The Roles Of The Nervous System Biology Essay

The Roles Of The Nervous System Biology Essay The nervous system plays an important role in the smooth functioning of the body and is a complex network of cells which transmits signals through the body. The signals are transmitted by the brain, so if someone wanted to catch a ball their brain would transmit a signal to their hands to reach and catch the ball and are specialized in certain function. These cells communicate with each other through electrochemical waves. The neurons and glial cells are the important components of the nervous system. The two parts in which the nervous system is divided are the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. The spinal cord and brain form the central nervous system and neural tissues lying to the exterior of the central nervous system compose the peripheral nervous system. The main function of the nervous system is to keep a control over the systems of the body through these following processes. Sensory receptors of the nervous system are useful for the extraction of information from the environment and sending it to the central nervous system. The sensory neurons carry the information from sensory receptors to the central nervous system. The central nervous system collects information from the sensory receptors and carries out the processing. The task of transferring and interpreting the information is carried out by the interneurons. The peripheral nervous system sends information processed in the central nervous system to the glands and muscles of the body. An appropriate response is then activated by these glands or muscles. The motor neurons carry out the function of sending instructions to muscles or glands. The autonomous nervous system responds involuntarily. The involuntary processes of the body such as breathing, digestion, body temperature regulation and etc, are carried out by the autonomous nervous system. The autonomous nervous system is sub-divided into sympat hetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Coordination of body movements and homeostasis is carried out by the hind brain. Hind brain consists of different parts such as medulla, cerebellum and pons. The receptors are classified as exteroceptors, interoceptors and proprioceptors. The exteroceptors are used by the nervous system in smelling, listening, looking, touching, tasting and feeling. The signals associated with blood pressure, alimentary canal, bladder and osmotic pressure of blood plasma are received by the interoceptors. The movement and position of body parts is tracked by the proprioceptors. This kind of stimulus received by receptors is also one of the modes of classifying the receptors. Chemical receptors, mechanoreceptors and thermoreceptors are different types of receptors classified on the basis of the above-mentioned criteria. Thermoreceptors which consist of warm and cold fibers are excited by rising and falling temperatures respectively. The mechanoreceptors carry information about the mechanical stimulation to the central nervous system. The chemical receptors are sub-divided into olfactory, gustatory and glucose detectors, which are responsible for detecting smell, taste and glucose respectively. The glucose detectors are also responsible for providing information about the acid-base balance in the body Endocrine System The endocrine system is a collection of glands that secrete different hormones for the various functions and chemical reactions occurring within the body. The main function is to maintain a stable environment within the body or homeostasis. For example, maintaining the blood sugar levels according to changes occurring in the body is homeostasis. The other function of it is promoting the structural changes of the body which are the permanent changes occurring in the body over time such as height, development of sexual organs, and etc. There are 8 major glands that help in the functioning of this vital system. These major endocrine glands are as follows, Hypothalamus, Pituitary gland, Parathyroid gland, Thyroid gland, Adrenal glands, Pancreas, Ovaries and Testes. Hypothalamus, a collection of specialized cells that are located in the lower central part of the brain is called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the main link between the endocrine and the nervous systems. The nerve cells of the hypothalamus control the pituitary gland by stimulating or suppressing the hormone secretions. Pituitary Gland, the pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain just below the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland is the most important part in the endocrine system. The pituitary gland secretes hormones on the basis of the emotional and seasonal changes. The hypothalamus sends information that is sensed by the brain to pituitary triggering production hormones. The pituitary gland is divided into two parts: the anterior lobe and the posterior lobe. The anterior lobe of the pituitary gland regulated the activity of the thyroid, adrenals, and the reproductive glands. The anterior lobe also produces hormones such as Growth Hormone, to stimulate the growth of the bones and tissues. It also plays a role in the bodys absorption of nutrients and minerals. Prolactin, activate the production of milk in lactating mothers. Thyrotropin, stimulate the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones. Corticotropin, stimulate the adrenal glands to produce certain hormones. Endorphins, reduces the feeling of pain. The pituitary glands produces hormones that signal the reproductive organs to secrete sex hormones. The menstrual cycle and ovulation in women is also controlled by the pituitary gland. The posterior lobe of the pituitary gland produces anti-diuretic hormone that helps to control the water balance in the body. Oxytoxins that trigger the contractions of the uterus in a woman who is in labour is secreted by the posterior lobe. Thyroid Gland, the thyroid gland is situated in the front part of the lower neck that is shaped like a bow tie or butterfly. The production and secretions of the hormones of the thyroid glands are controlled by thyrotropin secreted by the pituitary gland. Thyroid produces thyroxine and triiodothyronine, that controls the rate at which the cells use up energy from food for production of energy. The thyroid hormones are very important as they help in growth of bones and the development and growth of the brain and nervous system in children. Over or under secretion of thyroid hormones lead to a number of thyroid problems in the body. Parathyroids, these are four tiny glands that are attached to the thyroid gland. They release the parathyroid hormone that helps in regulating the level of calcium in blood along with another hormone produced by thyroid known as calcitinin. Adrenal Glands, there are two triangular adrenal glands situated on each of the two kidneys. The adrenal gland is divided into two parts. The outer part called the adrenal cortex produces corticosteroids, which influence and regulate the salt and water levels. They are also helpful in the bodys response to stress, metabolism, immune system and the function and development of sexual organs. The inner part called the adrenal medulla, secretes catecholamine like epinephrine. This hormone is also called the adrenaline, which increases the blood pressure and heart rate when the body is under stress. Reproductive Glands or Gonads, the gonads are present in males and females and are the main organs producing sex hormones. In men, the gonads are related to testes. The testes are located in the scrotum and secrete androgens. The most important hormone for men testosterone is secreted from the testes. In women, ovaries are the gonads that are located in the pelvis region. They produce estrogen and progesterone hormones. Estrogen is involved during the sexual maturation of the girl, that is, puberty. Progesterone along with estrogen is involved in the regulation of menstruation cycle. These hormones are also involved during pregnancy. Pancreas, these glands are associated with the digestive system of the human body. They secrete digestive enzymes and two important hormones insulin and glucagon. These hormones work together to maintain the level of glucose in the blood. If these hormones are not secreted in the required levels, it leads to development of diabetes. Pineal, the pineal gland is located in the center of the brain. Melatonin is secreted by this gland that helps regulate the sleeping cycle of a person. Genetic System Genes are the basic units of hereditary transmission of characteristics. Heredity is the passing of traits to offspring (from its parent or ancestors). This is the process by which an offspring cell or organism acquires or becomes predisposed to the characteristics of its parent cell or organism. Through heredity, variations exhibited by individuals can accumulate and cause some species to evolve. In humans there are 23 pairs of Chromosomes which are located in the cell nucleus. Each person has 46 chromosomes, half from our mother and the other half from our father. The difference in the sex hormones is that Females have XX chromosomes while Males have XY chromosomes. This full set of genes in any organism is known as the Genome. No single gene determines a particular behaviour due to its complex traits involving multiple genes that are affected by a variety of other factors. But it share traits such as nurturing, cooperation, and altruism. These behavioural characteristics enhance t he survivorship of each species. Raquel Deering (2002) stated that a study performed by Harvard and MIT scientists involved the silencing of the gene responsible for coding of an important enzyme, CAMKII, in lab mice. Mutated mice were found to be unusually aggressive and daring. When placed in an open field, a mutated mouse would dawdle. However, when under the same conditions, a normal mouse would immediately run to the perimeter for cover. The atypical brazen attitude of a mutant mouse would make it much more susceptible to attack by prey in nature. Therefore, this trait is not frequently observed among mouse populations because it has been naturally selected against. A genetically influenced trait tends to be polygenic in characters involving many genes acting in concert to produce a certain response and also depends on the interaction of multiple gene sequences with environmental influences. These multiple gene systems are referred to as quantitative trait loci (QTL), reflecting their ability to quantitatively distribute phenotypic characteristics. The recently completed human genome sequence has greatly assisted the detection of QTLs and polymorphisms It must also be emphasized that genes do not directly dictate action, but rather are mediated by the proteins that they code for (Peter McGuffin, Brien Riley and Robert Plamin, 2001). It is necessary to examine not only the genes but also the assortment of proteins responsible for expression of particular traits (Joseph D. McInerney, 1999). It is anticipated that detailed analysis of the human genome will contribute to understandings about gene organization and transcription, and hence regulatory elements that control expression. By utilizing genomic and proteomic tools, the relationship between gene/protein and behaviour may be more accurately described. (Deering, 2002) Traditional research strategies in behavioural genetics include studies of twins and adoptees, techniques designed to sort biological from environmental influences. More recently, investigators have added the search for pieces of DNA associated with particular behaviours, an approach that has been most productive to date in identifying potential locations for genes associated with major mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Genetics and molecular biology have provided some significant insights into behaviours associated with inherited disorders. For example, we know that an extra chromosome 21 is associated with the mental retardation that accompanies Downs syndrome, although the processes that disrupt brain function are not yet clear. We also know the steps from gene to effect for a number of single-gene disorders that result in mental retardation, including phenylketonuria (PKU), a treatable metabolic disorder for which all newborns in the United States are t ested.(McInerney, 2008) The importance of biological perspective in achieving the goals of psychology The field of Psychology is the study of the mind, how it works, and its impact on thinking, behaviours, and our abilities to relate to our environment. Psychologists practice their craft based on different theoretical beliefs of behavioural causes but they all share similar primary goals which are Goals, Description, Explanation, Prediction, Change, Considerations and others have also recognised Observing and Improving as part of the primary goals. Biology has brought in brain and body structural understandings of typical and different types of people for understanding and brought about solutions in how to cure and treat the disorder. Researchers in biological psychology draw techniques and theories from related fields to identify the relationships between the activity of the nervous system and observable behaviour. Example high levels of testorones are associated with increased aggression (Dabbs, 1990 cited in Laura A. Freberg, 2006, pg.3). Biology in this case appears to be driving the behaviour and have helped in achieving goals in psychology through case studies, correlation studies, surveys, laboratory test and others to find the cause and solution for such problems. Researchers have also have brought about Imaging method to watch and identify the differences between how typical people and people with disorders/serial killers brain function by using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and etc . Theres also Recording method whereby it records electrical charges across their membrane using electrodes on the surface of the skull such as Single-Cell recordings and Magnet o encephalography (MEG). Theres also medicine prescribed to help control the fluids, hormones and etc in our body to maintain stability for future health reason. These methods are used to explain to the world how are persons behaviour is determined and what makes their thinking and character unique from others. Since the most important part of psychology is the brain, they must look for the help of biology, which is a sub-field that focuses on the brain movements. They also have found out the ancient histories of human bodies and how it has changed since then and also how will it change further in the further, also known as evolution, was all found out and brought to the worlds recognition and understanding through these biology. Its been stated that single cell organism appeared about 3.5 billion years ago and animals with very simple nerve nets developed about 700 million years ago. More complex animals with the first rudimentary brains, appeared about 250 million years ago and the first human brain probably appeared about seven million years ago (Calvin, 2004, cited in Freberg pg.54) and are using the samples of the ancient body parts to study, refer and relate to the present humans of biological factors and behaviours. Through many studies it has brought about cure and proper treatment plan for disorders or severe illness such as migraine, bipolar disorder, tumour, autism and etc also have predicted what may happen to a person in the futur e and are also still doing more research to study about learned and instinctual behaviours which are still are underlying questions in the world. Biology is the study of life. Without biology, we would have no idea about an organisms makeup or the most basic unit of life, a cell. It plays a very important role in our lives by teaching a person about body functions and how to take care of it. You have a better overall view when you know all areas of academic study. Likewise, you get to know the scientific method. Biology influences a person in many ways. Such as teaching why should we take care of the environment, why of our body, and a better overall view. As mentioned above environmental factors, body factors (genes and bodily functions), food all plays a role in determining and developing a persons behaviour and sometimes explanation is required to the world. Through these fundamentals brought in from biological perspective, it helped in achieving goals in psychology. (2599 words)

The Panama Canal Essay -- History Historical Essays

The Panama Canal In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt had a dream of a dominant America in both major oceans, connected by an American canal. With his inspiration, construction began on what has been called the largest project of any kind ever undertaken. Now that it is complete, the Panama Canal makes the world a much smaller place for ocean-going vessels of all sizes. Ideas for a canal across Panama have been in the works ever since the time the isthmus was discovered. In 1513, Vasco Nuà ±ez de Balboa crossed the 50-mile wide land bridge and claimed the water on the other side in the name of Spain. Shortly after, in 1534, a team was sent to survey possible canal routes that would follow the Chagres River, but it was deemed to be impossible to build at the time. There were no other notable instances of interest in a canal until 1848, when the California Gold Rush swept the United States. The Panama railroad was completed in 1851, and transported millions of dollars worth of gold and other riches from one sea to the next. In 1952, future president Ulysses S. Grant led the American Fourth Infantry across the isthmus and 150 of his men died of cholera in the jungle, inspiring him to commission surveys in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama during his presidency in 1969. The survey teams, which were supervised by the Secretary of the Navy, decided that a route through Nicaragua would be the best for a transcontinental canal (www.pancanal.com). Three decades later, President McKinley’s U.S. Isthmian Canal Commission would also favor the Nicaraguan route, but for reasons which will be discussed later, the Panamanian route was ultimately chosen. The only physical attribute of Panama t... ... On December 31, 1999 the Panama Canal was handed over to the Republic of Panama, ending United States influence there for almost a century. As it always has been, the canal is to remain neutral, safe, and open to vessels from all nations for as long as it is in operation. Although the circumstances by which the construction of the canal came about were less than diplomatic, the final state of the passageway represents a free and equal ideology for mankind. Bibliography LaFeber, Walter. The Panama Canal. Oxford University Press: New York, 1978. A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama. A WGBH Production In Association With The British Broadcasting Corporation. WGBH Foundation: Boston, 1999. The Panama Canal. http://www.pancanal.com/eng/history/index.html. Panama Canal Authority: 2001. CanalMuseum.com. http://www.canalmuseum.com. Ared Networks: 2002.

Positive Effects Can Come From a Lower Birth Rate Essay

In the not-so-distant past, there was a world wide effort to create zero population growth. The environmental uproar in the 1970s had scientists convinced that with 4 billion or so people on that planet, Earth had reached her carrying capacity. The basic premises was that there wasn’t enough room for all the people being born and that there definitely would not be enough room when we reached 2050 and a project population of 11 billion (Cohen, 1). Though the global warming predicts had not begun yet, there were huge concerns that the planet could not produce enough food for 11 billion people and that we would be consuming resources at such an alarming rate that world would die from too many people. Flash forward thirty years and now, industrialized countries across the world are expressing concern that they may have been too hasty in their condemnation of population growth. In fact, many are downright worried about their population declines or very slow population growth. They express concern that the economy will collapse as the burden of the elderly is too great for the younger generation to support and care for. Labor leaders claim there will not be enough people to do the work that needs done and others decry the trend as the true end of the British Empire and the dominance of Western Civilization as those are the countries with declining birth rates. The simple truth is that a low birth rate can be a positive choice for the industrialized world, if considered in the right light. This paper will look at some of the factors contributing to the declining population and the effects that are likely because of a population decline. To understand how this situation developed, it is interesting to review the last 900 years of human sexuality. In his essay â€Å"Two Successive Motivations for the Declining Birth Rate in the West†, Phillippe Aries argues that since the Middle Ages, the shift in societal norms had lead to the declining birth rate. The Church enticed people to a moral stance against pre-marital sex and as the economy evolved from largely agrarian to industrial and even retail based, the large family was no longer an economic necessity (646).   In an agrarian society, children were a source of cheap labor and a financial boon to their parents. The cost of feeding and clothing them was more than made up for by their assistance in earning the family sustenance. But as societies moved away from the farm, children became an expense. Indeed, Aries writes, the trend to significantly smaller families began in the Middle Ages and continued unabated until the Baby Boom after the end of World War II (647). The trend toward smaller families was also a sign of planning and forethought. It was assumed that a smaller family could even be considered a measure of self-control and â€Å"The fewer the children, the more care and attention that could be devoted to each† (Aries, 647) As society became more mobile and people were no longer trapper in the social class that they were born in, people chose smaller families with the idea that they could provide more opportunities for that smaller family and their children would have greater economic opportunity that they did (648). In addition, in the mid-1970s concerns about overpopulation ran rampant. By the mid 1990s, they were in crisis mode.   In Science magazine in 1995, JE Cohen wrote, â€Å"Earth’s capacity to support people is determined both by natural constraints and by human choices concerning economics, environment, culture (including values and politics), and demography. Human carrying capacity is therefore dynamic and uncertain.†Ã‚   (341). Though scientists argued about what that carrying capacity might be, they warned rabidly that if the exponential population growth were not stopped the capacity would be reached in our children’s lifetime if not our own. Further complicating things was an environmental movement   that claimed deforestation to turn the land into agricultural production as causing soil erosion and pollution faster than we could imagine. If the world growth continued unabated, the population would reach that carrying capacity much sooner because the Earth would be too polluted to sustain life. Even now, in An Inconvenient Truth Nobel Prize winner Al Gore points out that trees cut down to provide grazing land for cattle are contributing to global warming because the living trees would have cut carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Though Gore does not make the leap, it is there to behold. Too many people means more land devoted to food production which means fewer trees and faster global warming. With all that in place, it is no wonder then that people chose to have smaller families or no families at all. And that is where the new scientific debate and political nightmare began. The United Nations reports that 75 percent of the industrialized nations of the world have reached zero population growth including the United States and most of Western Europe. The population of Britain is still growing at a very slow rate, largely due to immigration, but in Germany and Japan the total population has begun to decline. This has thrown social scientists into a tizzy. They complain that there will not be enough workers to take all the jobs that are needed; they claim the workers will no longer be able to meet the tax demands of their nations; and they claim that a declining number of young people will mean that there is no one around to care for the Baby Boomers as they get older.   Not surprisingly, many of these doom and gloom predictions are written by Baby Boomers. Instead, it might be nice to focus on the positive benefits of population control. A smaller population will mean simple things, like less congestion on the highways and fewer people in the one open checkout line at the grocery store. But those are the incidental effects of a lower population growth. The key benefits of a smaller population are: better access to education, less pollution and therefore less global warming, and more job opportunities. For a decade or so, Americans have been decrying overcrowding in the school systems as a factor in school performance.   In 2003, CNN reported that overcrowding was causing a boom in the temporary classroom business and states across the nation were taking steps to reduce overcrowding (CNN, 1).   With a declining birth rate in the industrialized nations, fewer children will need to be educated and the student to teacher ratio will decrease. That will lead to more individualized attention for each student and better learning opportunities. In addition, as those children get older, instead of being able to raise prices and keep students from going to college, colleges and universities will be forced to compete for students. The reality is that smaller class size throughout the educational process will mean that all students are getting a better education, not just the ones who can afford private school or the ones lucky enough to be talented an attract a teacher’s interest. Furthermore, as the population seeking a college degree decreases second-class universities with questionable accreditation will be driven out of business and the top academic talent will mass in good schools providing good educations. As simple as it sounds, another advantage of a smaller population will be less pollution. Gore’s movie and other studies of global warming indicate that one of the significant contributors to greenhouse gases are personal vehicles. If there are fewer people, there will by simple logic be fewer cars and fewer cars mean that fewer greenhouse gases are emitted. And, fewer people means less need for food, so some farmland could be returned to forest or converted from vast corporate farms to sustainable small farms which produce healthier food and fewer pollutants. The rain forest of the Amazon River Basin could be left as rain forest with no need for more cattle to feed the world’s desire for beef consumption and the demand for electricity would fall as there were fewer people using it. As the demand for electricity falls, older, fossil fuel burning electric plants could be shut down or replaced with newer, cleaner burning generation facilities. The ultimate proof of the effect that the population has on the environment can be observed today in India. â€Å"Environmental pollution is one of the serious problems faced by the people in the country. Rapid population growth, industrialization and urbanization in country are adversely affecting the environment. (Nagdeve, 2).   India has polluted its sacred rivers and begun poisoning itself, creating a severe lack of potable water because of its overpopulation.   Many of the pollution problems come quite simply from human excrement. There are insufficient sewage facilities and the sewage contaminants the ground water, leading to environmental collapse. With 1.1 billion people, India is the second most populous nation in the world and is being destroyed by its high birth rate (Nagdeve, 33). In China, the world’s largest population has become the primary source of greenhouse gases and is polluting the world at an alarming rate. Though they have instituted some population control measures, the population is so large now that until some of it dies off or moves to other areas, overcrowding and pollution, as well as poor access to resources will continue to be their plight. By far the most concerning aspect of the low-birth rate to most the industrialization nations is the impact it is likely to have on the economy. Naysayers claim the smaller populace will be unable to meet the needs of the elderly population, will be unable to meet the tax burden placed on them by their parents and grandparents and will not be able to meet the employment needs of the country.   The arguments are complicated and may have a grain of truth in them, but are not the forgone conclusion that they are assumed to be. First, there is the issue of meeting the needs of the elderly populace. This is in many ways a self-serving argument of the Baby Boom generation the reality is that in the United States, a third of the workforce is now over the age of 55. â€Å"Because of an aging population and declining growth of the labor force, human resource policies are changing. Companies are offering incentives to keep older workers working past retirement age. Older workers can sometimes replace the lack of younger employees. Opportunities like flextime, part-time, temp work, job sharing, and extended vacations are becoming more common for employees of all ages. Businesses are learning that people of all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, and backgrounds can be good workers† (Johnson, 1) Many of the Baby Boomers are living to ripe old ages and will need long term care, but it also means they are staying in the workforce longer.   And, they are better able to care for themselves than any previous generation of retirees. In addition, society has seen this short-term boom in the elderly population coming and ahs planned for it. Retirement communities and apartment complexes make care for the elderly much easier than in previous generations. Since they are all located in one area instead of being spread out in various private homes, the number of people needed to care for the elderly is greatly reduced. Second, there is the question of the tax burden, again a selfish notion of the elderly that the younger generation should have to support their Social Security needs even though it is an unrealistic expectation.   Unfortunately, instead of working as Franklin Roosevelt had planned and being a supplement to a personal retirement plan, Social Security has become the only retirement plan for many Americans and the government has continued to bail out failed retirement plan after failed retirement plan, usually due to poor fiscal planning or malfeasance on the part of those overseeing the plan. The simple reality is that the elderly cannot continue to rely on the government to meet all their needs and it is likely that in choosing to have fewer children they chose not to have the financial support of a younger generation. Aries argued that they shouldn’t need the financial support family or the government because of their decision not to have a large family.   He argued that with the money people saved by not having a family, they should be able to pay for help when they reach retirement age (Aries, 629). While this inability to deal with the tax burden is a valid concern, it can also be viewed as a great opportunity. Many people complain that the current government system is messed up and the tax plan unfair, but no one seems to be able to do anything about it.   Though a collapse of the economic structure is an extreme way to bring about change, it is a valid way and one that may have to be considered in the near future. Finally, the argument against low-birth rates is that the there will be insufficient people to work the jobs that need doing. This is perhaps the weakest argument of all. Do we really need a Starbucks on every corner and a McDonald’s two doors down?   The reality is that the economic market will correct itself.   Fewer people available to do the jobs will mean that high school and college students are able to find part-time work again and it will mean that the unemployment rate will drop. Regardless of the opportunity, there will always be some degree of unemployment either voluntary or temporary, but with greater opportunities available, more people will have better economic opportunities. Yes, some low-paying jobs may go unfilled. If that happens, the need will equate to the job growth. Like the tax issue, it will probably mean a restructuring of societal values. If more people are need in the medical field to care for the elderly and society places a higher value on that then serving coffee or flipping burgers, society will adjust to the loss of mass market coffee and fast food. After all, less than fifty years ago, fast food was barely thought of. Fast food and poor paying retail jobs were not always a vital part of the American economy and if there is a labor shortage, they might be gone again. If there is a shortage of labor, society will adjust and fill the positions that it most needs. Some economists have argued that with a smaller labor force, economies could collapse as the total productivity level of a nation is decreased, but historical analysis shows us that this too may be a made up fear and an irrational prediction. In an essay regarding the impact low birth rates will have on the economy, William H. Reid, writing for the Journal on Extension said that history shows that our most productive times in history were when the population was smaller. For example, he said, right after the Black Plague productivity in Europe skyrocketed (Reid, 1). The idea behind the increase was that people had something to work for and out of necessity worked hard to get it. He further argued that while overall productivity might be down, wages will be up as employers compete for qualified staff. That will mean that the economy will be booming. The simple truth is that zero population growth was a good idea twenty years ago and that has not changed.   The great majority of opposition to it in Europe and North America is in fact a form of xenophobia, a fear that if other parts of the world outbreed the locals, the local way of life will be destroyed. If analysts were honest and admitted to this fear, there might be more action taken on it. By hiding their fears in other â€Å"concerns†, they miss a chance for honest discourse on the effect that a huge Indian and Chinese population will have on the world. They miss the opportunity to take real action to address the overpopulation concerns of India.   Allowing more people to emigrate from overcrowded areas to less crowded areas will cut down on the demands on the resources of individual nations and improve the quality of life around the globe. However, so many areas are insular and afraid to share their land or way of life with anyone of a different culture. If the industrialized countries were at least willing to admit that, there arguments might have more standing in the world’s eyes. The reasons why the birth rate in the industrialized world is dropping are numerous and debatable.   Aries suggested that another reason why the birth rate is declining is that people no longer see a way to make the world a better place for their descendants. Whether it is a fear of nuclear annihilation or global warming, many people are concerned that the world will not be a great place for the next generation and have decided against having children (469). Others have decided to keep the money for their own happiness instead of spending it on a child and some simply wait longer than they meant to and find they unable to have children. Whatever the reasons for the declining birth rate, it is a fact of life in Europe and North America. Those nations can simply decide how to live with the consequences or, as they have in parts of Europe, take extreme action to reverse the course. In Japan and Germany where the population is already beginning to decline, the smaller population had coincided with an economic growth period. Whether this is simply coincidental is hard to tell at this point, but history seems to tell us that the chances are good that a deckling birth rate does not spell doom and gloom and the end of the world. Instead, it will like lead to a period of greater education for the average person, a cleaner environment and a booming economy. It may also lead to revolutionary thinking as the countries that have always had plenty of people to do their menial tasks have to consider other alternatives, such as an open border with Mexico so that there are more workers, or allowing a mass immigration from India, to relieve overcrowding there. Whatever the solution, it will require scientific and political minds meeting together and honestly discussing the wants and fears of Europe and North America and their desire to change them. In the end, the best consequence of a declining birth rate might be a further globalization of the world. Areas in the Far East and the Indian subcontinent with population problems will need to find more space and Europe and North America will have to find more workers. If the struggle be worked through and the prejudices and fears overcome, then the best thing that could come from a lower birth rate would be an international melting pot with everyone working together for a better planet, better economy and a better life. WORKS CITED Aries, Phillippe.†Two Successive Motivations for the Declining Birth Rate in the West† Population and Development Review > Vol. 6, No. 4 (Dec., 1980), pp. 645-650   November 20, 2007. Cohen, JE â€Å"Population growth and earth’s human carrying capacity† Science Vol.269, Issue 5222, Summer, 1995, p. 341-46. â€Å"Ending overcrowding in California Schools†Ã‚   Policylink < http://www.policylink.org/Research/SchoolOvercrowding/> November 20, 2007. Johnson, Kelly. â€Å"The Effects of a Declining Birth Rate on the Labor Force† < http://cber.cba.ua.edu/rbriefs/ab_jan98.html> November 20, 2007. Martin, Steve P. â€Å"Diverging Fertility among U.S. Women Who Delay Childbearing Past Age 30† Demography , Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 2000), pp. 523-533 November 20,2007. Nagdeve,   Dewaram. â€Å"Environment and Health in India†Ã‚   presented to Asian Context at Bangkok, Thailand, June 10, 2002. < http://www.iussp.org/Bangkok2002/S09Nagdeve.pdf> November 20, 2007. â€Å"Overcrowding Fuel Boom† CNN.com < http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/06/02/classsize.portables.ap/index.html> November 20, 2007. Reid, Walter H. â€Å"Will Declining Birt Rates creates a Crisis?† Journal of Extension (Summer 1988), Vol. 26, No. 2 , November 20, 2007.   

FAHRENHEIT 911 Essay - 1158 Words

The title of quot;Fahrenheit 9/11quot; is a play on the title of the famous Ray Bradbury novel, quot;Fahrenheit 451quot; in which society has been transformed into an authoritarian, repressive regime, in which subversive ideas are crimes and books are burned. In the book, a lonely protagonist is awakened to this reality and joins the struggle to keep underground dissidence alive. In Michael Moores movie, he leads an above-ground assault on the Bush Presidency, questioning his legitimacy, his character, abilities and, most of all, his attempt to fight terror through the war in Iraq. And similarly, his method of attack is by trying to bring to light the facts that those in power have tried to suppress. Just like every Moore movie, it†¦show more content†¦And it takes on an insidious character when the misrepresentation, misinformation, and lies about weapons of mass destruction are exposed. The feeling we get is that theyre trying to paint over themselves and their policies. Moore also tries to reinforce the early image America was getting of the President, before 9/11: a man who bumbled and misspoke, whose ideas and agenda were almost none of his own doing and who, when tragedy struck, remained dumbstruck without anyone to tell him what to do. Whats most scary about the images of Bush is just how transparent it is that hes saying things he doesnt understand fully and how forced his attempts to stay on message seem. Perhaps we would all do and say stupid things if a camera followed us around all day-and Moore is an expert at finding and exploiting just these instances-but this is hardly reassuring. Moore also suggests that Bush didnt do enough to go after Bin Laden because of his family connections. The fact that the US sent in over 100,000 troops into Iraq and only 11,000 into Afghanistan to search for Bin Laden is certainly a telling statistic. But the movie labors to show business connections between Bush and Saudi Arabia, which might be relevant as one fact among many, but by spending so much time emphasizing it, it feels like an ad hominem attack: the Saudis come off looking demonized, as if it was bad to be friends with Saudis. Bushs connections are suggestive of ill-motives but do not form aShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Michael Moore’s Treatment of His Subject Matter within the Documentaries Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9112328 Words   |  10 PagesAnalysis of Michael Moore’s Treatment of His Subject Matter within the Documentaries Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 911 â€Å"A documentary may be as a film or television or radio programme that provides factual information about a subject. Typically, a documentary is a journalistic record of events presented on screen.† The main conventions of documentaries tend to be that the documentary has voice-over commentary; the main focus is on the issues rather than relationshipsRead MoreEssay about Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 4511129 Words   |  5 Pages Literary Criticism of Fahrenheit 451 Don’t worry, be happy, or at least that’s what everyone in Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451 thought. No matter what was going on around them, war, crime, or death, they were always happy†¦ Or were they? Ray Bradbury wrote books about censorship in society forming around being censored totally or partially from books and television. In Fahrenheit 451 the main character, Montag, is a fireman whose job it is to burn books to keep the public from reading then andRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury1352 Words   |  6 Pagesappallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. Back then there was very little technology that was controlling humanity. Today, phones are captivating societies around the world. Based on this, what will happen in the future? Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, portrays a world where technology goes too far. Throughout the novel, Bradbury proposes the idea of mindlessness of mass culture. It is a warning to societies ever ywhere because one day that could be the reality. The definitionRead MoreEssay on The Films of Michael Moore1579 Words   |  7 Pagesbullets completely. Getting Kmart to stop selling bullets doesn’t mean that you are going to prevent kids from going somewhere else to buy them but Michael Moore is a big advocate on the fact that you have to start somewhere. In his documentary Fahrenheit 911 Moore shows his political stance while presenting serious issues in a humorous way. He opens people’s eyes to scandals and corruption within the government. 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