Drug Addiction in Bangladesh Essay

Drug addiction is not a recent problem in Bangladesh. But it has been rising. In recent years Drug Addiction has significantly increased in Bangladesh. This agent of human devastation has spread its tentacles worldwide and also in our country. Every intelligent and humane person in the world society and international organizations such as the UN and WHO are alarmed by the present rate of addiction. Nowadays nearly ten per cent of outpatients in our hospitals are cases of drug addiction involving heroin, ganja and phensidyl. These are generally youths and young men between 15-30 years of age and come from all strata of the society. But there are adolescents below 15 years of age and men and women over 30. Hospital surveys show that average age of drug addicts is 22. The addicts are students, professionals, businessmen, laborers, rickshpullers and from other professions. Students are the most affected and drugs have caused deterioration in standards of education and students have also given up going to schools and colleges. Even university’s professors are getting addicted recently. These addicts are turning to various criminal activities, in order to procure drugs. What are Drugs? World Health Organization (WHO) defines Drug; Drug is a chemical substance of synthetic, semi synthetic or natural origin intended for diagnostic, therapeutic or palliative use or for modifying physiological functions of man and animal. Drug impacts directly influence the economic and social aspects of a country and physically to a human body. What is drug addiction? The word addiction means getting habituated with something. In case of drugs when a human body gets dependent on some stimulating things, and after a certain period it creates a habit which means that the body has become dependent on the stimulant which is addiction. World Health Organization (WHO) defines it: Drug is a chemical substance of synthetic, semi synthetic or natural origin intended for diagnostic, therapeutic or palliative use or for modifying physiological functions of man and animal. Figure: drug addiction DIFFERENT STAGES OF ADDICTION: A drug abuser can undergo different stages of tasting apart from normal lifestyle. Drug abuse can decay normal human senses through deep feelings. It creates different types of excitement both in the body and mind. Finally, it makes a person passionate to drugs. In the long run the user has to increase the dose day by day. Addiction has some stages. a) Initial stage b) Pre-mature stage c) Mature stage and d) Dangerous stage a) Initial stage (starting): This is the first stage of drug addiction. At first, a person starts to take drug without concerning his body. At the early stage he takes it just normally, and gets the ordinary happiness, which makes him feel better. Sometimes, he wants to touch heavenly excitement and dreams himself as a floating constituent in the sky. This is the first stage of drug abusing. Amateurs are in this group. They take drug once or twice a week with their friends or seniors in their locality, who are already addicted. He collects it and processes it to take. b) Pre-mature stage (the real test of drug): In this stage, drugs become a habit, and the abuser wants more. Feeling better s/he tries to increase the dosage drugs. It is taken at least 4-5 times a week. This is the primary stage for abusers in becoming addicted. At the initial stage they can easily manage or collect the money for purchasing. They collect money from their family, and sometimes from other sources. They take drugs with their friends. After a few days they need to take more and become dependent on it both mentally and physically. The sudden need for excess money, involves them in criminal acts like hijacking, and they feel thrilled to do it. c) Mature stage: After the pre-mature stage abusers become seriously addicted. They have to take it every day, after a certain period. In maximum of cases it is taken from evening to night time. For that, they are busy all day long in collecting the expenditure of drug. They need much more money for it and sometimes they turn against the law. Many discontinue their education after failing to concentrate on any kind of discipline. They forget social protocol, always remain bad tempered and feel they are always in the right. They do not want to hear any advice and count themselves as very aware and competent. Sometimes they feel frustrated and even lose the will to live. e) Decaying stage: After mature stage most of the abusers stay on the verge of decaying. It means gradually their lives crumble. They can realize, how imbalanced they are. They lose taste for food. At this stage they become fully dependent on drug, gradually after a few hours they have to take it, otherwise their body system stops. In that situation the abuser loses human characteristics and behaves like a monster. They have no sense to evaluate good or bad, to enjoy anything, they lose interest in normal male/female yeamings. And finally one day they fully surrender to drugs, which lead them to their graves.

Of Truth by Francis Bacon and A Short Analysis Essay

What is truth? said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for an answer. Certainly there be, that delight in giddiness, and count it a bondage to fix a belief; affecting1 free-will in thinking, as well as in acting. And though the sects of philosophers of that kind2 be gone, yet there remain certain discoursing3 wits, which are of the same veins, though there be not so much blood in them, as was in those of the ancients. But it is not only the difficulty and labor, which men take in finding out of truth, nor again, that when it is found, it imposeth upon4 men’s thoughts, that doth bring lies in favor; but a natural though corrupt love, of the lie itself. One of the later school5 of the Grecians, examineth the matter, and is at a stand, to think what should be in it, that men should love lies; where neither they make for pleasure, as with poets, nor for advantage, as with the merchant; but for the lie’s sake. But I cannot tell; this same truth, is a naked, and open day-light, that doth not show the masks, and mummeries, and triumphs, of the world, half so stately and daintily as candle-lights. Truth may perhaps come to the price of a pearl, that showeth best by day; but it will not rise to the price of a diamond, or carbuncle, that showeth best in varied lights. A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure. Doth any man doubt, that if there were taken out of men’s minds, vain opinions, flattering hopes, false valuations, imaginations as one would, and the like, but it would leave the minds, of a number of men, poor shrunken things, full of melancholy and indisposition, and unpleasing to themselves? One of the fathers, in great severity, called poesy vinum doemonum, because it filleth the imagination; and yet, it is but with the shadow of a lie. But it is not the lie that passeth through the mind, but the lie that sinketh in, and settleth in it, that doth the hurt; such as we spake of before. But, howsoever these things are thus in men’s depraved judgments, and affections, yet truth, which only doth judge itself, teacheth that the inquiry of truth, which is the love-making, or wooing of it, the knowledge of truth, which is the presence of it, and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it, is the sovereign good of human nature. The first creature of God, in the works of the days, was the light of the sense; the last, was the light of reason; and his sabbath work ever since, is the illumination of his Spirit. First he breathed light, upon the face of the matter or chaos; then he breathed light, into the face of man; and still he breatheth and inspireth light, into the face of his chosen. The poet6, that beautified the sect7, that was otherwise inferior to the rest, saith yet excellently well: It is a pleasure, to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tossed upon the sea; a pleasure, to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle, and the adventures thereof below: but no pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth (a hill not to be commanded, and where the air is always clear and serene), and to see the errors, and wanderings, and mists, and tempests, in the vale below; so always that this prospect be with pity, and not with swelling, or pride. Certainly, it is heaven upon earth, to have a man’s mind move in charity, rest in providence, and turn upon the poles of truth. To pass from theological, and philosophical truth, to the truth of civil business; it will be acknowledged, even by those that practise it not, that clear, and round dealing, is the honor of man’s nature; and that mixture of falsehoods, is like alloy in coin of gold and silver, which may make the metal work the better, but it embaseth it. For these winding, and crooked courses, are the goings of the serpent; which goeth basely upon the belly, and not upon the feet. There is no vice, that doth so cover a man with shame, as to be found false and perfidious. And therefore Montaigne saith prettily, when he inquired the reason, why the word of the lie should be such a disgrace, and such an odious charge? Saith he, If it be well weighed, to say that a man lieth, is as much to say, as that he is brave towards God, and a coward towards men. For a lie faces God, and shrinks from man. Surely the wickedness of falsehood, and breach of faith, cannot possibly be so highly expressed, as in that it shall be the last peal, to call the judgments of God upon the generations of men; it being foretold, that when Christ cometh, he shall not find faith upon the earth. Note 1. Loving. Note 2. The Skeptics Note 3. Latin, windy and rambling Note 4. Restricts Note 5. Lucian. Note 6. Lucretius Note 7. Epicureans. Analysis As a pragmatic and as an empirical thinker Bacon subscribed to the fundamental Renaissance ideals—Sepantia (search for knowledge) and Eloquentia (the art of rhetoric). Here in the essay Of Truth he supplements his search for truth by going back to the theories of the classical thinkers and also by taking out analogies from everyday life. It is to be noted here that his explication of the theme is impassioned and he succeeds in providing almost neutral judgements on the matter. Again, it is seen that Bacon’s last essays, though written in the same aphoristic manner, stylistically are different in that he supplied more analogies and examples to support or explain his arguments. As this essay belongs to the latter group, we find ample analogies and examples. Bacon, while explaining the reasons as to why people evade truth, talks of the Greek philosophical school of sceptics, set up by Pyrro. Those philosophers would question the validity of truth and constantly change thei r opinions. Bacon says that now people are like those philosophers with the important difference that they lack their force and tenacity of argument. He says that like him the Greek philosopher Lucian was equally puzzled at the fact that people are more attracted to lies and are averse to truth. Bacon is surprised by the fact that people are loathed to find out or even acknowledge truth in life. It seems to him that this is an innate human tendency to do so. He finds evidence in support of his arguments in the behaviour of the ancient Greek sceptics who used to question the validity of truth and would have no fixed beliefs. Bacon thinks that people behave like those philosophers. But he understands that they lack their strength of arguments. He then finds the Greek philosopher Lucian, while considering the matter, was equally baffled. Lucian investigated and found that poets like lies because those provides pleasure, and that businessmen have to tell lies for making profit. But he could not come to a definite conclusion as to why people should love lies. Bacon says that men love falsehood because truth is like the bright light of the day and would show up pomp and splendour of human life for what they are. They look attractive and colourful in the dim light of lies. Men prefer to cherish illusions, which make life more interesting. Bacon here gives an interesting analogy of truth and falsehood. He says that the value of truth is like that of a pearl, which shines best in the day-light, while a lie is like a diamond or carbuncle, which shines best producing varied rays in dim light of candles. He comes to the conclusion that people love falsehood because it produces imaginary pleasure about life. Bacon also examines the statement of one of the early Church authorities, which severely condemned poetry as the wine of the devils. Bacon here shows that even the highest art of man—poetry, is composed of lies. He seems to have compounded the two statements made by two early Christian thinkers. He agrees with St Augustine who criticized poetry as â€Å"the wine of error†, and with Hironymous, who condemned poetry as â€Å"the food of demons†. The equation is that, since the devil or Satan works by falsehood, lies are its food. Poetry tends to be Satanic because it resorts to falsehood while producing artistic pleasure. Bacon, however, makes a distinction here between poetic untruth and fascination with falsehood in everyday life. He thinks that poetic untruth is not harmful, as it does not leave lasting impressions on the mind and character of a person. On the other hand, the lies, which are embedded in the mind and control and regulate every thought and action of a person, are harmful. Bacon refers to the Epicurean doctrine of pleasure, beautifully expressed by the famous poet of that school, Lucretius, who considered the realization of truth to be the highest pleasure of life. Bacon says that the value of truth is understood by those who have experienced it. The inquiry, knowledge and the belief of truth are the highest achievements that human beings can pursue. He amplifies the matter by giving an analogy from the Bible. According to him, God created the light of the senses first so that men could see the world around them. The last thing he created, according to him, was the light of reason, that is, the rational faculty. Bacon here interestingly comments that, since he finished the work of Creation, God has been diffusing the light of His spirit in mankind. He supports his argument by referring to the Epicurean theory of pleasure beautifully expressed by Lucretius who held that there is no greater pleasure than that given by the realization of truth. The summit of truth cannot be conquered and there is tranquillity on this peak from which one can survey the errors and follies of men as they go through their trials; but this survey should not fill the watcher with pity and not with pride. The essence of heavenly life on this earth lies in the constant love of charity, an unshakable trust in God, and steady allegiance to truth. At the concluding section of the essay Bacon explains the value of truth in civil affairs of life. He is conscious of the fact that civil life goes on with both truth and falsehood. He feels that the mixture of falsehood with truth may sometimes turn out to be profitable. But it shows the inferiority of the man who entertains it. This is, he says, like the composition of an alloy, which is stronger but inferior in purity. He then compares this kind of way of life to that of a serpent, which is a symbol of Satan itself. Bacon finds a striking similarity between the crooked and mean devices adopted by people and the zigzag movements of a serpent. To clarify his point more clearly, Bacon quotes Montaigne who said that a man, who tells lies, is afraid of his fellow men but is unafraid of God who is all perceiving. Bacon concludes his arguments by saying that falsehood is the height of wickedness, and such that it will invite the wrath of God on Doomsday. Read more: http://www.motarjemonline.com/forum/showthread.php?894-Of-Truth-by-Francis-Bacon-and-A-Short-Analysis&langid=1#ixzz2Io3rEf00 Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial

Are Social Networking Sites Harmful or Safe Research Paper

Are Social Networking Sites Harmful or Safe - Research Paper Example 2. Social Networking Sites Safe or Not? McDowell and Morda included alarming statistics that highlight the level of integration of social networking sites; there are around 500 million users on Facebook and more than 100 million users on MySpace around the globe (1). The accumulation of such an extravagant population of the world on centralized platforms has brought about numerous issues related to privacy and security of the social networking users. The presence of such an extensive population of the world includes all types of users, such as criminals, hackers etc. Earlier, internet users were sensitive about the safeguarding of their information and details about their lives, however, the advent of social networking sites has brought about a sudden trend resulting in influx of personal information and news about one’s daily lives on the respective platforms. Users generally follow the on-going trend and post details about their routines and lives on such sites while being u nconscious of the possible consequences of such conduct. Livingstone and David stated teenagers tend to reveal their personal information more than others since 49% of the teenagers in US disclose their school names and 29% provide their email addresses (6). McDowell and Morda stated that even information about upcoming trips, children’s school information and names can give the malicious intent users information that might prove to harm the users and bring about dangerous instances for them, for example, robbery, kidnapping etc (3). Some may argue that social networking sites can prove to be safer and dangerous instances can be avoided if personal details of such nature are not shared on the platform. However, McDowell and Morda stated that the privacy of an individual is even threatened when others post information regarding others, intentionally or unintentionally, and also that such posting is beyond the control of any individual (3). Livingstone and Brake included figure s regarding the degree of inclusion of youngsters on social networking sites and revealed that almost half of the youngsters in UK between the ages of 8 and 17 possess a social networking profile (2). Similar figures have been recorded for USA as well. The presence of such fragile and young minds on social networking sites is not safe since the content on these platforms may be inappropriate for the young viewers. Livingstone and Brake also revealed that 57% of youngsters had been exposed to pornography and 31% of them had seen violent content on social networking sites (5). Alongside the exposure to inappropriate content, social networking sites have given newer platforms for bullying their peers. Livingstone and Brake included results from a survey that included 12-17 year old participants in the survey. The survey revealed that children were being bullied almost as much online as their real lives since 72% children were being bullied online and 85% were being bullied in school (6 ). It is argued that cyber bulling on social networking sites is not as bad as it has been portrayed since it is only a verbal attack on the victim, rather than a physical one (â€Å"

User experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

User experience - Essay Example In order to evaluate the website, a range of the users is selected from the targeted audience and assigned particular tasks to evaluate the scrupulous and diverse characteristics of the website. Moreover, in order to get information regarding the experiences of the users while using the website, the users are given a website usability form to be filled so that the website of the Phone4u can be evaluated. After looking at every element of the interaction and usability factors and based on the results of the evaluation, suggestions and recommendations are made (Cornell University Library, 2012). The recommendations would be presented to the company for improving several aspects of the website to reach the targeted audience, trust development on the visitors and customers, moreover, guidance to increase the web traffic (Dumas, 2008, p37). The usability test is one of the essential steps in the evaluation of the user’s likeness and dislike-ness while using the Phone4u’s website. This will require acquisition of user opinions and to present an analysis of the information to guide the decision on the areas of improvement. Since most of the features are observable qualitative attributes, this study will have to convert them into quantitative variables for ease of data analysis. Changes are good in order to improve the website, however, at the same time it is important to consider the fact that some users do not welcome changes so easily and may prefer to remain in the previous version of the website rather than the new one with improved features (Kendall & Kendall 2011, p58). The evaluation will lead to the decision making for the new version of the website based on the information from user response. The statistics will be gathered as comments from the selected users. The participants’ views reflect the present trend and

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

Colonisism - Essay Example Colonism always takes place because of the colonising nation feels that it can exploit various benefits out of the colonial territory. For e-g British Empire in 1800s took control of the Indian Subcontinent via colonism because of the world famous spices that India was producing and because of their famous silk cloth. If they would have not done this, India would have become a richer and much powerful state than the British themselves. So, Britishers exploited India by taking these resources under their own control and then exporting them to other parts of the world earning huge amounts. Similarly, all other colonies we formed because the colonising nation felt the gains they could exploit by setting up their bases in those areas. Whether these gains be economic, political, social or whatever they be , all colonies were formed because of the incentive that were present there for the colonising nations. To use cheap labour of the country to maximise efficiency and gain. For e-g Indian soldiers were not only used to protect India but during World War 2, Britishers sent them on war front representing The British Empire. To create link with countries that borders with the colonised nation. For e-g When Britishers took over Indian sub-continent, they created links with Afghanistan and China. By these links they were able to create their own influence in Afghanistan and were near colonizing Afghanistan too. To develop trade links with neighboring countries and increasing foreign trade with them this will earn revenue. To use the natural resources of the colonized countries. For some countries are better suited for agriculture than others. Some are richer in natural resources such as oil. By having these countries under your banner, you own their resources as well. Hence, colonism leads to free use of such resources. By using the infrastructural links that a colony has with its neighboring countries it can use these infrastructural facilities for their own purpose. For e-g Indian Subcontinent had good road networks with Afghanistan. Now whenever Britain wanted to export anything to Afghanistan, instead of using expensive ports and port taxes and other duties, they simply used these road networks as a mean to have their goods delivered to Afghanistan. Apart from natural resources, skills and aptitudes of local population will be exploited by the colonizing nation. In the end, one can say that this colonism reaps a lot of benefits to the colonizing country. These can be political, social or economic. From an ethical point of view colonism is never justified. But the wealth that it brings to the colonizing nation is enormous and also the economic incentives are massive. So, these countries never look at ethical point of view but work towards their own interest which everyone in the world has the right to

Corporate social responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate social responsibility - Essay Example al, 2005). Activities of Corporately Socially Responsible (CSR) Firms: Coca cola international claims itself as a socially responsible multinational firm. It is currently operating in dozens of countries while honoring its commitment of being CSR efficient. As a sure sign of success not only has it been able to capture and sustain a remarkable 49% of market share in beverage market around the world , rather the increasing revenues have consistently shown a better picture throughout (Cokecsr, 2011). Following are the activities claimed by coca cola as their Corporate Social Responsibilities. Energy Efficiency and Climate Concerns: The Company claims at reducing the carbon emissions throughout the value chain and making their processes more energy efficient (cokecsr, 2011). Emissions of harmful materials are carefully managed. Water Stewardship: Water consumption for running the operations is strictly need based; there is no excessive usage or wastage of drinking water. Water sustainab ility is ensured during operations at coke plants; what is consumed is returned to the environment (cokecsr, 2011). ... Community, Health and Employee Safety: The corporate makes significant investments to ensure a protected community, improved health and employee welfare; enabling the company to sustain its remarkable position as a world leader in beverage market (cokecsr, 2011). Factors to Enhance CSR Image: Companies employ different tactics to improve their CSR image in the eyes of their consumers, it is because they are highly concerned with the social needs of their consumers. The augmented exposure of customers to environment and social issues and crisis is a huge potential threat for large companies. To resolve these supposed threats from customers, large companies take specific initiatives. The basic purpose is to create a higher degree of customer satisfaction. If the society is growing, the environment is protected and people are healthy then it is quite certain that the customers will be satisfied. Media marketing or advertisements are the main aid to generalize the community about corpora te social responsibilities. The investments which a company makes in a community are the ones that really reap the benefits for the company in the longer run. It may include educational investments, health care initiatives and eliminating social evils from the society (Armstrong, 1977). Every company, that employs a CSR policy, publishes an annual report which covers the yearly operations, initiatives and achievements of the company (ckecsr, 2011). This coverage provides a complete picture of how the firm’s projects have turned out. For instance, if investments have been made in long term projects which are beneficial for the firm’s associations; this will create

The glass menagerie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The glass menagerie - Essay Example Tom the narrator regards his mother with compassion; which he was unable to express when he lived under the roof. This variation in the play is the slow deviation from the truthfulness of reality. In the play the narrator presents Amanda not as the villain but as a lonely woman caught up in a helpless situation, as a woman whose good intentions are not appreciated by anybody. As the narrator Tom is also an emissary from the outside world. He sees and narrates the ills of the society in conflict. The narrator views the plight of the family against the larger background of the ills of the society at his time. The ills of the microcosmic family are viewed by the narrator as the outcome of the ills of the microcosmic society. Tom the narrator has come to see that the Wingfeild family is not the only family lost in illusion. The whole American society is viewed by the narrator as taking refugee from such unpleasant realities as the depression, the on-coming war, the pettiness of the life of the individual etc. Tom the character essentially concerned with himself. He sees the outside world as a quest for freedom with an atmosphere of limitless possibilities. As Bigsby says â€Å" he has fallen in love with long distance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Bigsby 38) But Tom the narrator is wiser. He can see the sufferings of the Wingfeld family as being part of vaster social malady. Tennessee Williams in the Glass Menagerie has ordered his vision in a clear schematic design. In the opening moments of the play Tom the poet figure, speak to the audience of of the conventions –â€Å"Being a memory play it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic â€Å". When he refers to the gentle man caller he says â€Å"He is the most realistic character in the play being an emissary from a world of reality that we were somehow set apart from. But since I have poet’s weakness for symbols, I am using this character also as a symbol†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The glass menagerie is a s ynthetic image â€Å"an illusion projected by an imaginary camera eye, turned inward upon the self and backyard upon the memory†. Williams collates several images of past from the fragments of shattered consciousness and in short the play represents a recapitulation of the poetic journey of Tom. Tom’s final speech in the play summarizes his grasp of universal truth ‘ I did not go the moon, I went much further – for time is the longest distance two places †¦for now a days the world is lit by lightening†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There is very little action in the play and there is no pattern of casual development in Tom’s vision. Thus the glass Menagerie is a memory play both in approach and content. Tom himself says that the drama lack realism but more symbolic in nature. The narrator’s memory is so clear that he can overt events with more flexibility. The role of Tom is double as the recollection of a narrator and also as the character who acts with in the limits of recollections. Thus he is able to depict the tension between objectively presented dramatic truth and the truth presented through memory. Tom successfully do this by sometimes addressing the audience and sometimes presenting himself as an actor with the necessary emotions . This double role sometimes confuses the audience. Since the play is autobiographical we can notice the similarity between the playwright and his memories about his own youth. Who was Tom or what was his opinions about his poetry or his readings, are unknown to the audience. But Tom’

Information Sensitivity and Protection of Data Essay - 5

Information Sensitivity and Protection of Data - Essay Example ael Deaconess Medical Center uses in handling sensitive data, as appearing in Managing Information Privacy & Security: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Technology Resources Policy (2007) are against the following: Access to vital information is a key concern by these organizations. There are policies put in place that emphasize of access of information to authorized personnel only. In most cases, there are access control measures allowing specific personnel access to them. Hacking or breaking into somewhere are means of accessing information illegally, leading to further means of access control such as power switches and anti-hacking software. Disclosure of crucial information is critical in healthcare. It may have serious consequences on the patient or their relatives (Herdman, 2006). It is therefore wise to keep it as discreet as possible. In large firms with different departments, restricting disclosure to the less involved ones is a possible way of curbing disclosure. There are also restrictions of unauthorized disclosure of institutional information beyond it, mostly by export through electronic means. The issue of data alteration is a key concerning the three organizations. Altering data interferes with crucial conclusions or actions of healthcare institutions (Iyer, Levin, Shea & Ashton, 2006). Alteration occurs intentionally by malicious staff and is preventable by having monitoring systems such as CCTV cameras in safe rooms. Accidental alterations occur in some cases such as virus attacks on databases, leading to restriction of digital uses that may expose information to such. Destruction of data is likely to occur in any organization in form of crises such as fire, system failure, or virus attacks. Luckily, these are preventable by having fire-fighting equipment, computer back up systems and proper anti-virus software, or in the case of electronic data loss, data recovery mechanisms are available. It is evident that most of the policies applied in data

Comparing Bullets Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparing Bullets - Research Paper Example This can reveal the make of the bullet and what the bullet hit. It can also reveal the velocity of the bullet which can provide information on the type and power of the gun used. Additionally, the shape of the bullet can show the distance from which it was shot. Was the crime committed up close, or from across the street? Striations or other marks can indicate the type of weapon used in the commission of the crime. One possible defence at a criminal trial would be to suggest to the examiner that the bullet in question is a very popular one. Some bullets are manufactured in the hundreds of millions. They may not be as much of a signature as an examiner suggests. Some bullets are very common. It can be hard to trace them back to any particular gun. Examiners should generally be cautious about reading too much into a found bullet. It is unlikely to provide a complete blueprint to the

Law Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law Questions - Essay Example The International Terrorism Act of 1990 2. The Patriots Act 3. The UN Convention on International Terrorism 3 There are various definitions attached to terrorism. The United Nations, the Arab Convention and the European Convention all give divergent definitions to the term ‘terrorism’. The UN’s definition to terrorism is more descriptive of the acts that may be cited as terrorism acts. It adopts a broad description of acts that may be interpreted to be acts of terrorism by its members. This includes unlawful actions, including against civilians, carried out with an intention of causing serious bodily harm or the taking of hostages to induce a state of terror to the public. It therefore offers a broad definition to the term that allows other criminal acts against the state or citizens, which have not yet been classified as terrorist acts, to be categorized as terrorist acts. The Arab Convention on the other hand adopts a more liberal definition to terrorism. It def ines terrorism to encompass not only acts, but also threat of criminal action against the state or citizens of a given country. The convention also recognizes that terrorist threats may also be directed to the environment in an attempt to jeopardize national resources. The European convention adopts an imprecise definition to terrorism. ... 4 The yunis case amplifies America’s renewed efforts to curb international terrorism by employing the new antiterrorism laws. The case demonstrated the acceptance of recent international law principles of extraterritorial jurisdiction that give room for the prosecution of terrorists in US soil. It encompasses the international law principle that terrorism is an act condemned internationally and as such, terrorist suspects can be prosecuted in any national jurisdiction of the world. The Noriega case illustrated the application of domestic criminal laws universally to prosecute criminal activities committed outside the United States. The court relied on the international law principle of extended territorial jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed outside the US national borders, whose effects had far-reaching consequences on American soil. The Yousef case illustrated the use of extraterritorial jurisdiction to prosecute the accused with charges of terrorism and conspiracy to commit criminal and terrorist acts within the territory of the United States. All the aforementioned cases are regarded as progressive cases as they form a future model for prosecuting terrorists within the US territory. They further show the expanded use of both the domestic law and international law to combat efficiently the threat of terrorism in America. 5 The Moussaoui case is important because it illustrates the success of the criminal justice system in trying and convicting suspected terrorists. It also shows that the best way to follow in promoting national security is reaffirmation of the values of the justice system. Moussaui wanted to review his confession to which the prosecution was opposed to such

The Pre-Socratic Tradition and Socratic Philosophy Essay Example for Free

The Pre-Socratic Tradition and Socratic Philosophy Essay Socrates was one of the most relevant figures in philosophy. His influence in this field of discipline was so extensive that every philosopher who came after him followed in his footsteps. Though the history of philosophy considers Socrates as a central figure, there were lesser known but equally important philosophers who came before him. These individuals are known as Pre-Socratic philosophers. Now the philosophy before the time of Socrates and the philosophy that Socrates influenced shared similarities and differences. This essay seeks to discuss what makes these philosophies alike and what sets them apart. What was the pre-Socratic tradition all about? What was its subject matter? To properly describe the pre-Socratic tradition, there are several themes to consider. First, this tradition deviates from mythology and religion (Soccio 62). During the Greek civilization, the knowledge of the people was founded on either mythology or religion. The answers to their inquiries were provided for them by the stories of gods and goddesses. Pre-Socratic tradition relies on neither mythology nor religion. Second, its main preoccupations are nature and the world (Soccio 63-64). The thinkers before the time of Socrates were not satisfied with what was already established about how nature was or how the world worked. Instead, they posed their own questions on the workings of nature and the universe. Third, the pre-Socratic tradition used reason in their explanations behind the ways of nature and the world (Soccio 64). Prior to the emergence of these thinkers, the only explanations available were those which were mythological or religious in nature. As was earlier stated, the pre-Socratic tradition deviated from mythology and religion. This deviation is due to the preference for rational investigation. The pre-Socratic thinkers attempted to verify their views with reason (Soccio 64). These three themes define what the pre-Socratic tradition was about. There were many thinkers who were part of the pre-Socratic tradition. Three of these thinkers were Thales, Heraclitus and Anaxagoras (Soccio 64). All three pre-Socratics were preoccupied with discovering the ways of the world with the use of reason rather than mythology and religion. Thales was the first significant pre-Socratic thinker in history. He upheld the belief that water was the element behind all things. For Thales, every single thing in the world was created with water. He simplified the complex workings of the world into a single substance—water (Soccio 65). The conclusion that Thales had arrived at was not based on religious speculation or mythological presumptions. Instead, he created a rational explanation for what he observed in nature (Soccio 65). Just like Thales, Heraclitus also inquired about the world and the element which kept it together. If Thales believed it was water, Heraclitus thought it was â€Å"Logos† (Soccio 67). â€Å"Logos† is not actually an element per se; it was more of a principle. The word â€Å"Logos† itself has several meanings, but Heraclitus affirmed that it is the law which maintains everything and is contained in everything (Soccio 68). The Heraclitean â€Å"Logos† is the one responsible for the world order (Soccio 68). Lastly, Anaxagoras continues the tradition of the two aforementioned thinkers by proceeding with the inquiry about the cosmos. If Heraclitus believed that it was ‘Logos† which dictated the order of the world, for Anaxagoras it was â€Å"Nous† (Soccio 73). â€Å"Nous† is not an element, principle or process. It is defined as the Mind which sets the pattern of the universe. This â€Å"Nous† influences the things of the world without being contained in them (Soccio 73). The pre-Socratic tradition is different from Socratic philosophy. It is through the differences between the two in which Socratic philosophy can be defined. The pre-Socratics were interested on cosmology—the causes behind the workings of the world (Soccio 63). They investigated on nature and the world. Meanwhile, Socratic philosophy is not limited to cosmology. Socrates himself did not write anything, and his teachings were only reflected through the works of other thinkers (King 23). One of those thinkers, and the most influential Socratic philosopher, was Plato. Socratic philosophy is interested in a wide range of philosophical disciplines, which include epistemology, ethics and metaphysics (King 24). The metaphysical influence of Socrates is evident in Plato’s theory of Forms (Kraut). Another difference between the pre-Socratic tradition and Socratic philosophy is approach. Pre-Socratic thinkers did not have a specific approach to philosophy. Initially, they were more concerned with subject matter rather than method (Soccio 63). On the contrary, Socrates is recognized for his approach or method. It was Socrates who started the process of cross-examination or elenchus; this is popularly known as the Socratic Method (King 23). This process does not impart knowledge; it includes a system of questions which soon reveal what a person really knows. Plato followed this method, as most of his works were dialogues which feature Socrates (King 24). Just like Socrates, Plato believes that knowledge is not acquired, but simply recollected (King 24). The pre-Socratic thinkers and the Socratics also share similarities. For instance, how do these people count as philosophers? The answer is the same for both. They are philosophers because they were dedicated to seek the answers for questions about nature, the world or life in general. A philosopher is not distinguished for his wisdom; rather, he is defined by his love for it (Soccio 63). A philosopher is a thinker who seeks out the truth; he devotes his energy in investigations and observations which would bring him closer to the truth. Pre-Socratic thinkers, Socrates and the other Socratics are similar in this account, as they all love wisdom and inquire about the truth. Another similarity between the pre-Socratic thinkers and the Socratics is rational discourse. All these thinkers support their arguments with reason. Rational discourse necessitates the use of reason in establishing views on reality so that it could be properly verified (Soccio 65). It is a fact that Socrates had a monumental influence on philosophy. However, that does not mean that pre-Socratics have a lesser role in the development of philosophy. The role of Socrates in the history of philosophy is just as important as the thinkers that came before him. Between the pre-Socratic tradition and the Socratic approach, there are more differences than similarities. Regardless, both of these have made remarkable contributions to philosophy in general.

Geographic Climate of Basketo, Ethiopia

Geographic Climate of Basketo, Ethiopia Outline Introduction The Geography of Basketo Transport, trade and infrastructures Spiritual aspect of the area Church statistics Openness to the gospel Opportunities and threats of the geography to the expansion of the gospel Socio- cultural aspects Influence of geography on the culture Conclusion and Recommendation Introduction Basketo is an area (a Wereda) found in South Western part of Ethiopia under the administration of South Nations Nationalities and People group region (SNNPR), 562 Km from the capital Addis Ababa. The Wereda is not part of any administrative zone. It is an autonomous area known as Basketo Special Wereda. Basketo is bordered on the South and West by South Omo Zone; and on the North by the Gamo Gofa Zone. The administrative town is known as Laska. The Basketo people are an Omotic-speaking ethnic group whose homeland lies in the southern part of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). Basketo Wereda (district) is named after the ethnic group. According to the 2007 Ethiopian National census, the ethnic group has 78,284 members.[1] The linguistic neighbors of Basketo are Melo in the North, Gofa in the East, Dime and Bodi in the West and Aari and Gayil (Galila) in the South. (see figure 1) People in Gofa and Bulki refer both to the people and the language as ‘Mesketo’ but the native speakers identify themselves as ‘Basketo’ claiming that this was originally the name of a kind of sorghum which is typical of the area.[2] Traditionally, the people of Basketo are organized as a segmentary clan society handed by a divine king called Kati. The people worship a sky-god called â€Å"Tsosi†. This Tsosi is believed to be a creator of everything and can be reached only through a mediators such as ancestors through a proper sacrifices. There is also earth-god who is worshipped as a goddess. She is called â€Å"Indak-Kacharonde† The economic activity of Basketo is based on Agriculture but most families keep livestock. The main crops grow in the area include: cash crops: coffee, spices of different types; Cereals: wheat, Barely, teff; and others like yams, sweet potatoes, banana etc are grown. In addition to the cereals, pulses and root crops, there are highly demanded markeTable crops such as coffee, Spices (affaramom, ginger, â€Å"tikur Azmud† and â€Å"Hel†), fruits and banana. Unique genetic resources are found in the Wereda such as: organic coffee, gum trees (incense and rubber) and forest honey. The livestock population and the availability of grazing lands are potential for the development of modern livestock production activities.[3] In the past Basketo was part of the North Omo Zone and the 1994 national census counted its inhabitants as part of that zone. However, the Basketo people didn’t like it because they consider themselves different in many ways from those who are included in the zone. One of the significant factor of the it was the language difference. Despite the effort of the ruling party to emphasize the need to unite the smaller ethnic groups in order to bring consolidation and coordination to use the scarce government resources efficiently, the zone was divided into many smaller chunks. Then as a result of a lot of friction on the issue, Basketo was recognized as a special Wereda. In 2004 Basketo, because of its rich in mineral soil and spacious farm land, it was selected as one of several Weredas for voluntary resettlement of farmers from overpopulated areas. Since then Basketo has become a home for Wolaytta, Haddiyya and Konso people. A total of 7,000 household and 28,000 total family members.[4] II. The Geography of Basketo Basketo lies in an altitude of 700-2200. It is situated in a plateau. The landscape of Basketo includes all types of land forms. This makes it favorable for the growth of any type of crop and the production of annual and perennial crops. The climate that ranges from dega (highland) up to Qolla (lowland) makes it possible for the Basketo people to have a variety of food and export crops. Rivers in Basketo include Ergino, Sirso, Berso and Usino. Some of these rivers can be used for irrigation in the low land of Basketo. Even though the amount of the underground water is very high, the water if full of iron mineral and not healthy to drink. Therefore there is a lack of clean drinking water despite of the rich water resource underground. There are also valuable unexplored natural resources such as iron and gold in the area.[5] There are also dense forests and natural vegetations that covered a large part of the Wereda. However, after people from Hadiyya, Wolaytta and Konso resettled in the area a large part of the forest is destroyed for farm land, timber, fuel and building housing. Some of the resettled people cut trees for charcoal. Now this phenomena is creating a diverse effect on the climate and the existence of wild animals and bringing a long lasting problem contrary to what was expected by the government. Therefore, unless a solution is found soon, it will get worse and the Basketo people itself will be displaced from the area in the future. Transport, trade and infrastructures The Wereda has good potential for echo-tourism development. There are attractive land scenery and colorful cultures unique to the community. Unexplored but high economic value minerals such as gold and iron are available in the Wereda. Therefore, there is a good opportunity of attracting investors to the area. However, social services and existing infrastructure facilities are very weak. There are poor road networks connecting the kebeles with the Wereda capital and connecting Wereda to other neighboring Weredas. It has only 27 kilometers all weather road and 180 kilometers dry weather roads, for an average road density of 1803 km per square kilometers.[6] Agriculture is the major economic and livelihood system of the Wereda and the geographical features of the land is very suitable for crop production. The area has all types of climate. Dega, Kolla and Weynadega. In these different climatic areas different types of crops are produced. However, as it is said above, the infrastructure problem especially the road problem is hindering the people from selling their products for a good price. There is a market problem because of the road. If the people of Basketo had a good all-season road, many exporters would come to the area and invest their money there and the area could have been a source of income not only for the Basketo people but also for the country. Because of market problem, the people of Basketo does not have the trend of doing a large farming. They farm on a very small land to feed just their family. A few people farm a little bit wider and bring it to the market. Nowadays, agricultural products are very expensive in Basketo c ompared to many similar remote areas. The reason for this is because the farmers do not do enough farming that can sustain the market. The climate and drainage of the Wereda is conducive for the development of irrigation farms. The agricultural activities in the Wereda are mainly dependent on rainfall. As a result, the special Wereda was not able to produce sufficient food for consumption in the Wereda although the prevailing rivers would offer a good opportunity to enhance irrigated agriculture. Telecommunication facilities are underdeveloped. This makes communication very hard with other areas for trade and investment opportunities. But recently the Wereda has become mobile telephone and semi-automatic fixed telephone user. This is a good beginning to attract people to the area and make trade effective. On the other hand, the majority of the Wereda population depends on traditional energy sources, which have adverse impact on the environment. Mainly the poor infrastructure facilities have hampered the development of trade and industry in the Wereda. Education, health and potable water provisions are also inadequate in terms of quality and coverage.[7] Spiritual aspect of the area Church statistics Basketo was first evangelized by evangelists came from the neighboring areas (Weredas) Wolaytta and Goffa around 1945. Now in Basketo there are about 4 different evangelical church denominations and more than 70 congregations and of them the majority is Kale-Heywet Church which has more than 50 congregations. There are also Ethiopian Orthodox churches in the area. They are about 8 congregations. A Catholic church is planting a church in the resettlement area. Openness to the gospel The people of Basketo had been highly oppressed by witchcrafts, demonic worships and different costly sacrifices, they were highly burdened and many of them were looking for someone to rescue them. If they did not present an offering like money or animal which they were told to do so, they would suffer a loss of their children or their animals. They had no way to escape from the clasp of the devil. The area was full of witches and magicians. Even though the Ethiopian Orthodox church existed there for many years before the evangelical churches were established in the area, the people did not stop consulting witchdoctors. When the Land Lords from the Northern part of Ethiopia went to Basketo they introduced the Christian religion in the area. Many people of Basketo accepted Christianity forcefully. They were enforced to be baptized as a mass. However, since many of them did not willingly accepted it, they have no strong relation with God. They went to church to please their masters. Moreover, they did not receive any strong teaching about God by the priests. Most of the church’s services were conducted in Geez. Yet the people did not understand Amharic let alone Geez. This language gap widened the estrangement of Orthodox Christianity with the local people. Until recently all of the priests come from Amhara region. There was no local priest who is able to teach the people in their local language. Since they did not understand Christianity, the faith was syncretized with their pagan practices. They go to church on Sundays and on the rest of the week they go to consult magicians and witchcrafts. For so many decades Christianity became a mix of pagan practices and some elements from Christianity. It was in this context that evangelical Christians came to the scene with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who accepted the true gospel began to get free from demonic operations and raise the children without any harm. As the people observed this great miracle they began to respond to the gospel. As a result many people came to Christ. Witchcrafts and magicians, who have been a major threat for the people, began to disappear. Nowadays more than 80% of the population is Christian. Opportunities and threats of the geography to the expansion of the gospel The topography of Basketo is mountainous and valley. It is not easy to go from one place to the other by car. Infrastructure is not much developed in the area. Mostly the people walks on foot or very few people use horses or mules as a means of transportation. The people has very limited contact with other people groups mainly because of lack of modern transportation. This in turn has an adverse effect on the expansion of the gospel to the area and from the area to other neighboring areas. The Basketo church is now sending evangelists to different neighboring areas like Dime, Salamago Wereda, and other areas. However, transportation is a big issue in those areas. It is hard to visit these areas as often. Without a frequent travel and visit it is hard to provide the people with necessary spiritual growth materials and trainings. It is even hard to visit the evangelists working there and provide them with important materials whenever they need them. These area are very close to Basketo kilometer wise, but very far because of lack of transportation and the topography. Socio- cultural aspects The Influence of geography on the culture, language and intermarriage Basketo, as it is topographically and infrastructure wise not easily accessible, first of all, the culture is not highly influenced with other cultures. The people still holds on to its older cultural values very strongly. Intermarriage between Basketo and other people group is also very limited. More than 96% of the population lives in Basketo. Therefore marriage happens almost exclusively among themselves. Secondly, The geographical setting of Basketo makes hard for the people to communicate with other people very easily. The population is highly monolingual because of its less contact with speakers of other languages. Of course the neighboring areas like Galila and Melo people come to Basketo on market days and the Basketo traders go to these area on their market days. However, they spent there not more than half day. Therefore, except those who are frequent travelers, regular residents in that area and the bordering people, they do not have a lot of time to learn languages. Because of lack of transportation to those area, except some business people and those who have cousins there to visit, most people do not usually travel to these areas. Moreover it is not widely spoken by other people group outside the Basketo area. The people have a very limited contact with other language groups as it is mentioned. Many of them do not speak more than one language. Basketo is the main and the on ly language for all types of communication. Children at home and outside with their friends speak Basketo. In the market places and in the government offices the people use Basketo. Only those children who go to school learn Amharic as a second language. Therefore I can say that geography has in some ways a positive influence for the growth of the language. It may be seen as negative if one is concerned about the benefits of multilingualism. However, multilingualism can be gained from schools as students learn Amharic and English as a subject and as they interact with their teachers and some non-native people they encounter in the schools. For those who are more concerned about language maintenance and culture preservation, the geography of Basketo has a very positive contribution so far. From now on if infrastructure in improved, the influence can be minimal because Basketo language is given as one subject in all elementary students. The difficulty in accessibility of the area has a lot of implication on the culture change, language maintenance and change and intermarriage. As it is said above, the people is mostly monolingual and language shift does not seem possible in the near future. This is mainly because of the geography of the area. However new technologies and basic infrastructures play a big role for the expansion of God’s kingdom. Basketo is now reached with the gospel. However the church of Basketo needs to take the gospel to its neighboring areas. The church is sending evangelists to other areas. However, accessibility of those areas is still an issue for a rapid expansion of the gospel to a wider area and effective ministry. Conclusion and Recommendation Basketo is a land where we can find all the favorable climactic and geographical features that are necessary for the well being of human life. Its topography and landscape has given it its beauty of attraction. Basketo has never been drought stricken so far mainly because of its wonderful climactic features. However, the lack of infrastructures such as all weather roads that connects Basketo with the neighboring areas makes it difficult for the economical growth of the area as well as the expansion of the gospel. Basketo has all the natural gifts that can be a tourist attraction and investment opportunities. However, the challenge of the remoteness and topographic problems have not been dealt with the government. The geographical features of Basketo are God’s gift. We should not take the accessibility problem as impossibility. If infrastructures are made available all the challenges will be solved. But despite the fact that the area is one of the major potential areas of spice and food crop producer, the government did not take that part of the country very seriously. The church has the upper hand in the area, as it constitutes more than 90% of the population, but did not use the opportunity to influence the government. Our recommendation is that: first, the church should work with the government very closely to solve infrastructure problems. When this problem is solved it will serve the needs of both the government and the church. Basic infrastructures are very essential for the expansion of the gospel to that part of the country. Most of the neighboring areas are not reached with the gospel and we think that Basketo can play a major role in sending evangelists. Secondly, the church also needs to guard the natural resources of the area by teaching its people and working closely with the government and development organizations. The church also needs to involve in natural conservation and development works in order to tackle the changing climate because of the deforestation going on in the new resettlement areas. Bibliography Amha, Azeb. African languages and cultures 8. â€Å"CASE IN BASKETO† Taylor and Francis Ltd. 1995 http://www.jstor.org/action/showJournals#43693380 accessed April 25, 2012. SNNPR Bureau of Finance and economic development. â€Å"Detailed statistics on roads† http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Basketo_special_woreda (accessed 15 September 2009) SNNPR investment bureau. â€Å"Guide 2000† SNNPR resource potential and investment opportunities. http://www.southinvest.gov.et/Publications/guide%202000%20English.pdf accessed on April 20, 2012. Jordan, Linda. Gayil servey report. (Unpublished), 2007. DPPA. â€Å"Resettlement 2004† Disaster prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misketto_language (accessed 26 November 2006) Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misketto_language accessed on April 20, 2012. 1 [1] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia accessed on April 20, 2012. [2] Azeb Amha. African languages and cultures. â€Å"CASE IN BASKETO† p. 8,1995 pp. [3] â€Å"Guide 2000† SNNPR resource potential and investment opportunities. p.52 [4] â€Å"Resettlement 2004† Disaster prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA) (accessed 26 November 2006) [5] Guide 2000. P. 52 [6] â€Å"Detailed statistics on roads† SNNPR Bureau of Finance and economic development website (accessed 15 September 2009) [7] â€Å"Guide 2000† SNNPR resource potential and investment opportunities. pp. 52-53

Drug Discovery And Development

Drug Discovery And Development A drug is created through lots of stages. This essay provides the description of the basic concepts of drug discovery and development, and identifies the role of some medicinal chemistry, such as pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. There are lots of processes of creating new drugs, where we may mainly distinguish between drug discovery and drug development. Drug discovery comes about in several different ways. The method is to subject new chemical entities to a set of screening tests designed to detect different types of biological activity. These include in Vitro screens as well as in Vivo screens. The history of drug discovery has changed gradually. Before 1990, medicines were produced by chemical synthesis or were isolated from existing compounds exhibiting poly-pharmacology or side effects, such as plants and herbs. Also, screenings were carried out through low throughput screening. More recently, the understanding of human receptors and substances which cause specific activity has proceeded, so this led to new drugs, such Cimetizine and Ranitizine. The studies of DMPK and ADME have progressed as well, so the studies were applied to drug discovery. In addition to that, the change from low throughput screeni ng to high throughput screening allowed mass screening. Since 2000, the incredible advance of understanding of the human genome has led to novel medicines, such as Aranesp, Epogen, and Enbral, which are more biological than before. Toxicology developed and has been adapted to drug discovery as well. At the same time, attempts with using computers are increasing. As I mentioned above, the method of finding lead compounds has changed. Nowadays, main six methods to find lead compounds are becoming popular. Firstly, it is to improve existing drugs. Secondly, it is to create new drugs on the basis of natural products. Also, rational drug design using protein crystallography is becoming popular. The rest is high throughput screening, fragment screening, and virtual screening. In addition, there are the main two methods of designing structures, which are structure based design and ligand based design respectively. Targets of finding new lead compounds are mainly eight targets, which are re ceptors, enzymes, ion-channels, nuclear receptors, kinases, bacterial/viral targets, human genome, and others. The process of drug discovery is complex, so it takes 4 to 8 years to finish it. In the process of drug discovery, the small structural changes of chemicals sometimes cause large changes and effects. For instance, propranol shows both ÃŽ ²1 andÃŽ ²2 adrenoceptor selectivity. On the other hand, atenolol shows only ÃŽ ²1 adrenoceptor selectivity. The structural differences between propranolol and atenolol are small, but their showing effects are different respectively. Once a new chemical compound has been discovered, drug development has to be carried out, culminating in its being licensed for use and marked. Preclinical tests on isolated tissues and in animals should ensure that the drug has the required mechanism of action and at least in animals will produce appropriate system responses. At this stage, the new drug will be tested against standard drugs in comparative assays. Toxicity tests in animals should in most cases allow some prediction of toxic effects in humans. In comparisons of drugs used clinically, potency does not necessarily relate directly to therapeutic usefulness. It is important to consider also the maximum achievable response and the incidence of unwanted effects. Clinical testing in humans involves four phases. Phase 1 is the measurement of pharmacological activity, pharmacokinetics and side effects in healthy volunteers. Phase 2 is pilot studies in small groups of patients to confirm that the drug works on the target condit ion and to establish the dosage regimen to be used in phase 3. Phase 3 is formal clinical trials in a large number of patients to determine the incidence of unwanted effects. Phase 4 is post marketing surveillance to establish efficacy and toxicity in general use. The detection of rare, adverse effects is most likely to occur in this phase. It takes 5 to 8 years to finish this stage, and costs much money than drug discovery stage. It takes about 10 to 12 years from an idea to marketable drugs totally. Also, it takes approximately 800 million dollars to develop one new drug. The duration of a drugs patent from the time of its registration with the UK Patent Office is 20 years. Therefore, pharmaceutical industries have to recoup their investment and make a profit, some of which will spend researching and developing other drugs. After a drugs patent expired, other pharmaceutical companies can make and sell the quite similar drug which is called a generic drug. As a result, the price often drops significantly. As a generic drug has become popular among people due to the price and the efficacy, generic drugs market is growing rapidly. The definition of medicinal chemistry Medicinal chemistry is a chemistry based on discipline which is involved in aspects of biological, medical and pharmaceutical science. Also, it is concerned with the invention, discovery, design, identification and preparation of biologically active compounds. The chemistry is a study of their metabolism, mode of action at a molecular level, and relationships between chemical structure and activity. The role of pharmacokinetics in drug discovery and drug development Pharmacokinetics is the science of exploring the changes in drug concentrations throughout the body with time. It is important to understand the time course of drug effects. The time course of drug action usually follows that of the concentration at the target site. There are 4 main phases in the pharmacokinetic process, which are absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Drugs can be administered through the gut or by other route, which is called absorption. Most drugs dont spread rapidly throughout the whole of body water. A drugs penetration into these compartments is indicated by its volume of distribution that would be required to hold the amount of drug in the body at the measured plasma concentration. The plasma membrane of the cells constitutes a hydrophobic lipid barrier and drug permeation can occur by direct distribution through the lipid and carrier mediated transport. Diffusion of a drug depends on its concentration gradient and its diffusion coefficient. The concentration gradient established within the cell membrane depends on the drugs lipid/water partition coefficient. This is estimated by the drugs distribution between water and a simple organic solvent. Most drugs are ionised in aqueous solution. The ionised form is hydrophilic, so the ionisation impedes passive membrane permeation. When a drug enters the body, it is subjected to the processes that have been developed for dealing with toxic foreign molecules, which are called metabolism and excretion. The liver is the main site of drug metabolism, and the kidney is the main site of excretion. There are some important terms in pharmacokinetics, which are half-life, AUC, and drug clearance. Half-life is the time taken for any given plasma concentration to decrease by 50%. AUC is a measure of the extent of absorption. Drug clearance is defined as the volume of plasma cleared of drug per unit time. Drug metabolism in drug discovery The main purpose of drug metabolism is to cause detoxification. Metabolism involves two main processes. Firstly, the molecule is made more hydrophilic to reduce the possibility of reabsorption in the renal tubules. Secondly, it is conjugated to reduce its effects and aid excretion. As I mentioned above, there are two phases of metabolism. Phase à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚   is mainly oxidative reactions, such as oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis. The oxidation of a drug requires the cytochrome P450 which is the major enzyme. Phase à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡ is conjugation reactions with sugar residue, such as glucuronidation, glycosidation, and sulfation. UDPGT is the main enzyme at this stage. Interestingly, there are species differences in metabolism. For example, lidocaine is metabolised to 4-hydroxylidocaine by hydroxylation in rats. On the other hand, lidocaine is metabolised to monoethylglycinexylidide by deethylation in dogs or men. The main reason why these differences occurred is the difference o f enzymes between species. There are some particular enzymes in men and dogs, but there may be not the enzymes in rats. When the situation happens, species differences occur in metabolism. to The role of pharmacology in drug discovery Pharmacology concerns the study of how drugs affect the function of host tissues or combat infectious organisms. In most cases, drugs bind selectively to target molecules within the body, usually proteins but other macromolecules as well. The main drug targets are receptors, enzymes, ion channels, and transporters. It is generally desirable that a drug should have a higher affinity for its target than for other binding sites. One of the main roles of pharmacology in identifying new drugs is drug target identification with using compounds known pharmacological properties to identify new target mechanisms, and identifying new receptors, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes. Receptors are protein molecules in or on cells that act as recognition sites for endogenous ligands such as neurotransmitters, hormones, inflammatory mediators. Many drugs used in medicine make use of these receptors. The effect of a drug may produce the same responses to an endogenous ligand or prevent the actio n of an endogenous ligand. A drug that binds to a receptor and activates the cells response is termed an agonist. A drug that reduces or inhibits the action of an agonist is termed an antagonist. Some drugs produce the maximum response that the tissue can give. These are termed full agonists. Other drugs may not give the maximum tissue response in any concentration, which is called partial agonists. A drug shifts the equilibrium in favour of the non active form, so reducing background activity. Such drugs are referred to as inverse agonists. An antagonist is defined as a drug that reduces the action of an agonist. There are three main antagonism mechanisms, which are competitive antagonism, irreversible antagonism, and non-competitive antagonism. A competitive antagonist binds to the receptor and prevents the binding of an agonist. If the antagonist binds reversibly, then the effect of the antagonist can be overcome by raising the concentration of the agonist so that it competes mor e effectively for the binding sites. In irreversible antagonism, the antagonist binds irreversibly, reducing the number of receptors available for binding. In non-competitive antagonism, the antagonist does not block the receptor itself but blocks the signal transduction process initiated by receptor activation. Enzymes catalyse a chemical reaction, so convert substrates to products. In most cases, enzymes are proteins, and their targets are intracellular. Ion channels are fundamental membrane proteins, and convey ions across cell membranes. There are three main types of ion channel, which are voltage-gated channels, ligand-gated channels, and G-protein regulated channels. Voltage-gated channels are closely involved in ion gradients, and make the tissues excitable. Ligand-gated channels consist of a number of transmembrane subunits. The channel governs fast cell to cell communication. G-protein regulated channels modulate the excitability of excitable tissue. Transporters are protei ns which can penetrate a cell membrane without modifying it, and transport substances. Drugs can modify this action by blocking a binding site, or acting as a false substance, and being transported into a cell. The importance of oral administration and oral bioavailability Oral administration is the most convenient and acceptable route, because of the importance from the point of view of patients. It is much easier for patients to take medicine orally than taking by other routes. The important factors of oral drugs are potency, selectivity, rapid dissolution, and rapid transfer across the membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, low clearance, absence of dose independent and time independent in pharmacokinetics, and no interaction with other drugs. Oral bioavailability is the proportion of the orally administered dose that reaches the systemic circulation. Incomplete release from the dosage form, destruction within the gut, poor absorption and first-pass elimination are important causes of low bioavailability. There are two main factors controlling oral absorption, which are physical barriers and biological barrier. Physical barrier comprises solubility, ionisation, lipophilicity, drug formulation, and interaction with other substances. As I discussed above, solubility, lipophilicity, and ionisation are closely related to absorption. Drugs must dissolve to establish a concentration gradient for absorption, the rate and extent of absorption depending on the pharmaceutical formulation. Rapid absorption of a drug requires its disintegration into small particles. In general, food will slow absorption by reducing the drugs concentration. On the other hand, biological barriers comprise efflux, transporters, and metabolism. Efflux is a biological reaction which forces out unnecessary substances. The reaction prevents drugs from entering inside of a cell. Metabolism is one of the biological barriers, because of different enzymes which are mainly CYP 450. Transporters are one of biological barriers, but the role of transporters preventing drugs from entering an interior cell is not clear now. The example of drugs Histamine is a mediator in both acute inflammation and the immediate hypersensitivity response. There are two main types of histamine receptor which are H1 and H2 receptors. Antihistamine drugs can target each receptor type. The main physiological aspects of the gastrointestinal tract are gastric acid secretion. The excess of gastric acid secretion cause peptic ulcers. In peptic ulcer, the balance between gastric acid secretion and mucosal-protective mechanisms is altered. The main approach to peptic ulcer is drugs used to reduce acid secretion. The H2 receptor antagonists, Cimetizine, Ranitizine, reduce gastric acid secretion in response to histamine, gastrin, and food. The proton pump is responsible for the secretion of gastric acid into the stomach. Therefore, the proton pump inhibitors show the effect of reduction in the secretion of gastric acid. Antibacterial drugs are compounds used to treat bacterial infections. There are some targets for antibacterial drugs, such as cell wall, nucleotide mechanism, and protein synthesis. One of the important targets is cell wall which provides support for the membrane. Its main constituent is peptidoglycan which is an excellent target for drugs. Drugs affecting peptidoglycan synthesis include penicillins and penicillin G. Conclusion I learned the basis of drug discovery and development through these lectures, and I found the importance of medicinal chemistry, such as pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. It is essential to understand medicinal chemistry for discovering and developing novel and ideal drugs. At the same time, I feel we should consider discovering and developing drugs from the point of view of patients as well.

The Rivals as a Parody of 18th Century :: essays research papers

A significant influencing factor on drama of the eighteenth century was the changing nature of the audience. By the middle of the eighteenth century, a straitlaced middle class audience had imparted to drama its vision of morality and disapproval of anything immoral. Comedy had become watered down and sentimentalized. Furthermore, the audience’s rejection of unappealing facts following the ugly reality of the French Revolution and the American War of Independence, made emotionalism and tearfulness the order of the day. Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan were two playwrights who saw that if comedy were allowed free reign along this path of sentimentalism, it would signal the end of mirth. Both appreciated the power of pure comedy and the spirit of joyous laughter and wrote plays with situations that had no call for showing the redeeming features of vice and folly at the end, but just good healthy fun. The Rivals too denounces the hollow morality and hypocrisy associated with the sentimental attitude then prevailing, projecting its writer’s own ideal of a spontaneous and lively light-heartedness. The plot is based on confusion over identities and multiple suitors – a combination that leads to plenty of scope for truly funny situations: Absolute caught in the same room with both Mrs. Malaprop and Lydia present, having to play himself for one and Beverley for the other till the presence of Sir Anthony too prevents him from doing so successfully; Absolute humouring Mrs. Malaprop as himself and poking fun at her as Beverley in his note; Lydia’s acceptance and rejection of the same man according to her romantic whims and fancies; the final duel where one man has to fight two rivals virtually simultaneously. Sheridan’s skill is only underlined by the fact that in an age – and the performance house in which he produced plays – where spectacle, sce nery and lighting had become indispensable to success, he achieved his comedy and triumph without recourse to any of it, merely on the strength of his own writing, wit and dialogue. Sentimentalism is found largely in the characters of Lydia and Faulkland. Sheridan attacks their traits in the overall plot and theme in which he shows how a healthy deep love can be threatened by such fanciful thinking. The only ‘redeeming’ feature – probably in a reversal of the trend of soppy final redemptions - he shows at the end is that both are brought with a rude shock down to earth following the very real possibility of losing the partners they come to know they love deeply.

Blakes Voice of Freedom :: The Songs of Innocence and Experience Essays

Blake's Voice of Freedom Essay Question: â€Å"Blake’s voice is the voice of freedom.† Do you agree with this claim? Support your answer by reference to both Innocence and Experience. I strongly believe that ‘Blake’s voice is the voice of freedom’. As you read the poems in Songs of Innocence & Experience you get a strong sense of latitude. His poems really show the reader who William Blake was as a person. He expresses his dislike for authority, the monarchy and the church, but in a subtle way. He gives two versions of each poem, so that we can see it from a different point of view which, in my opinion, is a really clever thing to do. It shows how we, as humans, progress through our life from an innocent state of childhood into a more experienced adulthood. Normally, both versions of Blake’s poems subtly attack some form of organization. In his work, Blake develops a sort of philosophy and, central to this, is his belief in freedom. The Proverbs of Heaven and Hell really emphasise Blake’s outlook on life. These proverbs are often thought of as a more drastic version of the Ten Commandments, in the Bible. In these proverbs, Blake tries to show people the best way to live. One example of the proverbs is; â€Å"Sooner murder an infant in its cradle Than nurse unacted desires.† I don’t believe that in writing this proverb, Blake actually though murder was right, especially not murdering a baby. I think that he was just trying to express how much he believed in freedom, and free speech. He is basically saying that you should do what you want, when you want, or you will later regret not doing it. One of Blake’s most important poems, in my eyes, is ‘The Chimney Sweeper’. Both versions give us a real insight into Victorian London. It has a lot of historical background because, in those days, there really were young boys who were sold into a world where they had to fend for themselves, and clean dark chimneys for little or no money. To imagine that happening in London today is a truly horrifying thought. To think that families were so poor that they had no choice but to sell their sons is awful. Many of these boys died at a very young age and none of them had a bright future ahead of them. In ‘The Chimney Sweeper’, (in ‘Songs of Innocence’), we read about a small boy who has been forced into life as a sweep. Blake wrote; â€Å"And my father sold me while yet my tongue Could scarcely cry â€Å"’weep! ’weep! ’weep! ’weep!†

Compare and Contrast how feelings of fear and confusion are conveyed :: English Literature

Compare and Contrast how feelings of fear and confusion are conveyed through the use of imagery and other poetic techniques. I am going to compare the use of poetic devices to portray fear and confusion in 3 different poems, they are; Patrolling Barnegat by Walt Whitman, On the Train by Gillian Clarke, and Storm on the Island by Seamus Heaney. These poems all portray a feeling of confusion, often it is linked with the theme of war. In Patrolling Barnegat, Walt Whitman uses repetition to enhance the power of the storm he is describing. "Wild, Wild the storm, and the sea high running" The repetition of wild in this line helps to enforce the power of the storm and nature. Whitman also uses personification in this line where he compares the movement of the sea to a person running, as if he is saying that the sea will move for nobody. He is also making it sound as if the sea is rushing to get somewhere as if it is on a mission. Whitman also incorporates rhyme in his poem. This gives his poem a strong rhythm and this rhythm ties in with the image of the rolling sea, and gives this image more effect. In Storm on the IslandSeamus Heaney also describes a vivid, powerful storm. He describes the storm like he has learnt from past experience. He describes preparing for the storm as if he has gone through it many times before. "Can raise a tragic chorus in a gale" Here Seamus Heaney is comparing the storm to a tragic chorus, which could be associated with an opera - a form of entertainment. Seamus Heaney is using 2 opposites to help describe the ferocity of the storm and give the reader a clearer picture of what it would be like to be where he is. Also Heaney uses no punctuation at the end of his lines, so it is like reading a continuous sentence. Despite the lack of punctuation, the poem still has a definite rhythm, and because of the lack of punctuation, an unusual style. Gillian Clarke's poem On the Train describes the Paddington rail crash of October '99 She uses many poetic techniques to describe what it must have been like for people waiting to find if their relatives that had been travelling on the train that day were safe or not. "The wolves howl into silent telephones" Here Gillian Clarke is talking about the people who have lost someone in the crash. She uses the metaphor of a wolf to describe the people trying to phone their loved ones, only to get silence, or an answer

Entrepreneurship Essay

Founder Of The Company The company was called KYK Automotive Inc. , and was started by Peter Yadav, the sole owner of the business. The business was started up as a partnership back in March of 1993, with the three partners being Peter Yadav, Ramesh Kapil, and Sam Kapil. They thought of the name KYK with the initials of all three last names. All three were previously working as car mechanics, with the two brothers, Ramesh and Sam working at one place, and Peter was working at a Petro Canada station, all in downtown Toronto. The three have known each other since they were all enrolled in the army together back in their homeland of India, and remained close friends ever since. Upon coming to Canada, they each found separate jobs as car mechanics, and helped out one another in finding better positions or better paying jobs. Once they were all settled down, they would always get together on the weekends and discuss about further opportunities that they could go into. Their initial thoughts were to open up a mechanic shop, with them three being the mechanics. It was through these small talks that the idea of opening up an Auto Parts retail store came about The Idea The three friends would always meet up on the weekends to relax and discuss about further opportunities for the future that would lead them to better profits and greater success. They thought hard about opening up a mechanic shop and having them three being the only mechanics their, which almost passed through. They had found a spot and were getting their capital together when one day, Peter suggested that he would be interested in something else. He wanted to go a step ahead and he had always noticed that the people who delivered the parts were always so busy, and had pretty much a work overload, where they were denying new clients because they just couldn’t handle all the workload. The mechanic shop would have been the easier route for the three, but they loved challenges and wanted to try something new as well, something a little less physically demanding, and something that would require them to use their brains a little more. When Peter suggested the idea, the other two were a bit hesitant because it was something they weren’t familiar with, and the idea of putting all their money into something that wasn’t 100% clear to them sounded a bit risky. Peter suggested though that they did know all the basics of the business since they were mechanics themselves, and that all they really needed to do was to learn about the software to look up different parts that mechanic shops needed, and that they would slowly start up and learn the rest of the business as they move along. He persuaded them on the fact that the business had a lot of demand and very few suppliers and since they already have three experienced people in the trade, they could start up the business right away. An advantage that these three had was the ability to troubleshoot as well for their customers, for instance, if the mechanic had trouble identifying what could be wrong with a customer’s car or what the part is called that he/she required, these three with their background and knowledge of the industry, could assist them in finding the exact part. The auto parts stores at that present time were unable to do this which was thought to be an excellent addition to their possible new venture, and would make their company stand out. With all these factors into play, they started to dig deeper into it and came up with an excellent choice and business decision when they decided the location. The Location During the time that they were all deciding on a location, and since they were all newlyweds and had family coming from their homelands, they needed to move out of the city and to a location in the suburbs, which was something they had decided before thinking of the new business. After months of searching for the best location that would bring in the most business, they found a location in the Mississauga/Brampton area, where there was a shortage of parts stores but an overload of mechanic shops. This would be their best opportunity to get in on the profits of the auto parts industry. The major breakthrough for them in particular was that in that time, there were many immigrants coming from their homeland of India, and a majority of them had settled down in the Mississauga/Brampton area, and a majority of them were mechanics and had opened up businesses in that area. This was a large part in the deciding factor of locations because what they had realized was that these mechanics were ordering from shops that barely understood what they were talking about, and half their parts would be delivered wrong with no fault of their own or the parts store, it just a communication problem. With Peter and the two brothers opening their shop near here, they could easily take all of this business away from other parts stores for the simple fact that they all speak the same language, are from the same place back home, and their would be no communication problems for either of them. This would save time for the mechanics because the amount of incorrect parts they receive would decrease and in turn, would increase profits for the new business. The location ended up being 1767 Drew Road, which is in an industrial area in Mississauga, and was close to many mechanic shops within a 5km radius. Day-To-Day Operations They had opened the store on March 1, 1993, with just the three of the partners working there. They had Peter as a counterperson, who would be answering calls and providing prices to customers, billing the customers and locating the parts. They had Ramesh delivering the parts to all the customers and marketing their business as he was on the road, kind of like a salesman. Then they had Sam helping out at the store, with all the walk in customers they had, along with order picking the parts for the different garages as Peter needed some help as well. The business started off with a boom right from the get go, and within a couple of months, they had realized that they would require more employees to be able to keep up with all the demand, and to keep their customers happy. They had learned that the number one factor in deciding auto parts suppliers to deal with for mechanic shops was speed and accuracy of parts, and that the price of the parts was after that. By knowing this, they had brought in two new delivery drivers so that they could get the parts out quicker to their customers, and that if they had new customers, they would be able to handle the additional workload. They now had all three of the partners handling the business at the store, and if need be, Ramesh would do some deliveries during the peak hours. Peter was doing most of the work inside the shop however, for example, he would be the one to answer most of the calls, he would be ordering most of the parts from various locations, and he would be stocking and picking parts as well. This didn’t sit too well with the other two partners and this is where the partnership would breakdown. The End of The Partnership As Peter started handling most of the business and the other two were being treated as employees rather than partners, they felt the urge to let their feelings be known since they all had an equal say in the company. After a few discussions, the two brothers decided that they did not want to be part of this business anymore, and wanted out. They did not leave on a sour note however, and waited until Peter could find employees to replace them, and after a couple of months, the other two partners had left the partnership and moved onto another venture. Peter now had sole ownership of the business from December, 1994. He had with him 2 delivery drivers, and one person assisting him inside the shop, answering calls and helping pick orders and stock shelves. Business was still going great for him, but he had to narrow his customers down to locations within a 5km radius because he didn’t want to expand anymore, and his main clients were within that area so his business wouldn’t suffer regardless. Business After The Partnership Peter continued to run the business successfully, and kept all of his customers happy. He made one significant change to the business which was to stop all sales to the general public. He realized that he was losing some trust in his mechanic shops because they were losing out on some profits. The way the business worked was for example, Peter would supply shop X with a part at a cost of $15. The shop would then charge the customer $30 for that part, and an additional rate for installation. Now when Peter would sell directly to the public for $15, the shops were losing out on the additional profit and when they realized Peter was selling it to them and taking away from their business, they felt betrayed and did not want to deal with Peter anymore. After a few complaints, Peter realized that the best business decision would be to keep the mechanic shops happy because they were his main repeat customers, not the occasional walk-in customers. This also gave him some more free time to handle other business operations so it worked out even better for him. After a couple of years, he decided he wanted to add something to the business. He realized that he had been receiving many calls about tires, especially throughout the winter months. He met up with a local tire shop that had bought few parts from him and struck a deal for some winter tires. He would certain things like this for seasonal parts and make up a small flyer to show his customers what he was adding to his inventory at different times and they would sell off very quickly. The End of The Business The business had been running extremely well up until 2006, where the profit levels were decreasing, not by a huge amount but a noticeable amount, due to all the competition now in the area. When the business started, there was only one other parts store in the 5km radius, and in 2006, there were 6, which easily explains why profit levels were decreasing. All the shops had their own suppliers, and there were price wars going on with all the auto parts stores. Peter stood firm on his stance that he would not participate in these price wars, and the price he had was the price you would get the part for. The business kept going with a decent profit up until 2008, and then he decided that it was not worth staying in business as the amount of stores opening up was still increasing, and the price for parts was decreasing. In November 2008, he decided to close the shop. New Opportunities  Peter had thought about retiring and took some time off from work, but after only a couple of months off, he had started on getting back into the parts business. He found an existing business for sale back in downtown, Toronto. The building is attached to a car body shop, which is coincidentally owned by Sam Kapil, his former partner from KYK. He has been going in to the parts store, which is called Khapco, and seeing how the business is doing and if he would be interested in it, and so far he hasn’t decided on anything, but he tells me he’s not done working yet.

Curled or Straight

Literary analysis â€Å"Curled or Straight† Why race matters? In the novel White Teeth written by Zadie Smith, the character Iris Ambrosia Jones is struggle with her racial identity. Irie is a half- Jamaican, half- English woman in her twenties. England is the country where she grew up. She feels uncomfortable with her inherited Jamaican physique. Irie falls in love with Millat, Millat comes from an Indian family and he adores English women. Because of that, Irie wishes to change her appearance by making her hair straight.But it was false and she did not feel better with black straight extensions. In my analysis I will focus on the message of the text as I see it: that it’s important to realize that every human being in the world is different and don’t try to change yourself into someone you are not. To begin with, Irie is not happy with her appearance and would like to change it because of Millat. She thinks that if she changes her hair to Indian style, long and straight, so Millat will accept her.The hair straightening process at P. K. salon is very painful. Besides, she makes a big mistake by wash her hair before going to PK’s, thus getting rid of a protecting layer of dirt. Moreover, she has to go to Roshi’s salon to get the new hair. After all, she finally gets her new looks. Then she heads to Millat’s house, just to show him her new looks. But Millat isn’t there. Her friends is there, and they start to laughing at her new looks. Besides, they think that her hair looked better before.However, there is one woman in Roshi’s salon who makes her points by stand up for herself. She feels that Irie should be content with her curly African hair. Furthermore, she thinks that black should support one another’s business. To conclude, I think Irie’s problem is that she grows up in London, but her appearance is a black Jamaican girl. Besides, she decides to integrate more with English society. Never theless, she should realize that she can’t change her Jamaican looks to an English looks, and she should appreciates her individuality.

God Loves Uganda Response Paper Essay

I was aware of strong anti-homosexuality prejudice in Uganda from discussions with friends and some news coverage I saw on the internet. However, I was unaware of the influence of U. S. evangelical missionaries until I saw the documentary God Loves Uganda. The film’s director, Roger Ross Williams, illuminates how American missionaries in Uganda campaign to condemn homosexuality and ban condoms as part of their abstinence only education. Missionaries in the film hail from the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri. They take direction from the charismatic Lou Engle, who is a prominent leader of the evangelical Christian right. Throughout the documentary, these missionaries speak candidly about their core religious beliefs without coercion or the trickery of film editing. The American pastor behind the anti-gay vitriol spread by these â€Å"well-meaning† IHOP missionaries is Scott Lively. It is important to note that Scott Lively is quite the conspiracy theorist and anything he says should be taken with a grain of salt. He co-founded the anti-gay group Watchmen on the Walls and authored books such as The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, 7 Steps to Recruit-Proof Your Child, and The Poisoned Stream: â€Å"Gay† Influence in Human History (Scherr). Lively has forged relationships with Ugandan religious leaders, who preach his toxic message to their congregations. Two of the biggest myths that Lively and IHOP missionaries teach in Uganda are that homosexuality is a Western import trying to recruit children and that homosexuals can choose to be heterosexual. In Uganda, Same-sex relations have been deemed â€Å"unnatural† and laws against it have been in place forever. However, in 2009, anti-gay fervor reached new heights when the Ugandan Anti- Homosexuality Act was introduced to parliament. The bill criminalizes homosexual relations, which are punishable by life in prison or even death for serial offenders. Inspiration for the AntiHomosexuality Act directly stems from Scott Lively’s seminar titled, â€Å"Exposing the Truth Behind Homosexuality and the Homosexual Agenda†, which he presented before Ugandan Parliament. (Lapin) In conjunction with anti-homosexual propaganda, the missionaries preach that condoms should be banned, as abstinence is the key to lowering the HIV rate. The Ugandan government supports this flawed abstinence only policy. As a result, both hetero and homo sexual relations are stigmatized and condoms are not used. Therefore, disease continues to spread and wreak havoc on Ugandan society. Race and colonialism are not explicitly mentioned in the film but they are undeniable factors. Race has been beneficial to the missionaries. As ex-communicated, Bishop Christopher Senyonjo says of Ugandan’s relationship to the missionaries, â€Å"Because they are white, people believe them. † Colonizing of values is certainly happening. Africa has always been a place in which colonial aspirations come to fruition. Rather than exporting a way of governing to the colonies, missionaries are exporting religious governance. In addition to building orphanages and other good works, IHOP missionaries have exacerbated the anti-gay climate in Uganda. These people infiltrate Uganda in the name of God, demonize homosexuality as part of Biblical law, and then leave citizens to take the real law into their own hands. Consequently, LGBT people in Uganda fear for their lives. Now I must ask, is this what Jesus would want? Bibliography Lapin, Andrew. â€Å"God Loves Uganda. † The Dissolve. The Dissolve, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. Scherr, Sonia. â€Å"U. S. Anti-Gay Activists Under Fire for Role in Uganda. † Souther Poverty Law Center. Intelligence Report, Apr. -May 2010. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.