Performance Review Takes a Page from Facebook

As the world moves towards a more microwave way of operating it is no wonder that employers are jumping on the bandwagon as well. Previously, performance evaluations have been time consuming and somewhat monotonous. The hassle of evaluating several employees’ performance for an entire year in only a few months’ time can be quite overwhelming. Not only is the task intimidating for the manager or supervisor but it is quite stressful for the employee also. In previous years, the performance evaluation was a one-sided task and the employee had no input whatsoever in how they were being critiqued. As important as the evaluation is to the employees pay raise it is astonishing that their input would not have been included in the past. So often the employee would only see the final outcome and have to sign whether they agreed with the results or not. This causes much frustration and can bring down the morale of the employee, causing them to feel like they are under appreciated and that their opinion doesn’t matter. With these facts in mind the company Accenture has developed a social networking tool somewhat like Facebook called Performance Multiplier that will aid the employer as well as the employee in the performance evaluation process. Agree or disagree with this statement and provide reasons for your response. â€Å"If you have regular conversations with people, and they know where they stand, then the performance evaluation is maybe unnecessary. † Performance Multiplier is a tool in which employees can post status updates, photos, and two or three weekly goals that can be viewed by fellow staffers. The goal of Accenture was to provide a program that made the performance evaluation more democratic. Not only does the employee get to play a part in the evaluation process but they also gain the chance to get helpful insight year round on how to improve their performance. In a fun and somewhat casual manner the employer and employee get to change a process that once was dreaded into something enjoyable and less stressing. While I do believe that the regular conversations via the website are beneficial to the performance evaluation process I do not believe that it should replace it altogether. In my opinion what the back and forth conversations via sites like Performance Multiplier does is aid the employee and employer in seeing how the employee is progressing. Depending on what goals are set and accomplished at the end of the year all of this information should be compiled and then used as a foundation for grading the overall performance. I see Performance Multiplier as a way to see where you stand and then try to excel from that point. You should still be graded on how well you took the feedback and knowledge and implemented it into your everyday job performance. If all an employer did was talk to the employee back and forth and never evaluated how well the employee utilized the feedback then the entire process was a waste of time. To gain insight into how good of an employee you have you must analyze the steps they take towards improving. Compare and contrast the possible effectiveness of the social network performance review to the following age groups: veterans, baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y. While some people enjoy the opportunity to use a social networking tool to interact with their employer and get insight into how well of a job they are doing, there will be those that will resist the change in processes and gripe about having more work to do when they are already working enough. The generational gaps in the workplace will also pose a problem when trying to implement the new interactive performance tool. There is no doubt in my mind that Generations X and Y will adapt to the new system and use it with an open mind. On the other hand the Baby Boomers and Veterans are not going to be so willing to accept the new way of evaluating their job performance. Veterans and Baby Boomers came from an era where the greatest advance in technology came with the printing press so they are not used to using computers and navigating through search engines via the worldwide web. These employees learned how to use modern office equipment like fax machines, multiline telephones, and even computers but they are not interested in sharing their life online. In contrast Generation X and Y have experienced the influx of such technologies as the Internet, Ipod, and gaming systems like the Wii. Those individuals are used to technology and can adapt fairly quickly which is the exact opposite of their counterparts. â€Å"The biggest payoff of these social network style tools may prove to be better performance by the boss. † State whether or not this statement justifies the time and cost of implementing these systems and provide a rationale. Whenever a company wants to implement a new system they must go into a contract with the developer of the system and pay a hefty amount to use the service. Before any contracts are signed or money is exchanged the employer looks into the product and researches the statistics of how well other companies have done with the system. The employer must feel that the ends will justify the means of adopting the new system into the everyday workload. The goal of tools like Performance Multiplier is to provide the employee with feedback from upper management. In this case I would agree that by using the tool the boss will have to do more work than has been done in the past. Both employee and employer will have to work together but the responsibility of making the tool work relies on how well the boss handles the information provided from the employee. He or she will be forced to improve their communication skills when dealing with their employees. O’Toole states: â€Å"It has been said that Americans are increasingly overworked. † Discuss whether social network type evaluations aid or hinder the overworked American. Justify your response. It is true that in today’s economy most companies are working with far less employees than they have had in the past. In some cases one employee is doing the work of two to three employees. This causes the employee to feel a little overwhelmed and sometimes overworked. Though this may be true I don’t feel that using a social networking tool to evaluate performance will add any more stress to the work day than is already being experienced. The time it would take to update a status or post a question takes no more time than most Americans spend in the break room fixing a cup of coffee. Helping yourself become a better employee should be worth the couple minutes weekly that it would take to make the tool work for both parties involved. Conclusion In conclusion, adapting to change is not always the easiest task to accomplish. When dealing with employees who cross over four generations that task becomes even harder. Past generations are used to how they have done things in the past and the new generations are up for any challenge you throw at them if they feel they will benefit from it. It is up to the employer to make the transition as smooth as possible for the employee. At the end of the day both employer and employee should be satisfied with the results.

A Critique on Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” Essay

The task of this paper is two-fold; first, this paper will trace and explain the evolution of Martin Luther King, Jr. ’s belief that war, racism and economic injustice are all intertwined and can be dealt with the restructuring of society’s priorities and addressed the necessity of a revolution of values; second, this paper will also explain how he carried out his beliefs in the his speech at the Lincoln Memorial, â€Å"I Have a Dream†. At the onset of this paper, it is important to note that King’s ‘background’ [which includes his race, habituation, education and religion among many others] is crucial in his struggle against racial discrimination, violence and economic injustice as experienced by blacks in the United States of America. This was clearly stated in the speech wherein hundreds of thousands of people were able to serve as audience. In this speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. talks of manufactured and institutionalized oppression, I mean oppression which involves the mechanisms of law and power relations the basis of which is against the ‘natural law’. The speech purpose is made evident here as its intention was made clear: that racism should be abolished. Furthermore, Luther King’s striking delivery made it more of just an expression of freedom but of a struggle against an intangible foe: his fellow American’s mentality. Natural law theorists, following the thoughts of St. Augustine that â€Å"an unjust law is not a law at all† and Aquinas’ notion of â€Å"law as an ordinance of reason†, view morality as essentially tied up with the very essence of law. How does King figure in all of this? How can we explain the evolution of King’s ideological perspective? The point is clear: Oppression and unfair treatment of individuals is not morally valid nor is it morally permissible most especially if the basis of such is the individual’s ethnicity or race. As the Kantians believed, each person has a capacity for rational deliberation and choice and as such, an autonomous being with dignity and therefore, ought to be respected by virtue of being human persons. The evolution of King’s ideological perspective may therefore be construed in such way that it is a product, both of his experiences as a black living in a white-dominated society and his philosophical and political development and this may be inferred from Fairclough’s book, â€Å"Martin Luther King, Jr. †, 1995. King’s speeches very clearly communicate his views: â€Å"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality†¦. I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits[†¦] (as cited by Carson, 1998). Three important points about King and his political thrusts, philosophical orientation and as to why he may be called a â€Å"radical democrat† may be inferred from the aforementioned quotation in his speech. First, as a leading figure in â€Å"civil rights movement† King believed in the tenets of democracy and liberalism in the sense that he believed that both white and black Americans must have fair treatment in the realm of the law, for the purpose of law itself is the administration of social justice. Second, he believed in the â€Å"non-necessity of violence†. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s â€Å"civil disobedience†, he believed that there are peaceful ways in and through which the problem of political and economic injustice may be resolved. It may further be inferred that for him, political, economic and social change can best be achieved not through violence [and that the government should not keep itself busy from going to war, as in the case of the Vietnam War] nor by transforming a portion or a sector of society but what is needed is a restructuring of the society as a whole. King believed that a â€Å"revolution of values† is a matter of strict necessity. King’s views may be identified as â€Å"radical† in this sense. He emphasized the need to restructure even how we think about black Americans or African Americans. It may be inferred that racism, the feeling of being superior over another race or ethnic group or nationality is grounded on the wrong premises; wrong modes of thinking and reasoning. It is by transforming our psyche and by appealing through reason and conscience that society as a whole may chart its rightful path towards genuine social change. Third, he believed and fought not only for civil rights but also for economic changes especially labor rights and lobbied for law reforms to be enacted to protect Negroes from exploitation and oppressive schemes adopted by employers. These include fair treatment and equal work opportunity, just compensation, etc. This is how he carried out his beliefs in the Memphis Strike and the Poor People’s Campaign. King served as a voice crying for the emancipation not only of black Americans but also of other human beings from the chains of oppression. Based on the above discussion, we can see why King believed that the problems and conflicts brought about by war, racism and economic injustice are all intertwined. What we can infer from his views is the interweaving and interconnecting patterns brought about by racism itself. Furthermore, the speech was made memorable as it was delivered at the Lincoln Memorial. Abraham Lincoln was the first to abolish the slave trade in the southern states during his term which was considered as a significant step towards racial equality in the United States. But racism is not in itself the root of the problem; it is merely an effect of a traceable cause. This cause, this root of racism, is none other than a distorted value system, a wrong frame of mind resulting to feelings of superiority and even contempt and hate which further results to taking an unfair advantage of other human beings, plus a very materialistic market essentially driven by capital. The fault is, at bottom, deeply embedded with the minds of persons and a wrong value system, a wrong sense of pride and nationality, for it fails, in the Kantian sense, to respect persons for the sake of being human persons, not as mere means and tools that another person or race may use but as ends-in-themselves, possessing the capacity for rational thought, capable of making rational choices and thereby, beings that are autonomous and dignified and for the aforementioned reasons, deserve to be respected. References: Carson, C. A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. : Warner Books; Reprint edition (2002). Fairclough, A. Martin Luther King, Jr. : University of Georgia Press, c. 1995.

CHALLENGING THE OBAMA HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION Research Paper

CHALLENGING THE OBAMA HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION - Research Paper Example The Congress (2010) has once declared: â€Å"By most measures, we have the best medical care system in the world† (p. 32). Yet, there are still major problems and critical issue. A significant portion of the population does not have insurance and costs are continuously increasing. Failure to get a health insurance can prevent one from gaining access to preventative care. The uninsured is given treatment when s/he becomes sick, as recognized by the defendants, since health care in the United States is commonly given because of incapacity to afford medical expenses or acquire a health insurance. Yet, the acquired costs to provide medical services to the uninsured are at times remain unpaid. The costs of unpaid health care services are transferred to economic actors in the form of increased premiums and costs, which, consequently, can contribute to the continuity of the cycle and further enlarge the uninsured population (Congress 2010). The Congress approved of the PPACA against these conditions. The petitioners challenge a number of the interconnected parts of the PPACA as well. Primarily, the new Act considerably changes and enlarges the Medicaid plan. Medicaid is a joint federal-state initiative established in 1965 that supports federal subsidy to states that decide to offer health care to vulnerable and poor populations (Congress 2010). PPACA will expand the numbers of new entrants to the Medicaid rosters by widening the initiative to encompass all people under 65 years of age with a specific income percentage of the federal poverty threshold (Health Care Lawsuits 2011). Furthermore, the new Act opens the opportunity for the formation of medical benefit transactions intended to permit start-up or small businesses and individuals to control their purchasing power to acquire viable prices (Bandow 2011). And finally, the new Act obliges that the states give their workers an agreed health insurance coverage minimum level. The petitioners claim that these co nditions infringe state autonomy and the Constitution by forcing and controlling the states and denying them their ‘celebrated ability’ to govern their own Medicaid initiatives, medical care, and state machinery (Bandow 2011). The petitioners expect that these and a variety of other conditions in the PPACA will generate massive costs for Florida (Health Care Lawsuits 2011). Basically, the petitioners argue that the legislation is invasive, domineering, and may drain states’ coffers. When Congress was pressing on the agenda of President Obama to take into the public sector decision making in health care, lawmakers paid insignificant attention to the Constitution. In spite of everything, the tenants of Capitol Hill had become comfortable with proposing any laws they wanted (Bandow 2011). As expected, all of the followers of the president and their colleagues sacked the constitutional cases against the Obamacare law. Yet, the supporters of state-owned health care ar e not happy anymore. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently abolished a

The God Father Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The God Father - Movie Review Example The film has been accused of promoting the view that Italian immigrants brought into the country their vices such as organised crime and corrupted the American social fabric. On the other hand, the trilogy has been credited with telling the story of a family uprooted from its ancestral home in Sicily, immigration to and adaptation in America, and the succession. The Corleone family depicts the Italian immigrants struggle to settle in a strange country, retain their culture and deal with past problems, familial ties, bad choices and, above all, a will to survive any problems (Sciannameo, 2010). The trilogy neither condemns nor excuses organised crime, but rather brings out into the open the hitherto secret operations of the Mafia imported from Sicily. It shows the original purpose of the organisation; which was the protection from oppression, and subsequent corruption into organised crime. Overriding this theme is the determination of a family to stay afloat, presented without judgement of the means by which they choose to achieve their

Statistics of worker fatalities Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Statistics of worker fatalities - Case Study Example Henceforth, the discussion will concentrate on the importance of the training of the newly hired fleet vehicle drivers along with providing a detail towards the measurement of success in the case of Abbott Laboratories in relation to its fleet security program. Discussion Training for only the New Hires, or the Entire Fleet of Drivers It can be recommended that the training in relation to fleet security program may be provided especially for the new hires owing to the fact that the newly hired fleet vehicle drivers are at higher risks of crash in comparison with the experienced drivers. Apparently, there lie various decisive reasons behind the wheel training with major emphasis on the new hires of the company. In this regard, it can be stated that the new hires of the companies are not quite likely to be adequately familiarized with various components in relation to their jobs that include new policies of the company, products, territories, customers along with the vehicle safety. In this respect, due to their inadequate knowledge concerning the aforementioned crucial aspects, the new hires of the companies are often viewed to be neglecting the road safety aspect to an extent, which ultimately results in vehicle crashes. Moreover, the new hires are usually keen to perform better in order to develop themselves competitively by demonstrating job related capabilities or skills. As a result, they drive their vehicles incautiously on the road with higher speed that frequently results in vehicle crashes. Due to these particular reasons, it is quite necessary to provide basic training program about the fleet security, especially to the new hires of different companies. Measurement of Success In relation to the case study, it can be stated that the success was adequately measured in terms of the statistical data presented. The statistical data in the case study revealed that about 80 percent of the fatalities as well as most of the injuries of the working personnel ult imately results due to the occurrences of crashes, especially in the case of fleet vehicles. Various data supported that particularly the new hires are statistically recognized to be at a higher risk to fleet vehicle crashes in comparison with the tenured employees at their initial period of 18 months of employment. Moreover, about 60 percent of the sales representatives associated with the pharmaceutical companies have been learnt to get involved in a crash during their first five years on the job. However, these measurements can be considered as lagging indicators that follow a particular event or an activity that include the rate of injuries or accidents (University of Windsor, 2007). This can be supported with due consideration to the fact that the statistical data were collected after the occurrence of the worker fatalities caused by fleet vehicle crashes. Commitment of the Management of Abbott Laboratories It would not be wrong to state that the commitment made by the manageme nt of Abbott Laboratories was quite apparent in this particular case study. For instance, Joe worked upon improving the fleet security in one of the divisions within the company targeting the new hires to provide the training facility in relation to fleet driving security program. Joe also hypothesized that there persists a higher degree of risk concerning the new hires, as they tend to be unfamiliar with several job components that include various company policies and have the eagerness to perform well within a short span of time which deliberates their actions to over-schedule and rush, eventually leading to crashes. In relation to the commitment made by the management of the company, Joe further developed an hour long program of training for the new hires which emphasized upon the basics

Law of the Costitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law of the Costitution - Essay Example ental principles of Britain’s unwritten Constitution, and the role of judges within the context of those principles by stating that the indivisibility of Parliamentary power requires that all exercise of Governmental power must be authorized by Parliament, since it is the source of all valid authority.1 As a result, the British power of judicial review by the Courts would not include the power to invalidate Acts of Parliament, rather the Courts may only use their powers to constrain any abuse of powers by the other arms of Government, such as the legislative and executive branches2. This political and legal view is based upon the absolute and indivisible sovereignty of the British Parliament3. As stated by Dicey: (a) â€Å"Parliament has the right to make or unmake any law whatever†4 and (b) no person or body may be recognized as having the legal authority to set aside or invalidate the acts of Parliament, except Parliament itself.5 Thus, the indivisibility of Parliamentary power sets it out as the source of all valid authority.6 As a result, the British power of judicial review would not include the power to invalidate Acts of Parliament, rather the Courts may only use their powers to constrain any abuse of powers by the other arms of Government.7 Jennings has opposed Dicey’s theory by arguing for limiting of Parliamentary power by the manner and form of the process of procedural entrapment8. A piece of legislation would be deeply entrenced if amendment requires unanimous support within the Houses of Parliament. Jennings defines legal sovereignty by specifying that Parliament has power to make laws for the time being, but not to bind future Parliament. The power of Parliament to make laws is also subject to the rule of recognition that is to be recognized by the Courts, â€Å"including a rule which alters this law itself.†9 Hence law making will be conditioned by the rule of recognition, which should limit the powers of Parliament to bind successors in an era

Roles of School Administrator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Roles of School Administrator - Essay Example An administrator should prioritize through zeroing on the most integral activities for bringing all learners to high levels of achievement. This can be done by setting clear expectations, deciding on a planning system, and taking stock of the daily school operations in order to determine the most urgent and effective (Hopkins, 2000). Administrators should ensure they build a positive aspects of the teaching ability of the teachers. This is important because it helps them to know where teachers should improve. The objective should be to create a relationship with all faculty members through offering advice and ideas on the way to improve wherever refinement is needed. The staff should always be encouraged to find a better way and continue in their pursuit of quality education. It is vital that an administrator keeps proper record so that each time a faculty is conducted, it should be noted on the date and a brief summary of the observation. This helps in cases where a teacher has areas of inadequacy and refuses to make improvements in those areas (Hopkins,

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 19

Case Study Example The common thing about the fixed expenditures is that they are fixed throughout the three months. Based on the above analysis, Salem Data Services is a big challenge for Salem Telephone Company. There are a number of facts that can be used to prove this assertion. One of the most visible fact is seen in Salem Data Services contribution margin income statement. The Contribution margin income statement for Salem Data Services proves that the net income is by far negative and cannot be easily turned into profits. The loss incurred through the provision of these services is far high that it cannot be turned around by simply adding or reducing customer prices. Even with the 30% increase in demand here will be minimal effect on the actual income that the company gets from these operations. The same applies to increased prices. In fact, increased prices will even make things worse because they will have lower demand as compared to what they were having at the time when this report was made. However, if they increase his prices, then they might be able to get higher per unit profit on t his service. This would not be advisable because they will o be able to raise enough money to cater for their costs. This will only imply at the end of the day they will still incur losses. If the prices are lower than they will definitely have more people demanding for their services. However, the problem assisted to lower prices is the decrease in per unit income. When the per unit income for service provision is low the company will incur losses at the end of the day. This is because the total income earned is less than the cost of producing the service. Therefore, he only thing that the company can do is trying to lower their production costs. Not all the expenses are flexible. However, the company could look at the expenses with high flexibility and adjust them

Annotated Bibliography for Intellectual Property Rights

For Intellectual Property Rights - Annotated Bibliography Example Trading necessitate liberalized economic policies which are cited in the General Agreement on Tariff Trade which the author presupposed as an instrument that hinder the use of war as instrument for economic expansion. This policy is however should be rechecked using cost-benefit analysis to secure issues pertaining to environment, culture, use of technology, child labor, migration, and presence of other multinational organizations and concerns for world peace. Author further argued that the company explicitly argued that to secure the products being introduced to the market, necessary measure for intellectual properties rights should be adopted to protect itself from distortions happening in the market or those that are made by the government. Intellectual property (IP) is defined as creations of the mind and preservation of authorship on inventions, literatures, arts, movies, symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce (WIPO, 2012, p. 1). This cover industrial property of trademarks, patents, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source, and copyright (WIPO, 2012, p. 1) . Traders argued that IPR balance and neutralize the impacts of all possible effects of tariff policy and also improves the countrys position the worlds productivity rank. This is because it sets legal limitations to conditions in industrial developments to protect the properties and creation of innovators (Lerner, Strojwas, & Tirole, 2005). This limitations are universally applied thus can’t be considered as negative for new entrants in the market. Many research studies proved that this is a theory that protects the authors from those that can do infringement e.g. pirate the nature of products made by another. Many poor countr ies however criticized this policy as unfavourable to the indigenous people whose vast knowledge on natural medicines cannot avail of patents and

Free

Freedom of Marriage Essay The reasoning of any just law is meant to be rational and, moreover, fair. However, the government has failed to recognize the rights of many American citizens because they do not conform to society’s stereotypical standards. In a nation founded on freedom, have today’s citizens evolved into narrow-minded drones that bind minorities into what they believe are the â€Å"correct† moral standards? Have the basic freedoms guaranteed by our forefathers been stripped away in order to protect the strict moral codes society has placed upon itself. Same-sex marriage should be legal because it is discriminatory to deny homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. The illegalization of same-sex marriage excludes gay couples from the same financial marital benefits guaranteed to married heterosexuals. The denying of these rights is no longer a decision to be made by the U. S. government as religious beliefs are strongly imbedded in the ceremony of marriage. Contrary to common beliefs, the legalization of same-sex marriage has not degraded the traditional values associated with a marriage. The constitutional right of marriage is currently being denied to many American citizens. The actions of many have contributed to discrimination against a minority who deserve their birthright as American citizens to join in homosexual unions. Exclusion of marital benefits from homosexual couples contributes to the large financial strain of being gay. Taxation relief, family health care benefits, social security spousal benefits, and inheritance rights all lessen the financial burden on married heterosexual couples, but these benefits do not pertain to married homosexuals today. All of these benefits excluding same-sex couples lead to an exponentially higher cost of living. â€Å"In our worst case, the couple’s lifetime cost of being gay was $467,562. But the number fell to $41,196 in the best case for a couple with significantly better health insurance, plus lower taxes and other costs. † (Siegel Bernard, Lieber) The numbers represent the discriminatory effects of illegalizing homosexual marriage. â€Å"Same-sex couples, become â€Å"strangers† to the basic rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and re at risk for minority stress and its health consequences. † (Riggle, Thomas, Rostosky) In a country founded on equal rights, American laws pertaining to gay marriage necessitate punishment on individuals only seeking to gain a right heterosexuals already have. Religious beliefs present the most persuasive arguments against the legalization of gay marriage. The majority of religions strictly prohibit the union of homosexual couples as the union supposedly to defile the religious ceremony of marriage. Some may recognize the validity of this argument; however, the U. S. government should not be influenced by this religious defense when considering illegality of homosexual marriage. America was founded on the belief in freedom of religion, which is why 221 years ago the first amendment to the U. S. constitution restricted the government from having any religious affiliations. The amendment stands today as the overpowering counterpoint against illegalization of gay marriage due to religious conflicts. The government does not have the right to illegalize homosexual marriage based solely on religious prohibition of the practice. Many individuals believe that same-sex marriage will increase the already high divorce rates. This belief is propelled by the misconception that the institution of marriage will be weakened by the allowance of homosexual unions thus increasing leniency of divorce. Allowing same-sex marriage will not impair family values, but will instead generate a new family dynamic. This new model of a family will not affect the traditional aspects of a family; it will simply leave the option of same-sex marriage open. The derogatory affects of same-sex marriage in society are so minimal that, â€Å"In Massachusetts, which legalized gay marriage in 2004, the divorce rate has declined by 21 percent and is the lowest in the country by some margin. The state which experienced the highest increase in its divorce rate over the period (Alaska, 17. 2 percent) also happens to be the first one to have altered its constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage in 1998. (Silver) Based on these statistics, same-sex marriage will not be detrimental to society. Those opposing gay marriage often argue that a homosexual couple’s inability to procreate is what makes them ineligible for marriage. It is obvious that is anatomically impossible for homosexual couples to reproduce, leading many to question the purpose of gay marriage if procreation is unfeasible. â€Å"Marriage was created to allow society to support heterosexual couples in procreation and society can choose not to give the same benefits to same-sex couples. (Jacobson) If marriage’s only purpose were to support reproduction, homosexual couples would have essentially no purpose for getting married. However, many successfully married heterosexual couples cannot reproduce because of incurable medical conditions. Without the ability to procreate, they would be fairly denied the right to marriage as well as homosexuals. Therefore, the argument presented is invalid because it does not address all couples without the ability to reproduce. The illegalization of same-sex marriage is to be determined by the value society places on fairness. Economically homosexual couples should receive the same compensations for being married as heterosexual couples are provided with. The resulting reimbursements would diminish financial struggles many homosexual couples encounter over the course of their lifetime. Spiritually gay couples deserve the right to freely exhibit their sexual desires without any discriminatory actions expressed by religious followers. Furthermore, the government should not consider these religious beliefs when determining the laws restricting one’s one right to participate in a homosexual marriage. Although many believe that the allowance of gay marriage will directly result in higher divorce rates, the freedom to be in a gay marriage has shown no direct correlation to divorce rates in state’s granting gay marriage. The illegalization of gay marriage is discriminatory against a minority of American citizens whose only desire is to be given the same rights as heterosexuals. The prejudice opinions opposing gay couples must be set aside in order for homosexuals to receive the benefits they fairly deserve.

Post Operative Outcome of Extended Nasolabial Flaps

Post Operative Outcome of Extended Nasolabial Flaps TITLE: Reconstruction of post release intraoral Oral Submucous Fibrosis defects by Extended Naso-Labial flaps versus Platysma myocutaneous muscle flaps: A Comparative Study. ABSTRACT- We compared post operative outcome of extended Nasolabial flaps with Platysma myocutaneous muscle flaps, in the management of 20 randomly selected patients with histologically confirmed oral submucous fibrosis. Patients and Methods: All patients in the study were treated by release of fibrous bands and bilateral coronoidectomy. In addition reconstruction was done in ten patients with extended nasolabial flaps (Nasolabial group) and in another ten patients with platysma myocutaneous muscle flaps (Platysma group). In the nasolabial group the mean preoperative interincisal mouth opening was 12 mm (range 3-14 mm) and in platysma group it was 11 mm (~ 3-13 mm). Vigorous post-operative physiotherapy was advised to all 20 patients and they were followed up for next 3 years .The interincisal mouth opening improved to 47 mm (~35-51 mm) in the nasolabial group and 48 mm (~ 41-52 mm) in the platysma group. Conclusion: Both the procedures were equally effective in management of oral submucous fibrosis in terms of postoperative interincisal mouth opening. However the facial extra-oral scars were not aesthetically acceptable in the nasolabial group, which were prevented when Platysmal myocutaneous muscle flaps were used for the reconstruction of post release oral submucous fibrosis defects. INTRODUCTION Oral submucous fibrosis is an insidious, chronic, disabling disease of obscure aetiology that affects the entire oral cavity, sometimes the pharynx and rarely the larynx. It is characterised by blanching and stiffness of oral mucosa, which causes progressive limitations of mouth opening and intolerance to hot and spicy food. It is an established precancerous condition which is seen mostly in the Indian subcontinent. Its precancerous nature was first described by Paymaster 1, who recorded the onset of slowly growing squamous cell carcinomas in one third of the patients. Murti et al, 2 reported the malignant transformation of oral submucous fibrosis. As the aetiology is uncertain, its treatment has largely been symptomatic and various treatments have been described vastly in literature with inconsistent results. In this study, two techniques for the closure of post release oral submucous fibrosis defects were compared. The importance of coronoidectomy was emphasised and two local flaps were used for reconstruction. We hypothecated that the platysma myocutaneous muscle flaps would be a better option than extended nasolabial flaps in terms of unaesthetic extraoral facial scars for the management of oral submucous fibrosis.3,4,5. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty consecutive patients who were treated at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, SDKS Dental College and Hospital, Hingna, Nagpur (18 men and 2 women aged between 18 to 41 yrs of age), were randomly selected for this retrospective study. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. No patient had preoperative interincisal opening more than 25mm. Following aseptic precautions, all patients were intubated using the fibreoptic bronchoscope and operated under general anaesthesia. Incisions were made using an electrosurgical knife from the corner of the mouth to the soft palate at the level of the linea alba avoiding injury to the Stenson’s duct. The bands were cut and the interincisal opening recorded. The coronoid processes were approached via the same incision and bilateral coronoidectomy or coronoidotomy was done. The maxillary and mandibular third molars were extracted. In the nasolabial group, extended nasolabial flaps as described by Borle et al 4, were raised for grafting from the tip of nasolabial fold to the inferior border of the mandible. The flaps were raised bilaterally in the plane of the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system from both terminal points to the region of the central pedicle. The diameter of the pedicle was roughly 1cm and it was distanced 1cm lateral to the corner of the mouth (Fig. 1). The flap was transposed intraorally through a small trans-buccal tunnel near the commissure of the mouth without tension. The inferior wing of the flap was sutured to the anterior edge of the defect, while the superior wing was sutured to the posterior edge of the defect. The extraoral defect was closed primarily in layers after liberal undermining of the skin in the subcutaneous plane to prevent any tension across the suture line. In the platysma group, a superiorly based platysma myocutaneous muscle flap was raised as described by D.A Baur 5 and used for reconstruction of the intraoral defects. With the neck hyper extended, the proposed skin paddle was outlined on the ipsilateral neck, below the inferior border of the mandible (Fig. 2). The superior incision was made first and the plane superficial to the platysma muscle was dissected carefully cephalic to the inferior border of the mandible. A skin incision was then made at the inferior line of the skin paddle, with additional exposure of the platysma muscle inferiorly. The platysma muscle was transected sharply at least 1cm inferior to the edge of skin paddle, and a subplatysmal plane of dissection developed just below the inferior border of the mandible. If the cervical branch of the facial nerve was to be incorporated, it was necessary to identify the nerve in the superficial layer of deep cervical fascia with careful dissection and preservation of its pr oximal portion. Once the plane of dissection was fully developed, the platysma myocutaneous flap was transected vertically, anteriorly and posteriorly for its full mobilisation. The flap was then introduced into the oral defect by creating an appropriately sized soft tissue tunnel. The harvested flap was sutured to the defect, which was created by release of the fibrous bands. The donor site was easily closed in layers, totally avoiding any unacceptable facial scar and obtaining by far a much better cosmetic result (as shown in Fig. 3b). A soft temporomandibular joint trainer was placed in the oral cavity post operatively for 10 days to prevent dehiscence of the flap, as result of occlusal trauma. After a latent period of 10 days, physiotherapy was started with the help of Hister’s jaw exerciser to prevent contracture and relapse. The patients were instructed about the exercises and mandated to do them for the next 6 months until they were followed up in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. We used the Student’s unpaired t test for statistical analysis of the study. RESULTS There were 2 groups of 10 patients each, one of which had nasolabial flaps, and the other platysma myocutaneous flaps.The differences in mouth opening were as shown in Table 1. All patients in nasolabial group developed extra-oral facial scars, compared with none in the platysma group. The differences in mouth opening before and after the surgery were almost similar in both groups (p) There were some complications in the nasolabial group including partial flap necrosis, particularly at the tips, temporary widening of oral commissure, unsightly extra oral scars as shown in (Fig. 3a), subluxation of the Temporomandibular Joint, perforation of the palate and intraoral growth of hair. In the platysma group, few patients developed temporary paraesthesia, which was noticed over the lateral cervical region, subluxation of the mandible and scars over the lower neck region which were usually covered by the shirt’s collar and not visible extra orally on the face. There were no delayed complications in the platysma group, but 2 patients in the nasolabial group had a â€Å"fish mouth† deformity, even after a year (Table 2). DISCUSSION The treatment of oral submucous fibrosis is mainly symptomatic, as the aetiology is not clearly understood and it is of progressive nature. Conservative treatments include multi-vitamins, iron supplementation and intra-lesional injections of hyaluronidase, placental extracts and steroids to name a few. Submucosal injections of various drugs may produce temporary symptomatic relief but can lead to aggravated fibrosis, pronounced trismus and increased morbidity from mechanical injury, secondary to the needle prick injury 6. Different treatment plans and surgical interventions have been proposed by various authors with variable success rates. Excision of fibrous bands and propping the mouth open to allow secondary epithelisation is known to cause rebound fibrosis during healing. The release of fibrous bands followed by split thickness skin grafting results in high recurrence rate following contracture. The survival of full thickness skin grafts is questionable. The use of an island palatal flap based on the greater palatine artery was recommended by Khanna et al., but has limitations including involvement of donor tissue with the limited reach of the flap, as well as the need to extract the maxillary second molar tooth, so that the flap is not under tension.7 The bilateral tongue flap causes severe dysphagia, disarticulation, and it carries unwarranted risk of aspiration. It also provides a limited amount of donor tissue as its reach is inadequate. The doubtful stability of tongue flaps and their dehiscence are the most common post operative complications caused due to uncontrolled tongue movements.8 Buccal fat pads may also be used to cover the defects after excision of fibrous bands and also as their harvest is simple. However in patients with chronic disease they are likely to be atrophic. In addition, the anterior reach of buccal fat pads is inadequate and thus the region anterior to the cuspids often is required to be left raw; which therefore heals by secondary intention and subsequent fibrosis, leading to gradual relapse. 9 Bilateral radial forearm flaps are hairy, and nearly half the patients require a secondary debulking procedure. Facilities for free tissue transfer are not universally available. 10 Caniff et al 11 recommended temporal myotomy or coronoidectomy to release severe trismus caused by the atrophic changes in the tendon of the temporalis muscle secondary to the disease. If the mouth opening was still less than 35 mm after bilateral fibrotomy, then for every case bilateral coronoidectomy was done, which increases the per-operative mouth opening. Complications like extra oral facial scars and intraoral growth of hair were common observation in our study when extended nasolabial flaps were used for reconstruction of defects. The patient’s compliance was not very good as far as facial aesthetics were concerned in the nasolabial group. These issues are taken care of when the platysma myocutaneous flap is harvested. The technique of platysma muscle flap however is more challenging as compared to that of extended nasolabial flap and needs to be mastered properly. CONCLUSION Surgical management of oral sub mucous fibrosis not only permits mouth opening but also facilitates the oral examinations for early detection and timely management of malignant transformation. This comparative study of Nasolabial flaps versus Platysma myocutaneous muscle flaps for reconstruction of intraoral post release oral submucous fibrosis defects emphasises on avoiding the extra oral facial scars in the patient. The postoperative mouth opening three years after surgery was comparable in both the techniques, however with better aesthetic outcomes in the platysmal group. We recommend the use of platysma muscle flap as compared to the extended nasolabial flap for reconstruction of the intraoral defects after release of oral sub mucous fibrosis .The facial aesthetics are not compromised in this technique. The risk of broadening of the commissure and pinched appearance of the lips are subsequently avoided. As the incision is far away from the face, and situated infero-laterally on the neck, the scars are hidden underneath the shirt’s collar, without hampering the facial aesthetics, avoiding an unsightly facial scar and ultimately resulting in better patient compliance and acceptance in today’s conscious society.

Lipoplasty (liposuction) :: Medical Weight Loss

Lipoplasty (liposuction) In today’s society you would think it was becoming a crime to be large or overweight, it is not so much of being overweight it is the way society makes people feel about weight. The world today programs us to believe we should and always be thin and our body to look a certain way. Women more so than men want to portray this certain look, by surgery with lipo or other cosmetic surgery. Anymore it is very typical as going out to eat as having these type of procedures done. For most including myself I would have to give this a considerable amount of thought cause this is a scary thing surgery, but yet so many are willing to try. As to say 30 or 40 years ago something like this was unheard of, now it is very common. With the advanced technology we have in the world today all of these procedures seem for the most part safe but like anything else there are always gonna be risks involved. The American society of plastic surgeons was established in 1931,and They do so many different Cosmetic procedures only to name a few breast augmentation, breast lift, browlift, camouflage cosmetics, chemical peel, ear surgery, face lifts, facial implants, spider veins, tummy tuck, and they are so many more. You can virtually get anything on your body fixed. They are some things you need to think about before determining if liposuction is for you, is this really worth all the risks involved. Liposuction is the removing of fat pockets or rolls I call them, they normally stay right with you even if you are dieting, But exercising can do a lot of toning , but exercise can only do so much. There are so many other risks involved especially greater in people with ongoing medical problems. Such as heart disease any kind of respiration problems only to name a few. In preparing for the surgery you will have several blood tests run and also a complete physical. Surgery will be done at either the doctor’s office or hospital depending on the individual person. In choosing an anesthesia they are several different ones to choose from depending on you and the doctor would decide which is best for you. For the length of surgery it would depend on the area or how much lipo is being done would be how long the surgery would take.

Great White Sharks :: essays research papers

The Great White shark, also known as the white death, is considered the most dangerous shark in the waters. The Great White has a conical instead of a flattened snout, black eyes, and large, serrated, arrowhead-shaped teeth. The upper and lower lobes of the tail are almost equal in size, and the body is blue or brown-gray, not white, except on its belly. The Great White is found in temperate waters throughout the worlds oceans, and it is important, though not common, predator in California’s coastal habitat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The waters off central California offer a rich bounty of food for white sharks, and every summer and fall, they actively feed in nearshore areas. The Farallan Islands, a national wildlife refuge about twenty-seven miles off San Francisco, is a common feeding ground for the great white. The coastal waters along central California, especially around the Ano Nuevo State Reserve and along the Marin Headlands, are another common area for white sharks. In the summer the sharks move to the coasts of Oregon and occasionally the Gulf of Alaska, and in the fall, they turn south and move along the offshore islands. They are also found in great numbers in the Australian waters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The great white is a very agile killer that hunts mostly anything in the ocean. They are carnivorous and usually prey on sick or injured prey. Just one drop of blood can make the shark go into a feeding frenzy. It is not made to swim fast and its usual speed is fifteen miles per hour. It migrates south to warmer waters to give birth to six to nine pups. The only way it can defend itself is by using its mouth and its razor-sharp teeth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most largest specimens caught was off of Mantauk, Long Island, and New York, in 1964; it was seventeen and a half feet long and weighed an estimated 4500 pounds. Between 1916 and 1969, there were thirty-two attacks on swimmers, resulting in thirteen deaths attributed to great white sharks. On three occasions white sharks were reported to have attacked boats, sinking one of them, a dory, off Cape Breton, Nova

Essay --

Jane continues her new life at Thornfield now with the interest of Mr. Rochester and she thinks about the concept of marriage. Charlotte Bronte shows the way each character thinks of each other and how they treat each other. Jane is treated like an invisible un-acknowledgeable maid. Mr. Rochester treats her oppositely unlike his guests. While Jane sits and observes the guest she has an interesting analysis on their looks, behavior and status. Jane’s response to Mrs. Ingram’s engagement made her look like she is better than Mrs. Ingram. When Mr. Rochester’s guest first arrived Jane did not interact with them rather than Adele who wanted to see them. Jane felt that there was no use for her to be friendly with them. Jane doesn’t know them and took the advice of Mrs. Fairfax by sitting at distance and let the guest get comfortable. Jane also felt that as governess she will only assist Adele and Mr. Rochester’s which is the reason for her long stay with the guests. â€Å"But understand that so long my visitors stay I expect you †¦ †(Mr. Rochester, 183). Jane could have socially approached them ...

Mortgage

The American consumer has now gotten himself into trouble by simply living beyond his means. This is nothing new in America as only 2% of those who are set to retire at age 65, have enough in their savings and investments to have the same standard of living that they once knew when they were younger. (Saft 2007 pg. C3) Credit card debt is skyrocketing and people can see no light at the end of the tunnel except for filing bankruptcy. What has been in the news recently and has shown how careless the American consumer can be is the number of foreclosures from supreme mortgages have gone through the roof and is to the degree that the fall out will likely result, and has already resulted in, effecting other sectors in the United States economy. There has been reported some relief as the Federal Reserve, on September 18th, announced that interest rates would be cut. This is only a short term resolution and the  ¼ % that it will likely be cut, will not bring enough relief to the millions of Americans who bought a more expensive home than they could afford. (Stempel, 2007) The predatory practices of lenders across the country have added to this as well. Sub prime mortgages deal with mortgages that were given to people with less than perfect credit scores who do not have to show to the same extent, financial proof that they can afford to pay the loan that they are applying for in order to buy their dream house. The fall out has occurred and will continue to occur as millions of people are in danger of losing their homes. The existence of the sub prime mortgage is important to note as well. Even at a conservative interest rate, a 30 year fixed mortgage, a lender will make on average, close to $200,000 on a $100,000 loan. (Rudd, 2007) Those that have the money to lend, will make a great deal of money in their return. The demand is high for homes as it is an important aspect of the American dream to own a home. However, many Americans suffer from poor credit scores as a result of past bills which had not been paid or past loans which had not been honored. As a result, this hurts the individual’s credit score; the most important piece of information that will help a lender to decide if giving a loan to the individual will constitute a risk to the lender. The lender is in the business of lending money and does not want to be in the necessary position to repossess one’s home. An individual with a low credit score and who was not able to prove that they had the necessary income to support their monthly mortgage payment, was denied the loan. This was for the protection of the lender as well as the borrorrer. These were the self imposed rules with the lending industry followed. Now, things have changed. There is so much money to be made in the lending market when good loans are made, that lenders are now playing on the lust that Americans have to own a home. This is not a lust to just own a home, but rather to own the largest and grandest home possible. The individual will not correctly study his budget to see the amount of a mortgage which he would afford and thinks with his heart and not his wallet. Also, the existence adjustable rate mortgages of ARMS; mortgages which are advantageous to the individual when the interest rate is low but which will rise, sometimes exponentially when the Federal Reserve raises the interest rate in order to stabilize the economy. In recent months, the interest rate has increased and therefore, mortgages which commanded an $800 a month payment, can now easily exceed $1100, depending on the initial interest rate which the individual was able to secure. (Seiders 2007 pg. 3) As a result, those individuals who have figured too closely, their budget and never really were in the position to buy a $200,000 home, default on their loan. Two missed payments and the foreclosure process begins. Full payment of the missed months, along with interest and penalty rates is what is needed for the individual to become up to date on his loan. For millions of people this decade, that has never come to fruition and not only are their homes lost, their credit is ruined for the next 7-10 years to such an extent that even the most predatory lender would shy away from giving that individual a loan in the immediate future. Needless to say, this effects those individuals who have no lost their homes, to a dizzying degree. However, there are other effects to the different sectors of the economy and the employees of these branches of the American work force who themselves, are not having a problem paying their mortgage and who though that they would never personally be effected from the sub prime mortgage if they were only smart enough to stay away from such predatory lenders. Such is not the case as so much of our economy is interchangeable and depends upon the success of the other. The fallout from the sub prime mortgage details such interdependence. One way in which the fallout from the sub prime market has affected the economy is in the stock market. There have been a number of very large companies which had either been forced to lay off thousands of workers, or have simply filed for bankruptcy. On June 20, 2007, Merrill Lynch seized more than $800 million in assets from two famous hedge funds that were previously involved in sub prime loans. (Saft, 2007 pg 4)   Now, these funds are worthless on paper and their assets have now been depleted. American Home Mortgage Investment Corporation announced that it had suffered a billion dollar loss and that a proposed $4.9 billion deal with Radian Group, would no longer come to fruition. (* Myers, 2007) Also, just last month, Countrywide, the largest American lender, accounted that it was being forced to cut 12,000 jobs from its payroll as a result of the sub prime mortgage fall out. It was reported that a staggering 19% of the total number of loans fell under the sub prime category. (Myers, 2007) It should therefore be no surprise to Countrywide, as well as those who follow the mortgage industry, when they hear of such steep job cuts. This was one of the hardest blows to the American economy and effects the economy in three main areas. The first effect is the fact that 12,000 people lost their jobs. Some individuals, for example, John Bryne, had been employed at Countrywide for over twenty years and now has lost a job and many companies will see him as too old to be hired. â€Å"I do not know what I am going to do. I was planning to retire with Countrywide. I will try to start over and on my own. However, I do not know if I will be able to find people who I can trust to repay their loan. It is a tough situation.† (Saft, 2007 pg.4) 12,000 people, along with the others who worked for lenders who are now out of business, have suffered the same fate. This is the result of individuals who have taken out a loan that they never should have had in the first place. When a mortgage is foreclosed upon, it is not only the individual who losses. The lender looses tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, on the life of the loan. Also, lenders who have what the Federal Reserve regards as too many defaulted loans, and that lender can be shut down and find themselves out of business. Another negative aspect to the loss of 12,000 jobs from Countrywide, as well as the other lost jobs in the lending institution is the effect that it has on the stock market. The stock market and the study of it is a very complex thing. Many times, a business can meet its quarter estimates and enjoy a steady profit; its P/E ratio is superior to others in that field and yet their stock price continues to struggle and millions of dollars in investor’s money, is lost. All of the above mentioned factors are important factors in deciding if this is a stock which one should invest in. However, the Dow, NASDAQ and S &P are indexes which, to some degree, is based upon speculation and perception. On July 19, 2007 the Dow hit a record high of 14,000. By August 15th, the Dow had fallen below 13,000 and as a result, billions of dollars was lost. (wwwcbsmarketwatch.com) Such a decrease has happened before but such is rare. â€Å"The current losses in the stock market cannot be considered a self imposed correction. It is a direct result from the mortgage crisis.† (Rudd, 2007) The news of the sub prime mortgage meltdown has resulted in the average investor taking out millions of dollars of his own money. When there is an extended period of high levels of selling, this will lead to a bear market in which an extended bear market will often times lead to a recession. The current American economy is not there yet and the news that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates will stem the tide of such things coming to reality. However, such negative news only hurts the economy as a whole and the major indexes can expect to take a major hit in the short as well as long term. This results in a depletion of billions of dollars of individuals’ hard earned money. A third way in which the sub prime mortgage fall out effects people who themselves are not in danger of defaulting on their loan, is the ways in which foreclosures affect the property values of the homes within a neighborhood. For many individuals, their home will be the most expensive investment that they will ever make in their lifetime. When home owners feel that their property values are decreasing, often times, this will increase the rapidity in which they will seek to move. A decrease of 10% or even 5%   in the individual’s property value is often times, enough of a stimuli to incite the individual to move. Those who cannot move or who cannot find a buyer for their homes, are stuck with the loss. How does this happen? There are many factors which appraisers take into effect when deciding a home’s value. One of the important factors is the % of vacant ( foreclosed)   homes in the neighborhood. Prospective new home buyers will be steered away from such neighborhoods as it is a sign of an economically depressed neighborhood and the possibility of their own home’s value increasing, is minimal. An average American will move at least 3 times in their life. That means, that there is a 66% chance that their home will be seen and used as an investment as well as a home in which to live. A home bought at $100,000 with even the remotest possibility of one day being valued at less than the purchase price, is often times enough of a reason not to buy that home and to generally steer clear of that neighborhood entirely or to rent for a longer period of time. This last aspect is detrimental to the city as the loss of property taxes hits the budget hard and impedes the services which the city is able to provide. The effect that the sub prime mortgage fall out has is mental as well as monetary. Many potential home buyers, those with superior credit, are simply postponing any purchases and is prompted to simply wait out the storm. â€Å"Showings are down, contracts written are down and sellers are just as backed away as buyers are. This from Lou Barnes, a partner in mortgage banking   with Boulder West Financial in Bouler, Colorado. Barnes continues to comment: â€Å"I think the psychological damage is worse than the financial damage which is already bad enough. Even for buyers who have plenty of cash can easily afford higher mortgage rates, the sudden change in the financing environment reduces the desire to buy a house unless you really have to.† (Donn 2007 pg. 3) This idea goes back to the concept that a home purchase is seen as an investment as much as a domicile. The self imposed prevention of potential buyers who have superior credit scores to buy homes, hurts the local economy and the businesses in the area. The negative effects of the housing fall out are intertwined, one depending upon the other. Another way the sub prime mortgage affects the economy is in the fallout. Sub prime mortgages, in a utopian world, would give individuals a second change at improving their credit scores and disallowing their credit mistakes of the past, from preventing them from one day buying a house. Many times, credit problems occur when an individual is in college. Generally, the maturity needed to fully appreciate the concepts of long term results to their immediate actions are void in their mindset. Money is tight and credit cards are readily available. As a result, many credit cards are charged to their limit until eventually the bill goes to collections and is reported to the credit bureau. Hopefully, that individual, upon graduating from college and being removed from the situation for a couple of years, matures to the degree that such occurrences would never again happen. However, without the existence of a sub prime mortgage, that individual would not be allowed to buy a home for years; until his or her credit score was improved to the new guidelines of a 660 FICO score from a previous 620 guideline. (Saft, 2007 pg. 2) Those who bought their home at the beginning of the year and who had less than perfect credit with incomes on the brink of the cut off point for their mortgage, could not have bought a home any later. The same young couple who goes to buy a house six months from now when the new guidelines are put in place in order to help avoid another fall out, will be forced to rent for another year or two before they can receive clearance for a loan. One of the most lasting as well as immediate effects upon the mortgage industry and those who depend upon it, are the lending practices. Economist Mark Doms states: â€Å"The sharp rise in delinquency rates on sub prime residential mortgages has raised concerns about credit underwriting practices and economic distress among borrowers and has drawn the attention of policy makers at the Fed and elsewhere.† (Doms 2007 pg. 3) This observation can equate to an effect upon possibly millions of Americans who were planning to buy a home in the next calendar year. This, as Mark Doms states, will have lasting effects. â€Å"Two of the potential channels through which house price appreciation may affect the sub prime delinquency rate that we suggest, are the incentive to protect home equity associated with recent appreciation in house prices on the demand for housing.† (Donn, 2007 pg. 3) Such observations will most likely come to fruition in the immediate future as it will be observed that the complete fall out from the sub prime mortgage crisis is yet to be fully realized. John Moutlon, former CEO of American   Mortgage Group stated the situation the best when he said: â€Å"It feels like this is just the tip of the iceberg and no one knows how it will shake out. We are trying to anticipate guideline changes.† (Myers, 2007) These are the real effects of the sub prime mortgage fallout; in the ways that it affects the average American man and woman. As an example, the story of two families highlights the real results of the mortgage meltdown. The real story of the sub prime mortgage is the effect that it has on the economy when these loans, on a wide scale, default and millions of individuals are affected. The Laird Family in Central Illinois was a new couple just starting out. Both parents worked but had modest jobs as the job market was not very strong in their area. The father, John was 25 and the mother Marie, was 23. They had a two year old child and were renting for the past 3 years together. Both had credit scores near 600 and their mortgage from a home that they were wanting to buy, would constitute 30% of their total monthly income. The price of the home was $140,000 with a $673 monthly mortgage payment. (Berry, 2007 pg C4) Their credit scores was not high and as a result, they were forced to pay a higher interest rate. However, they were sure that such a payment could be reached. They bought their home in May of 2007, just weeks before the mortgage meltdown. â€Å"I cant believe the timing. I am so fortunate. We both have poor credit scores and I doubt that we’d be able to secure a mortgage that was not sub prime† (Berry 2007 pg. C4) states John Laird. Their story was an American success story. However, those who came after John and who found themselves in similar situations, were not so lucky. In Oakland, California where the median home price is more than $400,000, homes are hard come by for those who are not very rich and who either have great credit or can put down a sizable down payment. This was not the case for Hector Esperanza. He earned a nice living at the age of 30 but the time when he first came to America as a legal citizen, were not so smooth. He ran up one unpaid bill after another and routinely had bill collectors calling him. In the last 3 years, he cleaned up his act and remained current on all of his bills. He then wants to buy a house for what is in comparison, a low purchase price of $228,000. His credit score was 615; right on the cusp of the old requirements but now, as a result of the mortgage meltdown in which lenders are now very nervous to approve such high risk loans, Hector was denied. His monthly payments would only constitute 25% of his monthly income. However, with the advent of stricter lending policies, Hector was seen as too much of a high risk. The sad state of affairs is that Hector is no longer the exception. The housing market is revolved around timing. No where has this become truer than in today’s current housing market. However, â€Å"prospective buyers are not interested in the appreciation in value that their homes could bring. Now, they are only wanting the chance to buy a home at all.† (Stempel, 2007) As a result, there have come from this current situation, some real and sobering numbers which affect millions of people. When viewing these statistics, it would behoove the lending industry to realize that this equates into many individuals who are severely affected. The forecast for the 2007 Housing market is bearish at best. It is expected that: there will be a decrease of 23% in single family home purchases. 22% decrease in the number of new homes being built and 44% of building companies reporting that their business has been affected in an adverse way and that 78% of the largest building companies have bee affected by the sub prime mortgage meltdown.   13% decline in the real Residential Fixed investment as well as a modest slippage in the real value of residential remodeling. (Christie, 2007) However, the full brunt of the sub prime mortgage meltdown, sadly, is yet to be realized. The worst may be on its way The current sub prime mortgage crisis is an example of how the few can ruin it for the many. Not everyone who has less than perfect credit would become a risk when buying a home. Everyone makes mistakes and those who have credit scores that are on the brink of the cut off, should be given the opportunity to own their own home. However, when lenders give $200,000 mortgage loans to individuals who have credit scores less than 550 and who clearly cannot afford the monthly payments, it ruins the entire housing market and hurts the potential and legitimate home buyers from owning a small piece of the American dream. Those people are now forced to rent. Less money is going to the city through taxes and a higher level of frustration is prevalent among millions of potential, first time home buyers who simply came to the table a few months too late. The sub prime market is relatively new and barely even existed just ten short years ago. The existence of the sub prime mortgage is a testament to the financial beliefs of the average American. Immediate gratification is what is popular and in buying the largest house, not because such extravagance is really needed but as a show of status is the motivation behind such purchases. The median home price in San Francisco is a staggering $1.1 million. (Donn 2007)   The buyers of these home can be divided up into two distinct groups;   those who can easily afford such prices and those who will go bankrupt in the attempt to do so. For the latter group, up until recently, have had no problem finding lenders who are hungry for their business. The fall out has come and personal responsibility, both for the individual as well as the lender has finally come full circle and forced the members of Congress, the construction industry, real estate agents and prospective buyers have been forced to take notice. As it was stated earlier, many feel as though this is the tip of the iceberg and future problems are only around the corner. The fact that the Federal reserve on September 19th, 2007, announced that they were going to cut interest rates provides some solace to the current mortgage crisis. Only time will tell if it will be too little and too late and what permanent changes will come out of this crisis in responsible lending practices. WORKS CITED Berry, J Predatory Loan Practice Lead to Mortgage Fallout. Chicago Tribune Business September 1, 2007 Christie, Les Subprime Blame Game www.cnnmoney.com Aired April 20, 2007 Doan, Mark. Home Prices and Subprime Mortgage Delinquencies. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco www.frbsf.org Downloaded September 18, 2007 Myers, J Subprime and Shockwaves Bloomberg TV Aired July 19, 2007 Robb, G. Fraud in Subprime Loans www.cbsmarketwatch.com Retrieved September 17, 2007 Saft, J. Subprime Mortgage rap tars Good Consumers, Economy.   www.reuters.com Downloaded September 17, 2007 Seiders, D. Fed   Surveys Subprime Mortgage Effects. www.nbnnews.com/eyeonecon/issues/2007 Downloaded September 15, 2007 Stempel, J. Countrywide Plunges on Downgrade. Bankrupcy feared. Reuters August 15, 2007    Fed Cuts Interest Rate http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/962665.php?contentType=4&contentId=931793 Downloaded Septe Mortgage Though experts recognize that the mortgage relief bill is not thorough, recognize that it remains the best latest attempt to address the current housing crisis facing the nation. A crisis that has continued to dominate the United States presidential debates as well as make it increasingly difficult for the homeowners to repay their loans. To understand the depth of the crisis and the latest efforts to correct the situation, it is important to look at what mortgagee is and how it operates. Mortgage is simply the use of ones property to be security to a house loan. A mortgage transfers the legal rights of ownership to the pledged property to the lender in case the payments are not made as per the agreed terms. Such a loan is made in the understanding that the security shall revert back to the owner once the terms of have been fulfilled. To most people, mortgage is associated with real estates. It is a contract that involves a number of legal participants among them landowners who is referred to as the mortgagee and the borrower who is the mortgagor. Another term that comes into play in the mention of mortgage is foreclosure. Foreclosure simply refers to a situation where a lender terminates the contract after the failure of the mortgagor to stand by the agreement terms. This is usually in the direction of a court order. In foreclosure, a bank or any other financial institution that extends credit facilities repossesses a property if the homeowner is unable to comply with mortgage requirements (Carmen & Rogoff 12). Currently there exists a subprime mortgage crisis in the United States. This is a crisis that can be evidenced by a liquidity problem existing in banks after a high default rate in mortgages leading to foreclosures. The current mortgage crisis is seen to have largely been caused by subprime lending which simply is the act of advancing loans to individuals whose creditworthiness is uncertain or wanting due to a low income. It is this subprime lending that contributed to the bulk of the total foreclosures in 2007, over 43%,despite the fact subprime lending were only 6.8% of all lending in that year (Stokes & Mechem). The current economic recession in the united state has tarnished Bush’s presidency with most tracing a link to the hefty spending in the war. Bush insists that the slump is a s result of the mortgage crisis. That aside, he has received immense criticism for how he has handled the crisis and for not coming up with any concrete plans to ease the situation. He is also accused of standing by the big corporations instead of helping the low income group deeply embroiled in the crisis. This is a result of his stand in opposing the mortgage relief bill, a bill that has recorded considerable gains in the house. Though the bill has its flaws, it is seen as a reprieve to millions of homeowners who continually face the risk of foreclosure. The mortgage relief bill is aimed at providing tax reprieve to homebuilders. The local governments will be funded to rehabilitate deserted homes. Those that oppose the bill claim it is wrong spirited and will set a bad precedence of forcing â€Å"one neighbor to pay for the mistakes of another† (Anderson) Bush is opposed to the bill referring to it as a â€Å"bail out†. Some Republicans see it as forcing the 95% of homeowners that did it right to pay for the 5% that got it wrong. It is important to note though that the bill will pave way for a possible road to recovery and will go along way in preventing a further economic slump. Economists warn that if the situation is not arrested in time, it would degenerate to the worst debacle for the housing and the banking industries. It is apparent that the nation is reeling from the effect of a mortgage crisis that has been caused by increase in foreclosures as a result of subprime lending. Though the government is yet to come up with a comprehensive plan to arrest the situation, the mortgage relief act is seen as a step towards the right direction and might go a long way in easing the pressure off the homeowners and builders through a tax break. Works Cited Aleis Stokes &  John Mechem. Delinquencies and Foreclosures Increase in Latest MBA National Delinquency Survey. Mortgage Bankers Association, 12/6/2007. Retrieved on 13th May 2008 from http://www.mbaa.org/NewsandMedia/PressCenter/58758.htm Scott Anderson. Bush administration opposes Democrats' mortgage relief bill. CNN.com Edition. Sat April 26, 2008. Retrieved on 13th May 2008 from http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/26/house.mortgage/ Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff . Is the 2007 U.S. Sub-Prime Financial Crisis So Different? An International Historical Comparison.. Analysis of Harvard economists. February 5, 2008, 12 ; ;

Big Brother Isn’t Watching You.

Big brother isn't watching you. Big brother isn't watching you is a commentary on the UK riots in 2011, written by the famous British actor, Russel Brand. Brand is known for his characteristic British accent, several popular movies, such as â€Å"Get Him to the Greek† and â€Å"Forgetting Sarah Marshall† but also the boyfriend of the famous singer, Katy Perry. He is also a comedian, which he mentions in the commentary. It can also be spotted several places in the text, where he is some how humorous and sarcastic.For an example where he wrote â€Å"I mean even David Cameron came home from his vacation† and â€Å"I’ve heard Theresa May and the Old Etonians whose hols have been curtailed (many would say they’re the real victims) saying the behavior is â€Å"unjustifiable† and â€Å"unacceptable†. Wow! Thanks guys! † He tells us that he no longer lives i England, but moved to Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. He was usually not that fon d of really TV, until he started working for Big Brother. It got to him, and he described it as â€Å"bloody† interesting.It was also part of his job. Brand uses the famous quote â€Å"Big Brother is watching you† by George Orwell, where he depicted a dystopian surveillance society. This phenomenon is now known as a Big Brother society. He then rewrote it, by adding â€Å"isn't†. He is referring to the UK riots, and how no one is watching, and no one is doing anything about it. The rioters are from the underclass, and are not really a part of the society. The politicians and government are from the upper-class and do not ‘see' them, even when they are rioting.Frankly, they just ignore them, and this is bothering Brand. He can somehow relate to the young rioters. He himself was from the underclass in his youth (but sure isn't now), and also took part in some protests and riots. It irritates him that no one is doing anything about the riots. His background i s also reflected in his style of writing. Like I said, he is being sarcastic from time to time. But he is also fornicating. He uses the word â€Å"fucking† twice.He is good at reaching out to the reader and makes his point, while it is still interesting. It is also his job to make us like whatever he writes, says and does. Brand's primary way of argumentation is pathos. He is making us relate to the rioters too, and is some how successful. Roughly, one could also say that he uses ethos. I am referring to the part where he quotes a British first-world-war general â€Å"You cannot rouse the animal in man then expect it to be put aside at a moment's notice†.The fact that he is using quotes, and knows that it was said by a British first-world-war general. It makes the reader trust the facts he is stating. The rioters are the real victims. They should be looking at causes of the riots, which Brand claims is the government and society ignorance and carelessness towards the y ouths. In this context the phrase â€Å"Big Brother isn’t watching you† is suitable, because Brand believes just that –the government isn’t really watching the rioters.A a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

Compare and Contrast Essay Good Boss Bad Boss

The difference between a good boss and a bad boss is perceived by the employee under supervision. The most important difference between the two types of bosses is whether you can be trusted to do your job and do it the correct way. The employees’ feelings towards their boss often show up in the work that her or she does and the way that the work is done. A good boss generally leaves the employees to do his or her work, but is available to help the employee if needed. As a result, employees tend to be happier, more at ease, and more likely to be more productive in his or her work environment. There are many qualities that make up a good boss. A good boss cares about their job as well as the employees who work under them. It is important to a good boss to do what they can to keep company they work for growing and to succeed every day. You can often tell a difference in the attitudes of a good boss and a bad boss because a bad boss may have a bad attitude and show no interest in wanting to be at work, while a good boss loves their job and goes above and beyond to succeed their company and themselves as well. In contrast, a bad boss keeps his or her door closed, and does not want or invite in communication with his or her employees and can be quite rude when interrupted. This behavior can often affect how employees feel about their job and how he or she does their work. Employees tend to be more stressed and annoyed when they are picking up the slack of their boss and when they are not receiving the correct answers to questions that may arise. Things may not get handled the way they should be handled if the boss does not show interest in step up and do their part. When a bad boss does not show interest in care in their employees that also affects how they do their work because employees may feel they are being taken advantage of and not receiving the credit they deserve for the work that they do. A bad boss may show disrespect and no interest in their employees and the company, but can put on an act to the higher up bosses and take all of the credit for the work of others. Typically a bad boss does not go above and beyond to better their company. A company can’t succeed without the people who get up and go to work every day and do their best to make that company a successful one. It takes more than one person to make a company succeed and that is why not only bosses but employees play a big role in maintaining a company. The way employees are treated is what keeps them enjoying their job, coming to work every day, putting their effort into their job, and providing good customer service. It is important to not only provide excellent customer service to whose entering a company, but to the employees as well. When customers are treated bad by those who are employed at a company then the customer tends to avoid that company and use other resources where they can get the help they need and are able to communicate with people who are helpful and respectful. This goes hand and hand with the way bosses treat their employees because like customers, employees who feel like they are being disrespected and not getter the proper help and training, they begin to not enjoy their job. When you do not enjoy your job and are being treated bad that shows up in the way you do your work. Employees may get that â€Å"I do not care attitude† or the bad attitudes from their bosses can rub off on the employees as well. Employees look up to their bosses because someday that could be the employee in the higher position. When becoming a boss most people look at that as an opportunity to do their best at their job and keep moving up to higher positions and more pay. It is not only the boss’s job to run a company and make that company successful but it is also their job to train and prepare their employees to be able to do their job one day. Becoming a boss of a company is a big deal and employees and bosses who enjoy their job do what is asked and expected of them so that they can have the chance to keep moving up the ladder of success. A good boss trains their employees the proper way, they even set aside down time to teach their employees how to do things that are the responsibility of the boss so that someday when the time comes they have been learning the proper duties of a boss and how to go about completing those duties. A good boss should always prepare their employees to someday take over their position and a good boss should feel confident that the employee is capable of doing so and maintaining a good work environment for others. A bad boss does not tend to care about employees desire to move up in the company therefore, the boss does not take the time to train the employee to be able to someday take over their job. A bad boss may teach the employees how to do certain aspects of the boss’s job only so the boss can push their work off onto their employees. In conclusion, the definition of a good boss and a bad boss is perceived by the employee working under that boss. Some may consider their boss a good or bad boss while others may think differently it is all how the employee feels that they are being treated by their boss and how they feel that their boss handles the job duties required of him or her. Many people have different views on certain aspects so only the employee can judge whether or not they believe their boss is a good or bad boss. Week 9: Completing the Essay  Resource: Appendix A posted in Course Materials ForumWrite a 1,050- to 1,400-word final draft of your compare-and-contrast essay. Include the following elements in your essay:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An introduction paragraph that includes an attention getter, background information, and your thesis statement placed last ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At least three body paragraphs with topic sentences that directly address the thesis and clincher sentences  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Appropriate transitions within and between paragraphs that maintain momentum throughout essay ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A conclusion paragraph that begins with a restated thesis, reviews the main ideas and ends with a lasting thought. Post your paper as a Microsoft ® Word document to the Assignments link by Day Four. | Content and Development   160 Points| Points Earned150/160|   | Additional Comments:| All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The paper is focused on the approved topic.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The paper is a minimum of 1,050, but no more than 1,400 words in length and is concise. |   Excellent job in all areas! Your final essay shows how well your writing skills have developed since the beginning of this class. Missing—a reference list and in-text citations. This is very important to use. Otherwise a paper will look as if it is plagiarized. Conclusion needs to be stronger. Also, make sure to review APA format as this does not align with APA format. | The content is comprehensive and accurate and compares and/or contrasts at least two subjects. | | The paper develops a central theme or idea directed toward the appropriate audience.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The paper remains focused on the key points and uses supporting information to support those points. |  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Paragraphs contain topic sentences that directly address the thesis, supporting details that focus on a single idea, and a concluding sentence that provides closure. | | Major points are stated clearly and are supported by specific details, examples, or analysis; and are organized logically. | | The introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and previews major points. | | The conclusio n is logical, flows from the body of the paper, and reviews the major points. |   |   | Readability and Style   20 Points| Points Earned20/20| | Additional Comments:| Paragraph transitions are present, logical, and maintain the flow throughout the paper. | Very nice job with transitions. They work well and help the flow of the paper for the reader. Good use of strong sentences. | The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment. | | Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. | | Sentences are well constructed, strong, and varied. | | Sentence transitions are present and maintain the flow of thought. | |   |   | Mechanics 20 Points| Points Earned17/20| | Additional Comments:| Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed. |   Great work. I just noticed a few things as noted above. | Spelling is correct. | | Total 200 Points| Total Points Earned187/200| Overall Comments:Excellent job with your final essay. You should be proud of the document you ended up with. Just a few more things will take it to the next level. | *

History of Communication Essay

The history of communication dates back to prehistory, with significant changes in communication technologies (media and appropriate inscription tools) evolving in tandem with shifts in political and economic systems, and by extension, systems of power. Communication can range from very subtle processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. Human communication was revolutionized with speech approximately 100,000 years ago. Symbols were developed about 30,000 years ago, and writing in the past few centuries. Petro glyphs The next step in the history of communications is petroglyphs, carvings into a rock surface. It took about 20,000 years for homo sapiens to move from the first cave paintings to the first petroglyphs, which are dated to around 10,000BC. It is possible that the humans of that time used some other forms of communication, often for mnemonic purposes – specially arranged stones, symbols carved in wood or earth, quipu-like ropes, tattoos, but little other than the most durable carved stones has survived to modern times and we can only speculate about their existence based on our observation of still existing ‘hunter-gatherer’ cultures such as those of Africa or Oceania. Pictograms A pictogram (pictograph) is a symbol representing a concept, object, activity, place or event by illustration. Pictography is a form of proto-writing whereby ideas are transmitted through drawing. Pictographs were the next step in the evolution of communication: the most important difference between petroglyphs and pictograms is that petroglyphs are simply showing an event, but pictograms are telling a story about the event, thus they can for example be ordered in chronological order. Pictograms were used by various ancient cultures all over the world since around 9000 BC, when tokens marked with simple pictures began to be used to label basic farm produce, and become increasingly popular around 6000-5000 BC. They were the basis of cuneiform and hieroglyphs, and began to develop into logographic writing systems around 5000 BC. Ideograms Pictograms, in turn, evolved into ideograms, graphical symbols that represent an idea. Their ancestors, the pictograms, could represent only something resembling their form: therefore a pictogram of a circle could represent a sun, but not concepts like ‘heat’, ‘light’, ‘day’ or ‘Great God of the Sun’. Ideograms, on the other hand, could convey more abstract concepts, so that for example an ideogram of two sticks can mean not only ‘legs’ but also a verb ‘to walk’. Because some ideas are universal, many different cultures developed similar ideograms. For example an eye with a tear means ‘sadness’ in Native Americanideograms in California, as it does for the Aztecs, the early Chinese and the Egyptians. Ideograms were precursors of logographic writing systems such as Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese characters. Examples of ideographical proto-writing systems, thought not to contain language-specific information, include the Vinca script (see also TÄÆ'rtÄÆ'ria tablets) and the early Indus script. In both cases there are claims of decipherment of linguistic content, without wide acceptance.

A negotiation plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A negotiation plan - Essay Example Among the above mentioned issues, the labor union will have its major focus on the first two i.e. the basis for the increase in wages; and the process of selecting the individuals for training and other advantages. Toward the first one, the group will bargain on the need of an amount that would cover both the past inflation and past contributions toward productivity. Moreover, there should be provisions to issue the payment since the commencement of the agreement and the work group will not propose any alternative on this regard. Productivity bonus should be paid equally across the entire work group considering it as the group bonus. Secondly, regarding the workplace arrangements, the union would demand that employees should have the right to go on paid training when they think it is essential for them to improve their level of performance; and if they do not find a higher job even after the training, they should be paid a ‘trained allowance’. The trained employees must be given the priority for promotion when there is a vacancy at the higher levels. The work group considers these issues as the most important factors that have a direct impact on the individuals because of several reasons. To illustrate, rewards like wage increase is the most brittle factor that can influence most of the individuals in a working group. An average worker is always concerned about an unexpected inflation that would affect his/her economic stability as it becomes impossible for him to meet both ends with the limited income. As Saunders (249) states, ‘negotiation theory that concentrate only on what happens around the negotiation table’ does not meet the exact goal; instead it should have rather comprehensive approach toward the real issue underlying. The basis of wage rise that the union will propose is relevant to the context for two reasons. Firstly, there was a considerable increase in the

Recessive Lethal Mutations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Recessive Lethal Mutations - Essay Example Recessive Lethal Mutations In order to understand how genes specify a biological process of both phenotypes that can occure and the number of genes involve, it is important identifying the mutated genes. Because high mutation frequencies can be obtain with chemical mutagens. Actually the mutation frequency can vary widely for different loci, chemical mutagens can induce mutation in most genes. With all these advantages, there is still some disadvantage associate with it because cloning mutant gene is difficult, as these chemicals usually cause point mutations. Positioning cloning chemical induce mutants are made feasible over time, but cloning remain expensive and laborious in vertebrate animal with large genomes. A less effective approach to chemical mutagenesis that greatly speeds the cloning of mutant genes is known as insertional mutagenesis. The integration of exogenous DNA sequences into a genome can be mutagenic, and the inserted DNA serves as a tag to clone mutated genes, though fewer lesions are obtai ned per genome and also insertional mutagens seldom, if integrated randomly into host DNA. When large-scale genetic screening is carried out, it results in successful identification of many genes that define embryological pathways. However, two scientists from Boston and Tubingen are inspired by the remarkable characteristic of the zebrafish, along with the first zebrafish genetic screening identified mutant embryonic phenotype in F3 generation. Some of the mutated developmental genes identified in the two screens have been cloned, which assist in the dissection of the gene network that controls the early development. For example, the mutated genes in the endoderm mutants such as casanova, bonnie and clyde, and faust can be assembled into a genetic pathway that have been shown tom encode transcription factors that are necessary for endoderm formation. Analysis of proviral insertions has revealed that different germ cell are infected independently in F1 progeny and with high titer virus stocks they often have multiple integrations and any given insertion is transmitted mosa ically to between 1% and 40% of the F1 pronegy. Individual F1 fish can inherit multiple insertion and proviral insertions in F1 fish and transmitted in a mendelian fashion. When outcrossing founder fish, identified F1 fish with single proviral insertion, generated an F2 family for each insertion, and then inbred transgenic F2 fish and examined F3 progeny to identify mutation. This system is not too efficient for large-scale screen because each insertion was inbred individually, therefore