Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Police Corruption Essay Example for Free

Police Corruption Essay Corruption is a complex problem having its roots and ramifications in society as a whole. Corruption is defined as â€Å"improper or selfish exercise of power and influence attached to a public office or to a special position one occupies in public life† Definition of corruption is sufficiently broad to include a range of such activities: â€Å"A public official is corrupt if he accepts money or money’s worth for doing something he is under a duty to do anyway, that he is under a duty not to do, or to exercise a legitimate discretion for improper reasons.† [McMullan (1961: 183-4)]    Punch (1985) broadens this definition in two ways. He defines corruption as occurring: â€Å"When an official receives or is promised significant advantage or reward (personal, group or organizational) for doing something that he is under a duty to do anyway, that he is under a duty not to do, for exercising a legitimate discretion for improper reasons, and for employing illegal means to achieve approved goals.† Punch has broaden the definition in the way that corruption is not always individual it can be in group or organizational and sometimes it also involves illegal means to achieve the goals.   Corruption in one form or other has always existed in the country. The Bofors, HDW Submarine deal, Airbus deal, ABB Loco deal, Jain Hawala Racket, Sugar scam, Security scam, Urea scam, Fodder scam, etc., are a few example of corruption in various departments. The tentacles of corruption have spread to the system of governance –from civil-political-military. Thus no institution can claim itself to be free from corruption. It has now become the part of life and is a problem that has and will continue to affect us all, whether we are civilians or law enforcement officers.   Unlike the other executive wings of the government, the police,  Ã‚  Ã‚   which have maximum visibility in the society, are a pet theme for such corruption. In police, corruption is usually viewed as the misuse of authority by a police officer while in duty to fulfil personal needs or wants. Few facts about police corruption: It is: Pervasive – corrupt practices are found in some form in a great many police agencies in all societies; A continuing problem – there is evidence of corrupt practices from all stages of police history; Not simply a problem of the lower ranks – corruption has been found at all levels of the police organization; Not simply financial: activities (including ‘process’ activities) extending beyond bribery and extortion have been found. For a corrupt act to occur, three distinct elements of police corruption must be present simultaneously:   1) Misuse of authority,   2) Misuse of official capacity   3) Misuse of personal attainment. (Dantzker, 1995: p 157) It can be said that power inevitably tends to corrupt, and it is yet to be recognized that, while there is no reason to suppose that policemen as individuals are any less fallible than other members of society, people are often shocked and outraged when policemen are exposed violating the law. General police deviance can include brutality, discrimination, sexual harassment, intimidation, and illicit use of weapons. Police corruption is a universal problem that has its regime in many countries and is a recurring issue that cannot simply be away by repressive measures. Police officers are the state made flesh and plays a role of law enforcers, problem solvers and the most direct representatives of the state. They give their visible, uniformed, 24-hour presence on the streets and their crucial involvement in social intervention and law enforcement. If they are corrupt, then the citizens will lose their confidence in them. Police corruption is not an individual aberration it can takes place from patrol to chief and can be generated by the organization itself. Corruption within police departments falls into 2 basic categories, which are external corruption and internal corruption. External corruption: It involves the relation of police with the public and can involve one or more of the following activities: Payoffs to police: By essentially non-criminal elements who fail to comply with stringent statutes or city ordinances; (for example, individuals who repeatedly violate traffic laws). By individuals who continually violate the law as a method of making money (for example, prostitutes, narcotics addicts and pushers, professional burglars). 2) Clean Graft where money or courtesy discounts or gratitude is paid to police for services. Internal corruption: It is the relationship between various officers within the police department. Police corruption comes in various shapes and sizes from the major drug trafficking and money laundering to looking the other way on minor everyday violations of the law. The typology of police corruption given by Roebuck and Barker (1974) has eight categories, to which Punch (1985) has added a ninth one (Table I). TABLE I Types and dimensions of police corruption. Types   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dimensions 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Corruption of authority  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚              2.   ‘Kickbacks’  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3. Opportunistic theft      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4. ‘Shakedowns’         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5. Protection of illegal activities      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6. ‘The fix’      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   7. Direct criminal activities         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   8. Internal payoffs      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   9. ‘Flaking’ or ‘padding’  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When officers receive some form of material gain by virtue of their position without violating the law per se (e.g. free drinks, meals, services) Receipt of goods, services or money for referring business to particular individuals or companies Stealing from arrestees (‘rolling’), from traffic accident victims, crime victims and the bodies or property of dead citizens Acceptance of a bribe for not following through a criminal violation – not making an arrest, filing a complaint or impounding property Police protection of those engaged in illegal activities (prostitution, drugs, pornography) enabling the business to continue to operate Undermining of criminal investigations or proceedings, or the ‘losing’ of traffic tickets A police officer commits a crime against person or property for personal gain ‘in clear violation’ of both departmental norms and criminal law Prerogatives available to police officers (holidays, shift allocations, promotion) are bought, bartered and sold Planting of or adding to evidence (particularly but not exclusively in drugs cases; Punch 1985)    Causes of the police corruption: To find out the causes of police corruption one has to focus on the nature and the kind of police work. One of the old explanation suggests that corruption is the product of â€Å"Bad Apple† i.e. corruption is due to few number of police officers who are quite unrepresentative of the wider standards exhibited by the organization. Factors of police corruption: Constant factors Variable factors Constant factors include the following: Discretion: The exercise of discretion is argued to have both legitimate and illegitimate bases. Low managerial visibility A police officer’s actions are often low in visibility as far as line management is concerned. Low public visibility Much of what police officers do is not witnessed by members of the public. Peer group secrecy ‘Police culture’ is characterized by a high degree of internal solidarity and secrecy. Managerial secrecy Police managers have generally worked themselves up from the ‘beat’ and share many of the values held by those they manage. Status problems Police officers are sometimes said to be poorly paid relative to their powers. Association with lawbreakers: Police officers inevitably come into contact with a wide variety of people who have an interest in police not doing what they have a duty to do. Variable factors Community structure: Refers to the degree of ‘anomie’, the political ‘ethos’, and the extent of culture conflict. Organizational characteristics: Levels of bureaucracy, integrity of leadership, solidarity of work subcultures, moral career stages of police officers, and the perception of legitimate opportunities. Legal opportunities for corruption: Moral: so-called ‘victimless crimes’ (Schur, 1965) associated with the policing of ‘vice’. Regulative: the exploitation of minor or trivial regulations such as those associated with construction, traffic and licensing. Corruption controls: How the guardians are themselves ‘guarded’. Social organization of corruption: Two basic forms: ‘arrangements’ and ‘events’. ‘Moral cynicism’: Association with lawbreakers and contact with temptation is inevitable in police work, inclining officers towards moral cynicism. Corruption control and Prevention: Basically controlling corruption is the only way that we can really limit corruption, because corruption is the by-product of the individual police officer, societal views, and, police environmental factors. Therefore control must come from not only the police department, but also must require the assistance and support of the community members. Controlling corruption from the departmental level requires a strong leadership organization, because corruption can take place anywhere from the patrol officer to the chief. Various strategies can be followed to control corruption viz., : Human resource management: It includes amendment of the existing system, training and implementation of new procedures.   Anti-corruption policies: Includes policies that would codify the standards of behavior of staff and outline the general parameters of the organization’s response to the problem. Internal controls: Emphasizes on detection and punishment of the wrong doings. External environment and external controls: Involves the attempt to encourage the public to be more vigilant and more willing to report suspicions of corruption. Although the police department have to solve the problem of corruption on their own still some support and assistance from local community is required. Public should be given knowledge regarding the negative effects of corruption on their police agency. They should be taught even ‘gratitude’ i.e. the most basic and common form of police corruption acts as a catalyst for more and future corruption. Earlier we use to think that corruption is a temporary, exceptional ‘problem’ which can be removed by ‘surgical’ treatment, as if it was a malignant cancer, to restore an otherwise healthy agency (the ‘bad apple’ metaphor), but now things have shifted to see corruption as   universal and as forming a permanent concern. All measures to control corruption have to take place in presence of sound leadership, sufficient resources and a battery of measures that should all be reinforcing the same mission and message. Thus it is the healthy leadership which is important and a focus on front-line supervision over the essential primary processes at the base of the organization is required. The police organization deals with people in trouble and people who cause trouble thus its cutting-edge is formed by uniformed officers and detectives in situations of low visibility. There has to be a persistent, patient emphasis on integrity and professional standards and on pushing the message that a corrupt policeman is a criminal, that he or she lets down colleagues and the profession, and that ‘noble-cause’ corruption is self-defeating. This is because, when it is exposed, it makes it more difficult to secure convictions and makes police methods suspect (Rose 1996). Vigilance and realism must be the watchwords of the police administrator seeking to control corruption. The emphasis, then, is on pride, professionalism, standards of competence and performance, legitimacy and of gaining and retaining confidence. Conclusion: To curb the widespread social evil, called corruption the efforts will have to come from both the police and the civil society. Society members should be educated about the negative effects of corruption within the police force and its long term disadvantages. For controlling corruption the police department requires an organization lead by people of strong character and who have good leadership qualities. The departmental goal should be well defined and should be pursued earnestly. According to today’s situation there is more urgent need to address basic issues like improving the working conditions of the police persons, inhumanly long working hours, the inadequate police-population ratio, a pay structure which is not proportional to the work allocated and, the disproportionately low budget for meeting the day to day expenses. All these are some major factors which are responsible for contributing to the image of the Police Force as insensitive and a corrupt organization. As long as citizens are willing to go along with corrupt police officers, just for the reason to obtain favors, there is no way in which corruption can be curbed . Some effective steps should be taken to make the picture cleaner and corruption free for the future generation. Thus one should not perceive corruption and other forms of police misconducts as individual aberrations of an incidental character that can be effectively banished by temporary, repressive measures. Reform of the police is the part of the reform of the society. It is important to focus on corruption control and to open our eyes to other insidious forms of police misconduct and even serious police crime. References: Punch Maurice (2000), Police Corruption And Its Prevention: European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 8: 301–324. Newburn Tim, Understanding and Preventing Police Corruption:Lessons from the Literature; Research, Development and Statistics Directorate 50 Queen Anne’s Gate London SW1H 9AT. Bracey, D. H. (1992) ‘Police corruption and community relations: Community policing’ in Police Studis Vol 15 No 4, 179-183. Sayed, T. and Bruce, D. (1998a) ‘Police corruption: Towards a working definition’ in African Security Review Vol 7 No 1, 3-14. Thomas KV (2004), Corruption in Indian Police. Holloway Brandon(2002),Police Corruption (2002, November).   Police brutality, the copcrimes homepage for law enforcement and government corruption. Available: http://www.copcrimes.com/homepage.html

Monday, July 22, 2019

Money Over Power Beyond its Fate Essay Example for Free

Money Over Power Beyond its Fate Essay Money is the root of all evil. It is the most powerful thing in the world besides love. Sometimes money can ruin love in a friendship, relationship, or even worse family. Money can even decide the fate of a human’s life. â€Å"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how Im going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.† (Elizabeth Gilbert). In the movie, â€Å"No Country for Old Men,† A character by the name of, Llewelyn Moss, is caught in the cross fires of money, his actions, his thoughts, and most of all his own fate. Throughout the movie he is in a constant rat race with a man who goes by the name of, Anton Chigurh, who is a hit man that was hired to get the money that moss had stumbled upon and taken. Ofcourse Moss did not have to take this money and if he didn’t he wouldn’t be dealing with money, power, or the very predetermined fate of himself throughout the movie. Chigur also acts an officer of fate making up his own rules as he sees fit. Although Moss’s character may represent free will he also represents the fate that people make on their life after making one poor decision. Not only does this money ruin the fate of moss but it always toys with the fate of Moss’s wife, the owner of the gas station, and the children who were paid off to keep quiet. Some may say that it is not money that is the root of all evil but it is power. So does money and power go hand in hand? With money you have the power to control whatever you want, and with the most power you gain fear in others as well as continue to gain money from those who fear you. In â€Å"No Country for Old men† there is a constant battle between the power money holds on oneself as well as the fate of a life through money. The first time money determines a person’s fate is  during the coin flip at the gas station. When Chigurh realizes that the man working at the counter knows where he is from, he now becomes a witness of who Chigurh is and where he may be from. Maybe if the man would have just been quiet in the first place instead of trying to use the small talk and be friendly Chigurh would have never even have to have the thought of killing the man in the first place. But because the man is the person he is and just wanted to help â€Å"time pass† it pulled a spark and brought the whole conversation in another direction. Chigurh then begins to question the man. What time do you close? Do you stay out back? What time do you go to sleep? The Owner knew he was in some type of trouble and quickly tries to hurry the man out of his store so that he can reach some type of safe zone between him and Chigurh. The conversation continues and that’s when it starts to get a little interesting. Chigurh finds out that the man was married into the business. He didn’t want it nor did he save his earnings but fate brought him to that gas station and Fate would determine his life in a coin toss. â€Å"It is interesting, however, to note the way Chigurh and the Proprietor discuss the stakes of the game. The Proprietor is no doubt aware of the danger hes in, but is carefully trying to determine the nature of the danger. They both avoid talking about the stakes of the game directly the Proprietor, because if he says it, it might happen; Chigurh, because he considers himself an agent of Fate. Discussing it directly would make him responsible, and hes not; the evil swirling through the film is bigger than this one man† (goodreasonblog.blogspot.com). Fate had played a life saving role in this man’s life but so did money. The flip the coin would determine his fate and that is when we right back on the subject of how which played a bigger role? The coin had all the power, although it was an instrument of the fate the man would determine on his own it still had the power. So can we really say that his fate was the reason this man is still alive? In the owners good graces he won the coin coin flip and his life was spared. But what if he had lost that coin flip? Do you really think Chigurgh would have killed an innocent man just because he noticed where he was from? Well that question could have been answered at the end of the movie when Chigurgh shows up at Moss’s wife, Carla Jean’s, house. Carla Jean finds herself seated across from the emotionless Chigurh. Chigurh had promised Moss that he would allow Carla Jean to live if the money was returned to Chigurh. He  assures Moss that it is the best deal he has to offer. Moss would have died either way but Chigurh promises Moss that he would not harm his wife as long as Moss listened to him. But of course determining the fate of himself and his wife Moss chooses not to listen to Chigurhs orders. It is really heartbreaking at this point in the movie because we all know Carla Jean is going to die. The power money has on a person is quite disgusting in this movie because we see that Moss truly chose his money over his wife. Chigurh tells Carla Jean that Moss could have saved her but the power of money had taken over Moss’s mind and moss made a decision for them both to suffer. â€Å"You don’t have to do this† Carla jean tells Chigurh. Chigurh then chooses to offer her the same coin flip option that he had previously offered the lucky old man at the gas station. Unlike the old man, Carla Jean refuses to call it when asked, even after the coin had been flipped and was just waiting to be called â€Å"The coin don’t have no say in it – it’s just you.† Chigurh again points out that he â€Å"got here the same way as the coin did.† Fate brought him to her house because of her husband and the power of money is what would kill Carl Jean in the end. Not only doe Chigurh try determining the fate of others, He also tries to determine the fate of himself. At the end of the movie when Chigurh is hit he pays a boy to keep quiet and act like nothing ever happened. Why would Chigurh do this? He is using his money to determine his fate. Chigurh knows that the lower his profile the less chances he will have of getting caught and going to prison for the illegal activity he has had going on. All in all none of these people had to do what they did. These were the choices they made and because of that, fate had a new twist on their life. Moss did not have to steal the money but he knew with more money came the happiness him and his wife had been working for. Maybe he did it out of love or maybe he was just being greedy we will never really know. Even Chigurh had the choice to not kill all those people because of Moss. All of those people who had died was a predetermined fate that was out of their control. Fate, in this movie, obviously came in more than one sub category. The money meant power and the power controlled ones fate. â€Å"Every moment in your life is a turning and every one a choosing. Somewhere you made a choice. All followed to this. The accounting is scrupulous. The shape is drawn. No line  can be erased. I had no belief in your ability to move a coin to your bidding. How could you? A persons path through the world seldom changes and even more seldom will it change abruptly. And the shape of your path was visible from the beginning.† (coen 259) http://goodreasonblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-country-for-old-men-coin-toss-scene.html http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/fate

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Healthcare Internship Reflection | Cancer Center

Healthcare Internship Reflection | Cancer Center Crystal Mullen Last month I received the privilege of being hired to work as a secretary for The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. As the name implies their sole focus and overall market involves finding cures and treatments for cancer. In fact they operate on a very aggressive mission to completely eliminate cancer by integrating patient care, prevention, and research programs. Furthermore, MD Anderson provides education about cancer research, prevention, and treatment information that ranges from their graduate and undergraduate programs at the University of Texas to MD Anderson employees and even to the general public (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2014). Finally though not exhaustively, MD Anderson seeks to become and remain a world renowned cancer center through science, excellent people, and research-driven patient care. The motto for MD Anderson is â€Å"We are Making Cancer History (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2014)†. One of the biggest surprises I learned when I began working for MD Anderson is that although their sole focus is eliminating cancer, that singular mission is has multiple areas of focus. This is because they have incomparable resources and a wealth of capabilities, MD Anderson is exceptionally qualified to increase the pace of transforming scientific discoveries regarding cancer into innovative clinical treatments and advances that lower the number of deaths due to cancer deaths. Their discoveries have lead MD Anderson to divide their work into six forms of cancer – otherwise known to them as â€Å"moon shots†. Along with those moon shots, MD Anderson focuses a great deal of science, research and patient care on Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The cancers listed in the moon shot program include breast and ovarian, Leukemia (ALM / MDS), Leukemia (CLL), Lung, Melanoma, and prostate. These six moon shots, along with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, will ultimately lead to cures for all types of cancer (Moon Shots Program, 2014). BREAST AND OVARIAN MD Anderson’s moon shot program for breast and ovarian cancer concentrates on triple-negative breast cancer and on high-grade serous ovarian cancer. These concentrations have resulted in exciting, innovative projects that often results in the quick detection and treatment of these deadly cancers. One aspect of the moon shot program for breast and ovarian cancer involves universal genetic testing. Patients diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and high-grade serous ovarian cancer are provided genetic counseling and testing. Furthermore, MD Anderson reaches out to at risk family members to immediately identify individuals for preventive screening. Another aspect of the moon shot program for breast and ovarian cancer involves pinpointing genetic markers/mutations to discover how these cancers respond and then adapt to cancer treatments. This data will helps physicians develop individualized treatment plans for each of their patients. Finally though not exhaustively, a thir d aspect of the moon shot program for breast and ovarian cancer involves early detection. The cancer investigators for MD Anderson focus on biomarkers that appear promising to identify and study these cancers in their earliest stages to provide better treatment conclusions (Moon Shots Breast and Ovarian, 2014). LEUKEMIA (AML/MDS) One of MD Anderson’s moon shot program for leukemia involves acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) leukemia. These two diseases are being combatted by tacking drug resistance, applying supercomputing, artificial intelligence, and AML targeted therapy such as blood stem cell transplants. First of all, AML/MDS Moon Shot strives to understand a class of drugs that form the molecular basis of drug resistance to find alternative therapies that circumvents this challenge. Furthermore, AML/MDS Moon Shot is developing a new, innovative system that takes advanced supercomputing technology and integrates this technology with individualized research data into a secure database. Advanced analytics, combined with the technology of IBM’s Watson, otherwise known as the world’s smartest computer, enables clinicians to collect new insights for patient care and research. Finally, though not exhaustively, the moon shot engages in another research option f or AML / MDS involves blood stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. This form of research has an excellent record of both improving the safety and impact of this form of treatment (Moon Shots Leukemia (AML/MDS), 2014). LEUKEMIA (CLL) Another one of MD Anderson’s moon shot program for leukemia involves chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), MD Anderson has made great progress in this against this form of cancer. Scientists and physicians has driven one this most common form of adult leukemia close to the brink of extinction. This has been accomplished by developing cutting edge drug therapies and taking immunotherapy to eliminate residual CLL. First of all, the CLL Moon Shot team is actively studying a breakthrough class of drugs that thwarts the critical signaling in the malignant cells. These experimental drugs have proven to be excellent at preventing CLL cells from signaling their dramatic effect on the leukemic cells while creating minimal impact on other healthy cells. Furthermore, there is an additional CLL moon shot is famous for developing immunotherapy techniques to locate and destroy the remaining CLL (Moon Shots: Leukemia (CLL), 2014). LUNG Lung cancer is the most pervasive impact on our population out of other cancers. Because of its massive spread throughout the U.S. population, MD Anderson lists lung cancer as one of their Moon Shots Program. This particular battle is fought on three fronts: prevention, early detection, and treatment of advanced disease. First of all, because 80% of all lung cancers are tobacco based, the Lung Cancer Moon Shot program has launched initiatives to help in the prevention of tobacco based lung such as personalized tobacco cessation programs, social media, and referrals to successful tobacco treatment programs. Furthermore, through early detection of lung cancer diagnosing, the rate for a cure greatly increases. MD Anderson has played a significant role in the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST) that deaths by lung cancer are often lowered by as much as 20% when smokers were screened early with the use of a low-dose CT scan. Finally, MD Anderson has found treatment options for pat ients with advanced stage lung cancer haven’t changed much in the last 20 years so they intend on redirecting this trend with a new program called the GEMINI Project. This uses the latest cutting edge technologies to conduct a lung cancer profile from a molecular perspective. This will bypass carpet-bombing the cancer with non-specific chemotherapies in favor of using specifically targeted therapies, which is more like â€Å"smart bombing the lung tumors without any damaging side effects (Moon Shots: Lung, 2014). MELANOMA Because instances of melanoma and skin cancer deaths have risen over the past 50 years, MD Anderson’s moon shot scientists and physicians have attacked this form of cancer through prevention and through personalized integrated management of the cancer. The MD Anderson melanoma team pursues an aggressive prevention campaign to reduce the exposure to UV light in both children and adolescents with an innovative, all-inclusive program that includes both behavioral interventions and educational outreach to discourage excessive sun exposure through tanning and replace that activity with alternative sun protection practices. Furthermore, the moon shot team uses individualized and cohesive and management of melanoma. If patients are diagnosed early surgery is usually the next step. Although many forms of melanoma are resistant to treatments scientific breakthroughs in researching this diseases have led to this disease the development new immunotherapy agents that accurately and effect ively combats even the more advanced stages of melanoma (Moon Shots: Melanoma, 2014). PROSTATE The last form of cancer listed in the Moon Shot program is prostate cancer. The National Cancer Institute, has estimated there will be 238,590 new cases diagnosed this year, resulting in approximately 30,000. I order to lower the mortality rate of this form of cancer, the Prostate Cancer Moon Shot program has concentrated on three areas: lowering instances of overtreatment; combining therapies used in advanced and early stages of the disease; and creating targeted therapies, such as immunotherapy as an alternative to traditional treatment methods. The goal is to use these treatment and therapy options in order to effectively and timely shift the process from simply treating to actually curing prostate cancer (Moon Shots: Prostate, 2014). NON-HODGKINS LYMPHOMA Although not part of the â€Å"Moon Shots† program, MD Anderson is aggressively fighting against, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. At MD Anderson their goal is to treat this form of cancer with new treatments that are tailored to each patient and using targeted, biological agents that empower a human body to combat the cancer. Our teams of specialized physicians, as well as support staff including nurses, physician assistants, dietitians, social workers and many others, work closely together – and with you – to give you higher chance for successful treatment (Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma). Conclusion: Based on what I’ve read, and what I’ve observed working at this health system, I believe MD Anderson, is successful in treating the multiple forms of cancer. In fact, if there was a brand new form of cancer to emerge, I would think this cancer center would have the equipment, the technology and the clinical personnel to combat this newest manifestation of cancer. My only recommendation is that they maintain the current list if cancers found in their â€Å"moon shots† while also addressing other cancerous diseases. If this is done they will only continue to grow in their success. References Center, U. o. (2014). Moon Shots Breast and Ovarian. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Anderson.org: http://www.cancermoonshots.org/moon-shots/breast-ovarian/ University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (2014). About Us. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Anderson.org: http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/index.html University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (2014). Moon Shots Leukemia (AML/MDS). Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Anderson.org: http://www.cancermoonshots.org/moon-shots/leukemia-aml-mds/ University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (2014). Moon Shots Program. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Andderson.org: http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/facts-and-history/moon-shots-program/index.html University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (2014). Moon Shots: Leukemia (CLL). Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Anderson.org: http://www.cancermoonshots.org/moon-shots/leukemia-cll/ University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (2014). Moon Shots: Lung. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Anderson Cancer Center: http://www.cancermoonshots.org/moon-shots/lung/ University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (2014). Moon Shots: Melanoma. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Anderson Cancer Center: http://www.cancermoonshots.org/moon-shots/melanoma/ University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (2014). Moon Shots: Prostate. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Anderson.org: http://www.cancermoonshots.org/moon-shots/prostate/ University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. (n.d.). Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Retrieved June 22, 2014, from MD Anderson.org: http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/cancer-information/cancer-types/non-hodgkins-lymphoma/index.html

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Reggio Emillia and the Approach Essay -- Education, Te Whariki

Origin from a city in the north of Italy, the Reggio Emilia approach in Early Childhood Education is adopted by multi-countries over the past decades. This approach has a core philosophy, that children should play a leading role in education. Children are seen as full of knowledge and intelligence, with full capabilities to express themselves if only given the proper ways to do to so. They are protagonists of their own learning and have a say in what topics and problems they will study and research. Teachers provide resources to assistant children’s learning and developing. The curriculum is emergent, meaning the teachers choose topics and projects based on careful listening and observations of their student’s interests, needs and inquiries. Children are encouraged to use materials and media to demonstrate their learning and understanding of a topic or project. Documentations and environment have direct influences in helping children’s learning. Parents and comm unity also play a supportive role in children education (O.E.C.D, 2004). Te Whá ¾ ±riki is the New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, which was developed in 1996. Compared with Reggio Emilia Approach, they have similarities as focus on children’s interests; develop children’s learning though interacting in relationship with others, emphasise the importance of environment and adults’ active responding. They also differ in many ways, such as teacher’s role, culture background and documentation and Assessment. Community and parent support is considered a valuable and vital part of the Reggio Emilia system. The exchange of ideas between parents and teachers is essential and favours the development of a new way of educating. The approach encourages interaction and communic... ...both approach emphasis on Family and Community. The wider world of family and community is an integral part of the early childhood curriculum Te Whá ¾ ±riki (1996). It also states that inclusion and support of parents and the connections with the community is important to the children’s learning process. Moreover Te Whá ¾ ±riki states that â€Å"Parents and caregivers have a wealth of valuable information and understandings regarding their children† (30). Thirdly both approach focus on educators to provide encouragement, warmth, and acceptance. They also provide challenges for creative and complex learning and thinking, helping children to extend their ideas and actions through sensitive, informed, well-judged interventions and support. Te Whá ¾ ±riki principles points out â€Å"children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things† (p. 14).

Using Creative Writer 2 :: Computers Software Internet Technology Essays

Using Creative Writer 2 Contents Getting Started Creative Writer 2 Home Page Hardware and Software Requirements Internet E-mail Making Web Pages Web Publishing Creative Writer 1.0 Compatibility Troubleshooting When You Have a Question Getting Started Before you set up Creative Writer 2, it is best to close other applications. Also, do not remove the Creative Writer 2 disc from your computer during Setup. If you follow these guidelines, but still encounter problems during Setup, check that your computer has the minimum requirements necessary to install Creative Writer 2. To install Creative Writer 2 under Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Insert the Creative Writer 2 disc in your computer's CD-ROM drive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creative Writer 2 Setup will start. If it does not start, double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, double-click the Creative Writer 2 disc, then double-click Setup. 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Follow the instructions on the Setup screen. Note: If you are running Windows NT, you must be logged on to an account with Administrator privileges to install the product. Creative Writer 2 is installed in the Microsoft Kids folder on the Start menu. Where to Find Help Check the Creative Writer How to... Help (under the big green question mark) for information on how to use Creative Writer or for tips on cool things to do. Creative Writer 2 Home Page Please visit the Creative Writer 2 home page at the Microsoft World Wide Web Site. The address is: http://www.microsoft.com/kids/creative2.htm You can also use the Internet Explorer shortcut provided on the Creative Writer 2 disc. Look there for information on updates and activities relating to Creative Writer 2! Hardware and Software Requirements System Requirements Computer: ï‚ · A multimedia PC or compatible with a 486/33 or higher microprocessor. Memory (RAM): ï‚ · 8 MB of RAM (16 MB recommended for best performance). Hard disk space: ï‚ · 16 MB of free disk space for minimum configuration, 22 MB for full configuration. The Web Publishing Wizard requires approximately 1MB of additional space. Also, additional hard disk space is required for creating documents. CD-ROM drive: ï‚ · 2X CD-ROM drive: This CD-ROM drive can transfer data from the CD-ROM at 300 KB per second while using less than 40% of the CPU bandwidth and has an average seek time of less than 400 milliseconds. ï‚ · MS-DOS CD-ROM Extensions (MSCDEX) version 2.2 or later. Video display requirements: ï‚ · Super VGA display capable of displaying 256 colors at 640 x 480 resolution. Using more than 256 colors may affect performance. A local bus video card is recommended. Operating system requirements: ï‚ · Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows NT, version 4 or later. Sound requirements: ï‚ · Windows-compatible 8-bit sound card capable of playing wave sound effects and MIDI music.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Prologue Of History :: essays research papers

Prologue of History Until statehood, Hawaii was ruled economically by a consortium of corporations known as the "Big Five": C. Brewer and Co., sugar, ranching, and chemicals, founded in 1826; Theo. H. Davies & Co., sugar, investments, insurance, and transportation, founded in 1845; Amfac Inc. (originally H. Hackfield Inc.-a German firm that changed its name and ownership during the anti-German sentiment of WW I to American Factors), sugar, insurance, and land development, founded in 1849; Castle and Cooke Inc., (Dole) pineapple, food packing, and land development, founded 1851; and Alexander and Baldwin Inc., shipping, sugar, and pineapple, founded in 1895. This economic oligarchy ruled Hawaii with a velvet glove and a steel grip. With members on all important corporate boards, they controlled all major commerce, including banking, shipping, insurance, hotel development, agriculture, utilities, and wholesale and retail merchandising. Anyone trying to buck the system was ground to dust, finding it suddenly impossible to do business in the islands. The Big Five were made up of the islands' oldest and most well-established haole families; all included bloodlines from Hawaii's own nobility and ali'i. They looked among themselves for suitable husbands and wives, so breaking in from the outside even through marriage was hardly possible. The only time they were successfully challenged prior to statehood was when Sears, Roebuck and Co. opened a store on Oahu. Closing ranks, the Big Five decreed that their steamships would not carry Sears's freight. When Sears threatened to buy its own steamship line, the Big Five relented. In the end, statehood, and more to the point, tourism, broke their oligarchy. After 1960 too much money was at stake for Mainland-based corporations to ignore. Eventually the grip of the Big Five was loosened, but they are still enormously powerful and richer than ever, though these days they don't control everything. Now their power is land. With only five other major landholders, the Big Five control 65 percent of all the privately held land in Hawaii. Why was the 1946 Strike so important? Before 1946, Hawaii's economy, politics and social structures were completely dominated by a corporate elite known as the Big Five (Alexander & Baldwin, American Factors, Castle & Cooke, C. Brewer, & Theo. Davies). The leaders of these factor companies exercised absolute control over Hawaii's plantation workers and the majority of the islands multi-ethnic workforce. The 1946 strike forever changed the balance of power between workers and the plantations. No longer would living and working conditions be set unilaterally by the plantation owners or their parent corporations. Nor was the lesson lost on the workers outside the plantation either. As sugar workers were now successful in

Thursday, July 18, 2019

DNA †Genetically modified food Essay

Virtually every crop we eat have undergone hundreds of years of genetic modification by farmers and scientist in search of desirable traits. Selective breeding and hybrid strains have contributed immeasurably to farm productivity during this time. Over the past 30 years however, genetic engineering has been revolutionized. While before, a farmer wanting to develop a frost resistant tomato would be able to breed towards one only if the necessary genes were available somewhere in tomatoes or a near relative to tomatoes, modern biological engineering techniques overcome such restrictions. Genetic traits from outside a species’ gene pool, in the tomato’s case from an arctic fish, can be spliced into the organism to create an entirely different species, a transgenic organism with the typical traits of a tomato and frost resistance from a fish. The most widely used method of gene splicing, recombinant DNA, uses biochemical â€Å"scissors† called restriction enzymes to cut the strings of DNA, selecting required genes. These are then â€Å"ferried† by a virus or a bacterium that infects the host, smuggling the gene into the plant’s DNA. In this way scientists have been able to create slow ripening and seedless fruit, crops that grow in unfavourable conditions and are resistant to disease or herbicides and milk from cows given a genetically engineered growth hormone. The benefits of gene technology in terms of food production are enormous. The most common genetically engineered crops contain modifications that make the plants resistant to certain diseases and herbicides, or allow them to produce their own pesticides, thereby eliminating or reducing the need to spray. So-called â€Å"Bt corn,† for example, contains a gene resistant to the harmful mycotoxin fungus and herbicide producers, Monsanto have created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be unaffected by their product Roundup. The soybean farmer therefore can avoid targeting specific weeds and require just one application of a general weed-killer, reducing costs and agricultural waste run-off. Genetically modified crops are also being adapted to grow in salty, dry or frosty environments, contain edible vaccines, have a longer shelf life and be more nutritious. A group of Swiss and German scientists recently developed a strain of GM rice know as ? golden rice’ due to its altered colour. Containing genes that produce a unusually high amount of beta-carotene (vitamin A), this rice could be a solution to the thousands of poor children in Asia who eat little but rice and go blind or die from lack of vitamin A Public reaction to the use of recombinant DNA in genetic engineering however has been mixed. Sliding US export commodities such as genetically modified soybeans and corn have highlighted hardened public opinion and widespread resistance to biotech crops, especially in the European Union. Concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: economics, environmental hazards and human health risks. The latter two have been the subject of hot debate, both in Australia and overseas. Environmental damage from GM crops can be caused through various channels. One of the main concerns has been the possibility of gene transfer to a non-target species, that is crops engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds cross-breeding, resulting in the transfer of the herbicide resistance to create ? superweeds’. In addition, environmentalists fear that transgenic plants may proliferate rapidly, pollinating natural plants in their surroundings eliminating existing species. Further environmental suspicions include those of unintended harm to other organisms (especially non-target insects) and of the reduced effectiveness of pesticides once insects become tolerant to a crop’s natural pesticide. Questions have also been raised on the human impact of genetically modified organisms. Critics of recombinant DNA fear that the pathogenic, or disease-producing organisms used in some recombinant DNA experiments might develop extremely infectious forms that could cause worldwide epidemics. Likewise, the unknown effect of foreign genes introduced into GM food crops in terms of human health also presents a controversial issue. Furthermore, there is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. A proposal to incorporate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans in order to increase their nutritional value was abandoned when it was found that the genetically engineered soybeans caused an allergic reaction in people sensitive to Brazil nuts. For these reasons, extensive testing and labelling of GM foods may be required to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies. Biotechnology has started to revolutionise food production, with fantastic results. With the world population of 6 billion expected to double in the next 50 years and an adequate food supply becoming a major challenge it will no doubt continue to do so in the future.