Inverse Proportion of Physical Fitness and Awareness Program

Although awareness of the importance of physical fitness has increased in the United States, the average level of an American†s fitness has decreased. In short, most everyday citizens are out of shape. This is partially due to the more modern and easier lives that most Americans lead compared to Americans of earlier time periods. If Americans wish to stay in good health, then their daily regiments must be changed. Among adolescents and teenagers, the same numbers are noticeable. Nearly fifty percent of American youth aged twelve through twenty-one are not vigorously active on a regular basis. Only nineteen percent of all high school students are physically active for more than twenty minutes or more, five days a week, mainly in physical education class (Physical Activity and Health: Adolescents and Teenagers, par. 5-8). These numbers are a significant drop from previous studies of earlier decades. When physical fitness reform was stressed in schools during the fifties, the government administered several test to get an exact figure on American children†s level of fitness. The United States office of Education discovered that in one year fifty-six of 108,000 public schools had strengthened their physical education programs. These modifications were noticed. Between 1964 and 1965, 11,000 boys and girls who took the Youth Fitness test had higher mean scores in every event and at all ages than the results recorded from the previous decade†s tests (Van Dalen 520-521). Although modern, well-designed school-based interventions directed at increasing physical activity in physical education classes have been shown to be effective, only twenty five percent of high school students enroll in physical education class daily. In 1991, forty-one percent of all high school students enrolled in physical activity. That means that in only ten years, the daily level of physical activity amongst teens has been cut almost in half (Physical Activity and Health: Adolescents and Teens, par. 9-10). Not even the best school based interventions directed at increasing physical activity can actually improve a student†s level of fitness if they aren†t participathing in class to begin with. Over sixty percent of adults do not engage in the recommended amount of activity. In fact, over twenty five percent of American adults are not active at all (Physical Activity and Health: Adults, par. 6-8) Concerning the history of physical fitness awareness, physical activity for better health and well-being has been an important theme throughout much of western hemispherical, American history. Since the beginning of awareness, public health recommendations have evolved greatly. They started with emphasizing vigorous activity for cardio-respiratory fitness. The same recommendations are still given, but now it is thought to be better to include the options of moderate levels of activity for numerous health benefits (Historical Background and Evolution of Physical Activity Recommendations, par. 1-2). One of the first specified fields of medicine in the fitness world was sports medicine. Physicians associated with professional sports teams initially practiced sports medicine, but with interest in amateur sports and physical fitness programs in the 1970†³s and 1980†³s the field grew rapidly. Sports medicine still continues to be a fast-growing division of specified medicine that has to revolutionize the understanding of exercise and the body†s reaction to the stress of exercise (Sports Medicine, par.1) These physicians and doctors are not uncovering these earth-shattering discoveries on their own. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is very active in fitness research (The Future of Fitness, par. 2). The official government committee to support physical fitness is The President†s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) is extremely vocal in the education of the public. PCPFS has been fighting its ever-toughening crusade against laziness since the era of President Kennedy, who founded the Council (Van Dalen, p. 520-521). There are also many Internet websites (e.g. efitness.com, emedicine.com, nutricise.com) that provide easily accessible information to the public. Because of groups like ACE and PCFS, the awareness of the benefits to physical fitness are being broadcasted everywhere; it is just a matter of time until every American understands the value of being physically fit. When that time comes, experts say more people will exercise to achieve better health instead of just to improve appearance. Also, exercise will become a vital part of disease management. In the future, adventure workouts such as hiking and mountain climbing will replace traditional treadmill and weight training workout. Sports specific training such as golf and tennis exercises will become more mainstream. It is also said that exercise programs geared towards older adults such as water-based fitness will increase in popularity (The Future of Fitness, par. 3-4, 6-7). Inverse Proportion of Physical Fitness and Awareness Program Although awareness of the importance of physical fitness has increased in the United States, the average level of an American†s fitness has decreased. In short, most everyday citizens are out of shape. This is partially due to the more modern and easier lives that most Americans lead compared to Americans of earlier time periods. If Americans wish to stay in good health, then their daily regiments must be changed. Among adolescents and teenagers, the same numbers are noticeable. Nearly fifty percent of American youth aged twelve through twenty-one are not vigorously active on a regular basis. Only nineteen percent of all high school students are physically active for more than twenty minutes or more, five days a week, mainly in physical education class (Physical Activity and Health: Adolescents and Teenagers, par. 5-8). These numbers are a significant drop from previous studies of earlier decades. When physical fitness reform was stressed in schools during the fifties, the government administered several test to get an exact figure on American children†s level of fitness. The United States office of Education discovered that in one year fifty-six of 108,000 public schools had strengthened their physical education programs. These modifications were noticed. Between 1964 and 1965, 11,000 boys and girls who took the Youth Fitness test had higher mean scores in every event and at all ages than the results recorded from the previous decade†s tests (Van Dalen 520-521). Although modern, well-designed school-based interventions directed at increasing physical activity in physical education classes have been shown to be effective, only twenty five percent of high school students enroll in physical education class daily. In 1991, forty-one percent of all high school students enrolled in physical activity. That means that in only ten years, the daily level of physical activity amongst teens has been cut almost in half (Physical Activity and Health: Adolescents and Teens, par. 9-10). Not even the best school based interventions directed at increasing physical activity can actually improve a student†s level of fitness if they aren†t participathing in class to begin with. Over sixty percent of adults do not engage in the recommended amount of activity. In fact, over twenty five percent of American adults are not active at all (Physical Activity and Health: Adults, par. 6-8) Concerning the history of physical fitness awareness, physical activity for better health and well-being has been an important theme throughout much of western hemispherical, American history. Since the beginning of awareness, public health recommendations have evolved greatly. They started with emphasizing vigorous activity for cardio-respiratory fitness. The same recommendations are still given, but now it is thought to be better to include the options of moderate levels of activity for numerous health benefits (Historical Background and Evolution of Physical Activity Recommendations, par. 1-2). One of the first specified fields of medicine in the fitness world was sports medicine. Physicians associated with professional sports teams initially practiced sports medicine, but with interest in amateur sports and physical fitness programs in the 1970†³s and 1980†³s the field grew rapidly. Sports medicine still continues to be a fast-growing division of specified medicine that has to revolutionize the understanding of exercise and the body†s reaction to the stress of exercise (Sports Medicine, par.1) These physicians and doctors are not uncovering these earth-shattering discoveries on their own. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is very active in fitness research (The Future of Fitness, par. 2). The official government committee to support physical fitness is The President†s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) is extremely vocal in the education of the public. PCPFS has been fighting its ever-toughening crusade against laziness since the era of President Kennedy, who founded the Council (Van Dalen, p. 520-521). There are also many Internet websites (e.g. efitness.com, emedicine.com, nutricise.com) that provide easily accessible information to the public. Because of groups like ACE and PCFS, the awareness of the benefits to physical fitness are being broadcasted everywhere; it is just a matter of time until every American understands the value of being physically fit. When that time comes, experts say more people will exercise to achieve better health instead of just to improve appearance. Also, exercise will become a vital part of disease management. In the future, adventure workouts such as hiking and mountain climbing will replace traditional treadmill and weight training workout. Sports specific training such as golf and tennis exercises will become more mainstream. It is also said that exercise programs geared towards older adults such as water-based fitness will increase in popularity (The Future of Fitness, par. 3-4, 6-7).

Health Promotion: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Levels

Health promotion is composed of three levels. Primary is the initial level of health promotion and prevention of diseases. The next level is secondary which involves early detection of a disease and prompt intervention to prevent the progression of the disease. Tertiary, the final level, is when a disease is permanent and the goal is to return the individual to the best possible level of functioning (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). According to American Diabetes Association website, the 2011 diabetes statistics in America is 25. 8 million of the population has diabetes. This paper focuses on the health promotion in primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of patients diagnosed with diabetes. Health promotion can affect many factors of a patient’s life from progression of a disease to loss of school or work days therefore loss of education and income to increase in healthcare. O’Donnell (2009) defines health promotion as: â€Å"the art and science of helping people discover the synergies between their core passions and optimal health, enhancing their motivation to strive for optimal health, and supporting them in changing their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health. Optimal health is a dynamic balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health. Lifestyle change can be facilitated through a combination of learning experiences that enhance awareness, increase motivation, and build skills and, most important, through the creation of opportunities that open access to environments that make positive health practices the easiest choice. † Patient’s active participation is a main part of health promotion. Patients have to take an active role because education provided to patients is to empower them to make better decisions in their healthcare. Primary interventions include making changes to the individual’s diets, activity levels, motivation, and knowledge. These interventions were utilized in a study to decrease the development of diabetes. The participants were selected by having diabetic risk factors including hypertension, obesity, increased blood sugar, hypercholesterolemia, or family history of diabetes (Penfold, 2013). Diet and nutrition advice was given to individuals. They were educated and demonstration provided on how to make healthy changes in their meals that was within a limited budget. Exercise sessions were also used as a preventative measure in which the individuals were encouraged to participate in cardio activities. The program encouraged the individuals to continue with the exercising by offering free classes. The participants of the study had a positive outlook as they progressed with the new healthy changes. Follow up will be a main factor in this fairly new study to determine if primary intervention was successful. Once an individual is diagnosed with an illness, intervening without hesitation is the key to the secondary level of health promotion. The cause of gestational diabetes is not completely known. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy in women who did not previously have diabetes, but certain risk factors such as obesity can increase a women’s chance of developing it (Webb, 2013). Secondary preventions include prevention of further complication and treatment of a disease to decrease complications (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). The women should be educated on how to take blood glucose, targeted blood sugar levels and to contact providers with abnormal readings. Treatment of the gestational diabetes is also aimed at patients modifying their lifestyles with diet and exercise. If blood sugars remain uncontrolled Webb reports according to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2008) recommends metformin for treatment of gestational diabetes in spite of successful evidence. Patients that are not compliant are at risk of progression of diabetes. Primary and secondary prevention continue into tertiary level of health promotion. â€Å"Tertiary prevention focuses on rehabilitation to help people attain and retain optimal level of functioning regardless of their disabling condition (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). A patient can suffer from many complications of diabetes such as eye complications, foot complications, hypertension, kidney disease, neuropathy and depression. Patients are encouraged to have a satisfying lifestyles and function with their diseases. In an article about health and lifestyles of diabetic adolescents â€Å"Diabetic adolescents had healthier eating habits and more positive attitude towards their satisfaction with life, but their health perception is less positive than that of other adolescents (Serrabulho, Matos & Raposo, 2012). In the study diabetic adolescents had similarities of inactive activities and social support to adolescents without diabetes. The care of diabetic patient from a health promotion point view involves diet, exercise, medication, and knowledge. Involvement of experts in the fields and communities can assist the patient in awareness of diseases. When nurses and patients are educated on primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention care, they develop a mutual respect and responsibility in assisting patients to have successful healthy lifestyles.

Analysis of Labor and Capital Tensions in Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City

The â€Å"devil† of Erik Larson’s gripping The Devil in the White City is not just the murderer Henry J. Holmes, who serves as the terrifying counterpoint to architect Daniel Hudson Burnham’s efforts to conceive and construct the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Instead, Larson explores many different devils that plague Chicago as a whole. Larson paints a portrait of a city besieged by economic and labor struggles, the stress of technological development, a flood of immigration, and crime.Chicago, perched at the end of the Gilded Age, is an American city not only trying to establish an identity, but desperately trying to hold itself together against the ever-widening rift between labor and capital. As presented by Larson, Chicago is a city that exploits this rift, giving rise to a battlefield between the two. Larson comments that â€Å"the thing that entranced me about Chicago in the Gilded Age was the city’s willingness to take on the impossible in the name of civic honor† (393).This â€Å"civic honor† is the heart of The Devil in the White City, revealing a great deal about the city’s nature and determination to carve out an identity for itself. The downside of Chicago’s ambitions to stage a six-month world’s fair, Larson suggests, is that it threatens to undo an already-tenuous social structure. Chicago, however, is full of pride following the Great Fire of 1871. â€Å"They had not merely restored it; they had turned it into the nation’s leader in commerce, manufacturing, and architecture† (Larson 16).Chicago, in the last nineteenth century, barrels forward in the name of progress and is resolved, almost blindly, to come out from under the shadow of New York City. The Devil in the White City, while it follows architect Burnham and murderous doctor Holmes on their antithetical missions, is much more concerned with the American dream. That is, the dream that Larson (as well as many h istorians) feels America has abandoned. Historian Jack Beatty, in his book Age of Betrayal, traces how the dream of â€Å"free soil, free labor, free men and free land† (14) has been traded for the favor of big corporations.During the Gilded Age, Beatty sees an America corrupted from within. The disparity between the rich and the poor has never been greater, he says, with a virtual elimination of the middle class. The dream established by Lincoln during the Civil War is submarined by a partnership between government and business—one that is, at the time, questioned by very few Americans. Chicago is an excellent lens through which to view the fall of the Gilded Age, mainly because of the city’s â€Å"explosive growth† (Larson 23). It is a city that cannot keep up with itself in many ways.As the skyscrapers grew taller and transportation became more effective, Chicago â€Å"also grew dirtier, darker, and more dangerous† (Larson 28), pointing toward t he dark side of progress. There are prices to pay for progress, which forms an ever-present undercurrent of unease in Larson’s depiction of Chicago. Ambition informs Chicago’s â€Å"civic honor† of staging the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. The fair, when completed, would cover over 600 acres of land, complete with new buildings, European architecture, and exhibits from cultures from around the world.Everything about the fair was designed to â€Å"out-Eiffel Eiffel,† referring to the Eiffel Tower, which was introduced at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. This speaks to an overwhelming desire for the world’s immediate recognition of greatness. For example, when plans were being drawn up for the fair’s multitude of exhibits and wonders, the ideas were driven by size and stature. The fair, being America’s first, was steered in the direction of not only being memorable, but so grand of vision as to be intimidating.Im possibly large towers were proposed, even from Gustave Eiffel himself, until George Ferris came up with the idea of a spinning wheel, which would become the first â€Å"Ferris wheel. † The Chicago World’s Fair was a forced reflection of great amount of ingenuity and innovation that occurred during the Gilded Age. Chicago, however, was still beset by the problems of all growing big cities. In fact, the city’s ambitions to compete with New York City brought on unexpected (and unwelcome) parallels:[New York journalist Jacob] Riis had toured Chicago’s foulest districts and announced them worse than anything he had seen in New York. In his talk he noted the fast approach of the exposition and warned his audience, â€Å"You ought to begin house cleaning, so to speak, and get your alleys and streets in better condition; never in our worst season have we had so much filth in New York City† (Larson 212). Through the Gilded Age and Larson’s book, Chic ago constantly struggles to maintain its identity against New York City.In Blair A. Ruble’s insightful book, Second Metropolis: Pragmatic Pluralism in Gilded Age Chicago, Silver Age Moscow, and Meiji Osaka, Ruble explores the plights of three cities that are the second-largest ones in their countries. Ruble posits that all three cities, near the turn of the twentieth century, were the fastest-growing, most innovative ones. He argues that each city, such as Chicago, faced insurmountable challenges, such as how to manage the growing disparities between the working class and the cultural elite.The ways in which the elite handled each problem, Ruble believes, said something about their fate. In Chicago’s case, Ruble focuses on the rapid expansion of the city against its inability to create an effective transportation system. Chicago was not only flooded with immigrants, but it was markedly overcrowded. It was practically bulging at the seams. Ruble focuses on mayor Carter Henry Harrison, who in Larson’s book was noted for â€Å"establish[ing] Chicago as a place that tolerated human frailty even as it nurtured grand ambition† (213).Ruble credits Harrison for being a true visionary and keenly aware of the problems his city faced. However, Ruble’s notion of â€Å"pragmatic pluralism† plays into his ultimate assessment of Chicago (and Harrison) at the turn of the century. For Ruble, Chicago demanded a leader who understood and applied â€Å"pragmatic pluralism†: a unique (and rare) ability to satisfy everyone’s interests. It is a talent for balancing the interests of the wealthy and the poor, as well as making compromising for the sake of the city’s future development.â€Å"Pragmatic pluralism† speaks to the best, long-run interests of everyone, not the short-term interests of a few. Ruble charges Harrison with doing well at managing certain crises, but losing sight of the goal line. He is portrayed not as a failure, but a victim of economic and social circumstances that befall other cities of rapid expansion and developmental growth. Chicago, just like Moscow and Osaka, failed to deliver on its promises and further reflect the American dream. Chicago’s idealism, Ruble says, had been corroded by a relationship between business and government (213).This tension between labor and capital plays itself out in The Devil in the White City in many fascinating ways. Larson is particularly good in crafting a book that underscores these tensions in both highly dramatic and skillfully subtle ways. First and foremost, he tells twin stories of the fair, focusing on the fair’s architect (Burnham) and the calculating doctor (Holmes)—two stories that run contrary to one another. Larson portrays both of them as brilliant men in their own regards—geniuses at accounting for every detail, anticipating every contingency, and staying one step ahead.Larson’s book l ays out all of the obstacles that stand in the way of Burnham and Holmes’s ambitions. The impossibilities that both men overcome is almost as staggering as the fair itself—a dreamlike world populated with characters as diverse as Buffalo Bill, Thomas Edison, and Frank Lloyd Wright. It is easy to get swept up into the unreality of it all, of which Dora Root wrote â€Å"I should never willingly cease drifting in that dreamland† (Larson 253). This dreamlike quality, echoed by others in the book, is used by Larson to offset the harsh reality of the world beyond it.The fair’s eventual end seems to echo the end of the Gilded Age in many ways—a symbolic shift from the ideal to the real. When columnist Teresa Dean says, â€Å"It seems cruel, cruel, to give us such a vision; to let us dream and drift through heaven for six months, and then to take it out of our lives† (335), one gets the feeling that Larson is using her quote to comment on the collap se of the American dream itself. Labor and capital disappear against the World’s Fair, their tension ceasing to exist in the unreality of it all, but rear their head in another fundamental way.While some could argue that the inclusion of Henry H. Holmes in The Devil in the White City is nothing short of a marketing ploy, Holmes is actually central to the power of Larson’s book. Burnham and Holmes should be viewed as symbols, rather than historical figures: the idealist versus the opportunist, the laborer versus the capitalist. Burnham believes that all things are possible, even when faced with the challenge of staging a fair where â€Å"failure was unthinkable† for fear of the nation’s honor being â€Å"tarnished† (Larson 33). He is a man who believes in himself and those around him.Burnham is the laborer, working to sustain the American dream and keep it alive. He is, quite literally, the architect of America’s future. Holmes, on the other hand, has a completely different agenda. Holmes is the capitalist, looking to exploit weakness and profit for himself: Holmes understood that powerful new forces were acting upon Chicago, causing a nearly miraculous expansion. The city was growing in all available directions, and where it abutted the lake, it grew skyward, sharply increasing the value of land within the Loop. Everywhere helooked he saw evidence of the city’s prosperity. †¦ Holmes knew— everyone knew—that as skyscrapers soared and the stockyards expanded their butchery, the demand for workers would remain high, and that workers and their supervisors would seek to live in the city’s suburbs†¦ (Larson 44-45) As such, Holmes seized upon the idea of the â€Å"World’s Fair Hotel,† which was actually a crematorium and torture palace. He could essentially bend young women to his will, take their money and their trust, and have an endless supply of them visiting his hotel d uring the fair.It is almost an unthinkable series of crimes, especially in Holmes’s ability to evade suspicion, though the Chicago Times-Herald notes that his story â€Å"tends to illustrate the end of the century† (370). This quote informs the entire book and the Gilded Age at once: opportunism and evil masquerading as something benign and trusted. Closely recalling Holmes’s demeanor, the government—entrusted by the people to lead them—sold itself to the corporations. Both Holmes and the government are complicit in failing to deliver the American dream to the people and, instead, employing it for their own gains.The Gilded Age seems remarkably similar to the contemporary world. In fact, many parallels could be drawn between then and now. Presidents and politicians are controlled by the lobbyists and those who have funded their campaigns. The money that has helped put them in office will continue to shape policy and determine our country’s c ourse of action. In light of these realities, Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City is not just a fascinating piece of history, but it is a cautionary tale that seems more relevant than ever before.

Greece and Rome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Greece and Rome - Essay Example Contribution made by early Romans were huge in number including technology, religion, art, empire architecture, language, government, law, literature and war as well. The history of Roman Empire is still a source of inspiration in many parts of world (Cunningham and Reich, 2005). Greek civilization originates from Greek history. It survived from 8th to 6th Century, after that from 146BC to the mastery period of Rome. This civilization had the mastery of ruling on states. The classic stage of Greek culture leaves a significant influence on Roman Empire in many aspects. Greek civilization holds a vision which interpreted to numerous parts of Mediterranean Region and Europe as well. The basis of western civilization is the major reason of rich culture in Classical Grecian people. The development of Classic Greek civilization was observed between 4th and 5th century (Cunningham and Reich, 2005). Roman and Greek civilizations belong to Mediterranean Region but still differ in social aspec ts. Civilizations hold different mythology and live their life in different manner. The outstanding difference is related to progress. Romans failed to make remarkable progress in their era. Greece had begun their development in 5th century BC. On many instances, it is supposed that many of the items utilized by Romans were previously a part of Greek Civilization and Greek invented those items (Freeman, 2004). Civilization believed to divide people in groups. The division of Greek society is categorized in five groups. These groups’ are women, slaves, medics, free men and in the end citizens. The position of women in Greeks civilization was even below that of a slave. In Romans the status of women is higher as compared to Greeks and give them equal rights of citizens, but still didn’t give them an opportunity to vote or work in offices belonging to political sector. The groups which were found in Roman society were Plebeians, Patricians, Free Men and Slaves (Moore, 200 6). Both civilizations were inspired by architectural techniques. Their building was the sample piece of innovative architecture. In Greek civilization, the style of architecture divides into three major groups. These groups were Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Romans were motivated as well as inspired by the architecture of Greek building. Romans adopted the architectural style of Greeks; they gave a style of Greek architecture to their building structures. Romans added aqueducts and arches in Greek designs and gave them a new look (Moore, 2006). The common occupation of Greek was considered as agriculture, this occupation employed almost three quarter of people. Greek cape was rocky and mountainous area, giving tough time to famers. They failed to produce enough wheat. Grapes and olives were found in abundant quantity. Roman farmers produced what they needed like furniture, tools and clothing. After some time they started producing more than their requirement and began exporting (Fre eman, 2004). The major gods and goddesses of Greek were Poseidon , Aphrodite, Hera, Hades, Hestia, Apollo, Demeter, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Dionysus and Ares. Mostly, different regions worshipped the same gods or goddess. The practice of Greek religion was expanding outside Greece as well to Asia Minor to Magna Graecia. ApolloIn Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided

Exam2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Exam2 - Assignment Example At that time, the rent would be $ 10000 per month. The next question which arises is that, whether the entire amount of $ 4000000 would be given from internal sources of financing or an external loan should also be taken. If external loan is taken, then it would be obtained to an amount of $ 2000000 having an interest of 5% per year. If the building is constructed in 2017, then the accumulated amount of $ 4000000 can also be invested and an interest on such investment @ 3.5% would be obtained. The cost of the building would also be incrementing by 2.5% per year. Return on Investment has been calculated by taking into consideration that the interest rate on the investment of $ 4000000 is 3.5%. Question 1 Return on Investment Particulars Amount (in $) Invested Amount 4000000 Return on Investment for the year 2013 (from October to December) 35000 Return on Investment for the year 2014 140000 Return on Investment for the year 2015 140000 Return on Investment for the year 2016 140000 Tota l Return on Investment 455000 Return on Investment (in Percentage) 11.375% The return on investment is a performance measure that is used for evaluating the efficiency and accuracy of any investment (Megginson & Scott, 2008). It is an effective performance measuring tool, which helps in taking appropriate decisions by the company (Rachlin, 1997). It helps in avoiding flaws in the managerial decisions taken by any company. If the accumulated amount of $ 4000000 is invested, then an annual interest @ 2.5 percent would be earned every year till 2017. The interest earned in the 1st year is 35000 and the interest earned in next three years is $ 140000 each year. Total interest earned is $455000. Return on investment is 11.375%. Question 2 Inflation rate is described as the continuous increase in the price level of goods and services. It is calculated as the annual percentage rise. Findlay is the name of a city in Ohio, United States. The Inflation rate of United States, as projected by I nternational Monetary Fund, has been shown below: (International Monetary Fund, 2012) Within the time period of 2014 to 2018, the inflation rate as assessed by the Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index would rise to some extent and then it would remain constant at a rate of 2 percent (CBO, 2013). Determination of the projected annual inflation rate of Ohio is also necessary. ‘The Ohio Department of Transportation’ has estimated the Inflation Rate of Ohio to be: High Most Likely Low 2013 8 % 5.7% 3% 2014 10% 5.5% 3.5% 2015 8.95% 5.9% 3.5% 2016 7.5% 4.5% 1.5% 2017 7% 4% 1% Question 3 It has been stated that the value of the building would be increasing by 2.5 percent every year starting from 2014. The increment has been shown in the following table: Particulars Amount (in $) Present value of the building 4000000 Value of the building in 2014 4100000 Value of the building in 2015 4202500 Value of the building in 2016 4307562.5 Value of the building in 2017 4415251.5 6 Net Increase 415251.56 It can be seen from the above mentioned table that the value of the building increased yearly. The value of the building in 2014 increased to $ 4100000. It increased to $ 4202500 in the year 2015. In the year 2016, the value increased to $ 4307562.5 and finally in the year 2017, the value increased to $ 415251.56. Question 4 Option 1 Paying the whole amount from the internal sources of financing

Hyperinflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hyperinflation - Essay Example There is great debate regarding the growth of money supply as the cause of the inflation. According to the large section of the economists, there is a strong correlation between the inflation and growth in the money supply. In that case, hyperinflation can be considered as the ultimate case of the money supply growth over the intensification in the production of the domestic goods and services. The reason behind the excess growth of money supply is relatively higher spending of money by the government in comparison to the collection of the taxes and charges. It further leads to the printing of more money to bridge the gap between the expenditures and the revenues. This excess creation of the money by the government is the root of increment of the demand in the economy which directly enhances the price level. Besides that surplus money supply can generate demand for the imported products instead of having a constraint in the foreign currency supply. Eventually it results in depreciati ng the local currency (Web Archieve, â€Å"Hyperinflation: Causes, Cures†). It has already been discussed that the paper is focused on the economy of Zimbabwe. Therefore, an in-depth analysis of the cause of hyperinflation in the nation and its effect will be demonstrated in the paper, but prior to that the global history of hyperinflation is exhibited below in a tabular format. In the above exhibited table the worst hyperinflations in the countries has been exhibited. Simultaneously, it also demonstrated a comparative analysis of the chosen country and the other countries in the world. Zimbabwe experienced hyperinflation for the first time in the 21st century. In this paper, it has been intended to produce the reliable record of the hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, which has been considered as the second highest inflation in the world history and one of the worst economic conditions in the world. Zimbabwe contravened the hyperinflation benchmark first in

Maya Society was an example of a great civilisation. Discuss the Essay

Maya Society was an example of a great civilisation. Discuss the various aspects of this civilisation - Essay Example Despite having such powers she would never be given the title of Mah Kina (Hill, 1732). Many historians after closely studying history and different civilizations have come to conclusion that Mayans as a society were native cultured people belonging to Northern part of America. As a civilization or populations and resources, they occupied a terrain of an estimate sixty thousand square miles. This also included Southern Mexico, adjacent segment of Northern Guatemala. Mayan society: the Mayans were the most important of the cultured native peoples of North America, both in the degree of their civilization and in population and resources, formerly occupying a territory of about 60,000 square miles, including the whole of the peninsula of Guatemala and Yucatan. However it is to be noted that majority population always resided in same region outside large cities. As other tribes, Maya also had important tribes which formed strength of whole nation. Key tribes were Quiche and Cakchiquel of Guatemala. Each tribe part of Maya society held high cultural values. In North America Maya were being most advanced civilization and also most prehistoric. Despite being so prestigious, their numbers are estimated to be around two million approximately (Andrien, 814). If analyzing Maya civilization culturally, they could be segmented into three sections, i.e. south, north and central. It was the southern region where first signs of Maya civilization could be traced back. Izapa carvings reflect Gods that were antecedents of classic deities and at and at Kaminaljuyu glyphs on stelea indicates the signs of origination of Maya writing system. Olmec influence could be clearly traced in this area when historians studied it. Southern lowlands from Tabasco lying in northwest to Belize all made up the central region. While southern region constituted of Guatemalas Motagua River region. Along River and throughout the Peten Maya civilization flourished due

India- Socio- Cultural Variables Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

India- Socio- Cultural Variables - Essay Example During the last century while the world's population grew three fold, India population grew four fold. This increase could have been much more if the government of India had not adopted population control measures for the last three decades. Spread over an area of around 3.3 million square kilometers, it is the seventh largest country in the world. India is the world's largest democracy with a population nearly four times that of the United States. Indian government has adopted the British Parliamentary system with valuable inputs from USA and European governments. Population density is an indication of population concentration. It is defined as the number of persons per square kilometer. Official census figures of government of India indicate that the population density of India in 2001 was 324 persons per square kilometer, which indicates that now 57 more people live in a square kilometer area in the country than the number that lived a decade ago. In 1901 the density of India was as low as 77 and this steadily increased from to reach 324 in 2001. The cause of worry for the Indian government is that this increase is not matched equally by the increase in healthy food, diet and other resources. Per capita income in India is approx. INR 12500 i.e. approx. $290. Contrast this with the per capita income of US, which is more than $40000, while US population is less than one fourth of India. Such disturbing figures give rise to discontentment amongst the masses. If we look towards India as a market, it is indeed a very attractive market. Because, market needs customers - the more the merrier. Of late this market of more than a Billion people has been attracting MNCs in good numbers. If per capita income is less here then cost of production is also less so goods and services are priced accordingly. Indian government is also in the facilitating mode to Investments from abroad. Therefore from the investment point of view I'd give it 7 out of 10. Age Profile and Employment Scenario: Though official poverty figures have been coming down sharply e.g. the figures indicate that poverty ratio came down from 36% in 1993-94 to 26% in 1999-2000, yet a large number of educated youth remain unemployed. The population of India is estimated to be 1.4 billion (1,400 million) by the year 2025, and youth will form the majority of the population. With this problem in sight, the tenth five-year plan targets that gainful and high-quality employment will be provided to the majority. Unlike some of its neighbors, education level in India has been quite good. Engineering and Management graduates from Indian Institutions have left their mark in many international companies. The Pentium chip of Intel had the brain of an Indian. Majority of the H1B visa holders in USA are from India. The recent trend of outsourcing ITES towards Indian subcontinent is the testimony for the education level and technical capability of Indian youth. From an Investment point of view, I feel Indian youth wil l prove very helpful. I'll give 9 points out of 10. Entrepreneurship culture Historically, India is not much known as the nation of venture capitalists. Indians preferred to play safe. But the IT bug seems to have converted them into venture capitalists as well. For example, Hotmail was the brainchild of a 25 year old Indian youth Sabeer Bhatia. He made billions by selling it to

Writing Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing Assignment - Essay Example Our superior staff and workforce, however, have been able to contribute to our steady growth despite overall industry patterns. Our current expansion plans include adding a sizable number of professional, high-tech jobs requiring the skills that you possess. As a former employee, you would have a distinct advantage as a valuable addition to our staff. Many companies are reluctant to rehire their former employees, and EDS has carefully considered the effects of this course of action. We believe strongly that the events that led us to make this offer were the inevitable result of unforeseen business forces. EDS admires your sense of individuality and in no way feels that it reflects on your loyalty or commitment as a business professional. While we can not guarantee that a position will be available for you, or that you would return to your original title, we are open to discussing your future with EDS. I would like to say that we appreciate your past performance and hard work at EDS and sincerely hope that you would consider continuing our positive relationship. I'm confident that as EDS continues to innovate and expand, you could make an important contribution to the future performance and progress of EDS. Again, I would like to say that you have the background and knowledge we are seeking to move EDS forward into the future.

Deep Ecology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Deep Ecology - Essay Example Deep ecology is a belief, while religion is defined as beliefs that are concerned with nature, purpose and the cause of the universe. As a religion, its dominant tenet of spirituality is that human species are part of the earth and not a separate entity. This paper will argue out that deep ecology is a religion. The main principle of deep ecology is a belief, just like humanity, that the environment which is living has an equal right to blossom and live. It is said to be deep due to its persistence questioning on â€Å"how† and â€Å"why† and as a result, it is based on philosophical questions which are fundamental on the effects of human beings life as a part of the ecosphere, rather than dealing with the minor view of ecology as a biological science branch. In addition it focuses to stem anthropocentric environmentalism that is based on environmental conservation with an aim of exploiting human objectives which buffers the philosophy of deep ecology. It seeks more vie w of the world that we leave in a holistic way, and further, seeks an application of life understanding that separates the functioning of the ecosystem parts as a whole. In addition, it seeks to eliminate the issue of supremacy in religion life, of which it is impossible to give concrete evidence that eliminates the existence of God. The happenings in the world alone can tell that there is a supreme power that is in control of the living and the non living. Policies of ecologically take into account only the concerns on pollution and resources depletion. It is relevant to note that there is deeper issues which are involved with the principles of diversity, autonomy, complexity and decentralization in deep ecological movement. The act of referencing human beings in the environment is a favor to the rationale total field image. Organisms have an intrinsic relationship. As a result of this, it dissolves concepts of the human-in-environment. In addition, the ecological field worker has a deep seated respect or the veneration for the kinds and forms of life. Human beings acquire an understanding from within. This kind of understanding is also reserved for other human as well as for narrow sections of life forms. The intrinsic relationship that is within organism in the environment is as a result of the common ground of creation that everything originates from. The world did not just come to exist, but God who is supreme brought this up, and beings cannot be the most relevant to the environment on their own. In addition, the equal right of individuals to live and flourish is clearly intuitive and value of axiom. Furthermore, its restriction to life of human is anthropocentrism with effects which are detrimental on human life quality. The quality pleasure depends on the satisfaction that is received from a correlation which is close with other life forms. The attempt of giving dump ears to our dependency and the establishment of other roles which are master levels a contribution to human alienation. The egalitarianism of ecology claims that the reinterpretation of future research variables on human population levels and loss of life is equally not taken seriously. This is because it is beyond human understanding; the life of human is unclear on how it came to be. It is therefore obvious that we are taken care of by a supreme being who gave breath to the souls on earth and at any time the ability to breathe is

Turkey-country analysis Essay Example for Free

Turkey-country analysis Essay Turkey is a dynamic promising market due to its geographical and strategic importance. Further more, it has a complex of developed infrastructure and an internationally competitive work force. Its geographical closeness to the emerging energy generating states in the Caspian and Central Asia are other reasons that further elevate its stature economically. Turkey is trying to align its economic policy with the commercial policy measures of European Union and creating free trade zones, signing new Free Trade accords with prospective countries. In addition to implementing Common Customs Tariff, Turkey is further putting into practice the preferential trade regime especially with third world countries i.e. Islamic and Balkans. In order to fulfill the EU measures and to look after its commercial concerns, it is executing this Free Trade accords on priority basis. Until now Turkey concluded 19 preferential trade agreements but only 9 of these preferential agreements are in force: EFTA, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina Palestine and Tunisia. This preferential trade regime was first put into practice by signing a Free Trade Agreement between Turkey and the EFTA States that was implemented in April 1992. After this Turkey reinforced its policy of preferential trade with European countries of non-EFTA members and signed FTAs with Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland Hungary, Estonia, Slovenia and Czech Republic. After their membership of European Union, these accords came to an end. So in this context, Turkey Located new preferential states and entered into accord with Israel, Romania and Bulgaria entered into force in May 1997, February 1998 and January 1999 respectively. Turkey has also created free trade zones. Turkish Free Zones are tax free zones. In order to lure the trade and investment, all the commercial and trade activities in these zones are tax-exempted. Furthermore, Free Zones earnings and revenues can be shifted to any country, without any official restraint or any prior permission and are not subject to any kind of taxes, duties and fees. Currencies used in the zone are convertible foreign currencies accepted by the Central Bank. Turkey is trying to integrate with international markets and enhancing the cooperation with trading partners worldwide. Despite various complexities and impediments, Turkey has almost achieved all goals in its global integration process started in 1980s. The stable liberalization of the economy and assimilation with the global economy begun by former President Ãâ€"zal has sustained itself without disruptions. Although it was full of vicissitudes but Turkeys trade sector manifest a mounting proportion of GDP, and foreign funds are a prime source of investment. [1] Despite economic catastrophe of mid-1994 such as the devaluation of the currency, bank failures, stock market crash, Turkey has been labeled a chief emerging market by the main international financial institutes. Turkey recognized its interest in closer multilateral cooperation with Islamic countries, particularly with rich Middle Eastern states and Turkeys augmented its presence in Middle Eastern markets and supplied supplementary sources of foreign direct investment and commercial financing. References Foreign Economic Relations Board ofTurkey. http://www.deik.org/ [1] For further details check Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK) website that is established with prime purpose is to pave the way for Turkey’s economic, commercial, industrial and financial relations with foreign.

Ap Bio Diseases Research Essay Example for Free

Ap Bio Diseases Research Essay 1. Norm of reaction: the phenotypic range that a genotype is associated with due to environmental influences. 2. Multifactorial: characters that have many factors, both genetic and environmental, collectively influence phenotype. 3. Pleiotropy: when a gene controls multiple phenotypic effects 4. Epistasis: When a gene at one locus alters the phenotypic expression of a gene at a second locus 5. Carrier: a person who is heterozygous for a recessive disease and therefore does not display the phenotype (disease). They are called carriers because although they are phenotypically normal with regard to the disorder, they can transmit the recessive allele to their offspring. They are heterozygotes and normal (Rr) DISEASES a. Recessively Inherited Disorders Tay-Sachs disease * Inherited disorder in humans where the brain cells of a child with the disease cannot metabolize certain lipids because a crucial enzyme does not working properly. * As the lipids accumulate in the brain cell, the child beings to suffer seizures, blindness, and degeneration of motor mental performance and dies within a few years. * Only children who inherit two copies of Tay-Sachs allele (HOMOZYGOUS) have the disease. Therefore at the organismal level, the Tay Sachs allele qualifies as recessive * The intermediate phenotype observed at the biochemical level is characteristic of incomplete dominance of either allele * At the molecular level, the normal allele and the Tay-Sachs allele are codominant because a person heterozygous for Tay Sachs disease does not have the disease symptoms, but the individual still produces equal number of normal and dysfunctional enzyme molecules Cystic Fibrosis * Most common lethal genetic disease in the U.S, strikes one out of every 2,500 people of European descent. * The normal allele for this gene codes for a membrane protein that functions in the transport of chloride ions between certain cells and the extracellular fluids. * A person who has the disease has two recessive alleles. * Two recessive alleles result in defective chloride transport channels in their plasma membrane. * Therefore they have a high conc. Of extracellular chloride which makes mucus thicker and sticker and it builds up in the pancreas, lungs, digestive tract, etc. leading to multiple (pleiotropic) effects. This includes poor absorption of nutrients from intestines, chronic bronchitis, recurrent bacterial infections, and disablement of a natural antibiotic made by some body cells. Sickle-Cell Disease * Most common inherited disorder among people of African descent, affects 1/400 of A.A. * Caused by the substitution of a single amino acid in the hemoglobin protein of red blood cells. * A person with the disease has 2 recessive alleles. * When the O2 content of an affected person’s blood is low, the sickle cell hemoglobin molecules aggregate into long rods that dorm the normal circular red blood cells in a shriveled sickle shape. * Sickled cells can clump blood vessels which = physical weakness, pain, organ damage, and even paralysis. * The multiple effects of a two recessive sickle-cell allele are another example of pleiotropy. * At the organismal level, the normal allele is incompletely dominant to the sickle-cell allele. * Heterozygotes of the Sick Cell disease have one sickle-cell allele and another normal allele. They are said to have the sickle-cell trait * Heterozygotes of the disease have a single copy of the sickle cell allele, and it reduces the frequency and severity of malaria attacks, especially among young children. * Therefore, about 1/10 A.A have the sickle cell trait because in tropical Africa, where infection with malaria parasite is common, the sickle-cell allele is more common as well because A.A’s with the sickle cell trait have a higher survival rate. * The presence of heterozygous amounts of sickle-cell hemoglobin results in lower parasite densities in the body! b. Dominant Inherited Disorders Achondroplasia * A form of dwarfism that occurs in one of every 250,000 people. Heterozygous individuals have the dwarf phenotype. * Everyone who is not an achondroplastic dwarf (99.99%) is homozygous for the RECESSIVE allele. * Dominant alleles that cause a lethal disease are much less common than recessive alleles that cause diseases. * If a lethal dominant allele causes the death of an offspring before they reproduce, the allele will not be passed on to future generations. A lethal recessive allele can be preserved from generation to generation by heterozygous carriers who have normal phenotypes). Huntington’s disease * A lethal dominant allele can escape elimination if it causes death only after an individual who carries the allele has reaches an advanced age. The individual w/ the disease could have already had children and given it to them, like the Huntington’s disease. * A degenerative disease of the nervous system that is caused by a lethal dominant allele that has no obvious phenotypic effect until the person is about 35-40 years old. * Deterioration of the nervous system is irreversible and inevitably fatal. * Affects 1/10,000 in the US * In modern tech, we can analyze DNA samples with a background of the disorder and track the Huntington’s allele to a locus near the tip of chromosome 4. YAY CHAPTER 15 Fruit Fly Lab * Thomas Hunt Morgan picked a species of fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster for his work. * Fruit flies only have 4 fairs of chromosomes that are easily distinguishable w/ a light microscope. * They can breed really fast. * He found a mutation after a long time; a male fruit fly with MUTANT TYPE eyes: White eyes * Regular fruit flies have red eyes, called the WILD TYP * Wild Type: Trait that is common and is dominant * Mutant Type: Trait that is less common and recessive * Notation for the first mutant (non-wild type) had the subscript w. A superscript + identifies the wild type trait: w+. So all wild type traits (normal have a plus symbol and all mutant’s had no plus signs. * Only males had white eyes in the F2 generation so he concluded that a fly’s eye color was linked to its sex. * Concluded that the gene for white eye mutation was located only on the X chromosome and not on the Y chromosome because males only need one X to have the mutation. A female in the F2 generationw would need two X chromosomes with the recessive mutant allele (w) which was impossible because the F1 father had red eyes. SEX-LINKED GENES AND DISEASES a. Sex linked Gene: * A sex-linked gene is a gene that is located on either sex chromosome X or Y. The term has historically referred specifically to a gene on the X chromosomes. * Fathers can pass sex-linked alleles to all their daughters but to none of their sons (since the father HAD TO HAVE contributed a Y chromosome to make the child a son, then the X must come from the mother and therefore if the disease was on his X chromosome, it wouldn’t have passed on to his son). * Mothers can pass sex-linked alleles to both sons and daughters. * IF a sex-linked trait is due to a RECCESSIVE allele, a girl will only express the phenotype if and only if she is a homozygote. * For males, the term hemizygous is used since they only have ONE x and ONE y. Any male receiving the recessive allele from his mother will ALWAYS express the trait. Therefore more men than females have sex-linked recessive. b. Sex-Linked Diseases 1. Colorblindness Usually rare 2. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Affects about 1/3500 males born in the U.S. Characterized by a progressive weakening of the muscles and loss of coordination. Affected individuals rarely live past their early 20’s. The disorder is caused by the absence of a key muscle protein called dystrophin. Scientists have mapped the gene for this protein to a specific locus on the X chromosome. 3. Hemophilia Sex-linked recessive disorder defined by the absence of one or more of the proteins required for blood clotting. When a person w/ hemophilia is injured, bleeding is prolonged because a firm clot is slow to form. People with the disease are treated with injections of the missing protein. LINKED GENES * Linked genes are genes located on the same chromosome that tend to be inherited together in genetic crosses. * An example of a two linked genes on fruit flies is the gene for body type and wings. * In the fruit fly, the WILD (Normal) type for body color is GRAY and for wings are NORMAL wings. * In the fruit fly, the MUTANT type for body color is BLACK and for wings are VESTIGIAL wings. * In his experiment, if genes are located on different chromosomes, then the numbers for Gray-normal, Black-vestigial, Gray-Vestigial, and Black-Normal would be the same, but the #’s of the offspring are different because the genes are located on the same chromosome and the parent alleles are always inherited together. MAPS A genetic map is an order list of the genetic loci along a particular chromosome. * The father apart two genes are, the higher the probability that a crossover will occur between them and therefore the higher the recombination frequency. * So the greater the distance between two genes, the more points there are between them where crossing over can occur. A linkage map is a genetic map based on the recombination frequencies. Map Units are equivalent to a 1% recombination frequency. * So if the recombinant frequency is 17%, then the map unit would be 17. DISEASES DUE TO CHROMOSOMAL ALTERATIONS * NONDISJUNCTIO is when members of a pair of homologous chromosomes do not move apart properly during meiosis I or meiosis II. * ANEUPLIDY is when a zygote has an abnormal number of a chromosome. The zygote can be monosomic (missing one chromosome so it only has 1 chromosome) or trisomic (has an extra chromosome, so 3 chromosomes) * POLYPLOIDY is when organisms have more than two complete chromosome sets in all somatic cells. Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) * An aneuploidy condition that affects around 1/700 children born in the U.S. * Usually the result of an extra chromosome 21, therefore each body cell has a total of 47 chromosomes * Includes characteristic facial features, short stature, heart defects, respiratory infection, and mental retardation. * Individuals w/ the disease are prone to developing leukemia and Alzheimer’s disease. * On average, people/ D.S have a life span shorter than normal and are sexually underdeveloped and sterile. * Frequency of Down syndrome increases w/ the age of the mother. * The extra chromosome can result from nondisjunction during meiosis I, and some research points to an age-dependent abnormality in a meiosis checkpoint that normally delays anaphase until all the kinetochores are attached to the spindle fiber (Like the M phase in the mitotic cell cycle). Klinefelter Syndrome * When an extra X chromosome is in a male, producing XXY. * Occurs about 1/2000 births. * People w/ the syndrome have male sex organs, but the testes are abnormally small and the man is sterile. * Even though the extra X is inactivated as Barr bodies in somatic cells, they can have some breast enlargement and other female body characteristics. They can also have subnormal intelligence. * Men with the disease tend to be taller than average Trisomy X * When a female has three X’s (XXX). * Occurs about 1/1000 live births * The females are healthy and cannot be distinguished from normal XX females except by karyotype. Turner Syndrome * Monosomy X, only one X in females * Occurs about 1/5000 births * Is the only known viable monosomy in humans * Although these X0 individuals are phenotypically female, they are sterile because their sex organs do not mature. * Most w/ the syndrome have normal intelligence. * When females that have Turner Syndrome are provided w/estrogen replacement therapy, they can develop secondary sex characteristics. Cri Du Chat (â€Å"cry of the cat†) * A disorder caused by a specific deletion in chromosome 5. * A child born w/ this syndrome is mentally retarded, has a small head w/ unusual facial features, and has a cry that sounds like the mewing of a distressed cat. * People w/ the disease usually die in infancy or early childhood. Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) * A disorder that occurs when a reciprocal translocation happens during mitosis of cells that will become white blood cells. * The exchange of a large portion of chromosome 22 w/ a small fragment from a tip of chromosome 9 produces a much shortened, easily recognized chromosome 22, called the Philadelphia chromosome. MITOCHONDRIAL DISEASES * They reduce the amount of ATP the cell can make. * RARE human disorders. * Mitochondrial mutations inherited from a person’s mother can contribute to some cases of diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Mitochondrial Myopathy * Causes weakness, intolerance of exercise, and muscle deterioration Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy * Can produce sudden blindness in people as young as in their 20s or 30s * 4 mutations found so far to cause this disorder affect oxidative phosphorylation during cellular respiration ANOTHER DISORDER Phenylketonuria (PKU) * Recessively inherited disorder that occurs about 1/10,000-15,000 births in the U.S. * Children w/ disease can’t properly metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine. * The compound and its by-product, phenylpyruvate, can accumulate to toxic levels in the blood, causing mental retardation.

The Democracy Of Walt Whitman English Literature Essay

The Democracy Of Walt Whitman English Literature Essay Did you, too, O friend, suppose democracy was only for elections, for politics, and for a party name I say democracy is only of use there that it may pass on and come to its flower and fruit in manners, in the highest forms of interaction between people, and their beliefs in religion, literature, colleges and schools democracy in all public and private life. (Whitman, Democratic Vistas) Thus speaks Walt Whitman on how everyday life is democracy to him. Whitman conceives of democracy as freedom from restraint, as liberty to do as one pleases (Ford, Conception). The very idea of democracy is not for politics but for the people themselves in everything that they do, say, or even feel. By examining Whitmans works we can see his democratic theory constantly portrayed throughout them and how in his lifetime it altered with major events like the Civil War and him coming face to face with the iniquities of war. Walter Walt Whitman born 1819 was an American poet and is often called the father of free verse. Whitmans own admiration for democracy can be at least attributed to his parents, who showed their own admiration for their country by naming Whitmans younger brothers after their American heroes. At the age of 17, Whitman decided to teach and then in 1841 He decided to set his sights on journalism becoming interested in the working of political democracy. He started off with a weekly paper and then later became an editor in New York. In 1848 Whitman moved to New Orleans to be an editor for a magazine, while he was there for only a short time he saw the horrors of slavery and fully understand the depravity of it. In 1862 he moved to Washington, D.C. and helped with wounded veterans, all the way contemplating on the Civil war (Walt Whitman. Bio.com). Whitman celebrates democracy in many of his works and his idea of the individual relative to democracy is a nation as a unified whole made up of unique but equal individuals. In the poem Ones Self I Sing (Whitman, Leaves of Grass) Whitman celebrates the unique individual but also the word Democracy, the word En-masse. This poem emphasizes and praises the value of the individual living within democratic society. The last stanza speaks of Whitmans concept of unrestrained freedom, freest action formd, under the laws divineà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and [sings] Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and powerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Whitman singles out the word Cheerful referencing to how this theory of life is a joyous one. ONES-SELF I sing-a simple, separate Person; Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-masse. Of Physiology from top to toe I sing; Not physiognomy alone, nor brain alone, is worthy for the muse-I say the Form complete is worthier far; The Female equally with the male I sing. Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power, Cheerful-for freest action formd, under the laws divine, The Modern Man I sing. The relation to a democracy is that if founded on human rights is, as noted by Edward Dowden in The Poetry of Democracy The essential thing which gives one the freedom of the world is not to be born a man of this or that rank, or class, or caste, but simply to be born a man is what gives life worth living for. The second stanza focusing more on the subject of Whitmans poem and following poetry in Leaves of Grass, speaking of The Female equally with the maleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and Physiology from top to toe I sing saying how Whitman will use everything to sing the individual and democracy. Whitman references his critics of saying that the common person is not a subject of poetry with multiple statements of ONES-SELF I sing-a simple, separate Person making note of the praise of a simple man and then the word En-masse showing the brotherhood of the mass of people that are subjects worthy of poetry. Another portion of the second stanza in Ones-Self I Sing Whitman writes Not physiognomy alone , nor brain alone, is worthy for the muse-I say the Form complete is worthier farà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The Form is the unity of everything from the mind, the soul, to the beauty of the individual. He ends the poem by completing his reference to the common man by stating The Modern Man I sing I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work, The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck, The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands, The wood-cutters song, the ploughboys on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown, The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, The day what belongs to the day-at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs (Whitman. Leaves of Grass). This beautiful poem by Walt Whitman titled I hear America Singing speaks volumes of Whitmans pride in the common man and in democracy itself. In the first line I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear Whitman is hearing many versions of the songs of the people. While he doesnt state whether the singing is joyous or sorrowful or just for the sake of singing, he is referencing on how America is a diverse culture or has many faces and stories thus having varied carols. The next few lines mention multiple positions in the workforce each being blithe and strong. Whitman is expressing how everyone has a story from high to low and although each is different, they all have their freedom to do so. No matter their financial position or class each story is robust and lighthearted. The last part on the poem speaks of the women in America with Whitman wring of the freedom women enjoy in America with the line each singing what belongsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to her. Whitmans main idea of this poem is that America works hard to achieve their goals and that the riches they get are not seen economically but in the pride of being free and living democracy every day. I go around among these sights, among the crowded hospitals doing what I can, yet it is a mere drop in the bucket. . . the path I follow, I suppose I may say, is my own. (Whitman, Drum Taps) As Whitman aged, his love for democracy and the United States grew and in his years he developed the ideas of slavery being immoral and that territories admitted into the United States should only be done so if they were free states. On the other, Whitman detested the abolitionist movement thinking that the extremist on both sides would lead the United States to war and threaten to tear his beloved democracy apart. He was right. During the Civil War, Whitman traveled to Washington, D.C. to take of his younger brother that had been wounded in battle. Upon arriving in Washington and seeing the state of the soldier and the hospitals, Whitman stayed for four years serving as a nurse and helping the soldiers write letters to home. The whole time Whitman was in Washington he was writing notes in little journals and talking and listening to soldiers stories, helping them with their physiological issues. From his journals and experiences that changed Whitmans life, he wrote his book of poetry called Drum Taps. The poetry within Drum Taps shadows Whitmans change throughout the Civil War. Starting off with poems like First O Songs for a Prelude. This poem basically was a recruitment poem for the Civil War with saying that New York is full of pride and joy as the soldiers go off to war. The poems that come later in the book take on a different tone with the poem By The Bivouacs Fitful Flame, which tells of a soldiers thoughts on coming: While wind in procession thoughts, O tender and wondrous thoughts/Of life and death-of home and the past and loved, and of those that are far away, this shows Whitmans empathy with homesick soldiers and their emotional experience of the soldier and their plights while at war. Whitmans Come Up From The Fields, Father depicts the families side of the war by receiving a letter from a stranger O this is not our sons writing, yet his name is signd/ O stricken mothers soul/ The only son is dead. Whitman had experience on both sides, often being the one writing those horrible letters to the soldiers families to being part of waiting to receive news of the brother, George. They were fortunate to never receive that letter. Whitman places his personal experiences in the hospital passing sweet hours/immortal and mystic hours with/you, dearest comrade into a battlefield setting in the poem Vigil Strange I Kept On The Field One Night. By changing the scenes from the hospitals to a battlefield, Whitman not only captures his own experiences but tells the stories of the soldiers and the war. Whitmans explores the psychological effects from the Civil War on Americans even stating Curious as it may seem the War, to me, proved humanity. The Civil War changed Whitman, altering his views of man in a democracy, where the common man saves the day. Whitman hoped to achieve greater unity through the war bringing people of all areas, classes, and wealth together. Whitman, through the Civil War, wrote some of his greatest democratic poetry encompassing all of human nature. He finishes Drum Taps by declaring yet there are two things inure to me:/ I have nourishd the wounded, and soothd many al dying soldier;/ And at intervals I have strung together a few songs,/ Fit for war, and the life of the camp.

The Role of Economics in Sports :: Economy Papers

"Money makes the world go 'round." Sports could not exist without the presence of money. You have high paid athletes asking for multi-million dollar contacts, while at the same time you have doctors not even making close to that amount. There are corporations buying out sports teams, buying stadiums, and buying everything that has to do with sports. Someone may ask why they do this. Sports are one of the most profitable industries in the world. Everyone wants to get their hand on a piece of the action. Those individuals and industries that spend hundreds of millions of dollars on these sports teams are hoping to make a profit, but it may be an indirect profit. It could be a profit for the sports club, or it could be a promotion for another organization (i.e. Rupert Murdoch, FOX). The economics involved with sports has drastically changed over the last ten years. In the United States, we spend about 13% of all money on sports and entertainment. Sports has obviously done its job; entertained and drained money out of our pockets. A young boy goes up to his mother and says, "Mommy! I want to be a baseball player!" If this was said in 1930, the boy's mother probably would have told the boy, "That's not future for you! You need to get a real job and make good money." If this was said in 1999, the boy's mother probably would have said, "Let's go to the store and buy you a baseball glove so you can start to practice." It is visible to every sports fan that in the past few decades, sports has undergone a whole new renovation. It isn't just an activity that is played for fun. It is a business in which owner and players attempt to coincide. It is a business where TV controls fan interest. It is also a business that affects many people's lives, both monetary and living aspects. There are many aspects that are involved with the economics of sport. Each one having unique qualities that adds to the greatest source of entertainment. Economics is the study of how best to allocate scarce resources throughout an entire market. Economics affect our lives on a daily basis, whether it is on a business level or a personal level.

Efficient Market Theory :: essays research papers

Abstract According to the Efficient Market Theory, it should be extremely difficult for an investor to develop a "system" that consistently selects stocks that exhibit higher than normal returns over a period of time. It should also not be possible for a company to "cook the books" to misrepresent the value of stocks and bonds. An analysis of current literature, however, indicates that companies can and do "beat the system" and manipulate information to make stocks appear to perform above average. An understanding of the underlying inefficient "human" factors in the market equation is necessary in order to account for the flaw in Efficient Market Theory. Efficient Market Theory: A Contradiction of Terms Efficient Market Theory (EMT) is based on the premise that, given the efficiency of information technology and market dynamics, the value of the normal investment stock at any given time accurately reflects the real value of that stock. The price for a stock reflects its actual underlying value, financial managers cannot time stock and bond sales to take advantage of "insider" information, sales of stocks and bonds will not depress prices, and companies cannot "cook the books" to artificially manipulate stock and bond prices. However, information technology and market dynamics are based upon the workings of ordinary people and diverse organizations, neither of which are arguably efficient nor consistent. Therefore, we have the basic contradiction of EMT: How can a theory based on objective mechanical efficiency hold up when applied to subjective human inefficiency? As a case in point, America Online (AOL) offers a classic example of how investors can be misled by a company that uses the market system against itself. AOL, up until early November of this year, used an accounting system that effectively "cooked their books" and provided misleading figures on the company’s performance. Instead of accounting for its promotion expenses and costs as a regular expense, as normal companies do, AOL spread them over two years. This let AOL report annual profits based on revenue figures derived from denying actual expenses (as cited in Newsweek, November 11 edition). By deferring those costs, AOL over the years reported profits $385 million greater than they would otherwise have been. The company then used these non-existent profits to promote itself as a money-making opportunity for both stockholders and potential investors, artificially increasing its stock prices. This accounting practice is perfectly legal, but the information was kept private for over two years.

The Personification of an Educator Essay -- Education Teaching Teacher

The Personification of an Educator In modern society, a high-quality education is imperative to the well being of those within that society. An essential part of a high-quality education is the function of the teacher in the classroom. How a teacher functions within a classroom determines how students learn, what students learn, and how they apply that which they have learned. Therefore, because I am seeking a profession in the field of education, I think I must consider the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the value of an education, the techniques that I will be using in my classroom, the curriculum, and my future goals as an educator because by doing so I improve my abilities and performance as an educator. First, as a future educator I must consider the nature of my future students. Contrary to some historical beliefs I do not believe that children are born evil; rather, I believe that children are born good with a curiosity and a desire to learn and interact with the world around them. I think students can learn and will learn if given the opportunity. Furthermore, as a future instructor, I must consider the nature of knowledge. It is my opinion that the nature of knowledge is relatively constructed and dependent upon person, place, and time. The nature of knowledge is proportional because the information we acquire and retain is dependent largely upon the individual instructing, the environment in which we are being taught, whether it be too hot or too cold, and the time in which we are taught whether we are sick, hungry, etc. Contrary to absolutism, extenuating circumstances must be taken into consideration when evaluating the nature of knowledge. Followi... ...sion, because an education is so fundamental in today’s’ society, as a future educator it is my goal to provide my students with an optimal level of education. I desire to be the personification of an educator. In order to be the best that I can be I think I must consider the nature of students, the nature of knowledge, the significance of an education, the various techniques I will use in my classroom, and the curriculum that will be taught. I also believe that I must consider my own educational goals. Upon consideration of these various things, I enhance my knowledge of my students, my career, the world, and myself. After all, by doing so I increase my overall potential academically, socially, and most importantly professionally. Becoming a teacher has been my life long dream; therefore, I desire to become the most excellent teacher that I can achievable be.

Facebook Addiction Essay

Facebook has come to be probably the most commonly used social networking site, nearly half of Facebook’s users view their profiles every day. Some of the users spend an unreasonable amount of their time on Facebook, whiling the hours away unnoticed, while chores to go unfinished, and even going to the extent of ignoring family and friends in the real world. Although a majority of the hundreds of millions of people use Facebook as a social networking device, it has several of negative impacts such as social isolation, communication problems, and health problems which profoundly impact the lives of the users. While Facebook addiction disorder or Facebook addiction are not medically accepted terms, the actuality of addictive behavior on Facebook is a mounting concern for scores of Facebook users, and one that psychoanalysts are seeing more regularly in their patients. According to Fenichel, if you have found that sharing, connecting and learning through Facebook has replaced all avenues of learning and communicating and in your life, it is a possibility that you have Facebook addiction Disorder. Negative Effects of Facebook  Facebook reduces the amount of time spent with significant people in one’s life through frequent checking of profile updates and statuses. Facebook can result to relationship problems as it exposes one’s social life, for instance pictures of ex boyfriends and girlfriends or flirting messages may cause tension in relationships. That is all part of exposing your life on a social networking website. The use of Facebook can also cause problems at work with frequent checking of status updates during work time. This may lead to misunderstandings between the management and staff. This is what has led to many organizations banning Facebook from working places. Facebook leads to procrastination as Facebook addicts find themselves too busy to attend to important and urgent matters due to being online chatting, updating statuses and commenting on other people’s pictures. Facebook has been in the news several times over issues of privacy. Facebook makes it easy for people to access information about other people from their profiles as a majority of users tend to give out all their information on their profiles. This can result to issues of surveillance and hacking. On health issues, Facebook leads to eye strain due to the amount of time spent online on the computer (Thompson). Facebook as a new phenomenon is here to stay, however, as this paper has shown, a lot of care needs to be taken in the use of it in people’s everyday lives. Facebook has negative effects on a person’s life which cannot be taken lightly. This paper has also shown that although Facebook addiction is a serious matter. However, it is not all doom and gloom as there are viable remedies which can be employed in order to overcome Facebook addiction. Facebook is a big time waster During the first decade of the 21st century a popular and new word has come into our vocabulary. That word is Facebook. This is the most popular social networking website on the internet. If you haven’t heard about Facebook until reading this, then you must have been in a coma for the last 5 years. There are about 350 million active users on this website. The main idea of Facebook is that you can keep in touch with all your friends around the world who has Facebook. You can send messages to your friend’s electronic wall, put up a status saying something like â€Å"Going to the mall, need to get a new pair of shoes† or â€Å"it’s finally the weekend! )†. In the 350 million users on Facebook, 67% of them are between the ages of 13 -25. More than 35 million users update their status every day. 2. 5 billion Photos are added each month. The highest age groups who use Facebook are teenagers. Most of them keep the website running whenever they are using the computer and general teens nowadays are always on the computer, if they aren’t in school/college or when they aren’t asleep. I feel that teens should be focused on their school work or be socializing with their friends in person or exercising. Facebook is just changing the new generation of youngsters completely because the teenage life is one of the most important stages of life and wasting it on Facebook is not encouraging this in anyway. It is also a complete distraction to their mind; like nowadays when all their homework and research are on ICT, they would get diverted into Facebook just to check if there was anything updated among their friends. Remember back in the good old days, when teens would do their homework handwritten, play sports and hang out with friends. Today, most teens would only speak to their friends on Facebook, while we can see them battling obesity as they stare at their friend’s message on their wall. In summary, teens don’t have a life because they are on Facebook 24/7, except for those who don’t use Facebook or occasionally do. Facebook is also where people can see the gossip among their friends, virtual arguments, relationship status and updates, who is in whose ‘top friends’, you can become fan of anything, join groups, post pictures and videos, play juvenile games, invite friends to parties or events and a heap more. Mainly, all this would just disturb people into living life to their fullest. It’s not just teens who become addicted even grownups do. An average person spends about 55 minutes on Facebook. This statistic isn’t that bad but some people spend about 3-5 hours. Technology might be taking over people’s lives. The internet is what the youth does almost all the time and other growing social networking sites such as Twitter might become the next Facebook.

Food Crisis Essay

According to World Bank, they blame that the food crisis in Africa are causing by trade barrier. A lot of countries in Africa are restricted importing food from the border. Due to unfertilized land in a lot of parts in Africa, it causes people to discourage to be a farmer, so the food supply is less. However, African population is increasing rapidly. Therefore, the demand for food will just keep increasing. As a result, the demand for food would exceed supply for food in Africa. Before I move on to the next examples, I need to explain about the result of the demand exceed supply. Identical products around the world should fix in the law of one price, which mean that the identical products should sell at the same price around the world. This is because if it is not the same price, the country that sell high price would go to buy the low price product from another country and sell it to their country. Therefore, the country that sell product for low price with get a result in increasing demand which result in increasing in price. The supply for the high price product will be more because people import to sell in country, which result in decreasing in price. At the result, both countries will sell product at the same price. This will cause the exporter by the rest of the world need to sell the product at the same price (world price). Therefore, we can draw it in the graph as vertical lines while the supply in the country as an upward-sloping and the demand is downward-sloping, but food is necessary product, so the line should be more inelastic. Now we can plot all of this in to a graph, and a graph will look like this. The import is horizontal because of the world price, so they need to supply at this price. As you can see from the graph, the import is restrict at only the small amount according to Africa, only 5 percent of the food import, which resulting in demand exceeding supply, so we can apply this to the food crisis by trade restriction. Therefore, the price of food is increasing because there is high demand for food than supply in Africa, while the farmer is not encouraging by the government because only a little profit goes to them even though the price is high due to the government policy, so he Africa people suffer from hunger due to the unaffordable price of food. Not only Africa that face food crisis, but also the world is suffered during 2008. According to Europe, they claim that the world food crisis is because the trade restriction of many countries in the world such as Argentina, Russia, Japan and South Korea. These trade restrictions cause the price of food in the world to increase. People cannot afford the high price. Thus, the food crisis occurs and suffers many countries around the world. Food crisis occur in the country may lead to other problem. For example, the protest in Egypt also cause by raising cost of food in the country because of trade restriction. In long term solution to solve food crisis should be that the government should not intervene food price because food is necessary product; they choose restrict on the unnecessary product such as cigarette or alcohol instead. 20 million people in Africa are suffering from hunger nowadays due to this food crisis causing by trade restriction.

Structural-Functionalism and Conflict Theory

Theories in sociology provide us with different perspectives with which to view our social world. A perspective is simply a way of looking at the world. A theory is a set of interrelated propositions or principles designed to answer a question or explain a particular phenomenon; it provides us with a perspective. Sociological theories help us to explain and predict the social world in which we live. Sociology includes three major theoretical perspectives: the structural-functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionist perspective. Each perspective offers a variety of explanations about the causes of and possible solutions for social problems (Rubington & Weinberg, 1995). Structural-Functionalist Perspective The structural-functionalist perspective is largely based on the works of Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, and Robert Merton. According to structural-functionalist, society is a system of interconnected parts that work together in harmony to maintain a state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole. For example, each of the social institutions contributes important functions for society: family provides a context for reproducing, nurturing, and socializing children; education offers a way to transmit society's skills, knowledge, and culture to its youth; politics provides a means of governing members of society; economics provides for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services; and religion provides moral guidance and an outlet for worship of a higher power. The structural-functionalist perspective emphasizes the interconnectedness of society by focusing on how each part influences and is influenced by other parts. For example, the increase in single-parent and dual-earner families has contributed to the number of children who are failing in school because parents have become less available to supervise their children's homework. Due to changes in technology, colleges are offering more technical programs, and many adults are returning to school to learn new skills that are required in the workplace. The increasing number of women in the workforce has contributed to the formation of policies against sexual harassment and job discrimination. Consideration In viewing society as a set of interrelated parts, structural-functionalists also note that proposed solutions to a social problem may cause additional social problems. For example, racial imbalance in public schools led to forced integration, which in turn generated violence and increased hostility between the races. The use of plea bargaining was adopted as a means of dealing with overcrowded court dockets but resulted in â€Å"the revolving door of justice. Urban renewal projects often displaced residents and broke up community cohesion. Structural-functionalist use the terms â€Å"functional† and â€Å"dysfunctional† to describe the effects of social elements on society. Elements of society are functional if they contribute to social stability and dysfunctional if they disrupt social stability. Some aspects of society may be both functional and dysfunctional for society. For example, crime is dysfunctional in that it is associated with physical violence, loss of property, and fear. But, according to Durkheim and other functionalists, crime is also functional for society because it leads to heightened awareness of shared moral bonds and increased social cohesion. Sociologists have identified two types of functions: manifest and latent (Merton, 1968). Manifest functions are consequences that are intended and commonly recognized. Latent functions are consequences that are unintended and often hidden. For example, the manifest function of education is to transmit knowledge and skills to society's youth. ut public elementary schools also serve as baby-sitters for employed parents, and college offer a place for young adults to meet potential mates. The baby-sitting and mate selection functions are not the intended or commonly recognized functions of education–hence, they are latent functions. Structural-Functionalist Theories of Social Problems Two dominant theories of social problems grew out of the structural-functionalist perspective: social pathology and s ocial disorganization. Social Pathology According to the social pathology model, social problems result from some â€Å"sickness† in society. Just as the human body becomes ill when our systems, organs, and cells do not function normally, society becomes â€Å"ill† when its parts (i. e. , elements of the structure and culture) no longer perform properly. For example, problems such as crime, violence, poverty, and juvenile delinquency are often attributed to the breakdown of the family institution, the decline of the religious institution, and inadequacies in our economic, educational, and political institutions. Social â€Å"illness† also results when members of a society are not adequately socialized to adopt its norms and values. Persons who do not value honesty, for example, are prone to dishonesties of all sorts. Early theorists attributed the failure in socialization to â€Å"sick† people who could not be socialized. Later theorists recognized that failure in the socialization process stemmed from â€Å"sick† social conditions, not â€Å"sick† people. To prevent or solve social problems, members of society must receive proper socialization and moral education, which may be accomplished in the family, schools, churches, workplace, and/or through the media. Social Disorganization According to the social disorganization view of social problems, rapid social change disrupts the norms in a society. When norms become weak or are in conflict with each other, society is in a state of anomie or normlessness. Hence, people may steal, physically abuse their spouse or children, abuse drugs, rape or engage in other deviant behavior because the norms regarding their behaviors are weak or conflicting. According to this view, the solution to social problem lies in slowing the pace of social change and strengthening social norms. For example, although the use of alcohol by teenagers is considered a violation of a social norm in our society, this norm is weak. The media portray young people drinking alcohol, teenagers teach each other to drink alcohol and buy fake identification cards (IDs) to purchase alcohol, and parents model drinking behavior by having a few drinks after work or at a social event. Solutions to teenage drinking may involve strengthening norms against it through public education, restricting media depictions of youth and alcohol, imposing stronger sanctions against the use of fake IDs to purchase alcohol, and educating parents to model moderate and responsible drinking behavior. Conflict Perspective Whereas the structural-functionalist perspective views society as comprising different parts working together, the conflict perspective views society as comprising different groups and interests competing for power and resources. The conflict perspective explains various aspects of our social world by looking at which groups have power and benefit from a particular social arrangement. The origins of the conflict perspective can be traced to the classic works of Karl Marx. Marx suggested that all societies go through stages of economic development. As societies evolve from agricultural to industrial, concern over meeting survival needs is replaced by concern over making profit, the hallmark of a capitalist system. Industrialization leads to the development of two classes of people: the bourgeoisie, or the owners of the means of production (e. g. , factories, farms, businesses), and the proletariat, or the worker who earn wages. The division of society into two broad classes of people–the â€Å"haves† and the â€Å"have-nots†Ã¢â‚¬â€œis beneficial to the owners of the means of production. The workers, who may earn only subsistence wages, are denied access to the many resources available to the wealthy owners. According to Marx, the bourgeoisie use their power to control the institutions of society to their advantage. For example, Marx suggested that religion serves as an â€Å"opiate of the masses† in that it soothes the distress and suffering associated with the working-class lifestyle and focuses workers' attention on spirituality, God, and the afterlife rather than on such worldly concerns as living conditions. In essence, religion diverts the workers so that they concentrate on being rewarded in heaven for living a moral life rather than on questioning exploitation. Conflict Theories of Social Problems There are two general types of conflict theories of social problems: Marxist and non-Marxist. Marxist theories focus on social conflict that results from economic inequalities; non-Marxist theories focus on social conflict that results form competing values and interests among social groups. [Note: Non-Marxist theories are also referred to as neo-Marxist theories–â€Å"non† and â€Å"neo† are interchangeable. ] Marxist Conflict Theories According to contemporary Marxist theorists, social problems result from class inequality inherent in a capitalistic system. A system of â€Å"haves† and â€Å"have-nots† may be beneficial to the â€Å"haves† but often translate into poverty for the â€Å"have-nots. Many social problems, including physical and mental illness, low educational achievement, and crime are linked to poverty. In addition to creating an impoverished class of people, capitalism also encourages â€Å"corporate violence. † Corporate violence may be defined as actual harm and/or risk of harm inflicted on consumers, worker s, and the general public as a result of decisions by corporate executives or manages. Corporate violence may also result from corporate negligence, the quest for profits at any cost, and willful violation of health, safety, and environmental laws (Hills, 1987). Our profit-motivated economy encourages individuals who are otherwise good, kind, and law-abiding to knowingly participate in the manufacturing and marketing of defective brakes on American jets, fuel tanks on automobiles, and contraceptive devices (intrauterine devices [IUDs]). The profit motive has also caused individuals to sell defective medical devices, toxic pesticides, and contaminated foods to developing countries. Blumberg (1989) suggests that â€Å"in an economic system based exclusively on motives of self-interests and profit, such behavior is inevitable† (p. 06). Marxist conflict theories also focus on the problem of alienation, or powerlessness and meaninglessness in people's lives. In industrialized societies, workers often have little power or control over their jobs, which fosters a sense of powerlessness in their lives. The specialized nature of work requires workers to perform limited and repetitive tasks; as a result, the workers may come to feels that their lives are meaningless. Alienation is bred not only in the workplace, but also in the classroom. Students have little power over their education and often find the curriculum is not meaningful to their lives. Like poverty, alienation is linked to other social problems, such as low educational achievement, violence, and suicide. Marxist explanations of social problems imply that the solution lies in eliminating inequality among classes of people by creating a classless society. The nature of work must also change to avoid alienation. Finally, stronger controls must be applied to corporations to ensure that corporate decisions and practices are based on safety rather than profit considerations. Non-Marxist Conflict Theories Non-Marxist conflict theorists such as Ralf Dahrendorf are concerned with conflict that arise when groups have opposing values and interests. For example, antiabortion activists value the life of unborn embryos and fetuses; prochoice activists value the right of women to control their own body and reproductive decisions. These different value positions reflect different subjective interpretations of what constitutes a social problem. For antiabortionists, the availability of abortion is the social problem; for prochoice advocates, restrictions on abortion are the social problem. Sometimes the social problem is not the conflict itself, but rather the way that conflict is expressed. Even most prolife advocates agree that shooting doctors who perform abortions and blowing up abortion clinics constitute unnecessary violence and lack of respect for life. Value conflicts may occur between diverse categories of people, including nonwhites versus whites, heterosexuals versus homosexuals, young versus old, Democrats versus Republicans, and environmentalists versus industrialists. Solutions to the problems that are generated by competing values may involve ensuring that conflicting groups understand each other's views, resolving differences through negotiation or mediation, or agreeing to disagree. Ideally, solutions should be win-win; both conflicting groups are satisfied with the solution. However, outcomes of value conflicts are often influenced by power; the group with the most power may use its position to influence the outcome of value conflicts. For example, when Congress could not get all states to voluntarily increase the legal drinking age to 21, it threatened to withdraw federal highway funds from those that would not comply. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Both the structural-functionalist and the conflict perspectives are concerned with how broad aspects of society, such as institutions and large groups, influence the social world. This level of sociological analysis is called macro sociology: It looks at the â€Å"big picture† of society and suggests how social problems are affected at the institutional level. Micro sociology, another level of sociological analysis, is concerned with the social psychological dynamics of individuals interacting in small groups. Symbolic interactionism reflects the micro sociological perspective and was largely influenced by the work of early sociologists and philosophers such as Max Weber, Georg Simmel, Charles Horton Cooley, George Herbert Mead, William Isaac Thomas, Erving Goffman, and Howard Becker. Symbolic interactionism emphasizes that human behavior is influenced by definitions and meanings that are created and maintained through symbolic interactions with others. Sociologist William Isaac Thomas ([1931] 1966) emphasized the importance of definitions and meanings in social behavior and its consequences. He suggested that humans respond to their definition of a situation rather than to the objective situation itself. Hence, Thomas noted that situations we define as real become real in their consequences. Symbolic interactionism also suggests that our identity or sense or self is shaped by social interaction. we develop our self-concept by observing how others interact with us and label us. By observing how others view us, we see a reflection of ourselves that Cooley calls the â€Å"looking glass self. Lastly, the symbolic interaction perspective has important implications for how social scientist conduct research. The German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920) argued that in order to understand the individual and group behavior, social scientists must see the world from the eyes of that individual or group. Weber called this approach Verstehen, which in German means â€Å"empathy. † Verstehen implies that in conducting research, social scientists must try to understand others' view of reality and the subjective aspects of their experiences, including their symbols, values, attitudes, and beliefs. Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Social Problems A basic premise of symbolic interactionist theories of social problems is that a condition must be defined or recognized as a social problem in order for it to be a social problem. Based on this premise, Herbert Blumer (1971) suggested that social problems develop in stages. First, social problems pass through the stage of â€Å"societal recognition†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthe process by which a social problem, for example, drunk driving, is â€Å"born. † Second, â€Å"social legitimation† takes place when the social problem achieves recognition by the larger community, including the media, schools, and churches. As the visibility of traffic fatalities associated with alcohol increased, so the the legitimation of drunk driving as a social problem. The next stage in the development of a social problem involves â€Å"mobilization for action,† which occurs when individuals and groups, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving, become concerned about how to respond to the social condition. This mobilization leads to the â€Å"development and implementation of an official plan† for dealing with the problem, involving, for example, highway checkpoints, lower legal blood-alcohol levels, and tougher drunk driving regulations. Blumer's stage development view of social problems is helpful in tracing the development of social problems. For example, although sexual harassment and date rape have occurred throughout this century, these issues did not begin to receive recognition as social problems until the 1970s. Social legitimation of these problems was achieved when high schools, colleges, churches, employers, and the media recognized their existence. Organized social groups mobilized to develop and implement plans to deal with these problems. For example, groups successfully lobbied for the enactment of laws against sexual harassment and the enforcement of sanctions against violators of these laws. Groups mobilized to provide educational seminars on date rate for high school and college students and to offer support services to victims of date rape. Some disagree with the symbolic interactionist view that social problems exist only if they are recognized. According to this view, individuals who were victims of date rape in the 1960s may be considered victims of a problem, even though date rape was not recognized at that time as a social problem. Labeling theory, a major symbolic interactionist theory of social problems, suggests that a social condition or group is viewed as problematic if it is labeled as such. According to labeling theory, resolving social problems sometimes involves changing the meanings and definitions that are attributed to people and situations. For example, as long as teenagers define drinking alcohol as â€Å"cool† and â€Å"fun,† they will continue to abuse alcohol.