5 Common Misconceptions About Black Lives Matter

5 Common Misconceptions About Black Lives Matter Unpack the misconceptions that have been spread about the movement by separating fact from fiction about Black Lives Matter. All Lives Matter The top concern critics of Black Lives Matter say they have about the group (actually a collective of organizations with no governing body) is its name. Take Rudy Giuliani. â€Å"They sing rap songs about killing police officers and they talk about killing police officers and yell it out at their rallies,† he told CBS News on July 10. â€Å"And when you say black lives matter, that’s inherently racist. Black lives matter, white lives matter, Asian lives matter, Hispanic lives matter – that’s anti-American and it’s racist.† Racism is the belief that one group is inherently superior to another and the institutions that function as such. Black Lives Matter is not saying that all lives don’t matter or that other people’s lives aren’t as valuable as African Americans’ lives. It is arguing that because of systemic racism (dating back to the implementation of the Black Codes during Reconstruction) blacks disproportionately have deadly encounters with cops, and the public needs to care about the lives lost. During an appearance on â€Å"The Daily Show,† Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson called the focus on â€Å"all lives matter† a distraction technique. He likened it to someone criticizing a breast cancer rally for not focusing on colon cancer as well. â€Å"We’re not saying colon cancer doesn’t matter,† he said. â€Å"We’re not saying other lives don’t matter. What we are saying is there is something unique about the trauma that black people have experienced in this country, especially around policing, and we need to call that out.† Giuliani’s accusation that Black Lives Matter activists sing about killing the police is unfounded. He’s conflated rap groups from decades ago, such as Ice-T’s band Body Count of â€Å"Cop Killer† fame, with the black activists of today. Giuliani told CBS that, of course, black lives matter to him, but his remarks suggest he can’t be bothered to tell one group of blacks from another. Whether rappers, gang members or civil rights activists are the topic at hand, they’re all interchangeable because they’re black. This ideology is rooted in racism. While whites get to be individuals, blacks and other people of color are one and the same in a white supremacist framework. The accusation that Black Lives Matter is racist also overlooks the fact that people from a broad coalition of racial groups, including Asian Americans, Latinos and whites, are among its supporters. In addition, the group decries police violence, whether the officers involved are white or people of color. When Baltimore man Freddie Gray died in police custody in 2015, Black Lives Matter demanded justice, even though most of the officers involved were African Americans.   People of Color Aren’t Racially Profiled Detractors of the Black Lives Matter movement argue that police do not single out African Americans, ignoring mountains of research that indicate racial profiling is a significant concern in communities of color. These critics assert that police have a greater presence in black neighborhoods because black people commit more crimes. On the contrary, police disproportionately target blacks, which doesn’t mean African Americans break the law any more often than whites do. The New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program is a case in point. Several civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against the NYPD in 2012, alleging that the program was racially discriminatory. Eighty-seven percent of the individuals NYPD targeted for stops and frisks were young black and Latino men, a greater proportion than they made up of the population. Police even targeted blacks and Latinos for most of the stops in areas where people of color made up 14 percent or less of the population, indicating the authorities weren’t drawn to a particular neighborhood but to residents of a particular skin tone. Ninety percent of people NYPD stopped anywhere did nothing wrong. Although police were more likely to find weapons on whites than they were on people of color, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, that didn’t result in the authorities stepping up their random searches of whites. Racial disparities in policing can be found on the West Coast as well. In California, blacks comprise 6 percent of the population but 17 percent of people arrested and about a quarter of those who die in police custody, according to the OpenJustice data portal launched by Attorney General Kamala Harris in 2015. Collectively, the disproportionate amount of blacks stopped, arrested and who die in police custody explains why the Black Lives Matter movement exists and why the focus isn’t on all lives. Activists Don’t Care About Black-on-Black Crime Conservatives love to argue that African Americans only care when police kill blacks and not when blacks kill each other. For one, the idea of black-on-black crime is a fallacy. Just as blacks are more likely to be killed by fellow blacks, whites are more likely to be killed by other whites. That’s because people tend to be killed by those close to them or who live in their communities.    That said, African Americans, particularly pastors, reformed gang members and community activists, have long worked to end gang violence in their communities. In Chicago, the Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church has fought against gang violence and police killings alike. In 2012, former Blood member Shanduke McPhatter formed the New York nonprofit Gangsta Making Astronomical Community Changes. Even gangster rappers have taken part in the effort to stop gang violence, with members of N.W.A., Ice-T and several others teaming up in 1990 as the West Coast Rap All-Stars for the single â€Å"We’re All in the Same Gang.† The idea that blacks don’t care about gang violence in their communities is meritless, given that anti-gang efforts date back decades and the African Americans trying to stop such violence are too numerous to name. Pastor Bryan Loritts of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in California aptly explained to a Twitter user why gang violence and police brutality are received differently. â€Å"I expect criminals to act like criminals,† he said. â€Å"I dont expect those who are to protect us to kill us. Not the same.† Black  Lives Matter Inspired Dallas Police Shootings The most defamatory and irresponsible critique of Black Lives Matter is that it provoked Dallas shooter Micah Johnson to kill five police officers. â€Å"I do blame people on social media...for their hatred towards police,† Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick said. â€Å"I do blame former Black Lives Matter protests.† He added that law-abiding citizens with big mouths led to the killings. The month before, Patrick summed up the mass murder of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, Fla., as â€Å"reaping what you sow,† revealing himself to be a bigot, so it’s not entirely surprising that he would choose to use the Dallas tragedy to accuse Black Lives Matter as being accomplices of sorts to murder. But Patrick knew nothing about the killer, his mental health or anything else in his history that led him to commit such a heinous crime, and the politician willfully overlooked the fact that the killer acted alone and was not part of Black Lives Matter. Generations of African Americans have been angry about police killings and racism generally in the criminal justice system. Years before Black Lives Matter existed, police had a strained relationship with communities of color. The movement didn’t create this anger nor should it be blamed for the actions of one deeply troubled young man. Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it, Black Lives Matter said in a July 8 statement about the Dallas killings. â€Å"Yesterday’s attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman. To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible.† Police Shootings Are the Only Problem While police shootings are the focus of Black Lives Matter, deadly force isn’t the only issue adversely affecting African Americans. Racial discrimination infiltrates every facet of American life, including education, employment, housing and medicine in addition to the criminal justice system. While police killings are a grave concern, most blacks won’t die at the hands of a cop, but they may face barriers in a variety of sectors. Whether the topic at hand is the disproportionate amount of black youth suspended from school or black patients of all income levels receiving poorer medical care than their white counterparts, black lives matter in these instances as well. The focus on police killings may lead everyday Americans to think they’re not part of the nation’s race problem. The opposite is true. Police officers don’t exist in a vacuum. The implicit or explicit bias that reveals itself when they deal with black people stems from cultural norms that signal it’s okay to treat blacks as if they’re inferior. Black Lives Matter argues that African Americans are equal to everyone else in this country and institutions that don’t operate as such should be held accountable.

HIV AIDS essays

HIV AIDS essays HIV, the virus that causes Aids is one of the most devastating diseases in todays world. It is not a matter of national, religion, race, or sexual orientation. It is rather a fact of someone being exposed to the virus. No one wants to get HIV but if one has unprotected sex or uses a dirty needle then this person might be at risk, these are not the only ways to get the virus, but they are the most common. One can have HIV for many years and not know that one has it because symptoms will not show up. Journalists are debating this issue, should the government get involved and require everyone to be tested for the HIV virus. The Aids virus is a disease that cannot be cured at this time. Although billions of dollars have been spent for research, still know cure has been found. The closest medicine that scientist have discovered, is a defensive agent that stops the virus from spreading quickly into the organic system. It costs a great deal of money, and only very few people from the society can afford it. At this point still, many people believe that virus is a curse from heaven. There are many ways to catch the virus but one cannot catch it from touching or kissing. This virus is nothing like a cold or the flu, it is way more serous. This virus can and will kill you. One does not have to be at fault to catch the virus. If one is an unborn child and ones mother has this virus, there is a big possibility that one will be born with the virus. Million of people have this virus and they will soon die from it. The medicines only slow down the process it doesnt cure it. It is ones concern, if they are having unprotected sex, to be responsible and get tested. No one should force anyone to do so. This would raise some serious complications, such as violation of the human right, and individualism. Whenever the government gives something as a requirement th00.ere is no other alternatives. It becomes a must. The government s...

The True Meaning of 'Push' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The True Meaning of 'Push' - Essay Example ontext of the protagonist’s life, because it symbolically represents the fact that she has been left behind and needs to push her way forward to survive in the world. At the beginning of the story, Sapphire sets the stage by providing indications that the protagonist lags behind others. â€Å"I was left back when I was twelve because I had a baby for my fahver†¦ I had got left back in the second grade too, when I was seven, ‘cause I couldn’t read†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1). In fact, Precious is considered such a hopeless case as far as learning is concerned that the principal of the school tells her teacher to give up and stop wasting time on her. â€Å"Focus on the ones who can learn† (39). Precious herself articulates the predominant view that exists about her learning powers. â€Å"The tesses paint a picture of me wif no brain†¦ the tesses paint a picture of me an’ my muver – my whole family, we more than dumb, we invisible† (33). Because Precious has been left so far behind, it is not even worth the time or effort for anyone to help her so that she can move forward. In having to push when giving birth to her first baby, Precious is, for the first time, encouraged to be assertive and aggressive rather than passive, drawing upon her basic, primal, female energy in bringing forth life (Marvel, 1996). The title Push, therefore, represents the basic energy of the female protagonist, who at sixteen, cannot read or write, still hasn’t completed high school and is already about to give birth to her second child. Nevertheless, she does not give up or submit to despair; she is always ready to keep fighting, as reflected in her attitude: â€Å" ‘N I really do want to learn. Every day I tell myself something gonna happen, some shit like on TV. I’m gonna break through or somebody gonna break through to me – I’m gonna learn, catch up, be normal, change my seat to the front of the class† (5). When the story commences and Precious is suspended from school because she is

Will Nintendo Survive the Vastly Developing Video Game Industry in Research Paper

Will Nintendo Survive the Vastly Developing Video Game Industry in North America - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that in this age, the demands of the individual are changing just as the alterations within the economy. This is mainly due to the introduction of varied types of inventive technologies, techniques, and models. Due to which, the demand and preferences of the customers are also changing at a rapid pace that enhances the rate of switchovers. However, in order to retain the customers within the brands, varied types of value-added games are introduced by the game console organizations at a quite competitive price. Therefore, due to the presence of numerous rival players, the rate of competitiveness is increasing at a rapid speed thereby enhancing its image and position to a significant extent among others. Nintendo is one of the reputed and largest, Japanese multinational organization attaining a profit margin of  ¥7.2 billion and total assets of  ¥1.4 trillion in the financial year of 2013. Within a very small time span, it expanded its wi ngs in the entire globe that amplified its sustainability. Bargaining power of the buyers: the bargaining power of the buyers is extremely high. This is mainly due to the presence of numerous rival payers in the market of North America. As a result of which, the customers always desire to attain most advanced and modernized games at a quite low cost. However, in order to fulfill the inner desire of the customers, the organizations operating in the segment of video games or game console tries to offer value-added games at a competitive cost. So, the customers stick to the segment of video games in-spite of economic recession. Bargaining power of the suppliers: the bargaining power of the suppliers is moderate. This is mainly because; Nintendo sorted or selected its suppliers by itself and so the suppliers desired to retain its value within this strong brand as compared to others. Therefore, in order to maintain the competitiveness, the suppliers always tried to offer varied types of modern and advanced software’s and technologies at a quite low cost to these reputed brands such Nintendo, Sony etc. Competitive rivalry: due to the presence of numerous rival players in the market of North America such as Sony, Microsoft etc, the rate of competition is extremely high. As the customers of the game console or video game market always prefer modern technologies to the maximum extent of the organizations, such as Sony, Microsoft etc try to introduce varied types of products at a quite low cost.

Bananas - description Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bananas - description - Research Paper Example Conclusion Thesis Statement Various varieties of bananas exist in different parts of the world offering nutritional value at an affordable price. Bananas are fruits available throughout the year in tropical countries, and they come in different varieties, shapes, and colors. Bananas grow from a rhizome, stretch through a thick stem and develop flowers (â€Å"banana†). The varieties of use make banana one of the most valued crops in the world. The fruit’s nutritional value and relatively low price make it an attractive export product for countries in Southeast Asia, South America, and East Africa (Morton 37). This essay describes the taxonomy, characteristics, varieties, and food uses of bananas. In addition, the essay will give comparison and contrasts of â€Å"bananas are good for health†, versus â€Å"bananas are bad for health.† Taxonomy Bananas come from the genus Musa of the family â€Å"Musaceae† (â€Å"banana†), and the seedless, edibl e ones come from the â€Å"species M. acuminata Colla or the hybrid M. X paradisiaca L.† (Morton 30). The different species of banana provide a clue to the fruit’s geographical origins, usually found in countries with tropical climates like Brazil, India, and Indonesia. Having various hybrids further expands the fruit’s varieties and ensures continuous cultivation and propagation. Varieties The classification of bananas occurs into two principal groups namely Sucrier and Gros Michel. The Cavendish subgroup includes the Giant Cavendish, the Dwarf Cavendish, and Bungulan (Morton 35). Predominantly found in Colombia, the Philippines, and Burma, bananas from the Sucrier group are small in size, sweet, with thin skin (Morton 35). Bananas from the Sucrier group are readily consumable due to their size and taste; people use them in dessert recipes. The Gros Michel group produces bananas that are larger than the ones in the Sucrier group, are yellow in color, and usuall y found in South America, Central Africa, and the Caribbean (Morton 36). The Cavendish subgroup includes the Giant and Dwarf Cavendish, and the Bungulan (Morton37). Medium-sized, thin-skinned, and delicate, the Dwarf Cavendish, grows in China, East Africa, and South Africa. The Giant Cavendish is larger than the Dwarf Cavendish and closely resembles the Gros Michel (Morton 37). Ripening unevenly during the winter and prone to quick spoilage, Jamaicans mostly use the Bungulan for cooking. (Morton 38). Food uses The uses of bananas for food are as diverse as the available varieties and hybrids. A banana may be eaten when raw, peeled, sliced, or mixed with other fruits. Biting the soft, starchy flesh of a banana results in bursts of sweetness or undertones of tanginess. When added in dessert recipes, a banana’s flavor and mushy texture harmonize with the more crunchy and soft ingredients. Broiled or baked, ripe bananas can be served with peanuts and brown sugar (Morton 41). Fina lly, to preserve a banana, it can be boiled and immersed in a syrup mixture or fried in canola oil and served like potato chips. Nutritional Value In addition to the various food uses of the banana, this fruit possesses â€Å"high nutritional value† (â€Å"Banana†). As a healthy fruit, banana occupies a significant place in the food level pyramid. Regardless of the manner of consuming a banana, the flavorful, sweet, and starchy fruit is â€Å"full of vitamins† (â€Å"banana†). Low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium, raw bananas are an abundant source of potassium, fiber, and Vitamin B6 (Morton 43). Long, short,

Role of 5-Methylcytosine Oxidation in Mammalian Development

Role of 5-Methylcytosine Oxidation in Mammalian Development Iram Ali 5-methylcytosine (5mc) is the methylated form of DNA at the 5-position of the DNA base cytosine found in mammals. Its significance is in epigenetic modification, which demonstrates an important role in development and genome regulation. Furthermore the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine in Tet catalyzed reactions has been suggested to play an vital role in the regulation of transcription and gene expression, and DNA de-methylation (Wu and Zhang, 2011). There has been a considerable amount of research into 5-methylcytosine oxidation; clearly indicating that 5-methylcytosine oxidation in the genome has an effect on mammalian development due to its contribution to normal mammalian development as well as being associated with disease. This is a review of recent research in the key roles of 5-methylcytosine oxidation products in the development of mammals. As described by Liu et al., (2013) the addition of a methyl group during DNA methylation in mammals occurs at the position of 5th carbon of cytosine residues primarily at CpG dinucleotide regions. Methylation of DNA plays a role in repressing gene expression including repressing transposable elements (TEs) (Ito et el., 2011). This process of methylation is first established during embryonic development in embryogenesis and then retained during cell division due to the presence of various de novo DNA methyltransferases (DNMT). Research shows the significance of cytosine methylation in mammalian development as it was observed that mice that lack DNA methyltransferases will die at the age of 4 weeks (Liu et al., 2013). 5-methylcytosine is a crucial epigenetic marker, as methylation of cytosine in DNA has a main role in gene expression due to methylated genes in the DNA being able to express differently even though the DNA sequence remains the same. It has also been recognised that CpGs can be methylated in various areas of the genome due to differences in cell type and in points of development (Xu et al., 2013). Recent studies within the past have suggested that aberrance in DNA methylation pattern can cause the process to become deficient through either passive or active mechanisms. Passive cytosine DNA demethylation refers to removal of DNMT1 activity during cell division. Active cytosine DNA demethylation refers to the 5-methylcytosine being converted to cytosine due to the removal of a methyl group, which is independent of DNA replication. These mechanisms of DNA demethylation are associated with defects in development (Liu et al., 2013). A series of enzymatic oxidation reactions in the genome using ten-eleven translocation 1-3 proteins, also known as TET dioxygenases, allow 5-methylcytosine to produce 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5HmC), 5-formylcytosine (5FoC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5CaC). The Tet-catalysed process relies on iron and alpha-ketoglutarate dependent oxidation. This sequence of oxidation reactions is said to be linked to active mammalian cytosine demethylation (Ito et al., 2011). DNA demethylation can be categorised as either global referring to genome wide, or locus specific referring to just certain sequences being methylated. In mammals, genome wide DNA de-methylation is said to occur in mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) in embryos as early as E8.5-E11.5 days (Schomacher 2011). During early embryogenesis it has been suggested that removal followed by re-establishment of cytosine methylation occurs in a process of major reprogramming. Due to the ten-eleven translocation proteins having the ability to convert 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, there is a possibility that 5-hydroxymethylcytosine may work in an epigenetic manner and may contribute to dynamic alterations in the regulation of transcription and in DNA methylation during embryogenesis. Research shows that embryonic stem cells express high levels of the Tet dioxygenases Tet1, and reasonably high levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine compared to many differential cells. The large distribution of Tet1 and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine throughout the embryonic stem cells of the mouse genome, demonstrate the role of Tet proteins and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in regulating gene expression associated with cellular differentiation and pluripotency (Wu and Zhang, 2011)2. The occurrence of oxidation of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in DNA to 5-carboxylcytosine, and subsequent thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) excision of 5-carboxycytosine is said to establish a route for active DNA demethylation. Moreover study into TDG reduction in mouse embryonic stem cells has been found to cause an evident build-up of 5-carboxylcytosine. Research showed that 5-carboxylcytosine was absent in the embryonic stem cells and neurons of mice who presented high levels of Tet dioxygenases. However 5-carboxylcytosine was seen to be chemically stable and did not freely decarboxylate to cytosine, implying that in genomic DNA, 5-carboxylcytosine may be actively removed directly after being generated in cells (He et al., 2011). Furthermore, it is suggested that oxidation products 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine can partake in the base excision repair (BER) mechanism. This allows 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine to be excised followed by being repaired leading to regeneration as unmodified cytosines by thymine DNA glycosylase. Research, using genome wide distribution maps, into TDG deficient embryonic stem cells, found that reduction of TDG in mouse embryonic stem cells caused noticeable build-up of 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine in genes. Therefore, these results imply that active DNA demethylation is TDG dependent and occurs widely in the mammalian genome (Shen et el., 2013). Additionally, in order to determine if oxidation of 5-methylcytosine to 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine occurs in the zygote in vivo, research was conducted in which antibodies were produced specific for 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine. An immuno-staining technique determined that the depletion of 5-methylcytosine in the mouse paternal pronucleus is concomitant with the presence of 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine. It was notably significant that rather than being instantly removed, both oxidation products displayed dilution which was replication-dependent during preimplantation development in mice. (Inoue et al., 2011) It is well recognised that 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is associated with mammalian development, as studies show the importance of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine activity in both passive and active DNA demethylation, during phases of reprogramming in development. It has also been found that brain tissue has copious amount of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine suggesting that the mammalian brain relies on 5-hydroxymethylcytosine for development. Recently, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine has also been associated with a potential role in cancer as current research has suggested that the levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are considerably reduced in tumour cells. In addition it has been proposed that mutations in the Tet2 protein can cause lack of function which may also be implicated in tumour suppression (Pfeifer et al., 2013). In conclusion, modified versions of cytosine due to oxidation by Tet proteins, are important in the roles of DNA demethylation and reprogramming of stem cells. Hence, future additional research into the function of Tet proteins and further advanced stem cell research could benefit by acquiring more knowledge into alterations in DNA methylation. This will greatly develop understanding of epigenetic regulation in normal mammalian development and disease. References Wu, H. and Zhang, Y. (2011) Mechanisms and functions of Tet protein-mediated 5-methylcytosine oxidation Genes Dev, 25 (23), pp. 2436-2452 Liu, S., Wang, J., Su, Y., Guerrero, C., Zeng, Y., Mitra, D., Brooks, P. J., Fisher, D. E., Song, H. and Wang, Y. (2013) Quantitative assessment of Tet-induced oxidation products of 5-methylcytosine in cellular and tissue DNA Nucleic acids research, 41 (13), pp. 6421-6429 Ito, S., Shen, L., Dai, Q., Wu, S. C., Collins, L. B., Swenberg, J. A., He, C. and Zhang, Y. (2011) Tet proteins can convert 5-methylcytosine to 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine Science, 333 (6047), pp. 1300-1303 Xu, Y., Wu, F., Tan, L., Kong, L., Xiong, L., Deng, J., Barbera, A. J., Zheng, L., Zhang, H., Huang, S. and Others. (2011) Genome-wide regulation of 5hmC, 5mC, and gene expression by Tet1 hydroxylase in mouse embryonic stem cells Molecular cell, 42 (4), pp. 451-464 Schomacher, L. (2013) Mammalian DNA demethylation Epigenetics, 8 (7), pp. 679-684 Wu, H. and Zhang, Y. (2011) Tet1 and 5-hydroxymethylation Cell Cycle, 10 (15), pp. 2428-2436 He, Y., Li, B., Li, Z., Liu, P., Wang, Y., Tang, Q., Ding, J., Jia, Y., Chen, Z., Li, L. and Others. (2011) Tet-mediated formation of 5-carboxylcytosine and its excision by TDG in mammalian DNA Science, 333 (6047), pp. 1303-1307 Shen, L., Wu, H., Diep, D., Yamaguchi, S., D’Alessio, A. C., Fung, H., Zhang, K. and Zhang, Y. (2013) Genome-wide analysis reveals TET-and TDG-dependent 5-methylcytosine oxidation dynamics Cell, 153 (3), pp. 692-706 Inoue, A., Shen, L., Dai, Q., He, C. and Zhang, Y. (2011) Generation and replication-dependent dilution of 5fC and 5caC during mouse preimplantation development Cell research, 21 (12), pp. 1670-1676 Pfeifer, G. P., Kadam, S. and Jin, S. (2013) 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and its potential roles in development and cancer Epigenetics Chromatin, 6 (10), pp. 1-9.

Malnutrition of African Students :: Poverty Starvation Africa Essays

Malnutrition of African Students In this paper, I shall discuss the effects of malnutrition of children in Africa and the effect it has on their school performance. I will also examine what has been done to improve the problem of starvation and the long road ahead to solve this issue. I believe this problem is very serious and should not be over looked by other countries. So many children wake up hungry and go to bed famished in Africa. Their days are hard to get through and the idea of going to school and having to concentrate is almost an impossible task. Many children have no energy and lose the ambition to get an education. An example I found while researching was of a young girl named Kede Fatuma, who is a starving child living in Ethiopia who once took pride in her education and her great ability as a runner. â€Å"These days, however, food is scarce in Dere Kiltu. Kede, 10, has neither the time nor the strength to keep up with her running. In fact, she no longer goes to school at all. Instead, she uses her limited energy to help her family collect water, an effort that involves a two-hour walk to the nearest stream (www.washingtonpost.com).† This is an example that is sadly true of many children living in Africa. In recent studies, they have shown that those children who eat a healthy breakfast to start off their day are proven to have higher test scores, stay alert through out the school day, are able to concentrate, and are more likely to attend school. So as a result of having a balanced diet, children are able to retain more information and learn more in the end. In the subjects of math and science which involve a lot of concentration, Africa was shown to have very low scores as compared to other countries that are not stricken by hunger and poverty. In a study done on one school in Zimbabwe, they found that many of the students in the class were continuously falling asleep. The reason they found for this was exhaustion caused by lack of food. The majority of the children only receive one meal a day. Other poorer children beg their neighbors for food and often receive only a small portion of cornmeal. Hunger affects many parts of Africa and it is a growing problem that is the cause of many deaths each year. Malnutrition of African Students :: Poverty Starvation Africa Essays Malnutrition of African Students In this paper, I shall discuss the effects of malnutrition of children in Africa and the effect it has on their school performance. I will also examine what has been done to improve the problem of starvation and the long road ahead to solve this issue. I believe this problem is very serious and should not be over looked by other countries. So many children wake up hungry and go to bed famished in Africa. Their days are hard to get through and the idea of going to school and having to concentrate is almost an impossible task. Many children have no energy and lose the ambition to get an education. An example I found while researching was of a young girl named Kede Fatuma, who is a starving child living in Ethiopia who once took pride in her education and her great ability as a runner. â€Å"These days, however, food is scarce in Dere Kiltu. Kede, 10, has neither the time nor the strength to keep up with her running. In fact, she no longer goes to school at all. Instead, she uses her limited energy to help her family collect water, an effort that involves a two-hour walk to the nearest stream (www.washingtonpost.com).† This is an example that is sadly true of many children living in Africa. In recent studies, they have shown that those children who eat a healthy breakfast to start off their day are proven to have higher test scores, stay alert through out the school day, are able to concentrate, and are more likely to attend school. So as a result of having a balanced diet, children are able to retain more information and learn more in the end. In the subjects of math and science which involve a lot of concentration, Africa was shown to have very low scores as compared to other countries that are not stricken by hunger and poverty. In a study done on one school in Zimbabwe, they found that many of the students in the class were continuously falling asleep. The reason they found for this was exhaustion caused by lack of food. The majority of the children only receive one meal a day. Other poorer children beg their neighbors for food and often receive only a small portion of cornmeal. Hunger affects many parts of Africa and it is a growing problem that is the cause of many deaths each year.

An Argument Against Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve

An Argument against Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve By: James Andrew Whitten Government Economics Heath Vincent March 5, 2013 America’s rank as the world’s leading superpower gives the nation unsurpassed clout throughout the rest of the world, but as the old saying goes â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility. † Many other nations not only rely on America’s economy for their own country’s survival, but they also look up to America with a hopeful sense for the future.The founding fathers of this great nation had excellent insight into the authority that America would one day possess, and thus they attempted to set many precedents that would lead the way for the nations that would choose to follow America’s example. Still today, every move that the American nation makes is carefully scrutinized by the other nations of the world. So, it is crucial that the United States ensure that as it moves forward, it does so with a noble and future oriented perception of its goals.Thus, drilling for oil in the Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve would be a colossal mistake for the United States, because drilling would be detrimental to the pristine indigenous environment, it would have little or no beneficial impact on the American or Global economy, and would poorly exemplify the ambitions that America should have. For the past century, the global dependency on oil has progressively increased each and every year. Now, the world’s need for a steady oil supply is at an all-time high, but oil supplies are slowly dwindling day by day.Oil prices have sky rocketed, the environment has been irreversibly damaged, and it is evident that this rate of oil consumption is completely unsustainable. So should America not be avidly searching for new sustainable alternatives to oil, rather than attempting to destroy land set aside for the very purpose of protecting it against such damaging procedures as oil drilling? The Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) is one of the many wildlife preservation efforts that great men in America’s past developed in order to preserve both the natural beauty of this great land, and the natural environment and its resources.Humans are one of the few species that contribute nearly nothing to ecosystem in which they live, yet they devour gargantuan amounts of the resources around them. Gasoline is an excellent example of this. Americans are consistently obliterating the ozone layer through their emission of toxic pollutants from the gas they use every day in their cars. Yet, rather than address the unmaintainable way of living they have adopted by attempting to lower their consumption, they just expect more gas.The American government should not allow this mindset to continue, and should aid its people in having a better understanding of their effect on the environment. This same greed carries directly over into the economic side of this situation too. R ather than accepting that ANWR only has enough oil resources to last for six months if the nation were to rely solely on it, and that the oil drilled would at the very most impact the oil price by three percent, Americans fool themselves into believing that ANWR can offer economic salvation.The American people would like to believe that this oil will release the country from its unhealthy dependence on foreign oil, but the fact is there is nowhere near enough oil there to have any such affect. And, the only people who will find true economic gain from the oil will be the oil companies. Instead of being blinded by greed, America should fix the real problem, the inflated consumption of oil by the American people. Finally, as previously stated, many nations admirably look up to America’s great influence in hope of a better future for their own nation.America should utilize this power to ensure that other nations also follow in a direction that will lead the world to a future tha t this current generation can take pride in. Drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Preserve would have the exact opposite effect. By drilling in ANWR, America would be making a statement that it is perfectly acceptable to further destroy the world’s unstable environment all for the sake of greed. It would set a pattern that said no matter the circumstances of the area, no matter that it is a safe haven for animal breeding, and no matter that the people of the world need o truly reflect on the rate of their oil consumption, it is acceptable to drill anywhere that oil is found. Would the American people have been so ready to drill if the refinery were going to be in Yellowstone and the magnificent Sequoias would have to be demolished? No, it would be an abomination to even consider, and so the same mentality should be set for ANWR. Americans have always taken an abundant pride in their country. The founding fathers of the mighty nation developed a country that is far beyond what anyone could have imagined two-hundred years ago.However, they too realized that all resources are not infinite and that there is great need to protect certain pieces of land for the sake of the future. Thus, they developed national wildlife reserves in the hope of setting aside land specifically for the purpose of preservation. The American nation needs to remember this, and maintain the ideals of those who came before them by looking to the future, not just the present. ANWR is meant for conservation, not more devastation.

6 Reasons Youre Having Problems Concentrating

6 Reasons You're Having Problems Concentrating There are many reasons why your mind might wander. Some of the most common factors are non-medical and can be treated by making small changes in your routine. 1. Fatigue Fatigue from sleep deprivation is the most common cause of an inability to concentrate on one topic for a long time. Many studies have shown that people are not getting enough sleep, and sleep deprivation have serious physical, emotional, and cognitive effects. The first step in attempting to solve your concentration problem is finding a way to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. This isnt easy to do. We have busy lives and develop habits that make it difficult to get to sleep early enough. However, if you have a severe concentration problem, you may need to make some sacrifices to find a solution. Try getting plenty of sleep and see if you get results. 2. Anxiety Anxiety can cause the inability to concentrate too. Are you worried about something? If so, you might need to isolate your source of anxiety and confront it head-on. We deal with many pressures from our peers, and this social force can become quite damaging in extremes. Are you dealing with pressure? If so, it may be time to change your life to eliminate some of the stressors. Is your schedule too heavy? Are you involved in a toxic friendship? Is something else bothering you? If you are dealing with some pressure that might lead you down a dangerous path, it might be time to get a second opinion from someone. You can talk to a parent, a doctor, a guidance counselor, a co-worker, or a teacher. Depending on the situation, your emergency contact might be different. Find people you trust and let them know that youre dealing with anxiety and would like some support. 3. Excitement Excitement is related to anxiety, but a little more fun! There are lots of things that come along from time to time that grab our attention and make us daydream. This can be a big problem when weve got to pay attention to something! Make the conscious decision to set aside your daydreams until after class. 4. Love A big distraction is a physical attraction or being in  love. Are you having a difficult time concentrating because you cant get someone out of your head? If so, you need to find a way to discipline yourself. It is sometimes helpful to establish healthy routines in your habits by setting up parameters both inside and outside your head. Outwardly, you can establish a physical space and a concentration time. Inwardly, you can set rules about thoughts that are and are not permissible during concentration time. 5. Diet and Caffeine Your diet and, for those who drink coffee, consumption of caffeine, are other potential problems when it comes to concentration. Your body is just like a machine in some ways. Just like an automobile, a body needs clean fuel to keep it running well. Different people are affected in different ways from foods and chemicals-and sometimes those effects can be unexpected. For example, it may surprise you to know that some studies have linked low-fat diet with symptoms of depression! And depression can affect your concentration. Caffeine is another potential trouble-maker when it comes to diet and moods. Caffeine consumption can cause insomnia, headaches, dizziness, and nervousness. These symptoms are sure to affect your concentration. 6. Boredom Boredom is another big culprit when it comes to staying focused on your studies. Boredom stems from doing something that lacks meaning and motivation. What can you do? Every time you prepare to enter a study environment, take a moment for a reality check. What do you need to accomplish? Why? Concentrate on a goal for the next hour and think of a way to reward yourself for reaching that goal.

T4A(OAS) Tax Slips for Canadian Income Tax Returns

T4A(OAS) Tax Slips for Canadian Income Tax Returns A Canadian T4A(OAS) tax slip, or Statement of Old Age Security, is issued by Service Canada to tell you and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) how much old age security income you received during a tax year and the amount of income tax that was deducted. Deadline for T4A(OAS) Tax Slips T4A(OAS) tax slips must be issued by the last day of February the year after the calendar year to which the T4A(OAS) tax slips apply. Sample T4A(OAS) Tax Slip This sample T4A(OAS) tax slip from the CRA site shows what a T4A(OAS) tax slip looks like. For more information on what is included in each box on the T4A(OAS) tax slip and how to deal with it when filing your income tax return, click on the box number in the pull-down menu  above the sample T4A(OAS) tax slip. Filing T4A(OAS) Tax Slips With Your Income Tax Return When you file a paper income tax return, include copies of each of the T4A(OAS) tax slips you receive. If you file your income tax return using NETFILE or EFILE, keep copies of your T4A(OAS) tax slips with your records for six years in case the CRA asks to see them. Missing T4A(OAS) Tax Slips If you do not receive your T4A(OAS) tax slip, contact Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 during regular business hours. You will be asked for your Social Insurance Number. Even if you havent received your T4A(OAS) tax slip, file your income tax return by the deadline anyway to avoid penalties for filing your income taxes late. Calculate your OAS income and any related deductions and credits you can claim as closely as you can using any information you have. Include a note saying what you have done to get a copy of the missing T4A(OAS) tax slip. Include copies of any statements and information you used in calculating the income and deductions for the missing T4A(OAS) tax slip. Viewing and Printing T4(OAS) Tax Slips Online If you wish to view and print your T4(OAS) tax slips online, you can make arrangements through the My Service Canada Account. For detailed information, see the following Service Canada pages: Get Your Tax Information Slips Online, andTax Information Slips in My Service Canada Account. Other T4 Tax Information Slips Other T4 tax information slips include: T4- Statement of Remuneration PaidT4A- Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other IncomeT4A(P)- Statement of Canada Pension Plan BenefitsT4E- Statement of Employment Insurance and Other BenefitsT4RIF- Statement of Income From a Registered Retirement Income FundT4RSP- Statement of RRSP Income

Discuss the impact of marketing strategy on profits in two businesses Essay - 1

Discuss the impact of marketing strategy on profits in two businesses of your choice - Essay Example Kotler (2011) suggests that a company prepares its marketing strategy by dividing the larger market into different segments and positioning itself in one target market. J Sainsbury and Tesco plc are retail companies based in Europe. They have developed almost a similar marketing strategy by focusing on the mid-market segment and using the marketing mix to position themselves in order to meet the needs of their customers. Since marketing strategies enable management to achieve organisational objectives, and one of the main organisational objectives of Tesco and J Sainsbury is to make profits, it is evidently plausible to argue that the marketing strategies of the two companies enable them to increase their profits. Achieving organisational objectives requires a business to satisfy its customers’ needs, wants and demands (Jobber, 2010). This is exactly what marketing strategy in Tesco plc and J Sainsbury is all about. Tesco plc has customer focused marketing strategy implied by its mission and vision statements, as well as its dealings with customers in and out of their stores. One of Tesco’s missions is to provide customers with the best marketing trip. This simply means to satisfy customers with quality and variety of products, effective customer service, sustainable shopping environment, product price and availability of products. The company employs many employees to serve customers in order to improve the quality of service. This customer experience improves customer satisfaction and as a result increasing sales in the company. This leads to overall increase in profitability of the company. Other marketing strategies of Tesco include refreshing its stores for customers and staff, online marketing, international expansion, market development, and helping communities (Tesco, 2012). In terms of online marketing, Tesco has developed online transaction services which serve to improve the sales and consequentially the profitability of

Understanding the Economic Impact prior to Wells Fargo Foreclosures Essay

Understanding the Economic Impact prior to Wells Fargo Foreclosures - Essay Example As a result of the crisis, many institutions, including those that are not directly involved in lending collapsed while others merged to stabilize amidst the crisisIn 2007, United States was hit by financial crisis, which emanated from a crisis in the subprime real estate loans (commonly called subprime crisis). One of the financial institutions involved in mortgage lending that stood the crisis is Wells Fargo & company, although its rating dropped since 2007, in the light of the financial crisis. In response to the crisis, Wells Fargo & company and other companies increased foreclosure filings by 2008 to the highest record in historical. This paper provides an overview of the subprime lending industry and state the economy in Wisconsin just prior to subprime crisis and the Wells Fargo Foreclosures. Discussion Prior to 1980s, people in Wisconsin, US, had only two choices for obtaining a mortgage. According to Knapp (2010), one could obtain a home loan insured by either the Department of Veteran affairs or by the Federal Housing administration. Borrowers with good credits histories would typically obtain new loans from a bank, saving and loan or any other financial institution. Knapp (2010) elaborates that obtaining mortgage loans became much easier with the deregulation of the lending industries in the beginning of 1980. For instance, the monetary control act and the deregulation of the Depository institutions in 1980 removed the restrictions that imposed a ceiling on the interest rates charged on mortgage loans. One remarkable impact of the deregulation is that it led to the introduction of new mortgage loans, which included ‘adjustable rate mortgages that were particularly favorable to mortgage borrowers who had their credit profiles impaired. However, according to Knapp (2010), these events did not lead to an explosive growth in the mortgage industry until the securitization of mortgage loans in the late 1990s. The securitization option encouraged the majority of the existing mortgage lenders to adopt a new business model which Knapp (2010) refers to as â€Å"originate to distribute† business model. This new model required that the credit risk posed by the mortgages loans was not exclusively to be absorbed by the lending institutions. Rather, it was to be shared with other investors in the world who purchased the Mortgage-backed securities. Knapp (2010) further argues that by 2006, approximately one-fourth of all new mortgage loans in United States were made to subprime borrowers while the other ratio was securitized and sold to investors in the United States and around the world. The increased demand for high-yield mortgage-backed securities among investors, including institutions such as hedge funds institutions and large banks, led the lenders to ratchet up their marketing efforts. They then came up with new products, which were designed specifically for the sector of the mortgage market in order to persuade individuals who were deemed to be of high credit risks to obtain mortgage loans. Among the most popular of these products were the stated-income† and the â€Å"interest-only† mortgages. The stated-income loan required an applicant to simply report his or her annual income during the application process of the loan (Knapp, 2010). The lender depended on the applicant’s self reported income in the determination of the size of loan that one could afford. According to Knapp (2010), many applicants for the Stated-income loans grossly overstated their annual income so that they could purchase a larger home than was economically feasible given their actual incomes. An individual who obtained the Interest-only mortgage loan was required to pay interests on his