Perfect Prostate Problem

What is the Prostate in human body?

The prostate (from Greek προστάτης, prostates, literally “one who stands before”, “protector”, “guardian”) is a compound tubuloalyeolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals.It differs considerably among species anatomically,chemically, and physiologically.

In female anatomy, Skene’s glands or the Skene glands  (also known as the lesser vestibular glands, periurethral glands, paraurethral glands, female prostate) are glands located on the anterior wall of the vagina, around the lower end of the urethra. They drain into the urethra and near the urethral opening and may be near or a part of the G-spot. These glands are surrounded with tissue (which includes the part of the clitoris) that reaches up inside the vagina and swells with blood during sexual arousal.

A healthy human prostate is classically said to be slightly larger than a walnut. The mean weight of the normal prostate in adult males is about 11 grams, usually ranging between 7 and 16 grams. It surrounds the urethra just below the urinary bladdaer and can be felt during a rectal exam.

The secretory epithelium is mainly pseudo-stratified, comprising tall columnar cells and basal cells which are supported by a fibroelastic stroma containing randomly orientated smooth muscle bundles. The epithelium is highly variable and areas of low cuboidal or squamous epithelium are also present, with transitional epithelium in the distal regions of the longer ducts. Within the prostate, the urethra coming from the bladder is called the prostatic urethra and merges with the two ejaculatory ducts.

The prostate can be divided in two ways: by zone, or by lobe. It does not have a capsule, rather an integral fibromuscular band surrounds it. It is sheathed in the muscles of the pelvic floor, which contract during the ejaculatory process.

Prostate Conditions

• Prostatitis: Inflammation of the prostate, sometimes caused by infection. In some cases, it is treated with antibiotics.
• Enlarged prostate: Called benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH, prostate growth affects virtually all men over 50. Symptoms of difficult urination tend to increase with age. Medicines or surgery can treat BPH.
• Prostate cancer: It’s the most common form of cancer in men (besides skin cancer), but only one in 35 men die from prostate cancer. Surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy can be used to treat prostate cancer. Some men choose to delay treatment, which is called watchful waiting.

Prostate Tests

• Digital rectal examination (DRE): A doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum and feels the prostate. A DRE can sometimes detect an enlarged prostate, lumps or nodules of prostate cancer, or tenderness from prostatitis.
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA): The prostate makes a protein called PSA, which can be measured by a blood test. If PSA is high, prostate cancer is more likely, but an enlarged prostate can also cause a high PSA.
• Prostate ultrasound (transrectal ultrasound): An ultrasound probe is inserted into the rectum, bringing it close to the prostate. Ultrasound is often done with a biopsy to test for prostate cancer.
• Prostate biopsy: A needle is inserted into the prostate to take tissue out to check for prostate cancer. This is usually done through the rectum.

Prostate Treatments

Enlarged Prostate Treatment

• Alpha-blockers: Alpha-blockers relax the muscles around the urethra in men with symptoms from an enlarged prostate. Urine then flows more freely.
• 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors: These medications reduce the level of a certain form of testosterone (DHT). The prostate shrinks when less DHT is present, improving urine flow.
• Surgery for an enlarged prostate: Usually, medications resolve symptoms of an enlarged prostate, but some men require surgery to improve symptoms and prevent complications.

Prostate Cancer Treatment

• Prostatectomy: Surgery for prostate cancer, called a prostatectomy, removes the prostate with the goal of removing all the cancer.
• Radiation therapy: Radiation kills prostate cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells.
• Radio-active seed implants: Instead of radiation pointed at the prostate from outside the body, radioactive seeds can be implanted into the prostate to kill cancer cells.
• Cryo-therapy: Cryotherapy involves killing prostate cancer cells by freezing them.
• Hormone-therapy: Prostate cancer cells grow in response to hormones. Hormone therapy helps block that effect.
• Chemo-therapy: When prostate cancer is advanced, chemotherapy may help reduce the cancer’s spread.
• Watchful waiting: Since prostate cancer is often slow growing, some older men and their doctors hold off on treatment and wait to see if the cancer appears to be growing.
• Clinical trials: Through prostate cancer clinical trials, researchers test the effects of new medications on a group of volunteers with prostate cancer.

Prostatitis Treatment

• Acute and chronic prostatitis: Depending on the type of prostatitis, treatment includes antibiotics, medications, and/or surgery.

Now I forward the letter of consultant doctor Al Sears (11905 Southern Blvd. Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411) 

Dear Sufi,

What’s a guy to do?

It seems like everything you eat or drink is going to hurt your prostate.

Part of the problem is that in today’s world our bodies aren’t getting enough of the nutrients we need to protect ourselves.

Today I want to tell you about one of the simplest ways you can keep your prostate healthy and protected. I’m talking about the mineral selenium.

In a study done at Harvard, where they were looking at results from the famous, Physicians’ Health Study, Harvard researchers found that men who got the most selenium had the healthiest prostates.

This was true even for men with high PSA levels. If they were in the group with the most selenium, their prostate cancer risk dropped by 50%.1

The remarkable mineral selenium (Se) suppresses tumors (gold), kills cancer cells (pink), protects cells (green), and helps cells work better and stay young. Source: Cancer Res. Apr 1, 2009; 69(7): 2699–2703.

A 50 percent lower risk shows up in many clinical trials for selenium and prostate health.

One study took 1,300 men and split them in two groups. The first took 200 mcg of selenium a day, the second got a sugar pill. The authors called the results “striking.” The overall risk of prostate cancer was almost 50 percent lower in the selenium group.²

Another eight-year clinical trial of over 5,000 men found similar results: those with normal PSA levels at the beginning of the study who took selenium saw their risk for prostate cancer drop more than fifty percent.³

Selenium is even protective if youalready have prostate cancer, according to The Netherlands Cohort Study of almost 60,000 men. The data was presented at a recent American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting.

The Swedish and British researchers officially published those results last month. As I read the study, what I found most interesting was that as you get more selenium, your risk for prostate problems drops. People with the highest selenium had the lowest risk for prostate cancer.⁴

Geographic studies have found that in parts of the world where soil and diet are low in selenium, rates of prostate cancer are significantly higher.⁵ In fact, “Keshan’s disease” is named after a province in China where people weren’t getting enough selenium.

Men should be especially careful about getting enough selenium. It’s your prostate’s best defense. Selenium stops attackers from killing prostate cells.

In a new animal study, selenium stopped prostate bloating and growth. Selenium prevented the animals from getting BPH,⁶ which is an enlargement of the prostate that makes you have to pee all the time. BPH can lead to LUTS (lower urinary tract symptoms), which can lead to prostate cancer.⁷

You should get at least 30 micrograms and up to 200 micrograms of selenium a day.

It’s a small amount, but that doesn’t make it easy to get. We can’t get selenium in high amounts in fruits and vegetables anymore because of soil depletion.

The best foods for selenium are organ meats from grass-fed animals, garlic, nuts or fish.

• Fish is loaded with selenium. You can get all the selenium you need from a can of tuna or a serving of swordfish. If you are concerned about mercury in big fish like tuna or swordfish, you can go with cod. Three ounces of cod has 32 mcg of selenium.
• Organ meats like chicken livers or turkey and chicken giblets have a lot of selenium, too. For instance, one chicken liver will give you 140 micrograms of selenium. Muscle meat has less selenium. Three ounces of cooked beef have 35 mcg.
• One medium egg has 14 mcg of selenium.
• If liver and eggs aren’t your speed, you can eat some nuts. An ounce of walnuts has 5 micrograms. Almonds have a little less. A cup of almonds gives you 2.5 mcg.
• One variety of nut offers a full day’s worth of selenium in just one bite. It’s the Brazil nut. Brazil nuts grow in the Brazilian jungle where the soil is rich in the anti-cancer mineral. Just one single Brazil nut eaten right out of the shell will provide you with 100 mcg of selenium.
• If you don’t like fish or liver or nuts, then you’re going to want to supplement. If you take a multi-vitamin there’s probably a little selenium in it. If not, you should switch. And if you’ve had cancer or are at risk for the disease you should talk to your doctor about adding an additional selenium supplement.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

Refferences

1.Li H, Stampfer M, Giovannucci E, Morris J, Willett W, Gaziano J, Ma J. “A prospective study of plasma selenium levels and prostate cancer risk.” J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004;96(9):696-703.
2. Combs et al. “Reduction of cancer risk with an oral supplement of selenium.” Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. 1997. 10(2-3):227-34.
3. Meyer et al. “Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplementation and prostate cancer prevention in the SU.VI.MAX trial.” International Journal of Cancer. 2005. 116(2):182-6.
4. Geybels M, et. al. “Selenoprotein gene variants, toenail selenium levels, and risk for advanced prostate cancer.” J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014;106(3):dju003.
5. Greenwood-Robins, Maggie Ph.D. Foods That Combat Cancer, Avon Books, 2004. p 29- 31.
6. Minutoli L, et. al. “Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins in experimental benign prostatic hyperplasia: effects of serenoa repens, selenium and lycopene.” J Biomed Sci. 2014;21(1):19.
7. Chang R, Kirby R, Challacombe B. “Is there a link between BPH and prostate cancer?” Practitioner. 2012;256(1750):13-6, 2.

Article references:

• Wikipedia
• Web MD
• Al Sears doctor

Role of father in family system

There is a tendency today to speak of ‘parents’ or ‘carers’ rather than ‘mothers’ or ‘fathers’, all of us know that mother and father are the holy designation not the profession. People often say that the most important thing in raising children is to give them lots of love (but they do not know the right definition of love), something that all parents can do, regardless of whether they are a mother or a father. However, there are also many ways that mothers and fathers can bring unique strengths to their relationships with their children. In real people’s lives, you can see these contributions, and they have been measured by social scientists. Fathers-just like mothers-always matter.

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” 
― Jim Valvano

Who is the father?

A male person whose sperm unites with an egg of female (who is the mother), resulting in the conception of a child. 

Some-thing about company

Time spent with a cat is never wasted.” 
― Colette

A voluntary association formed and organized to carry on a business.

Types of companies:

Following types are more famous:

sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability, corporation, and public limited company.

Investment Company
Definition

Firm that invests the pooled funds of retail investors for a fee. By aggregating the funds of a large number of small investors into a specific investments (in line with the objectives of the investors), an investment company gives individual investors access to a wider range of securities than the investors themselves would have been able to access. Also, individual investors should be able to save on trading costs since the investment company is able to gain economies of scale in operations. There are two types of investment companies: open-end (mutual funds) and closed-end (investment trusts).

Private limited company

Definition

A type of company that offers limited liability or legal protection for its shareholders but that places certain restrictions on its ownership. These restrictions are defined in the company’s by laws or regulations and are meant to prevent any hostile takeover attempt.

Holding company

Type of business organization that allows a firm (called parent) and its directors to control or influence other firms (called subsidiaries). This arrangement makes venturing outside one’s core industry possible and, under certain conditions, to benefit from tax consolidation, sharing of operating losses, and ease of divestiture. The legal definition of a holding company varies with the legal system. Some require holding of a majority (80 percent) or the entire (100 percent) voting shares of the subsidiary whereas other require as little as five percent.

If you look at the top 20 companies of the world, 19 of them are still brick-and-mortar companies. I have nothing against tech companies. What I am saying is that if you have a car manufacturer or an oil and gas manufacturer, you won’t get the supply over the Net.
Anil Ambani

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

A Limited Liability Company, also known as an LLC, is a type of business structure that combines traits of both a sole-proprietorship and a corporation. An LLC is eligible for the pass-through taxation feature of a partnership or sole proprietorship, while at the same time limiting the liability of the owners, similar to a corporation.

As the LLC is not considered a separate entity, the company does not pay taxes or take on losses. Instead, this is done by the owners as they have to report the business profits, or losses, on their personal income tax returns. However, just like corporations, members of an LLC are protected from personal liabilities, thus the name Limited Liability.

Limited Liability Companies are recognized in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In most states any type of business can form an LLC, though some state laws may require at least two members in order to form one.

Types of Small Business Loans

Business loans are used for specific reasons: buying equipment or renting space to operate, financing growth of an already proven business, or providing capital to expand.

Term Loans

If your business needs a sum of money to buy equipment or real estate up front, you need a term loan. This is a loan set to terms, meaning there is a set interest rate, down payment or collateral, monthly payments, and a term of months or years that consistent payments will be made through.

Businesses in the startup phase must provide a lot of documentation, business planning, and personal collateral for a bank to be willing to risk lending the funds to your new business. Operations in the growth and expansion stage typically see better results because they have consistent profits or rising sales to prove they have a good chance of repaying the loan.

Lines of Credit

A different type of lending is done through a line of credit. Just like you can tap the equity in your home to finance a purchase, a bank can lend against the value of something in your business as collateral to help finance your operations. Lines of credit are usually more fluid since you may not need to use the maximum of what you are allowed to borrow.

People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.
Mary Kay Ash

Factoring

Accounts receivable factoring is an interesting type of lending where the factoring company buys your accounts receivable amounts and proceeds to collect on them in the future under the normal terms. You could sell your accounts receivable for 97% of their value, and the factoring company earns the 3% as they are paid by the customers that owe you money.

Factoring is a different way of going about getting access to capital, but it can be quite costly with your AR being worth anywhere from 95% to 98% of its value in a month. When you add up the discount the factoring company gets over a year, the “interest” you are paying is quite high.

Small Business Administration Loans

The Small Business Administration was created to help foster the creation and growth of small businesses in the United States. If you are unable to qualify for loans through traditional banking means, the SBA may be able to help you through one of their three loan programs.

The three programs are the 7(a) loan program, the Microloan program, and the CDC/504 loan program. A 7(a) loan program has very specific requirements and is designed to help only in certain instances such as a business in a rural area or to streamline the loan process for active duty or veteran service members. The Microloan program provides very small loans to help buy equipment or inventory; funds cannot be used to purchase real estate. The 504 program is a much longer term loan designed to help businesses acquire significant assets for growth or expansion.

The SBA does not lend directly to small businesses. Instead, the government provides its bank lending partners a guarantee that the loan will be paid even if the business fails. This is to help foster some entrepreneurial risk to get businesses started up in communities across the country.

How to Buy a Company?

Finding a company to buy might not be as easy as it sounds, at least initially. The main consideration in buying a company consists in knowing what type of business you think will be profitable and then buying a company in that business.

A good place to start is by contacting a broker that specializes in buying companies for others. On a large scale, an investment banker would fill the needs of a large investor buying a company; but on a smaller scale, brokers exist that can put you in touch with the type of company you might want to buy.

Getting a Broker

Finding a broker familiar with the market requires that you demonstrate you are serious and that you have the means to make the purchase. Because of the overwhelming ratio of unqualified buyers, business brokers generally are hard to approach.

Nevertheless, if you show that you really want to buy a company, the broker will most likely show you a number of companies up for sale.  The key is to know what kind of company you want, have a specified amount budgeted for the transaction and ultimately commit to making the purchase.

I have been quoted saying that, in the future, all companies will be Internet companies. I still believe that. More than ever, really
Andrew Grove –

Cash Flow and Valuation

The first thing you must determine before laying down your cash is what the company you are interested is actually worth. Once you have determined the value of the company’s assets, the company’s cash flow should be evaluated.

As a rule of thumb, small companies generally sell for 3 to 6 times their cash flow, so if a company has a cash flow of $150,000, the price for the company would be $450,000 to $900,000. Larger companies can pay up to 10 times cash flow in their acquisitions, while stocks on the stock market are usually trading at 15 to 20 times cash flow.

Once you have determined the company’s cash flow and the value of all their assets, you could write a letter of intent stating your offer. The offer can then be addressed by the company’s officers and your offer can be accepted or a counteroffer made.

Reference: Business Dictionary

Exercises for abs

The abdomen (less formally called the belly, stomach, or tummy), in vertebrates such as mammals, constitutes the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity. In arthropods it is the posterior tagma of the body; it follows the thorax or cephalothorax. Anatomically, the abdomen stretches from the thorax at the thoracic diaphragm to the pelvis at the pelvic brim. The pelvic brim stretches from the lumbosacral angle (the intervertebral disk between L5 and S1) to the pubic symphysis and is the edge of the pelvic-inlet. The space above this inlet and under the thoracic diaphragm is termed the abdominal cavity. The boundary of the abdominal cavity is the abdominal wall in the front and the peritoneal surface at the rear.

Who can do? :

All those, male and female, who have fate on their belly and all those, who manage their fitness.

Who? Cannot do:

• All those who have infection in uterus, or ovaries, or bladder, or testes.
• All those who have deficiency of protein.
• Some type of thyroid problems.
• If you have any abdomen surgery.
• If you have any undefined pain.
• If you are pregnant.

How can do?

• Warm-up with walking discipline.
• First day only pick two exercises from following pictorial chart.
• Every exercise did till five counts.
• Every third day adopt one new exercise.

EDUCATION OF SCIENCE FOR YOUR CHILD

In the morning, When you open the eyes see the miracles of the science, light is the phenomena of electro-magnetism, use the tooth-past which is the gift of chemistry, you take the break- fast which is belongs to food sciences, you wear the favorite colour  by the help of chemical sciences, took eye-glasses by the gift of polarization, go to office on a car which is the gift of mechanical engineering,….,so from needle to ship all are the gift of science, can you know the Science?

Every arrange knowledge is called science, or the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” 
― Isaac Asimov

The process of science is a way of building knowledge about the universe — constructing new ideas that illuminate the world around us. Those ideas are inherently tentative, but as they cycle through the process of science again and again and are tested and retested in different ways, we become increasingly confident in them.

Furthermore, through this same iterative process, ideas are modified, expanded, and combined into more powerful explanations. For example, a few observations about inheritance patterns in garden peas can — over many years and through the work of many different scientists — be built into the broad understanding of genetics offered by science today. So although the process of science is iterative, ideas do not churn through it repetitively. Instead, the cycle actively serves to construct and integrate scientific knowledge.

“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” 
― Albert Einstein

Who is the student of Science?

That type of student who has a good short-term memory, who has a good relation theory,….

A better education in science for your child can also mean better things for society by helping students develop into more responsible citizens who help to build a strong economy, contribute to a healthier environment, and bring about a brighter future for everyone. As Science for All Americans points out, a good science education helps students “to develop the understandings and habits of mind they need to become compassionate human beings able to think for themselves and to face life head on. It should equip them also to participate thoughtfully with fellow citizens in building and protecting a society that is open, decent, and vital”.

Benefits of Science Education

Science education has some great benefits and ideas to provide to the whole world. Key scientific concepts like logical deductions, inference and parsimony are all very useful. In fact, making a meticulous list of all the marvels of science as well as how they have helped mankind is impossible. The more science-literate individuals are, the stronger their society can be. Specifically, the lessons and skills science gives us can have repercussions that help make for more responsible citizens, a strong economy, a healthier environment, and a brighter future for everyone. Below are the most important benefits of science education.

“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” 
― Niels Bohr

 By producing more responsible citizens
Students who have learned to think critically and have a healthy dose of skepticism can better make their own, informed decisions, which can make them more enlightened, informed voters and stronger consumers. Also, the sense of responsibility and caution that science provides – along with the understanding of how things work (be they chemical reactions, human development, or nutritional needs) – can help future parents to provide safe, healthy environments for their own children, and be more responsible pet owners and neighbors.

By helping to build a strong economy
The communication, research, reporting, and collaboration skills that science provides can produce a generation of individuals who are better prepared for any career and can make greater contributions to society. Also, students who have a solid knowledge base in science will later be more open to emerging technologies and ideas that can boost businesses and stimulate the economy.

Contributes to world health
The achievements that came about due to science education have resulted in longer and healthier lives. People who understand and honor or celebrate past scientific achievements are more likely to herald future inventions and discoveries that will enhance mental and physical health. Besides, a healthier general public means a highly productive society.

By contributing to a informed decisions that impact the world
By emphasizing and explaining the dependency of living things on each other and on the physical environment, science fosters the kind of intelligent respect for nature that can inform decisions on the uses of technology to improve the world for humans and all living things.

By ensuring future support of scientific research and advancements
A society aware of the benefits of science and technology will work to ensure it remains scientifically and technologically competitive. Also, a science-literate society will provide the necessary support, funding and promotion to ensure future generations continue to improve upon modern advances that benefit everyone.

Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically and truly all that comes under thy observation in life.

Marcus Aurelius

Improves decision making
Through explaining and emphasizing the reliance of living organisms on one another and also on the environment, science education promotes intellectual respect for Mother Nature. This action can inform choices with regards to how technology is used to enhance the current living conditions for both humans and other living things.

Produces responsible citizens
Science education encourages learners to reason critically so as to make better decisions that are well-informed. This makes them even more enlightened voters as well as stronger consumers. The caution and responsibility provided by science education also assists people to become more responsible parents and pet owners.

In a Nut-shell :

The stereotypical view of a scientist is that comical cliché: a tall, nervous, socially awkward, bespectacled individual (preferably with thick, horn-rimmed, NHS issued bottle necked specs), with unkempt white hair streaming in all directions. He is engrossed with the activity occurring a top a long, narrow table. On this stands a small city of conical beakers and tubes and bubbles and steam, noxious vapour and fog foaming out everywhere; Bunsen burners bring up the temperature, forcing coloured fluid through twirling tubes; the pressure is building and sparks are flying… the scientist is bustling around in a panic, his white hair more crazed than ever! Sparks are flying! The dial on the galvanometer is in the red! Maybe if he adds some powder here, adjusts the temperature there, presses that lever and BANG! Explosion and debris… fragments fill the air, acrid smell of gunpowder and charred wood. The smoke clears to reveal a sooty face, eyes blinking white and shocked, hair still smouldering. Ladies and Gentleman, the Mad Scientist! We all know this stereotype – it is a cliché that has captivated us since childhood. The question is how do we reconcile this comical figure with scientists of the real world: with chemical engineers and pharmacologists, with structural surveyors and doctors? These respected professionals are very far removed from the jester just described. To help dissolve the misleading (though admittedly amusing) misnomer, we simply need to elucidate the benefits that a scientific education can afford us, and our children. With this done, the value of science will be seen, and it will hopefully not fall prey to these crass debasements. The first aspect to clarify would be what science itself is? The question is a straightforward one, but the answer is often not so forthcoming. Unlike geography, or languages, science does not have a clearly bounded domain: it is rather a method, a style of inquiry. This nebulous definition is what makes it so far reaching, so broad in it’s applications. Science can analyse everything, from the structure of a sunflower, to the origins of the universe. It is as capable of studying the behaviour of human beings (sociology, anthropology, psychology, as might be expected, this is a broad domain even in itself!), as it is investigating the properties and constituents of distant objects in our galaxy, and far beyond. Without science there would be no medicine – indeed the advancement of modern medicine, the near eradication of certain diseases, such as smallpox, the development of antibiotics, and the treatments of countless aliments, are the crowing glory of science. By these achievements the quality of life for mankind has been increased; and what greater accolade can there be than that?

Touch a scientist and you touch a child.

Ray Bradbury

The ultimate aim for many who choose to study the sciences is to become one of the immortals: to be another Newton, or Einstein: to be assistive in extending mankind’s knowledge of the universe ever further. For most however, this is a mere romantic dream, a fanciful, arrogant ambition (even if dreams and arrogance are needed for genius to rise up), which is in marked disparity to the prosaic tribulations of modern life. What then are the benefits of studying the sciences, if it is not for future generations to construct statues bearing your flattered form, and put up gilded plaques bearing your immortal name?

As science itself is the adherence to a method of study, it is applicable and useful in all different domains. It teaches the importance of evidence, of logical thought and reasoned arguments; and it exposes the empty meaninglessness of dogma and rhetoric. To be rational, and logical – these are surely foundations that the modern mind should be built on: to shun the proclamations of prejudice and insist only on truths supported by evidence. It was prejudiced and faulty intuition which said that heavier objects must fall to the earth quicker than lighter ones – they do not; and it was prejudice that insisted the earth is at the centre of the solar system, round which the sun revolves – it does not.

Any kind of science qualification is seen as indicative of the intellectual attributes of the pupil – this is an attitude held by university admissions departments across the country. With GCSE’s and even A levels being diluted of academic content, by such modern subjects as media studies and fashion, the sciences are appreciating in value, like gold in a recessive economy. Whatever subject you wish to study at university, possessing any science A level will only assist your chances in gaining a place on the course.

Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: ‘Ye must have faith.’

Max Planck

The list of jobs that require a good scientific background are staggering: they range from anything in medicine, engineering, mathematics, IT development and silicon architecture… the list goes on and on. Drug pharmacology companies are crying out for chemistry graduates, whereas automotive companies want young maths and physics minds to join their ranks. You wish to be part of a team that is working to find a cure for cancer, or to be part of the production and design process for the newest sports car? If so, you will need an education that focuses strongly on the sciences.

The modern world is a scientific world. The industrial revolution was spurred on by scientific discoveries: from the middle of the eighteenth century, there were huge advances made in manufacturing, mining, agriculture, transport, and technology. The very concept of technology was formulated during this period. We are imbued with achievements from this period of history even today: whether you are walking down the street, or sitting in the comfort of your home, you cannot cast your eyes about more than a few degrees, before they alight on some captivating cynosure, some piece of technology that would have been but the dream of poets past. The light bulb, the computer, antibiotics, and the automobile – these were once dreams that only by the power of science have been made reality; and they are so commonplace, so ubiquitous that we think nothing of them. Who can know what wondrous delights the future holds? Consider things commonplace today, that our great grandparents would surely have regarded as sorcery; and now imagine the world of our great grandchildren… we cannot predict the glittering, phantasmagorical splendour it will be draped with, but thanks to science, we may live long enough to see this future for ourselves.

There are no shortcomings of science education. In fact, good knowledge of science principles and facts is vital for a comprehensive education

Science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value judgements of all kinds remain necessary.

Albert Einstein