Culture of Kazakhstan

â€Å"Culture is a process for identity of living creatures and cultural evolution raises the identity of society, benefit goes to its individuals. Culture is the domain of human activity associated with self-expression of a person, a manifestation of his subjectivity. That's why every culture has additional features, as related to both the `creative person, and everyday practice, communication, reflection, generalization, and his daily life† (Religious Studies:Textbook / Ed. MM Shakhanovich. – St. Petersburg. Peter, 2006). On our planet, there are so many different countries with their own traditions, customs and culture, The relationship between these cultures and people rather strained, so there are national characteristics, specific to each nation. Actually, it’s not a secret that, traditions that are normal for Europeans, is totally unacceptable for Asian people. After the failure of etiquette, tradition and cultural heritage of the country, can lead to vari ous conflicts. The uniquences of individual nation, lies precisely in its cultural characteristics that are unique to him. ( Every culture 2011) â€Å"Kazakh ethnic group, held a long period of formation, in which participated many tribes and nations, has an important place in the history of Eurasia, and one of the oldest ethnic groups. It is the successor to the cultural heritage of all nations who took part in its formation, so that the Kazakh people – one of the richest nations in cultural terms. Kazakh culture until the twentieth century was a nomadic†. (Every culture 2011) According to the Kazakh traditions, guests are treated to the Kazakh national cuisine for dastarkhan (dinner table) in yurt.Yurt, adapted to nomadic life and a very effective tool in the process of nomadic meets all the requirements of the nomadic lifestyle can be easily disassembled and quickly installed a new location. Kazakhs have a lot of different traditional events, like Nauryz, or Spring Festival, Shildehana and so on. Nauryz falls on the vernal equinox. On this day, every woman cook a special dish, â€Å"Nauryz kozhe†, which consists of seven types of products: Siberian millet, wheat, rice, barley, millet, meat, and kurt.People go from village to village, eat this food, sing the song â€Å"Nauryz†, hug, congratulate each other a Happy New Year and wish a good offspring in the new year and prosperity at home. â€Å"Shildehana† – celebrated on the birth of son, wealthy people inviting people and organized contests of singers, trick riding on horseback. Also Kazakhstan like all countries where the spread of Islam, it was customary to   religious holiday – â€Å"Eid†. In this celebration, the sheep and lambs are sacrificed in the name of God..The meat is given to the poor, and partly used for the family. An obligatory ritual of the holiday is a common prayer in the mosque prior to sacrifice. In this day of celebration in ever y home preparing a meal, all congratulate each other. At that time, â€Å"the more you learn about French traditions and culture, the more you will be interested in. France has a long and varied history to draw upon, and countless legends and customs have been passed from generation to generation. In addition, each region of France is quite unique†. Easy-french 2011) They expect guests and foreigners to behave in the same manner that they do. The French are all about preserving their culture and being individualized. â€Å"France is culturally vivid and varied phenomenon. Various times, manifest in the architecture of France, calling each other, also appear the picturesque outline of the locks, bridges, towers† (Everyculture 2011). When the French come off the art, they are happy to deal with such sports as football, rugby, basketball, cycling. Bycicle race tour in France popular all over the world.Traditional games such as bowls, are also very popular. â€Å"France i s a secular state. The main religion is Roman Catholicism, but it doesn’t play a leading role in public life and experiencing a relative decline. Islam is the second most common religion, followed by Protestantism and Judaism† (Yakovlev, EG Aesthetics: A. Tutorial. – M. : Gardariki, 2003). So, people can notice, there are a lot of differences and similarities between European and Asian countries. In general, the greeting in both countries absolutely different.For instance, in France, â€Å"when people greet each other, they shake hands or embrace with a kiss on both cheeks . Kissing is only done when two people are close friends or relatives. For the most part, the embrace is done only the first time in a day in which one sees someone and is not repeated again until one says good-bye† ( Every culture 2011). Likwise in Kazakhstan, if you know the person very well, you should greet with a kiss on one cheek once and shake hands. Notably, in both countries, al most the same greeting.

Public Health Essay

Edwin Chadwick was a very effective campaigner on many different health issues; a few of these things were; working conditions, poor sanitation and poor housing. Chadwick was also known as one of the founder fathers of public health also as the sanitary movement. His report was associated with the environmental factors of poverty and ill health. He then engaged in the help of civil and medical engineering professionals to carry out his idea, this idea were to improve the general health of the population and the general public. Chadwick made recommendations to set up a local authority to deal with the sanitary issues that were in public health. Six years later after Chadwick’s guidance to the National Public Health Act (1894) was passed on board of health establishments. The public health authority will be very important because the promoting education and practice is seen as a key European regional priority and achieving improvements in health. The work of John Snow (1854) John Snow was also seen as another Father of Epidemiology. Epidemiology means the study of diseases in the human population. Snow was also intrigued about drinking water in the spread of Cholera disease and had come up with the theory that the people who had been drinking the water were the ones that had contracted the disease and were more likely to get the disease to those who had not drunk the water. He then plotted the cases of Cholera on a map and discovered that the people that were ill were all getting their water from the same water pump, located near the river Thames, which was contaminating the drinking water with sewerage. The connection between contaminated water and Cholera disease was then established before bacteriology was able to recognise the causative organism. John Simon and the 1866 Sanitary John Simon was seen as the third founding father of public health. Simon succeeded Chadwick in his role in public health administration, as he worked thoroughly with the engineers and he also assisted in the installation of the sewage system in the 1850’s and 1860’s. Simon also had a profession of a physician and then followed on to become a medical officer to the board of health in 1855. The chief engineer of the sewage system was Joseph Bazalgette. In 1866 the sanitary act placed a duty of inspection on local authorities and then decided to extend their range of sanitary powers. 2. The significant Public Health Advances in the 20th Century The Beveridge Report (1942) The Beveridge report was issued by an economist and social reformer, which was combined with the development of the welfare state, he was named William Beveridge. After the second world war the government promised reforms that would create a more equal society and then ask Beveridge to write a report on how to support people on low incomes (A report on the ways that Britain could fix itself). The new MP Clement Attlee published the introduction of the welfare state plan in the 1942 Beveridge report. In 1942 he then recommended the government to figure out the ways to figure out the 5 giant evils, these were, ‘want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness’. Beveridge did many reports oh which included; all working people to pay weekly contribution from their wages (TAX), also In return, benefits would be available to, the sick, the unemployed, the retired and the widowed. Founding of the National Health Service (1948) In 1948 the minister for health was Aneurin Bevan. He was the person who made (NHS) known. The National health service was made in 1948, which it’s main priority was to provide free health care/treatment for all. A national system of benefits was broadcasted to provide social security so the members of the population would be protected ‘from cradle to grave’. The NHS gather up to 10% from central taxes, this makes it fair for the rich to pay a bit more than the poor, Bevan saw this as a crucial part of the scheme. The care is free when needed but later chargers for additional needs were then added on if prescriptions and dentistry treatments were needed. Everybody in Britain is entitled to free care, even people who come visiting the country. The Acheson report into inequalities in Health (1998) The Acheson report highlights the reality of differences in health and their connections to different social classes. This shows overall downward flow mortality from 1970 – 1990. Donald Acheson made a list of 39 recommendations for addressing the problems following the inequalities of health. These included a number of things such as; improving the standards of education, making restrictions to smoking in public places and tackling alcohol misuse and also increasing benefits for certain groups of people. The 3 areas that are most crucial are; all policies likely to have an impact on health should be assessed in terms of their impact on health inequality, a high priority should be given to the health of families with children and further steps should be taken to reduce income inequalities and improve the living standards of poor households. Saving lives: Our healthier nation (1999) The labour government created this strategy to tackle poor health after it came into power in 1977. This has links to the Acheson report, as they were also trying to find out the main causes of the ill health. These included unemployment, pollution, low wages, crime and disorder and poor housing. They had main targets which were to reduce the death rates from various killers these were; cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke, accidents and mental illness. To achieve these they decided to put in in more money which was  £21 billion to secure a healthier population, tackle smoking as it was classed as the single biggest preventable cause of poor health, intergrating government and local government work to improve health, stressing health improvement as a key role for the NHS and pressing for high health standards for all, not just the privileged few. 3. The significant Public Health advances in the 21st century Choosing health: Making healthy choices easier (2004) The white paper of 2004 recommended a new approach to public health. This reflected a rapidly changing to society, this included the use of IT to make them think about how they might be able to improve there health. There has been acknowledgement of the governments role in promotion of social justice and they have made an effort to tackle wider causes of ill health and equality. The white paper outlined some important ways to help people make informed choices about their health, they were based on members of the publics views and what would work best for them, these were: Informed choice (people want to make their own decisions about choices that affect their health and to have credible and trustworthy information to help them do so), 2, Personalisation of services and third is social cohesion ( the public are clear that government and individuals alone cannot make progress on healthier choices. Real progress depends on effective partnerships across communities, including local government, the NHS, business, advertisers, retailers, the voluntary sector, communities, the media, faith organisations and many others). There are 6 main problems that need dealing with, there are; Obesity (improving diets), Alcohol related diseases (reduce the consumption), Smoking related problems (reduce it), Sexual health and Increase in exercise and improve mental health. Health Protection Agency (HPA) (2003) The HPA is an independent UK organisation that was set up by the government in 2003 to protect the public from threats to their health from infectious diseases and environmental hazards. Which also includes education and training. It does this by providing advice and information to the general public, to health professionals such as doctors and nurses and to national and local government. The agency identifies and responds to health hazards and emergencies caused by infectious disease, hazardous chemicals, poisons or radiation. It gives advice to the public on how to stay healthy and avoid health hazards, provides data and information to the government to help inform its decision making and advises people working in healthcare. From 2013 the HPA will become part of Public health England. The agency combines public health and scientific knowledge, research and emergency planning within one organisation and also works at international, national, re gional and local levels. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (NICE) is in charge for giving national guidance on the promotion of good health, this involves; independent, authoritative and evidence-based guidance on the most effective ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease and ill health. Guidance is for the NHS, local authorities, charities and anyone with a responsibility for commissioning or providing healthcare, public health or social care services. There are 3 main areas of conduct to inform practice. Firstly, the clinical practice is to treat people with scientific diseases and conditions within the NHS. Secondly, public health is for promoting good heath and preventing ill health and thirdly developing technology with new and existing medications and treatments within the NHS.

Diseases among Elderly People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diseases among Elderly People - Essay Example thromboxane A2 that promotes a cascade of events leading ultimately to clot formation. Increased homocysteine levels affect the inner lining of the arterial wall, and thus have long been implicated in the causation of thrombosis (Scott, J. and Weir, D., 1996). In fact, increased homocysetine levels associated with syndrome of homocysteinuria are acknowledged to be a cause of intravascular thrombosis. It has been observed that plasma homocysteine is normally converted to methionine co-factored by folic acid correlates in the body. When this reaction is impaired due to deficiency of cobalamine; since cobalamine regulates folate metabolism, it is deranged leading to elevated homocysteine levels (Mayer, E.L., Jacobsen, D.W., and Robinson, K., 1996). High plasma homocysteine, thus, will predispose to increased thrombosis, although it is not yet known whether hyperhomocysteinaemia due to folic acid deficiency predisposes to thrombosis or alters its response to treatment (Welch, G.N. and Loscalzo, J., 1998). This proposal aims to study the effect of folic acid on the elderly in terms of risk of coronary artery disease as relevant to prevention of thrombosis in preexisting atherosclerotic heart disease in terms of incidence of myocardial infarction (Bots, M.L. et al., 1999).Increasingly, healthcare is focusing towards prevention of disease rather than treating it after the catastrophe happens. Coronary artery disease manifested by acute myocardial infraction is one of the most common diagnoses in developed countries throughout the world. The mortality rate of the disease is 30% with over half the patients expiring even before they are able to reach the hospital. Survival from a heart...Research nurses will screen the medical records and exclude patients who have a history of coronary heart diseases or patients who are taking drugs known to interfere with folic acid, or taking vitamin supplements containing folic acid. Patients will be eligible for inclusion if aged 65 years or more and if their medical histories include two or more of the following conditions: diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity or smoking. All eligible individuals will receive a letter from the hospital explaining the study, followed by a telephone call inviting them to attend the first visit and instructing them to fast from midnight the night before the visit. At the first visit, all baseline measurements will be taken. Research nurses will take general information, such as, name, age, sex, phone number, address, smoking history, marital status, socioeconomic factors, and the names and phone numbers of two or three friends or relatives who always know how to reach the participants. Drugs history including aspirin or other anticoagulants, antihypertensive, anti-angina, and lipid-lowering drugs will be reviewed. Study procedures will be explained to all subjects. Subjects who are unlikely to complete follow-up due to plans to move or due to disease likely to be fatal within 4 years, or unwilling to participate will be excluded from the study. Ethics: All subjects will be explained the study protocol, and a written informed consent will

Fourth Essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fourth Assignment - Essay Example Each of the three books depicts a different kind of alternative family. The families in the books all have one thing in common, however. They all choose to be together and love each other regardless of anything that happens. In this way, these alternative families are able to function better than many traditional families. The theme throughout all of the books is that people find love and support in unexpected places. This doesn’t just refer to romantic love, but all kinds of love; especially the love that exists between good friends. The friends in turn use the love they’ve found to form families. The three different books all begin with traditional families that have been fractured in some way. In Plainsong, Tom Guthrie’s family is falling apart because of his wife’s growing depression, and she eventually leaves him. Victoria loses her family because first her father and then her mother have abandoned her. In Cold Mountain, almost all of the main charact ers’ close family members have died, and they all find themselves stuck far away from the places they think of as home. In Bridget Jonses’s Diary, Bridget appears to feel that her family is slowly falling apart because she has grown up and her parents’ marriage seems to be ending. In each book, the main characters must find ways to make their own new families, each in different ways. The characters in Plainsong make up many different kinds of families. ... Tom loves his children, and the loss of their mother naturally hurts them very much. The fact that they are able to accept the loss of their mother and move on shows that they love and trust their father. Even though things are hard for him, he continues doing his job as their father. When Maggie joins their family at the end, she is not completing a broken family. She is just adding an extra piece to it. Maggie chooses the McPheron brothers to take care of Victoria and her baby because she knows that they need someone to take care of just as badly as Victoria needs someone to care for her. Because the two brothers live together, they don’t realize that they need someone else until they learn to love Victoria and her child. They don’t notice how alone they are until they aren’t alone anymore. Maggie is right in thinking that the brothers are the perfect people to take care of Victoria. Their kindness is apparent right away. In comparison to her cruel mother, the McPherons are so different that Victoria is confused by them, but they end up becoming the best possible family that Victoria and her baby could have found. Her abusive boyfriend wants to take her away and have a traditional family with her—a married couple and their child. Victoria has to choose between the traditional family that society expects her to have and the quirky alternative family she has found with the McPheron brothers. Victoria chooses to stay with the brothers because they are the ones who protect her and treat her kindly. Maggie Jones is the most important character in the book. She is the one who creates families. She doesn’t just bring Victoria and the McPheron brothers together, but also brings the family created by the McPherons, Victoria and her baby

Answer questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer questions - Research Paper Example This has happened with Orkut before, though Facebook is too big to be waived any time soon. Ans. Convergence means the continuity of content across a range of media platforms; the exchange, cooperation, and interaction among multiple industries of media, and the media audiences’ migratory behavior in terms of their tendency to move anywhere to attain the entertainment experiences desired by them. As a consumer, I have experienced convergence as the flow of media content across borders, the competing media economies, and media systems. Global coverage of CNN and localization of Sesame Street are some of its examples. Ans. Digital media will grow both in features and consumption in the future. Expansion of digital media will provide the users with increased connectivity and more social interaction. New models of mobile phones and Ipads with new apps and software will play a cardinal role in the growth and expansion of digital media. Improvement in the life and usage of digital media is also anticipated e.g. increased battery life of digital gadgets, as the competition among the producers of such gadgets increases. Ans. This view of the future motivates me to gain a firm understanding of and expertise in the use of the various types of digital media, irrespective of whatever profession I eventually decide to pursue. The use of and dependency upon digital media of all professions is anticipated to increase in the future, be it engineering, medical sciences, or any other kind of business. In the times when newer versions of software, apps, and digital media surface very frequently, one needs to be constantly updated and modify one’s skills accordingly. Ans. If my view of the future is accurate, I would not only need strong computer skills, but also strong interpersonal skills. One thing advancement of technology and revolution of digital media particularly focuses upon is increased social networking.

Darkness at noon by Arthur Koestler Research Paper

Darkness at noon by Arthur Koestler - Research Paper Example Darkness at Noon stands second in series of a trilogy of novels that revolves about the fundamental theme of political ethics and revolutionary ethics in general. The other two dystopian novels written at the same time were Brave New World by Huxley and Nineteen Eighty Four by Orwell. These novels are unique in themselves as they reveal ugly truths and disturb us. The title of the novel is aptly named as Darkness at Noon. Noon time is the brightest time of the day and it is only during extraordinary situations (such as a storm or solar eclipse) that noon is engulfed in darkness. The same darkness is felt in the heavy oppressive theme of the 2 novel that starts with a prison scene and ends with acceptance of guilt. The darkness reflected in the book was actually a reflection of the political scene prevalent in the political history of Soviet Union. Just at a time when Communism was rising at its peak like a glowing sun, there came a solar eclipse in the lives of the leaders and took a way many of their lives. What was more surprising that most of these leaders willingly accepted their so called crimes just for the sake of their party. The book looks into the interior monologue and the dire circumstances that make the men take up such extreme steps and sacrifice their names along with their lives. The story set in 1930s is compelling, didactic and angry. It revolves around Nicolas Salmanovitch Rubashov, who is imprisoned for counter revolutionary activities. Rubashov is an aging Communist Party member, now locked inside a cell as an indictment against a series of crimes that he could not have possibly committed. He has been ordered to be shot as soon as he publicly accepts the charges. But, he refutes the state’s offer to confess his guilt in public. Rubashov is not a saboteur, just a good communist. Though Rubashov possessed some degrees of independent thoughts and had arrogance of manner, he could not have committed such a serious crime such as conspiracy against his country. The country of his confinement is not confirm though from the various descriptions people can make out that he belonged to the Soviet Union and is confined in one of its cells. 3 Rubashov is arrested for crimes against the State and repeatedly interrogated and psychologically tortured till he give up and accepts those charges. As a former communist Koestler closely examines the high level of dedication filled in these Communists so that they readily confessed to quite ridiculous crimes at the Stalin’s Show Trials of the 1930s. By making the protagonist accept the guilt of the crimes, he projects that once you convince yourself that the ends justify the means, you should not be surprised when those means are turned against you. Soviet Union was experimenting to construct a new society. But, to make that society individuals were required to sacrifice some things. These ‘some things’ were life and a lifelong created reputation. Any sort of poli tical deviation would weaken the roots of that society Thus, by sacrificing himself, Rubashov have a feeble hope that people would take it as a lesson and never deviate from the paths of moral standings. Darkness at Noon is one of the first literatures to be found on Soviet Union in the English language. According to George Orwell there was â€Å"in England almost no literature of disillusionment about the Soviet

Children and Families in UK Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Children and Families in UK Policy - Essay Example Secondly, it is a benefit payable to workers via the tax system which leads to increased net income for the concerned. Before 1997, all governments did not deal with family policy explicitly. However, the rest of the Europe highly embraced this. Under New Labour, there has been a tremendous change with regard to family policy. They have adopted the ideas of "social investment" in children. They have also realized that the great changes in family forms and the nature of contributions made by women and men in the families can not be ignored any more (Lewis, 2007). However, family is not an easy territory for these policymakers. Consensus on what a family should look like nowadays remains elusive as politicians find themselves treading on dangerous grounds. They avoid making any judgement regarding sexual morality or intimate relationship forms. Before 1997, the instinct was to look back to the traditional two-parent and married family. This is where the men were to be bread winners while women took care of the home and children. The earliest policy document was titled "Supporting Families." The aim of this approach was to address the changes. They have stopped condemning single mothers as a moral and social problem and a threat. Instead, the major focus has shifted back to that of the 1970s. Labour decided to increase employment rates for these single mothers since they could not provide enough money considering there was only one person providing both care and wages. Labour has been a bit too radical in its mission to address the issues caused by the changing nature of women and men's contribution to families, which is the increase in the increase in women's participation in the labour market. Initially, the UK did not so much concern itself in issues regarding work and family balance, specifically those regarding various types of leave for fathers and mothers and childcare. This has since changed and is now at par with the rest of Europe. Many families now have two incomes since many women also work, although part time in many cases. To respond to this trend, Labour has invested heavily in subsidies for childcare. They have also increased from fourteen weeks to nine months. This is expected to further increase to twelve months by 2010. They have also introduced the right to request flexible working patterns for young children's parents and caretakers of adult dependants. In addition, they have doubled maternity pay. During the initiation of these changes, Labour had a difficult task guarding against becoming a "nanny" state and responding to claims that it was undermining family privacy. The critics particularly did not like Labour to instigate parenthood programmes. Labour has shifted from the false position of the 1980s and early 1990s that parents are the most knowledgeable. It continues to insist on the importance of parental choice in respect to family practices. In particular, the way parents choose to combine care work and employment. However, these family members' interests often conflict. For instance, by men choosing not to do care work, it affects the women's choice to work. This issue of choice more often than not only masks inequality and power in family issues whenever it is applied in family policy. It has been argued that not enough has been done to encourage men to do care work. Giving fathers a "daddy leave" would really help achieve this (NAO,

Specific events over the past years that have affected the stock Essay

Specific events over the past years that have affected the stock market - Essay Example Prices remain steady and predictable and investors are confident in the market remaining steady. Markets respond to changes in the economy and a major change in the economy often results in major shifts in the stock market. Market crashes are precipitate by something occurring within the economy or war (or the threat of war). The stock market (New York Stock Exchange) responds to changes by gaining value or losing value. Markets losing value are not good. Changes in the economy can be real or perceived (the belief that something bad is going to happen). The NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) has responded in the past to changes (some perceived, some real) in the economic environment. Careful study of the stock markets since 1900 shows several events that affected the markets. Crashes in the market were swift and often lasted more than a year before the markets recovered. The most recent stock market crash was from January of 2000 to October 2002. During this time frame the markets were affected by the bursting of the 'tech bubble'. A lot of small '.com' start-ups went out of business and their investors incurred great losses. Also, during this time frame the twin towers were toppled by a terrorist attack (September 11th 2001). The instability this caused was reflected in market performance. The market dropped 37.8% before it recovered. According to Brenda Spotten, Associate Professor ... other symptoms of financial instability may adversely affect the real economy if they impair the ability of the financial markets to provide funds and hence transfer command over resources."(Spotten, B p1) In essence, a perceived inefficiency in the market can affect the economy and vice versa. Recently another 'bubble' burst. The housing market currently is in a slump. Good advice for investors would be to not invest in trendy new investments like 'tech bubble' start-ups. Investing in funds that are market resistant (such as a diversified fund) would provide some protection from market instability. Changes in the Federal Reserve lending rate can cause ripples in financial markets. Sometimes investors watch closely when the Federal Reserve changes interest rates for overnight lending (for banks). In 2004 investors were relieved when then Chairman, Alan Greenspan, raised the interest rate by 2.5%.(Ip, G p1) The markets continued to remain stable. Between November of 1973 and December of 1974 the market lost 45% of its value before recovering. During this time frame the Vietnam campaign was winding down. The retreat of American forces from Vietnam and the Watergate investigation had the affect of reducing consumer confidence in the market. Going back further in history finds another stock market crash that was the result of events in history. During 1939 and 1942 the United States grappled with entering World War Two. During this time frame the stock market lost 40% of its value. The attack on Pearl Harbor cemented the United States' entry into the war. As wartime production increased, the markets recovered. Prior to the United States' commitment to the war, politics, and fear of war, fueled the market crash during this period. The early American

Effect of Online Gaming to the Students Essay Example for Free

Effect of Online Gaming to the Students Essay * An online game is a video game played over some form of computer network, using a personal computer or video game console. * Online gaming is a technology rather than a genre, a mechanism for connecting players together rather than a particular pattern of gameplay. Online games are played over some form of computer network, typically on the Internet. One advantage of online games is the ability to connect to multiplayer games, although single-player online games are quite common as well. A second advantage of online games is that a great percentage of games don’t require payment. Also third that is worth noting is the availability of wide variety of games for all type of game players. Can video games make you smarter begins with asking what youre looking to gain by playing them. Did you know that: * Point: Video games are fun, but theyre not very productive or useful. * Counterpoint: One of the biggest benefits of video games and other interactive training techniques is that they offer a type of engaging and interesting activity that can help build and practice new skills * Point: Video games only train you in specific skills, which doesnt impart any greater ability to approach new challenges or obstacles. * Counterpoint: The key here is in the design and goals of the game in question. Whatever the game aims to train is what youll learn. Games that take the problem solving puzzles and critical thinking exercises that most of us remember as schoolchildren and update them with an interactive and adult-targeted medium can still impart those skills to older players. The issue with many brain training video games is that they want you to believe that youre getting smarter by increasing your cognitive ability, or somehow protecting your brain from decay or the effects of aging by playing them. That may not be true, but games carefully designed to build problem solving, critical thinking, and reading comprehension skills will help you build those skills. * Point: If games in general can help you learn specific skills, theres no need for video games specifically. You can just pick up a crossword, textbook, or mystery novel and hone those same skills. * Counterpoint: The big difference between picking up the New York Timescrossword and playing the iPhone version, or playing Scrabble at a table versus with other people in an internet-connected game like Words with Friends, is really in the person who plays the game. Strictly, interactive media are an artifact of our time, and appeal to people who would otherwise reject those older mediums in favor of newer ones. In addition to catering to our desire to be constantly connected and our need for immediate feedback and rapid-fire puzzles and challenges, video games resonate with us in a way that other media doesnt. That isnt to say theres no place for an old-fashioned mystery novel to challenge a reader to decipher an authors carefully laid clues before they get to the last page, but theres certainly room for both. There Are Psychological, Physical, and Therapeutic Benefits to Video Games, Too * In addition to the benefits of learning new things and developing new skills, video games—when properly applied—can have therapeutic and mental health benefits. If you play video games as a hobby or for relaxation, you likely already know that they can help you relieve stress and anxiety and help you relax. Negative effects of online gaming: * Since the advent of coin operated arcade games, video games have come a long way and spread to the homes of many children and teenagers, in both developed and developing countries (Bryant Vorderer, 2006). On one hand, the fierce competitions among the gaming giants such as Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft can be blamed for this phenomenon; while on the other hand, the internet alone is responsible for placing a universe full of games at arms reach of anyone with a computer and a decent internet connection. However, many games are not suitable for certain age groups. These include games which contain material that is explicit in either the lyrics of its songs, its bloody and gory action scenes, or even scenes that are considered borderline pornographic (in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the main character can enter strip clubs and receive lap dances) (Allofgta, 2008). Usually, many of the games containing significant amounts of violence are designed for mature audiences; nevertheless, their popularity among teenagers and children, who ironically constitute the largest contributors to the profits reaped from these games, is always on the rise. In Lebanon and many other countries in the middle east, no video game rating system or law exists, which allows children and teenagers to buy any game they want. Consequently, as Vorderer and Bryant explain (2006), young video game players may be exposed to substantially more violent content than ever before * Excessive violence in video games has many significant negative effects on children and teenagers. The nature of todays gaming market doesnt seem to help the situation at all. Every year, hundreds of new games are released into stores, adding to an already abundant library of blood and gore, which leads to a decrease in the price of previous years games. In addition, since the price of CDs and game related hardware is on the decline, it is becoming easier and more economical for children and teenagers to play these games in the comfort of their own home, instead of paying hourly fees at Local area network gaming centers * Other pro-violent video game activists take on a whole different approach in their defense strategy. * Three major negative effects are manifested in the majority of gamers who play violent video games. To begin with, gamers show a weakening in their pro social behavior, which include poorerrelationships and drug related problems. Secondly, users start to exhibit violent behavior which can manifest itself in their thoughts or physically. Finally, desensitization, the loss of proper response to violent images, also lurks behind these games. * Video games are the subject of so many studies, not to mention findings. Some suggest cognitive benefits, others behavioral issues that may or may not persist over time. Importance of the studies * The researcher also believes that not only the students will be benefited from the findings of the study but the instructors and the faculties as well. For they will be advised what to do to give more emphasis to the studies and the learning of the students. They will have an idea on how to get the attention of the students through their studies. Students most specially who has lower grades or failing grades. Definition of Terms There are terms of this study the student researchers defined to help the reader understand well the terms used. * Age. stage of life: a stage or phase in the lifetime of somebody or something length of somebodys or somethings existence | * Dropped. lessen: to decrease to a lower level, rate, or number, or make something do this * Effects of on line games   * Failed. unsuccessful: unsuccessful, or not having done what is expected or needed * Gender. Gender is a range of characteristics of femininity and masculinity.[1] Depending on the context, the term may refer to the sex * Passed. be successful, or declare somebody successful: to be successful in a test or examination, or officially decide that somebody has been successful in a test or examination

Academic Record Essay Example for Free

Academic Record Essay Sometimes, due to certain situations beyond our control and because of unavoidable and unforeseen circumstances, the academic track record may not be up to the mark. I strongly feel that the one bad academic year wherein I was forced to stay out of school for a period of more than six months is not reason enough to hinder my studies going forwards. This should not be the sole deciding factor to define my further academic growth and progress. I had urgent family matters and health problems to take care of during that timeframe. If the situation demanded that I fulfill my responsibilities, other than the one I have being a student, there was absolutely no choice I was left with. It was expected of me to rise to the occasion and be there for my family when they really needed me the most. Now that this phase of duty and responsibility has passed, I look forward to concentrating only on my studies that will help me develop and learn the necessary skills to get a good job and mold my personality, so I can emerge successful and also enjoy my student life to the fullest and take with me all that I possible can from each and every phase of it. See more: Social process essay If you look closely, you will notice that I’ve been a very good student and I have an unblemished track record till the time when I had to take a break from school. The grades I received a few terms before the gap are not indicative of my performance or progress made during that span of time. The score card neither indicates the level of difficulty of the subject nor does it truly reflect the amount of effort a student puts into their projects and dissertations. I would request you to think about my case, understand my circumstances and then evaluate my application accordingly.

Development of memory in infancy

Development of memory in infancy Discuss, with reference to appropriate experimental studies, the development of memory in infancy. Memory is the process of encoding, storing and retrieving information. Encoding is the acquiring and the entering of information into the system. Storage is the retaining of the memories over time, and retrieval is recovering the stored memories when required to do so. Memory consists of three systems. Firstly there is the sensory memory, which is the perceptual system which stores only the recently acquired images for long enough to integrate it with the next, therefore producing an apparent motion. Secondly there is short-term memory that is a temporary storage for small quantities of information for a brief time. Finally the long-term memory system holds relatively permanent information. Studying the development of memory in infancy has many benefits, as it helps to show how memory develops over time. This knowledge from research can be applied to different settings, for example an educational setting, where the more a teacher understands about the memory development of children the more they can use this information to guide childrens learning therefore giving the best possible learning outcomes. This essay will discuss the strategies used to help with encoding, storing and retrieving information. To help compare the development of infants memory, studies with older children have been included. Memory strategies are the ways in which people effectively remember information. These strategies include encoding strategies and retrieval strategies. Encoding strategies are used to help enter the information into the memory; this can include rehearsal, organisation and elaboration. Rehearsal refers to the mental repetition of information. Brainerd and Reynas (2002) fuzzy trace theory suggests there are two memory representations. These are verbatim trace and gist trace. The verbatim trace refers to remembering information exactly, whereas gist trace is remembering the general meaning of the information. The gist trace representations last, but the verbatim trace representations leads to more forgetting. Flavell, Beach and Chinsky (1966) studied rehearsal in 5 year, 7 year and 10 year olds. Each age group had 20 children, who were all given a set of 7 pictures. The children were told to try and remember some of the pictures. After a 15 seconds gap, the children were asked to say al oud the pictures they could recall. During the 15 seconds gap a lip reader assessed what they believed each children might have been saying to themselves. They found that two of the 5 year olds, more than half of the 7 year olds, and most of the 10 year olds repeated the pictures to themselves. It was found that rehearsal lead to better recall. Flavell et al. (1966) found that age differences may show the development of strategies used, such as rehearsal. Although some of the children may have been using rehearsal strategies, but may not have moved their lips. McGilly and Siegler (1990) carried out an extension on Flavell et al.s (1966) study, by also asking children to report how they remembered the pictures. They found a high amount of children (74%) reported using rehearsal strategies. However only 39% were observed, by lip reading techniques, using rehearsal strategies. Therefore suggesting that children of all ages use rehearsal, however it may not be as effectively used in you nger children (Smith, Cowie Blades, 2003). This would explain age differences in recall in Flavell et al.s (1966) study. Ornstein, Naus and Liberty (1975) compared the rehearsal strategies of 7 year olds and adults. Participants were given a word to remember every 5 seconds, and asked to say aloud what they were thinking. They found that children repeated the word until the next word was given, then they would repeat the next word. Whereas adults repeated the word until they were given the second word, then they would repeat both words. Therefore showing that adults effectively used organization, but 7 year old children did not use this at all. This is important in showing that children use rehearsal strategies, but they lack the knowledge of how to effectively use such strategies. A study by Naus, Ornstein and Aivano (1977) taught 8 year olds a strategy of rehearsing in groups of three. They found that the 8 year olds could recall the same amount as 12 year olds, after being taught the chunking strategy. Therefore younger children can do this, but the organization of rehearsal does not occur naturally at these ages. Organisation, or chunking, is the grouping of information in an effective way to help with encoding. Moely, Olson, Halwes Flavell (1969) showed children a set of pictures that were in a random order in laid out in front of them. The set included pictures of animals and furniture, for example. The children were instructed to learn all the pictures and if it helped them they were allowed to rearrange the pictures. It was found that the children of 10 years and older had effectively used organisation strategies, as 10 year olds had categorised pictures according to whether it was an animal, or a piece of furniture, etc. As with rehearsal strategies, the younger children were not effectively using the organisation strategy. The children use this strategy, but do not seem to have developed knowledge of how it is best to be used, like the older children had. Elaboration is the strategy when people make associations between given information to help with encoding and the subsequent recall of this information. Foley, Wilder, McCall and Van Vorst (1993) gave 6 and 9 year olds verbal images to help them to recall pairs of words. The childrens recall was better if the image was basic, yet memorable. Pressley and Levin (1980) found that children of 7 years could use elaboration if an effective image was given with the pair of words, of which one was English and the other was its Spanish equivalent. This led to children learning the words better. Therefore children can use elaboration as an encoding strategy when given support, but the use of elaboration by themselves had not yet developed fully. As Buckhalt, Mahoney and Paris (1976) found when children first begin to use elaborations they use simple, static elaboration, whereas older children use active elaborations. Active elaborations are images that are distinctive and therefore remembered better, allowing for a better recall. Leichtman and Ceci (1995) studied the reliability of childrens testimony. The study was set in a preschool, where a stranger, Sam Stone, came in for a day. Some of the children were then given suggestive interviews every week for four weeks after. All of the children were interviewed on the fifth week, by a new interviewer, who had not seen Sam Stone or any of the previous interviews. The children were firstly asked for a report of what happened on the day of Sam Stones visit, and then asked questions. The leading questions had led a high majority of the 3-4 year olds to make false claims, although the 5-6 year olds were less likely to do this. Therefore younger childrens encoding is effected by what is inferred by other people, for example the leading questions in Leichtman and Cecis (1995) study inferred that Sam Stone had done something wrong, this lead to 72% of the 3-4 year olds saying he had done it, and 44% even claiming to have seen him do it. The older children were not affe cted by the leading questions as much, therefore showing that the encoding for the older children may have been better as they felt secure in what they could recall. Retrieval strategies are the ways in which people recall information from long-term memory. Kreutzer, Leonard and Flavell (1975) studied how 5 and 10 year olds would retrieve information from long-term memory. They used a story and asked the children how they could remember the answer. Kreutzer et al. (1975) found all 10 year olds could think of one way at least, whereas only half the 5 year olds could do this. Therefore the 5 year olds had not all developed effective retrieval strategies. Kobasigawa (1974) used 24 pictures, from 8 categories, for children of 6, 8 and 11 years of age to learn. Along with the pictures the children were shown 8 cue cards, one for each category. Later on the children were shown the cue cards and asked to recall the earlier pictures. A third of the 6 year olds used the cue cards, whereas most of the older groups did this. The 11 year olds only effectively used the cue cards, by using them to help name all the pictures they could remember from that catego ry. The 6 and 8 year olds who used the cue cards, only named one picture from each category. Therefore suggesting that the 6 year olds had not developed the knowledge of how to use cue cards. The 8 year olds knew to use the cue cards, but they didnt know exactly how to use them. Therefore full knowledge of the usefulness of cue cards must develop later on, as the 11 year olds could use them effectively. Retrieval cues, such as cue cards, are strong aids to recall, according to Nelson (1990) people have no early memories because verbal cues are used as retrieval cues. Simcock and Hayne (2002) assessed the language skills of infants of 27, 33 and 39 months, and then tested the infants verbally and non-verbally. The infants were then tested on their recall at 6 or 12 months later. Simcock and Hayne (2002) found retention on both verbal and non-verbal recall, however non-verbal memory recall was better than verbal. They also found that verbal recall reflected the verbal abilities at the time of encoding, therefore showing that encoding is important in the recall of information. Overall many of the basic processes are seen at birth, and are crucial from the early days. Memory strategies develop from the second year, but only become predominant between 5 to 7 years old, these strategies include rehearsal, organisation and elaboration. With age comes the development of quality, frequency, flexibility and the effective use of these strategies. Changes in the efficiency with age of encoding can be seen, as at the age of 2-5 years children can hold from 2 to 4 pieces of information in short-term memory, and at 7 years this is increased to 5 pieces of information. This is through the effective use of rehearsal, as this helps the child to become better at registering information as well as organising it and therefore helping to make storage and retrieval easier. Meta-cognitive skills refer to knowing that you know. Implicit knowledge of meta-cognition skills can be seen later on in infancy, whereas explicit knowledge develops from the age of 5 to 15. In general children under-report, therefore specific questioning leads to greater reporting and prevents the information from decay. To increase retrieval of information in infants it is important to encourage them to think deeply about what they are being asked to remember (Butler, Gross Hayne, 1995). The phrasing of the question can clearly lead children into the answer they think the interviewer wants, as Leichtman and Cecis (1995) study has shown. An important area to study in memory is forgetting, as a lot can be learnt about memory from what is not remembered as well as what is. For example, Hartshorn et al. (1998) found that infants aged between 2 and 18 months exhibited retention after the shortest test delays. They also found as the interval increased the younger infants were the first to forget, this is determined by experience. This study shows that forgetting is affected by experience; therefore what is remembered must also be affected by experience. Research into memory development in infants needs to take into account the biological side, as the brain is still changing and developing itself and plays a huge role in memory. References Butler, S., Gross, J., Hayne, H. (1995). The effect of drawing on memory performance in young children. Developmental Psychology, 31, p. 597-608. Brainerd, C. J., Reyna, V. F. (2002). Fuzzy-trace theory and false memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11, p. 164-169. Buckhalt, J.A., Mahoney, G. J., Paris, S. G. (1976). Efficiency of self-generated elaborations by EMR and nonretarded children. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 81, p. 93-96. Flavell, J. H., Beach, D. R., Chinsky, J. M. (1966). Spontaneous verbal rehearsal in a memory task as a function of age. Child Development, 37, p. 283-299. Foley, M. A., Wilder, A., McCall, R., Van Vorst, R. (1993). The consequences for recall of childrens ability to generate interactive imagery in the absence of external supports. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 56, p. 173-200. Hartshorn, K., Rovee-Collier, C., Gerhardstein, P., Bhatt, R. S., Klein, P. J., Aaron, F., Wondoloski, T. L., Wurtzel, N. (1998). Developmental changes in the specificity of memory over the first year of life. Developmental Psychobiology, 33, p. 61-78. Kobasigawa, A. (1974). Utilization of retrieval cues by children in recall. Child Development, 45, p. 127-134. Kreutzer, M. A., Leonard, C., Flavell, J. H. (1975). An interview study of childrens knowledge about memory. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 40, p. 1-58. Leichtman, M., Ceci, S. (1995). The effects of stereotypes and suggestions on preschoolers reports. Developmental Psychology, 31, p. 568-578. McGilly, K., Siegler, R. S. (1990). The influence of encoding and strategic knowledge on childrens choices among serial recall strategies. Developmental Psychology, 26, p. 931-941. Moely, B. E., Olson, F. A., Halwes, T. G., Flavell, J. H. (1969). Production deficiency in young childrens clustered recall. Developmental Psychology, 1, p. 26-34. Naus, M. J., Ornstein, P. A., Aivano, S. (1977). Developmental changes in memory: The effects of processing time and rehearsal instructions. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 23, p. 237-251. Nelson, K. (1990). Remembering, forgetting, and childhood amnesia. In R. Fivush J. A. Hudson (Eds.), Knowing and remembering in young children. P. 301-306. New York: Cambridge Univ. Press. Ornstein, P. A., Naus, M. J., Liberty, C. (1975). Rehearsal and organizational processes in childrens memory. Child Development, 46, p. 818-830. Pressley, M., Levin, J. R. (1980). The development of mental imagery retrieval. Child Development, 61, p. 973-982. Simcock, G., Hayne, H. (2002). Breaking the barrier: Children do not translate their preverbal memories into language. Psychological Science, 13, p. 225-231. Smith, P. K., Cowie, H., Blades, M. (2003). Understanding Childrens Development (4th Edition). Blackwell.

Jane Austen Essay -- essays papers

Jane Austen 6. How does Mansfield Park interrogate the relationship of power and gender? Mansfield Park by Jane Austen is a classic realist text, which is almost exclusively focused on a small strip of society, namely the upper-middle class of rural England; the class to which she herself belonged. Throughout her novel, Austen portrays the disadvantaged position of woman, presenting the issues of gender stereotyping and marriage choice as the main problems they have to confront. â€Å"Gender came to be seen as a construct of society, designed to facilitate the smooth-running of society to the advantage of men†1, proving that men gained power throughout the socially constructed subordination of woman. Taking a post-structuralist approach to Mansfield Park, we can see that there is a â€Å"pretence that bourgeois culture is ‘natural’†¦to limit meaning in the interests of control, repression and privilege†2. Austen’s writing embodies middle-class values, and portrays an ideology that emphasises patriarchal rule, along with social and economic power, with little reference to the hardships of the working class. This text is therefore a form of oppressive ideology, in which women are kept in their socially and sexually subordinate place. When Sir Thomas Bertram discovers that Fanny will reject Henry Crawford’s proposal, the cruelty of male power is evident, enforcing the gender role. He does not understand her refusal of a secure marriage, and attempts to change her answer by redefining what she says. Sir Thomas is an authoritative male, and represents the male-dominated system that tries to take control of, and organise a woman’s life for her. Although Fanny represents female resistance by opposing Sir Thomas’s judgement, Auste... ...ation to the women, as they can use their influence and power in a good or bad way. Austen takes the disadvantaged position of women, and analyses sexual stereotypes and prejudices in great detail. Therefore male power and female helplessness are explored fully in her novels. Bibliography: Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Penguin, 1994) Simone De Beavouir, Women and the Other; Literature in the Modern World, Dennis Walder (Oxford University Press, 1990) Marilyn Butler, Romantics, Rebels & Reactionaries (Oxford University Press, 1981) Mary Eagleton, Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader (Basil Blackwell Ltd, 1986) Terry Eagleton, Criticism and Ideology (Oxford University Press, 1976) Terry Eagleton, Literary Theory: An Introduction, 2nd Ed (Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1996) Dennis Walder, Literature in the Modern World (Oxford University Press, 1990)

Night by Elie Wiesel :: Night, Elie Wiesel

Night is a horrible tale of murder and man’s inhumanity to man. Wiesel saw his family, friends, and fellow Jews degraded and murdered. Wiesel also states in his book that his God, to whom he was so devoted, was also "murdered" by the Nazis. In the novel Wiesel changed from a devout Jew to a broken young man who doubted his belief in God. When Wiesel first comes to the concentration camp and sees all the walking skeletons, he can’t believe that this is real. He feels that he might be dreaming. However, as Wiesel faces each day and witnesses the starvation, the beatings of innocent people, and the tortures, his faith in God begins to waiver. By the end of the book Wiesel has lost his belief in God. If there is a God, how could he allow this to happen, he wonders. As the days go by, there are frequent selections. A man with a little stick decides who will live and who will die. This man acts like God. To the right you live, to the left, you die. As Wiesel watches the evil that exists, his belief in the existence of God continues to deteriorate. Wiesel asks, "Where is my God? Where is He?"(61) Wiesel continues to witness hangings, beatings, starvation, and torture. One day when Wiesel comes back from a day’s work, he sees three gallows being assembled. The whole camp has to witness the hangings. Among the 3 people who would die that day, was a young child. Wiesel wondered what that poor innocent boy had done to deserve to die in this manner. Wiesel watched the boy struggling between life and death. The death was a slow agony. At this point Wiesel lost all faith in the existence of God. "Where is God now? Where is He? Here is - He is hanging here on this gallows..."(62) After this incident Wiesel could no longer believe in God.

The Turtle Jean Lafitte: Adventures of a Pet Psychic

Gordon 1 Stephanie Gordon College Writing 112. 005 Guyant 10/11/11 Psychics reading the gullible Gordon 2 The world today is filled with psychics claiming they can perform tasks involving extrasensory projections. There are people who say they can speak with the dead, read minds, feel energies, and see into the future. It is very easy, when vulnerable and gullible enough, to fall into what these psychics are saying. Most will say what you want to hear in order to gain credibility for themselves, or even to just earn a living. It is a complicated thing to argue, however, because this science cannot be proven true. It has undoubtedly been proven a hoax time and time again, but there are two sides to every story. Those who believe and buy into what these psychics are saying are the ones who keep this business alive. I think that people will believe what they want to believe, which is why psychics can continue putting on a show to make believers out of the gullible. There is a term used in Psychology to represent when it is actually the subjects who make a reading succeed. It is called the â€Å"fallacy of personal validation. This means that when someone is being read by a psychic, the way they interpret the reading to match their own character is what makes them believe in what the psychic is saying (Gordon 48). This is most often true with horoscopes. We usually only read the horoscope that matches up with our own birthday, but when reading ones that are for other months, they can be matched up to anyone. Horoscopes can be very general, such as, â€Å"Good things are coming your way†, or â€Å"You will meet someone with potential for a relationship next month†. These things could be interpreted in a different way for every person who reads them. Almost anyone could find a way to fit the readings into their own lives. Most of the time the horoscope â€Å"predicts† things that would have happened to a person anyways. Chances are whoever reads it will have something good happen to them or meet someone new any period of time after they have read it. It is the fallacy of personal validation that makes astronomical readings seem so accurate for each individual. Psychics themselves have a lot of confidence in what they do. Though there are some who know they are putting on an act, there are others who truly believe they have a gift. One psychic who Gordon 3 makes a living off of being a reader, DeAna, lives in the United Kingdom. She explains in an interview that ever since she was a young girl, her family and friends were baffled when DeAna knew information that she was never directly told. She constantly knew information that she not only should not, but could not have possibly known. Using her skill as a career measure did not come until much later in life. When asked â€Å"How have you become a psychic reader? † DeAna replies, â€Å"A lady I worked with was dreadfully distraught about a relative who had gone AWOL. One day she handed me a coffee and I found information about the person flooding in – as she touched me. I gave her the info and the person was located. She was shocked at first and then thrilled and told an awful lot of people! Before I knew it, after a 12 hour shift – 6 days a week, I would arrive home to find people waiting on my doorstep needing a reading. † (DeAna) She continues to explain how she helped people before and after her shift at her regular job, for no pay. One day a woman came along who was offended when DeAna would not accept payment. She scolded the psychic and said that she was offering a service and should expect payment for her skills. DeAna decided to make her readings a full time job, after the woman put things into perspective for her. She thought she should use her gift to help whenever she could, whenever she could. DeAna soon realized this was her calling, and chose to start charging all of her clients and turn her talent into a career. DeAna helps people who are looking for answers. Her clients who now pay her for reading sessions in person and over the phone, come to her because they need help with something in their lives. DeAna even helps corporate businesses in finding the correct applicant for a job. She states that she wrote out a paragraph for each applicant on their character traits and strengths as she saw it. Perhaps the person in charge of hiring had poor skills in his job area to begin with, which is why other people he had hired did not end up working out for their company. The fact of the matter is, every person DeAna has picked out for the company has worked extremely well in their position. One man, who admits to being a fake, is Henry Gordon. He calls himself a mentalist-magician, Gordon 4 because his tricks are what he calls slight of mind. His career has been based on debunking those who claim to have magical or psychic powers. In 1977 (Gordon 3), he put on a magic show in his hometown, but performed under the stage name Elchonen and wore a mask so his identity would stay hidden. After performing several amazing tricks, the audience was completely hooked and bought into his entire performance. When it came time for the second act, Gordon walked out on stage without his mask and was instantly recognized by his community. He told people they had been duped, and proceeded to explain why it is so easy for them to believe his tricks. People in the audience had every reason to be upset. They had put themselves in a vulnerable position and got sucked into Gordon's act. This is also part of the reason people believe so strongly in psychics and their readings. Those who are curious are the ones who are easily pulled into the hoax. After an atmosphere is created with a crystal ball, one or two correct guesses, and just a hint of belief, a psychic can pull a client in and the rest is history. It is very easy for a mentalist magician like Gordon to pull simple tricks and attract a following. Some members of the audience in Gordon's show were so upset they demanded their money back. Gordon told them they would receive a full refund for their ticket if they asked for it at the ticket office. He later found out most of the people who received their refund came back to find out the tricks of his trade. He calls himself a mentalist magician, because he uses slight of mind tricks, as opposed to sleight of hand. His tricks test a person's mind, rather than how well they were paying attention. Gordon makes a living off of debunking psychics and anyone who claims they have extra sensory projection. He says that he could make a much better living off of being a magician, but there is something standing between him and a life full of riches. His conscience. Psychics make general assumptions that lead to specific answers, based on the responses of the person they are reading. (75) This is what makes the person believe they are taking part in something outside our natural world. It is what pulls them in and makes them a believer in this phenomenon. Some people tend to believe when they need an answer that they cannot seem to find on their Gordon 5 own. Local law enforcement has been known to use a psychic when they have hit a dead end during a case. This happens rarely. Often times the psychic is brought in by the family of the victim, and not law enforcement directly. Law enforcement will comply with the psychic if they feel they have no other options and need help taking a step in a new direction. The psychics, however, can be more of a problem than a help. Police may be looking for a step in the right direction, but what if the psychic sets them on a completely wrong path? Time is of the essence in the majority of these cases and a psychic may throw off the entire investigation. If a psychic chooses to help in a search, officials may decide to ignore their claims. One man, Mr. Earl Curley, is extremely confident in his psychic abilities. He brags to his followers about how his help led to an arrest in a murder investigation. Curley states that he gave a composite drawing of the alleged killer in the investigation of the Atlanta Child Murders. He then claims that because of his help, a criminal named Wayne Williams was apprehended four and a half days later. Since Curley seemed to be so confident in his help, Henry Gordon went to investigate how much he had really helped the investigators on the outcome of this case. When Gordon contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigations about Curley's help with the case, he received a direct quote from the Press Information Office. â€Å"Mr. Earl Curley contacted our Atlanta office (voluntarily) in 1980 and 1981. He sent in some kind of write-up of what he thought the subject would look like, and he sent in some sort of a drawing. However, there was no impact on the case as a result of what he sent in. (Gordon 88) This goes to show that psychics can brag about using their abilities, but unless someone digs deeper in the matter, they will not know how much the psychic really helped. Psychics may have helped law enforcement with their two cents worth, but it does not mean that they led to any kind of conclusion in a case. Suppose the FBI had used Curley's drawings. They might have arrested a man who matched the picture, but who was not the criminal who committed the murders. Any set of circumstances resulting from Curley's voluntary help could have sent the entire investigation in a completely wrong direction. Luckily the Bureau was smart enough to ignore this psychic and stick with their own set of techniques. Gordon 6 Having confidence in their work is part of what makes them so believable. If they believe in it themselves, others are sure to follow in the hype. Psychics use all sort of ways to show their skills. Whether it is using a reading to predict an outcome, predict the future, communicate with the afterlife, they all have their own set of ways to create believers. A popular method some psychics use when attempting to contact someone who has passed on, is the Ouija board. It is a board with numbers from zero to nine and all of the letters of the alphabet on it. A game piece in the shape of a triangle with a plastic center is used to spell out the answers to questions asked. When the piece goes over a letter or number, it is supposed to spell out a word of phrase that is from a spirit. This board was considered a game in the United States. It sold extremely well, mostly to people who had lost a loved one in World War I. The woes of someone dying, going missing, or simply being affected by the tragedies of war, drove some people to turn to magic. These were people who needed answers from their loved ones and had no way of getting them elsewhere. The man who created the Ouija board, Isaac Fuld, was a toymaker. He attempted to say the game was a scientific instrument, so that he would not have to pay a ten percent tax on toy sales. This was even argued all the way to the Supreme Court. There is no way to test that connecting with those in the afterlife is a scientific measure, so the board was ruled a toy. How surprising. To make a point as to how the toy could not possibly be magic, Henry Gordon, once again was there to help us out. He taught a class on the paranormal at McGill University. He brought in a woman who claimed to be a psychic and used the Ouija board as a tool to contact spirits from the afterlife. Since Gordon made his living off of proving psychics to be fakes, she was one of his star guest speakers. She wore a long green dress and a turban, which made her appear as someone who you would see behind a crystal ball in a dimly lit room. This was obviously a part of her performance. She demonstrated how the board worked, and allowed Gordon to ask a few questions to someone he knew who had passed. After receiving a few answers from the â€Å"spirits† (Who knows if they were right? ), Gordon tested the woman’s skills. To Gordon 7 prove the board, and the woman, who truly believed in her gift of communicating with spirits, were both fake, he placed a piece of brown paper wrapping over the board. The game piece moved around over the paper, so the numbers and letters were hidden. This way the woman could not see what characters her hands were moving over. He asked a few more questions, but the game piece only spelled out gibberish for answers. Gordon 110) If the spirits really were speaking to Gordon and the class through the Ouija board, would it matter if there was paper covering it? This throws the Ouija board in with the crystal balls, tarot cards, astrological charts, and any other tricks a psychic may use to convince the world of their talent. Another way the public is pulled into psychic hysteria is with animals. Some pet owners claim that their horse or dog o r pig have psychic powers. The most well-known psychic animal came around in the 1920s. (Milbourne 40) She was a benign mare named Lady who performed in a red barn near Richmond, Virginia. Mrs. Claudia Fonda, Lady’s owner claimed she could spell, add, subtract, multiply, divide, tell time, and answer questions. Reporters who visited Lady to see the Wonder Horse with their own eyes wrote that she could predict the future and read minds. Mrs. Fonda charged a fee of fifty cents for children and one dollar for adults for admission to see Lady and her talents. People would ask the horse a wide range of questions. Lady was asked anything from â€Å"When will I marry? † to â€Å"How should I invest my money? † (41) Lady even took part in helping find the body of a missing boy in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. She also knew a lot about baseball, and even had a more success in picking winners than most professional sportswriters. Everything in Lady’s career left everyone astonished, and in 1956 (43), Mrs. Fonda shortened Lady’s time with the public to afternoons only. A man named John Kobler was being sent to write an article on Lady for the Saturday Evening Post. He asked Christopher Melbourne if he was available to come along as a consultant, because he was one who was familiar with the techniques of deception. Since Melbourne had written articles on the horse before, he introduced himself to Mrs. Fonda as John Banks, so that she would not be upset by his Gordon 8 presence. Banks carried a camera, so that he would be accepted as a photographer associate to Kobler. When they arrived at Lady’s Barn, Mrs. Fonda assumed her position to the left of Lady. Lady communicated through a giant typewriter-like machine. When she pushed down a plank with her nose, a letter popped up. Mrs. Fonda instructed the men to ask Lady whatever they wanted. Banks asked the horse â€Å"What is my name? † Lady spelled out B-A-N-K-S on her typewriter, but his name was not really Banks. He also asked when his brother would return from Europe, and Lady answered â€Å"S-U-M-M-E-R†. Banks did not have a brother. After Kobler asked several questions of his own, Mrs. Fonda handed each of the men a long, skinny pad of paper, and a long pencil. She instructed them to write down a number, and Lady would read their minds and know the number. Kobler did as he was told, and Lady guessed everytime. Banks, however, would write the number one, but act as though he was writing the number 9. He would only push the pencil to paper as the spine of the 9 came down. He used this technique for almost every number, and Lady guessed wrong every time. It was obvious that a technique called pencil reading was being used. Mrs. Fonda had given the men skinny pads, so that the stroke of the pencils could easily be seen. This is the same reason for giving them longer pencils. Had a large pad of paper and short, stubby pencils been used, pencil reading could not have occurred. At the end of the visit, Melbourne had come to the conclusion that Lady had indeed been trained very well by Mrs. Fonda, but Lady was no psychic. Mrs. Fonda stood on Lady’s left side. Horses cannot see what is in front of them, only what is on the side. Therefore the only thing in Lady’s sight was Mrs. Fonda, and the stick she held in her hand. The stick is what Fonda used to direct Lady for which plank she should push. This means that Lady was simply doing as her master instructed, and that Fonda was really answering everyone’s questions. Although it has been proved that Lady was not a psychic animal, it leaves us with the question as to how Mrs. Fonda knew all of those answers? One way researchers attempted to discover just how many people believed in Psychical Phenomena, was with a survey called the Sheep-Goat scale. In the late 1970s (Haraldsson, Journal of Gordon 9 American Society for Psychical Research 2), a group of researchers set out to discover how belief in psychical phenomena may be related to attitudes, experiences, and activities in the domain of religion and politics. The survey asked questions about belief in the existence of telepathy, ability to know the future, spiritual experiences or dreams, and whether the person read books or articles on psychic phenomena. (2-3) Subjects were scored on their answers and only taken into account if they had answered every question. This scale was used in four different to obtain information on the public’s knowledge on psychical phenomena. The first study was done in Iceland on persons ranging from 30-70 years old, selected at random. About 80% of the original sample size returned the survey, which was enough to use the results as a representative of the Icelandic population in that age range. (3) The other three studies were done at the University of Iceland. All of the studies concluded that belief in the psychic and religious beliefs have common facts to some extent. 9) This positive correlation may be due to the fact that the respondents read often. Belief in one item may lead to a belief in the other. As a result of this research, I feel it is clear that psychics can absolutely be proven to be fakes. They cannot, however, be proven to be real. Their profession relies solely on belief, most of which is from vulnerable, gullible people. Psychics use their props, tricks, and performances to pull in peo ple and turn them into believers. Depending on the type of hoax they use to attract a clientele, they can make an entire living off of other people’s gullibility. I feel it is wrong to be able to do this, but am happy there are people such as Henry Gordon who continue to work on proving them wrong. There are still some questions left unanswered, like how Claudia Fonda, knew all of the answers to everybody’s questions. The fact of the matter is that there will always be questions left unanswered, because there is no science developed to prove or disprove a psychic’s abilities. Gullible people will continue to be fed on by psychics. Only a look into the crystal ball will tell when the hoaxes will all come to an end. Gordon 10 Christopher, Milbourne. ESP, Seers & Psychics. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1970. Print. DeAna. Interview. Jacob. Parapsychology articles and blog. 3 May. 2007. Web. Gordon, Henry. Extra Sensory Deception. Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1987. Print. Haraldsson, Erlendur. â€Å"Representative national surveys of psychic phenomena: Iceland, great Britain, Sweden, USA, and Gallup’s multinational survey. † Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 53(1985) pg. 1-14. Web. Haraldsson, Erlendur. â€Å"Some Determinants of Belief in Psychical Phenomena. † The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 75(1981): pg 1-10. Web.

Study of inclusive learning analysis

Lord Sandy Leitch was commissioned by the authorities in 2004 to transport out an independent reappraisal of the long-run accomplishments that the United Kingdom would necessitate to accomplish maximal growing, productiveness and societal justness by 2020. The reappraisal identified that the UK was dawdling behind in the accomplishments market compared to other states such as USA, Canada and South Korea. This is mostly due to the fact that in the past chances to derive accomplishments has been elitist in that merely those who can afford to come on educationally to derive accomplishments have done so, this has meant that people have non been given the chances to make their full potency. More than a 3rd of working grownups have non achieved even the basic makings ensuing in a big proportion lacking in basic accomplishments – numeracy and literacy. The imperativeness release from the authorities summarises the Leitch study as saying that out of 30 Organisation for economic co-operation and development ( OECD ) states, the UK is 17th on low accomplishments, 20th on intermediate accomplishments and 11th on high accomplishments. Five million grownups in the UK lack functional literacy which is represented as a degree 1 making and 17 m illion grownups have trouble with Numberss. It besides stated that more than one in six immature people leave school unable to read, compose or add up decently. A extremely skilled work force is indispensable to the state ‘s economic growing to enable it to run into the demands of the consumer. The benefits for the person will intend higher incomes and raise aspirations, for employers it a greater accent on vocational accomplishments Lord Leitch concludes: â€Å" Skills were one time a cardinal lever for prosperity and equity. Skills are now progressively the cardinal lever. † Sir Andrew Foster was asked to transport out a reappraisal of the future function of Further Education colleges in 2004. The reappraisal identified that some strengths within his study such as a committed and professional work force, a strong committedness to inclusion, a diverseness of classs already provided. On the other manus many failings were highlighted such as jobs with the degree of makings and accomplishments, image & A ; repute through underperformance although this was pointed out that it merely affected 4 % of the proviso, conflicts between FE colleges, the LSC and the DfES, there were excessively many organic structures inspecting, reding and regulation and excessively many pupils do non accomplish the making on the class that they enrol, in drumhead that they are non gaining their full potency. The recommendations were to hold a greater accent on vocational classs, those that end with a making so that they can be used within the work force. Local employers need to be consulted on what skills they require their work force to hold so that the classs offered are relevant to the local community. Another recommendation is that any reviews should hold a lighter attack ; colleges should non being inundated with inspectors. Colleges need to work within the community to offer indispensable accomplishments by supplying outreach to those that would non be able to entree the college, guaranting inclusion. Students should have impartial advice from colleges with respect to classs that suit them and non the college. More establishments schools, colleges, voluntary administrations, support administrations and Higher Education constitutions should all work with each other for the benefit of the scholars and the employers. As with the Leitch reappraisal these recommendations will take clip, support and attempt from all involved. The LSC has undergone major alterations through the ‘Agenda for Change ‘ plan which supports the recommendations in the Foster study in run intoing the work force accomplishments in the employment sector, by support classs that have vocational makings. As a consequence of the Leitch reappraisal the Government made a recommendation that all childcarers hold the lower limit of a current degree 3 certification in early old ages. In order to accomplish this they can use for support through the ‘Transformation Fund ‘ which was set up by the Government as portion of ‘Choice for parents, the best start for kids: a 10 twelvemonth scheme for child care. This gives parents a greater pick about returning to work and guaranting that their child care demands are met.MentionsReece & A ; Walker ( 2000 ) Teaching, Training and Learning: A Practical Guide, Business Education Publishers Ltd Smith, M. K. ( 2001 ) ‘Donald Schon: acquisition, contemplation and alteration ‘ , the encyclopaedia of informal instruction, www.infed.org/thinkers/et-schon.htm accessed on 26th October 2007 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2006/press_leitch.cfm accessed on 21st October 2007 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/newsroom_and_speeches/press/2006/press_leitch.cfm accessed on 21st October 2007 hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_assurance accessed on 25th October 2007 hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_Professional_Development accessed on 26th October 2007Provide infusions from their on-going brooding acquisition diary which will analyze and measure:Their apprehension of the rules and procedures of rating including its function in quality confidence.‘Evaluation is the procedure of roll uping and/or utilizing information for the intents of finding the value and worth-whileness of the topic of the rating procedure ‘ ( Birley & A ; Morel 1998 ) . Evaluation involves the systematic finding of the quality, value or importance of things. In the context of the third instruction reforms, the acceptance of an appraising attack means a direct focal point on ‘valued results ‘ and ‘key lending procedures ‘ . It is of import that the elements of the rating model are clearly identified and that the model and elements are consistent and practical. A important facet of the third reforms is that a common model for quality confidence will use across the sector. There will, nevertheless, be fluctuations in the appraising methods, tools and attacks used in sub-sectors. The purpose is to hold a flexible attack, antiphonal to the demands of the sub-sector, without compromising the unity and utility of the overall rating procedure and findings. Principles and cardinal characteristics of self-assessment and external rating and reappraisal are reciprocally reenforcing and support improved results for scholars. The cardinal characteristics provide illustrations of what the rules could look like in pattern. Evaluation inquiries guide the way and purpose of the rating procedure. ( Evaluation inquiries are open-ended inquiries about quality, value or importance, for illustration: How effectual is the learning? How good do programmes and activities meet the demands and aspirations of scholars? ) Evaluation indexs identify the ‘valued results ‘ and the ‘key procedures ‘ likely to lend to them, every bit good as placing what the grounds for these might look like. They besides signal possible causal relationships. Evaluation indexs are supported by research, and sector and bureau experience, about what works. This paper deals specifically with the first component of the model – the rules. There will be audience on the other elements as work progresses in these countries.Overarching rules of new quality confidenceThe undermentioned rules underpin the new attack to quality confidence. 1. The primary duty for quality and betterment prevarications with single TEOs. Therefore self-assessment should be embedded in TEOs ‘ modus operandi planning, operational and concern activities. 2. It is intended that the rating model provides a common footing for quality confidence across the third sector. 3. The focal point for quality confidence will be on the quality of larning which is considered to be the combined consequence of the quality of the acquisition experience ( including learning ) and the value of the results achieved. This is illustrated in Figure 2. The quality of the acquisition experience The quality of larning = + The value of the results achieved Figure 2 – The focal point on acquisition and instruction 4. While concentrating on the quality of acquisition, conformity with the regulative agreements remains of import. TEOs will still be required to show that they comply with relevant statute law and ordinances. Figure 3 shows the relationship between results, cardinal procedures act uponing results and conformity with the regulative agreements. The methods of accomplishing desired results vary depending on context. There is no ‘one right manner ‘ and TEOs are encouraged to be advanced and flexible in response to local fortunes, within the restraints of the regulative agreements.ResultsEvidence of TEO part to: scholar results ( accomplishment and advancement ) TEO degree results system degree resultsConformity with Regulatory AgreementsEvidence of TEOs run intoing legislative and regulative demandsKey Processes Influencing OutcomesEvidence of TEO internal systems and procedures for: demands designation at scholar, employer, regional and national degrees quality betterment ( sing grounds of both procedure and result ) Figure 3: The relationship between results, cardinal procedures and conformity 5. The quality confidence system will recognize and reflect the typical parts of TEOs including specific acknowledgment of the nature and functions of MA?ori suppliers such as wA?nanga. A This means that within the rating model there will be different tools and procedures developed for different types of TEOs. It is intended that the new quality confidence system will back up the overall construct of high trust and high answerability. There is besides an outlook that those facets of the current system that are already working good will be retained and enhanced. It is intended that TEOs can go on to utilize their ain systems and processes where these back up the purposes of the move to an rating methodological analysis. The undermentioned subdivisions outline in more item the rules of the self-assessment, and external rating and reappraisal constituents of quality confidence.Self-assessment‘Self-assessment ‘ ( or ‘self-evaluation ‘ or ‘self-review ‘ ) here refers to the procedures a TEO uses to set up grounds of its ain effectivity. The consequences of this procedure can so inform hereafter planning, supply grounds to inform decision-making, and contribute to the actions taken to convey about betterment. Self-assessment is non limited to a one-off appraising exercising prior to external reappraisal. Self-assessment involves an administration consistently measuring how good it: programs and manages, based on sound information and professional determination devising ; determines and responds to stakeholder demands attracts scholars because of the quality of the instruction and the quality of the programmes provided gets scholars on the right tract to win manages the acquisition and appraisal procedure analyses scholar and other stakeholder results, including the valued added, and utilize this honest and crystalline analysis to inform future programme design and bringing determines the relevancy of programmes to stakeholder demands Ensures that learners advancement to relevant and purposeful finishs.Their ain application of rating procedures, working with others and their usage of informations and other feedback for rating.Embedded equality of chance and regard for diverseness within your instruction and acquisition patterns.Analyze the impact of ain professional values and opinions on instruction and acquisition.

How Does Stress Affect Appetite? Essay

First off I chose this topic because of personal experiences. At times when I was stress I noticed that I would have an increase in appetite. I first asked myself, is stress reliable for most weight gain in individuals? But I found that question too complex to answer in a short amount of time. After looking over my resources, I noticed that the studies had a focus on gender or food choice of stressed individuals. So in this paper I have a focus on gender and food choice. I hypothesize that women will be more likely to eat sweet foods and to be more stressed than men. Stress is that uneasy emotion or feeling that has you feeling blue, down, sad, and depressed-like. Most people experience some type of stress at some point in their life. In stressful situations your brain will signal the adrenal glands to release a hormone. That hormone is called cortisol. Cortisol releases glucose and fatty acids into the bloodstream to provide energy to the muscles. When you have high cortisol levels, appetite increases as well as the fat deposits made. A lot of this weight will settle in the trunk, cervical, or abdomen area of the stressed person. You will also begin to crave foods that contain high calories and few nutrients, which are not healthy. Stress causes the body to burn more vitamins and minerals. Some of those burned are magnesium, vitamin B and zinc. These vitamins are needed to balance blood sugar, a downfall in these levels cause and increase in stress. The adrenal glands require more vitamin C and pantothenic acid during stress. This vitamin is also part of the vitamin B complex. (Tice) When stressed it seems impossible to sleep but sleep deprivation affects blood sugar levels by increasing cortisol and reducing the production of leptin. This will cause you eat more and become an emotional eater instead of being physically hungry. The lack of exercise will cause cortisol levels to be high as well. Stress can affect you appetite in a three ways. You can have a loss of appetite, an increase in appetite which causes you to overeat, or a mixture  of both. Those who overeat are most likely to be emotional eaters. Emotional eating is when a person eats for reasons such as emotional upheavals, rather than for hunger itself. (Paul M.) The definition for emotional eating is indulging in an excessive intake of food. (Paul M.) Those who restrict their intake of food are called restrictive eater. But in this paper I focus on those who are emotional eaters and or overeat. Foods that are eaten during stress are often referred to as junk food or comfort foods. Although they may not be healthy they make the feelings of stress go away temporarily. Stress and Food Choice: A Laboratory Study The first study I looked at was focused on the food choice that individuals chose during stressful times. Their initial question is whether or not acute stress alters food choice during a meal. This study was also designed to test claims of selective effects of stress on appetite for specific sensory and nutritional categories of food and interactions with eating attitudes. Three categories of the food types were sweet, salty and bland. Twenty seven men and forty one women volunteered for this study. They were all nonsmokers and ages range between 18 and 46. They were also paid seven dollars to complete the study. They were allocated to either a stress or controlled conditions during which they were provided with a buffet lunch. For stress manipulation, the tested group was told that they had to prepare a 4 minute speech performance that would be recorded, with only ten minutes to prepare. This would occur right after eating the buffet. This speech performance task was not mention to the control group. Instead they were told to read over a passage while listening to music. Music is found to be calming and soothing. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured and the participants did a self-report of mood measure. This measure was on arrival and after the 10 minute stress induction. At the beginning they were asked to rate hunger level on scale 1 to 7. At the end they were to rate the perceived stressfulness on a scale of 1 to 7. Two measures to assess the effect of the stress manipulation on eating behavior and food choice were the food intake during a meal and appetite for a range of foods immediately before eating the meal. For food intake, the participants were allowed to eat freely for 15 minutes from a buffet lunch. For appetite ratings, the participants were presented with photos of food and asked â€Å"how much do you  fancy eating some of this food at the moment?† and indicated their response on a scale from 1 to 7. ————————————————- The results were that increases in blood pressure and changes in mood showed the effectiveness of the stressor. Stress did not alter overall intake or appetite for the food categories. Stressed emotional eaters ate more sweet high fat foods and a more energy dense meal than unstressed and non-emotional eaters. Women scored higher than men on the emotional eating scale as expected. Men ate significantly more bland and salty foods than women. Just with this one study it does show that stress can alter food choice and intake of food. There isn’t a big gender difference but it was determined that women are more likely to be emotional eaters. This was a small study so that could be a possible limitation. There is evidence that snack consumption may be more susceptible to stress than meals. Most stressed individuals prefer to snack instead of meals but also because of small energy dense snacks are more easily ingested and digested when gut activity is suppressed by sympathetic arous al. (Georgina) ————————————————- There are no significant differences between genders when it comes to stress. There is belief that women experience more stress than men. Some research suggests that in stress coping behavior, men are more likely to turn to alcohol or smoking and that women turn to food. (Harvard) A study showed that out of 5,000 obese men and women, women’s obesity was stress related eating but not for men. (Harvard) Although there is a high weight gain for both sexes, it is higher in men. The Effects of Stress on Food Choice, Mood and Bodyweight in Healthy Women This source examined the effects of stress on the neuroendocrine production of cortisol and links it to potential changes in food choice, bodyweight and mood. (Roberts) Stressful situations can cause you to have a lower mood, increased energy intake such as fatty acids and non-milk extrinsic sugars and bodyweight to go up and down. This study looked a 71 healthy women in their forties. The end result they found that there is an increase in cortisol secretion during a period of chronic stress to be strongly  correlated with changes in food choice and increased energy consumption, as well as an increase in intake of saturated fatty acids and NMES. (Roberts) This then led to an increase in bodyweight. During the stress period there was an increase of depression and anxiety but there was no we could ï ¬ nd no correlation with mood, food choice or energy intake. This study also found that women with a body mass index (BMI) on the higher side of ‘healthy’, who experienced a signiï ¬ cant increase in cortisol secretion under chronic stress, were more vulnerable to increases in bodyweight than women with lower BMIs and a smaller increase in cortisol secretion. (Roberts) I definitely agree with women eating more sweets when stressed. Every time I am under stress I eat sweets and must have a soda with it. Even though I may have had a meal an hour before hand I still crave it. Seems very interesting how our bodies respond to stress. I believe this has a permanent effect on the body. Once you become under stress for a period of time and consistently eat, I believe that the bad habit of being an emotional eater is hard to break. I have found it hard to break. According to my research stress does have an effect on appetite and it does alter food choices. Most men prefer salty or bland foods and women prefer sweets. There isn’t much gender differences but women seem to have more effect of stress than men. References Birmingham, K. (2006). Effect of Stress on Eating Habits. Effect of Stress on Eating Habits. Retrieved November 5, 2012, from http://www.eatingdisordershelpguide.com/eating-disorders/effect-of-stress-on-eating-habits.htm D. (2010, September). Stresshacker. Stresshacker. Retrieved November 6, 2012, from http://www.stresshacker.com/2010/09/can-comfort-food-reduce-stress/ Epel, E., Lapidus, R., McEwen, B., & Brownell, K. (2000, June 21). Stress May Add Bite to Appetite in Women: A Laboratory Study of Stress Induced Cortisol and Eating Behavior. Elsveir.com. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from http://writing.unc.edu/sites/default/files/Epel.pdf Georgina, O., Wardle, J., & Gibson, L. (1999, October 18). Psychosomatic Medicine. Stress and Food Choice: A Laboratory Study. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/62/6/853.full Harvard Health.