Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Free Essays on Belly Dancing
Belly Dancing There have been many theories about the origin of belly dancing. Belly dancing comes from the Arab term Bella D which means native dance and native rhythm. Belly dancing is traced way back to 3500 BC from the Ferroââ¬â¢s. Nevertheless, belly dancing can also be found in Northern Africa, Greece, Egypt, Allegros, Morocco, Northern Turkey, Northern India and the Mediterranean. Belly dancing is also a form of communication that tells a womenââ¬â¢s point of view and expresses emotions. The first time this type of dancing was brought into the U.S. was in 1893 at Chicagoââ¬â¢s world fair. Then in the early 1900ââ¬â¢s little Egypt made belly dancing popular and extended all the way to Broadway and Hollywood. There are three major types of belly dancing that is practiced and performed in the United States. One of them being American Nightclub, two-American Tribal, and three-Modern Egyptian Nightclub. More so, Oriental Dance has influenced the evolution of Modern Dance in the hands of leaders Ruth St. Denis and Isadora Duncan. The Orientalists were Europeans who visited the Middle East during the 1800ââ¬â¢s. After their visits to Europe they returned to their homelands that intrigued them either to write or create paintings. In most cases, people used their great artistic license in their works to titillate their countrymen back home with stories about exotic, sexy, barely-clothed women. Sometimes without even seeing these belly dancers, people would use their imagination and create these fabulous paintings of an image they created on their own. However, others were just admirable of their culture and painted from their inner most spiritual feelings. There isnââ¬â¢t just one specific type of belly dancing that is performed around the world. There are many different types of belly dancing. Such dances include Floor work, Gypsy, Flamenco and Middle Eastern Dance, Hagallah, Snake, Trance and Veil are just some of the more familiar and tradi... Free Essays on Belly Dancing Free Essays on Belly Dancing Belly Dancing There have been many theories about the origin of belly dancing. Belly dancing comes from the Arab term Bella D which means native dance and native rhythm. Belly dancing is traced way back to 3500 BC from the Ferroââ¬â¢s. Nevertheless, belly dancing can also be found in Northern Africa, Greece, Egypt, Allegros, Morocco, Northern Turkey, Northern India and the Mediterranean. Belly dancing is also a form of communication that tells a womenââ¬â¢s point of view and expresses emotions. The first time this type of dancing was brought into the U.S. was in 1893 at Chicagoââ¬â¢s world fair. Then in the early 1900ââ¬â¢s little Egypt made belly dancing popular and extended all the way to Broadway and Hollywood. There are three major types of belly dancing that is practiced and performed in the United States. One of them being American Nightclub, two-American Tribal, and three-Modern Egyptian Nightclub. More so, Oriental Dance has influenced the evolution of Modern Dance in the hands of leaders Ruth St. Denis and Isadora Duncan. The Orientalists were Europeans who visited the Middle East during the 1800ââ¬â¢s. After their visits to Europe they returned to their homelands that intrigued them either to write or create paintings. In most cases, people used their great artistic license in their works to titillate their countrymen back home with stories about exotic, sexy, barely-clothed women. Sometimes without even seeing these belly dancers, people would use their imagination and create these fabulous paintings of an image they created on their own. However, others were just admirable of their culture and painted from their inner most spiritual feelings. There isnââ¬â¢t just one specific type of belly dancing that is performed around the world. There are many different types of belly dancing. Such dances include Floor work, Gypsy, Flamenco and Middle Eastern Dance, Hagallah, Snake, Trance and Veil are just some of the more familiar and tradi...
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Classical and instrumental conditioning in Planaria & Lumbriculus Essay
Classical and instrumental conditioning in Planaria & Lumbriculus - Essay Example , processes for developing classical and instrumental conditioning training techniques in planaria and California Black Worms are examined in order to study the memory mechanism in the organism. The findings often show that the species D. dorotocephala are the optimal matter for the method. The results also tell that planaria California Black Worms are capable of learning by the use of the classical and instrumental conditioning techniques. The results of the studies show that organisms are derived from the anterior and posterior areas or a trained organism is retained the similar amount of memory. It is important for the reason that it supported the hypothesis that memory is non-neuronal. By using classical and instrumental conditioning techniques it is observed that orientation is concerned with the learning process and planaria and California Black Worms express additional learning when facing the cathode. Surgical treatments and cellular examinations are the process which has discovered ideas underlying regeneration in planarians and the process of regeneration in planarians has the method of the generation of new tissue at the site of injury through blastema formation. The remodeling of pre-existing tissues to re-establish morphallaxis and similarity of tissues is also part of the process. Classical conditioning in Planaria and Lumbriculus happens when worms discover to connect a neutral stimulus with a stimulus that has essential meaning based on how directly in time the two stimuli are shown. A very right of classic conditioning is a dogs capability to connect the sound of a bell. On the other hand instrumental conditioning takes place when worms discover to give particular performance in order to gain an essentially rewarding stimulus. Instrumental conditioning has happened when a trained dolphin jumps out of the water in order to catch a fish. In this lab report consisting two experiments we see California Black Worms (Lumbriculus) as an water annelid
Friday, November 1, 2019
The Bill of Rights and Later Amendments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
The Bill of Rights and Later Amendments - Essay Example Due to the continuing reluctance of the Southern states in abolishing slavery, the federal government had found justification in going against stateââ¬â¢s rights us protected by the Tenth Amendment by introducing the Fourteenth Amendment and establishing further federal authority to protect human rights. (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas [1954]. The right to vote by each citizen is not based on federal constitutional right but based on stateââ¬â¢s right as protected by the Tenth Amendment and further explained in the Latin maxim Expressio unius est exclusio alterius (the express mention of one thing excludes all others) that applies to the federal governments powers (Calabresi and Prakash 1994). The powers of the federal government are limited to what is provided by the Constitution and all other powers are hence given to the state, giving them more independence and local autonomy. As an old rule, the federal government cpuld not interfere with state acts and must keep its interaction in arms length, avoiding any form of violation of each stateââ¬â¢s rights. ... Furthermore, aside from the Equal protection clause that is also provided in the Fourteenth Amendment, the federal constitution does not guaranty political representation or right to vote. It was held in Alexander v. Daley (2000) that "The Equal Protection Clause does not protect the right of all citizens to vote, but rather the right of all qualified citizens to vote". Qualification to vote depends on state laws and so is the right to vote. The interpretation of the Tenth Amendment provides that it is the state who has the authority to provide for the voting rights of its citizens. The Constitution again has given respect to local stateââ¬â¢s independence and autonomy. In the case of Bush v. Gore (2000), Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Associate Justice Antonin Scalia provided that "the individual citizen has no federal constitutional right to vote for electors for the President of the United States.". It is the state legislature who has vested power to choose presidential el ectors, the right is rooted from the Constitution that provides that ââ¬Å"Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature therefore may direct, a number of Electorsâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (Article II, à § 1, cl. 2). Individual citizens participate in the Presidential elections by voting a representative of their state (elector), who in turn would vote for the nominated and pledged candidate by the given state. State election is won by plurality of votes in each state as they chose for a senator or state representative that will represent them in Congress and in the Presidential elections (Patterson 8). A candidate must obtain an absolute majority in the Electoral College that is followed by most states except Maine and Nebraska whose votes are in proportion to the popular
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring Scrapbook Essay
Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring Scrapbook - Essay Example The benefit of experiential learning is to give learners active involvement and better problem solving skills through the effort (Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner 2007). This type of learning involves ââ¬Å"a direct encounter with phenomenon being studied rather than just thinking about solutions to a problemâ⬠(Brookfield 1990, p.71). I felt privileged to understand how experiential learning can be beneficial by giving employees a purpose for learning. So, I thought about experiential learning and how it could be applied to a real-world organisation. This would be a critical learning process especially in an organisation where there is no real moral accountability and in a decentralised business that needs better human capital. Some organisations need positivist learners, those who understand moral accountability and its importance to business growth and reputation. Many organisations need employees and managers that consider ethics and morals. Much of this cannot always be learned through instruction and lecturing. For example, if many Wall Street firms had been more up front and ethical about their business practices in recent years it is likely the Occupy Wall Street situation would not have occurred. I think that experiential learning, such as role playing, would give employees more knowledge about ethical behaviours by exposing them to different situations where ethical responses are needed. I was able to review more research data on experiential learning and found through the analysis that it has more positive gains than negative outcomes. Businesses need to have a culture that is devoted to ethics and morality as described the lecture materials. According to Fairholm (2009), a leader must inspire vision and mission, be visionary and also teach others through inspiration. This is known as transformational leadership style. If more organisations such as Wall Street investment firms had moral accountability learned through role playing, they would be better off in representing the moral interests of shareholders and other stakeholders. Role playing as experiential learning actually creates more interest in learning than through just instruction (Poorman 2002). I really found this to be interesting in experiential
Monday, October 28, 2019
Social Stratification Essay Example for Free
Social Stratification Essay A. What is Social Stratification? 1. Social stratification is defined as a system by which society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy a. There are four fundamental principles of stratification: â⬠¢ Social stratification is a characteristic of society not just due to individual differences â⬠¢ Social stratification persists over generations â⬠¢ Yet, most societies allow some sort of social mobility or changes in peoples position in a system of social stratification â⬠¢ Social mobility may be upward, downward, or horizontal â⬠¢ Social stratification is universal but variable (it changes) â⬠¢ Social stratification involves both inequality and beliefs 2. Social Stratification is patterned social inequality. It is also the unequal distribution of societal resources. Saying that inequality is patterned indicates that the differences occur: a. on a wide-scale basis b. with regularity à c. and along lines of certain specific, identifiable characteristics (race, class, and gender) 3. Stratification is usually based on three major premises: a. Power: the ability to impose oneââ¬â¢s will on others b. Prestige: the respect given by others c. Property: forms of wealth 4. Patterned: if we know whether a person or group possesses or does not possess certain traits, then we will be able to predict with reasonable accuracy how this person or group is likely to fare in the social hierarchy a. Social Hierarchy: A set of ranked statuses 5. Social Inequality: Some types of people systematically experience advantages in society while other types of people are systematically disadvantaged in our society a. Some members of our society are thought of as haves, and others are thought of as have-nots. b. The determination of who is socially advantaged and who is included among the ranks of the socially disadvantaged is based, in part, on certain characteristics these individuals possess and, in part, on how society values or devalues these characteristics 6. Social stratification affects peopleââ¬â¢s lives and can be manifested in various ways in society. 7. Social Inequality is a structured and systematic phenomenon that affects people in various social classes throughout their lives. a. Because of this patterned inequality, social stratification affects peopleââ¬â¢s life chances: â⬠¢ Life Chances: Opportunities that individuals do or do no have to engage in certain activities, and the opportunities that they do or do not have to accomplish certain goals simply because of where they are located in the social hierarchy (ex. Smart children born into wealth vs. poor families) B. Caste and Class Systems â⬠¢ People are divided into different groupings and their lives are structured according to these groupings. There are certain things that some people cannot do, simply because their station in life prevents them from being able to do them. â⬠¢ Other people, in a different social stratum, are able to do these things specifically because they occupy a more favorable position in the social hierarchy. â⬠¢ Depending on how much individual mobility is possible; societies may be classified as either a caste system or a class system. 1. A caste system amounts to social stratification based on ascription a. A caste system consists of a fixed arrangement of strata from the most to the least privileged, with a persons position determined unalterably at birth. b. The most extensive contemporary example of a caste system is found in India, especially in rural areas. c. Caste discrimination is officially illegal but exists nonetheless. The traditional castes of India: â⬠¢ Brahmans: mostly priests and scholars. â⬠¢ Kshatriyas: warriors, rulers, and large landholders â⬠¢ Vaishyas: merchants, farmers, and skilled artisans. â⬠¢ Shudras: laborers and unskilled artisans. â⬠¢ Harijans: Sometimes called untouchables, they are ranked so low that, technically, they are outside the caste system itself. d. Caste boundaries in India are reinforced further by the practice of ritual pollution or ritual avoidance. e. A caste system may be determined by many ethnic and cultural factors. European imperial powers in Africa imposed a caste system based on skin color: all whites were in a higher position or caste than any nonwhite f. Caste systems shape peoples lives in four crucial ways: â⬠¢ Caste system largely determines occupation â⬠¢ Caste systems largely mandate endogamy â⬠¢ Powerful cultural beliefs underlie caste systems â⬠¢ Caste systems limit out group social contacts g. Although caste influences remains strong in India, the situation is changing due to communication, transportation, industrialization, and the growth of a middle class. 2. In a class system, social stratification is based on individual achievement a. Class Systems. People who can be considered peers in society because of their similar life chances, similar life circumstances, and similar opportunities, constitute a social class. â⬠¢ In a class system social standing is determined by factors over which people can exert some control, and some mobility does take place. b. In a class system, status inconsistency, the degree of consistency of a persons social standing across various dimensions of social inequality, is lower than in a caste system c. Structural social mobility: a shift in social position of large numbers of people due more to changes in society itself than individual efforts (Ex. Computer Industry) d. Stratification persists because it is backed up by an ideology: cu ltural beliefs that directly or indirectly justify social stratification e. Ideological support for inequality. An ideology or pattern of beliefs justifies social inequality in the Unites States, which legitimizes or justifies a particular societal arrangement. â⬠¢ Ideological Hegemony: Refers to the control over the production of cultural symbols. â⬠¢ One of Karl Marxââ¬â¢s famous quotes is: ââ¬Å"the ruling ideas of any epoch are the ideas of the ruling class because they control the mental means of production. â⬠¢ Thus, the elite has many weapons at their disposal in order to keep society and the lower classes under control. Two of the main ways are the use of force, and the mass media. â⬠¢ Force: use the police, military, National Guard, FBI, etc. â⬠¢ In the long run, it depends on legitimacy in order to maintain stratification. â⬠¢ This is the belief that existing social and political institutions are the best ones for society. â⬠¢ All ruling elite uses their position at the top of society to create an ideology. â⬠¢ This is a complex set of beliefs, values, and norms, which rationalize and support the elites power and privileges. â⬠¢ The dominant or most important and valued ideas in history have been the ideas of the ruling class. â⬠¢ The Government or big corporations do not necessarily control the mass media, but the ruling class does influence what kind of information we get and what kind of ideas we listen to. â⬠¢ Anti-government and Anti-business views are rarely expressed, and Hollywood gives us its share of who are enemies are: both foreign and in this country. â⬠¢ Most of the media gives the same messages of free enterprise, equality of opportunity, individualism, hard work, and consumerism. â⬠¢ This ideology, taught through the mass media, is used by the elite to confuse, distract, and divide the lower classes. â⬠¢ Marx argued that the class in power imposes its ideology on the entire society, and that false consciousness occurs when people in a class accept an ideology that is contrary to the best interest of that class. â⬠¢ Marx argued that false consciousness will exist until the exploited stratum develops a sense of class consciousness, at which time the stratum will become a true social class and begin challenging the ruling class. C. The Functions of Social Stratification 1. The Davis-Moore thesis is the assertion that social stratification is a universal pattern because it has beneficial consequences for the operation of society 2. This thesis implies that societies become more productive as they approach meritocracy: a system of social stratification based on personal merit 3. Criticisms of Davis-Moore: a. It is difficult to specify the functional importance of a given occupation â⬠¢ Some are over/under rewarded (EX. Baseball player, entertainer vs. teacher, garbage collector) b. Davis-Moore ignores how social stratification can prevent the development of individual talents c. The theory also ignore how social inequality may promote conflict and revolution (instability) D. Stratification and Conflict 1. Karl Max: Class and Conflict a. Marx saw classes as defined by peoples relationship to the means of production â⬠¢ Capitalists (bourgeoisie) are people who own factories and other productive business â⬠¢ The proletariat are people who sell their productive labor to the capitalists b. Critical evaluation: â⬠¢ Marxs theory has been enormously influential à â⬠¢ His work has been criticized for failing to recognize that a system of unequal rewards may be necessary to motivate people to perform their social roles effectively 2. Three reasons suggested why Western Capitalism has not experienced a Marxist revolution: a. The capitalist class has fragmented and grown in size, giving more people a stake in the system b. The proletariat has also changed â⬠¢ Blue-collar occupations, lower prestige work involving mostly manual labor, have declined â⬠¢ White-collar occupations, higher prestige work involving mostly mental activity, have expanded c. Workers are better organized than they were in Marxs day their unions have been able to fight for reform d. The government has extended various legal protections to workers e. Supporters of Marxist thought have responded: â⬠¢ Wealth remains highly concentrated à â⬠¢ White-collar jobs offer no more income, security, satisfaction than blue-collar jobs did a century ago â⬠¢ Class conflict continues between workers and management â⬠¢ The laws still favor the rich 3. Max Weber identified three distinct dimensions of stratification: Class, status, and power a. Max Weber argued that social standing consists (Of three parts or dimensions: class, which he regarded as determined mainly by economic standing or wealth; party, which was equivalent to political power; and status, or social prestige and honor. b. Following Weber, many sociologists use the term socioeconomic status: a composite ranking based on various dimensions of social inequality education, occupation, income â⬠¢ Socioeconomic status. Following Webers lead, contemporary sociologists often use the broader concept of socioeconomic status to refer to a persons ranking along several social dimensions, particularly education, occupational prestige, and income â⬠¢ Education. Education can lead to income attainment, but the benefits are not equally shared by racial and ethnic minorities, or by women. â⬠¢ Wealth consists of consists of the total amount of money and valuable goods that a person or family controls â⬠¢ It is more unequally distributed than income â⬠¢ assets, such as real estate and jewels, and à â⬠¢ income consists of occupational wages or salaries and earnings from investments â⬠¢ Occupational Prestige: Occupation serves as a key source of social prestige since we commonly evaluate each other according to what we do â⬠¢ Because there are so many specific occupations, sociologists often categorize occupations into a smaller number: â⬠¢ White-Collar â⬠¢ Professional, manager, and administrator â⬠¢ Technical â⬠¢ Clerical â⬠¢ Blue-Collar â⬠¢ Craft, precision production, and repair â⬠¢ Operative â⬠¢ Labor (excluding farm) â⬠¢ Farm worker â⬠¢ If this scheme is too unwieldy, sociologists often divide occupations into two categories: white-collar and bluecollar. â⬠¢ The pink collar is a category that reflects the segregation of women into certain occupations, such as kindergarten teachers and secretaries. â⬠¢ High incomes usually are associated with high-prestige occupations, but there are exceptions. â⬠¢ Sociologists sometimes use the term prestige to mean the honor associated with an occupation or other position in the social system, and esteem to mean the honor that accrues to the individual filling the position. c. Critical evaluation: Webers views have been widely accepted in the United States although hard economic times may lead to a renewed emphasis on the importance of economic classes E. Inequality in the United States â⬠¢ US society is highly stratified, but many people underestimate the extent of structured inequality in US society â⬠¢ Power is also unequally distributed â⬠¢ Schooling â⬠¢ Ancestry, race, and gender 1. Sociologists usually conceptualize American society as consisting either of three or nine distinct social classes: a. In the three-class model, society is divided into a lower class, a middle class, and an upper class b. In the nine-class model, each of these classes is further divided into three subclasses: lower-lower, middle-lower, lower-middle, middle-middle, etc. 2. Measurement of class. To measure social class standing, sociologists have developed three main methods: a. the objective method ranks individuals into classes on the basis of measures such as education, income, and occupational prestige; b. the reputational method places people into various social classes on the basis of reputation in the community class; and c. Self- identification allows people to place themselves in a social class. c. The lower classes. â⬠¢ The upper-lower class, also called the working class, consists of service personnel, semiskilled operatives, and other blue-collar workers who do not earn enough to accumulate substantial savings. These people are vulnerable to disruptions in their income. â⬠¢ The lower-lower class is made up of people who lack education and live in the most dilapidated sections of the community and in substandard housing. â⬠¢ The lower-lower class may be divided into two subgroups: â⬠¢ The working poor are lower-lower-class people who have jobs but who simply cannot earn an adequate income; and â⬠¢ The chronically poor are mostly unemployed or work only occasionally. 4. Class, race, and gender. These three dimensions often interact to produce a persons place in society, the manner in which people are treated, and their self identify. F. The difference class makes a. Class and health b. Class and values c. Class and politics d. Class, family, and gender G. The Myth and the Reality of Mobility in the United States â⬠¢ Amount of mobility. Sociologists frequently focus on the intergenerational mobility of individuals: upward and downward movements in socioeconomic status measured between the standing of children compared to that of their parents. 1. Myth versus reality a. Four general conclusions â⬠¢ Social mobility, at least among men, has been high â⬠¢ The long-term trend in social mobility has been upward â⬠¢ Within a single generation, social mobility is usually incremental, Not dramatic â⬠¢ The short-term trend has been stagnation, with some income polarization b. Mobility varies by income level c. Mobility also varies by race, ethnicity, and gender 1. Determinants of mobility â⬠¢ Social Mobility: The movement of persons and groups within the stratification system. a. Steepness of the socioeconomic pyramid: that there are not enough high status jobs to satisfy everyone. b. Starting position on the socioeconomic ladder: some people begin closer to the top than others. c. Structural mobility: the movement of entire categories of people due to changes in society itself. d. Types of mobility â⬠¢ Upward and downward â⬠¢ Intragenerational social mobility is a change in social position occurring during a persons lifetime â⬠¢ Intergenerational social mobility is upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to their parents 2. Social stratification can be determined by a number of variables, each of which can cause someone to be advantaged or disadvantaged compared to others in society. a. It is not necessarily the impact of any one variable in U.S. society that leads to stratification ââ¬â it is a unique combination of stratification-related factors that determines how one succeeds in society. b. Some of these traits are within our control, others we have little control over (ascribed vs. achieved) Who can tell me which is which? â⬠¢ Major ascribed social stratifiers: race, sex, and age â⬠¢ Major achieved social stratifiers (education, income, occupation, religion, etc.) SOCIAL stratification is the main reason for relational set of inequalities in economic, social, political and ideological dimensions. It is a system whereby people rank and evaluate each other. On the basis of such evaluation, one is rewarded with more wealth, authority, power and prestige. It is broadly organised into three parts: upper class, middle class and lower class on the basis of power and wealth. This has resulted in the creation of a number of levels within our society. Social stratification causes social disparity and many problems as it is an unjust system with monopoly of power and wealth in a particular group. It affects life chances, lifestyles and prestige. It creates emotional stress and depression for the people belonging to lower social stratum as they have unequal access to wealth, power and prestige. It creates a huge gulf between the people in terms of their incomes and a range of measures associated with social position, education, health, and psychological well-being. It is distinctly perceived that disparity causes chaos in society. These are the stumbling blocks in the way to progress and development of the country.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Speeding and racing :: essays research papers
Speeding and racing seem to be my favorite hobby when I sit on the car and drive. And I donââ¬â¢t even care what will happen to me when Iââ¬â¢m speeding and racing. Besides, my life just barely got out of a hole and ready to get back on track. Unfortunately, an incident that had tilled my life until this day would never be able to fade away. à à à à à During spring term when I was still attending at Cal Poly Pomona University, two weeks before the final; my friends and I, three of us went on a road trip to Sacramento to attend to my friendââ¬â¢s girlfriend high school graduation ceremony. We left on Friday night and returned home on Sunday morning. On the way return home, we switched driver and rested several times to avoid the driver fall asleep or the car might get overheat because of the hot weather. We already had driven more than half the distance from Sacramento to Los Angeles. Shortly after I saw a resting area board display on the side of the I-5 freeway, I asked my friend to stop for rest. We rested there likely no more than fifteen minutes and continued to head home. This time, it was my turn to drive because both of them are tired. à à à à à The car started and I began to put it in motion. Like normally, after I entered the freeway, I always kept it with a steady speed between 75mph to 80mph. All suddenly, I began to speeding up and had passed many other vehicles. Meanwhile, I was also joking with my friend on the passenger side and teasing at him because he was scare and nervous; while my other friend sitting in the back enjoy his dinner without any worrying. I kept on speeding until there was no more space for me to change lane. Within a few second later, I felt that I needed to make a decision which is the best for our safety. I tried to slow down but suddenly there were an eighteen wheels truck in front of me, the four doors Nissan Sentra on the left, and the dessert with even pave on the right. I knew that I didnââ¬â¢t have enough space for me to change the lane between the truck in front of me and the car on my left. Therefore, I began to step the break really hard and tried to slow down as m uch as I could to reduce my speed.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Do Environmental Hormone Mimics Pose a Potentially Serious Health Threat? Essay
Chemicals affecting human health have been a problem for the past years and have still been a growing problem for our society. Issue 10 is concerned about this problem. It is pointing out the major harms and the reasons for this problem. First, it is talking about the argument that is against these chemicals. After this, an argument that says these specific chemicals do not necessarily have an affect in human health is discussed. What I really find distrusting is the numbers and the facts given in each argument were different. First argument gives examples and facts from experiments. The exponential growth in the industrial use and marketing of synthetic chemicals (xenobiotics) have been affecting human health greatly. Their effects were seen far from their introduction sites and their harm was great (Pg184, 1st paragraph). ââ¬Å"Scientists also have postulated a relationship between these chemicals (endocrine disruptors) and abnormalities and diseases in humansâ⬠(page 186, 1st paragraph). Even though their argument seems based on commonsense (chemicals interrupt human systems), they do not seem to rely on scientific data very much; they seem to gather data based on their conclusion whereas they should draw a conclusion based on their data. For example they are giving examples of animals such as mice, mollusks, river fish, alligators, and some bird species and talk about how some chemicals affect their natural systems. However, humans and animals are not exactly the same and they are still uncertain about the chemicalsââ¬â¢ effects (pg190). Sheldon Krimsky is even accepting the fact about uncertainty; ââ¬Å"A single chemical can have multiple effects on an organism that act through several mechanisms, not all of which involve hormone receptorsâ⬠(pg189, 3rd paragraph). Complexity is another factor making this argument weak. Three reasons are given to support that it is hard to create a link between breast cancer and these chemicals in page 191, 5th paragraph. The argument also talks about policies and programs regarding these chemicals. Even though they have drawbacks the argument seems to fully support the new regulatory approach. Using the drawbacks of the first argument, uncertainty and complexity, the second argument proposes a powerful argument. First the argument gives four reasons why we cannot directly relate chemicals and human abnormalities. Other then these specific reasons, the second argument talks about uncertainty and complexity of the procedures of detecting the effects, and using this as a strong weapon. The summary par they provide is an effective tool that we have not seen in any issue before and helps the reader to gather all the information and sub-arguments into a single argument. Nevertheless, the second argument accepts the fact that some of the chemicals disrupt the human systems however, it is too hard to get rod of them since they are an important part of our lives (pg199, 2nd paragraph). All in all, I found the second argument more powerful. However, if prepared correctly and more efficiently, the first argument would have been much more persuasive. Lastly, I believe the second argument would be ââ¬Å"perfectââ¬â¢ if it provided a solution to the case instead of saying it is too hard to deal with.
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