Do We Have a Throw Away Society

Do we have a throw-away society? A Swedish proverb says â€Å"don't throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water†. The sad story is that most of us today are throwing away so much, it is very likely that there will be no resources in the future. Many of our practices today are putting a lot of stress on future resources and we might soon find many of our needs unsatisfied because of our throw away attitude and careless practices. There are many reasons as to why we are subject to the jeopardy of a resource-deficient future.One of these is the constant demand for better lifestyles and standards of living. Another reason is our increased consumption of food, products and materials as well as our increased use of items that pollute our environment and make it unsafe for living. Society nowadays seeks better lifestyles and standards. We live in a society where technological advances have erupted and where everybody seeks towards the latest items attempt ing to obtain a high standard of living. However, luxury wants never seem to come to an end.Whenever a new model appears in a market, the older possessions of the same product soon become unwanted and obsolete. As a result, many earlier acquired models are disposed of instead of being recycled, or given to needy people who probably find this accommodation useful. â€Å"A study commissioned by Environment Canada estimated that 81,000 tons of  IT  and telecom equipment were disposed of in 2002. Computers and monitors accounted for 70% of this total. The study projected that disposal of  IT waste would increase to 91,000 tons in 2010. This study was made in 2002, where technology was not as advanced as it is nowadays. The amount of disposed items in 2011 is definitely larger than it was in 2002, as technology has advanced rapidly within the last decade. Moreover, as society promotes better living standards, money is largely being spent on luxurious products such as modern phones , modern cars, and other modern equipment, instead of being spent on necessities such as food and shelter. People have been working tremendously for longer hours in order to ensure a high standard of living for themselves and their families.However, they unfortunately do not take into account the amount of money spent on unnecessary products which could have been spent on necessities. This results in a throw-away society, where money is being thrown away like a pebble being thrown on a huge sea causing big ripples. http://www. statcan. gc. ca/pub/16-002-x/2008001/10539-eng. htm Consumption of products has been increasing every year. We live in a society where consumption is regarded as a positive way of life, leading to a healthy society.However, what society fails to realize is that the more we consume, the more products are being disposed or thrown away. This is due to the fact that we are being controlled by advertisements, which are mainly used in an attempt to increase profit, not to enhance the well-being of society. Because we’ve been told that disposing items instead of reusing them is better through advertisements, we find it difficult to make a decision towards such a subject. Single-time use items are increasing rapidly in markets, which encourages consumers to throw away such items after only one use, increasing literation. According to EPA the average American produces 1600 pounds of garbage per year. Multiply that by 300 million and you can begin to imagine the amount of trash that is produced. † Moreover, we judge people according to how much they consume. Sadly, we are usually judged by how much we consume instead of being judged on how efficiently we consume items. This creates an incentive for people of high standards to consume much more than is needed, marking us as a throw-away society.Financially supported people purchase valuable items that they don’t actually need in an attempt to be judged as people of high standing s within society. A person does not need more than a car to move from one place to the other and definitely does not need more than one phone to reach others. However, this is sorrowfully common in society nowadays. http://publicagenda. org/whoturnedoutthelights/number-of-vehicles-per-household According to the pie chart, 19. 9% of households in the US, probably those of financially supported families, have three or more cars, which is definitely a waste of resources.Unfortunately, we live in a throw-away society where resources are less important than consumption and high living standards. Our environment is being disturbed day after day. While society is living the present and not taking care about the future We are being recognized as a throw-away society because we are unaware of the effects of our action that are adversely affecting our planet and causing a fast deterioration in resources. The modern world society values the present much more than the

Tomorrow when the war began Essay

In the novel; ‘Tomorrow when the war began’, the characters experience various changes and transformations. These changes occur when the different characters experience life threatening situations and environmental change. The characters have to adapt, think and behave differently. The changes that occur involve the themes of leadership, war and love. Throughout the novel, John Marsden shows change in Ellie. In the beginning Ellie is a carefree but hard working girl and known as a bit of a tomboy. As the war begins she realizes she needs to grow up and mature quickly. Ellie went camping with her friends in Hell and was not worried or expecting anything. This is how Ellie was carefree in the beginning. Ellie became strategic when she saw what was happening at the show grounds by delegating people to certain jobs and roles. At the show grounds Ellie says, â€Å"I felt then, and still feel now, that I was transformed by those four steps. At that moment I stopped being an innocent rural teenager and started becoming someone else, a more complicated and capable person. A force to be reckoned with†¦ not just a polite obedient kid. †This quote shows us that this was the turning point where Ellie experienced major change and started thinking rationally. She developed and showed leadership. In the novel, the characters had never faced a war situation they did not know what to do or how to react. As the novel progresses, the characters strategies change, as does their perspective on war. â€Å"A month ago we were average teenagers†¦ now we’re soldiers, we won’t run, we won’t hide, we’ll fight and keep fighting, and never give up, until this war is finally won. † This quote by Ellie shows courage, strength and maturity. Throughout the text there many important references that relate to war countries now, where homes are being invaded and teenagers and even adults have to, â€Å"start thinking like soldiers†. This quote was said by Ellie and it again shows maturity and her realising that if they ever want to see their family again, they are going to have to fight and save their town. Chris falls asleep while keeping watch and Ellie freaks out, this is an important turning point in the text, this is when the teens really realise that this is war and they must fight if they are to survive. This is how the characters perspective of war changes and how the theme of war is explored in the novel. Throughout the text John Marsden describes relationships of love, friendship and hatred. Love is shown through the relationship that exists between Homer and Fi. In the text the teenagers are playing in the water and Homer gets distracted by looking at Fi. In the beginning Homer is immature, a loud mouth, disrespectful, a troublemaker, wild, crazy and many others When Homer meets Fi and falls in love with her, John Marsden shows a change in Homer to one of thoughtfulness, maturity, bravery and he shows emotion and compassion in Homer. This is how love is shown between Homer and Fi. The text explores the theme of friendship between all of the teenagers. When they have to fight and look out for each other they form a strong bond, they are like family to each other. â€Å"At that age you think boys have as much personality as coat hangers and, you don’t notice their looks. Then you grow up. † This quote means girls may not like boys, for example; Robyn and Homer are completely different. Robyn is a very polite and religious person and Homer is a bit of a wild pig, but in the end of the text the characters change, they look out for each other like they are family. Hatred is also described in the text when group of teens are fighting against the army and Corrie gets shot. The teenagers then feel hatred towards the soldiers because one of their closest friends could die. This is how the relationships change between the characters. The novel discusses and how tough war is and how hard others would fight for each other. Throughout the text we see how towns are invaded and families are torn apart, in some countries like Afghanistan for example, things like this still happen and it needs to stop! Leadership, war and love are some major themes that are described in Tomorrow when the war began. This text tells us to be courageous and if anything like this ever happened in Australia we would need to work together to survive.

France and United States Health Care Policy Comparison

Abstract The efficacy of the social policies of health care has become a topic of considerable debate. This essay examines the nations of France and the United States in order to develop better understanding of the similarities and differences to be found in each system. The evidence shows that both nations are attempting to address the same issue, through different methods, which in turn are based on social policy. This research will be of value to any person studying the convergence or dependency theories. 1. Introduction As technology unfies the world, there is a continuous debate on the efficacy of individual social policies. This essay assesses and compares the Health Care policies found in the France and the United States in order to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses associated with the processesThe essay identifies convergence or path dependency theory in order to demonstrate how different nations approach the same issues. Suggestions for the future will be offered 2. Health Care Policy2.1 OverviewHealth care is an issue that every nation has to address in order to create a stable, profitable internal environment (Fischer and Collins, 2010). Health care policy can be defined as an effort to alleviate ill-health amongst the population. Although health care policy is increasing, some debate its efficacy (Fisher et al, 2010). This literature suggests that varying societal factors including perception and acceptance play a positive role in the establishment of any social or health care policy. In order to explain the development of healthcare policy, two theories are commonly employed: convergence and path dependency (Dutton, 2007). Each of these methods speaks to the cultural need to assert a semblance of cultural impact on the development of national societal institutions such as health care policy. Cnvergence theory is commonly tied to the functionalist approach which speaks to the societal expectations of having to meet requirements in order to survive and continue to operate (Baldock et al, 2012). The essence of this view associates an increase in industrialization with the coinciding resemblance to other already industrialized nations. This suggests that these forms of nations learn from and adapt other countries policies in order to enhance their own development. Alternately, the path dependency theory denotes a ‘history matters’ approach, that states future social decision and influences are constrained and based on past practices (Baldock et al, 2012) . Prior decisions have a limiting impact on future actions, this method of development often is relegated to the already present institutions that society embraces. This definition of alternative development models indicates a defined social impact to any form of policy institution, not the least of which becomes health care and general population well-being. Both the United States and France will be assessed for their health care policy approach, seeking to Understand whether the convergence or dependency models is more influential.2.1.1 Health Care Policy FranceThere has long been a public policy approach in France (Hantrais, 2010). There is a commonly held belief a nationally subsidized health care system provides a methodfd keeping the population healthy (Hantrais, 2010). With a consistent pattern of leadership in the industry, providing a consistent and strong health care France has illustrated a convergence/functionalist approach to the health care issue, often citing their system as a model for other nations (Marmot et al, 2012). In many ways this evidence speaks to the fact that a healthy population enables increased access and opportunity to social benefits by reducing health care costs and increasing spending in other areas. France as a European nation is marked by a larger than average ratio of health spending yet remains much less than their counter parts in the West spend on health care(Marmot et al, 2012). Alongside this popular national support rests that the fact that the population is largely healthy with a average life span two years more than the rest of the word (Marmot et al, 2012). . The French is to manage cost by implementing a system of premium health care levels that are directly associated with a person’s income (Rodwin, 2003). This is a targeted policy that seeks to make insurance as affordable as possible in order to ensure that that each person has access. Further, this limits opportunities for the insurance industry to adjust rates unfairly or at a disadvantage to certain conditions or participants (Rodwin, 2003). This element of control takes away much of the ability for companies to overly profit from the insurance market. With the French system taking on the burden of the majority of medical expenses through a system of reimbursement, the average citizen’s ability to sustain health insurance is higher (Rodwin, 2003). This protection is enhanced and extended to the people who need healthcare the most, making the issue of major illness much more manageable on the economic and social front. Due to the quality of universal healthcare in France, there are very low levels of private insurance, a further indication of the capacity for this system to not only manage cost but provide efficient and dependable care (Marmot et al, 2012). With a public system in place,the need for private insurance in significantly reduced, further ensuring less expense for the average citizen. France possesses a well-developed system of independent and public hospitals (Rodwin, 2003). This wide ranging access to care has been credited with further enhancing the overall rate of health and effectiveness in the nation. Yet, the diverse manner of health care oversight has been cited as an issue (Marmot et al, 2012). With nearly fifty different regulatory agencies to contend with, each faculty has to negotiate an ever-changing environment, which provides a serious challenge to many institutions. A further problem is the rising influence of the pharmaceutical industry, intent on generating profit rather than being concerned with benefiting the people of France (Clarke and Bidgood, 2013). With prescription charges payable, there is anarea of concern Regarding affordability of medicine. In summary Universal health care in France is a nationally subsidized system that reimburses out of pocket patient expenses, based on that person’s rate of income. With a convergent form of policy that seeks to make the French system a global model, the high quality of care denotes a degree of success. However, the high rate of regulation serves to diminish many of the positive elements of the policy. The French system has offered other nations a model of healthcare promising to reduce sickness, thereby decreasing underlying societal cost. In France, there is evidence that health policy supports citizens during times of sickness or injury.2.1.2 Health Care Policy United StatesThe healthcare system in the United States has long been an area of contention within the nation, commonly resulting in politically partisan fighting that diminishes the ability for any system to function (Hoffman, 2008). With the ascension of a liberal regime in the United States, the recent past has wit nessed a shift away from the individual, less regulated, insurance market to a form of universal health care with far more federal regulation. The private market controls the health care insurance market, making the need for supplementary services high in order to meet every expectation (Hoffman, 2008). With the rising cost of health care and a general lack of productive policy, the shift away from the strictly private system has been a rough evolution for many in the United States. With a standing of 50th in the world foro effective health care policy as rated by the OECD there seems to be a suggestion thathe US system has begun to change to match other models, actively incorporating the convergent theory and seeking to emulate the positive health trends Found elsewhere. (Palmer, 2014), There are multiple levels of regulatory oversight in the US system of health care (Gulliford and Morgan, 2010). This is a reflection of the national and state level authorities that commonly find themselves at odds with one another. With this abundance of regulation there is substantial paperwork (Hoffman, 2008). Evidence suggests that there is a potential for politics to play a role in the policy making efforts of healthcare. This opportunity for gain at the expense of the national system is often attributed to the wellbeing of the very people that need it most, the lower earners and single mothers. US federal oversight is conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, which ensures that the appropriate compliance guidelines are followed by states (Gulliford et al, 2010). This section of governement oversees procedures from county/state level to the national level. In this manner the integration of State and Federal concerns can serve to aid in the implementation of healt h care policy throughout the nation. Yet, it also seems to be the case that there is a potential for conflict among policy makers, leading to a poorer service Medical professionals in the US are licensed under the American Medical Association, with an aim of ensuring a high quality of care and adherence to ethical guidelines (Kominski, 2011). . It has been suggested that the US private system is commonly influenced by the presence of rich or well to do patients or donors (Palmer, 2014). This perception seems justified, as the best performing doctors are often unavailable to the average US citizen, thereby creating an unintentional division of care which is reflected in the life expectancy numbers. Yet, this is a demonstration of the convergent theory at work in the functionalist US society, as the recognition of expanded need becomes apparent; public policy was created to address the issue. In summary The health care policies found in the United States have been shown to be rated as moderate by the international community. Before the shift to the universal care subsidized by the nation, the gap between rich and poor in terms of healthcare had widened. Many people lacked health insurance. In order to address this, recent liberal policies found in the US were formulated but have been much debated. It can be suggested that new policies have succeeded in lowering the rate of people without healthcare insurance, thereby beginning the effort of increasing the health of the population in general. Yet, the regulatory environment found in the healthcare system in the US is often counter-productive. Further, this every area of contention has led to a gap of states that have accepted the new universal care and those that have not, decreasing the impact that they policies have on a considerable number of citizens.2.3 ComparisonThe health care policies found in France in the United States share many similarities as well as considerable differences. For example, the French tradition of seeking social remedies to health issues is sharply differed from the American approach of ‘goes it alone’ fundamentalism (Flynn, 2010). In many cases the expectation that everyone must take care of themselves has led the US health care system to sharply different levels of care in regions, largely based on the underlying income factors of the residents. Conversely, France has long sought to provide a balanced method that seeks to present a useable model to the rest of the world (Fisher et al, 2010). This is best illustrated by the life expectancy rates found in the US of 78.4 and 81.3 in France (Fisher et al, 2010). With numbers supporting the success factors in France over the prior efforts in the US, the American shift to the more universal system is considered a convergence with modern examples such as France leading the way. A factor that both systems share is the high quality of physicians and practitioners that are involved in health care (Palmer, 2014). While the French system is primarily publicly owned and supported, the US policy dictated that many of their institutions are privately owned and operated, presenting further considerations during the transition to universal health care in this nation. This same issue presents itself as a difference between the social policies as the French doctors are paid substantially less than their American counterparts (Palmer, 2014). Yet, the French approach to this issue was to make subsequent education and associated services free to those in the medical profession, thereby reducing the need for the extravagant wages that many experience in the West (Guilliford et al, 2010). This same measure of policy support is yet absent in the American system, which makes a considerable difference as to where and how a student can learn and practice. This literature sugges ts that there is a need to make expenses of the medical learning process reduced in order to present a method of paying fair wage thereby allowing the entirety of the population to receive the same quality of care, regardless of financial position or social standing. The spending levels for medical needs in the United States far outweigh those experienced in French system, demonstrating effective policy (Palmer, 2014). In part due to the rapidly rising cost of health care, the American system was forced to shift to a universal policy in order to slow the impact that this substantial cost on the overall economic outlook for the nation. With both nations providing a social policy of immediate emergency care, there was a widespread perception in the US that this would alleviate much of the lower class medical issues, yet, conversely, this phenomena of utilizing emergency care for routine care served to drastically increase the need for funding from the national level, thereby prompting new policy modelled on systems including the UK and Canada (Palmer, 2014). This is in contrast to the French model, which involves more spending per citizen, but has shown positive performance in response to spending levels. The United States policy of health care has a compulsory insurance mandate this is designed to ensure that each citizen has insurance (Palmer, 2014). Conversely, the French system utilizes a series of reimbursements based on wages in order to supply the same medical services. In some ways, the perception of the US system has been cited as a form of increased taxation on the healthy, with these views stating that they are supporting the poor of the nation. Despite the strength of health care available in the United States, until recently there was a marked increase in the value, with many of the citizens putting off routine care in favour of waiting for emergency, which in turn inflated health costs of every level (Palmer, 2014). However, France overcame this issue by establishing oversight panels that ensure that fair access is assured and that the population has access to the same general level of care. A common component of both nations health care policy is the multiple layers of bureaucrats and agencies that dictate policy (Flynn, 2010). Both nations cite the need to reduce the layers of oversight in order to streamline the process, which would in theory reduce administration costs and aid the both nation and industry. In a very real manner, this evidence suggests that the long term capacity to develop a working system will be found by taking the best of the existing structures and using these as a foundation for growth. 3. Conclusion This essay has examined the social policies of France and the United States in the field of health care in order to evaluate and compare their offerings. The evidence presented illustrates a position of French strength through communal action. With proven records supporting the reduction in health issues, rise in life expectancy and overall positive implementation there is a model for progress. Alternately, the private system once favored in the United States has evolved to a more UK or Canadian style system that requires consumer participation. This recognition and development on the part of the American nation is deemed an example of the convergence/functionalist theory with the country seeking to alleviate many of the social health issues by implementing a system similar to other nations. An area of weakness demonstrated in both societies that have the potential to raise issues in the future is the presence of an over regulated system. With so many different agencies responsible f or the oversight and regulation of the same industry, there is a need to coordinate and simplify the process in order to aid both the consumer and the provider. Further, this area is prone to political partisanship or bias, which in turn has a direct impact on the quality of care and policy that develops. In the end, the social policy of health care has been deemed of critical import for both France and the United States. Yet, just as the nations are culturally unique yet share traits, so too will the health care issue, with both nations seeking to address the same issue though slightly differing means. Only time will judge which has been the better approach. 4. References Baldock, J., 2013. Social policy. 1st ed. Cambridge, UK: Polity. Dutton, P., 2007. Differential diagnoses. 1st ed. Ithaca: ILR Press/Cornell University Press. Feldstein, P., 2012. Health care economics. 1st ed. New York: Wiley. Fisher, K. and Collins, J., 2010. Homelessness, health care, and welfare provision. 1st ed. London: Routledge. Flynn, N., 2010 Social Policy, fiscal problems & economic performance in France, United Kingdom & Germany. London, 1(1). pp. 65-100. Gulliford, M. and Morgan, M., 2010. Expanding access to health care. 1st ed. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe. Hantrais, L., 2010. French social policy in the European context. Modern & Contemporary France, 3(4), pp.381–390. Hoffman, B., 2008. Health care reform and social movements in the United States. American journal of public health, 98. Kominski, G., 2011. Changing the U.S. health care system. 1st ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Marmot, M., Allen, J., Bell, R. and Goldblatt, P., 2012. Building of the global movement for health equity: from Santiago to Rio and beyond. The Lancet, 379(9811), pp.181–188. others, 2012. Health, United States, 2011: with special feature on socioeconomic status and health. National Center for Health Statistics (US). Palmer, K., 2014. A Brief History: Universal Health Care Efforts in the US | Physicians for a National Health Program. [online] Pnhp.org. Available at: [Accessed 19 Apr. 2014]. Rodwin, V., 2003. The health care system under French national health insurance: lessons for health reform in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 93(1), pp.31–37. Sauret, J., 1997. Information systems in healthcare Situation in France. Health Cards’ 97, 49, p.27.

Competitive advantage Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Competitive advantage - Research Proposal Example Cross-out skirt development might be fruitful when retail logistics arrangements utilize the right restricted manifestation of last mile dispersion, or motivating forces and interest administration systems to address this diverse neighborhood inclination. Cross chain retails logistics. Online and logged off retail are more incorporated on an operational level, strategic level (stock area and grouping arranging) and key level. Models for effective online extension, inside outskirt and cross-fringe, ought to subsequently be adjusted to incorporate the right part for disconnected from the net outlets on every one of the three levels. Not just web shops are included keeping in mind the end goal to conveyance administration, however different gatherings also. Logistics administration suppliers may deal with the conveyance and accumulation yet there may additionally be a part (e.g. For stocking parts) for suppliers/producers of items sold. In addition, buyers can be eagerly included, for instance, in the coordination of the conveyance (e.g. Through online networking) and discretionarily comes back to diminish crests and no-shows (Accenture 2012), The essential objective of this exploration task is to empower Dutch retailers with online channels to expand the piece of the overall industry through best-in-class logistics and satisfaction. Specifically, one will watch a noteworthy business sector potential for e-trade organizations to stretch the business by means of cross-out skirt deals to Belgium and Germany. Developments that come about because of the CATELOG task bring open doors for new business for organizations. Case in point, better purchaser learning and better information on the impacts of requesting conduct on logistics gives new business chances to a 4c in e-trade logistics. Moreover, developments in ICT instruments and architectures bring open doors for ICT organizations (Agatz, et al.

Theories on the History of Science as Social Constructs Essay

Theories on the History of Science as Social Constructs - Essay Example l description of Hess’s concepts related to the cultural construction of science and technology, this paper moves towards a comparison between the theories of Carolyn Merchant and Hess. Both of them have their own ideas related to science, technology and nature. Merchant takes a feminist stance in her description of science and technology. At the end, a conclusion is given that summarizes the overall paper. T.S. Kuhn is his book, â€Å"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions†, evaluates the history of Science. Kuhn illustrates that science has not developed from accretion of factual information but from continuous transforming situations and probabilities for the people related to scientific disciplines (Polsby, 1998). For Kuhn, science that was prevalent in different eras of history was an output of the factors at that time (Polsby, 1998). Kuhn divided the history of science in three phases. In the first phase, there was no agreement on a single theory and people differ from each other in terms of suggested theories due to which, the theories of this phase were left deficient (Kuhn, 1962). Second phase saw some acceptance on theories and there was proper experimentation and analysis (Kuhn, 1962). Kuhn regards the third phase of science as innovatory and revolutionary (Kuhn, 1962). According to Kuhn, science moves between these phases to get some results (Kuhn, 1962). The movie, â€Å"Mindwalk† directed by Bernt Amadeus Capra introduces three characters who are involved in a correspondence. First one is a politician; second one is a scientist while the third one is a poet. Each of them has a diverse viewpoint and sees the world differently. The movie is based on Kuhn ideas that are linked to the discovery of new concepts in scientific field. The movie illustrates that people should not rely on old discoveries and theories, they should revolutionize and should move towards new grounds. As Kuhn has explained that, every scientific development has three phases,

Response paper of chapter 6 of Inside Rikers They Keep Coming Back Essay

Response paper of chapter 6 of Inside Rikers They Keep Coming Back - Essay Example For me, despite violating society’s laws, criminals should also be seen as â€Å"clients† who can be guided back to the â€Å"right track† through addressing their employability and medical needs and goals. Society cannot avoid the long-term response to recidivism and use â€Å"medical lollipops† instead (Wynn, 2001); on the contrary, the government and society should support programs that combine education, rehabilitation, and legal employment to effectively reduce recidivism among ex-convicts. Wynn (2001) explained that programs like KEEP destined convicts to fail in real life, because they offered ineffective, though cost-efficient, solutions to severe drug addictions. She narrated the roots of KEEP. She noted that when city officials became alarmed that sharing needles among addicts led to higher HIV/AIDS levels, they created the methadone detoxification program called KEEP or Key Extended Entry Program in 1987. KEEP enabled addicts to access methadone throughout their duration of incarceration, which averages forty-five days but can last a year or a year and a half (Wynn, 2001). Wynn (2001) underscored that, â€Å"Rikers Island is the only jail system in the United States where addicts can be maintained on methadone for their entire length of stay.† In this sense, she already questions why penal systems even considered using addictive drugs like methadone to end heroin addiction. Wynn (2001) is careful to avoid the excessive nullifying of the helpful effect of K EEP when it is used as a â€Å"tool to control drug use, not to cure it.† She mentioned guidelines stating that â€Å"If administered carefully, methadone can eliminate the craving for narcotics as well as the euphoric effects† (Wynn, 2001). However, she stressed that these guidelines are no longer properly applied inside and outside prison, which results in greater drug addiction for

Ethical case study( The loss of the Shuttle Columbia) Essay

Ethical case study( The loss of the Shuttle Columbia) - Essay Example The recommendations balance deontological and utilitarian ethics; thus, NASA would achieve better outcomes in terms of research and space exploration. The Loss of the Shuttle Columbia: An Ethical Case Study The 28th flight of the Columbia forming the 113th mission of the Space Shuttle Program ended in loss of the mission and a tragic loss of the crew. The mechanical cause of the loss of the Shuttle Columbia and the seven crew members on board has been reported to be a breach in the spaceship’s Thermal Protection System on the left side-wing resulting from a piece of insulating foam (Niewoehner, Steidle, and Johnson 11). However, the loss of the Shuttle Columbia has attracted different perspectives of analysis, besides the mechanical viewpoint, as to other determinants of the outcomes. Studies into the loss of the Shuttle Columbia are important since a number of lessons can be discerned from the mechanical, leadership and ethical view points. Besides, it helps to generate recom mendations for action that would guide space missions and the wider engineering field to avert similar occurrences. This study provides a background on the engineering/technical failure that resulted in the loss of the Shuttle Columbia as reported. An in-depth evaluation of the engineering, management, regulatory and socio-technical issues surrounding the unfortunate incident is undertaken. This is then followed by an analysis of the ethical lapses that contributed to the loss of the Shuttle Columbia, before the generation of recommendations based on an ethical framework. BACKGROUND Engineering Failures: As a prelude, the Space Shuttle Program launched the Columbia in January 28, 1986; a launch had never been undertaken at such cold temperatures. The shuttle exploded after only 7 seconds of launching (Baura 148). Lessons had not been learned when similar oversights occurred seventeen years later with the loss of the Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003. Shuttle Columbia was launched on January 16, 2003 for a 16 day mission to orbit the earth and promote science research. The first evidence of engineering failure appeared 81.7 seconds after the launch when Columbia was approximately 65,820 feet above the ground. With the shuttle traveling at about 1650 mph, a large piece of insulating form that was hand-crafted came off the Orbiter-external tank attachment area. The fall-out piece then struck the leading edge of the shuttle’s left wing at 81.9 seconds after the launch. These incidents were not detected immediately either by the on-board crew or by the ground team; rather, they were observed the next day by the ground support team upon detailed analysis of the launch’s videos and pictures. The damage on the lead left wing appeared to have not had any effects on the 16 day space operations of the shuttle as the mission met its space objectives. Reports provide details that the Columbia Shuttle re-entered the earth’s atmosphere with an existin g breach to its leading edge of the left wing. The exact position of the breach is reported as proximal to the panel 8 of the RCC (Reinforced Carbon-Carbon). The breach is deemed sufficiently big enough to allow for the penetration of super-heated air – above 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit – into the space behind the RCC panel. The super-heated air was then able to penetrate the left wing and destroy its structural parts such as the insulation and the aluminum wing spur. Detailed analysis o

A determination on the cost efectiveness of temporary employees for a Essay

A determination on the cost efectiveness of temporary employees for a manufacturing company - Essay Example In this study, several items will be considered while analyzing the cost effectiveness of temporary workers. First, an overall analysis of the benefits as well as the drawbacks of temporary workers will be presented in comparison to the hiring of full-time employees. The presentation of this analysis will demonstrate that hiring temporary workers is, in fact, more beneficial for companies when trying to cut costs.Temporary workers allow for companies to adapt to fluctuating markets, and give them some control in an economy that has not provided much earning incentive. In order to resolve this and to adapt to changing times, temporary workers can be hired and maintained by companies for as long as needed. Skilled contingent workers are included in this study. While skilled contingent workers are often paid more than other temporary workers, and often more than full-time workers as well, their use still allows the company to save money. This is because they are usually brought on for s hort term projects, and then released when the projects are completed. The large salaries or hourly wages earned by skilled contingent workers thus will end, and the company can return to normal expenditure. There would therefore be no need to bring on another full-time employee to handle certain skilled situations that are needed for specific periods of time only, and this has helped to keep costs down for many companies. This study examined three companies throughout a one year, four quarter period. Costs were analyzed and determined as the companies transitioned into using more and more contingent workers. The results of this study demonstrate that companies achieved cost-cutting results that increased every quarter for each company that participated in the study. Therefore, this study helps to prove that temporary workers, whether skilled or not, can be used to help cut the costs of company finances. Based on the findings, it appears that the use of temporary workers does, in fa ct, cut costs for companies. Therefore, the key recommendations of this study are for companies to use temporary employees in order to save money in a worsening economy. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 3 CHAPTER I. Statement of the Problem 5 Statement of the Problem 5 Purpose of the Study 5 Research Objectives 5 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 6 Temporary Employees 6 Core Reasons and Responsibilities of the Temporary Agency 7 Core Reasons and Responsibilities of the Organization 8 Core Responsibility of the Temporary Employees 11 III. METHODOLOGY 13 IV. Data analysis 14 Who Are the Temporary Workers 14 What Jobs do Temporary Workers Perform 17 How Often Are They Used 18 Overview of the Model 20 Is Training and Hiring Employees Cost Effective 25 Company 1 - Illustration 26 Company 2 - Illustration 27 Company 3 - Illustration 27 V. Summary, CONCLUSION, Recommendations 28 VI. 28 REFERENCES 33 Refer to the Student Guide for formatting and titles of chapters, etc. Chapter 1: Statement of the Problem Due to the rise of the global economy, technological advancement and the growth of the service economy have promoted changes in the way organizations do business (Camerman, Cropanzano, & Vandenberghe, 2007). These require that business develop the ability to respond flexibly to the fast-changing environments. One such strategic decision is whether to engage temporary employ

The Dirty Harry Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Dirty Harry Problem - Essay Example Rodney King was filmed being beaten, but how many more suffered from these corrupt cops when the camera was not on? Police corruption is a misuse of power. Police become corrupt for different reasons. Pollock (2004) states, â€Å"Explanations of corruption can be describes as individual, institutional (or organizational), and systematic (or societal).† Some people are good and other bad. The same can be said about law enforcement officers. Just like a bully can influence other children, corrupt police officers can influence good officers. Pollock also believes that another reason for corruption is the lack of proper recruiting methods. Law enforcement that murder, deal in drugs, and other illegal activities are corrupt. These types of police officers are the individuals that make the news reports. Like was suggested above, law enforcement that participate in these type of behaviors were already inclined to commit crime or feel peer pressure. Either way, police recruiting techniques need to be refined to catch these recruits before they become police officer, not after. Not every instance of police corruption is severe. Pollock (2004) reports, â€Å"Corruption, theft, graft (exploitation of one’s role, such as accepting bribes or protection money), and accepting other gratuities (such as free coffee and free or half-priced meals),† can be considered as corruption or delinquency. Some police officers feel it is only fair they get free coffee, donuts, or other perks, since they put their lives on the line everyday. However, if one follows that line of reasoning then soldiers should get free perks as well. With the high number of law enforcement officers and soldiers if everyone got perks, then our society would soon become bankrupt. The Blue Wall is another issue that law enforcement and the community must deal with. â€Å"One of the most difficult ethical dilemmas that officers confront is

Humanitarian Neutrality Essay Example for Free

Humanitarian Neutrality Essay International humanitarian work operates on the principle of inviolability (Anderson 42). Humanitarian organizations and workers can gain access to states, establish presence through a physical base and local networks, and provide aid and other humanitarian services needed by people without experiencing harm or infringement by claiming inviolability as the moral basis of humanitarian work. This principle finds support from the operation of neutral position, impartial action and independent organization. Neutral position means that humanitarian organizations and workers take an apolitical stand when providing aid or assistance in another country (Weller par. 10). Impartial action refers to the provision of assistance to populations or groups based on a set of objective criteria designed to meet this purpose. Independent organization pertains to the decision-making and operation of humanitarian organizations and the conduct of their work without any intervention by external parties. Attacks by terrorist groups on humanitarian workers (Leaning 419) and the bombing of the ICRC headquarters in Iraq shook the inviolability of international humanitarian work (Anderson 42). A justification is the emergence of neutrality issues that affects inviolability. There is need to reassess neutrality and update this concept to represent current developments in international humanitarian work. Concept of Neutrality The origin of neutrality is the Latin term neuter literally translated to mean not either. This implies the existence of two positions or sides and being neutral means not taking any of the positions or sides. When applied to politics, neutral means abstaining from taking one side or the other such as in the case war between two states. This also refers to the state of not having any feelings or views leaning towards one position relative to the other. In international humanitarian work, neutrality then means the provision of assistance without taking part in conflict or war and siding one power in political disputes. (Leaning 418) This also means the provision of assistance to the people of a foreign country without doing anything that constitutes support to the cause or position of one party in cases of political conflict or war (Weller par. 10). Another conceptualization of neutrality in international humanitarian work is pure humanitarian relief by not leaning towards any side over political issues (Anderson 42). The clarification of the concept of neutrality in international humanitarian work is not lacking in effort from the United Nations and non-government organizations. Decades of work in developing a working concept of neutrality continues. This is not an easy task. The idea of neutrality continues to evolve with developments in international humanitarian work. The most compelling development is the involvement of humanitarian organizations and workers in political sides whether this is with their conscious knowing or not. The incident of abduction of humanitarian workers is on the rise with terrorist organizations or dissident groups using humanitarian workers to strengthen their political stand (Leaning 419). Humanitarian organizations positioned in Iraq supporting the rebuilding of the state received strong criticism from anti-western groups in Iraq for being involved in the political exercise of the United States (Anderson 42). These developments are inconsistent with the existing conceptualization of humanitarian neutrality. These also support the need to reconsider the concept of neutrality and its workings in humanitarian aid. Emerging Issues on the Concept of Neutrality The issues on the concept of neutrality encompass its definition and significance or role in international humanitarian work. The confusion and uncertainty about humanitarian neutrality requires resolution to strengthen the shaky foundation of international humanitarian work. One issue is the uncertainty in the conceptualization of humanitarian neutrality in the context of conflict situations (Leaning 419). This led to different positions over what humanitarian neutrality means and over its importance to humanitarian work. One position considers humanitarian neutrality as a core value in doing humanitarian work because it provides the framework distinguishing the nature of work and motivation in providing humanitarian aid (Leaning 418). Without the operation of humanitarian neutrality, organizations and workers providing humanitarian aid lose their purpose as apolitically aiding or assisting victims of humanitarian crisis. The collapse of humanitarian neutrality would make humanitarian organizations and workers agents of state actors or advocates of dissident and terrorist groups. However, even proponents recognize problems in the concept of humanitarian neutrality. This is in conflict with impartiality. While neutrality means inaction, non-involvement, or non-participation, impartiality means action with objective guidance. Objective action has different implications from inaction. (Weller par. 9-11) This could explain the instability of the inviolability of humanitarian work in the context of conflict. The other position considers humanitarian neutrality as passe in the current context. In the present context of humanitarian work, access and work in a state in conflict with external or internal parties involve conditions that become inevitably political by the conflict. Some organizations no longer use humanitarian neutrality and replace this with non-partisan (Leaning 419) stand to reflect their intention not to participate in conflict or war. This emerged from the recognition that humanitarian neutrality does not exist in the reality of humanitarian work because the provision of assistance depends on the parties involved in the conflict or war. Another replacement for humanitarian neutrality is civilian protection with components of protection of human rights and provision of relief (Leaning 419). Protection is not neutral because this operates relative to a party or threat. Provision of relief has basis on objective standards that could mean giving more aid to a particular group involved in the conflict. Another issue is the relativity (Anderson 42; Weller par. 12) of perspectives over the humanitarian neutrality of organizations and workers. This caused and constituted an outcome of the uncertainty in the conceptualization of humanitarian neutrality. The uncertain conceptualization of humanitarian neutrality led to the varying definition and incorporation into standards of action for different non-government organizations, with some organizations limiting their work to humanitarian aid in line with neutrality while others expanded their work to civilian protection in recognition of the ineffectiveness in practicing neutrality given changes in the context of humanitarian work (Leaning 419). This in turn further led to the erosion of the concept of humanitarian neutrality. Many state and non-state actors involved in conflict carry varied views towards humanitarian organizations. The susceptibility of humanitarian organizations to political actions led to the provision of access and inviolability based on the perceived possible political leanings of organizations (Weller par. 12) such as the booting out or the forced leave of American humanitarian organizations in North Korea and Iraq respectively because of ties to the United States. Conclusion Developments in the environment of international humanitarian work support the need to reconsider the concept of humanitarian neutrality. One is the need to redevelop or even overhaul the concept of humanitarian neutrality to make it align with the current context of humanitarian work. The other is the need to develop a widely accepted and recognized standard of practice to counter relativity. These are difficult and involve the contribution of humanitarian organizations. Works Cited Anderson, Kenneth. â€Å"Humanitarian Inviolability in Crisis: The Meaning of Impartiality and Neutrality for U. N. and NGO Agencies Following the 2003–2004 Afghanistan and Iraq Conflicts. † Harvard Human Rights Journal 17(2004): 41-47. Leaning, Jennifer. â€Å"The Dilemma of Neutrality. † Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 22. 5 (2007): 418-421. Weller, Marc. â€Å"The Relativity of Humanitarian Neutrality and Impartiality. † The Journal of Humanitarian Assistance February (1998): 54 pars. 29 April 2009 http://jha. ac/1998/02/28/the-relativity-of-humanitarian-neutrality-and-impartiality/

Common Sense and Stereotyping in Social Work

Common Sense and Stereotyping in Social Work Diana Valle Social work and common sense Stereotyping, unfortunately, is how many people access and deal with the world; for better or worse, stereotypes inform us all, even though many of them are wrong or ignorant. A common stereotype involved in social work education is that schooling is useless, and all that one needs, as the legislator stated, is common sense and a good heart. Although one does need these characteristics to be a social worker, the practice is much more complicated than superficial stereotypes would assume. Unfortunately, this has also fueled anti-intellectualism discourses of theories not belonging to the real world of practice or being less important in practice. As found by various researchers, social workers analysis and decision-making is more often informed by practical and procedural knowledge than research and theory (Megele, 2011, p. 1). In fact, education is vital to social work, because much of what is done in the field has its basis in scientific methods, theoretical applications, sociology, and psychology, all of which must be learned in school, and do not simply come automatically or through intuition. Social work has a diverse knowledge base that can stand on its own, and also draws from other disciplines. This investigation works under the basic assumption that social work education has a vital role to play, and therefore seeks to provide opposition to the legislators dismissal of the professions status as academic. Despite its basis in ignorance and stereotypes, the legislators comment is worth considering, because it represents a common assumption the general public has regarding social work. Personally, however, I believe it is my duty to fight against such stereotypes and emphasize how educational resources prepare social workers to provide better services to the community, to help people more dynamically, and to invest in the future in the form of human capital more ably. Common sense, as I understand it, comes from a mixture of personal intuition and paying attention to the mores of society. For example, as children, we learn not to touch a hot pan on the stove, either by being told or through trial and error; not repeating this mistake then becomes common sense. Common sense is the opposite of educational knowledge, because it is expected to be automatically accessible through the society surrounding one and ones own intuition. Being a social worker, however, requires more than growing up in society and learning its mores. It requires training in specialized knowledge and techniques regarding how to best form the helping relationship with clients. It is a craft that is learned, not something automatic, like common sense that is simply picked up. To say that anything professional is 90% common sense is insulting. One could make this insult stick generally, as well; it is not even specific enough to social work, or demonstrated through any kind of example by the legislator. However, there are many examples of social workers using their education by being able to better assist in helping clients with recovery, advocating more effectively for social justice, and even engaging in independent research. Social work has a vital place in society as a profession, but unfortunately, it is looked down upon by people like the legislator. The sociologists at LSE saw themselves as the scientists of sociology and social workers as technicians. This thinking in turn influenced the amount of investment and research in social work. Though this image has improved in recent years, the difference in status and misconceived perceptions still persists today (Megele, 2011, p. 1). Social workers need training if they are going to help clients, impact legislation, and make a better future for children and families. These are not things that people know how to do automatically, or through widely available societal cues: they must be trained to be effective. In many cases, though, people still look down on social workers, and it is often because of their own ideological perspective about the welfare state, rather than any realistic knowledge about what a social work education is actually like. Social wor kers are a vital part of the safety net that keeps people in our society from slipping through the cracks of an out of control system. The NASW code of ethics states that, Social workers ethical behavior should result from their personal commitment to engage in ethical practice. The code of ethics reflects the commitment of all social workers to uphold the professions values and to act ethically (NASW, 2007). Social workers learn this code; it does not come to them automatically from having a good heart, or common sense. If all it took to become a social worker was a good heart and common sense, then once a person accomplished these credentials, they would have trouble dealing with complicated client issues such as transference and confidentiality, understanding how policy is reflected in various sociological and psychological theories, or changing the system by finding ways to affect legislative policy on a grassroots level. Accomplishing these tasks requires learning how to implement change through studying prior knowledge. The knowledge base of social work is found through marking the point of delineation between theory and reality, or scientific study. An understanding of principles of research methodology also does not come naturally, as common sense and a good heart. In addition, a good heart is not always a guarantee of ethical behavior; studying the NASW code of ethics as a social work student, on the other hand, is much more likely to produce results in this regard. The process of education is integral, because Professional ethics are at the core of social work. The profession has an obligation to articulate its basic values, ethical principles, and ethical standards. The code is relevant to all social workers and social work students, regardless of their professional functions or the populations which they serve (NASW, 2007, p. 1). Professional social workers need knowledge that they can only find in school; it helps if they have a good heart and common sense coming into the educational process from society, but they also need knowledge and experience-based learning that can only be accomplished through formal education. The NASW code of ethics states, Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful effort to promote the well being of individuals (NASW, 2007, p. 1). Learning how to be an effective social worker requires study of NASW and other documents, such as sociology and psychology textbooks. Social workers generally should adhere to commitments made to employing organizationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Social workers should be diligent stewards of the resources of their employing organizations, wisely conserving funds w here appropriate and never misappropriating funds or using them for unintended purposes (NASW, 2007, p. 1). The knowledge of social workers is not automatic and intuitive: it comes from scientific study that is based on building on the precedents of the past. These precedents can only be learned through diligent and careful study, and the acquisition of foundational social work knowledge is something that is selected, not automatic. For example, one does not intuitively understand what the ecosystems perspective to social work is; one has to study, and then see how the theory can be applied to productive reality. The ecosystems perspective has enabled social workers to enhance the psychosocial focus through the use of a systemic lens that does not separate the person from the environment but requires that they be seen in interaction (Meyer and Mattaini, 1998, p. 38). Social work is also based on processes of gathering scientific evidence, and the rules and procedures for doing these tasks are also not automatic. Evidence-based practice is a new paradigm that promotes more effective social interventions by encouraging the conscientious, judicious, and explicit use of the best available scientific evidence in professional decision making. Pedagogically, evidence-based practice involves teaching students the values and skills they need to identify, critically appraise, and apply practice-relevant scientific evidence over the course of their professional careers (Howard et al., 2003, p. 234). If a social worker were not educated, in addition, they would arguably not be competent to practice, or at least, they would be much more likely to be incompetent without any effective training or knowledge about best practices. Competence has been a key concept in the literature on the education of adults and is central to many theories of human behavior (Holde n et al., 2011, p. 2). In conclusion, this report has argued against the legislators comments that all one needs to be a social worker is common sense and a good heart. On the contrary, social work requires study. Social work focuses on people in their cultural environments, whether these families were new immigrants in the tenements of ethnic communities or constructed families (Lowery, 1998). Social work is a complex activity in a complex world. Professionals in the field need to understand theoretical issues like the forces of globalization- economic, ecological and social to connect with their international colleagues, and to represent themselves in an informed fashion in international circles. This applies whether they are delivering direct services to immigrants, refugees or those displaced and traumatized by famine, war, terrorism or natural disasters (Hare, 407). I am not trying to say that social work is exclusive or that it can be only understood through study. Communities of all kinds present s ingular opportunities for participation, democratic citizenship, and collective action for social justice. At the same time, communities can be just as exclusionary, oppressive, and conservative as any other social structure (Kemp, 1998, p. 38). However, it is important to take any conversation further than shallow stereotypes, to the substance beneath. References Hare, I. (2012). Defining social work for the 21st century: The International Federation of Social Workers revised definition of social work. International Social Work 47(3): 407-424. Holden, G., Meenaghan, T., Anastas, J. Metrey, G. (2002). Outcomes of social work education: The case for social work self-efficacy. Journal of Social Work Education, 38, 115-133. Howard, M., C. McMillen and D. Pollio (2003). Teaching Evidence-Based Practice: Toward a New Paradigm for Social Work Education. Research on Social Work Practice, 13(2): 234-259. Kemp, S. (1998). Practice in communities. The Foundations of Social Work Practice. Mattaini, Lowery, Meyer, eds. Washington, DC: NASW Press. Lowery, C. (1998). Diversity, ethnic competence, and social justice. The Foundations of Social Work Practice. Mattaini, Lowery, Meyer, eds. Washington, DC: NASW Press. Megele, C. (2011). Social work must embrace theory if Munro ideas are to succeed: A tendency to disregard theory could damage implementation of Professor Munros report. http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2011/09/08/social-work-must-embrace-theory-if-munro-ideas-are-to-succeed/ Meyer, C. and M. Mattaini (1998). The Ecosystems Perspective. The Foundations of Social Work Practice. Mattaini, Lowery, Meyer, eds. Washington, DC: NASW Press. NASW Code of Ethics (2007). https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.asp

Sodium Sulfite Food Additive

Sodium Sulfite Food Additive Sodium Sulfite a Food Additive Food additives are chemicals added to food during their preparations to obtain an effect. This effect can range from addition of coloration, flavor to the food, or it can cause food to have a prolonged shelf life, as in the case of preservatives. Usually food additives can be divided into 2 types, direct additives and indirect food additives. Direct food additives are those that are added to the food intentionally to food e.g. flavoring agents, artificial colors etc. An exact quantity of the additive is measured and added to the product and exposure to the public of the additive can be measured. Indirect food additives are those additives that are not intentionally added to food, but do become components of it as is the case of packaging materials, plastics wraps paper packs, laminates etc. The estimation of the exact quantity of compounds which have indirectly been released into the foods and are now exposed to humans for consumption can not be straightforwardly calculated. (Estimating exposure to direct food additives) One such material which is added to foods as an additive is sodium sulfite. It is manufactured on an industrial scale by passing sulfur dioxide through caustic soda, which causes in the end sodium sulfite crystals to form. This is slightly unstable compound and releases sulfur dioxide gas slowly into the atmosphere. This ability provides it with the properties of an Antimicrobial Agent, Antioxidant and a Preservative. Different preparations are made of this product, food grade sodium sulfite and the non food grade preparation which is used in the paper industry as a bleaching agent and the photo industry for developing solution preparations. (Sodium sulfite grades) Before any food can be allowed to be used as an additive it has to be proven as safe by the Food and Drug Agency (FDA) for its use. Concerning Sodium Sulfite, the FDA states that it can be used as a preservative as it is generally considered as safe for the desired purpose, but it should be prepared with good manufacturing practices and used only as is required in quantity and no more. It has no quantitative limitation put on it by the FDA, if it is used as a preservative. If the purpose use is as a boiler additive, then the FDA prevents its use on meats fruits and vegetables, which have to be presented as raw or fresh any food considered to be a vitamin B1 source. (Food Additive Status List) Food additives are taken for granted in many ways. The reason fruits are available all year round, the reason baked goods stay fresh for so long, and we owe it all to additives and preservatives. If we were to stop using all preservatives, most of the snacks we consume would cease to exist and availability of food products would become limited to certain areas and for only a small amount of period in a year only. Additives are for five main reasons. To maintain consistency as is done with artificial foods. To prevent spoilage. Use of preservatives prevents food from ruining early. Fungi, bread mould are prevented from growing as preservatives create an inhospitable environment for them. Antioxidants additives keep fruits fresh and prevent bad taste from developing in baked goods. To maintain or to fortify the nutritional value. This is usually done with breads cereals which are usually fortified with iron, or with milk which is fortified with calcium and vitamins. To enhance the flavor and color. This is done with chips snacks or flavored drinks. To control the pH of the food. This is necessary as in preparation of baked foods like biscuits or cakes. (Food additives) Foods additives are very much integrated into our lives without us even know knowing about it. They help in the proper preparation of food, its availability, and ability to stay fresh for long. They act as anti microbial agents, anti oxidants flavoring agents, bleaching agents, preservatives, fortifying agents and stabilizing agents. Although their availability has provided us with immense opportunities but it all comes at a price as well. Most of the additives are chemicals. The FDA approves additives by labeling them either safe for general consumption, or substances allowed limited use and substances which require further approval from FDA before use. (Food Additive Status List). This is done as certain additives are hazardous to health in large quantities. Sulfites are shown to be mutagenic towards bacteria although no proof of these effects has been reported in humans the risk still persists. It is reported to increase the incidence of acute asthma and in some people cause gastr o intestinal symptoms if present in food products greater than trace amounts. Other additives have the ability to cause chronic ill effects to excessive consumption of the food for a long period of time. Amongst its many uses, sodium bisulfite is primarily used in almost all wine making industry to prevent oxidation of grape juice to vinegar. Secondarily, it is used as an anti microbial agent and as a food color preservative in the canned food industry by preventing oxidation and browning. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses 2 statutes to regulate the licensing and usage of pesticides and fungicides etc. These are the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) or the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (FFDCA). The FFDCA sets the rules and regulations concerning tolerance limits of pesticides, byproducts of fungicides and of food additives. The EPA, when registering a pesticide, approves these products after a risk versus benefit analysis. However, there is clause in the FFDCA which bans use of food additives which has even a small risk ill effect in humans; therefore it sets a zero risk benchmark for the industry to meet. This is called the Delaneys clause. This is problematic for the EPA since it creates 2 different standards for the industry to meet. The FIFRA analyses the risk versus benefit aspect whereas the FFDCA which has the Delaneys clause has a zero risk standard. So some a food additives or pesticides meet t he FIFRA standard do not meet the FFDCA standard. This has created obstructions in the smooth functioning of the EPA as far as approval and re registration of pesticides and food additives is concerned. Finally the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) a Non Governmental organization has looked into this matter and made the following recommendations. It states that there should be one universal standard for all approvals, processed or raw food, old or new pesticide. It also states that rather than having a zero risk policy, the EPA should adopt a negligible risk policy which should be acceptable both, the FIFRA as well as the FFDCA. (Delaneys paradox) References/ Bibliography DiNovi, Michael J. and Kuznesof, Paul M. â€Å"Estimating Exposure to direct food additives and chemical contaminants in the diet.† U.S. Food Drug Administration Center for Food Safety Applied Nutrition Office of Pre market Approval (Aug 2006) http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html â€Å"Food Additives† FDA/IFIC Brochure. Jan.1992. U. S. Food and Drug Administration http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/foodaddi.txt â€Å"Food Additive Status List† CFSAN/Office of Food Additive Safety. 2006. U.S, Food and Drug Administration. 21 Dec 2006 http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/opa-appa.html â€Å"Sodium sulfite grades.† Sodium and Potassium sulfites. 2006. BASF The chemical company. 19 Dec 2006. http://www.inorganics.basf.com/ â€Å"The Delaney Paradox and Negligible Risk Fact Sheet.† Pesticide Management Education Program. Jan.1991. Cornell University Cooperative Extension http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/issues/delaney-negrisk.html

Free Essay: Symbols and Symbolism in White Fang :: White Fang Essays

Symbolism in White Fang "Classic" - a word misunderstood by many people around the world, mostly those of a younger generation. It is surprising how many people believe that the word "classic" means "old" or "boring". This is just not the case. In actual fact, the label "classic" given to books means "of the highest quality," or "of enduring interest and value." Books with this label are the best there is. Every word is carefully thought out and made interesting for the reader. Symbolism, meaning and detail are all applied effectively to keep the book an on-going page-turner. Such a fine example of this is Jack London’s White Fang. A very wonderful tool to an author is the use of symbols within a story. One of the more common symbols throughout short stories and novels ultimately refers to the bible and religious history. In most, if not all stories have the relationship between good and evil – heaven and hell. Whether implied or not by Jack London, White Fang is full of many interesting biblical symbols. The character Beauty Smith, for instance very simply put symbolizes Satan. This man, this creature so vile as to subdue yet another victim (White Fang) into his ever-growing underground slavery prison camps. The greed for money and profit is the only need for this "prison camp"; the dog-fighting gambling is their prison cell. A comparison between the bulldog Cherokee and death itself can be made. Once death has you, there is no way of escaping. When Cherokee had White Fang gripped between his jaws, "There was no escaping that grip. It was like Fate itself, and was inexorable," (London 139). Surely enoug h, God (Weedon Scott) came along and saved White Fang from the grips of evil. The cold-heartedness of evil can be overcome with the heat and light of good. The care and kindness of such like Weedon Scott for all existing creatures alike. Many other symbols deep within this novel lay rest assured, but it is hard to catch them all in such a detailed book as this. With a closer inspection and a deep analysis of a novel, many small but nonetheless important meaningful things can be revealed. London has managed to intricately design a perfect novel full of deep meaning and symbols that can only be done in a short story. But a novel, with so many pages and pages of detailed work, it is so hard to keep up with all the things that lay undiscovered within.

A Local Foreign Manager is Best for Managing Foreign Subsidiaries Essay

A Local Foreign Manager is Best for Managing Foreign Subsidiaries For many global organizations, or organizations that produce or sell goods or services in more than one country, a difficult question is how to develop and place managers in foreign operations. Some people believe organizations should let foreign managers run foreign subsidiaries because of the large differences among national cultures while others believe that domestic managers should be trained to run foreign subsidiaries because of loyalty issues. Nation culture is the particular set of economic, political, and social values that exist in a particular nation. This culture effects all aspects of global organizations operations. Foreign exchange rates, banking and accounting laws, and tax codes can all affect the profitability of foreign subsidiaries. These rules and regulations vary from country to county. The way Japan accounts for good will varies dramatically from the way the United Sates regulatory agency demands it be recorded. In some countries politics play a larger role than others. In sm...

Electrical safety Essay

1. Perform an Internet search about home electrical safety. What are the advantages of using a circuit with a GFI detector when completing a physics lab that uses hot water? (2 points) The advantages of using a circuit with a GFI detector when completing a physics lab that uses hot water is that it prevents you from getting shocked. If part of your body were to be touching water or the ground the GFI detector would help prevent electrocution should the equipment have a short in it. 2. Conduct an Internet search for information on home fire safety. Discuss several common, careless practices that may lead to a home fire while conducting a home physics experiment. (2 points) There are a number of dangers that may lead to a fire when doing a physics experiment if one is being careless. Some common examples are as follows; handling flammable liquids carelessly, a Bunsen burner or other gas emitting equipment that has cracks or leaks, not heating flammable chemicals in a water bath and a student who is not paying attention and leaves an open flame unattended. All these examples may cause dangerous situations and can all be easily prevented should the experiment be done with caution. 3. Discuss three things you can do to protect yourself from contamination/injury in the laboratory. (3 points) Aside from merely being careful there are a number of ways you can protect yourself from contamination and or injury in the laboratory. The first would be to not have an open beverage and or food in the laboratory as this could easily become contaminated. Pens, pencils and all other materials should be kept out of your mouth. Avoid having long hair dangling in the work space as well as loose clothing, jewelry and wearing open toed shoes as these can all cause dangerous situations for injury. Always dispose of glass material in the appropriate labeled container, know all locations for emergency equipment such as a fire extinguisher and first aid kit and always know how  to operate the equipment you are using before doing so. 4. Discuss the steps of the scientific method. (5 points) The scientific method is a series of steps we use in order to perform an experiment. The first of these steps is to observe, at this stage you are creating an interest or wonder in something. The second step is to hypothesize or form a question of what you think the outcome of the experiment will be with support from your observations. Experimenting is the third step which includes two groups both identical except for the variable you are trying to test called the independent variable. These groups are known as the control (remains unchanged) and the experimental group (the one with a changed variable). The conclusion is the final step and at this stage the hypothesis is either accepted or rejected. 5. Compare and contrast a scientific law or principle with a scientific theory. (2 points) A scientific law or principle is different than a scientific theory in a few crucial ways. A scientific law is something that has been proven correct by numerous different people a number of different times all concluding that it is correct. A scientific theory is a guess or belief that something is true and may or may not be correct, some may support it and others may not but it has not been proven overwhelmingly true. 6. Imagine you are a tour guide for a major science laboratory. Write a short script for a tour that summarizes what scientists should (or shouldn’t) wear in the lab, what safety precautions they should take, their cleanliness rules, and what they should do in case of an accident. Your script should contain at least ten of the rules or other important points from the lesson. (5 points) â€Å"Good morning prospective scientists my name is Heather Klein and I will be your tour guide this wonderful day. We are going to begin our tour with some important safety guides in order for everyone to be the best, safest scientists they can be!† â€Å"There will be no eating or drinking out of an open container in the lab! We are all to be wearing close toed shoes, with no baggy clothing or jewelry and hair is to be tied back as all of these can cause dangerous situations. It is important that no one  wear contact lenses and we all wear glasses or goggles when working with dangerous chemicals. Before beginning labs we are to disinfect our counter tops with a 10% bleach solution. Upon beginning the lab each of our scientists makes sure there is only necessary materials at the work place. They are also very aware of how to use the equipment before they begin and make a mental note of all the exits and safety material in case of an accident. When it’s time to dispose of chemicals our scientists always do so in the appropriate containers especially glass. Should there be an injury in the lab, it is to be reported to the instructor or medical professional immediately. We always conclude our experiments with thoroughly cleaning the area and our hands as dangerous chemicals may go unnoticed otherwise. We hope everyone enjoys the tour and respects the important safety rules.† 7. How can you use the information regarding laboratory safety, or how can you apply this knowledge to your everyday life as a non-scientist? (2 points) The knowledge of laboratory safety may be used in everyday life in a number of ways. In the laboratory it is important to pay attention to what you are doing, use something and then put it back in the correct location and not use equipment you are unfamiliar with. These same ideals can be incorporated into everyday life as it is also important to pay attention, not leave dangerous items unattended and to not use things without first permission or knowledge on how to use them. Even non-scientists should abide by these rules in everyday life as it can prevent accidents or dangerous situations. 8. In the morning, you get in your car on the way to work, turn the key, and nothing happens! Use the steps of the scientific method to explain how you would solve this problem. (4 points) In order to solve the problem of my car not starting I would use the steps in the scientific method to first observe if there are any obvious signs as to why the car isn’t starting. I would then form a hypothesis as to why I believe the car isn’t starting such as, â€Å"The car wont start due to the fact the battery is dead from a light being left on†. In order to test my experiment I would hook my car up to another car via some jumper cables and then again try and start it again. If it worked my hypothesis is correct and I am off to work for another day. If the car does not start than I am  incorrect and I must again observe, hypothesize, test my hypothesis in experiment and find my conclusion.

Diabetic Teaching Summary of Power Point Essay

This diabetes power point was presented at an adult community center in Queens, New York called QCP. This power point highlights the importance of educating yourself on disease and more specifically diabetes. Unlike other diseases that can be managed using only medication, diabetes requires day to day knowledge of the disease including nutrition, exercise and different levels of medication. Type II diabetes can also come on later in life based on diet and exercise or lack thereof. Therefore this power point presentation was important to help people understand how to deal with diabetes and how to prevent diabetes. This teaching plan includes education for both prevention and management of the disease. The power point presentation first describes what type of disease that diabetes is and what exactly the symptoms are. The teaching plan goes on to discuss the three different types of diabetes including Type I, Type II and gestational diabetes. Following along the teaching plan teaches how diabetes is diagnosed and what type of symptoms people have when they have diabetes. This helps people better understand the disease and what their symptoms mean and what causes it. The teaching plan is careful to differentiate between pre-diabetes and diabetes to make sure that people understand the difference before they experience the full blown disease. My teaching plan includes simple learning devices to help the audience remember important facts including the ABC’s of diabetes management. The teaching plans follows up with showing the audience how to delay or prevent type II diabetes which is one o f the most important aspects to teach the audience because it is a preventable form of diabetes. My teaching plan was to explain as simple as possible to my audience the forms of diabetes and the way to protect themselves from developing one or protect themselves from making their symptoms worst. As I observed the audience, they were very engaged in the discussion especially when it came to what type of factors affect their chances of getting diabetes. I did not strictly stay on point  with my power point but I gauged the reactions of the audience and added information to sections that they seemed the most interested in. Overall, I believe my teaching plan worked well because I was able to discuss medical aspects of the disease while also making diabetes education relevant to the lives of my audience. Epidemiology is the study of how disease spreads and can be controlled. In this situation diabetes is not a disease that can be â€Å"caught† in the technical sense of the term. Diabetes is not contagious from one person to another. However, there is an important epidemiologic consideration for diabetes, especially Type II, because of a culture of obesity. There is an increase in the rate of Type II, especially in children. For my audience, I had to consider that people that had an excess of body fat and bodies that are obese were at a higher risk for diabetes. In this country there is an increase in diabetes and this is how the disease of diabetes is spreading. As part of my presentation to address the epidemiological concerns I addressed the type of test results that people can look at in order to decrease their risk for diabetes. Most importantly the numbers to watch include cholesterol and the other two big considerations are to lower blood pressure and decrease weight. I focused my presentation around delay and presentation of diabetes because it is most important to my audience and weight loss is a big part of this. The correlation between Type II diabetes and weight is a direct correlation and diabetes will only continue to go up in this country with the increase of obesity. As I observed my audience they shared with me stories of people they had known that had decreased the amount of diabetes medication that they needed to take to control their symptoms by losing weight. These serve as inspiration stories and it was very important for me to engage my audience. I wanted the audience to understand the direct correlation between obesity and the disease and as they told me these stories it showed me that they did understand. I also observed that this part of the presentation was one of the most important parts to them because they felt like this was something they could control. The epidemiological affects come from an attitude and not from a diseas e spreading in the direct sense of the word and after my presentation my audience understood that fact. My teaching experience did not just come from the power point presentation. I studied my audience to determine what the best topic for my presentation would be. Diabetes is a subject that affects all of us and I wanted my audience to understand this. The first time appearing before a group is a learning experience. I spent the time to get to know my group and how diabetes had affected each of them before I started my presentation. This helped them become more comfortable with me and myself to learn more about them so I could become a better teacher for them. My teaching experience grew more personal as my presentation evolved. I tend to have a very personal approach to teaching because it helps my audience remember my presentation. I found that the parts of my presentation that included personal antidotes from myself or my audience and I found that the audience related better to personal situations rather than cold numbers without anything to back them up. My audience helped me reali ze this and it helped me evolve as a teacher. I noticed that stories engaged the audience when numbers, which I included in my power point, did not engage them as much as the personal stories. My overall evaluation was that the experience helped me learn and it will help me develop my future teaching experiences. Overall, it was a very good experience for me because I was teaching to a group of people who were my age and older and I learned how to handle myself and handle the subject matter. Every experience teaches me more about how to handle my audience and get my point across. Another important aspect is that I believe diabetes was a very important topic to discuss because is it not too over-complicated but I also helped teach important medical information. It is always important to gauge your audience and make sure you do not go over their head. Overall it was a very good teaching experience. I was given the opportunity to hold a question and answer session at the adult community center after I finished my presentation. I also discussed with them how my presentation affected them. The community was very happy to be given a presentation on a subject that had affected so many of them. They also were a very perceptive audience and very honest. The group really appreciated the education that I was instilling on them.A big issue that I noticed was that my audience had some myths about diabetes, including that  Type II diabetes was not a very dangerous disease. However, I was given the opportunity to explain to them about the dangerous consequences of the disease. It is important for my group to understand. It is also important for me as the leader of a presentation to be able to read the reaction of my group and go off of that reaction. As I spoke of above the reaction was favorable to learning about diabetes however it was also difficult for people to understand all the med ical aspects of it. I attempted to break it down into very simple terms for my audience to understand but adding in the numbers especially of cholesterol confused people to some extent. There is also the fact that I was dispelling some myths that people held about diabetes. It was not always easy for people to hear some negative things and on some level I think people were very nervous about learning that not taking care of they correctly may lead to a debilitating illness. Overall though the group reaction was very good and I enjoyed teaching the group and possibly making a difference in their lives. I feel that my presentation had several strengths and weakness. Overall, a strength of mine was my ability to be able to connect with my group. My experience working in an Emergency Room environment helped me learn how to read people and their feelings. I utilized this skill during my presentation and it was to my benefit. My group responded to me and I was able to understand their emotions and what they wanted to get out of the presentation. However my nursing background could also be a weakness. During the presentation, at times, I concentrated too much on the technical aspects of the disease. This is not always the best approach especially when dealing with people who are not comfortable with nursing terminology. Another strength is my comfort level around big groups of people which also comes from my experience working in the Emergency Room. I have learned how to work in chaos. Another weakness however is my dependency on my power point slides. In the beginning of my presentation I tended to carefully keep to the power point slides but as I began to read my group I understood that I needed to use my own personal experience, their personal experience and my power point in order to do the best job that I could. I feel this type of comfort level in teaching and public speaking will come as I gain more experience and participate in more teaching activities. The presentation overall went very well and I am pleased with the job I did. I managed to convey to a group of people the dangerous of diabetes and I helped teach them something. It is important to be able to react well to the group and I learned that throughout my presentation. Each group that I teach is another learning experience and I am always up for new challenges. I learn something every day from this presentation and all my experience will help me in my next teaching experience.

Different Perspectives

The focus on terrorism has become a global exercise and since it is a human behavior that is subject to the needs and motives of those who engage in it. The psychological perspective had been used to analyze terrorism and how man becomes a terrorist and though much has been learned of the psychology of terrorism, much also has been desired to paint an accurate picture of terrorism.One limitation of studying terrorism is that there are no single definition of what it is, for this analysis, we define terrorism as acts of violence motivated by social, political, religious and economic ideologies directed towards certain groups, race, country or institution in peaceful times. Terrorist acts had ranged from the most violent, gruesome, irrational, and brutal and all of which are incomprehensible to the normal citizen.Terrorism by itself is inhuman and is a basic affront to the divine right of man to live for acts of terrorism had claimed thousands of innocent lives. The question of how and why ordinary individuals become terrorists have been dissected by psychologists in the hope of learning what personality traits are shared by terrorists, what antecedent factors provoke the person to cause terror to others and whether becoming a terrorist is a behavior of sociopaths.Due to the vast research on terrorism in this frame of thought, it has been found that there is no single terrorist personality, that terrorist have come from different backgrounds, different religions, different economic status, have high levels of academic achievement, have various professions and careers and have different personalities. Another frame of thought was to look at the social psychological context of the would be terrorist, but it was also found that poverty, oppression or even strict fundamentalism do not preclude terrorism.Majority of those who have been oppressed or from poverty do not become terrorists but instead strive to alleviate their situations, the susceptibility to be recruite d by terrorists have also not been supported. Clinical psychology also tried to define terrorism as a form of sociopath disorders since terrorist seemingly do not feel guilt or remorse when they commit acts of violence, they also have a twisted view of justice and retribution as well, but this analogy did not hold up since terrorists do not have the compulsion to kill if it is not within their cause or their objectives (Ruby, 2002).Moreover, sociopaths have limited mental functioning, whereas terrorists are capable of extremely detailed and careful planning and plotting and function normally as members of the society and do not kill just for the need to kill but it is tied to some specific end goal. With the seemingly incomplete analysis of terrorism and terrorists, the psychological perspective had turned their focus on understanding the root cause of terrorism as a group behavior and how it influences the individual to become a terrorist (Crenshaw, 2000).Terrorism is culturally re lative, this means that American’s may view the siege of a political group of the country’s government as an act of terrorism but to the people of that country, it may be an act of rebellion against an oppressive government which is not terrorism but a necessary action that is for the greater good. Another example is how Israeli’s and the people all over the world view Palestinian suicide bomber attacks as a terrorist act, but to the Palestinian’s it is an act of bravery and loyalty to their country and faith which to them is not a sin but a divine call.Thus, when we study the psychology of terrorism, we must make use of the cultural perspective and identify what is terrorism and what is culturally sanctioned behavior, and from there understand the motives and reasons for being a terrorist (Zimbardo, 1995). For example, the Palestinian suicide bombers are often young men who are idealistic and want to contribute to their family and society, and in a socie ty that encourages and rewards these behaviors are motivated to become terrorists because it gives them the opportunity to become an important person in the society and whose family will be treated with respect.Thus, the suicide bomber would think and believe that what he is doing will benefit those he will leave behind and at the same time be able to serve his country and his God, moreover, suicide is not considered a sin but the ultimate sacrifice. To the Israeli’s, who are the recipient of the terrorist attacks no doubt share with the rest of the world the definition of terrorism, and perceive the Palestinian action as irrational and violent and senseless as it only seeks to inflict pain, fear and terror among them.Psychology however can only identify the reasons and help in the understanding of what makes a terrorist, and the socio-cultural perspective says that it is often influenced by the social and cultural expectations of the particular group and is motivated by inte rnal and external rewards of the act. Another useful perspective to be used in analyzing terrorism is through the lens of the cognitive learning perspective; this approach says that any behavior is a product of learning and the perceptions of the individual.Terrorism is a learned behavior, hence it is taught in various situations and is reinforced by the rewards of the behavior, for example, a terrorist may succeed in bombing of an American building and hence the goal is reached. The behaviors needed to reach this goal are taught in training camps and therefore the achievement of the goal satisfies the objectives of the group. The sense of accomplishment, of being able to see the enemy suffer are rewarding to the terrorist for it validates their skills and knowledge in terrorism.However, one is not just a killing machine; the terrorist is also a mentally functioning individual and makes the choices to behave in such a way (Crenshaw, 1990). Terrorists often believe in something and h ave perceived this as the most important and most worthwhile behavior that would enable them to complete their purpose. Terrorism as a focus of study still needs to be studied and academically investigated, with the new evidence and knowledge that people have of terrorists and terrorism, there will come a time when people would understand what it is and hopefully be able to diffuse the burning coals of terrorism.

Eugenics: Designer Babies

Eugenics: Designer Babies Okpurukre Isoken (Medical Ethics) Professor Ballantyne August 5th, 2009 Eugenics: Designer Babies Eugenics, in its broadest sense, is defined as â€Å"the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or of a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits†. The term captures a smorgasbord of vivacious imagery etched into the annals of human history – of ghostly memories about human atrocities anxiously waiting to fade away at the twilight moments of a modern age – of overcrowded prison camps, in which the depths of travail and indolent sighs of countless defenseless victims, of bodies ravaged by scars and which have become too weak to be revitalised in any shape or manner. Or of lives consigned to â€Å"medical investigative exploration for the amelioration of human condition† by what at first sight appears to be insignificant signatures of a clerk. Such lives were considered only sacrifices contrived by altruist motives of a beneficent governing authority. Questions if they could have been raised at all in retrospect could only be considered at someones discretionary time, and place of course. Trying to pick through the rubbles of the world’s past mishaps and distilling their lessons for application to today’s issues is like wading and battling oneself through an ever- confusing maze mired with potholes, trenches and cul-de-sacs. Tolstoy, in his masterpiece War and Peace admonished his readers that everything in history has he mirage of appearing to have been predestined, once history has occured. I believe that as potential medical experts honest and critical intellectual inquiry is only the beginning and the least of what we can do to prevent what future generations will ruefully deem as inevitable consequences of our â€Å"brilliant concoctions†. According to Congressman Greenwood’s opening statem ents at the hearing of the COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS March 28, 2001 convened by medical researchers, bioethicists and members of congress, â€Å" For most of its 80 years, the brave New World could be seen as a disturbing work of science fiction. That is no longer the case. The possible cloning of human beings is now relegated to the world—not relegated to the world of fiction. The question we must now ask is this: what should we do with this science? † Amidst the backdrop of hefty political and legal debates over bioethics that took place in the ‘90s and early 21st century as a result of Ian Wilmot’s sheep cloning experiements, laws had been enacted that helped to curb the development of reproductive technologies. It became crystal clear that the countdown timer has now been set for he inevitable -the cloning of Homo sapiens. No one knows what would happen after that. Notwithstanding, numerous independently funded private labs across the United States and around the world wasted little time to find legal loopholes to evade the scrutiny of authorities and jumped into the hunt for the holy grail. For instance, On December 5, 1997, Chicagoan physicist and fertility expert Richard Seed announced that he planned to clone a human being before any federal laws could be enacted to ban the process. Seed’s plans were to apply the same technique used to clone Dolly. Seed's announcement went against President Clinton's 1997 proposal for a voluntary private moratorium against human cloning. Several arguments may be suggested to explain this fervor. There were those who argued that reproductive freedom includes human cloning, perhaps as a means to address the problem of male infertility. Others advocated cloning as a means to replicate a deceased loved one. For yet others, human cloning is justified because it may provide important advances in scientific knowledge. To be sure, science is entitled to have ethical standards set apart from all other norms of society. Perhaps a closer look at the accompanying evidence will reveal that this is not so. According to Jeff Stryker, a writer for the New York Times Magazine, dated August 4, 2009, sperm banking has now become a global and open market; consumers are no longer limited to the small donor pools at local mom-and-pop sperm banks. In particular, Cryos, a Denmark based company has recently sparked media interest. Its company strategy is aimed at becoming the McDonald’s of sperm banks around the world. Packed in dry ice or liquid nitrogen sperms are shipped express to its buyers in more than twelve countries around the world. Somehow, it is able to sidestep many legal regulations imposed by domestic and local regulations on local sperm bank enterprises. Notwithstanding, the profitability of the sperm bank business has not stemmed the tide in the development of product lines catering to the whims and tastes of different consumer segments. Virginia's Fairfax Cryobank has stepped into the competitive scene with its †Fairfax Doctorate Donors†; since April 1999 the firm has offered, at a third more than the usual charges, sperm from medical, law, Ph. D. and other students and graduates. Cryos offers three grades of sperm, including an †extra† version that contains twice the number of highly motile sperm as its †regular† brand. An Ivy league woman’s egg could nowadays fetch upwards of $50,000. The California Cryobank, located in Los Angeles has launched a new feature to help prospective baby batter buyers pick a load. Its product lines features sperms and eggs of donors that are celebrity look-alikes. Adam Sandler, Andy Roddick, and Ben Affleck are but a few noteworthy mentions. Apparently these parents are free to choose whom they want to have as their children. The Oxford English dictionary defines the term â€Å"designer babies† as â€Å"a baby that the genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics†. According to Ritter M (2008), â€Å"news that scientists have for the first time genetically altered a human embryo is drawing fire from some watchdog groups that say it’s a step toward creating ‘designer babies’. † Yet, the ubiquity of different sperms and eggs on the market today seems to offer a more palatable alternative to genetic engineering. A different and perhaps more pressing issue centers around the ethics of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Here embryos are screened for gene faults before being transferred to a woman's uterus. It has come under the spotlight recently in the UK, with high-profile cases such as that of the Leeds-based Hashmi family. The Hashmis have a child with a rare blood disorder, who urgently needs a bone marrow transplant. Through using PGD, the Hashmis may be able to have a child that is free from the disorder suffered by their existing child. The child yet to be born could also donate tissue to cure its sibling. The Hashmi case became the subject of months of legal wrangling in the UK courts†. (Lee, 2003) In April 2009, Panayiotis Zavos, a controversial fertility researcher attracted international media attention when he announced to the world that he had cloned 14 human embryos and transferred 11 of them into the wombs of four women, at least one of whom was British. The operation failed however. According to his own words, the motivations for cloning was â€Å"not to reproduce the Michael Jacksons and the Michael Jordans in this world, and also, we are totally against designer babies. Therefore, we are not interested in manipulating the genetic information, the genome, but rather just allowing those mothers and fathers to be, to become biological fathers and mothers of those children, and, hopefully, those children will be healthy children and we are totally committed to that†¦ We are talking about the development of a technology that can give an infertile and childless couple the right to reproduce and have a child and above all complete its life cycle. This is a human right and should not be taken away from people because someone or a group of people have doubts about its development. According to Lewis Wolpert, a professor of biology, the issue is an irrelevant one. Surprisingly enough, ethical issues with regards to designer babies are hard to see. In his own words, â€Å"What possible argument from ethics could be used against prenatal diagnosis of an embryo obtained by IVF, if the diagnosis prevents the implantation of embryos with defective genes? I know that some people object, but there is no evidence that the early embryo is a person. This idea is a relatively recent one, with religious underpinning but with neither argument nor evidence. The Magisterium of the Catholic Church demands that the embryo be respected from the first instance. But what has to be considered in every case is the child and its future wellbeing, and not to do so is totally lacking in respect. Who, for example, is being harmed in all the recent fuss about choosing an embryo with the right genes to help a sibling? Both children will certainly be very well cared for. And it is care of the child that matters. (Wolpert, 2003)†. The views of religious segment of society stand in stark contrast to the notions entertained by Wolpert. In general, they raise three primary objections. First being that cloning humans could lead to a new eugenics movement where even if cloning begins with a benign purpose, it could devolve into a scientifcally generated caste ranking of superior and inferior people. Being such, it would interferes with the natural order of creation, eliminating the sanctity of God as a creator. And what’s more, cloning could have long-term effects that are unknown and harmful. People have a right to their own identity and their own genetic makeup which should not be replicated. Cardinal William Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore sums it up more succinctly in humanistic terms ‘‘Cloning is presented as a means for creating life, not destroying life. Yet it shows disrespect toward human life and the very act of generating it. Cloning completely divorces human reproduction from the context of a loving union between man and woman, producing children with no parents in the ordinary sense. He re, human life does not arise from an act of love, but is manufactured to predetermined specifications. A developing human being is treated as an object, not as n individual with his or her own identity and rights. ’’ A slightly different perspective as espoused by Congressman Rush, would be a perspective on how diversity relates to medical research. In his words, â€Å"As an African-American, I’m keenly aware of racist prejudices and biases. The expansion of science can never be an end unto itself. The expansion of science must be viewed in the light of the agenda of those who espouse it and the impact it has on our public, on our way of life and on our God†¦ As noted, science and the biotech field has brought us great successes. We must not take action which will mpede the legitimate and safe use of biotechnology†¦I would argue that we must act with caution to ensure that future scientific successes which will make this world healthier and more prod uctive while tightly regulating and indeed banning those practices which pose a clear threat to the health, the safety, and the moral condition of our citizens. Might we never know how society and human clones will come to perceive one another? Perhaps not. Doron Blake is a 23 year old young man who came from the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank, for which eugenic-minded California inventor Robert Graham recruited various scientific geniuses to onate sperm. When asked to talk about his experience as a sperm-bank child, Doron said, â€Å"It was a screwed-up idea, making genius people. The fact that I have a huge IQ does not make me a person who is good or happy. People come expecting me to have all these achievements under my belt, and I don’t. I have not done anything that special. I don’t think being intelligent is what makes a person. What makes a person is being raised in a loving family with loving parents who don’t pressure them. If I was born with an IQ of 100 and not 180, I could do just as much in my life. The thing I like best bout myself is not that I’m smart but that I care about people and try to make other people’s lives better. I don’t think you can breed for good people. † According to Agar (n. d) human beings are motivated equally by both therapy and enhancement. Yet according to the examples provided above, there seems to exist an ethical divide between treating or preventing disease and enhancing traits. The privacy of persons and families being weighed against life’s existence is a rhetorical discussion that has not witnessed any proper resolution, perhaps because they are viewed as ends in themselves. This point may help in some sort or fashion Reinhold Niebuhr’s view of social conflicts – The human person, in Niebuhr’s account, is self-interested in the extreme. While the individual â€Å"moral man† can check his natural selfishness through conscience, self-discipline, and love, social groups—tribes, movements, nations—look out for their own and strive to dominate other groups. Everybody’s motives are always mixed. Order in society is achieved through the threat of force, so â€Å"society is in perpetual state of war. † Such intransigence in viewpoints could be the ill that lies at the heart human atrocities. The level of anti-abortion violence, seen in the US of the last three decades, which includes arson and bombing are only symptoms of a greater ill that has been galvanizing it. There is little justifiable rationale in the paradoxical actions of engaging in bloodshed and murder if life not death is its goal. This would be the tragic consequence which C. S. Lewis talked about when he observed that ‘‘man’s conquest of nature would result in the abolition of man. ’’ COMHH References Agar N. (n. d). Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations. Retrieved on June 16th, 2009 from http://www. actionbioscience. org/biotech/agar. html Connor S. (2009). Fertility expert: ‘I can clone a human being' Retrieved on August 4, 2009 from http://www. zavos. org/fertility-expert-i-can-clone-a-human-being-1672095. html Lee E (2003). Debating Designer Babies. Retrieved on June 15, 2009 from http://www. prochoiceforum. org. uk/ocrreliss7. php Macrae F. (2008). Couple to have Britain's first baby genetically modified to be free of breast cancer gene. Retrieved on June 15, 2009 from http://www. dailymail. co. k/health/article-1098034/Couple-Britains-baby-genetically-modified-free-breast-cancer-gene. html Malcolm R (2008). Genetically Modified Human  Baby? Retrieved on June 14, 2009 from http://healthandsurvival. com/2008/05/12/genetically-modified-human-baby/ Subcommittee on oversight and investigations (2001, March 28). Issues raised by human cloning research. Retrieved from http://republicans. energycommerce. house. gov/107/action/10 7-5. pdf Thomas V (2007) Children Have Rights – Say No to Repro Tech from http://childrenhaverights-saynotoreprotech. blogspot. com/2007/02/doron-blake-genius-designer-baby. html