Media Violence Not Good for Children Essay

The effects of media violence on children have been studied for over thirty years, with researchers repeatedly finding correlations between aggressive/violent behavior and the viewing of media violence. These education and psychology researchers began asserting years ago that a cause-and-effect relationship existed, i.e., viewing media violence was one of the causative factors in aggressive behavior in children. We often use the phrase that â€Å"children are impressionable.† We mean that children do not see the world through the same filter of experience that adults do. Children see things more literally. They do not yet possess the sophisticated sensibilities to distinguish fiction from reality. It matters a great deal, therefore, how much TV children watch and what they view. Young children often mimic what they see. Parents and caretakers observe this regularly. If children see people punching and kicking, they may act out that same behavior. Older children develop, through years of watching, sub-conscious mental plans of how they will react in conflict situations. For years they have seen conflicts resolved by violence, and they sub-consciously develop the same reaction plan. When confronted with a conflict, the tendency is to react the way they have seen countless others react—in a combative, aggressive or violent manner. Researchers call this developing a â€Å"cognitive script.† Through television, video games, and movies, children and teens view countless acts of violence, brutality, and terror as part of entertainment. They become conditioned to associating violence with entertainment. This is the classical conditioning. First-person shooter video games develop our children’s skills in operating weapons. The games reward marksmanship, and further reinforce the association of killing with entertainment. In the past, the heroes of movie and television shows were usually people who strictly followed the law. Now, heroes are often people who take the law into their own hands, who see an injustice or evil and seek to rectify it personally, sometimes brutally, regardless of the consequences. Such portrayals signal to a child society’s approval of that behavior. Lacking the judgment that comes with age, a child who feels he has been dealt with unfairly may copy that behavior, with disastrous consequences

Output Devices

Output devices are things we use to get information OUT of a computer. Here are some examples of output devices:- Monitor George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty ImagesThe most common computer output device is the monitor or computer screen. Monitors create a visual display from processed data that users can view. They come in a variety of screen sizes and visual resolutions. There are two types of computer monitors, CRT and flat panel. CRT monitors use phosphorescent dots to create the pixels that make up display images. Flat panel monitors usually use LCD or plasma to create output. Light is passed through liquid crystals to create the pixels. All monitors rely on a video card that is located on the computer motherboard or in a special expansion slot. The video card processes the computer data into image details that the monitors can display.PrinterRyan McVay/Photodisc/Getty ImagesPrinters produce a hard copy version of processed data such as documents and photographs. The computer sends the image data to the printer, which then physically recreates the image onto an object. There are three types of computer printers: ink jet, laser and dot matrix. Inkjet printers spray tiny dots of ink on a surface to create an image. Laser printers use toner drums that roll through magnetized pigment and then transfer the pigment to a surface. Dot matrix printers use a print head to imbed images on a surface, using an ink ribbon. There are also colour printers which help to improve the appearance of a document or project.Speakers/HeadphonesZedcor Wholly Owned/PhotoObjects.net/Getty ImagesComputers produce audio data that require output devices such as speakers and headphones to deliver the sound to the user. Audio data is created by the computer and then sent to the audio card, which is located in an expansion slot. The card translates the data into audio signals, which are sent to the audio output device.CD/DVD/Floppy DiscJupiterimages/Comstock/Getty ImagesCD, DVD and floppy disc are output devices that can also be used as storage and input devices. The computer sends data to the disc, where it is embedded and can be later retrieved. Compact disc, or CD, is an optical device that stores audio and visual data in a digital format. Data is placed on the disc, using a laser writer that embeds the data into the disc’s coating. Digital Versatile Disc, or DVD, is an optical device that stores visual data in a media format. DVDs feature a dual coating system that allows audio and visual data to be written at the same time by using a laser. Floppy disc is a magnetic storage device. A layer of magnetized material is placed within a proactive plastic casing. The computer embeds the data into the magnetized material, using a writing head.ProjectorIT Stock/Polka Dot/Getty ImagesProjectors are display devices that project a computer created image. The computer sends the image data to the video card which then sends the video image to the projector. They are typically used for presentations or for viewing videos.PlotterStockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty ImagesPlotters create a hard copy rendition of a digitally rendered design. The design is sent to the plotter via a graphics card, and creates the design using a pen. Generally used with engineering applications, plotters basically draw an image using a series of straight lines.

Analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses and Threats of FedEx

Analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses and Threats of FedEx FedEx Corporation (FedEx) provides a comprehensive suite of services such as transportation, e-commerce and business services. The company offers printing, copying and binding services as well as video-conferencing services. The company has presence in more than 1,950 locations worldwide including Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and the US. These locations include 135 locations in seven foreign countries, as well as 30 commercial production centers. The company classified its operations under four reportable segments, namely, FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight and FedEx Services. In the FedEx Express segment, the company operates chiefly through Federal Express Corporation, which serves more than 306 countries and territories by delivering packages and freight through a single global network. The segment also includes FedEx Trade Networks, Inc., which provides customs brokerage, international trade se rvices, and global ocean and air cargo distribution. It operates around 49,000 ground transport vehicles, including pickup and delivery vans, larger trucks known as container transport vehicles and over-the-road tractors and trailers. It owns and leases about 700 facilities for city station operations in the US. In addition, 400 city stations are owned or leased throughout FedEx Express’s international network. Further, in May 2010, the segment had around 46,000 Drop Boxes, including 5,000 Drop Boxes outside U.S. Post Offices. As of May 31, 2010, the segment also had around 13,000 FedEx Authorized Ship Centers and other types of staffed drop-off locations, such as FedEx Office centers. Furthermore it had around 4,000 drop-off locations internationally. During 2010, FedEx Express purchased jet fuel from an assortment of suppliers under contracts that differ in length and supply for specific amounts of fuel to be delivered. Under the FedEx Ground segment, the company provides s mall-package ground delivery services, principally through its FedEx Ground Package System, Inc. It principally serves domestic residences through its FedEx Home Delivery across the US and Canada. This segment also comprises FedEx SmartPost, Inc., which deals with the transportation of less time-sensitive business to consumer packages via the US Postal Service and Canada Post Corporation, and the delivery of high volumes of low-weight. Its corporate offices and information and data centers are located in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area in a 500,000 square-foot building. As of May 31, 2010, the segment had about 30,400 company-owned trailers and owned or leased 520 facilities, as well as 32 hubs. The hub facilities average approximately 325,000 square feet and range in size from 54,000 to 715,000 square feet. In addition, around 26,300 owner-operated vehicles support FedEx Ground’s business. FedEx Freight Corporation operated around 60,000 vehicles and trailers and 492 serv ice centers. These facilities range in size from 850 to 221,300 square feet of office and dock space. The company’s FedEx Services segment is engaged in selling and marketing, besides providing information technology support and customer services support through FedEx Corporate Services, Inc and FedEx Customer Information Services, Inc. In addition, it operates through FedEx Office and Print Services, Inc., which offers document solutions and business services. Through its FedEx Global Supply Chain Services, Inc., the company provides a wide range of supply chain solutions. FedEx Office centers are located in strip malls, office buildings or individual structures and average around 4,000 square feet in size.

Case study - assignment question answer Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study - question answer - Assignment Example As such, they decided to offer higher than the original prices to benefit the workers and to enable them maintain their jobs. The following statement from the text, â€Å"...harangued the Japanese team about their hypocrisy...† referring to the British boss, clearly reveals the anger and disappointment that the boss had towards the Japanese negotiators. Additionally, the aspect of emotion also appears from this statement, â€Å"...offer you an additional fifty cents a tonne above the price that you originally asked for...†. This statement by the chief Japanese negotiator is a reflection of the Japanese feelings towards the proposal forwarded by the British negotiators. Indeed, they had mixed feelings. The decision made by the Japanese negotiators triggered excitement though it was accompanied by a lot of surprise. According to Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory, effective intercultural communication plays a very significant role in creating understanding among different cultures and therefore preventing any cultural difference. Miscommunication is caused by lack of cultural understanding and poor communication skills, which can only trigger cultural conflicts. Hofstede suggested some cultural dimensions like uncertainty avoidance, collectiveness and individualism among others. Accordingly, Hofstede claims that these cultural dimensions, when put into use, assist in overcoming cultural differences. Arguably, the Japanese negotiators, listening to their counterparts and weighing the consequences of what they were about to do, enabled them solve their cultural differences and stabilized the situation. Accordingly, the British negotiators were very much interested on the interest of the South African workers. As such, they focused on their main reason of setting the prices and maintaining their position concerning the price. The British boss, having been disappointed by the Japanese negotiators, decided to be

Pros and Cons of a Person With a Mental Illness as a US President Essay

Pros and Cons of a Person With a Mental Illness as a US President - Essay Example Some mental disorders have symptoms which may negatively affect not only the patient him or herself but also the other people around which is classified as a violation of one’s freedom and certain right in every individual case. Delusions of the President would negatively affect his decisions making: the decision made in a condition of delusion would be characterized by nonsense, for example, to close all the universities or increase the taxes by 1000 times. Obviously, these ideas are not realistic, but the person with a mental illness would not react to such statements and would go on reckoning that only he or she is right. Hallucinations are also negative things for the person acting as a US President: for example, some decision may be taken properly, but it may turn out to be that the patient with a mental disorder has taken advice from a phantom, not from a real person, and revealing this fact would create concern among the public. Disorganized behavior is also a symptom which makes a person unpredictable: for example, today the President feels excited and makes good presents and treats the people around good, but tomorrow he or she may become very aggressive and apply the behavior model which is not proper for a country leader. Taking the above said into consideration, it is possible to state that there are more cons than pros in the possibility of a mentally ill person becoming the US President, and they all concern the way the other people may be affected by a person subjected to a certain mental illness.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Research Paper

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner - Research Paper Example Additionally, they also consult with the various stakeholders such as legislators, communities, corporation and groups involved in mental health. One major requirement that these nurses should have is that they have to attain a master’s degree or one in doctoral in psychiatric mental health in order for them to qualify to be registered nurses in this field. Most of them operate private owned practices that allow them to provide primary care services to populations affected by psychiatric mental health. Based on this over view, this research paper will evaluate all the requirements that Psychiatric –Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in the US specifically looking at the ones applied in the state of Florida. Before an individual qualifies to be a Psychiatric-mental Health Nurse Practitioner, it is a requirement for them to attain a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and a Nurse Practitioner degree that might take at least to four additional training years. Further, these individuals also have to obtain Master’s of Science in Nursing or obtain a Doctor of Nursing Practice, which is usually an advanced program in nursing education where one has to practice for at least six hundred clinical working hours. In 2015, the DNP degree became the minimum degree requirement for those seeking to be enrolled for a degree in advanced practice registered nurses. b) The applicant is then authorized by the Board to practice under the supervision of a professional and registered nurses as a graduate or graduate practical nurse. The Board might require irregular reports from the supervisors and employers of the graduate nurse or graduate practical nurse to ascertain whether the individual has been in violation of Section 464.018(1) F.S. d) Further, any applicant that does not physically appear to sit for the licensing examination shall also not be

Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Anything - Essay Example Black and the female identity have been looked down upon by the society for a very long time. Women of color have had rough time in America but there is future for better public perception because of their ability to fight back and disapprove the public racist opinion. Black female’s role in the public domain is explained by sighting Michelle Obama’s fitness for the First Lady-hood. According to Cooper (2010) black women have always come out to use strategies such as Michelle Obama’s to defend their negative portrayals in public. These strategies play major role in ensuring democracy and Michelle Obama who attempts to eliminate some of the limiting factors has showed this, positively. There are several arguments by Cooper, Darlene Clark and Evelyn Brooks regarding bodily appearance of women in the public as well as their public self-representation. Some writers use the black man’s body to express their concern about racism as well as addressing some of the discriminatory and vulnerability issues that need to be addressed. Cooper (2010), attempts to give hope to black women who were initially subjected to sexual discrimination and other forms of exploitation. Black women were always worried about their role in the society with the development of racism, although this changed during the post Reconstruction period. Cooper views black female leadership as a huge step towards black female identity. According to Cooper (2010), there is a great improvement in terms of woman’s role in the society since they do not worry much regarding racism and their representation and this is central to American progressiveness. The American society is moving towards recognition of black women and the general black race. According to Cooper (2010), black women’s voices and bodies should be positively portrayed in the American public sphere. She considers race women as subjects and agents of both

Anatomy in MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) Essay - 4

Anatomy in MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) - Essay Example These collisions eventually cause the molecules to follow different trajectories, described as random walk. (m852, module1) Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), on the other hand, is another MRI sequence which is indicated for tissues with internal stuctures demonstrating anisotropy similar to that of some crystals, such as white matter axons in the brain or heart muscle fibers. With this anisotropic structure, the water molecules will diffuse faster along the internal structure and slower as it moves perpicularly. Hence, the direction of movement of the molecules, whether parallel or perpendicular to the internal structure will cause a change in the rate of diffusion. The infrastructure of muscle fibre is complicated. This infrastructure determines the functionality of the muscle itself. Diffusion tensor imaging (‘DTI’) is a technique that can be used to better the muscle fibre/functionality relationship (Damon et al, 2002, pp.97-104). In addition to investigation of skeletal muscles, DTI is used for viewing the muscles of the heart, kidney, spinal cord, and brain. DTI is a non-invasive technique that is particularly used for in vivo analysis (Frank et al, 2010, p. 1510). For example, researchers are increasingly interested in the direction information concerning fibrous structures in muscle that DTI can reveal (Villanova et al, 2005, pp 1-38). Direction information concerning fibrous structures in white matter can also be obtained. The following figure, Figure 1, shows Images of the white matters comparing children and adolescents using DTI technology (Barnea Goraly et al 2005, p. 1849). DTI measuring water diffusion in vivo is a pioneering modality (Villanova et al, 2005, pp 1-38). The theory behind DTI is based of cell physiology. Within the cell, the cell membranes and proteins influence the flow of water. These cell membranes and proteins tend to limit the diffusion rate

Database paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Database paper - Essay Example Prevention of unauthorized access and efficient solutions for failure recovery are also provided by a database server. For enterprise grid computing Oracle Database is the first database designed to manage information and applications in the most flexible and cost effective way. Huge pools of industry-standard, modular storage and servers are created by enterprise grid computing. Each and every new system can be quickly provisioned from the pool of components with the help of this architecture. When required capacity can be easily added or reallocated from the resource pools so there is no need for peak workloads. The database consists of two structures: logical and physical. The logical structures including table spaces, segments, and extents, dictate how the physical space of a database is used. The physical structure is determined by the operating system files that constitute the database. The physical storage of data can be controlled without affecting the access to logical storage structures due to the reason that the physical and logical structures are separate (Michele, 2005). The figure represents the components of Oracle application server 10 g. In computing, the Oracle Application Server 10g (the "g" stands for grid), consists of an integrated, standards-based software platform. Database recovery is made possible with the help of transaction management. Backup and logging are the main features that help to recover the database. Oracle makes use of techniques that are typically more superior for managing recovery than other database systems. The discretionary control over access to objects based on privileges helps to achieve authorization and security. Referential integrity between tables helps to achieve consistency and integrity. General Review of Oracle A database system helps user to transform the data into information and also gives the user access to their data. Oracle is one example of such a database system. Creating, updating and extracting of information are made possible with the help of a database system. A database system has some key advantages like speed, accuracy and accessibility. Each item is stored in its own field in Oracle. The field's name defines its contents. A field has little or no importance until it is used within the context of other fields. In Oracle a record is a complete unit of data made of a person, thing or event. A collection of fields forms a record. Each and every field in a record has a different name. The requirement analysis of a business must identify all the fields in an Oracle database design project. There are a number of characteristics of Oracle. There is a complex relationship between objects and queries are based on these complex relationships between objects. Oracle allows complicated transaction based updates and provides update tools that make use of them. It is purely centralized. Oracle can be used to handle a very wide range of problems as it is a general purpose tool. It helps to perform complex analysis on data where the relationship between elements of data is non-trivial. Making complex queries about the relations between objects is one of the major strengths of Oracle. Linking the data in multiple tables is made very easy with its help. It enables to define relationships between the tables when data is stored in two or more tables. Data is represented in tables with values in columns within rows (Craig, 2008). Oracle generally

Quoting, summarizing and paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quoting, summarizing and paraphrasing - Essay Example Employers using the services of these people usually pay them much below the minimum wages. It should also be noted that not all illegal immigrants enter a country voluntarily. Many times girls from poor family are deceived into thinking that they will get good jobs in the foreign country and then smuggled into a country for prostitution. This kind of illegal immigration is a problem in Middle East and Europe (Illegal Immigration, http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/illegal_immigration.html). In recent years, the problem of illegal immigration has become a cause of concern in the United States. The state has stepped enforcement measures leading to many illegal immigrants feeling insecure. The Pew Hispanic Center carried out a survey in 2007 to understand the view of the Hispanics, the largest minority group in the US, regarding the recent tough stand of the administration against the illegal immigrants. The study found that â€Å"just over half of all the Hispanic adults in the United States worry that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported.† Many Hispanics are also wary of the inability of the government to enact an immigration reform bill. It was also widely felt that increased public attention was making life more difficult for them and that they were less likely to use government services or travel abroad. As many is 75% of all the Hispanics surveyed opposed stepped up enforcement measures against illegal immigrants. However, non-Hispanics supported such measures and there was a â€Å"wide variance in the views of the Hispanics and the non-Hispanics.† (Pew Hispanic Center). The survey also found that even within the Hispanic community there was significant variance between the views of native-born and foreign born Hispanics, with native born Hispanics having a view closer to that of the rest of the US population. These enforcement measures were stepped up after the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center.

How Has Information Bout Neptune Been Gatheres Essay Example for Free

How Has Information Bout Neptune Been Gatheres Essay How has information about Neptune been gathered? When Neptune was first seen by Galileo Galilei it was thought to be just a star. Neptune was first observed by Johann Galle and Heinrich D’Arrest on the 23rd of September inn 1846. On August 25 1989 the Voyager 2 flew by the planet and it got thousands of pictures which gave us most of the information we have about Neptune today. The thousands of pictures that the Voyager 2 took were pictures of Neptune’s moons and rings. This flyby by the Voyager 2 gave us most of the information we have about Neptune today. The Voyager is the only spacecraft which has flown by Neptune and has gotten information. In 1998 scientists used telescopes on earth as well as telescopes in space to see Neptune’s ring arcs (the ring arcs are the rings of Neptune but at this point they were thought to be sort of like half rings around Neptune. The rings appeared to be a half shaped because of Neptune’s moons) as well as its rings. Neptune has been studied from the ground but it is a very challenging task due to the fact that the planet is a small disk shaped object and also because Neptune’s images are very blurred because of the distance between Earth and Neptune, Earth’s atmosphere also causes the images to be blurred. The Hubble spacecraft has also been used to find information about the planet Neptune. The Hubble spacecraft is a device which has been sent into space by NASA. Neptune’s position in our solar system Neptune is the 8th planet from our sun and the 5th farthest planet from our Earth. It is also the last gas planet in our solar system. The distance between our sun and Neptune is 30.06 AU (astronomical units).Neptune’s distance from our earth is 29.06 AU (astronomical units). Neptune’s orbit around the Sun Neptune revolves/orbits around the Sun once every 164.79 Earth years or once every 60.190 Earth days. Neptune travels at an average speed of 12,253 miles/hour or 19,720 km per hour in its orbit around the sun.

Southwest Airlines’ crazy recipe for business and personal success Essay Example for Free

Southwest Airlines’ crazy recipe for business and personal success Essay Southwest Airline Company Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Southwest Airlines is an organization in the Airline industry and it has remained to be a competitive leader in this industry since its inception. It is the America’s largest low-fare carrier and domestically it serves huge number of customers than any other Airline. This organization operates more than three thousand flights daily. Southwest Airlines operate under an environment with intense competition; however, its marketing strategy has helped the organization to have a competitive advantage over its competitors. In all southwest Airline marketing communications, it positions itself in America as the only short-haul, low-fare, point-to-point, high frequency carrier that is fun to fly. Once the organization enters into a particular market the following changes are experienced; economic mini-boom occurs, tourist traffic increases and air fares go down. Airline industry is highly volatile, however southwest airline has remained relevant in the industry and also profitable every year meaning that it has been profitable for a period of 31 years. For most of year 2000, the organizations 9 billion dollars market capitalization is more than the combined market capitalization of every other Airline in United States. Southwest airline market strategy has ensured cost efficiency thus increasing the profit margins for the organization. Some of the most marketing strategies adapted by this organization include: using smaller airports which are less congested thus saving time, flying one type of aircraft only, and eliminating seating assignments and meal service. Even though southwest airline has been using these same marketing strategies, no other airline has been able to clone southwest’s success productively (Freiberg Freiberg, 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to secure its market position successfully, southwest airline has been forced to be extremely cost-efficient. In this regard, southwest has designed a business model which uses short-hauls, single aircraft type, hub -and -spoke versus point-to-point, secondary airports all aimed at reducing the costs. Most organizations in the airline market utilize information technology like a platform aimed at sharing information from a given unit of business to another. However, southwest airline upholds a different approach. Southwest has strengthened the on-site operations agents’ roles who are entrusted with the responsibility to turn around every flight of southwest as fast as possible. In the airline market the operations agents have a responsibility for handling 3 to 5 flights at any one time but southwest strategy ensures that their operations agents are responsible in handling one flight turnaround. Southwest has established a c ulture where even pilots are willing to assist in loading luggage so as to help in getting away in time thus saving time. This demonstrates flexible job boundaries existing throughout the whole organization where any individual is very ready to pitch in wherever needed (Lauer, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Avoiding delays is the key to profitably running an Airline with turning around the planes. In the airline industry market, in a case where a delay is experienced in the airline market, they try assessing whether this was as a result of led by the ramp agents, baggage handlers, refuellers or any other functional department. However in Southwest airline delays are recoded to be team delays. Through being less precise concerning the delay cause and assessing performance through metrics which matter to the consumers. In this regard southwest focus more on learning ways of avoiding a repeat of such instances in the future compared to accountability. Airline industry in United States has experienced high price in regard to intra-Texas air travel and southwest was envisioned and was able to respond to this issue through coming up with the suitable solutions (Freiberg Freiberg, 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Southwest provides a travel product which is in built around flights which are targeted to particular ticket pricing and demographics that is simplified in order for the passengers to realize what they actually getting for their money paid. Before the entry of southwest Airline into the airline market, passengers and business travelers were used to be pampered, paid full price however in the end they ended up being disappointed. Southwest strategies usually gave insomnia to other normal executives from the Airline industry. Southwest strategy shows an organization which is very unusual and very devoted towards their consumers and employees (Lauer, 2010). A niche exists in the Airline market where southwest Airline has extensive potential of future growth. Southwest has been built on foundation of strategic management. This strategy has helped this organization in taking it into a new level of superiority and expanding of the airlineâ€℠¢s market. Therefore southwest possess an aggressive strategy, planned to be a constant success (Lauer, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are definitive and clear boundaries between employees working in diverse functional areas in most Airlines. Most workers are able to interact well with their fellow peers however ignore those others who are below them in the organization hierarchy. In cases where there are delays employees tend to blame those who are lower in hierarchy than them for the delay. However, in south west they have created a culture where all employees treat others with respect despite of their levels in the organizational hierarchy (Lovelock, 1992). All employees acknowledge the distinct responsibilities played in keeping planes flying by different functional departments. Therefore everyone’s contribution to the organization contributes to the success of the organization and thus every individual is respected and acknowledged. This respect by all employees of the organization helps in appreciating the contribution of one another to the organization and there is a tendency to act productively in achieving the larger organizational goals (Bahreini Willis, 1988).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Southwest Airlines has utilized the following ten relationships in generating extraordinary performance; investing in front-line leaders, outstanding business relationship, hiring and training for relationship excellence, using conflicts in building relationships, using broad performance metrics, bridge work-family divide, creating the positions which span boundaries, partnering with the unions, build the supplier relationships, highly flexible job descriptions and using highly flexible job descriptions. These all ten organizational relationships are exceedingly complementally; however they only generate benefits when they are all utilized and implemented. In this regard these relationships work in unison and not in isolation. Substantial benefits of these relationships can be realized only all ten are present. This in turn realizes both negative effects and positive effects. The negative effects will be that it will necessitate making var ious changes on many fronts concurrently to attain it. On the other hand, the positive effects are that an organization which follows lead of southwest airline company and establish strong organizational relationships can accomplish great success. However, the outcomes of using the ten relationships as in the case of southwest can be both long lasting and impressive. Therefore, any company can improve efficiency and quality of its performance through adapting these relationships to its own specific needs (Tadajewski Brownlie, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leadership in southwest Airlines is a distribute process. Senior management team is popular in the public arena however most of the actual work is performed by the supervisors who with frontline employees on a daily basis. Southwest Airline in reality has more supervisors per frontline worker compared other all other Airlines, and the organization succeeds at training these supervisors in providing leadership on issues occurring on daily basis. Supervisors in Southwest present the bulk of the organization’s counseling and coaching. Southwest also makes a conscious and deliberate effort of hiring employees who are excellent in working as a team (Lauer, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This organization also endeavors at enhancing team building skills through offering their employees training for relational competence. In other organizations, there is an attempt of retaining and attracting high performers, but southwest instead of hiring the elites it gives high priority while hiring to those individuals who are capable of integrating with other team members smoothly. Therefore, this organization recruits individuals who uphold right attitudes and then offer them with the necessary experience and skills they require to succeed. Southwest has distinct labor relations and this has helped to eliminate occurrences of employees strikes in the organization. An Airline industry is an oligopolistic market where every seller supplies a huge portion of entire products which are sold in the marketplace. Since the cost of setting up a business is normally very high the number of the organizations entering in this market is usually l ow. Organizations in this market are able to control over the prices that they charge. Therefore, when one organization offers fair prices than others, then its competitors also usually introduces similar promotions. Southwest has been facing excess competition from other airlines however through exemplary marketing strategies an Airline that paying for jet fuel using a personal credit card and borrowing tools has grown to be a record-breaking profitable Airline company. Southwest was one of the factors that led to end of the airline industry regulation, therefore getting rid of the barriers facing those entering the industry and also encouraging competition. Southwest was primarily responsible for keeping, Love, midway and Hobby airports open (Stone, 1980).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Southwest is still the leader in the airline industry and it is a no-frills carrier. In this regard, this Airline offers no reserved seats, no catering and no first-class. The primary goal of this organization is making air travel affordable to those individuals who could not afford it previously and not profit maximization. Southwest makes profit on average if only the last five seats on a plane are filled. This Airline as a regional carrier is unique. Southwest is popular among the passengers since they carry their customers’ non-stop from point A to point B. southwest provides no interline connections with the other airlines, except for Icelandic Air connections. This helps in wise use of time since airplanes are not delayed by ticket counter lines or connecting travelers. Their strategies have also helped in reducing the unemployment rates in United States. This is because in a case where an airplane spends exceedingly twenty mi nutes at the gate this will increase the local rates of unemployment (Pride Ferrell, 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, southwest employs marketing strategies which helps in ensuring that the organization is the most popular among the passengers. The southwest also has a culture of respecting all their stakeholders despite their hierarchy or role in the organization. All southwest employees’ works as a team and they are very motivated which improves their job satisfaction and productivity in the organization. All these marketing strategies highly contribute towards the success of southwest Airline Company. References Bahreini, M. H., Willis, J. F. (1988). Microeconomics: concepts, analysis, and applications. Redding, Calif.: CAT Pub. Co.. Freiberg, K., Freiberg, J. (1996). Nuts!: Southwest Airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success. Austin, Tex.: Bard Books. Lauer, C. (2010). Southwest Airlines. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood. Lovelock, C. H. (1992). Managing services: marketing, operations, and human resources (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Pride, W. M., Ferrell, O. C. (1995). Marketing: concepts and strategies (9th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Stone, M. (1980). Marketing and economics. New York: St. Martins Press. Tadajewski, M., Brownlie, D. T. (2008). Critical marketing: contemporary issues in marketing. Chichester, UK: Wiley. Source document

Issues Affecting The Transition Of High School Students

Issues Affecting The Transition Of High School Students Individuals experience changes that impact the various stages of and experiences in their lives. Transition from high school to post school activities is one such change experienced by students with disabilities, including higher education and/or employment. The author of this literature presents an overview of the issues affecting the transition of students with disabilities. Specifically, it brings to attention the impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on the transition process, as well as the positive effect of self determination, collaboration with service providers, and family intervention have on the transition process. Overall, findings support that when correctly administered with proper planning, the transition process is beneficial to students with disabilities. Issues Affecting the Transition of High School Students with Disabilities: A Review of the Literature Introduction Transition is the movement from one place, status, or situation to the next. Transition is dynamic and is a constant aspect of life, requiring the necessary fine-tuning to address life changes (Wehman, 1992). As life progresses, individuals encounter various sets of transitions (Harrington, 1982). For transition to be considered successful, the individual must experience improved confidence and competence in skills (Wehman, 1992). For individuals with disabilities, the period of transition from the school system to post school activities represents a pivotal junction in their lives and will require careful planning and specialized services. Students with disabilities are provided educational rights by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), with its main focus being to ensure that all children with disabilities are presented with free appropriate education that emphasizes special education and related services that is intended to meet their special needs and to prepare them for further education, employment and independent living (US Department of Education, 2010). When appropriately implemented, IDEA propels the education and subsequent transition process of students with disabilities into functional post school outcomes (McDonnell, McDonnell Hardman, 2003). The successful post school, independent functioning of students with disabilities is heavily dependent on the transition process. Built into the transition process is the actual planning for transition. In assisting the students to achieve the full benefits of the transition process and to be able to use the skills learned in school to be successful at independent living, the goals, needs, preferences and aptitude of the student with disabilities must form the foundation of the students transition planning process. Families, school districts, and communities collectively bear the responsibilities to successfully guide a student through the transition process (Wehman, 1992). The successful execution of the plan is squarely placed on school districts as theirs are the responsibilities of educating the students (Wehman, 1992). Transition Planning Transition planning is an important aspect of the education of the student with disabilities, and should be treated accordingly. A transition plan that will have lasting effect on the student takes into consideration post school educational prospects, such as training that will result in eligibility of entry to community college, universities, or employment at the completion of high school. There are also other significant factors such as post-adult living, independent living skills, and community experiences. Transition planning is done as a team effort. For students to realize the full benefits of what IDEA offers, and to successfully transition to post school activities, their course of study requires specific planning and programing. Transition services specifically deal with maximizing the academic and functional abilities of the student. Transition services are those coordinated set of activities for a student with disabilities that will result in the desired educational objectives (Flexor, Baer, Luft Simmons, 2008). An important role of the transition process is to increase success, self-worth, and confidence in an individual while taking the students needs, strengths and preferences in mind (Flexor et al, 2008). The members of the transition team should include the students, teachers, members of the family, school administration, and members of the local education agency. These are considered to be the core members of the team. Vocational rehabilitation counselors, related service providers, adult service providers, post school education program representatives, and other professionals with expertise in a specific disability or disabilities are also influential members of the team. The selection of the entire team is to be collaborative in nature, with all members being fully mindful of the student and the specific disability that the student is experiencing. At best, all individuals who interact with the students as far as transition planning is concerned must be well-informed and conversant with the students Individualized Education Program (IEP). Students with Disabilities as a High Risk Group for Successful Transition to Post High School Activities Osgood, Foster and Courtney (2010) point out that the manner in which an adolescent transition to adulthood has significant implications over the long haul. For example, whereas gaining a college degree makes it possible to achieve a higher-paying and more respectable job; early parenthood, failed marriage for a young person or becoming involved in criminal conduct or substance abuse can have negative outcomes in the areas of finances, family relationships and other important areas of life. It has been found, for example, that high school graduates or dropouts who do not attend college have significantly lower prospects of achieving a successful and satisfying life during adulthood than those youths who are college-bound (Bloom, 2010; Osgood, et al, 2010). Bloom (2010) observes that a recent study done in New York City identified young people with disabilities, including young people with learning disabilities or emotional and behavioral problems, as one of five significant groups of young people who are at significantly high risk of leaving school, not returning, and then ending up unemployed or out of the labor force (p.94). Cortiella (2009) reports that the Presidents Commission on Excellence in Special Education reported in 2004 that unemployment for adult individuals with disabilities have stayed at around 70% for the prior 12 years. Young people with disabilities transitioning from high school were found to be at relatively the same risk for failure in pursuing post school activities as immigrant youths, young people involved in the justice system, youth aging out of foster care and young mothers (Bloom, 2010). According to Osgood, Foster and Courtney (2010), given the fact that the years from high school into the early twenties represent a difficult period of transition for the general population in the U.S. and other developed nations, this time is particularly arduous for vulnerable youths, including those emerging from the special education system. In addition problems affecting the general population that require many young adults to depend on their parents for much longer, individuals with disabilities tend to face . . .exceptional challenges finding employment, attending college, and marrying and starting a family. Many struggle with emotional or behavioral problems; many of histories of problems in school and in the community. Often their families are unable or unwilling to provide the support that most families provide to their children during this transition-funding for college, child care that permits work or schooling for young parents, a place to live when times are hard. Some of these young adults are hampered by limited capacities and difficulty acquiring skills. The day-to-day tasks of achieving financial and residential independence can be daunting because of physical disabilities, chronic illness, or mental illness. (Osgood, Foster Courtney, 2010, p.211) At the same time, vulnerable populations experience greater challenges to transition into adulthood than other youths often because they have to deal with tasks that youths their age do not have to face. For example, a youth who has physical disability has to engage in the arrangement of medical services or assistive devices and it may require extra burden to achieve a college degree or have a successful romantic relationship that blossoms into marriage. Furthermore, youths with disabilities leaving high school may have limited ability to accomplish everyday tasks. Physical disabilities, for example, may result in reduced strength and range of motion whereas impaired learning and cognitive abilities can make it more challenge to earn a college degree and the kinds of professions that would lead to independent living without the need for special assistance. In addition, adolescents with mental illness and behavioral problems can experience problems meeting the expectations of employer s, friends and romantic partners. Because children with disabilities can require considerable parental time and resources and have behavioral problems that negatively affect the parent-child relationship, parents and families sometimes lack the energy and desire to assist these youths, making it more difficult and longer for youths with disabilities to succeed in the post high school world (Osgood, Foster Courtney, 2010). Consequently, the literature supports the need for effective transition services for post high school activities among youths with disabilities (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007). It is found for example, that vulnerable groups do poorly at completing high school and obtaining postsecondary education which is of vital importance to succeeding occupationally and financially in todays economy. It has been reported that youths with more than one disabilities have a one in twelve chance of successfully completing a higher education. Compared with 69 percent of other youths who attain full-time employment with three to five years of completing high school, only 57 percent of youth from special education gain full-time employment in this time period. Compared with 72 percent of individuals with mild disabilities and 79 percent of the general population, only 39 percent of youths aged 18 to 30 with serious disabilities are in the workforce. Only about 32% of all persons with disability between the work-age of 18-64 years are employed, compared to 81% of people without disabilities. Limited education and employment among youths with disabilities have daunting consequences for their living circumstances. Problems include strong likelihood of living below the poverty line, difficulty paying bills and meeting the experiences of daily living, strong dependence on public assistance and high rates of early parenthood. For example, about 50% of young women with learning disabilities or emotional problems become mothers with three to five years of finishing high school compared with only about one-third for the general population. Compared to national unemployment rate of about 6%, unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is around 40-70%. In the area of independent living, 65-75% of persons with disabilities have not achieved independent living status. About 25% of young women with health heath issues have unplanned pregnancies when compared with under 10 percent of the ge neral population (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007; Osgood, Foster Courtney, 2010). Systemic Failures in Transition Planning as an Underlying Issue Affecting Successful Post School Outcomes In 2004, the IDEA was amended particularly to improve postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities. The revisions were based on the Presidents Commission on Excellence in Special Educations finding that problems affecting high school graduates with disabilities such as significant unemployment and significant amounts of students leaving school without a diploma compared to the general population, are the result of failures in the present systems structures (Cortiella, 2009, p.1). Particularly, the Commission felt that high school graduates face barriers to smooth transition to adult living because of failures in transition planning (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007; Cortiella, 2009). Four areas of improvement were highlighted: better definition, clear starting point, improved planning and a new performance summary. The term Transition Services were redefined as activities aimed specifically on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child to facilitate movement from post-school activities (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Continued education and transition services were mandated to be provided for young people with disabilities for four years beyond the traditional time of graduation from high school. Furthermore, the definition was extended to require that services are based on the strengths, preferences and interests of the child with a result-oriented focus (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007). The IDEA (2004) also provides a clearer starting point in terms of the age where transition planning should begin, identifying 14-16 as an effecting age range. Improved planning involves the addition of measurable postsecondary goals regarding training, education, employment and independent living skills where necessary; as well as a development of a statement in the IEP about transition services necessary to help the student achieve these goals. The new performance measures include a requirement by schools to evaluate special education services before terminating them when the child graduates as well as a summary of performance including the childs academic achievement and functional performance upon leaving high school (Rutkowski, Daston, Kuiken Riehle, 2006; Sabbatino Macrine, 2007; Corteilla, 2009). Factors Contributing to Successful Transition Resilience or the ability to quickly recover from stressful events and problems determine how successful high school students with disabilities are able to transition to post high school activities. The resources that contribute to resilience come in many forms, from individuals skills and personality, to supportive relationships with other people, the involvement in groups like churches and clubs (Osgood, Foster Courtney, 2010, p.218). However, the most important factors identified by research as keys to promoting successful transition to adulthood among high school graduates with disabilities are success at school, support from family and friends, and healthy interpersonal relationships (Osgood et al, 2010) The good news is that special education services as with foster care, have programs in place to ensure the successful transition of individuals with disabilities to adulthood. In addition to providing support for individuals with disabilities, health and special education systems specifically address the needs of individuals with disabilities by providing access to specialized services that target particular needs of young people. However, to ensure that the transition from high school to adult life is successful for individuals with disabilities, it is important to begin early transition planning (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (2005) defines transition planning as the process of focusing on the plans and dreams parents and their children with disabilities have for the future. The function of transition planning is to provide youths with disabilities with the services and supports he or she needs to make a successful move into adult life (p.5). The school plays a fundamental role in transition planning, which typically begins at age 14 through to time of graduation from high school, but may occur earlier to hedge problems such as dropping out of school or to get an early start for children with significant disabilities. In general, transition planning should occur for all students with disabilities who have an IEP. In addition to being part of the IEP process, transition planning should involve all individuals and agencies identified by the transition IEP team, including the student, the family, and school staff. Students and Parents In order to be successful, transition planning must involve the full participation and contribution of each transition team member. Each student must actively participate in the transition planning process, particularly in helping to decide what he or she wants to do after leaving school. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 stresses the importance of students being involved in the transition process. For example, it added a new requirement that transition services designed to coordinate various activities that are provided to students with disabilities by the schools and other agencies to help them successfully transition from high school to postsecondary education, employment and independent living; to consider the students interests, preferences and strengths. Identification of the students strengths enables the transition team to identify goals that highlight and build on the students abilities rather than on what the child cannot do (Cortiella, 2005). Students have various responsibilities in ensuring the success of the transition planning process. These include taking an active role in the development of the Transition IEP, becoming knowledgeable about the transition process, thinking about the kinds of services that would help him/her in their adult life in order to help the transition team invite the appropriate agencies to attend the Transition IEP meeting, working with guidance counselors and career counselors to identify courses and school experiences that will promote their desired post high school activities, becoming knowledgeable about their disabilities and how to gain access to services and supports to enhance his/her long term goals, attending class, acquiring self-determination and self-advocacy skills, learning how to use assistive technology and how to save money for post school activities (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Parents play an invaluable role in the transition process. In fact, parental involvement is considered one of the most important factors in how successful the youths transition will be from high school to post high school life. Parental responsibilities in the transition process include playing an active role by asking questions and making suggestions, reviewing their childs Transition IEP goals, reviewing graduation requirements, providing opportunities for their child to explore post high school options such as employment, career centers, community colleges, community service, recreation and leisure, etc.; helping their child with their post school outcome statement, and helping their child develop a portfolio of personal informational medical and psychological testing, learning style, class rank, grade point average (GPA), honors, awards, work experiences, etc. (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Dunlap (2009) indicates that it is important for parents and professionals to work together to meet their childrens needs because it serves as a reinforcement of the program goals and objectives. Parents can contribute valuable information about their child and about the family unit. They know many things about their child that others initially are unlikely to know, including the childs strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes and medical history (p.92). This is a valid assessment. Children with special needs present many challenges for educators. Therefore, it is important for teachers to be aware of their global functioning in order to best meet their needs. The best way to achieve this goal is through parent-teacher collaboration. Furthermore, when parents stay in contact with professionals they also learn strategies and techniques that they can implement at home to enhance their childrens success. In addition, parents and their children can provide important information about the students goals for adult life, the strengths and resources of the family, extended family and the community, the services needed by the family and the services and providers that have helped the family in the past (Florida Department of Education, 2005). Sabbatino and Macrine (2007) indicate that the process of including students and their parents in the transition planning process provides students and their parents opportunities to look to the future, voice preferences, express concerns and desires, and share in decision making that directly affects each students future (p.34). Olsen and Fuller (2008) point out that parent involvement may take a variety of forms and levels of involvement, both in and out of school. It includes activities that are provided and encouraged by the school and that empower parents in working on behalf of their childrens learning and development (p.128). Olsen and Fuller (2008) identify six types of parental involvement, including (1) basic responsibilities of families, which involves providing health, security, shelter and other basic necessities for their children; (2) communication, or the sharing of information and ongoing two-way interaction between parents and children; (3) volunteering or providing advocacy help to educators and administrators for programs aimed at helping children with homework or other needs; (4) Learning at home, which involves managing childrens time with television and homework and ensuring that they build positive attitudes about education; (5) Decision making, which involves partnering with the schoo l to solve problems and shape goals and policies affecting the lives of their children; and (6) Collaborating with the community (i.e., small businesses, religious communities, cultural groups, government agencies, etc.) to identify resources to enhance childrens ability to learn and develop (Olsen Fuller, 2008). According to the research, parent involvement in the lives of their children with special needs is beneficial not only for the children and the parents themselves, but for educators and the school. In sum, research shows that when parents and schools support and encourage the development of children it benefits the children in numerous ways, including helping children to achieve more regardless of the racial/ethnic, socioeconomic status or educational level of the parents; help children to get better attendance, test scores and grades; result in greater consistency with children completing their homework. Other benefits for children include better self-esteem, less discipline problems, and higher motivation for school. Benefits for parents include greater responsiveness and sensitivity to the social, emotional and intellectual needs of their children; more confidence in their parenting and decision making skills, greater affection for their children, and greater awareness of policies affecting the education and future development of their children (Olsen Fuller, 2008). Transition Services: Getting Students Ready for Productive Work Work experience during high school has been identified in the literature as a strong predictor of successful employment outcomes for young people with disabilities (Carter et al, 2010). Furthermore, it has been reported that people with disabilities are offered jobs at a lower rate that the general population. The reality is that many students with social, emotional, behavioral, cognitive, or developmental disabilities find that their educational experience in todays schools did not equip them with the skills necessary to leading self-determined, independent lives (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007, p.33). In fact, a central goal of education for students in general is to ensure the successful transition from school to work. Without a well-defined transition program, students with disabilities leave high school unprepared to become productive workers and, as a result, become unemployed Transition services represent an important part of transition planning. The overarching goal of transition services is to help the student successfully move from school to post school activities or to successfully transition to adult life. Before the child turns 16, the transition team (also called the Transition IEP team) involves parents, the young person and teachers. After age sixteen, the team may involve representatives of agencies who provide or pay for the services given to the young person. Post school activities coordinated by transition services to help the youth move into adult life include access to college or university programs, continuing and adult education, vocational training, employment, independent living, community participation and the coordination of adult services from different agencies. The IDEA requires the transition services to development include a statement in the IEP about the transitional service needs of the student, with a focus on the courses of s tudy the study will engage in do achieve his or her post school goals; and a statement in the IEP about the students transitional service needs when the student turns 16. The transition services must also be based on the individual needs of the young person, their likes and interests as well as necessary activities regarding instruction related services, community experiences, employment, post-school adult living skills, daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation (Florida Department of Education, 2005; Rutkowski, Daston, Kuiken Riehle, 2006). Rutkowski, Daston, Kuiken and Riehle (2006) identify four commonly used special education models for transition services: traditional classroom model, work-study model, transition-to-community model and the adapted career and technical model. In the traditional classroom model, students in segregated special education classrooms are taught employability skills. In the work-study model, classroom instruction is combined with actual work experience, with the students participating mainly in food or custodial service related jobs for a few hours a day. In the transition-to-community model, students are prepared for independent living, which includes developing social skills and participating in job-shadowing experiences and workplace observation. In the adapted career and technical model students are taught work skills and ethics in a simulated work site. School-to-Work Transitions According to Carter et al (2010), preparation for the world of work has long been a central focus of transition education (p.194). Estrada-Hernandez et al (2008) observe that when counseling professions measure the career outcomes of persons with disabilities, they do so by assessing their employment outcomes in the competitive labor market. The assumption is that positive independent living outcomes for individuals with disabilities are positively correlated to successful community employment and the empowerment it provides the individual. The successful movement from education to employment is crucial for establishing independence among young adults with disabilities (Shandra Hogan, 2008, p.117). Baugher and Nichols (2008) point out, however, that preparing special education students to leave high school and enter the world of work or post-secondary education can be a difficult task (p.216). This may explain the reality that while coordinated transition services combined with comm unity work experience plays a vital role in ensuring successful school-to-work transitions for young people with disabilities, and despite of the fact that federal law requires transition assistance, these services are inconsistently available (Rutkowski, Daston, Kuiken Riehle, 2006; Shandra Hogan, 2008). The consequence of this is that young people with disabilities leaving high school are not given the opportunity to learn proper work ethics, communication skills or the kinds of attitudes that make them hireable. The IDEA requires schools to develop transition plans by working with students and parents and to provide transition services that prepare students for employment after graduation. The increased emphasis by the IDEA on students with disabilities being prepared for employment has been driven by the pervasive and persistent rate of post school employment outcome for young people with disabilities, the well established finding in the literature that gaining work experience s during high school is the most trustworthy predictor of favorable post school employment outcomes, and the finding that working during high school contributes to independent living post high school by promoting the young persons autonomy, vocational identity, career awareness and ambitions, workplace skills, values and ethics. However, it is reported that having a transition plan in place does not necessarily mean that students will be successfully employed (Sabbatino Macrine, 2007; Shandra Hogan, 2008; Carter et al, 2010). Carter et al (2010) investigated the summer employment and community participation experiences and outcomes of 136 high school students with severe disabilities. Predictor measures included employment skill (understand requirements for preferred employment, make informed occupational choices, know how to obtain a job, demonstrate general job skills and attitude for getting and maintaining a job, and having specific knowledge and skills to perform a particular job), community activities (non-work activities), self-determination (ability to perform specific self-determination behaviors, perceptions of efficacy of self-determined behaviors, knowledge about self-determination and associated behaviors), social skills and problem behaviors, spring work activities, career preparation activities (career interest assessments, goal setting and planning, workplace visits, occupation specific training, vocational education classes, social skills training, and person-centered planning), and teach er expectations for employment. They found that 61.7% of these students were not working and 11.1% reported sheltered employment. Those who work in competitive jobs mainly engaged in tasks related to cleaning, food services, stocking and assembly-related work. Those who worked completed about 10.3 hours a week for competitive jobs, 12.0 hours for unpaid jobs and 17.8 hours for sheltered jobs. Only three of the participants worked full time (more than 35 hours a week). Most of the respondents reported that they receive supports from school staff (63.6%), parents (63.6%) and employment agencies (13.6%). They obtained jobs through the help of school staff (58.6%) or parents (23.5%). For the students (47.7%) who did not work, two reasons were offered: parents did not want them to work (36.9%) and specific barriers to finding and maintaining employment (30.8%), including limited transportation and supports. The most important factor associated with getting and maintaining a paid job was employment skill, which were related to spring work experiences and teacher expectation. Working in the spring increases the odd of gaining a summer job by 5.28 times or a 36% better chance of getting a paid job (Carter et al, 2010). Estrada-Hernandez et al (2008) investigated the experience of individuals with disabilities in transition from school to work. In particular, the researchers examined the mediating effects of the severity of disability among 115 high school students with disability on their employment outcomes in an intensive school-to-work transition program. The authors concluded that employment outcomes were significantly affected by the severity of disability despite the fact that their interests were appropriated matched to the jobs they performed. As a result, while participants had positive employment outcomes in the area of job entry, such outcomes may not necessarily result in higher earn

How smart is Einstein? :: essays research papers

There is a parlor game physics students play: Who was the greater genius? Galileo or Kepler? (Galileo) Maxwell or Bohr? (Maxwell, but it's closer than you might think). Hawking or Heisenberg? (A no-brainer, whatever the best-seller lists might say. It's Heisenberg). But there are two figures who are simply off the charts. Isaac Newton is one. The other is Albert Einstein. If pressed, physicists give Newton pride of place, but it is a photo finish -- and no one else is in the race. Newton's claim is obvious. He created modern physics. His system described the behavior of the entire cosmos -- and while others before him had invented grand schemes, Newton's was different. His theories were mathematical, making specific predictions to be confirmed by experiments in the real world. Little wonder that those after Newton called him lucky -- "for there is only one universe to discover, and he discovered it. " But what of Einstein? Well, Einstein felt compelled to apologize to Newton. "Newton, forgive me;" Einstein wrote in his Autobiographical Notes. "You found the only way which, in your age, was just about possible for a man of highest thought and creative power." Forgive him? For what? For replacing Newton's system with his own -- and, like Newton, for putting his mark on virtually every branch of physics. That's the difference. Young physicists who play the "who's smarter" game are really asking, "how will I measure up?" Is there a shot to match -- if not Maxwell, then perhaps Lorentz? But Einstein? Don't go there. Match this: In 1905, Einstein is 26, a patent examiner, working on physics on his own. After hours, he creates the Special Theory of Relativity, in which he demonstrates that measurements of time and distance vary systematically as anything moves relative to anything else. Which means that Newton was wrong. Space and time are not absolute -- and the relativistic universe we inhabit is not the one Newton "discovered." That's pretty good -- but one idea, however spectacular, does not make a demi-god. But now add the rest of what Einstein did in 1905: In March, Einstein creates the quantum theory of light, the idea that light exists as tiny packets, or particles, that we now call photons. Alongside Max Planck's work on quanta of heat, and Niels Bohr's later work on quanta of matter, Einstein's work anchors the most shocking idea in twentieth century physics: we live in a quantum universe, one built out of tiny, discrete chunks of energy and matter.

CEO and Head of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors Essay

This memo is in response to your request concerning how to establish the appropriate tone. The purposes of this memo are, first, to explain the meaning and significance of evaluating control environment; second, to discuss the integrity and ethical values; third, to show the organizational structure; fourth, the importance of establishing commitment to competence; finally, to establish and segregate the division of responsibilities of finance and accounting department in order to establish the appropriate tone. Control Environment Control environment is the step engaged by a company to prevent fraud; both misappropriation of assets and fraudulent financial reporting. It has an equal role in assuring control over manufacturing and other processes. As a result of fraudulent financial reporting, the objective of accounting company is to study the causal factors that are associated with fraudulent reporting and to make recommendation to reduce its incidence. COSO emphasizes that internal control is a process to an end, and not an end in and of itself. The process is effected by individuals, not merely policy manuals, documents, and forms. By including the concept of reasonable assurance which recognizes that the cost of a company’s internal control should not exceed the benefits expected to be obtained. The control environment sets the tone of the company by influencing the control awareness of individual. It may be viewed as the foundation for the other components of internal control. The effectiveness of internal control depends on the integrity and ethical values of the personnel who are responsible for creating, administrating, and monitoring controls. Integrity and Ethical Values Integrity and ethical values are very importan... ...cide what skills are required to appropriately perform job responsibilities. Second, it must staff those jobs with individuals who have the needed skills. Trade-offs can be made in fulfilling these step, such as placing a less experience person in a demanding job and providing that person with extra supervision. Develop a matrix management in other to share authority. Delegate authorities in other to accomplish the organization’s goals, and make sure that people who are making decisions understand that they will be responsible. Works Cited Auditing & Assurances Services by Messier 9th edition 2 (COSO Internal control Framework, Executive Summary) 3 http://www.isaca.org/Journal/Past-Issues/2009/Volume-3/Pages/Tone-at-the-Top-Is-Vital1.aspx 4 http://www.coso.org/documents/990025P_Executive_Summary_final_may20_e.pdf 5 www.journalofaccountancy.com †º May 2004‎

Essay --

In the field of medicine, diagnosis and management are initiated by the presence of symptoms. Nevertheless, a number of technological advancements allow for an individuals disease susceptibility to be identified, through DNA-based diagnostic testing. Although seen as the â€Å"holy grail† in disease prevention and management, DNA testing raises issues that can lead to widespread disapproval amongst the public. Hereditary Haemochromatosis (HH), an autosomal recessive disorder, is a disease that can not only be treated effectively, but if identified early it can also be prevented. HH is a metabolic disorder caused by a mutation in the hemochromatosis (HFE) protein, leading to an increase in intestinal iron absorption despite adequate or even excessive iron stores that lead to liberal iron accumulation in the body, thus causing irreversible organ damage. (Fowler, 2008) HH is commonly known as adult onset-HH, as the disorder is often asymptomatic, with excessive iron accumulation observed after the age of 40 predominantly in the liver, but also in the pancreas, pituitary, heart, joints, and skin. This can lead to clinical complications such as cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, arthritis and liver fibrosis, in addition to skin hyperpigmentation. (Papanikolaou and Pantopoulos, 2004) In the bloodstream, iron binds to transferrin, establishing an iron-transferrin complex (diferric transferrin). Iron is released from transferrin when the compound binds with the transferrin receptor at the hepatocyte surface. Binding of the HFE protein to the transferrin receptor reduces the affinity of the transferrin receptor for the iron-transferrin complex; which in turn reduces the amount of iron being released by the complex. (Vora, 2012) The HFE protein is ... ...d be tested for, in order to minimise the adverse effects it may have on any one individual or family. These individuals adopted a deontological approach, where they believe the well-being of each individual in a population should be accounted for by the health sector. Conclusively, genetic screening for HH can be approached from many interest groups, each with their own contrasting view, based on their rational. As a young scientist, I believe that the well-being of each individual in the population should be cared for when implementing any genetic screening. Even though haemochromatosis has a low penetrance rate, and is rarely seen in non Caucasian ethnicities, the continuous admixture of ethnicities, its 1 in 300 prevalence rate and its preventability, indicates that any test for it cannot be dismissed, regardless of its ethnic discrimination or other issues.

Quiz: John Keats and Small Business Owners

Dashes Quiz (90%) 1. Hinduism–this is the major religion of India–developed over a period of many centuries. (B) 2. Ferrets can be delightful pets–when they want to be. (B) 3. â€Å"You have two choices,† he was told to fight and die or to live the life of a coward. (C) 4. Mayonnaise contains three things–egg yolks, vegetable oil, and vinegar. (A) 5. There were only two men who could match his strength and skill–Hercules and Achilles. (A) 6. Don't forget these ingredients in the wedding cake–one cup of patience, a spoonful of consideration, and a dash of forgiveness. A) 7. The baseball strike has caused all of us–especially the die-hard fans–to re-examine our priorities. (C) 8. From seashells, the natives made beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and earrings–even entire lines of jewelry. (B) 9. Jose's resume was impressive–he started work as a cashier in a computer store, advanced to manager, and eventually beca me a consultant for IBM. (C) 10. The Springfield orchestra ought to win the competition–their violin section is the best in the state. (C) 11. Ramona didn’t know–how could she? -that Alexis was already at the party. (B) 12. Grasping for an explanation, Sergei only managed to say, â€Å"I’m really sorry, but–. † (B) 13. Two years after being told by her boss that she did not have â€Å"what it takes,† Sonia had become a stockbroker–and a millionaire. (A) 14. City politicians–if not all politicians–should spend more time talking with small business owners. (C) 15. Many musicians who play the oboe also play–the English horn and oboe d’amore–double-reed instruments whose ranges are slightly lower. (A) 16.The dangers of the disease–its resistance to penicillin, its ability to avoid detection, and its transmissibility–should not be underestimated. (B) 17. The piano is an easy instrumen t to play–but a difficult one to play well. (C) 18. The computer has launched entire corporations–even empires–since its inception in the earlier part of the twentieth century. (B) 19. The hardships Ludwig van Beethoven had to overcome were considerable–several handicapped brothers and sisters, an abusive father, and the loss of his hearing at age twenty-nine. B) 20. Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, and The Outer Limits–he used to watch these shows into the early morning hours. (C) Quotation Marks (95%) 1. â€Å"Show me your friends,† my grandfather used to say, â€Å"and I'll tell you what I think of you. † (B) 2. On the first day of my Romantic Poetry class, the teacher stunned us by announcing, â€Å"I will now recite the most beautiful poem in the English language, ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn,’ by the English Romantic poet John Keats. † (B) 3.In her review of the film Mississippi Burning, Pauline Kael wrote, â€Å"Alan Parker likes to operate in a wildly dramatic universe of his own creation. † (C) 4. â€Å"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary† is the first line of Poe's poem â€Å"The Raven. † (B) 5. One of the most famous newspaper headlines is â€Å"38 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police. † (C) 6. On the topic of effort, P. D. James wrote, â€Å"God gives every bird his worm, but He does not throw it into the nest. † (C) 7. In his inaugural address, John F.Kennedy said, â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. † (B) 8. Joan said, â€Å"I could swear it was Mary Queen of Scots who proclaimed, ‘In my end is my beginning. ‘† (A) 9. You may prefer the Beatles' song â€Å"Yesterday,† but â€Å"Let It Be† is my favorite. (C) 10. In his lecture on dreams and mythology, Joseph Campbell wrote, â€Å"Dream is the personalized myth, myth the depersonalized dre am. † (A) 11. â€Å"There is no taking trout with dry breeches,† said Miguel de Cervantes when defining effort. C) 12. â€Å"You can hear the physicist Stephen Hawking's voice on the Pink Floyd song ‘Keep Talking',† said Rebecca. (B) 13. For your essay on Meso-American cultures, please consider the article â€Å"City of the Gods. † (C) 14. George said, â€Å"I was so shocked to hear Mrs. Edwards say, ‘Let's tango beneath the moonlight' that I stepped on my prom date's foot. † (A) 15. My friend Tom Jansen nervously read the newspaper headline, â€Å"Floods Force Dutch to Flee as Battered Dikes Begin to Fail. † (C) 16.My English teacher said, â€Å"Yogi Berra was grammatically incorrect when he said, ‘It ain't over 'til it's over,' but he surely was right. † (A) 17. Perhaps the most famous of all Star Trek episodes is â€Å"The City on the Edge of Forever,† which starred Joan Collins as a visionary social worker. (B) 18. â€Å"Dan Quayle Was Right,† by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, appeared in the magazine The Atlantic Monthly in 1993. (C) 19. The words â€Å"discrete† and â€Å"discreet† are homonyms: they sound the same but have different meanings. † (A) 20. Most Americans don’t

Burden Of Overweight Shifting Poor Health And Social Care Essay

Background: Overweight and fleshiness prevalence has increased globally ; nevertheless, current prevalence and tendencies of fleshy by societal category in low- and middle-income states are unknown. Methods: Repeated cross-sectional, nationally representative informations from adult females aged 18-49 ( n=556,352 ) in 41 low- and middle-income states were used to find the prevalence of corpulence ( body mass index a†°?25 ) at each study moving ridge by wealth quintile and educational attainment ( individually ) . The SES-specific prevalence difference and prevalence growing rate for each state were compared for the lowest and highest SES groups. Linear arrested development estimated the association between state wealth and fleshy prevalence growing. Consequences: In the bulk of country-years the highest wealth and instruction groups still have the highest age-standardized prevalence of corpulence and fleshiness ( 97 of 111 entire country-years ) . However, in about half of the states ( 21 of 41 ) , the additions in fleshy prevalence over clip have been greater in the lowest SES group compared to the highest SES group. Higher country-level Gross Domestic Product per capita ( GDP ) was associated with a higher fleshy prevalence growing rate for the lowest wealth group compared to the highest ( aGDPper capita/1000= 0.24 ; 95 % CI -0.015, 0.46 ) . Decisions: Presently, higher SES groups have more fleshy than lower SES groups across most developing states. However, half the states show a faster growing rates in corpulence in the lowest Selenium groups, declarative mood of an on-going displacement in the fleshy load toward lower SES groups. Across states, this displacement toward faster fleshy growing among lower wealth groups is associated with higher GDP. ( Word Count: 250 ) Introduction Low socioeconomic position ( SES ) is associated with higher rates of chronic disease in high-income states 1-4. In lower-income states, chronic disease has merely late go a prima cause of morbidity and mortality 5, and less is known about the societal patterning of emerging chronic diseases in these contexts. In the yesteryear, corpulence was comparatively uncommon in lower-income states and was positively associated with SES 6. However, the prevalence of corpulence has increased dramatically in many lower-income states around the universe over the last 5-15 old ages 7-9. As the load of nutrition-related disease has shifted toward overnutrition 10, it is unknown whether the load of these emerging diseases is going comparatively heavier among lower SES groups. Recent cross-sectional grounds suggests that in the bulk of lower-income states wealthier groups have a higher odds of corpulence. However, within-country clip tendencies of the fleshy prevalence for high and low socioeconomic position groups have non been reported. Changes in the fleshy prevalence over clip by socioeconomic position group are of import for understanding which groups are sing an increasing load of corpulence which can assist expect emerging forms of disease. ( ? ) Based on ascertained relationships in higher income states and on the documented relentless associations between low socioeconomic position and the prima causes of disease in many contexts, experts have hypothesized that the load of chronic disease in lower income states will finally switch toward lower SES populations within these states ( believe I can mention yach and popkin, possibly others look at concluding disseration chapter ) . Brazil is one of the few middle-income states in which alterations over clip in the SES-specific fleshy prevalence are available. Nationally-representative informations between 1975 and 2003 indicate that, among adult females, the lowest income groups have experienced much more rapid additions in fleshiness prevalence compared to highest SES groups 11. Among the two most thickly settled parts in Brazil, the fleshiness prevalence in the lowest income group has really surpassed that in the highest income group 12. Such a form of alteration in SES-specif ic fleshiness rates is consistent with a switching load of fleshiness to the hapless. Similar forms have been reported among adult females in urban countries of sub-saharan Africa ( ref? ? ) †¦ Merely with faster fleshy prevalence growing rates for the low SES groups could the relationship between high SES and overweight finally go opposite in states with antecedently positive relationships. On the other manus, there is research to propose that higher SES populations in lower income states will go on to bear the largest load of chronic disease. In India†¦ Additionally, economic dazes frequently affect nutrient security and can go forth populations with the lowest socioeconomic position most vulnerable to inadequate nutrition in these circumstances.13 ( seek to happen some scientific rating of this, might get down by reading Sen article ) . Merely with faster fleshy prevalence growing rates for the low SES groups could the relationship between high SES and overweight finally go opposite in states with antecedently positive relationships. Such a displacement of the load of fleshiness to low SES groups in states come oning through epidemiologic passages would be consistent with the cardinal cause theory of disease ( 11, 12 ) . This theory is frequently invoked to explicate wellness disparities and high spots the overall persistance of the relationship between SES and hapless wellness over clip, despite alterations in the T ( 1, 11, 13-15 ) . Brazil is one of the few middle-income states in which alterations over clip in the SES-specific fleshy prevalence are available. Nationally-representative informations between 1975 and 2003 indicate that, among adult females, the lowest income groups have experienced document within-country clip tendencies for growing in and, higher entire fleshy prevalence? ? ? ? is from the Demographic Health Surveys ( DHS ) , which are nationally representative family studies administered chiefly in low- and middle-income states ( henceforth referred to as lower-income states ) . The studies entail repeated cross-sections and roll up information about cardinal demographic features, birthrate, contraceptive method, wellness and nutrition. The DHS questionnaires are standardized to enable cross-country comparings 21. Since our primary involvement is in the clip trends in fleshy prevalence we included merely states that measured anthropometrics in at least two study moving ridges. beginnings that include anthropometric informations on at least two perennial steps over clip. The bulk are from Demographic Health AAdditionally, s 22, 232425 ) . Wealth and instruction were used individually to stand for SES. To stand for wealth, we used the DHS wealth index, which is derived from a chief constituents analysis ( PCA ) of some assets that were asked in all DHS studies, every bit good as some country-specific assets 26. The wealth index was used to make country- and year-specific quintiles of wealth mark, which were used as a categorical variable in the analyses. Education was categorized based on the educational mileposts: no schooling, primary, secondary, third school. If less than 2 % of the population fell into any one of the instruction classs, that class was combined with the following closest class to avoid unstable estimations. Results Age-standardized fleshy prevalence was determined for each wealth and instruction group in each state and in each study twelvemonth and SES ( wealth or instruction ) group. Sample weights to account for complex study design were used in all analyses. Analysiss were conduced individually by: 1 ) wealth quintile, 2 ) instruction group. Our results of involvement were 1 ) the difference in fleshy prevalence between the lowest and the highest wealth/education groups for each study moving ridge ( prevalence difference ( PD ) ) , and, to measure clip tendencies, 2 ) the annualized difference in the net alteration in fleshy prevalence between the first and last study moving ridge for the lowest and highest wealth/education groups ( annualized difference in fleshy prevalence alteration rate ) . To cipher the prevalence difference for wealth quintiles, we subtracted the prevalence in the highest wealth quintile from that of the lowest wealth quintile ( Overweightlowest- Overweighthighest ) in each study wave in each state. A positive corpulence prevalence difference would so bespeak that the lower wealth quintile had a higher prevalence of fleshy compared to the higher wealth quintile. To obtain the annualized difference in the fleshy prevalence growing rates between wealth quintiles, we took the difference between the net alteration in fleshy prevalence in the highest group and the net alteration in the lowest group ( Overweightlowest, lastwave- Overweightlowest, firstwave ) – ( Overweighthighest, lastwave – Overweighthighest, firstwave ) . A positive difference in prevalence growing rates indicated the lowest wealth quintile had a higher rate of prevalence growing rate than did the highest quintile. We repeat these analyses for each state by instruction group, classified by educational mileposts, lowest being no schooling and highest being third school. SES was represented by wealth and instruction, in separate analyses, to research the hardiness of the consequences to different indexs of SES. For DHS states, we used the DHS wealth index ; it is derived from a chief constituents analysis ( PCA ) of assets that were asked in all studies, every bit good as some country-specific variables 2727 Potentially do age-standardization as sensitiveness analysis merely. Make 90 % CI and site Davey-Smith article 27 619 1128 2930 14 19 hazard factors for obesityrisk factors for 1. Phelan JC, Link BG, Diez-Roux A, Kawachi I, Levin B. â€Å" Cardinal causes † of societal inequalities in mortality: a trial of the theory. J Health Soc Behav 2004 ; 45:265-85. 2. Antonovsky A. Social Class, Life Expectancy and Overall Mortality. The Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 1967 ; 45:31-73. 3. Adler NE, Boyce T, Chesney MA, et Al. Socioeconomic position and wellness: The challenge of the gradient. American Psychologist 1994 ; 49:15-24. 4. Marmot MG, Smith GD, Stansfeld S, et al. Health inequalities among British civil retainers: the Whitehall II survey. Lancet 1991 ; 337:1387-93. 5. WHO. The universe wellness study 2003: determining the hereafter. Geneva: World Health Organization ; 2003. 6. Sobal J, Stunkard AJ. Socioeconomic position and fleshiness: a reappraisal of the literature. Psychol Bull 1989 ; 105:260-75. 7. Popkin BM. The World Is Fat: The Fads, Trends, Policies, and Merchandises That Are Fattening the Human Race. New York: Avery-Penguin Group ; 2008. 8. Popkin BM. Global nutrition kineticss: the universe is switching quickly toward a diet linked with noncontagious diseases. Am J Clin Nutr 2006 ; 84:289-98. 9. Popkin BM, Conde W, Hou N, Monteiro C. Is there a slowdown globally in fleshy tendencies for kids compared with grownups? Obesity ( Silver Spring ) 2006 ; 14:1846-53. 10. Mendez MA, Monteiro CA, Popkin BM. Overweight exceeds scraggy among adult females in most underdeveloped states. Am J Clin Nutr 2005 ; 81:714-21. 11. Monteiro CA, Conde WL, Popkin BM. Income-specific tendencies in fleshiness in Brazil: 1975-2003. Am J Public Health 2007 ; 97:1808-12. 12. Monteiro CA, Conde WL, Popkin BM. The load of disease from undernutrition and overnutrition in states undergoing rapid nutrition passage: a position from Brazil. Am J Public Health 2004 ; 94:433-4. 13. de Brauw A. Migration and child development during the nutrient monetary value crisis in El Salvador. Food Policy ; In Press, Corrected Proof. 14. Link BG, Phelan J. Social conditions as cardinal causes of disease. J Health Soc Behav 1995 ; Spec No:80-94. 15. Link BG, Phelan JC. Understanding sociodemographic differences in wellness — the function of cardinal societal causes. Am J Public Health 1996 ; 86:471-3. 16. Phelan JC, Link BG. Controling disease and making disparities: a cardinal cause position. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2005 ; 60 Spec No 2:27-33. 17. Miech R. The formation of a socioeconomic wellness disparity: the instance of cocaine usage during the 1980s and 1990s. J Health Soc Behav 2008 ; 49:352-66. 18. Chang VW, Lauderdale DS. Fundamental cause theory, technological invention, and wellness disparities: the instance of cholesterin in the epoch of lipid-lowering medicines. J Health Soc Behav 2009 ; 50:245-60. 19. Monteiro CA, Conde WL, Lu B, Popkin BM. Obesity and unfairnesss in wellness in the underdeveloped universe. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2004 ; 28:1181-6. 20. McLaren L. Socioeconomic position and fleshiness. Epidemiologic Reviews 2007 ; 29:29-48. 21. DHS Model Questionnaires. Measure DHS Macro International. ( Accessed at hypertext transfer protocol: //www.measuredhs.com/aboutsurveys/dhs/questionnaires.cfm. ) 22. DHS. DHS Guidelines for Interviewer Training: Measure DHS. Macro International ; 2000. 23. Indonesian Family Life Survey. ( Accessed Janurary 10, 2010, at hypertext transfer protocol: //www.rand.org/labor/FLS/IFLS/hh.html. ) 24. WHO/FAO. Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic DiseasesReport of the joint WHO/FAO expert audience. Geneva: World Health Organization ; 2003. 25. Ahmad O, Boschi-Pinto C, Lopez A, Murray C. Age standardisation of rates: a new WHO criterion. Geneva: World Health Organization ; 1999. 26. Rutstein SO, Johnson K. The DHS Wealth Index: Measure DHS, Macro International ; 2004. 27. Appropriate body-mass index for Asiatic populations and its deductions for policy and intercession schemes. The Lancet 2004 ; 363:157-63. 28. Ziraba AK, Fotso JC, Ochako R. Overweight and fleshiness in urban Africa: A job of the rich or the hapless? BMC Public Health 2009 ; 9:465. 29. Du S, Mroz TA, Zhai F, Popkin BM. Rapid income growing adversely affects diet quality in China — peculiarly for the hapless! Soc Sci Med 2004 ; 59:1505-15. 30. Monda KL, Gordon-Larsen P, Stevens J, Popkin BM. China ‘s passage: the consequence of rapid urbanisation on big occupational physical activity. Soc Sci Med 2007 ; 64:858-70. 1.

Lowering the drinking age Essay

For many years there has been a debate about whether or not the legal drinking age in America should be lowered. Now a days, the legal age for someone to buy or consume alcoholic  beverages is 21. Many people who are against lowering the age limit feel teenagers are not mature enough to drink responsibly. On the other hand, there are many reasons, that support my position that America’s legal drinking age should be lowered to 18. America’s legal drinking age should be lowered to 18 because 18 year olds are already given many adult rights in our country. In the United States 18 is considered the â€Å"age of  consent.† People at that age are permitted to vote in government elections and serve their country in military service. They are also old enough to get a driver’s license and buy cigarettes. If 18  year olds are considered mature enough to earn these important rights, they should also be allowed to buy and drink alcohol. Another reason the age restrictions on alcohol should be lowered is because lowering the restrictions would not necessarily make more people drink. It would only make it possible for a larger portion of adults in the country to drink legally. Moreover, lowering the legal drinking age might even lessen alcohol’s appeal to young adults since they are often attracted to things  that are â€Å"forbidden.† The legal drinking age should be lowered in the United States because many other countries permit people under 21 to buy and consume alcohol. European countries such as  France, Germany, England and Ireland all permit people aged 18 years to buy and consume alcohol. Some countries, like Italy, do not even have a legal limit for alcohol consumption. If it is  possible for so many productive and successful countries to have lower age restriction on alcohol than the United States, we should have lower limits too.  In conclusion, the legal drinking age in the United States should be lowered to 18 for several reasons. Individuals who are 18 years old are already granted many other adult rights, so they should also be permitted to buy and purchase alcohol. Additionally, many other countries have age restrictions that allow teenagers to legally consume and purchase alcohol. Based on evidence I have provided, it is clear that maturity, and not age, are the best ways to determine whethe r people should be permitted to drink alcohol or not.