Toxicity essays

Toxicity essays Our environment has been bombarded with toxins since the Industrial Revolution. Everything from cigarette smoke to the plastic factory down the road contaminates the air, water, and land causing harm to all living organisms. Monitoring and controlling toxins is the first step to removing them. After more than a century of irresponsible pollution its time that the public takes a look at the truth concerning toxins and the environment. Toxins cause harm to every living organism on the Earth. Toxins can come from things typically considered harmful to the environment such as pesticides to things that one would never consider, like nail polish remover or the insulation used in an attic. The truth is we live in a world full of toxins. A simple concept of toxicology today is that everything is toxic in certain amounts. Therefore, anything in a certain excess can harm you; the trick is to know what that level is. The solubility and mobility of a toxin determine how rapidly and effectively it moves through the environment. The solubility of toxins is typically divided into two groups, those that dissolve readily in water and those that dissolve easier in oil. Water soluble toxins move through the environment and into the body because water is so prevalent. Oil soluble toxins can also be of harm because of the damage that can be done to cell walls and muscle tissue. They also tend to stay in the body longer by being sto red in lipids in the body. The effects of toxins upon humans and animals are astounding. Two environmental issues affecting organisms is bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Bioaccumulation occurs when cells store toxins that are originally dilute but become more concentrated when accumulated. The result is a higher level of toxins within an organism. The problem with bioaccumulation is apparent when carnivores enter the picture. For example, if a fish eats a large amount of plankton but each plankton only has a sm...

World Hunger Essay

World Hunger Essay World Hunger Essay World hunger essay An estimated 24000 people die from hunger so a world hunger essay should start by pointing out that hunger is an important issue in third world countries. A global problem A good way to start a world hunger essay is to give a birds eye view on the issue of hunger by referring to hunger statistics the world over. It makes sense to start a world hunger essay with statistics from countries that are most vulnerable to food shortages. One of the greatest anti-hunger advocates - Sir John Boyar examined how hunger is a thorn in the side of all Third World counties and tried to offer solutions as the director-general of the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization. One of the first things we have to do he said is to stop viewing food as any other commodity and to see it as an essential to life. Move over Im famished! A world hunger essay can also examine some of the worlds most devastating famines and how they could have been avoided. Develop the topic After giving the statistics the next thing your world hunger essay should do is to examine the causes for hunger and starvation. These can be as diverse as:Large population Free trade Viewing food as a means to earn money rather than to sustain life Ending on a hopeful note How can the problem of world hunger be solved? End by offering possible solutions to the problem. What active steps have been taken by the government of various nations to fight world hunger? What is the United Nations doing to get food for the needy? These are some of the points a thought provoking world hunger essay should touch upon. Lastly a world hunger essay would do well to analyze some sociological theories on dependency that can change the face of world hunger and make it smile. Farmers from the third world should be discouraged from sending all their produce to other countries for profit. The world would fare better if everyone realized that feeding the hungry is more important than money in the bank. Since a starving nation cannot be a productive one. These are some of the points to be covered in a good world hunger essay.

Intuition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Intuition - Essay Example It is much easier to apply intuition if you know already some peculiarities of a person or situation you should deal with. For instance, you may have to tell something unpleasant to your younger sister or brother, but this are the news that may affect him/her negatively. What to do in this case? As a rule, you think over the best moment that will be the most suitable for sharing the information you need. You may select a quite place to do that. How can you know that this very time and place will be the best ones in this situation? No doubts, it is your intuition that helps you to make the right decision. However, it is necessary to remember that your brother or sister may have another intuition, as in Dan Ariely’s examples about nurses. That is why you should learn more about his/her intuition in order not to make a mistake. It should be noted that the situation about bandages experienced by Dan Ariely explains a lot of things concerning intuition and its importance. It turns out that it is necessary to test and practice intuition. Moreover, if one’s profession is closely connected with communication, one should take into account other people’ intuitions as well. This will help to understand their feelings and improve the process of working with people. It is known that Dan Ariely has very poor attitude towards the nurses from the hospital he was treated at. If they just tried to understand his feelings and use his intuition, the process of recovery would not last so long and there would be only positive feedbacks from Dan Ariely. Unfortunately, people working with people seldom resort to the use of their intuition. In the majority of cases they just do not have enough time for that. For example, those nurses were expected to spend only an hour to change the bandages. This action caused much pain to their patients. The nurses had problems with their intuition without even knowing this fact. This example demonstrates the consequences when pe ople do not want to test and improve their own intuition. However, this would help to understand others and their needs. It is necessary to stress that, of course, the patient with burned body knows better how to take of the bandages with less pain. There are several possible ways to distinguish intuition. For example, this word is translated as ‘to look at’ from Latin. So, intuition means looking at some situation or problem in detail with the help of one’s inner feelings. It is necessary to stress that intuition really helps people to live an easier life. Our inner man knows better what we need to do in certain situations. Thus, in the majority of cases it is not conscience but intuition that makes us apologize for some words or actions. Our inner man feels that the person you respect may be offended by the above-mentioned things. You feel that if you do not apologize, this will be the end of friendship or love. It means that if people listened to their intuiti ons more often, there would be fewer divorces in families and misunderstanding among people. Resorting to the use of intuition will help people to economize much time and effort on doing a lot of things. If one uses intuition in order to handle some problem, he/she does not need to spend sleepless nights in order to select the best way to solve the problem. Intuition gives an opportunity to make fast decisions and not to

Global Sluggishness Will Slow US Recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Global Sluggishness Will Slow US Recovery - Essay Example When I was layoff like many other American workers who have been victims of massive layoffs all across the nation I felt very nervous about the financial well being of me and my family. In the past, I felt the government was never there for me, but the new democratic regime seems to really care about my needs. The fiscal policies of the government are including the proactive measure to help alleviate our problems. For example, as I was receiving unemployment benefits I received a letter from the government that my benefits had been extended by an extra 20 weeks which raised the overall total potential timeline to 59 weeks. Those extra weeks sure provided me with much needed financial relief. A friend told me that I am going to be receiving some extra cash reimbursement from the government after I file my tax returns which were an initiative approved by Obama as part of the stimulus economic package. The money the government spent to help the economy were very large figures which altogether surpassed the trillion dollar mark. It was sure a lot of money, but the catastrophic economic situation justified the decision. First of the banking industry was given over $700 billion dollars. I first I thought that the banks that many times deny you a loan now wants us to give them some free money, but when my brother called me to inform me that his second mortgage loan had been denied I knew that the government needs to do something. My brother always pays his bills on time and he has a good steady job. I was actually going to be the beneficiary of a part-time job from that mortgage loan transaction since his plans were to renovate the home. The CEO of Unity Bank, James A. Hughes said â€Å"The capital raised under the Treasury program".

Self-fulfilling prophecy cycle (Negative assumptions, negative outcome Essay

Self-fulfilling prophecy cycle (Negative assumptions, negative outcome ) - Essay Example Supervisors create expectation of their employees, which emanate various occurrences. The first impression when an employer meets a prospective employee. A supervisor would form an opinion of the latter. Something in the manner of Negative assumptions is more noticeable than positive assumptions. While not necessarily rear positive assumptions are a regular occurrence in the employment industry. However, through principle-centered leaders who are distinct from their counterparts. Positivity radiates energy beams from within extending enthusiasm and energy to the persons they interact with at the workplace. Positivity, believe and upbeat in their employees potential is evident and ingrained within them. They also come across as servant leaders ready to give assistance when needed. It does not necessarily end with them giving a helping hand, but they also pass to be resourceful to be exploited by their followers so as to perform better and to their best. Such leaders surround themselve s with effective persons who exude positivity that plays a huge role in molding their followers (Tauber, 24). The moment an employee suspects certain behavior or manner in the supervisor’s actions, the first effects of self-fulfilling prophecy are witnessed. When the supervisor things an employee has some tendencies that are not desirable, they are likely to pay close attention to them thus prompt the target to act in the manner. Such could be through micromanagement of stifling ideas. Employees have certain expectations that contribute to them feeling invested in the firm. The expectations include; regard for their opinions, fair treatment, a chance for advancement and progression through work evaluation and believe and trust in them. These elements are very essential for an employee to be successful in their place of work. Thus, and employer, supervisor or leader should understand this fundamental factors and pay

The Impact of Japanese American Internment in the US Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Japanese American Internment in the US Essay The internment of hundred of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II is one of infamous blotches in the United States’ experience with racial discrimination and human and civil rights violations. Although less discussed in the history books than the country’s fight against discriminatory practices against the African Americans, the incarceration of the Japanese Americans, nevertheless, has tainted the nation with guilt. The reason for this is that the incarceration did not have profound effects on the positive outcome of the war. Instead, it only meant the alienation and the violation of the members of a certain race that the US government judged with sweeping generalization as the enemy. The impact on the Japanese Americans was definitely negative. They had to bear the harshness of living in substandard conditions and, worse of all, the racial prejudice that they suffered from the eyes of the American public. On the other hand, the stigma was felt and continues to be felt by American society itself. The internment has been considered as another shameful chapter in the history of a nation that prides itself of being a promoter of freedom, democracy, and civil rights. The arrival of Japanese into the country had been occurring a century before World War II. The more significant increase in migration however occurred in the 1890’s. Before Pearl Harbor was bombed, the single devastating event that prompted the US to got war against Japan, government statistics already confirmed that there was nearly 200,000 people who were either born in Japan or were with Japanese ancestry. The US mainland, particularly the states along the Pacific coast were home to more than 125,000 of these people while the 150,000 were in Hawaii, which was then just a territory of the US. The death toll and the destruction brought about by what was considered as a treacherous act by the Japanese in Pearl Harbor changed the image of the Japanese Americans in the eyes of the Americans. Spurred by the government’s own paranoia over the existence of these people within the country’s backyard, the American public began to treat the Japanese Americans with contempt and distrust. They began to see them as â€Å"American citizens with enemy faces. † (Daniels et al 12) The paranoia was initiated by a government report on the Pearl Harbor attack that came out in January 1942. Penned by US Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts, the report without much evidence alleged that the Japanese Americans in Hawaii spied for the Japanese navy in preparation of the attack. Barely a month after the report came out congress members of the west coast states sent the US president a letter that recommended the immediate evacuation of Japanese Americans in their respective states. As the members of congress made their move, the US Army’s Western Defense Command also sent a memorandum to the Secretary of War that advised the removal every person of Japanese descent from the entire west coast area. In response to both recommendations by the members of the legislature and by the military area high command, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066 which provided blanket authority to the Secretary of War and all military commanders to implement the recommendations. One part of the memorandum that influenced the President in issuing EO 9066 stated that â€Å"in time of national peril, any reasonable doubt must be resolved in favor of action to preserve the national safety, not for the purpose of punishing those whose liberty may be temporarily affected by such action, but for the purpose of protecting the freedom of the nation, which may be long impaired, if not permanently lost, by non-action. † (The War Relocation Authority) The President and his advisers clearly knew that the internment of the Japanese Americans could gravely affect their basic human rights. Nevertheless, driven by the sense of urgency to protect the country from the enemy, they would rather incarcerate thousands of innocent Japanese American civilians than be at risk from spying activities by a few if there were any proven. The process taken to implement the internment was tainted with violations of the Japanese Americans’ right to privacy. The United States Census Bureau, a department ran by civilians for purely civilian functions, was employed to assist in identifying individuals and families who should be sent to internment. It took a role in spying neighborhoods and gathering information on Japanese Americans. The bureau vehemently denied this role but in 2007, after several decades, this was finally proven. (Minkel) The US government in 1988, under President Ronald Reagan, came out with a legislation of an apology for the internment. It stated that the decisions and actions of the US government regarding the status of the Japanese Americans anchored on â€Å"race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. (100th Congress) As a result of this legislation, the US government paid more that $1. 6 billion to Japanese Americans who were victims of the internment or were heirs of those who suffered it. It was just that, although late by several decades, the US government issued an apology and paid reparations for the Japanese American victims of the mass internment. The sense of alienation and injustice resulting from mandatory evacuations was already painful. Making it even worse, was the sub-human conditions in the internment camps and the separation from their properties and livelihood. The barracks in which the internees, many of these families, were made to live in barracks with barely insulation from the hot or cold weather. Many of the barracks did not have plumbing as well as facilities for cooking. Some of them even had common toilets. Since the barracks were mostly built by civilian contractors who usually made the military’s camps, these were naturally unsuitable for family living. Some of the internment facilities such as the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center in Wyoming may have names that did not actually reflect the living conditions of the internees. In fact, the Heart Mountain facility actually appeared like a concentration camp with a â€Å"barbed-wire-surrounded enclave, un-partitioned toilets, cots for beds, and a budget of 45 cents daily per capita for food rations. † (Myer) The mandatory evacuation was done hastily, with the military employed to enforce it. Due to such short notice, many of the internees were not able to prepare enough food and clothing for their stay in the camp. Herded by the military into mass transport systems, they were not informed of their respective destinations or the location of their assigned camps. Because of this, they were not able to bring clothes suitable for the climates in which their camps were. A great number had to make do with the thin clothing usually worn in California as they struggle with the harsh winters in Wyoming. Most of the internees consequently lost valuable properties due to the limits of properties that could be brought to the camps. Japanese Americans who had stable employment were naturally forced to leave their jobs permanently. The Japanese Americans were treated unequally. Although they all lived under the same subhuman conditions of the internment camps, the nissei or those who were born in the US and were granted citizenship and their children were give preferential treatment. On the other hand, the nikkei, who were immigrants from Japan and who did not hold US citizenship, were treated with suspicion by the authorities heading the military zones of which the Pacific coast was subdivided. Stricter rules were also applied to them while they were in the camps. As a consequence of their incarceration, Japanese American children experienced difficulties in their studies. Although basic education was still provided in the camps, the system it employed was not only meant to teach children the necessary academic subjects. Education was also made as a channel for anti-Japanese war propaganda. The camp schools were not conducive to learning. There were very few books, teaching aids, and schools supplies for the students to use. Heating was also quite poor, making the children vulnerable to sicknesses. However, what made the educational system worse then was that it embedded shame and hatred for being of Japanese descent. The effect of the daily dose of war propaganda that they experience was such that â€Å"once in a while a child would confide timidly about not wanting to go to school- ashamed of being Japanese in front of his teachers who read every morning from a newspaper about the horrible Japanese soldiers and how fine American soldiers were fighting and winning. (Hirabayashi 45) The traditional way of bringing up families was destroyed by the internment. Parents found it difficult to discipline their children because the living arrangements in the barracks did not allow them so. If they insist on raising their voices while scolding their children, they would certainly annoy their neighbors with whom they share a common thin wall. Because of this, â€Å"the nissei children, for their part, often ate with their peers in the mess hall and roamed around the camp in packs, thus further escaping the influence of their elders. (O’Brien Fugita 62) As are result of this, it was common for internment camps to have problems with juvenile delinquency. Experiencing the difficulties of living in the internment camps had a great impact on Japanese Americans in the duration of World War II. However, it was not the certain degree of depravation that they encountered that was serious enough for them. It was the psychological effect of the incarceration that was more overwhelming. Internment camp administrators admitted that they observed many Japanese Americans showed signs of depression. They also observed that the feelings of insecurity and helplessness were prevalent in the camps’ population. On the other hand, there was quite a number who expressed apprehensions of living outside the camps and be with mainstream society. The reason for this was that they knew of the rabid anti-Japanese propaganda being spread around and accepted by Americans. They were afraid of integrating themselves in a society that might still consider them as enemies and suffer worse racial discrimination in the end. The internment, therefore, only embedded in them fear and hatred against themselves or against other races. After the war, Japanese American internees were released into mainstream society. They tried living as normal as they once lived before the internment but many of them found it difficult to recover. The no longer have the shops, farms, and jobs which were their sources of living. Opportunities of regaining these were bleak as the general population still tended to treat them with contempt. While before they share the same fate as the African Americans as victims of racial discrimination, after the war, even the African Americans tended to treat them as a lesser race. Several years after, adults who were then young boys and girls in the internment camps still experienced episodes of depression. A former child internee wrote that even after all those decades, there were still times when remembered his experience in an internment camp, as well as the â€Å"feeling of isolation and abandonment. (Tateishi 130) Aside from these depressing memories that former internees continue to suffer, they also suffered confusion of their racial and national identity, especially the nissei. Mary Matsuda Gruenewald, another former child internee, remembered a time when she was made to do a Japanese dance inside the camp; â€Å"vulnerability and fragility exposed my old confusion: Am I Japanese or am I American in this barbed-wire camp, about to perform a Japanese dance? † (Looking Like the Enemy 69) The impact is still experienced by Japanese Americans of this generation. They still â€Å"have trouble feeling at home in their adopted country. † (Alfaro 206) They still fear the possibility that the people of other races upon seeing them would remember them as enemies who had the chance of partaking the opportunities offered in the US. Majority of the American public still has to know the truth about the internment of Japanese Americans. This sad part of history should have a positive impact on society, making the people more vigilant against various forms of racism.

Moral Universalism Vs Ethnocentrism Commerce Essay

Moral Universalism Vs Ethnocentrism Commerce Essay In todays scenario the manager across the globe are quite focused and clear when its comes to moral or ethical behavior because now a days there is a tremendous pressure from people, government and other concern bodies to do business ethically. Multinationals is the one who has to decide that what kind of approach they want to follow in their business process. Business ethics are the principals which are used to do business in a proper manner. This report is a critical assessment of ethical and moral challenges face by multinational companies in their overseas business operations. Moral Universalism Vs Ethnocentrism It is very difficult to defined a similar set of rules of morality and ethics for each and every country of the world because every country, every religion, every community has their own likes and dislikes, their own set of rules, preferences, understanding etc. so its become very difficult for an organization to formed a similar set of rules which can be applied in each and every country of the world. The decision to set moral values differs from place to place in which an organization is doing business. In Moral Universalism some set of ethics is accepted globally regardless of culture, race, sex, religion, nationality. These are certain set of ethics which are globally practiced. Moral Universalism is broader approach when is come to apply ethics globally. Example: There are many examples where we see moral universalism used globally. The most common example of moral universalism is the equality in the workplace regardless of your gender. This is the most common example of moral universalism when global moral and ethics are used in every country without any hesitation. Ethnocentrism is the approach in which moral or the culture of a particular place, country or organization is judged accordingly to the standards set by a particular person, group or country. This style is very narrow in its approach and not widely accepted. Ethnocentrism mainly believed to be subtle and overt in its approach. Code of Conduct A number of organizations across the globe developed their own code of conduct when it comes to doing business overseas. Many organizations shake hands with other organizations in the world to develop a certain set of standards which can be used globally. Companies such as Avon (cosmetics), Sainsbury Plc. (a food retailer in the United Kingdom (UK)), Toys R Us (toy retailer) and Otto Versand (clothing retailer) have joined with the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP) to establish SA8000 (Social Accountability 8000, on the lines of the manufacturing quality standard ISO9000). (G.MEHALU, Kidus, 2011) Some standards which are globally accepted are as follows: Do not use child labor at work place. Dont use forced labor. Provide safe working environment. Pay at at least minimum wages to the workers. There are four major organizations which mainly decide the code of conduct for multinational across the globe: International Chamber of Commerce. Organization for Economic Cooperation development. International Labor Organization. United nation commission on transnational corporations. (G.MEHALU, Kidus, 2011) Factors affecting Moral and Ethical Behavior: Stage of moral development- There are various stages involved in the development of moral of an individual. Starting from pre conventional, then to conventional when one tries to fulfill the expectations of others, then last stage is the self chosen path. Individual characteristics- Moral and ethical behavior also differ from person to person. Its totally ones choice to decide what is right and what is wrong. Structural factors- Structure of an organization is also affecting the ethical behavior and moral values of an individual. Organizational culture- Organization working culture plays a decisive role in employees thinking. The organization laid the foundation stone in employees understanding of morality and ethical behavior. (G.MEHALU, Kidus, 2011) Case-1 NIKE Sweatshop: Nike is the world pioneer in the field of footwear and apparel manufacturing. It has the presence in over 140 countries across the globe with over 44000 workers. In the early 1990s, Nike products were being manufactured in six Indonesian factories, employing more than 25,000 workers. Four of these factories were owned by Nikes Korean suppliers. As Nikes presence in Indonesia increased, the factories supplying its products (about six million pairs of shoes per year) came under greater scrutiny. Reports by a variety of NGOs and labor activists claimed that these plants were rife with exploitation, poor working conditions, and a range of human rights and labor abuses. Many Indonesian shoe factories did not even pay the minimum daily wage (at the time, 2,100 rupiah or about US$1). They petitioned the Indonesian government for exemptions to the legal minimum wage, claiming it would cause them hardship to pay. According to official Indonesian government calculations, this minimum daily wag e only covered 70% of the basic needs of one individual let alone a family. Nikes Korean suppliers were seen as especially stingy with wages and abusive to local workers. (RICHARD M. LOCKE, Alvin J. Siteman, 2000) This case clearly shows that multinational organizations mould their rules and working style according to their preferences and according to the place where they are operating. What Nike does in Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan they cant do the same things in America or any other European countries because they have strict rules and regulation for the working environment. This a moral challenge which Nike faced during their operation in Asian countries but company decide lower their standard of operations in so called third world countries to make more profit. Nike not follow the same policy of operation which they use in America or Europe. But they decide to go another way and do which is morally and ethically wrong to make more profit margins (RICHARD M. LOCKE, Alvin J. Siteman, 2000). Case-2 Coca Cola Controversy in India Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable brands on the planet, and also one of the worlds largest corporations. The companys profits amounted to just under $15 billion in 2005, while its market value is calculated at over $100 billion. Worldwide, more than one billion cans or bottles of Cola-Cola are consumed every day or 12,500 every second. But in 2004 in Kerala, Coca-Colas plant was forced to close down after the village council refused to renew the companys license, on the grounds that it had over-used and contaminated local water resources. Four months earlier, the Kerala High Court had ruled that Coca-Colas heavy extraction from the common groundwater resource was illegal, and ordered it to seek alternative sources for its production. Local villagers, politicians, environmentalists and scientists heralded the closure of the Plachimada plant as a major victory, and are now attempting to have it made permanent. In addition to the depletion of the groundwater, analyses indicated that water extracted by Coca-Cola had been contaminated with potentially harmful foreign particles as it was drawn upwards through the various rock strata. The water subsequently became unfit for human consumption and even for irrigation purposes. (Coca Cola the alternative report, 2006) Coke follows a strict rules and regulations in the US and in other developed countries but in third world countries coke doesnt remain in its ethical and moral value which they follow in their home country. In India and in many Asian countries coke working policy is ethically and morally correct but they change their policies according to their need (Coca Cola the alternative report, 2006). Coke which is world most trusted brand is doing the things which are not ethically and morally correct. They must follow the same practices which follow in U.S in other developed countries. Case-3 Ethical issues of McDonalds in India The major issue was beef. Cow being sacred and worshipped, beef could not be served. Muslims did not eat pork. The challenge was to change the form of the worldwide popular Hamburger to make an entry into India. With 25-30% of the population being vegetarian and a large majority eating meat, an alternative to beef and pork was necessary. The population of a billion was undoubtedly a promising opportunity for an international company. McDonalds accepted the challenge and created the Aloo Tikki Burger known as McAloo TikkiTM especially for the Indian vegetarian customers. Aloo- Tikki was a potato patty with spices. It also made a chicken and fish option available for the non vegetarians. McDonalds even separated the non vegetarian cooking process and the vegetarian cooking process to convince the customers of the Shudh Shakahari Experience which means pure vegetarian experience. In addition, the crew cooking vegetarian food was asked to wear green aprons. McDonalds in India was one of its kinds as it did not offer beef at all. In order to convince and change the perception of the customers about the burgers they offered, McDonalds made attempts to clarify their stand about beef in India. So the world famous hamburger was without meat. This was indeed a classic case of product adaptation, to gain foothold in a new market. (KULKARNI, Dr. Smita, 2009) McDonalds faces a crucial ethical and moral challenge in India bur they accordingly and tries to follow the practices which are used in India instead of imposing their own preferences over the people. McDonalds handle this situation of cross culturalism and ethical values very smartly and not lend into any controversy as we already discussed above. Conclusion: In keeping with the examples discussed above, one can say that moral values and ethics are depends on organizations. Organizations have to decide their moral values and ethics and implement them accordingly. As in this case company working policy is debatable but you cant accuse them because they dont do it forcefully, and they also give back to the society.