Breast Cancer Disparities By Cory Short - 1886 Words

1 Breast Cancer Disparities By: Cory Short BIOL 486-01 Research Paper 12/15/2015 Introduction: Cancer is defined by the National Cancer Institute as the title given to a group of related diseases. All types of cancer are categorized by uncontrollable growth of cells that metastasize to surrounding tissues. Cancer can develop at almost any part of the human body and anyone can develop cancer, although risk typically increases with age because most cancers tend to require many years to develop. ?Typically, human cells tend to grow and divide and ultimately form new cells as the body needs them. When an organisms cells grow old or get damaged, the cells die, and new ones replace them. However when cancer develops, this orderly process gets reformatted. As cells increasingly get more irregular, old or damaged cells begin to survive when they should die, and new cells develop in the body when there is no need for them. These abnormal cells have the ability to divide without stopping and tend to result in growths called tumors?(cancer.gov). Cancerous tumors are defin ed as malignant meaning that they can spread to nearby tissues or metastasize to distant places in places within the body and form new cancerous tumors. There are over 100 forms of cancer and they are usually named after the organs or tissues where the cancers originate. Staging of cancer is used when describing the severity of a person?s cancer and is based upon the followingShow MoreRelatedBreast Cancer Disparities By Cory Short2629 Words   |  11 Pages9 Breast Cancer Disparities By: Cory Short BIOL 486-01 Research Paper 12/15/2015 Introduction: Cancer is defined by the National Cancer Institute as ?the title given to a group of related diseases. All types of cancer are categorized by uncontrollable growth of cells that metastasize to surrounding tissues.? Cancer can develop at almost any part of the human body and anyone can develop cancer, although risk typically increases with age because most cancers tend to require

Financial Service and Industry Free Essays

Asset Transformation Purchase primary securities by selling financial claims (secondary securities) to households Secondary securities are more marketable BECAUSE Less information asymmetry Less monitoring costs More liquid Less risky Without financial intermediaries, households will find direct investments in corporate securities unattractive due to information/monitoring costs, liquidity cost and price risk. Thus flow was funds are less, little monitoring and risk of investments would increase. Specializes of financial institutions General areas (LIP TM) Liquidity services Information services Price- risk reduction services Transaction cost services Maturity intermediation services Institution- specific (McCall) Money supply transmission Credit allocation Denomination intermediation Intergenerational transfers Payment services Information costs Agency costs 0 costs relating to the risk that firm owners and managers use savers’ ends not in the best interest of the savers Financial institutions collect funds from households in order to avoid free- rider problem (incentive for information collection and monitoring), reduce costs of information collection and monitoring and to develop new secondary securities to more effectively monitor borrows. We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Service and Industry or any similar topic only for you Order Now Liquidity and price risk Financial intermediaries provide secondary claims to household savers – high liquidity and low price risk and invest in these illiquid and risky sectors Advantage of financial institutions managing liquidity and price risk Diversification (due to size of funds) Development of better risk management techniques Disadvantage of delegated institutions Intermediary services are not free Agency issues Risk management Monitoring financial institutions Other special services Reduced Transaction Cost, I. E. Economies of scale Maturity Intermediation 0 Ability to bear the risk of mismatched maturities of assets and liabilities. Credit Allocation (Depository Flu) – Financial intermediaries are the major source of finance in particular sectors of an economy: residential real estate (US and UK), farming (Australia) . Intergenerational Wealth Transfer or Time Intermediation (life insurance, superannuation and pension funds) Payment Services – IFS provide efficient payment services to the society. Denomination Intermediation – Give individuals indirect access to large denomination markets (Money market managed funds, Debt-equity managed funds, Unit trusts) The Transmission of Monetary Policy (Banks) Financial intermediaries are widely used medium of exchange in the economy. Intermediaries’ liabilities play significant role in the transmission of monetary policy Money supply in Australia (Don’t need to know these term 0) MI : currency + bank rent deposits by private non-bank sector MM: currency + all bank deposits by private non-bank sector Broad money: MM + net borrowing of Non-bank IFS from private sector Specializes and Regulation Financial institutions receive special regulatory attention Negative externalities caused by IFS is costly to households and firms using financial services Special services provided by IFS Institution- specific functions Example: money supply transmission, credit allocations, payment services Australian Regulation System The traditional industry- based regulation entailed separate regulators for individual industry sectors – banking, insurance and security firms. Asses 0 Australia’s current financial regulatory framework originated from ‘Financial System Enquiry (Wallis Committee), Australia switched from industry-based regulation to function- based regulation. This introduced 3 regulatory agencies, each in charge of specific functional responsibilities. This reform was necessary as the distinction between the activities of different types of financial institutions was becoming more vague and also because of the overlap in regulation and grey areas. Reserve Bank of Australia (ARAB) 0 Responsible for the development and implementation of monetary policy and for overall financial system stability Australian Prudential Regulation Commission (PARA) 0 Responsible for the prudential regulation and supervision of the financial services industry Regulation of deposit- taking institutions Life and general insurance Superannuation Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIA) 0 Responsible for market integrity, consumer protection across the financial system and ensures equal and fair access to financial services. Protects against abuses (example: insider trading), lack of disclosure, malfeasance, breach of fiduciary responsibility. Major types of regulation(Scale) Safety and soundness regulation Consumer protection regulation Credit allocation regulation Investor protection regulation Monetary policy regulation Entry and chartering regulation 1. Risk reduction Encouragement for intermediaries to diversify assets Disclosure of large credit exposure 2. Minimum capital requirements 3. Safety valve Central banks’ open market operations to provide exchange settlement fund 4. Monitoring and surveillance The ARAB directly controls outside money and the bulk of the money supply is inside money (deposits). Regulators commonly impose a minimum level of cash reserves to be held against deposits. Cash reserves add to intermediaries’ net regulatory burden. There is no explicit liquidly requirement in Australia but Flu’ liquidity management policy need to be approved by PARA. Supports lending to socially important sector Example: US’ Qualified Thrift Lender test (QUIT) set a minimum amount of loans made to residential mortgages to quality as Thrift Entry Regulation Regulations define scope of permitted activities under a given charter Increasing/ Decreasing entry barriers affect profitability of existing competitors. High direct/ indirect entry costs result in larger profits for existing companies Future of Regulation Implications of SGF questioned – more regulations or more efficient regulations The major provisions include expanding and centralizing powers for Federal agencies, more restrictions and disclosures about risk taking activities by financial institutions and enhancing protection of investors and consumers. The changing dynamics of specializes Potential secular trend away from intermediation by investing directly in primary securities Decline in the relative cost of direct securities investment Growing sophistication of investors Falling costs of information acquisition and transaction Credit Risk: Individual Loan Risk Types of loans 1. Commercial and industrial loans Short term (1 year) – financing the purchase of real assets, new venture start up costs Syndicated loans 0 financing provided by a group of lenders, usually to finance large commercial and industrial loans Secured/Unsecured loans Fixed/Floating rate Spot loan 0 borrower takes down the entire loan amount immediately Loan commitment 0 can taken down anytime any amount, as long as within a maximum loan amount and a maximum period of time predetermined Commercial paper 0 unsecured short- term debt instrument 2. Real estate loans 3. Individual (consumer) loans 4. Other loans, such as, government loans, farms loans Calculating the gross return on a loan Factors affecting the promise loan return Loan interest rate = Base/Prime lending rate (BRB) + Credit risk premium (m) Direct fees (f), such as loan origination fee Indirect feeds, such as, compensating balance requirement (b), reserve requirement Credit Risk and the Expected Return on a Loan 1 -p = probability of default 0MAYBE there is a negative relationship between k and p, however k and p are not independent. As return (k) increases, the probability (p) that the borrower pays the promised return may decrease. Simply increasing k does not lead to a higher return (r). As a result, IFS usually have to control for credit risk – price/promised return and the quantity or credit availability dimensions. Retails Loans Size = Small Higher cost associated with collection of borrower’s personal credit information Control credit risk through credit rationing – limit the total expo sure/amount loaned Wholesale Loans Different interest rates to compensate for different levels of risks Credit rationing to limit credit exposure Measuring credit risk 1. Qualitative credit risk models Borrower- specific factors Example: reputation, leverage, volatility of earnings, collateral Market- specific factors Example: business cycle, level of interest rate 2. Credit scoring models Calculate a score as a proxy of borrower’s default probability Sort borrowers into efferent default classes The scoring model should establish factors the help explain default risk and evaluate the relative importance of these factors Major models 1. Linear probability model 1 if default, otherwise Weakness: the estimated default probability Z may lie outside of [0,1] Employing linear probability model is not often used as superior statistical 2. Logic model Overcomes weakness of the linear probability model using a transformation that restricts the probability to the [0,1] interval 3. Linear discriminate models Altar’s Z score model for manufacturing firms Z 2. 9, highly quality loans, low default risk Z 1. 81, very low quality loans, high default risk 1. 81 2. 99, hybrid Weaknesses Ignore hard-to-quantify factors Variables and weights in a credit scoring model are unlikely to be constant over long periods of time No centralised database on defaulted business loans for proprietary or other reasons - hard to test the validity of any model/develop new models Broad difference between bad and good borrowers 3. Term structure based methods Under market equilibrium, expected return of a risky loan = risk- free rate (after accounting for probability of default (1 -p)) Assuming a zero default recovery rate 0 p(l+k) = 1+1 p: probability of repayment k: return on the corporate debt I: expect return on the risk- free treasury security Example: What is the default probability for a one- year corporate bond? 10% expected return on the risk- free treasury bond k= 15. 8% expected return on the risky corporate debt p = 0. 95 Therefore the probability of default is 0. 05 Realistically, the Fl lender can expect to receive some partial repayment even if the borrower becomes bankrupt. Alton and Ban estimated that when firms defaulted on their bonds in 2002, the investor loses 74. % on average. = recovery rate when default occurs (1 – p) y (1 + k) = payoff to Fl when default occur p (1 + k) = payoff when no default Marginal default probability 0 probability that a bond will default in any given year t Conditional on the fact that the default has not occurred earlier = Marginal probability of default in individual periods Example: 2-period bond Default probability in period 1 Marginal default probability in period 2 Cumulative probability of default over 2 periods We can extract from these yield curves the market’s expectations of the multi- period default rates for corporate borrowers Example: Yield Yield Year 1 Year 2 T- Bonds Corporate Bonds 15. 8% One year forward rate on risk- free T-bonds One- year forward rate on corporate bonds 0 The expect probability of default in year 2 0 4. Mortality rate models Marginal mortality rate (MR.) Forward- looking 0 extract expected default rates from the current term structure of interest rates Backward looking 0 analyses the historic or past default risk experience, the mortality rates, of bonds and loans of a similar quality Non- default probability in year 1 the probability of the loan surviving in the 2nd year given that default has not occurred during the firs year, I. E. Prop(default in year 2 | survive yearly) Cumulative mortality rate (CM) Cumulative probability of default MR. is based on historic or backward-looking data, and it is highly sensitive to the period over which the Fl calculates the Mars. 5. RAZOR models It is based on market data. ROAR concept – balanced expected interest income against expected loan risk Loan approval 0 RAZOR benchmark return on capital, example: return on equity One year net income on a loan 0 (spread + fees) * dollar value of loans outstanding Loan risk 0 duration or loan default rate Method 1: Use Duration to estimate loan risk The percentage change in the market value of an asset such as a loan is related to the duration of the loan and the size of the interest rate shock Capital at risk (Vary approach) 0 the potential loan Los under adverse credit scenarios 0 Increase in risk premium under adverse credit scenarios Example: Suppose we want to evaluate the credit risk off $1 million loan with duration of 2. How to cite Financial Service and Industry, Papers

Digital Communication Strategies for Bridge- myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theDigital Communication Strategies for Bridge International. Answer: Introduction Many organizations in the world today have realized the benefit that a good communication system bears to the business and its operations in general. Good communication system refers to the one that makes it possible for the workers and the organization in a more efficient, fast and reliable way. Therefore, in this paper, I will write a report on the implementation of digital media particularly on the use of social media to communicate basing my report on an organization called Bridge international-a business consultant organization. This report aims at discussing various types of social media platforms used in the organization, its impact and my recommendations on the use of social media to communicate at the place of work. Discussion The use of social media in the place of work to communicate Social media refers to different avenues or platforms that people use to interact, communicate and share ideas with one another.Most of these social media platforms are informal in that everyone is included unless an organization sets up its own for official purposes.Use of social media to communicate has become the most common means of communication for in many organizations in the globe.One of such organizations being Bridge international company whereby the workers in different departments communicate across the department mainly through the use of social media. It has been found that this means of communication has found a great support by most workers in the organization since it appears to be simple and unique unlike the analog systems of communication.(Stark Crawford, 2015) Types of social media platforms The investigation found out that there are many different types of social media platforms used in the organization.They include instagram, watsapp,facebook pages and groups and twitter .Workers are connected on every platform by linking them on groups, creating facebook pages for the organization where all the workers will get updated on any new aspect that emerges within the organization and also the outside world.It was found out that the most utilized social media platform in the organization is watsapp.A large number of the staff demonstrated greater interest on watsapp more than on any other platform.(Derks Bakker, 2013) Reasons for the use of social media to communicate at Bridge international It was found out that the company had tried by all means to phase out the analog systems of communication and embrace digital systems particularly the social media as a means of communication in the organization. There were many reasons found during the investigation as to why the company preferred to use social media over other digital communication systems. Convenience The very first reason is the convenience of the means.It was found out that social media is the most convenient platform to use. This is because, unlike other systems where the communication devices need to be supplied by the organization, social media devices can be acquired by individuals and even owned individually without any difficulty. It is also convenient to carry around most of social media communication devices unlike other bulky, immobile devices used in the analog era. Examples of such devices include mobile phones and computers .The communication system was also found to be convenient in terms of the time taken to deliver information.For instance whenever a message is posted on facebook, whatsapp group and instagram it reaches the recipient within the shortest time possible irrespective of time and the location of the recipient. Affordability .Secondly is the affordability of the devices used in social media to communicate. The social media devices are the cheapest means compared to other devices .It was also found out that they are the simplest devices ever that one can own.The organization can also facilitate with ease the use of these devices for example, Bridge international company offers free Wi-Fi networks, computers and other communication gadgets to its workers. Therefore, the company chose to embrace this new system of digital communication since it was not much expensive to the organization and its workers (Vaast Kaganer, 2013) Age factor It was also found out that most of the workers in the organization are young people who in most cases are available on social media and therefore prefer that the company uses it in communication. This indicated that all and if not all most of the young generation have embraced the new technological changes and shift from the analog ones. Impacts of Use of Social Media to Communicate in Place of Work As much as the positive impacts of use of social media to communicate at place of work may seem conspicuous, we cannot overlook on its adverse effects(McFarland, 2014) .It was found out that if not regulated, social media can be harmful in that most workers may overspend time in social media at the expense of work .This is due to the enticing and adventurous nature of the social media Conclusion According to the report therefore, it is evident that implementation of digital media in business is becoming real .In particular, this has been mostly witnessed in communication sector where most organization are shifting from the analog system to the modern digital systems(Walden, 2016).The main reason for the shift is that organizations and individuals have realized the advantages of the new technology over the old ones.The idea also has been fully promoted by the young people who are well versant with the modern technology.However, as much use of social media may be the most used communication channel, it also has its adverse effects on the workers and the organization also.Therefore, just like any other communication channels, social media should have regulations regarding its uses (Bucher, Fieseler Suphan, 2013) Recommendation According to the findings in the report, it is therefore recommended that organizations should embrace digital communications in business since it is the most convenient system of communication. It is also recommended that workers should be keen on time spent in social media to avoid overindulgence. It is recommended that employers and organizations should come up with policies on the use of social media to help their workers use the channels rightfully and also protect their privacy References Walden, J. (2016). Integrating Social Media into the Workplace: A Study of Shifting Technology Use Repertoires. Journal of Broadcasting Electronic Media, 60(2), 347-363. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2016.1164163 McFarland, V. (2014).Workplace Communication Quality.SSRN Electronic Journal.https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2827217 Bucher, E., Fieseler, C., Suphan, A. (2013).THE STRESS POTENTIAL OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE WORKPLACE. Information, Communication Society, 16(10), 1639-1667. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2012.710245 Stark, L., Crawford, K. (2015). The Conservatism of Emoji: Work, Affect, and Communication. Social Media + Society, 1(2), 205630511560485. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2056305115604853 Vaast, E., Kaganer, E. (2013). Social media affordances and governance in the workplace: An examination of organizational policies. Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(1), 78-101. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12032 Derks, D., Bakker, A. (2013).The psychology of digital media at work.Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press.

Intermediaries Review Essay Example

Intermediaries Review Paper Essay on Intermediaries When I bought this book, I thought it would be something like Night owls Westerfeld. Wrong. I will tell you a little secret, the book is not about people who have magical powers. The book of elves. As mentioned in a commentary on the book, she at once. Yes indeed, the second time there is no reason to read. Nothing to catch. Although she herself is interesting. Most of all I liked the storyline. No, not the events that occurred, and that it is impossible to predict. I myself tried several times to assume what will happen next. It was past. The author has a talent to convince the reader in the events, and then turn everything utterly feet. Thats what I really liked. Still amused that all the characters are connected. That is, the guy at the party met a girl. This girl has a girlfriend, which in turn have a friend who is dating her brother. And this brother, male friend who met a girl at a party. There are two of them, they know everything. Written at the beginning of the book here thus shows us all heroes. And in the end, we learn more about who is whose son, father, mother, etc. Well, the end. The ending is worthy of his book, and indeed, it was over really well. We know about each character, as if from the outside, and we can assume that will happen to them next. We will write a custom essay sample on Intermediaries Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Intermediaries Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Intermediaries Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer What I did not like, well, except sometimes appearing rough vocabulary? In the book a lot of drugs. Simply reading, I realized, remove it and its fabulous world fall apart. Everything is kept on the pollen, which almost every character at least once consumed. Sometimes the author misses to the nature of a character. It allows it to more than it can by its very nature. Well, for your character. In general, the heroes of the characters is also spelled out great. And the meaning of the book, it comes down to one. To create a new species, the creation of intermediaries. And we read only in order to get rid of a bad elf. No, the point was obviously lost in this book even in the middle, when it began to split hairs. I was expecting more from the book.

Social class and homelessness Essays

Social class and homelessness Essays Social class and homelessness Essay Social class and homelessness Essay Essay Topic: Sociology Social class is a large category of people who are similar in income level, educational attainment, and occupational prestige. There are six different social classes, the first class, capitalist class includes the wealthiest one percent of Americans second class, and the upper middle class is composed of managers or professionals and is about fifteen percent of the United States population. Third class, the lower middle class is made up of lower level managers and semi professionals, fourth class the working class is composed of clerical and sales workers and make up thirty-two percent of the population. The fifth class, the working poor includes laborers and service workers which make up ten percent and the sixth class the underclass is composed of the unemployed and underemployed which is nine to ten percent of the population. Your position in society tends to be determined by that of your ancestors. What class youre born into usually means what you will achieve. You learn your values, ambitions, drive, and determination to succeed, and set your goals from what you learn from your family members. A third of the homeless men that Mitchell Duneier spoke to ended on the streets after not being able to find work, which then led to their use of drugs and alcohol (sidewalk 52). Because they were situated in the fifth social class, the working poor, they found no other choice but to become homeless, living on the streets. Many after faced with unemployment end up with the Fuck it mentality, which enables a person to give up an apartment and sleep on the street, cutting all ties with friends and families (61). The homeless, it seems have little to no chance of becoming housed. The police take advantage of the uneducated homeless individuals, at times ignoring the law (277). Also, the homeless are not allowed use of public bathrooms. If the homeless are not allowed to use a bathroom, the only other option is to relieve oneself on the street, a concept which many refuse to accept or acknowledge. Any society with high levels of economic inequality, racism, illiteracy, and drug dependency, and with inadequate transitions from mental hospitals and prisons to work and home, will have vast numbers of people who cannot conform to the requirements of its formal institutions (317). The men that lose employment and end up turning to drugs and alcohol eventually end up spending a period in prison and then being released to the streets (52). Without any other option they turn to living on the streets, panhandling to make a living. Family, a group which is united by ties of marriage, ancestry, or adoption and who comprise a single household and raise children, plays an important aspect in the lives of those that choose to become homeless. In Rons case, both his parents were alcoholics and when he lost his job he also turned to alcohol (47-48). Without solid family support the unemployed become drug addicts living on the streets. In Rons case his elderly aunt became that support and excuse to work towards getting off the streets. For Mudrick the birth of his granddaughter gave him a reason to work hard and survive (75). In Sidewalk the aspects of what the homeless and the working poor go through is brought to light. The street vendors try to make an honest living by selling books and magazines, which is allowed by New York City ordinances. The problems they encounter make it hard for them to succeed in any form. Their presence on the sidewalks has been a source of controversy; many store vendors protest their right to sell books on the same street as their business, many times not allowing the vendors the right to use their public bathrooms. The vendors are public characters, an institution for the village with many regular customers and residents that donate reading material. Several times throughout the book the vendors give directions to lost tourists, watch over deliveries, and help to discourage crime in the village. Even though the vendors have become apart of New York, the local government is still working to discourage street vending by passing new ordinances, which cuts down on vending space. The vendors, even though trying to make an honest living are met with un-satisfaction and rudeness from all they encounter, with the police, at times, taking advantage of their power.

The Function and Location of the Pineal Gland

The Function and Location of the Pineal Gland The pineal gland is a small, pinecone-shaped gland of the endocrine system. A structure of the diencephalon of the brain, the pineal gland produces the hormone melatonin. Melatonin influences sexual development and sleep-wake cycles. The pineal gland is composed of cells called pinealocytes and cells of the nervous system called glial cells. The pineal gland connects the endocrine system with the nervous system in that it converts nerve signals from the sympathetic system of the peripheral nervous system into hormone signals. Over time, calcium deposits build-up in the pineal and its accumulation can lead to calcification in the elderly. Function The pineal gland is involved in several functions of the body including: Secretion of the hormone melatoninRegulation of endocrine functionsConversion of nervous system signals to endocrine signalsCauses sleepinessInfluences sexual developmentInfluences immune system functionAntioxidant activity Location Directionally the pineal gland is situated between the cerebral hemispheres and attached to the third ventricle. It is located in the center of the brain. Pineal Gland and Melatonin Melatonin is produced within the pineal gland and synthesized from the neurotransmitter serotonin. It is secreted into the cerbrospinal fluid of the third ventricle and is directed from there into the blood. Upon entering the bloodstream, melatonin can be circulated throughout the body. Melatonin is also produced by other body cells and organs including retinal cells, white blood cells, gonads, and skin. Melatonin production is vital to the regulation of sleep-wake cycles (circadian rhythm) and its production is determined by light and dark detection. The retina sends signals about light and dark detection to an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. These signals are eventually relayed to the pineal gland. The more light detected, the less melatonin produced and released into the blood. Melatonin levels are at their highest during the night and this promotes changes in the body that help us to sleep. Low levels of melatonin during daylight hours help us to stay awake. Melatonin has been used in the treatment of sleep-related disorders including jet lag and shift-work sleep disorder. In both of these cases, a persons circadian rhythm is disrupted either due to travel across multiple time zones or due to working night shifts or rotating shifts. Melatonin has also been used in the treatment of insomnia and depressive disorder. Melatonin influences the development of reproductive system structures as well. It inhibits the release of certain reproductive hormones from the pituitary gland that affect male and female reproductive organs. These pituitary hormones, known as gonadotropins, stimulate gonads to release sex hormones. Melatonin, therefore, regulates sexual development. In animals, melatonin plays a role in regulating mating seasons. Pineal Gland Dysfunction Should the pineal gland begin to function abnormally, a number of problems may result. If the pineal gland is not able to produce sufficient amounts of melatonin, a person could experience insomnia, anxiety, low thyroid hormone production (hypothyroidism), menopause symptoms, or intestinal hyperactivity. If the pineal gland produces too much melatonin, a person could experience low blood pressure, abnormal function of the adrenal and thyroid glands, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a depressive disorder that some individuals experience during the winter months when sunlight is minimal. Sources Emerson, Charles H. â€Å"Pineal Gland.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, www.britannica.com/science/pineal-gland.Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. â€Å"Melatonin.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, www.britannica.com/science/melatonin.

Does the Beauty and Majesty of the Natural World Need to Be Tied to a Essay

Does the Beauty and Majesty of the Natural World Need to Be Tied to a Higher or More Spiritual Force to Be Truly Understood - Essay Example Even in the cases when nature itself is considered divine, more conscious attitude to one’s own religious beliefs is psychologically beneficial. Some objections to this view are examined and followed by counterarguments related to current environmental ethics and politics. People need to have values in life. The need for spirituality is proven by psychological studies (Schroeder, 1992) and numerous moments of our daily experience. We want to transcend the limits of our own personalities by experiencing Other, be it in God, nature, or other entities (Schroeder, 1992, p. 25). Protection of environment is another acute need of humanity. There are numerous ways of satisfying these two necessities. The difference between them lies in the question where is the Other. Or, to put it playfully, who is the Significant Other? Once a person has decided, it becomes clear what God and nature mean to him or her. For pantheists and deep ecologists, nature is valuable by definition (Naess, 197 3). For most of the believers of world religions, nature is beautiful and majestic as long as its phenomena are sanctioned by some deity. Even pagans worship the deities of streams, trees, and rocks, not nature itself. But regardless from the forces considered divine in any one of these cases, the value of nature should not be mediated and limited by any other values.... It often establishes some hierarchy: many animals are believed to be ‘unclean’ or ‘sacred’ in various religions, and the believers treat those animals accordingly. Usually, this inequality does not result in animal massacres or maltreatment, but it has subtler implications for the entire ecosystems. In most of such hierarchies of world religions, human beings are usually situated above the other living creatures, so that the decisions about the entire ecosystems are made, so to speak, in their ‘favour’. This anthropocentrism of traditional culture is blamed for environmental crisis by deep ecologists and radical environmentalists, as it fails to represent the parts of ecosystem as interrelated (Leopold, 1949). There is also selectivity of non-human species: for instance, people are more likely to preserve the spotted owls than the insects that belong to the same ecosystem. It may be argued that human eye is selective by nature and that our exper ience of nature is still mediated by something, be it religion, science, or anything else. This view echoes the one expressed by Ralph Emerson, a classic representative of transcendentalism: that the poet’s eye â€Å"can integrate all the parts† (Emerson, 1836), thereby giving them sense. For Emerson, art and spirit were superior to nature: â€Å"Have mountains, and waves, and skies, no significance but what we consciously give them, when we employ them as emblems of our thoughts? (...) the whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind† (Emerson, 1836). From the fact that our interaction with nature is mediated, it does not follow that our view is right. Schroeder (1992) explains that spiritual experience, including the spiritual experience of nature, should be