Survival in Auschwitz, Primo Levi\'s Most Important
In Survival in Auschwitz, Primo Levi's most important observation was that staying alive depended not only on skill and cunning but also a large measure of good luck. In his case, one example of good fortune was being born in Italy, where the Jews were not deported until after the German occupation in 1943. Whatever the faults of the fascist Mussolini regime—and they were many—it refused to cooperate with the deportation of the Jews from any of its territory even though it deprived them of many basic civil rights. Had Levi lived in Germany, Holland, occupied Poland or the Baltic States his chances of survival would have been far lower. He was also fortunate in having a basic knowledge of chemistry that the Germans found useful, since the I.G. Farben Company controlled Auschwitz III (Monowitz) and required chemists and technicians for its laboratories. This allowed him access to extra food, a work environment without beatings and torture, and no heavy physical labor that would have drained his strength. As Levi noted, prisoners who failed to find some niche like this in Auschwitz would only survive for two or three months. At the very end, catching scarlet fever as the camp was being evacuated in 1945 was also a blessing in disguise since he was left behind instead of joining the forced-march back to Germany in winter conditions.
Eisenstein's Montage Technique in the 1925 Film Strike
Creation of Concepts through the Combination of Images in "Strike"
Sergei Eisenstein (1898 – 1948) was one of the most famous filmmakers of the early 20th Century. His formal training as an engineer and architect in St. Petersburg, as well as his Russian heritage and Marxist beliefs, greatly influenced his eventual career in filmmaking. One of Eisenstein's greatest contributions is the montage, consisting of images chosen arbitrarily and independently from the action presented for maximum impact rather than in chronological sequence. Eisenstein's first film, 1924's Strike, was a revolutionary application of this "montage of attractions" editing method in which Eisenstein propounded his beliefs about the Russian class warfare. The editing of Strike produced multiple montages by juxtaposing images to exert emotional impact. Due to his introduction of innovative editing to create emotionally impactful montages, Eisenstein is deemed one of the pioneers of cinema. Nevertheless, Eisenstein's use of montage has also been criticized. Overall, Eisenstein's work is widely regarded as foundational to much of the cinematic work to date.
Healthcare Economics and Medical Errors
The African Partnerships for Patient Safety (APPS) is a World Health Organization (WHO) programme that seeks to improve patient safety in the WHO African Region by fostering partnerships between local, national, and international healthcare providers. The current top priorities are reducing the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections and improving surgical safety. Even though implementing infection control measures will cost money up front, the savings are expected to more than cover these costs.