Childhood Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Childhood Obesity - Essay Example It has related obesity and performances among teenage girls in both the U.K and United States. Research has been carried out in various universities where grades have been compared to the obesity levels in girls. The researches have been caused by the numerous cases of obesity that have affected school grades. During the test, students were examined their abilities in Math, English and science (Poon 2014). Results show that obese girls acquired poor grades in the tested subjects. The studies were conducted in universities and colleges. On the contrary, the blog has proved to be false in some of the comments because other researchers have shown that both obese girls and boys have gained poor grades (Poon, 2014). Moreover, other contradicting results have been obtained from studies that have highlighted obese girls who have achieved better grades. Some psychologists have argued that there is the presence of other factors that lead to low grades in schools. The obese girls may have had other issues rather than health complications that led to their poor performance. The podcast has included discussions on the rising cases of obesity in the United States and their cause of health threats to the population (Gardner, 2010). The main presenter is Doctor Grossman who claims that parents should adopt the right programs to help their obese children. However, the doctor has used bogus claims on the consequences instead of focusing on prevention of obesity. Families should adopt obesity prevention methods to prevent their children from health complications. Prevention strategies should include the abolition of junk foods from homes and provision of advices on the dangers of obesity. Programs should include more contact time between parents and their children because they help in the sharing of knowledge about obesity (Gardner, 2010). Children should be encouraged to practice regularly rather than staying indoors and playing video games. The TV

Specific ways in which the internet has changed the way businesses Essay - 5

Specific ways in which the internet has changed the way businesses operate in the global marketplace - Essay Example Without a doubt, like any other technology tools or applications, this technology is just a technology and it depends on a firm how effectively they make use of this technology. In fact, if this technology is used effectively it can bring a large number of opportunities for the business organizations. For instance, the use of the Internet allows business organizations to catch attention of new customers, retain business relationships with old customers and suppliers, deliver its products and services in a better way, communicate with customers and other stakeholders through more efficient and professional ways, gather data about customers, preferences and retrieve it speedily, and buy and sell more products. In addition, a large number of firms have attempted to make use of the Internet as extraordinary much more than it is (Ray 269). The majority of business organizations as well as individuals are moving their businesses from traditional business infrastructures to web based business environments, believing that by some means this would differentiate them from other business organizations. Without a doubt, a business organization can make use of this wonderful technology in a number of ways and in every application of the Internet brings a wide variety of benefits. In each for, Internet technology offers a number of capabilities. For instance, the Internet plays the role of a bridge for the communication of data. In addition, the Internet is a system that establishes and retains connections with any computer connected to it. In fact, if a company puts its full efforts to have control over these two rules or facilities, it can make use of this technology with greatest aptitude to improve the business (Ray 269). Moreover, the Internet minimizes the gap between the organizations and their customers as it allows business organizations to get access to global markets and reach broad categories of people at the

The liberal and critical theory account of economic globalization Essay

The liberal and critical theory account of economic globalization - Essay Example tional contexts beyond national boundaries, critics like Ellen Meiksins Wood have been arguing on the extent of interference practiced by these international institutions and its implications on national powers. According to Wood (2005), problems related to globalization, such as â€Å"the social injustices, the growing gaps between rich and poor, ‘democratic deficits, ecological degradation and so on† are the consequences of capitalism (pp. 14). Wood (2005) thus argues that â€Å"capitalism, whether national or global, is driven by certain systematic imperatives of competition, profit-maximization and accumulation, which inevitably require putting ‘exchange-value’ before ‘use-value’ and profit before people† (pp. 14). While an optimistic view of liberalism will justify this particular opinion, a critical view to the notion shall be much emphasized to argue on behalf of capitalist theorists, stressing on the negatives associated with the same (KukoÄ , 2009). The critical theory thus asserts that globalization has made it possible for a handful of economies and institutional members to enjoy the wealth and resources within their global â€Å"playing field†, leading to graver sufferings of weaker and vulnerable economies (Bohman, 2004). As the two theories, liberalism on one hand and capitalism on the other, argue on the positives and negatives associated with globalization, this essay will aim at examining both these standpoints to conclude whether globalization can be held responsible for the increasing inequality in resource allocation causing poverty or it actually functions in reducing such disparities. Influences caused by international institutions will also be considered in the disc ussion henceforth to obtain a succinct understanding of the issue in concern. A nation might be said of having a comparative advantage if it can produce a particular good or service in a much efficient and cost effective manner as compared to other countries, which is only

Egyptian Cultural Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Egyptian Cultural - Term Paper Example Ancient Egyptians relied on cosmology to prophesize what the future holds. They exhibit a â€Å"set of values and a cluster of ideas that made them Egyptian rather than Ethiopian or Greek.† 1 In this modern era, an Egyptian is identified no longer by a particular genotype or language; â€Å"rather is comprised of many different people who participate in one general Arab culture.† 2 As it happens, being an Egyptian is like being American; the term is associated to citizenship. Egyptians were legendary for revering their pharaohs not merely as rulers, but gods. Today, Islam is the most prevalent religion in the country, with Christianity and Judaism that both adhered to the teachings of Jesus Christ, as the minor group. Islam was introduced by the Arabs during the 600 A.D. It points to Allah as the one God, and indoctrinates the philosophies of the prophet Mohammad. Muslims, as the followers refer to themselves, read from their holy book Qur’an and pray to Allah fi ve times daily (Moscovitch 2008). â€Å"Long years of coercion and exploitation by foreign ruling powers and native autocratic states have left its mark on the Egyptian personality.†3 Based on their current political situation, the fact evidently shaped the character of the Egyptians and their attitudes towards the government. It is an Islamic ideology to concentrate power in one person, the Caliph, and hail him the "ruler of the world", and this remains the main characteristic of all the Muslim rulers in Egypt (Fahmy 2002). Muhammad Ali who led Egypt from 1805 to 1848, Gamal Abd al-Nasser from 1952 to 1970, Mu?ammad Anwar el-Sadat from 1970 to 1981, and Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak from 1981 to 2011 all epitomized a government of absolute despotism; the â€Å"executive, civilian, military, and judicial functions†4 are vested solely upon the head of the state. In despotic states the nature of government requires the most passive obedience and when once the prince's wi ll is made known, it ought infallibly to produce its effect. Here they have no limitations or restrictions, no mediums, terms, equivalents or remonstrance, no change to propose, man is a creature that blindly submits to the absolute will of the sovereign.5 II. POLITICAL REVOLUTION IN EGYPT: CAUSE AND IMPACT Countless protests are heard throughout Egypt; nevertheless, it is believed that the tensions rooted from these three issues: 1) Muslim terrorism that lead to some 200 deaths in the following 18 months during the 1990s, 2) the ratification of the Martial Law that imprisoned around 2000 militants mostly associated with the Muslim Brotherhood—a mainstream movement in Egypt with followers at all levels of society, and 3) the allegation of the Coptic Christians concerning mistreatments by the government and its failure to put the sought-after democracy into practice (History World 2010). In his 30 years of presidency, Mubarak retained the emergency laws initiated by his predec essor. These laws gave him a greater presidential power â€Å"including the right to appoint the Cabinet, without any provision for parliamentary majority, and the role of supreme commander of the armed forces, and chief policy-maker in matters of security, diplomacy, and the economy.†6 The president was ousted in a national uprising on February 11, 2011, making way for constitutional

Stages in Consumer Decision Making Process Essay Example for Free

Stages in Consumer Decision Making Process Essay An individual who purchases products and services from the market for his/her own personal consumption is called as consumer.To understand the complete process of consumer decision making, let us first go through the following example:Tim went to a nearby retail store to buy a laptop for himself. The store manager showed him all the latest models and after few rounds of negotiations, Tim immediately selected one for himself.In the above example Tim is the consumer and the laptop is the product which Tim wanted to purchase for his end-use. Why do you think Tim went to the nearby store to purchase a new laptop ?The answer is very simple. Tim needed a laptop. In other words it was actually Tim’s need to buy a laptop which took him to the store.The Need to buy a laptop can be due to any of the following reasons: * His old laptop was giving him problems. * He wanted a new laptop to check his personal mails at home. * He wanted to gift a new laptop to his wife. * He needed a new laptop to start his own business. Look more:Â  the consumer buying process begins when essay The store manager showed Tim all the samples available with him and explained him the features and specifications of each model. This is called information. Tim before buying the laptop checked few other options as well. The information can come from various other sources such as newspaper, websites, magazines, advertisements, billboards etc. This explains the consumer buying decision process. 1. Step 1 Need is the most important factor which leads to buying of products and services. Need infact is the catalyst which triggers the buying decision of individuals. An individual who buys cold drink or a bottle of mineral water identifies his/her need as thirst. However in such cases steps such as information search and evaluation of alternatives are generally missing. These two steps are important when an individual purchases expensive products/services such as laptop, cars, mobile phones and so on. 2. Step 2 When an individual recognizes his need for a particular product/service he tries to gather as much information as he can. An individual can acquire information through any of the following sources: * Personal Sources He might discuss his need with his friends, family members, co workers and other acquaintances. * Commercial sources Advertisements, sales people (in Tim’s case it was the store manager), Packaging of a particular product in many cases prompt individuals to buy the same, Displays (Props, Mannequins etc) * Public sources Newspaper, Radio, Magazine * Experiential sources Individual’s own experience, prior handling of a particular product (Tim would definitely purchase a Dell laptop again if he had already used one) 3. Step 3 The next step is to evaluate the various alternatives available in the market. An individual after gathering relevant information tries to choose the best option available as per his need, taste and pocket. 4. Step 4 After going through all the above stages, customer finally purchases the product. 5. Step 5 The purchase of the product is followed by post purchase evaluation. Post purchase evaluation refers to a customer’s analysis whether the product was useful to him or not, whether the product fulfilled his need or not?

History of Catherine II of Russia

History of Catherine II of Russia Catherine II of Russia Catherine II of Russia who is commonly referred as Catherine the Great was the Russian Empress from 1762 until her death in 1796. Catherine’s real names were â€Å"Yekaterina II Velikaya†. She was in the category of the â€Å"Enlightened despots† who were rulers influenced by the enlightened principles that embraced religious tolerance, freedom of speech, press and property. Catherine was born as Sophie Augusta Fredirica to her father Christian August., the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst and her mother Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein Gottorp. She thus was from a noble family. She received her education from a French governess and included other tutors. Catherine’s parents were devout Lutherans. In 1745 she was to married to Tsar Peter of Holstein Gottorp becoming the Princess. Because of her ambition to get married and become a princess, she abandoned her father’s religion and instead converted to Orthodox Church. The eminent marriage also forced her to learn French, which she did with so much effort to an extent that she got a severe pneumonia attack, because of walking barefoot in her bedroom repeating the Russian lessons. Her and her husband Peter settled in the Palace of Oranienbaum. Unfortunately her husband was immature and impotent and became unfaithful to her. This eventually led to the breakup of their marriage. Catherine read widely on and befriended many powerful political groups that opposed her husband. Empress Elizabeth died on 1762 and Peter succeeded her to become Peter III of Russia. This made them move to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. Automatically Catherine became the Empress. By then they had a son named Paul who was the heir-apparent in case of the father’s death. In July of that year, there was a bloodless coup where Peter was dethroned by the Leib Guard who were the military personal guards of the Emperor of Russia. The throne was bequeathed to Catherine; she reigned till she died in 1796. After six months as a Prince and three days after disposition, Peter III died at Ropsha. Catherine the great was very intelligent, hardworking and had a very strong will. Her ambition to become the Empress of Russia saw her strike sharply at those who seemed to try and replace her with the rightful heir of the throne, Paul her eldest son. In her reign Catherine broadened Russian Empires’ boarders both to the south and the north absorbing new Russia, Crimea, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus and Courland. Catherine was eventually able to expand the Russian territory to 518,000 kilometer squared. This was not an easy task bearing in mind that the expansion was at the expense of the Ottoman Empire and the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. She was able to achieve all this through a very shrewd statesman named Nikita Panin. In her initial years of her reign, Catherine directed most of her efforts towards making her position in the throne more stable. This was to enable her have an extended period of peace in order for her to be effective in other domestic affairs and foreign affairs. She understood the essence of a cautious foreign policy, which Panin did on her behalf. Panin fell out with her after his plans to counter the power of the Bourbon and Habsburg who had formed a league failed. It was not until 1764 that she felt secure and stable enough to start working on reformation towards improving social conditions in Russia. For such expansive reformation Catherine utilized the ideas of the enlightenment. It was through such ideas that she undertook to change Russia’s old legal system that was inefficient because it was based on the code of laws that dated from 1649. Towards this end she came up with a proposal she called â€Å"The instructions† which was circulated through out Europe and turned out to be a sensation. This is because it provided for a very advanced level of legal system. The legal system was to be enshrined on the principles of equal protection and prevention of criminal acts. This was as opposed to the previous method of meting out harsh punishment. In 1767 Catherine formed a legislative commission to revise the old laws using â€Å"The instruction† as the basis. The commission failed the set purpose leading to the suspension of the review. After Panin fell out with Catherine in 1781, she replaced him with Alexander Bezborodko who was a Ukrainian born councilor. Because of her ideas from the Enlightment, Catherine commissioned the Court betskoy whose sole purpose was to draw up plans to ensure the provision of education for all boys and girls through out Russia. The type of education she advocated for was the European style. As a result of her efforts schools and universities were established throughout Russia. This led to the foundation, for the first time of special girls’ schools in Russia. This also led to the establishment of a medical college whose sole purpose was to provide adequate health care for all the citizens. One good example is the Smolny Institute for girls, which was founded in St. Petersburg. Catherine rarely used violence to consolidate power and strengthen her grip on Russia. However, she resorted to other methods that usually proved very effective. For example during her time the church had become quite powerful, to weaken it she seized the church’s wealth and then employed the clergy as state employees. Foreign affairs demanded much of her attention between 1768 and1774. Catherine made Russia as the most powerful empire during this time. This came about after the first Russo-Turkish war against the Ottoman Empire. This war included the Battle of Chesma (1770) and the battle of Kagul (1770). This war began after Catherine sent Russian troops to support her former lover Stanislaw Poniatowski, who she wanted to suppress a revolt that had come about because of Russia’s influence in Poland. The revolution got support from Turkey and Austria. However, after two years lengthy negotiations with Turkey led to ceasefire. Catherine was very persuasive which came in handy at this time. This enabled Russia gain a foothold on the Black Sea. Acquisition of the right to the Black Sea was an important milestone. This was because Russian merchant ships acquired the right of sea whereby they could sail and passing through the Dardanelles which was an important European waterway. Also from the negotiations the vast steppes of modern South Ukraine were incorporated in the Russia Empire. In 1783 Catherine, in her quest for expansion annexed the Crimea, this led to the second Russo- Turkish war (1787-1792) where the Ottoman Empire sort to regain the lands it had lost to Russia during the first Russo Turkish war (1768-1774). The Ottoman troops lost miserably which led to the signing of the Treaty of Jassy. The treaty led to the end of the Second war and led to the confirmation of Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea. This was because from this treaty Russia’s claim to the Crimea was legitimatized. In 1773 in the Volga River Basin a peasant revolt led by Cossack started but was crushed by the Imperial forces when Cossack was captured in 1774, this was the only time that peace was realized for some time which enabled Catherine concentrate on domestic affairs, especially affairs that concerned the functioning of the government. It was during this time that the education standards were raised. Catherine played a very important role in shaping the role of Russia in the field of diplomacy. In the European foreign issues, Russia under Catherine played a very instrumental role in mediating on disputes that sometimes led to war. She mediated in the War of the Bavarian succession (1778-1779), between Prussia and Austria. It was through Catherine also that Russia witnessed the partitioning of Poland, where all the commonwealth territory with Prussia and Austria were divided. After all these expansion Russia turned into a vast empire that was in position to compete with other European neighbors. On the art and sciences scene, Catherine played a critical role. She viewed art and science as a means through which Russia could be recognized as a civilization centre. St Petersburg was turned into a great and dazzling capital. Through her patronage, theatre, music, painting and other form of art improved tremendously. She developed a manual for the education of children which she borrowed from the ideas of John Locke a famous English Philosopher. She established the famous Smolny Institute. It was established for the purpose of educating ladies from noble families and rich merchants. This institute became one of the best institutes not only in Russia, but the whole of Europe as well. Catherine was a prolific writer and exchanged ideas and correspondence leading philosophers and writers like Voltaire and Diderot. She wrote plays, fables Satires and memoirs. The Russian age of ‘age of Imitation’ happened during her reign where the Russians imported and studied the classical works from Europe. She spent millions of Rubles to build the Hermitage art collection. Today, Hermitage Museums that occupies the whole of the Winter Palace is one of the largest Museums in the world with one of the largest art collections totaling to over three million. Despite her great support of art, during her reign there was censorship of the press and publications and sometimes writers were exiled. For example Radishcev after publishing The Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow which addressed the poor leaving standards of the peasant serfs, he was exiled to Siberia. After converting from Lutheran to Orthodoxy, Catherine became indifferent to religion. Thus she never hesitated to suppress any religious dissent and never allowed dissenters to build chapels. However she exploited the Christian faith by promoting the protection of Christians under the Turkish rule. This was to ensure the weakening of the Ottoman Empire. After the partitioning of Poland she sort to control the Roman Catholics. On the other hand, Russia became a safe haven for The Society of Jesus whose members were running away from the persecution of Jesuits across Europe. Catherine the Great personal life was characterized by multiple lovers. She had a total of around 13 lovers in her reign that included Alexander Potemkin. Potemkin was a former lover who she had fallen off with but he continued to select future lovers for her. Catherine was kind to her lovers even after breaking up with them. She had a reputation of rewarding them handsomely. Works Cited Alexander, John.T â€Å"Catherine II, Bubonic Plague, and the Problem of Industry in Moscow† The American Historical Review, Vol. 79, No.3. (Jun, 1974), pp.637-671. Cruse, Mark. The memoirs of Catherine the Great. New York: Modern Library, 2005. Dukes, Paul. Catherine the Great and the Russian Nobility: A Study Based of the Legislative Commission of 1767.Cambridge at the University Press, 1967 Haslip, Joan. Catherine the Great: A Biography .New York: G.P Putnam’s, 1977 Rasmussen, Karen â€Å"Catherine II and the Image of Peter I† Slavic Review, Vol. 37, No. 1. (Mar., 1978), pp.51-69. Thomas, Gladys Scott. Catherine the Great and the Expansion of Russia. London: The English Universities Press, 1947 Waters, Brenda Meehan-â€Å"Catherine the Great and the Problem of Female Rule† Russian Review, Vol. 34, No. 3. (Jul., 1975), pp.293-307.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula Essay -- Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula Evil features in both ‘Dracula’ and ‘Frankenstein’ but the personification of this evil is different in both novels. A feeling of menace and doom pervades ‘Dracula’ because of his supernatural powers. One feels that he has control of the evil and he has the power to manipulate the environment and people for his own ends. ‘Frankenstein’ centres on the creation of a monster made from parts of dead bodies and the fear created by the monster due to circumstance and the ignorance of society. Also, one feels a certain amount of apprehension that the monster is deserted by his creator and loses control without his support and guidance. The novels were written in the 19th century, ‘Frankenstein’ was first published in 1818 and ‘Dracula’ was first published in 1897. In this century there was a fanaticism with Gothic horror stories and these novels reflect this. In the last century, a wide audience would have appreciated these novels, although they are not great literary accomplishments, people of that period enjoyed reading this type of story, filled with horror, suspense and intrigue. The very idea that such an evil and frightening creature could exist shocked and aroused the curiosity of many people at this time. Society in the last century was extremely corrupt and immoral, the novel ‘Frankenstein’ reflects this, in which an innocent creature is shunned by society because of it’s abnormal and somewhat shocking appearance. Nowadays, people are still enticed by fear, they have a curiosity for the supernatural, evil and frightening. Although modern day society is supposedly politically correct, we are still an immoral society and many of us would treat a creature like Frankenstein’s creation or a vampire like Dracula like a monster. In this way, the novels still have social significance. The atmosphere of each novel plays a significant role in setting the scene for the ensuing horror to evolve. The atmosphere in each novel is different; the horror in each novel is different The fact that Frankenstein’s monster kills out of revenge and anger is a form evil but one can understand and to a certain extent sympathise with his inability to reason right from wrong. Many examples of this inability are shown, for example, the creature strangles Frankenstein’s innocent young brother because he cannot under... ... although his downfall comes because he has limitations, such as, â€Å"his power ceases, as does that of all evil things, at the coming of the day.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"Then there are things which so afflict him that he has no power, as the garlic that we know of, and as for things sacred, my crucifix†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These reassure one that there is a means to destroy Dracula. ‘Frankenstein’ did not frighten me at all, I merely found it a very tragic story demonstrating both the corruption of an innocent being by an immoral society and the dangers of playing God with science. Frankenstein was responsible for the creature and as soon as he showed signs of life, instead of deserting him due to fear and embarrassment because of the ugliness of the creature, he should have taught the creature right from wrong and accepted him as a person, not a monster. Any brutality in ‘Frankenstein’ was due to Victor Frankenstein himself and not his monster. ‘Dracula’ is a novel that probes deeply into people’s superstitions, fears and beliefs of the supernatural. The creature Dracula is an evil being with no concern for others, he kills for his own ends and cannot be stopped, and this is what makes ‘Dracula’ truly frightening.