Autocratic Leadership

1. Nowadays there are several leadership styles being employed to run the organization in order to achieve the goals. One of the leadership styles that being used is autocratic style, which tell people what to do. The autocratic leadership style is always defined as excessively demanding with basically a one-way of communication. The leader will have the legitimate power to coerce subordinates to accomplish the mission. Decision-making comes from only leader and is not shared. Nevertheless, authoritarian can be useful in the under pressure situation. Leaders sometimes have to utilize this type of leadership to achieve their goals. This essay will argue that autocratic leaders are not always ineffective. This will be argued by some examples and reasons why autocratic leaders could bring about the benefit to the business and military organizations. 2. Autocratic leadership style is to put pressure on the employees or subordinates. However, in the workplace or military organization, some scenarios may require for prompt action. In these circumstances, an autocratic style of leadership can be the best style to adopt. Surprisingly, many employees have been working with an authoritarian and have a few issues to familiar with that style. One of a good example of an autocratic leader is Martha Stewart. She built her empire with personal attention to every detail. Whether people admire Martha Stewart or not, she never strays away from being careful and demanding. She's very successful in her endeavors, and often uses an autocratic management style. Many critics might argue that it was her autocratic leadership style that made her a success in the entertainment industry, which is an extremely competitive environment. Others might argue that even more success might have awaited her had she not relied so heavily on such a demanding and potentially damaging style. 3. Another circumstance where autocratic leadership can employ appropriately is while doing the projects in group. Many group projects seem to be failure because group members express their own decisions and lead to conflict. In such circumstance may need an authoritarian who can make and determine decisions for the group. The leader should seek the solution in which method the project can be done, delegate the task among the members, and make sure set the time for completion of the task. Steve Jobs, for instance, who is one of the successful autocratic leaders. He seems to be very authoritative. His decisions were made with slight consultation, and his decisions were made faster making him to react to changing in tendency of the business environment more quickly. The Environmental challenges which includes facing their rivals such as Microsoft. 4. In conclusion, some people argue that autocratic leadership style can never lead to success, but what it can achieve is to assist the process and run it into being a completion. Autocratic styles of leadership are becoming less and less applicable but there are still many contexts in which they work. During the first stage of Entrepreneurial organizations will rely on this type of leadership in order to make a decisive decisions and effective. However, it can be recommended that if leader utilize autocratic leadership should apply it wisely. Otherwise, it will be getting worse if use it in a wrong way.

Oprah’s Empire and Organizational Theory, Design and Change Essay

The Oprah Case was a brief view into the life of Oprah Winfrey and the empire she built. Born in Mississippi, Oprah had a gift for public speaking. She delved into journalism and landed her own day time TV show in Chicago. The broadcast television industry proved to be a wonderful source of revenue for Winfrey and here her empire began. Oprah then went into acting and found interest in producing. She founded Harpo, Inc. and began acquiring rights to film books. The Oprah Winfrey Show became a hit success propelling Oprah forward to be one of the world’s most influential people. She launched a website, oprah.com; a magazine, O, The Magazine; and began her own network, OWN. She organized several charitable organizations around the world and is recognized as the most generous celebrity as it relates to giving away her own money. There is a component in Emotional Intelligence by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves’ book that emphasizes the need for Self Awareness. With much o f Oprah Winfrey’s success being attributed to not compromising her beliefs for society, Oprah has to continuously guard against being mislead or possibly used by others. Although her intentions may be good, Oprah Winfrey’s tendency to be hard on herself if she neglects to reach success can cloud her talent to recognize her own efforts. There are three key indicators of Self-Awareness that Oprah Winfrey utilizes in order to maintain her public image and reputation. First, Oprah exudes self-confidence in order to effectively market anything that she endorses or supports. Because of this keen awareness of her self-worth, throughout any appearance, Oprah presents her viewers with a self-assurance which enables her to voice views that her followers can assess and take into consideration. Over the years, Oprah has become a beacon for making sound decisions despite the uncertainties and pressures of the media. Next, Oprah is aware of her strengths and limits, therefore, she is able to give an accurate self-assessment and accept candid feedback. Early on in her career she was able to learn that she was not able to operate as owner, president, and CEO. Knowing this, Oprah was able to profit more in the grand scheme of things because her limit was recognized and valued. As Tim Bennett acted as the President of Oprah’s Harpo Productions, he was able to give Oprah a new perspective and aid in her self-development with his expertise. Lastly, Oprah has a self-deprecating sense of humor that shows she doesn’t take herself too seriously. This is important in the candid feedback she receives from viewers, bloggers, and other forms of news. As a person in the media, Oprah is self-aware and realizes the need to trust yourself and not let negative energy hold you back from operating at your full potential. As a steward of her brand, it’s safe to say that Oprah Winfrey pays close attention to the quality of her message and products. Oprah Winfrey has a great gift of compassion, tenderness, and kindness. For balance, Oprah Winfrey promotes mature self-obedience, self-management, and personal responsibility. In doing this, Oprah utilized four core competencies to build her personal brand. First, she discovered what she wanted her brand to convey and laid out a development plan for herself, which included where she was presently and future goals. Oprah Winfrey is most successful because she was able to merge her passion of journalism with expertise. Next, Oprah created her brand by positioning herself as extraordinary in her niche of talk show hosting. The point of this is to tell her audience what she values and the benefits of watching her show. Besides tangible incentives, Oprah gives advice and offers community awareness through her many projects. Then, Oprah uses communication to allow her to gain the visibility to be looked to as a guru of opinions. Oprah attracted her viewers and followers by becoming accessible through forums, book clubs, mail, and social media. Lastly, Oprah has been able to maintain her brand through constant revisits and updates. Constantly Oprah goes back to everything she has created; her O magazine, OWN network, book club and everything that she has endorsed to refresh it with current information and maintain its reputation. The mission for The Oprah Winfrey Show was â€Å"to be a catalyst for the transformation in people’s lives.† In keeping with core competencies, the organization was able to continue to generate revenue by using the skills and abilities in value-creation activities that allowed all of the business subunits to achieve superior quality and consumer responsiveness. Because the mission was one of empowerment, Oprah’s team made sure that anything that was done supported that mission and by doing so it increased intrinsic value. Oprah’s following knew what to expect, they enjoyed it, and they kept coming back even bringing new consumers. Oprah was known to surround herself with high performing people. The business was demanding there were constant deadlines and long hours. Many were known to work from 15-17 hours in order to keep up. They had a code of excellence and anyone who could not meet that code did not last long. The type of environment that came from this fast-paced work style is in part related to the expansion strategy. Harpo was growing rapidly due to the corporate-level strategy. Oprah had harnessed a command in the daytime TV domain and used this base to expand into new media domains through related diversification. There are so many cultural differences such as diverse communication styles, different approaches to completing task and different attitudes toward conflict. As a leader within her brand and enterprise, Oprah has mastered the art of working around cultural differences and effectively coordinating outsourcing relationships. She has conquered working with different cultures by encouraging and rewarding creativity, creating a diverse workforce and educated staff and offering support while having fun. Oprah has also effectively coordinated outsourcing relationships with her many international projects, specifically her school in Africa. Benefits of outsourcing include higher performance, a better mitigation of risk and reduced confusion and wasted time. Oprah opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007 with the goal in mind of giving children who are less fortunate the chance to better themselves with a proper and suitable education. In order to effectively accomplish this goal, it was a mission of Oprah’s to have access and acquire the best talent. Oprah has been able to enjoy the benefits of outsourcing because of her quality commitment and reputation. Throughout Oprah’s career, several conflicts within her organization have risen. Although conflict is perceived negatively, some conflict is good for an organization. Conflict can be beneficial because it can overcome organizational inertia and lead to organizational learning and change. This is extremely evident when Oprah’s Book Club introduced A Million Little Pieces by James Frey to the public. This is a great example where Pondey’s Model of Organizational Conflict is illustrated. Latent Conflict, the first stage of this model, surfaced in 2005 when Oprah introduced this book. In several ways, the work was an unconventional choice for the Book Club where potential for conflict was at a high risk. The book was a classified as a memoir, not the ordinary book for the Book Club. Frey’s memoir, an account of his descent into alcohol and drug addiction, offered a graphic, unsparing look at the consequences of his illness and at the long, difficult road to recovery. It was the first contemporary piece of writing that Winfrey had selected for the Book Club in more than two seasons. The second stage, Perceived Conflict, happen on January 8, 2006. The investigative web site The Smoking Gun delivered a devastating blow to Frey’s insistences of authenticity. The site revealed numerous instances of exaggeration in A Million Little Pieces. This brought many aware of this conflict and people began to analyze it. The conflict escalated when Oprah battled against what was being said. She stated, â€Å"that the underlying message of redemption in James Frey’s memoir still resonates with me. And I know that it resonates with millions of other people who have read this book and will continue to read this book.† In the third stage of Pondey’s Model, conflict is felt. Investigative reports showed that he had exaggerated his criminal past to the point of fancy. But he had also distorted the stories of others, including two high-school classmates who died in a car crash in 1986. Marianne Sanders, the mother of one of the deceased, called Frey’s account â€Å"flat-out lies.† What began as a small problem had now escalated into a huge conflict. On January 26, 2006, these issues came to a head when the talk-show host brought Frey back onto her show. Winfrey confessed that the facts that had come out about Frey’s past since the scandal broke had caused her to revise her opinion of his work. â€Å"I feel duped,† Winfrey told Frey. â€Å"But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.† Conflict had manifested. This is demonstrated in the fourth stage. In the fifth and final stage, the aftermath of the conflict is present. Conflict is resol ved in a way that leaves subunits feeling combative or cooperative. In this case, Winfrey also apologized to viewers for her own role in supporting Frey’s actions and attitude toward self-representation. The truth, it turned out, mattered to many people. In the aftermath of the controversy, Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, the imprint that had published Frey’s book, also issued an apology. Winfrey’s response in particular, spurred a large-scale conversation among publishers, authors, and journalists about the state of nonfiction writing. Oprah used her power and ability to manipulate decision making. She uses two tactics that has led to her success. The first tactic she uses is her ability to control the agenda. Oprah si involved in the majority, if not all, departments and committees of her empire. She likes to be on and involved in these committees and departments so that she can control business decisions, especially if the issues affect how and when to change the organization’s strategy and structure. Bringing in an outside expert is the second tactic. The biggest mistake Oprah made in the beginning was that she did understand that she needed infrastructure and systems in order to run a business. And it wasn’t until 1994 that she actually brought in someone to be president and organize the systems. She described herself as a crazy person, trying to do it all. In 1994, Winfrey hired Tim Bennett to serve as Harpo’s president. 8. Infrastructure 9. Organizational Life Cycle Oprah has put up her $5.6 million Gold Coast Condo on the market, and moved to California to run her network OWN. Her condo that sits on top of a huge building in downtown Chicago can be rented for $15,000 a month. Rosie O’Donnell’s current OWN talk show was being taped at Harpo, but no longer. The Rosie O’Donnell show has been moved to New York. The move resulted in low ratings and the lack of obtaining special guest for the show. It was a constant challenge trying to get people to come to the show, so they decided to move to a location that was convenient for special guest. This was never a problem for Oprah. Therefore, Harpo Studios is dark and inactive. Possibilities of putting it up for sale to those buyers who want to have their own production facility, or to those who want to tear it down to build a high-rise building are beginning to surface. Despite struggles with OWN, Oprah.com is still successful. What’s next for Oprah? The future of the Oprah Empire is a topic that many people find may be threatened. Much of Oprah’s target market is the baby boomer middle class. With her target market aging and the culture of broadcast journalism changing, where does this leave Oprah? Oprah’s future relevance will heavily rely on the diversification of her current and future business developments. Currently worth $2.7 Billion, Oprah has plenty of cushion room to reinvest in new strategies or add to her current ventures. With the stability of her magazine and online presence, Oprah has made her name an international staple touching the homes of millions around the globe. Her integration of technology into her business model has transcended generations inviting the more tech savvy to join the ranks. The real question is about the future of OWN network. While it is experiencing difficulty now, expect it to make a transition into a network that is developing future leaders with the power of persuasion. In the future as Oprah ceases to have a world presence, her legacy will remain.

Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Taxation - Essay Example Therefore, progressive taxation means that the rich pay more taxes compared to those earning minimal wages. On the other hand, regressive tax compels the poor to pay a higher percentage of their income compared to the rich. Buffett’s views are not in isolation because the American taxation system has been criticized as being regressive (Mikesell, 2014). It is possible that Buffett made his claims based on mistaken calculations. A close analysis of the basic federal taxation principles reveals that it is impossible for his receptionist to be paying a higher percentage of tax. Warren Buffett has a higher total taxable income compared to his receptionist. Evidently, the tax he is supposed to pay represents only a small percentage of his income. On the other hand, his receptionist and other workers who have a lower total taxable income face the compulsion of paying a higher fraction of their income as tax. In addition, it is possible that Buffett took into account the employer-paid payroll taxes that his receptionist does not pay. The inclusion of such taxes made his receptionist seem to be paying a higher percentage. Therefore, the federal taxation system is not regressive. Unfortunately, Warren Buffett’s claims do not have any substantial evidence (p.

Alcohol Education Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Alcohol Education - Research Proposal Example It will detail how the goal can be measured, the role nurses could play and the aspects that support increasing the educational awareness. Using evidence based research, it will also indicate whether the aspects have been researched before and the outcomes obtained. The paper will also discuss the stakeholders engaged so as to get support for the project, highlight the specific arguments that could be used and the strategies that could be employed. The paper will further make references to change theory, systems theory and organizational theory while outlining the steps to operationalize the project. The outline will indicate specific timelines, needed resources, communication plan and the estimated budget. It will then describe the outcomes that require measurement along the way and those at the end of the project, highlighting their significance and how they would be used to adapt new strategies along the way. Finally, it will be concluded by a description of what the expected outc omes would be. To effectively increase educational awareness of the effects of alcohol among the college age population, there is a need to equip those who will play the role of creating the awareness (WHO, 2012). They include parents, youth workers, teachers, community and religious workers. Through program initiatives, adults can be guided on youth behavioral training, family skills, brief therapy and support. Another critical group is made up of those who sell and serve alcohol, which can be trained on implementing measures to reduce harmful consumption of alcohol by the young people. Peers also bear a significant influence on the young people’s drinking habits and patterns, and specific approaches can be designed to mould their relationship to discourage alcohol consumption (Houghton & Roche, 2001). The way the youth make decisions regarding consumption of alcohol is also greatly influenced by the drinking culture that prevails in their community. The community can be use d to develop the youth’s social and personal skills in a manner which lets them take responsible choices while teaching them not to position themselves or others in the way of harm. Within the colleges, the administrators must educate students on personal and academic effects of excessive alcohol consumption. They should empower their students to be responsible of the decisions they make regarding alcohol and the campus environment. It is upon the college administration to impact upon the students, especially the new ones, the concept of an alcohol-free environment (Midford & McBride, 2001). This can be achieved by showing them that most of their peers already in college do not indulge in alcohol abuse but instead chose safe and healthy decisions. This is a particularly significant step because majority of new students have the tendency to simply fit in the norms they found existing in their new environment. If they are led to incorrectly believe that all students on campus g et drunk regularly, they will most likely pick on the habit and develop it. The students can be assisted to organize and participate in events designed by peer education groups to enhance respect for college policies, state laws and personal responsibility in terms of alcohol consumption. Such events present the youth with opportunities to display healthy ways of life free from use of alcohol illegally and its abuse. If such events are regular

Evaluation of a New Curriculum Initiative Essay - 1

Evaluation of a New Curriculum Initiative - Essay Example Description of Initiative: Be sure to clearly identify each heading’s attribute in that section and briefly define it if necessary (e.g., Behaviorism is the psychological foundation behind X, because†¦) Finally, be sure to connect each section to your initiative and include classroom practice whenever possible.†¨ Or be proficient. According to Ornstein and Hunkins (2008), the philosophical and psychological foundations of this initiative have to do with the fact that those in power know there needs to be education reform, but they don’t know what to do (pp. 56). There is a website summarizing the history of No Child Left Behind. It has already been a dismal failure in terms of trying to raise scores, but that is mainly not the issue.   The main issues I take task with, going into the profession of teaching are: a) having a goal of reaching 100% perfection with everyone meeting standards (just not realistic in my view), even by 2014, and b) teaching to the te st, as that does not necessarily show that students have deep understanding of a concept; it only shows you that they can pass a test, if that makes sense.   Assessment class teaches that we have learned that you can assess students in many ways.   But giving students tests, especially high-stakes testing, is limited in that it can only assess certain types of knowledge.   For example, you cant test students reasoning skills very far with giving them multiple choice items on a standardized test other than to know that they gave you the right answer. That doesn't help you very much.   But with a performance assessment of some type, such as an essay question or other assessment where students must create a product or a report of some type (where instructors don't have to "teach to the test"), a lot can be gained about what we call a students "deep understanding" of the material.

BUY LOCAL FROM New Brunswick, Canada INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FIRMS Research Paper

BUY LOCAL FROM New Brunswick, Canada INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FIRMS - Research Paper Example By the early 1990s companies identified the problem and thereafter they have been working to solve the difficulties of associated with retaining the talented employees (Mitchell, Holtom, Lee, T, & Graske, 2001). Internal Policies It is also important to note that management and usage of ICT systems are two different fields because the former function lies with the technical staff that has the duty and responsibility of keep the infrastructure up and running. Yet, the second function lies with the managerial staff that should have the ability of extracting and using information from the ICT systems to make effective business decisions. The companies are offering flexible timing, paid leaves, casual dressing and regular increase in the pay for core employees in every department of the organization. The organizations are also known to encourage employees to identify the need of enhancement in the current technology level that will help them in keeping up with the technological level of the industry (Brady, Brookes, & Fellenz, 1986). According to many researchers the technological advancements will define the leaders in the industry. In the light of above argument, it can be established that employees who have the ability to manage ICT systems and those who can use them to make business decisions will define the competitive advantage of the companies in near future (Eriksson, Niitamo, & Kulkki, 2005). Economic Incentives The companies that are currently engaged in the practice of acquiring advanced ICT systems are suggested to offer well to excellent incentives to the staff so that their tendencies to leave the job can be minimized (Doran, et al., 2006). Moreover, it would not be a bad idea to evaluate and analyze the ability of new recruits to understand and comprehend routine technological tasks. Additionally the companies are suggested to buy those ICT systems that are well aligned with the current technological awareness of the employees. The companies should a lso make sure that they do not initiate company-wide technology change more often. It is better to bring system changes within operational level to increase the productivity. The companies should buy those technologies that will help them in driving down the cost because in latest organizational strategy cost control is one of the most important facets. Finally it is necessary for the organizations to hire technology experts as employees because in this form of employment they can resolve the issues more swiftly than in the capacity of consultants. Technology consultants are also notorious for delaying the process of repairs that causes productivity of the entire organization to diminish. External Challenges As mentioned earlier that companies are facing the challenge of retaining employees therefore they have to keep the jobs interesting and on the other hand companies are required to pay excellent wages and salaries to the employees. The intelligent companies always ensure that th ey are paying higher compensations in comparison to the competitors because money and financial well-being is a noted method of growing organizational commitment in the staff. Another modern technique to enhance organizational commitment is to develop a participative model of decision making in the company so that everyone can feel as a part of the organization (Vroom & Jago, 1978). The companies are also anticipated to establish strong personality-

Business Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Statistics - Essay Example Nearly 17 states had $1.8 as their average fuel price. But the coefficient of variation is obtained as 9.67. The median shows that about 25 states have average fuel prices above $1.84. This clarifies that the data is normally distributed with just one state having the $2.3 as the average price. However, the histogram shows two states, Alaska and Hawaii as outliers with their average fuel prices around $2.5 which is considered to be the highest fuel price. The scatter plot (Fig. 2) of the state by state average fuel prices for diesel fuel and premium unleaded fuel2 shows that both fuel are almost equally priced. Most of the pricing is in the range of $1.8 to $ 2.5. However, the graph shows that when the price of diesel is low (or high) the price of premium fuel tends to be high (or low). We also find that Alaska and Hawaii are the two states highlighted as outliers measuring the highest diesel and premium fuel prices. The Colorado weekly regular unleaded gas prices3 for the past 8 weeks from 5th January 2009 to 23rd February 2009 has been plotted as a line chart (Fig 3). The graph shows that there has been a gradual increase in the price every consecutive week. However there have been fluctuations in the price rise in the 6th, 7th and 8th weeks. The time series plot also shows a smooth linear upward trend indicating a smooth increase in the fuel price every week. The above study on the state by state average fuel prices of unleaded regular, premium gasoline and diesel in the United States shows that the prices are fairly equal among all the states except Alaska and Hawaii where the prices are very

Prescription Medication abuse increase in the last 10 yrs Research Paper

Prescription Medication abuse increase in the last 10 yrs - Research Paper Example ing all types of strategies to sell their products and they are not bothering about whether the sold medications are used for positive or negative purposes. This paper briefly analyses the prescription medication abuse with the help of all the independent variables mentioned above. â€Å"In the United States, physicians are faced with two opposing dilemmas in the treatment of pain – the potential for drug abuse and diversion, and the possible under treatment of pain. While controlled prescription drugs such as narcotic analgesics, anxiolytics, antidepressants, stimulants, and sedative-hypnotics, play a legitimate role in managing chronic pain and other conditions, the illicit use of prescribed medicines is increasing at epidemic proportions† (Manchikanti, MD, 2006, p.335). Prescription medication abuse is one of the largest segments of drug addiction in United States and it is second only to the marijuana abuse. It is difficult to collect the statistics of prescription medication abuse because of the difficulty in identifying whether the medication is used for curing the diseases or misused for getting some temporary psychological thrill or pleasure. The drug abusers often submit the prescriptions of the doctors to obtain medicines prescribed for some chronic diseases like psychoses. Most of the narcotic medicines are used for changing the moods of the psychologically disordered persons which may have side effects. The drug abusers often give false details to force the doctor to prescribe the narcotic medicines or pain killers which contain potentially harmful ingredients. â€Å"Cocaine (35 percent), marijuana (34%), and methamphetamine (17%) accounted for the substantial majority of Los Angeles-based illicit drug items analyzed and recorded by the National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) for January–June 2008† (NIDA, 2009, p.49) ‘Misuse of a medicine can be referred as incorrect use of a medication by patients, who may use a drug for a

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT A5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT A5 - Essay Example verse, of representing the other currency by the dollar representation, here is what we get: one pound is equivalent to 1.474 dollars; one yen is equivalent to 0.010314 dollars; and one euro is equivalent to 1.2596 dollars. Looking at the British pound, we can see the conversion in terms of the other currencies. One British pound is equivalent to 142.92 yen; equivalent to 1.1702 euro and 1.474 dollar. Putting it in reverse, we represent the other currency in terms of the British pound equivalent. In this, we get 0.6784 British pound for one dollar, 0.006997 British pound for one yen, and 0.855 British pound for one euro. The Japanese Yen’s equivalent is given in the table as well. We can see how much one yen is equivalent to the other currencies. One yen is equivalent to 0.008188 euro, 0.010314 dollars, and 0.006997 British pounds. If we put it in reverse, we can represent as to how many yen each currency has for its equivalent in yen. Using the table, we get 96.96 yen for every dollar, 142.92 yen for one British pound, and 122.31 yen for one Euro. Lastly, we could represent the Euro by the other currencies. Here we see that one Euro is equivalent to 1.2596 dollars, 0.855 British pound, and 122.131 Japanese yen. If we put it in reverse, we can represent one currency by the amount of Euro. For every dollar, 0.7339 euro is the equivalent; for every British pound, 1.1702 is the equivalent; and for one Japanese yen, 0.008188 euro is the equivalent. Looking at a 91-day period we can first see the trend for the Japanese yen. As for the yen, for every day that has passed, the equivalent of yen to a dollar increases. When this happen, we say that yen loses its value to the dollar and the yen depreciates—more yen are needed to buy one dollar. As yen depreciates, the other currency appreciates—therefore, relative to yen, the trend for the dollar is upward and appreciating. The British pounds, Canadian dollar and European euro show relatively similar trends among

The Negative Effects of Music Videos on our Children Essay

The Negative Effects of Music Videos on our Children - Essay Example The lyrics tend to have a significant corrupting influence on the youth. Particular genres such as hip-hop, gangsta rap and heavy metal are found to be more damaging to children than the rest. The racial attitudes and interpersonal relations of teenagers can be influenced by the music they watch. The later part of the 20th century had seen a disturbing development. The greatest threat to the health of American adolescents in recent decades is violence induced injuries and death. During the 1990’s, nearly 70% of all teenage deaths are a result of violence – accidents, manslaughter, homicides, etc. In 1994 in particular 357,000 teenagers were assaulted badly enough so as to require emergency medical treatment. A further 3569 of them eventually succumbed to their injuries. Adding to the alarm, the number of juvenile arrests for violent crimes during the year was recorded at 150,000 that included 6000 rapes and 85,300 aggravated assaults.

The Influence of Surfing in Skateboarding Essay Example for Free

The Influence of Surfing in Skateboarding Essay Skateboarding began in the year of 1950, when all over California surfers suddenly got the notion that they could try surfing on street, it was partly this reason why no one could really tell who first made or discovered skateboards. There are several assertions that they are the ones who made the very first skateboards however, none of those could really be verified. During these times, skateboarding is considered to be fun, yet it is only second to surfing. â€Å"The first type of skateboards which dates back to early 1900s was actually more like a scooter† (Brooke, 16) with the undercarriage made up of roller skate wheels fastened to a two by four, once the push bar of the scoter like apparatus was broken off, it was only then skateboarding came into existence. Around the late 1950s, open-minded Californian surfers began to realize that these-scooter-minus-the-handlebar contraptions†¦could be used as a kind of alternative to surfing†¦ (Books and Phillips, p.11)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was by the year of 1950 that the surfing fad became very popular. It was only then that people recognized the fact that skateboarding could be almost similar to riding a wave or surfing and this particular association with surfing which gave skateboarding, a course which would affect everything regarding the sport which was just about to come. This includes a series of maneuvers, style terrain, as well as stance. It was basically at some point in this time that changes were done to the apparatus in order to make them easier to use or handle. By the year of 1959 the very 1st Roller Derby Skateboard was put up in stores. Basically, it was the surfers who first thought of the idea that surfing could be done on streets (Cave, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As was already mentioned, the 1st skateboard was manufactured by the year of 1950 and it happened during the surfing or riding in wave was in vogue in California. The very first skateboards were made at home and built on even wooden boards fastened to roller skate trucks and wheels, skateboarding were initially named â€Å"sidewalk surfing† and the very first skaters imitated some methods and moves from surfers. It is even argued if skateboards really developed from â€Å"crate scooters†, which in turn came before skateboards did and they were basically the same saved that they have a crate made of wood fastened to the front, which made up elementary handlebars (Cave, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The entrance of the year 1960 paved way to skateboarding going on mainstream. There are also those surfing companies like Hobie and Makaha who began manufacturing skateboards which looks a lot like minute surfboards and accumulating groups to endorse their manufactured goods. The fame of skateboarding at this point in time generated a national magazine which is called a â€Å"Skateboarder Magazine and the 1965 international championships were publicized on national televisions, the development of skateboarding during this times could also be observed in Makaha’s sales records which stated $4, 000, 000 worth of skateboard were sold from the year of 1963 up to 1965. It was also in the year of 1963 that skateboard was at the highest peak of its fame and thus Makaha, among other companies commenced in giving off tournaments on skateboarding. During this year skateboarding are usually done, downhill, salom or freestyle and skateboarders such as Torger Johnson, Woody Woodward and Dany Berer became famous on the sport however, one should take note of the fact that skateboarding is very different from what it is today and thus one should not expect them to be doing things skaters of today’s times are doing. During those times â€Å"freestyle† their favorite style in skateboarding seems as though they are doing some ballet or they are ice skating, not exactly the same as it looks like today. However, by the year of 1966 sales had not been as good as before and it plunged down considerably. It was also about this time when Skateboarder Magazine had ended their publications, and hence skateboarding’s fame plunged down and continued to remain low until the coming of the year, 1970 (OldSchoolSkateboarding, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The early 1960s is the time when companies like Makaha and Hobie’s started to mass produce the very first and genuine surfing enthused skateboards. A number of the first advocates of surf-style skateboarding are Bill and Mark Richards, Danu Bearer, and so on. Skateboarding became very trendy in an instant and manufacturing companies have had to work hard in order to sustain the demands of the customers. More than 50, 000, 000 skateboards were bought within the span of three years. The very first contests on skateboarding took place on Hermosa Beach, California in the year of 1i963. It was in 1965 that a swing supposedly safety specialists asserted that skateboarding is not safe, forcing the stores to stop selling skateboards, and parents to stop buying them. The skateboarding trend died immediately in the same way it had been an instant fad before (OldSchoolSkateboarding, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the early years of 1970, Frank Nasworthy began to make skateboard wheels from polyurethane. Nasworthy’s invention looks closer to what skateboarders use nowadays.   The development in footing and execution was so great that the reputation of skateboarding began to increase quickly once more. Companies began to spend more in product advancement. A large number of companies began to produce trucks principally intended for skateboarding. As the gear develops and began to be more maneuverable or easier to handle, the decks began to get broader which provides the skateboarders even more room to maneuver Nasworthy’s company was called Cadillac wheels and his inventions caught the interest of surfers among other people which is another development on skateboarding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Skateboards made up by polypropylene were called banana board; these boards are thin, supple, with beams on the underside for structural foundation and they are also very famous until the mid-70s. These skateboards are available in many colors; however yellow is the most famous of them all, hence the term banana boards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the year of 1975, skateboarding unexpectedly received an evolutionary improvement and it is almost similar to what skateboards and skateboarders do and look like nowadays. In Del Mar wherein a salom and freestyle competition was held , the Zephyr team amazed the world to the things skaters and their skateboards could do and it was the start of whence the sport was treated seriously and not just as a mere past time. Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Tony Peralta were the three most well-known and celebrated skateboarders at that time and all of them are members of the Zephyr.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By the year of 1978 skateboarder, Alan â€Å"Ollie† Gelfand made a noteworthy invention which gave skateboarding another boost. The Ollie is a technique wherein one would slam one’s back foot on the tail of the skateboard and then the skater would be seen boarding the air.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Producers began to experimenting with more interesting combinations such as fiberglass and aluminum; however, the typical skateboards were structured with maple plywood. The skateboarders made use of the better handling of their boards and they commenced on creating and discovering new tricks with their skateboards. Skateboarders, especially the Z-boys, commenced in skating the vertical walls of swimming pools and this began the vertical trend in the said sport. With amplified improved control vertical skaters could skate faster and execute more risky tricks like slash grinds and the like. This founded liability apprehensions and intensified insurance charges to skatepark owners. During this period, the â€Å"freestyle† movement in skateboarding started it could be distinguished by the growth of a broad variety of flat-ground tricks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Skateparks progressively had to debate against high-liability expenses which led to many parks closing down. Vertical skaters thus, began to make their own access ramps and freestylers are no longer in need for skate parks. Therefore, by early 1980s skateboardings popularity diminished once more (YourLeisurelyTime, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was by the year of 1980s that the VCR suddenly materialized into the picture and they paved way to kids all over the world who wants to skate. Stacey Peralta along with George Powell made a team of gifted skateboarders and called them the Bones Brigade, it was also Stacey who made skateboarding videos which he called â€Å"The Bones Brigade Videos†. Their team includes Steve Caballero, Tony Hawk, along with other famous skaters, most of which one could see in â€Å"Freestyle† (a playstation game), and it was by this time that skaters began to be famous and made their own clothing styles which others tries to imitate even up to this point in time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The 3rd generation of skateboards which is by the early 1980s up to early 1990s was stimulated by skateboard manufacturers which were managed by skateboarders. The main concentration was originally on vertical ramps skateboarding. The creation of the no-hands aerial by Allan Gelfand in the year of 1976 made it feasible for skateboarders to execute airs off of vert ramps. Whereas this wave of skateboarding was generated by commercialized vertical ramps skating, a great number of individuals who skateboarded during these times do not use or ride vertical ramps. Since majority of this individuals do not have the financial means to construct vertical ramps or they do not have access towards the ramps in the vicinity, street skating obtained a great deal of popularity. Freestyle skating continued to be popular all throughout this time with founders like Rodney Mullen formulating the fundamentals of contemporary street skating. The effects thiese freestylers had on street skating became pretty much obvious by the middle of 1980s. However, skateboarding progressed rapidly in the late 80s to adapt with the street skaters. Because only a small number of skate parks are accessible to skaters during this period, street skating urged skaters to search for shopping centers as well as public and private property they could call their place on which they could skate. The public resistances as well as dangers of bringing matters to court compelled businesses and property holders alike, to prohibit skating on their properties. By the year of 1992 just a small number of skateboarders continued to be a specialized adaptation of street skating, merged with the deterioration of vertical skating, generated a sport that is lacking of the mainstream allure to draw new skateboarders (DiMartino, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The 4th as well as the present generation of skateboards is dominated mainly of street skating. Typical boards are approximately 71/4 up to 8† wide and 30-32† long. .Tthe wheels are composed of exceptionally hard polyurethane, durometer, also, very high durometers provides the advantage of lessened hindrance on hard areas which produces in an general a speedier ride. The sizes of the wheels are comparatively minute so that the boards are does not weigh much in comparison to the wheels of the 80s. Most decks are still made up from Canadian Maple, with 7 plys being the manufacturing average for depth and sturdiness. Skateboards designs have been altered noticeably since the year of 1970. However it is still the same since the middle years of the 90s. The modern form of the skateboard is obtained from the freestyle boards of the 1980s with a mostly symmetrical figure and moderately slim width. It was by the year of 1990s that ramps or vertical skateboarding popularity started to dwindle. However, it was also in the 1990s when Mike Vallely and Natas Kaupas came into the picture and started boosting street skateboarding and it was basically this reason why they are highly responsible for skateboarding rising in fame again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basically, skateboarding is very similar to surfing from which it is known to have originated. The vertical ramps used by skateboarders could be seen to be almost the same as the vertical waves surfers have had to ride when they are doing the sport. Ollie, as well as the other techniques is also similar in skateboarding and surfing. The people who find fascination in the two sports were all diverse and drawn up to the said sports because of sheer exhilaration and feeling of adventure. Both sports are very risky or dangerous and it is primarily the reason why there are those devil may care individuals who finds themselves irresistibly drawn to the sport.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The present sequence of skateboarding as well as surfing has been stimulated by many things as well as new companies, more wide-ranging and tricky terrains, a daredevil attitude, and most significantly by a new generation of youngsters who have found out the excitement of feeling of rolling along boards, may it be surfing boards or skateboards. A number of people who apply heavy pressure on the said sports are former pros who have started their own companies. The Ollie has come about into its own as the basis for eighty percent of street tricks and also about sixty percent of vertical tricks, which as had mentioned earlier is almost the same to that of surfers riding vertical waves, on which their main concentrations were on more technical and superior tricks. Also, â€Å"improvement in skateboarding like all sports takes countless hours of physical practice† (Werner and Badillo, p 15).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Skateboarding regained more popularity in 1995, mainly because of the exposure it has had from ESPN’s 1st Extreme Games in Rhode Island which served to bring skateboarding, which like surfing is categorized as a rebel and dangerous sport, maybe because of the perils and hazards and intermittent illegality of the enterprise,   closer to the majority of people. In the year of 1996, the extreme Games took place, once more on Rhode Island, once again rendering the sport into another exposure to millions of individuals (DiMartino, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The influence of media exposure towards the sport has made it a spectator sport instead of the underground sport it had been for the last decades. It has caused an invasion of companies which provided the sports a great sum of money for advertising, which had until that time disregarded skateboarding, as a means for promotional reasons. Advertisers and promoters have seen that skateboarding developed into a major sport on which they could have access to their preferred demographics, young males. Skateboarders and surfers alike have been in constant existence in campaigns for manufactured goods starting from soft drinks up to other kind of junk foods, sweet delicacies and even phone corporations. Therefore, majority of the phenomenon in skateboarding and surfing in present time came not from the skateboarders or surfers themselves; rather they came from company’s supports as well as from the media exposures ([emailprotected], 2007). The main concentration of the skateboarding continues to be on street skating, as is evident allover the editorials and publicity sides of the chief skateboarding magazines, wherein street skating pictures still dominates majority of the pages. On the other hand, vertical skating is about to return in the picture, owing in some ways to the great number of new skate parks being constructed all over the place. The said skate parks have also amplified the skating areas in numerous settlements. These numerous and assorted ramps, pipes as well as bowls offered at the said parks have paved way to a modification in gears. These technological alterations put on the skateboard products have better or enhanced skateboarding progressively in the course of the last two decades, and whereas in the early 90’s small boards and tiny wheels reigned all over the place, in today’s time there is a broad variety of skateboards and wheels which could be seen in use by many skateboarders. Wheel diameters are bigger, deck breadth continually develops, and long boards are advancing in fame particularly in beach communities (in the same manner that surfing is very popular in surfing communities) and amongst those that just desires to make use of their boards as a vehicle or some kind of a means for transport. Downhill skateboarding is also being revived for the past few years partly because of the visibility of the street sled (YourLeisurelyTime, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Among the leading fads at work is amongst soft goods. In the past few years, clothing trends have steadily mirrored the alterations wrought by those who people who skates, (Avril Lavigne for one used to wear what other labels as punk or skaters apparels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Today a pro can make anywhere from $1000 to $10,000 a month,† stated Danielle Bostick of World Cup Skateboarding and the X Games. These salaries are depends mainly on winnings of the professional skater. This is also one of the pulls why skating had been such a fad even up to this point in time (surfers are also drawn by the amount of earnings one could obtain depending on the wins he would bring his team). Most skateboarders who are sponsored by companies also earns good money provided that they meet up with these companies expectations and they carry the name of the company as some kind of an advertisement. This is a substantial transformation from the past when professional skaters need to work in other jobs in order to earn their money for skating (The Concrete Wave, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Skateboarding could be enjoyed by anyone (even by people two years of age) however the bulk of professional skaters vary from early teenagers up to individuals who are in their twenties. Majority of skaters do not train in any customary meaning one could denote from the word, in fact they do not even worry about their diets. Skaters like surfers simply do what they like to do best, skating. In fact, skateboarding is a lot of fun and it is largely the reason why we often see people of different nationalities, ages, or groups loitering around on their skateboards. Basically, the same thing could be said with surfers. Try going on a beach and there you could also see different people of all age surfing with the waves. Both sports are enjoyable and both are not picky when it comes to performing them. Works Cited Books, Carlton, and Skin Phillips. Skateboard Ramp: History. Carlton Books; 1 edition, 2002. Brooke, Michael. The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding Warwick House Publishing, 1999. Cave, Steve. â€Å"A Brief History of Skateboarding.† 2007. OldSchoolSkateBoarding, â€Å"Interview with Makaha Skateboards founder Larry Stevenson† 2007. Werner, Doug, and Steve Badillo. Skateboarding New Levels: Tips and Tricks for Serious Riders Tracks Publishing 2002.   YourLeisureTime, â€Å"Skateboards: Skateboarding, Skate Parks.† 2006.

Prevention of Gastrointestinal Cancer Dietary Changes

Prevention of Gastrointestinal Cancer Dietary Changes Discuss how dietary modification represents a platform for the prevention of gastrointestinal cancer Abstract Gastric cancer provides a good alternative to show the association of pathogenesis in the gastrointestinal tract and dietary modification. High salt intake and n-nitroso compounds have been identified in having a very strong relationship in the promotion of gastric cancer. The synergy between Helicobacter pylori and these dietary modifications elevates the chances of gastric cancer. Salt consumption leads to the inflammation of the stomach lining and it increases the colonisation of Helicobacter pylori which can cause the upregulation of iNos, COX-2 and CagA which cause increase the risk of gastric cancer. Similarly, H.pylori increases the chances of the formation of the carcinogenic n-nitroso compounds via increase nitrosation. Also, the reduction of Vitamin C, which acts as a free radical scavenger causes an increase in nitrosation which can ultimately increase gastric cancer. Ultimately, dietary modifications do play an integral role in the pathogenesis in gastrointestinal cancer.    Introduction Absorption, motility and digestion are some of the major physiological processes which take place in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the association modification of diet may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal cancer. The gastrointestinal tract starts from the alimentary canal in the mouth to the anus provides a vast opportunity to explore the relationship between dietary modification and different types of cancers. However, focusing on one specific cancer allows the identification of the depth in which dietary modification can provide a stable preventive mechanism. Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world. (1) It is the third most common cause of cancer mortality due to the overall late symptoms being identified and therefore, lower prognosis.(1) Therefore it is imperative that dietary modification is implemented so that there is early prevention of gastric cancer and a higher life expectancy. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a known carcinogenic, which increased the risk of gastric cancer via chronic inflammation. (2) H. pylori situates in the stomach and this is a strong link between diet and gastric cancer as it can directly affect the microenvironment of the stomach. Salt Sodium is one of the most important electrolytes in the modulation of plasma osmolality and body fluid volume. (3) The regulation of sodium in the body was much easier 5000 years ago, as the dietary sodium levels were much lower than modern times; Salt is now more exposed in our diet and it is often used in preservation techniques. (4) understanding some of the mechanism in which salt is used in the development in food may allow the association between gastric cancer and salt to be identified; high sodium concentrations in the stomach has been associated with inflammation and mucosal damage; this is turn may cause an increase in mutation and increase proliferation of cells leading to gastric cancer. REF Mechanisms There are many mechanisms which show the link between salt intake and gastric cancer. Infection of bacteria like H. pylori and high dietary salt intake can cause inflammation, leading to a higher rate of colonisation of H. pylori. (5) The high salt intake caused a decrease in gland mucous cell mucin. (6) A rat study showed that high dietary salt intake leads to a reduction in the cell yield and an increase in cells which were in the S phase. This increases the cancer risk as it increases the chances of mutations and therefore formation of gastric cancer. (7) In gerbils, in the presence of H. pylori and high dietary salt, the upregulation of iNOS and COX-2. (8) This upregulation has been theorised to enhance the effect of H. pylori and subsequently promote the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. (9) In addition, high salt intake also leads to the upregulation of CagA which enables the gene to be able to promote H.pylori with the ability to alter the function of the parietal cells.(10) Hig h salt intake can also consequently induce hypergastrinemia. (6) The combination of H. pylori and hypergastrinemia may lead to the progression of gastric cancer as it may contribute to a decrease in parietal cells. Humans contain two types of gastric mucins: surface mucous cell mucin (SMCM) and gland mucous cell mucin (GMCM).(11) A study by Hidaka et al (12), showed that H.pylori only attached to the surface mucous epithelial cells. The penetration of only one type of gastric mucin is due to the upregulation of the GMCM against the H.pylori infection. (13) This displays that there are two mechanisms in which salt can potentially increase the risk of gastric cancer. A direct mechanism is the increase in cell proliferation due to the mucosal injury by the H. pylori. The indirect mechanism is to provide support in the immediate environment of the stomach to increase colonization of H. pylori. A study by Furihata et al (14) showed that there was damage to the gastric tissue when hypotonic NaCl solution was administered. Although the damage was temporarily and the tissue was back to its original state within one-two days, it is important to consider that prolonged exposure to high salt intake will c ause excessive damage and therefore increased the risk of carcinogenesis in the gastric tissue. Epidemiological case cohort studies Kato et al. (6) demonstrates that salt does support gastric malignancies in a dose-dependent factor when H. pylori is present. Although this result was achieved in an animal study, this relationship can be used to express the idea that a reduction in salt and salty food can decrease gastric cancer in humans. Therefore, considering a study by Tsugane et al. (15) up to 12% of salt is consumed in dietary sources such as pickled vegetables, preserved fish and salted fish. The synergistic behaviour of salt with H. pylori exposes the importance in the prevention of a high dietary salt intake to prevent the onset of gastric cancer. DElia et al (16) showed that moderately-high and high salt intake increased the chances of gastric cancer by 41% and 68% respectively, when compared to low salt intake. Japanese individuals who were habitually inclined to consume salt-rich foods had a higher risk of gastric cancer; with the consumption of pickled foods, salted fish and processed meats, there was an increased risk of 27% , 24% and 24% respectively. (16) A study showed that the association with individuals having a gastric cancer screening is lower in individuals with higher salt intakes.(17) Therefore, in this epidemiology study, it can be identified that the Korean population may not be aware of the consequences of a high salt diet; Therefore, a better delivery in the consequences of dietary salt intake may lead to more gastric cancer screening and potentially show an indirect decrease in the rate of gastric cancers in the population. N-nitroso compounds N-nitroso compounds (nocs) are found both in exogenous sources as well as endogenous synthesis in the body; exogenous synthesis is based upon the consumption of food sources such as processed meat and pickled vegetables. (18) The endogenous synthesis of nocs take place via nitrosation of amides by nitrite based nitrosation gents. (19) The endogenous synthesis is potentially caused by the haem group in red meat. (20) Nocs have been found to be carcinogenic (18); this allows us to have an insight into mechanisms in which carcinogenic compounds may interact in the stomach and cause gastric cancer. Mechanisms The mechanisms which link nocs and nitration described allows a powerful insight into some of the potential processes that are modulated in the prognosis and progression of gastric cancer; this allows us to identify the food sources that may potentiate the advancement of gastric cancer and therefore allow dietary modification to prevent gastric cancer. There are several mechanisms which allow nitrosation and consequently the formation of nocs to take place. Firstly, nitrosation is more likely to take place in a more acidic stomach. (21) There is also synergy of nitrosation at low vitamin C levels. (21) Secondly, inflammatory conditions are developed in the stomach in the presence of H. pylori when nitrosation takes place. (22) Lastly, Individuals who are exposed to high concentrations of nocs have a higher potential risk in acquiring gastric cancer (18). Epidemiological case cohort studies A study by Jakszyn et al. (23) has shown an increase in faecal nocs with the consumption of red meat. This has been observed by the reaction involving haemoglobin and myoglobin which reacts with nitric oxide to produce nocs which exist in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The results show that H. pylori infection increases nitric oxide due to the bacterial response being counteracted by macrophages; this will in effect cause an increase in nitrosation due to the high nitric oxide concentrations and subsequently allow high colonisation of h pylori. The red meat therefore does increase the risk of gastric cancer and this is also supported by other studies. (24) Having high levels of vitamin C may potentially prevent the onset of gastric cancer as it acts as a free radical scavenger and it enhances the mucosal formation; This reduces the synthesis of nocs and inhibits the optimum environment for H. pylori reducing cell proliferation of H. pylori. (25) The H. pylori counteracts this by c ausing inflammation of the stomach, causing a decrease of in the secretion of vitamin C in the lumen. (25) This exemplifies the synergistic relationship between reduced vitamin C levels and H. pylori in causing gastric acid; hence an increase in vitamin C should theoretically reduce the colonisation of H. pylori as well as the formation of nocs. A study by Xu et al. (18) shows the association between gastric cancer and nocs accurately using cofactors from endogenous nitrosation. The precursors of nocs such as nitrite, nitrate and 4 nocs were measured in urine. Firstly, the results showed a strong significant positive correlation with urinary nitrate and the risk of gastric cancer risk with negative igG antibodies for H. pylori. (18) Secondly, there were also increased levels of nitrite with the presence of H. pylori. (18) Finally, it also showed a link between alcohol consumption and some specific nocs. (18) The results highlight that there is a direct relationship between the formation of nocs and pathogenesis of gastric cancer. The addition of H. pylori synergistically allows the advancement of nitrosation and formation of nocs in the stomach. It also showed that decreased alcohol consumption may lead to a decrease in the formation of gastric cancer as there would be less carcinogenic nocs forming. Interestingly, this stud y has also shown a significantly inverse association with pickled vegetables and urinary nitrate levels. (18) Pickled vegetables contain nitrate reductase which can reduce nitrate to nitrite; Thereby causing a reduction in the nitrosation process, leading to less nocs synthesised. (18) Ultimately, this study shows the significant relationship between exogenous dietary sources such as red meat, alcohol should be limited to prevent gastric cancer. Conclusion The association between dietary modification and the prevention of gastric cancer is very high. Avoiding processed meat such as red meat which are high in n-nitroso compounds and food sources which are high in dietary salt can prevent damage to the mucosal lining of the stomach and prevent mutations. Interestingly, pickled vegetables have specifically shown many implications in the prevention of gastric cancer. Although, pickled vegetables do have a high salt intake and therefore would increase the risk of gastric cancer by inflammation of the mucosal lining, it does contain a bacteria called nitrate reductase which is able to reduce the processes of nitrosation, enabling less carcinogenic n-nitroso compounds to form and therefore, a decrease the number of mutagenic events in the stomach. This highlights variation of dietary modification as they may play a different role in different mechanistic pathways in the gastrointestinal tract. Dietary modification consequently can provide a s trong supportive role in the prevention of gastrointestinal cancer by the effects seen in the microcosm of the stomach. References 1. World Cancer Research Fund / American Institute for Cancer Research. Diet, nutrition, physical activity and stomach cancer. 2016; 2. Sepulveda AR. Helicobacter, Inflammation, and Gastric Cancer. Curr Pathobiol Rep. 2013 Mar 2;1(1):9-18. 3. Antunes-Rodrigues JJ, de Castro M, Elias LLK, Valenca MM, McCann SM, Valenà §a MM, et al. Neuroendocrine control of body fluid metabolism. Physiol Rev. 2004;84(1):169-208. 4. Cordain L, Eaton SB, Miller JB, Mann N, Hill K. The paradoxical nature of hunter-gatherer diets: meat-based, yet non-atherogenic. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Mar;56 Suppl 1:S42-52. 5. Fox JG, Dangler CA, Taylor NS, King A, Koh TJ, Wang TC. High-salt diet induces gastric epithelial hyperplasia and parietal cell loss, and enhances Helicobacter pylori colonization in C57BL/6 mice. Cancer Res. 1999;59(19):4823-8. 6. Kato S, Tsukamoto T, Mizoshita T, Tanaka H, Kumagai T, Ota H, et al. High salt diets dose-dependently promote gastric chemical carcinogenesis in Helicobacter pylori-infected Mongolian gerbils associated with a shift in mucin production from glandular to surface mucous cells. Int J Cancer. 2006;119(7):1558-66. 7. Charnley G, Tannenbaum SR. Flow cytometric analysis of the effect of sodium chloride on gastric cancer risk in the rat. Cancer Res. 1985;45(11 II):5608-16. 8. Toyoda T, Tsukamoto T, Hirano N, Mizoshita T, Kato S, Takasu S, et al. Synergistic upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in gastric mucosa of mongolian gerbils by a high-salt diet and Helicobacter pylori infection. Histol Histopathol. 2008;23(5):593-9. 9. Nozaki K, Shimizu N, Inada K, Tsukamoto T, Inoue M, Kumagai T, et al. Synergistic promoting effects of Helicobacter pylori infection and high-salt diet on gastric carcinogenesis in Mongolian gerbils. Jpn J Cancer Res. 2002 Oct;93(10):1083-9. 10. Loh JT, Torres VJ, Cover TL. Regulation of Helicobacter pylori cagA expression in response to salt. Cancer Res. 2007 May 15;67(10):4709-15. 11. Ota H, Katsuyama T. Alternating laminated array of two types of mucin in the human gastric surface mucous layer. Histochem J. 1992;24(2):86-92. 12. Hidaka E, Ota H, Hidaka H, Hayama M, Matsuzawa K, Akamatsu T, et al. Helicobacter pylori and two ultrastructurally distinct layers of gastric mucous cell mucins in the surface mucous gel layer. Gut. 2001;49:474-80. 13. Matsuzwa M, Ota H, Hayama M, Zhang MX, Sano K, Honda T, et al. Helicobacter pylori infection up-regulates gland mucous cell-type mucins in gastric pyloric mucosa. Helicobacter. 2003 Dec;8(6):594-600. 14. Furihata C, Ohta H, Katsuyama T. Cause and effect between concentration-dependent tissue damage and temporary cell proliferation in rat stomach mucosa by NaCl, a stomach tumor promoter. Carcinogenesis. 1996;17(3):401-6. 15. Tsugane S, Sasazuki S, Kobayashi M, Sasaki S. Salt and salted food intake and subsequent risk of gastric cancer among middle-aged Japanese men and women. Br J Cancer. 2004;90(1):128-34. 16. DElia L, Rossi G, Ippolito R, Cappuccio FP, Strazzullo P. Habitual salt intake and risk of gastric cancer: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. Clin Nutr. 2012;31(4):489-98. 17. Shin JY, Kim J, Choi KS, Suh M, Park B, Jun JK. Relationship between salt preference and gastric cancer screening: An analysis of a nationwide survey in Korea. Cancer Res Treat. 2016;48(3):1037-44. 18. Xu L, Qu YH, Chu X Di, Wang R, Nelson HH, Gao YT, et al. Urinary levels of N-nitroso compounds in relation to risk of gastric cancer: Findings from the Shanghai cohort study. PLoS One. 2015;10(2):1-16. 19. Calmels S, Ohshima H, Rosenkranz H, McCoy E, Bartsch H. Biochemical studies on the catalysis of nitrosation by bacteria. Carcinogenesis. 1987 Aug;8(8):1085-8. 20. Lunn JC, Kuhnle G, Mai V, Frankenfeld C, Shuker DEG, Glen RC, et al. The effect of haem in red and processed meat on the endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Carcinogenesis. 2007;28(3):685-90. 21. Suzuki H, Iijima K, Moriya a, Mcelroy K, Scobie G, Fyfe V, et al. Conditions for acid catalysed luminal nitrosation are maximal at the gastric cardia. Gut. 2003;52(8):1095-101. 22. Mirvish SS. Role of N-nitroso compounds (NOC) and N-nitrosation in etiology of gastric, esophageal, nasopharyngeal and bladder cancer and contribution to cancer of known exposures to NOC. Cancer Lett. 1995;93(1):17-48. 23. Jakszyn P, Bingham S, Pera G, Agudo A, Luben R, Welch A, et al. Endogenous versus exogenous exposure to N-nitroso compounds and gastric cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-EURGAST) study. Carcinogenesis. 2006;27(7):1497-501. 24. Gonzà ¡lez CA, Jakszyn P, Pera G, Agudo A, Bingham S, Palli D, et al. Meat intake and risk of stomach and esophageal adenocarcinoma within the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Mar 1;98(5):345-54. 25. Zhang ZW, Farthing MJ. The roles of vitamin C in Helicobacter pylori associated gastric carcinogenesis. Chin J Dig Dis. 2005;6(2):53-8.

Hemispheric Specialization: Effects of Drugs on the Brain

Hemispheric Specialization: Effects of Drugs on the Brain NANA KOFI BONSU AKUFFO LANCASTER UNIVERSITY INTRODUCTION The human body is divided into many parts called organs. All of the parts are controlled by an organ called the brain, which is located in the head. The brain weighs about 2.75 pounds. The brain is made up of many cells, and I the centre of the body. The brain sends messages to all the other parts of the body (â€Å"The Human Brain.† 123HelpMe.com. 19 Feb 2015). The human brain is seen to be in a spherical form. A hemisphere is half of a sphere, so this means, the brain divided into two parts or hemispheres. There is the right and the left. These hemispheres appear to be identical, but closer examination reveals that they are highly specialized regions that serve different functions. The left hemisphere enables our ability to express ourselves in language. In over 95% of right-handed people the left hemisphere is dominant for speech. The figure is somewhat lower for left hander’s, approximately 70%, but still highly significant. The left hemisphere is better than the right at recognizing sequences of words and letters. It controls our logic, our reasoning, and our analytical thought processes. It can focus on details, however it has difficulty comprehending the whole picture. The perceptual functions of the right hemisphere are more specialized for the analysis of space and geometrical shapes and forms, elements that are all present at the same time (not so sequential like language). The right hemisphere is the creative half, it can see the whole out of parts, that is allowing us to connect puzzle parts together. The right hemisphere also plays an important role in the comprehension of emotion. However, the control of drug intake from childhood stages to late adulthood increases gradually in life. Even for medical purposes, the intake of drugs may not just help a patient recover but can also have other negative side effects that later on in life reveal themselves. Drugs affect brain pathways involving reward, that is, the dopamine system in the reward pathway. Within seconds to minutes of entering the human body, drugs cause dramatic changes to synapses in the brain. LITERATURE REVIEW Hemispheric specialization refers to the study of cognitive functions, dividing them up by the hemisphere of the brain responsible for them (www.ask.com/ science/define-hemispheric-specialization). Cognitive function refers to a person’s ability to process thoughts.  Cognition  primarily refers to things like memory, the ability to learn new information, speech, and reading comprehension. In most healthy individuals the  brain  is capable of learning new skills in each of these areas, especially in early childhood, and of developing personal and individual thoughts about the world. The brain has two halves orhemispheres. The two sides look like mirror images. This is calledbilateral symmetry. The wordbilateralmeans two-sided, while symmetrymeans the two sides look the same. So bilateral symmetry refers to the fact that the brain consists of two halves that are nearly mirror images of each other. Some function locations vary depending on the dominant hand of the patient. In general terms, literary functions are focused in the left hemisphere, particularly in right-handed people, while creative and figurative functions center in the right hemisphere. Also well-known is that the brain isâ€Å"cross-wired†, with theleft hemisphere controlling movement on theright side of the body, and theright hemispherecontrolling theleft side of the body. Most, but not all, of the different structures, lobes and organs of the brain have a left and right hemisphere element, andcommunication between the hemispheresis achieved by means of a thick bundle of nerve tissues known as thecorpus callosum, which effectively makes a full brain out of two half-brains. HANDEDNESS AND LANGUAGE PROCESSING It was the French physiologistPaul Brocain the 1860s (as well as his less well-known countryman and near contemporary,Marc Dax, almost 30 years earlier) who noted that, at least in general terms, a person’s handedness tends to indicate aspecialized hemisphere on the brains opposite side, so that a right-handed person probably has a left-hemispherelanguage specialization, andvice versa. Indeed, for almost a century, until theWada test(a technique involving the anaesthetizing of one side of the brain using a drug such as sodium amytal or sodium amobarbital) was introduced in the 1960s, a person’s handedness was just about the only clue an operatingneurosurgeonhad about which hemisphere of a patient’s brain was probably the one specialized for language. Following Brocas findings, it was initially assumed thathandedness and the hemispheric dominance of speech processing were inextricably and intimately connected. However, it soon became apparent, even to Broca, thatexceptions and mismatches existed, and that perhaps the association wasnot as fixedas he had initially thought. Although the incidence of right-hemisphere language dominancedoesincrease more or less linearly with the degree of left-handedness, it turns out to be not quite as simple as that. In fact, after the work of Springer Deutsch, Damasio Damasio, and others in the 1990s, we now know that, although about 95% of right-handersdo haveleft-hemisphere dominance for language functions, only around19% of left-handershave right-hemisphere language dominance, with another20%or so processing language functions inboth hemispheres(the incidence of language distribution inambidextrous peopleis broadly similar to that found in left-handed people). Other studies report percentages for left-handers of 70%, 15% and 15% (rather than 61%, 19% and 20%), but the finding all suggest that, perhaps unexpectedly, some60% 70% of left-handers process language in the left hemisphere, just like right-handers. Indeed, around 93% of all people have left hemisphere language dominance (http://www.rightleftrightwrong.com/brain.html). One half-brain is not â€Å"logical† and the other â€Å"intuitive,† nor is one more â€Å"analytical† and the other more â€Å"creative.† Both halves play important roles in logical and intuitive thinking, in analytical and creative thinking, and so forth. All of the popular distinctions involve complex functions, which are accomplished by multiple processes, some of which may operate better in the left hemisphere and some of which may operate better in the right hemisphere, but the overall functions cannot be said to be entirely the province of one or the other hemisphere. And far from having separate lives, the two halves work together. They are not isolated systems that compete or engage in some kind of cerebral tug-of-war; one is not an undisciplined child, the other a spoilsport that throws schoolyard tantrums. Rather, as we have stressed, the brain is a single, marvelously complicated, and deeply integrated system. Like those of a well-maintained bicycle, the parts of the brain do have different functions but, like the parts of a bike, they are designed to work together. Finally, as we discussed earlier, there is solid evidence that none of us relies primarily on one or the other hemisphere. We all use all of our brains; none of us are truly â€Å"left-brained† or â€Å"right-brained.† DRUG ADDICTION A drug is, in broadcast terms, a chemical substance that has biological effects on human beings and animals. In  pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.  Pharmaceutical drugs  may be used for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for  chronic disorders. Recreational drugs  are chemical substances that affect the  central nervous system, such as  opioids  or  hallucinogens. Alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine are the most widely consumed psychotropic drugs worldwide. They may be used for effects on  perception,consciousness,  personality, and  behavior. Many recreational drugs are also medicinal. Some drugs can cause  addiction  and habituationand all drugs have  side effects. Many drugs are illegal for recreational purposes and international treaties such as the single convention on narcotic drugs  exist for the purpose of legally prohibiting certain substances (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug).

The Constitutional Principle of Separation of Church and State Essay

The Constitutional Principle of Separation of Church and State It has been suggested that there is currently a culture war taking place in the United States. Depending on who you listen to, you will get vastly different descriptions of the two sides. Some will insist that the fight is between the upholders of strong Christian, moral values and godless, secular-minded, moral relativists. Others will tell you that defenders of religious freedom and rational thought are battling religious fundamentalists who wish to impose their radically conservative views on the whole of the American populace. Regardless of which way you view the debate, the entire so-called â€Å"culture war† boils down to a basic disagreement over the place of religion in public life. In light of President Bush’s recent nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, I believe it is prudent to have a thorough discussion of the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state, because how the Supreme Court rules on issues related to this principle in the future will have a profound impact on how we define ourselves as a country. In order to conduct a thorough inquiry into this debate, I believe it is necessary to start at the beginning and attempt to discern how our founding fathers viewed religion’s place in public life, and how they relayed this view in the First Amendment. After I have done this, I will try to apply some of the principles I have gathered to current hot-button social issues which are likely to come before the Supreme Court in the not too distant future. Proponents of a highly limited separation of church and state often argue that America’s founding fathers would be appalled at the extent to which the Judeo... ...ically examine the people we choose to let sit on our nation’s highest court. No person should be afforded a free ride to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court without some assurances that they will protect and uphold basic Constitutional principles such as the separation of church and state. Failing to do so might well lead to a nation in which we are all less free, just the kind of nation that our founding fathers went to such extraordinary and terrific lengths to avoid. Works Cited Feldman, Noah. "God, government and you." USA Today 10/17/2005. Allen, Brooke. "Our Godless Constitution." Nation 280.7 (2005): 14-20. Isaacson, Walter. "God of Our Fathers." Time July 2004: 62-63. Jacoby, Susan. "In Praise of Secularism." Nation 278.15 (2004): 14-18. Boston, Rob. "James Madison and Church-State Separation." Church & State 54.3 (2001): 10-14.

The Three Part Assertion Method :: essays research papers

The Three Part Assertion Method There is a guy two doors down from me, here in the dorm - a nice guy, a bit odd, overly friendly, and oh-so open. His favorite thing to do is prop his door open, play on his computer, and crank the music. I generally like all kinds of music, and I have been known to play it loud from time to time. Well, this guy truly likes all kinds of music, and plays it as loud as his speakers can handle it. It's a good thing he has small speakers. So, here's me, working on my computer, trying to concentrate, meanwhile this dude is down there playing some weird ethnic music, followed by the Star Wars theme song, with a mix of hippie music tossed in, in no certain order. It's a classic scenario. Over and over in my mind I envision myself going down there, screaming at him, telling him my mind, and slamming his door. That would feel great. I haven't done this yet, and probably won't. While reading the Bolton chapter, this scenario replayed itself over and over in my mind. Here is my revised strategy, which might just be used if the guy bothers me again. "When you leave your door open, I can hear your music in my room which makes if difficult for me to get school work done. I love music too, and certainly don't want you to not enjoy it, but please don't force others to 'enjoy' it with you. I noticed that when your door is closed, I can no longer hear it in my room and there is no problem. Thanks! So, what exactly are playing there? I have this great game.." The first sentence of this quote uses Bolton's tactic. The feeling part, hostility and frustration, of it is implied. The last part implies that I intend to remain friendly and hold no grudges. To be consistent with the project objectives, I will briefly explain a real situation in which I could have used the three part assertion method. Five years ago, at the age of 19, I worked at a local Western Sizzlin in Harrisburg as a waiter. I was one of the best servers there and made out well in tips. There were two parts to each customer experience that determined my tip, and this is basically true for every restaurant: my personal service, and the food. I had my side down cold. The cooks, not a chance. One morning, things were busy and the cooks were especially bad.

The Musical World of Aaron Copland Essay -- Biography Music

Aaron Copland was born on November 14th, 1900 in Brooklyn, New York, United States (3). His parents, Harris Morris Copland and Sarah Mittenthal Copland, were Jewish immigrants from Russia (6). Copland had four older siblings who grew up together. When he was eleven years old, one of his sisters, Laurine, taught him how to play a piano (3). Laurine also influenced to his musical world by introducing him to ragtime and opera (6). From 1913 to 1917, he took his first formal piano lessons from Leopold Wolfsohn (3, 6). Wolfsohn introduced him to the pieces of the great musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart. When he was fifteen, he attended a concert by composer Ignacy Paderewski. The dream of becoming a composer sprouted inside him after attending the concert (3). While he is attending Boys’ High School in 1917, he began to study composition and music theory through taking corresponding courses taught by Rubin Goldmark (2). Rubin Goldmark was a very conservative American composer, who discouraged modern music. After his graduation from Boy’s High School in 1918, he chose to study composition with Goldmark instead of attending to a university (6). He also received piano lessons from Victor Wittgenstein and Clarence Alder. He was exposed to various genres of music by attending to operas and concerts. The Cat and the Mouse (1920) was his first published composition that was not shown to Goldmark. The Cat and the Mouse is a literal composition which fast tempo depicts the mouse while slow tempo depicts the cat (1). In 1921, he wrote the Piano Sonata for Goldmark (6) Copland did not like the conservative musical world of United States (1). After he completed the Piano Sonata, he left United States and continued his studying in American... ...siconline.com/subscriber/article/opr/t237/e2406>. Web. 3. Copland, Aaron, and Vivian, Perlis. Copland: 1900 through 1942. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987. Print. 4. Copland, Aaron, and Vivian, Perlis. Copland: Since 1943. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. Print. 5. Griffiths, Paul. "Copland, Aaron." The Oxford Companion to Music. Ed. Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online. 16 Jan. 2011 . Web. 6. Howard Pollack. "Copland, Aaron." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 16 Jan. 2011 . Web. 7. Pollack, Howard. Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1999. Print. 8. Kamien, Roger. Music: An Appreciation. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2010. Print.

African American Discrimination Essay

African Americans and Discrimination Originally from Sub-Sahara Africa, thousands of African Americans were kidnapped and brought over to and sold in the United States during the Atlantic Slavery Trade. By 1860, before the Civil War, 3.5 million African Americans lived as slaves, mostly in the Southern United States. More than 500,000 lived as free persons in 33 states across the United States (2008). Today, many African Americans believed to have come from European American or Native American heritage. They believe to be direct descendants of captive Africans who were enslaved. The original Africans were not given the chance to colonize or immigrate to the United States; they were hunted down and chained together like animals, stacked on top of each other on the bottom of the ship, and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to a life they were not accustomed to- slavery. January 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation declaring freedom for African American slaves in sla very states. Following the signing of the bill, African Americans started facing even more problems with racial discrimination, segregation, racism, and prejudice. African Americans were beaten, put in jail, put to death, and denied basic human rights. To say African Americans were racially discriminated against only because of the color of their skin is an understatement. They were also racially discriminated against because of their sex, their religion, and their social class. During the last decade of the 19th century, racial violence and racial discrimination dramatically increased against African Americans. African Americans were not allowed to anything white people considered to be for â€Å"whites only†. They could not join any â€Å"white† organizations, attend any â€Å"white† schools, eat at â€Å"white† restaurants, or work at â€Å"white† establishments. Voting rights were stripped away, economic opportunities were denied, and suitable housing was not an option for them. In some areas in the South, African Americans couldn’t even worship at their own church or attend their own schools. African Americans were kept in a state of illiteracy and treated as if they were inferior to w hites. Life conditions were hard in the South for whites, new immigrants, and former slaves; that brought about the Great Migration to the Northern  states. African Americans went to the North searching for a promising life full of freedom, equality, and prosperity (2008). Between 1954 and 1968, the Civil Rights movement fought to abolish racial discrimination in the South. African American political leaders sought out ways to gain equality for blacks. Civil Rights programs were designed to enable people to become full citizens (Sykes, 1995). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 covered discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, and sex (Schaefer 2006). The United States Constitution was written to give Americans, not just African Americans, legal rights. The first amendment gave people the freedom of speech, assembly, and religion, and press, the fourth amendment guaranteed equal protection under the law, the thirteenth amendment made slavery illegal, and the fifteenth amendment forbids racial discrimination in access to voting. It took quite a few years for everyone to get used to having their newfound freedom. In the early 2 0th century, African Americans were still struggling for equality among whites in the workplace, education, income status, and social class. Many people are still being passed over for promotions because they are not what corporate America wants. Women have been pushed to the back of the line and given the lowest paying position resulting in double jeopardy (the subordinate status twice defined, as experienced by women of color) (Schaefer 2006). The glass ceiling, glass walls, and glass escalator (barriers that prevent the promotion of a qualified worker because of gender or race) effect has made an impact in the workplace with African American men and women as well. Whites have been given the best of everything over African Americans- positions, salary, housing, education, and political power. To help fight for change, affirmative action was created. Affirmative action (positive efforts to recruit subordinate group members, including women, for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities) (Schaefer 2006), gave power back to the African American people. Today, African Americans have broken down barriers and achieved great success in several areas of life such as buying houses, getting college educations, obtaining high paying jobs, and joining distinguished groups. Not all discriminatory acts have been abolished completely; African Americans are still facing subtle racist acts against them that they tend to go unreported or unnoticed. As long as people continue to fight for positive change it can be achieved. References African American contributors. (2008). African Americans. New World Encyclopedia Sykes, M. (1995). Origins of affirmative action. National Organization for Women. National NOW Times. Schaefer, R, T. (2006). Racial and ethnic groups (10th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Forensic Psychology and the Prison Service Essay

The two programmes mentioned above have similar objectives and use comparable methods. The curriculum includes teaching problem-solving skills, perspective taking and social skills, creative thinking, moral reasoning, management of emotions, and critical reasoning’ (Blud et al, 2003). To pass through the first stage of selection for a cognitive skills programme in HM Prison Service, offenders should either have a current or previous conviction for a sexual, violent or drug-related offence, or they should demonstrate a life-style factor such as serious drug abuse or poor family relationships which indicate they may benefit from the programme. One study conducted by the Canadian Correctional Service showed that there were modest outcome effects at best, with 47% of the sample being readmitted to prison. Critics of this treatment suggest that focusing on developing compensatory strategies to repair ‘deficits’ in thinking does not allow sufficient account to be taken of the predisposition, choices, opportunities and motivations of the individual, and that it would be more useful to design interventions which focus on providing opportunities to change and develop. There are alternatives to cognitive therapy within the prison system. One of these is the therapeutic institutional regime, which has the aim of ‘providing offenders with an institutional environment that will encourage their development as members of an effective community, which may then lead to more effective participation in their community on release’ (Howitt, 2006, p. 366). The effective treatment of sex offenders originated in the behavioural therapies common in the 1960s. The treatment of sex offenders was not a priority in prison services until the last few years. Sex offenders typically have both sexual and nonsexual problems (Blackburn, 1995), so assessment needs to cover social, cognitive, affective, and physiological levels of functioning. Treatment for sexual offenders differentiates between types of offence, such as child molestation, exhibitionism, rape, and sexual assault (Hollin, 1989). Behavioural therapists consider assessment of sexual arousal patterns to be necessary. Changing deviant sexual preference is a major target of cognitive-behavioural programmes. There are a number of ways of doing this, such as covert sensitisation, shame aversion therapy, masturbatory or orgasmic reconditioning and shaping and fading (Blackburn, 1995). However, there are a number of questions over their use. For example, the assumption that deviant preference predicts re-offending remains largely untested. There are also attempts to improve social competence. Cognitive distortions are targeted in this approach. These distortions include beliefs about sex roles, rape myths, the acceptability of child-adult sex, and the minimization of harmful effects of sexual assault. According to Blackburn (1995), offenders who commit serious crimes against the person are likely to display multiple psychological dysfunctions. Blackburn states that there are four types of murderer: paranoid-aggressive; depressive; psychopathic; and over-controlled repressors (of aggression). In one study, using the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), Biro et al (1992) found that 49% of homicide convicts were in the hypersensitive-aggressive category. This category consists of people with the characteristic of ‘being easily offended, prone to impulsive aggressive outbursts and intolerant of frustration. They are very rigid, uncooperative and permanently dissatisfied thing things. However, the causes of antisocial behaviour in psychotic offenders are often the same as those in the non-disordered. Psychological treatment for dangerous offenders is most frequently carried out in forensic psychiatric facilities. While pharmacological treatment is frequently the best strategy for treating acute psychotic disorders, psychological interventions are a more durable alternative for emotional problems such as depression or anxiety, and are critical in rehabilitation. There are few demonstrably effective treatment or intervention programmes for adult violent offenders in maximum-security prisons, particularly for those diagnosable as psychopaths. They have very high recidivism rates and are often involved in institutional violent behaviour (Belfrage at al, ).

Mendus unconditional love

â€Å"l promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you. † That is a line from a traditional wedding vow that two people who love each other say on their wedding day. Susan Emends believes that a marriage vow Is â€Å"a present intention to do something permanently, where that is distinct from having a permanent intention. † (Emends, p. 238) Emends believes that marriage vows are unconditional, she doesn't think that marriage Is unconditional however. She doesn't think marriage is unconditional because It can end In divorce. People say they fall out of love, cheat, or think their significant other changed.Emends says that If you think that a person has changed and that makes you â€Å"fall out of love† then you never truly loved them. She also thinks that once you make the commitment In marriage vows, you should remain married even If you feel Like you fell out of love. One reason that Emends believes marriage vows are unconditional Is because there Is no time limit on it. When you get married you do not decide that after so many ears you are going to get divorced, instead you plan to be happily in love for the rest of your lives. Throughout our lives we change and mature and because of the vow you made to be together forever, there will be change.If your significant other changes you should remain married because you love each other. Another reason Emends believes marriage vows are unconditional is because you do not make â€Å"terms and conditions†. When you marry someone and promise to love and honor you do not say â€Å"so long as you don't.. (Emends, p. 238) When you love someone you love them for who they are, you wouldn't tell them â€Å"l will love you if you.. – If there were conditions then we would not be able to distinguish the difference between â€Å"respect or admiration for the principles of another and the sort of unconditional commitment to him which the marriage vow involves. (Emends, p. 238) Loving someone is an honorable and cherish able thing. When you love someone you just want to spend time with them and not tell them who to be. If there s any question whether you love your significant other or like characteristics about then you will begin to make conditions and if that happens you should not marry one another. Emends unconditional love By Madison each other say on their wedding day. Susan Emends believes that a marriage vow is vows are unconditional, she doesn't think that marriage is unconditional however. She doesn't think marriage is unconditional because it can end in divorce.People say if you think that a person has changed and that makes you â€Å"fall out of love† then you ever truly loved them. She also thinks that once you make the commitment in marriage vows, you should remain married even if you feel like you fell out of love. One reason that Emends believes marriage vows are unconditional is because there is no ti me limit on it. When you get married you do not decide that after so many you.. † If there were conditions then we would not be able to distinguish the someone you Just want to spend time with them and not tell them who to be. If there