South African 1948 General Election

South African 1948 General Election The 1948 election in South Africa changed the country for 40 years. It caused apartheid to take effect in South Africa. It was between the United Party and the Reunited National Party. The United Party was led by Jan Smuts at the time, and the Reunited National Party was led by D.F.Malan(Rogers 47). These parties had different views. South Africans were looking for something new, which they found in the winner of this election, The Reunited National Party. The outcome of the 1948 general election in South Africa was affected by the two major parties in the election which were the Reunited National Party and the United Party. The United Party was opposing Reunited National Party in the election. It was created in 1933 and was South Africas leading political party from 1934 to 1948. In its creation Prime Minister Barry Hertzogs National Party, an Smuts South African Party, and what was left of the Unionist Party joined together. They had support from many groups including English, Afrikaners, and colored people (Alvarez-Rivera). Hertzog led until 1939 when he opposed helping Great Britain against Germany in World War 2. Jan Smuts took over the Party afterwards. The United Party sided with the Labour Party which was formed 1910. It was democratic socialist and represented the white working class. It had seats in South African House of Assembly from 1910 to 1958. It was always a minority, so it would usually support a majority party. In which in 1948 they supported the United Party. From 1910 to 1929 it was led by Colonel F.H.P. Creswell. After World War 1 a strike led to them siding with the United Party (P rice). The National Party was formed in 1915. It was created by Afrikaner Nationalists after the Union of South Africa was created. It was created from disagreements with Hertzog. It led South Africa from 1948-1994. Its policies were Apartheid, Republic, and promoting Afrikaner culture. It was originally called the National Party and was led by Hertzog until 1934 when he took it to form the United Party. He had made it where the coloreds votes were undermined. He did this by letting women vote, which made more whites be able to vote. When Hertzog planned on leaving Daniel Francois Malan and some Afrikaner Nationalists refused to merge and formed the Purified National party. They got support by opposing South Africa in World War 2. This reunified them with Purified Nationalists to form the Reunited National Party. Another name for the Reunited National Party is Herenigde Nasionale Party. In 1948 it sided with the Afrikaner Party. It was created back in 1948. It was a minority in joining with the Herenigde National Party ( Rogers 48-56, 94-102). In voting in 1948 the National Party removed colored voters from voting similar to black voters. In 1936 Representation of Natives Act was passed by Hertzog. This removed black voters from common voters rolls and were put on native voters rolls. Blacks couldnt vote in normal elections for Cape Provincial Council or House of Assembly. Now they voted separately for 2 members of the Cape Provincial Council and 3 members of House of Assembly. Four Senators would be elected by local councils, chiefs, or tribal councils for the native areas (Price). White men and women over 21 were able to vote in these elections also. The House of Assembly was what voters were voting for it was the lower part of parliament. The members were elected by first past the post voting which is where the election is won by the person with more votes than the other(s). It is used a lot but not everywhere. It used in mostly democratic governments with districts being single membered, and between 2 parties (Rogers 124-126). The House of Assembly was made up mostly of white men, but a woman was able to be in it also, and was made up of 153 seats at time of 1948 election. In the results of the election the Reunited National Party won 70 seats. The United Party won 65 seats. The Reunited National Partys alignment partner, Afrikaner party, won 9 votes to bring them and the Reunited National party to 79 seats. The United Partys alignment partner, Labour Party, won 6 seats to bring up a total 74 votes. There were also 3 independent votes which made it equal up to 153 seats. Even though the Reunited National Party won more seats than the United Party, the United Party had more votes. The United Party received 524, 230 votes in the election while the Reunited National Party received only 401, 834 votes, but still won more seats in the House of Assembly (Alvarez-Rivera). One of the issues in the country at the time was race. There are many reasons the Reunited National Party won the election. They realizes a lot of whites were feeling threatened by black people wanting to be part of government so they said that they would put strict racial segregation everywhere in the country and everywhere in peoples lives if they won. They would encourage blacks to stay in country areas and not move to cities. The United Party liked unclear movements of integrating South Africas different ethnicity groups. They thought that integration would happen anyways and so they should stop policies trying to stop blacks moving to city areas. They wanted to eventually let blacks take place in government. Other problems for the United Party were whites being unhappy with the economy and domestic things after World War 2. The Reunited National party used gerrymandering and organization as an advantage to win the election (Price). Another reason was the different sectors of the country. The farmers used inexpensive labor from blacks to raise profit. Also the white workers from urban areas were scared of blacks moving to cities and competing with their jobs. The United Party never realized the mood of these people. The Reunited National Party picked up these moods and easily made them join them and create more support. They put more fear into people by saying if United Party won then eventually Blacks would be part of government. The Reunited National Party used United Partys leader Smuts good relationship with Stalin to show how he favored communism (Rogers 178-181). The United Partys immigration program allowed British people to move to South Africa and were thought to take white South Africans homes and jobs. The 70 seats won by the Reunited National Party were mostly from country areas, and the 65 wins by the United Party were mostly from city areas. At this time there were more rural constituencies, electoral district, than urban ones which gave them more seats but less votes. Smuts and the United Party were blamed for the hard times of World War 2. They blamed them for rationing petroleum and wheat. Even after the war they still sent supplies to Great Britain and the Netherlands. This caused a local shortage for bread and meat. They also loaned 4 million ounces of gold to Great Britain (Alvarez-Rivera). At the time the Reunited National Party seemed energetic and prepared unlike the United Party who appeared lackadaisical. This causes people to be inspired and want change for better for a country going through a rough time as South Africa was during at this time after Word War 2. This caused a great deal of emotion and the result of the Reunited National Party reaching people scared of integration and losing jobs and homes. Instead they called for apartheid which separated the country from 1948 until 1994. This held the country back from it s full potential of being a leader of the world. The two parties in this election showed different attitudes and opinions, and this caused the Reunited National Party to beat the United Party in the South African 1948 general election.

Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema (CPFE)

Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema (CPFE) Ong Wei Jun Dan The Causes, Consequences and Differences Between Pulmonary Fibrosis or Emphysema Alone   Abstract Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is a complicated disease and untreated disease which consists of two diseases. It is difficult for respiratory therapists or respiratory physicians to differentiate between CPFE versus idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)/emphysema alone. There is an increased recognition of the coexistence of emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis in individuals. The association of two diseases results in chronic dyspnea, upper-lobe emphysema and lower lobe fibrosis, and severely diminished diffusion of gas exchange with preserved lung volumes. CPFE is also frequently complicated by pulmonary hypertension, lung injury and even lung cancer. This causes CPFE patients to feel have a low quality of life and a low 10-year survival rate. Currently, there are no known treatments for CPFE patients with the exception of lung transplantation. Thus, clinical evaluations are needed to differentiate between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary fibro sis, and to recognize that CPFE is a unique entity by looking at the difference in radiological, pathological and metabolism features in order to find better treatment for CPFE. Introduction About 11 million Americans have Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease (COPD) and out of these, most are diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema. The etiology of emphysema found that 80% of cases are caused by cigarette smoking, which causes alveolar membranes to break down, creating huge alveoli (called blebs) that lesser surface area and weaker walls than normal alveoli. This causes the low perfusion of oxygen due to decrease in surface area. In addition, approximately 50,000 new cases of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) are diagnosed each year.   IPF is a restrictive respiratory disease, and it is the most common of the idiopathic lung diseases. IPF causes thickening of the alveolar capillary membrane, which results in minimal gas exchange between the alveolar and the blood capillaries. Both diseases lead to the decreased efficacy of oxygen delivery. CPFE is a combination of both IPF and emphysema. However, it is usually treated as IPF and ignored or excluded in the diagnosis of emphysema.   COPD and pulmonary fibrosis have different pathologies, metabolic pathways and radiological characteristics, and were therefore regarded as separate entities for a very long time. However, in recent years, there is some recognition of the coexistence of pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema in patients. As such, it is very important to know the differences between CPFE versus emphysema or pulmonary fibrosis alone in order to find a treatment or prevent the patients conditions from further deteriorating. In the following years, studies had shown that CPFE patients have a coincidental occurrence of early emphysema and at later age of IPF, especially for smokers with many pack years.1   However, in recent studies there is a correlation between the occurrence of the combination between lower lobe pulmonary fibrosis and upper lobe emphysema. These two diseases have been observed coexisting in greater frequencies which are therefore called combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) and there is a need to distinguish them as distinct entities. There are some studies taking place to better understand the pathophysiology of the condition and find the possible causes of CPFE such as genetic factors or any biological metabolism pathways which may encourage its development. CPFE is normally caused by heavy smoking, exercise hypoxemia, upper lobe emphysema and lower lobe pulmonary fibrosis, unexpected lung volume and severe reduction of carbon monoxide transfer.2 Whether the combination of both emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis is a unique clinical entity still remains unknown. For some of the population in the medical community, it is a coincidental occurrence of two smoking-related diseases on one person, versus the coexistence of the similarities of COPD and lung cancer. However, many different studies have shown and suggested that interstitial lung abnormalities, which are normally caused by IPF, have are inversely related to emphysema in smokers. In fact, based on the chest X-Ray images, most patients who have many pack years with IPF do not have any signs of having emphysema. Similarly, most patients who have emphysema do not have any signs of IPF in their chest X-Ray. Hence, the combination of both pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema may be a direct result of heavy smoking or many pack years which reflects the uniqueness in individual susceptibilities. Even though medical professionals tend to use chest X-Rays for any respiratory distress, as it is inexpensive and considered a fast diagnostic tool, it is unable to properly diagnose the CPFE syndrome. Another alternative would be to use High-Resolution Chest Computed Tomography (HRCT), which is the only tool to diagnose the syndrome. The CPFE syndrome consists of heterogeneous syndromes, in which syndromes differ from one individual to another and resulting in no actual definition of the syndrome for CPFE. This makes it difficult to diagnose CPFE with the current pulmonary function test, as CPFE patient results look similar to those of patients diagnosed with pneumonia. From past research and observations, CPFE is frequently complicated with pulmonary hypertension, acute lung injury and the possibility of lung cancer, resulting in very poor prognoses. Treatments for CPFE patients with severe pulmonary hypertension have not been found and have largely proven ineffective in curing the disease apart from a wholesale lung transplant. The identification of patients with CPFE is needed due to the uniqueness and complication of the diseases history. Since CPFE has not yet attracted the attention of researchers and healthcare practitioners, there have not been many studies focused on finding the differences between pulmonary fibrosis, emphysema and CPFE. Currently, there is no consistent way to differentiate the factors, signs and syndromes when diagnosing CPFE patients from other obstructive respiratory diseases. This has resulted in many medical practitioners failing to immediately recognize CPFE in patients diagnoses. Population distribution of Emphysema, IPF and CPFE The prevalence of the disease emphysema was reported to be at about 24.5 per 1,000 in America, while the prevalence of IPF varied from 14 to 42.7 cases per 100,000. Therefore, emphysema is a more common disease as compared to IPF. However, there are no studies that account for the prevalence of CPFE. Some of the reported observations show that the proportion of patients with CPFE detected on HRCT scans range from 8% to 51% in IPF patients. On the other hand, the proportion of pulmonary fibrosis found in patients with emphysema is less than 10% using the HRCT. This variation of proportion of prevalence in CPFE may be due to the different types and complications arising from the diagnosis of emphysema when evaluated by chest X-Ray and HRCT. Patients with CPFE tend to be older men who tend to have many pack years of smoking. Previous studies have shown that there is no significant difference when varying the number of pack years against the occurrence of COPD such as emphysema and CPFE. However, patients with CPFE and those with COPD usually have a long history of smoking as compared to patients with IPF.   Many studies have reported that male have higher prevalence then female in having respiratory disease syndrome, and could be due to men tending to have more pack years as compared to females. It may also be due to the genes of men which predispose them to succumbing to COPD or CPFE. Even though both IPF and emphysema have proven to be more common in male smokers than female smokers, it does not necessarily mean that gender plays an important risk factor in the contraction of CPFE. More studies are needed to determine how gender differences affect this syndrome. Pathology pathway of CPFE Till now, there are no conclusive findings for pathogenies of CPFE. There are no clear conclusions on the development of CPFE, whether emphysema and or pulmonary fibrosis progress independently or whether there are synergistic qualities between the two. There may be some mechanisms involving cytokines, beta receptors or signaling pathways which have not been discovered. Thus, both pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema may tend to occur in genetic susceptibility individuals with from exposure to environmental factors such as smoking or occupational hazard and chemicals. Case Study of a CPFE patient (Occupational exposure) A case study journal report on a male patient aged 73 years old in 2015 gives one of the more detailed analysis of Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA), a disease that precedes by CPFE. The patient worked as a metalworker and had 25 pack years. He was admitted to the hospital due to progressive dry coughing and he was later diagnosed with CPFE. He eventually died due to complications from CPFE, which resulted in severe pneumococcal pneumonia with acute lung injury. His arterial blood gas result was normal with a fairly abnormal range in his pulmonary function test (PFT). There were clear signs of emphysema and IPF from his CT scan and Chest X-Ray (Kyoko Gocho, 2015). MPA is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis of small vessels associated with numerous types of antibodies in particular myeloperoxidase- antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA). Oxidation induced by MPO-ANCA may trigger pulmonary fibrosis due to alveolar hemorrhage, resulting in pulmonary capillaritis (an inflammation of p ulmonary capillary). This causes pulmonary fibrosis as the alveolar capillary wall thickens (Kagiyama, 2015) Correlation of smoking with CPFE patients A common etiology factor for CPFE is smoking. Tobacco smoke contains 4000 chemical substances, including Kaolinite or aluminum silicate, an organic industrial material. Studies show that inhalation of this organic industrial substance will result in hyperactive macrophages, which in turn will lead to respiratory bronchiolitis and emphysema (King, 2005). Currently, there are no studies for the association of tobacco smoking resulting in IPF, other factors such as environmental factors in genetically-predisposition individuals may play a key role in resulting IPF. The association between CPFE and lung cancer may reflect the susceptibility linked to long term smoking which causes chronic smoking-induced inflammation. These were done on several other studies on the relationship between emphysemaand IPF.3,4 Pathological findings (Diagnostic Imaging) Patients who have acute respiratory distress syndrome such as COPD, pulmonary fibrosis or even CPFE, will tend to have more difficulty breathing due to the use of accessory muscles and the need to constantly supply supplemental oxygen to meet the oxygen level demanded by the body. For some of the patients, a high flow of oxygen is required (flow rate of more than 60L/min) to meet their inspiratory demand. Patients with CPFE have a confused and undetermined ventilation/ perfusion ratio due to emphysema causing low perfusion and IPF having low ventilation. This results in both ventilation of oxygen to the alveoli and perfusion of capillaries to be diminished, leading to dead space and shunt. Emphysema results in the reduction of alveoli-capillary surface membrane by forming a bleb that causes air-trapping, whereas pulmonary fibrosis scars the alveolis tissue, creating a shunt that causes ventilation of the oxygen to the alveoli to be inefficient, resulting in the patients body tissue b eing unable to get a sufficient amount of oxygen. Other remarkable syndromes found in COPD patients are chronic cough and sputum production in volume greater than one shot full glass due to inflammation of bronchi and impairment of the mucociliary clearance, presumably due to the effects of smoking. Patients with IPF may show progressive shortness of breath, loud expiratory wheezing sounds and if the condition is worse cyanosis may appear on the patient. CPFE from previous clinical studies shows that it is similar to IPF. On close physical examination, by doing chest auscultation, it was found that more than 80% of CPFE patients will emit inspiratory dry crackles sounds due to the underlying pulmonary fibrosis. About 40 to 50% will have digit clubbing and poor capillary refill. As of now, there is no consistent definition for CPFE. However, it is very important to diagnose it early. Diagnostic criteria for CPFE include radiological findings by using either chest X-Ray or HRCT these images will appear as upper-lobe emphysema with fibrosis like blebs, lower-lobe honeycombing with subpleural reticular opacities, thick wall cystic lesions, and sometimes ground glass opacities.2 Table 1: Comparison of clinical characteristics difference between CPFE, emphysema and IPF patients group (measures of Framingham variables) CPFE IPF Emphysema p-value Sample size 22 8 17 Age (in years) Median 73.5 74 78 0.7 Range 59-96 56-89 48-86 Number of pack years Median 64 43 75 0.64 Range 20-50 30-80 15-65 Table 2: Comparison of clinical characteristics difference between CPFE, emphysema and IPF patients group (Pulmonary Function Test) CPFE IPF Emphysema p-value Vital capacity 2.52 ±0.72 2.34 ±0.86 2.85 ±0.61 0.52 Vital capcity (%) 83.1 ±22.1 68.0 ±27.7 87.0 ±12.4 0.29 FEV1 2.01 ±0.19 1.60 ±0.24 1.57 ±0.22 0.28 FEV1/FVC(%) 76.8 ±3.31 81.8 ±4.45 55.6 ±4.06 70%, this results being emphysema to be ignored or overlooked. Physician, healthcare workers and respiratory therapists should be aware of its existence. More autopsies should be recognized such as thick-walled cystic lesion and idiopathic interstitial pneumonia should be recognized as both of these can be found in CPFE patients but are seldom found in emphysema/IPF alone patients. A deeper understanding of the pathophysiology is needed for CPFE and the factors that causes the syndrome of CPFE should be explored further with more clinical studies so as to develop effective treatments or therapeutic strategies for CPFE patients. References       Hiwatari H., S. S. (1993). Pulmonary emphysema followed by pulmonary fibrosis of undetermined cause. Respiration, 60(6). Cottin V., H. N. (2005). Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: a distinct underrecognised entity. European Respiratory Journal, 26(4). Kaplan R. M. (2015). Quality of Well-being Outcomes in the National Emphysema Treatment Trial. Chest Journal, 147(2). Kagiyama C., N. T. (2015). Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive conversion and microscopic polyangiitis development in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 2(1). Inomata M., A. M. (2013). An autopsy study of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: correlations among clinical, radiological, and pathological features. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 104(14). King, C. G. (2005). COPD: a dust-induced disease? Chest Journal, 128(4). Kyoko G. (2015). Microscopic polyangiitis preceded by combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. Respiratory Medicine Case Reports, 10(2). Papaioannou A. I., E. A. (2016). Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: The many aspects of a cohabitation contract. Respiratory Medicine, 117(10). 9.  Ã‚   Portill K., J. M. (2011). Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema Syndrome: A New Phenotype within the Spectrum of Smoking-Related Interstitial Lung Disease. Pulmonary Medicine , 2012(1).

Governmental Regulation Of Cloning Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive T

Governmental Regulation Of Cloning    For years, the prospect of human cloning was fodder for outrageous science-fiction stories and nothing more. However, in more recent times, human cloning has moved significantly closer to becoming a reality. Accordingly, the issue has evoked a number of strong reactions, both praising and condemning the procedure. The fact that human cloning not just affects human lives indirectly but actually involves tinkering with human creation has forced human cloning into a position of controversy. The progress of the issue of human cloning, then, has been shaped not only by the abilities and resources of scientists but by public opinion and by governmental regulation that has resulted from public pressure.    Although the issue of human cloning has received the most attention within the last two years, cloning techniques have existed since the late 1970s. The cloning technique used at this time was a process called artificial twinning which involved split ting a single fertilized ovum into what are then considered new embryos and then implanting each into a female to be carried to term (religioustolerance.org 1). These experiments, however, were limited to animals. By the 1980s and early 1990s, during the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, restrictions had been placed on the research of the cloning of human beings. The pro-life groups, which have considerabl e influence in the Republican party, held many concerns about the experimentation and destruction of human embryos, which they consider people with rights, thus they pressured the administration for restrictions on research (cac.psu.edu 1). A series of measures prohibiting federal funding for human cloning were thus implem ent... ...ly praised, but science that interferes with the creation of human life is seen by many as entirely different. People are still unsure as to whether or not and to what extent scientists should be involved in such a realm. This is, in fact, the prevailing view. Consequently, the field of human cloning has been shaped by these attitudes. At present, human cloning both nationally and internationally is essentially an unacceptable practice. Whether scientists such as Richard Seed will be successful remains to be seen, but the consensus seems to be that the world is not yet ready for full-blown human cloning. Accordingly, efforts have been made to impede the scientific process and to push human cloning into the distant future.    Works Cited Bovsun, Mara. "Flaws seen in proposed bans on cloning." Http://biz.yahoo.com/upi/98/02/13/general_views/usscience_4.html.

Shakespeares Macbeth does not Follow Aristotles Standards for a Trage

Macbeth does not Follow Aristotle's Standards for a Tragedy There have been many great tragic authors throughout history: Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles from ancient Greece; Corneille and Hugo from France; Grillparzer and Schiller from Germany; and Marlowe, Webster, and Shakespeare from England. From this long list of men, Shakespeare is the most commonly known. Many Shakespearean critics agree that Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are great tragedies. Many critics also claim that Macbeth is a tragedy, but if one follows Aristotle's standards for a tragedy, Macbeth would not be a tragedy To really determine if Macbeth is a tragedy according to Aristotle, one must first look at his guidelines. The majority of Aristotle's standards relate to the downfall of the central character. To set the character up for a downfall, Aristotle thought he or she should be of the middle class. This was because he felt the poor had nothing to lose. He also felt the downfall should be caused by a fatal flaw. Another characteristic Aristotle believed was important, was a conflict between the central character and a close friend or relative. According to him, the main character should also have an enlightenment at the moment of his or her downfall. Aristotle also believed that the feelings of pity and fear should be felt by the audience during the play. He thought that these feelings would lead to a catharsis, or release of emotions. Although most of Aristotle's characteristics of a tragedy had to do with the downfall, he had two that did not. First, he thought the central character should not be totally good or evil. This was based on the belief that the ruin of a totally good character would be too painful, and the ruin of a totally bad char... ... not even thank is wife for the plan that made him king. Due to Malcolm's final speech, the reader is left with positive, not negative feelings. Overall Macbeth is not a tragedy according the Aristotle's standards. Macbeth's downfall does follow the guidelines: he has something to lose, he has a downfall, and he has conflicts with his friends and relatives during his downfall. But, the heart of the play, which is the emotions created, just do not follow Aristotle's standards. The reader should feel pity, and grieve. Yet, there is no reason to feel this way because Macbeth is all evil, and in the end, the "good guy" is restored to power. Shakespeare put forth good effort in trying to make Macbeth a tragedy, but he came up too short. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Macbeth.† The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Longman, 1997.

The Technological Revolution Essay -- Technology

Due to continuous innovations, the American view of science and technology is constantly fluctuating. The ever-evolving image of science and technology in the United States is usually due to how the most recent developments in science and technology contribute, whether in a perceived positive of negative light. In times such as war, where technology essentially determines the outcome, the public’s perception of technology becomes essential, as well as the implementation of said technology. Many other factors are pertinent in determining the way the public identifies science and technology. After World War II and the evolution of nuclear weapons because of the Manhattan Project, the image of science and technology evolved in the United States for a variety of reasons. These motives include noteworthy historical events in which the technology is relevant, the mutable idea of development and popular culture and the media. After World War II, nuclear weapons dramatically grew in prominence. This omniscience of nuclear power also led to a general race to achieve technological hegemony. In 1950, only a few years after the conclusion of World War II, the Korean War began. Due to this escalation of military research because of the Korean War, â€Å"the importance of applied research in universities increased dramatically† (Hughes 113). Although universities are the premier research institutions in America, those against the war effort were appalled that such forces could simply invade universities to achieve an uncommon goal. Some, such as Alvin Weinberg, Director of the AEC Oak Ridge National Laboratories, complained about the â€Å"corruption of science by Big Science† (Hughes 128). The ‘corruption’ Weinberg refers to is the use of science to... ...American fear of Japanese technical dominance and racist sentiments by describing a dystopian Los Angeles, overcome by Japanese manufactured genetically altered robots that begin to replace humans. Both of these cinematic productions reflect a chief trepidation that pervaded America after the Second World War: the potential of technology, specifically robots, to supersede humans. Despite great benefits of the ample innovations since World War II, the image of science and technology remained tarnished by the apprehension that machines would one day replace humans as well as its potential for violence and unwarranted usage. Works Cited Hughes, Jeff. The Manhattan Project: Big Science and the Atom Bomb. New York: Columbia UP, 2002. Print. Pursell, Carroll W. The Machine in America: A Social History of Technology. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1995. Print.

Nike Position Paper

Nike Position Paper In our prevalent society today, there is an intricate debate between boycotting and supporting many different transnational corporations such as Nike, Inc. It has been inferred that Nike breaches multiple human rights acts and workplace violations. Dissidently, Nike’s total net income is 273. 4 billion dollars and their annual revenue adds up to approximately 19 billion dollars. This concludes that global citizens are more than voluntary to purchase their merchandise and endorse their business. Nike is involved in several environmental projects such as building athletic courts out of recycled shoes and their â€Å"air pockets† in numerous models of sport sneakers use nitrogen instead of SF6, which is a greenhouse gas. Nike also has â€Å"green† events associated with The Green Project of Long Island in New York State. Nike manufactures in over 30 countries and sells in over 160, with about 36,000 employees’ total. They also have rights to Hurley International and Nike invests in professional athletes to promote their goods. Nike has dynamic and monumental marketing skills that influence our generation conspicuously. In correlation, multinational business’ pay acceptable wages to workers because they have an innumerable amount of expenses unseen by most people. Corporations have significant distribution and tariff expenses bringing their products to market. Furthermore, transnationals’ pay acceptable wages given that profit margins are not as great as people may assume. Competition between producers is so fierce that profits for 214 companies in 1999 were limited to an average of 8. 3%. A wage premium is also applied where wages are 40% to 100% greater than the average rate in many developing countries. It has been fathomed that Nike violates labor laws. But, anti-globalization people often distort the truth on this topic, as in the case of the fake German documentary film against Ikea. It has also been acquiesced that corporations exploit their workers. It is valid that employees’ work long hours, but a New York Times article indicated that the workers do this willingly because this allows them to make more money than they might be able to earn otherwise. Mass business’ such as Nike, constitute investment and the increased export income improves a country’s equilibrium of payment, introduces otherwise unavailable goods and services that are essential for diversifying production, and stimulates local entrepreneurship by subcontracting to local industries and enhancing competition. â€Å"You don’t win silver, you lose gold,† is a famous Nike quote that has much controversy behind it, as do many business affairs pertaining to this iconic corporation. While workers in Indonesia are being paid around 21,000 dollars a year for a myriad amount of hours of hard labor in one day, one of Nike’s promotional athletes, NBA player Kobe Bryant, is being paid over 500,000 dollars a week to bounce a ball around. Workers are told to sign a contract which removes all their rights, they are typically fired by the age of 35, and Safety & Health Administration has found more than 1000 plus violations. Irrevocably, there are two definitive positions of transnational corporations. They have an agglomeration of flaws, but none that can be condemned irremediable. You hear a different opinion from each worker, each newspaper and each monopoly spokesperson. To ostracize such a beneficial asset to our economy would be asinine. People are kept off the streets, with paying jobs, and are making a contribution to society one shoe at a time.

A Museum Trip

uMuseum trip 1) How have my field trip enriched my understanding of being a Singaporean? -The trip to the museum brought about an indelible experience. I understood the great history of Singapore and how our forefathers survived and fought through the World War 2. Being a Singaporean meant much more than just living a beautiful lion city, instead it is one with great history and commendable spirit of our forefathers that make us, Singaporeans proud of our country. ) What have I learnt from this visit? -I learnt that the success of Singapore was brought about by many of our ancestors/forefathers/great leaders, and the peace and stability in our country cannot be taken for granted. Regardless of race, language or religion, everyone must work together to build a conducive society for ourselves and the future generation. 3) What are the highlights and key observations of my visit? The highlights of the visit was the world war 2 exhibition where we saw the stages of the war, which include s the downfall and the rise of Singapore. Another highlight was how life was like, in the past, and it was an eye opening experience as it was what I never imagined. Little India trip 1) How have my field trip enriched my understanding of being a Singaporean? -Being a Singaporean Chinese, I hardly went to other cultural places except for Chinatown.However, a trip to little India helped me to understand the cultural values of another race in Singapore. It helped me to understand what their iconic places for common visiting were. 2) What have I learnt from this visit? I learnt the Indian Culture, when we had our meals at a famous Indian eatery, where the bare right hand is used to consume food without a use of cutlery. I also learnt that flower garlands were a common item used when worshipping their gods.Lastly, I also understood the Indian tradition by speaking to the owners of the flower garland shops. 3) What are the highlights and key observations of my visit? -The highlights incl ude a visit to the Tekka Market, where all the common Indian food were. It also includes visits to the Indian temples, small shops which sells accessories such as Indian bangles and others which specializes in selling flowers and garlands.