Monday, January 27, 2020

The Important Pursuit Of Marine Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay

The Important Pursuit Of Marine Conservation Environmental Sciences Essay Oceans and seas cover 70% of the worlds surface and are of critical importance economically, environmentally and socially. As an island nation, the UK coasts around 7500 miles of coast line and a wealth of marine biodiversity. The marine environment around England is extremely rich and diverse. England has some of the finest marine wildlife in Europe. Englands seas contain amazing underwater landscapes and  over 10,000 species, including many of national and European importance. For example, England has more underwater chalk reefs than anywhere else in Europe. We have some surprising species such as sea fans, solitary corals, sea horses, sharks and dolphins as well as many types of fish and invertebrates. The seas around England contain an important part of our wildlife. Some 50% of the variety of our species is found in the sea, in an area that is three times the land area. The geology of the seabed around England is rich and varied, ranging from rocky granite reefs to mobile sandbanks. It is this variety of seabed type, coupled with the influence of colder Arctic and warmer Mediterranean waters around our shores, those results in the diverse range of marine species and habitats in our seas. In this project will focus on looking into: How climate change affect the potential production for fisheries resources, and how it will affect in the future compared to past and present scenarios, in the absence of utilization will estimate the added liability of these effects on national and regional economies in marine-dependent areas and on specific elements of marine system at different scales Future vulnerabilities of national economies (and globally) to determine the consequences of predicted marine scenarios, including affection of marine policies on all economic, environmental and social platforms Rationale Task 1: Explain why the topic you have chosen is frequently on the political agenda, stating why the issue is so controversial. The environment, as general topic, has been on the political agenda since the late 1960s. A human nature relationship connects to extraordinary diverse set of issues covered by environmental politics, which include marine conservation. The emergence of conservation and nature protection groups in the latter part of the nineteenth and the early twentieth countries, was the first signal of concern about environmental issues on political agenda, reflecting growing interest in the protection of wild life and natural resources. The marine environment is increasingly high up the policy and political agenda now and rightly so. The marine environment is so important on a political agenda because it is critical important part of our economic, environmental and social existence. It provides  a wide  variety of goods and services. Our seas supply us with many goods and services including: Climate regulation.  Our oceans regulate our climate by redistributing heat around the world.   Evaporation from the oceans forms the moisture that results in rain on land.   The plankton in their uppermost layers helps stimulate cloud formation due to the chemicals they naturally emit. This plays a crucial role in temperature regulation of our planet. Food sources.  The oceans provide food for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Storing carbon.  Oceans act as the largest store of carbon on the planet, drawing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and trapping it. Energy.  We obtain oil and gas from under the sea bed. Offshore wind farms also provide a source of renewable energy, and waves and tides provide a further potential resource. Building materials.  We use marine aggregates such as sand and gravels as building materials. Transport.  The marine environment also links us to the rest of the world. In 2007 24.8 million passengers took international journeys by ship and UK ports handled 582 million tonnes (Mt) of freight traffic. Recreation.  Our seas and coasts provide a place for a wide variety of leisure activities from sailing and scuba diving to swimming and surfing. In 2007, we took over 20 million trips to the seaside in England.   Because our seas are wide supplier in many different ways its important to take care of such a source. Thats why is so hot topic on political agenda to save it, as it isnt in the best its form at the moment and continues to come under pressure from man, as we increasingly make use of its goods and services it provides. (http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/marine/default.aspx) Task 2: Examine selective aspects of UK Governments Environmental policy from 1970, and state how environmental policy impacts on say housing or transportation. Englands marine environment is not as well understood or protected as the terrestrial environment. It requires particular attention and focus to develop the evidence, protection, sustainable use, understanding and appreciation of our seascapes and marine biodiversity. Englands seas are protected and managed in a number of ways: Legislation and policy The marine environment is protected through a variety of national and international legislation and policies. Divided in two levels European and national. Site protection Site protection is afforded though a number of designations. Together these will form a network of  Marine Protected Areas  Ã‚  Special Areas of Conservation  (SACs) under the Habitats Directive,  Special Protection Areas  for birds (under the Birds Directive),  SSSIs  which occasionally cover sub-tidal areas and in future  Marine Conservation Zones  under the Marine Bill. Management of activities Activities in the marine environment are regulated by a licensing regime and within European marine sites by the Habitats Regulations. Natural England advises developers and regulators on the environmental impact of activities. The  Marine and Coastal Access Bill  will include provisions for establishing a system of marine planning, a new  Marine Protected Area  designation, and fisheries management, marine licensing and establishing a new marine management organisation. England Biodiversity Strategy Natural England leads on the marine workstream of the England Biodiversity Strategy, which is responsible for ensuring delivering the marine  Biodiversity Action Plans. Through Marine Programme, DEFRA is working to improve the state of the UKs marine environment and fisheries and achieve our vision for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. The UK has an important sea fish industry with one of the largest fishing fleets and fish processing industries in Europe. Freshwater fisheries is also a major leisure industry in our rural areas. In the UK, Defra is the lead department for fisheries and plays a major role in EU and international negotiations, as well as in managing and implementing fisheries policy. Fish stocks are national and international resources that have to be husbanded sustainably. If we lose them from over-fishing, they may take many years to regenerate. We also have to protect all marine species from sea pollution which could wreck their ecology. Figure 5 Flow chart of capture (wild) and farmed fisheries products from aquatic primary production. Numbers refer to 1997 data and are in megatons (million metric tons) of fish. Thicker lines refer to direct flows of aquatic primary production through capture fisheries and aquaculture to humans. Thin lines refer to indirect and minor flows. Red lines indicate negative feedbacks on the aquatic production base. (Modified from Naylor et al. 2000) Figure Ecological links between intensive fish and shrimp aquaculture and capture fisheries. Thick blue lines refer to main flows from aquatic production base through fisheries and aquaculture to human consumption of seafood. Thin blue lines refer to other inputs needed for production (e.g., agro feed, fish meal, seed stock, etc.). Hatched red lines indicate negative feedbacks. (Modified from Naylor et al. 2000) This approach removes doubts as to what exploitation regulations will be put into practice in coming decades, and focuses on the added impacts that climate change is likely to cause, and on the subsequent additional risks and vulnerabilities to human societies. Legislation restricts fishermen in what and where they can fish. The most significant legislation with respect to fisheries s the European Union Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) but legislation on fisheries matters comes from three sources: The EU The Department for Environment , Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), or Scottish Executive (SEERAD) in Scotland Sea Fisheries Committees for local legislation in England and Wales# There are around 280 ports, harbours and creeks around the UK where fish is landed, the major fishing ports in the UK in terms of value of fish landed are: Peterhead chiefly haddock, cod, monkfish, mackerel, nephrops, herring Lochinver blue ling, ling, nepherops Fraserburgh haddock, herring, mackerel, nephrops. Sources: Statistics of fish landings into ports in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by port 2001, Defra website. UK Seafood Industry Annual Statistics 2001, Sea fish. Scottish Fishery Harbour Background Study, Sea fish Policy and Economic Unit.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Ethical Practices of Citigroup

The purpose of this memorandum is to discuss the ethical, financial and legal issues presented by Citigroup Inc. (â€Å"Citigroup†) receiving $45 billion dollars in government rescue funds and then shortly after paying $13 million dollars in bonus compensation to employees for cancelled trips to resorts. We propose a number of solutions to the Department of Treasury in dealing with the dilemma. The Ethical Dilemma Both Primerica Financial Services Inc. (â€Å"Primerica†) and Smith Barney are part of Citi Holdings, a new unit of Citigroup. Citigroup paid 1,900 agents of its Primerica Financial Services Inc. unit $5,000 each for missing a three-day stay at a Bahamas resort. In addition, around 2,000 Smith Barney brokerage advisers got debit cards valued at $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000 for various canceled getaways. After being warned by President Barack Obama, â€Å"That companies receiving bailout money can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers’ dime,† Citigroup decided to pay employees in lieu of canceled getaways. Stakeholders: Creditors (U.S. Government), Taxpayers, Shareholders, Employees, Consumers Citigroup’s dilemma encompasses a large number of stakeholders, including creditors, taxpayers, shareholders, employees, and Citigroup customers. Creditors (including the U.S. Government) are stakeholders because they provided the funds used by Citigroup to make these bonus payments. The government has sought to calm this debate by imposing unfavorable tax treatments against unduly paid bonuses, essentially reclaiming the bonuses paid. Taxpayers have argued that the funds should be used in a way to benefit all society, i.e. rebuilding the financial credit system, rather than a discrete segment of Citigroup employees. Taxpayers’ main contention is that it is unfair for Citigroup to pay reward bonuses to employees using government bailout money from tax payer dollars when Citigroup’s performance has been so poor. As owners, all Citigroup shareholders are inherent stakeholders. Citigroup shareholders make the argument that the funds can be used to improve the financial outlook of Citigroup, increase the profitability of the corporation allowing it to pay creditors, stabilize the financial and credit sectors, and lead to an economic recovery.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Case Study: Bruce /Brenda

Case Study Reflection: Bruce/Brenda Gabriel R. Boynton Abnormal Psychology Professor Wolfson September 24, 2012 Diagnostic Overview: Gender Identity Disorder (GID) is defined as: â€Å"strong and persistent cross gender identification† and â€Å"persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in the gender of that sex (DSM-IV)†. Put simply: it is a painful inner conflict between a person’s physical gender, and the gender he or she identifies as. For example, a person who identifies as a boy may actually feel that he is, and act like a girl.In response to those feelings, people with GID may act and/or present themselves as members of the opposite sex. The disorder may affect things such as their choice of sexual partners, mannerisms, behavior, dress, as well as their own self-concept. Males with GID are often characterized by feminine behaviors such as: â€Å"wearing his mother’s clothing, displaying a great interest in girlsâ€℠¢ toys, playing with girls, and showing distress over having male genitalia (Gooran)†. Associated essay: Nature or Nurture: The Case of the Boy Who Became a GirlIn contrast biological females with GID will most likely exhibit typical masculine behaviors such as: â€Å"rough (masculine) games, refusing to wear dresses, becoming very athletic and strong, and identifying more with her father (Gooren)†. â€Å"True cases of GID are fairly rare and occur in only 3 to 5 percent of the U. S. population (Meyer)†. The exact cause of GID is unclear, however â€Å"hormones in the womb, genes, and social and environmental factors (such as parenting) may be involved (NLM)†. Observable symptoms almost always present in early childhood. Case History:David Reimer was born as a twin on August 22, 1969 to Ron and Janet Reimer. His given birth name was Bruce; his twin brother was named Brian. Both babies were born as healthy males. When the twins were about 7 months old, their mother noticed that â€Å"the skin on the tip of her sons’ penises was sealing over, making the act of urination particularly painful and difficult. On the advice of their doctor, Janet took the twins to the local hospital to be circumcised to correct the problem (Meyer)†. On April 27, 1966 a urologist performed the circumcision operation using the unconventional method of cauterization. The procedure did not go as doctors had planned, and Bruce’s penis was burned beyond surgical repair. The doctors chose not to operate on Brian, who’s phimosis soon cleared without surgical intervention (CBS)†. So botched was the surgical procedure that the sex organ resembled a burned piece of flesh, rendering it useless as well as lifeless. â€Å"Eventually Bruce’s penis dried up and flaked away until there was no sign that he had ever had any sort of genital appendage (Meyer)†. The original plan by doctors was to construct an artificial penis for Bruce-a procedure called a â€Å"phallic reconstruction† or â€Å"phalloplasty†. This reconstructed organ would only serve as a urine conductor, and never be capable of sexual function. Concerned about their sons prospects for future happiness and sexual function without with a penis, Ron and Janet agreed to meet with John Money M. D. , at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to discuss any and all options. Dr. Money suggested that Bruce be raised as though he had been born a female. â€Å"Won over by Dr. Money’s reputation, confidence, and charm the Reimers decided to follow his advice and raise their biological son Bruce- as their daughter, Brenda (Meyer)†.At the age of 22 months old, an orchiectomy was performed to remove Bruce’s’ testis. From that point on the main focus of the Reimer’s life was to try to raise Brenda as a girl. â€Å" She was clothed in dresses, given dolls and other feminine toys to play with, grew her hair long, and was encouraged to spend time and bond with her mother and play with other little girls at school (Meyer)†. This situation, however tragic†¦ seemed to make for a perfect case study. â€Å"What does gender mean if one male twin can be raised as a boy, while the other male twin becomes a girl (NOVA)†?However, it quickly became evident to everyone that Brenda was going to fight the forced femininity, desiring instead to â€Å"play with trucks and solders, getting into fights at school, and rejecting the dresses and ladylike attire. She even insisted un urinating in the standing position (Meyer)†. Years later Dr. Money published an article asserting that the experiment carried out with Brenda had been a resounding success. He wrote, â€Å"the child’s behavior is so distinctly feminine like that of a little girl her age, which differs completely from the behavior of her twin brother Brian (Money)†.The case became widely known in medical circles worldwide as: The John/Joan case†. At the age of 12, Brenda began a strict female hormone regimen. She began to develop breasts, hips, and an overall feminine shape. Eventually, her behavior began to conform to her physical appearance. However, this transformation did not help improve her psychological state. â€Å"Feelings persisted of being trapped in her own body, eventually she becoming socially isolated and depressed (Meyer)†. Brenda began seeing a psychologist named Dr.Mary McKenty who was successful in helping her face her anxiety, depression, and confusion. After seeing Dr. McKenty for a few months- at the age of 14, Brenda made the decision to stop living as a female, even though she was still unaware of the circumstances surrounding her gender identity issues. It was at this point that her parents â€Å"realized that Brenda was never going to embrace her surgically reassigned sexual identity, the finally decided the time had come for a troubling, yet inevitable confession (Meyer)†. After processing this revelation, Brenda’s decision to liv e as a male became concrete. She opted for testosterone treatments to masculinize her figure, and to undergo surgery to construct an artificial penis. She also changed her name from Brenda to David (Meyer)†. In no way did this mean David’s lifelong struggles were over. Multiple surgeries were needed to try and created a functioning penis. Psychological issues continued to plague him as well. During this time period, â€Å"he attempted suicide three times. The third- an overdose of pill- left him in a coma. He recovered and began the long climb towards living a normal life-as a man (CBS)†. David eventually met a woman, and the two fell in love. Due to the success of his surgery, he was able to have sex with her, and for the first time have a fulfilling sexual relationship. He married her in September 1990. Tragically, this happiness was short lived for David. He continued to suffer from severe depression, â€Å"which deepened markedly when his identical twin Bria n, killed himself in the spring of 2002 by an overdose of anti-depressants. David later became unemployed and was conned out of $65,000 by a scam artist. All of this contributed to marital problems, and on May 2, 2004, his wife suggested they separate (Meyer)†.David Reimer committed suicide on May 4, 2004. He was 38 years old. Analysis: The case of Bruce/Brenda is unique among GID cases in that its cause is not a mystery. David Reimer was born a male, in every sense of the word. â€Å"The origin of his disorder was in the environmental efforts to raise him as a female and not his true biological sex (Meyer)†. The damage done to him physically, mentally, and emotionally is almost uncomprehend able. Although his parents seemed to have had his best interest at heart, it is clear that the decisions made in his behalf were at times misguided, and certainly not the right ones for him.Stressors in his later life such as the suicide of his twin, the loss off income and money, a s well as the deterioration of his marriage, likely may have been enough to push many to their breaking point. It is tragic that David proved to be one of those many. From the Biological perspective- behavior, personality, and presumably gender are seen as products of genes and other biological processes. From this theory, a person is not born as a blank slate†¦ready to be molded by their parents, doctors, or surroundings.David Reimer seems to prove the validity to this perspective. The desire to live as a man was so strong, that he came to the conclusion he needed to as early on as age 14. I can only imagine the feelings he experienced when he learned the truth of his past. The validation must have been equal parts: relief and frustrating. Treatments: One might assume the preferred treatment for an â€Å"average† person with GID is psychological treatment. However, many transgender people as well as researchers support the declassification of GID as a mental disorder.Th ere are many reasons for this: â€Å"recent medical research on the brain structures of transgender individuals has shown that some have the physical brain structures that resemble their desired sex even before hormone treatment (Hamzelou)†. â€Å"Therefore, the most widely prescribed treatment option for the disorder is sex reassignment surgery (SRS) (Meyer)†. These are the surgical procedure s used to change a person’s physical appearance ,as well as the function of their existing sexual characteristics to resemble that of the other sex.Once a diagnosis of GID has been made, recommendation for SRS should be based on the following strict criteria: 1. The patient should show evidence of stable transsexual orientation 2. The patient should show insight into his/her condition and should not suffer from any serious psychiatric disorder 3. The patient should be able to pass successfully as a member of the opposite sex, and there should be clear evidence of cross gen der functioning 4. Improvement in personal and social functioning should be predicted for the individual prior to and after surgery (Benjamin, H) Personal Reflection:After reading about this man’s life, I am ashamed that I choose his case study because it, â€Å"sounded interesting†. Tragic- doesn’t begin to describe this poor man’s circumstances. Handled correctly by his doctors and parents, he may have had a fighting chance. I have come to appreciate that this disorder, like many others, should not be taken at face value. Be it because you had a bad urologist, or because you were born with this disorder†¦ more compassion for these people needs to be developed in our, as well as many other cultures. Bibliography 1. Meyer, R.G. , Weaver, C. M. : Case Studies in Abnormal Behavior 9th edition 2. DSM-IV-TR 3. Cohen-Kettenis &Gooran: Transexualism: A review of etiology, diagnosis, and treatment 1999 4. The U. S. Natinal Library of Medicine (NLM) 5. CBS N ews: David Reimer: The boy Who Lived as a Girl July 2002 6. Cohen, A. , Sweigart, S. : Sex Unknown; NOVA, PBS Airdate: October 30, 2001 7. John Money: Man Woman, Boy Girl: 1972 8. Hamzelou, J: Transexual differences caught on brain scan- January 26, 1011 9. The Harry Benjamin Internatinal gender Dysmorphia association- 1985

Thursday, January 2, 2020

The Mid 1960s - 997 Words

The mid-1970s was a time when some people still identified as hippies. In the small college town where I lived then I was reading a book in the â€Å"alternative† cafe, when a self-styled hippy sat down at my table. Sharing tables was quite common for that cafe, which espoused a more Marxist, communal way of doing things. The hippy-man appeared to be in his 30s, which seemed ancient to me at the time. I wasn’t in the mood to chat but when I put down my book to greet him he started talking, expounding on his philosophy of life and his solutions for what ailed the human race. One of his big ideas involved bananas. He said, â€Å"Everyone’s so depressed and you know why?† I didn’t. â€Å"They don’t have enough potassium, man! If everyone ate bananas they wouldn’t be depressed. It’s all in the bananas!† I had some ideas of my own that were as strange to him as his ideas were to me. Despite that, we enjoyed each other’s company for a little while and shared a few laughs. He got up to leave and we shook hands. As he walked away he paused, looked back at me and said, â€Å"I dig your mirth, man.† And then he was gone and I never saw him again. But the thought of him and our brief connection still makes me smile. Ten years ago I accompanied a friend being admitted to an inpatient addiction rehab clinic. I sat with him for moral support as the admission nurse asked him the standard questions. For him, entering rehab was a moment of pure defeat, barely better than being in the gutter.Show MoreRelatedThe Rebellion Of The Mid 1960s1479 Words   |  6 PagesRebels with a Cause During the mid-1960s, various racially driven riots descended upon Northern urban centers and blanketed the cities with violence and destruction. Historians have long debated the cause of these riots and whether they were actually riots, or rebellions against America’s prevalent racial polarization in urban areas. 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