Nonverbal Communication And Non Verbal Communication Essay

The quote by Drucker is a great example of how important it is for people to pay attention to nonverbal behavior, rather than only what is verbally communicated. Nonverbal communication has the ability to deliver information more effectively than verbal communication. Interpersonal communication is more effective when a conversation is complimented with non-verbal communication (Bello, et al, 2010). Nonverbal communication is not limited to any environment or surroundings because we are always communicating through nonverbal cues consciously and subconsciously. Whether a person is at a business meeting, bar, park, or his/her house, the transmission of verbal and nonverbal communication is continually being sent and received. A large part of communication between men and women in relationships occurs through non-verbal attributes, such as proxemics, kinesics, and vocalics. Without the use of non-verbal communication, most of the intended meaning of verbal communication would be lost or misinterpreted by the receiver. Proxemics in non-verbal communication explains the impact of distance between people in a conversation. Kinesics refers to the scope of how human beings use their body parts such as the whole body, arms, legs and their facial expressions and movement in communication to get across the emotion behind what they are saying out loud (Montague, 2013). Vocalics is the study of paralanguage, which consists of vocal qualities that accompany verbal messages, such asShow MoreRelatedNonverbal Communication And Non Verbal Communication1682 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Non-verbal communication is especially significant in intercultural situations† (Businesscom, 2015). In a business setting duties pe rformed are the main reasons for an employees success, though studies and reports show that nonverbal communications can hinder or excel an employees relationships. Ultimately, nonverbal communications can benefit a business. With the communication of nonverbal there are many forms that help to read body language and true feelings including: adapters, a body movementRead MoreNonverbal Communication : Non Verbal Communication890 Words   |  4 PagesLiterature Review According to some psychologists, non-verbal communication varies based on a person’s cultural background, more so in the individualism-collectivism dimension. Additionally, studies have indicated that intercultural diversities in how verbal communications are observed can be traced to differences in facial signs that individuals from West and East look for when detecting emotions (Serlin, Berger Bar-Sinai, 2007). Therefore, people from distinctive cultures are expected to beRead MoreNonverbal Communication And Non Verbal Communication866 Words   |  4 PagesNon-verbal communication consists mainly of the things people do with their body language. There are times where words are expressed and non-verbal communication could help emphasize the message. A few examples of nonverbal communication are hand gestures eye contact, facial expressions as well as tone and volume. I was given this assignment to observe a situation and take note of the nonverbal communication that occurre d. I also had to observe whether the non-verbals were able to execute the messageRead MoreNonverbal Communication And Non Verbal Communication1127 Words   |  5 Pagestime is a communication event that I find particularly mysterious. My fascination lies in that different messages can be communicated through the eyes alone. Whether we are talking about direct or indirect gaze, duration, direction or expression, the moment of eye contact between two people can serve to make a great connection or a disastrous one. This is of particular importance to me personally because I have tend to have an empathetic interest in people I meet and find that this form of non-verbalRead MoreNon Verbal Communication And Nonverbal Communication744 Words   |  3 PagesOne of the areas studied in psychology is the use of Non-Verbal Communication (NVC). According to the Collins dictionary, this is defined as ‘those aspects of communication, such as gestures and facial expressions, that do not inv olve communication, but which may include non-verbal aspects of speech itself (accent, tone of voice, speed of speaking, etc)’. Used daily by humans and animals (Darwin 1972), NVC has a strong link to innate factors, and messages are sent unconsciously to the listener. ThroughRead MoreNon Verbal Communication And Nonverbal Communication1851 Words   |  8 PagesThis section was a little difficult as non-Verbal communication through a phone call is not the same compared too if you were talking to them in person. What I noticed first as an example of Andy’s non verbal was the frustration he seemed to have. When he had a sigh about my eating habits to his. This non verbal communication has an impact in our relationship because it shows me his frustration because we both know he wants to change. He is fine where he is at but he dosen’t want to stay like thatRead MoreThe Importance Of Verbal And Non Verbal Communication1689 Words   |  7 Pagesit can even determin e the success of trade cooperation. Verbal communication is an essential and considerable part of the business negotiation; it is believe as the most crucial and direct means of communication. However, non-verbal communication, such as paralanguage, proxemics, kinesics, chronemics, oculesics, colorics and olfactics, can transfer information and emotion far more efficiency and actually. The study of nonverbal communication is very important, especially in cross-cultural backgroundRead MoreThe Effects Of Modern Mass Culture On Modern Society1304 Words   |  6 PagesAdvertising is one of the most common types of social communication and an integral element of modern mass culture. It was the product of the development of market-oriented economic culture production methods, gradually, as the development of information technology in the process of historical evolution, becoming one of the most important social institutions of modern society. The study of nonverbal communication was engaged by scholars such as A. Pease, E. Hall, R. Berdvistell, G. Wilson, M. L.Read MoreThe Role Of Non Verbal Communication On Intercultural Communication1411 Words   |  6 Pagescultural organisation,the intercultural communication has become more ligual and more significant than ever before (Wang, 2007). As an international language, English has played an prominent role in making the communication easy between two people with different cultural backgrounds. As a result, the EFL education has concluded the communicative sufficiency as one of the important goals of English as Foreign Language teaching. It seems that intercultural communication will be a successful, as long as theRead MoreThe Principles of Communication1557 Words   |  6 PagesCommunication is an ever-developing topic in which human beings can express their feelings and emotions on a daily basis whether they were positive or negative in the most suitable way. According to Preja (2013) the term â€Å"Communication† can be traced back to the Latin word â€Å"Communis† which stands for â€Å"to be connected to† or â€Å"to be in a relationship with†. Communication can be classified to two types, verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication focuses mainly on vocals while non-verbal communication

Actions Speak Louder than Words in Michael Hoffmans Film,...

Expression is universal. The majority of all people can interpret exasperated sighs, wide eyes, loud voices, clapping, etc. Even when characters are not physically speaking, movies emit numerous messages through actor portrayal. Audiences visually experience characters’ physical reactions which are not included in books. The actors’ individual portrayals of characters in Michael Hoffman’s 1999 film, William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, enhance the extreme personalities of characters already established in William Shakespeare’s play. By using tone of voice and pace of speech, the movie characters offer insight into personality more clearly than expressed in books. Although Shakespeare’s words alone indicate Egeus’s disproval of Lysander, the movie stresses his hatred for disobedience through his speech addressing Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander in the initial scene. In attempt to demonstrate authority over the noncompliant lovers, Egeus speaks loudly while clearly pronouncing each syllable as if spitting the words out of anger. The movie offers a desperate side to Egeus not illustrated in the text because he is so frantic for control that yelling is his sole way of catching the lover’s attention and regaining the dominance that he craves. The movie also illustrates how Egeus remains consistent with his disapproval of Lysander because when Theseus proclaims the lovers’ marriage, Egueus’ facial expression is furious, demonstrating how he does not grow as a

John Cabot Argumentative Essay Example For Students

John Cabot Argumentative Essay John Cabot, an Italian mariner, was born in Genoa, Italy around the year 1450. He worked as a trader in what is now called the Middle East. He moved to England in 1484 with his three sons, Ludovico, Sebastiano, and Sancto and gained experience as a seaman. On his commercial journeys, which took him to the shores of Arabia, he heard of the countries rich in spices that lay to the Far East and wanted to find a better route to the Orient. John Cabot set out to get patents from the monarchs of Spain and Portugal to obtain support for his voyage. However, both turned him down. Finally, King Henry VII granted Cabot and his three sons the right to seek islands and countries of the West, with a small ship named Matthew and a crew of 18 men. So he set sail from Bristol, England in May 2, 1497. Cabot never got to China by sea. Almost two months later, John Cabot discovered the island of Newfoundland on June 24, 1497. This was the first documented voyage to Newfoundland. Many people believe he landed at Cape Bonavista. He thought he had reached a small island off the coast of Asia. On June 26th, Cabot began his return voyage because of bad weather and no food. He returned without any spices or treasure but he received a warm welcome regardless. He did return with mapped out details of the North American coast. He was granted another patent on February 3, 1498, and this allowed him to embark on a second expedition. This was ma de up of five ships and three hundred men, and set sail some time before July 25, 1498. King Henry VII only granted him one ship but 4 merchants hoping to cash in on a new route to Orient provided the other 4 ships. They first went north, apparently as far as possible; drifting ice forced them to turn. They sailed along the east coast of North America past Newfoundland, which Cabot named Bacallaos, and as far as Cape Hatteras. John Cabot also may have reached the Hudson Bay on his expedition to the North West Passage. Later he also explored the Rio de la Plata region of Brazil for the Spanish. In 15448 he became governor of a joint stock company in England with he negotiated a commercial treaty with Russia. This company, later called The Muscovy Company, was the first major English joint-stock trading company and financed trading expeditions to Russia and Asia. Cabot was paid cash for discovering Newfoundland. He was also given a pension. He only collected that pension once. It is believed he drowned at sea. Nevertheless, his discoveries guarantee John Cabot a place among the greatest discoverers. In fact, they are still celebrating his discoveries. The Cabot Tower was built on Signal Hill in St. Johns in 1897. It was built to mark the 400th anniversary of Cabots discovery.

The Minimum Wage and Why we Should Leave It Essay Example For Students

The Minimum Wage and Why we Should Leave It Essay When was the last time a value meal from McDonald, let alone any other fast food chain, did not cost five dollars or more? When was the last time premium gas was under a dollar a gallon? Its hard to remember, isnt it? Wouldnt it be great if everything cost a nickel, like back in the good ol days? According to the laws of economics, its not logical for things to have gotten more expensive competition should drive prices down. Then why have prices continued to rise over the years? The continuing demand of more money for less work has forced Uncle Sam to raise the minimum wage innumerable times in the last half century, which results in higher prices for the rest of us. Another raise in the minimum wage would, as all the others before it, raise prices for consumers, which would again result in another demand for a raise in the minimum wage. Its a viscous cycle that must be stopped before it loses control. Not only does a raise in minimum wage result in a raise in the cost of living, it also causes the dismissal of hardworking people who are happy with their current income. We will write a custom essay on The Minimum Wage and Why we Should Leave It specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now When the firing axe starts to fall, seniority often determines who goes and who stays. The more a single employee costs a business an hour, the fewer employees the business can afford to employee an hour. This results in the dismissal of employees to compensate for a raise in labor costs, which creates a smaller staff, which results in slipshod service. Although most reasonable people would rather pay more for better service, the plain fact of the matter is that the service hasnt really gotten any better. The service is better than it was when there werent enough employees so people assume the service itself has gotten better, while the truth is that the service is just as haphazard as before. The laborers are simply replaced because of a need for more employees, more often than not by people who have never worked in those positions before. By having a staff that is constantly fluctuating, the business hurts itself the service is hurt because the new employees are in need of training, and in the end it is us, the consumers, who feel the real pain The pain we experience is that of rising costs in the market its that sharp pain we feel every time we reach for our wallet, but it is in no way as painful as the fact that we give bonuses for no reason in the form of raises in the minimum wage. The argument that minimum wage should be raised says people need more money to make a living in a world of ever rising costs. The truth is that they, the people who demand more money, are the ones raising the cost of living. Some would say that the high cost of living is brought about by the devaluation of the dollar and the effects of inflation. Truth be told, inflation is also caused by the flooding of the market with bills printed to pay the high costs of laborers in the market. Laborers who are comprised primarily of teens and the elderly, both of which usually have an alternate form of income either in the form of parents or social security. I offer an alternative to the minimum wage. If people would respect their money and understand the value of the dollar then they would have to learn skills that would promote them in the job market. The minimum wage could be kept for the handicapped and the disabled, people who for the most part arent able to advance themselves in the working world. The most positive thing about the current minimum wage is that it is substantial enough to make teens respect their money, but also low enough to force them to save. Its been said that if we do not know our history, we will be doomed to repeat it. The argument over the minimum wage makes it abhorrently obvious that this statement is true. .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc , .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .postImageUrl , .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc , .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc:hover , .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc:visited , .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc:active { border:0!important; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc:active , .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u557b861c6274c9815df83e5fb7e95cdc:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Link Between Heart Disease and Cancer Explorat Essay The time for action is now, before we . The Minimum Wage And Why We Should Leave It Essay Example For Students The Minimum Wage And Why We Should Leave It Essay When was the last time a value meal from McDonald, let alone any other fast food chain, did not cost five dollars or more? When was the last time premium gas was under a dollar a gallon? Its hard to remember, isnt it? Wouldnt it be great if everything cost a nickel, like back in the good ol days? According to the laws of economics, its not logical for things to have gotten more expensive competition should drive prices down. Then why have prices continued to rise over the years? The continuing demand of more money for less work has forced Uncle Sam to raise the minimum wage innumerable times in the last half century, which results in higher prices for the rest of us. Another raise in the minimum wage would, as all the others before it, raise prices for consumers, which would again result in another demand for a raise in the minimum wage. Its a viscous cycle that must be stopped before it loses control. Not only does a raise in minimum wage result in a raise in the cost of living, it also causes the dismissal of hardworking people who are happy with their current income. We will write a custom essay on The Minimum Wage And Why We Should Leave It specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now When the firing axe starts to fall, seniority often determines who goes and who stays. The more a single employee costs a business an hour, the fewer employees the business can afford to employee an hour. This results in the dismissal of employees to compensate for a raise in labor costs, which creates a smaller staff, which results in slipshod service. Although most reasonable people would rather pay more for better service, the plain fact of the matter is that the service hasnt really gotten any better. The service is better than it was when there werent enough employees so people assume the service itself has gotten better, while the truth is that the service is just as haphazard as before. The laborers are simply replaced because of a need for more employees, more often than not by people who have never worked in those positions before. By having a staff that is constantly fluctuating, the business hurts itself the service is hurt because the new employees are in need of training, and in the end it is us, the consumers, who feel the real pain The pain we experience is that of rising costs in the market its that sharp pain we feel every time we reach for our wallet, but it is in no way as painful as the fact that we give bonuses for no reason in the form of raises in the minimum wage. The argument that minimum wage should be raised says people need more money to make a living in a world of ever rising costs. The truth is that they, the people who demand more money, are the ones raising the cost of living. Some would say that the high cost of living is brought about by the devaluation of the dollar and the effects of inflation. Truth be told, inflation is also caused by the flooding of the market with bills printed to pay the high costs of laborers in the market. Laborers who are comprised primarily of teens and the elderly, both of which usually have an alternate form of income either in the form of parents or social security. I offer an alternative to the minimum wage. If people would respect their money and understand the value of the dollar then they would have to learn skills that would promote them in the job market. The minimum wage could be kept for the handicapped and the disabled, people who for the most part arent able to advance themselves in the working world. The most positive thing about the current minimum wage is that it is substantial enough to make teens respect their money, but also low enough to force them to save. Its been said that if we do not know our history, we will be doomed to repeat it. The argument over the minimum wage makes it abhorrently obvious that this statement is true. .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 , .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .postImageUrl , .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 , .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40:hover , .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40:visited , .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40:active { border:0!important; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40:active , .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40 .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4b3010b840cbfc7bc948dd02d2e17f40:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Aztecs: A Case Study Essay The time for action is now, before we . The Minimum Wage and Why we Should Leave It Essay Example For Students The Minimum Wage and Why we Should Leave It Essay The Minimum Wage and Why we Should Leave It When was the last time a value meal from We will write a custom essay on The Minimum Wage and Why we Should Leave It specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now McDonald, let alone any other fast food chain, did not cost five dollars or more? When was the last time premium gas was under a dollar a gallon? Its hard to remember, isnt it? Wouldnt it be great if everything cost a nickel, like back in the good ol days? According to the laws of economics, its not logical for things to have gotten more expensive competition should drive prices down. Then why have prices continued to rise over the years? The continuing demand of more money for less work has forced Uncle Sam to raise the minimum wage innumerable times in the last half century, which results in higher prices for the rest of us. Another raise in the minimum wage would, as all the others before it, raise prices for consumers, which would again result in another demand for a raise in the minimum wage. Its a viscous cycle that must be stopped before it loses control. Not only does a raise in minimum wage result in a raise in the cost of living, it also causes the dismissal of hardworking people who are happy with their current income. When the firing axe starts to fall, seniority often determines who goes and who stays. The more a single employee costs a business an hour, the fewer employees the business can afford to employee an hour. This results in the dismissal of employees to compensate for a raise in labor costs, which creates a smaller staff, which results in slipshod service. Although most reasonable people would rather pay more for better service, the plain fact of the matter is that the service hasnt really gotten any better. The service is better than it was when there werent enough employees so people assume the service itself has gotten better, while the truth is that the service is just as haphazard as before. The laborers are simply replaced because of a need for more employees, more often than not by people who have never worked in those positions before. By having a staff that is constantly fluctuating, the business hurts itself the service is hurt because the new employees are in need of training, and in the end it is us, the consumers, who feel the real pain The pain we experience is that of rising costs in the market its that sharp pain we feel every time we reach for our wallet, but it is in no way as painful as the fact that we give bonuses for no reason in the form of raises in the minimum wage. The argument that minimum wage should be raised says people need more money to make a living in a world of ever rising costs. The truth is that they, the people who demand more money, are the ones raising the cost of living. Some would say that the high cost of living is brought about by the devaluation of the dollar and the effects of inflation. Truth be told, inflation is also caused by the flooding of the market with bills printed to pay the high costs of laborers in the market. Laborers who are comprised primarily of teens and the elderly, both of which usually have an alternate form of income either in the form of parents or social security. I offer an alternative to the minimum wage. If people would respect their money and understand the value of the dollar then they would have to learn skills that would promote them in the job market. The minimum wage could be kept for the handicapped and the disabled, people who for the most part arent able to advance themselves in the working world. The most positive thing about the current minimum wage is that it is substantial enough to make teens respect their money, but also low enough to force them to save. Its been said that if we do not know our history, we will be doomed to repeat it. The argument over the minimum wage makes it abhorrently obvious that this statement is true. .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c , .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .postImageUrl , .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c , .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c:hover , .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c:visited , .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c:active { border:0!important; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c:active , .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3c4b1b956b8c010356ecb9209f14e39c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: scarelt letter/ Nature vs. Society Essay The time for action is now, before we are forced to start this cycle again. .

5 Fun ACT Test Facts For a Study Break

5 Fun ACT Test Facts For a Study Break SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips As stressful as the ACT can be, you shouldn’t take it too seriously. It’s an important test, sure, but just a test all the same. Here are fiveweird facts about the ACT to help you feel less overwhelmed by studying. Fact #1: Harvey Mudd was the last college to start acceptingthe ACT Although the SAT was the original college admission test, most schools have been treating the ACT equally for decades. A major exception wasengineering college Harvey Mudd, which didn't allow applicants to submit ACT scores until 2007- making it the very last school to do so. Fact#2: The ACT was originally intended to be a placement test as well as an admissions test When it was first designed, the ACT was meant to compete with the SAT by testing knowledge rather than potential. Given that the testwas meant to showwhat students actually knew, founderE. F. Lindquistwanted the ACT tobe used for placement as well as admissions. Alas, that use never really caught on (except with some community colleges). But the ACT's curriculum-based testing approach has influenced the College Board's many changes to the SAT, especially next year's major overhaul. Fact #3: The ACT is now more popular than the SAT In the past few years, the ACT’s popularity has actually surpassed the SAT’s. 1.85 million students from the class of 2014 took the ACT and 1.67 million took the SAT. If you have questions about the differences between the two tests, check out our comparison guides for the current SAT and the ACT and the new SAT and the ACT. Fact #4: Cheating on the ACT can get you arrested In 20, a group of college students who were caught taking the ACT for others were brought up on criminal charges in New York (although ultimately none of them went to jail). Another case of ACT cheating involvedteachers at one Kentucky schoolhelpingtheir students with difficult questions. The New York cheating scandal is the reason ACT admission tickets now include a photo. Fact #5: Colorado and Illinois were the first states to require all juniors to take the ACT If you live in the Midwestor Southeast, there’s a good chance you’ll be required to take the ACT in your high school. Although 16 states now require the test, the practice started back in 2001 with just two: Colorado and Illinois. Ironically, the ACT is no longer required of all Illinois juniors: the state decided last year to allow districts to opt out of the testing. Further Reading If you're having trouble motivating, try these tips for beating procrastination. Are you struggling to improve or have actually seen your scores go down? Try these strategies to turn it around. For tons of other free ACTprep resources, take a look at the right sidebar to find our posts sorted by topic. Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Alex Heimbach About the Author Alex is an experienced tutor and writer. Over the past five years, she has worked with almost a hundred students and written about pop culture for a wide range of publications. She graduated with honors from University of Chicago, receiving a BA in English and Anthropology, and then went on to earn an MA at NYU in Cultural Reporting and Criticism. In high school, she was a National Merit Scholar, took 12 AP tests and scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and ACT. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Earn an Online Certificate From an A-List School

Earn an Online Certificate From an A-List School Did you know that you could earn a certificate from Harvard, Stanford, or Cornell without leaving your house and without having to meet rigorous enrollment requirements? Several prestigious schools offer open-enrollment distance learning certificate programs targeted to working professionals that dont have time for lengthy residencies. The coursework can be challenging. However, a certificate from a prestigious school can make your resume stand out from the crowd.Consider these certificate programs:​Stanford – Stanford offers a variety professional and graduate certificate programs that may be completed through distance learning. Many of the distance learning courses must be completed by watching live video broadcasts through the internet. Some of the science and technology based professional certificates such as the Computer Security Certificate Program (off-site link) may be earned in just a few hours online. This can be a particularly quick way to get formal recognit ion for skills you already have. Harvard - Through the Harvard Extension School, students can choose from dozens of distance learning courses each semester and even earn a graduate certificate by taking a series of five courses in a particular field. Certificates in sustainability, strategic management, web technologies, and religious studies education may be earned completely online.Cornell – eCornells distance learning website offers certificates in over twenty different subjects and five fields including Leadership and Strategic Management, Financial Management, Management Skills, Human Resources, and Hospitality and Foodservice Management. Some certificates such as the Financial Management Certificate (off-site link) ask students to complete as few as four courses. Others require more.Earning a distance learning certificate can be an effective way to improve your resume and your skills. Dont forget to mention it at your next job interview.

Liberty or Equality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Liberty or Equality - Essay Example The work of Tocqueville titled Democracy in America will be used to vividly identify exactly what his perspective is. Democracy in America is an important book for historians both in and outside the United States. On the other hand, no particular work of Jefferson will be used as many of his works are a revelation of what his position is as they are primarily concerned with issues on liberty. The papers of Thomas Jefferson are an attempt made by him to keep a balance in his correspondence. This attempt, of course, reflects his opinion is on liberty. As it may have been observed, both thinkers have made very valid points—points that are very difficult to counter. If it were the case that one of them backs negativity and the other backs positivity, it would have been much easier to choose between sides. However, even though the points made by both Jefferson and Tocqueville are positive, there are still junctures where they disagree. The disagreement is given vent to by the fact that one of the two concepts – liberty or equality – is a constituent of the other. The argument is also urged on by the premises on which both men build their points. Drawing from their arguments, the existence of one – liberty or equality – will automatically lead to the existence of the other. If there is equality in a system, it will automatically bring forth liberty. In the same vein, if there is liberty in a system, it will bring forth equality. Reality however teaches further that liberty can only come into fruition in situation in which there is equality. Liberty, on the other hand, does not automatically lead to equality. That people have the liberty to do whatsoever they want does into mean that they will be treated as equals with others. In a situation in which there is liberty without equality, such liberty is automatically cut short because it will largely be useless. From the foregoing, it is very obvious that Tocqueville’s position o n equality is superior to Jefferson’s on liberty. Tocqueville (2000) says â€Å"Equality leads men by a still more direct path...† Right from the beginning of Democracy in America, it is very obvious that the stand that will be supported by the author is that equality wherever it exists is universal. De Tocqueville (2000) posits that â€Å"the gradual development of the equality of conditions  is therefore a providential fact, and it possesses all the characteristics of a divine decree: it is universal, it is durable, it constantly eludes all human interference, and all events as well as all men contribute to its progress.† What he basically succeeds in doing is to compare the way equality can be found in different countries using the Unites States as the reference point. By so doing, Tocqueville is able to show the ways each society has reveals how equality is in operation. De Tocqueville thinks that equality can only be attained in a situation in which †Å"all the prerogatives of birth and fortune are destroyed, when all professions are open to all, and when one can reach the summit of each of them by oneself, an immense and easy course seems to open before the ambition of men, and they willingly fancy that they have been called to great destinies† (2010). However, most times, the same society that makes citizens dream of a bright future is often the one that ends up drawing them back. Tocqueville think

IB English A1 Higher Level Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IB English A1 Higher Level - Essay Example The phrase appears in a speech from Creon, the King of the play and the man that wields the most power. He is attempting, by one means or another, to win over his son Haemon to his point of view regarding the burial of the corpse. Essentially, he also wishes him to accept a very straight-forward, but, as shall be seen, rather contradictory view of the nature of political authority. Creon states that â€Å"I must keep my kin in line, Otherwise folks outside the family will run wild.† Creon is the titular head of his family and so appeals to the fact that he must keep in his family in order for the city as a whole to follow suit. He then states that he will give â€Å"nothing but contempt† from someone who breaks the law and/or tells his masters what to do. But we soon he states an all-important â€Å"but†: Morality and virtue, the â€Å"right† and the â€Å"wrong† are less important to Creon than the absolute obedience to legitimate political authority. Indeed, political authority seems to trump any other concerns. He does not just state this opinion in isolation, he goes on to give an explanation for why this system is good not only for the ruler, but for the city as a whole: Creon’s rather tenuous theory of political authority argues that first, a ruler’s orders should be obeyed without question. Second, that if those orders are obeyed without question he will willingly give up power to another and then be â€Å"cheerfully ruled† and third that the whole city will essentially be one of order and discipline. Absolute rulers do not tend to give up authority without a fight or, in a hereditary type of system, before their deaths. The old adage that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely seems to be conveniently avoided by Creon who, with his experience of power, and knowledge of his family history, should know better. Creon essentially sets up a Cartesian world in which a leader is either obeyed (leading to a perfect society) or

Roles of an Hr Manager Essay Example for Free

Roles of an Hr Manager Essay The administrative roles of human resource management include policy formulation and implementation, housekeeping, records maintenance, welfare administration, legal compliance etc. i. Policy maker: The human resource manager helps management in the formation of policies governing talent acquisition and retention, wage and salary administration, welfare activities, personnel records, working conditions etc. He also helps in interpreting personnel policies in an appropriate manner. ii. Administrative expert: The administrative role of an HR manager is heavily oriented to processing and record keeping. Maintaining employee files, and HR related databases, processing employee benefit claims, answering queries regarding leave, transport and medical facilities, submitting required reports to regulatory agencies are examples of the administrative nature of HR management. These activities must be performed efficiently and effectively to meet changing requirements of employees, customers and the government. iii. Advisor: It is said that personnel management is not a line responsibility but a staff function. The personnel manager performs his functions by advising, suggesting, counseling and helping the line managers in discharging their responsibilities relating to grievance redressal, conflict resolution, employee selection and training. Personnel advice includes preparation of reports, communication of guidelines for the interpretation and implementation of policies, providing information regarding labor laws etc. iv. Housekeeper: The administrative roles of a personnel manager in managing the show include recruiting, pre-employment testing, reference checking, employee surveys, time keeping, wage and salary administration, benefits and pension administration, wellness programmes, maintenance of records etc. v. Counselor: The personnel manager discusses various problems of the employees relating to work, career, their supervisors, colleagues, health, family, financial, social, etc. and advises them on minimizing and overcoming problems, if any. vi. Welfare officer: Personnel manager is expected to be the Welfare Officer of the company. As a Welfare officer he provides and maintains (on behalf of the company) canteens, hospitals, creches, educational institutes, clubs, libraries, conveyance facilities, co-operative credit societies and consumer stores. Under the Factories Act, Welfare officers are expected to take care of safety, health and welfare of employees. The HR managers are often asked to oversee if everything is in line with the company legislation and stipulation. vii. Legal consultant: Personnel manager plays a role of grievance handling, settling of disputes, handling disciplinary cases, doing collective bargaining, enabling the process of joint consultation, interpretation and implementation of various labor laws, contacting lawyers regarding court cases, filing suits in labor courts, industrial tribunals, civil courts and the like. In some organizations, the above administrative functions are being outsourced to external providers in recent times, with a view to increasing efficiency as also cutting operational costs. Technology is being put to good use to automate many of the administrative tasks. Operational Roles These roles are tactical in nature and include recruiting, training and developing employees; coordinating HR activities with the actions of managers and supervisors throughout the organization and resolving differences between employees. i. Recruiter: â€Å"Winning the war for talent† has become an important job of HR managers in recent times in view of the growing competition for people possessing requisite knowledge, skills and experience. HR managers have to use their experience to good effect while laying down lucrative career paths to new recruits without, increasing the financial burden to the company. ii. Trainer developer, motivator: Apart from talent acquisition, talent retention is also important. To this end, HR managers have to find skill deficiencies from time to time, offer meaningful training opportunities, and bring out the latent potential of people through intrinsic and extrinsic rewards which are valued by employees. iii. Coordinator/linking pin: The HR manager is often deputed to act as a linking pin between various divisions/departments of an organization. The whole exercise is meant to develop rapport with divisional heads, using PR and communication skills of HR executives to the maximum possible extent. iv. Mediator: The personnel manager acts as a mediator in case of friction between two employees, groups of employees, superiors and subordinates and employees and management with the sole objective of maintaining industrial harmony. v. Employee champion: HR managers have traditionally been viewed as ‘company morale officers’ or employee advocates. Liberalisation, privatisation and globalization pressures have changed the situation dramatically HR professionals have had to move closer to the hearts of employees in their own self interest. To deliver results they are now seriously preoccupied with: l Placing people on the right job. l Charting a suitable career path for each employee. l Rewarding creditable performance. l Resolving differences between employees and groups smoothly. l Adopting family-friendly policies. l Ensuring fair and equitable treatment to all people regardless of their background. l Striking a happy balance between the employees personal/professional as also the larger organisational needs. l Representing workers’ issues, problems and concerns to the management in order to deliver effective results HR managers have to treat their employees as valuable assets. Such an approach helps to ensure that HR practices and principles are in sync with the organisation’s overall strategy. It forces the organisation to invest in its best employees and ensure that performance standards are not compromised. Strategic Roles An organisation’s success increasingly depends on the knowledge, skills and abilities of its employees, particularly as they help establish a set of core competencies (activities that the firm performs especially well when compared to its competitors and through which the firm adds value to its goods and services over a long period of time, e.g. ONGC s oil exploration capabilities and Dells ability to deliver low cost, high-quality computers at an amazing speed) that distinguish an organisation from its competitors. When employees’ talents are valuable, rare, difficult to imitate and organised, a firm can achieve sustained competitive advantage through its people. The strategic role of HR management focuses attention on how to enable ordinary employees to turn out extraordinary performance, taking care of their ever-changing expectations. The key areas of attention in this era of global competition include effective management of key Resources (employees, technology, work processes), while delivering cost effective, valueenhancing solution.

Gender and Underdevelopment in Non-western Societies :: Gender Equality Women Third World Essays

In Western societies women usually hold respectable jobs, the ability to make the choices of having and taking care of the children, cleaning their homes, cooking meals, doing the laundry and, most importantly, are allowed to be seen as an equal in society. In non-western societies women usually hold degrading jobs, deliver and take care of the children, clean their homes, cook meals, do the laundry and are seen as unequal. In Third World countries, women are seen as the poorest of the poor. They are rarely ever given the same opportunities as the women in western countries, or even the ones their own husbands have. There are two main problems which afflict non-western women. The first is the lack of access to productive resources. This means that the women of less developed countries have no capability to possess resources such as land, capital or skills. Land is not available to them because it is considered a male inheritance only. Capital is more accessible than land, due to the recent ability of women to own credit cards. Until recently, though, money was not something women could obtain very easily. Money, like land, is mostly controlled by the males of the society. Skills are not an option to women because it entails schooling which brings up the next difference. Unequal access to education and health care is the last difference. Schooling is not usually offered to women in less developed countries. The rate of illiteracy in women is a considerable amount higher than men. In some countries the rate between illiterate women and men is doubled. Health care is more available for male children. Baby girls often die at birth, either from lack of health care or by murder. The disappointment of the family's newborn being a girl often leads to murder. Male children are seen as more valuable than female children in Third World countries. Violence and injustices also greatly affect non-western women. Female circumcision, polygamy, the ease of divorce and violence against women, as well as the lack of access to productive resources and unequal access to education and health care, plague the women of the less developed countries. For the modernization of these non-western countries women must play a larger role than they do now. Without equality for women less developed countries cannot move forward. These affiliations are severe but they are resolvable. The Grameen Bank is a possible solution.

What If Rizal Was Not Exciled

In July 1982 Jose Rizal was exiled as prisoner in Dapitan. When he arrived in Dapitan, he found it to be a sleepy little town. He thought of ways and means to make it clean, beautiful, and modern. With the help of his friend, father Sanchez, he made a map of Mindanao in front of the church. The map was made up of stones, earth, and grass and it serves as adornment that makes the town plaza beautiful. He and Father Sanchez, together with the citizens, had erected a lamp post in every corner of Dapitan.By stroke of luck, he won six thousand pesos from lottery ticket and he spent the amount in Dapitan. Modern agriculture implements were taken and transmitted from the United State and he taught the farmers how to use them. He bought sixteen hectares of land along the bay where he himself built a little house. He had become a farmer who himself worked hard, toiled, and happy in planting coffee and cacao and from 800 to 1,000 coconuts. (Retana, 1907) As a doctor, Rizal was aware of a wide spread of malaria due to mosquito bites.In order to get rid of malaria, he drained the swap where mosquitoes were staying. He also directed the construction of water system to have potable water for the town. (Retana, 1907) As a scientist, he collected, with the help of his pupils, different kinds of species of insects, birds, snakes, butterflies, shells, and plants which he sent, for purposes of identification, to Museum of Dresden in Europe. As payment of these species, Director A. B. Meyer sent him scientific books and journals, artificial eyes, microscopes, and surgical instruments since he did not accept money.He also discovered three rare specimens of animals that were named in his honor by European scientist, these were: Draco rizali which is a small lizard know as a flying dragon; Apogania rizali a rare kind of beetle; and the Rhacophorus rizali, a peculiar frog species. Rizal was also an inventor although he was not as inventive wizard as Thomas Edison. He invented a cigare tte lighter which he called Sulpakan. The lighter used a compressed air mechanism. He sent it as a gift to his friend, Dr. Blumentritt. He also invented a wooden machine for making bricks which can produce about 6,000 bricks per day. Bantug, 1946; Craig ,1957; Kalaw 1930; Zaide, 1984) Rizal put up a school where he himself was a teacher. There were formal classes conducted from two to five o clock in the afternoon. His students, all of them were seventeen who were sons of leading citizens in Dapitan, had learned from him Arithmetic, Geometry, and two languages, English and Spanish. (Craig, 1927) It was in Dapitan where he treated the eyes of her mother and he succeeded because her mother’s eyes were cured temporarily. Upon request of his mother when she returned in Manila after Rizal had treated her eyes, Rizal wrote a poem entitled My Retreat.Critics had agreed that this poem was the most profound and noble he ever composed, but, it was only second to My Last Farewell. (Reta na) George Taufer an American from Hong Kong proceded to Dapitan to have his eyes treated by Rizal. Mr. Taufer was accompanied by two young women, Josephine Bracken and Manuela Orlac. Rizal and Josephine met every time Mr. Taufer had scheduled for treatment. Because of their meetings, Rizal and Josephine fell in love with each other and they intended to get married. Rizal asked the Dapitan priest but the priest told him to secure permission to marry Josephine from Bishop of Cebu.However, upon learning about the marriage, Mr. Taufer attempted to cut his own throat but was prevented by Rizal by holding his two wrists. Mr. Taufer also became temporarily insane because he would loss Josephine if he married Rizal. When Mr. Taufer went back in Manila, Josephine went along with him in order to avoid tragedy. Josephine did not go to Hongkong when Mr. Taufer proceeded there. Josephine retured in Dapitan and there, Rizal and Josephine lived together like man and wife. (Russel & Rodriguez, 192 3) If Rizal was not exiled in Dapitan the forgoing events and circumstances could not have happened.Dapitan would still be sleepy little town because it was Rizal who had awaken it. Illnesses of malaria and diarrhea are prevalent because swamp would not have drained and there will no potable water, respectably. The implements for agriculture are not modern because Rizal could no have won 6,000 pesos in lottery ticket and therefore modern agricultural implement could not have been taken from the United States. There is nothing in Europe specifically in Museum of Dresden that a Filipino people can be proud of as of today because Rizal could not have sent more than 400 articles of scientific value.The European scientist could not have praise Rizal because he could not have discovered the three rare specimens of animals. In fact, the European scientist, as token of appreciation to Rizal, had named rare specimen the rare specimen in his honor. In effect, even in Europe Rizal is being rec ognize to be a science because of his discovery and collection of different specimen of animals and plants. He could not even be an inventor for having invented a lighter and a wooden machine for making bricks because if he is in Manila, he would be very active in reforming the friars through peaceful means.If Rizal did not meet Josephine in Dapitan, the retraction issue will not exist. To allow Rizal to marry Josephine, the Spaniards wanted Rizal to sign the retraction document which contain that he is denouncing all the books and articles that he had written against catholic religion; and he had regain his faith in catholic religion. However controversy arises because some believe that Rizal signs it and so he married Josephine Bracken. Others said that his signature was not genuine and he did not marry Josephine Bracken.If Rizal was incarcerated in Fort Santiago, his movement is limited to his prison cell. Instead of being a farmer, scientist, and inventor, his attention and work s would be focus in La Liga Filipina by writing about the abuses of friars and the reforms he wanted to undergo in governance by Spanish officials in the Philippines. (he is very accessible to he could still be imprisoned in Fort Santiago where his movement is confined in a prison cell. He could have been easily approached and consulted by Filipinos who wanted to stage uprising against Spanish government.If he was in Manila, he could have easily noticed the mistakes and mistreatments being done by the Spaniards to the Filipinos and therefore, he could have expressed his oppositions to these mistreatments. If Rizal was not exiled in Dapitan he could not have met Josephine whom he wanted to marry. Retraction controversy on Rizal regarding whether he became a catholic again or not could not have been an issue because the main reason why Rizal wanted to return in his religion is because he wanted to marry Josephine.La Liga Filipina which he was actively involved could not be dormant. La Liga Filipina is a group which is derived from La Solidaridad and the Propaganda Movement. When Jose Rizal got exiled in Dapitan the Organization La Liga Filipina became inactive and later on split into two, the conservative had formed the Cuerpo de Compromisarios and the Radical which is led by Andres Bonifacio had formed the secret group named the Katipunan. The La Liga Filipina would have still existed if Rizal was still n Manila because he would have continued his active participation as reformist to correct and reform the misadministration being conducted by the Spanish officials as well as the misdemeanor of friars in the Philippines. ) http://joserizal. info/Biography/man_and_martyr/chapter13. htm http://joserizal. info/Biography/man_and_martyr/chapter14. htm http://www. mb. com. ph/node/236170/hero-exile-remembered http://agham. asti. dost. gov. ph/1st/rizalnat. htm http://joserizal. info/Reflections/retraction. htm

Censorship in 1984 by George Orwell

â€Å"It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself–anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face†¦ ; was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: face crime†¦ † Thoughtcrime does not entail death; thoughtcrime is death. † â€Å"Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves. † In 1984 the Party uses various tactics to manipulate the inhabitants of Oceania as well as t hose of Nazi Germany. A common form of control in both the Party and the Nazi empire was the use of children for fulfilling the will of their respective government. In Orwell’s novel 1984 Winston claims that, â€Å"It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children. And with good reason, for hardly a week passed in which the Times did not carry a paragraph describing how some eavesdropping little sneak—â€Å"child hero† was the phrase generally used—had overheard some compromising remark and denounced his parents to the Thought Police. the children of 1984 are used as a separate police force to monitor the actions of the people around them, including their parents. Theses â€Å"child heroes† are almost an exact. Memory hole A memory hole is any mechanism for the alteration or disappearance of inconvenient or embarrassing documents, photographs, transcripts, or other records, such as from a web site or other archive, particularly as part o f an attempt to give the impression that something never happened. The concept was first popularized by George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In Nineteen Eighty-Four the memory hole is a small chute leading to a large incinerator used for censorship In the walls of the cubicle there were three orifices. To the right of the speak write, a small pneumatic tube for written messages, to the left, a larger one for newspapers; and in the side wall, within easy reach of Winston's arm, a large oblong slit protected by a wire grating. This last was for the disposal of waste paper. Similar slits existed in thousands or tens of thousands throughout the building, not only in every room but at short intervals in every corridor. For some reason they were nicknamed memory holes. When one knew that any document was due for destruction, or even when one saw a scrap of waste paper lying about, it was an automatic action to lift the flap of the nearest memory hole and drop it in, whereupon it would be whirled away on a current of warm air to the enormous furnaces which were hidden somewhere in the recesses of the building. In the novel, the memory hole is a slot into which government officials deposit politically inconvenient documents and records to be destroyed. Nineteen Eighty-Four's protagonist Winston Smith, who works in the Ministry of Truth, is routinely assigned the task of revising old newspaper articles in order to serve the propaganda interests of the government. For example, if the government had pledged that the chocolate ration would not fall below the current 30 grams per week, but in fact the ration is reduced to 20 grams per week, the historical record (for example, an article from a back issue of the Times newspaper) is revised to contain an announcement that a reduction to 20 grams might soon prove necessary, or that the ration, then 15 grams, would soon be increased to that number. The original copies of the historical record are deposited into the memory hole. A document placed in the memory hole is supposedly transported to an incinerator from which â€Å"not even the ash remains†. However, as with almost all claims made by the Party in this novel, the truth is left ambiguous and the reader is not told whether the documents are truly destroyed. For example, a picture which Winston throws into one early in the novel is produced later during his torture session, if only to be thrown back in an instant later. Nineteen Eighty-Four (sometimes written 1984) is a 1949 dystopian novel by George Orwell about an oligarchical, collectivist society. Life in the Oceania province of Airstrip One is a world of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, and incessant public mind control. The individual is always subordinated to the state, and it is in part this philosophy which allows the Party to manipulate and control humanity. In the Ministry of Truth, protagonist Winston Smith is a civil servant responsible for perpetuating the Party's propaganda by revising historical records to render the Party omniscient and always correct, yet his meagre existence disillusions him to the point of seeking rebellion against Big Brother, eventually leading to his arrest, torture, and reconversion. As literary political fiction, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a classic novel of the social science fiction subgenre. Since its publication in 1949, many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thought crime, Newspeak, and Memory hole, have become contemporary vernacular. In addition, the novel popularized the adjective Orwellian, which refers to lies, surveillance, or manipulation of the past in the service of a totalitarian agenda. Nineteen Eighty-Four (sometimes written 1984) is a 1949 dystopian novel by George Orwell about an oligarchical, collectivist society. Life in the Oceania province of Airstrip One is a world of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, and incessant public mind control. The individual is always subordinated to the state, and it is in part this philosophy which allows the Party to manipulate and control humanity. In the Ministry of Truth, protagonist Winston Smith is a civil servant responsible for perpetuating the Party's propaganda by revising historical records to render the Party omniscient and always correct, yet his meagre existence disillusions him to the point of seeking rebellion against Big Brother, eventually leading to his arrest, torture, and reconversion. As literary political fiction, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a classic novel of the social science fiction subgenre. Since its publication in 1949, many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thought crime, Newspeak, and Memory hole, have become contemporary vernacular. In addition, the novel popularized the adjective Orwellian, which refers to lies, surveillance, or manipulation of the past in the service of a totalitarian agenda. Mind control Mind control (also known as brainwashing, coercive persuasion, mind abuse, thought control, or thought reform) refers to a process in which a group or individual â€Å"systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator(s), often to the detriment of the person being manipulated†. 1] The term has been applied to any tactic, psychological or otherwise, which can be seen as subverting an individual's sense of control over their own thinking, behavior, emotions or decision making. Theories of brainwashing and of mind control were originally developed to explain how totalitarian regimes appeared to succeed in systematically indoctrinating prisoners of war through propaganda and torture techniques. These theories were later expanded and modified, by psychologists including Margaret Singer, to explain a wider range of phenomena, especially conversions to new religious movements (NRMs). A third-generation theory proposed by Ben Zablocki focused on the utilization of mind control to retain members of NRMs and cults to convert them to a new religion. The suggestion that NRMs use mind control techniques has resulted in scientific and legal controversy. Neither the American Psychological Association nor the American Sociological Association has found any scientific merit in such theories.

GMOs essays

GMO's essays GMOs Genetically Modified Organisms What do people really know about GMOs? Do they know that some of them may in the long run be harmful? Do they know that with the use of these GMOs, stronger herbicides will need to be made in order to prevent the growth of super weeds? GMOs are something that need to be looked into and people should have the choice to use these modified items or not. Many countries have strict laws about GMOs, but the U.S. does not, why is that? Most of the countries feel that genetically engineered vegetable and fruits are not safe. Eating these GMOs have not yet been proven harmful, but there are scientist out there who believe that over a long term that may cause serious diseases to spread and more virulent forms of viruss to be formed. The USDA and FDA have not yet proven these GMOs harmful or dangerous. However, scientists have shown these GMOs are producing super weeds and more virulent viruses. Should we be forced to eat these GMOs without knowing or should we have a choice in what we eat? There is an upside to using these genetically engineered foods though, and that is they could possibly end world hunger in the future if people choose to eat them. The advanced growth of corn and salmon are promising when it comes to providing food for more people than you can physically feed. People should have the right to eat GMOs or not. The U.S. should follow some of the countries like Austria and put labels on food using GMOs so that the consumer knows what they are buying. A consumer should not be forced to eat something they feel will someday hurt them. GMOs need to be researched more before they are used in the food; we as the consumer choose to eat, on an everyday basis. ...

The Tokai Earthquake of the Future

The Tokai Earthquake of the Future The great Tokai Earthquake of the 21st century has not happened yet, but Japan has been getting ready for it for over 30 years. All of Japan is earthquake country, but its most dangerous part is on the Pacific coast of the main island Honshu, just southwest of Tokyo. Here the Philippine Sea plate is moving under the Eurasia plate in an extensive subduction zone. From studying centuries of earthquake records, Japanese geologists have mapped out segments of the subduction zone that seem to rupture regularly and repeatedly. The part southwest of Tokyo, underlying the coast around Suruga Bay, is called the Tokai segment. Tokai Earthquake History The Tokai segment last ruptured in 1854, and before that in 1707. Both events were great earthquakes of magnitude 8.4. The segment ruptured in comparable events in 1605 and in 1498. The pattern is pretty stark: a Tokai earthquake has happened about every 110 years, plus or minus 33 years. As of 2012, it has been 158 years and counting. These facts were put together in the 1970s by Katsuhiko Ishibashi. In 1978, the legislature adopted the Large-Scale Earthquake Countermeasures Act. In 1979, the Tokai segment was declared an area under intensified measures against earthquake disaster. Research began into the historic earthquakes and tectonic structure of the Tokai area. Widespread, persistent public education raised awareness about the expected effects of the Tokai Earthquake. Looking back and visualizing forward, we are not trying to predict the Tokai Earthquake at a specific date  but to clearly foresee it before it happens. Worse than Kobe, Worse than Kanto Professor Ishibashi is now at the University of Kobe, and perhaps that name rings a bell: Kobe was the site of a devastating quake in 1995 that the Japanese know as the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. In Kobe alone, 4571 persons died and more than 200,000 were housed in shelters; in total, 6430 people were killed. More than 100,000 houses collapsed. Millions of homes lost water, power, or both. Some $150 billion in damage was recorded. The other benchmark Japanese quake was the Kanto earthquake of 1923. That event killed more than 120,000 people. The Hanshin-Awaji earthquake was magnitude 7.3. Kanto was 7.9. But at 8.4, the Tokai Earthquake will be substantially larger. Tracking The Tokai Segment With Science The seismic community in Japan is monitoring the Tokai segment at depth as well as watching the level of the land above it. Below, researchers map a large patch of the subduction zone where the two sides are locked; this is what will let loose to cause the quake. Above, careful measurements show that the land surface is being dragged down as the lower plate puts strain energy into the upper plate. Historical studies have capitalized on records of the tsunamis caused by past Tokai earthquakes. New methods allow us to partially reconstruct the causative event from the wave records. Preparation for the Next Tokai Earthquake The Tokai Earthquake is visualized in scenarios used by emergency planners. They need to create plans for an event that will likely cause about 5800 deaths, 19,000 serious injuries, and nearly 1 million damaged buildings in Shizuoka Prefecture alone. Large areas will be shaken at intensity 7, the highest level in the Japanese intensity scale. The Japanese Coast Guard recently produced unsettling tsunami animations for the major harbors in the epicentral region. The Hamaoka nuclear power plant sits where the hardest shaking is foreseen. The operators have begun further strengthening of the structure; based on the same information, popular opposition to the plant has increased. In the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the plants very future existence is clouded. Weaknesses of the Tokai Earthquake Warning System Most of this activity does good, but some aspects can be criticized. First is its reliance on the simple recurrence model of earthquakes, which is based on studies of the historical record. More desirable would be a physical recurrence model based on understanding the physics of the earthquake cycle, and where the region sits in that cycle, but that is still not well known. Also, the law set up an alert system that is less robust than it seems. A panel of six senior seismologists is supposed to assess the evidence and tell the authorities to make a public warning announcement when the Tokai Earthquake is imminent within hours or days. All the drills and practices that follow (for instance, freeway traffic is supposed to slow to 20 kph) assume that this process is scientifically sound, but in fact, theres no consensus on what evidence actually foreshadows earthquakes. In fact, a previous chairman of this Earthquake Assessment Committee, Kiroo Mogi, resigned his position in 1996 over this and other flaws in the system. He reported its grave issues in a 2004 paper in Earth Planets Space. Maybe a better process will be enacted someday- hopefully, ​long before the next Tokai Earthquake.

Apply the Three-Step Writing Process to business communication Essay

Apply the Three-Step Writing Process to business communication. Establish brief and effective business communication routines - Essay Example Persuasive messages have also been used in this trade. They have been used to get different parties interested in the projects and dealings they are in. This paper will review the importance of persuasive messages in attaining the desired results. When projects are about to be started in any organization, it is the manager’s job to persuade others to follow. Without effective communication as to how the project will help them, it is almost impossible to have the task done (Stiff & Mongeau, 2003). This is where the manager or person in charge will employ the three step writing process. It will be used to write a persuasive message to the subordinates or other parties pertinent to the project. With the employment of this method of writing, the person in charge should be knowledgeable on how to reach the audience (Perloff, 2010). Trying to convince the managers at whole foods market about the new program will require a persuasive e-mail. This may be used to have them excited about helping with the expanding of the project. The following is an e-mail that will be addressed to the managers at the Whole Foods Markets trying to get them interested in the program developed to help the market reach to more people and also, be appreciated more. Hello, hope your days are filled with good tidings. The reason for writing this message is to find the best solution to the program we developed earlier. The program was about the donation of food to many more parts than the occasional parts usually reached. As seen earlier, the program has been much appreciated by all the people who have sampled some of your products. It will be of great importance if a far broader outreach was created to get to them on a more occasional basis. The project may help benefit this program more with all the places we may get to take your products. Some of your ideas are welcome to ensure that we come up with the best possible way to go about this project. We appeal to

Analyze what Takaki means by the racialization of savagery. How did it Essay

Analyze what Takaki means by the racialization of savagery. How did it influence crosscultural relations between Europeans and Native Americans and transplan - Essay Example Takaki meant that racialization of savagery is how one defines the multi-cultural diversity confined in the country that time. It's the political correctness that seemed to hug the essence of scholars and literary greats that was. It is the greed and hope and the changing demographics we have only seen recently but happened to unfold throughout history shaping its people in the process. The very boundlessness of this ethnic and racial difference generated a need to impose interior borders. The idea of preserving racial homogeneity while becoming a multicultural society baffled the policymakers of the new nation. Thus, the introduction of trade opened the market for interaction, perspectives and views that helped fuel multiculturalism and its ensuing debates. Cohesiveness in a society and its norms were preserved to be later handed down to generations ahead. Cross-cultural relationships were formed and various frontiers we... Assumptions are born and labels are attached to the non-conforming to be "accepted" against the standards of that time. A need for others to confirm identity to what one is not has become rampant so long as acceptance followed. Typical European influence early on played a major part against Native Americans and several other fair-skinned or darker skinned peoples believing that black was heathen, foul, stained, dirty, vile, barbaric, and without god or laws, while white symbolized goodness, purity and innocence. Laws and trade and treaties were made to favor white people and punishments were harsher for black or darker skinned citizens. Being made to believe they were natural slaves, even then, multi-culturalism was prevalent but was ignored or subdued, and was set apart as minorities and lower-class citizens. The European assumption prevailed and the English-American identity was defined as black conscious and white favoring. The integration of historical studies to the current cultural and societal issues relate the origins and differences as well as views, patterns and themes that speak to each individual and subliminally suggest or influence his/her outward behavior towards an ethnic or socially different group or individual stems from the past. His acceptance of a people or not is dictated by a lot of factors that may or may not be the general idea accepted now but a reflection of how his race shaped his personality. Injustice, mainly evidenced through the early legal system, injustice in cultural and religious identity, and injustice in the most basic of human interaction, money. The book, and the author described the stark discrimination by the Anglo (white) race played against races that were

Equal Opportunities and Diversity Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Equal Opportunities and Diversity - Case Study Example The business case chosen for review is Tesco Ireland. This is one of the leading employers in Ireland and is also a classic example of an organisation that has to deal with diversity. Among its eleven thousand employees, the Company has a large percent of them coming from different parts of the world like America, Africa, Asia and other parts of Europe. The Company has a fair representation of people from various age groups that start from fifteen to eighty five. Besides this, the Company has also recruited and managed people with disability, different religious beliefs among others. Correspondence/similarities between equal opportunities and diversity have been demonstrated even in customer care by Tesco Ireland. The Company has made some changes that make shopping easier for persons with disabilities; first the Company has wide aisles that enable a person on a wheelchair or any device that helps in movement to use their stores easily. Secondly, Tesco has installed shelves that can easily be reached by children, undersized people or those on wheel chairs because those shelves are lower in height. Besides this, the Company has also incorporated wide ranges in its stores. All these changes were made after surveying Customers in a routine program managed by the Company called Customer Question Time Panels. (Mckillion, 1999) However, differences between equality and diversity were shown in the treatment of Polish Immigrant Workers during the year 2005. In the month of August, there were some agency workers of Polish origin who felt that they were not being granted equal opportunities in comparison to other workers. They engaged in a strike that highlighted the following discrepancies; Unequal salary payments between non-Polish workers and them Minimal chances of permanent employment for Polish Workers Poor working conditions These Polish workers were engaged in the distribution section of the Company. The Company tried to stand up for itself but their words to the press had already tarnished their image. In light of this strake, Tesco Ireland demonstrated that it did not treat its diverse workforce in an equal manner. (Berry, 2005) Equal opportunities and diversity in recruitment In the year 1999, Tesco Ireland worked hand in hand with North side Partnership to hire a number of employees perceived to be needy. These included; Travellers People with disability Recovered drug addicts Former prisoners (Thomas, 1990) These groups of people were hired to work in a new supermarket that would be opened five years from that time. The Company did not decide to hire these needy persons because there was lack of a better alternative; it did this because it wanted to grant equal opportunities to people in that area-Clare Hall. In actual sense, there were very many other people in need of employment in that area as unemployment was at a record high of sixteen percent in Clare Hall. By so doing, Tesco Ireland has shown that equal opportunities can be available to a diverse workforce thereby demonstrating that there are similarities in the latter two concepts. Similarities between equal opportunity and diversity have also been demonstrated by the Company by recruitment of people who have exceeded the official

Effect of School Based Obesity Interventions

Effect of School Based Obesity Interventions ABSTRACT Introduction Background Obesity in both adult and children is fast becoming one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century in developed and developing countries alike. It is estimated that approximately 10% of school age children. The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is ever on the increase in the UK as in the rest of the world. It is estimated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 2 10 year old children in the UK rose from 22.7%-27.7% and 9.9%-13.7% respectively between 1995 and 2003; these figures are set to increase unless something is done. School-based interventions offer a possible solution in halting obesity prevalence, because the school setting provides an avenue for reaching out to a high percentage of children (especially in the western world), opportunity for constant monitoring of children and the resources for anti-obesity interventions. Objectives To systematically review the evidence of the impact of school-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity on: Adiposity (primary objective) Knowledge, physical activity levels and diet (secondary objectives) Methods The review was done following the Cochrane collaboration guidelines. In addition to searching electronic databases, first authors of all included studies were contacted. A recognised critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. Results Three RCTs and one CCT met the inclusion criteria for the review. All four studies had a control and intervention group; with various study limitations. While none of the studies found statistically significant BMI changes in intervention groups when compared with control group post-intervention, all of them recorded either a significant change in diet, or an increase in physical activity levels. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND Obesity is generally understood as abnormal accumulation of fat to the extent that presents health risk (Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004), and was added to the international classification of diseases for the first time in 1948 (Kipping, Jago et al. 2008). The worldwide clinical definition of adult obesity by the WHO is body mass index (BMI) ≠¥ 30kg/m2 (WHO 2006). In children however, because of the significant changes in their BMI with age (Cole, Bellizzi et al. 2000), there is no universally accepted definition of obesity (Parizkova and Hills 2004; Bessesen 2008) and it therefore varies from country-to-country. The most commonly used definition of childhood obesity is the US definition which measures overweight and obesity in a reference population using the cut off points of 85th and 95th centiles of BMI for age (Ogden, Yanovski et al. 2007). In the UK, overweight and obesity are diagnosed using a national reference data from a 1990 BMI survey of British children (Stamatakis, Prima testa et al. 2005). Children whose weights are above the 85th centile are classed as overweight and over the 95th centile are considered obese (Reilly, Wilson et al. 2002). Recent estimates suggest that obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally with about 400 million adults being clinically obese, a figure projected to rise to about 700 million by 2015 (WHO 2006). In children, the current WHO estimates are that about 22 million children globally under age 5 are overweight (WHO 2008). In the UK, evidence suggests that obesity is set to be the number one preventable cause of disease in a matter of time (Simon, Everitt et al. 2005). In the last three decades, the scale as well as the prevalence of obesity have grown rapidly amongst all age, social and ethnic groups in the UK, as well as globally (Table 1)(Kipping, Jago et al. 2008). Estimates suggest that in the UK, between 1984 and 2002/2003, the prevalence of obesity in boys aged 5-10 rose by 4.16%, and by 4.8% in girls (Stamatakis, Primatesta et al. 2005). There is therefore there is an urgent need for the development and implementation of effective intervention strategies to halt the ever increasing obesity prevalence (Summerbell Carolyn, Waters et al. 2005). OBESITY CAUSATION The primary risk factors associated with the increase in prevalence of childhood obesity are ever increasing involvement in sedentary lifestyles and an increase also in the consumption of high energy dense food and drink (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Sekine, Yamagami et al. 2002; Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005; Topp, Jacks et al. 2009). The underlying mechanism of obesity formation is an imbalance between energy input and expenditure (Moran 1999; Kipping, Jago et al. 2008) Genetic and environmental factors greatly influence the bodys energy balance. Nevertheless, genetic conditions which either cause production of excessive fat in the body or reduce the rate at which it is broken down, of which Prader-Willi syndrome is an example account for less than 5% of obese individuals (Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005), with environmental factors accounting for a very high percentage (French, Story et al. 2001). The major cause of the rising obesity problem is arguably changes in physical and social environments (French, Story et al. 2001). In recent times, there has been a remarkable shift towards activities that do not promote energy expenditure, for example, most children would travel to school in cars rather walk, in contrast to what obtained in the 1970s (Popkin, Duffey et al. 2005; Anderson and Butcher 2006). There is evidence to suggest that obese children are less active than their non-obese counterparts, hence promoting physical activity such as walking or exercising will help prevent obesity in children (Hughes, Henderson et al. 2006). Media time (television viewing, playing video games and using the computer) has been identified as one of the significant environmental changes responsible for the surge in childhood obesity. Besides promoting physical inactivity, it encourages energy input via excessive snacking and inappropriate food choices as a result of television advertisements (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005). Robinson in his study reveals that â€Å"between ages 2 and 17, children spend an average of 3 years of their waking lifetime watching television alone† (Robinson 1998). Parents play a significant role in where, what and how much their children eat and to an extent, how physically active their children are. In most homes, children make their food choices based on the options they are presented with by their parents, and they characteristically would go for wrong option, more so if they have an obese parent (Strauss and Knight 1999). Other changes within the family such as physical inactivity and working patterns of parents have contributed somewhat to the obesity epidemic. In a family where the parents work full-time, there tends to be very little time for them to prepare wholesome home-made meals and this could possibly explain the increasing demand for eating out (Anderson and Butcher 2006) thereby increasing intake of high energy dense food. Childrens attitude to and participation in physical activities depends largely on how physically active their parents are. Thus children of sporty parents embrace exercise heartily and are therefore less prone to becoming obese.(Sallis, Prochaska et al. 2000). In addition to these family factors, societal factors such as high crime rate, access to safe sports/recreational facilities, transportation and fewer physical education programs in schools significantly impact on energy balance (Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005; Popkin, Duffey et al. 2005; Topp, Jacks et al. 2009). French summarizes the environmental influence on obesity by opining that â€Å"The current epidemic of obesity is caused largely by an environment that promotes excessive food intake and discourages physical activity† (French, Story et al. 2001) CONSEQUENCES OF OBESITY Evidence suggests that childhood obesity and/or overweight has a great impact on both physical and psychological health; causing effects such as behavioral problems and low self esteem, with a higher risk in girls than in boys (Reilly, Methven et al. 2003). Although most of the serious consequences do not become evident until adulthood, research has shown childhood obesity to be linked to metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart attacks, sleep apnea, nonalchoholic fatty liver disease, higher incidence of cancers, depression, dyslipidaemia, increased blood clotting tendency, etc (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Reilly, Methven et al. 2003; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004; D. A. Lawlor, C. J. Riddoch et al. 2005; Daniels 2006; WHO 2006). One of the long-term serious consequences of childhood obesity is that obese children are twice more likely to grow into obese adults than their non-obese counterparts (Moran 1999); however, this largely depends on factors such as age of onset, severity of the disease and the presence of the disease in one parent (Moran 1999; Campbell, Waters et al. 2001; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004; WHO 2006). Other long term consequences include early death and adverse socio-economic consequences such as poor educational attainment and low/no income in adulthood (Reilly, Methven et al. 2003; Fowler-Brown and Kahwati 2004; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004). Obesity-related morbidity places a huge and growing financial demand on governments. In the UK alone, the Department of Health has reported that obesity costs the NHS and the UK economy as a whole about  £1b and between  £2.3b  £2.6b annually respectively, with the cost to the NHS projected to rise to  £3.6b by 2010 (DH 2007). TREATMENT AND PREVENTION The treatment of obesity requires a multidisciplinary approach due to the multi-faceted nature of the condition (Parizkova and Hills 2004). This is aimed at reducing caloric intake and increasing energy expenditure through physical activity (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). These interventions are more likely to be successful if the patients family is involved and the treatment tailored to individual needs and circumstances (Fowler-Brown and Kahwati 2004). In extreme cases, options such as surgical and pharmacological treatments could be exploited. These options are very unpopular and usually not recommended because the associated health risks outweigh the benefits by far (Epstein, Myers et al. 1998; Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). Considering the huge costs and high levels of treatment failure associated with obesity treatment (Stewart, Chapple et al. 2008), the axiom by Benjamin Franklin cannot describe any other condition better than it describes obesity management. â€Å"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure† Dietz et al confirm this by saying that prevention remains the best and most effective management of obesity (Dietz and Gortmaker 2001). Obesity prevention interventions are usually set either in the home or at school with an objective of eliminating peer pressure and, by so doing effect behavioral change (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). Literature suggests that the school has so far remained the choice setting for these preventive interventions despite the very limited evidence on its effectiveness (Birch and Ventura 2009). Why is the school setting a good focus of intervention? Approximately 90% of children are enrolled in schools in developed countries (Baranowsk, Cullen et al. 2002) Children spend a substantial amount of time in school and therefore consume a considerable proportion of their daily calories at school (Katz, OConnell et al. 2005) School related activities present an opportunity to educate children on the concept of energy balance, healthy living and how to make appropriate food choices (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005) It offers opportunity for continuity and constant monitoring via frequent contact (Baranowski T 2002) Schools have an availability of existing manpower and facilities needed for anti-obesity interventions (Kropski, Keckley et al. 2008) In a nut shell, â€Å"Schools offer many other opportunities for learning and practicing healthful eating and physical activity behaviors. Coordinated changes in the curriculum, the in-school advertising environment, school health services, and after-school programs all offer the potential to advance obesity prevention† (Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005). PREVIOUS SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS Systematic reviews have been conducted on the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity. Campbell et al (2001), conducted a systematic review of 7 randomised control trials (RCTs) (6 were school-based, varying in length of time, target population, quality of study and intervention approach). The review found that dietary and physical education interventions have an effect on childhood obesity prevalence. However, success varied with different interventions amongst different age groups. Two of the three long term studies that focused on a combination of dietary education and physical activity, and dietary education respectively reported an effect on obesity prevalence reduction. Similarly, 1 out of the 3 school based short-term interventions that focused only on reducing sedentary activity also found an effect on obesity prevalence. While this review shows that dietary and physical activity interventions based at school are effective against th e risk factors of obesity, the question of generalisability and reproducibility arises as the review reports the majority of the included primary studies were carried out in the US. Most of the studies used BMI as a measure of adiposity, and BMI as has been documented varies across ethnic and racial groups (Rush, Goedecke et al. 2007), thus, it will be inappropriate to apply the findings of US-based obesity prevention interventions to children in middle and low income countries where conditions are different. There are also concerns about the methodology and study design. For example the school-based study by Gotmaker et al (1999) had limitations such as low participation rate (65%) and the researchers were unable to adjust for maturity in boys and there was also poor assessment of dietary intake. All these limitations could have been responsible for a high percentage of the reported intervention effect thus affecting the validity of the results of the study (Gortmaker, Peterson et al. 1999). The authors of the review however concluded that there is currently very limited high quality evidence on which to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of anti-obesity programmes. A Cochrane review which is an update of the Campbell et al (2001) study by Summerbell et al (2005) has examined the impact of diet, physical activity and/or lifestyle and social support on childhood obesity prevention. Their review examined the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention interventions which included school based interventions. Their study included 10 long-term (a minimum duration of 12 months) and 12 short-term (12weeks 12 months) clinical trials (randomised and controlled). 19 out of the 22 studies that met their inclusion criteria were school/pre-school based. The study chose the appropriate study type; more than one reviewer was involved in the entire process of data collection, extraction and selection of included studies. In general, the study found that most of the school-based interventions (dietary and/or physical activity) reported some positive changes in targeted behaviours, but however had very little or no statistically significant impact on BMI. The reviewers stated that none of the 22 studies fulfilled the quality criteria because of some form of methodological weakness which includes measurement errors. For instance, the study by Jenner et al (1989) had no valid method of measuring food intake. The studies by Crawford et al (1994), Lannotti et al (1994) and Sallis et al (2000) had similar measurement errors. Reporting error was identified in studies by Little et al (1999) and Macdiarmid et al (1998). There were also reliability concerns about the secondary outcomes measurement in some of the included studies. The reviewers therefore expressed the need for further high quality research on effectiveness. Kropski et al (2008) reviewed 14 school-based studies that were designed to effect a life style change, a change in BMI, decrease overweight prevalence through a change in nutrition, physical activity or a combination of both. Of the 14 studies, three were done in the UK, one in Germany and 10 in the US. The right type of studies were chosen for this review and the whole process was done by more than one reviewer, however they were unable to draw strong conclusions on the efficacy of school-based interventions because of the limited number of primary studies available and methodological or design concerns which include: small sample size (Luepker, Perry et al. 1996; Mo-suwan, Pongprapai et al. 1998; Nader, Stone et al. 1999; Warren, Henry et al. 2003), no intention-to treat analysis (Danielzik, Pust et al.; Sallis, McKenzie et al. 1993; Sahota, Rudolf et al. 2001; Warren, Henry et al. 2003), possibility of type I (Coleman, Tiller et al. 2005) and type II errors (Warren, Henry et al. 2003), unit of analysis errors (Sallis, McKenzie et al. 1993) and inconsistent results (Mo-suwan, Pongprapai et al. 1998; Caballero, Clay et al. 2003; Coleman, Tiller et al. 2005). Despite their inability to draw a conclusion on effectiveness, overall, the review found that a combination of nutritional and physical activity interventions had the most effect on BMI and prevalence of overweight, with the result largely varying from community-to-community. The nutrition only and physical activity only interventions appeared to have had a change on lifestyles of participants but either had no significant effect on the measures of overweight or no BMI outcomes were measured. Another systematic review on the effectiveness of school-based interventions among Chinese school children was carried out by M.Li et al (2008). The authors included 22 primary studies in their review. The review reported that the primary studies showed that there are some beneficial effects of school-based interventions for obesity prevention; the reviewers however expressed their concerns that most of the studies included in the review had what they considered to be serious to moderate methodological weaknesses. Sixteen of the 22 studies included studies were cluster control trials, and there was no mention by any of the researchers that cluster analysis was applied to any of the 16 studies. In addition to lack of cluster analysis, no process evaluation was conducted in any of the studies. Only one study performed an intention to treat analysis. Twelve studies experienced dropouts, but there was incomplete information on the study population at the end of the trial and the reason f or the dropouts. Additionally, none of the studies explained the theory upon which they based their intervention. There was also potential recruitment and selection bias in all the primary studies as identified by the reviewers. They stated that none of the studies reported the number of subjects that were approached for recruitment into the study. As none of the RCTs included described the method they used in randomization, neither did they state if the studies were blinded or not. The methodological flaws in a high percentage of the included primary studies could impact on the validity of the findings of the review. Again, the authors failed to reach a conclusion on the effectiveness of the interventions because of the intrinsic weaknesses found in the primary studies, and as a result state the need for more primary studies that would address the methodological weaknesses that is highly present in nearly all existing primary studies conducted on this topic so far. The study of the efficacy of school-based interventions aimed at preventing childhood obesity or reducing the risk factors is a rather complex one. Pertinent issues on effectiveness of school-based interventions to prevent the risk factors of obesity remain that there is very limited/weak evidence on which to base policies on. Heterogeneity of primary research (in terms if age of study population, duration of intervention, measurement of outcomes and outcomes measured) makes further statistical analysis nearly impossible. BMI is currently the most widely used measure of overweight and obesity in children. However, BMI has no way of distinguishing between fat mass and muscle mass in the body and might therefore misdiagnose children with bigger muscles as obese. Another disadvantage of using BMI in overweight measurement is its inability of depicting the body fat composition (Committee on Nutrition 2003), other surrogate indicators of adiposity may be needed. Most authors that have carried out a review on this topic so far have expressed the need for further research on this topic to add to the existing body of evidence. RATIONALE FOR THIS STUDY All the systematic reviews on this subject so far have focused mainly on the United States. Lifestyle differences such as eating habits between American and British children possibly affect generalisability and reproducibility of US findings to the UK. For example, in the US, research has shown that 0.5% of all television advertisements promote food, and that about 72% of these food advertisements promote unhealthy food such as candy and fast food (Darwin 2009). In the UK paradoxically, the government in 2007 enforced regulations banning television advertisement of unhealthy foods (foods with high fat, salt, and sugar content) during television programmes aimed at children below 16 years of age (Darwin 2009). Thus US children are at a higher risk of becoming obese than their UK counterparts as a result of higher rate of exposure to TV junk food advertisements. Another lifestyle difference between American and British children is physical activity. In the UK, a high percentage of children aged 2 to 15 achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily (about 70% of males and 60% of females) (DoH 2004), as opposed to the US where only about 34% of school pupils achieve the daily recommended levels of physical activity daily (CDC 2008). These differences highlight the importance of public health policies being based on the local population characteristics rather than on imported overseas figures. There is therefore need to review the evidence of UK school-based obesity interventions to inform policy relevant to the UK population. To the best of my knowledge following an extensive literature search, no systematic review has been conducted on the effectiveness of school-based intervention in preventing childhood obesity in the UK, despite the high prevalence of the condition and its public health significance in this country. This research aims to bridge this gap in knowledge by focusing on UK based studies to evaluate the efficacy of school-based interventions in the UK population. This study therefore stands out insofar as it will be assessing the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the reducing the risk factors of obesity in the UK, with a hope of providing specific local recommendations based on UK evidence. This type of review is long overdue in the UK, considering that the governments target to reduce childhood obesity to its pre-2000 levels by the year 2020 (DoH 2007) will require local evidence of effective interventions to succeed. The next stage of this review will describe in detail the research methodology to be used to conduct the proposed systematic review. Also included will be research strategy details to be adopted, study selection criteria, data collection and analysis. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this research is to: Systematically review school-based intervention studies in the UK aimed at reducing the risk factors of childhood obesity among school children. Objectives are: To assess the efficacy of school-based anti-obesity interventions in the UK. To identify the most effective form of school-based interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity amongst school children in the UK. CRITERIA FOR INCLUDING STUDIES IN THIS REVIEW METHODS This review was performed as a Cochrane review. The Cochrane guidance on systematic reviews and reporting format were as far as possible adhered to by the author (Green, Higgins et al. 2008). The entire review process was guided by a tool for assessing the quality of systematic reviews, alongside the accompanying guidance (health-evidence.ca 2007a; health-evidence.ca 2007b). TYPES OF STUDY In the search for the effectiveness of an intervention, well conducted randomised control trials (which are the best and most credible sources of evidence) will be the preferred source of studies for this review. However, because of the limited number of RCTs conducted on this topic so far, this study will include controlled clinical trials if there is insufficient availability of RCTs. TYPES OF PARTICIPANTS School children under 18 years of age TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS Interventions being evaluated are those that aim to: Reduce sedentary lifestyle Effect nutritional change Combine the two outcomes above Reduce obesity prevalence Effect an attitude change towards physical activity and diet Studies that present a baseline and post intervention measure of primary outcome. Interventions not included in this study are: Those with no specified weight-related outcomes Those that involved school-age children but were delivered outside of the school setting, as our focus is based on school-based interventions aimed at obesity prevention. Studies done outside the UK Studies with no specified interventions Non-RCTs or CCTs For each intervention, the control group will be school children not receiving the intervention(s). TYPES OF OUTCOMES MEASURED Primary outcomes Change in adiposity measured as BMI and/or skin fold thickness Secondary outcomes Knowledge Physical activity levels Diet SEARCH METHODS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF STUDIES Electronic searches The electronic databases OVID MEDLINE ® (1950-2009), PsycINFO (1982-2009), EMBASE (1980-2009) and the British Nursing Index (1994-2009) were all searched using the OVID SP interface. The Wiley Interscience interface was used to search the following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. There was also a general search of internet using Google search engine, in an attempt to identify any ongoing studies or unpublished reports before proceeding to search grey literature sources. Grey literature For references to childhood obesity prevention in schools, the following grey literature sources were searched: British Library Integrated Catalogue (http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/?func=filefile_name=login-bl-list) ISI index of Conference Proceedings (http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/) SCIRUS (http://www.scirus.com/) System for Information on Grey Literature (http://opensigle.inist.fr/) ZETOC (http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk) Additionally, current control trials database at http://www.controlled-trials.com/ was searched for any ongoing research. The UK national research register was also searched at https://portal.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchive.aspx. All the links to the grey literature databases were tested at the time of this review and found to be working. Hand searches It was not possible to conduct a hand search of journals due to pragmatic reasons. Reference lists Reference lists of retrieved studies were searched for other potential relevant studies that might have been omitted in the earlier search. Correspondence First author of all included studies were contacted with a view to seeking more references. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Selection of studies The abstracts and titles of the hits from the electronic databases searched were screened for relevance by a single assessor. Those that were thought to be potentially relevant were retrieved and downloaded unto EndnoteTM to make the results manageable and also avoid loss of data. At the end of the search, all databases were merged into one single database and duplicated records of the same study were removed. Subsequently, the assessor then sought and obtained the full text of, and reviewed the relevant studies that were considered eligible for inclusion. Multiple reports of same study were linked together. No further data were sought for studies not included in the review. Data extraction Data extraction from included studies was done by a single reviewer and the data recorded on a data extraction form. A summary of each included study was described according to these characteristics: Participants (age, ethnicity etc.), study design, description of school-based interventions, study quality and details such as follow-ups and date, location, outcomes measured, theoretical framework, baseline comparability and results Assessment of methodological quality of included studies A number of researchers (Jackson, Waters et al. 2005) and the Cochrane guidelines for systematic reviews of health promotion and public health interventions (Rebecca Armstrong, Waters et al. 2007) strongly advise using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (2008a) developed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project in Canada and the accompanying dictionary (to act as a guideline) (2008b) in assessing methodological quality. Based on criteria such as selection bias, study design, blinding, cofounders, data collection methods, withdrawals and drop-outs and intervention integrity, the tool which is designed to cover any quantitative study employs the use of a scale (strong, moderate or weak) to assess the quality of each study included in the review. Analysis Considering the small number of studies included in the review and heterogeneity in terms of interventions, delivery methods, intensity of interventions, age of participants, duration of intervention and outcomes measured, it was not statistically appropriate to undertake a Meta analysis, which admittedly would have been the preferred method of analysing and summarising the results of the studies. A narrative synthesis of the results was done instead. RESULT DESCRIPTION OF STUDIES Results of the search The search of electronic sources identified 811 citations out of which 97 potential studies were retrieved. A reference management software EndnoteTM was used to search for and remove duplicate citations. Further screening of title and abstract reduced the number of citations to 17 potential studies. Full texts of the 17 studies were sought, 13 were excluded, and four met the inclusion criteria and were therefore included in the review. Authors of the four studies were then conta Effect of School Based Obesity Interventions Effect of School Based Obesity Interventions ABSTRACT Introduction Background Obesity in both adult and children is fast becoming one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century in developed and developing countries alike. It is estimated that approximately 10% of school age children. The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is ever on the increase in the UK as in the rest of the world. It is estimated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 2 10 year old children in the UK rose from 22.7%-27.7% and 9.9%-13.7% respectively between 1995 and 2003; these figures are set to increase unless something is done. School-based interventions offer a possible solution in halting obesity prevalence, because the school setting provides an avenue for reaching out to a high percentage of children (especially in the western world), opportunity for constant monitoring of children and the resources for anti-obesity interventions. Objectives To systematically review the evidence of the impact of school-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity on: Adiposity (primary objective) Knowledge, physical activity levels and diet (secondary objectives) Methods The review was done following the Cochrane collaboration guidelines. In addition to searching electronic databases, first authors of all included studies were contacted. A recognised critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. Results Three RCTs and one CCT met the inclusion criteria for the review. All four studies had a control and intervention group; with various study limitations. While none of the studies found statistically significant BMI changes in intervention groups when compared with control group post-intervention, all of them recorded either a significant change in diet, or an increase in physical activity levels. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND Obesity is generally understood as abnormal accumulation of fat to the extent that presents health risk (Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004), and was added to the international classification of diseases for the first time in 1948 (Kipping, Jago et al. 2008). The worldwide clinical definition of adult obesity by the WHO is body mass index (BMI) ≠¥ 30kg/m2 (WHO 2006). In children however, because of the significant changes in their BMI with age (Cole, Bellizzi et al. 2000), there is no universally accepted definition of obesity (Parizkova and Hills 2004; Bessesen 2008) and it therefore varies from country-to-country. The most commonly used definition of childhood obesity is the US definition which measures overweight and obesity in a reference population using the cut off points of 85th and 95th centiles of BMI for age (Ogden, Yanovski et al. 2007). In the UK, overweight and obesity are diagnosed using a national reference data from a 1990 BMI survey of British children (Stamatakis, Prima testa et al. 2005). Children whose weights are above the 85th centile are classed as overweight and over the 95th centile are considered obese (Reilly, Wilson et al. 2002). Recent estimates suggest that obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally with about 400 million adults being clinically obese, a figure projected to rise to about 700 million by 2015 (WHO 2006). In children, the current WHO estimates are that about 22 million children globally under age 5 are overweight (WHO 2008). In the UK, evidence suggests that obesity is set to be the number one preventable cause of disease in a matter of time (Simon, Everitt et al. 2005). In the last three decades, the scale as well as the prevalence of obesity have grown rapidly amongst all age, social and ethnic groups in the UK, as well as globally (Table 1)(Kipping, Jago et al. 2008). Estimates suggest that in the UK, between 1984 and 2002/2003, the prevalence of obesity in boys aged 5-10 rose by 4.16%, and by 4.8% in girls (Stamatakis, Primatesta et al. 2005). There is therefore there is an urgent need for the development and implementation of effective intervention strategies to halt the ever increasing obesity prevalence (Summerbell Carolyn, Waters et al. 2005). OBESITY CAUSATION The primary risk factors associated with the increase in prevalence of childhood obesity are ever increasing involvement in sedentary lifestyles and an increase also in the consumption of high energy dense food and drink (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Sekine, Yamagami et al. 2002; Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005; Topp, Jacks et al. 2009). The underlying mechanism of obesity formation is an imbalance between energy input and expenditure (Moran 1999; Kipping, Jago et al. 2008) Genetic and environmental factors greatly influence the bodys energy balance. Nevertheless, genetic conditions which either cause production of excessive fat in the body or reduce the rate at which it is broken down, of which Prader-Willi syndrome is an example account for less than 5% of obese individuals (Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005), with environmental factors accounting for a very high percentage (French, Story et al. 2001). The major cause of the rising obesity problem is arguably changes in physical and social environments (French, Story et al. 2001). In recent times, there has been a remarkable shift towards activities that do not promote energy expenditure, for example, most children would travel to school in cars rather walk, in contrast to what obtained in the 1970s (Popkin, Duffey et al. 2005; Anderson and Butcher 2006). There is evidence to suggest that obese children are less active than their non-obese counterparts, hence promoting physical activity such as walking or exercising will help prevent obesity in children (Hughes, Henderson et al. 2006). Media time (television viewing, playing video games and using the computer) has been identified as one of the significant environmental changes responsible for the surge in childhood obesity. Besides promoting physical inactivity, it encourages energy input via excessive snacking and inappropriate food choices as a result of television advertisements (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005). Robinson in his study reveals that â€Å"between ages 2 and 17, children spend an average of 3 years of their waking lifetime watching television alone† (Robinson 1998). Parents play a significant role in where, what and how much their children eat and to an extent, how physically active their children are. In most homes, children make their food choices based on the options they are presented with by their parents, and they characteristically would go for wrong option, more so if they have an obese parent (Strauss and Knight 1999). Other changes within the family such as physical inactivity and working patterns of parents have contributed somewhat to the obesity epidemic. In a family where the parents work full-time, there tends to be very little time for them to prepare wholesome home-made meals and this could possibly explain the increasing demand for eating out (Anderson and Butcher 2006) thereby increasing intake of high energy dense food. Childrens attitude to and participation in physical activities depends largely on how physically active their parents are. Thus children of sporty parents embrace exercise heartily and are therefore less prone to becoming obese.(Sallis, Prochaska et al. 2000). In addition to these family factors, societal factors such as high crime rate, access to safe sports/recreational facilities, transportation and fewer physical education programs in schools significantly impact on energy balance (Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005; Popkin, Duffey et al. 2005; Topp, Jacks et al. 2009). French summarizes the environmental influence on obesity by opining that â€Å"The current epidemic of obesity is caused largely by an environment that promotes excessive food intake and discourages physical activity† (French, Story et al. 2001) CONSEQUENCES OF OBESITY Evidence suggests that childhood obesity and/or overweight has a great impact on both physical and psychological health; causing effects such as behavioral problems and low self esteem, with a higher risk in girls than in boys (Reilly, Methven et al. 2003). Although most of the serious consequences do not become evident until adulthood, research has shown childhood obesity to be linked to metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart attacks, sleep apnea, nonalchoholic fatty liver disease, higher incidence of cancers, depression, dyslipidaemia, increased blood clotting tendency, etc (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Reilly, Methven et al. 2003; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004; D. A. Lawlor, C. J. Riddoch et al. 2005; Daniels 2006; WHO 2006). One of the long-term serious consequences of childhood obesity is that obese children are twice more likely to grow into obese adults than their non-obese counterparts (Moran 1999); however, this largely depends on factors such as age of onset, severity of the disease and the presence of the disease in one parent (Moran 1999; Campbell, Waters et al. 2001; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004; WHO 2006). Other long term consequences include early death and adverse socio-economic consequences such as poor educational attainment and low/no income in adulthood (Reilly, Methven et al. 2003; Fowler-Brown and Kahwati 2004; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004). Obesity-related morbidity places a huge and growing financial demand on governments. In the UK alone, the Department of Health has reported that obesity costs the NHS and the UK economy as a whole about  £1b and between  £2.3b  £2.6b annually respectively, with the cost to the NHS projected to rise to  £3.6b by 2010 (DH 2007). TREATMENT AND PREVENTION The treatment of obesity requires a multidisciplinary approach due to the multi-faceted nature of the condition (Parizkova and Hills 2004). This is aimed at reducing caloric intake and increasing energy expenditure through physical activity (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). These interventions are more likely to be successful if the patients family is involved and the treatment tailored to individual needs and circumstances (Fowler-Brown and Kahwati 2004). In extreme cases, options such as surgical and pharmacological treatments could be exploited. These options are very unpopular and usually not recommended because the associated health risks outweigh the benefits by far (Epstein, Myers et al. 1998; Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). Considering the huge costs and high levels of treatment failure associated with obesity treatment (Stewart, Chapple et al. 2008), the axiom by Benjamin Franklin cannot describe any other condition better than it describes obesity management. â€Å"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure† Dietz et al confirm this by saying that prevention remains the best and most effective management of obesity (Dietz and Gortmaker 2001). Obesity prevention interventions are usually set either in the home or at school with an objective of eliminating peer pressure and, by so doing effect behavioral change (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). Literature suggests that the school has so far remained the choice setting for these preventive interventions despite the very limited evidence on its effectiveness (Birch and Ventura 2009). Why is the school setting a good focus of intervention? Approximately 90% of children are enrolled in schools in developed countries (Baranowsk, Cullen et al. 2002) Children spend a substantial amount of time in school and therefore consume a considerable proportion of their daily calories at school (Katz, OConnell et al. 2005) School related activities present an opportunity to educate children on the concept of energy balance, healthy living and how to make appropriate food choices (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005) It offers opportunity for continuity and constant monitoring via frequent contact (Baranowski T 2002) Schools have an availability of existing manpower and facilities needed for anti-obesity interventions (Kropski, Keckley et al. 2008) In a nut shell, â€Å"Schools offer many other opportunities for learning and practicing healthful eating and physical activity behaviors. Coordinated changes in the curriculum, the in-school advertising environment, school health services, and after-school programs all offer the potential to advance obesity prevention† (Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005). PREVIOUS SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS Systematic reviews have been conducted on the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity. Campbell et al (2001), conducted a systematic review of 7 randomised control trials (RCTs) (6 were school-based, varying in length of time, target population, quality of study and intervention approach). The review found that dietary and physical education interventions have an effect on childhood obesity prevalence. However, success varied with different interventions amongst different age groups. Two of the three long term studies that focused on a combination of dietary education and physical activity, and dietary education respectively reported an effect on obesity prevalence reduction. Similarly, 1 out of the 3 school based short-term interventions that focused only on reducing sedentary activity also found an effect on obesity prevalence. While this review shows that dietary and physical activity interventions based at school are effective against th e risk factors of obesity, the question of generalisability and reproducibility arises as the review reports the majority of the included primary studies were carried out in the US. Most of the studies used BMI as a measure of adiposity, and BMI as has been documented varies across ethnic and racial groups (Rush, Goedecke et al. 2007), thus, it will be inappropriate to apply the findings of US-based obesity prevention interventions to children in middle and low income countries where conditions are different. There are also concerns about the methodology and study design. For example the school-based study by Gotmaker et al (1999) had limitations such as low participation rate (65%) and the researchers were unable to adjust for maturity in boys and there was also poor assessment of dietary intake. All these limitations could have been responsible for a high percentage of the reported intervention effect thus affecting the validity of the results of the study (Gortmaker, Peterson et al. 1999). The authors of the review however concluded that there is currently very limited high quality evidence on which to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of anti-obesity programmes. A Cochrane review which is an update of the Campbell et al (2001) study by Summerbell et al (2005) has examined the impact of diet, physical activity and/or lifestyle and social support on childhood obesity prevention. Their review examined the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention interventions which included school based interventions. Their study included 10 long-term (a minimum duration of 12 months) and 12 short-term (12weeks 12 months) clinical trials (randomised and controlled). 19 out of the 22 studies that met their inclusion criteria were school/pre-school based. The study chose the appropriate study type; more than one reviewer was involved in the entire process of data collection, extraction and selection of included studies. In general, the study found that most of the school-based interventions (dietary and/or physical activity) reported some positive changes in targeted behaviours, but however had very little or no statistically significant impact on BMI. The reviewers stated that none of the 22 studies fulfilled the quality criteria because of some form of methodological weakness which includes measurement errors. For instance, the study by Jenner et al (1989) had no valid method of measuring food intake. The studies by Crawford et al (1994), Lannotti et al (1994) and Sallis et al (2000) had similar measurement errors. Reporting error was identified in studies by Little et al (1999) and Macdiarmid et al (1998). There were also reliability concerns about the secondary outcomes measurement in some of the included studies. The reviewers therefore expressed the need for further high quality research on effectiveness. Kropski et al (2008) reviewed 14 school-based studies that were designed to effect a life style change, a change in BMI, decrease overweight prevalence through a change in nutrition, physical activity or a combination of both. Of the 14 studies, three were done in the UK, one in Germany and 10 in the US. The right type of studies were chosen for this review and the whole process was done by more than one reviewer, however they were unable to draw strong conclusions on the efficacy of school-based interventions because of the limited number of primary studies available and methodological or design concerns which include: small sample size (Luepker, Perry et al. 1996; Mo-suwan, Pongprapai et al. 1998; Nader, Stone et al. 1999; Warren, Henry et al. 2003), no intention-to treat analysis (Danielzik, Pust et al.; Sallis, McKenzie et al. 1993; Sahota, Rudolf et al. 2001; Warren, Henry et al. 2003), possibility of type I (Coleman, Tiller et al. 2005) and type II errors (Warren, Henry et al. 2003), unit of analysis errors (Sallis, McKenzie et al. 1993) and inconsistent results (Mo-suwan, Pongprapai et al. 1998; Caballero, Clay et al. 2003; Coleman, Tiller et al. 2005). Despite their inability to draw a conclusion on effectiveness, overall, the review found that a combination of nutritional and physical activity interventions had the most effect on BMI and prevalence of overweight, with the result largely varying from community-to-community. The nutrition only and physical activity only interventions appeared to have had a change on lifestyles of participants but either had no significant effect on the measures of overweight or no BMI outcomes were measured. Another systematic review on the effectiveness of school-based interventions among Chinese school children was carried out by M.Li et al (2008). The authors included 22 primary studies in their review. The review reported that the primary studies showed that there are some beneficial effects of school-based interventions for obesity prevention; the reviewers however expressed their concerns that most of the studies included in the review had what they considered to be serious to moderate methodological weaknesses. Sixteen of the 22 studies included studies were cluster control trials, and there was no mention by any of the researchers that cluster analysis was applied to any of the 16 studies. In addition to lack of cluster analysis, no process evaluation was conducted in any of the studies. Only one study performed an intention to treat analysis. Twelve studies experienced dropouts, but there was incomplete information on the study population at the end of the trial and the reason f or the dropouts. Additionally, none of the studies explained the theory upon which they based their intervention. There was also potential recruitment and selection bias in all the primary studies as identified by the reviewers. They stated that none of the studies reported the number of subjects that were approached for recruitment into the study. As none of the RCTs included described the method they used in randomization, neither did they state if the studies were blinded or not. The methodological flaws in a high percentage of the included primary studies could impact on the validity of the findings of the review. Again, the authors failed to reach a conclusion on the effectiveness of the interventions because of the intrinsic weaknesses found in the primary studies, and as a result state the need for more primary studies that would address the methodological weaknesses that is highly present in nearly all existing primary studies conducted on this topic so far. The study of the efficacy of school-based interventions aimed at preventing childhood obesity or reducing the risk factors is a rather complex one. Pertinent issues on effectiveness of school-based interventions to prevent the risk factors of obesity remain that there is very limited/weak evidence on which to base policies on. Heterogeneity of primary research (in terms if age of study population, duration of intervention, measurement of outcomes and outcomes measured) makes further statistical analysis nearly impossible. BMI is currently the most widely used measure of overweight and obesity in children. However, BMI has no way of distinguishing between fat mass and muscle mass in the body and might therefore misdiagnose children with bigger muscles as obese. Another disadvantage of using BMI in overweight measurement is its inability of depicting the body fat composition (Committee on Nutrition 2003), other surrogate indicators of adiposity may be needed. Most authors that have carried out a review on this topic so far have expressed the need for further research on this topic to add to the existing body of evidence. RATIONALE FOR THIS STUDY All the systematic reviews on this subject so far have focused mainly on the United States. Lifestyle differences such as eating habits between American and British children possibly affect generalisability and reproducibility of US findings to the UK. For example, in the US, research has shown that 0.5% of all television advertisements promote food, and that about 72% of these food advertisements promote unhealthy food such as candy and fast food (Darwin 2009). In the UK paradoxically, the government in 2007 enforced regulations banning television advertisement of unhealthy foods (foods with high fat, salt, and sugar content) during television programmes aimed at children below 16 years of age (Darwin 2009). Thus US children are at a higher risk of becoming obese than their UK counterparts as a result of higher rate of exposure to TV junk food advertisements. Another lifestyle difference between American and British children is physical activity. In the UK, a high percentage of children aged 2 to 15 achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily (about 70% of males and 60% of females) (DoH 2004), as opposed to the US where only about 34% of school pupils achieve the daily recommended levels of physical activity daily (CDC 2008). These differences highlight the importance of public health policies being based on the local population characteristics rather than on imported overseas figures. There is therefore need to review the evidence of UK school-based obesity interventions to inform policy relevant to the UK population. To the best of my knowledge following an extensive literature search, no systematic review has been conducted on the effectiveness of school-based intervention in preventing childhood obesity in the UK, despite the high prevalence of the condition and its public health significance in this country. This research aims to bridge this gap in knowledge by focusing on UK based studies to evaluate the efficacy of school-based interventions in the UK population. This study therefore stands out insofar as it will be assessing the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the reducing the risk factors of obesity in the UK, with a hope of providing specific local recommendations based on UK evidence. This type of review is long overdue in the UK, considering that the governments target to reduce childhood obesity to its pre-2000 levels by the year 2020 (DoH 2007) will require local evidence of effective interventions to succeed. The next stage of this review will describe in detail the research methodology to be used to conduct the proposed systematic review. Also included will be research strategy details to be adopted, study selection criteria, data collection and analysis. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this research is to: Systematically review school-based intervention studies in the UK aimed at reducing the risk factors of childhood obesity among school children. Objectives are: To assess the efficacy of school-based anti-obesity interventions in the UK. To identify the most effective form of school-based interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity amongst school children in the UK. CRITERIA FOR INCLUDING STUDIES IN THIS REVIEW METHODS This review was performed as a Cochrane review. The Cochrane guidance on systematic reviews and reporting format were as far as possible adhered to by the author (Green, Higgins et al. 2008). The entire review process was guided by a tool for assessing the quality of systematic reviews, alongside the accompanying guidance (health-evidence.ca 2007a; health-evidence.ca 2007b). TYPES OF STUDY In the search for the effectiveness of an intervention, well conducted randomised control trials (which are the best and most credible sources of evidence) will be the preferred source of studies for this review. However, because of the limited number of RCTs conducted on this topic so far, this study will include controlled clinical trials if there is insufficient availability of RCTs. TYPES OF PARTICIPANTS School children under 18 years of age TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS Interventions being evaluated are those that aim to: Reduce sedentary lifestyle Effect nutritional change Combine the two outcomes above Reduce obesity prevalence Effect an attitude change towards physical activity and diet Studies that present a baseline and post intervention measure of primary outcome. Interventions not included in this study are: Those with no specified weight-related outcomes Those that involved school-age children but were delivered outside of the school setting, as our focus is based on school-based interventions aimed at obesity prevention. Studies done outside the UK Studies with no specified interventions Non-RCTs or CCTs For each intervention, the control group will be school children not receiving the intervention(s). TYPES OF OUTCOMES MEASURED Primary outcomes Change in adiposity measured as BMI and/or skin fold thickness Secondary outcomes Knowledge Physical activity levels Diet SEARCH METHODS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF STUDIES Electronic searches The electronic databases OVID MEDLINE ® (1950-2009), PsycINFO (1982-2009), EMBASE (1980-2009) and the British Nursing Index (1994-2009) were all searched using the OVID SP interface. The Wiley Interscience interface was used to search the following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. There was also a general search of internet using Google search engine, in an attempt to identify any ongoing studies or unpublished reports before proceeding to search grey literature sources. Grey literature For references to childhood obesity prevention in schools, the following grey literature sources were searched: British Library Integrated Catalogue (http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/?func=filefile_name=login-bl-list) ISI index of Conference Proceedings (http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/) SCIRUS (http://www.scirus.com/) System for Information on Grey Literature (http://opensigle.inist.fr/) ZETOC (http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk) Additionally, current control trials database at http://www.controlled-trials.com/ was searched for any ongoing research. The UK national research register was also searched at https://portal.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchive.aspx. All the links to the grey literature databases were tested at the time of this review and found to be working. Hand searches It was not possible to conduct a hand search of journals due to pragmatic reasons. Reference lists Reference lists of retrieved studies were searched for other potential relevant studies that might have been omitted in the earlier search. Correspondence First author of all included studies were contacted with a view to seeking more references. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Selection of studies The abstracts and titles of the hits from the electronic databases searched were screened for relevance by a single assessor. Those that were thought to be potentially relevant were retrieved and downloaded unto EndnoteTM to make the results manageable and also avoid loss of data. At the end of the search, all databases were merged into one single database and duplicated records of the same study were removed. Subsequently, the assessor then sought and obtained the full text of, and reviewed the relevant studies that were considered eligible for inclusion. Multiple reports of same study were linked together. No further data were sought for studies not included in the review. Data extraction Data extraction from included studies was done by a single reviewer and the data recorded on a data extraction form. A summary of each included study was described according to these characteristics: Participants (age, ethnicity etc.), study design, description of school-based interventions, study quality and details such as follow-ups and date, location, outcomes measured, theoretical framework, baseline comparability and results Assessment of methodological quality of included studies A number of researchers (Jackson, Waters et al. 2005) and the Cochrane guidelines for systematic reviews of health promotion and public health interventions (Rebecca Armstrong, Waters et al. 2007) strongly advise using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (2008a) developed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project in Canada and the accompanying dictionary (to act as a guideline) (2008b) in assessing methodological quality. Based on criteria such as selection bias, study design, blinding, cofounders, data collection methods, withdrawals and drop-outs and intervention integrity, the tool which is designed to cover any quantitative study employs the use of a scale (strong, moderate or weak) to assess the quality of each study included in the review. Analysis Considering the small number of studies included in the review and heterogeneity in terms of interventions, delivery methods, intensity of interventions, age of participants, duration of intervention and outcomes measured, it was not statistically appropriate to undertake a Meta analysis, which admittedly would have been the preferred method of analysing and summarising the results of the studies. A narrative synthesis of the results was done instead. RESULT DESCRIPTION OF STUDIES Results of the search The search of electronic sources identified 811 citations out of which 97 potential studies were retrieved. A reference management software EndnoteTM was used to search for and remove duplicate citations. Further screening of title and abstract reduced the number of citations to 17 potential studies. Full texts of the 17 studies were sought, 13 were excluded, and four met the inclusion criteria and were therefore included in the review. Authors of the four studies were then conta