Using the Barack Obamas Health Care Reform Speech to Democratic Essay

Using the Barack Obamas Health Care Reform Speech to Democratic Caucus, decide which comparative ideological models(Political Spectrum,Political Compass,Nolan Model,Ideological Space)the speech represents - Essay Example e considers the intrusiveness in the free market of Medicare, Veteran’s Administration benefits and the massive regulatory apparatus of Health and Human Services (HHS) to envelop the entire health care delivery system in the United States under a Federal framework. â€Å"The director of the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that the health care reform legislation would cost, over the next ten years, $115 billion more than previously thought, bringing the total cost to more than $1 trillion. (Tapper)† The government is conducting a wholesale takeover of what was essentially a market provided service. Whatever one may think of the merits of the issue, the Nolan Chart allows the reader to determine with fair precision where the speech lands in the political pedigree on the chart itself. â€Å"Now, there are some who wanted a single-payer government-run system.   That’s not this bill.   The Republicans wanted what I called the â€Å"foxes guard the henhouse approach† in which we further deregulate the insurance companies and let them run wild, the notion being somehow that that was going to lower costs for the American people.   I don’t know a serious health care economist who buys that idea, but that was their concept.† Obama is admitting that an authoritarian model is being employed through the use of increased regulation of the health care providers in the nation. If that were not the case, why would the legislation be necessary in the first place if it were not designed to increase the power of the government to regulate and control the industry? â€Å"The second thing this does is it creates a pool, a marketplace, where individuals and small businesses, who right now are having a terrible time out there getting health insurance, are going to be able to purchase health insurance as part of a big group -- just like federal employees, just like members of Congress.   They are now going to be part of a pool that can negotiate for better rates, better

The Palestine Liberation Organization Essay Example for Free

The Palestine Liberation Organization Essay Palestine is a historic region in the Middle East comprising of Israel and the Israeli occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Palestine Liberation Organization, a political entity, had been attempting to establish a separate state for the Palestinian Arabs. In the year 1948, Israel was created in that region. This emergence of the Israeli state and subsequent wars between it and several Arab countries, served to displace a large number of Palestinians. In the year 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization or PLO was founded, in order to represent the demands of Palestinians for the creation of a separate state for them. At that point in time, Arab military forces were singularly unsuccessful in defeating Israel, in the Six Day War of 1967. Under those circumstances, the PLO emerged as an alternative power, and gained regional and international importance (Stein, 2007). A deep rooted hatred has existed between the PLO and Israel, and this lasted for several years. However, between 1993 and 1998, both the PLO and Israel entered into several agreements, which transferred all Palestinian towns and cities that were under the control of Israel to the Palestinian administration. Moreover, the Israelis transferred Arab dominant regions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to Palestine. In accordance with these agreements, the Palestinian National Authority or PNA was formed to govern these transferred Palestinian areas. In the year 1994 the PNA took complete control over the administrative and negotiating roles of the PLO, with respect to these newly transferred territories. As such, the PLO remained a protector of Palestinian interests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It also represents Palestinian interests in international agreements and treaties. The PLO and Israel have continued to remain adversaries, despite diplomatic negotiations between them (Stein, 2007). The fundamental objective of the PLO was the destruction of Israel. In the year 1969, Yasser Arafat became the chairman of the PLO. In the year 1970, Jordan expelled the PLO from its territory, and the PLO relocated itself in Lebanon and established its base of operations there and started to attack Israel. It attacked Israel in 1978 and in 1982. In 1982, it withdrew from Beirut and moved to Tunisia. Yasser Arafat’s leadership of the PLO was challenged several times before, during and after the Intifada. However, he remained the supreme leader of PLO. In 1988, Arafat gave up terrorism and discontinued terrorist attacks against Israel. Subsequently, the PLO was recognized as the umbrella group that represented Palestinian interests and the Palestinian state. Arafat became the leader of the Palestine National Authority in 1996 (Palestine Liberation Organization, 2001). The PLO comprises of three important branches; and these are the fifteen member Executive Committee, which includes representatives from the fedayeen; the Central Committee comprising of sixty members; and the Palestine National Council, which has five hundred and ninety – nine members. The PLO has several departments and agencies, which provide military services, health services, information to the public, finance, social welfare, education, and other administrative services. After the creation of the Palestine National Authority in 1994, it has taken over the duties and responsibilities of the Palestinian people, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Stein, 2007). The PLO was formed, in order to fight against Israel and to compel it to withdraw from Palestine. However, it was unable to unite all the Palestinian groups at that time. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which was under the leadership of George Habash, remained an independent group, and Yasser Arafat of al-Fatah became the supreme leader of the PLO, which launched several terrorist operations against Israel. It killed eleven Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. In the year 1982, Lebanon expelled PLO from its country. In Tunisia, in 1988, the PLO established a parliament in exile for the newly declared state of Palestine. In 1988, Arafat launched peace and diplomacy initiatives, as a prelude to negotiations with Israel. The United States supported the PLO in these efforts, and in 1993, Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin signed an agreement, after secret negotiations. Thereafter, the PLO relinquished terrorism and honored the right of Israel to exist as a separate state, subsequent to Israel’s withdrawal of its forces from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In 1995, the Palestinians achieved independence and autonomy. The peace process suffered a setback, because the Hamas continued to attack Israel and the latter failed to withdraw its troops. In 1998, the PLO and Israel had signed a land – for – security pact. In 2000, US peace efforts ended in failure, and there was unending violence on both sides (Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), 2003). The PLO is composed of several groups, and each of these has its own founders and organizational framework. The leaders of some of these groups had challenged the leadership of Arafat. Some groups had been branded as rejectionist groups as they refused to recognize the September 13, 1993 PLO – Israel accord. They also opposed interim agreements entered into by the PLO and Israel. These rejectionist groups include the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine or PFLP, led by George Habash, which is a Marxist group. Subsequent to the 1993 Israel – Palestinian Declaration of Principles agreement, the PFLP withdrew from the PLO. Another organization was the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command or the PFLP-GC that had been founded by Ahmad Jibril. It was a Damascus based group, with a pro – Syrian faction, which withdrew from the PLO. Nayif Hawatmeh had founded the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine or DFLP, a partner of the PLO coalition. It was a Marxist organization that had joined the PLO in the year 1999. Moreover, the Palestine Liberation Front or PLF, led by Abu Abbas, continued in the PLO coalition (Katzman, 2002). The PFLP, the PFLP-GC, and the PLF were extremist groups that had indulged in terrorist acts against Israel, subsequent to the 1993 Declaration of Principles. These three extremist groups were termed the Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, DFLP, was categorized as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department in its first FTO list published in 1997. However, at the behest of Arafat, and after it had accepted the peace with Israel; it was excluded from the list of FTO’s in 1999. Other coalition groups in the PLO that were not branded as FTOs included the As – Saiqa, the Arab Liberation Front, which was a pro – Iraq faction group, the Popular Struggle Front, the People’s Party, formerly known as the Palestinian Communist Party, and the Democratic Union that was known by its initials FIDA (Katzman, 2002). The timeline of important events in the history of the PLO – Israel relationship has been appended below: December 1968: On the 28th of December 1968, Israeli commandoes attacked the Beirut International Airport. In this operation, more than twelve airplanes were heavily damaged, while some of them were completely destroyed. This operation was launched in retaliation to the attacks on an Israeli civilian flight at the Athens airport in Greece. In this attack, two Palestinian nationals were charged with having attacked an airplane in Athens. This attack had resulted in the death of an Israeli passenger (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). November 1969:Â  Yasser Arafat and the Lebanese commander – in – chief, Emile Bustani, met in Cairo and ratified an agreement. Under the terms of that agreement Lebanon had to recognize the Palestinian revolution. That agreement allowed Palestinians and the Lebanese to jointly fight against Israel without compromising Lebanon’s welfare and sovereignty. Although the agreement was made for twenty years of joint struggle, Lebanon escinded it in 1987 (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1970-1971: Jordan expelled the PLO following a severe battle in their country, which had led to the death of thousands of people. Subsequently, the PLO shifted its base of operations to Lebanon and mounted attacks against Israel from Lebanon. An extremist Palestinian terrorist faction group, Black September, joined the PLO coalition. In September 1970, Jordan initiated a military crackdown on Palestinians (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1972: The terrorist group Black September attacked Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in Germany. In these attacks two Israelis were killed and nine Israeli athletes taken as hostages. The terrorists demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for these hostages. Israel refused to accept these conditions and a counter attack was mounted by the West German commandoes, during which four terrorists and one policeman were killed (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). April 1973: In a covert operation, the future Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, led a team of Israeli commandoes, in women’s attire and killed three prominent PLO leaders in Beirut (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 975: There was fierce civil war in Lebanon between the Palestinians and pro – Palestinian Lebanese militant groups, and Lebanon’s Christian militant groups. They fought each other for fifteen years, until 1990, when the civil war ended officially (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1976: Syria deployed its peacekeeping forces in Lebanon to assist Lebanese authorities to end the war. The Syrian fo rces remained in Lebanon for thirty years, until April 2005 (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). March 1978:Â  The PLO attacked a bus in northern Israel, and in retaliation, the Israeli forces entered Lebanon and pushed the PLO forces far from the border. The UN Security Council ratified a resolution, which instructed Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Accordingly Israel withdrew its forces, and Major General Saad Haddad established a security zone of twelve miles wide, all along the border. This security zone was meant to prevent Trans – border attacks on Israel (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). September 1978:Â  The US President Jimmy Carter was instrumental in bringing about the Camp David Accord. This Accord led to the establishment of a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. It also provided sufficient groundwork for a similar peace treaty between Israel, Lebanon and other neighboring Arab states (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). July 17, 1981: Israeli forces attacked the PLO headquarters in West Beirut, and this operation claimed more than three hundred civilian lives. The United States once again intervened and established a cease – fire agreement between Israel, the PLO and Syria. At that particular time, Syrian troops were deployed in Lebanon (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1982: Until the 6th of June 1982 a cease – fire was maintained. It was broken when Israel attacked Lebanon with a sixty thousand army. This was in retaliation to the killing of Israeli’s ambassador to Britain. However, Arafat and the leaders of the PLO escaped from Lebanon and settled in Tunisia. They remained there until 1994 and then moved on to Gaza (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). On 14th September, Bashir Gemayel, the Lebanese president – elect, was assassinated before his swearing in ceremony. He had the support of Israel, and subsequent to his assassination, Israeli troops entered West Beirut and engaged in what could be deemed to be genocide, in which more than eight hundred Palestinian refugees were mercilessly killed by the Lebanese Christian militant groups in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. The world community accused Israel for its failure to stop the genocide. During this period, a fundamentalist Shiite Muslim extremist group Hezbollah emerged in Beirut, the Bekka Valley and southern Lebanon. Hezbollah was sponsored by Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards had imparted adequate training and had provided weapons to the Hezbollah. Syria also, lent its support to the Hezbollah, whose fundamental aim was to establish a Shiite Islamic state in Lebanon. Moreover, it aimed to expel Israel and the US military from the region (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). April 18, 1983: Hezbollah launched a number of suicide bombers against the US embassy in West Beirut. In this operation nearly sixty – three people were killed. This attack served as a portent regarding the future attacks against Western nations (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). May 17, 1983: The US achieved an agreement between Lebanon and Israel, and both these nations ratified the agreement, which sought the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon under a conditional withdrawal of Syrian forces. However, Syria refused to accept this agreement (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). October 23, 1983:Â  A suicide bomber from the Hezbollah penetrated into the headquarters of the US Marine and French forces in Beirut and detonated the bomb on his person. This bombing resulted in the death of two hundred and ninety – eight people. Of these, two hundred and forty – one were US Marines and other military staff. Following this attack, the US withdrew its forces from Lebanon (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). January 18, 1984: Malcolm Kerr, President of the American University of Beirut was assassinated (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). March 1984: Lebanon rescinded the May 17, 1983 peace accord, consequent to increasing pressure from Syria (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). September 20, 1984: The US embassy annex in East Beirut was heavily bombarded, resulting in the death of twenty – three people in the attack (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). June 1985: Israel withdrew its troops from Lebanon, all the same it controlled the twelve mile wide security zone along the southern border until May 2000 (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). 1990: The fifteen year civil war in Lebanon was officially ended (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). July 1993: Israel attacked southern Lebanon for a week, with a view to end the attacks waged by the Hezbollah on several towns in Israel (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). April 1996: There was fierce fighting between Israel and Hezbollah for sixteen days. In this battle, nearly one hundred and thirty – seven people were killed. Most of the casualties were Lebanese civilians (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). May 2000:Â  Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon and the United Nations declared the Blue Line to be the actual border between these two nations (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). September 2003: Israel warplanes bombarded southern Lebanon, in retaliation to the launching of antiaircraft missiles by the Hezbollah against Israeli airplanes flying over that region (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). October 2003: Israel and Lebanon exchanged gunfire in the Shebaa Farms, which was a disputed area (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). February 14, 2005: Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister was assassinated by militants, which pressurized Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon. In April, Syria withdrew all its troops from Lebanon (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006). July 2006: Militants belonging to Hezbollah entered Israel and killed three Israeli soldiers. They abducted two soldiers and demanded an exchange of prisoners. Israel refused to accept their offer. Subsequently, five more Israeli soldiers were killed in an ambush. The response of Israel was a blitzkrieg, and Israel blockaded naval routes and heavily bombarded hundreds of Lebanese targets. It also bombed Beirut’s airport and the headquarters of Hezbollah in southern Beirut. In response to these Israeli attacks, Hezbollah launched attacks using rockets on northern Israeli cities. This battle resulted in the demise of hundreds of Lebanese civilians. Subsequently, Israel conducted a two week military campaign in Gaza in retaliation to the abduction of its soldiers (Timeline: Decades of conflict in Lebanon, Israel, 2006).

What Are The Uses Of Nanotechnology Environmental Sciences Essay

What Are The Uses Of Nanotechnology Environmental Sciences Essay Nanoscience and nanotechnology congers up visions of making, imaging, manipulating and utilizing things really small and the defining feature of nanochemistry is the utilization of synthetic chemistry to make nanoscale building blocks of different size and shape, composition and surface structure, charge and functionality[1]. The initial concepts of nanotechnology were decribed by Richard Feynman in 1959 when he gave a talk describing a process involving individual atoms and molecules that could be manipulated. Professor Taniguchi later helped define nanotechnology as a process involving separation, consolidation and deformation of materials on particles the size of an atom or a molecule[2]. The national nanotechnology initiative describes nanotechnology as the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometres where unique phenomena enable novel applications[3]. The nanotechnology field is interdisciplinary and spans across physics, biology, chemistry, medicine, materials science and computing[4] and requires engineering at a nanoscale. A nanometre is equal to a billionth of a metre (10-9) and nanotechnology can be defined based on its scale being less than 100nm[5]. The science of nanoscale materials is said to fall between the extremes of 1nm and 1 Â µm lengths[1]. Nanotechnology incorporates science and technology to allow manipulation of atoms and molecules to create new systems, materials and devices with at least one feature of less than 100 nm in size. This provides the capacity to work at the molecular level, atom by atom, to create large structures with fundamentally new molecular organisation[6] which significantly contributes to enhanced material properties in physical, chemical and biological aspects as a result of their nanoscale caliber[6]. At the nanoscale materials have different properties; silver and gold nanoparticles hav e catalytic properties whilst pieces visual to the human eye are inert and unreactive. This is due to smaller particles having a much larger surface are to volume ratio and at sizes below 100 nm quantum effects become apparent. Fabrication on a nanoscale requires the use of molecules as building blocks. There are two approaches taken towards nanotechnology. The top-down approach uses conventional methods of micro fabrication extending them into the molecular size regime and includes electron beam and X-ray lithography. The bottom up approach incorporates the principles of self-assembly extending them from the molecular into the micrometer size regime which in a way mimics the way nature constructs biological systems and requires suitable building blocks. In 1959 hypothetical concepts and experimental results for nano-size materials and devices appeared, however the recent scientific developments have encouraged a revival of activity and created developments in the nanoscience field[1]. Nanotechnology has followed on from micro-engineering where tolerances of 10-6m have become common in the motor vehicle and aerospace industries allowing the manufacture of high quality and safer transportation. In the computing industry the miniaturization revolution has become most apparent. The worlds first stored-program electronic digital computer nicknamed the baby was built in Manchester in 1948 and had the processing power equivalent to that of a mobile phone yet the machine itself filled an entire room. Today the components of a computer have been de-scaled down to the size of a mobile phone and contain nano features, whilst they can process information much faster. Nanoscience is already a leading solution provider to many societal, health and environmental problems and due to its high potential for future developments it is attracting large amounts of funding. Nanotechnology has played a vital part in major revolutionary advances in medicine. Nanoparticles can be used to help faster detection of diseases. They are introduced into the body and bind to targeting antibodies which in turn will bind to the diseased cells and creates a fluorescent glow which can be detected by an imaging system which pinpoints the location of the disease from early onset. There are nano coatings that can repel dirt and prevent the spread of mrsa which has recently become a problem in hospitals. Nanotechnology is creating a path for faster diagnosis of disease and more accurate drug targeting using smaller quantities of drugs, hence reducing toxicity to the body. Looking from an environmental aspect nanotechnology is helping to develop cheaper and more efficient solar energy cells to be used in homes as a cleaner energy source. Nanotechnology is responsible for the production of environmentally friendly nanocoatings which are highly effective and not toxic to the environment, which can be used to replace toxic cadmium and chromium coatings that are currently used. There are nanocoatings which can protect materials making them more durable and resistant to scratches and graffiti. Nanoparticles can be used to invisibly tag things which make it easier for identification purposes and for crime prevention. Nanotechnology has allowed for tougher car tyres, improved sun creams, cheaper solar cells, stronger aeroplane wings, more sensitive and specific sensors, more efficient catalysts, hydrogen storage, tougher fabrics, new materials for sports equipment such as golf clubs and to reinforce the frames and strings on tennis racquets, intelligent glass for windows and glasses, flat screen TV screens among many other things. Carbon nanotubes are highly electrically and thermally conductive and have a tensile strength one hundred times stronger than steel whilst being a lot lighter. The highly desirable properties of carbon nanotubes allow tremendous future possibilities for aviation, military and medical applications. Carbon nanotubes and other materials such as plastics and textiles can be combined to produce lightweight bullet proof vests. Silver nanoparticles are present in socks and help combat bad odour by killing bacteria and this idea has been mimicked in dressing for wounds to keep them sterile. Nanotechnologies have enabled self-cleaning and dirt repellent clothes, which contributes to reducing the energy used to wash them. Nanotechnology developments in the pipeline include carbon nanotubes that can generate heat and may be ideal for electric blankets or as wall paper to heat cold walls and insulate homes. Research currently in process includes polymer based nanofibres that can be filled with nanoparticles, enzymes, catalysts, or an antibacterial. The nanofibres can be sprayed onto cut and wounds to activate the healing process or used to form temporary membranes or filters in the body. Nanoelectric devices have been embedded into textiles and can monitor internal temperature, chemical sensing and provide support for people that partake in extreme sports or for firefighters and other professions wherer this could be a vital piece of equipment. To support these nanoelectric devices research is being conducted on the viability of man made nanfibres which are used to present new properties such as shock absorbance, strength, heat stability and fire retardancy. Encapsulation is a process which increases th e performance or shelf like of a less stable substance and has been used in the nanoencapsulation of cancer drugs to increase their efficiency. It can help to deliver improved taste and protects food substances from harsh processing environments and in household cleaning products they can provide longer lasting scented household fragrances and also to help reduce energy and water use by slowly releasing enzymes in washing detergents. Nanoscale manufacture is already well established with food companies. Several foods and drinks comprise of natural nanoscale ingredients which can be manipulated which often happens in the manufacture of dairy produce[3]. Nanotechnology has been used to incorporate new tastes, flavours, physical effects and health benefits to foods as well improving food manufacture standards by being used to create antibacterial surfaces, packaging that is protected against contamination and special filters that can remove impurities and toxic chemicals[3]. Research in the motor industry is offering applications of nanotechnology to provide improved fuel cells for cleaner energy, more efficient catalysts, corrosion and scratch protection as well as stronger yet lighter engines and other motor parts. Nanoparticles are currently present as additives in fuels which enable lower fuel consumption and decrease any toxic emissions and research is being conducted to develop way in which nanotechnology coul d eradicate hazardous reactants and toxic emissions altogether. Cars are benefiting from nano-sensors which are reducing collisions and can detect part failures within the vehicles. The benefits surrounding the use of nanotechnology in our every day lives is endless, it is obvious that nanotechnology could shape the world of the future and contribute to developing a sustainable environment; maybe one day nanoscience could contribute to ending world hunger. Cancer could be eradicated as surgical procedures are carried out at the molecular level and eventually with nanosurgery everything could hopefully be repairable. However without the cycle of life and death the population on the world would increase to an unmanageable amount that would affect the sustainable environment we are supposedly aiming to achieve. Future developments of nanotechnology are totally unpredictable and the nanoscience phenomenon is still in its early stages. While the many benefits of nanotechnology are apparent, scientists are nervous about what the future may hold and concerns surrounding the ability to make materials come to life via means of reconstruction on the molecular level are most daunting. A particular concern is the development of nanorobotics that could potentially lead to nanorobots taking on human duties which would endanger and unbalance the world economy. However nanoscience is in the responsibility of the scientists and out of our hands for the time being, there are people who fear the future of nanotechnologies and there are those who are looking forward to their developments. Like with any new technology on the market, nanotechnologies also pose potential risks which need to be fully understood in order to optimize the advantages of using nanotechnology regularly. Once embedded in polymers nanoparticles are very safe, yet there is some uncertainty surrounding free nanoparticles and the health threats posed if inhaled. The government and the nanotechnology industry are extremely aware of the possible risks, it is not doubted that nanotechnology can bring profound benefits to society but these various applications of nanotechnology need to be supervised and maintained to safe and risk free level. Public concern surrounding nanotechnology is limited as a large population of the public have not yet heard of nanotechnology[7] and those who have dont fully understand what it actually entails[8-10]. A study in France confirmed that 81.5% of the participants had little or no knowledge about nanotechnology (table 1) [7]. Social scientists have researched what influences public perception of new up coming technologies like nanotechnology[11]. A recent study in March 2011, Comparing nanoparticle risk perceptions to other known EHS risks has concluded that the public are relatively unconcerned about nanotechnology risks and the risks of nanotechnology perceived by the public are relatively low compared to other health and environmental risks ( fig 1.)[9]. In this study the public have ranked street drugs as the highest posed risk followed by smoking, AIDS, nuclear waste and obesity. Nanoparticles have been ranked on the low end of the scale, 20th out of 24, along with X-rays, air trave l and mobile phone use[9]. Fig.1. Rankings by high health risk perceptions[9]. A survey of the public perceptions about the use of nanotechnology in foods and food packaging concluded that the public are ambiguous and pessimistic surrounding applications in the food industry[7]. However the study only surveyed 752 individuals, so this is not a true and fair representation of the views of the public world or UK wide. The study titled The public understanding of the food domain was carried out in France and revealed that the general consensus of the participants was that they were doubtful about nanotechnology in food and food packaging and hence viewed that the benefits equalled the risks[7]. However as the percentage of unfamiliarity surrounding nanotechnology of the participants was extremely high[7] it could be argued that with more understanding of the topic participants and also the rest of the public would be more swayed to support nanotechnology if they were more informed of the benefits and risks. The unknown causes people to be doubtful and cynical and view something they have no knowledge about in a negative light. Evidence suggests that the public however perceive nanotechnology to pose more of a risk than experts do but generally the public believe that the benefits associated with nanoscience outweigh the impact of risk[10, 12]. Table 1. Frequencies and percentages: nanotechnology food packaging (nano-outside), nanofood (nano-inside) and nanotech familiarity (N=752) [7]. After the public backlash against genetically modified foods the public perceptions of new and emerging technologies are highly valued and extremely important and need to considered fully[13]. Given the important and lucrative benefits of nanotechnology for the future the public need to be made fully aware of the advantages before they make negative judgements themselves based on their lack of knowledge surrounding the topic. Uninformed people will automatically have a negative biased opinion of new technology if they are not slowly introduced to the idea and made aware of the advantages before they hear about the minor risks and pass judgement themselves. People in industry fear that without more research and public awareness there may be an outcry against their use of nanomaterials[14]. It was reported that increased education on new technologies led to increased public anxiety of the subject[15]. Will giving the public more information, provide them with more ammunition for a repeat of the public out cries against genetically modified foods and gene technology. Communication between the public and decision makers in nanoscience and the government needs to be established sooner rather than later to gain the public approval and to ensure there isnt a repeat performance of the GM food backlash[13]. Already public protestors present at Nanotechnology debates held in France in 2010 chanted Nano, its not green, its totalitarian[16]. Public perception depends upon the type of utilization surrounding the new technology [17] and most of the time applications involving food and medicine are considered to cause the most controversy in the public eye[18, 19]. A Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the UK found no evidence that nanomaterials have harmed people or the environment, but recommended further research and evidence to confirm this[14]. The public need to hear positive evidence surrounding the safety of nanotechnology maybe before they are introduced to current and future developments. Public concern includes whether manufacturers and industry will benefit more in terms of revenue from nanotechnology than the consumers[20]. The concern over nanotechnology in food is more of a worry to the public than its use in packaging which is deemed to be quite useful in fact [20]. Titanium-dioxide, one of the most commonly used nanoparticles used in consumer products such as sun creams [21] has recently been slated after finding that Titanium dioxide nanoparticles caused chromosomal damage, as well as inflammation, all of which increase the risk of cancer when tests were carried out on mice[22]. However a year later the same source of information, UCLAs NanoSystems Institute revealed how nanoparticles have been used in the delivery of cancer drug therapy in mice[23] which could have huge potential in the development of human anti-cancer drugs. As of yet the various warnings against nanotechnology can not be justified as there is a lack of concrete evidence to support such claims against nanotechnology. According to new laws from the European Parliament cosmetics containing nanomaterials will have to be duly labelled and the new regulation states Nanomaterials: labelling, definition and safety assessment needed[24]. After Germanys Federal Environment Agency revealed a report about nanotechnology[25] which consequently lead to media headlines reading The German Environment agency warns against nanotechnology and Nanotechnology can make you sick[26] the environment agency retaliated by declaring that we havent done any of our own research and as a result feel the report has been misinterpreted [27]. This is an example of fabrication of warnings against nanotechnology and without adequate evidence the public misconception with regards to new nanotechnology will continue. A report published in 2010, Report on the European Commissions Public Online Consultation towards a Strategic Nanotechnology Action Plan concluded a number of points related to public concerns with regards to nanotechnology amongst other cohorts[28]. The majority public opinion on nanotechnologies was reasonably optimistic and not a single person voted opposed towards nanotechnologies (fig). The public perceived food and healthcare to be most at risk with respect to nanotechnology (fig). Toxic nanomaterials and the nanomaterial workers health were both highlighted as being the most important major issues the public had concern over (fig). The general consensus across all areas questioned was that more action needed to be done with regards to the EU Policies in the new action plan. The areas highlighted the most included addressing safety concerns, developing better tools and adapting existing nanomaterial legislation (fig). Fig.[28] Fig. [28] Fig. Public concerns about the current state of development of nanotechnologies[29]. Fig. [28]

Essay --

Meningitis is defined as inflammation of the meninges, which are the thin membranous covering of the brain and spinal cord. There are different variations of the disease which include bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, and non-infectious. Bacterial meningitis is severe in most cases. Many people fully recover but for those who are less fortunate it may cause brain damage leading to learning disabilities and hearing loss. There are many different pathogens that cause bacterial meningitis. The most common here in the United States are Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, group B Streptococcus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Neisseria meningitidis. These bacteria can be transmitted through direct contact with the nose and throat secretions of an infected person. The main reservoirs for these bacteria are humans but can also be the environment, mainly from the soil. In order to determine if a person has bacterial meningitis blood and cerebrospinal fluid are collected and analyzed by a laboratory. Once it is confirmed that bacteria are present they are then cultured to determine what type of bacteria are present. This lets doctors know how to treat the disease. The discovery of meningitis dates back to the 1800’s. The first evidence that linked bacterial infection as a cause of meningitis was written by Austrian pathologist Anton Weichselbaum. He was the one to isolate the causative agent of cerebrospinal meningitis. He named this bacterium Diplococcus intracellularis meningitidis. The symptoms of bacterial meningitis can appear rapidly over several days. Normally they develop within 3-7 days after exposure to the bacteria. Signs and symptoms of bacterial meningitis can occur suddenly and they include: headac... ...ents. This puts you more at risk for expose to bacteria to the filth of others around you. Pregnancy can also be titled as a risk factor. You're at increased risk of contracting listeriosis which is an infection caused by listeria bacteria. This bacterium may also cause meningitis. If you have listeriosis, your unborn baby is also at high risk of catching meningitis. The last risk factor that I’m going to discuss is weakened immune systems. Some factors that may cause a weakened immune system are: AIDS, alcoholism, diabetes, and certain drugs. When these factors weaken the immune system your body cannot prevent infection. In fact it is very easy to contract meningitis with the above health issues. In conclusion meningitis is not something to take lightly. Stay vaccinated and take preventative actions because this disease is wide spread and can be fatal.

Stoker And Rices Books About Vampires :: essays research papers

Stoker and Rice's Books About Vampires Bram Stoker's Dracula and Anne Rice's series The Vampire Chronicles are books about vampires. The way the two authors write about the vampires' powers, the way they live and how they are created and destroyed prove that two books about the same subject can be different in many ways. It also shows how the vampire legend has evolved over a long period of time. Special powers are used in both of the authors writings. A few of the powers are the same, or very close to it, in each account. enhaced or super- human strenth is one of these abilites. On page 7 in Anne Rice's book The Vampire Lestat, her main chacter Lestast says â€Å"As for my strength, well it was three times what it had once been. I could bend a copper penny double.† After becoming a vampire he notices his super human strength. Not much is written about Stoker's use of super-strength for Count DraculaTherefore, One tends to believe that Dracula in fact did not have enhanced strength. Stoker did use the power of morphing into animals in his novel. In Dracula , the Count can morph into a bat and he can turn into a greyish-green mist. He uses these powers so humans dont detect his presence. As a gas he can pass by humans without them even noticing and as a bat he can cover more ground in a shorter amount of time. Rice's novels mention nothing of being able to morph into a bat, mist or anything else for that matter. The ability to fly is used in each novel but they are used very differently. In Dracula the count can fly but, in order to do this he must turn into a bat and fly as a bat would fly. More powerful vampires in The Vampire Chronicles can fly as , for example, super man would fly. In order for a vampire to fly it requires lots of energy and a great force of will Lestat says â€Å" It was as if a current of air had caught me. I went up hundereds of feet in one instant, and then the clouds were below me-a white light that I could scarcely see. I decided to drift.† (Rice, Queen of the damned 286) Mental powers are used extensivly in both of the authors' creations. Mind reading is common in The Vampire Chronicles. Vampires in the Chronicles can not read the minds of vampires they themselves have created or minds that are skillfully cloaked against them.

Ernesto Che Guevara Essay -- Biography Ernesto Che Guevara Essays

Ernesto Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara has undeniably been one of the most powerful icons of the past fourty years. The Argentine revolutionary has had his picture widely printed on shirts and posters and has become a symbol for the (often young) anarchist. Yet, how many of us really understand or know what "Che" stood for? Do we know what his philosophy was about? Very few of us have taken the time to understand the goals and principles of Guevara and what he fought for - to death. Dr. Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna (May 14, 1928 ? October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara, was an Argentine-born revolutionary and Cuban guerrilla leader. Guevara was a member of Fidel Castro's "26th of July Movement", which seized power in Cuba in 1959. After serving various important posts in the new government, Guevara left Cuba in 1966 with the hope of fomenting revolutions in other countries, first in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and later in Bolivia, where he was captured in a CIA-organized military operation. The CIA wanted to keep him alive for interrogation, but he was executed by the Bolivian army. After his death, Guevara became a hero of Third World socialist revolutionary movements, as a theorist and tactician of asymmetric warfare. It's in 1952, during a journey Ernesto made with his motorbike around South America, that he became harshly aware of the ravages of capitalism through the situation of the Native Americans. Influenced by the works of Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Neruda, Ciro Alegrà ­a and Karl Marx, Che Guevara devoted his life to fighting the "capitalist octopuses" to establish a socialist system that would be fairer to the people. As a young medical student Che set out on a motorcycle to travel around South America. The poverty and oppression and the impact of imperialism aroused his political awareness. In 1954 the Guatemalan government of Jacobo Arbenz attempted to nationalise the vast landholdings of the massive US multinational the United Fruit Company. The US government (which included two executive directors of United Fruit) organised an armed coup to overthrow Arbenz. Guevara who was in Guatemala at the time was appalled. He believed that well organised armed resistance could have defeated the coup and saved the Arbenz government. Escaping to Mexico he met a group of Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro, ... ...onary, humanist and extremely charismatic, Ernesto "Che" Guevara surely appeared as dangerous to many political leaders of the time, and still today, no one knows for sure who was behind his execution, in 1967. Two sides have particularly been designated as possible culprits: the CIA and Fidel Castro, who could have both felt threatened by the growing influence and determination of the revolutionary. Authentic to the extreme, Guevara dedicated his life, his existence to the cause he believed in, even if it implied sacrifices: "Our sacrifice is a conscious one; it is in payment for the freedom we are building." Today, "Che" has become a popular symbol while his image is too often dissociated from the philosophy that built it. Che Guevara remains, to many, a modern time hero, whose struggle and devotion made him one of the greatest revolutionary figures of all times. Maybe this incredible popularity is due to the humanist, sincere personality of a man who never stepped back, never sold out and fought passionately, to death ("Patria o muerte"). Maybe it is also due to the fact that, in today's world, many people feel that his fight is still necessary.  ¡Hasta siempre, Comandante!

A Book Report on A Slant of Sun: One Child`s Courage

A Slant of Sun: One Child’s Courage was named Best Book of the Year by Salon magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer. The book is also a finalist for the 1998 National Book Award for Nonfiction. A Slat of Sun was quickly regarded as a contemporary classic, as it was highly commended for its heartwarming story about love in the face of a great challenge between mother and son.This book is a personal memoir of Beth Kephart, about her son, Jeremy, who had a PDD diagnosis. Kephart narrates her family’s search for medical and therapeutic assistance, as well as the answers she had found serendipitously along her way. In the face of a great challenge, a mother rediscovers herself and life in general. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania.According to one of the book reviews available online, A Slant of Sun: One Child's Courage â€Å"gives voice to all of the mothers who ever wondered about their child’s â€Å"difference,† [and] the revised definition of mothe rhood in the shadow of disability,† (Gabovitch, 2002).Another review says, â€Å"Kephart's fears that her own maternal failings are somehow implicated in Jeremy's problem stand out as the emotional core of this memoir. Her faith in her son, perseverance, and eventual acceptance of herself play as important a role in his healing process† (DiLucchio, 1998).Both reviews focused on the rich message intended for mothers in A Slant of Sun. In her review, she notes that a child’s disability creates a new concept of motherhood, and ultimately, it redefines a mother’s life, especially the way she perceives herself as a mother.Indeed, A Slant of Sun tugs at mothers heart strings because motherhood is difficult as it is. A child’s difficulty multiplies the challenges in many ways, and as such, mothers are called to summon all their courage and give the best love that they can give so that their children can have a taste of a â€Å"normal life.†The main characters in the story are the author herself, and her son, Jeremy. They are supported by Bill, the husband and father. The characters each has a solid spirit that seems to have been designed for overcoming struggles.The parents’ amazing love for their child helped them through the situation, and ultimately helped Jeremy. It is difficult to divide sympathy among them, because each couldn’t possibly be suffering more than the other, considering how much love they have for each other.Jeremy’s case is called PDD or pervasive developmental disorder. It is as vague as it sounds, which made it even more difficult for Jeremy’s family to understand the scenario they were in. PDD is somehow related to the complex autism disorder, except PDD seemed â€Å"milder.†Evenso, there were no sufficiently authoritative medical conclusion about PDD, let alone manuals for parents whose children also have Jeremy’s disorder. The author said her child screamed eac h time strangers approached him and spent a lot of time daily rearranging his toys into some pattern that only he (Jeremy) can understand.I think the book is more than successful at bringing to public attention the case of PDD. For one, the author spoke from her home, and from her heart. When a highly technical or complicated disorder should be understood by the public, there is no better way than to tell it as it is experienced daily in the family. Not just families who are familiar with the disorder appreciate the book; practically every reader who loves his/her family could relate to it.The information and imagery within the story that chronicles the family’s daily reactions to Jeremy’s PDD episodes is related to the readers in a fantastic manner. Kephart should be commended for relaying a story so serious yet so full of positive vibe about it. There are even moments in the story when Kephart sounded life and rich in sense of humor. As it is written straight from a mother’s heart, every word was raw and striking, as if the conversation was personal and one-on-one.Jeremy’s parents found experts’ opinions lacking, so they took matters into their own loving hands. They allowed Jeremy to keep his interests – trains and cars to planes and trucks – and allowed him to react to strangers in his own way, while they stay close to back him up.More importantly, the parents made a wise decision by picking a good school for Jeremy’s learning progress. By clinging to her intuition and creative imagination, Jeremy’s mother helped him find his way through the dark tunnel of his disorder, which not many medical experts could do on their own. True enough, parents’ love, more specially a mother’s love, is the most powerful healer of all.The book made me appreciate my â€Å"normal† life more. I also think it is a powerful reminder that not everything can be solved by knowledge gained by educatio n. While education is important and its worth cannot be discounted, it is not the only solution to our life’s trials. In fact, a person’s strong will and sheer determination can help him get things done. Jeremy’s parents were not experts in Jeremy’s condition, but in the end, it was them who found the ways to make Jeremy function normally in the society.Ultimately, the parents’ unyielding belief that their child could be well has helped Jeremy overcome the difficulties caused by his disorder.BibliographyKephart, B. (1998). A Slant of Sun: One Child's Courage. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.Harper Collins. Beth Kephart from Harper Collins Publishers.Retrieved November 9, 2006.Web site: http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/19248/Beth_Kephart/index.aspxGabovitch, E. (2002). Book Review: Mothers and Autism. Retrieved November 9, 2006. Web site: http://www.firstsigns.org/articles/mothers_2002.htmDiLucchio , P. (1998). Amazon’s Customer Review. Retrieved November 9, 2006.Website: http://www.amazon.ca/Slant-Sun-One-Childs-Courage/dp/product-  Ã‚   description/0393027422