Funding For Space Exploration Philosophy Essay

Funding For Space Exploration Philosophy Essay July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong takes the first steps on the moon. All it took was 170 billion dollars in todays money to put a man on the moon. Mankind does not need to explore further than the moon. Neil Armstrong once said This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Forget giant leaps for mankind, NASA is a giant machine for spending money. This fact is backed up by the humiliating failure of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, a $278 million package which blasted off from Vandenberg air force (DeGroot 2). Considering the debt that America struggles with in right now, NASA and space exploration is not the main priority. The United States government uses an excess of funds to explore outer space in an attempt to find other forms of intelligent life, they use too much tax money that can be put to better use, and many of the astronauts are at risk due to human spaceflight. A large portion of tax-payer money goes to NASA so that they can attempt to explore the unknown of space. Much of the money that NASA wastes on space exploration could be put to a much better and productive use. The United States government needs to focus on recovering their own planet before they discover others. Money that goes to NASA causes the national debt to increase. Instead, that money should go towards paying off the debt, or even fixing problems with unemployment. Back in the 1960s, when planning to put the first man on the moon, 58% of Americans opposed spending the estimated $40 billion or an average of about $225 per person required to send a person to the moon. Only a third supported the plan (Nasa Funding n.pag.). Many of the United States citizens opposed the plan because they knew that it should not be our main priority and it is a very large amount of money. The citizens were knowledgeable of how all of that money could benefit the country. In 2004, President Bus h presented Congress with a $2.4 trillion budget blueprint for the 2005 fiscal year (Nasa Funding n.pag.). The budget for the 2005 year is an extreme amount and there is to explore the depth of space when humans barely know their own planet. A vast amount of the Earth remains undiscovered which gives no reason to worry about space. Given the knowledge that humans have, there could exist absolutely nothing in space besides rocks and meteors. Earth is possible the only planet that sustains intelligent life. Scientists have searched the vast emptiness of space since the first moon landing in the 1960s. Although, in 40 years of searching, we have detected no such signal. In 1967, we thought we had one, but that turned out to be the entirely natural signal of a pulsar (Murray 2). Assume that NASAs scientists continue searching and finally reach their goal of discovering intelligent life 200 years into the future. More than $8 trillion will have gone toward that goal judging by the drasti c increases of NASAs annual budget from the years 2003 to 2009 (Returning to the moon n.pag.). However, intelligent life may not even exist on other planets, so all the hard work and money will go to waste if NASA does not find any aliens. In December of 1993, NASA embarrassingly sent astronauts into orbit to repair the Hubble, which cost taxpayers and extra $629 million. Due to this incident, NASA was put to blame for their incompetence and using billions in federal funds without accountability (Nasa Funding n.pag.). NASA has the ability to just soak up federal funds and tax money to fix their mindless mistakes. The plans of the space program to send men into space may endanger their well-being. Earth is a perfect habitat for mankind, which gives humans no reason to leave. Margaret Haerens writes, Animals never leave a comfortable habitat for a harsh one, unless they are forced to (Haerens 2). Haerens compares the astronauts to animals and how the astronauts should not leave Earth when they are perfectly find where they are. Space can kill humans very rapidly without a spacesuit. Astronauts willingly put themselves into space where they know if anything goes wrong they will die instantly. Haerens also writes that, Our vertebrate ancestors did not come ashore hundreds of millions of years ago because they decided to boldly go where no fish had gone before (Haerens 2). The author says that the race to the moon and outer space is foolish and just because an area has never been explored does not mean that someone should explore the area, which relates back to how in nature, animals never leave a favorable environment for a poor one. The fact that the presence in space negatively affects the human body reinforces why humans should not leave Earth. Scientists have discovered that prolonged weightlessness does terrible things to the bones and circulatory system. If God wanted us to live in outer space, we wouldnt have balancing systems in our inner ears (Haerens 2). Humans have evolved and adapted to live on Earth, if humans were meant to live in space, they would have adapted to suit the harsh conditions of space. Iain Murray writes that alien life is completely unknown to the human race and humans have no idea what aliens are capable of. Aliens could have the potential to completely wipe humans off the face of the earth (Murray 1). If aliens actually exist, no one knows what they have the ability to do. They could be very powerful and dominate humans and imperialize the planet, Earth. Although, aliens may be able to assist humans with space travel if we ever encounter them. However, there are many reasons that support space exploration, such as the risk of mass extinction that happens on Earth forcing humans to migrate to other planets. In the case of a mass extinction, humans must find a plan B in order to survive. Haerens talks about the possibility that the human race has to move from Earth to avoid a mass extinction. Possibly, in 500 million years, the sun may slowly boil the oceans and incinerate the Earth. Natural disasters are not the only possibility for a mass extinction, other epidemics such as climate change and overpopulation can also cause mass extinctions. Haerens also writes that the chances of an epidemic of such colossal size that it can cause a mass extinction are pretty low. However, an asteroid of sufficient size could cause the extinction of humans as it did the dinosaurs (Haerens 3). Earth may soon become over populated with humans; therefore, the human race must find other planets to make sure that mankind will live on. Jerry DeGr oot notes that Stephen Hawking has argued about how the human race must colonize other planets to ensure mankinds long-term survival. The Earth is indeed doomed, but where will all the civilians go? When comparing Mars to Antarctica, Antarctica seems like a paradise (DeGroot 2). It seems logical to desire to colonize other planets since if the human race becomes extinct, all of mans achievements and accomplishments over time would be gone. Space travel has a high chance of happening, humans will eventually learn to harness the energy of space as the cavemen learned how to harness the energy of fire. Enthusiastic supporters of the space exploration argue that exploring outer space is the next step in human evolution. Scientists believe that the colonization of other planets, beginning with the moon, should become a long-term human goal. Scientist also argue that colonizing the moon helps humans learn how to live on Mars by learning how to live with conditions of the moon first (Retur ning to the Moon n.pag.). One day a devastating event will happen to the Earth and change the course of life and only space colonization can save it. Although space exploration can greatly benefit the progression of mankind, it depletes a large part Americas resources and funds. Instead of humans trying to find intelligent life, they should leave them to find us. The billions of dollars that are used each year to fund space exploration could greatly improve everyday life on planet Earth. The American government funds NASA with a plethora of money in order for them to discover the unknown of the universe and much of the funds comes from tax-payers. Also, the astronauts are exposed to the outside threats of space which put them in dangerous situations. Perhaps, one day, once Earth has achieved a utopic state, humans can fund a space program that will discover extraterrestrial beings.

Experimental Drug Therapies for the Treatment of Wet-Type Age-Related Macular Degeneration :: Medicine Medical Disease Papers

Experimental Drug Therapies for the Treatment of Wet-Type Age-Related Macular Degeneration In a society where technology has lengthened the average lifespan, age-related disorders present new treatment challenges. In the United States, senior citizens over the age of 65 account for 21% of the population (US, 2001). This group of people will experience changes in their perceptual systems as they age, making it harder for them to function. Some of these changes will occur systematically and naturally, while others will result from disease. In the case of vision, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment in the elderly population (Levin, 1997). Experts estimate that ten million senior citizens over the age of 75 suffer with AMD, approximately one third of Americans 75 and older (Levy, 1999). AMD attacks the retina of aging eyes and is found in two forms. The most common form diagnosed is dry-type AMD. In this disease, accounting for 85% of all AMD diagnoses (Thompson & Daniels, 1998), the layers of the retina deteriorate and thin in the fovea resulting in severe vision loss in the central line of vision. Often, fat deposits, called drucen, develop and further impair vision. Wet-type AMD makes up the remaining 15% of AMD diagnoses and progresses more rapidly and painfully than dry-type AMD. This form of AMD is responsible for severe visual impairment in 90% of all AMD cases diagnosed (Gisele & Bressler, 2001; Thompson & Daniels, 1998). Although dry-type AMD does not usually predict wet-type AMD, between 10-20% of patients with dry-type AMD eventually develop wet-type AMD (Gisele & Bressler, 2001). Wet-type AMD is characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV), or the growth of new blood vessels in the layers of the retina (Gisele & Bressler, 2001). Not only do these new capillaries impede vision by blocking incoming light, they also leak blood into the surrounding tissues causing further damage. Currently, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved two treatment techniques for wet-type AMD (Yam & Netting, 1999; Visudyne, 2000). Researchers first developed photocoagulation, a procedure utilizing lasers to cauterize new capillaries and seal leaks. Unfortunately, this treatment is only useful in approximately 10% of patients who seek it and, while photocoagulation does decrease vision loss, the results are only short-term and the risk of damage to nearby photoreceptors is high (Gisele & Bressler, 2001; Yam & Netting, 2001; Thompson & Daniels, 1998). The most recently approved treatment option is verteporfin photodynamic therapy, a two-step treatment approved by the FDA in 2000 (Visudyne, 2000).

Mergers & Acquisitions Paper Essay

Mergers and acquisitions is an important aspect of corporate strategy, finance and management. This is done with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities. It can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector as well as the new sector it just acquired without the hassle of creating a subsidiary from scratch. This activity is on the rise worldwide. According J. Finnegan in â€Å"Global Mergers and Acquisitions Activity Continue to Rise† article, this increase has been accompanied by the return of mega-deals (value exceeding $10 billion) driven primarily by large multinational corporations flush with cash in the U.S. Two of the biggest acquisitions in 2012 are from the Energy Industry and Tech industry where Duke Energy Corporation acquired Progress Energy Inc. and Google acquired Motorola Mobility. I) Duke Energy Corp. acquired Progress Engergy Inc. According to Yahoo finance, in the first case in the energy industry, when the merger was announced on January 10, 2011, the transaction value totaled $26 billion, including Progress Energy’s debt. Currently based on Duke Energy’s share price and including Progress Energy’s debt, the transaction is valued at about $32 billion. Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) announced that it has acquired Progress Energy Inc., effective July 2, 2012. The original Duke Engergy includes Duke Energy International, which operates power plants in Central and South America; Duke Energy Renewables, which develops and owns wind and solar projects in the U.S.; and Duke Energy’s Midwest generation and Duke Energy Retail, which generate, market and sell electricity in the Midwest. Now, the new entity has nearly $49 billion in market capitalization, total assets more than $100 billion and 7.1 million electric users in the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The transaction makes Duke Energy the largest U.S. utility and increases its ability to build new power plants to meet future greenhouse-gas emissions limits. Earlier, Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (EXC) was the largest U.S. utility. The new company would be known as Duke Energy with headquarters in Charlotte, and substantial operations in Raleigh, North Carolina. Duke Energy would trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol â€Å"DUK†. Pursuant to the merger deal, Progress Energy has become a wholly owned direct unit of Duke Energy. On a standalone basis, Duke Energy had an adjusted earnings per share guidance range of $1.40 – $1.45 for 2012. Under the terms of the merger agreement, each share of Progress Energy common stock has been converted into the right to receive 0.87083 shares of Duke Energy common stock. Due to the effect of the 1-for-3 reverse stock split, which was completed related to this merger transaction, this guidance range is the equivalent of $4.20 – $4.35 per share. The combined company continues to target 2012 adjusted earnings per share range of $4.20 – $4.35. The reverse stock split is designed to reduce the number of outstanding Duke Energy shares. The merger is expected to keep the company’s long-term goal of 4% – 6% growth in good shape. Overall, their strong balance sheet, ongoing capital expansion projects and an above average dividend yield are very good signs that this merger and acquisition is working well for them. II) Google acquired Motorola Mobility One of the world’s most valuable brand name in the tech industry is Google, Inc. – a silicon valley native company. Founded in 1988 out of a garage, it has now become the largest and most popular search engine on the Internet. Its strong growth is credited to its creative, think outside the box and risk-taking culture. In recent years, it has been involved in a lot of new ventures and mergers and acquisitions with different industries to expand its operation. One of its new product is the Android operating system offered for free to smartphone manufacturers to compete with the Apple iphone’s iOS system. Google has also been trying to produce and release its own smart phones but hasn’t met much success. In addition, it is facing the risk of many lawsuits relating to pattern with Apple. So in smart and bold move, Google has decided to acquire phone maker Motorola Mobility and completed this deal in May 2012 for a whopping $12.5 billion which makes it the largest Google acquisition ever! This will definitely push it deeper into the fast growing cell phones industry. Motorola Mobility used to be a strong player in the cell phone industry but in recent years, it has struggled and suffered constantly. As its line of smartphones has waned in popularity, Motorola Mobility has suffered losses totaling $1.7 billion during the past three years while Google has earned a total of $25 billion over the same stretch. The acquisition is largely a defensive one from Google’s perspective. Google needs Motorola’s trove of 17,000 cellphone patents (plus an extra 7.500 that are awaiting approval) to defend Android phones against lawsuits by Apple, which accuses them of copying iPhone features. It’s now playing in Apple territory. Buying Motorola gives Google the ability to control both hardware and software, by making its own integrated smartphones and other devices. Under the term of the acquisition, Google will acquired all outstanding common shares of Motorola for $40 per share and transaction costs were $50 million. Out of the 12.4 billion total purchase price, goodwill takes up to $2.6 billion, patterns takes up to $5.5 billion with only $670 million to other net assets. Although it initially was drawn to Motorola Mobility for its patents, Google has been signaling recently that it has been drawing up more ambitious plans for Motorola Mobility. Besides producing smartphones and tablet computers, Motorola Mobility also makes cable-TV boxes that could provide Google with a springboard for delivering more of its services, including advertising, to living rooms. References Goldman , David. â€Å"Google seals $13 billion Motorola buy.† 22 2012: n. page. Print. . â€Å"Google completes $12.5B acquisition of phone maker Motorola Mobility after China clears deal .† 22 2012: n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. . Finnegan, Jim. â€Å"Global mergers and acquisitions activity continues to rise.† 24 2011: n. page. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. .

Brown Vs. Board Of Education Of Topeka - 1600 Words

Brown Vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was a huge American milestone throughout history, as it began the longstanding process of trying to deplete segregated schools and creating racial equality. This event marked the beginning of racial integration, starting with the schools. Many people failed to understand that segregated schools were not equal in quality, which further created tension among the African-American families and started many movements. When this case became headline news it was deemed important due to the fact that if passed then all public schools would have to integrate. This court decision created enormous controversy throughout the United States because of the simple fact that some people believed that this†¦show more content†¦Supreme Court unanimously outlawed racial segregation in public schools. The court decision, besides the reality that many endeavors had been taken by African Americans to ban racial segregation, came hardly surprising. Sti ll, the prohibition of school segregation stirred up many different hot debates all over the country, but many met this debate with strong opposition, violence, and push back in the South, where the law had just mandated all schools to be integrated. An Black writer who was noted for his overall ability at using narratives and arguments with an intermix of public and private experiences by the name of James Baldwin, also joined the army of critics. In one of his famous pieces, â€Å"Down at the Cross,† he cites the Supreme Court ruling as an example to help magnify his view of the Whites being reluctant to give anything to their Black counterparts during Cold War politics. While Baldwin may have a more increased authority than many outsiders today on any discussion pertaining to the African American experience in the 50s and 60s, he, as a product of this era of intense racial hatred, can hardly be considered to have an overall objective point of view. Many have praised the na me of this court decision because it created equal rights for all children and ended segregation, but in reality that is the furthest thing from the truth. When the finalization of segregation being ended became world-renowned it then put more pressure on the African-American womenShow MoreRelatedLinda Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka Essay1174 Words   |  5 Pagestransportation. It also denied intermarriage, among many other hindrances inflicted by this legislation. 2 While Jim Crow was blatantly incongruent with the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of the full benefits of citizenry, it was justified by the Plessy vs. Ferguson Case of 1896 in which the Supreme Court upheld Louisiana’s Separate Car Act, requiring racially segregated railroad facilities, under the condition that such facilities were equal. This â€Å"separate but equal† doctrine was quickly, and legallyRead MoreThe Psychological Identity Of Black Children During The Historic Brown Vs. The Board Of Education Of Topeka1871 Words   |  8 PagesKenneth Bancroft Clark are best known for their â€Å"doll studies,† and the use of their findings regarding the effects of racism on the psychological identity of black children in the historic Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case, which lead to the determination that separate but equal education for black students was unconstitutional. Mamie Phipps Clark was born April 18, 1917 to a middle class doctor from Hot Springs, Arkansas (Gibbons Van Nort, 2009, p. 29). Because of her father’sRead MoreBrown vs Board of Education600 Words   |  3 PagesThe Brown vs Board of Education as a major turning point in African American. Brown vs Board of Education was arguably the most important cases that impacted the African Americans and the white society because it brought a whole new perspective on whether â€Å"separate but equal† was really equal. 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Board of Education The case of brown v. board of education was one of the biggest turning points for African Americans to becoming accepted into white society at the time. Brown vs. Board of education to this day remains one of, if not the most important cases that African Americans have brought to the surface for the better of the United States. Brown v. Board of Education was not simply about children and education (Silent Covenants pg 11); it was about being equal in a society thatRead MoreBrown vs. Board of Education Essay1490 Words   |  6 PagesBrown vs. Board of Education Ever since the founding of the United States of America, blacks have continuously been considered inferior to the white race. In the year of 1954, a substantial advancement in the fight for equality for blacks was prevalent. Countless prominent leaders of the United States realized the injustices that the blacks were forced to endure daily. Stated blatantly in the Declaration of Independence, it is said that all men are created equally. Disregarding the opinions of theRead MoreBrown V. The Board Of Education1136 Words   |  5 PagesBrown v. The Board of Education Topeka, Kansas, 1950, a young African-American girl named Linda Brown had to walk a mile to get to her school, crossing a railroad switchyard. She lived seven blocks from an all white school. Linda’s father, Oliver, tried to enroll her into the all white school. The school denied her because of the color of her skin. Segregation was widespread throughout our nation. Blacks believed that the â€Å"separate but equal† saying was false. They felt that whites had more educationalRead MoreOutline Of A Speech On History And Education846 Words   |  4 PagesSegregation in Education General Purpose: To Inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about one of the most notorious eras in politics and education. Thesis: â€Å"Brown V. 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