Arguments for and Against Genetically Modified Food Essay Example for Free

Arguments for and Against Genetically Modified Food Essay Biotechnology involves any technique that uses living organisms or parts there of to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals or to develop micro organisms for specific uses (Dr Sriwatanapongse, www. afic. org) In the past century weve have been lucky enough to stumble upon one of the basic building blocks of organisms, DNA. In recent years scientists have been able to develop ways in which they can manipulate, alter, and transfer DNA in forms that can help improve our lives. One way in which DNA research has been used to improve our lifestyle, is by engineering the deoxyribonucleic acid into ways which can alter food supplies to make them bigger, taste better, resistant to pests and even make them have a greater concentration of nutrients. Of course this is great news to the human population, in terms of economic and life-saving values for third world countries, yet there are still disadvantages. With all the good news that comes from these altered crops, concerns are still among people. These concerns include; whether or not these alterations will affect humans in a negative way, or how they will impact the environment. Genetically engineering crops might play a significant role in increasing crop yield therefore allowing the world to feed more people while using less land. A recent study on bioengineered crops concluded that these crops are safe and can improve production dramatically. To date, total acres of biotech crops harvested exceed more than 1 billion with a proven 10-year history of safe use. Over the next decade, expanded adoption combined with current research on 57 crops in 63 countries will broaden the advantages of genetically modified foods for growers, consumers and the environment. (www. monsanto. com) Those opposing the genetically altered crops state that One major detriment to genetically engineered food is that there has been no adequate testing to ensure that extracting genes from useful functions will yield the same results in different applications and species (www. govhs. org). Predictions of future are that, consumers are able to get foods that last longer, taste better and are more nutritious than the current foods. There will also an even greater variety of foods all year round. These products will be made possible through genetic engineering, and some of them are already available. For centuries, farmers grew plants to produce special foods with unique characteristics: better taste, higher yield or greater resistance to drought or frosts. History shows, that five thousand years ago in Peru, potatoes were grown selectively. Plants, which produced potatoes with attractive characteristics, such as higher yields, were used to produce future plants. More than two thousand years ago, tree grafting was used by the Greeks to Gain a more fruit in orchards. Now, we have genetically engineered food that has been discovered and now offers a faster and more reliable method of establishing new traits in plants to provide foods that are better tasting, more nutritious or more in amount. Although all of this may seem futuristic, such crops do already exist. Not only have these crops been in laboratories for decades, but they have been in the market for years. Humans have only just begun to realize the benefits of these genetically altered foods. Genetically altered foods allow a wide selection of things to improve upon. Some altered abilities already exists in our fruits and vegetables, these include: pest, disease and herbicide. By using genetic engineering, plants that resist disease, pests or insects can be developed. This means that less chemicals, such as pesticides, are required. In the near future scientists hopefully will be able to improve the drought resistance of most crop species and could have major implications for crops grown in dry areas (www.abc. net. au/news). Weather resistance Plants could and can be developed to better withstand extreme weather conditions such as drought or frosts. Genetically engineering foods make crops easier to maintain and lower the cost in maintenance. One benefit of altered foods which is often overlooked is the Improved processing characteristics of these foods, leading to reduced waste and lower food costs to the consumer. Foods are being developed to contain more vitamins, minerals, protein and less saturated fat. For example, fruits and vegetables with higher levels of antioxidant vitamins may reduce cardiovascular disease risk and help reduce the risk of certain cancers (www. americanheart. org). The world population is expected to double to more than 10 billion people by the year 2050. Food biotechnology can help meet the increasing demand for food. By increasing a crops ability to withstand environmental factors, growers will be able to farm in parts of the world currently unsuitable for crop production. Along with additional food, this could also provide economies of developing nations with much-needed jobs and greater productivity. Genetically engineered foods seem to have solved all the problems farmers and growers have had for years. Unfortunately all the positive effects of altered foods seem to mask the reality behind these perfect crops. Some of the disadvantages of altered crops include the possibility of mutations. Plant breeders have induced mutations in selected plants by treating them with chemicals or radiation; however this is costly and unpredictable (Microorganisms, biotechnology and Disease). Genetic engineering changes the nature of the food eaten. It can cause unexpected mutations in an organism, which can create new and higher levels of toxins in foods. Genetic engineering can produce unknown allergens in foods. Some foods may be implanted with the ability to produce antibiotics. This may help the plant, but if these plants that are infected with bacteria emerge new strands of bacteria that may become resistant to the most advanced antibiotics, there will be a problem. With herbicide-resistant crops, weeds may evolve to also become herbicide resistant. The spread of diseases across specific species may also become a factor because of a loss of ? bio-diversity in crops. When crops are altered for specific abilities, they are then mass produced. They are the only type of species grown in field of thousands. Because of this, the species will only be able to pass on to all generations the same DNA. Once started, they may not be easily controlled or contained. It makes the crops hard to calculate. Unfortunately the biggest problem raised from new modified foods is the fact that the public is unaware of how it works and the results behind the genetically modified food. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic code in living organisms. About twenty five years ago, scientists began to understand how DNA worked. From this ways for speeding up breeding processes were understood to a degree. Agricultural scientists today can identify the genes that carry specific traits they want, such as ? disease resistance or ? nutrient content and transfer those genes to a plant, therefore creating a transgenic organism. Genetic engineering is the process of artificially modifying these ? blueprints. By cutting and splicing DNA, engineers can transfer genes specific to one type of organism into any other organism. Some organisms have been enhanced through biotechnology such as; tomatoes, that go ? soft more slowly and so remain on the vine for longer. This gives them more colour and flavour. Also, virus resistant papyrus and squash, that make the crop more dependable. Genetically modified food seems to have already changed the world today. Many countries are already considering making more of their crops with genetically engineered properties. Scientists have gained a vast knowledge of genetic engineering and are now able to make many possibilities. Genetically engineered food has brought a lot of commercial benefits; increased crops quality, harvesting quantity, pest resistance, herbicide resistance, nutrient supplementation and more. Not only have the crops improved, but more crops are produced in less space. Although the benefits of bioengineering seem fantastic, there are still many mysteries left to understand in such a vast field of understanding. Genetic engineering might cause serious consequences to our future life as well next generations to come. Deeper insight into genetic engineering may be all that is needed for us to gain truly unlimited advantage from such a vast scientific field.

Its Time to Make Prostitution Legal :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

It's Time to Make Prostitution Legal Prostitution has long been called the world's oldest profession. For as long back as we have records, evidence can be found of people selling sex for some sort of gain. When the colonists were running around slaughtering the natives, they also were enjoying the pleasures of local prostitutes. In fourth century, Athenian orator Apollodoros stated "we have courtesans for pleasure, and concubines for the daily service of our bodies, but wives for the production of legitimate offspring and to have reliable guardians of our household property." And yet in "progressive" America, a land were people claim to be the most socially advanced, prostitution is an illegal act that results in the sheltering of rapists, drug dealers, and abusers. Legalization of prostitution could solve a lot of problems caused by its illegality, but it's unlikely that those rich old white guys in Washington are going to make the change. They prefer to ignore the issue, occasionally making the token gesture at trying to end it completely. Reality check folks, if prostitution has been around this long, it's not going anywhere. You can throw more laws at it, up the punishment, even do like Minnesota and post those arrested for prostitution (not those just found guilty) and stick their pictures on the internet, but you aren't going to change reality. Nevada has already seen the light...why not the rest of country? If this country were to legalize prostitution, we could make a fortune while also improving the health of our country and the "character" behind it all. Look at Nevada. Let's take prostitution off the streets by requiring services be offered in a brothel or on appropriate web sites. As for the common streetwalker, arrest them for solicitation, but just solicitation, no more tacking on the prostitution part. Change the law to require condoms and regular health checks and AIDS testing. Where prostitution is legal in Nevada, the number of AIDS cases among the workers is now down to 0 (where the illegal hookers have topped 25% infection...that's a one in four chance of paying to get AIDS). By having it legal, prostitutes will no longer have to fear going to the cops when they get raped or beaten.

Operation Management Essay

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to provide students with an understanding of the role and importance of operations management in the efficient and effective production of goods and services. It will enable students to realise that the ‘proper’ organisation of productive systems, and their interfaces with internal as well as external customers and suppliers, is essential if goods/services are to be produced on time, to cost and within the laws and regulations. Scenario. Impressive Burgers was established 10 years ago with the goal of providing fast take away food to their customers quickly and of a higher quality to that of their rivals. Each restaurant offered a simple menu structure with a choice of four set meal options. 1. Burger, Chips & Soft Drink 2. Cheeseburger, Chips & Soft Drink 3. Chicken Burger, Chips & Soft Drink 4. Vegetarian Burger, Chips & Soft Drink Customers were offered a choice of size of each meal: Regular, Medium or Large. The size of the chips and drinks portions varied but the burger size remained the same. Using this format they were able to serve each customer their order within 4 minutes from a ordering at the till to receiving their complete order to take away. Each restaurant places their orders with the suppliers directly based on the manager’s prediction for demand based on the reports generated by the restaurants own till system. These orders arrive in one shipment once every other week. The company has grown to a chain of restaurant operations and the management introduced a number of changes to the format 12 months ago in an effort to increase each business at each restaurants. The number of set meal options available on the menu was increased to offer more options to the customer and to attract customers seeking healthier options. The menu options were increased by a further three options: 5. Chicken Nuggets, Chips & Soft Drink 6. Chicken Salad, Garlic Bread, & Soft Drink 7. Hot Dog, Chips & Soft Drink In addition to these set menu additions the company also offered the option of changing the chips option on the set meals for either a Side Salad or for Potato Wedges. The restaurants themselves have not changed and the number of staff and machinery has remained at the same levels before the menu changes. Since these changes were implemented there has been a dramatic increase in turnover and the number of customers that are visiting each of their restaurants. However, overall profit has declined dramatically over the last 12 months and the company predicts that if it continues the company will report its first loss in its history within the next 6 months. The company is considering expanding its operations by opening a number of new outlets but want to identify the problems to the issues they are currently facing. The company has begun to investigate why the mixed fortunes have arisen and has identified a number of issues. Serving times have increased dramatically and it now takes an average of 9 minutes for a customer to be served and the number of customer complaints has increased. The main complaints include rude and agitated staff and incorrect or incomplete orders. The total value of stock held at each restaurant has increased by an average of 20% and waste has dramatically increased. The CEO of Impressive Burgers is worried about the current development and has recruited you as Operations Manager with the responsibility of rectifying the situation that the company is currently facing. Your first assignment as Operations Manager is to produce a formal report to the management which includes the following tasks: |Outcome |Assessment Criteria | |No(s) | | |1. Understand the nature and |explain the importance of operational management |1. 1 | |importance of operational | | | |management |explain the need to produce safely; on time; to cost; to | | | |quality and within the law | | | | |1. 2 | | | | | | | | | | |explain the link between operations management and | | | |strategic planning | | | | |1. 3 | | | | | | |produce a systems diagram to illustrate a typical | | | |business | | | | | | | | | | | | |1. 4 | |2 Understand the link between |explain the ‘Three Es’ (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) | | |operations management and | |2. 1 | |strategic planning |explain the tension between cost minimisation and quality | | | |maximisation |2. 2 | | | | | | |evaluate the significance of the five performance objectives | | | |that underpin operations management | | | | | | | | |2. 3 | | | | | | |explain linear programming | | | | |3. 1 | |3 Understand how to organise a typical production process | | | | |evaluate critical path analysis and network planning | | | | |3. 2 | | | | | | |explain the need for operational planning and control | | | | |3. 3 | | | | | | | | | | |produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes | 4. 1 | |4 Be able to apply relevant | | | |techniques to the production |produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path| | |of an operational plan for a | |4. 2 | |typical business | | | | |explain how quality could be defined and maintained |4. 3 | |Assignment Tasks: | | | | | | |Assessment | | |Criteria | |You are required to produce a formal and written report to cover the underlisted tasks. | | | | | |Task 1 | | |Explain the importance of operational management in an organization such as Impressive Burgers and explain ‘Three Es’ (economy, | | |efficiency and effectiveness and its relevance in the industry in which Impressive Burgers operates. |1. 1,2. 1 | | | | |Task 2 | | |Critically evaluate Impressive Burgers’ approach to expanding their operation. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |1. 2,1. 3,1. 4 | | | | |Task 3 | | |Discuss the reasons behind the problems the company is facing and make suggestions for rectifying the situation. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |3. 1,3. 2,3. 3 | | | | |Task 4 | | |Considering the effects on the operations, identify ways in which the overall operation could be improved and expanded further. | | | | | | | | | |4. 1,4. 2 | | | | Grading Criteria The assignment will be graded into Pass, Merit and Distinction against the following criteria: Pass: A pass grade is achieved by meeting all the requirements defined in the unit outcomes. Grading Criteria The assignment will be graded into Pass, Merit and Distinction against the following criteria: Pass: A pass grade is achieved by meeting all the requirements defined in the unit outcomes. |Merit & Distinction | |M1 |Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions | | |Identify areas relevant for each task in the assignment and respond accordingly and professionally | |M2 |Select and apply appropriate techniques | | |Evidence of processing and synthesised complex information/data. | | |Appropriate learning methods/techniques have been applied | | |Report should have proper citations and reference list to all sources including your field-visit observations, books, magazines and other | | |material used for research | | | | |M3 |Present and communicate appropriate findings | | |Present your views coherently and logically | | |Demonstrate real situations in your assignment | | | | |D1 |Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions | | |Justify your ideas in a professional manner. | | |Propose realistic ideas for the future based on the current status | | |Learner presented CONCLUSIONS for all tasks/areas | |D2 |Take responsibility for managing and organizing activities | | |Show that you did the assignment alone and in accordance with the time. | | |Assignments referred will automatically achieve the minimum grade too for improper handling of task | |D3 |Demonstrate creative thinking | | |Demonstrate that you followed all the guidelines while doing the assignment and have utilised adequate and relevant words for the specific. | | |business environment | | |Apply innovation and creative thought in your work. | |Required Evidence | |†¢ Report (Your report should be approximately 1800 words and you are likely to be penalized if it exceeds 2000 words. If you feel it is essential to | |include detailed information, put it in an appendix and refer to this appendix in the text. Your sources of information should be clearly identified) | | | |Reading & Research Resources | |Lecture slides | |F Rowbotham et el (2007) Operations Management in Context | |S Brown et al (2000), Strategic Operations Management, Butterworth Heinemann. | |L Galloway L et al (2000), Operations Management in Context, Butterworth-Heinemann. | |J Heizer and B Render (2003), Operations Management, Prentice Hall. | |N Slack et al (2000), Operations Management, Pitman. | |D L Waller D L (1999), Operations Management — A Supply Chain Approach, Thompson | |Newspapers, trade journals, magazines | | | |Guidelines for Presentation | |All assignments must be word-processed using Times New Roman (12 point) and stapled in the top left hand corner. | |Page numbers must be included at the bottom of each page. | |Secondary sources should be acknowledged using the Harvard Referencing | |Students are requested to attach the ‘assessment activity front sheet’ on the top of each report with all personal information (name, and student number | |etc. ) accurately presented. | |Every report must have a front page showing the title, class and name | |The length of writing will be limited to about 1800-2000 words. | |Note: Assignment that did not follow this ‘Guidelines for presentation’ will not be accepted. | | | |Plagiarism Policy The college has strict penalty for plagiarism and the assignment will be cancelled if the assignment is observed for this. The definition| |and scope of plagiarism are presented below: Plagiarism occurs when a student misrepresents, as his/her own work, the work, written or otherwise, of any | |other person (including another student) or of any institution. Examples of forms of plagiarism include: | |†¢ The verbatim (word for word) copying of another’s work without appropriate and correctly presented acknowledgement; | |†¢ The close paraphrasing of another’s work by simply changing a few words or altering the order of presentation, without appropriate and correctly | |presented acknowledgement; | |†¢ Unacknowledged quotation of phrases from another’s work; | |†¢ The deliberate and detailed presentation of another’s concept as one’s own. | | | |All types of work submitted by students are covered by this definition, including, written work, diagrams, designs, engineering drawings and pictures. |

Summer Writing Assignment †College Essay

Among all the characters that I have encountered in books and movies, one persona stood out as the one I want to emulate the most. He went by the name Equality 7-2521 from the novel entitled â€Å"Anthem† by Ayn Rand. He appealed me the moment I read the book because he embodied what I am striving to be.His personality was the quintessence of the qualities I needed to be successful. When I read the book, I was utterly impressed by his determination, intelligence, and more importantly, his perseverance as an individual. He has a significant influence on me and I find him a great source of inspiration to struggle harder in the complexities of life.It was during my sophomore year that I read the book â€Å"Anthem.† At that time, I was in a predicament over whether I should concentrate on schooling or finding a part-time job.The reason why I had such qualms was that even I made endeavors to complete my school works properly and attempted to attain high scores, my poor Engli sh proficiency derailed my plans. I was discouraged by the inconsistency of my efforts and grades printed in my report card.The course of things changed when I read â€Å"Anthem.† I was impressed by the characteristics of Equality 7-2521, the protagonist in the novel. The story was set in a fictional world which was dominated by collectivism. Equality 7-2521, who was seeking for self-identification, struggled in a society that rejected individualism in favor of collectivism.Equality 7-2521 discovered a tunnel where he began hiding regularly to conduct scientific experiments. Later on, he invented the light bulb and decided to share his device with the World Council of Scholars, even though he knew the way he came to discover electricity was illegal and sinful. Subsequently, Equality 7-2521's presentation of the light bulb to the World Council of Scholars permanently severed him from society and forced him out on his own.The reason that the World Council of Scholars made this decision was that collectivism does not allow people to think or work individually but jointly. As a result, Equality 7-2521 was exiled yet he did not stop pursuing his goal. He kept studying in the woods and eventually discovered the meaning of individualism and the word â€Å"I.†As I read the book thoroughly, I realized the qualities that I must possess in order to achieve my ambitions. Equality 7-2521 had a worse situation than mine, but by the virtue of his positive attributes, he successfully pulled off his discovery. He believed in individualism and rejected the collectivist society around him. He was insightful, perseverant, truth-seeking, resolute, and intelligent. He was deeply curious and desired freedom to explore and think, and he was unafraid of the society of mindless drones around him.Equality 7-2521 represented the superiority of a singular intellect to the homogeneity of the masses, who could not think of themselves and were indistinguishable from one another . I plan to get a high score as well. I believe I could reach my aspirations if I exemplify the qualities that Equality 7-2521 had. The strong and firm character Equality 7-2521 held inspired me every time I face a dilemma in real life.Equality 7-2521’s story assured me that nothing is impossible and that I can succeed too even in my simple but unrelenting ways. Along this line, I should stay focused on my work and studies, and possibly make a significant improvement in the coming marking period.He had a tremendous impact on my personality, not only in my study habits, but also in the determination to confront difficulties. Whoever and whatever I am now, I owe it for the most part to Equality 7-2521 for transforming me to the kind of person I never imagined I could ever be. Life indeed is like a roller coaster with ups and downs to render it more interesting and breathtaking. And above all, what is of the essence is that Equality 7-2521 indirectly made me complete and unexpec tedly happy as well.

China has the largest population in the world Essays

China has the largest population in the world Essays China has the largest population in the world Essay China has the largest population in the world Essay Name: Instructor: Course: Date: China has the largest population in the world. With this population, there have been and still are many religious groups in the country including the Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Confucianism, and Taoists among other religions. Religion in China has a long History of both foreign and domestic religions. Islam is one of the foreign religions that China widely embraced. In a country of over a Billion people, Islam in the country may be seen a minority religious group. Nonetheless, Islam is present, and its pupation is amongst the highest in the world with over 20.3 million Islam followers. The Muslim community spans across several tribes each with the Hui and Uygur being the most dominant group of Muslims in the country. One of the earliest forms of Islam in China was Sufism that began in the late seventeenth century. This form arrived in China along the Central Asian trade routes with the sheiks of both Chinese and foreign origins. The enigmatic teachers and tradesmen were able to establish widespread networks and brother hood associations that included chiefly of the Naqshbandiyya, Qadariyya and the Kubrawiyya (Yang 186). The preachers of these associations tried to appeal to the Gedimu to which was the earliest form of Islam in the China. The Tang Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty saw no split in Muslim. It was during the Qing Dynasty that Sufism surfaced in China. A nationalistic movement in the country in the late 19th century saw a secularization of the religion influenced by the Wahhabi ideals of the Arabian Peninsula (Yang 190). The Yihewani has been considered another from of Islam in China. Many have also though of it as the alternative to Sufism and Gedimu Islam in China. The Tajik are the only Shiite Muslims in China. The total Muslim population in china is about 20.3 million. The ethnic groups in China that are Muslim include the Hui, Uyghur, Kazakh, Dongxiang, Kyrgyz, Salar, Tajik, Uzbek, Bonan and the Tatar. The Hui can be found all over the country, but they are mainly geographically associated with Ningxia, Qinghai and Gansu. The Uyghur’s geographical position is in the Xinjiang region of China. The Kazakh, Uzbek, Salar and Tatar can be found in the same area. The Dongxiang and the Bonan communities are concentrated in the Hexi corridor of the Gansu mountainous region. The The Hui is a distinct category of Muslims in the country because of various factors. For one, Islam in China has been propagated among the Hui people over 1300 years (Yang 182). In this sense, Islam in China has been considered a premise of the Hui people. For example, during the Qing Dynasty, Islam in China was referred to as the Hui religion (Goossaert Palmer 60). The Hui in many ways introduced Islam in China. Another distinctive feature of the Hui is that they are more closely related to the Han than any other Muslim community in China. The odd thing is that the Han are not Muslim, yet the Hui have adapted many of their Islamic practices and beliefs to the Han way of life. This has accorded the Hui community criticism from Muslims from other communities (Yang 183). The name Hui can mean, â€Å"To return†. The Hui have not been considered part of the Chinese people. This is because they descended from Persian, Arab, Mongolian and Turkish Muslim soldiers and merchants who settled in China in the 17th century (Yang 180). They then intermarried with the Han women how that is how they brought the Islam religion and became part of China. In the late Qing Dynasty, the Hui were a feared people in the fight against the dynasty’s tyrannical rule (Goossaert Palmer 36). They fought in the Xingjian region, drove away the Qing infidels, and imposed Islamic law under the rule Yaqub Beg in 1820 (Goossaert Palmer 37). Yang, Mayfair M. Chinese Religiosities: Afflictions of Modernity and State Formation. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. Print. Goossaert, Vincent, and David A. Palmer. The Religious Question in Modern China. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011. Print.

An Analysis of the Myth and Issues of Our Organic Food System

An Analysis of the Myth and Issues of Our Organic Food System In the last decade, a new fad has been sweeping the nation: Organic Foods. All around America organic markets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are popping up, offering a variety of organic produce, grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs, and all natural cosmetic products. People switch to organic products usually out of a desire to eat healthier, and take a stance on conventional agriculture and meat products. Food markets such as Whole Foods do indeed feel more welcoming when you step inside. As compared to most food and drug stores, you are greeting with warm lighting and earth colored walls and floor, instead of fluorescent lights and linoleum floors. The meat section has elaborate details, depicting pastoral settings of cows on wide, open grazing fields, and chickens running wild. Every object in the produce aisle is traced back to the place where it was grown, and the â€Å"USDA Organic Certified† label is printed on most everything. In this setting, consumers feel they a re eating the healthy alternative, with no synthetic hormones, pesticides, or GMOs. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. These foods do indeed come from organically certified farms, but these farms are not as airtight in regulation as one might assume. In reference to these welcoming organic products and their origin, Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma, states â€Å"Theyre organic by the letter, not organic in spirit if most organic consumers went to those places, they would feel they were getting ripped off.† In the organic system, there are tons are loopholes allowing them to sell less than organic products to the consumer. And we fall for it. Today, we import more food from around the world than ever before. We have dissolved ourselves from a time where spices were one of the most valuable commodities to a time when we can walk into our local food and drug store and have everything we could want from all around the world at our fingertips. While this may seem like a dream come true compared to the old days, it does not come without severe consequences. Higher food prices come as a result, chemicals are being sprayed in mass amounts, from synthetic hormones to preservatives, and carbon emissions are at an all time high due in part to the use of fossil fuels used to transport these food stuffs from all around the globe. This is not sustainable. Many see organic farming as a feasible way to fix this mess. However, organic farming is not as different to regular agriculture as one might think at first. Upon further inspection, organic farming standards are not airtight, and leave plenty of room for harmful pesticide spraying. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) requires that these chemicals and pesticides must come from a â€Å"natural source†. Take Rotenone for example. Rotenone was a chemical used for spraying organic produce for decades. In her article Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming Conventional Agriculture, Christie Wilcox writes â€Å"Because it is natural in origin, occurring in the roots and stems of a small number of subtropical plants, it was considered safe as well as organic. However, research has shown that rotenone is highly dangerous because it kills by attacking mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of all living cells.† Rotenone was linked to Parkinsons Disease in rats and can also resul t in death for humans. This was allowed because of it’s â€Å"natural source†, but natural does not always mean good for you. These chemicals that come from a natural source are then lightly processed, if at all. NOSB is an organization that also votes on proposed pesticides allowed for organic farming, so the list is always changing. Another troubling aspect about these chemicals is that the volume that they are sprayed is not monitored by the government. A lot of these chemicals are sprayed in heavy volumes, which can pose serious health hazard to people and the environment. This is because often times these chemicals are not as strong as conventionally used pesticides, so it takes more to have their proper effect. So then what is the point of these organic foods? The organic food market has made $52 billion in the last couple years worldwide, so it is most obviously turning a profit. Is certified organic food becoming widely available to provide the masses with a healthy, ethical alternative, or are corporations like Whole Foods painting these beautiful pictures of to gain a profit? It could possibly be a mix of both. Organic foods are not bad, despite what it might sound like, and do often provide a healthier alternative for consumers. However, these corporations are using a â€Å"supermarket pastoral† to sell their products that makes it easier to cover up what’s going on behind the scenes. As Michael Pollan states, â€Å"Supermarket Pastoral is a most seductive literary form, beguiling enough to survive in the face of a great many discomforting facts.† In order to ensure a healthier organic market with more accessible information, the organic food market must have different standards and more monitoring from the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). As of now, the USDA still allows some GMO’s to be used in organic farming, but the screening process allows them to slip by unnoticed. USDA organizations like National Organic Program (NOP) set the regulations for organic food, grant certificates, and do investigations when certified organic farmers are under suspicion of violating code. But the level of regulation that actually exists is extremely lenient. This makes it so that the organic label is misleading, due to the product being treated with substances that are not truly organic. Once an organic farmer is certified organic, they must comply to a production plan. This plan is then approved by a certifying organic agent. Once the certification is granted, a farmer cannot be penalized if there is an unintentional us e of GMO’s or inorganic pesticides used on the plants as long as it is unintentional. This in turn creates a loophole that farmers can slip through, allowing them to use these inorganic substances as long as it is â€Å"unintentional† by nature. The products they put out can then be labeled organic even though this statement lacks truth, and their names are untarnished. If suspicion arises that an organic farmer is abusing their production plan, and intentionally using pesticides, the USDA will step in. The USDA requires that â€Å"certifying agents test five percent of their certified operations each year. The certifying agents themselves determine which operations will be subjected to testing. (Henri Miller).† These testing policies are supported by organic communities and federations. The USDA’s response to why they impose such minimal testing is that an increase of testing would result in higher operating and production costs for organic farmers beyond the high expenses they already pay. This is turn would lead to higher prices in food markets. The fact of the matter is that organic food is already much more pricey than their chain-store counterparts, which makes organic food barely accessible to those in the low income bracket. And is higher prices something the public wants to pay for more widespread testing? It would certainly b e better for those who can afford it, but it does not make much sense economically. â€Å"Wordy labels, point-of-purchase brochures, and certification schemes are supposed to make an obscure and complicated food chain more legible to the consumer (Pollan, 136).† While organic labeling certainly does clear up some of the confusion of point source, it could be doing more. For example, â€Å"free-range chicken† may not be what it seems. Tyler Cowen discusses this example in his article Can You Really Save the Planet at the Dinner Table? Which appeared on Slate.com, â€Å"though we feel good about eating free-range chickens—and are willing to pay more for them—many of those birds dont fare much better than their peers: They often receive only a few inches of additional space in factory farms and then a few weeks time to step outside through a tiny door—and most chickens stay inside, having learned a fear of the unknown.† The same can be said for organic milk. There are mass quantities or organic milk being produced in factory farms. Horizon, the largest organic dairy label was exposed by the Cornucopia Institute for having 4,000 10,000 cows in factory farms producing milk for the company. The company created the false sense that their cows were kept on green pastures with access to pristine grazing lands. The truth is, many more of their cows not in farming factories were being kept in southern Idaho in grassless conditions. Here they were milking thousands of cows that â€Å"spend their day milling around a dry lot a grassless fenced enclosure (pollan, 156).† When the USDA investigated complaints of the operation, they sent in the same agent that had originally approved the operation in the first place, as per policy. Eventually, due to the Cornucopia Institute filing legal cases against the company starting in 2004, Horizon was decertified and now remains under close speculation from the U SDA. Another myth that consumers are failing to realize is that organic farming is not always best for the environment. This is true for all agriculture, as pollutants from pesticides, fertilizer, and nutrients from unturned soil from the farm are swept away by rain and erosion, causing them to seep into the waterways surrounding them. This causes severe damage to rivers, lakes, and other water works, and is called nonpoint source pollution. Organic farms are not innocent of this either. And if while keeping in mind ecological preservation, it seems to make less sense to switch completely over to organic farming as more land would have to be cleared and cultivated for these farms to exist. A way to help this dilemma would be to support local organic farms, which are less likely to spray harmful pesticides. This in turn helps to promote local economy, and would also spark a decrease in fossil fuels being used and carbon emissions being emitted to transport large quantities of food from across the country. However, this switch would not come without consequences. It would mean a cut in the variety in food available year round, such as no bananas in the dead of winter. Berries and other out of seasons produce could still be frozen however. But these sacrifices are relatively little compared to what we would be gaining a more ethical, economically beneficial, and environmentally safer way to eat organically. On top of switching to small, local organic farms, there could also be tightening in the USDAs regulations on large-scale certified organic farmers. A possible way to do this without increasing production costs for organic companies would be the create government ince ntives and possible tax breaks for farmers to use better forms of pest control. Money could be saved simply by growing what is in season, considering it takes less pesticides to produce. When it comes to labeling, the â€Å"supermarket pastoral† may be a beautiful way to subdue our interests, but should be more transparent when it comes to where our food is sourced, including livestock and dairy products. Like Pollan says, we should be able to weigh out the pros and the cons in what we are eating. Organic farming is a step in the right direction, but like most things, could use some refining. It’s not an easy matter, Especially when large corporations like Monsanto show no interest in backing down. But if we were to work towards these guidelines, we would be closer to becoming healthier, for ourselves and for planet earth.

Otherness and the Nature of Jealousy in Othello Research Paper

Otherness and the Nature of Jealousy in Othello - Research Paper Example There is a reason it is called a monster. Jealousy transforms love into a rage that can have deadly consequences. The monster that Othello becomes destroys the love that he held for Desdemona and eventually destroyed the vessel of that love, Desdemona herself. From the perspective of a clinical discussion of the emotion of jealousy, the nature of jealousy is a complex system of emotional programs that have evolved as responses in reference to threats to procreative responsibilities (Lewis 122). This response is intended to protect the line of male succession, thus it is seen more often and more dangerously in men. In addition, it has only been in recent history that women have had a right to demand fidelity in their mates. While men have guarded fidelity in women with lethal prejudice, women have only been allowed to express jealousy in regard to their mates through cultural norms in the last few centuries of human history. In discussing the nature of the jealousy expressed by Othell o, it is necessary to understand the cultural position on the relationships between men and women during the period of the play and the period in which it was written. According to Lewis, â€Å"cues of a situation trigger an emotion mode, but embedded in that emotion mode is a way of seeing the world and feeling about the world related to the ancestral cluster of associated elements (122). The way in which an emotion is perceived and is reacted to is dependent upon both the visual cues that suggest the appropriateness of that emotion and the historical cultural values that define that emotion. One might believe that an emotion is experienced in the same way no matter the cultural location, but this is not true. The emotion develops upon the beliefs on how a culture has framed its expression and appropriateness. As an example, love is an emotion that seems relatively similar in all cultures. However, that can be argued. Love is a feeling that can be tied to desire, that can be tied to mutual experiences, or that can be tied to dependency. In cultures where people marry through arrangement, love can develop between two people who are put together and learn to feel for one another. In other cultures, love is something that develops once the physical attraction has been established. Therefore, it must be understood that an emotional exploration is going to be relevant to the culture through which the emotion is expressed. Jealousy, in Othello, is defined by two cultures, the culture that Shakespeare writes about and his own culture. The gender relations during the time of Shakespeare were defined by a wide variety of dynamics. In literature, the idea of romantic love was highly visible, but literary love is influenced by the realities of the dynamics of the time period. The possession of the female gender was also highly important in calculating the reaction of jealousy. The patriarchal society designates the female as an object, rather than the subject of her li fe. While it is true that the realities of the gender relationships were more complicated than the patriarchal ideals defined, it is the ideology of the patriarchal society that allows for the extremes in jealousy that can be defined when a woman is a possession rather than an individual. The 17th century philosopher John Locke stated that men had no more control over the lives of women than they did over men. However, he also later