Abdul Kalam – Kalam’s Life Portrays

Kalam’s life portrays, what zest for life is all about. Kalam divides â€Å"wings of fire† into various phases of his life and builds on it. His humble childhood to his first break to disappointments to successes. He writes with passion about his mentors, his teachers and his colleagues. He writes at length about the birth and adolescent years of the Indian space program. He writes about how to be a good leader, a good motivator, a good project manager and a above all someone with passion and devotion towards his work. His Humble beginnings, hard work, persistence, and above all a passion for life and all things that are possible in it, are all well described in the book. He does all of this in very simple prose. What struck me throughout the book was his recollection of small snippets of poems or phrases from various sources. His citing of the various colleagues he worked with, his bosses or people he appointed through the 60 years of his career are also quite impressive. Although this makes an easy and gripping read, at times the transmission goes above your head due to the generous use of technical terms being used and complex rocket technology being described. However, APJ did a good job of drawing parallels with objects of layman understanding After reading the book, It makes you feel that you know the man more intimately, His humility strikes you down. A very refreshing book, from a refreshing person, giving a glimpse of what the power of positive thinking can help you do, given the shortcomings of the beaurocracy in a country such as India. Beating all odds, the man reached out to the stars, and has become one. Kalam never married. He writes that he found, to maintain relationships was more difficult than rocket science. So all you married folk can pat yourself on the back! It does though beg the question, to have that kind of passion and dedication does one have to give up worldly life as we know it and take up â€Å"sanyas† from everything but work? Whatever it maybe, you will come out satisfied after reading this book, having gained some pearls of leadership qualities, project management, rocket technology and the history of Indian space program. Above all you will be filled with patriotism (if Indian), passion, motivation and inspiration at the end of these 200 odd pages.

Glass Castle Essay

There are references of bad parenting around the world every single day. Everybody is always so quick to point the finger on someone else’s choices and behaviors, that they don’t even notice to look back and reflect on themselves. Even though I am not a parent I am sure every day it comes with its struggles and obstacles. Like I said before, because I am not yet a parent and don’t plan on being one anytime soon I always have the up most respect for them. Of course from time to time there are going to be instances that you regret like any human naturally does. But that label what kind of person that you are, and especially labeled as a â€Å"bad parent† I personally don’t understand how we can judge people for what kind of parent that may be when society is so hypocritical. Often we choose what’s right and wrong but do we really know the difference? How can one parent psychically abuse their child and another parent give them so much attention that there â€Å"suffocated† but both examples being labeled as a â€Å"bad parent†. But in some circumstances when children are getting bad parenting all it takes is for the child to completely forgive the parent and that’s a great achievement in itself to make. All it takes one little piece of his or her inner character that holds such an influence on the child that it will always make her unquestionably love them. In the book, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls is that child, reminiscing her favorite childhood memories spent with her family. Jeannette and Rex Walls shared some of the best moments of her life, regardless of Rex’s clear irresponsibility and destruction brought onto her now aspects of her life. Despite the many instances in which her father failed to protect his children, refused to take responsibility for them, and even stole from them they always stayed by his side even up to his last days. Jeannette still loved him until his dying day for a couple reasons of course. First off that’s her father, Secondly he made her feel special and lastly for his never ending inspiration that he had for himself and his family that she admired. When were leaded through the Christmas scene in which her father gave his children stars for presents, Jeannette often recalls Rex as an intelligent and loving father and teacher. With her describing the memory with so much gratitude in her tone. Jeannette begins by saying, â€Å"we had no money at all,† The fact that the way she described this moment it was as if that her family’s differences and financial struggles were gone at this moment (39). This shows his moment of being a real â€Å"Dad†. Jeannette’s overall admiration for her father was shown when she described that the stars were â€Å"one of the special treats for people† like Jeannette (39). Her father also often compared their family with the â€Å"rich city folks† and leads her to think, â€Å"We’d have to be out of our minds to want to travel places with any of them† (39). With the straight-forwardness of this story. Jeannette describes her father with very simple attributes. As her now use of basic language reveals her experience of any bad upbringing and shows only achievement’s of her experience. Her father’s ability to make her feel unique is one of the main reasons why she holds onto him when others give up on him, as that ability gave her one of the most significant moments of her life. The sentence â€Å"And he gave me Venus† conveys a lot of meaning (40). This emphasizes her excitement in the action of her father giving the special present. Perhaps the fact that she was able to receive a planet when her other siblings received stars as presents made her feel so positive about herself. It becomes obvious that Jeannette’s admiration accumulates at this moment as she continues to describe the experience in good terms. The final quote at the end of the passage, as her father says â€Å"Years from now†¦you’ll still have your stars† is another strong example of her father emphasizing her uniqueness. As he clearly sets the Walls children apart from the others that they could of never received. Jeannette also learns a valuable lesson from her father at the zoo. It becomes a characteristic for Rex to praise his children for their uniqueness. It is her trust in him that allows her to fully believe in him. A certain calmness and fascination comes over Rex at this time. Finally, during her last visit to see her father as he confirms that he is dying, Jeanette admits how inspirational he is to her. She admits her reflects her father’s continuous effect on her, even as he is about to die. She sums up her relationship in two clear, complex sentences, saying, â€Å"But despite all the hell-raising and destruction and chaos he had created in our  lives, I could not imagine what my life would belike—what the world would be like—without him in it. As awful as he could be, I always knew he loved me in a way no one else had† (279). The uniqueness that he makes her feel feeds for her affection for him. Ironically, just as he had a special love for her, that was on was only for her, she was the only person in his life who hel d onto his love and respected him regardless of his other issues. Throughout Jeannette Wall’s life, the challenges and setbacks she faced we tremendously hard to to imagine and probably to even experience. The way that Jeanette portrays herself now you would never imagine all that she went through. As the question was stated if I thought that Rew Walls was a bad parent? I say No. Yes. Of course he had a fair amount of decisions that he made for himself and his family that he shouldn’t of but that made him into the person that his family loved and adored him for. We have to constantly remember that were human and were going to make mistakes and I am sure I Rex Walls was here today he would say the same thing.

Mao Zedong`s Dictatorship

By all standards, Mao Zedong belongs in the company of the few great political men of our century. Born and raised in the obscurity and restrictions of nineteenth-century rural China, he rose to assume the leadership of the Chinese Revolution, rule the largest population in the world with the most pervasive and intense government known in history, and finally has clung to life long enough to become the last of the political heroes of the great generation of World War II. His life spans the emergence of modern China and his character has shaped the manner and style of the Chinese Revolution.His name has become the label for revolutionary extremists throughout the world, â€Å"the Maoists,† yet it is Mao Zedong with whom leaders throughout the world seek audiences. The Pope in one day admits to his presence more people than Mao Zedong grants audiences in a year. When Mao last appeared publicly, more than a million people expressed tumultuous joy, and since then the occasions for allowing a select few into his presence have been newsworthy throughout the world.The announcement that the American Secretary of State has had a couple of hours of discussion with the Chairman is a signal to all that the Secretary has been favored, indeed, honored; and, of course, when a trip to China does not include a visit with the Chairman, the universal interpretation is that favor is being withheld.The extraordinary appeal of Mao Zedong is hard to identify. Some may suggest that it lies less in the man and more in the nature of Chinese society, for the Chinese do seem compelled to make all of their leaders into imperial figures. Yet, the fact remains that many non-Chinese, who have no affinity for his rural origins but represent a host of varied social and personal backgrounds, seem to find inspiration for their political lives in his words and his example. Restless youth scattered throughout the world who have more formal education than he had feel that in his revolutionary ardor and purity he speaks for them.What is the character of the man that lies behind all this greatness? Merely to raise the question is an act of sacrilege for many. For the Chinese and other worshippers of Mao and his thoughts, it is enough to dwell on his public virtues, read only hagiographies, and reject all else as being in bad taste. For his detractors, the whole spectacle is revolting, and Mao the man must be the devil behind the Chinese version of socialist totalitarianism. Yet between these extremes there are those who are honestly curious.The public record reveals a man at home in rural China, a man of the peasantry, who knows the myths and folklore of traditional China. Yet, although he received a Confucian education, Mao was also part of the first full generation of Chinese to explore Western knowledge. From his rural isolation, he moved effectively into the chaotic, competitive world of Chinese student politics and revolutionary scheming. As soldier, ideologist, and planner, he became the symbolic leader of the Chinese Communist guerrilla struggle. As victorious ruler he was a visionary who looked beyond immediate problems of administration to the goals of a new society and to the molding of a new form of man.The paradox of Mao Zedong is that while his claim to greatness is unassailable, in every specific sphere whether as philosopher, strategist, economic planner, ideologue or even world statesman, his qualities are not the match of his right to greatness. Since Mao's greatness lies so clearly in the realm of emotions, the problem of Mao Zedong is a problem in political psychology. To treat Mao merely as an intellectual or as a calculating strategist is to miss the essential dimensions of his historic role. Furthermore, if we are to understand how Mao came to be so successful in mobilizing the feelings of the Chinese, and of others, we must explore his own emotional world and discover the dynamics of his psychic relations with others.As an ind ividual, Mao is intrinsically fascinating. His acts and his words are startling and unexpected. In his conversations he will bring up the most unlikely subjects: Why are some Africans more dark-skinned than others? Have not all the advances in medical science only increased the number of diseases? The Chinese people have always known Marxism because they have always appreciated contradictions.A dedicated materialist, Mao can suddenly speak as a conventional believer in the hereafter: â€Å"I shall soon be seeing God† (Cheek 124). â€Å"When we see God, or rather Karl Marx, we will have to explain much† (Cheek 115).   At times he has depicted himself as an outstanding hero of Chinese history: â€Å"Yes, we are greater than Ch'in Shih Huang-ti† (Cheek 79). â€Å"We must look to the present to find our heroes† (Cheek 80).Intrinsic fascination aside, Mao's character demands serious analysis because there is much in the history of modern China that cannot be explained except in terms of Mao Zedong's personality. In the fluid circumstances of the Chinese Revolution, time and again events and processes took on decisive form in direct response to the personality of Mao Zedong. In stable societies with solid institutions the scope for the influence of personality considerations is constrained to the narrow limits of how different individuals may perform established roles. In the case of Mao Zedong there was no defined role for him to fill; rather his own personality created his own roles and thereby shaped Chinese history.When the story of modern China is systematically related to the activities of Mao, a key element of Mao's genius is immediately highlighted: his remarkable capacity to perform different, and even quite contradictory, roles at different times. As Mao took on the roles of peasant organizer, military commander, ideological spokesman, political strategist, and ruling statesman, he also vacillated between such contradictory pu blic persona as fiery revolutionary and wise philosopher; dynamic activist and isolated recluse; preacher of the sovereign powers of the human will and patient planner who knows that history cannot be rushed.In a very strange manner Mao Zedong has been able to communicate a sense of the integrity of the human spirit precisely because he has defied logic and spoken for exactly opposite points of view. He has praised books (indeed sanctified the presumed magic of his own â€Å"Little Red Book†) and he has denounced bookish knowledge–â€Å"Reading books only makes myopic children† (Cheek 117). He has equally extolled and denounced violence. He has championed reason and also scorned the paralyzing impulses of reasonableness. His intellectual integrity is as unassailable as folk wisdom, with its appropriate sayings for every option.Mao's revolutionary ideas, like those of his intellectual compatriots elsewhere, drew inspiration from both experience (observing and doi ng) and intellectual exercise. They were a response to the genuine plight of large numbers of poor, illiterate, and exploited people, although they were also the result of profound romanticization and sometimes willful ignorance of who and what the people really were.They reflected a strong inclination to distrust complex patterns of administration and governance — in a word, bureaucracy-because these only served the interests of ruling elites; and they relied upon popular enthusiasm and passion as substitutes for technical expertise and intellectual sophistication, and too frequently as a means for mobilizing (and manipulating) the masses. Moreover, they displayed an inconsistency born of a human inability to divorce oneself completely from one's cultural environment, with its heavy baggage of traditions, habits, and customs. Thus, rebellion against the decrepit and defeatist past of China was accompanied by appeals — sometimes disguised, sometimes not — to the social virtues, modes of discourse, and general spirit of that same past.If from a classical Marxist standpoint Lenin was wrong to represent Russia as an appropriate site for a Marxist revolution, Mao erred in proclaiming the same for China despite his disingenuous contention in 1942 that â€Å"Marxism-Leninism has no beauty, no mystical value; it is simply very useful† (Cheek 127). Much evidence existed, of course, to sustain an argument that China needed fundamental changes in its economic, social, and political order.Chinese had been debating this for many decades. It was also clear that foreign powers had an enormous impact on China's development, fostering it in some ways, but distorting and exploiting it in others. Mao's writings reveal that he understood quite well that his country's vulnerability to external aggression resulted largely from internal weaknesses, and that this relationship lay at the heart of his analysis and his demand for revolution.The doctrine of t he mass line did not develop in isolation but reflected what was arguably the most fundamental of Mao's attitudes: voluntarism. Like Lenin, whose successes must have been instrumental in showing Mao the value of seizing the moment, Mao was a committed voluntarist — a believer in the ability of human will to overcome virtually any obstacle, despite the essential irrelevancy of human motivation to Marx's revolutionary theory.By seeking to foster revolution in places unsuitable theoretically for such a process, both Lenin and Mao had to relinquish Marxist principle and emphatic determinism (the revolution will follow under the right, organically evolved, socioeconomic conditions) in favor of willful action (the revolution will occur under whatever conditions we can take advantage of). For the sake of possibly seeing the revolution transpire in their own lifetimes, they had to impose their own wills on circumstances and equate volition with accomplishment. Marxism's attraction wa s, thus, also its weakness.The theory was supposed to ensure that revolution would occur, but it never promised that it would occur to suit the timetables of revolutionaries. For tremendously egotistical men like Lenin and Mao, Marxist determinism had to be balanced by a voluntarist spirit, men and women had to help make the revolution by whatever means they could be sold on, and time had to be made an ally and not an enemy.The succession to Mao Zedong will in time   worked out, and China has new leaders. Regardless of whatever private feelings they may have about Mao, they acknowledged his greatness in the making of modern China. As all great men in history he will be honored, especially by those who will seek the magic of his greatness to insure the legitimacy of their authority.Thus it is likely that as time goes by the public Mao became increasingly shrouded in myth, and it   became even more difficult to penetrate to the domain of the private man where must lie the secrets of his greatness. Just possibly, however, history may take a slightly different turn, and, as unlikely as it may seem now, there may be revelations of more facts about the life of Mao Zedong making it possible to evaluate better our interpretation of his greatness.Mao Zedong's place in Chinese history is, however, secure, and his successors, whoever they may be, will be of quite different character. Mao's belonged to the era of China's response to the modern world: He wanted China to change, to become strong and powerful in the eyes of all the world; yet he also wanted China to be true to itself. He was a leader out of rural China, educated in a provincial setting, and unacquainted with any foreign language. His distrust of cities refiected in part that be was not at home with the more cosmopolitan generation of Chinese who went further in exploring foreign ways than he was ever ready to do.Works CitedCheek, Timothy. Mao Zedong and China’s Revolutions: A Brief History with Do cuments. Boston: Bedfort, 2002.

Crowd-funding web sites are growing rapidly and have become one of the Essay

Crowd-funding web sites are growing rapidly and have become one of the newest ways of raising funds for various purposes - Essay Example Examples of these websites include: Kickstarter which finances creative projects, IndieGoGo which finances a wide range of ideas and new startups and rocket hub. Discussion The above three crowd-funding are elaborated here: Kickstarter: This is a financial site for inventive projects ranging from games, films as well as music  to art, technology and design. In this avenue each project creator is solely setting his project's financial support goal and deadline (Holden & Finlayson 2005).  If the project is liked by the people, they can guarantee money to facilitate it happen.  Given the project does well  in achievement its backing goal, every backer credit card is charged  on expiry of the time whereas if it fails to achieve its goal no one is charged thus funding in site is all-or-nothing. All items on Kickstarter have to be projected with clear goals and deliverables because it does not allow charity, cause or fund me projects. As (Huzel & Huang 1992) argues, Backers of th ese projects come from its fans and friends and also from blogs, Press, Facebook, Twitter, and Kickstarter itself. A sponsor of these projects obtains a close look at the creative process, and thus ensures that project comes to life. They can select from a range of distinctive rewards given by the project initiator which range from a copy of whatever is being produced e.g. a DVD, CD, book or a skill unique to that project. 100% ownership of the project remains with the creators. For successfully funded projects Kickstarter charges a 5% fee to the finances collected. Processing fees for US-based project done Amazon payments and those for non-US ones done through a third-party payment processor amount to 3-5% (Lawton & Marom 2013). Indiegogo: This  is a multinational  crowd-funding  website whose main aim is to help individuals raise money for their personal projects. It has the same layout as Kickstarter though one can start any project even charity donations (Maguire 2012). Th e flexible funding plan has been developed to help backers receive the money even if the project fails to reach its funding goal though a higher fee charges are levied for this. Its founders are: Danae Ringelmann, Slava Rubin, and Eric Schell in the year 2008. The web site's structure gives users an interface to do the following: create their own page for funding campaigns, set up a  PayPal account, draft "perks" for various levels of engagements and then publicize it in the social media like  Twitter, Facebook and other similar platforms. Indiegogo charges a levy of 4% for every fund raised, and a 3% fee for credit card processing, plus an extra $25 wire fee to non-U.S campaigns (Rauf 2014). In case members had applied for the Flexible Funding plan and the campaign fails to attain its goal, Indiegogo charges 9% of the fund, but all the same get to take the outstanding balance away. Unlike other similar websites e.g.  Kickstarter, Indiegogo releases the money immediately, when the donations are collected via the user's PayPal accounts (Neiss, Best & Cassady-Dorion 2013). Indiegogo also gives a straight credit card settlement acceptance via their portal. Those contributions are given up to the second week after the completion of a campaign.

Course work Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Course work - Coursework Example Josies firm practices ________ marketing. 24) Some fast-food restaurants offer tasty and convenient food at affordable prices, but in doing so they contribute to the national obesity epidemic and environmental problems. These fast-food restaurants overlook the ________ concept. 25) ________ marketing is socially and environmentally responsible marketing that meets the present needs of consumers and businesses while also preserving or enhancing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. 28) Nickson released a new range of watches that were titled after the famous mountaineer Adam Wills. These new watches were promoted through claims that the design is a favorite of Adam Wills who used a similar watch designed by Nickson for its high durability and quality on his expeditions. Such a measure to entice customers to buy ones products aims at creating ________. 30) Ryan attempts to deliver customer satisfaction every day in his installation business, Audio Expressions. The key to achieving this goal is to match the customer-perceived performance of his product with ________ Marketing is more of a social and managerial process through which either individuals or groups of people get what they want or need by producing and exchanging products and value with others; than just â€Å"telling and selling. It is a technique of combining products produced or services offered with value, satisfaction, quality, availability, price and needs, wants and demands from customers while pursuing the firm’s objectives (Kotler and Gray, 2009, p. 281). Consequently, marketing can be defined as management of markets in such a way that brings about exchanges whose aim is satisfying both customers’ needs and wants. Therefore, it is not just the act of telling and selling of products or services, but, a way of making people understand the product will give them solutions to their utility level, promoting as a way of creating

CAD drafting software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CAD drafting software - Essay Example One of the reasons why autoCAD is ranked top among other CAD softwares is the fact that it is packed with features within the tool bar which are relatively easy to use and navigate. AutoCAD has all the relevant and necessary features which make usability easy while improving compatibility at the same time. It allows the user to customize the tool palettes consisting only of the tools required for the current project. AutoCAD supports a myriad of files which requires no conversion during import or export (Cohn, 16). The software is not easy to use and in addition to time consumption, there is difficulty in figuring how to use some of its features. AutoCAD is supplemented with a wide range of help and support options besides the online knowledge-base present on the website. SolidWorks is considered to be an extensive software that is meant for corporate environment and large production. SolidWorks has extensive design capabilities which makes it a very complex system. Despite the complex and extensive designs in cataloging and tolerance control, the user interface has been kept as dynamic and simple as possible. The design makes SolidWorks a design software suitable for users at all levels. SolidWorks is quite expensive; Premium version goes for $7,995, Standard for $3,995 and the Professional version at $5,490. There is minimal training required for a user to become productive and knowledgeable of SolidWorks. Besides, there is a good production demonstration video which offers design lessons (Cartwright, 12). SolidWorks has an electrical package which is highly used in electrical engineering field in designing complex circuits. It has a wide range of electrical design functionality suitable for design professionals. Google Sketch Up is free but can be upgraded to Pro version at a cost of $485 which comes with email technical support and export options. It’s a simple CAD software for sketching models in a 3 D space. Google Sketch up is

History of Conde Naste Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History of Conde Naste - Essay Example Here, in this paper a well known company named Conde Nast’s marketing strategies and business model is to be discussed so as to analyze its market position. This paper helps in identifying the strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats of the company, particularly in dealing with changing market environment, competition and digital development as business models. The founder of Conde Nast Publication (CNP) was Conde Montrose Nast. This company was established in the year 1907 by him, which is now a part of the Advanced Publication. It is also a renowned name in the industry of journalism and magazine of America along with other developed countries as well. Now-a-days this magazine empire is owned by Si Newhouse Jr. and goes by the name of Conde Nast. With over 30 prestigious magazines under its umbrella, including the titles of Fairchild Publications, the organization is one of the best known magazine conglomerates in the world. The company is particularly well known for its fashion magazines. The organization has also established a mark for its impressive headquarters and well designed cafeteria (Conde Nast, â€Å"Conde Nast home†). Conde Nast is the parent company to some of the globally renowned glossy magazines. It incorporates every specialized magazine, straddling topics as diverse as sports, architecture, gourmet cuisine, travel, literature, fashion, social life and observations, home decoration and popular culture. By the 1990s, the organization accommodated more than thirteen high profile magazines including Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Street and Smiths Sports Group, Interest in House & Garden, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Brides, Self, Gentlemens Quarterly, Gourmet, Bon Appà ©tit, Condà © Nasts Traveller, Details, and Allure. It even developed a plan of introducing online internet based publications and magazines. Earlier, in 1909 the famous magazine Vogue

Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anthropology - Essay Example ma’s speech during the Democratic National Convention coupled with specific examples that relate to respective discursive Strategies as seen in the speech. Indeed, in his speech, Obama clearly applies at least two of this Discursive Strategies. In his speech, Obama uses the â€Å"narratives of belonging† strategy to construct â€Å"existential coherence.† Duranti presents this strategy as part of personal experiences that the political speaker possesses. Duranti establishes the fact that these experiences connect the speaker emotionally and morally to the present place and audience. This strategy shows that the political speaker is an ordinary citizen and will thus represent the audience ideally once elected. In his speech, Obama used the â€Å"narratives of belonging† strategy in various occasions. ... I have shared the pain of families who've lost their homes, and the frustration of workers who have lost their jobs.† (Fox News Web). As such, the use of this strategy clearly helps Obama to identify with the Americans, denotes his experience in handling national issues, and thereby convinces the audience that he will ideally represent them once reelected as the US President. Duranti consequently defines â€Å"the [use of] the present as a ‘natural extension’ of the past† strategy to construct â€Å"existential coherence† as a relation between present decision and experience. In various occasions during his speech, Obama demonstrated the use of this strategy. Indeed, he quotes that, â€Å"You know, in a world of new threats and new challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did.† He equally reminds the audience that, â€Å"I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. And we have.† This experience gives him an edge over his political competitor. It clearly proves that he can deliver and out of his past successes, he is convinced to vie for the second time. He notes that he was able to kill Osama Bin Laden and thus presently focusses on defeating Al Qaeda and ending the Afghanistan war by 2014 once reelected (Fox News Web). As such, his experience drives his present decision to seek reelection with a goal of completing his mission. This generates a lot of conviction from the audience as it applauds Obama’s experience. In addition, he quotes that, â€Å"Now, I've cut taxes for those who need it, middle-class families, small businesses.† It

Does the British media have significant power Essay

Does the British media have significant power - Essay Example From this point of view, their power in promoting specific political, social and economic trends cannot be doubted; however, it should be examined whether this power is positive or negative. Most of the theorists who studied the specific issue – as the relevant literature is presented below – agree that the British media can have a key role in the improvement of the local political, social and economic rules and initiatives; from this point of view, the specific industry should be characterized not just as a tool for the promotion of the views of the leading political and economic forces but also as a means for securing social equality and fairness; it should be also regarded as a tool for criticizing and evaluating the plans of the local government; at this point, the value of British media could be significant ensuring the alignment of the governmental decisions with the local laws and ethics. 2. British media – role and power 2.1 British media – descrip tion and role In order to understand the power of media industry in Britain it would be necessary to refer primarily to the characteristics and the role of this industry; then, its power could be identified and evaluated – taking into consideration the local ethics and culture. In accordance with Stokes et al. (1999) the media industry in Britain is not similar to the media industries of other countries; reference is made though not to the content of the term but rather on its potential forms. More specifically, it is explained that in Britain, the term ‘media’ is used to describe the ‘books, newspapers, television programmes, films and music’ (Stokes et al. 1999, p.1); however, the content/ texts of British media is unique – being related to the country’s ethics (Stokes et al. 1999, p.1). This fact, leads to the following assumption: in Britain, the role of the media industry in the development of political and social decisions can be significant – reaching higher levels compared to other countries where there is no such close relationship and interaction between the media and the local culture – an issue also analyzed in section 2.2 below. A more descriptive definition of media is provided in the study of Oakland (2011); in accordance with the above researcher ‘the term ‘media’ may include any communication system by which people are informed, educated or entertained’ (Oakland 2011, p. 258). The above definition reveals the potentials of media in terms of supporting specific social or political trends; moreover, it proves that people of all ages are expected to be influenced by the media – being exposed to the media in different ways – either in the context of education, of entertainment or just of information/ professional support, as described above. In accordance with Garnett et al. (2007) in order to understand whether the British media interact or not wi th politics, it would be necessary to explain primarily whether such interaction would be positive or negative – referring to its effects on the country’s political framework. In any case, it is noted that the freedom of the British media should be secured – no matter whether the information provided to the public is well – justified (Garnett et al. 2007, p.62). At the next level, it is explained

The Legacy of Vietnam Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Legacy of Vietnam - Term Paper Example The withdrawal of forces implied no direct involvement, but the US still planned to safeguard ‘Saigon’ through military and economic aid. Although Nixon’s regime uncompromisingly worked for â€Å"Thieus’s† (South Vietnamese Premier) cause but because of certain issues raised by the US Congress, the aid to the South Vietnam was cut by half. Reduced aid further weakened South Vietnam’s position. This period was also marked by the premature resignation of President Nixon. The advance by the North Vietnamese communist army was swift and the conquest was completed in 1975. One of the prime implications of the conflict was economic. The war had brought a wave of inflation that the US had not witnessed in years with money flowing into Indochina for the ‘Anti Communist’ cause. Although the North Vietnamese were ostensibly victorious in unifying Vietnam, their victory was accompanied by the drainage of its State treasury. The country had b een ecologically damaged and all other institutions apart from the army had been moribund during the war years. The war had ironically turned Vietnam into one of the poorest countries of the world with fourth largest army in the world. The political implications were also major and they transcended the immediate region of Vietnam and also affected the proximal regions. The following chaos in Laos and Cambodia form an integral part of the ‘legacy’ of the war. The new unified Vietnam was facing its own problems with the culturally disparate north and south struggling to maintain a same national identity. In the post war years, America has made deliberate attempts to erase the lost Vietnam War from its consciousness. This made the veterans position rather flimsy as their efforts and sacrifices in the war were being rendered futile and meaningless by the public. This forced exclusion of Vietnam War has in a way alienated the war veterans who have suffered from isolation, dr ug abuse and many psychological disorders. Moreover, the views of the public on the war are very variegated which make the Vietnam War a fairly complex issue to understand. With the loss of the Vietnam War, the writer believes that the American policy makers have become more and more security conscious over the years. Taking the increased involvement of the USSR in the Afghan region as an example, the Americans spent millions of dollars on harnessing fundamentalist guerilla warfare in the region. Similar examples can also be seen in the leftist revolutions in the Central American region. The conclusion perhaps holds the crux of the article. The writer with the entire historical contextualization is trying to assert that the Vietnam War was in fact a paramount event in the history of international politics. It was marked with the exposure of the vulnerability of a Superpower that was far more superior militarily and economically from its opponent but had to suffer a humiliating defea t. The writer believes the contemporary world is not the world that was easily manageable by the imperial powers as in the 1940s. The political intervention of the powerful nations is not as easy as it used to be in the earlier half of the century when the superpowers defined the political map to suit their strategic interests. In the new era, America needs to accept its weaknesses and accommodate situations that might not be as palatable

Current Police Vehicle Pursuits Policies and Procedures Essay Example for Free

Current Police Vehicle Pursuits Policies and Procedures Essay Why We Need Policy It is important to recognize that to use high speed methods in vehicle pursuit can only have risks reduced by un-holding a standardized guide as to how to proceed with the least of harm. The use of policy is an important element in any delivery of social and care service. Codes of practice provide parameters as to what needs to be recorded, how actions are to be undertaken and to realize the inherent moral obligation to ensure the rights and dignity of all stakeholders (New Jersey Police Department, 2001). Though, to provide consistency in application and resolution of dilemmas it is critical that report forms have an integrated presentation so that they can be used across situations, and across levels of staffs. Present Policy Currently there are written policies existing in every police station in North America instigated by the National Institute for Justice (NIJ). However, these differ amongst agencies, which has resulted in the indetermination of how best to deliver best practices in police vehicle pursuit (Alpert, 1997). A standardized form of pursuit policy would allow for better comparisons across agencies, and to quantify practices (Department of Public Safety, 2000). Recommended Policy Changes Develop and monitor a system to record information about pursuit driving. This will include narrative and multi-media forms, such as video, webcam and when necessary mobile camera and video. Continuous review and revision where necessary of pursuit policies. The quality and direction of these documents need to be valid and relevant and respect the rights and welfare of all stakeholders. Provide ongoing pursuit-specific training that includes ethical debating and written observation techniques Provide training and supervision across policies to ensure staffs in critical thought, inclusive decision-making and consistent deliver of services. Cultivate a culture of disclosure, reflection and critical analysis of responsibility for pursuit-actions amongst staffs. This includes having a supervisor read through and deliberates as to the appropriateness of pursuit activities in afteraction reports). Emphasize and make salient the ongoing risks and dangers of pursuit to guard against complacency of safety issues across time and experience. Establish a minimum criteria to meet a low offense as compared to a high offence to determine when a decision be made to continue or to initiate pursuit of a suspects vehicle. Train to recognize when public endangerment outweighs a decision to pursue; for example with incidents of traffic congestion Provide categories (ranking of criminal activities) and risk standards (rated from low to high) that allow staffs to easily and rapidly make distinctions during a chase Create a chase matrix from category scales to provide a set of specific standards that aid decision-making as to whether to start or continue a pursuit.   Conclusion Police pursuit is a controversial issue in social discourse, due to the inherent dangers to police, the pursued and the public. Formulation of a policy that adequately provides categories of risks and standards, and emphasizes the severity of the offence to determine if a chase is initiated or continued, appears to be the way to insure a consistent high level of best practices in pursuit. Ultimately, policy must seek to limit pursuit to only the most violent felons whilst resulting in the least risk to the public. Tragedy of road collisions due to police vehicular pursuit highlights the critical need for such policy. References Alpert, G. (1997) Police Pursuit: Policies and Training. Series: NIJ Research in Brief. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from http://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/164831.txt Department of Public Safety (2000) Uniform Statewide Pursuit Policy. Retrieved November 8,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2007 from http://www.ct.gov/dps/cwp/view.asp?a=2151q=294336 New Jersey Police Department (2001) Police Pursuit. Retrieved November 8, 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.state.nj.us/lps/dcj/agguide/vehpurs_2001.pdf

Thimerosal Paper Essay Example for Free

Thimerosal Paper Essay Thimerosal in vaccines may contribute to Autism Spectrum Disorders in children with underlying medical conditions. Since 1999 there has been a controversy about whether thimerosal –containing vaccines contribute to the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative used to manufacture multidose vaccines as it helps to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi and so can protect the immunized from infections at the site of the immunization. One of the reasons for the concern was that thimerosal contains ethylmercury and not methylmercury. But since there were no guidelines for the safe amount of ethylmercury in the human body, the guidelines for methylmercury were used on the false assumption that the body handles them both in the same way. In trying to settle the controversy two main issues were brought up. One is the connection between the chemistry of thimerosal and a direct link with autism and the other is the removal of thimerosal from vaccines and the effect on the level of incidences of autism. The Public Health Agency of Canada does not believe that thimerosal causes autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. In the paper, Thimerosal –updated statement   ( Law and Primeau , 2007) the authors reported two reviews of the evidence by the Immunization Safety Review Committee of the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2001 and 2004 . In 2001 they concluded that the evidence is inadequate to accept or reject a causal relationship between thimerosal exposures from childhood vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders. They also believed that â€Å"the hypothesis that thimerosal exposure through the recommended childhood immunization schedule [in the US] has caused neurodevelopmental disorders is not supported by clinical or experimental evidence. The subsequent review in 2004, which included studies from Denmark, Great Britain, Sweden and the US concluded that the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal containing vaccines and autism. The paper also reported Canadian data from a study in Quebec of 188 children to support the lack of association between thimerosal exposure and pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). Despite the belief that thimerosal exposure has not been scientifically proven to be linked to autism, the Public Health Agency states that in large concentrations over extended periods of exposure, mercury can cause damage to brain and kidney. In a critical review of the published data Parker et al (2008) analyzed twelve published studies from Denmark, Sweden, UK and US. In an attempt to address the debate that continued about the possible link between thimerosal and autism. The authors first state that in 2001 thimerosal in quantities sufficient to act as a preservative was removed form all vaccines in the childhood immunization schedule in the US except in some influenza vaccines. They state that although trace amounts are present in some vaccines, â€Å"the amounts are so small that exposure is inconsequential†. The Immunization Safety Review Committee of the Institute of Medicine concluded in 2001 that â€Å"the evidence is insufficient to accept or reject a causal relationship between exposure to thimerosal and NDDs†. In order to examine this claim more fully the authors analyzed the twelve studies. They concluded that â€Å"the four studies supporting an association between thimerosal exposure and NDDs including autism were by the same authors and used overlapping data sets and contained critical methodological flaws that render the data and their interpretation non contributory†. On the other hand they found that the studies that did not report an association were well designed and appropriately analyzed. They also make the point that data from Denmark and Sweden where exposure to thimerosal in vaccines was eliminated in 1992 showed that rates of autism continued to increase. Thus questioning thimerosal as a possible contributing cause to autism. Nelson and Bauman (2003) examined the claim that there is a link between thimerosal and autism from three different angles. They first compared clinical manifestations of autism and mercury toxicity. They found no commonality in motor manifestations. Other signs such as hypertension, skin eruptions evident in mercury toxicity were not present in autism. They concluded that the â€Å"typical clinical signs of mecurism are not similar to the typical clinical signs of autism†. The second angle was to look at the onset of autism after immunizations. According to them the onset is very difficult to establish and so they cannot prove or disprove a role of the vaccines. Thirdly they questioned the existence of mercury levels in autistic children. They found no evidence to show significant amounts of mercury in the hair, urine, or blood of autistic children. They also point out that no evidence has been provided to show that chelation therapy led to the improvement in children with autism. Another point raised by these authors is the question of whether reducing levels of mercury can affect the levels of incidence of autism. They referred to a study done in Japan during and after a toxic outbreak in the 1950s and the 1960s. The results showed on the contrary, higher rates of autism in children born between 1966 and 1974 than in the periods just after the outbreaks. Though the controversy may not be over, and some will still not feel safe enough to vaccinate their children, the research has not been able to establish a reliable link between thimerosal in vaccines and the occurrence of autism. References Law, B., Primeau, M. (2007). Thimerosal:updated statement. Canada Communicable Disease Report. Vol.33. Retrieved August 25, 2008. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/07vol33/acs-06/index_e.html Nelson, K.B., Bauman, M.L. (2003). Thimerosal and autism. Pediatrics Vol. 111, Iss.3, pp.674-679. Parker, S., Schwartz, B., Todd, J., Pickering, L. (2004). Thimerosal-containing vaccines and autistic spectrum disorder: a critical review of the published original data. Pediatrics. Vol.114, Iss.3, pp.793-804

Multiple Sclerosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder Causes

Multiple Sclerosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder Causes Multiple sclerosis and Autism spectrum disorder are two neurophysiological diseases that are found to develop in the genetically susceptible population. The exact causes of these diseases and the exact interplay between the genetic factors and environmental factors in the development of the disease are serving to be a billion dollar question. MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: Symptoms and Progression: MS is a chronic neurological condition which affects the central nervous system (CNS).1 The CNS consists of the brain, optic nerves and the spinal cord. As the CNS controls various motor and behavioural functions in the body, an array of symptoms develops. The symptoms as well as the progression of the disease varies significantly from individual to individual. The symptoms in most individuals though, start at the age of 20 to 40, but the symptoms are really slight that they usually go unnoticed till the disease progresses. In few individuals, the symptoms are noticeable right at the onset of the disease itself.2 SYMPTOMS: VISUAL IMPAIRMENT: As the disease attacks the optic nerves, visual problems arise in the patients. The inflammation of the optic nerves lead to severe pain behind the eyes. Double vision is a really common symptom in MS patients. In certain patients, even vision loss is reported. BLADDER AND BOWEL PROBLEMS: 50% of the patients have constipation which sometimes lead to faecal impaction. Bladder problems arise which makes the patient to urinate more frequently. COGNITIVE SYMPTOMS: Hearing impairment, loss of memory or short term memory loss, slurred speech, attention troubles. Dizziness and depression are reported as well. MOTOR SYMPTOMS: Numbness, tremor, gait, muscle spasms and seizures, fatigue and vertigo. SEXUAL DYSFUNCTIONS: Males affected by MS have difficulty in getting / maintaining an erection. Females affected by MS have difficulty in getting orgasms.2 PROGRESSION OF DISEASE: The progression of disease, just like the symptoms, vary from one individual to another. There are five types of progression seen in MS patients. Relapsing-remitting MS: Majority of patients show this kind of progression. As the name suggests, there are episodes of mild/severe symptoms followed by episodes of very mild or no symptoms at all. The episode of attacks usually lasts between few hours to a few months! Primary progressive MS: About 10-15% of the patients have primary progressive MS. The severity of the symptoms worsen progressively. No relapse and remission cycle is seen in these patients. Secondary progressive MS: The initial stages of the disease show relapse and remission cycles. But after a certain point, the symptoms worsen gradually, just like in the primary progressive MS. Progressive relaxing MS: In these patients, the symptoms are followed by recovery, but the severity of the symptoms increase gradually. Benign MS: The individuals undergoes episodes of mild symptoms but gets recovered completely ergo no permanent disability.3 GENETIC FACTORS: The researchers have identified certain genes and environmental factors which most likely cause and progress the disease. One striking observation is that genetic linkage studies have shown the variation in the genes associated with the Major Histocompatibility complex (MHC) promotes the risk for developing MS in individuals.4 The group of genes called the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes encodes for Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in our body.5 The HLA genes are present in the short arm of chromosome no 6. The MHC consists of two classes. The genes HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-C form the MHC class I. The genes HLA-DP, HLA-DQ and HLA-DR make up the MHC class II. The MHC proteins bind to the T-cells to recognize antigens.6So, the MHC basically helps the immune system to differentiate between self and non-self cells (a property called as MHC restriction).6 It has been identified that the HLA-DRB1 mutant alleles and HLA-A alleles increases the risk of developing the disease.7,8 Though these are the most commonly reported variant gene present in MS, variants in genes present in the HLA system such as HLA-DR15, HLA- DQ6,etc have been linked to the disease as well.7 Also, variants in IL7R have been linked to MS. Presence of C risk allele of the IL7R gene decreases the expression of IL7R.9 IL7 signalling pathway is essential for the T cell differentiation of CD4-CD8- thymocytes.10It also plays a major role in maintaining the T-cell homeostasis. Variant of the IL7R results in the decrease in the expression of IL7R which affects the interlukin pathway, thereby disrupting the T cell development and T cell homeostasis.10 But with the help of genome wide association studies (GWAS), a set of 12 susceptible genes which promotes the risk for developing MS have been identified recently.11,12,13 Although the effect of variations in these genes are not as profound as the variations in the HLA gene system.11 Demyelination: The neuron/nerve cells comprises of a cell body and an extension from the cell body called axon. The axons play a central role in carrying the message from one neuron to another. The axons in the body usually have a coating rich in lipids, called the myelin. Myelin insulates the axon and protects it (just like an insulating coating over an electrical wire).14This helps in the efficient nerve transmission. Myelin present in the central nervous system are produced by a special set of cells called the oligodendrocytes.15 It is believe that in MS patients, a wayward immune system is unable to differentiate between the self and non-self cells and cause an inflammatory response, most likely because of the variations present in the HLA gene system and IL7. This triggers the T-cells to attack and destroy the myelin sheath of the axon or the oligodendrocytes (cells that produce the myelin sheath), keeping the nerve fibres unprotected and uninsulated. This is called as demyelination.14This consequently causes destruction to the nerve fibre (as the protective sheath is degenerated). This produces many scar tissues or lesions (hence the name multiple sclerosis) along the nerve cells, thereby limiting or blocking the transmission of impulses through the nerve cells. Consequently, the brain cannot communicate properly with the other parts of the CNS and eventually causes the various symptoms that are seen in the MS patients. In a nut shell, the disease is believed to be caused by the interplay between inflammat ion and neurodegeneration.1 After the episode of attack, the inflammation reaction may get halted and the neurons that are not demyelinated resume their normal function and even some recovery is possible (as seen in the relapsing-remitting type of progression). It has also been shown that the demyelinated axons tend to produce more sodium channels and this helps in the remission.16 So, sodium channels are rightfully targeted for the MS therapy now.17 Also, even though the oligodendrocytes are not present around to remylinate immediately, myelin does grow back, but it may take a real long time.15 Picture Source: [eMedicineHealth, (2014).Myelin and the Central Nervous System Causes, Symptoms, Treatment What is myelin? eMedicineHealth. [online] Available at: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/myelin_and_the_central_nervous_system/page2_em.htm] AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes social, cognitive and language impairment and the tendency to show repetitive behaviour, interests and activities in the individuals.18 ASD is a collection of neurodevelopmental disorder.19The main types of ASD are: Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Pervasive developmental disorder- not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). The rare disorders in the class are Rett syndrome and Childhood disintegrative disorder.18 Symptoms and Progression: Symptoms include impairment of social relationships, lack of communication and lack of imagination skills and signs of repetitive behaviour. Symptoms vary from one individual to another significantly. 18Asperger’s syndrome patients did not have significant cognitive impairment/delays like autism patients. PDD-NOS is considered as the milder form of autistic behaviour and usually show symptoms in one area, for instance, just lack of social communication.19 The progression of the disease is also different in different patients. Symptoms in childhood may include constant crying, sleeping problems, absence of speech, repetitive movements like handshake or clapping, lack of eye contact, etc. Symptoms in the adolescence and adulthood may be mood imbalance, presence of disability becomes more obvious and prominent, increased anxiety levels, epilepsy and seizures in rare cases.19 Genetic factors: ADS is more of a syndrome than a disease, caused by a variety of genetic and environmental factors.19 Whole genome screens, next generation sequencing (NGS) and cytogenetic studies have been carried out to figure out the genes involved in the cause of the syndrome.20 ADS is a really complex neurological condition which is linked to about 100 genes as of now. 21The genes generally fall into: genes regulating synapsis genes regulating transcription Mutation of genes that are involved in the synaptic functions are commonly observed in ASD. A few important genes are discussed below: Neurexin (NLGN3, NLGN4) and Neuroligin (NRXN1): The genes involved in the production of Neurexin and neuregulin are commonly found mutated genes in ASD. Neurexin and Neuregulin act as neuronal cell surface receptors and organize the interaction between the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic neurons. Neurexin interacts with CASK in the pre-synaptic neuron. Neuroligin interact with PSD95 in the post- synaptic neuron. The two proteins interacts with intracellular factors as well as scaffolding protein, forming a trans-synaptic interaction necessary for a synapsis to exist. Mutations in the genes encoding for these proteins have been reported in ASD patients. Also, the targeted knock out of these genes in the mouse model have caused deregulation of synaptic function. Mutation of neurexin in mice have shown to disrupt the voltage-gated calcium channel, thereby hindering pre-synaptic release of vesicles. Mutations in neuroligin in ASD patients reduced the expression of neroligin, thereby causing less interaction with neurexin thereby causin g synaptic transmission defects.22 SHANK: SHANK consists of three genes: SHANK1, SHANK2, SHANK3. SHANK is involved in the post-synaptic neuron. It interacts with PSD95 and SAPAP and form a protein complex which regulates the formation of dendritic spine. Overexpression of SHANK3 results in the increase in the dendritic spine and the knockdown results in the decrease of dendritic spine formation. Reduced dendritic spine formation leads to defective postsynaptic structure thereby inhibiting synaptic transmission.22 Also, mutations in cadherin9, cadherin10 and cadherin15 are observed in ADS patients. Mutations in these genes destabilize the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic interactions, thereby inhibiting synapsis, leading to autistic symptoms.22 Contactin associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2): CNTNAP2 is a member of the neurexin family that encodes for a neuronal membrane protein that helps in the trans-synaptic interaction. Mutations in this gene have been reported in autistic patients.20 MECP2 gene: Methyl –cytosine binding protein (MECP2), a transcriptional regulator, is mutated in Rett syndrome. The gene is present in the X chromosome. This mutation occurs exclusively in females as the mutation of this gene in males is lethal. Mutation of this gene results in leads to reduced release of vesicles in inhibitory synapsis and affecting the excitation to inhibition ration. 23Another rare mutation in the form of the transcriptional regulator, ARX, is seen in autistic patients.23 Picutre Source: [Walsh, C., Morrow, E. and Rubenstein, J. (2008). Autism and Brain Development.Cell, 135(3), pp.396-400.] Role of demyelination in the disease: Mutations in HLA region (like MS) and increased level of IL12 are reported in autism.24 This causes the T cells to attack the myelin sheath. The damage of myelin sheath ergo nerve cells (mechanism explained above) have been a factor of brain damage in autistic individuals. Neuropathological findings suggest a role for demyelination in the damage of amygdala, hippocampus and cerebellum of autistic patients.24 Environmental factors: Along with the genetic factors, the environmental factors also seem to play a role in the development and progression of these two diseases. Lack of Vitamin D supposedly plays a role in increasing the risk of developing MS.2 Mercury vaccines have been suspected to increase the risk of developing ASD.25 Mercury vaccine results in the deficiency of zinc and that in turn impacts the level of vitamin B12.25 Vitamin B12 in turn is essential for myelin sheath formation.25 In sum, these two neurological diseases are really complex and not yet fully understood yet. Tonnes of research are being performed in order to understand the cause and the exact interplay of genetic factors in the development of disease. Fully understanding the diseases would also provide better ways to treat individuals affected by these devastating complex neurological diseases. REFERENCES: McDonald WI, Ron MA. Multiple sclerosis: the disease and its manifestations.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences1999;354(1390):1615-1622. Irishhealth.com, (2014).Multiple sclerosis irishhealth.com. [online] Available at: http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?con=191 [Accessed 15 Dec. 2014]. Irishhealth.com, (2014).Multiple sclerosis irishhealth.com. [online] Available at: http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?con=191 [Accessed 15 Dec. 2014]. Rubio JP, Speed TP, Bahlo M, Kilpatrick TJ, Foote SJ. The current state of multiple sclerosis genetic research. Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore. 2000;29(3):322-30. Baranzini SE. Revealing the genetic basis of multiple sclerosis: are we there yet? Current Opinion in Genetics Development. 2011;21(3):317-24. Kindt, T., Goldsby, R., Osborne, B. and Kuby, J. (2007).Kuby immunology. New York: W.H. Freeman. Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis. Nature. 2011;476(7359):214-9. Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis. Nature. 2011;476(7359):214-9. Gregory, S., Schmidt, S., Seth, P., Oksenberg, J., Hart, J., Prokop, A., Caillier, S., Ban, M., Goris, A., Barcellos, L., Lincoln, R., McCauley, J., Sawcer, S., Compston, D., Dubois, B., Hauser, S., Garcia-Blanco, M., Pericak-Vance, M. and Haines, J. (2007). Interleukin 7 receptor ÃŽ ± chain (IL7R) shows allelic and functional association with multiple sclerosis.Nat Genet, 39(9), pp.1083-1091. Lundmark F, Duvefelt K, Iacobaeus E, Kockum I, Wallstrom E, Khademi M, et al. Variation in interleukin 7 receptor alpha chain (IL7R) influences risk of multiple sclerosis. Nature genetics. 2007;39(9):1108-13. The Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium The Australo-Anglo-American Spondylitis Consortium.Association scan of 14,500 nonsynonymous SNPs in four diseases identifies autoimmunity variants.Nature Genet.39,1329–1337(2007) The ANZgene Consortium.Genome-wide association study identifies new multiple sclerosis susceptibility loci on chromosomes 12 and 20.Nature Genet.41,824–828(2009). The International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium.Risk alleles for multiple sclerosis identified by a genomewide study.N. Engl. J. Med.357,851–862(2007). Waxman SG. Demyelination in spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis: what can we do to enhance functional recovery? Journal of neurotrauma. 1992;9 Suppl 1:S105-17. eMedicineHealth, (2014).Myelin and the Central Nervous System Causes, Symptoms, Treatment What is myelin? eMedicineHealth. [online] Available at: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/myelin_and_the_central_nervous_system/page2_em.htm [Accessed 15 Dec. 2014]. Moll C, Mourre C, Lazdunski M, Ulrich J. Increase of sodium channels in demyelinated lesions of multiple sclerosis. Brain research. 1991;556(2):311-6. Waxman SG. Sodium channels as molecular targets in multiple sclerosis. Journal of rehabilitation research and development. 2002;39(2):233-42. Muhle R, Trentacoste SV, Rapin I. The genetics of autism. Pediatrics. 2004;113(5):e472-86 Webmd.com, (2014).Autism Spectrum Disorders Symptoms, Types, Causes, Treatments. [online] Available at: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/autism-spectrum-disorders [Accessed 15 Dec. 2014]. B., J., L., T., Benson, M., Bray-Ward, P. and R., A. (2011). Immune Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism A Neurodevelopmental Journey from Genes to Behaviour. Ucsf.edu, (2014).Dozens of Genes Associated with Autism in New Research | ucsf.edu. [online] Available at: http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/10/120146/dozens-genes-associated-autism-new-research [Accessed 15 Dec. 2014]. Zhan, Y. and Kong, X. (2011). Synaptic Dysfunction Attributes to Autism Spectrum Disorder.American Chinese Journal of Medicine and Science, 4(3), p.112. Walsh, C., Morrow, E. and Rubenstein, J. (2008). Autism and Brain Development.Cell, 135(3), pp.396-400. Ashwood P, Wills S, Van de Water J. The immune response in autism: a new frontier for autism research. Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2006;80(1):1-15. The vaccine-autism connection: a public health crisis caused by unethical medical practices and fraudulent science..The Annals of pharmacotherapy45(10): 1302–4.

hamburgers and ground beef :: essays research papers

Hamburgers and Ground Beef   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each individual in America has a goal he or she wants to accomplish. Whether it’s to purchase a new car or a huge home, it’s a goal wanted to be reached. However with the amount of fast food that Americans eat today, they will have a hard time accomplishing these goals because of the obesity or even disease they’ll have from the fast food. One major fast food that we like to eat while on the go is hamburgers. If it’s breakfast we grab a burger, if it’s lunch we grab a burger and even when it’s dinner we will grab a burger and might throw in some fires and a huge soda to go with it. Hamburgers are one of the leading causes of obesity and disease catching food.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Bio Analogics article it states that nearly two-thirds of residents of United States are overweight, and since 1991 the incidence of obesity has risen from 12 percent to more than 25 percent. This is due to the amount of junk food and burgers, we ate daily. To see if I am also one of these fast food consuming eaters, I composed a diary of what I eat daily and I discovered that within my weekly schedule, that’s between school and work- I eat hamburgers at least three times a week. I ate these burgers not just from one place, I ate them from four different places. The first one I ate was at In-and-Out. The second one was at Fuddruckers. The fourth day I had one in McDonalds and on the sixth day in which my friends and I went to Applebee’s after work and I still had the nerve to order a hamburger even when there were other items on the menu.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamburgers come from ground beef, which in reality if you consume a couple of hamburgers per month, it won’t harm you, but it states in ConsumerReports.org, â€Å"Americans show their affection for ground beef and burgers by consuming approximately 30 pounds of ground beef per person per year. Ground beef's saturated fat can contribute to heart disease, and the bacteria it sometimes harbors can sicken or kill someone who eats beef that is not cooked thoroughly.† With this information available to Americans daily, we still do consume the ground beef and even have the nerve to tell ourselves and our friends that we plan to cut back on it any day now.

The Demise of a Family in Gail Godwins A Sorrowful Woman Essay

The Demise of a Family in Gail Godwin's A Sorrowful Woman Gail Godwin's "A Sorrowful Woman<" leads one to believe that the wife is overwhelmed or possibly just having a bad day. The belief is that with her husband's understanding she and her family will get through this difficult time. Everyone has a bad day and people get aggravated at times. However, a shocking revelation comes to the reader that this isn't just a bad day. A deeper look into the story reveals that the wife's selfishness and pity for her life is fueling her sorrow and along with their lack of communication causes the demise of this family. In reading this story we find a woman tired of being a mother, a wife and of her life in general. "The sight of them made her so sad and sick she did not want to ever see them again" (35). Do you not see what she is thinking? They are sucking the life out of me. Why did I choose to get married? I could have been anything, instead I am the mother of this child and the wife of this man and am here to take care of their needs. Who will take care of my needs? She feels that she is some how letting herself ease away and needs to regain her identity. She soon isolates herself even more by moving into another room maybe thinking she will be able to find the part of herself she has lost. "She was a young queen, a virgin in a tower, she was the previous inhabitant, the girl with all the energies. She tried these personalities on like costumes" (38). Her husband's constant saying he understands such things only seems to enable her to isolate herself more and ignore her responsibilities as a mother. If the tending to the child is such a pleasure why hasn't he done it enough to know how to put him to bed... ... his statement, "Can we eat the turkey for super?" (39). His mother lies lifeless in her bed and his father is evidently upset. This family's lack of communication allows the situation to get out of control and in a downward spin that alone they can not handle. Problems do not just get better on their own. You must determine what they are and work out a solution to correct them. The child's skills for handling problems and working through them are not being developed. He is not learning to handle responsibilities but that it's okay to run from them. This family's actions or lack of actions and the mother's selfishness is what destroyed this family and surely scarred this child for life. Bibliography: Godwin, Gail. "A Sorrowful Woman." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 6th. ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2002. 35-39.

Dantes Divine Comedy - Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XXVIII :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XXVIII Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? Dante begins the opening of Canto XXVIII with a rhetorical question. Virgil and he have just arrived in the Ninth Abyss of the Eighth Circle of hell. In this pouch the Sowers of Discord and Schism are continually wounded by a demon with a sword. Dante poses a question to the reader: Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? (Lines 1-3) The rhetorical question draws the reader into the passage because we know by this point in the Divine Comedy that Dante is a great poet. What is it that Dante sees before him on the brink of the Ninth Abyss that is so ineffable that he, as a poet, feels he cannot handle? In the following lines Dante expands on this rhetorical position. He elaborates on why it is important for any man to offer a good description of what he sees. No poet can ach ieve this description: â€Å"Each tongue that tried would certainly fall short...† (L. 4) It is not just poetic talent that is at stake; poets do not have the background to give them the poetic power for such description. His reasoning is "the shallowness of both our speech and intellect cannot contain so much." (Lines 5-6) Once again the reader is intrigued; how could a man of Dante's stature criticize language which is the very tool he uses to create the epic work of La Commedia ? If we cannot take Dante seriously with these opening statements, we must pose the question of what Dante is trying to do by teasing us with this artificial beginning to Canto XVIII? Dante will now contradict himself and try to describe what he says is impossible. But, if he were to go right into a description of the Ninth Abyss, it would deflate his rhetorical position. Instead, Dante first sets up a quite lengthy comparison of the sights he has just witnessed with examples of bloodshed throughout human history. Were you to reassemble all the men who once, within Apulia1's fateful land, had mourned their blood, shed at the Trojans' hands, as well as those who fell Dante's Divine Comedy - Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XXVIII :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays Eighth Circle of Hell in Canto XXVIII Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? Dante begins the opening of Canto XXVIII with a rhetorical question. Virgil and he have just arrived in the Ninth Abyss of the Eighth Circle of hell. In this pouch the Sowers of Discord and Schism are continually wounded by a demon with a sword. Dante poses a question to the reader: Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? (Lines 1-3) The rhetorical question draws the reader into the passage because we know by this point in the Divine Comedy that Dante is a great poet. What is it that Dante sees before him on the brink of the Ninth Abyss that is so ineffable that he, as a poet, feels he cannot handle? In the following lines Dante expands on this rhetorical position. He elaborates on why it is important for any man to offer a good description of what he sees. No poet can ach ieve this description: â€Å"Each tongue that tried would certainly fall short...† (L. 4) It is not just poetic talent that is at stake; poets do not have the background to give them the poetic power for such description. His reasoning is "the shallowness of both our speech and intellect cannot contain so much." (Lines 5-6) Once again the reader is intrigued; how could a man of Dante's stature criticize language which is the very tool he uses to create the epic work of La Commedia ? If we cannot take Dante seriously with these opening statements, we must pose the question of what Dante is trying to do by teasing us with this artificial beginning to Canto XVIII? Dante will now contradict himself and try to describe what he says is impossible. But, if he were to go right into a description of the Ninth Abyss, it would deflate his rhetorical position. Instead, Dante first sets up a quite lengthy comparison of the sights he has just witnessed with examples of bloodshed throughout human history. Were you to reassemble all the men who once, within Apulia1's fateful land, had mourned their blood, shed at the Trojans' hands, as well as those who fell

World War One Home Front

There were any war plans made such as the Schlemiels Plan; a plan devised to avoid war on two fronts, Germans to defeat France and turn back to Russia with a hammer swing, and plan 17; was the French manipulation plan. Modifications were made to the plans and lead to their eventual failure. There were a number of battles including the Battle of the Manner; where German troops attempted to move towards Paris but were attack as the RE flank was exposed. There was a gap between the troops and the British troops were able to move into the gap. Leading to Germany having to fight a war on two fronts.There was also the Race to the sea which was the Germans attempt to gain as many ports as possible to allow for the continue of trade. It resulted In the creation of the Western front. The Nature of Trench warfare and Life in Trenches (1 86 Words) Trenches played a huge role in WWW. Features of trenches included, sandbags, ammunition, dugouts, parapet, duckboards, fire steps and barbed wire. Tr enches were a complex network and extended across many kilometers with the front line positioned to launch at the enemy. They were constructed In a gig gag structure Communication trenches unconnected each line.They were expected to be temporary at the beginning of the war. The area between allies and Germans was called no man's land. There was not set distance between the lines. No man's land had deep craters, mud, heavy rain, artillery bombardment. Weaponry changed throughout the war, machine guns, rifles, grenades, flamethrowers, mortars and gas were used. The battle tactics began as offensive and later changed to defensive. The life In trenches was horrible, there were many rats, mud and diseases that were evident within the trenches.This lead to battle fatigue and shell shock. Many soldiers experiences unhygienic living conditions, Illnesses such as dysentery, trench foot and PITS. 80% of the time solders were bored stuff, 19% of the time frozen stiff and only 1% of the time sc ared stiff. Attempts to Break the Stalemate (241 Words) There were numerous attempts to break the stalemate. The Battle of Verdure was In Feb. – Novel 1916. â€Å"They shall not pass† Is the saying aligned with It. It Involved generals, Falkland for Germany and Petting for France.It was Germany's aim to bleed the French white† through a war of attrition. Using heavy artillery bombardment and diphthongs gas. It resulted in an early German advance later re won by France. The failures of Verdure lead to Falkland replaced by Hindering and Ultrasound. Another battle was the Battle of the Some. This was from July – Novo General Hag was involved. The aim being to break through and relieve France at Verdure. They used artillery assaults and creeping barrage tanks. Another battle was the Battle of Packsaddle. This was between July's – Novo 1917.It is known for the mud. It was also with General Hag. The aim was to gain control of the seaports and draw pressur e off France. The use of heavy artillery bombardment. The result was only a small territorial gain and the opportunity to send reserves after a breakthrough at Cambric. There were also attempts made beyond the Western Front, these included places like Galileo. There was the naval blockade, which saw Germany launch its unrestricted submarine warfare and peace movements such as Papal peace note to reduce arms and the women's peace party.Changing attitudes of German and Allied soldiers to the war (174 Words) Britain at the beginning of the war has overwhelming support and enthusiasm. There was a glorified look on war; excitement of the duty and adventure. Britain had no tradition of conscription and men responded to propaganda such as the Kitcheners army posters well. There was â€Å"fear† that war would only last a short period and be over by Christmas. Britain often demons Germany. However, by 1916, the excitement had disappeared and reality of trenches and the futility of war have a major effect on roofs.The Battle of the Some was a turning point where reality sunk in. Recruitment figures have dropped by the end of 1916 and conscription was introduced. War weariness became a factor. Germany also had a massive and widespread enthusiasm. The German men shared the same motivation as British men. Patriotism, honor, duty, peer pressure, impressing girls and a steady income. However, food shortages lead to havoc and German soldiers developed the same feelings of the disillusionment and war weariness as British men especially with Germany facing starvation in 1917.

Home Is the Place Where Heart Lives

The first meaning is that where you live, that is where your heart is. You physically may be away from home however your heart is in the place that you live. You wish you were there because it gives you peace and joy and comfort to be there. Consider this verse: Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: I believe that real followers of Christ can relate when I say that I would much rather be in heaven than here on earth. When you learn about the love of Jesus and compare it to the lusts of this world, one seeks to be with Jesus more than anything.The Bible does a great job of describing our future home in the Book of Revelation in Chapter 22. My heart is there right now. I wish to be there rather than down here. Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. -Oliver Wendell Holmes Most people don’t understand the concept of a ‘home’. For some, it’s j ust a building with a roof and four walls surrounding us. But on behalf of my regard I find it as a place where the soul lives, the memories get created and the real upbringing from the darkness to enlightment of life begins. Home sweet home is always there deep inside the heart of every living individual.Having one’s home is an old dream, as old as this universe is. Home is a place where basic, emotional, psychological and social needs of every individual member are fulfilled; a place for family living, where every individual enjoys the happiness, feels comfortable, gets maximum relaxation, passes on family traditions and customs from one generation to the other and can keep their treasure safely . Home is ranked as a man's paradise. It is a place in which human beings enjoy the happiness, love and affection, comfort, entertainment and indulge in various activities they like.It’s not built with just the bricks and stones but with the love and affection which it indulg es within itself. The greatest example is the Taj Mahal. It’s famous and immortal in human minds only because of the great love of Shah Jahan for Mumtaz. Hence that mansion belonged not only to him but also to his soul. House is a place where our feelings and thoughts get a peace of mind and security. AS we grow up the relationship bondage wit house increases gradually and it too becomes a part of our life†¦ Even for some it is the only memento and remembrance of their father, mother and ancestors.Hence they treat it as God. According to Hindus, the most sacred place is the place where our essence stays i. e. home. We start dreaming in this place, our inspiration gets its wings in this wonderful creation. But most important the sense of being our own is bent here. In simple sentence I l title its need as-the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, and the house allows one to dream in peace. â€Å"Charity begins at home, but should not end there. â⠂¬ Ã‚   Thomas Fuller One learns his charity, morality, and ethics of life in this house.

Child Marriage: A Human Rights Violation Essay

Child marriage is a serious form of human rights violation affecting young girls globally. It was estimated 10 million girls under the age of 18 get married every year (Bruce & Clark 2004) and according to Population Council Analysis of United Nations Country Data on Marriage (2002), more than 100 million girls will get married in the next decade if the current pattern persists. Girls who are disproportionately the most affected by this inhumane practice suffer tremendously. It is unreasonable such practice that robs away a girl’s childhood can exist, considering the devastating effects such as physical and psychological damages, severe health consequences and denial of personal development. 1.1 Physical and Psychological Damages Many young girls who are being forced into marriage face abuse and violence as their daily reality, yet most of them believe that a husband is justified in beating his wife (Jenson & Thornton 2003). For example, in Kenya, 36 percent of girls married before 18 consider the action of a husband beating his wife is acceptable as compared to 20 percent of married women (UNICEF 2005). Prolonged violence behaviours towards child brides including coercive sex, verbal abuse, slapping and beatings cause them to be emotionally affected and undergo post-traumatic stress. According to Khan and Lynch (1997), such symptoms are like feeling of hopelessness, helplessness and severe depression. Young married girls are extremely vulnerable and have little power in relation to their husbands and in-laws. They are often treated as domestic slaves to work in their in-law’s households. As much as young married girls are desperate to run away from their brutal marriages, they are often tied down with reasons that oblige them to stay. Most often than not is because of economic pressures and other social circumstances. There are those who seek for avenues to leave their spouses, there are also those who are abandoned, divorced or led into widowhood. They suffer a loss of status and ostracized by society with additional discrimination, for example being denied of property rights, as in many cultures divorced, abandoned or widowed women are often looked down upon (Tamunoimama 2012). They usually end up living in poverty as they have no financial support and bear the responsibility of raising their children on their own. The high rates of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) amongst young married girls is one of the reasons why child marriage is linked to wife abandonment. Sexual reproductive organs of the child brides that are not fully developed cause them to endure very prolonged labour. The relentless pressure from the baby’s skull breaks the walls of the birth canal and leads to uncontrollable leakage from the bladder into the vagina. They are usually perceived as unclean and often abandoned or divorced by their spouses. In Nigeria, around 150,000 women with VVF, 80 to 90 percent of them are divorced by their husbands; in Niger Republic, VVF is the reason for 63.3 percent of all divorce cases (Tamunoimama 2012). In many countries, young girls are married off to older men of twice their age, because their parents believe that it is the best way to ensure their daughters are protected when being placed firmly under a male’s control. Influenced by negative social and religious norms, girls are married early to older men in the belief that a husband will provide a safeguard against her ‘immoral’ or ‘inappropriate’ behaviour (Senderowitz 1995). Consequently, when the girl is still young, their spouses died, leaving her with the sole responsibility on taking care her children. For some traditions, girls are not allowed to remarry and her families are also unlikely to accept her back once she has become widowed (UNICEF 2001). Even when a child bride feels able to challenge and leave her marriage, it usually takes her years to do so. Her families will cut her off from their lives because it is believed that running away from a marriage brings shame upon the family. This leaves the girl even more alone than before (The Effects of Early Marriage Cause and Effect Essay 2004). It will contribute to a lack of confidence and low self esteem in the young married girls, plunging them into poverty especially when they are under-educated and has few income-generating skills (Tamunoimama 2012). 1.2 Severe Health Consequences Girls and woman who marry early and with little or no education background often lack of knowledge and have limited awareness of their rights to negotiate safer sex, including the use of condom (Plan UK 2011). In addition to the age difference between the child bride and the husband alongside with her low economic status, it is almost impossible for her to demand fidelity or enjoy the freedom of movement. Barriers like distance, fear, expenses or the need for permission from their spouses or in -laws to access health services deteriorate the risks of maternal complications and mortality for young mothers (Tamunoimama 2012). According to UNICEF (2001), girls aged between 15 and 19 are twice as likely to die giving birth as compared to women over 20 years old; whereas for girls aged between 10 to 14, it is five times greater the risk. Young married girls face considerable physical pain associated with sexual intercourse as their sexual organs are not fully developed and matured (Alemu 2008). Pregnancy-related deaths including heavy bleeding, fistula, infection, Anaemia, and Eclampsia, are the leading cause of mortality for 15 to 19 year-old girls (married and unmarried) worldwide (Tamunoimama 2012). Fistula conditions like vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) and recto-vaginal fistula (RVF) are permanent without surgical intervention to reseal the tissues. Many women have to endure with this condition for the rest of their lives, as such intervention may not be sought or may be hard to access (Tamunoimama 2012). WHO (2010) estimates there are two million women suffering from fistulas and for each year, there is a nother addition of 50,000 to 100,000 new cases of fistulas, many of which go untreated. Even though parents see early marriage or child marriage, as a method to protect their daughters from HIV/AIDS, future spouses may engage in unprotected sexual relations with other partners and already be infected (Tamunoimama 2012). Child brides are more vulnerable to HIV infection, due to the physiological immaturity of their sexual organs. A girl who has not reached puberty face serious risk on being infected by HIV/AIDS, because her vagina is not well lined with protective cells and her cervix may be penetrated easily (Alemu 2008). According to Clark (2004), a small scale research done in Kenya and Zambia shows that among 15 to 19 year-old girls who are sexually active, getting married increased their chances of HIV by more than 75 percent. Girls who are of lower status in society and lack of autonomy cannot have a say when to engage in sexual relations and when to bear a child, especially if it is a young virgin, she would be under pressure to become pregnant in the first year o f her marriage. 1.3 Denial of Personal Development Education is one of the largest losses a girl has to face when she is married off at a young age. Her opportunities to develop as an individual is limited as she needs to bear the burden of being a wife and a mother. Most of the child brides, who are forced to drop out of school during the preparation of marriage or at the point of union and transfer to their in-laws house, as badly as they want to return to school, they are denied of their rights to education. Older husbands and even fathers of young wives believe that the role of females are merely to stay home and undertake household and child-care duties. They fear that education undermines cultural practices and teaches the girl to reject tradition (Bayisenge 2009). The following quote illustrate well the case: â€Å"At the age of about 14 years, my father sent me to my uncle in Adagbira near Binaba so that he could let his wives â€Å"train me† for marriage. He believed that if I continued to go to school, I would be a â€Å"spoilt girl† and no man would agree to marry me. Being a â€Å"spoilt girl† meant that I would be too wise to marry back in his village where he could get my dowry.† (Interview with Ateni Adongo, Womankind,1999). Apart from that, parents of a child bride perceive education as an investment wasted because she is simply going to get married and it will only benefit her husband’s household. The child bride stand even little chance in hope that her husband and in-laws would invest their scarce resources in her education. In rural areas, secondary education is only attainable at a far distance from home, leading to a fear in parents that this may expose the girl to risks on premarital sex and unwanted pregnancy (Tamunoimama 2012). Child brides also find it difficult to return to school, because even the school itself has a policy of refusing married or pregnant girls to attain education. They believe that it will set a bad example to other students and destroy the reputation of the school for going against traditional beliefs. Besides, young married girls are unable to cope up and adapt with the school environment which includes rules, time tables and physical conditions, at the same time juggling their duties as wives and mothers. This further reduces the chances of them to enjoy the rights to education, which they require for personal development and contribution to the future well-being of their family and society. Early marriage was considered the main challenge to achieving universal primary education (MDG 2) and promoting gender equality (MDG 3) for girls and boys in rural communities (Plan Egypt 2010). It is not only a lost opportunity for the girls affected, but has a wider reach of repercussions for their own children and society (ICRW 2006). Young married girls, being denied of education are powerless in regards of deciding the size of their families, demanding the use of contraception and healthcare needs of their children. They are not well informed and knowledgeable about sexual relations, their bodies and reproduction, furthermore aggravated by the cultural silence surrounding these subjects (Tamunoimama 2012). With a low level of education and life skills, child brides face an increase of vulnerability to abuse and poor health, and therefore acute poverty and create a massive knock-on negative effect to the community. Marriage is regarded as a moment of celebration and a milestone in an adult life, but girls as young as five being married off to older men, forced to drop out of school to carry the heavy burden of being a wife and a mother is equivalent to being condemned a death sentence on their bright future. Article 16 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that men and women of full age are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution and marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending parties. Therefore child marriage is considered as a violation of human rights and must be viewed within a context of force and coercion, because valid consent of the child is absent – and also often disregarded (Kumar 2008). Early marriage or child marriage is one of the ills that have eaten deep into the marrows of the third world countries, with Niger (76.6%), Chad (71.5%) and Bangladesh (68.7%) leading the top countries with highest rates of child marriage (ICRW 2005). It is a deadly curse in the modern society, with all the consequences that come along with it, including high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity, violence and abuse, reinforce cycle of poverty and many more. It stands in direct conflict with the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), (Mathur & Malhotra 2003) as it threatens the achievement of the first six goals respectively, eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primarily education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDs, malaria and other diseases (UN 2007). In conclusion, different parties like governments, parents, schools, medias, NGOs, by and large, everyone else that is in the community should come together to trickle this challenging phenomenon and ban this from being an acceptable cultural practice. Actions to restore the rights of those already married should go hand in hand with preventive actions in protecting the rights of unmarried girls because to ensure a good start of their life, they need education instead of being trapped in a child betrothal.

Singin in the Rain

Jenna Zeringo Singin’ in the Rain In 1952 Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen directed MGM’s musical comedy â€Å"Singin’ in the Rain†. Fifty five years later in 2007 it ranked number five on the American Film Institute list of â€Å"List of Greatest Films†. It’s evocative to Americans and is generally considered the best Hollywood musical film; it was not a Broadway production until several years later. Gene Kelly not only directed the classic but he also choreographed and starred in it as Don Lockwood. Debbie Reynolds played the part of Lockwood’s love interest Kathy Selden. Major roles included Donald O’Connor as Gene’s best friend and pianist Cosmo Brown and Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. Based in 1920’s before sound was available to moving pictures the basis of the romantic musical comedy was about turning a film into a â€Å"talkie†, essentially a film with sound. Don Lockwood plays opposite Lina Lamont in the big screen, but her harsh tacky articulation just didn’t cut it in the recording booth. Kathy Selden, a chorus girl Lockwood met in two extraordinary instances is given the chance to dub over Lina with her singing voice and in secret make a musical. Lockwood and Kathy eventually fall in love. There are many elements that brought this film together. The musical aspect of the era it was produced was said to be cheerful, delightful and light hearted. Songs ranging from titles like â€Å"Make ‘Em Laugh† to â€Å"Moses Supposes† to â€Å"Singin’ in the Rain†. The songs also went hand in hand with the dancing. The tap dancing style choreography with the elements of real life tie in an amusingly â€Å"harder than it looks† way. When Gene Kelly is actually singing in the rain it seems like there’s a monsoon pouring on his elaborate footwork. There is also a slapstick comedy portrayed throughout the movie, physical sense of humor, and playful jesting. All of these elements transpired the picture to be as famous and well liked as it was and still is. It has all of the things an audience interested in musicals wants. It shows fun in secrets, romance, portrayed as hard to get, sly humor and witty jokes. All with such enthusiasm. Even today pop culture refers to it in formality and humor. Ultimately it is the most famous musical of Hollywood and will remain that way, because it’s classic.