Current Events and US Diplomacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current Events and US Diplomacy - Essay Example   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the fact remained that the US military forces had already lost over 25000 American soldiers along with hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese. In spite of such efforts, the US could not come out as victorious. Antiwar forces within the US were most vocal against the US government for the deployment of the US forces in Vietnam War. In such circumstances, Nixon assured US allies to honor treaty commitments (History.com, 2012).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the behest of Nixon Doctrine, it became amply clear that now South Vietnamese troops would have to fight on their own as the process of withdrawing American troops began after formal announcement. In keeping with this pronouncement, the US and North Vietnam signed a peace treaty in 1973 and it appeared that permanent peace will prevail in the area. However, two years later, in 1975, North Vietnamese forces demolished the South Vietnamese army bringing the who le country under communist rule (History.com, 2012).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to note that though the Communist Party ruled the Vietnam since 1975 yet the country moved from planned economy to a market economy in the '80s. In recent years, the US relations with Vietnam have improved significantly. However, several incidents are responsible for that. In 1991, Soviet Union collapsed and disintegrated into several independent states. Also, East Germany merged into West Germany to accelerate economic growth based on the free market trade systems. It is important to note that Vietnam and the US tend to develop a free trade agreement between them. and they have already entered into an investment and trade agreement besides signing air transport, textile and maritime agreements. The US imports a variety of goods from Vietnam such as footwear, apparel, furniture, seafood, agricultural products; similarly, it exports machinery products, vehicles, yarn and fabri c. Thus, relations

Spinach Contamination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Spinach Contamination - Essay Example This achieved by using strong rationality and sensibility in making of decisions. Should be attentive to the problem and collect information from several sources, reasonable in making decisions by applying ethical values and appropriate legal principles in alleviating the contamination problem. Moreover, should be intelligent and responsible in the decisions. Facts on resolving this problem are that the health of consumers is at stake. Also, the people’s perception that not all bagged foods need to be cooked under high heat is false. It is assumed that people will continue to consume the fresh spinach as before. The problem to be resolved is that to eradicate the main source of bagged fresh spinach cause E. Coli bacterium. Search narrows; Response to new information makes it easier to presume that the sink for E. coli bacterium is found in Greens garden. This is evidenced by the data shown by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the State of California to isolate the cause of the break. I would take samples of the spinach for testing and quarantine the remaining crops. Actions to take regarding the spinach products like spinach with dairy products and whole leaf packaged spinach marketed through Tossed Fresh is that all to be withdrawn from the market, isolated and tested. If confirmed that they harbor E. coli they are incinerated. This shows how I fell responsible for this problem and make decisions that are good for everyone. Actions taken with regard to other crops produced is that all will undergo scrutiny for the presence of E. coli inoculums and other disease-causing pathogens. After which they would seek clearance from the US food testing agency to be declared fit for consumption. Seeking of extensive information on proper methods of controlling the spread of E. Coli from reliable sources thus justifies my extensive corrective actions.

Reviewing Theories Of Deborah Stone On Policy Making Politics Essay

Reviewing Theories Of Deborah Stone On Policy Making Politics Essay I name my answer to question as Idea and Deborah Stone, I want go through her book and explain why ideas are so important. According to Deborah Stone, ideas will help people to define alliance, strategic considerations also ideas will help people to get the legitimacy and draw policy boundaries. (Deborah, P 34). According to Deborah Stone, ideas will decide who will be affected, how will they be affected and will they be affected legitimately (Stone, P.34). In the first Chapter, Stone starts her analysis at the city-state (the Greek term polis) level. The public policy is considered as an attempt to achieve a certain community goals (Deborah, P 21). However, due to the fact that everyone has his own understanding of ideas, therefore the political community has become a place for internal debates over who will be affected, how will they be affected and will they be affected legitimately(Deborah, P 34) . The policy-making process has thus become a continuous interaction between the conflict and cooperation. In Stones model, individuals may pursue their goals through collective action. The motivation is not only based on self-interests but also based on public concerns. This is because the public interest is be related to the goal of survival (Deborah, P 33). However, when there is a contradiction between self-interest and public interest, the policy process will be more complicated (Deborah, P 33). When the group is motivated under common ideas, the group will get more strength, and there will be a balance between private interests and public interests in the conflict. Stone directly uses the idea as the core concept of this book. In her construction of polis community vs market individual(Deborah P 33) model, ideas have become the focus. Stone tries to use struggle of idea to explain all stages of policy-making process. Policy-making is followed by a continuous constantly struggle to fight for the classification of standards, types of boundaries, and guide people to conduct the ideal typical definition. The struggle of idea can be seen in several policy levels. According to Stones theory, idea defines what people want from the policy; it is the foundation for people to cognize and understands what the policy is. Idea provides a relationship between advocators and advocacy coalitions; Idea provides causal relationship for these people and groups, and ideas will be reflected to their policy objectives through their actions of obtaining support. And these people with the shared idea will persuade decision-makers to meet their preferences. As mentioned above, Stone sees idea as a constantly changing dynamic and resources of construction. And by given different interpretations of ideas, the concept of the ideas will also change. She points out that the politics of policy is to choose the interpretation (Deborah P 75). Stone argues that the authority to interpret idea is the key factor in the policy-making process. Only legitimated idea can be transformed into policy. And using the legiti macy, peoples knowledge or behavior can be changed. And policy change can also be made through this interaction of ideas. Ideas affects how people cognized politics, and the change of politics will also feedback on ideas. To Stone, idea is not static; idea is an ongoing of constructing and reconstructing process of concepts. Now I will try to exam whether Deborah Stones idea theory can fits with other policy process theory. In the punctuated equilibrium theory, Baumgartner and Jones also argue that idea is a potential power in the policy making process. According to their book Agendas and Instability in American Politics, a powerful supporting idea is associated with the institution (Baumgartner and Jones, P 7); In page 16, they also writethe tight connection between institution and idea provides powerful support for prevailing distribution of political advantage. These statements mean that idea will help people understand what is at stake and how will they be affected (Stone, 2002), policy advocators will use institution arrangement to make their idea be legitimate. Also, in order to gain more power those policy actors will manipulate images and ideas. To Baumgartner and Jones, ideas are important because they provide some potential undergirding institutional arrangements; and the struggle of idea is the struggle over legitimate institution arrangements. In the book Agendas, alternatives and public policies, Kingdon also discusses the importance. In order to make useful policy suggestions, participants in the policy process are competing to develop new ideas; and they are trying to provide their ideas in the form of potential solutions to policy makers. According to Kingdon, policy entrepreneurs lie in wait in and around government with their solutions [already] in hand, waiting for problems to float by to which they can attach their solutions, waiting for a development in the political stream they can use to their advantage (Kingdon, P 165). Shared ideas make policy entrepreneurs into alliance; and these alliances are trying to make their ideas become legitimate. Kingdons primal policy soup (Kingdon, P 139-143) model provides us a picture of how decision makers accept idea through coherent narrative process (ideas are flowing in the streams just as molecules flowing in the soup). According to Kingdon, a policy community creates a sh ort list of ideas. If the ideas can go through the selecting process, softening up process and if they can pass the exam by specialists and policy makers, they may finally become policies. The whole process can be viewed as a continuing struggle of ideas. In this case, ideas are not only competing with other ideas, they are also struggling to survive in this primal soup. I also think Kingdons policy window model is another improvement to Deborah Stones arguments. People are now struggling to make their idea in front of the policy window at the correct time. This model discovers that the during the policy process, critical time is also important for ideas struggling. However, I think there are also some theories which do not fully support Deborah Stones argument. In the garbage can model, because the nature of unclear, policy is not necessarily to be the consequence of the ideas struggling. In Kingdons Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies, he describes that as garbage can into which various kinds of problems and solutions are dumped by participantsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ removed from the scene (Kingdon, P 85). In some sense, Deborah Stones Struggling of ideas assumption is more based on a goal-oriented policy making process, in order to make it work, there should be a clear policy goal from all participants; while the classical garbage can model is more like a method-oriented policy making process, it doesnt require a clear goal or solution at the beginning. In the garbage can model, people are not fighting with each other over ideas in the final solution selecting stage, however it is still correct to say that each solution in the garbage can is a result of deliberative idea thinking. I think there is a slight difference between Deborah Stones theory and the garbage can model. Another policy theory which doesnt fully consistent with Deborah Stones theory is the incrementalism theory. According to Lindblom, the incremental policy process is more relied on former existing policies. According to this model, the policy environment generally remains stable. Because the incremental nature of the policy, the new policy will inherent the policy environment from previous policy, if the former policy has resolved the struggling of idea, then there will be less struggling of ideas in the new policies. Since the policy environment is stable, it will be unlikely for us to speculate a violently struggle over ideas. The last policy process theory I want discuss in the context of struggling over idea is the advocacy coalition framework (ACF) theory. The central idea of this theory is that people or groups with the same beliefs (core/policy/secondary) will form a coalition. I think Sabatiers concept of belief is similar to Deborah Stones concept of idea. Especially, I think the concept of policy belief is playing the role of idea in the policy process. I think his core belief is rooted even deeper than idea. The core belief will sometimes become unnoticeable. And using the ACF model, we can find out that the policy process is a competition among different policy beliefs, and I think this observation is close to Deborahs struggle over ideas the essence of policy making.'. But it does not mean that the change in the secondary belief level is also a result of struggling, according to Sabatiers theory, such change is more like the result of an incremental learning process. In conclusion, I think Deborah Stones argument is useful for us to understand some policy process. However, by using different theories we should also notice whether policy processes are struggle over ideas should be analyzed in situations. The Punctuated-Equilibrium model, ACF model and Multiple Stream model indicate that Deborahs argument is valid. In the P-E model, the change of existing idea or appearance of new idea will bring turbulence to the policy process; in the ACF model, the learning process can change beliefs at different level, and these changes will bring feedbacks to the policy process; in the M-S model, policy entrepreneurs will using the opportunity to propose their ideas, and when critical time is come, the coupled stream will become policy. Incremental Model suggests that policy process is not necessarily linked to struggling when the time span of the policy is very short. There could be no struggle when the whole policy process is already fixed. However, I think the origin/first policy in the incremental model is a result of idea struggling. The Garbage Can model suggests that the choosing process within the policy process may appear as a random process, it is not necessarily to be the consequence of the idea struggling.

Essay examples --

INTRODUCTION- Why Airbus? Airbus produces approximately half of the world’s jet airlines. Porter stated that aircraft suppliers have more profit compared to airlines; therefore, we decided to find out what kind of business strategies help the company excel, particularly Airbus is competing with Boeing. On the other side, business strategies will support the company’s future design processes in the industry and technology needs. Airbus does not only manufacture passenger jets, they also have military and aerospace projects with its parent company. These details might be interesting to learn more about the jet airline industry. OVERVIEW (Company profile) Airbus is the world’s leading commercial aircraft manufacturer whose customer focus, commercial know-how, technological leadership and manufacturing efficiency have propelled it to the forefront of the industry. Airbus Group is based in Toulouse, France. Airbus Group has been a part of European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company since 2000, which have other similar groups such as Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter. Recently in 2014, Tom Enders, Airbus group executive restructure the company into three divisions and change the name of company EADS to Airbus. The current organizational structure comprises three divisions including Airbus, Airbus Defense and space and Airbus helicopters. Airbus is considered a world leader in the air transport marketplace with over 57,000 employees and 16 manufacturing locations across Europe. Airbus has a global network of more than 200 customers, over 1,500 suppliers and around 80,000 annual expense reports. Airbus is focusing global manufacture of the commercial aircraft. Over 40 years of developing technological innovation of its product... ....V. (EADS) Vision 2020 was established in 2007 to provide growth, changes and new goals for Airbus that are to be achieved by 2020. The vision is to have a well-balanced EADS that will include profitability, focus on core, become a worldwide leader in air and space platforms and systems, mission-critical service provider, and become eco efficient. In order to obtain the above balanced revenues must be available and this can happen when EADS reduces dependence on Airbus and increases revenue streams from non-Airbus divisions. This strategy focuses on increasing the revenue services from 10% to 25%. Globalization is also a primary concern because EADS plans to increase internationalization for geographic expansion by increasing its non-European sourcing from 25% to 40% which in turn will make the procurement marketing and global sourcing activities achieve its goal.

`A dolls house` act 3 analysis

A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen is about the oppression of women and how they were asked by men to live in a ‘Doll's House.' We see throughout the play how Torvald acts like a dictator with Nora and talks to her condescendingly.However, in Act III things start changing. Torvald's tone becomes harsher, he actually starts treating her like a possession and dresses her up like a doll in all the things he finds most ‘desirable'.After the party he tries to have her in order to satisfy his desire but when Nora reveals Krogstad's condition Torvald tries to use his desire as a point of consolation. When Nora talks to him and tell him her own secret. He unravels. He abuses her verbally and claims she has shamed him. He completely rejects her position.Yet, as soon as the truth is revealed through the letter the maid brings, he forgives her. By then Nora has had enough and decides to leave him unable to live anymore as a possession with no will and a person with no individual identity . She said of her position with her dad and then Torvald as her husband, â€Å"He played with me just as I used to play with my dolls. And when I came to live with you I was simply transferred from Papa’s hands to yours.†It is this Act that summarizes Nora's conflicts throughout the play where she struggled to see herself as an independent woman but was confined by her sense of duty to her husband and society. She felt she was freed and her ties with Torvald severed when he refused to help her and honor her when faced with baseless accusation. It showed her that she had been sacrificing herself for a man who would never love her as she needed to be loved. He valued his possessions more than her and that was something she would not accept.She has discovered that as a woman she has been continuously asked to do her ‘duty' and has done so but she is also expected to remain a plaything for her husband and that she can no longer do. She has discovered that she values her sense of the self, her discovery of herself as an individual over her role as a wife, mother and daughter and she is no longer willing to sacrifice her life for people who cannot return the same emotions for her sake.ReferencesDolls House by Henrik Ibsen

Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle Cell Anemia occurs in about 1 out of 500 African American births, and 1 out of 36,000 Hispanic births. It is a lifelong disease, and sometime can be deadly. According to Dr. Whittaker, in our region there are abnormally higher cases of Sickle Cell Anemia, so I found it important to learn more about the disease, what cause it, what are the symptoms as well as the options of treatments for this disease. According to www. invista. com, it is believed that sickle cell disease occurs more often in people from parts of the world where â€Å"malaria† is or was common. Also the coincident of people who carry the sickle cell trait are less likely to catch malaria make a lot of us wonder of these two diseases are associated. â€Å"In the 1940s, E. A. Beet, a British medical officer stationed in Northern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), observed that blood from malaria patients who had sickle cell trait had fewer malarial parasites than blood from patients without the trait. † ( innvista) There are researchers have came up with several links between the two diseases. Malaria† is caused by a type of parasite that completes its life cycle in human’s red blood cell. This parasite enters the bloodstream with the aid of a female (Anopheles) mosquito. With individual who has Sickle Cell Anemia, the red blood cell break down when infected with this parasite disallow the development of the â€Å"malaria† parasite. There are others explanation such as: Hb S in Sickle Cell individual leads to the polymerization of hemoglobin and this prevent the parasite from ingest the hemoglobin which it needs for its life cycle, therefore the parasite get destroyed. Also the parasites of â€Å"Malaria† need oxygen for their development however a patient with Sickle Cell Anemia can’t provide them just that, therefore they cannot continue their life cycle. There are still questions regarding the relationship between Sickle Cell Anemia and â€Å"malaria†, but the explanations offered are quite interested. Sickle Cell Anemia is an inherit disease. An individual who has two copies of the trait will inherit Sickle Cell Anemia from the parents. Those people who only have one copy of this trait will become a carrier for Sickle Cell Anemia, and if their husband or wife also a carrier, the disease will keep passing on. â€Å"In Sickle Cell Anemia, the havoc caused by the abnormal hemoglobin s (HbS), results from a change in just one of the 146 amino acids in a beta chain of the globin molecule†( Marieb 642). It is amazing how one tiny change in our body can has such dramatic effect, but on the other hand they all possible; human’s body is extremely complex. The disease has to do with the protein hemoglobin found in human red blood cell. A normal person’s red blood cell has a round, doughnut shape without the whole in the middle; however a sickled red blood cell will take on a crested moon shape, and these sickled cells are fragile and prone to rupture. The normal life span of a healthy red blood cell is about 120 days before spleen takes out the bad ones and the bone marrow replace them. The sickle cells will go bad in only about 10 to 20 days. Imagine the spleen has to work extra hard to get rid of these bad blood cells, and with patients of sickle cell anemia about all of their hemoglobins are bad, therefore spleen has to take out all of them; that’s why these patients have to get their blood transfuse regularly. These sickled cells after got produced by red bone marrow can go back and forth between being normally shaped and sickle shaped until they eventually become sickle shaped permanently. And Instead of moving through the bloodstream easily like normal red blood cells, these sickle cells are very sticky and so they can clog blood vessels. These events interfere with oxygen delivery, leaving the victims gasping for air and extreme pain. Bone and chest pain are particularly severe, and infection and stroke are common sequels. † ( Marieb 642). Sickle cell anemia produces a chronic anemia which may become life- threatening when hemolytic crises, which is the breakdown of red blood cells, which is when bone m arrow fails to produce blood cells. These crises occur under condition of low oxygen, such as during intense exercises, masses of hemoglobin molecules in each red blood cell cut out its normal disk shape. For some individual the â€Å"crises† can last hours, days or even weeks; some has â€Å"crises† once a year, for others they occur way more often. There are several symptoms that can be diagnosed as soon as infant is four months old. â€Å"The clinical course of sickle cell anemia does not follow a single pattern; some patients have mild symptoms, and some have very severe symptoms. The basic problem, however, is the same: the sickle-shaped red blood cells tend to get stuck in narrow blood vessels, blocking the flow of blood† (Bownas, Jennifer). And they are: the period of pain (mentioned above), hand-foot syndrome ( babies with swollen hands and feet), jaundice (yellowish color found on the baby’s skin or/and in the white parts of their eyes), frequent infections, Delayed growth and puberty in children and often a slight build in adults. The slow rate of growth is caused by a shortage of red blood cells. There is also vision problem, because of the eyes not getting enough nourishment from circulating red blood cells, these types of damages can be serious enough to cause blindness if not discover on time. Sickle Cells Anemia is a disease with many complications, and all of them are dangerous for patient’s health. One of which is referred to as ERD (exercise-related death). This scenario happens when a patient with Sickle Cells Anemia attend into a lot of physical practice. â€Å"The possibility that previously healthy young people with sickle cell trait might suffer increased mortality from exercise was first suggested by observations of enlisted recruits in US Armed Forces basic training. A military trainee with Hb AS suffered exercise related hypernatremia during physical training in the field. He only survived a critical illness that included acute renal failure because of dialysis† (Kark, John). And also during that single summer, there were already four deaths among recruiting at this area, all of them were black and had Sickle Cells Anemia. So John Kark, whom is the author of this article, was very positive about the significant risk associate between Sickle Cells and ERD. And I think this is reasonable, because the nature of Sickle Cell Anemia is to decrease dramatically the amount of red blood cell circulating in the human’s body, which will cause the lack of oxygen in multiple organs and muscles in the body. And when an individual with Sickle Cell try so hard on these physical activities and keep pushing themselves forward, it’s hard to avoid damage to the body, which is very unfortunate. Another big complication with Sickle Cell Anemia is infections. Patients of this disease are extremely prone to infection due to their abnormal red blood cells. Recently the screening tests for Sickle Cell Anemia were required for newborns. Before this happen, 35% of infant with Sickle Cell died from infection. The most common bacteria that usually attack these infants are treptococcus pneumonia and Haemophilus influenza which can cause pneumonia, blood infections, or meningitis). A death can occur to these infants only a few hours after the fever. Acute Chest Syndrome is also yet another dangerous complication of Sickle Cell Disease. It is the leading cause of illness among the Sickle Cell Anemia patients. â€Å"Pulmonary disease, manifested as the acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a common complication of sickle cell anemia. It is the second most common cause of hospitalization in persons with sickle cell anemia and accounts for 25% of premature deaths. † (Gladwin, Mark) ACS occurs when the lung tissues are starved for oxygen during a crisis. ACS can be caused from infection that lead us back to Sickle Cell Anemia, to blockage of blood vessels which also remind us of Sickle Cell disease, because of the sickle red blood cells with their crested moon shape, as mentioned earlier, instead of moving smoothly along the blood stream, these sickle cells are very sticky and tend to block the blood vessels. There are a few symptoms that can be recognized such as: high fever, rapid breathing, wheezing or cough, and finally acute chest pain. As of today, the only potential cure of Sickle Cell Anemia is bone marrow transplant. However according to the mayo clinic’s website, it is extremely difficult to find a matching donor and also, the procedure is very risky and can be life threatening. So for treating Sickle Cell Anemia, there are more aims to reduce the pain of the â€Å"crises†. As a result, treatment for sickle cell anemia is usually aimed at avoiding crises, relieving symptoms and preventing complications† (Mayo Clinic Staff). Sickle Cell Anemia victims always have to take antibiotics because of their sensitivity, they are prone for infection. Blood transfusion is an option, with this procedure the patient will get supplied with healthy red blood cells from donors, but this can also be risky, because the new red blood cells also carry with them irons, this can c ause excessive iron build up in patients’ body; so people who get blood transfusion also need others treatments to reduce iron level. A prescription drug called Hydroxyurea is usually used to treat cancer can be use in the severe case of Sickle Cell Anemia for adults; it reduces the frequency of painful crises and may reduce the need for blood transfusions. When one experience â€Å"crises†, it can be helpful to have supplemental oxygen, which provides extra oxygen and help breathing easier. Doctors and scientists still in the lab to experiment some more possible cure for Sickle Cell Anemia patients, hopefully they will be successful in finding a complete ure. Sickle Cell Anemia is a serious lifelong disease. It is hard to live with it, and it is just as hard to live with a loved one that has Sickle Cell Anemia. The â€Å"Health Education Research† of Oxford Journal has done a study on mothers who have children with Sickle Cells in Western Nigeria :â€Å" Financial stress and disease factors were met with confrontation, while family sources of stress were either complained about, accepted or avoided. (Olley, Lydia) Oxford Journal also mentioned that less educated family members (especially the mothers) get in more stress than others â€Å"Higherlevels of stress were associated with less educated and older women† (Olley, Lydia). Hopefully in the near future, there will be more education, counseling about Sickle Cell Anemia to everyone, so we can take care of the patients better, and bring better attitude and hope toward them, because I believe they need that the most especially from a family member. Sickle Cell Anemia Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that affects the 11th chromosome which is a hemoglobin gene. Hemoglobin is a protein located in red blood cells (RBCs) that carries oxygen through the body. This disorder is inherited from two parents with abnormal genes that are heterozygous (Rr). This means that both parents who have the trait may pass on the disorder to their offspring. The phenotype makeup is recessive. Those who inherit a normal copy of the chromosome 11 and a mutated chromosome will carry the trait, though would not show any symptoms. Normal red blood cells are soft and flexible to fit thought small vessels.Sickle cell anemia causes these blood cells to stiffen and curve, almost like a crescent moon. The abnormal cells (erythrocytes) become stuck and block a narrow vessel which disables oxygen to pass through and causes pain and damage to organs. Many organs such as the liver and spleen become damaged due to lack of oxygen. When the spleen becomes damaged, patience will ex perience many infections. Pain is also caused by the sickle blood cells becoming caught in vessels called crises. Jaundice (yellowness to eyes and skin) can occur in babies due to liver damage. Sickle cell anemia can be diagnosed by a simple blood test, mostly to newborns.The blood test given to those who weren’t tested at birth is called the hemoglobin electrophoresis. It determines if you have the disease or is a carrier of the trait. It can be treated by blood transfusions from a donor with healthy blood cells, or a bone marrow transplant. Some interesting facts are that: normal blood cells can live up to 120 days, but sickle blood cells live up to 10 to 20 days. When the red blood cells are damaged, the body kills the red blood cells off which causes chronic anemia. African Americans are mostly affected with this disease due to inter-marriage. in 12 African Americans have the trait and 1 in 500 actually have the disease. Also, Sickle cell anemia can be traced back to the Mediterranean and Middle East area. The humid, wet climate attracts mosquitos and the mosquitos transport malaria. Surprisingly, those with Sickle cell anemia are immune to malaria. The last interesting fact is that my mother is actually a carrier of the Sickle cell trait. My older sister and I weren’t affected of the trait because our father didn’t carry any defected chromosome. Unfortunately, my little sister, Joy, is also a carrier of the trait even though her father isn’t affected. Sickle Cell Anemia Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that affects the 11th chromosome which is a hemoglobin gene. Hemoglobin is a protein located in red blood cells (RBCs) that carries oxygen through the body. This disorder is inherited from two parents with abnormal genes that are heterozygous (Rr). This means that both parents who have the trait may pass on the disorder to their offspring. The phenotype makeup is recessive. Those who inherit a normal copy of the chromosome 11 and a mutated chromosome will carry the trait, though would not show any symptoms. Normal red blood cells are soft and flexible to fit thought small vessels.Sickle cell anemia causes these blood cells to stiffen and curve, almost like a crescent moon. The abnormal cells (erythrocytes) become stuck and block a narrow vessel which disables oxygen to pass through and causes pain and damage to organs. Many organs such as the liver and spleen become damaged due to lack of oxygen. When the spleen becomes damaged, patience will ex perience many infections. Pain is also caused by the sickle blood cells becoming caught in vessels called crises. Jaundice (yellowness to eyes and skin) can occur in babies due to liver damage. Sickle cell anemia can be diagnosed by a simple blood test, mostly to newborns.The blood test given to those who weren’t tested at birth is called the hemoglobin electrophoresis. It determines if you have the disease or is a carrier of the trait. It can be treated by blood transfusions from a donor with healthy blood cells, or a bone marrow transplant. Some interesting facts are that: normal blood cells can live up to 120 days, but sickle blood cells live up to 10 to 20 days. When the red blood cells are damaged, the body kills the red blood cells off which causes chronic anemia. African Americans are mostly affected with this disease due to inter-marriage. in 12 African Americans have the trait and 1 in 500 actually have the disease. Also, Sickle cell anemia can be traced back to the Mediterranean and Middle East area. The humid, wet climate attracts mosquitos and the mosquitos transport malaria. Surprisingly, those with Sickle cell anemia are immune to malaria. The last interesting fact is that my mother is actually a carrier of the Sickle cell trait. My older sister and I weren’t affected of the trait because our father didn’t carry any defected chromosome. Unfortunately, my little sister, Joy, is also a carrier of the trait even though her father isn’t affected.

Relationship between Money and Happiness

Relationship between Money and Happiness Introduction Does money buy happiness? If you ask anyone this question, the obvious answer will be yes. There is an intricate relationship between money and happiness, which confounds literal observation that money is happiness. Critical analysis of money-happiness relationship shows that socioeconomic factors determine the happiness of an individual; therefore, it is quite unsatisfactory to attribute money as the only factor and determinant of happiness.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Relationship between Money and Happiness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is a linear relationship between money and happiness; nevertheless, to some extent money has no effect to the happiness of an individual. â€Å"According to rank hypothesis, income and utility are therefore not directly linked: Increasing an individual’s income will only increase their utility if ranked position also increases and will necessarily reduce the utility of others who will lose rank† (Boyce, Brown, Moore, 2008, p. 1). If one has the highest-ranking income in a given social group or workplace, one tends to be much happier than the other one with the lowest-ranking income. Money facilitates things that bring happiness but itself does not bring happiness. Money and Happiness Since the general perception of money is that it is the ultimate source of happiness, many people work tirelessly day and night to ensure that they earn more money to satisfy their needs. This belief is quite evident in the way people devote most of their time and energies in work places rather than spending time in pleasure by relaxing with family members and friends. Akin, Norton and Dunn (2008), observe that, â€Å"the amount of time the average American spends at work has grown steadily over the past several decades, despite the fact that this apparent investment comes at the cost of family and leisure time† (p. 4). Although mon ey brings happiness and satisfaction in life through spending to satisfy needs, people also derive pleasure in getting money. Life becomes happier if one is working extra to get more income. Otherwise, working overtime without commensurate income results into loss of happiness and morale of working amongst workers. Hence, money is a motivating factor in the work place and source of pleasure in satisfying needs of the family, and thus there is a linear relationship between money and happiness. The relationship between money and happiness is very complex since money is not only a factor that determines happiness. The state of happiness results from diverse socioeconomic factors that make it hard to attribute to economic factors only.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Due to existence of the complex relationship, money can have direct relationship with the happiness, but up to a certain level of satiation where money has no effect on happiness. Easterlin paradox reveals that, â€Å"since the Second World War, despite getting richer, many countries have not shown improvement in average levels of happiness† (Albor, 2009, p. 38). Easterlin paradox explains that social and economic factors do not have positive correlation yet they are the factors that influence the state of happiness in an individual, family, community and the entire nation. Improvement in economic factors in terms of increase in income levels does not mean that there is concomitant improvement in social welfare, which reflects happiness in the society. According to Albor (2009), happiness is composed of seven factors namely, â€Å"family relationship, community, social affiliation, financial institution, work, personal freedom and personal values† (p. 44). Thus, money is not the only source of happiness. Personal Life’s Experiences My psychological understanding of the fa ct that money alone cannot buy happiness has helped me in coping with life’s great challenges because the world perceives money as the sole source of happiness. Earlier, I thought that money was everything in life, and that I could even buy happiness with it when deprived of the same. My dream in life was to achieve great knowledge for the sole purpose of earning huge income that would make my life better and happier. â€Å"†¦ priming individuals with the concept of money or wealth appears to increase their feelings of self-sufficiency,† (Quoidbach, Dunn, Petrides, Mikolajczak, 2010, p. 2). I was so happy nurturing and fantasizing about money, wealth and happiness for I did not know the complexity of happiness because to me, money and happiness were equal. I longed for the time when I would own as much money and property as I could to surpass everybody in everything including happiness, because money translated into happiness. Not until I gained psychological ins ight on happiness, only to realize that money was not the core factor in felicity realization. Having gained psychological perception and understanding of what constitutes happiness, I now perceive life quite differently. I now understand that money is one of the factors that determine happiness, but not the only means to happiness.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Relationship between Money and Happiness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Easterlin in explanation of his paradox argues that, â€Å"economic growth is a carrier of a material culture of its own that ensures that humankind is forever ensnared in the pursuit of more and more economic goods† (Albor, 2009, p. 47). From this argument, I understand that without psychological perception of what really constitutes happiness, the pursuit of money and wealth will enslave me. On contrary, people amass money and wealth to have financial freedom, which means ab undant happiness, but in real sense, they attain financial slavery. The business of managing and gaining more money is very hectic and weary as an individual spends many hours doing it than having pleasure. I have realized that for money to bring happiness in life there should be a balance between work and pleasure, otherwise overindulgence in money making will lead to enslavement. I have experienced that the more money one owns, the more he/she walks deeper into this enslavement. Owning a lot of money and wealth is quite challenging because it demand immense psychological attention, which overwhelms the happiness derived from them. At some instances when I have a lot of money, I find myself quite unstable, for I am busy running up and down spending it to attain satisfaction; regrettably, the very goods I buy do not satisfy my thirst for happiness. Research study by Akin, Norton, Dunn, (2008), demonstrates that, â€Å"†¦adult Americans erroneously believe that earning less th an the median household income is associated with severely diminished happiness- a false belief that may lead many people to chase opportunities for increased wealth† (p. 11). With changed psychological perception, I cannot pursue happiness by indefinitely striving to hoard money and wealth since I will be striving after the wind, and that is vanity. Life’s Experiences of Others Many people poorly understand the relationship between money and happiness. They think that the only means to attain happiness is through the satisfaction of human needs that literally money can buy. However, money cannot buy everything that determines happiness, for instance, good friends, friendly community, and personal values amongst other key factors that define happiness. Due to lack of psychological understanding of real meaning and source of happiness, many people grope in economic circles thinking that happiness lies there. False perception of happiness has made many people to struggle endlessly in pursuit of financial happiness, which never materializes. People think that solutions of many problems they encounter in life lies in money, because money pays education, rent, food, healthcare and many others needs. Smith (2008) cautions this form of thinking for people assume that they â€Å"†¦might work longer hours to make more money, but then face heightened anxieties regarding childcare cost, comminuting, diminished leisure, physical and mental costs that accrue for the well-being of the families† (Smith, 2008, p. 20). In the course of achieving happiness through financial means, the process is tedious and very demanding making people to lose happiness instead of gaining more.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As aforementioned, money alone cannot have overwhelming influence on happiness since there are other factors that influence the status of happiness. These factors are personal values, personal freedom, family, community, work and social affiliation. These factors constitute happiness; unfortunately, due to poor psychological understanding, many people neglect them and focus on the financial aspect of happiness only. Below poverty level, money is the overriding factor of happiness and as the financial status changes above the poverty level, others factors gradually become dominant. International comparison of average levels of happiness shows that, â€Å"†¦among poorer countries, gains in income are accompanied by dramatic increases in happiness, but among richer countries, higher income do not buy more happiness† (Albor, 2009, p. 39). This confirms that, at the level of satiation, money no longer determines happiness but other factors begin to have significant influence. Thus, achievement of the greatest felicity requires consideration of all factors that constitutes happiness. All the factors, which constitute happiness, are in two broad categories, social and economic factors. Economic factors partially influence happiness because the perception and the source of happiness lie in the social context of life, as happiness is not quantifiable in terms of money. According to Albor, â€Å"happiness is a universal feeling that all human beings have the potential to experience† (2009, p. 40). Happiness is a contagious feeling, which makes everybody happy in the family, community, workplace and the whole world. I have noticed that, people think that money is everything in life, for out of their abundant riches; they afford to live in seclusion where they get satisfaction of their wealth and money while the surrounding people are struggling in abject poverty. Only the sight of the poor people makes them lose happiness. Moreover, they live in great fear of robbery attacks and property loss, wishing to have their own continent, free from the eyesore status of the poor. All these happen because they have poor psychological understanding of happiness. If they could embrace social factors, they could derive ample happiness from their environment by relating to and assisting the poor. In pursuit of happiness, young people do not have the right perception of what constitutes happiness. Given the choice between the money and schooling, they would prefer money, because they do not understand that money gives short-lived happiness. Regardless of virtues, and values we instill in children, they still perceive that money equals happiness. Smith (2008) argues that, â€Å"†¦ rather than setting off to follow their deepest passions, many of our most talented and driven graduates just need to get a job, whatever job that best allows them to begin their a life of paying off debt,† (p. 23). Young people have abandoned personal deve lopment, which is another source of happiness and are busy pursuing financial pleasures that give short-lived happiness. In youths, there are many pleasures money can buy, hence, money has blinded their life’s priorities due to false satisfaction of needs that brings happiness. A rich person without personal development is as a fool is a sea of knowledge who wants to satisfy psychological needs out of folly. For one to achieve lasting happiness it requires understanding of the factors that significantly contribute to happiness and not mere stereotyping that money is equal to happiness. Conclusion Money and happiness have linear relationship but up to a certain level of satiation where other factors of happiness such as work, family, community, social affiliation, personal values and freedom, come into effect. Poor psychological understanding of happiness has led many people to believe erroneously that, money is the only source of happiness. It is true that money brings happin ess but the misunderstanding arises in the cumulative source of happiness. People derive happiness from both economic and social aspects of life, but rarely do people consider the social aspects. Social aspects demand psychological understanding of happiness; however, many people fail to realize its importance as source of happiness in the family, community and the entire society. Therefore, people should be wary in attributing money as the only source of happiness for they will pursue happiness in vain, unless they come to the realization that social aspects are also integral part of happiness. Thus, happiness and money have partial relationship; whereby, money facilitates things that bring happiness but in itself, money lacks the capacity to bring happiness. References Akin, L., Norton, M., Dunn, E. (2008). From Wealth to Well-Being? Money Matters, but Less People Think. Journal of Psychology University of British Columbia, 2(5), 1-20. Albor, C. (2009). How Much Can Money Buy Hap piness? Is the Debate Over for the Easterlin Paradox? Radical Statistics, 1(98), 38-48. Boyce, C., Brown, G., Moore, S. (2008). Money Happiness: Rank of Income, not Income, Affects Life Satisfaction. University of Warwick Psychology Journal, 1-16. Quoidbach, J., Dunn, E., Petrides, K., Mikolajczak, M. (2010). Money Giveth, Money Taketh Away: the Dual Effect of Wealth on Happiness. Association for Psychological Science,  20(5), 1-5. Smith, N. (2008). Poverty, Money, and Happiness. A University Dialogue on Poverty and  Opportunity Journal, 20-25.

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buy custom Health Education essay Health education entails dispatching information, and development of skills, which empowers an individual to take action to address social, economic and environmental determinants of health. It is the role of the government to facilitate health education nationwide by financing, procurement and monitoring the necessary stakeholders. Government has a core role in maintaining the standards of health education by ensuring availability of competent workforce is in place. The government through the relevant department (health and human services) guarantees quality services by employing qualified candidates who are certified for the purpose of health education. Moreover, it monitors health status to identify community health issues in the country through epidemiological studies and surveillance. The government is supposed to establish the necessary policies in the health education. Through government campaign programs, the individuals can be mobilized to understand the importance of taking the role of health promotion for personal benefits. The government also develops laws and regulations to protect the citizens from illegal group giving adulterated health messages with an aim of making money. The mode of dispatching the health message, should be formulated and prescribe by the government to ensure that effectiveness and correct messages reach the citizens or the target group in time. The government has a role to ensure that health education services are available and accessible to all target groups without bias or discrimination. In collaboration with the research centers, the government plays a role of capacity building for community health. Local health department plays a major role in the delivery of health education. Among the services provided by the local government include; immunization services, control and prevention of communicable diseases, conducting community outreach and education programs, maintenance of food and nonfat hygiene, inspection of environmental sanitation. The U.S.A has several agencies that play a role in health education process they include; department of health and human services, department of education which help in incorporation of health education information in the curriculum, department of agriculture mostly involved in the campaign for food production, housing and urban development involved in the designing and certification for houses to enhance safety to inhabitants and department of justice that contribute in safeguarding the health rights. There are also independent agencies such as; Consumer Product safety Commission, Society for Public Health Education, American Public Health Association, Environmental Protection Agency and the Nation Science Foundation. The local government collaborates effectively with the local public health workers community health workers and other professional in the community level to improve the provision of the health education. Health education like many other programs has challenges that prevent the stakeholders to achieve their optimal best. The major challenge affecting health education is the political interferences where the laws makers fail to represent their voters on issues policy making but are more concern with of power struggle between the two major parties in USA. Lack of proper training on leadership in agencies participating in health education, inadequate resources to sail the programs through, poor strategic plans on emergency preparedness for threats such as chemical and biological terrorism, as well as the divergence off the population culture due to dual citizenship thus people introduce their respective cultures. The challenges can lead to failure to improve the health status of the targeted groups where they tend to really with medical, which is more of curing than prevention. It should be noted that well programmed health education could cut the medical expenses since it proactive and target adopting lifestyle that promotes health. Buy custom Health Education essay

A Brief History of Heineken – Company Analysis

A Brief History of Heineken Company Analysis Heineken is one of the global leading brewers. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and spreads its business all over the world. In this report, we have taken a deep look into the Heineken Company. We will generally display the company portfolio, and then followed by the company’s past 5 years performance. Afterwards, the report will focus on Heineken’s international marketing activities with detailed explanations of its international marketing strategies. Ultimately, the report will extend to discuss miscellaneous topics of Heineken Company, and ends up with an exhaustive conclusion. Introduction Heineken is one of the world’s biggest brewers and is committed to remaining strong and independent. The brand is named after the founder’s name – Heineken -can be found all around the world. Heineken has become one of the most valuable international premium beer brand since last century and it is still growing stronger. Heineken is also one of the experts of beer brewing and has built quite a number of specialty beers around the globe. In addition to the Heineken brand, there are more than 170 specialty beers which meet a variety of consumers’ needs from every corner of the world. The famous brands include AmstelÂÂ ®, Europe’s third-largest selling beer, CruzcampoÂÂ ®, TigerÂÂ ®, ZywiecÂÂ ®, Birra MorettiÂÂ ®, OchotaÂÂ ®, Murphy’sÂÂ ® and StarÂÂ ®. Heineken has wide international presence through a global network of distributors and breweries. Heineken owns and manages one of the world’s leading portfolios of beer brands and is one of the world’s leading brewers in terms of sales volume and profitability. History The Heineken story began more than 140 years ago in 1864 when Gerard Adriaan Heineken acquired a small brewery in the heart of Amsterdam. Since then, four generations of the Heineken family have expanded the Heineken brand and the Company throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Employees In 2007, the average number of employees employed was 54,004 170 brands Heineken’s leading brand portfolio includes more than 170 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers. Our principal brands are HeinekenÂÂ ® and AmstelÂÂ ®. We continually seek to reinforce our brands through innovations in production, marketing and packaging. 139.2 million hl The Heineken brand is available in almost every country on the planet. We own more than 119 breweries in more than 65 countries brewing a Group beer volume of 139.2 million hectolitres. Segments Heineken applies typical Global Area Structure to their organizational strategy. Global area structure is an organizational arrangement in which primary operational responsibility is delegated to area managers, each of whom is responsible for a specific geographic region. (International Business, 5th edition, Rugman & Collinson). Heineken distinguish es the following geographical segments: Western Europe Central and Eastern Europe The Americas Africa and the Middle East Asia Pacific Head Office/eliminations. Segment information is presented only in respect of geographical segments consistent with Heineken’s management and internal reporting structure. Heineken runs its business in five regions, which is in charge of regional presidents. Regional subsidiaries, which remain high responsiveness to the group departments,are responsible for management, risk assessment and operation efficiency. The distribution models of Heineken’s is of a big variety. Goods are delivered in multiple ways in every country, depending on the countries’ conditions, usually direct to the wholesalers or via third parties. Hence, distributions diverse. The various distribution models are taken in charge by regional subsidiaries as well. In such a circumstance, no secondary segment information is in hand.

Religion and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religion and Education - Essay Example There have been many forms of educational training programs since the colonization era and from that time many changes have been witnessed. It was like in early 16th century when the need to adapt religious learning was felt the most and it was Thomas Jefferson who latter realized that religious education was an important aspect of daily life. At the beginning of the 16th century like in 1647, the Satan Act was passed which was a tax supported structure for educating/ funding the schools. This scheme made the young people read and understand bible. This was done in the colonial America which had other important types of education systems. These were the apprenticeships, dame schools, Latin grammar schools and higher colleges. The old deluder act stated that for towns which had around 50 families had to have a teacher who would make them learn to read and write and for towns which had 100 families had to establish a grammar school for the learners. There were foundations of Latin gram mar schools as well which had teachers that were near to the minister level and these schools practiced strict discipline. Further the point was that rote memorization was a fundamental there which in today’s world is by no chance a factor that can lead to excellence as today the world is more applicative and young people are made to formulate their own themes from the past experiences (Reed, James , and Prevost, 1993).

Drug Development Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Drug Development Process - Essay Example Each step should follow the guidelines provided by the Food and Drug Administration. Product for development which has been marketed or studied previously will undergo the same steps. According to the February 1993 report by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, one company costs $359 million in U.S. To be able to get one new medicine from the laboratory testing to the pharmacist's shelf, the process usually takes 12 years on the average and only 5 in 5,000 will make it to human testing. And only one of the 5 will be approved.(FDAreview.org).. The first step is to analyze the target to be developed. Before developing a drug, you must identify first the state of the disease and the symptoms to which the development of drug will be base to. It is important to identify the target. The key decision if whether the target for therapeutic intervention is one that will have a positive effect on managing the disease in question. There are some companies who want to further develop their product. For example, a drug for diabetes will be developed; the company should specify what would be the added pharmacological action on their drug. This will be the basis for the clinical testing that the new product should undergo. Metabolic pathway is a new approach in addressing and developing enhanced disease, understanding platforms with the potential to design significantly more effective drugs against many human diseases, including cancer. (Schimdt , 2004). There are several factors that controls the level of drug in the individual patients, including environment, patient compliance and genetic differences. . The metabolic pathway will give insight on the possible kinetic problems that may occur by providing which specific enzyme the drug is metabolized. In this step the drug manufacturer will be able to identify the isozymes responsible for the metabolism in humans. Nowadays, there is several computer aided system in testing the metabolic pathways of a drug. 3) Molecular Specificity In this step the molecules to be added in the drug should be specified for further analysis. Added molecules in a drug can alter the potency and efficacy of a drug. To be able to identify the molecules to be added, there are several new technology which can be of help to be able to shorten the period of this test. One molecule can affect the phamacological action of a drug, for example one molecule added to morphine can increase its painkilling effect. 4) Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) The Quantitative Structure - Activity Relationship or QSAR predict and analyze the drug activity. The QSAR represent an attempt to correlate structural or property descriptors of compound with activities. In QSAR the hydrophobicity, topology, electronic properties, and steric effects, are determined empirically, or more recently by computational methods. Activities used in QSAR include chemical measurements and

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication - Essay Example The occupation of journalism, though, holds a very different perspective about what language is which creates serious concerns for the people that read or watch the news. Most journalists conduct their jobs with hardly any concern being given to the importance of language to the consumer of the news. Most journalists sub-consciously or consciously accept the view of language as a clear channel through which word-ideas are effortlessly sent to a viewer or reader who then experiences reality as the words of the news article depicts them. Even today, references are made about the â€Å"post-9/11† and â€Å"pre-9/11† world. This shows that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had an enormous impact on the world as a whole. Following the attack, the then American president, George W. Bush, made use of words that would help in convincing the American public to support the American invasion of Afghanistan. Many of President Bush’s statements like â€Å"Whether we bring our foes to justice or justice to our foes, justice will be done†, were played many times in various news networks, thus allowing Americans to become familiar with this rhetoric (Streissguth, 2006). As has been noted by detractors of the war in previous essays, this ambiguous language permitted the president to frame the attackers as well as Osama bin Laden as both wrongdoers who had to be eliminated through military means, and was a precursor to his unmatched and highly criticized â€Å"War on Terror† (Pyszczynski, Solomon and Greenberg, 2003). ... Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the American news media began determined to create an adequate response to the supposedly unprovoked attack. In order to comprehend why the American public started to believe that all Arab nations were anti-American, it is vital to evaluate the media tactics of American news outlets around that time. To some extent, American citizens of bygone as well as recent generations have always enjoyed a life of relatively more peace than is enjoyed by the citizens of other nations. Virtually every other nation in the world is well acquainted with the horrors of being invaded by other, more powerful states. While America had its navy bombarded at Pearl Harbour in the Second World War, the last time enemy elements actually invaded American territory in large numbers was in 1814. As such, the memory or threat of invasions is not a part of American myths or thoughts. Its tremendous arsenal of weapons has long allowed America to be able to enjoy peace even when other nations were constantly tested by ruthless neighbours. Instead of prompting a grateful disposition, this quality in the past stimulated self righteousness and self absorption on the part of American citizens. For example, America has in the past assumed the right to â€Å"bring enlightenment† to countries that it perceives as being ‘backwards’ or undeveloped. Even the comparative division of the world in terms of â€Å"first† or â€Å"third† world nations is an American creation. American news correspondents have confessed to being amazed when they compare how much more the rest of the world is aware of current world events to the fact that most Americans are only aware of what happens in America because they deem

REIT Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

REIT Project - Essay Example RECOMMENDATION: HOLD PRICE: 378 Gp AS OF July2, 2009 Volume 4,063,468 Days High 379.25p Days Low 371.50p Avg. Vol 5,343,894 Company description: The British Land Company PLC operates in the fields of property development, finance and investment in London. The Company’s retail warehouse park investments include Teesside Shopping Park, Giltbrook Retail Park, The Kingston Centre, New Mersey Shopping Park, Glasgow Fort, Parkgate Shopping. Significant financial developments have occurred in the past two years that led to decrease of revenues to 16 percent to  £554M and a net loss of  £63l 93B up from  £1.61B as of March 2009 according to report of Reuters. Based on Reuters report, BLC posted negative performance for the year ended as it has negative operating margin of -65.16 B and a negative net profit margin of -700.54bn. Percentage of management effectiveness are nestled on high negative ratios.. It has low cash availability and zero cash flow which shows company relies heavily on debt borrowings. It has a total debt equity ratio of 117.76% that is a risky investment because of high cost of mo ney. The company has no dividend yield and zero growth rates for the past two years There is no available property map that depicts location of properties of BLC. Based on Yahoo Finance, BLC is the biggest real estate management company in London. One of their properties is over 12 hectares property in Broadgate

Healthcare statistics error type I & type II Assignment

Healthcare statistics error type I & type II - Assignment Example Type II error would however mean scarcity of resources and while it offers no financial benefit in the scenario, it risks inability to offer care services and therefore threatens quality of health. Type I error would therefore be preferred because of it guarantees healthcare objectives while type II error can hinder realization of care objectives (Grove, Burns, and Gray, 2012). The affordable care act’s provision for review of applications for insurance premium increases is one of the policies that push insurance companies to avoid one type of error. With a null hypothesis that proposed premium increment is not excessive against an alternative hypothesis that the proposed value is excessive, an insurance company will avoid type II error. This is because type II error can lead to excessive increment of premium and the consequence is legal actions against an insurance company for breach of law (The United States Department of Health & Human Services, 2015; Grove, Burns, and Gray, 2012). The United States Department of Health & Human Services. (2015). Premiums: Rate review. The United States Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved from:

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication - Essay Example The occupation of journalism, though, holds a very different perspective about what language is which creates serious concerns for the people that read or watch the news. Most journalists conduct their jobs with hardly any concern being given to the importance of language to the consumer of the news. Most journalists sub-consciously or consciously accept the view of language as a clear channel through which word-ideas are effortlessly sent to a viewer or reader who then experiences reality as the words of the news article depicts them. Even today, references are made about the â€Å"post-9/11† and â€Å"pre-9/11† world. This shows that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had an enormous impact on the world as a whole. Following the attack, the then American president, George W. Bush, made use of words that would help in convincing the American public to support the American invasion of Afghanistan. Many of President Bush’s statements like â€Å"Whether we bring our foes to justice or justice to our foes, justice will be done†, were played many times in various news networks, thus allowing Americans to become familiar with this rhetoric (Streissguth, 2006). As has been noted by detractors of the war in previous essays, this ambiguous language permitted the president to frame the attackers as well as Osama bin Laden as both wrongdoers who had to be eliminated through military means, and was a precursor to his unmatched and highly criticized â€Å"War on Terror† (Pyszczynski, Solomon and Greenberg, 2003). ... Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the American news media began determined to create an adequate response to the supposedly unprovoked attack. In order to comprehend why the American public started to believe that all Arab nations were anti-American, it is vital to evaluate the media tactics of American news outlets around that time. To some extent, American citizens of bygone as well as recent generations have always enjoyed a life of relatively more peace than is enjoyed by the citizens of other nations. Virtually every other nation in the world is well acquainted with the horrors of being invaded by other, more powerful states. While America had its navy bombarded at Pearl Harbour in the Second World War, the last time enemy elements actually invaded American territory in large numbers was in 1814. As such, the memory or threat of invasions is not a part of American myths or thoughts. Its tremendous arsenal of weapons has long allowed America to be able to enjoy peace even when other nations were constantly tested by ruthless neighbours. Instead of prompting a grateful disposition, this quality in the past stimulated self righteousness and self absorption on the part of American citizens. For example, America has in the past assumed the right to â€Å"bring enlightenment† to countries that it perceives as being ‘backwards’ or undeveloped. Even the comparative division of the world in terms of â€Å"first† or â€Å"third† world nations is an American creation. American news correspondents have confessed to being amazed when they compare how much more the rest of the world is aware of current world events to the fact that most Americans are only aware of what happens in America because they deem

Healthcare statistics error type I & type II Assignment

Healthcare statistics error type I & type II - Assignment Example Type II error would however mean scarcity of resources and while it offers no financial benefit in the scenario, it risks inability to offer care services and therefore threatens quality of health. Type I error would therefore be preferred because of it guarantees healthcare objectives while type II error can hinder realization of care objectives (Grove, Burns, and Gray, 2012). The affordable care act’s provision for review of applications for insurance premium increases is one of the policies that push insurance companies to avoid one type of error. With a null hypothesis that proposed premium increment is not excessive against an alternative hypothesis that the proposed value is excessive, an insurance company will avoid type II error. This is because type II error can lead to excessive increment of premium and the consequence is legal actions against an insurance company for breach of law (The United States Department of Health & Human Services, 2015; Grove, Burns, and Gray, 2012). The United States Department of Health & Human Services. (2015). Premiums: Rate review. The United States Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved from:

Sample Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Sample Research Paper Essay Introduction The melamine controversy that erupted during the last quarter of year 2008 brought people’s attention back to the debates between breastfeeding and the use of breast milk substitutes like commercial infant formula. This wasn’t the first time that infant formula had caused illnesses and even deaths to infants worldwide hence the continuous campaign of World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF along with other breastfeeding advocates, for mothers to breastfeed their children at least until 6 months of age. Infant feeding practices refer generally to meet the nutritional and immunological needs of the baby. A study of infant feeding practices was carried out on a sample of 100 mother and infant pairs. The results revealed that only 20% of mothers in the study currently exclusively breastfeed their babies. It also shows that socio-economic factors like mother’s work status, marital status and educational attainment had direct bearing on these practices. Employed mothers tend to cease from breastfeeding their babies and eventually stop and just resort to formula feeding as they go back to work. The study also  showed that mothers who are married and living with their partners are more likely to breastfeed their infants than single mothers. Those with higher educational attainment resort more to formula feeding and mixed feeding than those with lower educational attainment. Health care professionals influence mothers the most when it comes to infant feeding decisions. Methodology Type of Research The type of research that will be used in this study is qualitative research and quantitative research. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The discipline investigates the â€Å"why† and â€Å"how† of decision making. Besides this, the researcher will also examine the phenomenon through observations in numerical representations and through statistical analysis. Along with questionnaires that will be given out to respondents for the statistical representation of the findings in the study, interviews with the respondents and a few experts in this field will also be conducted. Sampling Method The research sampling method that will be used in this study is random sampling to obtain a more scientific result that could be used to represent the entirety of the population. A list of all health care facilities (maternity and lying-in clinics, public and private hospitals, health centers) was acquired from the Las Pià ±as City Hall. From 20 barangays, 3 will be picked through random sampling. The health care facilities and institutions in these three barangays will then be the target sources of respondents of the researcher. The health care facilities and institutions will be contacted to obtain a verbal consent to administer the questionnaire to mothers at their places. A letter of consent will also be sent to them along with a sample copy of the questionnaire that will be used, as well as the protocol of the researcher. A letter was also addressed to the City Health Officer to obtain endorsement and consent to conduct a research in selected barangays and distribute questionna ires to the mothers in the vicinity. Data collection was conducted throughout the facilities‟ and health centers‟ operating hours from Mondays through Sundays in order to include both working and non-working mothers. Respondents The respondents in this research will all be coming from one single location Las Pià ±as City, specifically the randomly selected barangays of Pamplona I, CAA/BF International and Pamplona III. The researcher chose Las Pià ±as City because of the socio-economic conditions present in the area that is relevant to the study and also as it fits the time frame and resources of the researcher. The randomly sampled respondents will be asked by the researcher for consent and approval to answer the questionnaire until the desired number of respondents which is 100 is reached. The opinion of experts will also be sought in this research to provide explanations regarding the respondents‟ infant feeding behaviors and practices. Questionnaire The questionnaire requires information about the socio-economic and demographic background of the mother. It also has questions related to previous infant feeding practices and the birth of her youngest infant and also regarding the baby’s general health and age. Statements that are perceived to be factors that influence mothers‟ infant feeding decisions were presented. The description of the type of infant formula given by formula and mixed feeding mothers will also be asked in the material. Conclusion Majority of the mothers formula feed their child and only a minority exclusively breastfeeds their children, especially as per recommendation of the World Health Organization. While majority of the mothers in this study showed a positive attitude towards breastfeeding, most of them decided only to formula feed due to the reasons of insufficient milk supply and work. Based on the results of the study, the educational attainment, work status, marital status, and seminars in the barangay the respondents are part of, about breastfeeding, are the significant factors that affect the infant feeding decision of mothers in Las Pià ±as City. Majority of the mothers that served as respondents in this study fall under the age range of 17-30 years old. More than half of them were also college graduates while a significant number are undergraduates and have only reached until high school. Most of the mothers are housewives and the others remaining have full-time jobs, part-time jobs and self-empl oyed. A few of them are still students. While  majority of them were married, a lot were still in a status of live-in and are single. More than half of the mothers did not have previous children before the current one. Majority of the respondents also have an annual gross household income that does not exceed P50,000. Among the several information sources namely, media through televisions/radios and printed/published materials, the social support system comprised of the mother’s family, friends and other relatives and health institutions, the mothers who give their babies infant formula are influenced the most by health care institutions through health professionals and other health care personnel. They influence the mothers in deciding to feed the baby with formula and in choosing, as well, which brand of formula is best for their babies. Mothers trust their baby’s doctor because of their expertise in the said field hence this kind of relation is achieved. Mothers were overall not concerned about the possible side effects of breastfeeding as a few were only worried as shown in the data presented. It can be concluded that numerous internal as well as external factors influence a mother in making infant feeding decisions, and a greater fraction of these is socio-economic in nature.

The Importance Of Studying Money Finance Essay

The Importance Of Studying Money Finance Essay Money helps us in avoiding the double coincidence of needs as required by a barter economy and by enabling specialization. However, the money supply has a lot of effects on the well being of its users. Some of these effects can be summarized as inflation, wealth creation/destruction etc. Thus it is very important to study money. Banking and financial markets are intermediaries that help provide a common platform, or a market place, for all individuals to inter act with each other. Banking and financial markets provide liquidity to the system and helps 2 individuals with exactly opposite needs meet on a common platform. Without an apt knowledge of the banking and financial markets, it is impossible to understand how changes around us would affect our wealth and in which way can we best utilize our wealth and help it grow and accumulate. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using financial intermediaries. Financial intermediaries help us by bringing together those entities with surplus funds and willingness to lend, with those with a shortage of funds and willingness to borrow. The benefits of such intermediation include; maturity and risk transformation, lesser transaction costs due to higher liquidity, better bargaining power due to alternative options etc. The function of financial intermediaries is to provide these advantages and make a profit while raising the overall efficiency of the economy. The disadvantage of financial intermediation is that such intermediation may be expensive on occasions. As seen in the recent economic crisis, financial intermediaries may also falter on exploiting structural loopholes in greed of higher profits in the short term while posing a threat to the economic stability in the long term. The given computer entry tells us that the Northwestern Energy company has issued bonds on March 15, 2001, with a principal value of $100,000, expiring in 20 years on March 15, 2021 and carrying an interest rate of 6% payable semi-annually. In the event of interest rates rising for new bonds issued in to the market for the same quality, it would imply that the bonds issued by Northwestern will be relatively expensive and thus less attractive than the newer bonds. Therefore, the value of the Bonds issued by Northwestern will have to fall to an extent that the yield on the bond becomes equal to the yield of the newer bonds issued. In making this inference we are assuming that the yield and interest rates are same. Friedmanà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s belief that when Fed lowers interest rates, they fall but do not stay lower for very long, reiterates his belief that in a free economy, the market always sets up at an equilibrium. Even though, there may be interventions by monetary authorities desired to accomplish certain goals and objectives, such intervention only leads to a temporary imbalance in the demand and supply attributes and over a longer period of time, the market resets itself to equilibrium. In the graph above, we assume that Dd is the initial money demand curve and Ss is the initial money supply curve. Thus, at equilibrium i* is the market determined interest rate and Q* the money supply and demand. Now, if the central bank authorities bring this interest rate down to say ia, a new but short lived equilibrium is formed due to the shift of the supply curve from Ss to Ssa. At this equilibrium, the demand curve has not yet responded to the change in Fed rates. Now as per Friedman, due to a lower interest rate, the liquidity in the market increases, thereby pushing the income of individuals northward. With higher level of incomes, inflation sets in due to a shift in the demand curve from Dd to Dda and the price levels begin to rise to offset the increase in income. Since inflation is a component of interest rates, the interest rates also rise proportionately in order to reset the market at another equilibrium where, in the example above, i* is the equilibrium interest rate and Q*a is the equilibrium money supply and demand. A company that has never received a bond rating will have to contact the rating agency, say Fitch, first. Once the agency is contacted, a credit analyst collates and gathers information required to determine risk to investors who might own or buy the bond. The kinds of information that are to be dispersed are background and history of the company/entity, industry trends, management vision/mission, experience, track record, and attitude towards risk, organization structure etc. He then analyzes the information on hand and develops a conclusion in committee on the appropriate rating. The analyst may also seek explanations and clarifications in to business procedures and audit some financial statements. After the rating is finalized, the agency monitors the security on an ongoing basis. In 2009, the Fed and the treasury were facing the most difficult times they have had to face since the great depression. On 19th March 2009, Fed decided to expand its balance sheet by a US$1,000,000,000,000. The Fed announced that it would inject up to $750 billion in Agency MBS that year. This was over and above an earlier commitment of $500 billion. Fed also announced the buying in to Agency bonds for $200 billion. It further declared that it would purchase up to $300 billion of longer dated Treasuries over the term. So, what was the fear behind such drastic measures? Answer is deflation. Earlier that year in January, Fed took the historic step of cutting the benchmark interest rate to as low as zero. They also called for greater government spending to help revive the economy. Such drastic measures were the result of the failure of Fed efforts like record rate cuts, emergency lending programs and backstops for debt markets, to halt the crisis.

Regions of US after Civil War :: essays research papers

The Civil War left an impressionable mark on the nation as a whole - physically, economically, and furthermore politically. Two of the nations regions most affected was the South and the West. While the south gained political strentgh through a "solid south" Democracy, thier weak reliance on the crop lien system adversel affected thier econmy; meanwhile the farmers migrated to the west because of the Homestead Act, thier economy suffered in part because of over production, but united to form one of the most popular third parties in American history - the Populists. The Civil War is an example of a sectional war whose results left most of American nation in a weak state, which is illustrated especially in the South. Upon the end of the Civil War, a new ideology of th south developed known as the "New South Creed," encouraging Southeners to diversify the economy by industrializing and become independant of northern manufactoring industries. Although the intial intent was well motivated, the South did not industrialized, whith exceptions to textile mills. Instead, because of the heavy reliance of staple cash crops such as tobacco and cotton, the South shifted into a new system of argicultural known as the crop lein system, which resulted in a cycle of debt that led the South further into debt. The system itself designed only to pay farmers once a year, was a failure and a problem to the farmers because it forced them to buy thier tools and land on credit - adding to the exixsting poster war debts. Although the Southern region was weakene d economically because of debt and dependance on "King Cottom," it did gain political strength through the use of "Solid South" Southern politics, after the Civil War, shifted directly into the opposing view of the North, and quickly all of the Confederacy merged, politically speaking, into what has become known as the "Solid South" with most states voting always Democratic.These dems in turn wanted an atenbellum South, but could not achieve it constiutionally. While the South struggled through its failing argicultural system and gained victory in major supremem courty decisions, the West's economy was aided through the opening of western lands, as well as by the formations of a new and popular third partyt known as the Populists which contributed directly to the Democractic Platform. The west, known mostly as the being the most liberal region of the nation, was affected by the Civil War; this region was plagued by low farm prices which in turn affected the economy and politics of the region.

Free Young Goodman Brown Essays: Did the Devil Lie? :: Young Goodman Brown YGB

Young Goodman Brown is an ordinary man who takes a ritualistic journey into the sins of mankind. Sin is a virtue of being human, which Brown has yet to realize. This is a story of the discovery of guilt and sin. But, the questions are: Did this journey really take place? And were the people who Brown encountered real or specters created by the devil? Regardless if the journey was a dream or a reality, "a stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man, did he become, from the night of that fearful dream." Let's call it reality because Brown was so deeply affected by it. So, the first question is answered, now, was the reality created by the devil to convert Brown or were all the people Brown encountered really as evil and hypocritical as they appeared. After Brown left his wife, Faith, he started on a "dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest. . ." He was feeling not so alone, and thought that the devil himself could be at his back. At this very instant, Brown saw a figure leaning against a tree. The devil came as soon as Brown called him. Why was he so afraid he might meet the devil, when it seems to me he know he was going on an evil journey with the devil? The fellow traveler (let's just call him the devil) shared a resemblance to Brown. In fact, when goody Cloyse sees him she say he is "in the very image of my old gossip, goodman Brown,. . ." So, the devil contrived himself to look like Young Goodman Brown, so Brown would feel a sort of brotherhood, or fatherhood, to the devil. He made himself more like Brown so Brown would more easily be swayed. To me, if the devil can change his appearance, what would stop him from changing others appearances. Who's to say that it was actually goody Cloyse that Brown saw . Brown is so hurt that that the woman who taught him his catechism could actually be a witch. As would be anyone who's idea of what is right and wrong is shattered. But Brown wasn't so easily swayed as the devil had hoped, Brown still resisted. So, the devil thought he would shake Brown even more. He contrived the voices of the deacon Gookin and the minister.

Safeguarding: Childhood and Young People

Portfolio Evidence 10 Safeguarding Describe how legislation, policies and procedures regarding safeguarding impact on own role in the workplace As a youth worker I have the obligation in my role to know policies and procedures that are in place for safeguarding. Taking into consideration the five outcomes identified by Every Child Matters 1. Protection from harm and neglect (to stay safe) 2. Physical and mental health and emotional well-being (to be healthy) 3.Education training and recreation (to enjoy and achieve) 4. Social and economic well being (to achieve economic well being) 5. The contribution made by them to society (to make a positive contribution) It is vital that every person who works with children and young people should be able to recognise and know how to respond should they be concerned or be aware that a child is, or may be, at risk of significant harm. The policy highlights key issues and recommends actions when dealing with an allegation.These key issues include r ecruitment policies for those working with children and young people, their induction and training, how to respond to disclosures, how to make a referral, suspicions or allegations of abuse. These policies and procedures are there to protect me and colleague’s as well young people. Describe the issues which may arise in implementing safeguarding procedures * I could have a too good relationship or not have a good relationship with the young person. * I might not have enough knowledge about the situation * People being reported are close to me. Safeguarding: Childhood and Young People Portfolio Evidence 10 Safeguarding Describe how legislation, policies and procedures regarding safeguarding impact on own role in the workplace As a youth worker I have the obligation in my role to know policies and procedures that are in place for safeguarding. Taking into consideration the five outcomes identified by Every Child Matters 1. Protection from harm and neglect (to stay safe) 2. Physical and mental health and emotional well-being (to be healthy) 3.Education training and recreation (to enjoy and achieve) 4. Social and economic well being (to achieve economic well being) 5. The contribution made by them to society (to make a positive contribution) It is vital that every person who works with children and young people should be able to recognise and know how to respond should they be concerned or be aware that a child is, or may be, at risk of significant harm. The policy highlights key issues and recommends actions when dealing with an allegation.These key issues include r ecruitment policies for those working with children and young people, their induction and training, how to respond to disclosures, how to make a referral, suspicions or allegations of abuse. These policies and procedures are there to protect me and colleague’s as well young people. Describe the issues which may arise in implementing safeguarding procedures * I could have a too good relationship or not have a good relationship with the young person. * I might not have enough knowledge about the situation * People being reported are close to me.

Media Landscape in the World

Media Landscape in the World The New Modern Media October 12, 2012 The New Modern Media Watching TV while having morning coffee, listening radio on the way to work, checking Facebook before work, tweeting in the lunch break, and googling information related to work; that is the way the new modern media has changed our lives. To understand the term modern media more, Debashis Aikat(n. d. ), Associate Professor and Media Futurist, has come up with a definition, â€Å"Modern media refers to mass communication characteristic of recent times, or the contemporary communication relating to a recently developed or advanced technology(Aikat, n. . )† So that basically means that modern media is the media which is connected to new technologies. Nowadays that is so easy to access different kinds of modern media; however, this new type of media continuously excludes different groups of people. We are used to say that is so easy to access the internet. Just take your computer, tablet, or Sm artphone and you are connected. Wait! How many people are not able to do that? To have the connection, the basic thing we need is electricity. We need to charge all of the devices in order to use them.According to a newspaper Arabia 2000, in the year 2011 about 20 percent of world’s population still lived without electricity(Arabia 2000, 2011). So these people are totally excluded from the modern media. Actually, the number is even bigger. Because electricity is just the basic thing we need. But there are people who have electricity, but they cannot afford the devices to be connected to internet. Some could argue that all kind of media cost, and old media is even more expensive because, for instance, newspapers do not have that much of information but cost almost a dollar a day.There is a difference if you have to pay a dollar whenever you decide to have a newspaper or you have to spend a few hundred dollars for device, and then you have to get the internet connection, and of course pay for electricity. Not only people with a low income are excluded from access to new media. Age and religion can be the reason why people stick to old media as well. If I ask my grandma to turn off my computer, she would get scared because she would see that computer is not connected to electricity but still works.She is used to see calculator which has to be connected to electricity. There are many older people who have no ideas how to use new devices. Martin Beckford(2011), the journalist of the news website â€Å"The Telegraph† in his article writes, â€Å"A charity report found that older people have trouble getting information about public services, such as details of libraries and public transport, because so much of it is kept online(Beckfors, 2011). † This article truly shows that because of the changes in media older people are isolated from the world.People could say that when the next generation gets old, that is not going to be a problem anymore. I do not agree with that. Technology changes even faster than people get older. These are the people who do not know how to use devices, but there are also people whose believes do not allow using new technology. For example, in some places in the world we can still find groups of people called Amish people. These people do not use new technologies at all. The reason is their religion and believes. It is not expensive to reach people by using media as long as they share the same characteristics.For example, that is not hard to get some information if you speak English, Russian, or French. But if information needs to be translated in the language which is not that popular, companies are not willing to spend money for that. So let’s look at the country called Latvia: small country with a few million people, and with their own language. Recently â€Å"The National Latvian News Agency LETA† posted the article about the findings of scientists’ group called â€Å"MET A-NET† which is made by 60 research centers in 34 countries.Findings showed that Latvian language with other 20 European languages are going to disappear because of the fact that new devices are not supporting these languages(LETA, 2012). That means that if you do not know other, more popular, language you cannot chose the Smartphone you want. Or you have to learn the language, but that takes time, and modern media is not waiting, it is already here. In brief, world is changing so does media. The new media allows to reach people in a very fast way, but there are still groups of people who would not get the message.It is connecting billions of people and the same time forgetting billions of people. After my research I strongly believe that my theses statement in proved, and the new modern media is excluding people with different languages, believes, ages, and financial levels. References Aikat D. , (n. d). Traditional and Modern Media. Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems. Retr ieved from: http://www. eolss. net/Sample-Chapters/C04/E6-33-02-04. pdf Beckford M. , (2011). Elderly People Isolated by Technological Advances.The Telegraph. Retrieved from: http://www. telegraph. co. uk/health/elderhealth/8867767/Elderly-people-isolated-by-technological-advances. html# Latviesu Valodai Draud â€Å"Digitala Izmirsana† [Latvian Language Is About to Disappear], (2012). Latvian National News Agency LETA. Retrieved from: http://www. tvnet. lv/tehnologijas/zinatnes/437469-latviesu_valodai_draud_digitala_izmirsana UN: 1. 6 billion People Still Have No Access to Electricity. (2011). Arabia 2000. Available from: Newspaper Source, Ipswich, MA.

Caring for populations Essay Example for Free

Caring for populations Essay A community health nurse must be effective in targeting the population as a whole. The nurse will determine the needs for the community by using the data compiled from a windshield survey. As stated in the text, â€Å"A population focus also involves a scientific approach to community health nursing: an assessment of the community or population is necessary and basic to planning, intervention, and evaluation for the individual, family, aggregate, and population levels† (Nies & McEwen, 2011). The purpose of this paper is to establish a priority health problem of the community of Harlingen, based on demographic, epidemiological data and a windshield survey of the area. The community assessment for this project is Harlingen, Texas. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, its population is about 64,918 of which 47.8% are male and 52.2% are female. The density is approximately 1629.1 residents per square mile. The racial makeup is 1.0% Black or African American, 79.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% White, 1.9% from two or more races, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Native American. The median household income, 2008-2012 was $34,096 in Harlingen, compared to $51,563 in the state of Texas. The percentage of persons below poverty level from 2008-2012 was 33.2% in Harlingen, compared to 17.4% in Texas. The city of Harlingen is in the center of the Rio Grande Valley. It is a community which has a transient population of â€Å"Winter Texans.† These Winter Texans are generally retirees from the northern states, who come to the warmer climates to escape  the winter weather of their home states, usually between November and March. Harlingen has one mall, two medical hospitals and one mental health state facility, two libraries, one community college and numerous schools from primary to high school levels. Demographic and Epidemiological According to the website, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, for Cameron County in 2014, teen pregnancy is measured by the teen birth rate per 1,000 female population, ages 15-19. The number for Cameron county teen births is 80, the number for Texas as a state is 57. There is poor quality of life in relation to health in Cameron County. 30% of the population has poor or fair health, compared to 18% in Texas. Cameron County also has an adult obesity rate of 27%, 21% of physical inactivity while there is 69% of access to exercise opportunities. 16% of the population suffers from excessive drinking and 396 counts of sexually transmitted infections. 36% of the population is uninsured, 86% graduated high school, 10.5% are unemployed and there are a whopping 48% of children in poverty, which has increased from the 2008-2012 numbers. The top causes of mortality in Texas are diseases of the heart, followed by Cancers and Respiratory diseases. During the observation of Harlingen for the Windshield Survey project, overweight residents were visible. The majority of the population is Hispanics, most were slightly overweight and appear relatively healthy. There are nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the community and they are mainly Hispanic and White older adults who are a mix of thin and frail to obese and unhealthy. Women are seen pushing strollers on the jogging trails, while the young children play in the parks. There are groups of teens who play football and basketball in the same area. In the residential areas, some people can be seen outside maintaining their properties, while other properties are dilapidated. The general appearance of the residents are healthy, with some being overweight. I have seen a few multimedia billboards for the local hospital, which is displaying an ad for bariatric surgery, which is appropriate for the current overweight population. Harlingen has some city parks and Boys and Girls clubs and numerous gyms in the area that are heavily utilized. The restaurants in the  area are mainly along the expressway and lining the few main streets around town. There is no food sold along the street, but people can be seen sitting in the parks eating meals. In Harlingen, the population is overweight Hispanics and Whites who have access to healthcare and wellness measures, as it is advertised constantly. There is adequate transportation and resources available for the population. As stated before, Cameron County has an adult obesity rate of 27%, 21% of physical inactivity while there is 69% of access to exercise opportunities. While the averages for the state of Texas are 29%, 24% and 74%, respectively. Cameron County also has a limited access to healthy foods, 16% and 21% food insecurity and a mere 17% of children are eligible for free lunch. Since Harlingen and Cameron County have high obesity rates compared to the rest of the state, the Healthy People 2020 objectives applicable for Harlingen include: NWS-11 (Developmental) Prevent inappropriate weight gain in youth and adults and NWS-9 Eliminate very low food security among children. (Healthy People 2020, 2014) While these are two distinct objectives they are connected, much education will be need to be done to ensure change. The community needs to be educated and held accountable for their actions, at times they are unaware of how much damage an unhealthy diet can do. The Community Health Nurse must prepare for these challenges and have a good understanding of how to present information that will gain the interest of the population. A community health nurse must be well versed in the numerous efforts that are starting to prevent childhood obesity. There are new physical education requirements, nutrition standards for beverages and foods sold in school, to community initiatives to expand bike paths and improve recreational facilities (Koplan, Liverman &Kraak, 2005). â€Å"Families need to make their homes to more conducive to a healthful diet and daily physical activity (Koplan, Liverman &Kraak, 2005). The nurse will need to get out to the community via health fairs, school assemblies, media outlets, etc. to get the message out there. Education on making healthy choices, getting adequate exercise and making small adjustments to their daily lives will help. According to the article, Relative and Absolute Availability of Healthier Food and Beverage Alternatives Across  Communities in the United States, there was a study that was conducted on 3 years of data from the Bridging the Gap Community Obesity Measures Project. It stated the mean healthier food and beverage ratio was 0.71, meaning that stores averaged 29% fewer healthier than less healthy products. There were less availability of healthy alternatives in Hispanic communities (2014). The community health nurse needs to be an expert in assessing and diagnosing health concerns in the community to be able to set realistic goals that will maintain the health of the population. Health promotion, education and community involvement are crucial. â€Å"Nutritional education is essential and must include parents, teachers, and the child† (Nies & McEwen, 2011). The community should know and understand the food pyramid, how to make healthy choices and the importance of balancing intake and exercise. References County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/texas/2014/rankings/cameron/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot Koplan, J., Liverman, C.T., Kraak, V.I., & Institute of Medicine, (.(U.S.). (2005). Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2011). Community/Public Health Nursing (5th ed.). MO: Elsevier. Nutrition and Weight Status. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/nutrition-and-weight-status/objectives United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/4832372.html Zenk,S.N., Powell, L.M., Rimkus, L., Isgor,Z., Barker,D.C., Ohri-Vachaspati,P., & Chaloupka, F. (2014). Relative and Absolute Availability of Healthier Food and Beverage Alternatives Across Communities in the United States. American Journal Of Public He alth, 104(11), 2170-2178. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014-302113 Caring for populations. (2016, Aug 20).