ammonium excretion (3). The lesser stages of CKD are quite common in communities but ESRD is quite rare in populations. CKD is a disease of the elderly with around 30-40% of the population > 75 years having CKD at stages 3-5 (1). It is usually asymptomatic until the later stages of the disease and during ESDR, the only possible life supporting treatments are transplantation or dialysis (4). Obesity is associated with an increased risk of CKD by over 2.5 times (5). With obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension all on the rise (6-8) , there is likely to be a boom in the number of CKD cases within the next couple of decades. There is clearly a need to address this future burden on the healthcare system. Correction of MA in dialysis patients has shown to slow down protein degradation in a small number of short term clinical trials (9, 10). Studies on rat models have shown inconsistent evidence where MA has been shown to slow down progression of renal failure (11). Due to the short term nature of these studies, there has been inadequate evidence on the impact of renal function. There have been very few studies investigating the correction of MA in CKD in humans and also the lack of long term studies of the effect on pre-dialysis patients, which were the main motives for carrying out this study. Approaches to the Question and Key Results The research question raised was whether bicarbonate supplementation to patients with MA in CKD could slow its progression and improve nutritional status. A single-centre, open-label, randomised, parallel-group study was carried out to investigate this question. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were stated explicitly. 134 eligible patients were randomly assigned to either routine standard care or oral sodium bicarbonate tablets 600mg TID which was increased as necessary to maintain bicarbonate ≠¥ 23mmol/L. The treatment assignment procedure was done by an external statistician and involved block stratification, then randomisation carried out within each stratum of men, women, diabetics and non-diabetics. This method helped to balance each of the patients’ covariates and ensured adequate concealment. As a result, 67 patients were assigned to the control group and 67 patients to the treatment group. To reach a power of 90% which would allow an absolute difference of 30% to be detected, 63 patients in each group would have to be studied, but to allow for non-compliance, this was increased to 67. Calculation of statistical power ensured a large enough sample size. The 2 groups had similar baseline characteristics (Table 1) and ap art from the bicarbonate supplementation, they were both treated equally. Patients were followed up every 2 months for 2 years for the primary outcome measurements while nutritional assessments were carried out at 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months by a single dietician. All patients were able to be analysed with none of the patients being lost to follow up or discontinuing the intervention, however 5 withdrew before receiving the treatment. Intention to treat analysis was performed. The investigators, statisticians and the single dietician were blinded to the initial group assignment as they were directly involved in assessing the outcomes, but since the trial was open-label, it suggests that patients and external clinicians were not. The outcomes were focused on the research question and were measured in a standard way. The primary outcomes were the decline in renal function, the number of patients with rapid progression of renal failure, and the development of ESRD that required dialysis. After 12 months, the rate in decline of CrCl was lower in the treatment group at 1.88 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (95% [CI] 0.39 to 4.15 ml/min per 1.73 m2) than the control group at 5.93 ml/min per 1.73 m2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.19 to 7.76 ml/min per 1.73 m2) (P Secondary outcomes were measurements of changes in normalized protein nitrogen appearance (nPNA), dietary protein intake (DPI), serum albumin and mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC) to identify the nutritional status of patients. Results showed an increase in DPI (P Likely Impact of Research Outcome The fact that there was both a slowdown of the decline in kidney function and a reduction in the number of patients progressing to ESRD is clinically beneficial. However, the confidence interval for the treatment group is quite large (0.39 to 4.15 ml/min per 1.73 m2) and the upper limit is close to overlapping with the confidence interval of the control group at the lower limit (4.19 to 7.76 ml/min per 1.73 m2) for the rate in decline of CrCl. Statistically, the treatment may only offer a marginal improvement over the control, but the bicarbonate supplementation clearly does offer some benefit to stage 4 CKD patients. There are also significant nutritional benefits to CKD patients. Poor nutrition leads to protein energy wasting (PEW) and a low serum albumin which increase morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients (12), but this can be easily reduced with bicarbonate supplementation. The patients studied in this trial are not 100% representative of the population. This trial had to exclude 30 out of 184 potential subjects due to eligibility criteria. The exclusion criteria included morbid obesity, congestive heart failure, chronic sepsis, malignant diseases, cognitive impairment or uncontrolled hypertension so findings will not apply to patients that fall into these categories, however the findings will be important for the majority of patients with CKD. The trial was only a single centre study on patients at the Royal London Hospital in the East End of London. The demographic in this area of London is likely to vary from demographics in other parts of London and the UK. I think all the outcomes of interest to the patient were considered before the trial. Side effects of worsening hypertension and oedema that required an increase in therapy and loop diuretics respectively were minimal (Table 3). Blood pressures rose and oedema worsened more in the treatment group but these were not statistically significant (P=0.17 and P=0.5). The single main issue was that 6.5% of subjects experienced a bad taste taking the tablet of the sodium bicarbonate, which was then switched to a powder form. In the long term I think this trial will form the basis of a future change in clinical practice. The change will not be immediate as this is the first RCT on pre-ESRD patients with MA and more clinical trials need to be carried out in this area, with a subsequent systematic review and meta-analysis. Overall, the bicarbonate supplementation does offer an advantage over standard treatment, and the fact that bicarbonate itself is simple and very cheap to source and produce with minimal side effects also works in its favour. Future Work and Conclusion There are some changes I would make to the trial. The confidence interval for the treatment group is quite large (0.39 to 4.15 ml/min per 1.73 m2) and the upper limit is close to overlapping with the confidence interval of the control group at the lower limit (4.19 to 7.76 ml/min per 1.73 m2) for the rate in decline of CrCl. So statistically, the treatment may only offer a marginal improvement over the control. In order to achieve a more precise CI, a larger sample size could be used, and a multi-centre trial could be conducted so that the findings can be applied to a wider population. I think the accuracy of the outcomes would also benefit from the use of a placebo and double-blinding. This study focused only on patients in stage 4 CKD. While these patients are likely to experience MA, it may also be beneficial to study the effect on patients in stage 3 CKD. Patients especially in stage 3b CKD (GFR 30-44 mL/min) are at risk of slipping into the stage 4 category and bicarbonate supplementation has potential to act as a preventative treatment. The serum bicarbonate level in the treatment group was maintained at 23 mmol/L or greater. There was no upper limit for the bicarbonate level and considering that the normal range of serum bicarbonate is 22-28 mmol/L, we can see that the trial looked at the lower end of the reference range. I think a future clinical trial should look at the effect of bicarbonate supplementation on stage 4 CKD patients when serum bicarbonate is controlled within a middle range of 24-26 mmol/L and at the upper end range of 26-28 mmol/L. It is encouraging to see that there have been more RCTs investigating the positive outcomes of bicarbonate supplementation on CKD (13-15), however further investigations still need to be carried out to reach an optimal and definitive treatment plan. References 1.Barratt J, Topham PD, Harris KPG. Nephrology. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2009. 2.Kopple JD, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Mehrotra R. Risks of chronic metabolic acidosis in patients with chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int Suppl. 2005(95):S21-7. 3.Bailey JL. Metabolic acidosis: an unrecognized cause of morbidity in the patient with chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int Suppl. 2005(96):S15-23. 4.Smart NA, Dieberg G, Ladhani M, Titus T. Early referral to specialist nephrology services for preventing the progression to endà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ stage kidney disease. 2009. 5.MacLaughlin HL, Hall WL, Sanders TA, Macdougall IC. Risk for chronic kidney disease increases with obesity: Health Survey for England 2010. Public Health Nutr2010. p. 1-6. 6.Klahr S, Morrissey J. Progression of chronic renal disease. Am J Kidney Dis. 2003;41(3 Suppl 1):S3-7. 7.Shaw JE, Sicree RA, Zimmet PZ. Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2010 and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010;87(1):4-14. 8.Guh DP, Zhang W, Bansback N, Amarsi Z, Birmingham CL, Anis AH. The incidence of co-morbidities related to obesity and overweight: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health. 2009;9(1):88. 9.Graham KA, Reaich D, Channon SM, Downie S, Goodship TH. Correction of acidosis in hemodialysis decreases whole-body protein degradation. J Am Soc Nephrol. 1997;8(4):632-7. 10.Williams AJ, Dittmer ID, McArley A, Clarke J. High bicarbonate dialysate in haemodialysis patients: effects on acidosis and nutritional status. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1997;12(12):2633-7. 11.Jara A, Felsenfeld AJ, Bover J, Kleeman CR. Chronic metabolic acidosis in azotemic rats on a high-phosphate diet halts the progression of renal disease. Kidney Int. 2000;58(3):1023-32. 12.Lowrie EG, Lew NL. Death risk in hemodialysis patients: the predictive value of commonly measured variables and an evaluation of death rate differences between facilities. Am J Kidney Dis. 1990;15(5):458-82. 13.Kovesdy CP. Metabolic acidosis and kidney disease: does bicarbonate therapy slow the progression of CKD? 2012. 14.Abramowitz MK, Melamed ML, Bauer C, Raff AC, Hostetter TH. Effects of oral sodium bicarbonate in patients with CKD. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2013;8(5):714-20. 15.Gaggl M, Cejka D, Plischke M, Heinze G, Fraunschiel M, Schmidt A, et al. Effect of oral sodium bicarbonate supplementation on progression of chronic kidney disease in patients with chronic metabolic acidosis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (SoBic-Study). Trials. 2013;14:196.

Models In The Fashion Industry Cultural Studies Essay

Models In The Fashion Industry Cultural Studies Essay In the contemporary world, fashion has become a powerful force. For most of the people in our daily life, fashion is something they read about or buy in stores. In a broad sense, fashion means all things and a global business which covers a diverse range of commercial activities, ranging from the unglamorous worlds of mass garment production to celebrity- patronized fashion shows and the associated reportage in the fashion press (JacksonShaw, 2009). In the fashion world, modeling industry plays a central role in its developments. Thousands of people, especially those little girls, are dreaming to be involved in the fashion industry. In their impression, models work in photographers studios or runways or on the cover of magazines, they are in a fun; models are creative because they create their own look (Parmentier Fischer, 2011). They are the representation of artistic creativity and self- expression who always change their performance to project an appropriate image for different si tuations and specific clients and designs. In this sense, despite whether those youngsters have ever sought or gained entry into the field of fashion, in nowadays, they are encouraged to regard the life of the fashion model as an ideal myth. It is no exaggeration to suggest that many young girls treat being a fashion model as among the most glamorous and desirable of possible futures (Wolf, 1991). This article focuses on the real status of models in the fashion industry. Viewing models self-commodification as forms of aesthetic, entrepreneurial, and immaterial labor, I turn my attention on the polarized work of fashion models. Basing on the critical theory, this article uses three approaches (The culture industry, Governmentality, creativity) to explore how certain actors in a dynamic, constantly contested, cultural field may experience constraints on their individual identity quests. First, I argue that how the life of models looks like to the masses, and look for some reasons that why people would like to pursue the life of being a model. Then I focus more discussions on the unsustainable modeling identity projects in the fashion industry. Act as the aesthetic labor, models are faced with many restrictions and risks not only come from the groups that they cooperate with like agency, designer, editor, but also their competitors. Besides of that, some models also suffer from t he discrimination and inequality because of the divisions of the fashion modeling industry. So in this sector, I will take the plus- sized model for example in order to advance our understanding the institutional contexts in fashion industry and our insight into the limitations of those not general models face in pursuing their careers. Searching method For the sake of a deep and comprehensive understanding of fashion modeling, the best way to do the research is using participant observations and interviews. According to many scholars, they adopt this method interviewing models in different levels, gender, age and so on. Basing on the questions and contents, they do data selection to integrate the valuable information and report the results. Because of some limitations, however, I cannot do such interview, so I take full advantage of other resources. This thesis mainly adopts two methods of study. One is documentary research method, which is collecting a large number of materials about the modeling fashion industry in order to understand this field and occupation more comprehensively. First, I select some books and journals which ranging from the history of fashion industry such as marketing todays fashion (Paola Mueller, 1980), to the development of this field like Angela McRobbies British fashion design: Rag trade or image industr y? (1998). Basing on the predecessors research achievements I document an intensive aesthetic labor process. I also search information on the internet to see the characters of fashion models and some debates on the fashion modeling industry. Besides, I pay close attention to a reality show American Britains Next Top Model. By observing and analyzing the process of the competition and track the future development of participants I realize the ruthlessness of fashion modeling industry. The other searching method is comparative analysis approach. In order to highlight the contradictory work in this aesthetic labor market, I compare the different treatment between the high fashion models and commercial models, and the discrimination of those plus-sized models. Literature review Since it is considered to have originated in the mid- nineteen century in Paris, models has appeared in the view of the public. With confidence and enthusiasm, significant numbers of young women launched their own labels from the mid-1980s onwards. Back to the history, there are some critical factors to the success of start of fashion industry which include the support from the government and local authority by subsidy; the cooperation between designers with the producers, agencies and labors; recognition of the distinctiveness of fashion work as an independent cultural and artistic practice, not a conventional business activity. The recent researches have focused attention on different aspects of embodiment in contemporary labor practices, such as detailing the ways in which bodies are managed and surveyed at work (Freeman, 2000; Entwistle, 2004), how bodily performances at work are gendered (Taylor and Tyler, 2000; Gottfried, 2003) and the role of dress in marking out identities at work (Entwistle, 2001). Then a classic account of emotional labor as important in terms of opening up questions about the ways in which contemporary work practices harness the many embodied capabilities of workers. Within this broad research agenda, analysis has been directed towards aesthetic labor as one dimension of current trends in work practices (Pettinger, 2004; Speiss and Waring, 2005). In this article, I argue that previous scholarship on modeling fashion industry seldom explore the tensions between fashion as art form and the demand of a ruthlessly commercial industry. Building on previous research that has examined the staged performance of fashion models, I look for the backstage aesthetic labor process. Combining culture industry, governmentality and creativity, I focus on the unsustainable identity projects in the modeling fashion industry. The contradictory work in the modeling fashion industry From the catwalk to the high-style boutique, the common perception of the modeling fashion industry is glamour and indulgence. Indeed, to many people especially in nowadays, fashion modeling is much more than an occupation, but a dream of every little girl. Just as the feminist scholar Naomi Wolf suggests that it is a fantasy that probably the most widespread contemporary dream shared by young women from all backgrounds (Wolf, 1991). People aspires the ideal model life, which means to become a member of an elite and small group. Their bodies and personalities are intensely sought after for their aesthetic singularity and in return they can get some rewards such as money, fame, luxurious goods as well as celebrity status. Undoubtedly, those models careers not just limited in the field of fashion but extend to other culturally celebrated professions like singer or film actor. The models work as the aesthetic labor, which combines the affective, emotional and physical labor, they play to an advancing self production to extend beyond the confines of modeling work into daily life experience. As aesthetic laborers, they are demanded the effort of body in the production of an appropriately attractive appearance for work. However, in practice, models are always subject to fashions gaze, and endure many restrictions or discriminations coming from both outside and themselves, such as they have to engage in a range of bodily disciplines that relied on thin aesthetics, and do on beyond work hours, etc. We will talk about the restriction from the following aspects. 3.1 Personality In contemporary society, models are regarded as walking mannequins or passive hangers for clothes. The modeling industry moves in shorter cycles than ever before, comparing with other sectors, it is a personality based and subjective industry. In modeling much emphasis is placed on the projection of personality (Entwistle Wissinger, 2006), which forms an integral aspect of the aesthetic labor of freelancing models. Thus models see their bodies as objects of aesthetic contemplation through all manner of bodily work. It just adapt to the governmentality theory that Banks (2007) comes up in his book. It demonstrates that instead of using force and coercion, how the cultural worker has come to be governed only by subjectivizing discourses of enterprise. So models who want to succeed talk of having to become self-managing and astute about their product-their entire embodied self, must do self-control to ensure their current status. To produce a fashionable look, models need to wear the mo st fashionable clothes and go to the most fashionable parties. This situation will not be changed until they are successful. In the case of supermodels, they may no longer have to obey others instruction; they will be given the designer clothes, can cooperate with distinguished photographers and even can expand the career into other sectors. Take Tyra Banks for instance, as an excellent multi-dwelling star, she began her career as model, simultaneously she steps into other professions being the host of reality show, the actress, singer and dancer. Each of this field she has achieved remarkable achievement. These practices involve both aesthetic labor, in which workers invest in styling their bodies and personalities to get and keep work (Entwistle Wissinger, 2006), and entrepreneurial labor, in which workers invest time, energy and funds to foster professional relationships, and build their productive capacity in return for uncertain rewards. These two labors demand workers be enterprising, which they work to create an image that will sell. Models valorize their image, an image that is constructed on a whole day basis, making it difficult for models to distinguish between when they are on or off the job. This work to produce an image may be understood as aesthetic labor (Entwistle Wissinger, 2006). 3.2 Marginalization within the field The fashion system places a quite different valorization on different types of work within the field. There are quite lot of discriminations and unequal treatments between commercial models and editorial models. Commercial work is done for catalogues, website, and department stores; the aim is promoting products ranging from food to drink. While the contracts are regarded as relatively low status compared with the high-status brands promoted by editorial models. While one of the essential features of editorial models is being featured on the cover of or within the fashion pages of high fashion magazines like Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and Elle. Be the supermodel also means to modeling for couturiers and designers fashion shows and to be hired as the face for an international luxury brand of a fashion product such as shoes, clothing, or cosmetics(McRobbie, 2002). In contrast to commercial models, whose look are more conventionally beautiful or handsome, fashion models are referred to as ha ving an editorial look, their extreme appearance are often be described with such adjectives as quirky or edgy. A professional model is someone who consents in writing to or performs modeling for the transfer of the exclusive right to the use of his or her name, portrait, picture or image, for advertising or trade purpose. Models engage in identity construction within a field comprised of an international net work of relationships between various mutually dependent, but unequally powerful. But most models will do some of the less prestigious types of commercial work over the course of their careers, only a small set engages in editorial work, as it is much more restricted and competitive. When watching the American Next Top Model, the competitors are required have some personalities to be outstanding but as the same time observe the rules of the industry. They must match up what the photographers and judges demands and satisfied their clients. To those competitors they scarcely make their own decision, and the emotions and attitudes cannot express in the process of work. The payment between commercial models and editorial models also has a big disparity. The structure of the work means that models are usually hired by the hour, day or project, which means they have no guarantees of continued employment. Rewards for top models are disproportionately high but most models incomes are modest at best. Like other artistic careers, fashion modeling consists mainly of short-term contractual ties, in which employment is on a per-project basis, and teams are assembled around specific jobs which are then dispersed after the project is finished. In this sense, it is hard for many commercial models to find a permanently clients to afford their basic life.

The Battle of Gettysburg as the Turning Point of the Civil War Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gettysburg was the turning point of the American Civil War. This is the most famous and important Civil War Battle that occurred over three hot summer days, July 3, 1863, around the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. More importantly Gettysburg was the clash between the two major American Cultures of their time: the North and the South. The causes of the Civil War, and the Battle of Gettysburg, one must understand the differences between these two cultures. The Confederacy had an agricultural economy producing tobacco, corn, and cotton, with many large plantations owned by a few very rich white males. These owners lived off the labor of sharecroppers and slaves, charging high dues for use of their land. The Southern or Confederate Army was made up of a group of white males fighting for their independence from federal northern dictates (The History Place Battle of Gettysburg 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Union economy was based on manufacturing, and even the minorities in the North were better off than those in the South most of the time. The Northern politicians wanted tariffs, and a large army. The Southern plantation owners wanted the exact opposite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The South was fighting against a government that they thought was treating them unfairly. They believed the Federal Government was overtaxing them, with tariffs and property taxes making their life styles even more expensive than they already had been. The North was fighting the Civil War for two reasons, first to keep the Nation unified, and second to abolish slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the commander and chief of the Union or Northern forces along with many other Northerners believed that slavery was not only completely wrong, but it was a great humiliation to America. Once can see that with these differences a conflict would surely occur, but not many had predicted that a full-blown war would breakout. One did and after three bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of July 1, 1863.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before the battle, major cities in the North such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even Washington, were under threat of attack from General Robert E. Lee?s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had crossed the Potomac River and marched into Pennsylvania.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On Tuesday morning, June 30, an infantry brigade of Confederate soldiers searching for shoes headed toward Gettysburg (The Hi... ...equal, the Battle of Gettysburg was the second and last great invasion the of the North, for the South had neither arms nor numbers to continue an assault, but the War dragged on for two more years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On November 19, President Lincoln went to the battlefield to dedicate it as a military cemetery. He spoke for a short period of time delivering what is called the Gettysburg Address, surprising many present in the audience with its shortness and leaving others quite unimpressed, but over time the speech has come to symbolize democracy as we know it today (Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia Vol. 11 385).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Battle of Gettyssburg was a turning point because the South was desperately relying on that War for supplies and perhaps help from an outside source. They felt if they would have won that battle they would have been able to win the war when before they were just hoping to hang with the so-called well-prepared Union Army. The North needed a good, hard fought battle on their part because up until this point they had been men handled and out strategized. The Civil War was expected to be a quick battle easily won by the stronger northern army but had dragged on for years.

Hamlet Diary :: essays papers

Hamlet Diary Act 1: 1st Entry; I am still in morn. My father's death came as to a shock to me. He was a great man who led and served his country well. He died of means, which are unknown, which leaves me curious on the manner. As I am soaked from head to toe in these inky-covered clothes, I sit and contemplate. It has been one month since and my father's brother; Claudius is to be wedded with my mother. Is it possible that my mother is finished grieving? I know that there is no time put on such a feeling, but one month! Can be true. Father was a good King; loyal, trusting and good at heart. Does my mother realize? Has she, herself been shocked with the tragedy that our family has encountered? And what is this about Claudius? I mean, his Brother! One month and these two are ready for the incest within marriage. Claudius is acting with haste. I do understand the position on which now lies upon him, but what I don't understand is how could they be already in love so soon after my very fathers death?! I shall keep my eyes open, as I keep these clouds above my head. 2nd Entry; My fathers back from the dead! Could it be true? Does my father lie in purgatory? Why does he lay unrest? Does Horatio speak the truth? He is such the scholar, but does his eyes deceive him? I shall go and look for my self! 3rd Entry; It is true! My father has chosen to show to warn me about the unfaithful deeds. MURDERED! Claudius, that swine. Plague upon him. With his murderous intentions, he shall feel the rage, which my father unleashes upon him. Is my mother blind to these intentions? To these actions? Is it true, that my mother and Claudius had adulterous relations before my father's death? I am now mad, for that will be the explanation which people will say in my defense. I will play insane, for people will expect such intentions of my revenge. My father's murder has now brought me to an unconscious state. When I seek revenge, it is merle just an act out of my madness. I must reveal his sinister-like actions. Revenge has to be wisely thought out. I will reveal Claudius, and kill him at the right time. I swear on my father's grave, I shall heed my father's commands. 4th Entry; Most foul, strange and unnatural. Claudius kills, for the crown

Violence: The Art Of Destruction Essay -- essays research papers fc

In today’s day and age, violence almost seems like a way of life. Aggression is the way to solve a problem, and the only way to make someone listen is to yell louder than them. Today is a day when it is alright to show a cold blooded murder on television or in a film. People enjoy seeing cartoon characters (namely Japanamation) kill each other and have graphic sex. Violence is everywhere and is almost impossible to escape and even more difficult to keep out of your life. However, in these times we must learn to live as part of society, and make meaningful contributions rather than just adding to the same heap of hate and aggression that animals are prone to and people should be above that stage in their life. People need to use reason to think out things before they say them and think even harder before they do some thing. Too many people do things in the heat of the moment. They hit their wives and children, shoot their classmates, give the finger to a car as it drives by, m indlessly watch murder and destruction on TV and in the theatres, and say things that they don’t mean in the passion of the altercation. These behaviors are destructive and bring about even more hate and nothing ever gets accomplished. War never came without a price. Far too many men were killed who never got to see their families again, and we are still so caught up in ourselves that we don’t see the suffering of the people around us. We get mad and angry and lash out with violence and hate because it’s all we know. Although we were taught from the dawn of our existence that violence isn’t the way to go, that doesn’t make it the less natural way to go. It is so much more natural to just punch the loser who hurt your feelings instead of turning the other cheek and walking away and being the bigger person. Being the bigger person is always harder, because it means maintaining dignity and pride even though you didn’t fight back which is what s ociety has come to expect from us. School Violence What seems to frighten me most lately is school violence. I am almost afraid to come into school because some kid my get the wrong idea and do something that they’ll regret. I feel that the school should be a safe place where one feels that they are safe and secure and not where they feel that their hall ways could become a battle ground any moment. These recent school shootings have also left me a... ..., it’s only a matter of time before that person will stand up for themselves in the only way that they know how to protect themselves, and that is with a gun. Stopping The Violence As one can see, there are many different kinds of violence. So what does one do about it? This is simple. Just live and create. If you see destruction, create over it. If you see violence and hatred, mend it and manipulate it into love. Where there is barrenness, make something grow. Especially, where there is love, embrace it. Share it with as many people as you can. Violence can only persist if we let it. Lets have one more World War, the War against violence and hatred. Instead of bombs we can use smiles and instead of guns we can use acceptance. The earth will be a battleground for God and the emblem on my shield will be Jesus. He started the battle, now lets finish the war. Works Cited The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness – Erich Fromm Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis – Albert Bandura Breaking the Cycle of Violence – Richard J. Hazler, Ph.D. Violence in America – Stephen Goode Reason and Violence - Sherman M. Stanage Bully/Victim Conflict: An Overview for Educators – Beverly B. Title, Ph.D.

Ethics and Utilitarianism Essay

What is Utilitarianism? Utilitarianism is an ethical framework for effective moral action. It’s a philosophical concept that holds an action to be held right if it tends to promote happiness for the greatest number of people. The essence of utilitarianism is in its concept of pleasure and pain. It defines the morally right actions as those actions that maximize pleasure or happiness and minimize pain or evil. Utilitarianism is all about making the right choices that will consequently promote the greatest amount of happiness. It can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, but the name most frequently associated with utilitarianism is that of Jeremy Bentham. According to utilitarianism, we should evaluate an action by looking at is consequences, weighing the good effects against the bad effects on all the people affected by it. If the good outweighs the bad, it tends to be a good action; if the bad outweigh the good, it tends to be a bad action. (DeGeorge 45) Ethical principles and theories are the foundations of ethical analysis because bring significant characteristics to the decision-making process. Every single theory shows different points such as predicting the outcome and following one’s duties to others in order to reach an ethical decision. But an ethical theory can only to be useful if the theory is directed towards a common set of goals. Ethical principles are the common goals that each theory tries to achieve in order to be successful. These goals include beneficence, least harm, respect for autonomy and justice. Using utilitarianism in ethical business practice would consider the good and bad consequence for everyone the action would affect, treat everybody as having equal rights, with no bias towards self, and would use it as an objective, quantitative way to make a moral decision. Utilitarianism should be employed in all business decision-making process to maximize effects and minimize negative outcomes. Businesses seek to make a profit. The cost-benefit analysis is a form of utility calculation. Most business often use cost-benefit as a decision making tool. Companies attempt to find out how much something is going to cost them before taking any actions that should result in consequences favorable to everyone involved. Just simply put, the company could make a profit while the consumer benefit from the product. To understand the definitions and concepts of the theory, in relation to business ethics, I will use the Ford Pinto Case as an example. The Ford Pinto was sold with dangerous design faults in the fuel tank in which management knew the problem existed. (bizcovering) In a roll over, the fuel valve had a tendency to leak fuel. That did not stop design and production, they rushed to assemble the vehicle and costs were kept low in order to sell the auto for $2,000. It was successful, until one year four people died and one little boy horribly burned and disfigured. Then there were many other incidents that resulted in Ford being sued and had to pay millions in compensation. The cost-benefit analysis demonstrated an abuse of utilitarian principles to suit their needs, because the engineers were aware of the flaws, yet the company continued to sell the car without safety modifications. Utilitarianism, far from being a self-serving approach to moral issues, demands careful, objective, and impartial evaluation of consequences. This philosophy is based on the belief that the moral and ethical value of one’s action should be judged by the consequence of such action. But utilitarianism states that the morality of an action is best judged by the utility or usefulness of such an action. During the 1980’s, Oliver North had to explain why he lied to congressional committees about his role in the Iran-Contra affair, the sale of U. S. arms to Iran for the release of hostages that were held by Iran, he replied, â€Å"Lying does not come easily to me. But we all had to weigh in the balance the difference between lies and lives. North’s conduct was an example of utilitarianism, his method of justifying his acts of deception is a form of moral reasoning. So long as a course of action produces maximum benefits for everyone, utilitarianism does not care whether the benefits are produced by lies, manipulation, or coercion. Utilitarianism was once a radical philosophy. It attempted to set forth a moral system apart from divine revelation and biblical morality. Utilitarianism focused on results rather than rules. But now has been embraced by so many simply because it seems to make a good deal of sense and seems relatively simple to apply. It provided for a way for people to live moral lives apart from the Bible and its rules. Logic rather than obedience to biblical principles guides the ethical decision-making of utilitarianism. While Jeremy Bentham developed his ethical system around the idea of pleasure and built it on ancient hedonism which pursued physical pleasure and avoided physical pain; John Stuart Mill modified this philosophy and developed it apart from Bentham’s hedonistic foundation. Mill used the same utilitarian calculus but instead focused on maximizing the general happiness by calculating the greatest good for the greatest number. Whereas Bentham established act utilitarianism, Mill established rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarian holds that each individual action, in all its concreteness and in all its details, is what should be to the utilitarian test. (DeGeorge 47) Rule utilitarian holds that utility applies appropriately t classes of actions rant than to given individual actions. (DeGeorge 48) According to Mill, one determines what is right by comparing the consequences of all relevant factors of diffeerent rules for a specific circumstance. In conclusion, utilitarianism is all about making the right choices that will consequently promote the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. Work Cited DeGeorge, Richard T. Business Ethics. 7th Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2010 â€Å"Applying Utilitarianism to Business Ethics: The Ford Pinto Case. † Annie Lundy February 6, 2009 â€Å"Utilitarianism. † utilitarianism. com. Henry R. West. n. d. â€Å"Calculating Consequences: The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics. † Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez. n. d.

Jean-Paul Sartre Essay

As we grow and become an adult that is able to form our own opinion is almost like a rite of passage because reading over the six steps almost seems like I have been a part of each step at some point in my life. When I was growing up I think relating to Stage 1: The Punishment and Obedience Orientation was definitely part of my life. Of course we don’t want to get in trouble as kids so generally we recognize that the authority will provide a severe enough punishment that will stop us from doing whatever we did again. I put myself at Stage 4: The â€Å"Law and Order† Orientation. Before I returned to college I wanted to join the San Antonio Police Department and I almost made it. I was excused from the application process at the third stage of the process because of 1 question. I have been in favor of law enforcement for probably 10+ years. I also believe my military past supports the argument of placing me at this stage. I also believe Stage 4: The â€Å"Law and Order† Orientation best describes me because it is essentially how I have lived my life the previous 10+ years. From joining the military to trying out for the SAPD I recognize there are procedures and guidelines established to keep the world and our country a safe place to live. Of course there are people that try the law and want to stretch it to the brink and this goes both for criminals and politicians that use laws and loopholes for personal gain. Providing support for my decision is simple. I have a tendency to instantly report or confront someone that is breaking or stretching the law. I have confronted three people living at my townhome complex about dogs being off of leashes while being outside. It is against complex policy and I have reported all three individuals simply because I feel like this is my neighborhood and when kids are outside playing I will always assume a dog is aggressive because terrible things do happen. I have a german shepherd that is never off the leash unless inside the dog park fence. Cleaning up after the animal is also our responsibility because diseases can be spread through an animal’s waste. That is also something I have confronted tenants about and reported them for. Krishna’s advice is all about standing by your upbringing. I take it to mean that you must always follow your path regardless of the outcome or consequences. Therefore, Arjuna is a warrior at war, because of this he must always fight when directed to fight regardless of the consequences. I’m not completely sure how you compare or relate Krishna’s advice to care ethics because to me care ethics is not shown even in the slightest by Krishna. For me to say I would definitely fight the war would be wrong. For me to say that I would definitely withdraw would be wrong. Frankly, I have no clue how I would act or what I would do on the battlefield. I have been deployed and stationed in warzones but I had no relations or ties to the people we are at war with. Arjuna has friends and family standing on the same battlefield that may die during this conflict. This is not a factor I had to consider when being deployed. So, for me to say that I would fight or would not fight is not an answer I can straight up provide because I have never and will probably never be faced with that situation. Ethically, I don’t think I gave an answer that can be analyzed like it should be. I think that providing a run around answer may be a slight display of selfishness. I say that because I don’t know how to answer a question that involves going to war with family. I can say that if family is not included on the opposing side I would do what my country asked of me and go fight. In order to give a definite response to whether I could fight against family and friends I would have to be put in that situation. There are also consequences to not fighting when your country requests that you go to war. So, the consequences would also be going through my mind at judgment time. A virtue can be argued that the virtue is that person. For example I hold a virtue of cleanliness and honestly something that is out of place or something that is an eye sore will irritate me to the point of fixing the mess. Almost every day at work I notice something out of place such as a wrapper on the floor or stain on someone’s desk. These examples bother me to the point of needing to resolve the problem. I believe a virtue can guide a person through their day-to-day life just like possessing morals. A strongly valued virtue is just as evident as someone with strong morals. Morals just like virtues can be practiced every day. However, we must practice virtuous acts regularly. After a while, these acts will become a habit and so the virtuous acts part of our everyday life and the person will be leading a life guided by his virtues. People who practice their virtues improve their skills and therefore become happier. According to Aristotle the person who struggles to acquire virtues is in the long run a better person and is much happier because of the extra hard work it took to acquire the virtue. By continuously practicing your respective virtues people will soon be acting in the right way based on the virtue the person is trying to master. I do not believe people are exclusively good or bad, but become good or bad according to their habits they develop throughout their lives. When a person learns how to use the virtues they become the characteristic of the person. A person who has learnt the virtue of generosity is often called a generous person because he or she acts in a manner that displays generosity in all situations. People are more likely to acquire virtues by observing others in our society. If we experience other people being kind to us and see the happiness it creates we are more likely to practice this virtue then if we were just told to practice it. Programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters help influence the younger generations so that they follow in the correct footsteps. Our virtues guide us to be the person we are and the person we ultimately want to be. Being virtuous can alter for the good, and the bad, a moral problem we may face throughout our lives. John Calvin’s work focused on individuals and how the individual could do nothing to ensure their own salvation. John Calvin’s line of thinking more closely relates to determinism. John relates to determinism because his theory is all about people not being able to freely guide their own salvation. Isaac Newton focused on nature and that the entire universe is governed by natural laws and because of this there is no freedom. Isaac Newton’s line of thinking more closely relates to determinism. If the universe is governed by natural laws then the ability to be free cannot exist. Also the fact that human beings are physical in nature makes people susceptible to natural law and therefore freedom is an illusion. Charles Darwin was a big believer in evolution and that everything evolves at different stages and only the fittest survive. Charles Darwin’s line of thinking more closely relates to determinism. I believe determinism is present because nature causes the evolution based on defined parameters. This theory provokes survival which is triggered by something else such as a weakness that evolution fixes. Karl Marx believed more about social character and how our actions are determined based on the economy and socially determined. Karl Marx’s line of thinking more closely relates to determinism. This theory identifies a cause such as economic struggle being the reason for a person’s situation. Everything is based on social classes and your class is determined at birth. Sigmund Freud explains that people are determined, even the unborn because of our unconscious minds. Sigmund Freud’s line of thinking more closely relates to determinism. I say determinism because a life is extremely influenced by their parents so the ability to freely make choices does not exist. A choice is more often the result of someone else’s influence. Lastly, Jean Paul Sartre to me is more of a realist because he discusses that people are born in to a situation and sometimes are unable to help their situation and social status. However, Jean Paul Sartre also believes people have a capacity to alter how they live. Jean Paul Sartre’s line of thinking more closely relates to freedom. After reading all these theories, I feel like Jean Paul Sartre’s theory is really the only theory that allows freedom of choices. Human beings from birth are placed in a class, but based on this theory all people have the ability to change their class or status. I believe justice is hard to pin-point because justice can be displayed in both ethically and unethically. Reliving an assignment I completed earlier talked about torture and whether or not I thought it was justified. I believe torture can stand on the same line as justice. However, I can also understand the opposite side saying torture is unethical no matter what form or fashion it is conducted. The elements of justice are open to interpretation and the consequence of justice is arguable. When implementing a form of justice there are always consequences to those actions. In order to fully understand the justice form you need to identify all angles of the decision. This is where the decision making becomes tricky because most people like to make a decision and run with it. However, you should always take a step back and weigh every possible decision and its outcome before implementing a decision. To better understand how a consequentialist works I will provide an example. For instance, if John Doe thought to himself one day that he was going to rob a bank he would most likely make a plan. First, John would try to decide if robbing the bank would even be worth it. Then John would scrutinize every aspect of the plan to ensure the best possible positive outcome. John would also attempt to predict the consequences of robbing the bank and failing because a consequentialist brings everything in to consideration. It is easy to identify the differences of right and wrong because everyone innately knows what is right and what is wrong. All human beings also have the ability to identify the consequence to our actions. Unfortunately people most generally act without thinking and therefore find themselves sitting on the wrong side of the law. This is when people find out how justice actually works.