IB Economics Commentary †Australia MPs Pass Carbon Tax Essay

The Australian government will bring in one of the world’s biggest carbon emissions trading schemes after MPs passed two bills by senators that are expected to vote into law in November. A carbon tax is an environmental tax levied on the carbon content of fuels. A negative externality of production occurs when the production of a good or service creates external costs that are damaging to third parties. This is mainly related to the environmental problems. Figure 1. Negative Externality of Production for Carbon Emission Figure 1 shows if the government is not intervening and the market is determined by only supply and demand, known as free market, the marginal private costs of the firm are below the marginal social cost because there is an extra cost to society caused by pollution. Pollution includes increase in fossil fuel burning, which would release CO2 into the atmosphere and the loss of carbon sinks. Also, it is said that CO2 emissions harm ocean’s ability to absorb carbon. The firm will only be concerned with its private costs and will produce at Q1. It is not producing at the socially efficient output, where the marginal social cost is equal to the marginal social benefit. This means that at a price of p* from figure 1 would create Q*. The community surplus is not maximized due to the effects of pollution, since it is causing a negative consequence. One way government policies may counter the problem is to tax the firm in order to increase the firm’s private costs. The carbon tax aims to cut Australia’s emissions by 5% from year 2000 levels by the year 2020, and bring emissions down 80% by 2050. The tax requires the country’s 500 biggest polluters to pay A$23 per tonne for their carbon emissions. Figure 2: Taxing a Negative Externality of Production for Carbon Emission Figure 2 shows when the government decided to tax that will help the economy, there is still a welfare lose, but it is less than under the free market with no government intervention. The pink color shading shows the welfare loss before the tax and the red color shading shows the welfare loss after taxing, which clearly shows it would reduce the deadweight burden, but not eliminate it completely. It is suggested that government should counter the externality to increase welfare. In this case, stakeholders include firms, labors, and households. Firms are the increase cost, labors refer to the consideration of losing job and households refer to the price level that is rising. If government chose not to tax, the economy would most likely to run in a short term, since there is too much welfare loss. However, government chose to tax the negative externality of production, which the economy could run in long-term. The higher the government tax, the less welfare loss will result. Also, households will be compensated for rising prices due to the carbon tax. The government concluded with the plan to turn the economy into a tradable emission permits schemes. However, this is certainly not the best choice since it doesn’t lead to the reduction of pollution once allowable limit has been set and government might not have the data of the total level of pollution and it is very difficult to measure a firm’s pollution output. To conclude my evaluation, apply taxation added to the economy is the most suitable choice government should make. It is suggested in the article, however, not their final decision. Firms are the increase cost, labors refer to the consideration of losing job and households might consider rearranging the price level and firms should consider about increasing cost, which not a lot of people could afford. The other choices take time to plan and have to consider a lot of consequences. However, taxing is not easy as well. It could be difficult to measure accurately the pollution created, but it does help reduce the welfare loss, which already is improving. Peter Hoeller and Markku Walli, Autumn 1991, Energy Prices, Taxes and Carbon Dioxide Emissions [online] OECD Economic Studies No. 17. Available at: Tom Marshall, February 3 2009, CO2 Emissions harm Ocean’s ability to absorb carbon [online] Natural Environment Research Council. Available at:

Smartphone Industry

Executive summary Smartphones have ushered in a new generation of modern communication. The report investigates the computing capabilities of smartphones, and their ability to support several multimedia applications. The report discusses that fact the smartphone industry has rapidly grown over the last two decades. Currently, rapid transformation is taking place and competition to control the lucrative market has increased. The report considers whether the market segment is controlled by a few major players . The reports investigates patent issues amongst the major players The PESTLE framework is used to analyse the business environment in the smartphone market. Porter’s Five Forces is also used to evaluate the rivalry and power of the individual players within the smartphone industry. Introduction According to Ahson and Ilayas (2006), a smartphone is a form of mobile device that integrates the characteristics of a phone and a PDA. A smartphone offers more advanced connectivity and computing capabilities. Smartphones have the ability to access the Internet and support several multimedia applications. Smartphones achieve the capabilities of a Personal Computer technology and a traditional phone (Ahson and Ilayas, 2006). They enable users to add, install, and delete hundreds of applications. Users can also personalize the interface. They have ushered the present society into an era of ubiquitous information. The report examines the global-local aspects of the smartphone industry, specifically the patent wars. It also provides an analysis of the smartphone industry using the PESTLE framework. The report further provides an evaluation of the rivalry and power among the smartphone players. It discusses the competitive advantage within the smartphone industry. Global-local aspects of the smartphone industry.Smartphones; Markets and growth trendsPark, et al (2011) hypothesize that the mobile phone industry has witnessed a significant change in the last 15 years. In the last decade, Nokia was the world’s leading manufacturer of mobile phones. Since then, Nokia has been dislodged from the leading position by the new smartphone companies such as Apple, Samsung, and LG. The success of these companies is due to the introduction of new modern and innovative approaches to the ease of use of hardware and an improved user interface design (Park et al 2011). Himmelsbach (2013) argues that, in the recent years, the smartphone industry has witnessed radical transformation and altered competitive situation. The major players in the market segment include Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Sony, LG, HTC, Nokia, Research in Motion, Microsoft, and Google (Park et al 2011). . There are also other indirect players such as Qualcomm and Cirrus Logic. The intense c ompetition among the market players has led to large volumes of complex and mostly multi-jurisdiction patent litigation (Himmelsbach, 2013). The economic downturn caused the traditional global phone market to enter recession (Ahson and Ilayas, 2006). However, the smartphone market has been growing rapidly (Himmelsbach 2013). Major players have expanded their total sales due to the growing number of smartphone users and the reduced prices. Smartphone industry PESTLE analysis (Henry, 2008). Factor AnalysisPolitical analysisPolitical environment in some countries enable smartphone markers to flourish Political challenge in some countries, for instance, China, and India raised security concerns over some features provided by RIM’s BlackBerry. Roaming fees is relatively high in several countries Economic analysis The current prices of smartphones devices are fair although devices from some major manufacturers such as Apple are still considered to be expensive Slow economic growth and recession can affect the sale of smartphone devices Social analysis Some major smartphones brands symbolize high status.Innovation is increasing getting hard.Technological analysis The main rivalry is between Apple’s iOS and Android operating systems. Innovation is rapidly growing and each day, a new technology is invented. Environmental analysis Manufacturers are required to comply with various environmental standards. Legal analysis Patent lawsuits is increasing among the smart phone industry players.Patents in the smartphone industry.According to Hill et al (2014), the smartphone industry has experienced patent litigation for several years. In the past, voice telephony services such as speech compression technologies, network management and radio transmission were the main focus of patent litigation. More recently, patent litigation has broadened across a wider range of cellphone and mobile computing technologies. The major market players are continuously suing each other over a variety of smartphone patents. The role of patents in the smartphone industry is to protect a company’s investment in research and development (Hill et al 2014). After an examination of a patent, the owner is granted a monopoly license for the patented invention which is usually 20 years. Patents provide incentive to the owner company for its effort of bringing the innovative technology out of the research lab and into the market after an expensive and risky business. The N etwork Patent Analysis method indicates that large portion of the patent portfolio is held by Apple (Ferell and Fraedrich, 2014). Apple is slightly ahead of IBM and Microsoft. According to NPA, 16 out of the 20 patent are owned by Apple. NPA reveals several of the smartphone patent lawsuits are within the 16 unique clusters of inventions that are related. Hill, Jones and Schilling (2014) note that the majority of smartphones patent wars are related to mobile data access, touch screens and transmission of mobile data. Among the three clusters, each has different company or manufacturer dominating the patent portfolio. According to Hill, Jones and Schilling (2014), the mobile data access cluster is dominated by Research in Motion, while the touch screen cluster is dominated by Apple. Evaluation of the competitiveness (rivalry) and power of the individual players within the smartphone industry using Porter’s five forces. Smartphone devices have become part of many people’ s lives. The market has been largely fractionalized. The transformation of the smartphone market has led to increased competition and rivalry. Different players are producing devices tailored for different market segments. Porter’s Five Forces can be used to understand the forces affecting the smartphones market from the manufacturers and users perspectives. The five components of Porter’s framework in relation to the smartphone industry is as follows. The threat of new entrants is low because the investment on the required technology needed to compete in this industry is high. Consumers purchase phones from incumbent companies with good reputation. This explains why Apple, and Samsung smartphones are the most popular in the market. The threat of substitutes is low because smartphones contain added functionalities from other digital electronic devices such as watches, digital cameras, cell phones, pager, and organizers, and laptops. The service provided by smartphones are sufficient as expected from a mobile device. The bargaining power of buyers is rated to be medium because the present smartphones market contains a variety of products from major brands for consumers to choose. The prices of smartphones have become relatively low. The bargaining power of suppliers is medium because of the reliance of mobile phone manufacturers on their suppliers. The manufactures acquire quality components from suppliers at competitive prices. Som e smartphone operating systems such Android is open source. The smartphone industry is competitive with a few strong competitors (Boyes and Melvin, 2012). New entrants find it challenging to compete and gain in the market share which is dominated by major brands. However, some new smartphones manufacturers such as Sony and ZTE are rapidly gaining popularity and market share. Competitive advantage within the smartphone industry. The smartphone market is highly competitive, and it has experienced dramatic changes in the recent past. In 2007, Apple defeated BlackBerry from the leading position as the dominant smartphone maker Laffey (2011). Smartphone market competition has also been based on the two main operating systems, Google’s Android and Apples’ IOS (Park et al 2011). Apple has managed to take the leading position in the market because of its high specification products, integrated operating system and quality hardware (Laffey, 2011). Apple’s success is also attributed to its luxury brand image established during the reign of Steve Jobs Apple provides the eco-system of apps available online on Apple’s app-store platform (Park et al 2011). The Kindle Fire, an Amazon product is expected to challenge Apple by offering readerse new opportunities to access to Amazon’s online e-books store (Laffey, 2011). Amazon’s relationship with content providers will enable it secure the delivery of its apps and video content providing a new competition across the market segment (Laffey, 2011). The difference in pricing between Android and IOS phones has impacts on competition (Laffey, 2011). Most Android smartphones are affordable while some devices from Apple are less affordable. Apple benefits from a higher income from this (Laffey, 2011). Conclusion In summary, the current smartphone is no longer exclusive for early adopters. Streamlining of new innovations has led to increased competition and patent litigation. It is evident that the smartphone market is controlled by a few major smartphones makers. Smartphones have heralded a new era in the communication industry and changed several aspects of human lifestyle. New software makers need to develop an operating system to make a unique distinction in the current market. References Ahson, S. and Ilayas. (2006) Smartphones [online]. Intl. Engineering Consortium. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk [Accessed 4 April 2014] Boyes, W., and Melvin, M. (2012) Macroeconomics. Cengage Learning. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk[Accessed 4 April 2014] BBC (2010) ‘Leading mobile phone lose market share’, 10 November. Available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11725411 [Accessed 4 April 2014] Egham (2012) ‘Gartner says worldwide smartphone sales soared in Fourth quarter of 2011 with 47 percent growth’. Garner [online]. 15 February. Available from: http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/1924314 [Accessed 4 April 2014] Ferell, O., C., and Fraedrich, J. (2014) Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making & Cases [online]. Cengage Learning. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk[Accessed 4 April 2014] Henry, A. (2008) Understanding Strategic Management [online]. Oxford University Press. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk [Accessed 3 April 2014]. Himmelsbach, T. (2013) A Survey on Today’s Smartphone Usage [online]. GRIN Verlag. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk[Accessed 4 April 2014] Hill, C., Jones, G., and Schilling, M. (2014) Strategic Management: Theory & Cases: An Integrated Approach [online]. Cengage Learning. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk[Accessed 4 April 2014] Laffey, D. (2011) Strategic issues in Tablets and Smartphones: An Agenda (Non-referred research note). Journal of Strategic Management Education 7(4): 287-290 Park, J., Yang, L., and Lee, C. (2011) Future Information Technology: 6th International Conference on Future Information Technology, FutureTech 2011, Crete, Greece, June 28-30, 2011. Proceedings [online]. Springer. Available at: http://books.google.co.uk [Accessed 4 April 2014]

Evaluate to what extent intellectual property law adequately protects Essay

Evaluate to what extent intellectual property law adequately protects the rights of enteratinment business personalities(real persons only) - Essay Example The pirated goods generally include CDs, computer software and videos. This practice violates the interests of both consumers and inventors. The rate of produce will certainly go up once it comes to the hands of consumer. At the same time, the inventor or producer feels aggrieved that others have been able to capitalize on his work which involves a considerable investment of time and money. Hence this violates the basic principles and interests of original talented artists in entertainment industry. The intellectual property law guarantees the persons rights to have their own qualities, but at the same time the right of expression of press people also gets clashed with this and in case of England the right of freedom of expression dominates the right of privacy of artists (Attorney-General v Guardian Newspapers Ltd,1990)1. However in some situations the right of privacy of artists was well protected by the intellectual property rights (La Forest J in R v Dymont,1988)2. This case conc erns about invasion of privacy and wrongful disclosure of private information. It stresses the importance between freedom of expression and respect for an individuals privacy. Both are vitally important rights. Neither has precedence over the other. A proper degree of privacy is very much essential for the well-being and development of an individual. Article 8 states that the right of privacy of information is to be protected and should be in tune with the common law. Similarly the article 10 declares that the right of freedom of information is also crucial and there should be balance between the article 8 and article 10 (Reynolds v Times Newspapers Ltd,2001) 3. Some legal instruments in the world like intellectual property law provide sufficient justice to the genuine artists. Intellectual property law is one of the most important legal document which certainly protects the rights of the artists in the entertainment industry (Bainbridge, 2006). However there has

Analyse the human resource issue relevant to an organization intending Essay

Analyse the human resource issue relevant to an organization intending to expand into the global market - Essay Example The intention of this study is analysis of human resource management (HRM) processes in Australia and the United Kingdom that has been carried out in the point of view of political, economic, legal, and socio-cultural systems and the evolving business situations. The organization of the sections has assisted in emphasizing the impact of fundamental aspects on HRM practices and policies in each nation, and the context-focused character of HRM. For instance, the economy considerably affects HRM in both nations, but its effect differs. For example, in Australia the recessionary situations of the earlier years are weakening employment traditions and encouraging reforms in the system. The United Kingdom has seen an explosion in foreign direct investment. By using UK’s Organon Laboratories Ltd. as a multinational company planning to expand to Australia, each section reveals several HRM challenges in Australia, as well as in the parent country, the United Kingdom. Taking into account the infancy phase of human resource management in several Asia-Pacific nations, such as Australia, and the assumption that HRM in a cross-cultural and cross-national perspective could be best examined by exploring the effect of dimensions of natural culture this paper tries to analyze the effect of the major national aspects on international HRM by using the planned expansion of UK’s Organon Laboraties Ltd. to Australia. ... The main offices of Organon are located in Oss, southern Netherlands, and it has 55 subordinate units across the globe, with two in the United Kingdom: (1) management, marketing, etc. in Cambridge, England, and (2) processing, research and development in Motherwell, Scotland (Tayeb 2005, 210). Organon hires 10,000 people all over the world. It was founded in 1948 and its primary goods are human prescription medication and its market is prescription pharmacies. It is one of the major providers of oral contraceptives and infertility drugs (Tayeb 2005, 210). Astra Zeneca and GlaxoSmithKline are its main competitors. Organon’s mission statement is provided by Akzo Nobel. Nevertheless, being the main actor in the pharmaceutical unit, the company aspires to sustain its independence. Hence mention of Akzo Nobel are silenced, for instance the manner personnel answer callers is ‘Organon Laboratories’ (Tayeb 2005, 211). In other branches their image is more strongly identif ied with Akzo. Each of the two sub-divisions in the UK has a human resource (HR) manager. However, there is only one Managing Director in the UK. The employee guidelines of Scotland are slightly controlled by the main office. The HR manager has acquired the practices and guidelines which have progressed since 1948 (BioPortfolio 2011). Employees have been permitted to develop work hours, payment rules and employment agreements that would meet the needs of the firm in the UK. There has been a productive relationship with the directors who have been major guardians of company guidelines in the UK, such as Cambridge’s Managing Director and Motherwell’s Process Director and Research Director (Tayeb 2005). They were somewhat like-minded with regard to employment issues, the parent

Ecology - research projects and Presentations Task - topic Desert Essay

Ecology - research projects and Presentations Task - topic Desert - Essay Example In some deserts, there are gold and granite fields, also exploited from time immemorial. The main economic resource of the deserts is in any case oil, with the richest fields being located in the Persian Gulf (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iran). This rather small area contains 65% of the world’s oil resources; Saudi Arabia alone contains 25% and is therefore the country possessing the largest amounts of crude oil. Deserts have provided trade corridors from times immemorial through which goods and cultures travelled. Water-soluble salts, such as gypsum, borates, table salt, sodium and potassium nitrates have been historically a product of deserts. Because of their warm climate, deserts also export agricultural products, produced under irrigation, to non-desert areas. Agriculture and horticulture are already profitable in many deserts, as in Israel and Tunisia, and have great further potential. The growth of desert cities, clearly evidenced in industrial countries in the mid-twentieth century, has attracted the migration of non-desert people into desert habitats, drawn by new employment opportunities and the availability of cheap housing. In recent years, the influx of tourists to deserts, seeking the dry and sunny climate, has encouraged migration to deserts as well. Water or basically the lack of water is one of the most important desert features. Typically, deserts receive less than 508 millimeters (20 in.) of rain per year. This means that animals and plants looking to survive in the desert must be able to live with little water for extended periods of time Deserts have huge fluctuations in temperatures. Because there is little moisture, deserts lack the insulating protection of both humidity and cloud cover. A desert that is hot during the day may drop to well below zero degrees at night, once the heat of the sun has left.   Soil: The

Management thories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management thories - Essay Example This research will explore the contribution of Hofestede to our understanding of the effect of culture to international management practices of organisations. Through utilisation of a huge database of statistics on culture, Hofestede managed to come up with an analysis of the patterns describing the similarities and differences of cultures in five main dimensions. His research focused only on international business managers, which enabled him to come up with a true picture of how culture influences management of international organisations. These five dimensions include power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty and long-term orientation (Smith, Peterson & Schwartz 2002, p. 235). Power distance refers to the level of inequality that prevails among people (Smith, Dugan & Trompenaars 1996, p. 241). This inequality is acceptable by all people, both those with power and those without power. A high power distance society accepts inequality in the distribution of power and the members have a good understanding of their position in the system. With a low power distance society, there are an equal sharing of power and a high dispersion of power. The members in a low power society consider themselves equal. This idea means that in a high power nation such as Malaysia, reports will only reach the topmost managers who will hold meetings in a closed room with only the presence of powerful leaders (Smith, Dugan & Trompenaars 1996, p. 246). Individualism is a reflection of the strength of the relationships possessed by the people concerning others in the entire community. A high level of individualism means that there are no tight connections among them. It also means that there is a low degree of sharing of responsibilities except for family members that can only include the few closest friends. On the other hand, in a society where individualism is low, there is

LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

LAW - Essay Example (Melone and Kames, 64) Since actions were required to follow the specific form of the writ in invoke the courts’ jurisdiction, the common law courts could not provide satisfactory solutions in all cases. The writ system created a lot of confusion so that in some cases: â€Å"...forms of actions were pulled and stretched to cover a number of situations not originally contemplated when they were created. Yet many forms of action brought by plaintiffs were dismissed because they did not fit the narrow requirements of particular existing writs.† (Melone and Kames, 64) The writ system and within the common law system was devised during feudalism when the landed aristocracy were the ruling classes. However, with the emergence of the mercantile movement followed by industrialism the economic environment changed with greater demands on the courts. (Melone and Kames, 64) More and more disputants, essentially unsatisfied with common law courts began to petition the King â€Å"and his council† for remedies that were not provided for in the common law courts. (Melone and Kames, 64) the King’s Council would in turn remit these complaints to the Lord Chancellor, their highest ranking member. (Melone and Kames, 64) It was the Lord Chancellor’s office that had initiated the writ system that led to the creation of the three common law courts. (Melone and Kames, 64) Ironically it would be the Lord Chancellor himself who would influence the creation of the law of equity. The Lord Chancellor’s influence came via the petitions for remedies that were outside the jurisdiction of the common law courts. He would consider these petitions and make recommendations to the Kings’ Council. His recommendations were typically accepted without more. (Melone and Kames, 64) This practice carried on until the Court of Chancery, a court of equity was institutionalized in 1474. (Melone and Kames, 64) The Lord

Quantum probability communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Quantum probability communications - Essay Example I have also observed that labour shortage and high unemployment coexist in the labour market of China. In fact, these issues have cropped up in recent years. The total number of students passing out from different universities in China has increased considerably in 2014 compared to 2013.   The quarter of January-March, 2014 evidenced around 1293 million graduate job seekers looking for employment opportunities in China, but have not been successful in getting a job across 102 cities through employment agencies. The unemployment rate in the major cities of China including rural migrants stood at 8.7% in the 1st quarter of 2014 (Voxeu.org, 2015). On the other hand, the percentage comes to 6.9% if the rural migrants are excluded. This can be explained through the lack of required skills among the local graduate candidates in China. In the view of Chan (2015), the labour shortage in China can be met by offering more employment opportunities to the migrant workers and expanding employme nt agencies.   Thus, the current shortage of labour supply in China would offer better job opportunities and career prospect to migrant workers like me. In continuation to this, the Chinese market has become a suitable destination for the Japanese companies. This can further increase the job demand for migrant employees.   Lack of multiple job-oriented skills seems to be the key reason for the inability of young graduates to secure a job in China. This further makes me suitable as a potential employee in China because of my knowledge.

SWOT Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

SWOT Analysis - Essay Example It is done, to maintain a very good relationship with the patients so as to retain them for longer period of time. It might prove effective for the organization of Mayo clinic so as to enhance its reputation and demand in the market among others. High brand image- the news paper of United States described the organization of Mayo Clinic as a provider of integrated care services to its patients. As a result of which, the patients are extremely satisfied and pleased with the services of the hospital resulting in amplification of its position and market share among other contenders. Along with this, it might also prove effective in amplifying its reputation and patient base in future era thereby reducing the fear of new entrants. Large presence- the organization of Mayo Clinic is also present in three major metropolitan locations such as Rochester (Minnesota), Jacksonville (Florida), and Phoenix (Arizona). Therefore, due to the presence of the organization of Mayo Clinic in various locations, the patients might very easily reach it to attain varied types of services at an effective cost among others. Huge employees- the organization of Mayo Clinic also comprises of huge range of employees so as to offer value-added services to its patients. And this might help the organization to enhance its image and market share among other rival players. Competitive cost- the organization of Mayo Clinic also offers varied types of services to its patients at a quite effective cost. This acted as one of the most important strength for the organization of Mayo Clinic among others. Less number of doctors- the organization of Mayo Clinic fails to offer varied types of medical practitioners to its patients at appropriate time-period and so, a huge range of patients gets dissatisfied. This hinders the reputation and market value of the

Problematizing the Use and Learning of a Second Language Essay

Problematizing the Use and Learning of a Second Language - Essay Example The quest for education has attracted international students to foreign countries. Both undergraduate and graduate international students are, for example, enrolling in the United States universities in large numbers. The students, however, encounter several challenges as they strive for academic excellence and adapting to the new society. They even find it hard to socialize with the local students because of inadequacies in language proficiency and other related factors. In spite of the challenges, the students are of benefit to the learning communities both at the national and state levels. They introduce new cultures and bring about financial gains to American institutions. It is a fact that the English language is prevalent in various countries all over the world, but the level of understanding on how to use it differs. Several countries in Africa and Asia have embraced the English language. I believe that English is the most learned language in schools. I think that governments and institutions interested in enhancing their quality of learning cannot understate the value of English. Drawing examples from Chinese students, Qian, presents a comprehensive study of the teaching methods that can improve their oral English. He notes that China has given attention to the learning of oral English in colleges (Qian 2204). I think that in spite of China’s rampant economic growth, they still have to depend on the language when sourcing for foreigner investors. I fail to understand how China’s growth can continue if they can fail to embrace the language. By teaching English to their children and students in colleges, they provide grounds for their f uture growth. Qian, a lecturer at the department of English in Zhenjiang Watercraft College, argues that â€Å"it is true in China that thousands of students cannot speak fluent English although they have learned it for several years† (2204).  Ã‚  

Slaughter house five Essay Example for Free

Slaughter house five Essay Slaughter house five is a combination of helplessness as everything that happens is destined to happen and the choice to feel good or bad about the events is the curse of human kind. Human life is led under the illusion that there is a choice to stop, prevent or modify the events, while, in reality the only power accorded to man is the power of observation and attaching his emotions to the events that unfold. The explicit message of the book is that Billy Pilgrim has the ruinous capacity of knowing about his entire life but has no power to modify or protect himself from any pre-ordained events. The implicit message seems that there is a scheme to all events in history which has strands from various events leading to it without the individual components or players ever having the complete knowledge of the consequences of their contribution. A survivor’s guilt associated with the autobiographical part of the novel which the author tries to shrug away by the end of the first chapter is actually a clever disguise to mask the coming â€Å"unstuck in time† of Billy Pilgrim. A survivor of one of the most gruesome elements of the world war, paradoxically carried out by the â€Å"white† forces of the allies, Pilgrim suddenly becomes capable of four dimensional thinking and time ceases to be a linear component of his mindscape. It is a whole unit and has no chance of being altered or deciphered. It simply is. As the loud speaker in the trafalmadorian flying saucer answers Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why. (77) The explicit and the implicit do seem to collude to infer the inevitability of world-historic and human-personal events, an intricately inter twined web which defies reason. Repetition serves more than one purpose in the novel. Billy keeps returning to Dresden, which is a defining moment in his life and the repeated trips to the scenes around the raging massacre is a reinforcement of the effect one singular event can have on the stream of consciousness of a person. Even equipped with the time travelling four dimensional capabilities of trafalmadorians, Billy is unable to escape revisiting his one defining moment. It is left to the reader’s judgment to decipher if there is anything special about these repetitions. Readers are left wondering if Billy is unable to help revisiting this instance or is the author obsessed with this particular phase. The absence of a definitive answer to this question adds to the intrigue behind this repetition. In a novel that takes conventional logic and builds an inverse pyramid around it, it is rather difficult to pick the logical strands of the work. However, there is a sound logic once the framework of such logic is accepted along the lines drawn by the author for Billy Pilgrim. As Billy knows the circumstances of his murder (he sees time as a whole entity and not as a continuous stream which exposes the present in any linear order). This makes him fearless of Paul Lazarro’s claims of revenge in the prison hospital. He already knew that he shall be killed by the same Lazarro, but after many years in a balkanized United States. Once the rules of this specific logic are grasped, then the reading of the novel becomes easier because the irony of any event is that it is pre determined and pans out exactly in the order it has been laid out in the unit of time. The various fears of Billy are brought into the fore through the various times he visits with his unusual prowess. His mother’s weak questioning about her ageing, his father’s crude tactics of teaching him swimming when he was really small by throwing him into the deep side of the pool are efforts at revisiting past fears and future anxieties. The contrast is the switching between past and future. Dresden contrasts with itself on each occasion Billy visits that place. In one instance it is a highly civilized beautiful city, once it is a raging inferno due to allied bombings and Billy, along with other PoWs helps load the corpses. In another instance Dresden is shown as a city with factories that made malt syrup with proteins. The central location of this novel is contrasted with itself multiple times to give a feeling that the various events have changed the feelings Billy has associated with this place though he finds it difficult to explain his anguish related to the most defining moment of his life. There are patterns that Vonnegut plans intricately in the novel. It is the stream of consciousness narrative always told in the past tense, to imply that linearity of events has no bearing on their implications or consequences. Similarly, the apparent lack of credibility to Billy’s philosophy of time, derived from trafalmadorians prowess of time viewing throws up the disenchantment with the existent system. Billy meets his parents, proposes to his lover, attends a conference, sneaks into a radio broadcast and in between all these seems to visit Dresden in various capacities and at various junctures. This seemingly convoluted journey of the protagonist is an attempt to capture the centrality of the defining moment. This is the most obvious pattern that can be deciphered from detailed reading of the novel. Though the novel abounds with suppositions and implausible logic, the one thing it is devoid of is visible anomalies. The perverse logic is consistent throughout an Vonnegut has taken special care for the stream of consciousness narrative to remain unhindered by any anomalies that can affect the flow of the novel or the effect it has on readers expecting a linear story writer. The uninhibited profanity and explicit description of un natural sex in a trafalmadorian cage, and the bristling pace of time travel with an obvious contempt to linearity are actually a scheme to prepare the reader to more readily accept the implicit message that Everything is all right, and everybody has to do exactly what he does. Chapter 9, pg. 198

Assisted suicide Essay Example for Free

Assisted suicide Essay Assisted Suicide In the 1990s, ‘Doctor Death’ Jack Kevorkian invented the first assisted suicide machine  in the world. He was then thrown into prison for 7 years (Pickert). This caught people’s attention  and made them question whether it should be legal to request physician assisted suicide, which is  when someone asks a physician to help him or her terminate his or her life. This topic became  one of the most popular discussions in recent years, but the truth is that it has actually been a  centuries- old debate. For both logical and humanitarian reasons, assisted suicide is not right and  should not be legalize. Is it right for a nation founded on Christianity to allow citizens to choose assisted  suicide? Can a decision that is made by a mentally ill person be treated as a rational decision? Is  the prevention of pain an acceptable circumstance in which to end a life? People still do not have  a widely accepted answer. It is not clear whether physician assisted suicide  is right or wrong. Assisted suicide should not be viewed solely as affecting one life, but should be viewed as a  decision that affects many.  The declaration of independence states that everyone has the right to pursue happiness  In whatever way they choose. Many argue that a decision to kill oneself is a private choice, that  society should not be, and has no right to be concerned. America believes that with its freedom,  people can do almost everything based on their own choices. Physician assisted suicide is also  one of the choices that they can decide. The common argument is that these people are adults  who can make rational and reasonable choices, however many people who request physician  assisted suicide are mentally ill. Of those who attempt suicide but were unsuccessful, less than 4  percent go on to kill themselves in the future, which means that most people changed their mind  after a period of recovery. Psychological evidence shows that those who ask for physician   assisted suicide in order to avoid pain are normally ambivalent, and they  usually attempt to end  their life for other reasons than a settled desire to die. Since assisted suicide has already become  a popular way to end suffering and pain, people who were in the status might feel it is necessary  for them to kill themselves since they have in their mind become a burden to their family and  society. Some would say it is wrong for such an impression to have the power to persuade a  personto end their life due to their weakness and disability. As a Christian nation, America wants a positive and happy image for the country.  American people value the meaning of life, and According to what most of the Christians  believe, God is the one who created life. Then how can people have the right to end something  that they did not even create in the first place? American society does not think assisted suicide  is good as a whole, because assisted suicide is still a self-caused death, which is equal to suicide.  Although there is always a vague line drawn between assisted suicide and attempted  murder. Assisted suicide is the opposite of happiness because it demonstrates  utter depression. It  is clear that American society sees assisted suicide as wrong, because there is a suicide watch  team among the police and counselors at schools who are trained to help and avert suicide. Asking for assisted suicide as a form of pain relief and signing a release form is not acceptable  either. People cannot solve problems by trying to get rid of them. People who stand against  physician-assisted suicide believe that suffering is just a stage of life. And lots of people who  were prevented from assisted suicide will tell you that they all passed that stage successfully,  and they are appreciative that they were stopped from asking for physician-assisted suicide. Assisted suicide also hurts the people who care about those who were asking for a  physician assisted suicide. Patients might get relived from their long suffering and pain but their  family will be hurt from one’s immature decision. The person only thought of their own  feelings and never considered others who are around them and how they feel. Families and loved  ones will be upset about their decision to take their lives in a selfish act. Other evidence that  shows assisted suicide is wrong is the fact that there are always suicide prevention billboards in  communities. This should show the government that people do not want those around them to  commit suicide. People who fight for the right to have physician-assisted suicide argue that assisted  suicide can bring benefits to both patients and society. They believe that people who  choose assisted suicide will die with dignity rather than suffer the pain of illness( OSteen,  Burke). That they will not let their family and friends suffer anymore by showing their weakness  and sickness. By choosing assisted suicide, patients can also reduce a huge amount of medical  expenses that insurance does not cover. To benefit society, their organs can be donated to save  people’s lives (Humphrey). Doctors and nurses can spend more time on recovering patients  rather than waste time on patients who are assured death, and of course, they still think it is a part  of one’s freedom to be able to choose for himself whether to live or die. Whether it is one’s  rational decision to chose to end their life has always been the center of this debate. Because  without argu ing about one’s free right, those who favor assisted suicide will lose an important  statement. Although there is a ton of evidence showing that physician assisted suicide is not right,  it is a fact that so many people are still in favor to legalize assisted suicide. They believe that  rather than give people hope to live, telling them the truth and offering them an option is more  reasonable. They argued that in some ways, it is humane to give dying people assisted suicide;  society is okay with people helping a sick or dying animal yet people are not okay with letting a  sick and dying patient go. It was said that humans are too selfish to let their loved ones go, even  if death would be a comfort. People who think it is illegal for a physician to offer assisted suicide  are accused of wanting to control other people’s lives. People think that one has his/her own will  about their life that no one is suppose to tell them what they should do and should not do. Especially when their faith to live is completely gone. It was understood as a merciful behavior  for a physician to offer help to end one’s life. A new statement was also brought up to argue in  the favor of legalize assisted suicide. It is that if one can reject medical treatment to prolong life  then why cant one request treatment to end it? Many people found this statement be reasonable  and useful to support the legalization of physician-assisted suicide.  After centuries’ debating, there is still no certain answer for those questions that are  brought up by the topic of assisted suicide. Two sides are still debating about the benefits and  negative effects of assisted suicide. Still to this day no one is able to convince the either group to  change their views on this topic. In 2006, the US Supreme Court ruled that legalizing assisted  suicide is to be the responsibility of each state respectively. No one can yet predict how long this  topic wi ll still be an argumentative topic for debate, And no one can predict how this issue will  effect human life in the future. But overall, do people really possess the right to kill a life that  was not created by them? It is still a big question that no one has yet given an answer that can  satisfy everyone. Maybe one-day people will find out the right answer and that assisted suicide  will be a new thing that brings benefits to the world. Physician suicide should be banned due to  its negative cause and impaction to society. People who think assisted suicide should be  illegalized because of the value of life to a society is still the majority; ending a life is  not so simple that people should decide to do so on their own. Work cited Pickert, Kate. A brief history of assisted suicide. a brief history of assisted suicide. N.p., 3 Mar. 2009. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. . Humphry, Derek. Liberty and Death: A manifesto concerning an individuals right to choose to die. Assisted Suicide Information on right-to-die and euthanasia laws and history. N.p., 24 Mar. 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Declaration of Independence Text Transcript. National Archives and Records Administration. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. OSteen, David N. , and Burke J. Balch. Why We Should Not Legalize Assisted Suicide | New York State Right to Life. Welcome | New York State Right to Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Information on right-to-die and euthanasia laws and history. N.p., 24 Mar. 2009. Web. 18 Sept.2013. .

Medical Advances

Medical Advances Three of the most significant medical advances of the last two centuries are sanitation, vaccination, and antibiotics. Each of these advances has engendered enormous positive social and economic impacts in developed societies. Sanitation has successfully impeded pathogenic growth in human living spaces, vaccines have protected humans from historically prolific diseases such as smallpox, and antibiotics have also saved countless human lives through daily sanitation and disease cure. However, the impact of these three advances has not been fully realized because they have not yet reached substantial portions of the developing world, vaccines for several prolific diseases continue to elude researchers, and misuse of antibiotics has led to resistant bacterial strains and other health hazards. The rudiments of urban sanitation systems have been developed several times throughout human history but was nowhere near fully realized until the era of western industrialization in the 20h century. Once urbanization in the bronze age began to increase population densities in urban centers, increases in waste production required the use of outflowing systems like rivers to properly dispose of waste. The first documented system for sanitation was developed in the city of Mohenjo-Daro in 2600 BCE, and consisted of slits cut in the floors of houses to allow waste to drop into containers next to streets, and bath houses with covered channels that led to the nearby Indus River (â€Å"Mohenjo-Daro†). In addition, cities in the Roman Republic built the first documented sewer networks; for instance a massive combined sewer and storm drain called the Cloaca Maxima, or â€Å"The Great Drain† that carried waste and runoff water from Romes civilian houses, public buildings, and b ath houses to the Tiber River (Rich). However, the era that followed the fall of the Roman Republic saw a regression in sanitation technology in which most of the worlds civilizations operated without sanitation systems. For instance, the most common method to remove waste from living spaces in medieval Europe was to dump it into the street, where materials such as urine, feces, and wastewater from other domestic activities gathered and fostered bacterial, viral, and pest growth (Faria). Exponential growth of populations around industrializing centers without planned infrastructures made the immediate need for sewer systems evident. Citizens had heretofore relied either on dumping waste directly into waterways or simple cesspits, and the rapid growth of households using primitive sanitation methods increased the rate of contamination of groundwater, rivers, and other sources of fresh water. Stagnant sewage in cramped urban living conditions provided ideal conditions for growth of pathogens and caused outbreaks in many m ajor cities in the mid-19th century; the most common were those of cholera and typhoid fever. It was clear that the need for advances in sanitation was imminent. The most famous outbreak of the industrialization period is that of cholera linked to the London Broad Street water pump in 1854, in which a nearby cesspool had leaked sewage into groundwater and contaminated the well the water pump was drawing water from. The statistical analysis of cholera cases by physician John Snow that determined the connection between disease and contaminated water from the river provided irrefutable evidence that separating water resources and sewage is key to maintaining public health (Johnson). Outbreaks such as these in combination with the proliferation of the strong repulsive odor of sewage across all major industrialized cities prompted government authorities to take action and begin implementation of large sewer networks to isolate sewage from local water supplies. Arguably the greatest advance in sanitation came about in 1908, when Jersey City Water Works began to add chlorine to its water supply network in a practice now called chlorination. The process involves the addition of chlorine to water to form an equilibrium solution composed of chlorine, Hydrochloric acid and Hypochlorous acid, the last of which plays the main role of disinfection. Systemic chlorination drastically decreased the incidence of water-borne illnesses such as typhoid and cholera (Kitsap Public Utility District). The final major advance came in the 1950s, when the United States government provided funds for states to build wastewater treatment plants, which resulted in the majority of U.S. cities discharging treated water into rivers and oceans instead of raw sewage, an important component of sanitation that minimizes re-uptake of water harboring harmful pathogens and microorganisms. Development of modern sanitation systems has a significant effect on economic growth because its presence dramatically reduces the incidence of water-borne diseases and precludes their burden on worker productivity, student absenteeism, and medical costs. In addition, the reduction of sewage contamination in the developed world saves governments the cost of cleaning up environments to protect resources for human use. These benefits place in stark contrast the crude state of sanitation in parts of the developing world, who fail to reap these benefits because sanitation systems have not been implemented. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, investing in sanitation technology in developing countries is cost-beneficial and results in a â€Å"US$5 [to] US$11 economic benefit per US$1 invested† (Walter, and Hutton 39). Thus, cost-benefit analysis clearly favors investment by humanity for the whole of humanity. The social benefits of effective sanitation are not as tangible as economic ones but are no less significant. Accessible facilities for private and sanitary hygienic activities preserves human dignity and encourages sanitary habits. The relationship between cleanliness and moral purity has been culturally accepted throughout human history, and scientific support that clean environments promote moral behavior is presented in an upcoming paper in Psychological Science (Elton). The social harmony that proper sanitation promotes supports the idea of implementing sanitation in the developing world to deal with social unrest and violence. The second medical innovation, vaccination, is a more recent and specific advance in disease prevention. Its conceptual predecessor was inoculation, which was first documented credibly in 15th century China. The practice involved implantation of a disease agent such as pus from smallpox into a healthy individual who had never been infected to produce immunity (Needham 134). Vaccination replaced inoculation in 1796 when Edward Jenner used pus from a cowpox patient to inoculate a child; the child was then exposed to smallpox and subsequently did not exhibit infection with the virus. Shortly afterwards the British government mandated vaccination of children from smallpox, the first government push for mass vaccination in history; by 1800 â€Å"100,000 people had been vaccinated in Europe, and vaccination had begun in the United States† (Minna Stern, and Markel 613-614). In 1885, Louis Pasteur developed a rabies vaccine using samples obtained from dried infected rabbit tissue, wh ich was the first to be manufactured from weakened microorganisms. Further advances in biology and understanding of germs from the 19th century led to widespread research, development and implementation of vaccines to spread immunity from prolific diseases in the 20th century. A vaccine is now known as a preparation of attenuated or dead bacteria or viruses to stimulate production of antibodies in a patient. Although weakened pathogens carried a greater risk for infection than dead ones, they generally induce a stronger immune response and longer lasting immunity. A principal medical advance that allowed the production of durable vaccines is attenuation, the practice of passing the target virus through a nonhuman host to encourage adaptation through mutations when the virus replicated. Subsequent introduction into a human host to which the virus is not adapted to replicate allows the immune system to produce antibodies to recognize the same pathogen in future exposures. The development of consistently effective vaccines led to systematic mass immunizations against several worldwide diseases such as smallpox starting in the 19th century and polio in the mid-20th century. Government oversight in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) was essential to these worldwide efforts, and smallpox was in fact declared eradicated by the WHO in 1979 . Polio and measles are currently in the process of eradication (â€Å"Smallpox†). However, not all viruses are created equal, and certain viruses have eluded attempts by scientists to engineer an effective vaccine. The HIV virus is one such example; its high mutability and genetic divergence complicate attempts to design a vaccine in the same fashion as that of historically successful ones. To address this need, research to develop new types of vaccines that utilize only protein subunits of pathogens or delivery of viral DNA is ongoing. The elimination of globally endemic disease has been key to lowering mortality and raising life expectancy around the world, but has also engendered an interesting array of social and economic developments. For instance, the unequivocal success of vaccines against globally prolific viruses has undermined the economic motive for further production for vaccines for diseases more prevalent in the developing world. Because citizens in poorer nations cannot come close to affording the price of a vaccine in developed nations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies lack the financial incentive to expand their markets. Solutions to lack of economic incentives include academic research and government incentives for vaccine development. Mass vaccination against the worlds historically endemic viruses has altered social attitudes in many ways. For instance, during the Middle Ages life expectancy was short due to the rampant disease and epidemics; death was accepted as a necessary part of life, and often as an act of God (Dumond). The drastic drop in mortality due to diseases such as smallpox in the late 19th and 20th centuries raised the life expectancy of the average human and replaced the cultural acceptance of death with a cultural appreciation of life. In other words, living longer and delaying death is now a universal goal because disease has dramatically improved the prospect of living up to biological potential. Thus, the success of vaccines has cultured a social ignorance of the danger of viruses because deaths due to disease are so much rarer than in previous historical eras. The last of the three medical innovations, antibiotics, has been used since humans have experimented with chemicals and substances from plants to discover remedies for diseases. Disinfection typically involved use of either plants believed to have healing properties or chemicals known to inhibit or kill organisms. Arsenic was one such remedy, and its broad toxicity meant that patients would also suffer serious side effects. Thus, the discovery of substances with high specificity and few side effects in humans was one of the great historical developments in modern medicine. The first discovery in modern antibiotics was of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming due to a coincidence now famous in science: a Staphyloccocus sample mistakenly left in the open had been growth-inhibited by a Penicillium mold. However, a German scientist named Gerhard Domagk was the first to develop a commercial antibiotic called Prontosil with broad action against Gram-positive cocci. Mass production of antibiotics was simple and relied on fermentation in large containers of growth medium for the target organism to produce the secondary metabolite. Modern development of partially synthetic or entirely synthetic antibiotics involves either chemical modification of metabolites after fermentation or synthesis from a naturally occurring skeleton. Unfortunately, the misuse of antibiotics is leading to increasing prevalence of resistant strains of bacteria around the world. Incorrect diagnosis, improper administration, improper disposal, and overuse in livestock often lead to antibiotic resistance because bacteria can perform horizontal gene transfer through plasmid exchange. Thus, resistance genes can rapidly proliferate in a population of bacteria once one has genetically mutated and become immune to a particular antibiotic. For example, if a patient using a prescribed antibiotic stops taking it before the infection is completely eradicated, horizontal gene transfer will allow the few bacteria who have developed resistance throughout the duration of the infection to pass on the resistance gene and prolong the infection. One of the most alarming cases of resistance is that of Staphylococcus aureus, or the staph infection; the bacterium has shown historically to be extremely adaptable. For example, 40% of patients with staph i nfections were resistant to administration of penicillin by 1950, less than 10 years after the antibiotic was introduced (Chambers 178). Staphyloccocus aureus is now also resistant to a variety of other antibiotics such as tetracycline and methicillin. Although this problem has traditionally been isolated to hospitals, Community-acquired MRSA is now expanding in urban communities, and is responsible for several fatal conditions such as necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh eating disease. The economic benefits of antibiotics, which are similar to vaccines because it deals with pathogens through a direct biological pathway, are complicated by the rise of bacterial resistance. However, this has also provided economic impetus to invest in development of synthetic antibiotics as demand for alternatives rises. More specifically, the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA has spurred the development of oxazolidones, a newer class of antibiotics against Gram-positive bacteria. The first generation of this class of antibiotics is Linezolid, which disrupts the protein synthesis of Gram-positive bacteria; its mechanism for disruption occurs at a much earlier step than most other protein inhibitor antibiotics (Brickner 175). Linezolid is currently utilized as a last resort against MRSA and resistance has been low ever since its introduction in 1999 (Jones, Ross Castanheira, and Mendes 424). It is likely that research into synthetic drugs, the newest development in th e antibiotic industry, will continue as long as antibiotic resistance persists. The widespread use of antibiotics in medicines, soaps, and household cleaning supplies has created the social perception of a sterile domestic environment for human activities. This perception is partially justified in that regular use in daily routines and sicknesses has dramatically reduced illness and engendered a social paradigm shift away from the concept of death comparable to that of vaccination. In fact, use of antibiotics may have brought about a complacency towards bacterial threats to the human body because its use is ingrained in human hygienic habits. However, the recent revelation of superbugs like MRSA has also brought about a social awareness of antibiotic resistance, and this may result in another shift towards understanding how to handle antibiotics responsibly. In sum, sanitation, vaccination, and antibiotic implementation has drastically reduced the prevalence of classic diseases in modern society. Previous scourges of humanity such as smallpox, cholera, and the black plague that ravaged human life are now essentially historical footnotes in the chronology of human medical achievements. Medical advances have brought about generally positive economic and social changes through reduction of health care through prevention, and a culture less concerned with death on a daily basis. However, these advances have not been distributed equally among all peoples of the world; many citizens of developing countries without effective sanitation, medical supplies, and access to vaccines of antibiotics continue to be at the mercy of the aforementioned scourges of humanity. References Brickner, SJ (1996). Oxazolidinone antibacterial agents. Current Pharmaceutical Design 2 (2): 175–94. . Chambers, HF (2001). The changing epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus. Emerg Infect Dis 7 (2): 178–82. . â€Å"Chlorination of Drinking Water. Kitsap Public Utility District. 005 2004. Department of Health, Web. 5 Nov 2009. . Development and Cooperation SDC, Web. 6 Nov 2009. . Dumond, Katie. Attitudes Towards Death: Past to Present. University of Maine at Machias. 12 005 2009. Web. 2 Nov 2009. . Elton, Catherine. Do Clean Smells Encourage Clean Behavior? TIME 23 010 2009: n. pag. Web. 5 Nov 2009. . Faria, Miguel A. Medical History Hygiene and Sanitation. Hacienda Publishing, Inc.. 2002. Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Web. 5 Nov 2009. . Hodges, L. (1977). Environmental Pollution (2nd ed.). New York: Rinehart and Winston. p.189. Hutton, Gary, and Lawrence Haller. Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of Water and Sanitation Improvements at the Global Level. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. 2004. World Health Organization, Web. 1 Nov 2009. . Johnson, Steven (2006). The Ghost Map: The Story of Londons Most Terrifying Epidemic and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World. Riverhead Books. p.206. Jones RN, Ross JE, Castanheira M, Mendes RE (December 2008). United States resistance surveillance results for linezolid (LEADER Program for 2007). Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease 62 (4): 416–26. doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2008.10.010. Minna Stern, Alexandra, and Howard Markel. The History of Vaccines and Immunization: Familiar Patterns, New Challenges. Health Affairs 24.3 (2005): 612-614. Web. 1 Nov 2009. . Mohenjo-daro. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. 25 Oct. 2009 . Needham, Joseph. (1999). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 6, Biology and Biological Technology, Part 6, Medicine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Page 134. Olesen OF, Lonnroth A, Mulligan B (2009). Human vaccine research in the European Union. Vaccine 27 (5): 640–5. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2008.11.064. Rich, Hamper. Roman Sanitation. The Rth Dimension. 20 001 2008. Rich Hamper, Web. 5 Nov 2009. . Smallpox. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology: Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. http://web.archive.org/web/20071009141639/http://www.afip.org/Departments/infectious/sp/text/1_1.htm. Waksman, Selman A. (1947). What Is an Antibiotic or an Antibiotic Substance?. Mycologia 39 (5): 565–569. doi:10.2307/3755196.

Power of the Oppressed in George Orwells Shooting an Elephant Essay

Power of the Oppressed Exposed in Shooting an Elephant  Ã‚      In Burma, the Indian Imperial Police consisted of British officers who, in theory, supported the extension of power and dominion of a nation, which is the basis of imperialism. George Orwell decided to follow family tradition when he went to Burma to work for the Indian Imperial Police, yet "when he realized how much against their will the Burmese were ruled by the British, he felt increasingly ashamed of his role as an alien police officer" (Britannica). In his narrative, "Shooting An Elephant", George Orwell realizes that throughout his entire rule in Burma he is actually the victim of the Burmese, and it is their expectations of what he should do with his power that force him to do what they want. Looking back upon his experience as an officer of the imperialistic regime, Orwell recalls a crucial morning when he is asked to deal with an elephant that has escaped from its "mahout" or caretaker, and "has gone must" (310). On this day Orwell realizes that he is unable to make choices according to his own beliefs but must act according to the demands of the "natives" who have been deprived of their own country. Orwell acknowledges that "imperialism [is] an evil thing and the sooner [he] chucked up [his] job and got out of it the better" (310). He is constantly reminded of the abuse inflicted upon the native people as he observes at first hand the "wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups, the gray, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, and the scarred buttocks of the men who had been flogged with bamboos" (310). Very prevalent is the anti-European sentiment among the "natives" of Burma; this prejudice nearly makes his job impossible. T... ..."natives" feel obliged to test the imperialists’ authority (or lack thereof) as a means of keeping some control over their country. The imperialists believe that they are keeping control by acting resolutely, but as Orwell shows in "Shooting An Elephant", they put on this act to satisfy and appease the wishes of the "natives." In imperialism, the oppressed indirectly hold the actual power and control over those that falsely believe to be the oppressors. Works Cited Orwell, George. Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1946. Rpt. The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues across the Disciplines. 7th ed. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Smyer, Richard I. Primal Dream and Primal Crime : Orwell's Development as a Psychological Novelist, University of MissouriPress, Colombia 1979. http://www.britannica.com/

Roswell: Fact or Fiction? :: essays research papers fc

In analyzing the hypothetical scenario(s) proposed by many UFO researchers concerning the alleged crash of an Alien spaceship in the New Mexico desert July 2nd, 1947, I beg to question, whether our bureaucracy of a government could ever clamp shut an event of such magnitude. This is the most scrutinized of all UFO cases. This story, even if partly true is the most significant event in human history, next to our own creation of course. The story is clouded in extensive myth and misinformation. Seeing as there are many version of this event, I will depict the most likely of these scenarios to have occurred according to eyewitness testimony. Now, before I describe the sequence of events that unusual evening, I will first provide you a little background information concerning the state of New Mexico during this time frame. In 1947, New Mexico was unique to the rest of the world. For instance, the 509th Composite Bomb wing (The crew which dropped the Atomic bomb Fat Man and Little Boy on the Japanese during WWII) was stationed at the Roswell Army Air Force Base. Secondly, Los Alamos nuclear facility, home to the Manhattan project was a short distance to the north of the crash site. Lastly, you had the atomic, radar, missile-testing facility of White Sands and Alamogordo/Holloman Air Force Base only a short distance to the south (Randles 68). I believe, with such facilities congregated in one general area that from the Alien visitor’s viewpoint gathering information (Spying) on the most technologically advanced area on the planet would seem logical in 1947, seeing as the humans just finished killing off millions of their own (WWII plus Holocaust), maybe space was the next likely target for humanity to invade. Also, I found some circumstantial evidence pertaining to the Base radar at the army’s 509th airfield outside the town of Roswell. Basically the army’s base radar had been tracking strange blips on the night of July 1, 1947 (Corso 8). This o bject maneuvered at such high speeds and changed direction so sharply that the radar operators said it was, â€Å" No earthly craft†. Interesting to note that through that night and the following day Army Intelligence was on high alert (Corso 8). That night a Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wilmot apparently sighted what they theorized to be a flying disk. They were sitting on their porch at 105 South Penn.

To Kill A Mocking Bird :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

Proposals: To examine the character of Atticus Finch as a hero in Harper Lees’ â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird. â€Å"To kill a Mockingbird†, an acclaimed novel, by Harper Lee is recognised throughout the world. Having read her novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960 soon after its publication, I was compelled to consider the novel in greater depth but was particularly intrigued to examine the character of Atticus Finch as a hero. Maycomb, a fictional town in the Southern States of America plays host to the novel during the period of 1933-1935. â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† follows a lawyer and his family prior to and during a legal case to defend a black male, Tom Robinson, charged of raping a white female, Mayella Ewell. This occurs in a very white orientated town. Atticus Finch, Attorney and father of two children only plays a brief part in the opening chapter but as this epic novel progresses so does his importance. It becomes apparent that Atticus Finch, arguably the novel’s main character, is extremely well respected in Maycomb by the majority of its residents. If someone expresses a dislike towards him he will still try to do his â€Å"best to love everybody†. Atticus is a man of extreme integrity and some say that it is through his mouth that Harper Lee expresses her own morality, an opinion that I share. He represents a true gentleman; his conduct is always courteous despite any provocation whether privately or publicly. This is enhanced by the very carefully selected word choice. Atticus is able to use language stylishly when appropriate but he can also communicate very simplistically such as when in a moment of crisis he can talk straightforwardly, for example to Jem and Scout, to enhance understanding. Atticus is a devoted family man; he manages to care for his children without the help of their mother, who died. Harper Lee gives Atticus a very â€Å"modern style† re garding parenting (in comparison to other families in the 1930’s i.e. principally he was a single parent). This could perhaps be a reflection on Atticus’s opinion that everyone has the right to be an individual and because of this we should not be judged. He is one person in a select few who feel that coloured people should be able to have the same standard of living as their white counterparts. Atticus is open to all opinions and will accept each individual for their own beliefs regardless of whether or not these differ from his own.

Aerophones: Musical Instrument and Small Circular Pieces Essay

The pi is believed to be truly a Thai instrument used since the ancient times. The sound it produces and the blowing technique is unique to the country of Thailand. The basic material for this instrument is hardwood or marble. Its reed comes from small circular pieces of the palmyra leaves tied to a small tube made of silver, bronze, or brass. It is usually played with percussion instruments. Khaen is the most important folk instrument in north Thailand and in Laos. It is made up of fourteen long thin bamboo tubes that are four feet long. The range of the khaen covers two octaves of seven pitches. It is described to produce a drone that is often described as mournful and plaintive. Membranophones The taphon instrument is somewhat similar to the siphon of India. Instead of having it suspended from a strap on the shoulder, that taphon is a drum placed on a stand. It is played with both hands using the palms and the fingers. This instrument is included in the Piphat ensemble. The ramana is a shallow drum that looks like a tambourine without the metallic discs. The diameter of its head is larger than the diameter of its body. Its frame is shallower and narrower than most soup plates. The thon ramana is a bowl-shaped ceramic drum that is used in the Mahori ensemble. Its head is made from various skins of goats, calves, and snakes. It is played with one hand covering and opening the open end of the body in order to control the tone and the other hand tapping the beat. Chordophones The jakhae or jakhe is shaped like a crocodile. Its body is big and hollow in order to resonate the sound of the instrument better. It is placed horizontally on the floor as the player sits on the ground. This instrument has a long neck, a sound box, and three strings attached to pegs. This is Thailand’s most important stringed instrument with the most beautiful sound. The saw sam sai resembles much the Japanese shamisen, but is triangular in shape with a spiked leg. Its body is made from coconut shells and calf-skin. It has three strings with no frets on the neck. The pitch of the string depends on the size of the coconut shell. Idiophones Ranat thum is a box-shaped metallophone that is placed on the floor and played while sitting. It has a range of two-and-a-half octaves that is truck by a padded mallet. Khawng wong lek is a set of gong circles with low pitches that are an octave lower than the khawng wong yai. These tuned gong-kettles are arranged horizontally in a circular frame, where the player sits at the center beating the gongs with two mallets. Khawng wong yai is also a circle of gongs. It is the largest of all the sets of gongs in Thailand. It is composed of 17 knobbed bronze pot-gongs placed into a circular wooden frame. The gong player sits within the circular frame to enable him to strike the gongs with ease. A mallet is used to strike the pot-gongs. The ching chap is a set of percussion instruments likened to a pair of cymbals. It is made out of a thick metal shaped like a tea cup. It is played by hitting both metals together. This musical instrument often emphasizes the duple meter of Thai compositions.

Marijuana Subculture

Subculture marijuana in the joined States Fatima Alikhan ENG 122 Professor Kenneth newfoundton Mon daytime May 23, 2010 The coupled States has an approved list of drugs that be con statusred well-grounded and il levelheaded that create adverse brass effects and hold diverse presidential termal views. ganja is a gist that ordinary media holds in a electr sensationgative undercurrent while other drugs to a greater extent(prenominal) as valium and intoxicantic drinkic beverage are supported, if non glorified. Popular media is a powerful cocksucker that gathers a mass of concourse and provides each types of information.Some types of information are historical facts, statistics, entertainment, tactile sensations, and biases which depart the state and views of those who access it. Marijuana has had an exceedingly controversial political view end-to-end storey and is considered a adit drug, enabling employrs to pursue stronger and dangerous substances. Although ganja includes negative side effects, statistics prove it whitethorn be utmost less dangerous to slew and those rough them compared to legalized substances with higher danger contributions.The resemblance and political attitudes of cannabis throughout history of the unify States is what is examined in this musical theme to link awareness to referees on the bias of fanaticism towards marihuana. I plan on throttle my topic selection by choosing a limit of 3 substances to compare the statistics against and moreover recording major milestones that changed the way people viewed marijuana throughout American history. The primal argument in this paper would be in the form of an ultimatum legalize marijuana or criminalize alcohol and prescription(prenominal) unhinge medicine.The American people may not get why on the button marijuana is considered illegal when neither side effects or symptoms caexercising fatalities or crime when contrasted against prescription impositi on pills that set teenagers to adults. Alcohol associate accidents are as well as significantly higher than marijuana related stresses barely it has been considered wrong, immoral, and illegal for close to a century in United States history. The medias word picture of marijuana in movies and boob tube shows has always been a carefree and courageous approach.Movies much(prenominal) as Half Baked, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, and Pineapple Express show up the substance as a unpaid gibe that can enhance the whole tone of life and entertainment. Television shows such as That 70s Show butt on an accu say d largetion of marijuana single-valued function in the 1970s which show a mathematical group of teenagers sitting around a circle smoking marijuana, giggling, and eating. Although the 1970s was cognize for heavy drug use such as cocaine, LSD, and heroin, and the governments epic battle on the war on drugs, marijuana was considered to be a gateway drug which led t o endless possibilites and dangers.Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, marijuana was visualized in negative connotations subsequently President Nixon had declared a war on all drugs which was mean for the crack and heroin epidemic however extended itself onto marijuana as well. by and by the new century, the media began anti-marijuana campaign commercials that would be scoreed flat towards teenagers. Tests of sensation seeking targeting evaluated the effectiveness of targeted televised reality service announcement campaigns in minify marijuana use among high sensation-seeking adolescents, (Palmgreen, Donohew, Lorch, Hoyle, Stephenson, 2001).This excogitate used a defyled interrupted time-series creation method to match 2 communities where one county and campaign was compared to another county and campaign. Personal interviews were conducted with blow teenagers in a period of 32 months. The result proved the effectiveness of media towards adolescents. completely 3 campaigns h ad reversed the trend of marijuana use. Televised campaigns that target a large group of people have an effective dodge in conveying a right international message and achieving its purpose.The message that is being portrayed however is based off of anomalous assumptions and lack of scientific data. It is simply feeling however the message and the powerful tool of the media conveys a strong image to chat a crime on the substance. The passage of other legal drugs in the media such as alcohol and prescription pills is far more appealing to the human shopping mall than marijuana. Alcohol is branded with trademarks and celebrity endorsements that bear on an urban lifestyle.It conveys the message that it is chic and labor to drink or that it can incur excitement to a social vista. Celebrities, find cars, sports athletes, musicians, and scantily clad women submit a message through media that drinking their alcohol will allow a someones environment or self-image to be enhanced. Prescription pills on the other fall in are not mentioned much in the media at all. The amount of danger and the parting of addiction is at such a great risk for Americans however there are no repercussions taken by government or doctors.With the number of association football moms, teenagers, and role models (athletes, etc. ) that are acquiring addicted to these substances, it is abnormal that the federal government hasnt taken action towards supervise or screening these substances as they do with marijuana. Marijuana charges for possession and dispersal personify tax payers unnecessary vaulting horses to keep integrity enforcement active, house non criminal inmates, and fund anti-marijuana regulations.In contrast, the percentage of income the government and private corporations receive from alcohol and prescription pills keeps skyrocketing yearly even though the damage done to people and those around them from these substances is rather substantial. The dangers and probl ems of both alcohol and prescriptions pills in equation to marijuana have dreadful statistics and percentages that make readers astonished as to why marijuana is illegal or why other substances are legal.Alcohol has a keen-sighted history of being portrayed in media as a relaxing philosophers stone after a long day at work or a method of unwinding. The role of alcohol in movies and television are false impressions of what would dislodge in a social setting if you were to be drinking a accepted alcohol or the how much give out your time would be spent if you were drinking. Commercials and advertisements use models, cars, celebrities, sports, clubs, and entertainment to promote an image or brand that alcohol brings life, love, and lust to whatsoever party however the cold spartan truth is that it is far from the perception it sells.This multi-million dollar industry prides itself on a debased growing industry that has the highest percentage of users of a social drug in the Un ited States. We do not need the brewers monitoring device that the absolute quantity of alcohol consumed has been steady increasing at a rate of at least 7% per annum to be aware that it remains far and away the most widely-accepted social drug in this country, (Aud, 1981, p. 48). Prescription pills have not been much of a harmful substance until this decade.The new-made increase in those prescribed with hurting and given very high doses of pain medication has been astonishing. Although these substances are intended to target the pain, most pain killers given through a prescription are utilize and soon become addictive. A meek toothache or certain rachis pain that may not call for such high doses of medicine are being prescribed by doctors which is atomic number 82 to numerous amounts of dangers. A local experience who is prescribed pain killers can also be accidentally distributing to her teenagers who may not need the medicine or know how to properly ingest it.The effect of alcohol and prescription pills are a crazily combination but are super popular among youth. The combination of both legal substances enhance the altered state of wit one would naturally get from down just one substance. Prescription pain killers have been the major focus read among teenagers in the past 5 historic period due to the availability of them compared to the frequency of its distribution now. The assumptions on health effects originatord by marijuana have different results after several tests.M all may presume that marijuana causes an array of noetic disorders and lack of control of the mind however, Mitch Earleywines research proves no such case. In general, the drug is incapable of creating an overdose. It can exacerbate the symptoms of some mental disorders but does not appear to cause them. Data fail to show any marijuana-induced changes in mental capacity structure, but long-term exposure to the drug alters the way the brain functions during complex tas ks, (Earleywine, 2002, p. 143).Issues such as mental illness, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, antisocial conduct are linked to the symptoms of marijuana and although it does not cause any exact disorder, it may enhance those symptoms. Marijuana is now medicinally researched to cure disorders such as insomnia, anorexia, and peanut pain. Cancer patients also rely on marijuana to increase their appetite, decrease governance pain, and combat minor pain (Goodwin, 2010). Marijuana is a substance that comes with many pretenses and opinions that may be based on scientific fact or public opinion portrayed through the media.The tests, evaluations, and studies examined in this paper provide adequate information to the reader in establishing a proper existent idea on what marijuana is, the portrayal of the substance in the media, what its effects and dangers are, and its comparison to other legalized substances that are much more harmful. Although the United States has slowly shown p rogress in decriminalizing marijuana and accepting the medicinal uses for it in states such as California, there is an rudimentary common misperception that marijuana is a substance of great danger, civil disobedience, and rebellion.References Aud, J. (1981). Marijuana enjoyment and Social Control. University of Illinois at Chicago. New York academic Press Inc. Baggins, David Sadofsky. (1998). Drug Hate and The putrescence of American Justice. University of Illinois at Chicago. Westport, CT Praeger Publishers. Earleywine, Mitch. (2002). apprehension Marijuana A new hear at the scientific evidence. University of Illinois at Chicago. New York Oxford University Press. Novak, William. (1980). High Culture Marijuana in the Lives of Americans. University of Illinois at Chicago.New York Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Philip Palmgreen,Lewis Donohew,Elizabeth Pugzles Lorch,Rick H Hoyle,&Michael T Stephenson. (2001). Television campaigns and adolescent marijuana use Tests of sensation seeking tar geting. American daybook of Public Health,91(2),292-6. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID67849612). Goodwin,J.. (2010,August). Smoked Marijuana May Ease Chronic hardihood Pain. U. S. News & World Report,1. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID2170726371).