Definition and Examples of Meaning in Linguistics

In semantics and pragmatics, meaning is the message conveyed by words, sentences, and symbols in a context. Also called  lexical meaning or semantic meaning. In The Evolution of Language (2010), W. Tecumseh Fitch points out that semantics is the branch of language study that consistently rubs shoulders with philosophy. This is because the study of meaning raises a host of deep problems that are the traditional stomping grounds for philosophers. Here are more examples of meaning from other writers on the subject: Word Meanings Word meanings are like stretchy pullovers, whose outline contour is visible, but whose detailed shape varies with use: The proper meaning of a word . . . is never something upon which the word sits like a gull on a stone; it is something over which the word hovers like a gull over a ships stern, noted one literary critic.(Jean Aitchison, The Language Web: The Power and Problem of Words. Cambridge University Press, 1997) Meaning in Sentences It may justly be urged that, properly speaking, what alone has meaning is a sentence. Of course, we can speak quite properly of, for example, looking up the meaning of a word in a dictionary. Nevertheless, it appears that the sense in which a word or phrase has a meaning is derivative from the sense in which a sentence has a meaning: to say a word or phrase has a meaning is to say that there are sentences in which it occurs which have meanings; and to know the meaning which the word or phrase has, is to know the meanings of sentences in which it occurs. All the dictionary can do when we look up the meaning of a word is to suggest aids to the understanding of sentences in which it occurs. Hence it appears correct to say that what has meaning in the primary sense is the sentence. (John L. Austin, The Meaning of a Word. Philosophical Papers, 3rd ed., edited by J. O. Urmson and G. J. Warnock. Oxford University Press, 1990) Different Kinds of Meaning for Different Kinds of Words There cant be a single answer to the question Are meanings in the world or in the head? because the division of labor between sense and reference is very different for different kinds of words. With a word like this or that, the sense by itself is useless in picking out the referent; it all depends on what is in the environs at the time and place that a person utters it. . . . Linguists call them deictic terms . . .. Other examples are here, there, you, me, now, and then. At the other extreme are words that refer to whatever we say they mean when we stipulate their meanings in a system of rules. At least in theory, you dont have to go out into the world with your eyes peeled to know what a touchdown is, or a member of parliament, or a dollar, or an American citizen, or GO in Monopoly, because their meaning is laid down exactly by the rules and regulations of a game or system. These are sometimes called nominal kinds--kinds of things that are picked out only by how we decide to name t hem. (Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought. Viking, 2007) Two Types of Meaning: Semantic and Pragmatic It has been generally assumed that we have to understand two types of meaning to understand what the speaker means by uttering a sentence. . . . A sentence expresses a more or less complete propositional content, which is semantic meaning, and extra pragmatic meaning comes from a particular context in which the sentence is uttered. (Etsuko Oishi, Semantic Meaning and Four Types of Speech Act. Perspectives on Dialogue in the New Millennium, ed. P. Kà ¼hnlein et al. John Benjamins, 2003) Pronunciation: ME-ning Etymology From the Old English, to tell of

Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close By Jonathan Safran Foer

3 Parallel Events: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close The book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close contains many aspects of the real-life hardships of 9/11 and the Holocaust, as well as the mystery of the Sixth Borough of New York. These events help create a better understanding of life under the influence of conflict and the choices characters are forced to make as a result of the conflict. Jonathan Safran Foer s novel focuses on a boy named Oskar who loses his father in the destruction of the Twin Towers, his mute grandfather s grief, and the stories of the Sixth Borough his father told him. The history told in this novel comes from multiple generations, which helps create a greater range of understanding grief. The novel interprets†¦show more content†¦Foer explains the mystery of the borough through Mr. Schell s storytelling: But even though most people will say they have no time for or reason to believe in the Sixth Borough, and don’t believe in the Sixth Borough, they will still use the word ‘believe’à ¢â‚¬  (217). After the death of his father, Oskar never forgot the Sixth Borough as he searched for clues of the existence of the Sixth Borough all around New York City. The Holocaust was a traumatic event in the 1900s, and it had major consequences on Oskar’s Grandfather. Both of Oskar’s grandparents lived through the upheaval of World War 2, but his grandfather s beloved, Anna, did not. Traumatized by the event, his grandfather turned mute as he could no longer speak of things that reminded him of Anna, who died in the Bombing of Dresden. Foer translates Thomas Schell Sr. s thoughts, â€Å"I haven’t always been silent, I used to talk and talk and talk and talk, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, the silence overtook me like a cancer† (16). The Bombing of Dresden was only a small part of the holocaust, but impacted the Schell s lives forever. Loss Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close centers on a young boy and his ways of dealing with the loss of his relationship with his mother and the determination he once had to decode his father s messages. At a very young age, Oskar Schell lost his father, and this led to theShow MoreRelatedExtremely Loud And Incredibly Close By Jonathan Safran Foer1118 Words   |  5 Pagesstruggles, but they are continuous in nature. They do not clearly start or begin but merely cycle through. The human experience is a shared experience that is ongoing despite the man-made structure and boundary of time. 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Oskar is in the denial stage of grief because he is keeping his father alive by going on one last grand adventure to find the story behind the key, thus keeping him alive. But of course, there is no reason for Oskar to have the key. Oskar tells Mr. Black, â€Å"There are so many ways to die, and I just need to know which one was his† (Foer, 257). Notice how hisRead MoreExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer Essay961 Words   |  4 PagesWeird. If the relationship between the characters of Grandpa and Grandma could be described in one word, it would be weird. Then again, Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a shining example of everything unconventional, exploring the nuances of grief through multiple and varying perspectives, each with a unique approach that attempts to achieve recovery and solace. The relationship of Grandpa and Grandma is an example of one such attempt at recovery, one that triesRead MoreDeath Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare And Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close By Jonathan Safran Foer2049 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout the two novel of â€Å" Hamlet† by William Shakespeare and â€Å" Extremely loud and incredibly close† by Jonathan Safran Foer, the two protagonists are demonstrated to have similar circumstances and as the way they get through their journey. In addition, both of the books use the theme of death, loss and forgiveness to develop their characters. Many famous experts claim that death is one of the primary themes of Hamlet. During the act, Ophelia is drowned and buried along side with PoloniusRead MoreExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close792 Words   |  4 Pages1) Works Cited Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud Incredibly Close. Boston, MA: Mariner, 2005. Print. 2) Annotation This book is told through the eyes of an extremely smart and funny nine-year-old who is also the narrator, Jonathan Safran Foer. He tells a story of the effects of his fathers tragic death, in the 9/11 terrorist attack, on his father, Oskar Schell, and his family as a whole. Oskars father not only endured the pain of being trapped in the towers, but was killed due toRead MoreThe Burning Towers By Sonya Freeman Loftis1585 Words   |  7 PagesLoftis further argues that Foer â€Å"[appropriates] an autistic narrative voice [allowing] the novel to explore the complex feelings of the neurotypical audience in stark black and white† (113). Loftis clearly takes issue with Foer’s technique, going on to argue that he â€Å"[renders] the natural human response to tragedy more simplistically comprehensible by relying on a false understanding of ASD that depends on divisive binaries†. This argument certainly has merit, as Foer uses many autistic traits toRead MoreSymbolis m, Imagery and Theme in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close2041 Words   |  5 Pages! Symbolism, Imagery and Theme in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close The novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close tells the story of Oskar, a 9 year old boy, who had a very close relationship with his father before he died in the 9/11 attack. His love for his father grew after he found a key in his fathers’ vase, which sent him on an adventure to find the lock that fits the key. Jonathan Safran Foer, the author of this book, clearly demonstrates the characteristics of literary elements. The novelRead MoreExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close1511 Words   |  7 Pagessudden or unexpected. Everyone experiences it at least once throughout a lifetime. In the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, the reader meets several characters that lose people very close to them. Each person has a certain way of dealing with the death, but overall his or her grief is out of love. These two emotions are triggered by one another. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close displays few characters that show any sign of moving on with their lives. Grief takes over

Are advances in technology making us more efficien Essay Example For Students

Are advances in technology making us more efficien Essay t, or just creating morebarriers to entry for the average person?The effects of technological advancement differ depending on the level atwhich they are examined. From an overall societal perspective, thetechnological advances of the past fifty years have made many, if not all,industries more efficient. However, on a more personal level the digitaldivide is a very real phenomenon accentuating the differences between thesocial classes. The implementation of personal computers provides amicrocosm in which to examine the transition state American society is inwith regard to technology. On the surface, it is easy to see the barriers and inequalities created bytechnological advancement. In the early use of computer, the sheer issue ofcost divided those who could increase their productivity with computertracking and management and those who could not afford the equipment toremain competitive, the hallmark of the free market system. By advancingthose with sufficient capital to modernize, while neutralizing those ofmore limited means, computers initially created greater barriers tofinancial success for increasing numbers of people. In the 1980s, personal computers began to find their way into the publiceducation system, similar to the way combustion engines worked their wayinto public transportation forty years earlier. Similar to business, thiswas an issue of available funding, with the wealthier school districts ableto provide more modern facilities and the poorer districts no computers atall. A limited number of students gaining access to technology fed the much-touted digital divide, which gave a new dimension to the educationsinequality that still plagues the United States. Upper and middle classstudents gained access to the expanding computer science field, whilepoorer students were left to the dwindling manufacturing professions andservice industries. To this day, school systems in extreme rural and urban areas do not havethe available funding to provide computer training to their students. Inaddition, many students do no have access to a computer at home or a locallibrary. This lack of exposure limits the opportunities of modern studentsin a much more dramatic way than it did their parents, as American societybecomes more dependent on computers to organize and regulate daily life. Modern students and displaced workers without computer knowledge face agrave disadvantage during a job search or higher education. These obvious barriers to those of less economic means should notnecessarily be seen as an indictment of technology or a refutation of themyriad benefits technological advancement has afforded the United States. The technological revolution is a multi-layered process, with many of theforces involved possessing a longer time frame than those that initiallycreated inequalities. The advent of computers can be seen as analogous tothe advent of the printing press. Just as literacy proved to be a basis forevaluation the value of a prospective student or employee, so has computerliteracy become such a measure today. Continuing the analogy, computers can also embody the great leveling devicethat early books provided. Whereas initial mass printing of the bibleinvited people to defy clerics by coming to their own revelations regardingreligion, so can the information age be a boon to freethinking. Education,though biased in favor of those with means, cannot be reclaimed like othermaterial assets. The same can be said of computer training and proficiency. If people with less economic opportunity can gain access to computerskills, these skills are accompanied by a chance at social mobility. As computers become more commonplace, which the current trend indicates,the barriers that they initially posed to the lower economic classes willslowly be decreased or eliminated. This stage of the technologicalrevolution is as fundamental to societal advancement and efficiency as waswidespread literacy replacing elitist control of all texts four hundredyears ago. At this point, society must acknowledge the potential barriersthat technology can create and work toward the equal access to technologythat will foster growth and prosperity for all citizens, not just thosewith sufficient economic resources.

Issues Associated With Disparate Systems And ERP Systems

Question: Discuss the issues associated with disparate systems and how ERP systems overcome these issues? Answer: Issues with disparate systems The growth of the disparate system was once much acclaimed and it helped the business process to centralised the business data. However, with the growth of the business this system started creating data integration issues. According to Sullivan (2014) the disparate systems have lived their life while the scale and the span of the business was small. It became very difficult for the organizations to deal with the disparate systems when their business has expanded in multiple areas and multiple regions. The major issues that rose with the disparate systems are: Burden of managing multiple data sources Multiple unsynchronised window for each of the separate operations Higher chances of data redundancy Higher system maintenance cost (com, 2014) These are the four key reasons for which the disparate system became an unfeasible option for the most of the companies in present condition. The Capitol Coffee is a leading coffee service company with having multiple outlets in different locations. The business growth of the company started decreasing as the number of points increased. While analyzing the case it has been found that due to the disparity in the companys communication and reporting system the entire business process started losing its competency within the market (Netsuite.com, 2015). Encountering issues with ERP systems Figure 1: Simple ERP 3-Tire Architecture (Source: Haddara, 2014, pp.395) The birth concept of the ERP system was to develop and deliver such a kind of system that will provide an integrated platform for the different business purposes. According to Zensar.com (2014) the main challenge for the development of the ERP systems was to develop a single platform through eliminating the data processing disparity and connecting the multiple nodes into one single process. The other challenge was to determine the integrating business logic for the KPIs for different business processes. Therefore, while encountering the disparate system issues the ERP system development it has followed a systematic process through dividing the entire business process and its view into four distinctive processes. These levels are: Management Level view User level view Implementation/Vendor view IT level view for in-house support (Kumar et al. 2014) This segregation has enabled the companies to integrate the entire process according to the business logic. It has provided the much-required integrated platform through single database that allows the uniformity of the business process. Through the figure 1 it is very much evident that for the operation an ERP system uses a single database and multiple terminals. Therefore, through using the single database model it eliminates the chances of data redundancy, higher operational cost. Through following these basic measures, the ERP system successfully encountered the issues with the disparate systems. Sportingbet is the biggest bookmaker and service provider. In 2012, they have encountered a major problem in managing the business operation. The real time operation management and the data integration are very much important for them. However as they were using a disparate system it became very much difficult for them. Therefore, to encounter this issue they have implement the Biztalk and Azure architecture with SQL Database and soon it helped them to increase their profit (Breeze.net, 2013). Importance of Integration Integration of ERP system helps a company in multiple ways. According to Greenbeacon.com (2014) the key benefits what a comprehensive integration can provide to the companies are: It provides structured and systematic control over the financial issues through maintaining the country specific and region specific rules. It helps to increase the financial transparency for the company (Pan et al. 2014). Single interface through a common database helps the companies to increase the operation and the control efficiency. The single user interface with different view level s enables the quick access of the appropriate control. This integration enables the top management to monitor their business and to monitor the business and the product life cycle (Abbasi et al. 2014). It streamlines all the resources associated with the business and provides a cause-effect relationship view of the resources. This cause-effect relationship enables the companies to identify the key resources and helps to manage those resources to improve the business efficiency in the global environment (Kumar et al. 2014). The ERP integration enables the companies to automate their business. This automation provides greater level of accuracy in business forecasting. This forecasting accuracy will help the companies to define their business strategies to encounter the probable business challenges of coming days. A case study produced by Kinetic Information Systems (2014) on the Griffiths Equipment reflects that the profit level of the company decreased even though the product sales have grown for the company. Therefore, while Kinetic Information Systems interpreted their business structure it has been found that the data redundancy, handling errors and the unsynchronised business errors are increasing the operational cost for the company. This was majorly decreasing their profit. However, after the implementation of the ERP system and an integrated mobile application dramatically increased the efficiency of the company. It has been observed that the accuracy level has been increased to 99% and the error occurrences within the process reduced by 80% (Kinetic Information Systems, 2014). Issues with integration The major issues rise while an integration of the ERP system is done for any company are:1. Lack in System analysis while the application development has been done for the company.2. The lack in training and development for the in-house staffs. It has been observed that some of the companies have faced major challenges in the middle of the ERP implementation and after the implementation. The only reason for this incident is that the lack of training and development of the staffs who will operate the system.3. Compatibility is a major issue with the ERP implementation. The ERP modules are very much vendor specific. Therefore, while implementing the ERP solution for an existing system the compatibility becomes a major issue for both the vendor and the company.4. Over the years, it has been found that the funding has been a major issue for the ERP implementation. The cost of ERP implementation is very high and this costing increases if the development and implementation prolongs. This i ncreasing cost sometimes hits directly to the profitability of the company. Benson Hedges encountered loss in 2009 due to the higher SAP implementation cost (Sullivan, 2014). Overcoming the integration issues To overcome the integration issue most of the IT companies follows an integrated team approach for the development and the implementation of the ERP system. In the development stage they extensively communicates with the management for identifying and developing a logical structure for the relating the KPIs. In the middle of the development the implementation, they start providing training to the employees for the operation process. These measures help in reducing the errors and issues in the developing and implanting the ERP system (Pan et al. 2014). Nature of achievement gained through encountering integration issues The encountering the identified issues will help to gain the knowledge on the following aspects. 1. Will help to develop an integrated development cycle within the development stage2. Will help to identify the key logical factors that help in developing a integrated data flow structure within the key KPIs.3. Will help to design more structured training and development program for the employees so that no unfavourable incidents happens in the middle of the implementation or after the implementation (Haddara, 2014). These lessons will help in increasing the efficiency for the development and implementation of ERP for any company. Reference List Books Pan, J., Snasel, V., Corchado, E., Abraham, A. and Wang, S. (2014). Intelligent Data analysis and its Applications, Volume II. Dordrecht: Springer. Sullivan, G. (2014). Surviving in SAP Projects. New York, NY: Galileo Press New York. Journals Abbasi, S., Zamani, M. and Valmohammadi, C. (2014). The effects of ERP systems implementation on management accounting in Iranian organizations. Education, Business Society, 7(4), pp.245-256. Haddara, M. (2014). ERP Selection: The SMART Way. Procedia Technology, 16, pp.394-403. Kumar, L., Rao, M. and Viswanadham, P. (2014). Addressing the Issues and Challenges in Implementation of Ias Ifrs With Oracle Erp. IOSRJEF, 4(5), pp.45-49. Websites Breeze.net, (2013). Sportingbet | Breeze. [online] Available at: https://www.breeze.net/customers/sportingbet [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]. Greenbeacon.com, (2014). Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Benefits. [online] Available at: https://www.greenbeacon.com/GreenBeaconWebsite/Microsoft-CRM-ERP-Solutions/EnterpriseResourcePlanningERP.aspx [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]. Kinetic Information Systems, (2014). Automotive. [online] Available at: https://www.kineticis.com.au/case-studies/automotive/ [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]. Kinetic Information Systems, (2014). Griffiths Equipment. [online] Available at: https://www.kineticis.com.au/case-studies/automotive/griffiths-equipment/ [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]. Netsuite.com, (2015). Capitol Coffee Systems Case Studies - NetSuite Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.netsuite.com/portal/au/customer-testimonials/capitol-coffee-wholesale-distribution.shtml [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]. Zensar.com, (2014). Replacing Global IT Islands (Disparate Systems) with SAP Business Suite Software. [online] Available at: https://www.zensar.com/downloads/case-studies/1933-replacing-global-it-islands-disparate-systems-with-sapr-business-suite-software [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015].

Analysis Same Love free essay sample

Same Love Medium: Song Composer: Macklemore features vocals by Mary Lambert. Year: 2012 Publisher: Ryan Lewis Analysis: This song is written and sung by Macklemore and has featured vocals by Mary Lambert. Macklemore’s real name is Ben Haggerty. Macklemore’s Uncle is gay and he had wanted to write a song about gay rights and homophobia within the hip-hop community and the world. Macklemore was fuelled by the issue of marriage equality and the flagrant use of ‘gay’ as a derogative term in the hip-hop industry, and the world. He would also use and say ‘that’s gay’ himself because it is so embedded in our culture. It was not until he was caught out saying it by friends that he realised that he had to stop. He wanted to make an impact on his fellow musicians, rappers and hip-hop artists and express his concerns for the use of words such as ‘faggot’ and ‘that’s gay’ as just another lyric. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis Same Love or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The song ‘Same Love’ has lyrics that hopefully makes people second guess their language. Macklemore’s positive stance against marriage equality, homosexuality and the queer population has gained an overwhelming acceptance. He is the first male mainstream hip-hop artist who has rapped positively about homosexuality. More and more pro-gay artist are coming out in support of the gay community. Proving that popular culture can turn the tide of peoples use of derogative comments, opinions and challenge our ways of thinking in regards to our gay community. He says ‘he simply enjoys writing songs that get people thinking’. Many of the lyrics in the song ‘Same Love’ have made me stop and think about what they really mean. I have Uncles, Aunties, cousins and friends who are gay so my choice of words are often corrected by my parent and peers. But nothing is more powerful then the words in a song that is of pop culture and because I believe it’s accurate for a generation more accepting, tolerant and knowledgeable of homosexuality. Its human rights for everybody, there is no difference! Live on and be yourself. These lyrics from the song, stayed in my mind when I wrote this assessment because I believe it should be how we should all live, as we are all equal. Macklemore says â€Å"I write songs that challenge myself, they challenge listeners, they might be controversial to some people, songs that push the boundaries of what a rap song sounds like or the subject matter that might be in a rap song. † Being young and influenced by pop culture, I relate to his point of pushing the boundaries as I would always want to be able to grow, learn and challenge myself to become a better person in my community.

The History of the US and Cuba - Complex Relations

The History of the US and Cuba - Complex Relations The US and Cuba marked the beginning of their 52nd year of broken relations in 2011. While the collapse of Soviet-style Communism in 1991 ushered in more open relations with Cuba, the arrest and trial in Cuba of USAID worker Alan Gross strained them once again. Background: Cuban and American Relations In the 19th Century, when Cuba was still a colony of Spain, many southern Americans wanted to annex the island as a state to increase American slave territory. In the 1890s, while Spain was attempting to suppress a Cuban nationalist rebellion, the United States intervened on the premise of correcting Spanish human rights abuses. In truth, American neo-imperialism fueled American interests as it sought to create a European-style empire of its own. The United States also bristled when a Spanish scorched earth tactic against nationalist guerrillas burned out several American interests. The United States began the Spanish-American War in April 1898, and by the middle of July had defeated Spain. Cuban nationalists believed they had achieved independence, but the United States had other ideas. Not until 1902 did the United States grant Cuban independence, and then only after Cuba had agreed to the Platt Amendment, which roped Cuba into Americas sphere of economic influence. The amendment stipulated that Cuba could not transfer land to any foreign power except the United States; that it could not acquire any foreign debt without U.S. approval; and it would allow American intervention in Cuban affairs whenever the U.S. thought it necessary. To speed their own independence, Cubans added the amendment to their constitution. Cuba operated under the Platt Amendment until 1934 when the United States rescinded it under the Treaty of Relations. The treaty was part of Franklin D. Roosevelts Good Neighbor Policy, which attempted to foster better American relations with Latin American countries and keep them out of the influence of rising Fascist states. The treaty retained American rental of Guantanamo Bay naval base. Castros Communist Revolution In 1959 Fidel Castro and Che Guevara led the Cuban communist revolution to overthrow President Fulgencio Batistas regime. Castros ascent to power froze relations with the United States. The United States policy toward Communism was containment and it quickly severed ties with Cuba and embargoed trade the island. Cold War Tension In 1961 the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) orchestrated a failed attempt by Cuban emigres to invade Cuba and topple Castro. That mission ended in a debacle at the Bay of Pigs. Castro increasingly sought aid from the Soviet Union. In October 1962, Soviets began shipping nuclear-capable missiles to Cuba. American U-2 spy planes caught the shipments on film, touching off the Cuban Missile Crisis. For 13 days that month, President John F. Kennedy warned Soviet first secretary Nikita Khrushchev to remove the missiles or face consequences - which most of the world interpreted as nuclear war. Khrushchev backed down. While the Soviet Union continued to back Castro, Cuban relations with the United States remained cold but not warlike. Cuban Refugees and the Cuban Five In 1979, faced with an economic downturn and civilian unrest, Castro told Cubans they could leave if they did not like conditions at home. Between April and October 1980, some 200,000 Cubans arrived in the United States. Under the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 the United States could allow arrival of such immigrants and avoid their repatriation to Cuba. After Cuba lost most of its Soviet-block trading partners with the collapse of Communism between 1989 and 1991, it suffered another economic downturn. Cuban immigration to the United States climbed again in 1994 and 1995. In 1996 the United States arrested five Cuban men on charges of espionage and conspiracy to commit murder. The U.S. alleged they had entered Florida and infiltrated Cuban-American human rights groups. The U.S. also charged that information the so-called Cuban Five sent back to Cuba helped Castros air force destroy two Brothers-to-the-Rescue planes returning from a covert mission to Cuba, killing four passengers. U.S. courts convicted and jailed the Cuban Five in 1998. Castros Illness and Overtures at Normalization In 2008, after a prolonged illness, Castro ceded the presidency of Cuba to his brother, Raul Castro. While some outside observers believed that would signal the collapse of Cuban Communism, it did not happen. However, in 2009 after Barack Obama became president of the U.S., Raul Castro made overtures to talk to the United States about foreign policy normalization. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the 50-year American foreign policy toward Cuba had failed, and that Obamas administration was committed to finding ways to normalize Cuban-American relations. Obama has eased American travel to the island. Still, another issue stands in the way of normalized relations. In 2008 Cuba arrested USAID worker Alan Gross, charging him with distributing U.S. government-purchased computers with the intent of establishing a spy network inside Cuba. While Gross, 59 at the time of his arrest, claimed no knowledge of the computers sponsorship, Cuba tried and convicted him in March 2011. A Cuban court sentenced him to 15 years in prison. Former United States President Jimmy Carter, traveling on behalf of his Carter Center for human rights, visited Cuba in March and April 2011. Carter visited with the Castro brothers, and with Gross. While he said that he believed the Cuban 5 had been jailed long enough (a position that angered many human rights advocates), and that he hoped Cuba would quickly release Gross, he stopped short of suggesting any type of prisoner exchange. The Gross case seemed capable of halting any further normalization of relations between the two countries until its resolution.

Child Obesity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child Obesity - Research Paper Example In 2008, 35% people believed that obesity in children was a huge problem, while in 2009, that number increased to 45%. Childhood Obesity is a medical state that affects young children as well as adolescents. It is such a serious condition that some countries have declared it an epidemic that needs to be dealt with. Obesity in childhood is determined by age, weight and height; it occurs when a child’s weight is way above what is required for his/her height and age (Paxton, 2006). Obesity is a serious medical condition because it is a risk factor to many other conditions that were once only found in adults, For instance, increased blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol and diabetes. Other than these risks, obese children are more likely to have low self esteem that may lead to depression. Childhood obesity is preventable; the most recommended strategies are to improve diet by decreasing the intake of energy-dense foods that have high content of sugars and fat and increasing intake in minerals, vitamins and other micronutrients that are healthy. Obese children are likely to continue with the condition in adulthood and may lead to early death. Preventing obesity in childhood ensures better and quality health even in the future (Paxton, 2006). Obesity is a global problem and has posed a great public health challenge. It affects both the low and high income earners especially in urban settings. The prevalence of obesity is steady and increasing at a rate that has stunned health officials. Global statistics by the World Health Organization indicate that in 2010 over 42 million children below the age of five are overweight. A significant number of these children (about 35 million) live in the developing countries (Holecko, 2011). These statistics are alarming considering the risks associated with obesity. Obesity has been prioritized by many governments because of its risks and the fact that it is preventable. A recent study on childhood obesity found in Arc hives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine finds that 1 in every 5 children in preschool is obese with a BMI of 18 or more. The study also focused on the racial factor. Of the 8000 children included obese children were found in the following percentiles in the study 13% were Asian 16% were white,21 % were black,22% were Hispanic and 31% were American Indians(Holecko,2011). Physiologists have continued to research childhood obesity and have come up with a lot about its pathology. The prenatal stage marks the beginning of life and has an influence on obesity predisposition. If the fetus is exposed to some hormones in the womb, then it becomes predisposed to obesity. For instance, Neuropeptide Y is a hormone that controls gluttony. The diet of a pregnant woman also influences obesity in children. A mother who ate a diet low in saturated fats and rich in protein significantly improves the lipid profile of their baby. A baby whose mother was undernourished in pregnancy is at a risk of ob esity (James et al., 2004). Some children have a sedentary lifestyle, and this directly relates to obesity. Children are using their leisure activities on the computer and watching television. Lack of exercise means that, they cannot maintain the required body weight (Jimerson, 2009). Some curriculums have removed physical education from their programs, thereby denying children their primary source of physical exercise. Children develop habits between the age of