Chocolate Research Paper

WOMEN STUDIES ECO-FOOTPRINT PROJECT Topic – Cocoa Beans Production Process Chocolate is a key ingredient in many foods such as milk shakes, candy bars, cookies and cereals. It is ranked as one of the most favourite flavours in North America and Europe. Despite its popularity most people do not know the unique origin of this popular treat. Chocolate is a product that requires complex procedures to produce. The process involves harvesting cocoa, refining coca to cocoa beans, and shipping the cocoa beans to the manufacturing factory for cleaning, coaching and grinding.These cocoa beans will then be imported or exported to other countries and be transformed into different types of chocolate products. Cocoa beans grow in countries like Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Malaysia, but the highest cocoa producing country is Cote d'Ivoire. The production process of cocoa beans include: first, cocoa is harvested manually. The seed pods of cocoa are collecte d and the beans are selected and placed in piles. These cocoa beans are then ready to be shipped to the manufacturer for production.Cocoa grows in pods that sprout off the trunks and branches of cocoa trees. The pods have the shape and almost the size of football. The pods start out green and turn orange when they are ripe. When the pods are ripe they are harvested gently with machetes. Machines can damage the trees or the clusters of flowers and pods that grow on the trunk, so workers have to harvest the pods by hand, using short, hooked blades mounted on long poles to reach the highest fruit. The cocoa seeds then undergo a process of fermentation by placing them in large, shallow, heated trays or by covering them with large banana leaves.If the climate is right, they may be simply heated by the sun. Workers mostly women come along periodically and stir them up so that all of the beans come out equally fermented. This process may take up to five or eight days. After fermentation, t he cocoa seeds are dried before they can be scooped into sacks and shipped to chocolate manufacturers. Farmers simply spread the fermented seeds on trays and leave them in the sun to dry. The drying process usually takes about a week and results in seeds becoming reduced to about half of their original weight.During the production process, labor is not equally divided between men and women who work in the planation; this brings us to the issue of gender division. The gender divide that exists on the cocoa plantation is that most farm work is conducted by men, although most certainly there are tasks where women are very active, such as scooping the beans from the already opened husks, turning the beans during the fermentation and drying process, and sewing the jute sacs needed for the packaging of the dried beans. Women in the farms normally tend to the needs of the family.When female labor is hired during the harvesting time the wages given to them are not the same as those for men. Perhaps another reason why men are preferred is because of their assumed higher productivity rate compared to that of women. Due to different practices followed in individual regions, even within countries, the participation of women and their assigned tasks vary enormously. For instance, because of the popular method of sun drying cocoa beans in Ecuador, it is necessary to â€Å"clean† the beans. This job is mostly undertaken by women.This is not the case in Ghana or Brazil where sun drying is accomplished while protecting the beans from foreign matters and waste. It is interesting to note however that there is no specific pattern for the assignment of tasks to women, except during the harvest when the scooping of the beans from the opened pods is primarily performed by women in most cocoa producing countries. Given the great differences in the systems of production in producing countries it is difficult to find a common percentage that reflects the average participation of the female work force.It is worth mentioning that unlike the coffee agricultural sector, there are no associations or specific groups that house ‘women only’ involved in the cocoa sector at any level, although all associations and cooperatives are open to all who qualify. Due to fluctuation of cocoa prices in the world market, farmers have no long-term security, and in some situations, they do not have enough funds to support their farming business.Cocoa farmers are always faced with financial hardship; they are not able to provide for their families as they would want nor have enough funds to start up their own farming business because they only receive a fraction of the proceeds from the selling of the beans on the world market and there are many people in the trading chain. Cocoa farmers around the world face many challenges. It is estimated that about one-third of global cocoa crops are destroyed by pests and diseases every year. Many cocoa farmers have limited acc ess to the latest agricultural technologies or methods of cultivation and few of them ave business backgrounds to help them effectively market their products and manage their operations. Many of the farming communities live in poverty and are infected with diseases. Industry groups, governments and consumers worldwide have raised concerns about the use of pesticides and child labor on West African cocoa farms. An interview conducted by Christophe Koffi showed that one major problem that women in cocoa production encounter is the lack the of financial capability or backing due to the fact that most of these women find themselves in a male dominated occupation.It is very difficult for them to secure financial aid or loans to manage their farms. For instance, â€Å"Women cannot inherit or even create a cocoa plantation under our patriarch-dominated tradition,† said Vanie, criticising what she called a â€Å"backwards and misogynist† practice† (Koffi, 2008) because w e still live in a patriarchal dominated society where women do not have the right to own lands and properties. This paper further talks about the sustanability in the production process of cocoa.We will be looking at Lindt& Sprungli’s which is a family company and a major producer of chocolate and other cocoa products with a headquaters in Kilchberg, Switzerland. Lindt & Sprungli is one of the few chocolate makers that have complete control over every step of the production chain starting with the precise selection of the finest cocoa varieties from the best growing areas in the world right on through the careful and expert processing until ending with the elegant packaging.Lindt gets its cocoa beans mostly from Ghana and Central and South America. Lindt has been very conservative in the amount of energy its invests in the chocolate production process. Each existing and future facility and investment undergoes very detailed analysis to determine how much energy can be saved. Through better insulation and energy recovery, Lindt & Sprungli was able to cut down on energy consumption by more than 13% per ton produced between 2004 and 2010.The company intends to continue reducing the energy consumption rate per ton produced by an average over the coming years. According to the Lindt publication, The company’s efforts: since 1999, Lindt & Sprungli’s Swiss subsidiary, Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprungli (Schweiz) AG, has been an active member of the Lake Zurich Energy Model Group†¦The Swiss government and independent engineers have audited the progress and as a result, the Swiss subsidiary has been granted the official certificate. Kilchberg, 2012) Since 2007, Lindt & Sprungli under water conservation has been participating in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)†¦Since then, the measurements of water emissions and energy consumption have been largely based on the concept of the ‘Methodology Fossil Fuels’ set out in the CDP P rotocol†¦Waste water, Lindt & Sprungli continuously monitors and analyses the use of water and the output of wastewater in the production process and intends to further reduce the use of fresh water in this process, which, in turn will impact the output of wastewater (Kilchberg, 2012) The major people that benefit from cocoa production are mostly the big corporations. The corporations exploit cocoa farmers in the sense that they do not pay them the true worth of their labour. Women who work on the farms are underpaid and marginalized. There is also the issue of child labor where children of school going age are forced to work on the farms instead of going to school thereby denying them the right to education. The big corporations are not forth coming in releasing information as to how and where they get their cocoa beans from.Most of these African countries where these big corporations get their raw materials from do not have access to good roads, health care facilities, school s, electricity, and there is poverty in most of the communities. These big corporations buy the cocoa beans at a very cheap rate and then import them to the western society and the refined product is processed into different kinds of chocolates (e. g. chocolate drink, chocolate bars of different shapes and sizes and chocolate candies etc. ) which are sold consumers at exorbitant prices considering the price at which the cocoa beans are bought from the cocoa farmers. This explains how capitalism and big corporation exploit cheap labour. Almost everyone enjoys a bit of chocolate every now and again. But if you take a closer look at how cocoa is produced, it may well leave a bitter taste in your mouth.The conditions under which the cocoa farmers in many producer countries live and work are worrying: Despite the fact that cocoa is usually their main source of income, the families struggle to make a living from it. Child labour is not uncommon. As consumers we can work with NGOs to find means of helping the farmers to adapt to new systems of cocoa farming that result higher yields, under socially more acceptable and environmentally friendly conditions, to meet market demands and hence ensure a stable flow income. As a major part of the global cocoa industry which has remained inactive and invisible for so long, consumers of chocolate can demonstrate that they want slavery in the cocoa sector stamped out, and your pressure can highlight their lack of commitment and make them more accountable.Finally all cocoa products, including chocolate, run the risk of being tainted by child labour and slavery. To achieve a satisfactory standard of ethical production in chocolate consumers must help to ensure that companies commit to credible and sufficient actions against such things as use of child labour and the exploitation of cocoa farmers and not make false and unsustainable promises to consumers of being â€Å"slavery- free†. The consumers can liaise with government bodies and NGOs to negotiate fair prices for the purchase of cocoa products and this will in turn help the farmers to gain access to basic social amenities of life. Reference Page Archer, D. (2012).ADM’s commitment to sustainable cocoa. Milwaukee: Copyright 2012 Archer Daniels Midland Company . Clarkson, T. (1998). Anti-slavery. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from www. antislavery. org: http://www. antislavery. org/english/privacy_policy. aspx Kilchberg. (2012, April 22). The environment in the Production Process. Retrieved November 13, 2012, from www. Lindt. com: http://www. lindt. com/swf/eng/company/social-responsibility/lindts-sustainable-cocoa-supply-chain/ Koffi, C. (2008, November 7). Ivory Coast women defy taboos. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from iol News: http://www. iol. co. za/news/africa/ivory-coast-women-defy-taboos-1. 423405

Benefits of video games Essay

Video games today are most commonly viewed as a way for students of high schools and colleges to slack off and procrastinate on homework and studies. What most people are not aware of though, is the social benefits that video gaming has on individuals. Video games can have positive effects on a gamers social life when it comes to teamwork, helping people, multitasking, and communicating efficiently. Educational Benefits for Students A recent study from the Education Development Center and the U.S. Congress-supported Ready To Learn (RTL) Initiative found that a curriculum that involved digital media such as video games could improve early literacy skills when coupled with strong parental and teacher involvement. Interestingly, the study focused on young children, and 4- and 5-year-olds who participated showed increases in letter recognition, sounds association with letters, and understanding basic concepts about stories and print. The key for this study was having high-quality educational titles, along with parents and teachers who were equally invested in the subject matter. That way kids could discuss and examine the concepts that they were exposed to in the games. Also interesting is the value that video games are proven to have even for very young players. A study by the Education Department Center further found that low-income children are â€Å"better prepared for success in kindergarten when their preschool teachers incorporate educational video and games from the Ready to Learn Initiative. † Older children such as teens and tweens can benefit from gameplay as well. Even traditional games teach kids basic everyday skills, according to Ian Bogost, associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and founder of software maker Persuasive Games. â€Å"Look at ‘World of Warcraft’: You’ve got 11-year-olds who are learning to delegate responsibility, promote teamwork and steer groups of people toward a common goal. † Games that are designed to help teach are having an impact on college-age pupils as well. Following a recent 3D virtual simulation of a US/Canadian border crossing, wherein students assumed the role of guards, Loyalist College in Ontario reported that the number of successful test scores increased from 56 percent to 95 percent. Improved Multitasking Other carefully-designed studies have also shown that action video games can improve several aspects of brain activity, including multitasking. According to studies by Daphne Bavelier, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, video gamers show real-world improvements on tests of attention, accuracy, vision and multitasking after playing certain titles. â€Å"If you think about it, the attentional and working memory demands of video games can be much greater than other tasks,† says Michael Stroud, a professor of psychology at Merrimack College. â€Å"Consider Pac-Man as an example. In Pac-Man, you must navigate your character through a spatial layout while monitoring the separate paths of four additional objects (the ghosts), while keeping the overall goal of clearing the small pellets in memory, as well as keeping track of the remaining large pellets. † â€Å"Think about how this may apply to skills such as driving,† he continues. â€Å"When you drive your car, you are faced with a constantly changing environment in the road, not to mention several other distractions that compete for attention that reside in the car. At the same time, you are attempting to navigate through the environment to reach a goal. † Social Benefits Games with broad appeal that are easy to grasp can additionally help many families play together, and better bridge the gap between generations. Consider a title like hip-wiggling simulation Just Dance, which can have young kids dancing alongside their grandparents. There are also many games that have positive social messages that encourage families to be a force for good. In a series of experiments published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that participants who had just played a â€Å"pro-social† game in which characters must work together to help each other out as compared to those who had just played a â€Å"neutral† game (e. g. Tetris) were more likely to engage in helpful behaviors. Examples included assisting in a situation involving an abusive boyfriend, picking up a box of pencils or even volunteering to participate in more research. So-called â€Å"serious games,† specifically designed to teach and inform, are also having an impact on the world. Titles like the United Nations’ Food Force teach kids about real-life issues, humanitarianism and the practical challenges facing governments and private organizations today. In the game, children must complete six different missions that reflect the real-life obstacles faced by the World Food Programme in its emergency responses. Other games, like Nourish Interactive’s online Chef Solus and the Food Pyramid Adventure, teach kids about the benefits of healthy eating habits, while still more highlight pressing geopolitical and social issues, e. g. the Global Conflicts series. Upsides can even extend into the physical world. Consider Facebook game Ecotopia. In summer 2011, players of the popular social game met a challenge from its creators and planted 25,000 trees in the game world in 25 days, leading the game’s developer to plant 25,000 trees in real life. Career Benefits Future career choices for today’s tots will no doubt be influenced by technology in a way that is difficult for many parents to imagine too. Skills learned and honed playing home console and video games, as well as mobile gaming apps, will undoubtedly be very valuable to students in the workforce of 2025. As mentioned earlier, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has proclaimed that kids need more, not less, video game play. They argue that video games hold the potential to help address one of America’s most pressing problems – preparing students for an increasingly competitive global market. â€Å"The success of complex video games demonstrates that games can teach higher-order thinking skills such as strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change,† the Federation announced in a 2010 report. â€Å"These are the skills U. S. employers increasingly seek in workers and new workforce entrants. † Games are increasingly being used to educate and instruct workers around the globe by governments, trade bodies and the world’s largest corporations as well. From Cisco Systems’ The Cisco Mind Share Game, which facilitates network certification, to the US Department of Justice’s Incident Commander, in which emergency responders practice coordinating disaster relief efforts, the number of practical examples continues to grow. In fact, a recent study by the Entertainment Software Association found that 70 percent of major domestic employers have utilized interactive software and games for training purposes, and nearly eight out of 10 plan on doing so by 2013. Going forward, in addition to polishing your resume and interview skills, who knows? You may even want to brush up on your button-mashing abilities. Encouraging Cooperation and Teamwork Many games today also emphasize the cooperative aspects of game play, in which two or more players need to work together in order to reach a common goal. For instance, games like Lego Star Wars or Kirby’s Epic Yarn are enhanced by having players cooperate to solve in-game puzzles. Massively multiplayer games such as LEGO Universe and Lord of the Rings Online further offer added depth, atmosphere and enjoyment by allowing players to band together and work as a team in order to complete certain quests or defeat especially tricky opponents. Game industry analysts such as DFC Intelligence actually predict that video game revenue will reach nearly $70 billion by 2015, thanks in large part to these online, cooperative, subscription-based games that can be played together. Small wonder top titles like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Titan (the next MMO from Blizzard, the company that created World of Warcraft) continue to resonate so strongly with millions worldwide. Even the way that games are made can encourage teamwork. At Washburn University in Kansas, students study the game development process as a way to build teamwork and collaborative skills. â€Å"It taught me to work in a group,† said Washburn student Adam Bideau of the program in a recent interview with the Washburn Review. â€Å"Video games are not created by just one person and they require you to work well with others. You have to pool everyone’s talents together in order to produce the required product. † Promoting Exercise All parents know that kids need a healthy combination of physical and mental exercise. Happily, today’s motion-controlled games for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Kinect, Nintendo’s Wii and Wii U, and Sony’s PlayStation Move help kids get both kinds of workouts at the same time. Better yet, people of all ages are finding them a more approachable way to stay physically fit. While many shy away from exercise because they see it as an activity that isn’t enjoyable, organizations like the American Heart Association now cite, and even recommend, video games as a fun and entertaining way to enjoy physical activity. Upsides of active play are considerable too. A study reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine of 39 Boston middle-school children who played with six different interactive gaming systems found that the games â€Å"compared favorably with walking on a treadmill at three miles per hour, with four out of the six activities resulting in higher energy expenditure. † Organizations supporting individuals of all ages and interests are additionally using active games to help get people up and moving. Nursing homes, cruise ships and even after-school programs all now employ active video games in some form to help stimulate both the mind and body. The good news: People seem to be enjoying active play more than ever. Healthy diversions such as Wii Fit and Zumba Fitness continue to be some of the most popular and best-selling games year in and out.

Good and Bad Manners in Russia Essay

Observing etiquette and having good manners can make life of foreign people more convenient and helps to and adapt to different national features. Many norms of behavior in Russia are the same as in the whole world, but there are some special conventional rules of conduct which differs from manners of other countries. I want to list some of typical manners which exist in Russia: * For example, it’s a good manner to give up your place to woman or old person in public transport. * Also it’s very good to open the door before woman and hold the door when you go in or out of some place. * When you come to your friends’ home or you are invited to some party, you should take some present. It can be bunch of flowers, bottle of wine or some sweets. * Entering somebody’s house, you should take off your shoes in the entrance hall. * In Russia it’s typical to pay for a woman on a date. Your girlfriend wouldn’t object and it would be pleasant for her. * It’s a national feature to celebrate different occasions with jolly crowd, a lot of alcohol and dishes, playing music and singing. Foreign people can be amazed because some cheerful strangers on the street offer them â€Å"to drink for a company†. Also in Russia exist some special national holidays which people celebrate with feasting (e.g. New Year party, Epiphany, the Day of Motherland’s Protectors, Women’s Day, Easter, the 1st of May, Victory Day, the Day of Independent, the Day of Knowledge etc.) * It’s a bad manner to discuss the private life of colleagues and acquaintances. Also it’s not very good to talk about somebody’s salaries. * In Russia when you meet your friend or acquaintance it’s usual to say â€Å"Hello! How are you?†. You should ask even if you don’t want to know how he is getting on. * If you ask the woman about her age she can take umbrage and it can be very unpleasant for her. * If a man invites a woman to drink some tea in his house in Russia it could be understood as an invitation on dating. * In Russia sexual minority is not so tolerated as in Europe and USA. That is why it’s is better to avoid this subject in conversation. Discussion this theme can slow down making your career. * Russians don’t like when people speak foreign languages which they don’t understand. It can provoke distrust. * In case of celebrating some event, it’s impolite to refuse of glass when everybody is drinking especially in the moment when somebody proposes a toast to somebody’s health or success of business. Notwithstanding of  differences between Russian and foreign good and bad manners, there are common features of polite behavior. It proves that our country has fitting culture level and we must be proud of it.

What sort of freedom is required for moral responsibility Essay

What sort of freedom is required for moral responsibility - Essay Example The forms synonymous to these moral actions are praise and blame. For instance: when one is confronted with a car accident, he/she may be considered as worthy of being praised because they have managed to save a child from the burning car. On the other hand, they can also be blamed, if they fail to call for help. This means assigning moral responsibility to a person on the basis of what they have or left done or undone. It is also possible that the reaction might be self-directed i.e. one can be held accountable. In other words to be held morally or ethically responsible for an action means being worthy of a particular kind of reaction i.e. blame, praise for having performed it. In the context of moral responsibility, there are two theories of free will, which are commonly discussed. The first one is called libertarianism, which is similar to Arminian theology. There has been a debate amongst many philosophers both in ancient and contemporary times. There seems to be a consensus amon gst Christian philosophers that one cannot claim to have a sense of moral responsibility without actually having a liberal view of freedom. According to the liberal view, human decisions and actions, especially religious and ethical decisions are uncaused. The more refined forms of libertarianism posit that these decisions are not usually caused by our desires or character. They strongly cling to the belief that a free act is not an act, which is able to implement our core desires; on the contrary, it goes against our desires. Rest assured, the libertarian is aware that our desires are a function of our heritage, surroundings, our past decisions etc. Furthermore, they believe that if free decisions are based on desires, then they are certainly not completely free and therefore not uncaused. Such a view is considered to be imperative for moral responsibility because no one can be held responsible for an act unless he could have done otherwise. Quoting an example: â€Å"If I am strap ped to a robotic machine which, using my arms, robs a bank, I am not to blame for robbing the bank. I â€Å"could not have done otherwise† (Eshleman, 1). It can be said that libertarianism rather than ensuring ethical responsibility tends to destroy it. The question arises that how can we be held responsible for our decisions, if those decisions are actually psychological accidents, which do not have association with any of our desires. It cannot be denied that such a situation would definitely disregard all responsibility. Undoubtedly, it becomes quite perplexing to be regarded as responsible for something, which was against our will. There is another concept of freedom as well, which is also said to have relevance with the Reformed Theology, and is considered to be held by a number of philosophers. It is frequently cited as compatibilism. It holds the view that while forming moral decisions, we have the liberty to do what we want to and pursue our issues. In this way, there is a clear dichotomy between compatilism and libertarianism. Reformed theology says that every person has freedom in the compatibilist sense. Compatibilist freedom is the most vital type of freedom for ethical responsibility. Rest assured, there are other types of freedom, which are also imperative theologically and morally. But compatabilist freedom is more important because it is believed that every person possesses a distinct freedom, so as to go beyond their surroundings and heredity, and even though these features are compounded of tests, temptations and ethical challenges, they cannot be used as excuses for sin. We cannot declare that we are determined by heredity or our surroundings, which can give us the chance to negate our responsibility in front of

Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Industry - Essay Example Smarthand is a company that manufactures smart hand products that are mainly for university professors who engage in teaching practices in large lecture rooms. The product manufactured by the company is a multifunctional remote controlling glove that is bundled with a computer software. The software functions in such a way that it allows the person using it to give instructions using touch screen by the use of hand gestures and commands using figures. The smart hand product has a lot of promise to its users. The product promises the users to make controls to the screen of the computer at a far distance with the use of a Wi-Fi environment. Unlike other means of computer operating equipment such as clicker or mouse, the smart hand product offers several instructions that are customized in a more convenient manner. In summary, it can be said that smart hand product takes a total control of the university lecturer class in his or her palm. The company’s mission statement is to enable users to control computer and give customized instructions in the palm of the hand. SmartHand LCC will strive to accomplish the mission by focusing on four main objectives: provide users better experience in manipulating virtual space, improving convenience of use, developing new software features based on customization, and changing the way of teaching in a smart classroom. The product idea is based on designs from students from School of Information Studies and further improved by the management team at SmartHand LLC. The inventors designed the intelligence glove in order to develop a technology to manipulate objects in a virtual space. After consideration of the executive team from SmartHand LLC, the features of the glove is decided to focus more on educational use so that the product can be bundled with other teaching station technology to improve professors teaching experience. SmartHand is a multi-functional intelligence glove that allows using figure commands and hand gestures

Effect of Unethical Behavior Article Analysis Essay

Effect of Unethical Behavior Article Analysis - Essay Example ituations are critical to be accurately identified and resolved to avoid any fraudulent activities like exploitation of financial statements, inside trading, kickbacks, etc by the companies and to make them abide by the accounting laws. As like modesty and ethics, obedience is also top of the list trait taught to younger generation by the elder ones. They are tamed to obey the authorities: parents in the beginning, later teachers and ultimately the Boss! One of the traps employees mostly fell into is â€Å"follow what your boss is saying†. They are pressured by the boss to behave in an un-ethical manner and tamper the numbers to overestimate company’s value. The most damaging trait found in many people, whether they are aware of it or not is the inability to work with patience and view any problem or judgment from different angles. They want definite answers and jump to conclusions based on the first thing that comes to their minds. Strict work conditions such as time stress, fatigue, and etc work as a fuel to fire. Under such circumstances the employees are at high risk of taking short cuts and behave unethically by ignoring and not fully analyzing the facts. Many a time’s exploitation of the financial facts is done in greed to gain benefits for the individual, company or for both. There might be some large percentage of shares involved for the individual from the benefit the company as a whole will receive because of the unethical activities. Where else sometimes, the employee has to â€Å"cook the books† out of his own interest as it’s for company’s benefit. In any case it is done as to gain benefit without pointing a gun at someone and without anyone getting hurt. The white collar nature of this crime makes it very tempting for individuals and companies. Over estimating company’s ROI (return over investment), Equity, Etc involves ample interest of company’s owners. This provides them with the opportunity to attract more investors to invest in

Business and managerial economics Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business and managerial economics - Math Problem Example It should be noted that this does not denote unemployment but will only shift occupations. g) Higher unemployment benefits discourage school-leavers from working. As some resources become unemployed, this will cause a decline in production represented by a movement to a point within the frontier. Suppose a news article reports, 'Poor wine grape harvests in France have brought financial gain to Australian winemakers. Sales of Australian wines are booming and wine prices are the best ever.' Analyse the economics of the events reported by answering the following questions: a. How has the market for French wines been affected by poor wine grape harvests Explain with the aid of a diagram. In your diagram, indicate what is happening to the equilibrium price of French wines and the equilibrium quantity trade in this market. The poor wine grape harvest move the supply curve to the left. With the new supply schedule, the equilibrium price is higher. This is represented from the change in equilibrium point from 1 to 2 with prices rising from P to B. The presence of Australian imports in the market of French wine depresses sales of French wine. In the figure above, the intersection of supply and demand in France is denoted by point 1 at price P. However, Australian wine is charged at price A which is lower. Thus, consumers turn to the cheaper products Section 3 9 Multiple choice questions 2 marks each (20 marks) 1. The problem of scarcity: a. Exists only in times of economic depression for rich countries b. Is identical to poverty c. Exists in all economies d. Can be eliminated by allocating available resources to the poorer sections of a society. 2. Because productive resources are scarce, we must give up some of one good in order to acquire more of another. This is the essence of the concept of: a. Specialisation b. Monetary exchange c. Comparative advantage d. Opportunity cost 3. Which of the following does not change supply a. A change in price of the good in question b. A change in the state of technology c. A change in producer expectations d. A change in the number of producers 4. Price and quantity supplied are usually directly related because a. Higher prices mean that producers are rewarded more for production b. The law of increasing opportunity cost applies c. There is more prestige associated with producing a high-priced good d. a and b 5. Demand reflects the quantity that consumers

The Progressive Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Progressive Era - Essay Example During this era, African-Americans and women were not authorized to participate in politics. The presidents of the progressive era viewed as game changers. This is evident from the several constitutional amendments done in that period of time. The era was marked by four different constitutional amendments. The first one was the 16th amendment authorizing government operations to be financed by graduated income tax. The next was the 17th amendment providing for direct election of senators. The 18th amendment barred the importation and sale of alcohol. The 19th amendment allowed women to participate in voting. The game changes also involved enforcement of several reforms. For instance the government of the United States exercised control in the banking system by forming federal reform systems. Large tracks of land were set aside to serve as national forests promoting the beauty of the country. The presidents of the progressive era tended to expose the United States on the evolutionary path. Some citizens were viewed to be more evolved than others. The progressive era presidents highly believed in American society, religion, politics and American capitalism. They never engaged in Marxism, communism or anarchy activities. They were among the lucky people to get school beyond high school education hence the reason for the several changes associated with their terms. They had common belief in education empowerment as well as common interest to the society. However there were two main opposing views among the progressive era presidents the way reforms were to occur. The two views were reforms from within and reforms from without. In the reforms from within, those who supported it argued that since challenges were local thus solutions should be local. The others believed that challenges were coming from outside and thus actors needed to from outside. The three presidents of the progressive era included, Teddy Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson (Lubove 22). They had several dif ferences one being that it was the republic presidents who failed to offer voting rights to women. Teddy Roosevelt was of the belief that individuals ought to be bread selectively just like cattle. Another difference between the republicans and the democrats was that the republicans pushed the agenda for equal rights which democrats did not approve. The democrats of the progressive era formed KKK which forbids the blacks from voting for the Republicans. Foreign Policy in Progressive Era Before its entry to World War 1 America the best way possible to maintain its diplomatic ties with Asia. The commitment of the country’s troops in 1917 contributed much to the country’s victory giving President Wilson the reason to shape peace. The war with Spain led to the building of a canal that linked Pacific Ocean with Atlantic Ocean. The project of constructing the canal was taken over from the French people. All through the progressive era, the United States had followed a policy referred to as policy of intervention. It was applied in the Caribbean and Central America. In the Plat Amendment, The United States had the mandate to intervene Cuba in preserving their independence as well their social and political stability. President Roosevelt played a major role in maintaining peace in between Japan and Russia. The event was aimed at limiting the gains of Japan as it was a major power in Asia. This earned President

Writer's choice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Writer's choice - Assignment Example It can also be used to assess whether or not high-priority objectives in the strategic plan are being achieved. In some cases, especially large organizations that have complex processes and relationships, a strategic audit can be employed in monitoring changes in the external environment and providing clues as to areas that need improvement. For some firms, a strategic audit is an instrument for fine-tuning effective corporate strategies with the intention that it continues supporting minor internal and external changes that can occur. Overall, a strategic audit is a vital and almost irreplaceable aspect of organizational strategy and success. If used correctly, it is a source of competitive advantage because it allows companies to understand their strategic orientation and measure it against its internal and external environment to provide a clear view of current and future operations (Gong, 2013). Previous and current research has shown that effective and efficient strategic audits are directly proportional to organizations’ understanding of their markets and competitors. As an enterprise expands, strategic audit becomes increasingly important as it becomes more interconnected with performance and market

Understanding Children's Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Understanding Children's Behavior - Essay Example Understanding Children’s Behavior Any growing child needs basic in order to adapt to the tenets of this life. In today’s schools, students with behavioral, emotional, and social difficulties have graced the current educational backyards and posed a great deal of problem to the teaching staff (McCall, 2004). Are these maniac types of students subject to rejection in schools or is it a challenge the modern educational system should address amicably? The truth though is that children’s with special emotional needs have come as the problem of the day in many schools. In support of such students and their parents, the government educational agencies have taken it their mandate as teachers’ response to such behaviors deems not very effective (Cook, 2006). These students’ have to be included in the mainstream schools. Their stay sees unrelenting application of palatable government adoptive policies, which has been termed as Inclusive Schooling. The facilitators of these policies are the teachers as they form the direct conduct with these behavioral kids. The beliefs, values, and attitudes of the teachers are much more of a necessity since the fate of such a kid is in his hands. This paper examines what balance is necessary between the practitioners and the sect of students with physical and medical needs, to those with moderate learning difficulties in mainstream schools.... With everyday interaction, there have come a number of issues destabilizing the professionalism of teachers. The effect of dealing with such students can as well affect the production of any professional teacher. These students pose as a problem and much of time consumed in addressing their behaviors. This is an expense if there are other kids who are morally correct and ought to learn with little distraction (McCall, 2004). Teacher perception, feeling of frustration and mistrust between a teacher and such a distractive kid are some nuggets that crop-up in a professional in encounter with such students. Every child develops with ambitions especially in early days of schooling (Frederic, 2011). According to Kolb & Hanley-Maxwell (2003), a teacher who handles a large group of intellectual diverse kids knows exactly the progress and capability of each child. If a child or a student develops some uncharacteristic behaviors, the teachers approach to the student and the class is as well af fected. This is perception. It is in line with the teachers’ professional teaching and helps make the learning process a success. How a teacher perceives a child generally depends on his conduct and behaviors. Professionally, teacher perception of school and general life pegs on a motivational plat-form. His perception encourages the livelihood of the students’ school life. The teacher to greater extend pose as parental guiders unto to the students. The students in return create an emotional attachment especially if the teacher has an interesting charisma (Vulliamy & Webb, 2003). The teacher perception on his students is paramount to the role he performs to academically guiding the students. It posses a challenge if any student with

A Brief History of the Jews of Brazil Essay Example for Free

A Brief History of the Jews of Brazil Essay The history of Jews in Brazil is a unique case, because we do not know of many other countries in which they have been significantly present in the very first movements of that nationrsquos history, continuously participating in its economic and social development. In fact, since the ldquodiscoveryldquo of Brazil to the present time, the Jews, almost without interval, openly or disguised, have been integrated into the processes of formation of Brazilian nationality. My aim in this paper is to provide a summary of Jewish history in Brazil by highlighting four major historical periods The First Portuguese Period (1500-1630) The Dutch Period (1630 -1654) The Second Portuguese Period (1654-1822) and The Cosmopolitan Period (1822-1966). br / The First Portuguese Period (1500-1630)br / ?When Portugal was at the height of its expansion in the world, in 1500, Brazil was ldquodiscoveredrdquo by the kingdom. It was then simply military glory, coupled with the desire to enlarge the Catholic faith, that compelled the Portuguese to their grand maritime expeditions (Grinberg 15). But just these reasons alone would not have sufficed to promote the extraordinary expansion of Portugal. The great cycle of the Portuguese conquests would not have been achieved without the long period of scientific discoveries and improvements that preceded it, in which the Iberian Jews played such a key role. As a prime example of this involvement, in Henry the Navigatorrsquos quotNautical School of Sagresquot, the first Portuguese academy of navigation(founded in 1412), was employed one of the most famous cartographers of the fifteenth century, the Jewish Yehuda Cresques, whose main task was to teach Portuguese pilots the basics of navigation well as the production and handling of nautical instruments (Serebrenick and Lipiner 7). br / ?The Jewish contribution to the discovery of new routes and new lands to the Portuguese crown was not limited only to the scientific field, however, but also translated into direct participation in these dangerous travels, including the expedition that resulted in the discovery of Brazil. The fleet led by Pedro Alvares Cabral, included at least three Jewish advisers the astronomer Master John, Pedro Nunes the navigator, and Gaspar de Lemos, an interpreter and ship commander, rightly regarded by historians as partly responsible for the discovery of Brazil (Serebrenick and Lipiner 9). br / ?With increasing incentives of the Portuguese government towards the occupation and settlement of the Brazilian territory, more and more Iberic Jews began migrating to Brazil. Because the wealthier Portuguese and Spanish Jews sustained a lot of the territoryrsquos early economic progress, they were able enjoy considerable freedom of worship and custom (Grinberg 21). This panorama of tolerance contrasted sharply with the wave of hatred and discrimination that swept Portugal, where, like neighboring Spain, persecution was widespread. It is thus understandable that many Jews of 1 / 3 Portugal, affected by overwhelming religious persecution, felt compelled to try a new life in Brazil,which to them seemed like a safe haven where they could materialize their aspirations for peace and freedom. br / ? The Jewish community, thanks to strong immigration and natural growth, reached a reasonable proportion in comparison with the general population, enough to counter the risk of assimilation. Around 1570, however, things took a turn for the worse, as there began to appear signs of restrictions on freedom, which only grew with time (Serebrenick and Lipiner 12). The circumstances soon forced the Jews to return, much like those in the motherland, to a life of great caution and alertness. The first official manifestation of intolerance was found in 1573 in the city of Salvador, which installed an auto-de-fe. Paradoxically, but perhaps on purpose, the first victim was not a Jew, but a Frenchman who was accused of heresy, condemned and burned alive. In Bahia, the Inquisition remained (though inactive for many years) until 1593 (Grinberg 29). br /?In 1618, Bahia was the target of a new visitation of the Holy Office, during which time many Marranos were reported and pursued, among them many wealthy men of the sugar mills. This fact that prompted the first large wave of immigration of Jews within Brazil they left the Northeast in search of the more tolerant South, especially the captaincy of Satildeo Vicente (Satildeo Paulo), which was the most liberal region (Serebrenick and Lipiner 15). Because of the growing persecution of Jews in Portugal in the last decades of the sixteenth century, they began to emigrate not only to Brazil but also, inlarge numbers, to several countries of Western Europe, especially to Holland, where flourishing trade and religious tolerance prevailed (Grinberg 32). This allowed for the rapid formation of a large Jewish community, centered in the city of Amsterdam, rightly nicknamed the quotNew Jerusalemquot. The simultaneous emigration of Portuguese Jews to Brazil and the Netherlands, led to the establishment of a commercial and affective link between the Jews of Brazil and those of Holland (Serebrenick and Lipiner 15). br / The Dutch Period (1630-1654)br / ?The hope of the Brazilian Jews that their lot would improve due to some form of Dutch intervention did not fail. Through a series of attempts at the conquest of the Brazilian Northeast in the years 1624 to 1627, the Dutch finally succeeded on February 15, 1630. The city of Pernambuco was attacked by a powerful fleet of 70 ships, effectively beginning the occupation of the Northeast, which would last until 1654. The years of peaceful Dutch rule were few, but enough to enable the Jews to rapidly flourish economically, socially and culturally, building in Northeast Brazil one of the most thriving communities of the time (Grinberg 35). br / ?With the advent of the Dutch and the consequent deployment of a great religious tolerance, the landscape was changing. Uninterrupted waves of Jews flocked to Pernambuco from several countries, especially from Holland, bringing commercial experience and a wonderful spirit of achievement. These Jews from the Netherlands ndash who were largely former refugees from Portugal,Spain and France had the further advantage of speaking several languages Spanish, French, Ladino, Dutch, besides the most important, Portuguese, which was the language spoken in Brazil (Grinberg 35). A great number of them served as interpreters for the thousands of men in the Dutch army and navy, consisting of mercenaries Dutch, English, French, German, Polish and others who did not speak Portuguese. From simple interpreters, they increasingly became businessmen, merchants and landowners, coming to, in effect, virtually control the economic life of Brazilrsquos New Holland. The main street of Recife (in Pernambuco) was known as quotStreet of the Jewsquot and the port was called quotpier of the Jewsquot (Serebrenick and Lipiner 17). br /. The Second Portuguese Period (1654-1822)br / ?With the fall of Recife and subsequent surrender of the Dutch, the Jewish community in northeastern Brazil became largely scattered. A small portion of the people resigned to staying in the country, dispersing through its territory, while the majority opted for emigration. Of these, one group consisting of the richest and probably most connected in the Netherlands decided to return to Holland, while most preferred to face the unknown, venturing into more distant stops throughout 2 / 3 the Americas Guyana, West Indies and New Netherlands in the United States. Numerous Jewish settlements began to appear to the North, one of which would eventually lead to the extraordinary Jewish community of the United States of America (Grinberg 52). In North America, a group of 23 Jewswho left Recife immediately after its fall, camped on September 12, 1654, on the margins of the Hudson, in the village of New Amsterdam (now New York). br / ?As already mentioned, the exodus that took place after the expulsion of the Dutch did not cover the entire Jewish population of Northeast Brazil, since a good number of Marranos resolved to remain on the land they had learned to love. These remaining Jews eventually were able to peacefully spread throughout Brazil, including in areas of the Northeast itself, minimizing the appearance of their Jewish origin (Serebrenick and Lipiner 23). Unfortunately, the flames of persecution were to be once again fanned by the Inquisition. This new wave of terror unfolded for about 70 years, especially violent in the periods 1707 to 1711 and from 1729 to 1739, making the first half of the seventeenth century perhaps the darkest period of Jewish history in Brazil (Serebrenick and Lipiner 26). Only after 1770 would the conditions come to place that would forever eradicate the cancer of the Inquisition. To this day no one knows for sure how many Jews from Brazil fell victim to the Portuguese Inquisition. br / The Cosmopolitan Period (1822-1966)br / ?Once the country was made independent from the Portuguese crown, in 1822, full freedom of conscience was established. In the second half of the century, Jews from various countries of Western Europe French, English, Austrians and Germans ndash began to come in force to Rio de Janeiro and its neighboring states, especially in Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais(Serebrenick and Lipiner 31). Another large group emigrated from Morocco to the Amazon region. The two settlements the Amazon region and Rio de Janeiro did not seem keep any significant relations and had, moreover, some different characteristics (Grinberg 61). The Amazon community was more stable, while in the South, the Jews originating in Western Europe came in order to flourish and then return to their country of origin, although many would end up staying in Brazil (Grinberg 61). br / ?In the last decade of the nineteenth century Jewish immigration grew, multiplying the diversity in countries of origin and also the in regions where immigrants came to settle. Whereas until then the Jewish immigrants came almost exclusively from North Africa and Western Europe, now there were waves of Jewish immigrants from the Eastern Mediterranean Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine as well as Russia and neighboring countries. These settled mostly in the Southeast (Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais), but also spread out in smaller groups to many other states, both to the South and Northeast. br / ?Though the scope has been very limited and many details necessarily left out, I have sought to give a brief account of Jewish life in Brazilian history. The history of Jews in Brazil is a long and honorable history, dotted undoubtedly suffering, but also full of success, translated into positive and fundamental contributions to the development of the country and the training of its people ndash and that history that is still being written. /body /html POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Investigating the Possibility of a Developmental Trend in the Way That Children Describe Themselves Essay Example for Free

Investigating the Possibility of a Developmental Trend in the Way That Children Describe Themselves Essay This version of Rosenberg’s research into children’s self-descriptions analysed data from semi-structured interviews with two children; Annie (8) and Kirsty (16). The data was interpreted to ascertain whether, as in Rosenberg’s research, children’s self-descriptions show evidence of a developmental progression and whether locus of self-knowledge shifts from other to self as children get older. Substantial support was found for Rosenberg’s theory that children’s self-descriptions become more complex with age and demonstrate a developmental trend. Some support was found for the idea that the locus of self-knowledge shifts from other to self with age but some of the children’s responses ran counter to expectation. Introduction A child’s sense of identity begins to form at a young age and develops throughout childhood. Eleanor Macoby (1980) pointed out that a sense of self emerges gradually as a child develops more complex understandings. Research shows that children differ in the way that they describe themselves at different ages. Bannister and Agnew (1977) and Harter (1983) found that as children get older they use more complex descriptions and include more references to emotions and attitudes. Younger children rely more on physical attributes, activities and preferences. Bannister and Agnew (1977) proposed that as children get older they become better able to ‘distinguish themselves psychologically’ from others (The Open University, 2009, p.20). Harter (1983) proposed that the way children describe themselves follows a developmental sequence which reflects the notion that identity develops in increments throughout childhood. Rosenberg (1979) focused part of his research into the self-concept on investigating this idea of a developmental trend in children’s sense of identity. He interviewed a sample of 8-18 year olds and created categories in which to sort the children’s responses. In keeping with the findings of Bannister and Agnew and Harter, Rosenberg found that younger children used mostly physical descriptions of themselves while older children relied more on character traits. As a result he concluded that ‘the self becomes less and less a perceptual object and more and more a conceptual trait system’ (Murphy (1947), as cited in The Open University, 2009, p.21). He found that, as children get older, they focus more on interpersonal traits and refer more frequently to relationships and inner qualities. Rosenberg also investigated what he called the ‘locus of self-knowledge’ – the extent to which children develop an ‘independent, self-reflective sense of self’ (The Open University, 2009, p.22). This was measured by asking children who knew them best, themselves or someone else. He found that younger children were more likely to claim that another, usually a parent, knew them better. Older children were more self-reliant when it came to judging themselves. Therefore, Rosenberg concluded that the locus of self-knowledge shifts with age from another to the self. Increased self-knowledge would result in more psychological self-descriptions so this relates to the idea of developmental progression being demonstrated in children’s self-descriptions. This study is based on Rosenberg’s research and is an analysis and interpretation of interview data. Children’s responses are allocated to Rosenberg’s categories in order to answer the research question: Do children’s self-descriptions show evidence of a developmental trend? This study will focus on answers to the ‘Who Am I?’ statements but will also pay attention to further interview responses to understand differences in the way children of different ages self-evaluate, view themselves and others and conceptualise an ideal self. This study also examines the concept of a locus of self-knowledge and asks: Does a child’s locus of self-knowledge shift from other to self with age? Method Design Rosenberg’s research design is employed in this study the responses from a semi-structured interview are compared. Participants The participants are Annie (8) and Kirsty (16), pupils from schools in the Milton Keynes area. They were recruited by the ED209 course team who asked school teachers for help in identifying willing participants. Materials A microphone and a video-recorder were used to amplify and record the interviews. Rosenberg’s semi-structured interview, with questions on self-description, self-evaluation, self and others, ideal self and locus-of self-knowledge was used. A sheet of A4 with the words ‘Who Am I?’ printed at the top and ten numbered lines beginning with ‘I’ was provided to enable participants to complete the written exercise. Adaptations of Rosenberg’s categories were used to analyse the responses to the Who Am I? exercise. The analysis of the ‘Who Am I?’ statements was presented on category analysis forms (appendix 1). A consent form was provided for the parents of the children to sign. Procedure The interviews took place in May 2005 during the day. Both children were interviewed by members of the ED209 course team in familiar rooms used by the schools. Annie was accompanied by a classroom assistant. The participants were told that they could stop the interviews at any time and were briefed as to the purpose of the research. A sound recordist and producer were present but efforts were made to ensure that neither they nor the equipment used inhibited the participants. Background noise was occasionally intrusive and recording halted. The final recording of the interviews was edited to ensure a smooth flow. The recorded interviews were listened to several times. The ‘Who Am I?’ statements were identified and transferred onto a pre-prepared category analysis form (appendix 1). The categories, Physical, Character, Relationships and Inner, were adapted from Rosenberg’s (see appendix 2). Each sentence read out by the interviewer was taken to constitute one statement. The statements were then coded. To ensure coding consistency, each statement was reviewed against the criteria for the inner category, then relationships, then character and then physical. Only if there was no way it could be said to fit within the ‘higher’ category was it pushed down. Even if it may have fitted within two categories, the fact that an order of review was applied meant that it would not be considered for a second category if it had already been allocated. Once the categories had been applied, the responses in each column were added up and the percentages calculated so that the results could be compared with Rosenberg’s findings. Next the detailed responses to the interview questions, including the locus of self-knowledge questions, were analysed in the context of Rosenberg’s research findings. The responses of the children were analysed to see if the same patterns were present. Ethics The data collected by the Open University ED209 course team was intended to comply with the BPS ethical code and principles. The children agreed to take part and their parents signed consent forms on their behalf. At the start of each interview the children were informed of their right to withdraw from the research and were told that they could ask for the recording to be stopped at any time. The purpose of the research and they way in which the data would be used was explained to them before the interviews began. Results The first research question was: Do children’s self-descriptions show evidence of a developmental trend? The second research question was: Does a child’s locus of self-knowledge shift from other to self with age? Table 1 shows a comparison between Annie and Kirsty’s self-descriptions. It shows that the majority (60%) of descriptors used by the younger child are about physical characteristics and activities and the remainder are character descriptors. She makes no reference to relationships or inner qualities. The majority of the older child’s responses relate to inner qualities (50%). She spreads the remainder of her descriptions across the physical, character and relationship categories. Self Evaluation When discussing their strengths and weaknesses, Kirsty focused far more on character and relationship descriptions than Annie, who focused on physical attributes, particularly for her weak points (‘my ears my legs’). However, Annie counted her friends as a strength and the fact that she likes ‘being myself’. Self and Others Annie’s awareness of similarity to others in her age group was centred on having the same likes and dislikes. She also identified differences between herself and others in this way. Kirsty talked about having the same experiences as others her own age but identified character and inner traits as distinguishing her from others. Ideal Self Annie’s notion of herself in later life was focused upon what job she might do and how else her time may be spent. Kirsty focused on the character traits that she hoped to have developed. Locus of Self-Knowledge The locus of self-knowledge responses were not straightforward as both participants gave ambiguous answers at times. Annie conceded that in some ways her mother would know her better than she knew herself and Kirsty insisted that her mother knew her just as well as she did herself. Discussion In the ‘Who Am I?’ data, it can be seen that, in accordance with Rosenberg’s findings, the majority (60%) of descriptors used by the younger child are about physical characteristics and activities. Rosenberg found that older children are more likely to use character traits to define the self. In this analysis, Kirsty actually uses a lower percentage of character descriptors than Annie, but this is influenced by the large percentage of inner descriptors used. The data in this study supports Rosenberg’s finding that older children referred more frequently to relationships. He also noticed that older children were more likely to reference inner qualities, which can be seen by the high percentage of Kirsty’s inner descriptors (50%). For the main part, the analysis of the self-description data supports Rosenberg’s findings. Rosenberg found that older children focused on interpersonal traits when describing their strengths and weaknesses. Kirsty’s responses follow this pattern but Annie also mentioned the large number of friends she has as a strength. She also said that ‘being myself’ was a strength which was interesting. The interviewer explored this a little more and she seemed to revert back to describing preferred activities. Further prompting, however, may have ascertained that by ‘being myself’ she meant that she was confident about who she was, which would be a character description. It is difficult to tell at this point if Annie lacks the ability to explain what she means which may affect the results. Rosenberg found that only 36% of 8 year olds mentioned interpersonal traits when talking about the person they would like to become, compared with 69% of 14-16 year olds. Annie and Kirsty’s responses fall into the majority pattern for their age group. Analysis of the data provides a positive answer to the research question, Do children’s self-descriptions show evidence of a developmental trend? The developmental trend as identified by Bannister and Agnew, Harter and Rosenberg, is characterised by younger children relying on physical attributes when describing themselves and older children being able to use more sophisticated and complex descriptions that focus more on psychological characteristics. The data in this study largely supports this theory. The evidence for the locus-of-self-knowledge shifting from other to self with age (as Rosenberg found) is less obvious. When asked about who knows her best at school Annie identifies teachers and parents as being the best judge of her performance, which supports the idea that the locus of self-knowledge in young children rests with another. However, when questioned further about who would be right if they had different answers about Annie’s maths performance, Annie’s responses indicate that she is the best judge of her ability. However, when questioned about her behaviour at home she places the locus of self-knowledge with her mother. Kirsty, somewhat surprisingly given her high percentage of references to inner qualities (indicating high self- knowledge), believes that her mother would know her just as well as she knows herself and explains that her mum has ‘pretty much figured me out’. She decides that any differences in answers about how she would behave at home would be a matter of different interpretations. It is possible that Kirsty is unsure about what is being asked and a reformulation of the questions might provoke different responses. Although Kirsty does not exactly place the locus of self-knowledge within herself, she does not place it with someone else either, and so the data does not, in itself, contradict Rosenberg’s theory. The analysis of the locus of self-knowledge responses produces some support for Rosenberg’s findings but it is not conclusive. However, it is important to remember that this is a sample of only two participants and so the data is not enough to prove or disprove his theory. Another limitation of this study is that the coding reliability was not checked. Coding was applied according to one person’s interpretation. Had the coding of the data been interpreted differently results may have been different for the self-descriptions data (see appendix 3 for alternative coding of Kirsty’s responses. In this instance the evidence in favour of a developmental trend in self-descriptions is present but less compelling). Another consideration lies with the ethics of the research. The issue of informed consent is often difficult in research with children. In the case of a young child, such as Annie, it is not clear that she fully understands the nature of the research, despite the fact that it is described in simpler terms than those used to explain it to Kirsty. It is also possible that the power-imbalance between the interviewers and the participants may prevent them from withdrawing from the interview, even if they are told that they can. Conclusion The results of this study provide support for the idea of a developmental progression in the way that children describe themselves, particularly the analysis of the ‘Who Am I?’ data. Qualitative analysis of the other interview questions, however, while showing some support for Rosenberg’s theory, also presents some deviation from expectations.

The Dutch East India Company

The Dutch East India Company Business of trading had began during the mid 15th century on April 2, 1595, when very first three ships named Mauritius, Hollandia, Amsterdam had left of together in the search of the eastern coast. By august of 1595 only three ships had successfully returned with only 87 alive out of 249 crew sailors. They had earned moderate amount of profit. Their first attempt to sail towards the east had been miraculously successful which opened several trading routes with numerous others traders wanting to trade as well, including traders from Zeeland, Holland and Portugal. The English were not happy as it was a free trading business and every other country were taking advantage of it, especially the Portuguese. Due to this the spice trade in 16th century, were overpowered by the Portuguese. Investment in a venture during those days was very risky, due to the inelastic demand and elastic supply of spices that would bring prices up and down. Therefore in order to limit the competition Johan Van Oldenbarneveldt decided to monopolize the trade by establishing a trading company named Dutch East India Company, which would be only operated by a group of Dutch merchants. The company was granted a monopoly over Asian market trades. The first Dutch trading post was established on March 20th, 1602 in Banten West Java that marked the beginning of the independent trading companies. On that day, with the monopoly to trade spices all over the Asian markets and Asian Waters from the Cape of Good Hope. The Dutch East India company was also known as Vereenigde Landsche Ge-Oktroyeerde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC, or United East Indian Company. The executive directors of VOC were called Heeren Swewtien or Lord Seventeen. The company had six chambers in Amsterdam, Middleburg Enkhuizen, D elft, Hoorn and Rotterdam. VOC was granted an official monopoly for trading spices all over East Asia. Henry Hudson was an English explorer navigator, was in search for finding a shortest northeast route, but he sailed into a Half Moon to Spitsbergen in the Barents Sea in the northern coast of Russia to a stop with an extreme ice and cold. In 1608 Hudson was hired by Dutch East India Company. Dutch East India Company wanted Henry to find the shortest sailing route to Asia from the coast of Russia, in order to expand its business. Hudson had faced failure every time he left with his ship Good Hope and crew, in search for finding the shortest route, most of the time due to the severe weather conditions, had forced him return to England. Due to this Dutch East India Company had lost his hope in Hudson. In 1611 Hudson made his final journey to the east with his crew in the same ship Good Hope and never returned back as they had starved to death, as he was never heard again. Characteristics The Dutch East India Company was the first northern Europe Company that took trading routes away from the Germanic Hanseatic League, which was a group of seven German merchants who established trading through northern Europe, before VOC. This company controlled trading mostly in Italy, but when VOC came along it started off with a great success in trading all across Europe. They usually bought goods in bulk which were rarely sold at reduced cost by their competitor Germanic Henseatic League. Further on Dutch East India Company set up factories in Bandar, on Persian Gulf and bantam on Malay Archipelago, and in Zealander (new name Taiwan) to help Portuguese in their spice trade for eastern coast. By 1620, the Dutch East India Company had the biggest trading corporation in all across Europe. The Dutch East India Company was a joint venture stock company that monopolized the trade of spice in the 16th and 17th century. They established trading ports all across Asia. The 17th Century was ruled by the Dutch, were Amsterdam was their major spice trading center. Their trading would include colonial goods such as pepper and Nutmeg. The company had signed authoritarian power treaties, under the name of Republic, which gave the company authorities to wage war and to conquer territories. In 1619 VOC had conquered Jayakarta by the false use of authoritarian powers and founded Batavia there. By conquering territories it was believed that by doing this it will now help them seek to become other territories friends, which later on turned out incorrect. Populations of several other territories in Mulluccas islands in Indonesia were empowered to forcefully cultivate spices; similar enforcement were applied in Asia either by persuasion or violence. Forts were forcefully built in South Africa, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. China and Japan had refused in letting any foreigners coming in by closing countries borders. But VOC had received permission to continue its trading activity by the nearby island named Decima near Nagasaki. Main Line of Business Dutch trades had taken over the world in their trading business; their controlled trade routes include Baltic and North Sea, establishing factories, ports and settlements all across Asia and pacific including Arabia, India, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Japan. By doing this Dutch East India Company has been able to stock its warehouses with colonial goods with foreign spices, and goods. Out of all the territories Asia had suffered the most being forcefully cultivating spices and giving up their minerals such as spices, textiles, coffee, tea, tobacco, opium, tropical wood, iron, copper, silver, gold, porcelain, dyes, shells etc, were forcefully captivated and transported by the Dutch East India Company. In 1652 Dutch trade expands by setting refueling stations in Africa, at the Cape of Good Hope. They had also opened several other ports in India and Malay Archipelago. But their headquarters were tactfully placed at Batavia and in Malay Archipelago. In 1641 VOC had conquered Malacca from Portuguese. Meanwhile, by 1656 another few headquarters were strategically build in Chinsura, Benegal, Colombo (Sri Lanka), and followed by placing harbor at Malbar in India. Upon Japans refusal in being involved with any foreign Trade with VOC, VOC enforced exclusive authoritarian rights to trade at Nagasaki in 1639. In next few years their Expansion of ports, headquarters and refueling stations, numerously increased, with that increased their authoritarian power over all the territories into forcing them to cultivating what they wanted them to. Managed and Governed The Dutch East India Company was in power from 1602-1798; it was governed and chartered by Governor-Generals of Netherlands which were assigned by the Dutch Government. The first Governor-General ever appointed by the Dutch Government was Pieter Both in 1610. There were hundreds of Governor-General that came along in the Dutch East India Company, each of them approximately ruled between 2-10 years, and all of their aims were to expand the trade as much as possible and maintain close relations between government and its entrepreneur enterprises across the world, focusing mostly on Asia. The company had a charter granted by States of General of the United Netherlands, on March 20th, 1602. The company was entitled to follow every written in the charter. Historical Significance One of the major historical significance of VOC in the history of business is that they were the first ones to build an entire empire of trading in numerous countries. Their dedicating effort and willingness to find the sailing routes, to Asia, turned out to be a great success, which opened tremendous amount of opportunity for them to trade, and VOC strategically took complete advantage of the opportunities available out there. Impacts of Dutch East India Company in history are like two sides of coin, there are good and bad effects. Yet we can learn from both kinds of impacts. One of the major historical entrepreneurial importance of VOC was that, that they the first ever multinational corporation in the entire world, with the joint venture stock company. They were also the worlds largest commercial entity in 17th and 18th century, which employed approximately 30,000 people. Yet the Dutch East India Companys historical significance still remains remarkably iniquitous, to several territories as to upon their strict refusal to trade goods; VOC were still able to get them to cultivate and trade goods against their will with either by persuasion or violence.

Free Essays - Importance of Listening in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein :: Frankenstein essays

Importance of Listening in Frankenstein The monster says to Frankenstein. "Listen to my tale: when you have heard that, abandon or commiserate me, as you shall judge that I deserve. But hear me. The guilty are allowed, by human laws, bloody as they are, to speak in their own defense before they are condemned."(The monster, pg. 69) In Frankenstein, listening is an important theme that comes up numerous times. The novel is written in a framed narrative form, which allows for one central story to be relayed through other characters several times. The reader and Mrs. Saville are the first people who listen to Frankenstein's story through Walton's letters home. Walton listens to Victor's story from Victor, and Frankenstein listens to the monster's story. Each person has a message or warning that they need to relay to the other. They stress the importance that the other person listens as best as possible in order to understand the message they are trying to get across. Frankenstein emphasizes the importance of listening through a series of key characters. Mrs. Saville and the rest of society read Walton's letters which tell Victor Frankenstein's story. This is the outermost layer of the framed narrative format of the novel. Mrs. Saville is Walton's sister. He begins writing her letters on his mission to the Artic to let her know that he's okay. Then he comes across Victor Frankenstein and he records Frankenstein's story in his letters home. Victor's story is supposed to communicate a warning to society. The warning is to not become so wrapped up in the pursuit of knowledge that contact with other people becomes unimportant. Isolating oneself from society due to science is a common theme in Frankenstein. Victor and Walton both do this to themselves and Victor learned the consequences the hard way. In order to prevent others from making the same mistakes he did, he tells Walton his story to get it out in the open. Victor Frankenstein has been through a lot in his quest to create life. He was so wrapped up in his scientific studies that he isolated himself from his family and friends and society in general.

Comparing Social Class in Baby of the Family and Black Girl Lost Essay

Social Class in Baby of the Family and Black Girl Lost      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socioeconomic indicators such as education, income, and occupation are measures of social class (Social World). The novels Baby of the Family (Ansa, 1989), and Black Girl Lost (Goines, 1973) are examined to determine the intricate role one's environment plays in dictating the type of life one leads. "The class you are born into and raised in, class is your understanding of the world and where you fit in. It's composed of ideas, behavior, attitudes, values, and language . . ." (Social World). The contrast will analyze the affect assimilation, resistance, and the environment has on social ranking.    "Ratios of people of color, as well as women, are often much lower in socioeconomic status" (Social World. In Black Girl Lost, Goines' Sandra is born to a dysfunctional family in dismal surroundings. She is a product of a single parent home of which is headed by her mother, Sandie. According to research, women who are heads of single parent homes tend to incur increased stress, lack of social support, and financial strain (Social World). These factors could be arguably what drove Sandie to retreat into alcoholism. It is the common belief that the environmental situation one is born into is replicated. Sandy desperately avoided any comparison to her mother to dispel the cycle. "I just don't like for anyone to call me Sandie. That's my mother's name, and I don't want to use her name no way" (Lost 31).    In Baby of the Family, Ansa's Lena, the youngest child of a middle class family, is born into a life of privilege with all the advantages of wealth. The novels contrast by giving an account from either side of the spectrum; growing up privileged verses gr... ... that one is born into greatly affects social class in society. The strong contrasts between Lena and Sandra's situation show how assimilation calls for the abandonment of old lifestyles and conformity to the mainstream ideals. Environmental surroundings, ethnicity, birth, and the degree of assimilation all affect where one will end up in regards to socioeconomic ranking.       Works Cited Goines, Donald. Black Girl Lost. Los Angeles, California: Holloway House Publishing Company, 1973. Ansa, Tina McElroy. Baby of the Family. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1989. Graham, Laurence Otis. Our Kind of People. New York: First Harper Perennial, 2000. Salins, Peter D. Reason Magazine On Line 1997. http://www.reason.com/9702/fe.salins.html Brown Nathan, et al., Living in a Social World 1998. http://www.muohio.edu/~psybersite/stereo/

Chromium :: essays research papers

One of the most controversial supplements on the market is chromium. In the body, its natural functions consist of potentiating the activity of insulin and influencing lipid and protein metabolism. It may also be involved in the formation of glycogen in muscle tissue and facilitate the transport of amino acids to the muscles. Chromium can also affect cholesterol metabolism (Williams, 262). There are different claims to this mineral’s benefits, but the most common ones are muscle building, and fat burning. Although it is a big seller in the industry, does it really work? The main users of chromium at one point were body builders. chromium was marketed at first with the promise of building more muscle mass. Unfortunately, it failed to produce results as a muscle builder, and then was introduced as a fat burner. Those who were dieting and some long distance runners interested in holding low weights began to use the supplement and still do today. Although it is advertised as a fat burner, an article in a 1995 issue of the Journal of Sports Medicine and Fitness described an experiment that proved otherwise. A double blind study was conducted among healthy Navy personnel (79 men, 16 women). Participants took one capsule of either chromium picolinate or a placebo per day during a 16-week experiment. Subjects met for a minimum of 3 times/week for 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. The chromium group failed to show any greater reduction in body fat, or gains in muscle mass than that of the placebo group. Therefore, the results showed chromium supplements to be â€Å"ineffective in enhancing body fat reduction† (Trent, Linda K., 273). Trent’s experiment was not the only one to prove Chromium’s inadequacies. In 1993, Melissa A. Hallmark et al proved Chromium to be a useless supplement that was only excreted when ingested in excess. In Hallmark’s experiment, sixteen untrained males (23 years old +/- 4) were studied to examine the effects of Chromium supplementation when used during a 12-week training schedule of resistance exercise. The men trained 3 times/week and food records were kept. The results showed that there was no significant difference in muscle gain or weight loss between the placebo group and those who ingested chromium with their diets other than the amount of Chromium excreted. Lacking results have proven chromium as a fat burner to be yet another wait loss quackery Dr. John Vincent at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa has also proven that chromium supplements such as chromium picolinate may even cause cancer.

Lunar Phases Essay

Lunar phase (or Moon phase) refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. The lunar phases vary cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. One half of the lunar surface is always illuminated by the Sun (except during lunar eclipses), and is hence bright, but the portion of the illuminated hemisphere that is visible to an observer can vary from 100% (full moon) to 0% (new moon). The boundary between the illuminated and unilluminated hemispheres is called the terminator.The lunar effect is a theory which overlaps into sociology, psychology and physiology suggesting that there is correlation between specific stages of the Earth’s lunar cycle and deviant behavior in human beings. It is a pseudoscientific theory, however. The claims of a correlation of lunar phases to human behavior do not hold up under scientific scrutiny. Over the past 30 years, even more evidence has emerged to stress that this is pseudoscience. The theory is sometimes also referred to as the Transylvanian hypothesis or the Transylvanian effect in scholarly literature.The notion behind the lunar effect has fascinated many behavioralists and warranted many experiments and studies. Most experiments, however, have found no correlation between the variables and, thus, refuted the theory.There are some studies which have results the researchers claimed supported the theory. For example, a study concluded that schizophrenic patients show signs of deterioration, in terms of quality of life and mental well-being, during the time of a full moon. Some researchers have claimed that there were strong positive correlations between physiological changes such as induced seizures in epileptic and non-epileptic people and the full moon period in studies they conducted. One study concluded that a statistically significant correlations for gastrointest inal bleeding among males in particular during this time. However, most of these findings are based on small-scale research. On the other hand, the majority of scientific research seems to refute the theory of the lunar effect. Psychologist Ivan Kelly of the University of Saskatchewan (with James Rotton and Roger Culver) did a meta-analysis of thirty-seven studies that examined relationships between the moon’s four phases and human behavior. The meta-analysis revealed no correlation. They also checked twenty-three studies that had claimed to show correlation, and nearly half of these contained at least one statistical error. Kelly, Ronnie Martins, and Donald Saklofske evaluated twenty-one studies of births related to the phase of the moon and found no correlation. The scientific data â€Å"supports the view that there is no causal relationship between lunar phenomena and human behavior†. (Diefendorf 2007:113)A study of 4,190 suicides in Sacramento County over a 58-year period showed no correlation to the phase of the moon. A 1992 paper by Martens, Kelly, and Saklofske reviewed twenty studies examining correlations between Moon phase and suicides. Most of the twenty studies found no correlation and the ones that did report positive results were inconsistent with each other. Psychologist Arnold Lieber of the University of Miami reported a correlation of homicides in Dade County to moon phase, but later analysis of the data — including that by astronomer George Abell — did not support Lieber’s conclusions. Kelly, Rotton, and Culver point out that Lieber and Carolyn Sherin used inappropriate and misleading statistical procedures. When more appropriate tests were done, no correlation between homicides and the phase of the moon was found.Astronomer Daniel Caton analyzed 70,000,000 birth records from the National Center for Health Statistics, and no correlation between births and moon phase was found. Kelly, Rotton, and Culver report that Caton examined 45,000,000 births and found a weak peak around the third quarter phase of the Moon, while the full moon and new moon phases had an average or slightly below average birth rate.In 1959 Walter and Abraham Menaker reported that a study of over 510,000 births in New York City showed a 1 percent increase in births in the two weeks after full moon. In 1967 Walter Menaker studied another 500,000 births in New York City, and this time he found a 1 percent increase in births in the two-week period centered on the full moon. In 1973 M. Osley, D. Summerville, and L. B. Borst studied another 500,000 births in New York City, and they reported a 1 percent increase in births before the full moon. In 1957 Rippmann analyzed 9,551 births in Danville, PA and found no correlation between the birth rate and the phase of the moon.A fifteen month study in Jacksonville, Florida also revealed at least no lunar effect on crime and hospital room admittance. In particular:There was no increase in crime on full moons, according to a statistical analysis by the Jacksonville Police Department. Five of the fifteen full moons had a higher than average rate of crime while ten full moons had a lower than average rate. The higher-than-average days were during warmer months. Statistical analysis of visits to Shands Hospital emergency room showed no full moon effect. Emergency room admissions consistently have more to do with the day of the week.The word â€Å"menstruation† is etymologically related to â€Å"moon†. The terms â€Å"menstruation† and â€Å"menses† are derived from the Latin mensis (month), which in turn relates to the Greek mene (moon) and to the roots of the English words month and moon—reflecting the fact that the moon also takes close to 28 days to revolve around the Earth (actually 27.32 days). The synodical lunar month, the period between two new moons (or full moons), is 29.53 days long. Some authors believe women in traditional societies without nightlighting ovulated with the full moon and menstruated with the new moon. A few studies in both humans and animals have found that artificial light at night does influence the menstrual cycle in humans and the estrus cycle in mice (cycles are more regular in the absence of artificial light at night), though none have demonstrated the synchronization of women’s menstrual cycles with the lunar cycle. One author has suggested that sensitivity of women’s cycles to nightlighting is caused by nutritional deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals. Other animals’ menstrual cycles may be greatly different from lunar cycles: while the average cycle length in orangutans is the same as in humans—28 days—the average for chimpanzees is 35 days. Some take this as evidence that the average length of humans’ cycle is most likely a coincidence.

Culture and Disease

Asthma is a disease that is sweeping the country. With so many new cases being reported daily, it has become somewhat of an epidemic. It can be found in almost all corners of the world. Although it is most common in the US, Canada, and UK, it is growing more common in heavily industrialized countries like Brazil and South Africa. This disease can affect anyone; from women to men, children to adults, Caucasians to African Americans. However, it is most prevalent in African Americans, and even more so in African American women. Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs and one of the most common long term diseases in children (â€Å"Asthma â€Å", n. d). The actual cause of asthma is unknown and there is currently no cure, but certain things in the environment trigger the inflammation of the airways, ultimately leading to asthma attacks. However, it is manageable and can be prevented by avoiding your triggers. Triggers vary for every person, but the most common are tobacco smoke, dust mites, pets, and pollution (â€Å"Asthma â€Å", n. d). The symptoms include tightness in the chest, coughing, and wheezing (â€Å"Asthma â€Å", n. d). Asthma attacks can be deadly if they are not taken care of right away. During an attack the airways in your lungs shrink and do not allow enough air to pass through. Since we do not know the cause of asthma, why is it that African Americans are three times more likely to be hospitalized from it (â€Å"Asthma Facts And Figures†, n. d)? According to â€Å"Asthma data surveillance† (n. d) African Americans are at 11. 6% for having asthma, compared to Caucasians at 8. 2% or Hispanics at 7. 3%. African Americans are also three times more likely to die from asthma, and African American Women have the highest asthma mortality rate of all groups, more than 2. 5 times higher than Caucasian women (â€Å"Asthma Facts And Figures†, n. d). Some researchers believe that it is socioeconomic while others believe it is genetic. Either way, the numbers speak for themselves; for some reason African Americans are more likely to have asthma than any other culture. Looking at socioeconomic reasons, there are many that can be factors in why African Americans are more likely to develop asthma. According to (Castillo, Jordan III, & Tan, n. . ) studies have been done that show even though the same health care is offered to both Caucasians and African Americans; the quality of treatment is often lower for the latter. A certain study even discovered that, in a poor minority neighborhood, there was a higher rate of hospitalization and considerably less people with inhalers (Castillo, Jordan III, & Tan, n. d. ). It was also found that minorities compared to Caucasians, would have an increased chance of seeing primary care physicians rather than specialists because of the cost that specialists usually charged (Castillo, Jordan III, & Tan, n. . ). Another contributing factor could be lower literacy levels in not only the African American culture, but minorities as a whole. Studies have been done to correlate the two, and what was found was that out of 483 minority patients, mostly African-American only 27% of the study subjects could read at a high school level (Castillo, Jordan III, & Tan, n. d. ). This is important because the patients may not comprehend important information given to them about the disease. There are also environmental factors that affect not only this culture, but the population as a whole. Since asthma is triggered by particles in the air, pollution is a big factor in it. Living in areas with higher pollution rates will definitely affect those with asthma. African American children have been known to live in more polluted areas, which help develop more vulnerability to allergens (Castillo, Jordan III, & Tan, n. d. ). The pollution in the high level of ozone is the one that can trigger asthma attacks among African-American children. The ozone causes irritation to the lungs, and then creates inflammation in the lungs making it hard to breathe (Castillo, Jordan III, & Tan, n. d. ). All of these factors have been known to increase restriction in the airways which results in a greater number of children being hospitalized in these polluted areas. As mentioned before, asthma is not curable. However, it is treatable with the correct combination of medications prescribed by a doctor. Medications can either be given in pill form (anti-inflammatories) or inhaler form (bronchodilators). There are also two types: long term and quick control. The long term medications are to help the patient have fewer and milder attacks, but they will not help during an asthma attack (â€Å"Asthma â€Å", n. ). Inhalers are the most common for quick control. During an asthma attack, taking an inhaler is one way to help control the symptoms, and get the attack under control. The other way to help manage asthma is to avoid triggers. Everyone has different triggers, where pet dander may affect one person; it may not affect someone else. One way schools are working to promote the awarenes s of asthma is by letting students and parents know the air quality for the day. Schools now have a colored flag for the three air qualities. Green is for good, yellow is for moderate, and red for unhealthy. Students often have to miss school because of asthma attacks or asthma related problems. If parents and teachers can work together to educate the students about the importance of staying indoors on unhealthy days, we can help to prevent attacks. Another way is about educating children on the benefits of staying away from people who are smoking. We see the commercials on television constantly; the ones with the baby in the crib and the smoke finding its way from a nearby apartment into the child’s lungs. The baby goes into a coughing fit and we are reminded how easily smoke can travel. Second hand smoke is dangerous, especially to someone whose asthma can be triggered by it, sending them into an attack. Anyone can get this disease, although it is more prevalent in African Americans. Even though it is not curable, educating people on this deadly disease is an important aspect to ensuring those affected by it can manage it. Avoiding your personal triggers and making sure you have spoken with a doctor about a treatment plan is key. In this case, both culture and environmental factors have contributed to why African Americans are more commonly diagnosed with this disease. References: Asthma .  (n.d).  Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/faqs.htm Asthma facts and figures.  (n.d).  Retrieved from http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&sub=42 Asthma data surveillance.  (n.d).  Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/asthmadata.htm Castillo, R., Jordan III, M., & Tan, L.  (n.d.).  Prevalence of asthma disparities amongst African?American children.  ,  (), 1-3.