Hiding Behind the Screen Roger Scruton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hiding Behind the Screen Roger Scruton - Essay Example There are numerous old fashioned methods applicable to pass messages, which seem to be absent. Since the present day generation youth use mobile phone devices for communication, they lack opportunities to stand judged by an individual they communicate with on the other end.   Roger Scruton recommend-fashioned pile should not avoid accountability at any cost. Scruton makes this statement because he feels that people use mobile phone devices as a medium to evade accountability and judgment of the other parties involved in the communication. Certain virtues such as love and integrity are absent in communication due to the use of mobile phones and social media. People lack the opportunity to achieve a mutual understanding of certain individuals due to use of social media. There are instances where one finds it difficult to understand another individual due to the belief that there exists a certain complexity between them (Dooley 68). The difficulty to understand according to Roger Scru ton is because there is a lack of mutual judgment. Hiding behind the screen means that people have the capability to maintain control over the communication encounter, either through social media or through a mobile phone device. The virtue of justice is achievable through one’s ability to witness the modes of judgment from other people through communication. The essay emphasizes that such virtues become absent within the present day society due to the availability of controllable modes of communication.... There are instances where one finds it difficult to understand another individual due to the belief that there exists a certain complexity between them (Dooley 68). The difficulty to understand according to Roger Scruton is because there is a lack of mutual judgment. Hiding behind the screen means that people have the capability to maintain control over the communication encounter, either through social media or through a mobile phone device. The virtue of justice is achievable through one’s ability to witness the modes of judgment from other people through communication. The essay emphasizes that such virtues become absent within the present day society due to the availability of controllable modes of communication. The society finds it difficult to determine the kind of person that they deal with since there is little opportunity to judge people through communication. The presence of mobile phone devices contributed towards the refusal of people to stand judged by other indi viduals (Dooley 68). The essay suggests on the various ways that certain virtues that are applicable in communication become irrelevant with the use of mobile phones. The face-to-face encounters are important to the relevance in communication. When people converse face to face, there are better chances to acquire different aspects about the individuals as they communicate. An individual is able to minimize another person’s point of view through the potential to retain control over the communication encounter. The communication criteria experience different challenges in accordance to the modes that are applicable. The old fashion of communication is unavailable due to the advancements and alterations witnessed in technology. The influence of social media and communication

Module 5 - Case MITIGATION AND RISK REDUCTION Essay

Module 5 - Case MITIGATION AND RISK REDUCTION - Essay Example 385). Therefore, the effect of the ear on terrorism is vital in the analysis of the re-evaluation of the definition of security in the United States and reiterating the significance of a connection between threats and the institutionalization of the reactions to the perceived threats. Illegal cross-border activities are still considerable threats to the United States where on the Southwest border, the Tucson section is the main point of entry for the people who smuggle marijuana along with illegal aliens. In the last couple of years, arrests on United States territory have not necessarily reflected the approximations provided by the border patrol thus implying the threats are increasing. Information sharing and communication among the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies has increased considerably in the recent years but there are still gaps that need to be filled as far as implementing agreements between the agencies is concerned. The agencies have come up with forums that allow them to share and exchange information. Nonetheless, in the Tucson section, the agencies have not had enough coordination to make sure that the federal law enforcers maintained access to information concerning the threats and radio communications that are secure and compati ble so enhance their daily operations (Stana, 2010, p. 23). Coordination and collaboration in this areas could improve the safety of the officers and create effective law enforcement responses to the illegal activities that are increasing in this area. Coordination between agencies has been enough to allow sharing of intelligence evaluations between the different agencies as far border security threats to the lands under federal jurisdictions are concerned. These agencies need to collaborate and come up with mutual budget requests, strategies and combined operations that deal directly with these threats. Various efforts between agencies towards the implementation of provisions in the existing

Whole Grain Consumption as a Target for Obesity Intervention

Whole Grain Consumption as a Target for Obesity Intervention Policy Options for Increasing Whole Grain Consumption as a Target for Obesity Intervention Tamar Roomian Executive Summary This policy brief will focus on whole-grain consumption in the United States population as a target for obesity intervention. Over one-third of U.S. adults are obese, and can contribute to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. The estimated annual cost of obesity was $147 billion (in 2008 dollars) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Recent scientific evidence has associated refined grain consumption and lack of whole grain consumption with obesity and its complications. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a majority of adults are deficient in whole grains and fiber. Given the widespread scope of the obesity epidemic, this is problematic, as it has been demonstrated by epidemiological evidence that whole grain consumption is inversely associated with abdominal fat and weight gain. Currently, there are no policies regarding whole grain consumption beyond Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for labeli ng number of whole grain grams per serving. Therefore, a policy to increase population-wide whole grain consumption may reduce population-wide weight gain, associated health outcomes, and economic impact. This policy brief will discuss three policy options. The first option is to impose a labeling requirement for manufactured products to report percentage whole grain, in conjunction with dietary guidelines to limit refined grain consumption, in order to encourage food manufacturers to voluntarily reformulate their products consistent with consumer demand. The second option is to require that whole grains be the default option at restaurants by taking advantage of the â€Å"default effect,† or the phenomenon that individuals tend to stick with the default choice. However, testing would be required to ensure that the nudge is indeed effective. The third option is to impose a refined grain tax to disincentivize purchase. A tax would generate government revenue, but would meet heavy resistance from the food manufacturing industry. Context and Importance of Problem According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over one-third of U.S. adults are obese, and can contribute to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. The CDC estimates that the annual cost of obesity was $147 billion in 2008 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Obesity is a complex problem requiring many solutions at multiple levels. Recent scientific evidence has associated refined grain consumption and lack of whole grain consumption with obesity and its complications. This policy brief will therefore focus on whole-grain consumption in the United States population. Whole grains are defined as â€Å"grains that still have the endosperm, germ, and bran present in the same proportion of the intact grain.† The outer bran and inner germ are a source of dietary fiber, b-vitamins, iron, magnesium, vitamin E, as well as other potential unmeasured nutrients that are lost in processing when manufactured as refined grains (McKeown, Troy, Jacques, Hoffmann, ODonnell, Fox, 2010). Processing whole grain to white flour increases caloric density by 10% and decreases fiber content by 80% (Gross, Li, Ford, Liu, 2004). Gross et al. examined trends in refined grain consumption over the twentieth century using the National Nutrient Data Bank to obtain nutrient content of the U.S. food supply, and food availability data from the Economic Research Service and Nutrient Data Laboratory of the Agricultural Research Service. They concluded that since 1963, consumption for carbohydrates increased from 374 g/day to 500 g/day, but fiber intake did not increase proportionally, indicating that refined-grain consumption increased (Gross et al., 2004). According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a dataset from a nationally represented nutrition questionnaire, only 4.9% of adults 19-50 years of age and 6.6% of adults 51 years and over consume the government recommended three or more whole grain servings. Approximately 72% of adults 19-50 and 66% of adults 51 and over consumed less than .6 servings of whole grains. Mean dietary fiber intake was 16.1 grams, below the government recommended 25-30 grams per day (O’Neil, Zanovec, Cho, Nicklas, 2010). This is problematic, as whole grain and fiber consumption is associated with lower body weight in the NHANES (O’Neil et al., 2010). Moreover, in a study using the Framingham Heart Study cohort, whole grain consumption was inversely associated with waist circumference and abdominal fat after controlling for confounders. Abdominal fat is strongly associated to metabolic risk factors including glucose intolerance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance (McKeown et al., 2010). Using the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a very large longitudinal cohort of female nurses and male health professionals, whole grain consumption was inversely associated with long-term weight gain, while consumption of refined grains was positively associated with weight gain, after controlling for physical activity, television use, alcohol use, sleep duration, smoking and diet. The authors suggest that increased consumption of whole grains is therefore ass ociated with a greater reduction of intake of other foods, because fiber slows digestion and increases satiety. (Mozaffarian, Hao, Rimm, Willett, Hu, 2011). Policy Options Therefore, based on the above scientific evidence, the goal of policy is to increase consumption of whole grains while decreasing consumption of refined grains. Even if the reduction to the individual is small, because most Americans are exposed (i. e. consumers of refined grains), a modest reduction in the entire population could therefore make a large impact (Rose, 2008). While whole grain requirements have already been added to the national school lunch program, this does not address the majority of U.S. adults, as they do not attend public school (Grain requirements for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, 2012). Evidence for policy options can be derived from previous policy regarding trans fat, sodium, and sugar-sweetened beverages, as there has been strong scientific evidence to associate their consumption with poorer health outcomes, and subsequent policies have followed. The first option is to institute a labeling requirement so that manufacturers must clearly label the percentage of whole grain in the product, as recommended by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Current FDA regulations only prohibit false or misleading labeling. However, according to the CSPI, even with FDA regulations, current whole-grain labeling by manufacturers based is still misleading, as items accurately labeled as ‘made with whole grains† can still be primarily comprised of refined grains (CSPI, 2012) Requiring labeling may cause manufacturers to change formulations on their own volition. For example, In the United States, mandatory trans fat labeling decreased trans fatty acid content in manufactured foods, even without substantially increasing saturated fat (Uauy et al., 2009). In a study of 5000 chip and cookie products before and after the mandatory labeling requirement, led to a reduction of 45% and 42% respectively (Van Camp, Hooker, Lin, 2012). Bakery products reduced their trans fat level by 73% after the labeling requirement (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 2013). It is important to note that the labeling requirement was in conjunction with the USDA’s 2005 dietary recommendations to â€Å"limit trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible.† (USDA, 2008). In contrast, the current 2010 dietary recommendations for whole grains state that at least half of servings eaten each day should be whole, rather than an explicit limit on refined grains. Labeling and the USDA requirement would therefore need to be concurrent to be most effective. In addition, changes in labeling assumes consumers will be able to understand the new labels, and therefore influence their choice of item. If the labels indeed drive consumer demand, this can provide a motivating force for manufacturers to change formulations in conjunction with the labels. The advantage is minimal government intervention beyond dietary guidelines and labeling requirements. The manufacturers would voluntarily change their product formulations because of consumer demand. Consumers w ould still have autonomy over their choices. Consumers would likely support this policy as it could increase access to information and better inform consumer choice. Food manufacturers would likely oppose this policy, as it would require testing, new labeling, and possible product reformulations, which would increase costs, unless the food manufacturers are highly motivated by consumer demand for the reformulations. A second option is to require that whole grains be the â€Å"default† option at restaurants. The default effect is defined as â€Å"the tendency for decision makers to stick with the default or the option that takes effect if one does make an explicit choice.† (Li and Chapman, 2013). Previous evidence for the default effect is with regards to the McDonald’s Happy Meal, which changed to reduce the French fry serving size, include apples without caramel dipping sauce, and low fat or fat-free chocolate milk in place of soda. Analysis of item-level transaction data that included the children’s meals pre and post meal changes showed that the average meal after changes were initiated reduced calories by 18% (although it is worth noting that the study was partially funded by McDonald’s) (Wansink Hanks, 2014). However, despite success with the Happy Meal, â€Å"nudges† are not always successful, and testing should be conducted before any policy enac ting. The third option is to impose a tax on refined grain foods to discourage purchase. The government may benefit by using the revenue generated by the tax towards health prevention programs. Currently, taxes on harmful substances such as cigarettes can be more easily justified due to their addictive nature, strong evidence towards poorer health outcomes, and their lack of requirement for survival. However, taxes on food items can be unpopular and difficult to enact. Political climates may eventually change, easing passage of this type of policy. For example, New York City’s soda tax was unpopular at the time, but as evidence against sugar-sweetened beverages increased, the idea has become trendy and the political climate has changed. Mexico recently adopted a 10% soda tax which has resulted in a 5% decline in Coca Cola sales (Guthrie, 2014). San Francisco and Berkley, California, are now imposing a soda tax. Past efforts in United States cities have failed due to heavy lobbying b y the food manufacturing industry, as the PepsiCo Inc, Coca Cola Co., and the American Beverage Association have spent $70 million on lobbying and issue ads (Stanford, 2012). References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014f). Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: Data and Statistics: Adult Obesity DNPAO CDC. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html Center for Science in the Public Interest (2012). Misleading whole grain claims rampant on store shelves. Retrieved from http://wholegrainscouncil.org/files/CSPI_wgclaimsPR.pdf. Gross, L. S., Li, L., Ford, E. S., Liu, S. (2004). Increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and the epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States: an ecologic assessment. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79(5), 774–779. Guthrie, A. (2014, February 26). Mexico Soda Tax Dents Coke Bottler’s Sales. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303801304579407322914779400 Li, Meng, Chapman, G. B. (2013). Nudge to health: Harnessing decision research to promote healthy behavior. Social and Personality Psychology Compass 7(3), 187-198. Retrieved from http://ruccs.rutgers.edu/faculty/pylyshyn/Proseminar13/NudgeToHealth.pdf. McKeown, N. M., Troy, L. M., Jacques, P. F., Hoffmann, U., O’Donnell, C. J., Fox, C. S. (2010). Whole- and refined-grain intakes are differentially associated with abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in healthy adults: the Framingham Heart Study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92(5), 1165–1171. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.29106 Mozaffarian, D., Hao, T., Rimm, E. B., Willett, W. C., Hu, F. B. (2011). Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men. The New England Journal of Medicine, 364(25), 2392–2404. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1014296 O’Neil, C. E., Zanovec, M., Cho, S. S., Nicklas, T. A. (2010). Whole grain and fiber consumption are associated with lower body weight measures in US adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004. Nutrition Research (New York, N.Y.), 30(12), 815–822. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2010.10.013 Rose, G. (2008). Rose’s Strategy of Preventive Medicine. Oxford University Press. Stanford, D. D. (2012, March 13). Anti-Obesity Soda Tax Fails as Lobbyists Spend Millions: Retail. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-13/anti-obesity-soda-tax-fails-as-lobbyists-spend-millions-retail.html Uauy, R., Aro, A., Clarke, R., L’Abbà ©, M. R., Mozaffarian, D., Skeaff, C. M., †¦ Tavella, M. (2009). WHO Scientific Update on trans fatty acids: summary and conclusions. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, S68–S75. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2009.15 USDA. (2008) Chapter 6 Fats. In Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter6.htm. USDA. (2013). Food companies reduced trans fats in new products from 2005 to 2010. (2013.). Retrieved October 13, 2014, from http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/detail.aspx?chartId=40991#.VDwdDhbUKAc Van Camp, D., Hooker, N. H., Lin, C.-T. J. (2012). Changes in fat contents of US snack foods in response to mandatory trans fat labelling. Public Health Nutrition, 15(06), 1130–1137. doi:10.1017/S1368980012000079 Wansink, B., Hanks, A. S. (2014). Calorie reductions and within-meal calorie compensation in children’s meal combos. Obesity, 22(3), 630–632. doi:10.1002/oby.20668

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James 1:17- â€Å"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.† How would a person feel if someone took his or her life? Unborn babies have no say in this decision. They cannot choose life or death. It is understand that the mother has a choice to abort her baby, but the child cannot do anything about his or her life being taken away. Eighteen days after conception the baby has a heartbeat. Taking his or her life would essentially be murder. Abortion is wrong and should be abruptly halted not only in the United States but, throughout the whole world for several reasons. One reason why women should not have an abortion is related to human values. Women need to think about their unborn babies who are the one that is not responsible for this situation. The unborn baby should have the privilege to live and grow a normal life, and grow into a normal person. When you think about it the baby does not know why he or she is here. It is not necessary to kill a life; there are multiple oth...

Historical Context of Images for Your Virtual Art Gallery Tour Essay

Sleep was painted with oil in 51Ãâ€"78 cm. canvas in 1937 by Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech, or simply known as Salvador Dali, a famous Spanish surrealist painter and sculptor. He painted Sleep for his British millionaire patron, Edward James. Dali almost incorporated sleep into almost all his works because he was fascinated with the world of dreams. He interpreted the act of sleeping as monster supported by crutches. Cosmic Egg (2007) It was the image used in the painting titled â€Å"Sunrise by the Ocean† done by Vladimir Kush, a Russian-born surrealist painter and sculptor. The egg portrayed the sun and the beginning of life. As the egg broke open, the earth and the sky formed from its two halves. The yolk was the sun which was starting to take its form. Giclee was used in 21Ãâ€"24 inches canvas. The Persistence of Memory (1931). It was an oil on 24 x 33 cm canvas painting by Salvador Dali. The three melting pocket watches laid in hard surface illustrated confusion between softness and hardness, typifying Dali’s personality. Critics interpreted the painting as Dali’s self-portrait because Dali said that the painting was his hand-painted photograph of his dreams. The Division Bell (Cover). The two metal heads depicted in the cover of the 1994 album of Pink Floyd was the handiwork of sculptor John Robertson. These huge figures, each weighing at 1,500 kilograms and over 3 meters in height, were put in a Cambridge field. Ubu Imperator (1923). This oil on 81Ãâ€"65 cm canvas was painted by Marx Ernst. The image, a bizarre combination of the tip of a spinning top, the red huge body and human hands, symbolized authority in a ridiculous manner. Invasion of the Night (1941) This oil on 38Ãâ€"60 ? in. canvas painting by Roberto Matta using diffuse lights, floating rocks and bold lines in featureless and vast background indicated Matta’s fascination with the inner state of human consciousness. References: †¢ Clocking In With Salvador Dali: Salvador Dali’s Melting Watches. Retrieved March 17,2009 from http://www. vladimirkush. com/popup. php? id=159&category=Editions/Available+Limited+Edition+Prints †¢ Surrealist Art. Retrievede March 17, 2009 from http://www. centrepompidou. fr/education/ressources/ENS-surrealistart-EN/ENS-surrealistart-EN. html †¢ Tariff, Alfredo (April 11,2002) Matta Vision. The underrated Chilean gets a new image at MAM. Miami New Times Arts. Retrieved March 17, 2009 from http://www. miaminewtimes. com/2002-04-11/culture/matta-vision/

Retaining Top Performers During Change

According to Judith Ross, â€Å"coping with change is a permanent part of the manager’s job†. Since this is an established fact, one would expect that manager would strive at retaining the top performers – those that have been instrumental to the growth of the company before the period of change. However, it would be shocking to note that often times than not, these top performers are not retained. The question here is why do managers fail to retain these strategic employees?Generally, one thing that happens when there is a change in the organization, the leaders or managers are often â€Å"too busy† handling matters that concern the paper work. Thus, they rarely communicate the essential information these top performers who in turn make different interpretations to what they are seeing. In periods of change, the managers are under pressure and they seem to worry more on the structure rather than those employees that made the structure.Therefore, Top perfo rmers are left to navigate their way through the happenings in the company and because these set of employees are passionate about their careers; they are forced to look elsewhere because they see no future, assurance in the restructuring. Furthermore, when managers do not communicate effectively to their employees, especially those top performers, there are unintended consequences. From my experience from the paper, I discovered that in times of change, when managers do not communicate the specifics to their employees, they are forced to imagine the worst that can happen and decide on this.These consequences should be a source of concern to organizations because these top performers are the backbone of the organization. Personally, if I were the manager in my organization, whenever there is change, the first people I would do is to sell the change to my top performers. I would explain the why, the how, and the specifics. I would immediately involve them in the change. Reference: Ro ss, J. (2006). Retaining top performers during change. Harvard Business Review.