Web advertising.Dominant advertising strategies Essay

Web advertising.Dominant advertising strategies - Essay Example The web advertising industry has expanded and continues to evolve almost every day. According to a recent projection from Jupiter Communications, global online ad spending is expected to expand from $7 billion in 2000 to almost $28 billion by 2005. Online ad spending represents almost 6% of total advertising expenditures in 2005, up from 2% in 2000 (Flores, 2000). T This is due to the fact that web advertising is distinct from other mediums in a way that it enables consumers to directly get interested with the advertisement. A consumer can click with his or her mouse on the ad for more information, or take the next step and purchase the product in the same online session (Sung, 2000). Web advertising also gives advertisers the opportunity to specifically target an audience, enabling them to target advertisements that are customized to each consumer's buying patterns or interest (Sung, 2000).1. Ideal Kids. The kids in commercials are often a little older and a little more perfect than the target audience of the ad. They are, in other words, role models for what the advertiser wants children in the target audience to think they want to be like. A commercial that is targeting eight year-olds, for instance, will show 11 or 12 year-old models playing with an eight year old's toy (Common Advertising Strategies).2. Heart Strings. Commercials often create an emotional ambience that draws consumers into the advertisement and makes them feel good. The McDonald's commercials featuring father and daughter eating out together, or the AT&T Reach Out and Touch Someone ads are good examples. Consumers are more attracted by products that make us feel good (Common Advertising Strategies). 3. Amazing Toys. Many toy commercials show their toys in life-like fashion, doing incredible things. Airplanes do loop-the-loops and cars do wheelies, dolls cry and spring-loaded missiles hit gorillas dead in the chest. This would be fine if the toys really did these things (Common Advertising Strategies). 4. Life-like Settings. Barbie struts her stuff on the beach with waves crashing in the background, space aliens fly through dark outer space and all-terrain vehicles leap over rivers and trenches (Common Advertising Strategies). 5. Sounds Good. Music and other sound effects add to the excitement of commercials. Sound can make toys seem more life-like or less life-like, as in a music video. Either way, they help set the mood advertisers want (Common Advertising Strategies). 6. Cute Celebrities. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sell pizza. Spuds McKenzie sells beer. "Joe Cool" camel sells cigarettes. All of these are ways of helping children identify with products either now or for the future (Common Advertising Strategies). 7. Selective Editing. Selective editing is used in all commercials, but especially in commercials for athletic toys like frisbees or footballs. Commercials show only brilliant catches and perfect throws. Unfortunately, that's not the way most children experience these toys (Common Advertising Strategies). 8. Family Fun. "This is something the whole family can do together!" or "This is something Mom will be glad to buy for you." Many commercials show parents enjoying their children's fun as if the toy will bring more family togetherness (Common Advertising Strategies). 9. Excitement! Watch the expressions on children's faces. Never a dull moment, never boring. "This toy is the most fun since fried bananas!" they seem to say (Common Advertising Strategies). 10. Star Power. Sports heroes, movie stars, and teenage heart throbs tell children what to eat and what to wear. Children listen, not realizing that the star is paid handsomely for the endorsement (Common Adverti

Teen Curfews are Ridiculous Essay Example for Free

Teen Curfews are Ridiculous Essay Earl Manning, my life-long mentor, says, Teen curfews are quite possibly the best thing ever. Teens are evil, corrupt beings and a curfew is all the world needs to cage up teen crime. Though most of Earls wise teachings are true and insightful, on this subject he is terribly mistaken. Teen curfews are not the right solution to the problem of juvenile crime because they enroach on the rights of teens and parents, are ineffective, and there are much better solutions. First of all, how can teen curfews be a good solution if they enroach on the rights of teens and their parents? Civil rights groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stand up for the rights of Americans as given to them by the Constitution of the United States. Teen curfews violate First Amendment rights, particularly the right to assemble. According the time line taken from Milestones in Teen Curfews in the United States, the courts agreed in 1989. U.S. District Judge Charles Richey blocked the implementation of a Washington DC curfew, essentially calling it unconstitutional. He said the ordinance would raise serious constitutional claims for teens. Curfews constitutionality was again questioned in November 1995 when the ACLU filed a lawsuit in U.S. District court. Then again in July 2000 the rights of American teens prevailed when a federal district court judge found that Indianas 1945 curfew violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Advocates of juvenile rights and upholding the Constitution also make it clear that curfews invade on the rights of parents to raise their children. Laws exist to protect citizens, not suppress their basic freedoms as guaranteed by the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. A primary reason curfews are not the right solution to the problem of juvenile crime is that they are not, have not been, and will not be effective. According to the article Teen Curfews, 146 of the nations 200 largest cities now enforce teen curfews, yet juvenile crime rates nationwide remain largely higher than in the past. If teen curfews really are effective, then it would be assumed that there would be a decrease in the juvenile crime rate, or at least a maintenance of status quo. Statistics show that most juvenile crime occurs between the hours of 3 P.M. and 6 P.M.  Thus it would be fruitless to enact curfews that do not attack the problem head on. As James Alan Fox, the dean of the College of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University, says, The problem with curfew laws is that most kids, the good, the bad and the tired, are asleep at midnight. Past curfews faced these same problems. The time line shows that many cities had passed curfew laws by the 1980s, yet the juvenile violent-crime rate surges upward. Then in the 1990s there was a resurgence of teen curfews to combat juvenile crime, but according to the article the juvenile violent-crime rate.. has climbed [over the past four years], except in 1995, when curfews met resistance from the ACLU. In June 1998, a study on the impact of curfews on juvenile crime in California, released by the Justice Policy Institute, finds that curfews are more a public relations gimmick than an effective crime-fighting tool. The future of curfews looks equally grim and ineffective. According to John DiIulio Jr., a leading crime expert, The large population will give rise to a new and more vicious group of predatory street criminals than the nation has ever known. Arthur Spitzer, the legal director of the ACLU, says, I find it very hard to believe that a curfew would have any significant effect on teenagers who are selling drugs, stealing cars or carrying a gun, which DiIulio suggest is the future of American youth. In February 2000, a survey released by the National League of Cities concludes that curfews do little to reduce hard core gang activity. Lastly, there are better, more effective solutions than teen curfews. The conflict of teen curfews could be avoided all together if such actions were taken. The problem of juvenile crime should be stopped at its source, not nudged in the shoulder by curfews. There have been numerous attempts to combat juvenile crime through positive means and many have been successful. In 1936, the Police Athletic League (PAL) was founded in New York City. PAL worked effectively to give teens a positive alternative to juvenile crime. In 1953 Boys and Girls Clubs of America are established. These offer social, educational, career and leadership programs to disadvantaged youths. In 1974 the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act established the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) which gave funds to states to take on juvenile crime. With more  funding and proper management of funds, more programs could be created and those that exist could be expanded and improved. According to the article, Many say that after-school programs and organized sports leagues work to reduce crime. Alfred Blumstein, a leading criminologist, says that curfews must be augmented by community centers. However, teen curfews could be eliminated all together with the expansion of better, more effective solutions. In conclusion, juvenile crime is a pressing matter that demands action. However, the rectification of the problem must not include teen curfews. Curfews infringe on the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and are ineffective. Other solutions are much better, more effective, and eliminate the need for curfews.

America: The Modern Day Athens :: essays research papers

America: The Modern Day Athens "We do not copy our Ancestors, but are an example to them. It is true we are called a Democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not in the few. " This is the foundation for which democracy is ruled. Without this democracy does not exist. In this essay there will be comparisons of Athenian democracy and our modern day democracy Greece, in ancient times, was not a united land. There existed many little provinces of control, called city-states. Two examples of the more powerful and lasting city-states were Sparta and Athens. Sparta, whose people lived an austere and militaristic form of life, based its government on the needs of the army which things centered around this. Athens, another powerful city-state, developed a more balanced life for its citizens. Central to this development was the rise of democracy. Called the "cradle of democracy," Athens developed a direct democracy. Those citizens that were eligible could speak at forums and vote on issues. These people were known as the Council of 500; they were chosen annually. To be elected they had to be at least 25 years of age and a citizen. They directly had a voice. This is why Athens is an example of a direct democracy. A point should be made here that Athens, for all its noble ideas about men being able to govern themselves, excluded most of the people that lived within its cities walls. Women, for example had no say in government. They were subjected to running the homes, raising children, and tending to the needs of their husbands. Slavery, which existed in Athens, also caused a blot on the noble experiment of democracy. Slaves had no vote, no participation in government, and no recourse from a cruel master. Athenian government relied upon direct democracy to raise taxes, make laws, and gather armed forces when necessary. The American experiment in democracy differs significantly from the Athenian form of government. America utilizes a representative form of democracy. Because of the huge population, when compared to Athens, a direct democracy is impractical. Americans vote for representatives to the Legislative and Executive branches of government. It is hoped by the citizen that the representatives that are elected protect their constituents interests. There are, however, some dark spots on our form of government. Like the Athenians, America did not grant slaves the right to vote. It took a Civil War that nearly destroyed our nation before slavery was abolished and that portion of the population could have a say in our government. Additionally, women, who

Assessment Portfolio and Analysis Essay

The purpose of assessment. b.Your plan for including assessment when working with children. c.How you can use assessment to document children’s work. d.How you will use children’s interests and ideas when assessing. Assessment Portfolio and Analysis The mission is to help children/students to better themselves and be able to finish any task that they have started to the fullest. The goal is to determine where the child is at developmentally/educationally. I will learn where the child stands, what they already know and how farther they can be pushed to achieving our goal. According to the text, â€Å"Assessment is the process of gathering information about children from several forms of evidence, then organizing and interpreting that information† (Wortham, S.C. (2012). I know that it is the teacher’s responsibility to test the students, from that the teacher will be able to understand where each individual child stands. My plan for including assessment when working with children is to be able to carefully be assess the child and take my time. I will make accurate decisions regarding the child and will include the child’s parents as well for their input. One way that I can use assessment to document the child’s work is through portfolio. According to teacher.scholastic.com, â€Å"These purposeful collections of children’s work illustrate their efforts, progress, and achievements over time. Teachers and children can compile the collections together from work completed in the classroom. As they talk together about the child’s interests and progress, they develop new activities for the child to focus on.† (http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/assessment/perfassess.htm)

Metaphysical Poetry Essay

The metaphysical poets is a term coined by the poet and critic John Dryden to describe a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century, whose work was characterized by the inventive use of conceits, and by speculation about topics such as love or religion. These poets were not formally affiliated; most of them did not even know or read each other. Their style was characterized by wit and metaphysical conceits—far-fetched or unusual similes or metaphors, such as in Andrew Marvell’s comparison of the soul with a drop of dew; in an expanded epigram format, with the use of simple verse forms, octosyllabic couplets, quatrains or stanzas in which length of line and rhyme scheme enforce the sense. The specific definition of wit which Johnson applied to the school was: â€Å"†¦ a kind of discordia concors; a combination of dissimilar images, or discovery of occult resemblances in things apparently unlike. † Their poetry diverged from the style of their times, containing neither images of nature nor allusions to classical mythology, as were common. Several metaphysical poets, especially John Donne, were influenced by Neo-Platonism. One of the primary Platonic concepts found in metaphysical poetry is the idea that the perfection of beauty in the beloved acted as a remembrance of perfect beauty in the eternal realm. Though secular topics such as scientific or geographical discoveries interested them, there was also a religious or casuistic element to some of their work, by which they attempted to define their relationship with God. John Donne (between 24 January and 19 June 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, satirist, lawyer and a cleric in the Church of England. He is considered the pre-eminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are noted for their strong, sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. His poetry is noted for its vibrancy of language and inventiveness of metaphor, especially compared to that of his contemporaries. Donne’s style is characterised by abrupt openings and various paradoxes, ironies and dislocations. These features, along with his frequent dramatic or everyday speech rhythms, his tense syntax and his tough eloquence, were both a reaction against the smoothness of conventional Elizabethan poetry and an adaptation into English of European baroque and mannerist techniques. His early career was marked by poetry that bore immense knowledge of British society and he met that knowledge with sharp criticism. Another important theme in Donne’s poetry is the idea of true religion, something that he spent much time considering and theorising about. He wrote secular poems as well as erotic and love poems. He is particularly famous for his mastery of metaphysical conceits. A Burnt ShipOut of a fired ship, which by no wayBut drowning could be rescued from the flame,Some men leap’d forth, and ever as they cameNear the foes’ ships, did by their shot decay;So all were lost, which in the ship were found,They in the sea being burnt, they in the burnt ship drown’d. John Donne A Lame BeggarI am unable, yonder beggar cries,To stand, or move; if he say true, he lies. John Donne.

Catcher in the Rye Vs Huckleberry Finn essays

Catcher in the Rye Vs Huckleberry Finn essays J. D. Salingers Catcher in the Rye Compared to Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn All famous American authors have written novels using a variety of characters, plots, and settings to illustrate important themes. Throughout literary history many of the same themes have been stressed in different novels. In J. D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye and Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, each author writes about the common theme of coming of age. The two novels were written more than half a century apart about two boys who seem like complete opposites, yet they bear striking resemblances to each other. Each author wrote his book depicting settings from his own past and based the plots on personal experiences. While the two novels are in different times and places, they have remarkably similar characters, plots, and themes. To completely understand the two novels, it is necessary to know about each authors background and how he got the ideas to write them. J. D. Salinger was born on January 1, 1919 in New York City. His father was a Jewish importer, his mother a Scott-Irish housewife, and he had one older sister. His parents were divorced in September 1947 before he began his career as an author. He grew up in Manhattan and attended public school until he was enrolled in Valley Forge Military Academy, where he had trouble adjusting. Later he attended New York University, Ursinus College, and Columbia University. Before he became a writer he worked as an entertainer on a Swedish cruise ship in the Caribbean and had a four-year military career as a staff sergeant in World War II (Salinger CA 332-334). Salinger began writing popularly in the late 1940s and 50s in the Post-Modernist period. Authors of this period showed despair, paranoia, and irrational violence due to threatening implications of the world after WWII. In this era, Salinger wrote his most creative ...

Eco-Friendly Drain Cleaners

Eco-Friendly Drain Cleaners The active ingredient in Drano and other conventional drain cleaners is sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as caustic soda or lye. It is a man-made chemical used for its corrosive properties. According to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the substance is not considered a pollutant per se, as it separates into relatively harmless component elements once released into water or moist soil. But sodium hydroxide is an irritant that can burn skin and aggravate nose, throat and respiratory airways, so contact with it is best avoided. If ingested outright it will likely induce vomiting, as well as cause chest or abdominal pain and make swallowing difficult - so keep it well out of the reach of children. For those who would rather avoid such chemicals entirely, safer alternatives do exist. A plunger or mechanical drain snake - along with a little elbow grease - can often free up clogs as well or better than sodium hydroxide compounds. One home remedy with a proven track record is to pour a handful of baking soda mixed with a half cup of vinegar down the drain  and follow it quickly with boiling water. Another option is to choose any number of enzymatic biological drain cleaners on the market today, such as Earth Friendly Products’ Enzyme Drain Cleaner or Bi-O-Kleen’s BacOut. These make use of a natural bacterial and enzyme mixture to open and keep drains clear. And unlike sodium hydroxide, they are non-caustic and will not facilitate combustion. As any plumber will tell you, a good maintenance regimen is the best way to prevent clogged drains. Flushing drains weekly with boiling water can help keep them clear. Also, installing small screens atop drains will help keep hair, lint and other clogging elements out of the pipeline in the first place.

Become an Entrepreneur While Youre Still a Student

Become an Entrepreneur While Youre Still a Student College life can get pretty hectic. With attending classes, writing papers, playing sports and going to club meetings all while trying to squeeze in a social life, it might seem like the worst time to start a business. However, it’s one of the best times to explore your entrepreneurial spirit! Think about it: in college you have all the resources you need right at your fingertips, for free. From getting business advice from your Economics professor to sourcing your talent right in your backyard to having a ready-made clientele all around you. It really doesn’t get much better than this. So how do you actually start a business in college? Here are some tips: What Are You Good At? Evaluate your talents. Are you a people person, good at seeing the big picture and delegating to others? Or are you more hands-on, building your creations from the bottom up? What are you good at? What’s the heart of your business? Evaluate Your Idea Is there a market for this service/product? What resources do you need in order to execute it? What resources do you have? How many people will you need to employ in order to bring the idea to life? What’s the time frame to execute your idea under the perfect circumstances? Are there any legal limitations or drawback you can anticipate? Is anyone else offering a similar service? Make a Business Plan Again, time to seek out that Economics professor or another professor who could help you with this. A business plan covers the general idea of your business, analyzes the existing market for it, outlines your marketing strategy, provides information about management team’s experience and responsibilities, discusses the financial investment required and assesses the risks. Outline your business plan on your own or with the help of a professor or other experienced businessperson. You can also use a special software or ask us to write your business plan. Get a Mentor Most universities have mentoring programs through their career counseling centers. You could contact a mentor on your own as well as if there’s someone you really want to work with and whose experience you think will help you grow your business. Consider Registering Your Business This is an important step in making your business official. You will definitely need the help of your mentor and/or a lawyer if you want to go this route. The benefits of registering are that nobody can copy your idea without facing legal action and you will be recognized as an official part of this industry, allowing you to go to trade shows and develop business partnerships with industry leaders. Look into Kickstarter Kickstarter is a great platform for young entrepreneurs. It teaches you the ins and outs of grassroots funding and puts you in touch with people who are working on similar projects. It’s also a platform that experienced industry leaders use to scope out up and coming talent. Get the Word Out on Social Media College campuses are notoriously social media obsessed so take advantage of that and spread the word through your campus. You might consider paying for Facebook ads to make sure your business ads get the attention you want. Set up your website, register an Instagram account, post photos and videos and develop your LinkedIn profile. Social media is an important part of business marketing today. Take Classes to Enhance Your Business Knowledge Finance and accounting Marketing Economics Management Public speaking Writing and composition Computer science Don’t Slack You may find it difficult to balance your new business with your classes. Don’t let yourself fall behind in your classes. You may get permission to use your startup for your class project or paper for one or more classes. Most likely, your professors will be supportive of your business and want to encourage your entrepreneurial spirit. Becoming an entrepreneur during college can be a great experience. If you’re considering it, don’t hesitate. The resources and support are there for the taking. Image credit: Photograph by Bloomberg - Getty Images.

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Literature Review - Essay Example After a thorough review of primary and secondary sources, their investigation revealed a difference between the decisions of budget cutback and information technology. Cost effectiveness was found to be an important criterion for making the decisions of budget cutback. These decisions took lesser time to be made and were quite volatile in their nature i.e. may alter with time. Here, number of participants was not affected by the content of decision. Contrary to this, cost effectiveness was found unimportant in the decisions of information technology, time consumed in decision making was longer and once made, decisions were generally permanent. This tells that the content of decision can have a great impact on the significance of various criteria, time consumed in the decision making process and the stability of decision. This finding contradicts the conventional understanding that cultivates in the minds of people regarding the factors that affect the process of decision making. In t he conventional understanding, the process of decision making is only controlled by the contingencies originating in the environment and the organization. 2. In his research, Nutt (2005) compared the decision making in the public sector with that in the private sector with the help of an experiment. To achieve this, decision making in a business company was compared with that in a governmental agency that was supported with tax. Practices and preferences of mid level managers were captured with the simulation in the public and private sectors. Managers involved in the study were required by simulation to estimate the risks and opportunities of acquiring budgets for the two sectors. In order to design the budget that would be sufficient for an organization functioning in a public and private sector, a cognitive culture was used which placed emphasis on the estimation and bargaining. A controversial and otherwise amount of budget was used for both the cases. Results of their research suggested that managers in public sector make use of networking and bargaining while those in the private sector make use of estimation and assumption. These results were consistent with the hypothesis that public sector managers prefer group decision making whereas private sector managers believe in individualistic capabilities. The research concluded that managers go for budgets that suit their individualistic cognitive style. The difference in the support of budget decisions in the public and private sector managers essentially speaks of the work culture that dwells in the two types of settings. Most works in public sector are done through networking and bargaining, whereas in the private sector, one has to rely on one’s ability and assessment to make the rational decisions. 3. In his research, Al Yahya (2008) studied an integrative multiple links model among three traits, namely the sharing of power-influence in making the decisions, work-related outcomes (WRO) and cultur e of Saudi Arabian organizations belonging to the public sector. These conceptual associations have not been explored much in the public sector organizations conventionally. Traits of competence as knowledge, ability and skill are used effectively in the participative practices as shown by the model of structural equation. This influences individuals’ thoughts about WRO that include but are not limited to

Describe the product or service your business provides and a Essay

Describe the product or service your business provides and a description of the market it serves - Essay Example A number of football clubs (such as Manchester United, FCB Barcelona) in Europe make enormous amount of money through merchandizing. Apart from club’s official products, goods such as jerseys, hats, watches, bags, mugs etc. can also be brought at specialist sports shops in Europe. Despite a late start, Soccer has been growing its popularity in US In the past few decades. America’s better than expected international performance in the recent FIFA World Cup has lifted people’s interest in the sport. My business idea is to develop a chain of specialist sports shops deal in soccer merchandize and sports equipment. The following write-up describes the business idea in detail in terms of the overall market, anticipated growth and competition, products description and marketing plan. Soccer Market in US Over the last few decades, professional and amateur soccer has made noteworthy strides in the US. As of 2007, there were 14 million soccer players and over 2 million hou seholds having young soccer participants in the country. The following graph shows the comparison of sports popularity in different age groups implying that it is a youth-centered sport in America. Because of this, soccer has attracted the attention of advertisers from companies such as Starbucks, Addidas, Nike and other youth oriented products. Major League Soccer (MLS) and US Soccer Leagues are the two best known soccer leagues in US with over 16 member Clubs. Soccer in US gained more recognition with the arrival of foreign football stars such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg and Cuauhtemoc Blanco playing for MLS clubs. The richest club in US, LA Galaxy is worth $100 million (2008). As the game has gained such wide acceptance in US, it is a great market for merchandizing business adopting the European model. Business Idea The concept behind my business idea is to build a specialist soccer outlet selling all products and goods related to soccer including soccer ge ar, equipment and related goods. Soccer Merchandise Products: The following chart gives an overview of the products that would be sold at my Soccer Specialty Store (SSS) for various clubs and leagues: Distribution Channels: In the business of sports retail, it is essential to have and efficient supplier chain and distribution channel in order to make profits. As there are number of players in the supplier chain such as team/club or league dealers or distributors, my competitive advantage will be retail locations and outreach to customers. Apart from consumer retail store, online distribution channels would help reduce inventory and administrative expenses. Marketing: The success of consumer retail sales depends on a number of factors such as retail store location, prices, promotions and consumer demand. My retail stores location will be vicinity to major universities and schools, preferably with high number of international students (as soccer is more popular abroad). The prices of the products would be competitive to other stores such as addidas etc. Personalized items would be higher priced. Since, I am targeting students and their parents as my potential customers, promotional activities such as free passes to soccer matches, group or team discounts would be given. Competition: The competition in US in the soccer merchandising industry is not intense as in Europe but is developing. Major League Soccer

Dance 3 (fitness and wellness) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dance 3 (fitness and wellness) - Assignment Example ty and high lipid levels (signified by the high low-density lipoproteins) also predisposes Joe to acquiring Diabetes of the type two variety especially if any member of his family has had diabetes before. He is also likely to get gallbladder diseases, osteoarthritis, dyslipidemia and cancers. Social exclusion may lead Joe to succumb to depression and other mental disorders. Therefore, there is a need for Joe to manage his lifestyle better. To make himself fit, Joe should start by enrolling himself in a local gym and dedicate a particular time of the day for exercises. By doing this, he would be also be engaging in more social interactions and therefore promoting his social wellness (Hoeger, page 200). He should seek a religious domination of his liking and attend regular services. Also, he should analyse his skills and hobbies and look for a job that befits him. He should also take time to be relaxing and go out for dates with members of the opposite sex to enable him be able to get a suitable partner of his choice. All these will enable him create a balanced lifestyle that would reduce the risk of the above diseases. Sally needs to seek the help of a good psychologist to help her unravel the source of her demotivation. Alternatively, she could do a self-evaluation to pinpoint the root of her demotivation. After the emotional problem is solved, she should enrol herself back to the gym on a regular basis. Since her sport of choice is athletics, she should engage in regular jogging in the morning and treadmills in the gym. Each week she strives to increase the distance of running to improve her performance. She should incorporate the principle of commitment and self-discipline to record improved performance. She should also eat healthily. A diet plan for a single day could resemble the one

What it takes to be a superior human being in Confucianism Essay

What it takes to be a superior human being in Confucianism - Essay Example According to Confucius, a superior human being listens to the critique with an evaluative attitude and does not turn a deaf ear to something that does not sound pleasing. Superior human beings search for truth and do what is proper in a particular situation at hand. Superior human beings make unbiased decisions and accordingly, do not have anything to expect from others. This is the reason why they always remain satisfied. â€Å"The superior man wouldn't recommend or promote a person based only on his words, nor would he ignore a man's words because of his behavior†. They do not get involved in controversies against other people and remain calm and quiet. Confucius held the opinion that individual’s inability to perceive and handle the reality is the fundamental cause of social disorder. Quite often, people call one another with wrong names. When things are not called by their proper names, this promotes social disorder. In Confucianism, a superior human being is the one who calls things by their proper names because calling things by incorrect names does not let the language remain consistent with the truth. This keeps the affairs from being carried on to success. When this happens, music and other proprieties can not flourish which in turn makes the punishments awarded improperly. As a result of this, people become troubled and can not work. Thus, a superior human being necessarily calls things by their proper names and makes sure that his speech is carried out appropriately.

Social work-- Self Help Group Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social work-- Self Help Group Report - Essay Example After graduating from High School we went to different colleges as he wanted to be an architect while I wanted to study medicine. Though our friendship continued, I was dismayed to find that Angelo had suffered a bad setback due to his drinking habit which he had started after he broke up with his girlfriend. Ever since that time he had only gone deeper into the habit which he could not seem to get rid of. It was a Sunday afternoon on the 7th of September and the time was about 2 pm. When we shifted the listless Angelo to the Alcohol Anonymous Department which was located in the heart of the city of Austin about an hours drive from where we lived. Angelo had a light temperature, was restless and blabbered in his delirium. We had phoned the hospital and they were waiting for us to arrive. On arrival they quickly moved Angelo to a stretcher which they wheeled into an emergency room. I reassured Angelo’s mother that everything would be fine and while waiting there made an observation of everything around. The first thing that struck me was the sad and anxious faces of parents and loved ones who had accompanied their dear ones here and waited in anticipation for the advice of the doctors and nurses who did their work with such dedication. I was quite familiar with the surroundings because a few years back I had accompanied another friend of mine who had a problem with alcohol abuse but was now over it. The people at the center were by and large a mixed group of both men and women between the ages of about 16 to 60 years old. Some had accompanied their children while others accompanied their husbands or wives. Most of the crowd present seemed to come from an affluent background but there were also others who came from a much lower social class. A good majority of people came from an ethnic background such as African, Vietnamese and Chinese. Everyone was going out of their way to help one another because

What it takes to be a superior human being in Confucianism Essay

What it takes to be a superior human being in Confucianism - Essay Example According to Confucius, a superior human being listens to the critique with an evaluative attitude and does not turn a deaf ear to something that does not sound pleasing. Superior human beings search for truth and do what is proper in a particular situation at hand. Superior human beings make unbiased decisions and accordingly, do not have anything to expect from others. This is the reason why they always remain satisfied. â€Å"The superior man wouldn't recommend or promote a person based only on his words, nor would he ignore a man's words because of his behavior†. They do not get involved in controversies against other people and remain calm and quiet. Confucius held the opinion that individual’s inability to perceive and handle the reality is the fundamental cause of social disorder. Quite often, people call one another with wrong names. When things are not called by their proper names, this promotes social disorder. In Confucianism, a superior human being is the one who calls things by their proper names because calling things by incorrect names does not let the language remain consistent with the truth. This keeps the affairs from being carried on to success. When this happens, music and other proprieties can not flourish which in turn makes the punishments awarded improperly. As a result of this, people become troubled and can not work. Thus, a superior human being necessarily calls things by their proper names and makes sure that his speech is carried out appropriately.

Chapter 13 case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter 13 case study - Essay Example There are various suggestions and ideas that may be provided by different persons, who support such media technologies. One of these suggestions is the creation of awareness on the existing of the new technology. The other is re-branding of the packaging materials used by Hanks i.e. use of packaging materials that indicate the use of these new PDA’s and the technology used by customers. These ideas can be combined owing to the fact they are basically meant to facilitate the incorporation of the new modes of operation into Hank’s Greenery system. Hank’s anticipation of the associated advantages of using the technology is realistic. The use of Information Systems in any business is usually associated with various benefits i.e. improved communication among employees as well as improved customer service provision. These are realistic advantages; however, there are usually certain disadvantages that may be experienced with the implementation of new operational systems in any organization. Research indicates that such systems may take time before they are completely adopted in the operational system of any

Africa Change over Time Essay Example for Free

Africa Change over Time Essay Around the period during the second World War and the Cold War, a Red Scare went on in the most powerful and influential capitalist countries of the world. The Red Scare was basically a fear of the spread of communism. According to the Domino Theory, which was developed in that era, if a specific country turned to communism, communism would soon spread to all the other countries in that area. This fear caused the United States to jump into action at the slightest sign of communist influence in many places in the world, especially subsaharan Africa. However, over the years, this fear has eased, and the U. S. is more prone to attempting to aid these nations, rather than destroying them. In sub-saharan Africa, from around 1900 to present day, conditions there have both changed and stayed the same. On one hand, western involvement in the area has changed, but on the other hand, the constant civil wars and oppressive circumstances from the past still exist today. Sub-saharan Africa from the beginning of the 20th century up to this present day has been under constant civil war. South Africa, Sudan, Mozambique, Angola, Ethiopia and Zaire (or the Republic of Congo) are good examples of this. South Africa was first colonized by the Dutch who integrated themselves into the country. However, in the late 19th century, the English conquered South Africa and moved the Boers (the Dutch-Africans) to the north of the country where they clashed with the native Zulu tribe. When diamonds where later discovered in that area, the Dutch and the English had wars for the territory. In Sudan, a fundamentalist Islamic group that sits at the head of the government was at civil war with a rebel Christian group. The main reason for this conflict was the obvious religious differences. This conflict has ruined many crops and homes of civilians and forced many others to flee the country. In Mozambique the civil So? a Gruber war there was a proxy war between the Soviet Union, that influenced a Marxist government in that area, and the U. S. , that sponsored a rebel movement to usurp the communist government. Similarly, in Angola and Ethiopia, a proxy war, sponsored by the two Cold War superpowers tear the countries apart, causing widespread famine and suffering. Finally, the civil war in Congo, that has lasted for decades, was a tug for power between both left and right leaders who, nonetheless, where all power hungry and corrupt. In sub-saharan Africa, there is a continuous pattern of oppression of the people. The examples for this seem to be endless, between constant genocides and militaristic dictators, the people in sub-saharan Africa suffer and die in squalor. In Rwanda, a mass genocide erupted when the Hutu tribe blamed the Tutsi tribe for their leader’s death. In a time span of 100 days, nearly 8000 people died, and countless more were injured in unspeakable ways. Throughout all of Africa, the use of child soldiers has become extremely popular. It is not uncommon for a 10 year old boy (sometimes even younger) to be drugged and paraded down the street while they shot innocent civilians and mutilated them. The living conditions in many nations are unspeakable. Many families live in shacks with no running water, and very few of them have any means of contact to the outside world (television, phones, radio, ect. ). Constant civil war force many families to flee their country, creating refugees for other countries, who stick them all in refugee camps. Most methods of war involve hurting civilians, in Sudan, a popular resistance method was scorched-earth policies. Here, armies would burn down everything that would be essential to life, ensuring that no aid would be available to their opponent. In South Africa, mostly, apartheid was practiced to the extreme. Not only were there segregated bathrooms and schools, but entire towns. A white minority would live in splendor, while the black, native majority would live in squalor. From 1900 to present day, the world’s involvement in sub-saharan Africa has drastically changed. Western involvement in sub-saharan Africa mainly consisted in imperialistic motives and proxy wars. However, its started to change into wanting to help improve the standard of living. South Africa is a very good example of this. In the times of imperialism, England and Holland both had interest in South Africa. England wanted to create colonies there and the Dutch were already there. After the Dutch kicked the English out of the country, they set up their own personal empire in the region. They created a world where whites ruled over blacks. The insalubrious living conditions there for the native black majority eventually set off the rest of the world. After years of both internal and external pressure, the South African government finally ended apartheid in the country. This type of change goes on in many African countries. Most of these countries suffer due to futile proxy wars set up in the region by both Soviet and American forces. After decades of watching this fighting, the world decided to step in and help. Red Cross is sent in there to aid and occasionally, the United Nations tries to stop these wars. Non-profit organizations, such as UNICEF and Hand Up Africa encourage western civilians to take part in working for peace in the sub-saharan African nations. Despite the change in western attitude towards sub-saharan African nations, most of them still are under the threat of constant civil war and their people live in oppressive circumstances. Many of these civil wars were caused by the American fear towards communism and tribal and religious differences. These conflicts bring rise to militaristic dictatorships and decrease the standard of living prominently. However, in retrospect, western nations seemed to have repented for their destruction of the large continent and continuously attempt to rebuild it.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Building Restoration

Advantages and Disadvantages of Building Restoration Using examples explore the advantages and disadvantages of allowing redevelopment and reconstruction of historic buildings. For the purposes of this discussion it is primarily important to determine what is meant by historic and to rationalize the terms redevelopment and reconstruction. The terms will be used in the context of preserving and conserving buildings. This includes maintaining their predominant features and characteristics, whilst enhancing new features in keeping with the style and building constraints relating to traditional use of materials and resources. According to English Heritage buildings exist across the UK that span over a thousand years. They also work with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and local authorities to allocate buildings such as these according to their criteria for listing or categorizing for the purposes of their historic importance. These are identified using the following criteria: Those having architectural interest: buildings which are nationally important for the interest of their architectural design, decoration and craftsmanship; also important examples of particular building types and techniques. Those deemed of historic interest: this includes buildings which illustrate important aspects of the nations social, economic, cultural or military history. A variety of places that have a close historical association with nationally important buildings or events. Places which have group value, especially where buildings are part of an important architectural or historic group or are a fine example of planning (such as squares, terraces and model villages) [1] English Heritage define historic in relation to a number of factors. All buildings constructed before 1700 are automatically listed. Similarly this is the case with most properties up to 1840. A number of post 1945 buildings are also included in these terms. A comprehensive breakdown of listed buildings statistics across the UK is illustrated below: 38% are domestic dwellings 15% date from before 1600 nearly 20% date from the 17th century 31% from the 18th century 32% from the 19th century 3% from 1900-1944 0.2% from 1945 or later[2] Introducing conventional features can have negative consequences on properties such as those defined above. Not only for cosmetic or domestic purposes but also in relation to implementing safety measures into a property. and accessibility by way of lifts and hand rails etc for the benefit of people with disabilities. There is also a trend for interpreting properties of historical interest into entertainment or ‘edutainment’ orientated experiences which can be argued devalues the historic importance and often encourages historical inaccuracy from the learning perspective. The final consideration to be made in relation to this essay question is the notion of whether old buildings should remain preserved exactly as they are without any enhancement, improvements, additions or restorations. That they should reflect the period they were constructed in and be immortalized as a historical or scientific study. This paper will seek to exemplify many of these issues relating to the redevelopment and reconstruction of historic buildings which covers a broad argument for discussion. The English Tourist Board published a paper in 1991 entitled ‘Maintaining the Balance’ which proposed new schemes designed to ensure that historic town environments worked in sync with their communities whilst providing the visitor with a traditional experience. Visitor Management Plans were adopted and Town Centre Managers were recruited as means of taking these initiatives forward. The conservation and preservation of built heritage often involves maintaining tight restrictions and limited planning opportunities which is not conducive to new housing projects or business opportunities which could generate enterprise and economic benefits. Instead many of the UK’s classified historic towns remain stagnant and non progressive.[3] Similarly there are currently plans to renovate and restore the city centre of Amsterdam in keeping with its cultural heritage. The city centre is divided by two groups of residents. One enjoys the aesthetic benefits of living in this area , while the second are simply living centrally for the purposes of work and being close to amenities. This second group is unconcerned with the historical importance of the city and is not prepared to invest in maintaining or developing it as such. Often when areas such as this are under preservation orders high costs are incurred for maintenance and renovation in the style accustomed to the period. This in turn raises the rents of properties which become too high for existing residents to afford, eventually forcing them out of their homes, as is feared in Amsterdam.[4] When considering the practical aspects of individual houses, when a building is disassembled or exposed for the purposes of renovation or reconstruction, a great many vital elements which are original to its heritage can be lost. This might include clay or lime mortars used in between joist, foundations and chimney linings. Wooden frames held together by pegs can fracture if disengaged and it is crucial that that high levels of carpentry skills and traditional craftsmanship techniques are applied when rebuilding and renovating buildings.[5] There are an abundance of sites, Museums and stately homes which are testaments to ‘living history’ and function for the benefit of the public across the world today. Colonial Williamsburg and the Historic Charleston Foundation in the United States, Slave Forts in Africa and Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in the UK to name a few. They all encourage the preservation of old buildings. With this redevelopment comes the opportunity of numerous availability of grants and Heritage Lottery funding to help with this process. They enable people to remain aware of what is important historically and that reflects the lives and communities from which we all originate. People managing these processes need the necessary expertise with which to achieve these renovations and reconstructions. Acquiring documentation of age is essential as is being true to the period in which it was built architecturally. Architectural historians in the United States for example have divided buildings into around half a dozen significant periods of half a century each. These phases are then sub-divided into over-lapping periods. Even then not all of these categories are universally recognized.[6] This suggests reason enough for ensuring that each building selected for re-development is accurately assessed and renovated accordingly and appropriately. It is important also to remember that this is not a new phenomenon. In 1877 the painter and writer William Morris wrote a manifesto against the proposed restoration of Tewkesbury Abbey. During this and subsequent periods architects considered restoration to be about changing a building for the purposes of altering it to reflect its key historical importance. For example during the late nineteenth century many Anglo-Saxon churches in the UK were ‘restored’ into Gothic interpretations. This was a reflection of people’s attitudes then surrounding medieval masons, who were deemed uninitiated into religion. Consequentl y the Gothic form and design purported to purist representations and was in essence closer to God.[7] It is important then to remember that when renovating buildings they do not become exploited for the benefit of contemporary tastes and trends. It can be argued that many of these ‘living history’ experiences have become just that and are able to be devalued very easily. Accuracy based on the facts available to the architects is what should remain of paramount importance when reconstructing any historic building. One of the most exceptional examples of reconstruction to be seen today is with the city of Warsaw in Poland. During the Second World War over 85% of the city centre was destroyed. A huge campaign and total restoration took place over a number of years. The results of which stand today including replica churches, palaces and a market places all sensitively and historically representative of a history which spans some eight hundred years in its reconstruction. [8] On the other hand reconstruction is never going to be entirely accurate in some instances and it is these examples that encourage debate. Take for example the tourist reconstruction site at Mount Vernon in Washington where the coach house, slave quarters/ greenhouse and ‘stercorary’ have all been restored following fire damage that occurred in the mid nineteenth century. Some of which was based on documents and reminiscence accounts from past generations. Parts of the stercorary were rebuilt in 2001 incorporating the original cobbled stones and brickwork uncovered by archaeologists with research sourcing a drawing from 1807 which provided structural accuracy to be maintained. However when builders came to reconstruct the blacksmiths shop the old plantation ledgers illustrated detailed records pertaining to its location and activities. Whilst other archives provided details relating to the working blacksmiths themselves. Nonetheless contradictions began to appear relating to the shop’s exact location and its appearance during the year 1799. This contention has raged for over fifty years and has raised all the issues regarding physical reconstruction and the amount of evidence that is required in order to support the justification for re-building the property without sufficient authenticity.[9] Another similar example of this where reconstruction has been curtailed is with the handling of Franklin Court in Philadelphia, the residencies of the former President Benjamin Franklin. During the 1970’s an extensive programme of research both archaeological and archival was carried out on the assumption that the house and grounds would be renovated and fully furnished into an interpretative museum. But the research revealed little evidence of any pictures or drawings of what the house had actually looked like. Consequently no reconstruction took place other than the outbuildings and grounds which had retained more documented evidence. Proving that accuracy is reassuringly not always taken for granted in this type of work. Future functional requirements of a building are also aspects of development to consider within a historic building, as the law now governs that public buildings need to comply with the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) by ensuring they have accessible routes both internal and external as well as ramps, lifts and toilets where necessary. This legislative requirement has had an impact on the way in which many historic buildings have had to alter their environment, which is of course an enormous and necessary benefit for people with a disability; although it remains one more area of concern where public renovations and redevelopments are taking place. The most heated debate in terms of redevelopment of historic buildings is of course a matter of architectural and archaeological appreciation. Some sites are considered simply not available to be rebuilt. Sites such as Pompeii for example or the Pyramids of Egypt. They are revered as preserved examples of the past, museums in their own right. They consist of ruins which are fragile and vulnerable. If these ruins become too fragile or it becomes impossible to maintain them then it is understandable that some sort of structure may have to be built around them. This may of course eventually decrease the visual enjoyment of a historical building which is why so many sites of importance are now being re-built. Such historical monuments are now able to be reconstructed far more easily by way of digitization. Several digital projects of this type exist for educational purposes and are becoming more widespread. In addition many historic houses like the Queens House in Greenwich, London provi de significant 3D models that demonstrate the different architectural development of the construction and alterations over time. [10]Technology has become so precise and truthful in its interpretations that this may prevail as the preferred method of reconstruction and development in the future. Many historic buildings get demolished just because they are old, so the modern appreciation for rebuilding and conserving these properties are essential to maintaining the cultural heritage of nations throughout the world. However it is important that the historic environment from which they have descended is fully understood. The right skills, techniques and materials from an archaeological perspective are fundamental to ensuring this process is achieved accurately and sensitively. Bibliography Deben, L, Salet, W (2004) Cultural heritage and the future of the historic inner city of Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis Smith, M.K, Robinson, and S.M (2006) Cultural Tourism in a Changing World: Politics, Participation and (re)presentation: Channel View Publications Paravalos, P (2006) Moving a House with Preservation in Mind: Rowman Altamira Nash, G (2003) Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes: Taunton Press Sickles-Taves, L (1999) The Use of and Need for Preservation Standards in Architectural Conservation: ASTM International Jameson, J.H (2004) The Reconstructed Past: Reconstructions in the Public Interpretation of Archaeology and History: Rowman Altamira Fitch, J.M (1990) Historic Preservation: Curatorial Management of the Built World: University of Virginia Press, 1990 Sourced from: http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/warsaw.html, Date accessed, 20/11/08 Sourced from: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/scenic-attractions/architecture-and-views/greenwich-architecture-and-views, Date accessed, 20/11/08 [1] Sourced from: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.1373, Date accessed, 19/11/08 [2] Sourced from: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.1373, Date accessed, 19/11/08 [3] Smith,M.K, Robinson,S.M (2006:292) Cultural Tourism in a Changing World: Politics, Participation and (re)presentation: Channel View Publications [4] Deben,L,Salet,W (2004:247-248) Cultural heritage and the future of the historic inner city of Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis [5] Paravalos,P (2006: 62-63) Moving a House with Preservation in Mind: Rowman Altamira [6] Nash,G (2003:21) Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes: Taunton Press [7] Sickles-Taves,L (1999: 14) The Use of and Need for Preservation Standards in Architectural Conservation: ASTM International [8] Sourced from: http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/warsaw.html, Date accessed, 20/11/08 [9] Jameson,J.H (2004: 80) The Reconstructed Past: Reconstructions in the Public Interpretation of Archaeology and History: Rowman Altamira [10] Sourced from: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/scenic-attractions/architecture-and-views/greenwich-architecture-and-views, Date accessed, 20/11/08

Opiates And The Law Essay -- essays research papers fc

Opiates And The Law   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Illicit drug use and the debate surrounding the various legal options available to the government in an effort to curtail it is nothing new to America. Since the enactment of the Harrison Narcotic Act in 1914 (Erowid) the public has struggled with how to effectively deal with this phenomena, from catching individual users to deciding what to do with those who are convicted (DEA). Complicating the issue further is the ever-expanding list of substances available for abuse. Some are concocted in basements or bathtubs by drug addicts themselves, some in the labs of multinational pharmaceutical companies, and still others are just old compounds waiting for society to discover them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Almost overnight one such venerable substance (or class of substances) has been catapulted into the national spotlight: prescription painkillers, namely those derived from the opium poppy. This class of analgesic encompasses everything from the codeine in prescription cough syrup to the morphine used in the management of sever pain. These compounds are commonly referred to as opiates and are produced naturally by the poppy. The sub-class of this type that has gotten all of the attention recently is the opioids, which are semi-synthetic compounds derived from the opiates (Wade 846). Opioids were developed for a variety of reasons, such as reducing the cost of production (morphine is expensive to synthesize) and attempting to reduce the addictiveness of the drugs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And addictive they are. Heroin is perhaps the best-known opioid around, and arguably one of the most addictive substances known to man. Opiates and opioids (hereafter generically referred to as opioids) function by attaching to receptor sites in the body called mu-receptors, which are primarily located in the brain and the digestive system. When these receptors are activated in the brain they produce a rush of euphoria and a groggy state of well being (it is interesting to note that studies have shown that this action does not eliminate the pain one is feeling, but merely changes ones’ perception of it) (Kalb). The body quickly becomes tolerant of this, however, and abuse frequently follows a steep dosage curve requiring that more and more of the drug be taken to produce the same effect. Long-term abusers develop... ...keep them from indulging their habit. The truth of the matter is no one change or modification to existing policy will have much effect if any, on the current state of affairs. It isn’t enough to ban drugs, we must work to understand their allure and the intricate mechanisms in our brains and in our psychology that make some of us too weak to resist the temptation. Only with this sort of concentrated effort will we see any progress. Works Cited Erowid Psychoactive Vaults. Home Page. 6 April 2001. . Kalb, Claudia. â€Å"Playing With Painkillers.† Newsweek 9 April 2001: 45-47. Richwine, Lisa. â€Å"US Launches Fight Against Prescription Drug Abuse.† YahooNews. 10 April 2001 . Rosenberg, Debra. â€Å"How One Town Got Hooked.† Newsweek. 9 April 2001: 48-51. Sacco, Vincent F, and Kennedy, Leslie W. The Criminal Event. New York: Wadsworth, 1996. United States Drug Enforcement Agency. Home Page. 6 April 2001. . Wade, L.G. Jr. Organic Chemistry. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999: 846-847.

Insurance and Payment Expectations

HEALTHCARE PAYMENT EXPECTATIONS Unit 1 Individual Project Tina Nguyen HLTH420 – Healthcare Finance November 7, 2012 Abstract This research paper will explain the payment expectations of government, commercial, and liability insurances, as well as self-pay/cash pay patients. An in depth explanation of how they differ, such as rules, will be made. This report will help readers understand the different types of programs in bill collecting, and account and project financial expectations. Healthcare Payment Expectations Payment expectations are the reimbursement of the services given to patients.There are many alternatives to how healthcare organizations collect their payments or revenues. They can be handled through cash transactions or through various types of insurances, such as government-assisted, commercial, and liability insurances. Some of the health insurances that are government-assisted are Medicare, CHIP, and Medicaid. Government-assisted insurances, such as Medicare an d Medicaid, are provided for low income families and adults over the age of 65 or even those under 65 that has certain disabilities (USA. gov, 2012).Medicaid’s health coverage will vary by states, as they will set their own rules and guidelines. In order to be granted for these government health insurances, an individual must meet certain criteria to be eligible, depending on which program it is catered for (New Horizons Un-Limited Inc. , 2011). Payment expectations of government-assisted health insurances, such as Medicaid, are reimbursed through co-pays, and premiums (â€Å"Medicaid Payment Expectations, â€Å" n. d. ). As mentioned before, payment expectations will vary by state but should not be much different.Co-pays are the rate at how much is to be paid for the services or a prescription a patient will be receiving (â€Å"Medicaid Payment Expectations,† n. d. ). Co-pay rates are rates that are agreed upon by the Medicaid program and type an individual has. Pre miums are out of pocket expenses that need to be paid by the individual to maintain and retain medical benefits (â€Å"Medicaid Payment Expectations,† n. d. ). Premiums are a monthly expense and it also depends on each individual and will vary by state.If premiums are not paid in a timely manner, that can be considered as a non-payment and there may be a possibility that an individual may lose their insurance coverage. If that was to occur, the individual would need to reapply. Commercial health insurances are health insurances that cover medical and health expenses for those that are already insured. For example, since commercial health insurances is for profit and is not offered through a government entity, these health insurances are usually offered through group insurances (â€Å"What Is Commercial Health,† n. . ). In many instances, commercial health insurances will be offered through the individual’s employer. Typically, these insurances will have a monthl y or even a bi-weekly premium that will be deducted from an employee’s paycheck. Depending on how the commercial health insurance is planned, employees will usually see a payment of the entire monthly premium or a percentage of it in their paycheck. Liability insurance is also known as medical malpractice insurance.Liability health insurance helps protect the insurer from lawsuits and mistakes that can or will arise from the workplace. Liability insurance can be purchased through many types of companies, such as insured insurance companies, risk purchasing and risk retention groups, and etc (Texas Department of Insurance, 2012). Payment expectations are that liability insurance information must be provided at the time of registration in order for a claim to be filed.Depending on the responsible party of paying that claim, it can either be the insured or the insurance company; it varies with each plan per individual. Self-pay or cash pay patients are usually those patients tha t does not have medical insurance or those who just prefer not dealing with the hassles of Medicare or insurance reimbursement or claims, will pay an out of pocket expense for the medical services they seek and get. Medical doctors and clinicians view these patients as more compliant and motivated to doctor’s orders (Carter, 2011).Without any insurance help, self-pay patients would usually get a discount percentage due to the high cost of medical services. Self-pay or cash patients will have to pay the full amount or partial before or after the service, and if a balance remains would need to pay in the next couple of months depending on the payment plan. All of these components of payment expectations of different insurances would need to familiarize with by medical business professionals in order for efficient billing, collecting, accounting, and the projection of financial expectations to occur.All health insurances, it doesn’t matter what type of insurance, has to f ollow basic standards of regulations of the service and product, but each state and health facility has its own discretion in how to price their services and also deciding how much a patient is responsible for their balance. There is much that needs to be considered if the payer mix is the basic determinant of the healthcare organization’s financial projections. Payer mix is a medical term of the percentage of revenues that comes into the organizations is from private to government insurances to self-pay patients (Wall, 2010).Unfortunately, revenues from government insurances, such as Medicare and Medicaid, are considered losses to healthcare organizations due to these government insurances pay less to hospitals and healthcare organizations than what they charge patients for services. Through this knowledge, healthcare organizations need to be aware of areas like this in order to compensate for what is lacking. | References Carter, J. (2011, November 7). How Self-Pay Patients Have Made Me a More Effective Clinician. Retrieved from

Parental Filters on the Internet Essay

Technology, often defined as the application of science, was basically the crafts practiced by unschooled artisans (McClellan, 2006). Technologies had tangibly affected the people’s way of living, since these are made to improve their quality of life. Its existence was completely evident on how our ancestors developed simple choppers into fine blades, and later on, discovered the utilization of fire. One of the present discoveries was the Internet, which gradually diminished the barrier between communications. It served as a gateway of people all over the globe into the social scene. As perceived by Gralla (1998), Internet is the purest form of electronic democracy—where no single person, group or organization runs the Internet. It was made possible through computers interconnected with each other, sharing common information. These computers range from personal to government-owned databases, both local and international, to academic and business-oriented computers. A telephone, a modem, and a computer of course, are needed in able to connect to the Internet. Once you are connected to the Internet, your computer becomes an extension: another linkage on the Internet. Though the Internet was first used as a defense project of the United States, the Internet had evolved into being the newest kind of media. And eventually, it was used in schools, workplaces and businesses as well. It was able to help students in their home works, or catch up with the lessons they missed, and everybody’s favorite—social networking. As for professionals, the Internet enabled them to conduct video conferences, giving people who aren’t able to attend a certain meeting at ease. The Internet helped entrepreneurs as well, in finding the best products the community wants today, as well as providing on-line service with its customers. However, despite of all these good application of Internet, we cannot deny the fact that there are people who upload gore, violence and other explicit content. Though every information shared over the Internet has its own target audiences, parents should be literate enough to regulate and filter information their children are about to view. Parents, in the first place, are the one who thought their children to speak and communicate. Internet is the one that thought students to communicate and explore beyond extent. But parents are parents; they own their child and internet doesn’t. Internet can change someone but their parents can still control them. But still, as members of the society, we have to be responsible of what we access on the Internet, concerning especially the children. Kids these days spend more time on the Internet as much as our age does, which is very alarming, since this triggers children in accessing restricted material. Even social networking sites are surrounded with pedophiles and sexual predators, waiting for its prey to be devoured. Assuming that majority of the respondents control and filter their children’s use of the Internet, this study seeks to answer the forms of mechanisms utilized by every parent in a particular household, and its significance to child protection. Background of the Study As what Anne Frank stated, â€Å"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.† In this quote, it is evident that parents are meant to support their children in forming their personalities in any aspect of his life. In the Philippine context, it is believed that if a person possesses good traits, it was because he was raised by his parents well. A parent may vary from another parent in raising a child, but the main point in here is that, every single parent shapes their children in the way they wanted them to be. Diana Baumrind, a clinical psychologist, conducted a research study in 1960’s on the linkages of parenting styles, and its effects on 100 preschool-aged children. Using naturalistic observation, parental interviews and other research methods, she had identified four important dimensions of parenting (Cherry, 2011) namely: Authoritarian Parenting, Authoritative Pare nting, Permissive Parenting and lastly, Uninvolved Parenting. Among the four parenting styles Baumrind had identified, Authoritarian Parenting has high regards of their children, as well as their expectations. When these expectations aren’t met, punishment is likely to be followed. Children raised this way tend to be more furious outdoors, or lack self-esteem. Contrary to that, Authoritative Parenting still has its own rules to follow, but the difference is that, no punishment is inflicted, and thus nurtured instead. While Permissive Parenting practices no disciplinary actions at all, thus creating an environment filled with love. However, children raised this way, more often than not, are stubborn in nature. Uninvolved Parenting means no parenting at all, meaning they do not support them through their endeavors, but strictly comply with their needs. Children have the tendency to be more anxious than the usual, and exhibit more delinquency or drug abuse. (Cherry, 2011) In relation to our study, parenting plays the vital role in shaping their children, not only in their behaviors, but also within the context of Internet dilemmas. Indeed, the Internet can be both good and bad in general. It can help children in doing their researches and improve their knowledge within a particular lesson, but at the same time, there will be a tendency that they will depend too much on what Internet has to offer—which is unhealthy, since not all information shared over the internet are true and reliable. It can reconnect their long lost friends, and discover new friends through social networking, but it could also expose them to the danger of meeting strange new people online. Since the Internet has a wide array of information, it can satisfy one’s curiosity regarding a certain topic, but into what extent? Internet, in this modern day, serves as a key or a portal through everything that this world has. People recognize its use in a good and bad way. In a recent study conducted by Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication from February to April year 2009, it showed that 74% have access to the Internet. Most of the respondents came from Visayas and Metro Manila. The respondents include grade school pupils 10-12 old, and high school students 13-17 old. The children in both subgroups basically use the Internet for email, connecting with friends, participating in e-groups and social networks. Though these types of activities are considered ‘safe’, it is actually not. Cyber-bullying has been rampant in the airwaves, as well as pornography and other explicit content. Pornography can be generally defined as erotic depictions intended to provoke a sexual response (Casanova, 2000). It can exist in many forms, including videos, films, stills, and even comics. High school students are definitely aware of this at a young age, it is because their minds are preoccupied with curiosity thus, filling their satisfaction to know and explore through the world of internet. However, with proper guidance and regulation of parents on how their children utilize the Internet, we can still shape these children the way they should be. To keep them safe from the detrimental effects Internet has to bring upon. Be it physically, mentally, socially, sexually, psychologically or even spiritually. Media, especially social media, has gradually changed the youth’s social and emotional cognition to its environment. How a child interacts with the people around him is greatly affected with his exposure with the media (Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, 2010). In a study conducted by Kraut (1998), the social effect of the Internet is a bit similar with television, but greater use of the Internet is statistically significant into declining of social involvement. It greatly affects the social circle he belongs to, his social contact, and social communication. Another is that, Liwag (2007) stated that Internet has the capacity to erode authority structures. This means that children might be accepting parental authority. Getting into the physical context, children that are more exposed to Internet use, had a great impact on their lifestyles. Children sleep well beforehand, but since they got hooked with the Internet, their daily routine had tangibly changed. Liwag (2007) explained that many adolescents are into health-compromising habits and sedentary lifestyle. (Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication, 2010) With the cases mentioned above, we, the researchers remain persistent in knowing what Filipino parents do, and have to do in order to diminish these cases for them not to experience. Theoretical Framework The study being proposed will adapt two mass communication theories. The first one is the Elaboration Likelihood by created by Richard E Petty and John T Cacioppo and the second one is the Social Judgment Theory that was developed by Muzafer Sherif and Carl Hovland. Elaboration Likelihood A popular model used as a principle in persuasion work is the Elaboration Likelihood Model created by Richard E Petty and John T Cacioppo. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) states that there are two routes through which persuasive messages are processed: the central route and the peripheral route. Developed in 1980, this relatively new persuasion model attempts to â€Å"explain how a persuasive message works to change the attitude of the receiver† (Moore, 2001). Central and peripheral routes: both are effective styles of persuasion techniques, but each one has strategies and guiding principles to make it more effective. Understanding the two routes of persuasion discussed in the Elaboration Likelihood Model is vital to the persuasion process. Messages sent via the central route of persuasion must be straight-forward and complete. The central route consists of â€Å"thoughtful consideration of the arguments (ideas, content) in the message† (Benoit et al., 2001). The receiver carefully scrutinizes the message and evaluates the subject matter of the idea. Messages sent through this route must possess a high level of receiver involvement, that is, the receiver must actually care about and be related to the subject. Because it is of importance to them, the message will be evaluated thoroughly. Central route messages must be strong. The message is going to be dissected and analyzed from every angle, so it had better have some substance to it. The peripheral route of persuasion is successful for messages with low receiver involvement, low receiver motivation, and weak messages. Unlike the central route persuasion, messages sent via the peripheral route are not processed cognitively. Rather, the peripheral route states that â€Å"if a person is unable to elaborate on a message extensively, then she may still be persuaded by factors that have nothing to do with the actual content of the message itself† (Moore, 2001). According to Professors Dean Kruckeberg and Ken Starck, â€Å"the dominant public view of public relations, in fact, is one of persuasive communication actions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wilcox et al., 2003, p.214). It is suggested that attitudes formed under high elaboration, the central route, are stronger than those formed under low elaboration. This means that this level of persuasion is stable over time and is less susceptible to decay or any type of counter-persuasion. Attitudes formed under low elaboration, the peripheral route, are more likely to cause a short term attitude change. The ELM is based on the idea that attitudes are important because attitudes guide decisions and other behaviors. While attitudes can result from a number of things, persuasion is a primary source. Model Social Judgment Theory This theory of attitude change was developed by Muzafer Sherif and Carl Hovland and later by Carolyn Sherif. As its name suggests, it is a model of judgment, which means that it declares that the audience interprets (judges) a message. Specifically, a listener judges how much the message agrees or disagrees with his or her own attitude. Second, Social Judgment theory holds that a listener’s involvement in the topic of the persuasive message – that is, how important a topic is to a listener – is an important factor in attitude change. Given a range of possible positions about given subject, people may have a range of opinions, but will have an anchor position. As this is often tied to people’s sense of identity, it is seldom possible to change it. The latitude of acceptance are those positions which are acceptable. The latitude of non-commitment are those positions which are neither accepted nor rejected. The latitude of rejection are positions which will be actively opposed. We can observe that one person can think a summer day is hot while another believes it is only pleasantly warm. Two friends can see the same movie and one will like it and the other will hate it. And two people can hear the same persuasive message but have quite different reactions to it. Social Judgment theory explains how two people can react so differently to the very same message. The reason why people gave different answers is that they had different comparison points or anchors and also because of their ego involvement. Each listener or reader judges the main idea of the message, how much it agrees or disagrees with him or her, by comparing the message with his or her anchor point, which in Social Judgment theory is his or her existing attitude on the message topic. Model: Conceptual Framework Elaboration Likelihood The researchers formulated a model of dual routes of persuasion to explain the situation being studied. The illustration shows the how, the what, and the predicted outcome of parents’ response to control their children’s internet access. The model will start from message that will be coming from the parents. Then the message will proceed to the audience factor—which is the children. There are two possibilities from which the message might flow. There will be a possibility of having high motivation and ability to think of the message or possess low motivation and ability to think of the message. In that process, it will show the parents to think of the control mechanism they will be using whether it could be a high or a low factor. Then the third process will be the processing approach which will show the style of approach the parents can be used. The last part of the process would be the persuasion outcome. Through that process we can infer if the outcome the parents had executed to control their children’s access had been a persuasive message in changing the children’s access to internet. In that case, the parents are expected to research and apply these mechanisms in controlling their children’s internet access. Eventually, there will be an element of dissatisfaction that will trigger their train of thought to try all of control mechanisms if possible. Each control mechanism has its own style that could or could not be persuasive or effective. Just like in the adopted theory of Elaboration Likelihood, that there are two techniques of persuasion and both of it are effective styles, but each one has strategies and guiding principles to make it more effective. Understanding the two routes of persuasion discussed in the Elaboration Likelihood Model is vital to the persuasion process. Conceptual Model: Social Judgment The Social Judgment theory in this study will focus on the children’s response or their involvement in the control mechanisms of their parents. Whether they will accept it, reject it or there is no potential commitment. As the conceptual model illustrates, it will start to the parent’s control mechanism. Afterwards, children will assess it depending on their level of ego-involvement and on their own anchor points. Lastly, it is their choice if they will accept it, reject it or just don’t commit at it. Not all children will have the same involvement because of their different attitudes or their ego involvement and anchor points. Conceptual Model: Statement of the Problem What are the mechanisms utilized by parents in controlling their children’s access to the internet and its significance to child protection? Objectives of the Study 1. To present the profile of the respondents in terms of: a. Demographic b. Economic 2. To know the different Internet sites that children usually view. 3. To identify the different control mechanisms used by parents in controlling their children’s internet access. 4. To determine the factors affecting the parents to control children’s access in the internet. 5. To determine if controlling children’s Internet usage will change their behavior towards Internet. Significance of the Study: To Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) With the collaboration of parents and teachers, this study would help them discuss with each other the action they should do if ever they will make a project plan regarding internet and children. They could be able to make different programs and seminars of how to handle their children and what to do in order to control children’s internet access. To the parents In accordance to the result of this study, parents will become attentive of what tends their children to visit such sites. If that happens, they could determine and counter-attack those factors with the proper and effective way of controlling their children’s internet access. They could also change their old mechanism in filtering their child’s internet use at least to refrain their child’s exposure on restricted sites. To the teachers Since teachers are correlated and influential with the shaping of the knowledge of students, with this study, they could serve as a bridge on the proper way of introducing internet world as an educational tool especially computer teachers. They should explain to students the main purpose of internet, the proper attitude towards internet access—their limitations, do’s and don’ts, To children, to students With the result of the study, children are hoped to see internet as a purposeful and educational one. They would gradually decrease their access on the internet abusively especially restricted sites. And to be able to understand that there is always a right time for everything. To the researchers and future researchers With the instrumentation, recommendations, conclusions and the study as whole, future researchers wanting to pursue a study like this would be a big help in producing another research or study in line with the topic. Their study could be an action towards the guidelines on filtering internet. Hypotheses: With the study, the following hypotheses are used: 1. With the objectives of the study, researchers expect the following: a. Parents in the lower class family are those who aren’t knowledgeable about the internet b. Parents in the middle class family are those who quite knowledgeable about internet c. Parents who are in the higher class family are those who are more knowledgeable about the internet. 2. The following sites are what children’s usually visit on the internet (in random order): Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Youtube and Multiply d. Online games e. Restricted and malicious sites f. Sites for educational purposes such as ebooks, forums, online classrooms 3. Parents usually control their children’s internet access with the set of rules and regulations given on them such as time limitations, reminding them the proper use of internet, securing their child by filtering the internet etc. 4. Bad effects children affecting their scholastic records, children’s nasty view of real world, effects of unwanted websites inappropriate of children’s age such as pornographic sites, print and broadcast media and hearsays of internet’s harm to children are the factors affecting parents to control children’s access on the internet. 5. Children become more at ease, curious and the more they are controlled, the more they are spending long duration of time on their use of internet. Limitations of the Study This study entitled, â€Å"PARENTAL FILTERS ON THE INTERNET: THE MECHANISMS UTILIZED BY PARENTS IN CONTROLLING THEIR CHILDREN’S ACCESS TO INTERNET†, concentrates on the practices, tools or guidelines used by parents in controlling and protecting their children with the potential harms that internet contains. This study focuses only in Manila, in which the researchers systematically selected four High Schools from the locality. The schools, those researchers had chosen, are Malate High School, St. Anthony School, Dona Teodora Alonzo High School, and Villamor High School. The parents will be the main respondents of the study, coming from the Parents and Teachers Association or PTA in the selected schools respectively. The researchers are limited to take 100 respondents from all the parents in those selected four schools. These 100 respondents will be coming from the PTA members. Due to lack of resources, we would trim down the number of the PTA population to 100. The age bracket of students in the chosen high schools is roughly from twelve years old to sixteen years old. These students are the source where we can gather information from the parent. Considering these students have basic knowledge on computer and browsing internet—same goes with parents. This research study is only limited on the students, as it should, who use computer and access internet. This entails the effects getting or absorbing by the students, whether it’s good or bad. The bad effects of internet to students can be in physical and in mental condition. Operational Definition This part contains words with corresponding definition used by the researchers throughout their understanding and limitation. This serves as the researchers’ own dictionary only in important and primary terms. This also serves as the guiding tool to better understanding to this study. Students Students refer to the students who are enrolled and studying on the systematically selected four schools in Manila. These are the students who have, at least, basic knowledge in using computer and accessing and browsing the internet.

Eugenics: Designer Babies

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