Military Robotics Essay Example for Free

Military Robotics Essay A robot sniper is not subject to arm shake, fatigue, or any of the other human factors that throw off a rifleman’s aim, making each shot more accurate and less likely to hit someone other than the enemy. Pilotless drones are more likely to hit the target with better accuracy than bombs being dropped from a plane at 30,000 feet (Gyrnir). In the Army 53 percent of their casualties come with first contact with the enemy. Having a robot scouting ahead or flying above sending back pictures of the ground below to troops would reduce the casualties (Fogarty). Military robots can serve in place of human beings in explosive ordinance disposal (EOD), surveillance, and other dangerous situations. For example, when an EOD team was hunting for improvised explosive devices (IED), by the time the soldier was close enough to see the telltale wires from the bomb, it was too late. The IED erupted in a wave of flames. A soldier would have to be as far as 50 yards away to escape death and as far as half-mile away to escape injury from bomb fragments. Even if a person is not hit the pressure from the blast by itself can break bones. This soldier had been right on top of the bomb. As the flames and debris cleared, the rest of the team advanced. They found little remaining of their teammate. They loaded the remains onto a helicopter, which took them back to the team’s base near Baghdad International Airport. That night the team’s commander did his duty and wrote home about the incident. He apologized for his inability to change what had happened. He wrote, â€Å"at least when a robot dies, you don’t have to write a letter to its mother† (Singer). The â€Å"Soldier† was a 42-pound robot called a PackBot. The PackBot mounts all sorts of cameras and sensors, as well as an arm with four joints that extends over two meters to allow it to examine suspicious objects on EOD missions. If it weren’t for this robot to scout ahead the rest of the EOD team wouldn’t have survive the explosion (Singer). In conclusion, robotic technology is changing the future of warfare. Robots are used to save and protect, not harm innocent lives. The idea of robots replacing humans in the military is very unlikely. In order for a robot to do something it needs a human to program it and tell it what to do (Singer). Fully autonomous robots that may harm the wrong people presents ethical, legal, and command challenges determining who was responsible for the robot’s actions (the officer that put the robot into action and instructed it on its target or the company that manufactured the hardware) raises philosophical problems. Therefore, until these problems are resolved fully autonomous killing robots are unlikely (Gyrnir).

Preparedness And Response Cyclone Nargis Health And Social Care Essay

Preparedness And Response Cyclone Nargis Health And Social Care Essay Background: The community awareness, preparedness and response to public health emergencies are essential for successful response to public health emergencies and the study is carried out to determine the community awareness and perception on health sector preparedness and response to Cyclone Nargis which is the worst natural disaster in history of Myanmar. Methods: Total of 6 focus group discussions are carried out in 3 villages which are severely affected by Cyclone Nargis. Manual thematic content analysis is done to determine the community perception by qualitatively. Results: Majority of the participants knew the warning for the cyclone but they are unaware on what the intensity and where to make landfall of cyclone. There are some gaps on preparedness due to lack of experience to previous cyclone and weakness in knowledge for how to prepare for cyclone. There is some training and education on public health emergencies management before the cyclone but the application and coverage of the training and education were not enough to make adequate preparedness by community. Almost all of the participants get some kinds of health services and relieve items by health sector with majority of them are positive attitudes towards health services given to them. However, most of the participants mentioned that they are not interested in health education given to them. Except for a few participants, they know how to prepare for future cyclone and the knowledge should be maintained. Conclusion: Based on the results, there was some weakness in community level awareness on how to prepare and response to cyclone before the Cyclone Nargis. However, community awareness is significantly improved after Cyclone Nargis but health sector should make sure to sustain the awareness for optimal preparedness and response to public health emergencies. Background Major emergencies, disasters and crises are approximately 450 to 800 major emergencies per year and are affecting social, economic of the community and public [1, 2]. Cyclone Nargis struck the coast of Myanmar on 2 and 3 May, 2008 and moved inland through Ayeyarwady Delta causing many deaths, destroying infrastructure, affecting on economic and social activities. It was the most devastating natural disaster in history of Myanmar and the most deadly cyclone in Asia since 1991 [3]. Although many emergencies are often unpredictable, but the impact of disaster can prevent and mitigate by strengthening the response capacity of nations and communities at risk [2]. Community level preparedness is also important because people at community level are first responder to emergencies and disaster [4]. It is also recommended that humanitarian action and health services in emergencies and disasters must respect for the culture and health perceptions of the affected communities [5]. Mortality due t o the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was concentrated in the first few days of the disaster [6] and community preparedness is essential for prevent unnecessary death. Focus group discussion is useful to assess the perception of disaster preparedness program and their attitude on disasters and emergencies [7]. The study done by Nozawa M also revealed that the awareness and behavior of the community are essential for following with evacuations advice [8]. By focus group discussion, it can also identify the socioeconomic and behaviors factors related to disaster preparedness and response and it is useful for disaster management in the specific area [9, 10]. It is also advisable that obtaining feedback from community about their perception on relief operations is essential for future planning and response to disaster [11]. By finding out the community perception on preparedness and response to Cyclone Nargis, the results will be useful for the future public health emergency preparedness and response in Myanmar. Materials and Methods Study design Cross sectional study design with qualitative method (focus group discussion) is used for determination on perception of community awareness on preparedness and response by health sector to Cyclone Nargis. Study population The study population is selected from Ngapudaw, Labutta, Bogale, Pyapon, Dedaye, Mawlamyinegyun, kungyangon townships which experienced high mortality due to Cyclone Nargis. The study is carried out in 3 villages, namely amar village and kyan-ka-dune village in pyapone township and mangalake village in kynechangone township which is severely affected by Cyclone Nargis. In each village two focus group discussions, one for community members and one for government personnel and community leaders, are carried out. Each focus group of between 6 to 9 women and men are selected according to criteria such as adult men and women with age above 18 years old and at least one third are women; one group compose of government service personnel such as health, education, agriculture, police and community leader and another group compose of ordinary community members. Survey instruments The questionnaires such as information, warning, education and training, public health services and curative health services given to the community by health sector prior to and after Cyclone Nargis are prepared for assessment of community perception on preparedness and response to Cyclone Nargis by health sector. The focus group discussions are recorded by tape and notes and the discussion time range from 65 to 95 minutes. Sampling methods Multistage sampling methods are used for selection of 3 sites for focus group discussion to assess the community awareness about emergency preparedness and response. Two townships are selected by simple random sampling methods among Ngapudaw, Labutta, Bogale, Pyapon, Dedaye, Mawlamyinegyun and Kungyankone townships which suffered the high mortality during Cyclone Nargis. Finally, one or two villages from each township are selected by simple random sampling methods. The participants for community members are choose from different occupations, education levels and different sections of village by purposive sampling. Data collection and analysis The ethical approvals from Ministry of Health, Myanmar and Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University are already getting prior to carry out the focus group discussion. The focus group discussion is carried out in April 2010. Two facilitators and two note takers are used to carry out the focus group discussion. The data from focus group discussion is coded by two persons to summarize the answers from participants on information, preparedness and response to Cyclone Nargis by health sectors. Agreement between the two coders is determined and if agreement is good, manual thematic content analysis is used to analyze by qualitatively to find out their experiences on information, warning, education and training, public health services and curative health services given to the community by health sector prior to and after Cyclone Nargis. Characteristics of participants The total of 22 community members is involved in 3 community members groups. The youngest is 18 years old and the oldest is 58 years old with mean age is 34.4 years in this group. Most of the community members are farmers and others are students, merchants, fishermen, manual labors, and dependents. There are 20 participants in government personnel, community leaders and NGOs member with 7 health personnel, 5 community leaders, 5 NGOs members and 3 from other government departments. The youngest in this group is 24 years old and the oldest participant is 67 years old with mean age is 41.1 years. Information related to Cyclone Nargis Most of the participants in community members groups knew the news of warning and there were some of the participants who still didnt hear the information. Many of the participants who knew the warning said announcement was made in frequent interval from radio and television. However, they noticed the warning only in short time before the storm made land fall on their area. Majority of the participants were not aware of the intensity and where to hit the Cyclone Nargis. I knew from the television and warning was announced after every song. However, I didnt even realize the cyclone was coming to my village and only knew the warning 2-3 hours ahead. (19 years old student) Almost all of the participants in the government personnel and community members noticed the information of the storm. But some of them still didnt notice areas which were hit by Cyclone and they didnt relay information to the villagers. As a village leader, I didnt relay the warning to villagers. Most of them (villagers) knew and they didnt expect this intensity. (42 years old village leader) For the source of warning, most of the villagers received Nargis warning from mass media such as radio and television. Most of the villagers knew from radio and they didnt do anything. Because of lack of electricity in my village, we relied on radio for information.(37 years old woman) Generally, the villagers knew the Cyclone Nargis information from mass media but they lack the knowledge on interpretation of the warning. The villagers noticed the warning in short time which is not enough to make adequate preparedness for the Cyclone. Perception and preparedness on Cyclone Nargis Majority of participants mention they didnt have almost none of preparedness due to lack of previous experience on how to response to cyclone. There were also due to gaps in knowledge on Cyclone Nargis heading to their area. A few mentioned on religious believe (KARMA) for doing nothing. Every human being has the birth and death as religious believe and I didnt prepare anything. (53 years old woman) I didnt have any preparedness because I have never experienced like this before. The warning didnt include how to prepare and it didnt disturb my meal. (39 years old women) They left their home after cyclone damaged their home and went to religious and public buildings for shelter. My house destroyed by Cyclone at 10pm, my family went to village monastery. Every villager went to monastery because it was situated in high ground and quite strong. Our village was quite fortunate with a few deaths to take shelter in monastery but in Laut-me village some causalities occurred. (23 years old woman) One participant from government personnel and community leaders mentioned stimulation exercises in his area after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2005 but villagers were not interested. Tsunami drill was carried out in my village at national level through division and townships after tsunami in 2005. Unfortunately, the villagers were not interested. (53 years old health staff) Overall, the villagers didnt know how to prepare for Cyclone due to lack of interest and weakness in education or training on Cyclone preparedness before Nargis. Training on disaster preparedness and response before Cyclone Nargis Majority of the participants pointed that there was some gaps or weakness of training on disaster preparedness and response in their area one year before Cyclone Nargis. One health personnel mentioned the receiving training for disaster management in undergraduate program before Nargis but she wasnt familiar with how to apply in public health emergency situations. In health assistance training program, the topic (disaster management) was included. I didnt relay the education on the villagers because they were not interested. (30 years old health staff) Some participants said the disaster preparedness topic was involved in basic education curriculum for school children but parents were not interested. Health services after cyclone Nargis All the villages from which the participants resided received some kinds of health services after Cyclone Nargis and on the other hand, the arriving of medical teams to their villages ranged from 2 days to 2 weeks. They took treatments from medical teams if they had the health problems and there were few complaints of inexperienced medical teams. Medical teams included both experienced and inexperienced teams. It is better to come by experienced medical teams. (35 years old farmer) Almost all of the participants received some relieve materials such as water and sanitation items, bed nets and medicines from health sector but difference in receiving relieve items among villages were mentioned by some villagers. First medical team arrived in 10 days after Cyclone and villagers seek treatment from the team. They distributed water purification tablets but the villagers didnt know how to use and the smell was quite strong. (43 years old man) Most of the villagers mentioned the success in sanitary latrine construction but the others said it was not successful in their villages due to the facts that the poor villagers could not construct sanitary latrine by supplying of only latrine pans. constructed the sanitary latrines for free and there was almost no sanitary latrine at the villages before Nargis. The villagers constructed them because the organization provide not only latrine pan, but also give construction cost. (45 years old farmer) Few villagers mentioned the lack of psychosocial health care and dead bodies clearance in their villages. Majority said they only went to health education if they were given some incentives such as relieving items. Health education on communicable diseases were present, most of the villagers did not join because they were busy and not settled. (24 years old woman) The health personnel also pointed out that the villagers were seeking treatments from medical teams that resulted in success of immunization program and others. However, they mentioned the lack of interest on health education by villagers. Generally, the villagers took health services given by health sectors if required but not interested in health education. Attitudes towards health care after Cyclone Nargis Almost all villagers said they were satisfied with health care provided but they preferred those who paid them all expenses including referral expenses. They also preferred the station medical teams to mobile teams due to availability of health services all the times. We were satisfied with all medical teams, they gave enough drugs. The diseases were also cured and villagers sought treatment. But, we preferred onsite team for seeking treatment in time of need. (19 years old woman) Most of the participants are positive attitudes towards relive items provided by health sector and community leaders also pointed out the villagers were satisfied with receiving relieve items because they are poor. We preferred organizations () for giving both treatments and relieve items. Most of the villagers were satisfied if the team gave relieve items. (42 years old village leader) Health personnel mentioned coordination between NGOs and township health department was good and some complaint of inappropriate or more than enough supply of items was provided to them. Township arranged the coordination meetings and there was no overlapping of medical teams in one area. But, some of items arrived in more than enough quantity such as malaria drugs, B1 tablets and surgical instruments. Our township was not malaria prevalent. (53 years old health staff) Majority of villagers mentioned lack of interest in health education because they were busy with their work. The health personnel also mentioned the success of some health programs such as immunization after Cyclone Nargis but stressed on lack of interest on health educations by villagers. Villagers came to health education if only given relieve items because they were poor and quite negative attitudes towards health education. (34 years old health staff) Generally, villagers had positive attitudes towards the medical teams and relived items given by medical teams. On the other hands, they didnt want to participate in health education due to several reasons. Common diseases and illness after cyclone Nargis The villagers pointed out that pneumonia, ARI, diarrhea diseases, injuries and mental health problems were common health problems in their area immediately and within 6 months after Cyclone Nargis. Health personnel also agreed with the common health problems mentioned by villagers. The health personnel also reported that there was no outbreak of communicable diseases within 6 months after Cyclone. The villagers suffered diarrhea, common cold, pneumonia especially in children, abdominal pain. Some suffered the injuries due to Nargis. We got enough drugs with no costs. (25 years old fisherman) Generally, the health problems mention by villagers was compatible with common diseases reported by health management information systems/INGOs after Cyclone (11). How to prepare for future Cyclone The villagers, community leaders and government personnel stressed the importance of construction of cyclone shelter and disaster resistance building, presence of life jacket, drinking water and food as preparedness for Cyclone. They also desired to store drugs, tents and water and sanitation items in health centers because of roads blockage after Cyclone. They would like to get advanced warning on Cyclone and carry out of drill and training on disasters. There are also a few villagers, who dont want to make any preparedness due to belief on KARMA (religious belief). Life jackets should be distributed to villagers and villagers should prepare for water containers and water because the ponds could not be used after Cyclone because of entrance of seawater. (47 years old woman) As a hospital, we should predisposition of essential drugs, water and sanitation items, and temporary tents for patients because the hospital can be destroy by Cyclone. Drill should be carried out as preparation for disaster. (53 years old health staff) Overall, the participants had awareness on how to prepare and response to future Cyclone and this knowledge should be sustained. Discussion Data from the study revealed that some villagers and community members will not be familiar with the weather warnings and there should be strengthening of education programs for community on familiar with weather warnings. Weather warnings should include how to prepare and response for Cyclone. Warnings should also be through village leaders because of unawareness the warning from mass media by some villagers. Education on common disasters term such as intensity of hurricane can increase the community knowledge about hazards risks [13]. It is also recommended that the warning should be advanced for enough time on evacuation and preparedness by community and should include how to prepare and response. The communities are first responder to emergencies and there is also advisable that strengthening of community based training on how to prepare and response to disaster [4]. The villagers will take shelter in public places and religious building in emergency situation and public and reli gious buildings should be disaster resistant. World Health Organization also recommended that construction of disaster resistant health facilities as safe hospital initiatives [14, 15]. Sometimes, it may take 48 to 72 hours to take outside medical teams to reach the disaster affected area [16] and community search and rescue team with predispositions of medicines and equipments should be strengthened at township levels based on need assessment for immediate response before the outside medical team arrived [14]. Topics on health sector disaster management should be strengthening in training of basic health staffs because basic health staffs are giving the essential health care at community level. Without proper coordination among different stakeholders, response to public health emergencies/disasters may have negative impact [17]. Good coordination for medical services between stakeholders in response to Cyclone Nargis should be maintained for future public health emergency response. The relief operation should consider the local context affected by disaster and sometime the relief operation fails to consider the local beliefs and contexts [5]. The most of the focus group participants are positive attitudes towards health services given to them but also consider the voices of concern from a few participants especially the vulnerable population in future public health emergency response [13, 18]. It is also recommended that distribution of drugs and medical equipments should be based on requirements at community level. Sustainability of community awareness is also important for public health emergencies management and health sector should also consider how to make attractive for health education given to disaster affected population [19]. In addition, Ricon et al revealed that previous exposure to hurricane may not have affect on better preparedness to future hurricane in United States [20]. Cyclone shelters should be constructed in big villages situated in stor m surge area because disaster resistance buildings reduce the risk of disasters [17]. Drill is the best practice for testing of public health emergencies preparedness and drill involving community should be done at least yearly for readiness for preparedness [4]. Limitations There are also limitations about the study. Firstly, study population will not reflect the perception of the whole population due to small sample size. Secondly, information bias may likely to come out because the study is carried out two years after the events. Conclusion There is some weakness in community awareness, preparation and response to Cyclone Nargis. Community level planning, awareness, preparedness and response are essential for prevention and response to public health emergency. It is found that community awareness is significantly improved after Cyclone Nargis and health sector must sustain the community level awareness because of the low frequency and high impact nature of major disasters. Competing interests The authors declare that there have no competing interests. Authors contributions NWM, JK, PS were involved in the conceptualization and design of the study. NWM prepared research instruments and other study logistics, collected data in Myanmar. KWT assisted in study management and data support in Myanmar. KC, PS, AKM, PP provided conceptual framework and technical support for the study. NWM and JK performed analyses and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements We would like to thank Myanmar Ministry of Health for permission to carry out the study. We give special thanks to Pyapone District Health Department and Kungyankone Township Health Department and the participants for focus group discussions to take part in study. Thank you DAAD and SEAMEO-TROMED for their partially support in research grant.

Comparative Drug Review Gastrointestinal Therapies Tagamet And Nexium Biology Essay

Comparative Drug Review Gastrointestinal Therapies Tagamet And Nexium Biology Essay Tagamet and Nexium have been two of the many common drugs these days, both of which are widely used in the medical treatment of major gastric acid-related disorders like peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), with their respective active ingredient being cimetidine and esomerprazole. In view of their similar uses in gastrointestinal therapies, this review addresses various major characteristics possessed by the two drugs and in an attempt to make a vivid comparison between them in accordance to their active ingredients, for providing information optimizing the selection of gastric acid-related drugs at different clinical conditions. Mechanism Both cimetidine and esomeprazole serve to cure gastrointestinal disorders by reducing the secretion of gastric acid, however, with different drug targets to be acted on and mechanisms to bring about their actions. Cimetidine, being a histamine H2 receptor competitive antagonist (H2RA), reversibly binds to the histamine H2 receptor on the acid-secreting parietal cell of the stomach and lead to the production of second messenger cAMP which can ultimately trigger the H+/K+-ATPase to pump more acid out of the cell. Thus, the binding of histamine released by Enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells in the stomach to the receptors, which in turn stimulates gastric acid secretion, is inhibited. At the same time, with the blockage of the histamine H2 receptors by cimetidine, the effect of both gastrin- and acetylcholine-stimulated acid secretion would be reduced. All these result in the lowering of acidity in the stomach. Esomeprazole, being a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), acts by an entirely different mechanism. Esomerprazole is a weak-base prodrug and it accumulates in the unique, highly acidic canalicular space of the active parietal cell, where the pH is less than 2.0. At this pH, it is converted to the active form of the drug, which then covalently binds to one or more cysteines that are accessed from the luminal surface of the gastric proton pump in gastric parietal cells, the H+/K+ ATPase enzyme, the target of which esomeprazole acts on. As a result, this irreversibly inhibits the H+/K+ ATPase enzyme, whose activity is involved in the final step of gastric acid secretion Therapeutic Effectiveness Owing to their different mechanisms of action, the gastric acid-suppressive effect produced by them varies, thus leading to variation in their effectiveness for treating related diseases. In general, PPIs (e.g. esomerprazole) are more potent than H2RAs (e.g. cimetidine) because the former inhibits the H+/K+ ATPase enzyme involved in the final step of acid secretion[1], as the latter only inhibits one of the pathways involved in acid secretion. The superior acid-suppressive effect of PPI over an H2RA has been verified by comparative studies. [2-5] Because of the different mechanism of these two drugs, esomeprazole has a longer duration than cimetidine. After converted to the active form, Esomeprazole can bind reversibly to the H+/K+-ATPase. As a result, esomeprazole will not be easily enzymatically metabolized and the major factor that leading to loss of effect of esomeprazole is largely dependent on the production of new H+/K+-ATPase. This is reason why esomeprazole has a rather long duration of effect on inhibition of acid secretion. In terms of therapeutic outcomes, it has been shown that higher efficacy is found in PPI treatments than in H2RA treatments for a wide range of diseases such as peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, GI damage caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. [6 V13], as revealed by many studies. One of these aimed to investigate oesophagitis in which a meta-analysis of 43 therapeutic trials was conducted in patients with moderate or severe oesophagitis. The proportion of patients successfully treated was almost doubled with PPIs, and the rapidity of healing and symptom relief were about twice that with H2RAs. [14] Thus, It had confirmed the advantage of PPIs over H2RAs. [15] To sum up, up to the present stage, esomerprazole seems to be more effective and a more preferable choice than cimetidine for the treatment of most gastric acid-related diseases. Safety In fact, both cimetidine and esomeprazole are quite safe and they rarely have adverse effects that may be lethal. In a meta-analysis of 24 double-blind placebo-controlled studies, it shows negligible difference of incidence of side effects between cimetidine and placebo. The most commonly reported adverse effects are diarrhea, other gastrointestinal disturbances, dizziness, tiredness, rashes and headache. Furthermore, most adverse effects of cimetidine are dose-related and as the length of treatment increases, the risk is decreased which means Cimetidine is rather secure for patients who require long-term treatment. Also, Cimetidine has significant anti-androgen effects in patient receiving high dose and this puts some male patients in fear. Adverse effects of Esomeprazole are infrequent as Cimetidine, but some of its common side effects like headache, diarrhea and skin rashes can be severe and may need to resolve on drug discontinuation. Moreover, recognized increases in the prevalence of pneumonia and Campylobacter enteritis as well as a doubling of the risk of infection with Clostridium difficile should not be overlooked due to the role of esomeprazole as a first-line drug. What should emphasize is that patients still need health care professionals careful indication as if both drugs are safe. Since esomeprazole is one of the most frequently prescribed medicine and 63% , 33% and 67% of hospital inpatients in Austria, Ireland and the United Kingdom did not meet the criteria for taking esomeprazole or other proton pump inhibitors. As a result, it is pharmacoeconomically unfavorable and improved clinical pharmaceutical care can be achieved by detailed indication by the cooperation of pharmacist and health care professionals. What is more, these two drugs are placed in the same Pregnancy Category by the US FDA and they are not advised for the pregnant women. Because of their inhibition of parietal cells, secretion of intrinsic factor is reduced. As a result, both drugs can lead to mal-absorption of Vitamin B12 which is important for maturation of Erythrocytes and DNA synthesis and thus Vitamin B12 therapy may be needed. Drug interactions They interact with a wide variety of drugs except that they both reduce absorption of acid-dependent drugs due to their effect of lowering of the stomach pH, but in fact only drugs with a narrow therapeutic index have clinical significance. The majority of interactions is due to binding of cimetidine to cytochrome P450 isoenzymes in the liver with subsequent inhibition of microsomal oxidative metabolism and increased bioavailability or plasma concentrations of drugs metabolised by these enzymes. These drugs are anticoagulants, phenytoin, theophylline, benzodiazepines, betal-blockers, lidocaine, Procainamide, ketoconazole and itraconazole. Similarly, Esomeprazole interferes with the elimination of drugs metabolized by isoenzyme CYP2C19 and to a smaller extent by CYP3A4. Therefore, it increases the plasma level of clarithromycin, amoxicillin, diazepam, phenytoin, and warfarin. In addition, esomeprazole has a potential interaction with atazanavir which is a HIV-Protease Inhibitor to treat HIV by substantially reducing the concentration of atazanavir. Conclusion Summarizing all the above mentioned features, Nexium is seemingly a better drug in terms of its potency, therapeutic effects as well as its range of application in clinical conditions, comparing to Tagamet. However, its benefits and drawbacks may be revealed in the future by research works, which should be always aware of.

Bob Dylan Essay -- essays research papers

Regarding significant musical movements in history, more specifically the twenty first century, few were more important than the folk revolution that took shape in the mid-nineteen hundreds. One of the leaders of this revolution was Robert Allen Zimmerman, known by his popular assumed name, Bob Dylan. Born in 1941 in Minnesota, Dylan grew up the grandchild of Jewish-Russian immigrants and had a surprisingly unexceptional childhood. His interest in music became evident in his high school years when he taught himself basic piano and guitar. From these rudimentary skills Dylan would build his knowledge and experience in music to his present status as a forefather of folk music in the rock era. Accordingly, a song from the pinnacle of his career embodies his style and poetic capabilities, acting as a reference point of the music it followed and the music that was to come. Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowland is an unmistakably remarkable example of the work of Bob Dylan in his finest hour. To fully understand the influence of Bob Dylan on the American folk revolution and his importance in the pop culture of today’s youth, one must first understand his background and development musically. First of all Bob Dylan was born in Minnesota, not a particular hub of musical activity. Author Bob Spitz makes a good point concerning Dylan’s birthplace. History has taught us that no matter how we change the environment it is impossible to change the man...After all, anybody is as their land and air is....If that is so, it is no wonder that Bob Dylan became such a luminous amalgam of showmanship and aloofness, spirituality and desolation, eloquence and exaggeration, individuality and schizophrenia. These seesawing extremes, among others, are indigenous to the historical landscape of northern Minnesota. (Spitz 9) For others this might have been a setback but for Dylan it was the perfect environment to nurture his interests, in music specifically. At the age of ten he was writing poems and by thirteen was setting them to music with self-taught piano and guitar skills. Dylan’s interest in music continued to climb as he entered Hibbing High School. During his high school years Dylan would become involved in musical productions and attempt forming many bands with such names as the Golden Chords and Elston Gunn and His Rock Bop... ...calls streetcar visions, a direct reference to Tennessee Williams play â€Å"A Street Car Called Desire.† The symbolism continues throughout the song and is accompanied with music that, while not the best of his career, still defined the American folk sound. The music is acoustic once again after he made a brief stint recording with bands and electric guitars. The melody is simple and flows throughout the piece’s seven minute length. There is minimal background accompaniment but what does exist advances the rhythm of the song. Truly it is Dylan’s voice that is the essence of the song. His raspy, nasal sound gives the song character that it definitely would not have minus his vocals. The best information I can provide someone who is interested in the work of Dylan is to get any of his early albums and listen to what today’s music started as. The folk movement of the late nineteen fifties and early sixties was led by a man who overcame a humble upbringing and, through hard work, created for himself the life he desired to live. His music is revered as classic and at the same time historical. His song, â€Å"Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands†, is a testament to that.

Free Essays - All Quiet on the Western Front :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

Paul Bäumer, the narrator and protagonist in All Quiet on the Western Front, is a character who develops extensively within the course of the novel. As a young man, he is persuaded to join the German Army during World War I. This three year ordeal is marked by Paul's short, but tragic trek into adulthood as he learns to cope with the trials and tribulations of war. In the wake of a struggle which claims millions, Paul loses his precious innocence as he is further isolated from society and engulfed by bloodshed. Paul's evolution throughout the novel is a result of his having to adapt in order to survive. Paul's experiences in combat shatter his former misconceptions of war; consequently, he gains the ability to reflect on events with his own accord. His naive ideas are severely challenged when he first witnesses the ugly truth of war. "The first bombardment showed us our mistake, and under it the world as they had taught it to us broke in pieces"(13). Paul's first engagement in combat reveals that everything he was taught as a young recruit are lies; consequently, he can now form his own conclusions. Through the ongoing course of the war, Paul comes to grips with the reality of the situation. "They are strong and our desire is strong-but they are unattainable, and we know it"(121). Paul realizes that the soldiers former lives are all but distant memories. His maturing personality gives him the insight to see past the facade of war and expose it for what it truly is. Paul loses his innocence and childhood during the war; as a result, he becomes a man. When Paul and his companions encounter some French women, they exchange food for sexual intercourse. "We unwrap our parcels and hand them over to the women. Their eyes shine, it is obvious they are hungry"(148). Through this transaction, Paul uses the women as an outlet for his sexual urges. Shortly after this rendezvous, Paul receives a leave of absence; however, he finds it difficult to leave the war behind. "Speak to me - take me up - take me, Life of my Youth - you who are care-free, beautiful - receive me again - "(172). Paul can no longer conjure up the feelings of happiness which accompanied his youth, in essence his childhood is lost. The war has stripped Paul of his innocence and taken away everything that he treasured.

Intuition in A Jury of Her Peers Essay -- A Jury of Her Peers Essays

Intuition in A Jury of Her Peers      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though men and women are now recognized as generally equal in talent and intelligence, when Susan Glaspell wrote "A Jury of Her Peers" in 1917, it was not so. In this turn-of-the-century, rural midwestern setting, women were often barely educated and possessed virtually no political or economic power. And, being the "weaker sex," there was not much they could do about it. Relegated to home and hearth, women found themselves at the mercy of the more powerful men in their lives. Ironically, it is just this type of powerless existence, perhaps, that over the ages developed into a power with which women could baffle and frustrate their male counterparts: a sixth sense - an inborn trait commonly known as "women's intuition." In Glaspell's story, ironic situations contrast male and female intuition, illustrating that Minnie Wright is more fairly judged by "a jury of her peers."    "A Jury of Her Peers" first uses irony to illustrate the contrast between male and female intuition when the men go to the farmhouse looking for clues to the murder of John Wright, but it is the women who find them. In the Wright household, the men are searching for something out of the ordinary, an obvious indication that Minnie has been enraged or provoked into killing her husband. Their intuition does not tell them that their wives, because they are women, can help them gain insight into what has occurred between John and his wife. They bring Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters along merely to tend to the practical matters, considering them needlessly preoccupied with trivial things and even too unintelligent to make a contribution to the investigation, as Mr. Hale's derisive question reveals:... ...or her motivation; therefore, in hiding the bird, by their silence, they acquit Minnie Wright.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through the ironic situations in "A Jury of Her Peers," Glaspell clearly illustrates a world in which men and women vary greatly in their perception of things. She shows men as often superficial in the way they perceive the world, lacking the depth of intuition that women use as a means of self-preservation to see themselves and the world more clearly. Without the heightened perspective on life that this knowledge of human nature gives them, women might not stand a chance. Against the power and domination of men, they often find themselves as defenseless and vulnerable as Minnie's poor bird.    WORK CITED Glaspell, Susan. "A Jury of Her Peers." L~fted Masks and Other Works. Ed. Eric S. Rabkin. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan p, 1993.      

Air asia case study Essay

Awarding large government contracts to Bumiputra companies. 2. Requiring new listings on the Malaysia stock exchange to have an initial 30 per cent Bumiputra equity ownership. 3. The allocation of at least 30 per cent of government contracts for public and private works to Bumiputra contractors. 4. Requiring all private companies to offer employment opportunities to Bumiputras. 5. Ensuring that a minimum of 60 per cent of government procurements, contract work and other related projects be awarded to Bumiputra entrepreneurs. 6. Making government finance available for the exclusive use of Bumiputra business people. The Malaysian government claimed that the NEP fulfilled its goals since the nation was acknowledged as one of the ten fastest-growing economies in the world from 1970 to 1990, a period that coincided with the NEP’s implementation. This conclusion was in agreement with the research on Malaysian economic development3 conducted by the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) and Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Kuala Lumpur (ISIS Malaysia) (Snodgrass, 1996, p. 1). Despite this and the new policies that superseded the NEP since 1990, the affirmative action programme remains controversial. Indeed, many people believe that the NEP continues to define current government development policies in Malaysia. Critics of the NEP believe that the policy was only partially successful in, for example, reducing socio-economic disparity and encouraging the arrogance of Bumiputras (Anshar, 2008). Research by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affair4 (2005, p. xiii) was also critical about the alleged business restrictions that the NEP encouraged – it criticised that these were counterproductive and may even have thwarted the development of a vibrant and resilient business community. 3 The research looks into the Malaysian economic development from 1970 to 1990. Malaysia: An Economy Transformed (2005). This report on the Malaysian business environment prepared by The Economic Analytical Unit (formerly the East Asia Analytical Unit) is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is responsible for publishing reports analysing major trade and economic issues of relevance to Australia. The Entrepreneurial Tony Fernandes If the NEP was restrictive of non-Malay entrepreneurship, how was it possible that Fernandes, a non Bumiputra could emerge as the most celebrated entrepreneur in Malaysia? My research suggests that the NEP did not stifle entrepreneurship and that Fernandes is not the only successful non Bumiputra business person in Malaysia. This is a complex debate, and my doctoral thesis seeks to address it in greater detail. But in this paper I will outline some of the considerations that need to be taken into account in explaining how and why Fernandes rose to become one of Malaysia’s millionaires. Fernandes was born on 30th April 1964 into a family that had no prior knowledge or experience of business; his father was a physician from Goa (India) and his mother was a music teacher of Malaccan-Portuguese descent. In other words, Fernandes came from an Indian-Malaysian family of professionals; the new middle class that emerged in Malaysia from the 1960s. Like many other middle class families, the Fernandes had sufficient wealth to send Fernandes to study in England. Fernandes, at the age of 12, went to London in 1976 to study at Epsom College and attended the London School of Economics in which he graduated in 1987 with a degree in accounting (BusinessWeek, 2009). In total, he spent some 11 years in London, a painful separation from his parents who could not afford to pay for his flights back to Malaysia. It was this experience, according to Brown5 (2010) that gave him an insight into the benefits of perhaps developing cheap international carriers. However, at this stage his career path did not take him into the airline business. Upon graduation from the London School of Economics Fernandes took the normal route of working in accounting jobs. Fernandes worked briefly at Virgin Communications, a television division of the Virgin Group of companies. What did Fernandes learn from Virgin? 5 Kevin Brown is a journalist for the Financial Times. He was appointed Asia regional correspondent for the Financial Times in September 2009, based in Singapore. Prior to this role, he was Asia news editor. Previously, he was the personal finance editor of the Financial Times. The main benefit was the experience of working in a global company, acquiring insights into the running of an international business, and developing an impressive resume which worked in his favour in being appointed to the position of Senior Financial Analyst at Warner Music International6 in London. At Warner, Fernandes showed strong business acumen. He started in 1989 as Senior Financial Analyst, and by 2001, when he resigned from Warner, he was the Vice President, ASEAN region. Within 12 years at Warner he was promoted four times; that is on average he was promoted every three years. Fernandes’ time at Warner Music was significant because it was during this period that Fernandes matured and transformed himself from being a mere accountant into a strategist with an analytical mind. Commentators such as Ionides7 (2004) believed that Fernandes’ ability to think strategically, and understand his environment from a macro perspective, was the reason why Fernandes felt compelled not to be part of Warner’s ill-fated merger with America Online Inc in 2001. This incident was said to be the catalyst for Fernandes’ decision to switch careers after 12 years with Warner. A word of caution is needed: the early history of Fernandes’ emergence as an entrepreneur is based on the business press and journals. As part of my doctoral work I will be examining these issues in greater detail, and therefore reserve the right to correct the narrative as it currently stands. 6 Warner Music International is part of the Warner Music Group which is the third-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry. Warner Music Group also has a music publishing arm called Warner/Chappell Music, which is currently one of the world’s largest music-publishing companies.