Consumer culture case study Essays

Consumer culture case study Essays Consumer culture case study Paper Consumer culture case study Paper Hence the controversy over whether consumption is a sphere of manipulation or freedom. How is magazine publishing part of Consumer Culture Magazine publishing is both a cultural activities and a business. Magazine are vehicles of new idea and sources of entertainment. But the task of bring them into existence and of purveying them to their readers is a commercial one requiring all the resources and skills of the manager and entrepreneur. In this essay I will analyze the teen girls magazines to demonstrate how is magazine publishing part of consumer culture. Magazine is a culture of consumption When a reader is consuming a magazine, she is consuming the culture values, ideas, aspirations and identities provided by it. Girls magazines, such as: Bliss, J-17, Sugar, Cosmo girl, Elle girl, are filled with fashion, beauty, styles, music, celebrities, boys and advice. Some of them also campaign on issues and provide a platform for the teen generation to shout from. Since they are popular mainstream magazines that are available in most newsagents, and therefore arguably represent to the readers what constitutes the modern teenage girl. Through reading a magazine aimed at her demographic group, an adolescent girl will gain an insight into the world of the girls and will be taught what are the cultural expectations made of them as girls, she will therefore come to learn that society expects her to be more concerned with her appearance, her relations with other people, and her ability to win approval from boys than with her own ideas or expectations for herself, so magazines are central to society as they create a culture, a culture of femininity, they defines and shapes the girls world, we can see that it becomes a familiar friend for girls- it advises her, and provides entertainment, amusement and escapism for her and speaks to her in a language she understands. These magazines therefore symbolize a lifestyle, a life of luxury and pleasure. They are not only just a teen magazine, but they also represent a brand name in the teen market. They build up new trends, ideas, lifestyle and attitude, they are the new primary producers in out so called knowledge economy. For example: Sugar magazine was a dazzling success, it launched its own brand extension its own line of clothing a couple of years ago. Magazine is the culture of market society Magazine publishing is aware of the demands of the market, their competition and advertisers. Consumers represent a diverse set of groups, each possessing a distinct lifestyle and a consumption pattern. Therefore, there are different types of magazines in the market targeted for different groups of people, and the articles in these magazines are primarily written with their audience in mind. For example: some teen magazines, like: Mizz, Shout are geared toward pre-teens and early teenagers, aged 10 -14. The content of these magazines is mainly about beauty and celebrities. But other teen magazines, like: Bliss, Sugar, J-17, Cosmo girl, Seventeen, 19, etc. are aimed at 15 19 years old, or at least who think they are as mature as a 15 19 year old. Beside the regular content in every teen girls magazine, these magazines are also laced with much sexual dimorphism, or the definition of particular attitudes, actions, and objects as feminine or masculine. Magazine is, in principal, universal and impersonal Though the Association for Teachers and Lecturers voted to campaign for age restrictions to be placed on teen magazines at their annual conference in April, the UK Government say no to age restrictions on teen magazines. And since there is no age restriction on teen magazines, they can easily be purchased by everyone in nearly every newsagent, most shops and supermarkets. Thus, it is a kind of mass consumption. The more widespread the teen magazines become, the bigger audience they can penetrate and the more people they can bring new ideas to. With more people sharing the values, ideas, aspirations, and identities provided by these teen magazines, they are able to set the norms for the culture. For example: these magazines reflect images of thinness and beauty, and link them to other symbols of happiness, love and success for girls. And the same message is repeated over and over again in the magazines. The repeated exposure to thin bodies and perfect faces eventually sticks and becomes the ideal image of the majority of young girls. Magazine identifies freedom with private choice and private life There are varieties of teen girls magazines in the market, from very girly bubbly Bliss, J-17, Sugar to more elegant Teen Vogue, Elle girl, etc. Both local and imported foreign magazines are also available in newsagents, bookshops, convenient stores, supermarkets, hotel lobby shops, and malls. Since most of us are living in a free world, the free market permits individuals to make choices for themselves, and prohibits them from forcing those choices onto others. Therefore, people from almost everywhere around the world can choose to consume these teen girls magazines according to their preferences. Consumer needs are in principle unlimited and insatiable Since there are many different teen girls magazines available in the market, readers are spoiled for choices. Thus, readers may easily shift from one magazine to another magazine. In order to maintain the sales and to increase the demand, advertising, marketing and promotion are widely used among these teen magazines. For examples: Bliss, Sugar, J-17 magazines have all put advertisements on some other teenage pop magazines, offered subscription discounts and free gifts to their readers. With more advertisements and promotion sales, these magazines can increase their competitive power and attract their potential readers. Magazine is the privileged medium for negotiating identity and status within a post-traditional society If you break down a typical teen magazine, you will notice that is almost fifty percent advertisements. Advertisements seen in those teen magazines, and the imagery such advertising campaigns put forward can also be seen in influence a young person constructing their identity. Through the visual codes of these advertisements, they work to signify a particular set of cultural values and meanings. This can be anything from the latest labeled trainers to buy to which mobile phone is the smallest and therefore most popular to which beauty treatment to use. The list is endless. Sometimes these advertisements evince the excesses of materialism. A great many young girls would look as these advertisements as a source of inspiration as to what to have and would think that they were inadequate to some extent if they could not have those cool images or products, therefore advertising screams the values of popular culture today, and every young girl reading teen magazines wants to look like the images portrayed throughout the magazine. For example: the present Love Kylie lingerie advertisement or the Maybelline make-up advertisements found in Bliss and other teen magazine, these advertisements promise to transform the girls appearances into something that they have always dreamed of. Girls look up to the images they see day after day, and the familiar thin, flawless figure becomes a role model. These advertisements are designed to encourage girls to use make up and to diet, and advertisers make this image acceptable. Magazine represents the increasing importance of culture in the modern exercises of power A decade ago teen magazines focused on just makeup tips and fashion. However, in 1988, the launch of Sassy, (it had a new, different, cool, and straight forward approach. It took a more modern tone in fashion and issues. The main issue being, you guessed it, sex. ) has been attributed as the cause for this sexier content. The trend has continued with the recent introductions of Bliss, Sugar, Cosmo girl and Teen Vogue, etc. Teen magazines nowadays are filled with images of sex and sexuality as well as information about sexual health. Now you can open up any teen  magazine and notice the sexual influences. They not only appear in the articles, whose subjects can range from what sex is like, unwed pregnancy, abortion, or how to be sexy, but also in the advertisements placed throughout the magazines. Since teenagers are curious about sex and these magazines seem to be the only way for them to obtain information about it. Therefore, many teen magazines have increased the amount of space focused on sexual-related issues in order to follow what thei  magazines in recent years, it marks a new moment in the construction of female sexual identities. Conclusion According to Slater, consumer culture is a culture of consumption, consumer culture is a culture of a market society, consumer culture is, in principle, universal and impersonal, consumer culture identifies freedom with private choice and private life, consumer needs are in principle unlimited and insatiable, consumer culture is the privileged medium for negotiating identity and status within a post-traditional society and consume culture represents the increasing importance of culture in the modern exercise of power. From the above analysis, magazine publishing can fit into Slaters descriptions of consumer culture.Therefore, magazine publishing is part of consumer culture. References Readings: 1. Featherstone, M. Consumer Culture and Postmodernism (Sage, 1991) 2. Martyn J. Lee. Consumer Culture Reborn (Routledge, 1993) 3. Slater, D. Consumer Culture and Modernity (Polity, 1997) 4. McCracken, E. Decoding Womens Magazines (Macmillan, 1993) 5. Grant John The New Marketing Manifesto (Texere, 1999) 6. Bourdieu, Pierre The Field of Cultural Production (Polity, 1993) 7. Bocock, R. Consumption (Routledge, 1993) Websites: 1. Researching consumer culture http://homepages. gold. ac. uk/slater/consumer/ 2. Article about teen magazine from ABC7Chicago. com http://abclocal. go. com/wls/news/connectwithkids/082904_cwk_magazines. html 3. Cause of advertising cwrl. utexas. edu/~onderdonk/306fall02/teen/causesofadvertising. html 4. Periodicals Publishers Association ppa. co. uk/cgi-bin/go. pl/legal/article. html? uid=1355topic_uid=82 5. Sociology of Consumption http://uk. geocities. com/balihar_sanghera/contheories. html.

Exploring the learning impact of Venezuelan students anti-government protest

Exploring the learning impact of Venezuelan students anti-government protest Hashtag: #concluTINTORI Exploring the learning impact of Venezuelan students’ anti-government protest. Implications of Students Absence in Learning Jay Mathews says, â€Å"Books at home push kids toward more schooling† because kids with books at home according to a global study tend to have more years of schooling and become successful professionals. However, books in Venezuelan home seem inadequate, as students are often not in class but out there in the street protesting against President Maduro’s with some them bleeding from police brutality. Some of these students were arrested, charged, tortured, and few others were killed as shown in #concluTINTORI or Conclusions a show hosted by journalist Lillian Tintori, a human rights advocate. Students’ anti-government rallies in and out Venezuelan university campuses are common and sometimes violent due to alleged government anti-dispersal units used of force such as shooting protesters at point blank range. The bigger problem, however, is the fact these students should be in class learning and developing their skills for their chosen career. The result of a study on academic performance suggests that students’ attendance affects their learning. Those with high attendance rate were doing well compared to students who were frequently not in class. Similarly, a UK study shows the strong correlation between attendance and academic achievement. Absenteeism increased with each grade level while dropout rate is greater in students with poor attendance. Want to know more? Go here: Womens Right to Education Developing Students Creativity Perspiration Is Nothing without Inspiration Practice What You Preach Is Sports Competition Relevant to Academic Learning Study of reasons for excessive student absence from class found illness as the main cause of absences. Absenteeism in Venezuela according to a 2007 study was the highest among participating countries at 18% compared to Portugal with 2.8%. Around 4% of the population had less than 2 years of education, 4.6 of children aged 7-16 had no education. Since the university rallies started in mid-2014, academic activities in around 18 underfunded universities are irregular. Faculty members, instructional materials, laboratory supplies, and others are scarce. The absences and interruptions in classes will likely affect their academic performance. Absenteeism in higher education often correlates with grades obtained by students. Students skip classes for both health and social reasons such as racism and school climate. The teacher-students ratio significantly affects learning while poor working environment degrade the quality of teaching. Statistics taken from OECD countries suggest that students spent almost half of required lesson hours in schools with shortages in teachers and educational resources. Poor quality of teaching and school environment has a cumulative and debilitating effect on students’ achievement. In fact, the study found that it is more influential than socio-economic factors. The economic crisis according to the report is intensifying as basic commodities are gradually disappearing from the shelves. The violent protest, on the other hand, will likely cause further damage to property, additional injuries and deaths, and further deterioration in the functioning of educational institutions including learning of Venezuelan students. There is probably a need for school and student leaders to talk and share ideas on the possibility of achieving peace through dialogue. This is because quality education cannot be achieved through protest. In fact, it will further increase the rate of violence, number of casualties, the extent of property damage, and economic difficulties.

It is a mooting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

It is a mooting - Essay Example Therefore, the University cannot exclude itself for any liability as a result of negligence, based on the provisions of term (c) of the tenancy agreement since it does not satisfy the requirements of liability, specifically, Schedule 2(a), which requires that for reasonableness to be satisfied, both parties ought to have bargaining positions relative to each other with regards to the availability of any alternative means via which the requirements of the customer could have been met. This is supported by Phillips v Hyland [1987] 1 WLR 659. Ms. Edwards did not have bargaining power relative to that of the University of East England. With regards to other alternatives, she did not have any other since the University of East England offer was the cheapest, which Ms. Edwards could not find anywhere and as such it seems she was under some sort of pressure. According to Schedule (d), for term c to be deemed reasonable, it must be satisfied that at the time of the contract, compliance to th at term would have been practical. This is supported by Smith v Eric S Bush [1990] UKHL 1 2. ... If it pleases you My Lady, I will start with my first submission My Lady, the appeal before you is for the determination of whether a judge in a trial court erred in law in his decision in favor of the respondent, Ms. Edwards. The Appellant, the University of East England argue that, the trial judge erred in law in his determination that a term in a tenancy contract between the University of East England and Ms. Edwards , specifically term (c), which states, c) In the agreement, the University dissolves itself from taking any responsibility in case of damage to a student’s property within its premises, was â€Å"unreasonable†. According to the Appellant, the University of East England, that term, (c), of the tenancy contract satisfies the thresholds for reasonableness on the basis of Section 2(1-2) of the UCTA 1977. We contest this notion and affirms that, the trial did not make in error in law on the basis of Section 2(1-2), which states, In the case of other loss or d amage, a person cannot so exclude or restrict his liability for negligence except in so far as the term or notice satisfies the requirement of reasonableness. We argue that, the University cannot exclude itself from liability arising from any loss or damage caused by negligence based on term (c) of the tenancy contract since it does not satisfy the requirements of reasonableness. My Lady, Schedule 2(a) of the UCTA 1977, requires that, for a term in a contract to be deemed reasonable, both parties ought to have bargaining positions relative to each other with regards to the availability of any alternative means via which the requirements of the customer could have been met. This was held in Phillips v Hyland [1987] 1 WLR 659, where, Lord Justice Slade, Mr. Justice Neill and Sir John Megaw, held in

Prepared case analysis of a single case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Prepared analysis of a single - Case Study Example The increased size of the company has been one of the components that have created the company’s strong competitive platform. However, the sales of the season were below the expectations. The company made substantial losses due to the low returns. The management reacted to the situation by selling 15 stores to raise some cash. The management of the company has provided both income statement and the statement of financial position to assist in assessing the actual problem faced by the organization. Based on the company’s income statement, the net sales have steadily been increasing since the year 2006 to the most current year 2011. Similar trend applies to the earnings before interest and tax and the net income. However, as at the end of 2011, both earnings before interest and tax and the net income for the company sharply decreased to a negative figure. In the year 2010, the EBIT stood at $ 312 millions, but dropped to $ -9 million. Similarly, the net income during the financial period 2010 was $ 189 million but dropped to $ -49 million. Surprisingly, the net sales of the year2010 and 2011 were $ 3,314 million and $ 3,351 million, indicating an increase in the figure between the two periods. Therefore, the main questions in the case study are as follows: first, what seems to be the problem with the Hobby Horse company? Second, are any issues to be addressed revealed by the company’s financial statement? In order to answer the second question and probably find some leads to address the second, the following financial ratios have been conducted for a four year period (2008-2011): gearing ratios, profitability ratios, and liquidity ratios for Debt/equity - ratio indicates the proportion of fixed charge capital in the capital structure of a firm. Concerning Hobby Horse Company, the ratios from 2008 to 2011 are 0.6195, 0.4958, 0.2193 and 0.349 respectively. The ratio interpretation for the

Homeostatic Imbalances Essay Example for Free

Homeostatic Imbalances Essay High blood pressure (HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways. Overview The condition itself usually has no signs or symptoms. You can have it for years without knowing it. During this time, though, HBP can damage your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body. Knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, even when youre feeling fine. If your blood pressure is normal, you can work with your health care team to keep it that way. If your blood pressure is too high, treatment may help prevent damage to your bodys organs. Blood Pressure Numbers Blood pressure is measured as systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-ah-STOL-ik) pressures. Systolic refers to blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. Diastolic refers to blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. You most often will see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic number, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure. ) Blood pressure doesnt stay the same all the time. It lowers as you sleep and rises when you wake up. Blood pressure also rises when youre excited, nervous, or active. If your numbers stay above normal most of the time, youre at risk for health problems. The risk grows as blood pressure numbers rise. Prehypertension means you may end up with HBP, unless you take steps to prevent it. If youre being treated for HBP and have repeat readings in the normal range, your blood pressure is under control. However, you still have the condition. You should see your doctor and follow your treatment plan to keep your blood pressure under control. What is diabetes? Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesnt make enough insulin or cant use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugars to build up in your blood. This is why many people refer to diabetes as â€Å"sugar. † Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. What are the types of diabetes?

Preventing Teenage Smoking Essay example -- essays research papers

Today, there has been an increase in the amount of teenagers who smoke half a pack a day of cigarettes. The number of seniors in high school who have tried cigarettes has decreased over the years, but the number of those who smoke occasionally or half a pack or more a day, has increased. There are many factors as to why teenagers smoke including advertising and teen behavior. There are also a few ways we can stop teenagers from wanting to smoke. Therefore, we need to make teens aware that smoking is not good for you and it is not cool and we need to figure out why teens think it is cool. We need to find out why teens smoke and how we can make the stop and how we can prevent new teens from starting to smoke. Advertising and marketing of cigarettes are a big factor as to why teenagers smoke. There are promotions for different brands like Joe Camal and Marlboro Man. They’re some of the biggest marketing campaigns on T.V. Both companies have giveaways like T-shirts in return for coupons accumulated by buying their brand of cigarettes. Different cigarette companies make the...

The Usa Beef Exported To Eu Is Safe And Should Not Be Banned

It has been a decade since the European Union (EU) issued a 10-year ban of U. S. imported beef treated with hormone additives. The primary reason set by EU was the fact that â€Å"scientific advertisers are convinced the hormone additives in beef are harmful to human health† (James, Barry 1999). Despite the fact that the World Trade Organization (WTO), the international body that regulates international trade policies and laws, ruled out the ban, the EU preferred to defy such ruling.Such a vital economic event posed multi-faceted effects in the international relations of both nations: economic, political, ethical and cultural relations. The main point is not the ban itself, rather, it is the fact that there has been no solid scientific evidences yet established by the EU before it ordered the ban on US hormone-treated beef. In fact, three neutral members of the WTO panel arbitrators ruled that the EU's decade-old ban on the import of hormone-treated beef broke global trade rul es (Thompson, Sharon R.1999 cited in Orr, Rena 2001). This paper will focus on the health safety of hormone-treated beef exported by U. S. to the EU. In this premise, this paper will present facts and figures that will prove the safety claims relative to hormone additives using scientific studies by the representatives of both nations. The events leading up to the ban on the domestic use of hormones in cattle raising and on imports of hormone-treated beef are important in explaining the political longevity of the issue in Europe.In many ways the story begins with the emergence of non-governmental institutions, such as the consumer and environmental groups, together with the rise of the European Parliament, each cutting their political teeth on issues that appeared to resonate with public opinion. The beef-hormone controversy was made to measure for these organizations. Trade concerns were not dominant in the early years, and the disciplines applied by trade rules were in any case we ak.European livestock producers were searching for ways to stimulate growth in cattle, and took eagerly to the use of hormones, but sometimes with inadequate knowledge of the consequences of misuse of such chemicals. Regulatory control sometimes slipped between the cracks, as coordination and harmonization of national regulations progressed haltingly in the European Union. The United States has about 90% of its beef production raised with growth hormones (Paulson, Michael 1999).Growth hormones are injected to cattle for the purpose of enhancing muscle and fat growth and thereby allowing cattle to produce more milk (Bald, Renee and Bill Bigelow 2002). The process is as simple as injecting tiny pellets of these hormones into the ears of the cattle (Jacobs, Paul 1999). Such hormones are approved and permitted to be legally used as per federal laws by ranchers in producing meaty and lean cows (Paulson, Michael 1999).There are generally six types of hormones used in beef production and t hree of these are natural sex hormones- testosterone, progesterone and oestradiol-17 beta (Bald, Renee and Bill Bigelow 2002). In the fact sheet published by Health Canada (2005), hormonal growth promoters are defined and explained as follows: â€Å"Hormonal growth promoters are naturally occurring or synthetic products. They are approved for use in beef cattle. The effect of hormonal growth promoters (HGPs) is to increase lean tissue growth.Fat deposition is reduced and since fat is so energy dense, food conversion efficiency is increased. The result is a healthier product which is produced at a lower cost to the consumer. † The fact sheet also defined the growth hormone somatotropin as â€Å"a naturally occurring substance in both humans and animals. It is responsible for skeletal, organ and cell growth’’ and Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) as â€Å"a synthetic version of the naturally occurring growth hormone somatotropin which is approved for use in the US to increase the production of milk in dairy cattle.† The safety of growth promoters has been confirmed by the Codex Alementarius. Codex Alementarius with FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives recommended minimum daily intake of 17 beta estradiol, progesterone and testosterone but maximum residue limit was not indicated (Orr, Rena 2001). â€Å"This means that the available data on the identity and concentration of residues of the veterinary drug in animal tissues indicate a wide margin of safety for consumption of residues in food when the drug is used according to good practice in the use of veterinary drugs† (ibid).As background information, the Codex program is under the supervision and sponsorship of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization. The said program aims to develop food standards that would fit the requirements or needs of participating nations of which as of 2001 as already 150 nations. Primarily, Codex program ta rgets to minimize non-tariff trade barriers. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), on the other hand is an independent international arm composed of experts in food general health and safety issues.It is this international body that focuses on the scientific evaluation of a veterinary drug without consideration of government policies and politics (Orr, Rena 2001). Codex Alementarius with FAO/WHO concluded that the presence of drug residues does not present health concern and does not pose any health risk to humans (JECFA Fifty-second Meeting: Summary and Conclusions, 1999 cited in Orr, Rena 2001). In addition, JECFA concluded that there is no need to establish maximum residue levels for the hormones Estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone because the presence of residues would not present a health concern (ibid).The Lamming Committee convention (1982) and the Scientific Conference on Meat Production (1995) confirmed growth promoters are safe (Galvin, Timothy US Dept of Agriculture, 2000). Timothy Galvin is the Administrator of Foreign Agricultural Service of US Department of Agriculture. In his statement before the Subcommittee on Forestry, Conservation and Rural Revitalization, Galvin stressed that â€Å"the EU’s ban ignores a body of scientific evidence showing that the growth promotants in question are safe when used in accordance with good animal husbandry practices† (Galvin, 2000).Studies in the last four decades have confirmed that the proper use of these compounds, according to approved registered labels, poses no risk to human or animal health. EU's own Scientific Conference on Growth Promotants held in 1995 reached the same conclusion (BBC News Online, May 13, 1999). In its statement released and published in BBC News Online on May 13, 1999, the United States speakers insist those experts from JECFA, FAO and WHO have already released its reconfirmation on the safety of growth hormones under accepted veterinary pract ice.With this, there should have been no reason to continue with the ban. In addition, they pointed out that â€Å"EU already presented these arguments to an impartial WTO dispute-settlement panel in 1997 and lost and even in its appeal a year after† (ibid). Galvin (2000) also stressed in his statement: â€Å"In each of its decisions, the WTO found that the EU beef hormone ban is not supported by an adequate risk analysis nor is there credible evidence to indicate that there are health risks associated with hormone-treated beef. †The US Food Administration, USDA and WTO and other researchers have concluded that growth hormones are safe if used properly (Lusk, et. al. 2003). Although EU consumers have negative perceptions as to the health hazards of genetically modified foods, of which hormone-treated beef belongs, it should not be a basis for the ban. Perceptions are clearly different from scientifically proven evidences of health risks. According to Bureau of Consumer Unions based in Brussels, EU consumers are demanding â€Å"risk-free† foods because of the phobia they got from past experiences of pesticide contaminated meats (Lusk, et.al. 2003). However, if we are to base on available facts from scientific studies, hormones are unlike pesticides that can pose health hazards when in food. In fact, there are studies that show that hormones are naturally present in infinitesimal amounts in all meat whether implanted or not (Q&A Growth Promoting Hormones, cited in Orr 2001). Aside from this, the National Cattlemen Beef Association (2001) stressed that â€Å"the amount of estrogen in plant-source foods is larger than in meat.A standard serving of potatoes contains 225 nanograms of estrogen while a three-ounce serving of beef from an implanted steer contains 1. 9 nanograms of estrogen. † Published in the Los Angeles Times in April 19, 1999, Paul Jacobs presented the argument of the US government that three of the six hormones used in be ef production are legal as per federal laws and that these are hormones that are naturally in the human system, thus confirming the statement of the National Cattlemen Beef Association as stated above.Ironic to the EU ban, scientific panel organized by the EU agreed with the WTO stand that these hormones are perfectly safe (Jacobs, Paul 1999). Even if 17-beta estradiol has tumor initiating and promoting effects, the substance is freely available over the counter in the United States along with other hormone additives (James, Barry 1999). The human body naturally produces hormones in amounts greater than what is being consumed by eating meat or any food (National Cattlemen Beef Association cited in Orr, Rena 2001).â€Å"What often is not recognized is that the [natural] levels that are found in other animal foods, such as eggs or milk or butter, are substantially higher than those that occur in animal tissue as a result of use of these hormones† (Ellis, Richard cited in Jacobs , Paul 1999). Ellis is the director of scientific research oversight for the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Dan Glickman, the U. S. secretary of agriculture, also insists that â€Å"U. S. beef, whether grown with hormones or not, is absolutely safe, and that EU scientists have consistently failed to come up with proof to the contrary† (Barry, James 1999).EU is also fearful of the effect of rBST hormone, as one of the six hormones being used in cattle production in the US. The said hormone was said to have an effect of increasing the rate of infection in cattle. Although this is true, the infection is not applicable in humans (Bald, Renee and Bill Bigelow 2002). Another fear of the EU consumers and its government is the mutation effects of hormones. Although EU scientists identified at least one commonly used hormone (17 beta estradiol) as complete carcinogen, it was a common mistake to assume that the substance like other hormones causes cell mutation (James, Barry 1999).Su ch hormones are feared as endocrine disrupters which was explained by an American scientist as having an effect in the process of cell development but does not have solid explanation as to how it really works as of this moment (Sonnenschein, Carlos cited in Barry, James 1999). The scientist explained that â€Å"in assessing the risk of endocrine disrupters, therefore, it is necessary to consider their effect not only on individual cells but on the relations among cells.† In this ground, EU does not have the reasonable and supported evidence as to fearing the mutation effects of hormone-treated beef especially with humans. â€Å"Lacking proof, the EU can only fall back on observed effects, such as the specific distribution and observed increase of hormone-associated diseases, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer, in many countries of the world that may be caused by hormones and hormone-like substances in the human diet† (ibid).Growth promoting hormones has been use d in the beef industry for decades by countries other than the U. S. The Health Protection Branch of Health Canada approved the use of natural hormones: 17 estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and synthetic hormones as zeranol, trenbolone acetate and melengestrol acetate (Taylor, 1983). The Center for Global Food Issues also has approved the safety of the growth hormones in beef production in relation to human health. There are three factors enumerated and explained by the scientific body.The first factor is the process by which the hormones are administered to the cattle. According to the authors, the doses of hormone implant are specific as to legal and authorized doses per FDA regulations (Avery, Alex and Dennis Avery 2008). The authors also stressed that â€Å"the implant ensures that the hormone is released into the animals’ bloodstream very slowly so that the concentration of the hormone in the animal remains relatively constant and low† (ibid).Here is an intere sting fact stated by the authors: â€Å"Because the ear is discarded at harvest, the implant does not enter the food chain. † There is no way that cattle raisers or producers of hormone-treated beef will administer the hormone in excess of what is required since it will just bring them additional cost for such unnecessary step. This second factor stressed by Avery et. al. (2008) is very significant in proving the cattle raisers were stuck to the limits of hormone dosage and that is economically wise.IN fact, there is very little impact on weight gain when such hormone will be administered beyond required dosage. Avery (et. al. 2008) also stressed that USDA is conducting annual monitoring of hormone administration in cattle to ensure everything is done with proper precautions and safety measures. The third factor is relative to the dosage of hormones administered in cattle and its impact on hormone levels in beef. Even with reference to the natural hormones produced by the hum an body, such dosage is comparatively low level.â€Å"A pound of beef raised using estradiol contains approximately 15,000 times less of this hormone than the amount produced daily by the average man and about 9 million times less than the amount produced by a pregnant woman† (Avery, Alex et. al. 2008). According to JECFA’s calculation, even if a person is consuming one pound of beef and that the amount of hormone in such beef is at the highest level of ingestion amount (50 nanograms of estradiol, it is still less than one-thirtieth of the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of estradiol for a 75 pound child.This is based on the regulatory requirement set by WHO/FAO Expert Committee (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. 1999 cited in Avery, et. al. 2008). In a separate study, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), stated that â€Å"a person would need to eat over 13 pounds of beef from an implanted steer to equal the amount of estradiol naturally found in a s ingle egg and that a glass of milk contains about nine times as much estradiol as a half-pound of beef from an implanted steer† (Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA 1999 cited in Avery et. al. 2008). Avery et. al.(2008) stressed that governing bodies that can prove the safety of hormone treated beef exported by the United States which include The European Agriculture Commission Scientific Conference on Growth Promotion in Meat Production (1995) and Sub-Group of the Veterinary Products Committee of the British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (1999). Having been proven of its safety, let us now look into the consumer preferences and awareness as to buying hormone-treated beef produced in the United States. Consumers are actually aware of Genetically Modified Foods (GM Foods) but are still willing to buy them.A survey on US consumers found that concern on the hazards of hormone residues in food ranked average on the list, even below the concerns for contaminants (bact eria and pesticides) (Kramer and Penner, cited in Lusk, et. al. 2003). In a separate study, by the Food Marketing Institute found that only 1% of consumers volunteered to be concerned with hormone residue (Lusk, et. al 2003). Apart from this, 65% of US consumers are aware of biotechnology, 73% of who were willing to buy GM foods while 21% biotechnology as health risk (Hoban, 1996).A survey of EU consumers found that consumer awareness of biotechnology ranged from 55 to 57% in France and the United Kingdom to 91% in Germany. Only 30% of German consumers were willing to buy GM foods whereas 57% viewed biotechnology as a health risk. In France and the United Kingdom, 60 and 63% were willing to buy GM foods with 38 and 39% viewed them as a health risk (Hoban 1996). An experimental auction found that consumers placed more value on the leanness of pork than the use of hormone itself (Lusk, et. al. 2003).A survey of US student consumers found that 70% were unwilling to pay a premium to exc hange a bag of GM corn chips for a bag of non-GM corn chips but 20% were willing to pay at least $. 20/oz in exchange (Lusk, et. al. 2003). EU’s ban of US beef for safety reasons is baseless and a clear violation. WTO rules 3 times that the ban on the use of certain hormones to promote growth of cattle violated the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement (Galvin, Timothy, Foreign Agricultural Service, US Department of Agriculture, 2000).Europeans who traditionally get their beef from aging bulls and dairy cows–are sometimes subjected to far higher amounts of natural sex hormones than they would get from U. S. cattle. Americans point out that a slaughtered bull, for example, can have 10 times more natural testosterone in its flesh than a treated steer (Jacobs, Paul, The Los Angeles Times, 1999). Estrogen levels from treated cattle are, on average, 3% higher than the meat from an untreated animal. For testosterone and progesterone, the differences are less than one-te nth of 1% (Ellis, Richard, US Dept.of Agriculture cited in Jacobs, 1999). These evidences of the health safety of hormone-treated beef produced by the United States did not move the EU authorities and did not at all lift the ban. As of this time, there has been no solid scientific evidence yet presented by the EU authorities to justify the decade-long ban. Despite the continuing ban on US beef, the federal government, in cooperation with the USDA and the American livestock producers has been taking all the efforts they could possibly exert in keeping the market alive and growing without the EU market.What the government did was to support the cattle raisers and beef producers in seeking and developing new markets to make it up with the lost EU beef market which is undoubtedly significant to the US beef export. â€Å"As a result, U. S. beef exports represent one of the true success stories in our agricultural trade† (Galvin, 2000). Galvin stated that the United States is now a ble to export more than 80 percent of what is being imported based on volume, and the trade surplus in beef exceeds $1 billion annually. †The bottom line therefore is that the United States should not be wasting its time and resources in appealing to the EU to lift the ban on hormone-treated beef. This is primarily because it has already proven its case on the safety of the products. Secondly, the United States have proven itself able to establish and develop new markets and strategies to cover what is being lost in the ban. Lastly, the United States have all the resources to support the cattle and beef industry as it can with other industries so what it needs to focus now is to help the industry continue to rise. WORKS CITED Avery, Alex and Dennis Avery (2008).The Environmental Safety and Benefits of Growth Enhancing Pharmaceutical Technologies in Beef Production. Retrieved on March 22, 2008 from http://www. thecattlesite. com/articles/1240/the-environmental-safety-and-benefi ts-of-growth-enhancing-pharmaceutical-technologies-in-beef-production Bald, Renee and Bill Bigelow (2002). The Beef Hormone Controversy: Whose Free Trade? Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www. rethinkingschools. org/publication/rg/RGBeef. shtml Battle over beef hormones. BBC News Online, May 13, 1999. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/the_economy/342310.stm Galvin, Timothy (2000). Statement of Timothy J. Galvin Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service U. S. Department of Agriculture Before the Subcommittee on Forestry, Conservation and Rural Revitalization Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, Washington, D. C. September 25, 2000. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www. fas. usda. gov/info/speeches/ct092500. html Health Canada (2005). Questions and Answers – Hormonal Growth Promoters. Retrieved on March 22, 2008 from http://www. hc-sc. gc. ca/dhp-mps/vet/faq/growth_hormones_promoters_croissance_hormonaux_ stimulateurs_e. htmlHormones in Cattle. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www. foodsafetynetwork. ca/en/article-details. php? a=4&c=19&sc=162&id=308 Jacobs, Paul (1999). U. S. , Europe Lock Horns in Beef Hormone Debate. The Los Angeles Times, April 09, 1999. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www. organicconsumers. org/Toxic/beefhormone. cfm James, Barry (1999). Behind Contested EU Ban, a Scientific Puzzle: Battle to Prove Beef Hormone Risk. The Herald Tribune, October 18, 1999. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www. iht. com/articles/1999/10/18/snhorm. t. php Lusk, Jayson L. ; Roosen, Jutta ; Fox, John A. (2003).Demand for beef from cattle administered growth hormones of fed genetically modified corn: a comparison of consumers in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://goliath. ecnext. com/coms2/summary_0199-2500157_ITM National Cattlemen Beef Association: Myths & Facts about Beef Production: Hormones and Antibiotics. http://www. beef. org/librfacts/mythfact/mythfact_11. html in Orr, Rena (2001). Growth-promoting Hormones in Cattle. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www. foodsafetynetwork. ca/en/article-details.php? a=4&c=19&sc=162&id=308 Orr, Rena (2001). Growth-promoting Hormones in Cattle. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www. foodsafetynetwork. ca/en/article-details. php? a=4&c=19&sc=162&id=308 Paulson, Michael (1999). WTO Case File: The Beef Hormone Case. Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 22, 1999. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://seattlepi. nwsource. com/national/case22. shtml Q&A Growth Promoting Hormones: Contact: Julie Bousman 202-347-0228 http://hill. beef. org/ft/qagph. htm in Orr, Rena (2001). Growth-promoting Hormones in Cattle. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www.foodsafetynetwork. ca/en/article-details. php? a=4&c=19&sc=162&id=308 Taylor, W. (1983): Risks Associated with the Exposure of Human Su bjects to Endogenous and Exogenous Anabolic Steroids Anabolics in Animal Production. OIE p 273-287 in Orr, Rena (2001). Growth-promoting Hormones in Cattle. Retrieved on March 09, 2008 from http://www. foodsafetynetwork. ca/en/article-details. php? a=4&c=19&sc=162&id=308 Thompson, Sharon R (1999): International Harmonization Issues. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice. Vol 15 No 1, 181-195 in Orr, Rena (2001). Growth-promoting

Burro Genius

Gerardo Rodriguez Cruz Ms. Guinon English 50 26 March 2013 Stereotypes Good or Bad What can cause people to stereotype in the real world? According to lexiophiles. com â€Å"All Mexicans eat chili. † and â€Å"Mexicans only eat burritos and fajitas. † And according to Areli â€Å"Some stereotypes are and some others do not apply at all Mexicans. † In the United States there are so many ethnicities which all of them have a dream which to have the American dream. This causes a melting pot which means everyone wants to be the same.By reading Burro Genius every one should be like a salad everyone has a different role. By being as one whole is like boring or dull which no one wants that. There is one memoir where stereotyping is everything it is Burro Genius by Victor Villasenor. This book is about Victor living the life of a Mexican and how they struggle with stereotypes and racism. Stereotypes can cause people to fall for them and act out in acceptance, second they can single out which can lead to blocking, lastly pressure to fit in to comprehend.One socialization process is when others stereotypes a person and these influences cause them to believing it those assumptions. Howard and Victor are talking in the playground. When Howard said after the fight â€Å"My parents told me that Mexi-eee-cans always have knives. †(68). Victor did not know what to do because he liked Howard a lot that did not want Howard to get in trouble for getting around bad dirty people. Victor did not though that Mexicans would bring knives everywhere they went. The next day Victor brings not one but two knives to school. Teacher said â€Å"OH, A KNIFE!I TOLD’EM! I TOLD’EM that this was going to happen I was going to catch you little dirty spics with knives that day now I have. †(72). The stereotype that Howard said cause this to happen. Because the stereotype got stuck in Victor’s head. It could have been worse for Victor and people around him if the teacher did not see the knives. Victor could have gone into killing white people if he did not catch. Second discrimination can lead to resistance. Victor is in second grade when all of his race change Pressures to fit in the dominant culture can lead an ethnicity to assimilate.

Guide to Past Simple and Past Continuous Verb Tenses

Guide to Past Simple and Past Continuous Verb Tenses There are two principal past tenses used to make general statements about the past: The past simple and the past continuous. The two tenses are quite different. Use the past simple to talk about an event which happened at some point in time in the past. Tom flew to Chicago last week.Peter visited his friends in Florida two months ago. If you are a teacher, use this guide on how to teach the past simple tense for more help. The past continuous is usually used to refer to events happening at the same time that something important happened in the past. They were doing their homework when she arrived.Jack was studying while Dave was cooking dinner. The past continuous is also used to express what was happening at a precise moment in the past. I was attending a lecture at 2.30 yesterday afternoon.Alice was reading a book at six yesterday evening. If you are a teacher, use this guide on how to teach the past continuous tense for more help. Past Simple Structure Positive Subject Verb ed OR Irregular Past Form Objects I, You, He, She, We, They played golf yesterday afternoon.I, You, He, She, We, They went lunch at noon. Negative Subject did not (didnt) Verb Objects I, You, He, She, We, They didnt go on vacation last summer. Subject did not (doesnt) Verb Objects Questions (Why, What, etc.) did Subject Verb Objects? Did I, you, we, they attend the meeting last week? Past Continuous Structure Positive Subject conjugate the helping verb be verb -ing. I was, You were, He was, She was, We were, You were, They were watching TV when I arrived. Negative Subject conjugate the helping verb be not verb -ing. I wasnt, You werent, He wasnt, She wasnt, We werent, You werent, They werent working when he came into the room. Questions Question word conjugate the helping verb be subject verb -ing What were you, they doing at seven oclock?What was I, he, she doing at seven oclock? More Guides for Past Simple These guides were prepared especially for beginners and include dialogues and a short quiz. Past simple with the verb to be for beginnersPast simple with regular and irregular verbs for beginners Teach a Lesson About the Past Simple and Past Continuous Here are lessons on the site which focus on the past simple or past continuous and their use with other tenses.Then - Now - integration lesson for upper-level students.Time Expressions - past simple and present perfect compared and contrasted.Integrating Past Continuous - integrating past continuous into writing.Guilty! - communication lesson using a variety of past tenses. Activities With the Past Simple and Past Continuous Some activities that will help you practice: What Were You Doing? - Use of the past continuous in combination with the past simple.A Holiday in Italy - Describing a past holiday.Time Expressions and Tenses.

Intonation and Stress Types for English Pronunciation

Intonation and Stress Types for English Pronunciation Improving sentence intonation is one of the key elements in English pronunciation. The four basic types of word stress that lead to proper intonation in English are: Tonic stressEmphatic stressContrastive stressNew information stress Tonic Stress Tonic stress refers to the syllable in a word which receives the most stress in an intonation unit. An intonation unit has one tonic stress. Its important to remember that a sentence can have more than one intonation unit, and therefore have more than one tonic stress. Here are some examples of intonation units with the tonic stress bolded: Hes waitingHes waiting / for his friendHes waiting / for his friend / at the station Generally, the final tonic stress in a sentence receives the most stress. In the above example, station receives the strongest stress. There are a number of instances in which the stress changes from this standard. Emphatic Stress If you decide to emphasize something, you can change the stress from the principal noun to another content word such as an adjective (big, difficult, etc.), intensifier (very, extremely, etc.) This emphasis calls attention to the extraordinary nature of what you want to emphasize. For example: That was a difficult test. - Standard statementThat was a difficult test. - Emphasizes how difficult the test was There are a number of adverbs and modifiers which tend to be used to emphasize in sentences that receive emphatic stress: ExtremelyTerriblyCompletelyUtterlyEspecially Contrastive Stress Contrastive stress is used to point out the difference between one object and another. Contrastive stress tends to be used with determiners such as this, that, these and those. For example: I think I prefer this color.Do you want these or those curtains? Contrastive stress is also used to bring out a given word in a sentence which will also slightly change the meaning. He came to the party yesterday. (It was he, not someone else.)He walked to the party yesterday. (He walked, rather than drove.)He came to the party yesterday. (It was a party, not a meeting or something else.)He came to the party yesterday. (It was yesterday, not two weeks ago or some other time.) New Information Stress When asked a question, the requested information is naturally stressed more strongly. For example: Where are you from? - I come from Seattle, in the USA.What do you want to do? - I want to go bowling.When does class begin? - The class begins at nine oclock. Use these various types of stress to help improve your pronunciation and understandability.

How changes in purchasing of video games influenced on UK students Coursework

How changes in purchasing of video games influenced on UK students - Coursework Example Piracy affects most media related industries but the computer game industry is seemingly more affected prompting an evaluation of measures employed by game makers to prevent piracy. A research survey conducted by Internet’s Advertising Bureau (IAB) revealed that almost half of UK, population play video games on an IP connected device (Davies, 2011). This implies that there are high numbers of people participating in video games hence increasing the market potential. However, despite this increased demand, profit margins in the computer games industry are relatively low. The research by Davies reveals that there is little advertising on video games by the producers. Effective advertising makes sense of the set price of a product thereby prompting people to buy without paying much consideration to the price. According to Park and Lee, gamers are bound to purchase items they find to be valuable (2011). This implies that creation of value through advertising may increase chances of purchasing video games rather than depending on free downloads. Additionally, game publishers and developers are seemingly adamant to pursue legal frameworks to curb piracy. This is in comparison to other media related industries such as recording and movie industries (Holm). This reduced indulgence in legal frameworks may contribute to increased engagement in piracy activities. According to Liang and Phau, moral judgment and self-efficacy have little impact on engagement in piracy activities. Furthermore, Liang and Phau argue that campaigns creating awareness of the implications of piracy may reduce piracy rates (2012). However, it is also important to pay attention to the set prices for video games to reduce free download preference. According to Cox, this may be done by targeting the purchasing power parity to ensure that the price range is balanced across the globe

Assembly Automation and Product Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assembly Automation and Product Design - Essay Example The electrical function refers to the plugs ability to properly conduct current from the socket to the electrical device in a safe and proper manner. The mechanical function refers to the sockets ability to withstand all the forces required for safe installation of the plug into the socket. The mechanical function also includes the proper design of the plug so as to safely clip into the socket and be safely held and removed from the socket. Aesthetic function refers to the ability of the socket to have appealing features to the customer. Ergonomic function refers to the sockets ability to withstand fatigue due to continual use.2 The 13A pin is made of the following components. Conductors are the three pins; they are made of brass. Fuse element made of copper. Fuse clip made of copper, cable wires made of copper and fuse ends made of copper. The insulators are the plug body and base made of plastic. The cord clip made of nylon, Cable sheath made of PVC (polyvinylchloride) wire sheath and pin sheath made of PVC. Fuse body made of alumina. The pin has screws firmly holding together all the parts. The cord grip screw is made of steel, the major plug screw is made of steel and the pin screw is made of steel or brass.3 In the process of material selection, the engineer should consider the materials are the best conductors and those that are the best insulators. The engineer should consider the price and the ease of molding and access the materials. Polymers can be shaped into the desired shape of the plug through molding. This can be easily done for mass production. Wood can only be machined; this method is ineffective for mass production. Thermoplastics have various options for mass production such as welding, use of adhesives and molding. Therefore, even though wood provides the cheapest source of raw materials, it is difficult to use it in mass production. The plug body should be strong and stiff so as to hold the pins safely. Through a material selection process an engineer is able to select the most suitable polymer to use.