Devastating Effects of the Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados Essay -- Ecuado

Devastating Effects of the Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados Although relatively small in size, Ecuador is one of the most biologically diverse nations in the world. A drastic range of altitude and geographical diversity in such a small area has resulted in a high number of diverse climactic regions. Because of their very different climates and altitudes, Ecuador’s four main regions, the lowland Pacific Coast, the Andes Mountains, the Amazon rainforest, and the Galapagos Islands, are each home to a wide variety of plant and animal species. These many distinct ecosystems and the hundreds of endemic species residing within Ecuador’s borders have led scientists to classify it as a biodiversity â€Å"hotspot†. Ecuador’s rich biodiversity and natural beauty have been key factors in the success of the nation’s ecotourism industry. Tourists from around the world are drawn to Ecuador by the opportunity to see plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. Birdwatchers are especially interested in the lo wer elevations of the Andes, commonly known as the cloud forest, which are home to an extremely high number of endemic bird species. Unfortunately, many of Ecuador’s unique ecosystems are under threat from deforestation and other anthropogenic forces. The oil industry in Ecuador has historically been, and continues to be, one of the worst offenders of environmental degradation. Despite this, the Ecuadorian government, under the strong influence of the World Bank and IMF (International Monetary Fund), has encouraged the development of Ecuador’s oil reserves, as opposed to other more sustainable forms of economic growth, in an attempt to rescue the nation’s struggling economy. The Amazon rainforest, where virtually all of Ecuador’s oil re... ...curb the devastating effects certain types of economic development continue to have on their fragile ecosystems. In order to attract foreign capital to these nations, international organizations like the IMF and World Bank have consistently encouraged the development of extractive industries like oil, which virtually without fail result in massive environmental degradation. Finding alternative ways of economic development that encourage environmental conservation and responsible resource use is crucial to the survival of Ecuador’s unique ecosystems and endemic species. Sources â€Å"The New Heavy Crude Pipeline in Ecuador.† Amazon Watch Mega-Project Alert. June 2001 High Paramo Ecosystem of the Andes. 10 December 2004

Metaphysics Is the Branch of Philosophy Essay

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that deals with abstract concepts. These abstract concepts include things like being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space. Over the years I have asked myself numerous questions pertaining to metaphysics. Things such as what is real? How do things such as our souls or even fate work? Do we determine our own fate or is it predetermined for us? Most people, including myself, ask a majority of these questions when they leave the nest. When I was graduating high school, I had no clue what the â€Å"real world† was like. My parents paid the bills, provided for me, and put the roof over my head. As we graduate, you ask who are your â€Å"real† friends? More importantly what is real in general? What’s a real job? As you grow older, you can reflect on what was real as a child, and I have come to the conclusion that everybody’s idea of real changes along with your age and lifestyle. For example when somebody passes away and you’re young, you don’t question if it’s real, but as you age you can’t believe when something so tragic happens and you question it. People do this every day, and for reasons that only they can explain. People talk about the spiritual world openly, but most have never experienced it. So, with that being the case it is hard to determine whether or not it is more or less real that the physical world. That’s one of those questions that as of right now I don’t have the answer to. I believe in the spiritual world whole heartedly, but to say it’s any more or less real is hard for me because I have only experienced the physical world. As of right now, I would say that they are equally real, but that is just my opinion. Going along with that, everyone has a soul, but does it live outside the body before we pass? I don’t believe so. As a Christian, we pray for the Lord to take our soul when we pass, and to protect it while we are alive. Our soul exits the body when we are done on Earth. Fate is a very complex subject. I believe that everyone has an idea of their ultimate fate. This doesn’t mean however that that is how it will end up, or that the step along the way will line up with your plan. For example, when someone dies, people say it must have been fate. I think that things like this are determined by Him, not us. When people say that when they fall in love that it’s fate, but that is determined by us making it free will. Therefore, I believe that our lives are determined by our own free will and fate. Epistemology is basically how we determine if something is a belief or an opinion. Some things are taught to us after they have been investigated, but other things are made up in our minds or families. If you ever look at the actual definition for knowledge it is pretty loosely written. Therefore, knowledge doesn’t have to be true. Your knowledge is determined by you. There are universal examples of knowledge in my opinion. However, since knowledge can be false it’s hard to say if others would believe the same. For example, 2+2=4 that seems like it would be true everywhere, might not be. Someone might be think 2+2=something other than 4. 1. Epistemology: * Is all knowledge subjective, or are there some universal truths? * What is the relationship between faith and reason? * What can artificial intelligence teach people about knowledge? * What are the limits of human understanding? 2. Ethics: * What is the right thing to do? * What does it mean to be a good person? * Does virtue lead to happiness? * Do the ends justify the means, or is a virtuous action virtuous in and of itself? * How does living in a society affect morality? * Is morality culturally based, individually based, or is there a universal morality? 3. Aesthetics: * What is beautiful? * Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder, or are there some things that all cultures find beautiful? * What is the purpose of art? * How can a piece of art be successful or valuable? Does beauty matter? 4. Political philosophy: * What is the best kind of government? * How much power should the government have? * What kind of people should be in power? * How involved should the common citizen be in government? 5. Social philosophy: * How should humans behave in a society? * Do people give up certain rights when they choose to live in a society? * How do social values affect individual beliefs? Do people behave differently in a crowd than they would individually? * How does society affect language and other types of communication?

Justice Scalias dissent - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1104 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Analytical essay Tags: Justice Essay Did you like this example? Justice Scalia’s dissent in Jaffee v. Redmond The 1996 decision of Supreme Court’s in Jaffee v. Redmond RULED that communications within the relationship of psychotherapist-patient are privileged, other than it as well concurred that the privilege has wider scope. The preponderance issued these decisions above a Justice Scalia vigorous dissent. Justice Scalia blundered equally the majoritys recognition of a privilege of psychotherapist and its addition of the privilege to clinical licensed social workers. In this case, the defendant in the litigation, Mary Lu Redmond, Police officer, had retorted a call of fight in action. After the officer appeared at scene, she gunshot Ricky Allen to avert him from stabbing another person. Afterward Ricky Allens administrator of estate, Carrie Jaffee, took legal action against Redmond at a federal district court of Illinois contending that Redmond infringed constitutional rights of Allen.When Jaffee learned t hat Redmond had partaken in a few 50 sessions of counseling with a licensed social worker, Karen Beyer, concerning her actions, she wanted to acquire a copy of notes of Beyer. Jaffee sustained that this would allow her to question Redmond additional efficiently. In return to the request of discovery, Redmond asserted that the notes enclosed privileged communications. The trial judge declined to recognize the psychotherapist-patient privilege claim and neither Beyer nor Redmond, conform to his order to divulge the Beyers contents notes. At the conclusion of the trial the judge in his instructions to the jury, directed the jury that the rebuttal to yield notes of Beyers had no lawful justification. As a result, the instruction specified, the jury could deduce that the notes contents would have been adverse to Redmond. The jury granted Jaffee considerable monetary damages. The parties petitioned the rulings of judges, eventually to the Supreme Court of U.S., which basically would be making a decision whether federal courts must recognize a privilege of psychotherapist-patient relationship beneath the Federal Rules of Evidence and, if hence, what its extent must be. The Court was solicited whether that privilege widened as well to social workers. Jaffee was the primary U.S. Supreme Court case to examine the significance of Rule 501 as it was to pertain to relationship of psychotherapists and patients. By a majority of 7-2 the Court affirmed that federal courts were to recognize the statements privilege made to psychotherapists in confidence in course of a therapy. Arguing in dissent, Justice Scalia, acquire the position that any such privilege claim must be focus to analysis case-by-case basis by the trial judge. Additionally the Court apprehended that it did relate to licensed social workers statements. Such recognition by inference, would as well apply with reverence to statements made to any certified or licensed mental health provider. Justice Scalia Vigorous dissent who took huge delight in illuminating that whilst it was correct that each state has a privilege that safeguards the relationship of psychotherapist and client, the privilege was generated by the legislature of state and not the state court and consequently there was practically no power for the opinion of majority. He alleged if there was a privilege that required to be generated; it must be made by the Congress and not the state court. [Wash ]On the other hand, he does, make the point that privilege is a construction of the legislature of state totally and if there is to be such a privilege for social workers or psychotherapists in a state, it will have to be ratified by your legislature of state and not by any state court. As a result, the reach of this opinion by the US Supreme Court as it will be valid to the states is extremely open to inquiry. Justice Scalia on the other hand failed to scrutinize what was on the schedule; explicitly, Evidence 501 of Federal R ule. Congress passing Rule 501, presented the means for development of privilege federal law. As a result, the matter was not whether, as a issue of common evidentiary policy, the Court considered it sensible to recognize a privilege of psychotherapist. In his dissent Justice Scalia, in Jaffee case argued in opposition to the recognition of a complete privilege, indicated the diversity of examples in which states that had espoused a privilege of psychotherapist-patient relationship, however establish exemptions to that privilege in numerous cases.[ Wash] One can eagerly envisage that it is expected that upcoming federal courts will pertain well-recognized exemptions for instance these when requested to recognize the privilege in child’s custody case or child abuse or neglect case. The current issue here is whether the sturdy, absolutist words of Jaffee will have any outcome in examples in which what is being sued is a claim of child neglect or abuse or in the perspective o f a case in child custody. Similarly, Justice Scalia condemned the majoritys decision to consist of social workers inside the realm of the privilege. On the one hand, he noted the difference between psychologists and psychiatrists, and on the other hand the social workers. The former own a great deal additional skill in the treatment of mental sickness and, in opinion of Justice Scalias, as a result earn the safeguard of an evidentiary privilege far-off additional than the latter. However if the privilege of psychotherapy had been restricted to psychologists and psychiatrists, it would have affronted the legal equality principle as the poor and the middle class and working class members who cannot afford the services of psychiatrists have in any case require therapy of mental health as the well-off do. Since the clinical social workers training is not similar in its rigor, the decision of majority to regard social workers in the similar way as psychiatrists and psychologists strike Justice Scalia as irresponsible. Legal opinion of Scalias did not hold any influence on the court, other than it replicates a disturbing drift in psychotherapy. To a greater extent as a realistic matter, patients are being inquired, in exchange for therapy, to acknowledge the yield of confidentiality even though not to the degree Scalia might like. Managed mental health care is gradually driving the relationship of patient-therapist to conversation that commences to be similar to that of a suspect and a police officer. In conclusion I do feel with no doubt, inculpating proof will be protected by the privilege of psychotherapist-patient relationship, and the culpable or legally responsible might not be held accountable. On the other hand, this intermittent injustice is considered lesser significant than encouraging and fostering the relationship amid a psychotherapist and their patient. References Jaffee v. Redmond, 116 S. Ct. 1923 (1996) Wash: The Psychotherapist-Pat ient Privilege After Jaffee v. Redmond: Where Do We Go from Here?, 76U. L.Q. 1341 (1998) Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Justice Scalias dissent" essay for you Create order