Summary of "The Syrian Bride" Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of "The Syrian Bride" - Essay Example This film is plotted at an Arab- Israeli conflict with a family whose life is divided by the harsh political situation. The film’s budget was $18.3M. However the critical reception of the film was a bit of favoritism of one of the sides, that is Syria. The films was nominated for Awards of the Israeli Film Academy alongside other 7 awards and 15 nominations (imdb.com). The Electronic Intifada (1) explains: The film is a well thought story that brings out the plight of families in war region of Syrian border with Israeli. It gives the dilemmas that people are confronted with in situations of war. Mona is challenged between the option to join the unknown man who is to marry her in Syria and never see her family again, or stay with her family. The husband Tallel is a Television comedian in Syria but the situation of the Golan Heights makes it difficult for her to leave. She needs to get married and hence must meet Tallel but this has the challenge of her losing the unidentified nationality status which implies she will never reunite with her family at this place. Further the fact that they have never met one another makes us realize the dire situation that those in Golan Heights are in. the insane bureaucracy that they experience during her movement out of Israel to go out to Syria presents to as the challenges and problems that Golan Heights dweller s were exposed to. This makes it even harder for their family to gather for Mona’s wedding putting her marriage in crisis. The political position of Syria and Israel makes the lives of Golan Heights occupants unbearable. The passport standoff at the border paints the situation that is unimaginable with the intended Family of Mona waiting on the other end as her family too is stranded with her. With the film narrating the ordeal that the political stalemate presents to the people of these two countries, it serves to create a gradual relaxation of tension. It opens up the

High School and Graduation Essay Example for Free

High School and Graduation Essay Time gets closer to the day we move our tassels from senior to graduate. Graduation steps on the back of our heels like the annoying freshman running late for class. It acts as if it is going to creep up on us, but we all know it will be here soon. It tip-toes in the back of our minds. Graduation: a day of freedom, maturity, and proof that nobody is any better than another. â€Å"There are many different ways of following through†¦ Sometimes it’s about going there, not getting there. Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. â€Å" –Drake. This quote says a lot. He actually spoke at a graduation, and told that graduation class this same thing. This quote reaches out to me because I know my journey will be a rough journey. Becoming the person I want to be after high school is a journey all its own. I hope I get to where I want to be. Even if I do not, I have learned. Although graduation is only a few months away, I am getting nervous. I am nervous. But graduation day will be the day I go from high school student to adult. Age is just a number. Intelligence proves adulthood. I am proud to say I am looking forward to graduation day. I am looking forward to becoming an adult. I am looking forward to taking that next step in my life. I want the rest of my class to be as ready and nervous as I am because I will not feel alone. I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Every senior all around the United States is put in this position. We all do the same thing. We all walk onto that stage, shake hands, smile, wait for a picture and walk off with our high school diplomas in hand. Adults and older siblings did not lie when they told me that my four years of high school will be the best four years of my life. I have had an amazing four years. I have lost friends, gained friends, met some amazing people, and even met some people that I did not want to meet. I got put in positions I was not sure I was mature enough to handle. I handled them though. I got forced to make choices I did not know I needed to make on my own, but I made them and I know I made the right ones because of the person I am today. I am already ready to walk on that stage and smile. Smile big for those who made choices that caused them to not be able to walk with me. I smile for the  people who have tried to bring me down in life so far. And most of all I smile for myself, I smile because I made it. I made it to this graduation day; a day full of freedom, maturity, and proof that nobody is any better than me.

Regaining Control in Anna Karenina Essay -- Tolstoy Anna Karenina Essa

Regaining Control in Anna Karenina Anna Karenina features significant clusters of scenes, all of which describe notable moments in the development of the novel's major figures. One of the most important clusters is when Anna travels to see Vronsky. On her way her perceptions change; she throws her "searchlight" upon herself. Arriving at the next station she sees the rails and knows what must be done. Anna has had control over her own life taken away from her, due to the societal limitations on her choices as a woman. She becomes resentful of the society she lives in, and turns that frustration on the unsympathetic Vronsky, who retains his own freedom as well as control over her own happiness. She is too proud and passionate to live in subordination, as Dolly Oblonsky does. Anna cannot conceive of going on indefinitely as she has been, and at the same time can take no pleasure from contemplation of her past, or her future, which holds no prospect of change. Feeling trapped and untrue to her own unwanted desires, she begins to see the entire world as a wretched place populated by miserable, entrapped individuals just like herself. Through death alone, she feels she can secure a place in Vronsky's heart. Death is also the only decision that she is free to carry out on her own. The place that Anna occupies is like that of a child, making up tasks for herself to fill the time, while others make the decisions that affect her life. Anna tries to interest herself with educating the English girl, writing a children's book, but these are all distractions from the fact that she has nowhere to go. Oblonsky and Karenin meet to try to settle the question of Anna's future, without inviting Anna to plead for herself or otherwise a... ...bout whether or not the maidservant will remember to put clean sheets on the guests' beds. But neither of these women's roles are true to her own desires. To stay on this earth is to place control of her life in the hands of a man whom she is not certain loves her. Anna's decision is incomprehensible to Madame Vronsky: "Can you understand these desperate passions?" (812). But from our view of Anna's mental landscape, we can understand them all too well. Works Cited Jahn, Gary R. â€Å"The Images of the Railroad in Anna Karenina,† Slavic and East European Journal 2 (1981): 1-10. Mandelker, Amy. â€Å"Feminist Criticism and Anna Karenina.† Tolstoy Studies Journal III (1990): 82-103 Nitze, Paul H. & Foreword. The Complete Idiots Guide to Leo Tolstoy. London: Henry Z. Walck, 1994. Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina. Trans. Joel Carmichael. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1960.

Collaborative Working †Case Study Essay

The aim of this essay is to examine the significance of collaborative working to achieve positive outcomes for service users. â€Å"Collaboration is a dynamic inter-professional process which two or more professionals make a commitment to solve problems and to learn from each other in order to accomplish identified goals, purposes or outcomes† (Hamric, Spross and Hanson, 2000, p.318). Since the publication of Every Child Matters (2004), social care, health, voluntary sectors and other children’s services have been joining forces to work more collaboratively around an early intervention and preventative agenda (Department for Education and Skills, 2004). This essay will focus on the National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) and by drawing on the author’s experiences as a Nursery Nurse in the School Nursing team it will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required for successful implementation of this service and how to promote seamless working. The NCMP was established in 2005 and involves weighing and measuring all eligible children aged 4-5 years and 10-11 years. Research shows that it is difficult to visually tell if a child is overweight, which is why an objective measure if essential (Department of Health, 2012). The data gathered provides a picture about how children are growing nationally, therefore this information is used by the NHS to plan and provide better health services for children (NHS Choices, 2012). According to the NHS Information Centre (2010) one in four, 4-5 year olds, are overweight or obese; furthermore, these rates are higher among some black and minority ethnic communities and lower socio-econo mic groups. Although the Primary Care Trust (PCT) oversee the delivery of the programme effective partnership working is essential, therefore this essay will explore what partnerships are required and the factors that facilitate or hinder collaborative working in this area of work. Finally, this report will provide evidence from literature and published papers to support the identified barriers and benefits of collaborative working throughout this process. Setting The School Nursing team comprises of a range of skill mix which consists of a Head of Service, one team leader, seven School Nurses, five of which have obtained the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse qualification (Degree or Masters Degree) and three Nursery Nurses evenly spread in three different localities around the City. The team covers fifty two Primary Schools and ten Secondary Schools, mainly in the inner City but also in the rural surrounding areas, therefore an extremely diverse region with varying socio-economic backgrounds. This City has a very large Asian population, however recently there has been an increase in Eastern European, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese and travellers all presenting a multitude of cultures, values and beliefs. Measuring the children takes place in the school setting. Each individual school will be contacted to arrange a suitable date and time as well as organising a private area with adequate space for the ease of measuring and comfort for the children. Every school in this district has its individuality, not only do they vary in size but numerous schools have a large proportion of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). There three special needs schools, furthermore schools with varying socio-economic backgrounds such as families experiencing poverty within the inner city and in contrast more affluent areas where the school attainment is generally higher. Knowledge and Skills of the Health Professional in the Setting The Knowledge and skills discussed in this section relate to the author’s role as a Nursery Nurse within the School Nursing Team and the planning, implementation and follow-up work required for the growth measurements of all eligible Reception and Yr 6 children as required by the Governments National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP). The skills required for successful delivery of this program not only depend on accurate weighing and measuring children but several other elements such as engaging with various professionals, inputting data, maximising the effective delivery of the program which is dependent on excellent communication skills, administration management, IT skills and clinical knowledge. These skills are required from the very beginning at the planning stage; high-quality organisational skills are essential when planning and booking in the measurement sessions with the schools. The Nursery Nurse requires good organisational skills as it is her responsibility to organise the logistics of these sessions; by liaising with the School Nurses a timetable is generated to complete the programme over the year, ensuring there is sufficient staff available for each school. Following this, the Nursery Nurse will contact all the Primary Schools to book in the sessions, good communication skills are necessary to request a suitable room to maintain the privacy and dignity of the children and ensure the session creates as little disruption as possible to the educatio n of the children. Generally, the booking is made with either the School Secretary or the Head Teacher who then cascades this information to the relevant teachers and staff. It is crucial to acquire the knowledge and understanding of the NCMP protocol regarding consent and confidentiality. Parents and children are issued with information prior to the session, subsequently the NCMP operate an opt-out basis, and therefore the parents are given the opportunity to withdraw (Department of Health, 2011). The refusal notification is sent to the Child Health Department who then records this on the specific child’s medical record; therefore communication and information sharing skills are essential for this to be implemented successfully. It is paramount to respect the parent’s choice to refuse and ensure that no pressure is placed on the family to participate (Schwab and Gelfman, 2001), by possessing the knowledge of the ethical considerations of children will assist situations where a child decides they would not like to be measured. According to Lord Scarman, children have the right to make their own decisions when they reach sufficient understan ding and intelligence to be capable of making up their own mind (Children’s Legal Centre, 1985). Annual training is mandatory which ensures competency in the accurate measurement of children to obtain reliable results. It is the Nursery Nurses responsibility to supply the relevant equipment to the sessions ensuring that the height measure is complete, clean and in good working order, furthermore the scales are required to be calibrated as required by the trusts policy therefore good time management and organisational skills are beneficial. Upon arrival, the school will direct the team to a suitable area to perform the growth checks and notify the relevant staff members of our arrival. The team normally consists of a School Nurse and two Nursery Nurses, however if the School Nurse has been requested to attend a Safeguarding issue then the Nursery Nurses will complete the task, so having the ability to adapt to different situations is fundamental. Being able to work as part of a team as well as work independently is a major requirement not only to this particular task but working within the School Nursing team in general. Normally the School Nurse will discuss the process with the class teacher and then talk to the children, explaining what will happen and that the measurements will be confidential and not shared with teachers or other children, furthermore any concerns they have will be addressed. However, if the School Nurse is not in attendance the Nursery Nurse will complete this task, therefore excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills (Philippot, Feldman and Coats, 2003), empathy and an understanding on how to reduce anxiety is imperative to ease any worries or concerns. Knowledge of the health implications from being overweight or obese would be beneficial, furthermore a general knowledge of how to achieve a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet and regular exercise would be necessary to provide advice if requested. Accurate recording of the measurements is paramount and knowledge of the correct procedure for information sharing is imperative. The trust adheres to the Data Protection Act (1998) furthermore to keep up to date with this information and gain the relevant knowledge, Information Governance training is completed annually. Normally the School Nurse will input the information onto each child’s medical record and send the records off to the Child Health Department via secure internal mail, however according to the trusts policy it is compulsory for the information to be inputted within 24 hours after the measurements have been taken. As School Nurses have more medical responsibilities they might ask the Nursery Nurse to complete this task therefore good IT skills to input accurate and concise information is essential as well as the ability to prioritise workload according to the needs of the project are essential. The final component of this process is responding to calls from parents after they have received the results letters from the NCMP department. Excellent communication skills and being able to calm a conversation if the parent gets upset, angry or has taken offense to the information in the letter is vital (Whitaker and Fiore, 2001). Additionally, it is important to understand the implications of different cultures and the impact they may have on diet and size of children. Knowledge of the programs of support available will enable the Nursery Nurse to advise the parents so they can seek the relevant help and support not only for their child but for the whole family. Obtaining this extensive knowledge is fundamental to ensuring that parent’s receives the correct information, help and support to contribute to understanding the necessity of healthy lifestyles for the long-term well-being of their child. Finally, it is important for the Nursery Nurse to refer any concerns or compla ints to the named School Nurse who will then either contact the parent or report the situation to the specific organisation (Lynn, 2010). There is a plethora of professional’s whom the Nursery Nurse may collaborate with throughout the NCMP process, several of which will be liaised with on a regular basis, such as the one’s named above. HHHnnjjjnjnjnslfjfljjjfieiedddeeergggggeeee333e3e3owever, further interagency working may be required to meet the needs of the children and families, these may include Dietician, Paediatrician, Social Workers, Leisure Centre Staff and MoreLife Weight Management staff. Legislation Legislation has the impetus for collaborative working, transformation in the structure and delivery of services for children and young people initiated new alliances between statutory, public and voluntary agencies (Children Act, 2004). There are numerous Government and Local policies stating the importance of implementing interagency, partnership or collaborative working and that practitioners are required to work more closely together and form integrated teams around children and families (Department for Children, School and Families, 2007). The Governments green paper, Every Child Matters (2004) emphasised that for each child to fulfil their potential there must be a greater deal of co-operation, not only between government agencies but schools, GP’s, sports organisations and voluntary sectors. To help meet the Government strategy of multi-agency collaboration, the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge (HM Government, 2006) was introduced to work alongside the Every Child Mat ters agenda. This emphasised six areas of expertise that are expected to be put into practice by all practitioners who work with children and families. Factors that facilitate or hinder collaborative working Collaborative working is a complex and multi-faceted concept, the Latin translation â€Å"together in Labour† signifies that to meet the individual needs of children and families, successful joint working between services in a more streamlined way is required. However, although collaborative working is regarded as desirable, nevertheless, it is difficult to attain. When the NCMP was established in 2005 the PCT set up a NCMP agency to oversee the programme with joint working with the School Nursing service, therefore clarity of the aims and objectives were to be recognised and understood by all parties for this programme to be successful (Denman, 2002). Lack of formal structure and agreed outcomes may cause confusion and can result in blaming others for inaction and lack of progress (Cameron et al, 2009), therefore clarity of roles and expectation were defined by producing a clear and comprehensive policy based upon the shared vision of all organisations (Rushmer and Pallis, 2002). The Children Act (2004) gives all statutory partners wide powers to pool their budgets in pursuit of improved outcomes for children, furthermore sharing resources reduces cost and prevents unnecessary duplication of work (Atwal and Caldwell, 2005). However, time constraints due to other work commitments by the School Nursing team make it difficult to achieve the 85% participation rate (NMCP, 2012) particularly when children are absent and parents or children refuse. This may cause conflict due to NCMP’s ignorance of the School Nursing complex role and other significant priorities such a safeguarding (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010). Working in partnership with Schools is essential for the successful delivery of the programme, maintaining high participation rates by pupils and robustness of data (NCMP, 2012). A good system of communication and information sharing is required to book a convenient date and time to complete the measurements which will enable smooth running of the program with little interruption to the teachers or pupils (Integrated Care Network, 2003). Howeve r, when office staff fails to relay this information to the relevant teachers disruption to class activities, failure to provide suitable facilities and time constraints may occur which impact on the quality of service provided to the children. Factors that aid multi-agency working between schools and health services are willingness to work together, acknowledgement of professional differences, mutual respect and sharing a common purpose. Overall, the collaboration between the schools and School Nursing team is extremely good. However, occasionally conflict of interest may occur when teachers see the measurement programme as an interruption to education rather than acknowledging that children’s health status is related to their ability to learn and that children with unmet health needs have difficulties in engaging in the education process (Board et al, 2011). Therefore, creating a common purpose and employing a whole system approach (Miles and Trott, 2011) will facilitate ea rly intervention for childhood obesity will reduce health implications such as diabetes and heart disease, improve self-esteem and enhance well-being which contributes to better educational achievement. Therefore, mutual respect for each profession is paramount for successful collaboration and better outcomes for children. The Child Health Department works closely with the NCMP, School Nursing team, schools, parents and other professional bodies. Their main responsibility during the NCMP process is distribution of information to parents to explain the purpose of the programme and give parents the opportunity to withdraw. This information is recorded onto each child’s medical record and then highlighted on the lists issued to the School Nurses prior to the sessions. If the withdrawal of consent is not forwarded to the School Nurse in time for the session, then errors may occur, leading to legal and ethical issues, therefore to facilitate collaborative working improved communication and improved information sharing is vital for co-ordinating safe provision of care (Samuel, 2011). It is also the responsibility of Child Health to input the data onto each of the children’s medical record, however due to the NCMP agency possessing a different IT systems this task is duplicated therefore integrated services are hindered (Atwal and Caldwell, 2005). Within the School Nursing team roles and responsibilities are established, the School Nurse takes the lead role in the programme, however the Nursery Nurse will ensure that all the necessary equipment and paper work is present, both will perform the accurate weighing and measuring and recording of the data. According to Rushmer and Pallis (2002) positive joint working relies upon the merging of skills, knowledge and expertise from different professional hierarchies and reliance on team members can contribute to positive attitudes to other professionals. Dilemmas arise when there is a shortage of staff due to staff turnover, lack of trained staff to perform the task or competing priorities which may result in poor staff morale and impact on the accuracy of the task (Maguire and Trustcott, 2006). Furthermore, challenges may occur when there are status issues and blurring of professional boundaries, according to Wall (1998) when staff operates outside their area of expertise there will be loss of efficiency. The author recognises her role in the NCMP process; therefore any queries will be referred to the named School Nurse to respond to. Health and Clinical Excellence, NICE (2006) and Cochrane Collaboration (Summerbell et al, 2005) state there is an urgent need for evidence of effective strategies for reducing childhood obesity, therefore annual weighing and measuring data collected can be shared at National and Local levels to analyse the efficacy of the regional weight management programmes to receive continued funding to sustain the initiative to provide better health services for children (NHS Choices, 2012). Parents will be provided with feedback of their child’s weight status from the NCMP, effective information sharing raise awareness of potential associated health risks and provides parents with the opportunity to seek advice and support if they choose to (NCMP, 2012). However, complications arise when policies and guidelines differ; the School Nursing team employ a different guideline to the NCMP resulting in complex telephone conversations regarding the letter sent by the NCMP stating their child is overweight. Subsequently, for competent collaboration to exist, clarity of referral criteria’s is needed to be standardised across boundaries (NICE, 2013). The Laming Report (2009) stated a need for significant shifts in working relationships between schools, health services and parents and engaging with parents to enabling them to feel valued and encourage decision making will engage parent participation which is essential for positive outcomes to be achieved (Every Child Matters, 2004). Parents are important influences on children’s eating and physical activity behaviour (Golan, 2006) therefore collaboration with parents is vital (Whitaker et al, 1997). School based interventions such as MoreLife are effective when the whole family participate, furthermore NICE Clinical guideline 43 (2006) states that school based interventions engage families regardless of socio-economic status, cultural background and ethnicity, this is evident with the number of participants for this weight management programme in this diverse region. In contrast, barriers may occur with the lack of partnership working, power struggles, lack of commitment an d lack of equal representation, these will decrease opportunities for working together, therefore creating a shared responsibility to reduce obesity will increase the health outcomes for children. Multi disciplinary team work will identify children at risk from obesity and promote quicker and easy access to services (ECM, 2004). Additionally, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) can be shared between practitioners to refer children to appropriate services, promote information sharing and reduce duplication of and streamline assessments (CAF, 2012). However, collaboration with other professionals can be hampered when there are variations in working conditions, such as the School Nursing team and Schools working on term time only contracts. Furthermore many GP’s and Paediatricians have a professional hierarchy and delegate work to other agencies which in turn may have an effect on job satisfaction. Conversely, working with other professionals can be rewarding, stimulating, improve working relationships and increase knowledge and understanding of specialist practitioners.

The Difference Between Civil Law and Criminal Law

Student Handout 3. 1 – The Difference Between Civil Law and Criminal Law When is a legal problem criminal and when is it civil? What difference does it make whether it is criminal or civil? One way of looking at criminal law is that it is dealing with something of public interest. For example, the public has an interest in seeing that people are protected from being robbed or assaulted. These are legal problems that fall into the criminal law.Criminal law involves punishing and rehabilitating offenders, and protecting society. Since the public has an interest in having criminal law, we give the government the power to put it in place and enforce it. The police and Crown Prosecutors are hired by the government to put the criminal law into effect. Public funds are used to pay for these services. If you are the victim of a crime, you report it to the police and they have the responsibility to investigate. They arrest and charge the suspect.In most cases, if a charge has been prop erly laid and if there is evidence supporting it, the Crown Prosecutor, not the person who complains of the incident, prosecutes it in the courts. This is called a system of public prosecutions. Long ago the person who had been wronged prosecuted the case. The power to prosecute privately remains, but is used rarely now. Even if a person starts a prosecution privately, the Attorney General has the power to take over the prosecution of the case. As a victim, you do not have to be responsible for enforcing the law.The police and Crown Prosecutor do their jobs for the public at large, not for you personally. In a criminal case, the Crown prosecutor must prove the defendant’s guilt â€Å"beyond a reasonable doubt. † This means that at the end of a trial the judge or jury can only find the defendant guilty if they are left without a reasonable doubt about the defendant’s guilt. In other words, there is no logical or rational reason to doubt the defendant’s gui lt. This is not the case in civil law. Civil law is about private disputes etween individuals or between individuals and organizations. Civil matters include areas such as contract law, family law, tort law, property law and labour law. The person suing for a wrong has the burden of proving their case on a â€Å"balance of probabilities. † This means that a judge or jury must believe their story and evidence more than the defendant’s version. They do not need to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. Civil disputes usually involve some harm, loss or injury to one party or their property.Unlike criminal law; however, civil law is primarily involved with compensating victims. If a civil action is successful, the defendant will be responsible for the wrongful action. While a defendant in a criminal case may be found â€Å"guilty† or â€Å"not guilty,† a defendant in a civil case is said to be â€Å"liable† or â€Å"not liable† for damages. If you have a civil law problem, you have to take action yourself if you want to get a legal remedy. You can hire a private lawyer, and you will have to pay the expenses of pursuing the matter.For example, if you hire someone to paint your house and they do a poor job, it is a dispute between you and the painter. The police do not get involved. If you want to sue the painter for breach of contract, it is your responsibility to do so. Sometimes criminal law is referred to as part of our public law because it applies to all Canadians and regulates relationships within our society. Similarly, civil law is sometimes referred to as private law because it regulates private relationships between individuals in our society.

Reading Comprehension Worksheet 2

Reading Comprehension Worksheet 2 Reading comprehension is like anything; to get good at it, you need to practice. Luckily, you can do that, here, with this Reading Comprehension Worksheet 2 – The End of Overeating. Directions: The passage below is followed by questions based on its content; answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage. Printable PDFs: The End of Overeating Reading Comprehension Worksheet | The End of Overeating Reading Comprehension Worksheet Answer Key From The End of Overeating by David Kessler. Copyright  © 2009 by David Kessler. Years of research had educated me about how sugar, fat, and salt change the brain. I understood some of the parallels between hyperpalatable foods and drugs of abuse, and about the links among sensory stimulation, cues, and memory. Id met enough people like Claudia and Maria to understand how even the thought of food could cause them to lose control. But I wasnt fully prepared for the discoveries I made about irresistibility and whoosh, the Monster Thickburger and Baked! Cheetos Flamin Hot, about indulgence and purple cows. Without necessarily understanding the underlying science, the food industry has discovered what sells. I was sitting at Chilis Grill Bar in Chicagos OHare Airport waiting for a late-night flight. At a nearby table a couple in their early forties was deep into a meal. The woman was overweight, with about 180 pounds on her five-foot-four-inch frame. The Southwestern Eggrolls she had ordered were listed as a starter course, but the enormous platter in front of her had been heaped with food. The dish was described on the menu as smoked chicken, black beans, corn, jalapeà ±o Jack cheese, red peppers, and spinach wrapped inside a crispy flour tortilla, and it was served with a creamy avocado-ranch dipping sauce. Despite its name, the dish looked more like a burrito than an egg roll, an only-in-America fusion approach. I watched as the woman attacked her food with vigor and speed. She held the egg roll in one hand, dunked it into the sauce, and brought it to her mouth while using the fork in her other hand to scoop up more sauce. Occasionally she reached over and speared some of her companions french fries. The woman ate steadily, working her way around the plate with scant pause for conversation or rest. When she finally paused, only a little lettuce was left. Had she known someone was watching her, Im sure she would have eaten differently. Had she been asked to describe what she had just eaten, she probably would have substantially underestimated her consumption. And she would probably have been surprised to learn what the ingredients in her meal really were. The woman might have been interested in how my industry source, who had called sugar, fat, and salt the three points of the compass, described her entree. Deep-frying the tortilla drives down its water content from 40 percent to about 5 percent and replaces the rest with fat. The tortilla is really going to absorb a lot of fat, he said. It looks like an egg roll is supposed to look, which is crispy and brown on the outside. The food consultant read through other ingredients on the label, keeping up a running commentary as he did. Cooked white meat chicken, binder added, smoke flavor. People like smoky flavor - its the caveman in them. Theres green stuff in there, he said, noting the spinach. That makes me feel like Im eating something healthy. Shredded Monterey Jack cheese.... The increase in per-capita consumption of cheese is off the chart. The hot peppers, he said, add a little spice, but not too much to kill everything else off. He believed the chicken had been chopped and formed much like a meat loaf, with binders added, which makes those calories easy to swallow. Ingredients that hold moisture, including autolyzed yeast extract, sodium phosphate, and soy protein concentrate, further soften the food. I noticed that salt appeared eight times on the label and that sweeteners were there five times, in the form of corn-syrup solids, molasses, honey, brown sugar, and sugar. This is highly processed? I asked. Absolutely, yes. All of this has been processed such that you can wolf it down fast...chopped up and made ultrapalatable.... Very appealing looking, very high pleasure in the food, very high caloric density. Rules out all that stuff you have to chew. By eliminating the need to chew, modern food processing techniques allow us to eat faster. When youre eating these things, youve had 500, 600, 800, 900 calories before you know it, said the consultant. Literally before you know it. Refined food simply melts in the mouth. Reading Comprehension Worksheet Questions 1. It can be inferred from the authors description of the woman eating in paragraph four that(A) The woman prefers to eat at Chilis vs. other restaurants.(B) The woman truly enjoys the foods that she chooses to eat.(C) The womans efficiency at cleaning her plate adds to her dining experience.(D) The author is disgusted by the womans consumption.(E) The author believes the woman should take a course in healthy eating. 2. According to the passage, the main reason people overeat is(A) because salt and sweeteners, like corn-syrup solids and brown sugar, are added to the food.(B) because we dont have to chew our food very much.(C) because people like smoky flavor.(D) because sugar, fat and salt change the brain.(E) because we are used to eating quickly in this modern society. 3. The following are all ingredients in the egg rolls, EXCEPT(A) salt(B) binders(C) honey(D) spinach(E) dark meat chicken 4. Which of the following statements best describes the main idea of the passage? (A) If you eat too much food too quickly, youll gain weight and become unhealthy.(B) Because refined food is irresistible and easy to eat, it masks how unhealthy it is, leaving people unaware of the poor food choices theyre making.(C) Chilis is one of the restaurants in the U.S. serving unhealthy food to consumers today.(D) Food consultants and authors are making Americans aware of their unhealthy eating habits, thus, creating healthier generations for years to come.(E) Refined foods, with salt, sugar, and fat hidden inside, are less nutritious and more damaging than whole foods. 5. In the first sentence of paragraph four, the word vigor most nearly means(A) pleasure(B) flamboyance(C) lethargy(D) energy(E) craftiness Answer and Explanation More Reading Comprehension Practice

CENSORSHIP ON THE INTERNET Essays - Content-control Software

CENSORSHIP ON THE INTERNET Essays - Content-control Software CENSORSHIP ON THE INTERNET A 43-year-old man from Boston was having a steamy cyber affair with who he thought to be a 23-year-old woman. He later found out the "she," to his dismay, was an 80-year-old man living in a Miami nursing home. Things like this happen everyday, people mask their sex and age to avoid or attract attention on the Internet. This is only one of the reasons why the government wants to censor the Internet. They claim they want to ?protect? the children by limiting the amount of ?reality? they are allowed to view. But in order to do this they would need to censor the entire Internet, from everyone. This is why censorship on the Internet would be a violation of the first amendment. Censorship itself is not what most people are concerned about. Instead, how far will it go? How far is too far? When will it stop? Can the Internet ever be censored? These questions need to be answered before we can even think about censoring. In order to fully understand censorship you have to know what the Internet is. The Internet is an open interconnection of networks that enables computers to connect directly through phone lines. It allows people from around the world to communicate with the touch of a button. Its size is unimaginable, its content is uncountable. "In early 1995 more than 50,000 networks and 5 million computers were connected via the Internet, with a computer growth rate of about 9 percent per month" (Rutkowski, Encarta). Is the Internet to large to be censored? Remember in the 1940s people said radio was uncensorable. What is censorship anyway? Censorship is the official restriction of expression thought to be harmful. "Censorship restricts the flow of ideas, depriving people of information they need to maintain an open society" (Steffens, 11). Censorship itself is by no means a new idea. It has existed since the beginning of mankind, Playboy magazine in the 1950?s, radio in the 1930?s, book burning in the 1940?s, steamy celluloid reels in the 1920?s, and erotic pages coming off the Gutenberg press in the 1350?s. People fear new technology, I believe this is the reason that people want to censor the Internet. Change is a frightening thing, but without it the human race would cease to exist. Taking over our world, computers can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. At this time there is more information on the Internet than there is in any library and it is only a matter of years before books themselves will become obsolete. By censoring the Internet the government will only be holding us back. Germany, China, Singapore, and several other countries have taken action and began to censor the Internet. The United States is not far behind. On February 8th, 1996, President Clinton signed the Communications Decency Act, which limits freedom of expression on the Internet. With this act, the very same materials which are legally available today in book stores and libraries could be illegal if posted on World Wide Web sites or Usenet newsgroups. Not only would it have made it a crime to write provocative e-mail to your lover, it would also be a crime for your Internet provider. "Censorship is never for those who have experienced it. It is a brand on the imagination that affects the individual who has suffered it, forever" (Nadine Gordimer, Microsoft Office). What business does the government have telling people what they can and can?t see anyway? If the child?s parents are so concerned about what they are going to see on the Internet, there is software available that screens the Internet for just that computer. It isn?t very expensive, in fact, you can even download some software from the Internet. Yet, this software is no substitute for good judgment. "If you have time on your hands, if your comfortable with computing, and you have an unflagging curiosity about sex - in other words, if you?re a teenager - you may think you?ve suddenly landed in pornography heaven" (Gleick, 26). Pornography is the only thing that you ever seem to hear about the Internet, but there is so much more out there. Information on anything and everything you could possibly ever imagine. Most of the material that I gathered for this project was done by hours of Internet ?surfing?. Another large misconception about the Internet is that while surfing you can just stumble on to pornography. Though it