Suchergebnisse

The phenomenon of 'suicide tourism', travelling to other jurisdictions to receive assistance in ending one's life, is becoming increasingly prevalent. This book offers a theoretical investigation of the issues that arise and provides a detailed appraisal of the situation worldwide.

Will the Transportation Revolutions Improve Our Lives-or Make Them Worse? -- Electric Vehicles: Approaching the Tipping Point -- Shared Mobility: The Potential of Ridehailing and Pooling -- Vehicle Automation: Our Best Shot at a Transportation Do-Over? -- Upgrading Transit for the Twenty-First Century -- Bridging the Gap between Mobility Haves and Have-Nots -- Remaking the Auto Industry -- The Dark Horse: Will China Win the Electric, Automated, Shared Mobility Race?

Foreword. Acknowledgments. 1. Surviving Two Billion Cars. Transportation Trends: Headed in the Wrong Direction. Roadmap to Survival. Hard Work Ahead. 2. Beyond the Gas-Guzzler Monoculture. Internal Combustion: From the Model T to Cars on Steroids. The Quest for a Better Engine: Electric Drive Technology. Beyond Cars: New Options for Personal Mobility. The Coming Transformations. 3. Breaking Detroit's Hold on Energy and Climate Policy. The Making of the Detroit Mindset. The Jolt of Japanese Competition. Moving Detroit Toward Green. 4. In Search of Low-Carbon Fuels. Petroleum Fuels in Transition

ObjectivesExploring the experiences, perceptions and meanings of family members and close friends of Israeli individuals who sought aid-in-dying outside Israel.MethodsUsing the phenomenological-interpretive approach, a qualitative research design was employed, based on ten in-depth semi-structured interviews with Israelis who had provided support for a relative who embarked on suicide tourism.ResultsThe following five themes emerged from interviews: (1) facilitators for supporting an individual requesting suicide tourism; (2) choosing death and actively making the decision to die; (3) the meaning of traveling to die; (4) offering support throughout the process; and (5) facilitating procedures after death.ConclusionThe participants spoke of the active role that they played in their relative's suicide-tourism journey. They conveyed conflicting emotions and values regarding the decision at hand, the ability to say goodbye thanks to their pre-planned death, helping to reduce their suffering and burden, and dealing with the challenge of disclosing the deceased's plans, before and after the act, as well as their own involvement in the process. Relatives of suicide-tourism patients should receive professional support during and following this difficult process.

BACKGROUND: Following the increased presence of the Right-to-Die Movement, improved end-of-life options, and the political and legal status of aid-in-dying around the globe, suicide tourism has become a promising alternative for individuals who wish to end their lives. Yet, little is known about this from the perspective of those who engage in the phenomenon. METHODS: This study applied the qualitative research approach, following the grounded theory tradition. It includes 11 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Israeli members of the Swiss non-profit Dignitas who contemplated traveling to Switzerland for aid-in-dying. RESULTS: Seven themes emerged from the data analysis, including health and functioning; feelings regarding survivorship and existence; interacting with the health sector; attitudes regarding death and dying; suicide; choosing death; and choosing suicide tourism. A significant portion of the participants had experienced suicidal thoughts and had even previously attempted suicide, some more than once. Most of them referred to chronic illnesses, functional disability, and social isolation. They understand suffering within the subjective dimension, namely only by the person who is actually subjected to the disease, ailments, and disability. Participants regarded aid-in-dying in Switzerland as positive thanks to its guaranteed outcome: "beautiful death", compared to "disadvantaged dying" which places a burden on the participants' loved ones throughout the prolonged dying. Most of them do not necessarily want to have their loved ones beside them when they die, and they see no significant meaning in dying in a foreign country to which they have no emotional or civil attachment. CONCLUSION: The desirable approval or tragic refusal by Dignitas to participants' requests for suicide tourism enhances the paradox between the perception of aid-in-dying as a mechanism for fulfilling controlled death and its bureaucratic and materialistic characteristics specifically reflected in a paid, formalized approach ...

In recent years, Research Ethics Committees in academic colleges of education have constituted to review research proposals in the field of education. Yet, little is known about their work, composition, challenges, and relationships with external partners. This study explores the views and attitudes of 13 members and chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees in colleges of education in Israel, and two policy makers at the Ministry of Education about their roles, responsibilities, challenges, and limitations. Findings revealed an instrumental attitude towards the ethics committee. Committees are perceived as supportive rather than enforcing. Interviews shed light on the complex relationships between committee members, college lecturers/researchers, ethics regulators, and academic management. Moreover, the findings emphasized the lack of formal training and broad discussion on ethics. The study calls for strengthening committees' raison d'être and the internalization of ethics among committee members, researchers, and lecturers in the field of education.

On September 29, 1993, President Clinton and the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors (the "Big Three") announced the creation of what was to become known as the Partnership for a Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). The primary goal of the partnership was to develop a vehicle that achieves up to three times the fuel economy of today's cars – about 80 miles per gallon (mpg) – with no sacrifice in performance, size, cost, emissions, or safety. The project would cost a billion dollars or more, split fifty-fifty between government and industry over a 10-year period. Engineers were to select the most promising technologies by 1997, create a concept prototype by 2000, and build a production prototype by 2004. As the first deadline approaches, PNGV shows signs of falling short of its ambitious goals. Little new funding has been devoted to the project. More important, the organization structure that seemed appropriate in 1993 – its design goals, deadlines, and funding strategies – may prove to be counterproductive. The program designed to accelerate the commercialization of revolutionary new technologies has focused instead on incremental refinement of technologies that are relatively familiar and not particularly beneficial for the environment. Major adjustments are needed in order to realize the full potential of this partnership. A reformed PNGV would be capable of efficiently directing funds toward the most promising technologies, the most aggressive companies, and the most innovative research centers. Now is the time to update the program by incorporating the lessons learned during its first few years.

Government-industry R&D partnerships can play an important role in advancing the public interest. A widely cited example is the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). It was launched in 1993 by the Clinton Administration and three US automakers, with the goal of advancing the development of energy efficient vehicles. It has come to be seen as a model, and in many ways it is: it is proceeding according to schedule; it increased the profile of advanced technology opportunities; and it led to better working relationship between the federal government and automakers. It also indirectly led to technology advancement – by inspiring more aggressive investments by European and Japanese automakers that, in turn, through a boomerang effect, inspired US automakers to do likewise. It is a success in the sense that both sets of partners are pleased. But has it served the public interest? Has it lead to the best investment of government R&D funds and has it accelerated the commercialization of socially beneficial technologies? The answers to these latter questions are still uncertain.