Discrimination Due to Racism

THEME: DISCRIMINATION due to RACISM The scars of discrimination on society as a whole and people as individuals. Discrimination has caused a lot of sufferings on our people and ancestors in many ways around the world which scars lives of people from generation to generation as well as affects individuals and society as a whole.I have chosen a range of societies by selecting the texts, Dawn Raids play-script written by Oscar Knightley, Freedom Writer movie directed by Richard LaGravenese, Othello play-script written by William Shakespeare, Black Like Me novel based on a true story written and experienced by John Howard Griffin and The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till told by his mother, Uncles and cousins presented by Top Documentary Films. These texts explore a wide range of societies including Black Americans, White Americans, Africans, Pacific Islanders, New Zealanders, Asians, Latinos and other cultures too.These texts help reveal how discrimination scars society and people as in dividuals. What do we see in the text that portrays discrimination? As depicted in the play script Dawn Raids, we are introduced to some racist polices in New Zealand who stopped brown people on the streets asking them for passports in search of over stayers. These racist polices only picked on brown faces that they assumed were Samoans, Tongans, or Fijians. They even stopped Maoris asking them what country they’re from, being treated like over stayers in their own country.There were Europeans and Asians who were over stayers but polices never bothered them to ask for passports. Polices would crash into Pacific people’s houses early in the morning chasing them with dogs frightening their children, families and their neighbours. They were humiliated and embarrassed in front of their neighbours, their children and worst of all they were being treated badly in their own home. This racist act resulted in most Pacific Islanders were being separated and deported back to thei r Islands in a very cruel manner due to their racist hatred towards the Pacific Islanders.This shows that racism humiliates people and affects them in so many ways and discrimination should be stopped. This type of hatred towards other races is also obvious in the movie Freedom Writer but with more races involved, where Latinos, Asians, Black Americans and white Americans are separated into gangs and are targeted by racist white polices. The gangs hate each other due to their races and backgrounds but the one seemed lower than everyone else is the black people. White racist polices pinned down Marcus for a crime he did not commit due to his skin colour being black. I sat there until the police came. But when they come, all they see is a dead body, a gun, and a nigger†. He wasted months of his life locked up in a cell for crime he did not commit but being black put him as the killer and so someone had to pay the price. It shows in this text, justice meant someone had to pay the price and â€Å"someone† meant anyone who is not white. White polices didn’t care who committed the crime because all they wanted was someone to blame and Marcus was the one black guy that was around and due to his race and skin colour being black he was an easy target to pin the crime on.This text shows that racism ruled over justice and how discrimination can destroy one’s life forever. Another text which shows clinging to the belief of discrimination due to racism scars society and people is Othello, where Iago a jealous white man used racism slurs when he awakens Brabantio with the news that his daughter Desdemona, a white young lady has eloped with Othello. He used animal imagery in his racist diatribe against Othello, which is grounded in the idea that black –men and woman—is inhuman. â€Å"Even now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise!Arise; awake the snorting citizens with the bell. Or else the devil will make a gr andsire of you. Arise I say. † Iago refers to Othello as an â€Å"old black ram† and is â€Å"tupping† Brabantio’s â€Å"white ewe† Desdemona. He plays on the Elizabeth notions that black men have an animal like hyper-sexuality. This seems geared at manipulating Brabantio’s fears of miscegenation, between Othello and Desdemona. So due to Iago’s racist attitude towards Othello, Brabantio and few others tries to separate Othello from Desdemona. This shows how discrimination can affect love ones and individuals due to discrimination.In contrast Black Like Me a non-fiction novel based on a true story of John Howard Griffin, who changed his skin colour to black to try and find out how it feel likes to be black. He was called names like ‘nigger’ and he felt like an outcast amongst the white people, his own people. He found it hard to get along with white people as he gets ‘hatred glares’ from them but gets loving, w arm greetings and invitations from black people. Black people were being pushed away into hiding, poverty which caused a lot of sufferings for the black society as a whole, all young and old because of the colour of their skin.This shows that discrimination affected the black society leading them to poverty, misery, homeless and sufferings. The text The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till shows an identical horrific incident that scarred the Black Society at that time and even up to now in America. A young boy named Emmett Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi, America. Emmett was 14 years of age when he was taken from his uncle’s house by two white men due to the fact that he whistled at a white lady.Emmett loved to play around and had a sense of humour which led him to whistling at the white lady which caused his death by the hand of two racist white men. This reason for their action was very unacceptable and racist because if it had been a white man who whistled at the l ady, the white people nor anyone would do anything but since Emmett was black and not white, he paid the price of death. These white people had to prove a point that they were superior and they had to prove it by killing a 14 year old boy.Emmett’s mother had to keep the casket open to show the world the face of her son and what the white people did to him. The result of the brutal manners that was done was unimaginable and indescribable. Emmett’s face was unrecognized by his family and friends but especially by his own mother. His teeth were knocked out and his mother â€Å"took pride in them because they were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. † There was a massive hole on his head and his mother â€Å"could see right through. † His skull was broken in the middle and his tongue was cut and hanging down.The world attended the funeral to have a look at Emmett and this angered the white people. They sent racist letters of threats calling names like â€Å"niggers†, â€Å"savages† and treat of house being bombed. This text shows how black and white were separated by racism and how discrimination took control destroying the black society physically and emotionally. How does the context (time, place, social condition and other people) enhance the occurrence of discrimination due to racism? My text consistently displays the social condition, times and places where/when white were superior of all races.A time we now look back and feel embarrassed that it ever happened, a time of suffering, of pain, of struggle and temptation but hope was always in front and kept them going. In Dawn Raids this event happened in the mid-1970s to early 1980s during the most embarrassing time of New Zealand, where most islanders were being woken up early in the cold mornings at dawn with dogs and flashlights trashing things that came their way, handcuffed and held in cells. These times made racism easier for polices because they had the au thorities to pick on anyone but they chose only to pick on brown faces for over stayers.It was during the time when New Zealand brought Pacific Islanders to New Zealand to work in factories and do hard works and by that it meant that Pacific Islanders had to obey Pakehas and do as they are told. They lived in fear and under pressure because their lives were being controlled. This shows that discrimination affects and destroys lives of the Islanders and it should have been prevented and stopped. In Freedom Writer is based on a time where whites were still superior to all races and black being the lowest of them all and a time in America where black people were blamed for almost every crime.This show a time where freedom was deprive of the non-white people due to racism. Othello is a text that was influenced by the occurrence of racism through words of hatred, jealousy and a time where people believed in strange things concerning the devil, more religious believers and strong Christia n faiths. Iago refers to Othello as the â€Å"devil† even though Othello’s Christian, as indicating that black were evil and that â€Å" the devil† often took the form of a black man, which as to make Othello seem as something miserable and should be treated like an animal.These racist words of Iago were used to persuade Brabantio that it is impossible for Desdemona to fall in love with Othello because of his race. This shows a time where Othello’s race was seen as something not desirable or wanted. Othello is similar to Black like me where in accordance with social segregation of time, finding a job for black people was difficult and hard. They couldn’t find a restroom or cafe allowed for black to enter and use. This shows a time in America where black people were neglected of their needs and social involvement because of their skin colour.According to The untold story of Emmett Till and it’s devastating incident, that occurred during the t ime of the white being superior to black and slavery still seen around, black people were seen lower than whites and other races. Black people would be treated like animals and white people would get away with it. it shows a time where black people at that time still had no protection from the law, a time where they weren’t yet allowed to vote or speak their minds. This made racism worse for black people because they had no say in anything, due to most of them being brought up in the culture of slavery.So, in these texts it shows how the context can enhance the occurrences of racism shown through discrimination and why discrimination should be stopped. Why do people discriminate (including those in the texts)? There is no single, simple answer to this question. To begin with, it seems to be a human trait to dislike and distrust anyone we perceive as being â€Å"different. † It also seems to be a human trait to judge groups of people by the actions and attitudes of a fe w and it also seems to be a human trait to think that what we believe, how we live, and what we are is the only â€Å"right† way to believe, live, and be.People are not born racist and they learn this behaviour from their family, friends, and other important people in their lives. This is a personality disorder, I believe, based on a person's lack of self-worth. During the years of Affirmative Action (employment preference given to blacks) in America, many non-blacks were passed over for promotions and jobs which they considered rightfully theirs and this caused a great deal of bitterness. This particular program has not been around for many years, but older workers probably recall it clearly and still hold a great deal of resentment, like wise shown on the text Black Like Me.Some people  discriminate due to one's skin colour being different from theirs, backgrounds and where they’re from. It shows that white people discriminate black people because they believe that they are superior and they can do anything and get away with it without punishments. In Dawn Raids it shows that polices discriminate because immigrants were getting bigger and better in New Zealand and plus they didn't need them anymore; they had no use for them any longer.That was a selfish and unloving way, of how discrimination worked. Iago in Othello was totally under the influence of jealousy and hatred towards Othello, which resulted in a very tragic event of deaths and broken hearts and trusts between the two lovers, Othello and Desdemona, together with the help of religious faith and beliefs. In The Untold Story of Emmett Till it shows that the â€Å"white society† discriminates basically because of skin colours and ethnicity together with the echoing background of slavery from years ago.Similar to Freedom Writer it shows that students discriminates because of things that happened in the past, stories told by their fathers, their brothers, sisters and mothers. They kill each other and fight against each other even to death, shooting each other down because of the fact that their backgrounds and ethnics are different, they believe in different things and their past experiences due to racism and racial-hatred. Hatred and fear of others being superior or overpowering them made discrimination stronger but less do they know that they all have a lot in common than they know of.So discrimination should be stopped because it is unfair, unloving, painful, sorrowful and straight inhuman-like and lets come together and try make a difference for our next generations. Conclusion: People discriminate for many reasons; fear, envy, desire for power or a need to disassociate them from others but especially because of racism. Racism is and will always remain a central issue which is heard, seen and recognized in most countries, in societies and amongst individuals which causes a lot of sufferings.These issues of discrimination scars every aspect of economic cul tural and political life by overt or covert racism acts, either in offensive loud bang or in a subtle manner. In many ways discrimination due to racism blur the line of accepted and unaccepted societal norms, that to destroy and subjugate others –either through perpetuation of physical violence or words– is a phenomenon as old as time. These actions wounds societies and people as individuals which healed but left scars that will never fade or forgotten.What is disconcerting are the facts, figures and the damages caused to an individual and society as a whole. Painful tortures done behind doors and are swept under the rugs without others knowing or recognizing the damages. Hundreds of years ago people have paid a price for being racially different, tortured, and subjugated or killed, despite the advancement in culture, science and technology. People have been categorized and stereotyped which made discrimination easier. The root of the problem lies in our physical or cu ltural differences which involves skin colour, anguage, religion or tribe, hence the solutions too comes from this problem of being different. We should learn to love the different cultures and when  we meet people and learn about them we are really all just the same. I have zero tolerance for racism because it has resolved nothing for as long as racism has been, and it's the likes of JFK, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr, losing their lives for these very principles to make one realize that certain people are terrified that wars that should never have been, will be ended and there will be equality for all races of man.We should learn from these great men and strive to get along together rather than to fight with one another. I believe that by accepting and maybe celebrating differences is just one way of educating ourselves on these differences of cultures, and just maybe, a zero tolerance towards racism as an individual or society as a whole could pave the way for less o f it and try make this world a better place, discrimination-free and racism-free for our children, our children's children.A world where we can all come together as one with peace and love no matter what race, skin-color or country we're from, because I believe that  without discrimination and racism, the world would be a much better place for our species to multiply and replenish with equality for every man no matter what differences we have. Discrimination and racism should be stop and prevented forever. Don’t ignore or avoid the scars of discriminations. Bibliography: Shakespeare,William ‘Othello' playscript http://www. william-shakespeare. info/act1-script-text-othello. htm Knightley, Oscar   Ã¢â‚¬ËœDawn Raids’  Ã‚   ()playscript from school http://www. laymarket. org. nz/node/3328 LaGravenese, Richard  (2007)  Freedom Writer’ movie http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0463998/  or Youtube http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=m0PRB4YsXn4;feature=rela ted Griffin, John Howard ()‘Black Like Me’   based on a real life event, based on a true story. http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0057889/   http://books. google. co. nz/books/about/Black_Like_Me. html? id=ObTddfcqk2gC;redir_esc=y     Top Documentary Film (1950s)‘TheUntold Story of Emmett Louis Till’   http://topdocumentaryfilms. com/the-untold-story-of-emmett-louis-till/

Bloody bawdy villain! Essay

Is there anything more to say about Claudius’s role and characterization in the play? Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare in the Elizabethan era. It is widely believed to be one of his greatest plays, although not everybody agrees, T. S. Eliot calls it an ‘artistic failure’ and contrasts the play to that of Mona Lisa, claiming that Hamlet is the â€Å"Mona Lisa of literature. † Nevertheless, Hamlet has been debated over the centuries by the greatest scholars of the generations. The play revolves much around the corruption of the State and Crown of Denmark; Hamlet calls Denmark â€Å"an unweeded garden†. Claudius is the central antagonist in the play, and is the focus of revenge throughout the play. Not only did Claudius commit regicide and patricide, but he also effectively stolen Hamlet’s God given right to rule and married his mother hastily after the death of his father. Millions of words on thousands of books and articles have been written on Hamlet. They stand in ironic contrast to Hamlet’s final words â€Å"The rest is silence|. The ghost of King Hamlet appears early on in the play and claims that his brother Claudius is responsible for his death, referring to Claudius as a ‘serpent’ which has connotations of poison and evil. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the twelve apostles to be â€Å"wise as serpents, and harmless as doves†. The Book of Revelations, however, implied a connection between the serpent of the Garden of Eden and Satan, and as a result the snake for Christians lost their earlier associations with wisdom and healing and became symbolic of evil. Once the truth is revealed to Hamlet by the ghost, Hamlet swears an oath to avenge his father’s murder and becomes increasingly obsessed with exposing Claudius as a ‘bloody bawdy villain’ which results in the production of the ‘The Murder of Gonzago’ which clearly reflects the murder of his own father. Although Claudius attempts to repent his sins and prays to God for forgiveness, he only does so after he becomes suspicious of Hamlet, â€Å"madness in great ones must not unwatched go†. Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius at the chapel for while he is in a state of grace, he may be entered into heaven, which clearly would not be just revenge. Although, Claudius cannot pray for he is still in possession of the rewards of his murder, the Crown and the Queen, â€Å"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go†. Therefore in order to repent and to be admitted into heaven, Claudius must give up his thorn and his wife, since Claudius is unwilling to do either the audience must assume that he is not truly remorseful of his crime. To add insult to injury, Claudius is married to Hamlet’s mother. Hamlet therefore doubts whether or not his mother had any involvement within the murder of his father considering their hasty marriage hereafter. Not only has Claudius murdered his brother and the former king, he also attempts to kill his nephew and the rightful king of Denmark. Claudius becomes worried that Hamlet has discovered his secret and sends Hamlet to England for his death. However, when this fails Claudius cowardly attempts to persuade the melancholy Laertes to kill Hamlet in a duel with a poisoned sword. Claudius has committed a multitude of sins, his character is deceitful and cowardly. His greed caused the death of many and he was deceitful throughout the play all the characters. What agitates me the most is the friendly attitude Claudius seems to display towards Hamlet â€Å"But now my cousin Hamlet, and my son† this to me seems extremely insensitive. At the end of the play, Hamlet achieves his revenge upon Claudius, but many innocent lives were lost in the process; Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes and Gertrude. Claudius says in Act 5, Scene 2 â€Å"Our son shall win†. Claudius is cowardly character is evoked until the play of the play, Claudius could have saved his wife from death, although he says â€Å"Gertrude, do not drink! † He could have spared her life by declaring the cup was poisoned or by forcibly taking the drink from her, instead Claudius watches as his wife drinks from the poisoned cup which he had prepared, she died by his hand. It is not until Laertes proclaims â€Å"Thy mother’s poisoned- I can no more- the king, the king’s to blame† that Hamlet gains his just revenge. There are no positive qualities of Claudius evoked throughout the play. He is indeed a ‘bloody bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain. † Claudius deserved his fate, he was a tyrannical dictator who achieved his throne through bloodshed and dishonor. Hamlet remains one of Shakespeare greatest works due to the realism and diversity of the play. Shakespeare uses the image of rottenness in the play to suggest to the audience that a rotten king makes a rotten country and the greed and ego of one man can bring the country to its knees. Shakespeare achieves this by using metaphors; â€Å"unweeded garden† â€Å"serpent† and â€Å"maggots†, Shakespeare uses the theme of corruption to evoke to the audience that â€Å"power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely†.

Solution to Case Problem Specialty Toys

Solution to Case Problem Specialty Toys 10/24/2012 I. Introduction: The Specialty Toys Company faces a challenge of deciding how many units of a new toy should be purchased to meet anticipated sales demand. If too few are purchased, sales will be lost; if too many are purchased, profits will be reduced because of low prices realized in clearance sales. Here, I will help to analyze an appropriate order quantity for the company. II. Data Analysis: 1. 20,0 00 .025 10,0 00 30,0 00 .025 .95 20,0 00 .025 10,0 00 30,0 00 .025 .95 Since the expected demand is 2000, thus, the mean  µ is 2000.Through Excel, we get the z value given a 95% probability is 1. 96. Thus, we have: z= (x- µ)/ ? =(30000-20000)/ ? =1. 96, so we get the standard deviation ? =(30000-20000)/1. 96=5102. The sketch of distribution is above. 95. 4% of the values of a normal random variable are within plus or minus two standard deviations of its mean. 2. At order quantity of 15,000, z= (15000-20000)/5102=-0. 98, P(stockout ) = 0. 3365 + 0. 5 = 0. 8365 At order quantity of 18,000, z= (18000-20000)/5102=-0. 39, P(stockout) = 0. 1517 + 0. 5= 0. 6517 At order quantity of 24,000, z= (24000-20000)/5102=0. 8, P (stockout) = 0. 5 – 0. 2823 = 0. 2177 At order quantity of 28,000, z= (28000-20000)/5102=1. 57, P (stockout) = 0. 5 – 0. 4418 = 0. 0582 3. Order Quantity = 15,000| Unit Sales| Total Cost| Sales at $24| Sales at $5| Profit| 10,000| 240,000| 240,000| 25,000| 25,000| 20,000| 240,000| 360,000| 0| 120,000| 30,000| 240,000| 360,000| 0| 120,000| Order Quantity = 18,000| Unit Sales| Total Cost| Sales at $24| Sales at $5| Profit| 10,000| 288,000| 240,000| 40,000| -8000| 20,000| 288,000| 432,000| 0| 144,000| 30,000| 288,000| 432,000| 0| 144,000|Order Quantity = 24,000| Unit Sales| Total Cost| Sales at $24| Sales at $5| Profit| 10,000| 384,000| 240,000| 70,000| -74,000| 20,000| 384,000| 480,000| 20,000| 116,000| 30,000| 384,000| 576,000| 0| 192,000| Order Quantity =28,000| Unit Sales| Total Cost| S ales at $24| Sales at $5| Profit| 10,000| 448,000| 240,000| 90,000| -118,000| 20,000| 448,000| 480,000| 40,000| 72,000| 30,000| 448,000| 672,000| 0| 224,000| 4. According to the background information, we get the sketch of distribution above. Since z= (Q-20,000)/5102 =0. 52, so we get Q=20,000+0. 2*5102=22,653. Thus, the quantity would be ordered under this policy is 22,653. The projected profits under the three sales scenarios are below: Order Quantity =22,653| Unit Sales| Total Cost| Sales at $24| Sales at $5| Profit| 10,000| 362,488| 240,000| 63,265| -59,183| 20,000| 362,488| 480,000| 13,265| 130,817| 30,000| 362,488| 543,672| 0| 181,224| 5. From the information we get above, I would recommend an order quantity that can maximize the expected profit, and it can be calculated by the formula below: P(Demand

Effects of pollution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effects of pollution - Assignment Example This essay discusses the effects of specific pollution with regard to human health, land, water, and land. Pollution is one of the aspects that have a detrimental effect on human health. This occurs in various ways. For instance, over the years, agriculture has experienced major technological developments in order to enhance food production. To a considerable extent this has also resulted in improvement in the standards of health and safety for those individuals working in agriculture. This is through their enhanced awareness of personal protection and awareness of hazards. However, there remains much to be done in order to improve the health status of individuals and prevent injuries that are related to agriculture. This is because agriculture continues to expose individuals to long term health risks. The modern farming practices contribute to respiratory illness and exposures. These expose individuals to several acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Mostly, people in agriculture are exposed to organic dusts, toxic gases, and biaerosols. Similarly, exposure to inorganic dusts from soil components that have silicates results in nodules and macules. Additionally, exposure to pesticides results in differernt adverse effects on humans. For instance, reproductive effects include miscarriages and preterm delivery, as well as infertility among women that are highly exposed. Furthermore, various studies show that the modern farming practices are a cause of hearing loss among the individuals exposed. Notably, the current farming practices include high levels of noise from vacuum pumps and tractors, among other machineries that exceed the standard noise levels by OSHA (Schenker, M. & Kirkhorn, 2011). Apart from modern farming practices, municipal service also does have a negative impact on human health. Municipal waste is the waste that is generated from homes, schools, small businesses, and shops. This waste is collected by local authorities,

Asthma as a Chronic Inflammatory Disorder Essay

Asthma as a Chronic Inflammatory Disorder - Essay Example It is suggested that 90% of the deaths caused by asthma can be prevented if proper measures are taken without wasting time(Anderson et al., 2007). In the United Kingdom, the overall percentage of the asthma patients has slightly declined, however, the number of patients has increased. This is because the population continues to increase, and the rate of increase of asthma patients in the population is lower to the population growth rate. Some of the common triggers of asthma include respiratory infection, cigarette smoke, and allergens like pollen grains, dust and other particulate pollutants, sudden changes in temperature, stress/anxiety, and exercise. The asthma attack is characterized by the narrowing of airways; which occurs due to the tightening of muscles, excessive secretion of mucus, and swelling of epithelial lining in lungs (Bisgaard et al., 2012). All these events are triggered by one or more aforementioned causes. Asthma can prove lethal if it is not managed properly, tho usands of children lose their lives every year at the hands of asthma due to negligence on the part of parents and healthcare professionals. Though asthma is a reversible lung disease, slight negligence or delay in providing proper care may cost one’s life. Children with asthma are at a disadvantage; their activities are limited because of the fear of acute exacerbation. The restricted lifestyle coupled with precautionary measures builds psychological stress, which obviously not ideal for children during their growing years. Psychological stressors like fear, anxiety, and depression lead to impairment in learning at school and restrict their participation in activities enjoyed by their age fellows(Chait, 2015). Asthma does not have a specific cause; the inflammation of respiratory tract can be triggered by numerous sources. Therefore, there are multiple events, stimuli, and allergens that can affect the associative learning, and result in confused responses.

How might a rights-informed approach to social care provision and Essay

How might a rights-informed approach to social care provision and delivery result in better outcomes for users of social care se - Essay Example For instance, the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities encompasses rights to: participation in decision making; physical integrity and personal mobility; participation, dignity, and non-discrimination; and to live independently and actively within the community. A rights-based approach facilitates the realization of human rights by: fostering the inclusion of marginalized, socially excluded, vulnerable, or at-risk groups of people; addressing and challenging the barriers, inequalities, and injustices that are prevalent within the society; pursuing policies and programs that facilitate the well being of the service users. In most case, a rights-based approach gives services providers a stronger role to play in the manner in which services are designed and delivered. As a result, social care service users are rendered recipients of services that transform their lives and safeguard them against discriminatory treatment (Great Britain 2007, p.177). A right-based approach highlights the significance of empowerment and participation of parties impacted on by decisions to claim the rights, and accountability and capability to deliver from those responsible for social care service provision and delivery. ... need to reform institutions and transform power relations via enhanced participation, accountability, and participation and via compelling organizations to meet their rights obligations. A rights-informed approach to social care delivery and provision rests on guaranteeing that health and social care is provided and made accessible to all persons on a fair basis (Chapman 1994, p.4). Human rights represent the fundamental and irreducible rights for all individuals, which represent the moral and ethical principles that are critical to a democratic society. Human rights are grounded in a framework of fundamental values such as dignitary, equality, autonomy, respect, and fairness. The relevant human right instruments referred to in the paper entail: Human Rights Act, European Convention on Human Rights, especially Articles 2, 3, and 8; UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and, UN Conventional n Rights f Personas with Disabilities, especially Article 19. The European C onvention on Human Rights articles entail: the right to life (Article 2); the right to respect for private and family life (article 8); and, the right of not to be subjected to discrimination with relation to any of the rights within the Act (article 14). With regard to values, a rights-based approach highlights PANEL principles, namely: participation, accountability, non-discrimination, empowerment of individuals, and legality (appreciation of legal principles) (Steiner, Alston and Goodman 2008, p.300). Human rights apply to all, but are especially significant for persons who are at enhanced risk of poor treatment. Human rights can avail practical guidance to the formulation, implementation, evaluation, and monitoring of social care provision and delivery. The rights-informed approach

Industry report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Industry report - Research Paper Example Since then, it has sold a record of over 3000 cars for a short period of time, a fact which has been attributed to its ambitious plans and product launches which have been put into place by the company. The Maserati product also has the convertible type in place which has been confirmed to be the Maserati Levante, the first SUV from Maserati in 2015 and another model named 2+2 which will be rolling out in next year. All these are attempts of the Italian car giant of trying to place a production output cap of 75,000 globally. The racing market has been flooded by many car giants like Subaru, Mitsubishi and Toyota who try to portray themselves as the best ahead of the rest and there was a time when Maserati withdrew from factory racing participation due to Guidizzolo tragedy (A 4.2 L Ferrari travelling at a speed of 250KM/H blew a tire and crashed into the roadside crowd, killing the driver, co-driver and ten spectators including five children) in 1957 which tarnished their name but this did not hinder them from producing cars for privateers. They became more and more focused on building road-going grand tourers which were popular back then. The sporty vehicle is made to impress and with its style, it sure provides the luxury that anyone on this globe entirely needs. Maserati’s main focus of indulging in the racing industry was to provide the best engine and chasis necessary in racing. This was to make them as an easily identifiable lot when it came to car selection. However, with the help of a few factors highlighted here below, one will understand Maserati’s target with ease. In order to face off competition from other car companies, Maserati has rolled a list of its very luxurious machines with an intend of increasing its following globally. These cars include the Maserati Quattroporte which is an amazing sporting luxury saloon, a sixth generation vehicle which was introduced in 2013. However,

The influence of women's wear on American fashion and design Research Paper

The influence of women's wear on American fashion and design - Research Paper Example Donna Karan and her influence- Donna Karan’s influence was especially manifested in the sportswear designs, which came to prominence in the American fashion and design industry during the latter years of the 20th century. Other women’s wear influencers - These include Claire McCardell, Bonnie Cashen, Tina Lesser, Clare Potter, Tina Lesser as well as Emily Wilkins. These women and others are explored and the role they played in setting free the American fashion design from the strongholds of the Parisian design, with a new standards of designs, for example corsets and new girdle designs. Women’s wear has dominated the American fashion and design for a long time, and the influence they have is an important subject that designers should embrace and understand well. The American fashion industry is awash with big names from Clare McCardell to Donna Karan, among others, iconic fashion designers who have left a big mark to the industry in not just the American but also the International sphere. The following paper is an assessment of ways through which women’s wear has influenced American fashion and design. The paper will explore the following three influencing factors. Firstly, the works of Claire McCardell and their influence to the American fashion and design industry are explored. The influential work of Donna Karan is also examined. The other influences examined in detail are the influences of various women’s wear during the 1920s and the 1930s, a period when the works of big names at this time made an indelible mark to the American fashion ind ustry as well. The influence of Claire McCardell to the American fashion and design is immense. Together with other women, for example Elizabeth Hawkes, Vera Maxell and Bonnie Cashin, McCardell is recognized as one of the major icons of American fashion. Claire McCardell was a rising star during the 1930s, and Buxbaum writes of her influence

Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Law - Essay Example However it was soon realized that the current definition was not adequate and hence required to be redefined to include a broader perspective. Accordingly various additional set of activities were included to broaden the scope of the term. According to section 11 of the Banking Act, certain activities included in the definition applied only to individuals and / or corporations, and any non-corporation which is not defined under this section, is forbidden to carry out â€Å"any banking business†. Similarly under section 8, non-ADI corporations are forbidden from carrying out â€Å"any banking business† (Comlaw, 2011). There is an ambiguity over the term â€Å"any banking business†. The sections 7 and 8 of the banking act prohibit the execution of 'any banking business' although there is no clear consensus regarding the term. There are serious doubts regarding what can possibly be considered as "any banking business". According to the section 5, banking business in cludes acceptance of funds from the public AND making loans to them, but whether a business which is involved in only accepting deposits but not make any loans, is considered as 'banking business' and vice versa, is questionable (Weaver et al, 2003). In Commissioners of the State Savings Bank of Victoria v Permewan, Wright & Co. Ltd, Issacs J, stated that the "essential characteristics of the business of banking may be described as the collection of money by receiving deposits upon loan, repayable when and as expressly or impliedly agreed upon, and the utilization of the money so collected by lending it again, in such sums as are required (Guest, Chalmers, 2005, 11). In United Dominions Trust Ltd v Kirkwood [1966] 2 QB 431 at 445ff, Lord Denning stated that, the times have changed drastically, ever since the definition of banking put forward by Issac, and newer instruments of payment are now added and used as acceptable modes of payment. This includes the use of cheques - crossed as well as uncrossed, and hence the same must also be included within the definition of banking (Gillies, 2004, 780). The Privy Council, in Bank of Chettinad Ltd v Colombo v Income Tax Commissioners, Colombo [1948] A.C. 378, accepted the following definition of banking: "a company which carries on as its principal business, the accepting of deposits of money on current account or otherwise, subject to withdrawal by cheque, draft or order (Brindle, Cox and Coleman, 2004, 426). The definition of 'business of banking' discussed so far, are inadequate on two grounds: firstly, there is significant ambiguity over the term "any business" used in the definitions and secondly, not all modes of payments are appropriately covered under the definitions. Thus on account of these two reasons, defining what comprises of 'the business of banking' becomes a daunting task. 2. The two key duties imposed on customers in accordance with MacMillan and Greenwood rule under the Australian law include (Hockin g, Smith, 1999, 156): (i) The duty to exercise adequate care while drawing cheques so as to prevent misleading the bank or to encourage forgery – (the MacMillan duty) and (ii) The duty to inform the bank if any cheques allegedly signed by the customers are forged (the Greenwood duty) The first duty was laid down in the London Joint Stock Bank Ltd. v Macmillan case while the second was laid down in the Greenwood v Martins Bank Ltd., case (Kelly & Holmes, 1997,

Moment and equilibrium Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Moment and equilibrium - Lab Report Example The aim of the experiment is to verify the equilibrium of force on a beam experimentally and analytically using the concepts and equilibrium and finding the reactions of the left and right weights (Lee, 2010). Taking measurements by several people would mechanically give dissimilar values since each individual may stretch the string by diverse tension. To minimize is by stipulating the circumstances that could lead to the error. Taking into consideration of errors presented by the instant working environment. There is need to take into account for or shield the experiment from shakings, drafts, variations in temperature, electronic sound or other effects from neighboring apparatus (Lee, 2010). This error can happen when there is some length or distance between the measuring balance and the indicator used to attain a measurement. If the viewers eye is not directly aligned with the indicator and scale, the interpretation may be extraordinary (Lee,

Academic article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Academic article - Essay Example a strategic plan may become accidentally successful, but it much more likely to achieve success, and to maintain its profitability, if it has a plan in place. A company with a strategic plan will know how it has got to current success and thus may be able to continue on this path in the future. This essay will consider aspects of good management and planning through the consideration of one of the most successful companies of recent years: McDonald’s Corporation. A company such as McDonalds, involved in planning first needs to be aware of what exactly is happening at the given moment within the business, and then needs to be able to extrapolate possible outcomes based upon that awareness. The first premise of planning is having as much knowledge as possible. The type of planning which is now occurring has changed radically from that envisioned in the traditional business model. As John Byrne puts it, â€Å"gone are the abstraction, sterility, and top-down arrogance of the old model.† (Byrne, 1) Now managers in the most successful corporations (such as McDonalds) are part of a system in which â€Å"today’s gurus of strategy urge companies to democratize the process†, and they do this â€Å"by handing strategic planning over to teams of line and staff managers from different disciplines.† (Byrne, 1) Often young, junior managers who are noted for their creative thinking are teamed with near-retirement, senior managers who essentially have nothing to lose and so can tell it like it is. So from the most junior to the most senior manager there is a role, both for planning within their own specific area of the business, but also for constant consideration of how that may effect longer-term and more far-reaching plans. Planning is perhaps the central role of all managers, because all the other functions flow from it and must always consider their relationship to it. A business without a plan has no future, and so all the other functions will be redundant. Organization

Ethics Game Simulation Essay Example for Free

Ethics Game Simulation Essay In simulation game, two dilemmas were presented. The first case is happened to a 16-year-old mother, RB. She is in her tenth hour of labor. Her parents are at bedside with her. Because of religious belief, they have chosen to limit the amount of medication and other medical assistance. Due to the length of her labor, her unborn child’s situation is getting worse. RB has not received any medication so far. Because of her fear and distress, fetal distress has been increasing gradually. RB’s brother stated that their parents want the staff hold the painkiller and treatment because they punish her for getting pregnant before she was married. RB is still a minor, her parents are informed of her health status, but we are not sure whether or not they understand how dangerous her situation could get. In the second case, one of the ICU patient, AT, was brought to the hospital by his domestic partner, YM. YM was accompanied with him while both of them were in the ER, but he was not allowed to visit his partner in the ICU. The shift supervisor nurse stated she would follow the rules and allow actual family members visit the patient. AT has been unconscious for one day and no definitive diagnosis has been reached. He was in critical condition and cannot make decision by himself. There is no related information on patient’s file whether or not approve or refuse the current treatment. In order to address ethically, I need to be attentive. So I have to identify the real dilemma first. In the first case, the teen and her unborn child need medical care but her parents are the legal guardian that have legal responsibility for her care. Now I have already now the problem, the next step is to be intelligent. I need to use my critical thinking skill to evaluate the facts. Also, I need to think about my obligation to my patient and how my decision affects each person involved in this case. Hence, the decision needs to be fair, fulfill my duty, and reasonable. I have to assure that the patient and her unbor n child get appropriate medical care, her parents’ wishes are being honored, and I will follow hospital’s policies and  rules. After careful consideration, my decision is to ask the assigned nurse to call a physician to make sure the mother and baby are assessed medically, they will get appropriate and necessary care, and both of them will be safe. Meanwhile, I will contact the chaplain to make sure patient’s parents’ values are respected by the medical care team. In the second case, I have to identify patient’s domestic partner’s rights and each person’s emotional state. Then I have to consider how to perform my job duty responsibly and my obligations to the patient, and patient’s best interest. The issue they have now is how to assure access for same-sex partner’s patients on equal footing with heterosexual couples. Because the same-sex partner do have some rights in this situation such as right to make decision for an unconscious family member. Since my patient, AT, is still unconscious and he can’t make any decisions for himself. So, my decision is to give YM access to his loved one and treats him as family. I will also speak to my supervisor about my decision. When utilizing ethical lenses, it will guide me make a sound decision. In the first case, I used right/responsibilities lens and results lens. The right/responsibilities lens focuses on duties and obligations, and be ethically acceptable. The results lens focuses on the duties and what meets individual desires, which means I have to consider how my action will affect each person. Hence, I have to combine all the analysis and my knowledge to make a sound decision in order to satisfy each person’s ethical desires. The second case, I used relationship lens and reputation lens. The relationship lens focuses on being fair. In order to be fair, I have to use my power appropriately and everyone’s rights as a person. For instance, I need to know the patient’s domestic partner’s rights and what kind access I can give to him. The reputation lens guides me focus on the virtues of each person. The rights/responsibilities lens allow me to consider my duty as a nurse and how to accomplish my duty. My patient and her baby’s safety ar e my top priority. Hence, I have to call the physician and notify him that my patient needs medical care. When using the results lens, I need to consider how to create a satisfied result to meet my patient and her family member’s needs and honor patient’s parents’ wishes as well. Hence, I have to contact the chaplain to comfort patient’s parents in order to meet their spiritual needs. The relationship lens allow me to consider my patient and his domestic partner’s rights. Hence, before I make a decision. I look at  hospital’s policy and rules. I want to make sure I give my patient’s partner his rights to access his loved one while I am still implementing hospital protocols. The reputation lens leads me to think about how to be a good nurse and how to provide best care for my patient. Also, I have to let my supervisor understand my decision and my standard as an employee and a nurse. As a home health nurse, we meet patients who from countries and who has different beliefs, and cultural backgrounds. I think when I have an ethical conflict, I have to assess the situation and gather data instead of making assumptions. After I collect data, I need to think about how the decision will impact each person involved in this case (right/responsibilities lens). As a nurse, I also need to remember ANA Code of Ethics. I have to remind myself I need to References EthicsGame.com, LLC. (2007). The troubled teen and policies an politics. Retrieved from: http://www.ethicsgame.com References Guido, G. W. (2010). Legal ethical issues in nursing (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Lim Goh Tong

Lim Goh Tong The person who I admire most is Lim Goh Tong, and thus i had choosen him for my Malaysian Studies term paper topic. There are many great things of Lim Goh Tong that I always admire. He is not only a hardworking person, but also a smart businessman who do the right thing at the right time, I think its safe to say the greatest businessman in Malaysia. Lim Goh Tong was raised in an lower middle-class home, a rustic environment in a village, and was forced to leave school at 16, but yet this didnt hold him back in achieving his dream. Malaysians, especially the young generation, have a lot to learn from Lim Goh Tong. His spirit and courage in meeting challenges have enabled him to rise from nobody to somebody. Even without the advantages of higher education, he has proven that nothing is impossible. 2. Parents and Background He was born in 1918 in Anxi, a county in the region of Quanzhou, Fujian Province. Anxi is well-known for its Oolong tea, and Tiegunyin. His forefathers originated from Penglai, Fujian. At an early time, they migrated to Anxi and settled down there. His grandfather was Lim Mei Chow. His father, Lim Shi Quan, was the eldest of four boys in the family. The other boys were Lim Mo Zi, Lim Mo Sen and Lim Mo Jin. Like Lim Goh Tong, his father and grandfather was an upright man, loved and respected by anyone. His mother, Goh Ban, did not come from a rich family. But she always had the principle of being a good wife and mother. A gentle, affable lady with strong religious beliefs, she loved her family deeply and set a great store by proper upbringing for her children. His father own a business of dealing in vegetable seeds, rabbits and other items, while his mother took care of her seven children. Despite her bound feet, she had to do a lot of heavy work. But she never complained. The couple worked perfectly as a team, in line with the age-old Chinese thinking that the man should take charge of external affairs and the woman, domestic matters. A good parental teachings is very important that could affect a childs life through his behaviour and attitude. Same goes to Lim Goh Tong, his parent had been tirelessly teaching them with traditional Chinese virtues. They kept telling him the importance of hardworking and perseverance. Such parental teachings have a big impact on him and he always have the thought of once he make a commitment to do something, he must try his best to accomplish it. His parent frequently says: Do good to others and youll be rewarded somehow. this has been locked in his mind always, making him a humble man that respected by everyone that works with him. 3. Origin of His Name Lim Goh Tong The name Goh Tong is Fujuan dialect, in Chinese it would be Wu Tong, meaning the parasol tree. According to southern Chinese legend story, the phoenix, the legendary king of the birds, would rest only on wutong trees. There is even a saying of planting a wutong tree to attract phoenix for good fortune. His parents name him after wutong tree was to hoped to bring Lim Goh Tong a good fortune. 4. His Childhood The 1911 Revolution led by Sun Yat Sen that brought an end to Chinas long history of imperial dynasties. Fortunately, his life was relatively sheltered in village, his family was a warm and happy one, he had a happy childhood and opportunity to start studying the Chinese classics at the age of six, when he was not studying, he used to help his father selling vegetable seeds, tea leaves and other goods by the roadside or in the neighboring town of Yongchun. But disaster strucked, his father passed away when he was 16. With the lost of his father, he was forced to leave school. As the oldest son, he had to take over the heavy burden of feeding seven mouths in the family. After getting over the shock and pain of losing his father, he took over his trading business, he faced all sorts of problems. On his first day of business in Yongchun, he had failed to make even a single sale. Life as seed seller was tough. He had to leave home before dawn everyday and walk all the way to Yongchun. Two years passed. He managed to save up about 100 dollars. But due to continuing of civil war came the threats of banditry in his native place. Faced with security problem and declining business, he decided to give up trading to work as a carpenter. This was to be his line for next two years. In the meantime, the situation in China was becoming more and more worrying. Apart from suffering the turmoil from fighting between warrng factions, the people were bracing themselves for a Japanese invasion. As it became increasingly difficult to support a family, many people were head to Nanyang for better opportunity. 5. Head to Malaya Follow his forth uncle footstep, Lim Mo Jin, who had emigrated to Malaya many years earlier and started a contracting business, was already a successful Class A contractor in Kuala Lumpur, he decided to venture out to Malaya and asked his mother if she would lend him part of the money for traveling expenses. And she agreed. In 1937, the year the Japanese staged the Lugouqiao / Marco Polo Bridge Incident (a battle between the Republic of Chinas National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army.). He set off for Malaya with a small suitcase and 175 dollars 100 from his mother and 75 from his own savings. He was 20 years old then. After sailing the South China Sea for eight days, he landed in Singapore, and left 120 dollars. He stayed for two days with his eldest sister before leaving for Kuala Lumpur by train. Kuah Shai Hai, elder brother of his eldest sisters husband, paid for his train ticket and also gave him two dollars for pocket money. In Kuala Lumpur, he lived with his fourth uncle, Lim Mo Jin, and worked for him as a carpenter. He was paid on a daily-wage basis. That meant earning 80 cents a day when there was work and nothing when there was none. Despite his low income, he managed to save up some money to send to his mother every month. In the mean time, he learn Malay Language while working for his uncle. After two-year stint with his uncle, he decided that with the experience he gained, he decided to start out as a building sub-contractor. His first job was to build a two-storey school at the 9th miles, Cheras Road, Kuala Lumpur. He completed the job successfully and made a profit of more than 100 dollars. Three years passed by quickly, he decided to take a risk in returning home. On 29th November 1940, he left for Xiamen by sea via Singapore and continued his journey home by way of Tongan. By then, the Japanese had overrun Xiamen but Tongan remained in the hands of the Nationalists. To avoid trouble, the ship he was sailing on flew the Japanese flag when it entered Xiamen waters and switched to the Chinese flag as soon as it was out of the sphere of Japanese control. He was arrived in Anxi safely. He worked as carpenter in his hometown for 7 months and 7 days then only decide to go back Malaya as the war environment was getting worst. As soon as he back to Malaya, the Japanese restr ict travels in and out of Fujian Province, if he were hesitated about leaving, Genting wouldnt have exist now. About four years later, his mom passed away, sadly, he didnt even have the chance to see her for the last time. He arrived in Kuala Lumpur on August 1941, his fourth uncle then made him a foreman to lead on contractor project. 6. Impact of Japanese invaded Malaya As the Sino-Japanese war continue, rumour about Japanese going to attack countries in Southeast Asia were sirred up. To monitor the movements of Japanese warships, the British colonial government in Malaya decided to build an observation tower on a beach in Penang. His fourth uncle was awarded the job after a successful tender. He entrusted Lim Goh Tong with the task of overseeing the project. He left for Penang immediately to make the necessary preparations. But before he could commence work, the Pacific War had broken out and the project was abandoned. He hurried back to Kuala Lumpur as the strong rumours that a Japanese invasion was going to start. Soon after, the Japanese troops landed, swept through the country and began their brutal occupation that lasted three years and eight months. Kuala Lumpur was in terror after Japanese soldiers overran the city in mid Janyary 1942. Lim Goh Tong and his fourth uncle and Aunt was hid in a rubber plantation near Ampang New Village. During the earlier part of the Japanese Occupation, he earned a living as a vegetable farmer, after eight months, he decided to switch to petty trading. By using his previous experience back home, he started by selling tea leaves, Tiger Balm and other goods in and around Kuala Lumpur. Every morning, he would set off on his bicycle, going from one village to another , shouting his wares along the way. In the course of moving around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, he came into contact with some others from Anxi who were doing well in second-hand hardware trading. After saving up some money, he joined their ranks. Soon with proper management, his business picked up quickly and he managed ti accumulate a good amount of savings. In 1945, towards the end of World War II, a Japanese-owned steel mill in Klang bought a large quantity of scrap iron from him. Before its Japanese manager could settle the account, he was crippled after being involved in a gun battle with anti-Japanese fighters. Meanwhile, the war situation changed and all signs were pointing to an imminent Japanese surrender. Lim Goh Tong was worried as the debt owed by the steel mill would become irrecoverable, so he got someone to help him write letter for the Japanese manager to sign to certify that he had a large stock of unpaid-for scrap iron in the steel mill. This letter would enable him to claim it back from the relevant authorities that would take over the steel mill. The Japanese finally surrender and British troops returned, with the letter signed by the Japanese manager, he succeeded in claiming back hundreds of thousands of dollars as the stock of scrap iron from British authorities. When the British returned to Malaya, they brought along large quantities of machinery such as cranes, bulldozers and concrete mixers for reconstruction of public facilities. Upon completion of various projects three or four years later, they sold the used machinery to citizen. Lim Goh Tong see the opportunity as many abandoned mines and rubber plantations resumed operations, there was an urgent demand for heavy machinery, especially in the mining sector, so he bought many of the second-hand machines on offer, then reconditioning them and giving them a new coat of paint and resold them at two to three times the prices he had paid for them. 7. Construction Company Kien Huat In 1951, he started buying used bulldozers from military airbases in Johor and Singapore then sell it off to British-owned oil factory, iron mining company and contractor to earn the profit of the price differences.. Ever since he started dealing in heavy machinery, Lim accumulated a wide range of reconditioned machines as well as a substantial amount of cash to move into construction and related industries. In the name of his family construction company, Kien Huat Private Limited. It was first name as Huat Kee, until someone told Lim Goh Tong that companies that named themselves xxx Kee were usually small timers without great ambitions. In 1954, Kien Huat completed several government projects, including the construction of a 20-mile road from the Old Klang Road in Kuala Lumpur to the Majestic Cinema in the old town of Petaling Jaya. The project was completed in three years at a cost of $1 million. Kien Huat was awarded a contract by the Kuala Lumpur Municipal government to construct part of a four-mile sewer from the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station to Klang Road. Each sewer section was 10 feet long, six feet in internal diameter and weighed six tons. The project cost $4.1 million. Construction of the other 1.5 miles of the sewer was undertaken by another contractor. It was a challenging project because two contractors has failed to complete the task, the first one had worked on it for only eight months before quitting without succeeding laying even a single sewer section. The second contractor, a reputable British firm that had demanded a price several times the original before agreeing to take over the job, also failed to complete it. It was due to the soil conditions actually, the soil structure contain 80 percent of rock overlaid with sand and a high water table, but Lim Goh Tong successfully completed the project by using gravel pump instead of water pump by keeping the soil dry enough for concrete to work out. After four years of Kien Huat commencement, Kien Huat had proven its capabilities by successfully completing many major projects. In 1955, Kien Huat had upgraded to Class A Contractor, which means it is qualified to undertake public projects of any size. 7.1. Construction of Ayer Itam Dam Project in Penang Of all the projects undertaken by Kien Huat in 1950s, the one that it took the greatest pride in was the Ayer Itam Dam in Penang. It was not only a milestone for the country but also a first for the local construction industry. The $12 million dam was the first to be built in the country; it was also the first time that a local contractor had been given a construction job of such scale. The dam project was commissioned by the Water Works Department of the Penang government to supply drinking water to the islands residents. During the construction of Ayer Itam Dam, accidents do happens. The British consultant engineer was of the opinion the soil structure at the site was strong enough to support without using wooden until reach 10 feet deep. But Lim Goh Tong concern about the workers safety and it was unsafe to carry out excavation without supporting structures to prevent cave-in. Thus, he ignored the British advice and implemented wooden support for safety purposes, and the project p rogressed smoothly. One day, while Lim Goh Tong was away in Kuala Lumpur, the British engineer asked the workers to remove the wooden supports, and disaster struck, the cave-in occurred soon after killed five workers and injured more than 20 others. Lim Goh Tong rushed back immediately and the engineer admitted his mistake and apologised to Lim Goh Tong. The safety measure adopted once again, and the project was alright in the next four years and completed in 1962, which started in February 1957. The Ayer Itam Dam not only solved the drinking water shortage problem for the islanders, but also helped to prevent flooding during monsoon season. 7.2. Construction of Sultan Yahya Putra Bridge Project, Kota Bharu Ever since Kien Huat had upgraded to Class A Contractor, Kien Huat has becoming busier. Apart from building the dam project in Penang, it also constructed the main building, the mosque and hostel of the Teacher Training College at Pantai Valley in Kuala Lumpur. In 1962, Kien Huat was given the job of constructing the Sultan Yahya Putra Bridge in Kelantan. Costing RM5.2 million, the 2800-foot bridge linking Kotha Bharu and Pasir Mas and leading on to southern Thailand. 7.3. Construction of Hydroelectric Project, Cameron Highlands In 1962, Kien Huat had the opportunity to work on the RM20 million hydroelectric project in the Cameron Highlands, Pahang, The mission of Kien Huat was to construct two dams, one at the seventh mile and another at the 14th mile Tapah-Tanah Rata trunk road and four power stations. The project was designed to meet the growing demand for electric power in Kuala Lumpur. Upon completion of the project in 1968, he moved most of his heavy machinery to Kelantan to work on the Kemubu Irrigation Scheme project, which turned out to be an evenful one that almost make Lim Goh Tong to bankrupt 7.4. Construction of Kemubu Irrigation Scheme, Kelantan The Kemubu Irrigation Scheme is the second largest in Malaysia after the Muda Irrigation Scheme in Kedah, it was implemented by the Agriculture Ministry with a Rm30 million loan from the World Bank to enable farmers to carry out cropping on 47,000 acres of rice land in Kelantan. Kien Huat won the contract with a bid of Rm 54 million, a whopping RM 10 million lower than the closest rival bid of RM 64 million. Many in the same trade think that Lim Goh Tong has gone crazy with the huge lose of money, but instead Lim Goh Tong didnt give up but wanted to prove them wrong. The project was a complicated one that called for the construction of a network of some 570 km of criss-crossing irrigation canals. More than nine million cubic yards of irrigation canals. More than nine million cubic yards of earth had to be excavated and 2000 reinforced concrete structures fabricated for diverting water into paddy fields. In addition, they had to build more than 200 bridges that used up some 20000 feet of concrete pipes of diameters ranging from 3 to 6 feet. Based on Lim Goh Tong calculation, he would be able to make RM 3 million from the project. Work commenced on 1st August 1968 after the contract for the project had been signed. The French firm of Sogreah acted as project consultants. In the months that followed, the project face many problems, like delay in the Governments acquisitions of land, thefts of equipment and materials from work sites, severe flooding due to monsoons and the May 13, 1969 incident. Progress of work slowed down greatly. All the problems causes RM5 million loss at the end of the first year and causing financial problem. Just when the problem happened, Mr Chin Sophonpanich, then chariman of Bangkok Bank, gave him an overdraft. At that time his overdraft account with Bangkok Bank was more than RM5 million in the red. Cash flow problems aside, he then continue with his project, but unfortunately at the end of the first year, Kien Huat had managed to complete only five per cent of the project. And thus, the projects consultant was unhappy, and in the next two months, they kept issuing warning letters to Lim Goh Tong. In a single day on 19th August 1969, he received 29 registered letters, all with the same contents saying that they would sue him and make him a bankrupt. Lim Goh Tong decide to hit back and to meet with project manager, telling them the delay of project was created by late land acquisitions from the Government, all proven by documents and hence it is unfair to put the blame on Lim Goh Tong. Lim also make a bet of if he could finish only another five or six per cent of the project after six months, then the project manager could sue him to bankrupt, they have granted him permission to continue with the project then. Lim Goh Tong the scaled down the structures as he found the structure was over design, the consultants too approved his proposal. The change resulted in a much simpler and faster way of working, less than 4 months he had completed about 60 percent of the whole project. And eventually the Kemubu Irrigation was completed on schedule, Kien Huat not only managed to make a profit of RM4 million, but also help the Government save more than RM10 million in costs. 8. Join in Southern Bank While Lim Goh Tong was building the Ayer Itam Dam, he used to get his fuel supply from a petrol station at the foothill. In the view of frequent transactions, He decided, for convenience, to make out a RM 5000 cheque then have his purchases deducted there from, upon depletion of the amount, he would top up with another RM 5000 cheque. By chance, he knew the petrol station boss Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew, a well known Malaysian enterpreneur now. Later, Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew invited Lim Goh Tong to jon him, Low Yat, Tan Seng Kee and Lim Chong in establishing Southern Bank, Penang first local bank. Each of them own 20 per cent stake. Lim Goh Tong stake in the bank was then taken over by Tan Teong Hean, his eldest son-in-law and son of Tan Seng Kee. Today, Southern Bank is one of the 10 core banks in Malaysia. 9. Development of Genting Highlands His idea of developing a mountain reort was not the result of an active search for business opportunities, in fact it was pop up in his mind in one night in 1963. At that time, he was sub-contractor for the Cameron Highlands Hydroelectric Project. That night, he had dinner in Cameron Highlands with the German firms General Manager, chief engineer and nine other people. After a few rounds of liquor, he felt hot and went out for some fresh air, as he stood there taking in the enchanting highland night view, cool breeze blew over him. It was so soothing and refreshing that he just closed his eyes and took a deep breath of mountain air. Then a train of thought ran through his mind. The first thing that struck him was that in tropical Malaysia, everybody likes to retreat to a cool mountain resort for a holiday every noe and then. This could be seen from the popularity of Cameron Highlands with the local as well as foreign tourists. But Cameron Highlands was a good four or give hours drive from Kuala Lumpur and the roads uphill were narrow and winding. He was also convinced that as the standard of living rose steadily in a fast developing Malaysia, more and more people would visit moutain resorts for relaxation and recreation. A Kuala Lumpur resident for many years, he was familiar with the terrain of its surrounding areas. He knew the only likely place to find a mountain high enough for a resort was around Bentong in the east. The moment he returned to Kuala Lumpur, he got hold of a topographical map of the Bentong district and scanned it. Gunung Ulu Kali at a place called Genting Sempah caught his eyes immediately. Within days, he assembled a team to explore the mountain and its surrounding areas. During the expedition that lasted nine days and eight nights, they gathered a wealth of data on the topography, drainage, soil conditions and other relevant aspects of the region. During their survey, they discovered that the little known mountain is in between border of states of Pahang and Selangor. In te latter part of 1963, he began by putting in an application to the Pahang State Government for the land at Genting Sempah for development of a tourist resort. The Bentng District Officer advised him to approach the Federal Government directly as the yalready had a plan to develop Genting Sempah. Tan Sri Haji Mohd Noah bin Omar introduce him to Tunku Abdul Rahman, our first Prime Minister. Tunku Abdul Rahman confirmed that the Government had wanted to develop the mountrain, but the plan had been postponed due to the road of access that require about 15 years to complete. Moreover, the country was confronting with Indonesia. Putting huge amount of funds into the development of a holiday resort at that time would give ammunition to the opposition, thus Tunku Abdul Rahman decided to allow the private sector to carry out the project. After preparing a project paper within a week to Tunku Abdul Rahman, he approved Lim Goh Tong to start the project. On 27th April 1965, Tan Sri Haji Mohamad Noah and Lim Goh Tong incorporated a private company called Genting Highlands Sdn Bhd. For the next five years, they applied to the Pahang and Selangor State Government for 4940 hectares and 1110 hectares of freehold land respectively. With Tunkus recommendation, the Pahang State Government approved their application. However, the Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Harun Idris would only give the land on a 99-year lease. Lim went to see Datuk Harun and explained to him that he needed a freehold land because it would take 30 to 40 years and enormous investments to build roads, hotels, staff quarters and to install water and electricity supplies in the jungle area. At last, his request has been granted. On 8th August 1965, he led a team of technicians and workers to begin work, the government then agreed to build a telecomunications tower half-way up the mountain for better reception but with condition of the road has to be completed in three years and promised giving RM900,000 subsidy. Since he had to complete it fast, he make his construction team to work in two shifts round the clock, seven days a week. Besides working flat out on the job, he also threw in all the resources and equipment of his family company, Kien Huat, including bulldozers, tractors, air compressors and lorries. To complicated matters, around this time Lim had to start work on th Kemubu Irrigation Scheme in Kelantan, the contract for which he had bid earlier. Supervising and co-ordinatiing the two projects at the same time stretched his physical endurance to the limits. He shuttled between Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan, to him there were no rest days on Sundays and public holidays. Fortunately they did meet the dea dline and receive the promised RM900,000 subsidy, a big amount at that time and a great help to them. There was, however, another problem happen before Gentings official opening. When it was all geared up to commence business in January 1971, Kuala Lumpur and its surrounding areas were hit by the worst rainstorms in a century. The road to Genting was closed by landslides at 180 locations. It took them some four months to repair the damaged sections. Finally, Genting opened its door for business on 8th May 1971. It was a dream come true for Lim Goh Tong 9.1. Development of Genting Casino Lim Goh Tong original vision for the Genting resort was a highland retreat where the old and the young families could come to holiday. On 31st March 1969 when our Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman made his first visit to Genting Highlands. In his speech, the Tunku said he was moved by Lim effects to develop, without Government help, a highland resort for all Malaysians and thus greatly contribute to the countrys tourism indusry. To help improve Genting to a better tourist spot, Government would consider an application from Genting to operate a casino. On 28th April 1969, Lim submitted his application for a casino licence to the Government through the Tunkus Private Secreatary, Datuk Nik Hassan. Later in afternoon, just six hours after Lim submitted his application, came the good news that it had been approved and he was asked to collect the approval letter, thus, Genting Highlands became the first and only casino licence holder in the country. The May 13th incident happened soon after that, the government stated policy that no more casino licences would be approved. Soon after that, Lim Goh Tong proceeding to Macau to meet Mr Stanley Ho, the owner of Macaus only casino, to discuss the issue of co-operation in running the casino. However, for certain reasons, they did not succeed in reaching an agreement. Two years later, Lim finally struck a deal with Chun Rak Won, the operator of the only casino in Seoul, Korea. They signed a three-year agreement with his company which was to provide the expertise in managing the Genting casino. Unfortunately, the co-opetaion lasted only nine months before it was terminated by mutal consent, Genting took over the entire casino operation, learnt the ropes of the trade over time and eventually mastered the management skills. 9.2. Obtain Pioneer Status from Government Based on an annual taxable income of RM 2 million, Genting would be paying RM800000 income tax every year (the corporate income tax rate then was 40%), or a total of RM4 million for five years. It was critical to the company during the period when it had to invest heavily in resort infrastructure development. A five-year tax holiday would enable Genting to plough back all its profits into developing hotels and other tourist facilities, including a man-made lake, a cable car system, a golf course and the Chin Swee Temple. Upon completion, these facilities would attract more visitors and generate earnings many times what the resert would otherwise be able to. More importantly, the government would have fattened a revenue cow that promised to keep on giving good milk for a long, long time. The officials saw merit in his argument. On their recommendation, Genting was granted a five-year pioneer status with effect from 8th May 1971. It is proved to be a win-win decision. The tax the Gover nment collected from Genting later was far greater than the amount exempted during the tax holiday. 9.3. Development of Gohtong Jaya In 1993, at the suggestion of Dr Mahathir, Genting Development Sdn Bhd, started started developing a township on an 81 hectare piece of land at the seventh milestone of Jalan Genting Highlands, around the site of the Genting Highlands, around the site of the Genting Skyway cable car station. The Prime Minister offered many valuable ideas on the development of the township. Its name, Gohtong Jaya, was chosen with Dr Mahathir. The name Jaya which means success in Bahasa Melayu. 9.4. Development of Chin Swee Temple In 1966, when construction of the access road had reached the site where the Chin Swee Temple stands now, several workers and Lim Goh Tong spent the night in a cave at the end of a hard days work. During his sleep, he dreamt of the Chin Swee god a god widely pray in his native Anxi county in the Fujian Province. Chin Swee god told him kindly that he could stake everything on the development of Genting Highlands because it was a promising land that held a bright future for him. He woke up with renewed confidence and made a secret swear that if he succeeded in developing the resort, he would build a temple. In 1975, he set up a temple-building committee to take charge of the implementation of the project. Work on Phase One of the project started in 1976 and was completed after three years at a cost of RM1.6 million. Lim Goh Tong even made a special trip to Anxi to bring back a statue of the Chin Swee deity which was officially installed in the temple on 20th September 1979. After 18 long years and costing over RM10 million, the Chin Swee Temple was officially opened on 29th March 1994. Chin Swee Temple is now a popular place of praying as well as a tourist attraction of the resort. 10. Origin of the Name Genting Genting Sempah, the orignial name of the place, sounded simple and pleasant enough to Lim Goh Tong and he liked it. However, he found it quite hard to pronounce for the name of a company and a resort, so he decided to drop the second word and retain Genting only. At first, the Chinese name Yin (Silver) Ding (Top) is used, since Cameron Highland in chinese is Jin Ma Lun (Jin means gold). Lim Goh Tong thought that Yin Ding was a fitting choice because it contains the silver, and to the Chinese, jin (Gold) and yin (Silver) symbolising wealth and prosperity. But it turned out many has start criticizing after the name of Yin Ding has put into use, many think Yin Ding doesnt have anything to do with a resort on top of mountain, and it was vulgar to have a name just to associated with gold and silver. At the end, his wife (Lee Kim Hua) suggest to use Yun Ding (Cloud Top) since genting is located on top of a high moutain where people can touch the clouds floating around she said. Yun Ding has been in use ever since. 11. Rest in Peace Lim Goh Tong died on 23 October 2007, at Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC). He is survived by his wife Puan Sri Lee Kim Hua, and their six children and 19 grandchildren. His body was laid to rest at Gohtong Memorial Park at Gohtong Jaya on Monday 29 October 2007 12. Conclusion The story of Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong is an inspiring one, beginning with nothing to his name, he turned difficulties into opportunities, took much calculated risks and confounded sceptics through sheer foresight and perseverance. it gives us a lot of inspiration as we want to become a businessman. He work hard for his entire life to realise his own dream. He success to realise his o

Analysis Of Bps Operational Risk Management Management Essay

Analysis Of Bps Operational Risk Management Management Essay British Petroleum PLC (BP), one of the worlds largest oil and gas companies, is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It provides its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services for gasoline and petrochemical products for everyday items (About BP, 2011). The Companys operations primarily include the exploration and production of gas and crude oil, as well as the marketing and trading of natural gas, power, and natural gas liquids. At present, BP employs over 80,000 people and operates in more than 100 countries. It produces approximately 3.8 million barrels of oil per day and has 22,400 service stations worldwide (BP, PLc Swot Analysis, 2010). In 2010, the Company incurred incredible losses from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Incident in the Gulf of Mexico due to lack of oversight and control of operational risks (McDonald, BP Oil Disaster Breaks Records, Puts Spotlight On Risk Management Failure, 2010). The Incident has caused disastrous biological environment, 13 peoples deaths and 17 others injuries (McDonald, BP Oil Disaster Breaks Records, Puts Spotlight On Risk Management Failure, 2010). Immediately after the Incident, the Companys risk management practices were investigated. The scrutiny ultimately led to the dismissal of its CEO, Tony Hayward (McDonald, BP Oil Disaster Breaks Records, Puts Spotlight On Risk Management Failure, 2010). In this report, we will explore how BP unsuccessfully managed its operational risks prior to the Incident, and the strategic steps that have been taken in order to mitigate the losses and prevent a similar crisis from happening again. Reasons that Led to BPs Exposure to the Incident According to McDonald, the Incident was mainly attributable to the poor operational risk management of the corporate executives who placed a low priority on the safety issues (McDonald, BP Oil Disaster Breaks Records, Puts Spotlight On Risk Management Failure, 2010). McDonald also mentioned that Hayward appeared to know nothing about the front-line operations in the Company (McDonald, BP Oil Disaster Breaks Records, Puts Spotlight On Risk Management Failure, 2010). Furthermore, BPs history of oil spill incidents demonstrated its poor operational risk management in the past years. These previous tragic incidents included the U.S. refinery explosion in 2005 and the Prudhoe Bay oil spills in 2006 and 2007 (Fineberg, 2007). Since the Company continued to ignore the safety issues and risk management even after these incidents, a more serious Incident in the Gulf of Mexico has occurred. Finally, BP failed to inspect the oil rig on a monthly basis as prescribed in the government regulation (Strickler, 2010). A government inspection report revealed that BPs Deepwater Horizon oil rig had missed 16 inspections in total since January 2005(Strickler, 2010). Financial Losses and Reputational Damage following the Incident Following the Incident, BP was required to reduce planned capital expenditures and increase asset disposals in order to provide additional liquidity (BP p.l.c, 2010). Moreover, a total pre-tax charge of $40.9 billion was recognized during 2010 (BP p.l.c, 2010). However, BP is still uncertain about the total amount that will ultimately be paid. The Company is currently being charged in a number of lawsuits that could lead to substantial costs (BP p.l.c, 2010). These costs may include the amount of pending and future claims, the potential expenses of implementing remedies sought in the various proceedings, and the amount of fines ultimately levied on BP (BP p.l.c, 2010). As seen in Appendix A, Moodys Investors Services and Standard Poors have downgraded BPs credit ratings immediately after the Incident. Although there have been slight improvements ever since, the current credit ratings are still lower than they were immediately before the Incident. The lower credit ratings prompted a large number of investors, who were holding BPs US Industrial Revenue/Municipal bonds, to exercise their option to tender the bonds for repayment (BP p.l.c, 2010). This caused BP a total repayment of $2.5 billion (BP p.l.c, 2010). The lower credit ratings could also limit the Companys access to new financing. In addition, the Incident has led to a significant drop in BPs share price. On June 25 of 2010, the share price went down to the lowest point of $27. 02, as compared to $60.48 on April 23 of 2010, the day of the Incident (BP plc (ADR) (Public, NYSE:BP) ). Along with the financial losses, the Incident has damaged BPs reputation, which may have a long-term impact on the Companys ability to build business relationships with new counterparties and access new opportunities (BP p.l.c, 2010). Moreover, the current counterparties, concerned about the additional financial and business risks following this Incident, may require the Company to provide collateral or other forms of financial security for its obligations (BP p.l.c, 2010). Risk and Liquidity Management After the Incident, BP has taken preventative measures to mitigate future unexpected events related to poorly-managed operational risks (McDonald, All Road Lead to CEO, 2010). On September 29 of 2010, the new CEO, Bob Dudley, announced a plan to establish a new safety division with sweeping powers to oversee and monitor the Companys operations around the world (BP Creates New Safety and Risk Division, 2010). The new division has been given the authority to intervene in all aspects of BPs technical activities. The divisions experts will be embedded in BPs operating units, including exploration projects and refineries. These experts have the responsibility to ensure that all operations are carried out in compliance with government regulations and auditing standards (BP, 2010). In order to further reinforce this new practice, Dudley has requested the head of the safety division to report directly to him so that all information regarding the Companys current operational risk status can b e conveyed in a timely manner (McDonald, All Road Lead to CEO, 2010). BP has also reinforced its accountability of risk management by restructuring its exploration and production segment from a single business into three separate functions-exploration, development and production (BP, 2010). This makes it easier for BP to monitor each function separately. To increase available liquidity, BP cancelled the ordinary share dividends in the first three quarters of 2010, secured additional bank lines totaling $12 million and announced its intention to sell up to $30 billion of assets (BP p.l.c, 2010). Conclusion Prior to the Incident, BPs executives overlooked the necessity of operational risk management. This made the Company vulnerable to operational risks. Even after the two oil spills between 2005 and 2007, BP still did not take effective measures to improve its risk management practices. Fortunately, the problem has finally been recognized by Dudley, who has initiated constructive plans to enforce operational risk management across all divisions in the Company. Appendix Appendix A: A comparison of BPs Credit Ratings before and after the Incident Before Immediate After Current Moodys Investors Service Aa1 (stable outlook) A2 (negative watch) A2 (stable outlook) Standards Poors AA (stable outlook) A (negative watch) A (negative outlook) Source: BP p.l.c. (2010, December 31). Annual Report and Form 20-F 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from BP Global: http://www.bp.com/assets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/set_branch/STAGING/common_assets/downloads/pdf/BP_Annual_Report_and_Form_20F.pdf

Back In My Day :: essays research papers

Back in My Day…   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Back in my day, people just didn’t do stuff like that.'; In addition to hearing about how bread used to cost a nickel, that quote is what you hear it from the elders of most generations when talking about violence, especially on television in the present time; they say that the violence seen just did not seem to exist back then. However, when one thinks about it, violence that extreme has existed throughout the ages, whether it was as early as the Iliad and the Odyssey during the Greek era, the Aeneid in the Roman era, or even in Christian stories in the Bible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first example of historic extreme violence is back in the time of the Iliad and the Odyssey during the Greek era, which happened during the eighth or ninth centuries BCE. These two epics, which are considered by many scholars to be very fine works of art, are filled with gratuitous acts of violence and other such acts of immoral behavior. In the Iliad, especially in Book 5, where Homer tells of Diomedes’ aristea, a detailed account of how a man battles and injures both man and gods is given. In lines 72-75, for example, Homer gives us a terrifyingly graphic description of the battle scene: “Now the son of Phyleus, the spear-famed, closing upon him struck him with the sharp spear behind the head at the tendon, and straight on through the teeth and under the tongue cut the bronze blade, and he dropped in the dust gripping in his teeth the cold bronze.'; Examples of aggression and viciousness are also given in the Odyssey. In this, most say that Odysseus was justified in doing what he did, but it is still brutal fighting. The best example of viciousness is given when Odysseus finally returns home and has to defeat the suitors: “Odysseus’ arrow hit him [Antinoos] under the chin and punched up to the feathers through the throat. Backward and down he went, letting the winecup fall from his shocked hand. Like pipes his nostrils jetted crimson runnels, a river of mortal red, and one last kick upset his table knocking the bread and meat to soak in dusty blood.'; These two examples might not be the same as a gang war or a drive-by in the middle of the streets in New York, but they are still brutal and gory nonetheless.

A Sunday Night Tradition Essay -- Essays Papers

A Sunday Night Tradition Sunday nights are a special time around my house back at home in Wheaton, Illinois. They are a time when my family all gets together and has dinner as a group. It is a time when we all get to talk and share our stories of how our weeks went, what is to come in the following week, and other various topics. This whole Sunday night ritual always takes place in our dining room. The dining room is attached to our kitchen; it is a small room, just large enough to fit our large oak dining room table. Around the table sits six large, old, creaky chairs. Week after week, year after year, we are always in the same formation around that table. My father sits at the head of the table, it is a position that illustrates respect and is furthest away from the kitchen, perhaps saying he wants nothing to do with the cooking and cleaning up duties. He is always first to sit down and the last to leave the table, because he enjoys his time with the family so much he wants to make it as long as possible. My mother sits on the opposite end of the table, the closest seat to the kitchen, which makes perfect sense because she is always the last person to be seated and is constantly getting up to get something from the kitchen. On the other side of the table sits my little nine-year old brother, he sits next to my dad because he is always in his shadow, he looks up to him and imitates nearly everything he does. He sits next to the furthest from the kitchen bec...

Ethics of Designer Babies Essay

I believe that it is unacceptable to reproduce genetically designed babies, unless it is to prevent disease or disability. Genetically designing babies can be used in many different ways. You can choose their hair and eye color, their IQ, and their special talents. People are beginning to predispose their children to be whatever they think they should be. Some want their children to be superstar athletes, while others want the next Beethoven. Others want their children to be just as they are. A deaf lesbian couple wanted to have a deaf child. Their friend donated the sperm and they asked the geneticists if it were possible to create a deaf child. A few months later, the child was born as a fully deaf baby. I believe that it is wrong to intentionally harm a fetus by giving them a disability or disease. It prevents them from living a fully functional life. If a couple were to research or visit a gene therapist, and they determined if the couple were to have a male child, the child would most definitely be born with a heart defect and would only live a few years, but if they had a female child that she would be perfectly healthy, then it is okay to provide the family security by enabling them to have a female child. By doing this, they are preventing a disability or disease. If the couple has four boys and intentionally says â€Å" If I am having a male, I want an abortion. † then that is completely immoral. In one book, Choosing Children, It asks the question: â€Å"People use antenatal or pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to have a child without disability. Is this a form of eugenics? Is it a part of a slide toward what the Nazi’s did? † . I believe that it is a form of eugenics. We are bettering the society by providing fully functional human beings. Nazi’s weren’t trying to prevent a disease or disability, they were worried about the physical features of the Jewish descent. Another book, Disability and Genetic Choice, asked if it were okay to have a Down Syndrome test. I believe that it is okay to have the testing as long as it is not the determining factor in terminating a pregnancy. This gives the parent(s) a chance to prepare themselves and be educated or give them a chance to arrange an adoption. I draw the line of designing babies at preventing disability. It is unnecessary to chose a babies hair or eye color. Just because they have a certain hair or eye color does not mean that they will be treated or act differently in society. Every genetic change has a downside, so while creating a child that is an athlete by making their uscles work harder, it is causing their heart to weaken a lot faster than someone who was not â€Å"designed†. Genetically â€Å"strengthening† babies can provide a family with a piece of mind that they will have a healthy child. Although many people want to chose how their children may look or act, having a healthy, functioning, strong child will triumph over how they may look or act. Before one thought that he could genetically design a child, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) came about. IVF then paved the way for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and preimplantation genetic selection (PGS). PGD is the process in which the doctors screen the embryos to see if any genetic disorders are present. Many of the disorders that are screened are life changing, disabling conditions. PGS is the process in which they â€Å"hand pick† the embryo without any genetic disorders and implant it back into the mother. This is the first red flag many people see in how genetically designed babies came about. This may be the only (mostly) uncontroversial part of genetics and IVF. The only ones who criticize this are those who believe that life starts at contraception. I believe that this is okay to do since it promotes bettering ones life, but this is where the line should be drawn. Another technique that is often used along with this is gender selection. The only reason I believe that it is morally correct to choose a baby’s gender is preventing disease. For example, if all the women in the family die from breast cancer, or cervical cancer by the age of 40, then it is morally acceptable to want to increase the chances of having a male child. If the only reason one wants to have a certain gendered child is for convenience then it is unacceptable. Also along these lines comes having a child to better another child’s life. Like in the book, My Sisters Keeper, the older sister was dying from a rare cancer, and the parents only choice to keep her alive was to have another child to use as â€Å"spare parts†. I believe that this is done with good intention, but it is not ethical. An article, Designer Babies: Eugenics Repackaged or Consumer Options, discusses one child being sick and his brother gave him his red blood cells before he was even born, and the sick brother was cured. They questioned this process: â€Å"Is this the beginning of a slippery slope toward â€Å"designer† or â€Å"spare parts† babies, or is the result that there are now two happy, healthy children instead of one very sick child a justification to pursue and continue procedures such as this one? †. This is the exact question I would expect anyone to ask. Although there are miracles, and high percentage rates that if a child would receive particular â€Å"parts† from a sibling then they can be cured, but there are mistakes and the unfortunate occasions where it does not work. This puts the healthy child at risk and causes them to go through unnecessary pain. I believe that the risks may outweigh the benefits in many cases. The child conceived or â€Å"designed† to better the other child’s life is just as much human as the sick `child, therefore, it is their human right that they shall be treated just as any other human being. The other ethical position would likely believe that it is the parents choice to do as they please, in means, to their children. The article The art of medicine: Designer Babies: choosing our children’s genes, discusses the absurdity of the parents to not want the best for their children. This is shown in the following statement from the article: â€Å" †¦. That is exactly what parents are supposed to do. To get our children to be healthy, well mannered, intellectually curious, and well behaved, we control what they eat, have them vaccinated, teach them manners, read to them, and discipline them when they misbehave. It would be absurd for a parent to say, â€Å"I never attempt to influence my children’s development. I just love them for who they are. † Thus, it is not influencing our children’s traits that is objectionable, but rather the means to accomplish this, that is, choosing their genes. † . This statement is true, in fact, its absolutely correct for one to think in this manner. But it is the lengths that parents go to ensure that their child will be perfect that is unethical. Although parents should shape their child’s live to be well behaved, healthy, and curious, it is up to the children to decide who they would like to be, and not be predisposed to be something in particular. The topic is so controversial, the same article that believes it is ethical to genetically design babies, The art of medicine: Designer Babies: choosing our children’s genes stated that: â€Å"A more serious objection stems from the idea that people who want to choose, in advance, the traits their child will have, and are willing to spend so much money to get a child with certain traits, demonstrate a kind of desire for perfectionism that seems incompatible with being a good parent. An insistence on having a child of a certain sort, whether a musician or an athlete or a politician, amounts to parental tyranny. †. This is also true, the idea that a parent would spend significant amounts of money to sustain perfection is ridiculous. Parents have the right to want their children to be almost â€Å"perfect† but it is their job to teach them the right way to live. By spending all of their money to ensure perfection, they are almost cheating at being a parent. Another objection to â€Å"designer babies† would be genetically designing perfect children can create a social gap in society. The art of medicine: Designer Babies: choosing our children’s genes stated that: â€Å"†¦this would exacerbate social differences and the gap between rich and poor. I seriously doubt that genetic interventions would have more of an influence than existing causes of inequality, such as rotten neighborhoods and lousy schools. In any event, prebirth genetic enhancement could be used to combat social inequality, by giving children from disadvantaged backgrounds a leg up. †. How would you tell a child the reason they aren’t as smart or as attractive as some of the other children is that they don’t have special enough blood or genes? There is already enough separation in our society. Not only rich and poor, but jocks, musicians, geeks, race, sexuality and many other groups also exist in schools. How would one like to hear of one of the new cliches in school, the â€Å"enhanced children†? I can’t imagine how it would feel to be one of the children whose parents couldn’t afford to have them â€Å"custom made†. Eventually weak and poor individuals would be terminated using this new technology. Weak children would all eventually be used as spare parts to the sick children that have been genetically designed. Parents would have children just to benefit an already existing child, and once the child was cured, the spare parts child would not have any use. Parenting would also be a thing of the past. Parents wouldn’t have to worry about teaching their children the correct ways to function in society, their children would already be predisposed to be perfect and act the correct ways. Instead of moving forward in society and technology, technically we are reverting back to the days of Hitler. Hitler terminated all the individuals that he believed were lesser human beings. The act of Hitler terminating Jewish descent individuals and the act of genetically designing babies is all in the search for perfection -the perfect human being.