6229351149894 Essays - Identity Politics, Race And Society, Politics

6229351149894 Essays - Identity Politics, Race And Society, Politics 6229351149894 Research paper 0 Research paper centercenter9410095400 5042817088233 Racism african experience in film Owolabi , Akindele E Howard University 0 Racism african experience in film Owolabi , Akindele E Howard University 11930747348311 Student ID number: @027734410 Student ID number: @02773441 Title of research paper: Racism in the Americas and Africa. Topic of research: The subject matter being discussed is racism. More specifically, racism in the 20th and 21st century towards people of african decent. Even after the end of slavery in the Americas, racism and segregation were still prevalent in Africa and the Americas. Geographic area: North America and Africa. Films under consideration: Malcolm X: Depicting how Malcom X uses his rhetorical skills to fight for civil rights and justice for the black people and for the nation of Islam . Mississippi Burning : Mississippi burning depicts an idealistic White south American society and racial the racial violence that goes. This film takes place in Rural Mississippi . It also depicts the history of racial politics. Cry freedom: Cry free dom takes place in south Africa . I t shows the latter life of Steve Biko before his death . It also depicts the police brutality that prisoners had to go through. The south African police department tried to hide what really went on in the jails but a journalist uncovered the truth and was banned from leaving the country so that the rest of the world would not really know what was going on. I t also shows the violence that African s went through during the apartheid era in the country. I took a lot of violence blood sweat and tears before the Strict way of life that restricted black Africans in South Africa to be lifted o f f. Higher Learning : Higher learning shows life on a fictional college campus. It shows that racism indeed still exists even though blacks have civil rights. This movie shows the racism that happens in silent ways such as police racially profiling and small white supremacy brotherhoods that keep a low profile. A Dry White Season: also takes place in Africa just like Cry freedom. It depicts the apartheid and how suppressed the blacks were during it. Blacks couldn't vote, they had curfews, and lived in Bantustans. Whe n the blacks tried to resist by means of protest , they were brutally dealt with by the police. Some examples of ways they were dealt with was by beating, arresting, bombing, and killing them.

Animal Rights Final Research Paper Essays

Animal Rights Final Research Paper Essays Animal Rights Final Research Paper Essay Animal Rights Final Research Paper Essay Animal Rights Final Research Paper Franco Pacheco ENGL-135 Prof. Gurin DeVry University December 13, 2012 Animal rights The idea of animal rights is not new. Through the 18th and 19th Century philosophers like Rousseau, Kant, Bentham, and Schopenhauer have produced different arguments in favor of the treatment of animals. Animal rights is the idea that nonhuman animals are entitled to the possession of their own lives and that they should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings. All animals are equal in the sense that they all can sense pain and suffering however as far as treating them like humans, I do not think so. Humans have been eating meat for as long as we have been on this earth and there is nothing wrong with that. That does not mean people enjoy killing them for pleasure, their lives are taking for our survival. Eating meat is not wrong as long as we are conscious of their contribution to humankind over the years, providing us with transportation, food, clothing, and companionship. Torturing and killing animals for pleasure is wrong, however, eating their meat moderately for survival is not. By the beginning of the 18th century, writers began to discuss animal feelings of pain and suffering, vivisection, and the cruel treatment of animals raised and slaughtered for food. All animals have the same capacity for suffering, but how we see them differs and that determines what we will tolerate happening to them. Most people are not capable of killing what they eat with their own hands but if is cooked and served; there are no thoughts of how or where it came from. Over 9 billion chickens, pigs, cattle, turkeys, sheep, goats, ducks, and geese are bred, raised, and killed for food annually in America. Today, the breeding of farm animals is dominated by industrialized facilities that maximize profits by treating them as production units and forgetting that they can also feel pain as human do. The abuse of farm animals in factory farms, for example, did not see an influx until the early 19th century, when small family farms and traditional ranching of livestock started to cave under the pressure of larger institutional farming practices. As factory farms became the norm, so, unfortunately did the systematic and prolonged abuse of animals raised for human consumption. Most animals in these facilities are forced to endure physical and psychological abuse for months if not years on end, deprived of the ability to perform behaviors inherent to their species, and housed in overcrowded facilities with insufficient food, water, and natural light. Most are given steroids to enhance growth, and antibiotics to fend off illnesses that are likely to occur in such unsanitary conditions. Their eventual slaughter is often performed in a manner as inhumane as the condition in which they are forced to exist until that day. There are many people working for the improvement of the ways in which animals that are raised for food are handled and slaughtered; most notable is Temple Grandin. She is one of the leading authorities on the design of animal handling facilities, specializing in the humane handling of animals at the point of slaughter in the meat industry. She is credited with having â€Å"done more to improve welfare for animals at the point of slaughter than any human alive. † According to data extrapolated from U. S. Department of Agriculture reports that nearly 10. billion land animals were raised and killed for food in the United States in 2010. This is a 1. 7% rise from the 2009 totals, larger than the 0. 9% increase in US population, meaning that animals killed per-capita increased slightly. Based on January-August 2011 USDA slaughter numbers, it is projected that the number of land animals killed in 2011 will increase an additional 1% from 2010 numbers, rising to approximately 10,266 million animals. Fortunately, due to increased feed prices and sinking domestic demand, Bloomberg. om is speculating that there may be a 5% drop in animals raised for food in 2012! While the number of aquatic animals killed each year is not reported, meticulous calculations by researcher Noam Mohr estimate the number of finfishes killed each year for US consumption to be 13,027 million, and the number of shellfishes to be 40,455 million, resulting in a combined 53,481 million (over 53 billion) aquatic animals who died for American consumption in 2010. Becoming a vegetarian overnight will not stop the purposeful harm done to animals at the hands of human beings. Consequently, I agree that there is a lot that has gone very wrong with most of our meat production, but we are omnivores, and arguing that we are not is not going to get us anywhere. It may be possible to live without meat, but considering that all animals will eventually die, will be a sin not to eat them before other animals do. We feel bad of the killing of the animals we eat, but not bad enough to stop eating them completely. People have their own reasons for becoming vegan and not everyone is concern about the animal’s welfare. Becoming vegan will not stop animal abuse; people are still going to do what they want to do, especially if it involves animal cruelty. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) can do all they can, but you cannot right all the wrongs in the world. The most prominent of the abolitionists is Gary Francione, professor of law and philosophy at Rutgers School of Law-Newark. He argues that focusing on animal welfare may actually worsen the position of animals, because it entrenches the view of them as property, and makes the public more comfortable about using them. I actually hate the way animals are treated and could not find a better way of killing them without making it go through torture. However, I am not switching to become vegan, just because a group of people considers it cruelty. I still love meat, but I treat animals with respect and morality because they are providing the protein my body needs for survival. It is not admissible to cause animal’s unnecessary pain and suffering. I do not believe in the unethical treatment of animals, however I do believe in the ethical use of them. Confinement production of livestock and poultry has generated a major conflict between the meats, dairy, poultry industries, and reformist welfare and abolitionists animal rights group. They condemn and oppose factory farming because they view intensive production as inhumane, being carried out under unnatural conditions and causing suffering for the animal and poultry. Over the past 50 years, animal agriculture has increased from small family farms to large corporate factory farming systems. In these factory-farming systems, their main concern is increasing the profits margins at all costs and the process has devastating consequences for the animals. Farmed animals lead a life of misery from the moment they are born to when they are slaughtered. Every day, everywhere across the globe, millions of these animals are mishandled, kept in confinement, mutilated as part of routine husbandry practices, and deprived of their basic physical and behavioral needs. In September of 1994, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) designated the National Farm Animals Awareness Week (Guither, pg. 1). They criticized the cruelty of the confinement housing of such animals and they asked consumers to â€Å"shop with compassion. † Bernard E. Rollin an American philosopher and currently a professor of philosophy, animal sciences, and biomedical sciences at Colorado State University urges the food animal producers and animal industry â€Å"not to resist and combat the new ethic f or animals , for they will not win, but rather to appropriate it into their production systems with the help of research that acknowledges and respects the patent truth that animals can both suffer and be happy†(Guither, pg. 9). In the last two decades hundreds of thousands Americans have fight animal rights as part of a new, powerful and controversial social movement. All animal liberationists believe that the individual interests of non-human animals deserve recognition and protection, but the movement can be split into two broad camps. Animal rights advocates, or rights liberationists, believe that these basic interests confer moral rights of some kind on the animals, and/or ought to confer legal rights on them; for example, the work of Philosophers Tom Regan and Peter Singer. They do not believe that animals possess moral rights, but argue, on utilitarian grounds (Utilitarianism in its simplest form advocating that we base moral decisions on the greatest happiness of the greatest number) that, because animals have the ability to suffer, their suffering must be taken into account in any moral philosophy (Isacat, 2008). Dr. David Nibert is a Professor of Sociology at the Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He teaches Animals Society, Global Change, Social Stratification, Minority Groups, and Law and Society. He is the author of Animal Rights/Human Rights: Entanglements of Oppression and Liberation (Rowman/Littlefield). He conducted a survey among residents of Clark County, Ohio and found that support for animal rights is significantly related to seven of the eleven variables, suggesting the existence of an important link between ones disposition toward human and nonhuman animals. Five hundred and one residents of Clark County, Ohio, aged eighteen and older, responded to a telephone survey conducted April 16-18, 1993. This survey was designed to examine respondent’s opinions on several social issues. One of the questions was, Some people say that animals have rights that people should respect. Would you agree or disagree? They were also asked eleven questions adapted from the General Social Survey (Wood, 1990). Here are the results of the Nibert’s survey: â€Å"Of the 501 respondents, 246 (49. 1 %) were male and 255 (50. 9%) were female. 81 1 (20. 8%) were less than 30 years of age, 208 (41. 6%) were between 30 and 49 years old, and 184 (36. 8%) were over 50. 76 (15. 2%) had not graduated from high school, 277 (55. 3%) were high school graduates and 143 (29. %) were college graduates. The sample was predominantly white (461 or 92%) and married (334 or 66. 7%). In response to the animal rights question, 373 respondents (74. 5%) agreed, 84 (16. 8%) disagreed, 37 (7. 4%) were undecided and 7 (1. 4%) refused. For purposes of convenience, the respondents who agreed that animals have rights will be referred to as animal rights supporters. Examination of demographic variables reveals that age, sex, place of residence and religion were significantly related to support for animal rights. Younger people were more likely to support animal rights than older people, women more than men, and city residents more than those living in more rural areas of the county (Nibert 1994). † To summarize, Animal rights are a matter of personal choice. Every individual has a right to decide how he or she wants to treat others, including other species. Animals have been around on the earth for as long as humans have, if not longer. They play an important role in todays society whether or not we choose to admit it. To say that animals have rights is only to end the discussion before it starts. Animals will be animals and they will eat one another for the need of survival: that is a natural phenomenon. We can reduce some suffering by eliminating certain practices in certain areas, but this will not solve the problem. As explained above, we cannot humanely raise nine billion animals. Going vegan is the only solution. Also, keep in mind that some meat, eggs and dairy products are misleadingly marketed as humane but offer only marginal improvements over traditional factory farming. These animals are not raised humanely if they are in larger cages, or are taken out of cages only to live in overcrowded barns. And humane slaughter is an oxymoron. References Cavalieri, Paola. (2001) the animal question, why nonhuman animals deserve human rights. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Grillo, Alexander, (August 15, 2012), Five Reasons Why Meat-Eating Cannot Be Considered a ‘Personal Choice’ Free from Harm, Food and Psychology http://freefromharm. org/food-and-psychology/five-reasons-why-meat-eating-cannot-be-considered-a-personal-choice/ Guither, Harold D. (1998) Animal rights, History and scope of a radical social movement. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press Issitt, Micah Newton, Heather (2011), p2-2, 1p Animals Deserve the Same Rights as Humans. http://search. ebscohost. com. proxy. devry. edu/login. aspx? direct=truedb=pwhAN=26608510site=pov-live Rich, Alex Wagner Geraldine (2011), p1-1, 1p Points of View: Animal Rights: An Overview. http://search. ebscohost. com. proxy. devry. edu/login. aspx? direct=truedb=pwhAN=22827052site=pov-live Thompson, Michael (2012) Why We Have Ethical Obligations to Animals: Animal Welfare and the Common Good more http://wpunj. academia. du/MichaelThompson/Papers/392701/Why_We_Have_Ethical_Obligations_to_Animals_Animal_Welfare_and_the_Common_Good April 12, 2011. American Humane Association hails ‘yes’ vote on humane standards for poultry in Washington americanhumane. org/animals/animal-welfare-news/american-humane-association-hails-yes-vote. html Report: Number of Animals Killed In US Increases in 2010 http://farmusa. org/statistics11. html Animal Rights and Human Social Issues David A. Nib ert, Wittenberg University (1994) animalsandsociety. org/assets/library/283_s222. pdf

Apple company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Apple company - Essay Example Conclusively, in the current fiscal year of 2010, the company was recorded to earn its all time highest profit of $15.68 billion, certainly as a result of its efficient strategic choices (Apple, 2010). An appropriate strategic alliance is undoubtedly a crucial tool to determine the success of a company. Thus, the paper in its further discussion shall emphasise on the strategies adapted by the company and their competency level in comparison to the major competitors Apple Inc. at present is ranked first in the computer manufacturing industry, with an over all score of 7.95 in the international market. To secure the company in this position the management had to adapt numerous strategies, tactics and operational measures. For instance, the innovation strategy, the expansion strategy, the financial strategy, and many other strategies have continuously implemented by the company to achieve the position it is holding in the global industry (Tkaczyk, 2010). The company has been known in the market to bring up continuous innovations and creations to develop its competency. The history of Apple Inc. is stuffed with many such creations of new products and developments of the old ones to bring about revolution in the global technology industry. Even in the current year the company is not without its technological creation. For instance, the company adapted a strategy in the current year to diversify its marketing product from merely PC based to non-PC based items. It was in this respect that the company launched the iPad after the impressive success of iPods and iPhones (Yoffie & Kim, 2010). As strategies mean the planning and decision taking for the betterment of the company, tactic refers to the clever implementation of the planning. It is important due to a certain reason that a strategic plan is only going to be successful if it is applied in the correct form at

Cholera Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cholera - Research Paper Example â€Å"The history of cholera begins in the waters of the Ganges River in India†, writes Peters in his book, Cholera: Curse of the Nineteenth Century (2004). India, in 1800s, saw deaths of millions of people when cholera spread from dirty standing waters in Calcutta. It was the time when eight choleric pandemics/epidemics started which spread across countries and continents, the first of which started in 1817-1823 spreading from India to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Russia, and killing a lot of people with its deadly infection (Barua and Greenough, 1992, p.5-9). The last epidemic, which was eighth in number, occurred in Pohnpei and added to the death toll. Currently, it has spread to Peru, South Africa and the Marshall Islands. However, the later choleric epidemics saw fewer deaths than those which happened in India in 1800 because scientists like Filippo Pacini and Robert Koch devised tools and treatments to understand and control cholera, which lowered do wn the death statistics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), â€Å"Cholera has been very rare in industrialized nations for the last 100 years; however, the disease is still common today in other parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent and sub-Saharan Africa.† United States has introduced sophisticated methods of water purification and sanitation system due to which it has been easy to prevent and treat cholera. The bacteria that cause cholera are found in such water and food that has been contaminated by stool from an infected person. Cholera is mostly found in those regions where there is poor water treatment and sanitation, and where hygiene is not maintained properly. Since cholera spreads due to consumption of contaminated water and food, it does not spread through physical contact with the person. People

Remote Document Vault OCD (Operational Concept Document) Essay

Remote Document Vault OCD (Operational Concept Document) - Essay Example Even though there are existing document vaults that are used in various enterprise architectures, the core essence of this project was to bring on a new dimension of source code repository architecture document that is founded on the principles of remote sensing. As far uses are concerned, the remote document vault is built on a principle of user friendliness and easy interactivity. This means that the component features and technical dimensions of the system are made in such a way that one would not have to be technologically inclined to use the system. The rationale for doing this was to ensure that the architecture fits into as many enterprises as possible, where the need to use basic text files is not the sole prerogative of a reserved few within the enterprise. The structure of the remote document vault is designed as a cyclical framework that makes the exchange of data between users and the remote source a constant process. Within the process, there is constant insertion and ex traction of files to and from the remote with Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) serving as the vault server. Among the critical issues that the project addresses are performance issues, test server issues, data transfer security issues, and test result log issues. Introduction Document management is fast becoming a phenomenon with modern operational concept document (OCD). ... igation of this research work is therefore aimed at the development f Document Vault, which works from a client and server interfaces (Ambrose, 1998). The Document Vault shall be operational based on a remote tracking system, giving way for the core provision of operational concept document and document management system to be covered. In effect, a remote document vault will be needed to quicken the process of documentation within the enterprise by enabling insertion and extraction of text files to a remote location. In enterprises with such remote document vault OCD, it has been noticed that a twofold merit of processing and storage are all taken care of. What is more, text files that are stored within the remote system can easily display information about their properties and relationship with other files on the system. Indeed as this happens, it is certain that decision making on the text files will be easier and enhanced (Barber and Delwyn, 2001). This is where it is said that re mote document vault brings about efficiency as it enables architecture users to have more done within very short time frame. There are key organization principles and key architectural ideas that shall be incorporated in the remote document vault creation. First and foremost, there shall be a purpose to consider the impact of specific uses on design. This is meant to mean that there shall be different uses to be tested for a single design of the document vault. For the test of results, each specific use shall be critically tested for each design before making decisive choice for an approved design. Specifically, there is also expected to be document parent-child relationships where various software specification documents (SSD) shall be used as a child. Meanwhile, this software

Impact of Conglomeration on Cultural Industries

Impact of Conglomeration on Cultural Industries Cultural industries are a major source of generating information and knowledge in societies. The concentration in ownership over them, in the recent years by private corporate houses has brought in changes, in the way they operate and function in society. In this article, we see why cultural industries are important, what the functions carried out by them are and how they are affected by the conglomerate style ownership which is prevalent in society today. WHAT ARE CULTURAL INDUSTRIES? Cultural industry as a concept had first been put forward by German critical theorists of the Frankfurt School, Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. While in exile from Nazi Germany in the 1940s, they wrote the Dialectic of Enlightenment through which they popularized the concept. In it, they wrote about the life in capitalist United States and felt it was rather meaningless and shallow. According to them, culture had become commodified in the capitalist societies, which was why they coined the term Culture Industry. (pg24) The complexities which have arisen in society over time have metamorphosed the singular field spoken about by the two proponents and led to the creation of ‘cultural industries’. The different ways in which society is influenced has led to the creation of different types of cultural production. (pg24) The continuous changes in the culture, economy and society make it important to understand cultural industries in the present day context. Cultural industry, in simple terms, refers to the activities which are interrelated with symbolic goods, i.e. those goods whose economic value is determined by their cultural value. This definition of cultural industries is relatively fluid as they respond to the changing dynamics of societies. Cultural industries comprise of ‘classical’ cultural industries like broadcast media, architecture, music, films, etc. and traditional arts such as theatre, visual arts, literature, galleries, etc. (1) In the present day the term cultural industries is often used synonymously with media industries. ROLE OF CULTURAL INDUSTRIES IN SOCIETY Cultural industries have certain distinct functions to play in the present day modern societies. Firstly, cultural industries affect our views and knowledge about the world by creating and circulating different products. The media have a major contribution in this regard, not only through newspapers and broadcast news programmes but also through entertainment like films, television series and music. They help frame our views on what is right or wrong, determine how people live together in society, how far democratic functions are carried out and justice and rights upheld. These texts are disseminated by powerful corporations whose major motivation is to earn profits. Often theorists debate over whether cultural industries operate to carry out the interests of these elites in the society. Through cultural industries they try to accustom the common man towards a particular way of thinking which would eventually help serve their interests. (Pg 4) Secondly, the cultural industries tend to promote a particular type of work in society. Cultural production in societies takes place according to the type of audience. The texts produced in the system may sometimes be mediocre and not enriching for the people because the motivation is not to promote the creativity in society. Rather it is to preserve the power of the business elites and promote consumerism. The contemporary sufferings and inequality of the capitalist societies are said to be the fallout of these cultural industries. The heads of corporations generally decide the freedom given to the workers or artists and thus control the potential of the workers. (pg6) Thirdly, cultural industries are an important source for determining the source of wealth and employment in the societies. Scholars say that it is the brand name of the businesses which are of actual value and have motivated further spread of knowledge in societies. In recent years other sources developed, such as the internet. The massive boom in communication technologies provided an opportunity for the growth of credit based economic growth. Thus, cultural industries act as instruments of economic and social change. (Pg8) INTERESTS OF THE CORPORATIONS It is important to understand what the interests of the executive and owning class actually are to understand how and why corporations function as they do in contemporary capitalist societies. The prime interests of companies are to maximize their profits and revenues. Although some companies provide better conditions to their workers and offer many benefits but the target of the companies is to maximise their profits by minimising the costs. The owning class of companies try to collaborate with companies like their own. Despite the competition between the two, they try to unite in lobbying and campaigning against certain government legislations which are in support of the working class. For their business to prosper, the corporate owners require stable economic and political conditions. They might be against certain reforms which the government wants to introduce which might be beneficial to the consumers and workers. Thus they try to influence the government by donations in the ele ction campaigns and show their support to certain political candidates which will help create an atmosphere in the system which is needed for their business to boom and enlarge. (pg76-77) OWNERSHIP OF CORPORATIONS Around the 1960s, in the United States, conglomeration became one of the basic features of ownership of corporation. Diverse business and industrial houses that originally had interests limited in oil and financial services only, had now started investing more into the media industries. These industries primarily had private ownership. In the late 1980s a new form of cooperation emerged whereby there was cross –promotion and cross-selling between the different corporations so that there would an increase in the overall sales. With the developments in technologies new sources of cultural production emerged making the ownership more complex. In many of these industries such as radio, television and films, there was the emergence of oligopolistic ownership emerging which was leading to the creation of huge conglomerates. (pg195) In the USA, for instance, large corporations such as the RCA (Radio Corporation of America) became one of the leading companies overtaking the various me dia forms like publishing and newspaper companies and Hollywood studies emerged as an oligopoly which was integrated vertically. This vertical integration led to the development of certain new technologies such as recording and playback. There was also cross media ownership which made the system very complex. Film studios like MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) also held considerable interest in music industry. In the 1980s media houses began to invest more into consumer electronics companies. (pg72) For instance, Sony bought over CBS Records and Columbia Pictures Entertainment whereby it could use rock music and cinema which were popular in the US to promote the sale of CD and thereby increase their cultural productivity. (pg198) With the emergence of IT giants in the new millennium, telecommunications industries ventured into the broadcasting market. But it must be noted that these companies did not have significant cultural production. Their focus was more on gathering data on consumers which would help them to increase their sales. One of the most important ventures into cultural industries by the IT companies was that of Google who purchased YouTube in 2006. Google had recognized the relationship of circulation and distribution with that of culture and communication. The basic idea was that the greater the number of consumers who visit YouTube and the more number of pages they view, the greater will be the promotion of certain ads by YouTube. This led to the major clash over copyright between Goggle and other cultural industries. (pg 198) IMPACT OF CONGLOMERATE STYLE OWNERSHIP There was an increasing emergence of small companies which took part in the cultural production though it was at a much smaller scale. These small industries brought to the fore concerns regarding the domination of big business houses over cultural production. It was argued that ownership in the big business and corporate houses belong in the hands of a few. As it was explained earlier, the different shareholders especially in the media industry have started acting as moguls. They have control and ties with other powerful institutions and people who help spread and propagate their particular interests in society.(pg 73) Some scholars dispute that there has emerged a ‘managerial revolution’ in the nineteenth century which has led to delegation into the hands of the managers who have different interests from that of the owners. Thus, interests of the corporations become varied as different classes involved become more diverse. Critics say that the managerial class also bel ongs to the wealthy higher stratum of society and so they may share interests with the owning class. (pg 75) There can be many harmful effects on the democratic practices in the nation if there is concentration of corporate ownership over the media and cultural industries. The media is one of the main sources of information for the people today. It is responsible for enlightening the people and providing them with vital information. But if there is increased corporate interest in media coverage, then there can be a major impact on what the media covers and does not cover. The media can no longer provide unbiased information and always has to bear in mind that the information that they generate does not in any way offend the owners. Thus, the media and other cultural industries become bound and shackled by the chains of the interests of the executive and corporate heads. The common man in turn is denied access to accurate and unbiased information. If he could us it he could make informed decisions. This has a direct fallout on the democratic political system in the society. (3) Another significant issue is that the knowledge that is generated and the culture that is produced become uniform and standardized. The information that is generated is that which can help retain the power and position of the corporate giants and tycoons. This compromises the ability of the common man to develop his or her ability to the fullest potential because what is popular in society is controlled and decided by a few who belong to the elite class. The inequalities in society are legitimised by the cultural industries like media which help retain the power and wealth domination of the corporate heads. Thus we see that the control exercised by the giant corporate houses is not direct, but through their ownership and control over the media and other cultural industries. (4) There have often been debates whether cultural industries under the influence of private ownership have concentrated more on commerce rather than creativity. With increase in corporate interests in cultural industries and media whose primary motive is earning large profit and returns, many scholars feel that there has been a compromise in the quality of news generated. Journalism must maintain high quality but with new budget cut downs to reduce costs there has been a decline in the resources available to the journalists. Also, there has been a shift of concentration from important political and economic events to gossip on the lives of celebrities and the entertainment world as this proves to be more lucrative for them. Thus, there is concentration on public taste and what the public want to see, which some scholars point out is rather good than concentration on what the elites want people to see. Ben Bagdikian in his work The Media Monopoly listed the number of media companies in different industries like newspapers, magazines, motion pictures and television in the US market. In 1983, he found that there were 50 major corporations but their number continuously dwindled over the years and ultimately became only 5 in 2004. This clearly manifested the scope of influence that these corporation have in influencing the cultural industries. (pg205) Many critics point out corporations may become victims of the environment they exist in. For this reason many of them have adopted the policy of ‘de-convergence’ in recent years, whereby they concentrate on their primary business areas and have sold off their other business operations. But conglomeration continues to exist as one of the main features of cultural industry. CONCLUSION After careful scrutiny of the important role of cultural industries and the impact of conglomerate type of ownership on them, one observes that the latter limits the autonomy of the cultural industries in various manners. It is imperative that initiatives be taken to liberalize them from the corporate interests which bind them. It must be noted, that this form of ownership can have positive impacts as well. For instance, the corporate houses can control and keep a check on the government and limit them from acting arbitrarily or biased decisions. They also help promote healthy competition in the society. But after weighing the positive and negative impacts of conglomerate ownership over cultural industries one can conclude that there is need to take positive action in form of diversification of ownership. REFERENCES The Definition of ‘Cultural Industries’  http://www.pedrobendassolli.com/pesquisa/icc1.pdf Reference provided The Cultural Industries By David Hesmondhalgh Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of Ownership,  http://www.globalissues.org/article/159/media-conglomerates-mergers-concentration-of-ownership Media Ownership – Does It Matter?  http://lirne.net/resources/netknowledge/meier.pdf The Media Industry: Structure, Strategy and Debates  http://www.sagepub.com/mcquail6/Online%20readings/9b%20Croteau%20%20Hoynes%20-Devereux-Ch-02.pdf

Personal Narrative †Complications of Becoming a Woman Essay -- Person

Personal Narrative – Complications of Becoming a Woman My mother never told me the complications of becoming a woman in this world. Maybe she thought I was strong enough to figure them out on my own. Or quite possibly, she couldn't tell me, because she never really knew how to face the complications herself. She never told me how to dress a certain way in order to keep up with the latest fashions. She never told me how to wear my hair in a way that the other girls wouldn't make fun of me for. She never even told me how to apply makeup to my adolescent face. I don't think she ever knew how to put it on herself. My mother was always a simple woman. A brush of mascara, a touch of the gloss, and she was done. My mother never told me that being in love does not mean sitting by the boy of your dreams at a high school football game every Friday night. And that the boy of your dreams never really remains the boy of your dreams unless, of course, you don't know any better. How was I supposed to know? She also never said that I would fall "in love" over and over again until I met the right "one." And when I met "the one," chances are he wouldn't be it, and I would have to go through the whole process again. Mother never told me the process would take weeks, months, or even years. She never told me this would be painful. Because if I knew that falling in love would eventually hurt so much, I would have probably tried at all costs to avoid the pain. It never brought me strength, but has formed a callus around my heart. You know this story just as well as I do. I am sure it has happened to you. The characters might have different names, and the setting most likely took place somewhere else, but in the end, it's all driven by ... ...etween true love and the need to be loved. I needed to be loved. I needed to feel loved, so I stuck with him until I realized what I was doing. I had never truly loved him. He was only satisfying my need for security and hope. Once he failed to do this, our relationship could not survive. After the relationship ended, it took me a while to learn to trust again. I found it much easier to trust no one than to fail by trusting the wrong person. Over time, I realized I wasn't being fair to myself. I would have to learn to trust in order to let people back into my life. How else was I to find "the one?" My mother never told me the complications of becoming a woman in this world. She never told me that it's not necessarily important to find "the one" true love in your life. She didn't tell me about the longing, the grieving, or the pain. She didn't have to, I guess.

Nutrition †Obesity Essay

Objective: To assess the association between the consumption of fast food (FF) and body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods: A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. Results: A total of 3620 participants had data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and so were included in these analyses. This SEM model of food choices showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets is positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI showed that higher exposure to FF increases the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0.001), which is associated with higher body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS; b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). Conclusions: The teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants and eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. International Journal of Obesity (2011) 35, 1325–1330; doi:10. 1038/ijo. 2011. 120; published online 28 June 2011 Keywords: fast food; overweight; ALSPAC Introduction Childhood obesity prevalence have risen dramatically in the last 30 years in the Western world with the most recent figures for England and Wales show that 17% of boys and 16% of girls are obese. 1 An increase in the availability of calorie dense foods is implicated as one of the factors in the aetiology of the obesity epidemic. Fast food (FF) is one section of the food market that has grown steadily over the last few decades and it was worth d8. 9 billion in the United Kingdom in 2005. 2 FF is typically quick, convenient, cheap and Correspondence: Dr LK Fraser, School of Geography, University of Leeds, University road, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. E-mail: l. k. fraser@leeds. ac. uk Received 6 February 2011; revised 21 April 2011; accepted 12 May 2011; published online 28 June 2011 uniform in its production,3 but FF is often high in saturated fats, energy dense and has low micronutrient content. 4–9 Studies from the United States of America have shown that children who consume FF (when compared with children who do not eat FF) have higher energy intake and higher fat intakes9,10 as well as lower vegetable and milk intake. 10,11 Therefore, the consumption of such foods could possibly result in a positive energy balance; and hence, weight gain. There is some evidence from longitudinal studies in the United States of America that consuming FF as a teenager can result in weight gain in both early12 and middle adulthood. 13 FF is often marketed to children and adolescents through television, internet and movie advertising,14–17 with brand recognition being present from an early age. 18 The addition of toys as gifts with FF meals also attracts children. There is growing body of literature that has assessed the location of FF outlets and has found that areas of higher deprivation Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1326 have more FF outlets19–21 and that FF outlets are often located close to schools. 22–24 The majority of research to date has been undertaken in the United States of America, but a study that analysed the fat content of a FF meal in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in 35 countries showed that the amount of fat varied considerably between countries, within the same FF outlet. 25 This means that results from studies in the United States of America may not be generalisable to other countries. This study aims to assess the cross-sectional association between the consumption of FF and the body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods The data for this study were obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC),26 which is a birth cohort study where pregnant mothers who lived in the old Avon County in the United Kingdom (the Bristol region) were recruited in the early 1990s. A total of 14 541 mothers completed recruitment. Because of retrospective recruitment the total sample size was 15 224 fetuses and 14 610 live births. This paper presents data on the teenagers who attended the year 13 clinic and completed the year 13 questionnaire. Variables The food frequency data were collected from the questionnaires completed by mother (or carer) and separate questionnaires completed by the teenagers themselves at age 13 years. The data used from the carer questionnaire (collected at the same time point) referred to the questions ‘How often does s/he eat in a FF restaurant? The responses to this question were collected as never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. The carers were also asked ‘In total, how many portions of vegetables does s/he eat in a week (do not include potatoes)’, ‘In total, how many portions of raw fruit does s/he eat in a week? ’ These were free numerical responses, which were retained as a continuous variable for analyses. In the food frequency part of the teenager completed questionnaire the teenagers were asked ‘If you ever buy food yourself from outside school, or from school vending machines, how often do you buy and eat each of the following things (include after school and weekends): chips, burger, pizza, sandwich, pies or pasties, chocolate, crisps, fruit and other food. ’ The height and weight data were collected at clinic visits at B13 years. The exact age, sex, height and weight were used to calculate a BMI standard deviation score (BMISDS) for each participant (1990 UK reference dataset). 27 The teenagers International Journal of Obesity were classified as obese if their BMISDS was greater than the 95th percentile (BMISDS41. 64). The physical activity data were collected via accelerometry at the age 13 clinic visit. 28 The participants wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days and the measure used from this is mean counts per minute, which is a continuous variable. A deprivation score was assigned to each participant by matching the coordinates of their residential address (when carer questionnaire was completed) to the appropriate lower super output area. Each lower super output area has an index of multiple deprivation score (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 (IMD))29 assigned from the local census data. This is a continuous variable in which a higher number indicates an area of higher deprivation. Ethnicity was assigned as per the child’s ethnicity into a binary variable of ‘white British’ and ‘other’ ethnicity. Statistical modelling Descriptive statistics were performed in STATA version 10 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM has many benefits over traditional regression techniques, which include the ability to model equations simultaneously and the incorporation of latent variables. 30 SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. 31 This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. The SEM analyses were undertaken in AMOS version 17. 0 (IBM SPSS, USA). The hypothesised model for food choices is shown in the results section (Figure 2). The observed variables are displayed as boxes and latent variables as circles. Each observed variable has an associated random error term and each latent variable has an associated disturbance term, which represents the variance in the latent variable that has not been explained by the observed variables associated with that latent variable. Regression paths are shown by singleheaded arrows and covariances by double-headed curved arrows. The model fit was assessed by two indices; the comparative fit index (CFI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The CFI is a comparison of the hypothesised model compared with an independence model where all parameters are assumed to be independent. The RMSEA gives an indication of ‘how well would the model, with unknown but optimally chosen values, fit the population covariance matrix if it were available’. 32 A combination of CFI40. 95 and a RMSEA of o0. 50 is a sign of good model fit. The w2-test of overall fit is very sensitive to large sample size so has not been used in these models. 30 The two models were constructed a priori using previous research. The nutritional content of chips, burgers, pizza and Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1327 pies are known to be high in saturated fat and energy and therefore are ‘unhealthy’,4–9,33 whereas fruit and vegetables are known to contain fibre and vitamins and so are classified as ‘healthy’. Exposure to FF outlets is known to be higher in areas of higher deprivation. 19–21 In the food choices model, unhealthy consumption (latent variable) was modelled from the frequency of consumption of chips, burger, pizza and pies (reported by the teenagers themselves), and the healthy consumption was modelled from the number of pieces of vegetables and raw fruit consumed by the teenager (maternal report). The number of times that the teenager visited a FF outlet (maternal report) was regressed on the unhealthy and healthy consumption variables. The model for the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMISDS is shown in Figure 3. Here exposure is a latent variable modelled from maternal and paternal takeaway frequency and deprivation score. The exposure is regressed on the number of visits to FF outlet. The BMISDS at age 13 years is the main outcome of this model. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee and the local research ethics committees. Results A total of 3620 participants have data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and were included in these analyses (SEM cannot use individuals with missing data). A total of 1711 (47. 3%) were boys and 456 (12.6%) obese. The descriptive statistics are shown in Table 1. Frequency of visiting FF outlets and food consumption frequencies are shown in Figure 1. The results of model 1 are shown in Figure 2 with regression weights shown in Table 2. This model showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets was positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 1 was 0. 98 and the RMSEA was 0. 05 (90% confidence interval 0. 044, 0. 058). These represent good approximate model fit. Table 1. The results of model 2 are shown in Figure 3 with regression weight shown in Table 3. This model showed that increased exposure to FF increased the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0. 001), which in turn was associated with higher BMISDS (b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 2 was 0. 98, and the RMSEA was 0. 021 (90% confidence interval 0. 009, 0. 033). These represent very good approximate model fit. Discussion This study shows that teenagers who are exposed to more unhealthy foods at home are more likely to eat at FF restaurants and have a higher BMISDS. The negative association of increased visits to FF outlets on consumption of healthy foods (fruit and vegetables) has also been demonstrated. The FF restaurant use in this analysis was reported by the mother or main carer of the teenager and showed that nearly 60% of all the teenagers ate at a FF restaurant at least once a month. This appears to be less frequently than in the United States of America, where studies showed that 60% of older children and adolescents ate FF more than once per week34 and that B30% of children ate at a FF restaurant on any typical day. 9. As one part of the SEM this study showed that eating at a FF outlet was associated with a higher BMISDS. There were no previous UK studies to compare these results with, but previous studies from the United States of America have not found consistent results. Boutelle et al. 11 found no association between frequency of FF consumption and adolescent BMI or weight status, and an Australian study Descriptive statistics Mean BMISDS Deprivation (IMD 2007)29 Physical activity (c. p. m. ) Raw fruit (portions per week) Vegetables (portions per week) s. d. Median IQR 0. 29 13. 7 541 9. 5 9. 5 1. 14 11. 4 190 7 7 0. 024 10. 6 511 8 8 A0. 47, 1. 06 5. 9, 17. 0 404, 653 5, 14 5, 12 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; IQR, interquartile range. Figure 1 Food frequency data. International Journal of Obesity Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1328 Figure 2 Results of SEM model of food choices. Table 2 Results of SEM model of food choices Regression weights a Unhealthy’fast food Healthy’fast food Chips’unhealthy Burger’unhealthy Fruit’healthy Vegetables’healthy Pizza’unhealthy Pies’unhealthy Estimate s. e. CR P 0. 285 A1. 023 1. 000 0. 732 1. 000 1. 157 0. 774 0. 530 0. 021 0. 124 13. 439 A8. 274 o0. 001 o0. 001 0. 016 45. 243 o0. 001 0. 148 0. 018 0. 016 7. 802 42. 483 32. 720 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: CR, critical ratio; SEM, structural equation modeling. aAll consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. showed that FF eaten at home (but not away from home) was associated with higher BMI in adolescents (MacFarlane). Two longitudinal studies using data from the CARDIA study found that higher FF intake in adolescence was associated with higher BMI in young adulthood12 and those who ate FF more than twice a week had put on an extra 4. 5 kg of weight 15 years later. 13 The teenagers who ate more frequently at FF restaurants were more likely to eat less fruit and vegetables, as well as consume more unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizza, pies) than those teenagers who ate at FF restaurants less frequently. This is an indication that the consumption of unhealthy foods may displace healthy food choices. This is similar to previous research in the United States of America, International Journal of Obesity which showed that children who ate FF consumed 45 g less vegetables per day than children who did not eat FF. 10 At age 13 years the food frequency data were a combination of maternal and self-report from the teenagers, but the total macro- and micronutrient values could not be assessed in this study as these data were not yet available at the time of writing. Deprivation was the largest contributor to the FF exposure variable. This could be explained by the fact that those of higher deprivation eat more FF because of the relative cheapness of FF. It has also been shown in many studies in the United Kingdom and the United States of America that areas of higher deprivation have more FF outlets than more affluent areas therefore, FF is more readily available. 35 An interesting economics paper from the United States of America showed that increasing the cost of FF by $1 could decrease BMI by 0. 78 units. 36 The increased consumption of unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizzas and pies) by those teenagers who ate more frequently at FF outlets was not surprising, but the associated negative effect of the consumption of fruit and vegetables by these participants is important. These teenagers will not only be consuming more of the saturated fat and salt from the burgers, and so on, but at the same time they are not consuming important nutrients from fruit and vegetables. Although many FF outlets now offer more healthy alternatives such as fruit and vegetables, the consumers may still be choosing the unhealthy foods. Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1329 The FF question completed by the carer did not specify what constituted FF so some respondents may only count large franchises as FF whereas others may use a broader definition that includes independent takeaways. Although the frequency of eating at a FF restaurant was asked, the carers were not asked about the food eaten from these establishments and many FF restaurants now offer more ‘healthy’ alternatives. Although the majority of FF items do not meet the Food Standards Agency nutrient standards for total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium there are wide variations in similar products from different FF outlets with sodium content varying by up to four times in fried chicken products. 37 Therefore, having data on which food items were consumed from which FF outlet would further enhance future studies. There was no information on why the teenagers ate at FF restaurants, and key questions for the future include; was there no alternative eating establishments in their neighbourhood? Did they prefer FF to other meals or was the cost of food important? Conclusions This study has shown that the teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants. Eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. Figure 3 The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI. Table 3 Results of SEM model of FF exposure and body mass index Regression weights Fast food ’exposure. Maternal fast food’exposure Deprivation’exposure Paternal fast food’exposure BMISDS’fast food BMISDS’c. p. m. a Estimate s. e. CR 0. 61 1. 000 9. 20 0. 66 0. 08 0. 00 0. 07 8. 654 1. 07 0. 08 0. 02 0. 00 8. 605 8. 680 3. 586 A3. 351 P o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; CR, critical ratio; FF, fast food; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; SEM, structural equation modeling. a All consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. Strengths/limitations This is a large dataset with good-quality height and weight data taken at clinic visits by trained staff using validated equipment. There were food consumption data about the teenagers available from both the teenagers and their carers, but this is a cross-sectional study so causation cannot be implied from this data. As expected in a longitudinal study there is attrition and the subcohort used in this study may not be truly representative of the whole cohort. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. Acknowledgements. We are extremely grateful to all the families who took part in this study, the midwives for their help in recruiting and the whole ALSPAC team, which include interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council (grant ref: 74882), The Wellcome Trust (grant ref: 076467) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. LKF was funded by ESRC/MRC studentship. References 1 Craig RS. Health survey for England 2007, 2008. Available from http://www. natcen. ac. uk/study/health-survey-for-england-2007. 2 Keynote.UK fast food and home delivery outlets, 2006. International Journal of Obesity Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1330 3 DeMaria AN. Of fast food and franchises. J Am Coll Cardiol 2003; 41: 1227–1228. 4 Astrup A. Super-sized and diabetic by frequent fast-food consumption? Lancet 2005; 365: 4–5. 5 Brown K, McIlveen H, Strugnell C. Young consumers and the hospitality spectrum. Appetite 1998; 31: 403. 6 Harnack LJ, French SA, Oakes JM, Story MT, Jeffery RW, Rydell SA. Effects of calorie labeling and value size pricing on fast food meal choices: results from an experimental trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2008; 5: 63. 7 Lewis LB, Sloane DC, Nascimento LM, Diamant AL, Guinyard JJ, Yancey AK et al. African Americans’ access to healthy food options in South Los Angeles restaurants. Am J Public Health 2005; 95: 668–673. 8 Paeratakul S, Ferdinand DP, Champagne CM, Ryan DH, Bray GA. Fast-food consumption among US adults and children: dietary and nutrient intake profile. J Am Diet Assoc 2003; 103: 1332–1338. 9 Schmidt M, Affenito SG, Striegel-Moore R, Khoury PR, Barton B, Crawford P et al. Fast-food intake and diet quality in black and white girls – the national heart, lung, and blood institute growth and health study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005; 159: 626–631. 10 Bowman SA, Gortmaker SL, Ebbeling CB, Pereira MA, Ludwig DS. Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among children in a national household survey. Pediatrics 2004; 113: 112–118. 11 Boutelle KN, Fulkerson JA, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, French SA. Fast food for family meals: relationships with parent and adolescent food intake, home food availability and weight status. Public Health Nutr 2007; 10: 16–23. 12 Duffey KJ, Gordon-Larsen P, Jacobs DR, Williams OD, Popkin BM. Differential associations of fast food and restaurant food consumption with 3-y change in body mass index: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85: 201–208. 13 Pereira MA, Kartashov AI, Ebbeling CB, Van Horn L, Slattery M, Jacobs DR et al. Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the CARDIA study): 15-year prospective analysis. Lancet 2005; 365: 36–42. 14 Sutherland LA, MacKenzie T, Purvis LA, Dalton M. Prevalence of food and beverage brands in movies: 1996–2005. Pediatrics 2010; 125: 468–474. 15 Powell LM, Szczypka G, Chaloupka FJ. Trends in exposure to television food advertisements among children and adolescents in the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2010; 164: 794–802. 16 Hillier A, Cole BL, Smith TE, Yancey AK, Williams JD, Grier SA et al. Clustering of unhealthy outdoor advertisements around child-serving institutions: a comparison of three cities. Health Place 2009; 15: 935–945. 17 Lingas EO, Dorfman L, Bukofzer E. Nutrition content of food and beverage products on Web sites popular with children. Am J Public Health 2009; 99(Suppl 3): S587–S592. 18 Robinson TN, Borzekowski DLG, Matheson DM, Kraemer HC. Effects of fast food branding on young children’s taste preferences. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007; 161: 792–797. International Journal of Obesity. 19 Cummins SCJ, McKay L, MacIntyre S. McDonald’s restaurants and neighborhood deprivation in Scotland and England. Am J Prev Med 2005; 29: 308–310. 20 Fraser LK, Edwards KL. The association between the geography of fast food outlets and childhood obesity rates in Leeds, UK. Health Place 2010; 16: 1124–1128. 21 Macdonald L, Cummins S, Macintyre S. Neighbourhood fast food environment and area deprivation-substitution or concentration? Appetite 2007; 49: 251–254. 22 Neckerman KM, Bader MDM, Richards CA, Purciel M, Quinn JW, Thomas JS et al. Disparities in the food environments of New York City public schools. A J Prev Med 2010; 39: 195–202. 23 Davis B, Carpenter C. Proximity of fast-food restaurants to schools and adolescent obesity. Am J Public Health 2009; 99: 505–510. 24 Seliske LM, Pickett W, Boyce WF, Janssen I. Density and type of food retailers surrounding Canadian schools: variations across socioeconomic status. Health Place 2009; 15: 903–907. 25 Stender S, Dyerberg J, Astrup A. Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy. Int J Obes 2007; 31: 887–890. 26 Golding J, Pembrey M, Jones R, Team AS. ALSPAC-The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children – I. Study methodology. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2001; 15: 74–87. 27 Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA. Body-mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990. Arch DisChild 1995; 73: 25–29. 28 Riddoch CJ, Leary SD, Ness AR, Blair SN, Deere K, Mattocks C et al. Prospective associations between objective measures of physical activity and fat mass in 12–14 year old children: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Br Med J 2009; 339: b4544. 29 Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 (IMD 2007). 30 Kline R (ed) Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling. The Guildford Press: New York, 2005. 31 Tomarken AJ, Waller NG. Structural equation modeling: strengths, limitations, and misconceptions. Annu Rev Clinic. Psychol 2005; 1: 31–65. 32 Byrne BM (ed). Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS. Lawrence Erbaum Associates: London, 2001. 33 Astrup A, Dyerberg J, Selleck M, Stender S. Nutrition transition and its relationship to the development of obesity and related chronic diseases. Obes Rev 2008; 9: 48–52. 34 Taveras EM, Berkey CS, Rifas-Shiman SL, Ludwig DS, Rockett HRH, Field AE et al. Association of consumption of fried food away from home with body mass index and diet quality in older children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2005; 116: E518–E524. 35 Fraser LK, Edwards KL, Cade J, Clarke GP. The geography of fast food outlets: a review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2010; 7: 2290–2308. 36 Powell LM. Fast food costs and adolescent body mass index: evidence from panel data. J Health Econ 2009; 28: 963–970. 37 Dunford E, Webster J, Barzi F, Neal B. Nutrient content of products served by leading Australian fast food chains. Appetite 2010; 55: 484–489. Copyright of International Journal of Obesity is the property of Nature Publishing Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Henry VIII †English Literature Essay (100 Level Course)

Henry VIII – English Literature Essay (100 Level Course) Free Online Research Papers Henry VIII was the ideal Renaissance monarch, since he was scholar, poet, musician and sportsman. He had a securer title to the throne than his father,who had fought a war to win it. He also had more wealth than his predecessors. England did not, however, have the power of France or Spain; Henry’s aim, therefore, was to maintain the balance of power between the great two European nations for as long as possible. The most important event of this period was the breach with Rome, which took place under Henry VIII, although the causes of the rupture may be traced to previous centuries. The anticlericalism widespread among the English had already appeared in the long and tragic quarrel between Henry II and Thomas Becket in the 12th century. In addition to this, the teaching of Wycliffe, the Lollard movement and reading the Bible had produced a great number of laymen able to think for themselves and deny the absolute authority of the Church in questions of doc trine and morality. Many English people respected religion, but disliked clerical dominance, as the higher clergy extorted money in many ways and were often immoral and corrupt. Research Papers on Henry VIII - English Literature Essay (100 Level Course)Mind TravelAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2The Effects of Illegal ImmigrationCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionQuebec and CanadaStandardized TestingPETSTEL analysis of IndiaWhere Wild and West Meet

Bassanios reactions Essay Example

Bassanios reactions Essay Example Bassanios reactions Essay Bassanios reactions Essay Both in the play and the film, Shylock is presented as a very religious man through the strong language used. [He hates Antonio] for he is a Christian; The words a Christian suggest that Shylock believes Christians are something else which is completely foreign to his own tribe. Also, when Bassanio asks Shylock to dine with him, Shylock has such a strong reaction and emphasizes on the word you in the form of anaphora to state out the big difference between them. As Shylock is saying this speech in the film, he places his left hand on the chest with a steady expression in the eyes as if he is showing his absolute loyalty to God.When Antonio first appears in the play, Shylock speaks in the form of soliloquy to tell the audience his real thought. If [he] can catch [Antonio] upon the hip, [he] will feed fat the ancient grudge [he] [bears] him. The audience is shocked by how cruel and strong the revenge is, especially the word fat gives us a disgusting image that we would almost feel sick of how psychotic Shylock is.Surprisingly, this terrifying soliloquy has been left out in the film. Instead, the hatred is revealed to the viewers through the (close-camera / camera-shot?) on the wide-opened staring eyes of Shylock and his deep, heavy tone when he answers Bassanio, I am debating of my present store,. Of course, the effect is far less powerful than the words.Then Shylock begins to talk about the way he has been mistreated, like a stranger cur, as well as in the film where he has been expressed to be even more pitiful. When they walk into Shylocks office from the noisy crowded street, the background of the office immediately draws the audiences attention- it is dark and messy with only a few barbed windows as if the room is a prison. Then Shylock uses a heavy and pale tone to talk about his mistreatment like a prisoner begging for mercy! The language, atmosphere and the tone have made Shylock seem a lot weaker than both the audience and viewers have possibly expected, and due to the human nature, men always tend to protect the weak people so the audience would probably be quite sympathetic with Shylock despite his previous negative image.The audience probably would have been convinced that Shylock is actually the naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. Why look how you storm! I would be friends with you, and have your love what an kind offer that sounds like, especially when he outstretches his arms as if he would give Antonio all he has!However, his image soon turns to malevolent after he has demanded an equal bound of Antonios fair flesh as a forfeit. The audience immediately realises that Shylock has not forgotten about the revenge at all, and the words fair flesh actually mean good flesh because Antonio is a good Christian. We are absolutely unsettled and horrified by the evilness of the hypocritical Jew.Yet in the film, Shylock just casually stands up and grabs the contract as he announces the bound with a short pause before he says an equal pound of your fair f lesh. All this seems to convince the viewers that Shylock says it as a joke which has just gone up his mind in an attempt to make Shylock look much more reasonable.On the other hand, Antonio is expressed to be a lot weaker in his religious compared to Shylock as he breaks the custom of neither lending nor borrowing for Bassanio. Yet his loving and amiable characteristic is so much stronger and is shown fully which totally fulfils the audiences expectation of a protagonist.Nevertheless, when Antonio admits that he will spit and kick again, the audience is probably disappointed of knowing his negative side. How could a hero be so mean-spirited and prejudiced against someone different? Yet Antonio does show his honesty on a fair side. In the film, Antonio is annoyed with Shylocks words and is eager to speak out his thought, showing his noble and truthful characteristic compared to the two-faced Jew.But the atmosphere is soon filled with anxiety as Antonio says, Exact the penalty. After having heard the evil soliloquy, the word penalty is like putting an image for the end! Although Antonio is so confident, the audience can easily sense the danger and think Antonio is arrogant and stupid!When shylock announces the bound in the film, however, there is a (camera-shot / close camera?) on Antonio, showing the quick change of expression from arrogant to anxious, especially when he bites his thumb with a frozen and uneasy smile, the viewers are certain that Antonio is deeply troubled. Again, this also shows the great paternal love between Antonio and bassanio!Bassanio is vital for the audience to deeply understand the relationship between Shylock and Antonio.When Shylock says, Antonio is a good man-, Bassanios reaction shows that good means morally good in the Christian society where as in the Jewish culture, good means being able to pay back!, stating their huge difference both is religious and thoughts, as well as shaping the avaricious image of Jews.In the film, Anton io and Shylock do not speak to each other straight away. Instead, Bassanio is used as a connection between them, showing their complicated relationship- disrespect, hatred and suspicious.Also, Bassanio connects the audience to the stage by bringing in their thoughts and feelings. This were kindness. As well as the intensed expression with the deep tone shown closely in the film when Antonio takes the bound. This is all representing the audience. On the other hand, he also lets Antonio fully express his unconditional love.

Locke teaching on the individuals right to private property Essay - 1

Locke teaching on the individuals right to private property - Essay Example In this book he discusses how humans have a right to property and how and to what extent this affects the God. He advocated that although humans resided in a socially set system but all could not be treated the same way. He believed, â€Å"... a thinking, intelligent being, that has reason and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing in different times and places, which it only does by that consciousness which is inseparable from thinking† (Ariew & Watkins 370). The capability to think, analyze, reason and evaluate separates us from animals. Reasoning and reflection is because of what one experiences on its own and every individual has a different experience. He concluded that humans speak patriarchal with time .all men are blessed with certain traits and presents by the sovereign. In short, every person is responsible for his own self. Hence, man would do his best to explore and benefit from his potentials. It is not obligatory to benefit from th ese gifts. It's on the person himself. . Every person has the choice of benefiting from his capabilities thus he's responsible for his own self. This theory can be explained by numbering and quantifying the labor involved. Labor either physical or mental bears fruits for the person and his property. He believed that decision was on our own not the sovereign as we choose the best for you

Decision Making, Decision Levels and Types of Problems Research Paper

Decision Making, Decision Levels and Types of Problems - Research Paper Example System theories such as decision theory (involving studies on how to choose better solutions) and game theory (involving studies on conflict identification and resolution) are useful in organizations today. However, as organizations are governed by complex systems, there are also corresponding approaches that go with these theories. According to Walonick (1993, para. 5), there are two different approaches used in understanding a system or its components, the cross-sectional and developmental approaches. In the cross-sectional approach, a system is analyzed in relation to other systems while in the developmental approach, a system is analyzed through the changes that it undergoes throughout time. These approaches are used to understand a particular, general system; either in its own context, or in the context of its relations to other systems. Accordingly, these approaches are practiced in various fields in arts (e.g. architecture) and sciences (e.g. medicine, computer studies). Gener al Systems Theory and Approach in Information Technology As system theories and approaches are used to understand the concepts behind a system, these theories and approaches are essential elements in the process of conflict identification and resolution. ... Considering this situation, it can also be said that system theories are necessary in the decision-making process of information system creation as those influence the design of the system. Decision Levels and Types of Problems The decision-making process in creating an information system consists of a combination of complex problems and solution. As mentioned by Skyttner (2005, p. 400), there are three types of problems (structured, semi-structured, and unstructured) and three decision levels (operational, tactical, and strategical) involved in the decision-making process. Additionally Skyttner (2005, p. 400) explains that structured problems refer to problems that can be broken down into different quantifiable elements while semi-structured problems points to problems that are â€Å"partly structured and partly unstructured. Furthermore, unstructured problems refer to problems that do not have clear conventions, which require the evaluative and insightful capacity of decision-make rs. Aside from the impact system theories in the identification of the problem structure, those theories are also essential in recognizing the appropriate decision level that should be maintained in conflict resolution process. In the words of Schmidt and Wilhelm (2000, p. 1510), the tactical level in the decision-making process refers to â€Å"the material flow of from suppliers to production facilities. In this process, decision-makers are able to choose the material that should be used in operation as well as where to get those materials. Following the tactical level in the decision-making process is the strategic level wherein decision-makers prescribe the use of specific materials in the production. Thus, strategic level decisions consist of pronouncements regarding production