The debate, which has already turned emotional

The national debate on abortion concerns both the legal as well as the moral aspects of the issue. The debate has not only grown provocative but it has also become very divisive as well, effectively polarizing Americans into those who support the practice and those who oppose it.The debate, which has already turned emotional, has devised labels for the two opposing camps. Pro-abortion Americans are referred to as â€Å"anti-life† or â€Å"pro-choice† while those who are against the practice have been called â€Å"pro-life† and â€Å"anti-choice† (Internet Infidels, 2005). In other words, if one goes by these labels, a woman who resorts to abortion is guilty of putting an end to life by exercising her choice. One who is against the practice of abortion, on the other hand, is all for allowing the life of a fetus to continue.It is also the contention of the â€Å"pro-lifers† or the anti-abortion camp that it is the duty of government to prohibit women to end their pregnancy through abortion, thereby illegalizing the practice. Abortion advocates, on the other hand, maintain that women should be given a choice whether to continue or discontinue their pregnancies and that government should not interfere with this choice.Some people also use the terms secularists and atheists to refer to advocates of abortion while most anti-abortion Americans are said to belong to the different Christian denominations in the country. This only goes to show that anti-abortion Americans consider themselves to be God-fearing while viewing those who favor abortion as non-believers (Religious Tolerance.org, 2008).Labels notwithstanding, proponents and opponents of abortion have offered their own arguments in support of their positions. While there are those who argue in favor of abortion for the simple reason that they believe it to be their right to choose whether to bring their pregnancy to fruition or discontinue them for their own personal reasons, m any pro-abortion Americans favor abortion only under specific circumstances.One situation where pro-choice advocates really insist on abortion is when the pregnancy endangers the life of the woman. According to them, in such a situation, it is better to opt for an early abortion and save the life of the pregnant woman than wait for the fetus to fully develop and risk killing the mother or cause her to suffer from permanent disability because of the pregnancy.Another situation is when the pregnancy is the result of rape and incest. They argue that rape and incest are heinous crimes which produce highly traumatized victims.When these crimes result to pregnancy, the victims are consequently tortured since their pregnancy serve as a constant reminder of their harrowing experience. If abortion is not allowed in such cases and the women ultimately give birth, the lives of both the women and their children would be hell.Still another is when prenatal tests show that the fetus is either mal formed that life after birth would only be for a few hours or a few days, or that the child would be so retarded that his or her life would only be one suffering after another. Abortion proponents claim that ending such a pregnancy would be an act of mercy (Religious Tolerance.org, 2008).Opponents of abortion, however, have rejected the arguments put forth by its advocates. First, they argue that ending pregnancies resulting from rape and incest is completely immoral. According to them, abortions in such cases amount to â€Å"killing an innocent child because of the crimes of her father.†They do not subscribe to the belief that doing away with the evidence of the crime (the pregnancy) would ultimately mitigate the situation. Instead, they maintain that while criminals should be punished for their crimes, the innocent should be allowed to live.Second, opponents of abortion take exception to the argument that it is the right of the pregnant woman to decide whether to have an ab ortion or not. According to them, if the pregnant woman believes that she has certain rights, the child that she is carrying also has the right to live (Johansen, 1996).Finally, pro-life advocates maintain that children are God’s gift to man and that their parents are simply their caretakers. Children, therefore, should be allowed to live the life that God had planned for them (D’Silva, 2007).Personally, I believe that abortion is an issue that should be treated on a case to case basis. Although it is generally believed that a fetus is already a form of life, the moment its existence would prove fatal to the mother, abortion should be allowed.My reason is simple: if a pregnancy could kill the mother, then it is better to abort it than risk the life of the mother and possibly that of the child. I am also convinced that even if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, such crimes are not enough to punish the innocent by killing the children of rapists and incestuou s fathers. Indeed, children should never be punished for the sins of their fathers.ReferencesD’Silva, R. (2007). Anti-Abortion Arguments – Reasons Against Abortion. Retrieved September 12, 2008 fromhttp://www.buzzle.com/articles/antiabortion-arguments-reasons-against-abortion.htmlInternet Infidels. (2005). On The Issue of Abortion. Retrieved September 12, 2008 fromhttp://www.infidels.org/library/modern/debates/secularist/abortion/index.shtmlJohansen, J. (1996). A Summary of Pro-Choice Arguments. Retrieved September 12, 2008 from http://www.pregnantpause.org/abort/choicarg.htmReligious Tolerance.org. (2008). Abortion access: All sides of the issue. Retrieved September12, 2008 from http://www.religioustolerance.org/abortion.htm   

Vandalism in Street Art

Art has been involved in the human society since day one. The first appearance of art that was discovered were the cave paintings in France which date back to 32,000 years ago. These paintings were created on walls, meaning they were meant to be seen by everyone. Street art is very similar, because it is art work that is displayed on a public level, similar to the cave paintings thousands of years ago. Street Art is a new movement in today’s art society that is taking the world by storm. In street art the artist’s works are displayed for the world to see.Artist use urban environments such as buildings, sidewalks, streets, and walls as there canvas to create spectacular works of art for everyone to see. Artist display their work in public spaces by using paint, spray paint, stencils, stickers, and installations. Street art takes everyday objects we see and transforms them into something extraordinary. Designs of faces cartoons, political figures, pictures, illusions, scu lptures and statues can be seen on the side of large buildings, asphalt, billboards, everyday walls, and even through traffic signs. Lewisohn 3)Seeing this art work on the side of a ten story building can be breathtaking, and the question comes into play, how did it get there? Well the first thing that is needed to create street art is an artist. The artist will than choose a location were he/she best feels the art needs to be. A location is half of the process, a good location can take weeks to find than there is the process of scoping it out for cameras, law enforcement, traffic in the local area and most importantly when will the operation take place.These are all vital pieces of information to successfully create a street art master piece. So, there is a location and a set time, now the second half of the process begins. When arriving to the location there needs to an idea of what is going to happen, game plan. The game plan for most artists is to be stealthy, quick and effectiv e. As the artist approaches the wall he/she has their materials at hand ready to go. Depending on what street art genre is about to be create there is a need for different materials.The materials used to create a propaganda poster that will be placed on the wall are the poster , adhesive glue in a bucket and a rolling paint brush. is to the wall and the first artist roll on adhesive glue all over the wall with their brush, They then apply the poster over the glue by rolling it out and then brush more glue on top of it to protect it from the elements and insure a long viewing life. Final step Walk away and admire the beauty of street art. With the popularity of street art growing and more art work appearing, local law enforcements are noticing the amount of street art.To law enforcement officers street art is seen as an act of vandalism, which is punishable by state law. Though street art can be considered an act of vandalism at the state level, it will never be punishable under fede ral law. The laws of America are created under the United States Constitution. The constitution is federal law, which indicates that all fifty states most abide by those set laws. This includes many crimes that, if they did not occur on U. S. federal property would otherwise fall under state or local law.Within the state there can be state laws created by the state legislature and then be signed into law by the state governor. Each state has its own set of laws that state citizens abide by. With individual state laws comes individual state punishment. Every crime is punishable by law and every state has their way of handle it. ( Eichelkraut) So, what is vandalism a federal law or a state law? Vandalism is covered by state laws, and changes by state. Some states refer to vandalism as â€Å"criminal damage†, â€Å"malicious trespass â€Å"and â€Å"malicious mischief†.In an effort to control the impact of vandalism, many states have specific laws that may decrease cert ain forms of vandalism. For example, some states have local â€Å"aerosol container laws† that limit the purchase of spray paint containers or other â€Å"vandalism tools† which could be used for graffiti or vandalism purposes. (Eichelkraut ) These local laws help prevent graffiti but what is the difference compared to street art. Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. These markings are known as â€Å"tags†.Tags can be considered any type of public markings that may appear in the forms of simple written words to elaborate wall paintings. A high percentage of graffiti and tags are gang related. The goal of a tag is to mark territory by displaying their trademarks on hard-to-reach places, like billboards and the tops of buildings. The more places they go the more they are recognized. If there are two taggers in the same area they will compete to display their trademarks more and in unique pla ces. (Lewisohn ) It is the same concept in street art but with more of a political or social message that makes the asser buy ponder on what he/she saw. Street artist do the same thing the more their art work is seen the more well known it becomes. They have their art displayed were ever they can. Remove the word street from street art and there is just art, it could be hanging in a museum or on display in a building but when street is added to art it transforms into art in the streets. That’s what street art is, beautiful subjective master pieces that were created by the hands of an artist to be critiqued by the public.There are many genres of art that fall underneath street art and graffiti is one of them. Street art cannot be generalized down into one genre such as graffiti but it all can be defined as vandalism. The artists in the act of creating art know that it is illegal, they know the consequences of being caught but they take the risk of being caught so that their ar t will be seen. It is simple, street artist know what they are doing is considered vandalism, and that it is punishable by increasing levels of fines, jail time and community service.While law enforcement officers are keeping a closer eye on the scene of street art, graffiti and vandalism, there are still and will always be street artist getting away with their art being displayed all over the world. Few artist, such as Banksy, Invader, are incognito and the higher authorities do not identify who they are or how to find them. These artists have large works that are well known all around Europe, Middle East and American. If an artist of this magnitude were to be caught what would there criminal punishment be?When a criminal is caught their crimes are categorized in state law as either a misdemeanor a felony but if the crime is adequate it will be tried as a federal offence. A misdemeanor is considered a crime of low seriousness, and a felony one of high seriousness in state. A federa l offence is any law that goes against U. S. Legislature. The act of vandalism will be giving a misdemeanor or a felony never will it be taking to federal charges (Eichelkraut ). The punishment for vandalism does not need to be taking any further than in state law because state law officers are cracking down on vandalism.If vandalism grows to increasing numbers and cities become overwhelmed than vandalism will become a federal offence. And if vandalism is tried as a federal crime, would the jail sentence for the defendant be the same or will the difference be that the time served is in Federal prison. The fines and warnings given out buy local law enforcement officers are keeping vandalism under wraps, there does not need to be federal agents patrolling the street to look after empty brick walls and street signs. Even the most severe cases of street art vandalism have never been giving a federal sentence and that’s how it will stay.For example a local street artist outside of Pittsburgh was arrested and sentenced two and half years to five years in jail due to over $700,000 in damages to private and public property. And when he is released from prison, he will owe $234,000 in restoration and be expected to serve 2,500 hours of community service. (Sudbanthad) This punishment is the most severe sentence that has happened in the street art world. On the other hand, Shepard Fairey, a famous street artist who invented the Obama campaign posters, was charged with vandalism in Boston, Ma.His charges were on misdemeanor level where he had to appear in court, Fairey was told not to carry any street art supplies with him when he is in Boston or he will be fined. There are many ways inside state laws that the government will reprimand street art vandalism. There is no set punishment for vandalism weather it’s done with spray paint or paper and a roller each penalty will depend on the severity of the crime. For an unknown artist serving behind bars because h e continued what he loved, it’s worth it for him in the end.Vandalism in any area is a crime but artists, do it for people who will not realize (at least for a few moments) that what you have done is art. Avoid recognizable art-categories, avoid politics, don't stick around to argue, don't be sentimental; be ruthless, take risks, vandalize only what MUST be defaced, do something children will remember all their lives. Dress up. Leave a false name. Be legendary. The best Poetic Terrorism is against the law, but don't get caught. (underspary) Create Art as crime and think of crime as art.

Ethics and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics and society - Essay Example In order for one to determine the true nature of human happiness, it is essential to take note of the function of human beings. This is so because an individual’s happiness consists of the fulfillment of the natural function, in the direction towards which his being is focused. The natural function in question should be something that is essential and unique to human beings. The rational part of the soul is as important as the spirited parts. The rational part is what is used to determine an individual’s identity. This translates to mean that the happiness of human beings is depicted in the activity of the soul, whether the spirited part or the rational part. This kind of activity is normally expressed through ethical virtues or rather, it is expressed when one focuses his actions according to reason. Aristotle, in his book says that friendship is defined by the principles of virtue and goodness. When people recognize the virtues in each other, they may become true frie nds. The nature of friendship is determined by the motive of individuals to become friends in the first place. Real friendship is accompanied by great understanding of each other, and this in turn is a great source of happiness. Every human being loves to feel cared for by another person. Another reason to believe that friendship based on good is indeed a necessary part of happiness is that it is accompanied by mutual respect and trust, as well as support and selfless cooperation with each other. All these things are part of what makes human beings happy. Without such virtues found in true friendship, then human beings would have empty souls. Aristotle candidly states that friendship based on good cannot be separated from happiness, that is, having friends is by all means part and parcel of being happy. There may be no limit or minimum of the number of true friends that one may need in order to be happy. However, Aristotle says that an individual can have close friendship with an ex tremely limited number of people simultaneously. Friendship is by all means an important part of human life. Aristotle says, â€Å"there are three types of friendship: friendship based on pleasure, usefulness and virtue (Book VIII Chapter 3).† Friendship based on virtue is the only genuine friendship. Friendship based on either usefulness or pleasure tends not to last for long. This means that it will only last for as long as each individual or party derives the pleasure or usefulness he wants from the relationship. Friendship based on the good translates to friendship based on virtues. Virtue based friendship entails wishing good for other people. This kind of friendship is indeed genuine and is necessary for all individuals to be able to grow holistically and gain self-knowledge. Friendship based on good presupposes justice, encompassed in many other virtues. The most outstanding virtue of a friend is love. Aristotle posits interestingly that the existing relationship betwe en friends is more like the harmonious relationship between the different parts of the soul of a man of virtue. Aristotle views friendship as being equivalent to self-love. This may seem as though he is advocating for some sought of egoism. Aristotle is quick to rule out this conclusion by outlining the distinction between the good and the negative forms of self-love. Aristotle argues that real or true self-love

Digital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Digital - Essay Example The CIA initiated the process of collecting information anonymously following advice by the 9/11 commission. The data privacy issues in this article are that the CIA collects information without the consent of twitter and face book accounts holders hence infringe on their privacies. Burnham, Kristin. â€Å"Online Privacy: How to Block Google Ads and Adjust Your Settings.† 2011. Web. 10 November 2011 . This article highlights how Google an online service provider, collects information from its services users to optimize online searches. For instance, the article highlights that most of the advertisements Google shows are linked to the subject of the email exchange or thread. In view of this, if a Gmail account holder receives several emails centered on the theme of photography, Google collects this information and optimizes it for advertisements related to photography. Google claims to protect its online user’s privacy by not offering the users information that individua lly identifies them to the third parties such as marketers. The relevance of the article to data privacy is that, it offers tips on how to adjust Google setting to safeguard ones privacy. The Privacy Projects. â€Å"National Cyber Security Alliance to Coordinate Data Privacy Day.† 2009. Web. 10 November 2011 . In this article the National Cyber Security Alliance, highlights some of the measures it has put in place, to create awareness on data privacy and protection in the online platform. National Cyber Security Alliance highlights some of the achievements, which have been realized in data safety through collaborative efforts. The relevance of this article to data privacy is that organizations have realized data privacy is an issue in the online platform hence the need to safeguard it. Data protection Day 2010 - Think Privacy - new videos. 2009. This video centers on the needs to safeguard information shared. Those who do not safeguard their information do not enjoy peace, wh ile those who do safeguard their information enjoy privacy. Thus, information shared with the public can be used against the owner resulting into bad consequences. Data protection lesson. 2009. This video focuses on educating young people on the importance of data privacy, how data is collected and misused. Furthermore, the teachers in this video teaches her students on various methods through which data is obtained and how it is used to benefit everyone such as through a census. The significance in this to data privacy is that individuals need to be careful with who they share their information with Data Privacy and Social Networking 01-28-2010.mov. Dir. ontargetweb. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YLt3g8hI5I This video focusses on how information shared on the online platform can turn out to be disadvantageous to the owner. Furthermore, the video highlights measures people can put in place to safeguard data privacy such as maintaining anonymity in the online social setting. Poor data privacy can lead to loss of jobs, loss of finances and loss of identity in an event the information shared is accessed by unauthorized individuals. Article 2 Intellectual property rights Understanding Intellectual

Risk Assessment report on an organization (Toyota USA) Research Paper

Risk Assessment report on an organization (Toyota USA) - Research Paper Example It is one of the highest ranked car companies in the entire world in terms of global brands. Even when sales are low Toyota in the United States sold almost 1.8 million vehicles, thus the company is able to make 16.7% share in the market. Toyota Being the third largest car manufacturer in the world, it has been known as the most efficient. The main business segments include automotive and financial services. The automotive segment can account for at least 90% of the revenue in Toyota and almost 96 percent of Toyota’s operating income. The manufacturing, product development and vendor management practices of Toyota Company are known to be the best. This risk assessment was carried out on Toyota Company in the USA to find out on the risks that face the company during production, selling and distribution. Toyota USA is faced with major risks that can affect the profitability of the operations. Factors such as vehicle sales volume, marketing costs, sales incentives, and price discounts, the vehicle models and the options that are sold, customer warranty claims or customer satisfaction actions, cost of research and other costs, production capacity, changes in the value of currencies used in Toyota business, intensified competition, and regulation issues. In Toyota company product development can be highly capital intensive. In any automobile industry, this has been experienced. The automakers are faced with the challenge of making new models from time to time to stay up to standards. The automakers are supposed to standardize the core product through creating a platform on which, they can build feature. Toyota can be said to be the pioneer in product development that is lean. A philosophy where a company is supposed to come up with a development process that comes up with new products using minimum resources. According to Toyota Motor Corporation SWOT Analysis 10, the automotive market worldwide is very competitive. Thus, Toyota faces high

Bailey Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bailey Corporation - Case Study Example Capital structure represents the proportion in which various long-term capital components are employed. The capital decisions have been recognized as the most important decisions affecting the successful working of any firm. This is due to the fact that the capital structure affects the cost of capital, net profit, earnings per share, dividends payout ratio and liquidity position of the firm. These variables coupled with a number of other factors determine the value of a firm. Therefore capital structure is a very important determinant of the value of a firm. There are different forms of financial securities offered by a company in order to secure the required funds from the investors. The most common method of raising long term finance is the issue of common stock. The common stocks of a corporation do not carry any special rights in terms of payment of dividend as compared to preferred stock. Preferred stocks carry a specific percentage of return on the investments by the preferred stock holders. In addition the preferred stock holders stand in priority to the common stock holders in getting a distribution of the assets of a corporation in the event of its winding up. In some instances the preferred stock holders also carry special voting rights as distinguished from the common stock holders. Convertible securities are bonds or preferred stocks that are convertible into a specified number of shares of common stock at the option of the stock holder. This is yet another of form financial security being offered by the corporations to secure the long term investment of the stock holders. The convertible security provides the convertible holder a fixed return in the form of interest or dividend and also the option to exchange a bond or preferred stock for common stock. Warrants and derivatives are a relatively long term option to purchase common stock at a specified exercise price over a specified period of time. Warrants are used to obtain a lower interest rate and to raise funds when the firm is considered as having a marginal credit risk. Warrants are also issued to compensate the underwriters and venture capitalists at the time of founding a company in return for their services or as commission payable to them. (Chapter 22) Bailey Corporation Case a) Number of Shares Outstanding 1,800,000 New shares Issued 800,000 Total Number of Shares 2,600,000 Retained Earnings $ 7,580,000 Earnings per Share after the Offering $ 2.92 (7,580,000/2,600,000) Assumed price earnings 12 Initial Price per share 12 * 2.92 $ 35.04 b) Total proceeds 800,000 * $ 35.04 $ 28,032,000 Less: Underwriting spread @ 5% $ 1,401,600 Less: Out of Pocket Expenses 300,000 Total Cost $ 1,701,600 Net Proceeds $ 26,330,400 c) Current Earnings $ 7,580,000 Number of original outstanding stock 1,800,000 EPS on original stock outstanding $ 4.21 ($ 7,580,000/1,800,000) Return needed for achieving

Public transportation vs driving a car Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public transportation vs driving a car - Essay Example car owner pay a lot of money for such things as fuel, car taxes, vehicle inspection, insurance, washes, maintenance, fines, repairs, and parking (Automobile Association). Two out of ten unintentional injury deaths take place while transportation. The risk of passenger’s death varies greatly depending on the means a person chooses to travel. In this regard, public transport is safer. For example, during 2006-2008, more than 14,000 of car passengers died in car accidents while the number of deaths of passengers who took buses is about fifty (National Safety Council). Finally, public transport does less harm to the environment than private transport. Overall, transportation in the United States accounts for about 28% of greenhouse gases emissions. Of this, buses, trains, and ships emit only 7% while 34% is generated by private cars (Pubtrantravel). Automobile Association. "Car Running Costs."Â  The AA. Automobile Association Development Ltd, 7 Jul 2014. Web. 21 Oct 2014. .