Othello †Paper Assignment Essay

A desire for revenge can overcome a person and have great detrimental effects. This is especially true in the play Othello by William Shakespeare. The play takes place in a time of war between Italy and Turkey. The play begins in Venice, Italy but then shifts to the island of Cyprus for the remainder of the play. In the play, the main antagonist Iago was not chosen for a position of lieutenancy by his general, Othello. Othello had chosen a man named Cassio over Iago. Iago, being very envious of Othello and Cassio, plots a plan for revenge. Early on in the play, we find that Othello has complications in his marriage to Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona are seen as opposites in which Desdemona is an innocent, sweet, high class white woman, while Othello is a tough, ugly, and black war general. Iago, using this knowledge, begins to plot his revenge. Iago says, â€Å"I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets ‘has done my office. I know not if’t be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety† (Act 1, iii, 429-433). Iago, in this quote, suggests that a rumor about Othello sleeping with his wife may not be true, but he will pretend it is in order to better his plot for revenge. Iago’s first step in the plan was to endanger Othello’s relationship by telling Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, about their marriage. Othello claims he will not hide because he has nothing to be afraid of and ask Iago if he agrees. Iago says, â€Å"By Janus, I think no† (Act 1, ii, 38). Iago alludes to the Greek god Janus that supposedly had two faces. This is an example of dramatic-irony because the audience knows that Iago himself is two-faced since he pretends to be nice but in actuality is trying to get revenge; Othello is also unaware of Iago’s other motives. Iago, in his plot for revenge, often uses psychological means to manipulate people. When Brabantio is talking to Othello, he says â€Å"She has deceived her father, and may thee† (Act 1, iii, 333-334). Brabantio believed that since Desdemona was not loyal to her father, she may also deceive Othello. This is an example of foreshadowing because Othello will be lead on to believe that Desdemona is not loyal to him. Iago, later in the play, alludes to Brabantio’s warning and says, â€Å"She did deceive her father, marrying you, and when she seemed to shake and fear your looks, she loved them most† (Act 3, iii, 237-240). Iago, being very diabolical, enhances Othello’s doubts about his marriage. This doubt in Othello’s mind comes into play later in Iago’s plans for revenge. Iago shows that he will use any means to get his revenge, whether it be lying or manipulating any insecurities in others. Near the end of the play, Iago’s plan has progressed as he had planned: Othello does not trust Desdemona or Cassio, Iago had gotten Cassio fired, and Othello still has complete trust in Iago. Othello had given Desdemona a handkerchief when they had gotten married which symbolized everything holding their relationship together. Iago gets a hold of the handkerchief and plants it on Cassio. This becomes proof for Othello that Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio. Othello becomes so angry he kills Desdemona. Emilia, Iago’s wife, walks in after Othello strangles Desdemona and in shock tries to explain what Iago has done to him. Iago comes in and tries to stop Emilia; he then stabs her because she wouldn’t stop. Iago’s plan had been revealed and Othello is traumatized. Othello exclaims â€Å"But why should honor outlive honesty† (Act 5, ii, 293)? Othello, trying to comprehend what he has done, questions how the reputation of being honorable could outlast honor itself. Iago, so bent on getting revenge for the sake of his reputation, had killed his very own wife. At the beginning of the play, Iago had said that he heard a rumor about Othello sleeping with his wife. He didn’t know if it was true but said he would pretend it was in order to fuel his desire and plot for revenge. Throughout the play, Iago had used any means to complete his goal. For example, Iago used psychological means to manipulate Othello into doubting his relationship with Desdemona. Iago then lied to Othello and tricked him into believing that Desdemona was having an affair with Cassio. If Emilia had not told Othello, he may not have known about Iago’s plan at all. Iago kills Emilia for telling Othello, which is ironic because Iago used the rumor about Othello and his wife to fuel his revenge. Iago’s desire for revenge became so great that when Emilia ruined his plan, he killed her. Instead of killing Iago, Othello says, â€Å"I’d have thee live, for in my sense ‘tis happiness to die† (Act 5, ii, 340-341). Iago will be kept alive and most likely tortured because killing him would be a punishment not worthy of Iago’s actions. Iago’s desire for revenge ultimately overcame him and caused many detrimental effects in his life as well as many others. In conclusion, one should never seek revenge.

Brain Drain Essay

When highly qualified experts like scientists, engineers, doctors and oft trained persons migrate from under-developed countries and settle down: advanced countries, their migration is called â€Å"Brain Drain†. This problem is not peculiar to India alone. It is being faced by almost all the developing country of the world. Brain drain results in direct loss to the underdeveloped and poor countries who train these experts at a great cost. When these experts migrate to advance countries, such countries stand to gain because they get the services of the experts without having had to spend anything on their training. There are a number of factors responsible for brain drain in India. First of all, India lacks job opportunities. When, after completing higher studies, people do not get any employment in India, they start looking forward to advance countries for jobs. India lacks facilities for advanced research. Most of the students who go abroad for higher research do not return t o India. They are offered lucrative jobs so that they may stay on in advanced countries and give these countries the benefit of their research. India is endowed with vast natural resources like oil, gas, coal, iron ore, gypsum, diamonds, uranium etc. There is no doubt that if these natural resources are exploited in full, India can become one of the developed countries of the world. The Indian experts, whom we lose every year, can stay on in India and help in the development and exploitation of natural resources. Even those experts who have already settled in foreign countries could be lured back to India so that they can help India to become a great power in the world. This problem cannot be solved without the co-operation of the people. The parents of the students should discourage their sons and daughters from going abroad even if they are offered lucrative jobs. Our political leaders should be serious about this problem, and they should set a personal example by preventing their children from going abroad and settling there. All the doctors, scientists and engineers should realise that they owe some duty to their country. Our country spends lakhs of rupees on their training. They should have a feeling of gratitude to their country. Our Government has also been inviting, from time to time, the scientists, engineers, technicians, academicians and even non-resident Indian businessmen, settled abroad, to return to India and help  in the fast industrialization and development of their motherland. They have also been offered a lot of incentives to set up their own industries in India.

Thematic essay 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thematic 2 - Essay Example In â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing,† a mother reflects on her struggle to raise her daughter Emily during the harsh years of the Great Depression and the World War. She questions the decisions she has made and their effect on her daughter. The mothers are the narrators in â€Å"Everyday Use† and â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing.† Another point of similarity in the two stories is the sibling relationships. Walker’s Dee and Maggie, and Olsen’s Emily and Susan, are sisters whose interactions play important roles in the development of the narratives. The two pairs of siblings experience similar treatment from their mothers, and have similar personalities and sibling relationships. Maggie in â€Å"Everyday Use† and Emily in â€Å"I Stand Here Ironing† are treated in similar ways by their mothers. Maggie and Emily are the elder daughters in poor households. In these circumstances, they are called upon to share a significant part of the mothers’ domestic burdens. Maggie cleans the yard, stays back in the kitchen to wash-up after dinner and, unlike her sister, knows all the household tasks, including quilting. Her position is the family is â€Å"like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her† (Walker, 74). In the same way, Emily is obliged â€Å"to help be a mother, and housekeeper, and shopper† (Olsen, 5). Maggie and Emily bear the brunt of the family’s poverty. ... Walker’s narrator placidly condones the selfishness of the successful Dee, who has carved a place for herself in the outside world, and takes for granted the stay-at-home Maggie, who stoically bears her modest lot. Similarly, Olsen’s mother admits that, unlike her younger siblings, Emily is â€Å"a child of her age, of depression, of war, of fear† (Olsen, 7). It is clear that the younger siblings, Dee and Susan, receive preferential treatment from the two mothers. The mothers come to acknowledge this discrimination. Maggie’s mother makes amends by refusing to give Dee the quilts, while Emily’s mother hopes the Emily will â€Å"find her way† (Olsen, 7) in the future. The siblings in the two stories also share appearances and personalities. Maggie is â€Å"homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs† (Walker, 2). She shuffles and sidles up to people, is afraid to meet strangers and totally lacks self-confidence. Her mothe r declares, â€Å"She knows she is not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passes her by† (Walker, 13). Similarly, Emily’s walk is nervous. Her skin is scarred by pock marks and she stammers in class. Her mother says â€Å"She was not glib or quick† (Olsen, 4). In contrast, the younger siblings are pretty and confident. Dee is â€Å"lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure† (Walker, 10). She is attractive, extroverted, confident and ready to take what she wants. Likewise, Susan is â€Å"golden and curly haired and chubby, quick and articulate and assured, everything in appearance and manner Emily was not† (Olsen, 5). The mothers themselves admit that the elder girls are inferior to their younger siblings in attractiveness and personality. The two pairs of siblings experience

Finacial Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Finacial Analysis - Research Paper Example Proctor and gamble operates in more than 100 countries and serves around 4 billion people tall over the world through their products of around 300 brands. It operates in segments of three business units, which are - beauty, health and wellbeing, and household segment. It also has global operations group that is divided into- global business service and market development organization. These help P & G to be able to remain ahead of competitors in terms of market share and also innovative products and services to the consumers. Proctor and G amble is the largest consumer goods company in the world based on the 2011 revenues. Closely behind it are Nestle and unilever respectively. Since demand for its products continue to increase, proctor and gamble has moved into several countries in terms of manufacturing and sales. P & G now has offices and factories in Europe, Asia, Middle East and even Africa. Products manufactured by proctor and gamble cover the overall market of consumer goods. Their three business units (beauty, wellbeing and household) have products like cosmetics, skin care, hair care, fabric care, baby and family care products. With the acquisition of Gillette, P & G introduced Duracell batteries, razors and electric razors to its already rich and diversified variety of products. Proctor and Gamble’s brands are (but not limited to) Pampers, Ariel, Always, and Crest. Other than manufacturing consumer goods, which is its core business, proctor and gamble also has in recent years sponsored television series like the young and the restless. It also became the first company to produce and to sponsor a prime TV show when it produced our private world, a soap opera. It is also a sponsor of the Olympics 2012 games and other sports events. VULNERABILITY Proctor and Gamble operates in more than 100 countries worldwide. Each of the countries that it operates in has its own economy which also affects the operations of P & G. in the current world, companies face extensive challenges and threats in the course of their operations and achievement of their organizational goals. P & G being a multinational company operating in many countries, it faces a lot of competition from other multinational companies like Johnson and Johnson, Sara Lee corporation, Unilever Plc and national companies that also operate and produce consumer goods in the country where proctor and gamble also operates in. Proctor and gamble leads the pack based on revenues and variety of consumer product considerably more after acquisition of Gillette. It is able to beat global competition through product innovation (improving efficiency, effectiveness and usability of its products). It also spends more in research and development of its products than their competitors do; this ensures that their products meet the needs, wants and expectations of their potential consumers. In terms of competition and business practices, proctor and gamble together with unilever plc were ac cused of running a price fixing cartel, and in April 2011, the European commission subsequently fined them. Proctor and Gamble is able to lead Consumer Goods Company by having strong brand names (Gillette, dolce and gabbana and bounty), increased dwelling on research and development of its products and it has strong distribution infrastructure as compared to its competitors. Most of proctor and gambles’ products are needed in the day-to-day life of consumers. We all need to use soaps, toothpaste and skin

Comparative ethnic identity and ethnic conflict Essay

Comparative ethnic identity and ethnic conflict - Essay Example Semitic Nazi leader Adolf Hilter saw Jews as inferior people. After years of Nazi government in Germany, finally, Adolf decided to do mass killings under the cover of world war. Mass killing centers were in the camps of Poland. The time covered by the film is between 1933: where the Jewish population stood about nine million, most Europeans by then lived countries that Nazi countries would influence during world 11.By 1945; the Germans with their collaborators had killed about every three European Jews as part of solution. Between 1948and 1951, about 700,000jews immigrated to Israel, also 13600 Jewish were displaced, others emigrated to United States and other nations. In 1957, the camps closed. The main objective of the film is to gives an interdisciplinary approach to citizenship education. Students go from thought to judgment, then participation so that they can deal with moral questions important in study of racism, bigotry, violence, and anti-Semitism. The film shows consequence s of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination by exploring the tarnish mirror of history as one of most violent times in world history in 1930 and 1940s. When the students watched and saw what really happened, they could be able to known the forces that damaged democracy in Germany, betrayed the future of young people, and finally caused holocaust. Moreover, the student can find out how those forces threaten our community. Students are able to learn how any made decisions can influence the society, nation and the entire world. The film though is biased as those who were accountable for crime against humanity, and continued theft of aboriginal land are shown as heroes which does not reflect the core values of society. The film contributed to Nazi holocaust, because it is in 1933, the Jewish population of Europe was about 9million people. In 1945, the Germans killed almost killed two out of three Europeans Jews as part of their lasting solution with their collaborators. The Jews were the primary victim of Nazi racism and deemed a priority danger to the Germanys. They were other victims including about 200,000Roma (Gypsies).there were Germanys who were mentally disabled patients living in institutional settings killed in euthanasia program. The Germans and their collaborators persecuted and killed millions of other people while the Nazi tyranny spread across Europe. The soviet prisoners of war between two to three million died of diseases, hunger, neglect, or maltreatment. The non -Jewish polish intelligentsia was killed by Germanys .They deported millions of polish and soviet civilians for forced labor in Germany or in occupied Poland. The individuals worked and died due to terrible conditions. From the beginning of Nazi government, German government mistreated homosexuals and others who had deeds against the norm of the society. The German police targeted the political opponents like communists, socialist and trade unionists, religious dissidents such as Jehova h’s witnesses. Many people died of incarceration and maltreatment. It shown that, the national socialist authority formed concentration camps to arrest real and imagined political opponents and ideological opponents. As the years increased, the police officials incarcerated Jews, Roma and other people due to ethnic and racial hatred in those camps. They wanted to monitor their population. In 1945 and 1944, Nazi German government brought millions of Jews

Report on the analysis of the workplace behavior of Western Sydney Essay

Report on the analysis of the workplace behavior of Western Sydney - Essay Example Therefore the promotion of Carlene is appropriate. This therefore means that Carlene has a duty of meeting the requirements of Western Sydney, which is something she has proven to be capable of right from her position at the middle rank. Although Western Sydney is the main revenue generator for the group, it is worthwhile for them to put Carlene there as the CEO since she has the qualities necessary to steer the company to meet the requirements they have. Her one-month work at Western Sydney was a good point to get her to familiarize herself with the work environment and make changes as and when necessary. Carlene's identification of the stagnation and the traditionalist approach used by the Western Sydney was her justification for the alteration of the subsidiary's strategy from a conservative one to a more profitable business model that will generate profits. This is therefore the impetus for the need to change certain structures in different departments of Western Sydney, includin g the Operations Department where it can be logically inferred that the Operations Manager is maintaining a very traditionalist and authoritative structure which supports the stagnation identified by Carlene. There is therefore the need for the MD to give Carlene all the necessary support to attain this to ensure that Western Sydney, the cash cow of the group remains productive into the future. In the confrontation between the Operations Manager and the junior staff member, Carlene was using the mild form of disciplinary action in organizations, counseling to try to assert the fact that the Operations Manager went too far by physically assaulting the junior staff member. Assertive behavior is where an individual tries to justify,... The Operations Manager is undoubtedly a very experienced individual in what he does. He seem to have the competencies necessary to move the company to its strategic destination. All other individuals working at the company this therefore makes him a rare individual and a vital part of any progressive activity that they would be involved in. Such an individual needs to be included in the strategy of the organization even if he has some excesses as this operations manager seem to have. The Operations Manager seem to be in independent minded individual who always wants to do things according to a given plan or target. This is evident in the fact that the previous CEO stated that he is able to work within budget and meet targets. This presents the OM as a traditionalist who always works according to laid down principles and procedures. He appears to be a disciplined person and a disciplinarian who treasures authoritative systems and structures.

Marketing Strategy-Product, Place, Price and Promotion Case Study

Marketing Strategy-Product, Place, Price and Promotion - Case Study Example Where appropriate, research material will be cited to clarify the discussion. With this in mind, let's begin our discussion of business marketing. In order to make this research relevant to a wide range of consumers, and to inject a bit of fun into the discussion, we will take a look at McDonald's, the fast food chain that people have grown up with for decades. In fact, the reason that people have grown up with McDonald's for decades is because of skillful marketing. Through precise blending of product, place, price and promotion, we have viewed McDonald's as a restaurant that has always been there, and can be found anywhere with consistent quality, price and selection. With these statements in mind, the first area we will consider within the scope of McDonald's is product. When Ray Kroc developed the ideas in the 1950s that eventually led to the birth of the McDonald's restaurant chain, one of the cornerstones of his fast food process was the ability to rapidly serve food to large numbers of people efficiently (Manila Bulletin, 2005). This was accomplished in large part by offering a very limited menu and turning out those products faster and better than anyone had up to that time. Within a narrow product line, the eventual McDonald's restaurants attracted a huge following of loyal customers, who knew that there would always be a certain product available at the restaurant and that it would be just as delicious on the tenth visit as it was on the first visit. Although over the years, McDonald's has introduced additional products, they still keep the products within the line somewhat closely related to each other. This allows for the formation of a uniform marketing strategy that stresses quality food, served in a fast, clean and courteous manner. The tactic incorporates all of the positive things that people want in dining, without a hefty price tag. The limitation of McDonald's product line is a stroke of genius. Place, in Relation to Marketing Marketing experts know that the best product in the world will never make an impact in the business world if no one can locate and obtain it (Delaney, 1994). Keeping this simple, yet vital brick in the house of marketing, McDonald's gives careful consideration to the placement of its restaurants. Within their marketing research, they take into consideration the population of a given area, major roadways in the vicinity of the proposed restaurant site, traffic that passes by the restaurant site, and the demographics of the area, as they know a great deal about their customers (more about this in the "People" section of this paper). The construction of a McDonald's restaurant costs millions of dollars, and in order for the operation to be profitable, placement must be in an area that maximizes the customer exposure, therefore increasing the chance of generating business. As mentioned previously, however, please keep in mind that McDonald's leaves nothing to chance. They do their marke ting homework, and it shows. The fact that McDonald's always seems to be "right around the corner" is due to a great deal of extensive marketing research, planning and execution. If you really give this idea a great deal of thought, take into conside

1.Identify 10-15 food crops that originated in the Old World (Africa, Essay

1.Identify 10-15 food crops that originated in the Old World (Africa, Asia and Europe) and the New World (the Americas) - Essay Example Each of these groups of food crops originating from the separate worlds has an impact on the modern global food system. Rice is considered one of the most significant and main sources of food for more than three billion individuals in the world today. In the modern world, rice cultivation has contributed to poverty eradication in many parts of the world, enhanced food security, and also contributed to a lot of developments. In other worlds, rice cultivation has enable people from all corners of the world to access enough food to sustain their lives (419). As fruits, pineapples have a lot of health benefits. Including them in the diet means that an individual is benefiting from a balanced diet and hence certain illnesses associated with poor diets are eliminated. Pineapples are either sold fresh or are used to make fresh fruit juice. Fresh juice has a lot of health benefits. Cultivation of pineapples is also a source of revenue or capital to a lot of people in the world. People are also able to purchase pineapples and its products locally instead of importing. In doing so, revenue is maintained locally and hence farmers are able to expand and sustain their farming

The Impact of Self Interest in Relation to Change Essay

The Impact of Self Interest in Relation to Change - Essay Example Change is a  crucial  part of  our  lives. Change in organizations is also an  important  factor. In the words of Arthur Schopenhauer, â€Å"Change alone is continuous, eternal and perpetual.† According to this assertion, the permanency and inevitability of change can neither be underrated nor overemphasized (Smollan, 2011). The fact that not all change is  positive  should not  deter  individuals from embracing change. However, change must be approached from an informed point of view. Both the proponents and opponents of change must  appreciate  that all change tags along discomforts and drawbacks. This essay will  seek  to address the impact of self interest as a motivator that inspires change (Robbins & Judge, 2011). According to Machiavelli’s â€Å"†¦. there is nothing harder and hazardous, or more uncertain of success, than an effort to introduce a new sequence of  things†¦for  the pacesetter has for enemies all those who benefit from the status quo whilst those who support the new †¦will be but lukewarm defenders.† This quote thus suggests that the introduction of change in any setting faces some  level  of resistance (Robbins & Judge, 2011). ... ge† must be achieved.  Resistance to change alludes to the action adopted by individuals and groups when they  sense  that a change that is happening as a threat to them (Cartwright, 2005, p. 301).  This  resistance  is encountered  within organizations, although it can also be found in other places.  Man’s habitual tendency to tread the path of least resistance bars him from accepting change.  In an organization, this  resistance  can also be deemed  positive. Resistance to change affords a  level  of  stability  and certainty of behavior by preventing  abrupt  change. Absence of such resistance would lead to a  situation  of chaotic randomness within the organization. In an attempt to  discuss  the causes of resistance, this paper will  classify  the causes into; individual resistance,  group  resistance  and organizational resistance (Robbins & Judge, 2011). Individual resistance Individual resistance arises due to conflicting perceptions, needs and personalities.  Most of the reasons as to  why such resistance occurs may be  lucid  or emotional. The reasons for  individual  resistance  are listed  hereunder: Economic reasons In an  organization,  when a new technology  is introduced, the technology will  encounter  some  level  of resistance. The employees may  dread  that the new technology will  render  them  jobless. Usually, new technology necessitates  further  training  and replacement of  unskilled  staff  by  skilled  staff  and  therefore, the employees will  oppose  the change. In organizations where the rate of pay  is pegged  on the workers productivity, the workers may fear that the new technology will cause them  miss  their  production  targets and thus  lower  their earnings Psychological factors The psychological factors that  breed  resistance

Homeland Security Preparedness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Homeland Security Preparedness - Essay Example â€Å"The role of state and local governments as well as the nation's first responder community has been viewed largely as providing quick reaction and consequence mitigation to any attacks that occur despite the best effort of the federal system to prevent it...In fact, this image is not correct; local governments must do a great deal more than prepare for the consequence management role. In particular, they must also pay a great deal of attention to prevention efforts. To date they have not done nearly enough in this regard† (O'Hanlon, 2005). O'Hanlon recommends that state and local governments can be first responders in all arenas. The Governor's office should make sure that there is a dedicated anti-terrorism task force at the state level, and any sufficiently large cities should have an anti-terrorism task force operating out of a major crimes unit. Local miscommunication and planning was part of the slow response to 9/11. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, â€Å"[ A] 'generic' flight plan – prepared to get the aircraft airborne and out of local airspace quickly – incorrectly led the Langley fighters to believe they were ordered to fly due east... for 60 miles... the lead pilot and local FAA controller incorrectly assumed the flight plan instruction to go '090 for 60' superseded the original scramble order† (p. 27). Inadequate protocols for communication and coordination between local, state and federal authorities can have lethal consequences. Similarly, the FBI's limited terrorism response pre-9/11 was due to their being tied too closely with state and local agencies such that they were only interested in pursuing the needs of state and local areas such as organized crime and white-collar offenses (p. 74). O'Hanlon notes that state governments do not have to do everything and be everywhere. â€Å"it is not necessary to equip all three million first responders in the United States with state of the art chemical protective gear or interoperable communications systems. Equipping specialized teams within each major jurisdiction with such capabilities, and creating several mobile communications headquarters with interoperable technology, are less expensive and more quickly doable propositions. It is not necessary that every fireman’s radio can talk to every police officer’s radio; a certain number of mobile interoperable communications vans that can be quickly deployed to a problem site are a more cost-effective solution. They can allow quick coordination and cross-communication through the squad or team leaders of each type of organization (that would have been enough to save many firefighters on September 11, 2001 in New York). A large city could purchase several dozen, at $1 million each, for a reasonable cost of several tens of millions of dollars† (O'Hanlon, 2005). The Governor's Office should follow this approach. While all EMS and medical responders, police units, hospitals an d other state agencies do not need to have extensive anti-terror preparation, specialized units should and should have access to top-of-the line gear. As O'Hanlon illustrates, doing so not only is cost-effective but in any respect is often fungible to every day operations: Communications vans like the one above can also be used in major crimes like bank robberies. O'Hanlon recommends $5 billion

Kant Theory and Justice Essay Example for Free

Kant Theory and Justice Essay Immanuel Kant concerns himself with deontology, and as a deontologist, he believes that the rightness of an action depends in part on things other than the goodness of its consequences, and so, actions should be judged based on an intrinsic moral law that says whether the action is right or wrong – period. Kant introduced the Categorical Imperative which is the central philosophy of his theory of morality, and an understandable approach to this moral law. It is divided into three formulations. The first formulation of Kant’s Categorical Imperative states that one should â€Å"always act in such a way that the maxim of your action can be willed as a universal law of humanity†; an act is either right or wrong based on its ability to be universalized. This belief is part of the â€Å"universal law theory† and states that to determine if an action is essentially â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad,† one must essentially imagine a world in which everyone performed that same action constantly, and imagine if this would be a desirable world to live in. If not, then it is not okay to perform the action. He believes that this â€Å"universal law† lives within us; it is not something that is imposed on us from the outside. For example if one kills oneself out of self-love, it is logically contradictory because self-love refers to respect for one’s self as a rational being and rationality is based on objective (undistorted by emotion or personal bias). So, one can never justify suicide. The maxim of killing oneself cannot possibly exist as a universal law. The second formulation states that one must â€Å"treat humanity whether in thine own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end withal, never as means only. † For example, if I were to lie to a girl so that she would choose to go out with me then I, in effect, use her. Kant would say that I treated her as a means to achieve my end, and he specifically prohibits manipulating or deceiving a person for the purposes of achieving a personal end. According to Kant, only people are valuable as ends. Any action that disregards this is in clear violation of Kantian morality, and purports to reduce an individual’s autonomy; this consequently undermines a person’s rational capability and reduces him/her to a thing. This implies that if someone robs you and takes your wallet, he is treating you as a thing and not as a person. The third and last formulation requires that one sees oneself as the source of all moral law. This simply emphasizes the fact that the moral agent is the one who chooses to act morally. This third formulation tells us to imagine ourselves as the sole lawmaker in a society, and to choose the best possible set of laws that the society of rational beings would live by. Kant believes that we all have reason within us, but some choose to respond and act upon it while others do not. We can reason the way things ought to be, and based on that is how we should act, which explains Kant’s view that a moral action must be chosen through moral reason. For example, one does not cheat on a test because one’s reason tells him or her that it is wrong, not the consequences that follow if one gets caught. Another example is that we do not need the law to tell us not to steal because it is immoral; we simply have to access our ability to reason to rationalize this. In a world where each individual recognizes his/her moral dignity and freely chooses to adopt the same universalizable moral law, all actions become good. In opposition to the Categorical Imperative is Kant’s Hypothetical Imperative, which states that a particular action is necessary as a means to some purpose. Kant believes that these actions are not always moral because they are not performed out of â€Å"pure good will† (pure duty), which is the only thing in the world that is unambiguously good. In the case of the ethical credibility of the principles of affirmative action, Kant’s Categorical Imperative provides for the basis of approval. It is primarily out of a sense of duty that a society would seek to assist its struggling members who are in need of help. The action so far seems good, but we must test its universality. Can we imagine ourselves living in a world in which all societies seek to aid the underprivileged and the disadvantaged at the slight expense of others? Absolutely yes. It is important for one to bear in mind, however, that it is the very action of helping that is being judged as inherently good or bad, and not the action’s admirable or overbearing surrounding consequences. Secondly, we must test that the action is regarding everyone involved as ends and not as means to any particular purpose. Since the aim of affirmative action is to help the current predicaments of those people who were victimized in the past, focus is placed on respecting every individual’s autonomy. In this way, we can see that affirmative action is not a devious plan that seeks to manipulate, but one that seeks to compensate by adjusting the means (circumstances) and not the ends (individuals). Lastly, we must see if the action is establishing a universal law governing others in similar situations; one should behave as if one is the absolute moral authority of the universe. Is completing this action consistent with the application of moral law? If so, the affirmative action passes these three tests and the action is good. In his â€Å"Objections to Affirmative Action†, James Sterba talks about why he believes that Affirmative Action is morally wrong. He argues that a person’s race shouldn’t control his or her point of interest. Sterba argues that Affirmative Action leads to injustice and it is unfair to the white nonminority males because â€Å"it deprives them of equal opportunity by selecting or appointing women or minority candidates over more qualified nonminority male candidates. † He believes that the job of the government is to eliminate all kinds of discriminatory policies. He thinks that â€Å"alternative programs are preferable. † Thus, the government should instead promote equal opportunities through programs within agencies and departments instead of through Affirmative Action which he believes is a fancy word for discrimination. He argues that it is not fair to those who are more qualified for certain opportunities and cannot receive them either because they are not women or because they are not part of the minority. In his First Objection, he argues that Affirmative Action â€Å"is not required to compensate for unjust institutions in the distant past. † He talks about Morris’ argument that what occurred in the past is not the primary issue that puts all present-day African Americans at an unfair disadvantage; it is more about the issues of more recent origin. He makes a point that discrimination today could very well be the source of the disadvantaged disposition of African Americans and other minority groups, and it is certainly something that society could do without. The question remains that in attempting to â€Å"level the playing field† and eliminate present-day discrimination in America, is Affirmative Action a practical approach and should such a program be endorsed? The Fourth Objection goes on to say that Affirmative Action â€Å"hurts those who receive it† because in many ways the people benefitting from it would not see the need to work as hard, and it places â€Å"women and minorities in positions for which they are not qualified. † Sterba proposes that one of the solutions to this problem could be the installation education enhancement programs to compensate for any lack of skills. He believes that this will in a short time ensure that minorities are appropriately qualified for a position. In response to Sterba’s First Objection, Kant would agree that the rightness of Affirmative Action should be based upon the circumstances of the present situation and not what had occurred in the past; this is evident mainly through his a priori form of philosophical deductive reasoning that judges an action before the experience, or â€Å"in the moment. † However, Kant would disagree with Sterba’s Fourth Objection because in my opinion, Kant’s deontological theory correlates with the correctness of the affirmative action in its very aim toward helping â€Å"the right† people. Affirmative action has not significantly diminished gender, racial, and all other forms of discrimination, but the action has promoted equality and diversity to a large extent. In a world where everyone performs the â€Å"good will,† there is justice; and the installation of this program only serves to come closer to this justice. Discrimination is wrong because it violates a person’s basic and intrinsic moral rights. Thus, in itself the adoption of this program is an action that is good because without Affirmative Action it is true in many ways that minorities would remain at a disadvantaged position in the educational system and not be allowed the opportunity to exercise their true potential. Kant would argue that it is a duty out of â€Å"good will† to treat people equally. The concepts of equality and autonomy are emphasized in the nature of this program because it strives to treat everyone as a free person equal to everyone else. According to Kant, one should be treated as ends not as mere means. It can be argued that African Americans at a disadvantaged position were being treated as means by the dominant culture to achieve its own ends in the system. Discrimination cannot exist as a system of nature because those who discriminate would not want to be similarly discriminated against if things were reversed, and so Affirmative Action is justified because it aims to open the door of opportunities to those who have been oppressed for years. That being said, Kant would examine the action itself and not the consequences of the action. When making decisions, one has to put oneself into other people’s shoes and see if one wants to be treated the same way others have been treated; it is a duty to treat others as we ourselves want to be treated. Affirmative Action not necessarily needed in this society to reduce the inherent inequalities that are still existent, but it can certainly be used to assist in leveling the playing field. Affirmative Action has been successful on a short term basis, that is, in increasing the representation of minorities (including women) in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. However, on the long term basis it can be argued that the program only serves to perpetuate a cycle of need. Kant advocates the idea of equality through his deontological theory by saying that all people deserve equal treatment as rational ends in themselves and that this should never be compromised by the flaws in any social system.

IVR Cloud Migration Project

IVR Cloud Migration Project INTRODUCTION The primary objective of the IVR Cloud Migration Project is to Lift and Shift their working Applications into the AWS Cloud Environment. The Lift and Shift of the IVR Applications are recommended to have automation the least amount of human interaction to build and deploy onto AWS Cloud. This document will give a step-by-step process to carry out the task of automating the creation and maintenance of the applications. REQUIREMENTS The IVR Applications require the following resources to replicate and automate the on-premise environment onto AWS Cloud. In the Automation Process, the requirement is to have minimal human interaction and have an automation pipeline from creating a build for the application to creating, deploying and configuring until a running application instance is setup. The tools that are required are as follows: AWS EC2 Instances WebSphere Liberty Profile Jenkins Pipeline CyberArk Authentication Ansible Tower AWS CloudFormation AWS Elastic Load Balancers AWS S3 Bucket ELASTIC COMPUTE CLOUD (EC2) Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a virtual computing environment which provides users the platform to create applications and allowing them to scale their applications by providing Infrastructure as a Service. Key Concepts associated with an EC2 are Virtual computing environments are known as instances. Preconfigured templates for your instances, known as Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), that package the bits you need for your server (including the operating system and additional software). Various configurations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity for your instances, known as instance types. Secure login information for your instances using key pairs (AWS stores the public key, and you store the private key in a secure place). Storage volumes for temporary data thats deleted when you stop or terminate your instance, known as instance store volumes. Persistent storage volumes for your data using Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS), known as Amazon EBS volumes. Multiple physical locations for your resources, such as instances and Amazon EBS volumes, known as regions and Availability Zones. A firewall that enables you to specify the protocols, ports, and source IP ranges that can reach your instances using security groups. Static IPv4 addresses for dynamic cloud computing, known as Elastic IP addresses. Metadata, known as tags, that you can create and assign to your Amazon EC2 resources. Virtual networks you can create that are logically isolated from the rest of the AWS Cloud, and that you can optionally connect to your own network, known as Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs). WEBSPHERE LIBERTY PROFILE IBM WebSphere Application Server V8.5 Liberty Profile is a composable, dynamic application server environment that supports development and testing of web applications. The Liberty profile is a simplified, lightweight development and application runtime environment that has the following characteristics: Simple to configure. Configuration is read from an XML file with text-editor friendly syntax. Dynamic and flexible. The run time loads only what your application needs and recomposes the run time in response to configuration changes. Fast. The server starts in under 5 seconds with a basic web application. Extensible. The Liberty profile provides support for user and product extensions, which can use System Programming Interfaces (SPIs) to extend the run time. JENKINS Jenkins is a self-contained, open source automation server which can be used to automate all sorts of tasks such as building, testing, and deploying software. Jenkins can be installed through native system packages, Docker, or even run standalone by any machine with the Java Runtime Environment installed. Jenkins Pipeline is a suite of plugins which supports implementing and integrating continuous delivery pipelines into Jenkins. Pipeline provides an extensible set of tools for modeling simple-to-complex delivery pipelines as code. A Jenkinsfile which is a text file that contains the definition of a Jenkins Pipeline is checked into source control. This is the foundation of Pipeline-As-Code; treating the continuous delivery pipeline a part of the application to be version and reviewed like any other code. REQUIREMENTS The Requirements for Jenkins Server includes the following: The size requirement for a Jenkins instance is that there is no one size fits all answer the exact specifications of the hardware that you will need will depend heavily on your organizations needs. Your Jenkins master runs on Java and requires to have the OpenJDK installed on the Instance with the JAVA_HOME path Set. Jenkins runs on a local webserver like Tomcat and requires it to be configured. RAM allotted for it can range from 200 MB for a small installation to 70+ GB for a single and massive Jenkins master. However, you should be able to estimate the RAM required based on your project build needs. Each build node connection will take 2-3 threads, which equals about 2 MB or more of memory. You will also need to factor in CPU overhead for Jenkins if there are a lot of users who will be accessing the Jenkins user interface. The more automated the environment configuration is, the easier it is to replicate a configuration onto a new agent machine. Tools for configuration management or a pre-baked image can be excellent solutions to this end. Containers and virtualization are also popular tools for creating generic agent environments. JENKINS FILE STRUCTURE Jenkins File Structure is a model to automate the non-human part of the whole software development process, with now common things like continuous integration, but by further empowering teams to implement the technical part of a Continuous Delivery. Directory Description . jenkins The default Jenkins home directory. Fingerprints This directory is used by Jenkins to keep track of artifact fingerprints. We look at how to track artifacts later in the book. jobs This directory contains configuration details about the build jobs that Jenkins manages, as well as the artifacts and data resulting from these builds. plugins This directory contains any plugins that you have installed. Plugins allow you to extend Jenkins by adding extra feature. Note Except the Jenkins core plugins (subversion, cvs, ssh-slaves, maven, and scid-ad), no plugins are stored with Jenkins executable, or expanded web application directory. updates This is an internal directory used by Jenkins to store information about available plugin updates. userContent You can use this directory to place your own custom content onto your Jenkins server. You can access files in this directory at http://myserver/userContent (stand-alone). users If you are using the native Jenkins user database, user accounts will be stored in this directory. war This directory contains the expanded web application. When you start Jenkins as a stand-alone application, it will extract the web application into this directory. JENKINS SETUP Jenkins Setup is carried out on a managing server which has access to all your remote servers or nodes. The Process can be demonstrated with a few simple steps. Jenkins has native integrations with different Operating Systems. These are the Operating Systems that support Jenkins are: Solaris 10 Ubuntu Red Hat Distributions Windows UNIX Daemon Docker JENKINS CONFIGURATION The Configuration file for Jenkins is used to make certain changes to the default configuration. The Priority configuration changes are searched by Jenkins in the following order: Jenkins will be launched as a daemon on startup. See /etc/init.d/jenkins for more details. The jenkins user is created to run this service. If you change this to a different user via the config file, you must change the owner of /var/log/jenkins, /var/lib/jenkins, and /var/cache/jenkins. Log file will be placed in /var/log/jenkins/jenkins.log. Check this file if you are troubleshooting Jenkins. /etc/sysconfig/jenkins will capture configuration parameters for the launch. By default, Jenkins listen on port 8080. Access this port with your browser to start configuration.ÂÂ   Note that the built-in firewall may have to be opened to access this port from other computers. A Jenkins RPM repository is added in /etc/yum.repos.d/jenkins.repo CREATE A JENKINS PIPELINE The requirement for creating a pipeline is to have a repository with the Jenkins file which holds the declaration of the pipeline. STEP 1: Select New Item from the Jenkins Dashboard. New Item on the Jenkins home page src=https://aaimagestore.s3.amazonaws.com/july2017/0020514.008.png> STEP 2: Enter a Name for the Pipeline and Select Pipeline from the list of options. Click OK. STEP 3: Toggle Tabs to Customize the Pipeline to Click Apply. STEP 4: To Build the Job, Click Build Now on the Dashboard to run the Pipeline. ANSIBLE Ansible Tower is the Automation tool used in this project and is a simple tool to manage multiple nodes. Ansible is recommended to automate the deployment and configuration management of the System and its Applications. Ansible Automation can be setup on any machine as it does not require a daemon or database. It will begin with the assigned user to SSH into a host file. This allows the user to run the Ansible script to execute the roles which runs various tasks defined. NOTE: In scope of the IVR applications the ansible script executes multiple roles for the creation of EC2 Instances and the installation of WebSphere Applications. Each of these roles have their very own YAML script to create and populate the instance. REQUIREMENTS The Requirements for Ansible Server includes the following: Ansible Tower Setup requires to be on a Linux Instance (CentOS or RHEL), Linux setup for some basic services including: Git, Python, OpenSSL. Some Additional Requirement: Jinja2: A modern, fast and easy to use stand-alone template engine for Python. PyYAML: A YAML parser and emitter for the Python programming language. Paramiko: A native Python SSHv2 channel library. Httplib2: A comprehensive HTTP client library. SSHPass: A non-interactive SSH password authentication. ANSIBLE FILE STRUCTURE Ansible Playbook is a model of configuration or a process which contains number of plays. Each play is used to map a group of hosts to some well-defined roles which can be represented by ansible call tasks. Master Playbook The Master Playbook file contains the information of the rest of the Playbook. The Master Playbook for the project has been given as Site.yml. This YAML script is used to define the roles to execute. NOTE: The roles in the Master Playbook are invoked to perform their respective tasks. Path = /ivr/aws_env/playbooks/ivr SITE.YML Inventory Ansible contains information about the hosts and groups of hosts to be managed in the hosts file. This is also called an inventory file. Path = /ivr/aws_env/playbooks/ivr/inventory Group Variables and Host Variables Similar to the hosts inventory file, you can also include hosts and groups of hosts configuration variables in a separate configuration folder like group_vars and hosts_vars. These can include configuration parameters, whether on the application or operating system level, which may not be valid for all groups or hosts. This is where having multiple files can be useful: inside group_vars or hosts_vars, you can create a group or host in more than one way, allowing you to define specific configuration parameters. Roles Roles in Ansible build on the idea of include files and combine them to form clean, reusable abstractions they allow you to focus more on the big picture and only define the details when needed. To correctly use roles with Ansible, you need to create a roles directory in your working Ansible directory, and then any necessary sub-directories. The Following displays the Playbook Structure for Ansible. ANSIBLE SETUP Ansible Setup is carried out on a managing server which has access to all your remote servers or nodes. The Process can be demonstrated with a few simple steps. Step I. Login as the Root User on the Instance where Ansible needs to be installed. Use the sudo apt-get install ansible -y command to install the package onto an Ubuntu/Debian System. Use the sudo yum install ansible -y command to install the package onto a CentOS/RHEL/Fedora System. Step II. The Ansible system can connect to any remote server using SSH by authenticating the request. NOTE: Ansible can use ssh-keygen to create a RSA encrypted key and can copy it to the remote server to connect using SSH without authentication. Step III. Create an Inventory file which is used to work against multiple systems across the infrastructure at the same time. This is executed by taking portions of the systems linked in the Inventory file. The Default path for the Inventory file is etc/ansible/hosts. NOTE This path can be changed by using -i which is a recommended option depending on the project requirement. There can be more than one inventory files which can be executed at the same time. The inventory file holds the group names which defines the group of servers that are maintained together. The inventory file needs to be populated with the host IP Addresses that are to be accessed. The inventory file is as follows: Path = /ivr/aws_env/playbooks/ivr/inventory hosts The IVR in the brackets indicates group names. Group names are used to classify systems and determining which systems you are going to control at what times and for what reason. The group name can be used to interact with all the hosts alongside different modules (-m) defined in ansible. Example: ansible -m ping IVR ANSIBLE CONFIGURATION The Configuration file for Ansible is used to make certain changes to the default configuration. The Priority configuration changes are searched by ansible in the following order: Path= /ivr/aws_env/playbooks/ivr/etc/ansible.cfg is the path setup for ansible configuration changes. CLOUD FORMATION AWS CloudFormation is a service that helps you model and set up your Amazon Web Services resources so that you can spend less time managing those resources and more time focusing on your applications that run-in AWS. You create a template that describes all the AWS resources that you want (like Amazon EC2 instances or Amazon RDS DB instances), and AWS CloudFormation takes care of provisioning and configuring those resources for you. You dont need to individually create and configure AWS resources and figure out whats dependent on what; AWS CloudFormation handles all of that. CloudFormation Template CloudFormation templates are created for the service or application architectures you want and have AWS CloudFormation use those templates for quick and reliable provisioning of the services or applications (called stacks). You can also easily update or replicate the stacks as needed. Example Template STEPS TO LAUNCH A CLOUD FORMATION STACK Sign in to AWS Management Console and open the Cloud Formation console at http://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/ From the navigation bar select the region for the instance Click on the Create a New Stack. Choose an Option from a Sample Template, Template to S3 and S3 Template URL Using a template to build an EC2 Instance Enter a Stack Name and Provide the Key Pair to SSH into the Instance. a A Add Tags to the Instance, this also help organize your instance to group with application specific, team specific instances. Review and Create Stack. CloudFormation Stack starts building the stack using the template. In Scope of this Project, IVR Application Instances are build using a Cloud Formation Template and will be triggered using Ansible Role. Simple Storage Service (S3) Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) A load balancer serves as a single point of contact for clients, which increases the availability of your application. You can add and remove instances from your load balancer as your needs change, without disrupting the overall flow of requests to your application. Elastic Load Balancing scales your load balancer as traffic to your application changes over time, and can scale to the clear majority of workloads automatically. You can configure health checks, which are used to monitor the health of the registered instances so that the load balancer can send requests only to the healthy instances. You can also offload the work of encryption and decryption to your load balancer so that your instances can focus on their main work. ÂÂ  Setting Up an Elastic Load Balancer Step 1: Select a Load Balancer Type Elastic Load Balancing supports two types of load balancers: Application Load Balancers and Classic Load Balancers. To create an Elastic Load Balancer, Open the Amazon EC2 console and choose Load Balancers on the navigation pane. Step 2: Configure Your Load Balancer and Listener On the Configure Load Balancer page, complete the following procedure. To configure your load balancer and listener 1. For Name, type a name for your load balancer. The name of your Application Load Balancer must be unique within your set of Application Load Balancers for the region, can have a maximum of 32 characters, can contain only alphanumeric characters and hyphens, and must not begin or end with a hyphen. 2. For Scheme, keep the default value, internet-facing. 3. For IP address type, select ipv4 if your instances support IPv4 addresses or dual stack if they support IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. 4. For Listeners, keep the default, which is a listener that accepts HTTP traffic on port 80. 5. For Availability Zones, select the VPC that you used for your EC2 instances. For each of the two Availability Zones that contain your EC2 instances, select the Availability Zone and then select the public subnet for that Availability Zone. 6. Choose Next: Configure Security Settings. Step 3: Configure a Security Group for Your Load Balancer The security group for your load balancer must allow it to communicate with registered targets on both the listener port and the health check port. The console can create security groups for your load balancer on your behalf, with rules that specify the correct protocols and ports. Note If you prefer, you can create and select your own security group instead. For more information, see Recommended Rules in the Application Load Balancer Guide. On the Configure Security Groups page, complete the following procedure to have Elastic Load Balancing create a security group for your load balancer on your behalf. Step 4: Configure Your Target Group To configure a security group for your load balancer 1. Choose Create a new security group. 2. Type a name and description for the security group, or keep the default name and description. This new security group contains a rule that allows traffic to the load balancer listener port that you selected on the Configure Load Balancer page. 3. Choose Next: Configure Routing. Step 4: Configure Your Target Group Create a target group, which is used in request routing. The default rule for your listener routes requests to the to registered targets in this target group. The load balancer checks the health of targets in this target group using the health check settings defined for the target group. On the Configure Routing page, complete the following procedure. To configure your target group 1. For Target group, keep the default, New target group. 2. For Name, type a name for the new target group. 3. Keep Protocol as HTTP and Port as 80. 4. For Health checks, keep the default protocol and ping path. 5. Choose Next: Register Targets. Step 5: Register Targets with Your Target Group On the Register Targets page, complete the following procedure. To register targets with the target group 1. For Instances, select one or more instances. 2. Keep the default port, 80, and choose Add to registered. 3. If you need to remove an instance that you selected, for Registered instances, select the instance and then choose Remove. 4. When you have finished selecting instances, choose Next: Review. Step 6: Create and Test Your Load Balancer Before creating the load balancer, review the settings that you selected. After creating the load balancer, verify that its sending traffic to your EC2 instances. To create and test your load balancer 1. On the Review page, choose Create. 2. After you are notified that your load balancer was created successfully, choose Close. 3. On the navigation pane, under LOAD BALANCING, choose Target Groups. 4. Select the newly created target group. 5. On the Targets tab, verify that your instances are ready. If the status of an instance is initial, its probably because the instance is still in the process of being registered, or it has not passed the Auto Scaling AUTOMATION OVERVIEW There are 2 Parts of the Automation Process which is used To Create a Custom AMI for all IVR Applications To Create Instances for Each Application using the Custom AMI. STEPS TO CREATE THE CUSTOM AMI The process of automating this environment starts from creating a Jenkins Pipeline for code deploy to the application that needs to be build. The Pipeline also needs integration of CyberArk for the Authentication and registering the service account required for the automation. The following process is triggered as part of the Ansible playbook where it performs multiple roles to complete automation of the Application. The Ansible role first calls for a CloudFormation Template. A CloudFormation Template is used to Build a Stack required (EC2 Instance). This template is given the AMI ID of the Verizon standard. The CloudFormation Template after the creation of the Instance triggers a WebSphere Role from Ansible that installs the OpenJDK, WebSphere Liberty Profile, creating a WLP User and Add the Necessary Net groups for the application. An AMI of the Instance at this point is created. STEPS TO CREATE THE APPLICATION INSTANCES The process of automating this environment starts from creating a Jenkins Pipeline for code deploy to the application that needs to be build. The Pipeline also needs integration of CyberArk for the Authentication and registering the service account required for the automation. The following process is triggered as part of the Ansible playbook where it performs multiple roles to complete automation of the Application. The Ansible role first calls for a CloudFormation Template. A CloudFormation Template is used to Build a Stack required (EC2 Instance). This template is given the Custom AMI created for IVR. After the creation of the Instance an S3 Role is triggered from Ansible. The S3 Role Performs the Ansible Role based on the Application Instance. NOTE: An S3 Bucket with folder structure for each application is maintained to keep the updated code and certificates along with other required installation files. IVR Touch Point S3 role fetches the EAR files, configuration files and the certificates in the IVR-TP folder of the S3 bucket and install them on the Instance that is created by the Cloud Formation Role. IVR Middleware S3 role fetches the EAR files, configuration files and the certificates in the IVR-MW folder of the S3 bucket and install them on the Instance that is created by the Cloud Formation Role. IVR Activations S3 role fetches the EAR files, configuration files and the certificates in the IVR-Activations of the S3 bucket and install them on the Instance that is created by the Cloud Formation Role. IVR CTI S3 role fetches the IBM eXtreme Scale Grid Installation followed by Siteminder SSO installation. After the application requirements are fulfilled, the EAR files, configuration files and the certificates in the IVR-CTI folder of the S3 bucket are deployed on the Instance. IVR Work Hub S3 role fetches the IBM eXtreme Scale Grid Installation followed by Siteminder SSO installation. After the application requirements are fulfilled, the EAR files, configuration files and the certificates in the IVR

Reflection Has Become An Important Concept In Nursing Nursing Essay

Reflection Has Become An Important Concept In Nursing Nursing Essay Introduction In recent years, reflection has undoubtedly become an important concept in nursing, stimulating debate and influencing nursing practice and education around the world. Much has been written about the theory of reflection, the majority of which has been applied to the educational setting (Price 2004). However, the process of reflecting has been described as a transferable skill which may be incorporated into clinical practice, enabling practitioners to better understand themselves and others, and solve problems (Mantzoukas Jasper 2004). Indeed, the capability to reflect consciously upon ones professional practice is generally considered important for the development of education and, hence, for clinical expertise (Mamede Schmidt 2004). Reid (1993) defines reflection as a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice (Reid 1993, p. 305). The nursing profession seems to advocate the need for nurses to be educated and practice in ways that develop their critical thinking, autonomy and sensitivity to others (Reed Ground 1997). Bulman (2004) contends that reflective practice may provide a means of achieving this. Within an intensive care setting, some evidence exists to suggest a strong relationship between lived experience and learning, with most critical care practitioners learning from previous experience (Hendricks et al 1996). More recently, reflection has been closely associated with the concepts of critical thinking and deconstruction. It is argued that a combination of these principles create a retrospective and prospective dimension, giving the practitioner the ability to deconstruct events, to reason the origins of situations, and to consider what has gone before and what may happen yet (Rolfe 2005). In order to be effective in practice there is a requirement to be purposeful and goal directed. It is suggested therefore that reflection cannot just be concerned with understanding, but must also focus on locating practice within its social structures, and on changing practice (Bolton 2001). This suggests that a structured approach to reflection is of benefit to the practitioner. Indeed the use of a model or framework of reflection is advocated as a tool which can aid and facilitate the practitioner in reflection, promoting a process of continuous development (Bulman 2004). Reflection is seen as a dynamic process and not a static one (Duke 2004), and thus the use of a framework which adopts a cyclic approach to reflective practice seems appropriate. One such framework is Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle, which is adapted form a framework of experiential learning, and uses a series of questions to guide, and provide structure for the practitioner when reflecting on an experience. Gibbs (1988) highlights 6 important areas of consideration when reflecting on a specific situation, encouraging the practitioner to consider what happened, why it happened and what could be done differently in the future. The 6 components of the Reflective Cycle are outlined below: Description What happened? Feelings What were you thinking and feeling? Evaluation What was good and bad about the situation? Analysis What sense can you make of the situation? Conclusion What else could you have done? Action Plan If the situation arose again, what would you do? It is clear that the idea of reflective practice has come to have a considerable impact on the nursing profession. This paper will focus on 2 clinical scenarios occurring within an intensive care setting. The issues raised will be discussed within the context of Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle. The aim in doing so is to highlight the benefits of a structured reflective process, and to identify ways in which clinical practice may be improved in the future. Scenario 1 Description The first scenario concerns the care of an elderly, critically ill patient, who was being treated in a surgical intensive care unit. At the time of this scenario the patient had been in intensive care for almost 3 weeks, having been admitted with respiratory failure requiring intubation, and displaying clinical symptoms consistent with sepsis. The patient had many other underlying medical problems, was morbidly obese, and despite antibiotic therapy was requiring high levels of inotropic and ventilatory support. Despite the patients symptoms, no definite source of sepsis had been identified. The above patient was being cared for by the author on a 12 hour day shift and at the morning ward round it was noted that the patients condition had deteriorated significantly over the previous 2 days, with increased inotrope dependence and worsening renal function. With few treatment options left to try, the consultant anaesthetist decided that the patient should have a CT scan to identify or rule out an abdominal problem as a source of the sepsis. The patient was reviewed by a consultant surgeon who felt that in view of the patients co-morbidity, surgery of any kind would not be appropriate, despite potential positive findings on CT. Knowing that a CT scan had been carried out 1 week previously with no significant findings, the author raised concerns about the benefit of such a procedure, and suggested that at the very least the patients family should be informed or consulted about the planned investigation. The patients son had been spoken to the previous day and informed that the prognosis was very poor. Withdrawal of treatment had been mentioned as a possibility in the event of no improvement in the patients condition. The son however was not informed about the scan which went ahead the same day. Transferring the patient to the radiology department for scan proved difficult. The patient was sedated for transfer resulting in a need for increased inotropes due to further hypotension caused by the sedation. The patients large size also created a problem in finding an appropriate transfer trolley to take the patients weight. Again the author voiced concerns, stating that perhaps transfer was inadvisable in view of the patients unstable cardiovascular status. The anaesthetist decided that we should proceed with the scan. The patient remained unstable throughout the transfer, requiring a further increase in inotropes on arrival at scan. Whilst on the CT table, the patient became dangerously hypotensive and bradycardic, and it seemed that cardiac arrest was imminent. Adrenaline boluses were administered, and large fluid boluses of gelofusine were also given. In view of this, the CT scan was abandoned midway, and the patient was quickly transferred back to ICU. Further adrenaline boluses were needed during transfer. On arrival back to ICU, the author was met by the patients son, who was not aware that the patient was being scanned. He was made aware of the patients poor condition. Back in ICU it was decided that further resuscitation was not appropriate. The son was present when the patient died a few minutes later. Feelings On the day these events took place, the predominant thoughts and feelings of the author were ones of guilt and inadequacy. Having considered the multiple health problems faced by the patient at this time, the author felt that the process of transferring the patient to CT scan and carrying out the scan itself may cause the patient stress, discomfort and potential danger, and ultimately be of little or no benefit. During the transfer and scanning process, the author became increasingly anxious about the immediate safety of the patient, and the potential for deterioration in the patients condition. When the patient became dangerously bradycardic and hypotensive, the authors thoughts were concentrated on trying to prevent cardiac arrest. On returning to ICU and meeting the patients son, it seemed that neither the dignity of the patient or the concerns of the family had been respected. The author felt an inadequacy and felt that the interests of the patient had not been properly advocated. The patient passed away in a distressing and undignified manner, and the son did not have the opportunity to spend personal time with the patient prior to this happening. The author felt guilty, as it seemed that the CT scan should not have happened and that the undignified circumstances surrounding the patients death need not have occurred. Evaluation Looking back on the events of scenario 1, it seems that there were both positive and negative aspects to the experience. During transfer to CT scan and the emergency situation which followed, the author felt that there was good teamwork between the different professionals involved in the care of the patient. Because of this, prompt action was taken, preventing cardiac arrest. However, it seems that this situation may have been avoided, which in turn raises many questions relating to the care of the patient. Ethically, one must question how appropriate it was to scan a severely septic, unstable patient, especially when corrective treatments would have been inappropriate in the event of an abnormality being discovered. Should the author have advocated the interests of the patient and family more forcefully? Was there a lack of communication and consensus between the critical care team? The events of this incident culminated in a clinical emergency situation which led to the patients death. Thus, the author feels that the patients clinical condition and the ethical issues and dilemmas surrounding the patients care must be examined and discussed, in the hope that lessons can be learned through the reflective process. Analysis Sepsis Most illness and death in patients in intensive care is caused by the consequences of sepsis and systemic inflammation. Indeed, sepsis affects 18 million people worldwide each year (Slade et al 2003), with severe sepsis remaining the highest cause of death in patients admitted to non-coronary intensive care units (Edbrooke et al 1999). Sepsis is a complex condition that results from an infectious process, and is the bodys response to infection. It involves systemic inflammatory and cellular events that result in altered circulation and coagulation, endothelial dysfunction, and impaired tissue perfusion (Kleinpell 2004). Dellinger et al (2004) define sepsis as the systemic response to infection manifested by 2 or more of the following: High or low temperature (>38 °C or Heart rate > 90 beats per minute Respiratory rate > 20 breaths per minute or PaCO2 High or low white blood cell count (> 12,000 or In severe sepsis impaired tissue perfusion along with micro vascular coagulation can lead to multiple organ system dysfunction, which is a major cause of sepsis-related mortality (Robson Newell 2005). While all organs are prone to failure in sepsis, pulmonary, cardiovascular, and renal dysfunction occur most commonly (Hotchkiss Karl 2003). When multiple organ system dysfunction occurs, Dolan (2003) promotes evidence-based sepsis treatment whereby patients should receive targeted organ support. This includes mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, fluids, vasopressor or inotropic administration, and blood product administration, to maximize perfusion and oxygenation. In recent years new therapies have emerged which have been shown, in some cases, to increase the chance of survival from severe sepsis. Recombinant human activated protein C has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic and pro-fibrinolytic properties (Dolan 2003). In a randomised controlled trial, Bernard et al (2001) found a significant reduction in the mortality of septic patients who had been treated with activated protein C. The National Institute for clinical excellence (2004) now recommends this treatment for adult patients who have severe sepsis resulting in multiple organ failure, and who are being provided with optimal ICU support. Steroids, the use of which in ICU has long been debated, have also been shown, in low doses, to reduce the risk of death in some patients in septic shock (Annane 2000). Despite the development of specific treatments to interrupt or control the inflammatory and procoagulant process associated with sepsis, its management remains a major challenge in healthcare (Kleinpell 2004). The patient in scenario 1 was clearly in a state of severe sepsis, with respiratory, cardiac and renal failure, and receiving some of the supportive treatments mentioned above. Indeed it seems that the severity of this condition should not have been underestimated. In view of this, the ethical issues surrounding the decision to take this patient to CT scan must now be considered. Ethical Dilemmas and Consensus Ethical issues have emerged in recent years as a major component of health care for critically ill patients (Friedman 2001). Thus, caring for these patients in an intensive care setting necessitates that difficult ethical problems must be faced and resolved (Fisher 2004). Traditionally, much of the literature in biomedical ethics comes from theoretical perspectives that include principled ethics, caring ethics and virtue ethics (Bunch 2002). Although these perspectives provide an ethical awareness, which can be helpful, they do not of necessity give much direction for clinical practice. Melia (2001) supports this notion, suggesting that many discussions of ethical issues in health care are presented from a moral philosophical viewpoint, which as a consequence leaves out the clinical and social context in which decisions are taken and carried through. Beauchamp Childress (1994) identify 5 principles pertinent to decision making in intensive care. These are: salvageability, life preservation, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. Ethical dilemmas occur when two or more of the above principles come into conflict. The principles of beneficence (doing good), non-maleficence (doing no harm) and justice (fair treatment) are well established within the field of bioethics. Within a critical care context however, the dilemma between salvageability and life preservation becomes an important focus for health care professionals. Indeed, Prien Van Aken (1999) raise the question of whether all medical means to preserve life have to be employed under all circumstances, or are there situations in which we should not do everything that it is possible to do. This question becomes particularly relevant when a patients condition does not improve but rather deteriorates progressively. Curtin (2005) suggests that at some point in the course of t reatment, the line between treating a curable disease and protracting an unpreventable death can be crossed. In such incidences Prien Van Aken (1999) identify a transitional zone between the attempt to treat the patient, and the prolongation of dying, in which a conflict between the principles of life preservation and non-maleficence develops. These concepts seem particularly relevant to scenario 1 where the interests of the patient may have been neglected in favour of further attempts to treat the patients condition. This, in turn created a conflict between the principles of salvageability and life preservation. The decision to perform a CT scan on a patient with such cardiovascular instability and a very poor prognosis, meant that the patient was subjected to dangers and harms when there were few, if any benefits to justify this. Hence, the conflict between the ethical principles was not resolved, and the professional duty of non-maleficence toward the patient was not respected. Such conflicts and dilemmas in intensive care can be made all the harder by the availability of advanced technologies. Callahan (2003) writes that one of the most seductive powers of medical technology is to confuse the use of technology with a respect for the sanctity of life. In addition, Fisher (2004) contends that it has become all too easy to think that if one respects the value of life, and technology has the power to extend life, then a failure to use it is a failure to respect that value. This is particularly true of diagnostic technologies (such as CT scanning) which must be used with caution, especially in cases where the diagnostic information will make little or no difference to the treatment of the patient, but can create or heighten anxiety and discomfort for the patient (Callahan 2003). Medical technology is a two-edged sword, capable of saving and improving life but also of ending and harming life (Curtin 2005). Good critical care medicine carries the responsibility o f preserving life, on the one hand, and making possible a peaceful death, on the other. Callahan (2003) concludes by warning that any automatic bias in favour of using technology will threaten that latter possibility. Consensus between members of the intensive care team is also highlighted as an important issue in ethical decision making. Effective communication and collaboration among medical and nursing staff are essential for high quality health care (Woodrow 2000). Collaboration can be seen as working together, sharing responsibility for solving problems, and making decisions to formulate and execute plans for patient care (Gedney 2000 p.41). In intensive care units where ethical problems are faced frequently, care has to be a team effort (Fisher 2004). In a qualitative study, Melia (2001) found that there was a strong desire within the intensive care team that ethical and moral consensus should be achieved in the interests of good patient care, even though it was recognised that there is no legal requirement for nurses to agree with ICU decisions. Cobaoglu Algier (2004) however, found that the same ethical dilemma was perceived differently by medics and nurses with the differences being related to the hospitals hierarchical structure and the traditional distinctions between the two professions. Similarly, it has been observed that differences between doctors and nurses in ethical dilemmas were a function of the professional role played by each, rather than differences in ethical reasoning or moral motivation (Oberle Hughes 2001). It seems therefore that while the medical and nursing professions share the same aims for patient outcomes, the ideas surrounding how these outcomes should be achieved may differ (Fisher 2004). These differences have contributed to the development of the concept of the nurse as patient advocate, which sees advocacy as a fundamental and integral role in the caring relationship, and not simply as a single component of care (Snowball 1996). The role of the nurse advocate should be that of mediator and facilitator, negotiating between the different health and illness perspectives of patient, doctor, and other health care professionals on the patients behalf (Mallik 1998). Empirical evidence is sparse and philosophical arguments seem to predominate in the field of patient advocacy. There is some evidence to suggest that nurse advocacy has had beneficial outcomes for the patient and family in critical care areas (Washington 2001). Hewitt (2002) however found that humanistic arguments that promote advocacy as a moral imperative are compelling. Benner (1984) writes of advocacy within the context of being with a patient in such a way that acknowledges your shared humanity, which is the base of nursing as a caring practice (Benner 1984, p. 28). It has been argued that advocacy, at least in a philosophical sense, is the foundation of nursing itself and as such should be regarded as an issue of great importance by all practitioners (Snowball 1996). Conclusion It can be concluded that sepsis in a critical care environment is a complex condition with a high mortality rate, requiring highly specialised treatments. As such, the ethical issues and dilemmas faced by health care staff caring for a septic patient can be both complex and far reaching. It must be noted, that there can be no general solutions for such ethical conflicts; each clinical case must be evaluated individually with all its associated circumstances. A study of ethical principles would suggest that it is important that the benefits of a specific treatment or procedure are established prior to implementation, and that these benefits outweigh any potential harms or risks to the patient. The ultimate decision maker in the scenario under discussion was the consultant anaesthetist, who should have provided a clearer rationale for performing a CT scan on such an unstable patient. As the nurse caring for the patient, the author recognises that the final decision regarding treatment rested with the anaesthetist. However, the author could have challenged the anaesthetists decision further, advocating the patients interests, with the aim of reaching a moral consensus within the team. Perhaps then the outcome would have been more favourable for all concerned. Action Plan By reflecting on this scenario, the author has gained an understanding of sepsis and the potential ethical problems which may be encountered when caring for a septic or critically ill patient. As a result, the author feels more confident to challenge those decisions made relating to treatment, which do not seem to be in the best interest of the patient, or which have the potential to cause more harm than good. The author now has a greater understanding of the professional responsibility to advocate on a patients behalf, with the aim of safeguarding against possible dangers. It is hoped that this will result in improved outcomes for patients in the authors care. Scenario 2 Description This incident occurred in a surgical intensive care unit while the author was looking after a ventilated patient who had undergone a laparotomy and right sided hemi-colectomy 2 days previously. Around 10.30am the patient was reviewed by medical staff and was found to be awake and alert with good arterial blood gases, and requiring minimal ventilatory support. In view of this, it was decided that the patients support should be reduced further, and providing this reduction was tolerated, that the patient should be extubated later in the morning. In the intensive care unit in which the author works an intensive insulin infusion protocol is used (see Appendix A). This is a research based protocol which aims to normalize blood glucose levels and thus improve clinical outcomes for critically ill patients. All patients on this protocol require either to be absorbing enteral feed at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥30ml/hr, on TPN or on 5% dextrose at 100ml/hr (Appendix A, note 2). The patient involved in this incident was receiving enteral feed via a naso-gastric tube, and was on an insulin infusion which was running at 4 U/hr. When it was decided that the patient was to be extubated, the author stopped the enteral feed as a precaution, to prevent possible aspiration during or after extubation. The author however did not stop the insulin infusion which breached the protocol guidelines. About 12 noon the patients blood gases showed that the reduction in support had been tolerated, and so the patient was extubated. Shortly after this the author was asked to go for lunch break and so passed on to a colleague that the patient had recently been extubated but was managing well on face mask oxygen. Returning from lunch 45 minutes later, the author found the patient to be disorientated and slightly confused. With good oxygen saturations, the author doubted that the confusion had resulted from hypoxia or worsening blood gases. The author then realised that the insulin infusion had not been stopped with the enteral feed earlier. A check of the patients blood glucose level showed that it was 1.2mmol/L. The author immediately stopped the insulin infusion, administered 20mls of 50% dextrose intravenously, as per protocol, and recommenced the enteral feed. Twenty minutes later, the patients blood glucose level had risen to 3.7mmol/L. The patient continued on the insulin protocol maintaining blood glucose levels within an adequate range. There were no lasting adverse effects resulting from the hypoglycaemic episode. Feelings When it was realised that the insulin infusion had not been stopped, the author felt a sense of panic, anticipating correctly that the patients blood glucose level would be dangerously low. Thoughts then became concentrated on raising the blood glucose level, to ensure that no further harm would come to the patient as a result of the authors mistake. Following the incident, when the patients glucose levels had risen, feelings of guilt were prominent. At this point the author realised how much worse the outcome could have been for the patient. The author felt incompetent, knowing that the patient could have been much more severely affected, or could even have died as the result of such a simple mistake. Evaluation The events of scenario 2 highlight the fact that clinical errors, while easily made, can have potentially disastrous consequences. This is especially true of those errors which involve the administration of drugs intravenously. In the interest of patient safety, it is important that all such errors are avoided. The clinical error outlined above could easily have been avoided. It seems that there was not sufficient awareness, on the authors part, of the insulin infusion protocol and the guidelines concerning the administration of insulin. As a result, the insulin protocol was not adhered to. The following analysis therefore will focus on the importance of insulin therapy in critical care areas, and will consider the safety issues surrounding intravenous drug administration. Analysis Blood Glucose Control in Intensive Care It is well documented that critically ill patients who require prolonged intensive care treatment are at high risk of multiple organ failure and death (Diringer 2005). Extensive research over the last decade has focused on strategies to prevent or reverse multiple organ failure, only a few of which have revealed positive results. One of these strategies is tight blood glucose control with insulin (Khoury et al 2004). It is well known that any type of acute illness or injury results in insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and hyperglycaemia, a constellation which has been termed the diabetes of stress (McCowen et al 2001). In critically ill patients, the severity of this condition has been shown to reflect the risk of death (Laird et al 2004). Much has been learned recently about the negative prognostic effects of hyperglycemia in critically ill patients. Hyperglycaemia adversely affects fluid balance, predisposition to infection, morbidity following acute cardiovascular events, and can increase the risk of renal failure, neuropathy and mortality in ICU patients (DiNardo et al 2004). Research suggests that there are distinct benefits of insulin therapy in improving clinical outcomes. Such benefits have been seen in patients following acute myocardial infarction, and in the healing of sternal wounds in patients who have had cardiac surgery (Malmberg 1997; Furnary et al 1999). More recently Van den Berghe et al (2001) conducted a large, randomized, controlled study involving adults admitted to a surgical intensive care unit who were receiving mechanical ventilation. The study demonstrated that normalisation of blood glucose levels using an intensive insulin infusion protocol improved clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. In particular, intensive insulin therapy was shown to reduce ICU mortality by 42%, and significantly reduce the incidences of septicaemia, acute renal failure, prolonged ventilatory support, and critical illness polyneuropathy. The length of stay in intensive care was also significantly shorter for patients on the protocol. It is unclear as to why improved glycaemic control has been associated with improved outcomes in several clinical settings. Coursin and Murray (2003) have summarized several leading hypotheses including maintenance of macrophage and neutrophil function, enhancement of erythropoiesis, and the direct anabolic effect of insulin on respiratory muscles. The potential anti-inflammatory effects of insulin have also been evaluated (Das 2001). There is also uncertainty over whether it is the actual insulin dose received per se, or the degree of normoglycaemia achieved that is responsible for the beneficial effects of intensive glycaemic management. Van den Berghe (2003) analysed the data derived from their 2001 study and have concluded that the degree of glycaemic control, rather the quantity of insulin administered was associated with the decrease in mortality and organ system dysfunction. In a follow up to Van den Berghe et als 2001 study, Langouche et al (2005) found that a significant part of the improved patient outcomes were explained by the effects of intensive insulin on vascular endothelium. The vascular endothelium controls vasomotor tone and micro-vascular flow, and regulates trafficking of nutrients and several biologically active molecules (Aird 2003). Langouche et al (2005) conclude that maintaining normoglycaemia with intensive insulin therapy during critical illness protects the vascular endothelium and thereby contributes to the prevention of organ failure and death. Whatever the reasons for improved patient outcomes, the study by Van den Burghe et al (2001) has prompted much research in this field, all of which has yielded similar results. In a similar study, Krinsley (2004) found that the use of an insulin protocol resulted in significantly improved glycaemic control and was associated with decreased mortality, organ dysfunction, and length of stay in the ICU in a heterogeneous population of critically ill adult patients. Thus it seems that with the strength of the emerging data in support of a more intensive approach to glycaemic management, insulin infusions are being utilised with increasing frequency, and are considered by many to be the standard of care for critically ill patients (DiNardo et al 2004). It is important to note that a well recognised risk of intensive glucose management is hypoglycaemia. Indeed Goldberg et al (2004) emphasise that in the ICU setting where patients often cannot report or respond to symptoms, the potential for hypoglycaemia is of particular concern. The events of scenario 2 highlight the authors error in the administration of insulin resulting in hypoglycaemia. For this reason some issues surrounding intravenous drug therapy will now be discussed. Intravenous Drug Therapy There is an increasing recognition that medication errors are causing a substantial global public health problem. Many of these errors result in harm to patients and increased costs to health providers (Wheeler Wheeler 2005). In the intensive care unit, patients commonly receive multiple drug therapies that are prescribed either for prophylactic indications or for treatment of established disease (Dougherty 2002). Practitioners caring for these patients find themselves in the challenging position of having to monitor these therapies, with the goal of maximizing a beneficial therapeutic response, as well as minimizing the occurrence of any adverse drug-related outcome (Cuddy 2000). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2004) identifies the preparation and administration of medicines as an important aspect of professional practice, stressing that it is not merely a mechanistic task performed in strict compliance with a written prescription, but rather a task that requires thought and professional judgement. Heatlie (2003) found that the introduction of new insulin protocols and regimes could g

Analysis of the Controversial Issue of Capital Punishment Essay

The Controversial Issue of Capital Punishment   Ã‚  Ã‚   Capital punishment is a declining institution as the twentieth century nears its end. At one time capital punishment was a common worldwide practice, but now it is only used for serious violation of laws in 100 of the world's 180 nations (Haines 3 ). It can be traced back to the earliest forms of civilization. The origins of the movement away from capital punishment are difficult to date precisely. The abolition movement can be heard as early as the religious sermons of the Quakers in the 1640's (Masur 4). In the seventeenth century, the Anglo-American world began to rely less on public executions and more in favor of private punishments. The possible decline in popularity of the capital punsihment system is directly related to the many controversial issues it entails such as: the questions of deterrence, morals and ethics, constitutionality, and economics.    The usual justification for capital punsihment is that it deters crime. It is by no means obvious whether capital punishment deters crime more than life imprisonment. However, a legend says that in Victorian, England, at the site of public hangin gs of pickpocketers, other pickpocketers frequently practiced their trade among the crowd. Although the threat of execution was taking place right in front of their eyes, the deterrence in its strongest form was ineffective (Streib 3). On the other hand , in 1970 and 1971 the Los Angeles Police Department surveyed persons whom they arrested for a violent crime, but did not use their weapon, did not carry a weapon, or carried an inoperative weapon. Of the ninety-nine criminals who responded to the questi on about why they had not killed or put themselv... ... remains such a ontroversial iss ue, it may one-day collapse just like the other "invincible" institutions.    Works Cited Bowers, William. Legal Homocide. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1984. Castberg, Didrick and Victor Rosenblum. Cases on Constitutional Law. Illinois: The Dorsey Press, 1973. Death Sentencing. ACLE Pamphlet #15. Pennsylvania: Nelson Thomas Publishers, 1994. Gibbons, Don. Society, Crime, and Criminal Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc., 1987. Goshgarian, Gary and Kathleen Krueger. Crossfire and Argument. New York: Addision Wesley Longman, 1997. Haines, Herbert. Against Capital Punishment. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Masur, Louis. Rites of Execution. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Streib, Victor. A Capital Punishment Anthology. Cleveland: Anderson Publishing Co., 1993.