Lear Exclaims in Act 3 Essay Example

Lear Exclaims in Act 3 Essay Justice and judgment are key themes in King Lear. The first act shows how Lear treats his beloved Cordelia and his faithful servant Kent with unjustifiable banishment. As the play continues we become aware that Lear becomes a victim of injustice at the hands of Goneril and Regan. To explore Lears statement that he is more sinned against than sinner we need to examine some key moments in the play and examine if Lear is an offender or victim of injustice and whether in his madness he has redeemed himself.The first words we hear Lear speak reflect his presence and powerful personality. This is a king that commands respect and expects all to jump at his command. He barks his abrupt order at Gloucester Attend the lords of France and Burgundy (1/1/29)As we read further into Act 1 Scene 1 we learn he is a demanding father and commands love from his daughters the same way he commands his subjects. When his beloved Cordelia refuses to bestow on him an extravagant declaration of love he flies into a terrible rage and disclaims All paternal care (1/1/107) When his loyal servant Kent attempts to intervene on Cordelias behalf he too is banished. Lear is not used to being contradicted and on his own admittance he tells Kent to come not between the dragon and his wrath (1/1/116). The result of this dragons wrath is Lears immense misjudgement. He divides his kingdom between the insincere and evil daughters Goneril and Ragan. Lear has committed his first of the deadly sins, that of wrath. The image of the dragon breathing fire and brimstone is the traditional image of wrath. Shakespeare has used this image as a metaphor for King Lears rage.Lear is blinded to the truth by flattery in the absurd love trail He has no concept of the true nature of parental love. He is guilty of spurning the true love of Cordelia, in favour of anger. The anger has clouded his good judgement.As the action moves to Gonerils house were we learn that Lear has assaulted Oswald in another one of his rages again committing the sin of wrath. Furthermore, he is so sure of his divine right as king that he will not listen to criticism. The fool repeatedly warns Lear of his folly over the banishment of Cordelia and the divisions of his land. Lear dismisses his warnings and even threatens, Take heed sirrah the whip Lears inability to recognise his moral mistakes and the excessive belief in his own sound judgement means he has committed his second deadly sin: the sin of pride and vanity. Just as his demanding declaration for love in the absurd love trail is rooted in his excessive pride and vanity.Meanwhile, Goneril hospitality towards her father is becoming strained. He is an expensive and demanding houseguest. He is abusing his rights as a guest. When he returns from hunting he imperiously demands his dinner. Service is not quick enough and Lears retinue are becoming unruly and disruptive. She begins to see an opportunity to be free of her father and his soldiers. She complains to Lear of the debauched soldiers behaviour and demands that he reduce his retinue. This is a grossViolation of the contract she made with him when he abdicated his throne and gave her a portion of his land. This is a sacred bond and is viewed as a serious sin towards her father. This is just the first sins Goneril and Regan commit against their Father.Lear explodes Darkness and devils (1/4/208). He accuses her of ingratitude and compares her to a cold and pitiless sea creature (1/4/215)He embarks on a passionate and brutal assault and calling on the gods he prays hear nature, hear, dear goddess hear, (1/4/233) He condemns her womanhood with ferocious and barbaric language and he curses her Into her womb convey sterility/ Dry up in her organs of increase (1/4/232) He calls for the destruction of her pleasure as a parent and curses her unborn child with disfigurement so the child she bears may be a thwart disnatured to torment her(1/4/238) He compares her to a serpent and wishes upon her the noxious us air thought to carry the plague: you fen-sucked fogs, drawn by the powerful sun/to fall and blister. (2/4/158)Forced by the obsession of ingratitude of his two pernicious daughters we can trace King Lears decline into madness and finally into the storm. Firstly, Goneril breaks her pledge to care for her father in her home. Forced by her ingratitude he goes to Regans house. Not wanting to be at home when her father arrives Regan and Cornwall leave for a stay at Gloucesters castle. This is extremely rude and disrespectful. Lear is again a victim at the hands of his manipulative daughters.Next Lear learns that Regan has Kent put in the stocks like a common criminal. Lear points out that to have the kings messenger put in the stocks Tis worse than murder, to do upon respect such violent outrage (2/420) Regan and Goneril intend to strip Lear of his power. To put Kent in the stocks is the first move in their plan. However, it not the first sin they commit against their father n or will it be the last.Although Lear begins to realise that the treatment of Cordelia was unfair in Act 1 when he admits, I did her wrong (1/5/24). It is not until Act 2 that there is a crucial shift and he begins to philosophise on the human condition. Although Lear is still obsessed with maintaining the appearance of power this is a key moment and the start of Lears widening view of human nature. Slowly we see the emergence of a more self-pitying and humble view of himself.Lears enlightenment begins when he replies to Regans question what need one? of his retinue. O reason not the need, (2/4/256) he argues and he reflects that even the basest beggars own things that are not necessary. He compares mans need to the needs of the beast. This introspection is short lived and he soon lapses into self-pity. A poor old man/As full of grief as age, wretched as both (2/4/265) He still has a long way to go to redeem his sins.Lear is driven out into the storm by his madness and Goneril and R egan secure their doors to the old man. They have no compassion or patience for their father. They have driven him out into the storm hoping this will bring about his death. King Lears death would ensure that he did not attempt to reclaim his throne and land.In the last of his powerful kingly speeches he raves at the storm and calls for an end to ingratful man (3/2/9) It is here that he first admits and despairs at his own foolishfolly as a poor, infirm, weak and despised old man(3/2/19) However he is still obsessed with ingratitude and this forces him into metaphorical blindness. He cannot see life as a whole. Kent, the fool and Cordelia are not ungrateful.The theme of divine justice and the images of the last judgement are perpetuated as Lear calls on the gods to find out their enemies and destroy them. Lear has no fear of the gods wrath as he feels he is a victim, a man more sinned against than sinning (3/2/58) He bears the suffering of the storm with impassive dignity. No, I wil l be the pattern of all patience. I will say nothing. (3/2/36)Lears pivotal turning point comes as we see him for the first time show compassion for fellow humans. He shows for the first time an extraordinary tenderness for the fool. poor fool and knave, I have one part in my heart/Thats sorry for thee(3/2/70) He ushers the fool into the hovel urging in boy, go first the irony is that by humbling himself he is lifted spiritually. He has reversed the natural order by showing concern for the fools suffering above his own. This tenderness may be the beginning of Lears redemption.Lear will not follow the fool into the hovel. He welcomes the storm as a diversion from his inner turmoil.At the sight of the poor naked wretches (3/4/280 Lear is again stirred to a spiritual awakening. We see Lear expressing pity for someone other than himself for the first time. He is beginning to see that the duties of a king should not be for himself and his family but for all of those subjects whom he rule s. He says in regretful humility O I have taen to little care of this. (3/4/33) He has realised that he has ruled with pomp and has been and inadequate king and ruler. Enlightenment and humility are the virtues he needs to redeem his sins. Temperance and patienceAt the sight of Poor Tom the Bedlam Beggar (Edgar in disguise) Lear again shows concern for what could have brought him so low. Didst thou give all to thy daughters? And art thou come to this? (3/4/46) Lear is awakening to the struggles of others, even though he wrongly assumes that Edgars misfortune must have been brought about in the same way as his own calamity.Tom acts as a powerful catalyst on Lear. He seizes his plight as evidence that the world is a cruel and evil place. He develops an admiration for Tom and becomes convinced that he is scholarly philosopher. Lear is learning to develop pity not just for himself but for the whole of mankind. His sympathy for others moves him to a genuine prayer for the homeless.Poor naked wretches, wheresoeer you areThat bide the pelting of this pitless storm,How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,Your looped and windowed raggedness defend youFrom seasons such as these? (3/4/28)The animal images in Toms nonsense ravings are used to personify the seven deadly sins. False of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand; hog in sloth, fox in stealth, wolf ingreediness, dog in madness, lion in prey. (3/4/84) Lear, in his ignorance has certainly been guilty of committing a few of these sins. For Example, light of ear refers to his stubborn refusal to listen to Kent and the Fools criticism.Lear begins to see that humanity is nothing but the basest of beast when stripped of clothes, perfume and the other trapping of civilisation. He scoffs at this insight and attempts to remove his own clothes.Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou owst the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the cat no perfume. Ha! Heres three ons sophisticated; thou art the thing itself. Unaccomadated man is no more than a poor, bare forked animal as thou art. (3/4/92)The consequences of Lears meditation on the fragility of humanity and the sins of ingratitude and false pride has led him to feel an passionate sympathy and compassion. Lear is now a changed man from the demanding and authoritarian character he was at the beginning of the play.Lear continues to be obsessed with injustice and in Act 3 Scene 6 he conducts the mock trial of Goneril and Regan. He decides to judge the evilness in their absence. Lear pronounces his punishment on Regan. She is to be atatomises to see what breeds about her heart (3/6/34) Lear is now more searching, wise and just than he was ever before. He asks, Is there any cause in nature that makes these hard hearts? (3/6/35) He has now fully realised the extent of his daughters wickedness. The mock trial has finally exorcised the obsession of ingratitude and King Lears redemption is almost complete.During Act 4 all the chara cters make their way to Dover. In Act 5 we see Lear as a changed man. He appears to be totally insane, but there is wisdom in nonsense ravings. Lear is no longer blind to the devious plans of Goneril and Regan. Prompted by Gloucester he remembers their disrespect, empty promises and false loyalty. they flattered me like a dog and told me I had white hairs in my beard ere black ones where there (4/5/125) He raves against hypocrisy, women and sex. He recognises Gloucesters adultery but claims Gloucesters bastard son/ was kinder to his father than my daughters (4/5/125) He realises he has been flattered all his life. By being a king he has been sheltered to the true nature of peoples feelings. He admits that justice is hidden by power and riches and deception of appearances can make justice hard to administer.Through his own sufferings and sinning Lear has emerged not only as king but also as a man. Through his anguish Lear has discovered that all men are susceptible to sinning.We have examined the sins of King Lear. He has committed the sins of pride, vanity, anger and greed and through his own admittance: I am a very foolish, fond old man.I am mainly ignorant (4/6/57-60) To consider if Lear is more sinned against we must not forget the evil and devious sins committed against him by Goneril and Regan. They flattered him for their own greedy gains. They broke the contract and the bonds of their daughterly duties. They dishonoured him, humiliated him and stripped him of his power. They locked their doors and let an old man face the ravages of a storm. Finally, they plotted and schemed to kill him. The source of their evil is in their absence of love or respect for their father. They set their own self-interests and ambitions above any traditional bonds. Once they have the power they desired they have no further interest in Lear .He is simply a nuisance and gets in the way.In the tender scene of reconciliation, Act 4 Scene 6, Cordelias speech before Lear awakes, em phasises the extent to which Lear has been a victim at the hands of Goneril and Regan: ..and let this kiss/ repair those violent harm that my two sisters / Have in thy reverence made. (4/6/27)When Lear awakes, both he and Cordelia attempt to kneel. She is honouring her king and he is begging her forgiveness. Lear now understands how limited his understanding is.Finally, Is King Lear more sinned against than sinner? It is clear that the answer is yes. King Lear is as much of a victim as he is perpetrator. Furthermore, King Lear through his suffering and madness was able to redeem his own sins and gain the forgiveness of Cordelia. He has clearly learnt to love unconditionally. Goneril and Regan on the other hand have through their own sins of avarice and ambition brought about their own self-destruction.

Why Use Endnotes, Endnotes vs. Footnotes

Why Use Endnotes, Endnotes vs. Footnotes Even though parenthetical style citations have become popular in modern academia, there are plenty of times when they are not quite appropriate. You might find that you are dealing with an old-school editor who requires the use of endnotes. In fact, for many manuscript publications, endnotes are the preferred method of citation. Why Use Endnotes? Endnotes are a wonderful solution to the break in flow that citations can sometimes create. When you use them, you can be sure that your text will not be interrupted by more than a single superscript number. The reader can then turn to the back of the book or paper to read the entire citation, if they so choose. Much of the reason that we use any type of citationwhether an APA style citation or Chicago Style citationis to provide healthy proof for our claims. We want to make sure that we can write with authority, and provide backing for the theoretical points we make. We also want to be sure that we can properly utilize the works of those who have gone before us. Endnotes vs. Footnotes Because of this, few readers are interested in reading footnotes at the end of each page. In fact, many readers find it distracting, and will only desire footnotes for further investigation on the topic at hand. Because of this, endnotes have remained a quite popular reference solution in the publication realms.

An Economic Concern In A South American Country Assignment

An Economic Concern In A South American Country - Assignment Example Over the past eight years, it experienced its single drop in GDP in the year 2009 when GDP fell by 0.6 percent. This was caused by the global recession that year. But it was one of the fastest to recover. In 2010, GDP grew by 7.5 percent and for 2011; it is expected to grow 5.6 percent. Moreover, for the next five years, barring any severe external shocks like another global recession, Brazil’s economy is expected to grow by 5.5 – 6 percent (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). Much of this growth comes from the services sector. It accounts for the biggest slice of total GDP with 67.5 percent. About 66 percent of the country’s labor force is employed in this sector (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). Major industries comprising this sector include telecommunications, energy, banking, commerce and computing services. In the field of energy, Brazil is one of the largest producers of hydroelectric power. It is also the ninth largest oil producer in the world. In the field of bank ing, large foreign banks have made huge investments in the country (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). The manufacturing industry is another large contributor to GDP with 26.4 percent of the total GDP pie and employs 14 percent of total labor force. Industries found in the country are automobile and parts, machinery and equipment, petrochemicals, computers, aircraft, textiles, steel, cement and consumer durables (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). Making up ten percent of total GDP is the export sector valued at USD 201.9 billion in 2010 (Gorn, n.d.). The bulk, or 60 percent, of its exports are manufactured and semi-manufactured goods. Commodities like oil, soy, coffee, iron ore and steel has also helped increase total exports. Lastly, Brazil is touted as the world’s largest producer of coffee, sugarcane, tropical fruits and orange juice, and has the largest cattle herd in the world (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). Other agricultural products are soybeans, tobacco, cocoa, corn, cotton and f orest products. Agriculture contributes 6.1 percent of GDP and employs 20 percent of the labor force (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). 4) What are 2–3 relationships between the economic concern you selected and that specific country's economy? Brazil’s growing economy has created a total of 14 million jobs since 2003 (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). Increases in GDP means that goods and services produced by businesses were being bought either by the local market or by the export market. And businesses have responded by increasing supply through the formation of new businesses or expansion of existing businesses. This therefore leads to higher employment rates. Thus, the unemployment rate has significantly gone down over the years. While unemployment increased from 7.9 percent in 2008 to 8.1 percent in 2009, this was mainly due to the slowdown in the global economy. However, in 2010 unemployment again dropped to 6.7 percent (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). The main benefit of hig her employment is higher incomes for the people in general. With higher incomes comes better quality of life. Comparing the per capita figures for 2009 and 2010, per capita income rose by 7.5 percent for the period (EconomyWatch Content, 2010). This has translated to higher demand for goods and services. With more money in people’s hands, generally, people’s tendency is to spend, which again redounds to the benefit of

The Globalisation of Logistics and Supply Chains Coursework

The Globalisation of Logistics and Supply Chains - Coursework Example This paper illustrates that every business needs to have an effective strategy that enables it to be strategically ready to deal with the effects of globalization. There are some scholars who believe that globalization only causes problems; contrastingly, some believe that it has both challenges and opportunities that businesses can exploit. Those who are anti-globalization are usually concerned that the phenomenon will cause economic catastrophe and that it should, therefore, be avoided. Anti-globalisation individuals look at globalization from a political point of view and argue that it will have a negative effect on economies around the world (because politics affect economies, so those who are against the globalization believe that globalization makes it easier for international politics affect economies negatively). However, globalization can also be examined from a business point of view. The 19th century was the dawn of globalization. According to Rugman and Collinson, if the right strategies are implemented, firms—and especially big firms, such as multinationals—can benefit a great deal from globalization. According to Worthington and Britton, the firms that have been able to develop an effective global strategy have also been able to advance their interests and increase their global market share while improving their sales and profit margins. A very good example of this is Coca-Cola, which was one of the first multinational firms to begin formulating and implementing a global business strategy even before the debate on globalization was ignited. Because of this, the company was able to come up with ways to take over the global soft drink market, and today, the firm’s products are available and adored all over the globe, even in the least developed regions. This has made Coca-Cola the leader in its industry. Market participation refers to the ways in which firms are able to participate in strategic markets around the world. The worl d consists of more than 200 countries, and even the most globalized firms have been unable to reach all these countries.

Intracellular Bacteria Survival Strategies

Intracellular Bacteria Survival Strategies Survival strategies of intracellular bacteria to amoeba grazing Free living amoebae are unicellular protozoan that are ubiquitous in various environments. They mainly feed on bacteria through phagocytosis, and kill them in phagosome, which is a harsh acidic environment that contains different antimicrobial weapons. Amoebae grazing has been suggested to be one of the major forces that shaping bacterial abundance and diversity. However, some bacteria have developed strategies to survive phagocytosis by free-living amoebae and are able to exploit host cell resources. Below we try to summarize our current knowledge on the diverse mechanisms that are used by intracellular pathogens to overcome amoebae defenses. The most obvious strategy is to escape from the phagosome so that intracellular pathogens can avoid amoebae killing. Because phagosome is generally viewed as a harsh environment where ingested bacteria are confronted with acidification, oxidative burst, nutrient deprivation, and various antimicrobial small molecules. For instance, some members of the genus Mycobacterium, such as Mycobacterium marinum and M. tuberculosis, have evolved the ability to escape from phagosome into the host cytosol. This process requires the mycobaterial type VII secretion system ESX-1. In addition, both M. marinum and M. tuberculosis can be ejected from the cell through an F-actin structure ejectosome to spread cell to cell [1,2]. In general, cytosol is considered as permissive for bacterial growth, as it provides nutrients and is protected from host immune killing [3]. Therefore it is an ideal place for bacteria to thrive after escaping from phagosome. However, some intracellular pathogens can invade more unusual intracellular niches such as the eukaryotic nucleus. This includes in the free living amoebae Naegleria clarki [4] and more recently in another amoeba strain Hartmannella sp. [5]. These so called intranuclear bacteria are relatively rare and current studies suggest an independent evolutionary origin of an intranuclear life style. Taken together, after escaping intracellular bacteria can live in either cytosol or nucleus. The second strategy is to stay within the phagosomal vacuole, but subvert its antimicrobial mechanisms. These include preventing phagosome-lysosome fusion, modulating phagosomal pH, damaging phagosomal membranes, and/or quenching oxidative bursts [6]. Intracellular pathogens can utilize a combination of these approaches. For instance, Legionella pneumophila has evolved a complex system which allows the bacteria to hijack the phagocytic vacuole [7]. It can evade the endocytic pathway and the subsequent phagosome-lysosome fusion, delays its acidification and establishes a safe intracellular niche called Legionella containing vacuole (LCV), which allows intracellular replication [7,8]. Further studies suggest that L. pneumophila uses the Icm/Dot type IV secretion system (T4SS) and the Lsp type II secretion system (T2SS) to avoid killing and exploit host resources [7,9]. There are plenty of other bacteria using similar strategies [10]. However, a very special case is that some intracellu lar pathogens can exploit the complex cycle of the social amoeba. In the amoeba farming symbiosis, our lab group has found that some wild Dictyostelium discoideum clones stably associate with different bacterial partners and use them as food and weapons [11-14]. These clones are called farmers because they can seed and harvest their crops in new environments [14]. In addition, two clades of inedible Burkholderia bacteria have been found to induce farming, causing the amoeba host to carry them, along with edible crop bacteria [11]. Another recent case shows that Bordetella bronchiseptica can also exploit the complex life cycle of D. discoideum. Interestingly, B. bronchiseptica resides outside the D. discoideum spores, while the carried Burkholderia localize both inside and outside of spores, indicating these two bacteria have different exit strategies. Overall, the majority of intracellular pathogens occupy phagosomal vacuole, while only some are able to escape the phagosome [6]. This is possibly due to the fact that specialized mechanisms are needed to escape from phagosome [3,6]. There is no clear relationship between the type of survival strategies and whether the microbe is an obligate or facultative intracellular pathogen [6]. References 1. Hagedorn M, Rohde KH, Russell DG, Soldati T (2009) Infection by Tubercular Mycobacteria Is Spread by Nonlytic Ejection from Their Amoeba Hosts. Science 323: 1729-1733. 2. Gerstenmaier L, Pilla R, Herrmann L, Herrmann H, Prado M, et al. (2015) The autophagic machinery ensures nonlytic transmission of mycobacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112: E687-E692. 3. Ray K, Marteyn B, Sansonetti PJ, Tang CM (2009) Life on the inside: the intracellular lifestyle of cytosolic bacteria. Nature Reviews Microbiology 7: 333-340. 4. Schulz F, Horn M (2015) Intranuclear bacteria: inside the cellular control center of eukaryotes. Trends in Cell Biology 25: 339-346. 5. Schulz F, Lagkouvardos I, Wascher F, Aistleitner K, Kostanjsek R, et al. (2014) Life in an unusual intracellular niche: a bacterial symbiont infecting the nucleus of amoebae. ISME Journal 8: 1634-1644. 6. Casadevall A (2008) Evolution of Intracellular Pathogens. Annual Review of Microbiology 62: 19-33. 7. Hoffmann C, Harrison CF, Hilbi H (2014) The natural alternative: protozoa as cellular models for Legionella infection. Cellular Microbiology 16: 15-26. 8. Escoll P, Rolando M, Gomez-Valero L, Buchrieser C (2013) From amoeba to macrophages: exploring the molecular mechanisms of Legionella pneumophila infection in both hosts. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 376: 1-34. 9. Hubber A, Kubori T, Nagai H (2014) Modulation of the Ubiquitination Machinery by Legionella. Molecular Mechanisms in Legionella Pathogenesis 376: 227-247. 10. Steinert M (2011) Pathogen-host interactions in Dictyostelium, Legionella, Mycobacterium and other pathogens. Seminars in Cell Developmental Biology 22: 70-76. 11. DiSalvo S, Haselkorn TS, Bashir U, Jimenez D, Brock DA, et al. (2015) Burkholderia bacteria infectiously induce the proto-farming symbiosis of Dictyostelium amoebae and food bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112: E5029-E5037. 12. Stallforth P, Brock DA, Cantley AM, Tian XJ, Queller DC, et al. (2013) A bacterial symbiont is converted from an inedible producer of beneficial molecules into food by a single mutation in the gacA gene. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110: 14528-14533. 13. Brock DA, Read S, Bozhchenko A, Queller DC, Strassmann JE (2013) Social amoeba farmers carry defensive symbionts to protect and privatize their crops. Nature Communications 4. 14. Brock DA, Douglas TE, Queller DC, Strassmann JE (2011) Primitive agriculture in a social amoeba. Nature 469: 393-396.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Essay -- Medical Technology Medicine Essays

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Magnetic resonance imaging has the potential of totally replacing computed tomography. If history was rewritten, and CT invented after MRI, nobody would bother to pursue CT. --Philip Drew (Mattson and Simon, 1996) WHAT IT IS Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or commonly known as MRI, is a technique used in medicine for producing images of tissues inside the body. It is an important diagnostic tool because it enables physicians to identify abnormal tissue without opening the body through surgery. MRI lets physicians see through bones and organs. MRI does not expose the patient to radiation, unlike tests that use X-rays. MRI provides an unparallel view inside the human body. It is the method of choice for the diagnosis of certain diseases, disorders, and injuries. MRI is safe for most people, but it uses a powerful magnet and so cannot be used on people with metal implants, such as pacemakers or artificial joints (World Book, 2000). WHAT IT IS LIKE INSIDE Three main components make up an MRI unit: a magnet, devices for transmitting and receiving radio waves, and a computer. The patient is placed inside a machine that has a huge magnet. There is a horizontal tube running through the magnet from front to back. This tube is known as the bore of the magnet. The patient, lying on his or her back, slides into the bore on a special table. Once the body part to be scanned is in the exact center or isocenter of the magnetic field, the scan can begin (www.howstuffworks.com). The magnetic field causes the nuclei of certain atoms inside the body to line up. The machine then sends out a radio signal, which causes the nuclei to change direction. The change create signals that a computer translates to produce ... ...ams are also very expensive. (www.howstuffworks.com) For most patients, the numerous benefits of MRI far outweigh the drawbacks. MRI can provide you with an abundant amount of information about your health.MRI is a tool to diagnose, visualize, amd evaluate parts of our body. MRI can help prevent the spread of diseases by catching them in their early stages, and so still treatable. Staying healthy is probably the most important thing that we can do. Medical technology, such as MRI, can help us do that. Sources: Lauterbur, Paul C., and Liang, Zhi-Pei, Principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, IEEE Press, New York, 2000, p. 2-4. Mattson, James, and Simon, Merrill,The Story of MRI, Bar-Ilan University Press, New York, 1996, p. 1. World Book Encyclopedia, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, World Book Inc., Chicago, Vol 13, 2000, p. 56-57. www.howstuffworks.com

National Identity Cards

Identity (ID) cards are known for their utility and integrity, which led to the adoption of its use by many countries all over the world. Some countries even have national IDs, which are officially released and which use is mandatory to all who sojourn in said territories. Examples of these countries that have a national ID system are France, Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, and Greece. On the other hand, many developed countries such as Australia, Sweden, Canada, and the United States, did not adopt such an identification system. National ID systems are established to serve two main purposes. The first one is to increase the police powers of the State. Consequently, ID cards can help the State reduce crime rate, conduct social engineering, and reduce the threat of insurgents or political extremists. The second purpose is to establish a comprehensive and useful administration of government services. The technology behind modern ID systems, such as the magnetic stripes and the microprocessor technology, ID cards offer a valuable towards the more efficient delivery of government services. However, while it appears that having a National ID system may offer many advantages, such a system could also pave the way for abuses on civil rights, invasion of privacy, and discrimination. In addition, the establishment of such a comprehensive registration system, would entail a huge amount in costs, which is an important consideration to make. All of these considerations should be weighed in order to reach at an intelligent decision on the issue of whether citizens of the United States should be required to carry National IDs. Â   Â   Â   Â