Destructive Stem Cell Research Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topic

Destructive Stem Cell Research       Nine states now ban all destructive embryo research, whether publicly or privately funded. The state of Virginia itself has banned the use of cloning to make human embryos for research, and is considering a response to the Jones Institute's project for making research embryos by in vitro fertilization.(36) And the Food and Drug Administration, without funding any part of in vitro fertilization, recently wrote to in vitro fertilization clinics engaged in new reproductive techniques to remind them that such technologies, albeit privately funded, are subject to federal regulation.    Like the argument that human embryos are not members of the human race, arguments that destroying them is necessary for medical progress or that funding such destruction is needed to prevent broader abuse cannot be sustained. With these arguments out of the way we can return to the real issue at stake: Should the federal government subsidize - and force millions of morally opposed taxpayers to subsidize - research that requires the destruction of innocent human life? We hope that Congress will answer that question in the negative, and will unite instead to support promising medical research that everybody can live with.    Most Christians have grave concerns on this critically important issue of embryonic stem cell research. In our view, conducting research that relies on deliberate destruction of human embryos for their stem cells is illegal, immoral and unnecessary.    It is illegal because it violates an appropriations rider (the Dickey amendment) passed every year since 1995 by Congress. That provision forbids funding "research in which" human embryos (whether initially created for resear... ...eficiency (SCID)-X1 Disease," 288 Science 669-72 (28 April 2000).    16. K. Foss, "Paraplegic regains movement after cell procedure," The Globe and Mail (Toronto), June 15, 2001 at A1.    17. E. Ryan et al., "Glycemic Outcome Post Islet Transplantation," Abstract #33-LB, Annual Meeting of the American Diabetes Association, June 24, 2001. See: http://38.204.37.95/am01/AnnualMeeting/Abstracts/NumberResults.asp?idAbs=33-LB.    18. M. McCullough, "Islet transplants offer hope that diabetes can be cured," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 22, 2001 at A1.    19. D. Woodbury et al., "Adult Rat and Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Differentiate Into Neurons," 61 J. of Neuroscience Research 364-70 (2000) at 364 (emphasis added).    20. D. Prockop, "Stem Cell Research Has Only Just Begun" (Letter), 293 Science 211-2 (13 July 2001)(citations omitted).

Mitel Semiconducter Case Essay

Mitel Semiconductors is a division of Mitel Corporation. The semiconductors division focuses on the business communications segment of the overall semiconductor market. The segment is relatively small when compared to the semiconductor market as a whole but the segment is experiencing high levels of growth over the next five years. Currently Mitel Semiconductors holds 7% of the business communications segment and management would like to see market share double in the next five to six years. Mitel Semiconductors is quickly approaching full capacity at its Bromont Foundry that performs the entire FAB portion of the integrated circuit manufacturing process. In order to meet management’s goal of doubling market share over the next five to six years, Mitel Semiconductors needs to figure out a way to dramatically increase production to keep pace with demand. Since traditionally, Mitel Semiconductors is risk adverse management needs a creative solution that can be implemented using only the current amounts of cash and cash equivalents on hand. Mitel Semiconductors can increase capacity in three distinct ways. First, it can build or acquire a new foundry that can be brought online to produce more wafers for the integrated circuits. This would obviously cost the company a lot of money. It will also take considerable amount of time to get a new foundry up and running. There are however, a few alternatives that require less capital outlay and can be implemented in a matter of months. The next way Mitel Semiconductors can increase its capacity is to change their wafer size from 100mm to 150mm, 200mm, or 300mm. The increased size of the wafer can increase capacity from the increase in surface area. Each wafer would still require the same amount of processing time but could now produce more integrated circuits per wafer due to the larger size. Another way to increase capacity would be to better utilize the same surface area on each wafer. Equipment could be upgraded so that the circuits that were cut into the surface of the wafer were thinner. This would allow a more efficient use of space and more integrated circuits out of each wafer. The case presents each of these three options for Mitel Semiconductors to increase its capacity in six iterations. Convert Bromont to Larger Wafers Advantages  · Allows the division to convert to smaller line width for low cost  · Already making production equipment changes and installing advance clean rooms  · Increased capacity significantly  · Larger wafers would extend life of the plant  · 150mm could be accomplished without plant shut down  · Supply was plentiful and cheap Disadvantages  · $250 Million dollar cost  · Immature technology  · All costs hovering around the $150 million mark  · Cannot use current equipment  · Lack of supply because of glut of 200mm FAB’s  · Four year to plan, build, and get foundry operational  · 150mm wafers would cost $30-$40 Million and would take two years  · 150mm could run into the same problem as 100mm wafers Given the circumstances, a conversion of the Bromont Foundry over to 150mm wafers is the most appropriate alternative for Mitel Semiconductors. The larger sized wafers are too expensive for Mitel to consider given their risk adverse position. The company has available around $30 million in cash and cash equivalents that are net of its current liabilities. The conversion over to 150mm wafers can be accomplished in as little as two years but the most important thing is that it can be done without a plant shutdown so Mitel can continue to manufacture 100mm wafers until the project is complete. The project was estimated to cost between $35 million and $40 million so it fits in line with what Mitel has available to spend. The conversion to 150mm wafers would increase the Bromont Foundry’s capacity from 112,000 100mm wafers to 252,000 100mm equivalents because of the greater surface area. This increase in capacity will cover Mitel’s projected demand into the foreseeable future. The risk to this alternative is the fear that the industry will continue to move into larger sized wafers and it will become increasingly difficult to find suppliers for the 150mm wafer. If that should happen, Mitel would once again be in the same situation. Given the forecasted demand for Mitel’s semiconductors, there is not sufficient cause to upgrade the Bromont Foundry to sizes of wafers greater than 150mm. At anything larger than 150mm Mitel will find itself in an excess capacity situation and have to find ways to sell more integrated circuits.

Folk Devils and Moral Panics in Malaysian Context

------------------------------------------------- Discuss the notion of ‘moral panics’. Illustrate your discussions with examples of ‘folk devils,’ and incorporating concepts such as ‘the deviancy amplification spiral’ and the need for law and order. ------------------------------------------------- In one if his countless speeches, Adolf Hitler once said, â€Å"If we do not take steps to preserve the purity of blood, the Jew will destroy civilisation by poisoning us all.† Societies all around the world have been under the ‘attack’ of the moral panics countless of times in history. Moral panics, a term used to describe a state of panic in a society due to the occurrence of a certain event, fearing that the values uphold in the society are†¦show more content†¦News had spread that the recruitments of this cult, which are typically targeted at youths, have been taken place at places such as shopping malls. Stories that include the involvement of people in music scenes being labelled as deviants have gone way back since the 1920s. Jazz was once perceived as providing ‘fuel for racial fears’ and was considered as a threat to the society. More often than not, music is often perceived as the prime cause of â€Å"corruption† of audience’s minds because it has the ability to â€Å"hypnotize† its listeners or audiences, while ‘destabilizing youth, transporting them out of their senses into ‘zombie-like’ states,’ (Shepherd, 2003). Shepherd (2003) has also noted that the media plays a big role in â€Å"pouring† fuel in creating moral panic. This issue had been made as headlines during the controversial period. Exaggeration and unconfirmed rumours had been taken as evidence of the existence of the ritual activities. The media had perhaps exaggerated certain facts such as the actual number of people that were involved in the activ ities and the nature of violence that the members of the black metal culture had committed. More often than not, the total amount of damage inflicted in the society as a whole are exaggerated