Month: March 2021
Opioid Epidemic: America’s Silent War
America has faced many problems from civil wars to social issues. This time America is facing a different type of problem. A opioid epidemic. It isn’t the first time there has been a drug problem either, but this could be the most deadly one of them all. There are tons of facts and other things people don’t know about opioids that they should know and be aware of. We all need to be educated and aware of this problem in order to stop this epidemic from spreading.
This problem hasn’t jumped just jumped out of nowhere. It has been a slow growing issue in America and other parts of the world. It all started in the 1980s where pain was frequently treated with opioids, and in the 80s nearly seven out of ten drug abuse deaths were caused by opioids. So, the government realized that this was a problem and they shut down funding and made it more difficult to get opioids through prescription. A decade later with a aging population and patients looking for more pain relief the government began to give funding for more prescription pain medicine with opioids in them. This was all due because of more complex and invasive surgeries in the growing world. Doctors and other health services began giving out prescription pain medicine like it was candy because the government was telling them to and giving them the funding in order to do so. At this time medical companies claimed that the risk of addiction to prescription opioids was very low, so they began to promote these to patients with all types of pain tolerances which was not needed.
During the early 2000s doctors and other medical researchers noticed the overwhelming truth about how addicting the prescription opioids were. They began to decrease the prescriptions given out to patients and would be more strict on how much they gave out and if the patients really needed them. This caused a rapid increase in deaths from heroin use because the patients were already addicted to prescription opioids and were being cut off from these prescriptions. From 2002 to 2013 overdoses from heroin skyrocketed 286%. Roughly 80% of heroin users admitted to misusing prescription opioids that they could easily get during the 90s and early 2000s. So, even though the government was trying to solve the problem with opioids it in turn caused patients and users to move to harder strong forms of opioids, which caused more overdosed and other harmful outcomes.
In 2013 things changed and users began to heavily use synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, which is a man-made drug unlike heroin with was in morphine. This new type of opioid is about 100 times stronger than morphine, and the heroin was only about two times as strong. In general it had the same types of side effects like drowsiness and relieved you from pain, but it was way more powerful. It was way easier to overdosed on the new synthetic opioid than it was to overdosed on the regular heroin. “In 2016 there were over 20,000 deaths from fentanyl and related drugs.”
2016 was arguably the worst year in drug overdoses in the United States history. There was around 64,000 drug related deaths and most of them involved opioids. Most of these overdoses were mixed with other types of drugs like alcohol and types of depressants. As of today overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. It has taken more lives than car accidents and more lives than the Vietnam war in its deadliest year (16,899 in 1968) or at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States (43,115 in 1995).
There’s no hiding the fact that not just America but the whole world has a problem with all types of drugs. In all reality it is destroying us slowly and tearing us all apart. It’s destroying relationships with loved ones, and killing us mentally and physically. To truly be honestly we can only blame ourselves for this drastic problem we’ve created. We need to find ways to terminate this epidemic before it terminates all of us. We’ve got to learn how to fight addiction, and tolerate pain. Also not to rely on medication so much to deal with uncomfortable pain. Most importantly learn how to manage how much medication we take because we’ve seen how easily it can be to become addicted.
Cite this page
Opioid Epidemic: America's Silent War. (2021, Mar 20).
Retrieved November 5, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2021/03/page/16/
Opioids: Conflicts and Controversies
The world has become increasingly more knowledgeable throughout the course of history regarding the field of medicine. Many plagues viruses and diseases have swept the globe over decades that have past throughout history. Prior to these catastrophic events humanity has come to learn from mistakes and procedures that can be done to prevent further disaster and damage to the world. Vaccines, medications, and sanitation requirements are just a few of many implementations that have been added to make humanity safer from the hundreds of thousands of diseases that are to come. While the world has been extremely focused and preventing further illness and death and silent killer has been traveling underneath the radar claiming the lives of many who were unfortunate victims of something that was specifically designed to help them. Opioids have been the worlds silent killer over the years. Opioids are a type of pain medication prescribed to patients to help them manage pain after a surgery or a major injury. Originally designed to help patients and improve recovery, this plan has taken a wrong turn and led to major consequences. “Every day, more than 130 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids.” (January 2019) Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis. One-hundred and thirty Americans alone each day are unfortunate victims to this epidemic that is becoming a bigger problem as this addiction continues to grow. However, this epidemic did not just occur out of nowhere. It is something that has started out so small and not been monitored correctly that it has become a problem that needs to be solved quickly.
As the world entered into the late 1990’s the first way of the opioid epidemic struck. However, prior to the first wave this claim was made “pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers.” (January 22, 2019) Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html. Once this claim was released health care providers began to prescribe opioids at a greater rate country wide. Due to the increased prescription of opioid medications for prescribed and non-prescribed led to the misuse of intake which then became clear that these medications can in fact led to addiction. “From 1999- 2017 700,000 people have died from an opioid drug overdose.” (December 19, 2018) Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/opioids/about-the-epidemic/index.html.
With the increase of in the number of opioids now prescribed at a greater rate also increase the percentage of addiction world-wide. Any type of medication poses a risk of addiction when being consumed. However, the problem that the doctors and physicians are faced with is determining who is at a greater risk. Many recent findings have helped in the process of elimination in determining what factors pose as a greater risk. An article published by mayo clinic in February 16, 2018 states that “A few additional factors — genetic, psychological and environmental — play a role in addiction, which can happen quickly or after many years of opioid use.” Addiction does not just occur all at once. It can happen in my different frames of time. Addiction with opioids can occur within a short amount of time if taken an increased dose. A long-term addiction can occur if the opioid medication is continued long after the stop date has come and passed. The disagreement that many are faced with is how can the opioid addiction be prevented and stopped.
As the rise in the opioid epidemic cases continues to occur many groups have met together to research ways to implement safety measures to slow the rise in increases of epidemics. One of the major controversial decisions that has yet to be put in place is a cut back on the amount of prescriptions that can be prescribed. One major setback with opioids is monitoring the pain level. Opioids main purpose is to help increase the release of endorphins that change the way the body calculates and monitors pain through a chemical and nervous system level. Endorphins are released and caused what is called the “pleasure effect.” Endorphins cause the body to feel pleasurable effects which is why the pain is not measure at such a high level while taking opioids. The addiction to opioids comes from this effect. The human brain enjoys feeling these happy pleasurable feelings, which is why many patients will continue to take opioids after the time has passed for patient to discontinue the medication. No one enjoys feeling pain, sadness, and unhappiness. Opioids cause the opposite of these effects and the human brain will tell the body that it wants those feelings again. However, unfortunately the brain can build up a tolerance to such effects that as of opioids. The effects that come from taking them will not feel as a high of a level when first starting. This is the main cause of the opioid epidemic, as the effects start to feel less to the patient, they will normally increase their dosage or transition to a new type of drug. Normally increasing the dosage of opioids is the most common pattern among patients. Patients will take more than prescribed of their medication or will visit several doctors and get multiple prescriptions of medication to help increase the endorphin feeling back up to what the brain considers normal.
There are much controversial opinions regarding the regulations that need to be set in place to control the rate at how the epidemic is controlled. There are many who disagree with regulations because opioids are the most effect treatment from chronic pain in cancer treatments. Chronic or breakthrough pain with cancer patients is very common. This is one of the main reason’s opioids were created. Pain is a very common symptom with most major illnesses that are common around the world. Opioids are prescribed to help patients with cancer monitor their pain and help them live as normal of a life with the condition they face as possible. However, a problem that doctors are faced is regarded how pain is monitored. Doctors must complete rely upon trusting their patients if they claim that the dosage of opioids, they are on are not relieving the pain they suffer from. Doctors will normally prescribe a higher dosage of medication if the patient claims that it is not completely reliving the pain. This is where the difference of opinions begins to split, and a question arises. How many of the patients are truly suffering from pain and how many are developing an addiction?
Prescribing opioids to help cancer patients regulate their pain is the most beneficial and effective treatment that has been created. Many patients suffer from chronic and breakthrough pain and make recovery from treatment seem impossible. A large sum of patients continue opioid pain treatment for most of their live without overdosing and are able to monitor their pain and continue to live a happy life. It’s the small group of people that begin to have complications were tensions arise. Trust is a very valuable thing in the medical profession. When a doctor nurse or surgeon is responsible for a patient’s life it is incredibly important the trust continues to go both ways, which is why controversy arises when a patient asks for an increase dose of opioids to help monitor pain. Opioids are used to help a patient get through a specific time period to deal with pain and eventually discontinue medication and not have to take medication anymore. Furthermore, in certain circumstances when medication is needed to increase it only poses as putting that patient at a greater risk to develop an addiction. The medical board is faced with a tough decision on whether to increase regulations on opioids or keep them at the current situation they are currently under.
In conclusion, opioids are considered an incredible medical breakthrough and miracle. Opioids have helped thousand of patients worldwide live normal lives and not live in constant pain every day. With every innovation and invention in the medical world will bring positives and negatives. Medications will help many reach a normal life and continue to life happily and will also unfortunately cause addiction and many innocent peoples lives to end increasing faster than anticipated. Where the world lakes in improvements is where and when to draw the lines and develop safety measures to prevent disaster in the future. If this problem is pursued and a solution is found to make millions safter the world will continue to push forward and happy and healthy lives.
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Opioids: Conflicts and Controversies. (2021, Mar 20).
Retrieved November 5, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2021/03/page/16/
Dreamland: the True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic
In the book Dreamland, by Sam Quinones, Quinones tries to strengthen our inadequate classroom focus on opioid addiction, and pain management. The teaching of these topics are limited across U.S. medical schools. Yet, in the past year, the subject matter of opioid addiction has come up many times. Throughout Quinones’s book, he weaves together two national stories that collide in Ohio, in the small city of Portsmouth. Quinones tracks the rush of heroin harvested in Mexico, while at the same time also tracking the rise of opioid prescriptions. As dealers were coming up with new ideas, and working in the 1990s to find new markets for uncut heroin, prescriptions for opioid to deal with chronic pain was growing in its influence in many areas such as :pharmaceutical companies, doctor offices, and medical conferences. In sum, through Quinones’s telling of opioid history, he illustrates a story that warns us of the practice of medicine in modern history.
I was really interested to read Quinones’s chapter called Two Thousand year Old Questions, where he discusses opioid overdose, and he incorporates numbers, and statistical evidence, which helped me get a better understanding of opioid overdose rates (Pg. 190-192). I never realized how big of an issue opioid overdose really is, but after reading the numbers I understood how prevalent of an issue it really is, and got a better understanding of how quickly the rates of overdose are increasing. For example, Quinones writes that “ Overdose deaths involving opiates rose from ten a day in 1999 to one every half hour by 2012.” (Pg. 190) I find this scary how the rates of opiate use is increasing so dramatically. Quinones goes on to write that “Abuse of prescription painkillers was behind 488,000 emergency visits in 2011, almost triple the number seven years before.” Quinones later on, also explains that as opioid prescriptions escalated, overdose deaths followed. I was shocked to read that in 2007, Purdue paid $634.5 million in federal fines for misrepresenting OxyContin’s potential for misuse and addiction. This was one of the largest penalties charged on a drug company at the time. Since then, prescription opioid overdose death rates continue to rise, and heroin overdose death rates have increased four times as much since 2010 because the drug has become an easier and cheaper alternative. (Pg. 192) I found it frightening that drug companies sometimes misrepresent what they are selling, and do not warn consumers of the potential risks that they may later on have to deal with, such as addiction. Addiction is not a small issue, and is instead a matter of life and death because if one is so strongly addicted they can overdose and possibly die.
Throughout the book, I kept wondering how physicians, who tried to do what was best for their patients, ended up facilitating in their affliction. I think that this question falls under one of the most important ideas in Dreamland, which is the lesson of misrepresented scientific evidence, and the huge role it plays in its impact on us. The common idea that opioids are a minimally addictive treatment for chronic pain, was only based on a few small studies. These studies had a huge influence as the pain revolution began joining with the fortunes of the opioid prescription industry.Quionenes mentions this idea when he describes that in 1980 there was a letter to the editor in The New England Journal of Medicine called “Addiction Rare in Patients Treated With Narcotics.” Quinones notes how the letter’s reputation grew into a “landmark study” showing that “less than 1 percent” of patients treated with narcotics become addicted (Pg. 107). This letter, however, was not completely accurate because the letter referred to only hospitalized patients, and not outpatients in chronic pain, so the letter was inadequate and yet, was repeatedly cited in seminars and conferences worldwide. I found this concept of how false information can circulate so easily frightening. Often times we believe things because we think that all studied are accurate, but as clearly seen with this letter, this is not the case, or we have to pay very close attention to specifics. I overall found this book really interesting because I’ve never realized how big of an issue overdose really is in today’s society, and how drastically the rates of overdose are increasing. This is definitely a problem that needs to be fixed.
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Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic. (2021, Mar 20).
Retrieved November 5, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2021/03/page/16/
Workplace Drug Testing
The idea that an employee can be fired for their off the work conduct should not be tolerated. If employees are able to drink in excess every evening following their workday without it interfering with their work, employees should be able to implement CBD into their regular lives to prevent from using harmful prescription drugs.
Comparing other states and countries to Indiana and the United States it is clear from the statistics that CBD should not be the cause of someone losing their position. This in the future would allow for fewer opioid overdoses and more employees in the job market.
Indiana law allows the distribution of low THC hemp extract. Low THC hemp extract is defined as a “substance or compound that is contains not more than three-tenths percent (0.3%) total delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), including precursors, by weight; and contains no other controlled substance.” In most instances, this is not enough to test positively on a drug test, yet do employees want to take this risk?
There is also the risk of there being more THC in the product than what you think you are buying. Other than testing each bottle of CBD that is bought, there is not a way to determine whether this is true or not, other than trusting the label you buy.
It is legal for states to fire an employee after a positive drug test. If your employer finds out that you are using this product, can they fire you even if there is no definitive proof? To test positively on a drug screen, a consumer is said to have to consume more than 2,000 mg per day of CBD oil. Unfortunately, there have not been enough tests to prove this one way or another. In the cases of both Krulik and Winicker, neither indicated an obscene amount of CBD oil consumed to equate more than 2,000 mg per day. Both men were using CBD as an alternative to prescription drugs to help wean off and eliminate their health issues.
CBD and THC can stay in a person’s system for up to 30 days after consumption. Because of this, a person can use these products the night, week, or even month before and still test positive for them on a drug screen. If someone is using these products for pain management, even if they are not using them on the job site, why are they being punished for looking for natural alternatives than opioids.
CBD and THC are not addictive in the same respects as opioids. Marijuana is associated with addiction due to “dependence” of the drug. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana addiction is controversial as marijuana is said to possibly cause people to become “dependent” rather than “addicted.”
Can CBD use be protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act ("ADA")? “Betz says some of those employees may be protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act.” The federal law prohibits large employers from discriminating against employees who take legal medications to treat a disability.”
The ADA specifically does not include or accommodate medical marijuana use because it is considered an “illegal drug” and is still unlawful under the Controlled Substance Act. But, there is a provision that allows “illegal drug substances ‘taken under supervision by a licensed health care professional, or other uses authorized by the Controlled Substances Act or other provision of Federal law’ to be covered by ADA protections.” That is to say, if a health care provider recommends this use, it should be protected by the ADA. The Courts have stated though, that doctors who recommend marijuana do not do so legally under federal law and “the use must additionally be ‘authorized by the Controlled Substances Act or other provision of Federal law,’ which marijuana is not.”
What happens if you do fail a drug test because of CBD? A medical review officer (“MRO”) is a “person who is a licensed physician and who is responsible for receiving and reviewing laboratory results generated by an employer’s drug testing program and evaluating medical explanations for certain drug test results.” An MRO acts as an advocate for the drug testing process and an independent and impartial gatekeeper. Under LabCorp’s guidelines, it is strongly recommended that any employer who receives a negative drug screen by one of their employees to have it reviewed by an MRO.
MRO’s provide “quality assurance review of the drug testing process for the specimens under your purview, determine if there is a legitimate medical explanation for laboratory confirmed positive, adulterated, substituted and invalid drug test results, ensure the timely flow of test result and other information to employers and protect the confidentiality of the drug testing information”
This allows for a second opinion on the drug screen ensuring that it was done correctly and being read properly. This is a double check on the lab’s practices to better assist employees. Lessening the employer’s ability to test for CBD and THC for workers off the job would assist in employees being able to continue working as well as using non-prescription opioids that can become addictive.
Opioids are proscribed by doctors, while CBD is often recommended by doctors for use alternatively from opioids. People in Indiana should not be disadvantaged for taking a more natural route in their healthcare as “approximately 90% of individuals with [opioid] addiction begin using illicit drugs before the age of 18.
There are two categories of illicit drugs. The first being illegal to process, sell, and consume cocaine, meth, and heroin and the second legal to process, sell, and consume when prescribed by a physician but then misused by the person who the drugs were prescribed or persons who obtained the drugs illegally.
Since 1999, the number of opioid poisoning deaths increased by 500 percent through 2015. According to the CDC, the “best ways to prevent opioid overdose deaths are to improve opioid prescribing, reduce exposure to opioids, prevent misuse, and treat opioid use disorder.” In Indiana in 2016 there were 794 opioid-related overdose deaths. This results in “a rate of 12.6 deaths per 100,000 persons compared to the national rate of 13.3 deaths per 100,000 persons. Synthetic opioids increased from 2012 through 2016 from forty-three to 304 deaths.
Indiana providers wrote 109.1 prescriptions of opioids for pain relief in 2015 per 100 persons. While in Colorado in 2013, providers wrote 69.8 opioid prescriptions per 100 persons with the United States rate at 79.3. Since 2013, the rate of opioid prescriptions has declined 6 percent in Colorado. In California in 2013, providers wrote 54.9 opioid prescriptions per 100 persons with a 12.8 percent decline in prescriptions between 2013 and 2015.
These statistics are not directly correlated with the use of medical marijuana in the above states, but it is something to be inferred by the data. As California was the first state in 1996 to legalize medical marijuana and Colorado first approved recreation marijuana use in 2012 there is the question to be risen as to whether the legalization of medical marijuana directly correlates to the reduction in opioid related deaths.
Is the legalization of marijuana the next step for Indiana? Possession of hash oil/marijuana includes a “person who knowingly or intentionally possesses marijuana, hash oil, hashish, or salvia.” By doing so, a person commits a Class B misdemeanor, unless the person has a prior offense, then it becomes a Class A misdemeanor. Dealing in schedule I or II substances ends with a person being convicted of a Level 5 felony only if the weight of the drug involved twenty-eight grams or more. Marijuana, under Indiana law, is defined as “any part of the plant genus Cannabis whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant, including hashish and hash oil; any compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plaint, its seeds or resin.”
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Workplace Drug Testing. (2021, Mar 20).
Retrieved November 5, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2021/03/page/16/
Hidden Figures: Katherine Johnson
Hidden figures is based on a true story about the life of Katherine John, an African-American mathematician who worked for NASA in the 1960s. Catherine has been very excellent since she was a child. Among the three, he seems to be relatively moderate. He accepts all unfair arrangements in silence as long as it is done under great injustice. But great talent, hard work, and a sense of responsibility have made her a favorite with the top brass. Her excellence is her capital, and in order to be able to successfully build manned rockets into space, NASA needs her anyway. Katherine John grew up with a prodigious aptitude for mathematics.
She got her bachelor's degree at the age of 18. She began working for NASA in 1953. She used her excellent computer skills on the first U.S. earth orbit mission in 1962, but Katherine's race and gender led to discrimination and oppression at work. In the film, Katherine is furious at her boss for demanding that she spend 40 minutes a day in the bathroom. There are no bathrooms for people of color in the office building. She was also denied access to the coffee pot in the office. She was tired every day, had a low income and suffered from discrimination. Then the rain-soaked Catherine, almost roaring, complained about the unequal treatment, and her soul was full of black people's perseverance and spunky free and easy personality, which was deafening. Fortunately, NASA's administrator was a model of respect for facts, smashing down bathroom signs for people of color and barriers to racial and gender discrimination. Because of this, NASA's work has progressed rapidly. Dorothy is the epitome of maturity in the film.
She is gentle but brave, whether she dares to submit the application for the seneschal again and again, or he takes the children to the white library to look for books. I think it is this brave support her in The Times of oppression still insist. She is a smart and gentle mother who is willing to look for other opportunities when her boss blocks her promotion application. Another girl named Mary, she is beautiful, strong and optimistic in the play, but she has a feeling of desperate and brave fighting, and she is determined to do it, no matter what the result is, as long as she wants to do. On the strong portrayal of the spirit of unyielding. At the end of the film, the space agency experienced all the difficulties to send a manned spacecraft into space and return. At the same time, Catherine and her companions' talents have been recognized by more and more people, and thus have been given a broader career space. The whole film depicts three different female figures, who all get what they want. Maybe this is god's reward for those who work hard.
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Hidden Figures: Katherine Johnson. (2021, Mar 20).
Retrieved November 5, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2021/03/page/16/
“Hidden Figures” Directed by Theodore Melfi
The movie we watched in class was Hidden Figures directed by Theodore Melfi. This movie was released on January 6th, 2017, and has earned 78 award nominations and 32 awards including three from the NAACP and more from many pro-women organizations. Hidden Figures has brought in an astonishing $235,956,611 (“Hidden”). The cast of the movie was excellent at portraying the events in the movie in a realistic, but emotional way. The main cast of the movie was Taraji P. Henson (Katherine Johnson), Octavia Spencer (Dorothy Vaughn), Janelle Monae (Mary Jackson), Kevin Costner (Al Harrison), Jim Parsons (Paul Stafford), Glen Powell (John Glenn), Kirsten Dunst (Vivian Mitchell), and Mahershala Ali (Jim Johnson).
This film highlights many historical Civil Rights feats that are important for Americans as well as people of all nationalities to know about. Even though Melfi changed some of the parts of the movie such as the timeline, the characters, and parts of the historical plots, the movie conveys the sacrifice black women made to be successful in society as well as the workplace. As much as I believe that the movie was made accurately enough to be a teaching tool, Melfi should have added more emphasis on the treatment of women of this time period rather than just the race problems faced in the 60s. The Civil rights movement was a movement mainly to promote race equality, but gender equality was pushed as well. Therefore, the movie would be a good teaching tool for the race inequalities of the 60s, but not for gender equality.
Hidden Figures starts out with a friend group of three black women, Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn. They are stuck on the side of the road on their way to work at NASA. A police officer stops to help them, and then does not believe the women when they say they work for NASA. When they give their proof of employment, the officer gives them an escort so that they will not be late. The three women all work in the West Computing department, an all black womens area of NASA. While the three women are working, Al Harrison sends Mrs. Mitchell to find him a good computer to help with his main group of engineers and trajectory planners. Dorothy sends Katherine to fulfill the position. Katherine turns out to be a better computer than all of the men computers that preceded her. Being a black woman working with a group of all white men posed many problems for Katherine. She would have to run to the other side of the NASA complex just to use the colored ladies restroom. Soon there was a colored coffee pot in her work area that was put there just for her. The men that she worked with did not believe that she was capable of computing as well as she did. This drove her over the edge and she blew her top at Mr. Harrison for asking her why she was using so much time for her bathroom breaks.
Meanwhile, Dorothy was trying to become supervisor of the colored computers and she kept getting rejected. A new machine was being put into the building as well, and it struck her interest. Mary was advancing slowly and working her way up to an engineering position with the wind tunnel engineers. As soon as she became eligible for the position, NASA set new standards for engineers that required her to take classes only offered at a white high school. Mary went to court and asked for permission to go to school at the local white high school and said “I can’t change the color of my skin, but I can help change this country.” The judge ordered that Mary could attend the school, but only the night classes. Dorothy finds out that the new machine is a mechanical computer and she notices that the programmers don’t know how to program it. She goes to her local whites only library and finds the book that explains how to program with FORTRAN. She gets kicked out of the library but steals the book. Dorothy spends the night coding the machine and has it running in the morning.
Back in the trajectory planning area of NASA, the numbers were almost solved out and the engineers were trying to find the re-entry point. Katherine solves the math and finds the re-entry point. She has to fight to get into a board meeting to find out more information about the flight so that she can know the information she needs to finish the rest of the calculations. She shows how smart she is to the directors and Glenn, the astronaut, by showing the landing coordinates. The movie comes to a close with Glenn asking the launch staff to have Katherine check the coordinates one more time. In the end of the movie, Mary becomes an air tunnel engineer, Dorothy becomes the supervisor of the IBM programmers, and Katherine sees her work in action by watching the Friendship 7 launch, and she marries Colonel Jim Johnson.
The movie, while entertaining and half-true, gets a few big things messed up. First off, the characters Al Harrison, Paul Stafford, and Vivian Mitchell were fictional characters. Harrison was created mainly to represent Robert C. Gilruth who was the head of the Space Task Force at Langley Research Center and then the director of Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. According to NASA, the reason he was replaced with a fictional character was that, “the organizational structure of the Space Task Group was much more complicated and was changing quickly during the time period when the movie takes place” (Loff “Modern”). This made for the character to make more sense within the plot of the movie. Paul Stafford was a mix of engineers that worked with Katherine Johnson. While she worked in the Space Task Group, there was a large turnover of engineers and scientists. NASA stated on their site about the movie, “Much of her early work on trajectories was done with Ted Skopinski, but there was a team of engineers with whom she worked at the time, including Skopinski, John Mayer, Alton Mayo, Al Hamer and Carl Huss” (Loff “Modern”). Paul Stafford was placed in the movie to reinforce the belief of Katherine’s co-workers that a black woman could not do the work of a white man. The character Vivian Mitchell was made to represent a white woman named Margery Hannah.Vivian was not kind or accepting to the black women in the movie, but in real life Mrs. Hannah was an accepting and kind woman who was inclusive of blacks (Frieden and Frieden).
Another big part of the movie that was not explained was the criticality of John Glenn’s mission. John Glenn was the first American to orbit around the earth. This was critical because the math and engineering that went into getting him there had to be perfect. That was a matter of life or death for him. The film makes this clear because it made Katherine and the other ladies’ jobs more critical and important. There's not much impressive about people doing math, but when they’re doing math to accomplish a feat that the country and Glenn were both counting on, it becomes very important. This mission was important to the country because of the Space Race between the U.S. and the USSR. Russia was launching spaceships and satellites into orbit around the earth and it was scaring Americans. Americans thought that since the USSR had these things in space, that they could were spying on the U.S. and that they were going to possibly attack from space. America had to make sure they were keeping up with the Soviets and they had to keep the soviets in second place. Launching a man into space was a big deal to the country because it would put the U.S. in the lead (Dunbar). To emphasize the importance of Katherine’s role in this mission, the movie depicted John Glenn asking for “the girl” to check the trajectory routes while he was waiting in the cockpit for blast-off. While Glenn did ask that “the girl” recheck the trajectories done by the IBM machine, he had asked a few days before the blast-off. According to NASA’s modern figures website, “This occurred well before the launch, and calculating the output for 11 different variables to eight significant digits took her a day and a half. Her calculations matched the computer’s exactly, giving John Glenn, and everyone else, the confidence that the critical computer software was reliable”(Loff “Modern”).
The changing of the timeline is the biggest change made by Melfi. The events that happened in the movie all seemed to occur within months of the 1962 launch of the Friendship 7. Segregation became illegal in 1945 by an executive order by FDR, but this took time to enforce. At the time, the research program at Langley was ran by NACA. “Built in 1917, this research complex (Langley) was the headquarters for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) which was intended to turn the floundering flying gadgets of the day into war machines. The agency was dissolved in 1958, to be replaced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the space race gained speed” (Wei-Haas) NACA allowed segregation, and it was actually in the time before the dissolving of NACA into NASA, the newly founded space program, (before 1958) that segregation was allowed. This was the time in which the colored bathrooms were only tin the West Computing area of Langley Research Center. While NACA was segregated, they started hiring blacks and women as early as the 1930’s (Frieden and Frieden) since they were proven to be able to do computing just as well as a man and also since most men were in danger of being drafted. The film depicts black women as being newly allowed at Langley in the late 50s to early 60s (Atkinson). Setting the movie between the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1956 and the 1964 Civil Rights Act emphasized how black women were treading on dangerous waters. Mary Jackson went to court to get permission to attend an all white school right after the Brown vs. Board of Education trial was decided by the supreme court in 1953. Mary finished her classes in 1958 (Frieden and Frieden) but the movie depicted her trial in the early 1960s. Another place where the timeline was altered was when Dorothy Vaughan learned to code with FORTRAN. The movie has the viewer infer that Dorothy learns this right before the 1962 launch, but she actually started working with the FORTRAN code in 1958. In the movie, Dorothy was also struggling to become a computers supervisor. In reality, she became a supervisor in 1949 (Loff “Dorothy”).
Some of the small detail changes made the movie drastically different. In the movie, Dorothy, Katherine, and Mary are depicted as close friends, while in reality they barely knew each other. By making them friends in the movie, the three women's’ stories connected together making a bigger picture of the black women in the space program. The women became closer later in life after they became heroes in the space program. The three of these women are pictured below. When questioned why her bathroom breaks were so long, Katherine “blew up” at Harrison out of anger over how she was being treated. In reality, Mary was the one who blew her top. Mary was angered at her future mentor Kaz Czarnecki. The coffee pot set out specifically for Katherine was also never happened in history. This was a representation of the “black table” signs in the cafeteria (Frieden and Frieden).
The movie focuses on the roles of race rather than gender in NASA. Even though the main characters had some discrimination based on their sex, the main emphasis of the movie was of blacks working for NASA in the early Western Computing group. More emphasis should have been put on gender roles in NASA and in society in the movie. The white women in the movie did not receive the gender discrimination that would have been around in the 1960s. The Civil Rights movement started to lay some on the stepping stones to women's equality in the U.S. “Gradually, Americans came to accept some of the basic goals of the Sixties feminists: equal pay for equal work, an end to domestic violence, curtailment of severe limits on women in managerial jobs, an end to sexual harassment, and sharing of responsibility for housework and child rearing” (Walsh). The movie has hints of the pre-Civil Rights movement America in it, such as Dorothy being forced out of the whites only library because the black library didn’t have a book on FORTRAN. Another place in the movie where race discrimination is seen is at the very beginning when the three women act super nice to the white police officer to avoid conflict. At the NASA space rally when Glenn shows up, Glenn is the only white man who acknowledges the blacks at the rally. These hints show the racist culture of the majority of white people in the 1960s.
This film would be a good tool to use in the classroom despite the fact that the historical timeline is condensed and that women’s equality is not emphasized enough. The movie shows how blacks worked extra hard to overcome the obstacles in their way just so that they could successfully do their jobs. I believe that the movie should be shown in conjunction with reading the book on which it is based by Margot Lee Shetterly. Lee said in an interview, “I hope people will read the book to get the fullness of all of these women” (Heathcock). Shetterly explained that her book had the stories of these women laid out more historically accurate than the movie because so many events were going on between these women. All in all, this movie is a slice of the history involved in race and gender equality at NASA in the pioneer days of the program. The movie is justified to not having all of the details being historically accurate - it is hard to fit 30 years of history into two hours of film.
Works Cited
- Atkinson, Joe. “From Computers to Leaders: Women at NASA Langley.” NASA, NASA, 24 Aug. 2015, www.nasa.gov/larc/from-computers-to-leaders-women-at-nasa-langley.
- Dunbar, Brian. “Profile of John Glenn.” NASA, NASA, 5 Dec. 2016, www.nasa.gov/content/profile-of-john-glenn.
- Frieden, James A., and Deborah Elliott Frieden. “Lesson Plans Based on Movies & Film Clips! .” Teach With Movies - Lesson Plans from Movies for All Subjects, TeachWithMovies.com, www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/hidden-figures.html.
- Heathcock, Ryan, director. ""Hidden Figures"" Author Margot Lee Shetterly Speaks with Ryan Heathcock. YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?+v=PdbPkCGUq9k.
- “Hidden Figures (2016).” Box Office Mojo, www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hidden figures.htm.
- Loff, Sarah. “Dorothy Vaughan Biography.” NASA, NASA, 22 Nov. 2016, www.nasa.gov/content/dorothy-vaughan-biography.
- Loff, Sarah. “Modern Figures: Frequently Asked Questions.” NASA, NASA, 7 Jan. 2017, www.nasa.gov/modernfigures/faq.
- Nye, Bob. “5 Cool Things the Women Who Inspired 'Hidden Figures' Accomplished.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 23 Dec. 2016, entertainment.howstuffworks.com/5-cool- things-women-who-inspired-hidden-figures-accomplished.htm.
- Walsh, Kenneth T. “The 1960s A Decade of Change for Women.” US News. U.S.News & World Report, 12 Mar. 2010. Web.
- Wei-Haas, Maya. “The True Story of ‘Hidden Figures,"" the Forgotten Women Who Helped Win the Space Race.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 8 Sept. 2016, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/forgotten-black-women-mathematicians-who-helped-win-wars-and-send-astronauts-space-180960393/.
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Will NASA have Gotten Far Without Katherine Johnson?
Katherine Coleman was a African American mathematician and computer scientist. Her calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and many more U.S. manned space flights for NASA. She was born on August 26, 1918 in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia in the United states. She was the first woman to ever get credit for her research report for her division. Katherine was married twice in her lifetime and had 3 daughters. She was the third African American to get her Ph.D in mathematics. She won many awards for her great accomplishments. She was the first African American to enroll in the mathematical program at her college. Her work was so important that she was mentioned in the movie Hidden Figures because her work was amazing and important they couldn’t do without her and needed her expertise.
Will the space program have gotten anywhere without Katherine Johnson? No! She was the expert in it all, when the planners who were over her in the space program got the numbers and statistics wrong she fixed it and got it right and saved the day. She was first introduced to mathematics when she was a little girl and started solving math equations. This talent came to her naturally. She was doing advanced classes in middle school because she was so intelligent. She had a great work ethic because her mom was a teacher and her father was a farmer. Katherine started highschool at the age 10 at West Virginia State High School. Katherine finished her high school education in four years.
After High school she went straight to college at West Virginia State College which is now West Virginia State University in Institute, West Virginia. Katherine earned her bachelor degree in mathematics and French from West Virginia State College. After Katherine moved and got a teaching job,but in 1939 she was picked to be in a graduate program at West Virginia University to be one of three African Americans. Katherine didn't stay at that college long though because she married James Goble her first husband and they wanted to start a family so she had to leave college. Katherine and James Goble had 3 children together, but they stayed married for 17 years before he died of brain cancer in 1956. Three years after her husband James Goble died , she remarried to James Johnson her second husband.
On November 24, 2015 she was given the Presidential Medal Of Freedom by President Barack Obama because she showed she was worthy of it and inspired many people. She also had many other awards and dedications to her. Katerine also had a movie made about her called “Hidden Figures ”and the two other people Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. The movie Hidden Figure was about all of their struggles and problems. Katherine Johnson also have a research faculty named after her by NASA in her honors for the marvelous work done by her and her contributions to them and the faculty. On September 22, 2017 Katherine Johnson Computational Research Facility finally opened up at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton,VA.Katherine also got an award called the “Silver Snoopy Award” from a former Astronaut and NASA administrator of education Leland Melvin.
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Digital Agriculture Essay
Objective:
The scheme aims at providing adequate and timely cred it for the comprehensive credit requirements of farmers under single window for their cultivation and other needs as indicated below:
- To meet the short term credit requirements for cultivation of crops
- Post harvest expenses
- Produce Marketing loan
- Consumption requirements of farmer household
- Working capital for maintenance of farm assets, activities allied to agriculture, like dairy animals, inland fishery and also working capital required for floriculture, horticulture etc.
- Investment credit requirement for agriculture and allied activities like pump sets, sprayers, dairy animals, floriculture, horticulture etc.
An agricultural eBay of sorts has brought together more than 3 lakh farmers with 2000 buyers, including Reliance Fresh, Jubilant Foods, and ITC. Business is brisk.Sinceit kicked off eight months ago, the portal – “Krishidoot” – has received 35,000 queries. Farmers have sold 13,000 quintals of produce such as grain, vegetables, flowers and soyabean, worth Rs 2.5 crore, to their online buyers. And made up to 18% more money than before. In return, farmers are buying seeds, pesticides, crop insurance, godown space and even personal loans from the same portal.In 10 states where it is working, the APMC Act permits a corporate to buy directly from the FPO under a special license.
The sheer convenience has made it a winning concept. Queries can be texted, leaving no need for a computer. These are instantly matched with buyer demands.Reuters Market Light, which runs the portal on behalf of the Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium, a government-owned incubation company, follows up with personal calls to each party. The rest of the transaction – price, quality, delivery – is decided by buyer and seller offline on terms that are invariably better than usual. Easy. Efficient. Value-for-money. The techno-savvy supply chain for farm produce.
But rural online retail isn’t the real story here. This portal is special because it is India’s first agri B2B site. The 3 lakh farmers are shareholders in 300 farmer producer companies registered under the Companies Act. It is these companies that do business on Krishidoot.
These companies have one objective: grab maximum share of the consumer’s rupee. So, through aggregating produce for negotiating power, value addition through pre-sorting, grading, sometimes even processing, long-term retail contracts, and smart technology like e-auctions, they try not to leave any money on the table for middlemen.
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21st Century Farming
Farming has become a more precise process since the inception of farming more than 10,000 years ago. Due to the technological advances of the 21st century, companies like John Deere and Monsanto are helping digitize agricultural business processes and is providing benefits to farms large and small around the world. Farm implementation companies are using data science, global positioning systems (GPS), wireless communications, automated driving vehicles and vehicle tracking systems to develop new cutting edge farming techniques. These types of systems allow the farmer to conserve precious resources, while maximizing their profits. Technology is transforming the traditional farm into a digital firm in order to stay technologically updated with the rest of the agribusiness industry (Bobkoff, 2015).
One company that is pushing farming into the 21st century is John Deere. They have integrated technologies to implement GPS to employ an optional feature of their equipment, AutoTrac. AutoTrac allows a tractor to self-drive using different presets of driving methods to maximize crop yield within a field. This provides the farmer with the flexibility to operate their business in varying field conditions. Using AutoTrac, a farmer can reduce the number of passes a vehicle must make through a field. Due to less driving, the fuel costs are reduced and allows for covering more ground during any given day. Farmer fatigue is also reduced through the self-driving of the equipment. This allows the farmer to focus on the product producing aspects of their fields, such as seed and fertilizer disbursement (Deere, 2019).
Continuing to innovate, John Deere developed JDLink. JDLink is a subscription service that provides data management through the use of cellular networks. Through communication between the farmer and the entire farming enterprise, the status of their machinery can be tracked in real-time. JDLink can send valuable information to the farmer such as fuel consumption and fluid levels of their machinery. AutoTrac and JDLink help the farmer by increasing their income from crops and the management of equipment. Another technology, Machine Sync, allows multiple pieces of equipment to collaborate during planting and harvesting. This collaboration reduces the duplication of work (Deere). Mobile devices can also be used to monitor the farm with JDLink.
Data science has become more prevalent in 21st century farming. Monsanto's Fieldscript has enabled the farmer to receive valuable information about the conditions of their fields. Monsanto gathers data from the farmers and can provide information to those farmers about how much fertilizer and water to use on their fields (Doering, 2014). With this information, a farmer can reduce the amount of wasted resources and boost yield per acre. The result is an increase in profits for the farmer. By having detailed information about their fields, a farmer can make more informed decisions about what products to use in their fields to maximize their profits. This is achieved through compiled historical data about the farmer's fields (Monsanto, 2012).
Farming has become a digital firm because farmers are now utilizing information technology (IT) in their core business processes and in the managing of their assets. Farmers that have become digital firms can respond more quickly to changes in environmental conditions. These changes in conditions can negatively impact the farmer's profits due to changes in soil quality. The suppliers of seeds, chemicals, and fertilizers such, as DuPont, have been able to provide more individualized products for the individual farmer because of the data that farmers can provide to the suppliers of products used in their fields. (Bobkoff, 2015).
Through IT, farmers can maximize their return on investment by reducing variable overhead such as fuel consumption and the use of seeds and fertilizers in their fields while increasing production simultaneously. IT also allows better understanding of what futures for crops may look like and allow the farmer to lock in a better price before harvesting their crops. Reducing the need for storing inventory for prolonged periods of time allows the farmer to sell crops at it's highest quality, which will yield a better price at market. This can reduce the amount of fixed costs associated with plant and equipment assets by not needing as much physical storage for the farmer's crops.
There are three problems that data analytical modeling can assist in the decision making process using precision agricultural systems: planting seeds, fertilizing and watering fields, and harvesting decisions (Gillam 2013). Identifying the problem of what seed to use and where in the field to use the seed is the first step in making the decision of what to do on the farm. Seeds can then be planted efficiently by using digitally enhanced farming equipment. Decisions about depth to plant and row spacing are determined and then can be implemented in the planting of the seeds. Success can then be measured by the increase or decrease of the yield of crops harvested.
Fertilizing and watering decisions can also be made and measured with the interpretation of information gathered about the field. These decisions will impact the amount of resources that are needed and used on the field. Through the implementation of what resources to use a farmer can maximize their profit. By reducing the variable cost of the operation of the farm, success can be measured by net profit.
Planting, fertilizing and watering relies on the data gathered by IT systems to conduct precision agriculture. The harvesting of crops is when the farmer makes their profits. When to actually harvest crops is a vital decision that needs to be made by the farmer. If harvest occurs too soon, maximum value may be not achieved. Conversely, if harvested too late, crops may begin to spoil and reduce the crops' value or completely make the crops worthless.
Precision agriculture is the way farmers are farming in the digital age. This process is vital to increased crop yields and reduced variable overhead costs associated with running a farm. The individual farmer benefits from these technological advances by reducing labor costs, both in terms of the amount of people needed and the amount of work that needs to be done by the individual farmer. However, most of these technologies benefit large industrial farms and not the small farmers. Some farmers acknowledge the benefits of precision agriculture, but are leery of how their field data might be used and profited on by other people or businesses. For technological advances to be fully embraced, there will need to be a complete cultural change either forced by competition to change or by the individual farmer's own will to adapt these changes.
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The Indus Valley Civilisation was Largely Dependent on the Indus River System
The Indus Valley Civilisation was largely dependent on the Indus River system and thrived with it, similar to how ancient Egyptians were with the Nile. It provided water for their cleaning uses, was used as a way of passage to neighbouring civilisations for trade and interactions, but probably most importantly, it nourished the crop fields that made agriculture such a greatly relied upon aspect of the civilisation’s lifestyle.
The Indus River inundated in patterns, creating a ‘flood season’ that farmers were able to take advantage of with their preparation and generation of produce. This season was in conjunction with India’s monsoon season; the Valley people made the most of the downpour of rain by collecting the rainwater for use in the dry season when fresh water would be scarcer. This abundance of water was used for cleaning among other things, and clearly contributed to the civilisation’s health and hygiene; this is another factor which aided their survival. When the Indus River flooded the fields, it made the soil rich with nutrients. The river contributed to crop health with fertilisation and irrigation. Farmers took advantage of this by sowing seeds immediately after flooding to quickly begin growing a new crop of produce in the perfect soil. They also had to plant different crops in the wet winters and the hot dry summers.
Archaeologists believe the Indus valley farmers may have used river water to irrigate their fields. The heavy rainfall of the monsoon season also greatly supported agricultural activities. As a result of the river’s highly nutritious water, the Indus Valley was able to produce great surpluses of food for their civilisation. The diet for the Indus Valley Civilisation included grain and milk products, fruits, vegetables, fish and meat. Historians were able to know this by knowing what they planted as crops. Indus Valley farmers planted a different set of crops according to the time of year. Winter crops typically held wheat, barley, peas, lentils, linseed and mustard. In summer they grew millet, sesame, cotton and possibly rice (historians are not completely sure if rice was grown as it was in other Asian civilisations). The river’s water would have also sustained many animals that the Valley people relied on.
Evidence has shown that about half of the animal bones found in the city came from cattle. Cattle require a lot of water for nourishment of their grass and for drinking. The cows were used for milk, meat, leather-making and transport (i.e. pulling carts). Farmers domesticated sheep, goats, pigs, buffaloes, and donkeys (or possibly horses) and camels (especially for transport). They apparently had chickens too. In addition to these farm animals, the river attracted a great amount of animals for the Indus people to hunt. They hunted wild birds such as ducks and used nets to catch carp and other fish, and they collected shellfish. The farmers were believed to have not been forced labourers, but workers who had skill and knowledge passed on to them from elder people. Using the techniques passed on through the generations, farmers themselves were often successful in reward from their harvests and the civilisation had the resources and abilities to survive for as long as they did.
Food was hardly an issue due to this sustainable system, and one of their greatest trade goods was agriculture. With agriculture contributing heavily towards their economy, people of the Indus Valley were able to trade their surpluses of food between their own cities for items like jewellery, pottery, materials and metals. They also traded with other countries for goods like lead and copper primarily from India, minerals (in particular the prized, blue lapis lazuli and turquoise gems) from Iran and Afghanistan, and cedar tree wood from China. Since the civilisation inhabited the area around the Indus River, they gained benefits due to their close proximity to the water. Boats became the more practical option for transport to other cities in the Indus Valley and for travelling north towards other countries for trade.
The strong trade links with distant cities for goods such as mining resources were all made possible by their ability to travel by wooden boat. To conclude, the Indus River became essential to the civilisation’s lifestyle, through reliance on plant and animal sustenance, household use, economy and transport. Without such a convenient source, the Indus Valley civilisation would have suffered more and could have well collapsed centuries earlier.
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Determinants of Cash Crop Productivity in Ethiopia
The idea of small farm can be approached from a multiplicity of angles. Small-scale agriculture is not appropriately used interchangeably with smallholder, family life, resource-poor, low-input and low technology (Heidhues and Bruntrup, 2003). The following definitions illustrate the diversity of conceptual approaches to the term. Lipton (2005) defines family farms as operating units in which most labor and enterprise come from the farm family, which puts much of its working time into the farm (Oksana, 2005). On the other side, the World Bank’s Rural Strategy defines as those with a low asset base operating less than two hectares of cropland (World Bank, 2003).
The further study defines smallholder as farmers with limited resource endowments, relative to other farmers in sector (Dixon et al., 2003). There is no clear elsewhere definition of small farm and smallholder farmers. The simplest as well as conventional meaning of a smallholder is the case when the land available for a farmer is very limited (Chamberlain, 2008; Hazel et al., 2007). However, the meaning goes beyond this conventional definition and consists of some general character that so-called smallholders generally exhibit. Chamberlain has recognized four them on the basis of which smallholders can be differentiated from others. These themes include land property size, wealth, market orientation and level of vulnerability to danger. For that reason, smallholder is inadequate land availability, poor-resource endowments, subsistence-oriented and highly in danger to risk. However, smallholder may or may not exhibit all these dimensions of smallness simultaneously. It is also common to set the numeric value as a way of defining small-farms.
Hazel et al., (2007), define that small farmer as those less than two hectares of cropland while others define smallholders as those endowed with limited resources such as land, capital skills, and labor. Similarly, there are also those authors who often describe small farms in terms of low technology they mostly use, their heavy dependence on household manual labor and their subsistence orientation. There is no clearly stated definition as to what constitutes a small farm in Ethiopia as it is the case in many developing countries farmers in Ethiopia relation for part of the Ethiopian population and food grain production (Betre, 2006).
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Many Studies was Carried out on the Poultry Rearing Especially in Rural Areas
Many studies was carried out on the poultry rearing especially in rural areas. Naqvi and Ibrar(2015) women’s must provide the opportunities to participate in the family affairs and decision making which help in the social development of the country but in our culture female has not given the opportunities to make decision on any issues .She must consult to men and after that she make a decision, and this only happens just because that men mostly work heard and make earning to support family and provide the basic needs of the family. Pakistan is agriculture based economy, in rural areas mostly women’s worked with his men in fields, and make care of his animals, and also involved in the household activities and poultry rearing which contribute the family expenditure.
Saleque and Mustafa(1996) In Bangladesh the BARC program was presented .The model encourage the homeless and poor women . Which play an important role in enhance the income level of the poor women, their income is not much to contribute in their living expenses by the poultry rearing in rural areas.
Singh and Jadoun(2014) The non-technical method poultry rearing in India practice from many years. Poultry production is a good source of healthy food and help in poverty reduction and malnutrition in underdeveloped countries.By the production of poultry rearing empower the women and help to improve their living standard, the poultry rearing and other small scale business encouraged by the government and private organization to increases the decision making and help in the development of rural areas , t he deficiency of technical skills is the main obstacle in the poultry rearing business.
Padhi(2016) Natural kind of chicken’s plays a vital role in the modern countries and the back word countries. The poultry production business on small scale help the healthy nutrition and also a good source of income earning. The selection of best genetically cheeks help in the production of healthy chickens which help in the higher income generation and healthy nutrition’s. Cabezas(2018) If the state provide a native breed of cheeks and also educate the women about the diseases, feeds, vaccination about poultry production ,so it will increase the production , and help to empower the women. Assa(2012)Small scale poultry business as a tool for income generation among farmers. Poultry rearing plays a vital role in poverty reduction ,The right or tight policies ,investment and developmental programs in the poultry production sectors leads to increase the poultry production ,which helps to reduce poverty and enhance the economic and social development of women in rural areas.
Parveen,et al.(2013)Training are very important for women’s to improve the poultry rearing provides the chicken’s production because the women farmers have a complete knowledge about the chicken’s native breeds, best feeds, vaccinations which help in increase in the poultry production .This paper suggest that training must provide to female farmers which help to increase in poultry production business which leads to increase household income.
Copland and Alders(2005)Poultry rearing are the main assets for many peoples whose lies below the poverty line. They provide a healthy foods, and meet the needs of the family, but there are various disease reduce the poultry production .The ACIAR has support the rural poultry from various years. They help to control of Newcastle diseases (ND).This diseases is the obstacle of extension of poultry production.
Mathialagan(2014)Females plays a major role in the agriculture sectors and many other sectors. This paper present the strategy for the female empowerment. The rural women provides the native breeds of chicken for further production of poultry which help to improve the living standard and social and economic development.
Dolbery(2003) There are various number of poor people in the world which is below the poverty line so it is the need of the day to make a tight policies to improve the development in the livestock sector. Poultry production keeps poor people which leads a positive experience in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh the government support the poor families in the poultry business which leads to poverty reduction .The main aim of the paper to reduce poverty in Bangladesh.
Tufail,et al.(2012)The poultry production is a small scale business. The poultry production usually native breeds are kept by the farmers which have a great source of meat and eggs. Some eggs utilize by the farmers by self while the excessive eggs they sold in the market which leads a great contribution in the household expenses.
Sambo(2015) poultry is the main source of underdeveloped countries and mostly women involved in this small scale business various programs has attempted to increases the poultry rearing to reduce poverty .But the main obstacle is various diseases in the production of chickens ,this diseases increases the risk factors.
Farooq, et al.(2000)This paper was carried out by given training to the women farmers for the enhancement of poultry production, training is very important to increase poultry production because of training the main constraint were removed all the farmer are well aware about the vaccinations after training.
Javeed ,et al.(2003)Poultry production in rural areas mostly women kept for meat and eggs for his own family uses .Abbas and zeeshan(2015)Chicken production in backyard has not much increase in the income of household but it contribute to meet the healthy nutritional needs of the family. Upton, Martin(2004)The paper focus to the need for enhancing investment in poultry production which make a great contribution in income generation. Otte, et al.(2012)For world reduction of poverty and for food security, the major steps need at the early stages of development e,g in agriculture sector, investment in animal production ,food security ,nutrition needs etc.
kondombo(2005)Rural poultry production is mostly neglected by the political leaders ,they define that poultry rearing is a low productivity small scale business. Dinka, et al.(2010)The main obstacle in the production of poultry production is different diseases ,chickens have poor health, lack of marketing knowledge .The native breed are replaced by the exotic poultry.
In rural areas poultry rearing is practice from many times which is a good source of food. Women are mostly involved in the back yard poultry production which leads to women empowerment, women empowerment means that given power to women (Naqvi ,et al. 2015). The poultry rearing is a small scale business in rural areas which leads to increase the income level of women, make the women empower, and help in the poverty reduction.
Poultry rearing provides the opportunities to female for empowerment which help in increase in earning and make contribution in family expenses e,g health, education, food needs etc, female plays a major role in the poultry rearing at a home level they are unaware from the new methods of production , to increase the production of chickens(Butt, et al.2010) .Poultry is kept for meat and eggs, the eggs mostly utilize for his own consumption and the excessive amount of eggs they sold in the market which lead in the income generation(Javed ,et al. 2003).
Poultry gives more benefits to household , the native breed is more expensive as compared to the exotic chickens. In the MARDAN bazar the native breed of 2kg chicken sold at a price of 1000 rupees while the exotic chicken of 2kg is sold approximately 300 rupiees, the meat of breed chicken is more healthy as compared to the exotic one, so the native breed of chickens play a vital role of income generation at a household level and contribute the household expenses.
The main obstacle of poultry production is the non-technical method of poultry rearing. The poultry rearing encourage by the government and private organization, it help in the women empowerment, decision making, and also help in development of the country(Singh,et al . 2014).if the government educate the women about the best breeds of chickens and also educate the women about the vaccination, health food, of chickens it help in the enhancement of poultry production and this help in poverty reduction and empowerment of women , if the women are empower and they have her own income then they are able to give her children a good education , good health facilities .
The aim of the study is the how many improvement the rural women get in the poverty reduction with the help of poultry rearing, their contribution in household expenses, their contribution in health and education, and what is the challenges they face in poultry rearing.
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Many Studies Was Carried Out on the Poultry Rearing Especially in Rural Areas. (2021, Mar 20).
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Farmers are People who are Engaged in Yielding Crops
Farmers are people who are engaged in yielding crops, raising livestock, and helping the future . Job Duties and Types of Work Farmers provide the following services: Raising livestock to sell, breed, or eat. Turning something raw into something we can use in today's society Fighting hunger and making sure the future carries on farming. B. What are hours/days are required to work?
Is this a career that can be found in any city? In some instances farming started civilization for some cities. Farming develops a great economy and opens a lot of opportunity. Poultry, Meat, veggies and fabric will always have a need and in demand .
Can this work be done inside or outside? Farming can be done in both inside and out but may taste different Indoor growing improves growing speed and may not taste great do to artificial proponents added to the hydroponic systems. Outdoor growing takes longer but most farmers like this because the quality of product is better and is cheaper to produce to quantity as well. Educational Requirements Does this require a college or technical degree? Farming doesn’t really require anything but, having hands on experience really helps with what you can do. B. How many years of school does this require?
If college is an option for farming 4 years is needed for all applicants a four year certification and examination is required and a test over ethics and code will have to be passed. An additional 2 years of hands on training is really helpful but optional. What are some good colleges? Texas A&M University Tarleton State University Texas A&M College of Ag and Life Sciences
Required Skills
What are skills required for this job? Management skills are needed because managing is how you or your employers make money People's skills are very important because working along with other is way easier and could be more productive. Needing help is perfectly fine in the farming business hands may vary to teenagers in high school to trainees needing hands on experience to complete college course. Analytical thinking and problem solving is a must have skill in the farming business because realistically live happens and you can find yourself in some sticky situations like farm equipment failure. You must be able to improvise and adapt to that and figure a way to finish the job no matter the circumstance.
Do you have to have these skills? Yes these skills are required to work as a farmer. Without them farming would not be fun and easy going even through times of adversity. Not having these skills can lead you to more work the next day as your days get longer and busier you'll become stressed.
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Bees Pollinate One Third of the Crops in the World
Did you know bees pollinate one third of the crops in the world? In other words, for every three bites a person takes, he/she can thank a bee for one (Grossman, 2013). Although one may not notice it, the bee decline in the U.S. has been on the move and is taking a toll on U.S. farmers, which affects everyone. For instance, bees are certainly a main pollinator in the world. Since the start of their decline, crops have been on the decline as well. As a result of fewer flourishing crops, the U.S. has been losing money from the bees. Consequently, farmers have resorted to letting workers go just to be able to keep their farms productive. The decline of bees in the U.S has taken a toll on farmers to an extent where they lose crops, money, workers, and many are losing their farms as well.
Crop Decline
Over the past ten years, thirty percent of bee hives have been lost which has affected the environment and plants especially. It is crucial to protect the bees because they provide stable fruits and vegetables for the country. For instance, almonds are dependent upon bees particularly in California. Since there aren’t as many bees now, California almond farmers have a difficult time pollinating their almond crops (Zhang, 2018). Furthermore, the loss of bees means the plant reproduction cycle declines thus leaving plants in danger of going extinct. While the decline of bees has hit plants hard, which has left them vulnerable to diseases, farmers have lost not only crops but money too.
Profit
While bees are important to the environment, the money that their honey brings in is profitable as well. Since the honey is so valuable, Asia has sold it for 50-60 dollars per pound before, while in America its usually sells for one dollar per pound (Garcia, 2018). In addition, bee pollination is worth an estimated 15 billion in U.S. farming which is essential to farmers and their crops. Without the pollinations of feedstock, meat has declined which has forced an increase in price. Furthermore, this price increase on meat has pushed price increases on crops in the U.S. also. Now making fewer profits, the U.S. recently spent 2 million dollars to help the bee’s population by fixing 10 million bee hives (Lee, 2018). Furthermore in California, the almond growers sometimes have to pay an extra 83 million a year just to help repair hives and get good pollination (Grossman, 2013). Without pollination, farmers won’t have a surplus of crops, and without an adequate supply of crops, they won’t make enough money to pay their workers which will force layoffs.
Employment
Since farmers are now losing profits as a result of the decline of bees and their pollination, the workforce has declined. For example, when farmers can’t pay workers, they must find work elsewhere. This results in less meat and plant options in grocery stores. With fewer options to choose from, grocery stores are not able to adequately fill their shelves, resulting in fewer workers as well. Consequently, bees contribute to keeping the economy strong.
In conclusion, bees can affect much more than just crops. For example, they affect the farmers when they start losing workers and money. Furthermore, some farmers are forced to shut their farms down which can affect how much food and plants are at the grocery store. In addition, U.S. farmers start losing money while trying to help bees flourish. These are the many different ways bee pollination affects farmers and the people consuming their products.
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The Big Bang Theory is a Theory of how the Universe Started
The big bang theory is a theory of how the universe started. Most people do believe that the big bang theory was the start of the universe, but then you have some that don’t believe that. They believe that the universe was always here and that there was nothing that created it. You also have some people that believe that the big bang was actually a bang, the name is kind of misleading because it says "big bang" but really it was an expansion, not an explosion. The universe started from gas, and just started to expand, think of like a balloon when you blow it up, it expands; the universe is actually still expanding. A recent questionnaire gives proof that most Americans don’t believe that the universe started 13.8 billion years ago. There was also another question that stated some do believe that the universe started with a bang, not an expansion.
The steady State theory is pretty much the same thing that was already talked about, and it’s pretty much just stating that the universe expands and didn’t explode. Since astronomers can’t go all the way in the past when the universe was actually "born" all they really know about it is what they learn from mathematical formulas. It’s actually a really good thing to know how the universe was "born", because it helps you understand yourself.
Right after the big bang the temperature was about 10 billion degrees fahrenheit. When the universe got cooler the neutrons, electrons, and protons got closer together. The cosmic background is pretty much what people call the "afterglow" of the big bang, it was predicted for the first time by Ralph Alpher in 1984 but was found by accident.
To determine the age of the universe they observe the cosmic radiation background. They have sent plenty other satellites in space to determine the age of the universe but they find that observing the cosmic radiation background is a more effective way of determining the age of the universe. One observation in 2013 helped to determine that the age was 13.82 billion years old.
Later in 2014 an observation lead to the evidence of as the universe got bigger it created gravitational waves. A few months later they found that the results they got could have been altered. In september they found that all their findings was mostly but maybe all star dust.
More evidence of the fact that the big bang did in fact happen and not just what someone made up, because some people still believe that the big bang was not at all true, and that it’s just what someone came up with randomly. It seems that galaxies are moving away from us, which means that not only did the universe expand but that it continues to expand daily.
The big bang is one of many things people think is how the universe came to be, the only difference is that the big bang actually happened and the other theory’s didn't. A couple seconds after the expansion the universe expanded extremely fast. After the expansion later stopped, it was filled with dark plasma, and other elements.
There are a bunch of myths that have gone around, and after all the facts, and the proof that they have with the big bang people still find a way to try and say it didn't happen, or that it wasn't an expansion that it was an explosion. Not only that but other people think that the universe was just there, that it didn't come out of nowhere but was always here. Which is also a really big misconception because there's proof that before the universe there was nothing.
There are quite a few answers that have yet to be explained about the big bang. For example; the big bang itself, you can't really prove them, there's really no way to prove them to be right or not. If you think about it you can’t really think the universe was just here, it really just doesn't make any senses that people just believe that, and it had to have come from somewhere, so where if not the big bang.?
I personally think that the big bang actually happened and I guess I can't really talk for other people, but with all the proof and all the articles that have been published, I really don't see how you couldn't think it actually happened, because not only is there a whole lot of proof that the big bang happened, but what else could it have been.? I really think that the people that dont believe that the big bang happened really needs to be more open minded to the things they can’t see. If they aren't then they aren't going to be able to believe in most things, but the big bang actually makes a lot of sense I mean it is pretty much fact that there was nothing before the expansion so if there was nothing then what else could it have been.? It wasn't just there it had to have come from somewhere, and if not the big bang than where.
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When should Mature Businesses Rely on itself to Manufacture
The make-or-buy question in mature industries. This article review analyzes the answer to the age-old question of when should mature businesses rely on itself to manufacture or provide certain parts, products, or services, and when should the organization purchase from outside sources instead? Hayashi (p. 5) also discusses different choices made about the use of vertical integration whether it is warranted or not by gleaning through considerable analytical research. In addition, the data also addresses when countries like the U.S. must compete with countries such as China who can produce items or services at a much lower cost and higher production rate.
How can the U.S. stay relevant in such as a competitive global market? Extensive data from the researchers at Institut Europeen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) or the European Institute of Business Administration, a graduate business school, along with the Universidade de Coimbra and InsCosta with the Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon is considered to explain a theory and possible conclusion. The data itself is collected over a period of 15 years during 1990-2005 from a significant study conducted within the Portuguese footwear industry compiled from a limited sample pool. The review explains how the three subjects of the study Basilius, J. Sampaio & Irmao, and Investvar were observed for not only routine practices like product design, marketing, and distribution, but also specialized manufacturing which included cutting, stitching of leather pieces, and producing the soles. Two out of the three firms were able to come up with relatively successful results for vital aspects of a winning strategy: scope, permeability, and modularity of their value-creating activities (Hayashi, 2008, p. 6). One main point highlighted is that the research did not conclude definitive results. However, it did reveal businesses that focused less on core competencies, introduced technology advances, and ventured to outside market influences were more effective. As well as abandoning the practice of internal functionality only and then instituting modularized and self-sufficient business units. Thus, thereby creating a formula and an effective management of a supply chain. The textbook states that "supply chain management (SCM) consists in the theory of multiple firms collaborating to leverage strategic positioning and to improve operating efficiency representing a strategic choice," (Young, 2017, p. 4). To reiterate further SCM is a cohesive management approach to a firm’s supply-side relationships. The SCM suggests organizations move away from the routine and solo production into a coordinated effort that increases market impact, overall efficiency, continuous improvement, and competitiveness (Young, 2017, p. 7).
The informative text also points out that a significant factor of SCM is mobility and unquestionable transformation. Many believe that SCM and procurement are closely related. Procurement being the method which consolidates the activities of obtaining and then managing a business’s supply efforts. Hayashi (2008) explains supply chain management based on the study by discussing how the two of the three companies adopted five areas of strategic importance: information, product, service, financial, and knowledge to set up a pioneering opportunity. Information reviewed as all three firms were observed to pinpoint general processes as well as industry-specific activities. All methods noted as to whether businesses relied on itself to manufacture or provide certain parts, products, or services, when some jobs were outsourced for maximum efficiency, and when a combination of the two was utilized.
The data supported that each organization used varying degrees of an SCM strategy that worked and did not work. As indicated in the article Basilius settled on a traditional channel of strategy by adhering to the same methods used in the past and not embracing newer best practices of SCM. The company proved an older theory of mature companies focus only on tried and true methods used in past successes. However, Basilius displayed the most unfavorable results based on this decision. Unfortunately, research reveals that this is the decision of many mature companies when demand and finances decline to reemphasize those processes and not introduce a different strategy. J. Sampaio & Irmao and Investvar sought to improve and utilize innovative procedures. The most effective and favorable decision. The SCM strategy was to be confident in core competencies, and move to other improve upon the supply network, integrated enterprise and market distribution network. The move aimed at increasing the scope, permeability, and modularity of the two shoe manufacturers.
A closer look revealed that J. Sampaio & Irmao and Investvar revamped operations incoming and outgoing and found an unexplored market niche of supplying shoe sample collections for retail chains. In reworking the supply chain models and adding innovative activities to the existing network each was able to create an operation that aligned the production with customers, provided supportive distribution, and a supplier network that improved both facilities’ competitive advantage. It was also cited that researchers found that the benefits outweigh the coordination costs involved in managing an increased number of activities. A strategy of not focusing on core competencies but introducing technological advances into the current operations. This accomplished by exposing core competencies to outside markets for suggestions of improvement and possible outsourcing if necessary to improve efficiencies. Then making each facet modular and self-sufficient. Mature companies can emphasize these adjustments and successfully evolve over time and extend the life of a product or service. In other words, update processes continually to stay relevant or in demand to customers and supply network participants.
In conclusion, Hayashi finds that the scope, permeability, and modularity of value-creating activities help answer the make or buy question for some businesses. Both researchers felt confident in the findings that those three vital components; scope, permeability, and modularity contributed to a business being able to succeed in a mature climate time after time. By continuously addressing these three areas mature businesses can adjust processes of making, buying parts of the operation and remain competitive for because of for some time. "In particular, the researchers argue that greater scope, permeability, and modularity enable companies to identify and take advantage of lucrative business opportunities more quickly," (Hayashi, 2008, p. 6). However, Hayashi (2008, p. 6) emphasizes that in no way are these results definitive because such a small pool of participants was used. Hayashi also mentioned that the study proved correlation and not causality. Meaning that the primary components contributed to a notable continual success rate. However, it did support that traditional channels of adhering to the same methods or only reinforcing core competencies definitely did not prove to be the best method.
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When Should Mature Businesses Rely on Itself to Manufacture. (2021, Mar 20).
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Background and Context According to Laumann, Leitsch, and Waite
Background and Context According to Laumann, Leitsch, and Waite (2008), currently, the cases of abuse to the elders by those taking care of them are at the highest level ever in the history of the United States. To my surprise, the cases of elder’s abuse are common across all races and regions in the nation. As stated by the National Research Council (2014), the elder-abuse issue has been there since the beginning of the nation. However, it has received little attention from policymakers and law enforcement agents. When the law does not punish the wrongdoers, it makes others to get involved in the evil deeds. Also, the fact that the senior individuals cannot report those who harass them mainly family members reduces chances of elder abuse coming to a stop. Even more, the fear of getting neglected further forces the victims to remain silent.
As a result of little cooperation from players in older adults' welfare, the victims continue getting hurt, which harm their lives. The results of elder abuse have been seen as life-threatening, and Dong, Chen, Chang, and Simon (2013) claim that elders who undergo any form of abuse are three times more likely to commit suicide or die of psychological problems. Pillemer, Burnes, Riffin, and Lachs (2016) estimates that more than ten percent of elders in the United States undergo verbal, sexual, psychological, physical or financial abuse during their lifetime. According to Owens, & Cooper (2010), an individual diagnosed with dementia (which is very common amongst elderly groups) suffers a higher risk of undergoing any form of the listed abuses. The study shows that more than 15% of mistreatment cases are ignored in health facilities, and that leaves the victims in danger of excessive abuse. As such, it is clear that elder abuse happens most of the time than thought. Additionally, the effects of the spread of the habit are more than the involved partners would like to let it be known. For instance, Shankardass and Rajan (2018) estimate that more than $5.3 billion of federal government's budget towards healthcare ends up covering for elder-abuse treatments. The biggest problem is that, while elder-abuse has many negative impacts that can be prevented; there is little goodwill to settle it.
When elders are mistreated, they develop psychological problems. These effects can either be long-term or short-term. Whichever the case, the effects easily disorient their lives and those around them. Shankardass&Rajan (2018) explains the reported psychological results of abuse include nervousness, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Laumann, Leitsch, and Waite (2008) further explain that the degree of damage caused is directly related to age effects are more severe for older individuals. That is mainly because the victims get the feeling of sadness, betrayal, hopelessness, confusion, and when the oppressor is around. Importance and Impact of the Problem Understanding the effects of abusing elders can give people a sense of responsibility towards them.
Explaining the effects of elderly mistreatment and the cost incurred because of the act, it is an essential step toward controlling the negative attitude of family members and caregivers. The more informed the people are about the issue, the more likely they are to come up with solutions that will last for long. It is clear that many of the harassment cases are committed without the offenders minding the results of their actions. In case the problem is not well addressed, it is obvious that the cases of elders' abuse will keep increasing over the years. That is because the number of aging persons keep growing too. As such, it is important to create awareness of the results of elders’ abuse to increase chances of ending the dangerous trend. Dong, Chen, Chang, and Simon (2013) advises that when individuals attain an age of 60 and above, they should be left to enjoy their lives and not get harassed. The authors also claim that controlling elder harassment requires an orderly review of the policies guiding the identification, arrest, and prosecution of the oppressors.
However, that requires a broad understanding of the impact of mistreating the aging, so that the policies put in place condemn the conduct of the abusers. Barnett, Miller-Perrin, & Perrin (2010), believe that it is immoral and sad that older adults can be treated in cruel ways that bring them pain and suffering, especially by the people who should care for them. Awareness should be made so that the people may know the impact of mistreating the elderly so that they may establish a culture of care towards them (Owens, & Cooper, 2010). That means, the aging group deserves more respect than what most people give them.
This project will have a great value towards my success in academics and wide knowledge in the field of healthcare. I am currently pursuing a course leading to attainment of a Bachelor's degree in Public health. Personally, I see the need to treat older adults well at all times. Learning the impacts of elder’s mistreatment on their emotional wellbeing will increase my concern for them and shape me into a skilled medical practitioner. More so, I will become familiar with the rules and policies which should be put in place to stop the habit. By using my experience to the discoveries of the research, I am sure I will come out a competent expert in the field of public health. In my personal life context, I will be appropriately equipped with skills in dealing with the cases related to the aging. It will also motivate me into conducting further research on the emerging trends and strategies of preventing similar incidents in the future.
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Background and Context According to Laumann, Leitsch, and Waite. (2021, Mar 20).
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The Pain from Flooding
One farmer in Sidney, Iowa, Dustin Sheldon, is feeling the damage caused by the flooding in the Midwest this spring. He estimates his family farm has lost about $1 million in damages from the floods. Sheldon says that in his county alone, there is roughly $7 million worth of grain stuck in grain bins that has either already been lost or is inaccessible. He also says that many farmers probably will not be able to bounce back from these catastrophic losses. Ranchers in the region also lost thousands of head of cattle, pigs, and other livestock.
The pain from this flooding is felt primarily among Midwest farmers who depend on crops and ranchers who depend on livestock for their income. It may also be felt in the grain and livestock industry, as this region produces much of the products that feed our country.
Right now, farmers should be fertilizing their fields for the upcoming harvest. Instead, they are stuck waiting for flood waters to recede, so they can assess the damages on their land. Even if farmers are able to get a crop in the ground (which isn’t likely), the 2019 crop is looking pretty discouraging, Sheldon says.
Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts has said his state has sustained about $1.4 billion in damages to crops, land, and livestock. Iowa governor Kim Reynolds has estimated $1.6 billion in damages in her state. Most farmers have contingency plans, meaning they have insurance on crops on the ground, but will not receive aid for the stored crops and/or livestock lost to the devastating floods.
Sheldon also speculates that it could be two years before farmers make an income again because the levy system has been completely destroyed. Rebuilding roads and repairing infrastructure could take nearly two years to complete, core engineers say.
Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss presumes that consumers nationwide and maybe even internationally will also feel the impact from the flooding. Goss recently performed a study that showed 22% of supply managers are experiencing negative impacts from recent floods.
Sheldon and other farmers are hoping for a bill in Congress to be passed to help with relief efforts in Nebraska and Iowa. Without support from the government, the chances of farmers being able to get back on their feet are even smaller. The most recent attempt at this was struck down in the Senate.
“When we have a disaster somewhere else, it seems like money comes immediately for disaster aid. Now, there are people who are paying their mortgages with 10 feet of water inside their houses while living somewhere else,” Sheldon says.
This article is important in the agriculture industry because it informs people about how bad the damage in the Midwest really is, and it has actual estimations of losses on the economic side of things. It also warns the public that these losses aren’t just going to be felt by farmers, but by consumers as well. It gives accurate information without presenting an obvious bias. The floods in Nebraska and Iowa will have an impact on farmers everywhere, and they will affect crop and livestock prices as well.
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Research on Poverty and Hunger with Farmers and Citizens of Villages in Ukraine
I chose to do research on poverty and hunger with farmers and citizens of villages in Ukraine. Poverty in Ukraine is a huge problem, as Ukraine is the second poorest country in Europe. The average income is 3,560 USD and sixty percent of the population falls below the poverty line. One third of the population lives in a rural area under extreme poverty conditions. The small size of land properties limits the productivity of farmers. Supply and demand are greatly affected because of poverty. Farmers do not have enough land to produce enough food for themselves and sell at the market. The supply of produce is very limited throughout the country. There is always a demand for food in Ukraine. The lack of supply causes the country to import goods. Then once the country imports goods, it puts it in the market place. The unfortunate part of this is that citizens cannot afford food.
Reports vary about the farming operations in the Ukraine. Some reports explain that the Ukrainian government owns the majority of the land that is farmed in the Ukraine. This is a different system than we deal with in the United States, where land is owned and operated by private landowners for the most part. The government in Ukraine is listed as the third largest grain exporter in the world, but that seems to not fit why the poverty is at such an extreme in the Ukraine. Farmers in the Ukraine are only allowed to privately farm 1.25 hectares of land to produce food for this own consumption, which equates to approximately 3.08 acres. There are 45.2 million people who now live in rural areas of Ukraine. Some do have ownership in the land, but not all of those are operating fulltime farms. In 2007, 3.2 hectares or 7.9 acres was the average family farm size. Recently in Ukraine the average smallholder farm has risen to 10 hectares or 24.7 acres. That size is still smaller than the average farm yard in our state. Most acreages are larger than that in our state. The average farm in South Dakota is 1400 acres.
What contributes to the poverty as it relates to the production of agriculture in the Ukraine? There are many things that have been reported to affect this. This area was involved with disputes over property rights with the Russian Federation. Many people have been affected by those disputes which involved over 1.7 million people displaced as a result of the Russian aggression. Because of this type of unrest, the Ukraine has experienced a deep recession and high inflation rates. According to the article Understanding Poverty in Ukraine done be The Borgen Project, public debt will reach 89 percent the Ukraine’s gross domestic product in 2017. But because of barriers due to location and conflicts with other countries, the Ukraine is struggling to recover from their economic downturn. Farming practices have been a major contributor to the decline in Ukraine. Commercial timber production after the Ukraine declared independence in 1960 have plummeted from 13 million hectares to only 2.5 million hectares in the 1990s. They are also experiencing a decline in their coastal wetlands. This has been contributed by things such as water pollution. Communities are struggling with a loss of biodiversity as well as soil degradation which will affect the future of land productivity for years to come. According to the US Aid from the American People, agriculture contributes little to the Ukrainian Gross Domestic Product at only 14 percent with more than one third of the population living in rural areas under extreme poverty conditions. Because of the small footprint that private farms are able to utilize for productivity, this is holding back those farmers from increasing their farm size and thus limits them on the dollars they are able to generate off that land. Though the Ukraine region is known for its farmland being fertile and does make up nearly 70 percent of the country’s land mass, the poverty has kept this country from being successful. One of the things that could make it more successful would be to implement modern technology for farming as well as training laborers and providing the educational opportunities to move this country into the future. Water also seems to be an issue that Ukraine struggles with. They have issues with deteriorating sewer systems as well as agricultural waste that needs to be dealt with. In 2016, the Ukraine was ranked 3rd in the world for exports of barley, 1st in the world for sunflower oil, 6th in the world for wheat export, 4th in the world for corn exports and 7th in the world for soybean exports. They are the number 2 exporter of grains in the world, right behind the United States. Most of their exports go to North Africa and the Middle East. They are accomplishing this vast feat on less than 10 percent of the total agricultural farmland than is used in the United States. They have some of the richest soil in the world, which contains over 30 percent of the world’s reserves of chornozem or “black earth” within the Ukrainian borders. Chornozem is a black soil that is rich in humus and carbonates, making it an ideal soil for agricultural production. There is also approximately seven to 15 percenter organic matter in the soil, according to information obtained from Global Ag Investing. With such a large number of exports, it does make one think about why this country has so much poverty. Is it because the nation itself takes too much from farmers by not allowing them to make the money they need to live? Is it because they are selling their products at a low price just to get rid of them instead of doing a good job of marketing? Answers to these questions are things that could improve the Ukraine’s ability to compete in the world’s markets. They could work to lower production costs and increase productivity which would allow them to be more economical in their productions. Transportation costs to the Middle East are low and could be a way to make the Ukraine more dollars. They use the railway system to transport about 60 percent of their grain to other counties. This would also be a way they could boost their export numbers if it was implemented with a surge in agricultural technology to increase their production in this highly productive region. Precision technology would help this country move forward.
Ukraine’s poverty translated to its Heritage Foundation rankings. Its overall ranking is 147th and its overall score is 52.3. It ranks last among European countries. The scores that affect agriculture are the open market scores and regulatory efficiency. The open market scores include trade freedom which was a 75, investment freedom which was a 35, and finally financial freedom which came in at 30. These scores are extremely low! These relate to why there is poverty in the country, citizens do not have much spending freedom. The other factor that affects agriculture is regulatory efficiency. This group includes business free which was 66.1, labor freedom which was 46.7, and monetary freedom which was 58.6. The only plus of these scores was business freedom. This shows that there is slow economic growth for agriculture.
The charity I chose that supports Ukraine is Heifer International. Heifer International has been around for seventy-five years. Founded by Dan West, Heifer International was inspired by his volunteer service in the Spanish Civil War. There his job was to give cups of milk to refugees. After his work in the war, he was driven by the phrase “not a cup, but a cow”. This phrase drove him into creating Heifer International. He wanted to get nutrition derived people the help they need by giving more than a cup. He wanted to give them the cow so they could be supplied for several days. Heifer International’s goal is to teach environmentally-friendly farming methods and create business for the community. They also strengthen communities by making large improvements to existing systems to benefit farmers in the area. Their overall goal is to help people get on the right track. Heifer International works all over the world. They work with many farmers in many regions. They try to help create a system that works for that region.
Heifer International’s attention turned to Ukraine in 1994. Their first pilot project was a delivery of Simmental heifers to farming families in the Drohobych region. In 2000 Heifer International Ukraine became registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the main office became located in Lviv. Then in 2003, Heifer International decided to move its office from Lviv to Kyiv. This decision was made to gain a more centrally located office, so they could reach out to more farmers than before. Since that time, Heifer International Ukraine has started five projects in Kyivska Oblast where agricultural service cooperatives were the implementing organizations. Heifer International shifted its focus from helping non-governmental organizations to helping agricultural service cooperatives reach a stable position. One of the main projects now is to help convince smallholder farmers to not only provide food for themselves, but rather help feed the whole world. Heifer International recently partnered with Danone (the parent company of the U.S. dairy company known as Dannon) to help farmers grow strawberries for the company’s yogurt. This gives farmers a chance to earn a good living, and helps the company supply a healthy product for consumers that have a demand for it.
Heifer international has had success with its recent project. Their goal with the strawberry project was to supply sixty percent of Danone’s demand. Danone and Heifer International are working together to expand the project so it can get more farmers involved. It’s hard for the farmers to make a large profit as they are only limited to ten hectares for each smallholder. It is good to see people helping the farmers so they can make a profit.
Heifer International is a strong organization that has been working for seventy-five years. They have a strong passion for what they do. They have offices all around the world trying to help farming make a profit by creating a more economically efficient system. The technology and resource they have access to gives them an advantage in convince family farms and villages to change their ways. They want farmers to help feed the world around them so they can help end hunger and poverty in their own backyard. With the strong passion that Heifer International possesses, this is a very achievable goal.
The weakness Heifer International does possess is convincing a whole region of farmers to change what they have been doing their whole life. It is hard to imagine that a stranger can come in and convince these farmers that the technology and the resources is the right way to go. It will be interesting to see the growth and development of the projects Heifer International has in place. Ukraine is slowly creating a better economy to live in. Poverty is going down slowly and so is hunger. Heifer International is trying to help get these people on the right track. I think it is working at a slow pace, but sometimes slow is good.
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Research on Poverty and Hunger With Farmers and Citizens of Villages in Ukraine. (2021, Mar 20).
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Many Policies which are Started by the Government
There are many policies which are started by the government for the well-being of small farmers but they are not properly implemented. Even if the fund is reserved for the betterment of the agrarian sector, these funds are not used wisely by the government which is one of the important reason for why agrarian sector in not developing. There is huge leakage of funds between middleman and officials which is the one of the reason for stagnation of the agricultural development. Government considers productivity as a main aspect to determine the condition of farmers. But, that is not the case. If the productivity increases, the selling price of the crops decrease. So there is no relief for the farmers.
The first front where the government is lagging is providing proper funding to agricultural research and development of infrastructure. There is no sufficient funds given in order to develop sustainable techniques of farming and sustainable chemical fertilizers and high yield seeds. Also, the research that is actually carried out does not benefit the farmers because they aren’t made aware of it. Thus there are not enough centres of outreach which would make farmers realize the importance of these technologies. One more thing that we observed is that a lot of farmers have a problem to introduce new technologies because they feel that its a form of western advancement. Thus, these “postcolonial” farmers aren’t very open to new technologies because they feel it shows the dominance of the west over them.
Secondly, the land acquisition systems that are currently present are not fair to farmers, for example, sometimes the rates of land that government offers to them is sometimes as low as 10-12 times less than the actual fair price of the land (Damayanti Dhar in “As Land Acquisition Continues Unabated, Gujarat Farmers Seek Permission to Die” in the Wire). Just because the farmers are in dire need of the money, they send this land at low prices to the government in desperation and thus their land holdings become smaller and smaller. Also due to loose implementations of laws regarding land acquisition, private entities are able to exploit the farmers. Since these farmers don’t have enough employment opportunities, they suffer from having to work in the same sector without profits.
The third drawback in the policies is sufficient provision of fund to the farmers or ensuring that the farmers have enough money in order to sustain themselves. Primary way to provide them with funds is to have a minimum support price of crops. A minimum support price is the minimum price which the farmers would get for the crops. The current support prices are such that farmers barely make both the ends meet. Ensuring that there is a support price which is profitable to the farmers or gives them sufficient funds to maintain themselves is the primary responsibility of a government. For example, the current NDA government promises to increase the minimum support price by 50%, but they haven’t fulfilled this promise yet. If this is implemented, then the farmers would at least earn some money for each rupee they invest and they aren’t forced to sell their produce at distress (low) prices and they don’t incur losses and fall into debts. No government policy till date has implemented this effectively and in fact, after the liberalization of the economy in 1991, the prices of other non agricultural goods have inflated at a consistently higher rate than the MSP of the crops (Because of the government wanting to please voters by keeping food prices low). Because of this, farmers have to invest a lot more to grow something than what they get back.
A secondary way to provide the farmers with sufficient money is to have fair loans for the farmers and provide subsidies to the farmers for farming infrastructure and resources. The policies to provide these are almost non existent in the government policies. Thus, due to the above drawbacks in the government policies, the farmers don’t get enough money/resources and are deprived of their basic right to live with sufficient means for livelihood.
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Many Policies Which Are Started by the Government. (2021, Mar 20).
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Nongshu (On Farming)
Primary Source Analysis
Written during the golden song dynasty and the eruption of Confucianism, an ancient text referred by the people of the song region as “Nongshu” provided information on how to expand current farming capacities and increase yields of crops for the southern Chinese region. The document was authored in the year 1149 C.E. by Chen Fu, a local farmer and cultivator of medical drugs. He is considered to have years of experience behind him in the fields to support his writings, some of which are considered the oldest existing texts exclusively about rice farming in southern China. “The text is broken down into three scrolls which depict different information regarding farming and business techniques. The first scroll describes techniques of farming and business operations, the middle scroll focuses on cattle breeding; and the last scroll contains information on the raising of silkworms and their agricultural benefits.” (Theobald) “On Farming” had a major impact in the way Chinese farmers grew and cultivated their rice during the song dynasty and can still be found now as many farmers continue to utilize the information presented in the text. Without the information provided by the text, Chinese rice production would have a lot more difficulty in cultivating the plant due to the country’s varying climate and topographical regions.
Rice is a huge provider of nutrition for the people who grow it, can be found in wetlands where the plant has adapted to life and may have evolved due to the heavy precipitation caused by annual monsoon cycles of Southeast Asia. Some scientists now consider the original plant species from which domesticated rice developed now extinct due to natural evolution and careful propagation by humans through the species history. (Kimmel) There is speculation about the Song government requesting more production from its farmers at the time that Pu wrote his text, to possibly fuel growth of its population or to prepare for an inevitable war. The orders given to farmers were to increase rice production in the northern region while improving upland plantations in the south. These orders may have influenced Pu’s information on topography of the regions to assist the farmers in their production. As the farming techniques improved, rice was beginning to shape its identity in the everyday Chinese lifestyle as more and more rice became available to harvest and use.
As powerful and abundant as the rice was becoming, Pu envisioned even more with the knowledge he presented. This can be shown as farmers transitioned to new crops, allowing the information to carry over to crops such as cabbage, wheat, carrots and others. Pu states in the text that “There is an order to the planting of different crops. Anyone who knows the right timing and follow the order can cultivate one thing after another and use one to assist the others. Then there will not be a day without planting, nor a month without harvest and money will be coming in throughout the year.” (Pu) His knowledge of the rotation of crops and fertilization further enhances the productivity of the region, with the use of fertilizers even unfavorable soil and exhausted fields could be made productive again. Before this information came about, most farmers had a belief that a field would be unproductive after five years of use. This advancement in the current farming technique prompted a huge wave of land being reused, allowing for a surplus of crops to begin to form.
As the information began to spread across the current Song agricultural system, it transformed mere peasants growing just enough food to survive into farmers with a productive power house of crops, which allowed for an explosive increase in population as more and more food began to pile up. The text included information of business conduct and finances for farmers, who may not properly understand how to conduct a deal or trade. This sparked economic prosperity amongst farmers in the region who could now profit off their rice and other crops or trade them for other items at the local markets.
“Profit comes from a little; confusion comes from a lot. In the farming business, which is the most difficult business to manage how can you afford not to calculate your financial and labor capacities carefully? Only when you are certain that you have sufficient funds and labor to assure success should you launch an enterprise.” (Pu) This idea was used by farmers in the area as they did not use the surplus food for themselves, finding that producing for the market made possible for a better life. The silk road, a connection between many European countries and China was in its prime at the time, allowing farmers to sell their surpluses in nearby markets and buy charcoal, tea, oil, and wine, which was sourced mainly from the countries connected to the route. Without this connection, the impact on China could have been devasting on its economy. During this time most of China was not allowing visitors from other regions to visit due to fears of outsiders and the theft of Chinese ideologies, but the trades conducted would begin to open way for foreign relations in the future.
Pu demonstrated the complexity of the improvements made to take advantage of the climate and topography, which both have a huge impact on yields of crops and the type of crops that can be grown in a specific area; helping improve yield and productivity from the crops selected. Understanding this information would prove vital to the advancement of southern Chinese rice production and cultivation. “Concerning mountains, rivers, plateaus, lakes, and swamps, their altitudes differ and so their temperatures and degrees of fertility do also. High lands are cold, their springs chilly, their soil cool.” (Pu) This information gave an advantage to farmers in the area who could now understand why one crop would flourish while another would quickly wither under the local conditions, thus selecting certain species over others for their genetic durability. Because the variety of rice was relatively more drought-resistant, it could be grown in places where older varieties had failed, especially on higher land and on terraces that climb hilly slopes, and it ripened even faster than the other early-ripening varieties already grown in China.
The population on the lower lands found that fish would invade their rice fields from time to time, instead of getting rid of the fish they were used as pest control for insects and to feed the farmers. Most farmers had a high starch diet with little to no protein available, these fish provided an opportunity to the farmers who may have lacked hunting or fishing skills. The western view of rice is mainly in terms of food, however the Chinese also developed many products from other parts of the rice plant, such as paper made from rice straw. Rice paper was very smooth and white, which allowed it to be worked and accepted the use ink very well. This led to new and more subtle techniques for painting for the Song Dynasty which began to see an explosion in the releasing of artwork. This uprising of cultural and economic power throughout the dynasty would allow for more creative thinking promoting growth among the people and improvements in their everyday life.
With the help of these agricultural and economical advancements in rice, the Chinese would continue to grow strength as the dynasties faded away into a unified China. The benefits can still be seen today in rural parts of the country where rice farming is still very prevalent, and the techniques used still fall in line with those present in Nongshu centuries ago. To this day, China is considered the largest producer of rice among dozens of producing countries with yields in the millions of tons.
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The Scale of Food Economies
It would seem the entire world is embroiled in heated debates over food. In some places there simply isn’t enough, in others there’s too much and this surplus creates waste. In other places still there is an overabundance of food but the structure of local economies, corporate policies, and even societal pressures and scrutiny over the food consumed mean that somehow there still isn’t enough to go around. I have reached the conclusion that in North America the issue is that corporate entities and their handling of agriculture has lead to unfair and repetitive patterns of power, production, authority, and distribution, and has lead to a political crisis in the United States. Moving forward I will examine the effects of class and necessity have on local food economies in addition to gender, population, resources, environment, militarisation, food and finance.
Small farmers around the world, as well as most small business owners, generally simply wish to improve their income for their own sake, and that of their dependents, while retaining their independence as owners and operators of their farm. Since the eighties it has become increasingly difficult to achieve, let alone maintain, any of these goals. Small farmers have been swayed by the increasing demands of the ‘free market’ to become tangled in a web of contracts that turn their farm into a minor blip in the international market. The hallmark of the modern political agribusiness situation is the wide range of influencers with which small farms must interact. Simple partnerships with other businesses and with their governments have been warped into complex systems of powerful organizations. The most significant examples are the large-scale private institutions with monopolies over production, sale, and even publicity; some of these even influence the local authorities and define the standards by which their smaller competitors must operate. The size, complexity and impersonality of these corporations has resulted in massive change in the nature of the small farmers' relationships to not only their economies, but society as well.
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Sugar was First Initiated from Sugarcane Plants in the Northern India
According to latest data, sugar cane in which sugar is abstracted from, is the third most precious crop after cereals, rice, and inhibits 26,942,686 square measures of the land crosswise the globe. It principal output besides from commercial profits – is global public health difficulty. Which has been period of time in the making. This essay will discuss the history of sugar and its impacts on the making of the modern world further tracing the spread of the plant in different continents, and discuss its role in bringing about significant changes in world history. Also focus on the influence that the sugar had on the making of Natal’s history.
Sugar was first initiated from sugarcane plants in the northern India sometime after the first century[footnoteRef:2]. Sugar continue to exist as one of the significant virtuous mysteries. In the eighteenth century It was much more high-priced in actual terms than the cercal. Before the sixteenth century the whole of European world had manage with little quantities of sugar, a minimal pinch per head for the whole of history. The glories produced on the basis of a teaspoonful per head of the sugar per year. Sugar is unnecessary to attempt, but it is addictive. Sugarcane is native to polynesis, where it was invested with near-magical properties, a mythology arising, perhaps, from the fact that tiny pieces were found washed upon on foreign shores, where they said to grow. [2: The conversation.com>a- history of sugar]
This was the “explanation” of its movement to China and India,. In China it was chewed as an aphrodisiac sweetmeat in about 1000 B.C. but was first clarified into sugar as such in India some three hundred years later, at Bihar on the Ganges, and hence introduced as sugar to China. Indian sugar was made from diversity canes called Puri, and it was this variety that spread slowly westward for the next two thousand years. Long before sugar was distilled and crystallized, honey was the great sweetener (the bee is a very efficient sugar concentrator).
There seems to be a clear connections between the weather and the sweet tooth. Countries with vine-growing climate were much more modest consumers of sugar or honey than those countries which could not produce vine. The sugar industry pull through the cautious removal of the upland from the Mediterranean littoral, and was carried on by both Moslems and Christians as a profitable, enlarging concern for two hundred years from about 1300. The trade was under the superiority of the merchant bankers of Italy, with Venice eventually controlling distribution throughout then known world.
The first sugar reached England in 1319, Denmark in 1374, and Sweden in 1390. It was an expensive novelty, and useful in medicine, being unmatched for making tasty the odious mixtures of therapeutic herbs, entrails, and other substances of the Medieval pharmacopeia. In two hundred years the price of the sugar and honey declined dramatically reduction were because of the increased production in the cane industry, since honey has always borne a premium price relationship to sugar in more modern time. These were the years when the first sugar from canes grown outside the Mediterranean became obtainable on the European markets.
The white sugar addicts becomes accountable to obesity, tooth issues, and malnutrition, the last leads in uttermost cases to the kind of “crowding out” which can cause vitamin and mineral deficiency problem and probably even cancer of intestines. Because of the pace with which the white sugar becomes accessible to the metabolism, the sugar addict’s blood-sugar level rises and fall rapidly at the pancreas work overly hard to deal with high inputs of sucrose to the stomach . The body becomes used to a shortage or feast syndrome in the blood sugar, and produces an addiction which is chemical, not psychological. A true addicts can not do without some kind of reinforcement at very frequent intervals.
In England, where heavy consumption of white sugar arose earlier than in other country, the inclination for the white bread also began as a results of sugar addiction. This sugar industry ultimately gave way to the more profitable vineyards. Sugar was always commercial, while the other crops were riskier. Sugar was also a growing market, since the addictions, eventually there was the gross feeding nature of the sugar plant itself, which made the agriculture of sugar cane a hard exercise in the state of art in Medieval agriculture. Sugar cane dependence was great enough dependence to conduct the new world into the estimation to redress the balance of the old in the Europe of 1600, only Spain produced sugar in quantity.
The rise in the price of sugar over the last 30 years of the sixteenth century was partly resulted by inflation , in turn caused by the increase in money supply throughout Europe. The sugar increased at a compound rate of 5% per year in the seventeenth century, by 7% in the eighteenth, by nearly 10% in the nineteenth. All sugar colonies, of whatever nation, had white-dominated pre sugar history. In many years ago Barbados was the greatest sugar producer in the trade. The canes were crushed in mills, and the sugar then boiled out of the cane in a series or open tanks in sugar house.
Processing sugar is similar to refining oil, the heavier and blacker the fragments are drained off first, leaving crude brown or yellow sugar, which then re-dissolved and recrystallized into the whiter and finer variations. Today ,every grade of sugar can be obtained from cane sugar from molasses through black sugar, the various brown sugar, and then the finer white. In the 17th century a tiny , primitive, on-farm mill would only produce molasses and one grade of sugar. The heat was fierce, since there was no means of cooling the sugar house. Temperature of 140f were recorded , and even at night, the temperature near the vat would be well be over 120 degree celcious. Humidity would also be very high and therefore exhausting. It was a job for blacks, not whites, slaves, not freemen.
In historically key sugar growing regions, Indians themselves turned to growing cane, a tendency that started to be noted lawfully around the turn of [ “ Natal Blue book, 1900, protector of immigrant” Report, A14]. Entertainingly, Bodasing made his money in sugar. However, much of Indian agriculture made in Natal focused particularly in the rich of flood-prone alluvial valleys near Durban. The number of Indian-owned farms in Natal reached 2,575 in 1920/21 and declined slightly to 2,545 in 1925/26. In 1945, 1,229 Natal-Indian cane growers farmed (and largely owned) 71620 acres of land [Natal Indian Cane Growers Association Annual Report,1945]. The number was relatively stagnant, growers farmed 68,485 acres in 1954, 56,992 in 1961 and 61.040 in 1970,71 with little further increase thereafter[footnoteRef:3]. [3: See North-Coombes ”Indentured Labour”,p.39.compare with John Edwin Mason, “ The slaves and their protectors: Reforming Resistance in a Slave Society, the Cape Colony 1826-34”, Journal of South Africa Studies 17,1(1991),pp.104-28.]
During the inter-war years, cane farmers were able to enlarge acreage and productivity land values rose due to heavy state support [Beinar, 1990]. During this period cane growing became a mono culture for most Indian farmers an organisation distance from the Durban metropolitan market[footnoteRef:4] . cane is more suitable to marginal land and vagaries of rainfall in coastal Natal than most other crops[footnoteRef:5].white Natal Indians at the beginning of 1970 constituted more than twenty percent of all sugar glories in the province, they owned only one-twelfth of the cane acreage and produced only one-sixteenth of the sugar, a considerable decline from generation earlier. [4: Eric Foner, free soul, free Labor , free Men:The Ideology of the Republication party Before the Civil War (London: Oxford University Press,1970).] [5: See Natal Government Gazette, supplement ,20 September 1887: Wragg Commission [hereafter NGG WCOM], evidence of James Saunders,p.100, Killie Campbell African Library, Durban [hereafter KCAL], KCM 32545, Marshall Campbell papers.]
The particular needs of sugar cane, especially at harvesting time, meant also a growing dependence on the hired labour of even poorer African workers (to an important extent women by the 1960s), and on labour contractors to provide it[footnoteRef:6]. In KwaZulu- Natal the ownership land and production of sugar cane is highly skewed with a few big landowners present. Maasdorp [1966:157] found early in 1960s for the Verulam-Tongaat area that while 59 per cent of farmers controlled under 20 acres, the top one per cent of grovers owned over 200 acres apiece[footnoteRef:7]. As Indian peasants withdrew from agrian commitments, moreover, they produced relatively less sugar and their general economic import declined. [6: Tinker, New System Of Slavery, p. 313] [7: Tinker, New System of Slavery, p.331]
The Agricultural Credit Board Of The South African Sugar Association loaned money at low rates to farmers, from 1722, sugar Association offered extension services to Indian can growers [RIX, 1972,5]. The Bodasing interests have substantially increased their production of sugar cane over the past 15 years. They and some others have found the means to invest in improved equipment and farming methods. The Natal Indian cane growers association overly addresses it members as a community of rural bosses in discussing (fearfully) the possibility of African farm-worker’s unionisation [NICGA Annual Report, 1986].
From seven percent of South African’s sugar in1961, Indian growers now produce no more than fours per cent. Despite the significant different between measurements the state produce introduced explored above, by 1960 market gardening and cane growing shared in common the reality is that they had become in a large part economically residual activities. African cane growers have become economically far more important than Indians[footnoteRef:8]. [8: Mestherie, Language in indenture, p,17]
Sugar cane has had an important and long history in south Africa, one of that it has had a big effect on the economy and culture of the country. We take a look at the history of this sweet plant on the east coast. The majority of the sugar mills in the country are located in KwaZulu-Natal, making it the sugar cane epicentre of South Africa. The sugar cane industry estimated to provide 79,000 direct jobs and 350,000 indirect jobs, making it a significant per cent of the total agriculture workforce[footnoteRef:9]. Today KwaZulu-Natal has some of the best sugar crops in the world, which has shaped the unique way Durban has developed[footnoteRef:10]. [9: https://City-Press.news24.com>Trending] [10: https://theculturetrip . com]
Indian per cent of sugar cane workers in the fields rarely exceeded 80 per cent. However, the association was in fact close and strong, sugar and indenture system expanded together . sugar plantations employed a maximum of 83 per cent of indentured workers at the peak in 1875, but only 54 per cent in 1895, 40 per cent in 1900 and 27 per cent in 1909[footnoteRef:11]. The expansion of sugar industry in the early twentieth century would have required redouble efforts aimed at massively increasing the scale of indenture if that were to continues as the basis of the sugar industry. This would have been politically impossible in Natal[footnoteRef:12]. [11: See Frene Ginwala, “class consciousness and control: Indian South Africans 1860-1946” D.phil. thesis, Oxford University, 1946.] [12: Beail and Worth-coombes “The 1913 Disturbances”, P.50
Sugar has had many impacts on the making of the modern world , It has been used as medicine, a spice, a symbol of royalty and an instrument of disease, addiction, and oppression over the past years. And it has also had impacts including the obesity epidemic and other diseases such as cancer, demonia, heart disease and diabetes has spread across every nation where sugar-based carbohydrates have become to dominate to the food economy.
In 1948 was the time when the first sugar was cultivars were imported from Mauritius , this had an influence upon urban form of present-day Durban. Since it proved to be so successful that the first mill was built on the compensation flat in 1850, in 1852 the Jane Morice sailed from Mauritius. By 1855 there were many other mills that were in operation. Almost suddenly this started to have effect in other areas of Durban’s economy. The sugar industry was labour-intensive[footnoteRef:13]. The sugar began to became popular and was produced more overtime to meet people’s needs. [13: South African history online, Article:19-0ct-2011 rise of sugar industry]
And sugar has changed the modern world in many ways including positive and negative ways. For instance in positive ways, it plays a big role in the economy part and in negative ways is that is can result in to several diseases among people’s health, for example people may suffer from diseases such as diabetes, obesity, etc and this may result in deaths. However every thing has it bad and good sides. Today’s world cannot occupy without the presence of sugar because basically almost everything is made with the touch of sugar. Sugar is also an addictive substance therefore the sugar addicts cannot do without. Which means although sugar can be effective in some negative ways but people need it and can not survive without.
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Thinking Outside of the Box in Objectivism
Objectivism as a philosophy holds reality, reason, a man in every man, and the ideal political-economic system as an ideal thought of what men think. The reality of objectivism exists absolute facts, and independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes or fears. Ayn Rand uses her philosophy, objectivism, in characterizing men for an example, reason symbolizes men that are perceiving reality in his own source of knowledge that is only guided into action and his basic overall meaning of survival. In different men, men have a different end in themselves rather than what other men have in them.
Objectivism, as defined by Ayn Rand, is “the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute ” (Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged). The main goal in participating in Objectivism is achieving happiness. However, it takes the thought process that happiness is not achieved only by wish or by happy thoughts. Rather, happiness is achieved by ignoring the opinions of others, knowing your worth, doing what you love and love what you do, and expressing the gratitude.
During the time Objectivism was created, in 1962, she started “The Objectivist Newsletter” which was later called “ The Objectivist”, to present her perspective point of view. Throughout time, a philosopher name Leonard Peikoff which is also Ayn’s designer, later gave her philosophy more formal structure to have a better clarification.
Ayn Rand, an uncompromising Russian philosopher of many different aspects of individuals freedom and enlightened self-interest. Ayn quickly developed a philosophical system called Objectivism, which has affected many lives over the last half-century. For example, A farmer who works hard to sustain his every need himself. Another example would be, engaging in actions that will lead to long term happiness as opposed to the short term.
Although Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism was intended a completed philosophy and its heroes attracted admiration as ideal thoughts and its greatest influence has been political.
In addition to putting forth an effort of both writing her essays and carefully editing led her to end it and start “ The Ayn Rand Letter “ to express herself. Throughout her career, she occasionally lectured and made other public appearances to explain the actual reasons behind her philosophy. Ayn’s health problems forced her to end “ The Ayn Rand Letter “ a few years later and her career started to take a twist. In 1979, Rand began a script for an Atlas Shrugged film but before she could even try to succeed farther into her script, she passed of lung cancer.
Moreover, Objectivism holds that some individuals have something valuable to contribute. The new concept of objectivism shapes not only her view of concepts and values but through the entire ethics and the whole philosophic system. The reality of objectivism exists absolute facts, and independent of man’s feelings, wishes, hopes or fears. Ayn Rand uses her philosophy, objectivism, in characterizing men for an example, reason symbolizes men that are perceiving reality in his own source of knowledge that is only guided into action and his basic overall meaning of survival. For these reasons above, she called the system “Objectivism”.
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Movie “Fight Club” by David Fincher
For this research paper, I have chosen to do my research paper on the director David Fincher. David Fincher was born on August 28, 1962, in Denver, Colorado. “Known for his image-driven and often dark films, Fincher is one of the most innovative and meticulous directors working today” (Biography.com). David Fincher started creating movies at the age of eight using an 8mm camera. “He developed a love for film at an early age and started making movies after getting a Super 8 camera for his 8th birthday. His father was a writer and his mother was a mental health nurse” (Biography.com). He went on to take up his first job as an assistant for director John Korty, his job consisted of loading cameras. working close by John Korty he got a glimpse and firsthand experience of seeing films being produced. In the year 1983, he joined and started working for the company known as the Industrial Light & Magic. At ILM he got the opportunities to work for productions like ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’, ‘Twice Upon a Time’ and ‘Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi’. He would leave the company in 1984 to go direct a huge budget music videos for artists like Madonna, Justin Timberlake, The Rolling Stones, and Michael Jackson. That same year he also went on to direct a small commercial for the American Cancer Society his work was highly appreciated for everyone that he worked with. The first feature film that David Fincher directed was Alien 3. This is where the franchise begins for David Fincher it subsides into mediocrity. His first film as a director didn’t go as planned the production company didn't allow him to have full creative control and after the film was completed it didn’t come out the way that he envisioned or wanted it.
In the film Seven Two homicide detectives, Somerset(Freeman) and Mills(Pitt) both detectives are set up to the task to go catch a grisly serial killer who based his killings on the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and envy. In this film, John Doe is presumably one of the most obscure and cruel villains of all time. In the first scene, we get to see the viciousness of him, “An obese man forced to eat until his stomach explodes” is how the murder has been described. John Doe’s perception and his desire in his original plan may be what makes him evil, but what executes him as a great villain is a care and meticulousness with which he conducts the killings. He cuts off his fingertips off so that he won’t leave fingerprints. How twisted is it to deliver that kind of pain on yourself instead of wearing gloves? For one of his victims, he visits him every day, caring for his bedsores just enough to make sure he doesn't die from infection and actually feel the pain of sloth indefinitely, which just shows how patient and meticulous he is in his work. Similar themes of pressure and obsession can be found in Seven, Zodiac, and The Social Network
""The themes of pressure and obsession differ slightly in all three films, however, there is an overriding sense in each film that the workplace and environment has a pressurizing effect on the characters."" (Zelig). After the release of Seven, he has received a lot of feedback, he learned a lot about how his viewers and about how you can disclose specific information to the public in order for them to come to certain conclusions.
Fincher then decided to put the data that he collected to the test and play with the audience’s conception by pulling multiple twists in the final moments of his next film, The Game. The fundamental premise of The Game is that the main character wants to make his life more interesting by entering the game but he does not know what the game really is. For the span of the film, the main character strives to go find out what is going on and to go find out whether or not the game is for his pleasure or if he was a victim in a crime. Through the development of these situations, the audience is also trying to resolve the puzzle based on the evidence and circumstances of the film, but after the film offers ample evidence to promote one idea and then flips for the fourth time the audience loses interest by the films final twist during the climax. The reason that Fincher lost authority over his audience towards the end of the film even though he made certain to incorporate evidence that would lead them down specific strings of thoughts is because by the secondary twist the audience’s guard was up and they were expecting for a twist at the ending, hence, allowing any of the ends result in the film to not come as a surprise. Nonetheless, after learning from this mistake Fincher recovers himself by combing the things that he learned in his past film and incorporate it into his next film while also playing his viewers like a violin.
The Fight Club creates an underground world of people fighting with one another so they can find the purpose of their lives. Ed Norton and Brad Pitt are the main characters who start in the film. They create a collection of rules in which everyone must comprehend by. The fight club exists because individuals become weighted down by ownership making them miss the profound essence of life. A lot of the people in the fight club operate duty jobs or lower level administration jobs that are absurd. “""It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything."" (Lambie).
Society becomes so rationalized that one must push himself to the extreme in order to feel anything or accomplish anything. The more you fight in the fight club the tougher and stronger you become. “ Fight Club evolves into a second organization – Project Mayhem – which seeks to tear down civilization through increasingly destructive acts of highly-publicized violence” (Wiker).
Fight Club regularly presents the battle for the narrative voice, even if it is not apparent until after the narrator's confession that he and Tyler are really the same person. The structure of the narrative in the film helps to emphasize the fact that the identity of the narrator is not normal and has a split personality. However, it only becomes clear to us that that's what is going on at the end of the story, meaning that the structure has worked well. Fincher is well known for taking multiple takes of each scene. For example, during the opening sequence in The Social Network, Fincher took 99 takes of the scene.
Some of David Fincher's style include Silhouettes, single frame insert, fluid tracking camera, stationary shots, low key lighting, green and blue tinting, wide angle and low angle shots and much more. some examples of these are using silhouettes to portray relationships between characters. Single frame shots using Images that flashes on the screen briefly it is also used to help hint at relationships between people. Low lighting. The green or blue color temperature to create a tint throughout the entire film it is also used to portray how he views the world: dark and gloomy, it creates a connection from the film to the real world. Fluid tracking motion used to show information happening all at once In Fight Club, Fincher employs a tracking shot when the camera pans down from an office to Tyler Durden when he is looking out the window down to a parking garage through a van and then through another building.
Stationary shots unfocused background with the character walking into focus. Using a Single Frame Insert to send a subliminal message. ""David Fincher incorporates darkness, psychological themes, and violence into his films, separating them from other films of the Neo-noir genre"" (Hurst).
Fincher looks to have a very dark style when it comes to the visual aspect of his films, therefore this seems to come across in the way the narrative of his films too. Fincher seems to be a director that frequently concentrates on creating a deliberate narrative construction and even though Fight Club was an existing story written by Chuck Palahniuk, Fincher makes it clear that he understands the intentions of the author. From his style of film making the audience is able to recognize the feeling and thoughts of the characters. David Fincher also likes to mix the morals of characters in his films. he is well known as an Auteur for his work in films.
The use of darkness to conceal characters and facial traits is usually employed to hide the identity of the antagonist or to hide the face so that the viewer converges on the action at hand. This is represented very well in Seven, where the identity of the killer is kept a secret until the end of the film, despite his being on camera several times until then. Anytime the figure emerges, his face is either hidden in shadow, or he is silhouetted in such a way as to distort his face.
Darkness and Silhouettes are used to disguise figures and faces throughout Fight Club. By hiding the eyes and faces of characters in the movie, the audience concentrates more on the action at hand, and less on the expressions of the individuals involved in the scenes.
In order to make the three intruders more ominous, they are originally presented as silhouettes, and throughout the film, their eyes and faces are obscured during scenes of action. When the burglar played by Dwight Yoakam is attacking Jodie Foster's character, his eyes are obscured by shadow, and when it is not his eyes are obscured by shadow. The use of shadows works very well with Fincher particular type of liquid camera work.
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Movie "Fight Club" by David Fincher. (2021, Mar 20).
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Who is to Blame for the Opioid Crisis in America?
There is an opioid epidemic going on in America and no one really knows who to blame, but the culprits may not be the actual drug user but pharmaceutical companies and doctors. Most people believe that it’s the addicts fault they are addicted to drugs. People also believe that the drug companies are to blame for the opioid epidemic. Although most people blame the addicts, they are not all to blame for the epidemic. In fact, there are a combination of factors that may be to blame.
The term opioid in fact is derived from the word “opium”. But they are not actually made from poppies but are a “synthetic drug that produces opiate-like effects” in people. (Opium.com) An opioid is a narcotic pain medication that are used to treat moderate to severe pain. How opioid drugs works is by binding “to opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and other areas of your body.” (Webmd.com) Thus, your brain tells the rest of your body, it no longer hurts. There are a variety of different opioids that are prescribed to people including Fentanyl, Hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin), Methadone, Morphine, Oxycodone (OxyContin) and Oxycodone/acetaminophen (Percocet). All are highly addictive if used incorrectly which may be why so many people are hooked.
In the beginning an innocent little flower has created an epidemic in the United States and it is the poppy. The poppy’s “molecules derived from it have effectively conquered contemporary America.” (Sullivan) It is so true that is has caused a crisis which doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. According to the article “The Poison We Pick” an estimated “2 million Americans are now hooked on some kind of opioid.” (Sullivan) With the continued usage of opioids more and more people are dying.
Now who could be to blame for the opioid crisis in America, the drug user, the doctor, or the pharmaceutical companies? Starting at the beginning with the creation of opioids, the drug Oxycontin became available in 1995. Oxycontin “was based on science that only showed it safe and effective when used “short-term”.” (Whitaker) But the FDA approved the drug to used for people with long-term pain after being pressured by Pharmaceutical companies. According to the 20/20 feature story, all the FDA did was change “short-term” to “long-term” on the packaging and more of the drugs were sold at higher prices and doses.
One crisis from the opioid epidemic is that once people are addicted to the feeling from the opioids and they cannot get the drug of choice anymore, they will switch to harder more lethal drugs. They want to experience the same “high” they get from the opioids but are unable to attain or afford the drug. If they can no longer get the opioids, they then search for an alternative such as heroin or meth which are illegal and more dangerous. Thus, by doing this, they may face jail or worse.
Most people in America know at least one person who is either directly feels the effects of opioid addiction or know of someone. My oldest niece has been battling opioid addiction for the last five years. She has been clean on and off but reverts to her old ways every few months. She has been to jail several times and in rehab as well. Nothing seems to work. She first became addicted after she was burnt in an accident. Unfortunately, she also suffers from post-traumatic stress from the accident. She was prescribed opioids to help with the pain but has since become addicted to them. She has gone from simple opioids to harder drugs such as heroin. All these factors have led her down a path of destruction that has ruined her life.
As mentioned earlier, people do believe that drug companies are to blame for the opioid crisis. It is true that drug companies are partially to blame for the issue. With the drug binding to “areas of the that control pain and emotions” it also increases the level of “dopamine in the brain’s rewards area and producing an intense feeling of euphoria,” no wonder people are so hooked. (CNN.com) They simply cannot get the same feeling from other non-addicting drugs.
Another factor in the crisis is that unlike other countries around the world, the health system in America is “run as an industry not a service.” (McGreal) If it was run as a service, it would be more apt that more care would be taken into prescribing pain killers to people. But money makes the world go around which results in profits before people. Consider that pills are less expensive than other methods of healing. Chris McGreal’s article also discusses that big drug companies also push the idea “that there is a right to be pain free.” Even so, people and doctors should investigate other means to cope with and relieve pain.
In addition to the big pharmaceutical companies pushing to have the opioids in the market, there is also the doctors who over-prescribe the drugs to people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the cost of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment and criminal involvement.” (NIDA) That is a staggering amount of money when you think about it. Not only does it affect the individual but also everyone else. In addition, someone may have something wrong with them and are unable to obtain the required drugs because other people have pulled stuff in the past to get drugs that they really don’t need. This makes it harder for actual ill people from receiving their medication.
Furthermore, it still seems to all come back to the big pharmaceutical companies pushing for doctors to prescribe more opioids to make more money. There are lawsuits and investigations going on across America which are “hoping to hold drug makers accountable for the collateral damage of the nations’ opioid crisis.” (Silvestrini) Also take into account the amount of opioids that have been sold in America to “pharmacies, hospitals and doctors’ offices almost quadrupled from 1999 to 2014.” (Silverstrini). All this with no obvious difference in peoples “overall reported pain.” (Silverstrini) Why continue to prescribe the pain medication if it’s not helping the patient? The answer is simple, MONEY.
The drug companies ran a “multi-faceted campaign” to push the opioids onto the market and patients. (Silverstrini) One such tactic was sending letters out about the opioids and told doctors that “these drugs were not very addictive.” (Silverstrini) That was not true and now people suffer because of it. Another entity to blame is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for not enforcing laws. Doctors also bear the burden for not researching the drugs before prescribing the opioids to their patients. Another thing that doctors do is ask for patient’s “5th vital sign”. Which is where doctors and nurses “ask patients to rate their pain on a scale of 10 in all clinical encounters.” (Silverstrini) Of course, if a person was addicted to the drug, they are going to say a high number.
Another clue to who is to blame for the epidemic is “a Los Angeles Times investigation into Purdue Pharma, for instance, found that the drug maker, which marketed OxyContin as a relieving pain for 12 hours, knew that the drug wore off before that time period.” (Semuels) A clear sign that they knew people would have to take more of the pills to be pain free. The patients also suffered through withdrawal when they ran out to the medication. This shows that it was clearly about getting the drug on the market to make money without a lot of drug trials.
Now take into consideration that the doctors may have been prescribing the drugs too freely. Just because a patient came in complaining of pain doesn’t mean they should receive a prescription for opioids. The biggest issue is that doctors were still hung up on the “five sentence letter from 1980 that said that the majority of sample hospital patients who had been prescribed opioids did not get addicted.” (Semeuls) The doctors should’ve done more research and did a case by case basis for each patient.
Most people think that if someone is well-educated, they won’t be a drug user. The problem with that train of thought is incorrect. Many people who are well-educated can and do become addicted to opioids. While in the past, it may have been different, today it’s “affecting mainstream white America.” (Sifferlin). More people are seeing and feeling the effects of opioid addiction in America. It’s not a dirty little secret anymore because it’s too wide-spread.
There are ways to help slow down and stop the opioid crisis in America. One step is for doctors to not prescribe narcotic drugs to patients already dependent on them. The should be recommended alternatives that are not illegal but may be healthier. Perhaps visiting their doctor more regular than only when they are in pain. Another way to prevent opioid addiction is to only use the drugs as prescribed by their doctor. Doctors could also “prescribe fewer pills at lower doses” to patients with acute pain. (Reinberg) If you start to feel better, don’t continue to use the medication.
Perhaps switch to regular Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen once the worst pain is over from surgery or injury. Some of these options, may prevent people from becoming addicted to opioids.
A key for addicts is to get counseling for their drug addiction. Speaking to someone on a regular basis may help people from overdosing. One of Reinberg’s sources says that “addicted patients seem to benefit from a connection with a counselor.” That would be one way that they may feel they are not alone and may reach out for help. Example, if the person is feeling depressed or anxious they could simply call their counselor for some support.
There are lawsuits going on regarding the tactics that pharmaceutical companies used to market their drug. State governments have also filed lawsuits against them have “taken a page from tobacco litigation, arguing that companies created financial costs for the state because of the widespread addiction.” (Semuels) The lawsuits seek “restitution for Ohio consumers and compensation for the state’s Department of Medicaid.” (Semuels) Most deal with the amount people and Medicaid paid for opioid prescriptions. This doesn’t even begin to mention the cost of rehab. The issue with the lawsuits is that the pharmaceutical companies simply go back and blame the patient for not using the drug correctly.
If everyone knew the real dangers and consequences of the possibility of opioid addition, perhaps people would not abuse opioids. They listen to their doctors, pharmacists, or their bodies regarding using the drugs. This would stop some people from using the drugs inappropriately and not become addicted. It would also prevent overdoses and deaths. This would allow opioid epidemic to cease to exist.
Although most people blame the addicts who are addicted to opioids, they are not all to blame for the epidemic. In fact, people may be prescribed the drugs for the wrong reasons, they may also be using them inappropriately or the drug should not have been pushed so much by the drug companies. People also believe that the drug companies are to blame for the opioid epidemic. Although most people blame the addicts, they are not all to blame for the epidemic. In fact, there are a combination of factors that may be to blame including pharmaceutical companies, doctors, the government and addicts.
Works Cited
- Fry, Erika. “Who Americans Blame Most for The Opioid Epidemic.” Fortune, Fortune, 21 June 2017, fortune.com/2017/06/21/opioid-epidemic-blame-doctors/.
- McGreal, Chris. “Don't Blame Addicts for America's Opioid Crisis. Here Are the Real Culprits | Chris McGreal.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Aug. 2017, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/13/dont-blame-addicts-for-americas-opioid-crisis-real-culprits.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Opioid Overdose Crisis.” NIDA, 22 Jan. 2019, www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis.
- “Opioid (Narcotic) Pain Medications: Dosage, Side Effects, and More.” WebMD, WebMD, 2012, www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/narcotic-pain-medications#1.
- “Opiate vs. Opioid - What's the Difference?” Opium.com, 2019, opium.com/derivatives/opiate-vs-opioid-whats-difference/.
- “Opioid Crisis Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 17 Jan. 2019, www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/health/opioid-crisis-fast-facts/index.html.
- Reinberg, Steven. “3 Ways to Help Stop the Opioid Epidemic.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 28 June 2017, www.cbsnews.com/news/3-ways-to-stop-the-opioid-epidemic-painkiller-addiction/.
- Semuels, Alana. “Are Pharmaceutical Companies to Blame for the Opioid Epidemic?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 2 June 2017, www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/06/lawsuit-pharmaceutical-companies-opioids/529020/.
- Sifferlin, Alexandra. “The Problem with Treating Chronic Pain with Opioids in America.” Time, Time, 12 Jan. 2015, time.com/3663907/treating-pain-opioids-painkillers/.
- Silvestrini, Elaine. “Prescription Addiction: Big Pharma and the Opioid Epidemic.” Drugwatch.com, 15 Dec. 2017, www.drugwatch.com/featured/opioid-crisis-big-pharma/.
- Sullivan, Andrew. “Americans Invented Modern Life. Now We're Using Opioids to Escape It.” Daily Intelligencer, Intelligencer, 20 Feb. 2018, nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/02/americas-opioid-epidemic.html.
- Whitaker, Bill. “Did the FDA Ignite the Opioid Epidemic?” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 24 Feb. 2019, www.cbsnews.com/news/opioid-epidemic-did-the-fda-ignite-the-crisis-60-minutes/.
Cite this page
Who is to Blame for the Opioid Crisis in America?. (2021, Mar 20).
Retrieved November 5, 2025 , from
https://studydriver.com/2021/03/page/16/