Western Lowland Gorilla Facts

Western Lowland Gorilla Facts The western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is one of two subspecies of western gorillas The other subspecies is the Cross River gorilla. Of the two subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is more numerous. Its also the only subspecies of gorilla kept in zoos, with few exceptions. Fast Facts: Western Lowland Gorilla Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla gorillaDistinguishing Features: Relatively small gorilla with dark brownish black hair and large skull. Mature males have white hair on their backs.Average Size: 68 to 227 kg (150 to 500 lb); males about twice the size of femalesDiet: HerbivorousLife Span: 35 yearsHabitat: Western sub-Saharan AfricaConservation Status: Critically EndangeredKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: MammaliaOrder: PrimatesFamily: HominidaeFun Fact: The western lowland gorilla is the only subspecies kept in zoos, with very rare exceptions. Description Gorillas are the largest apes, but western lowland gorillas are the smallest gorillas. Males are considerably larger than females. An adult male weighs between 136 and 227 kg (300 to 500 lbs) and stands up to 1.8 m (6 ft) tall. Females weigh between 68 and 90 kg (150 to 200 lb) and stand around 1.4 m (4.5 ft) tall. The western lowland gorilla has a larger, wider skull than a mountain gorilla and dark brownish black hair. Young gorillas have a small white rump patch until they are about four years old. Mature males are called silverback males because they have a saddle of white hair across their backs and extending onto the rump and thighs. Western lowland gorillas, like other primates, have unique fingerprints and nose prints. Distribution As their common name suggests, western lowland gorillas live in western Africa at low elevations ranging from sea level to 1300 meters. They inhabit rain forests and forested areas of swamps, rivers, and fields. Most of the population lives in the Republic of the Congo. The gorillas also occur in Cameroon, Angola, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. Gorilla species distribution. Fobos92 Diet and Predators Western lowland gorillas are herbivores. They preferentially select fruit that is high in sugar and fiber. However, when fruit is scarce, they eat leaves, shoots, herbs, and bark. An adult gorilla eats about 18 kg (40 lb) of food per day. The gorillas only natural predator is the leopard. Otherwise, only humans hunt gorillas. Social Structure The gorillas live in groups of one to 30 gorillas, usually averaging between 4 and 8 members. One or more adult males lead the group. A group stays within a home range of 8 to 45 square kilometers. Western lowland gorillas are not territorial and their ranges overlap. The lead silverback organizes eating, resting, and traveling. While a male may make an aggressive display when challenged, gorillas are generally nonaggressive. Females engage in sexual behavior even when they are non-fertile to compete with other females. Young gorillas spend their time playing, much like human children. Reproduction and Life Cycle The reproductive rate of western lowland gorillas is very low. In part, this is because females dont reach sexual maturity until age 8 or 9 and dont reproduce when caring for young. As in humans, gorilla gestation lasts about nine months. A female gives birth to one infant. An infant rides on its mothers back and depends on her until it is about five years old. Occasionally, a male commits infanticide to gain a opportunity to mate with its mother. In the wild, a western lowland gorilla may live 35 years. Females care for young until they are around five years of age. Willis Chung / Getty Images Conservation Status and Threats The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the western gorilla as critically endangered, which is the last category before global extinction in the wild. Only about 250 to 300 of the Cross River gorilla species are believed to remain, while estimates place the number of western lowland gorillas around 300,000 in 2018. While this may seem like a relatively large number of gorillas, the population size continues to dwindle and the animals face serious threats. Challenges facing the western lowland gorilla include deforestation; loss of habitat to human encroachment for settlements, farming, and grazing; climate change; slow reproductive rate coupled with infertility; and poaching for trophies, folk medicine, and bushmeat. Disease may pose an even greater threat to gorillas than other factors. Western lowland gorillas are one of the zoonotic origin of HIV/AIDs, which infects gorillas in a similar fashion as it does humans. Gorillas suffered over 90% mortality from an Ebola epizootic in 2003 to 2004 that killed two-thirds of the species population. Gorillas are also infected with malaria. While the outlook for wild western lowland gorillas appears grim, the species acts as a seed disperser, making it key to the survival of many other species in its habitat. Worldwide, zoos maintain a population of about 550 western lowland gorillas. Sources Darc, Mirela; Ayouba, Ahidjo; Esteban, Amandine; Learn, Gerald H.; Bouà ©, Vanina; Liegeois, Florian; Etienne, Lucie; Tagg, Nikki; Leendertz, Fabian H. (2015). Origin of the HIV-1 group O epidemic in western lowland gorillas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112 (11): E1343–E1352. doi:10.1073/pnas.1502022112Haurez, B.; Petre, C. Doucet, J. (2013). Impacts of logging and hunting on western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) populations and consequences for forest regeneration. A review. Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Socià ©tà © et Environnement. 17 (2): 364–372.Mace, G.M. (1990). Birth Sex Ratio and Infant Mortality Rates in Captive Western Lowland Gorillas. Folia Primatologica. 55 (3–4): 156. doi:10.1159/000156511Maisels, F., Strindberg, S., Breuer, T., Greer, D., Jeffery, K. Stokes, E.  (2018).  Gorilla gorilla ssp. gorilla  (amended version of 2016 assessment).  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  2018: e.T9406A136251508.   doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T9406A136251508.en Rogers, M. Elizabeth; Abernethy, Kate; Bermejo, Magdalena; Cipolletta, Chloe; Doran, Diane; Mcfarland, Kelley; Nishihara, Tomoaki; Remis, Melissa; Tutin, Caroline E.G. (2004). Western gorilla diet: A synthesis from six sites. American Journal of Primatology. 64 (2): 173–192. doi:10.1002/ajp.20071

USS Mississippi (BB-41) in World War II

USS Mississippi (BB-41) in World War II Entering service in 1917, USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second ship of the New Mexico-class. After seeing brief service in World War I, the battleship later spent the majority of its career in the Pacific. During World War II, Mississippi took part in the US Navys island-hopping campaign across the Pacific and repeatedly clashed with Japanese forces.   Retained for several years after the war, the battleship found a second life as a test platform the the US Navys early missile systems. A New Approach After designing and building  five classes of dreadnought battleships (South Carolina-, Delaware-, Florida-, Wyoming-, and New York-classes), the US Navy decided that future designs should make use of a set of standardized tactical and operational characteristics. This would permit these ships to operate together in combat and would simplify logistics. Dubbed the Standard-type, the next five classes were powered by  oil-fired boilers instead of coal, eliminated amidships turrets, and possessed an â€Å"all or nothing† armor scheme. Among these changes, the shift to oil was made with the goal of increasing the vessel’s range as the US Navy felt that this would be critical in any future naval conflict with Japan. As a result, Standard-type ships were capable of cruising 8,000 nautical miles at an economical speed. The new all or nothing armor scheme called for key  areas of the vessel, such as magazines and engineering, to be heavily armored while less important spaces were left unprotected. Also, Standard-type battleships were to be capable of a  minimum top speed of 21 knots and have a tactical turn radius of 700 yards.   Design The characteristics of the Standard-type were first used in the  Nevada-  and  Pennsylvania-classes. As a follow-on to the latter, the  New Mexico-class at first was envisioned as the US Navys first class to mount 16 guns. A new weapon, the 16/45 caliber gun had been successfully tested in 1914. Heavier than the 14 guns used on previous classes, employment of the 16 gun would require a vessel with a larger displacement. This would significantly increase construction costs. Due to extended debates  over designs and anticipated rising costs, Secretary of the Navy  Josephus Daniels decided to forgo using the new guns and instructed that the new type replicate the  Pennsylvania-class with only minor changes. As a result, the three vessels  of the  New Mexico-class, USS  New Mexico  (BB-40), USS  Mississippi  (BB-41), and USS  Idaho  (BB-42), each carried a main armament of twelve 14 guns placed in four triple turrets. These were supported by a secondary battery of fourteen 5 guns which were mounted in enclosed casemates in the vessels superstructure. Additional armament came in the form of four 3 guns and two Mark 8 21 torpedo tubes. While  New Mexico  received an experimental turbo-electric transmission as part of its power plant,  the other two vessels used more traditional geared turbines.      Ã‚   Construction      Assigned to Newport News Shipbuilding, construction of Mississippi commenced  on April 5,  1915. Work moved forward over the next twenty-one months  and on January 25, 1917, the new battleship entered  the water with Camelle McBeath, daughter of the Chairman of the Mississippi State Highway Commission, serving as sponsor.   As work continued, the United States became embroiled in World War I. Finished late that year, Mississippi  entered commission on December 18, 1917, with Captain Joseph L. Jayne  in command. USS Mississippi  (BB-41) Overview Nation:  United StatesType:  BattleshipShipyard:  Newport News ShipbuildingLaid Down:  April 5, 1915Launched:  January 25, 1917Commissioned:  December 18, 1917Fate:  Sold for scrap Specifications (as built) Displacement:  32,000 tonsLength:  624  ft.Beam:  97.4 ft.Draft:  30 ft.Propulsion:  Geared  turbines turning 4 propellersSpeed:  21  knotsComplement:  1,081  men Armament 12  Ãƒâ€" 14 in. gun (4  Ãƒâ€" 3)14 Ãâ€" 5 in. guns2 Ãâ€" 21 in. torpedo tubes World War I Early Service Finishing its shakedown cruise,  Mississippi  conducted exercises along the Virginia coast in early 1918. It then shifted south to Cuban waters for further training. Steaming back to Hampton Roads in April, the battleship was retained on the East Coast during the final months of World War I. With the end of the conflict, it moved through winter exercises in the Caribbean before receiving orders to join the Pacific Fleet at San Pedro, CA. Departing in July 1919,  Mississippi  spent the next four years operating along the West Coast.   In 1923, it took part in a demonstration during which it sank USS Iowa  (BB-4).   The following year, tragedy struck  Mississippi  when on June 12 an explosion occurred in Turret Number 2 which killed 48 of the battleships crew.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interwar Years Repaired,  Mississippi  sailed with several American battleships in April for war games off Hawaii followed by a goodwill cruise to New Zealand and Australia. Ordered east in 1931, the battleship entered the Norfolk Navy Yard on March 30 for an extensive modernization. This saw alterations to the battleships superstructure and  changes to the secondary armament. Completed in mid-1933,  Mississippi resumed active duty and began training exercises. In October 1934, it returned to San Pedro and rejoined the Pacific Fleet. Mississippi  continued to serve in the Pacific until mid-1941.    Directed to sail for Norfolk,  Mississippi  arrived there on June 16 and prepared for service with the Neutrality Patrol. Operating in the North Atlantic, the battleship also escorted American convoys to Iceland.   Safely reaching Iceland in late September,  Mississippi  stayed in the vicinity for most of the fall. There when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7 and the United States entered World War II, it promptly departed for the West Coast and reached San Francisco on January 22, 1942. Tasked with training and protecting convoys, the battleship also had its anti-aircraft defenses enhanced. To the Pacific Employed in this duty for the early part of 1942,  Mississippi  then escorted convoys to Fiji in December and operated in the southwest Pacific.   Returning to  Pearl Harbor  in March 1943, the battleship commenced training for operations in the Aleutian Islands. Steaming north in May,  Mississippi  participated in the bombardment of Kiska on July 22 and aided in compelling the Japanese to evacuate. With the successful conclusion of the campaign, it underwent a brief overhaul at San Francisco before joining forces bound for the Gilbert Islands. Supporting American troops during the Battle of Makin on November 20, Mississippi  sustained a turret explosion which killed 43. Island Hopping Undergoing repairs,  Mississippi  returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire support for the invasion of Kwajalein. A month later, it bombarded Taroa and Wotje before striking Kavieng, New Ireland on March 15. Ordered to Puget Sound that summer,  Mississippi  had its 5 battery expanded. Sailing for the Palaus, it aided in the Battle of Peleliu  in September. After replenishing at Manus, Mississippi  moved to the Philippines where it bombarded Leyte on October 19. Five nights later, it took part in the victory over the Japanese at the Battle of Surigao Strait. In the fighting, it joined five Pearl Harbor veterans in sinking two enemy battleships as well as a heavy cruiser. During the action,  Mississippi  fired the final salvos by a battleship against other heavy warships. Philippines Okinawa Continuing to support operations in the Philippines through late fall,  Mississippi  then moved to take part in the landings at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. Steaming into the gulf on January 6, 1945, it pounded Japanese shore positions prior to the Allied landings. Remaining offshore, it sustained a kamikaze hit near the waterline but continued to strike targets until February 10. Ordered back to Pearl Harbor for repairs, Mississippi remained out of action until May. Arriving off Okinawa on May 6, it commenced firing on Japanese positions including Shuri Castle. Continuing to support Allied forces ashore, Mississippi took another kamikaze hit on June 5. This struck the ships starboard side, but did not force it to retire. The battleship stayed off Okinawa bombarding targets until June 16. With the end of the war in August, Mississippi steamed north to Japan and was present in Tokyo Bay on September 2 when the Japanese surrendered aboard USS Missouri (BB-63).    Later Career                           Departing for the United States on September 6, Mississippi ultimately arrived at Norfolk on November 27. Once there, it underwent conversion into an auxiliary ship with the designation AG-128.   Operating from Norfolk, the old battleship conducted gunnery tests and served as a test platform for new missile systems. It remained active in this role until 1956. On September 17, Mississippi was decommissioned at Norfolk. When plans to convert the battleship into a museum fell through, the US Navy elected to sell it for scrap to Bethlehem Steel on November 28.

Assignment 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 15

2 - Assignment Example large data set though the use of bubbles and curves to show how the developing countries are in the same direction towards health and prosperity that developed countries had already taken long time ago. In his presentation, Steven Pinker argues that violence has been on a declining trend over the years and the current generation presents one of the most peaceful in human existence. The decline can be attributed to rapid changes in the social developments that humans have undergone over the years leading to better means of solving problems and handling disputes. He attributes to the fact that his claims have always evoked skepticism, incredulity, and sometimes anger among social analysts and scholars who have reasoned otherwise. He supports his claims by reasoning that people tend to estimate the chances of occurrence of an event from the ease with which they are able to remember the examples and scenes. People have a distorted view of violence due to the information that they receive on a daily basis. Both the speakers have proved successful in the delivery of their information through the use of diagrams and illustrations that tend to support their claims. In this respect, Hans has clearly demonstrated his presentation by showing the audience how the Gapminder operates in its attempt to compress large data sets. The reason why Steven Pinker did not use more practical examples that will be understood easily by the audience is because his presentation is based on social issue while that of Hans is based on scientific matter. Social matters are not easy to demonstrate so that everyone can have a clear understanding of the issues being presented. The audience seem to be satisfied and fully understood the presentation by Hans Rosling mainly because it is well supported by facts and clear illustrations which he offers to present to them. On the other hand, the presentation by Steven Pinker has left more questions than answers and most people in the audience seem

Oepidus the king Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oepidus the king - Essay Example The tragedy of â€Å"Oedipus the King† was presented at the third year of the Peloponnesian War, when plague was raging in the Athens. The tragedy â€Å"Oedipus the King† has in itself many references to eyes, sight, and blindness. In the centre of the story there is a man, who identifies the theme of the tragedy that is considered to be the theme of moral self-identity. It seems that in this drama the most important ideas regarding the nature and destiny of a man are expressed. The tragedy consists of a big variety of symbols and the specific symbols of blindness and sight are connected with the themes of knowledge and ignorance in it. And it is done so capaciously, simply and convincingly that it is available for the understanding even of an inexperienced reader. For example, the next lines show us that sight is used in ignorance way, while blindness can open much more: â€Å"†¦So I say this to you, since you have chosen to insult my blindness— you have y our eyesight, and you do not see how miserable you are, or where you live† (Sophocles, Oedipus the King), or other example that presents a blindness as symbol of knowledge: â€Å"He will be blind, although he now can see. He will be a poor, although he now is rich. He will set off for a foreign country, groping the ground before him with a stick† (Sophocles, Oedipus the King).

Amartya Sen The Idea Of Justice Review Philosophy Essay

Amartya Sen The Idea Of Justice Review Philosophy Essay Justice is the quality of being just or fair. Justice can also be looked upon as the judgment involved in the determination of rights and the assignment of rewards and punishments. Justice can also be the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity (Princeton Web 2010). Individuals may look at justice many different ways, but what factors play into deciding what truly is justice? Must you look at fairness in order to be just, must you look at rationality, or even equality and liberty? There will always be debates about how to achieve justice. But due to so many factors being involved, we may never understand what justice truly is. I believe that in order for one to be just, or even to make a just decision on a matter that factors such as rationality, fairness, human rights, and the well being of all parties involved must be taken into account. But this is just my opinion many of todays philosophers often argue what it mean s to be just or even to achieve a completely just state in our society, along with the decisions we make on a daily basis. To call attention to a specific philosopher, Amartya Sen undoubtedly makes a solid stance on what justice truly means. The Idea of Justice is Amartya Sens assessment of political philosophy. He explores what justice really means and has come up with alternatives to the existing model. Sens philosophic arguments are shown by an exceptional set of stories drawn from literature, history, and current events occurring in our society today. There are not many main thoughts of the book, but the thoughts presented are revisited throughout each chapter, to help the reader see the bigger picture. You must be able to examine each idea Sen presents in his text, as they all come together, when being able to achieve complete justice. Although justice may never fully be reached entirely in any society, Sen does an amazing job giving examples and putting each of his arguments in basic text, so that it is easy for the reader to understand what he is talking about. The specific philosophic arguments of the book are highly important when it comes to the ideas of justice. The Idea of Justice is divided into four main pa rts. Part one contains several of Sens most important thoughts throughout the book. They include, reason objectivity, institutions persons, voice social choice, impartiality objectivity, and closed open impartiality. In part two, forms of Reasoning, Sen discusses a number of themes including rationality, plurality of impartial reasons, and rationality other people. Part three contains information on the capabilities approach, lives, freedoms capabilities, and equality liberty. The final part of Sens text speaks to public reasoning democracy, including sections on justice the world, human rights global imperatives, the practice of democracy, and democracy as public reason. Throughout each of these main sections Sens argues very strong points, I will try to give you a summary of the main points throughout each chapter of Sens book along with where he stands on certain topics and how I can relate and feel about what he believes. To call your attention to the preface/introduction, Sen specifically states that what he is presenting here, is a theory of justice which aims to clarify how we can proceed to address questions of enhancing justice and removing injustice, rather than to offer resolutions of questions about the nature of perfect justice (Sen IX). The Introduction elaborates on two approaches to justice, which include the comparativist framework the social contract framework. The comparativist framework is presented using the realization comparison approach. The realization approach prioritizes the social understanding of advancing justice and removing injustice in real societies with their existing institutions. The social contract framework is presented using the transcendental institutionalism approach which was led by the works of Thomas Hobbes. The transcendental institutionalism approach concentrates on perfect justice and the institutions that would be recognized in such a perfectly just societ y. There are two distinct problems indentified here which Sen engages. First it concentrates its attention on what it identifies as perfect justice, rather than on relative comparisons of justice injustice (Sen 6). Sen goes on to explain that this approach tries to only identify social characteristics that cannot be transcended in terms of justice, and its focus is thus not on comparing feasible societies, all of which may fall short of the ideals of perfection. Also it is intended to identify the nature of the just, rather than finding an alternative being less unjust than another. The second major issue with this approach is described by Sen Saying that in searching for perfection, transcendental institutionalism concentrates primarily on getting the institutions right, and it is not directly focused on the actual societies that would ultimately emerge. We need to focus on how change within the actual society is going to be completed, not by getting institutions perfect to the point that they are just institutions. This would do nothing for emerging societies we need to look at society as whole in order to achieve perfect justice by not having only perfectly just institutions. People are sti ll going to act how they choose as well as behave how they choose, so we must focus on society as whole. The nature of the society that would result from any given set of institutions must, of course, depend also on non-institutional features, such as actual behaviors of people and their social interactions (Sen 6). I do agree with Sen in this theory of justice, it should first and foremost, serve as a basis for practical reasoning. Chapter one is to defend a notion of objectivity in our average thoughts of justice.   Sen argues for the idea that we should understand reason as the final judge of our ethical beliefs. One must be able to justify and understand his reasoning by critically evaluating reasoning for ethical beliefs. The necessity of relying heavily on reason is important as Sen describes in his work. Sen says, the case for reasoned scrutiny lies not in any sure-fire way of getting things exactly right (no such way may exist), but on being objective as we reasonably can (Sen 40). Sen believes that one must be able to rely on reason in order to fully justify and decide on our ethical beliefs. I must agree with Sen on this point, when he argues that this approach is not going to be one that will allow and individual to get things exactly right, but allow us to be as objective as we possibly can. By scrutinizing your own reasoning, it is highly probable that you will arrive at the best possible ethical decision. We should not get caught up in being overconfident in the decisions of our own reasoning, as this could add flaws to our decisions. The remedy for bad reasoning lies in better reasoning, and it is indeed the job of reasoned scrutiny to move from the former to the latter (Sen 49). This quote explains it all, it is imperative that one must critically scrutinize his/her own reasoning for a decision, and that without this scrutiny theres great chance for bad reasoning. To avoid this, one must critically scrutinize his/her reasoning of choice or decision. Moving to another argument from Sen, I share the following quote. Justice is rooted in fairness and fairness can be broadly be seen as a demand for impartiality (Sen 54). In order for one to be completely just, the decision must be rational and fair, if a decision is not looked upon as being fair for all parties, you arrive at issues of impartiality. Sens gives his example of three children and a flute, all children having a rational reason as to why they deserve the flute. But if there is not a common vested interest on one solid set of principals between all parties, we run into an issue of what the true just decision is. Institutionally, we cannot address such issues as these. Individuals still have their own morals and values and going to make their own decisions regardless of what is taught. One of the most difficult things is to change an individuals moral values and beliefs, institutionally this cannot be done. Values as these are usually learned at the home-base from parents and guardians and are instilled in us from a very young age. It i s imperative that we do not look at what truly is a just society in order to achieve a just society. As actions such as these will get our society nowhere Sen looks at the social choice theory as an approach to justice as well. Social choice theory is concerned with the relationships between people, their preferences social choice. For example a group of individuals such as a committee making a decision in a voting process, individuals in the group may have different preferences over options that are available to them. This approach deals with the principles of aggregations of preference. Aggregation of social choice may be impossible if the process of choice is to satisfy a set of reasonable conditions. With such reasonable conditions, this could alter the general consensus of a social choice being made by such a committee or group. Even some very mild conditions of reasonable sensitivity of social decision to what the members of society want cannot be simultaneously satisfied by any social choice procedure that can be described as rational and democratic (Sen 93). We can however, become more informally sensitive, if we choose to jus t try and do better rather than to meet the criteria of being fully rational or just. One may use social choice theory as a framework for reasoning, rather than to try and use it completely to achieve justice. Position of observation and knowledge is another important approach Sen discusses in his work. What we observe depends on our position by means of the things that we observe. What individuals decide to believe is based on what we view. How one decides to act relates to his/her beliefs on a particular subject. Observations, beliefs, and actions are vital to understanding and arriving at sensible reasoning. To Sen, Objectivity is a position-dependent phenomenon (Sen 157). This issue [positionality] is quite important for the formulation of a theory of justice and, more specifically, for exploring a theory that gives a special role to public reasoning in the understanding of the demands of justice (Sen 167). It is important here to understand that there is no single way to master a way of making sense of the world or our experience in it. No decision made could ever be rationalized in every single persons mind, something such as this is physically not possible. There are just too many d ifferent people in our society today for that to be able to happen. There will always be a flaw in certain reasoning in some persons view. There is just no way, that every single person in the world would be satisfied with a decision, because we all observe, understand, and put reason into different perspectives. Some placing more weight on rational choice, critical scrutiny, positional objectivity, reasonable behaviors sustainable reason when it comes to making a decision. There are just too many approaches for everyone to be able to agree. So we must take into account all perspectives of others when it comes to justice and just decision making, as Sen states, we must be sensitive to others (206). Respect of others views is exceedingly important here. To move forward, the capabilities approach is also a major theme within the work. The capabilities approach focuses on human lives, and not just on the resources people have, in the form of owning or having use of objects of convenience that a person may possess (Sen 253). The approach emphasizes purposeful capabilities substantive freedoms, such as the ability to engage in economic transactions, or participate in political activities. Poverty is understood as capability deficiency in Sens view. The emphasis is not only on how human beings actually operate but also on their having the capability to do so, which is a practical choice, to operate in important ways if thats what they choose to do. Someone could be stripped of such capabilities in many ways. Ignorance, government oppression, lack of financial resources, and false comprehension, are ways in which one may be stripped of such capabilities. Possession of capabilities strongly implies a responsibility for making use of the m to help others when possible, especially when it comes to the less fortunate. If someone has the power to make a difference that he or she can see will reduce injustice in the world, then there is a strong and reasoned argument for doing just that (Sen 271). If you can see that your capabilities go beyond that of the less fortunate by any means, and that they can be used in any positive manner weather be financial or emotional, I believe that there is no doubt that one should be obligated to reduce injustice in some way shape or form if at all possible. Again this only being an approach, this is not the end all-be all in deciding justice, but undoubtedly can make a difference, and I would have to agree. In basic terms, if you are capable, than you should do something to reduce injustice. I dont feel that you are obligated to do so, but any reduce in injustice, is a step in the right direction. Sen goes on to support the idea that democracy is a universal value, he differentiates between the institutional structure of the contemporary practice of democracy, which is largely the product of European and American experience over the last few centuries (Sen 322-323). In my opinion, one should not assume that because a particular type of institutional structure is up and running, such as elections, voting being counted properly, and etc, that a satisfactory level of democracy has been achieved. Sen believes that having too much institutional focus on democracy has caused particular trouble at the global level. Sen believes that, an uncont rolled media is important to the operation of democratic societies. Sen explains in the text that this contributes to human security by giving a voice to the defenseless and deprived by subjecting the government to criticism from such individuals. I believe this power is key I giving people courage, power, and the ability to express feelings towards actions that are being taken. We sort of put power in the hands of individuals who are not as capable as other, which I do agree with also, because this is a simple way in which we can empower individuals to voice opinions in a manner which may not fall on death ears as usual. We can place emphasis on individuals human rights here, which an important factor concerning human rights is to protect individuals freedoms, thus freedom of speech freedom of press being highly important. Sen says that human rights are moral rights, strong ethical pronouncements as to what should be done (357). According to Sen, reasoning concerning justice should not be restricted to one state or population, but rather be global. If the importance of public reasoning has been one of the major concerns of this book, so has been the need to accept the plurality of reasons that may be sensibly accommodated in an exercise of evaluation (Sen 394). We must look at every possible angle that the book discusses in order to find an answer to the idea of what justice truly is. If you cannot effectively rationalize all aspects of the idea of what justice is, it will be difficult for you to be able to ever understand what justice is. As Sen states the reasons may sometimes compete with each ot her in persuading us in one direction or another in a particular assessment, and when they yield conflicting judgments, there is an important challenge in determining what credible conclusions can be derived, after considering all argument (Sen 394). Which I most certainly agree with, it would in fact be a difficult task to determine a credible solution, but it is imperative that you must consider all of the arguments at hand.

Kristof vs. Bambi

Kristof vs. Bambi The purpose of â€Å"For Environmental Balance, Pick Up a Rifle† by Nicholas D. Kristof is to inform the reader that deer are causing death and destruction all across America and to persuade the reader to believe the only way to end this is to hunt deer. Kristof begins the essay by grabbing our attention proving deer are over populated, destroying the ecosystem, and killing Americans in car crashes every year. He then leads us to his thesis â€Å"Let’s bring back hunting. † Kristof notes that these days many people view hunting as cruel and brutal and are opting for other methods for deer control now due to their sympathy for deer. He believes methods such as birth control are a waste of time and money and if something does not change soon it is only going to get worse. Kristof also proves in his essay that there has been a significant decline of hunting stating, â€Å"For every hundred hunters who die or stop hunting, only sixty-nine hunters take their place† (pg. 183). He wants us to know while you can be sympathetic to the deer we have an environmental imbalance, a serious problem and the only way to solve it is to put feelings aside and hunt. Kristof then offers us another way to look at hunting. That it is environmentally friendly. He even goes on to say, â€Å"It connects people with the outdoors and creates a broader constituency for wilderness prevention† and makes sure to note â€Å"At a time when America is goggled away with logging, mining, or oil drilling† (pg. 183), which touches the hearts of environmentalists. Kristof gives us two options in this essay: sit back and feel sorry for the deer that may kill you and your planet, or accept that hunting is normal and instinctive and to pick up your rifle and restore environmental balance. The situation prompting Kristof to write this article was the over population of deer that is continuing to grow. I think this essay was wrote to inform readers of the over population of deer and the destruction they are causing. He also notes in this text that hunters are on the decline perhaps proving this is one factor that is contributing to the over population of deer. This essay was published in the New York Times and I don’t believe this article was aimed toward a specific audience. Most of his readers are probably from the city and could really care less about deer population. They probably found the article funny but I doubt any of them were persuaded. Kristof makes it clear in this essay what the main purpose of him writing the article is, which is to inform the reader about the deer problem and attempt to persuade the reader to agree with him that American’s need to bring back hunting. Kristof also gives facts throughout the text to back up some information on the issue. He uses a lot of research and data to inform the readers of the deer problem. For instance, he notes in the text a study done for the insurance industry which states â€Å"deer kill about 150 people a year in car crashes nationwide and cause $1 billion in damage. † (pg. 83) This is very convincing that there is a deer problem and I feel this evidence is credible. However when Kristof discusses attempts other than hunting to control the deer population he doesn’t explain them fully and tells us they don’t work with no evidence to back up his claim. For example Kristof tells us about some towns that are experimenting with deer birth cont rol then states â€Å"Deer contraception hasn’t been very successful, though. †(pg. 183) And we are just taking his word for it, he gives us no real evidence that this method doesn’t work. This also happens to be an example of my next topic that I found with the text. I found one Strong fallacy that Kristof uses to try to persuade his audience. It is called special pleading or stacking the deck, this involves using arguments that support your position but ignoring arguments against. Kristof does this in a way that was not easy to catch right away. He does give the reader other solutions for the issue but does not explain those good enough to really understand or see why they are not good options, he just tells us they are. Making this entire essay a fallacy showing only his arguments and not letting the audience understand all of the options. Kristof’s essay is an entertaining and mildly informative piece of writing. I was immediately drawn into the text when he offered the quiz. I found myself reading wondering what joke Kristof would make next and fascinated that he could be so funny and make an argument at the same time. Kristof does convince me that there is a problem with today’s deer population but I am not convinced hunting deer is the only way. By only mentioning a few other options to reduce the deer population and not explaining them thoroughly, I was left feeling unsure and wondering should I even consider his side? I felt this way because he had to leave the other information out to make his argument stronger. I also felt by only stating those couple of options and then making a mockery of them, he was almost shamming his audience into taking his side on the issue. I think this essay was a fun read but I find the argument weak, it is going to take a better argument than that for people to turn on Bambi. Works Cited Kristof, Nicholas D. â€Å"For Environmental Balance, Pick Up a Rifle. † New York Times 4 Dec. 2005. Rpt. in Current issues and enduring questions. Sylvan Barnet, Hugo Bedau. 8th ed.. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2008. 183-184

Analysis Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee - 999 Words

To Kill a Mockingbird vs A Time to Kill To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic film, originally published as a novel by Harper Lee in 1960 and republished as a film by Robert Mulligan in 1962. This movie is based on a white attorney, Atticus Finch, defending an African American man, Tom Robinson, which was accused of raping a white woman. This trial illustrates how server racisms was in the early 1960’s. A Time to Kill is the prefect demonstration to show how racism still exists 30 years later. In 1966, Joel Schumacher directed A Time to Kill (1996). This movie is about a 10 year old black girl, Tonya Hailey, that was brutally raped by two white men. On the day of the trial, her father, Carl Hailey, takes justice into his own hands and kills the men that assaulted his daughter. Carl is represented by a white attorney, Jake Brigance. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and A Time to Kill (1996) has many similarities. Jake and Atticus has risked their entire life, family and career to protect an African American man whole heartedly. In doing so, both attorneys put their family and friends in danger. Jake’s wife and daughter were attacked by the Kul Klux Klan. The Klan put a burning cross on their front porch in the middle of the night while they were sleeping, hoping to kill the two while Jake was still at work. This caused his wife and daughter to leave him alone in town until the trial was over. Jake’s assistant was stripped necked by the Klan and beaten inhospitably than leftShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Theme Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1765 Words   |  8 PagesAnalysis Of Themes In To Kill A Mockingbird The novel To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, published in 1960, comes out during a flourishing time of tremendous segregation and injustices in the United States. In fact, during this time in America, Civil Rights Movement are at their peak; also, some residents are pushing for equality for all, during this time period. One of those United States citizens who is exposing the South for what it truly is, is Harper Lee. Harper Lee, born on April 28, 1926Read MoreAnalysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay1360 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee In 1960, Harper Lee published her critically acclaimed book To Kill a Mockingbird. Only a year after being published the American classic novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction as well as the Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Gregory Peck stared as Atticus in the successfully adapted 1962 motion picture of To Kill a Mockingbird that won an Academy Award. This book is based on many childhood experiencesRead MoreEssay on Analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee1323 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† by Harper Lee is a story of national magnitude that contains complex characters. Harper Lee deals with the emotions and spirits of the characters insightfully. A few of these characters display courage at one point or another in the story. These flashes of courage come during turbulent times of the story, and often led to success. Atticus Finch displayed courage on numerous occasions. Without his wife he had toRead MoreAnalysis Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1431 Words   |  6 PagesPrison in To Kill A Mockingbird Historically, women have spent time living in the shadows of men, purely because of their gender. Women are oppressed and expected to conform to certain gender roles/expectations because of their sex, just like men. Caitlyn Jenner is a transgender female. Her name was Bruce Jenner however she felt trapped in a male’s body when deep in side she knew that she was a female. Caitlyn Jenner did not fit well into the stereotypical description of a male. Harper Lee wrote ToRead MoreAnalysis Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee988 Words   |  4 PagesDo you have the courage to stand up for good when evil lingers all around? To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the great depression, while facing social status discrimination, racial discrimination, prejudices, and stereotyping. However, there remained courage by some to see good in all. While Atticus Finch was of a higher social status as an attorney in Maycomb, he always displayed the courage to sta nd up for what was right, or for good, even when evil lingeredRead MoreAnalysis Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1078 Words   |  5 Pagesmeans those who are poor have less. In To Kill a Mockingbird many of the poverty struck people are looked down on because of status, and there is little to support why they are. If someone has less, it does not necessarily indicate they are less, they just don’t have the means to be where others are in society. Today, there are many, even some who work, that live in poverty. When they get looked down on it is an injustice to society. In To Kill a Mockingbird, two examples of poverty are the CunninghamsRead MoreAnalysis Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee785 Words   |  4 PagesInequality is an issue that the American society has been struggling to solve for generations. Though we would like to say that this problem has been solved throughout time, it sadly has not gotten much better. In the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee takes us back in time to when this issue was more commonly known, the 1930’s. The Finch family had lived in the town of Maycomb for generations and throughout the book it was clearly shown and stated how both women and blacks were seenRead MoreAnalysis Of Harper Lee s Kill A Mockingbird 1593 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Major Themes †¢ Standards of behavior †¢ Morals/values †¢ Racism Important Symbols †¢ Mockingbirds (Innocence/ morals and values)– The book depicts mockingbirds as innocent creatures that shouldn’t be harmed since they did nothing to harm others. While practicing with their rifles, Atticus tells Jem and Scout that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. The mockingbirds share a connection with Tom Robinson since they are both innocent and don’t deserve toRead MoreAnalysis Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee880 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis on Tom Robinson’s Trial Harper Lee’s â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† is set in a small Southern United States community called Maycomb during the Great Depression era. The whole book primarily revolves around segregation and racism and how it relates to Maycomb’s history. It eventually leads to the trial of Tom Robinson where he is accused of beating up and raping Mayella Ewell. Even though it was clear that Tom Robinson did not do anything wrong he was convicted by an all white jury simply becauseRead MoreAnalysis Of Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1545 Words   |  7 PagesSouth during the 1930’s, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was an instant classic that has endured for more than half a century. Still taught in schools and often referenced in popular culture, Lee’s story of the Finch family in tiny Maycomb, Alabama is known as a â€Å"Great American Novel† because of Lee’s entertaining examination of so many timeless, socially relevant themes. T hrough her characters of Atticus Finch, his daughter Scout, and their mysterious neighbor Boo Radley, Lee considers the theme of