Food Ethics Essay

The ethics surrounding food hasn’t always been a major contributor in ones decision on what to eat. In the beginning, we would have to physically hunt or gather our meals in order to survive. The choice of what was for breakfast, lunch or dinner solely relied on what was accessible to us. The ethical questions would only come as a result of a modernized food system, where other options for food became accessible and convenient. In the essay Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace, the author describes lobsters in New England in the 1800’s as having an â€Å"Unbelievable abundance (238). Read more:  Good people analysis  essay These crustaceous creatures were all over the shores of New England. Wallace writes about the Boston seashore as, â€Å"being littered with lobsters after hard storms†¦ (238). † Yet, Lobster were considered â€Å"low-class† and as Wallace states, â€Å"†¦eaten only by the poor and institutionalized (237). † It was considered unethical to even feed the poor lobster â€Å"†¦more than once a week (238). † This was modernized New England, which eventually changed at the turn of the century, just as Lobster shifted from being â€Å"low class† to â€Å"chewable fuel†. As the world became more industrialized, food became centralized. The shift from small businesses to large companies started to occur. The lobster industry changed as well during these times as Wallace describes, â€Å"Maine’s earliest lobster industry was based around a dozen such seaside canneries in the 1840’s, from which lobster was shipped as far away as California†¦ (238). † Just like the lobster industry in New England, many companies in the United States started to fulfill the demands for products to gain a profit. Ethics became secondary to making money. Corporations would produce so much that they would drive the price down, increasing its affordability and making it more accessible and widely consumed. Eventually, large companies would become so efficient and affordable, that small businesses like farms and mom and pop shops found it increasingly difficult to compete. Many small companies and farms had to either adjust their products to niche markets or work as a subsidiary to these corporations. Along with mass production of products, was a new manufacturing process. Foods started to become streamlined in such a way that they would grow in the harshest of environments. These new forms of industrialization lead to the creation of processed foods. The companies found ways to maximize profits while making the costs as affordable as possible for the consumer. The supermarkets offered everything one could think of, packaged and ready to eat. Although the prices for most foods were at an all-time low, hunger and malnutrition still existed. There were also issues arising regarding consumer trust in food safety, and the effects on the human body. As a result of these cost efficient products, people in the United States started to become increasingly heavy, leading to an obesity epidemic and a major health crisis. The ethical issues involving economical behavior of consumers and agricultural ethics are at question. Is it unethical for corporations to mass produce unhealthy foods, knowing the adverse side effects on the environment and growing rates of obesity in the United States? The trend seemed to lead to, the more affordable the food, the more we consume. Is this a personal problem or are the companies to blame for offering these products to us? We must first look into the goals of a business and if ethics play any part in the obligations to supply our population with affordable food. The very basic objective to any business is to create a profit. This is what allows companies to continue function and thrive. The best way for this to happen is to make something that is sellable and where there is room for profit. In the food industry corn is not only a commodity it’s a common ingredient in almost every product on our shelves. According to Michael Pollan, in his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, It is also used to feed most of the animals that become meats in our supermarkets. To say that corn is widely used would be an understatement. It seemed that we couldn’t produce enough of this plant. Not only is our climate great for growing it, we also were able to store it very effectively. The boom in corn production can be traced back to the nineteen seventies. Since those same years, â€Å"†¦American’s average daily intake of calories has jumped by more than 10 percent (Pollan 102). † The reason for this increased caloric intake leaves many to question whether people are eating more because it’s less expensive or people are eating the same amounts but the food contains more calories. Either way, the companies that were producing these items didn’t seem to be bothered by the problem affecting â€Å"three of every five Americans being overweight (Pollan 102). † The truth is that the companies are driven by profits. The Americans who consume these foods create the profits. Additionally, a lot of these companies are traded on the public market and have a responsibility to their shareholders, who subsequently are the same ones buying these foods. So the companies were being driven to make profits for the people invested. Two of the biggest soda companies in the world, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have followed these trends as well. As Pollen says, â€Å"By 1984, Coca-Cola and Pepsi had switched over entirely from sugar to high-fructose corn syrup. Why? Because HFCS was a few cents cheaper than sugar (thanks in part to tariffs on imported sugarcane secured by corn refiners) and consumers didn’t seem to notice the substitution (104). †It’s as if these corn companies were monopolizing the industry, trying to turn-over as much product as possible. The increased production would eventually lead to increased portion sizes. Instead of lowering the prices of products, companies started charging a small upcharge for additional food and soda. This practice of continually turning over product has become so dangerous that now, â€Å"†¦in 2000 the number of people suffering from [overnutrition]-a billion- had surpassed the number suffering from malnutrition-800 million (Pollan 102). † There is clearly something broken with this system. These companies are catering to our consumer appetites and enabling us to act accordingly. You would think that the prices of the food being low would solve our food problems globally, but the answer is unfortunately no. These companies are in places where there is both a market for high sales and where they can grow these crops. Most of the areas that are facing malnutrition are in remote areas of the world. These areas wouldn’t make the companies money and therefor there isn’t an incentive for them. On the other hand, America is of course one of the largest consumer countries in the world. Our desire for food is unsurpassed by most counties. There is no question that Americans have a sweet tooth. It is part of the human makeup to consume high energy foods and is linked to natural selection. According to Pollan, â€Å"Add fat or sugar to anything and it’s going to taste better on the tongue of an animal that natural selection has wired to seek out energy-dense foods (107). † Pollan also suggests that, â€Å"natural selection predisposed us to the taste of sugar and fat (its texture as well as taste) because sugars and fats offer the most energy (which is what a calorie is) per bite (106). It’s only natural for humans to consume these ingredients, because after all we are â€Å"predisposed† to do them. This of course doesn’t mean that we are completely free of blame for our overindulging. We are all individuals and are responsible in formulating our own decisions. The companies which provide us with these calorie-packed foods and beverages also list their nutritional information on the packages. If we were to eat any packaged foods, we would be responsible for understanding the health risks involved. The real problem is whether we have the mental capacity to control our physical urges. There is extensive research that suggests, â€Å"†¦people {presented} with large portions will eat up to 30 percent more (Pollan 106). † At one time in our history, this might have served us. Now, there is no question that our bodies are becoming poisoned from this. Knowing all of this information, companies continue doing their best to offer these calorie-packed foods. This is evident in just about every corner store and fast food restaurant. The ethics concerning public safety and effects on the human body are clear. Companies are only concerned over their ability to raise a profit. Their aim to create profits from the overconsumption of high energy foods has been effective in making Americans unhealthy, while continuing to turn over profits. While the companies are certainly a large part of the problem, the consumers are also to blame. They have enabled this overproduction by continuing to consume the same products making them sick. Additionally, people seem to be ignoring their recommended caloric intakes and are choosing to eat more and more. Companies can only be blamed for producing products with limited nutritional value. They are ethically absolved of their responsibilities if they inform their consumers properly. Their goal is to make profits, not worry whether their consumers are eating the recommended serving size or not. The best way to take control of this issue would to be to consume less and choose healthier options as individuals. The more aware we become as individuals, the healthier we will become as a society.

Database Design Example

Database Design Example Database Design – Term Paper Example Business rules and their importance to Designers Business Rules are employed in the system design process in order to define: Attributes Entities Relationships Constraints It is important to keep the business rules straightforward, easy to comprehend so that could be easily understood by different individuals. Business rules should always be in writing and they must be updated. Business rules are important to designers since they allow the creator to develop rules for relationship participation as well as constraints and also to create an accurate data model. They also help the creators to know and understand business processes, nature and scope of the data. They are a tool of communication between the users and the creators, and they also prove helpful in standardizing the organization’s view of the data (Jesdisciple, 2010). Function of data dictionary in database designA data dictionary is the warehouse of all maintenance and design information that is needed for a database. It contains all the documentation and specification and serves as a reference guidebook of a particular database (Allentech, 2010).These particulars should be included in a data dictionary:Entity Relationship diagram, Logical data model or notes.Definitions of entity and attribute definitions, data domain, data type, descriptions.Relationships of entities, primary the way the user has the right to access and modify the database. Factors important in a DBMS software selectionAccording to Whitehorn (2010) the process of selection of DBMS depends on the following critical factors: Project size Technical competency of the DBMS The number of concurrent users of the DBMS References:Allentech (2010). Datadictionary. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://allentech.net/vbc/ddict.phtmlJesdisciple (2010). Business Rules. Retrieved February 4, 2011, from http://databasemanagement.wikia.com/wiki/Business_RulesWhitehorn, M. (2010). Tips for choosing a DBMS to meet your companys needs. Retriev ed February 4, 2011, from http://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/answer/Tips-for-choosing-a-DBMS-to-meet-your-companys-needs

Lord of the flies - Role of Gender Essays - Gender, Sex, Free Essays

Lord of the flies - Role of Gender Essays - Gender, Sex, Free Essays Lord of the flies - Role of Gender What was it that caused the aggression and dominance exhibited by the boys of Lord of the Flies? Was it some metaphysical, spiritual force, or perhaps their genetic makeup? Could it have been the influence of their peers or families, or was it the media that inspired this dangerous pattern? Conceivably, their gender had something to do with this appalling trait. It all begs the question, would the same experiences have occurred had females been stranded on the island instead of males? Had females been in a similar situation as the boys in Lord of the Flies, they would have fared abundantly better. Initially, this paper will address society's role in encouraging males' violent behavior, as well as females' politeness and passivity. Secondly, it will be discussed how family socialization influences females' gentle natures and males' aggressive temperaments. Finally, this research will explore both gender's leadership styles, and scientific perception behind these differences. Much of what society dictates can affect children's perceptions of the ideal gender standards, and can lead to abuse and violence. Media has a huge role in perpetuating these dangerous gender stereotypes. Numerous male images are used in advertising and television, representing themes such as "heroic masculinity" and "might is right". These portrayals of violent behavior associated with masculinity target young men and convince them that in order to live up to society's standards, they must resort to aggressive and dominant behavior, the use of assertion, and physical violence. Males are saturated with images of glorified aggression through movies such as Lethal Weapon, sports programs, and "macho" celebrities, like Bruce Willis and Arnold Shwartzenager. Female stereotypes span the opposite extreme. Innumerable young women perceive "ladylike" expectations to be neatness, passivity, politeness, and struggle to meet them, hence they appear nurturing and feminine. Women in the media who challenge these stereotypical behaviors and display assertiveness tend to be slotted into the role of "tomboy" or "dyke". These impositions contribute to the breeding of young men who act in an abusive manner, and are terribly restricting towards boys who covet deep emotion. The antagonist of Lord of the Flies, Jack Merridew, perceives himself to be higher than the others, on the basis of being the choral leader. Jack's hierarchical views cause him to verbally abuse, psychologically torture, and eventually wound and kill other children. With the influences of society's stereotyping, girls would generally more nurturing and caring towards group members. A lot of males' violent behavior and females' complaisance can be accredited to family and institutional socialization. Parents usually raise boys on aggressive sports, such as hockey and football, which encourage violence. Girls, however, are generally brought up on "feminine" activities, dance and figure skating to name a few, which promote a gentle, polite nature. It is the rare parent that heeds their four-year-old son's aspiration to be a ballet dancer by purchasing the child a pair of tights and a leotard. When a boy shows more interest in dolls than in trucks, his family may be distressed, and provoke him to reveal his "masculine" side. After striving for egalitarianism between the sexes for so many years, families still deter young girls from pursuits of hockey stardom, hoping to interest them in Pointe shoes. Displays of emotion by boys are often criticized for being "unmasculine", whereas emotional behavior in girls tends to be expected and accepted. As a result, boys tend to not only hide their feelings, but criticize friends for showing their emotions. Girls, on the other hand, encourage one another to express feelings and console one another naturally. Research shows that boys and girls have different means of reaching decisions and achieving organization. Males, on whole, like to dominate a situation, whereas females would rather resort to consensus and unanimity. Collegiality and cooperation are fundamental female traits, while the need for dominance and individual power goes hand in hand with masculinity. This male yearning is rooted before birth, when the developing nervous system is immersed in testosterone (the predominant male hormone). This pre-natal process is responsible for the maturation of the areas of the brain that arbitrate between the male hormones and their dominant behavior. Steven Goldberg, the chairman of the Department of

Anselms Ontological Argument

In the second chapter of Anselm 's Proslogian, Anselm later offered something described as his ontological argument. This believes that he is very powerful Psalm 14: 1 Fool He his heart, No God. Anselm's assertions are as follows: God is unimaginable If someone understands something, this means that in someone's understanding, bigger ones can not be imagined If someone understands, Someone can imagine without big things exists in someone's understanding. In Anselm 's ontological argument, he is trying to prove the existence of God, but his argument is purely based on a discussion of thought and does not require a moral entity to challenge the truth of emotion. Ontology is related to existence or something. Anselm 's ontological debate is considered to be omnipotent and kind, regarded as existence and whether it is God's wealth, and omnipotent. This argument is a transcendental argument. Instead of relying on experimental knowledge to prove the existence of God it means that God must exist logically or that the absence of God is illogical. Ontology argument is a transcendental argument. These arguments are trying to prove the existence of God from the meaning of the word God. Anselm of Canterbury introduced an ontological argument to his work Proslogion. The classic argument of Anselm is based on two principles, the most important of which are the aforementioned St. Ansell and Renà © Descartes of Cantabelli. If he does not exist, you can still think of a big existence (it is like saying that God does not exist except this existence). The presence must still be one of the attributes of God, as it can still understand the larger God (God that exists) by removing it. The most common problem of this discussion is that it only enumerates its existence in God's attributes, not it. This argument seems to indicate that the facts that can be imagined should be true. Antism 's ontological argument is intended to be the first testimony of the existence of God. Anselm star ts with the premise that it does not rely on experience and draws the conclusion of the existence of God in a purely logical way. His purpose was to refute the fool who said in God that there is no God (Psalm 14: 1). This fool has two important features. The following is an attempt to clarify the discussion presented in Chapter 2 of Proslogium. The discussion in Chapter 3 is quite different and is more interesting in some ways. After completing this page, you may try to give a similar gloss with the second parameter. This is not easy. This argument is very complicated. But you may do this in a useful campaign

Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld 548 US 557 (2006) Case Study

Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld 548 US 557 (2006) - Case Study Example Bush, President of the United States. After a year of detention, President Bush deemed him eligible to be tried before a military commission that was authorized under Military Commission Order No. 1. The military commission would have allowed the inclusion of evidence with no probative value or acquired through illegal means, made it possible that there be evidence used against the accused that the accused would not be able to see, and the appeals would only be within the Executive branch. Opposing this, Hamdan filed a writ of habeas corpus, in chief arguing that a military commission conducting trial in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the Geneva Conventions should be declared illegal and with no power to proceed. Procedural History: Hamdan filed his petition before the United States District Court for the District of Colombia, which found in his favor. Upon Appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously revers ed the decision of the District Court. Subsequently, on 7 November 2005 the Supreme Court issued a writ of certiorari to hear the case, and it was argued before the said court on 28 March 2006. On 29 June 2006, the Supreme Court issued its decision, reversing the Court of Appeals and finding in favor of Hamdan. Issues: 1. The first issue is whether or not the provisions in the military commission that would allow the accused to be convicted using evidence that he had not seen or heard, or evidence that may not be in compliance with admissibility or relevancy rules in other court martial proceedings violate the uniformity rule and the principle that â€Å"no procedural rule must be contrary or inconsistent with the UCMJ†? 2. The second issue is whether or not Hamdan can invoke the guarantees of the Geneva Conventions given the contextual background of the capture of Hamdan, and giving due regard to the fact that such capture was done pursuant to the war with Al Qaeda, which is not a High Contracting Party to the Conventions? Holding: The Supreme Court answered in the affirmative to both questions. It held firstly that the deviations in the military commission rendered it defective, and secondly, that the Geneva Conventions could be validly invoked by Hamdan. Rationale: The Supreme Court relied on the case of Ex Parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942) as justification for granting certiorari to Hamdan, stating that trial by military commissions surfaces important questions about the balance of powers of the three branches of government. Likewise, the case of In Re Yamashita 327 U.S. 1, 11 (1946) recognizes that the exigencies of war may demand extraordinary measures. In the case of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004) it reaffirmed the war powers of the President, including the authority to convene military commissions. With respect to the first question, the Supreme Court noted that in the military commission created by Military Commission Order No. 1, Section 6 permits exclusion of the accused from proceedings and denial of his and his civilian counsel’s access to evidence that may be used to convict him. The grounds for the denial of access "include the protection of information classified or classifiable . . .; information protected by law or rule from unauthorized disclosure; the physical safety of participants in Commission proceedings, including prospective

Network and protocol processes that occur in the network when you Essay

Network and protocol processes that occur in the network when you access X-Stream - Essay Example tors and students to collaborate and exchange information, we will discuss the insights of this portal by demonstrating the necessary methods, protocol techniques and processes. However, in order to give a better idea, we have to take TCP/IP protocol suite in to account. Moreover, the foundation for this technological layer that enables a communication channel for internet applications is the IP addresses itself. The priority of the IP is vital because the rest of the TCP/IP protocol suite is fabricated on the IP. However, a recently introduced modification for improving the efficiency of IPv4 32 bit addressing is the CIDS (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) (Linton 2011). Likewise, IP address is assigned a job for developing and constructing the data packets in the same standardized method along with packet management associated with data transmission between interlinked devices in an efficient way. The primary objective is to establish a path for data packets to travel and serve as a basis for delivering network based online applications and services via a TCP/IP suit. The purpose is to expand accessibility of these web-based applications globally and provide services to users such as sharing and uploading documents, pictures, videos, electronic email, video conferencing, chatting, forums, social networks etc. in a broad spectrum, a common platform is now established that is empowered with the mentioned services to make communication valuable. Consequently, for educational communication, a student portal named as X stream has been established, that will serve as a common platform for all the students and tutors, professors and staff for the same university or college. However, apart from some common examples of web enabled services above, the X stream provides advanced services bundled with customization options for students to gain insights on their studies effectively. The report will follow a thorough discussion of the semantics behind these services ranging from

Cloud Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Cloud Computing - Research Paper Example For instance, information of an organization needs to be protected and is the ultimate responsibility of the board of director for which they are also liable. We have selected a small medium enterprise called as ‘Wizni Incorporated’ this is transformed from a traditional IT service to a cloud service provider. The Information technology architecture of the company incorporates three components i.e. business analytics expertise, along with the provision of a quality cloud hosting provider. Likewise, the core competency of Wizni Inc. is business analytics. Moreover, the company is delivering business analytics bundled with powerful systems enabling their clients to make efficient decision making. Wizni Incorporated provides state of the art analytics solutions for empowering organizations to utilize business intelligence required for making efficient decision making. The company provides Business intelligence deployments that facilitate ease of discovery, patterns hidden i n IT systems, applications and unstructured data. The business analytics products are DIFEEâ„ ¢ (data-inference and federation engine) and Score IT. DIFEE is used for virtualization and Score IT is used for data mining, model scoring and life cycle management. Furthermore, IBM Cognos Express is also a first integrated business intelligence tool that is precisely developed and acquired by the company to meet customer requirements. The tool is bundled with critical reporting, scorecard, analysis, budgeting, forecasting dashboard and customization features and capabilities for the small medium enterprises at an affordable cost without large associated investments. Moreover, the tool incorporates a pre-configured solution that is very easy for installation and use for the end users. The transition of this new powerful cloud solution is approved by the board on the basis of gaining competitive edge among small medium enterprises within the region. Previously, there was no growth in cl ientele and after implementing the cloud based solution, clientele sky rocketed and stakeholders were satisfied at the same time ready to invest in the technological solution. On the other hand, cloud computing also reflects significant risks, principal risks of cloud computing is associated with federal agencies and regulations. Any vulnerability found in the software, platform or infrastructure of the vendors will expose serious exposures, as information may be related to more than one organization. Moreover, employees working internally on the cloud computing premises of ‘Business Cloud’ may also expose a serious threat if no proper background employee checks were performed during recruitment procedures. Furthermore, if any governmental agencies for instance, military or other sensitive body is also using the same cloud from the same vendor is also most likely to be compromised, if any breach of any one of these fundamental concepts Confidentiality, Integrity and Ava ilability is successful. In addition, the incident response function may not be efficient and effective if any incident occurs and affect the customer or employee. For instance, if a security incident affects the customer, the incident response function of the organization will trigger in a timely manner to isolate and investigate the root cause via root cause analysis. In a cloud computing scenario, it may be a different case and result