Als :: essays research papers

Medical history has been filled with an array of diseases and illnesses, ranging from the common cold to deadly killers. Some are easily treatable and others can be terminal, but some of the worst are those that still remain without a cure; one such disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a degenerative disease affecting the human nervous system. It is a deadly disease that cripples and kills its victims due to a breakdown in the body’s motor neurons. Motor neurons are nerve cells in the brainstem and spinal cord that control muscle contractions. In ALS, these neurons deteriorate to a point that all movement, including breathing, halts. Muscle weakness first develops in the muscles of body parts distant from the brain, such as the hands, and subsequently spreads through other muscle groups closer to the brain. Such early symptoms as this, however, can hardly be noticed. Early symptoms of ALS are very slight and often overlooked. They begin as simple things, such as tripping or dropping things. Twitching or cramping of muscles and abnormal fatigue of the arms and legs may soon follow, causing difficulty in daily activities, such as walking or dressing. In more advanced stages, however, shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing and swallowing ensue, until the body is completely taken over by the disease. Intellect, eye motion, bladder function, and sensation are the only abilities spared. Where and how this deadly disease originated is unknown, but it was first identified in 1869, by the noted French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. ALS is not contagious, but research is still vague on the cause of the disease. Today, there are three recognized forms of ALS: genetic, sporadic, and Guamanian. The genetic form of ALS appears to be inherited or passed down within a family, and about ten percent of ALS patients have a family history of the disease. An abnormal gene has been located in about half these families, but the cause of the remaining half is still unknown. The next, most common form, is sporadic ALS. These patients have no family history of disease, and the cause of their coming down with ALS is a mystery. Finally, is Guamanian ALS, called this because a high percentage of cases occur in the Pacific Islands near Guam. One major reason ALS is such a frightening disease is because no cure has been established. Although no effective treatment has been developed, a number of drug trials have been conducted, and there are some devices designed to help ALS patients maintain independence as well as safety as the disease progresses.

Reagan Revolution Through President Obama Essay

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the fortieth president of the United States of America. He was well known for his economic policies during his first term, which later on became well known as Reaganomics. This policy included large tax cuts which was started and implemented in 1981 Reaganomics ‘ was told to rejuvenate the morale of the American people and then let them not be dependent on the government. Supply-side economics is the basis for this economic policy which aimed to stimulate growth of the economy. Identify at least (2) two major historical turning points in the period under discussion. One historical turning point was more than twenty six years ago, Ronald Reagan ordered American troops to invade Grenada and liberate the island from its ruling Marxist dictator. By itself this would have been an insignificant military action: Grenada is a tiny island of little geopolitical significance. But in reality the liberation of Grenada was a historic event, because it signaled the end of the Brezhnev Doctrine and inaugurated a sequence of events that brought down the Soviet empire itself. The Brezhnev Doctrine stated simply that once a country went Communist, it would stay Communist. In other words, the Soviet empire would continue to advance and gain territory, but it would never lose any to the capitalist West. In 1980, when Reagan was elected president, the Brezhnev Doctrine was a frightening reality. Between 1974 and 1980, while the United States wallowed in post-Vietnam angst, 10 countries had fallen into the Soviet orbit: South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, South Yemen, Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Grenada and Afghanistan. Never had the Soviets lost an inch of real estate to the West. The liberation of Grenada changed that. For the first time, a Communist country had ceased to be Communist (http://www.historynet.com/american-history) A turning point for President Obama was on May 1, 2011, American soldiers killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden at his compound near Islamabad, Pakistan. Intelligence officials believe bin Laden was responsible for many deadly acts of terrorism, including the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. He had been on the FBI’s â€Å"most wanted† list for more than a decade. This was not only an historical turning point under President Obama this was a turning point for America. Analyze the impact of the two (2) or more major historical turning points selected on America’s current society, economy, politics, and culture. A historical point that impacted our current culture was the bombing of the World Trade Centre September 2001 this was considered to be the gravest attack of international terrorism to be committed against America, and indeed the roots of America’s current War on Terror were born in this. As part of the plot by international terrorists to effectively strike against the United States the plan was to cause great disruption to the dynamics of daily life, commerce, and finance. For some Americans, their grief manifested itself as anger and frustration, and they looked for someone to blame for the attacks. Reverend Jerry Falwell made news by saying on his television program â€Å"The 700 Club† that â€Å"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way–all of them who have tried to secularize America–I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen.'† And sadly, some anger erupted into attacks on people of Arab and Muslim descent, with nearly 600 incidents in the first 10 days after the attacks. Five hundred furious people mobbed a Chicago-area mosque and refused to leave until they were forced out by police. A Pakistani grocer was murdered in Texas. A man on an anti-Arab rampage in Arizona fatally shot a gas station owner who was an Indian-born Sikh. (This type of confusion was common since many Sikhs wear turbans, have beards and are seen as looking, as one told The New York Times, â€Å"more like bin Laden than Muslims do.†) FBI Director Robert Mueller said over and over again that â€Å"vigilante attacks and threats against Arab-Americans will not be tolerated,† but harassment and violence at mosques and in Arab-American neighborhoods continued for months. September 11th changed America in so many ways. Culturally we started to target non American’s.(www.history.com) Explain ways in which the AIDS epidemic shook American’s general confidence beginning in the 1980s The disease was first reported in 1981 and it was caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacking certain cells in the body interfering with it ability to fight off many diseases, including cancer. ) And it was absolutely incurable. A diagnosis of AIDS was a death sentence. The outbreak of the AIDS truly shocked the American people in the 80’s. At first the disease appeared to attack mostly homosexual and bisexual men. Soon, though, health officials found it to be affecting IV drug users, blood transfusion recipients, partners of AIDS victims and highest among African American women. Non one was exempt from the AIDS epidemic. Give at least two (2) examples of how the deregulation movement of the Reagan era affects us today. Discuss the factual rationale behind this nation’s decision to go to war with Afghanistan and Iraq after the 9/11 attacks as well as the response from the international community. One factual rationale behind the war emerges: the potential for nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons development in Iraq. In fact, Saddam Hussein had once used chemical weapons on his own people, another act that clearly warranted suspicion from the United States. Such a vicious crime against one’s people brings to light two other common themes for the war with Iraq in 2003: removing the Hussein regime and bringing a known villain and evil man to justice. Saddam Hussein’s rejection of the United Nations Resolution 1441 by forcing nuclear weapons inspectors out of his country also takes its place in the long line of motivations for the war; defying the resolution gives the United States and any other member of the U.N. the right to take action, according to the resolution. Another rationale is reinforced by reports indicating that the United States had made the decision to invade Afghanistan two months before the 9/11 attacks. At least part of the background to this decision was the United States’ long-time support for UNOCAL’s proposed pipeline, which would transport oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea region to the Indian Ocean through Afghanistan and Pakistan. 15 This project had been stymied through the 1990s because of the civil war that had been going on in Afghanistan since the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. ( Rashid, Taliban 75-79 ) In the mid-1990s, the US government had supported the Taliban with the hope that its military strength would enable it to unify the country and provide a stable government, which could protect the pipeline. By the late 1990s, however, the Clinton administration had given up on the Taliban. When the Bush administration came to power, it decided to give the Taliban one last chance. During a four-day meeting in Berlin in July 2001, representatives of the Bush administration insisted that the Taliban must create a government of â€Å"national unity† by sharing power with factions friendly to the United States. The US representatives reportedly said: â€Å"Either you accept our offer of a carpet of gold, or we bury you under a carpet of bombs.† After the Taliban refused this offer, US officials told a former Pakistani foreign secretary that â€Å"military action against Afghanistan would go ahead . . . before the snows started falling in Afghanistan, by the middle of October at the latest.† And, indeed, given the fact that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon occurred when they did, the US military was able to mobilize to begin its attack on Afghanistan by October 7. Some may say that this war was a war of necessity while others may say it was a war of choice. In conclusion, from Regan to Obama our country has seen its shares of disasters, economic failures and tragedies. Under both of these 2 term Presidents we have also seem growth and opportunity. Under Regan, the most famous and admired was the introduction Economic Recovery Act of 1981. The purpose of this act was to reduce the burden of income tax on the individuals’ .The introduction of this Act was somewhat contentious as it gave rise to arguments in the congress. Under President Obama, we have health care reform, giving people the right to have affordable health care. Reference Page http://www.historynet.com/american-history Rashid, Taliban 75-79 www.history.com

Cause and Effect Essay on GMO - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1588 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/02/14 Category Health Essay Type Cause and effect essay Level High school Tags: GMO Essay Did you like this example? This is a cause and effect essay on the GMO topic. It traces the cause why GMO are developed. It also provides information on the effects of GMO to the society. Genetically Modified Organism or GMO are organisms whose genes are altered by scientists so that they will become super organism fit for a specific purpose. GMOs are science solution to World Hunger. Prior to GMO science, most people believe that the rapid growth of human population will outpace food production. With more people and limited food resources, there will be world hunger. However, the population of the world keeps on growing despite of the population control implemented by governments. The advances in medicine allowed low mortality rate among infant and longevity among adults resulting to population boom. As the world population continue to grow, land that could be used to grow crops are converted into communities thus reducing the capacity of the world to produce food enough to supply the growing population. Furthermore, crops and plants that humans use for food are seasonal which means they can only be produced at a particular time of the years, hence, limiting the capacity of humans to pro duce much needed crops. This again contributes to the problem of overpopulation and food shortage. In some cases, pest also destroys crops reducing agricultural yields which again contribute to the problem. If the population of the world continues to grow and the problems in food production is not solve world hunger is inevitable. To solve world hunger, scientists began modifying crops that could be mass produced and disease resistance. These new organism will overcome the problem of seasonality; hence they could be produce all year round. Thus Genetic scientists began looking for ways on how to produce crops that could be mass produced. They began collecting super genes from animals and insert them on plants. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Cause and Effect Essay on GMO" essay for you Create order Solving World hunger is the immediate cause of GMO. The impending world huger motivates GMO scientists to revolutionize GMO science. Through GMO, scientists were able to produce crops that are disease resistance, larger, and could be produce all year round. Consider the Bt. Corn. Corn yields are often times destroy by pest and bugs. Bugs eat corn stalks and leaves. They also eat the fruit and flowers. This compromises crop yield resulting to low production, livestock’s and humans rely on corn for food. If this problem is not solved, world hunger may ensue. Through genetic modification, scientists were able to insert the genes of a particular bacterium inside the genes of a corn (Ruen, 26). The bacterium is a soil dwelling bacteria called Bacillus Thuringiensis. This bacterium produces proteins that have insecticidal action. The gene that allows the bacterium to produce this protein is inserted into the genes of corn. The result is the BT corn, a corn that produces its own pesticides preventing bugs and insect attacks. The BT corn targets the corn borer, an insect that is responsible of about a billion dolla r damage a year in Europe alone. BT corn is constantly modified to resist all other bugs corn ear worms and rod worms, which also cause multibillion dollars loss in crops production. Corn production is done all year round and produce increases several folds which could supply the world with the food it needs. This is the effect of GMO, the mass production of food. With the availability of corn all year round, animal’s feeds are always available. The prices do not go up. Food for humans is always available and the world hunger that is postulated in the past is no longer viable. Another immediate cause of GMO is under nourishment in many parts of the world. Some nutrients such as Vitamin A are inaccessible to various groups of people. This result to vitamin A deficiency and is estimated to kill 650,000 children each year (Black, 243). Genetically modified rice are also developed to increase their nutrients, tolerate herbicides, increase grain size, accelerate photosynthesis and generate nutrients all designed for rapid production and mass consumption. The golden rice for example is genetically modified rice that produces vitamin A (Ye 303). This GMO rice is the solution to the vitamin A deficiency. Rice is a staple to over half of the world’s population making up 30-70 percent of energy intake among people in Asian countries. The Golden rice is the solution to this nutrient deficiency. This is the effect of GMO. The effects of GMO seemed to be beneficial and positive. It solves crop shortage problem and nutrient deficiency. However, GMO has also negative effects. It attracted activists and pressure groups. GMO imitated debates and controversies that result to the enactment of laws that will control its use. Government began implementing control on GMO use because of the advocacy of activists and pressure groups. They are known as opponents of GMO. Opponents of GMO questioned the safety of GMO food products. It is a new science but the products are already introduced in the market and for food consumption. There is no evidence that GMO is safe, to eat yet, they are being distributed and marketed all around the world. Cigarettes and Tobacco products were also considered safe in the past. Today, Cigarettes are universally accepted as harmful products. The same principle may be applied to GMO. Producers considered them safe. But no one will know until the risk is exposed. Opponents of GMO urge government to stop using GMO for consumer use. This is one of the negative effects of GMO-controversy. It is safe or unsafe? GMO has also hidden cause. GMO are developed to satisfy the hunger of businessmen to monopolize the agricultural industry. The producers of GMO are big corporations like Monsanto. Monsanto owns patent from the crops they sell to farmers. Farmers may buy the grain from Monsanto Farmers then plant the grains and harvest the crops but they cannot plant the seeds. They must sell all the produce and buy the seeds from Monsanto. Monsanto now control agriculture production. Farmers will forever buy grains from Monsanto. It is monopolistic capitalism. The problem with monopolistic capitalism is that it put small farmers who do not want to conform to capitalism or to modernism. Traditional Families may use non-GMO seeds and plant them in the farmland. Their traditional values prevent them from buying GMO seeds. However, if their fields are adjacent to a farmer’s field with GMO grains from Monsanto, then their produced might get contaminated with GMO. Insect from both fields may transfer the pollens from GMO plant to non-GMO plant and vice versa (Wolfenbarger 290). As a result the Family that planted non-GMO crop will produce grains that have the GMO strain. This is GMO contamination. If Monsanto learned this, Monsanto will sue the family for infringing patents and the family may be force to pay damages. This will happen even if they did nothing. GMO companies are protected by patent laws that they could use for their advantage. They will virtually rule the planet because they have control of food production. Those who do not yield to their demands will suffer litigation. Opponents also claim that consumers do not know that what they are buying in supermarkets contain GMO. If they don’t want GMO, they have no choice (Risler 288). Buddhist for example only eats plant based food because they believe that killing and eating animals is morally wrong and impedes their achievement of spirituality. However, most GMO contain animal DNA. This becomes a spiritual question and ethical dilemma to Buddhist, should they eat this kind of plant. Most Buddhists will not, but how could they know? To give consumers a choice, opponents of GMO have lobbied for policies that require labeling of products that contain GMO. Food products with GMO seal on it is a result of this policy. It is consumer protection and consumer choice. This is a neutral effect of GMO-policy making and consumer protection. The policies are set to give consumer choice if they don’t want to eat GMO containing food. To conclude, the cause of GMO production is world hunger and malnourishment. GMOs were developed to solve these problems. They are the immediate cause of GMO. GMO has hidden cause also. Big Corporations allocate enormous amount of money to their GMO research facilities. The research and development facilities are able to produce patented crops. By producing patented crops and seeds, GMO companies have control over the agricultural industry of many nations. If they have control over agriculture, they will also have control over food production. The effects of GMO science and GMO production can be positive or negative. GMO led to the production of disease resistant and high yielding crops. It also led to the production of highly nutritious crops. These effects initially solve the problem of world hunger and nutrient deficiencies. These are the positive effects. The negative effects of GMO are the development of controversy, monopolistic capitalism and ethical dilemma of consumers. Ever ything depends on the value of a person and how he perceives benefits and risk. For this paper however, GMO is beneficial to the society. Works Cited Black Robert. Maternal and child under nutrition: global and regional exposures and health consequences, The Lancet, 371. 9608 (2008), p. 253.Print. Ruen, Jim. BT corn borer trait needed? Corn Soybean Digest; 76. 3 (2016) p24-26. Print. Risler, John The Ecological Risks of Engineered Crops. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. 1996. Print. Wolfenbarger Lindsey The ecological risks and benefits of genetically engineered plants. Science 290.5 (2004): 288–93. Print. Ye, Xudong; Engineering the Provitamin a (?-Carotene) Biosynthetic Pathway into (Carotenoid-Free) Rice Endosperm. Science. 287. 5451 (2000): 303–05. Print.