What Determines Are Destiny

It can be difficult to understand and realize what determines our destiny. There are Contradiction determining if our characteristics and behavior are primarily due to Genetics or the environment in which we live. Many factors and aspects of Lives influence us daily. These factors create different circumstances that lead us to determined our path. Dr. Judith Rich Harris states in the video that the similarity of children to their parents in personality, is entirely genetic†. In the video Dr.  Stanley Greenspan said that if parents feel they have no influence and everything is genetically determined, then they may not do what they need to do to help the babies be flexible, healthy and good capers. The video states that we are born with a set of genes that never change. When we are conceived, two sets of genes are joined into one. From that moment, DNA determines certain characteristics. We can now readily accept that genes determine our eye color, height, blood type, gender and other biological factors. But science has only begun to explore the role that genes play in human behavior. Some People believe that the power of genes, determines all consequence in our lives. But other people say that genes do not determine everything in a person life. There have been countless studies to find out if our destiny is written in our genes or determined by circumstance. Dr William R. Clark thinks that â€Å"Gene may well, determine how we behave in given situations. This way, the behavior can be caused from the Genes, and not by habits or education. Some features and of a person will never change, and other can be easily changed. The male speaker states that one of UCLA immunologist Dr.  William Clark says, that genes help to control how we interpret our environment. In many cases genes can be very useful and there can be a lot of similarities in gestures, talking etc. In many cases this similarities are done by children without knowing that their parents do these things the same way. It is the opinion of Dr. William R. Clark, â€Å"You’re dealt a particular hand of neurotransmitters and neurotransmitters receptors and again together, with other things of course in your biology and in your history, it’s to play out differently in different people. As fact, everything is very ndividual. There are children that are not similar to their parents and very different in character and features. Let consider what Dr. Steven Pinker said , â€Å"There has to be some kind of innate circuitry in place that allows us to create culture and acquire culture and do the learning. It was suggested that they do not operate without some input. Dr William R. Clark thinks that what you choose to learn, how hard you try to learn, and what you do with what you learn, you do some input. The ability to modify our behavior is what allows us to overcome genetic predisposition. In opinion of Dr.  David Moore, different genes are turned on and off in different circumstances. Personally I agree with that and I think that sometimes people act not by the rules made up by society, but by the genetic rules. They do this unconsciously. Speaker also states that â€Å"those circumstances thought maybe very subtle. Consider identical twins born with the same DNA; though raised alike, Nancy and Jenna are quick to point out they are individuals. Jenna says that Nancy was always very pretty spirited, and that she was a little bit more responsible. For each person their individuality is very important. It means being different from each others, doing something special and something that will surprise others. All individual have different interested, characteristics, and skills. People use creativity, through knowledge and new ideas, and implement them in their daily lives. Many people appreciate changes, as they bring a lot of new things. New things always have the upper hand, always attracting people and keeping them motivated. According to Dr. Stanley Greenspan, â€Å"Proper upbringing will depend on lots of nurturing interactions in your all years of life. † Dr Steven Pinker thanks that â€Å"Parents aren’t the only aspects of the environment? There is also the surrounding culture. As a fact, some people believe that in reality, the strongest social influences exist outside the home. Dr. Judith Rich Harris presumes that â€Å"Children live in separate worlds and each world is very important, but there is very little carry over from one world to the other. And what is carried over is whatever is genetic. As stated by Dr. Judith Rich Harris, â€Å"we get our genes from our parents but are guided by our peer. Nature vs. nurture purists believe that we are either molded entirely by our surroundings or our genetic makeup. Personally I think that upbringing is extremely important, and it determines the future character of a person. The children of immigrants do not resemble their parents in the language they’re speaking even in their culture. They resemble the people they grew up with. In a recent study, all that Dr. Judith Rich Harris said was back-up. The greatest influence was found on weather teen drink or smoke, has to do if weather their friends do. External influence can make a great different, as everything depends on the company and friends, who surround the particular person. Dr Judith Rich Harris thinks that â€Å"as long as you are within the normal range of parenting, how your child turns out is not up to you is up to the child. All in all, children and their perception of the situations and the world as a whole determine their habits, their communications skills and abilities. The whole future depends on what child experiences, who he communicates with who these people are. As was stated by child psychiatrist Dr Stanley Greenspan, this attitude can create irresponsible parenting. We encourage parents to be either passive or hopeless or helpless in the phase of certain challenges that they were assumed are genetic. Consequently, the genes and environment are like a dance, working together to make as who we are. Dr Stanley Greenspan thinks that maybe the environment sets the constraints, just as much of genes do . Dr David S. Moore stated that â€Å"if you throw Einstein in a closet, when he’s a baby because he had some insane parent, he would not grow up to be smart, He would wind up like one of those tragic kids who get’s found in a closet. â€Å" To sum it up, it can be stated, that whether it’s parents, peers or genetic predisposition, it seems our destiny our destiny is determined by a blend of factors. Dr. Greenspan is convinced, that â€Å"nature is a lock and nurture has provided the key for that lock. † In the present, scientist continue to study the nature of our DNA and how it reacts to environment as they think they will gain better understanding of the diseases and behaviors that affect our lives. All in all, it is almost impossible to determine our destiny, as the influence on the person’s life is unpredictable and there are many possibilities to change everything and to make a choice. I think both sides of the issue are correct to varying degrees depending on the issue. Obviously we are not able to change our height, shoe size, or natural hair color, but if we are plagued with a trait that is not considered â€Å"normal† that we want to change and do so, by all means we should. I think that upbringing and behavior, and our belief determine our destiny. It comes down to what is in our entire character makeup, and our ability to overcome the negative influences of our environment and take steps to modify the glitches in our personalities. It can be said for sure, that education plays the most important part in a person’s life and it determines the future and success of a person.

Beer and Food Essay

Abstract As a consultant for many restaurants in California, I find myself re-visiting the establishments with a vast food menu and a wide variety of different beers that I can enjoy simultaneously. I prefer to engage myself in restaurants that are optimistic in their location, core values, menu selections, and bar environment. Not only is it important to sell good food and drinks, it is also fundamental to have team members that have integrity in their jobs. I was hired for a restaurant in Claremont, Heroes and Legends (131 Yale Ave.), in order to evaluate their many beer selections in comparison to their menu offerings. My purpose in evaluating this restaurant is to enlighten other potential guests of suitable beer choices that will cut, complement or contrast their food preference in the establishment. I feel it is my duty to also inform the restaurant of the several food and beer items they offer that may open conversation for server suggestions ultimately lead to a great guest experience. Right in the heart of downtown Claremont there is a trendy restaurant by the name of Heroes and Legends bar and grill. This establishment seems to appeal to a demographic of all ages. With a brick-laid exterior and a name like Heroes and Legends, one would expect advertisements of stouts, porters and fine meats- drinks and foods of a rustic, colonial motif. Walking into the establishment I was immediately told that there was a self-seating method. The feel of the restaurant was warm and upbeat, welcoming a friendly and social attitude. One main focal point upon entering is the bar. Easy to find, it has stool seating and a well-varied selection of beers on tap. Eager to know all the beer selections, I opened the small ringed book sitting on my table. I counted a total of forty-seven beers that were being offered on the list. Some of these beers were of special availability, therefore the waiters and waitresses encouraged us to enjoy them while they last. Each one of these beers had a special quality to them. Of course the taste, alcohol percentage, and size are all special qualities, but each type of beer was served in different glassware. Some of the beers are served in a pint, medium, or large glass. Other beers are served strictly in pint glasses or 11oz glasses only. For example, Premium Belgian imports are served in 11oz flare glasses only, while other beer choices are served in medium schooner glasses or large 34oz mugs. As I scanned the beer menu, I was greeted by a server named Mike whose tasks also involved working behind the bar. To my surprise, this establishment does not designate one server to one section of tables; rather, each server helps one another with every task. Whether it is taking a drink or food order, or running the food out to the table, the restaurant had a total team effort feel. The menu had many food items varying from fish n’ chips to hearty entrees like sirloin steak and carried enough beers for customers to enjoy. As this was my first visit to Heroes and Legends, I asked my server to enlighten me with the establishment’s top 6 items on the menu. The waiter began with the top-selling Chicken Quesadilla, which was chosen to start off my meal. For one order of this appetizer, it is priced at $11. 95. Served hot with grilled chicken, sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions topped with Cheddar and Jack cheeses with a side of guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. I paired this appetizer with a Hoegaarden Witbier for its smooth, refreshing, and crisp finish that won’t overpower the food. The Hoegaarden has a coriander and orange peel flavor, and a dry/sour aftertaste. It isn’t overly sweet, but was flavorful paired with the appetizer. Priced at $7. 25, it was served in a pint glass and has an ABV of 5%. Pairing with a different beer I would recommend the Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier made by Paulaner Brewing Company in Germany (ABV 5. 50%). Paulaner’s Hefeweizen has a banana and clove aroma, but has a better kick regards to taste because of the balanced and prominent taste of banana, clove, wheat, and caramel sweetness. It is a light beer that is high on carbonation, drinks smooth and is creamy- perfect for a poultry appetizer. Next, Mike recommended the New York Steak (14 oz. medium-rare) with a side of steamed vegetables and a baked potato topped with sour cream and chives. I paired the steak with a Belgian-style ale known as St. Bernardus Abt 12 Quadrupel. It had a total ABV of 10% priced at $7 and was served in a flare glass. This beer has a sweet, light-roasted malt, clove, banana, and candy sugar flavor with a subtle bitterness towards the end. It is remarkably flavorful which complements any robust, gamey meal such as the New York Steak. This Quadrupel isn’t quite as bold as other dark beers, but its smooth, full-body and rich taste made this pairing a satisfying meal. Another beer to go with Heroes’ New York steak would be the Dunkel Lager by The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. It is dark yet light-bodied and smooth with an ABV of 4. 90%. Its initial taste of dark toast is mildly sweet and continues with bitter coffee and dark chocolate. It then finishes with a slight spicy presence which is perfect for any dish involving red meat. Among other recommendations, the waiter suggested the L. A. #19 Pastrami. Pricing at $12. 45, Mike described that it is served hot with Russian dressing, zesty coleslaw, Swiss cheese, mounted over rye bread and is served with a choice of sides, one being curly fries. The seasoning on the curly fries and the coleslaw on the sandwich calls for a beer that will cut from the saltiness. It paired wonderfully with an IPA such as Dogfish head 90 minute IPA (ABV of 9%) which was served in a pint glass priced at $7. A perfect suggestion for this pairing would be Russian River’s triple IPA, Pliny the Younger (ABV 11%). This IPA is extremely hoppy. With a strong scent of pine cone and a balanced blend of citrus and herbs it would do well to cut through the salt and fattiness. Other top-selling items were a couple of Heroes’ best-selling burgers. First was the California burger (priced at $18. 95). This burger is definitely a mouthful consisting of caramelized sauteed mushrooms, Applewood smoked bacon, pickle chips, whole leaf lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese, onion, and pesto mayo topped on top of flame-broiled Angus chuck patty on a wheat bun. Containing bold greasy, flavors from the bacon and mushrooms I paired this selection with Stone Smoked Porter. It is an American Porter by Stone Brewing Co. with an ABV of 5. 9 % served in a choice of a pint, medium schooner glass, or large 34oz mug. The smoked malt in the beer complemented the large pieces of bacon. Like the Stone Porter, I suggest Hill Farmstead Brewery’s Everett Porter. It has an ABV of 7. 50% with a taste of roasted malt, dark chocolate and brown sugar on the finish which complements the mushroom taste. No hint of booze or hops on the flavor profile leaving the beer very drinkable and smooth. Either porters will do fine in cutting through the greasy flavors. The next Burger Mike suggested was the famous Heroes Kobe Burger. This 10 ounce Kobe beef burger is topped with lettuce, pickle chips, and Thousand Island dressing on an onion bun and priced at $13. 95. This burger seems simple; therefore, I would pair it with a beer extravagant with flavor such as Rouge Double Chocolate Stout. This is an imperial stout priced at $7. 00 with an ABV of 8. 7%. The choice side, specifically curly fries dipped in ketchup, complimented the stout due to the sweetness of the ketchup. The burger, having an onion bun, gave the beer a great contrast, therefore causing the sweet taste of the beer to counteract the wholesome onion flavor. A similar beer not offered at Heroes would be Alesmith Speedway Stout Vanilla and Coconut (ABV 12%). It has the same flavor profile but the amazing blend of vanilla, coconut, dark chocolate, coffee and toasted malts in the background gives this beer a very creamy, rich taste. It is also incredibly well balanced with no alcohol presence making it a great smoked meat or dessert beer. The last best-selling food item served as a lunch entree is the Beef Brisket Sandwich. It consists of tender, thin-sliced and slow-cooked brisket. Due to the large amount of beef, I would recommend a beer that provides cut or contrast. To contrast and cut the flavor of the protein which is salty and greasy, I recommend a dark, bitter and full-bodied beer. From their in-house selection, a mixture of the Stone Smoked Porter with the Stone IPA would pair well. The IPA will provide a refreshing citrusy and hoppy taste with higher alcohol content while the Smoked Porter will provide the dark, smooth, chocolate-coffee, smoky flavor. Combining both these beers into one drink will provide the contrast and cut needed to pair perfectly with the beef brisket sandwich. A beer not offered in this establishment that could also be considered is the Lost Coast Alley Cat Amber (ABV 5. 50%). This beer is well-balanced, full-flavored amber ale, providing an assertive and balanced blend of malts and hops, and will contrast the high protein flavor of the beef. Table 1 Food Heroes and Legends Beer Outside Beer Chicken Quesadilla Hoegaarden Witbier Paulaner Hefe-weissbier New York Steak St. Bernardus Abt 12 Quad Olde Mecklenburg Dunkel Lager LA Pastrami Dogfish head 90 minute IPA Russian River Pliny the Younger (Triple IPA) CA Burger Stone Smoked Porter Everett Porter Kobe Burger Rogue Double Chocolate Stout Alesmith Speedway Stout – Vanilla & Coconut Beef Brisket Sandwich Mix: Stone Smoked Porter with the Stone IPA Lost Coast Alley Cat Amber Everyone was satisfied with the in-house selection of beers but some recommendations were made. Many of the brand recommendations were Paulaner Brewing Co. , Russian River, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Hill Farmstead Brewery, Alesmith Brewery, and Lost Coast which had produced beers that paired great with our meals. Generally, the 6 new brands were chosen either for similarity in taste and/or better taste, or business-related. For example, The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery is a newcomer in the brewing business. They were chosen due to their highly regarded beers and as a method of marketing strategy. OMB’s beers are only sold and distributed in North Carolina, but if Heroes and Legends carried one of their beers such as the Dunkel Lager in the West Coast customers will rush to try this new â€Å"rare† beer. It’s a great way to bring publicity about the OMB name to the West Coast as well as increase Heroes’ daily volume of customers. Some decisions were easier than others such is with Alesmith Brewery: their beer had a similar taste and profile as Rogue’s Double Chocolate Stout. All in all, Heroes and Legends’ beer selections were vast enough for me to have many options. As far as marketing techniques for beers at Heroes and Legends, a new strategy could be applied. Currently, tin and neon signs decorate the cluttered walls from corner to corner. It is overwhelming and lacks any description of each beer’s content. One good technique for introducing new beers is to have a specific beer on special every week or month- a â€Å"beer of the month† approach. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to have the servers make recommendations as a customer’s order is placed. Many of the recommended in house beers were great. Because the selections are already satisfying, our out of house beers resembled them. Therefore, it would not prove difficult to supplement our recommended beers into the current beer list. That is to say, advertising would not have to change much at all. In conclusion, blah blah something concluding this paper. Works Cited BeerAdvocate. (2013). Dunkel Lager – The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. BeerAdvocate. Retrieved from http://beeradvocate. com/beer/profile/19247/54854 Benitez, T. (2013). Beer and Food Pairings [Editorial]. Men’s Fitness. Retrieved from http://www. mensfitness. com/nutrition/what-to-eat/beer-and-food-pairings Brewers Association. (2013). Celebrating the Best of American Beer. CraftBeer. com. Retrieved from http://www. craftbeer. com/beer-and-food/pairing-tips/pairing-chart Zagat. (n. d. ). Heroes and Legends. Menu. Retrieved from http://www. zagat. com/r/heroes-and- legends-claremont/menu Appendix Key Learnings Briana While doing this project I learned about the different tastes of certain beers in comparison of being on tap or in bottle. In my visit to Hero’s and Legends Bar and Grill, I learned that they do not carry any beers in bottle, only on tap. That night I ordered Rouge chocolate stout. I am a fan of most Rogue beers, specifically Dead Guy Ale. I enjoy Dead Guy Ale equally in bottle or on tap, but for some reason the Chocolate Stout didn’t excite me as much as it does in a bottle. While drinking it on tap, the beer did not have a finishing taste as it does in bottle. The strong chocolate taste was not as evident. Also, the bottom of the glass from the tap stout did not have residue of chocolate as it will when I buy a bottle and pour it into a glass myself. Therefore, I learned that I would most certainly, from now on, favor certain style beers out of the bottle, rather than on tap. Kayla I’ve learned that it’s not just the taste of the beer that sets it apart, but how it smells, looks and the dynamics of pairing it with food. I used to choose a beer based on its alcohol content and name. If it sounded unique, I would order it. Then I’d discern whether I liked the beer or not by how smooth it is and whether I liked the flavor. I never understood what each name meant, for example Pilsner or Dunkel. For the longest time my struggle trying to figure out which beer to order was like trying to find a new computer – I was inadequately informed and there are so many options. Thanks to this class, I don’t have to blindly choose my beers anymore. I can read their labels and, based on what type of beer it is, have a good image of what it looks like and how it will smell/taste. Omar Through this project I learned to start looking at which beer will go well with my food and not just order a random beer. By selecting a pairing of my choice I learned what to look at when pairing beer with food. Michelle The task of pairing food and beers may come off as overwhelming. It is important to remember that if it taste good to you, then that is what truly matters. In the vast market of craft brews (over 2,100 breweries as of 2012) pairing can be simplified to three key roles of beer- cut, contrast, and compliment. When finishing this assignment, it became evident that one beer can pair well with several different food options. For example, a nice whit beer can cut a fatty burger and then compliment a banana split. I feel, that after experimenting, my options have only been expanded for food and beer pairing and now there is an eagerness and excitement to put my knowledge to the test. More beer tasting!

Church Leadership and Ministry Evaluation Paper

For this paper, I had the honor of evaluating Minister Anthony Thornton of Committed to Christ International Ministries, Milwaukee WI. While in his early 40’s, Minister Thornton’s conversion came about when he was incarcerated, due to the consequences of living a life addicted to drugs and alcohol. During a prison ministry visit, he and many other inmates were able to receive the word of God. After a couple of sessions with the pastor of Committed to Christ International Ministries, Minister Thornton received Christ into his life.Today Minister Thornton has acquired a Master’s degree in Biblical Theology, and is currently teaching Sunday school, along with the Associate’s degree program, in Basic Bible Information. He is responsible for overseeing 20-30 students or congregation members ranging in ages from 16 years and up. Minister Thornton has held this position in the church for many years now, and has significantly reaped the fruits of his labor. He is loved and respected by his peers, and is sought after by his leaders for spiritual wisdom.He expressed that he lives and breathes (2 Timothy 2:15)â€Å"Study to show thyself approved, a workman need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. † Minister Thornton is dedicated to spreading the gospel of Christ; his desire is to win souls. I met Minister at Applebee’s where he was delighted to be interviewed for my class assignment. Questions are as follows: 1. Would you say that your congregation (or the people within your particular department or area of ministry) is â€Å"Living Out the Mind of Christ† (i.e. Unity, Humility, Selflessness) as they interact, serve, and minister to/with each other? How specifically do you as a ministry leader teach, cultivate, and maintain â€Å"The Mind of Christ† in your area of ministry? It is a work in progress. When new converts come in, they are at different levels in their spiritual walk. For these individuals , the â€Å"Mind of Christ† has to be learned. First, by seeing that the ministry leaders are a living example of Christ Jesus, and second, through His teachings.They have to receive a â€Å"heart transplant† if you will, and then an â€Å"attitude adjustment. † There are some who receive well, and there are some who become stagnant or complacent. Therefore, my centerpiece for teaching is the Word of God, which focuses on the humanity of our Lord and Savior. It’s to show how He suffered humility through the same afflictions that we have; and how He exhibited selflessness during his ministry. More important, to instruct us in being united with one another as one body in Christ.A person cannot save themself, they have to be led to Christ, and Christ saves. (Philippians 2:5) says, â€Å"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. † 2. Would you consider yourself a â€Å"Wounded Healer? † Also, would you please share an example where you have ministered to a person who is/was â€Å"wounded† in the same manner that you once were? (cf. II Corinthians 1:3-5) Absolutely! To know pain is to learn how to heal. Having lived a life of great trial and suffering due to my drug and alcohol abuse, I can discern by the grace and mercy of God when someone needs help.By the power of the Holy Spirit I have acquired the ability to get right there with another sufferer, and show them how to come out. Healing is a spiritual gift. When ministering to the wounded, we must be willing to reveal our wounds to the doubters in order that they may believe, and be healed. (Philippians 1:29) comes to mind, it says, â€Å"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. † The neighborhood I grew up in was the same place of my downfall. There was a close friend who lived that life with me, who was obviously hurting.I explained to him that my fall was a result of the sin in my life, and it tried to take me out, by forcing me to feel the pain of guilt and shame for what I did. For a moment I had to stop, and hold back the tears of knowing that by the grace of God there once goes I. It humbled me. I told my friend that he too can share the same saving grace. I told him that if he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, he can be delivered just like I was. Moreover, I reminded him that we both were cut from the same cloth, and I was no better than he was.This gift of salvation is just as much his, as it is mine. 3. How specifically does the Holy Spirit help guide you as you lead/serve in your ministry? Also, can you give a specific example of how you were able to clearly recognize that the Holy Spirit was helping/guiding you in dealing with a particular situation and/or decision while in your ministry? What advice would you give me that, if I obeyed, would assure me that I would be able to be guided by the Holy Spirit in my life and/or ministry? Because He is a helper and not a hinderer.He is my comforter when I am unsure of how to carry on. He helps me to pray accurately, and effectively. He gives me utterance in a language that only God recognizes, thus bypassing my doubtful mind and lack of understanding. When I allow Him, He gives me the words I speak, choices I make, who I will marry, and how I make, and spend my money. Many scriptures come to mind that speaks clearly about direction. One in specific, (Romans 8:14) â€Å"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.†It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that I made the conscious decision to surrender my life to Christ. There was a witnessing time where the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to testify the truth of God’s word to a family member who considered himself to be an atheist. I prayed that the Spirit give me the right words, He did, and a divine appointment took place. It changed this individual’s life. Today he is spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. I advise anyone I come in contact with to always be open to hearing and obeying the Spirit/Word of God, and you cannot go wrong.4. Do you have a personal philosophy (i. e. an agreed upon plan of action/policy/understood protocol) of how/when/where you confront sin in the lives of 1) co-ministers/co-leaders in your ministry, and 2) people to whom you minister? If so, what is it? How did you come to this philosophy? If not, do you see a need for such a philosophy? Why or Why not? My protocol is to constantly stay on the path that Jesus took. I don’t condemn or attack the person for the sin, nor do I ignore it. â€Å"For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.† (2 Timothy 1:7)I show them where there is no judgment. I allow them to see that they are struggling with this affliction that causes pain, and it keeps them bound. Many are our afflictions. I have to approach in love, and still confront the sin head on. It is my responsibility to win the believer from a sinful life, to a life of righteousness. More important, to continue to be mindful of bringing correction in love. 5. Can I perform a little ministry quiz on you? (Remember: This question is taken from the section within chapter 25 entitled â€Å"Recalling Encounters with God!†) a.Can you recall for me what you specifically did (i. e. tasks performed, people you talked to, the number of hours of service) on any individual day in your ministry approximately six weeks ago? About six weeks ago, I was on a 21 day intercessory prayer without ceasing, for rampant gun violence to end in our community. In a matter of less than six months, we experience a multitude of lives lost due to gun violence. The lives taken were mostly young men between the ages of 16, and 25, and it was causing great trauma to our city.b.  Can you recall any time in the past that you were either so moved by hearing a sermon, reading a bible ve rse, hearing a testimony of a someone’s salvation that made such an impact upon your life that you still have a vivid recollection of the event today? How long ago did that spiritual event take place? God inhabits the praises of His people. What really holds near to my heart is when our music ministry singed â€Å"How Great is Our God. † The part where it says, â€Å"all will see how great is our God. † I thank Him that all will be able to one day see how great He is. Especially for the doubters.Through this song, the Holy Spirit constantly affirms that He is the name above all names. Our music ministry usually sing about one half hour before service, but this particular evening, people all over the church was moved by the spirit of God. Over 50 people gave their life to Christ that night. c. Could you briefly describe for me how your daily â€Å"Quiet time with God† or your â€Å"Communion time with God† or â€Å"Your Devotion time with God† usually goes? I have a life that can be quite kaotic sometimes. However, my quiet time with God is mostly during the early morning hours 3-4 am.I go to my secret place for lengthy prayer. Then, I read and study God’s word for as long as the Holy Spirit keeps me. I journal what speaks to me from God, and what I have learned. This is how I draw closer to God. It is my time to sit at His feet, a time I delight in, and truly enjoy. Again reflecting on my favorite verse, (2 Tim 2:15). 6. As a minister, are you ever tempted to become competitive with either a fellow minister or a neighboring ministry or covet the â€Å"success† or resources of other ministers and/or ministries? How do you overcome this temptation in your life if/when it ever comes up in your heart?What advice would you give me to make sure I remain content with what God specifically has for me in my own life and/or ministry? My heart is so willing, but my flesh is weak. I have always been a competitive per son. I believed in being number one at everything I pursue. Whether it was winning in a foot race, or drinking the most alcohol. There is a position for Associate Pastor available; myself and one other member are the only candidates. There is a series of tests/requirements that we need to adhere to, and it rears up the competiveness in me.My flesh says win at all cost, but my spirit says let the will of God be done. I know that the Word of God is my sword. â€Å"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin† (Hebrews 4:15). We are all members of the body, and we each have a very important role. I advise anyone with this mindset to remain at the foot of the cross and always stay prayerful, and the spirit of God will show you the way. 7. Provide a summary of your interview. a.What stood out to you the most from this interview? What stood out about this man of God was that He stil l had the zest and excitement for the work of Christ. His language is centered around what thus says the Lord, and He referenced a lot of scripture during the evaluation. Many are called and few are chosen. Minister Thornton has definitely been called out by God to do the work of the ministry. He reflects the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, and the Strength of Samson. b. What did you learn that will help you develop your own philosophy of ministry?I learned that the â€Å"Cross of Christ† must be the center of my existence. Anything outside of this gives me the Martha complex. Too busy to focus on what God wants me to know. This helps me to continue to live by the philosophy of knowing 1 John 4:4 says, â€Å"Because greater is he that is in me, than he that is in the world; Philippians 4:13 â€Å"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. † These are the verses that gives me the strength and the courage to â€Å"Live Out The Mind Of Christ† without trying to run and hide like Gideon and Jonah did.c. What did you learn about leadership that you feel is important when ministering to others? To keep my eyes on God. To not be afraid to minister with authority of the Word of God. To remember to regard myself as a humble servant of Christ, always pronouncing the Word. Walk in the seriousness of God’s Word so that others will know that my heart is there. Most important, constantly stay in prayer, study, and minister in love because the lives of the lost are sacred, and they have the right to know the TRUTH!

Long-Term Investment Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Long-Term Investment Strategy - Essay Example Again, the savings have to be an equal amount of money that I get from my security fund every month. I really want that when I retire, I have enough money that can enable me to build a bigger and expensive residential home and also have business premises in the city. Therefore, in addition to saving for my children, I’d like to save close to $6 million for the premises project. To be able to achieve all these goals, my monthly retirement savings must be put into an investment that will enable this money to multiply. This will help me to both save and invest at the same time. By saving, I will be able to earn an interest every month and when I invest, there are proceeds that I will benefit from in form of profits. My retirement savings per month is $1,000. I’ll be able to take this fixed amount of money monthly and invest it in appropriate investment. The low-cost mutual funds and ETFs that attract popular market indexes will be preferable for this strategy but dollar co sting can be done for any investment. This has two benefits, first by putting aside the same amount every month; one builds the habit of saving and investing at the same time. Secondly, one would buy more shares when they are cheap and when prices shoot, one ends up with the same shares hence investing the same amount. Averagely, I will be able to buy more when an investment is cheap than when it is expensive. To buy cheaply is a way of generating long term profits and by using dollar-cost averaging, one is able to take advantage of changing prices and add it to your gains. In investing, I’ll be looking for two things majorly, my current income and long-term investment. To be able to achieve these, my future prospects will be to invest into dividend stock. This will give me the best choices paying reliable and growing dividends while I’ll still be able to share in the prospects of the company underlying the business. I’ll have to keep checking with my broker to know what services it offers. Give that there are hundreds of high quality blue chip dividend stock, together with many ETFs and mutual funds specializing in dividends, it will never be hard for me to find promising candidates for my investment portfolio. As good investors say, successful investment does not rely on the picking of great stocks and other investment, but it also depends on hanging onto as much of what you earn as possible. This investment strategy will be able to consider ways of keeping the IRS at bay as capital gains taxes can get into my investment returns. I realize that I’ll even be able to take advantage of tax benefits which are available for retirement savings by investing in employer sponsored-retirement plans. Much income is normally sheltered from taxes as long as the money stays in the account, depending on how much growth one can get from the retirement savings. However, for some retirement accounts, one has to pay taxes when they have to withdraw money in retirement, but IRAs and 401 (k)s make the income tax free. When one wants to invest, having a solid strategy makes his investment plans less intimidating than if the strategy is not strong to make the investment to be nerve wracking. My strategy will depend largely and be based largely on market efficiency. This is where I will have to keep on watch with my broker to monitor when the shares are sold cheaply in the market for me to buy them. This will enable me to purchase a lot of shares and dividends cheaply. Then when the prices shoot, I will be

Patroling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Patroling - Essay Example I received a radio message that mentioned the emergency help needed to save a woman and five children who got stranded on a beach. It was difficult for me to reach them within the limited time since the only way available was the road that was again narrowed between two cliffs and only a single vehicle could move through it. On the other hand, I encountered another person whose leg had got struck in the middle of the roads. I realized that only the fire department and the EMS could save him. In such a situation, I had to decide how to take measures such that the lives of both the woman and the children on the beach as well as the person stuck in the middle of the roads could be saved. I had the options of attending the man first trying to free him or I could rush to the beach to save the woman and the children. Since it would take me a long time to reach to the beach, I also had the option to send message to the patrol officers who were posted nearer to the coast. Thus with the intentions of saving both the woman and the children as well as the man, I would immediately contact the patrolling officers nearer to the sea beach and inform them to rush to the stranded people. They could at least take the road and run towards them even if they could not drive through the road. The next immediate step that I would consider is to call up the fire brigade and inform them to rush to the place with their manpower to save the man trapped in the middle of the roads. I would also take measures to clear the road of the cars, asking them to move back such that the fire brigade engines could reach the place. By the time the engines would reach the place I would try to rush to the sea beach to look into the progress of saving the woman and the children. The above decisions that I mentioned I would take in such a situation would depend on the values and the feelings that an

What Does the Interest that Auschwitz Should Never Happen Again Mean Essay

What Does the Interest that Auschwitz Should Never Happen Again Mean for Sociology - Essay Example Looking critically at the statement, â€Å"After Auschwitz (and in this respect Auschwitz is a prototype of something which has been repeated incessantly in the world since then) our interest is in ensuring that this should never happen again,† Adorno uses this phrase at the end of ‘Lecture II’ (1968) in â€Å"Introduction to Sociology† in order to avoid misunderstanding in students. The Critical Theory of Society is based in the philosophical position outlined by Adorno and the Frankfurt School, which is itself based on a reform of Marxism. The theory of the Frankfurt School and Adorno relates primarily to methodology in the practice of sociology. According to Jarvis (1998), the Frankfurt school asserts there is no real â€Å"thing† as society; rather it is an interpretation that is based on the subjectivity of one who approaches it as a discipline. Adorno opposes the totalizing aspects of theory when it claims to complete knowledge about the operat ion of social forces or historical evolution. He see this in Freud, Weber, Durkheim, and Marx, in their interpretive frameworks that discuss the operation of society from different perspectives, but share a totalitarianism of meaning which will limit interpretation to a range of values. Related to this is the preference for a phenomenological methodology that seeks to describe reality and social processes as they appear, rather than as they should be ideally. This represents a rejection of objectivism in knowledge by the Frankfurt School, but an acceptance of the categorical imperative of activism through morality. 2 Adorno views the totalitarian aspects of knowledge systems as operating on the model of the modern State, both symmetrical in identity and structure, implementing imperial control of consciousness and society, flattening all diversity of meaning. From this, Adorno seeks to avoid building a theory of sociology that repeats the State model of control as an aspect of indiv idual identity, for when this occurs, subjective interpretation, variance, objectivity, and fact all vanish into a monolithic machine that drives meaning to a single source, an illusory central point of vanishing into history. "If you asked me what sociology is, I would say that it must be insight into society, into the essential nature of society," Adorno says – it must be, but it is not. "Ladies and Gentleman, I would now ask you not to write down and take home what I have told you as a definition of sociology... it cannot be reduced to an 'axiom'."3 Adorno and the Frankfurt School are advocating a position of radical freedom from the State and the restrictions of theoretical interpretation through a radical re-thinking of fundamentals, universals, essences, and other aspects of bias that make claims to ultimate truth or reality in sociology. Knowledge systems inherently promote totalitarian universal values, the essential meaning of things that is fixed and unchanging, or knowledge of the inner-operation of society and the universe that inevitably falls short of the goal of accurately representing reality. As Adorno writes in â€Å"Negative Dialectics† (1970), â€Å"If one speaks in the newest aesthetic debates of anti-drama and anti-heroes, then Negative Dialectics, which holds itself distant from all aesthetic themes, could be called an anti-system.†4 If â€Å"Negative Dialectics† represents an anti-system, then Auschwitz on the other extreme represents the fully totalitarian aspects of a system in application. From the perspective of humanity, Auschwitz is a symbol of the most terrible aspects of modernism, the factory of anti-Semitism and death, the total mobilization of society to the ends of violent, fascist theory. Auschwitz motivates the moral awareness in humanity to resist, but Adorno recognizes that this requires freedom of thought and critical awareness as a basis for activism. The person

Critically assess the extent to which discrimination law at European Essay

Critically assess the extent to which discrimination law at European and domestic level has improved the position of women in the workplace - Essay Example Much has been said about this problem, but it seems there is still much to be done to solve it. To my mind, this problem can hardly be ignored; there are a lot of means of softening and minimizing it, as much as it is possible. The work is devoted to the discussion of the effectiveness of legislation, concerning the problem of gender discrimination, and the present situation in the society in terms of this problem. The work touches main theoretical aspects of gender discrimination in the workplace from psychological and ethical points of view. The European Employment Strategy (EES), created in 1997, implies that European countries prepare National Action Plans once a year. The plan will reflect the changes at the labor market made in accordance with the common goals. The plan was to make 60% employed by 2010 and provide females with equal rights and opportunities. Some European countries including France and Spain try not only to eliminate cases where women are not given a job because of many male candidates, but also to set equal salaries for men and women. In England and Sweden the situation is regulated by the Equal Opportunities Act and the main attention is also paid to equal salaries (Kersten, 2004). Though many people believe that gender discrimination is no longer relevant, it should be noted, that still among the 500 Fortune best companies, only five are headed by women, and other 495 are managed by men. In some job categories there are $10,000 differences in salary between men and women. Though the portion of women in the labour force is growing each year, and now equals to 48 percent of the total labour force, in some areas, as law, the sums women earn constitute only 59 percent of mens salaries in the same area for the same type of work. While studying the theoretical basics of the problem, it should be admitted that there have been outlined a number of so-called forces, that is the characteristics of human nature, which contribute

Case Analysis of Staples, Inc., Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Staples, Inc., - Case Study Example Furthermore, this paper will comprise framing strategy that may help the firm to deal with all the factors in order to achieve its goal efficiently and smoothly (Fred, 2009). Analysis External Factor Evaluation (EFE): EFI is considered to be the strategic administration tool often used by all organization to assess current business condition of the firm. It is considered to be an important process as the end result helps the firm to visualize the threat and select all the opportunities that tends to arise. In accordance to case the EFI of Staple Inc. is stated below: Figure: 1 External Factor Evaluation (EFE) of Staple Inc. On the basis of the above mentioned figure, it can be stated that the factor of low currency value offers an opportunity for the company as the export policies of the government would be modified or directed to increase the foreign currency in the country. Such initiatives of the government would provide the organization with an opportunity to expand its business. The company’s strategy of diversifying its business and creating new products has also offered it with an opportunity to expand its product and service line and effectively meet the needs of discriminating customers. Moreover, the crisis in the economic condition would help the organization in terms of brand awareness as foreign company would be reluctant to invest in such economic condition. Consequently, the organization will be able to attract large base of customers. The factor of the firm size can also be considered as a positive factor as it helps in creating brand awareness as well as it will act as a barrier for new entry of firm (Meredith, Forest & Fred, 2009; Fred, 2009). On the other hand, the increasing competition due to the entry of new firms in the industry has imposed significant threat. The firm is further unable to penetrate into the local market as it is primarily focus on meeting the public needs. Moreover, frequent change in the government policies has s trongly deterred the ability of the organization to expand its business. Another important threat factor includes constant innovation in technology. The rapid advancement in technology has resulted in rapid obsolescence which has further contributed towards increased costs for the organization (Meredith, Forest & Fred, 2009; Fred, 2009). Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE): IFE consists of all the factors that relates directly or indirectly to the organizations functioning. The main motive behind evaluating the internal factor of an organization is to major weakness and the strength that exist in the operating area of a business. The IFE of Staple Inc. is represented below. Figure: 2 Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) of Staple Inc. On the basis of the above illustration, i.e. Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE), it can be asserted that the factor of being one of largest distributor of office goods acts as an opportunity for the firm. Moreover, its stable financial position has also contrib uted towards smooth functioning of its business operations. Additionally, the marketing and advertisement activities executed by the firm have significantly benefited it to attain increased brand awareness and has further facilitated in seeking greater competitiveness. At the same time, large number of retail stores situated at different locations

Best Buy Company Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Best Buy Company - Research Paper Example Market study helps the company understand business opportunities or failures. Best Buy is a multinational company that carries consumer electronic devices, appliances, mobile phones, and services. It has been successfully operating in all the states and territories of the United States since 1986 but has only started international operations in 2002. Today, it operates in Europe, Mexico, Canada and China under different brands. The company has achieved growth thru mergers and acquisitions, particularly in its international segments. Cost of goods sold is reportedly high in these areas since it entails a lot of maintenance costs. For the past 2 years sales and income have been declining in the international segments while US sales are flat. Business opportunities are seen in the global atmosphere, while opportunities for domestic remain in technology and services. Competitions are taking advantage of their presence in the internet and continue to earn higher income and profits. Amazon and eBay for instance re online retailers that earns high income from internet sales. The declining income of BBC is an eye opener to look if its present business strategies need to be reviewed and changed. Market Report on Best Buy Company I. ... Particularly, its goal is emphasized in its strategies: to increase market share, to attain international growth, increase efficiency and to connect to the world. 1.2 Products Best Buy’s stores sell the following items: Consumer electronics, home office, entertainment software, appliances, and services. Consumer electronics consist of video and audio products, TVs, and MP3 players. Home office products include personal computers, cell phones, cable and internet service plan. Entertainment software includes products such as video games, CDS, video games, and computer software. Technology, service and repair. Other segments that offers food and beverages. Source: United States SEC Best Buy Form 10-K Annual Report 1.3 Geographic location Company operates locally in all the states and territories of the United States, while its international scope consists of China, all of European territories, Mexico, and Canada. 1.4 Strategies Strategies that helped company grow are by acquisiti ons and expansion. The company was incorporated in 1966 with the name Sound of Music Inc. but changed name to Best Buy in 1983. From this beginning it has grown and expanded thru mergers and acquisitions that made an impact of its presence in electronics, entertainment and technological services in the United States. Organic growth began in 2009 when it took advantage of the bankruptcy of Circuit City to serve the market share of the electronics consumers of the industry which was left open by the bankrupt company (University of Oregon Investment Group , Jan 8, 2011 pdf). The international segment started in 2002 through acquisition of established brands in Canada. Its presence in China

Primark supplying consumers with ethically sourced garments Essay

Primark supplying consumers with ethically sourced garments - Essay Example Its main objective is to have a profitable as well as sustainable business (Goworek, 2011). Hence, the company always seeks growth opportunities in order to have a profitable growth within the organization. The company works closely with the suppliers as well as the factories which produces the goods for the company (BBC, 2015b). However, the role played by the Primark buyers is essential to support the ethical business practices. The company goes through a selection process in order to choose the new suppliers and factory in order to enhance their production process. The company while choosing new factories ensures regarding the fire safety measures and hires trained employees and also makes sure regarding the wages and benefits that they are supposed to receive (Goworek, 2011). Thus, the company focuses on the various ethical aspects that are to be followed in order to run a smooth business. The research has been carried out on various aspects of the business set up by Primark in the international markets. It comprises of a detailed analysis of the demand, supply as well as the price mechanism within the economy. A study is carried out on the overall demand of the customers for the products manufactured by the company. It also involves the number of customers purchasing the products of the company (Carrigan and De Pelsmacker, 2009). The research involves collecting secondary data related to the annual sales of the company and the total production of garments by the company. The data is mainly collected from authentic sources such as the newspaper articles from the well known news papers like Financial Times, Economist and also from the BBC news articles. The data on the annual sales of the company are also collected from the annual reports published by the company every year. The secondary data in turn helps to determine a conclusion regarding the overall

How Was Christianity Effective Spiritually to African Slaves When They Essay

How Was Christianity Effective Spiritually to African Slaves When They Were Forced Into Slavery - Essay Example ery being the darkest and most excruciating as they must have been too the period that drew the best abilities and most noble of traits among the race, a look into their spirituality during those periods must be a whole enlightening exercise that should provide truly relevant references for our present situations. This paper shall be specific to the Christian Spirituality of the African slaves during the Atlantic Slave Trade era between the 16th and the 19th century. Christianity was first introduced in West Africa by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century. I have no source to indicate the extent of Christian conversions in the western coasts of Africa by the 1700’s . But that side of Africa having had trade relations with Europeans already at those times, notably with the Spaniards, the Portuguese and the Dutch, there must have been some extent of evangelization going on by those times. In the book From Slavery to Freedom, author John Hope Franklyn mentions resistance of the native Africans to the Christian Faith as the bearers of the teachings were associated with the institutions of the slave trade to the New World. "It was a strange religion, this Christianity," he wrote, "which taught equality and brotherhood and at the same time introduced on a large scale the practice of tearing people from their homes and transporting them to a distant land to become slaves." Compounding this local resistance is the deliberate and methodic eradic ation of the Africans’ identity in the slave trade. Folk religions, as were the African traditional beliefs and cultures, even their languages, were being systematically suppressed to deter organized resistance. â€Å"Slaves in the eighteenth century came from various African societies, cultures and nations, such as the Ibo, Ashanti and Yoruba on the West African Coast. Consequently, slaves from differing ethnic groups displayed little commonalities. Africans were black, but did not experience a homogenous existence they shared

Chili’s Bar Essay Example for Free

Chili’s Bar Essay In the decision making process, it helps to look at all the information. This SWOT is comparing Chili’s restaurant to two of its competitors, Ruby Tuesday’s and Applebee’s. Company History Chili’s restaurants are part of the company, Brinker International Corporation. Chili’s Bar Grill is a casual dining restaurant that was founded in 1975 and has expanded to include 1,200 restaurants located domestically and internationally. There menu consists of fresh and healthy American dishes and limited amount of southwestern style Mexican dishes. In the last 30 years, Chili’s has created an identifiable, recognizable brand name, just think of the commercials. Chili’s Strengths Chili’s is the one of the largest full service restaurant chains with over 1,200 stores, second only to Applebee’s which has about 1,900 stores. Their competitor Ruby Tuesday has less than 900 stores with many of those franchises. Chili’s is part of Brinker Intl. , which is world’s second largest casual dining restaurant operator, the first being Darden restaurants. This allows them to offer affordable prices, because they can negotiate product rates for all of their stores, unlike a smaller company. They have also expanded their company to include Chili’s Too, Small Town Chili’s, and offer catering services. They update their menu one to two times a year, unlike Ruby Tuesday’s which updates their menu every three to four months. Chili’s has a popular menu that keeps people coming back, so they tweak it a bit to keep up with trends, but keep their core items. At this time they serve the same menu in every store, which allows for consistency throughout the company. They have a very broad market with a recognizable brand name and they focus on customer satisfaction. The restaurant business can be very competitive, but they have unusually high management retention and that may be in part to extremely competitive starting salaries and excellent benefit packages. Their competitor, Ruby Tuesday, has franchised many of its stores, creating varied salaries, salary caps, and benefits, when going from a franchise to a corporate store, which can make it difficult to retain managers. When Chili’s is looking for hourly employees, it offers several opportunities to them. They can apply and interview online, receive benefits and have the opportunity to grow with the company. Their hourly employee turnover rate is also lower than the industry average. Chili’s Weaknesses Even though the Chili’s brand is recognizable, it doesn’t appeal to the upper class. The casual dining concept, no matter how different, is still the same. They receive much of their food frozen, unlike Ruby Tuesday which receives all of their meat and produce fresh, making some items not the best of quality. During the busy times, servers are pressured to decrease their table turn time, the time from when a guest sits at the table until they leave and the table is ready for another guest, which can make it difficult to build a rapport with their guests, but at the same time they want their PPA (per person average) to be higher. Many of their restaurants are focused around the bar, which segregates some consumers that do not want to be in that environment. It also makes their seating area than some of their competitors. Chili’s Opportunities There are several things Chili’s can do to remain competitive in the casual dining industry. They can continue to expand internationally, beyond the 20 countries they are already in. Their competitors have yet to exceed that with Ruby Tuesday’s being in about twelve countries and Applebee’s is in almost twenty. They have a very well known brand which will allow them to continue expansion at a rapid rate with the backing of their parent company, Brinker Intl. They are launching a program to try international cuisines at some of their foreign locations. If consumers react positively this could be a great growth opportunity, if it is not taken to, it could be a threat to their international stores if they continue it. They can enlarge their restaurants or configure different models, based on the demographics of the area, to include more seating for guests and not just the bar area. They can continue to expand their brand recognition apparel and glassware. Chili’s Threats The largest threat to the Chili’s brand is the competition of casual dining restaurants, which are easy to duplicate. Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday’s both had higher 1-year sales growths, with 10% and 17. %, respectively, compared to Chili’s at 6. 1%. Chili’s saturated some U. S. markets and has no where else to expand in those areas. They need to keep up with current trends and eating habits, because they change often, to stay current with the market. Summary Chili’s has managed to saturate the US and foreign markets better than its competitors. Their sales are higher and they retain their employees longer. They need to look at a few things like following eating trends and standing out from the competition a bit more, but they are a highly competitive company that keeps people coming back.

Reflective Essay on Clinical Decision Making

Reflective Essay on Clinical Decision Making Clinical decision making in nursing involves applying critical thinking skills to select the best available evidence based option to control risks and address patients needs in the provision of high quality care that nurses are accountable for. Standing, M. (2011) Nurses are accountable for the quality, safety and effectiveness of their clinical decision making. We are accountable to the patients, clients and service users to whom we owe a duty of care. According to Standing, M. (2011), accountability in decision making is being answerable to patients, the public, employers, NMC and the law for the consequences of our actions and having to explain, justify, and defend our decisions. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2008) states that nurses are personally accountable for their actions during practice and therefore they must be able to justify their decisions at all time. Nurses have to balance a number of elements before they make a decision, however the patients best interest is their main priority. Decision making involves assessing available options and their effectiveness. It applies judgement regarding our reasons for doing or not doing things. As nurses, we use different information sources to support our judgement and decision making. Nursing is the use of clinical judgement in the provision of care to enable people to improve, maintain, or recover health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life whatever their disease or disability, until death. (Royal College of Nursing, 2003) Decision making requires thinking skills to exercise judgement in assessing the benefits of available options and choosing a preferred option that is then acted upon. Judgement is not decision making but is closely related. Decision making links judgement to practice by acting on it in choosing from the options available. There are different models of decision making in nursing developed to help nurses make their decision on all aspects of nursing care and I decided to focus on risk analysis and management and evidence based decision making. Clinical practice is often concerned with risk reduction and with the developing trend in healthcare litigation, there is a big emphasis on risk management for both the patients and health care staffs. Clinical risk management will fundamentally happen through the interpretation and application of agreed individual care plans. The development of a comprehensive and individualised care plan will relate to the broad range of effective treatment, rehabilitation and support services provided at the current level of clinical knowledge (Morgan, S., 1998). Risk assessment is a process of identifying and investigating factors associated with the increased probability of specified risk occurring. It is an examination of the context and details of past risk incidents in the light of current circumstances. It is also concerned with the patterns of circumstances in which these factors may arise. A nurse may assess a patient as at risk of developing pressure sores, and then implement measures to try and reduced the likelihood of this event occurring by providing equipment such as specialist mattress. Risk assessment is a continuous process in which nurses gather information from multiple sources and other health care professionals with the focus of identifying the factors that is associated with the increased probability of risk happening. It is the foundation on which decisions are made and risks plans are then formulated through available national and local policies and procedures (Morgan, S.,1998). According to Lipsedge (1995), good practice in risk assessment requires nurses to translate their knowledge into a clearly distinct formulation of the risks. The formulation should ideally reflect aspects of each individual, context and systems that may influence the potential for risks. The primary aim of pressure ulcer risk assessment tool is to help nurses identify individuals at risk of pressure ulcers and determine the degree of risk (Shakespeare 1994).Formal pressure ulcer risk assessment involves the use of a tool that assists in identifying those patients likely to develop a pressure ulcer. According to Guy, H. (2007), risk assessment on pressure ulcer requires multifactorial consideration. Risk-assessment tools are a useful signpost to risk factors but must not be used in isolation to identify risk. It is important to carry out a care plan once the patient is identified to be at risk of developing a pressure sore so that occurrence of pressure damage can be prevented. Most nurses are familiar with the use of pressure sore risk assessment tools such as the Braden or Waterlow scales. These tools collect data regarding various factors thought to be associated with the development of pressure sores. There is normally some form of scoring system which shows the probability of the pressure sore occurring. For example, if a patient scores 15 or over on the Waterlow scale, the individual may be considered at risk of developing pressure sores and therefore the nurses will have to maintain a pressure ulcer prevention (PUP) bundle in order to keep track of the patients condition. According to Waterlow (1985), recommended care interventions are available with each recommendation corresponding to the risk score parameters of the Waterlow scale. The Waterlow scale is mostly used in adult field of nursing. It can also be used with hospitalised mental health and learning disability patients. However, the Waterlow scale is specifically designed for adults and therefore it is not appropriate to be use on children. Paediatrics use a different pressure ulcer risk assessment tool called the Glamorgan scale (Willock, J. et al, 2007). No risk assessment tool can be 100% accurate. The key issue in examining risk assessment tools is how good they are at distinguishing those at risk from those who are not and if they are better or more accurate than simply relying on professional judgement (Thompson, C. Dowding, D., 2002). When considering risk assessment and risk reduction, it is important that the initial assessment of risk is accurate. Evidence refers to information that is used to support particular beliefs, decisions and actions. Evidence-based decision making is a prescriptive approach to making choices based on ideas of how research and theory can be used to improve decision making in regards to delivery and quality of patient care. According to Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008a, p.7), nurses are now required to use evidence based practice. For example, nurses must deliver care based on the best available evidence or practice and must ensure any advice given to patients are evidence based. Sackett el al (1996) defines evidence base practice as the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient by incorporating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from a systematic research. This means that one solution will not be the same for all clinical scenarios and it is the nurses role to identify the research that best fits the clinical situation. According to McKibbon (1998): Evidence based practice is an approach to health care wherein health professionals use the best evidence possible, i.e. the most appropriate information available to make clinical decisions for individual patients. Evidence based practice values, enhances and builds on clinical expertise, knowledge of disease mechanisms, and pathophysiology. It involves complex and conscientious decision making based not only on the available evidence but also on patient characteristics, situations and preferences. It recognises that health care is individualised and ever changing and involves uncertainties and probabilities. Ultimately, Evidence base practice is the formalisation of the care process that the best clinicians have practiced for generations. McKibbon (1998) recognises the importance of the patient when making decisions about their own care. According to Reigle, Steven, Belcher et al (2008) and Talsma, Grady, Feetham, et al (2008), the reason why evidence based practice is consistently implemented is because it leads to the highest quality of care and best patient outcomes. It involves combining the knowledge of an expert, patient preferences and research evidence within the context of available resources. Also, studies by McGuinty and Anderson (2008) and Williams (2004) showed that evidence based practice has reduced healthcare costs and geographic variation in delivery of care. Integrating research evidence into decision making involves forming a focused clinical question in response to a recognised information need, searching for the most appropriate evidence to meet that need, critically appraising the retrieved evidence, incorporating the evidence into a strategy for action, and evaluating the effects of any decisions and actions taken. Thompson et al (2004) One of the tools used in evidence based practice is the use of the early warning score system (EWS). EWS were developed to assist health care professionals detect if patients are deteriorating. It is based on physiological parameters taken when recording patient observation e.g. the patients heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, oxygen saturations and systolic blood pressure. The EWS is designed for adults and can also be use with mental health and learning disability patients. However, due to children and adults different physiological responses, EWS is inappropriate to use on children. Alternatively, Paediatric Early Warning Scores (PEWS) is use for children, to record observations and is use to assess the childs condition i.e. If the childs score is high then this means he/she is at risk of deteriorating, this gives nurses an early indication that an action has to be done. The use of early warning score (EWS) is the best practice for clinical observations (Department of Health, 2000), and this is backed up by NCEPOD (2005) who emphasised that every in-patient should have a EWS recorded. Accurate and timely observations and adherence to EWS is essential in order to recognise patients who are at risk of deterioration. According to NICE (2007), nurses caring for patients in acute hospital settings should be skilled in monitoring, measuring, and interpreting data and have prompt response to the acutely ill patient and they should be assessed in order to demonstrate their competency. Early intervention can help prevent patients condition from deteriorating which then helps avoid the need to transfer the patient to a higher level of care. However, despite the good outcome of using evidence based practice in decision making with regards to patient care, there are issues such as nurses do not always make their decision based on available evidence due to lack of skills i.e. poor IT skills, lack of research skills and literature. There are also misconceptions that traditional ways is the best way, or that gathering evidence is too difficult and time consuming. Becoming skilled in clinical decision making requires the application of a range of evidence regarding patient concern, physical and human resources within healthcare contexts, understanding health and illnesses, developing expertise in applying therapeutic approaches, a commitment to enhance the wellbeing of those in your care and fulfilling the requirements of the relevant professional body. Overall, as nurses, it is important to have a basis when we make a decision regarding patient care. Risk is integral to nursing and the assessment of risk is one of the most common judgements nurses make. Each decision making model requires certain set of skills in order to be put on proper use and get the right results. Nurses are expected to use valid evidence to support their decisions when deciding what care to provide each patient. It is also important that nurses use their resources cost effectively by ensuring that resources and equipment are used correctly by the patient. Sometimes it is difficult for the nurse to come to a decision that will satisfy clients and co-workers and they also may be challenged at any time, however the important thing is that the nurse takes full responsibility and is able to justify his/her decision. Making the wrong clinical decision is not only harmful to patients but can also damage a nurses career. Learning about developing and applying effecti ve clinical decision making skills is vital for the wellbeing of patients and nurses capacity to demonstrate that decisions are justified.

Acid rain

Acid rain An introduction to the Acid rain Acid rain is a major problem for our health and even our existence. Human started poisoning the atmosphere with acid gases since 1730, at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Although, it was first recognized in 1872, approximately one hundred years after the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when an English scientist, Robert Angus Smith (1817-1884), pointed out the problem. In 1962, the Swedish scientist Svante Oden brought the acid rain quandary to the attention of the press, instead of the less popular scientific journals. He compiled records from the 1950s indicating that acid rain came from air masses moving out of central and western Europe into Scandinavia. In 1984 it was reported that almost half of the trees in the famous black forest in Germany had been damaged by acid rain. In 1988 United nations agreed to reduce the emissions of these acids into the atmosphere. In 1990 changes to the Clean Air Act set rules to cut down the release of sulfur dioxide from power pl ants down to 10 million tonnes by January 1, 2000 The Meaning and Creation of Acid Rain Acid rain is a term that describes the fall of the quantity of acids, staying in the atmosphere. We can use the term â€Å"Acid deposition to be more specific. Acid deposition separates in two parts: wet and dry. Wet deposition refers to the acidic rain, fog, and snow. As the high-acidized water flows over and through the ground, affects badly most of the earths flora and fauna. The danger of this effect depends on many factors like the acidity of water, the capacity of the soil and the types of flora and fauna that depend on water. Dry deposition refers to the acidic gases and their particles. It is known, that most of these acidic gases falls from the atmosphere to the earth through this procession (dry deposition). After that, the wind blows these dangerous particles on trees, cars, buildings etc. Trees are also infected due to the rainstorms, because they absorb the water from the storm. When this fact happens the high-acidized water adds these acids to the acid rain, which makes it more acidic than the rain that already falls. Prevailing winds blow these chemical compounds, which cause both wet and dry deposition, across the lands (hundreds of miles). The most important and harmful compounds are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) which are created mostly from electric power generation made through the burning of fossil fuels like coal. The acidity of acid rain is made through the following reactions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides with the oxygen from the atmosphere and the water from the rains S + O 2 → SO 2 SO 2 + O 3 → SO 3 + O 2 SO 3 + H 2 O → H 2 SO 4 SO 2 + H 2 O → H 2 SO 3 2NO 2 + H 2 O → 2HNO 3 + NO2 NO + O 2 → 2NO2 Natural effects Nature also harms herself. Acid gases, produced by emissions from fires, volcanic eruptions, bacterial decomposition and lightening, are released in the atmosphere, increasing the amounts of nitrogen oxide. The major biological source of sulfur containing compounds is Dimethyl sulfide. Gas Phase chemistry Sulfur Sulfur dioxide reacts with the hydroxyl radical. Then the product reacts with the oxygen from the atmosphere and creates sulphur trioxide. Sulfur trioxide, when water is present, reacts and produces sulphuric acid. (See reaction table No1) Now, sulphur dioxide, like carbon dioxide, reacts with water, when clouds are present, through the procession of Hydrolysis. It dissolves in water in a series of equilibrium reactions (See reaction table No2) SO2 + OH · → HOSO2 HOSO2 · + O2 → HO2 · + SO3 SO3 (g) + H2O (l) → H2SO4 (l) NO2 + OH · → HNO3 SO2 (g) + H2O SO2 ·H2O SO2 ·H2O H+ + HSO3− HSO3− H+ + SO32− Nitrogen Oxide Nitrogen oxide reacts with OH to form nitric acid NO2 + OH · → HNO3 Oxidation There is a large amount of reactions where sulfur is oxidized from S(IV) to S(VI) that leads to the formation of sulphuric acid. The most important oxidation reactions are with ozone, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen (reactions with oxygen are catalyzed by iron and manganese in the cloud droplets). Measure and effects To measure the acidity of acid rain, we use the pH scale. Pure water has a pH of 7.0. Normal rain has a pH of 5.5 due to the dissolve of carbon oxide into it. The most acidic rain was fell in USA in the year 2000. It had a ph of 4.3 This acidity affects every living thing on the planet. The following tasks explain exactly this affection: 1st Effect: On Plant life Roots of flowers and trees are destroyed, such as nutricients, which are very important for their lives. Useful microorganisms, which release nutrients from decaying organic material, are killed. Acid rain also damages the waxy layer of the plants, which makes the plant vulnerable to diseases. Plants that survive are weak and without the ability to survive through tough conditions such as a short dry period, a heavy rainfall or a strong wind. The reproduction is also affected. 2nd Effect: On soil The decrease of pH damages or kills some microbes, which produce important enzymes. These enzymes, after the damage of microbes, change shape and lose the ability to function. Also cation exchange creates a serious problem. The ions of some metals (magnesium, potassium, and other metals) are attached to the clay and humus particles in the soil. The attractive forces of positive metal ions to the negatively charged clay particles are strong enough to hold the metal ions in the soil despite the passage of water through the soil. Hydronium ions from acid rain mobilize toxins like aluminium and leach away nutrients like magnesium. 3rd Effect: On animals, humans, and aquatic life Humans depend on food (animals, fishes). Fishes on the lakes and the seas are poisoned or infected by aluminium and mercury, that is leached from soil and rocks. Soil and water have the ability to neutralize the acidity of the rain water. But as the acidity becomes stronger, the pH goes lower. pH 5.5- Plankton population begins to die pH 5.0 Fish population begins to die pH lower than 5.0- All the fishes have died This effect is called ‘Acid Shock† and prevents also the reproduction of the population. Animals, like all the living organisms, interdependent on each other. The habitants that depend on plants and fishes begin to extinct. Other animals that depend on the animals, who depend on fishes and plants, begin to extinct. The food chain is affected dangerously. 4th Effect: Corrosion of buildings and sculptures. The sulfur dioxide reacts with limestone and marble. This reaction creates a black crust on buildings and sculptures, composed by gypsum. Gypsum is composed by the reactance of calcite, water and sulfuric acid. It may be white, but in the crystals of the network of its composition, dirt and pollutant are trapped, so it looks black CaCO3 (s) + H2SO4 (aq) CaSO4 (aq) + CO2 (g) + H2O Acid rain also increases the oxidation rate of metals, especially copper and bronze One good result Researches have resulted that Acid rain restricts global warming by reducing methane emissions from wetland areas. This study also showed that sulfur in the acid deposition limits global warming by counteracting the natural production of methane gases by microbes in wetland areas. Heating these microbes increases the speed of producing more methane, which is mitigating by the sulphur pollution from the industries. This fact is happening because of the sulphur-eating bacteria, which are living in wetlands, and compete the methane-eating microbes. Experiments have shown, that releasing the sulphur deposits causes decrease of methane by 30%, due to the activation of sulphur-eating bacteria Acid rain: Problems and solutions An important solution is the remove of sulphur from the stack gases, made from coal-burning power plants of the industries. This will be able to be done with the use of FGD (flue gas desulfurization). This plan is commonly uses in the U.S.A and many other countries. An example of FGD is the wet scrambler. Wet scrambler is a reaction tower equipped with a fan that extracts hot smoke stack gases from a power plant into the tower. Lime or limestone in slurry form is also injected into the tower to mix with the stack gases and combine with the sulfur dioxide present. The calcium carbonate of the limestone produces pH-neutral calcium sulfate that is physically removed from the scrubber. That is, the scrubber turns sulfur pollution into industrial sulfates. In some areas, where he purity of calcium sulphate is high, the sulfates are sold to chemical companies as a gypsum. In other areas they are placed in landfill. However, the effets of acid rain can last for generations, due to the change of the pH level. Chemicals continue leaching in water, killing off all the living organisms and blocking the restore of life. Another solution refers to the trading of emissions. Industries can then install pollution control equipment, and sell portions of their emissions allowances they no longer need for their own operations. This plan saves the economy and decreases the capital cost for these equipments. The intention is to give operators economic incentives to install pollution controls. Prevention Step 1 · Reduce emissions from mining, smelting and generating electrical power. Consumers can help by using fewer mined resources and reducing electrical power usage, as well as campaigning for government regulation of emissions in their area. Step 2 · Reduce emissions produced by oil operations and oil-fueled transportation. Consumers can help reduce emissions produced by oil operations by buying less oil, buying from companies with higher emissions regulations and driving cars with lower emission rates. Step 3 · Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides produced by reducing use of coal and wood burning as well as natural gas. Step 4 · Cut back on your use of products that produce chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Air conditioning, refrigeration and many aerosol products use or contain CFCs. Reduce the use of air conditioning by using fans and use a single, energy efficient refrigerator per household. Conserve cooled air by not leaving doors open when the air conditioning is on and by not leaving the refrigerator open for extended periods of time. Step 5 · Reduce production of sulfur dioxide by conserving paper. Sulfur dioxide is produced in paper production, so read newspapers online rather than buying a newspaper everyday, use the front and back of paper and use recycled paper. Step 6 · Reduce the emissions produced by your car by car pooling, planning ahead to combine long trips, biking or walking for short trips and keeping your car well maintained to be sure nothing is leaking. Step 7 · Increase energy efficiency in your home by using fluorescent lights, turning lights off when not in use, shutting down utilities when youre on vacation, closing off vents to rooms that are not in use and operating large appliances like dishwashers, washers and driers only when full. Step 8 · Reduce your use of manufactured materials such as packaging and other disposable products and recycle as much as you can. Producing new materials and disposing of waste materials are responsible for a large number of the pollutants that cause acid rain.

Essay examples --

Mass Mmedia is made up of several communications systems that reach millions of people every day. But who owns the media? Actually, through the long history of mergers and acquisitions, few big companies have been controlling what we see, hear, and read by maintaining the ownership of mass media. However, the issue of media conglomeration has produced a significant amount of controversy. Since the media’s power and the control of the communications system have been dominated by a few corporations, media conglomeration has been viewed as an obstruction and limitations of diversified contents. While opponents believe there is a crisis impending due to the perception of increased concentrated ownership and convergence of the media industry that interfere with message pluralism, supporters argue the media system has increased diversity more than before and large companies offer advantages that a small company can never afford . This paper examines the history of media owners hip and the current FCC regulations, and discusses the effects of media conglomeration on our society. In the United States, there are a few corporations that control the mass media. The Free Expression Policy Project (FEPP), founded in 2000 to provides research and advocacy on free speech, copyright, and media democracy issues indicates: there are ten corporations that control the mass media in the United Stets: Viacom, Time Warner, Walt Disney, General Electric, News Corporation, and Vivendi Universal. While media concentrations have been going on for quite some time, there are concerns about how this conspiracy of media monopolies started ? In early 1900, telecommunications markets were not monopolies. After the radio was invented, regulations were ... ...lt Disney Company, Liberty Media Corporation, AT&T Corporation, News Corporation, Bertelsman, Vivendi Universal, and Sony. After several rounds of rulemaking and court challenges, the FCC announced a new â€Å"Broadcast Ownership Rules† in June of 2003. This law raised the ceiling for national market share from 35% to 45%. Responding to widespread protests, Congress overturned this increase as part of its 2003 appropriations bill. However, after President Bush threatened to veto the entire appropriations bill, a compromise was reached at 39%, which allowed Viacom and the News Corporation to keep all of the stations they currently owned. (Miller) For many years, despite the enormous revenues that have been generated by these few big media companies, media conglomeration caused a mutilation of viewers’ thinking and suppression to segments of the communicated message. Essay examples -- Mass Mmedia is made up of several communications systems that reach millions of people every day. But who owns the media? Actually, through the long history of mergers and acquisitions, few big companies have been controlling what we see, hear, and read by maintaining the ownership of mass media. However, the issue of media conglomeration has produced a significant amount of controversy. Since the media’s power and the control of the communications system have been dominated by a few corporations, media conglomeration has been viewed as an obstruction and limitations of diversified contents. While opponents believe there is a crisis impending due to the perception of increased concentrated ownership and convergence of the media industry that interfere with message pluralism, supporters argue the media system has increased diversity more than before and large companies offer advantages that a small company can never afford . This paper examines the history of media owners hip and the current FCC regulations, and discusses the effects of media conglomeration on our society. In the United States, there are a few corporations that control the mass media. The Free Expression Policy Project (FEPP), founded in 2000 to provides research and advocacy on free speech, copyright, and media democracy issues indicates: there are ten corporations that control the mass media in the United Stets: Viacom, Time Warner, Walt Disney, General Electric, News Corporation, and Vivendi Universal. While media concentrations have been going on for quite some time, there are concerns about how this conspiracy of media monopolies started ? In early 1900, telecommunications markets were not monopolies. After the radio was invented, regulations were ... ...lt Disney Company, Liberty Media Corporation, AT&T Corporation, News Corporation, Bertelsman, Vivendi Universal, and Sony. After several rounds of rulemaking and court challenges, the FCC announced a new â€Å"Broadcast Ownership Rules† in June of 2003. This law raised the ceiling for national market share from 35% to 45%. Responding to widespread protests, Congress overturned this increase as part of its 2003 appropriations bill. However, after President Bush threatened to veto the entire appropriations bill, a compromise was reached at 39%, which allowed Viacom and the News Corporation to keep all of the stations they currently owned. (Miller) For many years, despite the enormous revenues that have been generated by these few big media companies, media conglomeration caused a mutilation of viewers’ thinking and suppression to segments of the communicated message.

Benefits of the US- Chile Free Trade Agreement :: essays research papers

Benefits of the US- Chile Free Trade Agreement The meeting of minds between Chile and the United States has brought about a long awaited union pertaining to free trade. Chile responded enthusiastically when presented with the opportunity to become a part of 1994's North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but because of the issue of presidential fast-track trade negotiation authority, the merger did not come to fruition. Now, nearly a decade later -- after negotiations began in the year 2000 -- Chile and America have come to their own agreement with regard to free trade, one that is both historic and comprehensive in nature. On September 3, 2003, President George W. Bush signed the United States - Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Which went into effect on January 1, 2004. Chile was the first country in Latin America to sign this type of agreement with the United States. The United States - Chile Free Trade Agreement allows two nations to strengthen and develop economic relations and to establish free trade between them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Chile, resolve to: (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strengthen the special bonds of friendship and cooperation between their nations (b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Contribute to the harmonious development and expansion of world trade and provide catalyst to broader international cooperation. (c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Create an expanded and secure market for the goods and services produced in their territories. (d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Avoid distortions in their reciprocal trade. (e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Establish clear and mutually advantageous rules governing their trade. (f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ensure a predictable commercial framework for business planning and investment. (g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build on their respective rights and obligations under the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization and other multilateral and bilateral instruments of cooperation. (h)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enhance the competitiveness of their firms in global markets. (i)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Foster creativity and innovation, promote trade in goods and services that are the subject of intellectual property rights. (j)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Create new employment opportunities and improve working conditions and living standards in the respected territories. (k)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build on their respective international commitments and strengthen their cooperation on labor matters. (l)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protect and enhance and enforce basic workers’ rights. (m)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Implement this agreement in a matter consistent with environmental protection and conservation. (n)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promote sustainable development. (o)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conserve protect and improve the environment, including through managing natural resources in their respective territories and through multilateral environmental agreements to which they are both parties. (p)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preserve their flexibility to safeguard the public welfare; and (q)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Contribute to hemispheric integration and the fulfillment of the objectives of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (http://www. Benefits of the US- Chile Free Trade Agreement :: essays research papers Benefits of the US- Chile Free Trade Agreement The meeting of minds between Chile and the United States has brought about a long awaited union pertaining to free trade. Chile responded enthusiastically when presented with the opportunity to become a part of 1994's North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but because of the issue of presidential fast-track trade negotiation authority, the merger did not come to fruition. Now, nearly a decade later -- after negotiations began in the year 2000 -- Chile and America have come to their own agreement with regard to free trade, one that is both historic and comprehensive in nature. On September 3, 2003, President George W. Bush signed the United States - Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Which went into effect on January 1, 2004. Chile was the first country in Latin America to sign this type of agreement with the United States. The United States - Chile Free Trade Agreement allows two nations to strengthen and develop economic relations and to establish free trade between them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Chile, resolve to: (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strengthen the special bonds of friendship and cooperation between their nations (b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Contribute to the harmonious development and expansion of world trade and provide catalyst to broader international cooperation. (c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Create an expanded and secure market for the goods and services produced in their territories. (d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Avoid distortions in their reciprocal trade. (e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Establish clear and mutually advantageous rules governing their trade. (f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ensure a predictable commercial framework for business planning and investment. (g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build on their respective rights and obligations under the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization and other multilateral and bilateral instruments of cooperation. (h)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enhance the competitiveness of their firms in global markets. (i)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Foster creativity and innovation, promote trade in goods and services that are the subject of intellectual property rights. (j)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Create new employment opportunities and improve working conditions and living standards in the respected territories. (k)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build on their respective international commitments and strengthen their cooperation on labor matters. (l)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protect and enhance and enforce basic workers’ rights. (m)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Implement this agreement in a matter consistent with environmental protection and conservation. (n)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promote sustainable development. (o)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conserve protect and improve the environment, including through managing natural resources in their respective territories and through multilateral environmental agreements to which they are both parties. (p)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preserve their flexibility to safeguard the public welfare; and (q)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Contribute to hemispheric integration and the fulfillment of the objectives of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (http://www.

How Does the Childhood Obesity Rates Compare in Wales and Usa

How Does The Childhood Obesity Rates Compare in Wales and USA Intro I have chosen the issue of childhood obesity in Wales and America. I have chosen this issue as obesity is a main problem in today’s society, and I want to see how Wales compares to what is known as the ‘Fattest’ country, America. Also I hope to find out the main reasons behind the high or low rates in obesity. This topic interests me as it has a big impact on today’s youth, and I as a rugby player would prefer to see more people out exercising than sitting in the house eating. Aims For my investigation I have found both secondary and primary information.My secondary information is from various sources off the internet. This will help me find out the information I need such as rates of obesity in Wales and USA, and also give me a better understanding of the issue. I will use facts and figures from my research to give a clear outlook of childhood obesity. For my primary information I produced a questionnaire to hand out to a range of people. Twenty five of these questionnaires will be given out to children aged eleven to sixteen, and the other twenty five will be handed to adults. This will give me a two different view points which could contrast or be very similar.From this I should be able to see what the main cause of childhood obesity is, and shall show my findings in graph form to show clearly my results. I will show a clear understanding of the issue chosen by looking at both view points (adult and children), this will give me a balanced view and not a bias one. I shall also then produce an overall conclusion about my investigation and evaluate the quality of my findings too. Issue Childhood obesity has nowadays become a serious health matter world wide. â€Å"Obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual's ideal body weight.Obesity is associated with increased risk of illness, disability, and death. † [www. answer. com] Even though obesity does not affect every child, it is becoming more increasing. Also with obesity comes health problems, maybe not straight away but in the future, these problems could be such things as diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol and heart attacks which could lead to an early death. In today’s world many people had a part to play in the rising obesity figures. Today's reliance on cheap convenience and fast foods make it easy to consume large amounts of calories and they are well advertised to children.Only a very few children are overweight due to medical problems. Parents may be feeding their child too much at a young age, therefore making them obese before they have a choice of what to eat and what not to eat, from this when the grow up a bit they may feel depressed and look to food for comfort, only making the problem worse. Another reason is that in schools the amount of physical activity has dropped, with more children getting lifts to school too, and ch ildren now prefer to sit on the computer or watch the T. V. than going out and playing. Secondary ResearchFor my secondary research I planed to find rates of obesity for both Wales and America, and see how much/if the rates have risen through the years. I am expecting to find an increase over the years and hopefully find an explanation to why this is happening. Also I plan to find out if the government has any plans to try help this issue and decrease the rates. I hope to find that most information gives the similar answers, so I can then find out who is most responsible for the rates increasing. The figures of childhood obesity all over Europe are rising quickly, and up to 400,000 deaths each year in Europe are linked to excess weight.In America it has 25,814 deaths related to obesity a year, this is close to the European number for just one country. Therefore proving obesity is a huge problem within today’s everyday life. In Wales around 10% of six year olds are obese, with it rising to 17% of 15 year olds being obese. It is said that Welsh children are now among the fattest in the world, aged ten to fifteen years old. With the United Kingdom number three in the world with 23% of the population being classed as obese. RankCountry%Population Obesity 1USA30. 6 2Mexico24. 2 3United Kingdom23 information from http://www. nationmaster. com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity) America is rated the number one for obesity in the whole world, with a 30. 6% of the population being classed as obese. Also it has had its own T. V. documentary show done on it, â€Å"Super Size Me† which shows what Americans eat and the drastic damage it can do to your body. I have found from my research that child obesity is a major issue in Wales and more so, America. There needs to be drastic changes to try solve this problem, yet there doesn’t seem anyone/any organisation big enough to do so.However, there are small changes over world that I have noticed, such as schools taking out more fatty foods and bringing in new healthy options to take there place. This started with Jamie Oliver going round Britain looking at school dinners and then giving the children a new healthy option. Also from my research I have found that in both America and Wales the main cause seems to be an unhealthy diet combined with a lack of exercise. High-calorie foods such as chocolates, sweets and fast food are cheap and readily available to children.Alongside this, physical activity and exercise are no longer a part of most children's days – some children never walk or cycle to school or play sport. Instead, many of them spend hours in front of a television or computer. With this being the main cause it seems that the parents are also to be blamed for not controlling or joining in with activities in their children’s lives, if this is the case it may be a hard trend to get out of. Primary Research For my primary research I decide to produce 50 questionnaires to hand out, twenty five went to children aged eleven to sixteen and twenty five to adults.I have done this to try give a balanced view on what people of the area believe the main cause of obesity could be. However I know with questionnaire that you do not always get all of them back completed fully and appropriately, but I cannot let this effect me as it happens to everyone. Fourteen of the adults I asked to complete my questionnaire had children while eleven didn’t, but I found this did not affect my findings significantly. Below I will show you a few results of my questionnaire in graph form, and also a copy of the questionnaire I gave out. Who do you think is responsible for the wellbeing of obese children? (Adults)Who do you think is responsible for the wellbeing of obese children? (Children) As you can see from the graphs, there is a slight trend in who people believe to be responsibility, this is the parents. However from the adult graph you can see that parents come seco nd behind cheap foods, but this could be that the parents asked did not feel it was their fault and felt it was someone else’s. What do you believe the main cause for child obesity is? (Adults) What do you believe the main cause for child obesity is? (Children) From the above graphs you can see most adults saw junk food being the main cause for obesity, then parental control.I agree with this as junk food has become more advertised and easier to get hold of in today’s society, and with lack of parental control over their children they give in to them and let them have junk food or let them watch the T. V. instead of controlling them and giving them the healthy option and time slots for video gaming. However, in the children’s graph you can see they feel the school meals are to blame. I disagree with my findings here as I believe the children who have done the questionnaire have been more boas towards the rest of the options and not voted for them as much as it i s what they like in today’s life.Instead of going out, they prefer to sit in watching T. V. instead of eating healthy, they snack on junk foods. I find the adults graph to be more realistic in finding the main cause, but to get a balanced opinion I had to look at what children in my age range thought. Conclusion After looking over all my findings from both my primary and secondary research I have been able to come to a valid conclusion on the topic I chose to look at, Childhood Rates of Obesity in Wales and USA. It is easy to say that America is most obese country out of the two, with it being ranked number one for obesity in the whole world, with 30. % of the population being obese. I found that childhood obesity can be caused by a number of issues. Firstly the way children are brought up; if they are brought up on junk food it is hard to get out of this bad habit and they will carry on this into their adulthood and then carrying it on to their children. Another reasons is t he bombardment of fast food and its advertisement, this entices people to go to a fast food restaurant like McDonalds which is full of unhealthy foods that some people chose to live off instead of making a healthy meal in their house.In Wales the rates may not be as high as America, but they are still a great deal of children classed as obese. This has become a bigger problem in Britain over the past few years, with Britain being number 3 in the world rankings for obesity. However, there has been some Government work towards solving this problem such as change in school meals and healthier advertisements for restaurants like Pizza Hut and McDonalds, but most people feel this isn’t enough and more work could be done to help. EvaluationI encountered a number of problems during my research for both secondary and primary research. With my primary research the main problem I had was getting the questionnaires back in fully completed, also once in I was able to see that some may ha ve been done quickly and not completed seriously. The main problem with the secondary research was finding appropriate websites that can be trusted and give valid information. With so much on obesity it was difficult to find the right sources, however once found it was relatively simple to extract the information needed.Another problem that occurred was the size of both countries, Wales being a tiny country compared to America so it was hard to compare the rates in both. Overall though, I felt my investigation went well and what I believed was true, that USA was higher in childhood obesity than Wales. If I had to do this investigation again I would change two parts to what I have done, firstly I would have chosen a different country to USA due to its size over Wales, now looking back I think it would have been better to have pick a country such as France.The other change to my investigation would be with the questionnaire, I would ask more people to try get a wider picture instead o f a small amount which may not be an accurate opinion of the country in hand.Websites Usedhttp://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/wales/2997940. stmhttp://www. cdc. gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_child_03. htmhttp://www. nationmaster. com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity