A Critique on Drug Testing in Employment by Joseph Desjardins Essays

A Critique on Drug Testing in Employment by Joseph Desjardins Essays A Critique on Drug Testing in Employment by Joseph Desjardins Paper A Critique on Drug Testing in Employment by Joseph Desjardins Paper Joseph Desjardins   Employment Essays In the article entitled Drug Testing in Employment by Joseph Desjardins and Ronald Duska, an interesting take on the relationship between the right to privacy and drug testing is made. Privacy, as the authors argue, is essentially an â€Å"employee right†. The right to privacy in the workplace pertains not to the owner of the establishment or in this case the employer but rather to the employee who works for the employer. These conventional views rather support the theory that mandatory drug testing can be implemented in the work place but under certain conditions, one of them being that it must be job related. This short discourse will tackle a few of the points made by the authors in the article and will present an alternative view with regard to the issue of drug testing in employment. As mentioned in the article, there are essentially two views concerning drug testing in employment, the first view allows mandatory drug testing within the workplace as long as a causal connection can be established between work or job performance and the use of drugs. This is further justified by the statistic which shows that over US$25 billion is lost every year due to decrease in productivity from the use of drugs by employees. The second view argues that drug testing should be allowed if it harms the employer, the employee and the public. Furthermore, the authors support this second view by citing certain allowable restrictions on this right to drug testing so as not to be offensive to the Constitutional Right to Privacy. The main argument of the Desjardins and Duska revolves around the restrictions that must be imposed on the mandatory drug testing. They essentially argue that in order for drug testing to be acceptable in the workplace there must be certain limits that must be set in place. One of these limits is that no employee should be compelled to submit to drug testing. While there is a drug testing program that is implemented in the workplace, no employee can be required to submit to it. In relation to this, the authors present situations wherein it is allowable to request an employee to submit to drug testing but again it may not be required of the employee. Also prohibited are the use of coercive measures to make the employee submit to drug testing such as the threat of losing employment or even certain employment benefits. It must be pointed out that while the authors do take a stand for the protection of the privacy of employees, the arguments that have been presented must be rejected for lack of sufficient basis and alternatives for the following reasons. First of all, no right, even those granted by the constitution, is absolute. Every right that a person is granted is always subject to certain limitations and restrictions. In the same way that a person’s right to privacy may be invaded on the strength of a search warrant. The setting of being in a workplace is not so much different that it is capable of being given a different treatment. In fact, more restrictions on the right to privacy can even be imposed because of the setting. It must be remembered that in the sphere of human rights, there is a correlation between the rights of one individual and that of another. One is only free to act within the bounds of his privacy or rights as long as such acts do not unduly or excessively interfere with the rights of other people. As the authors would argue, drug testing can be implemented but the participation by the employees must be voluntary. This view cannot be sustained in line with the argument that no right is absolute. The reason behind this is that there is a greater concern behind all of this and this is public safety. While it may be a restraint on one’s privacy, it is for a greater cause; a cause that everyone in the country has submitted to and vowed to uphold. The second and perhaps more compelling reason why drug testing should not be made voluntary is the fact that it does not technically violate the constitutional right to privacy. The authors extend the coverage of the right to privacy to drug testing. In a long line of cases decided upon by the United States Supreme Court, it has been consistently held that physical testing of an individual can be compelled. There is no violation of the right to privacy in this case unless the test was carried out without due process. In this case, requiring an employee who is suspected of taking harmful drugs or those that can affect work performance can be required without worry of violating the employee’s right to privacy. While the arguments presented by the authors are not clearly substantiated in the article, the must, however, still be lauded for their efforts in trying to uphold the individual’s right to privacy. Drug testing can be used as a means of harassing employees or even as a way of firing those employees who are unsatisfactory without going through the entire legal process of giving notice. No legal system, no business model is perfect. There will always be a struggle between rights of employees and that of the employers. The solution may or may not be far away but one thing remains clear. Until and unless a certain compromise can be made to thus balance these corresponding rights there will be more controversy surrounding this issue. The employee is already well protected under the Labor Laws of this land and his effort is greatly appreciated yet one must also consider that without the employer or capital most of these employees would not have any jobs at all.

ADAMS Surname Meaning, Origin and Family History

ADAMS Surname Meaning, Origin and Family History From the Hebrew personal name Adam which was borne, according to Genesis, by the first man, the Adams surname is of uncertain etymology. Possibly from the Hebrew word adama meaning earth,  connecting to the Greek legend that Zeus fashioned the first human beings from earth. The s ending generally indicates a patronymic surname, meaning son of Adam. Adams is the 39th most popular surname in the United States and the 69th most common surname in England. Surname Origin:  English, Hebrew Alternate Surname Spellings:  ADAM, ADDAMS, MCADAMS, ADAMSON (Scottish), ADIE (Scottish), ADAMI (Italian), ADAMINI (Italian), ADCOCKS (English)   Famous People with the Surname ADAMS John Adams - 2nd President of the United StatesJohn Quincy Adams - 6th President of the United StatesMichael Adams - U.S. astronaut; X-15 pilotYolanda Adams - urban Gospel artistDouglas Adams - English author, best known for The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Where is the ADAMS Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution data from Forebears, Adams is the 506th most common surname in the world. It is most common in the United States, where it ranks 35th, as well as in South Africa (43rd), Ghana (44th), England (57th), Wales (61st), Australia (67th), New Zealand (85th), Canada (90th) and Scotland (104th). On Norfolk Island, the Adams surname is born by 1 in every 64 people. It is also found in great density in the tiny South American country of Guyana, where 1 in 267 people have the Adams last name. Within the United Kingdom, the Adams surname is most common in Southeast England and Northern Ireland according to WorldNames PublicProfiler.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname ADAMS 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Massachusetts Historical Society: The Adams Family PapersGenealogies, images of manuscripts and digital transcriptions from the Adams Family Papers, one of the most important collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society. ADAMS Surname Y-DNA ProjectThe Adams Surname DNA Project and this web site have been founded as a place for Adams researchers to use the Y-DNA testing, now available to answer some questions about our ancestry. This is open to any person related to the surnames Adams, Adam or other possible variations. Adams  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as an Adams  family crest or coat of arms for the Adams surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Adams Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Adams surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Adams  query. There is also a separate forum for the ADAM variation of the Adams surname. FamilySearch - ADAMS  GenealogyExplore over 8.8  million  historical records which mention individuals with the Adams surname, as well as online Adams family trees on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. DistantCousin.com - ADAMS Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Adams. GeneaNet - Adams  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Adams  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Adams  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Adams  from the website of Genealogy Today. Sources Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

George Berkeley and his famous work A Treatise Concerning the Essay

George Berkeley and his famous work A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge - Essay Example Berkeley was a great a philosopher with many philosophical achievements under his theories of idealism and immaterialism. He is also best remembered for his early works on vision and metaphysics, the latter regarding the treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge (Olscamp1). His death occurred in 1753 and according to his will, his body was to be kept above the ground for some time before burial; this shows how great a philosopher he was. Being a philosopher, Berkeley took time to study wisdom and truth. It is normally assumed that those who take such direction in life have greater enjoyment of life and peace of mind with clear understanding of many things. Another assumption that exists is that these philosophers have fewer disturbances than any other man. The other group of people who are not philosophers often put blames on objects and facilities that are meant to help human beings, rather than taking the responsibility so that humans can change and live a better life. Berkeley urges us to have belief in God who has been generous to men giving them great desire to have knowledge (Berkeley, â€Å"A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge† 1). ... The purpose of Berkeley’s study in philosophy was to try to discover underlying sources that have created a lot of doubtfulness and uncertainties with regard to philosophy. Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge The principle of idealism Berkeley was pushed by the desire to make discoveries about the principles that have introduced doubtfulness and uncertainties as well as contradictions in life, especially along the lines of philosophy. Adding his argument on that, Berkeley had made an observation that even the wise men have the notion that ignorance has no cure; he envisages it to the rise in natural dreariness and inadequacy of faculties (Berkeley, â€Å"A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge† 10 ). It was a belief by George Berkeley that when one takes an analysis of human knowledge, â€Å"the ideas are either actually imprinted on the senses or perceived to be attending to the passions and operations of the mind† (Berkeley, â €Å"The Principles of Human Knowledge† 29). Human ideas are developed by the help of the brain whereby imaginations are formed. Berkeley used the idea of light and colours to expound the fact that through them, one can be able to differentiate amongst many things that surround the human being; they may be touch or smell, hearing also conveys information regarding the tonal variations. Several objects that are used by human beings to understand the surrounding whether being colour, smell, and taste, they all define the passion of love, hatred, happiness and sadness. Besides the knowledge and ideas that accompany the understanding of the nature and the environment, this has to be accompanied by the ability to remember and imagine, as well as willingness to

How Brunelleschis Duomo Influenced the Qualities of the Emerging Essay

How Brunelleschis Duomo Influenced the Qualities of the Emerging Renaissance - Essay Example This included arches and column of Rome and the domes of Byzantine Ravenna and even of the baptistery in Florence building of the 11th century which Brunelleschi and his colleagues believed to be a cathedral of Mars reshaped for Christian worship (King, 2000). His primary objective was to abandon entirely the medieval heritage even if the lack of historical knowledge makes the break through less absolute than he intends. Brunelleschi’s rise to fame in his day is connected with a medieval building rather than Renaissance. His childhood Florence’s cathedral (Duomo built during the 14th century) had only a temporary covering over the space where the transepts and the nave cross. In 1418, the fathers of Florence addressed a monumental problem that they had been ignoring for decades; the immense hole in the roof of their cathedral. Years after years, the winter rains and the sun had streamed in over Santa Maria del Fiore high altar or the preferable place for the altar. Their forefathers had begun the cathedral in 1296 to display the status of Florence as one of the cultural and economic capitals in Europe developing productive on high finance and the wool and silk trades. There was a decision that the structure’s enormous crowning glory would be the largest cupola on Earth, ensuring the cathedral would be â€Å"more beautiful and useful,† more honorable and influential† than any other building ever built. The Cupola was the fitting evidence of a culture that was fighting for the ideology of the immortality of the individual soul and struggling to frame a constitution that would unite individual liberty for the highest common good. For many decades later, no one seemed to have an advancing idea of how to build a dome nearly 150feets across, more so starting 180 feet above the ground and atop the existing walls. Their building

Assessing the Essence of Teh Eclectic Paradigm Essay Example for Free

Assessing the Essence of Teh Eclectic Paradigm Essay Aspects frequently highlighted include global media and telecommunications, global brands, worldwide production and integrated financial markets. At the forefront of these phenomena are Multi National Enterprises (MNEs), benefiting from the opening of markets across the globe, and from advances in computing and internet technology, which make it possible to link far-flung activities in global networks. Considering these elements, globalization can further be defined as the process of increasing and deepening interactions between individuals and organizations across the globe, facilitated by advancing communications technology and the opening of markets to trade and investment. Theories of International production have attempted to explain the convergence towards a globalised world, while addressing the different types of international expansions. These theories have focused on MNEs and Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs). FDI can be defined as investment by an organization in a business in another country, with a view to establishing production in the host country. While Raymon Vernon is known for his theory of Product life cycle, Stephen Hymer laid emphasis on the location and ownership advantages of countries, which helped in attracting FDI from MNEs. John Dunning incorporated Internalisation to the analysis of Hymer, which became known as the Eclectic Paradigm (or OLI Paradigm), one of the most comprehensive theoretical explanations with specific focus on FDI. Still the Eclectic Paradigm is being challenged in the modern globalised world, as it fails to take into account the implications of existing modes of entry of MNEs, as well as the advantages of Alliance Capitalism. It is being discussed further in this report. Theories of International production have greatly facilitated the understanding of the globalization phenomenon. Different theorists at different time intervals attempted to justify the expansion of MNEs across the globe. Hymer (1970) was the first one to propose that MNEs are institutions of international production rather than international capital movement. Still he ignored the natural imperfections attributed to transaction costs in an imperfect market. In today’s world, with the proliferation on Internet use, imperfections like bureaucratic hurdles and control of distribution systems (Bain, 1956) are absent. Even the imperfections like price determinism and information transfer are shrinking. Thus it can be argued that Hymer’s major contribution relating to the importance of structural market imperfection in determining FDI activity does not hold good for corporations, which are expanding globally through e-channels (for instance). Vernon (1966) came up with the International Product Life Cycle (IPLC) theory, which explained the locational dimension of FDI. According to him, production first starts in the home country fro local markets, and exporting is used to attain foreign markets. As the product matures and production is standardized, production moves to less developed countries to reduce labour costs. The basic assumption of the IPLC is that knowledge is not equally and universally distributed (Vernon, 1966). This assumption, however, is not applicable in today’s world, as Vernon (1979) himself admits that there is a more perfect distribution of knowledge across the globe. He argues that firms who are global scanners follow a different trend than that of the IPL approach, because such firms have the ability to effectively scan global markets for the best factor endowments. Though, a lot has been discussed and said on the theories of International production, yet none of the approaches (Hymer, Vernon, Barney) simultaneously explains the importance of resources heterogeneity, entrepreneurial competence, network governance and the rise of alliance capitalism. Thus, an overarching analytical framework is needed, that can synthesize these disparate views and account for the importance of location- based advantages and ownership advantages. Such a framework was developed by Dunning (1973; 1988; 1993) known as The Eclectic Paradigm. It is a framework that explains the growth of MNEs by bringing together disparate theories. According to Dunning, the Eclectic Paradigm is less of an alternative theory of International production and more of a framework that synthesizes the essential and common characteristics of each main theoretical explanation on the growth of MNEs. For more than two decades the Eclectic Paradigm (EP) remains a widely used general framework for studying the growth of MNCs and Dunning has also continuously revised and extended the EP to explain changing facets of MNCs. Dunning (1988) has re-stated that the EP is robust and general enough to incorporate future developments like renewed the focus on entrepreneurship and the emergence of global networks (Dunning, 1995). The Eclectic Paradigm explains that the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and growth of multinational corporations (MNCs) is linked to the extent and nature of ownership-specific advantages of the firm, the extent and nature of location bound endowments, and the extent to which markets for these advantages are best internalized by the from itself. In short, it is the configuration of these Ownership (O), Location (L) and Internalization (I) advantages that determines a firm’s international production and growth. In a somewhat updated version, Dunning (1988) describes the three essential factors for international expansion: * Ownership Advantages are unique competitive or monopolistic advantages, typically developed in the home market, that permit the firm to compete successfully in overseas markets. These factors are of two types: Asset Advantages arise from proprietary ownership of unique assets protected by structural market distortions, and Transactional advantages provide a unique capacity to capture value from the transaction benefits of owning a network of assets located in different countries. * Location factors, tied to the local foreign market, which make production in the host country preferable. These are immobile factors, such as cheaper labour, high shipping costs, local image or trade barriers, that can be combined with transferable intermediate ownership assets to generate superior products. Internalisation factors, typically related to the industry, produce transactional market failure in transferring ownership advantages to foreign markets. This also explains the naming of the EP as the OLI configuration as well. The eclectic model, then, pulled together the key elements of neo-classical theory – location, industrial organisation theory – monopolis tic advantage and internalization theory – transactional efficiency. It used this eclectic mix to produce an internally consistent, compelling and testable model of the multinational firm and its strategic processes.

Vegetarianism is the Better Choice Essay -- Diet Vegetarian

The trend of abstaining from eating meat and other animal products is a rapidly growing one. According to David Bender in Animal Rights Opposing Viewpoints, â€Å"Today, nearly twenty million Americans are vegetarians, and many more have greatly reduced their meat consumption† (139). One meat-eating person may ponder why these non-meat eaters would deprive themselves of the wonderful taste of meat and animal products. Another concern is over nutrition, mainly protein intake. Many meat eaters believe that a vegetarian diet does not and cannot supply the protein necessary for the body to function properly. There are many misconceptions (like the one above) and unknown facts associated with the vegetarian lifestyle. This essay will deal with the issue of nutrition and reveal the truth about how the vegetarian diet can improve one’s well being by, making weigh loss easier, boosting the level of energy one feels on a day to day basis, reducing the risks of Atheseriousis, can cer, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and heart disease. There are also many unknown facts associated with the vegetarian way of life. One of which is the great role vegetarians play in reducing the amount of waste in the environment. What this statement means is that by not eating meat one is promoting the use of farmland for food for humans instead of farmland for grazing animals (this greatly reduces water usage and waste; it also cuts down on the acreage of farm land used.) Water usage will become an increasing problem if more people do not find and implement water conservation methods. According to data taken from John Robbins in Diet for a New America, if something is not done, the water in the Texas aquifers will be exhausted in less than thirty-five years (1). For reasons that will become clearer after reading this essay, vegetarianism seems to be an answer to the problem of water usage. With the increasing amount of land being used for farming to mainly feed animals used for food by us, comes increased soil erosion and leeching. Leeching is a term used to describe the process of the loss of nutrients from the soil, and the end result is sand that cannot support plant life. Vegetarians help to reduce the amount of farmlands needed to support animals. According to Robbins, in Diet for a New America, â€Å"Since 1967, the rate of deforestation in the U.S. has been one acre every five second... ...nd most veal calves are subjected to confinement so severe that they cannot even turn around† (134). The purpose for this treatment is so the animals expend as little energy (in the form of calories) as possible so that the animal gains weight substantially quicker. The raising of other â€Å"food animals† is quite similar to the treatment that pigs and veal receive. â€Å"Food animals† are often fed contaminated food, which poisons them and their meat. Dangerous heavy metals build up in manure, bones, and internal organs, such as kidneys and livers, and are then recycled back through livestock as feed. The diseased organisms that survive in animal tissue processed into feed can infect the livestock and inevitably infect us as well. When one considers the serious health risks of a meat and dairy based diet, the environmental devastation caused by animal agriculture, the huge waste of resources in a world faced with chronic human starvation, and the violence to and suffering of billions of animals the switch to vegetarianism makes perfect sense. Even if one is not willing to completely give up meat, just eating meat at less often will make a difference in ones health, and the environment.

Self Ratings of Dependency/Addiction Regarding Drugs, Sex

The purpose of this study â€Å"Self Rating Of dependency/addiction regarding drugs, sex, love, food: male and female college students† was to see if drug addiction and dependencies were related to each other in any type of way. They also wanted to see if they were related to addictions and dependency in other areas such as love, sex, food, ect. Some questions they asked themselves to help conduct the study was â€Å"to what degree do addictions to drugs, sex, love, and food correlate with each other? †, â€Å"Are there meaningful sex differences in the addictions? † so they gathered 9,313 college students to help them come up with an answer.They start off with saying people like to be in control of them self’s not addictions being in control of them. When people have addictions people tend to feel a lack of control and usually when they feel weak in one area they are weak in other areas. These researchers feel that if you feel like you’re the victi m there’s a relationship on being dependent on drugs, sex, love, food and so on. Some other things they thought were just because you’re addicted or dependent on something didn’t necessarily mean you were addicted or dependent to something similar to that.For example; there are so many types of drugs out in the world if someone was addicted or dependent on a certain drug they didn’t have to dependent or addicted to other drugs. In order to get their results they grabbed 9313 students from the U. S and Canada. 3086 were male and 6230 were females. Now what they did was have each professor have their students fill out a long questioner that had questions about; sex differences, drugs and other addictions. After they were done with this they were told to fill out self- ratings.Now self ratings were test that the person who is taking the test decides whether a question†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. They were given fourteen categories. Those categories were; alcohol, amphetamines, barbitures, being in love, chocolate, cocaine, coffee, cigarettes, gambling, having sex, heroin, marijuana, and food in general. And what they were suppose to do with this was on a scale of 0-100 choose a number that best fits with if they ever felt them self’s dependant or addicted to the categories.

Discussing the Front Piece of the Leviathan

Salah Rushdy POLI 357 Discussing the front piece of the leviathan The Latin quote on the book cover translates into â€Å"There is no power on earth to be compared to him†. According to my own interpretation, in this front piece of Thomas Hobbes leviathan, the sea monster is presented as the absolute sovereign. He rules the people that form his being. All the people of that state are looking up to him in the image as to express their submission and acceptance of the social contract to be ruled. In the front piece, the leviathan holds two objects in his hand which are a crosier and a sword. A crosier in Christianity is a symbol of the governing office of the bishop or apostle. Here, one can assume that what Hobbes meant by the leviathan holding a crosier is that the absolute sovereign of the state will be in charge of the spiritual side of the state to prevent any disagreements or religious wars. One has to understand as well that the era by which Thomas Hobbes was living in witnessed a century worth of religious warfare and the book itself was written during the English civil war. So a lot of his philosophy regarding the state of nature and social contract was a solution to the war existed at his era. The sword resembles power by which all has to abide or else will be obligated to face the consequences raised by breaking the social contract which will be perceived as a threat to the stability of the sovereignty as a whole.

Warren Buffett essays

Warren Buffett essays Warren Buffett is an American icon, but an enigma, of sorts, also. Investors, stockbrokers, analysts, and students of finance have studied the strategies of Mr. Buffett for decades, and more often than not, they are left with more questions than answers. Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1930. His father, Howard Buffett, was an accomplished stockbroker and Congressman, and is primarily responsible for fostering Warrens love for number crunching and capitalism. In the archives of history, he will simply be remembered as the greatest stock market investor of modern times. At an early age in life, Buffett began to develop an affinity toward the art of investing. As a matter of fact, he was only eleven years old when he purchased his first shares of Cities Service Preferred. At $38 per share, these shares became the first baby steps in the life of who would eventually become Americas second wealthiest individual. As a teenager, Buffett turned his investing interests toward real estate. Buffett purchased some Nebraska farmland, and turned around to lease it out to a tenant farmer. That investment calmed his investment fever down until he became a senior at the University of Nebraska. It was there that Buffett was introduced to a book that would become the catalyst for his sparking his true entrepreneurial spirit. The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham, taught Buffett to ignore the trends that sweep Wall Street and instead hunt for stocks that trade far below their actual value. Buffett was a mathematical wizard, and the intense analysis of corporate balance sheets required by this method appealed to him. Once Buffett had graduated the University of Nebraska, he attempted to pursue a graduate degree at Harvard Business School, but this dream was quickly thwarted when he was denied admission. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. ...

How will climate change affect the trucking industry

How will climate change affect the trucking industry If you go into nursing or teaching, your career probably won’t be affected much by changes to the environment around you. After all, your job is contained within four walls, usually in a stable, temperature-controlled environment. Wild changes in climate or weather are unlikely to do much to your career in the long term. But what if you have a more outdoor-facing job, where environmental changes can impact what you’re doing, where you do it, and how you do it? That’s one of the reasons that climate change has the potential to make a big impact on the trucking industry in the years to come. It might seem like truck drivers won’t be majorly impacted by environmental changes- after all, freight will still need to get from point A to point B, regardless. But changes in climate, temperature, and even the trucks themselves are all likely to affect how drivers do their jobs. Although there is still a good deal of disagreement about the causes of climate change an d its probable impacts, let’s look at some ways climate change could potentially affect the trucking industry.Some types of trucking will become much more difficult.If you’ve ever seen an episode of the show Ice Road Truckers, you know that it involves transporting cargo in the far north’s most frozen, treacherous areas. According to Scientific American, the roads and routes used for this style of trucking are in serious danger if warming trends continue. It will be unsafe to create the roads that these truckers currently use, limiting the places these roads can go. And the season for driving in these arctic regions will be even shorter, affecting schedules and key routes, as well as truckers’ ability to get in and out.Fuel prices may rise.According to AllTrucking.com, this is one of the more immediate consequences of climate change and warming. For real-world examples of how this works, see how fuel prices have risen after major catastrophic weather even ts like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Many climate scientists expect that intense storms like these will continue to be more common and frequent as climate change progresses. This growing unpredictability means that truckers and logistics professionals should expect to see significant fluctuations in fuel prices. This has a direct impact on business for trucking companies and drivers themselves and will likely lead to more innovations when it comes to making trucks and transportation less expensive and more efficient.Trucks will need to become more fuel-efficient.To counter rising fuel prices and shortages, much of the trucking industry’s current focus is on creating more fuel-efficient vehicles for transporting freight. Emissions from vehicles, including trucks, are seen as one of the leading contributors to climate change issues. In order to make trucks have less impact on the environment and ensure that they’re using fewer resources to get the job done, that means ref ining engines, tires, and other truck components to maximize trucks’ efficiency. And it’s not just trucks themselves- drivers may need to adapt for fuel efficiency as well, adjusting speed and idling time to increase fuel economy and decrease carbon emissions.Trucks of the future will need sustainable technology.â€Å"Sustainability† is the buzzword that applies here. Trucking is a very fossil-fuel-heavy industry, relying on gas and diesel to power the logistics. And while it may seem silly to think of a big rig driving by with solar panels on top, this is a very real possibility in the future. â€Å"Green† transportation technology is growing more popular (think Tesla), and companies are trying to find ways to make existing vehicles like trucks run on hybrid power sources (like gas and electricity) or entirely on green energy sources like electric, clean domestic fuels, and maybe even solar power someday. The U.S. government’s Office of Energy Eff iciency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is focused on developing next-generation technologies that will make the trucking industry more sustainable.Supply chain logistics may change.It’s likely that trucking changes will happen as part of broader changes in the logistics industry. Warehouses, shipping hubs, and garages may see increased initiatives around recycling, environmental sustainability, emergency preparedness, and other policies that focus on reducing the carbon footprint of the industry. And depending on whether some regions become more prone to extreme weather, it could affect planned routes and lead to different travel patterns for truck drivers. And it’s not just trucking-specific concerns- disruptions in electrical power and communications in general can have sweeping effects on the transportation industry in general. As the transportation industry tries to compensate for these potential issues, the trucking industry will follow suit.Emergency preparedness wi ll be even more important.Truckers need to be prepared for anything that happens on the road- mechanical issues, traffic issues, blocked routes, the works. When something does go wrong, it’s often just the trucker and his or her rig stuck troubleshooting until they can get safely to the next place. And with a potential increase in extreme weather events, that means having solid emergency plans in place. Trucking companies and individual drivers will be tasked with ensuring that everyone is fully trained on how to respond to any event safely and efficiently.An example of this kind of step up in emergency planning is how the TSA has responded to security and terror threats, developing sophisticated screening and preparedness plans in case of emergency. Because so much of trucking depends on the weather and ability of the drivers to get from Point A to Point B, we could see the industry develop similar large-scale plans to compensate for weather disasters.Truckers may need more and different training.In order to become a truck driver, you already need a basic Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). On top of that, drivers have the option to get â€Å"endorsements,† or additional certifications for different kinds of driving. Right now, these endorsements include things like double trailers, passenger vehicles, tank vehicles, and hazardous materials. Some experts believe that in the future, with increased regulation and a global focus on environmental sustainability, there may be climate change-inspired endorsements related to environmental standards and contingency planning. Because each state has its own CDL program, they can tailor these standards to the environmental issues most likely to impact their state. For example, warming in Alaska would lead to different environmental concerns than, say, increased hurricanes in Florida or along the Gulf Coast, so any changes in state-specific CDL certifications would be connected to geography and likely possibilities.U.S. road infrastructure will change.Extreme weather like major storms and flooding can cause major damage to the infrastructure roads and highways that truckers rely on to keep freight moving around the country. Deteriorating roads can increase traffic, which means increasing fuel use and carbon emissions, not to mention throwing off scheduled and logistics. One of the more intriguing options for fighting this infrastructure erosion is self-fixing roads. It sounds super-futuristic, doesn’t it? But some materials scientists are already researching ways that common materials like steel wool can help roads â€Å"heal† themselves when they suffer damage from flooding or general deterioration. Better roads mean better day-to-day results for truck drivers, making it easier to transport cargo and reduce wear-and-tear on the trucks themselves. Improvements to infrastructure that compensate for future damage will help the trucking industry maintain efficiency (o r even improve on current levels of efficiency).Truckers will become data analysts.Truck driving will still never be that 9-to-5 job in a cubicle, but drivers may find themselves becoming better acquainted with environmental data- like emissions statistics and the impact of their truck and routes on the immediate environment in order to make sure they’re meeting set environmental standards while delivering their freight in the most cost- and time-effective ways.Innovation and flexibility will be key.The ability to adapt and change no matter what the environment throws at us is going to be crucial in every industry moving forward, but even more so in industries where the elements outside have a direct impact on the bottom line. Trucking is an industry that has the potential to align its environmental concerns with its business concerns and prepare for an uncertain environmental future. Even if some of the more dire climate change predictions never come to pass, this shift towa rd environmental responsibility and adaptability are still likely to affect the trucking industry in the years and decades to come.

Cloning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Cloning - Essay Example This is not correct. Scientists do not copy embryos. They just take genetic material from a cell and put it into an empty egg cell. With this type of technology, they can develop nerve tissues, heart muscles as well as brain cells. Scientists believe that by cloning, any damage caused by illnesses can be repaired. Cloning involves high risks. The first drawback with it is that it’s very expensive and also inefficient. There are certain cases that have been unsuccessful. For example, in 2001, scientists reported that they had cloned the first human embryo, however the only embryo that survived divided into only six cells. More than 100 nuclear transfer procedures could be required to produce one viable clone. Research shows that cloned animals have high rates of infection, tumor growth and low immune systems. Cloned mice live in poor health and die early. Clones have been known to die mysterious deaths like the first cloned Australian sheep was fit and healthy when it died and causes of death were not revealed even after autopsy. Cloning is done not only for organs but also for an entire human body. Some people like Hitler and Saddam Hussein wanted human replicas of themselves. That’s creepy. To have someone with the same intellect, intelligence and personality as your own kills your individuality. Also if the actual Hitler died, a clone would still be moving around and that’s a scary thought. It’s also unethical as our bodies are sacred; we have no right to destroy any part of it intentionally. We cannot attempt to take nature into our hands. Lots of religious groups say that the male involvement in the process of reproduction becomes useless if cloning becomes successful, and that is not right. Also if this technology falls into the wrong hands, it can be used to perform criminal acts. Moreover, if done inefficiently, it can cause defects in the clone of a human. Then what would we call that clone? A human? An animal? Babies born with a