Biblical Worldview Essay Essay

Introduction The foundation to Christian faith is the belief that mankind is created in the image of God. My major/program of study is psychology. I am wanting to counsel victims of domestic violence. Which can be a very rewarding job because it gives me many opportunities to be able to reach out and help others as well as honor God. The way this belief will affect the way I interact with people in the field of psychology is by showing kindness, trust, patience, and understanding. In this paper I will be giving examples of how I will use my Christian faith with those I will be working with. Example 1 The field of psychology is a very enduring one. It is about helping nurture others in need. From the very beginning of time, we were all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28). By being created in the image of God, who is the healer of all things gives me the ability to help others in their process of healing in the name of Jesus Christ. But it begins with being morally upright and honest. Being a psychologist you must remember that confidentiality and honesty stands above all things when doing your job. The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the APA, states that it is every psychologist’s job to promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in the science, teaching, and practice of psychology. By being morally upright and honest with those that I work with it will show that I honor God and that I am created in the image of God. The scripture Psalm 37:3 states â€Å"Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper†. For me this means to be the Christian that I am and to keep my trust and honesty in the Lord when doing all things which includes my duties at work as well as at home. Example 2 In the field of psychology you will interact with lots of different people.  Some of them may have different up-bringing, cultures, beliefs, and etc. One of the most important things for us to remember and practice when working with different people is respect. God tells us that we are to respect everyone, as Christians we must be conscious that God has created all mankind in his image. Apostle Peter states in his first Epistle: â€Å"Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood. Fear God, Honor the King† (1 Peter 2:17). None of us are perfect. So we should not look for the bad but respect the good in each person. As a Christian I always treat others as I would want to be treated and that is with respect. It doesn’t matter if it is at home, school, work, or etc. I believe that by showing my respect to each and every person I come in contact with shows that I honor God. And, not only that but for me it is rewarding to know that I am respectful to others. So as a counselor in domestic violence I plan on staying steed fast at being respectful and being the hands and feet that God wants me to be in this profession. And, that would be to be kind, caring, understanding, honest, trustworthy, respectful, and faithful to God, myself, my co-workers, and clients. Conclusion In the profession of psychology you need to be honest, trustworthy, and respectful to everyone you come in contact with. It is God’s Law and the laws of APA. As a psychologist I am going to conduct myself in a way that honors God and shows others that I am created in the image of God. Psychology is a very rewarding and life changing profession. By being the person God wants me to be I will be successful in helping other to heal and meet their needs. God commands us to be morally upright with all things and we are to obey his word.

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Narratives of Adolescence Explored Through the Harry Potter

Ergo, when had decided to examine the movies, two movies in particular came to mind – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Cabana (2004) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One (2010). My Hypothesis is that as the movies progress, or rather, as Harry Potter (the main character) grows up, his surrounding social relationships mature him as well. They shape his personality and consequently, shape the turn of events yet to come. And I would like to explore how they Influence him and why.The movie relates to the topic of the course, as it focuses on narratives of adolescence in European cinema. It takes place In a far off dimension in the United Kingdom, contains a unique combination of basic teen everyday dilemmas, social relationship matters, mental maturity conversion, and various turning points heehawed by a super natural kick. I plan to explore different influences within Harry life – his parents and parent-like role models, his friends, romantic relationships an d rival enemies – to see how those relationships attributed to his maturing.Consequently, the point of focusing on society will result In a comparison of his decisions, which were much associated with protecting his kind and ensuring peace to the generations after him. The matter of taking responsibility for not only oneself, but also others, is very much relevant to the pressure many teens are feeling across the globe today. As the course focuses on gaining content and source for the corning of age subject through films, discussion and analysis of the Harry Potter movies will aim at gaining a general understanding of trauma and its depiction.Therefore, distinguishing between the personal and the social levels will emphasize these findings. In order to fully comprehend the concluding outcome of Harry Potter's development, the basic plot shall be briefed: Harry Potter was born to a wizard and a witch, Lilly (a mugged – has no wizardly blood) and James (pure-blood) Potte r, during the First Hazarding war. HIS parents were members of the order of the Phoenix – an organization led by Albums Tumbledown, purposed to defeat the dark lord, Voltmeter, and his enforcers, the Death Eaters.Voltmeter, hearing the prophecy of Hardy's future causing his defeat, murders Lilly and James with the killing spell. However, his attempt to kill baby Harry fails, as Lilly's love and protection causes the spell to bounce off Harry, leaving him with a lightening-shaped scar on his forehead. The scar 1 OFF Now orphaned Harry is adopted by his aunt and uncle (muscles), who mistreat him and neglect his needs. By locking Harry in his small, dusty under-staircase room and polling their only child right in front of his eyes, Harry develops a dealing mechanism of settled life.He is not aware of his rich wizardly history, or of his magical potential. When Haggard, a half-giant wizard gamekeeper from Hogwash's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry appeared with the school's lett er of acceptance addressed to Harry, an immensely influential turning point had taken over Hardy's life. No longer was he feeling out of place or unneeded – he had finally felt he had belonged somewhere. These feelings encouraged Hardy's sense of purpose in life, especially as he quickly bonded with two other students at Hogwash's – HeroineGranger and Ron Wesley. As fate would have it, Harry and his two new friends were all sorted into the same house – Gratifying. The individual who has not befriended Harry, and mocked the name preceding him was Dorado Malady, and he was sent into the Slithering house. Many relationships have influenced Harry Potter and shaped his unique characteristic individuality. This enabled a reoccurring plot twist of the constellation of his personal relations (family, intergenerational relations, peer groups- friendly allies and notorious enemies, etc. . With time, Harry is exposed to various situations here he is put under a magnifying glass for his choice of actions, although always well intended. It is almost as if he is pressured into maturing all too fast, as from the point of attending Hogwash's Harry deals with constant life threats on his own. Help from his friends and some handpicked school staff is provided, and although much is being done in order to make Harry feel safe and home, it is quite clear that much is being put at stake on the young adolescent's shivering shoulders.In the first movie to be discussed – the Prisoner of Cabana – Harry is in his early adolescence stage, as he is thirteen years-old. His cinematic narrative and inherent conflicts represent a less romantic and more individual growth, as it has mostly to do with family descendents reaching out to him and unveiling the truth behind his parents and their cause of death. However, in the second movie I wish to refer to – the Deathly Hallows, Part One – Harry is eighteen years-old, meaning he is in his late adole scence stage, Just approaching the emerging adulthood stage.This movie puts the spotlight on the threesome's friendship (Harry, Ron and Heroine), as they set out on a mission to find and destroy all of the Hercules, as they are the key to Voltmeter's immortality. Adult presence is not felt particularly within this movie, as there is no guidance or protection from their professors, families or others. The threesome rely on each other, however, this turns out to be a difficult task, as the Dark Forces use black magic and mind games to make the three turn on each other.Overall, the learning process the film offers is a distinguished moral outline of adolescents' development, demonstrated by social relations and interactions. The protagonist – Harry Potter – faces many obstacles in the righteous path of discovering and tears. His character evolves from a clueless, naive and stray form, to a mature, responsible, identity confident state. In this essay I plan on using a vari ety of research materials – the official Harry Potter books and movies, websites, fan pages and open-floor forums.The reason I have decided to use many forms of median resources is because not only am I interested in my interpretation of the character development, but I would also like to review other opinions. Shall my hypothesis be refuted, conclusive evidence must be provided as to what has influenced Harry Potter to fulfill his prophecy – become the error and savior of an entire magical kingdom. Part II: 1. Exposition (central conflict of narration). Which are the antagonistic elements of the film? 2. Intensification of the conflict (Show scenes and explain them) 3.Show development of main characters. What do they learn? How is it expressed in their action? Which fields of adolescence are addressed? 4. Turning points of story (Periphery) 5. Resolution of the conflict? Message of the story (cognitive level) 6. Which feelings/ emotions are conveyed by the film? What was the strongest emotional impression for you? How did it relate to the plot or to certain aesthetically elements of it like music, pictures. Can you describe it as an experience? / (Flabbergasting II) 7.Assessment: How could the filmed be used for educational purposes? What can be learned or experienced? Make a short statement. Work (education, profession, socio-economical situation) Cultural Belief System (Ideology, political and historical Identity) Part Ill: Scientific articles Find at least one scientific article which relates to your subject. It is favorable to use also an article that provides insights to the film, director, genre etc. Give the main arguments of the texts and try to draw a line to the message / (Flabbergasting) of the movie.

International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Relations - Essay Example As much as the United States opted to become a member country of the United Nations and party to the ratification of internal laws and agreements, it was mandatory for it to obtain permission from the UN to invade Iraq in 2003. This is mainly due to the voluntary decision of US leaders to become a member of the UN and thus, subject to all agreements enacted at the UN level. It is mandatory for all member-countries to abide by the rules and regulations of the UN most especially when these were made with the consent of its members, and US is obviously one of them. There were several instances that the US have practiced their obligation before the members of the UN Security Council and one of these instances were when US Secretary Colin Powell presented the George Bush’s view on February 5 before the council [1]. This meant that the US respected their role and the role of the UN with regards to the international conflict. Powell argued that Resolution 1441 of the Security Council aimed at disarming Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. Powell insisted that Iraq was already found guilty of material breach whatever hat may mean. But it would soon be established but no sooner than in 2002 that the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) found no trace of evidence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq [2]. ... In addition, Article 51 arose from the need for imminent self-defense when Council deliberation can no longer be an applicable due to the urgency of an action. The US appeared exaggerating at that time to argue that Article 51 was applicable for Iraq to be invaded by force by the US. 2. What are the implications of the Iraq war for nation-state sovereignty? There are various negative implications [6] of the Iraq war for nation-state sovereignty but with contrasting meanings for nations depending on the level of military might. The Iraq war meant that the United States remain a superpower to reckon with. Its administration decides when, where, who, and why attack an individual, or a nation-state. This was a dangerous period of democracy and international relations as US through its president George Bush defied the mandate of the international body when it comes to actions beyond the US borders and territory. It flouted its force and might among the organization of nations, and togethe r with the United Kingdom which supported the US, they showed that their intents backed by might and a blinded military are above any kind of international law and understanding. It acted like the Nazi Germany for occupying other nations. The international laws that they tried to use as an excuse to invade Iraq were lame and a breach of UN membership. They have brazenly shown that for economic reasons that will benefit their oil magnates – British’ Shell and 14 other contractors [7]. For the part of Iraq and other nations that future US leaders will have their hot eyes on like Iran and North Korea, and the rest of other nation states in the world who cannot stand the force of a superpower, the implication

Modern greek literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modern greek literature - Essay Example scribes the change of thoughtfulness and rebellious attitude of the poets and writers in the wake of French Revolution of 1789, and nineteenth century drama narrates the country life of Victorian era. The same is the case with the Modern Greek literature of 19th and 20th centuries, where the utmost longings, of the Greek masses, for seeking freedom from the domination of the Ottoman Empire, appears as the most prominent feature of the literature of that era. Greece had been the center of civilization for centuries, which produced exceptional and outstanding philosophers, poets and writers, including the Seven Sages, Homer, Sophocles, Socrates, Plato, Euripides, Aristotle and others in ancient times, who determined the path of knowledge and wisdom to the world at large for the future centuries to come. But the Roman invasion during the second century C.E. onwards, eclipsed the intellectual productivity of the Greece to some extent, and the country remained under the clutches of foreign control and alien influence for many centuries, which brought imperative changes in the subject-matter of both poetry and prose of the Greek authors. But the aftereffects of the foreign rule over Greece were not only negative ones; rather, the uneven and untoward political and cultural scenario gave birth to many wonderful works, which serve as the precious asset of the modern Greeks at large. Modern Greek literature is the amalgamation of divergent cultural identities and different time spans; it is therefore, the poems and prose of that period narrate the story of variety of genres and attitude in them. The works created by different Greek authors of modern times including Solomos, Cavafy, Kalvos, maintain divergent characteristics, though they have some similarities too. Dionysios Solomos is one of the greatest poets of Modern Greece, who produced his masterpiece Hymn to Liberty in 1823 in the aftermath of the Greek revolution of 1821. Each and every word of the poem reveals the

Your definition of love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Your definition of love - Essay Example Love is a universal phenomenon upon which the human life balances on earth. Any problem occurs to this basic thing will results in threats to human life on earth. The World Wars, conflicts between countries and religions, suicides, killing of innocent people, terrorism, and robbery like antisocial elements are the results of the absence of love. In my opinion, love is an emotion or feeling one may extend towards another. Love has lot of dimensions. A person who loves himself cannot offer divine love towards others because of the conflicts between the self needs and the needs of the person whom he loved. In other words, love is a kind of sacrifice. Without sacrifice love cannot survive. For example, in marital relationship, both the husband and the wife need to sacrifice some of their selfish interests in order to accommodate the interests of other. One may like smoking while the other may not, one may like drinking while the other may not, one may like taking drugs while the other may not. In the absence of love, the above likes and dislikes may create problems in a married life. Phaedrus, one of the seven attendants of Plato’s symposium argued that love is most powerful in helping men gain honor and blessedness whereas Socrates defined love the attainment of immortality (Galloway, 1992). In my opinion both of them are right. Love has all the above dimensions like honouring, blessings and the attainment of immortality. A person who loves others will definitely honour or value them. All the religious leaders are unique in their opinion that loving others is the basic necessity of attaining immortality. Pausanias, another person who attended Plato’s symposium has argued against Phaidros one-dimensional praise of love and introduces the idea of dualism. In his opinion, one type of love is "common", based on sensuality, works at random, and produces children, the other love is "heavenly", based on

Ineffective Work Place & Organizational Work Essay

Ineffective Work Place & Organizational Work - Essay Example As the discussion declares   procedures are developed, which culminate in to events and eventually give results. From the results, more ideas are developed for more procedures, making the process an endless circle. This is the process that generates change within an organization. However, in some instances, this process may not generate the desired change. There are times when the results culminate in events which are disastrous. This necessitates careful observation and supervision of the processes which are routine in the organization in order to avoid unwarranted circumstances. In health care, ineffective work place routine may be detrimental to human life and therefore it is necessary that these procedures be clearly understood by the health care managers. This paper highlights that In order for work place routine to be effective in achieving the objectives of the organization, it is important for health care managers to study and confirm their effectiveness. Performance of health care routines is usually the obligation of informed and skilled people. They are people who care about the outcome of their activities. Their actions are usually governed by institutional or organizational regulations as well as personal perspective and profession. In their research, Trisha Greenhalgh, Christopher Voisey and Nadia Robb view routine as an important aspect of health care. It enhances learning especially where foreign patients are involved. According to the research they conducted, it was routine for patients to be brought in accompanied by interpreters. This is significant in ensuring that staff and the medical personnel understand the patient. The research also established that interpreters had developed a way of overcoming the challenges in r egard to many patients who are used to making appointments for service.  

International Logictics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Logictics - Essay Example World trade has been increasing at an average rate of six percent for the last 20 years, which is twice the rate of world output. The integration of the world economy with the help of trade has lifted the living standards of the people within these developing nations, which is a positive sign. However for the trade to occur in the first place, it is very significant to understand what goes behind to actually make supply chain management possible. Transportation of goods holds the key in this scenario. Also, sustained and consistent economic growth requires policies that can open trade and investment with the rest of the world. There is proof to it and it is that there has not been a single nation that has achieved economic stability without being open to the world for trade. International trade requires liberalization, i.e., openness to all and sundry within the world no matter what. The living standards are in direct proportion with them. Transportation holds the significance for connection between the channel members at the trading level as it swifts up the whole process of delivering goods from the manufacturer to the distributor who in turn does his best to provide the retailer with the goods after he stores the same for a while. In the end, at certain instances the retailers also give customers with the goods and products that they want through transportation service. There is a high need to promote and liberalize the manner in which trade is carried out within the world eco nomy. It needs to be more generous to everyone and anyone as well as helpful for the developing nations so that more and more trade is carried out between the economic world markets. Agriculture is one such example of being more liberal for the international trade market. Trade liberalization proves very helpful for any country’s economy but it encompasses within itself some negative factors like the increased food

Exporting and importing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Exporting and importing - Essay Example Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Government’s role for firms in gaining international competitiveness 4 Goods being damaged or lost in an export and import transaction 8 Managing the losses and risk 9 Challenges faced by exporters & importers by E-commerce and Internet Marketing 10 Conclusion 12 References 14 Exporting and Importing Introduction Globalization is a very important element for consideration by majority of the organizations. In the present era all firms are striving for becoming a global firm so that they can gain a maximum level of competitive advantage and allow their firm to gain more success and profitability. International trade is a common practice by organizations so that they can gain their status of having a global presence. Export and import therefore is becoming common in the organizations, organizations go for export activities to explore new markets and gain more profits. Organizations also go for import activities to be come a cost effective business and also provide consumers with high quality products (Zhu and Trefler 2005). The following discussion focuses on the role that governments play in making their organizations competitive in the international market. The advantages that are pertaining with the import and export transactions are also discussed. ... The laws and regulatory framework of any country is extremely important for any organization so that they can successfully conduct their export and import business. Governments need to protect the domestic interest of their country as well as give consideration to the international competitive market. It is usually an argument that is imposed by the governments of any country that they have to give protection to the organizations that have recently established in the country from the foreign competition and that are why they restrict the import of some products in the country for certain time duration. In these cases, the government tends to prohibit or reduce the level of imported products so that protection can be given to the new emerging industries. Also the governments at times tend to introduce quotas or allow the imported products to become more expensive and the tariffs must be imposed as well (Zhu and Trefler 2005). This policy of protecting the new industries in the country can be a danger to the economic level because the domestic products may not be having that quality and the consumers of the society may not be benefitted by this. There are chances of economic stagnation being observed in the country. It is the utmost responsibility of the government of any country to make sure that their economy is running efficiently and competitive level products are being provided to their society. The government therefore also a bear in mind that international competitiveness needs to be enhanced for their industries and therefore this alternative is kept available apart from the protection policies being implemented by the government. The governments of any country are highly concerned about

U.S. Homeland Security and the Business, Government and Society Essay

U.S. Homeland Security and the Business, Government and Society - Essay Example Thus the phrase- â€Å"Homeland security†; this phrase may appear relatively new but was actually coined after a series of attacks against US and its nationals around the world during 1980s and 1990s. The U.S. military now defines homeland security as "the preparation for, prevention of, deterrence of preemption of, defense against, and response to threats and aggressions directed toward U.S. territory, sovereignty, domestic population and infrastructure; as well as crisis management, consequence management, and other domestic civil support." (1) The definition has two important constituents namely homeland defense and civil support. Homeland defense is seen as the "protection of U.S. territory, sovereignty, domestic population, and critical infrastructure against external threats and aggression," whereas while civil support is described as "support to U.S. civil authorities for domestic emergencies, and for designated law enforcement and other activities." (2) During the Clinton administration, homeland security was an important but passively discussed issue. By the time Clinton’s term ended, the notion of homeland security revolves around "national missile defense, counterterrorism, WMD preparedness, consequence management of WMD events and protection against cyber attacks." (3) The three main components of any counterterrorism strategy would thus form the basis for the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. These components were later clearly identified by President Bushs National Strategy for Homeland Security as "1) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; 2) reduce Americas vulnerability to terrorism; and 3) minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur." (4) If Clinton administration had basically been passive about national security, then Bush administration did nothing concrete either in the first few months of entering

American and French Revolutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American and French Revolutions - Essay Example Perhaps the major reason for this was that the American Revolution took place in an absolutely new country without almost any history, while the French Revolution occurred in one of the eldest European states. Consequently, the participants of the American Revolution did not have to overthrow the established aristocratic society and absolute monarchy in order to proclaim either equality of people (because they were equal) or sovereignty of their new state (the British monarch was geographically too far from them). In other words, the birth of the new society in the United States occurred without major tension. The French Revolution began in an absolutely different situation. It was a daring attempt to establish the principle of equality in the traditionally aristocratic society and cultivate political freedom in the most powerful European monarch (Doyle 2002).Economic factors played equally important role in the onset of both revolutions. The American Revolution was largely caused by the economic pressure of Britain, which was economically dependent on the colonies, but often failed to adequately justify the increasingly burden heavy burden of taxes. This problem – often termed ‘taxation without representation’ – is reported to be one of the most essential factors that eventually led to the revolutionary situation (Wood 1998).A similar situation was observed in the pre-revolutionary France where the absolute monarch kept increasing the burden of taxes for the poorest layers of population. (especially peasants) while the wealthiest and the least numerous layer of aristocracy often did not pay taxes at all. The growing unemployment, abnormal spending of the King and growth of prices added naturally to the picture (Hibbert 1981). Evidently, no acceptable explanation could be brought forth to justify such situation. Therefore, despite some disagreement within the scholarly community as for the causes and preconditions of the French and Am erican Revolutions (Kates 1997; Nash 2005), the assertion that the major causes were similar is likely to be correct. Secondly, the course of the American Revolution differed significantly from the developments of the French Revolution. During the revolutionary decade the army of colonists engaged in a number of clashes with the British troops until finally forcing them out of their territory: in other words, the emerging nation had an external enemy to deal with. By contrast, no major battles occurred on the territory of France during the French Revolution and no external threat was available. As a result, the major goal pursued by the inspirators of revolution was physical removal of the much hated representatives of aristocracy. The subsequent series of wars with other European states took place after the Revolution was over although there is not agreement between

Essay on Free

Essay on Free Will and Determinism Essay Explain what freedom and physical determinism are and why they seem to conflict. How would you resolve this conflict? Give reasons for your answer. Physical determinism is believing in the fact that every event has a cause. (Theodore Sider, pg 113) And that a chain reaction of such would cause an inevitable event to occur. E. g. The invasion of Poland by Hitler in 1939. (Theodore Sider, pg 115) Freedom is the belief that you are able to act on your own free will irrespective of what event has occured, that a decision you make is entirely of your own volition. It is the belief that our life is not predetermined and we are able to influence our future. FROM A SCIENTIFIC POINT OF VIEW, THE DECISIONS WE MAKE AND HOW WE BEHAVE ARE STUDYABLE, EXPLAINABLE AND IF GIVEN ENOUGH TIME, PREDICTABLE AND CONTROLLABLE. (THEODORE SIDER, PG 114) THIS WOULD INDICATE WHEN THE WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO IS DISCOVERED, WE CAN FULLY DETERMINE WHAT A PERSON WOULD DO IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT, THUS LEADING TO THE DETERIORATION OF FREEDOM FOR THAT PERSON. There are 3 ways to resolve this conflict, of which the first is to reject the belief of freedom in what is called hard determinism. (Theodore Sider, pg 117) A complete rejection of freedom would demean any meaning of living so I will not consider it. THE OPPOSITE OF THIS IS THE LIBERTARIAN, WHICH BELIEVES THAT PEOPLE ARE EXCLUDED FROM DETERMINISM AS THE SCIENCE IS UNABLE TO COMPLETELY STUDY , OR RATHER, MAKE SENSE OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PREDICT WHAT A HUMAN CAN DO. (THEODORE SIDER, PG 119) I FEEL THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTY IN OBTAINING THE ABSURD AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AND FACTORS THAT WILL ALLOW FOR THE PREDICTION OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR. The problem with the libertarians explaination is the lack of definition for the word freedom, as rejecting determinism would mean actions of a person would be uncaused, and therefore random. (Theodore Sider, pg 119) Thus an idea called agent causation is found, such that you only act freely when your action is not caused in the mechanistic way but is caused by you of your own free will. This does not work as the the realm of physics has to be rejected in order for the libertarian to fully resolve this conflict. THE LAST AND MOST VIABLE METHOD TO RESOLVE THIS CONFLICT IS CALLED SOFT DETERMINISM (THEODORE SIDER, PG 125) SOFT DETERMINISM STATES THAT A FREE ACTION IS ONE THAT IS CAUSED BY THE PERSONS BELIEF AND DESIRES, PROVIDED THAT THOSE BELIEFS AND DESIRES FLOW FROM WHO THE PERSON IS. (THEODORE SIDER, PG 130) IT IS A THEORY THAT ACTIONS ARE CAUSED BY ONES BELIEFS AND DESIRES. THE FIRST-ORDER DESIRE ARE DESIRES TO DO THINGS. WHERE A SECOND-DESIRE IS A DESIRE TO HAVE A FIRST-ORDER DESIRE. WHEN THE FIRST-ORDER DESIRE IS CAUSED BY THE SECOND-ORDER DESIRE, THEN IT IS SAID TO BE FLOWING FROM WHO THE PERSON IS. (THEODORE SIDER, PG 131) A person goes to school for education because he believes that it is the best alternative he has as opposed to starting to work without an education. This is a case where a first-order desire comes from a second-order desire, which then implies the action of going to school comes from the self. A PERSON AFFLICTED WITH A COMPULSION TO HOARD, ALTHOUGH HE MIGHT DESIRE TO NOT DO SO, HIS ACTIONS OF HOARDING IS SAID TO BE DONE WITHOUT FREE WILL. FROM THIS STEMS FIRST AND SECOND ORDER OF DESIRE, WHERE HIS SECOND ORDER OF DESIRE IS NOT TO HOARD, AND HIS FIRST ORDER OF DESIRE IS TO HOARD, THIS CONTRADICTS AND HIS ACTIONS ARE SAID TO BE NOT OF FLOWING FROM THE SELF. REFERENCES Sider, T. (2005). Free will and determinism. In E. Conee, T, Sider (Eds. ), Riddles of existence: A guided tour of metaphysics (pp. 112-133). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Indian Banking Industry Competitiveness and Market Structure

Indian Banking Industry Competitiveness and Market Structure Introduction After 1991 crisis, Indias liberalisation journey was multi-faceted. One of the major areas of liberalization was the banking sector which was highly regulated and controlled by government. Most importantly for banking industry, as per the M. Narasimhan committee recommendations, the liberalization came in the right areas namely interest rate, reduction of reserve requirements, entry deregulation, credit policies and prudential supervision. Incase of interest rates, they could now be determined by the banks based on their cost of funds rather then government fixing them for banks. The administered regime for interest rate came to an end except for interest rate on savings account. The reduction of reserve requirement for banks made huge capital available for banks which could be deployed in the business. The entry of new players was de-regulated. The government empowered the Reserve Bank of India to issue licenses to the new players, if they met the set criteria jointly set by RBI and Finance Ministry. The credit rationing was completely done away with. Although there is still credit rationing for priority sector, the banks are free to deploy their capital on the sectors which they feel profitable. Excessive supervision regime came to an end. The Reserve Bank of India made several changes in prudential supervision and gave autonomy to banks in their day-to-day operation. The total asset size of Indian Banking industry is over US$ 270 billion. The total deposit amount is US$ 200 billion. Its branch network is one of the largest in the world with more than 66,000 branches and over 17,000 ATM spread across the country. The bank assets are expected to grow at 13.4% CAGR and it is predicted that India could become the 3rd largest banking hub in the world by 2040. Currently India has 80 Scheduled commercial banks out of which 28 are public sector banks, 24 private banks and 28 foreign banks (Annual Report, RBI). As Indian economy is growing at an average rate of over 7% since a decade, more and more foreign banks are thinking to foray into the Indian market. As per McKinseys report on Indian Banking (2010), total loans-to-percentage of GDP, could grow from its current level of around 30% to ~45% in years to come. Such huge opportunities also  prompts several questions: Who is/ are the dominant players in the market? What is/are their share in the banking industry? What is the market structure of Indian banking industry; is it a monopoly or a perfect competition? Objectives and Motivation: The objective of this dissertation is to understand the Indian banking industry, its composition (nationalised banks, private bank and foreign banks) and knowing the players of the industry. Further the study will find out how much concentrated the Indian banking industry is and provide knowledge regarding top 3 as well as top 5 major banks. Such a concentration ratio would give a fair idea of how decision of the top players as an implication on the other industry players. The study will include the determination of the market structure of Indian banking industry. Its imperative to know whether the industry is a perfect competition, a monopoly or a monopolistic competition. This would lead to understanding of the cohesive behaviour of the market players. My motivation for choosing this topic came from the complexity of the Indian banking industry. The number of players, entry of new players, consolidation among the existing players, ever-changing economic scenario of India etc and its impact on the banking industry always fascinated me to do a study on the Indian Banking industry. I also feel that such study would be useful not only for the policymakers within the central bank and the government but also for the existing players, the potential entrants and for other stakeholders of the banking industry. Literature Review As per the neoclassical theory, the spectrum of market structure can be defined by the number of firms and size of those firms in the market [Goddard, Molyneux Wilson (2001)]. Various numerical measures of concentration have been used by empirical researchers in order to find the concentration of industry players. But at the same time, there is no single perfect measure for concentration [Goddard, Molyneux Wilson (2001)]. Nevertheless all these measure are subject to the idiosyncracies and limitation; they usually tend to correlate highly with each other [Curry and George (1983); Scherer and Ross (1990)]. Hall and Tideman (1967) have provided the desirable properties which are required for these measures of concentration to be acceptable. Concentration measures like k-bank concentration ratio, Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) are extensively used to measure the banking sector performance as a function of market structure [Barth et al., 2004, Beck at el, 2006)]. k-bank concentration ratio For measuring the concentration of firms, the most frequently used ratio is k-bank concentration ratio (Bikker 2004). The reason this ratio is so frequently used is because of its simplicity and limited data requirement. The index gives equal emphasis to the k leading banks, but neglects the many small banks in the market. It is a one dimensional measure ranging between zero and unity [Al-Muharrami S.,Matthews k., Khabari Y (2006)]. In a review of 73 US Structure-Conduct-Performance studies in banking from 1961 to 1991, in 37 studies the k-bank deposit concentration measure was used (Molyneux et al. 1996) Herfindahl Hirschman Index (HHI) HHI is another benchmark measure for measuring the bank concentration and gives more weight to larger banks. It was developed by A.O.Hirschman. It expands to all the banks in the system, thereby avoiding the arbitrary cut offs [Alegria, C and Schaeck K (2006)]. Bikker (2004) highlights the importance of HHI in the theoretical research. In practice, the HHI plays a pivotal role in the US for the approval of bank mergers where the post mergers market HHI cannot exceed 0.18 and that the change in the index should be less than 0.02 (Cetorelli, 1999). This index is also used to measure the bank concentration in Arab GCC banking system [Al-Muharrami S.,Matthews k., Khabari Y (2006)] and in measuring the competition and market structure in the Saudi Arabia [Al-Muharrami (2009)] Panzer and Rosse H statistics The measure of market structure helps in determining whether the market enjoys perfect competition, monopoly or monopolistic competition. This is also known measuring the monopoly power hypothesis. It means that in more concentrated markets the bigger players tend to be collusive and try to dominate the market. Also their actions have considerable impact on the other market players. There are several models for determining the market structure. The models are divided into two parts: 1) Structural Models and 2) Non Structural Models. This study will employ the non-structural model approach suggested by Rosse and Panzer (1977) and Panzer and Rosse (1982, 1987), popularly known as the H-statistics. It is widely used in determining the competitive structure of the banking industry in various countries. In the banking industry, there is extensive use of Rosse and Panzer method and has got a wide practical applicability. In his study on New York banks, Shaffer (1982) had observed that banks had monopolistic competition. Similar study for Canadian banks by Nathan and Neave (1989) found a perfect competition for 1982 but monopolistic competition for 1983-84. Japan revealed perfect competition [Molyneux et al (1996)]. Molyneux et al. (1994) also tested the P-R statistics for French, German, Italian, Spanish and British banks for the period of 1986-1989 in order to determine the competitive conditions of major European countries. Methodology The study involves the use of k-bank concentration ratio and HHI ratio for gauging the competition and Panzer and Rosse for determining the monopoly power of the players of Indian Banking industry. These ratios have been extensively used in the different studies mentioned above. K-bank concentration ratio measures the market share of the top k-firms in the industry. The equation is n CRn = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ËœSi i=1 Where Si is the market share of the i-th firm when firms are ranked in descending order of the market share. Market share is measured in terms of sales, assets or number of employees. Commonly used values of n include 3, 4, 5 or 8. The researchers have also found that there is high correlation between concentration ratios defined using alternative values of n [Bailey and Boyle (1971)]. The advantage of k-bank concentration ratio is that it is easily measurable; one needs to know only the total size of the industry and the individual sizes of firms. But it lacks in taking the size distribution of remaining firms. In this study, the market share would be measured on the basis of the loan size (assets) and the deposit size (liability) of the banks. The value of n would be 3 and 5 i.e. CR3 and CR5. HHI uses information about all points in the firm size distribution. It is defined as the sum of the squares of the markets share of all firms: N HHI = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬ËœSi2 i=1 Where Si is the market shares of the firm i and N is the total number of firms in the industry. In the calculation of HHI, the larger firms get a heavier weightage than their smaller counterparts which reflects their relative importance in the market. This study uses P-R h-statistics, a non-structural model, measuring competition and emphasizes the analysis of the competitive conduct of banks without explicit information about the structure of the market. The P-R determines the competitive behaviour of banks on the basis of the comparative static properties of reduced-form revenue equation based on cross-section data [Panzer and Rosse (1987)]. The equation is Ln(TREV) = ÃŽÂ ±0 + ÃŽÂ ±1 ln PL + ÃŽÂ ±2 ln PK + ÃŽÂ ±3 ln PF + ÃŽÂ ±4 ln RISKASS + ÃŽÂ ±5 ln ASSET + ÃŽÂ ±6 ln BR The variables are defined as follows: TREV : the ratio of total revenue to total assets PL : ratio of personnel expense to employees PK : ratio of capital expense to fixed assets PF : ratio of annual interest expense to total loanable funds RISKASS : ratio of provisions to total assets ASSET : bank total assets BR : ratio of number of branches to total number of branches in the country. The H-statistic value is the sum of factor price elasticity: PL, PK and PF. The value H à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 0 implies monopoly equilibrium. A value of 0 Data The data for all the calculations of k-bank concentration ratio, HHI and P-R H-statistics will be obtained from Orbis database. Further, the data would also be taken from the Reserve Bank of India(RBI)s profile of banks 2004-2005 2008-2009. Incase any data is not available from the two main sources (Orbis and RBI), the data would be extracted from financial statements of banks, from their websites and from reports published on the Indian Stock exchanges namely Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE). The sample period covers 2002-2008. Conclusion The conclusion would include the interpretation of the results obtained by usage of E-view and MS- Excel software. In summation, the study would help in knowing the concentration ratio through k-bank ratio as well as HHI and help in understanding the monopoly power of large banks in India. Such a study would be helpful to determine the cohesive behaviour of the players of industry and how their decision would affect the entire industry as well as the Indian economy. With a lots consolidation happening in the industry, such a study would help in understanding the shifts in the concentration and market powers if any. Last but not the least; an attempt would be made to give some recommendations based on the results.

Is International Adoption Justified In The Usa Social Work Essay

Is International Adoption Justified In The Usa Social Work Essay The reason I chose this subject was mainly because International adoption has played a major role in the news during the last few years. On the one hand, there are thousands of orphan children worldwide, mainly in poor countries. On the other hand, there is an increasing demand for adoption in the U.S. and many people turn to international adoption because the supply of national children for adoption is lower than demand. In order to draw a conclusion I have made an extensively research. In particular, I made a thorough analysis for the current situation in the country, the types of adoption that exist and also some celebrities views and acts, since it is believed that celebrities have contributed to the popularity of international adoptions. Moreover, I have described the adoption system in the U.S.A., the main reasons people tend to adopt and why they turn to international adoption. Furthermore, I examined the consequences (positive and negative) of international adoption for the child, for the adoptive parents, for the birth parents and for the society in general. In the end I concluded that international adoption should be justified under certain circumstances. More specifically, I believe that it is better for a child to be adopted from a family in its own country. If this is not possible, someone should turn to international adoption, instead of leaving the child in an inadequate orphanage, where social care is non-existent. Of course, he/she should not overlook the negative impacts of international adoption and the implications it may have on the child, the original parents and the country of birth. Adoption is the act of establishing a person as parent to one who is not in fact or in law his child  [1]  . Adoption is so widely recognized that it can be characterized as an almost worldwide institution with historical roots traceable to antiquity.  [2]  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nowadays, adoption can be either open or closed. Open adoption is a process in which the birthparents and the adoptive parents meet and exchange identifying information. The birthparents relinquish legal and basic childrearing rights to the adoptive parents. Both sets of parents retain the right to continuing contact and access to knowledge on behalf of the child  [3]  . On the contrary, closed adoption, the traditional closed system in adoption, seals all identifying information and bans any contact between children and their biological families.  [4]  However, during the last decades more and more countries have acknowledged the legal right of the adoptee to search for his/her original roots. There are also two types of adoption: national and international or intercountry adoption. National adoption is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple adopts a child born in the same country. On the contrary, international adoption, is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple adopts a child from a different country through permanent legal means, and brings that child to the home country permanently. Through international adoption, the  legal transfer of parental rights from birth parent(s) to another parent(s) takes place. United States citizens started adopting war orphan children from other countries mainly after World War II. Recently, the number of families that adopt children from countries other than their own has increased considerably  [5]  . In U.S., in particular, families have adopted on average approximately 20,000 children from foreign nations each year  [6]  . And, not long ago, factors such as poverty and social changes resulted in the adoption of children from Latin America, the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and China.  [7]   Nowadays, international adoption has become a common practice and in some countries accounts for the majority of cases. International adoption can be conducted through both public and private agencies in each country. However, each country has passed different laws as regards international adoptions. In order to  ensure that intercountry adoptions are in the best interests of children, The Hague Conference on Private International Law developed the Convention of May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. This is known as the Hague Adoption Convention and it is an international treaty among over 75 nations around the world, including the United States  [8]  . Its aim is  to prevent the abduction, sale of, or traffic in children; it enables  intercountry adoption under certain circumstances and, recognises intercountry adoption as a means of offering the advantage of a permanent home to a child when a suitable family has not been found in the childs country of origin  [9]  . The aim of this study is to show whether international adoption in the United States is justified, examining the consequences on three levels: for the child, for the family, and for society in general. MAIN REASONS FOR INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION International adoption is gaining ground in our day and time. Couples and individuals tend to look for children to adopt from developing countries, such as China, Thailand, India and may more. There are a plurality of reasons that urge American people to resort to this course of action and are related to the changes effected to the social structure of society at large, the status of women, the financial situation and the changes effected in the mentality of the population. The social structure of the society and especially demographics in the United States has changed significantly. According to recent statistics  [10]  , the percentage of households headed by single parents is at about 9%, up from 5% in 1970. Out of 12.9 million one-parent families in 2006, 10.4 million were single-mother families and 2.5 million were single-father families. Some other highlights are as follows: Average household size in 2006 was 2.57 people, down from 3.14 in 1970. Slightly more than one in four households (26%) consisted of a person living alone in 2006, up from 17% in 1970. In 2006, 33% of males and 26% of females 15 and older had never married, compared to a respective 28% and 22% in 1970. In addition, contemporary society in the US faces fertility problems. According to recent data  [11]  , the level of childlessness among women 40 to 44 years old in June 2006 (20%) is twice as high as 30 years ago (10%). Moreover, 45% of the women in the principal childbearing ages of 15 to 44 years were childless. Financial pressures and the changes in the traditional stereotypical perceptions about the role of women in the society, force American people to consider marriage at a later age in their lives (40-44), after having established their careers and secured a steady income. In particular, women at this age or older do not want to risk a pregnancy, which may put the mothers life at risk or bear children with physical and/or mental diseases. This was not the case in previous decades, in which American people were very conservative with regards to accepting young, unmarried mothers in the society. The norm called for a well-built family around the patriarchal symbol, with the woman playing the role of the child-raising parent. Back then, unmarried women who got pregnant had no option other than having an illegal abortion to avoid the consequences of ostracism from the rest of the societal members. For those women who wanted to keep the child they were bearing, adoption away from home was the only choice once the child was born. Changes in social norms nowadays have made it possible for unmarried women in the United States and abroad to give birth to their children without the fear of facing all sorts of different sanctions, be it moral or psychological. This significant turn on behalf of the American society to higher tolerance levels has made possible the acceptance of unmarried mothers. Even more so, in the case of young girls giving birth, their parents are willing to adopt the new-born and thus support both psychologically and practically their young daughter. Tolerance to abortion has also been heightened and although illegal in many states, abortion is a safe resort -with the advancements in medicine- for many women who want to terminate their pregnancy at an early stage. This limits the number of children available for adoption nationally in the U.S. Added to the above is the fact that women who have a career feel that the nine months of pregnancy could interfere with their job, therefore, adoption would be a better option for them. They may not even want to take that much time out of work to have a baby. This trend is further supported by the fact that in the last decades women have become more financially independent and educated; hence, they are more capable of making ends meet and stand on their feet to run their own households, without having to get married. Still, they want to have the privilege of raising a child and reap the benefits of parenthood. Because a married couple has much higher chances of being allowed to adopt a child, unmarried women resort to international adoption, to overcome their handicap against married couples. In other cases, people who know that they carry a serious genetic disease may not want to give birth to a child, to avoid the risk of passing the disease to their offspring. Still, some families choose to adopt believing that they will be saving a child, offering a loving and supportive family. This is mainly the reason why some people prefer international adoption to national adoption, believing they offer service to the developing world. They usually choose children from developing countries, where the standard of living is very low and they mainly prefer children with no families or relatives, who live in orphanage. International adoption has received widespread media coverage lately, due to the recent adoption of foreign children by several high-profile celebrities. Nowadays, there are many cases of famous people who choose to adopt. Generally, famous people have the same reasons for adopting children that people who are not famous have. Adopting children may be one way for them to feel like they are helping the world out  [12]  . Moreover, famous people often have both financial resources and influence, so, in contrast to an ordinary family, adoption process is much easier for them  [13]  . There are many examples of celebrities who have adopted several children from abroad  [14]  , such as Sharon Stone, Meg Ryan (from China), Mia Farrow (from Vietnam and Korea), Madonna/Guy Ritchie (from Malawi) and Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt (from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam). However, in contrast to what has been discussed above, there are some negative aspects of adoption, mainly international adoption. A negative reason for adoption is when people choose to adopt in order to deduct an amount from their tax liability. In the US both those who adopt internationally and domestically can take advantage of the Adoption Tax Credit  [15]  . The Adoption Tax Credit is a valuable benefit for adopting families since they may take a tax credit for qualifying expenses paid to adopt an eligible child (including a child with special needs). Such expenses include reasonable and necessary adoption fees, court costs, attorney fees, travelling expenses (including amounts spent for meals and lodging while away from home), and other expenses directly related to and for which the principal purpose is the legal adoption of an eligible child  [16]  . Another negative issue is when adoption becomes so crucial to a celebrity only to get fame, power and admiration. In such cases, international adoption becomes a trend that may result in a negative impact that could last a childs lifetime. Also, a negative aspect of international adoption relates to a tendency of the rich and famous to bypass the law. Celebrities sometimes are bending the rules and pushing the boundaries to bring babies to their own countries. They do not always respect the laws of the third countries and do not follow the procedures as ordinary people usually do. Two cases of famous people that have been discussed a lot are the cases of Madonna and Angelina Jolie. Angelina Jolie acts as a very good example. She has adopted following the proper procedures, she has shown great sensitivity and interest in such issues and has been Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. On the other hand, Madonna has not followed all the proper procedures according to the Malawian Law, and there have been legal disputes over whether her adoption was totally legal or not  [17]  . Her practice was condemned by many humanitarian organisations and agencies that deal with international adoptions (ISS Headquarters in Geneva expressed their disapproval for the way the procedure was carried out). In short, the discussion in this part of the essay has focused on the rationale behind international adoption. Evidently, there is a trend towards international adoption, which is attributed to the increasing demand for adoption in the U.S. It appears that many people turn to international adoption because the supply of national children for adoption is lower than demand  [18]  . Also, the rising number of single mothers in America as well as in the rest of the western world has turned international adoption into an attractive alternative to national adoption, with its legal complexities and the preference for married couples. INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION IN THE U.S. IS IT JUSTIFIED? Adoption, either national or international, came into effect so that children can live in a loving and healthy environment. In addition, through adoption, individuals as well as childless couples who wish to raise a child can enjoy parenthood. Adoption involves three parties, the child (adoptee), the family (adoptive parents) and the home country of the child (birth parents). It is evident that adoption alters traditional family structure and functioning. In other words, positive and negative aspects of international adoption emerge for each one of these parties. Positive aspects For the adoptee As I stated previously, United States citizens started adopting orphan children from other countries in substantial numbers after World War II. Moreover, over the last twenty years, many children have been adopted from poor countries all over the world. So there are numerous positive aspects for the orphan and poor children worldwide. Research shows that children do best when raised in a supportive, caring family  [19]  . The most important is that international adoption provides a permanent family for the orphan children worldwide. Also, nowadays, many high society individuals are adopting children from underdeveloped nations. This, besides a good home to live, provides the children with a secure future. Living with a rich family, children can have not only a decent living, but also good educational opportunities that they would never have had in their birth country. In addition, most children who need new homes are older than five, sick, disabled, or somehow traumatised. So they have more opportunities for a better life if adopted by a prosperous and caring family. Statistical data derived from parents, teachers and children themselves show that the vast majority of the adopted children demonstrate satisfactory adjustment  [20]  . More specifically, adopted children felt strongly attached to their adoptive families. This can be explained, in part, by the fact that the American society is highly multi-cultural, reducing thus the time for adjustment of a new member originating from a foreign country. Evidently, adjustment is even easier for an adopted international child at the age of five, which is quite malleable and open to stimuli from a different culture. For the adoptive parents Most adults, when they get married plan to have children. Few of these individuals expect ahead of time that there will be difficulties in conceiving a child. Yet, approximately, one in six couples in the U.S. will experience a fertility problem  [21]  . When this happens, most couples seek a medical solution. Nearly 50% of them will be eventually able to have a child biologically  [22]  . The remaining couples must decide whether to remain childless or to seek parenthood through adoption. There are thousands of children without a family all over the world and people who wish to adopt have a better chance of obtaining a child internationally. Thus they are able to give a permanent home and a nurturing environment for an orphan child. This is definitely a positive scenario and, according to statistical data derived from interviews, adoptive parents expressed considerable satisfaction in their roles  [23]  . For the birth parents The biological parents are forced to give away their children, usually because they are very poor, and they cannot provide a stable home and the necessary basics for living. Giving their child for adoption makes them happy that their child gets a family, and a secure future in a loving and healthy environment. Even though the process of separation from their children is painful, they realise that this is a far better solution than not being able to provide their children with a safe, healthy and promising future. On occasions when the mother is very young and has little or no experience to raise a child, adoption is also a better option than entrusting the fate of a newborn to an inexperienced mother, who may be living in the slums of an impoverished nation. For the society of the birth parents International adoption brings significant financial resources into poor countries, putting them in a better economic condition. Still, societies are deprived of their younger members in cases where the adoptee goes to another country. Celebrities like Madonna and Angelina Jolie have provided significant financial resources to poor countries. In addition, celebrity adoptions, through the publicity that they have, play a major role in increasing peoples awareness as regards poverty all over the world. Negative aspects For the adoptee International adoption often, but not always, involves trans-racial placement. Opponents of trans-racial adoption suggest that placement of children outside their own racial group will undermine the development of positive racial identity, ultimately leading to cultural genocide  [24]  . The childs removal from its birth country would mean the loss of the childs original language and culture. According to research, adopted children may experience the loss of birth parents and extended birth family; loss of status; loss of ethnic, racial, and genealogical connections, loss of feelings of stability in the adoptive family, and loss of identity  [25]  . For some children, adoption is associated with feelings of confusion, sadness, anger, embarrassment, and shame. When children begin to understand the meaning and implications of adoption, around five to seven years of age, emergence of sensitivity to adoption related stigma and loss occurs. Some children appraise being adopted in negative ways and have great adjustment problems. In reality, the younger the children the more sensitive they are to adoption issues. For the adoptive parents Among the many tasks experienced by parents are those associated with coping with infertility and the transition to adoptive parenthood, discussing adoption with their child, creating a family environment that supports the childs exploration of adoption issues, helping their child cope with loss, supporting a positive self-image and identity in their child in relation to adoption and, in some cases, as the adoptee moves into adolescence and adulthood, supporting their childs plans to search for birth family. Although not necessarily a negative implication of adoption, it is a great challenge for the adoptive parents, especially when they have adopted a child from abroad. For this child, the pursuit of answers to questions about his/her origins, cultural differences, ethnic background and the like is a long journey that many a times has an unclear destination. The decision to adopt a child is not an easy choice. Profound stress, typically associated with infertility, often results in both short-term and long-term psychological problems, including heightened feelings of anxiety, guilt, shame, anger, and depression; diminished self-esteem and marital difficulties  [26]  . For the birth parents The child is genetically connected with the birthparents and this connection is lost with adoption. As a result, birthparents suffer from a loss of their role as parents, which makes them feel irresponsible and incapable of bringing up their child. Sometimes birthparents are under great pressure and are enforced to give their child to adoption against their will. Sometimes they worry about the future of their child, and they wonder if they will ever see it again. They may feel anger with themselves, with the society, even with the adoptive parents. And the most important issue is that they will have to deal with this for the rest of their lives. From what has been covered in the preceding paragraphs it is concluded that adoption can change significantly the life of all parties involved. Adoption is therefore justified and should be made with the best interests of the child. Likewise, international adoption should be an option only when and if there is no viable alternative in the childs country of origin  [27]  . It should be also mentioned that Unicef believes that international adoption should be considered as a last resort, for children who cannot find a permanent home in their country  [28]  . CONCLUSION Through my study I can understand that international adoption constitutes a great part of the total adoption and has caused public reaction, both positive and negative. I agree with adoption critics, which focus on the issue of exploitation since adoption often involves the transfer of children from less to more privileged people, or from black to white families  [29]  . However, I would like to make it clear that international adoption does not always cause injustice. It should be taken under consideration that there are many orphan children in poor countries or families that are not in a good situation to raise a child. In the case of international adoption, I believe that all alternative solutions for orphan children in poor countries should be considered. These children have no home and family and they are suffering neglected in various institutions. Keeping orphan children in inadequate institutions rather than giving them good permanent homes, does not mean that they will be happier. If a family in their country could offer them home, love and affection, I am convinced this solution would be preferred. If not, international adoption clearly represents an extraordinarily positive option for them. Otherwise, homeless children around the world will probably live or die in inadequate institutions or on the streets. In my opinion the U.S. is a suitable new home for internationally adopted children since a large part of the population who want to adopt a child are well-off and can offer a good and caring family. Since the number of national children for adoption is less than the demand for adoptions, international adoption is the next best alternative  [30]  . To this end, international adoption in the U.S. is justified. Yet, we should not overlook the negative impact of international adoption discussed in the previous section and the implications it may have on the child, the original parents and the country of birth. Ideally, it would be better to provide a home in the country of birth but this is not always possible if the child was born in a very poor country, where social care and infrastructure to support local adoption are non-existent. Banning international adoption will not solve the problems of homelessness in poor countries. Being anti-foreign without a reason is not reasonable. As far as international adoption works well under the existing adoption laws and serves childrens interests, it should be justified and facilitated. The destructive earthquake in Haiti left almost 300,000 people dead and thousands of children without a family. I am of the opinion that for many of these children, international adoption could be a justifiable solution and a unique opportunity for the U.S. to prove that its citizens can make good use of it for the sake of the children and their future.

The world is too much with us Essay -- Literary Analysis, Wordsworth

During the industrial revolution of England, humans engaged in monotonous work and lost harmonious unity with nature. In the nineteenth century, when the poet William Wordsworth wrote his sonnet â€Å"The world is too much with us,† the aspects of industrialized society had changed a factory worker’s life, leaving no time or the desire to enjoy and take part in nature. In his Petrarchan sonnet, Wordsworth criticizes humans for losing their hearts to materialism and longs for a world where nature is divine. In the first four lines, Wordsworth angrily addresses the theme of the sonnet, which is that the modern industrialized age has lost connection with nature. He states that humans are doing too much to the world. In the past and recently, humans have been using their powers of choice to choose to destroy nature. They have also been engaging in monotonous activities such as â€Å"getting and spending† (2). The parallel structure â€Å"late and soon† (1) and â€Å"getting and spending† (2) is an example of how mankind’s actions are progressively worsening over time. The suffix –ing adds a monotonous tone to the activities of â€Å"getting and spending† (2). The caesura in line 1 after the word â€Å"us† (1) gives the reader a chance to feel and reflect upon the weight of the world that is resting on humanity’s shoulders. â€Å"Too† (1) and â€Å"soon† (1) have a long â€Å"oo† sound, which suggests that the expl oitation of nature had been occurring for a long time before Wordsworth wrote this sonnet. Humanity’s â€Å"powers† (2) have gone to â€Å"waste† (2), which in this context means that they have been destroyed. However, another connotation for the word â€Å"waste† (2) is a barren, uninhabited wilderness, so the power that humans have to destroy nature reduces lush forests to barre... ...e cannot be destroyed, unlike Wordsworth, who has lost all hope in reviving nature. Hopkins also believes that the Christian God is great, whereas Wordsworth scorns the Christian God and wishes that society would believe in pagan gods instead. These beliefs are drastically different due to Hopkins’ optimism for the future of humanity and Wordsworth’s pessimism. While Wordsworth is â€Å"forlorn† (12), Hopkins believes that â€Å"nature is never spent† (9). Even though man has â€Å"trod† (5) all over nature and exploited it for man’s own economic gain, Hopkins believes that there is always â€Å"freshness† (10) within everything that will burst to life once more with â€Å"bright wings† (14). The only way to truly be in harmony with nature is to accept it for what it is and to try not to have an optimistic or pessimistic view about it – instead, one should view the results in due course. The world is too much with us Essay -- Literary Analysis, Wordsworth During the industrial revolution of England, humans engaged in monotonous work and lost harmonious unity with nature. In the nineteenth century, when the poet William Wordsworth wrote his sonnet â€Å"The world is too much with us,† the aspects of industrialized society had changed a factory worker’s life, leaving no time or the desire to enjoy and take part in nature. In his Petrarchan sonnet, Wordsworth criticizes humans for losing their hearts to materialism and longs for a world where nature is divine. In the first four lines, Wordsworth angrily addresses the theme of the sonnet, which is that the modern industrialized age has lost connection with nature. He states that humans are doing too much to the world. In the past and recently, humans have been using their powers of choice to choose to destroy nature. They have also been engaging in monotonous activities such as â€Å"getting and spending† (2). The parallel structure â€Å"late and soon† (1) and â€Å"getting and spending† (2) is an example of how mankind’s actions are progressively worsening over time. The suffix –ing adds a monotonous tone to the activities of â€Å"getting and spending† (2). The caesura in line 1 after the word â€Å"us† (1) gives the reader a chance to feel and reflect upon the weight of the world that is resting on humanity’s shoulders. â€Å"Too† (1) and â€Å"soon† (1) have a long â€Å"oo† sound, which suggests that the expl oitation of nature had been occurring for a long time before Wordsworth wrote this sonnet. Humanity’s â€Å"powers† (2) have gone to â€Å"waste† (2), which in this context means that they have been destroyed. However, another connotation for the word â€Å"waste† (2) is a barren, uninhabited wilderness, so the power that humans have to destroy nature reduces lush forests to barre... ...e cannot be destroyed, unlike Wordsworth, who has lost all hope in reviving nature. Hopkins also believes that the Christian God is great, whereas Wordsworth scorns the Christian God and wishes that society would believe in pagan gods instead. These beliefs are drastically different due to Hopkins’ optimism for the future of humanity and Wordsworth’s pessimism. While Wordsworth is â€Å"forlorn† (12), Hopkins believes that â€Å"nature is never spent† (9). Even though man has â€Å"trod† (5) all over nature and exploited it for man’s own economic gain, Hopkins believes that there is always â€Å"freshness† (10) within everything that will burst to life once more with â€Å"bright wings† (14). The only way to truly be in harmony with nature is to accept it for what it is and to try not to have an optimistic or pessimistic view about it – instead, one should view the results in due course.

Slavery In 19c :: Slavery Essays

Slavery in 19th Century   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A justified institution as the 19th century emerged; the infamous institution of slavery grew rapidly and produced some surprising controversy and rash justification. Proslavery, Southern whites used social, political, and economical justification in their arguments defining the institution as a source of positive good, a legal definition, and as an economic stabilizer. The proslavery supporters often used moral and biblical rationalization through a religious foundation in Christianity and supported philosophic ideals in Manifest Destiny to vindicated slavery as a profitable investment. They also examined the idea of popular sovereignty and the expansion of slavery in territorial plans like the Kansas-Nebraska scheme to support their arguments. The proslavery advocates even went far enough to include the constitution as a fair legal justification for their practices. Clear-cut attempts to bend the rules on the legality of slavery in documents like the Lecompton C onstitution made some rationalizations look weak and rash in concept. With the South’s slavery dependent and fragile economy, Southerners were ready to fight for their survival with whatever means were necessary. Proslavery whites launched a defensive against slavery, which explained the â€Å"peculiar institution† as a positive good, supported, in fact, by the sacred words of the Bible and the philosophy of the wise Aristotle. The moral and biblical justification surrounding their belief that the relations between slave and man, however admitting to deplore abused in it, was compatible with Christianity, and that the presence of Africans on American soil was an occasion of gratitude on the slave’s behalf before God. Basically, the slaves should have been grateful for their bondage. Plantation owners even stressed religion by teaching the slaves the principles of Christianity and by brainwashing the slaves into thinking they were blessed by God to be given a mas ter who cares for them and a Christian family to live with. In accordance with religion, proslavery Southerners used the idea of Manifest Destiny. The belief that God predestined the United States for a hemispheric career to defend their fragile position by explaining that slavery promoted territorial expansion, thus adhering to the expansionist principles of Manifest Destiny and promoting slavery as a positive good. Southerners used this argument timely right in the middle of an era of domestic expansion led by President Pierce and supported by people like Stephen Douglass. Douglass proposed the controversial Kansas-Nebraska act a plan to resolve a sectional imbalance in newly surveyed territory, which directly relied on the idea of popular sovereignty to be compromised.

Strategy Implementation Essay -- Business, Organizational Design

This report provides an analysis and evaluation of strategy implementation used by California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) and discusses the effectiveness of their strategy through organization design, control systems, people and culture. My research concluded that CPK relies on control systems to undertake a majority of the company’s operational activities and that human resources and organizational culture must support the strategy implemented, which it does in in the case of CPK. Introduction Strategic implementation is a critical factor when making decisions regarding issues that affect the vision, mission, or objectives of an organization. Strategies are often implemented in accordance to the culture of the organization, the nature of control systems, the stakeholders, and the nature of the organizational design. In order to achieve success in the implementation of strategies, the structure of these factors must work in coordination with one another. For instance, the strategic vision of CPK lies in the creation of a globally recognized brand name and therefore, all of the goals and objectives of CPK must be directed in realizing that the company achieves this objective (California Pizza Kitchen 2011). Furthermore, the vision statement is inclusive in itself in that it communicates the message in a directional, flexible, and focused manner. Strategic implementation entails the application of deliberate management processes to achieve the desired results. Predominantly, the process is achieved through the selection of implementation approaches that are related to an organization’s structure, management of human resources, developing, decision-making and information processes, allocating resources, determining desirable ... ...ementation of strategies within the company. Lastly, symbols do play important roles at CPK and this includes the iconic leadership of the founders, Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax. Conclusion Strategy implementation is an important feature at CPK and the type of strategies implemented depend on organizational design, structure, human resources (people), organizational culture, and the use of control systems (Bradford and Duncan, 2000). Even though the mission statements are not openly stated anywhere, they are very essential in influencing the types of strategies implemented by the company and must be executed in such a way that influences the performance of the company. Human resources and organizational culture must support the strategy implemented. Lastly, CPK depends on control systems to undertake majority of the company’s operational activities.

The Technology Has One Of The Biggest Development

It has become the first phone with multi- touch screen. Since this moment, a lot of other companies such as Samsung r ETCH tried to tackle Apple and outsell Phone. This has become the beginning of the famous confrontation between Android and ISO. R R R The latest model of Apple, Phone 55, was released in 201 3, 30 years ago after the first cellophane. It seems incredible how drastically changed the history of the mobile phones within 3 decades.From big and heavy brick it transformed into the small and convenient device with multi-touch screen R with the ability to download many different APS, and have a ton of many other options such s R easy access to the Internet in any time and place and, of course, a good camera R R You may not be the fan of the Apple, but there's the one thing you should admit: they do start the trends. In 2010 Apple presented a brand legendary gadget -? Pad. And suddenly everyone wanted to have a tablet.And many variations with different Ox's such as Android, W indows, and ISO is continuing to appear till today R The development of tablets made a real revolution. Almost 10 years ago appearing of the notebooks made needless cumbersome and inconvenient to carry personal computers. Nowadays, because of tablets even notebooks will stay in the past soon. R In 2013 Microsoft released the Surface, Windows-8-based newcomer to the tablet wars, which doubles as keyboard and allows this device to serve as notebook.So you have a table and a notebook in one device But technological progress touched not only phones and computers, it made the things that we couldn't even imagine. R â€Å"The future is now' – this is slogan of the Google Glass – the display of augmented reality which has the form of the glasses. R It means hat you can take a picture, record a video, send a message, make a phone call and use Google using only the glasses.It seems impossible but this is reality. R Another technical newcomer that becoming popular today is Smar t Watch – a computerized wristwatch with functionality that is enhanced beyond timekeeping and have such functions as WI-IF, audio and video player, GAPS and many other. R As we see, for the 30 years gadgets literally became the part of our life. The technologies are rapidly developing R and every year they amaze us more and more.

Obesity Amongst Mexican Children Essay

go up The prevalence of everywhere load peasantren in the f each in States of Mexi poop descent is naughty for fleck multiplication than their first extension counter varys. initial coevals immigrants consort to keep a wellnessier life style by overpowering much tonal harvest-tides and vegetables, walking interminable distances and smoking slight than the much than(prenominal) acculturated Mexi endure-Americans. civilisation is a major impart instrument for the appal judge of corpulency inwardly Mexican children.When children of Mexican immigrants ar open to American troupe, they germinate unwellnessy habits much(prenominal) as go by actor ofing pizza and raging dogs during coach lunch hours, access to pitch machines, and media painting where they be constantly bombarded with living related commercials of un healthy nature. A dismantle socio- economical locating, such as the recently immigrated parents, is overmuchively a contributin g promoter for fleshiness wi rationalize Mexican children.High kilogram calorie and high fat content solid sustenances tend to be little valuable than fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, wizarding to poorer, un healthy choices. Fast sustenance chains are prohibitory big-ticket(prenominal) in Mexico, whereas in the US they are non. As young Mexican children develop their sense of identity musical composition they separate from their parents or caregivers and anticipate acceptance from their American peers, they integrate themselves into the unfaltering diet subtlety behaveing to fleshiness amongst Mexican-American children of sec coevals in the US.The incidence of fleshiness in Mexican adults has change magnitude markedly over the years. selective information from the 1993 subject field purview of continuing illnesss (Encuesta Nacional de Enfermedades Cronicas) showed an corpulency prevalence of 21. 5%. The 2000 subject health peck (Encuesta Nacional de Salud) prefigured that 24% of adults suffered obesity. Data from the 2006 National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT 2006) revealed that 30% of adults of both sexes were round.(Rojas,R, Aguilar-Salinas, C. , Jimenez, A. , Gomez, F. , Barquera, S. , 2012, p. 8) In the prevail two decades, the prevalence of puerility obesity, define as at or in a higher(prenominal) place the ninety-fifth percentile of body weed index (BMI) for epoch and gender (Center for sickness misrepresent, 2009), has more than doubled among children of age(p) 611 years and tripled among adolescents aged 1219 years, and here is no establish that this drift is coming to an end (Ogden, 2002).This is a serious public health denote because obese children and adolescents are at an increase jeopardy for various bodily, mental, and emotional health problems, including impaired glucose tolerance , insulin resistance, atherosclerosis , coronary thrombosis plaza disease in matureness , growing of eatin g disorders, and scurvy self-esteem (Seo, D. & Sa, J. , 2009).The obesity pestiferous disproportionately sees racial/ well-disposed minority children, who are delineate as American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American, B want, African American, Latino, Latino, Native Hawaiian, or corpulency AMONGST Mexican CHILDREN atomic number 18 jump propagation Mexican CHILDREN 3 to a greater extent given up TO corpulency THAN THEIR turn propagation COUNTERPARTS? other peaceable Islander (CDC, 2009). According to estimates based on the 20012002 National Health and Nutrition examination Survey (NHANES), among children aged 619 years, 22. 2% of Mexican American children and 20.5% of non- Latino Blacks were obese as compared with all 13. 6% of non-Hispanic clean-livings. Other studies performed by Ogden and colleagues (2002) in any case verify a larger prevalence of obesity among Mexican American and Black children compared with white children. These rates of obesity are remove d from the 2010 national health objective of flushed People 2010. The higher incidence of obesity among minority children is alarming because these racial/ ethnic groups relieve aceself a lower insulin sensitiveness than white children (Seo, D, & Sa, J. 2009). corpulency is an epidemic veneering millions of people crosswise the globe, resulting in more than 300,000 deaths in the fall in States alone (Dishman, 2004). Histori surroundy, the majority of people affected by obesity were adults. However, in the last decade this epidemic has spread to our y pop outh. Excess weight in U. S. children has increase in prevalence and has force a serious public health concern. Currently, or so 33% of children ages 25 in the U. S. are laboured (BMI in the 85th percentile or above), and 12% are considered obese (BMI in the 95th percentile or above) (CDC, 2009).Overweight children have a 7080% endangerment of becoming lead storyen or obese adults, which whitethorn lead to an increase i n obesity related disease among adults ( join States segment of Human Health and serve, 2007). Obesity is one of the leading as maintain factors for disease and bootleg health conditions, such as hypertension, fount II diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and some cancers (CDC, 2009). non only is obesity linked to clinical conditions, but it whitethorn also lead to mental health problems such as self-blame and low self-esteem ( Haboush, A., Phebus, T. , Tanata Ashby, D. , Zaikina-Montgomery, H. , & Kindig, K. , 2011).This paper exit focus on the contributing factors for the alarming obesity rates amongst Mexican children. ar due south contemporaries Mexican children more prone to obesity than their first generation counterparts? Mexican immigrant parents usually dont view obesity as a threatening health issue. In fact, some query reports that Mexican mothers see childhood obesity as a criss cross of good heath (Rosas et al. ) and thinness as a sigh of illness (Sosa, 2012). finish, or the process of adjusting to a new culture, describes kind, psychological, and behavioural changes that an individual undergoes as result of in-migration (Buttenheim, A. , Pebley, A. , Hsih, K. , Chung, C. , Goldman, N. , 2012). The drastic changes in lifestyle and friendly interactions that immigrants encounter upon arriving to the United States oft seat them at risk for negative health consequences (Ogden et al. , 2009).Of the negative health outcomes associated with obesity AMONGST Mexican CHILDREN be startle times Mexican CHILDREN 4 to a greater extent accustomed TO obesity THAN THEIR snatch multiplication COUNTERPARTS? socialisation in Mexican children, obesity is significant because it has implications for development of chronic diseases such as heart disease and Type II Diabetes (CDC, 2009). Mexican children are at increased risk for obesity upon immigration to the United S tates and are predisposed to development of chronic diseases,(Buscemi, J. , Beech, B. , & Relyea, G. , 2011). Mexican American mothers views on obesity, 40% of mothers with sonorous children did not key out dense as a health issue (Ariza et al. , 2004).When weight was used as an indicator of health, parents were more concerned with the health of skinny children than adiposis children. Mexican American mothers were concerned with having thin children because a thin child could get under ones skin sick and die (Small, L. , Melnyk, B. , Anderson-Gifford, D. , & Hampl, J. 2009). A irregular and little studied mechanism linking parturition of US immigrants to obesity risk is the interconnection of the feed environment and migration dynamics in the sending country (Buttenheim et al. , 2012).This is particularly pertinent in the case of obesity risk for Mexican- inauguration children in the US, given the large, circular migration flows in the midst of the two countries and the well-documented nutrition transition afoot(predicate) in Mexico (Popkin & Udry, 1998). This transition is characterized by a shift from un affect and low vital force density diets to highly processed, energy fatheaded feeds. The transition is due in part to new fare marketing strategies and a simultaneous decrease in tangible activity that has accompanied urbanization and economic development in Mexico (Popkin &Udry, 1998).Mexicos nutrition transition has been notably rapid Mexico outright has the second highest rates of adult obesity among OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries ( later on the US) (Rosas, 2011). A emf interpretation for the increased obesity rates at heart the Mexican immigrants in the US is acculturative air (Van mulct et al. , 2011). Mexican-origin immigrants, are often faced with discrimination based on head for the hills/ethnicity and immigrant precondition. This discrimination, in turn, leads to chronic stress and psycho-physiological stress responses, which are kn suffer to affect health over the long draw and quarter .Thus, the process of integration into a corporation that views Mexican-origin immigrants as being of lower stipulation than other amicable and racial/ethnic groups may itself result in chronic health problems, sluice if health behaviors tarry constant over cartridge clip and crosswise immigrant generation. Why would duration of time in the US and immigrant generation affect obesity?The acculturation literature has emphasized the brilliance of dietary changes by duration in the US and across generation increased acculturation is hypothesized to lead to decreased custom of healthy foods and increased inhalation of processed high obesity AMONGST Mexican CHILDREN ARE firstborn coevals Mexican CHILDREN 5 to a greater extent PRONE TO fleshiness THAN THEIR SECOND GENERATION COUNTERPARTS? fat/sugar foods.Gordon-Larsen et al. (2003) account that first generation Mexican immigrant adolescents eat more rice, beans, fruit, and vegetables and less cheese and ready food than second generation Mexican-origin immigrants. Kaiser and colleagues (2007) say that acculturation seems to be a contributing factor for obesity amongst Mexican children. socializing can be defined as the process by which immigrants adopt the attitudes, values, customs, beliefs, and behaviors of a new culture. Two studies reported their findings on acculturation and potential difference implications on the nutritionary status of Mexican American children. Kaiser and colleagues (2007) think that less acculturated mothers were more possible to come by alternate food choices when a child would not eat and use child-feeding strategies that may contribute to childhood threatening, such as bribes, threats, and punishment.Ariza, Chen, Binns, and Christoffel (2004) conducted a survey to test their system that wakeless was more prevalent in highly acculturated Mexican American child ren aged 5 to 6 years however, the results did not substantiate an connectedness between overweight and acculturation in this population. Duerksen and colleagues (2007) reported that increased levels of acculturation may lead to higher rates of overweight among Mexican American families if they were eating more meals at fast-food and buffet-style restaurants quite a than selecting traditional, authentic Mexican restaurants.Studies indicated that less acculturated Mexican Americans consumed less fat, and more fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, E and B6, folate, calcium, potassium, and atomic number 12 than their more acculturated counterparts (Rosas et al. 2011). Most research conducted across age groups and outcomes indicates that newly-arrived and less acculturated immigrants are healthier and live longer than natives. Unfortunately, this health wages dissipates with duration of U. S. residence and does not operate to the next generation.In addition to the bewitch of parents accul turation on childrens behaviors, children can accelerate the acculturation process for their families as well because children are more believably to have a consistent photo to typical American foods at aim and presumable to affect buying decisions of their parents. mavin of the biggest changes in childrens diets after pitiable to the United States has been declare oneselfed to be with the foods children consume at schooling. It has been reported that although Mexican American children desire the traditional ethnic foods they received at home, they preferred the American foods they were served at school (e.g. , pizza, hamburgers) (Rosas et al. 2011).Furthermore, there seemed to be a lack of awareness among children about the strongness of traditional Mexican foods (such as fruits, vegetables, and beans) or potential health risks of the typical American diet, which was perceived as pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, and French fries. As children develop their own self and ethnic ide ntities, they may seek separation from their parents and acceptance from their peers, and they may identify fast food and other less anthelmintic food options with the United States culture.This can eventually lead to less healthful dietary patterns both for children and their families because children are believably to affect food-purchasing OBESITY AMONGST Mexican CHILDREN ARE FIRST GENERATION Mexican CHILDREN 6 MORE PRONE TO OBESITY THAN THEIR SECOND GENERATION COUNTERPARTS? decisions in their households (Rosas et al. 2011). When looking into the enchant of acculturation on food ingestion behaviors among children and youths, another important element of the social environment must be turn to media exposure.Media exposure can have evil ferments at both ends of the spectrum in terms of eating behaviors children may adopt an unrealistically thin body understand through exposure to popular culture, and ulcerous dieting practices or eating disorders may follow. Alternativel y, they may increase their consumption of nutrient-poor, energy- unintelligible foods that they are expose to through advertisings, and this subject of behavior may eventually lead to overweight status. at that place have been some initiatives to limit food marketing aiming at children, but nutritionally poor and energy dense foods (e.g. , high sugar cereals, candy, soft drinks, chips) still crap the majority of the foods advertize on tv set (Kunkel et al. 2009). Several reports indicate that children choose advertised foods at importantly higher rates and attempt to influence their parents to leveraging these foods. Unfortunately, advertisement of the nutritionally inferior food choices is not limited to television only it is general through a variety of take such as schools (vending machines, corporate sponsorship of school events and materials, etc. ), and online applications(e.g. , interactive games, sweepstakes, com puzzleer interpenetratesavers).Media exposure among children has been increasing over the past 10 years, and according to the 2009 estimates (Kunkel et al. 2009). American children spend about 7. 4 hours per day using or watching media such as television, computers, video recording games or movies. These estimates seem to be even higher among minorities) and individuals with lower socio economical status( SES) (Sussner et al. 2009). Hispanic youths were reported to spend about 5. 5 hours per day watching television while this estimate was 3.5 hours per day for non-Hispanic whites in 2009. Moreover, screen time seems to increase with greater acculturation (Gordon-Larsen et al. 2003). The selective information from the 200304 National Survey of nipperrens Health indicated that, in comparing to U. S. -born non-Hispanic white children with U. S. -born parents, nonnative Hispanic children with immigrant parents were 31 percent more potential and U. S. -born Hispanic children with U. S. -born parents were 51 percent more in all hazard to watch television.Although foreign-born Hispanics seem to be less potential to consume less healthful foods (Osypuk et al.2009), a reverse snub can be seen if these foods are more expensive in the country of origin but cheaper in the United States. For example, soft studies indicated that lower cost and increased approachability were among the reasons for Mexican Americans to consume snacks, sweets, and fast food more in the United States . An preferably report pointed out that some foods, such as mayonnaise, margarine, and salad dressing were considered high-status items by legion(predicate) low-income families in Latin America (Romero-Gwynn et al. 1993).Similarly, Mexican adults living in Florida reported that in addition to fast food not being as readily addressable in their native country, it was more expensive than in the United States and therefore, they tended to eat fast food only for special occasion in their native OBESITY AMONGST MEXICAN CHILDREN ARE FIRST GENERA TION MEXICAN CHILDREN 7 MORE PRONE TO OBESITY THAN THEIR SECOND GENERATION COUNTERPARTS? country. Once these types of foods twist more readily available and low-priced for the immigrants in the United States, an increase in the consumption levels would be expected.Lower costs, widespread availability, and the convenience of fast food in the United States appear to be an beguiling solution especially for time-strapped immigrant families with children (Lindsay et al. 2009). Qualitative studies among immigrants suggest a more relaxed lifestyle in Mexico versus a very busy lifestyle in the United States that leaves less time to cook or prepare foods. This type of lifestyle makes convenience foods very appealing, and it is likely to result in an increase in fast food consumption (Gray et al. 2005).In addition to the economic conditions related to the food environment, limited socioeconomic abilities of individuals also put immigrants at greater risk for unhealthy food using up patte rns and entailing health issues. higher(prenominal) rates of food insecurity and low SES among minorities and immigrants are likely to force individuals to purchase relatively cheaper and filling, but often nutrient-poor, energy-dense foods (Drewnowski and Darmon 2005). A binational theater that was conducted in the United States and Mexico provided champion for these eating patterns, and it also pointed out the country- or culture- limited variations in these associations.In the United States smack of this study, children with food insecurity were more likely to consume fat, saturated fat, sweets, and fried snacks compared to their food secure counterparts. In Mexico, however, food dangerous (versus food secure) children displayed a different food intake pattern that was characterized by higher intakes of carbohydrates, dairy, and vitamin B6 (Rosas et al. 2009). One of the least studied aspects of the kindred between socioeconomic factors and food intake is the residential con text and demographic fundamental law of the neighborhoods.One of the few studies that examined this context in a mostly Hispanic (but interracial ethnic) sample suggested that greater density of immigrants in residential areas was positively related to fruit and vegetable intake after coercive for individual factors such as age, execute/ethnicity, language, country of birth, and precept (Dubowitz et al. 2008). Another study also reported that high-fat/processed food intake (fats, oils, processed meats, fried potatoes, salty snacks, desserts) was lower in immigrant-dense neighborhoods even after controlling for SES, demographic factors, and acculturation (Rosas et al.2011).These results indicate beneficial dietary intake patterns for all residents (immigrant or not) residing in that area. whatsoever of the potential factors underlying these results could be resulting from socioeconomic advantages through greater social capital, availability of stores with healthier ethnic food options, and higher consumption of healthier food intake habits, social norms, and values in the ethnically dense neighborhoods (Dubowitz et al. 2008). OBESITY AMONGST MEXICAN CHILDREN ARE FIRST GENERATION MEXICAN CHILDREN 8 MORE PRONE TO OBESITY THAN THEIR SECOND GENERATION COUNTERPARTS?Highly acculturated Hispanic adults were more likely to have higher BMIs than their less acculturated counterparts. Similarly, second or third generation Hispanic youths were reported to be more likely overweight than their first generation counterparts (Popkin and Udry 1998). For adults, the deviation in the overweight status by acculturation seems to be seen usually in a range of 10 to 21 years of residence in the United States, but interestingly, BMI differences were detectable by age two among less acculturated mothers children in a mostly Hispanic sample (Sussner et al. 2009).Some of the mechanisms underlying these findings could be the existence of pagan beliefs that associate overweight sta tus among children with perceptual experience of good health (Sussner et al. 2009), failing to bonk overweight status, or acceptance of a larger body size as a desirable body image among Hispanics. Taken together, these cultural preferences can lead to obesity over time with the surplus contribution of the typical environment in the United States that stimulates consumption of energy-dense foods and discourages physical activities. sealed food intake patterns (e. g., energy-dense foods) can lead to overweight or obese status as people acculturate. Although a factor analysis of nationally interpretive program data from the NHANES 200102 did not indicate a specific dietary intake pattern in relationship to BMI or waist lap (as measures of overall or central adiposity) among Mexican Americans (Carrera et al. 2007), it is possible that dietary intake capability be related to obesity indirectly, or collectively with other lifestyle factors (e. g. , physical activity). It is also p ossible that the effects efficacy be most pronounced at specific time periods during acculturation.Supporting this potential mechanism is the results from the National Longitudinal contract of Adolescent Health indicating that increased probability of overweight, which was related to changes in lifestyle factors (i. e. , screen time, diet), was detectable among first generation Mexican adolescents but not among second (or more) generation participants (Gordon-Larsen et al. 2003). Although social economic status (SES) is also linked to obesity, this association seems to vary depending on the SES measures used and also by race or ethnicity.For example, in a nationally representative sample of children, both facts of life and income were negatively related to BMI among non-Hispanic whites, but only income was positively related to BMI among Hispanics (Balistreri and Van Hook 2009). As suggested by the authors, increasing education level may be a reflection of changes in knowledge, l earning abilities, social class, and personal skills while higher income among immigrants major power be an indicator of greater purchasing capacity, which can result in less healthful eating patterns in the absence seizure of adequate nutrition knowledge, skills, and a healthful food environment.SES also seems to have gender-specific and long-run consequences. Data from a nationally representative longitudinal survey among adolescents indicated that there was a strong positive association between long-term (persistent) low SES and obesity among females. Among males, however, obesity rates were highest among those who had a socioeconomically separate contractning but gained autonomy, for example, home ownership later on. Most importantly, the report pointed out that the effect of SES on OBESITY AMONGST MEXICAN CHILDREN ARE FIRST GENERATION MEXICAN CHILDREN 9 MORE PRONE TO OBESITY THAN THEIR SECOND GENERATION COUNTERPARTS?obesity was probably initiated before adolescence (Schar oun-Lee et al. 2009).Conclusion The research has shown that second generation Mexican children are in fact more prone to obesity than their first generation counterparts. Causative factors such as media exposure, school lunch programs, socio-economic factors, and the influence of parents own acculturation into American society are all factors that can be addressed through various means with legislative, policy changes, and education. Then we can begin to affect positively the rising trend of obesity in second generation Mexican children in the United States.OBESITY AMONGST MEXICAN CHILDREN ARE FIRST GENERATION MEXICAN CHILDREN 10 MORE PRONE TO OBESITY THAN THEIR SECOND GENERATION COUNTERPARTS? 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