Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan

Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan The essay aims to investigate the issue of Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan, with particular emphasis on the meat traceability system adopted by the Japanese regulatory authorities and its implications for the Japanese food markets, its beef industry, and the hospitality industry. Presumably written in late 2005 or early 2006, some three years after BSE reared its head in Japan, the essay attempts to trace the events that led to the BSE scare in Japan and the responses adopted by the state and industry to cope with market and customer apprehensions. Essays, on specialised subjects like these, need to have reader friendly, grammatically correct structures that guide curious lay people through the complexities of unfamiliar issues in sequential logical steps; such efforts should be well researched, evidence clarity about the subject at hand, make good use of language skills and engage reader interest in the main and allied themes. BSE, better known as mad cow disease, emerged first in the UK in 1986, its manifestation in cattle being associated with a number of logical, as well as fanciful theories that included (a) force feeding of cattle, animals that are normally herbivorous, with meat or bone meal from semi-sterilised cadavers, and (b) import of meat meal, contaminated with human meat, from India (Jones, 2001)! Related to the presence of a misfolded protein called Prion in the brain tissues of cattle, BSE is known to make the brain of a cow a bloody mass of spongy tissue, followed by the certain death of the affected animal (Jones, 2001). Worryingly it is also known to infect humans who consume BSE tainted products (Jones, 2001). The disease first showed up in commercially reared livestock in the UK, and has since then been associated with more than 150 human deaths in the UK alone; its occurrence in the United States led to panic in Japan, a major importer of US beef, and thereafter to a number of protective and regulatory steps by the Japanese for ensuring the safety and quality of beef consumed in the country (Nottage, 2004). Whilst such background information would have been particularly relevant for establishing the importance of the topic, especially in light of the levels of global panic generated by the outbreak of BSE in the early 2000s, there is little of it in the essay; the author preferring to commence the study directly with the detection of the first BSE case in Japan in 2001 and the events that followed. With much effort having been given to providing technical details about Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease, (CJD) and its new variant, in the appendices to the essay, some elementary information about Prion, established to be the root cause of BSE, the substantial loss of human life, and the worldwide concern that arose, post the emergence of the disease, would have helped in driving home the need for governments to adopt stern regulatory measures and in putting the Japanese regulatory efforts in their proper p erspective. Ford’s book on the risks posed by BSE to mankind, which has otherwise been included by the author in the references, provides a graphic account of the dangers of BSE and the essay would have been well served by the inclusion of some of the highlighted risks.

Myth & Wrestling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Myth & Wrestling - Essay Example 4The belief that fighting as many views wrestling is a preserve for men because again many belief women to be soft and not able to tolerate the physical exchange involved. 1.12. Overweight wresting Traditionally, overweight was not believed to be a major cause for worry in many traditions. 5In fact many are the cultures that associate body mass with being a well to do person and therefore lack of it was interpreted to mean starvation or 'not doing so well'. The underlying belief was that in order to gain weight, one had to be eating well and conversely, eating well meant that one was having enough to spend on food. Such society was simple and technological advancement had not caught up with the people, having enough food to put on the table implied that one was meeting their basic needs and therefore were well to do. Therefore overweight was something, which the society treasured and valued, and therefore those overweight or with much weight were considered fit for wrestling and the other culturally viable tasks associated with it. Today, the myth about wrestling still remains albeit with some little new meanings to it. 6The connotation attached to wrestling is one in which wrestlers are viewed as tough, by being tough or purporting to be tough the society sees in a wrestler a champion, someone who is dependable, one who can protect some one who can sire an offspring, capable of defense, toughness as depicted is a virtue. Wrestling is the epitome of power, authority and control. The above are achieved through cohesion, use of force, blackmailing and manipulation. Toughness is to be adored, to be revered and at the same time to be countered with an equal measure of... The author of the essay "Myth & Wrestling" begins with that myth is the hidden set of rules and conventions through which meanings, which are in reality specific to certain groups are made to seem universal and given for a whole society. Myth can serve to precipitate fear, to uphold status quo, to guide and serve as a road map towards cultural believes and practices. Wrestling, applied to myth can take the three different meaning so that several cultural values are attached to it. These may include masculinity as many cultures attach or connect masculinity to protectionism, the way wrestling is contacted makes clear that the society is agreeing to by spectating acts depicted in wrestling, whether fictional or real , in a wresting game, value of the masculinity the ingenuity with which wrestlers ruthlessly handle each other is a clear sign that, in wrestling there are deeper meanings. Just to emphasize masculinity, contesters are usually heavy and well build. Culturally a man underweight would never pass for wrestling auditions. It is almost un-ethic to even think about wrestling if one does not confer to the se values and standards. Myths for a long time has determined and chatted the way forward for man, this is evident in the way different meanings as embedded to different actions, tries and objects. Myths play and will continue to play a very positive role in the society. Currently the mystery in myth especially in wresting provides a better and deeper meaning which is essential to understand cultural meanings.

Four Principles of Individual Decision Making Assignment

Four Principles of Individual Decision Making - Assignment Example But in order to purchase a television we have no other way, but to give up some money. In economic terms it is said that â€Å"There is no such things as a free lunch†. The second principle says that the cost of something is what we give up to get it. For example, consider a person forced to give up $ 200 for purchasing a television the cost of that television would be $ 200. If another person spends $ 300 on an advanced television the cost of that television would be $ 300. Suppose a person exchanges a television for a mobile phone, the cost of the television and the mobile phone would be equal. In short, cost of a commodity is determined by the sacrifice we did to achieve it or gain it. The third principle says that whenever rational people purchase something they will think of the margins they may get. In other words rational individuals compare the marginal benefits and the marginal costs before taking a purchasing decision. Suppose a person think of purchasing some gold as an investment. The prices of gold goes on increasing at present and a rational person know that if he invests in gold now, he will get more benefits in the future. At the same time he has another option of investing the money as term deposits in banks. But the marginal benefits received from banks as interests might be less than the marginal benefits gets from the gold investment. In other words the decision to select one alternative over other depends on the marginal benefits associated with both of them. The fourth principle says that people may respond to incentives. For example, buy one get one free is a common sales strategy adopted by many manufacturers. When we go to shopping, we often see advertisements like that. A person visiting a shopping mall for purchasing a particular brand of shirt may change his decision if he sees the advertisement of another branded shirt in which they offer one free shirt of same quality for every purchase of a new shirt from them. Thus incentives may often influence the decision making of individuals.