Critical Regionalism Was First Introduced Cultural Studies Essay

Critical Regionalism Was First Introduced Cultural Studies Essay The idea of critical regionalism has been heard in architecture society. Vitruvius discussed regional variations in architecture in his ten books, and the Romantics propounded picturesque regionalism during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, regionalism seems to against the theory of modernism and postmodernism, both of which were thought to have failed to address the human condition in their extreme stances towards historicism. Thus from the question, how to become modern and to return to sources? by Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre hypothesize critical regionalism as the solution. The term was originally introduced by Tzonis and Lefaivre in their article The Grid and the Pathway, where critical regionalism was presented as the third and latest type of regionalism in Greece, succeeding the English picturesque of nationalist regionalism and the Neoclassical historicist regionalism. Here, modern architecture is thought to be remote and massive, destroying the hu manistic character in architectural term which would be stated by a new form of regionalism. Frampton follows the lead of Tzonis and Lefaivre in exploring the theory critical regionalism. In the article Towards a Critical Regionalism, Frampton defines critical regionalism as an architecture of resistance, seeking to mediate the impact of universal civilization with elements derived indirectly from the peculiarities of a particular place, Thus aiming to reflect and serve the limited constituencies in which it was grounded. It is a resistance in the sense that it is a reaction against universal standards, culture homogenization and placeless modernism, but at the same time critical in its outlook; self-evaluating such that is is confrontational with not only the world but also to itself. According to Tzonis and Lefaivre, this self-reflective function is executed through the method of defamiliarization, in contrast to the romantic regionalism of familiarization, which employed nostalgic picturesque elements from a foregone era. This process entails selecting regional elements and incorporating them in a way that may appear distant, as if it were the sense of place in a strange sense of displacement, seeking to disrupt the sentimental link between the building and the place, and thus in this sense a reaction agaist the romantic sentimentality of pictureresque follies. Postmodernism, as its name suggests, aspired to succeed modernism whose ideals and norms were seen as responsible for the numerous failures that characterized most reconstruction and urban renewal projects realized since World War II. Having pledged to bring architecture out of a state of stagnation and disrepute due to reductive, technocratic and bureaucratic dogmas of modernism as well as its indifference, if not hostility towards history and culture, postmodernism buildings, apart from their superficial features, were qualitatively not much different from their predecessors. With few exceptions, museum buildings, such as the National Gallery in London and pricate houses in the United states, such as those by Robert Stern, the re-introduction of historical knowledge and cultural issues to design was merely skin-deep. Regionalism was not the term the architects themselves were reffering to. It was a conceptual device that we chose to use as a tool of analysis. The concept of regionalism here indicated an approach to design giving priority to the identity of the particular rather than universal dogmas. The awareness of a regional architecture as an idiom having a distinct identity and being associated with an identifiable group, and having this association used for further manipulating the groups identity. Goes as far back as ancient Greece. It was the Greeks that in the context of the politics of control and competition between their polis and their colonies used architectural elements to represent the identity of a group occupying a piece of land, or the virtual presence of a group among other groups in a Pan-Hellenic institution such as Delphi or Olympia. Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, were not abstract decorative terms. They originated in the concrete historical context of fission and fusion of regions and identities and their use was frequently loaded with complex political meanings, carving supra-regional identities and relations. The Roman architect and author, Vitruvius, who extensively discussed the Doric or Ionic temples without referring to the term Classical, does refer by name regional architecture, pointing to the difference in building around the world which he explains through climatic conditions and draws a parallel to the variations in the physique of people and concludes that the arrangement of buildings should be guided by locality and climate. In the very end, however, he did not imply regional pluralism and respect for difference. The new global order consists of an effective interconnection of the whole planet by means of a reticular network of communication and exchange. It threatens individual variety and difference throught universalization of practices, but also accentuates the worst of a world of differences. It polarizes further a hierarchical dependance of regional differences rather than encouraging the diversity necessary for creativity. Enhancing a world to come about within which preserving, exploring and mining regional differences brings about a world more genuinely global. The picture of critical regionalism that emerges from these contributions is in great contrast to the simplistic ideas that the local is good by definition, that sustaining community and nature means both blind conservation and resistance to change and that understanding the context is a simple process that requires no special effort or analysis. The traditions are always contested, transformed, resisted and invented. One of the most significant aspects of the quality ofn the built environment whish has been systematically ignored and violated by superficial thinking, biased judgement and seductive illusions is the skin of buildings. The impact of bad choices of materials on the skin of a building is not immediate. It is here that deep knowledge of the materials and the climatic attributes of a particular area is needed that cannot be substituted by reductive technical descriptions and even more by photographic media reproductions. The thoughtless transfer of glass as well as concrete to the tropical region led to indifferent if not hostile environments. American architect Ralph T.Walker, like Mumford, he was highly critical of the older. He spoke out at length, and his comments deserve to be reproduced: I have been around South America recently and I have just came back from Europe, and I find everywhere that modern architecture means a slab on pillars. It means the same thing in the United States because you pick up the architectural magazines and practically every issue has as its leading number a slab on pillars Functionalism of materials has blazed our thinking around the world because you will find that the building in Rio for the Education Ministry looks exactly like a building that was designed for a giraffe in the London Zoo, and it looks exactly like the building that has been designed for the United Nations. In other words, you have a cover of unthinking uncritical acceptance of things. He went on to argue that what was needed was humanism because it is the basis of all art and what we are trying to do first of all is to develop surroundings for people to live in, that will give them the greatest amount of the happiness and warmth of life. The first point on which Mumford broke with older forms of regionalism was in his approach to tradition. Although he ded advocate the preservation of actual historical buildings, notably those built in the vernacular brick tradition of the South, which deserves to be regarded with a far more appreciative eye than people usually apply to it, he was opposed to their imitation in new buildings. Let us be clear about this, the forms that poeple used in other civilizations or in other periods of our own countrys history were intimately part of the while structure of their life. There is no method of mechanically reproducing these forms or bringing then back to life; it is a piece of rank materialism to attempt to duplicate some earlier form, because of its delight for the eye, without realizing how empty a form is without the life that one supported it. There is no such thing as a modern colonial house any more than there is such a thing as a modern Tudor house. The philosophic problem of the general and the particular has its counterpart in architecture; and during the last century that problem has shaped itself more and more into the question of what weight should be given to the universal imprint of the machine and the local imprint of the region and the communitu Mumford in the south in architecture. MEANS every regional culture necessarily has a universal side to it. It is steadily open to influences that come from other parts of the world, and from other cultures, separated from the local region in space or time or both together. It would be usefyul if we formed the habit of never using the world regional without mentally adding to it the idea of universal remembering the constant contact and interchange between local scene and the wide world that lies beyond it. To ideas or technical methods that originate elsewhere as with a human being, every culture must both be itself and transcend itself; it must make the most of its limitations and must pass beyond them; it must be open to fresh experience and yet it must maintain its integrity. In no other art is that process ore sharply focused that in architecture. TO CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT MEANS TO CONSIDER HISTORYMUMFORD What we call globalization does not consist of an effective interconnection of the whole planet by means of a reticular network of communication and exhange. In reality, our global worlds structure is rather an atlas of radial nuclei and unplugged areas that keeps large zones of silence. Globalization bears a massive and infinite process of concentration from the peripheries to the centres, almost one half of the worlds population lives today in urban environments. This situation creates multiple physical and mental displacements. Globalization has marked two opposing cultural processes. Their interaction constitutes a critical point in the rearticulations of symbolic power and a paradox that signals the epoch. On the other hand, it constitutes the de post moment of expansion of industrial capitalism, which is part of the extension of Europe and its culture since the Renaissance. This expansion has been narrated as a story of the expansion of the world. The acquisition of worldwide power was seen as a globalization: the local Western became universal through the conquest of planetary power, colonialism and the construction of a totalizing rationality from that power. The idea of expansion culminated in an inverse notion, that of contraction: the world becomes smaller day by day, and even a global village. Western culture was imposed as an operating metaculture of the contemporary world. This was done with the purpose of conversion and domination, but implicity meant generalized access. If imposition seeks to convert the other, access facilitated using this metaculture for the others own, different ends, transforming the metaculture from within. Western metaculture has become a paradoxical means for the affirmation of difference, and for the rearticulating subaltern camps interest in post-colonial times. Hence globalization times are simultaneously those of the difference. This is the other contradictory process to which I referred at the beginning. The existence of an operative metaculture has allowed the globalization of difference beyond the local environments. This cultural globalization implies an interaction between the extended Western metaculture and the cultural plurality of the world. If the first maintains its hemegonic character, the others have taken advantage of its capacity for international broadcasting to supersede local frameworks. Besides, any vast expansion, such as Buddhism in Asia or the Latin language in the Roman Empire, carries a high degree of tension that opens pores and cracks. This globalization-differentation process is an intricate conflictive articulation of forces more than dual dialectics. It implies contaminations, mixtures and contradictions in many directions, although it direct current processes of culture, it cannot be taken passively, as a necessary inclination that occurs without any pressyre exerted by the subaltern sectors. Among other problems, there is the metacultural tendency to generalize practices from many diverse environments from yoga to karate in consumer-driven, culturaly aseptic method as isolated elements of a cosmopolitan mosaic. Nevertheless, some of the most successful experiences in non-occidental regions have consisted, as in the case of Japan, in managing Westernization to their benefit, empowering it from their own different background. It is in this labyrinth of displacements and ambiguities where the current cultural power lies. It becomes more evident that at this point there ir no viable return to pre-colonial traditions, because that would consist precisely of regression to the myth of an unpolluted past with a small margin of action in the contemporary world. The issue is to build the contemporary from a plurality of experiences that are able to transform the metaculture, Even when imposed by a dominant culture over a dominated one, cultural appropriation is not a passive phenomenon. Receivers always transform, resignify and use according to their visions and interests. Appropriation, and especially the incorrect one, is usually a process of originality, understood as a new creation of meaning. Cultural debate ahs become a political arena for power struggle, both in the symbolic and the social aspects. It is seen both in the cultural adjustments that the subaltern and peripheral sectors are making, as well as in the heterogenization that immigrants are causing in the contemporary megalopolis. Every alrge city today is a dynamic crossroads of cultures. There are many and diverse people incorrectly and unabashedly reworking Western metaculture in their own way, de-eurocentralizing it in plural form. What we call postmodernity is, in good measure, the result of overlapping of all these contradictory processes, they also determine an extraordinary dynamic of identities, with complex adjustments: multiple identities, identities in the form of chinese boxes, neo-identities, mixture of identities, displacement among them, ethnic gamesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦all borders mutate and turn into the critical spaces of our age. The birder and its culture have become paradigms of contemporary cultural processes, but these and other paradigms are at risk of developing into a narrative of harmonization of diversity, leveling contradicitons and masking confrontation of interests. The essay aims to discuss about the loss of cultural identity in this modern society, which lead to the loss of vernacular architecture. Basically vernacular architecture is a category of architecture based on localized needs and construction materials, and reflecting local traditions. It tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural, technological and historical context in which it exists. The building methods are tested through trial-and-error by the society as the people constructing the structure tends to be the person who will use it. However, nowadays, people have mistaken the meaning of cultural identity, they tend to re-create the vernacular architecture into a purpose space where the tradition has been reinvigorate to a resort. People have tried to modernize the vernacular architecture, but still, loss of culture identity is the problem or the modern vernacular. What is vernacular architecture in peoples view nowadays? Will people still respect the culture identity? Why is the topic important in the world or in the context of design? As nowadays, vernacular architecture is gradually disappeared in this modern society. People have started to copy the authenticity to attract the ever-increasing tourists. Figures in architecture hence become less to do with a response to materials and more to do with the associative at tributes of particular shapes and forms. Why is this happening? It was because a global homogenization of the culture of the tourists, an excess of material choice, rapid urbanization, emergence economies, global environmental crisis and politics. Architects have tried using the four ways to modernize the vernacular architecture for now which are reinvigorating, reinventing, extending and reinterpreting tradition, however it still leads to the loss of cultural identity. How will architecture recreate a tradition, a shared ground that provides a basis for the criteria of authenticity and quality? How am I going to approach the topic? The essay will take on a critical regionalism approach of how people view on the vernacular architecture nowadays. Making a point to the loss of culture and how vernacular architecture has slowly fade away, shows how people should react to this issue and also to explain when this vernacular architecture be applied again in this modernized society, create spaces of authenticity of a tradition.

Religion and Racism in A Good Man is Hard to Find and Everything that R

Religion and Racism in Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man is Hard to Find and Everything that Rises Must Converge Flannery O’Connor, undoubtedly one of the most well-read authors of the early 20th Century, had many strong themes deeply embedded within all her writings. Two of her most prominent and poignant themes were Christianity and racism. By analyzing, â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and â€Å"Everything that Rises Must Converge,† these two themes jump out at the reader. Growing up in the mid-1920’s in Georgia was a huge influence on O’Connor. Less than a decade before her birth, Georgia was much different than it was at her birth. Slaves labored tirelessly on their master’s plantations and were indeed a facet of everyday life. However, as the Civil War ended and Reconstruction began, slaves were not easily assimilated into Southern culture. Thus, O’Connor grew up in a highly racist area that mourned the fact that slaves were now to be treated as â€Å"equals.† In her everyday life in Georgia, O’Connor encountered countless ci tizens who were not shy in expressing their discontent toward the black race. This indeed was a guiding influence and inspiration in her fiction writing. The other guiding influence in her life that became a major theme in her writing was religion. Flannery O'Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia, the only child of a Catholic family. The region was part of the 'Christ-haunted' Bible belt of the Southern States. The spiritual heritage of the region profoundly shaped O'Connor's writing as described in her essay "The Catholic Novelist in the Protestant South" (1969). Many of her 32 short stories are inundated with Christ-like allusions and other references to her faith. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† O’Connor’s 1955 sho... ...ing up right before her eyes. Although Flannery O’Connor didn’t even live to see her 40th birthday, her fiction endures to this day. In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and â€Å"Everything that Rises Must Converge,† O’Connor effectively deals with the two huge themes (topics) of religion and racism. These two themes are crucial to understanding much of O’Connor’s great works and are relevant to all readers of O’Connor throughout all ages. Works Cited Bandy, Stephen C. "One of my babies": The Misfit and the Grandmother in Flannery O'Connor's short story 'A Good Man Is Hard to Find'. Studies in Short Fiction; Winter 1996, v33, n1, p107(11) O’Connor, Flannery. The Complete Stories. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. New York: 1971. Satterfield, Ben. "Wise Blood, Artistic Anemia, and the Hemorrhaging of O'Connor Criticism." Studies in American Fiction 17 (1989): 33-50.

Gender Role In Social Construction Essay -- Gender Socialization Sex E

Gender Role In Social Construction Works Cited Missing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone’s life is affected by social construction. This is the belief that knowledge is determined by society, and in turn (knowledge) is formed by the individuals that belong to the society. When an individual thinks of a doctor, lawyer, priest, engineer, or manager they usually picture males. While nurses, teachers, and housewives (emphasis on wives) are purely female professions in our society. This is social constructionist thought on what role a male/female should play in today’s society. These may not be the professions of choice for the individuals, but what the individual believes is socially acceptable. â€Å"Most of the behavior associated with gender is learned rather than innate†(Chandler 5). People begin to learn what is right and wrong (according to the community) from the earliest of ages. The media contributes to social construction, as women and men are almost always portrayed in a stereotypical manner. By examining the way t he media is presented, one can see the impact of social constructionist thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The impact that media can apply varies from society to society, this is because each society obliges to a different social construction. In European countries nudity can be shown on television, and is perfectly acceptable. For example, in the Netherlands:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Governments support massive, consistent, long-term public education campaigns utilizing television, films, radio, billboards, discos, pharmacies, and health care providers. Media is a partner, not a problem, in these campaigns. Sexually explicit campaigns arouse little concern.(â€Å"Love† 2) In this community the openness towards sexuality is not only acceptable, but is the standard set by the society. In the United States however, displaying sexuality is not acceptable. Kirby Anderson states that â€Å"what children see on television encourages them to take part in sexual activity too soon, to show disrespect for their parents, and to lie and engage in aggressive behavior†(4). The American society believes that displaying sexually explicit content pressures the viewers into preforming â€Å"sinful† acts. These acts include anything from using foul language to premarital sex. By comparing the views of these two cultures it is easy to see how â€Å"knowledge in one society may not be considered knowledge in another society... ... 100 ads based on sex appeal contained at least one near-naked woman (England, McBride and Peirce 5). This overwhelming majority just adds to the fact that society believes that women should be compliant and submissive. To advertisers these findings may seem trivial. What does it matter if most ads associate men with supremacy and females as secondary? Or perhaps advertisers believe that complying with society is the only way to sell products.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The clothes we wear, jobs we hold, and roles in society are all partially determined by social construction. Although each society contains a different social construction, the theories themself are presented in the same manner. The mass media is one of the largest social constructs that make up a community, and therefore effects the audience greatly. Movies, television, and advertisements render women as weak and inferior; while men are depicted as the superior leaders of society. According to Doctor William Rouster â€Å"...knowledge is based on what a certain society says it is...†(1). The media is built from what society believes to be true. With this in mind maybe it is the society, not the media, that requires a change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Food Inequality

Food Inequality between Developed and Developing Countries Introduction These days, any domestic problems tend to be connected with or caused by reasons coming from outside abroad. Among those globalized issues, one of the serious issues is the theme of food security. According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), the outlook for the global cereal supply in the 2011/12 marketing season has improved the following positive production. However, the impact on global food security remains uncertain given the current international economic slowdown and changeable weather. For example of food security, in Eastern Africa, the drought-induced humanitarian crisis continues to take lives and reduce livestock. Additionally, in East Asia, severe localized monsoon floods in several countries – Bangladesh, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Pakistan, Thailand and the Philippines may reduce the final outcome because of the natural disaster while a record 2011 cereal harvest was anticipated. What do all these facts mean? Should people put up with the hunger if weather hits them and the economy is tough? There seem to be some other reasons which facilitate food security and if we could struggle with them, the damage caused by the reasons of natural disasters and the tough economy will be mitigated. What could these reasons be? This essay explores the extent to which Population Growth, Food Distribution, Genetic Resources Factors contribute to the problem of food security. Population Growth Today, it is generally agreed that food insecurity issue can be attributed to the fact that we are running out of food due to the intense population growth. In this part, we shall examine the idea carefully. The world’s population has been increasing, according to the report of World Bank in 2011, the population of the world has been doubled over the past 50 years. In this period, world population increase 3 billion to 6. 8 billion. Beyond the year 2050, it is projected that the population is to approach 9 billion, and the growth would likely occur in developing regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Inversely, the industrial countries or developed countries are going through a trend of decreasing population. The increase in population of developing countries is one of the main factors of the global population increase. Another factor is that the average life span has been extended, which means that the death rate is dramatically decreasing all over the world. The explosive increase of population brings about a problem of inequality, especially food. An excess of population is linked to food production and thus, food security. In a TED talk in 2007, Hans Rosling gave a lecture about inequality between developing and developed countries and attributed the food inequality to the fact that the world population has been increasing. In 1960, the gap was relatively small but now the existing gap between both of them has intensified. He had mentioned an example of shoes and cars, and at the very last he discussed food insecurity. Therefore, according to his speech, we can claim that the population growth causes the food inequality issue between developing countries and industrialized countries. However, on the other hand, according to two books which we mostly relied on, Ending Hunger by the Hunger Project and Food Policy by The Johns Hopkins University Press, we found there were some people who had made an objection against the idea. FAO and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) reported in 2008 that new estimate of the number of people who would suffer chronic hunger in which year was 925 million, which, however, doesn’t mean that there is not enough food for the people who need it in the world. According to the report of FAO, the amount of world crop production was recorded two billions tons in 2008, which had been the best record. If the all crops were distributed equally to all people around the world, each of people was supposed to eat 320kg in a year, which is twice as much as crops that are eaten by Japanese per a year on average. Given that there are more food like vegetable, fish, and meat, in addition to crops, all people in the world are supposed to be able to get enough food. Then, why can’t all people get enough food? We examine the causes of food inequality from the different perspective in the next section. However, what we emphasize here is that we think the population growth could also be one of the causes in the near future if the world population kept increasing. As shown in Food Policy by The Johns Hopkins University Press, the world population will soon be over 9 billion people, which means that the earth’s productivity will not be able to catch up with the increase in population. Therefore, people in the world will soon face the fact that we run out of food. Then, we examine the food production in third section. Inadequate Food Distribution As we discussed in the last section, two books, Ending Hunger by the Hunger Project and Food Policy by The Johns Hopkins University Press, showed us that food inequality issue between developed countries and developing countries arises not from population growth but from in a defect in an appropriate food distribution system. According to Food Policy, All people in the world could be supposed to be able to get enough food, when the all crops were distributed equally to all people around the world. However, when it comes to the supply of food, only people in developed countries, which are estimated 20% in the world, can always get more calories than they need. Moreover, crops are consumed not only by people but also by livestock such as cattle, chicken, which usually come to the markets for industrialized countries. As a result, people in developed countries like us usually consume more than half of all crops in the world. It turns out that something may be wrong in the process of the food distribution. First, we attribute it to high food prices. As we learned in Prof. Montgomery’s lectures, the energy and water insecurity made the food prices high because food, water, and energy are tightly connected to each other, so farmers need tons of energy and water to produce food. Moreover, Food Policy also described that due to the energy insecurity, more and more people in developed countries used crops in a different way; today biofuels that are made by crops are one of the popular renewable energies in the world. However, to grow the crops, people also need to use more energy and water, which leads people into a downward spiral, and usually the victims are people in poor countries. On top of that, according to Ending Hunger, the high food price can be attributable to speculations. The author said, â€Å"Crops have been getting the attention as an object of speculation. † Originally, more crops tend to go into the domestic market, and there are a few products being distributed in the international market. Under the circumstance, investors who were struggling under the financial crisis in 2008 had an eye on crops for speculation, which raised the food prices intensely. Thus, today under the capitalism, people rather reckon food as a â€Å"product†, so food has been distributed in a way that certain rich people can benefit. At the very last in Food Policy, we got a clue for solving food inequality; an alternative food distribution system that can exist even under the capitalism. The authors have an eye on an idea of â€Å"food redistribution†. Food bank, a non-governmental organization that provides food to poor people for free, has been popular in many developed countries to help poor people within the nations. The authors expect that it will be exercised not by government, but by some entrepreneurs since there is a big challenge for governments in terms of fund and security, and that it will become a new business model in the future. In my opinion, however, it seems difficult that the model can be applied, crossing the boarders. In addition to the point of food distribution, we would like to mention the food production. Ending Hunger, the book we had read, said that although every country needs to try to keep their food self-sufficiently stable, it’s a big challenge for developing countries. There are quite a few countries that rely on the imports from other countries to get crops for their principal diet. It’s related to their history which they were forced to produce some products like cacao to export to industrialized countries in their colonial ages. They are vulnerable because of this monoculture structure which has been still existed when the food prices fluctuate. In the next section, we examine how to solve the monoculture structure issue. Losing Biodiversity In this section, we discuss biodiversity, the problem between biodiversity and food security and the solution. First of all, Biodiversity is a term that is short for biological diversity. Currently, the great variety and richness of plant, some microbe are said to be approximately 1. 7 million species in 2008. The human race literally relies on those plants and animals for clothing, shelter, medicines, and many other things, according to Red list of Threatened Species. However, 784 species have been officially recorded as extinct and more than 16,000 species contains approximately 12 percent of bird species, 23 percent of mammals, and 32 percent of amphibians as well as a large number of plant species. Even so, how does the problem connect with food security? Does the extinction of some species of plants lead to such a big problem? The answer seems to be affirmative; the conflicts between agriculture and biodiversity would be possible. Presently, just three crops- rice, wheat, and maize- amount to about 60 per cent of the world’s food crops and 56 per cent of the protein people derive from plants. This means the stability of agriculture is easy to be affected by climates, pests, diseases because there are no other different plants which would be durable to those stresses. As a result, a drought becomes more likely. In Bangladesh, for example, increasing HYV [high –yield varieties] rice monoculture has decreased diversity, including nearly 7,000 traditional rice variation and many fish species. Ironically, the production of HYV rice per cent acre in 1986 dropped by 10 percent from 1972, in spite of a 300 per cent increase in agrochemical use per acre. (Thrupp 2000,p269) In India, by 1968, although, the so-called â€Å"miracle† HYV seed had replaced half of the native varieties, the expected production in many areas were not realized because those seeds need irrigated land with high inputs of fertilizer, which poor farmers cannot afford. Thrupp p269) North America like US is not also exemption. Of more than 7,000 apple varieties grown in the United States between 1804 and 1904, 86 per cent are no longer cultivated, and 88 per cent of 2,683 pear varieties are no longer available. (Thrupp p270). The main causes for the loss of agrodiversity are reliance on uniform plants and the heavy use of agrochemicals (often make lands barren), and institutions and companies from developed countries who gained patents of seeds and other genetic resources. In order to change this situation, a shift to sustainable agriculture requires changes in production methods, models and policies, as well as the full participation of local people. Example includes use of organic fertilizer, reduction of agrochemicals that destroy diverse rich soil, multiple cropping, eliminating subsidies and credit policies for uniform high-yield varieties. In addition, those developing countries which have plenty genetic resources don’t keep silent to their serious problem. In the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010, those countries tried to negotiate with developed countries in order to create a protocol about making the access and payment of genetic resources a matter of international law for â€Å" fair and equitable sharing of benefits† (The Economist 2010) Conclusion As we discussed in this papers so far, we mostly attributed the food inequality problem to population growth, inadequate food distribution system, and losing biodiversity. However, the more we studied, the more we found that the food inequality problem was very complicated because there ere a lot of factors which were connected to each other and which lead to the problem. The solutions we figured out are that an alternative food distribution system, and a shift to sustainable agriculture requires changes in production methods, models and policies, as well as the full participation of local people. The right for accessing to food; it is supposed to be exercised by al l people in nature. We strongly hope that more and more poor people will get the access to food in the future, and in order to make it happen, we need to get back to an idea of cooperation at the end. References 1) J Price Gittinger; Joanne Leslie; Caroline Hoisington; Economic Development Institute in Washington, D. C. (1987). Food policy: integrating supply, distribution, and consumption. Baltimore : Published for the World Bank [by] Johns Hopkins University Press 2) W Ladd Hollist; F LaMond Tullis(1987) Pursuing food security : strategies and obstacles in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boulder : L. Rienner Publishers 3) Debra A Millar(2008) Biodiversity Detroit : Greenhaven Press. Thruoo L Ann (2000) Linking agricultural biodiversity and food security: the value role of agrobiodiveristy for sustainable agriculture International affairs Vol. 76 Issue 2, p265, 17p, 4 Charts 4) Global Information and Early Warning System, 2011 Food Outlook November 2011. Available at: http://www. fao. org/giews/english/fo/index. htm 5) The Economist Online (2010) Pay up or die: Protecting and profiting from the environment (21th Oct) The Economist Available at: http://www. economist. com/blogs/newsbook/2010/10/protecting_and_profiting_environment

Ethical Health Care Issues Essay

Breast Cancer is a serious issue that affects almost every woman worldwide, either directly as someone diagnosed with cancer, or indirectly through the illness of a loved one (Women’s Health Resource, 2014). Breast Cancer is found in women, in their twenties and thirties, and those with a family history of the disease. In 2006, approximately 212,920 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in the United States alone (Women’s Health Resource, 2014). The case scenario will discuss the ethical and legal issues regarding a 25 year old female patient stricken with breast cancer, who refuses treatment for the disease, in addition to the four (4) ethical principles, (a) autonomy (respect for persons), (b) justice, (c) beneficence, and (d) non-maleficence. Case Scenario A 25 year old female patient made an appointment with her primary care physician because she discovered a lump in her breast after a routine check. On the day of the appointment, the physician examined her breast, and made a referral for her to visit and oncologist, who specializes in the diagnoses and treatment of cancer. There are three types of oncologists. They are (a) medical oncologist (uses medicine (chemotherapy) to treat cancer), (b) radiation oncologist (uses radiation to treat cancer), and (c) surgical oncologist (treats cancer with surgery) (The Denise Roberts Breast Cancer Foundation, 2009). The patient schedules an appointment with the oncologist, who then will inform her of the diagnoses and treatments if needed as per the result of the biopsy. The result of the biopsy will confirm if the patient has breast cancer or not. Autonomy (respect for persons) acknowledges a person’s right to make choices, to hold views, and to take actions based on personal values and beliefs (Chowning et al., 2007). To refuse treatment, the patient must be legally and mentally capable, and 18 years or older. Parents with children under the age of 18, have the right to consent or refuse treatment for his or her child. Physicians also have a  moral and legal obligation to comply with a patient’s voluntary, informed refusal of life sustaining treatment, regardless of a physician’s judgment concerning the medical or moral appropriateness of this (Miller et al., 2000). A 25 year old patient with breast cancer refused medical treatment as suggested by the oncologist. Conflicts may arise with the patient as she made a decision to not receive care, which can ultimately lead to death. Death may be seen as a failure, rather than an important part of life (Smith, 2000). Upon receiving the patient choice to deny treatment, the oncologist is then obligated to inform, and educate the patient about the benefits of treatment, and risks associated with not receiving treatment. The patient has the right to deny treatment, even when the physician suggests the benefits of treatment. The following treatment options are available to the patient such as, lumpectomy, mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and eventually, surgical reconstruction (Woman’s Health Resource, 2014). Autonomy When a patient refuses treatment to care for the disease, autonomy then becomes a bit challenging. While there may be opposing views in regard to treatment or non-treatment, medical professionals must respect the patient decision, and support the patient during this process, while delivering quality care (Stringer, 2009). The rules of law are based on ethical beliefs that are commonly held in our society. These basic ethical principles include respect for individual autonomy, beneficence (helping others), non-maleficence (not harming others), and justice or fairness. Regardless of whether these ethical duties are derived from religious faith, natural law, or a social contract, these principles form the basis for the legal rules of our society (Harris, 2007). Beneficence The principle of beneficence means that the health care provider must promote the wellbeing of patients and avoid harming them (Rosenthal, 2006). When a patient refuses treatment(s), the health care professional must communicate the risks of not receiving treatment. The job of the health care professional is to provide quality of care to the patient, even when a patient refuses treatment. The health care professional must remain compassionate, as the patient expects the medical professional to still  treat him or her with dignity and respect. Non Maleficence Non Maleficence means to do no harm. Health care professionals must always strive to do their work without malice or the intention thereof to the patient (Ask.com, 2014). The health care provider is obligated to aid the patient to the best of his or her ability by providing benefits, protecting the patients’ interest, and improve wellbeing. To ensure that the patient is not harmed while refusing treatment, the health care professional can conduct a risk benefit analysis where research on the disease and various medications can be found. Upon his or her findings, the health care professional should explain the effects of treatment or non-treatment. Under non maleficence, there is a legal â€Å"duty to warn† third parties, which is a critical and legal concept (Rosenthal, 2006). Justice The principle of justice means to treat others equitably, distribute benefits or burdens fairly (Chowning et al., 2007). Health care professionals must provide patients with treatment alternatives, and not misinform the patient about any of the medical processes involved. The major issue with this principle is that economic barriers can interfere with access to appropriate therapies and medications (Rosenthal, 2006). The health care organization is required to provide services or care to a patient regardless of health care coverage. Patients should also be treated equally regardless of age, race, or ethnicity. Patients must be treated with dignity and respect, even though he or she may refuse care or treatment for their medical condition. Conclusion One of the most common place ethical dilemmas in the health care industry is a patient refusing treatment to care, as this action may threaten his or her wellbeing or health. The health care professional must determine what aspects of autonomy, beneficence, justice, and non-maleficence need to be used before providing care. A physician has the legal right to ensure and provide the patient with sufficient information about treatment plans, and care. Health care administrators must examine underlying issues such as competence of the patient, the distinction apparent, and refusal of care (Michels, 1981). In the case of the 25 year old patient, ethical issues were  present because her right to refuse treatment conflicted with the oncologist’s obligations to provide quality care to her. References Ask.com (2014). What Is Non Maleficence? Retrieved from http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-non-maleficence Chowning et al. (2007). An Ethics Primer. Seattle WA: Northwest Association of Biomedical Research. Retrieved from https://www.nwabr.org/sites/default/files/NWABR_EthicsPrimer7.13.pdf Harris (2007). Contemporary Issues in Healthcare Law and Ethics, 3e. Retrieved from University of Phoenix Michels, R. (1981). The Right to Refuse Treatment: Ethical Issues. American Psychiatric Association, 32(1), 251-255. Miller, F., Fins, J., & Snyder, L. (2000). Assisted suicide compared with refusal of treatment: a valid distinction? Annals of Internal Medicine, 132(6), 470-475. Rosenthal, M. S. (2006). Patient misconceptions and ethical challenges in radioactive iodine scanning and therapy*. Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 34(3), 143-50; quiz 151-2. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218613783?accountid=458 Smith, R. (2000). A good death: an important aim for health ser vices and for us all. British Medical Journal, 320(7228), 129-130. Stringer, S. (2009). Ethical issues involved in patient refusal of life-saving treatment. Cancer Nursing Practice, 8(3), 30-33. The Denise Roberts Breast Cancer Foundation (2009). Breast Health. Retrieved from http://www.tdrbcf.org/oncologist/index.html Women’s Health Resource (2014). Breast Cancer. Retrieved from http://www.wdxcyber.com/breast_home.html

Art History Essay The Breakfast Scene

The symbol of cupid presented reflects themes presented within Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time , displaying aspects of misguided love , primarily emphasizing how lust compromises the morale of individuals. That the count presented sense of obliviousness in regards to the consequences of his actions, well eventually taint his family name in regards to the infidelity committed , but also such constant self ind... ...h open composition, provides a rustic appeal in order to emphasize the working class. The portrait depicts a fisherman’s daughter , maintain her lovely complexion , in order to lure individuals , to purchase selfish that resides in a basket placed upon her head, establishing a sense of euphoria. Adopting such seductive appearance to establish a form of interest , not only to display her services , but also displays aspects of eroticism and feminism , very large breast that references aspects of fertility , but also the delicate facial features the use of blush to complement her subtle complexion. The use of contropasto, the bodily composition presents a sense of equilibrium in which the action correlates with the action depicted, in which her arm is extended in order to maintain the balance. While the other resides at her waist idealizing her feminine figure.

Dissertation-Methodology Part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dissertation-Methodology Part - Essay Example Data collection methods and tools utilized for analysis are also discussed. With the positivistic paradigm, the emphasis is on using measurement to find out the relationships between facts and causes of the phenomenon. This is â€Å"an essential element of the research process under this paradigm† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 57). This approach is useful when there is a need to conduct statistical analysis (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 56). A positivistic approach will be used and the researcher will be independent, will not be influenced by the subject of research, and will take â€Å"the role of an objective analyst† (Saunders & Lewis & Thornhill, 2000, p. 85). The major reason for this method as a choice for the study is because, quantitative researchers focus on the measurement and analysis of facts and causes. According to Denzin & Lincoln (cited in Silverman 2005), â€Å"qualitative investigators think they can get closer to the actor’s perspective through detailed interviewing and observation† (p. 10). With qualitative researchers, the emphasis is on the close relationship between the subject of research and the researcher where the value is in the social reality and the meaning of the social event or phenomenon. The qualitative approach relies on the quality and depth of data and does not focus on the â€Å"measured (if measured at all) in terms of quantity, amount, intensity, or frequency † (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p. 8). In addition, as Waters (2001) explains, the quantitative approach is based on â€Å"simplified representations of reality where real features are depicted by symbols† (p. 8). The main benefits of choosing a quantitative approach to this research are as discussed below. Firstly, this method allows stating of the research problem in very specific and clear terms. Also there is a clear possibility to follow the original research objectives that have been set down and to arrive at more conclusive conclusions. Also this