Guilt vs Acceptance Essay

The power and impact that guilt can have on one’s life can be a positive and negative experience depending on how the individual deals with their situation and whether or not they learn a lesson from their mistake. The novels A Separate Peace by John Knowles and Fifth Business by Robertson Davies share the theme of guilt in their storylines through events and relationships but differ as to how to the characters cope with their reactions through reflection and confrontation. A Separate Peace tells the story of a young boy by the name of Gene Forrester who in an act of jealousy and competitiveness pushes his friend Phineas out of a tree. Fifth Business surrounds the character Dunstan Ramsay, who as a child, ducks a snowball with a rock hidden within thrown at him by his friend Guy. The snowball hits Mary Dempster at the back of the head, causing her brain damage and the premature birth of her baby Paul Dempster. Both plots surround two men who look back at their lives and how a single negative event affects their childhood. What would appear to be an insignificant moment of the past evolves into a lifelong mental scar that poisons the characters with guilt and the desire for acceptance. The novels’ protagonists share encounters in childhood fueled by competitive friendships; however, Gene Forrester accepts responsibility for his actions and is able to move on while Dunstan Ramsay does not and lets his memories and guilt plague his life. The two novels are similar in the aspect that both Gene Forrester and Dunstan Ramsay are involved in childhood incidents that curse them with guilt. In the novel A Separate Peace, Gene Forrester subconsciously moves the branch he and his physically and socially superior friend Finny are standing on. Finny falls and is heavily injured and the casualties lead to his early death later on. â€Å"†¦and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb. Finny, his balance gone, swung his head around to look at me for an instant with extreme interest, and then he tumbled sideways, broke through the little branches below and hit the bank with a sickening, unnatural thud† (Knowles 60). Gene Forrester feels solely responsible for this terrible accident and feels extremely guilty. â€Å"If Phineas had been sitting here in this pool of guilt, how would he have felt, what would he have done? (Knowles 66). In the novel Fifth Business, a rich and jealous enraged friend Percy Boyd Staunton pursues Dunstan Ramsay. When Percy throws a rock concealed in a snowball at Dunstan’s head he ducks and lets it strike the pregnant Mary Dempster. This accident is the cause of the premature birth of Paul Dempster and the destruction of Mr. and Mrs. Dempster’s marriage and family. â€Å"I stepped briskly†¦in front of the Dempsters just as Percy threw, and the snowball hit Mrs. Dempster on the back of the head† (Davies 2). Dunstan feels responsible for Mrs. Dempster’s mental health, Paul Dempster’s physical health, and their ruin as a family. â€Å"I was contrite and guilty, for I knew the snowball had been meant for me, but the Dempster’s did not seem to think that† (Davies 3). Both characters suffer from these self-inflicted negative occurrences and struggle with the realization of what they have done and how it affects those involved. Another similarity between A Separate Peace and Fifth Business is that both Gene Forrester and Dunstan Ramsay have intimate friendships infused with jealousy and competition. These poisoned relationships both ignite the impactful events that occur in their childhoods. Gene feels in constant competition with Finny, who appears to be good at everything. â€Å"That way he, the great athlete, would be way ahead of me. It was all cold trickery, it was all calculated, it was all enmity† (Knowles 53). He is superior in appearance, physical capability, personal stamina and respect gained from popularity amongst the other boys at the school. â€Å"I couldn’t help envy him that a little, which was perfectly normal. There was no harm in envying even your best friend a little† (Knowles 25). Dunstan knows that Boy Staunton wishes to be the best in everything. He aspires to be the most handsome, most successful in a romantic relationship, most successful in a career and most popular. â€Å"Percy Boyd Staunton†¦the only man who accepted his watch with an air†¦it was a fine effect, and as I grinned and clapped, my stomach burned with jealousy† (Davies 97). He feels aggressive resentment for Boy as he lives the life that Dunstan secretly wishes he could himself. â€Å"Boy wore a gorgeous pullover of brownish-red†¦and his demeanor was that of the lords of creation. A pretty girl with shingled hair and rolled stockings that allowed you to see delightful flashes of her bare knees was with him, and they were taking alternate pulls on a flask that contained, I am sure, something intoxicating†¦I was filled with a sour scorn that I now know was nothing but envy†¦I didn’t really want the clothes, I didn’t really want the girl or the booze, but it scalded me to see him enjoying them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Davies 113). The two novels capture the intensity of the character’s conflicted relationships with their closest friends as their constant struggle for a balance between hatred and respect fails to cease. The novels A Separate Peace and Fifth Business differ from each other within the main character’s thoughts and reflections on their memories. Gene Forrester accepts jostling the tree limb so Finny would fall, but understands the particular incident as a fragment of the past with no lasting effect on his life. Dunstan Ramsay however, remains attached to his guilt and responsibility for letting the snowball hit Mrs. Dempster and his actions haunt him for the remainder of his days. Gene Forrester revisits his old school and although experiences memories of fear from the past, it is only an echo not a current emotion. â€Å"Looking back now across fifteen years, I could see with great clarity the fear that I have lived in, which must mean that in the interval I had succeeded in a very important undertaking: I must have made my escape from it† (Knowles 10). He has not severed his feelings of regret towards the incident nor does he see Finny’s untimely death as unimportant but instead is able to appreciate his strong connection with this part of his past and can learn from his childhood errors. He understands that the experience matured him and was a crucial step in the climb of growing up. Gene visits the site where Finny fell with confidence and seeks the gratification of knowing that those years trapped at Devon school with an injured friend are behind him. â€Å"This was the tree, and it seemed to me standing there to resemble those men, the giants of your childhood, whom you encounter years later and find that they are not merely smaller in relation to your growth, but that they are absolutely smaller, shrunken by age† (Knowles 14). Dunstan Ramsay on the other hand, does not revisit sites from his past every 15 years but instead dedicates his entire life to the study of Saints and Mary Dempster’s impact on his life. He does not permit himself assessment of his child-self’s mentality during the accident and therefore, is never able to gain the satisfaction of learning from his mistakes. â€Å"Ramsey†¦You have paid such a price, and you look like a man full of secrets-grim-mouthed and buttoned-up and hard-eyed and cruel, because you are cruel to yourself. It has done you good to tell what you know; you look much more human already† (Davies 220). Instead of visiting places of his past or confronting those involved with his childhood, he sees his memories through a haze of anger and anxiety. An event that should have seemed insignificant and even negligible after so many years, is still important to him in his daily life and the emotions he felt 40 years ago have not changed but intensified. The fear and guilt he felt as a child is still fresh in his mind. â€Å"Cursing what seemed to be a life sentence†¦my association with Mrs. Dempster†¦It was as though I were visiting a part of my own soul that was condemned to live in hell† (Davies 182). The two characters, although faced with similar situations, choose different paths for their lives, which separate them from each other. A final contrast between the characters Gene Forrester and Dunstan Ramsay in the novels A Separate Peace and Fifth Business is the difference in their reaction to the event in their past. Both Gene and Dunstan suffer guilt about a single action in their childhood. Gene confronts his emotions and immediately tells Finny what happened, while Dunstan keeps the truth of the event a secret. While Finny is still recovering from his fall, Gene immediately visits Phineas after the accident and tells him the truth. Although he feels he makes things worse, it gives him a peace of mind and helps him to move on. â€Å"Finny, I’ve got something to tell you. You’re going to hate it, but there’s something I’ve got to tell you†¦This is the worst thing in the world† (Knowles 66-67). Gene is able to move past his guilty conscience of causing Finny’s fall and is able to focus his attention to mentally recovering and pushing forward in life. †¦in spite of everything, I welcomed each new day as though it were a new life, where all past failures and problems were erased, and all future possibilities and joys open and available, to be achieved probably before night fell again† (Knowles 105). Dunstan however, bottles up his thoughts and emotions concerning the events that occurred on the night Mrs. Dempster was hit on the back of t he head with a snowball. He does not tell anyone about the stone in the snow until the later years of his life. â€Å"Nevertheless this conversation reheated my strong sense of guilt and esponsibility about Paul, the war and my adult life had banked down that fire but not quenched it† (Davies 136). Dunstan keeps everything to himself and seeks out no help for his troubled mind and the stories and truths that are trapped within it. â€Å"The snow-in-the-snowball has been characteristic of too much you’ve done for you to forget it forever! † (Davies 270). The two outcomes of the two character’s lives is a reflection of how they handle the injury of the innocent and how they come to face the consequences of what they have done. The novels A Separate Peace and Fifth Business both display the lives of men who suffer a great deal in their childhood from unhealthy friendships and a singular bad event. Gene Forrester and Dunstan Ramsay share similarities in the occurrences of their lives but differentiate from each other in how they dealt with it. Gene faces his victim Finny with the truth of the accident, being that he deliberately jounced the limb so his superior friend would fall, and is therefore granted elation from his confession and a peace of mind. Gene matures free of guilt and the residue of the horrific event is but a memory he can briefly recall in his mind but not linger on. Dunstan Ramsey takes a different route, and on a downwards-spiraling path of shame, he lives a solitary life, left to face his childhood troubles every day, making ancient memories a constant reality. He matures with many emotional scars and does not feel any release from his inner torments. In conclusion, the two novels depict contrasting scenarios of self-reproach, one displays a character’s positive liberation of guilt and one shows a character’s negative manifestation of guilt.

Harlequin

Harlequin is the largest distributed of romance series novels but is faced with a slow growth in series novels. Harlequin needs to decide whether they should expand Into title-by-title books and how they will position themselves If they chose to do so. Analysis Harlequin is faced with the decision of how they should Increase their unit sales and Increase their overall revenues. By continuing In series novels, Harlequin will not be able to see growth in their company as unit sales are decreasing for series novels.Their profit margin Is also a concern as single title books are more expensive than series novels. Harlequin has tried In the past to produce single title books but was not successful because they did not target a specific market and tried to succeed In too many genres. One option for Harlequin to see growth is to approach best selling authors that worked with Harlequin in the past. Harlequin can ask these authors to write single title books for them, which will be beneficial as they are using established authors who have already developed a connection with readers.However, this is a very risky and expensive option for Harlequin as it is costly and authors may not be willing to do this. Best selling authors have already established new relationships with producers and distributors so they may not be willing to forfeit that and go back to a company that is developing themselves in single series. In addition, it is extremely expensive to acquire a best-selling author, as the advance is more than Harlequin can afford. Where Harlequin is now, they cannot afford a best-selling author even if the royalties are greater.Harlequin does have a large basilisk collection of books and using them could be a successful option for Harlequin. Although this would involve them to continue with their series novels, the novels would be work from current best selling artists. Harlequin has already created a brand image in series novels so they are supporting their image, whi ch will help persuade customers. While they are doing this, Harlequin's current authors that write series novels can work on single title books while they are gaining profits and sales through their basilisk collections.This gives hem time to think of their long-term plan such as their marketing plan, advertising and their distribution. Recommendation Once Harlequin gains capital by Investing In their basilisk collection, they can eventually use bestseller authors, but at this time, they do not have the time and resources. Ultimately, Harlequin can slowly Introduce different genres for their single title novels by focusing on women's fiction romance novels first as they already established themselves in this genre and are extremely successful. By being patient, Harlequin wall De slowly De addle to see success In themselves.

Gender Identity Essay - 964 Words

Gender Identity After reading through my gender log, during the past few weeks, I observed that many people are trained to determine their gender by their biological sex. Some of the people that I have observed and written about would probably never have doubted their sexual orientation. Others have definitely examined their sexuality. Whether this sexuality is male or female is entirely up to them. This is their true sexual identity. Still others that I noticed have actually convinced themselves, whether it is true or false that their biological gender is not, their true gender. The people who seemed that they were completely sure that their gender was solely based on their biological sex, were easy to identify for me. These†¦show more content†¦Ill call him Joe. Joe was a very good looking male, biologically speaking. When Joe was a small child, I notice growing up with him that he had more female friends and that the boys did not like him very much. Many of the boys would often call him homo, or say go play with your girlfriends. He was very damaged by all of this. He would usually sit with the girls at lunch, but never the boys. He was often picked on in class with taunts and under the breath innuendoes. He did very well in all subjects in school but did best in art class and theater. His general body language was feminine, the way his hands moved and the way in which he would walk, talk, and even carry his books. I notice that he never tried to change his behavior to please others, which seemed to be gender assigned feminine behavior. He would also state I am not gay. His mother actually was going to sue the school to put the responsibility on the school to prevent the students from harassing her son. Joe never conformed, to his biological sexual identity being male. He was who he was and everyone believed he was gay. I dont know if he is or isnt gay because he went to art school in the city. I think he was having an identity crisis. The third type of person is a person who biologically without a doubt is male of female due to societys guidelines of gender. However, this type of person may want to be the opposite sex. They either are kidding orShow MoreRelatedGender And Gender Identity And Development1303 Words   |  6 Pagesthroughout the years. However, gender identity and development is something that has been both misunderstood and misconstrued by people for quite some time. The differences between â€Å"gender† and â€Å"sex† is quite vast. According to John Carl: Gender is defined as the personal traits and position in society connected with being male or female. For instance, wearing high heels is associated with the female gender, while wearing combat boots is associated with the male gender. Gender is different from sex becauseRead MoreGender And : Gender Identity Disorder1287 Words   |  6 PagesGender Dysphoria, formerly known as Gender Identity Disorder, is described by the DSM-IV as a persistent and strong cross-gender identification and a persistent unease with ones sex. However, gender identity is not diagnosed as such if it is comorbid with a physical intersex condition. Gender dysphoria is not to be confused with sexual orientation, as people with gender dysphoria could be attracted to men, women, or both. According to an article written by, Australasian Sciences there are fourRead MoreThe Concept of Gender and Gender Identity1223 Words   |  5 Pages I am interested in the concept of gender and the deeper meaning of being considered a transgendered person. I feel that a lot of people do not know or care to know about these topics on a more in depth level. People who close their eyes to the idea that a person could be born with the physical aspects of a male yet have the psychological aspects of a female and vice versa, tend to be the ones who say that those people are going against nature or god. Discriminating against people on the principlesRead MoreGender And Gender Identity Disorder2178 Words   |  9 Pageswe re born, our gender identity is no secret. We re either a boy or a girl. Gender organizes our world into pink or blue. As we grow up, most of us naturally fit into our gender roles. Girls wear dresses and play with dolls. For boys, it s pants and trucks.† (Goldbur g, A.2007) However, for some, this is not the case. Imagine for a moment that you are a two year old boy drawn to the color pink, make up, and skirts. If this is the case than most likely, you are experiencing Gender Dysphoria, otherwiseRead MoreGender Identity Essay965 Words   |  4 PagesGender Identity Society should be more open minded with the topic of gender identity. Our society does not like rapid changes when they are publicly made; there is always a dispute or an opposition against those unexpected changes. The LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) community is the â€Å"rapid change† that society finds difficult to deal with. Although, this community has always existed, but it has never been publicly recognized like it is today. Gender IdentityRead MoreGender And Gender Identity1648 Words   |  7 PagesIn light of performativity, political transformation via hegemonic cultural practices continues to advocate for gender parody. Overall, the recent exploration of alterity ethics complements performativity politics by exploiting the subversive potential of gender identity as well as female identity. For the oppressed individuals, power should be subverted via political strategy guided by the consequences and punishment with the o bjective of maximizing the good in the society. In other words, performativityRead MoreEssay Gender Identity1902 Words   |  8 PagesGender Identity Gender identity is an extremely relevant topic today. Many people have their own ideas on what is right and what is wrong for each gender to act, and these people are very vocal and opinionated about their ideas. One recent controversial story about gender identity was when a couple refused to tell anybody whether their child named Storm was a boy or a girl. Their oldest child, Jazz, who was originally born male, â€Å"always gravitated to dresses, the colour pink and opted for long hairRead MoreExploring Gender Identity And Gender Roles1809 Words   |  8 PagesEXPLORING GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER ROLES HOMOSEXUALITY Abstract Gender identity display people’s understanding of themselves according to cultural definitions of female and male. In this essay I will attempt to enhance our understanding by exploring different aspects of gender identity, gender roles sexual identity issues. Relying mostly on my research that is conducted in the U.S. EXPLORING GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER ROLES HOMOSEXUALITY Exploring Gender Identity, Gender Roles HomosexualityRead MoreGender Identity : Gender And Masculinity Essay1509 Words   |  7 PagesGender plays an enormous role in every society around the world. There are debates about whether gender is defined by strictly biological characteristics or social attributes. Others argue that gender is a spectrum, rather than the dichotomy of male and female. Masculinity and femininity are sets of attributes, roles and behaviors that are associated with men and boys and girls and women, respectively. Both masculinity and femininity have specific traits that are both biologically and socially definedRead MoreRacial Identity And Gender Identity879 Words   |  4 Pagesdons a pink bow on his head to become â€Å"Erica.† Meanwhile, Randy Marsh (as known as Lorde to most and Stan’s dad) must battle with his gender identity and that of his music as women at his work are uncomfortable with sharing a bathroom with him, therefore he must rece ive his own against his wishes. While both Cartman’s and Randy Marsh’s struggles with their gender identity revolve around the use of a bathroom, through the juxtaposition of the actions of shooting a school and becoming transgender, the

Synthesis Essay Corrie Ten Boom - 2004 Words

Synthesis Essay -- Corrie Ten Boom MSgt John A. Menanno Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy Corrie Ten Boom In times of peril, a hero rises to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Movies tell us heroes are from a different world, wear a suit of armor/cape, or wield superhuman abilities; however, real-life heroes do not fit that mold. In reality, heroes, come in many forms and need little more than courage and boldness to do what is right when no one else will. By all accounts, Corrie Ten Boom, a nearly 50-year old Dutch woman, should not have been a heroine. However, when she saw an injustice, she took a stand as a visionary leader and used inspirational motivation to rally support for the†¦show more content†¦I also displayed intellectual autonomy to hold my ground on a security issue, which led to an ethical dilemma. As difficult as it was, I made a decision and the five-step ethical decision making process proves it was the right one. Despite the circumstances, Corrie was a visionary. She saw people in need and she drew a line in the sand. There was no suit of armor and no cape, just Corrie, as she seemingly echoed the words of Isaiah, â€Å"Here am I. Send me!† (Isaiah 6:8, New International Version [NIV]). Visionary Leader Corrie Ten Boom exemplified the characteristics of a visionary leader through her inspirational motivation in the Dutch underground resistance against Nazi Germany. Corrie witnessed the Jewish oppression at the hands of the Nazis and rejected it (Straub, 1992). One night, a Jewish woman went to Corrie and asked for help and Corrie agreed. Soon, Corrie became an active part of the Dutch underground resistance and worked to save the Jews (Ten Boom, 2006). Here, Corrie used her gift of inspirational motivation to inspire and motivate others to join the resistance or support the effort by providing food ration cards, supplies, or safe passage for the Jews and resistance workers. She even had a hidden room built in her house to hide the Jews residing there (Straub, 1992; Ten Boom, 2006). Corrie’s leadership clearly displayed her ability to lead with inspirational motivation, which is when followers are

Essay about Personalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan

Personalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan Personal Nutrition Exercise Plan The major goal in life that will add great health and longevity to one’s life is to have a healthy diet along with the proper amount of physical activity added to it. This is something that I have learned a lot about in this class. Now I am trying to balance my own individual needs with plenty of physical activity which allows me to develop a plan that helps me to maintain a healthy weight and prevents disease from appearing and with an active schedule with school, work, and teenage daughters it could be pretty changing to follow a healthy diet plan; however the†¦show more content†¦The next factor in fighting and treating anemia is to eat plenty of green and red vegetables, and plenty of fruits along with exercise. Using the pyramid tracker website as a guide shows me how proper food choices can help my health concerns tremendously and also shows me the importance of making positive changes to my daily diet and physical activity. This web site has really encouraged me to set up these four major goals to achieve healthier results in my overall health. Healthy Breakfast- First I will have breakfast every morning this will improve my appetite along with an increase on my energy level. I will include Healthy Breakfasts it would consist of foods that are nutrient-rich and easy to my digestive system and they will increase my energy level throughout the entire day. The most important thing is to choose foods that are high in nutrients to assure that my body is receiving the right amounts of vitamins and minerals. Increase Iron and Folic Acid Intake-Taking into consideration the recommended dietary allowances for my iron intake is 18mg per day. The way that I found out about what the requirements for my iron intake I reported and reviewed my iron intake over a two week period. My estimated average intake was definitely below the RDA which constituted a maximum level of deficiency. My primary goal is to increase this level from 8mgShow MoreRelatedPersonalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan1961 Words   |  8 PagesPersonalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan University of Phoenix Leading a nutritious and healthy lifestyle with the incorporation of exercise is the path I am currently walking on and will continue to follow in my later years. Following the healthy eating plan I currently put myself on is a step in the right direction and the many steps that will follow will be the guide to a continuous nutritional lifestyle. I am currently living with relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Read MorePersonalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan Essay example1372 Words   |  6 PagesProper nutrition and exercise is the key to maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. A problem that I am suffering from is obesity, and it has been an issue with my family for generations. By following an eating plan designed specifically for me, I will be capable of progressing toward a healthier weight, and hopefully live a longer life. Also included in my personalized eating and exercise plan, is taking steps to stop smoking which will assist me with meeting my goals of losing weight and improvingRead MoreSci/241 Final Project Personalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan1708 Words   |  7 Pagesexperiencing, four nutritional or physical exercise goals, the actions taken to meet each goal, the anticipated setbacks or difficulties and the approaches to overcome them, the outcomes by which to measure success, evidence of the plans effectiveness by addressing the identified problem or need, and the evaluation of potential health risks that may develop if the plan is not implemented. So basically this paper is going to be about a realistic nutrition and exercise plan that best suits me. A current healthRead MoreEssay on Bus 475 Week 2 Individual1692 Words   |  7 PagesBody Fitness Body Fitness is a new state of the art fitness facility coming to the valley that will offer the finest workout equipment, intense one-on-one personal training, proper supplemental nutrition plans, and strategic planning for a patient’s course of action to get in shape. Each fitness facility will offer the essential wide range of work out equipment and will be staffed to accommodate clients from high school age to retirement. Clients will consist of the average high school studentRead MoreHealth Fitness612 Words   |  3 PagesBOUTIQUE GYMS (FITNESS STUDIO’S) A NEW TREND TO HEALTH AND FITNESS †¦. What use to be an environment with one simple concept to improve fitness and health has evolved to a fitness vibe. For starters, nutrition is the key to reaching and maintaining your individual weight loss and fitness goals. What once required a proper diet has now evolved into â€Å"nourishing â€Å"your body in order for it to function properly and to its upmost potential. In doing so, millions of Americans areRead MoreAnalyzing The Personalized System For Instruction Teaching Model1391 Words   |  6 Pagesdescribe the personalized system for instruction teaching model used in today’s classrooms. There is an in-depth analysis about what exactly the model entails as well what it looks like when it is used in an actual lesson plan. The paper also talks about research on the effects of the personalized system of instruction in a high school setting. I will then conclude the paper with all the benefits of the instructional model it has on learning in the classroom. Research on the Personalized SystemRead MoreSci/241 Final1537 Words   |  7 PagesMy Personalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan Dietrich Collins University of Phoenix Dr. Nicole Nearor July 14, 2013 My Health/Nutrition Target My nutritional health has been a very important part of my life since 2001 when I discovered I have Crohn’s disease. The food I consume affects my life in serious and immediate ways. Throughout this course I have learned various ways to help improve my dieting and better my overall health with different foods, ways of cooking foods, andRead MoreAccountability And Our Trainers Are Experts At Holding You Accountable Essay1571 Words   |  7 Pagesexperts at holding you accountable. You have a set, paid appointment. Your trainer will be there waiting for you with a smile on his/her face each and every time you visit. They help you to not only develop your own personalized goals but to also develop a realistic and achievable plan to attain these goals. Our trainers have the ability to believe in you even when you are feeling at your lowest and don t believe in yourself. CAN T is not in our studio s vocabulary. If you don t meet your goalsRead MoreEssay on Nutrition Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease1536 Words   |  7 PagesNutrition Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease It is imperative as a nurse to develop an understanding that caring for a patient goes beyond the physical care given and it includes a holistic aspect: caring for the body, mind and soul. This holistic approach can be applied when assessing patients’ nutritional status and helping them implement healthy life choices, while living with a disease and possibly the comorbidities caused by the disease. Specifically, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the comorbiditiesRead MoreThe Food Service Position At Missouri State University ( Msu )937 Words   |  4 Pagesundergraduate studies, my interest in dietetics began with the culinary side of food, and then grew to a fascination of how nutrition impacts health. This fascination evolved from collecting recipes and looking for peanut allergy alternatives, to transitioning into vegetarianism and experimenting in the kitchen to meet my nutrition needs, and finally watching changes in health impact the nutrition of my parents – my m other after having her gallbladder removed and my father with a diabetes diagnosis. Leading

Issue of Childhood Obesity-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Issue of Childhood Obesity. Answer: Introduction A few years ago, the issue of childhood obesity was not a problem to discuss because many children were not experiencing this situation. Most of our parents and grandparents did not inquire their childrens weight at school age, their children back at home or those children they came across in their location. The reason is that their children were eating from the dining table and they had time to play outside particularly most of them played the entire day. The issue of weight has changed since that time because of the introduction of fast foods, Xbox games and play station which make children inactive and remain indoors, and finally, they become obese (Wright Aronne, 2012). The key contributing factors of childhood obesity is the fact that children never engage in active activities or playing outside like in the past yet they eat unhealthy foods such as snacks and fast foods like fries and others. The population at risk regarding the issue of childhood obesity is those children betw een the age of 6- 11 (Papoutsi, Drichoutis, Nayga, 2013). This paper seeks to review the issue of childhood obesity, explain the reason why it is a significant public health issue, interventions and preventions are also explained. Last, the paper states the recommendations based on childhood obesity. Problem description The issue of childhood obesity is all over the world and America is the leading nation where most people are obese and close to becoming obese. Evidently, the problem of childhood obesity is largely grown in the United States in just two decades, where obesity on the population at risk has doubled. Additionally, obesity is associated with many disorders as well as conditions during adolescence such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Entirely, almost 25 million children in the United States are obese. This discovery done by researchers is distressing to many citizens in America, and it has instigated several debates on ways in which people can control the issue among children and young adults (Lakshman, Elks, Ong, 2012). The issue on childhood obesity is trending everywhere, and there are adverts concerning it on electronic media. Childhood obesity is a very famous problem on mainstream talk shows where even Oprah includes it as an episode at least once every term. At least ever y individual knows a child who is obese and living unhappy, and the rate is increasing every time. The issue of childhood obesity may be instigating by emotional, physiological and familial features although there is a small ratio caused by genetic factors (WHO, 2016). Current Evidence-based Health Promotion Interventions and Approaches According to Rajalakshmi Lakshman, MD, PhD1, Cathy E. Elks, PhD, MPhil1, and Ken K. Ong, MB BChir PhD1 (2012), family pediatricians and physicians have a chance for early identification of obesity and overweight through predictable physical check-ups. Nevertheless, currently, the evidence states that primary care-based management lacking interventionist backing is not enough in order to manage childhood obesity. Primary care based intervention is likely to be more efficient when implanted at a greater intensity by a professional interventionist. Additionally, adolescent females taking part in a weekly group sitting for a period of three months shadowed by two weeks meetings for two months lessened self-effacingly, not importantly, in BMI elements associated with normal care control collection. An additional intensive examination that accomplished in primary care that concentrated on physical activity and diet habit change in both parents and preschoolers demonstrated higher loss of w eight compared to control. Therefore, any treatment which is delivered in primary care should be the great intensity to be consistent and effective screening for obesity and overweight and appointment to evidence-based care provided in and outside the health center can be an optimal responsibility of the primary care provider. Gerards et al., (2012) suggested that lifestyle interventions are usually defined as dynamic treatments which concentrate on changing daily activity behaviors and dietary of children, targeting maintainable changes linked with health management of weight. The effectiveness of behavior intervention is reliant on many features: the most prosperous take a multi-dimensional method focusing on the diet, behavior modification and physical activity, are based on the family which targets on both the child and parent behaviors. Additionally, they are of adequate duration and concentrate on behaviors which are across the socio-environmental contexts. Randomized organize d meta-analyses and trials have constantly confirmed the dominance of these multi-element behavior interventions above education alone or typical care situations for handling childhood obesity where family-based interventions show the largest impacts. Evidently, the US Preventive Services Task Force acclaims that doctors show screen the issue of obesity in every child over the age of 6 years and refer those who are obese or showing signs of obesity to intensive lifestyle interventions as well as counseling which targets physical activity, diet and behavior change (Endevelt et al., 2014). Over this population, the intervention based on family treatment has also shown effectiveness in children between the ages of 2-6. Notably, following the physical activity and diet targets, children over the age of two should stress improved consumption of vegetables and fruits, non-fat dairy products and low-fat, whole grains, fish, beans, and lean meat. According to Taylor et al., (2013), family-b ased behavioral treatment which is a multi-element lifestyle intervention focuses on the behaviors of both the parent and the child has steadily confirmed to be the healthiest intervention regarding childhood obesity. Research shows that FBT has shown both a big effect size as well as long-term conservation of loss of weight with toddlers decreasing the percentage overweight by 20 percent and impacts still important at ten years post-treatment (Sacher et al., 2010). Though some studies show that children tend to eat unhealthy when they are with their parents, there is no much report on this. Most parents watch their childrens diet, and they observe their physical activities. The exercising and eating behaviors of children mostly happen primarily around the home surrounding, and the powerful predictors regarding obesity and overweight are those linked with home and parents. Thus, family based treatment targets to modify physical activity and eating behaviors of both the parent and th e child with successive alters to the environments at home, and use the parents as the change agents. The treatment is concentrated on the issue of self-monitoring where parents are always on the lookout to monitor their childrens eating and exercise behaviors, using praises and positive reinforcement for children who obey the rules of eating and exercising. Existing Gaps in Policy, Programs and Practice The issue of preventing obesity and excess weight gain from early ages of a child is possibly the most consistent track to healthy weight, as treatment may be somewhat challenging despite the approaches taken. Prevention strategies comprise behaviors which have been linked with great increased weight in toddlers as well as adolescents, with a certain target on high-risk childhood populations. Looking at family-based treatment, it helps in preventing obesity regarding dietary intake, exercising, and eating behaviors are common elements of a healthy way of life and are comparable to the behavioral alters which are usually unified into treatment interventions (Siegrist, Hanssen, Lammel, Haller, Halle, 2011). Additionally, primary care sessions are underutilized for preventive tracking and screening of child weight. Doctors are now diagnosing those children who are at risk of obesity and there is counseling which is offered to families affected by the issue on ways of addressing the sit uation so as to avoid great incidences of childhood obesity. The US Preventive Services Task Force acclaims that doctors show screen the issue of obesity in every child over the age of 6 years and refer those who are obese or showing signs of obesity to intensive lifestyle interventions as well as counseling which targets physical activity, diet and behavior change. Physicians are now on the lookout to screen children over the age of six regarding obesity and best treatments, interventions, and counseling is offered to parents and children. Early intervention for obesity, as early as the fetal phase, can be particularly significant for prevention. Increased parental weight pre-pregnancy as well as gestational gaining of weight has been linked with newborn adiposity and is the main risk feature for childhood obesity. In other words, parents should watch their weight during the period of pregnancy and they should go for regular checkups during this duration. Thus, interventions which target parent weight can be an efficient prevention method (Reinehr, 2013). When a pregnant woman is diagnosed to be obese or over weight, the doctors should advice the mother accordingly and direct her to the right intervention in order to reduce her weight before the baby is born. Additionally, breasting is an important preventative measure and mothers should be advised to breast feed their children continuously for a period of six months without introducing any kind of food during the six months. Breast feeding is significant for both the child and the mother and it prevent the issue of obesity for both of them. As a matter of fact, most studies do not include parents in the prevention initiatives yet they have a role to play in preventing childhood obesity (Vilallonga et al., 2017). Recommendations Focusing on family based treatment, the most common potential barrier of this intervention is the fact that parents are not always available at home to watch their children while eating and engaging in physical activities. As stated by researchers, staying indoors, playing video games and eating unhealthy food is the most common cause of childhood obesity and parents are not always around at home to encourage their children to play outside. Parents should always keep an eye on their children and ensure that they are eating healthy and engaging in physical activities. Whenever, they are not around, they should instruct other caregivers to watch their children pay outside and only give them healthy foods. Food such as snacks, sugary beverages should not be encouraged on children (Bhadoria et al., 2015). Notably, following the physical activity and diet targets, children over the age of two should stress improved consumption of vegetables and fruits, non-fat dairy products and low-fat, whole grains, fish, beans, and lean meat. Parents should advice their children to concentrate on reducing high calorie foods, high-fat, and eliminating or reducing sugar sweetened drinks like fruit drinks and soft-drinks. Additionally, they should restrict mild caloric to be effective and safe. At primary care intervention, most physicians do not focus on checking the weight of a child since most of them ignore the issue of overweight or obesity in children and think that most of them are not at risk of getting obese. Doctors should check the weight of all children as well as pregnant mothers in order to know whether they are obese or not. Physicians should be on the lookout to screen children over the age of six regarding obesity and best treatments, interventions, and counseling is offered to parents and children. Early intervention for obesity, as early as the fetal phase, can be particularly significant for prevention (Bhadoria et al., 2015). Additionally, breasting is an import ant preventative measure and mothers should be advised to breast feed their children continuously for a period of six months without introducing any kind of food during the six months. Breast feeding is significant for both the child and the mother and it prevent the issue of obesity for both of them. As a matter of fact, most studies do not include parents in the prevention initiatives yet they have a role to play in preventing childhood obesity (Gurnani, Birken, Hamilton, 2015). Additionally, parents should watch their weight during the period of pregnancy and they should go for regular checkups during this duration. Thus, interventions which target parent weight can be an efficient prevention method for obesity. When a pregnant woman is diagnosed to be obese or over weight, the doctors should advice the mother accordingly and direct her to the right intervention in order to reduce her weight before the baby is born. Conclusion This paper seeks to review the issue of childhood obesity, explain the reason why it is a significant public health issue, interventions and preventions are also explained. Last, the paper states the recommendations based on childhood obesity. Family based treatment is effective in the intervention of childhood obesity. Parents should always keep an eye on their children and ensure that they are eating healthy and engaging in physical activities. Parents should advise their children to concentrate on reducing high-calorie foods, high-fat, and eliminating or reducing sugar sweetened drinks like fruit drinks and soft-drinks. Additionally, parents should watch their weight during the period of pregnancy, and they should go for regular checkups during this duration. Physicians should be on the lookout to screen children over the age of six regarding obesity and best treatments, interventions, and counseling is offered to parents and children. Additionally, breasting is an important preve ntative measure and mothers should be advised to breast feed their children continuously for six months without introducing any food during the six months. Studies should show the importance of breast feeding as well because very few of them concentrate on this area. References Bhadoria, A., Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A., Sufi, N., Kumar, R. (2015). Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(2), 187. https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.154628 Endevelt, R., Elkayam, O., Cohen, R., Peled, R., Tal-Pony, L., Michaelis Grunwald, R., Heymann, A. D. (2014). An intensive family intervention clinic for reducing childhood obesity. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine?: JABFM, 27(3), 3218. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2014.03.130243 Gerards, S. M. P. L., Dagnelie, P. C., Jansen, M. W. J., van der Goot, L. O. H. M., de Vries, N. K., Sanders, M. R., Kremers, S. P. J. (2012). Lifestyle Triple P: a parenting intervention for childhood obesity. BMC Public Health, 12(1), 267. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-267 Gurnani, M., Birken, C., Hamilton, J. (2015). Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and Management. Pediatric Clinics of North America. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2015.04.001 Lakshman, R., Elks, C. E., Ong, K. K. (2012). Childhood obesity. Circulation, 126(14), 17701779. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.047738 Papoutsi, G. S., Drichoutis, A. C., Nayga, R. M. (2013). The causes of childhood obesity: A survey. Journal of Economic Surveys, 27(4), 743767. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6419.2011.00717.x Rajalakshmi Lakshman, MD, PhD1, Cathy E. Elks, PhD, MPhil1, and Ken K. Ong, MB BChir PhD1, 2. (2012). Childhood obesity. Circulation, 126(14), 17701779. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.047738.CHILDHOOD Reinehr, T. (2013). Lifestyle intervention in childhood obesity: changes and challenges. Nature Reviews. Endocrinology, 9(10), 60714. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2013.149 Sacher, P. M., Kolotourou, M., Chadwick, P. M., Cole, T. J., Lawson, M. S., Lucas, A., Singhal, A. (2010). Randomized Controlled Trial of the MEND Program: A Family-based Community Intervention for Childhood Obesity. Obesity, 18(n1s), S62S68. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2009.433 Siegrist, M., Hanssen, H., Lammel, C., Haller, B., Halle, M. (2011). A cluster randomised school-based lifestyle intervention programme for the prevention of childhood obesity and related early cardiovascular disease (JuvenTUM 3). BMC Public Health, 11(1), 258. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-258 Taylor, N. J., Sahota, P., Sargent, J., Barber, S., Loach, J., Louch, G., Wright, J. (2013). Using intervention mapping to develop a culturally appropriate intervention to prevent childhood obesity: the HAPPY (Healthy and Active Parenting Programme for Early Years) study. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10, 142. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-10-142 Vilallonga, R., Moreno Villares, J. M., Yeste Fernndez, D., Snchez Santos, R., Casanueva Freijo, F., Santolaya Ochando, F., de Ruiz de Adana, J. C. (2017). Erratum to: Initial Approach to Childhood Obesity in Spain. A Multisociety Expert Panel Assessment (Obesity Surgery, (2017), 27, 4, (997-1006), 10.1007/s11695-016-2413-8). Obesity Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-016-2451-2 WHO. (2016). Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. WHO. https://doi.org/ISBN 978 92 4 151006 6 Wright, S. M., Aronne, L. J. (2012). Causes of obesity. Abdominal Imaging, 37(5), 730732. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-012-9862-x

Pay for Performance in the NFL Essay Example

Pay for Performance in the NFL Paper Statistics Project Pay for Performance in the NFL Introduction Pay for performance is a common theme throughout almost all organizations. Merit increases, performance bonuses for executives, and commissions for real estate salespeople are common examples of this concept. Even teachers’ pay in some states is linked to performance of their students. According to the Washington Post, the state of Florida instituted a policy that individual teacher’s raises and performance starting in 2007 will be tied directly to student’s scores on standardized tests. This pay for performance concept has generally been accepted by the new Obama administration and may make its way into more common usage across the United States. In corporate America, examples of pay for performance are quite common, especially for top executives. Most year end bonuses are based on individuals meeting certain criteria established by the board of directors. These bonuses can be quite substantial. According to the Proxy Statement for Meredith Corporation, the total executive bonuses for the year 2007 exceeded $2. 5 million dollars. While pay for performance seems a reasonable concept in general, it is not without its critics. In education, there are a number of critics that question the fairness of the standardized test score results as a measure of teacher performance. They worry about teaching towards the exam at the expense of the overall education of the student. The criticism from Congress and much of the population of the United States over the bonuses paid to AIG executives questions how performance is actually measured. This paper will attempt to partially address the issue of pay for performance in professional sport, specifically in the National Football League. We will write a custom essay sample on Pay for Performance in the NFL specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Pay for Performance in the NFL specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Pay for Performance in the NFL specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Many different positions in football are difficult to obtain good performance measures. Offensive lineman, special teams players especially do not have good measures of individual performance that are tracked. This analysis will focuses on two groups of NFL players, quarterbacks and running backs where individual performance measures are readily available. Analytical Technique A correlation study will be done on a variety of performance measures and the salaries of both NFL quarterbacks and running backs to see which of the individual performance measures are most closely related to the individuals salaries. The assumption will be that the current salary is based on last year’s performance. In addition to the correlation study, a multiple regression model with the best performance measures will be used to explain the relationship between the measures and salaries. This could be potentially used as a basis of predicting next year’s salary for those players that are in contract discussions or are entering the market as free agents. The data for the study will be obtained from two primary sources, ESPN. com which tracks player performance measures for a number of years, and USATODAY. com for player salaries. Professional football players are compensated in a number of ways, base salary, signing bonus, and other bonuses. This study will be using base salary as the pay in the pay for performance analysis. Performance measures for quarterbacks will include: completion percentage, total passing yardage, touchdown completions, interceptions, and finally QB rating. Performance measures for running backs will include: total yards, yards per game, touchdowns, and fumbles lost. While other measures are collected it is felt that these are the most appropriate performance measures to use for both categories of NFL players. A sample of 22 NFL quarterbacks from the 2007 season was selected while a sample of 13 NFL running backs from 2007 was used. RESULTS NFL quarterbacks: Pearson’s correlation coefficients for all variables in the study were run and are presented in the table below: |   |PCT |YDS |TD |INT |RAT |Salary | |PCT |1 | | | | | | |YDS |0. 43677 |1 | | | | | |TD |0. 230412 |0. 843951 |1 | | | | |INT |-0. 31751 |0. 475031 |0. 247018 |1 | | | |RAT |0. 639073 |0. 45897 |0. 703364 |-0. 41675 |1 | | |2008 Salary |0. 211532 |0. 562896 |0. 428047 |0. 276031 |0. 265671 |1 | As can be seen in the above table the strongest correlation exists between salary and total yards passing (0. 562896) and the number of touchdowns (0. 428047). The other variables have very weak relationships between themselves and salary and will be excluded from further analysis. It seems that only total passing yards is an important variable in understanding the relationship between quarterback’s salary and on field performance. A second part of the study is to use a regression model to predict the next periods salary for free agents and other players whose contracts are up for negotiation. It could be a valuable tool in beginning negotiations between the player and team owner. Since only two variables had anything more than a very weak relationship with salary, two regressions will be run. The first is a simple linear regression with yards passing as the independent variable and the second is a multiple regression with number of touchdowns included. The regression analysis is presented below: Simple linear regression using yards: |Regression Statistics | | | | |Multiple R |0. 62896387 | | | | |R Square |0. 316852343 | | | | |Observations |22 | | | | | | | | | | |   |Coefficients |Standard Error |t Stat |P-value | |Intercept |-1267325. 07 |1976273. 783 |-0. 64127 |0. 528628 | |YDS |1839. 467659 |603. 9569583 |3. 045693 |0. 006383 | Multiple regression using yards and touchdowns: |Regression Statistics | | | | |Multiple R |0. 569677436 | | | | |R Square |0. 24532381 | | | | |Observations |22 | | | | | | | | | | |   |Coefficients |Standard Error |t Stat |P-value | |In tercept |-1596606. 7 |2137031. 816 |-0. 747114146 |0. 464141 | |YDS |2290. 32518 |1148. 639878 |1. 993690591 |0. 060741 | |TD |-50963. 9896 |109649. 6343 |0. 464789417 |0. 647365 | The multiple regression will be excluded from use because the sign of the coefficient is negative, implying that the more touchdowns thrown the lower the salary. This is not logical. The most likely cause is that relationship between total yards passing and touchdowns is stronger than the correlation between touchdowns and salary. This could cause the regression coefficient for touchdowns to be unreliable. The regression equation provides only marginal explanatory power, based on the R square this equation using total yards only explains 31. 68% of salary for an NFL quarterback leaving over 68% of salary unexplained. It usefulness as a tool in negotiation would seem to be very limited. NFL running backs: Pearson’s correlation coefficients for all variables in the study were run and are presented in the table below    |YDS |AVG |TD |FUM |Salary | |YDS |1 | | | | | |AVG |0. 196119 |1 | | | | |TD |0. 382323 |0. 466749 |1 | | | |FUM |0. 017765 |0. 069592 |-0. 31995 |1 | | |Salary |0. 571773 |0. 260196 |0. 38083 |-0. 05109 |1 | Only the total yards gained seem to have anything but a weak relationship with salary. The number of touchdowns being somewhat explanatory of salary and will be used in the multiple regression. Since only two variables had anything more than a very weak relationship with salary, two regressions will be run. The first is a simple linear regression with yards rushing as the independent variable and the second is a multiple regression with number of touchdowns included as well. The regression analysis is presented below: Simple linear regression using yards: Regression Statistics | | | | |Multiple R |0. 57177269 | | | | |R Square |0. 326924009 | | | | | | | | | | |   |Coefficients |Standard Error |t Stat |P-value | |Intercept |-1273523. 69 |1812128. 448 |-0. 702777759 |0. 496798 | |YDS |3659. 184626 |1583. 057254 |2. 311467016 |0. 041192 | Multiple regression using yards and touchdowns: |Regression Statistics | | | | |Multiple R |0. 598119739 | | | | |R Square |0. 57747222 | | | | |Ob servations |13 | | | | | | | | | | |   |Coefficients |Standard Error |t Stat |P-value | |Intercept |-1191870. 48 |1860286. 025 |-0. 64069 |0. 536128 | |YDS |3194. 299878 |1755. 207634 |1. 819899 |0. 098793 | |TD |64585. 6109 |93229. 10033 |0. 692765 |0. 504227 | The multiple regression will be used since it is marginally better in explanatory power than the simple regression model The regression equation provides only marginal explanatory power, based on the R square this equation using total yards only explains 35. 77% of salary for an NFL quarterback leaving over 64% of salary unexplained. It usefulness as a tool in negotiation would seem to be very limited. Conclusion While there seems to be a relationship between player salaries and total yardage for both quarterbacks and running backs, the relationship is not very strong. The use of individual statistics does not seem to explain the greatest proportion of player salaries. It does not seem as if trying to use individual performance measures provides much important information on the value of the player to the team as measured by salary. This could be due to a number of issues. Possibly base salary is not the appropriate measure for player compensation. Maybe the owners look at improvement in individual performance measures over time or the average of the performance measures over time. We also need to consider that qualitative factors play a role in player salaries. It could be the so called â€Å"star power† of the player as an entertainment value. Or maybe the owners do not look at the individual statistics but rather the ability of the player to improve overall team performance. Is the owner actually looking at numbers put up by the player or is the owner estimating how many more games can we win by having this player? Sample Data Quarteracks |NAME |PCT |YDS |TD |INT |RAT |salary | |Tom Brady QB, NWE |68. 9 |4806 |50 |8 |117. | |Tomlinson RB, SDG |1474 |4. 7 |15 |0 |$5,750,000 | | Peterson RB, MIN |1341 |5. 6 |12 |4 |$2,821,320 | |Willie Parker RB, PIT |1316 |4. 1 |2 |4 |$2,900,000 | |Jamal Lewis RB, CLE |1304 |4. 4 |9 |4 |$1,400,000 | |E. James RB, ARI |1222 |3. 8 |7 |4 |$5,000,000 | |Fred Taylor RB, JAC |1202 |5. 4 |5 |2 |$4,000,000 | |Thomas Jones RB, NYJ |1119 |3. |1 |2 |$2,000,000 | |M. Lynch RB, BUF |1115 |4 |7 |1 |$2,635,770 | |Frank Gore RB, SFO |1102 |4. 2 |5 |3 |$2,562,000 | |E. Graham RB, TAM |898 |4 |10 |0 |$1,500,000 | |D. Foster RB, CAR |876 |3. 5 |3 |5 |$1,903,120 | |C. Taylor RB, MIN |844 |5. 4 |7 |5 |$3,000,000 | |L. Maroney RB, NWE |835 |4. 5 |6 |0 |$1,571,720 |