Societal Concerns Arising from the New Genetics Essay Example Essay Example

Societal Concerns Arising from the New Genetics Essay Example Paper Societal Concerns Arising from the New Genetics Essay Introduction Societal Concerns Arising from the New Genetics Lecturer: Societal Concerns Arising from the New Genetics Essay Body Paragraphs Societal Concerns Arising from the New Genetics Introduction Due to current advances in technology and research, the subject of genomics and its knowledge is profound. However, the subject is still new and there has not been much legislation of the necessary law regarding the access and use of such information. Genetics is the study of the gene factor, which is believed to be the answer in understanding an organism’s psychosocial behavior. It is believed that all the characteristics of a given person: his height, figure, behavioral patterns and many others are all embedded in the genetic strand (Redhead, 2003). The ethical Problem The subject of new genetics poses a number of societal concerns that relate to the privacy and confidentiality of a person’s genetic information. The subject evokes the question on the person with the responsibility of taking care and accessing the genetic information. The use and abuse of genetic information by the various stakeholders is als o an issue that is faced in handling a person’s genetic information. The major stakeholders The major stakeholders in this sector are the insurers, employers, courts, schools, adoption agencies, and the military. The position of the stakeholders In the court system, the relevance and application of medical information in court cases is still a major issue. The court system utilizes the genetic information in crime scenes to make final judgments on a given case. Currently, the trial judge is the person mandated with the responsibility of making the decision on the use of scientific testimony in a court case. He or she will decide on the relevance of the scientific testimony that is, whether it is to be used in the court proceedings or not. The research on genetics is still young and the court system is still grappling whether it is a reliable source for making final rulings in court cases. The political system is also a major stakeholder in the issue of genetics. One case that the political system is interested in is the human genome project. Since the project is funded mostly by the government, the high cost incurred in running the entire project is of major concern for the government. On completion of the project, the access to the information is bound to of immense commercial value. There is concern on whether the information pertained in the genome project could be used for beneficial purposes or abused. Britain and the United States of America have shown immense interest in the project that it is believed that the two governments will be in control of the access and use of the information in the human genome project (DeSalle, Yudell American Museum of Natural History, 2005). The insurance companies are major stakeholders in the issue of genomics. The insurance companies are concerned with their client’s genetic history so that by having such information, they can anticipate and make proper financial models regarding the person’s accou nts. The companies are able to use the information pertained in a person’s past to model the possible risk factors in insuring the individual. They could use the information to model their products and premiums to accommodate the client’s needs. This goes a long way to ensure that their products and premiums are relevant and reliable. The insurance companies perceive the presence of genetic information as a reliable source of information of the general heath dynamics of a given population. This information could be used to predict possible health problems and therefore structure insurance premiums to insure against such. The employers are interested in the genetic information of their potential employees to make conclusive decisions on their employment. The employers are concerned with their employee’s history and genetic profile to alleviate future claims in medical covers. Persons who exhibit a genetic predisposition are less likely to be considered for employ ment by a company because the company deems the individual as a liability. This is because such individuals pose a potential health risk to the company in terms of medical expenses and insurance premium payments. There is also the fear of the possibility that such employees could provide the company with very few work hours while spending most on sick leaves and offs. This is why employers would like to have access to the genetic information so that they can be able to evade the risks involved in employing such individuals. The ethical conflict among stakeholders Currently, the insurance companies are restricted from demanding or requesting their potential clients or employees to take genetic tests for their genetic information (DeSalle, Yudell American Museum of Natural History, 2005). The authorities have outlawed this activity because they have realized that the information submitted is only used for the company’s interests and not those of the individual. Furthermore, th e genetic information only gives future possibilities and is not the actual current health condition of the person. For instance, an individual with a family history of epilepsy only gives the possibility of the person suffering of epilepsy in the future but not necessarily, a must he does. The restriction of employers and insurance companies from requesting their employees and clients from taking genetic tests has many loopholes. This is because the employer could still obtain their genetic information (Wilson, 2010). This is because the medical records are still currently accessible to many. In many job vacancies, the potential employees are required to undergo certain medical tests to establish the individual’s state of health. This medical evaluation could include the individual submitting all the medical records and information that the person currently has. Failure by the individual to submit the relevant information results in the termination of his employment process. This leads to many having to provide the necessary medical information requested. An individual’s genetic information ought to be classified as private and confidential. Such information ought to be accessible to only the individual and his or her medical practitioner. Other external parties ought to be locked out from accessing such information. The individual’s genetic information ought only to be used for the general benefit of the individual. The genetic information of a person could result in certain persons being ostracized in the society. There are certain medical conditions that are known to be hereditary. If the information of a person suffering from one is made public, the society could end up shunning the individual because it would seem as a weakness to him (Pokorski, 1994). Managing the ethical conflict The most possible way of alleviating this ethical conflict is by restricting the access of the genetic information of an individual to the person and his or her medical practitioner. Other parties that may want to gain access to such information ought to give substantial explanation as to why they require the information. If the individual feels that he or she is comfortable with it and that his interests are secure, then the information could be availed to the concerned third parties (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2002). Resolution to the ethical conflict The human genome project and other similar ventures are necessary for the benefit of man. The research on the use of the information should of course be subject to regulations or guidelines that limit the access and use of such information for the benefit of man. Such information ought to be used to remedy disease or help in further research but not for commercial gains or alleviating risks. Response to the criticism Research into human genetics is inevitable. The society should encourage and support because the results are of immeasurable benefits to the human race. Th e use of genetic information could be used to enhance the performance and remedy diseases. There are cases where individuals have used genetic enhancements to make their bodies perform at optimum levels. This shows that research into genetics has immeasurable benefits to the human race (Caplan, 1994). Conclusion The human genome project is a very crucial and important research venture. The findings will enable the human race to demystify the issues regarding the use of medical technology to cure maladies and its use to enhance human appearance and performance. The genetic information provided gives allows medical personnel to have a definitive knowledge on the necessary traits that are to be altered to attain the required results (Campbell, Heyer, 2003) . References Campbell, A. M. Heyer, L. J. (2003). Discovering genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings. Caplan, A. L. (1994). Handle with care: Race, class, and genetics. In T. F. Murphy, M. A. La ppe (Eds.), Justice and the human genome project (pp. 30-45). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. DeSalle, R., Yudell, M., American Museum of Natural History. (2005). Welcome to the genome: A user’s guide to the genetic past, present, and future. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Liss. National Human Genome Research Institute. (2002). ELSI Research Program [Online]. Retrieved from http://www.genome.gov. Pokorski, R. J. (1994). Use of genetic information by private insurers. In T. F. Murphy, M. A. Lappe (Eds.), Justice and the human genome project (pp. 91-109). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Redhead, C. S. (2003). Medical records privacy: Questions and answers on the HIPAA final rule. Congressional Research Service Report for Congress. Washington, DC: The Library of Congress. Wilson, L. E. (2010). Ethical, Legal and Social Issues of Genomic Research: Striking a Balance between Science and Law. The CBS Interactive Business Network. 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Millenium Theatre essays

Millenium Theatre essays On October, 10th a concert took place in Millennium Theater which I attended with one of my close friends. It was put together by a Russian organization called Our Talented Children This was the semi-final, The performers in this concert were children that have been already chosen from previous television shows because in order to have been selected for this concert the performers had to be selected by Russian television viewers. There were 2 age groups split into 5-12 years old and 13-18. Songs in many different languages were sung and there was mostly ballroom dancing. I sat in the 12th isle; there were many people in the audience including reporters from different Russian newspapers, and magazines. When I got there I noticed many posters with different sponsors names from different companys and offices. Each performer had their own sponsor. There were 8 judges consisting of Russian pop stars and recording producers. I liked most of the performances. I enjoyed listening to songs in Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, English and many more different languages. The Costumes were very colorful and were very pretty. There were over 50 performances, there were many different genres of music some were romantic, opera, jazz, modern, and classical. The concert started off with a cartoon movie that showed all the children before they were selected for this concert. The first few numbers were ballroom dances. The first vocal number was a girl who was 13 years old by the name of Alisa; she was my favorite number in the whole entire concert. She sang a song that was called I Wanna Be Loved by You that was originally Marilyn Monroes song. She wore a blonde wig and a blue dress covered with rhinestones to portray Marilyn Monroes performance in the Movie Some Like It Hot It was a very original performance and the audience enjoyed it very much, t ...

The Use of Listing in Composition

The Use of Listing in Composition In composition, listing is a discovery (or prewriting) strategy in which the writer develops a list of words and phrases, images and ideas. The list may be ordered or unordered. Listing can help overcome writers block and lead to the discovery, focusing, and development of a topic. In developing a list, observes Ronald T. Kellogg, [s]pecific relations to previous or subsequent ideas may or may not be noted. The order in which the ideas are placed in the list can reflect, sometimes after several attempts to build the list, the order needed for the text (The Psychology of Writing, 1994). How to Use Listing Listing is probably the simplest prewriting strategy and is usually the first method writers use to generate ideas. Listing means exactly what the name implies- listing your ideas and experiences. First set a time limit for this activity; 5-10 minutes is more than enough. Then write down as many ideas as you can without stopping to analyze any of them. . . . After you have generated your list of topics, review the list and pick one item that you might like to write about. Now youre ready for the next listing; this time, create a topic-specific list in which you write down as many ideas as you can about the one topic you have selected. This list will help you look for a focus for your...paragraph. Dont stop to analyze any of the ideas. Your goal is to free your mind, so dont worry if you feel youre rambling.(Luis Nazario, Deborah Borchers, and William Lewis, Bridges to Better Writing. Wadsworth, 2010) Example Like brainstorming, listing involves the unmonitored generation of words, phrases, and ideas. Listing offers another way of producing concepts and sources for further thought, exploration, and speculation. Listing is distinct from freewriting and brainstorming in that students generate only words and phrases, which can be classified and organized, if only in a sketchy way. Consider the case of a postsecondary academic ESL writing course in which students are first asked to develop a topic related to modern college life and then to compose a letter or editorial piece on the subject. One of the broad topics that emerged in freewriting and brainstorming sessions was The Benefits and Challenges of Being a College Student. This simple stimulus generated the following list: Benefitsindependenceliving away from homefreedom to come and golearning responsibilitynew friendsChallengesfinancial and social responsibilitiespaying billsmanaging timemaking new friendspracticing good study habits The items in this preliminary list overlap considerably. Nonetheless, such a list can offer students concrete ideas for narrowing a broad topic to a manageable scope and for selecting a meaningful direction for their writing. (Dana Ferris and John Hedgcock, Teaching ESL Composition: Purpose, Process, and Practice, 2nd ed.Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005) An Observation Chart A type of list that seems especially appropriate for poetry writing instruction is the observation chart, in which the writer makes five columns (one for each of the five senses) and lists all the sensory images associated with the topic. Composition instructor Ed Reynolds [in Confidence in Writing, 1991] writes: Its columns force you to pay attention to all of your senses, so it can help you do a more thorough, specific observation. We are accustomed to relying on our sight, but smells, tastes, sounds, and touch can sometimes give us more important information about a subject. (Tom C. Hunley, Teaching Poetry Writing: A Five-Canon Approach. Multilingual Matters, 2007) Pre-Writing Strategies ExpeditioList, Listicle, and SeriesOutline

Principles of Risk Transfer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Risk Transfer - Essay Example In assessing the captive insurance industry in Bermuda, there is a need to understand the nature and merits of considering Bermuda’s domicile. Bermuda’s Captive Domicile Bermuda is a leading offshore captive domicile globally. This is a result of onshore administrative burdens and the costs related to conducting business in a US-based or Lloyd’s-based captive in the mid 20th century. This forced Reiss to look out for authority that would permit the flourishing of the captive insurance. Bermuda was selected due to its unique geographical site, good image and status as a British sovereign boundary that disliked uncertainties and perils normally encountered by multinational corporations conducting their business in politically volatile and irresponsible nations. Besides, captives in Bermuda are majorly owned by huge US firms. It can be noted that the second biggest licensing authority in relation to the number of captives is the Cayman Islands (Duffy, 2004, p. 97). Vermont ranks second in connection to the assets owned by insurance firms and third in relation to licensing of the captives. Regulation of Bermudan is done by the Registrar of Companies and the Minister of Finance under the Insurance Act of 1978, the companies Act of 1981 and the Insurance Amendment Act of 1996 (Sierk, 2008, p. 51). Through the regulation a better flexibility is offered compared to other authorities, with the industry carrying the burden of self-regulation, which accounts for the great success of insurance in the state. Moreover, the insurance industry has frequent annual audits jointly with a certificate of solvency, which ensures transparency in the manner risks are managed. Furthermore, most of the captives are registered in two classes under the Insurance Act. Class 1 insurers are unit parent captives, which are not allowed to write any form of unconnected business, while class 2 are relational captives or multi-parent, which are allowed to write up to 20% unco nnected business (Sierk, 2008, p. 59). Class 1 insurers have a minimum solvency requirement of $ 120,000 during the time of writing while class 2 has a minimum solvency requirement of $ 250,000. However, there are other classes which insurers can register; one of them is class 3, which does not include insurers and reinsurers. This class has a minimum requirement of $ 1 million. Class 4 has a minimum requirement of $ 100 million, which includes insurers and reinsurers writing instant additional liability or asset catastrophe risks. In addition, Bermuda is the best domicile since it has no income, corporate or through withholding taxes for operation of the captive insurance. Besides, the initial cost of putting up an insurance company is approximately $ 10,000. The legislation also provisions for rent-a-captives and secured cell firms (DFA, 2007, p. 13). The insurance industry’s rent-a-captive projects permit unconnected participants to be involved in the process of profits un derwriting from the insured risks in the captive. It also allows them to place irrelevant perils via the captive. Securitization of debt is eventually enabled in the risk securitization. Protected cell firms permit a firm to have distinct departments or cells independent of the other cells in circumstances of liquidation. Apparently, the joint combination of secured cell regulation and the rent-a-captives gives

Teaching in clinical practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Teaching in clinical practice - Essay Example As far as nursing practice is concerned, reflection is a process by which one focuses on the interaction between oneself and the environment, including colleagues, in a particular situation, with intentions to examine and evaluate the interactions. â€Å"Reflection gives scope for better understanding of oneself so that existing strengths can be used to build-up for future actions" (Somerville and Keeling, 2004). While reflection is the key to successful learning process, current literature plays a major role in these developments. Through updated journals and texts, present studies by critics and writers, we are able to meet the goals for the improvement of analytical thinking skills such as being able to identify problems that might arise, being aware to new or different ideas, and anticipating the consequences of one’s actions. According to Brandon and All (2010), many nurse educators continue teaching the way they have been doing, despite the need for reforms. However, pe dogogical research has indicated the need for change in nursing curricula. The emphasis is to shift from traditional courses to concept-based courses which com across across clinical settings. In order to accomplish such a useful change, it is very important for the nurse teacher to understand the role of "the rapidly advancing profession" (Hamner and Wilder, 2001; cited in (Brandon and All, 2010). In using reflection as a tool for the development of the professional nursing practice, a plan can be designed to meet the goals of the reflective activity by recording thoughts, observations, feelings, activities and questions (Burns and Grove, 1997). Through this, the effective practitioner can be challenged to think in new ways, raise new questions and explore new ways of problem-solving. Thus reflection is key for successful learning outcomes and literature plays a major role in such developments. In this essay, reflection on the methods, strategies and outcomes of teaching students a bout drug administration will be done with reference to current literature. Reflection and critical analysis Gibbs Model of Reflection will be used for evaluation and examination of the teaching methods and outcomes because the framework is straight forward and includes a cycle of clear description of the clinical situation, analysis of the feelings of the practitioner, evaluation of the actions during the situation, analysis of the various activities and experiences during the situation and a conclusion for lessons in future (Online learning, 2006). Description of the teaching process Student nurses were taught about administration of drugs in nursing practice. The aims of the teaching session was to enhance the knowledge of the student about the safe drug administration. The objectives and learning outcomes of the teaching session were: 1. To know the common causes of medication errors 2. To know the right method of administration of medication 3. To know the different routes of a dministration of medication and nursing considerations pertaining to those routes. 4. To know the importance of understanding the reason prior to dispensing the medication. 5. To know strategies to assure proper, clear, concise and easily understood methods of documentation of drug administration. 6. To be aware of patient safety goals. Procedural instruction in the teaching sess

Journey of the Magi :: Literary Analysis, T.S Eliot

â€Å"Journey of the Magi† is a poem by T.S Eliot extracted from the Ariel poems and published in 1930. It is a dramatic monologue of one of the Magi telling us about his expedition throughout Palestine to find the Christian messiah: Jesus Christ. Through the narrator’s dramatic monologue, Eliot treats the envisioning of reality, usually distorted by the human mind. In the poem, the travelers witness something that changes their reality forever. How does this monologue illustrate the narrator’s envision of his experience traveling through Palestine? In order to analyze the narrator’s perception of his past journey, I will precede with the study of Eliot’s poem by a linear analysis. In his dramatic monologue, Eliot uses vivid understanding of the three Kings journey by the use of imagery. The different use of details guides the reader to use his imagination about a Biblical reference of more than 2,000 years ago. The narrator starts his story by describing the climate challenges encountered: â€Å"A cold coming we had of it.† He uses the diction of winter: â€Å"cold, winter, snow†, combining visual and tactile senses for the reader to experience the difficulties faced by the three wise men. The narrator is generally very negative about what he encounters during his trip. He uses pejorative vocabulary in order describes the season: â€Å"Just the worst time of the year†. (v.2) â€Å"deep and sharp weather† (v.4) â€Å"the very dead of winter† (v.5). Not only the Three Kings seem to be tired and upset about their adventure, but their camels as well. They were â€Å"lying down in the melting snow† (v.7) â€Å"galled, sore -footed and refractory†. The role of this enumeration is to insist on the animal’s physical fatigue and also to show that both human and animals were affected by the weather conditions. In the second half of the first stanza, the narrator describes summer in the different cities he and the other kings traveled. By taking track of the seasons, the Magi inform the reader about the length of his Palestine journey. The transition from winter to summer setting is smoothly made by the verse: â€Å"There were times we regretted.† (v.8), which exemplifies the Magi’s envision of his experience. The challenges of the trip were so great and unexpected that most of the times tempted the three Kings to give up on their mission in finding the Messiah. The Magi depicts palaces, terraces, sherbet (a central Asia’s sorbet) and silken girls to help the reader visualize the places he passed by.

Labour education crisis Essay

The man who promised us, ‘Education, education, education,’ as the main priority of his government has failed again. Blair along with forever changing line up of education secretaries has again been branded a hazard to our children. The new crisis in hand for our Labour government evolves our youngsters within Primary education. The recent report has revealed that the number of children who can read and write properly has fallen in the last three years, as almost 250,000 seven year olds are not hitting required standards, for the second year running. In English only 75% have reached the required standards, leaving government hopes of 85% English pass rate for 11 year olds by 2002 in tatters. The report has shown three tenths of Primary school children are behind in reading from as young as seven. Four tenths our poor at writing, leading to one quarter of eleven year olds being classed as semi-literate! Chief school inspector Mr David bell has described the situation as disastrous and has said, ‘I don’t think we could possibly be happy with what primary schools are achieving. ‘ These chilling figures reported by Ofsted are causing concern amongst parents throughout the country. Although Mr Bell is claiming the route of this problem is due to the teachers and Heads of the schools. As it has been suggested that one in ten of our head teachers are ‘weak’, that’s a figure just over 2,000 that are simply not up to the job. If the leaders of the schools are ‘weak’ what hope does it hold for our teachers? Although Heads are saying they are being used a scapegoats Mr Bell insists that they are to blame, ‘They lack knowledge and skill. ‘ This standard is simply not adequate as the government has admitted. This has left other parties, including the Liberals suggesting an education reform and the Tories claming the situation has reached crisis level. Although PM Tony Blair has barely mentioned the report, and went ahead with a speech on education standards. This new crisis has fallen into the hands of Estelle Morris’ successor Charles Clarke. The Education Secretary has been told by Ofsted the targets set for 2004 will not be achievable. This will make his job even harder as situations are just being passed on with each new education secretary. Along with Primary education being seen as a shambles Ms Morris has left the problems of AS and A level system with Mr Clarke. After last years mark fixing fiasco new guide lines need to be set to stop this embarrassing situation recurring. That saw up to 4,194 candidates having their A-level grades increased in 2002. As well as the A-level marking situation causing problems it now seems that AS and A-level lecturers are unhappy with the system. They are calling for a return to a system such as the old one qualification of the A-level over two years. Suggesting that it’s simply too much for students. These measures come just two years after curriculum 2000 was introduced, bringing in the AS and A2 exams. Although now former chief inspector of England schools, Mr Tomlinson, has been asked to make a report suggesting ways of maintaining the A-levels standards and credibility. Universities are unhappy with a possible move to re-secure the A-level as they feel by keeping the name it will cause confusion. The A-level was first introduced in 1951 and has changed dramatically. This in turn effects what people feel constitutes as an A-level in standards they require, which worries the Universities. Who have also been affected by Labours education crisis due to the clearance procedure after the mess-up with A-level marking. The last thing on the agenda for Labour in terms of education is the staffing shortage in Primary and Senior schools. At the start of the academic year many school remained closed due to staffing shortages. And it appears this situation to is getting worse. As a survey for the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teacher suggested that nearly 63% of teachers have considered leaving their jobs within the past 5 years. And in another survey for the National Opinion Poll of 1,007 NASUWT members discovered that 30% felt that no political party had the right education policies. In conclusion it seams that all areas of or education system our in danger and have been effected, all that is left to say is good luck Charles Clarke, who now has the mammoth task of getting things on track. A job that both David Blunkett and Estelle Morris have failed to achieve.