Natural science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Natural science - Essay Example This virus is closely associated to HIV-1. It is known as HIV-2. HIV-2 is mostly present in Africa however HIV-1 is present all over the world. This infection consists of three stages. In the first stage severe retroviral syndrome along with asymptomatic period occurs. This is the exactly like influenza or like mononucleosis that a good number people get in six to twelve weeks after acquiring the infection. It generally finishes without any treatment at all. It is at this point that a patients' blood test for HIV comes out positive. Symptomatic HIV infection is known as the second stage of AIDS. In this stage symptoms start to become prominent. This stage can be as long as a few months or even a few years. AIDS is the last stage. In this stage the immune system gets badly damaged and other opportunistic diseases infect the patient. This collapse of the immune system leads the patient top his death in just a few years. HIV causes a decline in the health and most of time even death. The virus is an extremely dangerously severely infects both the brain and the nervous system. It could cause dementia; dementia is an illness which is related sensory, thinking, or memory disorder. Brain infection might result in problems related to movement or coordination. HIV may have infected the diesel for two to twelve years without exhibiting any symptoms. This virus is transferable to other person symptoms regardless of the symptoms. As soon as HIV catches speed, a lot of symptoms begin to show up. The symptoms consists of mysterious fever, exhaustion, diarrhea, serve loss of weight, enlargement of the lymph glands, loss of hunger mouth and vagina's yeast infections, night sweats which may last more than a number of weeks, problems in breathing , dry cough, bad throat due to the swelling of glands, chills, and shivering. Other symptoms include flat or raised spots or bumps of Pink or purple, color which occur under the skin, in the oral cavity, nose, eyelids or rectum. They look like bruises, however they don't fade away. The skin around the bruises is not as hard as the bruises themselves. Another symptom is Spots or odd blemishes which are White in color start to occur in the mouth. HIV can be transmitted via 3 ways. One very common way is by means of unprotected sex (oral, virginal or anal). The most dangerous kind of sex which transmits this virus is anal sex as the anus does not stretch. The second way this virus can be transmitted is through direct contact with blood that is already infected with the virus. There are a number of ways of in which the virus can be transmitted via direct contact with blood that is already infected with HIV. The third way in which this virus is transited is when pregnant women is infected by this virus and transmits it to her fetus. Development After 6 years in 1987 a new treatment came into being this is known as the first big step in the direction of curing HIV and AIDS virus. The drug that was found was Retrovir (AZT, Zidovudine) and it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was immediately used to treat patients with HIV. In 1992, the first drug which was to be utilized with zidovudine was also approved by Food and Drug Administration. This combination of drugs was called Hivid; this was the start of HIV combination therapies. In the year 1996

Carl Rodgers and B.F. Skinner Essay Example for Free

Carl Rodgers and B.F. Skinner Essay B.F. Skinner, who favored the behaviorist approach to psychology, criticized the psychoanalytical theory by suggesting that psychology should be the study of behavior and not just the mind. However, Skinners approach was radical, in that he did consider our inner thoughts and feelings, but denied that they had anything to do with behavior. His study of behavior involved close contact with the experimental laboratory, where he experimented with small animals such as rats and pigeons. As the experimenter, he was able to study the use of stimuli and reinforcement of behavior. Skinner pointed out that aggression, like any other form of behavior, is a result of social and physical issues in our environments. With this in mind, he believed that human behavior is therefore controllable. In Skinners view, if aggression is apparent in a person, then it is determined by past and present relevant events, together with genetic endowment, hereditary factors that are passed through our genes in the process of evolution. He argued that full knowledge of these two sets of factors, genetic endowment and personal history; hold the key to controlling behavior such as aggression. The behaviorist approach fails to acknowledge individual free will and choice however, and the frustrations involved in the inability to express these. It is often these unobservable issues that cause behaviors, such as aggression. When looking at positive reinforcement, Skinner often refused to consider the mental causes of aggression. For example, if a drunk tries to start a fight with you in a pub, Skinners theory would indicate that the best form of action from previous experience would be to walk away. This however, ignores the events leading up to this point, and you may decide to stay and fight or maybe stay and make friends. The mind selects a response according to the desired consequence, which is a natural part of every function we perform but is not a straightforward case of positive reinforcement. Sigmund Freud developed the psychoanalytical theory of the personality, where he divided it into layers; the unconscious, preconscious, and the conscious. These represented different levels of awareness in our minds. He also described the personality as the id, which is essentially what we are born  with and is where the basic sexual and aggressive drives reside, the ego, which starts to develop as soon as interaction with the environment begins, and the superego, which represents the moral aspect of humans according to societys standards and values. He believed that we are born with these inner feelings of aggression, which we use as a tool to obtain the things we want, but unfortunately, society restricts the use of this horrible behavior for obvious reasons. The display of aggressive behavior would cause us to lose love and respect ending in lowered self-esteem. In order to get through life without imposing this unacceptable behavior upon society, we have in our superego, incorporated something called guilt, which in turn makes us feel ashamed of this pushy, demanding insistence of gratification side of ourselves. However, this causes within us an eternal conflict that rages on through our everyday lives, in the unconscious level of our minds, where we only dimly recognize it. Carl R. Rogers was the founder of the humanistic approach to behavior and like Maslow, he believed that there was nothing bad about human behavior and that we are capable of healthy growth towards Self Actualization. This means that we have the potential to reach fulfillment and achieve warm relationships with others through acceptance and understanding of what we as humans are. In order to understand the actualizing tendency, Rogers claims that we should firstly be congruent, meaning that we should be aware of our inner feelings and accept them as a part of our nature. In this respect, what we express from those feelings is pure and true. Secondly, we should be able to empathize with our fellow man, in that we can understand what everything means to them from their point of view, as if we were in their world. Thirdly, we should be able to accept things as they are and who our fellow man is, without judgment or prejudice. These are three essential ingredients for healthy growth towards being a fully functioning person. Obviously, with an approach such as this, there is little room for negative feelings such as aggression. Because of this positive force for healthy growth, Rogers believed that aggression could possibly be a result of a state of incongruence, where we may feel conflict between our sense of self and our  ideal self. For example, when we become aware of our own set of values but are told by our parents to respect their set of values, taught to us previously, and the use of conditional regard is applied to enforce those values. This could possibly cause aggression by way of retaliation. However, he would not see aggression as inevitable or even an appropriate response, only as a possible response.

Gender and leadership style analysis

Gender and leadership style analysis 1. Introduction Leader is the central part of a company. No matter what kind of organization it is, the activity of leading is very important. Leader style is also called manager style, which is concerned with maintaining motivation, balancing interests and implementing tactical plans. An effective leader is someone who motivates a person or a group to accomplish more than they would have otherwise accomplished without that leaders involvement (Gedney R., 1999). As a good leader, he or she should be visionary, innovative, and has strategic and logical thinking. Good leadership style can help a company to build and sustain a high performance structure. When a baby is born, the first question people always ask is is it a boy or a girl? The babys gender determines what kind of characteristics he or she would have to some extent. If the baby is a boy, he is more likely to be competitive, strong and tough in the future. If the baby is a girl, she seems to be more careful, emotional, and patient when she grows up. So according to different characteristics male and female maintain, their leadership styles have many differences. 2. Different Genders Leadership Styles Research presented by Dr. Pat Heim in her video, The Invisible Rules: Men, Women and Teams, indicates that each gender is a culture in itself, raised with invisible rules of conduct instinctively known to all adult members of that gender (Norton D., 1998). Male leader leans towards the traditional command-and-control style. They are more likely to employ a transactional leadership. The transactional leadership style developed by Bass is based on the hypothesis that followers are motivated through a system of rewards and punishment (Transactional leadership, 2007). Leaders using this style view job performance as a series of transactions and they offer rewards for services rendered or punishment for inadequate performance. This means if the followers do something good for the organization, they will be rewarded. On the contrary, if they do something wrong, they will be punished. Followers are putting the wishes of leaders in effect.  In fact, this kind of style may begin to form the very early leader-follower relationship. Male leaders give the ideas to their followers that they can get better raises by following orders. As for female leaders, they also use the transactional leadership style. But the study found women were more likely to use the supporting component the leadership style have. On the other hand, male leaders not always give rewards when their employees perform well. But if the employees do something wrong, he will punish them without doubts. Female leaders are tended to use this kind of interactive leadership style. They not only encourage others participation but also attempted to energize followers by enhancing their sense of self-worth. They inspire and motivate employees while allowing them some initiative and giving them the power to make decisions on their own. Many women leaders believe that people perform best when they feel good about themselves and their work. The leaders are opening access to information to increase opportunities for continuous improvement. But similarities also exist among men and women managers. In order to lead employees, no matter what gender you are, you should follow many similar principles that useful in management. An extensive review of research suggests that similarities in leadership styles tend to outweigh the differences. Because of career self-selection and organization selection, people who choose careers in law enforcement or real estate have a lot in common. So do individuals who choose managerial or supervisory roles (David C., 2006). In retrospect, men are more likely to use the transactional leadership style for rewarding and punishing employees. Men are strong and decisive. Women build bridges of empathy. Men get things done. Women care more about the process(Different leadership styles, 2007). As women always use the transformational leadership style, they are better at negotiating than men. There are many communication strengths for female leaders: they enhance team work, win the trust of the people they work with, and encourage innovation. Male leaders also have many advantages: they are decisive when they face difficult situations, have clear mind to set different responsibilities, and remove unwanted elements without doubts. 3. Male Leaders vs. Female Leaders, Which Make Better Leaders During a long period of time, many people think men have the ability to manage people well and they are suitable to management. However, as more and more women are moving into management in recent years, some questions have arisen: Do women bring a special brand new style of leading into company? The traditional command-and-control style, compared with womens ways of leading, which one is more effective? Which leadership style is better? Which leadership style is better? In 2005, a year-long study identified a number of characteristics that distinguish women leaders from men when it comes to qualities of leadership. The study findings are summarized into four specific statements about womens leadership qualities: Women leaders are more persuasive than their male counterparts. When feeling the sting of rejection, women leaders learn from adversity and carry on with an Ill show you attitude. (Women Leaders study, 2005). Esther Wachs, the author of the book Why the Best Man for the Job is a Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership, makes research on the careers of fourteen top female executives among them the President and CEO of eBay to find out what makes them so successful. She found women has a willingness to reinvent the rules; an ability to sell their visions; the determination to turn challenges into opportunities; and a focus on high touch in a high tech business world (Lowen L.). Women in both staff and line positions were more likely to be leader-style executives than their male colleagues. During 1990s, there were only small part of women filled in managerial positions and most of them stayed in house looking after babies and doing housework. But just after several years, more and more women become white-collars and get high-leveled jobs. Organizations realize women have better performance than expected. In 2005, the number of women ascent into top management positions in large companies has increased nearly 60 percent over the last decade. In both the UK and Ireland, women represent more than 45 percent of the workforce (Gurdal I., 2005). From the data we can see, the speed which women moved into top positions is very fast. Nowadays, it is common to see female leaders in organization, although they are still the minority. Since technology develops rapidly, what the company concerned most in the future is for people. Interactive management, creative problem handling method, and effective communication skills are more valuable for an organization than other aspects. All these characteristics as important for future development and success are the qualities female leaders have. So to some extents, it seems that female leadership style is more and more suitable for companies. Women have the ability to create brand new corporation culture, which is different from male leaders produced. The structures that women establish seem to be flexible and these structures can help to create more interactive environment for a company. Since women also tend to discuss problems more openly and utilize group-think to seek solutions, such solutions are often more acceptable to teams (Gutià ©rrez M., 2008). According to what mentioned above, female leaders have many advantages outweigh than male leaders. But this does not mean male leaders are not good. There is still much superiority which male leaders have. Many studies show there are not lots of differences between the qualities of men and women leadership styles. Each genders leadership styles have their good points. Since male leaders are more masculine, they are good at solving problems, delegating, and influencing superiors. Female leaders are more feminine, they are more likely to be supporting and rewarding others, building team and consulting. Interestingly, some male leaders are better at networking, which generally is seen as a feminine behavior. Some female leaders are better than males at solving problems, an ability regarded as male leadership style. 4. The Trend of Leadership Style 4.1 Feminine leadership style is growing The general perception of business management before was a structure dominated by males whose leadership style was hierarchical, tough, action-oriented, and even autocratic. In most peoples mind, the ideal leader should be regarded as an independent, tough, individualistic hero. But today a new generation of women is bringing to business a different style often described as more consensus-building, more likely to encourage participation by others, more open and inclusive, and even more caring than that of many males. Now a new wave revolution created by women is coming. Many females begin explore their own way to top management positions. The way is not sitting down under old rules and habits that have proved effective and suitable for males, it derives from womens own experience and their unique understanding of the world.T he World YWCA Secretary General Kanyoro says attitudes toward leadership changing mentioned this: These newly admired leadership qualities of shared leadership; nurturance and doing good for others are today not only sought after but also indeed needed to make a difference in the world.A feminine way of leading includes helping the world to understand and be principled about values that really matter (Kanyoro M., 2006). In modern society, domination is no longer a popular leadership style. Todays work force is better-educated. Nowadays, more and more young professional workers are joining into the organizations. They demand to participate and contribute. In some cases, they have knowledge or talents their bosses dont have. Normally, these kinds of workers are likely to respond more to interactive leaders. They hope their leaders can be flexible, interactive, trust and encouraging rather than rigid, right-wing, serious, and restraining. Todays company requires leaders who not only are risk takers, but also are capable of hearing the ideas of others and really give them the power to use some of the ideas in changing business making them successful. Listening, encouraging and sharing information with people are the keys to success for best leaders. Just like the President of the nearly $500-million-a-year magazine group of Meredith Corp. said: Companies that try to manage in the old top-down, hierarchical, drill-sergeant way is just doomed (Nelton S., 1991). Many experts agree that women are more likely to have the ability to deal with the complicated problems existed in the company. They are more active in building networks, listening, resolving conflict, and getting people to work together. In addition, women can help companies be more competitive because they see business opportunities as a result of their own experience. Many female leaders have the confidence that they can help company grow very well in an international market. Although men still run the world, more and more people realize that it might be in better shape if women were more often in charge. Female leadership characters can help companies solve three major problemsthe need for better customer service, the demand for higher quality, and the need for leadership itself (Nelton S., 1991). Gradually, many male leaders start to use the so-called feminine tools of leadership without embarrassment. Being more male than male is no longer effective for women leaders on controlling a company. Women leaders have more opportunities to use the styles that are more natural to them as individuals, whether soft or tough. As never before, the world is seeking capable women as being the female leader. Its happening most quickly on the entrepreneurial side, as well as on the corporate side. A large growing pool of women will have the chance to show their executive talent. According to the research on Google, in United States, more than 4 million of women have already started at the top by launching their own companies. In order to nurture the development of women leaders, many companies encourage mentoring for women. They create situations that facilitate informal, on-the-job advice for women. Some companies also add women to board of directors. 4.2 Different leaderships blend together Although there are many advantages by using feminine leadership style, smart companies are making room for a diversity of styles, encouraging the development of women leaders along with the men. Male leaders are better at giving orders, while female leaders like to build the bridge between employees and her. They enhance team work more than male leaders and they more focus on the detailed things during the process. On the contrary, male leaders always lead in a macro point of view. Men and women can learn strengths from each other. Many women are combining the best of the traditional styles, such as focus on performance, into their leadership style, while men are adopting the so-called soft management approaches that women use effectively. For the fortunate businesses, these different styles should be complementary rather than confrontational. If two men or two women work together, it may not be more effective than men and women work together. At the top of the company, if different genders work together, they can produce harmony and comfortable environment and develop the companys potential to higher point. For an organization, in order to fully realize its potential, it is vital to meld different leadership styles together. No matter what kind of way the leader uses, the critical thing for the leader is to know the strong and weakness the style they use most frequently. To be effective in the workplace, the leader must also realize that switching between different styles can make his or her company have better performance. Dilemma Faced by Female Leaders in Todays Society: Stereotyping Leadership When we talk about the two types of leadership -one is predominantly masculine and the other is predominantly feminine, we would think about two different kinds of figures: men in the military and on the playing field to train soldiers, and women in the home to manage the house and nurture husbands and children. Since many women have been married and have children, most of them spend higher average hours of housework than men per week. The competitive pressure is growing higher and higher in todays society, women have to strive to balance their professional careers and family roles. Some people think female are not suitable for being leaders because women always consider their family a lot and can not spend all efforts on work. Womens inability of being leaders is not because they lack adequate leadership characteristics; it is because they do not have time and energy. Widely shared gender stereotypes are in effect the genetic code of the gender system, since they constitute the cult ural rules or schemas by which people perceive and enact gender difference and inequality (Carli L., 2001). Male and female management styles are distinct. In many cases, managerial stereotypes fit with gender stereotypes. People stereotype women as being better at encouraging, supporting and taking care; while men are stereotyped as being more direct, kinglike and taking charge. Many people think if the leader is a female, she is more likely to discuss with their employees when making a decision. To the contrary, if the leader is a male, he would decide by himself and influence superiors to follow him. People always consider man can better achieve a solution than women. Today, the number of men in top management positions is still much higher than women. Only a quite small part of women can enter top management field, let alone being CEOs. No matter what leadership style female executives choose, they are more likely to be perceived negatively than men. Female business leaders act consistent with gender stereotypes are considered too soft. But if they go against gender stereotypes, they are considered too tough. To explain these, when a female leader exhibit traditionally valued leadership behaviors such as assertiveness, she tends to be seen as competent but not personable or likable. If she adopts a more stereotypically feminine style, people like it but not see it as having valued leadership skills. So there is a double-bind dilemma for women in leadership: Damned If You Do, Doomed If You Dont (Study, 2007). So todays female leaders are really at a deadlock. Even though they tried very hard to become leaders, they still have limited positional power. Many people do not agree women become leaders because they regard all of women as a whole, and all of them have the same characteristics in other words, womens character flaw. In those peoples mind, since most women are sentimental, they should be tender and shilly-shally; since they are approachable, they do not have the determination to make punishment or criticize; since they are likely to support and encourage others, they do not have the power to influence superiors, etc. Stereotyping is strong and horrible, it gives women more and more pressure when they pursuit higher positions. Although many women have diversity trainings before they enter into executive positions, they still feel powerless to eliminate the stereotypes. The effect of gender stereotyping can be devastating, it block the way they pursuit their career, whittle down their confidence, bury their talents and potential and increase the huge gap in business leadership. One day women will be fully accepted in senior positions, but before this day comes true, women still have much further to go. Many companies have already realized the bad environment and unequal opportunities for women. In order to help women achieve their advancement and argue for their rights, some organizations have already taken active measure to avoid and resist gender stereotyping. Women leaders performance should be shown and supported, especially when they are in the fields dominated by male. Company should also create a gender-sensitive workplace, to give women the same opportunities to take part in the work discussion. Another way is to give managers, executives, and even employees the education about stereotyping. This can give them the idea that it is important to improve gender quality and let women have more confidence to strive for their rights. Furthermore, objective standards must be used when evaluating peoples achievements. It is sure that with equitable and supportive business environment, the organization will have better-educated workforce, enjoy better business performance and become more compatible in the market. 6. Suggestions for Good Leadership Style Regardless of the size of the company, both men and women business leaders have a lot they can teach one another about leadership, as well as the members of their own sex. As they learn from one another, they can bring strengthened leadership abilities to their companies. Here are some suggestions for good leadership styles. 6.1 Listen Carefully For this point, women leaders tend to be better listeners than men. Listening is the key because leaders can learn from the people who work for them by listening. If followers know their leader is open, the leader even hears the downside directly. Listening to others is a kind of way to gather information. It enables leaders to keep making changes to improve the organization. However, listening doesnt always mean agreement. Listening to a person doesnt mean you should decide it in his or her way. Leaders should be good at filtering useful information. Some leaders meet with a different group of 15 or more non-managerial employees for round-table discussions every month. By talking with those employees, leaders can get to know people at levels they might never see. The purpose of the round-table discussion is communication, but a wise leader makes a point of listening more than talking. 6.2 Being Decisive Decisiveness is defined as being characterized by firmness and decision' (Being decisive, 2007). Being decisive doesnt mean having a closed mind or being bullheaded. A good leader should know when to stop building consensus and gathering information to make a decision. Decisiveness is an area that women could probably learn something from men. 6.3 Be Willing to Express Your Emotions In fact, there is always a wrong perception about management. People always think soft management means the leader is sensitive, caring and supportive, and hard management means the leader is tough and draw the lines. But actually, a lot of the tough guy is really cowardly and ineffective management. Managers who take the hard approach sometimes are hiding behind a shell, they are afraid to confront their own emotions and feelings. They scare to show it in public. Dont be afraid to show your feelings to your employees which are important for both male and female leaders. Because it is a way to show your faith and honest, and it is also an opportunity to build the bridge of trust among people. Many leaders find when they stop hiding their emotions, their reputation among employees is higher. Instead of considering being soft, they receive more respects from their employees. Cry doesnt mean you are wimp. Leaders who cry for their employees outstanding performance or regret for their own leading mistakes convey that they take employees performance and achievements seriously. 6.4 Doesnt Let Your Ego Get in the Way No matter you are a man or a woman, you have to learn that there is no place for ego in leadership. Only one person can not make a company successful. Running an organization its a team effort and a team attitude. If something is good, both leader and followers will all take credit. But if it is bad, they all take the blame. Leaders should not be too proud of them and focus on making profit for their own, since it will be found sooner or later and followers will not trust the leaders any more. Dont be egotistical does not mean you can not get to the top if you want to. But what the leader should make it clear is that the more people you try to take along with you, the faster youll get there and the longer youll stay there. 6.5 Be Yourself Dont try to force yourself into a certain style thats not natural to you, even if you think its expected of you. Leaders should aware that different people have different expectations, you can not satisfy everyone. Do not lose yourself. Female leaders are strong professionals, but they can still wear dresses instead of masculine-looking suits. They can also keep a jar of candy in the office, which is regarded as a typically female touch. Believe it or not, such little things can produce an environment of communication and friendliness. You can learn to draw on other leaders styles, however, to enrich your choice of tools. Leader should build on his or her strengths in terms of the personality, and it basically comes down to what works best for him or her. 7. Does only sex determine the leadership style? Most of the male leaders can set legible responsibilities, but that does not mean women leaders can not. So all of these characteristics described for male and female actually do not have clear boundaries and are not the unique ones just aim at one gender. The leadership style is not just influenced by gender, the style also develop out of personalities and life experiences. Each leader has a predominant style, but the other aspects of leadership must also be present as tools to use. If men do not feel embarrassed to show some kinds of feminine ways of leading, they can also use them directly and effectively. In some cases, female leaders are also comfortable to show use some male leadership styles when necessary. In very difficult and dangerous situation, there may be just only one right decision. The leader should use it, no matter what gender the leader is. For many successful male and female leaders, their partners (have different gender) are linked by neither marriage nor romance. Men and women in senior management all work for long hours and are motivated by the achievement they made. Leadership style is also determined by the types of operations executives run. If the leader oversees design and production, he seems to be more low-key than the other one who is responsible for sales, marketing, and finance. The second leader needs to be more intense and aggressive so as to increase the performance of apartments which he or she charges. If leaders responsibilities require more structure, they should be more strict and rigid. On the contrary, if they need to deal with creative people, they should be more fluid, spontaneous, and flexible. From a get-somebodys-attention standpoint, it is beneficial for the leaders to be direct, no nonsense, and get on the table what they want. 8. Conclusion In retrospect, males tended to be more task-oriented; females tended to be more relationship-oriented. Women tend to employ a more democratic, participative style while men tend to take a more autocratic, directive approach. Self-selection and adaptation are factors common to female leadership, while delegation and controlling are factors common to male leadership. Female leaders are more likely to be supporting and rewarding others, building team and consulting. Male leaders are better at solving problems, delegating, and influencing superiors. Human flexibility combined with cultural experiences allows men and women the ability to do more or less what they choose versus being locked into stereotypical behaviors. For example, men are capable, although maybe not comfortable, working within organizations currently identified with womens styles. Also, women can and do adapt to military leadership styles when required. Although there are lots of differences between male and female leaders, they can still successfully work together, to communicate effectively, and contribute equally to the work place. Nowadays, more and more leaders become introspective but decisive, caring yet competent. Companies seem to understand giving the chances to a variety of leaders to grow and shine is good for business. All in all, whether a style is masculine or feminine, the best leadership style depends on the organization. A nontraditional leadership style can be effective in organizations that accept it. The most competitive organizations will take leaders wherever they find them, no matter what sex they are. Thats not only the essence of capitalism, but also the law of survival of the fittest.

eating disorder Essay -- essays research papers

Is there a strong connection between the fast food industry and the growing rate of obesity among young children? The answer is yes- fast food consumption is a large contributor to increasing child obesity risks and the effects of long-term health problems in the future. Children are bombarded by fast food advertising on a daily basis which lure them into wanting fast foods in addition to the great taste. The rapid growth of child obesity is in step with the growing fast food chains and market. The realization of this important link is the first step in finding a solution to the growing epidemic of child obesity. A person is considered obese or suffering from obesity when their weight is 20 percent (25 % in women) or more over the maximum desirable weight for their height. When a person is more than 100 pounds overweight, it is considered to be a potentially fatal condition, also known as morbid obesity. Rates of obesity are climbing, the percentage of children and young adolescents who are obese have doubled in the last twenty years. Obesity increases a person’s risk of numerous illnesses and death due to diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, and kidney and gallbladder disorders. Obesity also increases the risk of various types of cancer. Once a person reaches the level of being obese, it is far more difficult to reverse the condition as compared to someone who is simply overweight and needs to shed a few pounds. Many obesity patients suffer psychologically from stress, depression, and frustration. These mental side-effects contribute to the extrem e difficulty of losing weight and especially if the person has been obese or extremely overweight from an early age. The majority of young children who develop bad eating habits- consuming fast food- stay with them as they become young adults. â€Å"A person’s food preferences, like his or her personality, are formed during the first few years of life, through the process of socialization.†(Schlosser) Toddlers can learn to enjoy healthy food or fast food, depending on what they are introduced to at this developmental stage. These foods evolve into â€Å"comfort foods† as they grow older and become a source of pleasure and satisfaction. Although, genetic factors and inactive lifestyle are factors, obesity is mainly caused by the body consuming more food than it can use. â€Å"Every day almos... ...ast food industry plays a big part in contributing to child obesity, because of the lack of effort to decrease the fat, salt, sugar content, and portions of their meals. They are also to blame for the excessive marketing directed toward young children through media and advertising. They have infiltrated the minds of children to trust fast food icons such as Ronald McDonald and to start bad eating habits at an early age that will carry over into their adulthood. Although the fast food industry is a largely linked to the growth of child obesity, they can not solely take the blame. A child is ten times more likely to become obese if his or her parent is obese. This is due to a combination of genetic factors and social environment the child has been accustomed to. Parents have the responsibility to teach their children that it’s not ok to eat fast food regularly. After all, the parents are the ones who buy the fast food for their children and drive the family to the restaurant s. They should regulate the consumption. A more morally responsible fast food industry, with the combined efforts of responsible parents - is the only solution to reverse the increasing epidemic of child obesity.

Mythology and literature Essay

The definition of mythology is deprived from the word ‘myth’. The word itself comes from the Greek word ‘mythos’, which means fable, legend or sagas. The word â€Å"myth† is a story that seeks to rationalize the universe and the world around us, passed down orally from generation to generation explaining religious origin, natural phenomena or supernatural event. Mythology is a collection of myths that concerns with cosmogony and cosmology, shared by a particular society at some particular time in human history. Literature is a body of written works of language, period or culture. Literature can be divided into fiction (e.g. fairty tale, gothic, saga etc) and non-fiction (e.g. essays, journal, science fiction etc). There are many distinctive natures of mythology and they seek to describe what a particular person or society believe during that period of time. Myths serves as an charter for their institutions, customs and beliefs. The typical mythology is the explanation of the universe and its ethology. Normally, the setting is set in a previous proto-world (simliar to the current world but also different) and they often revolve around non-human or â€Å"extroadinary† people such as god, goddess, supernatural beings (e.g. zeus, adam and eve, prometheus etc). These story explains why things are and how they became to be. It ‘rationalised’ our way of thinking, reconcile us to reality and establishes our pattern of life. Apart from the explanation of the creation of the universe, mythologies seek to explain everyday natural phenomena. Certain myths explains way the sun exist and why there is night and day. Some explains the existance of seasons: Spring,Winter,Summer and Autumn while others shows of mother nature providing us with food and shelter. These myth suggest a way of understanding nature and organizing thoughts. For example, structualism recognizes different contrasting aspect (light and dark, good/evil) as centres to myths which charters for social order or value within a society (functionalism). Myth have been created by human beings for many reasons over thousands of years. They are an intellectual product of humanity and a rich resource for the ideas and belief of past generations. Their extroadinary and unbelievable aspect combined with the constant thought that there might be something ‘out their’ is what keeps mythology functioning and is what keeps literature moving. There are also many differences between literature and mythology. For instance, they were used for different purposes and existed in different times. Myth several purposes, including to socially/politically control society (e.g. to spread a myth about something to control people, to scare people when facts were not available). Literature on the other hand, is more about persuading and informing people. There are also other benefits to mythology that cannot be achieved in literature, such as there is no boundary to the world, there is no such thing as ‘false’ and there is low risk of anyone challenging your theory. The sets of beliefs also differ and the way they view the world differs. For example, literature’s audience are educated modern people while mythology’s one is from the old generation where there was not much information about the world and how it works. This would mean that the two different texts have different intended audience which would inev itably show why they differ so much. Both are products of humans but during different time frame. The arrival of the modern era would inevitably mean the death of mythology. The transformation from one to another was the belief that myth was useless, false and outmoded and that it did not ‘work’. Science (regarded as a ‘fictional literature’) was the objective explanation of how the world around us work while the subjective myth was about faith and believing something ‘unfounded’. Scientific rational thought was based on empricial knowledge, a priori (not falsifiable) and our way of thinking is based on facts. Myth is ultimately a different knowledge, an ideology, a set of ‘belief’. Systems of myths have provided a cosmological and historical framework for societies that have lacked the more sophisticated knowledge provided by modern science. Myth is related to science, however it only provide basis for a theory, not knowledge. For example the myth of how the origin was created would have lacked modern day rational scientific belief because they would prefer a more ‘true’, superior and more authority theory, which is the big bang theory. Our modern rational paradigm thought is based on observation. Scientific rational thinking is based on logic to solve or explain how the world works and as it becomes a part of our everyday thinking, mythology will be inevitable cast aside. Carl Jung invented modern scientific theory and for him, the world of dream, and myth represented the most fascinating and promising road to deeper understanding. The significance of literature in mythology as said ‘We need the stories of myth to make sense of the confusion of our society and our own psyches. Myth voices the truths of our unconscious selves, and the gods, goddesses, and heroes of myth embody aspects of creativity, cleverness, grief, joy, aggression, and ecstasy. Carl Jung believes that even the most sophisticated and important literature requires some mythological aspect. (E.g. the Lord of the Ring depends on mythical characteristic to drives the ideas; horror movies have a ‘message’ and some urban myth taps into child’s fear of a ‘bogyman under the bed’) Northrop Frye criticises literature and states the importance of cultural myth underlying literature (E.g. Sea, land and sky, control, creation, decay, regeneration, our ‘fear’). Mythology evokes our sub-conscious mind (e.g. dream) which is employed by reference to mythology in literature. Frye states that mythology provided themes for some of the world’s greatest drama, and similar themes can be traced back to the Renaissance literature, through to Shakespeare (E.g. Hamlet, Midsummer Nights Dream) and finally to modern poetry and thus mythology plays a significance role with literature. One could even say that literature is based on mythology. Karen Armstrong book â€Å"A Short History of Myth† is about how literature and mythology were shaped by the problems of the society people lived in. Armstrong states that the existence of Mythology from an early period: ‘Human beings fall easily into despair, and from the very beginning we invented stories that enabled us to place our lives in a larger setting, that revealed an underlying pattern, and gave us a sense that, against all the depressing and chaotic evidence to the contrary, life had meaning and value.’ With the coming of the ‘great revolutions in human experience’ science was used to explain ‘facts’ as opposed the theory of myth, which became ‘useless, false and outmoded.’ Literature, which could explain things that was never thought possible, was regarded as the next ‘step’ from mythology (from an uneducated society to a civilized society). The relationship between literature and mythology is one of similarities as well as differences. They are both important creation by human beings and will continue to play an important role in the intellectual world. Literature will always include some aspect of myth which will continue to shape our modern world like it did in the past.

Notes of a Native Son as a Literature of African-American History Essay

African-American rights were not easily given but rather earned throughout decades of protests. Struggles for race equality in America have gone peaceful and violent. There are numerous African-Americans (blacks) leaders and personalities who stood up to proclaim the world their stories and sentiments. Some of them tried to enter the politics, some excelled in academics and some devoted their time in propagandizing through their literary works. James Baldwin is one of the remarkable black writers whose essays have powerful impact on the civil rights struggle. This essay aims to provide insight on James Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son essay through searching for facts and patterns of African-American history. To begin with establishing the essay let us take a short review about the writer’s biography. James Baldwin was born on Harlem, New York City in August 2, 1924 and an illegitimate son of a domestic worker. He adopted his surname from his stepfather and was raised in great poverty. He began full-time writing on 1943 and produced various novels and essays like Go Tell It on the Mountain and Notes of a Native Son, respectively. The book Notes of a Native Son (1955) is a collection of his Baldwin’s personal essays about the social environment of America during the era of Civil Rights Movement. One chapter of the book is entitled Notes of a Native Son which commenced with the events of August 3, 1943 which is the day we now know as the Harlem Race Riots. The essay Notes of a Native Son was themed and patterned after the life of James Baldwin especially his relationship with his parents. Baldwin has mixed emotions towards his father and he tried to explain the complexity of their relationship in his works. He provided a creative link of his experiences with his parents with the ongoing public and private happenings in his era. The story was stressed in the historical Harlem Race Riots of 1943, a city-wide riot following the famous Detroit Riot. The Detroit Riot is one of the most violent riots in America which lasted for almost two full days and took out about 34 lives and done casualties of injuries and property damages. What is the cause of such riot? Similar to what Harlem Riot has, the causes are not specific. Generally, it was considered to be caused by culmination of petite situations such as gossips, hot tempers and neighbour riots. Whites and blacks were pointing their fingers to each other as to who started or provoked the fights (Hughes, et al. 104). Similar to Baldwin’s personal life as metaphorically illustrated in his essay, his relationship with his parents was chaotic and there were several personal issues and causes that triggered every persona to act the way they were in the story. Baldwin showed his insights into the lives of African-Americans after the World War II. The essay mainly discussed the white versus black riots thus it is crucial to understand the essay using the history and facts. The story employed the history of Harlem Race Riot, a commotion exploded in New York City exactly at the date of his father’s death and days before Baldwin’s nineteenth birthday. It is not far that Harlem became a place of riots because since the turn of twentieth century the place has been a home to many ethnic groups including whites and blacks. With the diverse people converging in the place, arts and culture has become diverse as well. However, having diverse cultures cause difficulties aside from the beauty diversity has brought unto them. Difficulties such as racism emerge which are expressed n theatre, fiction, music, literature and other art forms (â€Å"Harlem History†). Harlem riots have two periods, one in 1935 and one in 1943. Both periods started with a confrontation between blacks and the police. In 1943, the riot began with a clash in a hotel between black soldier Robert Bandy and a policeman. The story was distorted and versions like Bandy was killed by the police came out in gossips. With the confusion and bursting emotions of the blacks, fires broke out and glasses were shattered while police struggled to maintain control (Gilje 157). If we are to look close, there is a pattern between the riots in Detroit and Harlem. The emotions of Detroit blacks might be shared by Harlem blacks thus made Harlem riot of 1943 more dramatic than the original. The one in Harlem was more physical and emotional than the one in Detroit because of the use of guns. In relation with the essay Notes of a Native Son, parents of Baldwin and the people at Harlem were treated as parallels. This is the reason why the essay was considered to be an autobiographical piece of Baldwin’s life. Baldwin loved and despised his father at the same time because his father gave him essential lessons in life but demonstrated lack of hope when it comes in blacks struggling for civil rights. Being a wide reader and socially conscious person, Baldwin did not share the same emotions with his father and became a civil rights advocate. With his wide knowledge on the undergoing of blacks during his time, he came out with insights reflecting the sentiments of blacks, especially Harlem people. Baldwin’s father can be compared with majority of the blacks during his time. Just like the passive blacks, Baldwin’s father needed an event that could awaken and trigger him to stand up against black oppression. For Baldwin, it is not enough to just see what the existing things but rather it is much important for people to act upon calling. There was already a need for a change in American society and Baldwin was trying to provoke the hearts of blacks to unite through his powerful fiction. The fiction is not actually fiction as it served as a mirror of Harlem society at his time. The public share sentiment but there was a need to unite them because without oneness, the protests will not be seriously taken and the riots will not promote change. The diverse culture gave Harlem problems but Baldwin used its product (powerful literature) as the tool which can help them solve the problem. Without the literature Baldwin and other black essayists wrote, the public black will not be more vigilant with their surroundings. The blacks will continue resorting with riots which is not the only effective key to cry out for change. Baldwin was successful in showing that his insights were not only due to his personal experiences. His sentiments and insights were product of the root problems of the society. He has the clear picture of the reasons why blacks need change. His personal experiences may be not so similar with all other blacks but the message he wanted them to realize was acceptable. Although there is no definite or exact truth about the root of Harlem race riots, Baldwin still brought to the public the summary of their problems. With this, aside from the literary expertise he showed, he can be coined as one of the strongest black personalities during his time. He inspired many other writers like Toni Morrison and photo-journalist Kevin Brown who founded the National James Baldwin Literary Society. With the number of existing essayists acknowledging Baldwin, his legacy continues and the struggle of blacks for full civil rights remain alive.