Hazara people Essay

The book is superior to the film in many ways. Both of these versions of the story are very well fulfilled, however I believe that book has more detail and explains the story better. The book is superior to the film because the author described various facets of Amir’s emotional world, it showed Baba dying, and included important parts of the struggle Amir and Sohrab went through to get to America together. In the book, the author gets into the detail of Amir’s feelings and inner conflicts between himself and Hassan. In the movie it only shows a few scenes that you can truly point out his guilt towards what he had done to Hassan. In the book it says, â€Å"I hit him with another pomegranate, in the shoulder this time. The juice splattered his face. ‘Hit me back! ’ I spat. ‘Hit me back goddamn you! ’I wished he would. I wished he’d give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I could finally sleep that night. † (92) This quote is proof that Amir still feels guilt inside of him for leaving Hassan the day he got raped by Assef. It also demonstrates Hassan’s loyalty towards Amir. Assef was the older boy who picked on Hassan and Amir because Hassan was Hazara. Amir wanted him to punish him for not standing up for him like Hassan had done since they could walk. This was the point in the film that you could tell that Amir was feeling guilt from not helping Hassan. In the book however, there was much more detail and I could tell that he was feeling guilt from this situation and when he told his father that Hassan couldn’t go on the trip with them because he had a cold. Also, in the book I could predict why Baba never wanted to let go of Hassan and Ali. The author gave hints that there was something going on between Hassan and Baba up until the part Amir found out Hassan was his half-brother from Rahim Khan. In the movie, it was hard to tell there was a reason Baba wanted to keep Hassan and Ali until Amir asked what he thought about getting new servants. By Baba’s reaction in the movie it just seemed that he wanted to keep them because he and Ali had grown to be the best of friends. However, it was not really Ali Baba was trying to save. In the book Baba says, â€Å"‘Hassan’s not going anywhere. ’† This was the biggest sign that I thought the author gave. This quote is only one example of when the author gave a clue that Hassan meant more than a normal servant did to Baba. The book is superior to the film by the suggestions given by the author about Hassan meaning a lot to Baba. The next reason the book is superior to the film is because the movie skipped important parts of Baba’s sickness. First of all, the film did not even say Baba was sick. The author made sure that he stated Baba had cancer and that he had to live with Amir and Soraya so that they could take care of him and give him his pain medication. In the film it only showed Baba coughing once and the scene that he died in. In the book, the author included many different incidences that Baba was suffering and coughing. Also, in the chapter that Baba died you could tell that he was dying and when he said he didn’t want his medications that night I knew he was going to die. However, in the film it did not show Baba until Amir brought him to sleep. Baba was one of the main characters in the story and I believe that the film should have shown him suffering, and dying. Later on in the story Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan saying that he needed him to come to Pakistan. When Amir got there Rahim Khan told Amir a heartbreaking secret that everyone knew except him. Rahim Khan told him that he had to go and get his nephew in Kabul. In the novel, the author explains the whole story that Amir and Sohrab went through so that Amir could take Sohrab back to America to live with him and Soraya. The film missed all of the trouble they went through to get him there. In the book, the two of them went through troubles including when Sohrab tried to kill himself. This was another turning point of the novel. It was a huge event that I think should have been included in the film. When Sohrab attempted to kill himself I thought that was his way of showing that he could not trust Amir anymore and that he didn’t want to go to America no matter what it took. But when he found out that he didn’t have to go back to an orphanage he was truly happy to go with Amir. In the film, it cut out everything, even though these were important events. In the novel it says, â€Å"‘We’re going to America! ’ I pushed the door open. Stepped into the bathroom. Suddenly, I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until my throat would rip and my chest explode. † (343) This was the part of the novel that Sohrab tried to kill himself. This quote was very important in the novel. I think this because you do not know what exactly Amir is screaming about, but you know it’s bad. The author did a good job at this part because it almost forced you to continue reading to see what happened to Sohrab. The book was able to capture all of the details about the characters and their emotions and the situations they were in. However, the movie skimmed the interactions of Amir, Hassan, Baba, and Rahim Khan at times. In conclusion, the book is superior to the film. The AUTHOR did a beautiful job writing the story about Amir’s life and his guilt and the redemption he experienced.

Economic Crisis in Zimbabwe Essay

Zimbabwe is currently facing the worst economic crisis in its history. The inflationary rates are in an all time high while unemployment rate is more than ninety percent. The current economic crisis has been caused by various factors which can be described as economical, social and political. The land reforms which were undertaken by the government in the early years of this decade have contributed greatly towards economic meltdown in this country. The white owned farms were major producers of the export products in this country which heavily relies on agriculture for its survival. Agriculture and mainly export industry collapsed leading to massive loss of jobs and foreign currency. (Bond, P and Masimba, M, 2002 13) The mismanagement of economy and grand corruption has made Zimbabwe to be shunned by the investors. This has denied the country the much needed direct investment funds which are very crucial in the creation of employment and upkeep of the economy. The prevailing political situation has made the matter worse as the environment is not conducive for investors. Government decision to control prices has made the economic crisis to deepen as producers are have abandoned the manufacturing and production in general in fear of making massive losses due to the government control in an economy which was previously highly liberalized. Natural calamities and diseases have acted as catalyst to the prevailing economic condition as the government spends funds to mitigate these problems. (Richardson, C, 2007 34) Addressing Zimbabwe economic problems may not be an easy task but solutions must be found to save this country from total collapse. Political and economic reforms must be put in place to turn the economic round. Political reforms will go a long way in restoring foreign investors’ confidence helping in bringing in foreign currency and the creation of employment for the people of this country. Inflation need to be tamed down to make this country a haven of investment once again. The government must be committed to implement policies which will work towards turning the economy around. Liberalization of the markets is one policy which might see the economy up again. This will bring competition in the markets something that is crucial towards creating employment and satisfying the local and international demand of the Zimbabwe products. The foreign currency market needs to be freed to address the economic imbalance. Unwarranted printing of the money should be discouraged as a measure to check the inflation. The international financial institutions can save the country from its woes through advancing credit which can help in reduction of inflationary rates. The financial assistance should be properly monitored to ensure that it is used as intended, that means that the government must be accountable to the people as it only through transparency and accountability will progress be realized. Revocation of the land reforms instituted earlier will go along way in boosting commercial farming in this country. The land owners should be guaranteed safety and incentives which will make them undertake the crucial role of providing food for the country and for the export markets. It may take long to bring back the economy on track again but all this can be achieved if there is a will. (Clemens, C and Moss, T, 2005 53) Work Cited Bond, P and Masimba, M, Zimbabwe Plunge, London, Merlin Press (2002) Richardson, C, Linking Rainfall and GDP Growth in Zimbabwe, African Affair, Oxford University Press (2007) Clemens, C and Moss, T, Costs and Causes of Zimbabwe Crisis, Center for Global development (2005)

The Importance of Being Beautiful

In Sidney Katz’s summary of â€Å"The Importance of being Beautiful†, she suggests that more attractive people can advance faster and easier in life than their less appealing peers. Katz explains her theory with different examples. One example is person perception, which is a branch of psychology that examines many ways in which physical attractiveness, or lack of it, affects all aspects of life. This helps explain the halo and horns effect. The halo effect is perceived as being beautiful, more generous, trustworthy, sociable, modest, and interesting. Whereas the horns effect people are perceived to be physically unattractive, there for they are mean, sneaky and dishonest. Katz also talks about how being physically attractive can help advance your career. If a man is six feet or taller, he will succeed in his career. If women are glamorous, they get higher pay and promotions. She also explains how old age and beauty has its advantages. Katz’s theory explains at nursing homes and hospitals doctors and nurses give better care to the beautiful. The doctors and nurses feel that beautiful patients are more likely to respond to treatment. Everyone judges people on either their looks or simply by what they wear. It is human nature for people to do this. The world shouldn’t be like this but unfortunately it is. Hopefully one day the human population can change the way people perceive one another. In the article â€Å"The importance of being Beautiful†, Sidney Katz suggests that being beautiful has its advantages. Katz states many different examples and theory’s on how being beautiful has its advantages. The author provided significant detail for her theories. Katz presents two points that seem to be true and one point that doesn’t seem to be true. The author explains that being beautiful will help with a career or job. I would have to agree with Katz, based on personal experience. I was up for a job at a hospital against a girl who had experience, I had no experience. I ended up getting the job because of my appearance. The author continues with her theory on old age. She explains that nurses and doctors give better care to the beautiful. I personally would have to disagree with her theory. I have worked in the health care field and have not witnessed anything like this. I believe that Katz should have investigated more into the nurse and doctors personalities’. Katz also has a theory on the halo and horns effect. I would have to disagree with this theory. She explains that the halo effect is perceived as being beautiful which then goes on to say that they are assumed to be trustworthy. The horns effect s perceived to be not as attractive; these people are stigmatized as being mean. With my experiences through life I have learned trust no one, no matter what they look like.

Dream Surrealist vs. Automatist Surrealist Essay

Dream Surrealist vs. Automatist Surrealist - Essay Example The essay "Dream Surrealist vs. Automatist Surrealist" discusses Automatist Surrealist and Dream Surrealist. From this era, artists and intellectuals both would increasingly use modern methods to explore the psyche and express its contents, seeking new forms and modalities of expression to accomplish the goal. Where dada sought to embrace the irrational and elevate it to a de facto cosmic principle, this is also recognition of the final deterioration of medieval systems of thought and the birth of the modern individual in Europe and internationally. As the avante garde artists of this movement, Andrà © Masson and Salvador Dali represent two aspects of early Surrealism, differentiated by their methodology of inquiry into the content of the mind and its expression into two factions, the dream surrealists and the automatist surrealists. Masson’s â€Å"Automatic Drawing† of 1924 is paradigmatic of the automatist school which used artistic methods based in illogic and chanc e to override the conscious aspects of both mind and artistic expression to search for self-discovery and universalism in the imagery of the subconscious and unconscious states of mind. To do so they often practiced automatic drawing in order to conjure these images out of the deeper states of consciousness by overriding the processes of the ego and the senses. In this manner, the surrealists based their art on an early form of Western depth psychology. The dream surrealists shared Freud’s infatuation with the symbolism of dreams and dream interpretation. and sought to express the imagery of dreams in their artwork. Yet, unlike the automatists, the dream surrealists did not seek to overcome the traditional use of the ego in painting, but rather to use the ego to express the language of dreams, a subtle difference that can be seen through comparing Masson’s work to one of Salvador Dali’s first dream surrealist paintings, â€Å"Inaugural Goose Flesh† (1928) . In 1924, Salvador Dali’s artwork was still very much exhibiting the influences of Cubism and of the Greek-Italian surrealist Giorgio de Chirico. Dali’s â€Å"Still Life† (1924) and â€Å"Port Alguer† (1924) both show the influence of Picasso and early Cubism, as well as Dali’s early experimentation with different styles such as Impressionism, reflected in the waters of the sea in contrast to the cubist architecture. (ArtMight, 2011) Yet, in â€Å"Still Life† (1924), the â€Å"metaphysical plane† introduced by de Chirico is beginning to be shown in his painting, fully evident four years later when Dali paints, â€Å"Inaugural Goose Flesh† (1928). This â€Å"metaphysical plane† is different than the traditional perspective of portrait, still life, or natural painting. What it does is replace the horizon and relation between earth and sky which dominates representational painting with an infinite horizon upon which anythi ng can arise, representing the plane of mind and the world of dreams. In de Chirico’s early work, the viewer has the unspoken understanding through the use of light on an artificial, imaginary, and infinite horizon, that the events or scene depicted is a dream image. Salvador Dali would become recognized by developing this aspect of the imaginary or metaphysical plane into his artwork over a long career, but it is in â€Å"

Jane Addams and the Hull House Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Jane Addams and the Hull House - Term Paper Example As a small child, Jane wanted to be a doctor but there were only two fields that were acceptable at the time for women: getting married and having children or becoming a schoolteacher. When Jane was eight, her father re-married. Her stepmother had a big influence on the Addam's girls in the area of arts. Jane received a lot of attention from her father and because of this she realized that her potential as a woman was not as limited as she thought. She entered into the Rockville Female Seminary in 1877. She was very popular among her classmates because of her ability to write and speak.1 Soon after she graduated, she became ill and depressed, but wasn't sure how to deal with it. In 1881, her father suddenly became ill and died. She enrolled in medical school, but after the first semester, she became ill again and was put in the hospital for an extended period of time. Her brother also took a turn for the worse and had a mental breakdown, which in turn was an emotional setback for her . After Jane and her friend, Ellen Gates Starr opened the Hull House; they started to realize how bad conditions were in Chicago. They would take care of children so mothers could work; children were made to work long hours, and many other things that opened their eyes. Because of how many people they helped, Addams went around to many different women's clubs, church groups, and college students to talk about settlement houses, social reform and the ways that these people could help Chicago and the nation.2 Addams gave up a lot, considering her background; to live in the slums of Chicago and to help people the way she did was amazing. During the 1890's, settlement houses became more and more popular.3 She was a leader in this movement because of her writings and her lectures. Addams became more involved in national concerns. The US was declaring war on Spain and because of that, violent crime rates went up in Chicago. Because of her works, her protests eventually reached Charles R. Crane, a close friend of President Woodrow Wilson. These are meant to try to help people get back on their feet. These houses provide a way for parents to get jobs and not have to worry bout their kids. Once they get a steady job and keep it, then they can try to work and take care of their kids. One example of this concept would be a foster home. A foster home takes kids into the home for as long as is needed. Sometimes the kids go to another home and sometimes they stay and are adopted. After Jane and her friend, Ellen Gates Starr opened the Hull House, they started to realize how bad conditions were in Chicago. They would take care of children so mothers could work; children were made to work long hours, and many other things that opened their eyes. Because of how many people they helped, Addams went around to many different women's clubs, church groups, and college students to talk about settlement houses, social reform and the ways that these people could help Chicago and the n ation.4 Addams gave up a lot, considering her background; to live in the slums of Chicago and to help people the way she did was amazing. During the 1890's, settlement houses became more and more popular. She was a leader in this movement because of her writings and her lectures. 5 Addams became mor

Franz Marc Inspiration By Astronomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Franz Marc Inspiration By Astronomy - Essay Example This is a journal that would later become famous due the circle of artists that collaborated in it (Gerald 16). In the year 1912, Marc met with Robert Delaunay; this was an artist whose style was identified by many artists as the futuristic. The futuristic aspect was majorly on the use of color. Roberts work is known to be a major influence of the work done by marc and mainly influenced by the style of futurism and cubism (Wolf, et al, 68). This influenced Marc’s work to be more abstract and stark in nature. The work by Marc was deemed as fascinating as he was able to draw some of his artistic aspects from astronomy. Some of the most famous arts that Franz Marc is known for are ‘The deer in the woods’, ‘the fate of the animals’, ‘the lamb’ and ‘the fighting forms’. Franz marc is known for his fascination in animals of which he incorporated in his paintings. Franz Marc paintings are known for the bright color aspects which man y critics have associated with some cosmology aspects. Cosmology is the study of origins of the stars and the fate of the bodies that forms the universe. Franz in some of his artwork associated mixture of color which is associated with some of the heavenly aspects.... Edmondo Bacci’s painting known by the name, oil with sand on canvas is an example of artwork that was inspired by Vasily Kandinsky and Franz Marc. In the Edmondo’s painting, the similarity to Franz painting is majorly associated with Franz work from the perspective that the three primary colors are the dominating colors in his painting (Marc, et al, 37). Edmondo having drawn inspiration of this art work from the cosmic bodies, Franz work can be awarded similar attributions in his work with the ‘Deer in the woods’. On the astronomical aspect the paintings by Franz marc can be associated by auroras, Auroras are colorful patters that are formed in the sky and are mostly occur in high latitude regions ( Liedke 6). These patterns are made of bright swirling colors that make them magnificent to look at. With the art work of Franz, the swirling effect that can be realized from the viewer’s perspective is relatively similar with the colorful patterns that fo rm the auroras. The first impression that one gets from the look of Franz’s painting is the colorful swirling image, the swirl effect has been referred to as the association with the genesis and the destruction of the heavenly bodies’ theories that have been put forth by many scientist. Van Gogh is one of the people who inspired the art by Franz Marc; van Gogh was popular among the greatest artists for his paintings that depicted the night skies. He is celebrated for his artistic powers in imagination of what encompasses the heavenly bodies. A piece of art that was created in the year 1889 known as the ‘starry night’ is a painting that was done by Van Gogh. This painting was considered as one of the major inspirations for most of the works done by Franz Marc. The inspirations that

The Relationship between Animal Abuse and Human Abuse Essay

The Relationship between Animal Abuse and Human Abuse - Essay Example Abuse to animals is a horrible crime that ultimately touches us all, both as a society and as individuals. It is a documented fact that many serial killers began their life of violent crime by abusing animals. The evidence is in - it can no longer be denied: There is a connection between animal abuse and violent acts against humans such as domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse and murder. Recent research has indicated that animal abuse and other forms of family violence often co-occur. Further, a child's violence towards animals is an indicator of potential future violence towards people Given these links, human and animal welfare organizations are beginning to work together to better detect and prevent violence towards both animals and people. In some parts of the U.S. these initiatives have been incorporated into the legal framework. Partello (1997) found that pets fill a variety of human needs, from acting as child substitutes, to providing companionship and unconditional love. These companion animals no longer live in barns and kennels but are an integral part of the human family. Ironically, this means that they suffer at the hands of abusers, just as children do. In a study by DeViney, Dickert, and Lockwood (1983) it was found that companion animals were abused in 88% of the families in which children were abused. Because abuse of animals by children invariably signals great distress, parents and other significant adults need to be informed that certain forms and/or patterns of cruelty should not be dismissed as typical childhood actions. You will note that cruelty to animals can be a sign of conduct disorder, and hurting animals is considered one of the earliest reported symptoms. A child's cruelty toward another animal can be an attempt to gain control over a creature that is smaller and weaker and may be the only way the child can feel powerful. It may reflect a desire to inflict pain or be a displacement of hostility. A child experiencing brutalization may also act on it towards animals. It is imperative that social workers, teachers, administrators, and psychologists become aware of animal abuse and its relationship to human violence so that they can design appropriate prevention and intervention programs. Primary prevention may focus on educational programs that protect children with clear guidelines for acceptable behavior with animals. Because abuse of animals by children invariably signals great distress, parents and other significant adults need to be informed that certain forms and/or patterns of cruelty should 4 not be dismissed as typical childhood actions. I. Animal Abuse Expands into Human Abuse Carpenter (2006) for those

Organisational Changes in Kraft-Cadbury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Organisational Changes in Kraft-Cadbury - Essay Example According to 2009 reports the company had manufacturing facilities throughout the world, the key locations being Africa, Australia, India and Japan (Cadbury-website-d, n.d.). Another significant confectionery organization that has stamped a mark in the history of the food industry is Illinois based Kraft Foods, Inc. (Kraft), that has â€Å"come a long way since J. L. Kraft started selling cheese from a horse-drawn wagon in 1903† (Kraft Foods Inc.-website-a, n.d.). The company had a portfolio of nine major brands, and it claimed that â€Å"Whether watching your weight or preparing to celebrate, grabbing a quick bite or sitting down to family night, we pour our hearts into creating foods that are wholesome and delicious† (Kraft Foods Inc.-website-b, n.d.). Kraft ranks globally second among food companies and talking about its acquisition of Cadbury it says that â€Å"The combination of Kraft Foods and Cadbury creates a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery, and quic k meals† (Kraft Foods Inc.-website-c, n.d.). The acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft has given rise to a significant amount of tension among different quarters that range from the management to the union. According to the reports by Clinton Manning and Cecilia Felice, â€Å"Felicity Loudon begged shareholders to reject the 850p a share takeover offer and urged them to keep the 186-year-old company British in memory of her ancestor John Cadbury† (Manning & DFelice, 2010). Further, commenting on the said deal, the legendary investor Warren Buffet, who is also the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. – the biggest shareholder of Kraft, has said that â€Å"I think it’s a bad deal, I have a lot of doubts† (Frye, McGee & Schectman, 2010).

Software Development Methodology Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Software Development Methodology - Coursework Example These three approaches would be separately be implemented on the project in question and then a conclusion would be drawn from the comparison of all of these approaches which would lead to the methodology that is the most befitting to the project in question.The project is the development of an electronic library for a client by the company Top Quality Tech Solutions, which is modifiable. The library needs to have a database of electronic documents which the client can change, copy and return to the library. This is the model which is already in use by Top Quality Tech Solutions and has proved to be a successful model for the development of the two projects, thus it would be a natural progression if the model is again used for the current project. The model, if used in the development of the software library, would have positive results because this is the simplest kind of software development methodology out there; it runs on basic common sense and uses orthodox ways to develop the software which would be beneficial in developing the electronic library as it does not involve very complex programming or development. When this model is applied to the electronic library project, the requirements of the client would be seen, the design of the library and the additional options which the client wants in it are chalked out, a software for the library is developed and then verified and then periodic checks are done to see that the project is working as desired. This is the kind of development methodology which makes a prototype or an example project in the beginning so that an idea can be achieved as to how the model would look like when completed (Miles & Pilone, 2008). When applied to the electronic library project, this model could be beneficial because it would be able to show the customer what his project would look like in the long run. To start off, a prototype of the electronic library would be developed on which the rest of the project would be based. Since there are many small requirements of the clients like the viewing of the data from a central repository, consolidation of the data, the checking and checking out of the documents etc, all these requirements can be tested and the best solution out forward. Â  

Evolution of E-Commerce to M-Commerce Dissertation

Evolution of E-Commerce to M-Commerce - Dissertation Example It is also surprising that the pattern of m-commerce is not diverting the focus of sales away from e-commerce; it is adding more value to its operations. Studies reveal that about 90 percent of clients use their smart devices in order to make inquiries about products, their features and their prices (Lee, 2013:19). The on-the-go convenience and ease allows consumers to compare and contrast various products as easily as they would do it in a physical store that they walk into any time they want to. Further, besides pre-shopping activities, consumers make use of smart devices while shopping in outlets. The fact is that m-commerce is improving the general in-store experience and enabling companies to connect with their clients more closely. Businesses can develop more intimate connections with their customers when it comes to understanding them and meeting their needs. This, in turn, drives and will continue driving sales in the foreseeable future. Considering these facts, the biggest q uestion arising is now whether businesses are paying enough attention to their mobile platforms or not. Based on a study of a number of small enterprises in the United States, the findings show that 60 percent of them lack a plan to replicate their businesses online. In addition, commercialisation does not form part of their strategy because they feel that their companies and resources are not enough to support such expansion. The crux of this analysis is that no matter the size of a business, m-commerce is slowly replacing e-commerce.

Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Business Economics - Essay Example This essay stresses that government policy influences the main circulation of money in the economy. The annual budget shows opportunities and threats for our manufacturing industry. This is because it enables us to know the sectors of the economy that is being encouraged and those areas that are being discouraged. Through this, we can make decisions about how to distribute our scarce resources and also pay our obligations to the state in a way and manner that suits our best interest. Microeconomics is about the elements of demand and supply and it studies trends and patterns in consumer decision-making in a given industry. This paper makes a conclusion that the presence of state-owned firms that have the objective of improving the lives of people implies that our manufacturing company will do quite well in China because we will be up in competition against entities that are not positioned to compete as aggressively as other UK entities around the world. Hence, we have an advantage in China and the propensity to attain better results and achieve better successes than our competitors, the SOEs of China. locating our business in China gives us the chance to get lower operation costs. This is because the costs of doing business in China are low due to the current economic policy which encourages businesses from overseas to set up their operations in China. Hence the knowledge of the Chinese macro-economy and the current economic policy will be a plus for us in dealing with our expansion policy.

Coens’ No Country for Old Men Essay Example for Free

Coens’ No Country for Old Men Essay McCarthy’s renowned novel, â€Å"No Country for Old Men† was superbly handled by the duo directors, Joel and Ethan Coen in their adapted version for the screen, one of the most praised films of 2007 of the same name. The movie had the format of a crime thriller. Just like the novel, the film deals with the exciting adventurous plot of a drug deal which goes wrong and the cat- and- mouse drama among the three major characters of the novel, Llewelyn Moss- the protagonist, Anton Chigurh- the antagonist and the old man Sheriff Ed Tom Bell who supervises the investigation. Before getting into the main discussion whether the film version has done proper justice to the novel or not, it is important to know some of the basic details of the novel itself. â€Å"No Country for Old Men† gets counted among the finest works by the American author, Cormac McCarthy. The story revolves round the incident of an illicit drug deal in a remote location, United States and Mexico Border in around 1980. There are four major characters in the novel apart from Carla Jean Moss, the young wife of Llewelyn. Llewelyn Moss, the protagonist is a welder who is the victim of the deal and Anton Chigurh is the antagonist, the psychopathic character with eyes â€Å"Blue as lapis. At once glistening and totally opaque. Like wet stones†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. 2005) dark brown hair and dark complexion. In short, Chigurh is not a pleasant character. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, the old man is a World War II veteran who is asked to carry out the investigation of this drug deal. It is he who has to experience the horrors of numerous crimes and murders. He tries his best to solve it and his reminiscences form the Page 2 core part of the narration. Carson Wells is the fourth man who gets into the action. He is the former lieutenant Colonel from Vietnam War and another hitman who has been specially hired to retrieve money from Chigurh. Most of the story is being narrated in third person which is interrupted by the first person reminiscences from Ed Tom Bell. The novel comes up with the minimum dialogue but McCarthy could create the mystical air which the readers enjoy most. According to the critics, Anton Chigurh is â€Å"one of McCarthy’s most memorable creations. † Chigurh’s relentless loyalty to recover the cash made him the most unusual character of the plot. He is ready to eliminate anyone who comes in between Moss and him. He knows his job and he is loyal to it. His use of homemade weapons like coffee- can silencer or air driven cattle gun make him even more interesting to the readers. Sheriff Bell, the old man is thus not suitable for the mission he has been assigned. The modern era is in need of another brutal man to combat the psychopath like Chigurh. The novel ends with the revelation of the harsh truth that the old men will not find an ideal country to live in this modern era. The novel is an excellent crime thriller with the revelation of the biggest truth of the â€Å"mercenary civilization†. †(The Official Web Site of the Cormac McCarthy Society, No Country for Old Men 2005). The Coen brothers did a brilliant job as far as their handling of the theme of â€Å"No Country for Old Men† is concerned. The movie is based on a well knit script which focuses on the episodes of the novel. The setting of the film is exactly the same which the readers have Page 3 visualized while reading the novel by McCarthy. The first scene of the film introduces us to the desolate country side of West Texas. Josh Brolin is Llewelyn Moss in the film who plays the perfect role of a tragic protagonist who is chased by the psychopath Anton Chigurh, acted by Javier Bardem. The Coen Brothers did not forget the use of the unique weapons by Chigurh. A captive bolt pistol is shown to the viewers in the scene where Chigurh strangles a deputy of Sheriff. The movie involves lots of shooting, hiding sequences, driving and running scenes to keep the pace of the crime thriller in tact. The objective was that the viewers must feel the pulse of the thrill. The real man of the plot is surely Sheriff Bell acted by Tommy Lee Jones. Lee Jones did a wonderful job in the film playing the aging man who could not find an ideal country to live in. He realizes that he is not suitable for today’s era. The main characters serve as the loose ends of the mystery that revolves round the drug deal. It was the task of Coen Brothers to tie up these loose ends in such a fashion that the viewers get the theme of the novel. The objective of McCarthy was not to show the shooting skills of these characters but the consequences of exercising free will, game of chance and the predestination. The film version succeeded in inducing the link between fate and circumstance into the minds of the viewers. The motifs of the novel like predestination, chance and free will or the ironic relation between fate and circumstance have been finely weaved in the scenes of the movie. Chigurh decides his faith by flipping coin and this episode has been used by both the novelist and the directors to show the immense importance of the theme of chance in life. Scott Foundas wonderfully summaries the end of the film in â€Å"The Village Voice†, â€Å"In the end, everyone in No Country for Old Men is both hunter and hunted, members of some Page 4 endangered species trying to forestall their extinction†. (Scott Foundas, â€Å"Badlands†, Village Voice, Nov 6, 2007) A. O. Scott of New York Times comments Bell, Chigurh and Moss â€Å"occupy the screen one at a time, almost never appearing in the frame together, even as their fates become ever more intimately entwined†. ( Scott, A. O. 2007-11-09, â€Å"He Found a Bundle of Money, And Now There’s Hell to Pay†, New York Times: Performing Arts/Weekend Desk1) This was the objective of McCarthy and Cone Brothers and they succeeded in giving a proper shape to this mission in their film version of the same novel. Even Roger Ebert states that â€Å"the movie demonstrates how pitiful ordinary human feelings are in the face of implacable injustice† in the Nov 8, 2007 edition of Chicago Sun- Times. In short, it can be said that the film is the perfect adaptation of the novel with very little alterations. It captures everything from the mystery of the plot to the unique portrayal of the characters to the claustrophobic urban night to the mid day open sky of the desolate land of Texas. Cinematographer Roger Deakins shot numerous landscapes to signify that the film is not about any heavenly redemption but earthly sin which is devoid of any divine intervention. The novel has been brilliantly adapted in the film and masterfully altered to serve the purpose. The critics have pointed out that each and every dialogue and scene has been taken from the pages of the novel. Thus, Coen Brothers did not allow the critics to raise the issue which one is better, the novel or the film version. Both can be considered to be a single creation. The movie highlights the theme of fate which actually picks up the man who is going to die next. It is a game of destiny and the characters are Page 5 mere puppets in the hands of the same although they think they are deciding the following actions. Coen Brothers could deliver the message of the death of society and evil cannot be defeated which McCarthy wanted to show in his novel. It is not about the death of any particular individual but the death of the human society. The great actors should also be credited for the success of the film along with the directors. They delivered their best natural performances. Just like the book the film is quite violent and bloody and thus it accurately reflects the essence of the original source. The Coen Brothers knew that casting is the most difficult task for the making of â€Å"No Country for Old Men†. Sheriff Bell is the soul of the movie and the directors were pretty serious about the selection of the actor for the role. They picked up Tommy Lee Jones and succeeded in their mission. The directors knew that they were in need of a truly great actor and Lee Jones being a Texan was the most suitable for the job. But the task for selecting an actor for the role of Moss was even more difficult. Ultimately Coen Brothers found the actor Josh Brolin, the breakthrough screen actor who could understand the reason why Moss was introduced in the plot. Josh Brolin played his natural role in the film. Now, the Coens were in search of Chigurh, the dark character lacking the sense of humor as portrayed by McCarthy. Bardem was chosen after his immense success in Before Night Falls and The Sea Inside. Thus, casting was done brilliantly by the Coen Brothers to deliver the message of McCarthy. All the major actors and actresses were nominated either for the Oscar or Emmy Award including the Scottish actress, Kelly Page 6 Macdonald who was chosen for the role of Carla Jean. (Interview with Joel and Ethan Coen in Emanuel Levy after the film was premiered in the Cannes Film Fest 2007) The Cannes review states Cinematographer Roger Deakins captures everything from mid- day open- sky vistas to claustrophobic night time urban action; in timing and tension, No Country for Old Men is one of the most suspenseful films the Coens have ever made, which says a lot. Cormac McCarthy’s novel has also been impressively well- adapted- improved and altered, but nonetheless full of McCarthy’s clear, concise yet poetic voice. With all of the seemingly standard- issue thriller plot devices in the piece-money, guns and trouble- there’s dim chance that some might not catch the smaller, subtler themes of No Country for Old Men, which would be a shame; this is a story about death, not just murder; this is a story about want, not just money; this is a story of principle, not just pursuit. †¦. How we live, how we die, what we regret, what we fear. (Rocchi James, May 20th 2007, Cannes Review: No Country for Old Men, Cinematical. com) No Country for Old Men was not the first venture of Coen Brothers as far as handling a crime thriller is concerned. In fact they are quite specialists in this genre. They handled the same genre in Blood Simple 1984. Joel wrote the story and it had the same kind of Texas setting as in McCarthy’s novel. It was all about A shady Texas detective (M. Emmet Walsh), on the trail of an adulterous couple, is smarter than everybody else in the movie but not luckier, as he realizes when his hand Page 7 gets stuck on a window ledge. (Ranked among the 10 Best Coen Brothers Moments by TIME in an article by Richard Corliss) Blood Simple was not that popular as No Country for Old Men. But it is quite evident that Coen Brothers were not freshers when they took up the story by McCarthy for a successful film version of the same. In Fargo 1996, Coen Brothers filmed the story of a car salesman who hired men to kidnap his own wife for a sum of eighty thousand dollars. The crime ultimately led to a chain of murders and an investigation process. Coens managed to get seven Academy Nominations for this film and won the Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress Award. The film also earned positive response at the Cannes Film Fest 1996. Thus, Coen Brothers had already mastered the art of filming a crime thriller plot by the time they ventured into No Country for Old Men. No Country for Old Men is definitely a film of better quality than Blood Simple and Fargo. This film bagged three British Academy Film Awards, four Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay along with two Golden Globes. But the film No Country for Old Men is not appreciated by all. Some critics are not happy with the film version of the novel although the film is the accurate adaptation of the same. The reminiscences of Ed Tom Bell at the beginning of each chapter of the novel are missing in the film. The viewers admit that the movie is interesting and they were impressed by Bradem’s performance but they complained that â€Å"the entire film is very Page 8 slow paced, and the ending is incredibly abrupt and thoroughly unsatisfying†. (Film review posted by Melissa Niksic on 3rd Apr 2008 in amazon. com) The film language has to be different than the language of the novel simply because these are two entirely different media of expressions. There was almost no music in the entire film. The objective was to deliver the message through the silence. It is true that this is not a movie for everyone. Those who love to watch crime thrillers or are well acquainted with Coen Brothers’ style, they will surely love it. Otherwise, the movie is too much about chasing, murder, blood and pursuit. But we cannot blame the directors for that because that is what is there even in the novel. Although Coen Brothers have altered few scenes and ignored few chapters from the novel, that really did not affect the message that need to be delivered. Every director chooses the scenes that will contribute to the development of the plot and ignore the ones that are not relevant. The objective is to give a proper shape to the novel and Coen Brothers have definitely done that with wonderful casting, superb cinematography, and their techniques to weave the intrigue plot of a crime thriller, minimum dialogue and minimum use of music. The film raises important theological questions regarding Truth and Justice and Judgment. It would be wrong to criticize the film as a misinterpretation of the novel rather it has given a new dimension to the concept of the death of society highlighted by McCarthy. The movie is indeed a fine adaptation of the novel with slight pardonable alterations to suit the language of film. We can draw the veil of this discussion as it was summarized by Ryan Parker, The Graduate Theological Union in the film review for No Country for Old Men in JRF, Page 9 The Coen brothers’ ability to weave comedy and drama of the utmost seriousness, along with spot- on casting and flawless performances have all resulted in one of their best films to date and certainly one full of fodder for theological discussion. (Vol 11, No. 2 October 2007) Page 10 Work Cited Interview with Joel and Ethan Coen. Emanuel Levy. Cannes Film Fest 2007 Melissa Niksic, film review, amazon. com, posted on 3rd Apr 2008 McCarthy, Cormac. No Country for Old Men. 2005 Richard Corliss, Ranked among the 10 Best Coen Brothers Moments. TIME Rocchi James,Cannes Review: No Country for Old Men, Cinematical. com, May 20th 2007 Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun- Times. Nov 8, 2007 edition Ryan Parker, The Graduate Theological Union in the film review for No Country for Old Men in JRF, Vol 11, No. 2 October 2007 Scott, A. O. â€Å"He Found a Bundle of Money, And Now There’s Hell to Pay†, New York Times: Performing Arts/Weekend Desk1. 2007-11-09 Scott Foundas, â€Å"Badlands†, Village Voice, Nov 6, 2007 The Official Web Site of the Cormac McCarthy Society, No Country for Old Men 2005

Factors Affecting Health Communication Campaigns

Factors Affecting Health Communication Campaigns A comparison of HIV Aids and Polio Campaigns in Aligargh, Uttar Pradesh Introduction: Last two decades of the century has seen a renewed interest in the field of health communication, disease prevention and health promotion. This was because it was realized that continued investments in clinical health research brings diminishing returns if it is not accompanied with strategic information, education and communication(IEC) efforts. (Pencheon, Guest, Melzer, Gray, 2004) Public and government health departments are rich with tacit knowledge regarding health communication practices and the problems encountered with the population in their geographical area. However this information is rarely collected and written down due to lack of resources. Effective communication can spread knowledge, value and social norms. This can be instrumental in affecting behaviour and improving the over-all health status of the population. India faces a dual challenge in tackling the problem of HIV Aids and Polio. First is the overall high population and poor living conditions of people living in small towns and villages, and second is the complex socio- cultural factors which lead to poor awareness and stigma attached to these diseases. It is important to understand these factors which affect the impact of health communication campaigns in a particular geo-graphical sub system if a comprehensive micro understanding of this field has to be generated. Moreover there always exists a gap between the people who design health communication campaigns and the campaign implementers. An assessment and feed-back from the grass root level implementers needs to be taken if this gap has to be effectively filled. This research hopes to uncover these insights which will be useful not only to the academics but also to the practitioners. Literature review Health Communication: Health communication involves the use of communication strategies by experts in public health domain to influence the health behaviour of people. It is a link between health care practices and communication which has a significant impact on influencing individual and community behaviour towards health and thereby a huge potential to significantly improve their life. (Neil Mckee, 2004) HIV AIDS: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. As the infection progresses, the immune system becomes weaker, and the person becomes more susceptible to infections. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected person to develop AIDS; antiretroviral drugs can slow down the process even further. HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse (anal or vaginal), transfusion of contaminated blood, sharing of contaminated needles, and between a mother and her infant during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Global Case load: HIV Aids In countries most heavily affected, HIV has reduced life expectancy by more than 20 years, slowed economic growth, and deepened household poverty. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, the epidemic has orphaned nearly 12 million children aged less than 18 years. The natural age distribution in many national populations in sub-Saharan Africa has been dramatically skewed by HIV, with potentially perilous consequences for the transfer of knowledge and values from one generation to the next. In Asia, where infection rates are much lower than in Africa, HIV causes a greater loss of productivity than any other disease, and is likely to push an additional 6 million households into poverty by 2015 unless national responses are strengthened (Commission on AIDS in Asia, 2008). According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), HIV has inflicted the single greatest reversal in human development in modern history (UNDP, 2005). Fig 1.1 A global view of HIV Infection (UNAIDS, 2008) The current statistics on HIV/AIDS as published by UNAIDS (2008) are: Estimate People living with HIV/AIDS 33.0 million Adults living with HIV/AIDS 30.8 million Women living with HIV/AIDS 15.5 million Children living with HIV/AIDS 2.0 million People newly infected with HIV in 2007 2.7 million Children newly infected with HIV in 2007 0.37 million AIDS deaths in 2007 2.0 million Child AIDS deaths in 2007 0.27 million Fig. 1.2 -Current Statistics on HIV Aids Global Health Communication initiatives for HIV Aids: Education Entertainment Approach: The Soul City, South Africa (Goldstein, Japhet, E.Scheepers, 2004) South Africa even though a developed country had a wretched health care system, mainly due to long years of apartheid practices. In late 1990s Dr Garth Japhet, a young doctor observed this at Alex clinic. He observed that the health communication efforts in South Africa where very slogan based and not sustainable. Bursts of activity like National Aids day were not enough. There was no formative research before planning these campaigns. More over the campaigns followed a Top Down approach, and lacked synergies between medical community, government and media. Soul City was an extensive multi media campaign started in South Africa, due to the efforts of Dr Garth Japhet. The whole campaign was a collection of mass media campaigns which were connected and implemented year on year. There was a 13 part prime time- television series called Soul city, which was accompanied by a 60 episode radio show. Even though content of both these shows was not similar yet they both highlighted same health issues. Later on printed IEC material was also developed and distributed based on the characters of Soul City. These booklets were also reviewed by 11 top newspapers of the country. Through 1994 to 1999 five series of Soul city were broadcasted. These were consisted rated as top three most watched drama series in South Africa. The Radio program also got very high listenership ratings. Formative research and high creative input went into designing the IEC material which was targeted uniquely to adults and young population. The key to success of Soul City multimedia program was use of media conversion, from print to radio to television. This encouraged inter-personal discussions about health issues. Learning: Locally developed content which has quality entertainment works well For a multimedia educational model to succeed it should return value to all the stake holders Media advocacy leads to policy and social change A continual and integrated multimedia strategy is necessary if the effect of communication has to be sustained. Against Stigma: ACT UP, United States of America (Documents archive/Act Up explained) Stigma is a problem which plagues every country and becomes a very important factor in HIV + people seeking help and coming out in public .The Aids Coalition to unleash power , is one such organisation which attempts to remove this stigma through bold and creative action. They boldly use their slogan Silence = Death which urges people to speak up about HIV and Aids. They seek to normalize talks about condoms and Aids by radical action like sticking posters on telephone booths which say this telephone has been touched by a person with Aids Public demonstrations at churches, baseball fields, Wall Street etc are held to imply that Aids is everybodys business. Once during a Sunday sermon session in New York the ACT UP activists did staged a mass die in outside to highlight the bishops silence on Aids. ACT UP activists use linguistic symbols to make strong statements like -No, Glove No Love and Aids is no ball game. These were used as places like Shea baseball stadium. Learning: ACT UP founder Larry Kramer studied the fight against stigma by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King and suitably adapted it for modern day audience Use of creative and clutter breaking ideas helps discussion and normalization of sensitive issues like stigma Use of public demonstration, Sit ins and Die ins helps create buzz and social change. Health communication efforts for HIV Aids in India: The National Aids Control Program (UNAIDS, 2008): Every State in India has an Aids prevention and Control Society which under supervision from NACO carries out local initiatives. The second Stage of National Aids control program (NACP) ended on March 2006.This focussed on various platforms to promote youth education about safe sex, safe blood donation and HIV testing. Various platforms like Street plays, concerts, national aids day, TV and radio spots, and celebrity endorsements were utilised. Use of teachers and peer group influencers was done to disseminate knowledge about HIV aids The third stage of NACP will have a strong focus on condom promotion. The installation of over 11,000 condom vending machines in colleges, road-side restaurants, stations, gas stations and hospitals has been done. With support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the government has also initiated a campaign called Condom Bindas Bol!, which involves advertising, public events and celebrity endorsements. It aims to break the taboo that currently surrounds condom use in India, and to persuade people that they should not be embarrassed to buy them. (Shhhhnot anymore!) Various multi-media campaigns have been implemented in India to create awareness about HIV. These include special communication programs to target special audience like sex workers, truck drivers, and street children. Radio programs are broadcasted on a regular basis to disseminate information. Field publicity units, Drama and song division has been set up to target rural India. Aids hotlines with around 1097 toll free numbers have been set up in major cities of India. A very successful program has been the University Talk Aids (UTA program), which covered 4,044 institutions in India and reached out to 3.5 million students. The program was implemented by National Service Scheme with assistance from WHO and NACO.Independent evaluation suggested that the program was highly successful in creating a healthy attitude about sex among young children  ­Communication regarding Condom promotion: Social marketing of Condoms combined with free distribution has been used to promote usage among general public as well as high risk groups. Department of Family welfare has been instrumental in distribution and supply of condoms. Family Health Awareness Campaign This campaign was focussed on creating awareness about RTI and STI among the general public as well as the field level functionaries. This campaign is organised annually in rural as well as urban slum areas. (Shaukat Mohammed, 2003) Reaching Special Audiences: Reaching Men who have Sex with men (MSM): Case Study Naz foundation Trust of India: (Rakesh, 2002) Background: India with a very high population runs the risks of very high PLHA even if a low prevalence rate of HIV is present. Even though most sources of infection are through hetero-sexual sex yet in certain areas like north -eastern India, IDU becomes a dominant factor for HIV transmission. Strategy: The Naz foundation was set up in 1994 to address sexual health issues of MSM, women, truck drivers and PLHA. The key communication objectives were: Communication about modes of transmission Prevention and risk reducing strategies Means of accessing treatment The intervention strategies utilised were: Community outreach: Nine outreach sites which were staffed with officers who provided information on safe sexual health practices, condom usage and provided referrals STI referrals: A non judgemental approach to STI risk patients was followed. STI clinics were set up with a MSM friendly physicians Social and Group meetings: support groups were formed to help MSM and create a freer environment for information interchange Counseling:Telephone hot lines and personal counselling was set up to address MSM concerns Results: The implementation of Naz foundation strategies was evaluated and it showed a number of positive results. An increase from 11 % to 43% for all time condom usage ,the STI clinic visits increased from 24% to 56%, and condom usage by male sex workers increased from 20% to 43 % Learning: Naz foundation realized that in order to reach out to special audiences tailored solutions are necessary. Some risk groups like female partners of MSMs are very difficult to reach and hence intensive efforts are needed in this area. Reaching out to Injecting Drug Users (IDU): Case Study IDUs in New Delhi India (Dorabjee, 1998) Background: In some cities of India like New Delhi the HIV prevalence rate among IDU users is as high as 85%.The Indian NGO Sharan has been working for IDU since 1979,and has done some breakthrough work in this area.(AIDS Analysis Asia ,1996). Strategy: IDU were motivated to join either drug substitution therapy which involved substituting drug injections to oral drug usage or needle exchange program where the registered IDU users vouched to stop exchanging needles during drug usage. The reason behind the success of this program was that it managed to develop a strong trust among IDU users because it employed recovering drug users as outreach workers. Constant feedback was sought from them and the program was modified accordingly. The IEC approaches used were counselling, peer education, information on sexual transmission of HIV aids, condom distribution and drug use prevention programs. Results: 33 % of registered IDU started taking oral drugs instead of Injections 21% stopped sharing needles Use of advocacy resulted in government accepting the use of harm reduction strategies for IDU users Learning: Political support is necessary for the success of any IEC project on sensitive issues. This can be influenced through strong advocacy Incorporating feedbacks by outreach workers and IDU can significantly increase the impact of the campaign A range of clinical, social and communication services are required to meet the purpose of HIV prevention among IDU users Addressing the mobile population: Case Study the Trucker Population of India (Bhoruka, 2001) There are about 50 million trucker population in India, who spend around ten months away from home. Around 70% of these engage in unprotected extra marital sex (UNAIDS, 2006).HIV infection is high in this segment along with a high STI danger. A major obstacle is that these truck drivers do not use condoms for road side sex as it regarded as a re-creational activity. Strategy: The Bhoruka public welfare trust (BPWT), attempted to reach these truck drivers through free tea parlours set up at 5 main route stops in India. These tea parlours offered a meeting ground for the truck drivers and offered tea, newspaper, TV and other forms of entertainment. However no prostitution or drugs were encouraged. Condoms, clinical counselling and STI medical referrals were offered at a subsidised rate. The most important aspect was focus on peer education and counselling. As these truck drivers discussed about their life, peer educators gave them counselling and information. Parking lots were used as another reaching stop where peer educator gave out condoms and IEC material. This program became so successful that various truck drivers themselves became informal peer educators. The tea-shops were also managed by truck drivers or sex workers. Informal truck driver peer educators were later trained and given certificates to become formal peer educators and work in these tea shops. Small motivational incentives like bags and pens were also offered to these truck drivers as well as informal peer educators. Results: Every tea centre reaches out to close to 48,000 people annually, provides subsidised treatment to 2,200 patients .Fifty percent of these patients are treated for STIs Around 200 truck drivers had been trained as peer educators by the year 2000 The condom social marketing component of this program was very successful, with steady increase in condom sales. Till 2000 there were 104,832 sold and 162 active condom distribution set up. Learning: A high level of motivation should be maintained amongst the peer learning groups. Its important to have support of all the stakeholders for the success of any ICE program. Poliomyelitis (polio) Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children. The virus is transmitted through contaminated food and water, and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system. Many infected people have no symptoms, but do excrete the virus in their faeces, hence transmitting infection to others. Initial symptoms of polio include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. In a small proportion of cases, the disease causes paralysis, which is often permanent. Polio can only be prevented by immunization (World Health Organisation) Global Case load: Polio Polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries then, to 1997 reported cases in 2006. In 2008, only parts of four countries in the world remain endemic for the disease the smallest geographic area in history. In 1994, the World Health Organization (WHO) Region of the Americas (36 countries) was certified polio-free, followed by Western Pacific Region (37 countries and areas including China) in 2000 and the WHO European Region (51 countries) in June 2002. In 2007, more than 400 million children were immunized in 27 countries during 164 supplementary immunization activities (SIAs). Globally, polio surveillance is at historical highs, as represented by the timely detection of cases of acute flaccid paralysis. Persistent pockets of polio transmission in northern India, northern Nigeria and the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan are key epidemiological challenges. As long as a single child remains infected with polio, children in all countries are at risk of contracting the disease. The poliovirus can easily be imported into a polio-free country and can spread rapidly among unimmunised populations. Between 2003 and 2005, 25 previously polio-free countries were re-infected due to importations. The four polio-endemic countries are Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. Global Health Communication efforts for Pulse Polio: Strategic communication efforts in Afghanistan (Rafiqi, 2004) The Pulse polio eradication program of Afghanistan faced stiff challenges due to illiteracy, resistance, inaccessibility and worsening security conditions. Strategic approach for Polio health communication in Afghanistan focussed on advocacy, social mobilization, communication to support the program and training. Advocacy was achieved by involving top leaders at every program launch, and getting them involved at all levels by sharing epidemiological data. Social mobilization through involvement of religious leaders, mosque and prayer announcements, and inter-personal communication. Television and Radio was also utilized. Communication to support the program was achieved through district and community based forums which encouraged discussions, dedicated community specific social mobilization workers were employed and training was given to Imams and other religious leaders. Print media was used effectively for brochures, banners and leaflets. Learning: Its a challenge to shift the focus of health communication from campaign type to sustainable communication Advocacy at highest level is instrumental to success of the campaign Use of local facilities like mosques, bazaars, mobile loudspeakers etc lead to effective social mobilization Appropriate mix of print and radio can effectively reach mobile population Establish strong relationship with religious leaders Promote health education through health facilities as well as private practitioners Ensure all factions of community are involved including women Polio immunization efforts through public health education efforts in West Africa. (African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI), 2005) Nigeria faced a major challenge when polio vaccination was stalled in northern areas due to huge negative controversy in local as well international media regarding the safety of these oral medicines. Moreover allot of trusted religious leaders also spoke out against the vaccine. To fight this drastic loss of acceptance of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), a strong communication plan was developed with the objective that each child should get OPV drops.This was achieved through heightened advocacy through large scale public flag offs of campaigns, direct involvement of the president, working with the private companies including telecom companies, and engagement of religious as well as community networks. To focus on community education community mobilizers were assigned to high risk area, traditional media like street theatre, town criers, mobile cinema and folk songs were utilized. Mass media like TV spots and radio jingles were also integrated Effective use of Media for behaviour change was used. This included broadcasting in national languages, special programs for minority groups, projection of human interest stories to create positive dialogue, folk media, community theatre and mobile cinema followed by dialogue. Success of this campaign can be determined by the fact that the demand for immunization and OPV drops substantially increased. The OPV controversy was effectively resolved, along with support from key stake holders. Learning: Behaviour Change through public education and integrated mass and traditional campaigns can effectively result in more demand and acceptance of polio immunization. Health communication efforts for Polio: India Reducing resistance and increasing community dialogue: Meerut, Uttar Pradesh (United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) India, 2007) Meerut is one of the regions of Uttar -Pradesh which is seen as high risk for the polio endemic. A highly innovative social mobilization campaign was implemented in Meerut, which involved: Use of distinct influencers; Three teams of 35 Urdu teachers,24 kirana store owners and Hajis (people who have completed Haj pilgrimage )were involved in these teams. Close to 25,000 primary schools were approached on republic day, to educate the children, inform them of the dates of immunisation so that better participation is achieved. Mosques were approached to educate the community. Their participation increase from 61% in January 2007 to 74% in February 2007. Meetings on a regular basis were conducted with mothers and daughter in laws, to discuss polio and child health issues. Booklets were published which contained poems written by local influential poets. These boosted the morale of health workers and also worked as strong advocacy measure. Due to these innovative techniques Meerut recorded the lowest no. of resistant households in Uttar Pradesh in 2007. Learning: Polio needs to be incorporated as a part of overall child health program . Consistent, open and on-going dialogue with all factions of community is necessary. Use of innovative techniques to create interest: Polio Joker (Kher, 2007) Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), hired Manchanda Jha to dress up as a joker and attract kids to polio booths .He sings songs about polio, does tricks, engages children and gives information about the importance of polio drops alongside.When dances and sings Chal chale polio boothpe hum sathiyoon, chalke do boondh jeevan ke le sathiyon the children are not only humoured but also an important message has been delivered. He became so successful that he came to be called Polio Joker popularly. He has been instrumental in reaching out to care-givers and kids in slum areas. This program was implemented for three years and has very high recall value. Learning: New entertaining techniques need to be implemented if communication has to reach children Communication methods should be tailored to meet the needs of high risk areas. Rationale of the research Health status of a country is influenced by a number of factors like food, water, income, sanitation, education and accessibility to health care services. Health communication campaigns and health services dont exist in a vacuum but are influenced by external socio-economic, cultural and factors. These factors play an important part on how health information education and communication campaigns are designed, implemented and finally received by the target audience. These factors also influence policies, resource allocation, technology, training of medical staff and communication strategies used. These in turn shape the health services system of a particular region. Studies which have documented the health communication efforts have restricted themselves to an analysis at national level. It will be not surprising to find that in a complex nation like India various sub-systems exist, and every sub-system might influence the message in its own way. HIV AIDS and Polio are two major health concerns faced by Indian population. On-going and consistent efforts are made to educate people regarding these. However again within a geographic sub-system people might react and respond both these campaigns in a differential manner owing to a variety of factors like sensitivity of the issue, complexity of the message and stigma. Through this study I wish to explore these factors which affect the impact of health communication campaigns of HIV Aids and Polio, in a geographic sub-system. Research Objectives: Through the analysis of the literature review and recommendation of my guide the following research objectives have been identified: To understand the health communication processes and initiatives undertaken for HIV Aids and Polio prevention/care at a sub-system, grass root level. To identify factors which lead to an differential impact of these health communication campaigns To suggest improvements ,if possible, to current health communication practices followed in the geographic sub-system Research Areas: Health communication campaigns which will be studied extensively are: Against HIV-Aids: These will include the communication efforts in the area of prevention (transmission through mother to child, sexual transmission and primary prevention) and against stigma. Against Pulse Polio: Campaigns for polio education and routine immunisation will be studied. This study aims to understand the use of traditional media, electronic and human channel employed at the grass root level. What are the problems faced in implementation, what are the intermediary factors which affect them, and what measures are taken to combat these problems. An evaluation of these campaigns will also be conducted based on how much has the target audience been receptive to them, and responded by either positive action or behaviour change. Ultimately both these campaigns will be compared and contrasted to arrive at the differentiating factors which impact the outcome of these. Research Methodology: Phase One An extensive secondary research will be done to establish a foundation for the primary research. The literature review provides certain learning about different methods of strategic health communication. This learning will be taken forward to secondary research where the focus will be kept on the grass root health communication initiatives undertaken in the chosen sub-system. In addition a case study method will be employed to shape up the key focus areas for the primary research. Phase two This phase will consist of primary research will be essentially qualitative and exploratory in nature. The purpose of this type of research methodology is to generate basic knowledge on relevant areas, discover associated factors, and identify information gaps. Data collection and Analysis: Secondary research will consist of data collection from online sources, medical and communication journals as well as reports. Various performance reports and internal documents which are generated at the primary sub-system level will also be looked into gather data. Expert In-depth interviews will be conducted to gain more understanding on the subject. It is important to note that the interviews will be open -ended and flexible to generate maximum insights. These interviews will involve extensive probing and will utilize the technique of laddering, An interview guideline will however be prepared for a comprehensive and systematic execution. Similar technique of in-depth interviews will also be employed to collect information from target audience regarding the appeal of the campaigns. The reason why in-depth-interviews will be used over other methods of data collection is: It is flexible It provides in-depth information about areas to be covered Since the area of study is very specialised it provides scope for clarification Some of the issues which needs to be discussed are personal in nature, a face to face and private discussion is necessary Like other techniques, this tool also suffers from certain limitations. It is prone to bias and largely depend on the skill of the interviewer. It is an expensive technique, can be time consuming and responses may be difficult to interpret. The structure of the interview is not clearly defined unlike a survey and so same questions may not be asked to all the respondents Area of Study: The chosen geographical sub-system for the primary research is Aligarh in UP. The reasons behind this are the following: Northern UP has a relatively high prevalence rate of HIV AIDS Its one of the few areas in India which is still Polio Endemic Familiarity with the local language Initial contacts are available Timeframe of the study: Phase one-: November till mid-December 2009 Phase two/primary research: Mid December to January 2010 Sampling: Sampling universe consists of all the experts in the area of the study, and the population to which the health communica

Kawasaki Disease: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Kawasaki Disease: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment Background Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis syndrome which may involve many organs, such as myocardium and the conduction system, and may cause inflammation in other organs such as pericarditis, endocarditis, cholecystitis etc. Etiology There is only little information of the etiology of KD. It is suspected as an infectious disease with an unknown pathogen (KatoSuda, 2012) or autoimmune disease (Starkebaum, 2013) that has an acute systemic vasculitis syndrome. Prevalence KD is a prevalent cardiac disease in Asia, North America, South America, Europe and Australia. Nakamura and Yanagawa (2004) stated that Asians were approximately 5-10 times more susceptible than white persons. (cited in KatoSuda, 2012) II. Clinical understanding of Kawasaki’s Disease Medical diagnostic criteria The principal diagnostic criteria of KD are presence of at least five of the major features: persistent fever for at least 5 days, conjunctival injection, changes in the mucosa of the oropharynx(such as strawberry tongue), changes in the peripheral extremities, erythematous rash over extremities or/and trunk, and cervical lymphadenopathy. If clients do not fulfill the classic criteria, they are considered as having incomplete KD. (Kato Suda, 2012) Difference between Roseola disease and Kawasaki disease Both Roseola and Kawasaki disease begin with sudden high fever, but their treatments are very different. The fever of KD is not very responsive to acetaminophen or ibuprofen which can be used to treat the fever of Roseola. After the fever, KD and Roseola cases both develop rash but their onsets of rash are not the same. Roseola case develops rash at the time of fever resolution, while KD case develops rash within two to three weeks after the onset of fever which may not be resolved.(Wang et al., 2009) Also, KD presents with some oral manifestations, like erythema, edema, fissuring of lips and a strawberry tongue which cannot be found in Roseola cases. (Ely Seabury, 2010) II. Clinical understanding of Kawasaki’s Disease Potential Complications Children with Kawasakis disease can develop vasculitis that causes weakening of the blood vessels and leads to aneurysms. Without treatment in time, 1 in 5 children with Kawasaki disease will develop coronary aneurysms. (Suzuki et. al., 1986) Either formation of blood clot in a coronary artery aneurysm or rupture of a large coronary artery aneurysm would lead to myocardial infarction which may cause death. Besides the coronary arteries, the myocardium, valves, and pericardium can become inflammatory. Arrhythmias or abnormal functioning of some heart valves, myocardial infarction and heart failure may also occur. Standard Treatments in Hong Kong Guided by the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong, intravenous gamma-globulin (IVGG) and aspirin are the treatment protocols for all KD clients admitted to hospital. (Yung et. al., 2002) For evaluating the coronary artery lesions, echocardiography are done for all patients and coronary angiography and heart catheterization are performed for selective clients. III. Case study and its nursing assessment Peter, a 1-yerar old baby, has been diagnosed as having Kawasaki Disease after admission. Peter is now suspected at the acute phase (Stage I) of the disease since he shows irritability, persistent fever for 4 days and erythematous rash over his extremities. For subjective data, he has high fever and diarrhoea for few days; fever was lower after treating with antipyretics and diarrhoea was subsided and rashes developed over his entire hands, arms, feet and legs, stated by his mother. For objective data, he is irritable, has a bright red tongue; his palms and soles had erythematous rash. In most of the cases, clients also have conjunctivitis, swollen cervical lymph nodes, inflammation of the pharynx and the oral mucosa develops with red and cracked lips and swollen joints. Beside of developing erythematous rash, skin on the extremities may be edema and peeling. Mostly, clients suffer from cardiac problems, such as myocarditis and tachycardia. (Starkebaum, 2013) These should be assessed after admission. IV. Plan for care Nursing diagnosis for the case study Hyperthemia related to inflammatory disease process, increased metabolic rate and dehydration as evidenced by body temperature greater than normal range Risk for decreased cardiac tissue perfusion related to vasculitis Impaired oral mucous membrane related to inflammatory process, dehydration, and mouth breathing as evidenced by presence of bright red tongue Impaired skin integrity related to inflammatory process, altered circulation as evidenced by having erythematous rash over palms and soles and his mum’s verbalization of presence of rash over extremities Risk for imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements related to inflammation and swollen of oral mucous membrane and tongue Ineffective family therapeutic regimen management related to knowledge deficit to Kawasaki disease as evidence by wrongly distinguishing Roseola and Kawasaki Disease Nursing Managements Management for Hyperthermia To treat hyperthermia, cooling should be promoted by wearing lightweight and loose-fitting clothing. This can encourage heat loss by radiation and conduction. Ice bags can be put on the forehead or around neck of client. Adequate water intake is also encouraged. In order to prevent complications and promote comfort, before administering aspirin, nurses should monitor temperature every 4 hours until client becomes afebrile for a day. Administer antipyretic medication if prescribed. Peter, in the case study, was treated with antipyretics before so his fever was lower. Continuous temperature monitoring is required. Also, increasing his fluid intake promotes recovery and prevents dehydration. Peter will be afebrile, checked with thermometer, and free of complications due to high-grade fever within 3 days. Management for Risk of complications and infection At the acute phase of KD, nurses should monitor client’s cardiac condition closely by assessing client’s cardiac status regularly, i.e. once a day, including measuring the apical rate, along with assessing any symptoms of shortness of breath and SaO2 level of client. Continuous monitoring is still suggested even though no S/S has shown up. The goal is that Peter will not develop any complications before discharge. Assessing any worsening condition is for evaluating nursing interventions in preventing complications. Once cardiac complications start to develop keep strict I/O and monitor SaO2 Q4H. Administer supplementary oxygen as prescribed. If client continues irritable and shows cyanosis, administer sedation as prescribed to reduce oxygen consumption and cardiac workload. Long term FU is required. In addition, note the presence of compromised vision of patient. Bilateral conjunctival inflammation was reported to be the most common symptom of Kawasaki disease after fever. (Yun et al., 2011) Note for any redness and assess the visual ability at regular time intervals. If Peter is suspected having compromised vision, assessed by providing vision stimuli to see any respond, consult ophthalmologist if possible. Management for Impaired skin integrity and oral mucous membrane Most of the KD clients will have erythematous rash over body, altered mucous membrane condition and ‘strawberry’ tongue, as mentioned. Client’s skin condition is assessed at regular time intervals. Also, nurse can apply emollients to affected area as ordered, and educate parents and help client to wear soft and loose clothing. Promoting nutritional status and encourage fluid intake are important in healing of rash. For the mucosal conditions, we should provide client mouth care, lubricate his lips and provide adequate clear liquid if not contraindicated. In Peter’s case, the aims are preventing lesion and promoting healing of the rash of his extremities and inflammated tongue within two weeks. Also, maintaining intact and moist oral mucous membrane that are free of inflammation, ulceration and infection before discharge. The oral condition will not affect his appetite, so as the nutritional status, evaluated by assessing his body weight daily. Management for Altered comfort Client suffered from KD often shows irritability due to pain and fever. (To deal with fever, please refer to Management for hyperthermia) Administer analgesia as prescribed to reduce the pain. A quiet environment may calm client, nurses can talk softly and avoid bright light if possible. James et al.(2013) suggested that line the bed with soft blanket from home can promote client’s sleeping quality. Encourage parents’ to bring client’s favourite toys and nipple may also help in comforting client. Nurse should manage the procedure systematically, in order to minimize disrupting client’s rest period. These actions can apply in Peter’s case. Peter will have adequate rest and show clam immediately after having these nursing actions. Family Education Some parents may not know what Kawasaki disease is. Nurses should provide information to client’s family and answer the inquiries. Client’s parents are often anxious of clients’ condition. Assessing the parent’s anxiety level and explaining procedure clearly are necessary. Nurse should also comfort parents by assuring them the fever, pain and irritability of the child will resolve eventually. Focusing on the case scenario, nurse should help his mother to differentiate the differences between KD and Roseola, including the etiology and S/S, after Peter’s admission. To reduce the chances of developing complications, nurse can teach his mother to monitor and assess early signs of complications of heart at the routine time, such as abnormal heart rate, arrhythmia, cyanosis and lower extremities edema. Provide pamphlet about KD for his mother to read. Asking for any inquiry and let her to verbalize at least two significant signs of having complications can evaluate her understanding. To prevent further infection, client’s carer should be educated to provide proper hand hygiene before touching client. It is also encouraged if we can invite her in planning the treatment regimen, which can reduce her anxiety and promote her compliance to client’s treatment regimen. Besides, since Peter is 1-year old, before Peter discharges, we should educate the mother that after IVGG treatment, vaccinations with live vaccine (e.g. MMR) should be delayed for 6 months. It is because antibodies may interfere with the immune responses to the vaccines (Salisbury Begg, 1996, as cited in Cheng, Wong So, 2003). We should make sure his mum remembers the specific dates of FU in order to detect abnormalities showing signs of potential complications. V. Conclusion Kawasaki Disease is a common paediatric disease, and it is different from Roseola. With early diagnosis, treatment and continuous follow-ups, it is a manageable and curative disease. Mimicry in Butterflies | Experiment Mimicry in Butterflies | Experiment Introduction The experiment will be testing mimicry in butterflies. Mimicry is the similarity between two organisms that evolved to protect a species from its predators. The similarity can be appearance, behaviour, sound or scent. Mimicry can be mutually beneficial for both organisms, or it can be damaging to one of the organisms involved. Batesian mimicry is when a harmless species imitates the warning signals of a harmful species, it is an antipredator adaptation. The wings of the Monarch butterfly are made up of a black, orange and white pattern. They are aposematic in both caterpillar and butterfly form, warning off predators with their bright coloured wings as a warning of their undesirable taste. Cardenolide aglycones is responsible for the undesirable taste of the Monarch butterflies, which the caterpillars ingest while feeding on milkweed. The Viceroy butterfly is distinguishable from the Monarch butterfly from its post median black line on the vein of its hindwing and it is smaller in si ze. Its defence against predators is mimicry of the Monarch butterfly. Hypothesis and Predictions The hypothesis is that mimicry in the butterflies does not have an effect on preference from the birds. Our predictions are that the birds will not choose the model butterfly because of the bright colour of the model butterfly. This means that the birds will more likely choose the mimic butterfly because it is less brightly coloured. Aims To see which butterfly the birds chooses first and to test mimicry in the viceroy butterfly and to see what effect mimicry has on preference from the birds. Pilot study A pilot study was undertook at Treborth Botanical gardens. The study was designed to emulate the mimicry of the monarch butterfly by the viceroy butterfly. This was done using different colour suet pellets. Yellow suet pellets and red suet pellets were used. They both had the same flavour. This was designed so that the birds would be choosing primarily on the colour and not the taste. Five sites of study were chosen. One pile of red suet pellets and one pile of yellow suet pellets were left at each test location. The piles of suet were placed on tree branches and in bird feeders were possible, but some had to be left on the ground. This possibly could corrupt results as ground-based rodents could consume suet pellets and these are not the subject of the experiment. Of the five sites of study four piles of red pellets were fully consumed, compared to only two sites in which the yellow suets were completely consumed. We took this as indication that the birds on site had a preference be tween the two colours of suet. However, the results may have been corrupted by herbivorous birds and small mammals which may have consumed the suet pellets instead of the target bird species. Methods Eggs would be collected from the area to be surveyed to ensure successful polymorphs are obtained from both species, and breeding age adult butterflies are not removed from the environment. The eggs would then be reared to adulthood (as only adult viceroys use mimicry). The butterflies would then be freeze-dried to preserve their colour and any unpalatable compounds in their tissues. This would also lower water activity and thus lower the chance of introducing bacteria and other pathogens to bird populations. The area to be surveyed would be divided into quadrats with equal and random treatments across varying habitats (as literature suggests predator density and diversity affects the success of mimicry). Per treatment a Viceroy and a Monarch butterfly would be pinned in close proximity to each other on a tree. First preference of prey would be recorded in the case of a butterfly being eaten by a predator. Predator species could also be recorded to discover if any species (such as di fferent Passeriform species) show a preference for either butterfly. Statistics A chi-squared test is used as data to be generated is frequency count data on which butterfly was chosen first which certifies that the data matches the requirements for a one-way chi-squared test. Discussion After analysing the weaknesses from the pilot study, the method was modified in the hope that it would make the plan stronger. With the issue of other predators, the ability to discount them attacking the butterfly was overcome by monitoring all test species. What was shown in our pilot study that in fact all the brightly colour suet pellet was gone contradicts what we believe should occur but the flaw in the pilot study design may account for that. The expected outcome for this experiment would be that batesian mimicry is shown. References Chai, P. (1986). Field observations and feeding experiments on the responses of rufous-tailed jacamars (Galbula ruficauda) to free-flying butterflies in a tropical rainforest. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 29(3), pp.161-189. DellAglio, D., Stevens, M. and Jiggins, C. (2016). Avoidance of an aposematically coloured butterfly by wild birds in a tropical forest. Ecological Entomology, 41(5), pp.627-632. Flickr, (2011). Viceroy Caterpillar. [image] Available at: https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6185/6068401472_e8d8be1611_b.jpg [Accessed 28 Feb. 2017]. Guenther, L. (n.d.). Photo of a monarch caterpillar. [image] Available at: http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/monarc1.jpg [Accessed 28 Feb. 2017]. King, R., Stansfield, W. and Mulligan, P. (2007). A Dictionary of Genetics. 7th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p.278. Lindstedt, C., Eager, H., Ihalainen, E., Kahilainen, A., Stevens, M. and Mappes, J. (2011). Direction and strength of selection by predators for the color of the aposematic wood tiger moth. Behavioral Ecology, 22(3), pp.580-587. Parsons, J. (1965). A digitalis-like toxin in the monarch butterfly,Danaus plexippusL. The Journal of Physiology, 178(2), pp.290-304. Pfennig, D., Harcombe, W. and Pfennig, K. (2001). Frequency-dependent Batesian mimicry. Nature, 410(6826), pp.323-323. Ritland, D. (1998). Mimicry-related Predation on Two Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus) Phenotypes. The American Midland Naturalist, 140(1), pp.1-20. Sutherland, W. (2006). Ecological census techniques. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.1-446. van Zandt Brower, J. (1958). Experimental Studies of Mimicry in Some North American Butterflies: Part I. The Monarch, Danaus plexippus, and Viceroy, Limenitis archippus archippus. Evolution, 12(1), pp.32-47. Wickler, W. (1965). Mimicry and the Evolution of Animal Communication. Nature, 208(5010), pp.519-521.

An Analysis of the Legality of Abortion :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

An Analysis of the Legality of Abortion In Abortion and Social Justice, Dennis Horan, J.D. et alii argue "The Legal Case For the Unborn Child": Abortion is not a private matter. The destruction of human life, even 'incipient' or developing human life in the womb, can never be considered a private matter under our law. The contention that it is a private matter would be too ludicrous and absurd to even argue were it not so often put forth under such intellectually impeccable auspices. Would those civil libertarians who argue that abortion is a private matter, argue that the exercise of civil rights is purely a private matter between the Black man and the man that thwarts them? Certainly not. Just as the civil right to vote must be protected by law, so too the most fundamental and basic of all civil rights - the Right to Life - must be protected by law.(105) In her book, Abortion and Dialogue: Pro-Choice, Pro-Life, and American Law, Ruth Colker explains why Roe v. Wade is considered an "activist" decision: Second, it [Roe v. Wade]set the tone for how activist the Court would be in our lives. Rather than simply rule for the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade, thereby invalidating the challenged Texas abortion statute, the Court outlined the parameters of a constitutional abortion statute. In other words, the Court drafted a model statute rather than simply striking down the Texas statute. Such judicial involvement in legislative activity is considered to be highly activist because the Court, in a sense, is displacing the legislature's role in society. Such activisim is often criticized for interfering with legislative dialogue, because the judiciary, an undemocratic institution, has substituted its judgment for that of the legislature. (102) Former president Ronald Reagan in his book, Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation, states how the Roe v. Wade decision is a violation of the Constitution: Make no mistake, aboriton-on-demand is not a right granted by the Constitution. No serious scholar, including one disposed to agree with the Court's result, has argued that the framers of the Constitution intended to create such a right. Shortly after the Roe v. Wade decision, Professor John Hart Ely, now Dean of Stanford Law School, wrote that the opinion "is not constitutional law and gives almost no sense of an obligation to try to be." Nowhere do the plain words of the Constitution even hint at a "right" so sweeping as to permit abortion up to the time the child is ready to be born.

Wealth and Poverty :: Essays on Poverty

Wealth and Poverty The christen teaching on wealth and poverty is that all men should be equal and thus every one should have the same amount of money as everyone else and that good christens should give away their wealth to people that were poorer than them selves. In the bible Jesus said to a man who asked what he should do to enter into heaven: "Go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 7: 21) . Although Jesus did not condemn wealth, he merely taught how hard it is for a wealth man to "how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God". After he said this, his disciples where shocked: "And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27). The disciples where so astonished because the teachings of the time stated that riches where given by god as assign of approval. Amos, a profit acknowledged by both the Christian and Jewish religions. Amos also sheared Jesus' view that it was very hard for rich people to get into heaven, but not because of their riches alone, but because of the way that they acted. He believed that the rich should give aid to the poor, and he taught that social injustices such as this were a sin and he considered that the rich peoples worship to be a sham. Of all the people that caused injustices Amos said that the rich wives where responsible for the most, and he often called them 'The Cows Of Bashan' There is need for world development because there are over 600 million