Moral Dilemas: Antigone Essay

One of the most difficult trials I face in my life are ethical and moral dilemmas. I believe one purpose for this life is to learn to act for ourselves and learn to see a situation correctly and act righteously. Everyday I’m faced with decisions of right and wrong, most of which are easily and correctly dealt with. Sometimes however, decisions need to be made that are not easy or perfectly clear. In this paper I wish to discuss a presented moral dilemma and explain what I would do in the same situation. One of the biggest conflicts in the play â€Å"Antigone† by Sophocles is the value of human law vs. divine law. In this tragic play a newly appointed king Creon declares to his people that treason was committed during battle, and one of the two brothers (Polyneices) killed shall not be buried. This dilemma is felt by many, especially Antigone (sister of Polyneices). The struggle between human law and divine law is a moral dilemma Antigone feels as she decides to go against the laws of the king. The moral dilemma being presented is from the perspective of a pharmacist. The pharmacist has a young sick niece who has a terrible ear infection and cannot get an appointment with the doctor until the next day. The pharmacist knows that she doesn’t have a prescription, but knows what type of antibiotic she probably needs. Does the pharmacist give the medicine to the niece? If I were in the position of the pharmacist, I would refuse to give the medicine to my niece. I wouldn’t give the medicine to my niece because of the consequences that I would be dealt if I were too. My position on the dilemma is similar to Ismine’s (Antigone’s sister) when trying to convince Antigone not to bury her brother. If the pharmacist helps then he/she will get fired, go to jail, and probably never work as a pharmacist again. This turns a short term problem into a long term problem which will influence the rest of your life. Is an ear infection worth going to jail and possibly ruining your life?

Do God Exist ?

Thesis Statements 1. Because of man’s ignorance and curiosity, arguments for the existence of God have been made over the years. Basically, these arguments are divided into two large groups i. e. logical and metaphysical. Actually, these arguments seek to prove that the existence of a being or having faith with at least one attribute that only God could have is logically necessary. 2. Believing and having faith in God will only resort to one thing—goodness. 3. Faith has something to do with one’s conception about God. 4. The existence of God remains a matter of faith since it’s difficult to â€Å"prove† God to someone who does not believe. . There are arguments that attempts to give information of what they know about the existence of God. And that’s it. It is now our choice if we believe or not but the important thing is we must hold on in our faith. Read more:  http://ivythesis. typepad. com/term_paper_topics/2010/02/thesis-statements-res ults-of-having-faith-in-god. html#ixzz2CwZzjm00 4 Primary Arguments for God's Existence Written by Michael Vlach. Perhaps the hottest topic in all of philosophy concerns the existence of God. Thus the question—â€Å"Does God exist? † Our answer to this question affects how we view the world, how we behave, and what we expect for the future.If God exists, then we are probably accountable to this God. The universe may have meaning and purpose. Plus, our own existence may not cease at physical death. If God does not exist, however, then we are probably here by chance and are not accountable to some transcendent being. This life may be all we have, so live your life however you see fit and enjoy it. Traditionally, there have been four major arguments for God’s existence: (1) the cosmological argument; (2) the teleological argument; (3) the ontological argument; and (4) the moral law argument.Below are explanations of each of the arguments and the common responses to them. 1. Cosmological Argument The term â€Å"cosmological† comes from the Greek word â€Å"kosmos† which means â€Å"world. † The cosmological argument for God’s existence goes like this: The world could not exist on its own so there must have been a first cause that brought it into being. This first cause is God. Or put another way, the universe could not just exist on its own—someone or something must have made it. This cause of the universe is God. Three criticisms of the cosmological argument have been offered.First, some say matter is eternal and is not in need of a â€Å"first cause. † Second, some say â€Å"If everything needs a cause, what caused God? † Third, some say that even if it is true that some being caused our universe to exist, this does not prove the existence of the Christian God. All it shows is that there is some powerful being that created the universe, but this does not necessarily mean that this creator was the God of the Bible. 2. Teleological Argument The teleological argument is also known as â€Å"the argument from design† (The Greek word â€Å"telos† means â€Å"purpose† or â€Å"design. †).The argument goes like this: The universe evidences great complexity or design; thus, it must have been designed by a great Designer or God. The argument from design can be likened to a watch. A watch is obviously made by a watchmaker. The world, which is much more complex than a watch, must also have been designed by a great Designer or Divine Watchmaker (God). In sum, the teleological argument asserts that the universe evidences too much complexity to be the product of random chance. We know that the celestial bodies move with perfect accuracy in their orbits. Our bodies, too, are incredibly complex.According to the teleological argument, there’s just no way all this complexity could â€Å"just happen. † God must have created it all. There have been t hree responses to the teleological argument. First, some say the teleological argument is guilty of a â€Å"weak analogy† because it assumes a significant resemblance between natural objects (ex. rocks, trees) and objects we know have been designed (ex. watches, skyscrapers). Thus, comparing natural objects with objects we know have been created by humans is like comparing apples and oranges. The analogy just doesn’t work.Second, some say that the theories of the big bang and evolution better explain the complexity in the universe. Third, some say that even if the teleological argument is true, it does not prove the existence of the Christian God. 3. Ontological Argument The third argument for God’s existence is the ontological argument. This argument is unlike the cosmological and teleological arguments in that it does not argue from evidence in the natural world. Thus, it is not a â€Å"cause and effect† argument. The ontological argument can be stated in this way: â€Å"God is the greatest being imaginable.One of the aspects of perfection or greatness is existence. Thus, God exists. † Or put another way—â€Å"The fact that God can be conceived means that he must exist. † This argument for God’s existence was developed by the twelfth century theologian and philosopher, Anselm. It is based on Anselm’s declaration that God is â€Å"that which nothing greater can be conceived. † The ontological argument has been very controversial. Even many who believe in God’s existence question its validity. A contemporary of Anselm named Guanilo responded to Anselm. Guanilo said that one could imagine a perfect island but that did not mean a perfect island exists.Others have said you can imagine a unicorn but that does not mean unicorns exist. Thus, many challenge the idea that the idea of God must mean that God exists. 4. Moral Law Argument Another argument for the existence of God is the moral la w argument. It goes like this: Without God morality would be impossible. There must be a Lawgiver (God) who originates and stands by moral law. A universal moral law cannot exist accidentally. There must be a basis behind it—God. According to this view, every person is born with an inherent understanding of right and wrong.Everyone, for instance, understands that killing an innocent person is wrong. Everyone understands that helping a drowning person is right. Where did this internal understanding of right and wrong come from? According to adherents of the moral law argument, this understanding comes from God. He put it into the hearts of every person. There have been two responses to the moral law argument. First, some deny that there are universal truths. Many today believe that truth is subjective and relative. Societies and individuals determine what is true for them, but there is no God that does this.Second, some say that the presence of evil in the world argues against a Moral Lawgiver. If God is all-powerful and all-good, how can evil exist in the world? The arguments and counterarguments for God’s existence remain controversial. The cosmological, teleological, and moral law arguments remain popular with Christian apologists today. The ontological argument is not as well received although some today still asserts its validity. It should be noted that most Christian theologians and philosophers believe that God never intended for his existence to be something that could be proven with 100% certainty.They point out that faith is an important component in understanding God and his existence. Arguments  for and against the  existence of God  have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others for thousands of years. Inphilosophical  terms, arguments for and against the existence of  God  involve primarily the sub-disciplines of  epistemology  (theory of knowledge) andontology  (nature of god) and also the   theory of value, since concepts of perfection are connected to notions of God. The debate concerning the existence of God is one of the oldest and most discussed debates in  human history.A wide variety of arguments exist which can be categorized asmetaphysical,  logical,  empirical, or  subjective. The existence of God is subject to lively debate in philosophy,[1]  the  philosophy of religion, and  popular culture. The Western tradition of the existence of God began with  Plato  and  Aristotle, who made arguments for God's existence that would now be categorized as  cosmological arguments. Later,  Epicurus  formulated the  problem of evil: if God is  omnipotent,  omniscient  and  omnibenevolent, why does evil exist?The field of  theodicy  arose from attempts to answer this question. Other thoughts about the existence of God have been proposed by  St. Anselm, who formulated the first  ontological argument;  Ibn Rushd (Averroes)  an d  Aquinas, who presented their own versions of the cosmological argument (thekalam  argument  and the  first way), respectively;  Descartes, who said that the existence of a benevolent God was  logically necessary  for the evidence of the senses to be meaningful; and  Immanuel Kant, who argued that the existence of God can be deduced from the existence of  good.Thinkers who have provided arguments against the existence of God include  David Hume, Kant,  Nietzsche  and  Bertrand Russell. In modern culture, the question of God's existence has been discussed by philosophers and scientists such as  Stephen Hawking,  Richard Dawkins,  Daniel Dennett,  Richard Swinburne,William Lane Craig, and  Alvin Plantinga. Atheists maintain that arguments for the existence of God show insufficient reason to believe. Certain  theists  acknowledge that belief in the existence of God may not be amenable to demonstration or refutation, but rests on  faith  alo ne, a position called  fideism.The  Catholic Church  maintains that knowledge of the existence of God is available in the â€Å"natural light of human reason† alone. [2]  Other religions, such as  Buddhism, do not concern themselves the existence of gods at all. Does God Exist? by  Tawa Anderson Is there a God? 1  How can you be  sure  that God exists? Can you  prove  to me that God is real? Does the existence (or lack thereof) of God make any significant difference? Was Nietzsche right in declaring: â€Å"God is dead! †? These questions strike at the very heart of human existence, and cry out for our personal attention and deliberation.Furthermore, these questions must be answered before we can inquire into the truth of Christianity. After all, if there is no God, then Jesus certainly isn’t God in the flesh! If there is no God, there is no Christian faith worth considering. In this brief essay, I will share three persuasive clues (traditio nally called arguments or proofs) that point to the existence of God. This is not an apologetic for  Christianity, but rather for basic  theism  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ an argument that God exists, not an argument that the  Christian  God is real. God ExistsGod must exist because something must have caused the first moment in time and that something is God. This is summarized by, Saint  Thomas Aquinas  in his theory of cause. He presented five arguments for the existence of god in his masterwork the  Summa Theologiae. In the argument about casualty he stated the following premises: 1. The  natural world  includes events that occur. 2. In thenatural world, every event has a cause, and no event causes itself. 3. In the  natural world, causes must precede their effects. 4. In the  natural world, there are no infinite cause/effect chains. 5.Hence there is an  entity outside  of nature (a supernatural being), which causes the first event that occurs in the world. In our  f inite world  of existence, an event cannot cause itself, and if there is no first cause, there would not be any effects. So, God is the first cause. God must exist since all his premises are all in support of his conclusion that the first cause is God. An atheist is likely to say that the Big Bang was the first cause, but Aquinas’s premises and conclusion will refute this theory, as we will view later. I agree with this theory of cause, because I believe that our existence could

Answer Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answer Questions - Essay Example Companies’ growth as consumers helps them understand consumer mentality better. When companies play consumers, they are able to understand what aspect of service provision works and what does not work. Companies that grow as consumers will make information informed decisions on how to address customers’ needs. Usually, companies merge to save on costs, increase their market share and raise their financial strength. Merged companies spread their fixed costs for large production volumes, reduce their unit costs and increases margins. This happens after price negotiations with suppliers. The merger between Comcast-NBC and Time Warner concentrated the media. The merger increased my choices and gave me a wider selection of channels. I liked the quality of their service of the merger that came at lower costs. The AOL – Time Warner merger exemplified the concepts of chapter ten such as horizontal integration. The two companies are in the same industry and provide the same services. It is likely that the resultant business will be more powerful, will have a larger market share and will achieve higher profits and sales revenue. The merger has improved my understanding of the concept of company growth. This merger was an element of external growth because it involved larger amounts of money and is therefore growth through integration. During a precious project, I realized that face-to-face communication between colleagues is crucial. Other forms of communication especially electronic hinder an accurate delivery of the intended message. I used face-to-face communication because it allows the incoming service provider to ask questions, rethink service plans, and seek clarifications on content and instructions. I ensured that we used uniform and consistent language all through the handoff. In doing this, I optimized on precision

Gender Roles and Descent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gender Roles and Descent - Essay Example On the other hand, according to Stone (1997), there is a considerable difference between the sexual and reproductive roles of men and women in relation to time and location. Furthermore, Stone (1997) believes that the role of gender is culturally and socially constructed; therefore, the roles of men and women must be studied in a manner of understanding the sexuality and reproductive capacity of women. In the case study, Neur and Brahman societies, likewise, conceived the role of men as the head of the society. This patriarchal designation stems from their religious and cultural beliefs that men develop stability within the community (Stone, 1997). Hinduism teaches a significant gender and reproductive decision especially among women by encouraging a female child to be married before her first menstruation. Obviously, Indian females do not have the luxury to choose their own partners because it is assumed that parents are the ones responsible and more knowledgeable in choosing their daughters’ partner. This belief is actually a shared pattern among primates that highly emphasize on alliance and descent principles when it comes to marriage. These relational principles merely suggest that choosing a husband, as part of the many facets and aspects of gender roles, is actually not a freedom entitled to women in some communities because marriage is seen, not just a union of two souls, but an alliance formed between two families, as well. In other words, marriage between two families is coexistent with a male and a female union. ... ing a husband, as part of the many facets and aspects of gender roles, is actually not a freedom entitled to women in some communities because marriage is seen, not just a union of two souls, but an alliance formed between two families, as well. In other words, marriage between two families is coexistent with a male and a female union. The pros and cons in this kind of setup, which dominantly do not entitle women of free will, are obvious. From the perspective of a non-Nuer and non-Brahman member, arranged marriages only shatter the freedom of women to have control over their bodies. Kinship is more advantageous to the part of the male species because they are the ones not suffering from birth labors and risks in pregnancies. However, chapter 3 case study provides us a glimpse that Nuer women have full control over their sexuality, while Brahman women stick to their fidelity to their husbands because of the restrictions stipulated in the caste system. In the case of Nuer women, we se e that female oppression somehow happens only in terms of choosing the right man for themselves, but they have autonomy during the kinship part. Nuer women are even entitled to divorce their husbands if they see fit. On the part of the Brahman women, male domination does not count as the oppressing factor. It is the caste system that encourages wife's fidelity to her husband. Therefore, Brahman women are still empowered in this kind of setup because by being loyal to their husbands, they are rewarded through producing Brahman children. Still, the dominant perspective towards societies that encourages arranged marriages, is more on the harm this brings to the future of families. Women are said to be forced into a commitment where there is no emotional bond between them, which, on a personal

Discuss the extent to which Poverty Reduction Strategies represent a Essay

Discuss the extent to which Poverty Reduction Strategies represent a major changes in policy for the World Bank in relation to t - Essay Example Moreover, this review featured a chance to acknowledge the process, which was enhanced on the basis of preliminary evidence that was available. In this case, there were numerous issues that had to be resolved and this gave rise to several questions, which were asked by NGOs. For instance, some of the hard questions to be asked related to assimilation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). In addition, this review sought to determine whether the process of implementing PRSP had met the expectation within stipulated administrative costs. This is a report focusing on assessing the changes that has occurred due to the implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategies through programmes established by World Bank and IMF. On the other hand, it will discuss the way poverty has been utilized as a facilitating Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) among poor countries. In fact, this has resulted to a sever condition of their economic crisis. The World Bank and IMF have formulated strict p olicy focused on operations involving Bank Fund. For instance, they have focused on assortment of prescriptions that are merely classified as â€Å"good governance.† Nevertheless, there are international donors, who have complied with the Bank development models that is featured in PRSP. As a matter of fact, this has failed significantly during the years that it has been implemented in the Global South. Apparently, World Bank and IMF have been avoiding ways to tackle the problems that has contributed to failure of implementing Poverty Reduction Strategies. Instead, they focus on evaluating the PRSP process, thereby identifying chance of replicating favourable practices. In this case, these practices are emanated from the PRSP process that is considered helpful. Moreover, this process is far much better compared to other processes, which disregard poor people, thereby imposing solutions without reference to specific subject country; besides, there are instances where the proce sses are derived without consulting the counties receiving the funds. Therefore, PRSP has been evaluated by several NGOs, and this has given rise to a desire of determining whether the World Bank is still fixated to achieving their mission of eradicating poverty. Consequently, this leads to a substantial challenge in discussing the extent of implementing Poverty Reduction Strategy on the basis of policies implemented by the World Bank on the based on effects in the Global South. Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) A country’s macroeconomic condition is explained by the Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS) and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) (IMF-World Bank, 1999, 1). Moreover, Poverty Reduction Strategy features a structural and social policies, and programs that are focused on promoting growth as a way of reducing poverty. Therefore, PRS serves as a substantial source of financing countries that are languishing in poverty (Robb, 2000, 2). PRS are established by the gover nments of respective countries through their participation in the process, which involve civil society and necessary development partners. In fact, this process involves the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) (IMF-World Bank, 2001, 1). On the other hand, the PRSP is written by a given country thrice in a period of one year. However, the content entailed in the PRSP varies from one country to the other; through they all share a similarity of covering

Effect of Exercise on Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate Essay

Effect of Exercise on Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate - Essay Example To find out more about the effects of exercise on pulse rate and blood pressure, an experiment was conducted. It was done by using two participants. Despite having the same age and gender, Person 1 is a 24-year old male who is 57 tall and 140 pounds. On the other hand, Person 2 is a 24-year old male who is 510 tall and 195 pounds. To effectively study them, they were engaged in a mild exercise (10-minute walk) and vigorous exercise (10-minute jumping). By using appropriate materials, the pulse rate and blood pressure were measured before, during and after the experiment. The differences in the results were used to determine the effects of exercise on pulse rate and blood pressure. While conducting this experiment, many materials were used. These included a stopwatch and digital pulse cuff and blood pressure which were of course used for recording the results to determine the changes in the blood pressure and pulse rate realized so far. The stopwatch was used for measuring time. From the analysis of the results, it was established that the exercise had resulted into an increase in blood pressure as well as pulse rate. The more vigorous the exercise was, the more the change in pulse rate. Because of these changes, it took some time for everything to turn back to normal after the end of the experiment. From these findings, it is clear that physical exercise has a direct on the pulse rate of a human being. It is for this reason that the aforementioned changes were experienced when the experiment was carried out. However, as found out from the recordings, the degree of change in pulse rate directly depends on the intensity of the exercise that is conducted (Wohlfahrt and Farazdaghi 168). For instance, when the participants engaged in walking exercises, there was a slight change in their pulse rates. However, this was not the same when the participants got involved in more vigorous exercises such as jumping on a rope.  

The Medicinal Role of Different Foods as Held by Different Communities Literature review

The Medicinal Role of Different Foods as Held by Different Communities from Different Regions in the World - Literature review Example Food plays an integral role in the part of any human being in the sense that people cannot live without food. However, the choice of food matters for every individual because it determines whether a person is healthy or killing themselves with foods that are toxic to their bodies. Therefore, the food that people eat gives them information and materials to help the body in functioning appropriately. The amount of food that a person consumes also matter because when the body gets too much food it becomes undernourished, overweight and develops the risk of conditions and diseases that are a risk to the body such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.   Therefore, what people eat is central to their health; food, on the other hand, can play a medicinal role where it maintains the health of the body by alleviating or curing diseases. However, there are other underlying benefits of foods, especially medicinal benefits, which most people do not forget to explore. Therefore, it is vita l for readers to understand how different foods they consume or ignore play an important role in their bodies. The research question in the essay is what are the medicinal role of various foods that are consumed by citizens every day? Many people have a clear understanding of the importance of eating healthy, in the United States cases of obesity and chronic diseases have been on the rise due to foods that are served in restaurants and in school where most school going children are obese. The five sources in the essay were selected after intensive research where I concluded on them because they have the content of information that is needed to explain the literature review in the essay. The sources have the basis of my discussion hence appropriate for the essay. Ensiyeh Seyedrezazadeh, Masoud Pour Moghaddam & Fariba Kolahdooz et al (2011) â€Å"Fruit and vegetable intake and risk of wheezing and asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.† In this article, the author discusses the relationship between asthma and wheezing and the intake of fruits and vegetables.        

MHE507 - Bio-Terrorism Module 4 - Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MHE507 - Bio-Terrorism Module 4 - Case - Essay Example edness has increased comparatively from the pre-9/11 period, the present state of preparedness of the public health system is such that it would not be able to cope with a catastrophe, like a bio-terrorist attack, were it to happen today (Barclay 2009). This gap in bioterrorism preparedness is underpinned by less than adequate political and economic support to the public health system. The 9/11 incident gave birth to frantic legislative activities that mainly broached, unsurprisingly, on terrorism prevention and preparedness. The Bush administration saw the enactment of the following: updated Title 18 of the US Code; the Department of Defense and Emergency Supplemental Appropriation for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States Act in January 2002 which allotted $2.9 B to HHS for bioterrorism preparedness; the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act) which increased the country’s capability to prevent, prepare for and meet bioterrorism (Center for Biosecurity of UPMC 2009), and; the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act in 2006 which strengthened public health infrastructure. In 2001, the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (MSHEPA), a modern public health emergency preparedness prototype that can serve as template for state bioterrorism and other contingencies la ws, was drafted. It authorizes, among others, state and local public health agencies during catastrophic events with emergency powers. Under this model, adopted by more than 35 states, emergency powers may suspend temporarily rules and regulations that interfere with swift and effective interjurisdictional coordination or legal requirements in State business that hamper or delay rapid responses to emergencies (Roberts et al 2007). As can be gleaned, the 9/11 incident has spawned more than adequate legislative authority to combat and prevent bioterrorism. On the other hand, economic funding for

Breaching Experiment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Breaching Experiment - Research Paper Example For this experiment, in which the student will assume the personality of a FaceBook creeper, the reaction to being a creeper is the most important point. If the social breach succeeds and social norms are compromised, how people react is evidence of mechanisms through which they attempt to combat the breach or make sense of the abnormal behavior (Garfinkel, 2011). Whereas it is expected that lighthearted breaches in the FaceBook creeper experiment will induce curiosity, confusion, and laughter, breaches of a more serious nature are expected to cause anger and anxiety. It was also expected that the experiment would show how uncomfortable people are about unexpected notification or information. The Facebook picture creeper experiment was chosen for this study, in which I had to go through the photo album of an acquaintance on Facebook and comment on about fifteen to twenty photos. These photos were supposed to be more than six months old and the comments were to be posted over a period of three days. In addition, the experiment required that only positive comments were written on the posts, such as â€Å"cute photo† and other positive comments. After posting, I was to check back to identify whether anyone else had commented on photo as a result of my posts and a description of the responses was to be made, as well as a description of how I felt about making these posts. For the experiment, I picked one of my friends from high school, whom I had not seen or talked to for some time and was not a friend on Facebook. I searched for her name on Facebook and identified her photo, after which I made a friend request that was accepted. Immediately after we became friends on the site, I commented on twenty of her photographs from her photo album and, as required by the experiment, I ensured that all my comments on the photos were positive. In the beginning, I commented on only a few photographs

Analysis and Interpretation Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis and Interpretation - Statistics Project Example The independent variable of the study is â€Å"attending religious services† while the dependent variable is â€Å"political views†. The study mainly duels on correlation and regression for data analysis. The correlation coefficient is important in showing whether and how strongly religious service attendance and political views are related. Because the study is linear in nature, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient is necessary to measure the direction and strength of the linear relationship between religious service attendance and political views. The value of Pearson’s correlation coefficient is influenced by the distribution of the independent (attending religious services) variable in the sample. The descriptive results show that the mean and the standard deviation of the study are 4.19 and 1.404 respectively. The sample size for the study is 703. Taking 95% confidence interval, DF1 and DF2 are 8 and 694 respectively. This shows the difference of means between the groups with a significant level of 0.05. The p-value is the probability of obtaining a test statistic at least extreme as the one that was actually observed (Cronk, 2008). The p-value of the study is 0.01 at 95% confidence interval. The error term of the study is the mean square=1.853 with the harmonic mean sample size of 66.899. The harmonic mean is used in the study because the group sizes are not equal. The harmonic mean result shows that 66 out of 703 of the people interviewed attend religious services several times in a year. The confidence interval of the study is 95%. This shows that there is 95% confidence that the real value is within the calculated interval (mean). The Pearson correlation coefficient is 1. This means that there is a strong positive correlation between religious services and political views. The correlation coefficients across all the age groups also show positive results.  

Climate Change Essay Example for Free

Climate Change Essay Once, I visited a hospital for my health checkup,there I saw a man with shattered skin,rashes all over the body;clearcut it was the case of allergy.Doctors are rushing and making report on it.After a week I again visited that hospital for my scheduled checkup,then I came to know a shocking news-that allergy case was the case of Ganga bath!! Alas! Holy river Ganga, ancient river Ganga ,that Ganga which takes away all the sins from mankind, today causing allergy,irritation,skin rashes!!! that man has to pay price for his religious belief†¦ Also scientists got some samples from Ganga from specific places having disease causing microbes. This small case itself indicate the change we have made in our nature. Change is the law of nature,change is inevitable and change is evergoing process,but Climate Change is one of the most complex,multifaceted and serious threat that the World face. Whether you are adding your bit to the heap of garbage piling up in your locality or not become meaningless when the garbage begins to rot-the stench will reach your nose too,Climate Change induced by global warming works much the same way. World famous scientists all over the country had evaluated climate change and came to conclusion that Greenhouse Gases ,CFC, Carbondieoxide and many other toxic gases are the cause of environment degradation.Though it is true scientifically,the root lies elsewhere;that is in the greed of human being.Our greed led to adavancement of technology and led us farther from peace and prosperity of all. Increasing consumption of electricity due to intiation of several new industries,disposal of garbage without treatment to maximize profit,use of environment hazardious substances like polythene in our daily life are concrete examples of human greed. People have been influencing the Biosphere for at least 8000 years,since the invention of Agriculture,but Climate Change has proposed a threat over our Agriculture.The most affected area of Climate Change will be Agriculture and its biodiversity. The first and foremost impact of climate change is in biodiversity specially Islands biodiversity.nearly one –fourth of the worlds countries are Island and they are treasure trove of biodiversity.Also they provide food,fresh water ,wood,fibre,medicine,fuel and other raw materials. But increasing sea level has given a alarm threat to them,The New Moore Island of India in Sunderbans has been consumed recently by rising sea,many other Pacific atoll nation Island of Kiribati,Islands of Vanuatu also submerged in early history.we are loosing huge . biodiversity;these are initial cases†¦ Rather IPCC has warned that a rise in sea levels of between 18 and 59cm by 2100 would be enough to submerge many other big islands, including Maldives and make them unhabitable,also of the 724 recorded animal extinctions in 400 years about half were Island species .also climate change will bring degradation of coastal environment and natural resources on which poor rural people depend.Higher rates of erosion and coastal land loss may vanish our islands In context of Agriculture,sea level rise will also cause increased salinity due to encroachment of the sea and saltwater intrusion into freshwater lenses,contributing to an increasing shortage of water supply and loss of agriculture land.The most vulnerable section will be the poor and marginal farmers with small landholdings because ‘extreme weather events’will specially occur in tropics,fundamental changes in rainfall pattern together with rising temperature will shorten growing season and reduce crop productivity . Acco.to World Bank 75% of 1.2 billion people are trapped in extreme poverty,so they will fail to adopt new rotation practices and thus most vulnerable to climate change. World wide farming is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions accouting for 20% of total emissions.Atmospheric concentration of methane has more than doubled during the past 200 years.Natural wetlands,fossil fuels related to natural gas,coal mines coal industry,electric fermentation,rice fields,biomass burning,landfills accont for 75% of methane production in our environment. thus major source of greenhouse gases is agriculture itself. Rice fields are the most significant contributors of atmospheric methane accounting for 11-13% of the world’s total methane production. Also, rice production will need to expand by around 70% over the next 25 years to meet the demands of fast growing human population whose food demand is expected to double in developing world in next 40 years. Thus if we increase our crop area specially staple crop area in near future then the problem of global warming is likely to increase. Already in today’s era 800 million people are unnourished, in India only 30 million people suffer hunger,46% children are underweight and 17000 people are dying per day due to hunger on an average. Thus in near future we are going to face a great threat not only of climate change but also of food security†¦. However, Not all effects of climate change on agriculture are expected to be negative, most of the major food crops are C-3 plants including staple food like rice ,wheat, oat, barley will show increase in yield ranging from 25% to 64% due to increased CO2 level, also most of the noxious weed are C4 plants and their growth will be checked. But this is only one side of the coin ,increased temperature due to increase in CO2 level may rise the pest attack up to 25% and fungal disease attack up to 20% and also disturb our monsoon pattern.In an overview it can be said that it will create more and new problem rather than benefits because the worst sufferers would be farmers of Rainfed agriculture which cover 60% of all cultivable lands. Today humanbeings have become dependent on technologies which are dependent on non -renewable resources and produce illeffects in long run.nowdays we say that glaciers are shrinking;may be shrinking but more that the heart of the people and their philosophy is shrinking too.while the drastic effects of global warming has been discussed in many scientific circles,had their run on T.V. and even had well meaning Hollywood films but the need of the hour is to change ourselves,to reduce our luxurious wants. The need of the hour is to develop a) True sustainability,there should be synergies between climate mitigation strategies and development policies in areas of energy efficiency,fuel substitution,renewable ,afforestration,and land and waste management. b) The planning should not be for temporary economic gains and support,but for sustainability in future as well.There should be partnerships with communities,individuals,and private sector to frame effective measures to reduce the impact the effect of climate change. Today we all peoples of the world need to change our habbits ,not only in Agricultural practices but also in our daily life practicices†¦ Switching of fans and light before leaving room ,efficient use of water at home , proper garbage disposal at micro level, though seems to be a very minute step but the huge building of true sustainability will only form above these basic steps because this will be the 1st step against our greed, so step ahead and realize your own responsibility ,because it is not the time to curse the darkness but to light a small lamp. References: 1. â€Å"Know climate change† by Tanya Agarwal 2. â€Å"Global climate change† by Arnold J.Bloom 3. Science Reporter (CSIR) 4. IPCC website

Fragile X Syndrome Symptoms and Investigation

Fragile X Syndrome Symptoms and Investigation Title Complications and investigations of Fragile X syndrome Introduction Fragile X syndrome is considered the most common heritable form of mental retardation, it affects approximately 1 in 4000 males and 1 in 8000 female it is an X linked disease caused by mutation in the† FMR1 gene â€Å"This mutation in dynamic it varies in length and so in severity from generation to generation The syndrome is more severely affecting boys It is associated with by prominent or long ears This abnormal morphology suggests abnormal auditory function.. The mutational mechanism, combined with the location of this gene on the X chromosome, leads to remarkable inheritance patterns in which the relevant alleles are passed from intellectually normal men through their unaffected daughters and then to affected sons Aim of Work Study the complications and achieve accurate investigation of fragile X syndrome Methods Meta-analysis randomized controlled trials studies were revised of Fragile x analysis patients either complicated with hemiplegia or not , and Systematic review and several case control studies were revised about hearing assessment using auditory evoked potential or auditory stimuli on children with fragile X syndrome were identified based on systematic searches of 5 electronic databases including Pubmed database ,in addition to Searching on internet on site of national fragile x foundation and site † European Journal of Human Genetics†, which provide me with many information that helped me in proving the role of chromosome Karyotyping and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) microarray in investigation of Fragile X syndrome Results According to Above Methods , Sample of Children with Fragile X syndrome showed that Seizures are reported to occur in 10 to 20 percent of cases with a full mutation FXS 1 and are typically of the complex partial type 4. About 25 – 50 % suggested a high incidence of autistic behavior , most of them were in the mild to moderate autistic range while few suggested to have severe autism . Also, another screening studies were done and revealed that the sensitivity to develop autism in children with FXS is very high. in one cross sectional study, Participants (aged 10-23 years) included 17 males and females with FXS and 16 males and females serving as controls. Patients with FXS showed decreased functional connectivity in the salience, precuneus, left executive control, language, and visuospatial networks compared with controls. Decreased fALFF in the bilateral insular, precuneus, and anterior cingulate cortices also was found in patients with FXS compared with control participants, it is evident that FXS is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by a cognitive and behavioral phenotype resembling features of autism spectrum disorder. But no cases develop a more serious neurologic disorder such as hemiplegia as one of its complications In control studies which is done on sample of children with Fragile X syndrome after chromosome Karyotyping We found a break, or weakness, on the long arm of the X chromosome. it was helpful, it was not always accurate as, those with premutations did not have the typical â€Å"Fragile X† chromosome as seen under the microscope. Also, using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) micro array is very useful  as Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) micro array is a genetic test to detect any small deletions and duplications of the subtelomers of chromosomes Several case control studies was performed using auditory evoked potential One of them was made on 10 girls with fragile X syndrome and another age matched typically developing controls aimed at performing an auditory temporal discrimination task in a 3T scanner proved that there is significantly great brain activation in the left lateralized network On the other hand a case control study was mad on 23 with FXS and 21 controls by using auditory evoked potential and it proved that AEP of fragile X syndrome patients is within the normal limits Conclusion From above studies methods and their results, it was found that there is many complications of fragile X syndrome as: Seizure, which is reported to occur in 10 to 20 percent of cases with a full mutation FXS  high percentage of Fragile X syndrome patients develop autism . There are also evidence of developing other developmental disorders But, no case has been reported to develop hemiplegia so, the fragile x patient is not prone to be hemiplegic. Above studies also showed the accurate investigations for FXS as  chromosome Karyotyping help in diagnosis of Fragile X syndrome I recommend it in this case to show the affected gene but , it was not always accurate hearing assessment is recommended to diagnose fragile X syndrome as most of these children have hearing difficulties Although the absence of these difficulties does not rule out the disease (CGH) micro array is recommend in to investigate case with fragile X chromosome.As it can detect specific abnormalities in a chromosome. References Scambler DJ, Hepburn SL, Hagerman RJ, Rogers SJ. A preliminary study of screening for risk of autism in children with fragile X syndrome: testing two risk cut-offs for the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2007 Apr;51(Pt 4):269-76. PubMed PMID: 17326808. Petit E, Hà ©rault J, Raynaud M, Cherpi C, Perrot A, Barthà ©là ©my C, Lelord G, Mà ¼h JP. X chromosome and infantile autism. Biol Psychiatry. 1996 Sep 15;40(6):457-64. PubMed PMID: 8879465. Lee AD., Leow AD., Lu A., et al 3D Pattern of brain abnormalities in fragile X syndrome visualized using tensor-based morphometry. Neurolmage. 2007;34:924–938. Haas BW., Barnea-Goraly N., Lightbody A., et al Early white-matter abnormalities of the ventral frontostriatal pathway in fragile X syndrome. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2009;51:593–599. Ribacoba Montero R, Salas Puig J, Fernà ¡ndez Toral J, Fernà ¡ndez Martà ­nez JM, Moral Rato M. [Fragile X syndrome and epilepsy]. Neurologia [Internet]. 1995 Feb [cited 2013 Dec 1];10(2):70–5. Musumeci SA, Hagerman RJ, Ferri R, Bosco P, Dalla Bernardina B, Tassinari CA, et al. Epilepsy and EEG findings in males with fragile X syndrome. Epilepsia [Internet]. 1999 Aug [cited 2013 Dec 1];40(8):1092–9. Crawford DC, Acuna JM, Sherman SL: FMR1 and the fragile X syndrome: human genome epidemiology review. Genet Med 2001; 3: 359–371. Hagerman RJ: Medical follow-up and pharmacotherapy; in Hagerman RJ, Hagerman PJ (eds):: Fragile X Syndrome: Diagnosis, Treatment and Research, 3rd edn. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002, pp 287–338. Roberts J, Hennon EA, Anderson K, Roush J, Gravel J, Skinner M, et al. Auditory brainstem responses in young males with Fragile X syndrome. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR [Internet]. 2005 Apr [cited 2013 Dec 2];48(2):494–500. Rueda J-R, Ballesteros J, Guillen V, Tejada M-I, Solà   I. Folic acid for fragile X syndrome. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews [Internet]. 2011 Jan [cited 2013 Dec 3];(5):CD008476. Keywords :- FragileXsyndrome – autism- epilepsy- CGH-chromosome karyotyping -auditory evoked potential -hemiplegia

Adaptive theory and the restorative theory of sleep

Adaptive theory and the restorative theory of sleep Sleep is known as the circadian rhythms its mean sleep-wake cycle. One cycle is one day and controlled by the hypothalamus. Sleep is very important to each person. There are 2 theories about sleep which is the adaptive theory and the restorative theory. The adaptive theory of sleep explaining about when we need sleep otherwise sleep at night to keep out of danger and converse the energy. The restorative theory explaining about why we need sleep otherwise sleep can growth and repair occurs in the deep sleep stage. In spite of sleep may give people advantages, but some people might get disadvantages of it. Sleep might offer disorders to other people. There are common disorders that other people should know such as insomnia, sleep walking, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, night terrors, enuresis, circadian rhythms disorder, restless leg syndrome, nocturnal leg cramps. Insomnia is when someone has inability to get asleep for 4 month to 6 month, or difficulty to feel sleepy. Sleep walking is more common in childhood and more boys than girls. Night terrors is state of panic while sleeping and people who has night terrors syndrome will not remember what was happened once woken up. Sleep apnea is when people stop breathing for nearly half a minute while sleeping. Enuresis is urinating while asleep in bed. Restless leg syndrome is uncomfortable sensations in legs causing loss of sleep and movement. Nocturnal leg cramps is painful cramps in foot muscles. Circadian rhythms disorders is instability of the sleep- wake cycle such as jet lag and shift work. And narcolepsy is a sleep seizure and occurs without warning. The aim for this assignment is to know further information only about narcolepsy disorder, what causes of narcolepsy, what are the symptoms of narcolepsy, how is narcolepsy diagnosed and how is narcolepsy treated. Further more about definition of narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by overwhelming daytime tiredness and sudden attacks of sleep and it is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. Narcoleptic can occur at many times during a day. People may involuntarily fall asleep while at school, when having conversation, when eating, play games or the most dangerously is while driving and those are uncontrollable. Usually narcolepsy will take asleep just for a minute but in rare cases people may take asleep for an hour or may be longer. Narcolepsy generally manifest during early adulthood from 10-20 years old or late adolescence. Narcolepsy appears to occur more often men then women. The commonness of narcolepsy is related to that multiple sclerosis and parkinsons disease. In the United States, The National Institute of Neurological and Stroke estimate narcolepsy affect one in every 2000 people.However, in some countries, the commonness of narcolepsy is much lower (one per 500.000) while in other countries, it is much higher (one per 600). The American Sleep Association estimates that approximately 125.000 to 200.000 Americans suffer from narcolepsy, but only fewer than 50.000 are properly diagnosed. The cause of narcolepsy its very not clear which mean the exact cause of narcolepsy is not known but through the past decade, scientists have made important progress in perceptive it is pathogenesis and in identifying genes strongly related by the disorder. Scientists have also discovered abnormalities in various parts of the brain involved in regulating REM sleep that appear to contribute to symptom development. To be a condition where normal elements of sleep specifically elements of REM or dream sleep suddenly occur during a persons wakeful state it is appears in narcolepsy. The latest discovery has been the discovery of abnormalities in function and structure of a particular group of nerve cells and it called hypocretin neurons, in the brain who sufferer of narcolepsy. Location of those cells is in the part of brain called hypothalamus and they normally secrete neurotransmitter substances ( chemicals released by nerve cells to transmit messages to other cells ) and it called hypo cretins. Hypocretin is an important chemical in your brain and people with narcolepsy will have low levels of this neurochemical in their spinal fluid and it is for the most part low in those who experience cataplexy. You may suddenly enter into Rapid Eye Movement sleep without first experiencing in non Rapid Eye Movement both at a day and during at night. Some of the characteristic of Rapid Eye Movement sleep, such as sleep paralysis, vivid dreams and sudden lack of muscle tone, will occur during other sleep stages in people with narcolepsy. Other factor appears to play important roles in the development of narcolepsy. Some cases are known to result from shocking injuries to parts of the brain involved in Rapid Eye Movement sleep or for tumor growth or other disease processes in the same region. Dietary factors, infections, exposure to toxins, hormonal changes such as menopause or puberty, and alterations in a persons sleep schedule are just a few of the many factors that may make use of direct or indirect effects on the brain, thus possibly contributing to disease development. The role of heredity in humans who suffer from narcolepsy isnt completely understood. So far no steady pattern of heredity has been known in families. It is expected that relatives of sufferer with narcolepsy may have a higher tendency to develop narcolepsy or sleep associated abnormalities, such as increased Rapid Eye Movement and increased daytime sleepiness. Narcolepsy tends to start in adolescence and the symptoms are often mistakenly put down to behavior associated with this stage in life. There are many symptoms of narcolepsy are cataplexy, hallucinations, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis but the main symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness or EDS in a short form. Excessive daytime sleepiness become the main symptom is because suffer from narcolepsy is tend to fall asleep easily. This can happen in many times and without warning and they have difficulty maintaining their concentration. The patient of narcolepsy may sleep for a few minutes or nearly hour or might feeling refreshed but eventually will fall asleep again. Excessive daytime sleepiness is present throughout the day and the sufferer with extreme effort might be able to refuse the sleepiness for some time. Finally it becomes irresistible and results in a sleep episode in a varied duration. Cataplexy is suddenly a loss voluntary muscle control and loss of muscles tone that leads to feeling weakness. That muscle weakness can be quite slight and sufferer is conscious but unable to speak. Severe attacks of cataplexy may results in a complete body collapse with a fall to the ground and risk of being injury. Even though cataplexy can occur spontaneously, it is more often triggered by sudden, strong emotion such as stress, excitement, anger, humor or fear. Hallucination that occurs when falling rapidly into Rapid Eye Movement sleep called hypnagogic hallucination. Experiencing the dreams as a reality, and may be particularly frightening and vivid. The condition when people with narcolepsy temporary have inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking is called sleep paralysis. This natural inhibition usually goes to unnoticed by people who experience normal sleep because it occurs only when they are fully asleep and into Rapid Eye Movement stage at appropriate time in the cycle. This symptom is not only for those who have narcolepsy especially when young adulthood. On the other hand, narcolepsy also have additional symptom such as automatic behavior and disturbed nocturnal sleep. Automatic behavior occurs when people carry out certain action without awareness and this happen when the sufferer is changeable between wakefulness and sleep. Disturbed nocturnal sleep is along with excessive daytime sleepiness and the Rapid Eye Movement is related with abnormalities and it called narcolepsy pentad. Doctor may make an introduction diagnosis of narcolepsy based on excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. After a preliminary diagnosis doctor refer to a sleep specialist for further information. Methods of determining and diagnosing of narcolepsy is divided into severity include: sleep records, sleep history, multiple sleep latency test, polysomnogram. Sleep records is known as a sleep pattern, the doctor will ask to keep an every single report of a sleep pattern for a week or two week and doctor can comparing how alertness and sleep pattern are related to each other. In addition, doctor will asked the patient for a detail sleep history, which is in each part of history, involves filling out the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and use a short questions to estimate your degree of sleepiness. For example, the patient indicates on a numbered scale how likely it is that you would doze off in certain situations, such as sitting down after eat. Multiple sleep latency test will measures how lo ng it takes to fall asleep during the day. Polysomnogram measures a variety of signal during sleep using electrodes places on your scalp. Another test that is recommended is hypocretin test, which is to detect the levels of hypocretin in the fluid that surrounded spinal cord. People who have narcolepsy usually will have a lower level of this brain chemical that regulates Rapid Eye Movement sleep. So far many doctors or researches havent found the way or any drugs to treats narcolepsy. Even there is no way narcolepsy to be cured but there is have a drug and behavioral therapies that have been proven to treat excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy such as medication and lifestyle modification that can help for manage the symptom. Medication for narcolepsy includes norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or selective serotonin, stimulants, sodium oxybate, and tricylic antidepressant. Stimulants is kind drugs that is for stimulate central nervous system which is primary treatment to help the patient stay awake during the day. Tricylic antidepressant is also help people to treat narcolepsy but these drugs is older treatment and many people complaint about it because it may give side effects, such as constipation and dry mouth. Sodium oxybate helps people to improve nighttime sleep, which is often poor in narcolepsy. These drugs also may give serious side effects, such as bed wettin g, worsening of sleep walking and nausea. If the patient takes a high dose of these drugs it will lead the patient to difficulty of breathing, coma and even death. Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or selective serotonin is to help alleviate the symptom of cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. Narcolepsy is kind a sleep disorder who may give sufferer a very bad effects, such as damaging of brain, mentally or even in social life. Sufferer of narcolepsy cant control when they are supposed to fall asleep. They can fall asleep many times during a day. Narcolepsy can affect the person who suffering from it to future life, for example can affect relationship, education or career prospect. The person who suffering from narcolepsy may not be able to do a lot of things or even that person cant be able to socializing because some people will get irritated of that disorder. Consequently, people with narcolepsy often also have low self esteem and depression. Because, there is no way to cure narcolepsy but there have some drugs and another way to avoid cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness. Case Study Sleepy Genes Jason was a good student throughout grade school and middle school. However, when he began high school, he started to have odd symptoms that made his academic performance plummet. He was unable to stay awake during class, even when he had gotten plenty of sleep the night before. Even worse were the periods of paralysis called cataplexy. If he was startled by a slamming locker door, he might collapse and be unable to move for a few minutes. In his freshman year he broke three pairs of glasses as a result of these bouts of cataplexy. The diagnosis finally came when Jason was a junior in high school. Along with about 200,000 other Americans, Jason suffers from a disorder of the central nervous system called narcolepsy. Learning the name of his disease didnt cure Jason, but it has helped him to manage the symptoms. For example, he now takes amphetamines to keep himself awake during his normal daily activities. Even with these stimulants, he still needs to nap throughout the day, which he can manage by carefully organizing his schedule. Antidepressants seem to help prevent the embarrassing and often dangerous instances of cataplexy. Jason and the thousands of other narcoleptics share their plight with several colonies of dogs that are being studied at Stanford University. The excitement of getting a doggie biscuit can trigger cataplexy in these narcoleptic Daschunds, Dobermans, or Labrador retrievers. They regain muscle control a short time later, apparently none the worse for undergoing the uncontrollable collapse. In August 1999 the Stanford researchers reported the culmination of 36 years of study on these animals: They had discovered a gene that is defective in some of their narcoleptic dogs. The hope is that this information may help in developing new treatments for sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. How can scientists find genes? To answer this question, we must first go back in time about 140 years to a monastery garden in what is now the Czech Republic, where the science of genetics was born. Case Study Revisited: Sleepy Genes Following in the footsteps of Gregor Mendel, researchers at the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy crossed narcoleptic dogs to one another and analyzed the progeny. This analysis showed that narcolepsy in dogs results from a recessive allele of a single gene. But where is this gene and what kind of protein does it encode? Further studies by Dr. Mignots research group revealed that the narcolepsy gene is on chromosome 12. After years of effort, they were eventually able to clone the gene-only to find that it had already been discovered! The gene is called Hcrt2, and it encodes a protein receptor that is present on the cell surfaces of some cells in the hypothalamus (a part of the brain). The protein encoded by Hcrt2 binds to signaling molecules called hypocretins. In the narcoleptic dogs the receptor was defective, making their brain cells ignore the molecular signal delivered by the hypocretins. Narcoleptic mice, studied by another research group, appear to have normal Hcrt2 genes, but t hey have a different mutation that prevents them from producing hypocretins at all. In a most interesting turn of events, hypocretins (also called orexins) had been under investigation because of their role in controlling feeding behavior. Thus, the molecular systems that control sleep and feeding may have some common features. What about the human connection? In January 2000 Mignots research group and their collaborators reported that seven out of nine patients with narcolepsy did not produce hypocretin. These individuals may have a genetic defect similar to that of the narcoleptic mice. Two of the nine narcoleptic humans did produce hypocretins. These individuals may have a mutation in the hypocretin receptor gene similar to that in the narcoleptic dogs. Intense investigation is under way to use this information to develop treatments for patients with narcolepsy. This knowledge might also allow scientists to develop better medicines to promote sleep in people suffering from insomnia. Because genetics is important to so many aspects of human behavior, defense attorneys might consider using a defendants genetic constitution as a strategy to excuse criminal behavior. First, take the side of the defense and present an argument about why a defendants genes should be considered as a factor in the criminal behavior. Then take the prosecutions side and present an argument about why a defendants genes do not excuse criminal behavior. SUMMARY Narcolepsy tends to start in adolescence and Jacob experienced this disorder when he was started in high school. He was a good student throughout primary school and junior school. In high school he started with the odd symptom of narcolepsy such as he was not be able to stay awake during his class even though he had gotten plenty of sleep the night before. Even worse were the periods of cataplexy. If he was startled by slamming locker door, he might collapse and not be able to move for a few minutes. Finally the diagnosis comes out and he was positively got narcolepsy disease. He tried to do the treatment but it didnt cure him from narcolepsy. Jacob just takes some stimulants to keep him stay awake during his normal daily life, it was helped him to manage the symptom. Although, he takes these stimulants he still need a nap throughout his day.

Nigerias Rigid Expectations of Men :: essays research papers fc

In September 1997, in Oslo, Norway, a meeting was organized in co-operation with the Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO where international observer B. Mustakim said, â€Å"Highlighting masculinity may be seen as a way of excusing violent men, since their behavior is attributed to a masculinity which many believe to be "natural" and unchangeable.† Georg Tillner, author of Men and Masculinities, responded, â€Å"Power is the one aspect all variants of masculinity have in common, not necessarily as the real possession of power, but rather as a "demand for dominance" or an "entitlement to power". Masculinity is an identity† (Mustakim). Throughout Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, masculinity takes an impressive role in molding the clan’s male-dominated society, and plays a vital part in influencing characters’ decisions. In the novel, Achebe reveals the definition of what it means to be a man in Nigerian society ; he should be masculine and protect his family and friends in that he is willing to fight, earn his good reputation, and preserve and expand the honor of his family. In Nigerian society, a man was responsible for the protection of his family and friends in that he was willing to fight. No character in Things Fall Apart demonstrated this ideal better than that of Okonkwo. This was apparent in the very beginning of the novel when it is brought to the reader’s attention that Okonkwo had, at such a young age, already taken two titles and demonstrated undivided skill in two inter-tribal wars. At the closing stages of the novel, Okonkwo yet again attempted to protect his clansmen when five court messengers arrive at one of the clan’s meetings. Without any hesitation, Okonkwo pulled out his machete and killed the head messenger. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, however, did not fit the same mold of masculinity as that of his high-achieved son. While Unoka and his neighbor, Okoye, were sharing a kola nut (a symbol of life and vitality) one day, they talked about several things including that of the impending war with the village of Mbaino. U noka did not condone war, but not because he believed that it was barbaric. He was simply a coward and could not stand the sight of blood. Thomas Alva Edison, a great inventor, businessman, and true Renaissance man, once said, â€Å"The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do† (Woopidoo!). Okonkwo became an important and successful asset to his clan by achieving things in which his father refused to partake.

Interview Essay - Jacey Hart -- Interview Essays

Interview Essay - Jacey Hart J.C. Hart is a native Californian, and was born June 10, 1927, in Inglewood. She has been married to her husband, Jim for fifty-two years. Together they have raised one son and two daughters, who also reside in Southern California. J.C. feels that her family and marriage have provided the foundation for happiness in her life. When she married Jim in 1948, she found great happiness just in spending time with him. Over the years her definition of happiness has changed. J.C.'s children were of foremost importance in her life and added to her happiness. Certain years spent working also contributed to her happiness. She said, "The emphasis has changed, but not the foundation." Sometimes J.C. knew she was happy because she felt euphoric, but mainly her feelings of happiness come from being content. She said that she feels more satisfied than happy now when accomplishing something. "I'm not likely to reach out, because negative emotions were not always welcomed." But she feels that her husband, Jim has played a significant role in helping her cope with unhappiness. Because of his sensitivity towards her, J.C. hasn't experienced any "serious sorrows." She doesn't like to spend time feeling low. Physical activities and a sense of accomplishment help lighten her mood. She enjoys participating in Saddleback College's exercise classes that are held in Leisure World. Companionship, singing in her church, and watching sunrises, sunsets and the moon are important activities for J.C.'s sense of happiness. There are a couple of things make J.C. unhappy. One is when she gets discouraged when her time is spent unproductively. She is a fan of PBS, and enjoys spending some of her time watching their many fasc... ... faith and more on intellectual challenges, and social/political awareness. J.C. believes that parents today seem to put more emphasis on enjoying their children, rather than on being a "successful parent." She says that enjoying your children, and parenting them with love, respect and a positive attitude is a great way to achieve happiness. To achieve happiness, J.C. suggests that a person should be willing to keep learning, act on positive impulses, not put things off, and take good care of their health. Summarizing this advice with her philosophy on life, she emphasized the importance of striking a balance between your family, your social life, the contributions you make to society, and the accomplishment of your desired goals. After meeting J.C. Hart, I feel that her last name should be HEART. She has an aura of love, warmth, and wisdom that touched Me. Interview Essay - Jacey Hart -- Interview Essays Interview Essay - Jacey Hart J.C. Hart is a native Californian, and was born June 10, 1927, in Inglewood. She has been married to her husband, Jim for fifty-two years. Together they have raised one son and two daughters, who also reside in Southern California. J.C. feels that her family and marriage have provided the foundation for happiness in her life. When she married Jim in 1948, she found great happiness just in spending time with him. Over the years her definition of happiness has changed. J.C.'s children were of foremost importance in her life and added to her happiness. Certain years spent working also contributed to her happiness. She said, "The emphasis has changed, but not the foundation." Sometimes J.C. knew she was happy because she felt euphoric, but mainly her feelings of happiness come from being content. She said that she feels more satisfied than happy now when accomplishing something. "I'm not likely to reach out, because negative emotions were not always welcomed." But she feels that her husband, Jim has played a significant role in helping her cope with unhappiness. Because of his sensitivity towards her, J.C. hasn't experienced any "serious sorrows." She doesn't like to spend time feeling low. Physical activities and a sense of accomplishment help lighten her mood. She enjoys participating in Saddleback College's exercise classes that are held in Leisure World. Companionship, singing in her church, and watching sunrises, sunsets and the moon are important activities for J.C.'s sense of happiness. There are a couple of things make J.C. unhappy. One is when she gets discouraged when her time is spent unproductively. She is a fan of PBS, and enjoys spending some of her time watching their many fasc... ... faith and more on intellectual challenges, and social/political awareness. J.C. believes that parents today seem to put more emphasis on enjoying their children, rather than on being a "successful parent." She says that enjoying your children, and parenting them with love, respect and a positive attitude is a great way to achieve happiness. To achieve happiness, J.C. suggests that a person should be willing to keep learning, act on positive impulses, not put things off, and take good care of their health. Summarizing this advice with her philosophy on life, she emphasized the importance of striking a balance between your family, your social life, the contributions you make to society, and the accomplishment of your desired goals. After meeting J.C. Hart, I feel that her last name should be HEART. She has an aura of love, warmth, and wisdom that touched Me.

A Separate Peace Essays - Gene’s Enemies -- Separate Peace Essays

Gene’s Enemies   Adam and Eve had a perfect Garden of Eden, until Eve ate the apple and contaminated the garden.   In being tricked by the snake, Eve betrayed God’s word.   Mankind has often betrayed others because of the darkness in their heart.   In A Separate Peace, John Knowles uses Phineas as a sacrificial lamb to portray Gene’s savage side and demonstrate that peace can never be achieved at a worldwide level until man accepts the darkness in his own heart. Gene believes that Finny and he hate each other, until he realizes Finny’s pureness, which Gene can not stand.   At first, Gene believes that Finny wants to exceed him, and that the two are rivals.   Everyone at Devon likes Finny.   The teachers adore him, the students look up to him, the athletes aspire to be like him.   Finny has no enemies.   Gene, however, sees through Finny’s â€Å"cover† and thinks they hate each other.   He hates Finny for beating A. Hopkins swimming record, and for making him jump from the tree, and for being better than Gene.   When Finny takes Gene to the beach, Finny tells Gene that they are â€Å"best pals.†Ã‚   Gene does not respond to Finny’s sincere gesture because he thinks Finny wants to sabotage him.   Gene realizes that he and Finny are â€Å"even after all, even in enmity.   The deadly rivalry was on both sides after all† (46).   Gene has no proof of Finny’s hatred, but Gene need s to find a way to be even with Finny.   Once he decides they are even, he must now surpass Finny, so he jounces the limb.   Gene’s hatred takes over, only now he realizes that the hatred only comes from one side.   Finny is pure.   He never hates Gene; he loves Gene like he loves everyone else.   Ge... ... past, it would go away.   Instead the â€Å"stale air† rushes out at him when he reopens the door and causes him to deal with his feelings all at once, drenching him.   Gene has gone through another rite of passage, on top of his graduation, baptism, jumping from the tree, and Finny’s funeral.   By letting out the â€Å"stale air† and understanding his inner self, Gene reaches his â€Å"separate peace.†Ã‚   As a result, Gene becomes a sadder, but wiser, man. Gene’s experiences throughout the novel, along with Phineas’ death, contribute to his survival and progression as a person.   Gene realizes the only enemy he ever had was himself, and becomes pure and Phineas-filled after he confronts and conquers himself. Knowles compares a New England prep school to the Garden of Eden to show man’s flawed nature and that man always ruins what he can not understand.   

Anthropologists and Ethics

Anthropologists should as much as possible avoid taking part in the facilitation of peace during armed conflicts, especially where troops—peace keeping or combating ones—are involved. If fact, these researchers should consider postponing work regarding ethnic conflicts because the environment could not be conducive for research and their own safety (Eltringham, 2002).The bitterness between the warring groups can easily make it hard for these researchers to carry-out their work without bias, which could lead to wrong reports that may escalate conflicts further. Besides that, it has to be understood that most of the anthropologists that undertake such projects are not locals; they are foreigners from western countries. Their presence could raise eyebrows in some quarters because some locals could have feelings that some western forces are somehow involved with the conflict.The time frame for researchers’ presence could also lead to rushed studies that are not well prepared. Take the Kenyan conflict for instance. The country’s chaos started after presidential elections were supposedly ridged on December 27, 2007 and has already shown signs of subsiding (BBC, 2008). The first three weeks of January 2008 were the most chaotic in the country’s history. Around 300, 000 people were rendered homeless and close to 2, 000 killed (Baldauf, 2008).Luckily, the warring groups have come together to form a coalition government, an act that has resulted to return to normalcy in most parts of the East Africa’s biggest economy. Now imagine that anthropologists went there in January to work along the Kenyan police force that was involved with quelling uprisings all over the nation. The anthropologists would have started to talk with the youths regarding the cultural history or practices that could have caused the skirmishes.Owing to the fact that the country has 42 ethnic groups (Chanoff, 2008), the venerable anthropologists’ would h ave received 42 different answers. But what if such studies were done in a longer timeframe rather than the two months of chaos? There is only one answer: anthropologists would have, of course, gotten different answers, but would have a chance to cross reference and know the true answers from the wrong ones.The results that could degenerate from researchers’ work could lead to more chaos, because there was no time to get the correct information for their study. Working at the right time frame is therefore necessary for anthropologists to get conclusive studies, because they would have learnt different aspects that would help remove some bias.In Kenya’s case, no single anthropologist could claim to have understood the cultural roots or historical perspectives of the Kenyan 42 tribes in only two months.The short period of time and the working conditions for anthropological analysis that could help understand possible causes and solutions in these conflicts brings out som e ethical concerns that will be detailed in the sections that follows. These ethics are borrowed from the American Anthropological Association (AAA) Code of Ethics (AAA, 2006).

Investigating the Use of Inclusive Design in Public Places and Architecture

Draft: Investigating The usage of inclusive design in public topographic points and architecture Purpose The chief purpose of the check, is to briefly investigate and explicate methods used in order to make an across-the-board enviourment in architecture, for people with assorted types of disablements. Assorted subjects, which will reason to the concluding solution, will be the history, standard methods used for Barrier-free design and instances surveies demoing assorted s methods being implanted to make such an inclusive and non-stereotypical enviourment. Definition of Inclusive Design. Inclusive Design which can be besides known as Design-for-all, Lifespan design, Barrier Free Design and Human-Centered Design is a motion aimed in making merchandises, enviourments and communications.which are functional and safe. Inclusive design is largely aimed to make a non discrimitive and stereotyped enviourment which suits the demand to accommodate to all types of users chiefly disabled, without the demand of add-on aid. this helps to make a autonomous society. ( EBDFID p135 ) . Harmonizing to the Book â€Å"Universal Design Creating an Inclusive Work† , Inclusive design should non know apart faith beliefs, category, gender, sexual orientation and most significantly disablement, barrier free design believes in a word were everyone is treated indifferently and with the same human rights. ( UD pg 15 ) â€Å"Universal design is the design of merchandises and environments to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the demand for version or specialized design.† –Ron Mace 1988 In order for something to be considered as an Inclusive Design, it should incorporate the undermentioned Principles.Equitable Use ( giving off equal chances to all users regardless their abilities )Flexibility in Use ( Can be modified to the users need )Simple and Intuitive Use ( It is easy to utilize whilst communication, it’s map )Perceptible Information ( communicates information efficaciously )Tolerance for Error ( Provides communicative warnings when being used )Low Physical Effort ( no demand of extra strength and attempt through the usage of the infinite )Size and Space for attack and Use ( appropriate infinite is given to suit wheel chair users and assorted organic structure types etc )( UD pg 72 ) History The universe Universal design was developed by Ronald, L. Mace about 20 old ages ago, who wrote the book â€Å"Universal Design, in Designers West†in 1985. Ronald, L.Mace was besides the laminitis of the Center for Universal Design. Throughout the old ages assorted Torahs, ordinances and criterions have been developed, all these helped with the development of making barrier free design. ( universaldesign.ie, 2013 ) Such Torahs came approximately as assorted injured war veterans. where seeing the importance of rehabilitation and more handiness, before all this people with disablement were concled and in no manner integrated into society as there were particular establishments for them, so people can take attention of them. ( NCSU ) . Harmonizing to Oliver Heiss.one can see that the first type of inclusive design in architecture can be seen in infirmaries which catered for the well-being of injured veterans ( B-FD p10 ) The Civil Rights Movement of 1960, was one of the first inclusive Torahs, although this was non based on making an equal enviourment for the handicapped.It was radical as it helped make equal chances and stopped stereotyped racialist remarks against African Americans ( jfklibary,2014 ) . In 1961 the first disablement criterions were created being the American National Standards Institute ‘s ( ANSI ) 117. These Torahs which helped to make to make The Disability Rights Movements and statute laws of 1970’s,1980’s, 1990’s and 2000’s the Torahs were largely applied in the Unitied States and helped in the creative activity of a modern and functional design.As one can see, from the history discussed in the book Barrier-Free Design it shows that the development of human rights for disablement in Europe was much more set back, and took longer to develop even though these 2 continents had the same types of jobs. ( B-FD P9 ) . In 1988 The Fair Housing Amendment was invoked as a solution in order to avoid favoritism in flats for people with physical disablement, the act was based on making an accessible system, by including lifts, inclines.etc. This was the first jurisprudence, which delt with the betterment of the architectural construction ( HUD.gov 2007 ) .During this clip Lewis Mumford, an designer critic besides helped to advance Social architecture. In 1990 The first American with Disability Act which was based on some Torahs, found in the Civil Rights Act of `1964 was aimed so that designers could hold guildles in making public topographic points, which provide a service or employment indistinguishable. Opportunities, sing their different abilities due to a disablement. ( D: MBA P30 ) When implemented right, design for handiness allows people to be where they need to be independently, expeditiously and with self-respect, and in making so liberate their ain and others’ clip resource. Harmonizing to the World Health Organisation a â€Å"disability† is the job of holding a trouble which creates restrictions and limitations in a twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours activities. The types of disablements encountered can be one of the followingMotoric damages which can be recognised by low musculus control, strength and paralysation ( non being able to command your organic structure good )Mental damagesA Centripetal Impairment is the deficiency of one of the 5 senses being vision, hearing, gustatory sensation and odor.Cognitive damages being jobs with larning mental maps such as address, retrieving etc( B-FD p9 ) Inclusive design in public topographic points is non merely the architectural construction of a topographic point new engineerings are besides being applied in order to assist certain disablements the American Disability Act covers assorted subjects which besides including â€Å"Fire-Protection without Barriers† , and † Housing for the† . All these have assorted versions to the criterion regulations used as they contain different mark users as explained by Oliver Heiss a edifice should be adapted to its demands and users. One can happen that most regulations and the best explains are those used in Public Spaces such as Offices, working infinites, museums and schools this is as the American Disability Act suggests such topographic points should be welcoming to all users as possible without know aparting those supplying a service and those traveling for a service. ( B-FD ) Unfortunitly many designers still invision inclusive design largely for people with mobility impaments this can be seen through illustrations of the Millenium Park in the US which does non cointain characteristics which re suited for all types of imparmnts even thouh it is inclusive for eople whicjh have mobility issues. Design Design planning and impetation is an of import measure when coming to making new architectural edifices as suggested in most of RIBAs picture architectues normally create a adviser group of people with frogmans disablements who will utilize the infinite being created, these members help to do of import determinations of little inside informations which help make an enviourment which is non merely suited for an mean user but can accommodate to all type of demands. Assorted instance surveies suggest different methods one can utilize to supply a suited enviourment for the user. A peculiar illustration which shows inclusive design to all type of users is the Fleet Library at the Rhode Island School of Design, The library was created to except the mark of a wheel chair user as every 2 cubicals are non the same each cubical has peculiar withs and highs to set to diffirent organic structure types and make a infinite where everyone can experience comfortable.An intresting fact is that book shelves are keept low so that everyone can make all the books in the shelfs and the infinite is left every bit unfastened as possible for people with mobility imparments. Ponce De Leon in an interview about the school besides says how this design was non something that was re adjusted to the assorted users but was aimed to be suited for all the diffirent users one finds in this library she argues the importance inclusive design is when larning architecture as most of the clip it is over looked.According to Robert Siege the topographic point has achived inclusive design besides due to the new engineering used throughout the country such as audio initiation cringles at the library chief desk which helps people with heairing imparment communicate an understand better the talker as a moving ridge is automaticly connected to his hearing assistance, besides the usage of natural lighting and good lighting helps persons with vision jobs to see clearly although the articles do ot province how the library is suited or helps persons with vision damage, but explains that assorted textures are used to make contrast of infinite which as RIBA suggestes in its serious of pictures can be used to assist visualy impared persons have a memorable user experience and demo way. The library makes cosmopolitan design unseeable whilst maintaining the topographic point safe and beautiful. ( Architizer, 2014 ) ( RIBA,2009 ) ( NPR,2010 ) Hazelwood School in the City of glazgow is designed for childs who suffer from 2 diiferent imparments ( double sensory ) , they choose to include inclusive design in a merriment and colorful manner in order to pass on the infinite from people of 2 to 20 old ages of age.The school has a big Windowss to let even distribution of visible radiation and usage childrens residuary vision. An intresting characteristic which the school is good known for is the alone trail wall made out of cork and assorted texture meaning the country their in this largely helps lead kids with vision jobs due to touch whilst learning them orientation accomplishments and motivates them to travel around which is of import for childs which have certain mobility issues this fact can besides be seen in serious of picture from Riba which spekes about the Eden Project and says the importance of touch and making textures for people to derive an expirence. Colours is besides one of the chief characteristics used to demo fluctuation whitin infinites and besides the usage of curvetures and non habing crisp corners help kids non to acquire baffled For kids who have cognitive issues pictograms are used to assist them garner information visually as they orientate throughout the school besides brail is used expeditiously through the infinite, one can detect that the pictograms used are simple images and have an effectual coloring material which create a contrast with the backround. Keith Bright in the book Disability: Making Buildings Accessible states the importance of this as we perceive 70-75 % of information through vision. ( D: MBA PG82 ) ( As suggested by the RIBA Award largely schools and old peoples places are being given particular attending to such item One intresting illustration which is based on a Public infinite in Sweeden is the â€Å"City Lounge† in St.Galllen. The City Lounge in St.Gallen Sweeden is a peculiar public infinite undertaking created In 2005 which created something diffirent in concurrence to other undertakings one can notice hold achived assorted awards for inclusivity. Although the topographic point is largely known for its artistic qualities and museum like experience as described by the magazine St.Gallens – Lake Constance Inspirations ( Na ) This suggest that a infinite should besides hold a nice user expirence in order to pull users as besides stated in the book Universal Design ( United Nations ) The infinite making the metropolis sofa is made out of a soft gum elastic granulated flooring ( Wetpour gum elastic ) which is anti faux pas, non toxic and is considered hygienic and safe for kids. ( http: //advantagesports.com.au/rubber-flooring ) The infinite is communicated to the user with the usage of icons throughout the floor which insteantly communicate its significance. The infinite is suotable for people with mobility, sound and cognitive issues but is non every bit much inclusive for those enduring with vision imparment as the infinite can be confounding due to the seemless design where tectile flooring is non used to make way and infinite is non divided. The infinite is created to play with 1s senses as every sense is given importance.An component which can besides assist people with cognitive issues such as Autisim is the usage of such smooth forms which are besides used in establishments and infirmaries which have persons enduring from cognitive issues illustrations of topographic points utilizing similar technics are De Zeester an institute for kids with cognitive issues and the â€Å"New Strun Center for Autisim in Allo† where its chief designer Magda Mostafa where she besides uses soft ages throught a infinite to supply flow and extinguish misleadingnes. ( Archdaily2013 ) ( Architizer ) ( B-FD ) Civil Rights Movement – John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & A ; Museum. 2014. Civil Rights Movement – John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & A ; Museum. [ ONLINE ] Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Civil-Rights-Movement.aspx. [ Accessed 01 May 2014 ] .

Growth of Insurance Industry Post Liberalisation

GROWTH OF INSURANCE INDUSTRY – POST LIBERALIZATION INTRODUCTION : The journey of insurance liberalization process in India is now several years old. The first major milestone in this journey has been the passing of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999. This along with amendments to the Insurance Act 1983, LIC and GIC Acts paves the way for the entry of private players and possibly the privatization of the hitherto public monopolies LIC and GIC. Opening up of insurance to private sector including foreign participation has resulted into various opportunities and challenges. CONCEPT OF INSURANCE : In our daily life, whenever there is uncertainly there is an involvement of risk. The instinct of security against such risk is one of the basic motivating forces for determining human attitudes. As a sequel to this quest for security, the concept of insurance must have been born. The urge to provide insurance or protection against the loss of life and property must have promoted people to make some sort of sacrifice willingly in order to achieve security through collective co-operation. In this sense, the story of insurance is probably as old as the story of mankind. LIFE INSURANCE : n particular provides protection to household against the risk of premature death of its income earning member. Life insurance in modern times also provides protection against other life related risks such as that of longevity (i. e. risk of outliving of source of income) and risk of disabled and sickness (health insurance). The products provide for longevity are pensions and annu ities (insurance against old age). Non-life insurance provides protection against accidents, property damage, theft and other liabilities. Non-life insurance contracts are typically shorter in duration as compared to life insurance contracts. The bundling together of risk coverage and saving is peculiar of life insurance. Life insurance provides both protection and investment. Insurance is a boon to business concerns. Insurance provides short range and long range relief. The short-term relief is aimed at protecting the insured from loss of property and life by distributing the loss amongst large number of persons through the medium of professional risk bearers such as insurers. It enables a businessman to face an unforeseen loss and, therefore, he need not worry about the possible loss. The long-range object being the economic and industrial growth of the country by making an investment of huge funds available with insurers in the organized industry and commerce. GENERAL INSURANCE : Prior to nationalizations of General insurance industry in 1973 the GIC Act was passed in the Parliament in 1971, but it came into effect in 1973. There was 107 General insurance companies including branches of foreign companies operating in the country upon nationalization, these companies were amalgamated and grouped into the following four subsidiaries of GIC such as National Insurance Co. Ltd. , Calcutta; The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. , Mumbai; The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. , New Delhi and United India Insurance Co. Ltd. , Chennai and Now delinked. General insurance business in India is broadly divided into fire, marine and miscellaneous GIC apart from directly handling Aviation and Reinsurance business administers the Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme, Personal Accident Insurance, Social Security Scheme etc. The GIC and its subsidiaries in keeping with the objective of nationalization to spread the message of insurance far and wide and to provide insurance protection to weaker section of the society are making efforts to design new covers and also to popularize other non-traditional business. LIBERALIZATION OF INSURANCE : The comprehensive regulation of insurance business in India was brought into effect with the enactment of the Insurance Act, 1983. It tried to create a strong and powerful supervision and regulatory authority in the Controller of Insurance with powers to direct, advise, investigate, register and liquidate insurance companies etc. However, consequent upon the nationalization of insurance business, most of the regulatory functions were taken away from the Controller of Insurance and vested in the insurers themselves. The Government of India in 1993 had set up a high powered committee by R. N. Malhotra, former Governor, Reserve Bank of India, to examine the structure of the insurance industry and recommend changes to ake it more efficient and competitive keeping in view the structural changes in other parts of the financial system on the country. Malhotra Committee's Recommendations The committee submitted its report in January 1994 recommending that private insurers be allowed to co-exist along with government companies like LIC and GIC companies. This recommendation had been prompted by several factors such as ne ed for greater deeper insurance coverage in the economy, and a much a greater scale of mobilization of funds from the economy, and a much a greater scale of mobilization of funds from the economy for infrastructural development. Liberalization of the insurance sector is at least partly driven by fiscal necessity of tapping the big reserve of savings in the economy. Committee's recommendations were as follows: †¢ Raising the capital base of LIC and GIC up to Rs. 200 crores, half retained by the government and rest sold to the public at large with suitable reservations for its employees. †¢ Private sector is granted to enter insurance industry with a minimum paid up capital of Rs. 100 crores. †¢ Foreign insurance be allowed to enter by floating an Indian company preferably a joint venture with Indian partners. Steps are initiated to set up a strong and effective insurance regulatory in the form of a statutory autonomous board on the lines of SEBI. †¢ Limited number of private companies to be allowed in the sector. But no firm is allowed in the sector. But no firm is allowed to operate in both lines of insurance (life or non-life). †¢ Tariff Advisory Committee (TAC) is delinked form GIC to function as a separate statuary body under necessary supervision by the insurance regulatory authority. †¢All insurance companies be treated on equal footing and governed by the provisions of insurance Act. No special dispensation is given to government companies. †¢Setting up of a strong and effective regulatory body with independent source for financing before allowing private companies into sector. COMPETITION TO GOVERNMENT SECTOR: Government companies have now to face competition to private sector insurance companies not only in issuing various range of insurance products but also in various aspects in terms of customer service, channels of distribution, effective techniques of selling the products etc. privatization of the insurance sector has opened the doors to innovations in the way business can be transacted. New age insurance companies are embarking on new concepts and more cost effective way of transacting business. The idea is clear to cater to the maximum business at the lest cost. And slowly with time, the age-old norm prevalent with government companies to expand by setting up branches seems getting lost. Among the techniques that seem to catching up fast as an alternative to cater to the rural and social sector insurance is hub and spoke arrangement. These along with the participants of NGOs and Self Help Group (SHGs) have done with most of the selling of the rural and social sector policies. The main challenges is from the commercial banks that have vast network of branches. In this regard, it is important to mention here that LIC has entered into an arrangement with Mangalore based Corporations Bank to leverage their infrastructure for mutual benefit with the insurance monolith acquiring a strategic stake 27 per cent, Corporation Bank has decided to abandon its plans of promoting a life insurance company. The bank will act as a corporate agent for LIC in future and receive commission on policies sold through its branches. LIC with its branch network of close to 2100 offices will allow Corporation Bank to set up extension centers. ATMs or branches with in its premises. Corporation Bank would in turn implement an effective Cash Flow Management System for LIC. IRDA Act, 1999 Preamble of IRDA Act 1999 reads ‘An Act to provide for the establishment of an authority to protect the interests of holders of insurance policies, to regulate, to promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance industry and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Section 14 of IRDA Act, lays the duties, powers and functions of the authority. The powers and functions of the authority. The powers and functions of the Authority shall include the following. †¢ Issue to the applicant a certificate of registration, to renew, modify withdraw, suspend or cancel such registration. †¢ To protect the interest of policy holders in all matters concerning nomination of policy, surrender value f policy, insurable interest, settlement of insurance claims, other terms and conditions of contract of insurance. †¢ Specifying requisite qualification and practical training for insurance intermediates and agents. Specifying code of conduct for surveyors and loss assessors. †¢ Promoting efficiency in the conduct of insurance business †¢ Promoting and regulating professional regulators connected with the insurance and reinsurance business. †¢ Specifying the form and manner in which books of accounts will be maintained and statement of accounts rendered by insurers and insurance intermediaries. †¢ Adjudication o f disputes between insurers and intermediates. †¢ Specifying the percentage of life insurance and general and general business to be undertaken by the insurers in rural or social sectors etc. Section 25 provides that Insurance Advisory Committee will be constituted and shall consist of not more than 25 members. Section 26 provides that Authority may in consultation with Insurance Advisory Committee make regulations consists with this Act and the rules made there under to carry the purpose of this Act. Section 29 seeks amendment in certain provisions of Insurance Act, 1938 in the manner as set out in First Schedule. The amendments to the Insurance Act are consequential in order to empower IRDA to effectively regulate, promote, and ensure orderly growth of the Insurance industry. Section 30 & 31seek to amend LIC Act 1956 and GIC Act 1972. IMPACT OF LIBERALIZATION While nationalized insurance companies have done a commendable job in extending volume of the business opening up of insurance sector to private players was a necessity in the context of liberalization of financial sector. If traditional infrastructural and semipublic goods industries such as banking, airlines, telecom, power etc. have significant private sector presence, continuing state monopoly in provision of insurance was indefensible and therefore, the privatization of insurance has been done as discussed earlier. Its impact has to be seen in the form of creating various opportunities and challenges. Opportunities 1. Privatization if Insurance was eliminated the monopolistic business of Life Insurance Corporation of India. It may help to cover the wide range of risk in general insurance and also in life insurance. It helps to introduce new range of products. 2. It would also result in better customer services and help improve the variety and price of insurance products. 3. The entry of new player would speed up the spread of both life and general insurance. It will increase the insurance penetration and measure of density. 4. Entry of private players will ensure the mobilization of funds that can be utilized for the purpose of infrastructure development. 5. Allowing of commercial banks into insurance business will help to mobilization of funds from the rural areas because of the availability of vast branches of the banks. 6. Most important not the least tremendous employment opportunities will be created in the field of insurance which is a burning problem of the presence day today issues. CURRENT SCENARIO : After opening up of insurance in private sector, various leading private companies including joint ventures have entered the fields of insurance both life and non-life business. Tata – AIG, Birla Sun life, HDFC standard life Insurance, Reliance General Insurance, Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance, Bajaj Auto Alliance, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, INA Vysya Life Insurance, SBI Life Insurance, Dabur CJU Life Insurance and Max New York Life. SBI Life insurance has launched three products Sanjeevan, Sukhjeevan and Young Sanjeevan so far and it has already sold 320 policies under its plan. CONCLUSION : From the above discussion we can conclude that the entry of private players in insurance business is needful and justifiable in order to enhance the efficiency of operations, achieving greater density and insurance coverage in the country and for a greater mobilization of long term savings for long gestation infrastructure prefects. New players should not be treated as rivalries to government companies, but they can supplement in achieving the objective of growth of insurance business in india. THE GROWTH OF INSURANCE INDUSTRY – POST LIBERALIZATION Prepared by :ashish