Role of Men and Women

The role of men and women There’s a big difference about the role of men and women between nowadays, in the past and in the future. It depends on a lot of cultural, continental, rich and poor, technology, development of science, health service, education †¦ There are out of aspects to explain deeply this problem. It will be easier if we look at around things. Clearly The role of men and women‘s a big social’s problem and the family is the social factor so let have look at family.In the past manual labour‘s the main. We have to admit that men they have superior health than women so they was easy to get a high situation in family because they are main income, women spend all their life just stay at home to born children and look after them, do housework,†¦. They didn’t have any opportunity to study, contribute to society and require their interest†¦ but nowadays everything changed. The science reached new success.Family planning’s popular and It’ too easy about having more child or not. Technology developed, house work doesn’t take too much time. The education developed there are a lot of good school to take children, parent receive support from government to educate their kids so Women have great opportunity to go out for working and they spend more time for academic, they can contribute for society, they have more time to relax, enjoy their life, position of women in society has been confirmed.They can join to political and a lot of field which previously only men to participate. All the people in the world are born equal, enjoy the right to happiness and freedom. The human are building a new society, developed society, equal society where men and women both of them can contribute to making life more beautiful.

Mexico’s Experience after NAFTA

The question whether Mexico has benefited from NAFTA is still under discussion and constant debates. Some claim that since NAFTA there is a significant increase in poverty rates, whereas others provide the opposite information. Apparently, in broader terms, the country has benefited from free trade agreement and NAFTA is surely good for Mexican population, although it leads to inevitable changes in agricultural sector. However, changes don’t mean turning situation for worse. In particular, two-way trade between the United States and Mexico swiftly grew up and amounts up to $231 billion in 2002 compared with $81 billion in 1993. It means that Mexican modest trade deficit is turned into trade surplus of about $37 billion. (Williams 2004) Further, country’s export grew as well up to 80% during 1985-1993 after accession to GATT. Since NAFTA the growth rate has even doubled. Mexico’s export of end-products amounts about 90% of total exports. It leads to creation of more jobs and higher paying. The next moment to mention is that the annual growth of gross domestic product (GDP) is 5.4% in 2000 compared with 3.9% during 1990-1994. Many economic analysts say that both export and international trade are keys to accelerating country’s economic and financial recovery after crisis in 1995. During 2001-2002 GDP growth slowed down because of economic woes in the USA, but since 2002 it has been increasing. (Gruben 2001) Agricultural export has also certain benefits since accession to NAFTA. Previously, the country’s annual deficit was about &1.5 billion with the USA, but since NAFTA agricultural export has doubled as well – in 2002 growth of agricultural exports was about 9%. The next benefit is lower costs inputs for country’s food processing due to increased competition and free trade. Moreover, decreased inflation rates for food products provided excellent opportunities for stabilizing inflation since 1990s. It may seem that increased competition would destroy some business, but the positive moment is that the dollar value of country’s agricultural production has increased – for pork up to 24%, for beef up to 13%, for chicken up to 60%, for fruits up to 27%, for sorghum up to 85%, and for vegetables up to 36%. (Williams 2004) Despite increased competition, many of Mexico’s sectors remain competitive with the US sectors: fresh fruits, vegetables, live cattle, tomatoes and avocado. Moreover, export of horticultural has also increased by 120%. Mexican debate in agricultural sector is how to offer more protection from imports. However, some claim that party simple seeks ways how to capitalize relations with the rural poor. For example, David Williams writes that â€Å"NAFTA provisions coupled with the U.S. Farm Bill, often have been portrayed as portending certain doom for Mexico's agricultural sector; however, U.S. producers absorb costs that Mexican producers do not, such as high labor costs, costs of compliance with strict environmental and worker safety regulations and taxes†. (Williams 2004) Actually, Mexico faces domestic structural problems which can’t be addressed by NAFTA. Creation of new jobs, lower consumer prices and deceased inflation rates allowed farmer not to feel dependent from agricultural sector mainly. Transition from agricultural sector is inevitable even without NAFTA. Summing up, Mexico has benefited from NAFTA, and nowadays about 20% of country’s GDP is â€Å"attributable to trade made possible by NAFTA provisions†. (Williams 2004) Country’s rural regions also benefited from NAFTA as free trade ensured creation of thousands of new jobs along with higher payments. Mexican government announced that poverty rates had decreased in urban and rural areas since 1995. So, Mexico revealed that free trade was necessary for accelerating economic and financial development and transitions to competitive manufacturing sectors. Future Mexico’s policies are to focus on generating more jobs, developing more trade opportunities and improving productivity of those businesses which have the competitive potential. (Sandronsky 2006) References Gruben, William. (2001). Was NAFTA behind Mexico’s High Maquiladora Growth? Retrieved January 11, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DKI/is_2001_3/ai_82092014 Sandronsky, Seth. (2006). Mexico after NAFTA. Retrieved January 11, 2008 Williams, David. (2004). Mexico's NAFTA Experience – North American Free Trade Agreement. Retrieved January 11, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3723/is_1_16/ai_114328142/pg_2                  

Academic Writing

The genre that will be discussed in this essay is the book review. Although book reviews may not seem as important as other genres of academic writing, it is actually often in college assignments and appears a lot in professional writing as well (Magazines, Newspapers). Book reviews are a very evaluative genre and requires one to effectively ask oneself questions about the subject of matter. Compared to other genres, a book review asks for ones viewpoint and opinion, requires an evaluative summary of the book and its characters and uses a thorough yet easy to follow analysis for the audience.For this subject, I have interviewed Tina Nigerian, a student at Rice university, about book reviews. When asked about why book reviews are considered as a genre of academic writing, Nigerian expressed how important it was, saying, The writer of the book review is synthesizing vast amounts of information to make a point, or points (Nigerian). The writer gains knowledge through writing book reviews by learning how to ideally and effectively express and persuade their viewpoint. Although book reviews may be mistaken as similar to book reports, it is actually not identical.Book ports focus mainly on discussing the plot, characters and main ideas of the work, while book reviews give a sneak peek about the book and criticism on whether they enjoyed it or not (Welcome). Book reviews contain brief descriptions of key points and explanations about the strengths and weaknesses of the work. Nigerian warns writers about writing book reviews. Trust your judgment, use evidence, and write elegantly, but not snobbishly, she said (Nigerian). As a writer, it is important to write fair and include reasoning. Writing arrogantly as to critique another work demeans your character and intellect. Although it is important to state your own opinion and viewpoint in book reviews, you must also include facts and credible resources. Nigerian stressed that the most important thing to include in your book review is quotes, because they serve as evidence. Without them, you dont sound that credible (Nigerian). The last thing you want as a writer is for your audience to lose their trust in you. You write not only for the benefit of expressing yourself but also for the benefit of the audience.The audience wants the most cohesive yet trustworthy and evaluative book review to read. The processes of writing a book review is also vital, and even before that, you must prep information in order to write it. Before you began reading for your book review, you must ask yourself questions about the author, title, genre, cover, introduction, and table of contents. Not only put into mind the key points of the book, but also to the little details about your book. Who is this author, has he/she won any awards, are good questions to ask in providing background information about the author (Welcome).Note that book reviews are usually 500-700 words, and you should thoroughly investigate your book in order for your audience to understand and familiarize with it better (Welcome). The cover is also as important; be sure to utilize whether the cover of the book has caught your attention or provide you with any little details before reading the book. Although people shouldnt judge a book by its cover, in reality, most do. A cover is a mini-review of the book, so it is important to list it and make good observations. As for the table Of contents, how is the book arranged?By sections Or chapters? You never know if your audience may have questions like these, and thus further proves hat the ability to ask yourself questions is essential. Now time to discuss what you need to do as you read the book. While reading the book, make sure to mentally discuss the characters, themes, argument, key ideas, and quotes. Do you empathic with the characters? Did the author cover the subject/purpose/argument adequately? Dont feel obligated to answer each question as some questions may be more important than the other.This process will help provide you critical thinking before you actually begin writing. Its important in developing an argument about the work and also to help you write an organized and well-supported draft. Take notes; its similar to brainstorming. This will help you just in case you get writers block when writing your review. Once you are ready to write, the first thing to do when beginning a book review is to establish the background and remember your audience (Welcome). You must always keep in mind that your audience havent read the book yet, and thus doesnt have as much knowledge as you do about the book.Also dont include too much about the book. A good rule to follow is to limit your self only to a few chapters, and if its nonfiction, provide a basis of the authors argument. In a book review by Nanette Carnelians, a student at he University of Nebraska at Omaha, she explains why the purpose of her book was well-written and also a few minor mistakes that she has caught up. Here is an excerpt below: Aviation History delivers an entertaining account and perspective on international aviation history.This book is an excellent resource to students, educators, and aviation enthusiasts. In reviewing this book, the principal criteria included content, organization, and reference sources. While editing errors and organizational incongruities plague some of the latter chapters, many of the shortcomings of this first edition will likely be alleviated by later editions (Carnelians). Looking at her excerpt, you can see that at the beginning of her book review, she has provided a thorough, yet short explanation of her book.Upon her thesis, she has stated her position that although the book has errors and mistakes, it is a remarkable book that can be used by teachers, students and other organizations. Carnelians book review is a good sample to look at because she states her opinion with facts smoothly, making her review credible. She also makes sure to keep her audience at hand, by stating to whom the book will most likely be read by. After establishing the background, organize your review by leaving plenty of space to analyze, not just to inform.The purpose of your review is to make an argument, a point about whether or knotty liked the book. Remember commentary over summary (College). Choose a few points about the book to talk about and organize it by that. You can organize your paragraphs by themes, motives, other ides of the book. At the end of your book review, its useful to include the publisher and price for the audience (Welcome). In conclusion, book reviews are an essential and important part of academic writing. It is not only useful to the audience but also to your self.As quoted by Nigerian, They help make meaning of what people read or will read. They add to discussion within literature, which is vital. Merely reading books isnt enough. Thinking and writing about them is important (Nigerian). Book reviews challenges your skill to ask important and useful questions. The experience of writing book reviews will expand and enhance your insight on books and also take note of your audience. It gives you so many factors into consideration when writing a book review, therefore is a challenging experience in your education.

Comprehensive Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Comprehensive - Case Study Example The table shows the amount of cubic metres saved each quarter, the average amount of dollar that is saved per quarter together with the total amount saved for the whole year from the water usage reduction. The second value adder available for the company is the efficiency in capital structure. In 2012 the company saved $42M in interest expense as a result of low borrowing costs and ability to raise funds at low effective costs (Petretti 56-63). The total amount of money that was saved by the company from this value adder is further shown in detail by the respective table. The table shows the metrics saved in the 2010 through to 2013, the average amount of dollar that is saved per year together with the total amount saved on average for the whole year 2012 from the low cost borrowing. The last value adder for the Coca Cola Company is the electricity efficiency improvement, which focuses on how to improve the company’s electricity usage efficiency. A look at the period (2010-2013) shows that the company is saving $ 2.74 for every kilowatt-hour per terabyte. This value adder’s metric was calculated using its financials of the years 2010 to 2014 as well as Atlanta’s commercial user’s electricity cost or price. The table shows the cost of electricity used by the company as well as the effect on shareholders’ value. A thorough and extensive research conducted on the company also revealed some inherent risks that the company needs to address. The Coca Cola Company borrows funds and it is therefore subject to interest rate fluctuations and investment changes. These fluctuations pose a risk on the company and may therefore lead to sudden changes of the Coca Cola expenses. In addition, the company possesses marketing risks that can considerably impact its image. The company needs to address these threats for it to be successful in the future. The Coca Cola Company adopted water stewardship in 2012. This program has resulted to a

Drupal Open Source Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Drupal Open Source - Research Paper Example This paper explores the component and contribution to the root concept. High-level vision An Application where developers are able easily to organize, manage and publish their content, with an endless variety of customization. Basic Rationale Availability of Apache Solr integration module. The taxonomy concepts are easily hooked onto Apache Solr for filtering based on meta-information, such as tags, authors, publications, etc. in Drupal, an author can be part of a taxonomy and user profiles can be made for these authors - by default ability to write Themes using PHP Template, instead of depending upon Typo script Ability to handle a large quantity (over 1000) of diverse sites Central management tools Integration with Active Directory Stakeholder group In general, man, woman, students, working people. Computer programmers Starting assumption Improvements and re-designing will be done from the existing versions to a more stable and user-friendly application. Field Study Guides extracte d from the user's e-mail forums 1. How many people use Drupal? Why? 2. How many sites have been created using Drupal? 3. How often is Drupal used? 4. Which difficulties are encounter during usage?  5.  What do users like most about Drupal? 6. Is Drupal a viable solution for the user’s website? Does it have any limited functionality? 7. Do users encounter problems when Installing Drupal? Which are they? 8. What are the most important features Drupal has? 9. Is there anything that users do not like about Drupal? If so, what are they? 10. Under what conditions users don’t like Drupal and why? Examples. 11. What are the additional features Drupal does not have but users consider important and can improve the situations? Field data collection(answers to the Field Study Guides extracted from the user's e-mail forums) 1. What is the function of Drupal and why do users choose to use Drupal? Drupal is used to create websites. It is used because of Advanced URL Control, Cust om Content Types, and Views, Revision Control, User Management, Excellent Documentation, Large and Friendly Community 2. How many sites have been created using Drupal? Drupal has been used to create several very important website which includes; The United, Nations, Warner Brothers Records, The Discovery Channel, Forbes, The Grateful Dead, AOL, Yahoo, Lime.com, The New York Observer, The Onion, Aaron Wall's SEObook.com 3. How often is Drupal used? Drupal is used often in the creation of the website. 4. Which difficulties are encounter during the usage? There are several problems that are encountered as during the use of Drupal application. They include obscure terminologies, lack of realistic previews, limited functionalities. Among others What do users like most about Drupal? Because of: well interaction of plug-in with its core, it is secure, Drupal can do blogging 5. Is Drupal a viable solution for the user’s website? Does it have any limited functionality? Yes, although i t has some limited functionality 6. Do users encounter problems when Installing Drupal? Which are they? Yes, uninstalling modules fails; whenever a user attempts to install Drupal he gets this "Table variable already exists" 7. What are the most important features Drupal has? Flexibility, Good Governance, Contributed Code, Large Vendor Pool, Scalability  

Course Management Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Course Management Systems - Essay Example They can also assist instructors with furthering their Internet class options through the use of features like discussions, Emails, and quizzes (Cole and Foster, 2007). A teacher can also store a syllabus, lecture notes, and other information on a server, if desired. Another beneficial feature is the use of the open forum discussion, which allows for asynchronous classroom participation; thus, this makes it much easier for both professors and students to find the time to interact (Cole and Foster, 2007). Synchronous tools include the chat feature, which some instructors like to use to setup office hours with their students, or question and answer sessions via an appointment (Cole and Foster, 2007). Assignments in Moodle are particularly easy to grade, as the CMS uses a dropbox feature for written assignments, and this information, when graded, goes right into the gradebook, and can be privately viewed by the student, thus keeping the school in line with FERPA guidelines (Moodle Docs, n.d.) Moodle has an extreme advantage over some other online platforms because it is relatively inexpensive. For instance, one can actually sign up for a free trial, meaning that Moodle is an open source (Cole and Foster, 2007). ... Since online technology is becoming more and more important in education as online education becomes increasingly popular, Moodle allows individuals to be able to do several things in an online or traditional course via the Internet that were not possible less than a decade before. Educators throughout the country are still debating about how to combine technology for both online teaching, face-to-face meetings, and classes that use both online and face-to-face meetings, designated as hybrid courses. Hybrid courses generally utilize both solid aspects of face-to-face learning with the Internet software available to give students a credible learning experience overall, especially if the students still require some face to face interaction.Furthermore, Moodle is a very effective tool as far as Social Constructionist theory is concerned. Social Constructivism states that an individual or group will learn best when he or she or they are experiencing a social process of constructing ideas through the act of constructing an artifact for others (Cole and Foster, 2007). Therefore, in order to effectively learn, one most place oneself in the process of negotiating meaning in a culture of shared artifacts and symbols. The use of Moodle software effectively offers this, because it allows for the individual to be able to learn in a variety of ways; through chats, through discussions, via Email and assignments, through feedback from the instructor, through interaction with peers, and, if a traditional or hybrid course, through face to face learning (Cole and Foster, 2007).Another reason to consider Moodle is the fact that it holds up

Technology solution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology solution - Assignment Example Basically, the kind of human resource needed is skilled labor, who should be experts in information technology. There shall be two major groups of human resource needed for this project. The first shall be the implementers of the system where as the second shall be the operators of the system. The implementers shall be tasked with the responsibility of getting both hardware and software components of the program fixed. After the fixing of the program, the operators shall take over and use the system to manage the sales and product department. This means that whereas the implementers shall be external experts, the operators shall be internal or existing staff of the company. Hardware The system to be developed needs a very large hardware base. This is because the centralization of information technology for all sales and products sales of the company means that there shall be a large database to be handled, which needs sophisticated and well advanced hardware. The hardware shall basic ally be made up of components of a mainframe computer to be used at the central IT station. There shall also be hardware made up of components of personal computers to be used in various sales and product stores to transmit information across to the central IT station. ... There shall basically be software for the developing an integrated spreadsheet that will collate all sections of sales and product manufacturing that takes place in the company. There shall also be software that will generally make the transmission of online information from store-to-store basis and store-to-IT centre basis. Data There shall be two major forms of data to be used in the new information technology system. These are data on sales and date on product manufacturing and availability. It is expected that these two data shall play complementary roles where by data on products manufactured and products available will aid in knowing and determining expected sales. This way, it will be easier for accountants to balance their sheet on the flow of cash into and outside of the company. Network It is common knowledge the centralized information technology system for the sales and products department of the company cannot function in the absence of a well harnessed network base. Thi s is because wit the centralization, all IT systems in the company shall be reporting directly to the IT center and this can only be done if there is a network system. The preferred network system will be a wide area network (WAN) since the company has several branches outside its parent home. Activities: The newt system shall function based on the following internal activities: input There shall be two major controllers of input, who shall be operators from the sales IT centre and operators at the various sales stores. Data input from the sales stores shall basically be on the amount of sales that are done. Input data from the sales IT centre shall be feedback on the data received from the sales stores by the accountant and auditor of the company. Processing Data

Energy Efficiency Standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Energy Efficiency Standards - Essay Example For the provision of various services to the population in less-developed countries, electricity is of vital importance and its demand is increasing on regular basis as the people of these countries continue to improve their living standards. This increase is most notable in the non-residential sector. The governments in most of the countries are highly concerned about the increasing energy demands. Various courses of action and strategies have been devised by the government to limit the energy consumption by the buildings. These strategies and policies can be broadly classified into three categories: regulatory requirements (e.g. standards and codes), awareness programs (e.g. energy audits, energy saving campaigns on media, information sharing campaigns etc.) and economic incentives (e.g. energy pricing, cost-benefit analysis reports, easy loans, payback mechanisms and taxes exemption etc.). Very productive and useful steps are being taken forward regarding the implementation of the se programs by the public and private organizations which are also forming associations with each other. Some of the examples include the National Productivity Organization in China, Energy Star in the US and the Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme in the UK. Moreover private companies like the Synergy Solutions and the US Green Building Council have initiated a very unique and innovative award program for the energy efficient organizations giving new targets to the building industry. The main focus of the above mentioned schemes is setting standards of energy efficiency in buildings. The standards in practice are of various types depending on the mechanism of their enforcement; varying from voluntary initiatives according to some guidelines to obligatory requirements. Experts from various fields and organizations which include people from governmental organizations, corporate sector, construction industry, educational institutions, professional and technical societies have contr ibuted to the formulation and development of these energy efficiency codes and standards. Same is the case with the various energy efficiency techniques and strategies. The most important phase is developing the basic configuration of these codes based on the construction practices as well as the climate of a specific region or a country. After the development of this basic configuration, the codes and standards can be modified and amended accordingly with the development of technology and changing climatic conditions. Implementation of these standards results in a sustainable development in buildings, with increased life and better productivity in terms of service and occupancy. These standards are making the concept of energy efficiency understandable to common individuals by increasing awareness. People now think about the benefits of energy efficiency while constructing their buildings and this trend is also being followed in buildings with heavy renovation projects with an appr oach to upgrade the buildings in terms of energy efficiency. Energy standards are revolutionizing the energy efficiency in building industry because they provide a very easy and economically feasible approach to energy conservation but their formulation and implementation is not very easy. Most of the energy standards have been developed for the residential buildings but the detailed standards have not been developed fo

Astronomy 1 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Astronomy 1 - Research Paper Example The space between the universal objects is not vacant and contains gases that are distributed in the space. Due to this phenomenon, absorption lines are created into the universe that are called intercellular lines of gases. Due to expansion of the universe, the stars and other stellar objects are moving farther and faster as compared to speed of light. Therefore, Hubble law is used to find the distance in the universe (Goldsmith & Owen, 2001). Stars are just like light emitting bodies. Decrease in brightness can be observed if one moves them further away. Simple mathematical rule is applied for notifying change in obvious brightness of stars as a function of its distance from us. . The mathematical formula is as follow. Luminosity of star is also used to write inverse square law. Luminosity is energy that star emits in each seconds which is measured in watts. It can be described in following manner. If luminosity of star is known then brightness can be measured. Then brightness is used for calculating distance (Goldsmith & Owen, 2001). Geologists have assumed that rocks in earth structure are some 4 billion years old. The stones came from moon and mars also seem to be having same history. It is assumed that earth and planets formed at the same time when sun was formed. Thus our sun is about 5 billion years old approximately. It is huge ball of gas mostly containing hydrogen which is contained due to gravity (Goldsmith & Owen, 2001). The new energy source of sun was proposed by a British astronomer at the end of world war one. He puts three ideas together. Astronomers knew that presence of hot and dense gases at center of sun are helpful in supporting its weight. Expanding high pressure hot gases maintain the outer layer of sun. Secondly the research proves that four atoms of hydrogen are equal in weight to one helium atom. The same ratio is composed of subatomic particles. Still the weight of helium is

Systems analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Systems analysis - Essay Example How are they ever going to reach out to far-sought village areas in third world countries while innovating itself the way no other company has ever exceeded them? If such is the case, then Google has to expound the global reach of the internet not only literally but as well as figuratively. Reaching novel systems analysis and design also requires the need for first world countries to reach out to third world entities who are unable to out-race their first world counterparts. Information technology has not only been confounded to software and hardware problems, requirements, design, and analysis. With the fast rise of developed nations, companies like Google are also socially responsible for reaching out to rural communities and bring them outside their shells, gradually introduce them to global technology, and make them an active integral part of information technology. In today’s systems analysis and design, there is a need to emphasize social responsibility in order to accom plish one’s mission, vision, and goals. And what makes Google ahead of everyone else is that they were able to realize the need to devote their time, effort, energy, and resources to rural communities in India to be able to send the message that Google is here to help.

Pest Analysis Essay Example for Free

Pest Analysis Essay The growing importance of environmental or ecological factors in the first decade of the 21st century have given rise to green business and encouraged widespread use of an updated version of the PEST framework. STEER analysis systematically considers Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors. Contents * 1 History * 2 Overview * 3 References * 4 External links History According to the site RapidBI The term PEST was originally called the ETPS and was quoted in Aguilar, Francis (1967). Scanning the Business Environment. New York: Macmillan.. , who discusses ‘ETPS’ a mnemonic for the four sectors of what he calls his taxonomy of the business environment: Economic, Technical, Political, and Social. Sometime after this initial publication, Arnold Brown for the Institute of Life Insurance reorganized it as ‘STEP’ as a way to organise the results of his environmental scanning. Over time by academics and others in business it was modified yet again to become a so-called STEPE analysis (the Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological taxonomies). In the 1980s, several other authors including Fahey, Narayanan, Morrison, Renfro, Boucher, Mecca and Porter included variations of the taxonomy classifications in a variety of orders: Due to the negative connotations of PEST, a STEP analysis (re-ordering of the acronym letters) also exists, but is used to a lesser extent. Some academics claim that STEP or PEST still contain headings which are appropriate for all situations and do not require additional elements, other claim that the additional breakdown of some factors to help individuals and teams undertaking an environmental scan. Political factors include areas such as tax policy, employment laws, environmental regulations, trade restrictions and tariffs and political stability. * Economic factors are economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and inflation rate. Social factors often look at the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. * Technological factors include ecological and environmental aspects and can determine barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence outsourcing decisions. Technological factors look at elements such as RD activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. The pest  factors combined with external microenvironmental factors can be classified as opportunities and threats in a SWOT analysis. PEST/PESTLE alongside SWOT and SLEPT can be used as a basis for the analysis of business and environmental factors. [2] References Aguilar, Francis (2006). Scanning the Business Environment. New York: Macmillan..

Refugee Convention and the United Kingdom Essay Example for Free

Refugee Convention and the United Kingdom Essay A person who escapes tyrannical or perilous circumstances is termed as a refugee. Some of the reasons for the creation of refugees are civil disturbances, environmental disasters or war. Around three hundred thousand people obtain this status per month and comprise of women and children in the main. The United Nations requires its member states to protect such people (What are refugees? , 2005). On the 14th of December, 1950, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees of UNHCR was established by the United Nations General Assembly. Its principal objective is to afford protection to refugees and find a viable solution to their problems. Fundamentally, the UNHCR makes strenuous efforts to enable the persecuted of the world to obtain asylum and â€Å"safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. † (Basic Facts). Article 1A(2) of the Refugee Convention states that refugees are individuals who leave their country on account of legitimate danger of persecution due to their political opinions, nationality, race or religion and who are not in a position to obtain the protection of their country (Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Adopted on 28 July 1951 by the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons convened under General Assembly resolution 429 (V) of 14 December 1950). The Member States of the European Union exhibited quite some differences in the interpretation of this definition of refugees. It became mandatory to establish the same guidelines within the Union, in order to implement a common asylum system in the EU. Accordingly, the European Commission made a proposal in the year 2001 to the European Council, whereby the requirements for deeming a person to be a refugee were clearly described and this was in accordance with the UNHCR Refugee Convention of 1951, Article 1 of the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees, discussions of the EC with its Member States and specialized institutions dealing with refugees like the European Council on Refugees and Exiles or ECRE and the UNHCR (The European Union clarifies what it means by refugee and subsidiary protection). This proposal comprised of several goals, some of them were to ensue the existence of basic protection, in all the Member States, for persons who required international protection. Initially, the concentration was to be on reducing the differences extant in the legislation and procedures of the various Member States. After this the aim was to restrict subsequent measures adopted by persons who were taking advantage of the variance in the laws relating to the recognition of refugees in the Member States in order to obtain subsidiary protection status. Moreover, it was a major objective of this proposal to assure adequate protection for those whose needs in this regard were genuine. Furthermore, the proposal aimed to ensure that no person could take undue advantage of the process of obtaining asylum (The European Union clarifies what it means by refugee and subsidiary protection). Consequently, in April 2004 Directive 2004/83/EC was adopted and this directive prescribes the requirements for according refugee status to stateless persons or people who do not belong to Member States of the EU. In addition, this directive describes the nature and extent of the protection to be granted to all such eligible persons (The European Union clarifies what it means by refugee and subsidiary protection). The immigration rules in the United Kingdom permit the grant of asylum to a refugee, only if it is possible for that person to establish that they face certain persecution due to their ethnicity, nationality, religion or due to the political opinions that they subscribe to if they return to their country of origin. These rules are in conformity with the United Nations convention relating to the status of refugees and Article 3 of the ECHR or European Convention on Human Rights. The result of these rules is that there is an exclusion of most of the refugees who have been permitted to reside in the UK under exceptional leave (asylum, political, 2005). In the year 1999 seventy one thousand persons sought political asylum in the United Kingdom and most of these persons were Kosovar refugees from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A few of these applicants were from Somalia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, Albania and China. These numbers increased to a little over a hundred thousand by January 2000 indicating a massive increase in the influx of refugees to the United Kingdom (asylum, political, 2005). The data available with the Home Office has revealed that thirty six percent of those seeking refuge in 1999 were genuine and that an additional eleven percent had been granted asylum on compassionate grounds. However, statistics from other sources have revealed that less than ten percent of persons whose application for refuge had been refused had been deported and that the remainder continued to stay as illegal immigrants (asylum, political, 2005). On the 1st of April, 2000 the United Kingdom enacted legislation, which expeditiously dealt with straightforward cases by adopting fast track processing of their applications, substituted a food voucher system for the extant welfare benefits and made provisions for the forced occupation of accommodation around the UK. These initiatives were successful in reducing the number of pending applications to ninety thousand by May 2000. However, the United Kingdom had to incur an exorbitant expenditure of nine hundred million pounds sterling, in order to support asylum seekers during the financial year 1999 to 2000 (asylum, political, 2005). The UNHCR, which was established in 1951, has provided succour to approximately thirty million refugees. The number of persons whose status has been of grave concern to the UNHCR has increased from seventeen to twenty seven million between 1991 and 1995. These numbers stood at twenty two million at the end of the year 1999 and comprises of eleven million refugees and five million persons who had been displaced within their own countries (asylum, political, 2005). The United Kingdom received three hundred and ninety thousand applications seeking asylum in the year 2000. Out of these ninety seven thousand, seven hundred were granted the status of refugees or provided with exceptional leave to remain in the UK. This amounted to thirty one percent of total asylum applications made all over Europe. Most of the applicants belonged to countries where human rights were being infringed with impunity. Many of these refugees hailed from Iraq, Iran, Sri Lanka, Somalia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. The number of refugees accepted by the UK was less than the number permitted in Belgium and the Netherlands as a ratio to the population, these observations were made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Immigration and emigration, 2005). In order to compensate for the ageing population of the EU, it has to allow an influx of nearly 1. 4 million immigrants per year. The UK Home Office had undertaken reforms to its work permit system so as to allow foreign nationals to apply for such work permits in order to fill in job vacancies. The objective of these new reform proposals is to encourage legitimate immigration and thereby discourage illegal immigration. In October 2001 the Home Office had announced that the present scheme of issuing food vouchers to asylum applicants would be restructured by implementing a combined cash and identity card system (Immigration and emigration, 2005). The Ministerial Meeting on the Refugee Convention held in Geneva, provided an opportunity for the participating nations to adopt new policies to strengthen international refugee protection. Although, more than fifty years had elapsed, since the adoption of new policies in the Refugee Convention, yet nations were lagging behind in addressing the fundamental cause for refugee exodus. The cause for this situation was violation of human rights, especially during internal conflicts in the nations. Many countries were failing in their duty to respect the right to seek asylum from oppression. They were ignoring the non – refoulement principle, which held that refugees should not be deported to a place of conflict where the risk of serious breaches of human rights were prevalent (Refugee Convention a Convention for the 21st century. 2001). It is indeed deplorable to note that several countries had failed to initiate appropriate action against such infringement, as necessitated by the treaty obligations. According to Amnesty International, subsequent to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre, national governments should be required to reiterate their commitment to the Refugee Convention (Refugee Convention a Convention for the 21st century. 2001). By instituting stringent security measures, subsequent to the September 11 attacks, many countries ignored the human rights of refugees and asylum applicants. These measures targeted non – citizens of the nations. Specifically, countries with powerful economies have treated refugees and illegal immigrants alike and implemented several measures to isolate refugees. Instances have been reported where nations have unnecessarily indulged in imposing tighter security measures. One instance of this was reported in July 2001 to the Amnesty International, wherein the immigration authorities of the United Kingdom stationed at Prague airport detained travellers from the Roma ethnic minority, questioned them, did not permit them to enter the UK and prevented them from boarding flights (Refugee Convention a Convention for the 21st century. 2001). It has become essential to implement measures that provide adequate protection in situations involving mass flight of the populace of a nation. Moreover, the UN refugee institution has to be provided with sufficient funds to carry out its work. The Amnesty International has demanded of the nations that had participated in the meeting in Geneva to resolve issues involving refugee protection in conformity with the spirit of the Refugee Convention (Refugee Convention a Convention for the 21st century. 2001). In R v. Special Adjudicator, Ullah a Pakistani national claimed asylum in the UK, as he feared persecution on account of his religious beliefs; the UK authorities did not accept his petition under the Refugee Convention. The House of Lords held that in the absence of a flagrant denial or gross abuse of an individual’s rights, there could be no compromise on maintain immigration controls in the larger public interest (R v Special Adjudicator, ex parte Ullah , 2004). Several instances exist, wherein the United Kingdom and its agents were unsuccessful in providing adequate protection to refugees, who had been deployed in special camps. In Kenya, a nineteen year old girl’s modesty was outraged in the vicinity of the offices of the refugee camp authorities and similarly, two Rwandan children were killed and their mother was stabbed in a secure residence. Moreover, a number of incidents involving the gross violations of the right to life, the right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and violation of the non refoulement principle were reported in these centres (New Approaches to the Asylum Process. Human Rights Watch Submission to the House of Lords, Select Committee on the European Union, Sub-Committee F (Social Affairs, Education and Home Affairs), 2003). As such the responsibility of protecting refugees is vested with the United Kingdom and the latter has to ensure that such violations do not occur in the refugee centres. In case of failure to protect refugees in the camps, the U. N. General Assembly can authorize the UNHCR to provide sufficient protection to the refugees and help the UK Government to find permanent solutions for the problem of refugees (New Approaches to the Asylum Process. Human Rights Watch Submission to the House of Lords, Select Committee on the European Union, Sub-Committee F (Social Affairs, Education and Home Affairs), 2003). The Chief Executive of the Refugee Council, Nick Hardwick, opined that, the policy being implemented by the UK Government was insufficient, and that it was endangering the lives of a number of asylum seekers. He further stated that the UK’s record of granting asylum status to Sri Lankan Tamils was dismal. France had granted asylum to around seventy three percent of the applicants and Canada had allowed eighty percent, in comparison to the woefully meagre two percent by the UK Government. Many felt that such rejection would pose grave danger for these immigrants, who could expect torture and incarceration in dehumanized prisons in Sri Lanka (New Refugee Council report warns UK not to put refugees lives at risk, 2002). From the above it becomes very clear that the UK has not been very friendly towards immigrants. In particular, after the attacks made by terrorists owing allegiance to Osama bin laden, there has been a reluctance to admit foreign nationals into the country. Several instances have come to light, wherein the UK Government had failed to take into consideration the principle of proportionality, while assessing the status of asylum seekers. There is a marked reluctance to permit persons hailing from Asia, the Middle East and Africa into the United Kingdom. This is in gross violation of the Refugee Convention of 1951. Bibliography asylum, political. (2005).In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas . Basic Facts. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 22, 2007, from UNHCR: http://www. unhcr. org/basics. html Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Adopted on 28 July 1951 by the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons convened under General Assembly resolution 429 (V) of 14 December 1950. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 22, 2007, from Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: http://www. unhchr. ch/html/menu3/b/o_c_ref. htm Immigration and emigration. (2005). Retrieved May 22, 2007, from In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas: http://www. xreferplus. com/entry/6435900immigration and emigration New Approaches to the Asylum Process. Human Rights Watch Submission to the House of Lords, Select Committee on the European Union, Sub-Committee F (Social Affairs, Education and Home Affairs). (2003, September). Retrieved May 22, 2007, from http://hrw. org/backgrounder/eca/asylum-process. htm New Refugee Council report warns UK not to put refugees lives at risk. (2002, February 11). Retrieved May 22, 2007, from Refugee Council Online: http://www. refugeecouncil. org. uk/news/press/2002/february/20020211newr. htm R v Special Adjudicator, ex parte Ullah , UKHL 26 (2004). Refugee Convention a Convention for the 21st century. 2001. M2 Presswire. M2 Communications, Ltd. The European Union clarifies what it means by refugee and subsidiary protection. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 22, 2007, from European Commission. Justice and Home Affairs. Refugee subsidiary protection: http://ec. europa. eu/justice_home/fsj/asylum/subsidiary/fsj_asylum_subsidiary_en. htm What are refugees? (2005). The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia i

Overeating In Youths And Adolescents Health And Social Care Essay

Overeating In Youths And Adolescents Health And Social Care Essay Overeating is a major social problem. Throughout the history, perception of overeating has been changing with time owing to the changing social, political, and economic situations. Overeating is an eating disorder which is centrally characterized by addiction to food that leads to binge eating. Individuals who suffer from compulsive eating disorder suffer from episodes of uncontrolled eating. It has been shown to have psychological connection as these individuals tend to experience pressured and frenzied feeling. As a result, the individuals continue eating even after they become uncomfortably full. Binge eating tends to be followed by intense guilt and sometimes depression. While bulimics will purge themselves with vomiting or use of laxatives, individuals suffering from compulsive eating disorder rarely vomit or use laxatives and hence they continue to accumulate weight. Overeating has been recognized as one of the factors contributing to increased incidences of overweight and obes ity which are major public health concerns. Overeating is a social problem which means that the problem has taken different dimensions throughout history. It has been defined and understood in different ways depending on the changing political, social, and economic conditions. Even during the medieval period, overeating was recognized but it was not understood the same way it is understood today. This implies that understanding of the problem has been changing with time and though it was recognized as a sign of wellness in the past, it is considered a major health problem today. Overeating today affects people across the social demographic divide. The problem is today compounded by social values and health concerns. The government has put in place different programs with an aim of mitigating the effect of the problem but little has been achieved. Despite the current understanding of overeating as a social and health problem, and the programs that have been instituted to mitigate its effects, it still remains a major social and health concerns in the world today. Historical Background of Overeating Overeating is a social problem that has changed over time. Since the medieval period, overeating has been understood in different ways depending on the changing economic, social, and political environments. The problem has also been understood in different ways depending on the dominant social values and the changing philosophy of social welfare (Levi et al., 2008). Definition and understanding of the problem have transformed with changes taking place in the environment. The current definition and understanding of the problem is very different from how it was understood during the medieval period. In order to define and understand overeating, it is important to first look at the historical definition and understanding of the problem. Historical understanding of binge eating dates back to the medieval period. At a time when the society was highly stratified, binge eating was understood as a sign of excesses (Tanofsky-Kraff, 2008). It was mainly practiced by those who had excess to eat, mainly those in the upper class. This means that the understanding of overeating during that time was mainly engraved in indulgence since these were only those who could afford plenty of food who ate more. Interestingly, overeating was not recognized as a health problem during the middle ages. Historical accounts have revealed that the ancient Greece and Arabia had texts which showed description of binging and purging which means both were recognized at that time. Also in ancient Rome, historians have shown the existence of constructed vomitoriums places where individuals or feasters threw up food. This is a sign of existence of overeating even at those ancient times. It has recorded that Roman Emperor Claudis who ruled between 10 B.C. to A.D. 54 and Vitellius who ruled between A.D 15 to A.D. 19 were both bulimic. These historical accounts affirm to the fact that eating disorders were recognized as early as 10 B.C. Although it was not recognized, overeating was the main cause of obesity in ancient times. Obesity, which results from overeating, is an age-old problem whose perception has changed over time. During ancient civilization, obesity was perceived in much different ways just like other overeating disorders. For example, ancient Egyptians considered obesity as disease. There have been wall drawing in Egypt which depicted obesity as an illnesses. There was also the famous statuette of Venus figurines, which depicted the image of an obese female torso and which are presumed to have played major roles in carrying out rituals. Ancient Chinese also showed that they understood the problem of obesity and its effect on the longevity of the problem. The Aztecs firmly believed that obesity could be considered as a supernatural problem which was affliction of gods. Hippocrates, who is regarded as the father of medicine, recognized that there were many sudden deaths which could be attributed to obesi ty, and this was expressed clearly in his writings. However, this perception changed from place to place. In areas where food was scarce, overeating and consequential obesity were considered as signs and symbols of wealth and a higher social status. In some African cultures, brides were plumped up in order to prepare them for child bearing period. Before a wedding, a bride was plumped up until she reached the expected weight to assist her to bear a child. This shows that overeating and obesity were perceived in different ways. However, serious focus on the prevalence of eating disorders did not take place until the 19th and 20th century. At the time, there was great scientific advance which provided for research framework to carry out studies to understand the existence of these diseases. For example, it was in 1979 that a British psychiatrist, Gerald Russell, made official description of existence of bulimia. He is the one who gave it its current scientific name, bulimia nervosa. He had carried out a scientific study between 1972 and 1978 (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). What sets apart the description of Russell from those of ancient Greece and Arabia is that Russell identified that bulimia was carried out in order to cut weight, while the ancient studies did not identify the reason for existence of binging and bulimia. Throughout history, overeating has been perceived in different ways. This perception has changed greatly with changing times, especially in the course of 1900s. For example, French designer Paul Poiret showed that overeating and consequential obesity were unfashionable. Poiret designed skin-revealing women clothes in order to reveal the body image. In the course of the 19th century, the rate of obesity continued to increase at an alarming rate as a result of different factors, among them change in eating patterns, especially overeating and changing lifestyle. Despite the historical records of existence of binge eating, it had not been recognized as a health problem until 1959. In 1959 psychiatrist and researcher Albert Stunkard first described overeating or binge eating as a social problem (Cooper and Fairburn, 2003). He first described it as Night Eating Syndrome and later the term Binge Eating Disorder was used to describe overeating behavior that did not have nocturnal component. This meant that the problem was recognized as a social problem only in 20th century despite its existence for many years. Although the problem has been observed for a number of years, there has not been any scientific study that looked into the trends of overeating. At the time Stunkard described the problem, he had observed there was increasing number of people who were becoming overweight. He noted that overweight individuals had more incidents of overeating compared to the rest of the population (Levi et al., 2008). The clinical observation convinced Stunkard that overeating was somehow related to obesity and only individuals with obesity showed recurrent episodes of overeating. With increase in the number of obese individuals owing to the changing lifestyle, it was easy for Stunkard to relate the prevalence pattern and the risk it posed to the general population. Since then, there have been several studies that have looked into the problem in greater details. From the perception of a sign of excesses during ancient times, binge eating was now recognized as a health issues (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005 ). Since Stunkard recognized the problem in overweight individuals, it was not recognized by the medical authorities in the country despite a number of consequent studies that have outlined the effects of the problem. It was not until 1994 when Binge Eating Disorder (BED) was introduced in the DSM-IV criteria. However it was introduced as a provision psychiatric disorder that required further research. It is important to understand that during 1950s when the problem was recognized as a major social problem, there were a lot of changes that were taking place in the social, political, and economical environment. This period marked the end of the Second World War and the world was drawing the attention away from war and political bickering to focus on social and health welfare of the population. The end of the Second World War ushered the world into a new era that was more focused on social welfare of the people. Since the turn of the century, the world has been much occupied with First and Second World War and the Great Depression that have wiped away wealth and people scrambled for food rations. This means during the period after the end of the Second World War, people could access more food. Change in technology has been recognized as another factor that contributed to increased incidence of overeating (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). The changing nature of life, mainly driven by technology, led to food process technologies that made food available outside the kitchen. Traditionally, food was only found and prepared in the kitchen which meant that people had limited chances of eating. However, the introduction of modern food processing technology, especially with the emergence of fast and convenient food, people have more chances of eating and this factor contributed to incidence of overeating. With availability of food in different public spaces, and with emergence of food chains like MacDonalds, which have been established in almost every corner, people are encouraged to eat more often (Levi et al., 2008). The increased incidence of overeating led to rising cases of obesity and this was one of the factors that drew attention to the issue of overeating. Changes in social life, especially in working conditions, were another factor that contributed to the increased cases of overeating. Unlike times when people labored for hours in the field, the emergence of office jobs where manual jobs are left to machines encourages people to eat more (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). As the number of working hours reduced and more work was taken over by machines, people had more time to relax and eat. Even at work, the emergence of fast food meant that people could carry food to work and continued to eat while working. There were a number of changes at home that also marked increased cases of overeating. The emergence of television sets and other entertainment devices stationed at home meant that people spent more hours watching TV while eating. At the end, they ate more than they would have eaten if they were not watching TV (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). Apart from positive impacts of technological advancement and wealth creation like having TVs at home, there are other psychological changes that come with change in life that have been pointed out as possible causes of overeating. As people became busy and pre-occupied and the economy changed, the level of stress kept on rising (Levi et al., 2008). High levels of stress and depression have also been pointed out as possible reasons why people engaged in overeating. Research evidence has shown that compared to the past, economic crisis of modern time, where life is centered on economic performance, has contributed to high levels of stress. It is therefore evident that throughout history, definition and understanding of overeating has dramatically changed in line with emerging social, political, and economic trends. Earlier definition of overeating is quite different from the modern one. Binge eating has changed from a sign of wealth in ancient times to a health problem that is attributed to the changes in the modern lifestyle. While the overeating and obesity have remained a problem for the wealth in earlier times, most of the obese individuals nowadays are found in the middle and low class. Description of the overeating in youths and adolescents Since the 1950s, overeating and accompanying overweight and obesity complications have become major public health concerns in the United States. As has been the tradition with the United States government, it responds with policies aimed at mitigating the effect of the problem but rarely puts in place policies to prevent the problem. Since overeating was noted as a public health concern in 1950s, it took the government several years before any policy was put in place to address the issue. With time, overeating, coupled with changing life style including reduced engagement in physical exercises has led to overweight and obesity, which are considered to be the major public health issues facing the country (Tanofsky-Kraff, 2008). Binge eating disorder is currently a major problem that cuts across the whole population. Each and every year, there are millions of Americans who succumb to different threatening eating disorders, but binge eating remains a major problem across the whole popul ation. It is estimated that about 16 million Americans suffer from one or more eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (Tanofsky-Kraff, 2008). However, a higher number, 25 million Americans, are documented to suffer from binge eating. Interestingly, the problem is more pronounced in women than in men. Statistics shows that more than 90% of those who are affected by these problems are women (Hudons et al., 2007). Unlike other health problems that have been known to occur with age, either very early or very late in life, eating disorders occur in the middle life. It has been documented that about 86% of individuals who report eating disorders are slightly below the age of 20, which means the problem starts developing early in life. For example, research findings show that about 11% of high school students have one or more eating disorders, with binge eating being a major problem (Raderprograms, 2010). However, research shows conflicting results. A number of studies have pointed out that the prevalence of binge eating is not clear in the population. This is because the prevalence differs from place to place depending on the social economic status. However, it has been shown that the prevalence of binge eating in the general population ranges between 1-3% (Bull, 2004). As was earlier observed in 1950s, binge eating remains a major problem facing overweight and obese individuals. A number of studies have clearly shown that among the overweight and obese individuals, binge eating rangers from 25% and more (Bull, 2004). In adolescents and youth, binge eating has been described as a major health concern. Studies have shown that lost of control eating or BED is prevalent in young people not only in the United States but in the whole world (Tanofsky-Kraff, 2008). Binge eating is associated cross-sectionally with adiposity in children and youth and has been identified as a major factor predisposing them to overweight and obesity. Overeating is therefore a major social problem not only in adults but in youths. There are several reasons why the society is getting concerned with the problem of overeating. Since the second half of the 20th century, increasing incidence of overeating has attracted public attention owing to the social and health ramification on the general population. Overeating was recognized as a problem associated with obesity. The reason why the society is becoming more concerned with increasing incidence of overeating can be related to the rising cases of overweight and obesity in the population. Obesity is an epidemic in the United States that affects people across the social demographic divide. It is estimated that about three quarters or accurately more than 64% of American adults are overweight while 26% are obese (Levi et al., 2008). The number of obese people in the United States has grown steadily from 19.4% in 1997 to the recent 26.6% in 2007 (Hudons et al., 2007). By 2015, it is estimated that about 75% of the United States population will be overweight while 41% will be obese (Hudons et al., 2007).While obesity has been considered a problem for the aging individuals, demographic prevalence portrays a worrying trend as children and adolescents shows increasing cases of overweight and obesity. In the last two decades, it has been observed that children and youths are becoming victims of complications associated with overeating, with 15-25% of American children considered obese while the number keeps on growing (Tanofsky-Kraff, 2008). Worrying trends show that one in every five children is overweight and has a higher likelihood of becoming obese. By any standards, these statistics are worrying and call for action from the concerned stakeholders. The above statistics clearly reveals why overeating is considered a major public health concern. What is more worrying is the observation that overweight and obese children and teens are likely to become obese when they grow up to adults. This means that there is likelihood of having a generation of obese adults in the cause of time if nothing is done (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). Although there are multiple sources which contributed to overweight and obesity, overeating has been singled out as the main cause of obesity in children and teens. A recent study that was carried out by World Health Organization Collaboration Center for Obesity Prevention found out that while researchers have long faulted decrease in physical activity as the main cause of obesity, increase in overeating should rather be pointed out as the main cause of obesity. For children, overeating rather than other compounding factors is the main cause of obesity (RWJF, 2010). If the above trend is anything to go by, then overeating should be a major concern for all individuals in the society and indeed, it is a call for the government to come up with measures to mitigate the effects of overeating in children. There are many social, economic, political, and media forces that have garnered to define overeating as a major social problem. Socially, the perception of overeating has been changing with time and today it is no longer perceived as a sign of wealth and excesses but rather as a social problem. Research has shown that children who are overweigh and obese are likely to be bullied or face cynicism from their peers. They are perceived to be irresponsible, which means they suffer socially. This means that overeating is no longer accepted as a social practice as it leads to overweight and obesity (Levi et al., 2008). Economically, people are becoming well off and the living standards have really improved. However researches point out that overeating is not an economic problem as it cuts across the divide, which means even children and teens living in low income areas are suffering from the problem. This means that there are more underlying economic factors, like the model of economy that lays less emphases on hard work that increases calorie consumption which has conspired to aggravate the problem. Political forces that have lead to recognition of the problem include government policies that have defined the issue. In 1994, the government took a bold step to include BED into the DSM-IV criteria which means it was already recognized as a health problem. Through the relevant organizations, the government has funded a number of programs aimed at mitigating the problem (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). However, the most instrumental force that has shaped overeating as a social problem is the media. Now and then, the media carries out campaigns that are aimed at keeping children out of overeating. The media has been critical of multinational corporations like McDonalds which have encouraged overeating. On the other hand, media portrayal of desired body size, especially for teenage girls, forces them to engage in weight loss programs that lead to emotional binge eating. The public understanding of overeating is coming to a convergence. As has been reviewed earlier, ancient understanding of overeating was quite different from the modern understanding. There were some societies that encouraged overeating in women to give them strength to bear children while in some societies, overeating was perceived to come with health effects. Nowadays, with the increased understanding of consequence of overeating in reference to overweight and obesity, public definition of the overweight portrays it as a major psychological problem. According to DSM-IV criteria, binge eating is defined as a disorder marked by eating larger than usual amount of food in a short period of time, most specific, within a period of two hours. It is lack of control on ones eating behavior or eating that cannot be controlled (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). In this definition, there are important values and ideologies that have are put into consideration. Most important, the definition puts in to consideration the health value in belief that while eating is good; it may come with consequential health effects. Concretely, overeating in youths and adolescent is understood as a psychological and behavioral problem that comes with grave consequences especially overweight and obesity. However, overeating is still understood in different terms by different social segments. For some parents, overeating in their children may be a sign of growth in appetite (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). Parents understand that throughout the life span, children feeding behavior keeps on changing and therefore overeating in adolescents corresponds to nutrients needs in their body, which means they do not consider it to be a problem. However, for others, overeating is already recognized as a major health problem and hence they are doing their best to assist their children to overcome it. Prevalence patterns show that Binge Eating Disorder affects millions of people in the United States, especially youths and adolescents. However, the problem is more pronounced in females than males. In the United States, the problem affects 3.5% females compared to 2% males (Decaluwe and Braet, 2003). The problem is also more pronounced in individuals who are overweight and obese as more than 30% of individuals seeking weight reduction treatment have shown signs of BED (Decaluwe and Braet, 2003). The fact that binge eating is twice common in females than males shows that the problem is not related to caloric needs as assumed by most parents. The most devastating effect of binge eating is that it leads to health complications like overweight and obesity. Binge eating leads to increased adiposity in children and adults which increases incidence of overweight and obesity. Since the problem cuts across the social demographic divide, including wealthy people and those from low income area s, there are no social injustices which are associated with the problem. Generally, it can be recognized as a problem associated with increase in wealth, modern food processing technology, and changes in different spheres of life (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). Social value and political ideologies have impacted differently on the way the problem is viewed. As social value keeps on changing, so has the public perception of overweight and obesity. For example, traditionally, people with big bodies who can currently be categorized obese were valued and viewed as well up. However, this has changed with the changing media perception of ideal body weight. If any, there are few individuals in the society who want to maintain big bodies (Decaluwe and Braet, 2003). This means that if overweight is being viewed negatively in the society, binge eating, which is a causative factor for overweight and obese conditions are also viewed negatively by the people. Politically, there has been less government concern on obesity and overweight until recently when the government took bold steps in face of public threat posed by overweight and obesity incidences to institute measures to deal with the problem, for example inclusion of overeating in DSM-IV (Levi et al., 2008). Overweight and obesity are tied to the political ideology of capitalism which is defining the modern society. In capitalism, individuals amass more, and indulge in culture of consumerism hence driving forward the culture of overeating (Levi et al., 2008). Overeating can be explained using different social theories. One of the recent theories that have been used to explain overeating is reversal theory which explains overeating as a response to high-tension stress (Sue et al, 1998). This theory has shown that women who engage in weight reduction program suffer from tension and stress which forces them to engage in overeating. The same model has also been expressed by psychosomatic theory which shows that emotional eating results from confusion and apprehension related to emotional states that are in turn related to hunger and satiety (Terry, 2005). Another theory that explains overeating is habituation theory which suggest that when one habituates or adjusts a to food cues, one is less likely to get satisfied and keeps on consuming food (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). In line with this theory, social learning theory also shows that overeating is a learned behavior that is learned due to physical surrounding and interactions. Cognitive th eories have pointed out that overeating is deeply rooted in cognitive process which means it is a cognitively driven process. This means that the brain is motivated to eat more and more with no feeling of satiety (Terry, 2005). In reference to the above theories, it can be deduced that there are biological, social, and psychological causes of binge eating. In biological causes, it has been revealed that body parts and hormones like hypothalamus which control appetite may fail to send correct message for hunger and fullness and hence lead to overeating. Psychological sources have shown that depression and binge eating are closely linked to each other. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services shows that more than half of binge eaters are depressed or have suffered signs of depression in life (Levi et al., 2008). On social factors, it has been shown that social pressure adds shame on binger eaters but this only fuels their emotional eating (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). Environme ntal factors like parental practice of use of food to conform children fuels binge eating. A causal chain that explains pathway to overeating may be constructed as follows: Ideology/Values -Social influence desired body size, peer influence -Economic influence change in working patters, convenient and fast food, less physical work -Media influence pressure on desired body size Positive influence Increased food intake due to positive influence like availability of food, eating while watching TV, and others Emotional eating Triggered by stress/depression Effects Overweight Obesity Insomnia Relationship problems Suicidal thoughts Depression and anxiety Overeating causes many health related physical, emotional, and social problems, including overweight and obesity, stress, insomnia, suicidal thoughts, and many others. Depression, anxiety, and sometimes substance abuse have been pointed out to be possible side effects of binge eating (Munsch and Beglinger, 2005). Binge eating also comes with social problems like interference relationship and career. In terms of effects and benefits, overeating can be looked from two angles, from the point of view of those who benefit and those who suffer from the problem. To start with, there are much more people who suffer from the problem than those who benefit from it. Those who suffer from the problem include individuals who are suffering the consequences of such problems like overweight and obesity, close family and relates who are related to the individual and also suffer from the problem, the government which has to incur billions of dollars in treating complications associated with the problem, and many others (Hudons et al., 2007). On the other hand, those who benefit from the problem include businesses which deal with food and others like pharmacies which sell medical supplements to deal with complications of overweight and obesity. Currently, there are many programs which are dedicated to mitigation of the problem. It is important to note that most of these programs have taken the approach of providing education to youths and adolescents on causes, effects, dangers, and ways to prevent overeating. While the government has instituted such policies as school feeding policy that encourage healthy eating, most of the programs are run by the private sector in conjunction with the government, most of them existing in their own microenvironment. Some of these programs include Focus Adolescent Services, The Center- A Place of Hope, Eating Disorder Hope, and many others. These programs have used the most accessible information dissemination media, mainly through the internet to reach as many youths and adolescents as possible.

Steinbeck?s experience and feelings in Breakfast by John Steinbeck :: essays research papers

Steinbeck’s experience and feelings in "Breakfast" by John Steinbeck John Steinbeck’s stories depict his commiseration and compassion for the down-trodden class. He, in his stories, has summed up the bitterness of the Great Depression decade and aroused widespread sympathy for the plight of migratory farm workers. His style is natural and lucid. The story â€Å"Breakfast† by John Steinbeck is a description of a warm experience he had had. He reminisced about it each time with extra gratification. He kept on refreshing the â€Å"sunken memory† with greater details which presented him with queer blitheness. The author while traveling through the country side early in the morning chanced to meet a family who had fixed their tent down in a valley. He saw a young woman with a baby in her arm, cooking at a cracked, rusty and old iron stove. The writer observed the lady’s movements with great vigilance. He was inspired by the way she was doing her work and at the same time handling the child with absolute ease. The orange fire peeking out of the cracked stove made reflections on the tent which were quite appealing for the author. The author moved towards the stove to warm himself. In the meanwhile, two persons; an old and a young who were more or less alike, came out of the tent. They exchanged salutations with the author. The young woman kept on doing her job. She was frying bacon and baking bread. The two men inhaled deeply the delicious odour and invited the author for the breakfast. They did not ask the writer his name nor about his whereabouts. The young man asked the author if he was picking cotton. The author told him that he was not on job. The bloke told the author with satisfaction that he had been working for twelve days and the young woman added cheerfully that they had got new robes. They thanked to God for providing them with the opportunity to earn a living. They savoured the taste of the nicely concocted breakfast. The old man chewed the food with relish and said, â€Å"God Almighty, it’s good,† and he filled his mouth again. The young man was quite blissful as they had been eating good food for twelve days. The men’s contentment on the food, that though not surfeit and lavish, deeply impressed the writer. The young man told the author that if he wanted a job they could arrange one for him.

Evelines Decision in James Joyces Dubliners Essay -- Joyce Dubliners

Eveline's Decision in James Joyce's Dubliners      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the short story, 'Eveline,' James Joyce introduces us to the life of a young woman named Eveline. She has the opportunity to escape with Frank, the man she thinks she loves, to a faraway country in search of a new life.   Instead, she decides to stay in the dreary and gloomy life she already knows.   To understand Eveline's final decision to stay we have to analyze the reasons that prevent Eveline from pursuing a better life. Her fear of the unknown; the fact that she does not know Frank well enough; and the many attachments she has to her home, prompt Eveline to make her decision.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first reason for Eveline to stay is that she is does not have the courage to leave.   She   tries to convince herself that her life is not ? wholly undesirable,? but Joyce reveals how hard and undesirable her life actually is when he tells us that she ?felt herself in danger of   her father's violence.?   She gets ?palpitations? because she is so afraid of her own father.   Although he beats her and treats her badly, she still thinks that ?sometimes he could be very nice,? just because she remembers him making her laugh once, and other time when he took care of her when she was sick.   These good memories about her father look insignificant compared to what she has to do for him.   Eveline also has to support the mistreatments of her abusive father even when she is asking him for money to buy groceries.   Especially on Saturday nights when he is   ?usually fairly bad,? meaning he is drunk.   Eveline alone asks herself   if it is wise to leave.   She thinks that at her home she has ?shelter and food; she had those whom ... ...irl, is protected by her mother. Memories make Eveline feel more emotionally attached to her home. Although her favorite brother, Ernest, is dead, she still cares about Harry.   She has to many duties in the house.   She has to take care of two children, take care of the house, and her abusive father.   All because of the promise she made to her dying mother to ?keep the home together as long as she could.?   The love for her mother is too strong to break that promise.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion Eveline chooses the 'odour of dusty cretonne' over a new, but unknown life because the reasons for staying slightly overwhelm the reasons for leaving.   For this era her decision might seem bizarre or even foolish; but making that decision she does what is logical for that epoch. Works Cited Joyce, James Dubliners, New York:Penguin, 1993

The Effects Of Wearing School Uniforms :: essays research papers

The Effects of Wearing Uniforms in Public Schools Uniforms in public schools are becoming accepted throughout the world. The public school systems would benefit significantly if this policy were to be accepted. Wearing uniforms in public schools result in positive effects. A dress code enforces discipline toward learning by changing a person’s attitude toward success. Students generally act the way they are dressed. With fewer fashion distractions, school will be seen as a priority for teaching and learning rather than trend competitions. This alteration leads to modification in grades because it’s much easier to focus when everyone is dressed alike. Furthermore, a student’s attendance also improves; with the relief of picking out a new outfit every morning. Schools requiring uniforms will experience reduction in violence. Without the pressure of competing with different styles, students are more relaxed in school. They will feel equal and at peace, leading to disappearing thoughts of violence. Obligated uniforms will reduce the weapon dilemma considerably. They will be harder to conceal with all students dressed the identically, therefore fewer will be brought to school. Parents are also impacted when schools require uniforms. Some argue that this policy is too expensive; uniforms are actually more affordable. For example, an average parent of a teen that attends a public school spends over $500.00 a year on clothes alone, while a parent of a teen with a uniform policy spends less then $200.00 a year. There are fewer clothes to purchase, therefore less money to spend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uniforms provide students with school uniqueness. Students will stand out in field trips and other school activities feeling a sense of belonging. A bond will then form and unite more students together.

The Supply And Demand Of UK Energy Environmental Sciences Essay

The energy beginnings can be split into three classs: dodo fuels, renewable beginnings, and atomic power. To develop a better understanding about each beginning it is indispensable to discourse all of them individually. 1.1.1. Fossil fuels. They are called â€Å" fossil fuels † because they have been formed from the organic remains of prehistoric workss and animate beings. Although there are many different types of dodo fuels, three are particularly of import: coal, crude oil ( oil ) , and natural gas. The theory behind fossil fuels is rather simple – combustion of coal, natural gas, and oil releases energy stored in the fuel as heat. The released energy is so used to bring forth electricity. Coal is presently the cheapest fuel in footings of production. Harmonizing to The Coal Authority, there are 15 active belowground coal mines and 36 active surface excavation sites in the UK, doing it a sum of 51. Together they produce 16.7 million tones of coal end product ( twelvemonth 2009/2010, The Coal Authority, see Appendix 1 ) . Equally good as being the cheapest option of fuel it is besides the most polluting. â€Å" Coal is an highly soiled beginning of power, and imposes immense costs on people ‘s wellness, the environment and the economic system, † said Keith Allott, caput of WWF-UK ‘s clime alteration programme ( www.sciencedaily.com ) . First, acquiring coal from its beginning ( the Earth ‘s crust ) is harmful and fouling to the landscape. Second, coal ‘s combustion releases a toxicant cocktail of gases into the environment. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and little airborne atoms of coal venture into the air and H2O supply ( www.associatedcontent.com ) . The UK is the largest manufacturer oil and natural gas in the EU. However, after old ages of being a net exporter of both fuels, the state became a net importer O natural gas in 2004. The Government estimations besides predict that the state will go a net importer of oil in the close hereafter. Production from the UK oil and natural gas Fieldss peaked in late 1990s and has declined steadily over the past several old ages due to an addition in demand for energy besides because find of new militias has non kept gait with the ripening of bing Fieldss ( www.doe.gov ) . Natural gas histories for over 40 % of electricity coevals in the UK while oil is to a great extent used by the industries and conveyance sector. At this minute, United Kingdom is extremely dependent on fossil fuels. Figure 1: Fuel used for UK electricity coevals on an end product footing in 2007 Beginning: Digest of UK Energy Statistics ( DUKES ) 1.1.2. Renewable Energy Sources. Renewable energy is the energy obtained from beginnings that are basically unlimited. Renewable beginnings of energy include air current, solar, biomass, hydro and geothermic energy ( www.business.qld.gov.au ) . Renewable energy became highly popular when the effects of fossil fuels to the environment and part to climate alteration became apparent. Their popularity is invariably lifting, particularly in states concerned about the environment. Wind energy is the most popular type of renewable energy in the UK. It is generated when the air current rotates a turbine ‘s blades which drive a generator to bring forth electricity. Harmonizing to BWEA, there are 260 operational air current farms ( 12 of which are offshore ) in the UK bring forthing a sum of 4,491.15 MW of electricity. There besides are 23 onshore and 3 offshore wind farms under building. Consented undertakings are to construct another 189 onshore air current farms and 9 offshore air current farms ( www.bwea.com ) . Solar energy is a photovoltaic consequence which happens when exposure cells convert sunlight straight into electricity. This beginning of energy is non as popular in the UK as air current energy. However, it is rather common to utilize the Sun for heating the H2O pipes. Painting the thin pipes black and seting them in a ‘greenhouse ‘ type dielectric can heat the H2O supply and hence cut down the cost of utilizing electricity to heat it. Photovoltaic cells can besides be used as roof tiles. They cover the roof of the edifice and take advantage of the Sun light coming from the Sun. This is trapped by the cell and turned into electricity ( www.bbc.co.uk ) . Biomass is biological stuff derived from life, or late populating beings. In the context of biomass for energy this is frequently used to intend works based stuff, but biomass can every bit use to both animate being and vegetable derived stuff. Five basic classs of the stuff are: virgin wood, energy corps, agricultural residues, nutrient waste and industrial waste and co-products ( www.biomassenergycentre.org.uk ) . Biomass can be used on a domestic or industrial scale.A For a biomass power works, the chipped, shredded and dried fuel is fed into a boiler or gasifier, from where the gas is collected and used to bring forth electricity and heat.A Biomass can besides be used at a more basic degree to bring forth heat for the place – this is done most expeditiously utilizing a wood combustion range which can besides be an attractive characteristic in any home.A It is possible with larger ranges to utilize a back boiler to supply all of the H2O warming and cardinal warming for a ho use.A Alternatively, a biomass boiler can be used for the same intent ( www.sundancerenewables.org.uk ) . There are many illustrations of energy crop/wood waste heating systems in Britain: In Ely, Cambridgeshire, a 31MW straw combustion works, the biggest and most effectual works in the universe, was commissioned late. A 350kW wood-burning boiler was installed at Weobley School in 1997.A Using locally adult wood, it heats the school itself every bit good as the secondary school on the bordering site. The National Botanic Garden of Wales and Singleton Park Botanic Gardens in Swansea are heated utilizing energy crops/wood waste. An increasing figure of farms are utilizing straw-fires boilers for on site warming demands in edifices and polytunnels. The Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, North Wales, are presently set abouting a undertaking to construct a Welsh Institute for Sustainable Education, which will include an advanced biomass combined heat and power micro turbine system linked to the territory warming system and grid. ( .sundancerenewables.org.uk ) Hydro energy or hydroelectric energy is generated by utilizing electricity generators to pull out energy from traveling H2O ( natural or manmade ) . Hydroelectric energy can be used in two ways: first manner is by constructing big reservoirs and dikes ( barriers build across a waterway ) to pin down H2O and command its flow ; 2nd manner is by leting H2O to run machinery as it flows from a high reservoir to a low one ( www.eon-uk.com ) . Some facts about hydroelectric power in the United kingdom: There are seven 50MW hydroelectric power strategies in the UK These workss need to be build near big lakes, reservoirs that are high above sea degree or where a batch of H2O can be dammed Hydro energy supplies 1.2 % of the UK ‘s electricity ( www.eon-uk.com ) Geothermal energy is the heat contained and produced by the warming of the Earth in two different ways. The more powerful geothermic energy comes from the nucleus of the Earth, where the temperature reaches 4000 grades Celsius. The 2nd beginning of geothermic energy is a consequence of the Sun rays crushing down on the land surface. A good and proved method to pull out geothermic energy from the Sun is through utilizing geothermic heat pumps. It is a really sufficient and environmentally friendly manner of heating the H2O ( www.clean-energy-ideas.com ) . 1.2. Energy Demand and Supply The appetency for energy is turning every twenty-four hours. UK, being the largest manufacturer of oil and natural gas in the EU, is still constrained to import fossil fuels in order to fulfill all energy demands. Harmonizing to a survey by the adviser Logica CMG, in merely eight old ages, demand for energy could surpass supply by 23 % at peak times ( information as of 2007, www.timesonline.co.uk ) . The loss to the economic system could be around ?108 billion each twelvemonth. The graduated table of the challenge is immense. By 2015, Britain ‘s bring forthing capacity could be cut by a 3rd as ageing coal and atomic power Stationss are closed. Britain is besides traveling from being self-sufficing in oil and gas as North Sea production started to worsen. In 2005, the UK became a net importer of gas. By 2020 imports could account for 80 % to 90 % of British gas demands ( www.business.timesonline.co.uk ) . Harmonizing to the White Paper, the UK faces two chief security of supply challenges: Increasing trust on imports of oil and gas in the universe where demand is lifting and energy is going more politicised Requirement of significant private sector investing over the coming two decennaries in gas substructure, power Stationss and electricity webs ( White Paper, www.berr.gov.uk ) Despite a batch of unfavorable judgment, UK which presently generates 20 % of electricity from atomic power Stationss will go on to utilize atomic power ( except the old atomic workss that are traveling to be closed down ) as the hazard of non run intoing the energy demand is even greater. 1.3. The Production and Import of Energy While the UK has benefited from autochthonal militias of oil and gas for many old ages, as the North Sea matures, the state will go progressively dependant on imported energy. By 2010, gas imports could be run intoing up to a 3rd or more of the UK ‘s entire one-year gas demand, potentially lifting to about 80 % by 2020 on the footing of bing policies. The UK is besides already a net importer of oil, and by 2020 imports could be run intoing up to around 75 % of the UK ‘s coal demand. Therefore UK has to do certain that the market for fossil fuels, supported by appropriate Government policies, continues to guarantee dependable supplies of these fuels at competitory monetary values to people and concerns. The starting point for turn toing these hazards must be to cut down state ‘s overall energy usage through greater energy efficiency. Beyond that the Government must besides back up the development and deployment of non dodo fuel energy within the UK to cut down the dependance on fossil fuels and to diversify the scope of energy beginnings available to the UK ( White Paper, www.berr.gov.uk ) Chapter 2: Hazards involved with Fossil Fuels There are a figure of hazards involved with fossil fuels. First of wholly, there is a fact that the fossil fuels are consuming in a rapid rate and are harder to recover. With demand for energy turning fast, there is a possibility that non merely the United Kingdom but the whole Universe might be confronting an energy crisis in the close hereafter. Energy monetary value volatility will ( and already has ) become inevitable. The 2nd job with fossil fuels is the injury they cause for the environment. The negative effects are already demoing as the clime is altering and the Earth is warming up. Another job lies in the development of the economic system. The state needs rough oil for bring forthing the electricity and for conveyance. When the monetary value of oil goes up, so make the monetary values of conveyance, family goods, and all basic merchandises. 2.1. Oil Price Volatility Oil monetary values have ne'er been stable since 19 1970ss. Due to some important historic, fiscal, and political events, the monetary value of petroleum oil has seen some crisp fluctuation over the old ages. The most eventful fact about it is that when the monetary value of oil goes up so make the monetary values of energy and even primary trade goods. With oil militias worsening in the North Sea, UK is forced to import oil from Figure 2: Crude Oil Prices, 1947-2009 Beginning: www.wtrg.com 2.2. Militias of Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels take 1000000s of old ages to organize. They form by a natural geological procedure from beings that died 100s of 1000000s of old ages ago. Today ‘s modern and industrialized society is hurting for energy, and most of the energy is still obtained from fossil fuels. It is hence obvious that if the ingestion continues at this or even higher rate, there is a hazard of fossil fuels being exhausted ( www.typesofenergy.co.uk ) . However, there is a dissension between scientists over the militias of fossil fuels. For illustration, Bjorn Lomborg in The Sceptical Environmentalist insists that â€Å" we are non headed for a major energy crisis † . Furthermore, he claims that â€Å" there is plentifulness of energy † ( MacKay, D. , 2009 ) . David Goodstein, a physicist, on the other manus, says that the energy crisis is coming shortly. In fact, every bit shortly as 2015 or 2025. He predicts that the crisis will get down when the energy supply will non be able to run into the demand ( MacKay, D. , 2009 ) . UK Government ‘s former main scientist, Sir David King agrees with D. Goodstein. In the article published by The Telegraph really late he claims that oil militias are ‘exaggerated by one tierce ‘ which means they are really much lower than we know. Besides a squad of scientists and research workers from Oxford University assert that official figures are overstated because OPEC states over-reported militias in the 1980s in order to derive a competitory advantage for a planetary market portion ( www.telegraph.co.uk ) . United Kingdom is non an exclusion. The production of coal has decreased significantly since around 1950s. Table 3: The Production of Coal, 1700-2025 ( predicted ) Beginning: www.claverton-energy.com Harmonizing to Dr Fred Starr of Claverton Energy Research Group, â€Å" UK coal militias are now given as someplace between 400-800 million of metric tons. Not the one million millions that everyone supposes. If the UK energy system was wholly dependent on coal, as it used to be, these stocks would last 2-4 old ages. † ( www.claverton-energy.com ) . Furthermore, UK ‘s oil militias in the North Sea are besides diminishing. Since the 1970s it has been a beginning of wealth for the British economic system. It besides meant that the state could cut its dependance on the Middle East oil. Despite the fact the country is one of the most ambitious for oil geographic expedition ( terrible air current blasts and 30 metres high moving ridges ) the North Sea has been a cardinal beginning of non-OPEC oil production over the last 20 old ages ( www.iags.org ) . While oil demand is said to increase in approaching old ages, North Sea end product peaked in 1999 and has been in diminution of all time since. However, oil manufacturers believe it is still possible to pull out 37bn barrels of oil from the North Sea. The job now is a worsening investing. With current investing merely some 11bn barrels could be extracted form the UK Continental shelf. Malcolm Webb, main executive of UK Oil & A ; Gas, said to The Telegraph in July 2009 that â€Å" last twelvemonth, we had the recognition crunch, following twelvemonth we are looking at an energy crunch † ( www.telegraph.co.uk ) . Talking about UK gas militias, the state of affairs is comparatively better compared to oil and coal. The militias are rather high with the potency for growing ( delight see Appendix 2 ) . Table 4: UK Gas Reserves, 1979-2008 Beginning: www.og.decc.gov.uk However, there is one unresolved issue refering gas – its storage. Colder than normal winter last twelvemonth caused record backdowns of natural gas from UK storage and resulted in increased demand replenishing storage installations in spring and summer. Therefore, UK marketable gas supplies so a lessening of 17 % on an one-year footing. Furthermore, diminution rate and colder conditions have contributed to a noticeable growing in UK LNG ( Liquefied Natural Gas ) imports and a diminution in natural gas supplies sent from the UK to Continental Europe. This form is expected to go on ( hypertext transfer protocol: //europe.theoildrum.com ) . 2.3. Environment and Climate Change Climate alteration is blamed on several human activities, but the biggest subscriber to climate alteration is the sum of nursery gases ( C dioxide emanations ) released into atmosphere. Most of these gases come from firing fossil fuels. How does climate alter impact the UK? In future, rainfall could significantly diminish in the summer ( peculiarly in the south E ) and significantly increase in the winter ( peculiarly in the north West ) . Heavier winter rainfall can to go more frequent, doing more flooding. The low-lying rise across the UK is projected to be between 20cm and 80cm by 2100. In the worst instance scenario, rises of up to 1.9 metres are possible. The summer heat moving ridge experienced in 2003 resulted in over 2,000 excess deceases in the UK. Such an event is likely to go normal by the 2040s or the 2050s. By the 2060s or 2070s, the intense temperatures of 2003 could go the mean temperature in summer. ( World Wide Web. actonco2.direct.gov.uk ) On history of the above mentioned facts it is perfectly clear that there is an pressing demand to happen other ways of fulfilling the turning energy demands of the United Kingdom. Even if it is non possible to retreat fossil fuels as a beginning of energy wholly there are other options of securing energy, e.g. Solar, air current or hydro power. Talking about nursery gases, The UK is already doing a important advancement. As the tabular array below shows, the strength of toxicant gas emanations is diminishing bit by bit since 1991. Table 5: United kingdom Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensity, 1991-2007 Beginning: Office of National Statistics Chapter 3: Energy Debate Everybody agrees that there are a few jobs in the universe of energy today. Get downing with clime alteration and coating with possible long-run deficits and energy security. Something has to be done, but what? Not merely UK Government but the from many states in the World are now get downing to acquire serious about funding research into alternate energy beginnings, puting up power Stationss fuelled by renewable energy beginnings and promoting the development of vehicles that run on alternate fuels. However, there are still some unfastened inquiries that are non answered or there is some dissension traveling on about them. 3.1. UK Government ‘s Position UK Government is taking things really earnestly. The state has really about doubled the mark of 12.5 % decrease of nursery gas emanations agreed in Kyoto Protocol[ 1 ]( www.decc.gov.uk ) . This Protocol was followed by Copenhagen Summit[ 2 ]in December 2009. Although it was n't every bit successful as Kyoto Protocol, UK engagement was a gesture of attention and concernment. UK Government has made few other stairss towards sustainability. One of so is the White Paper. First introduced in February 2003 ( â€Å" Energy White Paper: Our energy future – making a low C economic system † ) and subsequently rewritten in 2007 ( â€Å" Meeting the Energy Challenge, A White Paper on Energy † , May 2007, BERR ) . The purpose of this paper is to be after a scheme on how to salvage energy, develop cleaner energy supplies, and secure dependable energy supplies at monetary values set in competitory markets ( A White Paper on Energy, www.berr.gov.uk ) . The cardinal elements of the scheme are: Establish an international model to undertake clime alteration. The thought buttocks is to brace the concentration of nursery gasses in the ambiance. Besides to beef up EU Emissions Trading Scheme ( EU ETS ) in order to present a market monetary value for C and to be the footing for the planetary C market. This should guarantee the decrease of C emanations in the most cost-efficient manner. Provide lawfully adhering C marks for the whole UK economic system, increasingly cut downing emanations. The purpose is to cut down C dioxide emanations released into atmosphere by at least 60 % by 2050, and by 26 % -32 % by 2020 against a 1990 baseline. This has to be achieved through both domestic and international action. The Government besides has to put five-year C budgets, and topographic point adhering bounds on compound nursery gasses emanations. Make farther advancement in accomplishing to the full competitory and crystalline international markets. Effective markets will guarantee that the universe ‘s natural resources are used in the most efficient manner. Further liberalization of EU energy markets is an of import portion of this. Promote more energy salvaging through better information, inducements and ordinance. The Government is traveling to work on taking barriers that would impact cost-efficient energy efficiency steps to lift. Supply more support for low C engineerings. As private sector entirely might non be able to put sufficiently in research, development, presentation and deployment of new low C engineerings, the Government demands to convey forward a planetary investing. Ensure the right conditions for investing. The Government has to present a clear and stable regulative government, including for valuing C, to cut down uncertainness for concern and aid to guarantee sufficient, timely investing. It besides needs to better the planning system and to supply better information and analysis of long-run energy market tendencies to inform energy buying and investing determinations. ( A White Paper on Energy, www.berr.gov.uk ) The last point summarises Government ‘s function in encouraging concerns and industries to put in renewable energy best. It is a fact that without aid, information, inducements, and fiscal support little to medium sized concerns ( perchance even big concerns ) would likely non be able to put the necessitated sum of attempt and money needed to go more sustainable in footings of energy. 3.2. Nuclear Power? Harmonizing to Nuclear Industry Association, there are 23 atomic power reactors in the UK, bring forthing electricity at nine sites. The electricity supplied by atomic power Stationss histories for over one fifth of UK ‘s electricity. The industry contributes about ?3.3 billion to UK Gross Domestic Product. It exports over ?650 million goods and services each twelvemonth. The atomic industry is an of import portion of the UK ‘s scientific discipline and engineering base. A major positive thing about atomic power is that it does non lend to climate alteration as it does n't bring forth C dioxide emanations. But what about atomic waste? Nuclear waste is excessively unsafe to be exposed and can non be destroyed nor recycled. It has to be stored in particular containers and placed in secure sites. In the UK, around 120,000,000 M3 of atomic waste is generated per twelvemonth ( www.world-nuclear.org ) . Compared to fossil fuels, it is really small. But excluding in head that this waste has to be stored and corsets active for 1000s of old ages, it all of a sudden looks like a immense sum. Other concern is the safety of atomic power Stationss. Even though UK ‘s power Stationss are rated as of first-class security degree, the universe has seen some major catastrophes. For illustration, when on April 26, 1986 the No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl power works exploded in former U.S.S.R. doing the worst atomic accident of all time. The World Health Organisation found that the radioactive dust from the detonation was improbably far-reaching. For a clip, radiation degrees in Scotland, over 1400 stat mis off, were 10,000 times the norm. The effects are felt to this twenty-four hours ; there is an increased figure of people enduring from malignant neoplastic disease in environing countries and a mutant of workss ( www.wagingpeace.org ) . A batch of scientists are doubting towards atomic power. The chief constituent of production of atomic power is uranium, which is a radioactive metallic component, of course happening in most stones, dirt, and even ocean. Therefore it is a fossil fuel. Physicist David Goodstein, after warning about forthcoming oil crisis says that if all energy demands were to be switched to atomic power, the oil crisis would merely be replaced by a atomic crisis in around 20 old ages clip, as uranium militias besides became low ( McKay, JC, 2009 ) . However, in November 2009, the Government has approved 10 sites in England and Wales for new atomic power Stationss. Most of them will be located where there are already workss ( www.bbc.co.uk ) . The Government is certain that without energy generated by atomic power workss it will non be able to vouch adequate supply for turning demand every bit good as will non be able to run into its ain marks of cutting down the C dioxide emissions how it is stated in A White Paper. But environmental candidates say it is an expensive and soiled option and the authorities could be unfastened to legal challenges. 3.3. Clean Coal? With coal being the most polluting type of fuel, it is hard to take in such thing as ‘clean coal ‘ . However, the new engineerings are being developed to turn out that combustion of coal can really be clean. Clean coal engineering is referred to carbon gaining control and storage ( segregation ) engineering ( CCS ) . This engineering is said to cut down emanations of C dioxide and other nursery gasses that are released while firing the coal. The engineering works by pumping and hive awaying emanations underground while incorporate gasification combined rhythm gasifies coal to cut down CO2 emanations. Possibly the most popular illustration of a coal-based works utilizing C gaining control engineering is Vattenfall ‘s Schwarze Pumpe works in Germany. However, it has non yet been demonstrated that C stored resistance will be able to remain at that place indefinitely ( www.wikipedia.org ) . In April 2009 UK Government gas given the go-ahead to new coal-burning power workss equipped with such new engineerings. But on status that it can turn out it can cut down nursery emanations ( www.bbc.co.uk ) . Even environmental candidates welcomed the move but said any new Stationss would still let go of more C than they stored. On the other manus, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband says these new engineerings altering the manner of bring forthing the power from coal would let the UK â€Å" to take the universe † in the engineering – and maintain coal within the UK ‘s energy mix without abandoning clime alteration committednesss. He added that successful CCS development could cut C emanations from coal by 90 % and that â€Å" there is no alternate to CCS if we are serious about contending clime alteration and retaining a diverse mix of energy beginnings for our economic system. † ( www.bbc.co.uk ) . However, some concerns were raised that one million millions of lbs of taxpayers ‘ money was being spent on engineering that remains unprovenaˆÂ ¦ The inquiry stays unfastened in the average clip. Is it truly deserving puting one million millions of lbs ( allow entirely they are revenue enhancement remunerators money ) in a engineering that has non been proven yet? Should n't the Government be more interested in puting in energy beginnings that are 100 % emanations free? This inquiry is yet to be answered in the close hereafter. 3.4. The Position of Society UK is the state that is truly interested in its part to cut downing C footmark and to procure energy supplies in the hereafter. So are a batch of the persons populating in the UK ; they get involved in environmental runs, recycle their waste, want the Government to move faster on exchanging to renewable energy, and show their concerns over clime alteration. However, sometimes enthusiasm is taken over by wholly opposite feelings. Let ‘s take air current farms as an illustration. They are so a 100 % environmentally friendly beginning of energy. Equally good as that, windmills are immense buildings that stand tall and broad to capture more air current and are really noticeable. When the first air current farm was build in Delabole in Cornwall, an independent ‘before and after ‘ survey indicated that 80 % of the local people asked said it made no difference to their day-to-day life, 44 % approved and 40 % approved strongly. In the ‘before ‘ survey, 40 % of local people interviewed thought it was traveling to be visually intrusive, but this fell to 29 % after it was set up and running. Many expected there would be some noise jobs beforehand but after it was running 80 % of people felt the noise was n't a job ( NATTA ) . Even though the ‘after ‘ survey showed improved Numberss, there were still people ( 29 % ) that felt the position of the landscape was someway destroyed by windmills. And some of the people ( 20 % ) found the noise was an issue. Furthermore, there are web sites like www.bhats.co.uk which agitate for ‘saving the small towns from industrial turbines ‘ and conservationists like James Lovelock, who says that â€Å" air current farms will lay waste to the countryside pointlessly † ( www.bhats.co.uk ) . At the same clip, UK is a perfect topographic point for air current farms. Scotland entirely gets more air current than all of the Europe. The state could profit by constructing more air current farms but it will non be able to make so if local occupants will be against. Chapter 4: Future Outlook of Energy in the UK The hereafter of energy in the UK is controversial. Critics say the state will be confronting an energy spread in the close hereafter while others insist that everything is and will be all right. But with demand for energy turning quickly and with marks set by the Government are to be met, there is a inquiry arising: how and what beginnings of energy will rule in the hereafter? 4.1. Prospects for Fossil Fuels â€Å" Fossil fuels will stay the dominant energy beginning – there is no alternate † John Loughhead, Executive Director of UK Energy Research Centre Harmonizing to the panel of 150 experts, despite enlargement of renewable energy and the demand of atomic power, fossil fuels will stay the pillar of energy supply in the UK up to the twelvemonth 2050. The panel draw a decision: Generating capacity deficit of 7-16GW by 2015 Equivalent to about 20 % of current capacity Without demand to keep emanations, spread could be bridged easy Fossil fuels will stay the dominant engineering Nuclear is proven and dependable, but edifice takes at least a decennary – determination needed shortly Renewables could provide 40 % of coevals by 2050 ( www.bbc.co.uk ) This decision is non really optimistic nor is acceptable to conservationists. Even the White Paper states that fossil fuels like oil and coal will go on to play a cardinal function in the energy system hereafter. The Government hence plans to maximize the economic recovery of the staying militias of oil and gas by hiking investing in the North Sea. It besides plans to set up new substructure to the West of Shetland to enable extra gas and oil to be exploited. However, fossil fuels are merely one side of the decoration. There is besides a theory for the hereafter of renewable energy. 4.2. Prospects for Renewable Energy Renewable energy is playing a cardinal function in cut downing C emanations and accomplishing security of supply in the hereafter. Furthermore, the mark set by the Government is to accomplish 20 % of electricity coevals from renewable energy by twelvemonth 2020. It is non traveling to go on without Governments ‘ intercession or investing. It really all depends on how much attempt is traveling to be put in doing it go on. In 2002, the Government introduced a mechanism called Renewables Obligation[ 3 ]( RO ) . RO has been successful in stimulating investing in renewable energy undertakings. It does this by puting an Duty on accredited electricity providers to beginning an increasing proportion of their electricity gross revenues from renewable beginnings or to pay a punishment ( the buy-out monetary value ) . The RO ‘s purpose is to supply a model of fiscal inducements to put in renewables with the long-run end of back uping the passage of renewables into the mainstream of the UK ‘s competitory electricity market. The degree of the Obligation is presently set to increase in one-year stairss from 7.9 % in 2007/08 to 15.4 % by 2015, and to stay at that degree until 2027 when the mechanism will stop ( White Paper, www.berr.go.uk ) . However, harmonizing to greenpeace.org.uk, the marks of RO so far have been missed. Energy consultancy Oxera estimated that the RO in its current signifier will present merely 8.1 % of supply from renewables by 2010, 11.4 % by 2015 and 11.5 % by 2020 ( as of 2007, www.greenpeace.org.uk ) . Is the Government making plenty to back up the growing of renewable energy beginnings? The reply to that is likely no. Everyone agrees that it is a cardinal beginning of energy in the hereafter yet still more is being invested in oil development of gas and oil from the North Sea or C gaining control and storage ( which has n't even been proven to be effectual yet ) . Therefore the chances for renewable energy in the UK are a small fuzz. It does necessitate some immense investings, but is n't energy future and security priceless? 4.3. Possible Solutions There are rather a few solutions how the Government, concerns and persons could lend to pull offing the energy supply before the deficit appears. Possibly every individual 1 has already been discussed in the past by different panels but still deserving looking into. Possible solution 1: velocity bounds on the roads could be lowered. Cars and other vehicles are known as being the worst defilers. Reducing the velocity bound non merely would better the safety issue on the roads, it would besides intend that less toxicant gasses are being released into atmosphere. Possible solution 2: people should take to drive more energy efficient autos. There is a difference between a Smart auto with an engine of 0.7 litre and a Porsche 911 with an engine of 3.0 litres. If people chose to drive small-engine autos it would be good to the environment and the roads but it would besides intend smaller gasoline measures for the driver. Possible solution 3: addition in route revenue enhancements for autos with engines larger than 1.4 litres. Sometimes the lone manner to promote people to make something is via statute law. Possible solution 4: introduce an inducements strategy for purchasing a fuel efficient auto. Possible solution 5: Promote the use of public conveyance more. Buss are frequently running empty while the roads are full of autos. If more people used public conveyance, there would n't be as many autos on the roads. Possible solution 6: physique more energy efficient places and fit the old 1s with new energy efficient merchandises, e.g. Windowss. Last winter being colder than normally has caused some serious issues refering gas militias in the UK. It would non be such a large job if more houses in the UK were less dependent on states militias. Possible solution 7: promote electrical vehicles. Not merely should the Government advance electrical vehicles but besides introduce some inducements for people purchasing them. These vehicles are five times more efficient compared to petrol powered 1s and bring forth 0 % of C emanations. Possible solution 8: invest more in renewable energy beginnings. It has to get down some twenty-four hours and there is non clip to detain it. Not merely to better the quality of air but besides to go more independent. It applies to all: the Government, concerns, and persons. The list of possible solutions could travel on. But even if three of the above mentioned would be taken and looked at earnestly and followed by matching actions, the state of affairs would better slightly. 4.4. Why Should Businesses Invest in Renewable Energy? Before sing the benefits involved with concern exchanging to renewable energy it would possibly be interesting to happen out where should one start when believing about such move. First of all, in order to take the most appropriate engineerings, the concern should place and see such factors as its current energy use, overall ingestion, and fluctuations in demand. It should besides place the countries where it would be possible to cut down energy use. It is of import to place what energy mix would suite the concern best are some engineerings that can merely bring forth either electricity or heat, while others can bring forth both ( www.businesslink.gov.uk ) . The benefits are important. The chief 1s would include: The decrease of part to climate alteration Improved environmental certificates strengthen the trade name. More and more clients, stakeholders and investors are demoing an involvement in covering with concerns that are environmentally responsible Exemption from paying the responsibility under the clime alteration levy[ 4 ] Constructing relationships with concerns that have similar values Stabilise energy costs. Renewable energy monetary values will remain stable whereas monetary values of fossil fuels are fluctuating Future proofing. Renewable energy usage will go more widespread with clip. With statute law already puting marks for its usage upon certain new developments, exchanging sooner instead than subsequently would give the concern early experience of renewable energy It is indispensable to advert, that there is a fiscal aid available for concerns which invest in renewable energy. A scope of grants, loans and even awards introduced by the Government are available to assist concerns, e.g. Applied Research Grant, Woodland Regeneration Grant, Business Commitment to the Environment ( BCE ) Environmental Leadership Award – SME Award, Green Business of the Year Award, Carbon Trust Interest-Free Loans, Energy Efficiency Loans, and many others ( www.businesslink.gov.uk ) . The above stated list of benefits is rather extended. However, two of them truly stand out. First one is that the money that company is traveling to be salvaging on energy measures in the hereafter. That is because every concern, foremost of all, is about doing a net income. Second one is non being dependent on dodo fuels which monetary values are fluctuating invariably and, moreover, fossil fuels are a major cause of clime alteration.