Comment on the Principles Utilized at Google to not be Evil Case Study - 1

Comment on the Principles Utilized at Google to not be Evil - Case Study Example According to the paper the primary concept or principle for functioning was to not be evil; this would include doing everything by the customer’s preferences. Their agreement with China which allows their search engine to be censored was the most controversial of their moves. This move is actually not in the best interest of its end-users and is seen by many as limiting freedom of speech and liberty itself. Its ongoing battle with AT&T is also indicative of its changing standards. It seems Google has changed its stance from neutrality to the survival of the fittest. While they once advocated net neutrality principles it is now increasingly more focused on putting its own interests first. In a way they are effectively crushing small firms and even large competition because of its biased and tyrannical attitude. What was once a motto no longer applies for Google it seems; at the end of the day there is massive copyright and trademark infringement through the search engine that i s allowed and goes unchecked by the firm. Pornography and other disturbing elements are not only widely available but also advertised. So the question is, was the principle only a catchy slogan? It seems it was. Â   Â  

Discuss the uses of recombinant DNA technology with respect to Essay

Discuss the uses of recombinant DNA technology with respect to medicine - Essay Example From a medical viewpoint, recombinant DNA technology can have immense potential. For example, many diseases are caused by the lack of certain genes or faulty protein production which leads to impaired functioning of important biochemical pathways. By using recombinant DNA technology to complement those defects and producing the lacking protein it is possible to effectively treat these diseases. An extremely successful example of this particular use is the case of insulin production for the treatment of diabetes. Previously, insulin for treatment used to be isolated from bovine sources, by extracting the pancreatic tissue and purifying insulin from here. However, two major problems are immediately obvious: first, this is extremely labor-intensive, yields are low and therefore it becomes expensive and quantities are limiting, thus treatment becomes an expensive option. Second, due to the exquisite specificity of our immune systems, the bovine protein is immediately differentiated from the human and this could lead to rejection by our immune system. Recombinant DNA using the human gene would solve this problem as the gene and therefore protein would be the human variety and would not be rejected. Second, since cloning is most often done in bacteria which have short doubling times, the massive amplification of the gene and therefore the protein leads to cheaper bulk production and lowers costs. Insulin therefore has become far more available for treatment with the advent of recombinant DNA technology. Growth hormone has also been successfully used this way. Another application of this technology is in the production of vaccines. Historically, the identification of antigens and the production of vaccines against them has been a laborious task. It involved purifying various protein components from viruses or bacteria after culturing them, and testing them in animal subjects to determine their antigenicity. The major problems there were, first, the difficulty in purifying those microbial toxins due to contamination, low concentrations etc., and furthermore, viruses and certain bacteria, like Mycobacterium, are obligate parasites and cannot be grown in vitro cultures in order to purify their components. By cloning their genes via PCR amplification and cloning into bacterial expression hosts, we can circumvent these issues and skip past the rate-limiting step of purification since cloning produces proteins in bulk. This strategy has been used with some success for many viruses, including the HBV virus. (Medscape). However this is not without its own problems when one looks at the evolution of viral antigens and the rate of mutation and development of new strains. Nevertheless DNA technology has speeded up the development of vaccines to a point where we now hold a sporting chance against these diseases. The technology is also used in the field of diagnostics. PCR and other DNA technology techniques are used to determine if people are carriers of cystic fibrosis genes, Huntington's disease gene and to help in gene therapy for these diseases. PCR and DNA

Anderson And Hemingways Use Of The First Person Essay -- essays resear

"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."At one point in his short story, "Big Two-Hearted River: Part II", Hemingway's character Nick speaks in the first person. Why he adopts, for one line only, the first person voice is an interesting question, without an easy answer. Sherwood Anderson does the same thing in the introduction to his work, Winesburg, Ohio. The first piece, called "The Book of the Grotesque", is told from the first person point of view. But after this introduction, Anderson chooses not to allow the first person to narrate the work. Anderson and Hemingway both wrote collections of short stories told in the third person, and the intrusion of the first person narrator in these two pieces is unsettling. In both instances, though, the reader is left with a much more absorbing story; one in which the reader is, in fact, a main character. With the exception of "My Old Man", which is entirely in the first person , and "On the Quai at Smyrna", which is only possibly in the first person, there is just one instance in In Our Time in which a character speaks in the first person. It occurs in "Big Two-Hearted River: Part II", an intensely personal story which completely immerses the reader in the actions and thoughts of Nick Adams. Hemingway's utilization of the omniscient third person narrator allows the reader to visualize all of Nick's actions and surroundings, which would have been much more difficult to accomplish using first person narration. Nick is seen setting up his camp in "Big Two-Hearted River: Part I" in intimate detail, from choosing the perfect place to set his tent to boiling a pot of coffee before going to sleep. The story is completely written the in third person and is full of images, sounds, and smells. In "Big Two-Hearted River: Part II" Hemingway exactly describes Nick's actions as he fishes for trout. Details of his fishing trip are told so clearly that the reader is almost an active participant in the expedition instead of someone reading a story. He carefully and expertly finds grasshoppers for bait, goes about breakfast and lunch-making, and sets off into the cold river. By being both inside and outside Nick's thoughts, the reader can sense precisely the drama that Hemingway wishes to bring to trout fishing.... ...art of the story. The entire book is a dialogue between narrator and reader. The effect is that the reader becomes even more involved in the stories. Both of these works are unlike others from the same time period which are told completely using first person narration. Gertrude Stein's The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas and Anita Loos' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes are both written wholly in the first person. But both of these read like diaries, of which the reader is just that - a reader. Neither one has a point at which the reader is so definitely brought into the story consciously by the author. By jumping abruptly into first person instead of using it all along, Hemingway and Anderson more effectively do this. Anderson's and Hemingway's sudden switches to first person narration of course could not have been mere mistakes, and their reasons may have been even more convoluted than imaginable to late twentieth century readers. What is left are two collections of short stories in which the reader plays an actual role. The intrusion of first person narration makes these stories come alive in a way that a third person narration cannot, a tribute to the skill of both of these authors.

Pragmatism and the Environment Essay

The environment is at stake. The world we live in is a state of slow death—that the world is dying everyday just as the human body loses body cells every minute. Every natural resource of the world is continually abused without thought of the consequences. In a way, human beings are that of a virus, a systemic biological specie that consumes an abundant and relatively beneficial part, destroys it, moves on to another area, and leaves the consumed, worthless, and decimated. However, human experience teaches us that we cannot always deny the natural law because as intelligible beings capable of understanding, we have the natural ability to adapt to any environment given and finding ways and means to survive. As such, the development of the human race is not possible if not for our natural inclination of adaptability, protection of species, and survival. In the essay Pragmatism and Environmental Thought by Kelly Parker (1996), she mentions â€Å"what we must not try to do is not to master the natural world, but to cultivate meaningful lives within various environments. † This coincides with the natural law of adaptability, in which human beings need not defy standards as defined by nature but to harness it and provide necessary means of survival. Pragmatic Knowledge and Environmental Issues Pragmatism heavily relies on factual understanding rather than the complete belief in the innate ideas of the human mind. William James, John Dewey, Charles Pierce, among other founders of American pragmatism during the start of the century, argued that there are no innate beliefs in which knowledge is based. This means that knowledge is not innately transposed upon the human mind. Rather, experience confirms this â€Å"baseless† knowledge through factual and concrete understanding—that an ideology is only accepted as true if it is to be found practical in application. Human experience is then the basis of such practicality and its truthfulness is defined through practical solutions. The environment is not detached from the pragmatist or any other being. The environment is part of the experience, that there is a symbiotic relationship between the two biological systems as well as other life systems. Parker (1996) emphasized this point in her essay: â€Å"environment, in the most basic sense, is the field where experience occurs, where my life and the lives of others arise and take place† (p. 29). Every circle must have definite bounds in which it interacts and from that interaction is where experience revolves. Through these experiences, there have been developments in the field concerning the environment, especially on ethics. The development of environmental ethics is based on the pragmatic movement. More specifically, the interaction between the two different world views of nature leads to the eventual development of these ethics. These ethics later become moral standards for people until they become a â€Å"norm† of living for most. Based from these practical experiences, these social norms transform into methods of newer forms of social responsibility and enhance environmental awareness such as new laws and legislations concerning the environment, grassroots activism, among others. The Ethical/Global Problem As inferred by the pragmatic view, pragmatism’s role with the environment is more on application rather than theorization. In a more general perspective, human beings have the natural tendency to abuse their surrounding and not to take into account their own actions against different ecological systems around them. This coincides with the debate on moral pluralism and anthropocentrism. Moral pluralism specifies â€Å"no single moral principle or over-arching theory of what is right can be appropriately applied in all ethically problematic solutions† (Parker, 1996, p. 31). There is no ultimate and essential set of moral laws governing every scenario of moral problems. Because of the subjectivity of experience, it cannot be applied to any moral problem because of the lack of objectivity. In relation to environmental cases, there are different moral standards (i. e. , culture, geographical location) that must be taken into account in order for a set of moral/environmental laws to be applied. These different subjective inquiries on what should be protected, allowed, or banned come into a moral dilemma—whether it would be practical or not. Moral pluralism is also related to the problem of anthropocentrism—the prioritization of values for human beings. Human life is placed on greater importance rather than other outside factors. In her article, Parker (1996) further explains this line of reasoning: Again, this is not to say that human whim is the measure of all things, only that humans are in fact the measurers. This must be a factor in all our deliberation in all environmental issues. We can and should speak on other’s behalf when appropriate, but we cannot speak from their experience (p. 2). The essay proposes that we create standards and laws by speaking for ourselves and for the things that we want to protect based on our own experiences and judgment. For instance, the advocates of endangered species or an ecological subsystem represent their â€Å"party† to other human being. It is through the advocates that these creatures are represented in the debate over human need. The Global Challenge With the looming threat of global warming, greenhouse gas, and other ecological concerns, what we should do is concentrate more on proper action and proper representation of all the numerous aspects of the environment. We have already identified several problems that cause environmental distress recently and from these problems, there should be a formulation of steps to quickly counteract these issues. If left ignored or continually debated upon without any concrete formulas of implementation, these problems will continue to grow until they become uncontrollable. The proper need of identifying these problems will help in creating different strategies as well as formulating legal actions that will help protect and preserve environmental issues. The factual and general perspective is the world is dying and it continues to deteriorate as the number of human population increases. The matter of proper action comes into play through the environmental advocacies all around the world that supports of revitalizing planet earth. However, there remains the fact that human beings generally view the environment as something that can be planted, created, destroyed, and recreated again. This cycle implies that even with human intervention, the natural law of nature will still take its place. Society, especially today, should learn to adapt and live harmoniously with the environment in order to create a symbiotic relationship between the two. We also have to address the apathy of humans towards its environment. We should remove from the human mindset that the ecological system that we live in is not infinite and it will soon vanish if we are to let our actions not reflected upon. By examining our actions, we may come to a realization that everything that we do may affect the environment in ways that we might not even know. Removing this unconscious reinforcement may well be one of the keys in solving our environmental problem. The depletion of our natural resources, the unnatural effects of greenhouses gases and the growing number of human population are just a few of many environmental issues that should be given importance. Although these problems are already experiencing drastic developments for the last six years, we already have the initiative and the technology to somehow lessen its steady increase and may eventually, although not essentially eradicate, balance the gap between human state of living and the environment. Living with an ecological system, we must learn how to balance our actions and lifestyles in order to build a beneficial relationship. In this way, everybody wins. Reference Parker, K. (1996) Pragmatism and Environmental Thought. In A. Light & E. Katz (Eds. ) Environmental Pragmatism. London and New York: Routledge (21-37).

Plesiadapis Facts

Name: Plesiadapis (Greek for almost Adapis); pronounced PLESS-ee-ah-DAP-iss Habitat: Woodlands of North America and Eurasia Historical Period: Late Paleocene (60-55 million years ago) Size and Weight: About two feet long and 5 pounds Diet: Fruits and seeds Distinguishing Characteristics: Lemur-like body; rodent-like head; gnawing teeth About Plesiadapis One of the earliest prehistoric primates yet discovered, Plesiadapis lived during the Paleocene epoch, a mere five million years or so after the dinosaurs went extinct—which does much to explain its rather small size (Paleocene mammals had yet to attain the large sizes typical of the mammalian megafauna of the later Cenozoic Era). The lemur-like Plesiadapis looked nothing like a modern human, or even the later monkeys from which humans evolved; rather, this small mammal was notable for the shape and arrangement of its teeth, which were already semi-suited to an omnivorous diet. Over tens of millions of years, evolution would send the descendants of Plesiadapis down from the trees and onto the open plains, where they would opportunistically eat anything that crawled, hopped, or slithered their way, at the same time evolving ever-larger brains. It took a surprisingly long time for paleontologists to make sense of Plesiadapis. This mammal was discovered in France in 1877, only 15 years after Charles Darwin published his treatise on evolution, On the Origin of Species, and at a time when the idea of humans evolving from monkeys and apes was extremely controversial. Its name, Greek for almost Adapis, references another fossil primate discovered about 50 years earlier. We can now infer from the fossil evidence that the ancestors of Plesiadapis lived in North America, possibly coexisting with dinosaurs, and then gradually crossed over to western Europe by way of Greenland.

Essay about It Wasn’t War it Was Genocide in Rwanda

It Wasn’t War it Was Genocide in Rwanda Never ending battles have occurred over the past sixty years in Rwanda due to their atrocious economy. It has been the Tutsi and the Hutu, two out of the three ethnic groups in Rwanda, that have been battling for the government spot. As the years went on, the fighting kept getting more brutal. This brutality ended up being an all out massacre in Rwanda from the Hutu. It has been argued whether if the killings were an act of genocide or an act of war. But what are exactly genocide and war, and which one relates to the conflict in Rwanda? Because of the way the Hutu went through with there harsh brutality towards the Tutsi provides enough evidence to prove that the Hutus actions were an act†¦show more content†¦When Belgium brought in colonialism they also brought in the Catholic Church. This irritated the Tutsi and they started to get agitated against Belgium authority. The Tutsi felt that Rwanda was just fine and there didn’t need to be anything changed. Th e negative response towards the new colonial economy and the Catholic Church that the Belgians brought in will end up coming back at the Tutsi. The Belgians saw this negative attitude and because of this attitude from the Tutsi the Belgians switched there support toward the Hutu. Since the Tutsi did not treat the Hutu with much respect in the past years the Hutu could take advantage of this support from the Belgians and payback the Tutsi’s for how they treated them in past years. Along with the Belgians support toward the Hutu came the Hutu Revolution in 1959. It all started with the Belgians getting the Hutu more political positions, getting them into secondary schools, and getting them to just participate in more public life. This scared the Tutsi. The Tutsi, feeling that there power was being jeopardized, decided they had to do something. Feeling that they were in a desperate situation they ended up killing a Hutu sub-chief. The vivid Hutu, feeling that it was time to take a stand, attacked Tutsi officials, who in return attacked the Hutu. This turned into one of many smallShow MoreRelatedA Look at the Rwandan Genocide Essay1014 Words   |  5 Pagesare suffering and have very little hope. Genocide is the only reason. Everything could have been prevented if genocide didn’t exist. The world basically ignored the genocide and pretended like it never happened because they didn’t want to spend the money. Thousands of people could still be alive if the world stepped up at helped the victims of this horrible crime. Rwanda used to be a peaceful country until the Civil war started. Belgium then took over Rwanda and put the Tutsis in charge of the governmentRead MoreThe Genocide And The Rwandan Genocide1256 Words   |  6 PagesIn the year 1994, the Rwandan Genocide took place. 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Politics and Ethnicity were the two main conflicts, but despite the differentRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Maria Kizito And Hotel Rwanda Essay1265 Words   |  6 PagesMaria Kizito and Hotel Rwanda are true accounts of two isolated events that took place in Rwanda during a genocide in 1994 where nearly one million innocent people lost their lives. Maria Kizito is a play that focuses mainly on the trial of a catholic nun, Maria Kizito, who was charged and found guilty of promoting and facilitating the murder of seven thousand refugees who sought shelter from Hutu extremist at a local convent (Kizito 178). Whereas Hotel Rwanda focuses on the life of Paul RusesabaginaRead MoreThe World Reacted Toward s The Act Of Genocide Essay1081 Words   |  5 PagesMerriam-Webster dictionary defines genocide as â€Å"the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group† . 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It is located in east-central Africa with a population of seven million. There

Capital Punishment And The Death Penalty - 2003 Words

Death Penalty What’s burnt to a crisp and did something illegal? Picture a man sitting in a dark room blindfolded with his legs and hands tied. Two thousand volts of electricity are going into his body. It only takes five seconds for this person to die. He is not a victim. He has received what the American justice system calls the worst punishment that can be given. Yet we find Capital Punishment to still be a controversial topic. Capital punishment is a judicially ordered execution of a prisoner for a serious crime, often called a capital crime. Society has very split views on the death penalty, ranging from inhumane to a person should be held accountable in the most severe way for their crimes against society. There are individuals that†¦show more content†¦Scriptures in the Bible say that death should take place for stealing, killing and rape. There are currently several forms of performing an execution, one of them being lethal injection. Oklahoma became the first state in 1977 to make lethal injection a means of execution. Today 32 states that have the death penalty use this method. When this method is used, the inmate is usually restrained on a stretcher and a member of the execution team places several heart monitors on their skin. Two needles are used, one is a back up and the other is inserted into larger veins, usually in the inmate’s arms. Long tubes connect the needle through a hole in a cement block wall to a few intravenous (I.V.) drip bags. The first step is to start a saline solution that is harmless. Then at the warden’s signal, a curtain is raised allowing the inmate to be seen by witnesses from a viewing room. Then, the inmate is injected with sodium thiopental, an anesthetic, which puts the inmate to sleep. The next drugs given are pavulon, or pancuronium bromide. These drugs paralyze the entire muscle system, which stops the inmate’s breathing. Finally, the flow of potassium chloride stops the heart (Evans, 61). Another form of execution is by using a large quantity of electricity. The person is usually shaved and strapped to a chair with belts that cross their chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal skullcap-shaped electrode is attached to the scalp and forehead over a