AIDS Essays (2827 words) - HIVAIDS, , Term Papers

AIDS AIDS is a life and death issue. To have the AIDS disease is at present a senten,ce of slow but inevitable death. I've already lost one friend to AIDS. I may soon lose others. My own sexual behavior and that of many of my friends has been profoundly altered by it. In my part of the country, one man in 10 may already be carrying the AIDS virus. While the figures may currently be less in much of the rest of the country, this is changing rapidly. There curreently is neither a cure, nor even an effective treatment, and no vaccine either. But there are things that have been PROVEN immensely effevctive in slowing the spread of this hideously lethal disease. In this essay I hope to present this information. History and Overview: AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Defficiency Disease. It is caused by a virus. The disease origiunated somewhere in Africa about 20 years ago. There it first appeared as a mysterious ailment afflicting primarily heterosexuals of both sexes. It probably was spread especially fast by primarily female prostitutes there. AIDS has already become a crisis of STAGGERING proportions in parts of Africa. In Zaire, it is estimated that over twenty percent of the adults currently carry the virus. That figure is increasing. And what occurred there will, if no cure is found, most likely occur here among heteroosexual folks. AIDS was first seen as a dise.ase of gay males in this country. This was a result of the fact that gay males in this culture in the days before AIDS had an average of 200 to 400 new sexual contacts per year. This figure was much higher than common practice among heterosexual (straight) men or women. In addition, it turned out that rectal sex was a particularly effective way to transmit the disease, and rectal sex is a common practice among gay males. For these reasons, the disease spread in the gay male populsation of this country immensely more quickly than in other populations. It became to be thought of as a "gay disease". Because the disease is spread primarily by exposure of ones blood to infected blood or semen, I.V. drug addicts who shared needles also soon were identified as an affected group. As the AIDS epidemic began to affect increasingly large fractions of those two populations (gay males andd IV drug abusers), many of the rest of this society looked on smugly, for both populations tended to be despised by the "mainstream" of society here. But AIDS is also spread by heterosexual sex. In addition, it is spread by blood transfusions. New born babies can acquire the disease from infected mothers during pregnancy.more and more "mainstream" folks got the disease. Most recently, a member of congress died of the disease. Finally, even the national news media began to join in the task of educating the public to the notion that AIDS can affect everyone. Basic medical research began to provide a few bits of information, and some help. The virus causing the disease was isolated and identified. The AIDS virus turned out to be a very unusual sort of virus. Its genetic material was not DNA, but RNA. When it infected human cells, it had its RNA direct the synthesis of viral DNA. While RNA viruses are not that uncommon, very few RNA viruses reproduce by setting up the flow of information from RNA to DNA. Such reverse or "retro" flow of information does not occur at all in any DNA virus or any other living things. Hence, the virus was said to belong to the rare group of virues called "Retro Viruses". Research provided the means to test donated blood for the presence of the antibodies to the virus, astronomically reducing the chance of ones getting AIDS from a blood transfusion. This was one of the first real breakthroughs. The same discoveries that allowed us to make our blood bank blood supply far safer also allowed us to be able to tell (in most cases) whether one has been exposed to the AIDS virus using a simple blood test. The Types of AIDS Infection: When the AIDS virus gets into a person's body, the results can be broken down into three general types of situations: AIDS disease, ARC, and asymptomatic seropositive condition. The AIDS disease is characterized by having one's immune system devastated by the AIDS virus. One is said to have the *disease* if one contracts particular varieties (Pneumocystis, for example) of pneumonia, or one of several particular varieties of otherwise

The Wright Brothers Famous Quotes

The Wright Brothers Famous Quotes On December 17, 1903,  Orville Wright  and  Wilbur Wright  successfully tested a flying machine that took off with its own power, flew at even speeds, then landed safely without damage and started the era of human flight. The year before, the brothers tested out a number of aircraft, wing designs, gliders, and propellers in order to understand the complexities of aerodynamics and hopefully create a powered craft capable of prolonged flight. Throughout this process, Orville and Wilbur recorded many of their greatest quotes in the notebooks they kept and interviews they made at the time. From Orvilles thoughts on hope and living to both brothers interpretations of what they discovered during their experiments, the following quotes encapsulate the thrill the Wright brothers felt when creating, then flying, the first self-propelled airplane. Orville Wright on Dreams, Hope, and Life The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our  ancestors  who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through. The  airplane stays up  because it doesnt have the time to fall. No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris†¦[because] no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping. If birds can glide for long periods of time, then†¦ why cant I? If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance. We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate whatever aroused curiosity. Orville Wright on Their Flight Experiments In our gliding experiments, we had had a number of experiences in which we had landed upon one wing, but the crushing of the wing had absorbed the shock so that we were not uneasy about the motor in case of a landing of that kind. With all the knowledge and skill acquired in thousands of flights in the last ten years, I would hardly think today of making my first flight on a strange machine in a 27-mile wind, even if I knew that the machine had already been flown and was safe. Isnt it astonishing that all these secrets have been preserved for so many years just so we could discover them! The course of the flight up and down was exceedingly erratic, partly due to the irregularity of the air, and partly to lack of experience in handling this machine. The control of the front rudder was difficult on account of its being balanced too near the center. When the machine had been fastened with a wire to the  track so that it could not start until released by the operator, and the motor had been run to make sure that it was in condition, we tossed a coin to decide who should have the first trial. Wilbur won. With 12 horsepower  at our command, we considered that we could permit the weight of the machine with  an operator  to rise to 750 or 800 pounds, and still have as much surplus power as we had originally allowed for in the first estimate of 550 pounds. Wilbur Wright on Their Flying Experiments There is no sport equal to that which aviators enjoy while being carried through the air on great white wings. More than anything else the sensation is one of perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost if you can conceive of such a combination. I am an enthusiast, but not a crank in the sense that I have some pet theories as to the proper construction of a flying machine. I wish to avail myself of all that is already known and then, if possible, add my mite to help on the future worker who will attain final success. We could hardly wait to get up in the morning. I confess that in 1901, I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for 50 years. The fact that the great scientist believed in flying machines was the one thing that encouraged us to begin our studies. It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill. The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who...looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...on the infinite highway of the air. Men become wise just as they become rich, more by what they save than by what they receive.

Academic presonal statement Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic presonal - Personal Statement Example Even the global forces are demanding more from the agriculture industry. The high demand is due to the world’s growing population. The mixture of all the elements makes the subject more interesting, it is not limited and with time the demand and scope of the business also increases. There is much more to do in the field, as the demand for food is increasing over the years. This increase in demand has led to increase in the production of animal along with the production with animals the sources of food also needs to increased. An Animal Scientist takes both the subjects into account. It also focuses on an area where minimum focus is being given, everyone is more occupied with technology and that is why very few people in the world are working for the cause and I want to make a name in an area which could substantially contribute to the survival of the world. I am the right candidate for the study, not only because I have high interest in the field of subject but at the same time I have contributed much of my life in learning about the concepts. I have done my bachelors and masters in Animal Science. During my graduation I learned the concepts about the subject that I would be able to apply later in life if given the opportunity to do practical work. Along with my academic background I have also worked in the field with Alghabal Algharbi, in their head office of Animal production. Along with working at the department for research work I have also worked as a lecturer in the name university. I find it very interesting to work in the field of genetic improvement as using selection to improve animal production. Along with my interest in working in the field of animal science I am very much fond of studying the effect of feed activity on animal reproduction under different circumstances. Another area of my interest is using bio and mental fe ed additives to improve feed efficiency, digestion and metabolism and their

World Literature Phase 4 DB 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

World Literature Phase 4 DB 2 - Essay Example unchaste action, or dishonoured step,/That hath deprived me of your grace and favour;/But even for want of that for which I am richer,/A still-soliciting eye, and such a tongue/As I am glad I have not, though not to have it/Hath lost me in your liking†. In sharp contrast to this poetic statement is this coarse dialogue from King Lear in Act IV, Scene VI: And the creature run from the cur? There thou/mightst behold the great image of authority: a/dogs obeyed in office./Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand!/Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thine own back;/Thou hotly lustst to use her in that kind/For which thou whippst her. So, in short, Shakespeare is real. And it is in this sense of reality, the frankness of portrayal of human nature which can be lyrical at times, and rude and brutal at others, that Shakespeare has triumphed over time. Shakespeare’s themes are universal: they strike a chord in people of the twenty-first century, and interestingly, some or the other versions of King Lear, Regan, Goneril, Edmund and Cordelia exist in the modern times. For instance, there are many people in today’s capitalistic times, who like Edmund, strive to rise above their circumstances, "Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit; / All with mes meet that I can fashion fit", More importantly, Shakespeare does not make King Lear a morality play where the good get rewarded and the evil punished. While those that are evil meet with their deaths, the innocent die too: Lear, Gloucester and Cordelia die despite not having done much to deserve it. Shakespeare seems to say that evil is a part of human existence, and that the world is not a just place. Death takes those that are evil and those that are innocent with a grand indifference and seemingly without reason, a distinctly post- modern or existentialist way of looking at things. What is more, Shakespearean plots are well-structured and undiluted. Full of drama, vivid imagery and iridescent language, Shakespeare

The Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination Research Paper

The Impact of Prejudice and Discrimination - Research Paper Example prejudgment or wrong perceptions and a tendency to generalize everyone belonging to that particular group as having a personal trait, characteristic, behavior, or feature that is indicative of the minority group. People can sometimes be blind to the truth even if actual observation belies their mis-perceptions due to a consistent refusal to see that some people can be very different from what they make them out to be in real life. Slavery in America during its early years is a good example of how prejudice or discrimination can have long-lasting consequences if perpetrated by a larger group. Racism arising from ignorance, bias, prejudice, and discrimination results in exclusion of a minority group from the political, economic, and social spheres of society. Its effects usually are negative especially if racism is committed systematically and embedded in the psyche of the general population which in turn helps to perpetuate the wrong ideas and wrong perceptions of a minority group such that it becomes almost a permanent feature of a society, carried from one generation to the next generation. Its ill effects can be felt or seen in lower incomes for the group and exclusion from opportunities usually accorded to members of the general population. Biased treatment of minority groups also reflect badly on the whole society because it is indicative of its own intolerance and inflexibility towards other people who many not share the same beliefs. There were cases in the past in which discrimination was well documented because it was made official policy and there are also recent cases in which discrimination is not so blatant or overt but still results in the systematic exclusion of a minority group. All cases have negative impacts on the minority people discriminated against. It is the aim of this brief paper to discuss one event of discrimination and prejudice in the past and then discuss a more recent similar event in contemporary times. Both events (past and

Critical Self Assessment Reflective Essay Social Work Essay

Critical Self Assessment Reflective Essay Social Work Essay Self-assessment is always a challengeable task because people always attempt to conduct a self-assessment but they do not always succeed in this regard. The main reason for the failure of the self-assessment is the inadequate self-esteem or self-awareness. At the same time, it is necessary to conduct the self-assessment in order to define clearly the progress an individual has made in the course of his or her development and the identification of problems in the personal development along with goals of the further development. At any rate, while conducting my self-assessment, I focused on my current development both personal and professional, and, on the ground of this information, I attempted to define skills and areas which need consistent improvement and what I should work on. Initially, I supposed to conduct my self-assessment for myself. In fact, it was just interesting for me to know what a sort of person I am, how I assess and view myself and what I actually want to improve in my personality. However, on a profound reflection, I arrived to the idea that I need to share my self-assessment and I extended my target audience from myself to my peers and people interested in psychology because it is always interesting to get acquainted with oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s self-assessment to be able to avoid pitfalls of self-assessment made by others in the course of their self-assessment. Frankly speaking, I do not want to be didactic but still I just want to share my experience of self-assessment which may be useful to other people, especially my peers, who may have the same problems as I have. While conducting my self-assessment, I focused on my current personal and professional development mainly and, on the ground of my current development, I attempted to define what I really need to improve in myself and my development to become a better person. On analyzing my current development, I arrived to the conclusion that I have already reached positive outcomes in my personal and professional development. For instance, I have always been successful in my learning and my academic successes always encouraged me to carry on my professional development. At the same time, the more I learned the better I felt because I felt and still feel that my knowledge, my skills and abilities are very useful in my personal life. They contribute to my personal development, extend my eyesight and make me spiritually rich because my knowledge and experience are my personal wealth. At the same time, I would like to dwell upon skills and abilities I have already developed and which I consider to be very important in my life. For instance, my organizational skills are of the utmost importance for me but, as far as I remember, I always had problems with my organizational skills which stay a bit under-developed. At any rate, I cannot say that my regular life is well-organized. Naturally, I can do the routine actions I do day after day but sometimes I feel that I am running of time badly and I need more time to do everything I want and I have to do. I do not have a schedule of to dos for every day, although I attempt to plan my actions. For instance, when I have vacations I plan how I am going to spend my vacation and basically I fulfill my plans successfully. On the other hand, in my daily life, I face some problems with the organization of my working day because I can have an unexpected encounter with a friend of mine that may take a lot of time. As a result, I ma y fail to do something important I have planned at the beginning of the day. Furthermore, my organizational skills often into clashes with my leadership ambitions because, as I fail to organize effectively my own work or learning, for instance, than I cannot always organize a work of a group or team. As a result, my leadership ambitions cannot be implemented because people I want to lead are not confident in my ability to lead them. Nevertheless, I was always concerned with being the first, being the leader. In such a situation, I attempt to compensate my lack of organizational skills by my communication skills. I have a lot of friends and I do like the communication with interesting people. I have a few, if any, problems in the communication with any person. I can start communication easily and I make a lot of friends. In this regard, my high self-awareness and self-esteem may be factors which help me to communicate and lead people. frankly speaking, a feel being a bit too self-assured but this quality helps me a lot in my life, although sometimes it provokes conflicts with some people. On analyzing my current development, I focused on my target development. Taking into consideration the drawbacks I have identified in the course of self-assessment, I would like to focus on the improvement of organizational and leadership skills. In fact, I have to learn to organize and plan my daily life carefully because I believe this will help me to realize my full potential and to become a true leader. The latter is very important for me because I do need to be a leader, who guides people and help them to reach their goals, while working in a team. In this regard, the development of social relations may be very helpful. At any rate, I have good communication skills and I can develop social relations effectively but I believe that I need to change the direction in which I develop my social relations. What I mean is that, at the moment, I develop my social relations for pleasure, to make friends, to spend a good time, and so on. Now, I believe it is a high time to change my life a little bit. In actuality, I need to feel being useful to my community. In this regard, I would like to do some volunteer job to develop my organizational and leadership skills. In addition, I will learn how to be helpful and useful to other people. Thus, I believe that my self-assessment can be helpful to those people, who are interested in psychology and who attempt to conduct their own self-assessment. I attempted to be as sincere and critical as possible. I identified my drawbacks as well as positive traits of character. Naturally, I understand that I may be subjective but people, who read my self-assessment, can identify strong and weak points in my self-assessment and avoid those weak points in their own self-assessment.

Rip Van Winkle and the American Dream Essay -- Rip Van Winkle Essays

In Rip Van Winkle, Irving shows his doubts in the American Identity and the American dream. After the Revolutionary war, America was trying to develop its own course. They were free to govern their own course of development; however, some of them had an air of uncertainties on their own identity in this new country. Irving was born among this generation in the newly created United States of America, and also felt uncertainty about the American identity. Irving might be the writer that is the least positive about being an American. The main reason for this uncertainty is the new born American has no history and tradition while the Europe has a great one accumulated for thousands of years. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, Irving borrows an old European tale to make it take place in America. This tale related to the Dutch colonists haunts the kaatskill mountains. In order to highlight the American identity, Irving praises the â€Å"majestic† mountains which Europe lacks . He describes the mountains that â€Å"their summits†¦will glow and light up like a crown of glory† Nevertheless, the use of these ancient explorers into Rip Van Winkle only to show that although American has formed its own identity, no one can cut its connection with Europe. No wonder when America was still under tyranny of the British rule, some people still cannot cut the blood relationship with Europe. Therefore, the American identity is blurred by their relationship with Europe since then. Rip doesn’t cha...