AIDS Related Stigma Since The Appearance Of AIDS In The Late Seventies

AIDS Related Stigma Since the appearance of AIDS in the late seventies and early eighties, the disease has had attached to it a significant social stigma. This stigma has manifested itself in the form of discrimination, avoidance and fear of people living with AIDS (PLWAs). As a result, the social implications of the disease have been extended from those of other life threatening conditions to the point at which PLWAs are not only faced with a terminal illness but also social isolation and constant discrimination throughout society. Various explanations have been suggested as to the underlying causes of this stigmatization. Many studies point to the relationship the disease has with deviant behavior. Others suggest that fear of contagion is the actual culprit. Examining the existing literature and putting it into societal context leads one to believe that there is no one cause. Instead, there would appear to be a collection of associated factors that influence society's attitudes tow ards AIDS and PLWAs. As the number of people infected with HIV increases, social workers are and will be increasingly called upon to deal with and serve PLWAs. Although not all social workers chose to work with PLWAs, the escalating incidence of HIV infection is creating a situation in which sera positive people are and will be showing up more often in almost all areas of social work practice. This paper aims to examine AIDS related stigma and the stigmatization process, hopefully providing insights into countering the effects of stigma and perhaps the possibility of destigmatization. This is of particular pertinence to the field of social work due to our growing involvement with the HIV positive population. Association to Deviant/Marginal Behavior one of the most clearly and often identified causes of AIDS related stigma is its association to deviant behavior. The disease has had and still does have a strong association for many to homosexuality, IV drug use, sexual promiscuity and other sorts of sexual practice (O'Hare, et al., 1996; Canadian Association of Social Workers, 1990; Quam, 1990 Giblin, 1995 & CASW, 1990). It is significant to mention colored populations, as the parts of the world that are most severely effected by AIDS, such as countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia, and Haiti, are mostly populated by races other than Caucasian. As a result, a strong association has also been made between AIDS and people of color (Quam, 1990). The fact that AIDS is associated with already stigmatized groups has two principal effects. First and most obvious, is that society's

Capstone Project Paper Essays

Capstone Project Paper Essays Capstone Project Paper Essay Capstone Project Paper Essay Personal Savings Rate: Worse than we Thought Introduction The article discusses the saving trends noted in the American economy since the 1970s. Jones notes that, the amount of savings have declined drastically from the 5-7 percent range to stand currently at 1-3 percent (Jones, 2010). These statistical figures have been computed as proportions of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The ongoing debate related to the case constitutes a dual relationship with one side arguing that saving rates do not constitute to an economic concern while the other group maintains that it is a serious economic subject. Savings is the proportion of disposable individual earnings that are not spent on consumption and taxes. Mortgages are not considered as overheads in the computation of savings and this has acted as a point of disputation for some economists that believe it is an expense. Those that reject the inclusion of mortgages as an expense hold the view that the costs incurred in form of mortgages are accounted by the value increment and therefore the cos ts become savings. One of the reasons identified for the decline on savings is the low return afforded to savings. Low savings pose a major economic risk as it enhances American dependence on foreign capital. Analysis The federal government, or rather all forms of governments, majorly depend on the public funds mopped up through taxation programs to finance state projects. The same finances are used for remuneration purposes to civil servants. Generally, state budgets tend to be higher than the allocated monetary amount in form of revenue and this leads to the creation of a deficit. To overcome the deficit created, the government resorts to borrowing practices, mainly from foreign sources to supplement the shortage created. Gupta (2001) refers to this practice as deficit financing, which is â€Å"a deliberately created gap between public revenue and public expenditure†¦to bring borrowing†¦ that results in†¦aggregate expenditure†¦of additional money supply,† (p. 356). The inference therefore implied by this argument is that, when the government acquires ten percent of the total budget allocations from the public, then the remaining ninety percent has to be financed as a d eficit. In 2009, the American economy recorded a negative percentage after a period of forty-seven years and the trend will possibly continue in the subsequent periods unless saving patterns are reversed in the country. The costs attached to foreign capital tend to increase with the amount of finances acquired and this makes the cost of capital to be expensive. Jones (2010) notes that the saving patterns will move from bad to worse due to the demographic figures that project that within the next fifteen years, eighteen percent of Americans will be aged at sixty-five years or more. Consequently, their saving ability will be greatly reduced. Americas current government spending stands at ten percent of its GDP. If the economy continues to accrue negative percentages from the public, then the government will be forced to borrow more from foreigners and the risks attached to this be multiplied dramatically. Conclusion Savings are viewed as economic monetary bases required for the maintenance of economic continuity (Pearce Barbier, 2000). Borrowed funds work best if invested since this leads to the earning of additional resources that are then used to finance back the former debt. Loans that are employed to finance consumption have a higher cost as accounted by both monetary and opportunity costs attached to the use. Drastic measures are required to ensure that the American saving rates are enhanced. This can be achieved by such measures as increased taxes, enhanced economic expansion and higher saving rates. Although most consumers may not agree with the proposed techniques to increase the amount of revenue for government spending, the choice largely lies with the public to forego comfort for the sake of the future or be prepared to pay the cost related to higher foreign borrowing, which is relatively higher.

Measuring the Effectiveness of the Forum for Youth Investment Program Article

Measuring the Effectiveness of the Forum for Youth Investment Program - Article Example However, the perception of the potential outcome of such initiatives, as well as the prospect of having the projects realize the aforesaid interest needs to be validated. This interest remains best defined via the presentation of a possible avenue upon which the program may be evaluated. A possible path towards the realization of this interest anticipates the consideration of several critical principles. Such statutory guidelines offer an insight into the potential of the program in achieving the considered intent. Programs such as Forum for Youth Investment need to be vetted in order to be allowed to gauge the effectiveness of the initiatives on the ground. They need to express an ultimate potential or capacity of undertaking their principle agenda exponentially. This evaluation seeks to detail on this concern with the hope of presenting a reliable image of the potential of the Forum for Youth Investment. The evaluation hopes to be able to propose methods and measures that may allow for the reflection of the abilities accorded to the program This is deemed to be of essential merit to the initial developers that sought to use the program for the evaluation of their ideas (Yohalem & Wilson-Ahlstrom, 2009, 16). Additionally, the findings will be of benefit to the youths since they will offer useful information on the available vetting programs. Having the Forum for Youth Investment unevaluated allows for the reduction of its potential. The design will nest its focus on the principle structure of the program. This will espouse a top-down approach. The evaluation will consider the output of the program. This will form the base upon which to evaluate the adopted procedure and protocols. The evaluation will simply seek to identify the possibility of achieving the noted result from the adopted items of the check. The program has four levels of outcome.