Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change - Article Example Oil-burning automobiles and other forms of transportation vehicles are the primary source of air pollution, creating about 60% of the CO2 in the air (California Air Resources Board).   In addition to CO2, these vehicles also emit carbon monoxides (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), all of which contribute to global warming (Energy Information Administration).   All of these chemicals function as filters that trap the heat energy from the sun within the planet's atmosphere and cause the earth's temperature to rise on a global scale. But it isn't just the air that is affected by greenhouse gases causing climate change - the oceans are affected as well, contributing to changes in our weather patterns. The ocean acts as a natural filter for CO2 and other naturally-occurring atmospheric gases. Unfortunately, the naturally occurring levels have long been outweighed by human activity, overwhelming the natural system's balance and ability to process.   The oceans, which have been the earth’s natural filter, are now being forced to continually absorb higher concentrations of greenhouse gases than they naturally can handle (Miller).   As the water warms with the rising air temperatures and with its own collection of greenhouse gases, it becomes less capable of absorbing greenhouse gases, leaving them in even higher quantities in the air.   These warmer waters also have the effect of helping the ice caps melt, leading to rising water levels and warmer seas.   Additionally, increased air and water temperatures will increase.... All of these chemicals function as filters that trap the heat energy from the sun within the planet's atmosphere and cause the earth's temperature to rise on a global scale. But it isn't just the air that is affected by greenhouse gases causing climate change - the oceans are affected as well, contributing to changes in our weather patterns. The ocean acts as a natural filter for CO2 and other naturally-occurring atmospheric gases. Unfortunately, the naturally occurring levels have long been outweighed by human activity, overwhelming the natural system's balance and ability to process. The oceans, which have been the earth’s natural filter, are now being forced to continually absorb higher concentrations of greenhouse gases than they naturally can handle (Miller). As the water warms with the rising air temperatures and with its own collection of greenhouse gases, it becomes less capable of absorbing greenhouse gases, leaving them in even higher quantities in the air. These war mer waters also have the effect of helping the ice caps melt, leading to rising water levels and warmer seas. Additionally, increased air and water temperatures will increase the atmospheric water vapor through evaporation. This means the resulting precipitation will be proportionately higher and in different places than it has been in recorded history. Cloud compositions will change which will further amplify the greenhouse effect (Miller). This also leads to greater numbers of violent hurricanes and tropical storms. While rising sea levels may not seem all that bad, the effects of more powerful tidal forces and encroaching water can be devastating. â€Å"The tide comes and goes like clockwork, but if we continue to watch and

Health Care Administration Autobiographical Statement Essay

Health Care Administration Autobiographical Statement - Essay Example In my view, a health administrator must be eager to learn and strive to improve themselves at all times, have good listening skills, and be understanding with no prejudice. I believe that I do possess the above qualities and will endeavor to understand more of diseases, as well as of the organization, financing and delivery of healthcare. It is these and other reasons that I chose to apply for a Masters degree in Health Care Administration. Since I do not wish to work in the traditional business environment, my interests are inclined towards planning, financing, directing, coordinating, managing and evaluating healthcare services. I look forward to work in such agencies as hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, long-term health maintenance facilities, wellness centers, health and mental health agencies among other healthcare facilities. I do enjoy working with people thus the choice of my career path. It is for this reason that I would not mind to be either a generalist or specialist type of health care administrator. Studential.com (1) defines a generalist as one who manages the entire health care facility while a specialist ensures that operations of a specific department are efficiently carried out. Healthcare is a profession for life. Upon studying heath sciences, I believe that it can easily influence the way an individual perceives the world around him or her. This includes how the individual thinks and acts under normal day

Contemporary business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Contemporary business - Essay Example In addition, the report will include examples on Coca Cola, Toyota and leadership style of Bill Gates to support all the discussions. Finally, a conclusion will be provided to summarise all research findings and mentioned business management issues / problems. Before critically analysing the functions and management issues in a global business to identify ways to reduce risk and improve organisational effectiveness, I first would like to throw light over what we mean by efficiency and effectiveness. Organisational efficiency refers to the capability of a business enterprise to produce maximum output with the help of same available sources. In other words, it could be defined as an ability to produce same level of output with fewer sources. The world has become a global village after the contemporary developments and advancements in information technology and communication networks. These recent advancements and improvements in media networks and advertising have greatly affected the attitudes, beliefs, behaviours, lifestyles and perceptions. At the same time, this has also created many business opportunities for enterprises. In fact, many businesses have gone global and have become transnational, multinational or supranational corporations with operations all across the world. Companies today are expanding their operations all across the globe to target a large group of potential customers who are heavily exposed to media, and who now have relatively similar lifestyles (inclination towards a white collar job, brands, facilities, luxuries etc). On the other hand, customers have also become very demanding, since they seek value and are inclined towards new and innovative products. In short, it could be said that busines ses have to deal with a large diverse group of customers who have both willingness and ability towards different innovative and existing products. Businesses usually have many different international market entry

Article Summary and Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Article Summary and Critique - Essay Example In other words, this article exemplifies social attitude toward students with autism focusing on teachers’ attitudes to these students. The structure of the article proves its specific research design: introduction-method-results-discussion. Topic of this study is pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards children with autism in the USA. A high relevance of this topic can be proven by the fact that modern society has shifted accents from autism –mental disorder, preventing people with this disease from full social activities to autism–as mental disorder, not preventing people with this disease from full social activities. Children with autism were chosen as the audience for discussion not in vain. A current tendency of growing number of children with autism expanding worldwide proves a necessity to initiate researches directed on prevention of this disease occurrence and the ways of its overcoming. The researches of previous years were directed on better understanding of nature of autism. This article expands the scope of autism’ discussion and is focused on pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards children with autism. Positive attitudes’ of pre-service teachers to children with autism indicate a necessity to support and develop their positive attitude further on. Literature review, which is a theoretical background of the paper, comprises 46 sources. There are articles from scholar journals and online sources. Years’ range of works is from 70s till 2009. Literary sources are specific and correspond with the topic of the given article. A presentation of different points of view of different authors justifies an unprejudiced theoretical background of the article. Moreover, the fact that works presented comprise four decades supports a valid theoretical background of the article. A section ‘Introduction’ of the article has subsections correlated with literary

Contemporary business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Contemporary business - Essay Example In addition, the report will include examples on Coca Cola, Toyota and leadership style of Bill Gates to support all the discussions. Finally, a conclusion will be provided to summarise all research findings and mentioned business management issues / problems. Before critically analysing the functions and management issues in a global business to identify ways to reduce risk and improve organisational effectiveness, I first would like to throw light over what we mean by efficiency and effectiveness. Organisational efficiency refers to the capability of a business enterprise to produce maximum output with the help of same available sources. In other words, it could be defined as an ability to produce same level of output with fewer sources. The world has become a global village after the contemporary developments and advancements in information technology and communication networks. These recent advancements and improvements in media networks and advertising have greatly affected the attitudes, beliefs, behaviours, lifestyles and perceptions. At the same time, this has also created many business opportunities for enterprises. In fact, many businesses have gone global and have become transnational, multinational or supranational corporations with operations all across the world. Companies today are expanding their operations all across the globe to target a large group of potential customers who are heavily exposed to media, and who now have relatively similar lifestyles (inclination towards a white collar job, brands, facilities, luxuries etc). On the other hand, customers have also become very demanding, since they seek value and are inclined towards new and innovative products. In short, it could be said that busines ses have to deal with a large diverse group of customers who have both willingness and ability towards different innovative and existing products. Businesses usually have many different international market entry

Police Brutality Essay Example for Free

Police Brutality Essay Unfortunately, nowadays the people who are supposed to protect us and help us when we are in need, sometimes cannot be trusted. Police brutality has always been a problem, but theres been a dramatic rise in police murders and brutalization of citizens. Police Brutality is anything from harassment from a police officer to being murdered by one.Police officers risk their lives everyday they put on their uniform. They serve the community by keeping it safe from those who break the law. Police are trained to use force when necessary and to have discretion on how much force to use on someone. The tactics they use are to apprehend a criminal, and to keep those who are around a criminal, safe. Officers carry weapons such as a baton, mace, or a gun. These weapons are to keep themselves and the communities they serve safe. Sometimes officers who are either not properly trained or who neglect to use the appropriate amount of force on a suspect, can suffer the consequences of police brutality. â€Å"Police brutality is a civil rights violation that occurs when a police officer acts with excessive force by using an amount of force with regards to a civilian that is more than necessary. Excessive force by a law enforcement officers is a violation of a persons rights. Force should be used in only the minimum amount needed to achieve a purpose. Police brutality is a direct violation of the laws within the police force. The use of excessive force is also a direct violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S Constitution regarding cruelty and protection of the laws†(definitions.uslegal.com). One of the major causes of police brutality is stress. Each day, police officers have to deal with the fact that their lives are within their own hands and being that they are thought of as the enemy by a criminal they feel the need to protect themselves at any cost. An officer may feel threatened and might not know his or her own strength, therefore they might  do anything to protect themselves if they feel threatened. The stress of being a cop can lead to other issues other than police brutality. The amount of stress of their job is so high it can affect them in various ways later in life. â€Å"The extreme stress and pressure placed on police officers has caused an increasing numbers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder cases, alcoholism, suicide, early retirement, breakdowns and burnout being reported by police officers across the country†(www.essortment.com). Another cause of police brutality is simply abuse of power. Not all cops break the rules, but not all cops follow t hem. Police brutality can be any of the following acts; â€Å"profane or abusive language, commands to move or go home, field stops and searches, threats of implied violence, prodding with a nightstick or approaching with a pistol, the actual use of physical force†(www.policecrimes.com). Racism is also a major cause of police brutality. The most famous of all police brutality cases is, of course, Rodney Kings case. On March 3, 1991, four Los Angeles police officers beat Rodney King as eleven other officers stood by watching. Rodney King was in a high-speed car chase with the officers, when his car was finally stopped, he hesitated to get out of his car. When he did, he was said to jump at the officers. He was hit by two darts from a stun gun, which didnt seem to work. Rodney King still refused to obey the officers and lie flat on the ground. But, in less than two minutes, he was hit with 56 baton blows and kicked six times. He suffered from eleven skull fractures, brain damage, broken bones, knocked out teeth and kidney damage. Also, emotional and physical trauma. Not in all cases are the victims of police brutality innocent, obviously, as you can see in Rodney Kings case (law.umkc.edu)But no matter how rude or uncooperative a suspect is being, this extreme force from officers should not be used. Racism has always been and always be around. The fact that it is policing is evident through such acts as these. Sometimes these harmful acts go overlooked by departments, either because of they do not want the publicity, the department might not know what actually happened, or they simply do not care. Racism is not just against African Americans, all minorities are at risk for being the victim of a cops believes or disbelieves. Another reason police brutality happens is some officers believe that its necessary to come down hard on those who resist arrest because they may kill the next police officer who tries to arrest  them so you have to teach them a lesson. â€Å"Another practice is the screen test, police jargon for applying the brakes on a police vehicle to that the handcuffed prisoner in back will be thrown against the metal protective screen†(www.policecrimes.com). When an officer breaks the law and victimizes a person he or she will should be punished and depending on the case they should face suspension, job termination, or even jail time. Those whose rights have been violated often receive large amounts of money in out of court settlements, which means the taxpayer is paying for authorities right to abuse their power . Cops who have committed these acts usually face no serious prosecution, if any at all. So far, of all the documented murders since 1977, only one officer has been convicted of homicide. Any man that kills another, for no matter what reason, should have to face consequences. Anyone can become a victim of police brutality, but the most common are minorities, juveniles, and low class citizens. Minorities are victimized because of their skin color and the believes of the officer they encounter. The fact that officers target minorities has been known for decades. Many races are still not accepted by people today. Juveniles can also become targets of the police. Young adults often find themselves in tough situations getting in trouble with the law. They struggle to find a sense of self and often look to crime as an easy way out. An officer might target a young adult assuming he or she is up to no good, judging solely by the way they carry themselves. Low class citizens often do not have the money for a good lawyer so even if they were victimized they have no one to turn to for help. They most likely do not have guidance on how to properly seek justice they rightfully deserve. Also in most cases, unless there is physical evidence, police misconduct is often on e side of the story against another. In order to prevent police from using unnecessary amount of force on citizens there must be an understanding of each others position on society. Although a beating from a police officer may not be the victims fault, there are some ways to try and prevent from being a part of a traumatic experience. When an officer does not feel threatened he or she is less  likely to become frantic and full of adrenaline which would make the confrontation with him or her less dangerous and beneficial to both the cop and the civilian. The number of cases of police brutality is not as high as the years of the civil rights act, but there is still a need for a way to help fix the problem. Not every case is known to the public and reported. Departments need to properly train officers to deal with certain situations properly. While they might not be perfect when it comes to hiring, they should keep a close eye on those who they hire to make sure any officer hired doesnt have a different personality when on duty. A personality that would be dangerous to those who surround him or her. Hopefully there will be a system in the future that will help minimize the chances of police brutality. Sources 1.) Above the Law: Police and the Excessive Use Of Force by: Jerome H. Skolnick, James J. Fyfe 1994. Published by: The Free Press, New York. 2.) Definitions.uslegal.com 3.) www.essortment.com 4.) www.policecrimes.com 5.) law.umkc.edu

The Four Main Sources Of Islamic Law Religion Essay

The Four Main Sources Of Islamic Law Religion Essay Abstract: This chapter deals with the four main sources of Islamic Law. Its goal is to introduce some of the prevailing concepts of Islamic thought and to analyse the different disciplines and opinions that shape the practice of Islam today. It is known that there are four Muslim schools of thoughts. However, each differs in their interpretations . The primary sources, accepted universally by all Muslims, are the Quran and the Sunnah. It is however, in fields that they are silent that the secondary sources are to be used, thus the Ijma (consensus of opinion of scholars) and the Qiyas(laws derived through analogical deduction -analogy). Introduction: In the eighth century, a difference in legal approach arose amongst Islamic thinkers in two prevailing schools of thought. The traditionalists (ahl al-hadith) relied solely on the Quran and the Sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet as the only valid sources for jurisprudence, emanating from Medina. The non traditional approach (ahl al-ray) relied on the free use of reasoning and opinion in the absence of reliable ahadith, heralded in iraq . The difference in technique is because in Medina, there was an anundance of reliable ahadith that scholars could depend from, since the prophet lived the 1o yrs of his life there. On the other hand, the non traditionalist jurists had to depend on analogy as the sources were not as reliable in Iraq. The jurists had therefore to decide which of the Prophets actions and decisions were religiously binding and which were a mere function of his personal discretion. In general, the traditionalists eventuallt lent legislative significance to much of the Prophets decisions, where as the other school of thoughts tended to distinguish between the various roles that the Prophet played in his life. The sources of Islamic law was thus,Quran, Sunnah , ijma and qiya Throughout history these sources wereused in descendind order by muslim jurists in determining the legality of an issue. If the legality was not based on an explicit command in the quran, then the jurists would turn to the explicit commands in the hadith. Quran is the religious text of Islam. It is believed to be the word of God transmitted through the Prophet Muhammad.  [1]  The Sunnah is considered to be the religious actions, quotations and approvals of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, which was narrated through his Companions and Shia Imams. The Quran and the Sunnah state clearly the course of action that a Muslim should follow. Quran The Arabic word Quran is derived from the root qaraa, which means to read or to recite. Quran is the holy book of Islam. Muslims  believe that the Quran is the final revelation of Allah, that is, the literal word of God, revealed to the Prophet  Muhammad. The Quran was written and preserved during the life of Muhammad, and compiled soon after his death. The Quran consists of  114  surahs  (chapters) with over 6,000  ayat,(verses). However the exact number of ayat is disputed due to different methods of counting. The Quran is the first and most important source of Islamic law. The scripture specifies the moral, philosophical, social, political and  economic  basis on which a society should be constructed. Muslim jurists agree that the Quran in its entirety is not a legal code; rather its purpose is to lay down a way of life which regulates mans relationship with others and God.  The verses of the Quran are categorized into three fields: science of speculative theology, ethical principles and rules of human conduct. The third category is directly concerned with Islamic legal matters which contains about five hundred verses or one thirteenth of it. The task of interpreting the Quran has led to various opinions and judgments. The interpretations of the verses by Muhammads companions for Sunnis and  Imams  for Shias are considered the most authentic, since they knew why, where and on what occasion each verse was revealed. The sharia, foundations of Islamic law, are derived from verses from the Quran. The bulk of Quranic matter consists mainly of broad, general moral directives as to what the aims and aspirations of Muslims should be, the ought of the Islamic religious ethic. The most important external aid used in interpreting the meanings of the Quran is the  Hadith   the collection of Islamic traditions from which the details of early Islamic history are derived. The Shariah, foundatiosn of Islamic law, are derived from verses from the Quran. The Quran consists mainly of broad general moral directives that provide for the aims and objectives of a muslim. Essentially(#) because the directives are so broad, interpretation takes on a significant role, there have been so many different interpretations of the quran, claims widely read and revered Islamic thinker Abdul Aala Maududi that there is hardly to be found any command with an agreed interpretation. Nevertheless, the authenticity of quran has never been questioned by any muslim scholar or institution. Textual Criticism and the Quran Higher biblical criticism revolutionized Judaism and Christianity by calling into question long-held assumptions about the origins of the Bible; some ambitious textual critics are attempting to do the same for the Quran. They claim that parts of the Quran are based on stories of the  Tanakh  (Hebrew Bible), the  New Testament  of the  Christian  Bible, and other non-canonical Christian works; differences of the biblical to the Quranic versions suggest to some scholars that these stories were not taken directly from written texts but seem rather to have been part of the oral traditions of the Arab peninsula at Muhammads time. To Muslims, however, this explanation is topsy-turvy: the non-canonical Jewish and Christian stories are simply further textual corruptions of an otherwise nearly lost divine original reflected in the Quran. These critics also seek to find evidence of text evolution and transcription disputes in early Islam; the results have been meager, but some have expressed hopes that recent discoveries of Quran Graveyards in Yemen will throw more light on the subject. Belief in the Qurans direct, uncorrupted divine origin is fundamental to Islam; this of course entails believing that the Quran has neither errors nor inconsistencies. (This is the book in which there is no doubt, a guide to the believers: Surat  al-Baqarah, verse 2.) However, it is well-known that certain chronologically later verses supersede earlier ones the banning of wine, for instance, was accomplished gradually rather than immediately and certain scholars have argued that some verses which discourage certain practices (for instance,polygamy) without banning them altogether should be understood as part of a similar process, though others argue that this contradicts This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen for you Islam as your religion (5.3). As to the basic message of the Quran, there are three fundamental points, repeated and restated throughout the work. They are as follows: this present physical life is a test; the afterlife is certain; our actions in this present life have consequences in the next. 1.2 Sunnah The Sunnah is the second source of Islamic law. Sunnah is an Arabic word which means Method. It was applied by the Prophet Muhammad as a legal term to represent what he said, did and agreed to. Its authority is derived from the text of the Quran. The Quran says, For you the life of the Prophet is a model of behaviour  (Al-Quran 33:21) Many of books of traditions were compiled by the companions of the Prophet. These were later on incorporated in the great collections of Hadith (i.e. traditions) of Bukhari, Muslim etc. The collectors of the traditions adopted a very scientific system in collection the Traditions. They did not record any tradition except with the chain of narrators. Every tradition gives the names of the last narrator of the tradition from whom he learnt the tradition and so on back to the Prophet or Companion of the Prophet. The Sunnah which is established through reliable narrators is fully dependable as legal element. The sunna of the Prophet generally means tradition and includes the following three categories: sayings of the Prophet; his deeds; and his silent or tacit approval of certain acts which he had knowledge of. The record of the Prophets words and deeds were recorded in narrative ahadith, reports that were transmitted before finally being compiled in authoritative collections decades after the death of the Prophet. Muhammad brought the Quranic teachings ti life through his interpretation and implementation. The Quran and Sunnah are complementary. The meaning of the Quran is general in nature, the Sunnah makes it specific and particular. The Sunnah explains the instructions of the Quran. The Quranic injunction is sometimes implicit, the Sunnah makes it explicit by providing essential ingredients and details. Ijma and Qiyas derive their value or authority from the Quran and the Sunnah. Therefore, they are called dependent sources. 1.3 Ijma The third source of law, Ijma or the consensus of scholars signifies the importance of delegated legislation to the Muslim community. The Muslim society requires such a rule making power to meet the practical problems for the implementation of Islamic Shariah (Islamic Law). Ijma has been technically defined as the consensus of the jurists of a certain period over a religious matter. Ijma is considered a sufficient evidence for action because the Prophet if Islam said, Muslim will never agree on a wrong matter. As such the agreement of the scholars of Islam on any religious matter is a source of law in Islam (Ref: Principles of Islamic Jurispredence by M. Hashim Kamali). Ijma or unanimous agreement Ijma constitutes the unanimous agreement of a group of jurists of a particular age on a specific issue and constitutes the fourth and final source of law in Shafiis methodology. If questions arose about a Quranic interpretation or an issue where no there no guidance from either the Quran or sunna, jurists applied their own reasoning (ijtihad) to come to an interpretation. Through time, one interpretation would be accepted by more and more doctors of law. Looking back in time at the evolved consensus of the scholars, it could be concluded that an ijma of scholars had been reached on this issue. 8 Unfortunately, unanimous agreement rarely happened among intellectual elite and since there were always diverse opinions, one could always find several scholars of the day who concurred on an issue. Also, the definition of ijma and which ijma would be considered valid was a point of contention, because ijma is not simply the consensus of all past jurists. Besides, using the concept of ijma po ses the problem of having to look to the past to solve the problems of the future, and scholars of yesteryear didnt wrestle the same issues that are challenging Muslims today. 1.4 Qiyas or analogy qiyas, is the fourth important source of Islamic law, is reasoning by analogy. In order to apply qiyas to similar cases, the reason or cause of the Islamic rule must be clear. For example, because the Quran clearly explains the reason that consumption of alcohol is prohibited (because it makes the user lose control of his actions), an analogy can be drawn to drugs which induce the same affect. But because the Quran does not specifically state the reason why pork is prohibited, Muslims cannot justify banning another meat product with a similar cholesterol level, etc. The use of analogies greatly varied among scholars; for example, Spains Ibn Hazm (10th century) who was formidable proponent of the Zahiri school, rejected the use of qiyas, whereas Imam Abu Hanifa of the Hanafi school (8th century) applied them extensively. Qiyas or analogy is resorted to in respect of problems about which there is no specific provision in the Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet. In such issues, the scholars have derived law through analogical deduction on the basis of the provisions of the Quran and the Sunnah on some similar situation. The scholars have developed detailed principles of analogical deductions or Qiyas in the books of Islamic jurisprudence. Qiyas is a kind of Ijtihad. The Prophet has permitted Ijtihad which literally means to exert. Technically it means to exert with a view to form an independent judgement on a legal issue. Ijtihad is the Islamic method of facing the new situations and problems in the light of the general principles of the book of Allah SWT), the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet or the Sunnah. Apart from Qiyas, there are other methods of Ijtihad such as Istihsan (that is the juristic preference from different interpretations) and Masalaha (that is moral consideration). In addition to the above sources, the practices of the Khulafa-e-Rashidun (the first four rulers of Islam), the decisions of the judges and the customs of the people are also considered sources of Islamic law in matters which are not spelled out in the Quran and the Sunnah. Conclusion: However the traditions of the prophet have been questioned for their authenticity. It was also debated as to what extent were the traditions religiously imperative(look for word). The use of analogies was greatly debated. Also there was little unanimous agreement among the Islamic scholars about the inexplicit issues.