Convention on Prohibition of Biological Weapons Essay Example for Free

Convention on Prohibition of Biological Weapons Essay The ‘Biological Weapons Convention’ (BWC, for short) is an international treaty aimed at stopping the production and use of biological agents that multiply the diseases among people. This treaty is officially termed as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction. It came into effect in 1975, and by 2000, nearly 150 nations had signed the treaty. By virtue of clauses of the treaty, countries have been prohibited to possess big amounts of biological agents or toxins, and all the systems of weaponry to pass them on. Also all the member nations or the signatories may not trade into biological weapons or help other countries to develop them. It was also made obligatory for the United States and the Soviet Union who conducted experiments to produce biological weapons during the Cold War, a period of non-active hostility between nations after World War II (1939-1945), were called upon to ratify the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 970s. But since the treaty did not provide for the means of verifications or inspections, nations had merely agreed to stand by it in good faith. And it was as early as 2000, when some of the governments had tried to figure out methods to carry out inspection and verification. (Biological Weapons Convention, 2007) Efforts to Avert Germ-warfare through BWC are Proving Hopeless The US has assessed a number of programs through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for her defense against probable biological, chemical, and radiological attacks, but the approach is basically aimed at protecting the troops and military equipment. Nearly 100 of the signatories of the Biological Weapons Convention made a review of the progress of BWC in 2002, but to their dismay and worry all of them found the situation quite deplorable and disappointing. Another survey conducted by Amy Smithson of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, found that more than 80% of the senior government officials, and congressmen thought that a biological attack in the near future was very likely, especially in view of Al-Qaeda’s revealed rudimentary experiments with ricin and anthrax. And it is also very well known that nearly all antidotes for anthrax do not suffice. Besides, 40% of members had never submitted the required report, which is an utter violation of the BWC rules. Ms Amy Smithson added that had there were more emergent and serious efforts, the things might have moved ahead into Bio-safety and Bio-security. The director of UNIDIR (UNs disarmament research institute in Geneva), Patricia Lewis, commented that although apparently the progress of work over the past few years has proved useful, yet to be more efficient and systematic, there is an ardent need of a foolproof action plan, which, she feared, may not be due until 2008. Is America Safe from Biological Attack? Although huge spending has been made on her bio-defense, the US appears as vulnerable as ever to a concerted terrorist attack. Therefore development of a better strategy and a much stronger defense is simply inconceivable without a change in the policy of federal government. It is also a part of hard American history nearly seven years back when the nation had hardly recovered from the wounds of 9/11, than someone sent Anthrax Spores to reputed Journalists and famed politicians through the US mail. The result was that five people died and more than seventeen got sick, and it was painful to observe that none of the culprits was ever caught. This attack added to the already growing fears in the US, about the hard-liners and bio-terrorists being so determined to spread disease and mayhem across the nation. To combat the threat, the Bush administration launched an unparalleled bio-defense plan, and until today almost $44 billion has been spent by the US federal government for providing protection to the civilians, organizations, and for buying the latest remedies such as the classic smallpox vaccine. â€Å"But the pertinent question is whether this colossal spending has made Americans any safer? † The veterans at the Center for Bio-security at the University of Pittsburgh say that the answer is a big No. â€Å"Denouncing the government efforts as insufficient they hold that the US remains unable to defend itself against any anthrax attack involving more than a few envelopes. So where is the big success†? (Biological Weapons Convention, 2007) One of the many bio-defense efforts made by the administration is the Bio-Shield project, which was launched in 2004, and was aimed at turning drug companies into defense entrepreneurs, delivering products to fight against a potential bio-weapons threat. Although there is much in store for the Project Bio-Shield like a $5. 6 billion package to be spent by 2014 on drugs, yet the pharmaceutical companies, much against expectations haven’t done enough that could accomplish the Bio-Shields objectives. The lukewarm response by these companies has been a cause of perpetrating a bill in the US Congress, in order to make the Bio-Shield a more effective and more viable a project. Has Project Bio-Shield Proved Sufficient for US Bio-defense Needs Apparently the Bio-Shields strategy appears quite prudently designed. â€Å"But companies normally do not cater for remedies for the unique kind of diseases thought most likely to be used as weapons, simply because there are no profits in it†. Resultantly the Project Bio-Shield promises companies to buy them only the special drugs and vaccines that would counter threats of bio-weapons, giving them an option and a free hand to do the rest of job. If such is the case then why there has so far been a very sluggish response is a question which must be answered with firmness if not with finality. (New Scientist, 2003) â€Å"In fact Project BioShield has awarded contracts for 7 products, worth $2 billion. They are: 1. Two for antibody-based therapies for botulism and anthrax. 2. One for 10 million doses of the militarys existing anthrax vaccine. 3. One biggest funding of $878 million has been guaranteed to VaxGen of Brisbane, California, for 75 million doses of a purer, new-generation anthrax vaccine. 4. One order is for 20 million doses of an improved smallpox vaccine from the Danish firm Bavarian Nordic, and 5. Project BioShield has provided $4 million to universities to fund basic pathogen research. Brad Smith of the Center for Bio-security said, The government has never done anything like this before, He also asserted that the department of Homeland Security must first decide what designated threats really are, and only then should the Department of Health commissions drugs or vaccines be designed to protect against them. He added that the diseases it picked so far pertain only to anthrax, botulism and smallpox. However, the targeted one bug, one drug approach has been seen by some experts as basically wrong. A better approach, they say, would be to aim for broad-spectrum remedies that work against many different bacteria or viruses. But then it would be more cost-effective; would offer mere defense blanket against terrorists with whatever their choice of bio-weapon be, and would also come with additional advantage of protection against natural diseases. Tucker remarked, if something works for flu and for bio-weapons as well, why not do that? † (New Scientist, 2003) A recent research by think tanks like Tucker and Andrew Grotto shows that much more effort is yet required. Only seven states and four cities have the capability to administer stockpiled vaccines on a large scale, Tucker said. He added that most Americans live in states that have no plans for dealing with large numbers of casualties caused by contagious diseases. The new bill that was presented before the Congress attempted to address some of these problems i. e. to appoint a new health secretary for public health; to improve the quality of equipment for medical emergencies, and to provide $1 billion as annual funding. But this would not have been enough to solve the delivery problem, or give hospitals the capacity to deal with a surge in patients. Although the bill, presented before Congress, mandated research into new tools and methods for developing drugs and vaccines, yet it did not go ahead in the way to taking Project Bio-Shields focus away from the one bug, one drug strategy and on to a broader spectrum of remedies. But this newest Bio-Shield Project certainly did no go any further to solve the problems of how to get remedies out to any probable and potential victims of the bio-weapons attack. (MacKenzie and Debora, 2006) References Academic Research Premier Can the line against bio-terror hold? 2006 (Economist, 00130613, Vol. 381). Biological Weapons Convention 2007 http://www. worldbookonline. com/wb/Article? id=ar726514st=biological+warfare Accessed, July 7, 2007 Bob. B. 2007 ‘WMD Antidotes Still Go to Iraq’ (National Journal, 03604217, Vol. 39, Issue Lussier, Frances M. 2007 Gas mask. http://www. worldbookonline. com/wb/Article? id=ar217900 Accessed, July 7, 2007 MacKenzie, Debora. 2006. â€Å"Fortress America† (New Scientist: Vol. 191, p18-21) Ross. S. ‘America the Beautifuls Germ Warfare Rash’, Jul/Aug2007 (Humanist, 00187399 Vol. 67, Issue 4)

Graduation Speech: We Are Not Alone :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Good morning to all of you. I am glad to be here with you, sharing this important and celebratory time. We have all accomplished a great deal and it's sometimes hard to believe it is coming to an end. There are so many stories that all of us have to tell about our time at County High. I would like to share some of my experience from the last few years. That first morning, I walked to County High in the cool September air. I remember looking up at the moon, a pale sliver, lemon-edged and sharp. I remember trying to empty myself of my nervousness, getting ready to be in a room full of strangers. I remember that County High was freezing that morning. I was completely intimidated. Why had I come to school? Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I had no specific goal. I vaguely wanted to finish my degree, but I was never sure if I had what it took to be in college. I look around now, at all of us together, and I think, how did we get here? What was the texture, the character, of the intervening years? Some of it will be a series of pictures: I see the long hallways with the lights reflecting off the floors. I see the new buildings rising up, steel and stone, with the workers tethered on the rooftops. I see the wetland, mud and green and baby trees. But what I see the most are the faces. In the classrooms, the instructors looking at us, engaging with us. The smiles of people in the hallways. I see the faces of the people who have looked at me and seen me. I remember, two years ago, feeling invisible. This was fine with me. It provided a comfort, maybe of not having to be responsible. I was accountable only to myself both in the classroom and out. Surrendering that invisibility has been a crucial part of my education at Neda. I realized that I couldn't do it alone. I realized that I didn't want to do it alone. I was helped through, pulled through sometimes, by people who cared for me and who were willing to give of themselves. This extends to the numerous faculty members I've encountered throughout my time here and to you, who have walked beside me. Having accountability to those I am in community with has made the difference for me.

New Look Jackets Inc. : Variance Analysis Essay

Introduction New Look Jackets Inc. (NLJ) is a well-established manufacturing company that makes leather and nylon jackets. The company has many long standing customers due to their excellent service and quality of products. In 2012, they had some difficulty with quality and filling orders on time due to the increase of demand to the leather jackets. A variance analysis has been completed and this report will break down the results. Sales Volume Variance Analysis The sales volume for NLJ is favourable as a whole because 10,000 more jackets were sold then budgeted. The sales volume for the nylon jacket is unfavourable because 1,500 fewer jackets were sold then budgeted. However the leather jackets sales volume is favourable because 11,500 more jackets were sold. After taking a closer look at the sales volume and breaking the variance into sales mix and sales quantity. The leather jackets have a favourable sales mix but the nylon jackets have an unfavourable mix; the overall sales mix is favourable. The overall favourable sales mix is favourable because of the high increase in leather jackets sold. The sales mix was budgeted at 95% Nylon and 5% Leather but the actual was 85% Nylon and 15% Leather. The actual sales mix was a composite unit consists of 0.85 units of sales to the Nylon jackets and 0.15 units of sales to the Leather jackets. The reason for this favourable variance is due to the increase in demand of leather jackets. The marketing t eam did not foresee this trend therefor did not include the increase of leather jackets in the 2012 budget. NLJ has a favourable sales quantity variance due to the total jackets sold exceed the budgeted jackets. They have a $139,625F sales quantity variance because sold 10,000 more jackets then what was budgeted. It can also be stated as 10,000 X $13.9625 (see appendix 1) = $139,625F. The 13.9625 (11.6375 Nylon + 2.2350 Leather) is the sum of budgeted CM per unit for  budgeted mix. The nylon jackets make up 83.3% of this favorable variance because 77,000 more jackets were sold. This is a more affordable product therefor sales more. The sales quantity variance can be further broken down into market-share variance and market-size variance. The market-share is $349,063 unfavourable; the company did not achieve the 40% of the leather jacket market because of the major increase to demand. The budgeted leather jacket market was 12,500 but the actual market was 125,000, the market increased 10 times. This oversight was the reason for the unfavourable market-share. The nylon jackets were budgeted at 20% market-share and actually were 22% of market-share. The market-size variance is favourable, as the total market-size was greater than expected. The budgeted market unit was 487,500 but the actual size was 550,000, an increased demand of 62,500 units. The market increase is because of the leather jacket demand. In 2012, the nylon jacket market decreased by 50,000 units. Flexible Budget Variance Analysis For the nylon jackets all budgeted amounts were achieved expected the variable selling and administration. The variable selling and administration was favourable by $14,025. The favourable variance was because budget was 15 cents higher than actual. The decrease in the selling and administration cost was due to the decrease in demand for 2012. The leather jackets flexible budget variances were all unfavourable excluding the direct labour rate. The direct labour rate was favourable due to the inexperience workers hired to produce the leather jackets. The leather jacket market increase significantly so the demand for skilled workers increased. NLJ had to resort to hiring unskilled workers to keep up with demand. This resulted in a favourable direct labour rate but at the cost of sale returns increasing to 8% from 1%. The flexible budget variance is made up of the efficiency (usage) variance and price variance. The leather jacket price variance is 44,550U because the price was understat ed in the budgeted by 2.70 per unit. The efficiency (usage) variances for the leather jackets are both unfavourable for direct materials and direct labour. The standard labour usage was 2 hours, NLJ actual labour usage was 2.5 hours. This resulted in a 165,000U variance ((2-2.5)*20*16,500). The direct materials efficiency variance was 66,000U. NLJ used 0.2 metres more a jacket then production  standards ((2.5m – 2.7m)*20*16,500). These unfavourable variances are due to the inexperienced workers that were hired because of the unforeseen demand in leather jackets. Break-Even Analysis The sales mix is budgeted for 2013 as 77% Nylon jackets and 23% Leather jackets. With this sales mix the break-even outlined in Appendix 2 is 53,561 Nylon jackets and 16,068 Leather jackets. For both products, this is 53.56% of the actual budgeted amounts therefor break-even should be reach by 2nd quarter. If the expected market size of either jacket decreases demand, NLJ will still be in the black for 2013. Operating Budget 2013 Outlined in Appendix 3 is the draft operating budget for 2013. The nylon jacket costs are expected to increase by 5% and leather jacket costs have increased from 2012. The production and marketing managers researched the expected conditions for 2013 and the draft budget reflects that. This year, total production is expected to increase by 18.2% and net income by $766,400. Recommendation NLJ knows the Nylon market well so the variances were minimal. The leather market is where the company has to spend more time researching and developing the budget to reduce the unfavourable variances. The markets and future trends should be researched in a more detailed matter for 2013. Conclusion NLJ is a profitable company and can stay profitable by keeping their long standing customers. They need to research the market and know the trends coming up so they can budget and plan more efficiently. The big swing in unfavourable variances was mainly due to the unforeseen increase in demand to leather jackets. In 2013, NLJ will not see this variances as workers will be fully trained and the marketing and production data is including the upcoming trends.

Gender Roles Essay - 686 Words

The â€Å"long held stereotype of the typical family† has become a thing in the past. More and more do we see both men and women seeking work outside of the home in order to provide a stable household? In today’s society, a woman who stays home is often considered as lazy or useless, which is far from true according to the long held stereotype. Although men and women have had a history of pushing boundaries and breaking free of their specific gender roles in the past, our people as a whole haven’t learned from these courageous examples. Instead, there are traditional ways in which our children are molded from long held ideals which have survived throughout many years and continue to segregate men and women apart. Certain occupations and many†¦show more content†¦Not only do jobs lack equal promotional opportunities for women as well, institutions make it hard for a woman to keep her job or get one. For example, a mother is typically the first person a sc hool or a daycare center will contact in regards to her child. Also, it is frequently the mother who stays home from work to care for a sick child or an ill relative. These expectations and obligations pushes women to conform to society’s gender roles. The media is all around us from billboards, magazines, commercials and the internet, the media is wherever we go. The media continues to enforce specific gender roles and it is by far the strongest enforcement. For example, in commercials that pertain to cooking and cleaning products, women are often employed to model the product’s use. Secondly, young girls are rarely seen playing with action figures or toy cars on television as well. Not only are women being taught on what is considered to be gender appropriate, but men are too. Men are often portrayed to be masculine in most types of media. Commercials frequently show a dozen women swooning over a man with body spray or handing a man a beer when he is doing something inappropriate for his gender. The â€Å"long held stereotype of the typical family† seems to be a practice that no longer exists. Although many families have strayed from this idea, it continues to be desired. Times have progressed and ourShow MoreRelatedGender, Masculinity, And Gender Roles1380 Words   |  6 Pagesenvironment, but is instead, viewed from the perspective of women themselves. They are not observed from outside in, but from the inside out. At the same time, Danzon reverses and thus subverts the classic representations of gender, while relocating and challenging gender roles. Unlike the common representation of women in former Mexican cinema, femininity is not defined as being an opposition to masculinity in the film. In fact, men almost rarely appear. 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RegardlessRead More Gender Roles Essay864 Words   |  4 PagesGender Roles The affects of gender roles on people greatly change the way the society runs. According to the Websters dictionary the definition of gender are the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex, and the definition of role is a character assigned or assumed. The key word in this definition is assumed; therefore, whether you are male or female, you know what role you must play in society. Traditional gender roles are beneficial