Women's rights and culture Annotated Bibliography

Women's rights and culture - Annotated Bibliography Example Web. 2 Nov. 2014. . "Inter-linkages between Culture, Gender Based Violence, HIV and AIDS and Womens Rights TRAINING MANUAL." Welcome to SAfAIDS. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. . 1. "Inter-linkages between Culture, Gender Based Violence, HIV and AIDS and Womens Rights TRAINING MANUAL." Welcome to SAfAIDS. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. . This online article describes the relationship between culture and women’s rights by specifically focusing on how culture has facilitated the violation of women’s right, thereby leading to gender-based violence and spread of epidemic diseases among women. It is an imperative resource for this research as it provides an insight regarding the correlation between culture and women’s rights. 2. "Culture Clash: The Law, Womens Rights and Real-world Solutions." OpenDemocracy. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. . This is another crucial online article for this research. It explicates the relationship between culture and women empowerment by indicating how certain forms of culture can be used to promote gender equity in a manner that women’s rights are not violated. The article highlights how certain legal structures can supersede cultural beliefs, while facilitating the emergence of other cultures, which can be used to fight for women’s

Woman with a parasol by Claude Monet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Woman with a parasol by Claude Monet - Essay Example Though in this picture the subject matter is Camille and Jean, Monet manages to counteract the convention of creating a central form of interest, creating instead a vibrant sensation of light and movement throughout the picture, and therein lies his individual brilliance in the treatment of the subject at hand. For most of his pictures, as with this one, â€Å"Monet suggests transience metaphorically, through the formal means at his disposal. He plays on your emotions with color and tonality, ........ Monet ignores the time-honored convention of the center of interest, weighing every portion of his canvas equally with an accumulation of discrete, subtly inflected events†. Just as her shadow anchors her to the ground and her parasol with its handle provides an anchor to the eye, the green in its underside strongly echoes the green of the grass in front of her, planting her firmly in the picture, and providing the required balance. This brings us to the remarkable artistry of Mo net in the use of color, He was a devotee of color, to the extent that he had almost banished black from his canvas. Monet had scientifically studied color, especially Professor Rood's experiments in color, and had come to understand how different colors were affected by sunlight. â€Å"Aided by the experiments of the scientists and by his own keen observation, he discovered certain facts which had escaped the notice of less keen eyes unaided by science; for example, that green, seen under strong sunshine, is not green, but yellow.; that the shadows cast by sunlight upon snow or upon brightly lighted surfaces are not black, but blue; and that a white dress, seen under the shade of trees on a bright day, has

Cartoon Channels Essay Example for Free

Cartoon Channels Essay With the advent of satellite broadcasting technology during the mid 1970’s it became possible for Television networks to air their programs all over the world. By the 1980’s, Television established itself as a powerful medium of communication and new strategies were devised by television companies to stay ahead in the game. One such strategy was the development of programmes that targeted specific sections of the community. A few of the television channels decided to focus on children and began developing programmes that would appeal to them. It was to leverage this niche market that channels like Cartoon Network came into existence. It was launched in October 1992 in the US by one of the world’s leading media companies, Turner Broadcasting System. It offered animation programmes from TBS’s extensive library of more than 10,000 Warner Bros, Hanna-Barbera and MGM cartoons. Over the next few years the channel launched in different parts of the globe showing not only their famous cartoons, but also developing original shows. Cartoon Network entered India in October 1995, sharing airtime with Turner Network Television (TNT). As the pioneer in the Indian cartoon and animation market, Cartoon Network quickly gained popularity and had a huge fan base in the metropolitan cities. When Cartoon Network entered India, there were no established players and it was not very difficult for the Network to entrench itself in the minds of the children and register itself as a channel synonymous with cartoons. It established itself very quickly as a major player in the Indian satellite Television market and became a household name. In the 1990’s the entry of other leading children’s channels like Kermit and Nickelodeon created intense competition and Cartoon Network had to rethink their strategy to stay ahead in the game in the Indian cartoon market. The strategy that it worked out was the emphasis on ‘localization’. It localized the content by dubbing its cartoons first in Hindi to appeal to the Hindi-speaking audiences and then taking its localization efforts further it introduced Tamil-dubbed shows in 2000. The first dubbed programme was ‘Toon Tamasha’ and very soon it started offering localized versions of its popular cartoons. Localization is the key to success in television programming. Localizing the content to suit the needs and tastes of the audiences is the key to garner more viewership and television rating points. When Cartoon Network introduced Tamil-dubbed shows, Kathy McClaure, Vice President Programming, Turner Network, Asia, said, â€Å"The bringing in of Tamil-dubbed cartoons is to further reinforce Cartoon Network’s commitment to bring localized programming. † Some of cartoon shows that were dubbed in Hindi and Tamil were Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Swat Kats, The Mask, The Addam’s Family, Johnny Quest and Captain Planet. On account of its growing popularity it started its 24-hour non-stop service in July 2001. The 24-hour service was part of the channels global strategic mission to place cartoons and animation in level with general entertainment that appealed not just to the children but to the adults also. Today the appeal of cartoon network is not just to children between 4 and 14 years, but also to the teenagers and adults who constitute 30 to 40% of the channel’s viewership. Cartoon Network in India is the most popular cartoon dedicated television channel in India. Chutti TV was launched on April 19, 2007 and is a 24-hour Tamil language television channel owned by the Sun Network. It is Sun TV Network’s first ever television channel for kids. The target audiences are children aged between 3 and 14. It is a free-to-air channel available on most local cable television networks. It broadcasts cartoon shows of foreign countries and networks translated into Tamil. Some of the famous and most popular shows are Jackie Chan, He-Man, Astro Boy, Avatar, Dora the Explorer, Bob Morane, Lucky Luke, Spider Man, Bumba and Danny amp; Daddy. Disney XD or Disney Channel is another famous cartoon channel and it telecasts cartoons like The Donald Duck Show, Dennis and Gnasher and television shows like Shararat Karishma Ka Karishma, Shaka Laka Boom Boom and many more. The Donald Duck Show is based on the typical Mickey Mouse Series and there are other shows like Chip and Dale, The Rescue Rangers and Dennis the Menance. POGO is a cable and satellite television channel created by Turner Broadcsting, a unit of Time Warner for India, which primarily shows animated programming. It was launched in January 2004 as a children’s entertainment hannel like its sister channel Cartoon Network and its primary target audience is children aged 3+ to young adults aged up to 40. Pogo airs in multiple languages in India. The channel carries a number of popular animated shows as well as live action shows. Turner produces exclusive shows for Pogo under the brand name Pogo Originals. The Music Art and Dance show M. A. D. is India’s No. 1 do-it-yourself show. A super-hit 2D animated series is ‘Chhota Bheem’ which won the Best Animated TV series award at the ‘Golden Cursor Awards 2009 held in Mumbai. Chhota Bheem is produced by Green Gold Animation, Hyderabad.

Development As Freedom A Review Sociology Essay

Development As Freedom A Review Sociology Essay The author conceptualizes development as the gap between an exclusive concentration on economic wealth and a broader focus on the lives we can lead (p.14) emphasizing that the theory of development goes well beyond wealth accumulation and gross national product growth. The chapter examines the relationship between development and freedom, the way in which freedom is a component of development and an extensive view of freedom encompassing both opportunities that people have and processes that allow for freedom of decisions. The main arguments of the author is that development should be assessed by freedom of accessibility to factors such as social opportunities, health care, clean water, economic security, civil rights and political freedom. Lack of accessibility means unfreedom. Development therefore should mean that people can live the lives they want to live and precisely, how can a nation say in all entirety that it has freedom when its citizens cannot afford the very basic necessities of life or fulfill the rights they are entitled to? Sen goes on further to compare different views of poverty in both developing and developed nation by analyzing freedoms through values, poverty and inequality, income and mortality, markets and freedom, tradition and culture. The author sees the process of development beyond economic growth or physical and human capital and concludes by linking the understanding of a broad view of the development process to the substantive freedoms of people. Sens write up contains intriguing views but he hasnt mentioned what justifies his classification into these freedoms i.e. experience of developing countries, factual historical evidence or how far freedom has progressed within each context he identified. His definition is quite different from Rapleys in which Rapley describes development as more concerned with flexibility and adaptability (Rapley 2007 pp 5) and so raises a question. Can development be measured only by individual happiness without economic growth and stability? Happiness, in my opinion is geared more towards Rapleys definition and should be adapted into the process of economic growth. Willis, K. (2005) Theories and Practices of Development. London. Routledge. p. 32-42. Willis chapter 2 of theories and practices of development analyses development theories and practices and how these theories were attached to the economic, social and political theories that developed in Europe from the 18th century. Williss interpretation raises some interesting facts about historical development of theories and she divides her study into various theories. The classical economists such as David Ricardo, an advocate of free trade and Adam Smith, in his famous book, Wealth of Nations responded to the trade focus of economic policy at that time (p.32) when trade was a major factor of economic growth. Here, protectionist measures such as high tariffs were highly used by merchants. Willis goes on to say Adam Smith was not in favour of this form of regulation and that it was harmful to the countrys economic growth. Instead, greater focus on production and division of labour which will be regulated by the invisible hand of the market (p.33). The Great depression of the 1930s and other economic happenings gave rise to Keynes argument of the free market not necessarily a positive force but government intervention in the promotion of economic growth while postwar reconstruction period was a time to reflect on the economic crises that occurred at that time and provide solutions to their re-occurrence. This led to the creation of the Bretton woods institutions to assist in the promotion of stable economic growth within a capitalist system (p. 36) Willis describes the linear stages theory and makes emphasis on Rostow, the American economist and political theorists stages of Economic growth to development. Here, development was seen as a state where a large number of the population could afford to spend largely on consumer products and development was viewed as modern, moving from agricultural societies to an industrial economy. While she tries to decipher early theoretical ideas, Willis has not made clear linkages between some of these theories and how they have come to evolve in economic debates and discussions over time. Chang, H., and Ilene G. (2004) Reclaiming Development from the Washington Consensus, Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, 27(2), 274-291. The fundamental of this article is to correct the notion that there is no alternative to the Washington Consensus. The authors argue that neoliberal policies have failed to achieve their goals in developing world (p. 274) and so discuss the major development myths for justifying neoliberal policies that have been harmful to developing world and perhaps as a complacency to the reader, possible alternatives to these policies. These myths, evaluated individually, describe how these policies have lacked credibility. Myth 1; In contrast to the neoliberal policy success, the reality is that the policy has not promoted its main aim of economic growth. Myth 2; Developed countries gained success through free market policies whereas records claim they relied upon interventionist policies for development. Myth 3; Only neoliberal policies can succeed in todays global environment whereas in fact there is evidence of continuing institutional and policy divergence across national boundaries (p. 277) Myth 4; Discipline imposed by international institutions to keep them honest whereby placing policy making authority in the hands of these organizations. Myth 5; The East Asian model cannot be replicated when in fact most developed countries utilized this model. Myth 6; Developing countries should imitate the Anglo American model of capitalism which fared poorly in the economic boom of the 1990s. The authors went ahead to put forward alternative policies for faster economic development which includes the financial system providing adequate finance quantities for investment projects at appropriate prices, enforcing strict laws on new foreign loans incurred by domestic borrowers, defocusing on budget balance and maximizing FDI potentials to promote economic and industrial development in developing countries While arguing for these policies, it will be sensible to note that economies are different and there can be no best practice policy that everyone should use (Chang 2003). Policies for development should not be fixed but depend on stages of development of a developing nation and other factors such as resource capacity, economic, political and social conditions. Pender, J. (2001) From Structural Adjustment to Comprehensive Development Framework: Conditionality Transformed? Third World Quarterly, 22 (3), 397-411. Pender reviews how the World Banks approach to development has changed over decades and brought about important shifts to its conditionality approach. In the light of new changes between the 90s and today, the World Bank formulated a Comprehensive Development Framework, based on a relationship of partnership to replace its erstwhile structural adjustment lending (p. 397). The author examines why the World Banks perspectives of development changed through different periods; In the 1980s to early 90s, GDP was used as a measure of development as the Bank was mostly concerned with rapid economic growth and sustenance for least developed countries (LDC) and the adoption of policies such as restriction of state spending, controlling inflation, commodity exports and privatization as factors to achieve development. The 1990s drew lack of confidence in these policies and there were strong doubts about its competence judging from the success of the Asian Economies that developed rapidly without the World Banks policy prescriptions. This informed the Bank to change its 1980 view about minimal state role in development and that growth by itself is not enough (p 401). Thus in 1990, a formulation of an approach based on both labour intensive growth and widespread provision of basic social services (p.401). In spite of these alterations, there were criticisms that the Bank reforms were not aiding Africas growth but rather, increasing stagnant economies through the implementation of the Banks policies. According to Pender, the Bank lost confidence in its policy framework in early 1995, with the Asian miracle and LDCs failure and was forced to critique its own policies and re-orientate. This modification was experimented between 1995-1997 with improvements in the understanding of economic development and poverty reduction as the central focus. The author gives clear informed views of the process of policy change within the World Bank at different times but fails to analyze the impact of this new focus of poverty reduction and its success to the development of todays third world countries. Chang, H. (2003) Kicking away the ladder. Development Strategy in Historical Perspectives. London, Anthem Press. Chapter 1. Changs analysis centers around one question, How did the rich countries really become rich? He uncovers some myths about developed countries developmental experience and argues that developed countries did not develop through the same policies that they recommend to the developing world. This pressure from developed countries to the developing world to adopt a set of good policies that they adopted when they themselves were developing is faced with criticisms because historical evidence suggests otherwise and goes on to say that they are trying to hide the secret of their success (p. 2). Some of these policies include liberalization of trade, privatization, restrictive macroeconomic policies and deregulation but facts show that most of the developing countries used export subsidies and industry protection, industrial policies that the WTO disapproves in the present world. The USA and UK were examples of ardent users of these same policies frowned at in contrast to the free trade policies and free market they preach. Chang quotes List, the German economist that Britain was the first country to perfect the art of infant industry promotion which is the principle behind most countries journey to success (p. 3). He argues that developed countries, while alleging to recommend good policies to developing countries are actually trying to kick away the ladder of their own economic development. A conclusion is drawn on some methodological issues of David Ricardos neoliberal policies to Friedrich Lists infant industry argument that while developed countries preach Ricardo to developing nations, they actually pursued Lists policies in the past. Although Chang did not confront and compare works of economic historians e.g. L.E Birdzells How the West grew rich in relation to his How did the rich countries really become rich to identify similar or different conclusions, his examination of historical materials to reach important and interesting conclusions is a contribution that is immensely valuable to the current debates on development that will evidently challenge contemporary policies and enrich development theory.

Improving Quality of Life for HIV Sufferers

Improving Quality of Life for HIV Sufferers Introduction It is esteemed that over thirty three million people in the world are living with HIV/AIDS, (WHO, 2009). The majority of people living with HIV are in developing countries, approximately 95% of the total. Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit especially hard. It is esteemed that nearly 70% of all HIV infected people live in this area and 90% of maternal-fetal transmission are occurring there. Compared with the adult transmission rate in developed countries which is lower than 1%, it is 8% in sub-Saharan Africa, (Boyle, 2000). New cases of HIV infection are reported every year and more and more people living with HIV are diagnosed AIDS as they get aged, (Vance, Struzick and Burrage, 2009). So far, there is no effective way to cure this disease. Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is the most effective way to treat people living with HIV. It significantly controls the virus load within patients bodies. It has been a great advance toward extending patients lifespan and improving their quality of l ife. Because of its therapeutic effect, many HIV positive people are able to live with this virus for many years. However, for many people, HIV/AIDS is still a stressful and demanding disease, (Van Dyk, 2007). On top of that, for many HIV infected people in developing countries, the cost of ART is prohibitively expensive. Poverty and a lack of resources are recognized as the most significant barriers which make caring for HIV-infected patients and effective prevention efforts virtually impossible in most developing countries, (Boyle, 2000). As social life is significantly effected in a negative way for this population by social stigma, life is only getting more difficult. People are afraid of being associated with HIV positive people due to two major seasons: A) the fear of being infected themselves; B) the discrimination surrounding the disease. Loneliness, helplessness and self-blame create a high suicidal ideation among HIV infected people. Therefore, they often need counseling a nd psychosocial support, (UNAIDS, 2008). There is a special sub-group of population that needs some extra attention: homosexual people. Research, (Kraaij, Van Der Veek, Garnefski, et al, 2008) shows that HIV infection rate among homosexual people is around thirty times higher than average. In addition, health equality is far from available for everyone. Most homosexual people have witnessed or experienced discrimination from heterosexual people, (Gonsiorek Weinrich, 1991, pp.15-20). This issue is much more severe in eastern countries due to the cultural background. Homosexual people may see HIV infection as blameworthy not only because of a self-protection motive but also because sexual risk reduction has been strongly promoted in the gay community. The relationship between sexual orientation an blame is anticipated, (Collins, 1994). No evidence shows that effective actions have been taken to stop highly risky behaviors which can cause HIV transmission, such as anal sex among men, drug abuse, et al. Statistics show that the estimated prevalence of past-5-year homosexual behavior among males was 6.2, 4.5 and 10.7 in the US, the UK and France, respectively. Similar or even higher prevalence was observed in other areas of the world, (Lau, Kim and Tsui, 2008). Therefore, new HIV infections are still taking place. Besides, prolonged lifespan of HIV infected people is also associated with more new HIV infections. Some qualitative studies may be able to reveal how being HIV infected and homosexual affects ones life. As Aggleton, Hart and Davies, et al., (1999), believed that social stigma is not equal throughout the world, and they argued being gay was a significant factor in migration for some. Homosexual people who cannot live a normal life in their home countries would like to leave for a foreign country where they can continue their lifestyles but have no relatives or close friends. It is potentially dangerous for their health status, especially after they are infected by HIV. The respond of a male interviewee from Brazil in their study is very strongly underpinning this point, you have to get married to leave the house. They (parent) see like if you are leaving the house its because youre not happy so you dont even have any need to talk to us any more, thats how they react. So we have to stay living with our parents so we cant have boyfriends. So that is why everyone leave the country In regard of friendship and social networks, homosexual people tend to be very limited in choosing friends. According to Aggleton, Hart and Davies, et al., (1999), gay people are very likely to have virtually exclusively gay friend and some only have a small mixture of friends of diverse sexuality. It suggests social stigma has negatively affected homosexual peoples socialization. In the UK, health policy surrounding sexual health of homosexual people is closely related to HIV epidemics. Department of Health promoted a ten year National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV, which aims at reducing the transmission of HIV and STDs, improving health and social care for people living with HIV, and reducing the stigma associated with HIV and STDs, (2001). However, according to James, it is failing to significantly reduce the transmission of STD or HIV and to improve health and life quality for HIV infected people, despite millions of funding has been invested for sexual health service over three years. New research is required to provide better solution, (James, 2009). Therefore, it is important to find out the good practices in improving life quality for homosexual people living with HIV, not only from a medical perspective, but also from a social and humanitarian perspective. Importance of systematic appraisal To my knowledge, previous studies have seldom touched this area. The few existing studies were focusing the effectiveness of one or two interventions. Therefore, they could not present all the good practices in a more systematic way. Looking through Cochrane Library, several systematic reviews have been conducted in relation with quality of life for people living with HIV, (see appendix). However, none of them is focusing on homosexual population. The special health need has not been fully addressed. The aim of this appraisal is to find the most effective ways to help homosexual people with HIV cope this severe disease and the stress associated, and to provide the best evidence to present the good practices to improve quality of life for the targeted population. Research question for this appraisal can be summarized as what are the best ways of improving life quality for homosexual people living with HIV. To be more specific, this question can be interpreted by several small and more details questions: 1) Besides medical treatment, what do homosexual people living with HIV need the most? 2) What are the biggest obscures for these people to have a good life? 3) What are the good practices that have been used in improving HIV positive peoples life quality? 4) What are the strengths and limits of there practices? 5) From what aspects can these practices be further improved? Systematic Review Methodology In order to answer these questions, a systematic review methodology will be applied. A systematic review of literature synthesizes the evidence which is found in previous literatures that used valid and reliable research methods to conduct the experiments, (Evans, 2002). It is one essential skill for health care providers to acquire to base policy decisions on the best available evidence, besides their knowledge of research methodology, (Jubb, 2002). Therefore, systematic review are extremely important for making new policies. Originally, systematic reviews would only include study design that applied randomized control trials, but it has changed through the time. Today all kinds of research design methodologies can be included in the review as long as they have policy relevance. It has been widely acknowledged of the value of including diverse research methodologies based on the fact that randomized control trials cannot answer the entire question needed for evidence. However, for this particular dissertation, the fully structured systematic review would not be used because A) it is an individual work instead of a team work; B) assess to existing literatures is limited due to the fund and time. I am going to use the systematic appraisal instead, which adopts the same methodology as systematic review but doesnt include all the existing literatures related to the topic. Conclusion of the chapter The importance of finding the best ways of improving life quality for HIV infected homosexual people has been addressed in this chapter. In order to reach this goal, a systematic appraisal will be conducted. By selecting and reviewing previous studies in this context, evidences will provided to identify the good practices and suggestions for future practice and policy making will be given. Chapter Two Literature Overview Introduction to the chapter In this chapter, several key literatures will be carefully selected and critically reviewed to find the emerging themes on the topic of HIV transmission and ways of improving quality of life for homosexual people living with HIV. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a clear context in which this appraisal will be done. It will also put this appraisal in a national and international health management context to show its importance against a broader backdrop. Databases Searched NORA (online searching vehicle of Northumbria University) is the key searching engine because it provides the access to core health related databases such as ASSIA, HSWE, Web of Knowledge, and PubMed, et al. Using searching key words, HIV/ADIS, Homosexual/gay, quality of life/life quality, on NORA and other databases respectively, more than sixty articles were selected. Only studies that were published in referee journals were selected. Selected studies were not limited methodologically, so broader understanding on the research topic will be obtained. Similarly, research population of each study was not limited in terms of location, ethnics, or social-economical status. Emerging themes arising from key literatures Key literatures surrounding HIV/AIDS and homosexuality and life quality were carefully selected and reviewed. Throughout the literatures, three emerging themes were found: impacts of HIV infection on peoples life; impacts of sexuality; previous researches on health care strategies. How does HIV infection impact on peoples life? A progressive loss of immune functioning, as a main characteristic of HIV disease, will cause opportunistic infection, (Bormann Aschbacher, et al., 2009). Immune system functioning can be negatively affected by elevated levels of cortisol, a marker of stress-related neuroendocrine activity with substantial immunosuppressive and modulatory capabilities, (Borghetti, Saleri, Mocchegiani, et al., 2009). It is just one major impact of HIV infection on peoples life, medical-wisely. However, more literatures addressed issues surrounding HIV transmission and its severe impacts from social-cultural perspectives. As Hansen, Vaughan, and Cavanaugh, et al. (2009) argued antisocial or borderline personality disorder is a common sign among people living with HIV, which can be regarded as a significant predictor of low health related quality of life, putting social support, grief severity and HIV symptoms into consideration. Both direct and indirect impacts of this predictor can effect on patients life quality. It is also responsible for continued risky sexual behavior, poor medical treatment adherence and severe disease progression, (Berg, Michelson Safren, 2007). This argument is in line with other studies, such like Moskowiz, Hult and Bussolari, (2009) who believed that people who are infected by HIV are much more vulnerable to mental disorder problems, because many aspects of HIV infection are potentially stressful, such as the fear of death, the need to adhere to complex medication regimens, side-effects of the treatment, interactions with a complex medical system, symptoms associated with disease progression, financial difficulties, stigma, and the need to incorporate a new identity as someone with a serious illness are all potential stressors associated with being HIV positive. All these stressors are not unique to HIV, but they are more aggressive in HIV epidemic, (Armistead Forehand, 1995). Hansen, Vaughan, and Cavanaugh, et al., (2009), also accentuated that HIV positive people who are bereaved by HIV related death of beloved ones, are particularly vulnerable to the complicated grief reactions. Mental health of this population is an urgent issue for health care and health management. Health issues surrounding HIV are different from individuals to individuals, taking nationality, ethnics, gender and other social factors into consideration. The major difference of HIV infection between people in developed countries and people in developing countries is with regard to income level, availability of sufficient nutrition and equal access to basic health service, (Mahlungulu, Grobler, Visser, et al., 2007). HIV/AIDS changes people life to a large extend, both physically and psychologically. When facing societal discrimination and other hardships related to HIV/AIDS, a strong and supportive family is one of the first lines of defense, (Bor, Miller Goldman, 1993). A qualitative study from China, (Li Wu, et al, 2006), found that family support had multiple levels of positive impact on HIV infected people. Support from family members helped people living with HIV make important decisions which were beneficial to their health status, such as taking virus load test and taking medication regularly. It also helped improve family relationship, because with family supports, people living with HIV gained hopes for their future and valued their families more and had a positive attitude toward life in general, (Manopaiboon, Shaffer Clark, 1998). With family support, many of the participants expressed positive attitudes and made positive changes in their lives. Family members persuaded several participants to be tested for HIV. One female participant explained how initially she did not want to take the HIV test and how her father convinced her to do so. (Li Wu, et al, 2006). A study in the United States also stressed the relation between HIV awareness and family support, (Persson, Gullberg, Hanson, et al, 1994). According to the study, HIV seropositivity awareness of family member is closely related to the support one can get after being infected. More awareness of the family members would bring more support generally. However, the reality shows, there is a preference of HIV serostatus disclosure target within the family. More mothers were disclosed to than fathers; sisters were more likely to be aware of ones HIV infection than brothers, (Mason, Marks Simoni, 1995). How does being homosexual impact on peoples life? Being homosexual apparently puts any individual into a sexual minority. Life can be much more complicated, considering legal right of marriage, social stigma and discriminations, thread from homophobic people, and many other factors, (Sullivan Schneider, 2004). Multiple sexual partners are one big issue that has been talked a lot. Halkitis, Moeller and Siconolfi, et al., (2004), addressed a special issue against this backdrop. They found the prevalence of crystal meth use among men who have sex with men has been shown to be twenty times higher than the general population. More importantly, it was closely related to an increased sexual risking taking by this population. Crystal meth augments an individuals sexual drive and allows users stay high for an extended period of time, which may increase the odds of multiple sexual encounters with many sexual partnersCondom use was inconsistent and some people never used condom while on crystal, (Mimiaga, Fair Mayer, et al., 2008). Besides the complicated lifestyle of homosexual people, health inequality puts them further to a marginalized area of the society. Cochran, and Mays, (2007) found that people from sexual minorities, such homosexuals, bisexuals, transgender and heterosexual people who had experienced sex with the same sex people, may have unrecognized disparities in general physical health that go beyond the conditions specifically associated with STDs among homosexually active people, compared with exclusively heterosexual individuals. These disparities may include a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, lung cancer as a possible consequence of higher rates of smoking, and a higher risk for diabetes among lesbians and bisexual women, (Roberts, Dibble and Nussey, et al., 2003). It shows though reported being in good physical and mental health, people who identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual oriented are more likely to be exposed to health problems. Sexual orientation minorities are more vulnerable to higher risk of common health issues and limitations, (Ayala Coleman, 2000). Higher levels of psychological distress among people of sexual orientation are also observed, compared with their heterosexual counterpart. Even within sexual orientation minority population, health issues are not equally distributed, (Prado, Pratt Feaster, et al., 2004). Johnson, Wadsworth and Wellings, et al., (1992), also agree with the above studies. According to their research, men who have sex with men are more likely to suffer from health problems as a result of poor access to health care services caused by health inequalities. They also mentioned homophobia is another factor which can cause emotional distress. It could cause incidences of suicide, bipolar psychiatric disorders and depression, (Sell, Wells Wypij, 1995). Psychological issue of being homosexual has also been discussed by Mao and Kidd et al (2009). They stated that major depression was strongly associated with socio-economic deprivation, interpersonal isolation and personal withdrawal as part of life equality for homosexual people. Sexual function contributed as one factor for mental well-being too. The vicious cycle between depression, stress and social exclusion should be highlighted in this context, (Choenarom, Williams Hagerty, 2005). Both HIV positive and HIV negative gay men are found to have high rates of major depression. It could be explained by the impacts of marginalization and discrimination experienced by gay men. Low acceptance of homosexuality by oneself, by significant others and by society as a whole may well predispose gay men to more stressful life events and fewer social and sexual opportunities at an earlier stage of life than men in general, (Mao Kidd, et al., 2009). What did previous research attempt to do? What have they achieved? According to Bormann and Aschbacher, et al., (2009), HIV infection has become a long-term disease that can be managed with medical care and support, rather than an immediate death causing disease, after the introduction and utilization of highly active antiretroviral therapy. However, the prolonged life expectancy doesnt guarantee the quality of life. As Liu and Ostrow, et al (2006), argued that a balance between improvements through diminished HIV-related morbidity and potential declines posed by its side effects was always observed as a net effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy in treating HIV infection and impacting on patients overall quality of life. After receiving the therapy, patients physical health well-being would further decrease with high effect sizes, though mental health would improve after longer treatment with small effect size, (Miners, Sabin Mocroft, et al., 2001). As stress is a big issue for HIV infected people, stress management natural becomes one key research area. In general, different coping and stress management therapies for adults living with HIV infection were found effective in reducing emotional distress including anxiety, depression, and psychological distress. These interventions also reduced fatigue and improved quality of life, (Carey Fielder, 2008). However, as Moskowiz, Hult Bussolari, (2009) concluded that little consistency across studies regarding coping strategies and types of outcomes could be found because the literature on coping with HIV is large and heterogeneous with respect to measures of coping, outcomes, and conclusions. Therefore, it is important to identify all copy strategies in regards of stress management for HIV infection and compare them to find out the best practices and the common features shared by all good practices. Besides stress management by patients themselves, social support was observes as another key element in health care for people living with HIV. Social support and support from families member seem to be more precious in some part of the world because they are harder to get due to the huge stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV epidemic and homosexuality. As Songwathana and Manderson, (2001) found that in Thailand, HIV infected people and their families were both afraid of disclosing their HIV seropositivity to the community because it would bring shame to the whole family. According to Li and Wu, (2006), it is similar in China. HIV/AIDS is always associated with over indulgent sexual intercourses, prostitution, and illegal drug abuse, all of which are considered as low moral status. The strong influence of culture in Asian countries makes it so hard for people living with HIV to seek for help and support. National and international context on health management Taking the UK for an example, Department of Health has promoted the strategy of sexual health and HIV nationwide. It is estimated that 30, 000 people in the UK are living with HIV, of who one third are not aware of their seropositivity. About 400 people die of HIV infection every year. The newly diagnosed HIV cases reached a new peak at the beginning for 21st century. Very noticeably, more HIV infect occurred among heterosexual population. However, sex between men still remains the major transmission route in the country. Combination therapy has improved the lifespan of people living with HIV. Unfortunately, it also provides the possibility of more new HIV infection cases. A survey targeted on gay men showed 58% guys under 20 did not use a condom when having sex with another man. Nearly half of HIV positive men have anal sex with a new partner not long time ago, and 40% of these people had unprotected sex with their partners. Highly active antiretroviral therapy is complex, prohibiti ve and extremely demanding on the patients. These patients may also be suffering from prejudice and social stigma. From a health management perspective, in order to promote HIV prevention and health care for HIV infected people, several actions will be taken by Department of Health in the UK. 1) continue to give a high priority to HIV prevention for gay men; 2) develop a national AIDS trust; 3) improve outreach services for people with undiagnosed HIV, particularly in targeted groups; 4) make sure HIV treatment and care services play a key role in HIV prevention by maintaining the sexual health of people living with HIV, diagnosing and treating STDs, reducing the transmission of HIV and providing information and advice, et al, (Department of Health, 2009). From a wider context, HIV is also a big concern of global epidemics. World Health Organization summarized in its bulletin that to manage global health in a more effective way in terms of HIV transmission, interventions must be targeted and they must be carried out in the right supportive environment. Thailand has set a good model for the rest, Close examination of the celebrated example of the 100% condom use campaign in Thailand shows its success to have depended on its being part of a package: HIV prevention became part of Thailands national sense of destiny, from the Prime Minister down. There was a nationwide debate on sexual mores, together with structural solutions such as regulation of the sex industry, intensive education, skills development and peer intervention with sex workers, and efforts targeting clients. World Health Organization As Piot and Seck, (2001) stated, it is also important to build synergies between prevention and health care. As the Declaration of Commitment adopted by the UN General Assembly recognized that prevention, care, support and treatment for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are mutually reinforcing elements of an effective response. Successful prevention and care build a common constituency for action. WHO also identified HIV-related stigma may well be the greatest obstacle to action against the epidemic, for individuals and communities as well as political, business and religious leaders. Therefore, defeating HIV related stigma is a key element in health care for people with HIV, (Piot Seck, 2001). Systematic appraisal arising from literature After reviewing relevant literatures, a need of a systematic appraisal which aims at finding the best ways of improving life quality for homosexual people living with HIV is emerging, because the impact of HIV infection and impact of being homosexual on peoples life are tremendous. Identifying good practices to improve life quality for this particular population is not only beneficial for the target group, but also will provide lots of inspiration for health care of other population. Conclusion of this chapter and link to next chapter In this chapter, key literatures surrounding HIV transmission and health care, life quality of homosexual people and people living with HIV, previous studies on HIV treatment and caring were carefully reviewed to identify the need of conducting this systematic appraisal. Details of how this appraisal will be done are explained in the next chapter. Chapter three: Methodology and Methods Introduction to the chapter In this chapter, the process of this systematic appraisal will be outlined, including explanation of research question in details, search theories and principles, literature searching strategy and vehicles, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and ethics concerns. A brief discussion of quantitative and qualitative research approaches will be conducted in a health management context. The purpose of this chapter is to explain how the public health studies were selected and how they were valid and reliable methodologically to provide evidence to answer the research question of this appraisal. Also explanation of inclusion/exclusion criteria will be given in this chapter. Qualitative and quantitative approaches in health sciences As Eriksson pointed, Public health needs to be evidence-based if it is to be done correctly, which means that learning and knowledge-production for public health must be comprehensive and include knowledge from four different domains: distribution of health, determinants or causal web, consequences, and intervention methods. Eriksson, 2000 To reach this goal, difference research methods have been applied. Generally, they can be put into two categories, namely, qualitative and quantitative. 1) Qualitative research Defined as a cover term for a variety of research traditions originating in philosophy, anthropology, psychology, and sociology that are epistemologically and methodologically similar,(Denzin Lincoln, 2005), qualitative research is based on an idealist philosophy, a subjective view that asserts that the world is known only through human beings perceptions, (Fawcett Alligood, 2003). Furthermore, qualitative research is regarded as a valid and important mode of scientific inquiry that generates distinctive nursing knowledge and complements the knowledge produced by quantitative research, (Fawcett Alligood, 2003). 2) Quantitative research According to Meadows, (2003), quantitative research is considered as the epitome of scientific research, which is focusing on hypothesis testing, reliability and validity. Quantitative research often involves experiment and survey. Typical quantitative experiment is randomized controlled trial, which regarded as the golden standard to provide evidence. Quantitative surveys are usually conducted by structured measures such as questionnaires and structured interviews, (Pool, Hiralal Ostelo, et al., 2010). The main strengths of qualitative research are its ability to examine the issue in detail and depth, the facts that it does not restrict the researchers to specific questions or lists and research framework and direction can be quickly revised as new information emerges, and its adaptability for use a wide range of subjects. However, in qualitative research, data are collected in a few cases or individuals. Research quality is heavily relied on the researchers skills. It takes more time to analyse and interpreter the data. Theres are the key limitations of qualitative research, (Patton, 1990). As the mainstay of traditional biomedical research, quantitative methods has been the gold standard for establishing the efficacy or applicability of a treatment or technique. However, there are frequently great difficulties pursuing this goalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ logistic, political, financial and ethical. Studies may be carried out using quantitative methods of less rigour, but the possibility of erroneous conclusions increases the further one moves from the classical prospective study, (Runciman, 2002). In fact, neither of the two research methodologies is perfect by itself. As Runciman, (2002), argued that quantitative and qualitative research are complementary; each provided the same information in the example chosen. A comparison of the two methodologies is seen in appendix. Each of them has its own strengths and limitations. As Eriksson (2000) said, The quantitative approaches need to be supplemented by more qualitative approaches. Evidence generated by such broader approaches gives excellent conditions for learning. To conduct this appraisal, I am searching for both qualitative and quantitative studies. By reviewing quantitative studies, I will be able to identify the existing problems and by reviewing qualitative studies, I will be able to build understanding of how the problems happen and how to solve them. HIV is an extremely complex health issue, as it is far more than a medical condition. Many other issues, such as social stigma, discrimination and psychological well-being, et al are closely related to HIV and people who are infected. Therefore, a mixed methodology is appropriate to be applied. As Rogers, Barton, and Pekarsky, et al., (2005) stated Two-way interaction occurred between themes arising from the qualitative and the quantitative analyses. This augmented and clarified the findings, and provided the integrated understanding needed to inform the larger debate about health care for marginalised groups. Explanation of research question in details HIV has been a global health threat for many years but so far there is no effective medication or therapy which can cure the disease or eliminate this virus. Therefore, it is necessary to find out the best way to improve the life quality for HIV patients as many new infected cases are reported every year.. As Shea, Grimshaw, and wells, et al (2007) said that a well conducted systematic review addresses a carefully formulated question by analyzing all available evidence, it is very important to form an explicit research question for this appraisal. The core research question of this appraisal is: What are the best ways to improve the life quality for homosexual people livin

The Future Of Intelligence :: essays research papers

An argument between two scientists ,one of them wanting to alter ageing in humans ,and generating life into a controlled environment: A* well, that was in 2000 wasn’t it? But they could not see this happening †¦it was debated, but legalized in 2004. But this is outrageous. C* I haven’t slept for the last 89 hours†¦and I don’t feel numb†¦ A* But how long will it go on ? Will there be any more children ? Would any one want them? Will it end? People may live but will the earth live as long as them†¦.? C* That is true†¦the people will live as long as they desire. They will die only when they wish to ,by damaging their own organs and not replacing or implanting newly made ones into themselves . Children will come only when anyone wants them. The idea of marriage will be lost as any person will be able to create for himself , what I would call a ‘sex object’ which could be a person of desired characteristics based on the desire of the user. the user will then be able to program his own psyche to develop varied sexual interest after introspective moments where he studies his requirements and selects his mood. He will be able to accelerate the growth of this object to feed his hunger If he does change this desire , his earlier sexual interests will be wiped out of his memory ,thus rejuvenating him and urging him to carry on . this would cause a large portion of people to become anti-social and they will draw into reticence . But then , they will be those who will program their minds to make them want to convince people that they should live in harmony and coexist together. They will form societies preaching the lack of communication amongst each other. These societies will have leaders who will play the same role that the pope did in 2000 ,when dolly was cloned . Thus, at the organisational level , life on eath will be same as what it was in 2000 ,or for that matter in any age you wish to consider . A* But then , what reason will people have to live ? What purpose will they define ? C* You cannot imagine this society with same intent as that which was there in earlier years. People will bear relatively same feeling but will have different forms of expression .

William Gibsons Neuromancer - Syntactic Essay -- Neuromancer Essays

Throughout William Gibson's Neuromancer, the text shows many ways of using the syntactic rhetorical strategy. Within the text, many examples show a break in perception or explain quickly areas that span over a long period of time. For all of these reasons Gibson cleverly uses the syntactic approach to allow his readers the freedom to make their own assumptions and to illustrate his plot in this novel Neuromancer. Whether it be changing the point of view from inside the Matrix to indicating Case catching up on some sleep, Gibson constantly uses this great rhetorical strategy to illustrate his many different scenes. On almost every page, the reader notices a break within two lines of the text, which usually signifies the use of syntactic approach. For example, he always uses the approach to signify when Case is jacking in and out or when he changes from viewing through his eyes to Molly's or vice versa. "She turned, opened the door, and stepped out, her hand brushing the checkered grip or the holstered fletcher. Case flipped." (Gibson, 180) Up unto this point in the scene,...