Smoking in public places Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Smoking out in the open spots - Essay Example 5). Forbidding smoking out in the open spots will result to sparing of numerous lives just as money related costs (Cunningham 250). In any case, smokers are a huge wellspring of expense salary to governments, and disallowing smoking in broad daylight spots will without a doubt lessen the pay. Recycled smoke or natural tobacco smoke, which waits noticeable all around hours in the wake of smothering of cigarettes or stoppage of smoking, has unfavorable wellbeing impacts, for example, malignant growth, respiratory contaminations, and Asthma. Dynamic smokers out in the open places unnecessarily open nonsmokers to grave risk. Used smoke contains 4000 sorts of synthetic substances; 43 of these synthetic concoctions are cancer-causing owing to a great many lung malignancy passings, respiratory tract contaminations, and heart maladies among nonsmokers (Rabin 213). The main rationale to limit the swelling number of smoking prompted illnesses among inactive smokers is prohibiting smoking out in the open. Permitting smoking in broad daylight is sound. Most importantly, the wide scale restriction of smoking in broad daylight is biased against smokers whose rights ought to be protected (Rabin 214). Open foundations ought to strengthen the requirements of the open wholeheartedly however not sideline certain people as a result of their own decisions. Prohibiting smoking out in the open spaces, for example, bars endangers the manageability of the spots. It might likewise result to business conclusion since smokers move to spaces where smoking is intemperate, for example, at home. By and by, prohibiting smoking is compensatory as smoke free zones will similarly pull in non-smokers who would prefer not to be presented to recycled smoke. Restricting smoking in broad daylight is useful as it limits the recurrence of smoking just as powers smokers to give up the propensities by and large. Prohibiting smoking out in the open breaks the arrangement or renders it harder for smokers to stay aware of their propensity, for example, leaving the bar to have a cigarette. This constrains smokers to diminish the recurrence of

UNs Declaration of Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

UNs Declaration of Human Rights - Essay Example In reality, AI yearly report archived extrajudicial executions in 61 nations; legal executions in 28 nations; detainees of still, small voice in at any rate 63 nations; instances of torment and abuse in 125 nations and human vanishings in 30 nations. Notwithstanding, Amnesty International accepts that the genuine figures for every one of these insights are a lot higher. The Amnesty International further educated that despite the fact that legislatures have embraced the talk of human rights by means of the UN’s UDHR, just a couple have conveyed this into a reality. Absolution International considered that there is a lot of that administrations can and ought to do: They can guarantee that laborers are shielded from the most exceedingly awful types of abuse; they can battle exemption which is the toxic substance that permits human rights infringement to spread, to repeat or to reappear; they can quit assaulting human rights activists; they can, and should, satisfy their human rig hts commitments. Looking into its starting points, the UDHR turned into the reason for a few human rights arrangements, remembering two Covenants for Political and Civil Rights just as Social, Economic, and Cultural Rights. This is most likely why global human rights backing bunches have developed during the 1960s (Amnesty International) and 1970s (Human Rights Watch) to investigate the UDHR as the premise of their activism. Conversely, the worldwide network completely disregarded the show against decimation until the mid 1990s. During this time, various examples of annihilation went without a global reaction.

5 Tips for Onboarding New Employees with Ease

5 Tips for Onboarding New Employees with Ease Good employees are hard to come by in todays competitive job market. When you’re fortunate enough to succeed in your search and are ready to welcome new people to your team, you’ll want to make sure their introduction to your company goes as smoothly as possible. A consistent, comprehensive onboarding process is essential for effectively getting new hires up to speed and generating excitement about their new roles. To ensure your onboarding process sets new employees up for success, there are a few important steps to follow. Here, we’ll outline some onboarding best practices you can start implementing right away. 1. Encourage Feedback New employees are often full of great ideas, having come in with fresh eyes and unique experiences. You may not be able to act upon every idea right away, but it’s important to encourage new employees and show them their opinions are valued. Using an idea map to capture new â€" and veteran â€" employees’ ideas can be a great way to organize their input and potentially turn it into actionable tasks. Collecting and documenting feedback from employees also helps to hold yourself accountable for making continuous improvements to your onboarding process. Oracle’s onboarding revamp is a good example of this positive feedback loop in action. When CEO Mark Hurd recognized the faults in his company’s onboarding process, he looked to employees for feedback on their experiences and how they might improve Oracle’s onboarding. By acting on these insights, Oracle managed to boost favorable views of their onboarding process from around 30 percent of employees to 80 percent. 2. Provide Guidance Once employees are ready to start working on their core functions, providing them with step-by-step guides will help ensure that they don’t overlook important steps in their new tasks. Using a task management tool like MeisterTask, you can set up predefined checklists for this purpose. If you want a new marketing employee to begin sending out newsletters on their second day, you might create a checklist with all necessary steps in chronological order. It might look like this: Predefined checklists can help keep results consistent and provide new employees with an easy reference as they get used to their roles. Besides checklists for individual tasks, shared knowledge maps are another simple way to provide guidance to new employees. Knowledge maps are ontologies of your organizational knowledge. They can contain anything from design assets to email templates to information about your company’s mission and goals. These visual maps are easy to navigate and help your new employees to discover the information they’re looking for without having to ask their colleagues for assistance. 3. Follow Along By the end of their first week, new employees are likely ready to showcase their abilities and begin making real contributions. New employees want to feel like they’re making an impact, so providing them with early opportunities to demonstrate their talents can create a sense of meaning in those first few days. That being said, you don’t want to throw them to the wolves without proper monitoring. Tools such as MeisterTask offer managers the ability to “watch” entire projects and thus get notified instantly about any task changes or comments left by their team members. This can provide tangible insight into where new employees excel, as well as help to identify areas where they may need assistance. You want to encourage new hires to go at their own speed and figure out a routine that works best for them, but it’s also important that they learn how to prioritize their new responsibilities. Tools like RescueTime, Harvest or MeisterTask’s internal time tracker allow for automatic or manual tracking of time spent on specific tasks. If you implement this practice, reassure new employees you’re not judging them based on their timestamps, but are instead educating your business on how it can best help them organize their workload. 4. Automate Automating tasks in your onboarding program can create a more streamlined and consistent process. If you’re using MeisterTask, you can create tasks for all the typical steps in your onboarding process, beginning with pre-boarding paperwork. Using an automation, you can, for instance, let MeisterTask notify you via email as soon as the employment contract has been signed. Another automation could be set up to assign a task to your accountant to let them know that the new employee should be added to the payroll.   Automation can also be used to facilitate self-serve access to e-learning activities and lessons, so employees who need flexible scheduling can tailor their onboarding schedules to best suit their availability. 5. Track progress Unlike orientation, onboarding should be an ongoing process. In this phase, it’s important to track the new employee’s progress with milestones, such as their 30th, 60th, and 90th days on the job. Regularly checking in with employees offers chances to review performance, provide feedback, identify any challenges, and let them know you’re invested in their growth. You can use a MindMeister mind map as a visual aid for your progress meetings with the employee. Mind maps are easy to update and offer space for personal comments, notes and more. Research shows that 42% of employees are more productive when they have access to proper onboarding processes. There’s simply no question about the importance of fully optimizing your onboarding program, and we hope these recommendations can help you set up your future employees for success. Visualize and automate your workflow. Get the Meister Bundle Save 30% Get the Meister Bundle

Setting IEP Goals for Reading Comprehension

When a student in your class is the subject of an Individual Education Plan (IEP), you will be called upon to join a team that will write goals for that student. These goals are important, as the students performance will be measured against them for the remainder of the IEP period, and their success can determine the kinds of support the school will provide. Below are guidelines for writing IEP goals that measure reading comprehension.   Writing Positive, Measurable Goals for IEPs For educators, its important to remember that IEP goals should be SMART. That is, they should be Specific, Measurable, use Action words, be Realistic and Time-limited. Goals should also be positive. A common pitfall in todays data-driven educational climate is the creation of goals that lean heavily on quantitative results. For example, a student may have a goal to summarize a passage or story, relating essential components with 70% accuracy. Theres nothing wishy-washy about that figure; it seems like a solid, measurable goal. But whats missing is any sense of where the child stands currently. Does 70% accuracy represent a realistic improvement? By what measure is the 70% to be calculated? SMART Goal Example Heres an example of how to set a SMART goal. Reading comprehension is the goal we are looking to set. Once thats identified, find a tool to measure it. For this example, the Gray Silent Reading Test (GSRT) may suffice. The student should be tested with this tool prior to IEP goal setting so that a reasonable improvement can be written into the plan. The resultant positive goal may read, Given the Gray Silent Reading Test, will score at grade level by March. Strategies to Develop Reading Comprehension Skills To meet the stated IEP goals in reading comprehension, teachers may employ a variety of strategies. Below are some suggestions: Provide engaging and motivating materials to retain the students interest. Be specific by naming the series, resources or books to be used.Highlight and underline key words and ideas.Teach the student about sentence and paragraph construction and how to focus on key points. Again, be very specific so that the goal is measurable.Provide information and clarification about how a text or resource is organized. The child should know the features of a text including the cover, the index, subtitles, bold titles, etc.Provide ample opportunities for the child to discuss written information.Develop summarization skills focusing on the beginning, middle and ending key points.Develop research skills and strategies.Provide opportunities for group learning, especially to respond to written information.Show how pictorial and context clues are used.Encourage the student to ask for clarification if she becomes confused.Provide one-on-one support frequently. Once the IEP is written, it is imperative that the student, to the best of his ability, understands the expectations. Help track their progress, and remember that including students in their IEP goals is a great way to provide a pathway to success.

International Business Management - 3445 Words

International business management refers to the effective management of business transactions that are to be performed across various countries. This is done to satisfy the objectives of people and organizations. Thus a firm should be aware of various issues while entering foreign markets. There are key political, cultural, social, legal and environmental issues that every organization must fully cover to ensure the smooth running of its business in foreign shores. Failure to do so may lead to may obstacles. It is always effective to take a proactive measure while conducting business in foreign markets. Ben Jerrys Homemade, Inc., the Vermont-based manufacturer of ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet based in Vermont. It was founded in†¦show more content†¦BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT: It is important to understand the business environment in Russia between 1992 and 1997 during which period Ben Jerrys was part of a joint venture called Iceverk in Russia at this period. Since 1991, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the communist period. • Political Instability: With the collapse of the Soviet Union political uncertainty for potential foreign investors in the newly democratic Russia. The country had to be rebuilt, and it was questionable what laws would be enacted and what laws would be discarded. Thats why, all foreign business operating in Russia were doing so under risk. • Management Problems: As a result of former communist work ideology, skilled managers were in short supply for the Karelia facilities. Managers, as well as subordinates, needed to be trained both in work habits and in Western capitalist philosophy. Consequently, managers had to be flown in from the United States until the Russians could learn the intricacies of free market as well as the production of high-quality ice cream. • Corruption and Mafia: With the fall of the USSR, the Russian Mafia has gained enormous power. The underworld is thought to control some 40 percent of the Russian economy. US businesses pay as much as 30 percent of their monthly profit for Mafia protection. This was aShow MoreRelatedChallenges of International Business Management1037 Words   |  5 PagesCHALLENGES OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT What are the challenges of International Business Management? International business management is a term that is used collectively to describe all commercial transactions which include; †¢ Private †¢ Governmental †¢ Sales †¢ Investments †¢ Transportation The above take place between two or more nations. It involves all business activities which partake in cross border activities of goods, services and resources between nations. PrivateRead MoreInternational Business Environment And Marketing Management1853 Words   |  8 PagesI chose international business environment as my topic of interest The reason why I chose this topic because I would like to become an international business manager in the future, so as a result of that I have to know a lot about the international business environment and that will help to develop my career in international of business management and yes international business environment is related to my area of study or professional field of study, as a student of business administration andRead MoreManagement in International Business1120 Words   |  5 Pagesworldwide employments presently consist of 4,263 stores and 660,000 employees in fifteen nations externally the United States. There are completely controlled stores in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the UK. With two.one million workers globally, the business is the gigantic independent entrepreneur in the US and Mexico, and 1 of the gigantic in Canada. In the monetary span in 2010, Wal-Mart’s worldwide departmentalizing commerce were $one hundred billion, or 24.7% of overall mark eting. Wal-Mart hasRead MoreImpact Of Management On International Business Essay804 Words   |  4 PagesImpacts of Management in International Business A multinational business will face many ethics challenges, but with the right management and the right training, these challenges can be dealt with in an effective and ethical way. It’s sometimes hard to understand the thoughts one may have when making a decision that is unethical. The best thing to do is to think through all options you have and options you think you may not have before taking action. Businesses starting in a new country willRead MoreAssignments for International Business Management2924 Words   |  12 PagesAssignments for International Business Management Assignment 1: The TATA case Tata Cars, India, has become the focus of public attention, and has caught the beady eyes of competitors in the automobile industry since it announced it would put the cheapest car ever on the market – first in India, but eventually also in the rest of the world. This plan is seen as a revolution in the car industry. Many potential customers all over the world anticipated the arrival of the Tata Nano. Millions of peopleRead MoreThe General Impact of Management in International Business1075 Words   |  5 PagesNowadays the international trade has a considerable extension; the exchange of goods, services, and natural resources is making in all over the world. Transportation and communication become quicker with the precious aid of the new technology. Often, several companies move from their native country to another one. The world is seen now as a global market where a diversity of societies is appealed to deal together. So, the management must from now on be considered in larger sense as several countriesRead MoreInternational Business Management Essay620 Words   |  3 Pagescategorize your problems and solutions? What was as short-term and what was a long-term problem? Standing as Mr. shuhei’s point of view, I would like to concentrate on the overall manufacture framework, which was how Toyota was running its oversea business in the historical strategy chosen and market response in the following fiscal year. Toyota has two main largest oversea markets, North America and Europe. At first, I want to focus on comparing the two main oversea markets. For the North AmericaRead MoreRisk Management Course of International Business838 Words   |  3 PagesRecently, There are some personal reflections a great learning experience in the course of risk management of international business. I would like to share in this journal. It has been a long time since I defined the most fundamental and strong motivation of corporations is maximizing business profit. Even after the proposal of corporation social responsibility, I assumed that only the result of unharmed business operation can make company start to consider social responsibilities and until they increasedRead MoreSample Resume : International Business Management1737 Words   |  7 PagesTime: Marks Student’s Name ID Fatima Jasem Al Ali – BAF1406010 / Student’s Name ID / Student’s Name ID / Student’s Name ID / Student’s Name ID / Course Name International Business Management Course Code BUS 417 Semester Spring 2015 Instructor’s Name Dr.Moataz ,Dr.Ajayeb Dr.Tarek valuation Introduction Body of the Report Conclusion Recommendations References Appendix: Organization, language, presentation IndividualRead MoreA Short Note On International Operations Management And International Business3922 Words   |  16 Pages INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT MSC MANAGEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COHORT SEPTEMBER 2014 Module code: MAN7013 Prepared by: THANH VU NGUYEN Student ID: S13181084 Prepared for: TONY BIRCH Submission date: 3 July 2015 Introduction Coca Cola Company is known as the world’s largest beverage company with its flagship product Coca Cola, which is invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia. According to the 2005 annual report, the company operated

Suicide and the Harm Principle Free Essays

string(136) " her loss deprives them of their relationship to her, along with other interests that she contributed to satisfying in living her life\." The Right to Suicide and Harm Suicide under circumstances of extreme suffering is the morally right action as opposed to the alternative, living in pain. J. S. We will write a custom essay sample on Suicide and the Harm Principle or any similar topic only for you Order Now Mill’s Utilitarian ideals provide strong reasoning to support suicide in instances of severe pain, while Kant’s moral theory of the categorical imperative provides reasoning against taking one’s own life. Mill’s principle of utility is the maximization of pleasure and the reduction of pain. Mill regards happiness as the greatest good in life and all actions should be performed as long as they have the tendency to produce pleasure. Mill also introduces the Harm Principle. The Harm Principle is used to determine whether coercion is justifiable based on the impact of individual actions. Stated, the Harm Principle is â€Å"the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant† (On Liberty, I, 9). Mill believe that individuals have the right to autonomy in order to produce pleasure for themselves, but the right to autonomy must be controlled to allow equal exercise of this right by all individuals. To understand the application of Mill’s principles, harm must be defined. Harm is damage to another individual against their will. Mill introduces two types of harm: direct and indirect. Direct harm is when an individual performs an action that directly harms another person, such as murder. Indirect harm is when the individual performs an action that causes damage to others through performing an action on one’s self. (On Liberty, I, 11) The distinction between indirect and direct harm determines whether the individual who performed the action resulting in the harm is morally responsible for the harm inflicted. Mill offers little towards the definition of harm and the distinction between direct and indirect harm. He writes: â€Å"Whenever, in short, there is a definite damage, or a definite risk of damage, either to an individual or to the public, the case is taken out of the province of liberty, and placed in that of morality or law† (On Liberty, IV, 10) Mill states that when individual actions pose a risk of â€Å"definite† damage, the individual is responsible to society for those actions. Therefore, â€Å"definite† harm is direct harm to others and all other harms are either (1) indirect harm to others or (2) direct harm to oneself and undeserving of legal or moral sanctions. However, the word â€Å"definite† is vague, leaving the definitions of indirect and direct harm unclear. To determine responsibility and appropriate sanctions to punish and deter, Mill employs a central idea of his theory: personal autonomy. Personal autonomy is an individual’s ability to pursue â€Å"their own good in their own way†, one of Mill’s four absolute rights (On Liberty, I, 14). Each individual has the absolute right to exercise this autonomy, unless their actions impact the autonomy of another person. In cases where autonomous actions result in direct harm to others, either the government is justified in imposing legal sanctions such as jail time, or society is justified in imposing moral sanctions, such as shaming. Therefore, to determine whether direct harm was committed, one looks at whether one individual caused the abridgment of another individual’s absolute rights. Exegesis In this section, a case will be presented to prompt discussion about the morally validity of suicide. Mill’s reasoning will include a utility calculation and an evaluation of direct and indirect harm. Consider the following case. A young woman named Jane, aged 29, finds out she has the Parkinson’s gene. Jane watched her mother die from the disease and does not want to die the way her mother did. When the symptoms begin to set in and worsen, she decides to commit suicide. She knows that she can live many more years with the disease but she knows that her quality of life will be reduced. Jane believes that her quality of life will be so diminished that death is the only option. Is it right for Jane commit suicide? Mill would invoke the Harm Principle. The act of committing suicide would be a self-regarding act. As the harm is directly imposed on herself, all other consequences of her action are considered indirect as they occur through Jane’s self-regarding act. Hence, Jane should suffer no moral or legal sanctions for committing suicide. Furthermore, she has evaluated her options and upon deep consideration, decided that the pain of living with her condition outweighs the pleasure of living with her condition. A utility calculation can be formalized to further justify her decision on utilitarian grounds. Utilitarianism) For Jane: 1. Tendency to cause pleasure: 100 units 2. Tendency to cause pain: 50 units For the aggregate of the other people affected: 3. Tendency to cause pleasure: 10 units 4. Tendency to cause pain: 20 units Hence: Pleasure: 110 units, Pain: 70 units. Perform the action. For Jane, dying would be the ultimate pleasure as it is the end of her suffering. She views suici de as the mean to her ultimate end: happiness. For Jane, the pain of dying is less than the pain of living. After seeing her mother die from Parkinson’s disease, she makes the valid decision to not die the same way. She recognizes that death is the end of her life and the pain of leaving her family and friends does impact on this decision. Yet, when compared to the suffering she will endure as her Parkinson’s progresses, the pleasure derived from these relationships is not enough to compel her to live. For the aggregate of the community, pleasure derived from Jane performing the action of suicide would be the comfort in knowing that (a) her wishes were respected and (b) her suffering is relieved. However, the pain of Jane’s suicide outweighs the pleasure as the interests of the aggregate are compromised by her death. Upon her death, they mourn her loss and her loss deprives them of their relationship to her, along with other interests that she contributed to satisfying in living her life. You read "Suicide and the Harm Principle" in category "Essay examples" Compared to the value of Jane’s pleasure and pain, the value of the aggregate of all other affected persons is less. Jane is directly impacted by her action, while all the others are indirectly impacted. Mill gives more consideration to direct actions as they are in the sphere of personal responsibility. Harm suffered outside of Jane’s sphere of action, or indirect actions, are of lesser value to Jane as she has no moral responsibility for indirect harm. Furthermore, the indirect harm does not violate anyone’s liberty rights and is therefore of lesser value than the direct harm. Therefore, Jane is justified in placing a lower value on the aggregate pain and pleasure of the community compared to her personal pain and pleasure. Hence, the tendency to cause pleasure outweighs the tendency to cause pain and the action should be performed. When one decides to commit suicide, Mill would argue that the only person directly affected is the individual. However, Mill writes: â€Å"No person is an entirely isolated being†, showing how an individual’s actions are never completely self-regarding (On Liberty). There will always be affected parties by your actions. While the family and friends of the individual will mourn the death, they are mourning the loss of a life. The loss of life affects the family and friends by harming the interests that they had in the success of the individual as a human life. For example, if the Jane was a mother, her family has a strong interest in maintaining their family structure and growing up with a present mother. While the harm is indirect, it is significant and â€Å"definite† as the family will be affected for the rest of their lives. With her death, their interests are compromised. The principal interest of all rational humans is happiness and interests serve the purpose of maximizing pleasure and reducing pain (Utilitarianism, II, 2). Pleasure is derived from living a good life and interests are what the individual desires to attain happiness. The pursuit of happiness is done through satisfying the individual interests of a person, hence to deny an individual of these interests would be to deny them of their happiness. The definitions of direct and indirect harm appear unsatisfactory in determining the morality of an action; however, by evaluating the importance of personal autonomy, a more satisfying conclusion is reached. If interests are the means to the ultimate end of happiness, then the individual who wants to commit suicide is a mean to the ultimate end of her family and friends’ happiness. If the individual satisfies her own happiness by committing suicide, she is performing an action to achieve her ends. Mill writes that the only justification needed for determining the desirability of an action is whether it is desired. Utilitarianism, IV, 3) As the individual desires to die, it is sufficient evidence that the action will provide happiness to the individual. Whether this action affects the interests of others is of minimal concern, as rational beings are not intended to serve as means to another’s happiness. Hence, suicide is justified as long as the individual achieves the ultimate end of happiness despite harming the interests of others. The Objection In this section, an objection from the perspective of Kant will be presented using the four formulations of his categorical imperative. Immanuel Kant would provide a compelling objection to Mill’s justification of suicide. Kant offers four formulations of the categorical imperative, proving suicide as an immoral act by the definition that moral actions meet the formulations of the categorical imperative. First, the Formula of Universal Law, states: â€Å" I ought never to conduct myself except so that I could also will that my maxim become a universal law†(Groundwork, Ak4:401) . The maxim that Jane is acting upon is killing one’s self to relieve suffering. To will this to become a universal law would be to will that all human suffering can solved through suicide. However, this is a self-defeating maxim as one can not enjoy relief from suffering if one ceases to exist. Second, the Formula of Nature states: â€Å"Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a universal law of nature† (Groundwork, Ak4:421). By this formulation of the categorical imperative, the justification for committing suicide would be that she believes that suicide should be a universal law of nature. To say that suicide should be a universal law of nature is again, as mentioned in the above formulation, self-defeating. Also, Jane, as a rational agent, would not will suicide to be a universal law of nature; hence, Kant would conclude that she is not justified in committing suicide. Third, the Formula of Humanity states: â€Å"†¦ any rational being exists as an end in itself, not merely as a means to the discretionary use of this or that will, but in all its actions, those directed toward itself as well as those directed toward other rational beings, it must at the same time be considered as an end† (Groundwork, Ak:4:428). Simply put, this formulation of the categorical imperative states that all rational beings are considered ends, rather then just means to another’s ends. Each individual is an end within themselves and all rational being must regard other rational beings as ends rather than means. In Jane’s decision to commit suicide, Kant would say that she is treating her own life as mere means to achieve her end. Kant explicitly writes: â€Å"the one who has suicide in mind will ask himself whether his action could subsist together with the idea of humanity as an end in itself† (Groundwork, Ak4:429). Kant believes that all rational humans are not mere means to ends, but ends within themselves. If one commits suicide, one acts in a way that regards their humanity as a mere means to their happiness, as they believe that happiness is achieved following their death. Kant would argue that suicide degrades humanity on the whole, treating life as a means to the ultimate end, rather than an end in itself (Groundwork, Ak4:42964). Fourth, the Formula of Autonomy states: â€Å"Not to choose otherwise than so that the maxims of one’s choice are at the same time comprehended with it in the same volition as universal law† (Groundwork, Ak4:441). This formulation of the categorical imperative says that by free will, rational agents dictate laws and by the same free will, rational agents subject themselves to the laws they dictate. Through this formulation, Kant demonstrates the absolute value of reason in rational beings. Through reason, rational beings create the laws through which they live moral lives. Suicide, even in the case of suffering, would not be a law that a rational agent would universally impose upon society for if it were imposed on society, humanity would be degraded. Kant would also argue that Jane has the perfect duty to preserve her life that this maxim would violate. Her duty relies on the respect for humanity and human life as ends, rather than means. Her violation of the duty through suicide shows a lack of respect for human reason as she is readily able to dispose of her own. Hence, Kant would conclude that the maxim of suicide to relieve suffering is not a valid maxim as it fails to satisfy this formula. Therefore, Kant would argue that suicide to relieve suffering does not satisfy the categorical imperative and is morally wrong. The Rejoinder In this section, Mill’s response to Kant’s objection is presented. By recalling the concept of autonomy, Mill refutes Kant’s objection to suicide. In response to Kant’s claims that suicide violates the four formulations, Mill would argue that based on the supreme principle of personal autonomy, Kant’s claims are false. While the maxim of killing one’s self to relieve suffering is not one that can be universally applied, the magnitude of suffering is important in considering Jane’s decision. It is far too broad to say that lack of respect for one individual’s life will lead to the erosion of respect for all human life (Edwards). Situations of suicide must be evaluated on an individual basis, not on the premise of respect for the entire human race. Realistically, it is unlikely that Jane’s suicide will lead to justification of suicide. Occurring every 13. 7 minutes in the US, suicide is a major cause of death but society still functions with relative stability and order (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). Isolated cases do not determine the general state of the world. By failing to consider the consequences of actions for individuals Kant’s reasoning falls short by only drawing large-scale conclusions of the impact of motivations on humanity as a whole. The claim that Jane is treating her humanity as mere means to her end is false. Jane has lived her life as she has desired, deriving pleasure throughout the journey. As she nears the end, her pleasure begins to diminish and is overcome by the pain of her disease. Wanting to die before experiencing overwhelming pain is not a disregard for her life, instead, it is the preservation of the memory of a good life well lived. By wanting to die before her disease debilitates her, she maximizes the pleasures of life by avoiding pain. Furthermore, suicide does not represent a disregard for human rationality. Jane’s suicide is a triumph of human rationality. Because of reason, she is able to justify her decision to commit suicide by using the observation of her mother’s death as well as the medical facts that allow her to (1) know that she possess the gene that will give her the disease and (2) recognize the symptoms of Parkinson’s while determining how far the disease can progress without compromising her happiness. Analysis This section will offer an analysis of the arguments of both Kant and Mill in their ability to determine the morality of suicide. While it is important to recognize that Kant’s categorical imperative provides good reasoning promoting the preservation of life, the argument falls short in understanding the degree of personal suffering and the toll this suffering takes on an individual. The categorical imperative focuses on motives behind actions, but with an action such as suicide, where the end result is death, motives matter less than consequences. However, if the maxim under which Jane operates was stated as â€Å"Act in a way that promotes happiness and reduces pain†, both Kant and Mill may be satisfied. By this maxim, all the formulas stated above are valid and Mill’s principle of utility is satisfied. Autonomy lies at the heart of this dilemma and Mill’s response to Kant’s objections succeed in demonstrating that. Jane has valid reasons to commit suicide and because she is a rational agent, her reason must be respected. The utility calculation, as well as the concepts of direct and indirect harm, serve as valuable tools in drawing the conclusion that suicide is the morally correct action given Jane’s state of affairs. Works Cited Kant. â€Å"Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals . † (1785). Mill, J. S. â€Å"On Liberty. † (1859). Mill, J. S. â€Å"Utilitarianism. † (1861). Prevention, American Foundation for Suicide. Facts and Figures. 2012. 2012 http://www. afsp. org/index. cfm? page_id=04ea1254-bd31-1fa3-c549d77e6ca6aa37. How to cite Suicide and the Harm Principle, Essay examples

The Mowa Band of Choctaw Indians free essay sample

The Choctaw Indians of Alabama are a band of Indians that managed to remain behind in the outer regions of north Mobile and south Washington counties after their tribal lands were given up to the United States in 1830. Beginning in 1830, the most significant period of their removal from their homelands, the majority of the Choctaw tribe was forced along the Trail of Tears settling on reservation lands in Mississippi and Oklahoma. A small group of about 45 families avoided removal by settling and hiding out in the woods surrounding the small communities of Citronelle, Mt. Vernon, and McIntosh. â€Å"There were four major families: the Reed, Weaver, Byrd, and Rivers families. The next largest are the Snow, Johnston, Taylor, Orso, Chestang, and Fields families. Other family names that appear often within the group are Evans, Davis, Cole, Frazier, Smith, Lofton, Hopkins, and Sullivan† (Matte, Greenbaum and Brown, Origins of the MOWA Band of Choctaws). We will write a custom essay sample on The Mowa Band of Choctaw Indians or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Over time, other Indians in the area that were without tribal communities of their own joined the Choctaw Indians of Alabama. Today, the Choctaw Indians of Alabama are known as the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians. This tribe took on the name of MOWA in the 1970’s when they began to seek government recognition to identify the Indians in Mobile and Washington Counties who are descended from several Indian Tribes: Choctaw, Creek, Cherokee, Mescalero, and Apache. Over time the tribal members have intermarried or partnered with nearly 30 different tribes nationally. The name MOWA is an acronym which combines the first syllables of Mobile and Washington counties; the two counties where the tribal reservation straddles both counties. The name â€Å"MOWA† does have a distinctive ring to it; but the name does not have deep roots in Indian linguistics. It was taken on because it was similar to tribal names adopted by other groups who have sought federal recognition. It was also adopted to distinguish them from the Mississippi Band of Choctaws. The MOWAs was the first tribe in Alabama to become incorporated and state recognized. Very little is known of the MOWA Choctaw Indians between the 1830’s and 1890’s because they kept very few written records. Most of their history was passed down by mouth from generation to generation. Their efforts to avoid removal, persecution, and to retain their way of life by hiding in the swamps and piney woods of Mobile and Washington counties; an area that contained enough game to provide their food supply and a good water source that was used for farming was unsuccessful after the white man more than likely used deceptive schemes and underhanded tactics to take ownership of the land that the Choctaws inhabited. The MOWAs lived in poverty and isolation until the 1940’s, struggling to remain alive. Outside of their community there was very little work they were allowed to do. The MOWAs were uneducated so they had to perform work that could be done using their hands. The men hunted and sold game and deerskins and prided themselves on being great negotiators. During the Great Depression in the 1920’s, logging became the primary occupation for many Indians. They begin to log and cut ties for railroads but their major occupation became cutting pulpwood. The women often sold firewood and some of their local wares such as baskets; but the primary responsibility of the women was the farming. An inter-communal system of farming was established where each family raised crops that was typical of the area such as squash, beans, and corn. These crops was raised on communal land and shared among all of the families in the tribe. Many of the women still employ the â€Å"three sisters† method of gardening with beans, squash, and maize. The Choctaw are a traditionally matrilineal society, which means they trace their kinship through females rather than males, some still take their mother’s last name. White and black children attended local but separate public schools. The local whites did not want their children attending school with the Indians so they attended a separate mission schools which were not accredited. After completing the 8th grade, the Indian students had to be sent hundreds of miles away from home to attend boarding schools that were run by various missions and the federal government in order to receive an accredited high chool diploma. Tribal members have attended federal and mission Indian boarding schools such as (Haskell Institute (Lawrence, KS), Bacone Indian College (Muskogee, Oklahoma), and Acadia Baptist (Eunice, Louisiana) for five generations† (J. A. Matte, They Say the Wind is Red The Alabama Choctaw-Lost In Their Own Land). Some of the first college graduates selected teaching as a career and returned in the late 1950’s to help educate more of their own people. The MOWAs have maintained a continuously functioning tribal school for over 175 years. The school bell was used as a means of communicating major events within the community; through a code of rings, the community was made aware of births, deaths, and emergencies† (Ray). The old school bell has been placed in the cemetery of Reed Chapel Church near the Reed Chapel Indian School which is a part of the Washington County Public School System in McIntosh, AL. The first public Indian school in Mobile County was built in 1835 and named the Weaver School but was later renamed Calcedeaver. â€Å"Calcedeaver comes from the names of three consolidated schools. When the Mobile County Public School System took over the operation of the missionary schools of Calvert, Cedar Creek and Weaver, they combined them and tool the Cal from Calvert, Ced from Cedar Creek and eaver from Weaver to form one elementary school, Calcedeaver (McKnight). † Today, Calcedeaver Elementary School sits on the edge of the MOWA reservation in Mt. Vernon, AL and features a Choctaw language and culture program funded through Title VII Indian Education Program. Nicole Williams, a native MOWA, serves as the Native American Interpreter and oversees the program. In an interview with Mrs. Williams, she said â€Å"the grant is meant to keep Native American cultures alive. And it is her job, as she sees it, to instill in our children the cultural aspects of their heritage coinciding with academics, so that their education is academic-based with culture intertwined in it (Williams). † The children not only learn the basics of the Choctaw language, but they also learn traditional circle dances and compete in pow-wows, and the school has a Choctaw culture exhibit with twelve traditional Indian houses. Choctaw songs are sung, greetings in the language are recited over the PA system and elaborate Choctaw regalia are constructed for the dance teams. The tribe has improved its quality of education with Calcedeaver’s language and culture program connecting them to their heritage and keeping the language alive for future generations. Some of the old traditions are still alive and well in everyday life. Many of the women in the community still craft traditional handmade dresses and shirts. Choctaw heritage centers on keeping the many rich traditions of Choctaw culture alive. The most important of these traditions to the MOWAs is the continued use of their native tongue. The Choctaw language has been preserved over the centuries, and today is a central part of their heritage. Modern Choctaw women continue to make clothing, baskets, and cook food that has been part of their Choctaw heritage for centuries. The MOWAs still wear traditional dresses and shirts for ceremonial occasions, creating another tie between themselves and their ancestors. For centuries, Choctaw baskets have been made out of swamp cane and today many MOWA women still practice these techniques and teach them to the younger generations. Hominy and banaha, a mixture of peas and cornmeal, are two of the many traditional Choctaw foods still cooked and eaten by the present day MOWAs from recipes that have traditionally been passed down from mother to daughter. Another tie to Choctaw heritage is the traditional dances performed to chants that are usually part of various social events in the MOWA communities. MOWAs continue to play the traditional game of stick ball. The game of stick ball, an often deadly sport was used to settle disputes between tribes. The MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians holds true to many of the traditional Choctaw values. One of the core Choctaw Indian values is their generosity. Respect and care of the elderly and deceased have also been a primary Choctaw Indian value for centuries. Elderly members are cared for by their children and viewed as wise, esteemed members of the tribe. The extensive funeral rituals in the Choctaw culture also point to the tribe’s respect for the deceased. Weeks of mourning and the recitations of all the good deeds committed by the deceased in the traditional funeral cry are just two of the ways that they show their reverence for their dead. Almost all of the Choctaw Indian values can be attributed to the pride they have for their Choctaw identity and the loyalty they show to one another. Through difficult times, racism the discrimination, the wrath of the deep south’s Jim Crowism upon the Indians, and other setbacks, the MOWAs have aggressively defended their cultural heritage and is described by Mr. Bud Shepard, one of the authors of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (B. I. A. ), who visited the tribe for a pre-study of the group, stated that he has never seen â€Å"a more closely knit group of Indians, a people who have stayed together and preserved their history and culture while enduring great hardship† (Testimony of Bud Shepard). One of the most important things about culture is kinship and that’s the most important thing to the MOWA. They have a long history of a few families that have lived together, worked together, know each other. June 1979, the MOWA received recognition as an Indian tribe by the state of Alabama but federal recognition to this day remains beyond their reach because of the stringent guidelines set out by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. To celebrate achieving this milestone, the MOWAs revived another traditional custom, the pow-wow. Each year, they host an inter-tribal pow-wow occurs on the second weekend of October on the Tribal reservation lands. This event includes an annual cultural festival which includes chanting, traditional social dancing, stickball games, and a Choctaw princess contest. The pow-wow is a time of celebration, a time for dancing, eating, seeing old friends and making new ones, and learning Indian traditions. Former Chief Framon Weaver describes the event as â€Å"a homecoming for the MOWA Indians that have moved and settled in other parts of the world and it provides a chance to invite the general public to come out and share our culture and traditions† (G. Ray). The last five hundred years of exploitation and discrimination, up to and including their ongoing struggle for federal recognition, have left a deep impact on the MOWA. The tribe remains determined, confident, and ultimately proud of their identity. MOWA pride is evident in the passionate testimony given by the late Leon Taylor, a revered elder o the tribe, to Congress in 1985, â€Å"today, I am Choctaw. My mother was Choctaw. My grandfather was Choctaw. Tomorrow, I will still be Choctaw† (Burgess). The MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians firmly believe federal recognition is not the cornerstone of Indian identity but rather it is the culture, language, tribal lands, physicality, historical governmental relationships, Indian schools and related social factors that determines who they are. Today, there are approximately 6000 members of the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians with over 3,500 living on the reservation or 10 of the small communities surrounding it. The MOWA Choctaws have reclaimed over 300 acres of reservation land which includes the old sacred â€Å"Indian† stomping ground and is the site of a rapidly growing center. The late nationally known Indian author and leader Vine Deloria Jr. described the MOWA Choctaws as â€Å"without question a continuous and identifiable Indian community deserving of federal recognition. The MOWA people have continued to endure and progress even in the face of adversity and rejection. We have a federal Indian housing program, tribal court, tribal police force, Indian health clinic, athletic center, tribal government complex, two production factories, athletic fields, cultural museum, outstanding local schools, reservation lands, a flourishing language program and a rich cultural legacy of our people well intact† (Finch). The MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians has fought a long and hard battle to regain their identity. Their leaders have been credited with strong leadership and dedication and commitment has made the fight a worthwhile effort. The MOWAs are proud of their heritage as Native Americans.