The Sins of Cloning Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

The Sins of Cloning   Ã‚  Ã‚   "See you in two years with your cloned child," says the doctor to his patient. Such a statement sounds so bizarre and futuristic, but scientists believe cloning "is no longer the realm of science fiction" (Virginia, Sirs). Its "just a matter of time before the first cloned [humans]" (Virginia, Sirs). Although this practice does not seem dangerous, cloning should be banned because it takes away the individual importance of human beings, is too risky, and also morally wrong.    The process of cloning scientifically means to genetically copy an organism and create a 'replica' that has the same DNA, whose cells time have been turned back, yet the two are not exactly the same; not a 'xerox' (Virginia, Sirs). The process of cloning was first tried in 1938 by a German embryologist, Han Spemann, yet it failed. It was not until 1970 when cloning became possible. The first animals to be cloned were frogs. Over the few decades, cows, pigs, a sheep (only Dolly), and monkeys have successfully been cloned. The major reason why humans and other animals have not been cloned yet, aside from the acceptance of society, is because every organism's egg is different: its size, shape, and the stages of its 'life'. This has been proved over and over and therefore, there is no certain procedure or 'ingredients' for a clone (Virginia, Sirs).    Admittedly, "to say that human cloning is forbidden won't stop the science [for some]" (Virginia, Sirs). If cloning is successful, it will help homosexuals and infertile couples for biological offspring. This will help lesbians, or women in particular, more than men since only females are capable of birth. In order for men to have a clone, he must buy an egg and 'buy/re... ...just not meant to play as God, for it is too much of a responsibility. We are sinful people, and the ability of cloning places too much power in our sinful hands, so therefore it is not meant to be for us; Only for God.    Works Cited Gribbin, August. "Human Cloning Draws Nearer as Ethics Seek to Draw Rules." Washington Times, 9 November 1998. Newsbank: Cloning February 10 (1999). Hurbert, Wray. "The World after Cloning." New and World Report, 10 March 1997. Newsbank: Cloning February 10 (1999). "Is Cloning Mastermind playing God?" The Atlanta Journal Constitution, 11 January 1998. Newsbank: Cloning February 26 (1999). Morell, Virginia. "A Clone if one's own." Discover, May 1998. Sirs: Cloning February 12 (1999). Robertson, John A. "The Question of Human Cloning." Discover, March/April 1994. Newsbank: Cloning February 10 (1999).  

Application of Nanotechnology in Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases: Cancer

RESEARCH PROPOSAL APPLICATION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES – CANCER. BY OLOWOKERE JOHN 1. 0 Introduction Nanotechnology is the study, design, creation, synthesis, manipulation, and application of materials, devices, and systems at the nanometer scale (One meter consists of 1 billion nanometers). It is becoming increasingly important in fields like engineering, agriculture, construction, microelectronics and health care to mention a few. The application of nanotechnology in the field of health care has come under great attention in recent times.There are many treatments today that take a lot of time and are also very expensive. Using nanotechnology, quicker and much cheaper treatments can be developed. By performing further research on this technology, cures can be found for diseases that have no cure today. We could make surgical instruments of such precision and deftness that they could operate on the cells and even molecules from which we are made – something well beyond today's medical technology. Therefore nanotechnology can help save the lives of many people. Mohd & Jeffery, 2007). The specific purpose of this report is to explain the application of nanotechnology to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer in the field of medicine. Applications such as drug delivery system, tissue reconstruction and disease diagnosis and treatment shall be discussed. This report will be of particular interest and help to researchers in the genetic engineering and biotechnology department of the federal university of technology Minna, and other research institutions. 1. 1 Problem StatementThe specific purpose of this report is to delve into the application of nanotechnology to diagnose and treat diseases in the field of medicine using our own indigenous technology. Applications such as drug delivery system, tissue reconstruction and disease diagnosis and treatment shall be discussed as it relates to cancer. 1. 2. Just ification of the Study With the raging scourge of cancer in the world today, nanotechnology provides the field of medicine with promising hope for assistance in its diagnosis and treatment as well as improving the general quality of life.Humans have the potential to live healthier lives in the near future due to the innovations of nanotechnology. Some of these innovations include: Disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease, better drug delivery system with minimal side effects and tissue reconstruction. 1. 3. Objective of the Study This research work is designed to achieve the following objectives: ? Design and production of nano-tech devices and equipment for the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer. ?To develop a model that predicts the method involve in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases such as cancer. Design of nanoparticles for nano-tech applications such as tissue reconstruction. ?To determine the method that will best optimize the drug delivery s ystem with minimal side effects. 1. 4. Scope and Limitation of the Study The scope of this research work shall be limited to the application of nanotechnology in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer as highlighted in the problem statement of this research work. 2. 0 LITERATURE REVIEW The word â€Å"nano† is derived from the Greek â€Å"nanos†, directly translating to English as â€Å"dwarf†.From the very literal meaning of the word, therefore, it is inferred that the science is operated on a miniature scale. When working at a nanoscale, the prefix â€Å"nano† is used as an SI unit to denote any value multiplied by 10-9, meaning that a nanosecond is roughly a billionth of a second and a nanometre equates to a billionth of a metre. Ten hydrogen atoms lined up side by side would equate to a length of 1nm; in fact, most atoms are a miniscule 0. 1-0. 2nm wide. Due to the fact that work on a cellular level is done primarily at a nanoscale, it is th erefore unsurprising that nanotechnology has paved the way for a vast quantity of iological development, and a great majority of the findings encountered have led to cutting edge breakthroughs in this area (Harry, 2005). Nanotechnology offers various exciting prospects to every aspect of life. From dietary supplements to clothing, nanotechnology is evolving rapidly all around us. It offers numerous possibilities, especially in the medical sector of nanoscience (nanomedicine). Nanomedicine can be defined as â€Å"the design and manipulation of nanoparticles, particularly as applied to the medical diagnosis and treatment of disease. Examples of recent nanomedical developments include; the use of nanoparticles with antibacterial properties in hospital equipment and the development of magnetic nanoparticles being used to target disease, reducing the necessity of surgery and the associated risks. A further innovation in nanomedicine has been manufacturing drugs as nanoparticles as they are thought to be absorbed more easily into the body because of their size. It could offer easier methods of locating and targeting specific cells on a „nano? size level, on an atomic scale, and delivering drugs to these cells.This is good because often very powerful drugs are needed to kill mutated cells such as tumour cells, and these drugs would be hazardous if they came into contact with normal functioning cells (Mohd & Jeffery, 2007). 2. 1 Nanotechnology preventive approach In general, the best way to eliminate a problem is to eliminate the cause. In cancer, the problem can be perceived differently at various stages of the disease. Most apparently, if genetic mutations are the underlying cause, then we must counteract the causes of the mutations.Unfortunately, genetic mutations are caused by artificial or natural carcinogens only some of the time. At other times, they may occur spontaneously during DNA replication and cell division. With present science and technology the re is very little we can do to prevent this from happening. However, in all other cases, eliminating the carcinogens is indeed a highly effective way of cancer prevention. But most patients do not recognise the problem until it has actually occurred, which makes preventive medicine a rarely utilised, although a highly effective form of cancer prevention.Even so, is there a way to eliminate cancer through nanotechnology before it starts? Although there is little current research on preventive treatments using nanotechnology, they are indeed possible. After a careful review of the most advanced disease-time nanoscale treatment methods, one can easily see why the proposed nanotechnology alternatives to current preventive treatments have so strongly attracted the attention of the scientific and medical communities in recent years. In fact, nanotechnology-based treatments are no more challenging to devise than the currently used disease-time treatment methods.Nonetheless, it requires tim e and monetary investments to develop such treatment methods in short time. (Greider and Blackburn, 1996). 2. 2 Method of Disease Diagnosis using nanotechnology 1. Diagnosis and Imaging: Nanobiotech scientists have successfully produced microchips that are coated with human molecules. The chip is designed to emit an electrical impulse signal when the molecules detect signs of a disease. Special sensor nanobots can be inserted into the blood under the skin where they check blood contents and warn of any possible diseases.They can also be used to monitor the sugar level in the blood. Advantages of using such nanobots are that they are very cheap to produce and easily portable. (Harry, 2005) 2. Quantum dots: Quantum dots are nanomaterials that glow very brightly when illuminated by ultraviolet light. They can be coated with a material that makes the dots attach specifically to the molecule they want to track. Quantum dots bind themselves to proteins unique to cancer cells, literally br inging tumors to light. (Weiss, 2005). 2. 3 Application of Nanotech in Drug Delivery SystemNanobots are robots that carry out a very specific function and are just several nanometers wide. They can be used very effectively for drug delivery. Normally, drugs work through the entire body before they reach the disease-affected area. Using nanotechnology, the drug can be targeted to a precise location which would make the drug much more effective and reduce the chances of possible side-effects (Perkel, 2004). The drug carriers have walls that are just 5-10 atoms thick and the inner drug-filled cell is usually 50-100 nanometers wide. When they detect signs of the disease, thin ires in their walls emit an electrical pulse which causes the walls to dissolve and the drug to be released. Aston Vicki, manager of BioSante Pharmaceuticals, says â€Å"Putting drugs into nanostructures increases the solubility quite substantially†. (Harry, 2005) 2. 4 Nanotechnology approaches for cancerous cell destruction Preventive treatments are not much good to those who have already developed the disease. And since these are the people who require the most immediate medical help, it is no wonder that a majority of innovative treatments are focused here.Again, there are several ways to view the problem. The traditional approach is to simply eliminate the causing agents, or the cells that make up the tumour and end their pararcine signalling effect. This method actually dates back to the mid-17th century, when John Hunter, a Scottish surgeon first suggested the surgical removal of the tumour (Denmeade and Isaacs, 2002). Of course, we have made great progress in the last 350 years, but the idea remains the same. If we see the cancerous cells of the tumour as the causing agents of the disease, then the obvious strategy is to remove or to destroy them.The most significant recent breakthroughs have been made in this area. A relatively long-standing strategy dating back to the 1950s is to flood the body with substances that are especially toxic to tumour cells. Unfortunately, tumour cells are not dissimilar enough from healthy cells to distinguish one from the other using such large-scale techniques. A drug that is especially toxic to tumour cells is usually also toxic to healthy cells, and simply flooding the entire body with it causes system-wide damage and serious side effects.Almost everyone has heard of or seen chemotherapy patients who have lost their hair, lost significant weight, or developed other serious disorders (Silva, 2004). 2. 5 Physics and Engineering Concepts in Cancer Treatment Aside from destroying cells directly, we can take a more elegant approach to tumour elimination. Massand energy balance are well understood and are widely used in all types of science and engineering. Furthermore, these concepts are quite general, and can be applied to other fields as well, such as medicine.The general principles of mass balance, energy conservation and e ntropy production are applicable to bio systems as well as industrial processes. Thus, we can define the malignant tumour as our bio system and proceed to investigate the mass, energy and entropy inputs, outputs and accumulations. (Mansoori et al. , 2007). Since our ultimate goal is to destroy the tumour, we realise that this can be achieved by limiting or eliminating the inputs of the needed nutrients and the useful energy that are vital to its growth and survival.Likewise, we can limit the outputs, which are necessary for the tumour cells to get rid of toxic waste products that are left over from the multitude of biochemical reactions continuously taking place. Furthermore, basic anatomy and biology tell us that cells within the human body get a vast majority of their nutrients and energy from the bloodstream, and likewise use the bloodstream to eliminate the toxins. Cells that are cut off from circulation quickly undergo necrosis and are effectively eliminated. Therefore, our goa l is to separate the tumour from the circulation in order to kill it.Numerous studies have explored the possibility of isolating cancer tumours from the bloodstream. (Reynolds et al. , 2003). 2. 6 Tissue Reconstruction Nanoparticles can be designed with a structure very similar to the bone structure. An ultrasound is performed on existing bone structures and then bone-like nanoparticles are created using the results of the ultrasound, the bone-like nanoparticles are inserted into the body in a paste form. When they arrive at the fractured bone, they assemble themselves to form an ordered structure which later becomes part of the bone (Adhikari, 2005). 3. 0 MethodologyThis research work shall use the following methods or approaches to achieve its aim and objectives: †¢Top – down technique: The top – down technique begins with taking a macroscopic material (the finished product) and then incorporating smaller scale details into them. The molecules are rearranged to get the desired property. This approach is still under immense research as many of the devices used to operate at nanolevel are still being developed. †¢Bottom – up approach: The bottom – up approach begins by designing and synthesizing custom made molecules that have the ability to self- replicate.These molecules are then organized into higher macro-scale structures. The molecules self replicate upon the change in specific physical or chemical property that triggers the self replication. This can be a change in temperature, pressure, application of electricity or a chemical. The self replication of molecule has to be carefully controlled so it does not go out of hand. 4. 0 Expected Contribution of the Work to Knowledge Though, nanotechnology is still in its early stage, but it is of worthy note to know that it has began to gain application as it is already helping patients all over the world today.As further research continues in this field, more treatments will be discovered. Many diseases that do not have cures today may be cured by nanotechnology in the future. As part of contribution to knowledge, the result that shall be established in this research work may be useful in the development of indigenous methods and model on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer. 5. 0 Conclusion Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer have always been a formidable medical challenge. In fact, cancer has long been considered an incurable disease and it is grouped with Hepatitis C and AIDS.Throughout the bulk of human history, cancer tended to be fatal in those who were unfortunate to develop it. Cancer will continue to be a big problem since it is a disease related mostly to age. As our population average age increases due to medical advances, cancer will be a major disease of the aging. At the end of this research work, we may have been able to develop and design a model that will effectively be used to diagnose the disease of cacer, proff er measures and techniques on how it can be prevented and treated.Also, the principle surrounding the mechanism of how a better drug delivery system with minimal side effects concerning the cure of cancer must have been fully explored. All these will be tried and tested using our own indigenous nanotechnology in the area of genetic engineering which promises a brighter future in the field of medicine leading to the actualization of the objective of this research work. REFERENCES Greider, C. W. and Blackburn, E. H. (1996). ‘Telomeres, telomerase and cancer’, Scientific American, Vol. 274, pp. 80–85. Mohd A. K and Jeffery J. (2007). Nanotechnology: Application in medicine and possible side effects.Denmeade, S. R. and Isaacs, J. T. (2002). ‘A history of prostate cancer treatment’, Nature Rev. Cancer, Vol. 2, pp. 389–396. Reynolds, A. R. , Moghimi, S. M. and Hodivala-Dilke, K. (2003) ‘Nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery to tumor neovasculatu re’, Trends in Molecular Medicine, Vol. 9, No. 11, pp. 2–4. Mansoori, G. A; Pirooz, M; Percival, M; Siavash, J. (2007). Nanotechnology in Cancer Prevention, Detection and Treatment: World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, Vol 4. Adhikari, R. (2005). â€Å"Nanobiotechnology: Will It Deliver? † Healthcare Purchasing News. pg 1-3.

“Cat Bill” Analysis Essay

In his statement of veto of the â€Å"Cat Bill,† Governor Stevenson manifests sarcastic diction to appeal to common sense and knowledge, and uses examples of personification and dramatization to craft his effective argument ridiculing the bill. Governor Stevenson organizes his veto using common knowledge so that anyone of any background can comprehend his reasoning. He implies the impracticality of the bill by juxtaposing the basic effects it would have on both owners and the cats themselves. He uses subtle mockery by portraying cats as innocent and attributing their roaming behavior as a part of their nature. He depicts the cats to be naturally unbounded and indicates the absurdity of an owner trying to domestic them to the degree of escorting them on a leash. He predicts what possible conflicts passing this bill create, and the specific effects the bill would have on different areas, such as farms, villages, and cities. Stevenson even alludes to the writers of the bill to simply dislike cats, sarcastically calling the entire roaming cats situation as a â€Å"worthy cause to which its proponents give such unselfish effort.† Through his arguments relevant and understandable to anyone, Governor Stevenson is able to re veal the absurdity of the proposal, and allows his point to be clearly stated. Stevenson’s use of comparison and personification are additives to the overall effective of his veto. He plays on cats’ natural rights, creating a sense of justice versus injustice. He creates an almost eerie setting by measuring the liberty of cats to humans. By using words such as â€Å"capture† and â€Å"imprison,† the reader receives emotions of sympathy towards cats, unable to agree with the injustice they receive. Stevenson uses words of contempt, such as â€Å"hunt† and â€Å"traps,† to stir readers’ emotions to believe how evil and pagan-like these â€Å"zealous citizens† are behaving. He creates a picture of an implausible situation, such as a â€Å"cat on a leash,† allowing the reader to see how inconceivable it is. Stevenson uses examples of impossibility like these to serve his purpose – to show his reasoning behind his disapproval of the bill. Governor Stevenson created a veto that contained sufficient reasoning behind his disapproval, using techniques of organization and personification. Through his argument, he is able to obtain the reader’s sympathy towards cats. His writing is perceivable and effective in gaining the audience’s understanding.

British Poor Law Reform in the Industrial Revolution

British Poor Law Reform in the Industrial Revolution One of the most infamous British laws of the modern age was the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. It was designed to deal with the rising costs of poor relief, and reform a system from the Elizabethan era unable to cope with the urbanization and industrialization of the Industrial Revolution (more on coal, iron, steam) by sending all able-bodied people in need of poor relief into workhouses where conditions were deliberately harsh. The State of Poverty Relief Before the Nineteenth Century The treatment of the poor in Britain before the major nineteenth-century laws depended on a large element of charity. The middle class paid a Parish poor rate and often saw the increasing poverty of the era merely as a financial worry. They often wanted the cheapest, or most cost-effective, way of treating the poor. There was little engagement with the causes of poverty, which ranged from illness, poor education, disease, disability, underemployment, and poor transport preventing movement to regions with more jobs, to economic changes which removed domestic industry and agricultural changes which left many without jobs. Poor harvests caused grain prices to rise, and high housing prices led to greater debt. Instead, Britain largely viewed the poor as one of two types. The ‘deserving’ poor, those who were old, handicapped, infirm or too young to work, were considered blameless as they obviously couldn’t work, and their numbers stayed more or less even across the eighteenth century. On the other hand, the able-bodied who were without work were considered ‘undeserving’ poor, thought of as lazy drunkards who could have got a job if they needed one. People simply didn’t realize at this point how the changing economy could affect workers. Poverty was also feared. Some worried about deprivation, those in charge worried about the increase in expenditure needed to deal with them, as well as a widely perceived threat of revolution and anarchy. Legal Developments Before the Nineteenth Century The great Elizabethan Poor Law Act was passed at the start of the seventeenth century. This was designed to fit the needs of the static, rural English society of the time, not that of the industrializing centuries afterward. A poor rate was levied to pay for the poor, and the parish was the unit of administration. Unpaid, local Justices of the Peace administered the relief, which was supplemented by local charity. The act was motivated by the need to secure public order. Outdoor relief – giving money or supplies to people on the street – was coupled with indoor relief, where people had to enter a ‘Workhouse’ or similar ‘correctional’ facility, where everything they did was tightly controlled. The 1662 Act of Settlement acted to cover up a loophole in the system, under which parishes were shipping sick and destitute people into other areas. Now you could only receive relief in your area of birth, marriage or long-term living. A certificate was produced, and the poor had to present this if they moved, to say where they came from, impinging on freedom of labor movement. A 1722 act made it easier to set up workhouses into which to funnel your poor, and provided an early ‘test’ to see if people should be forced in. Sixty years later more laws made it cheaper to create a workhouse, allowing parishes to team up to create one. Although the workhouses were meant for the able-bodied, at this point it was mainly the infirm that were sent to them. However, the Act of 1796 removed the 1722 workhouse act when it became clear a period of mass unemployment would fill the workhouses. The Old Poor Law The result was the absence of a real system. As everything was based on the parish, there was a huge amount of regional diversity. Some areas used mainly outdoor relief, some provided work for the poor, others used workhouses. Substantial power over the poor was given to local people, who ranged from honest and interested to dishonest and bigoted. The whole poor law system was unaccountable and unprofessional. Forms of relief could include each rate payer agreeing to support a certain number of workers – depending on their poor rate assessment - or just paying wages. The ‘rounds’ system saw laborers sent round the parish until they found work. An allowance system, where food or money was given out to people on a sliding scale according to family size, was used in some areas, but this was believed to encourage idleness and poor fiscal policy among the (potentially) poor. The Speenhamland System was created in 1795 in Berkshire. A stop-gap system to stave off mass destitution, it was created by the magistrates of Speen and quickly adopted around England. Their motivation was a set of crises which occurred in the 1790s: rising population, enclosure, wartime prices, bad harvests, and fear of a British French Revolution. The results of these systems were that farmers kept wages down as the parish would make up the shortfall, effectively giving employers relief as well as the poor. While many were saved from starvation, others were degraded by doing their work but still needing poor relief to make their earnings economically viable. The Push to Reform Poverty was far from a new problem when steps were taken to reform the poor law in the nineteenth century, but the industrial revolution had changed the way poverty was viewed, and the impact it had. The rapid growth of dense urban areas with their problems of public health, housing, crime, and poverty was clearly not suited to the old system. One pressure to reform the poor relief system came from the rising cost of the poor rate which rapidly increased. Poor-rate payers began to see poor relief as a financial problem, not fully understanding the effects of war, and poor relief grew to 2% of the Gross National Income. This difficulty was not spread evenly over England, and the depressed south, near London, was hit hardest. In addition, influential people were beginning to see the poor law as out of date, wasteful, and a threat to both the economy and the free movement of labor, as well as encouraging large families, idleness, and drinking. The Swing Riots of 1830 further encouraged demands for new, harsher, measures on the poor. The Poor Law Report of 1834 Parliamentary commissions in 1817 and 1824 had criticized the old system  but offered no alternatives. In 1834 this changed with the creation of the Royal Commission of Edwin Chadwick and Nassau Senior, men who wanted to reform the poor law on a utilitarian basis. Critical of amateur organization and desirous for greater uniformity, they aimed for the ‘greatest happiness for the greatest number.’ The resulting Poor Law Report of 1834 had is widely regarded as a classic text in social history. The commission sent out questionnaires to over 15,000 parishes and only heard back from around 10%. Then they send assistant commissioners to roughly a third of all poor law authorities. They were not seeking to end the causes of poverty – it was considered inevitable, and necessary for cheap labor – but to change how the poor was treated. The result was an attack on the old poor law, saying it was costly, badly run, out of date, too regionalized and encouraged indolence and vice. The suggested alternative was the strict implementation of Bentham’s pain-pleasure principle: the destitute would have to balance the pain of the workhouse against getting a job. Relief would be given for the able-bodied only in the workhouse, and abolished outside it, while the state of the workhouse should be lower than that of the poorest, but still employed, laborer. This was ‘less eligibility’. The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act A direct response to the 1834 report, the PLAA created a new central body to oversee poor law, with Chadwick as secretary. They sent out assistant commissioners to oversee the creation of workhouses and the implementation of the act. Parishes were grouped into unions for better administration – 13,427 parishes into 573 unions – and each had a board of guardians elected by ratepayers. Less eligibility was accepted as a key idea, but outdoor relief for the able-bodied wasn’t abolished after political opposition. New workhouses were built for them, at the expense of the parishes, and a paid matron and master would be in charge of the difficult balance of keeping workhouse life lower than paid labor, but still humane. As the able-bodied could often get outdoor relief, the workhouses filled with the sick and old. It took until 1868 for the entire country to be unionized, but the boards worked hard to provide efficient and occasionally humane services, despite sometimes difficult agglomerations of parishes. Salaried officials replaced volunteers, providing a major development in local government services and the collection of other information for policy changes (e.g. Chadwick’s use of the poor law health officers to reform public health legislation). Education of poor children was begun inside. There was opposition, such as the politician who referred to it as the â€Å"starvation and infanticide act†, and several locations saw violence. However, opposition gradually declined as the economy improved, and after the system became more flexible when Chadwick was removed from power in 1841. Workhouses tended to swing from nearly empty to full depending on the bouts of periodic unemployment, and the conditions depended on the generosity of the staff working there. The events in Andover, which caused a scandal for the poor treatment, were unusual rather than typical, but a select committee was created in 1846 which created a new Poor Law Board with a president who sat in parliament. Criticism of the Act The evidence of the commissioners has been called into question. The poor rate was not necessarily higher in areas making large-scale use of the Speenhamland system and their judgments on what caused poverty were wrong. The idea that high birth rates were connected to allowance systems is now also largely rejected. Poor rate expenditure was already falling by 1818, and the Speenhamland system was able to mostly disappear by 1834, but this was ignored. The nature of unemployment in industrial areas, created by the cyclical employment cycle, was also misidentified. There was criticism at the time, from campaigners who highlighted the inhumanity of the workhouses, to Justices of the Peace upset they had lost power, to radicals concerned with civil liberties. But the act was the first national, monitored central government program for poor relief. Outcome The basic demands of the act weren’t being properly implemented by the 1840s, and in the 1860s the unemployment caused by the American Civil War and the collapse of cotton supplies led to outdoor relief returning. People began to look at the causes of poverty, rather than simply reacting to ideas of unemployment and allowance systems. Ultimately, while the costs of poor relief initially fell, much of this was due to the return of peace in Europe, and the rate rose again as the population rose.

a civil acton essays

a civil acton essays The movie A Civil Action brings up an interesting idea that many people in the public don't see or hear about very often. The idea that the big corporations often don't take into account the safety of the people that work for them or the people that live around the factories. These big corporations are run entirely by money and the idea of what things will cost and how much money they can possibly make. Too many times money is more important than the lives of human beings and the people that run these places only see in dollars and cents. The moral issues that this dilemma brings up are immense. This has been happening for centuries since the industrial revolution. Workers were subjected too harsh conditions and unsafe factories so that more goods could be produced. They had children as young as seven and eight years old working 15 hour days. In our modern times, toxic waste now plays a big part in the safety of people. The waste that these companies produce and dump under o ur noses don't seem to bother them in the least. The way microeconomics effects this must be fully explored to realize the way the corporate world thinks and acts. The goal of any corporation is to make the maximum profit that they can providing a good or service to the community while doing it as inexpensively as possible to them. Too many times producing these goods, toxic by-products are also produced. Nuclear power plants create plutonium, factories let poisonous gasses into the atmosphere, and chemicals are dumped into the drains and washed into our water everyday while being unknown to the people around them. The issue then becomes what to do with these "poisons" at the cheapest cost to retain the most revenue. In A Civil Action the W.R. Grace company decided that the best place to dump the T.C.E. was in the river behind the plant. It's too bad that all the people who lived down stream were also effected by the care ...

Geography, Climate and Species of Earths Arctic Region

Geography, Climate and Species of Earth's Arctic Region The Arctic is the Earth region that lies between 66.5Â °N and the North Pole. In addition to being defined as 66.5Â °N of the equator, the specific border of the Arctic region is defined as the area in which average July temperatures follow the 50Â °F (10Â °C) isotherm (map). Geographically, the Arctic spans the Arctic Ocean and covers land areas in parts of Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States (Alaska). Geography and Climate of the Arctic The majority of the Arctic is composed of the Arctic Ocean which was formed when the Eurasian Plate moved toward the Pacific Plate thousands of years ago. Although this ocean makes up the majority of the Arctic region, it is the worlds smallest ocean. It reaches depths of 3,200 feet (969 m) and is connected to the Atlantic and the Pacific via several straits and seasonal waterways such as the Northwest Passage (between the U.S. and Canada) and the Northern Sea Route (between Norway and Russia). Since the majority of the Arctic is the Arctic Ocean along with straits and bays, much of the Arctic region is composed of a drifting ice pack which can be up to nine feet (three meters) thick during winter. In the summer, this ice pack is replaced mainly by open water that is often dotted with icebergs that formed when ice broke from land glaciers and/or chunks of ice that have broken away from the ice pack. The Arctic regions climate is very cold and harsh for most of the year due to the Earths axial tilt. Because of this, the region never receives direct sunlight, but instead gets rays indirectly and thus gets less solar radiation. In the winter, the Arctic region has 24 hours of darkness because the high latitudes such as the Arctic are turned away from the sun at this time of year. By contrast in the summer, the region receives 24 hours of sunlight because the Earth is tilted toward the sun. However because the suns rays are not direct, summers are also mild to cool in most parts of the Arctic. Because the Arctic is covered with snow and ice for much of the year, it also has high albedo or reflectivity and thus reflects solar radiation back into space. Temperatures are also milder in the Arctic than in Antarctica because the presence of the Arctic Ocean helps moderate them. Some of the lowest recorded temperatures in the Arctic were recorded in Siberia around -58Â °F (-50Â °C). The average Arctic temperature in the summer is 50Â °F (10Â °C) although in some places, temperatures can reach 86Â °F (30Â °C) for short periods. Plants and Animals of the Arctic Since the Arctic has such a harsh climate and permafrost is prevalent in the Arctic region, it mainly consists of treeless tundra with plant species such as lichen and mosses. In the spring and summer, low-growing plants are also common. Low growing plants, lichen and moss are most common because they have shallow roots which are not blocked by the frozen ground and since they do not grow into the air, they are less prone to damage by high winds. The animal species present in the Arctic varies based on the season. In the summer, there are many different whale, seal and fish species in the Arctic Ocean and the waterways surrounding it and on land there are species such as wolves, bears, caribou, reindeer and many different types of birds. In the winter however, many of these species migrate south to warmer climates. Humans in the Arctic Humans have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years. These were mainly groups of indigenous peoples such as the Inuit in Canada, the Saami in Scandinavia and the Nanets and Yakuts in Russia. In terms of modern inhabitation, many of these groups are still present as are territorial claims by the aforementioned nations with lands in the Arctic region. In addition, the nations with territories bordering the Arctic Ocean also have maritime exclusive economic zone rights. Because the Arctic is not conducive to agriculture due to its harsh climate and permafrost, the historic indigenous inhabitants survived by hunting and gathering their food. In many locations, this is still the case for the surviving groups today. For example, Canadas Inuit survive by hunting animals such as seals on the coast during the winter and caribou inland during the summer. Despite its sparse population and harsh climate, the Arctic region is important to the world today because it has significant amounts of natural resources. Thus, this is why many nations are concerned with having territorial claims in the region and in the Arctic Ocean. Some the major natural resources in the Arctic include petroleum, minerals and fishing. Tourism is also beginning to grow in the region and scientific exploration is a growing field both on land in the Arctic and in the Arctic Ocean. Climate Change and the Arctic In recent years, it has become known that the Arctic region is extremely susceptible to climate change and global warming. Many scientific climate models also predict larger amounts of climate warming in the Arctic than on the rest of the Earth, which has raised concerns about shrinking ice packs and melting glaciers in places like Alaska and Greenland. It is believed that the Arctic is susceptible mainly because of feedback loops- high albedo reflects solar radiation, but as sea ice and glaciers melt, the darker ocean water begins to absorb, instead of reflect, solar radiation, which further increases temperatures. Most climate models show near to complete loss of sea ice in the Arctic in September (the warmest time of year) by 2040. Problems related to global warming and climate change in the Arctic include loss of habitat critical habitat for many species, rising sea levels for the world if sea ice and glaciers melt and a release of methane stored in permafrost, which could exacerbate climate change. References National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d.) NOAA Arctic Theme Page: A Comprehensive Resrouce. Retrieved from: arctic.noaa.gov/ Wikipedia. (2010, April 22). Arctic - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic

The Ethical Views of Socrates found in the Euthyphro and in The Crito Personal Statement

The Ethical Views of Socrates found in the Euthyphro and in The Crito - Personal Statement Example This is a section of philosophy involving systematic defending, and concepts of recommending of the wrong and right behaviour. A reasonable, ethical foundation needs a standard value in which all actions and goals could be compared. In this regard, these standards include an individual’s own life and happiness that makes them able to live (Melchert 5). This is an individual’s ultimate value of standard, the key goal for which an ethical man should always aim. These goals are arrived at through the examination of the nature of man and identifying man's needs that are always peculiar. In most cases, the ethical system consists of emergency situations and daily choices. In this regard, it includes an individual’s relation to other individuals and recognizes their necessity especially into ones physical survival, happiness and wellbeing (Melchert 6). It also identifies that life is an end in itself and that in many situations sacrifice may be destructive despite bein g necessary. According to the theory of wrong and right, evil and good, it is certain that human beings are more than just believers. Human beings are always known to be doers. The main question comes up concerning the extent of wisdom that may explain how people can live their lives best. Do the ideas that pleasure obtained from something makes it be right to be done? Should an individual think of how his or her actions influence the others? If so, then the question is - in what manner? Is there certainly bad or good or does having such thinking makes it to main so? Do individuals have duties? If so where does an individual come from? What is vice and virtue? What is meant by the word justice? Can the justice administered be considered to be vital? These include some among the different philosophical questions that one may ask himself. Each and every culture tries to give out answers to this question despite the fact that some cultures have not yet developed the most known philosop hy. Some of the answers that were given to these questions may universally take the form of some stories especially those involving gods. In this respect, gods were referred to as the gigantic nature of power, which takes part in massive creation feat that struggle frequently with other gods thus intervening in the human life evil or good (Melchert, 6). These are mostly referred to as myth stories. They are normally told and repeated, embroidered and elaborated. They are also told to children as facts that are straightforward and obtain some authority due to their age, aspect of repetition, and by the true fact that people in the society accepts them. In this respect, these stories have an effect of shaping traditions, which in turn shapes the lives of individuals. The philosophy that is referred to as the love to wisdom started when some individuals began to ask questions. For example, the questions like why an individual should believe stories of this kind, how can an individual g et to know that these stories are true, and whenever they try to give out answers that may look to be more going compared to plausibility, and antiquity coming from acceptance that is common. Different philosophers have tried to provide the people in the society with some impressive reasons to believe in one thing concerning this matter. These philosophers tend to provide good reasons that can make an individual think that he or she cannot answer questions of this type