AIDS in the World

AIDS is the fast becoming and the worst human disease disaster the world has ever seen. It is clear that in the next ten to fifteen years, AIDS will claim more lives than any other epidemic. As a matter of fact, every year and a half, it claims more human lives than the Holocaust. Nothing can be compared to the drag that AIDS has caused to human life.There is just no human suffering and devastation as worst as it is. In the year 2002, there have already been 28 million recorded deaths due to AIDS and that is only the paltry beginning. The United Nations Security Council has labeled AIDS as a global security threat.According to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, terrorism is not the most serious problem faced by the world today, but the AIDS epidemic. It is more than anything else destabilizing the entire planet (Hunter 2003).History of AIDSThe Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or commonly known as AIDS was first observed in 1981. When it was first observed, it gained little attention as an infectious disease among experts. Accordingly, the first report was by Dr. Michael Gottlieb from the University of California Los Angeles. It was nothing from the AIDS that we know today. He described it as a rare form of pneumonia among homosexual men.At the same time, there were also other reports referring to the same disease saying it was a rare kind of cancer (Conner et al 2007). Furthermore, the most mainstream case would be what happened in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where they publish an article entitled â€Å"Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report†.In this article, experts described the case reports of five young men at three different hospitals in Los Angeles. All five of them were sexually active and gay. Also, all five of them are suffering from a lung disease.Furthermore, there were also case reports on 26 young homosexual men from New York and California that were diagnosed with Kaposi Sarcoma that was on the extreme level accompanied w ith skin and mucous membrane lesion.It is observed that most of the victims were homosexual men so scientists asked what practices the homosexual community is engaged in that made them contract the disease. They postulate that a drug called amyl nitrate used by homosexuals to increase sexual pleasure may be the culprit.There is also a theory that there are certain organisms in the homosexual body that caused the disease. By 1983, aside from the United States, there were already 16 countries that reported AIDS cases alongside more than 1000 Americans that were positively diagnosed (Weeks and Alcamo 2006).This situation is often compared to that of the story of the six blind men and the elephants that is familiar to all of us as children. The elephant was the disease and the six blind men were the scientists and doctors that were grappling with its emergence.They still do not have a clear idea what AIDS is, so they were treating the epidemic piecemeal. What physicians observed was tha t patient’s immune system was literally suppressed but they do not have any idea it was the very cause of the disease. Before 1984, the situation worsened.There were no clear definition for AIDS, no test available to affirm the diagnosis, and certainly no cure was in sight (Weeks and Alcamo 2006).Despite the pessimisms among the people, researchers were beginning to unravel the mysteries of the disease that soon they call AIDS.   The observed symptoms were then later on labeled as AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome mainly because the symptoms were consistent with damage to the immune system among healthy people.Furthermore, it was also learned that the disease was not congenital nor was it inherited but acquired from an infection of a virus. As of the present, the disease has become a prominent fixture in everyday language as its common name AIDS (Conner et al 2007).Basic research on AIDS was primarily done in the United States by two of the leading governmental in stitutions: the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH). There were also studies conducted in Western Europe by Pasteur Institute.The Pasteur Institute was famous for their specialization in virology because it started out as center to combat rabies, the most horrible of all viral diseases. Prior to this, scientists in this institute has also done other viral discoveries such as that of Constantin Levadati who discovered the polio virus, Amedee Morrel who studied animal onco-viruses, and Felix d’Herelle who discovered bacteriophage.They are part of the team who had will soon develop the field of molecular biology and soon understand the biological strategy of the AIDS virus (Grmek et al 1993).The Pasteur virologists first encountered AIDS during a controversy about the Institute’s production of hepatitis-B vaccine. The process required a massive amount of human plasma. In 1981, they purchased around 2, 500 liters of plasma from the United States blood banks.A third of these were mixed to European plasma in order for them to prepare vaccine. When the product was tested to the chimpanzees, one of them developed hepatitis, and another died out of arbovirus infection (Grmek et al 1993).In September 1982, Jacques Leibowitch, a physician working at the Raymond Poincare Hospital in Paris had been convinced that AIDS is caused by an exotic virus of African origin that affected T4-cells transmitted by blood.The description of the virus was similar to that of HTLV retrovirus. He gave a seminar at Cochin hospital and informed the French task force about it. The French Task Force was pretty much convinced that the retrovirus might be the probable cause of AIDS. They were also –persuaded that it could be transmitted through blood (Grmek et al 1993).Other scientists believe the agent came from a virus that causes African swine fever since the same virus can result to immune suppression of pigs. Others believed that i t was cause by a slow virus, one that is multiplying at an extreme low rate that it only affects and manifests itself in the body after a few years.Another group believes that the agent is a vital escapee from a genetic engineering laboratory. There was also speculation that says that it came from a failed biological war against Cuba (Grmek et al 1993).In the United States, the group of Robert C. Gallo identified a virus in the blood of 48 patients with virus. They named the virus HTVL-III. They have published their works on the Science. In a few months that followed, there has already been a rivalry between the American and French experts each claiming that they were the first one who isolated the virus.They contested that they should be one who’ll receive international awards, research grants, and millions and billions of dollar patent rights. Until, they have settled after some time that the virus that they have been examining were of the same type. The United States for i ts part have a

Frequency of Presidential Appointees on Federal Judges

The frequency table reveals how many presidential appointees each president made to the Federal Appellate Court bench. This calculated on a per year basis shows that their has been a steady increase, with the exceptions of Ford who showed less and Carter who showed more, in the number of appointees to Federal Appellate Court bench during the last 10 presidencies. Since Federal Court judges are appointed for life terms, under conditions of â€Å"good behavior,† I attribute this increase in the number of Federal Appellate Court judges to larger caseloads with more issues to decide. One of the exceptions noted earlier, Ford, who served only 2 ? years, appointed an average of 4. 8 Appellate Court judges a year. The other exception, Carter who served 4 years and made 56 appointments, had the greatest impact on the Federal Appellate Court system, averaging 14 appointees a year. A Perspective Look at Bush and Clinton's Federal Appellate Court Appointees The data illustrates that Bush's Federal judge appointees were within party lines 91% of the time. In 37 of his awarded Federal judgeships, 34 were Republican, 2 were Democrat, and 1 independent. In contrast, Clinton also stayed within party lines, but at a lesser rate, 85% going to his party, appointing 41 of 48 Federal judgeships to Democrats. The other appointees made by Clinton consisted of 3 Republicans and 4 Independents. It is apparent that presidents appoint Federal Appellate Court judges who conform to their political ideologies. Republican judges, who are chosen because of their Conservative views, tend to hand down decisions that favor government and large businesses. This becomes important in litigation involving labor-management conflicts, environmental issues, and personal injury cases when corporate America is the defendant. Democratic presidents, who also appoint Federal judges in conformity with their political ideology, appoint Democrats. These Democratic Federal Appellate court judges, liberals, are less concerned with the rights of government and corporate America and more concerned with the rights of individuals. This becomes evident in issues involving the First Amendment, rights of individuals in criminal cases, and matters involving discrimination of women and minorities. The statistics show that over the last 10 presidencies, women were appointed to the bench of the Federal Court of Appeals in 39 of the 370 total appointments, or 10% of the time. The appointment of women as Federal Appellate Court judges was never fashionable for either the Republican or Democratic presidents until very liberal Carter, during his term, appointed 11 women to the bench. Although Bush's percentage of women appointed as Federal Appellate Court justices is only 19% of his total, it is much higher than his closest Republican predecessor, Reagan, with a 5% comparison. Clinton's record in regard to female appointees is more balanced, but still skewed. One third of his appointees as Federal Court of Appeals judges in his first 6 years have been a woman. This contrast in difference, Clinton 42% higher than Bush in female appointees, clearly demonstrates their difference in political ideologies. The Democrats with their beliefs in individual rights, reflected in pro-choice decisions, and public policies, such as, protections on the environment by corporations, have attracted many women voters. The Democrats have also been influential in advocating equal rights for women, especially in sexual harassment litigation. The analysis shows that Bush appointed white Federal Appellate Court judges 90% of the time. In Bush's 4 years of office, he appointed 4 judges from a minority, 2 African-American judges, and 2 Hispanic judges, comprising the other 10%. In Clinton's 6 years of office, 23% of his Appellate Court appointments have been from a minority group. He has appointed 5 African-American judges, 5 Hispanic judges, and for the first time an Asian-American judge. Cinton's appointees from a minority group outnumbered Bush's by over 2 to 1. The appointment of Federal Appellate Court judges compared by race in influenced by the beliefs of the political party. Democrats, who traditionally held support from African-Americans and more recently Hispanics, are more favorable toward the ills of the economically depressed, and advocate policies toward equal rights and affirmative action. This being reflected by the percentage of persons of minority being appointed as judges to the Federal Appellate Court by Democrats. The Republican presidents, 5 of the last 10, have appointed 6 persons of minority to the Federal Appellate Court bench. This is 18% in the overall total of 33 minority judges appointed. This demonstrates less concern for minorities and the knowledge of the Republican Party that their support does not come from this sector of the population. In respect to Bush's Federal Appellate Court appointments, religion plays an important part in the decision but less than political ideology, gender, and race. 54% of Bush's appointed judgeships were from the Protestant faith, 24% from the Roman Catholic faith, and 16% from the Jewish faith. The remaining 6% came from those with no religion. Clinton's appointments to Federal Appellate Court judgeships show nearly equal distributions between the Protestant and Roman Catholic faiths with 35% and 33% respectively. The Jewish faith under Clinton received 19% of the appointments and those of Unitarian faith and of no religion received 13%. The percentages are consistent with the knowledge that the United States is a mostly Protestant nation. Republicans, over the last 10 presidencies have by an overwhelming majority, awarded Federal Appellate Court appointments to Protestants. The Democrats, over the same span, have shown more diversity in their appointments. This is in line with the liberal views of the Democrats concerning equal rights and discrimination policy. Overall Patterns of Presidential Appointees to the Federal Appellate Court Bench The statistics revealed by this data indicate that Republican Presidential Appellate Court appointees are predominately white, male, and Protestant. Just during the last 2 Republican presidencies, Reagan and Bush, have the Republicans become a little more diverse in their appointments of Federal Appellate Court judges. The appointments during the Republican terms of Reagan and Bush consisted of ultra-conservatives who were well accustomed to politics and most likely millionaires. The Democratic presidents, likely more liberals in their beliefs, demonstrated this in their appointments to the Federal Appellate Court judgeships. Although the Democratic presidents appointed primarily Democrats, the data shows an increase in the appointments of women, minorities, and other religious faiths; demonstrating diversity and capturing support from these groups. Changes in Federal Appellate Court Appointments over the last 50 years The last 50 years, in respect to Federal Appellate Court judicial appointments, saw Republicans and Democrats appoint members from their own party. The Democrats, starting with Truman, began appointing minorities to Federal Appellate Court judgeships. It was not until the 60's when civil rights and discrimination became issues that Democratic presidents became diverse in their appointments and starting including women and minorities. The Democratic presidents have included religions other than Protestant in their appointments at a higher rate than the Republicans. During this 50-year period, the Republican presidents have not traditionally appointed women or minorities to the Federal Appellate Court. Not until the 80's, under Reagan, did a Republican president appoint members to the Appellate Court that included women and minorities. The majority of the appointees under Reagan and Bush remained to be white males. The appointments by Republican presidents from religions other than Protestant remained low in comparison to their Democratic counterparts.

LoNGPestel Analysis of the US automobile industry ( only passanger Essay

LoNGPestel Analysis of the US automobile industry ( only passanger cars ) - Essay Example Its very imperative to constantly asses the business environment so as to keep up with competition, be updated on current developments in the industry as well as understanding the external and internal factors that affect the business (Greacen & Chou 2005). Business environment is identified as the external factors influencing the decisions made by a business and they way the business will operate there after. These factors are very critical to development of an industry and any business analyses set to investigated them should be done so in a systematic way so as to ensure the whole process in cost effective and that relevant information is obtained (Leumar 2008). One is able to concentrate on the industry’s environmental factors like the customers, competitors, the government, and suppliers. In general, it’s pertinent to note that the profit that a firm gets comes from the ways in which a market is made to be perfect. The prices that clients are willing to pay for the goods should not actually surpass the cost of producing the goods (Leumar 2008). PESTEL analysis is one of such means by which companies use to assess their performance in relation to the business environment so that changes can be made whenever possible to increase profitability (Capon 2006). The PESTEL analysis is sometimes extended to include local national and global aspects and hence denoted as LoNGPESTEL analysis. These are some of the factors that are analysed in assessing the business environment particularly the macro environment factors that are likely to affect management’s decisions about the organisation. PESTEL is an acronym of Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal factors that influence organizations decision process (Greacen & Chou 2005). The changes in taxation policy, introduction of trade barriers, establishment

Development, experience and completition of distance learning course Essay

Development, experience and completition of distance learning course - Essay Example Distance learning broadens ones capacity of thought and it helps one to have the zeal to find out knowledge and meet concepts individually. Throughout this program, knowledge gained was through observation, experimentations, research, and experimentations. For application of knowledge, one had to be keen on observation to ascertain the truth value of existing knowledge because not all knowledge is necessarily. Observation was of great help since they aided one to have a clear insight of the real world in relation to the theoretical knowledge. There was also a broader experimentation of various phenomena. The experimentation method helped one to be sure and to prove true or disapprove the hypothesis that were covered the common knowledge. This also helps in distinguishing fallacies and general knowledge which have not been verified. In most cases, one had to conduct research to find out the cause and effects of certain phenomena so as to come up with effective conclusions and deductio n. Also, experiences that one gained from interacting with various issues and challenges also helped one to unlearn the previous knowledge and to learn new ones. All these experiences and concepts defined one journey of learning throughout the entire period of the distance learning program. Throughout this period, ones performance was not good throughout. At some point the performance was good and at other times, the performance was averagely low but at the end of the entire program the overall performance was marked by distinction. This was because of one’s capability of adapting to the system and one’s ability to adjust to the environment and to the course requirements. There were times when there were courses which required one to carry out laboratory tests and some required one to conduct research. In the event that one was to be at the laboratory to conduct the experiments, it was difficult to make clear observation and to draw the right conclusion as there was no body to offer explanation to what was going on. Research that needed one to go to the community to find out the aspects of various phenomena also was marked with various challenges. This is because the community was not ready to give proper information and those who did gave irrelevant information that led to an irrelevant conclusion. This impacted negatively on the overall outcome of the result. However, studies which required observation and the critical analysis of books and just the general study of concepts were of great advantage to my performance. It was a great experience to read through books and to learn new concepts that were brought forth. These conceptions helped in dealing with the fallacies and the misconception that the society has had for a long time. The tangibility of the knowledge gained through literature enabled one to be a student of high aptitude and acuity of performance. For learning to be effective, it has to be maintained, retained, and one has to continu e with the search of knowledge. To enable one achieve these, one has to study widely. It is through study that one’s knowledge and concepts get challenged. Wide reading helps one to have different perspectives and approached towards something. This gives one the authority to speak on an issue from an open minded view. Wide study also keeps one relevant to the changing times, for example, science keeps on

Performance management framework of Limo Services in Austin, TX Assignment

Performance management framework of Limo Services in Austin, TX Company - Assignment Example ocedures for employee assessment and analysis during recruitment, orientation, training and education of employees, comprehensive methods of measuring performances of employees and effective process of communication performance feedback to employees to ensure that everyone has knowledge about achievements and remaining areas of improvements in the business strategy. The organization performance philosophy of Limo Services in Austin, TX Company is to provide highest level, clean, polite, courteous, safe, fun, memorable and punctual limousine services to the clients from any locations they desire (Limos of Austin, 2012) Measuring employees’ skills is one way of understanding the potential of the one to support efforts to achieve mission and objective of an organization. One method that Limo Services in Austin, TX Company uses to measure employee skills is surveying of clients about their experiences with customer service. The survey includes asking clients to rate the quality of customer service offered by employees of the organization. Another method used to measure employee skills is the enactment of random quality control procedure. With this method, employees do not know the exact time for evaluation and checks. The method proves good for its makes serious employees work to optimize performance in different corners of the organization. The company also considers appraisal of employees in all aspects of organizational structure to determine individual, team and group achievements in accomplishing particular responsibilities. Skill gaps are not very embarrassing aspects of organization structure especially when considering the rapidly changing business environments. Technology and expectations in the business environment are rapidly changing, and sometimes it become challenging to adapt to the changes immediately. In that line, Limo Services in Austin, TX Company has structured its performance management framework to ensure proper and regular training of the

Interview based Analysis & Human Resource Management Essay

Interview based Analysis & Human Resource Management - Essay Example Her job profile is writing concepts and copy for all clients that come under her team. She is very reserved in nature and does not like intermingling, a reason for her seeming not to get promoted, even though she is well-qualified and her performance evaluations are good too. When asked about the situation, Sara claimed that she is a devoted employee and a hard worker, but her boss plays favorites and always gives her key assignments to Natasha, this lady who a year back was hired as an art director and started playing great politics with her by grabbing the conceptual bit of all main projects as well to take over the limelight which she successfully did and has been promoted as a team leader with a raise such that no one ever got throughout the agency’s history. Sara’s immediate boss, her group head though likes her work but still assigns an option of the work that he assigns Sara to Natasha as well and that is how she overshadows Sara through her ultra modern personal ity and dramatic presentation skills. Sara feels it is very unfair that all her opportunities are being transferred to Natasha and she is playing it all very smartly not refusing Sara’s work but utilizing it to gain the spotlight. When Sara found out that she was a victim of favoritism she did not cry out loud, instead taking it for over six continuous months went straight up to her group head and made sure to communicate to him her interest in taking on additional responsibility. She thought might be her head would have been waiting for her to show initiative but still over the months the same kept on happening. After very formally and positively venting out the situation to her immediate boss and not getting any results Sara went up to the HR manager of the agency and expressed her views. From her HR’s perspective politics is something so unhealthy and infectious that it kills an organization

Project planning and control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project planning and control - Essay Example It is a very key part in stakeholder management. Its goal is to develop cooperation between the stakeholders and the project team. It is needed to clarify the consequences of expected change or to start anew project by the organization (Mitchell, Agle & Wood 2008). In this case of changing room project the stakeholders are: the members of the group, software developers, suppliers, customers and the government. The software that is developed will provide a platform for the supplier to know the exact measurement of the client without returning the clothes that have been ordered. The entrepreneurs who form the group will be able to receive the image from all side and the exact measurement taken. The software will promote the good relation between the firm and the client and the supplier of the clothing. The online marketing done through the application also give the government the opportunity to get revenue and regulate the number of businesses carried out within a specific location within a particular time (Fletcher et al. 2003). In addition, the software developers will also find the readily available market for their product in the market. On the technological advancement, it will add an input in the use of current technology in sales and mark eting. The product quality and the volume of sales to the business will increase greatly. While the positive effects are felt among the stakeholders, it is also associated the negative effects among the stakeholders. The project is very expensive because it requires additional capital to consult and contract the software companies. It requires regular maintenance and qualified and trained personnel which the company might lack in the long run. It might also take too long to be implemented. To the clients it will take them too long to change with the new system. Change is difficult to adopt some client would

A written strategic analysis report (strategic management Essay

A written strategic analysis report (strategic management - Essay Example Apart from these food services, they also sell coffee-related accessories and equipment. Starbucks offer and sell all these products and services primarily through its own retail stores, and also offer its trademarked products through other channels like licensed retail stores. Along with these coffee-centric services, Starbucks also has an entertainment division and Hear Music brand, through which it markets media content like music, film as well as books. Importantly, they also pepped up the ambience of its stores to provide the customers a wholesome experience for socializing, which came to be known as Starbucks experience. Schultz always viewed the employees as the company’s â€Å"partners†, and optimally involved them in various processes, thus eliciting good productivity from them, which also elevated Starbucks’ performance. With this diverse portfolio, extensive reach and effective functioning, Starbucks became one of the well-known American brands, also a chieving good financial figures. However, with the onset of economic downturn in 2008, its financial figures started showing negatively, with its revenues as well as stock prices dwindling. In addition, the strong strategies and performance put forward by its competitors like McDonald, Dunkins Donuts and other area centric coffee chains also ‘ate’ into Starbucks’ customer base. With certain operational inefficiencies also creeping and negatively impacting the sales, its founder Howard Schultz brought himself in. That is, Schultz after running Starbucks since its founding, as its CEO and President, took an hiatus in 2001 and he was succeeded first by Orin C Smith and then by Jim Donald. With sales and financial figures in the red, Starbucks took over the positions of CEO and President in 2008 and initiated a series of strategies mainly focusing on optimizing operational efficiencies and also Starbucks brand and ethical image, through a series of Corporate Social R esponsibility (CSR) initiatives. Although, Schultz was able to salvage Starbucks sizably, there is still room for further improvements in the future. Starbucks Story Starbucks Coffee or Corporation was actually founded by three persons Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel and Gordon Bowker in 1971. In the initial stages, they sold coffee beans and other coffee related tools or equipments. Howard Schultz joined as an employee in Starbucks at its coffee shop in Seattle. Due to his optimum involvement and hard work, he was given a sort of leadership role and asked to go to Milan, Italy to study and understand the coffee market there. There â€Å"he discovered "the romance of the Italian coffee bar" and recognized the opportunity for Starbucks to be a place where people would come to share the experience of drinking great coffee rather than to simply buy coffee beans.† (Grant 2010). Finding that such type of coffeehouses, which not only offered services but also facilitated social experienc e, were non-existent in United States, Schultz advised the Starbucks management to sell coffee and espresso drinks along with the beans, seeing the potential to develop a similar coffeehouse culture in Seattle (starbucks.com 2008). However, the management team completely rejected his idea with a reason that entering the

The Postmodern Era of Graphic Design Essay Example for Free

The Postmodern Era of Graphic Design Essay The 1980s was characterized with the rise of eclecticism as an art trend. Style was no longer dictated by established rules but by the random convergence of different theories and practices. The aforementioned phenomenon, in turn, ushered the postmodern wave in graphic design. The liberal atmosphere that prevailed over their craft prompted many graphic designers to come up with more creative and daring works. In the late 1970s, some educators in the field of graphic design started questioning the rigidity and minimalism of graphic modernism (Heller 9). Graphic modernism, a graphic design trend that originated from Switzerland in the 1950s and the 1960s, placed emphasis on simplicity, universality, rationality, abstraction and structural expressionism (Heller 6). It was eventually became the standard style in several corporate and institutional design groups both in Europe and in the US. The academe soon followed suit – schools such as the Philadelphia College of Art, University of Cincinnati and Yale developed curricula that emphasized the prolonged study of abstract design and typographic form (Heller 7). In the process, graphic designers who worked outside the academic and corporate settings were alienated. Majority of these artists were strongly affiliated with the punk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s. They expressed their adherence to punk culture through aggressive, destructive and uninhibited graphic designs. Some of them, however, combined the influences of punk culture and graphic modernism in their works, bringing about the era of postmodernism in graphic design (Raizman 360). British-born Neville Brody was one of the most well-known graphic designers who used this novel style. He parodied the uniformity and consistency of corporate graphics by experimenting with original lettering and trademarks. Magazines such as The Face later used his typefaces, paving the way for their development towards being able to convey moods and attitudes beyond the range of fonts available from foundries (Raizman 360). One of Brody’s typefaces, Industria (1984), was â€Å"a bold sans serif typeface with a combination of blunt rectangular positive and negative shapes and knife-edged terminations for a number of letters† (Raizman 360). Other graphic designers of the punk movement, meanwhile, made their works from found material. Using pictures and texts that were cut from old magazines and newspapers, they were able to come up with striking posters that conveyed entirely new messages (Poynor 41). This torn-paper collage approach to graphic design eventually became the springboard for the development of other forms of postmodern graphic design. Other graphic designers used loose, spontaneous brush strokes in their paintings in order to make them resemble torn-paper collages (Poynor 42). Some low-budget club promotions, meanwhile, gave existing art an edgy twist by deconstructing them (Poynor 38). The advent of computer technology in the 1990s and in the beginning of the 21st century further entrenched the era of postmodernism in graphic design. The availability of affordable (if not free) and user-friendly computer software can allow anyone to create striking graphic designs. With just a little creativity, even those who did not undergo formal training in graphic design can come up with works that can surpass even those of professionals. It would be fair to say, therefore, that postmodernism democratized the concept of graphic design. Without any rules to follow except his or her own, anyone can create an artwork using materials that are either affordable or free. The only factors that should be taken into consideration are individual creativity and imagination. Indeed, it is only human beings who put a limit to whatever they are capable of accomplishing. Works Cited Heller, Steven. The Education of a Graphic Designer. 2nd ed. New York: Allworth Communications Inc. , 2005. Poynor, Rick. No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2003. Raizman, David. History of Modern Design: Graphics and Products since the Industrial Revolution. London: Laurence King Publishing, 2003.

Reasons Why Cloning is Unethical Essay Example for Free

Reasons Why Cloning is Unethical Essay From the day that ‘Dolly the sheep’ made it to the headline news, the controversy regarding her existence has never ceased. It is quite amazing, how the issues surrounding a sheep could create such a great divide on public opinion, stir up much debate in scientific halls, and whose implications caused a dilemma that reached a magnitude which needed a presidential decision. Needless to say, the debate did not concern agriculture or animal rights, but on how she came to be by cloning. Contrary to popular belief, these clinical ventures though, were not done by sheer sense of adventurism, or by simple acts of human arrogance of ‘playing God’. Instead, this breakthrough in the field of biotechnology, along with other related cases, was carried out with the legitimate purpose of propagating livestock that carry desirable traits. Breeders can easily then raise farm animals that have the preferred traits and thus increase productivity and yield. Also, lab research for the noble intention of developing drugs, require numerous testing on animals before it can finally be declared effective and safe for human use. Cloning would allow them to produce test-animals that display similar or identical characteristics and thus help validate results. There are several other reasons why cloning is held by many scientists as an essential means for improving human condition. However, such so-called conditions had now been raised to the point of fulfilling needs other than physical necessities. Man’s many woes and flaws in life such as the pain of losing a loved one or childless couples having to bear the unfulfilled desire of loving and rearing their own children, are just a few of the many disadvantages that confronts finite man. Today through science, man is longing to challenge and ‘correct’ these impossible odds. Would cloning be the answer? II. Man’s Contemporary Alternative: Merits of Cloning-to Produce-Children Distinguished British philosopher Mary Warnock, expressed her support in favour of utilizing the technology of cloning to produce children. She believes that there is nothing wrong with this procedure and thereby there should be no question on the ethical soundness of such an endeavour (Connor, 2002). Together with the rest of those who agree with her, they believe that cloning offers an excellent solution for the following problems: A. To Help Sterile Parent/s Obtain Biologically Related Children Individuals or parents who long to have their own offspring, but are hindered by sterility or some other reason the only presented solution so far have been adoption. There are different reasons why some had found this unsatisfactory. With cloning, a sterile man can now have the opportunity of producing a child that bears his own characteristics. The need to find a sperm donor is eliminated, and consequently eliminates the possibility of their child acquiring and passing on undesirable traits to future generation outside the couple. Such a method also opens for an attractive possibility not only for sterile couples but for homosexual couples and individuals who desire to raise a child of their own but do not want the entanglements of a marriage union. B. Pass-on a Genetic Disease Individuals or parents who carry defective genes such as a genetic disease can now hope to eliminate passing the disease to the following generations. Cloning would assure the parents of being able to raise children who will not be troubled by the heritable disorder. C. Pain of Losing a Loved One The grief of losing a loved one can now be alleviated by cloning the dying or dead significant person. Since cloning involves the passing on of exact physical characteristics, producing a cloned individual would invariably cause ‘replication’ of the deceased loved one or relative. Those who are left, will be comforted by ‘seeing’ their dead spouse, child or relative ‘live again’ on the cloned individual. Although, there would be major differences in experiences which would make it entirely impossible to make an exact copy of an individual in all aspects, cloning would bring a connection of the lost loved one with the grieving members. D. Society’s Desire to Have Individuals with Superior Abilities or Qualities Cloning brings families and societies to have super-human individuals by cloning outstanding athletes, musicians, men and women renowned for their beauty, or geniuses. By replicating these individuals, it is presumed that these superior qualities are determined by certain genetic make-up and thus, will be passed on through cloning. III. Reasons for Argument Cloning violates the ethics of human experimentation on the following grounds: A. Concern on Safety Of utmost concern when cloning humans is the high risk involved. As of the moment, the cloning procedure being done in experimenting mammals has shown how unsafe it is to be even applied in humans. Many embryos got wasted as it took 277 attempts before finally producing Dolly the sheep (Gawler, 2000). Barely just being six years old later, Dolly became severely ill and had to be submitted for euthanasia. Careful examination revealed that her chromosomes had shown premature signs of aging (â€Å"Cloning†). The possibility of creating inborn abnormalities or congenital defects caused by the procedure should even bring parents with a hereditary disease not to employ cloning. While it could hold promise of not passing on genetic diseases to their child, the latter is also vulnerable for congenital malformation. Also, since several donor eggs and substitute mothers are needed before achieving success, this places risks on several women. Experiments on animals had shown that there is high occurrence of premature abortion on cloned fetuses. If done on humans, continous abortion could lead to greater possibility of maternal death. B. The Issue of Consent Cloning also undermines the right of the cloned individual. In contrast to the risks that could bring to surrogate mother or the gene donor, the risks posed at the cloned individual do not have the individual’s consent. Most often, the right to exercise freedom is often called by those who promote it. This is often based on the ‘freedom to reproduce’. This means that the constitution protects individuals or parents to freely choose whether they are to have children or not (Eisenstadt v. Baird, 1972). However, in exercising that right, it overrides the freedom of choice on the cloned individual. True, reproductive freedom permits anybody to decide whether to have a child or not without hindrances by the government. It does not however, in any way, allow anyone to do it by whatever means and in complete disregard for the welfare of others. C. Possible Exploitation of Women Since cloning requires numerous tests before any attempts could become fruitful, large quantity of donor eggs will be needed. Getting the egg would subject the woman donor of hormonal treatment that gives high health risks. Furthermore, what would most likely happen is that these women donors would be offered a substantial amount of money, and thus could lure poor women to compromise their health in exchange for financial gain (Council on Bioethics, 2002). IV. Conclusion More often, the concern for safety is limited on the aspect of limiting or perfecting the procedure. It does not consider the possible undesirable effects it would have after it is accomplished. This perspective of safety does not take consideration on the unexpected effects it would have on the individual, family involved and society in general. The relationships between members of those with cloned children would greatly be altered compared to conventional family set-up. Would the cloned individual of a father be his child or twin? Obviously, cloning will rearrange how family relations will be treated. Before any attempts to cloning-to-produce children be done, would be parent/s should give grave concern on the potential psychological effects this would have on the one being cloned. What also needs special consideration is it’s the social impact caused by confusion. Cloning might open for unnecessary expensive legal battles, over custody as to who really are the child’s parents. Each individual who has a part of the cloned child might fight to claim for custody over the child. Given that such asexual means to produce children is not strange, faulty or imperfect, there is serious error on the purpose by which it longs for implementation. It places more significance on the one which will be cloned by replicating the person, rather than the cloned child. Human experience has revealed that man has the tendency to abuse, and therefore such technology can be used for vain reasons. Cloning somehow claims to provide solutions for man’s problems, the solution however, creates more problems. Given the demerits of the cause, it would far benefit society to keep from toying with strange methods. Works Cited: 1. Connor, S. (2002). Warnock: ‘No ethical reason to ban cloning’. The Independent. Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008 Accessed at http://www. independent. co. uk/news/uk/crime/warnock-no-ethical-reason-to-ban- cloning-649619. html 2. Gawler, DM. Human cloning: Scientific, ethical and regulatory issues. [Electronic Version] Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008 Accessed at http://www. aph. gov. au/house/committe/LACA/humancloning/sub234. pdf 3. â€Å"Cloning†. Ethical Issues in Biology. Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008 Accessed at http://itech. pjc. edu/jwooters/eth_issue/ei_notes. htm 4. Supreme Court of the United States (1972). , Eisenstadt v. Baird, 405 US 438 5. Council on Bioethics. (2002). Human cloning and human dignity: An ethical inquiry. Retrieved 20 Nov. 2008. Accessed at http://www. bioethics. gov/reports/cloningreport/children. htmlhttp://www. bioethics. gov/reports/cloningreport/children. html