Vulnerable Areas of Industrial Security Essay Example for Free

Vulnerable Areas of Industrial Security Essay In the transportation industry such as airport, train, or ships there are many vulnerabilities that can be faced if security measures are not foreseen. These industries can be victims of sabotage, espionage, or lack of security process which would result in the industry loss of product. Sabotage such as terrorism will exist in transportation industries if the operations of the merchandise are not carried out to protocol. Espionage from competitor transportation industries can leak the company’s operations and be a risk for theft. Employee theft can be just as detrimental to the industry as outside theft. Some of the vulnerabilities and countermeasure will be mentioned in this review of different transportation industries. Sabotage can be issues related to terrorism in the sense that terrorist want to harm for political reasons or for profit (PWC, 2011). Sabotage can also be from competitors or employees not even realizing they contributed to sabotaging the process of transportation. According to California Highway Patrol Commercial Industry Education Program (n. d. â€Å"having a security plan in place will ensure your cargo reaches its destination safely, safe lives, avoid possible law suits, and prevent any accidental or intentional acts that could have serious consequences (page 4). To be aware of your surroundings will help prevent the threat of sabotage for transportation industries. Another way to avoid sabotage is to ensure workers are never alone. When employees are opening or closing the business there should always be more than one person with them to prevent an incident that would be harder to control if left alone (Hospitality 2008). Most industry losses occur due to lack of employee attention to their environment, which can lead to potential threats and espionage (Hospitality, 2008). Espionage is a sure way for the transportation industry to gain losses. People may secretly watch businesses to see when they open or close, or just how many employees are working at a certain time of day. According to Hospitality (2008), â€Å"Potential criminals do watch business operators patterns, so it is important to vary times for leaving and lockup†. Employees may release sensitive material just for his or her profit. Background checks are imperative to an industries success and safety. Avoiding hiring a potential employee with a chancy background can help to weed out some potential threats. Transportation industries can take this into consideration and implement this in their security routines. Almost all spy incidents have been deemed volunteers and not hired by foreign countries or Americans (Fischer, 2000). According to Fischer (2000), â€Å"security educators have promoted the theory that nearly all of these offenders did it for money for greed or because they were faced with overwhelming financial problems† (page 1). With the fallen economy, more transportation industries can expect incident for sabotage and espionage for other’s profit. One way to ensure maximum security is to enforce a security plan to prevent these incidents from occurring frequently. No security plan is always guaranteed to work but it will prevent a lot of transportation losses of merchandise by having one. Outsourcing a security company to evaluate the industry and implement a threat and vulnerability assessment will help in creating a plan for transportation industries (Mays, 2009). Having more security in secluded areas or areas not very well lit will ensure unauthorized persons from entering or roaming the surroundings (Hospitality, 2008). Up to date camera systems and checkpoints can safeguard a transportation industry from potential vulnerabilities and losses. The negligence of employees can be a huge cause for transportation industry losses. Educating the importance of being vigilant and aware of his or her surroundings can help an industries security (Hospitality, 2008). The transportation industries face much vulnerability in their everyday process. In order to prevent as much as possible is to first look at what are potential threat. Sabotage, espionage, and lack of employee attention are just a few that disrupt the security process. Ensuring there are an abundant amount of security professionals at location to prevent sabotage or notice espionage occurring. Background checks of employees will ensure hired employees are faithful to the industry, but not all security plans are ever guaranteed. Precautions should be taken especially when according to Mays, (2009) â€Å"transportation and logistics market is valued at about $250 billion with an estimated $18 billion in losses† (para. 1). In the hopes of building less lose and preservation of the transportation process, airport, train, and ship industries need to take consider outsourcing their security plan to evaluate the vulnerabilities and make action plans to prevent losses.

Human Superiority Over Animals

Human Superiority Over Animals Superior is a relative term. Humans are capable of doing advanced things, which set us apart from other species on earth, such as using tools. We have the physical advantage of using our hands, which due to our opposable thumb makes it much easier for humans to use tools compared to a bird, or a four-legged animal. Hands also allow the human race to compensate for their inherent lack of anti-predator adaptations, such as camouflage, venom, claws and general muscle mass by building weapons and protective shelter. Humans consider these adaptations to be far superior to any other species on earth, and this certainly goes a long way to the feelings of dominance over animals. Most people would agree that humans differ from other animals in terms of intelligence; however, biologically speaking humans are classified as animals. Dictionary.com (2010) describes an animal to be A multicellular organism of the kingdom Animalia, differing from plants in certain typical characteristics such as ca pacity for locomotion, nonphotosynthetic metabolism, pronounced response to stimuli, restricted growth, and fixed bodily structure. All of these qualities apply to humans and other animals alike. As plain as it is to see the similarities between humans and chimpanzees, with which we share 98% of our genetic information (Science Museum, 2010), there is no doubt that humans have pedestaled themselves above the animal kingdom. We generally use the term animal to describe a creature that is not human. For example, you would never see RSPCA(EH) Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Excluding Humans). Hunting Humans have hunted wild animals since the beginning of the Homo genus 2.5 million years ago, long before civilizations were formed (Holzman, 2003). From hunting solely for survival, ensuring that every part of the captured animal was put to good use, to trapping live prey to sell and ultimately becoming a sport, huntings role in society has changed and evolved dramatically throughout history (Lewis, 2009: 49). Hunting with horses and dogs is emblematic of how hunts in modern Britain are typically perceived, but this has not always been the case. Horses and sometimes dogs were an important part of our food chain long before they were partnered with man (Lewis, 2009:50). Although it is unclear when man started to work along side the original wolf descendents of the 10.5 million estimated canine pets in the UK alone (Browne et al., 2010), it appears that they developed their relationship around 20,000 years ago (Serpell, 1995: 7). The domestication of wolves was a natural and logical st ep in improving early mankinds hunting development. Wolves have a strict natural order in their packs identifying one leader that they will all follow, a position that was taken by Late Stone Age man (Lewis, 2009: 54). Wolves superior senses were hugely beneficial to humans. Smell, sight and hearing coupled with their instinctual need for protecting their pack would have provided man with excellent added protection from carnivores and hostile groups of other humans. Apart from the advantages these senses would give humans during a hunt, all of these reasons helped to form the foundations of their symbiotic relationship. There are many possible processes that may have lead to the domestication of the wolf with the most popular theory having a basis in natural selection (Serpell, 1995: 7-21). This hypothesis maintains that wolves ventured into human communities to feed from their left over food waste. Over many generations these wolves would have become more comfortable and less fearful of humans resulting in greater sustenance. Natural selection would favour the wolves less inclined to flee the humans, and this lack of fear would have been learned by the wolf cubs. This process would have eventually led to the domestication and introduction of dogs. Once these dog ancestors were inducted into communities, humans would have begun to breed the animals selectively to produce traits specialized in hunting local prey. Selective breeding from early prehistory was the basis of the huge variations in dog breeds that we see today. As hunting became a sport rather than a life duty, the role of dogs continued to evolve and certain groups of dogs were specifically bred developing strong bloodlines (see Appendix one) There are two main types of hunts typically associated with Britain. The most popular is fox hunting which is an activity that involves tracking, chasing, and sometimes killing of a (traditionally red) fox. A group of followers are led to the fox on horseback or on foot by the trained scent hounds. Deer hunting is also enjoyed by many and either involves the chasing and killing of deer with a pack of hounds or deer stalking and shooting. This is usually done just with human participation as dogs can cause too much of a disturbance (Bateson and Bradshaw, 2000). Bow hunting deer is also a recreational sport that can be seen all over the globe. Although 10,000 deer per annum are thought to be killed by this method in the EU alone, the UK is one of two countries worldwide (the second being Senegal) where the practice is illegal due to welfare implications (Gregory, 2005). Hunting has long been a fashionable British pastime for royal and rural society. William the Conqueror was a keen huntsman who supposedly loved red deer as much as if he were their father (Griffin, 2007: 15). He realised that in order to maintain a huntable population of red deer in this country he needed to ensure their protection and conservation. He introduced control over when and where hunting was acceptable, which included the prevention of deer hunting during their mating season. This ensured a new generation of the animals to replace those killed. He established royal forests for the preservation of deer, which consisted not just of woodland, but also common land, arable land, moors and heaths. These royal forests lay outside of common law and became subject to forest law, placing them directly under the personal rule of the king. This action caused new ideas concerning ownership of the wild animals to come to life. Where it had once been the case that the hunted deer belonge d to whomevers land they lived on, William I declared that only he had the right to hunt wild deer as they belonged solely to him (Griffin, 2007: 20). Ultimately the kings laws made it very difficult for all those living in woodland areas. He prohibited hunting of all animals so as not to disturb his royal game and ruled that all dogs living in or around woodlands must be mutilated in order to prevent them chasing his deer. The necessary toe-removing procedure was known as lawing, and was later described by an authority as follows: The mastive being brought to set one of his forefoot upon a piece of wood eight inches thick and a foot square, then one with a mallet, setting a chisel two inches broad upon the three claws of his forefoot, at one blow doth smite them cleane off (Griffin, 2007:18) Hunting animals for food is often seen to be much more acceptable than hunting purely for the sake of killing (Lewis, 2009: 181). Foxes are largely thought of as vermin and for generations farmers had regularly killed them as a form of pest control. It wasnt until a decline in the UKs deer population in the eighteenth century that foxhunting evolved into its modern incarnation and was considered a sport in its own right (Craig, no date given). The activity grew in popularity with dogs being bred specifically for their scent tracking abilities, speed and stamina. The specialized breeding of the dogs resulted in longer, more exciting hunts, which were more attractive to those involved. The expansion of the British Empire under the reign of Queen Victoria spread fox hunting to far reaches of the globe. The European fox was introduced into Australia during the nineteenth century solely for recreational hunting (Dickman and Glen, 2005). Fox hunting in Britain continued to grow in populari ty well into the twentieth century despite the sport being banned in other European countries such as Germany (BBC, 1999a). In recent years however, the sport has undergone much controversy and has been involved in a great deal of debate between those who support the activity and those who oppose it. Many believe that fox hunting, in particular with mounted hunters and dogs, is cruel and outdated (BBC, 1999b). Foxes are considered to be vermin by some farmers and country folk who experience/fear loss of livestock due to these wild animals (Baker et al., 2000). Foxes are also known to kill many animals but only take one for feeding, which does not help improve farmers opinions of them when they are faced with so much unnecessary waste of livestock. Because of this, it is common practice for some farmers to shoot a fox on sight. This can have further consequences, such as the case of Edward Tibbs, a farmer who works in Essex. He was arrested on the grounds of attempted murder in Augus t 2010 as he shot two human trespassers with a shotgun after mistaking them for a fox. His gun licence has since been removed as the police consider him a danger to public safety and peace (Twomey, 2010) (See appendix 2 for full article). The argument that mounted fox hunting is performing an important role in the British countryside by helping to control huge numbers of foxes is an idea that sits uneasily for many people. It has been suggested that the method of this process is more uncomfortable than the principle of killing (Baker et al., 2003). Commonly a pack of dogs is used to chase a fox through the countryside, until it is either caught, manages to escape the scenting abilities of the hounds or until it reaches its den (but even then it can be flushed out and shot). It is argued that by using dogs, the hunt is made fairer by giving the fox the opportunity to escape rather than been located by humans and shot outright. Another justification behind this method is that the heal thier the fox is, the more likely it is to out run the hounds, therefore only the elderly and infirmed foxes are captured which helps to maintain a healthy population (Support Fox Hunting, 2010). It is also argued that mounted hunts are not an effective form of population control. The number of foxes killed during hunts are insignificant when compared to those killed in road accidents. The pest control argument has also been discredited by the fact that there have been times when there has been a shortage of foxes in Britain and that they have had to be imported from Europe to maintain a huntable population (May, 2010). Scientific research performed during the nationwide one-year hunting ban in 2001, during the foot-and-mouth disease crisis showed that the ban played no significant impact on fox populations (Baker et al., 2002). With talks of introducing a ban on hunting the Burns inquiry was commissioned in 1999 to establish the facts about fox hunting (Lord Burns, 2000). The report found that there were over 200 active hunting packs in England and Wales and that the number of foxes killed annually was between 21,000 and 25,000, around 6% of the 400,000 foxes estimated to di e annually (Leader-Williams et al., 2002). The report also established that there were a high number or foxes being dug out and shot by individual landowners and farmers on top of those being hunted. There are many jobs dependent on fox hunting ranging from kennel workers to clothing industries that make the pinks for the huntsmen. The report found there is still a great deal of support for the hunts especially in the rural communities. The hunts provided a very important social function, bringing together vast networks of otherwise isolated people. Although it claimed that hunting with dogs seriously compromises the welfare of foxes, it did not outright support a ban on the activity (Lord Burns, 2000). The government introduced an options bill in 2000, which led to the House of Commons voting for a ban of the sport and the House of Lords voted for self-regulation. In 2004, The Hunting Act was passed to protect foxes (BBC, 1999). As of February 2005 it has been illegal in England an d Wales to hunt animals with more than two dogs, which is a step towards giving foxes similar legal protection against cruelty that other, more popular animals have received for generations. The Hunting Act affected not only hunters and the hunted, but reached contemporary art practice. Scenes of fox hunting have traditionally focused on the aesthetics of the chase. Detail would go into the beautiful countryside, the red coats that the hunters wore, the powerful horses or the groups of hunting dogs. The depiction would be centred on the prestige and glory of the hunters, with nothing for the brutality of the victims death (Fig. 1). Generally, they do not show the full truth or the outcome of the hunt. This is something that animal rights activist and artist Angela Singer feels very strongly about. Her works centre on the violence and pointlessness of the hunt that is rarely seen in art as well as the relationships humans share with animals. We cherish and adore those animals that we choose to share our lives and homes with, yet mass-produce others in predominantly appalling conditions purely for consumption. The majority of the animals are caged indoors for their entire lives and some get so bored and agitated by the intense overpopulation and lack of external stimulation, they fight and ultimately end up eating one another (Channel 4, 2008a,b). Singer maintains that hunting in modern day western society represents a disgraceful attitude toward animals, which reinforces the idea that these animals are disposable, soulless creatures and promotes human superiority towards them (Duffy, 2009). In reaction to the thought of the country woman sitting at home, waiting for her hunter husband to return, oblivious to the reality and brutality of the hunt, Singer created a piece of work entitled, Fall (Fig. 2). It is a twist on traditional cross-stitch designs. These designs tend to show an idealistic interpretation of what would happen during a hunt. The hunted animal is shown rather content being run down by packs of dogs and men with guns (Duffy, 2009). The tapestries would not show blood, massively reducing the evidence of the animals violent death experience. Singers tapestry depicts a more authentic and genuine representation of a hunted games death. It shows a duck that has been shot, falling from the empty sky surrounded by blood red woollen spray. The work is made much more interesting by Singers choice of medium. By using cross-stitch she accentuates the different traditional roles of men and women: the hunter man, and supposedly naive cross-stitching woman. Singer does nt want her viewers to be like the wife, unaware of the animals senseless death. By showing a truthful representation of the killing she is in some way honouring the animals death and by the nature of tapestry she is literally bringing home the truth about the hunt. The historic looking frame also highlights the out-dated way humans regard animals. Singers more recent works have focused on using taxidermy to reflect on issues surrounding hunting. Singer lives in New Zealand where hunting for sport is very common and as a result so are hunting trophies (Potts, 2009). She recycles donated hunting souvenirs to challenge the publics attitudes towards these sports (Baker, 2008). Taxidermists traditionally try to make the animal look alive, all traces of the animals death are removed and the creature is placed into a serene pose. Singers approach to the frozen animals is what she describes to be de-taxidermy (Mudie, 2007). She strips back the taxidermists work to expose bullet wounds and scars, revealing the evidence of the aggression inflicted upon on the animals. By undoing the taxidermists work, Singer forces the viewer to confront their own attitude toward hunting. It can be easy to forget what the animals must have gone through in the name of sport, when they are positioned into these calm poses; this is something Singer wishes to address. She is surprised by how indifferent the majority of people seemed to respond to the presence of hunting trophies being hung in bars and resturants. Singer said that, It seems to me very disturbing that an enormous dead animal in a room could be ignored in that wayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It gave me the idea to use old hunting trophies to explore the human-animal relationship. I hoped to be able to make the trophy more controversial, it gave it a greater presence and makes it not so easy to ignore (Pacheco, 2009) One of her works titled Brand New Wilderness shows just how powerful using taxidermy can be (Fig. 3). There is one image of a rabbit included in the work that is particularly disturbing to look at. The rabbits formerly concealed wounds have been reopened and adorned with red beads and buttons symbolizing the blood and suffering the animal went through in its death. When first looking at the piece, the viewer instantly feels disgust and then guilt; the audience is forced to question how and why the animal was killed. After the initial shock has worn off the viewer then has the opportunity to see the beauty and care that has gone into creating the work. There is a huge contrast between the aesthetics of the beads, which are traditionally used to make jewelry and other attractive objects, and the morbid nature of the work which confronts the observer to deal with creutly involved. Singer is also inspired by the way in which the animal has been killed to influence her work. For example, her piece entitled Sore (an archaic name for a fallow deer (Baker, 2009)) shows a stag trophy head covered in blood like red wax (Fig. 4) (Aloi, 2008).The piece relates to the history of the stags death. When the hunter had originally killed the deer and sawn off its antlers, both he and the deer would have become covered in blood. Antlers contain a blood reservoir so naturally when cut blood pours out. The resultant work is alarming and hard to look at. The stags gaze creates unease in the viewer as it glares accusingly. This is undoubtedly not a piece of subtle, serenely posed taxidermy. Sore certainly makes the observer question the morality of hunting and forces them to think about their own feelings and relationships toward animals. Polly Morgan is another artist who uses dead animal bodies as her raw material. Her work is much more focused on preserving the animals in death, compared to Angela singer, whose work is a celebration of the animals life. Singer uses recycled taxidermy to create her pieces, whereas Morgan taxidermys her animals freshly after they have died. Unlike Singer, Polly Morgan does not want to make political comments on animal welfare through her artwork. She is interested in how the animals look when they are brought to her, not in what sort of life they might have lived, nor how the animals came to die (Pengilley, 2010). Morgan admits to not being sentimental regarding the animals that she uses: I confess I think less about their souls the more I handle them. I prefer live animals but I have this selfish overbearing urge to hold them and examine them and just generally do all the things they hate. Dead, I can spend as long as I like looking (Morgan, 2010: 89). Polly Morgan recently put on her first solo show, titled Psychopomps at the Haunch of Venison gallery (Eyre, 2010). One piece of work that she exhibited was a large birdcage suspended from the ceiling, seemingly being held up by an array of orange finches and canaries. The birds are attached to a burnt cage-like flying contraption inspired by an old Victorian image (Fig. 5) (Morgan, 2010: 7). The birds, in various stages of flight are tethered to the contraption, supposedly flying it through the gallery space. Systemic Inflammation (Fig. 6) is a re-visioning of an earlier, larger work titled, Departures (Morgan, 2010: 39). The idea of the artworks is that the space inside the cage is large enough for a man to fit. The man can be transported around by the birds but he is himself trapped inside the cage, while the birds have the real freedom of flight despite the fact that they are bound to the structure. The charred and distressed human cage, coupled with the birds dyed various shades of orange (Fig. 7) creates a surreal and slightly nightmarish atmosphere in the gallery. This piece coupled with the two suspended spheres, each made of 60 right wings, makes the space feel fantastical, yet very macabre. This feeling is clearly her intention; all of the pieces shown in the exhibition are named after deadly afflictions or illnesses. Blue fever (Fig. 8) the first hanging orb is made entirely of pigeon wings and Black fever (Fig. 9) crow. In both objects the wings are positioned in different stages of flight, causing the work to feel organic, as though it has a pulse. By discarding most of the birds bodies and only using the right wings, Morgan helps the viewer to detach from their feelings and emotions regarding the animal as a whole [Collinge, 2010]. By only seeing an explosion of wings, the audience is less distracted by what the work is made of allowing them to appreciate the animals as the objects they become in death. Animal Testing As well as using animals for sport we have for a long time used them for scientific purposes. Physiological research has been common on animals for centuries, but the event that is considered by many to have sparked the British debate on the subject came in the 19th century. In 1874 a French scientist Eugene Magnan gave a lecture to the British Medical Association which culminated with a demonstration where he induced epileptic seizures in a dog by injecting it with Absinthe. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Creulty to Animals (formed 50 years previously (RSPCA, 2010)) brought legal charges against Dr Magnon who fled prosecution by returning to France (Matfield, 2002a). The press ran the story with enthusiasm and the worlds first anti-vivisection group was formed in London a year later, The National Anti-Vivisection Society (Matfield, 2002b). With the wars of the 20th century the issue was put on the backburner, as the general public became more understanding towards military development and had more pressing welfare issues of their own (Matfield, 1991). The public backlash returned with greater force than ever before in the 1970s and reached its peak at the end of the millennium. In 1997 peaceful protests lost their media coverage in favour of a few extremist acts (Matfield, 2002a). Consort, a laboratory dog breeder ceased trading following continuous harrassment and attacks of staff members, as did Hillgrove farm, a cat supplier, Regal Rabbits and other animal breeders (Davies, 1999). In 2000 animal rights extremists focused their attention on Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), the company that has since become synonymous with this issue. Several videos, filmed by hidden cameras were released which severely dented the companies reputation (see supplementary CD for examples). The extremism continued to escalate until, amongst other illegal activites, activists almost blinded HLSs marketing director and broke several ribs of the companies managing director (Anon., 2001). These actions were interpreted in the media as a step too far, and damaged the fight against animal testing. Along with greater police powers to crack down on extremists (Abbott, 2010a) and counter campaigns set out by the lobby group Understanding Animal Research in 2005 (Campbell, 2010), the British public seems to be rather more neutral towards the subject. In 2010, Lord Drayson, the UKs science minister who was the chief executive of a biotechnology company at the height of the violence, said about animal testing and the British publics opinion: The picture is much better nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I think we have made and won the argument, but we have to continue to make the argument (Gray, 2010). However around the world, scientists still clash with politicians on the content of ethical laws. For example, in 2008, Switzerland banned the use of macaque brains in research as the fundamental understanding gained had no immediate advantages. The Swiss courts consider this t o be unconstitutional as the benefit to society is not worth the burden placed upon the animals. Kevan Martin, a leading Swiss researcher in the area argues that We need to understand the basic biology of our brains in order to be able to successfully treat brain diseases such as Parkinsons (Abbott, 2008). EU laws on the issue are constantly being redrafted to varying degrees of strictness. Currently the proposed laws allow moderate pain to the animals and have recently scraped the condition that animals must be destroyed immediately after a single procedure. It also introduces benefits to lab animals such as minimum cage sizes for all species (Abbott, 2010b). Animal testing is essential in the development of new drugs. Take for example the steps involved in bringing new cancer medicines to market. First a compound has to be designed and synthesized. This process usually involves a trial and error system of slightly changing existing drugs, or making a molecule that will specifically target a part of a cancer cell. This drug will then be incubated with specifically grown cells of different forms of cancer. If it kills a certain proportion of these cells then it will enter clinical trials. Here, animals, most commonly mice, with cancer are exposed to various quantities of the future drug. This plays two essential roles. Firstly, it shows whether the drug actually works in a real biological system or if it kills a large amount of healthy cells as well. Secondly it sets a benchmark for how much of the drug can be administered to a person before serious side effects occur. After this the drug is tested on critically ill human patients, paid vo lunteers and eventually is licensed for prescription by doctors (Nako, 2010). Larger animals, such as dogs and monkeys, are often necessary in the drug development process and after a walk around Parliament Square, London it seems apparent that graphic images of these animals are used more than those of mice in protester art (Fig. 10). According to a chart taken from the HLS website shows that in 2003, mice, fish and birds account for the vast majority of regulated procedures on animals in the UK. (Fig. 11) These animals are generally perceived by the British public as being superior, or perhaps dogs are seen as pets, and monkeys as too humanoid. Some scientists, having become aware of the role that public opinion can have in their research (Hobson-West, 2010), have embarked on the RETHINK project which is designed to help reduce, replace and refine animal testing by using a special breed of pigs called minipigs (Bode et al., 2010a). Pigs have remarkably similar toxicology to humans and until recently slightly altered pig insulin has been given to Type I diabetics (Norman, 2009). Currently over 60,000 pigs are used per annum in the EU alone as they have similar skin, cardiovascular and digestive systems to humans (Svendsen, 2006). The pig is a food animal, bred in their millions for worldwide human food consumption, they hope that the British public will be even more understanding and sympathetic to future research (Bode et al., 2010b). Studies suggest that with further education, public attitudes could change dramatically. 84% of people surveyed in 2000 called themselves conditional acceptors of animal research. This means that they would accept the research if there was little burden on the animals and that the experimentation was for a serious purpose. The study also found that the vast majority of those questioned did not realise that these conditions have been met and thoroughly enforced since the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act of 1986 was passed by the UK government(Matfield, 2002b). An assessment of the standard of laboratory mouse welfare in the UK was conducted in 2008 and was considered to be good, with generally good health and often much more living space than legally required. Some units were found to have an excess of negative environmental factors, such as noise and light intensity, but it could be argued that, to some extent, these factors are far from ideal for wild mice living in some parts of the country (Leach, 2008). Another study has shown that due to strict animal testing rules, laboratory animals may get a better standard of welfare on average than pet, farm, or wild animals (Honess and Wolfensohn, 2007). The researchers claim that there are little restrictions placed upon who can keep pets unless the person has already been caught committing an offence, such as Mary Bale, a woman who caused a media storm in 2010 after being caught on CCTV placing a cat in a wheelie bin. (Fig. 12) She was made to pay costs of almost  £1,500 and has been banned from keeping pets for 5 years (Cooper, 2010). A pet owner also has no legal commitment to take their pet to a vet when they become ill, no commitment to pay for the necessary treatment and even the most loving and devoted owner may cause welfare issues, for example, overfeeding the animal until it is obese. Farm animals were found to often suffer more discomfort over prolonged periods of time as the welfare of the animals becomes a profit issue. Although fundamental research may have no immediate advantage for society, animal products are needed in day to day diagnostic techniques. Animal blood is vital in diagnosing many diseases, ranging from the relatively benign to life threatening. According to Elizabeth Nakoneczna (2010), senior microbiologist at St. Thomas hospital, London Horse blood is used as an essential ingredient in the routine culture of bacteria. Some pathogens such as Neisseria meningitidis, the most dangerous form of meningitis, require blood to grow and many of these require the detection of haemolysis, the break down of red blood cells, for correct diagnosisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I am not sure how the horse blood is obtainedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Some diagnostic tests have improved significantly since I was a trainee 25 years ago. For example, to test for TB, microbiologists used to take a sample from the patient and inject it in a rabbit. After a month or so the rabbit would be killed and scientists would look for signs of the disease. Although now the test still takes up to six weeks, specialist culture media is used instead of live animals. When asked if she can foresee an end to animal participation in hospitals within her lifetime, she replied With rapid scientific progression, The use of polymerase chain reactions for the detection of bacteria is already starting to replace the need for blood infused agar. With rapid scientific progression it seems reasonable to imagine a future where animal products are no longer necessary in diagnostic medicine. (Nakoneczna, 2010) Scientists try to use computer modeling and other research techniques that exclude animals (Dolgin, 2010), but there are still plenty of studies that need them (Coghlan, 1996). Amongst these are experiments into sheep with human livers. Human bone marrow stem cells are injected into fetal sheep so that when the lamb is born its liver is made up mostly of the humans cells. The lamb is then sacrificed and its liver transplanted into the human. The bodys immune system quickly eliminates the lambs liver cells resulting in a brand new organ, perfectly matched for the human. Because the liver is made predominantly of the humans cells, it makes the body much less likely to reject the organ, potentially saving hundreds of human lives, but at the cost of those of hundreds of sheep (Bailey, 2004). Scientists have really begun to obscure boundaries between animals and humans by creating hybrid creatures. In 2005 human cells were successfully fused with rabbit eggs to create the first human-anim al chimeras. The resulting embryos were then allowed to develop in a laboratory dish for a number of days before they were destroyed to harvest stem cells (Mott, 2005). Another artist that q

The World Consensus GameTM :: Communication Technology Philosophy Papers

The World Consensus GameTM The World Consensus GameTM allows anyone to contribute to the creation of a world consensus on issues that divide people. Participants can look up positions that have been taken on topics that people disagree on and can contribute to the discussion of these topics. Participation is easy to do. Once you identify a question that interests you, a map is provided that shows the positions that have been taken on that question along with definitions of positions. You can examine arguments that have been provided for a position, including the argument judged best by philosophers and the argument favored by the general public, and you can express your judgment on positions and arguments. Finally, you can contribute new positions, new arguments, and criticisms of other individual's arguments. The world consensus game is like a huge symposium of the world's people with you as a participant. The World Consensus GameTM can be used in a classroom setting, a conference setting, by Fax, or by compu ter. Signing in to using the World Consensus GameTM After accessing the World Consensus Game through "Peacegames.com" participants are asked to sign in. This is necessary if participants want to vote or make comments, so that their vote or comments are recorded as the vote of a philosophy student, a professional philosopher, or a member of the general public. Groups can have individuals sign in b according to any identity typed in such as member of an organization, etc. Professional Philosopher Philosophy student Public voting for First Choose an Issue A, B, C A The first thing you do is identify the area you want to examine. Areas include the traditional areas of Philosophy (Moral , Social Philosophy, 1etc..) in addition to issues relating to world order, protection of the environment, and any other types of issues anyone wants to discuss. Just click on the issue that interests you. The current World Consensus Game is problems oriented, but could be redesigned to include a historical perspective. World Order Issues Global Survival Issues Moral Philosophy, Maps, Definitions, Simulation Social Philosophy, Map and Simulations Political Philosophy Map The Criminal Justice System Theory of Knowledge Metaphysics Philosophy of Religion

The History of the Psychedelic Movement :: Psychedelic Movement Buddhism Religion Essays

The History of the Psychedelic Movement In an attempt to synthesize my own personal academic area of interest, that is: the history of the psychedelic movement in twentieth century America, with the content of the Asian Religions course, I have elected to study the relationship between the influx of Buddhist philosophy and the psychedelic counter-culture movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s. The subject, although highly specific, has nonetheless generated intellectual interest substantial enough to warrant a sub-field of study, in terms of Buddhist/American History examination. This paper will focus on the thought of the main harbingers of this movement, specifically Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, and Dr. Timothy Leary. This study will also examine the corruptions of classical Buddhist philosophy wrought by these intellectuals concerned with integrating the psychedelic experience in an Eastern context. The connection between Buddhism and psychedelics in the American experience is a subject of contention because of t he controversial associations of chemically altered perception as compared to traditional Bodhicitta, or the mind of enlightenment. The author Emma Layman, in her book Buddhism in America, asserts: â€Å"Of all the Buddhist groups in America, those focusing on meditation have been most attractive to young people from the drug scene, and it is these groups that have taken the strongest stand against drug use. The psychological literature as well as the literature on Zen abounds in descriptions of the altered states of consciousness experienced under the influence of LSD-25 and other hallucinogenic drugs. Descriptions of these drug-induced states often compare them with the experience of satori or enlightenment which may result from Buddhist meditation. Frequently the opinion is expressed that, under certain circumstances, the LSD experience is a satori experience. † The popularity of Buddhism in America became most pronounce in the period after World War II. It is interesting to note that the United States had just concluded the most devastating war in human history, with the first use of the atomic bomb on the Empire of Japan, yet the Japanese of style Buddhism took hold in America more than other school after the war. It could be said that the main figure head of Japanese, or more precisely, Zen Buddhism, in America was the author and intellectual Dr. D.T. Suzuki. In terms of the American expression of Buddhism, Suzuki had more influence over the interpretation of Zen philosophy than any other writer of the time.

National Festivals Essay

Festival is a celebration of life. Festivals bring peace and joy to the masses. They break the monotony of life. Indian festivals are numerous. A festival is a celebration, entertainment or series of performances of a certain kind, often held periodically. Festivals break the monotony of life. They bring peace and joy to the masses. All nations have their religious and cultural festivals. Indian festivals are numerous. They are harmonious, rich, varied and colorful. Indian festivals are varied as the people themselves.They are of three types- national, religious and seasonal. The first type of festivals. i.e. national festivals are celebrated with great patriotic favour These days have been declared as national holidays and are celebrated in all parts of the country with a lot of enthusiasm. The capital, New Delhi, is the seat of national celebrations on such occasions. It witnesses one of the most majestic parades on the Republic Day. These festivals include Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanit etc.. The second type of festivals depict the religious association of the people.Most Indian festivals have their origin either in religions or in the myths and legends of popular faiths. Some are contend with the memory of venerable men and events and are, therefore, commemorative in nature. They are intended to keep alive the memory of those events and personalities and inspire people to emulate their examples. These festivals include Guru Parav, Holi, Lohir, Buddhapurnima, Mahavir Jayanit, Dussehra, Diwali, Janmastami, Chath, Navaratri, Eid,. Third ones mark the change of season.These festival include Bhi, Baisakhi, Onam, Pongal, Basant Panchanmi etc.

A reasonable Doubt

My friend had been staying with his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s best friend in one room for a period of one year when he got accused of rape and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. This has really affected me and the fact that after serving for 5 years the accuser came out and said it was a plot to get him since she had a crush on him!It was in a small town in the outskirts of the main city. Housing was expensive and as we were trying to achieve a few dreams of our lives, we didn’t consider renting a big house a priority since our income was not so much. I had grown up together with Ian and we knew each other so well. We shared most of our dreams.When Ian met Julie the love of his heart, he was so sure that she was the woman for her. They had dated for sometime and all along the dating period Julie was sharing a room with some other two friends of hers. One of which was her best friend while the other was a girl they had been together with in the university.They kne w that all along they would become financially stable and each would go their way as soon as their income could allow them to afford rent each one on her own.When Julie and Ian decided to come and live together, it was at first not difficult since the two girls shared the rent between themselves. Julie and Ian had stayed together for 3 months when a need arouse for Karen to move out of the town. (Karen is the other girl from the university who was now left living with Tina) Tina is Julie’s best friend.When the news reached Julie that Karen was planning to leave the town she was a bit worried about her best friend since she knew that Tina would not afford to live in there alone.However it was a tough thing to think about since the only left option was to ask Ian if he could allow Tina to come and stay with them even if for some days before she get someone to share a room with or perhaps until she could afford to stay alone.She knew that she had to prepare on the best approach to present this request to Ian. She was worried that may be it might turn out that Ian would refuse that kind of a thing.But she needed to ask him the soonest possible. A thought came into her that it would be necessary to first speak to Tina maybe she might have a different idea.She made her short journey and visited her best friend whom she found in tears. They talked after comforting her and Tina was more than happy to have realized that her friend thought about her in such ways. She knew that her problem was half solved since the only remaining part was now to approach Ian. They agreed that as soon as Ian gave a feedback Julie would let Tina know soonest possible.When Tina returned home that evening she was so restless yet she found it hard to start it to Ian. It was until Ian noticed that her concentration was divided and that she seemed a little bit disturbed. Ian walked to where Julie had sat and sat on the arm of the chair that she had occupied. He looked at her with concern and asked her ‘sweetheart is everything okay? How was your day?’Julie knew right inside her that this was the perfect moment; she knew that a chance had come and she was not going to waste any time about it. She replied to him ‘everything has been fine but I only worried about my best friend Tina, she is being left by Karen in that room we used to live the three of us. Karen needs to move out of this town as she has got a job elsewhere so she is only around here for a month.The problem here is that we had opted to stay the three of us since none could afford living alone. Just three months after I left Tina to stay with Karen now Karen is about to leave. Tina can not afford it alone’. As she spoke all these Ian just listened without interruption but when she posed Ian asked ‘so what is the problem?Are you suggesting that you want to go back there?’ she knew that this would worry Ian, he would do anything to have in his room and so she said to him ‘you see that is the only other option since it might not be ideal to you to have her here staying with us’ do you think Tina agree to come and stay with us? This was Ian asking. Julie told him that she was not sure about it but if Ian would not have a problem with it then she would ask Tina when they met next about it.Then Ian said; ‘ that is not something to worry about to the point of losing concentration, all is going to be okay for her, we can stay with her if she agrees if she refuses then it means she has a better option and therefore the problem will be solved.

Old Toen White Coffe Marketing

INTRODUCTION Old Town White Coffee, founded in 1999, made history when the company became the first, the pioneer white coffee producer to manufacture and launch the famous Malaysia Ipoh White coffee as a 3in1 instant Blend. Old town White Coffee 3in1 classic together with the original recipe from 1958 spearheaded a breakthrough in the coffee industry. The company single-handedly captured the original authentic taste of an otherwise localized white coffee, turning in into a mobile commodity a fast moving consumer good (FMCG), capturing the South East Asia market.LOGO, VISION & MISSION Logo The Old Town White Coffee goal is to let everyone enjoy every sip authentic Malaysian Ipoh white coffee anytime and anywhere. Vision To be Asian Pacific’s Leading White coffee producer providing high quality products to customers globally. Mission To promote our unique Malaysian taste- the authentic Ipoh White Coffee and continue White Coffee Legacy the rough continuous improvement and innova tion that exceeds customer expectations. By setting precedence Old Town White Coffee have made a standard that equals excellence, pushing other brands to do the same.Strive for continuous improvement, incorporate innovations and technology in our commitment to create customer value in our both product services. These continuing efforts maintain and reinforce our market leader status and more us forward to become a leading White coffee producer in Asia pacific. SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS-The profits obtained by Old Town is quite high compared to other coffee shop in Malaysia. -Offer other foods, such as â€Å"heavy food†-Has many branches throughout Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. | WEAKNESS-Old town coffee also depends an the coffee and makes them difficult to diversify their product. Innovation is slow because depend on one product only. | OPPORTUNITIES-Able to expend its operation to the global market to be introduction throughout ASEAN. -Able to re-brands and to compete wi th other company using the same material. | THREATS-Consequences from increasing of price of materials which they have use will be make the price product is also increase. -Product imitation is a very higher because they are using coffee which is very common. | STRATEGY BUSINESS STRATEGY All the store of Old Town Coffee White were located at high traffic, high visible location in each Asia market.That the market entry strategies have found to be used by Old Town White Coffee in managing their foreign franchisees when expanding into Asia include master franchising and company owner-stores. The marketing approach is essential to gain a competitive advantage for Old Town White Coffee in the foreign market the construct included market entry, site location, and market positioning. Reason for Old Town White Coffee to choose master franchise as its from of franchising is because of that the master franchising was the most popular made of entry into distant and cultural dissimilar market A sia.COMPETITIVE STRATEGY Targeting Old Town white coffee: While evaluating their consumer market the conclusion was that the ideal consumer’s economic profile will be Upper Middle Class, privileged Class. While the age demographics will be Students and Youngsters, Professionals, families, Mature Consumers. Gender and Ethnic or Religious Background was researched to have minimal or no effect on the choices concerning coffee made by consumers and their patronage of coffee houses. To maximize on brand name (signature) Costa signifies luxury, excellence in Coffee, all over the world, along with the theme of Costa.The marketing communication strategy for Old Town White Coffee is raising awareness of your product in your target market is where sales begin, and this is where marketing communications activities begin the selling process. With today's multiple channels for content to reach potential customers, the art and science of marketing communications has become increasingly imp ortant. However, no company can be sure they are using the most efficient media mix without creating a marcom strategy that is aligned with their overall strategic marketing direction.OPERATION STRATEGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT In 2005, it expanded vertically into the food services sector by opening a chain of cafe outlets based on the traditional Ipoh coffee shop setting and ambience under the ‘OldTown White Coffee’ brand name. Since the opening of its first cafe outlet in Ipoh in 2005, its chain of cafe outlets has expanded to around 160 cafe outlets in Malaysia and Singapore. This includes fully and partially owned, and franchised cafe outlets.The management has successfully mixed tradition with modern conveniences, revamped and revived the traditional cafe concept into a successful working model with outlets conveniently located and easily accessible to customers. PRICING Price does affect customers’ choice on products or  services. Customers are willing to day more because they higher price means higher quality one brand offers. In brand competition, the best price any brand can offer is important yet they have to be careful not to  create bad consequences for long-term. BRANDINGThe Malaysian coffee culture also being improvises by re-branding to enhance experience and increasing sales by multiple transactions from regular customer. From small spaces and only selling few selections of foods, Malaysian coffee culture has expanded by upgrading services, more variety in food and beverage, and creating nostalgia as well as being chic and contemporary. The role of branding in local coffee culture not only providing space but might be escapism for consumer and local society from different hierarchy, not to mention that this is kind of lifestyle and culture that they embrace.As a new life style and trend, Malaysian coffee culture is very popular for all public audience. It has grown along with social change needs and demand. CONCLUTION Old Town White Coffee must be diversify use of coffee product that mention does not too slow. Because of Old Town White Coffee is one coffee shop famous in Malaysia, they should open branches throughout they country to compete with other company. In other way Old Town White Coffee should provide a various service such as shipping orders to customers house. REFERENCE http://www. malaysiaco. com/search/old+town+white+coffee http://www. oldtownwhitecoffee. com/