Los Lobos (Musical Band of Los Angeles) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Los Lobos (Musical Band of Los Angeles) - Essay Example It is their similar interest in music of the same genre and musical acts like the Fairport Convention, which perpetrated their working together musically; therefore building their musical career as a band. The two visited one another in their homes occasionally, where they listened to various music recordings, playing guitar; especially for David, who was very good at it and later on even started writing their songs. It was not very easy for them to work on their music regularly as they both had regular jobs to attend to and most of the time therefore had to work during odd hours; especially at night in order to make up for the time spent at work. David and Perez also did much of borrowing of music recordings from a friend, which were of the parody and free form jazz. It is through these many recordings borrowed that the two made a collection out of it, creating multi-track recordings. To form a complete band that they had wished for, they decided to recruit some of their classmates who are Cesar and Conrad; that was in the year 1973. Their coming together to form a band had them record an album that was titled, ‘How Will the Wolf Survive? that gave them a lot of praises and made them very popular in Los Angeles. They later released La Bamba in 1987 that created even more opportunities for them musically, due to the added praise and popularity that the band received. Since then, the band has never disappointed their music fans in Los Angeles and across the world with their rock and Latin music. Despite all the challenges that Musical bands are faced with in each passing day, Los Lobos have managed to overcome all these challenges by recording over 20 albums in approximately 3 decades and making sure to reach their fans with total satisfaction. However, their ride in the music industry was not as smooth as any other person would think. The sale of their music videos was a bit lower in the beginning and therefore

Bill Gates and I Have the Same Property Essay Example for Free

Bill Gates and I Have the Same Property Essay The government does not have the freedom to interfere into the property of an owner and the owner’s right to exercise power on the property. This statement may be evaluated with the following example. An anti-trust action was passed against Microsoft Corporation by the Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department who challenged that the company cannot make it mandatory on customers to install the internet browser of Microsoft while installing the Microsoft 95 operating system. The Government also upheld the notion that it is not necessary for consumers to use one product of a company simultaneously when another product is installed. The court ordered the separation of Microsoft 95 and Internet explorer. In continuation to this verdict, the Assistant Attorney General further demanded the unusual freedom to scrutinise all future products of Microsoft Corporation to check their marketing strategy. Microsoft retaliated that if additional facilities in the computer indicate unfair trade practice, the manufacture of computer itself would be like posing threat to the manufacturers of products like calculator, typewriter and the like. Though the Assistant Attorney General justified that the anti trust motion is aimed to stimulate innovation and competition there were several obstacles to substantiate its stand to stop Microsoft from gaining market control (Labaton, 1997). According to Bill Gates, the separation of the operating system and the browser would mean producing products with lesser value and reducing the demand for the operating system in the market despite enhancing the quality (Thibodeau, 2008). In the Second Treatise of Government, John Locke justifies that man can have a right on property based on the amount of work he has done to transform the resources provided by God. The amount of work done by a person enables him to partition the common resources provided by God and own a part of it by himself. Thus private ownership of property is related to the amount of work done by man. The spoilage proviso limits the amount of resources a man can reserve when the resource is wasted and the sufficiency proviso limits the amount of resources to be owned and the balance to be left with the nature for others. And when there are no more resources available, people are required to work on the available resources for sustenance. According to Locke, when individuals own resources or land, they take better care of it rather than when the land is not owned by anyone. When land is owned the productivity is estimated a ten times its actual value and it will pave way for the betterment of life. Here labor is given more importance than on resources. When a person works on a resource it is automatically transformed into the workers property. It is the duty of the government to protect the right of a person towards a property (Meinhardt, 2007). James Madison has defined the ownership and rights to use a property. He has stated that when a person has a right to property, it is equal to having a property in his own rights. Hence the government’s interference into the affairs of a property or business owned by an individual when the business is meant for public use is not fair. Therefore the government should make it clear that the property owned by a person or corporate may be put into full use according to the wish of the owner if the use of the property adds values and the deletion of certain facilities reduce the value of the property. When certain use of a property is taken away by legal and governmental restrictions, the owner cannot exercise his fundamental freedom to exercise his right on the property (Pilon, 1995). In conclusion, governments do not have the authority to interfere into the rights of a property owner if the owner is a multi billionaire or a common person. Reference Labaton, S. December 22, 1997. Bill Gates, Meet Your Adversary, the Antitrust Chief. Available: http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=9D04E7DF143EF931A15751C1A961958260sec=spon=pagewanted=1. Accessed on September 8, 2008 Meinhardt, E. F. May 22, 2007. Critical Analysis of John Locke’s theory on Property Rights. Available http://www. scribd. com/doc/93360/John-Locke-on-Property-Rights. Accessed on September 8, 2008. Pilon, R. February 10, 1995. Protecting Private Property Rights from Regulatory Takings. Breathe New Life Into the Takings Clause. Available: http://www. cato. org/testimony/ct-pi210. html. Accessed on September 8, 2008. Thibodeau, P. June 30, 2008. For Bill Gates, antitrust fight was a personal crucible. http://www. thestandard. com/news/2008/06/30/bill-gates-antitrust-fight-was-personal-crucible? page=0%2C1. Accessed on September 8, 2008.

It’s Time for Customers to Mind their Manners :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

It’s Time for Customers to Mind their Manners I am writing to you, my fellow citizens of Smallville, as plea for you to start using your manners when dining out. I have been in the restaurant business for the past four years. Currently, I am a waitress at a Smallville bar and grill. I have to say that I am surprised at the way I am treated while at work. Never before have I experienced such blatant disrespect in my workplace. I have shared many positive experiences with customers and employees alike, but that is not what I am going to tell you about today. I deal with such rudeness on an everyday level that you would be shocked to hear all the cases. I have decided to highlight a certain family that frequents my restaurant to help illustrate the type of ill-mannered behavior that is taking place all over the valley. One Thursday evening I was working at Keegan’s Bar and Grill in the Ocotillo neighborhood of Smallville. The hostess of this fine establishment came to notify me I had received the first table of the night. It was a family of five, three children and both parents. As I approached the table, I encountered utter chaos; children fighting over who would get to sit next to whom and who would get the blue crayons. I started to retreat to give these outnumbered parents a chance to get settled in but was called back to the table by a snap of the fingers, and then informed by the father that he needed a Bud Light right away. First of all, I have a serious objection to being snapped at as if I were a small puppy or something, but I thought to myself If I were in your shoes I would need a beer to cope with this situations also. I put the order into the bar for the Bud Light. I returned to the table with this man’s drink only to see that, in order to appease their youngest child, someone had given her the salt and pepper shakers. This creates quite a mess, as you can imagine. This would not be a big deal had the parents any inclination to clean up the salt and pepper before leaving, but I knew they would not. Why do you allow your children to wreak havoc in someone else’s workplace?

Where Do These Measurements Come from?

Today almost all women try to lose a few kilograms. But to tell the truth, every woman in the world wants to look like a top model. If they could only dream about a fantastic figure, it was ok. Unfortunately some of them try to achieve this, and sometimes it becomes a big problem. Usually, top models have parameters 90-60-90. There are several versions of the beginning of these, but the real reason is laziness. These numbers were chosen by designers because this is easier to make clothes only for one little size. It happened in the middle of XX century, when mannequins began to demonstrate the clothes.So thinness became fashionable. A woman spends on diets about 10 years of her life. But according to statistics, only 10% of men prefer thin women. Losing weight the woman notices that she likes herself, her man like her, and not only he. But psychologists say that men like women’s confidence and not lost weight. Sometimes a woman wants to lose weight to be better than her friend s. Firstly a diet unites women, but if one of them is more successful, other start to envy her. Also the woman wants to be like actresses or young singers.In addition to this, it is a fact that woman has hard time losing weight. For example, due to unbalanced diet a woman suffers from depressions. A lack of glucose disturbs the thought processes. Moreover long diets reduce the level of estrogen-the hormone of attractiveness. Often, losing weight women cannot stop. According to Wikipedia (2012) â€Å"The thinner one gets, the fatter they think they are. †(para. 2). Later, it becomes a terrible disease â€Å"Anorexia nervosa†. â€Å"Anorexia nervosa† often occurs with young girls. They have this illness because of their paranoia.They want to have it themselves and cannot stop. Macrae (2007) claims that â€Å"Dr. Mann’s research showed that up to two-thirds of dieters put on all the weight they lose-and moreover a four to five-year period. †(para. 12) . Unfortunately, the most of girls already do not have so much time. They die, and nothing can save their lives. In conclusion, I want to add that every second woman returns to her previous weight, and every third woman even gets more. Therefore, it is better for girls not to torment themselves with diets trying to suit the generally accepted standards.

Philosophy of Education Essay

The word â€Å"teacher† does the profession no service. A teacher is really a combination of the most important professions in the world. Besides the parents, an educator is the biggest influence in a child’s life. The age span in which children are in school is the most impressionable years of their lives. A student’s educational experience can mold the events of his or her future. That is why I want to become a teacher. I want to be a mold for younger generations, and I hope for students to remember a knowledgeable and ethical teacher. Beliefs I feel the student should come to school willing to learn and the teacher should come ready to teach! The student’s role is just as important as the teachers; the student’s expectations of the teacher should be for her to teach and help them learn at all times. Teachers also play an important role in the classroom when it comes to the environment. If the teacher prepares a warm, happy environment, students are more likely to be happy. An environment set by the teacher can be either good or bad. If students feel the teacher is angry, students may react badly to that and therefore learning can be harder. I think teachers are responsible for the social behavior in their classrooms. This behavior is primarily a reflection of the teacher’s actions and the environment he/she sets. Metaphysics We are all here for a purpose and I believe that, that is to live for God and follow his way of life. It is hard to know what you are really on earth for until you find it through him! Some teachers will find it hard to keep the focus on the classroom do to all the other outside distractions but, I strongly believe that is you were meant to be a teacher then you will find a way to look past the bad and find the good. Why am I here? I think I am here to help children follow their dreams and make it through school easier than I did. When I become a teacher I want to be the best ever! I want to see that smile on the kids’ faces after I teach them something amazing. Progressivism I want to teach from some aspects of the progressivism style which focuses on respect for individuality, high regard for science, and learning from experience. I want to teach the children in my classroom to have respect for each other. This is a quality that will help them to be successful in society because if they respect others, then others will have respect for them. Having respect for others also shows that they have respect for themselves. I also want children to learn by hands-on activities. I will direct them from step to step and demonstrate how to do each step in the activities they perform. These activities make learning more interesting for the children because the children are able to get involved instead of just always watching the teacher do everything. Speaking of the children getting involved, they can really get involved when learning in a different atmosphere when on field trips. I feel taking children on field trips is an effective learning experience for them because it allows children to get out of the classroom setting and learn from a different perspective. In addition I want to focus on sciences because they are an important area in the knowledge of children. I think this growing area of our society should be focused on thoroughly because science advances and improves every day and I feel children should be aware of their changing world. Constructivism I feel like this is the main reason why I should teach and why I want to teach, I have learned so much though school and it has molded me to become who I am today. I learn a lot through experience and what I know will make me a better teacher it will help me relate to the ones that hate school or the ones that think they can’t do it. It’s all a process and the way you take the steps is how I think you will show others so you have to help them with their process and make sure that it doesn’t go bad or in the wrong direction. I plan to continue my education so that I may make teaching my profession. After graduation, I hope to find a position in an elementary school teaching in one of the first through sixth grade classes. I feel that elementary education is extremely important because it is here that children establish their foundation for the rest of the educational career. My goal and desires are to have the opportunity to touch a child’s life.

British soaps Essays

British soaps Essays British soaps Essay British soaps Essay Once again however, we must question these ideas of why a soap might be representative of real life. I mean is life really full of cliff-hangers? Is the domesticated life still merely focused on the female sex? As all these soaps appear to portray, are there so few ethnic minorities in every community? I would like to suggest that the answer to all of these questions is no and the reason for this is that soaps do not truly represent real life; I shall continue my evaluation. The ways in which soaps are fundamentally constructed hold great appeal for the viewer.If you might consider three of the most significant British soaps Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks it is plain that the focus is placed upon the inter-relationship of a group of characters in a typically working-class setting. Indeed, soap opera story lines are based largely on the problems encountered within personal relations and family life; the content is essentially humanised. A mundane quality is evoked, as the lifestyles of the characters on screen are not so vastly different from our own.The claims that have been made by the producers of these soaps, in that they are ultimately designed to represent the realities of working class life and confront social problems appear to be not so far from the truth. Viewers do profess to gain pleasure from this social realism. Yet, at the same time, soaps do not claim to offer single solutions to the problems they portray, but explore all the relevant possibilities. There are no objective truths, no answers, no permanent securities, no uncompromised actions and no absolutes.In response to this idea, Livingstone states I would argue that these features only serve to further emphasise that this genre really is reflective of a real life that holds few certainties for anyone. This statement from Livingstone is suppositional. It depends on how you view life. For example, if you see life as holding no certainties or future certainties then you would agree with his statement. However, if you are more positive thinker and think life takes a particular form and a particular direction then you would be more inclined to disagree with it.I myself disagree with his statement as I believe that soaps simply are not truly representative of real life, certainly not my life, any of my friends or familys lives anyway. Soap operas contain a very large number of characters, and this in turn provides the audience with diverse points of view with which to identify. Furthermore, it is impossible to identify one single hero or heroine within the bounds of a particular soap, so the viewer feels rather more a part of the actual community than an observer who is being lectured to on social, moral and personal issues.Interest is distributed throughout an entire community of characters, and this actually serves to make any character dispensable. It is more than possible for characters known to viewers for many years to disappear off the screen, and this has often caused uproar amongst dedicated followers. For example: The strange demise of Dirty Den caused uproar amongst the audience while his even stranger recent return has been a popular addition to the cast. What we must ask ourselves here is, how many people return from the dead in real life?Certainly, Den was supposed to have not died, well, that was the script writers explanation, but millions of Great Britain saw his disappearance and although the actual death was not seen due to its potential vulgarity not being allowed to be shown at the time, it was certainly represented to the audience as if that was the end of Dirty Den. Stereotypes certainly exist throughout life and they often lie beneath the surface of given characters, and viewers often find this satisfying in that they have something to identify with.Often, it is possible to argue, these characters are mere token gestures that the soap must include, so as to present a seemingly accurate picture of diverse, contemporary society. For example: The ? are the token minority, Asian family in EastEnders ; Mark Fowler is the token HIV victim while Pauline Fowler is the token family pillar, Phil Mitchell is the token animal, while; Zoe and Kelly are the token young tarty temptresses, while Kat is the token slag (well, certainly was before her marriage), but who knows how the Kat and Alfie story will progress?Coronation Street follows a similar character stock: Vera Duckworth as the gossip; The Websters as the token young family in financial difficulty; Tracey Barlowe as the token bitch, Ken Barlowe as the token pillar of the community, and so on. These stereotypes become real people to the average viewer; an extension of their personal and social networks, and aspects of their daily lives; these are people with whom we are supposedly already well-acquainted. Of course as a viewer I recognise these stereotypes and can relate to them in some way or another.However, I can quite honestly say that I do not know as many people as this that have as many problems as these soap stars do, and get through as many problems as they do, the list goes on. In my mind, soaps are not representative of real life. I would argue that those that are attracted to soaps are attracted to them because soaps tease them with an exaggerated version of their desire for a constant flow of contact and excitement increasingly absent in reality.In comparison to soaps, our everyday lives are uninteresting. The less people work and live in the same locality, let alone live and work with their neighbours, the more this fantasy ideal is portrayed in the representations of community. The more anonymous and superficial our contact with our neighbours is, the less information we have to gossip about them, the more one knows, and can gossip, about the fictional characters in Eastenders, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks or whatever.The less our interest in guessing the development of our friends lives, the greater our attraction to the abstract game of predicting whats going to happen to that character that millions of other spectators are trying to guess about. The more threatening and discomforting the streets become, the more consoling it is to consume fictional conflicts in the safety and comfort of our misappropriately-named living rooms.The more slow-plodding our real lives are, the more fast-paced the unfolding of the plot lines in soaps become: things that would normally take a year to develop in real life, take a week or less in the soaps. For example pregnancies seem to only take three or four months as opposed to the standard nine (the Tracey Barlowe plot line in Coronation Street being a current example). Effectively the view of the audience is that Fiction is stranger than truth, and so very much more interesting.

Diet and Primate Evolution essays

Diet and Primate Evolution essays Variation in the choices of food on a daily, seasonal, and yearly basis is one of the greatest differences between primate species. Primate diets have generally been divided into three main food categories-fruit, leaves and fauna (including insects, spiders, and bird's eggs for the most part). The different diets also are referred to as Frugivores, Folivores, and Insectivores (fruits, leaves and insects respectively). These gross dietary categories are correlated with aspects of primate activity patterns such as home range and group size. There are different problems that have to be overcome in order to obtain a balanced diet on a day-to-day basis. New leaves and mature leaves, for example, may have different nutritional bases or availabilities. Some fruits appear in large clumps while others are spread thinly over a larger area. Aside from diet, primates have tended to either adapt through specialized dentition and digestive systems or rely on a variety of different foods. T hose that chose this second route have tended to have larger brain sizes relative to their overall body size. This may be due to the need to know where different types of food can be found at different times throughout the year. Have you ever looked at a picture of a gorilla or money that has what appears to be a "beer belly" look? Those primates that specialize on eating large amounts of vegetation have difficulty digesting their meals. Different solutions have been found including double stomachs or multichewes, but the problem usually requires an individual to sit back and let the digestive system work-and on the die expel gas. It hasn't been until recently that it was realized that primates, who evolved in the canopy, actually had a quite difficult time finding adequate nutrition. Due to natural selection, which strongly favors those traits enhancing foraging efficiency, and this difficulty finding sustenance, the characteristics regarded ...

Political Geography and Sovereignty of Palestine

Political Geography and Sovereignty of Palestine There are eight criteria accepted by the international community used to determine whether an entity is an independent country or not. A country need only fail on one of the eight criteria to not meet the definition of independent country status. Palestine (and I shall consider either or both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in this analysis) does not meet all eight criteria to be a country; it fails somewhat on one of the eight criteria. Does Palestine Meet the 8 Criteria to Be a Country? 1. Has space or territory that has internationally recognized boundaries (boundary disputes are OK). Somewhat. Both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have internationally recognized boundaries. However, these boundaries are not legally fixed. 2. Has people who live there on an ongoing basis. Yes, the Gaza Strips population is 1,710,257 and the population of the West Bank is 2,622,544 (as of mid-2012). 3. Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates foreign and domestic trade and issues money. Somewhat. The economies of both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are disrupted by conflict, especially in Hamas-controlled Gaza only limited industry and economic activity is possible. Both regions have exports of agricultural products and the West Bank exports stone. Both entities utilize the new Israeli shekel as their currency. 4. Has the power of social engineering, such as education. Somewhat. The Palestinian Authority does have social engineering power in fields such as education and healthcare. Hamas in Gaza also provides social services. 5. Has a transportation system for moving goods and people. Yes; both entities have roads and other transportation systems. 6. Has a government that provides public services and police or military power. Somewhat. While the Palestinian Authority is permitted to provide local law enforcement, Palestine does not have its own military. Nonetheless, as can be seen in the latest conflict, Hamas in Gaza does have control of an extensive militia. 7. Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the countrys territory. Somewhat. The West Bank and Gaza Strip do not yet have full sovereignty and control over their own territory. 8. Has external recognition. A country has been voted into the club by other countries. No. Despite the super-majority of United Nations members approving United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19 on November 29, 2012, giving Palestine non-member state observer status, Palestine is not yet eligible to join the United Nations as an independent country. While dozens of countries recognize Palestine as independent, it has not yet attained full independent status, despite the UN resolution. If the UN resolution had allowed Palestine to join the United Nations as a full member state, it would have immediately been recognized as an independent country. Thus, Palestine (nor the Gaza Strip nor the West Bank) is not yet an independent country. The two parts of Palestine are entities that, in the eyes of the international community, have yet to obtain full have international recognition.

Cabeza de Vaca and his Encounter with the Indian Tribes Research Paper

Cabeza de Vaca and his Encounter with the Indian Tribes - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that the journey and expedition of Governor Pamfilo de Narvaez, followed by around 600 men and five ships along with the officers including Cabeza de Vaca , the Treasurer and alguacil mayor, Alonso Enriquez, the Comptroller, Alonso de Solis, Quartermaster to Your Majesty and Inspector, Juan Suarez, a Franciscan Friar, Commissary and four more friars for capturing and ruling over the provinces beginning from the River of Palms to the cape of Florida is amazing. The incidents that were encountered during this harrowing expedition have been presented by Cabeza de Vaca in this book called The Journey and Ordeal of Cabeza de Vaca. His account of this terrible journey of the southwest part of America certainly leaves us with a feeling trepidation on the one hand and astonishment on the other. The lifestyles of the Indians clearly reflected their ability to survive against the odds and tame their environment.  During their first phase of the jou rney, from Spain through Cuba to Tampa Bay, the Governor, decided to move further, into inland areas despite the opposition of Cabeza de Vaca that segregated them from their supporting vessels and left them in miserable conditions without sufficient food and water. However, this is the first time that the fleet confronted the attack of the Indian tribes. During their second voyage that took them to the coast of Texas, the inhabitants in this area were primarily Karankawa Indians. In fact, the survivors and Cabeza de Vaca were the first non-Indians known to hit this coast. The hostile attitude of these Indian tribes towards the foreigners and enslaving Cabeza shows their struggle for survival. Broadly speaking, the Indians were in a constant state of warfare with their environment and knew little about life on the other part of the globe. The only thing that characterized the Indian tribes included their aggression and toughness which can be accounted to the antagonistic environment in which they lived. In one of the instances, Cabeza has stated that â€Å"they were bidding us go†, (31).

Statement of Interest - Residential Child Care Licensing Investigator Personal

Of Interest - Residential Child Care Licensing Investigator - Personal Statement Example The job opportunity is also in my personal characteristics of providing an opportunity that is relevant to my professional requirements My degree in criminology has prepared me adequately for the understanding of applicable laws related to the career needs. My studies have also prepared me analytically to handle complex situations and analyze people critically in establishing their physical and psychological conditions. While developing my investigative skills, I learned appropriate measures to assume where the need arises for the protection of the welfare of others and, in this case, the children. I have extensive communication skills in Spanish and English with a great interpersonal skill to build healthy working relationships. My personal life is defined and separate from my professional path and engaging in complex and time-consuming activities in varied geographic regions would not be a problem. I like challenging and exceeding my limits and those of my employers in the quality of service delivered. I will use my skills to the best of my ability by working diligently to provide efficient services as required by my roles and obligations. Personally, I hope to increase my presence and activities as an RCCL Investigator while advancing my career in the same. Professionally, I hope to learn from the services of fellow investigators so as to improve my skills in handling cases more efficiently while contributing significantly to the other members of the agency. As an agency, the scope of our responsibilities will be crucial to DFPS where we get to serve a larger segment of the people in need of our

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Literature review - Essay Example Impediments such as the lack of child-care facilities and stores remaining open only during the usual working hours also exist. Child care can be very expensive, and even for those who can afford it, it is hard to find it. Consequently, it is hard for many mothers to return to work after bearing a child as also for working women to shop. To compound matters, part-time jobs are almost non-existent. Gender and work in Germany: Pre and Post Unification The division of Germany had major repercussions in gender equality, specifically in the matter of division of labor in both paid and unpaid work. In the case of East Germany, it needed and expected men as well as women to be paid workers, while in West Germany, the conservative welfare state typically consigned women to unpaid housewifery and men to breadwinning. Consequently, women of East Germany gained better equality in the labor market than women in West Germany. However, in spite of the East German government’s professed comm itment to eliminate gender inequality altogether, employed women failed to attain full gender equality, particularly with regard to occupational integration, earnings, as well as division of labor at home (Rosenfeld et al, 2001). Institutional change and family formation Institutional control over the course of life and the formation of the family remained high under the highly regulative, pro-natalist and communist government in East Germany. The strong regulative nation was abruptly replaced by the establishment of the democratic West German model after a separation that lasted 28 years. After the downfall of the communist regime in East Germany, there was an intensification of economic pressures all over Germany, and more so in the tumult of changeover in East Germany, rather than in the pre-FRG. East German women reacted to the economic confusion as well as insecurities of the process of transition with de-standardized family formation as also a high incidence of alternative fam ily modes, which was in fact according to their secular familial values. A significant part of the East German story is the strong pattern under the extreme institutional control wielded by the communist system, compared to which the de-standardization after reunification remains in stark contrast (Fasang, 2011). On the contrary West Germany underwent a process of re-standardization of family formation. This comprises of either traditional marriage as also motherhood pattern or an interruption of family formation. This schism is motivated by structural difficulties to merge a career as well as a family, tax concessions for the breadwinner of the family and the never-changing conventional family values in West Germany. In the later stages of re-standardization there is a high incidence of cohabitation, the resultant motherhood out of wedlock, as also divorce. Women’s fertility and employment decisions In either part of Germany, the probability of women bearing a first child is correlated negatively, with employment as well as educational achievement. However, with second and third birth risks, the negative correlation flags. In East Germany, virtually every mother goes back to work 18 months after a birth. However, in West Germany, this ratio is a lot smaller and when the child begins nursery school/school, women enter the labour market yet again in higher ratios. These factors indicate a powerful and strong influence of

Week Two Discussion Questons and Participation Questions Essay

Week Two Discussion Questons and Participation Questions - Essay Example Ironically Toyota prior to the scandal had one of the best quality track records in the industry. Legal risks can be minimized by including clauses in the sales contract of new vehicles that document how long a warranty lasts. Regulatory agencies can have a major impact on the everyday operations of an enterprise. A regulatory agency that oversees all manufacturing operations in America is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The mission of EPA is to protect human health and to protect the environment. One of the laws EPA enforces is the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources (EPA, 2010). Due to the rigorous environmental standard in the United States certain multinational corporations preferred to establish subsidiaries in foreign location where the environmental laws are softer. This strategy can be used to evade environmental policies. Another environmental law that the EPA regulates is the Safe Drinking Water Act. This Act protects the quality of the water US citizens consume. In poor underdeveloped countries such as the nations located in the Sub-Saharan desert there is major water scarcity and the quality of the water is extremely poor. The existence of regulatory agencies such as the EPA protects the quality of life of the people. In your discussion you mentioned that some corporations are able to evade environmental laws by moving to locations outside the United States. I believe this practice is unethical because these companies know that they are hurting the environment with polluting agents. A way to stop this practice is for the United Nations to create a global environmental agency to oversee the activity of corporations. This way companies will have to adapt to the global laws which should help lower air, soil, and water pollution. Within your responses you mentioned that a way to deal with product liabilities is to establish warranty protocols. For example in the

Disrupted Occupations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Disrupted Occupations - Assignment Example Most elderly people are accustomed to the spatial orientation of buildings, corridors, and transport systems like outdoor pavements. Most elderly residents of nursing homes have limited mobility. In addition, the warmth of friendships and companionships of fellow residents within a nursing home give meaning to the lives of elderly clients under nursing care. Physical movements, social interactions, and mental composures of nursing home residents are defined within the realms of their built environment. Any attempt to re-design the built environment will significantly impact on the lives of accustomed nursing home residents. For example, renewing concrete pavements may make them slippery, thus endangering the physical health of residents. Re-painting social interaction halls will with distinct paints affect the aesthetic appearance and fragrance of a local interaction space. In addition, building a new room for each resident instead of allowing residents to share rooms will severely a ffect the psychological well-being of residents, specifically when they are separated from their roommates. Consequently, re-designing a nursing home will invariably necessitate a re-establishment of a sense of being for the affected residents. Residents will have to; find new friends, learn to accept new fragrances and appearances of painted spaces, and adjust their mobility in order to avoid slippage on the new pavements. Such re-orientation of one’s sense of place and being is of a particular interest in current occupational therapy research.

Physical Security risk Assessment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Physical Security risk Assessment - Coursework Example se, the lives and safety of people is always at stake especially in social and recreational places like in stadiums, shopping malls, and other places associated with big crowds of people. Terrorist threats are real and thus security with regard to the mentioned places should and must be upheld at all costs. In many occasions high resistance materials with capacity to resist bullets and other explosives have been used to firmly safeguard important build structures. Further, roads and streets leading to and from these building are barricaded to ensure channeled and controlled entry (National Institute of Building Sciences, 2012). This section is dedicated to discussing the hardening requirements for the BC Place Stadium during the Olympic Games. Building a perimeter wall around the BC Place Stadium is the first and foremost physical security measure that stadia physical security management board should put in place. The distance from this perimeter wall to the stadia should at least be 200 meters; this, in its own right is hardening enough to resist a blast. Accordingly, the perimeter wall should be built using high resistance materials and thickened to make it hard if not impossible for intrusion and breaking in. In the same line of argument, building a perimeter wall will ensure that unauthorized and malicious vehicles with ill intention do not have any easy access to the stadium. The wall should also have cement or steel barriers to resist attacks from heavy trucks that might be loaded with explosives. This is also essential for forced entry resistance (National Institute of Building Sciences, 2012). Putting up barriers particularly at the convergence points is another measure that must be taken into consideration; although it is costly but it is vital for the safety of the masses that would come to the stadium. Setting up a low barrier slightly away from the stadia will provide adequate security while also not intruding on the visitor’s privacy. For

Disrupted Occupations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Disrupted Occupations - Assignment Example Most elderly people are accustomed to the spatial orientation of buildings, corridors, and transport systems like outdoor pavements. Most elderly residents of nursing homes have limited mobility. In addition, the warmth of friendships and companionships of fellow residents within a nursing home give meaning to the lives of elderly clients under nursing care. Physical movements, social interactions, and mental composures of nursing home residents are defined within the realms of their built environment. Any attempt to re-design the built environment will significantly impact on the lives of accustomed nursing home residents. For example, renewing concrete pavements may make them slippery, thus endangering the physical health of residents. Re-painting social interaction halls will with distinct paints affect the aesthetic appearance and fragrance of a local interaction space. In addition, building a new room for each resident instead of allowing residents to share rooms will severely a ffect the psychological well-being of residents, specifically when they are separated from their roommates. Consequently, re-designing a nursing home will invariably necessitate a re-establishment of a sense of being for the affected residents. Residents will have to; find new friends, learn to accept new fragrances and appearances of painted spaces, and adjust their mobility in order to avoid slippage on the new pavements. Such re-orientation of one’s sense of place and being is of a particular interest in current occupational therapy research.

Theoretical Analysis of The Cabinet of Dr Caligari Essay

Theoretical Analysis of The Cabinet of Dr Caligari - Essay Example ical Imaginary, the parallels between the enchanting and hypnotizing Caligari and a German authoritarian regime are abundantly clear (Elsasesser, 2004, p. 72). The film seems to equally represent the disturbed German psyche and act as prescient element of the later Nazi regime. This political analytic frame is influenced by Fredric Jameson who criticized structuralism by offering a meta-interpretation of the text. Indeed, the overarching political formulations in this essay will be understood in terms of Jameson’s Political Unconscious (2002) that â€Å"conceives of the political perspective not as some supplementary method, not as an optional auxiliary to other interpretative critical methods current today -- the psychoanalytic or the mythcritical, the stylistic, the mythcritical, the structural -- but rather as the absolute horizon of all reading and all interpretation (p. 17)." Even as Jameson argues for the overarching necessity of interpreting the text through political analysis, this essay also develops a contrasting trajectory for the structural dramatic analysis of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919). The analysis largely follows the historical ontology established by Keir Elam in Semiotics of Theatre and Drama (1980). In keeping with the Saussurean understanding of the shifting nature of the linguistic sign, when possible the analysis adheres to direct critical source material from the early formulations of the Prague School to contemporary Post-Structural incarnations of the cultural object. In all instances the analysis has attempted to go beyond mere critical examination, and also indicate the practical applications a semiotic understanding of theatre and film holds for a dramatic performance. This essay advances both a political and structural analytic framework in the examination of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919). While this theories many be seen to contradict each other, the essay argues that examining the film with these corresponding critical

How is the national and international tourism helping Spain overcome Essay Example for Free

How is the national and international tourism helping Spain overcome Essay Spain is one of the countries in the world that has been severely affected by the global economic crisis originated in 2008. It is the country with the greatest number of unemployed citizens in all Europe. Its rate of unemployment reached an all time high of 26. 9% in May 2013. The European Union is worried about this situation, and has therefore forced the Spanish Government to apply some strict cut backs to their economy in order to decrease its high public deficit. These measures are mostly affecting public labor force, who realized they dont have sufficient income to last them through the month. In addition, college students, mainly those who study architecture, engineering and medicine, have realized that there is not a promising professional career that can be developed in Spain. Since the beginning of the economic crisis, more than 300,000 young Spanish citizens have left the country in order to find a job in markets overseas. All these negative aspects of the countrys critical situation are bringing Spain forward to be a candidate of receiving a bailout from the European Union. Despite being in this delicate position, it is not all about negative figures in Spain. There is one sector of the Spanish economy that is helping the country to come back on track: tourism. The purpose of this report is to find out how tourism is helping Spain to recover from the economic decline. I have divided the findings into two sections: First, I will explain the importance of tourism in Spain. Second, I will describe the general changes in both international and national tourism, without analyzing the monetary effects in the economy. Third, I will provide information about the economical consequences that these changes are having in the reactivation of the Spanish economy. Findings 1- Importance of Tourism in the Spanish Economy Spain, behind France, the United States and China, is one of the top world destinations to go on vacation. Its 7,876 kilometers of beautiful beaches, pleasant weather and 44 world heritage monuments, position the country as the 4th country in the world to receive the highest number of international tourists. In terms of revenues, the country is ranked in second position right after the United States (Butler, 2013). According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism represented a total contribution of 15. 2 % of Spains Gross Domestic Product in 2012. In other developed countries, such as the United States, France and China, tourism represented a 8. 6%, 9. 7% and 9. 3% of their respective 2012 GDP (2013). This shows that, despite receiving more tourists than Spain, these countries economic lives are less affected and determined by the changes that might take place in the tourism sector. The Government of Spain knows how crucial tourism is for the performance of the countrys economy and gives this sector high importance. As a touristic oriented country, Spain has 47 airports, 2,000 km of commuter rail trains and 2,900 km of high-speed rail network (Butler, 2013). These elements make Spain one of the countries with the best transportation system in the world. This advantage of Spain facilitates the arrival of international tourists and the transportation of national tourists all over the country. In addition, as I mentioned before, one of Spains biggest problems is its increasing rate of unemployment. The WTTC published that travel and tourism directly supported 894,000 jobs in Spain. This means that 5. 2% of workers were related to this specific sector of the economy (2013). All the figures I just pointed out reflect the positive and remarkable impact of tourism in Spain’s economy. Now, I am going to present some more detailed information about the changes in the national and international tourism, and the consequences of these changes relating them to the fact that tourism is the main force that is helping Spain to overcome this fragile situation. 2- Changes in Tourism in Spain Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, tourism in Spain has changed in many ways. Not only has it influenced the amount of foreigners visits to Spain, but it has also affected the domestic conception of going on vacation. Changes in International Tourism As I said in the Introduction, Spain received more than 57 million tourists during 2012, which means it had a year-over-year growth of 2. 7%. The countries that contributed the most to this growth are France, Germany and Russia. In addition, some Nordic and Asiatic countries also collaborated on it (Institute of Touristic Studies of Spain [ITE], 2013). The main positive elements of the Spanish economy come from the foreign sector. It is important to point out that the total nights international tourists stayed in Spain increased by 2. 3% in 2012. Looking at the low rates of unemployment in France, Germany, United Kingdom and Russia, it can be deduced that these countries are performing economically better than Spain. This means that foreigners, who have not been as affected as the Spaniards by the economic crisis, have enough income and are willing to go on vacation outside of their home countries. The Institute of Touristic Studies from Spain, assures that Spanish tourism has become more competitive in the last few years. By analyzing the changes in prices and the value of the currency compared to other countries, this Institute has used the Competitiveness Trend in Tourism Ratio to measure the performance of the country. It has arrived to the conclusion that, due to the low prices compared with other countries from the European Union, Spain has achieved a beneficial position to attract international tourists to the country (2013). Changes in National Tourism As well as the international, national tourism has experienced many changes during the past few years. National tourism in Spain closed the year 2012 with 158,9 millions domestic trips. It is important to highlight that 9 out of 10 of Spanish citizens trips were effectuated inside the country. Due to the difficult economic situation that many Spaniards are experiencing, travelling to other countries decreased by 4. 8% in 2012 (ITE, 2013). This new setting where saving money is the main concern for Spanish citizens, has helped new forms of travelling to arise in the Spanish touristic sector. Even thought Spain has always been seen as a sun and beach destination, Antonio Villanueva Cuevas, Doctor at the Castilla-La Mancha University, explains that news forms of travelling such as rural, cultural and natural tourism are becoming popular between Spaniards that are looking to travel with minimum expenses (2012). In addition, those who still prefer going to the beach have found their way to get cheap options by either going during low season or taking last minute deals. 3- How are These Changes Having a Positive Impact in the Spanish Economy? Since tourism in Spain represents a large part of its Gross Domestic Product, this sector of the economy will have a considerable impact on the countrys economy performance. The growths of international and national tourism have helped the country to stay economically alive (Barreira, 2013). Positive Impact from International Tourism In relation to the international tourism, Spain is the 4th country in the world to receive the highest number of tourists. More than 57 million tourists visited Spain in 2012. Moreover, there was a high new record of 56 billion Euros reached in spent by international tourists in Spain. The growth of the number of international tourists that visited Spain in 2012 helped the countrys economy by contributing â‚ ¬57. 1 billion to the GDP (ITE, 2013). Even though Spains GDP fell by 1. 3% in 2012, the growth of the international tourism made the GDP experience a shorter descent. Another positive impact of the international tourism is the fact that the number of workers hired in the tourism sector increased by 0. 6% in 2012 (World Travel and Tourism Council [WTTC], 2013). It might be seen as an insignificant growth, but, taking into account that the general rate of unemployment increased to 26% in 2013, any contribution has an important meaning for the reactivation of the countrys economy. International tourism also caused the growth of capital investment by 7. 4% to â‚ ¬14. 8 billion in 2012 (WTTC, 2013). In addition, the fact that prices in Spain are low compared to other countries in the European Union, makes Spain more attractive to receive investments and be chosen as a holiday destination. All these positive consequences of the international tourism in the Spanish economy are helping the country to achieve the goal of not seeing Spain as a burden for the European Union. The recuperation of the countrys economy will be determined by the growth of GDP, decrease of unemployment rate and increase in foreign investments in the country. All these aspects are represented by the good performance of Spains international tourism. Positive Impact from National Tourism Even though national tourism has not shown as many positive figures as the international one, it is helping the country to improve economically. As I explained before, a large number of Spaniards cant afford to travel to another country during vacation. They decide to stay in the country, and look for new cheap ways of travelling. Spaniards are starting to purchase last minute deals, and to travel during low season periods. Even thought the number of national trips decreased by 1. 2% in 2012, Spain registered a growth of 22% in national tourism from 2008 to 2012 from 130 to 158. 9 million national trips (ITE, 2013). It can be deduced from this, that national tourism has had an overall positive performance during the Spanish recession. The fact that Spaniards choose national rather than international destinations makes them invest money in their own countrys economy. Moreover, even thought national tourism slightly decreased in 2012, new sectors of the Spanish national tourism have showed positive figures during the last few years. Juan Pulido and Pablo Garcia, members of the economics department at University of Jaen in Spain, explain that the rural sector of the Spanish national tourism has increased by 7. 5% in the last 10 years. Since Spaniards dont want to spend too much money during vacation, they decide to stay in the country and look for new attractions. Spaniards spent a total of â‚ ¬18,046 million in rural destinations during 2011 (2011). Rural tourism is affecting positively the economy by activating some unusual tourism destinations, and giving them the opportunity to create a new emerging business in Spain. The increasing importance of this new way of tourism creates jobs and activates the economy of certain domestic areas. These new ways of doing tourism are making Spaniards stay in their country during their holidays, invest money in the national market, and contribute to the reactivation of the countrys economy. Key Points Spain is one of the countries that have been affected the most by the global economic crisis originated in 2008. However, there are several facts that explain how tourism is helping Spain to overcome this situation: Tourism represented a total contribution of 15. 2 % of Spains Gross Domestic Product in 2012. Tourism has a great impact in the performance of the Spanish economy. Spain has received more than 57 million international tourists during 2012, which mean it had a year-over-year growth of 2. 7%. There was a high new record of 56 billion Euros reached in spent by these international tourists that visited Spain in 2012. The number of workers hired in the Spanish tourism sector increased by 0. 6% in 2012. International tourism has also caused the growth of capital investment by 7. 4% to â‚ ¬14. 8 billion in Spain during 2012. Spain registered a growth of 22% in national tourism from 2008 to 2012, from 130 to 158. 9 million national trips. The fact that Spaniards are choosing national rather than international destinations makes Spaniards invest more money in the domestic economy. The rural sector of the Spanish national tourism has increased by 7. 5% in the last 10 years. This has created a new sector of tourism that creates jobs and gives opportunities to local areas to develop an emerging business. Conclusion The overall situation is perfectly described in an article written by Victor Barreira (2013), a journalist who works for El Pais, the most sold newspaper in Spain, which says: The national GDP fell by 1. 3% in 2012, unemployment raised to 26%, the bailout petition to the European Union was still active however, tourism is staying as a life-jacket to which Spain can keep held in order to ride out of the storm. It points out that the economic situation of Spain has affected the country in an extremely negative way. However, tourism has been the most important sector of the economy that has shown positive figures and has helped the country to better deal with the economic situation. It is important for the Spanish Government to keep working on the improvement of the countrys touristic attractions and promote Spain as a holiday destination. References Barreira, V. (2013, January 16). Espana registro en 2012 el tercer mejor ano de la historia en llegada de turistas [Spain registered in 2012 the third best year in history in arrival of tourists]. El Pais. Butler, M. (2013, February 27). Spain as an international tourist destination [Electronic version]. Atlas of the brands. Institute of Touristic Studies of Spain. (2013). Balance del turismo ano 2012 [Tourism balance year 2012]. Retrieved October 13, 2013, from www. iet. tourspain. es Pulido, P. , Cardenas,P. (2011). El Turismo rural en Espana [The rural Tourism in Spain]. Asociacion de Geografos Espanoles. Villanueva, A. (2012). Las nuevas formas de turismo como instrumento para lograr un desarrollo sostenible e integrador [The new forms of tourism as a tool to reach a sostenible and integrative development]. Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. World Travel and Tourism Council. (2013). Travel and Tourism, the economic impact 2013 in Spain. Scowsill, D.

History Of The Olympics :: essays research papers

History of the Olympics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 776 BC a foot race was run. The winner was the first Olympic hero ever. From that very first race to today, the Olympics have always been a way for nations to come together in friendly competition and international goodwill.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The conditions of the first Olympics were not anything like they are today. The events were held in an open space in which a track had been paced off, areas for the javelin and discus had been laid out, etc. The spectators did not have stands to sit in; instead, they occupied the sloping areas around the track; sitting on blankets and sleeping in tents if they were wealthy enough to have one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because the games were held during the hottest time of the year, flies were a terrible problem. The problem was so pervasive that an offering, in the form of a sacrifice, was made to Zeus, asking him to keep the flies away from Olympia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As time went on different features and structures were added to the site. A hippodrome was built for the chariot races, a gymnasium and bathhouse for the athletes, and even a hotel for the wealthiest of spectators.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vendors were there, selling wine that the spectators drank along with the cheese, bread and olives they ate. Sanitation was basically nonexistent. Water was always in short supply until Herodes Atticus of Athens built an aqueduct and a water system. This did not occur until the games had been taking place for 900 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The contests consisted of foot races, horse and chariot races, boxing, wrestling, discus, javelin, broad jump, and horse races. The horse races were unique in that the prizes were given to the owner of the horse, not the rider. The discus, javelin and broadjump were part of the pentathlon event which also included a 200-meter dash and a wrestling match. The winner had to have taken three of the five events.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the fifth and final day of the festival, the athletes marched to the temple of Zeus to collect their winnings, the coveted victor’s olive wreath. The winner of an Olympic event won much more than just the olive wreath however. He was often awarded a cash bonus by his townspeople; sometimes a pension for life. Additionally, he was welcomed as a contestant at other festivals where the prizes were often large amounts of cash.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning the athletes were aristocrats, as they had the free time necessary to train for the games.

Americas Economy Today Essay -- essays research papers

America’s Economy Today   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With all the bad publicity about the economy nowadays anyone with access to a TV, magazine, or newspaper should be somewhat familiar with the current economic crisis here in America. It seems like the Dow Jones Industrial Index and the S&P 500 Index are dropping lower every day, not to mention the poor condition of tech stocks listed in Nasdaq. Here’s some current stock market figures that display the markets current deterioration: The Nasdaq index lost 8 percent of its value, putting it nearly two thirds off its peak last year, the Dow Jones index closed below 10,000, ending its biggest one-week point drop in 11 years, the S&P 500 index is now down 25% from its peak last March. This marks the start of the first bear market in half a generation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The future certainly looks grim just by looking at the major index’s performance, but that is not the only thing we have to worry about. Consumer spending fuels two thirds of the economy and consumer confidence fuels consumer spending. So far this year, consumer confidence has been dropping drastically. People have still been spending at about an average rate, but as the market continues this downward spiral people will definitely begin to hold onto their money a little tighter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone knows about the big tax cut George Bush is promising us, but how much will it really help the economy? The Bush administrati...

Freedom Writers Essay

In Long Beach, California, a war is raging. You can’t always see it, but its soldiers know it’s there. You need to go and watch â€Å"Freedom Writers† right this instant. In this heartwarming movie, Hillary Swank plays quirky school teacher Erin Gruwell who, alongside her unsupportive husband (played by Patrick Dempsey) attempts to make history with her class of integration students, played by April Lee Hernandez, Jaclyn Ngan, Armand Jones and many more. The movie plays for 122 minutes of pure joy and raw emotion, where we get to see wonderful changes in the most unlikely people. The film was directed by Richard LaGravanese and released by Paramount Pictures on January 5th, 2007. â€Å"The Freedom Writers† is an emotional drama, filled to the brim with suspense and hope that will leave its viewers in a state of mixed emotion. In the movie, there is a war being fought in Long Beach between the Blacks, Latinas and Asians and it seems irresolvable. On Erin Gruwell’s first day teaching at Wilson High, words are being spat out and fights are erupting, she sees that the students do truly hate each other. She then makes it her mission to teach the students of room 203 about respect, about dignity, and what it will really mean when you fight for â€Å"your own† or die trying. Through Snoop Dog and Tupac, the peppy teacher somehow gets through to her students and learns that each and every one of them has been somehow affected by gangs and gang violence. Throughout freshman and sophomore year, the students of Erin’s English class find themselves respecting her, and respecting each other, which shocks them all. They are taught to write in a diary, which showed them that it doesn’t matter what is read, but what has been written. The school seems to have finally found peace within itself and room 203, but disaster strikes when we find out that Erin is not allowed to teach junior and senior years, and that her students must go on without her. Does this mean that gangs will reconnect? Shootings, will they start back up again? Can the balance of peace really be kept one, very strange, second year teacher? The climax of this film touches the heart and minds of the viewers, and makes the long rising action worth every minute. â€Å"Freedom Writers† takes place in Long Beach, California and is set in 1994-1996. It travels through the treacherous homes of the students, and shows the viewer what it’s really like to live a day like them. The setting sets a dim mood and shows the viewer how poor the kids truly are. It makes the viewer think about how hard life can be, while the plot shows us the harsh truth. The special effects in the film add an edge to what would have otherwise been a very slow film. Sound effects were few and far between, but added an edge where they were placed. A more plentiful effect would be voiceovers, where the students read excerpts from â€Å"The Diary of Anne Frank† and their own personal diaries. It showed the viewer that they were getting a voice, and that they were no longer afraid to speak up. The costumes and lighting reflected the variation of cultures and gangs in Wilson, and enhanced the overall mood of the story. Special effects and elements were very strategically placed in â€Å"Freedom Writers†, they were not sparse enough for the viewer to lost interest, but they were also not overused to enhance a certain concept. In â€Å"Freedom Writers†, there were many actors that played very important parts in making the film so touching and sad. The main character was Erin Gruwell, played by Hillary Swank who does a wonderful job catching the essence of a believer. Swank puts forth a believable performance, where the viewer really thinks that she is feeling some kind of a connection to her students. With great facial expression and the ability to look as if she is holding back fake tears, Hillary Swank makes the viewers feel as if they too can experience such real, hard emotion. Another character that played a key role in the film was named Jamal Hill; who was played by Deance Wyatt. Jamal was a student of room 203, and to the untrained eye, he comes off as your stereotypical gangster who could care less about school and everybody else around him. However, when a racial caricature of Jamal with very large lips circulated through the class, he begins to cry and we see that gangs have almost ruined his life. Later on in the movie, Deance Wyatt reads from his characters diary with such passion and power, saying: â€Å"At sixteen, I’ve seen more bodies than a mortician. Every time I step out my door I face the risk of being shot. To the rest of the world it’s just another dead body on a street corner. They don’t know that he was my friend† The way that Wyatt read these words made them so true, so passionate and it makes the viewer feel that there is a little bit of Jamal in all everybody. These two actors made the movie feel so real and so true; they did an excellent job portraying the true meaning of what it’s like to be a Freedom Writer. The film â€Å"Freedom Writers† has so many different meanings, so many different themes that their interpretations are up to the viewers. Social issues were touched upon making the story extremely controversial and yet somehow important for all teenagers to see. It touches mainly on racial discrimination and how at that school, African-American, Mexican and Asian students in gangs do not get a voice. As Mrs. Gruwell develops relationships with each and every one of her students, she learns that all they truly want is for somebody to hear them, for somebody to remember them if they die. By giving the students their diaries, Erin attempts to get them in touch with who they truly are, and what they do with such a quiet voice shocks her. The movie shows viewers that together, they can move mountains. The viewer will explore touching diary entries, teaching them that everything that is said will make a difference to somebody. It doesn’t matter what is spoken, or what is written, what matters will always be the moments when somebody hears the author. Hears them not by reading what is written, but by understanding that everybody has a story to tell and everybody’s story is important. The viewer will grasp a new found respect for everybody that they meet because, as learned though the movie, everybody has a voice, they just need to learn how to use it. â€Å"Freedom Writers† was a wonderful film and an even better experience for its viewers. It touched upon so many different social issues so that there is something for everybody to relate to making it such a great movie to watch with others. There are so many different interpretations to be made, so this film is recommended for teenagers aged 13-18, because that is the age of the characters along their journey. This was an amazing movie, and everybody that watches it should agree. There is not one possible way that any viewer will not find a character that reminds them of themselves and what they’ve been through, even at a less intense level. Freedom Writers† compares to â€Å"Pay It Forward† and this is because it explores the concept of respecting each other and respecting oneself. The idea of a few people being able to change the world is also explored and well conveyed in each film, making them incredibly relatable and inspirational. The film was touching, and impressively well made. The actors were phenomenal, the effects were catchy and there were many other elements that the viewer will discover on their own. â€Å"Freedom Writers† is recommended to anybody that wants to learn a little bit more about respect, dignity, love and the harsh, cruel world around us.

Expository Essay Essay

#3 focusing on the importance of the past and how ‘The Kite Runner’ shows no matter how deeply it might be buried, it finds a way to re-surfacing Have you ever tried to run away from your past? And did it work for you? Well in the book we learn that a lot of characters try to run away from their past, for instance Baba hiding the fact that Hassan is also his son or when Amir witnessed Hassan being raped. They all tried to run away from their past but it all caught up with them in the end, like Amir said â€Å"My past was like that always turning up†. There is no way to hide from your past, whether you try to run away from it or bury it as deep as you can because the past always claws it way out. An example could be Amir trying to forget that he was a bystander to Hassan’s rape. He tried to forget everything, delete everything that happened about that night. ‘But even though life goes on memories remain forever’. He lied about Hassan stealing his watch and money thought chasing Ali and Hassan away might help him forget or ease his pain . When he received that phone call from Rahim Khan saying there is a way to be good again, he knew that it was time for him to face his fear. Going back to Kabul frightened him, he was about to face his deepest fear, everything in Kabul changed it was not the same. He wanted to make his father proud and be the brave man his father expected and longed for, just like Hassan. Sometimes it’s not always our guilt that forbids us to forget but the judgement of people in our community. When she ran away with her older boyfriend and moved in with him, she was seen as a disgraceful girl with no respect in the Afghan community. Soraya status is later restored when she gets married to Amir who’s a much respected man in the afghan community. Sometimes keeping a secret could be the cause of our death. In Baba case we learn that the cause o his death could be keeping the secret that Hassan was his son. When his diagnosed with cancer he refuses the treatment, possibly because he has accepted that was his punishment for his ‘sin’. On the end Baba dies as a tortured soul. Furthermore we learn that we the past cannot be forgotten or ignored but we can make peace with it. The kite runner illustrates that we learn from our mistakes which helps to be better people and more accepting of others. Like Amir said,’for the first time since the winter of 1975 I felt at peace†¦ Healed at last ‘.

Absorption Costing vs. Variable (Direct) Costing

Absorption Costing vs. Variable (Direct) Costing Absorption cost systems are widely used to prepare financial accounts. These systems are designed to absorb all production costs (variable or fixed) into costs of units produced. Absorption costs techniques allow manufacturing costs to be traced and allocated into product costs. There are different types of absorption costing systems: job order costing, process costing, and ABC costing. In job order costing, costs are assigned to products in batches or lots, and the costs of each specific batch are traced separately using job order cost’ sheets. In process costing, products are produced in a continuous process and costs are systematically assigned to the product. In ABC costing, costs are assigned from cost centers to products. Because a unit’s cost in the absorption cost systems are made of variable and fixed costs, they can be very misleading. Absorption cost systems can incentive overproduction when the overhead rate is calculated based on units produced, and units produced is higher than units sold. In order to calculate this overhead cost, one should divide the total fixed cost by units produced and multiply the result by units sold. This overhead rate will be lower when more units are produced and when variable and fixed costs remain constant. In this process, fixed costs are being spread over more units, thus lowering unit’s cost. This technique allows profit to increase when production increases, and quantity of units produced is higher than quantity of units sold. In this case some of the fixed costs are divided by units and part of the total production (including its costs) is inventoried. The costs inventoried are not transferred to the income statement, thus increasing profits for that period, and misleading managers to overproduce. In some cases, managers do not understand how this costing process works. In the majority of the cases, they are only worried about increasing production and lowering units’ cost. Other managers that have their compensation linked to the period’s profit also feel motivated to overproduce, once profit increases as quantity produced increases. There are many ways to decrease the incentive of overproduction. The first one charges inventory holding costs against profits. In this process, inventory values are increased by the costs of capital plus warehousing costs. Managers that are evaluated based on residual income, tend to dislike this system; first, because it increases data processing complexity, and second, because it decreases residual income when there is an overproduction and an increase in inventory. This system does not eliminate completely the incentive to overproduce, but it makes overproduction less profitable to managers. The second technique that aims to reduce the incentive of overproduction is based on a strict policy against building inventories. This can be done through contracts stating that bonuses tied to net income will not be paid if inventories exceed a certain amount. A third method would be to base managers’ compensation on stock prices instead of accounting earnings. This method will inhibit managers’ actions that could damage the company’s profit maximization plan. However, in cases where the company has more than one plant, overproduction has a small effect on the value of the firm. This factor decreases the efficiency of stock-based compensation to eliminate or reduce overproduction incentive. The forth method consists of the implementation of just-in-time production systems. Because this process does not begin until a part or a total order is made by customers, it reduces inventory levels. In this system, the decision rights are made by demand-driven market orders. Here the production levels are determined by demand, not by managers. Just-in-time systems reduce inventories, thus reducing the incentive to overproduce. Companies can control managers’ incentive to overproduce by adopting variable costing systems. These systems write off all fixed manufacturing costs as a period cost, which will not allow profit increases with overproduction. In variable costing, product costs are made up only of variable costs. Fixed manufacturing costs are considered period costs and are written off. Variable costing and absorption costing differ from each other in the way that they treat fixed costs. Under variable costing, fixed manufacturing costs are written off as a period expense. As for absorption costing, fixed manufacturing costs are included as part of product costs. The advantages of variable costing are that the product’s cost does not change depending on volume change, and it reduces the incentive for overproduction. It is important to notice that when production and sales are equal, absorption costing and variable costing will have the same profit amount. Variable costing systems’ benefits might not exceed its total costs, a fact that contributes to the systems unpopularity.

Why the US and China Are the Most Suitable Countries for Montar Essay - 1

Why the US and China Are the Most Suitable Countries for Montar Vehicles - Essay Example Such technology for the driver would include rear and front camera, automatic aid reversing the passenger are able to watch movies in surround sound whilst drinking their preferred beverage ‘ice cold’ from the drinks cooler provided. Executive options can be added for chauffeur driven styles like the hand-stitched leather upholstery, wooden oak glazed interior, making it a direct competitor to the existing high-end luxury car vehicles that are well established. The price range for these vehicles will be between  £100,000-  £350,000 depending on the car chosen, with the lower boundary competing with car brands Mercedes-Benz, BMW & Audi whilst the upper price boundaries will compete with the likes of Bentley, Maybach and Rolls Royce. To appreciate the high-price, high-end range of Monster vehicles, the customer must have a certain sensibility and regard for finer things. The customer will typically belong to the affluent class of society and will have a taste for exclusive, expensive things. He will also understand that driving a certain vehicle bespeaks a lot about a person’s individuality, preferences and personality. The Monster 2 door coupe and the 4 door saloon is a vehicle that would be aimed at the high net worth individuals that have the purchasing power to enjoy such a vehicle. The coupe is aimed at the younger members of the affluent class, aged between 18 and 35, who are looking for the classier driving experience. They have great-looking possessions, successful and happening lives and similar social circles to move in. On the other hand, the more prudent saloon is seen more like a chauffeur driven vehicle for the extremely wealthy, senior-level professionals and businessmen. The classy exterior would appease their aesthetic sensibilities and the comfortable, first-class interior would allow the passengers to travel in comfort. The target audience comprises of individuals who already own chauffeur driven vehicles like the Rolls Royce Phantom.  

How do you feel about what has transpired surrounding the U.S. Supreme Essay

How do you feel about what has transpired surrounding the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Obamacare (or the Affordable Care Act) - Essay Example They are at liberty to be insured by an agency of their choice. The Act makes healthcare more accessible and affordable to individuals, small business owners and families by reducing premium costs and offering tax relief. It is termed the biggest middle level tax reduction in history of healthcare (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 1). Members of the middle class who do not have healthcare coverage will now be compelled to contribute towards the insurance coverage of the rest of the people. This has a beneficial effect to all because a majority of the citizens will end up paying less than what they would have otherwise been required to pay, including those in the middle class. I see no justification in opposing an Act that provides all these benefits, apart from selfish political interests that would rather exclude the poor from accessing healthcare to ensure a comfortable life for the rest. America is the only developed country that leaves out millions of its poorest popula tion from healthcare (Liptak 1). The approval of this Act will be a bridge between the poor and a decent healthcare program. The Act regulates the insurance industry by setting and imposing rules that discourage abuse. It forbids insurance companies from denying insurance coverage to citizens who have pre existing health conditions while according insurance clients power to appeal an insurance company’s assessment that deny treatments ordered by doctors (Liptak 1). I feel this sets a ground for all industry players while giving citizens on of their basic rights. I feel the Act is not discriminatory. It extends Medicaid and treats all States equally.  It has also preserved the children’s insurance plan and made enrollment for individuals and families much simpler (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 1). Americans with disabilities also stand to gain as the Act enhances community based care for them. Expanding home care to those with long term needs of

The Marketing Strategies of Beauty Companies Like Lux Beauty Soap Research Paper - 10

The Marketing Strategies of Beauty Companies Like Lux Beauty Soap - Research Paper Example The marketer takes stock of the demographic forces in a market population in order to best tailor their marketing strategies to suit it. This is manipulation of the marketing environment whether or not it is for its good (Micheal). Marketers know that in order for the consumer to be manipulated into buying a product that they need to: â€Å"Remember a cultural sign gets its meaning from the system or code in which it appears†¦.the image it portrays†¦.the social context in which the image is accepted†¦.†(Maasik 81). That means that marketers have to stay ahead to consumers to be able to predict their wants and needs. In the case of Lux Beauty, soap this means knowing the need of women for beauty and acceptance in a society that adores the beautiful. It is not only important to understand wants and needs but also to comprehend consumers concerns and motivations. This will enable the producers of goods to properly adjust product specifications and tailor them to co nsumer’s needs. This means that marketers have to research and scan the market so that the continually acquires information on consumers and their response to their products. It is the job of marketers to monitor events that occur outside the product to identify trends, opportunities and threats to the product from competitors or changes in consumer needs. With the onset of globalization, these activities are carried out on a global scale. Lux Beauty Soap is a globally bought product. This has led the company to use different images to portray beauty according to the societal norms of beauty.

Information Sharing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Sharing - Essay Example As such, it is critical to create a suitable platform for information sharing from people outside the agency, within the agency and among various federal agencies. Federal Government ought to invest in more institutions involved in the capture and sharing of criminal information across the globe. Currently, the US government has invested heavily in such institutions (Jackson, 2009). Such institutions include National Crime Information Center, Regional Information Sharing Systems and the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Service that works together with over 18000 such organizations among others. Sharing of criminal information among citizens is a delicate issue, and some individuals fear to provide such useful information, basing their argument on the need to safeguard their welfare. Reports of various retribution acts from criminal gangs evidently justify their concern. As such, concerned federal agencies ought to ensure these security and anonymity of such individuals, in their efforts to motivate them to share their information (Jackson, 2009). The rewarding of information providers should also be secretive. Creating awareness on the need to share criminal information and other critical information among communities is also significant in combating numerous atrocious crimes currently experienced. This may be through organizing awareness seminars and advertisement through diverse media forms. Online provision of useful information by individuals should also be rewarded. Such rewards should be remote and confidential. Establishment of local information centers throughout v arious societal settings will significantly boost information sharing (Jackson, 2009). Proper implementation of technology within an agency and across agency will significantly aid in law enforcement and information sharing (Jackson, 2009).

Lan Yu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lan Yu - Essay Example In this movie, Chen Handong who is a successful businessperson takes Lan Yu home with him just to have fun. He is clear that all he wants to do is have fun and they will eventually break up. In our society today such is the trend for the opposite gender couples. They are in it for the fun and not the relationship. Lan Yu falls in love with Handong but he finds out that the man is cheating which is the case for opposite gender couples. All form of couples can cheat and this is no different for the gay couples (Kwan, Lan Yu). Make-ups and break-ups are prevalent in opposite gender couples. People break-up and later in life, their paths cross and they decide to try it again. This is no different for the gay couples as seen in this movie. Handong is worried that Lan Yu has been caught up in the violence in Tiananmen Square and looks for him. This was after their first break-up and he takes him back. When anyone wants to settle they may have doubts about their current partner and this may spill over to refusing to settle down or changing the partner. This is an experience that is faced by both the opposite gender couples and gay couples. Handong has an affair with Jingping because he is not sure if he wants to settle down with Lan Yu (Kwan, Lan Yu). The movie Lan Yu has depicted homosexuality as a socially accepted norm where Lan Yu and Handong’s sister hold a welcome-home party for Handong. Hangdong’s family shows great support for the couple’s relationship. The real situation in china is different. Families due to the following reasons do not support LTGB groups in this country. According to tradition, a man must marry the opposite gender in order to have children, which is considered a very important aspect of life. The wife is also supposed to care for the husband and thus many families do not allow this kind of marriages or relationships to exist. Socially this is not acceptable and most families do not support the idea of one marrying

Personal Statement Essay Example for Free

Personal Statement Essay My name is Chi Chen Hsieh from Taiwan. In my whole life i never be a super-student who is academically ingenious. I’m more proud about what I’ve achieved, and I take pride in my success. When you take a look at the world I come from, maybe you’d be impressed by me, the student who has came from very far away from the United state, the boy who spends his whole high school years learn how to speak English and completes an honest number of volunteer hours. The world I come from is much different than what the numbers and letters may portray because those numbers are relative to everyone around me. But my world is unique and my success is genuine. Since the beginning of high school, I’ve had to shape most of my path on my own while breaking down academic barriers. I graduated from a middle school at Taiwan and I did not do well on the high school entrance exam over there so i decided to study in America. Obviously I was underprepared for high school compared to other international students. Nonetheless, when given the option to challenge myself as a freshman, I did. I struggled through every courses and even had to repeat a half of semester of Old Testament ( an religious course) because I could not speak any English. I had been home sick for a lot of time in a year and my parents and teachers were very upset about my performance at school. So by the time I changed my high school in my sophomore year, I was really happy that I did change to another boarding school, because it is a smaller school and have a lot of people from all over the world. I start working hard and social with a lot of people from different countries. At the end of my junior year, I become the International students prefect by the head of the school. Receiving this honor w as meaningful because it showed that I had taught myself how to succeed. My situation at home was different as well. All of my family went to the top colleges in Taiwan, and though they have always encouraged me to attend to the top colleges in USA. The process has been very challenging as I’ve needed to find the resources and information about colleges mostly on my own because the application system is different from Taiwan . At my high school, being the first generation in your family to go to college in USA immediately makes you the minority, regardless of ethnicity. But i found a lot of support from my school, I asked a lot of teachers about colleges. They all gave me a lot of suggestion so I finally decide what colleges I am interesting and study business as a measure. I am really happy that I can graduate from this high school because, I understand that my high school teaches more than just English, they teaches me how to challenge myself and be successful. The academic struggles I’ve faced in my world have geared me toward attending college and pursuing a career thereafter. Good things are given to those who work hard, like the International prefect spot I received. I know that difficulties and challenges arise, but I also know that there’s always a way to break the barrier. Wherever I go, I’ll take advantage of every opportunity I’m given because I’ve already proven to myself that I can be successful, even if the odds are against me.

A Life Course Approach To Health Psychology Essay

A Life Course Approach To Health Psychology Essay In the early years, illnesses were studied only in terms of single causes; one agent led to one particular disease. However, we now know that the health of individuals and societies are affected by a combination of factors such as hereditary factors, living conditions, socioeconomic status and social support networks. A life course approach to health focuses on all ages and stages of life and takes into account a wide range of processes that interact and influence peoples health from birth to old age ( Kuh et al, 2003) and also has implications on the way health care needs of people are considered. Based on the understanding that ones past and present life experiences are shaped by the wider socio-cultural context, we can study the current pattern of health and disease of an individual by looking into and examining their past life events for clues into present health related behaviour (WHO, 2000) such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets and similar behaviours t hat have adverse effects on ones health and overall well being. Although, in the past, the Biomedical model of health which emphasizes on the biological determinants or external pathogens has proven to be effective in the control of massive infectious diseases ( Havelka et al, 2009), there is a crucial need to understand health and diseases from various other perspectives that take into account major influential factors such as biological, behavioural and psychosocial processes that run throughout the life of an individual and contribute towards both acquisition and attrition of physiological and psychological functioning. Such an approach aids in understanding the development and course taken by various diseases, leading to the formulation of preventive measures and treatment plans. A life course approach to health emphasizes on events from all stages of life, starting from the intrauterine environment and throughout adult life, subsequently studying how such events influence the risk for chronic illnesses and health outcomes later in life, whic h is why the narrow biomedical model has been broadened into an integrated model that looks at not only the biological determinants of health but also the psychosocial and behavioural aspects. On a simpler note, life course approach aims to understand how biological, psychosocial and behavioural risk factors during the fetal period, infancy, childhood and early adulthood accumulate and increase the risk for a number of diseases. Timing of physical growth and psychological transitions are known to be influential in the manifestation of various adult chronic diseases and therefore strongly affects an individuals capacity to be healthy (Osler, 2006). While ones genetic makeup or external pathogens (biological factors) may determine the onset of an illness up to certain degree, it can be debated that this is intensified by various personal behaviours and societal influences. A classic example of a life course approach to health would be the field of gerontology which studies how people age by examining an array of biological, psychological, social and lifestyle factors. Furthermore, if we were to consider cigarette smoking, a detrimental health related behaviour and a frequent ly used example in health related research, we can say that although an individuals family history of smoking( genetic influence) will definitely increase the risk of engaging in such behaviour, other factors such as exposure to smokers( peer/societal factor) or the need to live up to the expectations of others(psychosocial factor) will intensify the risk of smoking behaviour which, in turn, increases the risk for various health complications related to cigarette smoking, such as lung cancer, later in life. The importance of a life course approach lies in its implications for the way an individuals health is assessed, formulation of treatment plans based on past and ongoing events and training of health care professionals to equip them with a better understanding of peoples health and its underlying determinants ( WHO,2006). This paper focuses on the life course perspective on health, which is gradually becoming an efficient framework to study health and development of diseases, and also looks into the biological, psychosocial and behavioural processes that influence health throughout the lifespan. TIME, CRITICAL PERIOD AND ACCUMULATION OF RISKS The functional capacity of our physiological systems that increases during the early years of life reaches its peak in adulthood and begins to decline thereafter; external factors determine the intensity and speed of both the increase and decline. Therefore the lifespan perspective is defined by major concepts such as health trajectories, accumulation of risk factors, chains of risk, timing of exposure ( critical and sensitive periods), factors that mediate and modify the exposure-disease association and various adaptive strategies (Wethington, 2005). The life course perspective is a much broader approach than the Barker hypothesis or the Fetal origins hypothesis which focuses entirely on the relationships between early fetal environment and development of diseases later during adulthood and old age. It takes into account the contributions of both early biological programming (Barker, 1992) and later adult lifestyle factors which lead to the formation of biological, psychological and social chains of risks (Power et al, 1999). A number of researches (Smith, 2000; Lumey, 1998) and birth cohort studies reveal the existence of critical periods, not just during the intrauterine phase but also later in life, characterized by exogenous stimuli that have lasting effects on the structural and functional development of bodily systems leading to lifelong health implications. For example, fetal alcohol exposure during the first trimester is often associated with craniofacial abnormalities in conjunction with improper mental development (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) as well as low birth weight (Coles, 1994). Similarly, there are various sensitive periods, mainly during childhood and adolescence, when the timing of exposure plays a crucial role in determining the development of lifelong adaptive strategies, social skills and health behaviours that have direct implications on development of illnesses later in life. For instance, the period between birth to 4 years is very crucial for sensory refinement in children, whereby f ailure to attend to the differences in sensory stimuli can lead to a diminished ability to make sense of the broader social environment leading to deprivation of social interaction and formation of social relationships (characterized by accumulation of stress and anxiety) which will eventually lead to adverse effects on the health of individuals later in life. Accumulation of risk factors over time also determines the likelihood of a disease occurring, for instance people who belonged to a poor socioeconomic environment as a child are more likely to have had poor educational attainment, exposure to poor eating habits and nutrition, air pollution, passive smoking, detrimental lifestyle choices, infections due to childhood neglect and inadequate social support, all of which carries onto a similar pattern in adulthood and increases the risk of adult health complications such as poor immune system, coronary heart diseases, high blood pressure and so on (Kuh Ben-Schlomo, 2002). In addition, the life course approach aims to understand whether such early bio psychosocial factors lead to just additional risk or interact with later adulthood events to intensify long term health conditions. Hence, the life course perspective combines the Early programming model and cumulative pathway model; the former is concerned with Biopsychosocial events in early life, starting from the fetal period until childhood, that have life-long influences while the latter focuses on lifelong accumulation of stress through various social and behavioural expectations that ultimately affects an individuals overall adaptive system. So, this approach focuses on the determinants of health from early developmental phase and also over the course of lifespan where time takes the centre stage, focusing on different exposure-timing interactions resulting in different health outcomes. BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH Development of human beings is characterized by a number of biological, psychosocial and behavioural processes, each with different levels of importance at different developmental stages, and which involves growth, maintenance and loss of physiological and psychological functioning. Human development is, therefore, shaped by biological, social and behavioural factors working together (Myers et al). It is quite interesting to note that development is multidimensional in nature, involving the body, mind and emotions that interact and bring about significant changes at different stages in the lifespan and so it can be argued that the events that occur during such interactions or the individual lifestyle choices one makes will lead to either accumulation of risk or protective factors which will subsequently determine the susceptibility of individuals to adult diseases or chronic illnesses. So, the life course approach to health focuses on understanding the individual nature as well as th e cumulative impact of such bio-psychosocial and behavioural factors that co-constructs development and also health in the long run. A variety of behavioural factors or habits can have adverse effects on ones health. Some of the most commonly known factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, dietary pattern, level of physical activity, sexual behaviour and substance abuse. While excessive consumption of alcohol is associated with liver cirrhosis, untimely death and hazards to health from alcohol related violence, smoking is one of the leading causes of coronary heart diseases, asthma, lung cancer and a reduced life expectancy by seven to eight years (NWPHO data, 2005). In addition, poor dietary pattern/habit established during early childhood can increase the risk for obesity or malnutrition, leading to further health complications later in life such as weak immune system and eventually a decrease in life expectancy. Substance abuse and sexual behaviour (unprotected sex), like any other lifestyle habit, has devastating effects on health and general wellbeing, and in almost all cases they impact family and social relationships through events such as teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, unrest in the household, etc. Socioeconomic condition of people shape their risk for diseases later in life since both harmful exposures and opportunities are patterned by ones social environment, not to mention the life choices we make that are influenced by our social experiences. People interact with their social environment on a daily basis and such interactions affect their health either directly through psychobiological processes (experience of stress and anxiety) or indirectly leading to the development or modification of health related behaviours formerly discussed. The psychosocial factors that are known to impact ones health status include the social support network, work environment (ideal vs. stressful), work-home balance, sense of security, autonomy and so on. Stress and anxiety brought upon by such processes can lead to various psychological conflicts such as loss of self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, which will in turn affect the physiological functioning of the body. This brings us to the und erstanding that psychosocial processes or environment may have a role to play in disease aetiology (Cassel, 1974). In addition, it can also be argued that positive social support network facilitates behaviours that are considered healthy by the promotion of healthy eating, abstinence from substances and better adherence to treatments (Uchino, 2006). In his paper, Policy, Biology, and health, Bortz emphasizes that biological factors occur in various combinations to determine the functional well being of individuals. Although the human genome is often regarded as the ultimate determinant of human health, there are other equally important factors that influence health and well being, such as threats presented by the external environment (agents) and deterioration of internal bodily functioning. The life course approach to health is characterized by a temporal ordering of formerly mentioned biological, psychosocial and behavioural processes and is built on the view that these factors interact and have a cumulative influence on the development and course of illnesses in adulthood (Hertzman et al, 2001). So, the genetic makeup of individuals interact with intrauterine insults and various socially patterned exposures during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood that determine the risk for a number of health conditions and also accounts for socioeconomic, gender and ethnic inequalities in health ( Kuh, Ben-Schlomo, Lynch, et al, 2003). This approach helps us address some of the most common and emerging health conditions at present such as obesity, asthma and diabetes. In a study by Lamont et al in 2000, a number of early and later life factors were ordered temporally and the inter relationships were examined leading to the discovery of several potential disease pathway. In a similar study by Eriksson et al in 2001, these disease pathways were found to be influenced by a number of confounding factors and mediators and therefore, depending on the type and time of exposure, the pathways can be predominant in one of the following areas: biological, social, socio-biological and bio-social (Krieger, 2001). Specifically, if we consider respiratory problems like chronic bronchitis, improper lung development during the intrauterine period, in collaboration with later extraneous agents, will form the biological pathway to a greater risk of respiratory system dysfunction as an adult. Whereas if the individuals socioeconomic condition has led to adverse exposures during childhood, followed by detrimental health behaviour such as smoking, then the pathway to r espiratory diseases would be predominantly social. Likewise, the socio-biological pathway is characterized by the exposure to harmful biological agents as a result of adverse socioeconomic conditions. Or it can be the other way around whereby frequent infections during childhood would come in the way of proper development, leading to a low socioeconomic position during adulthood. RESEARCH AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS We can say that the life course approach to health is based on the Biopsychosocial model that maintains that both macro level and micro level processes interact and produce multiple effects on health. But the question arises as to how biological factors (micro level) and psychosocial factors (macro level) interact if they are on different levels. In order to address this issue, researches in health psychology adopts the system theory, according to which all levels in any entity are linked to each other hierarchically and that change in any one level will effect change in all other levels. Based on this understanding, researchers often take an interdisciplinary and multivariate approach to study the interacting processes, both within an individual and at the macro level and maintains that the process of defining an illness should always be done in terms of the biological, psychological and social factors (Oken, 2000). Health psychologists also carry out various prospective studies to evaluate events or variables relating to a particular health condition, such as intervening the smoking habits of people in one society and not in another and looking into the differences in the rate or prevalence of respiratory conditions in both the groups. Prospective longitudinal study is perhaps one of the popular research designs that health psychology adopts in order to follow a group of people and assess them on a number of variables over a long period of time and provides a good measure of factors affecting health of an individual. While correlational research has often been criticized for its inability to determine the direction of causality, researchers often make use of the retrospective approach to rearrange and understand the past conditions and how they lead to the present situation. The life course approach to health has various implications for clinical diagnosis of illnesses, development of treatment plans and training of health care professionals. By examining the Biopsychosocial processes underlying the lifespan development of individuals, health professional can formulate treatment plans and therapies unique to each individual; some may be a predominantly biological approach such as invasive methods while others may take a more psychological stance like cognitive behavioural therapy or relaxation therapy. Therefore, we can understand the health status of people only by viewing them in the social and psychological contexts ( Belar, 1997). CONCLUSION Health psychology strives to understand health in all its dimensions, recognizing all internal and external exposures throughout the life of an individual, giving more importance to the events that occur during the fetal period, childhood and early adulthood and their subsequent impact on adult health and development of illnesses. By downplaying the earlier assumptions that only current exposures or factors influence the onset of a disease or that illness is caused entirely by biological agents, it takes a rather multidimensional and multidirectional approach, taking into consideration the biological, psychosocial and behavioural processes occurring throughout the lifespan, their interactions and the cumulative impact on ones health and disease occurrence. In short, it integrates the lifelong progression of individuals from the intrauterine environment to the larger social environment; a progression that encompasses a series of social and biological factors that work together to dete rmine the health status of individuals in the long run. Health psychology, therefore, tries to explore all the underlying causes of ill health and subsequently develop treatment procedures to overcome them. Word count: 2755