Problems And Preventions Of Ebola And AIDS Essays - Ebola, RTT

Problems and Prevention's of Ebola and AIDS Research Paper #4 Thursday, April 18, 1996 Viruses have become of great concern all across the world in the last few decades. The most common and the most talked about killer virus is AIDS, a virus that starts out as HIV and then proceeds to develop into a immune breaker that ultimately kills its human host. So far, there is no cure for AIDS, and most unfortunately the numbers of deaths from AIDS only continues to grow. However, another virus has gained much public and national attention. That virus is called Ebola. It is thought that Ebola's effect on humans is restricted to Zaire, Africa. Viruses that kill people in large masses is a major threat to mankind; the only hopes of destroying the viruses is dependant upon technology. AIDS is a deadly disease that most people understand as a sexually transmitted disease. In fact, the virus can be transmitted sexually, but it can also be transmitted through blood transfusions. The fact that it can be transmitted sexually causes a great problem. Everyday, enormous amounts of people have sex--some people with different partners. People may have less sex than before because of the threat that the virus poses, but it has already started, and cannot be stopped until a cure is found. Unlike Ebola, AIDS was not detected as early as one would have hoped. The AIDS virus can stay dormant for over a decade before it is noticed as a real problem (Shenon 8). During that decade, the virus can spread like a wild fire. One person contracts the virus, transmits it to another, and another, and so on. As Shenon explains, AIDS became recognized as a real problem in the early seventies and was mostly concentrated in the United States and in Africa, but surprisingly it reached Asia a decade afterward. He goes on to explain that AIDS has spread exponentially in Asia. Thailand, recognized for its proliferation of prostitutes and illegal promotion of sex with children, could be held responsible for the tremendous outbreak of the virus in Asia, explains Shenon. He also points out that now that the virus has already broken out, Asia has the best AIDS prevention agenda in the world (8). For now the best prevention of AIDS that is available is education and protected sex. Until a cure is found for the ruthless virus, this is the only means of prevention that is available to the public. Ebola is one of the most rapidly fatal viruses on the planet and is believed to have begun somewhere in Zaire, Africa (Altman 3). There is no positive explanation as to how the virus is spread. When the virus is contracted by humans it causes hemorrhagic fevers and becomes extremely transmittable (A Case of Deadly Virus 4). Like the AIDS virus, Ebola has no cure. The only advantage of prevention that Ebola has over AIDS is that it does not stay dormant for decades therefore, it can be isolated much quicker. Being able to isolate the virus in one town or country makes the termination of it much easier. It seems inevitable that the two most deadly viruses in the world are contracted by the idea of self preservation. As stated earlier, AIDS is transmitted sexually, and Ebola is widely spread through the consumption of chimpanzee meat that is a common delicacy in Asia (A Case of Deadly Virus 4). Just as sex is an act that is very widespread all around the world, eating chimpanzee meat in Asia is som ething that is very common. It is very hard to stop the spread of a disease when it is spread by something that seems "second nature" to a person. The action that probably ultimately stopped the virus from spreading to neighboring countries is the fact that the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the WHO (World Health Organization) were prompt to go the scenes of outbreak and begin studying the virus (A Case of Deadly Virus 4). When just one man became infected with the disease in the western Ivory Coast, the WHO were on the case to examine the problem (A Case of Deadly Virus 4). Unfortunately, the people that are trying to stop the spread of the virus and those who are close with the victims are those people that have the greatest chance of being infected (Altman 3). After a great deal of studying the ways that the virus is spread, it became evident that there are other ways to become

Take Public Transportation - Save Money, Save The World

Take Public Transportation - Save Money, Save The World If you want to help reduce global warming, air pollution, and your monthly living costs, one of the best things you can do is to get out of your car. By walking or riding a bicycle for short trips, or taking public transportation for longer ones, you will significantly reduce the amount of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions you generate each day. The Rising Environmental Cost of Driving Alone Transportation accounts for more than 30 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), public transportation in the United States saves approximately 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Yet only 14 million Americans use public transportation daily while 88 percent of all trips in the United States are made by car- and many of those cars carry only one person. Added Benefits of Public Transportation Cutting back on carbon emissions and costs usage isnt the only added benefit of using public transportation. It also helps increase the energy independence of the country overall. Although an increasing amount of our oil is produced in North America, the majority of it still comes from across the pond. Public transportation is also safer, a lot safer, in fact. Riding a bus is 79 times safer than riding in an automobile, and riding a train or subway is even safer. Its also healthier, studies have shown that people who use public transportation regularly tend to be healthier than people who do not, because of the exercise they get walking to and from bus stops, subway stations and their homes and offices. And of course, theres the reduction of costs overall. According to an APTA study, families that use public transportation can reduce their household expenses by $6,200 annually, more than the average U.S. household spends on food every year. The Heart of the Debate Over Public Transportation So why don’t more Americans use public transportation? Transportation experts and social scientists may argue about which came first, America’s attachment to the automobile or the urban and suburban sprawl that makes long daily commutes in at least one and often two cars a requirement for many American families. Either way, the problem at the heart of the debate is that good public transportation systems are not available to enough people. While public transportation is readily available in many major cities, the majority of Americans in smaller cities, towns and rural areas simply do not have access to good public transportation options. So the problem is twofold: People with access to public transportation has to be persuaded to use it more often. Additionally, more affordable public transportation options in smaller communities need to be created for use. Trains, Buses, and Automobiles Train systems are the most efficient in many ways, typically emitting less carbon and using less fuel per passenger than buses, but they are often more expensive to implement. Also, the traditional advantages of trains can be mitigated to a large extent by using hybrids or buses that run on natural gas. Another promising alternative is bus rapid transit (BRT), which runs extra-long buses in dedicated lanes. A 2006 study by the Breakthrough Technologies Institute found that a BRT system in a medium-sized U.S. city could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 650,000 tons during a 20-year period. If you live in an area with good public transportation, do something good for the planet today. Park your car, and take the subway or the bus. If you don’t, then talk to your local and federal elected officials about the benefits of public transportation and how it may help solve some of the problems they’re wrestling with right now.

Art Museum Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art Museum Assignment - Essay Example It captures a man by a boat at the river and the tranquil surroundings. Analyzing the elements of the painting shows that horizontal lines dominate the painting indicating the calmness of the scene. The colors used are mostly tones of blue and green with hues of brown, red and yellow. The painting simulates the textures of the textile and the reeds at the river and the artist created an illusion of proximity by using the varying values of the colors. The boat and the man appear nearer to the viewer since the artist used darker values of green, brown, blue and red. In contrast, the trees and the house on the right part of the composition appear to be distant because of the lighter values of green, yellow and blue used on the forms. A River in Normandy exhibits the fine technical skill of Bonington. The artist’s precision and mastery of techniques earned the respect of his colleague Eugene Delacroix. The painting is also one of the examples of en plein air artworks at the time that artists were usually inside studios to paint. Another painting from the Dallas Museum of Art is the Sheaves of Wheat by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The oil on canvas work is 50.483 centimeters x 100.965 centimeters and was completed in July 1890, the same year that van Gogh died. The piece was painted during the period that the painter was experiencing physical and mental health problems. It was also during this time that van Gogh was assumed to develop problems with his eyesight thus the colors he used were lighter in value. The Sheaves of Wheat is a non-representational painting showing bundles of freshly harvested wheat. Typical of a non-representational painting, van Gogh’s artwork does not fully resemble the heaps of wheat because of the color and daubs of paint that make up the form of the wheat stacks. Diagonal lines are prevalent in this painting, signifying movement and suggesting

The Future of Drinking Water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The Future of Drinking Water - Essay Example The primary sector comprises the primary production of raw materials or food, while the secondary sector concerns on the processing or refining of the produced goods or raw materials. As to the distribution of the finished products, the whole concern of it lies on the tertiary sector. However, all of these sectors require the availability or abundance of quality drinking water for them to function smoothly as possible. For instance, a quality and abundant drinking water source is necessary to ensure the sustainability of the basic needs in life, and consistency in the achievement of human health, and other related human needs. Furthermore, the availability of quality drinking water is necessary in order to successfully produce food or raw materials for the production of other products in the secondary sector. For example, a quality drinking water is necessary in the livestock industry so that there will be quality produced products that can be readily used in the processing industry. The processing industry on the other hand would require availability of clean and excellent water supply as integral component of the production of high quality standard processed foods. The above illustrations just simply depict the importance of drinking water in the production of raw materials and down to the processing and production of secondary product offerings.

Electronic financial transactions over the Internet Essay

Electronic financial transactions over the Internet - Essay Example Technological innovation in terms of developing security software aided this process and so did the process of globalization. As a culmination of these parallel but complementary processes, e-commerce in general and electronic financial transactions in particular has firmly taken root in mainstream global economy. While this kind of progress in such a short span of time is an impressive achievement, there is much work to be done in terms of creating robust security systems for the Internet. This essay will look into the various types of security threats facing electronic financial transactions, the potential damage they could inflict, the remedial measures to counter these threats and the effectiveness of such measures. The architecture of the Internet is such that it is inherently difficult to ensure security. Alongside this, the concept of user anonymity makes the Internet â€Å"an attractive medium for extortion and crimes involving theft of personal information for illicit financial gain† (Misra Scherer et al, 2004). As per a report released by IDG News Service, many organized crime groups avail of the services offered by hackers to implement complex and sophisticated financial schemes to swindle money from unsuspecting participants. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, as much as $200 million was lost in the year 2006 alone. And each year this sum seems to increase, since financial institutions like banks and insurance companies are lucrative targets for cybercriminals. A FBI report released at the beginning of the new millennia has confirmed the nexus between computer hackers and organized crime groups. Many of these organized crime groups are said to operate from Eastern European countries that were part of the erstwhile Soviet Union. In such cases, the hackers first crack the security systems in place and gain access to vital data. The organized

Okonkwo As A Tragic Hero

Okonkwo As A Tragic Hero Essay Question. Is Okonkwo a tragic hero? To answer this question, one must first know the definition of the tragic hero. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle is a character who is noble in nature, has a tragic flaw and discovers his fate by his own actions. In Things Fall Apart, a novel by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo can be considered a tragic hero because he meets all of Aristotles criteria by being a tragic hero by being a successful and respected leader in Umuofia, having a tragic flaw, and discovering his fate soon after his action. The first Aristotles criterion of the tragic hero requires that the character must be noble or a man of high status. In that sense, as described by Achebe, Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements (Achebe, 3). Starting as a sharecropper with no inheritance from his father, Okonkwo works very hard and makes his way to a wealthy and respected man of titles in Umuofia. From his hard work, Okonkwo has 3 wives with many children, a large compound with obi for each of his wives and a large stock of yams. Okonkwo earns himself respect from people both inside his clan and outside his clan through many of his achievements. When he is a young man of eighteen, he brings honor to his village by throwing the Amalinze the Cat, a wrestler who is undefeated for 7 years. In addition, Okonkwo is one of the nine Egwugwu, a respected judge in the community who is believed to be the spirit of the ancestor. Furthermore, Okonkwo is also chosen by his village to be their representative to negotiate with Mbaino village about the murderer of an Umuofia girl in Mbaino market. With ease, Okonkwo successfully brings back a boy and a virgin as compensation and ends the conflict peacefully, without any confrontation. Similar to other tragic heroes, Okonkwo also has a tragic flaw, which is a fear of weakness and failure. While the fear of failure and weakness drives Okonkwo to work hard and helps him earns his fame and achievements, on the other hand, it also causes him many problems. Many times throughout Okonkwos life, his fear of failure and weakness leads him to act harshly, violently and impulsively toward other people, including his family members. Okonkwo is always harsh and violent with his family members because he doesnt want to be seen as a weak person. Okonkwo solves his problems only by the use strength and violence and it is this attitude that leads Okonkwo to several conflicts within his family, his failings and ultimately, his downfall. For instance, Okonkwo violates the clan rule and beats his youngest wife during the week of peace and almost shoots his second wife who comments on his gun skill. Moreover, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, Nwoyes close friend whom Nwoye calls brother who as ks for Okonkwos help because He was afraid of being thought weak (Achebe, 43). By trying to be a strong person and deciding to kill Ikemefuna and beats his wives, Okonkwo not only weaken his relationship with his wives and Nwoye, but also hurts himself mentally. Most important, his violent and impulsive characteristics lead him to kill a court messenger from the British during the clan meeting which soon after leads Okonkwo to the discovery of his own tragic fate. The last Aristotles criterion for being a tragic hero requires that the character must discover his fate by his own actions. Okonkwos self-realization starts when he comes back to Umuofia after his seven years exile with a great plan. However, after his arrival, he realizes that Umuofia is much changed and he is not as important and famous as he used to be before his exile. His arrival doesnt attract as much as attention as he expect and he loses his place in the Egwugwu to the another man as soon as he leaves the clan. Moreover, he also has to wait for another two years to imitate his two sons into the ozo society. But most important, Okonkwo discovers that the white men have settled down in the village. The white men establish a church and a school in the village, and then start converting Igbo people into Christian and attacking Igbo customs and faith. Okonkwo is strongly unhappy with this situation and by his violent nature; he persuades his clan to use violence to drive the whit e men out of the village. However, the clan disagrees and reminds Okonkwo that the white men also have some of the clan members supporting them. Although there is no war between white men and Igbo people, the conflicts between these two groups still often occur, including the unmasking of Egwugwu, the burning of the church and the deceptive meeting held by the white men which results in the capture and humiliation of the five clan members, including Okonkwo. However, despite these failings, it is not until when Okonkwo kills one of the five British court members, who are sent to stop the clan meeting that he discovers his tragic fate. When Okonkwo beheads the messenger during the clan meeting and sees that none of his clan members go after the escaping white men, He knew that Umuofia would not go to war (Achebe, 144). He realizes that he will never be able to drive the white men out of Umuofia because his clan will not fight with him. Realizing that he is defeated and cannot save hi s village from the white men influences, Okonkwo decides to hang himself, which is consider as an abomination in Igbo culture. Okonkwos character greatly fits the Aristotles definition of the tragic hero. From nothing, he rises to the honorable and successful leader of Umuofia. He also has a tragic flaw of a fear of weakness and failure that leads to him to several failings and ultimately, his suicide. Finally, he discovers his own tragic fate because of his impulsive murderer of the British court messenger during the clan meeting. Although Okonkwo starts his life as a successful man of Umuofia but because of his violent and impulsive characteristics, even the most successful man like Okonkwo can still falls from his grace. Work Cited Achebe, Chinua.  Things Fall Apart. Oxford: Heinemann, 1996. Print.

Christopher Columbus :: Christopher Columbus Essays

Christopher Columbus is an amazing figure of past history. He was known as the discoverer of America and the first true American. Recent studies have brought up a question if maybe Christopher Columbus is not the â€Å"hero† we where thought to believe in elementary school. Its is proven that Columbus’ methods of beginning colonies and taking land where cruel and barbaric. Christopher Columbus has turned out to be a different man from what I grew up believing. The first change that was brought to mind was the fashion in which Columbus ascertained the funding and supplies for his initial trip around the other side of the world. Mr. Columbus was quite a sales pitch expert. He wanted to find a passage to China, through unmarked waters. He had to receive funding for the great adventure, which had to be covered by the richest of the rich. The only place he could go would have to be the king of Spain. The fact that Columbus was Italian (a foreigner) he had to definitely make an impression on the king. Another problem was the fact that Columbus had never actually been a captain on a ship, only a passenger. There was also not a huge market for a Trans-Atlantic voyage. The fact that the idea of the world being round was a somewhat new aspect. It was amazing that this trip had started at all. The price of this trip included several boats, manpower, and survival supplies. This was all he needed to do the trip. This was not enough. Christopher wa nted 10% commission on all commerce between his discoveries and the mother country, the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea, permanent position of governor of all new territories, and a long list of other personal demands. Columbus understood the importance of helping others get what they wanted. He presented the royalty with dreams of wealth and glory. He even appealed to their desire to spread their