Same Artist, Different Pictures Essay Example for Free

Same Artist, Different Pictures Essay The way artists can look at a scene in many different lights is very similar to what Earle Birney did when he wrote January Morning/Downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Lights. An artist can paint a picture of a given setting and then come back and paint a totally different painting of the same subject. The two poems share similarities but where the description of January Morning/Downtown Vancouver ends, the theme for Vancouver Lights begins. The two poems based on the same setting create entirely different ideas in the readers mind. Evidently, Birneys poems both contain very powerful descriptions, but the two descriptions have different effects on the reader. January Morning/Downtown Vancouver beautifully describes exactly the title of the poem. However, the poem missing meat or substance, does not require the reader to analyze it in any way. In contrast, the first paragraph of Vancouver Lights is also a description, but this only sets the tone and allows the reader to get a feeling of the poems future. For example, when Birney says, to look on this quilt of lamp is a troubling delight( Earle Birney, January Morning/Downtown Vancouver ) implies a hidden meaning where as, The streets wait outside / chained to their hydrants( Earle Birney, Vancouver Lights) only describes. Although the poems are written about the same city, the descriptions Birney writes differ and imply different meanings. Similarities in the two poems are hard to find because they both have different agendas. The immediate understanding of January Morning/Downtown Vancouver completely contrasts the intense thought process required to fully understand Vancouver lights. Birneys wants the reader to think about mankinds insignificance and that mankind can create and destroy itself in Vancouver Lights where as January Morning/Downtown Vancouver needs little analyses, therefore extracting the theme appears difficult because of its simplicity. When Birney writes, These Rays were ours / we made and unmade them Not the shudder of continents / doused us the moons passion nor the crash of comets ( Earle Birney, Vancouver Lights) he acknowledges the fact that mankind are creators and destroyers, but in January Morning/Downtown Vancouver the reader can not find a phrase that has a  deeper meaning. Also, Vancouver Lights has numerous references to ancient symbols such as: Phoebus, Nubian, Prometheus, Nebulae and Aldebaran. This puts Vancouver Lights on a different level from January Morning/Downtown Vancouver because it requires the reader to have some pre-conceived knowledge to understand the theme and meaning of the poem. The simplicity in January Morning/Downtown Vancouver and complexity of Vancouver Lights makes similarities of the two difficult to uncover, yet the reader can see a direct link between the two because of the setting. These two poems paint completely contrasting pictures because January Morning/Downtown Vancouver only describes while Vancouver Lights requires previous knowledge and in-depth thinking to unlock the theme. The simplicity of January Morning/Downtown Vancouver creates detailed images but Birney leaves little to the readers imagination. On the other hand, Vancouver Lights about the same setting, forces the reader to think and discover the theme on their own. Like an artist can paint different pictures of the same subject, Birney accomplishes this in his poems, January Morning/Downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Lights

Values Of Turkey According To Hofstedes Values Politics Essay

Values Of Turkey According To Hofstedes Values Politics Essay Modern day Turkey has its roots in the former Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire had begun in the 13th century and stretched across the Middle East, including parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Ottoman Empire largely collapsed after defeat in the First World War. After the World War, the Turkish War of Independence resulted in Turkey, in its modern day form, being founded in 1923. (CIA World Factbook) Istanbul, Turkeys largest city, also goes back to ancient times as it was formerly known as Constantinople. Further back in history, it was called Byzantium. It has been part of the Ottoman Empire as well as the Roman and Byzantine Empires. After the founding of Turkey, the country operated with a one party system. The first occurrence of an opposition party winning power was in 1950, with a peaceful transfer of power. (CIA World Factbook). However, this has not always been the case. Turkey has been unstable in the past. Military coups have taken place in 1960, 1971, and 1980, with civilians regaining power each time. (CIA World Factbook) Turkeys current government is a republican parliamentary democracy. There are three branches of government. The executive branch has a president who is elected to a five year term, but has a largely ceremonial role. The prime minister is the head of the government and is appointed by the president. The legislative branch is made up of the unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judicial system contains the Constitutional Court, functioning much like the United States Supreme Court. (CIA World Factbook). Geographically, Turkey lies in the Middle East. Most of the country is part of southwestern Asia, with a small portion spilling into southeastern Europe. The country borders the Black Sea and Mediterranean Seas. Bordering countries include Iraq, Iran, Syria, as well as Greece and Bulgaria. (CIA World Factbook) While Turkey identifies more with the Middle East geographically, the country is more European than its neighbors. Turkey is a NATO member and has been since 1952. It is also a UN member since 1945. Currently, Turkey is a candidate to join the EU. (CIA World Factbook) Turkey has a population of almost seventy-seven million, ranking it seventeenth in the world. Its population is currently growing at a rate of 1.312%. (Dept. of State) The predominant religion is Muslim, with 99.8% of the population identifying themselves as such. (CIA World Factbook). Most of the Muslim population is Sunni. The other 0.2% of the population is made up mostly Christians and Jews, however this number pales in comparison to the Islamic population. (CIA World Factbook) Economically, Turkey is fairly developed. The economy consists of a mix of modern industry, commerce, with a fair amount of agriculture. 45.8% of the labor force works in the service sector. 29.5% spend their lives working in the agriculture sector, while the remaining 24.7% are in the industrial sector. (CIA World Factbook) Turkey has a gross domestic product of $863.3 billion, ranking it 18th in the world. (CIA World Factbook). The largest industrial sector is the textile industry, making up 33% of industry in the country. Automotive and electronic industries are growing. (CIA World Factbook) Another industry in Turkey is the oil industry. Oil pipelines connecting oil from the Middle East to Europe. (CIA World Factbook) The government has been a major participant in industry, banking, transport, and communication in the past, however this role is in decline as the country has experienced a move towards privatization. (CIA World Factbook) Turkey has not been immune to the current economic downturn that is facing the world. The gross domestic product shrunk 5.6% in the past year. Turkey also faces a high external debt. $274 billion dollars are owed to various countries. (CIA World Factbook) The Corruption Perception Index gives a score based on a perceived level of public corruption, ranking 180 different world countries. Turkey scores a 4.4 on the Corruption Perception Index, on a scale from zero to ten, with lower scores indicating more perceived corruption. Turkeys moderate score of 4.4 ranks them the 61st least perceived corrupted country in the world. (Transparency International) Geert Hofstede scores countries on different cultural dimensions in order to give a better understanding of the culture of a particular country. Hofstede measures the dimensions of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and masculinity. (itim International) Turkey scores high at 66 in power distance, indicating that the level of inequality in society is accepted and embraced. Turkey scores low in individualism at 37. This shows that Turkey has a more collectivist culture. In masculinity, Turkey receives a low score of 45. The last dimension, uncertainty avoidance measures with the tolerance of uncertainty in society. Turkey scores a 85 on this dimension. (itim International) This high score indicates that Turkey has a stricter, more intolerant society. S.J. Gray expanded on the ideas of Hosfstede, using Hofstedes dimensions to form additional hypothesis about a country and its accounting systems. Grays first hypothesis states that the higher a country ranks in individualism and lower it ranks in uncertainty avoidance and power distance, the higher the country will rank in professionalism. (Gray) According the Turkeys Hofstede values, it does not fall into the professional category. At the other end of the spectrum from professionalism is statutory control; an idea stating that the people of Turkey prefer a more rule-based approach with less judgment exercised. Grays second hypothesis states that the higher a country scores uncertainty avoidance and power distance and lower it scores in individualism, the more likely the country will value uniformity. Turkeys Hofstede values indicate that Turkey does in fact have high uniformity. According to Gray, Turks value a uniform and consistent approach, rather than adjusting to individual circumstances. The third hypothesis from S.J. Gray says that a country high in uncertainty avoidance and low in individualism and masculinity will rank high in conservatism. Hofstede values for Turkey indicate that Turkey does rank high in conservatism. This idea means that Turks prefer to be conservative in their measurements, allowing for an uncertain future, rather than taking an optimistic approach that may be less accurate. Grays last hypothesis states that a country that is high in power distance and uncertainty avoidance, and low in individualism and masculinity is a country that is high in secrecy. Turkey is likely to be high in secrecy according to its Hofstede values. According to Gray, Turks value confidentiality in business information. Together, Grays hypothesis theorize that Turkey is a country valuing statutory control, uniformity, conservatism, and secrecy. This puts Turkey on par with other Muslim countries in the Middle East such as Iran and Pakistan.

Effects of Privatization on Performance

Effects of Privatization on Performance This research study investigates the impact of privatization on the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) financial performance which is privatize in 2005.The variables Net Profit Margin, Operating Profit Margin, Return on Assets and Earnings per Share and Number of trades of shares are used as representation for financial performance. The paired-samples t test for mean difference has been used for comparing the pre and post privatization performance. Analysis of the financial data shows decline in the net profit margin, operating profit margins, return on assets and earnings per share after the privatization; but the impact is insignificant for all the variables except the operating profit margin. The effects of privatization on employees performance and management remain a potential problem and issue for further research due to shortage of resources and knowledge. Effect of Privatization on Performance Poor performance of many companies and public institutions in general has shown that in principle the government is not a good businessman. In this regard Privatization, a global phenomenon considered as a tool that leads to economic growth, increase in productivity, efficiency in utilization of resources and expansion in output and employment. The rational consumer takes benefits from competition among private firms in the form of better quality services and low prices especially in banking, air travel and telecommunication sectors. Due to rigidity in our culture, Public Sector companies do not become flexible and more dynamic as compared to Private companies. In general, it can be claimed that privatization is a part of a broader economic policy which is referred to as the economic release or connecting to the world economy by some governments. Privatization is the process of changing the conditions of governmental activities so that the major context is fixed but the atmosphere of the sectors changes and the effect of atmosphere and conditions of markets on companies performance is likely to consider private sectors mechanisms Telecommunication plays a vital role in the economic development of any country. PTCL was privatized in 2005. Due to the privatization of PTCL, overall financial performance and the share prices of the PTCL became volatile. This purpose of this study is to study dynamic aspects of privatization and compare the pre and post privatization financial performance of the company. An overview of PTCL In 1947, after independence, Pakistan had an insufficient telecom base. Only 14,000 land lines were there in whole country and only one department of Telephone and Post Telegraph. In 1962 these two departments were alienated as Postal department and Telephone and Telegraph Department (TT). Pakistan started gradually enhancement in telecommunication sector in 1990. The brief history of PTCL is as follows: Telegraph and Postal Department was established in 1947. Telephone and Telegraph Department was established in 1962. Pakistan Telecom Corporation was established in 1990-1991. PTCL was listed in the Karachi Stock Exchange in 1996. Internet and mobile subsidiaries was established in 1998. Policies of Telecom sectors were finalized in 2000. Deregulation policy of Telecom sector was announced in 2003. Objectives of Research This research study aims to examine the effect of firms privatization on the performance of the Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL). The objectives of the study are as follows: To evaluate impact of privatization on the financial performance of PTCL. To understand whether privatization how much privatization is effective To help policy makers and other authoritative bodies regarding decision making about privatization. Literature Review Memon (2007) argue that privatization and the preparations for privatization are very important to minimize the social costs and dislocations caused by such initiative. Most South Asian countries have come to realize that privatization for the purpose of reducing fiscal deficits has caused them to off-load those enterprises which are loss making first. Such action has not inspired private sector confidence, and has resulted in large-scale worker retrenchment. Privatization is the key factor that enables markets to work properly and appropriately. According to Megginson Netter (2006) from last two decades most countries of the world shifted their firms from state ownership to privatization. In 1999 the revenue of privatization firms was $ 1 trillion around the globe. Given the importance of the subject, a lot of studies have been performed to analyze the impact of privatization in a number of countries. Taghizadeh (2009) compared 12 privatized telecom corporations with 12 non-privatized (governmental) ones regarding their per capita cost of operating, per capita cost to fix damages and per capita wage and costs of labor maintenance and conclude that the costs were lower in privatized centers regarding all three above mentioned domains. A recent study (Farinos et al., 2007) while investigating the companies privatized in Spain through the years 1990-2001 argue that privatization has had a great impact on efficiency, sale income and employment. Warzynski (2003) in his study of 300 Ukrainian firms finds that competition does not have a significant effect on firm performance measured by productivity and profitability while privatization has a marginal positive significant effect on profitability and an insignificant effect on productivity. He points out; however, that competition and privatization might be complementary measures, as he finds that competition increases the performance of privatized firms. Boubakri et al. (2005) study the post privatization corporate governance of firms and show that performance gains are associated with the type of dominant owners. Choi and Hassan (2011) argue that Privatized banks, on average, perform better than established banks, whereas this is not true where we do not consider country differences across privatizations. They conclude that although governance and foreign ownership are significantly correlated with decreased performance deviation of privatized banks relative to the established bank group, banking freedom (regulations) and extensive deposit insurance schemes in respective economies are associated with increased performance deviation. A recent study (Okten Arin, 2006) on the effect of privatization argues privatized firms improve productive efficiency by increasing their capita l and decreasing their labor endowment. But this effect disappears when we control for changes in market structure using a measure for market concentration. Hence, while private ownership has a robust positive effect on productive efficiency, whether gains in productivity will be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices will depend on the market structure ensuing from privatization. Kerr et al., (2008) studied the privatization process in New Zealand and Australia through which they confirmed that the performance of companies after being privatized has improved greatly and privatization has increased the annual growth of New Zealand companies up to 12% and Australian companies up to 9%. Another study (Sarboland, 2012) conducted in Iran conclude that privatization has increased the overall financial performance of the corporation, however financial (debt) leverage ratios also increase, which reflects the companys poor performance in the years after privatization because in such a situation creditors will have less assurance and, moreover, in the view of lenders the less financial (debt) leverage ratio, the better. Some research studies found average performance after reforms, whereas, some studies found positive effect of reforms. However, most of the literature suggests that there is a significant relation between privatization and efficiency and due to the importance and the role that privatization has in increasing efficiency and optimum use of resources, more research is needed to confirm or reject the findings of previous studies. To do so, this current study has been tried to investigate the relation between privatization and efficiency in PTCL. Methodology The study basically focuses on the impact of Privatization on the financial performance of PTCL. Since the domain is PTCL, financial ratios of years 2000-2004 (before being privatized) and financial ratios of years 2005-2009 (after being privatized) have been analyzed, research population and sample are the same. Information and data needed for this research has been collected from the annual reports of PTCL. Since used data was obtained from company documents and financial records and accounting, the data is considered reliable. For measuring financial performance the following four variables have been used: Operating Profit Margin Net Profit Margin Return On Equity Earnings per share Number of Share trade In this study, to analyze data obtained from documents available in finance department, first, after separating and identifying the data of two periods (i.e., after and before privatization), the paired-samples t test for mean difference has been applied to analyze the data. This test explains volatility and significance of the variables, with the assumptions that the distribution of the variable is normal and that the variance of the variable is same in both set of populations. The test id done with help of Microsoft excel and SPSS. Analysis and Findings Refer to Table.1 in appendix, the shows summary of result of Paired-samples t test for the variable operating profit margin. Mean value of the operating profit margin is lower in the post privatization period. On the other hand, standard deviation is higher in the post privatization period as compared to pre privatization period. It indicates that privatization has negative impact on the net profit margin; moreover, it has also become more volatile after privatization. Whereas, the significant value is less than 0.05 which indicates that significant change has been observed in the operating profit margin after privatization. Refer to Table. 2, 3, 4 in appendix, the result shows summary of result of Paired-samples t test for the variable Net Profit Margin, Return on Equity, and Earning per Share respectively. Results show that all of these three variables have declined after privatization, and have become more volatile. The significance value is greater than 0.05 which indicates that changes in these variables are not statistically significant. Refer to Table. 5 in appendix, the result summarizes result of paired t test for the variable Number of trades. The mean value of the Number of trades is almost double in the post privatization whereas, the standard deviation for the number of trades is high in the post privatization period. P or significant value for the variable Number of Trades is highly significant as it is less than .005 indicating that the number of trades per day is significantly affected due to privatization. Conclusion Based on the results obtained, it was shown that there is a significant effect of privatization on the average number of trades of shares. This effect is being found positive as well. However, Analysis of the financial data shows decline in the financial performance of the company after privatization measured by operating profit margin, net profit margin, return on equity and earnings per share ratio. These entire four variables show decline in the post privatization period but the change is significant only in the variable operating profit margin. Hence we can conclude that privatization of PTCL has not been found analytically favorable. It is recommended, based on the result of the research, the legislative agencies should make appropriate policies to achieve a suitable market for Pakistan. Information clarification, choice of investor and a transparent privatization process should be the top priorities of authoritative bodies in order to make privatization more effective and effic ient. As suggested by Zeitun and Tian (2007) a privatization reform should go gradually and government should provide all necessary social securities to reduce the negative social impact of a firms liquidation. Issues for Future Research Many issues are not covered during the study due to shortage of resources and time. Based on the findings of the current research the following suggestions are recommended for further research: To examine the relation between privatization and management performance. To examine the impact of privatization on employees sense of job security. To examine the failures of financial ratios in decision makings. To examine the analysis of financial ratios in decision makings. To examine the impact of privatization on staffs efficiency.

Hospital Pharmacy Essay -- Medicine

The subspecialty in pharmacy I choose is hospital pharmacy. As a current employee at the University of Utah inpatient pharmacy, I see the implementation of the concepts of pharmacy informatics discussed in class. Pharmacy informatics enables me to practice pharmacy quickly, safely, and in the best interests of the patient. The computerized physician order entry allows for less error and requires less interpretation by the pharmacy staff. This saves the pharmacists time which they can allocate to verifying more orders. Having a computer system with the ability to verify a drug ordered via the NDC number and implementing a final check by a pharmacist is a great contributor to patient safety. Pharmacy informatics provides us with the computer systems, databases, and interfaces to ensure the patient is getting the correct drug in the correct strength at the correct time for the disease. The medication use cycle consists of prescribing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring.(1) As mentioned previously, the computerized physician order entry communicates the order to the pharmacy. This order absolutely cannot be dispensed until a pharmacist verifies the order, whereby it is sent to the work path to be pulled. The interface between these two systems is crucial to the retrieval of the drug for administration. The next step is administration to the patient by the nurse. The nurse relies on the electronic medical record to indicate what drug is needed for a patient and the time of administration. This again relies on a crucial interface between the system in which the pharmacist verifies the order and its subsequent appearance on the electronic medical record. Depending on whether the medicine cabinet has the drug or th... ...le of standards and vocabulary is crucial for clinical decision support (CDS) to function properly. The basis of the â€Å"knowledge† possessed by the CDS is the ontology programmed within it. It lacks the ability to critically think and only possesses the knowledge programmed within it via standards. If one system is using one vocabulary and trying to communicate with another system which is using a different vocabulary, the system will not understand. This can result in medication errors or lack of proper medication therapy and management. References 1. Lombardi, P.T. (2000). â€Å"Closing the Loop – Implementing Quality Improvement Processes and Advances in Technology to Decrease Medication Error.† MedScape Today. 2. Van der Maas, A.F. et al. (2001). â€Å"Requirements for Medical Modeling Languages.† J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2001 Mar-Apr; 8(2): 146–162.

What is Adequate Health Care and Who Has the Right to Receive It? :: Ethics and Health Care

Introduction Throughout the world, in countries rich and poor, people have no access to basic physical and mental healthcare nor to immunizations from infectious disease. Some people have no access because they lack the resources to buy and the state does not provide it. Others may be able to afford healthcare but because there are no services available in their communities they must do without it. In some countries because of discrimination or social stigmas such as a person ¡Ã‚ ¦s status as a prisoner, refugee, immigrant or a member of a lower class or caste they are deprived of this basic human right. However all people should have access to affordable universal healthcare. In a nation of such wealth and abundance, rights and freedoms, there is no justification for an individual to be without healthcare. The  ¡Ã‚ §right to health ¡Ã‚ ¨ extends to all things which promote health and well-being and prevent illness and disease, not just access to medical care. This includes, among many others, the right to education, food and shelter, to freedom from discrimination and persecution, to information, and to the benefits of science. Every woman, man, and child has the human right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, without discrimination of any kind. Enjoyment of human right to health, is vital to all aspects of a person ¡Ã‚ ¦s life and well-being, and is crucial to the realization of many other fundamental human rights and freedoms. The United States is the only industrialized country in the world in which healthcare is not a right of citizenship. As a result, the United States has the worst healthcare statistics in the industrialized world. Thesis Statement Poor health and inadequate health care are often related to human rights violations; violation that under fulfillment of human rights are often due to poor health and lack of access to health care. The link is direct in the case of other basic social and economic human rights such as the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of oneself, and one ¡Ã‚ ¦s family. Nevertheless, poverty and lack of health protection are indirectly linked to failures to secure civil rights. Some of the realizations of other human rights are not possible if an individual cannot maintain his/her own health. Most crucial health needs includes the prevention of stillbirths and infant mortality; the improvement of environmental and industrial hygiene, the prevention treatment, and control of diseases, with the provision of medical care to the sick.

Genetically Modified Organisms- a Step Ahead or a Step in the Wrong Direction?

Genetically modified organisms- a step ahead or a step in the wrong direction? Paulina Langowska Genetically modified organisms, also known as GMO, are such organisms whose genetic material has been artificially changed using genetic engineering. Genetic engineering, to put it simply, is altering the DNA technology, using DNA molecules from various organisms and using this molecules to create a brand new set of genes. Then the set of genes is added to an organism’s genome. Below is shown an exchange of genes in corn, which is supposed to protect it from various insects.Genetic engineering can also change the color of the plant, make it resistant to difficult weather conditions, insects and viruses. The beginnings of genetic engineering take us back to the year 1973, when the first recombinant bacteria- a bacteria that has been genetically modified- was created. It was Escherichia coli, which from that point on became a popular lab rat used in genetic engineering. This creation led to discussions whether genetic modifications are safe and needed. The first conference when potential health risks were discussed took place in 1975.In late 1980’s in USA and Canada began an experimental usage of genetic engineered plants in a small scale. In 1990’s, after the approval for a larger scale, genetic engineering was more widely spread across the countries. From that point on, the interest in genetically modified organisms grew year by year. However, even though genetically modified organisms have gained population, the benefits of it and its harmlessness is disputable. Researches on lab pets show many harmful consequences.Some scientists decided to try and feed rats with genetic engineered potatoes. It was supposed to make them produce their own natural insecticide. But the results weren’t exactly as they were expected. Rats’ cells developed in a proliferative way and potentially cancerous cells. Also, the development of their brain and liver was inhibited and they suffered from an immune system damage. Also, another research was done in Russian Academy of Sciences. This time, female rats were fed genetically modified soy before and during pregnancy and also hile feeding their offspring. This time, the results included: * About 55% of offspring died during 3 weeks after the birth (compared to 9% of mortality among those fed with non-genetically modified soy) * Offspring was significantly smaller compared to other as well as their organs (heart, liver, kidneys, etc. ) * Both mothers and their children were very aggressive and anxious * When male and female (both form genetically modified soy fed mother) were paired, they were unable to conceive children.Although the results of this experiments are to be taken with a grain of salt, they are still alarming and disturbing due to the wide discrepancies between the GM soy fed rats and the control ones. The health damages found in rats fed with genetically modified potato es is just as much worrying. The reason rats are used for such experiments is that their morphology and biochemical structures are very similar to the human ones. That is why those experiments, as well as similar ones, provoke an essential question- is genetically modified food harmful to people.The answer to this question is very disputable. Some scientists claim that genetically modified foods are completely safe and otherwise they wouldn’t be approved. But there are numerous articles about possible harmful effects of genetically modified foods and they can’t be ignored. The main concern is allergies. Main aim of getting a new set of gene to an organism’s genome is to create a new protein and every protein is potentially triggering to allergic reactions. The problem with GM foods is that its protein are completely new and we can’t be sure about its effect.Truth be told, people (mainly in USA, where genetic engineered food is the most common) often consu me GM products without being aware of it- if you live in the USA and ate cheddar cheese in the past few years it is more than likely that you ate a genetically manipulated food, since genetic engineering is currently the most successful in cheddar cheese. Some say that genetically modified products they unwillingly consumed are to stand accused for their new allergies. Other concerns involve immunity system damage and stunted organ growth, however they are mostly seen in lab pets and are yet to be proved to occur.Another reason why genetic engineering receives so many criticism from the ethical point of view. Because if we can change genes in cheese or potatoes, what’s stopping us from changing genes in people? Scientists and psychologists are afraid that genetic engineering will become so developed that designing unborn children will happen on a daily basis. Parents will choose gender, height, hair color etc. From this point there’s not much to go to create an artific ial world, ruled by genetic engineering, looking like taken out of Huxley’s book.Futhermore, genetically modified organisms have a huge impact on our environment. One of the problems is gene flow. Gene flow is a natural occurring phenomenon that results in getting one organism’s DNA and transporting it to another one, be it from the same species or not. Some people are afraid that the engineered genes may spread and push out other, not modificated, plants. Yet another drawback is that they can be harmful to other organisms. Genetic engineering in plants such as crop is mostly focused on creating a defensive system against insects.But often, the newly created insecticide can be harmful to other, non-target organisms. Some sources agree that the existence of genetically engineered maize most commonly found in corn had a negavite impact on population of monarch butterflies living near the field, because they fed with plants dusted by the pollen from the corn maize. Both t hese phenomena’s can led to destroying natural biodiversity. So this leads us to a question: if genetic engineering has so much disadvantages, why is it still done and money is spent for researches?The truth is that even if it has many drawbacks, it still have many advantages that for some people are worth all the effort. Negative poster about GM foods One of them is that it is said to help us create food that is much more nutritious. It can be done by inserting a specific genes that are supposed to produce vitamins etc. to various crops. A well known case is inserting the gene making the vitamin A levels in rice much higher. Rice feeds currently more than 50% of the world population, but is not high in vitamins and other nutrients.Modifying it in such a way that It contains more vitamin A could help reduce deficiency resulting in blindness. If it was to be done successfully with other food products it would probably really help with fighting the malnutrition in third world o r developing countries. Moreover, genetic engineering can decrease crop failure. Crop failure is a very big issue and it is said to increase due to climate changes. Because of them, price of food gets higher, some countries need to ban all the export of some products (for example Russia banning wheat export in 2010) and ometimes it even gets so bad country really suffers from famine, especially when we consider developing countries. That’s why GMOs are so tempting to scientist. They hold potential for making plants more resistant to various insects and plant diseases. Some corn produce very much food but don’t defend themselves again insects while other that are able to repel insects cannot produce this much food. Therefore, scientists hope that they can combine these to and create a corn and then other plants that repel insects while producing big amounts of food.This also results in using o plants much less chemicals in order to reduce insect and disease damage. Thes e chemicals seriously hurt our environment. Thanks to adoption of genetically engineered of corn, cotton and soybeans during years 1997 and 1998 farmers used 8. 2 million fewer pounds of chemicals. Furthermore, genetically modified organisms are also more resistant to getting overrun or choked up by weeds and other plants fighting for the same nutrients. This results in weeds dying out, leaving room for crop.This and making plants more resistant to insects and diseases makes GMO very profitable. According to some economists, in 2007 farmers made additional $10 billion due to introducing gnetic engineered plants. Yet another advantage of genetic engineering is the fact that it can help us produce new, far more effective vaccines and medicines. Also they can create another form of them- edible vaccines. The idea is to put medication into some plant’s genes and distribute it around the world so that people eat it and get what they need.Scientists have already developed a transge nic potato, that prevented rats from getting rotavirus and E. coli. Hopefully, this idea will get developed and adopted in life, because this could help serious health problems, for example in countries of the third world. To conclude, genetic engineering is a very controversial subject and it surely needs more research. But it holds great potential for fixing many issues, many of them considering developing countries and people dying of starvation. Probably, as more and more investigation is done, health problems are going to be solved.Bibliography Pictures (in order of appearance): 1. http://www. ces. ncsu. edu/resources/crops/ag546-1/helixes3. jpg; date: 8. 05. 2011; author unknown 2. ‘Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods’; Jeffrey M. Smith; publisher: Chelsea Green, 2007 3. http://www. news. cornell. edu/chronicle/99/5. 20. 99/caterpillars. JPEG; date: 8. 05. 2011; Kent Loeffler 4. http://www. anunews. net/blog/wp-content/upl oads/2010/08/aa-frankenfood-cartoon-good-one1. jpg; date: 8. 05. 2011; author unknown Books and webpages: 1. Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods’; Jeffrey M. Smith; publisher: Chelsea Green, 2007 2. ‘Seeds of deception: Exposing industry and government lies about the safety of the genetically engineered foods you’re eating’; Jeffrey M. Smith, publisher: Yes! Books, 2003 3. http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2010/10/101007092817. htm; reprinted from materials provided by Univeristy of Leeds, 7. 10. 2010 (date of publishing) 4. http://www. suite101. com/content/the-benefits-of-genetically-modified-food-crops-a218670; Andy Luttrel; 28. 3. 2010 (date of publishing) 5. http://www. ehow. com/list_6019041_advantages-benefits-gmo. html; Gregory Hamel; 8. 05. 2011 (date of using) 6. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism; Yobot; 6. 05. 2011 ———————⠀”——————– [ 1 ]. http://www. ces. ncsu. edu/resources/crops/ag546-1/ [ 2 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism#History [ 3 ]. http://www. seedsofdeception. com/documentFiles/120. pdf [ 4 ]. http://www. suite101. com/content/the-benefits-of-genetically-modified-food-crops-a218670 Genetically Modified Organisms- a Step Ahead or a Step in the Wrong Direction? Genetically modified organisms- a step ahead or a step in the wrong direction? Paulina Langowska Genetically modified organisms, also known as GMO, are such organisms whose genetic material has been artificially changed using genetic engineering. Genetic engineering, to put it simply, is altering the DNA technology, using DNA molecules from various organisms and using this molecules to create a brand new set of genes. Then the set of genes is added to an organism’s genome. Below is shown an exchange of genes in corn, which is supposed to protect it from various insects.Genetic engineering can also change the color of the plant, make it resistant to difficult weather conditions, insects and viruses. The beginnings of genetic engineering take us back to the year 1973, when the first recombinant bacteria- a bacteria that has been genetically modified- was created. It was Escherichia coli, which from that point on became a popular lab rat used in genetic engineering. This creation led to discussions whether genetic modifications are safe and needed. The first conference when potential health risks were discussed took place in 1975.In late 1980’s in USA and Canada began an experimental usage of genetic engineered plants in a small scale. In 1990’s, after the approval for a larger scale, genetic engineering was more widely spread across the countries. From that point on, the interest in genetically modified organisms grew year by year. However, even though genetically modified organisms have gained population, the benefits of it and its harmlessness is disputable. Researches on lab pets show many harmful consequences.Some scientists decided to try and feed rats with genetic engineered potatoes. It was supposed to make them produce their own natural insecticide. But the results weren’t exactly as they were expected. Rats’ cells developed in a proliferative way and potentially cancerous cells. Also, the development of their brain and liver was inhibited and they suffered from an immune system damage. Also, another research was done in Russian Academy of Sciences. This time, female rats were fed genetically modified soy before and during pregnancy and also hile feeding their offspring. This time, the results included: * About 55% of offspring died during 3 weeks after the birth (compared to 9% of mortality among those fed with non-genetically modified soy) * Offspring was significantly smaller compared to other as well as their organs (heart, liver, kidneys, etc. ) * Both mothers and their children were very aggressive and anxious * When male and female (both form genetically modified soy fed mother) were paired, they were unable to conceive children.Although the results of this experiments are to be taken with a grain of salt, they are still alarming and disturbing due to the wide discrepancies between the GM soy fed rats and the control ones. The health damages found in rats fed with genetically modified potato es is just as much worrying. The reason rats are used for such experiments is that their morphology and biochemical structures are very similar to the human ones. That is why those experiments, as well as similar ones, provoke an essential question- is genetically modified food harmful to people.The answer to this question is very disputable. Some scientists claim that genetically modified foods are completely safe and otherwise they wouldn’t be approved. But there are numerous articles about possible harmful effects of genetically modified foods and they can’t be ignored. The main concern is allergies. Main aim of getting a new set of gene to an organism’s genome is to create a new protein and every protein is potentially triggering to allergic reactions. The problem with GM foods is that its protein are completely new and we can’t be sure about its effect.Truth be told, people (mainly in USA, where genetic engineered food is the most common) often consu me GM products without being aware of it- if you live in the USA and ate cheddar cheese in the past few years it is more than likely that you ate a genetically manipulated food, since genetic engineering is currently the most successful in cheddar cheese. Some say that genetically modified products they unwillingly consumed are to stand accused for their new allergies. Other concerns involve immunity system damage and stunted organ growth, however they are mostly seen in lab pets and are yet to be proved to occur.Another reason why genetic engineering receives so many criticism from the ethical point of view. Because if we can change genes in cheese or potatoes, what’s stopping us from changing genes in people? Scientists and psychologists are afraid that genetic engineering will become so developed that designing unborn children will happen on a daily basis. Parents will choose gender, height, hair color etc. From this point there’s not much to go to create an artific ial world, ruled by genetic engineering, looking like taken out of Huxley’s book.Futhermore, genetically modified organisms have a huge impact on our environment. One of the problems is gene flow. Gene flow is a natural occurring phenomenon that results in getting one organism’s DNA and transporting it to another one, be it from the same species or not. Some people are afraid that the engineered genes may spread and push out other, not modificated, plants. Yet another drawback is that they can be harmful to other organisms. Genetic engineering in plants such as crop is mostly focused on creating a defensive system against insects.But often, the newly created insecticide can be harmful to other, non-target organisms. Some sources agree that the existence of genetically engineered maize most commonly found in corn had a negavite impact on population of monarch butterflies living near the field, because they fed with plants dusted by the pollen from the corn maize. Both t hese phenomena’s can led to destroying natural biodiversity. So this leads us to a question: if genetic engineering has so much disadvantages, why is it still done and money is spent for researches?The truth is that even if it has many drawbacks, it still have many advantages that for some people are worth all the effort. Negative poster about GM foods One of them is that it is said to help us create food that is much more nutritious. It can be done by inserting a specific genes that are supposed to produce vitamins etc. to various crops. A well known case is inserting the gene making the vitamin A levels in rice much higher. Rice feeds currently more than 50% of the world population, but is not high in vitamins and other nutrients.Modifying it in such a way that It contains more vitamin A could help reduce deficiency resulting in blindness. If it was to be done successfully with other food products it would probably really help with fighting the malnutrition in third world o r developing countries. Moreover, genetic engineering can decrease crop failure. Crop failure is a very big issue and it is said to increase due to climate changes. Because of them, price of food gets higher, some countries need to ban all the export of some products (for example Russia banning wheat export in 2010) and ometimes it even gets so bad country really suffers from famine, especially when we consider developing countries. That’s why GMOs are so tempting to scientist. They hold potential for making plants more resistant to various insects and plant diseases. Some corn produce very much food but don’t defend themselves again insects while other that are able to repel insects cannot produce this much food. Therefore, scientists hope that they can combine these to and create a corn and then other plants that repel insects while producing big amounts of food.This also results in using o plants much less chemicals in order to reduce insect and disease damage. Thes e chemicals seriously hurt our environment. Thanks to adoption of genetically engineered of corn, cotton and soybeans during years 1997 and 1998 farmers used 8. 2 million fewer pounds of chemicals. Furthermore, genetically modified organisms are also more resistant to getting overrun or choked up by weeds and other plants fighting for the same nutrients. This results in weeds dying out, leaving room for crop.This and making plants more resistant to insects and diseases makes GMO very profitable. According to some economists, in 2007 farmers made additional $10 billion due to introducing gnetic engineered plants. Yet another advantage of genetic engineering is the fact that it can help us produce new, far more effective vaccines and medicines. Also they can create another form of them- edible vaccines. The idea is to put medication into some plant’s genes and distribute it around the world so that people eat it and get what they need.Scientists have already developed a transge nic potato, that prevented rats from getting rotavirus and E. coli. Hopefully, this idea will get developed and adopted in life, because this could help serious health problems, for example in countries of the third world. To conclude, genetic engineering is a very controversial subject and it surely needs more research. But it holds great potential for fixing many issues, many of them considering developing countries and people dying of starvation. Probably, as more and more investigation is done, health problems are going to be solved.Bibliography Pictures (in order of appearance): 1. http://www. ces. ncsu. edu/resources/crops/ag546-1/helixes3. jpg; date: 8. 05. 2011; author unknown 2. ‘Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods’; Jeffrey M. Smith; publisher: Chelsea Green, 2007 3. http://www. news. cornell. edu/chronicle/99/5. 20. 99/caterpillars. JPEG; date: 8. 05. 2011; Kent Loeffler 4. http://www. anunews. net/blog/wp-content/upl oads/2010/08/aa-frankenfood-cartoon-good-one1. jpg; date: 8. 05. 2011; author unknown Books and webpages: 1. Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods’; Jeffrey M. Smith; publisher: Chelsea Green, 2007 2. ‘Seeds of deception: Exposing industry and government lies about the safety of the genetically engineered foods you’re eating’; Jeffrey M. Smith, publisher: Yes! Books, 2003 3. http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2010/10/101007092817. htm; reprinted from materials provided by Univeristy of Leeds, 7. 10. 2010 (date of publishing) 4. http://www. suite101. com/content/the-benefits-of-genetically-modified-food-crops-a218670; Andy Luttrel; 28. 3. 2010 (date of publishing) 5. http://www. ehow. com/list_6019041_advantages-benefits-gmo. html; Gregory Hamel; 8. 05. 2011 (date of using) 6. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism; Yobot; 6. 05. 2011 ———————⠀”——————– [ 1 ]. http://www. ces. ncsu. edu/resources/crops/ag546-1/ [ 2 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism#History [ 3 ]. http://www. seedsofdeception. com/documentFiles/120. pdf [ 4 ]. http://www. suite101. com/content/the-benefits-of-genetically-modified-food-crops-a218670

Concealed Carry on College Campuses

The debate concerning the laws of concealed carry on college campuses has been going strong since the Virginia Tech tragedy on April 16, 2007. Concealed carry should be allowed on college campuses. On one side, people oppose the right of concealed carry on campus stating reasons such as this one presented by Concealed Campus, â€Å"It’s unlikely that allowing concealed carry on college campuses could help prevent a Virginia Tech-style massacre because most college students are too young to obtain a concealed handgun license,† (Common). That statement is incorrect and quite misleading. Nineteen of the thirty-two victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy were of or over the age of twenty-one† which is the minimum age to receive a concealed weapons permit in most states (Common). Another common argument against concealed carry on campuses is, â€Å"Life on college campuses often involves some drug use and alcohol consumption that could impair the judgment of a law-abidin g gun owner,† posted by The Warrior (Umpir). However, each state that gives concealed weapons permits has laws prohibiting license holders from carrying while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.Anyone who knows anything about guns would know this. Allowing concealed carry on college campuses should not only be allowed, but encouraged. Between 2001 and 2003 there were 10,472 cases of aggravated assaults on campuses across the US as presented by the U. S. Department of Education (Criminal). These large numbers could very well be prevented in the future if concealed carry is allowed on college campuses. Part of American citizens’ civil rights, as guaranteed by the US Constitution in the second amendment, is to keep and bear arms.The second amendment stating â€Å"As passed by the Congress: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. † This has been a long stand ing principle and all states have laws for concealed weapons, some stricter than others, but all in some way may advocate for it. The National Conference of State Legislatures posted in August 2012, â€Å"Recent court cases have also overturned some †¦ system wide bans of concealed carry on state college and university campuses.In March 2012, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the University of Colorado’s policy banning guns from campus violates the state’s concealed carry law, and in 2011 the Oregon Court of Appeals overturned the Oregon University System’s ban of guns on campuses †¦ it was ruled that state law dictates only the legislature can regulate the use, sale and possession of firearms†¦,† (Guns). This supports the arguments for concealed carry on campus by showing the Supreme Court’s support for long standing laws. Concealed carry on campus would do well for the common good. In having a concealed weapon, others may becom e uneasy.However, if the lisecense holder is responsible and caring, they could actually make others feel at ease knowing that a responsible US citizen could protect them in an emergency. To advocate for my position, I have joined the group â€Å"Students for Concealed Carry† at www. Concealedcampus. com. The group has given me the information to write to my state elected officials to encourage concealed weapons on college campuses, which I have done. Works Cited â€Å"Common Arguments Agaisnt Campus Carry. † Concealed Campus. Students for Concealed Carry, 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Criminal Offensess – Aggravated Assault. † Ed. gov. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Guns on Campus. † NCSL. National Conference of State Legislatures, Aug. 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. . Umpir, Evan. â€Å"Against Concealed Carry on Campus. † The Warrior. N. p. , 03 Nov. 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. .