Pepe jeans Essay

The company maintains contact with its independent retailers via group of 10 agents and each agent is responsible for retailers in a particular area of the country. Pepe is convinced that a good relationship with the independent retailers is vital to its success. Pepe’s requirement to place firm orders six months in advance with no possibility amendments, cancellation, or repeat ordering. Some claimed that the inflexible order system forced them to order less, resulting in stock outs. Pepe felt that a change was going to be needed soon. The easiest solution would be work with the Hong Kong sourcing agent to reduce the lead time associated with orders but this was going to increase the cost significantly. Even with the significant increase in cost, consistent delivery schedules would be difficult to keep. Another suggestion was to build a finishing operation in United Kingdom. Pepe was interested to see how system worked at U. S. operations. They found that they would have to keep about six weeks’ supply of basic jeans on hand in the United Kingdom and they have to invest ? 1,000,000 worth of equipment. They also estimated that it would cost about ? 500,000 to operate the facility each year. They could locate the facility in the basement of current office building, and the renovations would cost ? 300,000.

Illuminati and New World Order Essay

Conspiracy theories have been around forever, but today there seems thousands of them. These theories are developed over time, by looking at past and current events throughout time. When we look at these events, we reanalyze them and question whether or not there is more to the story. This is done because we like to create ideas and seek the truth. One of the most well known conspiracy theories is the secret group known as the Illuminati. The Illuminati in modern times is thought of as a secret group, whose members are made of the world’s most influential and famous. These members include world leaders such as presidents, prime ministers and dictators. Even many celebrities are mentioned, mostly being well known song artist. The goal of the Illuminati is to control the economy and use mind control to establish a new world order. All the members involved are rumored to be self-seeking opportunist who perform satanic rituals to bring harm to the masses for their own spiteful desires. Even though This might be just another bogus theory, it is important to be aware of it, otherwise we are doomed because We can’t allow ourselves to be blind to the truth and the rich will take advantage of us. Since the Illuminati has control over world finance, politics and media they control a lot of the way we live, but not how we live. I’ve looked into the Illuminati for almost five years now and it’s crazy how much of a stir this idea has caused and how many people talk about it. To me this just gives the theory strength and once an idea has enough believers to back it up, that’s when the threnody is no longer just a thought, it’s a reality. With an idea like this becoming so powerful, it’s common sense we need to keep our eye open especially with crazy people who will try to attack influential people whom page they believe to be members of the Illuminati. Either way it’s always nice to be open minded and aware in your approach to life. Now as for the legitimacy of the Illuminati, it’s real and refers to a very old group called the Bavarian Illuminati, founded by Adam Weishaupt. The term Illuminati comes from the Latin word illuminatus, meaning â€Å"enlightened†. The members of the group were known as the enlightened ones. The Illuminati in the 1700s had a goal to eradicate superstition and the Roman churches domination over science and philosophy. Even though the group only gathered 2,000 members within the span of ten years, keep in mind it was the 1700s and all the members where very influential people. Those influential people were literary men who were attracted to the group because of they faced the same opposition. Eventually Karl Theodore became ruler of Bavaria and he decided to put a ban on all secret groups like the Illuminate, due to his ties with religion. This is where the original Illuminati was supposed to have been disbanded, but throughout time former members who spread their influence and rose back to power. This is where the conspiracy theory starts and the modern day Illuminati begins to rise to power. How they kept communication is widely argued about, the only thing that is consistent is that the old members that were cast out from the original group scattered out and recruited new influential members across the globe from Napoleon Bonaparte to George Washington. Eventually the American Revolution happens and America gains it’s independence. With George Washington leading this new born nation, this country was being guided by a man who pledged his allegiance to Lucifer in order to gain wealth and fame, at the cost of the suffering of others. With so much power the Illuminati began to rise and never stopped, due to how great a nation America became. Today America is arguably the lone super power nation, filled with the most diverse population and greatest minds from everywhere, we have found a home. The only problem is the Illuminati is a guest in our home and will make it their own if we’re not aware. Most people would say if secret page organizations like this were so powerful, it would be obvious to spot out and destroy it. This is half true, they are powerful, but with media distracting us everywhere we go, it’s easy to blend in. The Illuminati will remain hidden until they want to make their big move for world domination. In order to survive we must keep track of it’s active members and try to limit their growth as much as we can. This theory has been going around ever since the first group broke up in the 1700s and the theory has only continued to grown due to it’s infamy and signs of credibility. The theory has been presented from everyone all over the world. With a theory as big as this one has become, there are going to be a lot of issues and there needs to be some proof to back it’s claim. Now it’s time to show all the symbolism the Illuminati uses to communicate with each other right under the public’s nose. They control the currency and the bills we use in America. On the one dollar bill there are so many coincidences. The main one being the eye in the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill. The Illuminatis main symbol the all seeing eye staying true to their original symbol back in the 1700s. Now this may seem like an extremely far fetched coincidence, but there’s more. The latin words above and below the pyramid. Above the pyramid it says Annuit Caecares, in latin this means annoucing the birth. then below the pyramid it says nuevos ordo seclorum meaning New world order. Announcing the birth of a new world order seems fitting because America gained it’s independence, but the next part is where you start to question what’s really going on. Below the pyramid is a date May 1st, 1776. The birth of the original Illuminati, not America. It doesn’t stop there even the Eagle holding 13 olive branches and 13 arrows. This goes along with 13 stripes on the American flag and the 13 stars above the eagles head. Finally another latin phrase above the eagles head E plubus unum meaning one out of many because that’s exactly who controls the world’s money, the 1%. The eagle itself isn’t based on the bald eagle, it’s based on a phoenix. The 1782 seal depicts a Phoenix holding arrows and an olive branch. The same seal the original Illuminati used. There’s just too many obvious signs that some thing is going on with American power in relation to the Illuminati. page Another Illuminati symbol is the owl because of it’s the symbol of Mivera, the goddess of wisdom. The owl is shown as well in the upper right corner of the face on the one dollar bill. Supposedly many US presidents have bowed down to a giant Owl statue locatin at the bohemian grove. The Bohemian Grove located in Monte Rio, California is a major planning and meeting place of the secret group. The manhattan project was rumored to have been planned there. Also Nixon and Reagan decided who would run for president in that spot as well-(herbs 21). Symbolism is a very important thing when it comes to the illuminati to stay alert of it’s presence. Especially when it comes to the media and people we look up to.

What causes the 1979 rice riot in Monrovia, Liberia What are the Coursework

What causes the 1979 rice riot in Monrovia, Liberia What are the effects of this riot This is a cause and effect essay - Coursework Example Moreover, the negative effects of the rice riots continued for long period. Most importantly, the administration was forced to get down and give the way for new government. As it was resisted by the ruling regime, all intensified efforts were made to throw away the administration and in that process, the public life was paralyzed for a long period in the name of civil war. The inflation and prices of other commodities also increased considerably (AllAfrica.com, 2005). The people faced difficulty in having access to necessary services like health and education and hence their quality of life suffered severely. Hence, keeping these points in consideration, the present essay is an attempt to answer the following thesis statement. The main reason for the origin of rice riots in 1979 is the increase in rice price by 39%. The Tolbert administration wanted to increase the rice price to encourage the local rice production and to discourage the imports of rice from other nations to Liberia (Broderick, 2007). On 14th APRIL, 1979, the price of parboiled rice was hiked from $22 per 100 lb. bag of rice, to $30 which has angered the general public severely as the price rise of rice affected their daily intake and consumption of rice leading to malnutrition. They couldn’t tolerate this decision and started conducting the demonstrations in Monrovia to which the government responded with firearms. This has led to death of forty people several others were wounded which has fuelled the crisis further and civilians felt that the government was forcefully controlling them to continue the price rise of rice (Emmanuel, 2008). Moreover, the President Tolbert even called some foreign troops from neighboring Republic of Gui nea for establishing peace, but the people felt it as another forceful measure of imposing the rigid decision taken by the

Risk Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Risk Management - Research Paper Example Traditionally, the financial function was seen in respect to financial reporting and control. The modern theory of risk management reflects on the financial function in respect of financial policy and financial decision making. This comprises an organizations operational, business and economic risks. There are various risks that are unacceptable which includes insurance risks, capital market risks, a market for replacing and equalizing such risks has been developed (Adams, FÃ ¼ss & Gropp, 2014). The paper identifies the issues in the risk management and its significant impact to the financial decisions of the manager of an organization. The paper also identifies the relevance and approaches to the risk management practices. Additionally, the impact of the new risk management regulations is critically evaluated. There are mainly two types of risk in finance namely, systematic and unsystematic risks. Systematic risks are the one which are uncontrollable by the organization and unsystematic risks are the ones which are controllable by the organization. Interest risks, market risk and inflationary risks come under systematic risks and liquidity risks, credit risks and operational risks fall under unsystematic risks (Edgar financial market analysis, 2015). Various risks faced by managers of the organizations are descried under in details. Market Risk- This type of risk deals with unfavorable price or instability that affects the assets contained in an organizations portfolio (Edgar financial market analysis, 2015). It can be explained as the doubt of a financial institution’s earnings which arises from changes in the market conditions like the price of an asset, interest rates and market liquidity. Credit risk- This kind of risk takes place when one falls short to realize their commitments towards their counter parties. Sovereign risk and settlement risks are types of credit risk (Federal Reserve financial market analysis, 2014). Sovereign risk

Formal justification report to an organization making a recommendation Research Proposal

Formal justification report to an organization making a recommendation for eco paper - Research Proposal Example The report proposes a greener approach to the building and construction sector to ensure that that as domestic and commercial built environment increases, there should be measures that have to be followed in ensuring that buildings are energy efficient, with a view of reducing the carbon load caused by both domestic and commercial usage in heating, air conditioning and cooling. Other resources such as water should also be utilized in the best way possible to ensure sustainability. Some buildings such as L60 building in Melbourne and Comcast Center in Philadelphia have elaborated the leadership in built environment impact of reducing global warming through being energy efficient. Such buildings serve as the best examples that the program should be tailored to emulate and policies put in place, to enforce new and old buildings to accord to these policies. This is due to the wide ranging benefits that is achieved though energy efficient designs on the long term. There is to put into per spectives some of the technologies successfully implement in other places to use to achieve the same benefits. Sustainable Architecture & Building 1.0 Introduction: Overview The current globalised world in industrialization has led to massive increase in environmental pollution. The environmental pollution and the release of green house gases to the atmosphere are two issues that have become a menace to the current order in life. There are many organizations and government initiatives that have been set up to find measures that would be used to reduce the environmental impact of greenhouse gases, and saving of other resources such as water that are becoming scarce after each day. These organization and government policies have come up with measures that are targeted to the general manufacturing sectors and service sectors. This leaves an important cause of pollution unaddressed; the domestic and commercial houses. The Department of Built Environment and Urbanization has a responsibi lity to put up measures that if implemented in the building sector would have environmental degradation through release of green house gases reduced significantly. This call for implementing measures and policies that would require all the modern houses and those under construction to ensure efficiency in energy utility in a bid to ensure sustainable development that is friendly to the environment. There is a need for architects, clients and engineers to cooperate in designing and constructing domestic and commercial buildings to ensure the reduction of carbon load that is mainly caused by overreliance on conventional energy sources in both commercial and domestic buildings. As the country relies heavily on coal and hydropower sources of energy, the carbon burden produced by these energy sources has been increasing daily as the domestic and commercial power demands soars to record levels. The Australian households use about 92% of conventional energy, with only 8% being tapped form renewable sources. This has led the domestic usage or households to contribute to about

E-marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-marketing plan - Essay Example Likewise, Internet has opened diverse range of avenues for businesses to conduct their activities and the best opportunity given to companies is of E-marketing (Rossi et al., 2007). Hence, the strategy of reaching customers and enhancing the customer loyalty starts with a strong e-marketing plan. The brands whether old or new ones, all need to design an effective e-marketing plan for reaching the customers so that the company’s expansion plan is successful and the business can earn revenues as well (Krishnamurthy and Singh, 2005). E-marketing is the latest marketing strategy for all organisations these days and it offers ample advantages to the companies as it allows easy and direct access to the customers, makes tracking easier, saves a lot of time and cost and most importantly marketing efforts can be measured with utmost ease. Hence, E-marketing can be defined as the means of getting the company’s product or service or brand to the entire world in a glimpse via the u se of effective electronic mediums such as Internet and World Wide Web (El-Gohary et al., 2008 and Grimes, 2010). In other words, E-marketing is the marketing of goods, services and information via various electronic mediums. For decades, researchers have used Internet Marketing, E-marketing, E-commerce and E-business interchangeably; however, there are differences between each terminology which can be expressed by the figure developed by El-Gohary (2010) as follows: In today’s market, it is vital for companies to do more than telling a story of innovative technology; they need to take advantage of technological advancements and attract customer flow to develop a good market share. Hence, companies need to develop effective e-marketing plans and strategies that have quantifiable goals and provide measurable impact to monitor the successful implementation of an e-marketing plan (Petrovic, 2009). According to Carmen et al. (2004), the conceptual framework of E-marketing is: The performance levels of the company can be measured with the co-alignment of the strategy with the firm’s internal and external context. The web strategy is made by taking account of 4 W’s as shown in the figure above to ensure that the marketing functions are effticient. The long-term performance of the company’s website is heavily dependent on the relationship with the customers and it will be the most important factor for measuring the company’s performance. Hence, the e-marketing plan of Blackberry’s computer will be designed following the conceptual framework as highlighted by Carmen et al. (2004). BlackBerry profile BlackBerry is among the top-rated and popular brands in the smart phone industry and the devices under the brand name are designed and developed by Research in Motion (RIM). The pioneer in the smart phone industry has introduced numerous products in the market taking advantage of the technological breakthroughs happening in the wor ld. Almost all

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Article Review - Essay Example Importance of forensic accounting is unquestionable because whenever the company suspects any form of fraud or misuse of fund, they rely on forensic accounting for conduction investigation and to find out the root cause behind the problem. So forensic accounting is one of the most relied tools that help in determining and also in controlling the problem. Forensic accounting follows certain well planed procedure to carryout the whole process of detection. At first the business structure has to be identified, and then an in-depth analysis has to be conducted for all companys date records. Such scrutinizing provides clues through with prevailing fraud and misconduct can be identified. This procedure also identifies any kind of irregularity related to assets and hence indicates fraud. The procedure of forensic accounting is efficient in conserving companys precious time and time and money. This technique it often used by strategists in identifying and preventing fraud or misuse of compan ys fund which may hamper the business. Many researchers have argued that the technique of fraud accounting is highly efficient in managing civil dispute that includes: Forensic accounting can provide assistance in probate cases, this technique is efficient in handling dispute that arise due to cases of over valuation or the cases of property division in between estates heirs. Forensic accountants are the experts which deal in disputes related to legal property problems. These experts are equipped with knowledge in the field of accountancy, auditing, evidence gathering, interviews, financial reporting system, and all other developments which are taking place in national as well international accounting sector. The forensic accountants are well trained for legal procedures and other court formalities. Forensic accounting is often used to get the true and Article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1 Article review - Essay Example Shah notes in the article that the global financial crisis started in 2007; Shah also notes that the global financial crisis led to the closure of many financial institutions around the world (Shah, 2013). According to this article, following the global financial crisis, various governments had to bail out various financial institutions that were on the verge of collapse. Shah, however, notes that, although various governments bailed out various financial institutions that were at risk of closure, the problem of global financial crisis was mainly caused by the very financial institutions that sought bail out from the government. A critical view of this point by Shah shows that the financial institutions were indeed mainly to blame for the global financial crisis. This is because the lax lending standards of many financial institutions made many people unable to access loans and mortgages, leading to serious financial crisis. Fratianni and Marchionne support this view in their article â€Å"The Role of Banks in the Subprime Financial Crisis†. According to the two authors, it is the exorbitant lending rates of many financial institutions that mainly caused the global financial cr ises, besides the imbalances in international trade (Ratianni $ Marchionne, 2009). In this article, Shah claims that the global financial crisis did not affect the financial institutions only or only the rich nations, but it affected all individuals of every nation. This is because, according to Shah, the effects of global financial crisis trickle down to all people and affect individual’s livelihood. One of the main arguments advanced in this article is that, the financial crisis could have been avoided if financial institutions had adopted the current economic models. According to Shah, the global financial crisis has been caused by people’s negligence, especially the government failure to effectively control financial institutions. Shah argues in the article that states have

Transport and Management Projects Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Transport and Management Projects - Case Study Example This makes the minimum time period for completion as 72 days and maximum completion of time period as 87 days The delay of 5 days in backing up of Atlas Web Site causes the decrease of float time by 5 days or increase of minimum and maximum time periods for the project to 80 to 90 days. The reason is the backing up of Atlas Web Site also is an individual task that is not done simultaneously with any other one. 6. Importance of Risk Management and Costing The importance of project risk management lies in anticipating and addressing the uncertainties. These uncertainties threaten the goals and time tables considered for the project. The questions of material and parts quality are considered in risk management. This improves the quality of the project. The delays in deliver of sufficient materials are minimized and this meets the project needs in time. The changes for budget and personnel are also minimized by risk management methods. The budget and personnel changes can be avoided by having completed knowledge and research. The delays in delivery dates and budget overages can be minimized as part of the risk management process. This involves the costing of the project also. The costing of the project is capable of estimating the project cost and probable increases if there are any delays. The increase in the cost can be minimized by minimizing the delays. As the delays are minimized by risk management and the minimizing the project cos t is done by costing the importance of risk management and costing is working on them simultaneously. This is possible by making the risk management process oriented. The risk management avoids having a successful project with an unsuccessful product. This means that the risk management takes into consideration the... The importance of project risk management lies in anticipating and addressing the uncertainties. These uncertainties threaten the goals and time tables considered for the project. The questions of material and parts quality are considered in risk management. This improves the quality of the project. The delays in deliver of sufficient materials are minimized and this meets the project needs in time. The changes for budget and personnel are also minimized by risk management methods. The budget and personnel changes can be avoided by having completed knowledge and research. The delays in delivery dates and budget overages can be minimized as part of the risk management process. This involves the costing of the project also. The costing of the project is capable of estimating the project cost and probable increases if there are any delays. The increase in the cost can be minimized by minimizing the delays. As the delays are minimized by risk management and the minimizing the project co st is done by costing the importance of risk management and costing is working on them simultaneously. This is possible by making the risk management process oriented. The risk management avoids having a successful project with an unsuccessful product. This means that the risk management takes into consideration the marketing also to avoid the failure product of a successful project.

Tata Consultancy Services entry strategy in international markets Essay

Tata Consultancy Services entry strategy in international markets - Essay Example One of the interesting reasons for the company’s success can be attributed to its entry approach that the company used in different markets. TCS being the first software company in India, has been in domestic operations since 1968 and its first big export came during the period 1973-74 when it took up the job of building inventory control software solution for an electricity company in Iran. (Agarwal, 2008, p. 19). During the same period TCS also took up a similar assignment in UK developing hospital information system. From that period and with its continued success, TCS has been a delight for its clients globally. The company’s principal activity is to provide information technology and business process outsourcing services. The company offers its services to varied types of industries but its prime focus is in on industries such as banking, insurance, financial services, manufacturing, retail, telecommunications and infrastructure. Innovation can lead the company as at niche player. The Niche for TCS is its BPO Services wing. â€Å"the key idea in niching is specialisation† (Kotler and Armstrong, 2006, p.543). TCS has operations all over the world including in Americas, Europe, Asia as well as Asia-Pacific. The IT consulting and other services market has shown impressive growth in recent years, offering an attractive prospect to potential new entrants. Entry into this market may be done by diversification of the existing activity or by founding a new company. (Datamonitor 2009, p.14). In the year 2008, the company has set its foot in other newer Asia Pacific markets such as Tha iland. Let us now look at TCSs and its country specific entry modes in view of its strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities and Strengths. TCS’s association in Europe has been there for the last 2 decades. . Indian software services firms such as TCS and second ranked Infosys technologies are expanding in Europe

Small Business Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Small Business Management - Assignment Example he proposed business is established, product and services improve in quality as the managers gain more experience in production and in some situations the original business concept and management change as entrepreneurs are hit by the reality on the ground (Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm), Films Media Group and Video Education Australasia, 2010, p.52). Small companies can avoid becoming obsolete by scanning the market and the threats by carrying out a clear and concise analysis of their business environment under the PEESTLE (Political, Environment, Economic, Social, Technology, Ethical and Legal factors) and SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) so as to establish the available opportunities and threats. With the above mentioned analysis, such businesses would realize their strengths and weaknesses hence able to employ effective strategies that would enable them focus on their strengths as they look for alternatives to cover up the loopholes (Sitarz, 2011, p.45). Technology based companies can only keep up with the rapidly changing markets, products and competitors by remaining updated with the current trends in the technology industry as well as ensuring that they are innovative enough so as to outdo their business rivals. This can be achieved by ensuring that they carry out regular business analysis and market research so as to establish the exact needs of their targeted customers (Sitarz, 2011, p.45). Moreover, they have to ensure that they have highly innovative and creative product development teams. Having the right strategy is the most crucial factor that determines success of any type of business. Raising resources becomes easier as long as a given business is applying the right business strategies, and at times is able to use other people’s money, an aspect that is highly encouraged by economists and business experts. Entrepreneurs usually experience the challenge of differentiating their companies from the

Conclusion and implication Essay Example for Free

Conclusion and implication Essay Failure to make use of available hazard-reduction information and measures of known effectiveness constitutes another general policy issue. It is one that assists to stimulate the ongoing UN-sponsored International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (Mitchell, 1988). In many places it would be potential to mitigate losses simply by putting what is known into effect. For instance, the value of warning and evacuation systems has been proven repeatedly; yet such systems are often underused. Likewise, hazard-mitigation schemes offer consistent paths toward reducing the long-term costs of disasters but they are often resisted in favour of instant post-disaster relief, insurance, and compensation programmes. Why do individuals and governments fail to make optimal use of available knowledge? There is no single answer to this question. A large number of factors are involved. Lack of agreement about definition and identification of problem; †¢ Lack of attentiveness of hazards; †¢ Misperception or misjudgement of risks; †¢ Lack of awareness of suitable responses; †¢ Lack of proficiency to make use of responses; †¢ Lack of money or resources to pay for responses; †¢ Lack of harmonization among institutions; †¢ Lack of attention to correlation between â€Å"disasters† and â€Å"development†; †¢ Failure to treat hazards as related problems whose components require simultaneous attention (i. e. reciprocity); †¢ Lack of access by affected populations to decision-making; †¢ Lack of public confidence in scientific knowledge; †¢ Conflicting goals among populations at risk; †¢ Fluctuating salience of hazards (competing priorities); †¢ Public opposition by negatively affected individuals and groups. Underlying all of these explicit reasons is a larger problem. It is this: society fails to take care of natural hazards as complex systems with several components that often require simultaneous attention. We tinker with one or another aspect of these systems when what are required are system-wide strategies. Perhaps even more significant, we fail to address the direct connection between natural hazard systems and economic investment decisions that drive the procedure of â€Å"development† and affect the potential for disasters. That such links subsist has been known for a very long time: If a man owes a debt, and the storm engulfs his field and carries away the produce, or if the grain has not grown in the field, in that year he shall not make any revisit to the creditor, he shall alter his contract and he shall not pay interest for that year. But mainly of the decisions that are taken to build new facilities or redevelop old ones, or to take on new production and distribution processes, or to develop new land, or to effectuate a myriad of other development goals are not currently very receptive to considerations of natural hazards. They must become so. And that is a task that will require a great deal of effort by natural hazard scientists to go beyond the laboratory and the research office or the field study site to obtain an understanding of how best to apply their expertise in public settings. It will also need the users of scientific information about hazards (architects, engineers, planners, banks and mortgage companies, international development agencies, and investment financiers) to foster a mutually interactive correlation with the scientists who are producers of that information. â€Å"Development† is only one of the main public issues that overlap with natural hazards reduction. Others include: environmental management; public health; security (personal, social, and national); and urbanization. All of them are major hitch sets in their own right, each patterned by philosophical and managerial disputes and unsettled issues. Efforts to work out commonly supportive policies and programmes raise entirely new sets of appropriate issues for hazards experts. References: †¢ Dombrowsky, Wolf R. 1995. â€Å"Again and Again: Is a Disaster What We Call ‘Disaster’? Some Conceptual Notes on Conceptualizing the Object of Disaster Sociology. † International Journal of mass Emergencies and Disasters (Nov. ), Vol. 13, No. 3, 241-254. †¢ Crozier, M. and Friedberg, E. (1979) Macht und Organisation, Berlin: Athenaum. (in German). †¢ IDNDR (International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction). 1996. Cities at risk: Making cities safer †¦ before disaster strikes. Supplement to No. 28, Stop Disasters. Geneva: IDNDR. †¢ Maskrey, Andrew. 1989. Disaster mitigation: A community based approach. Development Guidelines No. 3. Oxford: Oxfam. †¢ Mitchell, James K. 1988. â€Å"Confronting natural disasters: An international decade for natural hazard reduction. † Environment 30(2): 25–29. †¢ Mitchell, James K. 1989. â€Å"Hazards research. † In Gary Gaile and Cort Willmott (eds. ), Geography in America. Columbus, OH: Merrill Publishing Company, pp. 410– 424. †¢ Mitchell, James K. 1993b. â€Å"Recent developments in hazards research: A geographers perspective. In E. L. Quarantelli and K. Popov (eds.), Proceedings of the United States–Former Soviet Union Seminar on Social Science Research on Mitigation for and Recovery from Disasters and Large Scale Hazards. Moscow, April 19– 26, 1993. Vol. I: The American participation. Newark: University of Delaware, Disaster Research Center, pp. 43–62. †¢ Mitchell, James K. and Neil Ericksen. 1992. â€Å"Effects of climate changes on weather-related disasters. † In Irving Mintzer (ed. ), Confronting climate change: Risks, implications and responses. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 141–152. †¢ Mitchell, James K. , Neal Devine, and Kathleen Jagger.1989. â€Å"A contextual model of natural hazard. † Geographical Review 89(4): 391–409. †¢ Myers, Mary Fran and Gilbert F. White. 1993. â€Å"The challenge of the Mississippi flood. † Environment 35(10): 6–9, 25–35. †¢ Parker, D. J. and J. W. Handmer, eds. 1992. Hazard management and emergency planning: Perspectives on Britain. London: James James. †¢ Showalter, Pamela S. and Mary F. Myers. 1994. â€Å"Natural disasters in the United States as release agents of oil, chemicals or radiological materials between 1980–1989: Analysis and recommendations. † Risk Analysis 14(2): 169–182. †¢ Setchell, C. A. 1995. â€Å"The growing environmental crisis in the worlds megacities: The case of Bangkok. † Third World Planning Review 17(1): 1–18. †¢ Wynne, Brian. 1992. â€Å"Uncertainty and environmental learning: Reconceiving science and policy in the preventive paradigm. † Global Environmental Change 2(2): 111– 127. †¢ Yath, A. Y. 1995. â€Å"On the expulsion of rural inmigrants from Greater Khartoum – The example of the Dinka in Suq el Markazi. † GeoJournal 36(1): 93–101. †¢ Zelinsky, W. and L. Kosinski, L. 1991. Emergency evacuation of cities. London: Unwin Hyman.

Justification of Human Violence Through Fight Club Essay Example for Free

Justification of Human Violence Through Fight Club Essay Throughout the history of the Human Race, violence and destruction is a reoccurring theme. In modern society we view ourselves as socially and economically evolved people when comparing ourselves to our ancestors, who were barbaric and uncivilized in comparison. However, our society has not evolved very far from this. There remains an instinct and desire for chaos and destruction in humans. I will not say this applies to all people, but it cannot be agued that the Human species is the single most destructive creature on the planet Earth. We have created war amongst each other, creating weapons and advancing our sciences for the sake of finding new and better ways of killing each other. The violence is not only contained in war, but in our entertainment as well. Romans used to watch gladiators kill each other in the coliseum, and we today watch action movies of men blowing each other up with guns and dynamite. Video games themselves allow you to kill and maim people, but why would someone want to play a game where you kill someone? Why does a violent and gory movie become so popular? What is it about aggression, destruction, and violence that attracts people? Sigmund Freud developed many theories and ideas about the human mind and explores society and its effects on people. This, as well as the movie and book â€Å"Fight Club†, will help to give insight into the minds of violent people and will give reasoning to their destructiveness. The majority of the world is made up of people who have an urge for violence and corruption, even if they don’t consider themselves to be, and the book â€Å"Fight Club† gives examples of this. Fight Club† is a book that was first written by Chuck Palahniuk in 1996 and was later transitioned into a film in 1999 starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. In this story, the narrator, who is never named in neither the film nor the book, but has been referred to as jack, is an office worker who lost his view on life and has one bad thing happen to him after another. He has insomnia, his condo was blown up by a gas leak, and he is overwhelmed by work, finding himself in different places after he falls asleep. To cure his insomnia, he goes to cancer meetings and other such help group. It is her where he is allowed to cry and have everyone around him assume the worst. This helps him to sleep until his lie is reflected by a woman who starts to do the same thing. Her name is Marla and keeps Jack from being able to cry. They agree to different days so that he can be alone and they ironically become close by the end of the book, due to the fact that Jack is constantly bitter towards her while she is at the self help meetings. He eventually meets a character named Tyler Durden on a business trip and finds himself living with him. Tyler is much more outgoing and adventurous than Jack, and soon becomes his mentor and teacher. After one night of some drinks, Tyler starts a fight with Jack for fun. They continue to do this every few nights and eventually gather a crowd of other men that want to fight as well. They then create fight club, a weekly gathering where two men are put together to brawl against each other in a circle of shouting man. Tyler leads this whole thing, with Jack at his side, but Fight Club grows more and more into a cult, and Tyler creates his own personal army which he call project mayhem, which has the sole purpose of bringing chaos and madness on the buttoned down society that shunned them away and led them to believe that they could be something they’re not. What Tyler tries to teach Jack throughout the story is that he needs to â€Å"hit bottom† meaning that he must detach himself from everything in his life. He says â€Å"It is only when we have nothing that we are free to do anything. With nothing to lose, no one can threaten you and you can do whatever you want. Tyler wanted to teach the world this and planned on using his followers to accomplish this. His big plan was to destroy all the major credit card company buildings and their records, putting everyone’s credit to zero. What Jack eventually finds out is that Tyler is his own split personality. Tyler is an extension of Jack, and only he sees him, but whatever Tyler has ever said to anyone or done, it was really Jack. Fight Club helps to evaluate the reasoning and deduction of violence and the need for chaos. Tyler tells his followers that they have been promises by industry that they could become movie gods and rock stars, but they’re not, and â€Å"we’re slowly learning that fact, and we are very, very pissed off. † Fight Club was created because of the first night with Jack and Tyler, and Tyler says â€Å"How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight. I don’t want to die without any scares. † This means to say that a man is considered to show his true worth and self in a fight. It can show that he is either brave or a coward, or strong or weak. Most people cannot say that they’ve actually been in a fight before, but there is much to be learned about ones self if they are ever to encounter one. However, there are some that have actually started real fight clubs and follow the teachings of the fictional character of Tyler Durden. There do exist real fight clubs. USA Today wrote an online news article about software engineers near the age of 30 to 40, who hold fight clubs in a garage every two weeks. This is inspired by the movie, and these people that fight do it to exert their anger and frustration into something physical. They meet up and have full fledged fights with each other, two at a time and sometimes with weapons to. They took the movie and book quite literally, and many parallels can be seen. The article quotes one of the men who say â€Å"I have fantasies about it† compared to the movie where the narrator says â€Å"You arent alive anywhere like youre alive at fight club. † Another man says You get to be a superhero for a night. We have to go to work every day. Were constantly told to buy things we dont need, and just for a couple hours we have the freedom to do what we want to do. This is near to what Tyler Durden teaches about losing touch with personal possessions and going back to the hunter gatherer sense and also being able to do what you want. These technical engineers joined a fight club and enjoy it. They say they feel powerful and â€Å"macho†. It can therefore be dismissed that only unintelligent people would have the sense to be in a fight, seeing as we have software engineers doing it. There are other fight club that are started by teens, but they are unfortunate in the fact that sometimes a person is unwilling to fight and is beaten by his attacker. These teenagers get caught and arrested after they make DVD’s of the fight to sell online. This is the ignorant side of fighting. The tech engineers only fight with each other and organize it together, but these teenagers choose to turn it into an act of bullying by prying on the weak and taking advantage of them. It is dishonourable and untrue to the true nature and message of Fight Club. Many people can see the reasoning behind these fighting engineers, but others only see the teenager side of fight club and see it as grotesque, violent, and meaningless. The main idea though, is to put more meaning to your life than that new T. V you want, or the sofa you saw in an Ikea magazine that you think matches your curtains. There is a quote that depicts the meaning Tyler’s lesson very well. It’s from a kid named Lester in a book called â€Å"The Brimstone Journals†. He is talking about his mother working days and his dad working nights, saying â€Å"All so they can buy more crap. Man, it reminds me way too much of this movie on TV where a bunch of slaves were moving some big statue of a god. They had it on these logs that were like rollers and most of the laves pushed this god while the rest picked up the last log and hustled it around to the front. They did this all day. † The meaning behind this is that most people are stuck in the social loop of working hours like a drone, only to buy something you don’t really need. Society has everyone working hard so we can take our money and put it into the system we’re working for. The point is to drive yourself to become more than that and learn more about yourself through fight club. The other people of the fight clubs mentioned could defend to this. The movie has a scene where Jack is mad about his condo being destroyed and the amount of stuff he had in it, saying its ok, his insurance will cover it. This is when Tyler laughs and say â€Å"The things you own, end up owning you. † Meaning we become dependant and needy for material possessions. Fight Club certainly promotes violence, but it does it in a way so others don’t have to become involved if they choose so. It is a good way to get ride of anger and frustration compared to how others have done it before. As long as others have an outlet to express these feelings, others are safe. Some people choose to express their anger with a different violence witch targets others. Husbands sometime hit their wives, a student may bring a gun to school, or maybe even an office worker. These things have happened and are very unfortunate to have done so. In the book , â€Å"The Brimstone Journals† which depict poems of student in high school and their thoughts, Lester is holding his dad’s gun saying he wouldn’t hurt anyone with it, but if he did he would do it naked in the gym saying â€Å"They wouldn’t laugh then, would they? The jocks would crap their pants. The girls’d kiss my fat feet. † These people became unhappy and were mistreated and decided to act back. With fight club, anger is not contained and built up; it is exerted with friends in a brawl. As stated previously, Fight Club remains to be about finding happiness and disconnecting from society. Sigmund Freud has a writing titled, â€Å"Civilization and its Discontents† and in one chapter, he evaluates how men find it difficult to become happy and that the source of our misery is our civilization and the comfort that we as humans have made for ourselves. He says (pg38) â€Å"What we call our civilization is largely responsible for our misery, and that we should be much happier if we gave it up and returned to primitive conditions. † This is the main goal of Tyler Durden in â€Å"Fight Club†. He wants to bring civilization back to its primitive roots because it’s better than the narrowed society and community that we have worked so hard to make for ourselves. He says in the movie â€Å"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. Youll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. Youll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, youll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway. † This is the world that Tyler wants to create. A world where skyscrapers and highways are but remnants of an old life, and civilization has downgraded into a society of those who only perform what they need to, and are not bound by industries. Freud goes on to say that (pg38) â€Å"It is a certain fact that all the things with which we seek to protect ourselves against the threats that emanate from the sources of suffering are part of that very civilization. † Mean that society that we have created for ourselves has also created the source of our suffering. Buddhism is known to have said that the source of all suffering comes from wanting something. However, we have created an economy of â€Å"want†, surrounded by advertisements, TV commercials and supermarkets. If wanting something is suffering, then we have created it ourselves and surrounded ourselves with it. Later in this text, he states that â€Å"It was discovered that a person becomes neurotic because he cannot tolerate the amount of frustration which society imposes on him in the service of its cultural ideals, and it was inferred from this that the abolition or reduction of those demands would result in a return to possibilities of happiness. † (pg39) This means that the idea of happiness in our society is reliant on the basis of a lack of work. Our lives are clustered and overwhelmed by housework, jobs, food shopping, and the idea of not doing any of that is the only thing we know as happiness and yet we are stuck in a paradoxical loop. We want to be happy, we have to buy a new coffee table, if we want that then we have to work, if we have to do that, we have to be unhappy. Being happy should not be based on the sheer contrast of unhappiness. Freud changes his subject to man’s view of God. He goes on to say â€Å"To these gods he attributed everything that seemed unattainable to his wishes, or that these gods were cultural ideals. To-day he has come very close to the attainment of this ideal, he has almost become god himself. †(pg44). What he means by this is that gods used to be beings of unforeseen knowledge with the ability to control the element and do as they please, but we have reached an age where we can control our own world and our knowledge has gone beyond what we could have ever imagined. Freud goes on to say â€Å"Future ages will bring with them new and probably unimaginably great advances in this field of civilization and will increase man’s likeness to God still more†¦. an does not feel happy in his Godlike character. †(pg45) This merely re-emphasises what is being said. That our technological and scientific advances allow us to become the God that man has always praised. We are able to alter DNA, remove and fertilise embryos, and the list goes on. In â€Å"Fight Club†, the father figure is what is expected to be seen as a person’s view of god. The narrator says† What you end up doing, is you spend your life searching for a father and God. What you have to consider is the possibility that God doesn’t like you. Could be, God hates us. This is not the worst thing that could happen. Getting God’s attention for being bad was better than getting no attention at all. Maybe because God’s hate is better than His indifference. † The brings a religious aspect to the subject. It can be questioned as to weather or not God is the reason people act violently. This is true, seeing as there are cases where people commit murder in the claim that God â€Å"told them† to do it. And yet, an entire war happened all in the name of God, it was also known as the Crusades. Could the only way to get God’s recognition is to be bad? I can’t be argued that religion has in fact created war, hatred towards other beliefs and murder. Violence is clearly an innate part of the human race as far as history and as a society. â€Å"Fight Club† helps to give a view that gives a justification for fighting and violent actions. With the help of â€Å"Fight Club† and the theories of Sigmund Freud, we have developed a better understanding as to the reasoning of actual fight clubs. We can see that they are not events where the innocent are beaten, but rather gatherings where men can exhort their anger and frustration into a physical manifestation of punches and kicks. We can see now that this type of violence among other people who want it, is better than the type of violence where others are dragged into it unwillingly. â€Å"Fight Club† says a lot of things about society and civilization being the source of our misery, as well as contains parallels with the work of Sigmund Freud. The book â€Å"Fight Club† has influenced many lives and has changed the ideals and views of many. The majority of the world is made up of people who have an urge for violence and corruption, even if they don’t consider themselves to be, and the book â€Å"Fight Club† gives examples of this.

Childhood Maltreatment and Diabetes Relationship

Childhood Maltreatment and Diabetes Relationship Study Rationale The primary goal of this study is to conduct an empirical investigation of the association between an early life stressor such as childhood maltreatment and subsequent diagnosis of Type II diabetes in adulthood. This study will specifically explore if a relationship exists between the type and severity of childhood maltreatment encountered and participants diabetes-related quality of life. To provide a context for the current study, background literature focusing on two dimensions that have received considerable attention in the psychological literature is first thoroughly reviewed: definition and effects of childhood maltreatment and the biopsychosocial aspect of Type II diabetes. The current studys purpose, hypotheses, method, and data analytic strategy will then be proposed. Background Information Childhood Maltreatment Childhood maltreatment refers to, any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], n.d., para. 1). In their report, Child Maltreatment Surveillance, Leeb, Paulozzo, Melanson, Simon, Arias (2007) defined acts of commission as deliberate and intentional use of words or actions that cause harm, potential harm, or threat of harm to a child. Examples of acts of commission include physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse. Acts of omission, on the other hand, are the failure to provide for a childs basic physical, emotional, or educational needs or to protect a child from harm (Leeb et al., 2007). Thus, acts of omission include physical, emotional, medical, or educational neglect, the failure to supervise or insufficient supervision, and/or exposure to a violent environment. According to the most recent publication by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) on childhood maltreatment, an estimated 905,000 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect (USDHHS, 2006). Specifically, 64.2 percent of child victims experienced neglect, 16.0 percent were physically abused, 8.8 percent were sexually abused, and 6.6 percent were emotionally or psychologically maltreated. The report suggests that rates of victimization by maltreatment type have fluctuated only slightly during the past several years. The long-term consequences of child maltreatment are significant and include the risk of alterations of brain structure and function, sexual risk taking behaviors, eating disorders, suicidal intent and behavior, lower self-esteem, adjustment problems, internalizing problems (i.e. anxiety and depressive disorders), externalizing problems (i.e. personality disorders and substance abuse), adult trauma, continuation of intergenerational violence and/or neglect, and developmental and cognitive disabilities (Anda, Felitti, Bremner, Walker, Whitfield, Perry, Dube, Giles, 2006; Arata, Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Bowers, OFarrill-Swails, 2005; Bardone-Cone, Maldonado, Crosby, Mitchell, Wonderlich, Joiner, Crow, Peterson, Klein, Grange, 2008; Johnson, Sheahan, Chard, 2003; Kaplow Widom, 2007; Kaslow, Okun, Young, Wyckoff, Thompson, Price, Bender, Twomey, Golding, Parker, 2002; Lewis, Jospitre, Griffing, Chu, Sage, Madry, Primm, 2006; Medrano, Hatch, Zule, Desmond, 2002; Smith, 1996; Sobsey, 2002; Taft, Marshall, Schumm, Panuzio, Holtzworth-Munroe, 2008). A consistent relationship between abuse history and poorer overall health has also been demonstrated in a stratified, epidemiological sample of both men and women within the United States (Cromer and Sachs-Ericsson, 2006). Childhood Maltreatment and Physical Health Problems A consistent dose-relationship between abuse history, poorer overall health, and sustained losses in health-related quality of life has been well established (Cromer Sachs-Ericsson, 2006; Golding, 1994; Corso, Edwards, Fange, Mercy, 2008). Childhood sexual abuse has been associated with physical complaints such as migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain (Goldberg, Pachas, Keith, 1999; Goodwin, Hoven, Murison, Hotopf, 2003; Ross, 2005; Walker, Keegan, Gardner, Sullivan, Bernstein, Katon, 1997). Furthermore, using data from the National Corbidity Study, a nationally representative general population study, Arnow (2004) found that abused children were likely to have pelvic and musculoskeletal pain as adults, and utilize health care services at a greater proportion in adulthood. However, a major limitation of these studies is exclusion of emotional and/or psychological abuse experienced in childhood. Additionally, results regarding the incidence of types o f childhood maltreatment and diabetes have been mixed. Diabetes Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by the deficiency or resistance to insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily living. As such, insulin deficiency compromises the body tissues access to essential nutrients for fuel or storage. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes, many of which unaware that they have the disease (ADA, n.d., para. 2). Diabetes occurs in two primary forms. Type I diabetes is characterized by absolute deficiency and typically occurs before the age of 30. Type II diabetes, however, is typified by insulin resistance with varying degrees of deficiencies in the bodys ability to secrete insulin. Sedentary lifestyle and diet have been linked to the development of Type II diabetes. Other risk factors for this type of diabetes include obesity, pregnancy, metabolic syndrome, and various medications. Physiologic and emotional stress has also been thought to play a key role in the development of Type II diabetes specifically. Prolonged elevation of stress hormones, namely cortisol, glucagon, epinephrine, and growth hormone, increases blood glucose levels, which in turn places increased demands on the pancreas. Such stress ultimately leads to the inability of the pancreas to keep up with the bodys need for insulin and high levels of glucose and insulin circulate in the bloodstream, setting the stage for Type II diabetes (Diseases, 2006). Role of Stress in the Onset of Diabetes Animal Studies Researchers have found that both a history and presence of existing stressors play a significant role in the onset and course of diabetes. Through the use of animal studies, researchers have been able to prospectively test the influence of stress on both types of diabetes. For example, Lehman, Rodin, McEwen, and Brinton (1991) investigated whether an environmental challenge promoted the expression of diabetes in bio-breeding rats. Researchers introduced a triad of stressors to the animals over a 14-week period, including rotation of the cage, vibration, and restraint in individual containers. They found that the administration of these stressors repeatedly increased the likelihood of the rats developing Type I diabetes as indicated by elevated blood sugar levels (Lehman et al., 1991). One of the first observations that stress could contribute to the expression of Type II diabetes was made during metabolic studies of the native North African sand rat (psammonys obesus). Once fed with laboratory chow and allowed to become obese, the North African sand rat will eventually develop Type II diabetes in response to an environmental stressor (Surwit, Schenider, Feinglos, 1992). Notably, Mikat, Hackel, Cruz, and Lebowitz (1972) administered an esophageal intubation of saline in an effort to control the dietary intake of the sand rat. This tube feeding resulted in an alteration of glucose tolerance and precipitated the onset of Type II diabetes in these rats. Similar research was done on the genetically obese (ob/ob) mouse, which is used as a prototype of Type II diabetes in humans because of its pattern of obesity, hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance (Surwit, Feinglos, Livingston, Kuhn, McCubbin, 1984). To study the effects of env ironmental stress and sympathetic nervous system arousal on plasma glucose in ob/ob mice, Surwit et al. (1984) designed two experimental conditions. In the first condition, 15 ob/ob mice were shaken in their cage at a rate of 200 strokes per minute for five minutes. In the second condition, 16 ob/ob mice were injected with epinephrine bitartrate, a chemical whose effects mimic those of the stress response. Plasma glucose levels in mice from both conditions were found to be significantly elevated. The researchers concluded that environmental stress was partially responsible for the expression of the diabetic phenotype in this animal model of diabetes. Role of Stress in the Onset of Diabetes Human Studies Data gathered on the impact of life events on Types I diabetes in a human sample has yielded inconsistent results. An early study by Grant, Kyle, Teichman, and Mendels (1974) examined the relationship between the occurrence of life events and the course of illness in a group of 37 diabetic patients. Using Holmes and Rahes Schedule of Recent Events (SRE), a scale in which 43 significant recent life events are assigned a numeric value of life change units as a measurement of life stress, Grant et al. (1974) found that of the 26 participants who had a positive correlation between undesirable life events and illness, 24 had a positive correlation between undesirable events scores and diabetic condition. This data suggests that negative events were primarily responsible between life events and changes in diabetic condition since the inclusion of neutral and positive events did not increase the magnitude of the correlations. Despite the significant results, this study had a number of limit ations, including the utilization of a small sample size, difficulty in establishing reliable criteria for assessing subtle changes in the diabetic condition, lack of sufficient time to elapse between assessments for significant life changes to occur, and the lack of delineation of the types of diabetes studied (i.e. Type I vs. II). However, in a more recent meta-analysis, Cosgrove (2004) found no evidence to support the hypothesis that life events cause or precipitate Type I diabetes. Using an electronic and manual literature search of appropriate key words (namely, diabetes and depression, diabetes and depressive, diabetes and life events, diabetes and stress) in the literature up to July 2003, Cosgrove (2004) aimed to establish whether there might be a link between depression, stress, or life events and the onset of Type I diabetes. A total of nine papers were found from the electronic and manual search. It was concluded that when the number and severity of life events was compared to controls in all nine reviewed studies, no differences were detected in the diabetics (Cosgrove, 2004). Though data from small, older studies and large, randomized studies showed that early losses in childhood increase the risk of developing Type I diabetes, no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that life events cause o r precipitate this diagnosis. Meta-analyses with more recent studies have not been found studying the relationships between stressful life events in both types of diabetes. As such, it is unknown whether links have since been found by other researchers. More consistent evidence was found supporting the notion that stressful circumstances precipitate Type II diabetes. In their study of environmental stress on Type II diabetics, McCleskey, Lewis, and Woodruff (1978) measured glucagon and glucose levels on 25 patients who were undergoing elective surgery, a physical stressor. Ten samples were obtained during pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative periods for each patient. It was found that throughout the sampling period, diabetic patients had two times the amount of glucagon (a hormone produced by the pancreas that stimulates the increase of blood sugar levels) in their body compared to their non-diabetic counterparts (McCleskey, Lewis, Woodruff, 1978). This effect was also found in Pima Indians, who have an approximately 60% chance of eventually developing Type II diabetes, compared with 5% of the Caucasian population (Surwit, Schenider, Feinglos, 1992). The effects of a simple arithmetic task on blood glucose levels were studied in both Caucasian and Pima Indian samples. Surwit, McCubbin, Feinglos, Esposito-Del Puente, and Lillioja (1990) found that blood glucose was consistently higher during and following the stressful task in ten of 13 Pima Indians, concluding that altered glycemic responsivity to behavioral stressors anticipates the development of Type II diabetes in individuals who are genetically predisposed to the disease (Surwit et al., 1990). Results from The Hoorn Study further illustrated the effects of stress on Type II diabetes. Mooy, De Vries, Grootenhuis, Boutner, and Heine (2000) analyzed data from a large population-based survey of 2,262 adults in the Netherlands upon which the researchers were able to explore whether chronic stress is positively associated with the prevalence of Type II diabetes. Analysis of data confirmed their hypothesis; a high number of rather common major life events that are correlated with chronic psychological stress, such as death of a spouse or relocation of residence, were indeed found to correspond to a significantly higher percentage of undetected diabetes (Mooy et al., 2000). Because the study was conducted in the Netherlands on a Caucasian, middle-aged population, it is uncertain whether these findings are generalizable to other demographics in different geographic regions. Childhood Maltreatment and Diabetes Thus far, with the exception of one study, the research discussed has demonstrated a positive correlation between a variety of recent or current environmental stressors, such as anesthesia, surgery, cognitive tasks, death of a loved one, and other significant losses, and the onset of Type I and/or II diabetes in animals and human beings. However, the literature is somewhat limited as to the relationship between a past environmental stressor, namely childhood maltreatment, and Type II diabetes in adulthood. Numerous researchers examined the prevalence of medical problems in abused populations and have reported that diabetes is one of the most common health conditions among those who have experienced maltreatment. For example, using data drawn from the National Comorbidity Study conducted in the early 1990s, Sachs-Ericsson, Blazer, Plant, and Arnow (2005) examined the independent effects of childhood sexual and physical abuse on adult health status in a large community sample of 5,877 men and women. Sachs-Ericsson et al. (2005) found that childhood sexual and physical abuse was associated with the one-year prevalence of serious health problems for both men and women. Specifically, participants who experienced any form of childhood abuse were more likely to report having a medical condition, including AIDS, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney or liver disease, neurological problems, stroke, gastrointestinal disorders, or any other serious health pr oblem (Sachs-Ericsson et al., 2005). Though data from this epidemiological study likely represents the U.S. demographics, a number of limitations exist. Specifically, the researchers did not report the prevalence of each disorder endorsed and thus, the actual incidence of diabetes in the population sample is unknown. Furthermore, Sachs-Ericsson et. al (2005) did not look at additional forms of maltreatment, such as verbal abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Similarly, Walker, Gelfand, Katon, Koss, Von Korff, Bernstein, and Russo (1999) found a significant association between childhood maltreatment and adverse adult health outcomes. In particular, the researchers administered a survey to 1,225 women randomly selected from the membership of a large HMO in Washington State. Results indicated that women with childhood maltreatment histories were more likely to have an increased number of physician-coded ICD-9 diagnoses, grouped together as high blood pressure, diabetes, dermatitis, asthma, allergy, acne, and abnormal menstrual bleeding. Though the group of women in this study who reported threshold levels of sexual maltreatment had the poorest health outcomes, a major limitation of this study is the uncertainty as to whether additional forms of maltreatment were concomitantly experienced. Specifically, the authors do not establish whether sexual abuse solely was the cause of poorer health or is largely due to multiple forms of maltreatment in girls who were not properly protected in their early families. Moreover, Walker et al. (1999) do not differentiate between types of diabetes. Gender differences have been established in the association between physical abuse in childhood and overall health problems in adulthood. Analysis of data from 16,000 individuals interviewed in the National Violence Against Women Survey found that female abuse victims were at greater risk for health problems than their male counterparts (Thompson, Kingree, Desai, 2004). Furthermore, women with maltreatment history tend to have more distressing physical experiences, have an increased number of physician-coded diagnoses, and were more likely to engage in multiple health risk behaviors, including obesity a significant risk factor associated with Type II diabetes (Trickett, Putnam, Noll, 2005; Walker, Gelgand, Katon, Koss, Von Korff, Bernstein, Russo, 1999). Moreover, sexual assault history throughout ones lifespan was also associated with chronic disease (i.e. diabetes, arthritis, and physical disability) in a sample of women from Los Angeles (Golding, 1994). Conversely, in their sa mple of 680 primary care patients, Norman, Means-Christensen, Craske, Sherbourne, Roy-Byrne, and Stein (2006) found that the experience of trauma significantly increased the odds of arthritis and diabetes for men, while trauma was associated with increased odds for digestive disorders and cancer in women. Although the data suggests that childhood maltreatment is related to adverse health outcomes in adulthood, they do not address as to why associations differed by gender. Analyzing data from the Midlife Development in the United States Survey (MIDUS), Goodwin and Weisberg (2002) sought to determine the association between childhood emotional and physical abuse and the odds of self-reported diabetes among adults in the general population. Their results revealed that self-reported diabetes occurred in 4.8% of its representative sample of 3,032 adults aged 25-74 years. Childhood abuse was associated with significantly increased odds of self-reported diabetes, which persisted after adjusting for differences in socio-demographic characteristics and mental health status (Goodwin Weisberg, 2002). Moreover, individuals who specifically reported maternal emotional abuse and maternal physical abuse had significantly higher rates of diabetes (Goodwin Weisberg, 2002). Furthermore, data gathered from a sample of 130 patients (65 abused, 65 non-abused controls) drawn from an adult primary-care practice in a small, affluent, predominantly Caucasian community in northern New England revealed that patients with a history of victimization were more likely to report diabetes or endorse symptoms of this illness than non-abused participants (Kendall-Tackett Marshall, 1999). Specifically, four patients in the abused group reported diabetes, with none in the control group. Interestingly, those patients in the abused group did not have a significantly higher family history of diabetes than those in the non-abused group and a higher percentage of patients in the abused group reported having three of more symptoms than did those in the control group. Kendall-Tackett and Marshall (1999) assert that although only four people identified themselves as having diabetes, this number should be interpreted in the broader context of incidence of diabetes in the general population. Nonetheless, this finding could have been due to chance and many of the symptoms endorsed could have been related to other diseases (Kendall-Tackett Marshall, 1999). Additional limitations include the failure to differentiate between the types of abuse endured and the use of a non-empirically validated measure to gather data. Furthermore, the researchers did not specify which type of diabetes the participants were diagnosed with and did not indicate the severity of the disease. Data from the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE), however, found alternative results. Researchers Felliti, Anda, Nordenberg, Williamson, Spitz, Edwards, Koss, and Marks (1998) mailed questionnaires about adverse childhood experiences to 9,508 adults who had completed a standardized medical evaluation at a large HMO in California. It was found that abuse and other types of household dysfunction were significantly related to the number of disease conditions, with the exception of diabetes. Specifically, when those who had experienced multiple forms of childhood maltreatment were compared to those with no experiences, the odds-ratio for the presence of diabetes was a non-significant 1.6 (Felliti et al., 1998). The researchers believe that their estimates of the long-term relationship between adverse childhood experiences and adult health are conservative. Specifically, it is likely that, consistent with well-documented longitudinal follow-up studies, that reports of childhood abu se were underestimated due to the premature mortality in persons with multiple adverse childhood exposures (Felliti et al., 1998). Similarly, in a sample of 1,359 community-dwelling men and women aged 50 years or older, Stein and Barrett-Connor (2000) found no relationship between sexual assault history in participants lifetime and reported rates of diabetes. Rather, a history of sexual assault was associated with an increased risk of arthritis and breast cancer in women and thyroid disease in men (Stein Barrett-Connor, 2000). In this study, the researchers posit that the possibility of response bias is a major limitation. Namely, Stein and Barrett-Connor (2000) consider the likelihood that previously assaulted respondents have a greater tendency to visit doctors, leading to the increased opportunities for health conditions to be detected. Additional limitations include the lack of consideration for other types of abuse encountered in childhood. The Link between Childhood Maltreatment and Diabetes The above findings provide support for the hypothesis that childhood maltreatment may be associated with increased likelihood of the diagnosis of a medical condition, with the inclusion of diabetes in some studies. An essential question posed by this observation is by what mechanisms are adverse childhood experiences linked to health risk behaviors and adult diseases? A number of researchers have found that psychological stress, in particular, has been associated with the onset of Type II diabetes. This impact of stress on the etiology and course of Type II diabetes can be considered via the metabolic pathways by means of obesity and/or activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the gene-environment interaction, and the correlation of coping with diabetes and stressors. The stress response is a physiological coping response that involves the HPA axis, the sympathetic nervous system, the neurotransmitter system, and then immune system. There is growing evidence that victims of various forms of abuse and stressors often experience biological changes, particularly in the neuroendocrine system implicated in the stress response, as well as the brain (Glaser, 2000; Goenjian, Pynoos, Steinberg, Endres, Abraham, Geffner, Fairbanks, 2003; King, Mandansky, King, Fletcher, Brewer, 2001; McEwen, 2000). The HPA axis is the primary mechanism studied in the literature on the neurobiology of stress and is estimated through the non-invasive measurement of cortisol in saliva samples. During psychological stress, cortisol is elevated beyond normal levels in response to adrenocorticotropic hormone from the pituitary, mobilizing energy stores, and facilitating behavioral responses to threat (Diseases, 2006). In the presence of prolonged stress, especially in which the individual has difficulty coping, this physiological response may occur to an atypical extent and prove harmful. Dienstbier (1989) asserts that prolonged and/or extreme stress can create a vicious cycle of pathology, as individuals with a history of abuse may become even more vulnerable in the face of new victimization because they become threat-sensitized, resulting in either an over- or under-reaction of the HPA system to new stressors. As Vaillancourt, Duku, Decatanzaro, Macmillan, Muir, and Schmidt (2008) cite, this process is best illustrated by Cicchetti and Rogoschs (2001) study of maltreated children attending a summer day camp. These authors found that in comparison to non-abused children, children who had been both sexually and physically abused, in addition to emotionally maltreated or neglected, exhibited higher morning cortisol levels, whereas a subgroup of children who had only been physically abused exhibited lower levels. Recent evidence suggests that increased cortisol concentrations may contribute to the prevalence of metabolic syndromes, such as Type II diabetes. For example, in their assessment of 190 Type II diabetic patients who volunteered from a population study of 12,430 in suburban Germany, Oltmanns, Dodt, Schultes, Raspe, Schweiger, Born, Fehm, and Peters (2006), sought to assess the relationship between diabetes-associated metabolic disturbances and cortisol concentrations in patients with Type II diabetes. The target population comprised of men and women born between 1939 and 1958 who completed a postal questionnaire about their health status. Results demonstrated that in patients with Type II diabetes, those with the highest cortisol profiles had higher glucose levels and blood pressures (Oltmanns et al., 2006). Their findings suggest that HPA axis activity may play a role in the development of Type II diabetes-associated metabolic disturbances. Cartmell (2006) proposes a model by which this may occur. Namely, high levels of cortisol decreases metabolism of glucose and increase mobilization and metabolism of fats. This decreased metabolism of glucose contributes to increased blood glucose levels. Furthermore, increased blood fat levels contribute to insulin resistance. This increase level of blood glucose and fats are characteristic symptoms of diabetes (Cartmell, 2006). Researchers Chiodini, Adda, Scillitani, Colleti, Morelli, Di Lembo, Epaminonda, Masserini, Beck-Peccoz, Orsi, Ambrosi, and Arosio (2007) extended the literature by studying HPA axis secretion of cortisol and chronic diabetic complications. An evaluation was conducted on HPA activity in a sample of 117 Type II diabetic patients with and without chronic complications and in a sample of 53 non-diabetic patients at a hospital in Italy. Chiodini et al. (2007) found that in diabetic subjects without chronic complications, HPA axis activity was comparable with that of non-diabetic patients, whereas in diabetic subjects with chronic complications, cortisol level was increased in respect to both diabetic subjects and control subjects. Though the design of their study did not look for a cause-effect relationship, Chiodini et al. (2007) purport that higher levels of cortisol, either due to a constitutive HPA axis activation or secondary to a chronic stress condition, may predispose an individua l to the development of chronic diabetic complications. Type II diabetes is now a well-recognized syndrome characteristic of hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension (Sridhar Madhu, 2001). One theory that purports the biological plausibility of a stress-diabetes association has been formulated by Swiss researcher, Dr. Per Bjà ¶rntorp. Bjà ¶rntorp (1997) postulated that stress could be responsible for sympathetic nervous system activation, hormone abnormalities, and obesity. This theory states that perceived psychological stress with a defeatist or helplessness reaction leads to an activation of the HPA axis. This in turn results in endocrine abnormalities, including increased cortisol and decreased sex steroid levels that disrupt the actions of insulin. In addition, this hormonal imbalance causes visceral adiposity, which plays an important role in diabetes and cardiovascular disease by contributing to the development of insulin resistance (Cartmell, 2006). Researchers of The Hoorn Study described above tested Bjà ¶rntorps theory and found only partial support (Mooy et al., 2000). Specifically, the accumulation of visceral fat did not seem to be the major mediating factor between stress and diabetes and fasting insulin concentration, which is an approximation of insulin resistance, was not higher in the individuals in their sample who had experienced more stressful events. Study Significance The significance of this study is its potential to provide medical practitioners with information regarding the impact of past psychosocial factors, such as childhood maltreatment, on the current physical health of Type II diabetics. Diabetes and its complications affect a significant portion of the United States population and has become the fifth leading cause of death in the country (Florida Department of Health, 2008). As researchers continue to look for the cause(s) of diabetes and methods to treat, prevent, or cure the disorder, it is vital that practitioners take a holistic and comprehensive approach to assessing the diabetics life. As long as abuse and other potentially damaging experiences in childhood contribute to the development of risk factors, then these childhood exposures should be recognized as the basic causes of morbidity and mortality in adult life (Felliti et al., 1998). Major limitations of past literature include lack of specificity of type of diabetes, family history, and self-reported diabetes without data on physiological measures. In addition to replication, future studies should include detailed studies on diabetes-type, a ruling-out of serious medical conditions that could potentially act as confounds, and identify maltreatment subtypes experienced. This study aims to uncover a relationship between childhood maltreatment and adult physical health, namely with Type II diabetes, so as to assist with screening and intervention. If doctors caring for adults who suffer from a medical condition associated with diabetes are unaware of this relationship, they will neither obtain early maltreatment history nor make appropriate patient referrals leading to higher health care utilization and poorer outcomes (Arnow, 2004; Springer, Sheridan, Kuo, Carnes, 2003). Research Questions and Hypotheses This study aims to answer the following questions: Is a history of childhood maltreatment associated with diabetes-related quality of life? If so, is a decrease in diabetes-related quality of life associated with an increase in the types of childhood maltreatment experienced? It is hypothesized that the more types of abuse endured during childhood (i.e. physical, emotional, and/or sexual, neglect, and/or the witnessing of family violence), the more chronic and severe an individuals diabetes will be and the greater impact of their illness on their reported quality of life. Method Participants Data will be collected from individuals with Type II diabetes, recruited from psychiatric practices located in Plant City and Tampa, Florida. Participants will be recruited from these sites due to likelihood that patients receiving psychiatric care have a history of childhood maltreatment. Participants will be included in the study if they are aged 40 and older, as non-insulin dependent diabetes appears after this age. Participants will be excluded fro

Essay on Dr. Eckleburg of The Great Gatsby -- Great Gatsby Essays

Dr. Eckleburg   of The Great Gatsby      Ã‚   Throughout the course of events in The Great Gatsby, the watchful eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg stare into the depths of each character, while the Doctor serves as a god of conscience from his middle ground between two worlds. As the creations of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the characters whose stories unwind before us live twisted webs of lives in which there is a distorted view of a greater force outside their worlds. Dr. Eckleburg merely watches over the "grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it" at the spot where "when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour" (27-8). This is where Dr. Eckleburg reigns; this is the site of a final...

Revolutionary War Essay -- essays research papers

How the Revolutionary War Begun Following the French and Indian War, or otherwise known as The Seven Years War, Britain was in major debt as with many countries after war. On the other hand the Colonies were thriving from trade and agriculture. At the end of the war the parliament in England had no organized plan to reduce the enormous debt they had bestowed upon themselves. Financing the French and Indian War had almost doubled the national debt. The parliament had stumbled into the beginning of the Revolutionary War without even knowing it. They were looking in an entirely different direction when the colonies exploded with a rage that eventually turned into the American Revolution. The Seven Years War 's outcome also affected the impacted the Revolution by giving soldiers experience that would later help them lead armies and make decisions to win the Revolution. Among these men were the prestigious names of Paul Revere, Ethan Allen, Horatio Gates, Charles Lee, Daniel Morgan and the man who is known as our founding father George Washington. During the French and Indian War Washington was assigned a mission which was a success and he was considered a hero which later helped his success in the revolution and the presidency later on . The King's minister were trying to find a way to finance the King's military policy. During the French and Indian Wars England had paid for the defense of the Colonies as well as providing most of the troops and leadership in the war. But, rather than demobilize at the end of the war, King George III decided to keep the army at 3/4 strength. Eighty five regiments were kept on alert in case of renewed hostilities between the British and French. There was still the problem of paying for the regiments though. They could not tax the countryside any more because of current taxes that were already too great. The solution, however, was to station most of the army in Ireland and the Colonies requiring locals to house and feed the soldiers. They also made up the Sugar Act, Stamp Act and the Towshend Duties to cover the Å“359,000 needed yearly to sustain the regiments in the Colonies. The first of all the taxes or Acts was the American Revenue Act of 1784, or called the Sugar Act. It wasn't even a new tax even. It was a change of an old customs duty. In order to stop trade from the West Indies to the Colonies Parliament in 1733 had passed... ...on the outside, that it was for change it was mostly to keep things the way they were. Without having to pay new taxes or having to change to be ruled by England. A leading historian once said, "A salient feature of our Revolution was that its animating purpose was deeply conservative. The colonials revolted against British rule in order to keeps things the way they were, not to initiate a new era." We agree with this completely. Instead of accepting change as it came. Every bit of change from Britain was challenged in America by revolutionists and even Loyalists. All the new taxes no matter if they were good or bad were hated. Then again there is always the taxation without representation saying. That is true but they still did not want to be represented that was the last thing they wanted. They wanted local government and taxation like it was before the Seven Years War. The driving force behind the war was the continuing effort to keep thin! gs that same and not different. But after the war they were not prepared for the drastic changes that would come about. But we still got out independence from England and now have the most powerful, successful country in the world.