Childhood Obesity in America Essay Example for Free

Childhood Obesity in America Essay Ahhh there is nothing better than waking up at noon to the smell of some freshly cooked bacon and a heaping pile of blueberry pancakes. Mom makes them fresh every weekend morning. Usually the bacon and pancakes don’t quite do the trick so the pantry is raided next. At the top of the pantry next to the family size bag of Doritos, which will most likely be consumed later in the night, lays the hardest decision that will have to be made all day long. Which one of these sugary cereals shall be devoured this morning and fill up the rest of this already overstuffed belly? Reese’s Puffs, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Puffs or the tasteless Raisin Bran that Mom and Dad prefer. You can definitely count out the Raisin Bran. Cocoa Puffs it is. After grabbing the largest bowl that could be found in the house, the Cocoa Puffs are smothered in chocolate syrup to make the already chocolate milk even more chocolaty and delicious. After every last puff goes down the hatch it is time to chug the extra chocolaty milk right from the bowl. Now that the belly is completely stuffed it is time for a nap. A nap is necessary after a long night of online gaming on the brand new Xbox 360 that mom bought last week. The other players don’t stand a chance after a week non-stop gaming with a few breaks here and there for the much needed meals and bathroom breaks. After the well- deserved napping session it is back to the big screen. Only this time it is not to play video games because the carpel tunnel is acting up in the left hand again. This time it is to watch the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives marathon on the Food Network. You just can’t get enough of the food network. But all this talk about food is making the stomach rumble and it is time for lunch. Mom promised that she will take us to the McDonalds that is right down the street if the chores were done. Little brothers are great. After slipping him a whole two dollars, the chores are done in no time and a McDonald’s double quarter pounder with extra cheese is all that is on the brain. The clerk at the counter asked, â€Å"Would you like to Supersize that sir?† After thinking for a  second about the giant container of fries and the bucket of coke the answer was easy, â€Å"Yes, Ma’am!† But why stop there? It is March and all those commercials about the new Shamrock Shake make it nearly unbearable. After a delicious lunch the only thing on the mind on this beautiful Saturday afternoon is getting back to that big screen TV and playing the brand new Call of Duty game. While all the other kids are outside running around pretending to shoot each other, the real action is inside this intense videogame. After an exhausting night, it is time to go to bed with plans for tomorrows day on the mind. Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death in the Un ited States. The article, â€Å"Obesity in America: What’s Leading the Epidemic?† states that nearly one thousand people are killed each day from obesity. Obesity is measured by BMI or Body Mass Index. This measures how much body fat someone has based on their height and how much they weigh. The author, Harvard Men’s Health Watch states that a BMI of twenty five or more qualifies as overweight and a BMI of thirty or more qualifies as obese. About 63% of Americans are considered overweight and about 31% are considered to be obese (Harvard Men’s Health Watch 2012). These numbers are strikingly large. This article only focuses on the adults that are obese in the United States and doesn’t focus much on the children. The children are what America should really be focused on because some day they will make up majority of the population. The most obese child in the world is Jessica Guade who is seven years old and weighs four hundred and eighty two pounds. That is heavier than a majority of people in the entire world. Every single day she drinks ten thousand calories in Coca-Cola and consumes fifteen hamburgers. She can’t even walk and gets around by rolling. How can a parent do this to their child? Are they afraid to say no or do they just not care about their child’s health? This is what the American life is doing to children. These numbers will continue to go up and we will see more children like Jessica if nothing is done about this epidemic. American life is changing and people are adapting to new culture which is making them focus less on their weight and appearance. The main factors that contribute to the obesity outburst are the lack of exercise, watching way too much television, and eating too many foods that are high in calories and fat. With the changes in television and advertising on television, Americans crave things that they see on TV. When you are watching TV you will see countless fast food advertisements where they make the food look so delicious and look like it was prepared in a five star restaurant. This is just one of the many tricks that advertisers use in order to get people to buy their products. The sad part is that most of the time it works. Americans see all of these advertisements on TV and all they want to do is go out and buy it. These days children are watching so much television rather than playing outside. Young children are the main target for some advertisers like McDonalds and Burger King. In all of their commercials they show images of children eating their food and it makes children want to go and get it. Not only are there a lot of commercials about fast foods, but there are commercials about snacks and drinks as well. According to M. Mello in their article, â€Å"Federal Trade Commiss ion Regulation of Food Advertising to Children: Possibilities for a Reinvigorated Role†, a majority of the food and drink advertisements on television are advertising things that are unhealthy for the human body to consume (Mello 2010). The amount of these advertisements is ridiculous and according to this article the FDA has had to start cutting the airing of a lot of them. Not only are the advertisements on TV a problem, but the amount of television that children watch is an even bigger one. These days’ kids would rather stay inside and watch TV and play video games rather than going outside and playing sports like the past generations. The video games of this generation have made it possible for children to virtually play any sport that they want instead of going outside and physically breaking a sweat and playing them. Television has made Americans so much lazier than they used to be. People don’t get out of the house nearly as much as they used too. Instead of going out to the ballpark and watching baseball games, they just go out and buy big screen televisions and sit on their butts and watch them. Children look up to their parents and will adapt these kinds of habits from them. This is a huge reason why children are becoming so obese in America. The amount of television that kids watch and how many video games they play has a direct correlation to the lack of exercise in America these days. To children, a videogame or cartoon show is much more appealing than running around outside and exercising. Also, the developing culture of America as a whole has added to the lack of exercise in Americans.  Technology has simplified nearly every aspect of human life. Rather than walking everywhere like our ancestors did, everyone drives, or takes the bus, or does anything that keeps them from using up their energy and breaking a sweat. As the parents of children are doing this, their children adapt to that lifestyle and in turn they end up doing the same thing and start to live the way that their parents live. In the old days you would see people walking all over the streets, but now that there are automobiles the streets are just lined with traffic. As cities are bec oming more civilized and advanced, there are less and less places for people to work out, and for kids to run around and play outside. In the article, â€Å"Contributions of Built Environment to Childhood Obesity† by, T. Rahman, R.A. Cushing, and R.J. Jackson, it states that the neighborhood the child lives in has a huge impact on their health. For example, if there are bike paths and places to play outside and run around, the child will be more physically active, but if these things aren’t in place, then the child is more prone to stay inside and watch television and gain weight as a result of that (Cushing 2011). While watching television they don’t have to get up to do anything anymore. Remote controls have changed the world. You can change the channel on the television, turn on and off the lights, and answer the phone right from your chair without getting up to do anything. The only thing that people have to get up to do is go and get more food from the fridge. Less and less children are becoming involved in athletics and exercise. Going outside and running around is much less appealing to children then it used to be. Lack of exercise is a huge contributing factor to obesity and children and something needs to be done about it. Fast food is so easy, quick, and convenient. Most Americans live a lifestyle th at is always on the move and always busy. It is very easy for them to turn to fast food and grab a quick meal before they go to work. Not only is it fast and easy, but there are so many fast food restaurants in the United States. In 1970 McDonalds operated close to one thousand establishments; in 2002 nearly thirty-five thousand restaurants were being operated. An estimated two thousand new McDonalds are opened each year. That is the road that most Americans choose rather than trying to sit down and eat a home cooked meal. That goes along with the laziness of Americans. In this article from CBS news â€Å"Fast Food linked to Child Obesity†, it states that â€Å"Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children  aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity† (CBSNEWS 2010). Fast food is so much faster and easier than going to the grocery store and getting all the ingredients needed to cook a nice healthy meal for your family. Instead most parents resort to the greasy, salty, and fatty foods that fast food establishments have to offer. According to J.Hariss’s article â€Å"Television Viewing and Unhealthy Diet: Implications for Children and Media Interventions†, â€Å"Humans possess an innate preference for sweet, high-fat, and salty foods, and a reluctance to try unfamiliar foods† (Hariss 2011).Although some fast food restaurants offer substitutions like how McDonalds offers apples instead of French fries, most people do not choose these substitutions. People are more concerned about taste then health and to them, greasy salty foods taste better than apples. The only time that children would choose to eat the healthier choice is when their parents are with them. According to M. Stutts in their article, â€Å" Nutrition Information and Childrens Fast Food Menu Choices†, when children go into fast food restaurants alone, they will choose to eat whatever they want regardless of the fat content. When their parents went with them they influenced them to choose the healthier items on the menu (Stutts 2009). The problem with the items on the fast food menus is that they are full of calories. The recommended calorie intake for a thirteen year old child that weighs ninety pounds is about thirteen hundred calories each day. A McDonlad’s cheeseburger happy meal with a low fat milk as a drink has approximately seven hundred calories. That is half of the amount of calories that is needed in one day. On top of that most children th ese days aren’t exercising at all and all of those calories turn straight into fat. Fast food in general is so unhealthy for your body and if it was cut out completely, the number of obese children would be reduced dramatically. There are so many factors that play into why children are becoming so obese, but eating too many foods that are high in calories and fat is the number one reason why they are so obese. Most people in the world worry about the way they look when they look in the mirror. They will do anything to make themselves â€Å"look skinnier† and make themselves look more attractive. Nobody every worries about what is going on inside of their body. Most Americans do not realize that being overweight or obese can have some serious negative health effects  on the body. There are so many aspects of life that are affected by obesity. Your metabolism, health of your muscles, bones, organs, and other parts of your body can be greatly affected when you are at an unhealthy weight. In the article â€Å"Obesity in America: Large Portions, Large Proportions,† the author talks about some of the health risks that are involved with obesity. Some of the health risks are coronary artery disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes, many forms of cancer, osteoarthritis, fatty liver, and depression (Large Portions, Large Proportions 2006). Obesity can ultimately lead to a shorter life span from the health risks. It is obvious from this article that there are some major health risks from obesity that can affect your body in a very negative way. It is important that people take care of their bodies so that they can live happy and healthy lifestyles. A huge part of the childhood obesity problem is that the children have no idea what they are doing to their bodies by not exercising and having unhealthy diets. The author of this paper had the opportunity to educate children on the proper nutrition and recommended hours of exercise daily through a service learning project that was completed with the help of a middle school from their hometown. Service learning is defined as â€Å"a method of teaching and learning that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities† (What is Service-Learning, 2008). The author was given the chance to strengthen the community and inform young children about the dangers of obesity. The author did so by creating an informative brochure that the principle of Rosa Parks Middle School Dr. Donna Redmond Jones enjoyed and agreed to hand out to students around the school. The brochures were also made available in the health room where students can just come in and pick one up. In completing the service learning project, the author was able to gain a lot of knowledge on obesity, more importantly the health risks and ways to prevent them. The author also gained the fulfillment that he had informed young students about these risks and was able to benefit the community. The service project was ultimately successful because the author was able to re-teach the knowledge that he had gained from research to the children that the research was about. The information that has been provided in this paper demonstrates how a lack of exercise, watching too much television, and eating too many foods high in calories and fat, has lead to the obesity epidemic that is in America today. The number of obese children in American is an absurd number. Children in America these days don’t worry about their image and their weight as much as they used to. All they are worried about is what TV show they are going to watch next, what video game they are going to play, and what type of fast food they are going to eat today. The idea of going outside and exercising never crosses their mind. If parents gave their children a little motivation to get involved in sports and exercising, the number of obese children in America would decrease substantially. Parents don’t motivate their kids because they are doing the same exact thing as them. Not only are there a lot of obese children in America, but there are an incredible amount of obese adu lts as well. Children are prone to learn from what their parents do and inherit the bad habits that they have. So therefor if a parent is eating fatty foods and sitting around watching TV all day, their children will do the same thing. There are so many health risks that can come from obesity that you would think people would be more worried about it. Do people not pay attention to the warnings and health risks? Do they not really care about the way they look and the negative effects that it can have on the body? The prevalence of technology in America has changed the world greatly. It has made things so much easier, but in turn it has made Americans so much lazier. Everything can be done from a seat on the couch without having to get up at all. Watching too much television, lack of exercise, and eating too many foods that are high in calories and fat are the three biggest factors that play into the amount of obese children these days, but there are a ton of factors that play into why Americans are so overweight. Something needs to be done about this epidemic before we see more serious side effects from obesity. References La Merrill, M., Birnbaum, L. S. (2011). Childhood Obesity and Environmental Chemicals. Mount Sinai Journal Of Medicine, 78(1), 22-48. doi:10.1002/msj.20229 Anzman, S. L., Rollins, B. Y., Birch, L. L. (2010). Parental influence on childrens early eating environments and obesity risk: implications for prevention. International Journal Of Obesity, 34(7), 1116-1124. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.43 Harris, J. L., Bargh, J. A. (2009). Television Viewing and Unhealthy Diet: Implications for Children and Media Interventions. Health Communication, 24(7), 660-673. doi:10.1080/10410230903242267 Rahman, T., Cushing, R. A., Jackson, R. J. (2011). Contributions of Built Environment to Childhood Obesity. Mount Sinai Journal Of Medicine, 78(1), 49-57. doi:10.1002/msj.20235 Stutts, M., Zank, G. M., Smith, K. H., Williams, S. A. (2011). Nutrition Information and Childrens Fast Food Menu Choices. Journal Of Consumer Affairs, 45(1), 52-86. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6606.2010.01192.x Mello, M. M. (2010). Federal Trade Commission Regulation of Food Advertising to Children: Possibilities for a Reinvigorated Role. Journal Of Health Politics, Policy Law, 35(2), 227- 276. doi:10.1215/03616878-2009-051 Obesity in America: Whats driving the epidemic?. (2012). Harvard Mens Health Watch, 16(7), 5-7. Anderson, S. E., Whitaker, R. C. (2010). Household Routines and Obesity in US Preschool-Aged Children. Pediatrics, 125(3), 420-428. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0417 Obesity in America: large portions, large proportions. (2006). Harvard Mens Health Watch, 10(6), 1-5. Fast Food Linked to Child Obesity. (2009) The Associated Press. CBS News.

The Disdainful Use of Names in Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 :: Crying Lot 49 Essays

The Disdainful Use of Names in Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 While reading Pynchon’s, The Crying of Lot 49, I found myself fascinated with the names of the characters. I tried to analyze them and make them mean something, but it seems that Pynchon did not mean for the names to have a specific meaning. This deduction made me think about the satirical nature of the naming of the characters. Which led me to muse on the chaotic nature of the naming. The apparent disdain for the characters by their naming seems to imply that the author is poking fun at the reader and society through the characters. The first character is Oedipa Maas and the reader cannot help but immediately think of Oedipus the King and the implications of that naming. As I read, I was on the alert for the characteristics of the Oedipus story. Although Oedipa does have a mystery to solve in the novel, I found I really could not relate her to Oedipus in any other way. And what does ‘Maas’ mean? Mass, as in a solid mass? Mass, as in the Catholic rite? Is Oedipa perhaps performing a rite of some kind? These questions plagued me as I read and by the conclusion of the story, I was no wiser. Then there is Oedipa’s husband, Mucho Maas. What kind of a name is Mucho? It implies, to me at least, that Mucho is somehow superior to his wife. But as the story progresses, Mucho seems to become less and less. Perhaps a comment by Pynchon on the declining status of a husband in American society? Perhaps a satirical jab at the rising state of women’s rights as equal instead of subordinate in a marriage? Whatever it means, the name Mucho didn’t seem to fit the character. Next we encounter Oedipa’s therapist. His character was bizarre from beginning to end. His name, Dr. Hilarious, worked for me. His name was fitting in many ways. That he goes berserk in the end was a fitting touch in depicting a shrink. His character was ‘hilarious’ in a way. I mean, come on, what therapist actually believes in telepathy? The absent character in the book, Pierce Inverarity, is a puzzle. The closest definition for Inverarity that I could find in the dictionary was a definition for ‘inveracity’. Inveracity means untruthfulness, which is fitting for the absent Pierce, since we never do discover if the man is actually dead or not.

Retail Travel Operations

Independents An independent agent is usually family owned, they have been in the business for a long time and have years of experience and built up a lot of knowledge. They usually only have 1/2 branches and have a loyal customer base in their local area. Also they are independently owned. They are usually found in the back streets rather than on the high street or in shopping centres. An example of an independent agent is fails worth travel.The role of an independent travel agent is to sell holidays; they give advice on destinations and provide excellent customer service to their customers in hope of building up repeat customers. Independent agents offer a range of products and services such as tailor made holidays and charter flights. A tailor made holiday is a package suited to the needs of a particular customer. The joy of a tailor-made itinerary is that your holiday is designed around your requirements and you are not restricted to the set itinerary of a group departure.Dynamic packaging is when travellers use the internet to research their holidays and make their own travel arrangements direct with airlines, hotels, and car companies A charter flight is a private flight scheduled to meet the needs of specific passengers or organisations. Some flights leave at regular intervals with tickets being purchased up to the day of departure by the general public, where as charter flights are arranged by request.They can be used for a variety of purposes for example flighing time and moving passengers, the price for this service is usually higher than using a traditional passenger or cargo airline The products and services are made available to agents due to who they are linked with. Independents build links with accommodation providers so they can book rooms for their customers, they will have negotiates rates with accommodation providers especially if the agent does a lot of booking. An example of an accommodation provider is Ramada. MultiplesA multiple travel ag ent has more than 100 branches they are usually integrated horizontally or vertically. They have household names which are well known for example Thomas cook and they also have a good reputation. An example of a multiple travel agents is Thomas cook. Multiple agents offer a range of products and services such as traditional package holidays and ancillary sales. An ancillary sale is a service that tour operators and travel agents offer, for example rental cars, travel insurance, transport to accommodation and so forth. Package holidays are organised by a tour operator and sold to a constumer by a travel agent.Some travel agents are employees of tour operators, others are independent. A package holiday includes Charter Flight, Accommodation, Meals and Transfers between your destination airport and your holiday accommodation. These products and services are made available due to who they are linked with. Multiple agents is linked with ancillary providers because they can hire cars for them, they add on extras to their holiday, they do this to make more money. they don't just sell holidays in travel agents they also sell holidays on: the TV, internet etc.With this they are open to a lot of different customers E-agents An e agent is a online travel agent, you can book online as well as through call centres or shops, they are also cheaper because there are not many staff, with e agents you can book online at any time. An example of an e agent is Expedia. A role of an e agent is to find a holiday that is right for the customer. They allow customers to sort out their travel packages. e-agent offers a range of products and services such as traditional package holidays and shedualed flights.Scheduled flights fly on strict timetable this is usually beneficial for business people. e agent is linked with accomodation becuase the online travel agents can book a hotel for the customer. Home workers Home workers are people who can work from home instead of going out because s ome people might have children so they are unable to go out and work. Home workers can book holidays from home. The tour operator would come and install a computer, a credit card machine and a phone line in your home. The people might be working full time or part time.An example of a home working travel agent is future travel. A role of a home based travel agent is to sell flight tickets; they also get to form a direct relationship with the person whose holiday they are booking. Call centres A call centre is a place which you can ring up and they put u through to a tour operator. Many of them are tour operators and flight agents, however some are operated by travel agents for example STA. The role of a call centre is to make or take telephone calls on behalf of an organisation in order to fulfil customer requirements. hey sell their products over the phone, they have to reach their aim of the amount of sales they make per day. Holiday hypermarkets A holiday hypermarket is a large re tail travel agency, they have staff that specialise in particular holiday types. They are usually in large shopping centres where there are a lot of people passing by. They have lots of promotions, but are expected to hit high street sales targets. An example of a holiday hypermarket is First Choice. The role of a holiday hypermarket is to find the best price holidays for customers.They have a holiday comparison tool so can find a wide range of holidays to suit your particular interests and budget. They try to provide more entertainment for their customers than smaller agencies,they now have stores in supermarket for example travel choice. Muniples A maniple might have more than 5/6 branches one of them are in (North West). They don’t have as many branches as multiples but more than independent. An example of a maniple travel agent is Premier Travel A muniples role is to offer a personal touch by being able to give independent advice on holiday choices.They also give good cus tomer service, this will lead to repeat business. Consortia Consortia is a group of travel agents who come together and form a larger group e. g. global travel group they have more buying power and get better discounts. An example of a consortia travel agent is Freedom Travel. A consortium is an organisation of independent travel agency members, they try to combine their selling power to grow their businesses and achieve more profits. Accommodation-Generally, package holidays include either hotel or apartment/studio accommodation.Some hotels and apartments are specific to one particular tour operator, but many are available through more than one and prices can vary significantly between them. The role of a tour operator is to put together all the different components that make contracts with hoteliers, airlines and other trasport companies to put the package together. all the holiday details are incorporates into a brochure which is reor di either to travel to agents or directly to customers. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Package_tour http://www. holidaybargains. org/unc_package. htm http://www. insights. org. uk/articleitem. aspx? title=Travel+Agents

Gaius Octavius The Savior of Shakespeares Julius Caesar

A savior as defined by Merriam-Webster is, â€Å"one that saves from danger or destruction.† This term describes Gaius Octavius in more than one way or instance; Octavius helps to rid Rome of the evil conspirators, and Octavius is the emperor who rebuilds Rome. Readers and viewers of Shakespeares play don’t get a clear and drawn out view of Octavius as he doesn’t appear for much of the play. A reason isn’t given in the play, but history reveals that he is off traveling the world. Octavius takes advantage of the fact that he is Caesar’s named heir when the time to seize power comes. Gaius Octavius , one of Caesar’s family members, was somewhat of a rambunctious youngster; however, he asserted himself with self-confidence both in Rome and on the battlefield against the conspirators. Octavius gives readers an example of his need to be in charge when he says, â€Å"Upon the right hand I; keep thou the left (V.i.16-20).† He says this to Marc Antony after Antony tells him to stay to the left of the battlefield. He says this in manner that the reader would see as pure defiance to Antony’s power. It could also be taken as Octavius showing a rivalry against Antony that would escalate and appear later when the rebuilding of Rome is about to take place. As a member of Caesar’s family, it is clear where Octavius’s confidence arises. His confidence is apparent throughout his rule of the Roman Empire through his military actions and his social reforms. He becomes especially hungry for