scholarly journals Gender Issues in Alcohol Consumption: A Study of Equiano’s Travels, Nwapa’s Efuru and Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Author(s):  
Uche Uwaezuoke Okonkwo ◽  
Ngozi Anyachonkeya

This paper appraises gender issues in alcohol consumption in Africa, in terms of processing and control using Oladuah Equiano’s autobiography- Equiano’s Travels, Flora Nwapa’s Efuru, and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. These three literary texts are thoughtfully chosen for the study, in view of the fact that Equiano pioneered African literature, and advanced by Flora Nwapa and Chinua Achebe in their debut, Efuru and Things Fall Apart, published in 1966 and 1958, respectively. In Equiano’s Travels, published in 1789, Equiano capture and document the Igbo lifestyle in its nativity. Scholars have attempted to look at the works of these literary titans from several perspectives and themes but, to the best of the knowledge of these researchers, they have not enquired into the Igbo lifestyle in alcohol consumption and given it the desired academic attention as amply presented in the literary works of these literary paragons and pathfinders, as the present study intends to do. While Achebe looks at the traditional humane living of Igbo society in the hinterland in its pre-colonial period, Nwapa discusses the lifestyle and folkways of Igbo Lake people of Oguta. Nwapa presents a segment of this Igbo society, which grants women access to alcoholic drink in the public, in sharp contrast to the rest of Igbo society that restricts women from drinking the same liqueur. Likely, the ample liberty and tremendous respect accorded to the female folk in Oguta Igbo subculture may be responsible for this, coupled with the fact that the river deity of the Lake, Uhamiri goddess, may have provided further evidence to the improved status accorded to women. Thus, Nwapa in the pages of her literary works, especially in Efuru and One Is Enough, brings to our doorstep the lifestyle and folkways of Ogbuide Lake people of Oguta, which enable women to enjoy this unrestricted liberty of self-expression and audacious access to alcoholic drinks at the profane gaze of men, as it was. Equiano, through his travails and escapades of slavery, shows the changing trends in alcohol drinking and culture especially the differences in female drinking cultures based on geography and climate. Today, the ethos of Igbo society has changed remarkably. The paper seeks to investigate these details using Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Nwapa’s Efuru as well as Equiano’s Travels, our texts of focus. The inquiry is essentially literary or library research.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyo Katon Prasetyo ◽  
Rosye Villanova Christine ◽  
Sudibyanung Sudibyanung

Abstract: Based on Law Number 2 of 2012 concerning Land Acquisition for Development in the Public Interest, the Openness Principle is one of the ten principles as the basis of the implementation of development. This principle is significant because its complex role can lead to conflicts and disputes. In this paper, discussions are divided into two parts: 1) how the implementation is expected to be applied according to the acquisition procedure in theory; and 2) the reality that occurs in the field. The first discussion was conducted by reviewing the applicable regulations and the methods or concepts of development of the openness principle. Meanwhile, the second discussion about the reality on the field was conducted by elaborating case studies regarding problems in land acquisition. The results of this study indicate that there are gaps in the implementation of the openness principle between theory and reality in regards of land scarcity, economic inequality, and information asymmetry among the involved parties. In conclusion, the implementation of the openness principle is significant with the role of information in land acquisition.Intisari: Berdasarkan Undang Undang Nomor 2 Tahun 2012 tentang Pengadaan Tanah Bagi Pembangunan Untuk Kepentingan Umum, Asas Keterbukaan adalah salah satu dari sepuluh asas yang menjadi dasar pelaksanaannya. Asas ini menjadi signifikan karena perannya yang kompleks dapat menimbulkan konflik dan sengketa. Artikel ini akan membagi pembahasan menjadi dua bagian: pertama, bagaimana implementasi yang seharusnya diterapkan pada prosedur pengadaan secara harapan, dan kedua, membahas mengenai realita yang terjadi di lapangan. Secara harapan pembahasan dilakukan dengan melakukan library research atau studi terhadap peraturan yang berlaku dan metode-metode atau prinsip perkembangan dari asas keterbukaan. Realitas di lapangan akan dielaborasi dari studi kasus mengenai permasalahan dalam pengadaan tanah. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan ada gap dalam implementasi asas keterbukaan antara harapan dan realitas di lapangan yang bersumber dari kelangkaan sumber daya/tanah, ketimpangan ekonomi dan asimetri informasi di antara para pihak yang terlibat. Tulisan ini menyimpulkan bahwa implementasi asas keterbukaan signifikan dengan peran informasi dalam pengadaan tanah. 


Author(s):  
Ol’ga D. Popova ◽  

This article deals with the public attitude toward the economic reforms of 1989–1990, specifically, the citizens’ suggestions on how to improve the country’s economy. The author analyses previously unpublished letters written by Russian citizens and addressed to the country’s leaders (Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev) or sent to Soviet newspapers. To investigate people’s mental attitudes, the article focuses not only on social polling, but also on emotions, feelings, and thoughts shared by the letterwriters. The author of this article maintains that many citizens feared that the country would be swept away by the avalanche of capitalism and were prejudiced against perestroika-induced innovations. Habitual mental attitudes were undermined by the cooperative movement and private entrepreneurship. Various unrealistic and paradoxical suggestions were not infrequently made by the letter-writers who knew very little, if anything, about market economy. The majority of people suggested that command economy with its bureaucratic flavour should be improved. The analysis shows that Russian citizens’ mental attitudes were predominantly shaped by the notion of a bipolar world, as well as by Vladimir Lenin’s teaching about the socialist state and its role in the accounting and control over the Soviet state. The letters demonstrate that Russian citizens hoped to upgrade the Soviet economy through improvements introduced into the system of accounting and control, through harsher regulatory measures imposed on the economic system, as well as through rationing and strictly supervised distribution of goods. Many people believed that socialism was inviolable and that the Soviet economy could be improved by means of administrative reforms.


Author(s):  
Ann M. Krake

This chapter covers extremes of temperature conditions, physiological effects, and prevention. All deaths caused by exposure to hot and cold temperature extremes are preventable when proper measures are taken. Described in this chapter are the effects of extreme heat and extreme cold on the health of members of the public, particularly older people and young people, and workers employed in various workplace settings. The differences between heat stress and heat strain are also discussed, as are various regulations governing exposure to temperature extremes. The nature and magnitude of heat- and cold-related conditions and symptoms are described in detail. Final sections of the chapter address various assessment and evaluation tools as well as prevention and control measures. In addition, an appendix describes the hazards related to hyperbaric and hypobaric environments and adverse health effects.


Epidemiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-94
Author(s):  
Mst. Marium Begum ◽  
Osman Ulvi ◽  
Ajlina Karamehic-Muratovic ◽  
Mallory R. Walsh ◽  
Hasan Tarek ◽  
...  

Background: Chikungunya is a vector-borne disease, mostly present in tropical and subtropical regions. The virus is spread by Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitos and symptoms include high fever to severe joint pain. Dhaka, Bangladesh, suffered an outbreak of chikungunya in 2017 lasting from April to September. With the goal of reducing cases, social media was at the forefront during this outbreak and educated the public about symptoms, prevention, and control of the virus. Popular web-based sources such as the top dailies in Bangladesh, local news outlets, and Facebook spread awareness of the outbreak. Objective: This study sought to investigate the role of social and mainstream media during the chikungunya epidemic. The study objective was to determine if social media can improve awareness of and practice associated with reducing cases of chikungunya. Methods: We collected chikungunya-related information circulated from the top nine television channels in Dhaka, Bangladesh, airing from 1st April–20th August 2017. All the news published in the top six dailies in Bangladesh were also compiled. The 50 most viewed chikungunya-related Bengali videos were manually coded and analyzed. Other social media outlets, such as Facebook, were also analyzed to determine the number of chikungunya-related posts and responses to these posts. Results: Our study showed that media outlets were associated with reducing cases of chikungunya, indicating that media has the potential to impact future outbreaks of these alpha viruses. Each media outlet (e.g., web, television) had an impact on the human response to an individual’s healthcare during this outbreak. Conclusions: To prevent future outbreaks of chikungunya, media outlets and social media can be used to educate the public regarding prevention strategies such as encouraging safe travel, removing stagnant water sources, and assisting with tracking cases globally to determine where future outbreaks may occur.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Heidari ◽  
Nasrin Sayfouri

ABSTRACT In March 2020, concurrently with the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran, the rate of alcohol poisoning was unexpectedly increased in the country. This study has attempted to make an overall description and analysis of this phenomenon by collecting credible data from the field, news, and reports published by the emergency centers and the Iranian Ministry of Health. The investigations showed that in May 20, 2020, more than 6150 people have been affected by methanol poisoning from whom 804 deaths have been reported. A major cause of the increased rate of alcohol poisoning in this period was actually the illusion that alcohol could eliminate the Coronaviruses having entered the body. It is of utmost importance that all mass media try to dismiss the cultural, religious, and political considerations and prepare convincing programs to openly discuss the side-effects of forged alcohol consumption with the public, especially with the youth. It must be clearly specified that “consuming alcohol cannot help prevent COVID-19.”


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo-Yeon Kim ◽  
Hyewon Nam ◽  
Jeong-Ju Yoo ◽  
Yoon-Young Cho ◽  
Dug-Hyun Choi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This study was performed to investigate the association between the amount of alcohol consumption or binge drinking and obesity-related comorbidities in Korean men. Methods A total of 103,048 men aged 19 years or older were investigated in the 2016 Korean Community Health Survey. The participants were divided into five groups according to the standard number of alcoholic drinks consumed per week. Results Of the total participants, 20.7% were in the high alcohol consumption group, consuming more than 28 drinks per week. After adjustment for clinical factors, high alcohol consumption was significantly associated with higher odds ratios (ORs) of obesity (OR, 1.449; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.412 to 1.591; P < 0.0001), hypertension (OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.636 to 1.894; P < 0.0001), and dyslipidemia (OR, 1.356; 95% CI, 1.247 to 1.474; P < 0.0001). In contrast, mild to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of diabetes (OR, 0.799; 95% CI, 0.726 to 0.88; P = 0.0015) and high alcohol consumption was not associated with a higher risk of diabetes (OR, 0.945; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.039; P = 0.0662). Among drinkers, except for social drinkers, binge drinking was significantly associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Conclusions High alcohol consumption was associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia in Korean men. In contrast, high consumption was not associated with a higher risk of diabetes. In particular, binge drinkers were associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia compared to non-binge drinkers.


2021 ◽  
pp. 001458582098651
Author(s):  
Giulia Po DeLisle

Clara Sereni’s writing journey began in 1974 with Sigma Epsilon and went on to flourish through the years with the publication of numerous inspiring and thought-provoking literary works. Many of her autobiographical and fictional texts delve into the years between 1968 and 1977, a crucial decade that changed Italy and forever impacted the author’s life and political thinking. In Via Ripetta 155, Sereni found a renewed desire to bear witness to those politically revolutionary times by revisiting the experiences of her private self and her interaction with the public realm. This study engages with the analysis of this last piece of the complex puzzle that encompasses the written story of her life, and argues that the text represents a final self-empowering act in which the apartment of Via Ripetta becomes the stage for a dialectical discourse between personal achievements and socio-political changes, personal conflicts and public turmoil.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Jaruwan Viroj ◽  
Julien Claude ◽  
Claire Lajaunie ◽  
Julien Cappelle ◽  
Anamika Kritiyakan ◽  
...  

Leptospirosis has been recognized as a major public health concern in Thailand following dramatic outbreaks. We analyzed human leptospirosis incidence between 2004 and 2014 in Mahasarakham province, Northeastern Thailand, in order to identify the agronomical and environmental factors likely to explain incidence at the level of 133 sub-districts and 1,982 villages of the province. We performed general additive modeling (GAM) in order to take the spatial-temporal epidemiological dynamics into account. The results of GAM analyses showed that the average slope, population size, pig density, cow density and flood cover were significantly associated with leptospirosis occurrence in a district. Our results stress the importance of livestock favoring leptospirosis transmission to humans and suggest that prevention and control of leptospirosis need strong intersectoral collaboration between the public health, the livestock department and local communities. More specifically, such collaboration should integrate leptospirosis surveillance in both public and animal health for a better control of diseases in livestock while promoting public health prevention as encouraged by the One Health approach.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rapeephan R. Maude ◽  
Monnaphat Jongdeepaisal ◽  
Sumawadee Skuntaniyom ◽  
Thanomvong Muntajit ◽  
Stuart D. Blacksell ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Key infection prevention and control measures to limit transmission of COVID-19 include social distancing, hand hygiene, use of facemasks and personal protective equipment. However, these have limited or no impact if not applied correctly through lack of knowledge, inappropriate attitude or incorrect practice. In order to maximise the impact of infection prevention and control measures on COVID-19 spread, we undertook a study to assess and improve knowledge, attitudes and practice among 119 healthcare workers and 100 general public in Thailand. The study setting was two inpatient hospitals providing COVID-19 testing and treatment. Detailed information on knowledge, attitudes and practice among the general public and healthcare workers regarding COVID-19 transmission and its prevention were obtained from a combination of questionnaires and observations. Results Knowledge of the main transmission routes, commonest symptoms and recommended prevention methods was mostly very high (> 80%) in both groups. There was lower awareness of aerosols, food and drink and pets as sources of transmission; of the correct duration for handwashing; recommended distance for social/physical distancing; and about recommended types of face coverings. Information sources most used and most trusted were the workplace, work colleagues, health workers and television. The results were used to produce a set of targeted educational videos which addressed many of these gaps with subsequent improvements on retesting in a number of areas. This included improvements in handwashing practice with an increase in the number of areas correctly washed in 65.5% of the public, and 57.9% of healthcare workers. The videos were then further optimized with feedback from participants followed by another round of retesting. Conclusions Detailed information on gaps in knowledge, attitudes and practice among the general public and healthcare workers regarding COVID-19 transmission and its prevention were obtained from a combination of questionnaires and observations. This was used to produce targeted educational videos which addressed these gaps with subsequent improvements on retesting. The resulting videos were then disseminated as a resource to aid in efforts to fight COVID-19 in Thailand and worldwide.


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