Confucianism And Christianity Essays (694 words) - Confucianism

Confucianism And Christianity The premise of Confucian teachings are centered around the idea of Jen or the ?virtue of humanity (Ching 68).? To accomplish this divinity, five relationships must be honored: ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, and friend and friend (Hopfe). These relationships led a push for a revolution of the political system to adopt the methods of Jen. Confucius sought to revive the ancient Chinese culture by redefining the importance of society and government. He described a society governed by ?reasonable, humane, and just sensibilities, not by the passions of individuals arbitrarily empowered by hereditary status? (Clearly). He felt that this could be achieved through education and the unification of cultural beliefs. He believed that a nation would be benefited by citizens that were ?cultivated people whose intellects and emotions had been developed and matured by conscious people? (Clearly). He felt that those born into the feudal system were had a personal duty to excel socially by means of power. Those who were of lesser class should also seek out education to better themselves. All purposes for betterment of man and society as one whole is known as Li. Li means ?the rationalized social order? (Yutang). Confucius felt that love and respect for authority was a key to a perfect society; this strict respect was practiced through rituals and magic (Smith). The Confucius traditions have caused a tradition to set within its institution and is extremely active. It has, unfortunately, allowed the political institution to manipulate the Confucius system. As with Christianity. Christianity also preaches a divine, brotherly love. Modern Christianity seeks to discover a ?rational understanding of the person? as did Confucius (Ess ed. 381); yet, Christianity feels that faith in the Jesus Christ as a personal savior is essential to this enlightenment. It was also under the guise of Christianity that it had to confront totalitarian systems ?[dehumanize] uses of power in its sphere of influence (state and church, and [these] systems triumphed under the banner of de-Christianization (Ess ed. 384). Unlike Confucius reformers of their corrupt state pushed the beliefs of the true ideals of Confucius, Christians believed in an ?Absolute against all absolving of the relative, can protest in the name of God (Ess ed. 384).? Some would argue that Confucius did support and an Absolute, but he described it as the entirety of Heaven. Several scholars believe that his Heaven was analogous to the God unto which Christians served. Christians feel that in order to also gain a Jen-like status one must have a serious relationship with the church and Jesus Christ himself. Confucius differed in that they feel that the body, mind and soul must be recognized as one to reach Jen (Smith). Through education or ritual practices one gains wealth. With wealth one achieved power. These are the essentials to living a good life (O?Bri?re). However, relationships between men is the most desirable. These aspects are the embodiment of Li. Li was love for authority and respect for others (Alexander). Christianity also looks at wealth in a slightly different manner. ?At the heart of the Christian faith and at its source of its traditions in Scripture is the belief in a covenant (Carmen 17).? It is the promise between God and the individual that ensures (through faith) that one?s kindly actions on Earth will be divinely awarded. The five relationships of Jen are also honored in Christianity with references to ?Honor thy father and mother, for this is the first commandment with promise (Ephesians 6:1).? It is prevalent that Christianity and Confucius are very similar in their philosophy. Some would argue that Confucius lack of a strong theology is its failure to comply with the Christian ethics. Others would say it is there drive to be a virtuous individual compensates for this tedium. They equally feel that relationships with neighbors and family is an integral part of becoming virtuous. Even the spiritual outlook on the self is equivalent in the sense of purification. Christians rely on the teachings of Jesus while the Confucius look towards those who have wealthy estates. This point conveys that Christians may be more dependent on their spiritual guidance opposed to the Confucius examination of the worldly infrastructure of trial and error. Thus it is not surprising that when faced with a choice of both religions, an individuals merit may be the deciding factor on which is more ideal for them.

Roderic OConor Essay Example

Roderic OConor Essay Example Roderic OConor Paper Roderic OConor Paper Art is the creation of beautiful or significant things and throughout Ireland in the early 19th century, they were many artists that emerged and produced such art. Roderic OConor was a significant, famous individual who emerged out of Ireland as the most important Irish artist of the late 19th century. OConor was born in 1860 at Milton in County Roscommon. He was an immensely talented character, independent thinker and experimentalist that painted with great range and distinction. He firstly began his work at the Metropolitan School and then at the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) in Dublin, where he studied for one year. Like many of his contemporaries at this time, OConor wanted to further and broaden his horizons and artistic knowledge and in 1884, he moved from Dublin to Antwerp and then to Paris, where he became an eleve de M Carolus-Duran. He never returned to Ireland. OConor has been called, variously, a little known member of the Pont-Aven school, an Irish Expressionist, a Fauve, a master of color and even an Irish-American as you will later on, understand why. OConors origins are obscure and his life to say the least is that of a recluse. He was a very wealthy, yet private and personal artist who rarely exhibited his work or sold any of his paintings. OConor was a connoisseur and a highly cultured man who remained alert all his life to current trends in art and literature in Ireland and in Europe. With a modest, yet powerful personality, OConor was a unique entity that strived on bridging the gap between realism and post-impressionism. Living his entire career in France, OConor spent longer in France than any other Irish painter. He became completely integrated with French painters. OConor was associated with great names in French art, including Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, which he met in Pont Aven before 1893. This particular period in OConors life is said to be the most noteworthy chapter in his career. In the 1890s, the most significant period in OConors life, he began painting landscapes and figure pieces, vibrant with colour, painted in a bold, impressionistic manner. His combinations of reds and greens, pinks and lilacs, oranges and maroons etc characterized his paintings. His technique gave his work an identifiable stamp in the 1890s, but it was his use of hot colours and colour combinations that expresses his powerful yet self-doubting temperament, and gives his work its recognisable individuality. Such a painting that portrays his personality at this time was Field of Corn, Pont Even 1892. This particular painting demonstrates his expressiveness and how he had a ribbon effect in his work. The picture captures something of the haughty dignity of the primitive peasant nature within the Village of Breton in Pont Even. The varied approaches of 19th-century artists to landscape painting provide insight into their enjoyment of the natural world. While some artists in Europe painted to capture natures myriad components in detail, others sought to recreate its atmospheric conditions, fleeting impressions, or to grasp its eternal essence. OConor was influenced by many artists but one particular artist he greatly admired was Vincent Van Gogh as mentioned above. Van Gogh used to be a realist painter, once troubled and even suffered from paranoia. Van Gogh used primary colours and a technique of dashes of colour, which is channelled through his paintings in hoping to create swirling patterns. When OConor painted Field of Corn, it portrayed a warm, delicate example of his use of parallel-hatched brushstrokes, weighed down with strong and pure colours, work Van Gogh was aspired to. OConors passion and intensity to be a fine artist shone through. He painted quickly and loosely, playing with lights and colours to create an image. He was aware of colour theory and impressionism, as he allows colours to react simultaneously if they are complementary to each other. He gives us a feeling of landscape in this piece without trying to be photographic, yet we can criticise him, in that he obtained knowledge from other realists and that the painting was portrayed as very ordinary and not very pragmatic. OConor explored a technique of etching through Armand Seguin, using similar rhythmic lines to those of his striped paintings. In making these etchings, OConor worked very spontaneously, using strong directional lines to capture the wildness of the Brittany landscape and create a sense of compressed energy. As stated before, his work is closely linked to European trends and that of Van Gogh and even Gauguin, as the impressionist input is emphasised through the colours and light he uses and the post-impressionist influence is noticed through playing with lines and depth, yet OConor is still believed to remain an individual. Gauguin was said to have urged OConor to depart Paris with him and set out for the South Seas but he refused because OConor had discovered, in the wild and isolated landscape of Brittany, a totally absorbing subject for his art. For the rest of his life, OConor continued to live in Brittany, Paris where he fell in love and later married a young French woman. At this time, OConors paintings were relatively traditional and straightforwardly realistic, drawing connections between realism and impressionism, some showing the influences of Gauguin and later, some anticipating tenancies such as Fauvism and expressionism, which afterwards became movements or styles. According to Arnold, Bruce A Concise History of art (1968) London, Thames and Hudson (p.) OConor was said to have went through 3 not very distinctive periods in his life. From 1889-1900, OConors work was strongly influenced by Vincent Van Gogh as mentioned above. His pictures utilized a stripy technique, heavy painting, with relatively subdued colours. In 1894, after forming a close relationship with Gauguin in Pont Even, OConors technique changes. Instead of using thick paint (Impasto), which was present in his striped landscapes e.g. Field of Corn 1892, and influenced many other artists, OConor employed changes in his brush marks, which became more fluid and elongated, using the paint more delicately and thinly, painting wet on wet, implementing more mixing and blending of colour on the canvas. This emphasising a feeling of apathy and indifference in creating real space and depth in the work. It has become obvious how trends, development and movements of different styles of art in Europe in the 19th century have influenced OConor, possibly because he fell in love with the tendency of different movement styles and techniques that France had to offer him. From 1900-1910, it was an important part in the artists life. His colours became rich, strong and beautifully balanced and a highly distinctive palette emerges in his canvases. After 1910, his work becomes much more diverse, his style ranges more extensively, yet at this particular period, there was a convinced loss of intensity. This picture of a young Breton Girl in 1906 by OConor was a rather weary and exhausted piece, expressing the girls bold stare and blunt features. Her pose is expressionless and vacant and shes gazes suspiciously with her head slightly tilted to one side and raised. OConor uses complementary colours of reds and greens and reflects light and shadow in the girls chin and neck with his use of long stripes running down the girls face, thus heightening the emotion of the piece. In the 19 century, OConor became aspired to drawing still lives rather than painting landscapes. His techniques became loose and uninterested in details. Such an example was Girl reading 1910. (To the right) This painting, in a riot of color portrays a girl immersed in a book, totally oblivious to her surroundings. Some criticise OConor here and argued that it was not a portrait because of his loosely formed technique and lack of interest. In 1915, nude painting also became a fascination of OConor and his work and technique of painting again changed. In the late 19th century, the nude human figure remained a popular subject for painters and sculptors across Europe, who used it to express pleasure in both the physical nature of the body and its deeper significance in conveying spiritual meaning. Reclining Nude on a chase longe 1915. (To the right) was a painting by OConor that gives viewers a different perspective of OConors personality. He used limited palette and there was strong emphasises on his contrast between light and shade. In 1920, OConor painted The Bathers. This particular piece demonstrates the strong use of colour. The pure colour of yellows on both riverbanks is reaching beyond impressionism and post-impressionism, towards fauvism, this being a name for artists who were solely interested in colours and not lines and accuracy. Previously, OConors colours were always at the service of his subject matter whereas in fauvism, colour was used as an end in itself. OConor, along with other Irish artists such as, Walter Osborne, Sir John Lavery and Nathaniel Hone, dominated and emerged as great artists between the period of 1850-1916, also known as the arbitrary date yet OConor in comparison stands out as being the most experimental and tentative as he bonded a closer, intense relationship to changes in European artistic trends. For many centuries now, artists have looked to England and other European countries to continue their training and livelihood. For OConor, this was the beginning of a new life, a new way of thinking and a positive way of implementing changes learnt to create perfect movement styles, to generate rational images. Many artists in Europe and beyond drew self-portraits of themselves. This in itself allows viewers to gain a perception of what artists were like. The most successful portraits always suggest the personalities, as well as their physical characteristics. The three portraits here allow us to see how OConor, Van Gogh and Gauguin portray themselves s individuals. OConors self portrait exposes something of OConors pensive, contemplative and anti-social nature, as well as his very French appearance, his pale skin texture and complexion, dark hair, and flaccid moustache. For want of a better model, Van Gogh chose to paint his own portrait on many occasions. While in Paris between 1886 and 1888, Van Gogh lightened his palette under the influence of the brilliant colours of the Impressionists, but he soon reserved the use of such light colours to express particular moods. Van Goghs stay in Paris was a relatively happy one and in this painting, created during the summer of 1887, he portrays himself with an almost light-hearted appearance. Gauguin exemplified the restless artistic spirit. In this image, painted during a brief return to Paris from Tahiti in 1893, he plays the role of outsider, wearing the clothes and long hair of a Breton peasant rather than the suit of a Parisian. The background is divided horizontally, separating a cerebral and spiritual world from a physical and material one. His hand points toward a reproduction of a sketch by the painter Eugene Delacroix representing Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise. With this gesture Gauguin alludes to his sympathies for the distraught couple, for he was temporarily expelled from the paradise he had once discovered in Tahiti. It would be interesting to see how Roderic OConor would have ended up and how his work might have developed if he had not stayed in France, and instead travelled further around Europe and later, return to Ireland. There was also the opportunity for him to explore the South Seas with Paul Gauguin but he refused. OConor emerged into Europe and was influenced immensely by French artists Gauguin (Symbolism) and Van Gogh (Post impressionism). He developed a close liaison and friendship to Gauguin and some of the French artists work, helped OConor widen his own horizons to different trends and attitudes to art in Europe. Some critics also suggest that OConor did not know or have a personal relationship with Van Gogh. This Myth is left untold. At times through OConors life (1860-1940), he was said to have departed from the traditional pursuit of reproducing an illusion of real space in paintings of subjects, choosing instead to exploit the possibilities of paint to explore the fleeting effects of nature. This was definitely the case for OConor and today OConor is regarded as one of the most important modernist painters. (According to the Hunt Museum in Limerick) Unlike other artists, OConor made his life on a continent, spending all his life in France. He was influenced by impressionism and post-impressionism, in particular by Van Gogh and Gauguin and at one time Seguin, yet from my own perspective, it was clear that he was exploring his own ideas too. His work was inventive and experimental; these emphasised in his early striped paintings and in the early 20th century, in his use of vivid colours. OConors versatility as a painter in Europe is illustrated with subject matter, ranging through landscape (The Field of Pont Even 1892), to figure painting (Young Breton Girl 1906), to still life (Girl Reading 1910) and to nude painting (Reclining Nude on a chase longe 1915). His work emphasises his importance, his progressiveness, and his overall freedom of interpretation and expression throughout his life from Studying in Ireland, to travelling and living his life in France, in Europe. OConor today is greatly admired by many and his work influenc es many young artists across Europe to their own individual approaches to painting. OConor is known for his distinctive and richly coloured paintings and his technique of bold drawing. His work gives young artists the opportunity to judge the importance of his contribution in the late 18th and early 19th century. Different movements of art formed and disappeared throughout Europe. Some mentioned above include the post-impressionistic work of Vincent Van Gogh, the symbolic work of Gauguin, and the expressionistic types created by Irish Artist, Roderic OConor, whose work as stated before, reflects the impact of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and his vivid use of colour anticipates the work of the Fauves painters, quoted by Simply Irish. Throughout the late 18th and mid 19th century, Romanticism was too, a rather important artistic and intellectual movement that originated, stressing strong emotions of art in Europe at that time. Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational and the imaginative. Eugene Delocroix was a famous french romantic painter, whose use of colour was influential in the development of both impressionism and post-impressionism in trends in europe, even inspiring modern artists nowdays in europe, such as Pablo Picasso. Trends of arts in Europe at this time tends to be changing all the time. Many european artsists such as Delocroix etc visited England to broaden their horizans whereas we seen how painters from Ireland and England tended to travel to Europe to seek new experiences and opportunities. Observations of English, Irish and European cultures and traditions in general made a lasting impression upon those who travelled there. Realism was too, an important movement or style emerging in Europe. It was born in a time of revolutionary upheaval across Europe in the mid-19th century. Romanticism gave way to truth and sincerity, and a belief that art should come from direct experience. French art in Europe at this time was one favoured as most accepting to trends in 19th century Europe. Success of artists and public taste soon began to change. Realists turned convention on its head to give heroic character to everyday subjects. Manet (1832-1883) scandalized the public with his images of modern life. Impressionists tried to capture fleeting effects of light and atmosphere. Manet, like Roderic OConor found a flare to painting still life paintings at one point in his career. During the 19th century and early 20th both Paris and Europe developed new trends to art, giving it a new look. Urban renovations had opened the wide avenues and parks we know today, and painting was transformed when artists abandoned the transparent glazes and blended brush strokes of the past and turned their attention to life around them. Contemporary urban subjects and a bold style, which offered paint on the canvas as something to be admired within itself, giving art a strong new sense of the present.

Creativity, Play and Learning (Arts in Early Childhood Education) Personal Statement

Creativity, Play and Learning (Arts in Early Childhood Education) - Personal Statement Example The teacher gave me extra lessons outside class, allowed me to keep my work safe in his office and provided me with the right kind of pencils, brushes and colours. The completed work was quite remarkable on its own right, though fidelity to the original work was questionable. When I look back to this incident, I feel that the teacher had in fact gone out of his way to accommodate my need for artistic expression. During that period, he was the most accessible person to me – through every act of understanding and kindness he displayed. Another experience made me feel on the contrary, as my teacher did something uncharacteristic of him. In one of his classes, he asked us to draw outline pictures of a building. I happened to sit with a close friend of mine who could only draw one-dimensional picture. I felt I could help him produce a better work and tried to explain to him some techniques of creating a two or three dimensional effect. My teacher considered this as a distraction and raised his voice – asking me to focus on my work and to let my friend focus on his work. He needed finished works by the end of the class. I felt restricted and uneasy about this, and found that it had a totally negative impact on my own work during that class. The idea of following strict rules during a creative endeavor disheartened

Evidence-Based Practice Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evidence-Based Practice Project - Assignment Example There are five categories of adopters in this theory including earlier adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards (Sahin, 2006). In the implementation plan of the research geared towards understanding the use of echocardiography in the treatment of heart diseases, the diffusion of innovation theory will be helpful. From the PICOT questions, the target population is teenagers that suffer from heart problems to the extent that their productivity is affected. It is from this population that the five categories in the diffusion of innovation theory will be taken out from for the implementation plan. The intervention under the PICOT question is securing and protecting these teenagers from succumbing to heart problems through a research program that will provide the required information on the best way to solve the heart problems that they face. Here, the five-stage adoption process in the diffusion of innovation theory will be used in implementing the intervention in the five categories established from the chosen population. The first stage is knowledge or awareness stage (Sahin, 2006). In this stage of implement ation, I will search for information that will enable me to gain knowledge of the clinical change required for the teenagers. this will involve asking questions from professionals in the area and researching on the information. This stage will feature the comparison aspect of the PICOT question because information has to be compared in carrying out the study (Santos, Pimenta, & Nobre, 2007). The second stage is the persuasion or the interest stage. This stage involves gaining interest and persuasion about the advantages of the innovation (intervention). This will involve looking at the intervention both from the positive and negative side and weighing the two to determine whether the advantages are more than the disadvantages. This will lead to persuasion on exactly the side to take with regard to the intervention. This stage

Creat a company profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Creat a company profile - Essay Example The management of the organization will try to source quality product resources from reliable and efficient suppliers to maintain the high quality of the mentioned high quality products. The management of the organization will try to provide free home delivery service for the placed orders by the customers who used to stay within the distance of 4 kilometers from the outlets. High product quality and efficient customer service are the major corporate objectives of Hangout Plaza. The organization will try to recruit skilled and efficient employees in order to enhance effective business performance and significant customer service management process. Hangout Plaza will try to maintain environmental sustainability by ensuring water recycling and zero solid waste. Value added services and high quality fast food products for the customers, employee engagement in strategic decision making process and environmental sustainability are the major business themes of Hangout Plaza in Dubai. (C) Hangout Plaza is a small family owned Local fast food organization in the United Arab Emirates headquartered in Dubai. It is true that the business environment in UAE is becoming highly potential as the several multinational and local organizations are trying to target the Dubai market due to several favorable external environmental factors. In addition to this, demand for high quality fast food items is significantly increasing among the people of Dubai. Hangout Plaza will try to meet the recent market demand and needs of target customers by ensuring effective quality of fast food products and high quality customer service. The organization is small family owned domestic firm. The organization will incorporate different operational management strategy. Despite the family owned structure, the top management of the organization will incorporate decentralized decision making process in which the thoughts, views and opinions of the employees that will be considered that can enhance str ategy development and decision making process. On the other hand, the organization will try to focus on effective employee motivation in order to enhance the business performance of the organization. The entrepreneur of the organization will try to adopt and implement horizontal organizational structure as the organization is a small family owned enterprise (Khanka, 2007). This horizontal organizational structure will help Hangout Plaza to enhance the communication process between the employees and top level management. It is quite important for the organization to focus on effective human resource management practices as the business environment in Dubai is becoming highly competitive due to presence of several multination leading fast food chains. (D) It is highly important for Hangout Plaza to develop an effective recruitment plan to sustain the proposed and developed size of the organization. The recruitment plan includes several elements that are provided below. (i) It is highl y important for Hangout Plaza to consider several important elements in developing a recruitment plan. Elements like employee turnover, new business development, effective workplace environment and culture, and external outcomes can be considered as the important to consider in developing recruitment plan. Employee turnover need to be considered as one of the important element in the decision making p

Impact of Frailty on Depression

Impact of Frailty on Depression Background With increasing life expectancy, diseases associated with old age have increased in growing proportion in recent decades. (1) The integration of frailty measures in clinical practice is crucial for the development of interventions against age-related conditions (in particular, disability) in older persons. Multiple instruments have been developed over the last years in order to capture this geriatric multidimensional syndrome characterized by decreased reserve and diminished resistance to stressors and render it objectively measurable. (2) Frailty is not uncommon to the medical contemporary research nowadays. Several possible definitions were given by different researchers in the past to define frailty. One and commonly used definition of physical frailty was given by Fried et al, Frailty was defined as a clinical syndrome in which three or more of the following criteria were present; unintentional weight loss (10lbs in past year), self-reported exhaustion, weakness (grip strength), slow walking speed, and low physical activity. (3) Frailty in older people was again classified into prefrail those having one or two criteria given by Fried et al, and frail elderly having three or more criteria as per Fried et al definition. Medical Syndrome like frailty, keeps older adults at increased risk of adverse health outcomes when exposed to a stressor. (4)   Stressors lead to decline across multiple physiological systems incrementally and are associated with greater depressive symptoms and disability. (5) Depression is not a normal part of ageing process (6) and is a potentially life-threatening disorder that affects hundreds of millions of people across the world. (7) Depression is commonly seen in frail older people as they may face widowhood or loss of function or independence or bereavement. Depression, if left untreated, complicates other chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc. It may also incur health care costs and often accompanies functional impairment and disability. (6) Various systematic reviews and journal articles has demonstrated association between depression and frailty. In this review, focus has made to highlight the role of stressors that leads pathways linking depression and frailty. Prevalence of frailty, depression and their co-occurrence in older individuals Several studies have been carried out to measure the prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling older people as well as those in hospital settings. Majority of the studies have used similar criteria to measure frailty among older adults. Systematic review of frailty prevalence worldwide concluded that 10.7% of community-dwelling adults aged à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥65 years were frail and 41.6% pre-frail. (8) It was noted that prevalence figures varied substantially between studies (ranging from 4% to 59%) using different criteria to measure frailty. (6) Data from Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 2004 covering more than 10 European countries, showed prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty in 65+ age group as 17.0% (15.3 18.7) were frail and 42.3% (40.5 44.1) were pre-frail. (9) The prevalence of frailty in community dwelling older people ranged from 17%-31% in Brazil, 15% in Mexico, 5%-31% in China, and 21%-44% in Russia. However, prevalence of frailty was again fou nd much higher in institutionalized older patients as 32% in India and 49% in Brazil. Findings of study in outpatient clinics reported prevalence of frailty was 55-71% in Brazil and 28% in Peru. (10) Above finding suggests that older people of low- and middle-income countries were found frail in significant proportions which imply policy and health care provisions for this ageing population. Depression varies in its prevalence in different studies and settings. Prevalence of depressive symptoms was found 14% in Brazilian adults (11), 9% in United States general population (12) and 23.6% (95% CI: 20.3-27.2%) in Chinese older adults. (13) Depressive symptoms were most commonly associated with women (11) (12) (13) and single adults (i.e. divorced, unmarried or widowed) than in married older adults. (13) Prevalence of depressive illness rises further in the event of associated co-morbid condition such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension[N1]. Median prevalence of minor depression was 14.4% and 10.4%, in medical settings and community-based setting, respectively[N2]. (14) The median global prevalence of serious depression in the elderly population is around 1% 5%. (15) (16) (17) Depressed elders show many phenotypical expressions of frailty and vice versa. Coexistence of both depression and frailty among older people has been investigated in several studies. (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) A recent systematic review examined the relationship between depression and frailty found serious depression in 4 16% of frail individuals who are aged 60 and over. (6) However, this percentage rises to 35% in older population with age 75 years or more. (6) (24) A study conducted within framework of prospective cohort study, the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons (NESDO) found that the prevalence of physical frailty was significantly higher in the depressed group in comparison with non-depressed (27.2% vs 9.1%, p4) was present in as high as 46.5% of the frail subjects. Depressed patients often exhibit symptoms that interfere with their ability to function normally for longer duration which facilitates progression of frailty syndrome. (6) Therefore, in order to improve health and preventing frailty depression in elderly, it is essential for researchers and practitioners to understand the linking phenomena for further research and developing treatment options. Main pathways linking frailty and depression Several studies have identified the possible physiological pathways that link between frailty and depression in older adults. Of which, the main hypothetical pathways identified were vascular depression, chronic inflammation, Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation and accelerated cellular ageing. Vascular depression hypothesis Alexopoulos et al. (26) proposed that cerebrovascular disease may predispose, precipitate, or perpetuate some geriatric depressive syndromes. This statement was supported by another study of vascular depression based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) conducted by Krishnan KR et al. (27). Bivariate analyses and a fully adjusted logistic regression model in MRI study revealed that older age, late age at onset, and nonpsychotic subtype occurred more often in patients with vascular depression than in those with nonvascular depression. He also observed that anhedonia and functional disability were seen somewhat more often in patients with vascular depression. There are several clinical studies that examined vascular disease in depression. Some studies (28) found a highly significant increase in physical illness and vascular risk factors in the late onset group, after adjusting for age when they compared early and late onset late-life depression. (29) On the other hand, several others found no association of depression with cerebrovascular score (30) and vascular disease (31). Depression may occur as a result of vascular disease in a significant subpopulation of elderly persons. (32) Depression has a bidirectional association with vascular diseases and plausible mechanisms exist which explain how depression might increase these vascular diseases and vice versa. Thomas AJ et al summarized that coronary artery disease (CAD) and stroke are all associated with high rates of depression and depression is an independent risk factor for the subsequent development of CAD and stroke. (29) Mechanism of vascular depression can be hypothesized as reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) in response to given stressors. Normal CBF in adult humans is about 60ml/100 grams/min and regionally, about 70ml/100g/min in gray matter and 20ml/100g/min in white matter. Between the ages of 20 to 65, normal CBF generally declines about 15-20%. It is generally accepted that when CBF reaches 30ml/100g/min, neurologic symptoms can appear and when CBF falls to 15-20ml/100g/min, electrical failure or irreversible neuronal damage can occur even within minutes. (33) Blood flow to the brain is influenced by systemic hemodynamics and cerebro-vascular auto-regulation, with cerebral arteries contracting or dilating as arterial pressure changes. These processes interact to maintain stable perfusion. (33) However, these processes are impaired in the context of vascular disease: hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis lead to vascular wall hypertrophy, reduced arterial lumen diameter, reduced arterial distensibility, and endothelial cell dysfunction. This affects cerebral blood flow. Mild CBF reduction may impair cognitive and affective processes, while greater CBF reduction may cause ischemic injury. The subcortical white matter is particularly sensitive to these changes because it is supplied by terminal arterioles with limited collateral flow and so susceptible to infarction due to impaired autoregulation. Greater white matter hyperintensities (WMH) severity may be a marker of broader deficits in perfusion and autoregulation. Thus, risk factors for vascular disease can lead to subclinical cerebrovascular disease throughout the brain. Katz (2004) theorizes that cerebrovascular disease that causes prefrontal white-matter hyperintensities and vascular depression may also lead to posterior white matter hyperintensities, resulting in characteristics of frailty such as falls, slowness, and weakness. (34) He further stated that if the effects are anterior, the manifestations may include depression. However, if the effects are more posterior, the manifestations may be in the form of disturbances of gait and balance. Several other studies had compared depressed elderly with control group and demonstrated an increase in deep white matter hyperintensities (DWMH) in depression (35) (36) (37), but no or not significant association with peripheral vascular lesion (PVH) (36) (37). The cerebral WM contains fiber pathways that convey axons linking cerebral cortical areas with each other and with subcortical structures, facilitating the distributed neural circuits that subserve sensorimotor function, intellect, and emotion. The va scular depression hypothesis postulates that altered mood regulation and cognitive dysfunction in the elderly are due to subclinical cerebrovascular ischemia that disrupts frontostriatal neural circuits. (38) (39) This disruption of fronto-striatal neural circuits leads to disconnection syndrome that corresponds to the clinical and neuropsychological profile of LLD. (40) Prefrontal WMH also leads to executive dysfunction which affects planning, self-monitoring, attention, response inhibition, co-ordination of complex cognition (as in Trail making Test) and motor control. This leads to frailty. Chronic Inflammation hypothesis Aging- and disease-related processes promote proinflammatory states in older individuals. Administration of cytokines or induction of peripheral inflammation results in an inflammatory response, which in turn is correlated with fatigue, slowed reaction time, and mood reduction. Even without medical illness, depressed individuals exhibit increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and reduced anti-inflammatory cytokine levels. Proinflammatory cytokines affect monoamine neurotransmitter pathways, including indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase upregulation and kynurenine pathway activation. This results in decreased tryptophan and serotonin and increased synthesis of detrimental tryptophan catabolites that promote hippocampal damage and apoptosis. Cytokines, including IL-1ÃŽÂ ², also reduce extracellular serotonin levels by activating the serotonin transporter. Effects of the CNS inflammatory cascade on neural plasticity Microglias are primary recipients of peripheral inflammatory signals that reach the brain. Activated microglia, in turn, initiate an inflammatory cascade whereby release of relevant cytokines, chemokines, inflammatory mediators, and reactive nitrogen and oxygen species (RNS and ROS, respectively) induces mutual activation of astroglia, thereby amplifying inflammatory signals within the CNS. Cytokines, including IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, as well as IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma (from T cells), induce the enzyme, IDO, which breaks down TRP, the primary precursor of 5-HT (serotonin), into QUIN (quinolinic acid), a potent NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) agonist and stimulator of GLU (glutamate) release. Astrocytic functions are compromised due to excessive exposure to cytokines, QUIN, and RNS/ROS, ultimately leading to impaired glutamate reuptake, and increased glutamate release, as well as decreased production of neurotrophic factors. Of note, oligodendroglia are especially sensitive to the CNS inflammatory cascade and suffer damage due to overexposure to cytokines such as TNF-alpha, which has a direct toxic effect on these cells, potentially contributing to apoptosis and demyelination. The confluence of excessive astrocytic glutamate release, its inadequate reuptake by astrocytes and oligodendroglia, activation of NMDA receptors by QUIN, increased glutamate binding and activation of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors (accessible to glutamate released from glial elements and associated with inhibition of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) expression), decline in neurotrophic support, and oxidative stress ultimately disrupt neural plasticity through excitotoxicity and apoptosis. 5-HT, serotonin; BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; CNS, central nervous system; GLU, glutamate; IDO, indolamine 2,3 dioxygenase; IFN, interferon; IL, interleukin; NMDA, N-methyl-D-aspartate; QUIN, quinolinic acid; RNS, reactive nitrogen species; ROS, reactive oxygen species; TNF, tumor necrosis factor; TRP, tryptophan. Regarding LLD, the aging process disrupts immune function, increasing peripheral immune activity and shifting the CNS into a proinflammatory state. Elevated peripheral cytokine levels are associated with depressive symptoms in older adults, with the most consistent finding being for IL-6, but also implicating IL-1ÃŽÂ ², IL-8 and TNFÃŽÂ ±. Proinflammatory states in older adults are associated with cognitive deficits, including poorer executive function, poorer memory performance, worse global cognition, and steeper decline in cognition. Finally, greater IL-6 and C-reactive protein levels are associated with greater WMH burden. In LLD, ischemic lesions are also more likely to occur in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), Similarly, depressed elders exhibit increased expression of cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) in the DLPFC. CAMs are inflammatory markers whose expression is increased by ischemia, supporting a role for ischemia in LLD and highlighting the relationship between vascular and inflammatory processes. HPA dysregulation When the HPA axis is activated by stressors, such as an immune response, high levels of glucocorticoids are released into the body and suppress immune response by inhibiting the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-1, TNF alpha, and IFN gamma) and increasing the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13) in immune cells, such as monocytes and neutrophils. Excess stress also appears to play a role in the development of depression and can cause dysregulation of the HPA axis. Patients with major depression have been found to have elevated plasma and urinary cortisol levels as well as elevated corticotropin-releasing hormone and decreased levels of BDNF. Prolonged severe stress is thought to damage hippocampal neurons and to reduce the inhibitory control exerted by the HPA axis in regulating glucocorticoid levels. During an immune response, proinflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-1) are released into peripheral circulatory system and can pass through the blood brain barrier where they can interact with the brain and activate HPA axis. Interactions between the proinflammatory cytokines and the brain can alter the metabolic activity of neurotransmitters and cause symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and mood changes. Increased levels of aldosterone in the circulation stimulate excessive production of collagen, which leads to fibrosis of tissue or organ whereas low levels of adrenal androgen dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and insulin-like growth factor 1 are associated with frailty. Further, cortisol may mimic the effects of aldosterone. Elevated serum levels of cortisol and aldosterone are independent predictors of mortality in patients with heart failure. Accelerated Cellular Aging hypothesis Accelerated cellular aging, as measured by telomere length (TL) shortening, might also be linked to depression and frailty. At both ends of every DNA strand in a human cell is a telomere.Telomeres prevent chromosomes from becoming frayed, fusing into rings, or binding with other DNA. Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein structures located at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes. They play a critical role in controlling cell proliferation and maintenance of chromosomal stability. As part of bodys normal aging process, each time a cell divides the telomeres in your DNA get shorter. Add oxidative stress to the mix and telomeres shorten even more rapidly. Oxidative stress is the effect of destructive reactions in your bodys cells caused by too many free radicals or atoms/molecules that have unpaired electrons. In their search for an electron to make them whole, they destroy other cells. Free radicals come from environmental toxins, such as pollution, chemicals, drugs and radiation, and even naturally occur in your own body when you exercise. Antioxidants fight free radicals and stem the causes of oxidative stress. Eventually, bodys cells are unable to divide (or reproduce) and simply die. Eventually, this instability leads to tissue breakdown potentially leading to premature aging. Any stressful condition or anxiety leads to feeling of depression which in turn initiates physiologic body response that includes, increase in stress-induced glucocorticoid release and oxidative stress. Unhealthy behaviour will also stimulate inflammatory response which lead to release of cytokine and can affect telomere length.

Media Influence on the Youth Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Meda Es

Media Influence on the Youth Media strongly affects youth culture. The media executives are quick to defend their role in youth violence and bullying while selling millions of dollars in adds focused on youth. TV producers, network executives, motion picture companies and others in the media deny any impact of their programs on the attitudes and actions of youth. Meanwhile they continue to spend millions on special effects and marketing geared to increase appeal to youth markets. While corporations spend millions on market research and advertising to create products and campaigns targeted at a youth demographic, they still deny their ability to influence youth. If this were true to fact, would NIKE continue spending millions every year on product development, marketing and advertising? Would McDonalds still be using cartoon like characters to sell hamburgers? Would music labels be increasing the level of violence and sexual content in the music geared towards the youth audience? Would liquor companies be using youth oriented activities in their advertising? Of course it works on influencing youth and its ideals advertising would not be a multi-billion dollar a year business. If it had no i nfluence, M-TV would not have consultant on staff spending huge amounts of money to ensure they keeping up with youth culture. Clothing companies are spending millions to get young good-looking individuals to make plain and boring clothes look appealing to youth. Youth respond t...

Cover story Essay

To investigate what level of obedience participants would show when an authority figure told them to administer electric shocks to another person. Participants: Obtained from advertisements + direct mailing. Self selected or volunteer sample.   40 males: 20-50 yrs old from New Haven area in the United Stated of America.   Job ranges Included: postal clerks, HS teachers, salesmen, labourers, engineers, etc.   Education: one had not finished HS to some who a have degree + qualification in various subjects. Paid: $4.50 regardless of what happened after and before they arrived. This is called COERCIAN. Method and Design:   Method: Lab experiment.   Observer observed participants for signs of tension/nervousness: â€Å"sweat, tremble, biting of lips, nervous laughter† I. V. /D. V.   I. V. – There was NO I. V. D. V. – Level of obedience; how far they’d go with the voltage to shock the learner. Procedure: LEARNER TASK   The teacher (participant) was asked to read a series of word pairs to the learner (confederate), and then read the 1st word of the pair along with the 4 other terms. Learner (confederate) had to indicate which 1 of the 4 terms was originally paired with the 1st word. SHOCK GENERATOR The shock generator perceived to be real – professionally made + model printed. There were 30 switches – labelled from 15 to 450 volts. 15 volt different between each switch.   Labels to describe intensity – from â€Å"slight shock† (weakest) to â€Å"xxx† (strongest). Teachers (ppts) were given a 45 volts shock to convince them that the shocks were real. Teacher was told to give shock for every wrong answer while moving a shock level higher on shock generator. Teacher had to read out the voltage to the learner each time they were about to give a shock.   If the teacher asked for advice/wanted to stop, experimenter used 4 prods. Example: â€Å"please continue†, â€Å"this experiment requires that you continue†. Controls: Standardised deception. Cover story.   Slips of paper drawn (pre-determined teacher).   Learner strapped. Standardised prods used by experimenter. Results: (overall %) 65% of ppts continued to shock until 450 volts. Only 35% stopped before.   22. 5% stopped at 300 volts.   Many showed signed of nervousness and extreme tension.   14 displayed nervous laughter; 3 had uncontrollable seizures. Conclusion: Very high rate of obedience – 65%. Milgram explained this as being so high because it’s a strong part of human society.   Milgram said: â€Å"Many situational factors which lead to high rate of obedience.

County of Allegheny v. ACLU Greater Pittsburgh Chapter (1989)

County of Allegheny v. ACLU Greater Pittsburgh Chapter (1989) Background Information This case looked at the constitutionality of two holiday displays in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One was a creche standing on the grand staircase of the Allegheny County Courthouse, a very prominent position in the courthouse and readily visible by all who entered. The creche included figures of Joseph, Mary, Jesus, animals, shepherds, and an angel bearing a huge banner with the words Gloria in Excelsis Deo! (Glory to in the Highest) emblazoned upon it. Next to it was a sign stating This Display Donated by the Holy Name Society (a Catholic organization). The other display was a block away in a building jointly owned by both the city and the county. It was an 18-foot tall Hanukkah menorah donated by a group of Lubavitcher Hasidim (an ultra-orthodox branch of Judaism). With the menorah was a 45-foot tall Christmas tree, at the base of which was a sign stating Salute to Liberty. Some local residents, supported by the ACLU, filed suit claiming that both displays violated the . A Court of Appeals agreed and ruled that both displays violated of the First Amendment because they endorsed religion. Fast Facts: County of Allegheny v. ACLU of Greater Pittsburgh Chapter Case Argued: February 22, 1989Decision Issued:  July 2, 1989Petitioner: County of AlleghenyRespondent:   American Civil Liberties Union, Greater Pittsburgh ChapterKey Question: Did two public-sponsored holiday displays- one a nativity scene, the other a menorah- constitute state endorsement of religion which would be in violation of the Establishment Clause  of the First Amendment?Majority Decision: Justices Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, Scalia, and KennedyDissenting: Justices Rehnquist, White, Stevens, and O’ConnorRuling: The location and messaging of the display determined whether or not it was in violation of the Establishment Clause. The prominent display of the crà ¨che with wording directly in praising the birth of Jesus sent a clear message that the county supported and promoted that religion. Due to its particular physical setting, the menorah display was deemed constitutionally legitimate. Court Decision Arguments were made on February 22, 1989. On July 3, 1989, the court ruled 5 to 4 (to strike) and 6 to 3 (to uphold). This was a deeply and unusually fragmented Court Decision, but in the final analysis the Court ruled that while the creche was unconstitutional, the menorah display was not. Although in the Court used the three-part Lemon test to allow a city in Rhode Island to display a creche as part of a holiday display, the same did not hold here because the Pittsburgh display was not used in conjunction with other secular, seasonal decorations. Lynch had established what came to be called the plastic reindeer rule of secular context which the creche failed. Due to this independence along with the prominent place which the creche occupied (thus signaling government endorsement), the display was determined by Justice Blackmun in his plurality opinion to have a specific religious purpose. The fact that the creche was created by a private organization did not eliminate the apparent endorsement by the government of the display. Moreover, the placement of the display in such a prominent position emphasized the message of supporting religion.The creche scene stood on the grand staircase of a courthouse alone. The Supreme Court said: ...the creche sits on the Grand Staircase, the main and most beautiful part of the building that is the seat of county government. No viewer could reasonably think that it occupies this location without the support and approval of the government.Thus, by permitting the display of the creche in this particular physical setting, the county sends an unmistakable message that it supports and promotes the Christian praise to God that is the creches religious message... The Establishment Clause does not limit only the religious content of the governments own communications. It also prohibits the governments support and promotion of religious communications by religious organizations. Unlike the creche, however, the menorah on display was not determined to have an exclusively religious message. The menorah was placed next to a Christmas tree and a sign saluting liberty which the Court found important. Instead of endorsing any religious group, this display with the menorah recognized the holidays as part of the same winter-holiday season. Thus, the display in its entirety did not appear to endorse or disapprove of any religion, and the menorah was permitted to remain. With regards to the menorah, the Supreme Court said: ...it is not sufficiently likely that residents of Pittsburgh will perceive the combined display of the tree, the sign, and the menorah as an endorsement or disapproval ...of their individual religious choices. While an adjudication of the displays effect must taken into account the perspective of one who is neither Christian nor Jewish, as well as of those who adhere to either of these religions, ibid., the constitutionality of its effect must also be judged according to the standard of a reasonable observer. ...When measured against this standard, the menorah need not be excluded from this particular display.The Christmas tree alone in the Pittsburgh location does not endorse Christian belief; and, on the facts before us, the addition of the menorah cannot fairly be understood to result in the simultaneous endorsement of Christian and Jewish faiths. On the contrary, for purposes of the Establishment Clause, the citys overall display must be understood as conveying the citys secular recognition of different traditions for celebrating the winter-holiday season. This was a curious conclusion because the Chabad, the Hasidic sect which owned the menorah, celebrated Chanukah as a religious holiday and advocated the display of their menorah as part of their mission of proselytizing. Also, there was a clear record of lighting the menorah in religious ceremonies - but this was ignored by the Court because the ACLU failed to bring it up. It is also interesting that Blackmun went to some length to argue that the menorah should be interpreted in light of the tree rather than the other way around. No real justification is offered for this perspective, and it is interesting to wonder what the decision would have been had the menorah been larger than the tree, rather than the actual situation where the tree was the larger of the two. In a sharply worded dissent, Justice Kennedy denounced the Lemon test used to evaluate the religious displays and argued that ...any test which might invalidate longstanding traditions cannot be a proper reading of the [Establishment] Clause. In other words, tradition - even if it includes and support of sectarian religious messages - must trump evolving understandings of religious freedom. Justice OConnor, in her concurring opinion, responded: Justice Kennedy submits that the endorsement test is inconsistent with our precedents and traditions because, in his words, if it were applied without artificial exceptions for historical practice, it would invalidate many traditional practices recognizing the role of religion in our society.This criticism shortchanges both the endorsement test itself and my explanation of the reason why certain long standing government acknowledgments of religion do not, under that test, convey a message of endorsement. Practices such as legislative prayers or opening Court sessions with God save the United States and this honorable Court serve the secular purposes of solemnizing public occasions and expressing confidence in the future.These examples of ceremonial deism do not survive Establishment Clause scrutiny simply by virtue of their historical longevity alone. Historical acceptance of a practice does not in itself validate that practice under the Establishment Clause if the practice violates the values protected by that Clause, just as historical acceptance of racial or gender based discrimination does not immunize such practices from scrutiny under the Fourteenth Amendment. Justice Kennedys dissent also argued that prohibiting the government from celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday is, itself, a discrimination against Christians. In response to this, Blackmun wrote in the majority opinion that: Celebrating Christmas as a religious, as opposed to a secular, holiday, necessarily entails professing, proclaiming, or believing that Jesus of Nazareth, born in a manger in Bethlehem, is the Christ, the Messiah. If the government celebrates Christmas as a religious holiday (for example, by issuing an official proclamation saying: We rejoice in the glory of Christs birth!), it means that the government really is declaring Jesus to be the Messiah, a specifically Christian belief.In contrast, confining the governments own celebration of Christmas to the holidays secular aspects does not favor the religious beliefs of non-Christians over those of Christians. Rather, it simply permits the government to acknowledge the holiday without expressing an allegiance to Christian beliefs, an allegiance that would truly favor Christians over non-Christians. To be sure, some Christians may wish to see the government proclaim its allegiance to Christianity in a religious celebration of Christmas, bu t the Constitution does not permit the gratification of that desire, which would contradict the the logic of secular liberty it is the purpose of the Establishment Clause to protect. Significance Although it seemed to do otherwise, this decision basically permitted the existence of competing religious symbols, conveying a message of accommodation of religious plurality. While a single symbol standing alone might be unconstitutional, its inclusion with other secular/seasonal decorations may offset an apparent endorsement of a religious message. As a result, communities which desire holiday decorations must now create a display that does not send the message of endorsing a particular religion to the exclusion of others. Displays must contain a variety of symbols and be inclusive of differing perspectives. Perhaps equally important for future cases, however, was the fact that the four dissenters in Allegheny County would have upheld both the creche and menorah displays under a more relaxed, deferential standard. This position has gained a great deal of ground over the years following this decision. In addition, Kennedys Orwellian position that a failure to celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday qualifies as discrimination against Christians has also become popular - it is, effectively, the logical conclusion of the accommodationist position that an absence of government support for religion is the same as government hostility towards religion. Naturally, such discrimination is only relevant when it comes to Christianity; the government fails to celebrate Ramadan as a religious holiday, but people who agree with Kennedys dissent are entirely unconcerned by that because Muslims are a minority.

The Status Of Puerto Rico essays

The Status Of Puerto Rico essays What Should the Status of Puerto Rico Be? Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean Sea. Puerto Rico has been a Commonwealth under the United States since July 25, 1952 when Governor Mu Ferr favored statehood for Puerto Rico. After his election there were many unsuccessful attempts to make Puerto Rico into the 51st state. After more than 30 years the question still stands. What should the status of Puerto Rico be? There are three options for the status of Puerto Rico (Puerto One option for the status of Puerto Rico is to become the 51st state of the United States of America. A lot of people disagree with this option. Since currently Puerto Rico doesnt pay taxes and sixty percent of Puerto Ricos citizens are classified as living at poverty, and then U.S. taxpayers or employed citizens are worried that if Puerto Rico becomes a state that their taxes will increase dramatically (Hamill 26). Already forty percent of the people on the island get federal benefits (Buchanan 35). The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico already costs mainland U.S. taxpayers over $6 billion dollars each year. The state of Puerto Rico could cost residents of Another option is to remain a Commonwealth. Puerto Rico, after being in Commonwealth for 32 years, still cant make the decision of become a state or taking care of its own self and becoming an independent nation. Governor Pedro Rossello pleaded with Puerto Rican citizens to vote for a final decision. Forty eight percent of the citizens voted to retain the commonwealth status, forty six percent chose statehood and four chose independence ( Puerto Rico, See graph on page 4). The majority of Puerto Rican citizens want Puerto Rico to remain in Commonwealth, but ...

Comparing Philosophical Positions of Kant and of John Stuart Mill Essay

Comparing Philosophical Positions of Kant and of John Stuart Mill - Essay Example This research paper considers ideas of Kant and Mill and applies them for the issues of war in the modern global world. Utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill and Deontology of Kant can be compared and contrasted. In the modern context the main ideas of these great philosophers can be implemented in the context of modern political events. Whether there is a need for utilitarian morals and laws or whether it is much important to focus on individual values–these considerations are provided by Kant and Mill. Mill’s Utilitarianism. Mill developed the Greatest Happiness Principle, which he explains in the following way: â€Å"†¦ the ultimate end †¦ is an existence exempt as far as possible from pain, and as rich as possible in enjoyments, both in point of quantity and quality; †¦ to the greatest extent possible, secured to all mankind; and not to them only, but, so far as the nature of things admits, to the whole sentient creation† (Lectures on Mill). These considerations are appropriate for the modern global society. Mill mentions â€Å"all mankind†, â€Å"the whole sentient creation† . He applies global concepts for his considerations and these are relevant to the modern global society. The main operating category of Mill is consequentialism. He thinks that all rational beings should be subjected to equal moral laws and principles, but in case the nation was be oppressed by those principles, it would not accept them. Current political situation in the world can be analyzed with respect to Mill’s consequentialism. He said that all nations are striving for freedom. A nation is turned into a group of dummies in case they are not looking forward to liberty. A behavior of Americans in the Iraqi war can be analyzed with respect to Mill’s claims. Mill underlined that it is necessary to discard â€Å"despotism of custom† (Moseley, 2002). Every individual should have his own system of benefits, but it is mo re important for the society to have a group of sound members or individuals with clearly set goals. From this perspective Americans are positioned as great freedom setters in an oppressed nation (Moseley, 2002). It is inhumane to prevent people from freedom of thinking and the suppressors, in such a way, hide truth from their nations. Freedom is very important for people in the modern world. It is impossible to develop without it. Categorical Imperative of Kant This categorical imperative of Kant outlines similar positions for every individual. He claims that: The universal laws of nature should be met by individuals, who should act on maxims to meet requirements of the nature. Every individual is a sound human being and he should be treated with respect. An individual in every society should act as if he was â€Å"a member of an ideal kingdom of ends in which you were both subject and sovereign at the same time† (Williams, 1983). Thus, Kant underlines that independent actio ns of every individual are very important for the whole society. At the same time, individuals should refer to social, historical and many other external factors in their nations and to respect them. Furthermore, reflections of Kant can be illustrated by Four Quadrant Module: Picture 1. Four Quadrant Module. In such a way, the philosopher underlines the importance of social independence. In Quadrant One an individual is positioned as a potential benefits’ gainer. In Quadrant Two an individual should work in the name of social benefits or for â€Å"a common good†. Quadrant three makes an emphasis on the importance of independence. Quadrant four is focused on autonomy and interdependence between the individuals (Moseley, 2002). Therefore, oppressed nations, like in the case of Iraq, should be relieved otherwise the individuals of the nation will be unable to

Long term effects of bariartic surgery(bypass) Research Proposal

Long term effects of bariartic surgery(bypass) - Research Proposal Example As noted by Walsh (2013) bariatric surgery results in significant weight loss than nonsurgical treatment among patients with diabetes and who are mildly obese. However, evidence for long-term efficacy and safety still remains limited. Although patients with obesity problems loose more weight with bariatric surgery as compared to medical weight-loss treatment, the study is going to examine the long term effects of bariatric surgery since there are many risks and benefits associated with the surgery. There are different types of weight loss surgeries each with its characteristic risks and benefits. Some of the factors that impact on the bariatric surgery in the long term include: eating habits, the body mass index of the patients, previous stomach surgeries, and health conditions linked to obesity. With regard to the effect of bariatric surgery to diabetes, Rao and Subhash (2012) argued that weight loss surgery is currently the most effective diabetes treatment with regard to morbid obesity and want to obtain amelioration of the medical co-morbidities of obesity and sustaining significant weight loss. Severe obesity is chronic condition which is difficult treat with exercise and diet alone. This is where bariatric surgery comes in handy. It involves an operation on the stomach or the intestines that assists patients who extreme obesity for them to loose weight. There are risks and rewards associated with bariatric surgery (Pories, 2008). The surgery works in manner that restricts the intake of food (Jaunoo and Southall, 2010), thus promoting weight loss and reducing the risk of disease such type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular ailments. Other surgeries have been performed in order to interrupt how food is digested, thus preventing some nutrients and calories, such as vitamins from being absorbed. Obesity is a source of distress, which is linked to a negative body image, more intimate and interpersonal problems, and more