The Hot Zone by Richard Preston Essay Example for Free

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston Essay A proficient U S journalist and author of the 1994 bestseller The Hot Zone, A Terrifying True Story, Richard Preston’s creative capabilities revolve around alarming disease epidemics and bio- terrorism. The research by Preston for his 1992 New Yorker article, â€Å"Crisis in the Hot Zone† forms the basis of this non-fiction bio-thriller. The Hot Zone delineates a dramatic, chilling and realistic tale of an Ebola virus outbreak, which occurs in a monkey storage warehouse in a suburban Washington D. C. laboratory in 1989. In this laboratory, monkeys being used in scientific experiments quickly sicken and die due to a filovirus. It tells about an explosive chain of lethal transmissions begins far from Washington, D.C. laboratory and allows the lab to become a ‘hot zone’. Preston goes on meticulously about how these viruses work and the symptoms that appear in human beings. He traces the history of these viruses from their discovery and examines their first known index cases in detail. He also delves deeply into tales of previous lethal outbreaks in Africa out of these filoviruses. The Hot Zone employs a four fold structure. The first section of this non- fiction, â€Å"The Shadow of Mount Elgon† acts as the exposition of the story. It zeroes- in on the history of the infective agents and speculation about the origin of AIDS. The reader is introduced to the Marburg Virus, via people who have contracted it. This section narrates the story of Charles Monet who caught Marburg from Kitum Cave in Central Africa. It analyses in detail the progress of the disease, from the initial headache and backache, to the last stage in which Monet’s internal organs bleed out and fail in Nairobi hospital. The second part of the book entitled â€Å"The Monkey House† portrays the discovery of Ebola Reston Virus among imported monkeys in Reston, Virginia. This also includes tidbits on what steps have been taken to decontaminate the infected beings. The third section, â€Å"Smashdown† serves as the climax of the story. Here, the major characters like Major Nancy Jaax, Colonel Jerry Jaax, Dan Dalgard, Gene Johnson, and Colonel C J Peters etc must encounter the virus face- to-face in the monkey house. Some hair- raising events are there during the destruction of animals, like an escape of one monkey and failures in the protective suits worn by personnel. The fourth section, entitled â€Å"Kitum Cave†, signals the denouement of the story. Here Preston reflects on the origin and spread of AIDS. The Hot Zone highlights the impact of lethal viruses on human and animal population. The stars of the hot zone are these two viruses, Marburg and Ebola. These are considered to be ancient and their potential to eradicate huge masses is really high, as more and more humans encroach on the rain forest. There are well- establish cases in which Ebola and Marburg have been transmitted from captive monkeys to humans. Preston points out in The Hot Zone that these viruses have ‘jumped species’ from monkeys to humans at the time human activity is upsetting the habitat and survival of her primates. His first case history of Charles Monet exemplifies this. Charles Monet, a French expatriate working in a sugar plantation in Kenya, becomes mysteriously ill after visiting Kitum Cave. He experiences head aches and back aches for several days before spiking a fever and vomits huge amounts of blood with black specks. Finally the virus, Marburg completely devours him. In 1989, Ebola traveled to Reston, Virginia in a shipment of a hundred crab eating monkeys from the Philippines, imported by Hazleton Research products for medical and pharmaceutical research. The final irony is that one version of Ebola turned out not to be toxic in humans. The author also creates an effectual atmosphere of fear by showing that doctors, who are almost always viewed as being heroic, can so easily contract this virus. The Hot Zone is a Jurassic park with germs, not of dinosaurs. Here Preston constantly reminds of how tiny and how hazardous a virus is. The impact of Ebola or Marburg could destroy the entire planet if it got a grip. Within 24 hours, a virus could make its way out of Africa on a plane and into such places like London, Paris, or New York and then spread out to the rest of the world. The tiny HIV virus has already spread destruction throughout the human population of the globe, and this is a point the author drives home again and again. A very minute amount of contaminated blood is enough to infect a human with the Ebola virus, so those working in the Hot Zone must constantly be careful for the smallest little tear that might allow it into their space suits. Preston makes an effort to draw attention to the AIDS epidemic in this bio –thriller. The HIV virus was in reality just making its way into the human population about the time that Charles Monet contracted Marburg. It appears that the origins of Marburg and HIV are almost similar. Both seem to have originated in African monkeys, and they undergo genetic change and ‘jump’ into human beings. C.J. Peters spends some time comparing AIDS and Ebola, as well. In the last section of the novel, the author explains the idea that as humans capture and destroy more and more of the rain forests, they may discharge many more unidentified viruses. It is as if the viruses act as the forests immune system, which is truly ironic since HIV and AIDS destroy the human immune system. In the book, Preston emphasizes the potential of such a little beasts, that are only microns in size, to wipe out the human population of the planet. In fact, the strength and appeal of this book come from the fear evoked in the reader. The gruesome, horrific deaths of Charles Monet, Nurse Mayinga, and Peter Cardinal set the reader in tension and dread of what will happen if the virus at Reston jumps into the human population. The majority of The Hot Zone is written from the third-person omniscient point of view. The author is not simply composing characters thoughts and emotions. This book recounts a true story, and Richard Preston interviewed many people to learn directly from those involved. Therefore, the reason the author is able to be omniscient is because he has taken great pains to be accurate in his telling of the tale. If he describes someones internal reaction to an event, he is relating what that person told him. He is also careful to give credibility to everyones viewpoints in the cases where people have conflicting recollections of a sequence of events. There are a few places in which the point of view switches to first person. This is a result of the authors reporting on his interviews with the various people engaged in the crisis at Reston, as well as those involved in earlier Ebola outbreaks. This serves to remind the reader that the story is not a piece of fiction, and it also allows the author to tell portions of the story in the participants own words. There are multiple settings in the book because it spans a long period of time (1980 to 1993) and follows viruses all over the world. Much of the African portion of the story takes place in Kenya and Sudan, and the real centerpiece is Kitum Cave in Western Kenya. The story starts and ends there though under very different circumstances. On the international level, there are also references to the Marburg virus stint in Germany, and a monkey farm in the Philippines. Aside from these brief mentions, the true settings of the story are Africa and the United States. The fact that the potential Ebola outbreak is happening so near the capital of one of the most powerful nations on earth definitely adds to the tension of the story. The language used in The Hot Zone is very explanatory. The novel could easily have been a litany of medical terms and acronyms. It is a factual story involving science, medicine, government, and military. The author is concerned with drawing the reader into the story. He wants to generate such a vivid picture that it is sporadically quite upsetting. Richard Prestons capacity to write literature is also obvious. His use of imagery is very successful. By the time there is an outbreak in the monkey house, the reader has been thoroughly apprised of the terribly agonizing, fierce death that awaits anyone infected by the virus. Throughout the entire story, Preston amalgamates scientific perception with fictional writing. Works Cited Preston, Richard. The Hot Zone. New York: Anchor, 1995. Litsum.com Hot Zone Stuff. 2007. http://acaclassof2010studyguides.blogspot.com  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  \2007\09\litsumcom-hot-zone-stuff.html

Life of Pakistani Villagers :: Essays Papers

Life of Pakistani Villagers The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a Muslim state, won its freedom from India in 1947. Sixty percent of its population lives in villages. Farmers or herders have jobs in nearby cities or towns. Traditional customs have a strong influence on the life in rural areas of Pakistan, e.g. men have more social freedom than women do. Women avoid contact with men outside their family, and they cover their faces with a veil in the presence of strangers. In the villages, family houses cluster tightly together along narrow alleys, sharing a tank or shallow pond for washing clothes and for watering vegetables and livestock. House walls are mostly built of mud, and they rise to meet thatched roofs. A typical home may have a few pieces of simple furniture with straw mats covering the bare earth floor. A few stone or brick houses shelter the wealthy landlords and merchants. Most of the villagers live in same-styled, mud houses and cooperate with each other in daily life. Pakistani villagers dress themselves very simply as compared to city people. The most common dress for both men and women is a 'Shalwar Kamiz,' which consists of loose trousers worn under a long overblouse. Women wear a 'Doppta' and strictly observe 'purdah' by hiding their faces and private parts of their bodies. Families within the houses are seldom composed of mother, father, and young children. The extended family is more customary in Pakistan. Sons bring their wives to their family home and rear their children there. The eldest father uses the joint earnings of the family members for their support. Farm families work in the fields, raise crops, and tend them. When the crops are ready, they harvest and sell them. During this entire period, women also help in the fields by seeding, watering, and tending the crops alongside the male members of the family. In the extended family, the eldest father supervises the outdoor work while the mother looks after the indoor work. The children help their parents run the house. Villagers normally eat very simple meals consisting of a vegetable curry, a gruel of parched grams or lentils eaten with a bread called 'Chapati' or 'Roti.' The women cook the food which they serve on trays set on the floor. Women eat separately after the male members of the family have taken their meal.

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Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting Nicole Tanner March 2, 2012 1-2. Five environmental differences between governments and for-profit business enterprises. 1. Organizational purposes – Commercial is to generate profit for its owners and government is for the well being of citizens. 2. Sources of Revenue – Business generate its income from sales. Government derives its income from taxes. 3. Potential for Longevity – Government rarely go out of business and Business longevity is determine by the need and success. 4.Relationship with Stakeholders – The government must show accountability for public funds and a business can use its resources as it deems appropriate. 5. Role of the Budget – Commercial it’s used for planning and control purposes, for government budgets carry the authority of law, preventing 1-3. Identify and briefly describe the three organizations that set standards for state and local governments, the federal government, and n ongovernmental not-for-profit organizations. 1. GASB set the accounting and financial reporting standards for state and local government in the US.GASB also set accounting and financial reporting standards for governmentally related not for profit organizations. 2. FASB set standards for profit seeking business and for nongovernmental not for profit organizations. 3. FASAB set the accounting and financial for the federal government. 1-4. What is the definition of a government as agreed upon by the FASB and GASB? Public corporations and bodies corporate and politic are governmental organizations. Other organizations are governmental organizations if they have one or more of the following characteristics. . Popular election of officers or appointment (or approval) of a controlling majority of the members of the organization’s governing body by officials of one or more state or local governments. 2. The potential for unilateral dissolution by a government with the net assets rev erting to a government. 3. The power to enact and enforce a tax levy. 1-5. Describe the â€Å"hierarchy of GAAP† for state and local governments, the federal government, and nongovernmental not-for-profit organizations. (See Illustration 1-2 come back to this) 1-8.GASB considers budgetary accounting and reporting to be important. List the principles outlined by GASB related to budgetary accounting and reporting. 1. An annual budget(s) should be adopted by every governmental unit. 2. The accounting system should provide the basis for appropriate budgetary control. 3. Comparisons should be included in the appropriate financial statements and schedules for governmental funds for which an annual budget has been adopted. 2-2. With regard to GASB rules for the financial reporting entity, answer the following: 1. Define the financial reporting entity.It is the primary government together with its component units. 2. Define and give an example of a primary government. Can be a state government, a general-purpose local government such as a city or county, or a special purpose government such as a school district. 3. Define and give an example of a component unit. Are legally separate organizations for which the elected officials of the primary government are financially accountable. 4. Define and describe the two methods of reporting the primary government and component units in the financial reporting entity. a.Primary Government -either appoints a voting majority of the governing body of the other organization or members of the primary government's governing body hold a majority of the seats of the other organization's board. Second, the relationship meets one of the following two criteria: a. The other organization provides either a financial burden or benefit to the primary government. b. The primary government can impose its will on the other organization. b. Component units – are legally separate organizations for which the elected officials of the primary government are financially accountable.In addition, a component unit can be an organization for which the nature and significance of its relationship with a primary government are such that exclusion would cause the reporting entity's financial statements to be misleading or incomplete. 2-3. With regard to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR): 1. What are the three major sections? Introductory, Financial, and Statistical. 2. List the government-wide statements. Indicate the measurement focus and basis of accounting used for the government-wide statements. Basic Financial Statements Proprietary Funds Statements: Statement of Cash Flows.Governments use the accrual basis and the modified accrual basis of accounting. 3. List the governmental fund statements. i. General fund. This fund is used to account for general operations and activities not requiring the use of other funds. ii. Special revenue funds are required to account for the use of revenue earmarked by law for a particular purpose. State and federal fuel tax revenues require special revenue funds, because federal and state laws restrict these taxes to transportation uses. iii. Capital projects funds are used to account for the construction or acquisition of fixed assets[9], such as buildings, equipment and roads.Depending on its use, a fixed asset may instead be financed by a special revenue fund or a proprietary fund. iv. Debt service funds are used to account for money that will be used to pay the interest and principal of long-term debts. Bonds used by a government to finance major construction projects, to be paid by tax levies over a period of years, require a debt service fund to account for their repayment. v. Special assessment funds account for public infrastructure improvements financed by special levies against property holders. Sidewalk and alley repairs often rely on special assessments. 4.Indicate the measurement focus and basis of accounting used for the governmental fu nd statements. It usually rely on a modified accrual basis. 5. List the proprietary fund statements. vi. Internal service funds are used for operations serving other funds or departments within a government on a cost-reimbursement basis. A printing shop, which takes orders for booklets and forms from other offices and is reimbursed for the cost of each order, would be a suitable application for an internal service fund. vii. Enterprise funds are used for services provided to the public on a user charge basis, similar to the operation of a commercial enterprise.Water and sewage utilities are common examples of government enterprises. 5. Indicate the measurement focus and basis of accounting used for the proprietary fund statements. i. Proprietary funds, used for business-like activities, usually operate on an accrual basis. Governmental accountants sometimes refer to the accrual basis as â€Å"full accrual† to distinguish it from modified accrual basis accounting. 6. List the fiduciary fund statements. Statement of Changes in Fiduciary Net Assets and Statement of Changes in Fiduciary Net Assets. 7.Describe the measurement focus and basis of accounting used for the fiduciary fund statements. The accounting basis applied to fiduciary funds depends upon the needs of a specific fund. If the trust involves a business-like operation, accrual basis accounting would be appropriate to show the fund's profitability. Accrual basis is also appropriate for trust funds using interest and dividends from invested principle amounts to pay for supported programs, because the profitability of those investments would be important. 8. Outline the reports and schedules to be reported as required supplementary information.Come Back To 2-4. Describe the test for determining whether a governmental fund is a major fund. The General Fund is always considered a major fund. Other governmental funds are considered major when both of the following conditions exist: (a) total assets, l iabilities, revenues, or expenditures of that individual governmental fund constitute 10 percent of the total for the governmental funds category, and (b) total assets, liabilities, revenues, or expenditures of that individual governmental or enterprise fund are 5 percent of the total of the governmental and enterprise categories, combined. 2-10. Not sure

Shaka s Legacy Of The Zulu Nation - 2106 Words

Shaka kaSenzangakhona was born in 1787 to a Zulu chief, Senzangakhona, and an orphaned princess from the small Elangeni clan, Nandi. A man born out of wedlock managed to turn a small insignificant chiefdom who labelled themselves as â€Å"people of the Heavens† into a formidable force to be reckoned with even till this day. The Zulu nation and its people owe lot to Shaka the Great, he built a nation whose numbers were few than two thousands and who neither powerful they were mere sheep. With the introduction of Shaka the Great, Dingiswayo vision of having a united nation of all Ngnui speaking people was possible. However the growth of the Zulu nation has to be attributed to Shaka military organisation that incorporated regiments from defeated tribes and in return those tribes pledged their support and loyalty to his ever growing empire and did not suffer attacks provide they paid homage. This system was used by the Roman conquerors, however with Shaka the Great the notation o f bloodshed and tyrant, dictator, despoiler, destroyer, murderer, savage, barbarian made famous by Hollywood and early white settlers and European historians who had an ignorant view on Africa and could not possibly believe that a black man could match up to leaders such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Attila the Hun, Napoleon and could have a significant impact on our world we live in today. The image of Shaka the Great as man who loved the thirst of blood and lived for destruction is misguide, it isShow MoreRelated Critique of A Biography of the Continent Africa by John Reader1775 Words   |  8 Pagesat the Cape in 1605 which produced a clash in land-use strategies with the indigenous people this and other conflicts between whites and blacks of Africa continue today. The conflicts are not just of race between the whites and blacks. The great Zulu (Shaka) tribes and their â€Å"black on black† violence, brought a major depopulation of the interior regions. This â€Å"black on black† violence was the image that suited the white minority separatists and the ideologies of South African very well. This grew to