Thursday, January 30, 2020

Effects of Drinking Alcohol Essay Example for Free

Effects of Drinking Alcohol Essay Drinking alcohol is like taking a drug. It is a form of drug abuse, and drug addiction. This is a worldwide problem that many people are involved in. There are good effects of alcohol if it is in small amounts, and in moderation. On the other hand there are bad short and long term effects. The effects that a person will get are all based on certain factors like, how much and how often alcohol is consumed, the age of the person, when the person started and how long they have been drinking for, gender, their family history and last but not least based on their health. Lately scientists have been saying that a little bit of alcohol with dinner is not only okay but it is also good for you. This is true in moderation. They say that if you drink a small amount of alcohol it will help you sleep. Also if you drink a moderate amount every day it can help your health in the long run. A moderate amount is considered to be 1 drink for women daily and 2 drinks for men daily. This can help bring your HDL level up, which helps protect your heart against disease that causes heart attacks. Also a moderate amount of alcohol everyday can lower your risk of developing diabetes by increasing your insulin sensitivity. It can also raise ‘good cholesterol’ levels. In the long run they have said that for women it helps keep the mind sharp in later years. Now when they talk about having a helpful amount of alcohol they mean small doses of it a day with a meal, so that the absorption rate is slowed down. Now this doesn’t mean that a person should start drinking for the benefits that it gives, it just means that if you drink in moderation already it could be slightly helpful to you in the future. If you take advantage of that and drink in excess there are effects that you should be aware of. Contrary to some beliefs, alcohol is a depressant. This is the opposite of a stimulator, meaning that it calms you down, and slows down some organs in your body. Alcohol therefore has short term effects on your body. With about 0. 05% blood- alcohol level you start to get dulled judgment and your inhibitions are released. After that stage you start to get clumsy and will have slurred speech with about a 0. 10% blood-alcohol level. Once you come close to unconsciousness you have a 0. 30% blood-alcohol level. After that point it starts to get dangerous, because you can go into a coma at 0. 45%, and then at 0. 70% the brain starts to shut off and stop controlling things like breathing, and your heart, which will end up in death. These facts are not meant to scare you, because most people can’t drink past 0. 40% because they are asleep. Some other short term effects include blackouts, where you can’t remember what happened, and insomnia, where you can’t fall asleep. While you are drinking you will be less alert, less aware of your surroundings, lose your muscular coordination, have difficulty walking, have blurred vision, and have slow reaction times. This can lead to accidents, injuries, and death. Also after drinking you may get a hangover the next morning which will include effects like headaches, nausea, thirst, heartburn, dizziness, and fatigue. If you are not careful with the amount of alcohol that you drink you can get some bad side-effects. Once you start to become addicted to alcohol you are considered an alcoholic. There are many long term effects that come along with drinking lots of alcohol for a prolonged amount of time. Drinking alcohol like this will damage your organs, like the brain, liver, stomach, intestines, and heart. The brain is affected, because brain cells die which leads to memory loss, confusion, learning difficulties, problems with attention, and brain disorders. The liver is effected, because cancer can develop there, and also in the mouth and throat. The stomach may acquire ulcers. From prolonged drinking you can have a stroke, or have heart failure. The nervous system can also get damaged, and when this happens the person will get physical and behavioral problems. Impaired vision can also be a result of this type of drinking. It also affects your health. One reason for this is because alcohol is high in calories which can lead to obesity. Another reason is that poor nutrition normally comes side by side with lots of drinking. This could be because the alcohol interferes with the absorption and storage of the vitamins you get. Also the water soluble minerals get lost because of the increased urination that happens. Because of the lowered health you also have a lowered resistance to infections. Some other less serious effects of prolonged drinking are vomiting, profuse sweating, hallucinations, tremors, and sleep disturbances. All of these problems can quickly lead to injury to oneself or to others, violence, and death. Also it leads to a loss of employment, and a loss of family life. If you are addicted to alcohol or drink a lot of alcohol for a long period of time you will shorten your life span by about 12 years, and get a lot of serious side-effects. In conclusion alcohol can affect your life in a good or bad way depending on how you drink, how often you drink, and how much you drink. It is better to drink in moderation, and responsibly. This normally means drinking only 1 to 2 glasses a day with a meal, and to also have a healthy diet that goes along with that. Otherwise the health benefits of drinking alcohol are gone, and replaced with some horrible side-effects. Everyone can make their own decision on what drinking in moderation is and what drinking responsibly means, but everyone should be informed with the facts.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Essay --

The pharmaceutical companies continue to be accused of many unethical practices so the story of pharmaCARE comes as no surprise. The company started with good intentions but went down because of greed. It was a well-established company already famous for its integrity and high quality products. In the beginning, they were believed to enhance the quality of life around the world. The company continued to succeed due to its research and capitalized on a new breakthrough of a diabetes drug that they believed would help slow down the terrible progression of the Alzheimer’s disease. So after a few years, they created a subsidiary called CompCARE to be the â€Å"compounding pharmacy† to make the new drug named AD23. Because of the â€Å"supposed† success of this drug, it was in such high demand that CompCARE became to engage in methods outside the scope of what a compounding pharmacy is allowed to do, their practices pushed the limits and the end result was over 200 cardiac related deaths due to AD23. PharmaCare had several groups of people with stakes in what they had intended to achieve. These stakeholders in this scenario include PharmaCARE and CompCARE, one of its subsidiaries; both companies had high financial stakes in the success of AD23. There was also Wellco, a large drugstore chain, the employees of these 3 companies, the nation of Colberia and its citizens because their livelihood was tied to the success of AD23. Many of the social problems Colberia experienced like the destruction of its environment and consequently endangering of its native species through the company’s extensive activities and business practices came from PharmaCare. The company took advantage of the country’s low standard of living and its economic predicame... ...ng mean. When people are able to make that distinction, they’ll take the time to question themselves, and then question others’ actions including their reasoning and in this case, data rather than blindly accepting their decisions until the true situation comes to light. The failure with pharmaCARE started long before people started dying. PharmaCARE began to fail as soon the company felt it was ok to pay just a dollar a day to the Colberian people who didn’t know and felt they were being helped but instead were being exploited for their knowledge while their environment was being polluted. When CompCARE began to use unethical methods to get AD23 manufactured eventually leading to the deaths of more 200 people. It takes more than a statement â€Å"We CARE about YOUR world ®Ã¢â‚¬  to right the wrongs that all of this greed caused. Their actions must speak louder than words.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Reasons for Devotion to Hindu Goddesses

Reasons for devotion to Hindu goddesses Hinduism portrays feminine divinity in a more exalted way than most other religions do. Though Hindu goddesses are usually depicted as consorts, wives or companions to a Hindu god, cases exist in which they are worshipped independently; Tantrism for example, where it is believed that women posses more spiritual power than men, thus men can achieve divinity through union with a woman (â€Å"Tantrism†).Most villages reinforce the mother aspect of goddesses and worship them individually as their protector, regarding them as having originated in the area and thus being tied to the health and prosperity of the village (Caldwell). Others who may devote themselves to a goddess might be in order to conquer or flourish in a particular area, like how someone who wishes to achieve higher wisdom would praise Sarasvati, goddess associated with learning. Many scholars question the origins of goddess worship, and it is argued that they most probably em erged in the Indus Valley civilization (2500-1500 B. C.E). The civilization, relying mainly on agriculture, likely worshipped female earth deities that represented fertility, regeneration, life and death, to aid in their harvests (Erndl 19). Scenes depicted in their seals also pointed to the fact that the Indus Valley people were perhaps â€Å"goddess-revering† (McDermott 3608). Some people have raised the point of feminism as a notion of commitment to a Hindu goddess, as goddesses that appear strong and independent exist in Hinduism, which is virtually unseen in other prominent religions. A popular question is then raised, â€Å"Is the Goddess a Feminist? Rita Gross acknowledges the difficulty of a concrete answer to the question, and responds with an ‘It depends’. She proposes that the answer lies in the definition of feminist that the person might have, and how the Goddess’s devotees are. The idea is simple enough; if the believer is feminist, then the y will worship their goddess as if they were feminist as well. If the believer is not feminist, then they will worship their goddess as if they were not feminist. She states that â€Å". . . gods and goddesses are created by devotees . . . † (104).Gross’s statement rings true, especially when we examine much of the confusion shrouding Kali. Kali is almost always depicted as having black skin, a near naked body, long, disheveled hair and a long, lolling tongue. She wears ghastly adornments like a necklace made from human heads, and her fangs are long and usually dripping with blood. Her illustrations are mainly intimidating, making her appear wild and uncontrollable nearly perpetually. She is, however, a popular deity to worship in Tantrism, and is revered as the highest deity, above Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.Millions regard her as Mother, and aspire to overcome the fear of death through confrontation. Kali’s origins are believed to have their roots in South Asia, where she was apparently worshipped through rituals and blood sacrifices. O’Flaherty distinguishes a figure, a demoness, in early Sanskrit literature called Long-Tongue, who he points to conceivably being a more ancient form of Kali. The first time the name Kali appears in texts is in Mundaka Upanisad, however, not as a goddess but as a tonguelike flame of sacrificial fire.The first mention of a goddess with the same name is in the Mahabharata, who appears in the dreams of warriors to give them a warning of death. However, it is through her later appearances in the Devimahatmya that Kali is brought closer into Hindu religion (Kripal 156). She is said to have sprouted when Durga, angered by the asuras who pointed their weapons at her, turned into an inky black color on her forehead and summons Kali. Kali then proceeds to kill all the asuras in a frenzied manner, later offering the heads of their leaders Chanda and Munda to Durga.Her second appearance is in the follow chapter, where she battles Raktabija, and assures success by sucking all of his blood so he could not reproduce anymore, per Durga’s command, while she slayed him (â€Å"Devimahatmya† ch. 7-8). Another myth ties Kali with Parvati, telling of an army of demons that threatens the safety of the world. Men cannot slay them, and so Shiva calls for his wife to aid them in battle. Parvati accepts the responsibility, swallowing the poison stored in Shiva’s throat and morphing into Kali.However, she becomes too drunk with the poison and, after defeating all the demons, threatens to destroy the world herself with her berserk dance. In an attempt to subdue his wife, Shiva then lays on the floor in front of Kali, who in her delirious state does not notice his presence and steps on him. Shamed that she had showed such disgraceful behavior, she bites her tongue in humiliation. The last scene of the above tale is illustrated in a lot of imagery, and while the tale itself has a lot of variations, many Hindus will arrive at the same resolution.It is in this perception that many contradictions lie. Another question rises, â€Å"What does Kali’s tongue-biting really mean? † Most Hindus will claim that it is to show shame, which is what the action means in Bengali culture, however the meaning behind the action might seem unlikely since Kali, who was previously interpreted as always being wild and threatening, that is, sporting qualities that an ‘ideal wife’ should not posses, was suddenly showing a submissive nature, ashamed of having disrespected her husband.From a Tantric view, Kali is mentioned to be standing on Shiva because she is engaging in reversed sexual intercourse with him, and â€Å"delighting in the waves of passion and arousal that flow from such an act. † It is evident that the feeling shame is rather unreasonable given the situation mentioned. Furthermore, a reading from Mishra of the Tantric reading suggests that, as Kali dances around madly, Shiva sleeps on the floor in front of her in an attempt to calm her and, In her blinded anger she did not see him and stepped on his chest.At that moment Siva’s penis became erect and entered Kali. At that instant Kali recognized her husband and pulled out her tongue in ecstasy and her anger disappeared. (Kripal 161) The above poses a wholly different view on the widely-known myth, and while it might not surely accept or reject any view, it inspires doubt on the real occurrence of the tale. Having explained the confusion around Kali’s popular myth and notorious tongue, a common misconception is brought to light which may or may not be the product of ‘believers believing what they want to believe’.Hinduism, having being shaped by a patriarchal society, might have sparked the want to dilute the image of the powerful and popular goddess Kali into one more acceptable for its community. An additional myth, telling of how Shiva defeats Kali in a dance match and succeeds in subduing her, resulting in her being more docile and calmer, doesn’t add up to the rest of the story around them as Kali is more often than not depicted as a wife that constantly provokes and encourages disruptive behavior from her husband (Kinsley 122).However, bringing up another point by Gross, she mentions, But, in the long run, if the goddesses’ devotees are feminists, then the goddesses will either come to be seen as feminists or will be abandoned by their feminist devotees. (104) It is plausible to arrive to the conclusion from the above stated that, if the religion a person follows does not satisfy or reflect their personal beliefs as well, they will abandon it; it is common sense.It should be mentioned as well that Hinduism is, rather than a single religion, a family of religions that are closely related to each other. Therefore, it should be plausible to assume that perhaps, the previously mentioned contradictory myths m ight be a result of this; that is, an effort to try to infuse one’s own beliefs into their religion to make it more acceptable to themselves. Looking and inspecting the gaps and problems in the religion can tell a lot about its believers’ culture and thinking.Having covered Kali’s disorder of facts, one can infer that Hindus probably place great importance in correct conduct of their wives, and the goddesses in their religion serve as a model for Hindu women to follow if they wish to be wed. Examples such as Parvati and Sarasvati can be mentioned, both portrayed as ideal, submissive wives to their partners, serving as counterbalances. Hindu gods and goddesses are sometimes portrayed as equals, and rather than husband and wife, they are shown to be male and female counterparts of the same being.The goddesses are by no means weak and disrespected; they are strong and revered, but their personalities inspire different, subtle ideas into their people. However, the i dea of whether or not something is ‘correct’ or ‘erroneous’ is highly subjective, and while Western feminists might argue on the essentials that a woman must possess in order to be well off, it is not the same for Hindu women who are the target of the religion, and for them the Hindu goddesses provide them a positive model to follow, and with it, psychological comfort which is important (Gross 106).

Monday, January 6, 2020

Literary Devices In Bram Stokers Dracula - 1296 Words

The novel Dracula had, and still has an immense effect on horror through its use of literary elements which are observable in horror movies. Bram Stokers Dracula was revolutionary in its use of literary devices such as dramatic irony, to convey suspense, and the use of sexuality in literature. These devices were adapted to film in early horror movies and continue to appear till today. Dracula was very influential to the film industry when it comes to horror movies because horror movies draw a lot of devices used in Dracula and use them in their movies, this can be seen in movies such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the movie adaptation of Dracula. The first inspiration that the Dracula novel has on horror movies is the use of†¦show more content†¦Stroker writes â€Å"The strength of the handshake was so much akin to that which I had noticed in the driver†(Stroker 24). This quotes shows the grip strength of Dracula even at his old age, showing that he is immort al. This motif can be seen commonly in the sub genre of â€Å"slasher† movies where a â€Å"Crazed† type killer is upon the victims, and in these movies the killer is portrayed as invulnerable. This can be seen in John Carpenter’s Halloween where Lourie shoots Michael Myers in the face to no avail, as he just shrugs it off and continues his attack. This trait of invulnerability adds a great amount of terror surrounding the villain, as it gives the audience the impression of hopelessness. In conclusion the trait of invulnerability can be seen in both Dracula and in the slasher movie genre. An additional way that horror movies are inspired by dracula is the way that the villain in each media for is molded by a deviant sexuality. This can be seen in Dracula by the use of blood transfusions performed by the vampires to symbolize rape. Stroker writes, â€Å"I was afraid to raise my eyelids, but looked out and saw perfectly under the lashes. The girl went on her knee s, and bent over me, simply gloating.† (Stroker 55) This parallel can be seen in horror movies with the common use of nudity in the movies, as well as the fact that a lot of slasher movie villains are raped as children. GrantShow MoreRelatedLiterary Elements Of Bram Stoker s Dracula2026 Words   |  9 Pagesdid you know that the story of Dracula has plenty of literary elements that better help the reader analyze and understand the story better than before. Dracula is a Vampire/Victorian book that expresses a lot of elements for example: symbolism. Literary terms such as gothic and romantics are terms used to discuss, classify, and analyze novels, poetry, and books like Dracula. These terms are the most important aspects in a piece of work. Throughout the book: Dracula many terms are present to discussRead MoreLiterary Elements Of Bram Stoker s Dracula1994 Words   |  8 Pagesinteresting, but did you know that the story of Dracula has plenty of literary elements that better help the reader analyze and understand the story better than before. Dracula is a Vampire/Victorian book that expresses a lot of elements for example: symbolism. Literary terms are terms used to discuss, classify, and analyze novels, poetry, and books like Dracula. These terms are the most important aspects in a piece of work. Throughout the book: Dracula many terms are present to discuss or classifyRead MoreGothic Horror : The Epic Battle Of Good Versus Evil2409 Words   |  10 Pagesit† (Dittmer 1). The theme in Dracula is that classic Gothic theme of the epic battle of good versus evil. â€Å"In this novel this is expressed in a very direct way, there is never any question as to who is right and who is wrong. According to Duran â€Å"it can be clearly seen the protagonists on the side of good have many endearing qualities while the antagonists on the side of evil have a pact with Lucifer and are of the purest evil† (mikeduran.com). Bram Stokers Dracula demonstrates how religion can influenceRead MoreGothic Elements And Gothic Elements In Bram Stokers Dracula2068 Words   |  9 PagesGothic Elements in Dracula A Gothic novel is one which incorporates all the modes of literature such as horror, the setting, suspense, superstition, atmosphere, horror etc. In the story Dracula the author shows these traits in various sections of the story that makes it a lot more interesting and it is one of the main characteristics beside the various other features that makes this story great. Dracula is a story by Mr. Bram Stoker during the Victorian era where Count Dracula is the antagonist andRead MoreVictorian Novel9605 Words   |  39 Pagesthat aspect is change. Nearly every institution of society was affected by rapid and unforeseeable changes.  As some writers greeted them with fear and others embraced the progress, this essay will guide a reader through an important era in English literary history and introduce with the voices that influenced its shape and development. It was the novel that was the leading form of literature in the 19th century England. The term ‘novel’ itself was a simple narrative form, which in opposition to its