Black Identity In Bamboozled

Black Identity In Bamboozled African Americans have for a long time been represented in American cinema in discourses of white realism. With the emergence of black directors, there has been a struggle to detach the black community from the traditional, negative stereotypes attached to them. Bamboozled (Spike Lee, 2000) is a dark satire on race representation and assimilation and the ways in which the dominant hegemonic power structure is able to divide and rule those it subjugates. This paper will first explore the history of cinematic representation of African Americans, which will be discussed in line with the issue of misrepresentation in Bamboozled (2000). This paper will also explore African-American identity dilemma as presented in Bamboozled (2000). Introduction I want people to think about the power of images, not just in terms of race, but how imagery is used and what sort of social impact it has- how it influences how we talk, how we think, how we view one another. In particular, I want them to see how film and television have historically, from the birth of both mediums, produced and perpetuated distorted images. Film and television started out that way, and here we are, at the dawn of a new century, and a lot of that madness is still with us today. Spike Lee. The debates over race and representation of African Americans in films have been highly contentious for over a century. Blacks have generally been perceived and stigmatized, throughout history, as trouble makers, incapables, intellectually limited, inferior, lazy and irrational, amongst the many other demeaning labels attached to them. These labels are connected not only to the history of colonization but also, importantly, to the exploitation, perpetuation, and careful maintenance of stereotypes through cinematic clichà ©s which have imposed themselves easily and significantly on the popular imagination. As rightly stated by Wijdan Ali, the projection of harmful and negative stereotypes onto marginal or ineffectual groups within a society has always been an easy and useful method for making scapegoats.Effectively, films form the ideal space to circularize and preserve the labels which the mainstream audience desires to attach to the black community. Five decades of the Civil Rights Movement have gone by, and the degree of change in the black community, though undeniably real and noticeable, remains perplexingly complex and inadequate. Although the fact that we now live in a time in history where Americans have voted in a black President, where blacks now occupy positions of power and are ostensibly less subject to institutional discrimination than in the past, the black community nevertheless remains inadequately poor, unemployed, undereducated and negatively labeled. Adding to these, portrayals of African Americans in cinema are still, to a great extent, marked by buffoonery. Therefore, adopting a writing-back style in Bamboozled (2000), Spike Lee satirically attacks the way in which African Americans have historically been misused and misrepresented on screen. Through Bamboozled (2000), the director attempts both to entertain and to educate his audience about the history of African American representation within popular culture, with the word bamboozled itself indicating the state of having been cheated or conned. Bamboozled (2000) presents American mass entertainments history of racial discrimination through abasing minstrel stereotypes, which first started to be performed in musical theatres and which were later brought to cinema with films such as The Wooing and Wedding of a Coon (1905), The Sambo Series (1909- 1911) and D.W Griffiths controversial The Birth of a Nation( 1915). Consequently, the purpose of this study is to explore African American evolution in the American film industry and to analyze the effects of stereotypes and misrepresentation o n African American identity using Cornel Wests theory of Alienation (1993) and Du Boiss theory of double consciousness (1903). These will hopefully in turn help to understand why the integration of African Americans is considered as a problematic issue even in a sophisticated era where racism seems to be a thing of the past, and where people are supposedly no longer judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. But before getting to what Bamboozled (2000) actually brings to the table of African-American films, it is important to look at the history and evolution of black representation in Hollywood cinema, which the following paragraphs are going to deal with. II. African Americans in American Films: A Brief Retrospective African Americans first started to be represented in minstrel shows in the late 1820s and later on television in the early 20th century. Through blackface minstrelsy, a performance style where white males parodied the songs, dances, clothing and speech patterns of Southern blacks using blackface makeup and exaggerated lips, Americas conceptions of blackness and whiteness were shaped by these mocking caricatures, for, as pointed out by bell hooks, there is power in looking. While whiteness was posited as the norm, every black face was a statement of social imperfection, inferiority, and mimicry that [was] placed in isolation with an absent whiteness as its ideal opposite. Consequently, for over a century, the notion that colored people were racially and socially inferior to whites was ingrained, internalized and accepted both by white and black minstrel performers and audiences. The caricatures took such a strong hold on the American imagination that audiences naturally came to expect any person with dark skin, irrespective of his/ her background, to fit in one or more of the following stereotypes; Jim Crow, a dull-witted and subservient plantation slave; Zip Coon, a lazy, gaudily-dressed man from the city representing the proud newly- freed slave; Mammy, the contended, happy, loyal and ever-smiling female slave (as evidence of the supposed humanity of the institution of slavery,); Uncle Tom, the good Negro; submissive, hearty, faithful no matter what, stoic, selfless, and oh-so-very-kind, Buck, the proud and menacing Black man always fascinated by white women; Jezebel the temptress; the mixed race Mulatto, and Pickaninnies, who have bulging eyes, unkempt hair, red lips and wide mouths into which they stuff huge slices of watermelon. As time moved on, black appearance in mainstream films became more and more frequent, as well as the increase in the number of independent black directors, from Oscar Micheaux to Daniels Lee and Spike Lee. Since The Birth of a Nation, which marked a change in emphasis from the pretentious but harmless Jim Crow to the threatening savage Nigger, black filmmakers have responded by creating race movies and blaxploitation films which were tailored to black audiences . The 1970s witnessed a resurgence of the blaxploitation genre with films such as Sweet Sweetbacks Baadassss Song (1971), Shaft (1971), Black Caesar (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974). Since such films were themselves in turn accused of using the negative to hyperbolize issues pertaining to blacks, this genre saw its end in the late 1970s to give way to a new wave of black directors, such as S. Lee and John Singleton, who focused on black urban life. However, we cannot afford to simply celebrate the achievements of black filmmakers for the so-called ethnic arts. And as Stuart Hall remarks, we have come out of the age of innocence, which says that its good if its there. The mere fact that such films have had a considerable increase does not mean that the status of and opportunities for black people have dramatically improved although it may be true that the level of clear-cut racism has known an important decrease, or even a disappearance. This can be backed up by Appiahs statement that changes in the representation of blacks do not ipso facto lead to changes in their treatment. III. The Issue of Misrepresentation in Bamboozled (2000) In Bamboozled (2000), Spike Lee directly addresses this issue of African American representability as being a discourse of white essentialism. Through Bamboozled (2000) the director invites his audience to realize that although nobody goes around in blackface anymore,it does not entail that Hollywood has altogether abandoned/given up essentialist discourse. The director satirically uses very symbolic icons and elements throughout the film in order to highlight racism and misrepresentation. The beginning of Bamboozled (2000) itself generates the intended theme; Stevie Wonders Misrepresented People, a song which encapsulates the historical, political and social adversities faced by blacks, is carefully and cleverly set as the background music, which powerfully and heavily impacts upon the content of the film as well as upon the audience. Spike Lee makes it blatantly clear that Bamboozled (2000) sets out to illustrate White American ideology and discourse within contemporary public sphere. Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans), the protagonist of the film, is a network executive working in a company which is specialized in black matters. Ironically though, during the meeting in which Delacroix is reproached for his lateness and reminded of CP time, it can be noticed that the only Black person present is Pierre himself. His boss, Dunwitty, clearly does not want to see Negroes on television unless they are buffoons. He even cancelled one of Pierres brilliant shows because it starred blacks as dignified people and goes on to complain that the latters written materials are too clean, too white, too antiseptic, which according to him merely portray white people with blackfaces. He urges Delacroix to keep it real, that is, he reminds him of the humiliating position of blacks in cinema; blacks are only entertainers. The depiction of the struggle endemic to the African American experience of representation, which Lee throws to the audience in a very obvious yet complex way, can be seen in Extract 1. It can be observed in this scene that Delacroix has no other option than to portray blacks as entertainers if he is to respect his contract. This scene is also important because it does two things; first, it shows Delacroixs struggle to promote the black community by attempting to fight misrepresentation, and second, it shows a well-educated Delacroixs willingness to dissociate himself from other African Americans. The name of the blackface show in Bamboozled (2000) is in itself very symbolic; Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show. Here, Lee suggests that minstrelsy has not disappeared in the new millennium. In his-own words therefore, it has only gotten more sophisticated. Gangsta rap videos, a lot of the TV shows on UPN and WB- a lot of us are still acting as buffoons and coons. The issue of black-white relations resurfaces in Bamboozled (2000) and the role of the Other is made explicit through Lees intended message. Black stereotyping and Otherisation becomes the necessary evil in the construction of white identity and is needed to reassure white audiences of the stability of their identity. With this comes the implication that black films are successfully marketed only if they appeal to mainstream audiences. Clearly, Spike Lees aim in this provocative film is to show that even today, the American film industry is still concealing essentialist discourses within contemporary films. Consequ ently, as essentialism involves ongoing human and social interaction as well as limitation, identity regulation and enforcement takes place within this kind of racist discourse, whereby blacks have to undergo identity dilemma while trying to seek approval. As we have seen, cinema has an important role to play in the construction of identity. History, cinema and black identity are intricately intertwined. The association of these three in Bamboozled (2000) communicates to the audience how blacks are identified and how they in turn identify themselves. As a marginalized group, most of the black characters in Spike Lees film forsake their identity so as to gain approval, to be successful, or to get out of black poverty and the result is shown to be a disastrous one for the black soul and community. The next section is therefore going to be an exploration of identity dilemma in Bamboozled (2000). IV. Identity Dilemma in Bamboozled (2000) I have heard all my life that White people dont have to change who they are, how they talk, or how they behave. Therefore, I was left with the impression that it was everyone elses responsibility to attempt to adopt the cultural and social personalities of White people. Ronald, L Jackson. In order to tackle this issue of identity in Bamboozled (2000) Cornel Wests theory of alienation(1993) will be used in parallel to DuBois theory of double-consciousness (1903) .Wests theory of alienation (1993) explores the identity crisis faced by the black diasporan community in modern day America. Natal alienation, which has been created by the history of colonization, is an irretrievable damage to black identity. Since the Black is rendered into an inferior being through history and representation, and this inferiority further reinforced by both descriptive and prescriptive stereotypes in cinema, blacks as a result experience a severe identity dilemma, a double consciousness. Alienation in Wests theory exists on two intricately related levels: firstly as an ideological system of oppression and discrimination and secondly as a black existentialist struggle. In Bamboozled (2000), this powerful system of oppression forces the black characters to forsake their black soul and identities. Unlike Delacroix, Womack (Tommy Davidson) and Manray (Savion Glover), two homeless street performers, are forced by their unfavorable economic conditions to become de-rooted and senseless performing dolls. Both are stripped of their names and imposed with the abasing and stereotypically racist names of SleepnEat and Mantan respectively. Alienation here produces the modern black diasporan problematic of invisibility and namelessness, whereby Womack and Manray are forced to look at themselves through the eyes of others, of measuring [their] soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. Impelled by societal and survival pressures, both of them are forced to assimilate in order to be accepted by the white community as well as by the assimilated black people. It becomes clear that David Llorenss (1968) two types of blacks are present in Bamboozled (2000). Delacroix and Sloan represent the chosen ones while Manray and Womack represent the fellah. The former is familiar with the streets and the black vernacular, while the latter is culturally refined has assimilated into the white community. Alienation and white essentialist discourse creates such a situation where the chosen one feels embarrassed by the fellah and seeks at all times to show that they are two different kinds, and to please the Guardian, that is, the white man. Manray and Womack are, through the eyes of Sloan ( Jada Pinkett Smith) and Pierre, African Americans who share similar traits to the primitive African. Delacroix points this out by looking down on them and recommending that they be given deodorant s, toothbrushes, toothpastes and underwear. He also attempts without success to dissociate himself from the fellah black category by desperately explaining to Dunwitty that blacks are not a monolithic group, and that middle class black does exist. These words are representative of the African American communitys desire not to be identified only through blackness. For Dunwitty, Delacroix is only trying to wear a whiteface, which is not a mere fabrication or a mere racist comment. Dunwittys words carry an important truth. We see from the beginning of the film, that Delacroix eagerly and desperately seeks recognition and visibility from his white co-workers when he walks his way to his office. He also rejects the black vernacular for Standard English so as to make a clear cut difference between the educated and the uneducated black. This, to an important extent, reifies the superiority of whites and serves to alienate blacks in American society, as, according to West (1993), alienation is part of a whole system of language. Once a cultures language is alienated from the mainstream populations language, the cultures identity is similarly taken away and starts to dissipate. Delacroix himself unconsciously embodies several of the blackface stereotypes, although he tries to portray blacks in a positive light. He can be viewed as a Zip Coon, with his pretentiousness and his implicit disregard for the fellah blacks during the auditioning for the Alabama Porch Monkeys, and his dissociation from the black vernacular. Furthermore, he embodies the Uncle Tom stereotype several times in the film, especially in the scene where he acts as the loyal, faithful and subservient black while insisting on handing off an award to Mathhew Modine (playing himself.) Delacroix is therefore himself caught in this whirlwind of Europeanization. In his relentless effort to assimilate into white culture, he gets himself a Harvard education and a penthouse, dresses professionally, and speaks the right language. Even when he sets out on his mission to deconstruct stereotypes and raise public awareness on modern day racism, he is himself unable to resist the misrepresentation and cari cature of the terms set by uncontested nonblack norms and models. Delacroix therefore also contributes both consciously and unconsciously to the dominant discourse of alienation of blacks from the white community by setting up a Coon show which idealizes a simpler time, a time when men were men, women were women, and Negroes knew their place. Some black folks are consequently outraged by his racist show and accuse him of selling out his own community. But what has actually happened to Pierre Delacroix is that he has been experiencing the split-self- disease, what Du Bois calls a twoness an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body. Aware of the fact that the popular American view has consistently dehumanized African Americans through negative representation, Delacroix does not want to be among those blacks who are despised by the European American population. He does not want to be invisible and formless. Therefore h e aspires to be both Negro and American, two identities, which, according to Du Bois (1903) are often in conflict. Delacroixs wearing of the blackface by the end of the film iterates the inescapability of the imposed mask of blackness. Realizing that he is unable to appear as anything but black in the eyes of others, he compromises with his black self and resigns himself to the mask. What Lee is actually showing is that in modern day America, and even for sophisticated and well- off black Americans, the merging of the American and the African is one very difficult (if not impossible) thing to happen. The impact of stereotypes and alienation on black identity causes one to have a keen sense of awareness about his or her various selves and how they are perceived. Often, blacks in Bamboozled (2000) have to negotiate their identity. Through this act, they inevitably reach a self-realization of twoness. Womack for instance realizes that he will always be looked down upon as a second-class American citizen, no matter how famous and successful he has become. He becomes conscious of the fact the he had been bamboozled insofar as believing that he could be an equal citizen. His success lies only in the fact that he is able to entertain white America, to always keep em laughing, a quality which Delacroixs father Junebug (Paul Mooney) believes is essential for the black American to achieve success. As shown in Extract 2 therefore, when Womack experiences double consciousness, he decides to stop acting in the minstrel show. This scene is significant in that it highlights the self-realization which is made possible only through a double-consciousness. Womack at this particular moment realizes that outside of the character of Sleepn Eat, he is simply invisible, a nobody. Through the eyes of others there is no other possible identity for him. Mantans own identity grows in conflict with that of Womack following this conversation; clearly he is still unaware of the complexities of the disjointed nature of identity in this scene. A few scenes later however, he also becomes afflicted by the same double consciousness experienced by his friend. In Extract 3, after discovering that he has been hoodwinked and led astray, Manray refuses to be further associated to Mantan. He realizes that it is fundamentally wrong to negotiate his identity through the medium of blackface. Although Lee might be suggesting that Manrays realization occurs at too late a time, his message clearly goes in line with Du Boiss (1903) argument that double consciousness is the realization that identity is mu ltifaceted. According to him, at one point or the other, black Americans develop a conflict with the different identities that they need to embody in order to be accepted by the mainstream, a conflict which is inexistent among white Americans. On the other hand, Sloans brother, Julius, who forms part of the Mau Mau revolutionary underground gang and who does not go through double consciousness because of his refusal to be seen through white Americas eyes, is juxtaposed to the blacks who try to assimilate white culture, thereby denying their own roots, language, people, and culture. Julius constantly affirms his black identity, unlike the other blacks we encounter in the film. Extract 4 shows how he refuses to be a representative of de-rooted, disenfranchised blacks. In the perspective of revolutionary blacks such as the Mau Maus therefore, Manray needs to be executed because he is a nuisance to the black community; he is a Judas, an Uncle Tom, one who contributes to the demise of his own race. The murders of Manray and Delacroix show to what extent alienation and double-consciousness can be detrimental to African Americans. They create inter-ethnic conflict and a heavy malaise in the black community. Alienation as an ideol ogical racist discourse therefore divides and rules those who are marginalized in a society that looks on in amused contempt and pity. Through the Mau Mau gang, it can be seen that those who accept and affirm their black identities are ineffective in society. They are in no way in a better state of being than those who experience double-consciousness. Since they do not master the mainstream language and do not believe in the ideological discourses of the inferiority of their race, they are forced to retire to the underground world. The fact that the imposition of history and alienation results in double consciousness in many cases in Bamboozled (2000) is destructive to all. Accepting white essentialism as culturally representable not only creates a fatal division between assimilated and un- assimilated blacks; it also kills the spirit of the black man. V. Conclusion Although the situations and the characters in Lees Bamboozled (2000) are all fictitious, and although the director does not choose the medium of docudrama to convey his important messages, he manages to successfully reconstruct blackface minstrelsy. African Americans have been freed, but only physically. There has been neither a consistent attempt to make up for the mistakes of humanity of the past nor to reshape identities. His argument in Bamboozled (2000) is that the identity dilemmas faced by the characters in the film are no different from the identity issues faced by African Americans in post-racial America. Although blacks do not find themselves as being represented in blackface or as victims of blatant segregation anymore, they are nevertheless always reminded of their blackness, and of what it implies to be a black in America. Whether Lee is genuinely successful in renegotiating a stigmatized identity or in deconstructing stereotypes by dismantling the false normativity of w hite authority remains highly debatable. On the one side, his use of satire and his engagement with the history of racism and representation impact heavily on the audience. However, the frustrating ending of Bamboozled (2000), as well as the inter- ethnic conflict between the revolutionary and the assimilated blacks, display a contaminating and intense sense of helplessness and hopelessness in regards to humanitys chances to ever get rid of the veil which separates whites and blacks in America, as well as in any other parts of the world. Lees message, considering his role as an auteur, seems to reflect Du Boiss words that the black man must not bleach his soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that [his] blood has a message for the world.

Evaluate the effectiveness of China’s one child policy Essay

As China realised the need for modernisation, the one child policy was implemented in June 1979 to achieve three main goals: 1. To address the low per capita GNP by increasing the per capita income to $800. 2. To increase or improve the standard of living. 3. To keep China’s total population size from exceeding 1.2 billion by the year 2000. China recognised the easiest way to achieve these goals was by restricting the population growth. That way, there would be a more likely increase in per capita income. Although several attempts have been previously made to control fertility growth, it was little as effective as it was optional and not many complied. However, China’s one child policy was a completely different matter. By accepting the policy, you were eligible for certain privileges and if you reject it, you’ll have to pay a fine. These regulations helped enforce the one couple, one child idea. The one child policy proved to be a great success in urban China but ineffective in rural China. Regardless of their educational attainment or residence, all women generally desired two children. The one child policy worked best in urban China because of the strong organisation control and social transformations that changed the function of children and reduced the preference for sons. In an urban sample, in both Hebei and Shaanxi, the sex of the first child is insignificant. This lack of sex preference effect was the main ingredient for success of the one child policy. However, this was not the case in rural China where villagers were in favour of traditional preferences for sons. Although the implementation of the one  child policy caused a decline in rural fertility rate from about five to 2.4 children by making farmers realise they needed high quality labourers and not a large number, most rejected the one child certificate. With the majority going on to have a second birth, 22% having a third birth and some having a fourth or fifth birth. These â€Å"hazards† in the one child policy were mainly caused by the first birth being a girl and living with parents in law. But overall, China’s one child policy is an effective means of fertility control, despite the minor violation in rural areas. The failure of the one child policy in rural China may be a blessing in disguise. When the generation of parents of single children reach retirement age, the state will face more financial burdens than it does now. So perhaps the Chinese peasants have saved China from an economic disaster. The current per capita income in China is around $800, the living conditions have definitely improved as most Chinese now enjoy a high standard of living and China’s population by the year 2000 was recorded to be around 1.26 billion which slightly exceeded the set 1.2 billion mark. The one child policy was a success in that it achieved all its set goals. Bibliography Longman Science 3, BILALI BOOT COLELLA HEFFERNAN MILLER, Pearson Education Australia, 2000

HAT task 3 Essay

SARS is known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. SARS was identified in late February 2003 by Dr. Ubani World Health Organization epidemiologist, but the first case of SARS was seen in November 2002 in the Guangdong Province of Southern China. The SARS was particularly seen within the healthcare workers and in their family members. The most of cases were fatal. Due to the unknown respiratory disease and it was spreading fast among people. World Health Organization (WHO) was notified. By the time WHO was involved, there was already 305 cases and five deaths of an unknown disease were reported (Christian, 2003). A medical doctor who was caring infected personnel in Guangdong Province in February 2003 was the source of transmission of the infection. This doctor traveled to Hong Kong and stayed in the hotel at ninth floor for one night. During his stay at the hotel, the virus was spread among the other guests who were staying in the ninth floor of the hotel. From there, these guests a nd visitors implanted outbreaks of cases to the various hospitals of Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore. Concurrently the SARS was spread worldwide by air as infected individuals travel back to their home to United States of America, Canada (Toronto), and other countries of the world. (Christian, 2003). From November 2002- July 2003, there were a total of 8,098 possible cases of SARS were reported to the WHO from 29 different countries. From 8,098 cases, 774 deaths were reported. The ratio’s of mortality was reported to be Singapore was 14%, Hong Kong 17%, France 14%, and Canada 17% (Sars basic fact, â€Å"2012). The SARS epidemic was contained in July 2003. Data SARS is severe respiratory disease, and corona virus causes it. Corona viruses usually related to respiratory disease in some animal kind. Usually SARS has about 4-6 days of the incubation period. The most people started to feel sick within 2-10 days of exposure to the virus. The first primary symptom is high fever then it followed by headaches; generalized weakness and body ache, chills; rigors are common symptoms of the disease. Ten to  twenty percent of patients did experience some diarrhea. The first 2-10 days, patient also experienced nonproductive cough, shortness of breath, and hypoxia as disease progressed. The initial phase of the disease, the chest x-ray, doesn’t show any changes and are negative. As the disease progressed, the chest x-ray shows some interstitial infiltrates this means development of pneumonia. Because of the development of pneumonia, about 15-25% of patients require mechanical ventilation, despite mechanical ventilation half of the patient’ s still die. The risk of dying with SARS increases with advanced age and any other underlying medical condition for example diabetes. The death rate of 10% can increase to 50% in patient’s older than age of 60 (Parashar, 2004). Blood test shows decline in absolute lymphocyte count with normal to low white blood cell count. About 70-90% of patient showed a lymphopenia and 30-50% showed thrombocytopenia throughout peak stage (Parashar, 2004). Liver and renal functions need to monitor closely. The treatment of SARS usually supportive and also depends on the patient’s clinical picture. SARS treatment is usually similar to pneumonia antipyretics for fever, oxygen for hypoxemia, and ventilation in severe cases. There is no known supportive data on the effectiveness of the vaccine or antiviral agents (Trivedi, 2011 P. 1). The epidemiological data on SARS approximated mortality rate between 14-15%. During the epidemic, there were 8098 possible cases of SARS with 774 (9.6%) dea ths reported in different 29 countries (Parashar, 2004). The highest rate of cases was reported in China and Hong Kong. There were also some cases in Taiwan, Singapore, and Canada. Most of patients who got the virus were between 25-70 years of age. There were only few cases under 15 years and younger. The most of people were infected before the global alert was issued. There were only 27 cases of SARS in United States with no deaths. SARS transmission among people was fast and it made difficult to control the outbreak. Early Recognition and initiation of isolation of infected people is necessary. It is also essential to provide information to the infected communities and initiation of a global alert was also helpful to contain the spread of SARS. Route of Transmission Corona virus causes SARS, and it is usually found in some animal kind. Thirty percent of SARS cases were found in people who were handling food. Corona virus is usually spread by close contact with infected respiratory droplets of the sick person. The major mode of transmission is a close person to person contact. An infected person sneezes or coughs in the air and their droplets spread about 3 feet in distance. If a healthy person is standing nearby (about three feet) than the droplets enters into their mucus membranes of the nose, eyes, and mouth. The SARS can be spread by touching an infected object and then touches your nose, eyes, and mouth. The close contact also means sharing your eating or drinking utensils, kissing and hugging, and talking and standing by sick person. There is no evidence data on airborne transmission. The transmission can be prevented by identifying and isolating the infected object. The most important step to stop transmission of any disease is hand hygiene either using alcohol based hand sanitizer or simple hand wash with soap and water. Wearing proper mask is also important since droplets spread SARS. Graphic Representation Effect on Community SARS outbreak had a high effect on communities of all over the world. It did affected communities economically and psychosocially. According to the World Health Organization, airline industries lost business approximated from 30,000 to 140,000 million US dollars. Due to the outbreak people were canceling their flights to Asian countries. Effected communities also suffered psychosocially. Some ethnic groups experienced discrimination and quarantined. The affected communities suffered from fear and anxiety. People stop going out due to the spread of disease. Many schools and borders were closed for a course of time. To decrease stress and anxiety among people education about SARS was given. People were taught about signs and symptoms of the disease and how the disease was spread. Education was also given on how to control infection such as covering mouth or nose during coughing or sneezing, wearing mask at crowded places, using tissues to contain mucus, and the importance of hand washi ng with soap and water. Protocol Every state has a protocol how to report a communicable disease. These protocols help health care provider to prevent the outbreak of a communicable disease. When health care provider finds a case of SARS, the  initial step is to isolate the infected person. The second step is to notify state and county health department about the possible case of SARS. The Center for Disease Control should also be notified about the case. According to the Center for Disease Control, it is mandatory for healthcare worker to report † All persons requiring hospitalization for radio-graphically confirmed pneumonia who report at least one of three risk factors for exposure to SARS-CoV, any clusters of unexplained pneumonia especially among health care workers, and any positive SARS-CoV test results† (â€Å"In the absence,† 2005). The main step for any heath care facility is to arrange for the SARS laboratory test. Once the SARS laboratory test is confirmed, and it is positive in the infected person. The next step is to do further testing of the sick person such as chest x-ray, blood cultures, pulse oximetry, the sputum sample for gram stain and culture, complete blood cell count, influenza A and B test to rule out viral illness, and urine test Legionella and pneumococcal antigen (â€Å"In the absence,† 2005). Sick person should admit as an inpatient and placed on droplet precautions. Family or Friends and any possibly exposed people to the sick person should be notified and assessed for signs and symptoms of the disease. Modification of Care Air quality index (AQI) is used for to monitor the air quality outdoors. The air quality index is used to notify public about the air pollution. It helps the patient who has respiratory illnesses such as asthma, emphysema, bronchitis either acute or chronic, flu or SARS and the old people and pediatric population. These people fall under a sensitive group. According to Environmental Protection Agency, the air quality index scale is 0-500, but in United States it never exceeds above 200 (â€Å"Patient exposure and,† 2014). This is the reason in most of the cases the index is usually shown between 0-300. Increase number of air quality index represents increased air pollution. Air quality index number is 100 or lower is usually decent. If the air quality index is higher than 100, it is not healthy for the sensitive group. Even air quality index of 51 can cause symptoms in people with respiratory problems. Air quality index number of 51 represents moderate air quality. It is essen tial to teach patients about air quality index website www.airnow.gov so they can continue to monitor air quality. The days of poor air quality index, the people who have respiratory problems  should plan to stay home or indoors as much as possible. They should avoid exhausting activities or exercising outdoors. The people should also keep windows and doors closed and keep checking the air quality index and plan their activities accordingly. If the affected person cannot stay inside, he or she should wear a mask before going out. People should be educated about triggers what makes their disease exacerbation, about signs and symptoms of their disease such as Shortness of breath, cough, and wheezing. They should keep their rescue inhalers nearby in case of emergency. It is also necessary to teach them about when and where to get medical attention. Affected people can be benefited from antihistamines, nebulizers, and decongestant. Reference Christian, H. (2003). Sars reference 10/2003. (Third ed., Vol. October, p. 170). Flying publisher. Retrieved from http://www.sarsreference.com In the absence of sars-cov transmission worldwide: Guidance for surveillance, clinical and laboratory evaluation, and reporting version 2. (2005, May 03). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/sars/Surveillance/absence.htm Parashar, U. (2004). Severe acute respiratory syndrome: review and lessons of the 2003 outbreak. International Epidemiological Association, 4(33), 628-634. Retrieved from http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/4/628.full Patient exposure and the air quality index. (2014, March 12). Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/o3healthtraining/aqi.html (â€Å"Sars basic fact,† 2012)Sars basic fact sheet. (2012, July 02). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/sars/about/fs-SARS.html Trivedi, M. N. (2011). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/237755-overview The World Health Organ ization. Retrieved on November 27.2012 http://www. who.int/csr/sars/en

Research Paper on Maya Civilization - 4670 Words

Research Paper on Mayan Civilization The Maya Introduction All remnants of the distant past are romantic, but ancient Maya civilization has a special fascination. It is a lost civilization, whose secrets lie deep in the mysterious tropical forest. The style of Maya architecture and sculpture seems alien and bizarre. The breathtaking splendor of ornate cites, the beautifully constructed grand temples, and the ingeniously developed and advanced caledretics, mathematics, and astronomy easily mark one of the most interesting and prosperous periods in Latin American history. Over period spanning approximately six centuries, the Maya of Central America reached artistic and intellectual heights that no other group in the New World had seen†¦show more content†¦Mayan city states like Tikal were not only population centers but also served the function of autonomous political and religious centers for the citizens who lived there. The Mayan political structure was based on the establishment of many different political centers consisting of city states. These city states collectively represented Mayan society, but each spoke their own peculiar Mayan dialect. The city states consisted of numerous citizens but these citizens were not all equal. Indeed, one characteristic of Maya society was the hierarchical nature of its social organization. This meant that, at different levels in the society, people would be treated according to their status. This difference in social treatment automatically meant that some citizens enjoyed a better standard of living with more of the amenities of life than others. It also meant that at the bottom of this graded social pyramid were the agricultural farmers and foot soldiers of the empire flourished. By virtue of being at the bottom of the social pyramid their training and skills consisted largely of the social functions that they performed. Hence, they were not literate and concerned themselves largely with issues of agriculture and the basics of following orders in warfare. Above the primary agriculturalists and soldiers were the skilled artisans, who functioned within Mayan society not only to produce functionalShow MoreRelatedSecrets And The Collapse Of The Maya Essay926 Words   |  4 PagesSecrets Locked in Stone Maya scholars debated for decades over the fate of the Maya. Recent evidence from an unlikely source, points a sustained drought in the 9th and 10th Centuries. Stalagmites and Stone Carvings Offer Clues on the Collapse of the Maya Civilization Circa 900 A.D., the Maya world fell apart. How could an ancient Meso American civilization flourish for hundreds of years only to fade into the forest? That riddle has perplexed scholars ever since 19th century explorers JohnRead MoreAnalysis Of Maya s The Maya 942 Words   |  4 PagesMaya Secrets Locked in Stone Maya scholars debated for decades over the fate of the Maya. 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