Animal Rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Animal Rights - Research Paper Example In applied research with direct clinical applications in animals and humans.† Animals are used in psychological research because they assist in the better understanding of human psychological characteristics which include remembering things and the changes seen in periods of strain. This research has assisted in the understanding of psychopathological conditions which include schizophrenia and depressive disorders as well as the assessment of the untoward effects of medications used in the treatment of psychological conditions. It is for these reasons that the role of ethics has come into play. Many argue that animals should have their rights and they should not be used for experimental and research purposes (Plous 1996; Smith 2010). Other than that animals are also being slaughtered and killed because of which their habitat is being endangered. This essay would further revolve around animal rights and prove as to why is it important to preserve animal rights these days. Signif icance History In the seventeenth century a common notion was held against the acts of animals which were considered to be unethical and dangerous. However gradually the rights of animals have been recognized such that some states even look forward to extend the rights of liberty and life to them (Kadri 2006). It has been seen that strict measures have been taken to measure the violence against animals by many animal rights organizations. The argument of animal rights Previously animals did not have many rights but over time organizations have been created to argue for the rights of animals. The case of animal rights lies in the fact that the animals can breathe just like the human beings. The proponents of animal rights believe that there is no such difference between human beings and animals and both of them should be treated equally. In accordance to biology human beings and mammals have almost the same characteristics. Both of them have a conscious perception about the surroundi ngs and can make choices in accordance to their will. Human beings do not like certain things over others and same is the case with animals and this should be respected in terms of animal equality. On the other hand the opponents of animal rights believe that these animals do not have a right similar to that of human beings. According to them the animals do not have conscious perception about the things that they are doing. According to the famous philosopher Rene Descartes animals were merely robots acting in a complicated manner. At certain instances religion is also brought by these opponents to argue the case against animal rights. St Augustine stated that "by a most just ordinance of the Creator, both their [animals'] life and their death are subject to our use." The opponents also put forward that animals do not have a sense of morality similar to that of human beings. These opponents argue that because of their immoral acts the animals should also not be tolerated in the soci ety (BBC 2011). Animal Cruelty Although animal rights have been promoted in the society it is still seen that animal cruelty figures are on the rise. Between the years of 2003 and 2004 it was found that more than 100000 complaints were made against the cruelty of animals (BBC News 2004). Moreover in 2010 it was found that the complaints against animal cruelty rose by around 10%. Animal cruelty has been discouraged to a great extent in many states and the consequences of animal cruelty have been severed to the extent

European Single Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

European Single Market - Essay Example The first two treaties are the ‘Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)’ (Moens & Trone, 2010, p.2). Article 54 of the 2010 Official Journal of European Union requires that commercial firms be treated as natural persons who are citizens of the Member States. The challenges faced The need for the states to come together and surrender part of the sovereignty was initiated by that urge to have some strong decision-making body that could collectively empower the member states (Barnard & Scotts, 2002, p.136). The union has bodies charged with enacting certain policies that are common to the member states and ensure that the policies are followed accurately. Some of these policies regulate the trade in the area. It thus serves to protect the member states against any irregularities and this explains why our country had to be a member. The policies enacted by the governing bodies of the union regulate our operation as a comp any that trades in the region. Zandia is a sovereign state found in Eastern Europe and is a member of the European Union. Our trade operations in the area thus fall under the policies of the European Union. However, the government of Zandia has imposed certain restrictions to our trade in the country, some of which are not conforming to the laid treaties. One challenge that we have experienced is that, there is a charge levied on the importation of film for production purposes. The net earning from such charges is aimed at supporting the actors in the country who are jobless. This is contrary to the provisions of the EU treaty in several ways. Chapter 2 of Title VII of the 2010 Official Journal of European Union clearly explains the terms under which the Member States can impose taxes on both imported and exported goods within their borders. In particular, article 110 of the chapter states that ‘no member state shall impose, directly or indirectly, on the products of other mem ber states any internal taxation of any kind in excess of that imposed directly or indirectly on similar domestic products’. The article further asserts that no such taxes are supposed to be levied on imported commodities to serve the interest of the domestic producers. This creates a competitive disadvantage on our side. While it is the role of the union to promote the economic development in areas with low standards of leaving and serious underemployments, article requires that such an aid by the State should not distort competition by favoring others. Besides, the unemployment witnessed in Zandia among the actors is not a serious one to obtain the assistance from the state resources. Secondly, there is a charge for inspecting imported DVDs standards for quality under a mandatory EU scheme. This is also not conforming to the provisions in the above Chapter 2 concerning charges levied on goods within the internal market. Article 112 in this chapter requires that any charge t hat can be imposed on any imported or exported products within the member states shall be approved only by the European Council in conjunction with the Commission. The article 112 states that: â€Å"In the case of charges other than turnover taxes, excise duties and other forms of indirect taxation, remissions and repayments in respects to other Member States may not be granted and countervailing charges in respects to imports from Member States may

Compositional Analysis of Images

Compositional Analysis of Images DRAWING ON KRESS AND VAN LEEUWENS CONCEPTS OF THE GIVEN AND THE NEW IN READING IMAGES: THE GRAMMAR OF VISUAL DESIGN (1996), PERFORM A COMPO ­SITIONAL ANALYSIS OF ANY TWO OF THE GIVEN IMAGES. An Image is a tangible or visual representation of a person, a place or a thing. All images carry a meaning which can be understood differently by different people in different situations. Composition is the way in which something is put together or arranged or the combination of parts or elements that make up something. Malcolm Barnard in Approaches to Understanding Visual Culture (2001) suggests that we concentrate on the looking and analysis of images by focusing on elements of visual culture that are said to be intrinsic or internal to the work; elements such as shape, line, colour, texture, and layout or composition. (Barnard, 2001, p.168). An image can be analysed through its composition and drawing on Kress and Van Leeuwens concepts of the Given and the New a compositional analysis of two images will be performed in this essay. Kress and Leeuwen argue that the left of an image is assumed to be The Given and the right to be The New meaning that the left is something which is already known and the right is the key information which is not yet known or agreed upon and thus creating the salience. Speaking of salience, before we analyse the images it is important to know the three principles of composition. INFORMATION VALUE: The value of an element depends on its placement as different zones of an image have different values attached to it. SALIENCE: The most eye catching element of the image can be realized by factors as placement, size, contrast, colour, sharpness, etc. FRAMING: The dividing lines created by elements or actual frame lines disconnect or connect elements of the image representing if they belong or not to one another. (Kress and Leeuwen, 1996, p.177). They argue that this theory can also be applied to magazines, newspapers, advertisements and diagrams. Magazines and newspapers tend to have pictures and articles on a left/right axis. The structure of sentences also work with the theory. Other theorists like Ron Needham and Freud had diverse views of the Left and Right of an image with left being bad and right being good and left being sinful and right being righteous respectively. When analysing the below image of   The Creation of Eve by Lorenzo Maitani we see that God is placed on the left who was there already and is thus considered as Given while the woman Eve the new creation is on the right regarded as the New. The placement of Eve in the image is not exactly in the right one can argue as majority of her body is placed in the centre of the image. Michelangelo, on the other hand, in his famous painting The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, placed God on the right. (Kress and Leeuwen, 1996, p.181). The theory did not hold much weight as now it was man who was the Given and God as the New. Furthermore, considering the diverse views God being on the left makes him bad and sinful with man being good and righteous The above image by Lester Beall Rural Electric Programme 1937 can also be analysed as the Given and the New by understanding that the house on the left is Given and the bulb on the right is New. The image is targeted at the rural or countryside location where light was not common at that period of time making the bulb which has the words LIGHT printed on it something new which has never been there before, thus implying that the house can now have light, if you see the sentence structure (the house can now have light) Kress and Leeuwens theory seem to be working. But if one reversed the sides then the bulb will be the Given which is available to the house making the house New. The house will be regarded as new because it has got the light in it. The theory of Kress and Leeuwen did not live up to the expectations once more. Every person looking at an image would have a different interpretation of the image depending on the time, culture, situation and environment, the concept cannot be taken as wrong or right as every viewer has his own ability of thinking and can portray any meaning of a given image according to his choice. Analysing images through a theory means analysing images through the same lens which will certainly take away the true meaning of the image. Kress and Leeuwen admitted that their theory does not work for every image which has been proved by analysing the above two images. Before concluding this essay your attention would be needed on the point that when making am image the maker has a message that he wants the people to know or draw attention to and if the viewer interprets it differently the viewer would not know if has got the right message which was intended unless and until he asks the maker or studies what the exact message was. Theories cannot be depended upon while interpreti ng images as every viewer has his own way of encoding messages, I would like to close with a quote (Stuart Hall, 1997, p.9): It is worth emphasising that there is no single or correct  answer to the question, What does this image mean? or  What is this ad saying? Since there is no law which can  guarantee that things will have one, true meaning, or that  meanings wont change over time, work in this area is bound  to be interpretative a debate between, not who is right  and who is wrong, but between equally plausible, though  sometimes competing and contesting, meanings and  interpretations.!   Bibliography Kress, G Leeuwen, V (1996) Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design, Routledge. Barnard, M (2001) Approaches to Understanding Visual Culture, Palgrave Macmillan. Hall, S (1997) Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, SAGE.

What is the Significance of the Heath in Return of the Native? :: English Literature

What is the Significance of the Heath in Return of the Native? It is evident right from the beginning that the heath plays an integral part in the novel â€Å"Return of the Native†, this is because the opening chapter is exclusively about the heath. The heath assists in creating the feelings of both central characters and the background heath folk, the first chapter is titled â€Å"A Face on which Time makes but little Impression†, meaning that Egdon Heath is timeless and everybody on it has little significance. The reader gains an insight of the novel and its genre through the first chapter, â€Å"It had a lonely face, suggesting tragical possibilities.† This aids the reader in identifying that there is going to be something tragical in the novel. Hardy is also using personification, which brings the heath to life. In spite of this, the first chapter also does what every other first chapter in a novel does, it sets the scene. Egdon Heath, as far as the novel is concerned and the characters inside it, is the world. The only time that the novel ever abandons the heath is only briefly between pages 253-257 which is the part when Wildeve and Eustacia are at the dance together in Budmouth. It is comprehensible that the heath folk consider Egdon Heath to be everything when they talk about Paris as if it were a million miles away, â€Å"like a King’s Palace as far as diments go† is the description they use when describing Clym’s shop. Hardy also uses the heath as a metaphor for how the central characters are feeling. On page 206, when Clym moves out of his mothers house, the fir and beech trees are described to be â€Å"suffering more damage than during the highest winds of winter†¦ the wasting sap would bleed for many days to come†. We also get an insight to the way Eustacia is feeling through the storm on the heath on page 345-346, â€Å"Never was harmony more perfect than that between the chaos of her mind and the chaos of the world without†. The brief flowering in the summer time on Egdon heath represents the love between Eustacia and Clym, when it flowered it was beautiful and colourful and sweet, but it soon drooped, dried out and finally died. When Wildeve and Diggory Venn are playing dice on the heath, the contrast is prominent between human behaviour and nature, â€Å"The incongruity between the men’s deeds and their environment was striking†. Hardy is making a comment on human nature and it’s battle against nature. The behaviour of the two men is described as almost

How does Robert Louis Stevenson Create Tension in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Essay

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a gothic horror story. Around the time the novella was written, people were very much into things that were old, dark and creepy, which is very typical of this type of story. They were also very interested in how the human mind works. This story has the aspect of the human mind in it, which shows that Robert Louis Stevenson was influenced by society in this matter. Throughout the story, Stevenson creates tension in a number of different ways e.g. the way the plot unfolds, the structure, characterisation, setting and by deliberately keeping the reader waiting. Stevenson shapes the plot so that we do not see the whole picture until the very end. Instead he reveals it to us slowly by giving us clues. These clues make the reader wonder, and start to ask questions. This is good because the reader will keep on reading to find out the answer to their questions. The incident where a small man (Mr. Hyde) tramples all over a little girl is one of those clues. First Stevenson tells you about Mr. Hyde trampling over the girl. After this, he tells you that Mr. Hyde goes through a sinister looking door and then produces a cheque signed by Dr. Jekyll. This raises suspicion because Dr. Jekyll was a very respectable kind of man. He was hardly the kind of person to cold-heartedly trample over little girls. Another clue he gives us is the will Dr. Jekyll made. It said that if anything should happen to him, all his possessions should be given to Mr. Hyde and Mr. Hyde alone. This is strange in itself as most people leave things to all their family and close friends. Even stranger is the fact that his will said that if Dr. Jekyll went missing for three months or more, Mr. Hyde should simply take over his life. This is very strange, its almost as if Dr. Jekyll knew that something would happen to him. The last clue that I am going to mention (although there were many more) is the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. This was a horrific murder. But the clue lies in the weapon used to kill him. It was a stick that Mr. Utterson had bought Dr. Jekyll as a present. This is another clue that gets you thinking. Did he steal the stick? Or is there some other explanation? This creates a lot of tension in the story, it also makes the reader want to read on until they find out the answer. The structure of this novella is something that also creates tension. It is set out so that the reader sees things from more than one point of view. First of all you get the story from Mr. Utterson’s point of view. Then you get Dr. Lanyon’s narrative, which explains the letter he received from Dr. Jekyll. After this you get the full statement from Dr. Jekyll himself, which is where you get the answer to all your questions. Because of this layout, the reader is kept waiting until the very end of the story before they can make sense of what has been happening. This is why the structure creates tension. The way Stevenson reveals Mr Hyde to us makes a lot of tension. He keeps on building up the character by revealing bits about him here and there throughout the story. This brings him across as a very strange and mysterious character. The setting also plays an important part in the build up of tension. The way Stevenson describes the door at the beginning of the novella creates a lot of tension. He describes it as â€Å"blistered and dismatches on the panels† he also says that â€Å"children played shop upon the steps†, â€Å"schoolboy had tried his knife on the mouldings† and â€Å"for close on a generation no one had appeared to drive away these random visitors or to repair their ravages†. This makes the door sound very neglected and not a very nice place at all. Also, he describes it as â€Å"sinister†. This makes it sound very evil. All of this builds up tension and makes the reader want to read on to find out what the door has to do with the story. Throughout the story Stevenson deliberately keeps the reader waiting. A classic example of this is in the chapter â€Å"The Last Night†. Stevenson gives us a lot more clues to the mystery, such as Poole visiting Mr. Utterson about Dr. Jekyll. After their conversation finishes and they go to find Dr. Jekyll, he makes us wait and wait. First, we have to wait while the door is broken down. Then they find Mr. Hyde’s body dead on the floor and we are then left with a question: Where is Dr. Jekyll? In conclusion, I think Stevenson was very successful in creating tension in the story. All the different clues and questions he gave us right the way through the story create loads of tension. This is because as the story progresses it gets more complicated, and harder to understand. Then finally he gives the reader all the answers to all of the questions swimming round in their heads. As I read the story, I was getting more and more confused. I was trying to figure out what was going on, but did not succeed. As I got further through the story I just wanted to keep on reading to get more clues so that I could try to figure it out. When I finally got to the end of the story, and the accounts from Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll, everything dropped into place. After you read it, you start to think about all the clues you have been given and how obvious it should have been. I think this is a book that people will still be reading for many years to come. It is very interesting to read and it’s very enjoyable. This is the type of book, that if you read it again you would look at it from a totally different perspective, which therefore makes it a lot more interesting.

Against Bullfighting

October 24, 2011 Jose Pliego San Martin In 2010 15,000 bulls were killed only in Spain, you know why? Because of bullfighting. Bullfighting is a so called â€Å"tradition† in Spain, Portugal and some Latin American countries like Mexico and Venezuela. Reality is bullfighting is only a constant torture to a poor bull unable to defend itself. So that you can understand me better I am going to tell you about the Spanish-style bullfighting: A man, dressed like a clown, tortures and torments a bull with a red cape. Then the picadors keep on abusing him, provoking painful wounds that cut into his neck muscles with a pica.After that the banderilleros, blood-thirsty, with an item called banderilla weaken the bull even more. Severely injured, the bull charges with rage against the steel that destroys his organs. The matador is supposed to break the artery next to the heart, but that never happens. Instead he drills his lungs and the bull often vomits blood. Agonizing in a blood bath, t he puntillero puts an end to his life. Even then, he is not allowed a little dignity to leave this world in peace, his ears and tail are cut off (often when he is fully conscious), and his broken, bleeding body is dragged around the ring by mules.Not content with his suffering, which must be too horrible to describe with words, the crowds boo and mock at him. They even throw empty beer cans to the arena. His body is then taken away to be skinned, and even then he may not be dead when this happens. That’s what the crowd watches in the ring, but what is also really concerning is the previous preparation they give the bull. The bull is not an aggressive animal, and the reason he is angry and attempts to charge at the matador whilst in the bullring is mainly because he has been horrendously abused for the previous two days. In fact, what spectators see is not a normal, healthy bull.The bull has wet newspapers stuffed into his ears; Vaseline is rubbed into his eyes to blur his vis ion; cotton is stuffed up his nostrils to cut off his respiration and a needle is stuck into his genitals. Also, a strong caustic solution is rubbed onto his legs, which throws him off balance. He is kept in a dark box for a couple of days before he faces the ring: the purpose of this is to confuse him. When he is let out of the box, he runs desperately towards the light at the end of the tunnel. He thinks that at last his suffering is over and he is being set free — instead, he runs into the bullring to face his killers and a booing crowd.And it happens to more than 20,000 bulls a year!!!!! Calling â€Å"culture† the organized sadism, violence, pain or death is an insult to one’s intelligence and to the development of our evolution. Your indifference makes them powerful! You MUST manifest your disgust against that criminal party! Don’t collaborate with that insane game! BULLFIGHTERS MUST BE SENT TO JAIL! In recent years, there has been a sustained press interest in the atrocities involved in bullfighting and fiestas involving animal abuse. This media focus has caused worldwide concern.This has deeply embarrassed the Spanish Government who is under extreme pressure to change their laws. Also, it has made people in general more aware of the cruelties involved in bullfighting and the fiestas, and therefore less likely to visit bullrings. On September the 25th the last corrida in the Spanish region of Catalonia took place. This because the parliament of Catalonia voted to ban bullfighting, making it the first region of mainland Spain to do so. The vote took place as the result of a petition brought to parliament, signed by 180,000 people who say the practice is barbaric and outdated.The ban takes effect in January 2012. It is only a matter of time before this abomination has ended, and bulls are allowed to live their lives in peace all around the world. We should all follow the example of the Catalonians and prohibit bullfighting. Now a days there are a lot of efforts to put it down. We only need to raise our voices and express our feelings against those assassins†¦ THINK: ARE YOU WITH IT OR ARE YOU AGAINST IT? It is cruelty, not culture. It is criminal, not fun. So†¦ VOTE AGAINST BULLFIGHTING!!

Does Meditation Affect General Happiness essays

Does Meditation Affect General Happiness essays The last decade has witnessed an enormous increase in research examining the effects of mindfulness meditation. One of the basic assumptions guiding this research is that meditation ultimately makes people happier (Choi, Karremans, Barendregt. 2012). According to Barongan, findings support that the brain changes through meditative practices. He states how there are changes in the brain that lead to greater self-acceptance, which creates a larger capacity of empathy for others (Barongan. 2007). Interventions that used meditation to reduce the psychiatric symptoms within patients have become more and more common (e.g., Diodonna 2009), and research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this treatment in a wide range of conditions (Hoffman et al. 2010). In Canada, Mood and anxiety disorders are the highest psychiatric disorders treated. Psychotherapies specific to anxiety and depressive disorders have made a positive change in the world we live in today. Unfortunately once patients have decreased their depressive and anxiety symptoms, they do not always feel an increase their general happiness. In 1998 there was a new branch of psychology that was introduced to the world by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. This recent branch was introduced as Positive Psychology. This field was intended to complement, not to replace the traditional practices of psychology. Positive psychologists seek to make normal life more fulfilling. Positive Psychology focuses on the good in life, not the bad and does not just simply treat mental illnesses. The purpose of this study is to find out if meditation will increase individuals general happiness. This study looks at the effects of meditation and how meditation can contribute to positive psychology while increasing patients general happiness. Although most studies have looked solemnly at the reduction of depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients, this study is relevant to previ...