Benefits of Genetic Engineering

The article I've read is headlined "Benefits of genetic engineering".
It was written by Anju Shandilya and published online on theBuzzle.com on July 2.

The purpose of the article is to enlighten readers about genetic engineering, to make them see the benefits of it and stop treating it only negatively.

The author starts with the definition of genetic engineering and a brief history of this technology. In short, GE is a set of technologies that are used to change the genetic makeup of cells and move the genes from one species to another to produce new organisms. The technology in it's present form is pretty young and has been around for approximately 25 years.

The author states that there are many social consequences that are associated with genetic engineering, that makes the overall risk or benefit assessment very complicated.

Further, Anju presents the list of the most promising fields of GE. It covers five topics, below is the brief review of each of them:

Human cloning. Mammals have already been successfully cloned (the sheep, named Dolly, for example) and the human genome project has been completed. Although, this has not been done today, genetic engineering has the potential of creating new types of human beings with many advantageous traits.

Medical Treatment. In humans, the most promising benefit of genetic engineering is gene therapy which is the medical treatment of a disease wherein the defective genes are repaired and replaced or therapeutic genes are introduced to fight the disease.

Pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical products, created by cloning certain genes, are far superior to their predecessors. One of the prominent examples is the bio-insulin which was earlier obtained from cadavers.

Pregnancy Cases. Genetic engineering is also a boon for pregnant women who can choose to have their fetuses screened for genetic defects. The latest term coined is 'Designer Babies' wherein the couple can actually choose the features of the baby to be born!

Agriculture. The field of agriculture too greatly benefits from genetic engineering which has improved the genetic fitness of various plant species. The common benefits are increase in the efficiency of photosynthesis, increasing the resistance of the plant to salinity, drought and viruses and also reducing the plant's need for a nitrogen fertilizer.

The author further points out some of the most upfront benefits of genetic engineering. The most interesting and perspective among them are:

- Genetic engineering helps in the process of bio remediation which is the process of cleaning up waste and pollution with the help of living organisms. Certain bacterial sequences are manipulated to transform waste into ethanol, so that it can be used as a fuel. 
- Genetic engineering has helped lower the overall usage of herbicide and pesticide. 
- Genetic engineering has helped with the production of vaccines and other drugs in plants. 
- Genetic engineering has helped produce quicker and more predictable way of generating new cultivars. Further, the cultivar properties are better known today than it was ever known before. 
- Genetic engineering has produced very useful genetically modified breeds which can tolerate factory farming without any suffering. 
- In humans, genetic engineering is used to treat genetic disorders and cancer. It also helps in supplying new body parts. 

In conclusion the author saysthat it is also very important to understand "the boundaries to which the human race can push itself and stop before man starts playing the role of God."

I found the article very informative and interesting. And I think that everyone has to know this, because it's not only connected with our future, but with our present as well - a great part of the products we consume nowadays are "genetically modified". And we have to know what stands behind these words.

Vladimir Putin refuses to speak to Turkish president over Ankara's lack of apology

   Nowadays almost everyone keeps track of events taking place in Russia and in the whole world. It’s obvious because so many things have happened lately and, surely, so many tribulations have been brought to people by the Islamic State. So I decided to do research on the topic «Foreign policy» and I found the article where is talking about the latest news. 

   The headline of the article I've read is «Vladimir Putin refuses to speak to Turkish president over Ankara's lack of apology». It was written by Raziye Akkoc and Roland Oliphan and published on line «The Telegraph» in the issue from the 27th of November in 2015. The purpose of the article is to give the reader some information on the relations between Russia and Turkey.

   The authors start by telling the reader that the confrontation between the two countries deepens and Vladimir Putin has twice refused to take calls from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, until he apologises for a Turkish warplane shot down a Russian military jet on November 24. Besides, Mr Erdogan said that Mr Putin was “playing with fire” following Russian authorities’ arrest of 39 Turkish businessmen for visa violations on Thursday.

 The authors write about the worst crisis in relations between Ankara and Moscow since the cold war. Further Raziye Akkoc and Roland Oliphan report on visa regime for entering Russia for Turkey from January 1, 2016. However, it will not impact Russian tourists who visit Turkey without visas each year unless Ankara imposes a reciprocal ban. Also the authors point out that the Turkish airforce decided to suspend missions over Syria in order to ease tensions with Russia. Further the authors tell about Mr Putin’s opinion that Turkey bought oil from Isil. Moreover, Russian president added that Ankara had "stabbed Russia in the back". At last, according to the article, Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Russian president of slander.
  All in all, I found the article interesting because it’s an actual problem. In my opinion, this situation is very difficult. I hope that this conflict between Russia and Turkey, the countries which had such good relations, will be resolved in a peaceful way as soon as possible. It’s very important to improve this relationship because there is a tense atmosphere around the world and Russia needs more allies.
  And the question for my groupmates is "Do you think that Russia and Turkey will come to common decision?".

'Public perception is changing, but it's still used as a term of abuse'

Schizophrenia ...For many people It sounds like a stigma. "Schizophrenic" is a synonym of the final, the end of existence, uselessness to the society. Is it so? Alas, with such an attitude It will be. All the unknown scares. A patient suffering from schizophrenia, by definition, an enemy of society, because the surrounding are afraid and do not understand what the "Martian" is next.

The headline of the article that I’ve read “Living with schizophrenia: 'Public perception is changing, but it's still used as a term of abuse'”. The article is written by Victoria Lambert. It was published on line "The Telegraph" in the issue from the  27th of November in 2015.  The purpose of the article is to give the reader some information on the life of Alice Evans who suffers from schizophrenia.

The author starts by telling the reader that 10 years ago Alice starts to suffer from  hallucinations. She describes her illness that it likes a horror ‘You could describe the experience as being like the moment you wake up from a really vivid dream, and for a few seconds you feel as though you are still in the dreaming reality. Only for me, of course, the images are usually nightmarish.’

Further the author reports that public perceptions of schizophrenia tend often to focus on people’s fear of sufferers and what they might do to others, ratherthan on sympathy for the plight of schizophrenics themselves.

Victoria writes that at the age 20 Alice was studying drama at a northern university, and she admits she was ‘under a lot of stress’ at the time. She started isolating herself through fear of what was happening, and an accompanying depression. In the result she started to hear voices. With the help of her parents she received some support from her local mental-health services but there was no diagnosis. She was prescribed anti-psychotics, but inadequate mental-health funding meant treatment was rationed, so her care was episodic by default.

The author points out that a few years later Alice moved to London with her best friend. She began a degree course at Chelsea College of Arts, she was ‘absolutely terrified’, but quickly made good friends and enjoyed the course. Around this time Alice was finally given the formal diagnosis of schizophrenia.  But everyone was supportive.

In conclusion Victoria reports that after the treatment in the Rethink Mental Illness, Alice was able to get help in setting up a business. She supports herself through teaching at the university and photography. Her own art – photography, video and painting – explores the artifice of an artwork’s construction; manipulations that test our perceptions of reality.

I found the article interesting, because It shows us how cruel life have people who suffers from schizophrenia. Everyday they are fighting with the world to be a part of society. Such articles should make us help them, so that's why I think this story is very actual and important.

What do you think how you can help people with such diseases?

Music not just good for the soul, it’s also good for body

The headline of the article I have read is «Music not just good for the soul, it’s also good for body”. The article was written by Lisa Paraport and it was published in www.reutors.com on November 20. The main purpose of this article is to provide readers with some information on the impact of music on the human body healing after surgery.

The author starts by telling that, according to the analysis, surgery patients who listen to music usually have lower levels of pain and anxiety as well as lower blood pressure and heart rate than people who don't.  Further Lisa describes the research results, in which 31 percent of patients had less pain, 29 percent had lower odds of using pain medication, and 34 had percent less anxiety. The author adds that music helped to lower blood pressure to 40 percent of people and to lower heart rate to 27 percent. The writer also points to the fact that the benefits of music were bigger when patients chose the playlists themselves. According to the article, self-selected music was also linked to 47 percent lower anxiety levels, compared to a scant 6 percent reduction with music chosen by study personnel, but there wasn't much difference in heart rate or blood pressure based on whether patients chose their own music or listened to music selected by study personnel.

In conclusion, the author says that even though the scientific evidence may be limited when it comes to music interventions, the current findings add to a growing body of evidence that makes a good case for letting patients listen to music in the hospital.

I found this article very instructive and important, as they don’t use such a method in hospitals of our country and we should know how to help us ourselves. People who’s keen on listening to music know that it helps them to keep calm and to deal with anxiety but few people know that it can lower heart rate and blood pressure and even to relieve pain. I suppose, this knowledge are useful.

What do you think of the music therapy, would you like to see it in Russian hospitals? Have you ever noticed a good influence of music to your body?

The world’s most beautiful schools.

The headline of the article I have read is “the world’s most beautiful schools”. It was written by Jonathan Glancey and published www.bbc.com, 3 November 2015.

The main idea of this article is to show some beautiful schools in UK and that a classroom should be a place of “wisdom and happiness” rather than stress and fear of failure.

The author stars by telling, that a classroom should be “a place of wisdom, happiness – and beauty”. The first place is Stowe in Buckinghamshire. This school was founded in 1923, in the one of the England’s most romantic country estates threatened with demolition at the time. But it was saved, after a spirited fight led by the architect Clough William-Ellis, it was turned into a school. According to the article, John Fergusson Roxburgh, Stowe’s founding headmaster, said that it would be a school where every pupil would “know beauty when he sees it all his life.” The school, in Buckinghamshire, has landscaped gardens by Capability Brown studded with enchanting follies to classical buildings by a pantheon of great 18th Century English architects.

         The second place is Lagoon of learning. The author says, that “Beauty can be found in the least privileged settings”. This is a poor place, it has been threatened with destruction by politicians and officials who see it as an illegal settlement. Now, with a school that has won admirers worldwide, Makoko is a source of pride for an increasing number of Nigerians.

What do you thing about colleges of Oxford and Cambridge? The author considers that the beauty as well as the practicality of the medieval colleges attracts attention of many people. A lot of undergraduates choose a college like Magdalen, Oxford as much for its beauty – its medieval cloister and tower designed by William Orchard and its later Palladian and Victorian additions set by the River Isis back onto a timeless deer park – as for its scholastic virtues.

Mr. Jonathan underlines, that the most delightful places of learning have always been lined with books. Trinity College, Dublin has the Long Room of the Old Library. Our can wander among the shelves. There are a great barrel vault crowning alcoves of leather-bound books set between busts of prominent philosophers and literary giants.

The author points out, that оne of the most exquisite campuses in the United States is that of Scripps College, a liberal women’s college founded in 1926 by 89-year-old Ellen Browning Scripps in Claremont, a small town of ‘trees and PhDs’, 35 miles (56 km) east of Los Angeles. “Beauty can be conjured at low cost and in any setting, urban or rural”.

According to the article some architects are trying to imbue something of this altruistic spirit in a new generation of British city schools. The brand new, low-cost Hackney New School in East London by Henley Halebrown Rorrison squeezes into an inner-city site cheek-by-jowl with former industrial buildings.

In conclusion the author says, that a school should be a place to learn and to grow.

I found this article interesting, because it gives full information about British schools and colleges, which are untypical for modern society.

Do you want to study in schools like these?

The Importance of Music in Our Life

The headline of the article I have read is “The Importance of Music in Our Life”.  The author of the article is Peter Rutenberg.  It was published in http://www.shumeiarts.org/article_rutenberg.html. The main purpose of this article is to give the reader some information about music and its affection on our life.

The author starts by describing to reader the fact, that music is everywhere, that music surrounds us every day nearly in all places. We can hear it during our way to work, in buses, in shops, in cafes and so on and so forth. The author said, that even companies use music in their advertise, some catchy motives, in order to make it remarkable and to sell their products. Then, we can read some interesting information, that since prehistoric times, music has been helping people in their life. For example: the first field workers to chant in rhythm as they planted or harvested or imagine ancients people sitting around their campfires, celebrating the success of the day’s hunt or lamenting the lack of rain. Music always helps people in their life.
And finally, author gives us information about researches. During these researches, scientist find that music, and in particular the singing and playing of music, helps the brain develop much more fully and extensively, especially in our early years. Music makes us brighter, more intelligent, more logical, more rational, and more capable. It improves study habits and test scores. It builds a better sense of self and community. It aids in our general sense of well-being and improves our quality of life. He also said some words about preparations before listening to music. Because sometimes it is hard to listen to special music without knowing the context or without knowing the formation of the composition.

In conclusion the author said that music is really important for us and especially for children and for their development. Peter Rutenberg believes that it would be really great to keep music a part of every school curriculum. He said that it is the path to well-being, harmony, and peace. It’s the path all of us need to continue to follow.

I found the article useful because I always like to listen to music. For me it’s a part of  my life and it was really interesting to read the opinion about this problem and find out, that we have the same thoughts about this topic. Music is really everywhere and it really helps us in our life.

And what do you think about this? Does music help you in your life?

"The oldest towns in the UK"

      The headline of the article I’ve read is “The oldest towns in the UK”.

      The author of the article is Lizzie Porter. The article was published in “The Telegraph”. The main idea of the article is to pay people’s attention to the most interesting and oldest towns in the UK. I think the author described them greatly.

      The author starts by telling the reader about the first interesting place to visit, about Carrickfergus, Nothern Ireland. Its ancient accounts present little traditionary legends. Then the author writes about Selby, North Yorkshire. She describes us the history of this old town.  We knew very interesting fact that the town was once an industrial coal-mining and ship-building centre, although nowadays heavy industry has declined. Lowestoft, Suffolk is the next. Author describes the history of the town and where it was noted or described. Also one of the presented towns is Whitby. Author says that this town has great history and that it was known under different various names. Also author tells us about Ipswich. We understand that it is ancient town, because “it can be dated back to the early 600s”. Next town is Colchester, Essex. It is oldest recorded town. Carmarthen is the next great place to visit. Author describes it as the centre of industry.  Besides, the article tells us about Abingdon and Thatcham. We knew their i

nteresting and ancient history. And the last town is Amesbury. Researchers from the University of Buckingham made some discoveries and came to the conclusion that it is the UK’s oldest. Moreover it is two miles from Stonehenge, but predates it by some 5000 years.
      The author comes to the conclusion that it’s important to know established definitive list of the oldest continuously inhabited urban settlements.
      I found this article interesting and useful. Because it can help many people know about ancient towns. And, moreover, it may pay people’s attention to this towns. And as for me, I’d like to see them all, but most of all I liked Lowestoft because of its beautiful and interesting name.


And what about you, group mates? What town do you want to visit? Why?