American culture free essay sample

American culture is rich, complex, and unique. It emerged from the short and rapid European conquest of an enormous landmass sparsely settled by diverse indigenous peoples. Although European cultural patterns predominated, especially in language, the arts, and political institutions, peoples from Africa, Asia, and North America also contributed to American culture. All of these groups influenced popular tastes in music, dress, entertainment, and cuisine. As a result, American culture possesses an unusual mixture of patterns and forms forged from among its diverse peoples. The many melodies of American culture have not always been harmonious, but its complexity has created a society that struggles to achieve tolerance and produces a uniquely casual personal style that identifies Americans everywhere. The country is strongly committed to democracy, in which views of the majority prevail, and strives for equality in law and institutions. Characteristics such as democracy and equality flourished in the American environment long before taking firm root in European societies, where the ideals originated. We will write a custom essay sample on American culture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As early as the 1780s, Michel Guillaume Jean e Crnvecoeur, a French writer living in Pennsylvania who wrote under the pseudonym J. Hector St. John, was impressed by the democratic nature of early American society. It was not until the 19th century that these tendencies in America were most fully expressed. When French political writer Alexis de Tocqueville, an acute social observer, traveled through the United States in the 1830s, he provided an unusually penetrating portrait of the nature of democracy in America and its cultural consequences. He commented that in all areas of culture†family life, law, rts, philosophy, and dress†Americans were inclined to emphasize the ordinary and easily accessible, rather than the unique and complex. His insight is as relevant today as it was when de Tocqueville visited the United States. As a result, American culture is more often defined by its popular and democratically inclusive features, such as blockbuster movies, television comedies, sports stars, and fast food, than by its more cultivated aspects as performed in theaters, published in books, or viewed in museums and galleries. Even the fine arts in modern America often partake of the nergy and forms of popular culture, and modern arts are often a product of the fusion of fine and popular arts. While America is probably most well known for its popular arts, Americans partake in an enormous range of cultural activities. Besides being avid readers of a great variety of books and magazines catering to differing tastes and interests, Americans also attend museums, operas, and ballets in large numbers. They listen to country and classical music, Jazz and folk music, as well as classic rock-and-roll and new wave. Americans attend and participate in basketball, ootball, baseball, and soccer games. They enjoy food from a wide range of foreign cuisines, such as Chinese, Thai, Greek, French, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Ethiopian, and Cuban. They have also developed their own regional foods, such as California cuisine and Southwestern, Creole, and Southern cooking. Still evolving and drawing upon its ever more diverse population, American culture has come to symbolize what is most up-to-date and modern. American culture has also become increasingly international and is imported by countries around the world. American culture By pthanhl 12

Health in America Professor Ramos Blog

Health in America Why is America one of the fattest countries? Obesity is an issue in America and everyday someone is dying from the effects of it. Diabetes, fatty liver disease, stroke and high blood pressure are all side effects of obesity. With all this bad food so easily accessible it is no wonder everyone is having health problems and struggling with weight. There are statistics that show the increasing rates of weight gain in America over the years and it could be to do with all the fast food restaurants that are everywhere in sight, educating youth on health and portion control. All these little changes can be inexpensive and easy to fix but very affective. If more people cared about our health and how it is affecting peoples everyday lives there would be a lot more happier, healthier, motivated people around, not to mention a longer life span. While exercising is very important the majority of a healthy life style is what we consume and use to fuel our bodies. With unhealthy habits all aroun d tempting us to make and decisions it can be hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle. America is so unhealthy because of all the fast food everywhere we look. At every corner there is a cheap fast food place with food that is easy to get. In an article in USA Today there are fourteen-thousand Mcdonalds in the country. With everyone being too busy or too lazy to cook, these places are an easy, go to place for a quick cheap meal. Fast food is also very addicting and leaves people wanting more because of the addictive ingredients such as unnecessary refined sugar that is in every item at a fast food place. I think there should be more healthy fast food places with less calorie options as well as the current existing ones offering more healthier options. The â€Å"healthy† options at a place like Mcdonalds such as their salad can have more calories than a cheeseburger if you look at the nutritional guides. So even some of the food being advertised as healthy are deceiving. This can lead to someone thinking they are eating healthy and being told that they are but in reality, they might as well have gotten a cheeseburger. I think there should be more places that offer real food with less added sugars. This would be one small action that would help with health and obesity in America. If more people had a better option for food it would be easier for the ones who do not have time to cook still get a nice, healthy meal. Another thing people do not realize are the ingredients and chemicals added in food. If you cannot read the name of an ingredient why would we consume it? I think this should start with teaching kids when they are young. If kids are aware from a young age about different ingredients and what is good and bad, they will make smarter decisions in the future. There are a lot of different fillers and added chemicals that do not need to be added to food and can be avoided and if people were more aware of what they are putting in their bodies. Kids are like a sponge and soak up all the information they can get, just for school to start informing and making an effort to make health and obesity more aware it can stick with them for life. Just by being aware of what you are eating and putting into your body will help cut down obesity rates and it is better to enforce these habits into young kids before they run into health prpoblme int the future. Another thing is portion control, everyone is overeating and just filling their bodies with too much food. Too much food equals too many calories, and too many calories for a single person equals weight gain which is why counting calorie is so common. But for the people that chose to eat out all the time this can be dangerous. This is an issue with restaurants, the portion sizes are huge and people feel obligated to eat it since it is right in front of them. I think restaurants should start by cutting down on the portion sizes so people are not forced to overeat. â€Å"The consumption of large portions can, however, decrease overall energy intake if the food has a low energy density.† (â€Å"the Supersizing of America†). This quote from an article is stating that the bigger the portion the less energy people tend to have which can lead to a less active lifestyle. Restaurants should serve smaller food portions for the sake of the consumers health and it would also ben efit the restaurants by saving more money. Overall, obesity can be life threating and is a real issue and people can help avoid it by making small changes. If there were a few healthier fast food places or if they stopped lying about their healthy options the everyone would have a fast-healthy meal to choose. There are cheap and alternate routes to getting a greasy burger and fries for every meal and those options should be just as accessible and actually healthy. Another solution to help with the obesity rates and save someone from all the damages of obesity is to teach children while they are young. We teach kids math and English everyday but from unhealthy habits they might not live long enough to use all those skills. All it takes is to plant a seed of information in their brain and they will have that thought in the back of their minds forever which can help with smarter decisions. The last option I have chosen are restaurants cutting down on portions. Food is very tempting and a big pound of it sitting on your plate is a nightmare for over eating. If all the things changed America can become healthier and not one of the fattest countries in the world.

Evaluate to what extent intellectual property law adequately protects Essay

Evaluate to what extent intellectual property law adequately protects the rights of enteratinment business personalities(real persons only) - Essay Example The pirated goods generally include CDs, computer software and videos. This practice violates the interests of both consumers and inventors. The rate of produce will certainly go up once it comes to the hands of consumer. At the same time, the inventor or producer feels aggrieved that others have been able to capitalize on his work which involves a considerable investment of time and money. Hence this violates the basic principles and interests of original talented artists in entertainment industry. The intellectual property law guarantees the persons rights to have their own qualities, but at the same time the right of expression of press people also gets clashed with this and in case of England the right of freedom of expression dominates the right of privacy of artists (Attorney-General v Guardian Newspapers Ltd,1990)1. However in some situations the right of privacy of artists was well protected by the intellectual property rights (La Forest J in R v Dymont,1988)2. This case conc erns about invasion of privacy and wrongful disclosure of private information. It stresses the importance between freedom of expression and respect for an individuals privacy. Both are vitally important rights. Neither has precedence over the other. A proper degree of privacy is very much essential for the well-being and development of an individual. Article 8 states that the right of privacy of information is to be protected and should be in tune with the common law. Similarly the article 10 declares that the right of freedom of information is also crucial and there should be balance between the article 8 and article 10 (Reynolds v Times Newspapers Ltd,2001) 3. Some legal instruments in the world like intellectual property law provide sufficient justice to the genuine artists. Intellectual property law is one of the most important legal document which certainly protects the rights of the artists in the entertainment industry (Bainbridge, 2006). However there has

The rise of online shopping Speech or Presentation

The rise of online shopping - Speech or Presentation Example I will elaborate on the factors contributing to effective online shopping, in other words its feasibility, its advantages and limitations and some of the strategies to be put in place to enhance the process further. Please feel comfortable and enjoy the session. The start of online shopping can be traced back to the era of internet development. The internet is a global computer network established in the 1960s in the United Kingdom, and it has developed to its current state. The initial version of the network was meant to enable communication between government agencies without necessarily traveling to certain destinations. Top politicians also used the network to reach their subjects. The internet experienced a wide spread in various regions of the globe after ARPANET, the founder of the network, was decommissioned to make the internet a public domain. Asia and its surroundings embraced the network in 1980s and this is the era it was employed in commerce. The network has improved an d currently, there are more than a million internet tools and applications and countless users in the entire globe. It has several applications in the commercial sector, for example it enables online banking (e-banking), online shopping, commercial interactions or communications, biddings and the actual purchase of products. We are a generation where one can purchase his or her favorite dress or watch in a single click. One would be required logging in to respective web sites or blogs and selecting the favorite product. He or she is required to make some payment through internet tools and currently we have the money bookers and wire transfer among other online payment methods. The product is then packed and delivered to the client’s destination. Allow me to elaborate on some of the aspects making online shopping a success. Internet is currently not only well established but also affordable in both developed and developing nations. There are more than a million companies respo nsible for the distribution and management of the network. Rapid increase of such companies has an enhanced reduction of internet costs. Online shopping has also been enhanced by the rapid increase of digital appliances like mobile phones, tablets, personal computers and smart phones among others. And I am certain each of you owns one, perhaps two or more such devices. There are at least two or more such appliances in each homestead. Technology being the talk of the current generation is incorporated in almost all the teaching curricula all over the globe. The need for online shopping has also enhanced the process. It has been proven that one can purchase whatever product despite the bulkiness and the distance provided the costs can be met. We live in an age where people have invest so much time in their career that there is no time for shopping. However, one can spare at least 30 minutes to go through their budget list and select their favorite products in the comfort of their livi ng rooms. I certainly appreciate and acknowledge the fact that I exist in this digital generation where one can buy anything just by clicking in the comfort of own home, and I hardly need to urge you all to appreciate the same. My speech would have no meaning if I did not talk of the advantages or benefits associated with online shopping. Online shopping is comfortable; imagine buying your best phone at the comfort of your living room or bedroom. One

Cenozoic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cenozoic - Essay Example Solar radiation change was one of the prime causes of this glaciation during the Cenozoic Period. The later part of this glaciation took place in the high altitudes. Some of the main landforms on this planet were created during this particular period. Among them the mentionable ones are: Tibetan Plateau, Andes and the Himalayas. (Menzies 47) The Mesozoic Extinction survivors continued to live during the Cenozoic Period. This was the time when modern birds appeared for the first time during of their evolutionary journey. Savanna grasslands were seen in many parts of the world. Most of the vertebrates lived in the sea. However, there were insect eaters and herbivores in the lands. A complete extinction of the dinosaurs took place on the course of Cenozoic Period. The Scablands was the main creation in the state of Washington by the flood from Lake Missoula in the Cenozoic Period. The floodwater went to Pacific Ocean from Lake Missoula during this age. According to the records, the rate of flow of this water was 60 times more than the regular flow of Amazon water. The Eastern Washington was entirely flooded by the water which rushed throughout the land at a speed of about 50 miles per hour. Today, the 'Scablands' is the main evidence of this phase in the state of Washington. Cenozoic Period is considered as the recent most period in the world. Therefore surprises with evidences of this era are still found on our planet. One such incident took place in Denmark when a fossil of Cenozoic parrot was discovered there. The wingspan of this parrot is said to be about 20 feet. Northwestern Jutland is the place where the fossil has been discovered. According to the scientists, the fossil belongs to a time period, which is almost 55 million years from now. They have also said that this is one of the oldest parrot species that have been discovered so far. The genus of this parrot, according to the researchers, is known to be Mopsitta. However, the men who discovered it have named it "Danish Blue". (United Press International 2008) References 1. Fossils. University of Waikato, 2008, retrieved from: http://sci.waikato.ac.nz/evolution/FossilCenozoic.shtml on November 17, 2008 2. Age of Mammals: Cenozoic. Te Era, 2005, retrieved from: http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/Geology/Fossils/4/en on November 17, 2008 3. Menzies, John. Modern and Past Glacial Environments: Revised Student Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann. 2002. 4. "Cenozoic Fossil Parrot Found in Denmark". United Press Inter

Effects of Soda Drinks on Health

Effects of Soda Drinks on Health Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tam INTRODUCTION Healthcare has become the primary concerns of public. There are many factors to ensure people health’s quality. Among them, food-stuff has a directly impaction on people health. At the time when food-stuff industry develops swiftly, it is really hard to distinguish between good and bad products. Especially, chemicals have been misused to add on processing products – not only on food, but also on drinks. Soda is the most popular drinks in the world. It appears in over 200 countries. However, not many users know how much sugar and carbonate they consume after drinking a can of those, which has strong affection on their health. This paper will discuss the issue of soda’s influences on people health in the United State and propose some solutions to these problems. DEFINITION Soda – another name of soft drinks or carbonated drinks – is a bizarre mixture of a great deal of sugar (or high fructose corn syrup), corrosive phosphoric acid, caramel coloring and a well-known drug – caffeine (Dillan, 2013). Beverages are usually packed by can, glass or plastic bottle, supper-sized bottle for some kinds. They can be seen in any supermarkets, restaurants or simple junk food stall. Moreover, they are colorful, eyes catching and cheap. It is partly explained the reason they are familiar to the major group of American, especially teenagers and young adults. SITUATION In recent years, people drink more and more soda. One of the biggest consumers is the United State with the sales volume increased up to 170 liters per one year in 2012 (Check, Dodson and Kirk, 2012). There is a big number of people who get addict to soda. According to Coca-Cola, there were 1.7 billion soda servings sold every day in 2010 (Coca-Cola GB, n.d.). Count out of only America, about 48 percent reported drinking at least one glass of soda per day. Among them, 20 percent drank more than 2 glasses (Saad, 2012). Carbonated drink has many reasons to become so popular and addictive. They were sold and advertised everywhere, the price is moderate. Especially, it contains plenty of sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) and caffeine, which provide instant energy and vigilant. However, long term drinking too much sugary drinks can lead to a lot of diseases. New Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) research suggests that roughly 180,000 obesity-related deaths worldwide—includin g 25,000 Americans—were associated with the consumption of sugary drinks (Hsph.harvard.edu, n.d.). PROBLEMS The issue of high soda consumption has led to several problems. Firstly, soda contains big amount of sugar. In 12-ounce can of coke, there are about 39 grams of sugar, which is about 9 1/3 teaspoons (Coffman, 2013). This amount of sugar would transform to about 154 calories in human body. According to American Heart Association (AHA), limit for daily added sugars intake is 100 calories (about 6 teaspoons) for women and 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons) for men (Heart.org, 2014). It can be seen that only a 12-ounce can of coke transcend the maximum sugar permission level for a day. The caloric excess can cause many diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure. Author of The Small Change Diet: 10 Steps to a Thinner, Healthier You, Keri Gans, said that â€Å"One 12-ounce soda a day translates into 16 pounds of extra weight over one year! If you drink one 20-ounce bottle of soda (which contains about 250 calories), you will drink up about 91,000 calories, which translat es into 26 pounds of extra weight!†. The proportion of overweight adults and obese adults in 2014 is 35.3 percent and 27.7 percent respectively. This obesity rate was the highest annual rate Gallup and Healthways have measured since beginning to track obesity in 2008 (McCarthy, 2014). Absorption of lots of sugar caused blood glucose levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called type 2 diabetes. The redundance of glucose in bloodstream can lead to heart and blood vessels diseases, nephropathy, eyes damage (Mayoclinic.org, 2014). Secondly, carbonated beverages brought about several problems of bones and teeth by its phosphoric acid. Tufts University researcher, Katherine Tucker, found that women who drank more than three 12-ounce servings of cola per day had 2.3 to 5.1 percent lower bone mineral density in the hip compared with women who consumed less than one serving per day (Enews.tufts.edu, 2003). Moreover, acid and acidic sugar byproducts in soft drink soften tooth enamel, contributing to tooth decay (Colgate.com, n.d.). Children and teenagers usually do not consume enough calcium in their diet while they drink soda more often. Long term beverages intake can reduce the amount of calcium in their bones and teeth. If this happens day after day, users will be at high risk of osteoporosis. This kind of illness considerably impact on human’s health and daily activities. In addition, beverages usually accommodate a great quantity of caffeine – about 45 to 60 milligrams. Caffeine is a kind of drug because it changes how you brain works. It is also considered to be stimulant. This chemical crosses the blood-brain barrier and gets inside the brain and central nervous system (Scott, 2014). Consumers may feel excited and alert when they use, however, stimulant can brings many bad effects to their body, even their brain. Caffeine not only brings users energy, it also triggers and releases stress hormones. It means the benefit only occur temporarily, after that, the body will feel exhausted and distracted. Drinking too much soda a day is the same with absorbing plenty of caffeine, which can easily cause insomnia, fatigue and stress. In fact, there are some phenomena occur to the abuser of caffeine. Although they are awake, they can not concentrate to what they are doing or feel light-headed – no physical strength. Undoubtedly, soft drink is no t effective as expectation, it just cheat on human’s feeling. Besides, a study of University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has shown thatdrinking sugary drinks was associated with cell aging. â€Å"Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence disease development, not only by straining the body’s metabolic control of sugars, but also through accelerated cellular aging of tissues.† saidElissa Epel, PhD, professor of psychiatry at UCSF and senior author of the study. The survey also indicated daily consumption 20-ounce of sugary drinks shortened life expectancy by 4.6 years (Leung et al., 2014). SOLUTIONS These issues bring a lot of negative aspects, not only for individuals but also for the country and society. However, there are several possible solutions to resolve these problems. The first solution is to raise educational awareness of citizens. To be more specific, schools can give some lectures to both parents and students. The purpose is to show them the terrible consequences of long term taking soda and teach them how to build a healthy diet or how to give up carbonated drinks. For example, they should replace daily Coke by fresh water or less-sugar juice. It is better for their skin and healthier. Besides, organizations related to food-stuff and health should conduct researches and provide convincing evidences to the citizens. It would be better to publish those lectures and researches on media such as television, radio, internets. In other words, this solution is used to gradually change the drinking habits of beverage’s consumers. Furthermore, some kinds of taxes can be increased or imposed heavily, for instance, non-alcohol carbonated drinks tax, plastic bottled beverages tax, advertise tax. There is a fact that beverages’ industry can be succeed like today, thanks to an important part to the advertising and marketing strategies. Coca Cola spent over 4 billion for marketing around the world and 3.3 billion on advertisements in 2013, represented 7 percent of its net sales (Forbes, 2014). In sum, marketing and advertisement play an important role in the level of consumer products. Therefore, restricting advertisements can reduce soda’s popularity and impaction. In January 2014, the Mexican government slapped an extra tax of 8 U.S cents per liter on sugary beverages. The result came out effectively, sale level for the biggest soft drink bottler, Coca Cola Femsa, dropped by 4.6 percent in Mexico during the first half of 2014, compared with the same period of 2013 (Guthrie, 2014). EVALUATION Those solutions above have two sides – advantages and disadvantages. This paragraph will evaluate the proposed solutions and suggest the best one. For the first solution, the good points of it are to change human’s eating habits and bring long-term effects. On the other hand, habits are difficult to change. It is very hard to overcome the psychological obstacles of avoiding favorite beverages. Moreover, to conduct a research or hold a thematic and publish them is simple and cheap. The price of making banners, advertisement or experiments’ devices is pretty high. For these reasons, this solution is time consuming and expensive though it is very effective. In comparison, the second solution succeeds almost immediately. However, it also has disadvantages which are really complex and sensitive. Taxes are under the management of the government, thus imposing new tax may impact the politics and economy problems. Once the genuine items are interfered, the contraband goo ds will take advantage of spreading which can cause serious consequences for customers. Therefore, the best solution should be the long-term increasing educational awareness. CONCLUSION Carbonated beverages have become a part of Americans’ diet. They are usually served with fast food which contains a lot of oil and calories. Totally, their meal accommodates much higher level of calories they need for a day. This prolonged situation can lead to enormous problems. For the purpose of avoiding negative consequences, human should have initiative solutions to solve those problems, especially to raise the awareness of healthcare and nutrients in soda, which cause many influences on people’s health. Overall, soda cause plenty of problems for people’s health, however, human can actively avoid them. REFERENCE LIST Coca-Cola GB, (n.d.).How many cans of Coca‑Cola are sold worldwide in a day? : FAQ. [online] Available at: http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/faq/products/how-many-cans-of-coca-cola-are-sold-worldwide-in-a-day.html [Accessed 15 Dec. 2014]. Coffman, M. (2013).How Many Teaspoons of Sugar Are There in a Can of Coke? | LIVESTRONG.COM. [online] LIVESTRONG.COM. Available at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/283136-how-many-teaspoons-of-sugar-are-there-in-a-can-of-coke/ [Accessed 23 Dec. 2014]. Colgate.com, (n.d.).Soda and Teeth Is Soda Bad for your teeth. [online] Available at: http://www.colgate.com/app/CP/US/EN/OC/Information/Articles/Oral-and-Dental-Health-Basics/Oral-Hygiene/Oral-Hygiene-Basics/article/Soda-or-Pop-Its-Teeth-Trouble-by-Any-Name.cvsp [Accessed 19 Dec. 2014]. Check, D., Dodson, M. and Kirk, C. (2012).Map: Americans Drink More Soda Than Anyone Else in the World. [online] Slate Magazine. Available at: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/map_of_the_week/2012/07/map_of_soda_consumption_americans_drink_more_than_anyone_else_.html [Accessed 15 Dec. 2014]. Dillan, J. (2013).What is in Soda and Why is it so Addictive?. [online] Health Ambition. Available at: http://www.healthambition.com/what-is-in-soda-why-so-addictive/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2014]. Enews.tufts.edu, (2003).Tufts E-News: Soft-Drinks And Bones. [online] Available at: http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/802/2003/09/25/Tucker [Accessed 19 Dec. 2014]. Forbes, (2014). Coca-Colas Brand Building Initiatives Could Shoulder Sluggish CSD Sales. [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/04/02/coca-colas-brand-building-initiatives-could-shoulder-sluggish-csd-sales/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2014]. Gans, K. (2011).The Small Change Diet: 10 Steps to a Thinner, Healthier You. New York: Gallery Books, p.75. Guthrie, A. (2014).Survey Shows Mexicans Drinking Less Soda After Tax. [online] WSJ. Available at: http://www.wsj.com/articles/survey-shows-mexicans-drinking-less-soda-after-tax-1413226009 [Accessed 20 Dec. 2014]. Heart.org, (2014).Frequently Asked Questions About Sugar. [online] Available at: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Frequently-Asked-Questions-About-Sugar_UCM_306725_Article.jsp [Accessed 19 Dec. 2014]. Hsph.harvard.edu, (n.d.).Roughly 180,000 deaths worldwide linked to sugary drink consumption | News | Harvard School of Public Health. [online] Available at: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/roughly-180000-deaths-worldwide-linked-to-sugary-drink-consumption/ [Accessed 20 Dec. 2014]. Leung, C., Laraia, B., Needham, B., Rehkopf, D., Adler, N., Lin, J., Blackburn, E. and Epel, E. (2014). Soda and Cell Aging: Associations Between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Leukocyte Telomere Length in Healthy Adults From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.American Journal of Public Health, [online] 104(12), pp.2425-2431. Available at: http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/10/119431/sugared-soda-consumption-cell-aging-associated-new-study [Accessed 20 Dec. 2014]. Mayoclinic.org, (2014).Type 2 diabetes Complications Diseases and Conditions Mayo Clinic. [online] Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/basics/complications/con-20031902 [Accessed 19 Dec. 2014]. McCarthy, J. (2014).In U.S., Adult Obesity Rate Now at 27.7%. [online] Gallup.com. Available at: http://www.gallup.com/poll/170264/adult-obesity-rate.aspx [Accessed 19 Dec. 2014]. Saad, L. (2012).Nearly Half of Americans Drink Soda Daily. [online] Gallup.com. Available at: http://www.gallup.com/poll/156116/nearly-half-americans-drink-soda-daily.aspx [Accessed 17 Dec. 2014]. Scott, C. (2014).Caffeine: Energy Drinks, Coffee, Soda, Pills. Mason Crest Publisher.

Life Goals in Charles Dickens Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

Life Goals in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations "He came closer to my tombstone, took me by both arms, and tilted me back as far as he could hold me, so that his eyes looked powerfully into mine, and mine looked most helplessly up into his" (3). These lines describe the entrance of the character, Provis, into the life of a young man who goes by the name of Pip. Pip is the protagonist in Great Expectations, the classic novel by Charles Dickens. Written in 1861, Great Expectations tells the life story of Pip, a young man who is born into the working class of England and makes his rise in society as the years progress. During his childhood years, Pip is endowed to his sister, who "brings him up by hand" (5), meaning she uses brute force when in comes to punishment, and punishment is frequent even when not required. This is also the time in his life when Pip meets the convict, Provis, out on the marshes near the church. Provis plays a key role in Pip's rise in society, even though Pip doesn't know it. Throughout the novel, the convict is subconsciously if not consciously on Pip's mind. The reader may not notice this fact at first, but it becomes evident as the novel progresses. Around the end of the novel, Pip finally learns who is the cause for his sudden wealth, and he realizes that his reasons for being ashamed of his family are shallow, so he sets things right. Great Expectations is the goals that Pip has about his life. During his childhood, Pip becomes the playmate to Estella, the adopted daughter of the wealthy Miss Havisham. Immediately, he falls in love with her, but she feels that she is socially above him and therefore he is not worthy of her. Upon first meeting Pip, Estella, upon hearing that she is to play cards with him, immediately remarks, "With this boy! Why, he is a common labouring-boy!" (55). Estella scorns Pip from the first day she meets him. Pip wants to be better for Estella and becomes ashamed of his family, because they are common townspeople. Estella is the reason for Pip's first expectation of becoming part of the upperclass. This aim is fulfilled when Pip learns that he has "come into a handsome property" (129) and he is to "be brought up as gentleman- in a word, as a young fellow of great expectations" (129).

Discuss Moral Values

Societies have ideally tried to uphold higher ethical standards and moral values as the code of conduct for all members. Individuals try to behave according to such standards but in reality what is construed as moral or immoral are generally relative to the values adhered to by the individual (Fisher, 2005). If the person values money and wealth, then being unscrupulous in doing business to gain more profits will not be immoral. On the other hand if the individual values justice and fairness, then his/her behavior would naturally be in accordance with such values ands is expected to be morally upright.In the corporate world there is more room for less moral restraints and unethical behavior. Corporations promote competitiveness and reward those who are able to close the biggest deal or to get the largest customer or the greatest profit which means that individuals will likely pursue these goals without any qualms of whether it is moral or not. For example, the corporate scandals in t he stock exchange was said to have been done to drive the stock price upwards falsely even if it meant cheating the shareholders of their money.It is immoral to cheat or to take advantage of other people but for those in the corporate world, it is the usual way of doing business. Some corporations are so competitive that even employees themselves try to outsmart each other and get on top, even if it meant backstabbing, falsely accusing others or even claiming credit for other people’s work. However, not all companies are run this way, some try to be just and honest, but if the organization does not promote a culture of positive moral values then their employees would really not be required to behave as such.

“Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White Essay

1.In paragraphs two, ten, and twelve of â€Å"Once More to the Lake,† White’s brilliant use of metaphors, similes, and personification illustrates a lucid image of the speaker’s intertwining past and present for the reader. White starts paragraph ten with a fragment, â€Å"Peace and goodness and jollity,† and creates a great emphasis on his past and current feelings. He continues to illustrate his past memories with a personification of the vocal senses as he explains the sound of the motorboats; â€Å"the one-lungers throbbed and fluttered, and the twin-cylinder ones purred and purred, and that was a quiet sound too.† He then compares this beautiful memory of the past to his current experience of the outboard powerboats, and exclaims, â€Å"These motors †¦ whined about one’s ears like mosquitoes.† This contrasting simile outlines the speaker’s transition from one point of time to another within his illusion. He continues to use a metaphor to describe the behavior of the old boats, and explains, â€Å"The boat would leap ahead, charging bull-fashion at the dock.† After a thunderstorm passes, White describes his son as he is entering the water; â€Å"As he buckled the swollen belt suddenly my groin felt the chill of death.† The â€Å"chill of death† is a metaphor for the truth White finds himself a part of, even though he is experiencing both his past and present. He realizes that the life course that leads to death starts with birth, and that his son’s maturity also means that the end of White is approaching. This, along with his allusion between past and present, allow White to develop his universal truth within his text. At first, while his illusion from the similar shape of the outdoors gives the false perception that time has not past, his pinpointing of the different identities of the son and father serves as testimony that the cycle from birth to death is universal. 2.In â€Å"Once More to the Lake,† White utilizes connotative words and phrases to establish the illusion that is the connection between childhood and adulthood. In his return to the lake, many years after his childhood, White confronts multiple changes as he struggles with the illusion that the peaceful world of his childhood, and his present existence within it, remain the same. In paragraph one, White describes the things that remind him of past memories with the words, â€Å"Restlessness of the tides and the fearful cold of the sea water and the incessant wind.† These words all have negative  connotations, and let the reader know that the speaker’s present experiences make him wish to go back â€Å"to revisit old haunts.† These words and their negative connotations are crucial to the nature of the illusion the speaker is describing. It provides the pretext of why he wishes for memories of his past. White says, while fishing with his son; â€Å"I looked at the boy who was silently watching his fly, and it was my hands that held his rod, my eyes watching. I felt dizzy and didn’t know which rod I was at the end of.† These connotative words allow White to establish a connection between young and old, past and present, then and now. These linked ideas blur the line between birth and death, and serve to establish the truth that the cycle from creation and mortality is universal. 3.White employs many descriptive details throughout his story. He creates contrasting symbols, almost placed as an antithesis, to illustrate his realization of age, and the universality of life to death. Taking his son fishing is the event that convinces him â€Å"beyond any doubt that everything was as it always had been, that the years were a mirage and that there had been no years.† A dragonfly that lands on the tip of his son’s fishing rod ignites this feeling that the two, both son and father, are the same individual. When he lowered the tip of his rod â€Å"into the water, tentatively, pensively dislodging the fly, which darted two feet away, poised, darted two feet back, and came to rest again a little farther up the rod,† he asserts that â€Å"there had been no years between the ducking of this dragonfly and the other one – the one that was part of memory.† Here, White’s language has bulls-eye precision, and the dragon fly is transformed into a representation of the continuous cycle of life and death. The present mixing with his past experience is again validated with details of the lake that â€Å"had never been what you would call a wild lake.† It is a calm, tranquil, and bounded place where youth is apparent. Here, the lake represents the familiarity of one’s past. This description is contrasted with the sea, as it comes right after the description of the endless body of water. The sea has the remnant memories of â€Å"restlessness of the tides and the fearful cold of the sea water and the incessant wind.† The sea symbolizes the harshness of aging, while the lake symbolizes the familiarity and safety of youth and the past.

Cómo recuperar la ciudadanía americana

Cà ³mo recuperar la ciudadanà ­a americana Es posible que una persona que en el pasado fue ciudadano de los Estados Unidos y perdià ³ esa condicià ³n puede recuperar la ciudadanà ­a, siempre y cuando se cumplan los requisitos que pide la ley. Es cierto que en la actualidad, y con las leyes que hoy aplican, es muy difà ­cil que un ciudadano de los Estados Unidos pierda su nacionalidad, excepto en los casos de hechos gravà ­simos en contra del paà ­s o cuando una persona asà ­ se desea expresamente. Sin embargo, hasta hace poco, era  un hecho no infrecuente. En este artà ­culo se informa quià ©nes perdà ­an segà ºn las leyes antiguas y pierden segà ºn las actuales la ciudadanà ­a de forma involuntaria y quià ©nes pueden recuperarla, quà © requisitos deben cumplir y quà © trmites deben seguir. Casos en los que antes se poda perder la nacionalidad de EEUU involuntariamente Hace aà ±os, las leyes que regulaban la nacionalidad americana eran distintas de las actuales y,  bajo la legislacià ³n que aplicaba en el pasado, un buen nà ºmero de ciudadanos perdieron la ciudadanà ­a sin que esa fuese su voluntad, simplemente porque asà ­ era la ley. Por ejemplo, y en primer lugar, las personas nacidas fuera de Estados Unidos entre 1934 y 1978 y que adquirà ­an la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense porque uno de sus padres tenà ­a dicha nacionalidad, podà ­an perderla si no se mudaban a Estados Unidos y tenà ­an presencia fà ­sica en este paà ­s por un nà ºmero de aà ±os. Es lo que se conocà ­a como el requisito de retencià ³n.   Asimismo, en segundo lugar, en el pasado y antes de que Estados Unidos reconociese la doble nacionalidad  se castigaba con la pà ©rdida de la ciudadanà ­a a los estadounidenses que adquirà ­an otra nacionalidad. Incluso aà ºn despuà ©s de admitirla, surgà ­an problemas para los americanos que vivà ­an en un paà ­s del que tambià ©n eran nacionales que prohibà ­a la doble nacionalidad y exigà ­a, en algà ºn momento, la renuncia al pasaporte americano para poder conservar el del paà ­s en el que vivà ­an. Incluso algunos paà ­ses exigà ­an prestar unos juramentos de lealtad, que las oficinas consulares americanas consideraban que eran una renuncia a la ciudadanà ­a de los Estados Unidos. En tercer lugar, otro caso en los que la ley preveà ­a la pà ©rdida de nacionalidad se daba cuando con anterioridad a septiembre de 1922 un estadounidense que residà ­a fuera de EE.UU se casaban con un extranjero. En cuarto lugar, otro ejemplo de pà ©rdida de nacionalidad involuntaria era el de las personas que adquirà ­an la nacionalidad mediante naturalizacià ³n y la perdà ­an si no continuaban residiendo dentro de los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, tener en cuenta que esto ya no sucede ahora. Por à ºltimo, y en quinto lugar, un caso distinto pero relacionado con este tema es el hecho de que con anterioridad a 1934 los nià ±os nacidos en otro paà ­s sà ³lo podà ­an adquirir la ciudadanà ­a americana por parte paterna. Es decir, los nià ±os nacidos fuera de Estados Unidos que eran hijos de mujer estadounidense y padre extranjero no recibà ­an la ciudadanà ­a. Se puede recuperar la nacionalidad estadounidense? En primer lugar destacar que cuando la ciudadanà ­a se pierde de un modo voluntario es para siempre. No hay vuelta atrs, asà ­ que antes de dar el paso es conveniente pensarlo mucho e incluso consultarlo con un abogado de inmigracià ³n. Los casos ms comunes son los de renuncia para no pagar impuestos. En lo que respecta a los casos de pà ©rdida involuntaria, la respuesta depende del caso. En algunos casos no es posible recuperar la ciudadanà ­a de los Estados Unidos, mientras que en otros sà ­. Y es que la Ley de Correcciones Tà ©cnicas de Inmigracià ³n y Naturalizacià ³n que se aprobà ³ en 1994 y que se conoce por sus siglas en inglà ©s de INTCA abrià ³ el camino a posibles recuperaciones en casos especà ­ficos. Por ejemplo, por aplicacià ³n de esta ley se reconoce la ciudadanà ­a americana a las personas nacidas fuera de los Estados Unidos con anterioridad al 24 de mayo de 1934 que tenà ­an un   padre extranjero pero madre ciudadana cuando à ©sta cumplà ­a el requisito de aà ±os vividos en EU antes del nacimiento del hijo o hija, al que ahora por aplicacià ³n de INTCA se le reconoce su condicià ³n de estadounidense. Adems, se establece un camino para la recuperacià ³n de la nacionalidad para todas aquellas personas nacidas fuera de EU entre 1934 y 1978 y que la habà ­an adquirido al nacer porque uno de sus padres eran estadounidenses pero ms tarde la perdieron por no cumplir el requisito para retenerla de presencia fà ­sica en los Estados Unidos. La forma a seguir, por aplicacià ³n de la seccià ³n 324 (d) de la Ley de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (INA) es hablar con el consulado o embajada de los Estados Unidos ms cercano al lugar de residencia y solicitar prestar el juramento de lealtad al paà ­s. Lo que se conoce en inglà ©s como el oath of allegiance. Y con esto es suficiente para recuperar la ciudadanà ­a. A mayores, aunque no es necesario sà ­ que es conveniente solicitar un Certificado de Ciudadanà ­a (formulario N-600) para poder probarla y tambià ©n para pedir algunos de los posibles beneficios como, por ejemplo, el pasaporte. Asimismo, desde 2002 podrà ­an recuperar la nacionalidad estadounidense las personas que la perdieron con anterioridad al 22 de septiembre de 1922 por haberse casado con un extranjero y residir fuera de los Estados Unidos. Y tambià ©n los que con posterioridad a dicha fecha la perdieron por contraer matrimonio con un extranjero considerado como inelegible para la ciudadanà ­a.   En estos dos à ºltimos casos del prrafo anterior,   la recuperacià ³n se hace mediante un trmite de naturalizacià ³n. Hay que cumplir con requisitos adicionales y en algunos casos incluso no es necesario. Por sus particularidades, las personas en estos casos de pà ©rdida de nacionalidad por cuestià ³n de matrimonio deberà ­an asesorarse con un abogado sobre el procedimiento a seguir. En los dems casos en los que se ha dejado de ser americano involuntariamente se pueden escribir una carta muy detallada con especificaciones de su caso y pidiendo recuperar la ciudadanà ­a. Incluir entre otros datos el nombre completo, la fecha y lugar de nacimiento, telà ©fonos de contacto, las razones por las que se pierde la ciudadanà ­a y tambià ©n cul era la intencià ³n hacia dicha ciudadanà ­a en el momento en que se produce la pà ©rdida. Enviar la informacià ³n a: U.S. Department of StateOffice of Leal Affairs (CA/OCS/L)600 19th  Street, N.W.- 10th  Floor600 19th Street, NWWashington, D.C. 20431 Si se utiliza servicio de correo exprà ©s. Por el contrario, si se utiliza correo ordinario la direccià ³n es la siguiente: U. S. Department of StateDirectorOffice of Legal Affairs (CA/OCS/L)Overseas Citizens ServicesU.S. Department of StateSA-17, 10th FloorWashington, D.C. 20522-1707 Tambià ©n se puede contactar por correo electrà ³nico, telà ©fono o fax: Tel: 202-736-9110Fax: 202-736-9111Email:  ASKPRIstate.gov Corresponde al gobierno decidir si concede o no la peticià ³n para que una persona recupere la ciudadanà ­a y lo har teniendo en cuenta los mà ©ritos particulares de cada caso. Es conveniente saber que el proceso puede demorarse varios meses antes de tener una respuesta. Lo habitual es una demora entre 4 y 6 meses. Por à ºltimo, si la peticià ³n es concedida la persona tendr que jurar lealtad a los Estados Unidos  y sà ³lo a partir de entonces volver a gozar de los derechos de ser americano como, por ejemplo, votar en las elecciones, ser elegido representante, viajar con pasaporte de ese paà ­s, tener acceso a ayudas sociales reservadas para ciudadanos y pedir los papeles para familiares. Aclaraciones, derechos y obligaciones a tener en cuenta Por lo tanto, los hijos que se tuvieron en el tiempo en el que una persona perdià ³ la ciudadanà ­a y antes de recuperarla no obtienen automticamente ningà ºn beneficio, en otras palabras, no se convierten ni en ciudadanos ni residentes permanentes. Sin embargo, si se cumplen los requisitos, la persona que fue ciudadana, perdià ³ la ciudadanà ­a y posteriormente la recuperà ³, podrà ­a iniciar los trmites para pedir la green card para esos hijos y otros familiares  en el momento en que recupera la ciudadanà ­a.   Asimismo, tener en todo momento presente que la ciudadanà ­a americana brinda derechos, lo cierto es que tambià ©n lleva aparejada obligaciones, incluso para las personas que residen habitualmente o siempre fuera de los Estados Unidos. Respecto a esos à ºltimos, siguen obligados  pago de impuestos  y, en el caso de varones, es aconsejable familiarizarse con el Servicio Selectivo, ya que es necesario registrarse. Este artà ­culo es meramente informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Me going throgh the interior castle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Me going throgh the interior castle - Essay Example That has helped me understand life in a better manner, and removed my ignorance. Kneeling, I begin to pray and I see her disappear like a wisp of smoke, dissolving in to air. An inner vision gives me a sense that I am praying before a large â€Å"castle formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions.† (P.38-39) An understanding dawns on me that my soul is pure dignified, it is where my god would choose to dwell; it is the place where I can find him. To be one with my god I have to eschew the elements of bad in me, and focus on the good in the world, which only the soul could make me recognize. My body only compare to the coarse exterior of a beauty that lies within me. I beseech my lord to give me entry in to the interior of this magnificent castle. I can see a few people hanging out in the courtyards, some thronging around tables filled with food while others encircle what looked like a roulette fable, but the food, despite its inviting aroma, and the jingle of the gold coins that clatter on the roulette table, fail to evoke any sense of interest in me. Sentinels who stand guard also seem to ignore them. I keep praying and the vision of a gate emerges. Crowding on either side are silhouettes of men and women who appear through a misty shroud like pale apparitions. But all of them seem to be unsure whether to enter the gate or not. They look at me, as if sizing me up; questioning the propriety of by being there. I hesitate for a moment, a feeling of confusion foreboding me. Wailing sounds ring inside my ear and my mind conjures up the images of grotesque figures lamenting about their miseries. â€Å"The soulless spirits of sinners†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I whisper. My steps begin to waver as I approached the threshold and I hold my palms together, fingers of each hand pressing hard against the back of the other. The image

LANGUAGE TESTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

LANGUAGE TESTING - Essay Example This form of direct oral testing is known variously as "oral interview", "oral test", or "oral examination". I will refer to it here as "oral examination", as I am dealing mainly with examinations in a university context. The literature on language testing has identified a number of unsolved problems with oral examinations. Much of the discussion has centred on the issues of validity and reliability, but problems in the practical administration of oral examinations have also received comment. The fundamental problems with oral examinations are those of reliability (i.e. the consistency with which different examiners mark the same test, or with which the same examiner marks a test on different occasions) and validity (i.e. whether or not an oral test assesses what it sets out to assess). The reliability of oral examinations has been seen as a serious problem right from the start of research on this topic. Spelberg et al. (2002) report very low correlations, averaging only .41, between the marks of different examiners, although Taguchi (2005) points out that "the nine examiners who marked sixteen candiates [ . . . ] in this study did not have marking schemes, were given no training, were unstandardized and were given no criteria for judging candidates ability", so the discrepancies in their judgements are perhaps not such a surprise. Spelberg (2000) describes the usual ways of testing oral ability as "impressions from memory or haphazard interviews" and writes that "the vast majority of cases [ . . . ] are not reliably separated into levels of speaking ability by this approach, because of the complexity of the language and non-language factors involved". Michael (2001) states that for tests based on free conversation "the problems of sampling, and reliable scoring ar e almost insoluble, unless a great deal of time and many