The Institute Of Professional Sociologists Nigeria Essay Example for Free

The Institute Of Professional Sociologists Nigeria Essay Ever since Africa became a continent, most of her problems have been policy and policy management. First, it was the colonial policy makers who introduced the Indirect Rule system (as was the case of British colonial Administration) and the assimilation policy system (as was the case of the French colonial Administration).The Colonial masters adopted these policies largely because of administrative convenience and nothing more. They did not consider the social structure, the culture or the social thought of the African people. And it was little wonder that these policies left the continents in utter disarray. The people are still living under the burden of their consequences. The next anathema was the post-colonial imperialist policies that we term ‘Divide and Rule’. Many of the foreign policies relating to Africa in the past five decades fall within this spectrum. Today most policy makers, Governments and government apparatus in Africa seem to follow the trend of the colonial masters when formulating their policies .a case in point is the last fuel increment or subsidy removal in Nigeria. The people vehemently resisted the policy even if it were to their benefit. They would not want to know any long term or short term benefits or whatsoever. As long as the governments would not want to be people-centric, their policies will always meet with ardent resistance. Most policy finds their way through to the people who have little or no knowledge of the social thought or social systems as do the social scientists. Many politicians rely on armchair theorizing about what and what would or would not work. A policy made by a trial and error methodology does much harm, its makes the people as it were, a laboratory rat. Men are not rats and no one government or Authority should ever treat its people like one. That a particular ideas worked somewhere in the world, do not mean it can work else where. Man is enigmatic and so complex. Culture varies from place to place and globalization will not stop that. The differences among people may create the conflicts of interest, ethnic differences, xenophobia,’ we and they’ factors etc. However when properly perceived these seeming difference is a grand design of what forms the social systems, social thoughts, and the social structure of a people. If culture is a way of life of a people, which involves foods, clothing, Knowledge, idea etc why should someone force an Amala, or Tuwo (Local foods in Nigeria) into the throat of an Asian man? Who don’t know how they are made or how they are eaten? Meanwhile this is exactly what the colonial masters did. The indirect rule system and the system of Assimilation were forced through to the people, regardless they accepted it or not. And most Government in Africa inherited this ‘force it through attitude’. Their policies are tested on the people who they see as lab rats. And they are forced to accept it, whether they like it or not, whether it is compactable with their social systems or not. And because muscle and whips are exacted, the people accept it with malicious obedience. They accept the policy but break the rules. And as those who make these policies do all they can to make it work, those whom it is supposedly made for live how they have ever lived, and is making it not work. We now have is a cycle that has left the continent undeveloped for decades. The ways we proffer here are not exhaustive, as there are all other ways to solve the problem of underdevelopment in Africa. Meanwhile we present hereunder these measures that may revolutionize governance in Africa. The concept of research is almost alien to most African politicians. They wonder why their counterpart in the occidental and oriental worlds succeeds, and yet never know that research is the key to development. Social research in Africa is mostly either not founded or they are not encouraged. Worst still is the fact that most studies are being piloted by international donor/organizations who found these researches for their own sake. And their findings, whether real or doctored, becomes the only available data for all to peruse. If we most move ahead in Africa, governments and other agencies most begin to fund and pioneer research not just for its own sake, but for the sake of national or continental development . Social scientists are not just a group of academic puppets or parakeets as most politicians think. They have a good role to play in societal engineering, especially in developing societies of Africa. Instead of using the people as lab rats, the politician could use the knowledge and research ability of the social scientist, to orchestrate a pilot study or even a laboratory experiment for intended policies before they can be tagged a public policy. However the social scientist must avoid the temptation of using research as a propaganda tool. Rather He/she must hold sacrosanct the ethical value of the profession, and the confidence the people lay on him/her as a custodian of the social systems.

Ethics of Physician Assisted Suicide

Ethics of Physician Assisted Suicide Should we be allowed to take our own lives? In many cultures ancient and not so ancient suicide has been seen as the best option in certain circumstances.   Cato the Younger committed suicide rather than live under Caesar.   For the Stoics there was nothing necessarily immoral in suicide, which could be rational and the best option (Long 1986, 206).   Conversely, in the Christian tradition, suicide has largely been seen as immoral, defying the will of God, being socially harmful and opposed to nature (Edwards 2000).   This view, to follow Hume, ignores the fact that by dint suicide being possible it is not against nature or God (Hume 1986).   Nevertheless, the idea of being allowed to take our own lives impinges on the ethics of public policy in a variety of ways.   Here we will briefly examine the case of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) where an individual’s wish to die may be aided by the action of another. Hume considered suicide to be ‘free from every imputation of guilt or blame’ (Hume 1986, 20) and indeed suicide has not been a crime in the UK since 1961 (Martin 1997, 451).   Aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring a suicide is however a special statutory crime, although few prosecutions are brought.   Recently the issue of PAS has brought the debate about ‘whether and under what conditions individuals should be able to determine the time and manner of their deaths, and whether they should be able to enlist the help of physicians’ (Steinbock 2005, 235).   The British Medical Association opposes euthanasia (mercy killing) but accepts both legally and ethically that patients can refuse life-prolonging treatment – this that they can commit suicide (BMA 1998).   Failing to prevent suicide does not constitute abetting (Martin 1997, 451) although PAS ‘is no different in law to any other person helping another to commit suicide’ (BMA 1998).   In Oregon, however, PAS, restricted to competent individuals who request it, has been legalised (Steinbock 2005, 235, 238).   A distinction should be maintained between suicide and (mercy) killing, acts in which the agents differ, though of course exactly where the line should be drawn is part of the problem. The ethical arguments in support of PAS involve suffering and autonomy (Steinbock 2005, 235-6).   The first assertion is that is cruel to prolong the life of a patient who is in pain that cannot be medically controlled; the second, in the words of Dr Linda Ganzini based on her study in Oregon, involves the idea that ‘being in control and not dependent on other people is the most important thing for them in their dying days’ (quoted in Steinbock 2005, 235).   The logical outcome of these arguments is that, if PAS can be justified on the grounds of suffering or autonomy, why should it be restricted to competent individuals or the terminally ill?   Indeed the judge in Compassion in dying v State of Washington (1995) stated that ‘if at the heart of the liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment is this uncurtailable ability to believe and act on one’s deepest beliefs about life, the right to suicide and the right to assistance in suicide are the preroga tive of at least every sane adult.   The attempt to restrict such rights to the terminally ill is illusory’ (Steinbock 2005, 236). As noted above, religious disapproval of suicide has become less relevant an as arbiter of ethics and policy.   In democratic societies that might best be described as secular with a Christian heritage, the views of religious groups should not restrict the liberty of individuals in society (Steinbock 2005, 236).   Others argue that the role of the physician is to heal and help and not to harm, though supporters of PAS would say that death is not always harmful and assisted suicide is a help.   Indeed, in a country where PAS is not legal people who wish to die without criminalizing those who assist in their suicide may be driven abroad, as in the case of Reginald Crew who was dying of motor neurone disease and travelled to Switzerland for AS, dying in January 2002 (English et al. 2003, 119).   This may cause more harm through the stresses of dislocation and worry than allowing the PAS to take place.   The two most serious concerns are that PAS would be abused and would lead to negative changes in society.   This could happen in many ways through vulnerable groups such as the poor, the elderly etc, being pressured into choosing PAS (Steinbock 2005, 237).   The BMA emphasises a concern for the message that would be given to society about the value of certain groups of people (BMA 1998).   This is part of a wider concern also expressed in a Canadian Senate enquiry of 1995 (BMA 1998) which points to a policy of suicide prevention amongst some vulnerable groups that would be rendered anomalous by seeking to ease suicide amongst the disabled.   However, the presentation is slightly disingenuous, since there is a difference in the reason for potential suicide that must be investigated. For example, seeking to prevent suicide amongst the youth may involve programmes of social inclusion or increasing life prospects, and this style of solution is not applicable in the case of those who may seek PAS.   In Oregon at least, it seems that fears about PAS have not materialised, and one doctor suspects that the relatively low use of PAS is indicative of it being too restrictive (Steinbock 2005, 238).   Users of PAS, rather than being the poor and socially vulnerable as predicted, tended to be middle class and educated, with younger patients more likely to choose it than the elderly, and most were enrolled in hospice care.   Issues about PAS and euthanasia need to be clarified and argued separately.   In the context of this issue at least, the question of whether suicide should be allowed is the wrong one to ask.   A starting point is to ask how competent individuals can be allowed to fulfil their wishes as to life and death issues without endangering other people, whether doctors or loved ones and whether all embracing legislation is feasible. Bibliography BMA. 1998. Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide: Do the moral arguments differ? London: BMA. Edwards, P. 2000. ‘Ethics of suicide’, in The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge, 870-71. English, V. Romano-Critchley, G., Sheather J. and Sommerville, A. 2003. ‘Ethics Briefings’, Journal of Medical Ethics 29: 118-119 Hume, D. 1986. ‘Of Suicide’, in Singer, P. (ed.) 1986. Applied Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 19-27. Martin, E.A. (ed.) 1997. A Dictionary of Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Steinbock, B. 2005. ‘The case for physician assisted suicide: not (yet) proven’, Journal of Medical Ethics 31: 235-41.

America Doesnt Need Gun Control at Gun Shows Essay -- Constituton Bil

America Doesn't Need Gun Control at Gun Shows Gun control has been a highly debated issue for several years. In the past this debate has led to the passage of gun control legislation, the most prominent bill being the Brady Bill. However, the national legislation concerning gun control only applies to licensed gun dealers. This has left a huge gun control loophole at the national level, because unlicensed dealers and private collectors are not required to conduct background checks on potential customers before selling them a weapon. Recently, this loophole has become the center of the gun control debate. Those who support gun control at gun shows (generally liberals) are saying that it is necessary to restrict the sale of firearms at gun shows because convicted felons and known terrorists are currently able to obtain weapons from gun shows. The other side of the debate (generally conservatives) contends that the enforcement of gun control at gun shows is a wasted effort and will only cause mounds of unnecessary pap erwork. The National Rifle Association published â€Å"Anti-gun groups†¦Ã¢â‚¬  by Jim Pate on their website. This article quite obviously presents a strongly conservative view as would be expected from the NRA on issue of tougher gun control laws. Since it is published on the National Rifle Association’s website, Pate is able to use an aggressive approach to the issue, which is effective because his audience agrees with his views against stricter gun control. Pate also incorporates strong pathos into this article through his word choice, which he uses to arouse negative emotions in the reader toward advocates of gun control. He weaves a great deal of logos into his writing as well by citing many facts and m... ...ng citizens serves more than a corrupt political agenda. By extension, it lends support to those who hate America’s freedom and seek to destroy our way of life† (par.23). Although this metaphor is really nothing more than an example of name calling, Pate uses it to associate the emotions Americans have toward terrorists with the gun control campaign which will win more support for Pate and his views against gun control at gun shows. Works Cited Pate, Jim. â€Å"Anti-gun groups, led by Americans for Gun Safety, have teamed up behind U.S. Sen. John McCain to exploit terrorism in order to advance their gun control agenda. Their first target of opportunity is the traditional American gun show.† The National Rifle Association. 15 Feb 2002. http://www.nra.org/frame.cfm?title=NRA%20Institute%20for%20Legislative%20Action&url=http://www.nraila.org/ (21 March 2002) America Doesn't Need Gun Control at Gun Shows Essay -- Constituton Bil America Doesn't Need Gun Control at Gun Shows Gun control has been a highly debated issue for several years. In the past this debate has led to the passage of gun control legislation, the most prominent bill being the Brady Bill. However, the national legislation concerning gun control only applies to licensed gun dealers. This has left a huge gun control loophole at the national level, because unlicensed dealers and private collectors are not required to conduct background checks on potential customers before selling them a weapon. Recently, this loophole has become the center of the gun control debate. Those who support gun control at gun shows (generally liberals) are saying that it is necessary to restrict the sale of firearms at gun shows because convicted felons and known terrorists are currently able to obtain weapons from gun shows. The other side of the debate (generally conservatives) contends that the enforcement of gun control at gun shows is a wasted effort and will only cause mounds of unnecessary pap erwork. The National Rifle Association published â€Å"Anti-gun groups†¦Ã¢â‚¬  by Jim Pate on their website. This article quite obviously presents a strongly conservative view as would be expected from the NRA on issue of tougher gun control laws. Since it is published on the National Rifle Association’s website, Pate is able to use an aggressive approach to the issue, which is effective because his audience agrees with his views against stricter gun control. Pate also incorporates strong pathos into this article through his word choice, which he uses to arouse negative emotions in the reader toward advocates of gun control. He weaves a great deal of logos into his writing as well by citing many facts and m... ...ng citizens serves more than a corrupt political agenda. By extension, it lends support to those who hate America’s freedom and seek to destroy our way of life† (par.23). Although this metaphor is really nothing more than an example of name calling, Pate uses it to associate the emotions Americans have toward terrorists with the gun control campaign which will win more support for Pate and his views against gun control at gun shows. Works Cited Pate, Jim. â€Å"Anti-gun groups, led by Americans for Gun Safety, have teamed up behind U.S. Sen. John McCain to exploit terrorism in order to advance their gun control agenda. Their first target of opportunity is the traditional American gun show.† The National Rifle Association. 15 Feb 2002. http://www.nra.org/frame.cfm?title=NRA%20Institute%20for%20Legislative%20Action&url=http://www.nraila.org/ (21 March 2002)

Napster :: essays research papers

The program, and later company, named Napster, has brought about a historical debate concerning copyright law and the Internet. Napster’s is a free Internet music file-sharing program that allows users to quickly and easily swap files with one another directly, without the use of a centralized file server. Its software aims to make finding MP3 files easier on the Internet. No files are actually hosted on Napster servers as Napster provides access to music files on others' computers. This system of computers is called peer-to-peer networking. In addition to its search features, Napster contains three major components: 1) A chat program that allows users to chat with each other in rooms based on music genre. 2) An audio player that plays MP3 files from right inside Napster in the event that users do not have an external player or prefer not to use one. 3) A tracking program that allows users to keep track of their favorite MP3 libraries for later browsing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Napster was the brainchild of, at the time, nineteen-year-old college student, Shawn Fanning, at Northeastern University in Boston. Throughout his life, Fanning had two loves: one was sports and the other was computers. Over time his curiosity for computers grew and sports became less important, concentrating most of his time working with computers, primarily focusing on two aspects of the computer, programming and the Internet. During his freshman year at Northeastern University, in 1998, Fanning was trying to enter computer science classes higher than the entry level (Jones, 2001, 1A). Not finding anything challenging about the courses he was enrolled in, Fanning decided to start writing a Windows based program in his spare time. He spent most of his time in chat rooms talking with experienced computer networking programmers. Fanning thought-up the general idea of, what is now known as, Napster from his roommate who loved music files, most commonly known as MP3à ¢â‚¬â„¢s, but was frustrated with most music sites which had limited music files available and detested having to endlessly search website’s looking for particular songs. Fanning, keeping his roommate’s frustrations in mind, and his programming skills at hand, began writing Napster. He used the idea of all users being connected to one central computer server, and having access to each other’s music files that users wished to share (â€Å"MTV News,† 2000, 1). In other words, â€Å"Napster makes its application software freely available for download by consumers from its website.

Embryonic Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine Essay example -- Embryon

Whereas there are many facets of medical research in the world at the present time, one of the more controversial continues to be stem cell research and more specifically, embryonic stem cell research. The percentage of groups and individuals who agree or disagree with this science are roughly equal on both sides of the argument. There are many quarrels within this one area including â€Å"should stem cell research be federally funded†, â€Å"is embryonic stem cell research ethical†, and â€Å"is the outcome of stem cell research worth it†? While there is no right or wrong answer to these questions, since the answer would vary depending on whom you ask, the argument regarding this topic remains quite passionate and heated. Embryonic stem cell research is the medical study of cells taken from embryos before they are able to implant into a uterus. This procedure – harvesting the cells – ultimately destroys the embryo rendering it non-viable and unable to sustain life. Adult stem cell research is simply the study of stem cells harvested from adults and used in many areas of medicine. Numerous groups are opposed this sort of research because they feel it infringes on the right to life, while others do not believe that an embryo that has spent five days in a petri dish should be considered a human. In the 1800’s the first discovery of stem cells occurred. This discovery proved that some cells could spawn other cells. However, it was not until the early 1900’s that research demonstrated stem cells could generate blood cells. This was very promising in the medical community at that time since so many diseases ran rampant and were incurable. During the infancy of stem cell research , both animal and human stem cells were used. Now, for medic... ...h Embryonic Stem Cell Research?. Pregnantpause.org. 26 Jul 2001. Web. 28 Nov 2011. Moisse, Katie. â€Å"Stem Cells: New Hope for Heart Failure Patients†. Abcnews.com. 14 Nov 2011. Web. 15 Nov 2011. Park, Alice. â€Å"Stem Cell Miracle? New Therapies May Cure Chronic Conditions like Alzheimer’s†. Time Magazine. 25 Jun 2011. Web. 10 Nov 2011. Snow, Nancy. â€Å"Stem Cell Research New Frontiers in Sciences and Ethics†. Houston Community College Library. 2004. Print. 10 Nov 2011. Stem Cell Basics: What are the potential uses of human stem cells and the obstacles that must be overcome before these potential uses will be realized?. In Stem Cell Information. Web. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009. 22 Nov 2011. Tasker, Fred. â€Å"New Stem Cell Study Promises to Heal the Heart†. Dallas Morning News. 22 Mar 2011. Web. 10 Nov 11.

8 Steps of an Advertising Campaign Essay

Here are eight steps you can follow to keep your advertising campaign on track and successful: Market research: Before you even start thinking about where you might want to place an ad or even what it could look like, it’s important to do at least some basic research. Even if you aren’t in a position to bring in an expensive research firm, you can ask your current customers questions about why they come back to you, as well as taking a close look at your target demographic’s needs and interests. Budgeting: Your business probably has a set advertising budget for the year — but how do you divvy it up between your various advertising projects? For each project you’re planning, you need to be clear on just how much money you’re willing to spend. You’ll almost certainly change exactly how you divide it between costs like copy writing and design, but you can treat the overall amount as set in stone. Write it down and put it in your project folder. Setting goals: The aims you have in mind for a particular advertising project need to be written down ahead of time. While it’s good to be ambitious, it’s also important to decide what constitutes a successful advertising campaign for your business. Sales can be the simplest metric: if you’re advertising a particular product, how many units will you need to sell to pay for that campaign? Advertising venue: The website, tv station, newspaper, radio station, magazine or other advertising venue you place your ad with is a crucial decision. You’ll need to look at not only the cost of your preferred venues but also whether they reach your target demographic. Ad buys can make up a significant portion of your budget. Deciding on where you will place your ads first tells you how much money you’ll have left over for actually creating your ad. Choosing creatives: Unless you’re planning to write, shoot and design every part of your ad, you’ll probaably need to bring in some help. Finding the right freelancers for each aspect requires checking through portfolios and rates — if you can find a business or freelancer who can handle all aspects of creating your ad, even if that means subcontracting, it can save you a lot of time. You’ll also want to make sure that you find any talent you’ll need for your ad (voice actors for radio, models for photography and so on). Design and wording: While you may not have a lot of actual writing and designing to do for your ad, during the creation process you will need to review and sign off on different stages of the project. When starting with a new designer or other creative, make sure that you both know any expectations for timelines and progress checks. Placing the ad: Once you have a finished ad in hand, it’s time to actually place it with your preferred advertising venue. You may have a few contracts to sign and a check to hand over. You’ll also want to make sure you actually see your ad once it’s run — from a newspaper, for instance, you’ll want to see the tear sheets of pages containing your ad. Evaluation: Depending on your ad, how you evaluate it can vary. If it included a coupon, for instance, you can simply count how many customers brought in the coupon. For other ads, you may be simply comparing sales before, during and after your advertising campaign. Spend as much time on analyzing how your advertising campaign worked as you can. That information can point you to more effective uses of advertising in the future. While following such a set process may seem like it would stifle the creativity necessary to put together a new ad, following these steps can actually make it easier. You can minimize confusion and make sure that everyone is meeting the necessary deadlines — and you can ensure that you’ll be able to measure your ad’s actual cost and responses during each step. You’ll be better equipped to tweak your ad or move it to another publication in the future.

Negative Effects of Technology on Kids

Are you aware of what’s happening in the present? Youth has becoming more active in using the internet and other modern technology nowadays. But do you know what the effects of this are? After you took long hours in front of the computer, are you dizzy and running out of breath? Feeling thirsty and very hot, your eyes can’t see clearly, and your hands and fingers are shaking and tired of typing? Do you also know that if that is repeatedly happening to you, it may lead to a disorder or illness you haven’t known for sure? Too much radiation is bad for us and has bad effects to our health, so be aware.Technology does not only affect our health, but also other aspects of our life. As I browse the internet, I have come across this article entitled The Effects of Modern Technology on Kids by Lisa Evans. This tackles about the four negative effects of technology on kids. First is the effect on brain development of a child. UCLA Professor Patricia Greenfield said that wh ile students create multitasking ability and visual reasoning skills which enable them to see and process information quickly, their attention span has also decreases.In a result, they are having a hard time to solve more complex problems which require time and concentration. Technology makes the thinking skills weak and although it strengthens visual reasoning skills, it also contributes to poor eye sight. Second is about the disadvantages on immediate access to information. With the internet becoming the source of all, students tend to become lazy and just depend on all the information given from the internet. But anyone who is not so careful and knowledgeable about surfing the internet may lead to a danger.Not all the information there are facts, truthful, and reliable because most of them are edited, and some sites are x-rated or pornographic, so it is very important for the parents to monitor their children about the source they will find. Third, concerning about social relatio nships, modern technology has also affected this. Instant messaging through cell phones and chatting through social networking sites have been a way to communicate of the present generation. Because of this, youth became used to keep in touch with other people impersonally.In addition, they are not anymore going outside their houses to play with other children, and socialize or talk to other people. Last is the effect of technology on the health of youth. More and more students at this time are suffering to neck and back pain because of improper posture using laptops and computers. According to Ken Harwood of the American Physical Therapy Association, there is also an increase in the diagnosis of repetitive stress injuries among the kids with the age of at least 8 years old.In the final analysis, although innovation and improvement on technology brings about development and benefits to people, we can still identify the disadvantages of it to our lives especially to youth. We should be responsible in using modern technology because every act we do affects us. It is better to be careful than to take the risk of doing the things which entertain us, but have negative results. Before we end up regretting in doing the wrong thing, let us think first and follow the right path.