The Tourism In Nepal Tourism Essay

The Tourism In Nepal Tourism Essay Situated between China and India lies the small land-locked country of Nepal. Slightly larger than the state of Arkansas, Nepal contains eight of the worlds ten highest mountain peaks making it a popular destination for adventurous tourists. Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world. The countrys population reached more than 21 million in 1994 yet the per capita income is one of the worlds lowest at $160 a year. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over ninety percent of the population. Nepal is also a producer of cannabis for both the domestic and international markets as well as the transit point for heroin into the West. With the growing number of tourists, however, the Nepalese Government is trying to exploit this resource as well. One Nepalese ecologist says There are now three religions in Nepal Hinduism, Buddhism, and tourism. The influx of tourists has had dramatic effects on the environment and on the local commu nities who come into contact with the tourists. It is no longer uncommon to find discarded rubbish along the trekking trails. Just as common is the soil erosion during the monsoons as a result of severe deforestation, also caused by tourism. Tourism is not only the goose that lays golden eggsit also fouls its own nest, says a Nepalese scientist. The Nepalese portion of the Himalayas was long remote from the main pathways of international tourism. The first Americans and Europeans did not enter the region until 1950. Up until 1964 only mountaineering expeditions were permitted to visit the area. In 1971, scarcely one thousand visitors came to visit. A decade later five times that number visited, and by the end of the 1980s tourists numbered more than 8,000 annually. In 1993, the figure was closer to 300,000. The Nepalese Government hopes to attract a million people within the next ten years. More than ninety percent of these tourists are trekkers, coming mostly from the United States and Western Europe, but also from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. With the steady stream of visitors, at least $60 million in foreign currency has been generated each year. One person who is fearful of what this may do to the local cultures and to the environment is Sir Edmund Hillary, now 75. Hillary believes that explorers have an obligation to protect the very things which they come to marvel. He was a driving force behind the creation of the Sagarmatha National Park and has established a trust which builds schools, hospitals, clinics, bridges and water systems for the Sherpas, whose culture is threatened the most. Most tourists come to Nepal to trek through the mountains. Trekking may be arranged by a service and done in a group or on ones own. Group treks are typically prearranged and paid for abroad or in the capital city of Kathmandu. The other alternative is to trek individually without the services of a trekking company. Individuals instead rely on the villages along the way for food and lodging. About one-half of the trekkers who come to Nepal, come with commercial groups. These treks generally last between twenty-two and twenty-five days. A trek for twelve clients will contain a support staff of approximately fifty members. Because these groups pay to make arrangements, little money goes to the local communities. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that only 20 cents of every $3 spent by an average trekker each day reaches village economies. The rest goes for goods imported from outside, notably the West. Individual trekkers, however, rely upon local guides and families. This means that more money is dispersed to the local communities. Regardless of how one travels, the environment and local communities are affected. Mountain trekking is part of a new type of tourism called adventure tourism. Adventure tourism attracts people who desire to see exotic and unknown places, primarily in the developing world. Adventure tourists, the name given to tourists who seek this type of tourism, are searching for authenticity. This means that the mountain treks are slow journeys which pass through the landscape, allowing time to explore both nature and village life. The core problem is that the environment and communities begin to change as a result of their newfound popularity. The local cultures become influenced by the presence of the trekkers and become modernized in their own way. Hence, they are no longer considered authentic and new ever more remote locations must be found. The idea behind adventure tourism is that the more remote a location is, the more it is desirable. This means that unless precautions are taken, degradation will inevitably occur. Perhaps the most visible impact of trekkers on the Himalaya is the growing amount of rubbish left behind. Galen Rowell wrote of the Himalayas, The solitary splendor is dazzling until I glance down at my feet. There, frozen into the ice cap of Tharpu Chuli, lies a miniature garbage dump; discarded candy wrappers, film cartons, plastic bags, wads of tissue, and half-empty food cans, all of it left by foreign climbing groups. It is a familiar and sickening sight to old Himalaya hands the growing pollution of a priceless heritage. It is estimated that over the past forty years, eighteen tons of garbage, from tin cans and beer bottles to oxygen tanks(this does not include such items as abandoned helicopters) have been dumped on Mount Everest alone. (The helicopters are a new form of tourism, called Sky Treks, for those who do not desire to hike up the mountains. Tourists instead ride helicopters to the top of the mountains, take their pictures, and then return to the bottom again.) Other estimates place the accumulated rubbish at fifty tones which will cost approximately $500,000 to clean up. A second, and perhaps greater problem than all of the rubbish, is deforestation. Many visitors come to Nepal expecting to see massive forests along the slopes of the Khumba. They do not come expecting to find Western amenities. Often the reverse is true. Western amenities assault the visitors in the teahouses and guest lodges they find along the trails while the forests are all but gone. Over the years, the influx of tourists has encouraged changes in the use of forests for fuel wood and construction materials. The forests have typically been used by the Nepali for fuel wood. However, the consumption rates between Nepalis and tourists greatly differs and this is where the problem lies. The demand for fuelwood from tourists has always been a concern for the park planners, administrators, and managers. They consider fuel-wood use by mountaineering and trekking groups to be one of the main environmental threats to the parks. It has been estimated that four times as much fuel wood is needed to cook a meal for a Western tourist than for a Nepali due largely to differences in diet. Add to that the fuel wood needed for the daily hot showers and for the bonfires to keep them warm and the impact on the forests is devastating. One trekker alone consumes five to ten times more fuel-wood than one Nepali. In addition to the trekkers who are consuming gross amounts of fuel wood, there are also the estimated 150,000 guides, porters, cooks, and other support staff who are traveling with the trekkers and who need fuel wood as well. Massive amounts of fuel wood are needed by the teahouses and guest lodges as well. More and more people are staying in the lodges and the number of lodges has quadrupled since 1976. The lodges and teahouses may use up to four times as much fuel wood a day as does a locals household. Others have estimated the amount of fuel wood used by one trekker per day to be more firewood than the average Nepali uses in an entire week. By 1979, the park authorities of Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park were beginning to see how extensive the deforestation, as a result of tourism, was becoming. As a result, they banned the use of wood for cooking and bonfires. All expedition and trekking groups now must use kerosene stoves to cook. However, there have been no restrictions on the fuel-wood used by loges and teahouses. This must surely change if the country wants to preserve the forests it still has remaining. In the Annapurna Conservation Area, a program was created to link conservation and development benefits, through tourism and involving the local people. The program helped the local lodge owners see the benefits of halting deforestation. While the trees did provided needed fuel wood, their elimination would destroy the beauty that many of the visitors came to see. The program organized lodge owners and all agreed to honor a requirement that trekking expeditions had to bring in their own kerosene. As a result of the burgeoning influx of tourists, the Nepalese Government began to establish wildlife reserves, national parks, conservation areas, and hunting reserves in 1976. The first three of these protected areas are recognized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) now the World Conservation Union. One of the most famous conservation areas is the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) created in 1986. ACAP was designed to minimize the negative impact from tourism and promote conservation and the socioeconomic development of the region. ACAP is unique in that it calls for the participation and management by the local people. The project is based on the belief that properly managed tourism can bring benefits both to the land and to the people. Tourists are regarded as partners in fulfilling the goals of biodiversity conservation, cultural revitalisation and sustainable economic development. ACAP managers and developers believe that mountain trekking is a form of education which can be used to benefit the Annapurna region. In addition, the trekkers provide much needed revenue that can be used for further conservation and development programs. Most tourists come to Nepal either during the cool, clear days of October and November or during the secondary peak season that extends from March through early May. Tourism has contributed in depletion of forest resources in Nepal. It was estimated in one report that per capita fuel wood consumption per individual tourist and group tourist was 5.5 kg and 18.5 kg respectively. Economic Data Industry output was $60 million may be as high as 75% concentration in some areas. Tourism provides the single largest source of foreign exchange for the countrys development plans and the largest source of employment besides agriculture for Nepali nationals. Tourism is also the major source of employment for many residents. Employment from tourism is seasonal as a result of the weather. Most people employed by the tourism industry work only four or five months a year. It also varies from community to community depending on the popularity and location of the village. For most family members, the income is earned through trekking as guides, leaders, cooks, porters, and kitchen crews. During the expeditions the Nepalis hired to assist trekkers are fed, lodged, and provided with equipment so they return home with all of their earnings. Employment in trekking has been predominate for men but the number of women earning income from trekking is on the rise. There has also been an increase in the employment and income generated from the establishment of tea houses along the trekking route. An increasing number of tourists carry light day packs and eat and sleep in the lodges for just a few dollars a day. A frequent complaint among the tourists is the lack of sanitary facilities. Sagarmatha National Park, the park which encompasses Mt. Everest, is getting a bad reputation as a result of all the trash. It is ironic that it is the tourists who are causing these problems, yet they believe that it is up to the park authorities to alleviate them. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that if present rates of deforestation continue, Nepals forests will be gone by the year 2000. This is troublesome not only because of the soil erosion and habitat loss which result, but also because 86 percent of Nepals energy comes from its forests. CULTURAL IMPACTS The influx of tourists have had a significant effect on the local communities, especially the Sherpas (a Nepali ethnic group) who live around the trekking routes. The culture of the Sherpas has been changed as well as the structure of the local economies. When the first trekkers came to Nepal, the Sherpa paid little attention to them. Now that the numbers have increased and the Sherpas services are in demand (Sherpas have historically acted as guides, leaders, cooks, porters, etc.), trekking has encouraged a get-rich-quick mentality. The result has been a decrease in agricultural production, since it generates less income, and a decrease in school attendance, children dream of becoming guides and drop out of school the moment they get the chance to join an expedition. The Sherpa see money now when they see a white face. Villages are also becoming more dependent on cash rather than the traditional means of barter and reciprocal labor. This has meant that villages are changing from being self-reliant into beingdependent on tourist dollars and outside resources to meet their daily needs. More and more agricultural fields are left fallow as more men are leaving to seek wealth from tourism. This means that more food must come from outside and that there is less of it, causing higher prices. The higher prices are a hardship on those families who do not have income from tourism. Other traditions are disappearing such as the custom of drinking Tibetan salt-and butter tea. The price of butter makes this drink nearly unaffordable and the supply of tea is uncertain since trade has also been disrupted by the beckoning wealth of tourism employment. The Sherpas have not saved or invested any of their income generated from tourism. Rather, they have spent it on Western items, further degrading their traditional culture. Trekking Sherpas, as they have come to be known as, have discarded their traditional dress for imported hiking boots, colorful wool sweaters, and down parkas. The division of the village into trekking Sherpa and non-trekking Sherpa has resulted in the creation of a new type of class. Whereas there were always class divisions in the past, all of the people dressed and lived in a relatively similar manner. Today donning the Western wear, the trekking Sherpa and his wealth is easy to distinguish from a farmer. Another affect of tourism is that local crafts are dying out. These crafts can not generated the same amount of income as tourism and the supplies needed are harder to obtain. The Sherpa now have access to cash, hence they are now able to purchase manufactured items rather than make their own. Wool is one item which has become scarce, hence layers of cotton must be bought and worn to keep warm. Trekking is one of the highest paying employments in Nepal today. The wealth available from this job draws many youngsters out of school and into tourism. Teaching and government jobs, once considered very prestigious, are no longer desirable since they do not provide the same income as trekking. It is ironic that many youngsters are leaving school since one of the qualifications needed today in trekking is knowledge of spoken and written Nepali and English. The youngsters may be even more valuable if they would continue their education rather than leave after a few years. It is also ironic that the Sherpa do not enjoy the trekking. To them, climbing is simply a high-paying job. The trekking Sherpa are also forced to reflect the image projected upon them by the Western visitors. The Sherpa wear masks, having a public side for the world to see and a private side which is true to themselves. It is hard for the Sherpa, who work twenty-four hours a day, to maintain the public mask. Some Sherpa see themselves partly as actors and entertainers. It is only when the trek has ended that they may unveil themselves and engage in drinking binges and general hell-raising that may go on for days. Finally, there is the disruption to the family life. The men are often away from the home ten months of the year. Many of the trekking Sherpa who are married, keep another woman in the cities where they stay in-between treks. Other Sherpa are enticed by the forward gestures of Western women, who often initiate the affair. A number of Sherpa women have lost their husbands or fiancà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡s to foreign women. Perhaps a far greater concern is the loss of life. The decreasing number of young men has meant that many women are burdened with raising the children and with the responsibility of the farm-work. The young unmarried women are also disadvantaged since there are fewer young men. One must begin to wonder if it is justifiable to endanger the lives of the Sherpas so that others may enjoy themselves.

Employment trends affect Gail Hunter and Selsdon Park hotels Essay

Identify and describe external and internal influences that affect human resources planning. In your discussion relate how each factor might affect human resources within your chosen organisation. Selsdon Park Hotel Introduction: The role of a HR manager is to recruit and train new employees into a business. The business that I am looking at is Selsdon Park Hotel. One of the main roles of the hr management is to employ people into the company. This is called induction training. External influences: external influences are things that affect the human resource manager every day but things that are out of the human resource manager’s control. So all this external influences affect the human resource manager which affects the hr planning Economic Climate: At Selsdon Park Hotel the economic climate will change due to many external factors that may affect the company. This may include government laws coming into play, weather and many other natural factors. Also within many businesses there is a changing money climate will also affect the running of the businesses, the changing money climate would affect the job of Selsdon Park Hotel Resource manager. The changing money climate would affect the HR managers job because of many factors, this include interest rates and training new staff. This could lead to the hotel not having the correct staffing and then the slower running of the business. The stock market could play a part in this. For example in a poor economy many customers would have less disposable income. Selsdon Park Hotel with the lost of many of its customer would be making less profit which would lead to reducing non-essential staff. High and low interest rates would also have an effect on the economic climate which would infl uence the human resource planning. With higher interest rates people would have less disposable income and vice versa. Consumer Trends: Money within any business would depend on the selling of rooms at Selsdon Park Hotel. There are many factors which affect the consumer trends. This includes the amount of leisure time they customers have. Often in many the companies the higher your role in that organisation the less leisure time you have. Many companies do tend to aim a lot of there higher priced holidays at people with larger disable incomes which include senior managers etc. Also with the introduction of the internet the selling of holidays has increased greatly. Instead of people waiting around for hours in travel agencies, it is easier and less hassle to log onto the internet and choose your holidays online. Also you get the best deals on the internet. With the travel agents, they do tend to try and sell you the most expensive holidays but online you can get some great flight deals with Ryan air. This affects the job of the human resource manager because the manager must adjust and adapt to the trends of the consumer. And to adapt to the liking of the consumer the Human Resource manager must make sure that the employees within the business are up to date with new procedures implimented by HR. Employment trends Employment trends affect Gail Hunter and Selsdon Park hotels HR department greatly. Many people go for jobs which are seen as popular at the time. For example many students other the summer holidays like to have holiday rep jobs in Europe or would try to find jobs in hotels doing the summer also. This could affect the staff planning of Hail Hunter because there is a lot of competition in the area for hotel staff. These include Croydon Park hotel, Jury’s Inn and the Hilton hotel .Selsdon Park Hotel would have to make sure that there positions at waiters look more desirable through there advertisement and job description through the recruitment department. State of the industry: The state of the travel and tourism industry affects the job of the Human Resource Manager a lot. This is because if a new resort or destination becomes available for customers to visit the HR manager would have to train thier staff to so they can market the destination to the customers. Also with new technologies the HR manager would have a larger budget and then would be able to employ a larger work force or give out incentives to current employees Skill shortages: As in many companies there may be a shortage in the skills needed to do a specific job. This may be because the company may not be able to find a suitable applicant and may have to put someone else with similar or not the desired skills in there place. Taking this action may lead to slow running of the company and stress being put on the staff below and on the level of these staff members. At Selsdon Park you have to get through specific process to become an employee in the business. Gail Hunter who is Selsdon Park hotels Personnel Manager or Human Resource Manager would have to select applicants and short list them down to the top 50. There are many skills needed. For example to become a Selsdon Park Hotel waiter you must have obtained the following skills first: Ideally you would need to have at least two years experience within this role, preferably within the hotel environment or quality restaurants. You must be a team player with good supervisory skills to enable you to assist in the day to day running of the kitchen and to ensure that a first class service is provided to our guests. You will be required to cook to a minimum AA one rosette standard. The hotel has a busy restaurant, extensive banqueting and a successful pub operation . There are a number of requirement that u need to become a member of Selsdon Park hotels staff. These are as follows * Experienced in a customer services environment & comfortable in a selling role * Physically fit with a good attendance record in your current position * Hard working, flexible & willing to operate on a shift roster * Over 18 years of age * Of normal vision (contact lenses acceptable) * Able to swim well * In possession of a valid EU passport * Fluent in English (both written and spoken) * Ideally possessing knowledge of a second European language * Prepared to work unsociable hours, any day of the year, at any time including weekends * Ready to meet the challenge of dealing with people and demanding situations * Friendly and outgoing with a lively personality As you can see from the skills required Selsdon Park hotel ask a lot from people who want to join there team. As the Human resource manager, you would have to go applications and cvs to try and find the best persons for the job who fit the criteria needed. With many applicants who do not have the skills required but who are accept on the job through a interviewing basis may need extra training, and may have to go on training courses. This would take a slice out of Gail hunters Selsdon Park hotels Human Resource manager’s budget. Location issue: The locations of Selsdon Park hotel may be a problem for the human resource planning for the hotel. This is because of the accessibility of the skilled staff the company needs to the airports are poor. This is when the human resource manager would have to decide carefully the most skilled staff they need for the hotel and how much out of the budget they would have to get. Also with people who live an extremely long way from the hotel there are living quarters on site which they could use. Competition for employees: When looking for specific employees needed to do a job in Selsdon Park hotel there may be external competition from other companies to employ this person also. For examples if there is a shortage of waiters companies within Croydon may all try to compete for the same person. These hotels include Croydon Park hotel and juries inn. Each of these hotels will advertise them selves in such away and would try to make them seem better to work at then the other one. They would try and sell there business to the potential employee. They would mainly do this through advertisement. Selsdon Park also has a website http://www.principal-hotels.com/hotels.asp?hotelid=2&pageid=12 which explains jobs available and the pros and benefits of the job. Weather: Natural factors like the weather can also play a big part in the decisions of a HR manager. If the weathers get very serve and spoils the activates they have planned for the day outside it is up to the HR manager Laws: Also there are many laws which affect the role of the Human resource manager. These include laws and regulations that the manager has to go by. When selecting and employing people into the business the HR manager at Selsdon park hotel has to look go by the following laws. This are: 1 Equal opportunities law 2 Race relation act 3 Sex Discrimination act 4 Equal pay act Each of these acts must be follow by law and if these acts are not followed it could lead to an industrial tribunal. This laws and acts are in place to help the HR manager at Selsdon Park hotel not hinder them. If all this laws are followed correctly the HR manager would select the best person for the position applied regardless of race or sex. Internal Factors: Staff Turn Over: Within an organisation there is a number of staff they employ. In many companies like Selsdon Park Hotel they try to limit the amount of staff turn over. This is because of the costs that the company would be paying out in redundancies to the employed affected if Selsdon Park hotel does not have a valid reason. Staff turn over is a term used by a business to describe the coming and leaving of people within the company. The higher the staff turn over the more the business would suffer because the coming and leaving of people would use up resources needed by the HR manager and would also affect the businesses productivity Responding to consumer trends in terms of products and services: It is also the job of the human resource manager to respond and cater to the consumer trends in the products and services of a company. In Ryan air they would analysis the best selling product and also see why the other flight packages are not selling. They would look at there flight prices and compare them against other short haul flight providers in Europe. Staff Turner Over, Career Moves: Staff turn over is to do with the number of staff leaving and joining a company. It is the job of Selsdon park hotels human resource manager Gail Hunter to make sure they have the lowest amounts of staff turner over. This affects the human resource manager because it is his job to employ people to work in the company who have the right skills needed to perform the job correctly. Any human resource manager with a large amount of staff leaving and coming into the business would have a lot of work on there hands. This would be because they would have to go through job interviews and selection processes. Doing all this would take up a lot of the manager’s time so it is the human resources mangers job to make sure everyone in the company is well catered too, and are also satisfied with there job. Sickness rates and Absenteeism: Human resource managers have to monitor the sickness and absenteeism in the company to make sure no one is taking to much time off and also whether to give out sickness pay which if a lot of people are off at one time would take a large slice out of the HR budget. Organisational structures, staff roles and responsibilities: It is the job of Gail Hunter to monitor the organisational structures and staff roles in Selsdon Park hotel. The organisational structure is the structure that controls a company and dictates who you report to and who reports to you. A group of people for example cabin crew are control and overseen by a team leader which in turn reports to customer relations manager. This hierarchy is critical in the business so that all the employees know there jobs and rolls. Laws: There are lot of laws which Selsdon Park Hotel must follow to make sure of the smooth running of the business. Because Selsdon Park hotel is also a restaurant and serves food they must follow the food safety Act 1990. This act requires that owners and operators of food businesses take all reasonable precautions and exercise due diligence to ensure that they comply in every respect with current food legislation. Another thing which is tied to the food laws is personnel hygiene which when handling food must be very good with long hair tied back and also hats worn when preparing food. Source: Principal Hotels employee handbook Age of Employees: Also the age is a main factor which companies have to be aware of. They can’t employ anyone under the age of 16 by law or the company could be prosecuted. Also many companies try not to employ women of a certain age. This is usually 20-30. Companies should not do this but they do because women at these ages are more likely to have children. So if a company employs a large amount of women at this age they would have to pay out maternity leave if they have children within this time. Training Organisation: It is the responsibility of Gail Hunter the Director of Human Resources at Selsdon Park Hotel to make sure all her staffs are trained well. The organisation must make sure the new employee in training noses about hazards and risks within the workplace. It would be the job of the training person to tell the trainee the hazards and risks within the workplace and also to deal with them. These hazards may include: 1 Torn or ripped carpets 2 Broken furniture 3 Overloaded sockets 4 Loose flexes 5 Trailing cables 6 Overloaded tables/shelving 7 Spillages 8 Broken Glass 9 Rubbish accumulating Most of these hazards seem simple and straight forward but when entering a new workplace the simple list of tasks may seem daunting .Another thing they will teach the new employee would be risk assessments. Risk assessments are where hazards are identified and the risk is identified from this hazards. The new employee is also told where the first aid boxes are so that if an accident does happen they can quickly deal with it. In Selsdon Park Hotel the first add boxes are situated: 1 Housekeeping department 2 Kitchen 3 Reception 4 Room Service 5 HR 6 Greens department 7 The Restaurant 8 Conference and Banqueting Vale try Source: Principal Hotels employee handbook The HR and staff are very important to the business. This is because the HR department manage the staff to make sure they are proforming well and that their needs are catered to. It is also the job of the HR department to make sure that all the employees are up to date with all the new legislation and laws implemented to company. Also HR has to make sure that all the employees are trained well. This is so important because when in the eye of the customer the employee has to know what they are doing when taking down bookings and other such things. The lack of training could lead to the company loseing large amounts of money and also customers who would look for other organisations. If all staff are trained well and know what they are doing the performance of company is going to be better, and also the employees will feel more confident when dealing with customer service and company situations.

Deception Point Page 104

Where's Michael? She didn't see him. Her panic lasted only an instant as a new fear descended. Overhead, the Triton's shredded winch cable let out an ominous whipping noise as the braids unraveled. Then, there was a loud snap, and Rachel felt the cable give way. Momentarily weightless, Rachel hovered above her seat inside the cockpit as the sub hurtled downward. The deck disappeared overhead, and the catwalks under the Goya raced by. The soldier trapped in the claws went white with fear, staring at Rachel as the sub accelerated downward. The fall seemed endless. When the sub crashed into the sea beneath the Goya, it plunged hard under the surf, ramming Rachel down hard into her seat. Her spine compressed as the illuminated ocean raced up over the dome. She felt a suffocating drag as the sub slowed to a stop underwater and then raced back toward the surface, bobbing up like a cork. The sharks hit instantly. From her front-row seat, Rachel sat frozen in place as the spectacle unfolded only a few feet away. Delta-Two felt the shark's oblong head crash into him with unimaginable force. A razor sharp clamp tightened on his upper arm, slicing to the bone and locking on. A flash of white-hot pain exploded as the shark torqued its powerful body and shook its head violently, tearing Delta-Two's arm off his body. Others sharks moved in. Knives stabbing at his legs. Torso. Neck. Delta-Two had no breath to scream in agony as the sharks ripped huge chunks of his body away. The last thing he saw was a crescent-shaped mouth, tilting sideways, a gorge of teeth clamping down across his face. The world went black. Inside the Triton, the thudding of heavy cartilaginous heads ramming into the dome finally subsided. Rachel opened her eyes. The man was gone. The water washing against the window was crimson. Badly battered, Rachel huddled in her chair, knees pulled to her chest. She could feel the sub moving. It was drifting on the current, scraping along the length of the Goya's lower dive deck. She could feel it moving in another direction as well. Down. Outside, the distinctive gurgling of water into the ballast tanks grew louder. The ocean inched higher on the glass in front of her. I'm sinking! A jolt of terror shot through Rachel, and she was suddenly scrambling to her feet. Reaching overhead, she grabbed the hatch mechanism. If she could climb up on top of the sub, she still had time to jump onto the Goya's dive deck. It was only a few feet away. I've got to get out! The hatch mechanism was clearly marked which way to turn it to open. She heaved. The hatch did not budge. She tried again. Nothing. The portal was jammed shut. Bent. As the fear rose in her blood like the sea around her, Rachel heaved one last time. The hatch did not move. The Triton sank a few inches deeper, bumping the Goya one last time before drifting out from underneath the mangled hull†¦ and into the open sea. 126 â€Å"Don't do this,† Gabrielle begged the senator as he finished at the copy machine. â€Å"You're risking your daughter's life!† Sexton blocked out her voice, moving back to his desk now with ten identical stacks of photocopies. Each stack contained copies of the pages Rachel had faxed him, including her handwritten note claiming the meteorite was a fake and accusing NASA and the White House of trying to kill her. The most shocking media kits ever assembled, Sexton thought, as he began carefully inserting each stack into its own large, white linen envelope. Each envelope bore his name, office address, and senatorial seal. There would be no doubt where this incredible information had originated. The political scandal of the century, Sexton thought, and I will be the one to reveal it! Gabrielle was still pleading for Rachel's safety, but Sexton heard only silence. As he assembled the envelopes, he was in his own private world. Every political career has a defining moment. This is mine. William Pickering's phone message had warned that if Sexton went public, Rachel's life would be in danger. Unfortunately for Rachel, Sexton also knew if he went public with proof of NASA's fraud, that single act of boldness would land him in the White House with more decisiveness and political drama than ever before witnessed in American politics. Life is filled with difficult decisions, he thought. And winners are those who make them. Gabrielle Ashe had seen this look in Sexton's eyes before. Blind ambition. She feared it. And with good reason, she now realized. Sexton was obviously prepared to risk his daughter in order to be the first to announce the NASA fraud. â€Å"Don't you see you've already won?† Gabrielle demanded. â€Å"There's no way Zach Herney and NASA will survive this scandal. No matter who makes it public! No matter when it comes out! Wait until you know Rachel is safe. Wait until you talk to Pickering!† Sexton was clearly no longer listening to her. Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out a foil sheet on which were affixed dozens of nickel-sized, self-adhesive wax seals with his initials on them. Gabrielle knew he usually used these for formal invitations, but he apparently thought a crimson wax seal would give each envelope an extra touch of drama. Peeling the circular seals off the foil, Sexton pressed one onto the pleat of each envelope, sealing it like a monogrammed epistle. Gabrielle's heart pulsed now with a new anger. She thought of the digitized images of illegal checks in his computer. If she said anything, she knew he would just delete the evidence. â€Å"Don't do this,† she said, â€Å"or I'll go public about our affair.† Sexton laughed out loud as he affixed the wax seals. â€Å"Really? And you think they'll believe you-a power-hungry aide denied a post in my administration and looking for revenge at any cost? I denied our involvement once, and the world believed me. I'll simply deny it again.† â€Å"The White House has photos,† Gabrielle declared. Sexton did not even look up. â€Å"They don't have photos. And even if they did, they're meaningless.† He affixed the final wax seal. â€Å"I have immunity. These envelopes out-trump anything anyone could possibly throw at me.† Gabrielle knew he was right. She felt utterly helpless as Sexton admired his handiwork. On his desk sat ten elegant, white linen envelopes, each embossed with his name and address and secured with a crimson wax seal bearing his scripted initials. They looked like royal letters. Certainly kings had been crowned on account of less potent information. Sexton picked up the envelopes and prepared to leave. Gabrielle stepped over and blocked his way. â€Å"You're making a mistake. This can wait.† Sexton's eyes bored into her. â€Å"I made you, Gabrielle, and now I've unmade you.† â€Å"That fax from Rachel will give you the presidency. You owe her.† â€Å"I've given her plenty.† â€Å"What if something happens to her!† â€Å"Then she'll cement my sympathy vote.† Gabrielle could not believe the thought had even crossed his mind, much less his lips. Disgusted, she reached for the phone. â€Å"I'm calling the White-â€Å" Sexton spun and slapped her hard across the face. Gabrielle staggered back, feeling her lip split open. She caught herself, grabbing on to the desk, staring up in astonishment at the man she had once worshiped. Sexton gave her a long, hard look. â€Å"If you so much as think of crossing me on this, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life.† He stood unflinching, clutching the stack of sealed envelopes under his arm. A harsh danger burned in his eyes. When Gabrielle exited the office building into the cold night air, her lip was still bleeding. She hailed a taxi and climbed in. Then, for the first time since she had come to Washington, Gabrielle Ashe broke down and cried.

Human Genetic Engineering Is It Good - 1242 Words

Human Genetic Engineering: Is It Good? Ciabhan Moore Bellevue Big Picture Student s-moorec@bsd405.org Abstract – Human Genetic Engineering has always been an idea to enhance humans, whether that is to remove life-threatening diseases or give humans different abilities. To accomplish these tasks at hand, one needs to know the science behind what it takes to modify a human and both the positive and negative effects To know how Human Genetic Engineering works, one needs to know specific topics such as: †¢ What mitosis is †¢ What is DNA †¢ What is a chromosome †¢ The structure of DNA †¢ What meiosis is †¢ What a punnet square is in-depth †¢ What a mutation is †¢ Positives of it †¢ Negatives of it The data will also address the ethnics of Human Genetic Engineering and other subjects associated with Human Genetic Engineering. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. SCIENCE BEHIND 3. RECOMMENDATIONS 4. CONCLUSIONS 1. INTRODUCTION Throughout history humans have always had an ongoing battle between them and plague. Science has now found a possible way to defeat the ugly monster by the name of Cancer. Cancer takes lots of lives each year, now that there is a possible way to cure it, what are the positive and negative effects that it could have one humans. To start, what is cancer? Cancer is defined as unregulated cell growth. This means that cancer cells keep dividing without a limit. This dividing process is called mitosis. Mitosis is the last phase in the cell growth phase. During thisShow MoreRelatedGenetic Engineering : Medical Perfection Or Playing God1280 Words   |  6 PagesThesis Statement â€Å"Genetic engineering differs from cloning in key ways. Whereas cloning produces genetically exact copies of organisms, genetic engineering refers to processes in which scientists manipulate genes to create purposefully different versions of organisms—and, in some cases, entirely new living things†, duplication of genetic cells is known as human cloning. Development of genetic engineering biotechnologies undermines the natural autonomy of life. Does genetic engineering interfere withRead MoreWhy Genetic Engineering Is Morally Good Essay1251 Words   |  6 PagesDetermining if genetic engineering is morally good is only half the battle with this ethical issue. Regardless of whether morally good reasons are used to justify it, genetic engineering is an attempt to use human intelligence in order to try to overthrow God’s original creation or plan for humans. Scientist are trying to perfect his creation or change it. God has laid out the way things should happ en naturally and humans are attempting to overthrow it. A key word to note is â€Å"attempt† because ScotusRead MoreUtilitarianism and Genetic Engineering1581 Words   |  7 PagesUtilitarianism and Genetic Engineering In the past thirty years, humans are witnessing a huge revolution in the genetic engineering industry. Having identified most of the Human Genome, gene sequencing has become programmed and extremely fast, and laboratory techniques in molecular biology allow for in-vitro fertilization and transfer of genetic material. Gene therapy and repair based on stem cells research allows for replacement of a defected allele in the DNA, and even a whole damaged tissue inRead MoreThe Importance of the Wise Use of Genetic Engineering1025 Words   |  4 PagesHuman species has been suffering at the hands of disease since their genesis. Our relation with each other is such that if one suffers in pain, his suffering and pain touches rest of the humanity. It is now in our domain to use this new technology called Genetic Engineering to ameliorate human suffering and pain. We should make sure that this technology is only used for the betterment of human species and not selectively. It is indeed horrifyi ng to know that someone wants to use this as a toolRead MoreGenetic Engineering : The Field Of Human Biotechnology1490 Words   |  6 PagesGenetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is a set of techniques for isolating, transforming, multiplying and recombining genes from different organisms. Simply put, it is the process of manually adding new DNA to an organism. Genetic engineering originated in the 1970s as a result of the discovery of several key techniques in molecular genetics. It is also referred to as recombinant (rDNA) technology. Genetic Engineering enables geneticists to transfer genes between species that belongRead MoreHuman Genetic Engineering is Morally Justified Essay811 Words   |  4 PagesAffirmative—Human Genetic Engineering is Morally Justified When they are finally attempted†¦genetic manipulations will†¦be done to change a death sentence into a life verdict. In agreeing with this quote by James D. Watson, director of the Human Genome Project, I affirm today’s resolution, Human genetic engineering is morally justified. I will now present a few definitions. Human genetic engineering is the altering, removal, or addition of genes through genetic processes. Moral is pertainingRead MoreThe Controversy Of Genetic Engineering1369 Words   |  6 Pages Genetic Engineering, for most individuals not knowledgeable on the topic, conjures visions of sci-fi movies and humans being grown in a lab far off in the future. What more and more individuals in the early 21st century are coming to realize is that Genetic Engineering has already exceeded our wildest imaginations in a dark corner of a lab, outside of the view of the main stream public. Indeed, in 2017, genetic engineering is in full swing on both plant an d animal life. Only from hearingRead MoreEssay on Genetic Engineering is Unethical1154 Words   |  5 Pagesmaking money need not set the human condition ahead, neither does every scientific advance automatically make our lives more meaningful; (Wald 45). These words were spoken by a Nobel Prize winning biologist and Harvard professor, George Wald, in a lecture given in 1976 on the Dangers of Genetic Engineering. This quotation states that incredible inventions, such as genetic engineering, are not always beneficial to society. Genetic engineering is â€Å"altering the genetic material of cells and/or organismsRead More Genetic Engineering: Our Key to a Better World Essay1128 Words   |  5 Pages What is genetic engineering one might ask and why is there so much moral controversy surrounding the topic? Genetic engineering as defined by Pete Moore, is the name given to a wide variety of techniques that have one thing in common: they all allow the biologist to take a gene from one cell and insert it into another (SS1). Such techniques included in genetic engineering (both good and bad) are, genetic screening both during the fetal stage and later in life, gene therapy, sex selectionRead MoreEssay about Should Genetic Engineering Be Controlled by Law?992 Words   |  4 PagesShould Genetic Engineering Be Controlled by Law? â€Å"Just as the success of a corporate body in making money need not set the human condition ahead, neither does every scientific advance automatically make our lives more meaningful† ( Professor George Wald, Noble Prize winning biologist, The Dangers of Genetic Engineeering 1976, p.45) . Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an organism’s genes. It uses the techniques of molecular cloning and transformation to alter the