Identify the different sources of international law. To what extent Essay

Identify the different sources of international law. To what extent have international treaties affected the development of inte - Essay Example Sources of international law are recognized generally as authoritative statements. This is found in the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Article 38. This specifies possible sources of law that the court shall apply in deciding disputes. These sources of international law include: international conventions which establishes rules, whether particular or general, expressly recognized by the states contesting; the general law principles recognized by civilized nations; international customs evident of general practice and accepted by law; and teachings from publicists and judicial decisions of the various nations and states as a subsidiary means of determining the rule of law (Buergenthal and Sean 19). The mentioned sources of international law, customs, treaties, and principles of law, are referred to by librarians and lawyers with a similar background as the primary sources of international laws. Teachings from the most high qualified publicists and judicial decisio ns are recognized as secondary sources or evidence of international laws. It should be noted that case laws are only considered as a subsidiary means. This is because even the ICJ decisions itself cannot create any binding precedent. The court decisions have no particular force of binding except between, in respect of that specific case, the parties. Teachings from the most highly qualified publicists may also include organizational work like private institutions and International law Commission. Other sources of international law that recognizes international organization role include resolutions and actions of international governmental organizations like United Nations. Such organizations are also recognized as evidence or sources of international law (Aust 5). The European Union laws have been categorized depending on the sources. The laws grouped under primary sources include; Treaty Articles, Treaty of Lisbon, and Treaty of the European Union. Those categorized under secondary sources include; regulations, decisions, directives, and judgements or decisions of the ECJ. As mentioned earlier in the introduction, international law may be public international law, supranational law, or private international law. Public international law includes Treaty law, international criminal law, law of the sea, and international humanitarian law. These laws govern the existing relationships between international entities and states. The private international on the other hand addresses fundamental issues such as what jurisdiction hears a case, the rules that apply typically when a dispute is subjected to international concern like contract between parties in different countries, and the law concerning what jurisdiction to be applied to particular case issues. Finally, the supranational law, also referred to as supranational organizations concerned with regional agreements in which the nation state laws may be inapplicably held where there is a conflict with a supranatio nal legal system. Some of the examples of supranational framework include the European Court of Justice and European Union law, and the International Court of Justice and the UN Security Council (Buergenthal and Sean 28). The international treaties affect the development of international business in various ways. First the international business law is observed on varying levels: international economic law,

Nutrition - Obesity Essay Example for Free

Nutrition Obesity Essay Objective: To assess the association between the consumption of fast food (FF) and body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods: A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. Results: A total of 3620 participants had data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and so were included in these analyses. This SEM model of food choices showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets is positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI showed that higher exposure to FF increases the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0.001), which is associated with higher body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS; b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). Conclusions: The teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants and eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. International Journal of Obesity (2011) 35, 1325–1330; doi:10. 1038/ijo. 2011. 120; published online 28 June 2011 Keywords: fast food; overweight; ALSPAC Introduction Childhood obesity prevalence have risen dramatically in the last 30 years in the Western world with the most recent figures for England and Wales show that 17% of boys and 16% of girls are obese. 1 An increase in the availability of calorie dense foods is implicated as one of the factors in the aetiology of the obesity epidemic. Fast food (FF) is one section of the food market that has grown steadily over the last few decades and it was worth d8. 9 billion in the United Kingdom in 2005. 2 FF is typically quick, convenient, cheap and Correspondence: Dr LK Fraser, School of Geography, University of Leeds, University road, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. E-mail: l. k. [emailprotected] ac. uk Received 6 February 2011; revised 21 April 2011; accepted 12 May 2011; published online 28 June 2011 uniform in its production,3 but FF is often high in saturated fats, energy dense and has low micronutrient content. 4–9 Studies from the United States of America have shown that children who consume FF (when compared with children who do not eat FF) have higher energy intake and higher fat intakes9,10 as well as lower vegetable and milk intake. 10,11 Therefore, the consumption of such foods could possibly result in a positive energy balance; and hence, weight gain. There is some evidence from longitudinal studies in the United States of America that consuming FF as a teenager can result in weight gain in both early12 and middle adulthood. 13 FF is often marketed to children and adolescents through television, internet and movie advertising,14–17 with brand recognition being present from an early age. 18 The addition of toys as gifts with FF meals also attracts children. There is growing body of literature that has assessed the location of FF outlets and has found that areas of higher deprivation Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1326 have more FF outlets19–21 and that FF outlets are often located close to schools. 22–24 The majority of research to date has been undertaken in the United States of America, but a study that analysed the fat content of a FF meal in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in 35 countries showed that the amount of fat varied considerably between countries, within the same FF outlet. 25 This means that results from studies in the United States of America may not be generalisable to other countries. This study aims to assess the cross-sectional association between the consumption of FF and the body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods The data for this study were obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC),26 which is a birth cohort study where pregnant mothers who lived in the old Avon County in the United Kingdom (the Bristol region) were recruited in the early 1990s. A total of 14 541 mothers completed recruitment. Because of retrospective recruitment the total sample size was 15 224 fetuses and 14 610 live births. This paper presents data on the teenagers who attended the year 13 clinic and completed the year 13 questionnaire. Variables The food frequency data were collected from the questionnaires completed by mother (or carer) and separate questionnaires completed by the teenagers themselves at age 13 years. The data used from the carer questionnaire (collected at the same time point) referred to the questions ‘How often does s/he eat in a FF restaurant? The responses to this question were collected as never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. The carers were also asked ‘In total, how many portions of vegetables does s/he eat in a week (do not include potatoes)’, ‘In total, how many portions of raw fruit does s/he eat in a week? ’ These were free numerical responses, which were retained as a continuous variable for analyses. In the food frequency part of the teenager completed questionnaire the teenagers were asked ‘If you ever buy food yourself from outside school, or from school vending machines, how often do you buy and eat each of the following things (include after school and weekends): chips, burger, pizza, sandwich, pies or pasties, chocolate, crisps, fruit and other food. ’ The height and weight data were collected at clinic visits at B13 years. The exact age, sex, height and weight were used to calculate a BMI standard deviation score (BMISDS) for each participant (1990 UK reference dataset). 27 The teenagers International Journal of Obesity were classified as obese if their BMISDS was greater than the 95th percentile (BMISDS41. 64). The physical activity data were collected via accelerometry at the age 13 clinic visit. 28 The participants wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days and the measure used from this is mean counts per minute, which is a continuous variable. A deprivation score was assigned to each participant by matching the coordinates of their residential address (when carer questionnaire was completed) to the appropriate lower super output area. Each lower super output area has an index of multiple deprivation score (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 (IMD))29 assigned from the local census data. This is a continuous variable in which a higher number indicates an area of higher deprivation. Ethnicity was assigned as per the child’s ethnicity into a binary variable of ‘white British’ and ‘other’ ethnicity. Statistical modelling Descriptive statistics were performed in STATA version 10 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM has many benefits over traditional regression techniques, which include the ability to model equations simultaneously and the incorporation of latent variables. 30 SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. 31 This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. The SEM analyses were undertaken in AMOS version 17. 0 (IBM SPSS, USA). The hypothesised model for food choices is shown in the results section (Figure 2). The observed variables are displayed as boxes and latent variables as circles. Each observed variable has an associated random error term and each latent variable has an associated disturbance term, which represents the variance in the latent variable that has not been explained by the observed variables associated with that latent variable. Regression paths are shown by singleheaded arrows and covariances by double-headed curved arrows. The model fit was assessed by two indices; the comparative fit index (CFI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The CFI is a comparison of the hypothesised model compared with an independence model where all parameters are assumed to be independent. The RMSEA gives an indication of ‘how well would the model, with unknown but optimally chosen values, fit the population covariance matrix if it were available’. 32 A combination of CFI40. 95 and a RMSEA of o0. 50 is a sign of good model fit. The w2-test of overall fit is very sensitive to large sample size so has not been used in these models. 30 The two models were constructed a priori using previous research. The nutritional content of chips, burgers, pizza and Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1327 pies are known to be high in saturated fat and energy and therefore are ‘unhealthy’,4–9,33 whereas fruit and vegetables are known to contain fibre and vitamins and so are classified as ‘healthy’. Exposure to FF outlets is known to be higher in areas of higher deprivation. 19–21 In the food choices model, unhealthy consumption (latent variable) was modelled from the frequency of consumption of chips, burger, pizza and pies (reported by the teenagers themselves), and the healthy consumption was modelled from the number of pieces of vegetables and raw fruit consumed by the teenager (maternal report). The number of times that the teenager visited a FF outlet (maternal report) was regressed on the unhealthy and healthy consumption variables. The model for the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMISDS is shown in Figure 3. Here exposure is a latent variable modelled from maternal and paternal takeaway frequency and deprivation score. The exposure is regressed on the number of visits to FF outlet. The BMISDS at age 13 years is the main outcome of this model. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee and the local research ethics committees. Results A total of 3620 participants have data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and were included in these analyses (SEM cannot use individuals with missing data). A total of 1711 (47. 3%) were boys and 456 (12.6%) obese. The descriptive statistics are shown in Table 1. Frequency of visiting FF outlets and food consumption frequencies are shown in Figure 1. The results of model 1 are shown in Figure 2 with regression weights shown in Table 2. This model showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets was positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 1 was 0. 98 and the RMSEA was 0. 05 (90% confidence interval 0. 044, 0. 058). These represent good approximate model fit. Table 1. The results of model 2 are shown in Figure 3 with regression weight shown in Table 3. This model showed that increased exposure to FF increased the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0. 001), which in turn was associated with higher BMISDS (b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 2 was 0. 98, and the RMSEA was 0. 021 (90% confidence interval 0. 009, 0. 033). These represent very good approximate model fit. Discussion This study shows that teenagers who are exposed to more unhealthy foods at home are more likely to eat at FF restaurants and have a higher BMISDS. The negative association of increased visits to FF outlets on consumption of healthy foods (fruit and vegetables) has also been demonstrated. The FF restaurant use in this analysis was reported by the mother or main carer of the teenager and showed that nearly 60% of all the teenagers ate at a FF restaurant at least once a month. This appears to be less frequently than in the United States of America, where studies showed that 60% of older children and adolescents ate FF more than once per week34 and that B30% of children ate at a FF restaurant on any typical day. 9. As one part of the SEM this study showed that eating at a FF outlet was associated with a higher BMISDS. There were no previous UK studies to compare these results with, but previous studies from the United States of America have not found consistent results. Boutelle et al. 11 found no association between frequency of FF consumption and adolescent BMI or weight status, and an Australian study Descriptive statistics Mean BMISDS Deprivation (IMD 2007)29 Physical activity (c. p. m. ) Raw fruit (portions per week) Vegetables (portions per week) s. d. Median IQR 0. 29 13. 7 541 9. 5 9. 5 1. 14 11. 4 190 7 7 0. 024 10. 6 511 8 8 A0. 47, 1. 06 5. 9, 17. 0 404, 653 5, 14 5, 12 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; IQR, interquartile range. Figure 1 Food frequency data. International Journal of Obesity Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1328 Figure 2 Results of SEM model of food choices. Table 2 Results of SEM model of food choices Regression weights a Unhealthy’fast food Healthy’fast food Chips’unhealthy Burger’unhealthy Fruit’healthy Vegetables’healthy Pizza’unhealthy Pies’unhealthy Estimate s. e. CR P 0. 285 A1. 023 1. 000 0. 732 1. 000 1. 157 0. 774 0. 530 0. 021 0. 124 13. 439 A8. 274 o0. 001 o0. 001 0. 016 45. 243 o0. 001 0. 148 0. 018 0. 016 7. 802 42. 483 32. 720 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: CR, critical ratio; SEM, structural equation modeling. aAll consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. showed that FF eaten at home (but not away from home) was associated with higher BMI in adolescents (MacFarlane). Two longitudinal studies using data from the CARDIA study found that higher FF intake in adolescence was associated with higher BMI in young adulthood12 and those who ate FF more than twice a week had put on an extra 4. 5 kg of weight 15 years later. 13 The teenagers who ate more frequently at FF restaurants were more likely to eat less fruit and vegetables, as well as consume more unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizza, pies) than those teenagers who ate at FF restaurants less frequently. This is an indication that the consumption of unhealthy foods may displace healthy food choices. This is similar to previous research in the United States of America, International Journal of Obesity which showed that children who ate FF consumed 45 g less vegetables per day than children who did not eat FF. 10 At age 13 years the food frequency data were a combination of maternal and self-report from the teenagers, but the total macro- and micronutrient values could not be assessed in this study as these data were not yet available at the time of writing. Deprivation was the largest contributor to the FF exposure variable. This could be explained by the fact that those of higher deprivation eat more FF because of the relative cheapness of FF. It has also been shown in many studies in the United Kingdom and the United States of America that areas of higher deprivation have more FF outlets than more affluent areas therefore, FF is more readily available. 35 An interesting economics paper from the United States of America showed that increasing the cost of FF by $1 could decrease BMI by 0. 78 units. 36 The increased consumption of unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizzas and pies) by those teenagers who ate more frequently at FF outlets was not surprising, but the associated negative effect of the consumption of fruit and vegetables by these participants is important. These teenagers will not only be consuming more of the saturated fat and salt from the burgers, and so on, but at the same time they are not consuming important nutrients from fruit and vegetables. Although many FF outlets now offer more healthy alternatives such as fruit and vegetables, the consumers may still be choosing the unhealthy foods. Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1329 The FF question completed by the carer did not specify what constituted FF so some respondents may only count large franchises as FF whereas others may use a broader definition that includes independent takeaways. Although the frequency of eating at a FF restaurant was asked, the carers were not asked about the food eaten from these establishments and many FF restaurants now offer more ‘healthy’ alternatives. Although the majority of FF items do not meet the Food Standards Agency nutrient standards for total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium there are wide variations in similar products from different FF outlets with sodium content varying by up to four times in fried chicken products. 37 Therefore, having data on which food items were consumed from which FF outlet would further enhance future studies. There was no information on why the teenagers ate at FF restaurants, and key questions for the future include; was there no alternative eating establishments in their neighbourhood? Did they prefer FF to other meals or was the cost of food important? Conclusions This study has shown that the teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants. Eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. Figure 3 The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI. Table 3 Results of SEM model of FF exposure and body mass index Regression weights Fast food ’exposure. Maternal fast food’exposure Deprivation’exposure Paternal fast food’exposure BMISDS’fast food BMISDS’c. p. m. a Estimate s. e. CR 0. 61 1. 000 9. 20 0. 66 0. 08 0. 00 0. 07 8. 654 1. 07 0. 08 0. 02 0. 00 8. 605 8. 680 3. 586 A3. 351 P o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; CR, critical ratio; FF, fast food; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; SEM, structural equation modeling. a All consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. Strengths/limitations This is a large dataset with good-quality height and weight data taken at clinic visits by trained staff using validated equipment. There were food consumption data about the teenagers available from both the teenagers and their carers, but this is a cross-sectional study so causation cannot be implied from this data. As expected in a longitudinal study there is attrition and the subcohort used in this study may not be truly representative of the whole cohort. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. Acknowledgements. We are extremely grateful to all the families who took part in this study, the midwives for their help in recruiting and the whole ALSPAC team, which include interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council (grant ref: 74882), The Wellcome Trust (grant ref: 076467) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. LKF was funded by ESRC/MRC studentship. References 1 Craig RS. Health survey for England 2007, 2008. Available from http://www. natcen. ac. uk/study/health-survey-for-england-2007. 2 Keynote.UK fast food and home delivery outlets, 2006. International Journal of Obesity Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1330 3 DeMaria AN. Of fast food and franchises. J Am Coll Cardiol 2003; 41: 1227–1228. 4 Astrup A. Super-sized and diabetic by frequent fast-food consumption? Lancet 2005; 365: 4–5. 5 Brown K, McIlveen H, Strugnell C. Young consumers and the hospitality spectrum. Appetite 1998; 31: 403. 6 Harnack LJ, French SA, Oakes JM, Story MT, Jeffery RW, Rydell SA. Effects of calorie labeling and value size pricing on fast food meal choices: results from an experimental trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2008; 5: 63. 7 Lewis LB, Sloane DC, Nascimento LM, Diamant AL, Guinyard JJ, Yancey AK et al. African Americans’ access to healthy food options in South Los Angeles restaurants. Am J Public Health 2005; 95: 668–673. 8 Paeratakul S, Ferdinand DP, Champagne CM, Ryan DH, Bray GA. Fast-food consumption among US adults and children: dietary and nutrient intake profile. J Am Diet Assoc 2003; 103: 1332–1338. 9 Schmidt M, Affenito SG, Striegel-Moore R, Khoury PR, Barton B, Crawford P et al. Fast-food intake and diet quality in black and white girls the national heart, lung, and blood institute growth and health study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005; 159: 626–631. 10 Bowman SA, Gortmaker SL, Ebbeling CB, Pereira MA, Ludwig DS. Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among children in a national household survey. Pediatrics 2004; 113: 112–118. 11 Boutelle KN, Fulkerson JA, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, French SA. Fast food for family meals: relationships with parent and adolescent food intake, home food availability and weight status. Public Health Nutr 2007; 10: 16–23. 12 Duffey KJ, Gordon-Larsen P, Jacobs DR, Williams OD, Popkin BM. Differential associations of fast food and restaurant food consumption with 3-y change in body mass index: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85: 201–208. 13 Pereira MA, Kartashov AI, Ebbeling CB, Van Horn L, Slattery M, Jacobs DR et al. Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the CARDIA study): 15-year prospective analysis. Lancet 2005; 365: 36–42. 14 Sutherland LA, MacKenzie T, Purvis LA, Dalton M. Prevalence of food and beverage brands in movies: 1996–2005. Pediatrics 2010; 125: 468–474. 15 Powell LM, Szczypka G, Chaloupka FJ. Trends in exposure to television food advertisements among children and adolescents in the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2010; 164: 794–802. 16 Hillier A, Cole BL, Smith TE, Yancey AK, Williams JD, Grier SA et al. Clustering of unhealthy outdoor advertisements around child-serving institutions: a comparison of three cities. Health Place 2009; 15: 935–945. 17 Lingas EO, Dorfman L, Bukofzer E. Nutrition content of food and beverage products on Web sites popular with children. Am J Public Health 2009; 99(Suppl 3): S587–S592. 18 Robinson TN, Borzekowski DLG, Matheson DM, Kraemer HC. Effects of fast food branding on young children’s taste preferences. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007; 161: 792–797. International Journal of Obesity. 19 Cummins SCJ, McKay L, MacIntyre S. McDonald’s restaurants and neighborhood deprivation in Scotland and England. Am J Prev Med 2005; 29: 308–310. 20 Fraser LK, Edwards KL. The association between the geography of fast food outlets and childhood obesity rates in Leeds, UK. Health Place 2010; 16: 1124–1128. 21 Macdonald L, Cummins S, Macintyre S. Neighbourhood fast food environment and area deprivation-substitution or concentration? Appetite 2007; 49: 251–254. 22 Neckerman KM, Bader MDM, Richards CA, Purciel M, Quinn JW, Thomas JS et al. Disparities in the food environments of New York City public schools. A J Prev Med 2010; 39: 195–202. 23 Davis B, Carpenter C. Proximity of fast-food restaurants to schools and adolescent obesity. Am J Public Health 2009; 99: 505–510. 24 Seliske LM, Pickett W, Boyce WF, Janssen I. Density and type of food retailers surrounding Canadian schools: variations across socioeconomic status. Health Place 2009; 15: 903–907. 25 Stender S, Dyerberg J, Astrup A. Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy. Int J Obes 2007; 31: 887–890. 26 Golding J, Pembrey M, Jones R, Team AS. ALSPAC-The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children – I. Study methodology. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2001; 15: 74–87. 27 Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA. Body-mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990. Arch DisChild 1995; 73: 25–29. 28 Riddoch CJ, Leary SD, Ness AR, Blair SN, Deere K, Mattocks C et al. Prospective associations between objective measures of physical activity and fat mass in 12–14 year old children: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Br Med J 2009; 339: b4544. 29 Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 (IMD 2007). 30 Kline R (ed) Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling. The Guildford Press: New York, 2005. 31 Tomarken AJ, Waller NG. Structural equation modeling: strengths, limitations, and misconceptions. Annu Rev Clinic. Psychol 2005; 1: 31–65. 32 Byrne BM (ed). Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS. Lawrence Erbaum Associates: London, 2001. 33 Astrup A, Dyerberg J, Selleck M, Stender S. Nutrition transition and its relationship to the development of obesity and related chronic diseases. Obes Rev 2008; 9: 48–52. 34 Taveras EM, Berkey CS, Rifas-Shiman SL, Ludwig DS, Rockett HRH, Field AE et al. Association of consumption of fried food away from home with body mass index and diet quality in older children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2005; 116: E518–E524. 35 Fraser LK, Edwards KL, Cade J, Clarke GP. The geography of fast food outlets: a review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2010; 7: 2290–2308. 36 Powell LM. Fast food costs and adolescent body mass index: evidence from panel data. J Health Econ 2009; 28: 963–970. 37 Dunford E, Webster J, Barzi F, Neal B. Nutrient content of products served by leading Australian fast food chains. Appetite 2010; 55: 484–489. Copyright of International Journal of Obesity is the property of Nature Publishing Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holders express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

To Kill A Mocking Bird Movie Review Essay Example for Free

To Kill A Mocking Bird Movie Review Essay The movie, â€Å"To Kill A Mocking Bird,† is the story told through the perspective of Scout Finch, an aggressive 6-year old girl, about the many cases of injustice and prejudice plaguing Maycomb, Alabama in 1932. Scout, along with his older brother Jem, and their friend Dill, are intrigued by their solitary neighbor, Boo Radley. Although there were times that Boo left presents for them outside his house, they were still unable to see him in person. Meanwhile, Atticus, Scout and Jem’s widowed father, a lawyer is designated to defend, Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. Although Atticus does his best to establish the innocence of Tom and to prove that his accusers Mayella and her drunken father, Bob Ewell, are lying, the jury, composed of white men and women, convicts him. Subsequently, Tom is killed while trying to escape prison. After being humiliated during the trial, Bob vowed revenge on Atticus. He attacks his defenseless children, Scout and Jem, but the two are rescued by a mysterious man who is later found out to be the reclusive Boo Radley.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Generally, the setting is highly realistic and captures the true essence of the injustice and prejudice during that time. The main casts namely, Mary Badham (Scout), Philip Alford (Jem), John Megna (Dill), Brock Peters (Tom Robinson), Gregory Peck (Atticus), and Robert Duval (Boo Radley),   fleshed out their roles perfectly. Their acting, coupled with their well-designed costumes, significantly gave the movie a realistic touch.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The cinematography, done by Russell Harlan, provided great angular shots in the movie, particularly in scenes where there is suspense and action. The lighting was also well-done as it blended well with the camera shots and angles done in the movie. In short, the cinematography greatly complemented the good acting and excellent setting of the movie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, the music, which was produced by Elmer Bernstein, added further to the greatness of the movie, as it featured tracks that were very appropriate for every scene. Over-all, â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird,† was a highly memorable movie mainly driven by exceptional acting. All of its elements worked harmoniously to produce an exceptional film that is truly one for the ages.

Success Or Failure Of The Euro Currency Economics Essay

Success Or Failure Of The Euro Currency Economics Essay Chapter 1: Introduction: When the European Union was founded in 1957 their initial endeavor was to establish a common market. However they found this idea not taking shape as their financial objectives didnt seem to prosper due to lack of a common c. In 1992, the Maastricht Treaty paved the way for a single c for the EU. Its been a decade since euro had been floated into the international markets. With its introduction in the rush for globalization saw many gains for euro in terms of increase in cross-border capital, trade, and outsourcing, securities and foreign exchange markets turnover as well as in cross-border asset holdings. The decade even saw a huge mounting up of foreign reserves due to growing current account imbalances. With euro taking the role of an international c, there had been drastic changes in the international markets with portfolios being shifted from dollar-denominated to euro-denominated which had led to depreciation in dollar. Moreover Bank of Chinas opinion to support stronger currencies had added to the dollar depreciation. Research aim: The main aim of the research is to understand the sustainability of euro based on financial, economic and political factors. With the euro combining various markets into a single European market, consumer welfare has improved. This had led to convergence of money and capital markets through increased competition, market liquidity and transparency in operation with economies of scale and scope. Euro has gained the potential of risk diversification and more efficient allocation of capital resources. Elimination of exchange rate risk has increased price transparency, thereby reducing transaction costs and boosting competition in international markets. Research objective: The primary intention is to analyze if the future of euro is moving towards success or failure given the social, economic and political factors. While the euro c as well as its policy framework has attributed to stability and prosperity in euro area, the global crisis identified the necessity to strengthen European economic governance as a remedy against future challenges. Euro has gained importance in global markets by allowing global public and private investors to diversify their asset allocation and borrowers to find other sources of funding. Proper and timely actions by the European Financial stability Facility had helped a great extent in safeguarding euro so far. With the European Stability Mechanism being activated till June 2013, financial stability of the euro area is expected to be in full transparency so as to revive in times of financial distress. Research questions: Will the size of the economy help in sustaining the euro stability? Will focus on international trade help in stabilizing? Based on the size, depth, liquidity and openness of the domestic financial markets, can the euro be stabilized? Is the euro stable enough to ensure easy convertibility of its c? Can macroeconomics play a vital role in preserving euro stability? Significance of the study: The study aims to implicate the following: Need for further economic amalgamation so as to tackle problems in times of crisis. Need for a banking union thereby giving control to European Central Bank (ECB) to oversee all euro-zone banks in one step process. Government efforts are needed in order to devise economic and fiscal outline which are essential to the euro c. Efforts are also needed from financial market participants and supervisors, given that the maintenance of the financial market stability plays a crucial role for monetary and macroeconomic stability. Research objectives: The main objective of this report is to assess the success or failure of implementing a unified c, being the Euro c. Examining this topic yields a look into the viability of having a uniform c across a region with similar economic and political attributes. When the idea of a single c was first suggested, doubts raised as to the credibility of the governance as each member states had different political heads. With the single c, however all these political heads would be combined as one governing body to govern all member states. However in a region with similar economic and political attributes, the idea seemed successful with the formation of EU which consisted of European Council to manage course of actions and to suggest new laws; the European parliament to discuss on and endorse laws suggested by the council finally the European Commission with personnel to accomplish the laws. The EU helped a great deal in providing effective governance in the Euro-zone which helped European economy overtake US economy in 2009 with a trade of $14.5 trillion against US trade of $14.3 trillion, thereby accounting to 40% of the worlds economic power. Further, researching the different factors and aspects of what makes a c succeed or fail in meeting its set objectives shall provide insight into understanding the dynamics of the relationship between members of the EU. The vital factors that help judge the efficacy of a c are the size of the economy, political stability, and role in international trade, transparency and openness in domestic markets, easy convertibility to cash and impact of macroeconomics in preserving euro. Relationship between EU members had been strengthened after the launch of euro. Thats because almost 17 of the 27 member states have approved euro. It has also paved the way for a single monetary council to govern the functioning of euro throughout the euro-zone. Moreover cross border trade had increased which was mainly due to creation of single c which cuts transaction costs. Transparency had also been maintained with the euro in domestic markets without price fluctuations. Tourism had also increased with the launching of euro, as tourists didnt have to keep changing their currencies when travelling around the euro-zone. This way Euro ensured easy convertibility of cash. Finally member countries which were financially rich in EU were used to backup poorer economies in EU, thereby ensuring financial stability whenever any of the macroeconomic components triggered a threat to EU. It was this backup which helped euro from failing to a greater extent when the 2008 crisis broke out. The report also provides ground for analyzing the advantages of poorer EU member states adopting the Euro c. This will check the economic drive that can occur from having a monetary union between countries with varying economic statures. The advantages of poorer economies joining the euro can be said to be both an advantage as well as a disadvantage. Its an advantage as even if they fail to repay bills owing to crisis, with the help of EMU they would get help from the richer economies in EU to repay the bills. Disadvantage can be attributed to the fact that salaries may be lesser in less productive areas when compared to salaries of employees in higher production areas. This advantage is due to the fact that all of these employees are now paid in Euros. So indirectly it can pose a threat as the standard of living may vary from place to place, but the salaries remain the same, thereby generating problems in getting even basic daily household things. For example, we may consider the following example between Greece and Germany. Item 2000 2010 Greek German Greek German Number of cups made an hour 5 5 10 20 Employee wage per hour 5 drachma 5 euro 10 euro 12 euro Cost of making a cup 1 drachma 1 euro 1 euro 0.60 euro The above example gives an insight as to more production at lower price thereby encouraging more demand gaining big. However Greece seems to be losing the race. The report also will touch on the aftermath of failures in the Euro, if any, and the remedial measures that can be adopted in case of such failures. This also gives indication to other regions that may want to adopt the strategies used by the Euro while avoiding the negative aspects of the Euro example. There is a perception in euro that it is working only in favour of France and Germany, but the real fact is these countries have achieved little in terms of bargaining success. Even if they had been doing well, ii happens that in times of debt by other EU countries, such rich countries will have to take the burden of clearing unpaid bills, thereby making it impossible for such countries to decide on their infrastructure plans. Moreover in the aftermath of 2008 crisis, TARGET 2 set for the purpose of clearing euro combined all imbalances between banks in the euro-zone. However this failed to meet its objective right from 2007 till 2011, there was an increase in the capital from weaker countries. When the entire euro-zone was undergoing crisis, Germany was doing relatively well, thereby showing diversification in thoughts in terms of social and political issues. In order to prevent failing of euro, policies have to be effectively modified in such a way that there is a win-win situation between both the financially rich and poorer countries, thereby ensuring equal competition. In times of crisis, EU member states can increase inflation rates for a while thereby ensuring their economic growth steady enough to get away from rising debts. However these two can be achieved only with political integration by all EU member states. Having a monetary union and examining its performance is an example set by the Euro. In case of a failure of the c, the report will try to highlight the possibility of discontinuing the circulation of the unified c and reverting to each countrys earlier adopted c. This success can be attributed to ECB cutting down the interest rates 3 times in 2012, thereby lowering borrowing costs creating confidence among investors in euro market that a euro-breakup would not be imminent. In short to say, collapse of the euro is not bound to happen soon, however the stability of euro is unclear in the future. Data collection method: The first hand data will be gathered by distributing questionnaires and analyzing the results. The questionnaires shall be distributed on three banks in the Kingdom of Bahrain which deal with the euro c. The secondary data has been taken from European commission website on inflation in the Euro area from 1960s to 2000s, fiscal position of the euro area in 1992, 1998 and 2007, mean intra-Euro-area correlation between Gross Domestic Product and Industrial Production, two indicators namely the number of years with negative gap sum of negative gaps as a percentage of GDP, macroeconomic performance indicators. Sample selection and selection criteria: The sample chosen are the employees of three banks in Bahrain who invest and deal with euro c. The banks are: Arcapita GFH Gulf Finance House ABC Arab Banking Corporation Survey methodology: The methodology involved analyzing the parameters for significance with the datas obtained from first hand and second hand data which are the survey and other previously published material. The magnitude of a countrys financial system is very vital to decide on its prospective use in the global markets. The global trade and magnitude of a countrys financial markets are related to the economic size. For instance, if we consider the export output between Korea and US, the former accounts for a much greater contribution. However as the US economy is 14 times larger than the Korean thereby making it embrace a much larger share in the world exports. The share of a country in international trade, the size and economy as well as the openness in financial markets forms determinants for demand of that countrys c in global markets. Chapter 2: Literature reviews: Some believe that Euro has failed to perform the required needs or reach the final destination of welfare for all. Instead it has become burden. Others believe that Euro has resulted in bringing a unity among the European nations which helped them to fight out the Economic depression seen in the last decade. The convertibility of a currency also forms a major determinant for demand of that currency, because unless there are less restrictions money is exchanged smoothly thereby ensuring increase in demand of currency. For example after World War II, most of the countries except US restricted their convertibility of currency thereby making US dollar readily available in markets increasing dollar demand. Following table gives a justification to the above determinants: Parameters United States Euro-area Japan Share of world GDP (%) 21.9 15.8 7.6 Share of world exports (%) 15.3 19.4 9.3 Financial markets ($ billions) 40,543.8 24,133.4 20,888.5 Bank assets ($ billions) 7,555.3 12,731.3 6,662.5 Domestic debt securities outstanding ($ billions) 15.426.3 5,521.9 6,444.9 Stock market capitalization ($ billions) 17,562.2 5,880.2 7,781.4 Following are some more factors that help to support and strengthen the study: 2.1 Macroeconomic level: Price stability and low-cost borrowing by European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) helped ensure macroeconomic stability in Europe. Euro helped put an end to changes in exchange rates within Europe owing to changes from outside Europe. The following graph shows improvement in inflation performance thereby leading to sharp decline in price volatility. 2.2. distinction of the strength of the currencies Similar lines of reasoning can be found in Magee and Rao (1980). They make a distinction between strong and weak currencies according to low and high inflation currencies. The intuition behind this being that in trade between low inflation industrial and high inflation developing countries, the low inflation currency of the industrial country dominates. Also, for trade in primary products a vehicle currency might be optimal. The importance of the choice between different currencies came back into the economic discussion when major exchange rates became flexible after the breakdown of Breton Woods in 1973. Viaene and de Vries (1992) take strategic bargaining considerations into account and introduce a forward market. In their model, exporters and importers bargain over the invoicing currency. Both are assumed to prefer their own currency, respectively. Viaene and de Vries find that the dominance of the exporters currency  can be due either to the first mover advantage of the exporting firm or to the monopoly power of the exporter who is more likely to have bargaining power as the firm faces a wide spread demand and not many competitors. 2.3 Currency risk Summing up the early literature, the main findings are that traders seek to avoid currency  risk by using their own currency and that, in trade between industrialized countries exporters are in general more likely to be able to avoid the currency risk.   When currencies are free to fluctuate there is, however, not only the issue of price uncertainty but also  demand uncertainty. 2.4 Invoicing currency: Donnenfeld and Zilcha (1991) present a first formal model in which a firms choice of invoicing currency is analyzed. They are also among the first to develop a model on the Microeconomic level in which the firm optimizes its profits. The main finding of Donnenfeld and Zilcha is that LCP is optimal for the exporting firm if the total revenue curve is concave in the foreign price. This is the case when the sensitivity of demand with respect to prices is not much higher the higher the price level. That is, if the price is set in producer currency and increases (in foreign currency) due to an appreciation of the exporting firms currency, profits will fall because demand will be reduced by more than the increase in profits due to the higher price received. In the case of depreciation, demand is not extended enough to compensate for the lower price the exporting firm receives, because demand is less sensitive to the price at the lower price level. If this is the case, higher variability in foreign prices, which comes with higher volatility in the exchange rate under PCP, lowers expected profits. Thus, under these conditions, high exchange rate volatility would lead the exporting firm to choose LCP.   2.5 Currency Market: Friberg (1997) extends the literature by including into the model a forward currency  market and the possibility to set prices in a third currency: vehicle currency  pricing (VCP). As in Donnenfeld and Zilcha the choice of the optimal currency setting is closely linked to the price elasticity of foreign demand. The second best currency pricing strategy depends on the relative exchange rate volatilities. If the exchange rate towards the vehicle currency exhibits low volatility compared to the bilateral exchange rate of the exporter and importer, VCP is preferred and vice versa.   Now, even under LCP the demand for the firms product is uncertain because the competitors might not price in local currency. In such a case fixing the relative price of the competing products can be important to the exporters so they might choose a common vehicle currency. This finding of choosing the currency  of the competitor is also common to a number of other studies. 2.6 Pricing Strategy: In particular, Bacchetta and van Wincoop (2002) use a NOEM model to analyze the optimal pricing strategy of exporters.  In a very elaborate general equilibrium framework that also takes into account exchange rate dependent costs they derive similar conclusions to those of Donnenfeld and Zilcha. 2.7 demand sensitivity of costs and price The driving factors for exporters to care about their relative prices are the demand sensitivity of costs and the price sensitivity of demand. It can be said that the higher the product differentiation, the lower the price sensitivity of demand. Exporters will, thus, prefer to invoice in their own currency if their products are highly differentiated, while they will pay attention to holding their relative prices constant if their products are less differentiated. This does not mean that less differentiated products are always invoiced in LCP, however. 2.8 market share of the exporting country in the foreign market Bacchetta and van Wincoop build into their model the market share of the exporting country in the foreign market that is, the share of the market that is accounted for by firms from a particular country or monetary area. Demand risk is minimized by invoicing in the currency that is most similar to the average invoicing currency chosen by competitors (Bacchetta and van Wincoop 2002, p. 15). For a monetary union, it is the market share of the entire currency union that matters and not the market share of an individual country. Exports of a monetary union are therefore more likely to be priced in producer currency, and imports to a monetary union more likely to be priced in local currency, because the monetary unions market share is more likely to be dominant. Goldberg and Tille (2005) call this behavior of choosing the currency of the competitor a herding effect. In their partial equilibrium three country model a dominant share of a currency other than the one of the exporter or the importer can make vehicle currency pricing the optimal choice. This herding effect takes place for industries with homogeneous goods where producers aim at keeping their prices relative to the competitors stable. Goldberg (2005) elaborates on this model by including a covariance between marginal cost and exchange rates. There is then also a hedging motive to choose a currency so that the exchange rate is correlated in such a way to shocks to exporters costs that marginal costs are positively correlated with marginal revenue. 2.9 Two-country dynamic general equilibrium model The most elaborate model so far was introduced by Devereux, Engel and Storegaard (2003). Using a two-country dynamic general equilibrium model with sticky prices, these authors analyze the implications of endogenous exchange rate pass-through. Their results show that the degree of pass-through depends on the relative stability of monetary policy; countries with relatively low monetary volatility experience low rates of exchange rate pass- through. The reason is that firms in both countries have an incentive to set their prices in the currency of the country with the low monetary volatility.  As a consequence, the country with low monetary volatility is shielded against exchange rate movements.   2.10 The export pricing behavior Engel (2005) analyses the export pricing behavior of firms in a static model, both in an environment with flexible and with fixed prices. He shows that the choice between producer currency pricing and local currency  pricing is independent of the degree of sluggishness in price adjustment. Under flexible price adjustment, producer currency pricing is optimal if the variance of the export price in the firms own currency is less than the variance of the price in the local currency of the importer. The same holds in an environment of fixed prices.   Summing up the theoretical literature the most important finding is that the optimal pricing strategies are very sensitive to the set of assumptions. In particular, the level of risk aversion and the existence of forward markets to hedge exchange rate risks matter for the results. First and foremost, however, the sensitivity of foreign demand to prices matters, which can be approximated by the homogeneity or differentiation of the product. When demand is sensitive to prices the market share of the exporting country, or more specifically, the currency used by the competitors matters. When the optimal currency choice depends on the currency used by competitors, herding in the same currency is optimal. Also, currencies of countries with monetary stability are more likely to be chosen as invoicing currency. 2.11 The Failure of the Euro Martin Feldstein (2012). As the author mentioned, the euro now shall be known as an experiment that failed. This failure, since the euro was first introduced, in 1999, was not an accident or the result of bureaucratic mismanagement but rather the inevitable results of imposing a single currency on a very heterogeneous group of countries. The adverse economic consequences of the euro include the sovereign debt crises in many European countries, the breakable condition of major European banks, high levels of unemployment crosswise the euro-zone, and the large trade deficits which now block most euro-zone countries. The political goal of creating a harmonious Europe has failed too. France and Germany have dictated hurtful austerity actions in Greece and Italy as a state of their financial help. Paris and Berlin have clashed over the role of the European Central Bank (ECB)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹â€ and over how the burden of financial help will be shared. The early impetus that led to the European Monetary Union and the euro was political, not economic. European politicians rationalized that as the use of a common currency would instill in their publics a greater sense of belonging to a European community and that the shift of responsibility for monetary policy from national capitals to a single central bank in Frankfurt would signal a shift of political power. Michael Sivy (2011), as usually said big stories dont break, they ooze. The demise of the Euro is just such a story. Hence each time it oozes, U.S. stock markets drop. The collapse of the Euro, is now inevitable, in the authors view. When it happens, banks around the globe will be shaken and stock markets will plummet. Academics, journalists and even government officials have projected a set of schemes to save the Euro new European financial institutions, Eurobonds backed by all the countries collectively and even a United States of Europe. However it is clear that any such scheme to save the Euro would find little political support. The breakup will perhaps be extremely painful. Nevertheless, the alternatives may be even more unpalatable.

media :: essays research papers

Since the effects of the media increased over people, the aim of the media has gone into an alteration. The morals of the media changed and a huge conflict became into existence between the morals in past and now. As all over the world in Turkey, ethics of the media changed after the media bosses have caught it. Media must be objective, impartial, and balanced, but because of the media bosses, it changed its ethics. The first purpose of media must be objectivity, but media rarely objective while reporting or researching information. Media’s objectivity is filtered and censored by the media owners, advertisers, newsmakers, news sharpers, and the pressure groups. All of the affect media while its doing its job. Media’s job is to inform. Because of the filters of media, it usually uses for propaganda, having profit and power. Many people think media is the most powerful means for propaganda. Lord Beaverbrook (1879-1964), who is owner of the Daily Express and founder of The Sun, and he used his newspaper for entirely for propaganda without taking into consideration of the purposes of media (Watson, 84). Media works same in Turkey as the world. The bosses, who have newspapers and television channels, use them for their propaganda. Moreover, this propaganda works very well because they have power over the people and having amounts of profit owing to media. Media is mass communication, a connection all over the world that informs, entertains, and influences people. It is powerful because most people talk about what they see on the news. Therefore, we can easily say media primarily control people’s opinion, and beliefs. Due to this, media must do its job impartially. In addition to this, the basic criteria of the media would be always say truth. On the other hand, the anxiety of rating and getting power entails media taking sides. It would seem that the media is using for propaganda and laissez-faire, besides both of them obtains to control the people, and control means power (Watson, 86). This control over the people does not look down on because this control orientates the people as the media barons wishes. Like the example of the Italy. The effects of media can straightforwardly see in Italy. Silvio Berlusconi’s political party, which shaped newly, urge into authority in Italy by the hold up of the Berlusconi’s me dia empire. By the support of his media empire Berlusconi became prime minister of Italy as in Orson Welles’ classical film Citizen Kane, which is about the dream of political officer, eluded John Foster Kane (Watson, 85).

Fast Food Profit Essay -- Health Nutrition Papers

Fast Food Profit The American economy relies upon competitive exchange: a process where opposition within a market creates standards for quality and price valuation. To insure the quality of American products the US government encourages a competitive market and enforces regulations. "Capitalism is a system of private ownership of capital that relies on market forces to govern the distribution of goods" (Goldstein 533). In an ideal capital market companies will produce their product to meet consumer tastes, government regulations, and beat similar competitive products. As a capitalist rule: the more competition that enters the market, the better the quality and prices. However, even though there are many fast food restaurants, the industry is able to act in a monopolistic manner. First, they are able to set the market price and have it remain relatively constant without competitive interference with respect to bid wars. Second, the clientele may choose other fast food restaurants based o n personal tastes, but are locked into the market based on speed and price. Third, besides the regulations from the FDA, businesses attempt to offer the best taste, which does not always have to correspond with quality. The fast food industry has become overflowing with new business competiting for the large fast food clientele. The companies realize the significant profit losses created by an all out bid war, so each company implicitly understands its position and market offering with respect to its competition. The silent agreement hurts consumers because they could be receiving a better price. A majority of people eats fast food because they need the food quickly and/or cheaply. The constant and loyal demand allows the mark... ...iencies, paying employees minimally, and lowering the cost of ingredients. Works Cited Franz, Neil. Taco Recall Prompts Aventis to Halt Sales of StarLink Corn.  Chemical Week Oct. 2000. 12 Apr. 2002 Web Page . Goldstein, Joshua. International Relations. 4th edition. New York: Longman, 2001. Horngren, Charles, Gary Sundem, and William Stratton. Introduction to Management Accounting. 12th edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002. Ross, Stephen, Randolph Westerfield, and Bradford Jordan. Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. 5th edition. Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2000. Schlosser, Eric. The Flavor Counts.  Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm and Resource Issues Wntr. 2001. 12 Apr. 2002 Web Page . Tevis, Cheryl. The Secret Ingredients of Our Industrial Food Menu.  Successful Farming Mar. 2001. 12 Apr. 2002 Web Page .

Morality In America :: essays research papers

The reading by Johnson starts out with a married lady by the name of Katherine Watkins complaining of rape by a black slave. Throughout the remainder of this section, depositions are given by other black slaves and people who claim to have witnessed the occurrence. Most of the accounts indicate that Mrs. Watkins seduced the slave into a sexual act and then blamed it on him in order to stay out of the trouble that her Quaker husband’s beliefs would have brought on her. The other section in this book is the sermon by John Winthrop entitled, A Model of Christianity. Two rules by which all men should abide, he says, are to show mercy and do justice. Among many other good deeds, he preaches love among Christians, performing service for the Lord, having unity and conformity in the community, and strict obedience to God’s word lest some punishment befall you. The handout given in class deals with the issue of homosexuality and the punishments for sodomy and buggery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reading by Marcus was solely concentrated on the Salem Witch Trials. A former minister, George Burroughs, is accused of witchcraft and much of the section deals with people who claimed to have been bewitched by him. There are a couple of letters by Cotton Mather explaining the difficulty of the witchcraft trials and his defense of the conviction of George Burroughs. The rest of this reading is letters of confession by the accused and more letters relating to the trials.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The role of Colonial women in society is given an in depth look in the segment by Graebner. In these days, the husband was seen as the supreme head of the family and women were basically domestic. Women were basically known only as the wife of their husbands and often helped them with their business affairs. Eventually, a minimal level of trade arose among women in the village, but nothing big enough to trigger a large outbreak of feminism at that time. A women’s role in society can basically be summed up in this quote, â€Å"The economic roles of married women were based upon two potentially conflicting values – gender specialization and identity of interest. A wife was expected to become expert in the management of a household and the care of children, but she was also asked to assist in the economic affairs of her husband, becoming his representative and even his surrogate if circumstances demanded it.