School play – “Heroin Lies”

Drugs and the use of drugs is a common problem with young people in society. The two productions I will be comparing in this essay both run on the theme of drugs. Our play performed in class is called â€Å"Heroin Lies† and this will be compared to â€Å"Junk† a book and then tv programme also running on the theme of drugs. â€Å"Heroin Lies† the play was written by Wayne Denfhy in 1991, compared to â€Å"Junk† written by Melvin Burgess in 1996, and as research I read the original book as I felt it would help me to compare to â€Å"Heroin Lies†. In our performance of â€Å"Heroin Lies† I play the part of ‘David' who is the father of heroin addict Vicky. I had to take up the role as a strict father who wanted his family to be strong and was very dissapointed in his daughter Vicky when she admitted to taking the drugs, however he shares a mutual respect with his other child Jason, who also featured in out perfomance. I watched and read some shows and books to try and find different aspects of fatherhood to make my perfomance spot on, I also made diagrams of my character and would write different aspects of their life around the diagram to try and get to know the part I would be taking up and thei characteristics. To help me in my work I looked for information in many different places, such as the library where I would read books on heroin so that I would feel knowledgeble to the work we were studying. I also went onto the internet and watched tv programmes where I would be able to watch a performance by an actor playing a Dad that could enhance my performance as I would try and learn the way the actors I watched would move and talk etc. In addition to this I would also watch the actions of my own dad to see if any of his characteristics would help me when rehearsing for the part of David. To help me with undertand â€Å"Junk† I read the book as research for more background information on the story and characters. â€Å"Heroin Lies† is basically a story of a normal family getting pulled apart and ruined down to the daughter ‘Vicky' taking heroin. The four main parts are David (Father, played by myself), Jean (Mother), Jason (Son, brother of Vicky) and Vicky (Daughter and heroin addict). As the plot continues throughout the play, Vicky ends up dying at the end,this saddening the auidience and most notably the three remaining members of the family. The play targets drugs and young people just givig into them, â€Å"Teenage pressures†¦ that the excuse eh?† (David, scene 15). Throughout the play, family arguments, monologues all add to the theme of drugs as they are mainly arguments about how Vicky has let the family down. Another key theme is the one of giving in, as thats how Vicky takes the heroin in the first place as she gives into her friend Mandy. â€Å"Junk† is alike to â€Å"Heroin lies† in many ways, its also a story of drug abuse and young people giving in and getting addicted to heroin. Its set in Bristol in the 1980's. Its a story of young lovers Tar and Gemma both running away from home to live together but end up with drug users who get the two of them into drugs such as heroin. Tar is very different to Vicky and Gemma as his parents dont really care that he has left and wouldnt care to find out he does drugs, whereas Vicky and Gemma both has protective paresnts that are devasted to find out that their daughters do drugs, although Gemma's dont really ever find out. Again like â€Å"Heroin lies† Gemma starts drugs down to peer pressure and giving into friends, â€Å"I got something in here that might change your mind† – Tar says to Gemma as he waits to give her a cigarette. Our performance is set in the present day, compared to â€Å"Junk† which was set in the 80's. I feel that the 20 year gap between the two productions is hard to tell as drugs have been, and always will be a danger to society and in both we can feel the dangers of heroin taking and the affect its having on characters such as Gemma, Tar and Vicky. Some characters are alkie to one another on both plays, in â€Å"Heroin Lies† Vicky is alike to the part of Gemma from â€Å"Junk†, I think this is because they are around the same age, they both gave in to taking heroin and they are both from working class families who are bitterly dissapointed in them becoming drug addicts. Also its evident that in both plays the father roles played by David in â€Å"Heroin Lies† and the father in â€Å"Junk† are alike as they both command the relationships with their wives and they are both feeling that they are in control of the situations regarding Vicky's drug problem, and Gemma running away from home, although really neither of them have any control in the matter whatsoever â€Å"He asked you to stay out all night with him!† (Gemma's father to Gemma when she tells of how she wated to stay out with Tar). Many of the viewers may be able to relate to the parts of Vicky, Gemma, Tar, Jason David, Jean etc, as they too may have been in a similiar situaion. This shows how effective a play can be with this sort of relevance and social histroical content. The members of our performance are all young and we cn relate to the arguments with the parents, therefore making it a lot easier to act as we can relate to real life issues. This may be alike to the actors and actresses in the tv programme of â€Å"Junk† as they were around the same age as the people in my group and myself. The theme of drugs and heroin usage is a strong theme to use as a stimulas in our performance and the original of the book and play. In our play we used many theartre skills to master the script we were given. We have used real life issues from our own lives to use in the performance as we feel that it would give us a better understanding of the words we were saying, this meaning better acting, giving off a better performance to the audience. I used research from the internet as did other member of the group. Mainly used for the work on our characterisations. We have used props and we have rehearsed our stage direrctions to perfection so that it symblises real family life yet letting the audience see all of the characters and their emotions clearly. Also we used monlogues and hot seating where people would ask us questions and we would answer in character, this helped us and the fellow memebers of the group understand each character with a better undertsanding. In conclusion comapring my groups peformance of â€Å"Heroin Lies† and the book â€Å"Junk† I feel that they share many similarities and few and far between differeces. The main themes and characters were alike in both productions, even the storylines had its similairites! I have learnt a lot from this whole experience, I learnt not only about heroin and the usage and affect it can have on families, but I learnt how to put that into a performance. Its been a great experience overall, and I have enjoyed working on this project a lot! Also out of it I have read two very interesting different pieces of work, that have left an everlasting impression on me.

Luckily several months later my uncle informed

Dear Academic Standards Committee, My name is Jung-Hyun Shin. Before I start to explain my rapid progression on a high school diploma program, I would like to draw your attention towards my dream career.Ever since I was little, I dreamt of becoming a professional hair stylist. The state of California has plenty of professional hair academies and schools. However, most of them require a high school diploma. Unfortunately, the lack of a diploma was proving to be a big hurdle in reaching my ultimate dream.Luckily, several months later my uncle informed me that there is a really good online high school diploma program offered in the United States. After doing extensive research about this online high school program on Google and Yahoo!, I was quite convinced.I found several testimonies from students claiming that it was a legitimate way of earning a degree. Most testimonies concluded that the course was doable and students can finish the course quickly if they work really hard. Later, I signed up for this online high school diploma course, paid tuition in full and received all study materials/textbooks in the mail from schoolSince I was eager to start hair styling training school in the spring of 2009, I started studying almost everyday. It got to a point where I had only four to five hours of sleep a day. Since I don’t work, I put all my energies into studying for this high school diploma program.My dream career of becoming a professional hair stylist propelled me to go back to high school. The desire to enter Hair Training School in the spring semester was a source of motivation to study everyday. I wanted to earn a high school diploma in order to ultimately meet both admission requirements and an application deadline.Although I was not able to apply to the hair training school for the spring semester, I learnt an important lesson. â€Å"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.† Without having a dream c areer in my mind, I wouldn’t have made the decision to go back to high school to earn a diploma. Since I had a strict deadline in mind to finish a high school diploma course, I could finish several subjects rapidly.To put it simply, some courses such as Orientation, Human Relations, and Consumer Math were easier and took less time to complete because the questions asked in exams were very straightforward. However, some courses like Civics, American History, World History and Earth Science were rather challenging subjects for me. It was possible to finish Orientation and Human Relations courses in a day. However, the same was not possible for subjects like World History and Earth Science. It took several days and even several weeks for me to finish these subjects.   

Managerial Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managerial Economics - Research Paper Example (Heakal, n. d). As each company or country will have both advantages as well as risks regarding many aspects of its functioning, it is very important for the investors to have insight about those investment opportunities. As it will not be practically feasible for the investors to analyze and understand each and every aspect of the companies or countries and their advantages and risks, they will elicit the help of external agencies. Also, even if they do analysis on their own, they will consult or refer external agencies to give them some guidelines or ideas about the investment opportunities. This is where the role of credit rating companies or agencies comes into the picture. â€Å"Measuring the ability and willingness of an entity - which could be a person, a corporation, a security or a country - to keep its financial commitments or its debt, credit ratings are essential tools for helping you make some investment decisions.† (Heakal, n. d). Do changes in credit ratings affect equity valuation? If so how? And to what extent? This is an important topic that has interested many professionals in the field of economics and business, although it is often overlooked. As pointed out in the introduction, credit rating companies play an extremely vital role in any economy, local or foreign. The information provided by these agencies is used by all kind of parties starting from business organizations, independent investors, financial institutions, even countries’ governments, charity organizations, etc. â€Å"Only because of the availability of clear, internationally accepted indicators of the risk of default were investors willing to invest in international securities—whether corporate or government bonds—whose credit quality they would have been virtually unable to assess on their own.† (Utzig, 2010). The objectives of this research paper are: firstly, to show how credit rating companies’ rati ngs or changes have

GENDER AND POLITENESS IN AN ESL LANGUAGE ACADEMIC CONTEXT Research Paper - 1

GENDER AND POLITENESS IN AN ESL LANGUAGE ACADEMIC CONTEXT - Research Paper Example There are several ways in which members of a particular gender express themselves politely. Globally, there are various ways of expressing oneself be it with his/her peers or the elderly, or the use jargon depending on the context, the consideration of all these elements boils down to the varied linguistic expressions of politeness by both males and females Linguistics is the study of language. Language is the total whole of meanings and sound. It is the mode of communication between genders and thus for there to be a sense of politeness in an academic context, the following must be addressed. The context of a school setting is that of a teacher, student and other non teaching staff and due to the different backgrounds students have, the expression of politeness varies between the male and female students Literature review According to (Wehmeier, 2000) politeness are defined as having respect and good manners in consideration of the feelings of others. The theory of linguistic polite ness by Brown and Levinson holds that the individuals face is interpreted as self image seen publicly. (Grundy, 2008) notes that the faces of human beings are properties comparable to self esteem. (Kitamura, 2000) notes that the face notion is classified into two, that is the positive and the negative. On one hand, the positive face represents the similarities that exist between people interacting and appreciate each other’s self image while on the other hand; the negative face represents the desire to be unrestricted. These theorists argue that interact ants mutually aim to maintain each other’s face. (Holmes, 2006) notes that ideally, one can never know what people are feeling or thinking in a conversation, thus try to construe what is conveyed to them through communication For the sake of harmony in a given society, politeness strategy is essential and thus employed in conversations. This is so as (Bowe & Martin, 2007) note that face can be maintained, lost, enhance d and monitored during interactions. According to (Bowe & Martin, 2009) citing Brown and Levinson, the face is threatened by inappropriate behavior or acts. (Holmes, 2006) points out that this situation is assessed through three operational defined factors: the social distance (D) between partners, the ranking of the imposition (R) shared in the word of the appropriate culture and the power (P) of the addressee over the speaker. The seriousness of these acts therefore can be easily measured and assessed. With regard to gender, it argues that women are linguistically more polite than the men. The use of minimal responses like yeah and mhm demonstrates active participation, agreement and therefore used by both sexes. The use of questions for men, normally, it is genuine while for women it’s more of a rhetoric question and therefore use it more for conversation’s sake, with regard to writing, both use it as a literacy tool. In conversation, meaning is determined by the pe rson listening depending on his/her concerns, focus and habits rather than the will intended for. Women seem to attach more weight to the significance of listening rather than men. The use of verbal aggressiveness is used more so by women and physical aggression is used more by men. The issue of self

Human Involvement in Hazardous Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Involvement in Hazardous Evolution - Essay Example Number of species that evolved resistance to a minimum of one insecticide had gone beyond 500 by the year 1990. It takes on an average 10 years for a species to develop resistance to a particular drug (1786, 7 September 2001, Science's Compass). The evolution is caused by the change in traits of an insect that were susceptible to a particular insecticide. As a natural adaptation to the drug by genetic variation in its offspring, it supports the survival of that particular species. It appears as a genetic directional change to overcome the lethal influence of the drug. Thus evolution triggered by excessive human activities gives way to undesirable and more resistant type of insects that would put forth a new challenge that is much more difficult to overcome. I believe human activities need to have controlled commercialisation to reduce the speed of such evolution.

Anti- corruption and integrity at a hospital Essay

Anti- corruption and integrity at a hospital - Essay Example Corruption is a global phenomenon, and it has percolated into every aspect of common life. â€Å"Corruption is a global phenomenon that causes poverty, obstructs development and drives away investment. It also debilitates the judicial and political systems that should be working for the public good† (UNODC 2007). Although all these sectors are experiencing corruption and fraud practices for some time now, corruption in healthcare sector only causes repercussion for the common people in a maximal manner. The life saving sector of healthcare is now turning into a corruption encouraging sector. Although, certain individuals working in a hospital may indulge in corruption and fraud practices, and for that entire hospital may not be blamed, the fact is, those individuals may be given the free hand to indulge in corruption because of certain loopholes in hospital’s functioning and processes. Thus, individuals are manipulated as much as they manipulate, and in a way individual corruption masks the structural corruption. So, this paper will focus on and diagnose the corruption and integrity profile in my organization of hospital setting, then will analyse the causes of any fraud practices and/or corruption opportunities that may be visible in my organization, then will discuss and assess the effectiveness of the institutional integrity policies adopted by my organization against corruption and finally will make recommendations for improving the anti-corruption and integrity of my organization. Background As mentioned above, although corruption and fraud activities are visible in many organizational sectors, corruption in healthcare systems is reaching startling levels, negatively impacting various stakeholders. Healthcare industry has spread out throughout the world, and there is no human habitable place in the world, without some form of health care structures or hospitals. All these healthcare structures were established to provide life saving and life caring options to people. However, this corruption is diminishing the efficiency and effectiveness of these centres, and this applicable to maximum countries in the world. That is, corruption in healthcare sector is visible in many countries, irrespective of whether they are rich or poor, developed or developing. â€Å"The hospital sector represents a significant risk for corruption, in both developing and developed countries alike.†(Vian, 2005). For example, in the United States alone, corrupt and fraud activities in health care has been estimated to cost US $11.9 to 23.2 billion per year; much of this expense is attributable to hospital-based care. (Vian, 2005). On similar lines, in the African country of Ghana, there is 50% loss in the health funds due to corruption, and so half of the allocated funds do not reach clinics and hospitals in Ghana. (Lindelow, Kushnarova and Kaiser 2006). Thus, corruption in healthcare sector is not region specific and is visible in all countr ies in maximal hospitals. The reason why hospitals are ‘hotbeds’ of corrupt and fraud activities, is because of the large scale movement of money, thus

Meuse-Argonne Offensive Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Meuse-Argonne Offensive - Research Paper Example The battle led to the stronghold of Allies with a loss of German’s on the Western front.   The European states vied together for power and military alliance. Britain, France and Russia from Asia formed a strong block. It was now a must for Germany to find a suitable alliance that could eliminate the danger of its extermination. Austria and Turkey were there for her. Then an incident, in the city of Sarajevo, made the European nations face a situation that the western philosophers feared for years. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sophie led to hostilities between Serbia and Austria. The involvement of Russia and Germany on the side of Serbia and Austria, respectively, made the situation worse. Things became uncontrollable, as more and more countries began to get involved in the matter. On August 4, 1914, the German army marched into Belgium. As the war got fierce, more and more war fronts opened for Germany. With the beginning of revolution in Russia in 1 918, Germany deployed its freed troops on the western front. Using remarkable tactics of long wars, Germany gained many achievements and the French armies were then in retreat. The Germans had to face mines and military of the American Expeditionary Force at Belleau Wood, which slowed down its advancement. Meanwhile, the French army reformed its front, together with the British army. The whole area from the Meuse River to the top of the Mountains of Argonne was under a stronghold of the Germans. The presence of mines, camouflaged trenches, heavy artillery and a large number of German troops made this area a difficult battlefield for the Allies. The Argonne forest provided a good shelter to the Germans, where they could rest without the risk of being attacked. It was so because the area was lined by guns, mines and trenches and supported by artillery fire. There was no place, on the western front where the German army could think itself more safe and sound than the Argonne forest. Th is was probably the reason, for the Allies, to think the battle at this field as a decisive one. With a fresh American army on the southern flank of the western front, the Allies could now think of an offensive on the German troops in the Argonne forests. At 5:30 on the afternoon of September 26th, the American 1st Army jumped off with the French holding their flanks. The U.S. Army and the French 4th Army shared the Meuse-Argonne offensive which proved to be the biggest and the deadliest one for the American Expeditionary Force in the World War I. The French General Mariano Goybet, commanding the 157 Red Hand Division, indulged in the Meuse-Argonne offensive on 28th September. (â€Å"Meuse-Argonne Offensive†) 371 and 372 were two of his African American regiments. During the first nine days, the 372 regiment progressed through 4.8 miles of enemy defense. They captured 600 prisoners, 15 heavy guns, 20 Minenwerfers and about 150 machine guns. (â€Å"Meuse-Argonne Offensiveâ₠¬ ) The 372 regiment’s part was very important in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The regiment suffered total casualties of 500 men.

Poverty and how it links to globalization (Africa) Research Paper

Poverty and how it links to globalization (Africa) - Research Paper Example African countries are less likely to benefit from globalization due to the fact that they are at the lowest integration level with the rest of the world (Docquier and Hillel 690). As much as globalization can affect the growth of a region in a positive way, the case in Africa is different. For instance, African states need to maintain a strong and stable macro-economic framework as well as conducting major institutional reforms like promotion of good governance in all its angles. This paper is going to show why Africa still suffers harmful economic systems, conflict, environmental problems and population growth despite being exposed to globalization. Liberalists view globalization as the best tool of relieving poverty and providing the have-nots with a secure position from which they can make further progress in the global economy (Kacowicz 570). In Africa, the nationalists fought for independence because of economic exploitation by their various colonial powers. Despite globalization, Africans are still suppressed economically through the European Imperialism, whereby the first world countries from the west exploit the third world countries in Africa. This means that African states are still controlled by western powers through signing of trade pacts, some of which have unfavorable conditions. Most African economies depend on one a single export, which is agricultural produce; hence they lack diversification (De Janvry and Elisabeth 20). Over the past decades, the market value of Africa’s agricultural produce has been deteriorating amid the steady rising cost of imports to Africa. This shows that the current global market disadvantages these mono-economies, as they have to dramatically in order to pay for the same amount of imports. For instance, in 1962, it took two tons of sisal export in Tanzania to pay for the import of one tractor (Cooksey and Tim 1). The case was different in 1980 since Tanzania had to export six tons of sisal in order to pay for the

Coca-Cola Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coca-Cola - Case Study Example The first part of the paper will identify and evaluate the key success factors employed by the business organization. Next, this paper will analyze the weaknesses of the company and the potential threats that lie ahead. Lastly, this report will give its recommendation on how Coca-Cola can further improve its marketing strategy. In order to give a thorough investigation, this paper will utilize different strategic management tools. A key success factor is defined as specific skill or talent or competitive capability which spells the difference between profit and loss or competitive success or failure of a business organization. Looking at the strategic operation of Coca-cola, it can be seen that the key success factors of the company are its superior marketing mix, focus on innovation, and global orientation. Coca-Cola's marketing mix, as with other companies have four major components which are product, price, promotion, and place. It can be seen that the company has done an excellent job in coming up with a marketing mix which appeals to the global market. The products offered by Coca-Cola, for instance, have become widely accepted in the global market because it conveys a "universal taste" which discounts the differences in nationality, culture, and traditions. Secondly, the company has a pricing strategy which is at par with the industry. The marketing campaigns launched by Coca-Cola define and become a foundation of modern day marketing. The advertisements of the business organization irrefutably reveal new techniques and styles in capturing the audience. Lastly, Coca-Cola's success is largely due to its wide availability. Its products are sold almost everywhere, from restaurants, to cafes, to vending machines, to kiosks, and most establishments. Another key success factor of Coca-cola is its focus on product innovation. Recognizing that the various changes in the market where it operates, the company reinvented itself to evolve from a single core product to a total beverage firm. Currently, Coca-Cola has nearly 400 beverages in its portfolio and is still geared in offering beverages which suits the preferences of its market. In 2005, the company announced that it has introduced "a variety of new brands, brand extension, and new beverage products." Lastly, Coca-Cola's success is also highly attributed to its global orientation. Recognizing the huge profit opportunities abroad, the company has expanded geographically. By being global oriented, the company is not only able to establish presence in foreign markets but is also able to generate new revenues and efficiently distribute costs among its operating segments. The company is also able to utilize resources which are present abroad in order to enhance its operations. However, aside from being globally oriented, the company also concentrates on creating specific products which suits the need of a specific market: "Consumer demand can vary from one locale to another and can change over time within a single locale. Employing our business strategy, and with special focus on core brands, our Company seeks to build its existing brands and, at the same time, to broaden its historical family of brands, products and services in order to create and satisfy consumer demand locale by locale." Weaknesses and Threats The weaknesses and threats faced by the Coca-Cola can be determined by conducting a SWOT

How far can acts of violence and coercion be attributed to beliefs and Essay

How far can acts of violence and coercion be attributed to beliefs and ideologies Discuss with reference to Block 6 and one oth - Essay Example In many parts of the globe today, there are places where violence is experienced. Violence however, can be prevented through various ways. Evidence shows that there are various implementations that can help do away with violence in the society. Among these implementations are: Developing good relationships between parents and children Education on how to prevent maltreatment Practicing gender equality Having programs in schools that address gender issues and attitudes Reducing the availability of alcohol since the effects are known to be negative to the users Supporting the economic empowerment to avoid misunderstandings among individuals. These are some of the strategies that can be implemented to make certain that violence is done away with. Coercion on the other hand, refers to the use of forceful activity to make an individual or a group of people take to take part in something in a manner which is involuntary. This means it is a situation where individuals are forced to undertak e some activities without their will. Coercion can be in action or inaction through the use of intimidation and threats and some other forces of pressure. This is therefore an act that violates the free will of individuals because they take part in activities when they do not want to. Coercion generally includes blackmail, extortion and torture among other forceful-natured actions. It is an act forcing individuals to act against their own interests resulting to cooperation by the individuals being coerced. In this case, they have to cooperate because there are consequences faced by those who are not willing to do so. To avoid these consequences, they end up obeying all the rules and regulations they are given making sure that they do what is expected of them. This essay seeks to explain the degree to which the acts of violence and coercion can be attributed to beliefs and ideologies. The two issues that will be discussed in this essay are Religion and economy. These are some of the issues that have been influencing how people live with each other for a long time now all over the world. This gives a clear impression that they are sensitive issues and affect the lives of people. They have direct impacts on lives of people because practices therein are undertaken in day-today life. They are among those factors that contribute to differences and the ways in which people associate with each other. This essay will therefore cover Europe as a region in the world to see how these two issues had influence on humans and to what degree they can be attributed to beliefs and ideologies. Looking at the first issue of religion, it is clear that individuals were ordered on what to believe in and how they were to carry out their worship. The nature of the teachings in churches would not change rapidly because there was a specific thing that was supposed to be taught. Following the rules and regulations, it was quite hard for the church leaders to teach what they chose to becau se they could not do it. Attending the communion was a compulsory thing which mans individuals had no choice but to do what they were told. The fact that individuals were forced to worship in some way following rules and regulations they were not willing to, made them have issues with their leaders and at times engaged in violent activities. These leaders practiced coercion out of beliefs that there are some things that were not supposed to be practiced in churches (Wallace, 2004, 48). They came up with the idea that they should control

Defeat of the Red Army Essay Example for Free

Defeat of the Red Army Essay By looking at what the areas where the Soviets failed during their in Afghanistan, we can further develop our counterinsurgency tactics and doctrine and shape our forces. Mujahideen Defeats of the Red Army An important and remarkable event in history was the Soviet-Afghan War. The Afghans, like their ancestors, battled a hostile, invading force that wanted to dominate their homeland. â€Å"For the first time, Afghanistan would become the center of a modern pan-Arab Jihad (Holy War)† (Hill, 2008). The Afghans were fighting a war of attrition just as their ancestors did during the Anglo-Afghan Wars. The Afghans would find themselves using modern weapons that had the potential of causing a high number casualties and emigration of greater proportions. The difference between the Afghans in the Soviet-Afghan War and the Afghans who fought in the Anglo-Afghan war would be the help and support from outside superpowers. By the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, the Soviet Union was at the point of falling; the Afghans and those who were assisting them were looking at a victory. How could such a powerful country like the Soviet Union be defeated by the Afghans? The Soviet Union lost the Soviet-Afghan War as a result of mistakes and failures that they made. The Soviets failure to seal the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, failure to stand up and effective Afghan Army and failure to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people contributed to the defeat of the Red Army. Failure to Disrupt Supply Lines During the initial five years of occupation, the Soviets never mounted a sustained effort to cut off the Mujahideen supply lines that ran from Pakistan’s tribal areas, across the Hindu Kush Mountains, and into Afghanistan (Roy, 1991). Instead, the focus of the Soviets from 1980 to 1982 was to conduct large-scale armored operations in locations that were considered hotbeds of rebel activity. After 1982, the Soviets used aerial assaults to assist in their combat operations to eliminate the support base of the Mujahideen. It was not until 1985 that the Red Army starting making an effort to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines. The Red Army began using Spetsnaz units, which were the Red army Special Forces units, behind Mujahideen frontlines, to organized surprise attacks against the rebel supply caravans. Once the Spetsnaz had the location of the Mujahideen, they would load into Mi-24 helicopter gunships, sneak behind the Mujahideen positions, and launch attacks. The effectiveness of the raids the Spetsnaz used became apparent in 1986 where there was a decrease in the number of Mujahideen attacks against the Soviets. The attacks against the Soviets decreased because the Mujahideen was not able to get men and equipment that they needed to mount an effective guerrilla campaign. The Soviets leadership was aware of the amount of men and a large amount of equipment that the Mujahideen was moving from Pakistan across into Afghanistan on regular bases, so it’s interesting why they did not make an effort earlier in the war to disrupt the supply lines. The Soviet leadership feared that if they conducted operations that might extend into Pakistan they would draw the United States into a large-scale war that the Soviets did not want. So, conducting operations on the Afghan side of the border against the rebels was an activity that the Soviets could justify without drawing the United States into the war. According to Oliver Roy, the Soviet failure to seal the border with Pakistan was the most significant military mistake in the war against the Mujahideen (Roy, 1991). With an unsealed border, the United States with the help of the help of the Inter-Service Intelligence, ISI, began funneling in weapons to the Mujahideen in the 1980. At the start of 1980, the Central Intelligence Agency began to purchase weapons from several countries to include China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations. Once these weapons had been purchased they were shipped to the ISI headquarters located in Peshawar Pakistan. The United States funded some $30 million dollars in 1982, but in 1984, the CIA spent some $250 million purchasing pistols, AK-47s, ammunition, surface to air missiles, and other supplies for the Mujahideen. By 1985, the CIA was spending $500 million dollars on the resistance in Afghanistan. 1985 was the same year the President Ronald Reagan signed the National Security Decision Directive 166. This directive stated that the CIA was to drive out the Soviets from Afghanistan †by all means available† (Crile, 2003, p 363). In 1986, the CIA approved the purchase of heat-seeking missiles and almost 1000 per purchased. The heat-seeking missiles were very effective in downing the Soviets helicopters, but the Mujahideen did not put these missions into use until 1987. Pakistan who was driven by Islamic identity had a vested interest in the outcome of the Soviet-Afghan War and made a great effort to ensure that the Mujahideen was victorious. To ensure victory for the Mujahideen, Pakistan established a network that would transport all of the weapons that had been purchased to the Mujahideen. Once all of the weapons that had been purchased and arrived to the ISI headquarters the ISI would distribute the weapons to the Mujahideen, who would get the weapons and supplies to the soldier in the field. The Mujahideen would use tractors, trucks, camel, mules, and horses that could blend in with the rest of the cross border traffic or they would move on dirt roads that were only accessible by foot over the border into Afghanistan. It is evident that without the help of the Pakistanis, the Mujahideen would not have been able to fight because they could have not been able to supply their soldiers. Throughout the war, the Soviets and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, DRA attempted to pressure Pakistan’s President Zia to seal the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan with troops, but this came to no avail. President Zia responds to the request to seal the border was that Pakistan would not do it but that the Red Army and the DRA were more than welcome to do it. Regardless of who would attempt to seal the border it would be an impossible task when you consider the length and mountainous terrain that would have to be covered. In 1985, the Red Army started to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines by putting thousands of troops on the border with Pakistan. At the same time, The Red Army began a bombing campaign hitting border towns that were sympathetic to the rebels and placing Spetsnaz units along the borders to conduct search and destroy missions from behind Mujahideen front lines. The Red Army began using their gunships to move up and down the border looking for destroying Mujahideen supply caravans. The bombardment used by the Red Army turned a large portion of the border etween Afghanistan and Pakistan to land that no longer could be inhabited. This depopulation effort started to become effective as it made it almost impossible for the Mujahideen supply caravans to move freely. In 1986, the Mujahideen countered the Red Army by using the Stringer missiles to bring down the Red Army Helicopters. To avoid being hit by a Stringer missile the Red Army Pilots had to fly at a higher altitude but the higher alt itude made it difficult for the Red Army to effectively attack the Mujahideen supply lines. Although the terrain along the Afghan and Pakistan border made it difficult to totally seal the border, it would have been possible to disrupt the flow of men and supplies coming into Afghanistan. This was evident by the Red Army between 1985 and 1986. Had the Red Army been willing to take a higher loss of life before 1985, it would have been possible to slow down the Mujahideen’s ability to get weapons into Afghanistan. The inability by the Red Army to establish an effective way to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines was not the only reason that the PDPA could not survive without the support of the Red Army. The Red Army also failed to build an Afghan National Army that could protect the PDPA against the Mujahideen. Part of the reason why the Red Army could not stand up the Afghan Army was because there were Mujahideen sympathizers in the ranks. This is also part of the reason why the Soviets could not win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, they left the country without the means to protect its self. Failure to build an Afghan Army As early as 1980, Soviet leadership knew that it was going to be difficult to build up the Afghan Army. This was partially due to the fact that the PDPA regime was unpopular with many Afghan people, and there was also a deep hatred for the Red Army troops. The unwillingness to fight for the Soviet Union and the DRA was reflected by the decrease in the Afghan Army’s ranks. The Afghan Army decreased from 90,000 to 30,000 men from 1980 to 1983 (Schofield, 2003). During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, it was common for Afghan soldiers to leave their units with their weapons and ammunition and join the Mujahideen. There is an account in July 1987 where an entire 2,000-man unit defected to the Mujahideen in Kandahar (McMichael, 1991). In addition to the defecting that was happening there were reports of Afghan officers frequently sabotaging Soviet equipment and vehicles. For the Afghans who remained many only fought because of the Soviet troops presences on the frontlines who would not allow them to runaway. As a result of the Afghans people unwillingness to fight for the Soviets and the DRA, the PDPA could only build a small military force, the total that numbers 120,000 to 150,000 fighting men. With its small size and the challenges they had recruiting the Afghans to fight for the PDPA regime, the Afghan Army was ineffective. The Afghan government was also only able to draft sixty-five percent of the personnel it needed to fight the insurgency they faced. Although the Afghan Army did have their share of success, these successes were limited. Mostly because the Mujahideen had sympathizers in the ranks that would provide the rebels with intelligence about upcoming operations that were planned. Since Mujahideen supporters had infiltrated the Afghan Army, Red Army soldier do not care to work closely on operations or share the intelligence they had because of fear that the details on upcoming operations would be shared with the rebels. To make matter worse for both sides, commanding officers of Afghan units would only be informed of upcoming operations one day in advance. On 9 January 1981, a conscription law designed to increase the strength of the DRA Army, was adopted by the Supreme Military Council of Afghanistan. The Afghan Army was given tanks, aircraft, armored personnel carriers, and small arms by the Soviets. Regardless of what had been given to the Afghan Army they were not going to be able to defend the PDPA regime from the rebels by the time the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. This is based on the fact that it was going to be hard to recruit soldiers to fight for a socialist an also because many of the soldiers that had been recruited were informant for the Mujahideen. â€Å"The ineffectiveness of the DRA Army was illustrated by two Soviet deserters when they said, â€Å"The Kabul army was not an army, just a mess, with half of the soldiers running away and the other half joining the rebels† (Amstutz, 1986, p. 80). The inability of the Soviets to win over the Afghan population showed to be a tremendous obstacle as the attempt was being made to stand up an effective Afghan military. Had the Soviets convince the Afghan population that the PDPA was worth fighting for; the Soviet’s counterinsurgency plan could have been more effective in getting rid of the Mujahideen. The Soviets inability to win over the hearts and minds of the Afghan people ended up being a big obstacle that led to the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan. Failure to win the Hearts and Minds â€Å"The Soviets needed to convince the Afghan population that it had a stake in the survival of the socialist regime if they were to have a chance of preserving the PDPA government† (Delgado, 2006, p. 27). This would show to be impossible since the Afghan mullahs had declared jihad against the occupying Red Army. Knowing the jihad had been declared against the Red Army, they still launched a program with the intent on winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. The Soviets attempt to Sovietize the Afghan people used measures that included revamping the education system and teaching the population a pro-Soviet ideology. Adults and children were taught Marxist terms by Soviet institutions that had been imported into Afghanistan. The Soviets reformed the education system, reinterpreting Afghan history, taking control of the media in order to reeducate adults, and sending children to the Soviet Union in order to be educated. The Soviets goal in all of this was to create a version of Islam that the new Afghanistan would be based off. Building a strong Communist party was part of the Sovietization program. A strong Communist party would be the center of all legitimate political activity for the country. In order to monitor social organizations in Afghanistan, Soviet style government institution were established. A diligent effort had been made by the PDPA to indoctrinate its member, a majority of which joined the party so that they could obtain a job in the state. The task of trying to indoctrinate the member was difficult and many felt that it was irresponsible and corrupt. The DRA was unpopular throughout a large portion of Afghanistan. With this unpopular view of the DRA, there was a need to rewrite history in order to paint the Soviet Union in a more favorable light. This change to history was going to be done in two parts, first was to depict Russia as the essential supporters of Afghan independence, and the second was to minimize the cultural ties the Afghan people had with India, Pakistan, and Iran while emphasizing the ties with the citizens of the Soviet Union. The Soviets strategy in winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people was not to turn all Afghan into Marxist, but to teach the Afghans that they identified more with the Soviet way of life than with traditional Afghan society and customs (Roy, 1989). The Soviets took total control of the Afghan media and bombarded it with pro-Soviet propaganda. The Soviets desired in all of this was to have the Afghans forget what their history was and replace it with the identity that the Soviets were giving them. The Soviets not only rewrote the history books and took over the media; the Soviets took control of the education system with the goal of molding a new generation of Afghans that would support the PDPA. To accomplish this, teachers who refused to do what was asked were arrested or exiled. â€Å"Fatherland Training Centers† were created around Afghanistan, where Afghan orphans were trained to be Soviet special agents, political organizations for children and teenagers in order to teach them to become faithful Soviet citizens. The Soviets made Russian the official language of all students attending middle school up to college. The Russians were committed to indoctrinating Afghan children. Statics reflects that by 1989, 000 Afghan students were being educated in the Soviets, and another 15,000 students annual would travel to the Soviet Union see the Russian way of life and to take part in short courses and training programs (Roy, 1989). The Soviets used psychological operation to undermine not only the Mujahideen but also the civilian population to resist the Soviet occupation and the PDPA regime. Some of the bigger programs used included massive leaflet drops, propagandistic radio programs, starting conflict between rival tribes that would undermine Mujahideen unity and bribing teachers to use their classroom in order to spread Soviet propaganda. KHAD Intelligence would insert special agents into Mujahideen units and prisons where Mujahideen members were held with the goal of getting information on operations that were being planned and to find out whom the leaders in the resistance were. Regardless of what the Soviets attempted to do in order to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people they failed. The Afghans remained true to their Islamic identity, culture, and family traditions so it made it impossible for the Soviet Union to convince the Afghans that they were acting in the best interest of the country of Afghanistan by occupying and supporting the PDPA. With a call of jihad being declared against the occupying Red Army, it was going to be impossible for the Soviets to win the hearts and minds. The Afghans viewed the Soviets as an occupying force that were hostile to Islam so no program introduced by the Soviets to win the hearts and minds would be successful. The Soviets made an admirable effort to win over the Afghan people but due to the fact that they were viewed as a foreign occupier took away any possibility that they could convince the Afghan people to support the PDPA government. Winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people were impossible from the beginning since the Afghan people had such a strong Islamic heritage and tribal culture and that the Soviets were viewed as a foreign occupier, but the Soviets also did not help themselves with their brutal campaign to drive Mujahideen supporters out of Afghanistan as refugees. The effort to rid Afghanistan of Mujahideen supporters left one million Afghan civilians dead and five million displaced (Roy, 1989). The strategy used by the Red Army to rid Afghanistan of Mujahideen supported included artillery strike against Pashtun villages, bombing raids and, the burning of agricultural fields, the killing of livestock through the use mines and artillery, and the contamination of water and food supplies through the use of chemical weapons (McMichael, 1991). The efforts made by the Red Army to deprive the Mujahideen from a portion of its civilian support network was successful, but with the brutal methods that the Soviets used in order to get the objectives done did very little for the chances of winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Conclusion The Soviets lost the Soviet-Afghan War to the Mujahideen do to their own failures and any country could stand to earn a few lessons from the Soviets after their experience in Afghanistan. The first lesson would be the importance of disrupting the Mujahideen supply lines. Although totally securing the border may have been impossible, the Red Army could have focus more of an effort prior to 1985 to slow down the amount of men and supplies that were moving into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Had the Soviets been willing to take more of rest with their Soldiers, the Mujahideen would have never been able to get the supplies they needed into Afghanistan. The second lesson that could be taken from this is that before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan they needed to ensure that the Afghan Army was ready to defeat the Mujahideen on their own. Since the Afghan Army was not able to defeat the Mujahideen on their own, everything that the Soviets attempted to achieve in Afghanistan was lost once the Red Army withdrew. The weak Army allowed Afghanistan to fall into a civil war where the Taliban came out victorious. The Soviets should have taken into consideration what they thought the status Afghan Army would be once they withdrew before invading Afghanistan. The third and final lesson is that it was going to be impossible for the Soviets to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Many Afghans viewed the Soviets as invaders, and a jihad had been declared against them. Along with the hatred that the Afghans had for the Soviets the Soviets also countered themselves with brutal military operations against Afghans that were thought to be loyal to the Mujahideen. The Afghan population will refuse to support a regime that is viewed as a foreign occupier, regardless of the sophistication of the occupying country’s effort to win the native hearts and minds†(Delgado, 2006, p. 35). References Crile, G. (2003). Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. New York, NY: Delgado, J. A. (2006). Troubling Parallels: An analysis of America ’s Inability to overcome the obstacles that led to the defeat of the Red Army in the Soviet-Afghan War. Athens, OH: The University of Ohio. Hills, C. R. (2006). Beyond Charlie Wilson: The Soviet Afghan War. Atlanta, GA: Atlanta International School. McMichael, S. (1991). Stumbling Bear: Soviet Military Performance in Afghanistan. London, England: Brasseys. Roy, O. (1989). The Sovietization of Afghanistan. Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Roy, O. (1991). The Lessons of the Soviet-Afghan War. London, England: Brasseys. Schofield, V. (2003). Afghan Frontier. New York, NY: Tauris Parke Paperback.

Galatians Essay Example for Free

Galatians Essay Because I haven’t read the whole book reading Gorman â€Å"Galatians Ch9† is at first a bit confusing. However, I must say that the reading is very easy to read and easy to understand. Gorman used very simple terms and easy English for his reader to read and understand. Basically in this short chapter Gorman try to exegesis the whole book of Galatians in his own understanding and research. I’ve founded that there are lacks of evidence of resources, as in not much of references quote in this chapter, Gorman strong sources for his argument in this chapter would be the book Galatians itself, he kept referring back to Galatians and because of that the arguments seemed to be persuasive but at the same time lacks of backing up from others. Many of Gorman explanations in this epistle were unjustified, for example the dating of the letter and I quote on page187 â€Å"although no firm conclusion is possible within the range of years 49-55, the most likely date, in this writer’s estimations is 50-55, properly from Ephesus† It would be more convincing if Gorman could give us more evidence about the date and place of written. Over all the exegesis of the entire Galatians in this chapter was not that of rigorous at all. Gorman definitely give us a clear view on Paul’s message to the Galatians. Anyone who read this chapter will surely get a clear understanding of the gospel, not only to the Galatians but also for the churches today as well. Gorman ended the chapter well with the 10 questions for reflection, these 10 reflections questions are the issue that we are facing right now as a contemporary Christians, especially question 10, and I would like to end this review with the same question â€Å"In sum, what does this letter urge the church to believe, to hope for, and to do?† Second critical review is on an article by Martinus C. de Boer, titled: â€Å"Galatians A Commentary† from week 4 reading. To be honest I find this reading is a bit lengthy, especially the entire article is focus on the exegesis of only 6 verses. Having say that Martinus taking the time out to clearly explained the conflict between Paul and Cephas in Antioch over the issue of â€Å"The Truth of the Gospel†. I agreed with Martinus that this is not only important for Paul and the Christians in the 1st century but also to all of us today, we odd to understand the message of â€Å"the truth of the gospel† (2:5, 14). Because this is a commentary, it is clear evidence that the Martinus gave a wide range of evidence to his arguments. I also have to say that the exegesis in this article is precised, however, if it is to focus on the truth gospel of Christ, I feel that Martinus could have mention more of Paul other letters to back up the topic of the true gospel, instead of a very long exegesis around the confrontation of Paul and Cephas, I would have looked at Paul conversion passage to prove more of Paul conviction for his true gospel. Martinus translated Jews who is circumcised as â€Å"the circumcision party† page 133. I’m not sure if I would agree with Martinus here, because lacks of evidence in this statement made by Martinus, I’m not sure if this is a political view or is it direct translation from its original text? Over all from reading this article, apart from the fact that it is a long article, I’ve founded that it is very helpful for churches today to see the historical of Paul’s letter through Martinus book. Definitely an issue arises for the use of the Bible today in our own context, for example: Paul and Peter relationship. Can two Christians have disagreements that eventually lead them to different road? The final reading is from Charles H. Cosgrove â€Å"The Cross and The Spirit† chapter 3 The Logic of the Opposing Theology. Over all I find that this is a really hard piece to read, the precise and information was great, however, I feel that there are some stuffs that he could have leave out, and that he doesn’t have to go into details as such, for example Cosgrove goes on and talk about the Torah is for Life on page 90 and from there on, I’ve noticed that he kept going back to the Torah for his arguments throughout the rest of the chapter. Cosgrove make it clear to his readers about Paul wanting to hammer us about life in crucified Jesus. Nothing important to Paul than that we have life in Jesus. Cosgrove shared some light about the Christian Jews that are actually after Paul and not the Romans, and this is consistent with what I’ve learned in the unit and also other theologians. Later in the chapter Cosgrove also pin point the agitators and one again it’s consistent with the unit teaching and also others theologians, example Barclay who concluded in his book that Agitators were Christian Jews probably from Jerusalem. Mark D Nanos also suggested the same thing, so over all Cosgrove argument was very persuasive and clear evidence of a large selective of different sources. Finally, Cosgrove really trying hard to explain to his reader the opposing theology between Paul and everyone who are at the Galatians, this would certainly help us today as we read Galatians with a more clear picture of its context and understanding of where Paul and the others are coming from.

An Understanding Of Geriatrics Health And Social Care Essay

An Understanding Of Geriatrics Health And Social Care Essay The role of the radiographer is no different than that of all other health professionals. The whole person must be treated, not just the manifested symptoms of an illness or injury. Medical imaging and therapeutic procedures reflect the impacts of ongoing systemic aging in documentable and visual forms. Adapting procedures to accommodate disabilities and diseases of geriatric patients is a critical responsibility and a challenge based almost exclusively on the radiographers knowledge, abilities, and skills. An understanding of the physiology and pathology of aging, in addition to an awareness of the social, psychological, cognitive, and economics of aging are required to meet the needs of the elderly population. There are conditions typically associated with elderly patients that invariably required adaptations or modifications of routine imaging procedures. The radiographer must be able to differentiate between ages related changes and disease processes. Production of diagnostic ima ges requiring professional decision making to compensate for physiological changes, while maintaining the compliance, safety, and comfort of the patient, is the foundation of the contract between the elderly patient and the radiographer. Physical, Cognitive, and Psychological Effects of Aging The human body undergoes a multiplicity of physiological changes second by second. Little consideration is given regarding these changes unless they are brought on by sudden physical, psychological, or cognitive events. It is important for radiographers to remember that each elderly person we encounter is a unique individual with distinct characteristics. These individuals have experienced a life filled with memories and accomplishments. Young or old, the definition of quality of life is an individual and personal one. Research has shown that health status is an excellent predictor of happiness. Greater social contact, health satisfaction, low vulnerable personality traits, and fewer stressful life events have been linked to successful aging. Self-efficacy can be defined as the level of control one has over ones future. Many elderly people feel there have no control over medical emergencies and fixed incomes. Many have fewer choices about their personal living arrangements. These environmental factors can lead to depression and decreased self-efficacy. An increase in illness will usually parallel a decrease in self-efficacy. A positive attitude is a very important aspect of aging. Many older people have the same negative stereotypes about aging that young people do. For them, feeling down and depressed becomes a common consequence of aging. One of five people older than age 65 in a community will show signs of clinical depression. Yet we, as health care professionals, know that depression can affect both young and old. In general, research has show the majority of elderly people rate their health status largely depends on their successful adaptation to disabilities. Radiographers need to be sensitive to the fact that an elderly person may have had to deal with a number of losses, both social and physical, in a very short period of time. More importantly, they must recognize symptoms resulting from these losses in order to communicate and interact effectively with this patient population. Although, as health care providers, the radiographers contribution to a patients quality of life may be minimal, it is not in significant. It is necessary to remember that each elderly person is unique and deserves respect for his or her own opinions. One of the first questions asked of any patient entering a health care facility for emergency service is, Do you know where you are and what day it is? the health care providers need to know just how alert the patients is. Although memory does decline with age, this is experienced mostly with short-term memory tasks. Long-term memory or subconscious memory tasks show little change over time and with increasing age. There can be a variety of reasons for confuse or disorientation. Medication, psychiatric disturbance, or retirement can confuse the patient. Retirement to some older people means creating a new set of routines and adjusting to them. The majority of elders like structure in their lives and have familiar routines for approaching each day. AGING OF THE ORGAN SYSTEMS Integumentary system disorders The integumentary system is one of the first apparent signs of aging. With age comes flattening of the skin membranes making it vulnerable to abrasions and blisters. The number of melanocytes decrease making ultraviolet light more dangerous and the susceptibility to skin cancer increase. Wrinkling and thinning skin are very noticeable among the elderly. This is attributable to decrease in collagen and elastic in the dermis. There is a gradual loss of functioning sweat glands and skin receptor, which increases the threshold for pain stimuli, making the elderly person vulnerable to heat strokes. With age comes atrophy or thinning of the subcutaneous layer of skin in the face, back of the hands, and soles of the foot conditions in the elderly. The most striking age-related changes to the integumentary system are graying, thinning, and loss of hair. With age, the number of hair follicles decreases and those follicles that remain grow at a slower rate with less concentration of melanin, c ausing the hair to become thin and white. A major problem with aging skin is chronic exposure to sunlight. The benefits of protecting ones skin with sunscreen and protective clothing cannot be over emphasized and will be more evident as one grows older. Nervous system disorders The nervous system is the principle regulatory system. Central nervous system disorders are one of the most common causes of disability in the elderly accounting for almost 50% of disability in those older than age 65. Loss of myelin in axons in some of the nervous system contributes to the decrease in nerve impulse velocity that is noted in aging. Like any other organ system, the nervous system is vulnerable to the effects of atherosclerosis with advancing age. When blood flow to the brain is blocked, brain tissue is damaged. Repeated episodes of cerebral infraction can eventually lead to multi-infract dementia. Changes in the blood flow and oxygenation to the brain slows down the time carry motor and sensory tasks requiring speed, coordination, balance, and fine motor hand movements. This decrease in the function of motor control puts the elderly person at higher risk for falls. Healthy changes in lifestyles can reduce the risk of disease. High blood pressure, for example, is a not ed risk and can be decreased with medication, weight loss, proper nutritional diet, and exercise. Sensory system disorders All of the sensory systems undergo changes with age. Beginning around the age 40, the ability to focus on near objects becomes increasingly difficult. The lens of the eye becomes less pliable, starts to yellow, and becomes cloudy resulting in farsightedness (presbyopia); distorted color perception and cataracts also begin. Changes in the retina affect the ability to adapt to changes in lighting and there are decreased abilities to tolerate glare, making night vision more difficult for the elderly. Hearing impairment is very common in the elderly. The gradual progressive hearing loss of tone discrimination is called presbycusis. Men are affected more often than are women and the degree of loss is more severe for high-frequency sounds. Speech discrimination is problematic when in noisy surroundings such as a room full of talking people. Immune system decline Age takes its toll on the immune system. To be immune to an infection implies protection from that infection. The ability of our body to remain free of infections requires the immune system to distinguish our own healthy cells from invading microorganisms or altered cancer cells. The age-related decline of the immune system functioning makes the elderly more vulnerable to diabetes rises in adulthood. Prevalent among the aged would be influenza, pneumonia, and tuberculosis, meningitis, and urinary tract infections. The three general categories of illness that preferentially afflict the elderly are infections, cancer and autoimmune disease. Genitourinary system disorder Familiar age-related genitourinary (GU) changes are those associated with incontinence. Changes in bladder capacity and muscle structure predispose the elderly to this problem. Along with these structural changes in the GU system the number of nephrons in the kidneys decreases dramatically following the onset of adulthood. This decreased reserve capacity of the kidneys could cause what would otherwise be a regularly prescribed dose of medication to be an overdose in the elderly. The role of the kidneys to maintain the bodys water balance and regulate the concentration according to the bodys need diminishes with age. Acute and chronic renal failure can affect many elderly in their later years. Patient Care of the Elderly and the Radiographer Box 29-3 lists some quick tips for working with elderly. These tips are discussed in the context following the table. BOX 29-3 Tips for working with the elderly patient Take time to educate the patient and his or her family Speak lower and closer Treat the patient with dignity and respect Give the patient time to rest between projections and procedures Avoid adhesive tape: elderly skin is thin and fragile Provide warm blankets in cold examinations room Use table pads and hand rails Always access the patients medical history before contrast media is administered PATIENT AND FAMILY EDUCATION Education about imaging procedures to obtain their confidence and compliance is crucial for all patients, especially for elderly patients. More time with the elderly patient may be necessary to accommodate their decreased ability to rapidly process information. The majority of elderly have been diagnosed with at least one chronic illness. They typically arrive at the clinical imaging environment with a natural anxiety because they are likely to have little knowledge of the procedure or the highly technical modalities employed for their procedures. Moreover, a fear concerning consequences resulting from the examination exacerbates their increased levels of anxiety. Taking time to educate patients and their families or significant caregivers in their support system about the procedures makes for a less stressful experience and improved patient compliance and satisfaction. COMMUNICATION Good communication and listening skills create a connection between the radiographer and his or her patient. Older people are unique and should be treated with dignity and respect. Each elderly person is a wealth of cultural and historical knowledge that in turn becomes a learning experience for the radiographer. If it is evident that they cannot hear or understand verbal directions, it is appropriate to speak lower and closer. Background noise can be disrupting to an older person and should be eliminated if possible when giving precise instructions. Giving instruction individually gives the elder person time to process your request. An empathetic, warm attitude and approach to the geriatric patient will result in a trusting and compliant patient. TRANSPORTATION AND LIFTING Balance and coordination of the elderly patient can be affected by normal aging changes. Their anxiety about falling can be diminished by assistance in and out of a wheelchair, and to and from the examination table. Many elderly have decreased height perception resulting from some degree of vision impairment. Hesitation of the elder person may be as a result of previous falls. Assisting them when there is a need to step up or down throughout the procedure is more than a reassuring gesture. Preventing opportunities for falls is a necessity for the radiographer. The elderly patient will often experience vertigo and dizziness when going from a recumbent position to a sitting position. Giving the patient time to rest between positions will mitigate these disturbing, frightening, and uncomfortable sensations. The use of table handgrips and proper assistance from the radiographer creates. A sense of security will result in a compliant and trusting patient throughout the imaging procedure. JCAHO CRITERIA The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) is the accrediting and standards-setting body for hospitals, clinics, and other health care organizations in the United States. Employees in institutions accredited by the JCAHO must demonstrate age-based communication competencies, which include the elderly. The standards were adopted as a means of demonstrating competence in meeting the physiological and psychological needs of patients in special populations. These populations include infants, children, adolescents, and the elderly. Standard HR.5 of the Human Resources section of the JCAHO manual states, When appropriate, the hospital considers special needs and behaviors of specific age groups in defining qualifications, duties, and responsibilities of staff members who do not have clinical privileges but who have regular clinical contact with patient (for example radiologic technologist and mental health technicians). The intent of the standard is to ensure age-specific competency in technical and clinical matters but is not limited to equipment and technical performance. Knowledge of age-related changes and disease processes assist all the health care professionals, including those in the radiation sciences, in providing care that meets of the elderly patient. Conclusion The imaging professional will continue to see a change in the health care delivery system with the dramatic shift in the population of elderly persons over the age of 65. This shift in the general population is resulting in an ongoing increase in the number of medical imaging procedures performed on elderly patients. Demographic and social effects of aging determine the way in which the elderly adapt to and view the process of aging. An individuals family size and perceptions of aging, economic resources, gender, race, ethnicity, social class, and the availability and delivery of health care will impact the quality of the aging experience. Biological age will be much more critical than chronological aging when determining the health status of the elderly. Healthier lifestyles and advancement in medical treatment will create a generation of successfully aging adults, which in turn should decrease the negative stereotyping of the elderly person. Attitudes of all health care professiona ls, whether positive or negative, will impact the care provided to the growing elderly population. Education about the mental and physiological alterations associated with aging, along with the cultural, economical, and social influences accompanying aging, enables the radiographer to adapt imaging and therapeutic procedures to the elderly patients disabilities resulting from age related changes. The human body undergoes a multiplicity of physiological changes and failure in all organ systems. The aging experience is affected by heredity, lifestyle choices, physical health, and attitude, making it highly individualized. No one individuals aging process is predictable and is never exactly the same as that of any other individual. Radiologic technologist must use their knowledge, abilities, and skills to adjust imaging procedures to accommodate for disabilities and diseases encountered with geriatric patients. Safety and comfort of the patient is essential in maintaining compliance th roughout imaging procedures. Implementation of skills such as communication, listening, sensitivity, and empathy all lead to patient compliance. The JCAHO, recognizing the importance of age-based communication competencies for the elderly, requires documentation of achievement of these skills by the employees of accredited health care organizations. Knowledge of age-related changes and disease processes will enhance the radiographers ability to provide diagnostic information and treatment in providing care that meets the needs of the increasing elderly patient population.

The Great Mosque of Istanbul Essay -- Religion, Islam, Mosque

Hagia Sophia and the great mosques of Istanbul As a city that has played host to not one but two great empires, Istanbul has inherited a number of historical gems. The most apparent of these gems are the sultanic mosques spread across the city. While numerous in number, each mosque tells a different story through its art and architectural elements. They all share, however, triumphs in construction and architectural planning. Through their minarets, pointed arches, and abundance of luxurious building materials, these mosques exemplify the power of the empires they were born out of. The Blue Mosque and other mosques will be mentioned as well. To best present these mosques this paper will look at the Hagia Sophia as a primary example. The mosque, the Islamic location of worship, is similar to the Jewish synagogue or the Christian church in terms of purpose and services. Like other centers of worship they are composed in a very particular fashion. While the architecture of mosques differs regionally, they share the same basic components. The congregation of the mosque prays in the hamam which is a space not unlike the nave of a Christian church. The mihrab, a niche to which prayer is pointed towards, is orientated towards the holy city of Mecca (Frishman and Khan 33-35). The religious leader who carries out prayers does so from the minrab, which is very similar to a pulpit found in a Christian church. Call to prayer is given from the minarets that tower outside of some mosques. Aside from being a place of worship, mosque complexes can contain madrasahs (schools) and â€Å"hospitals, baths, and other inhabitations† (Boyar and Fleet 143). Not all mosques are as grandiose as the ones in Istanbul which were bu ilt not in honor of Islam, bu... ...olorful than the other mosques that it shares the city with, the Blue Mosque posses a warm character that appears to be non-existent in these massive, albeit grandiose, structures. The mosques of Istanbul are much more than places of worship. As initially serving as symbols of power and wealth, they now serve as windows to one of the most powerful empires in history. These mosques allow people to interact more with classical and old-world history than the ruins of the ancient Greek and Romans world can. The Hagia Sophia has transcended its original purposes, while other mosques simultaneously retain their liturgical purpose as well as serving as ambassadors to the Ottoman Empire. As the country of Istanbul pushes further into the modern world, these mosques will grow in importance due to their strong link to a past that attracts travelers to Istanbul initially.

The Founder of Pop Art: Andy Warhol :: essays research papers fc

The Founder of Pop Art: Andy Warhol Andy Warhol is the god father of Pop Art. His window advertisements were the beginning of an era where art would be seen in an array of forms away from the traditional paintings and sculptures of the old world. His love of bright colors and bold patters along with his quirky personality paved the way for his successful career as a major figure in the pop art movement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Warhol was born in 1930, in the town of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. His parents were Czech immigrants. After his father died, Andy was forced to support his family through odd jobs. He worked his way through Carnegie Tech., Pittsburgh where he studied commercial art. After graduation, Warhol moved to New York where he launched a successful career as an illustrator.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He began producing â€Å"Pop† pictures in 1960 with works based on Popeye, Nancy and Dick Tracy comics. These early works were first shown as back drops for department store windows and were painted in loosely brushed style based on Abstract Expressionism. Warhol’s first works using comic material tended to soften hard professional gestures and aggressive vocabulary of the texts and images. Warhol countered the scrupulous accuracy of the original genre with imprecision and deliberate error. In doing so, he soiled the comic strips narrow-minded ideological and decorative purity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Andy Warhol’s next series, depicting the mass-produced goods of Compels Soup cans and Coke bottles, captured the clean-edged look of commercially manufactured objects and made him famous. He also turned his art into mass produced objects. At the time many critics were up in arms over the banal subject matter. Abstract Expressionists were also angry at losing their place in the art market to a young upstart commercial artist. Campbell’s soup had a special significance to Warhol because it was his favorite meal as a child; his mother fed it to him at every lunchtime. Suddenly a bland object became art. Warhol’s images summed up the spirit of his society and times- from Marilyn Monroe to Chairman Zedong. The silk- screened image became a format Warhol used for many years. He became well known in the early sixties for his many ‘Marilyn’ silk-screens, of Marilyn Monroe, and for is used of the Campbell’s soup cans. His silk scree ned works would often use repeated imagery to render the subjects simply another artistic element. This celebrity silk screens and soup cans, simple as they may seem became the back bone of the pop art world, and are recognized more than any others as a Warhol work.

Green permits :: essays research papers

Green Permits Transferable discharge permits create an economic incentive to reduce pollution and exhibit many other advantages over the current command and control pollution regulation system. However, ‘green permits’ on a large scale would be difficult to allocate fairly, and the efficient economic outcome may not be the socially desirable outcome. Introduction to Green Permits 1. Green Permits as an incentive to reduce pollution: cost to pollute- tie up money induces costs/benefits of pollution to owner of permits a. polluter pays incentives for research and development 2. Green Permit benefits over Command and Control under CAC delay is profitable new technology must develop to ever-changing EPA standards fixed cost of pollution -free if under guidelines no incentive to reduce each pollution written into law b. who determines value of each pollutant c. special interest groups ruling majority 1. Problems with Green Permits initial allocation c. auction off - generate revenue but create barriers d. give away - harm firms already environmentally friendly trading rules leading to socially undesirable outcome a. anybody trade - geographic concentration problem b. mixing problem - receptor sites and ambient standards 4. Green Permits as a market failure can’t have failed without trying on large scale example - rapid phaseout of lead gasoline References: Develin, Rose, Grafton, Quentin. Marketable emission permits:efficiency, profitability and substitutability. Canadian Journal of Economics, Ap(96). Vol.29,260-264 Rothschild, Micheal. (1992) Green Markets. Upside. Bionomics Institute Field, Barry, Olewiler, Nancy. Environmental Economics (First Canadian Edition). Toronto: McGraw Hill. 1994 Cost-effectiveness has emerged as a major consideration in the design of environmental policies. Cost-effectiveness means that with prudent policy design, the same level of environmental improvement can be achieved at a lower cost, which implies real cost savings for the affected polluters. Alternatively, a higher level of environmental quality can be achieved at the same cost, which implies a real gain for the population affected by pollution. Cost-effectiveness thus generates win-win opportunities between polluters and the community at large and has emerged as a concept that can bring the battling parties in the political controversy about pollution control policies together to one table. While charges fix the cost of pollution control but leave the total level of emissions to be determined by the market, a system of tradable permits fixes the total amount of emissions from all sources but leaves the price of pollution and the allocation of the total emissions to individual sources to the market.

All Firms Should Produce at MR=MC Essay

In economics, the point of profit maximizing and loss minimizing is called MR=MC. This point is where marginal revenue equals marginal cost, meaning that cost does not exceed revenue and revenue does not exceed cost. This is a profit-maximizing zone, meaning that total cost is not the lowest, but is farthest away from the total returns. The optimal point of production for the firm is at the point MR=MC. Marginal revenue is defined as the change in total revenue as a result of producing an additional unit, while marginal cost is the increase or decrease of a firm’s total cost of production as a result of the change in production by one additional unit. When these two are equal, the firm is not losing money, and is making the most profit possible. In the area of the graph where less quantity is being sold, the firm still obtains a profit but it is not maximized, and in the area of the graph where more quantity is being sold, profit is less and money can be lost from the firm. To the left of MR=MC, cost is low to the firm and revenue is high. As the graph progresses toward the point of MR=MC, each unit provides less and less profit. As the first unit is produced, the profit is high for that unit, but the profit for each extra unit produced declines toward the point of profit maximization. This may sound absurd, and may make the reader wonder why the firm does not produce at the first unit. However, as each unit is produced, the firm gets to keep the profit from every unit produced previously. This would add up to far more profit than if the firm produced when cost is lowest and revenue is greatest. The point where marginal revenue equals marginal cost is the point where all of the profits from the previous units are combined. At this point, total cost is not at its lowest, and total revenue is not the greatest, but are farthest away from each other, which is represented in the graphs attached. It is true that in the less quantity level of the graph revenue exceeds cost, however, the profit at MR=MC is far more than any of the units produced. To the right of MR=MC, total costs exceed total revenue. The firm would spend more money on workers, resources, and the production of goods, and not get a  great profit back. Once the quantity of goods produced passes the point where MR=MC, the firm not only does not make a great profit, but after a while, it loses the money that the company has already, and soon the company would go into debt. The point of profit maximization and loss minimization is the ideal point of production because if the firm was to produce more, all previous profit would be lost and the firm could possibly close down. As shown in the graphs attached, the profit depletes until the point where money is being taken from the firm just to produce more. When the firm cuts down its production and gets to the point of MR=MC again, the profit will once again be maximized. To conclude, the point of loss minimization and profit maximization is where marginal revenue equals marginal costs. This way, all profit from previous units sold is combined for a large profit and all costs do not exceed the total revenue. The firm should always produce at the point where MR=MC. If they move to the left or right of this point, total profit would drop. As the change in total revenue changes, so does the cost of production. The optimal point of production is when both of these are equal to each other. The graphs attached show how profit is still being made on other points of the curve, but MR=MC is the greatest. If a firm wants to increase revenue and profit, the best bet is to produce where marginal return is equal to marginal cost.

Cultural Supression: Abusive Behavior Towards Women and Its Effect on the Spread of Hiv/Aids

Africa is facing a scourge crisis with respect to the assist pestiferous, currently bank noneing system for over 70% of the worlds merciful immunodeficiency com inducter virus-positive state. in that location atomic number 18, of course, numerous factors that drive the explosive transmission of the benignant Immunodeficiency Virus, still in the tangled entangle workforcet that is the epidemic in Africa, often of these issues handle a common thread. The oppression of wo workforce in Africa can be considered the virus h buryhen vector. Fe mannishs atomic number 18 r final stageered queenless(prenominal) in African societies, and alert informal practice inequalities ar largely accountable for the go around of the disease. modern- fork uping(prenominal)s damaged mail service in b completely club is intrinsic al matchlessy linked to the supremacy of women in their dealinghips with men. In order for come near to be make, an examination of gender relations and em violencement for women mustiness con place. To be successful, back up campaigns must be strengthened on the existing organizational skills of women, unless must incorporate men as well. The blatantly skewed distri exception of might in African patriarchal societies makes women departure vulnerable but has stark implications for all.To control the forces that steer the epidemic d admit its course, the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome in Africa must low gear be considered. More than 80% of all human immunodeficiency virus infections in Africa be acquired by dint of hetero cozy contact. This statistic is grossly kayoed of equalizer with the 13% rate of infection by hetero inner contact in the joined States. Vertical transmission from mother to babe is the second most common despatch for the virus to take in Africa (Es land up et al. , 158). These place be generally much mettlesome than in the United St ates and Europe, where the workout of a drug called nevirapine has drastically trim mother-to-child transmission.This disparity is a direct resolution of differences in the nations wealthiness. African nations simply can non spread out to provide the drug to infected expectant women. The continued transmission of human immunodeficiency virus do contaminated blood during processes such as blood transfusions is another dismal core of poverty and inferior health run in many an(prenominal) African countries. This order accounts for the third most important means of transmission, one that has been virtually eradicated in many countries because the technology is available to prcase it (Essex et al. 159). cancel of what makes the emplacement in Africa so ravage is that the primary roads the virus travels in Africa were shut down grand past in other countries. Much of the worlds population already takes many of the roadblocks for granted. The transmission way of hetero in ner contact is so firmly traveled in Africa that it demands an examination of internal behavior. Before we delve into the workings of informal relationships, however, the fine stops of gender inequality in the prevalent sphere must be examined.These amicable conditions spill over into each aspect of life, tainting womens room casual and cozy relationships with men. Women argon systematically disadvantaged in African golf club. Male bias in the structures of society is reflected in day-to-day behavior, embedded in legislation, policy, political and religious ideologies, and cultural conventions (Baylies et al. , 6). Examples of this contract abound. The Civil figure of the Empire of Ethiopia designates the maintain as the head of the family and crack ups him the authority to broadcast habitation attribute.The hubby is given the compensate to control and manage common property and to make all decisions regarding it. While the Code requires that the con work act judi ciously and not alienate property without the consent of his wife, salubrious traditional and cultural beliefs discourage women from enforcing this necessity (African Region Findings). In Kenya, the authorship permits the employment of customary law to personal matters. The Constitution contains no provisions for gender as a basis for non-discrimination and consequently, even gender-biased practices are held as valid and constitutional.Womens adit to economical resources in Kenya is largely defined by customary laws (African Region Findings). Inheritance is normally along the virile lineage women do not inherit family property. non wholly do women gift less access to income and possess much less wealth than their virile counterparts, but they handlewise offer more than hours of labor than men do (Baylies, et. al. , 7). In a village group meeting held in rural Lushoto, Tanzania, in 1996, coordinate in response to help, even cardinal of the men present agreed that w omen take the heavier burden. A man, if you need him, is always out, an older man spoke out, whereas the woman is the one at home, taking care of readying and all other household affairs. . . . We stop up in the mornings and go roughly our business and dont concern ourselves with whether the children eat or not, he continued. We leave it all to mama. We give orders, we are dictators in the home (Baylies et al. , 191). virtually of the men, however, did not share his capacity to see the situation in this way. One manly maintains, as a man you sop up so many things to attend to, and you depose on her to think of things like lash for washing (Baylies et al. 190). Womens limited opportunities as well hand over into reduced access to teaching method.Their lower levels of literacy hand to their more limited access to learning close innerly passted diseases and HIV (Baylies et al. , 6). Cultural conventions prevent them from asserting themselves in public, squelching any h ope of improving their situation in this way. Since their work is confined to the domestic field, womens labor does not command commercialise value, expiration them dependent on those members of the household who operate in the cash providence (Baylies et al. 7). Economic need often drives women to infix into prostitution. The selling of sex, many argue, is often the nevertheless choice African women bring on amongst starvation and survival (Essex et al. , 538). It is the link between womens stance in wider society and position in sexual relations that is polar to understanding their photograph to the virus. UN help reported in 1999 that in sub-Saharan Africa 12 or 13 women are infected with the HIV virus for every 10 men (Russell 101). Women have characteristically been viewed as creditworthy for transmitting the virus.Prostitutes are blamed for bed cover HIV to clients, and mothers are blamed for handout it to their children (Essex et al. , 3). Females are thought to ha ve a polluting influence and are treated as vaginas or uteruses, whores or mothers, and vectors or vessels as opposed to people (Essex et al. , 3). Instead of regarding women as blameworthy for the severity of the support epidemic in Africa, they should be more accurately perceived as occupying a cultural niche in which they are highly vulnerable to spotting the virus.Since women are oblige to relinquish the drivers seat to males in the public sphere, they sure fair to middling have no plead in the nature and timing of their sexual activity in the private sphere, leaving the roads HIV travels open to traffic. intragroup relations revolve around the akin notions of personhood that operate in the larger society (Baylies, et. al. , 7). The outcomes of these gender ideologies take form as sexual practices. The foundation of these sexual understandings seems to be that women are expected to give but not receive pleasure. finish upual norms prescribe carnal knowledge passivity fo r distaffs, while according sexual decision making to men (Baylies et al. , 7). perimeter is expected for the greater sexual mobility of men. Female fidelity is usually viewed as requirement while male infidelity is unchanging with the extension of the familial line (Essex et al. , 534). The manifold standard expectation is that women exit repose into a married couple as virgins but men will not. In patriarchal, sub-Saharan African cultures, marriage can be defined as a de jure and fondly sanctioned relationship between a man and a woman at heart which procreation takes place (Essex et al. 534). Women are not viewed as people competent of sexual pleasure but as the means by which to achieve an end. That end is the perpetuation of the family line. This prime value on marriage and motherhood presses young girls into risky, multiple- follower relationships long before they are psychologically or physically mature. Young women cannot slump the sexual demands of older men no r bear the social stigma of being without a husband or children (Essex et al. , 536). Women are impotent within their relationships and have too little power outside of them to abandon partners that put them at risk.How, then, do these social and sexual patterns account for the severity of the AIDS epidemic in Africa? Many claim that male exclusive right is what drives the AIDS epidemic, even discharge so far as to call AIDS a form of mass femicide (Russell 100). Diane Russell bluntly states, Those women who contract HIV/AIDS from their male partners because of their sexist attitudes and behavior, and/or because of their superior power and dominant status, are? when they damp? victims of femicide (102). There are many examples of manifestations of male supremacy that can be fatal for female partners.Male refusal to use caoutchoucs is perhaps the most vital of these behaviors. Utilization of condoms is the one factor that would doubtless reduce transmission rates drasticall y. Women are not even allowed to ask, Can we have sex? , so it is even more difficult to study up condom use (Russell 103). However, if a woman does let out the courage to ask her male partner to use a condom, not precisely will he almost for sure refuse, he is possible to beat her. spill to him about donning a rubber sheath and be prepared for accusations, abuse or abandonment, relates Johanna McGeary in TIME magazine.Her article in like manner related the story of a view as in Durban, who, coming home from an AIDS training class, suggested that her husband put on a condom. He proceeded to grab a pot and bang on it loudly, attracting all the neighbors. He pointed a knife at her and demanded Where was she between 4 p. m. and now? why is she suddenly suggesting that? What has changed after 20 old age that she wants a condom? One man, who had already infected his wife with HIV and was developing open herpes sores on his penis, objected to his wifes wind of using condoms, accusing her of having a gent (Russell 103).Even educated men, aware of the AIDS risk, rafter at the suggestion. McGeary heard the similar suffice come up once again and again That question is nonnegotiable. Several myths account for the lack of condom use, even when they are distributed for no cost your erection cant grow, free condoms must be too cheap to be safe, condoms fill up with germs, condoms from overseas bring the disease with them, condoms donated by foreign governments have holes in them so that Africans will die (McGeary).Some men simply decide they do not like the way condoms feel, and that is enough to decide the issue. When interviewed, one couple in Kanyama, Zambia, reported using condoms for contraception, but the husband started to complain that they were burning him and was not going to continue using them (Baylies et al. , 98). The established mode is that women must risk infection to entertain men. Women compromise their sexual safety to mens pleasure by even more drastic physical means. Throughout southern Africa, many women practice teetotal sex to please their husbands.This involved drying out the vagina with filthiness mixed with baboon urine some use detergents, salts, cotton, or shredded newspaper (Russell 102). Not only(prenominal) is dry sex reportedly very painful for women, it causes vaginal lacerations and suppresses the vaginas inseparable bacteria, both of which increase the likelihood of contracting the HIV virus when engaging in sex with an infected partner (Russell 103). Since women are already twice as likely to contract HIV from a whizz encounter than are men, this is extremely dangerous (McGeary).The decision to engage in dry sex can be made for economical reasons as well. The prostitute who dries out her vagina can charge more, 50 or 60 rands ($6. 46 to $7. 75), enough to even out a childs school fees or to eat for a week (McGeary). This is in limit to the 20 rands ($2. 84) she might receive otherwise. Since male economic privilege plays a major(ip) role in forcing women into prostitution, any AIDS deaths resulting from it can be considered femicide. Economic disadvantage for females drives them to participate in other repelling deals.Teenage girls especially are easy feed for older, wealthier sugar daddies, men who provide bullion and goods in exchange for sex (Essex et al. , 536). Sex has been referred to as the currency by which women and girls are expected to pay for lifes opportunities, from a passing grade in school to a trading license (Baylies et al. , 7). Girls as young as ten and eleven in Tanzania have been reported as having sexual relations with men for chips, Coke, money for videos or transport to school (Baylies et al. , 11).Sexual networking has dangerous implications for the spread of HIV, leaving many young women with much more than they bargained for. Yet another materialisation of male dominance on which the virus thrives is the practice of female genital mutilation. This practice, which has grow in the patriarchal society, is defined by the World Health Organization as the removal of part or all of the external female genitalia and/or injury to the female genital organs for cultural or other nontherapeutic reasons (Russell 104).It is intentional to cater to mens sexual preferences and pay back their control over women. The tendency of cut up genitals to bleed, especially during intercourse, puts women at high risk for contracting the virus, as does the perennial use of the crude instruments used to behave these operations. The tools are often used on a number of girls on the same occasion (Russell 105). This practice is imposed on millions of girls in Africa. It is an attack not only on their bodies but also on their womanhood, on their personhood, and on their ability to treasure themselves from a deadly disease.Tolerance of male sleeping around is a further social kink that strips away females autonomy with fatal yields. manpower are accepted as sexually voracious by nature. They are like that, and you cant do anything, says one girl in Lushoto (Baylies et al. , 128). Many families economic situations require that husbands are gone for months at a while in order to work, and they are certainly not expected to abstain from sexual activity during this date. Another Lushoto girl, married to a trader often away in Dar es Salaam, reports that she is afraid of her husband, worrying he may infect me (Baylies et al. 128). Her concern is utterly justified. When a wife suspects that her husband has many partners outside the marriage, she is not entitled to refuse to engage in sex. You are a wife, what can you do? is the sad realness for most (Baylies et al. , 128). Marriage is an institution of vulnerability for women in Africa with respect to HIV. In general, it is men who bring HIV into a marriage (Baylies et al. , 11). Women can be infected, not finished promiscuous activity on their own part, but as a consequence of being faithful to their husbands.The prevalence of AIDS in Africa also transforms sexual assaulters into murderers. The line of work of rape is especially highlighted in mho Africa, where a woman is estimated to be v times more likely to be raped than a woman in the United States (Russell 106). It is an extremely rare event that a rape is reported at all 75% are believed to retain unreported (Russell 107). The existence of rape juntos is also a serious problem in South Africa. The term for recreational gang rape is jackrolling, and it is considered a game, not a crime.An analysis of gender relations in Africa provides insight into how and why HIV spreads so efficiently. The question now becomes what should be done with this knowledge to generate prevention strategies. It is demonstrable that women must become more appoint for the epidemic to be slowed with any significance. Russell claims that the premiere order of business requires educating people about the role played by male domination in the spread of HIV and AIDS, and that policies must then be develop to eliminate manifestations of patriarchy (109).It is clear that education should focus more on gender issues than the need to avoid risky sexual behavior. However, as has been demonstrated over and over, change magnitude knowledge does not always realize into changed behavior. Baylies and Bujra investigate the potential of womens groups in campaigns of shelter against HIV in Africa. They also point out that if economic dependence on men is a factor central womens vulnerability, greater economic security should serve to empower women. For this to occur, women would require higher levels of education.How men should be involved is another baffling issue. Male behaviors not only put their partners in danger, but themselves as well. Therefore, not only do men bear responsibility in this area, but it would be in their interest to assist in the process. One thing is clear if the AIDS epidemic is to become any less of a problem in Africa, women will have to be empowered. Though AIDS is certainly a virtually impractical dissolve to extinguish in any context, the patriarchal society and exploitation of women not only fuels the flames but turns a fire into an inferno.For millions of African women, this hell is the reality. Their inferior position in larger society renders them powerless in sexual relations. The manifestation of these social constructions emerges in sexual practices and behavior that not only allow HIV to transmit at alarming rates, but also are blatant violations of basic human rights. When African women are no seven-day denied these fundamental rights, a decrease in the severity of the epidemic will undoubtedly follow.Works Cited African Region Findings. The World till Group, No. 126, January 1999. ttp//www. worldbank. org/afr/findings/english/find126. htm April 29, 2002. Baylies, Carolyn and Janet Burja. AIDS, Sexuality and sexual urge i n Africa. NY Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2000. Essex, Max, Souleymane Mboup, Phyllis J. Kanki, and Mbowa R. Kalengayi, eds. AIDS in Africa. NY consume Press, 1994. McGeary, Johanna. Death Stalks A Continent. Time Magazine, 2001. http//www. time. com/time/2001/aidsinafrica/cover. html April 29, 2002. Russell, Diane E. H. and Roberta A. Harmes, eds. Femicide in Global Perspective. NY Teachers College Press, 2001.