Monday, September 30, 2019

Professional Communication at the Workplace Essay

Interpersonal communication is essentially the exchange of communication between one person(s) and another. Like any other form of communication, interpersonal communication involves the sender of the message and the recipient of the message. The message can only be passed correctly if both the sender and the recipient pass it correctly and understand each other. I work for a voluntary group at the University. This group aims at reaching out to the less fortunate both in the institution and the society generally. We do not offer financial help as such but instead focus on the abilities of the people we interact with and give them the necessary counsel and advice they need. In this way, we give them ideas on how they can actually help themselves out financially. This organization involves a lot of interaction, both within ourselves as the members of the organization and also between us and the people we interact with. As such there is a lot of interpersonal communication that goes on. The group consists of a total of ten members, and as they say, we are like our fingers; we come in different sizes and lengths, not literally but in terms of age, personalities, gender, culture, spiritual orientation and physical abilities and disabilities. This whole structure of diversity makes communication, particularly interpersonal communication, an issue worth debate. This is because the way we choose to communicate within ourselves and others is bound to affect our service delivery either positively or negatively. The following part of the paper will critically analyze each of these factors mentioned above that makes us diverse in our communication, interpersonal communication.CITATION Joh12 p 56 l 1033 (Johnson, 2012, p. 56)Age The voluntary group I work for is extremely diversified when it comes to age, with members from the extreme sides of the age spectrum. The oldest member in the group is aged forty seven, while the youngest is seventeen. Most of the members, about seventy percent, are aged between seventeen and twenty five. The main reason behind this is the fact that the organization requires the participation of both the old and young. For instance, the young and vibrant group, which forms the majority of the group, is required to move up and down and interact with the people we look forward to offering our help to. The older group is mostly involved ion critically analyzing our case studies and give direction on the best way forward. It is therefore not easy to hold a conversation between these two groups that are different in terms of age. For instance, young people will always base their ideas on what social media says. They will go with current trends since that are what they are familiar with a nd immediately make a decision. The older group will look at trends on a more historical point of view and analyze historical events in relation to the topic of discussion before coming up with a remedy. The young members, moreover, communicate with a lot of slang because as much as this organization is based on official business, it is also a social and interactive group as well. This way, the message at times is not passed effectively from one person(s) to another. The consequence of this communication gap is that the goals of the organizations are not at all times met and therefore efficiency is not achieved as well.CITATION Ric01 p 76 l 1033 (Pircadi, 2001, p. 76)Perceived Emotions, Relationships and Personality Our personalities define us. We have different personalities just as we are different in other aspects of our lives. The personality of a person is one thing that psychologists have proved beyond reasonable doubt that is very difficult to change. The personalities of a person will most of the time dictate the way in which they communicate. Some people are introverts and as such they tend to keep to themselves. They listen more than they speak. They think more and learn more from their surrounding and the people around them. Others are outspoken and will speak more. They express themselves through speech. The relationship between or among people also influences communication. CITATION Joh12 l 1033 (Johnson, 2012)This I have witnessed in my voluntary work group. People tend to open up to those they are close with and give less details to the people they are not that close to. One’s family tends to know them better because of the blood relationship that exists as compared to outs iders. Finally, people perceive and express their emotions very differently. Jerry, a member of my voluntary group tends to hide his low moments in smiles. It is therefore not easy to tell what he is going through. I, on the other hand will always show it. I have no way to hide and it is communicated through my emotions. The way we react to how we feel will determine the way we communicate. There are those of us like Jerry who will drown our sorrows in smiles and those like me who will communicate it just as it is. It is therefore very clear that we communicate our emotions very differently and this goes way back to our personalities.CITATION Joh02 p 94 l 1033 (Gray, 2002, p. 94)Spiritual Orientation The world is composed of people with very diverse spiritual backgrounds. Spiritual background forms the foundation of the life of a person. More often than not, the behavior of a person is well explained by their religious beliefs. This is also the case with communication most of the time. Spiritual diversity will create diversity in speech and in communication generally. For instance, Moslems do not shake hands as a sign of greeting. Their greetings are always in form of speech. This is unlike other religions where people are allowed to shake hands casually and even hug. People from strong religious backgrounds and those with high faith are also very cautious with their speech. They tend to taste their words before they spit them out, that is, they are sensitive in their speech so as not to hurt others. The voluntary group that I work with, or rather that I work for has all Christians but one Moslem, Rahima Nassir. She, in one way or another, communicates in a different way from the rest. Most of the time, she refers to the Allah, who is the Supreme Being according to her religion. This happens especially in cases where she tries to sound optimistic and give a hopeless situation hope. The voluntary group involves a lot of interaction and therefore we have to be warm as we interact with others. This is at times not very easy to achieve owing to the fact that some religious beliefs have certain strains. Rahima is not the only one that faces such challenges. Even along the Christian front, there are various denominations which uphold different values. These values make the approach to various situations very differently. CITATION Gai10 p 104 l 1033 (Forey, 2010, p. 104)Gender The gender of a person also affects communication, particularly interpersonal communication. The female species has a different way of passing a message from the male species. One thing I love the most about my voluntary group is that we are balanced when it comes to gender. Out of a group of ten, we have five ladies and five gentlemen. This gives a ratio of one to one. However, this gender difference can at timers be a major setback in terms of communication. The Ladies, for instance would like to be addressed in a more soft way even when it comes to simple aspects such as greetings. Important to note is that communication does not involve only speech, there is verbal and non-verbal communication, all of which should be considered. Throughout the time that I spend with members of my organization, I have observed that men and women have very different modes and methods of communication. Most of the time, male members are very radical in their speech as well as their illustrations. La dies have a different approach. They, more often than not, are very soft both in their speech and illustrations. It is for this reason that they (ladies) are extremely cautious in their speech. I also noted that the men speak fewer words as compared to the ladies. Ladies speak more, except in a few instances.CITATION Mar09 p 85 l 1033 (Gufey, 2009, p. 85)Person with Disability They say disability is not inability. However, this part of the paper will view disability as a hindrance to communication to an extent. People with disabilities, physical disabilities for that matter, face a lot of challenges when it comes to passing a message effectively. This bottleneck is faced by not only the sender of the message but the recipient as well. The voluntary group that I work for or rather the members of the group that I work with experiences such challenges. In the group, there are two people with physical disabilities. Jerry is a deaf while Geoffrey is visually impaired. Of the two, I think Geoffrey has the most difficult time when it comes to communication. For one reason or the other, Geoffrey happened to be the secretary of the organization at some point in time. He therefore took minutes during meetings and did all the secretarial work. This position, I can say he deserved. Geoffrey is very brilliant besides being very diligent in his work. The main challenge that group faced was the translation of the brail recorded minutes. No one in the group understood brail language apart from Geoffrey himself. He was the only one that could read and understand the minutes. Consequently, he had to step down as secretary after a fortnight of good leadership. Jerry on the other hand, cannot communicate easily and effectively. As a matter of facts, he is most of the time misunderstood and the group experiences a lot of instances with miscommunication. Sign language is not that easy to understand. This impacts negatively on the communication in the organization. Both Jerry and the rest of the members have a hard time in communicating. The importance of both Geoffrey and Jerry in the group can never be underestimated but then at times the challenges effective communication a tall order.CITATION Per08 p 119 l 1033 (Mcintosh, 2008, p. 119)Culture Culture is a very important aspect that should be put into consideration when it comes to effective communication. The culture of a member or members of a group determines how the message is conveyed and it also determines how the message is perceived. Culture affects communication to a very great extent simply because the culture of a person will dictate their style of communication. This means that the more diverse the cultures are, the more diverse their styles of communication. Though to a small extent, there is cultural diversity in our voluntary group. In essence we have people from diverse cultural group. For matters of convenience, I will describe the cultural diversity as high culture and low culture, not that any culture is more superior to another, but for explanatory purposes. For instance, Evelyn, the group’s organizing secretary, is from the high culture. This category mainly focuses their communication on arts and by arts I mean it is more of music, drama et cet era. This category will therefore involve people with a very high esteem since for one to be able to express themselves through arts; they have to be extremely bold, just typical of Evelyn. On the contrary, the low culture category involves large audiences. A good illustration of how culture can affect communication is that in some cultures for instance, it is very vital to maintain eye contact during communication while in others; eye contact can be seen as offensive and unacceptable. Barry, the chairman of our voluntary group and Miley, our secretary are most of the time caught up in such a situation due to their religious differences.CITATION Jos14 p 92 l 1033 (Chesobro, 2014, p. 92)Conclusion and Recommendations With over seven billion people in the world, it is expected that people will differ in relation to various aspects of life. Even people from the same family, people with the same cultures, same religious beliefs and people from the same age group will at one point or the other differ. Communication, on the other is also very important. Each and everything we do revolves around communication. No man is an island. This simply means we have to live harmoniously with each other. For this reason, communication is very important. This paper has not focused on intrapersonal communication but interpersonal communication since this is the way we interact with each other in our work places. Without effective interpersonal communication at our work places, it almost difficult to make any social and economic progress. However, I have learnt from my work experiences at my voluntary group that diversities will always be there, they are there to stay. These are some aspects of life that we should a ccept them just in the way they come. We can never be the same. It is therefore very important to understand and embrace each of our diversities, placing our differences aside. From my own case study it is clear that communication is very important. It is equally clear that challenges must arise due to the diversities in various life aspects. Therefore, from my own experience, I would recommend that we respect the fact that we are not and can never be the same but try as well to burn any bridges that might exist as a result of the differences amongst us. We are one and shall always be one, despite our differences. Let us let communication to make us and not break us. References 1033 Avery, C. (2001). The Flexible Workplace. New York: New York University Press. Chesobro, J. (2014). Professional Communication at the Workplace. New York: New York University Press. Eunson, B. (2009). Communication in the Workplace. New York: Edgeworth Publishers. Forey, G. (2010). Globalization, Communication in the Workplace. Oxford University Press. Gray, J. (2002). Mars and Venus in the Workplace. Oxford University Press. Gufey, M. E. (2009). Essentials of Business Communication. New York: New York University Press. Johnson, J. (2012). Solving Problems in Technical Communication. Oxford University Press. Mcintosh, P. (2008). Interpersonal Communication In The Workplace. New York : New York University Press. Muema, T. (2007). Effects of Poor Communication in the Workplace. Miley and Sons Publishers. Pircadi, R. (2001). Skills of Workplace Communication. New York: New York University Press. Source document

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Brazil’s Political Factor in Business

Political factor by ashraful islam Trade Policies in political factor Brazil's economic history has been influenced remarkably by foreign trade trends and policies. Successive cycles of export booms in such commodities as sugar, gold and diamonds, rubber, and coffee played major roles in Brazilian development before World War II. In the 1930s, the collapse of coffee prices signaled a turn inward, resulting in a nascent industrialization. In succeeding decades, industrial development was fostered deliberately through restrictive trade policies, making Brazil a relatively closed economy by the mid-1960s.Only in the early 1990s did Brazil begin significant liberalization of its trade policies, and even these reforms were modest by comparison with those in a number of other Latin American nations. Government intervention in foreign trade has a long history in Brazil, reaching back to the colonial period when Portugal forbade Brazilian trade with other nations. Following independence in 1 822, Brazil opened its ports and expanded its trade with other nations, particularly Britain. Extensive government regulation of trade continued, however, with tariffs providing over half of the government's revenue before World War I.Other forms of intervention in trade included the 1906 coffee price support plan, which was a sophisticated attempt to exploit Brazil's monopolistic position in the world coffee market. Before World War II, trade policies were used mostly as a source of revenue or as a response to specific groups such as the coffee producers, rather than as a means of achieving national economic goals. In the early 1950s, Brazil began to use trade policy in a more deliberate way to promote industrialization. The forced reduction in Brazilian imports after 1929 had resulted in the first major industrial growth in Brazil, centered in Sao Paulo.Heeding this apparent lesson, policy makers in the 1950s argued that measures that deliberately reduced imports would stimulate d omestic production, thereby encouraging technological development and increasing employment in activities that were regarded as more â€Å"modern† than Brazil's traditional agricultural and extractive activities. The steep rise in world oil prices that began in late 1973 soon ended Brazil's move toward greater trade openness. The approximate balance between imports and exports in the early 1970s became an unprecedented US$4. billion deficit in 1974. Although record levels of external capital flows financed this deficit, Brazilian policy makers responded by restricting imports. In June 1974, import financing for many products was suspended, while tariff rates on more than 900 items were doubled. Over the year, restrictions were increased further, and in 1975 the government required that imports be paid for in advance with deposits that did not earn interest or any correction for inflation. On the export side, further measures were taken to promote exports, especially for manuf actures.Despite these measures, Brazil's trade balance remained in deficit for most of the 1970s. The combination of tightened import controls, real depreciation, and the fall in domestic demand induced by the restrictive macroeconomic policies of the early 1980s resulted in a sharp adjustment in Brazil's external accounts. The magnitude of the adjustment appears to have surprised even many of its proponents, both in the Brazilian government and among creditors. After 1983 the massive trade surpluses averaged more than 3 percent of GDP, compared with negative or negligible levels through most of the 1968-82 period.In 1984, as the full effects of the adjustment program were felt, exports were about double imports, and Brazil's trade surplus reached an unprecedented 6. 1 percent of GDP, far exceeding the comparable shares in other important economies such as Japan (3. 5 percent of GDP) and West Germany (3. 8 percent). By 1984 it was clear that the successful external adjustment had a domestic price, as inflation accelerated to more than 200 percent at annual rates. Trade policy consequently began to be viewed as a potential instrument for internal stabilization, with some import liberalization viewed as a potential contributor to reduced inflation.In late 1984, a number of the direct controls on imports were cut back, and the number of products on the negative list was reduced substantially. Import financing requirements were also relaxed through exemptions, and tariff surcharges were replaced by smaller additions to the legal tariff. On the administrative side, the Cacex policy of import restrictions for balance of payments purposes was reduced. Although import licenses were not abolished, their approval became a relatively routine operation, and by 1991 most licenses were being issued within five working days.The CTIC became primarily a reporting and registration agency, which had little of the discretionary power formerly exercised by Cacex. The former CPA, w hich had been far overshadowed by Cacex, was replaced by an agency coequal with the CTIC, the Technical Coordinating Office for Tariffs (Coordenadoria Tecnica de Tarifas–CTT). With the shift in emphasis in trade policy from discretionary administrative control to the automaticity of published tariffs, many of them limited by Brazil's treaty commitments, the CTT's role in formulating import policy became significantly greater than the CPA's had been.Early in 1991, the Collor de Mello government announced a series of tariff reductions to be phased in over the 1991-94 period. These were among the most far-reaching and significant reductions in Brazilian trade protection in several decades. Earlier tariff reductions often had been largely cosmetic, only reducing rates that were prohibitive to high levels that still barred many imports. The 1991 reforms went much further, and in many sectors reduced rates to about a third of their level in the early 1980s.Equally important, the re forms reduced the wide variability or dispersion of tariff rates that were once characteristic of Brazilian trade policy. The overall trend in Brazilian trade policy is clear. By the mid-1990s, Brazil had become a much more open economy than it had been a decade earlier. priorities in terms of business support Market Overview The Federative Republic of Brazil is Latin America's biggest economy and is the fifth largest country in the world in terms of land mass and population with about 192 million people.Brazil’s economy, the 6th largest in the world, grew 2. 7% in 2011. Growth slowed due to reduced demand for Brazilian exports in Europe and Asia, despite solid domestic demand and a growing middle class. During the past decade, the country has maintained macroeconomic policies that controlled inflation and promoted economic growth. Inflation was at 6. 5% in 2011, and urban unemployment reached a historic low of 6. 0%. Interest rates, though high compared to the rest of the wo rld, remained historically low at the Central Bank benchmark rate of 8. 0% as of July 2012. In 2011, the U. S. as Brazil’s largest source of imports followed by China, Argentina, Germany, and South Korea. U. S. merchandise exports to Brazil in 2011 were US$42. 9 billion, and U. S. imports from Brazil were US$31. 3 billion. Market Challenges Brazil has a large and diversified economy that offers U. S. companies many opportunities to export their goods and services, and U. S. exports are increasing rapidly. Doing business in Brazil requires intimate knowledge of the local environment, including both the explicit as well as implicit costs of doing business (referred to as the â€Å"Custo Brasil†).Such costs are often related to distribution, government procedures, employee benefits, environmental laws, and a complex tax structure. Logistics pose a particular challenge, given infrastructure limitations posed by nearly a decade of economic expansion. In addition to tariffs, U. S. companies will find a complex customs and legal system. Market Opportunities There are few, if any, sectors in Brazil that do not have excellent short term opportunities. Certain sectors of the Brazilian market have experienced higher than average growth, such as air transportation, telecoms, oil and gas, and mining.Under the second phase of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC II), the Government of Brazil will spend R$955 billion (the equivalent of around US$470 billion) in development of the country’s energy generation and distribution system, roads, railroads, ports, and airports as well as stadiums as it prepares for the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. Other promising areas for U. S. exports and investment include agriculture, agricultural equipment, building and construction, aerospace and aviation, electrical power, safety and security devices, environmental technologies, retail, and transportation.The Brazilian national oil company Petrobras' expans ion may represent the largest global business opportunity in the oil & gas sector until 2020. The offshore pre-salt oil deposits discovered in 2006 and 2007 are estimated to exceed 60 billion barrels in probable or recoverable reserves, and could place Brazil among the world’s top ten oil-producing countries. Petrobras anticipates that it will invest $224 billion in exploration and development through 2015. Brazil is one of the largest IT markets within the emerging economies. IT end-user spending in Brazil is expected to grow to $134 billion in 2014.The largest share of spending will be on telecom equipment, representing 72% of the market, followed by IT services at 13. 3% and computing hardware at 11. 9%. In the years leading up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will host several international mega-events. In 2011, Brazil hosted the World Military Games and the Pan-American Maccabi Games and in 2012, Rio de Janeiro hosted the Rio+20 global environmental su stainability conference. In 2013, Brazil will host a papal visit and the World Youth Day event as well as the soccer Confederations Cup.In 2014, twelve Brazilian cities will host the soccer World Cup. The Government of Brazil expects to invest $106 billion in the preparations for these events. These investments, which will include outlays for infrastructure, construction, transportation systems, port improvements, public security, and airport infrastructure upgrades, will present significant commercial opportunities for U. S. companies. Most of the major infrastructure upgrades will be carried out through Public-Private Partnerships under Brazil’s Growth Acceleration Program. Market Entry StrategyBrazil’s business culture relies heavily on the development of strong personal relationships. Companies need a local presence and must invest time in developing relationships in Brazil. The U. S. Commercial Service encourages U. S. companies visiting Brazil to meet one-on-one with potential partners. One of the best ways for U. S. companies to enter the Brazilian market is by participating in local trade shows or using the U. S. Commercial Service’s Gold Key Service (GKS), through which they can meet with pre-screened potential clients or partners.It is essential to work through a qualified representative or distributor when developing the Brazilian market. Some firms establish an office or joint venture in Brazil. Further discussion of these alternatives can be found in the â€Å"Marketing Products & Services† chapter. It is very difficult for U. S. companies to get involved in public sector procurement without a local Brazilian partner. Education of the workforce Despite being one of the world's most populous countries, Brazil does not have a single university ranked in the top 100 internationally.Of its college graduates, 5 percent are engineers, far below the rates of countries such as China and South Korea, according to Brazilian busin esses. Since Brazil's education system is falling short, Vale, like several other Brazilian companies, has decided to build its own. â€Å"For years, technical education was not the main focus of the government,† said Marco Dalpozzo, Vale's global human resources director. â€Å"Mining was not seen for the last 20 years as a great opportunity or a vocational business opportunity for the country. So you have professions for which Vale had to create their own entire system of education. Over the past few years, several Latin American countries have enjoyed soaring growth rates as they exported oil, minerals and agricultural products around the world. In Brazil, gross domestic product more than doubled, to $1. 3 trillion, in the five years ending in 2007, while inflation dropped to 3. 6 percent, a quarter of the 2003 level. Yet recent studies have shown that workers in Latin America have less education than those in East Asia and Eastern Europe and that the percentage of studen ts enrolled in high school is far lower than in developed countries.In Colombia, one out of every 700,000 people receive PhDs, compared with one in 5,000 in developed countries, wrote Jeffrey M. Puryear and Tamara Ortega Goodspeed in a contribution to a book published this year titled â€Å"Can Latin America Compete? † â€Å"The region's limited number of scientists and advanced degree recipients weakens the region's competitiveness by limiting countries' ability to use and generate knowledge, and to carry out research,† they wrote.For younger students, Latin American countries have focused in recent years on building schools and expanding access to public education, rather than improving the quality of that education, said Emiliana Vegas, a senior education economist at the World Bank. Teachers' pay raises are based on longevity rather than performance, and few parents are used to demanding more rigorous standards. â€Å"Most Latin American parents have less educatio n than their kids. They feel their kids are already receiving an advantage they didn't get,† said Vegas, who co-authored the book â€Å"Raising Student Learning in Latin America. In the most recent results of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's triennial tests of 15-year-olds from 57 countries, the Latin American countries that participated, including Brazil, Argentina and Colombia, consistently scored near the bottom. â€Å"It's not just that kids need to go to school, they need to learn in school,† Vegas said. Brazil – quality of port infrastructure Quality of port infrastructure, WEF (1=extremely underdeveloped to 7=well developed and efficient by international standards)Definition: Quality of Port Infrastructure measures business executives' perceptions of their country's port facilities. The rating ranges from 1 to 7, with a higher score indicating better development of port infrastructure. Source: World Economic Forum, Global Compet iveness Report |Year |Value | |2007 |2. 63 | |2008 |2. 52 | |2009 |2. 65 | |2010 |2. 94 | |2011 |2. 70 | Airports The Brazilian airport network has long been lamented as underdeveloped and poorly maintained. The network is run almost exclusively by Infraero, an authority that reports to the country? s defense ministry.In operation for 37 years, Infraero has more than 28,000 employees and contractors assisting in the management of 67 airports throughout the country. These airports handle 97 percent of all air traffic in the country, with more than 2 million takeoffs and landings and over 113 million passengers annually. 11 The company? s charge is quite difficult, considering that the airports are spread across a country the size of the contiguous United States Roadways Like the United States, Brazil is heavily dependent on its road system for transportation. However, there is great disparity in the quality of these road networks.Despite constituting 68 percent of Brazil? s transport needs, only 12 percent of the country? s 1. 6 million kilometers of roads are paved. 20 The consequence of these infrastructure deficiencies is slower and more expensive transport – costs can be up to 35 percent greater on unpaved roads. 21 This affects the booming agricultural sector greatly, as many of the goods are produced in remote locations with poor road conditions. Rail Brazil? s national rail network consists of approximately 28,000 kilometers of track, and most of it is operated by private concessionaires.These concessions have been utilized for 12 years, and the government is reviewing its concession model to make better use of the rail network. â€Å"One of the main objectives of the changes is to put abandoned or low-capacity stretches back into operation. †29 As part of the Ministry of Transport? s National Plan, Brazil will consolidate a new rail network, developing almost 12,000 additional kilometers of track. 30 These rail lines will serve areas of ag ricultural and mineral productivity and enable the increased transfer of cargo between transportation modes.Additionally, the rail lines will be implemented in planned corridors that are specifically designed to link production and consumption regions, as well as production and shipment areas (like ports). The MOT is also studying the feasibility of a corridor that will link railways from Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Economic factors by ashraful islam Economy – overview: Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries, and Brazil is expanding its presence in world markets.Since 2003, Brazil has steadily improved its macroeconomic stability, building up foreign reserves, and reducing its debt profile by shifting its debt burden toward real denominated and domestically held instruments. In 2008, Brazil became a net external creditor and tw o ratings agencies awarded investment grade status to its debt. After strong growth in 2007 and 2008, the onset of the global financial crisis hit Brazil in 2008. Brazil experienced two quarters of recession, as global demand for Brazil's commodity-based exports dwindled and external credit dried up.However, Brazil was one of the first emerging markets to begin a recovery. In 2010, consumer and investor confidence revived and GDP growth reached 7. 5%, the highest growth rate in the past 25 years. Rising inflation led the authorities to take measures to cool the economy; these actions and the deteriorating international economic situation slowed growth to 2. 7% for 2011 as a whole, though forecasts for 2012 growth are somewhat higher. Despite slower growth in 2011, Brazil overtook the United Kingdom as the world's seventh largest economy in terms of GDP.Urban unemployment is at the historic low of 4. 7% (December 2011), and Brazil's traditionally high level of income equality has dec lined for each of the last 12 years. Brazil's high interest rates make it an attractive destination for foreign investors. Large capital inflows over the past several years have contributed to the appreciation of the currency, hurting the competitiveness of Brazilian manufacturing and leading the government to intervene in foreign exchanges markets and raise taxes on some foreign capital inflows.President Dilma ROUSSEFF has retained the previous administration's commitment to inflation targeting by the central bank, a floating exchange rate, and fiscal restraint. | | | | |Brazil Interest Rate | | |The benchmark interest rate in Brazil was last reported at 7. 25 percent. Historically, from 1999 until 2012, Brazil Interest | | |Rate averaged 16. 6 Percent reaching an all time high of 45. 00 Percent in March of 1999 and a record low of 7. 25 Percent in | | |October of 2012. In Brazil, interest rate decisions are taken by The Central Bank of Brazil's Monetary Policy Committee | | |(CO POM). The official interest rate is the Special System of Clearance and Custody rate (SELIC) which is the overnight lending | | |rate. This page includes a chart with historical data for Brazil Interest Rate. | [pic] Brazil Income Taxes 2012 Last partial update, May 2012Individual Income Tax: Brazil's individual income tax rates for 2012 are progressive, from 7. 5% to 27. 5%. Personal annual tax rates 2012 (BRL) |Income (BRL) |% | |1-18,799 |- | |18,799-28,174 |7. 5 | |28,174-37,566 |15 | |37,566-46,939 |22. 5 | |over 46,939 |27. 5 |Note: Nonresidents pay a flat 27. 5% tax on income earned in Brazil Corporate Tax: Brazil's combined corporate tax rate for 2012 is 34%. The tax consists of a basic tax of 15%. There is also a surtax of 10% for annual income of over BRL 240,000, about $ 110,000. Additonal 9% are added for social contribution on net profits. Capital Gains: Capital gains of companies are added to the regular income. Individuals: Pay 15% tax on capital gains, dividend incom e from local companies is tax exempt. Residence A foreign company is resident if incorporated in Brazil.An individual is resident when holding a permanent visa, or a temporary visa with an employment agreement, or even without an employment agreement, when staying in Brazil for more than 183 days within 12 months. Brazil Tax Deductions †¢ Losses are carried forward indefinitely. In future years only 30% of the current year taxable income can be set off against the loss. †¢ Depreciation is deducted using the straight line method. Companies working in 2 shifts can claim 150% of the standard rates, while companies working in 3 shifts are entitled to 200% of the standard rates. Companies involved in development of technical research can use accelerated depreciation for tax purpose. †¢ There is no company consolidation for tax purpose. †¢ Thin capitalisation rules relating to interest expenses are in effect in Brazil from 1. 1. 2010. Brazil Personal Credits and Deduct ions For Brazilian residents, the first annual income of BRL 18,799 is tax exempt. There is a standard monthly deduction for each dependant. Education expenses are deductible, up to a limit. Deductions are also permitted for social security payments by an employee, payments to private Brazilian pension plans, up tp a limit, and for alimony payments.Deduction of Tax at Source In Brazil tax is deducted at source from the following payments to non residents: Dividend- 0%. Interest- 15%/25%. Royalties- 15%. Services -15%/25%. Social Security The contributions by the employer and the employee are subject to to ceiling defined by law. Employer: 37. 3% of the gross salary, 28. 8% social security and 8. 5% for severance fund. Employee: 7. 65%-11% of the gross salary. The employee's payment, which is capped, is based on a â€Å"contribution salary table†, provided by the government.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

The impact of agriculture on Post-Glacial lake sedimentation in Europe Term Paper

The impact of agriculture on Post-Glacial lake sedimentation in Europe - Term Paper Example In this study, the use of sediments from this high elevation lake in a paleoecological study provides an overview of climate change, vegetation and human influence. Early records show a domination of Pinus, and Betula pollens with deciduous Quercus and grasses or shrubs. Aquatic microfossils have indicated that wet seasons and high levels of the lake occurred in the years preceding 7800 cal yr BP. This was in the contrary to the occurrence of such climatic conditions in the lower elevation. These conditions appeared after 7800 cal yr BP. Lager disparities in the early Holocene seasonal insolation might have led to bigger snowpack and hence ensuing higher lake levels within the greater elevations. Dry conditions within high elevations began in 5700 cal yr BP accompanied by reduction in pollen in wetlands. The observed decline in mesophytes in this lake is a phenomenal also observed in other parts of Europe. This era marked the transition of mid to late Holocene. After 3700 years ago, human disturbance rapidly engulfed the Laguna de Rio Seco as evidenced by agricultural activities of herbivore grazing and pastoralism. Direct influence by humans in form of agricultural farming was extensive in the last hundred years as evidenced by Olea, Pinus and Zea mays pollen (Anderson, R., et al., 21). Introduction The production, movement and deposition of sediments within mountain ecosystems are impacted by various factors. These factors may be categorized into three groups including proximal, distal and local controls. Proximal factors are exemplified by climatic changes, glaciations, vegetation cover and relief. Distal factors are mostly dependent on altitudes and as such are affected by base levels. Finally, local controls are best portrayed by human influence such as agriculture and other human related activities. The paleoecological research and study of mountain ecosystems is vital for the documentation of effects related to climate warming. Moreover, these studies ai d in the prediction of future adverse impacts. There is the need to delink the relative impact of either climatic deviations or human disturbance from ecological shifts. A common approach is to carry out a comparison of ecological shifts before and after the growth of human activities. These ecological time zones are exemplified by glaciation and post glaciation period to the last millennia era. The later time periods have seen a gradual increase and intensified transformations in mountain ecology and ecosystems (Anderson et al., 29). A case study on impact of agriculture on post glacial sedimentation in lakes in Europe is well depicted in Sierra Nevada. This is a massive physical geographical feature which has a rich diversity in cultural heritage and biological components. Additionally, it is the highest range in Europe outside the Alps and is the biggest in size as a mountain range in southern Spain. This immense feature is located in the Andalucia region. It has had various inha bitants as early as Neolithic era or perhaps even earlier. Human exploitation on this vital area includes the eras of Chalcolithic, Argaric, Iron-Age, Romans, Goths and Christians. All the people who have inhabited this region have ensured that their activities have contributed to a change in the surrounding ecosystem particularly on sedimentation. Spanning to

Friday, September 27, 2019

Relationship Between Food And Mood outline Assignment

Relationship Between Food And Mood outline - Assignment Example Introduction Attention-Getting Device: Do you know why we consume different food items while we are experiencing different states of mood? Credibility: I have conducted immense research which has helped me in identifying the food ingredients can helping changes the state of our mood. Relevance: If you are feeling depressed or you are suffering from a negative state of mood, you can consume specific foods to stabilize and alter the state of your mood. Thesis: The food an individual consumes has the ability to alter the mood of an individual because food contains ingredients to alter and stabilize the mood of the consumer. Enumerated Preview: †¢ First, I will talk the impact of caffeine and carbohydrates on state of mood. †¢ Secondly, I will focus on impact of omega3-fatty acids on state of mood. †¢ Next, I will focus on impact of vegetables and fruits on state of mood. †¢ Finally, I will provide a conclusion to my speech. Body I. Carbohydrates And State Of Mood A. Individuals consume chocolates when they are depressed. 1. Chocolates contain heavy amount of carbohydrates when they feel depressed. a. Rose et al. identified that individuals who are prone to depression consume excessive amount of chocolates (Rose et al. 699) b. Chocolates are rich in carbohydrates which help in stabilizing mood.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Statistical Parameters of the Company ABC Essay - 3

Statistical Parameters of the Company ABC - Essay Example As the paper stresses, sales in the second quarter in every year decreased with respect to the first quarter; however, it kept growing in q3, and q4. This implies the seasonal influence on sales of this product. Nevertheless, the general trend of sales per year demonstrates growth, which is also confirmed by the mean and median values displayed in Table 1 and Figure 3. Percentile and Quartile Comparison of Sales. The data set consists of 20 values. The company achieved 25 percentile in the fourth quarter of 2000; 50 percentile in the second quarter of year 2003, and 75 percentile in the third quarter of 2003. The study reveals that it took 14 quarters to achieve first 50 percentile while the company achieved the second 50 percentile in 6 quarters. The growth should be considered as fast starting from the year 2003. In this year, the company achieved 17% growth in the third quarter with respect to second quarter. The sample data set consists of 30 values and it shows a trend of sales through five years. The aforementioned section provided an analysis of past trend, which are displayed in tables and graphs. This section focuses on the evaluation of quarterly sales for the next two years based on the history of previous sales. The future sales prediction is performed using regression analysis and time series technique. Regression Analysis. Regression analysis prediction is based on the interdependency of two variables; one is independent and the other is dependent. In this study, sales are the dependent variables that follow a seasonal trend, which is displayed in Figure 5. The seasonal trend in this analysis is considered as independent variable.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Human Resource Management - Essay Example There is a whole list of factors that affect a further process of employees’ recruitment. (Ali 12) Current research indicates that the process of recruitment cannot be controlled by an organization. According to the recent research, the major factors that improve the performance of an organization include the following: The availability of manpower can affect the performance of an organization. If the company has a low supply of external sources, then it has to take time to prepare its own workforce. â€Å"This availability is present both within and outside the organization. Current research indicates that availability of the resources often serves to be an important factor of a successful recruitment process† (Rush 4). Labor Market often influences the recruiting work of the company. It means that if an excess of manpower exists, then an organization has the right to recruit additional notice boards. These boards are able to recruit additional applicants. There are frequent cases when the image of an employee can badly affect the performance of an organization. An employee’s bad image can also serve as a possible restriction for recruitment. It means that a company with a good representation has a greater chance to get and keep more workers than a company with a negative representation (Rush 23). Current research indicates that there is a whole list of various government regulations that prohibits discrimination. All these prohibitions have a direct impact on recruitment practices. Unions have an important role in the recruitment process. They often restrict management freedom of employees, thus affecting their performance within an organization. One of the aspects that matter is the accessibility of resources. This availability often influences the development of the economy. When the organization does not create new jobs, then it means that it has many

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Shirin Neshat & her work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shirin Neshat & her work - Essay Example This paper will discuss some of the exemplary works of Shirin Neshat. Research asserts that Neshat is one of the renowned filmmakers and photographers from Iran (Abramovic and Danto 12). Earlier on, she had started as a painter, but she later shifted and started exploring the Iranian Islamic roots and photography. Therefore, she used her films and photos in order to reveal some of the basics of the Iranian culture. She also experienced the effects of 9/11 when she was in New York with her son. The effects of this event had a vast impact on her as an American citizen from the Muslim culture. Currently, Neshat is working on photographs and poems that reveal various facts in the Iranian Muslim culture. During her interviews, Neshat highlights that she recently made three film installations entitled Passage, Pulse and Possessed (Abramovic and Danto 89). She also claims that most of her works are based on the Iranian society and their Muslim culture. Through most of her films, her audience can easily understand the Iranian culture from various perspectives. In Turbulent, Neshat presents two singers (Sussan Deyhim and Shoja Azari) who create a musical metaphor for the complexity of cultural power and gender roles according to the ancient Persian poetry and music. The voice of the woman in the video installation is rather evoking, but she does not have an audience as compared to the man whose music is appreciated. In fact, Neshat offers duality and complexity in the Iranian culture. This is incorporated by a realistic and mystic approach that is achieved by the use of films and photographs to portray the Iranian Muslim culture (Abramovic and Danto 187). In the other interview that was hosted by David Ross, Neshat also talks about her work in photography and the film industry. She extensively discusses the role of women especially in the Islamic society. In addition, she also talks about the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Executive Risk Assessment and PowerPoint Presentation (ERAP) Active Essay

Executive Risk Assessment and PowerPoint Presentation (ERAP) Active Shooter Norfolk Naval Base Norfolk, Virginia - Essay Example This research paper sought to present executive risk assessment of a fatal shooting that took place at the Gallery at Military Circle Mall. In particular, the paper carefully examined how the Norfolk Police responded to the active shooting that occurred at the mall where one man succumbed to death two days after being shot on the leg. The paper found out that the Norfolk police were adequately prepared, responded to the shooting in good time and provided first aid to the injured man. The paper provide a broad range of recommendations that can be employed by Norfolk police in order to boost their preparedness, response and rescue process in case a similar active shooting happens in the nearest future. In February 2014, a shooting took place at the Gallery at Military Circle Mall. The incidence occurred on Friday afternoon at around 1.00 p.m. The shooting was ignited by an argument that took place between several men inside the Military Circle Mall (West, 2014). It was reported that one of the gunmen involved in the argument took out his gun and shot another man on the leg. The injured man, Mr. Nottingham Johnnie, 21, was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and his injury was considered non-life threatening and was later released. Unfortunately, Nottingham Johnnie died from gun injuries two days later. Soon after the police were informed of the shooting, they arrived at the scene of the crime at around 1.10 p.m. but the main suspect had already left. The police positioned themselves at every entrance of the mall in order to reduce more traffic going to the mall. They also closed the nearby street and started searching around the area to look for suspects (West, 2014). The police made sure that there was no any other shooter still roaming the mall. The police apprehended several suspects. In addition, the police conducted photo line-ups and interviewed several witnesses in a bid to figure out what happened. The Norfolk police immediately started a

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Critically evaluate budgeting as a tool for planning and control Essay

Critically evaluate budgeting as a tool for planning and control - Essay Example According to them, not only is budgeting a time consuming undertaking, it also is prone to manipulation by the management. Proponents of the budgeting process hold that it is only through budgeting process that firms can achieve proper financial planning. Despite having its advantages, budgeting has its disadvantages too. This paper aims at evaluating the pros and cons of budgeting, with reference to previous research done by different authors. Libby & Lindsay agree that budgeting has its own advantages and disadvantages. According to Libby and Lindsay, most organizations find budgeting as an important key in managing their control systems. Budgeting plays a number of major roles to the management in fulfilling their managerial roles in an organization. Through budgeting, coordination, communication, as well as performance evaluation of an organization is possible. Consistently, and over a long time, external evaluators have used the budget as a measure of organizational performance. The ability of the organization to meet its budgetary commitments determines the organization’s performance. Although in some regions, budgeting has lost meaning, in others, such as North America, it is still a very important element of management control. While many financial experts agree on the need for adopting better budgeting methods, organizations believe that budgeting is an internal process, developed by the individual organization and the management. The fact that budgets are a means of communicating in the organization, and ensuring coordination within the organization makes the budget a very important managerial element. Therefore, organizations cannot do away with them completely. Internal as well as external communication of an organization is an important element of organizational success. Although some managers believe that budgeting is an outdated process, there are organizations that attribute their performance to their budgeting process. Libby & Lindsay (2 007, p. 48) suggests that the efficiency of budgets to an organization in achieving its goals and objectives determines the perception of the budgeting process to an organization. Some believe that budgeting is a normal process, with little or no significance ion the performance of the organization. on the other hand, there are some that believe that without budgeting, achieving organizational goals and performance is unlikely. Therefore, it is the duty of the management to determine the contribution of budgeting to its organization’s goals. Vaznoniene & Stonciuviene (2012, p. 158) argue that budgets play a big role not only in the harmonization of business activities and enhancing cooperation between business units, but also in the delegation of duties and allocation of incurred expenses. According to Vaznoniene & Stonciuviene (2012, p. 160), while some of the organizations believe that budgets only act as a means of evaluating staff performance, they also act in supporting internal control systems of the organization. Jehle does not believe that budgeting as a process has lost its significance altogether. Despite the challenges that it faces, it remains a key factor in the success of the organization. Jehle argues that good managers know the advantages of having a good budget, which is not just consolidating the numbers (1999, p. 56). A good budget according to him is a roadmap, which can guide the company to achieving a competitive advantage. Since

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Early Childhood Special Education Roots Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Special Education Roots Essay Early childhood special education that is practiced today has a varied and sometimes hard won history. Its roots are entangled in cultural, economic, and idealistic influences; each facet tinged by the colored lens of the times and adding a little glint to modern day practices. The conglomeration of historical theories and practices, political actions and enacted laws has paved the way to modern early childhood special education practices and programming. Just like a child learns and builds on his knowledge and understanding of his environment, so too does the practice of early childhood special education. In its infancy ECSE was not labeled as such, and in fact was simply teaching. Throughout history, many educators have had differing perspectives and opinions on how best to educate children. Many of those ideas and practices have popularly endured, and some have become very small portions of our current systems, or faded into obscurity altogether. One of the earliest models on early childhood education was the Montessori model. The Montessori methods and tools are prevalent in classrooms today, from individualized and sensory programming to didactic learning materials. Other early educators realized that even very young children benefit from instruction. Jean Piaget identified stages of development from birth to adolescence that still assist educators in identifying appropriate modes of teaching. Others like Robert Owen, John Locke and Lev Semenovich Vygotsky theorized that a child’s environment had a profound influence on his/her development and education, giving a foundation for current early intervention strategies in impoverished, urban areas. Vygotsky also gifted to forward generations the theories of the Zone of Proximal Development, scaffolding and ideas about special needs students working in least restrictive environments. All the way from these LRE’s, are the ideas of institutions. The residential school model however is still useful in some ways today. Samuel Gridley Howe and Dorothea Dix implemented supportive, residential schools for children with disabilities, but when the First World War had its grips on the country, the schools deteriorated into holding cells that pervaded until throughout the depression era. Politics and societal situations have always been instigators of change for education. Post World War II, many war veterans returned home with disabilities changing the attitudes and urgency in servicing individuals with special needs, spurring a profusion of financial and program support. Moving into the mid-20th Century, civil rights opened a consciousness about not only race, but also a socioeconomic dichotomy. Project Head Start was federally funded compensatory program, with a focus on aiding the impoverished; it would later evolve into a more comprehensive program for seeking and aiding special needs children and families. Many other programs and studies aimed at supporting young children with disabilities and their families began to appear, including Early Head Start, the Carolina Abecedarian Project and the Perry Preschool Project, among others. These programs and research studies aimed at aiding and reinforcing the importance of early intervention for at risk children. Supporting and preemptively averting the struggles brought on by environmental disadvantages made the transition to special education support logical. With the social climate changing and an awareness of human rights, legislation regarding special needs populations was ripe. Perhaps the greatest catalyst to change was the enactment of PL 94-142 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975. The foundations of this public law and the following amendments are the backbone of all special education as we know it today. This law has 6 main areas of concern. First, the right to a free and appropriate public education is bestowed. Throughout the coming decades, interpretation of FAPE comes up in many court cases, each ruling setting precedence for the future. Second, children with disabilities are given the right to learn in the least restrictive environment (LRE) a practice from centuries prior, but with legal backing, changed the model of public schools in this country. An Individualized Education Plan was written into the body of the IDEA, giving specific protocol for supporting the learning of each individual student. This item is the true workhorse of special education classrooms, bringing the student’s goals, objectives and educational plan, the educators, parents and the other support staff together in one document. The fourth premise of the IDEA is the guarantee to guardians of procedural due process, retaining the guardian’s rights regarding notices, evaluations, placements and other educational plans. Unbiased and multiple assessment criteria is the 5th area addressed in the IDEA. Lastly, part of the legislation includes the parents of special needs students, by affording them access to related services that would benefit the student. Related services was and is an area for interpretation, and again, many court cases have been tried and decided creating standards for what qualifies as a related service. Aside from these six main points, the IDEA has outlined much more. IDEA has given us a universal structure for classifying disabilities, and in a 1991 amendment, ruled that an umbrella classification for preschool aged children was acceptable and malleable state to state. This meant that children would not have to be prematurely labeled or stigmatized, when proper assessment was yet to be exacted. This law gave rise to the term â€Å"developmentally delayed†. A preschooler and his/her family could receive services under the classification of developmentally delayed. IDEA has also given individual states the leeway to define and exact methods of determining what developmentally delayed means. While culturally and regionally more specific, this leaves a large range of differences in qualifications across the country. Since its inception, individuals with special needs have reaped many benefits from the laws and boundaries set by the IDEA, but it wasn’t until October 1986 that very young special needs children and their families could be guaranteed services. While grants and incentives for states to serve the preschool population were available, participation in those programs were completely voluntary. The Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments, or PL 99-457, passed in October 1986, mandated that all special needs preschoolers between the ages of three and five be provided with a FAPE . This law was enacted with the purpose of enabling early intervention and a cost effective preventative strategy to serving special populations. Part C of this law also makes services for infants, birth to age two voluntary. Adding preschoolers to the population of compulsory service made the use of IFSP or Individualized Family Service Plans prevalent. These plans are similar to IEP’s except that they comprehensively include the family and give leeway to assigning the role of the service provider, enabling professionals who are most capable of assisting each family to act. Unlike and IEP, the IFSP must be reviewed at least every 6 months, ensuring relevancy with a quickly growing and changing child. Related services including counseling and classes are now extended to family members. By sharing the process and improvement with the preschoolers’ guardians, we are able to see much greater progress with cooperative engagement. Along with the IFSP, PL 99-457 saw the requirement of an Individualized Transition Plan, aiding young adults in making the change into adulthood. Fast forward to 1997, and PL 105-17 made some important amendments to the IDEA. Related services are expanded, developmentally delayed category can be applied up until age nine, parameters and process around discipline is set. Functional Behavior Assessments or Behavior Intervention Plans must be enacted when providing discipline to special education children. Also, assessments for qualifying for special education are expanded, and Child Find reaches into private schools to deliver services to more children. Along with these changes also came a change in funding based on census data versus enrollment data. The percentages served translated to a fixed amount of funding, averting a glut of over qualifying students. Lack of English Language proficiency is excluded as an area of qualification for services. This is important with the rising populations of English language learners. With the number of children from non-english speaking families on the rise, achievement gaps were widening. The No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 was drawn to support impoverished, special needs and English language learners. This act is directly responsible for the Amendments to IDEA that came in 2004. One of the most important changes made was that of aligning the standards of highly qualified special education teachers to the standards of the No Child Left Behind Act. Inclusion of ECE teachers is yet to be enacted, however. The field and study of Early Childhood Special Education is a deeply diverse and ever evolving practice. Past experience has dictated that social climates, politics, events and laws all contribute to the programming of ECSE. The gains have been great, with dramatic increases in the numbers of children and families found and served, but as a nation, we certainly have some more distance to travel. With current legislation and social issues ranging from secure schools to better serving working families, subsidized healthcare, immigration policies or revamping teacher evaluations, the future of Early Childhood Education is unwritten and open to influence.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Purify GFP From Aequorea Victoria

Purify GFP From Aequorea Victoria Methods and Results: GFP was cloned into E. coli strain JM109 and expressed under optimal conditions in Luria broth agar containing ampicillin and IPTG for induction. Protein was extracted by lysis using bead milling technique and fluorescence of protein measured in a fluorimeter, concentration of both pure and crude proteins were obtained with Bradford (1976) method. Purity of GFP was further confirmed by SDS-PAGE stained with coomassie blue. Conclusion: Specific activity(RFUmg-1) of pure protein increased compared to crude representing increase in purity, with a substantial yield of 82%. Significance and Impact of Study: This study proved Ion exchange chromatography as a reliable technique for GFP purification and high percentage recovery for use as a reporter gene in molecular biology studies. Keywords: GFP, purity, Ion exchange chromatography, Specific activity, fluorescence. INTRODUCTION The jelly fish Aequorea victoria, emits a bluish light from the margin of its umbrella (Inuoye, and Tsuji 1994). The light is produced by the bioluminescent jellyfish when calcium binds to the photoprotein aequorin. Although activation of aequorin in vitro or in heterologous cells produces blue light, the jelly fish produces green light. This light is the result of a second protein in A. victoria that derives its excitation energy from aequorin, the green fluorescent protein (Chalfie et al., 1994). Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a protein of 238 amino acid residues. It is a highly stable protein possessing a tightly packed ÃŽ ²ÃƒÅ'†°ÃƒÅ'†°ÃƒÅ'†°ÃƒÅ'†°can tertiary structure that is resistant to many biological denaturants, most proteases, pH (5-12), temperature (Tm=78  °C), and chaotropic salts (McRae et al., 2005; Zhuang, et al., 2008). Purified GFP absorbs blue light (maximally at 395nm with a minor peak at 470nm) and emits green light (peak emission at 509nm with a shoulder of 540nm). This fluorescence is stable and virtually no photobleaching is observed (Chalfie et al., 1994). The stable and intense fluorescence of GFP without any cofactors in many different organisms makes is ideal for molecular biology applications such as markers for gene expression analysis of molecular interactions and also as biological information storage devices and optical biosensors in areas of Nanotechnology (McRae et al., 2005). Current purification procedures, specific for GFP include multiple phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), chromatofocusing on a pH gradient, metal ion precipitation and organic extraction. Most of these methods are either expensive, time consuming or give low yields with

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Role of the Gods in the Odyssey Essay -- Homer, Odyssey Essays

Religion was deeply intertwined the culture of the ancient Greeks. In their stories, they prayed to the gods to satisfy their needs and offer assistance in their endeavors, and the gods would occasionally appear to select Greeks to give counsel, gifts, or other forms of aid. Alternatively, if the desires or endeavors of a mortal or mortals displeased one or more of the gods, they would also interfere with the fulfillment of their goals. In Homer’s Odyssey, the gods appear to or interfere with both Telemachus and Odysseus, either to help or hinder them in their journeys. Although the gods are responsible the difficulty Odysseus faces returning from Troy, they are equally responsible for motivating and assisting Odysseus and Telemachus in their respective travels. If not for divine interference, neither Odysseus nor Telemachus would have journeys to make. The gods are first responsible for establishing the conditions under which the story begins. While the Greek soldiers had returned home from Troy, Odysseus remained trapped as â€Å"the brightest goddess, Calypso, held him her hollow grottoes† because â€Å"she wanted him as a husband† (Homer, Odyssey 1.5, Translation by Allen Mandelbaum). Calypso traps Odysseus on her island of Ogygia and â€Å"keeps the sad Odysseus there—although he weeps. Her words are fond and fragrant, sweet and soft—so she would honey him to cast far off his Ithaca† (1.7). He remains on Ogygia for years, leaving the care of his home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. Because Calypso keeps him away for years, Odysseus is presumed dead and his absence invites suitors to his home. These suitors look to win the hand of Penelope, Odysseus’ wife. This state of affairs is the overall cause of Telemachus’ d... ...a, escaping Calypso and the island of Ogygia, and Telemachus from Ithaca to Pylos and Sparta in search of his lost father. While The Odyssey tells of the courage both men demonstrate during their respective travels, their quests are the results of the intentions and desires of gods. Odysseus is trapped in exile on Ogygia by the will of Poseidon, whose anger Odysseus attracts when he blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and by the love of Calypso, who wishes to make Odysseus her husband. He is released from Ogygia and permitted to return to Ithaca only by the command of Zeus, as delivered by Hermes. Telemachus, rather than being trapped physically, was detained emotionally, feeling helpless to repel the suitors wooing Penelope. Only through the motivation of the goddess Athena did Telemachus find the will and courage to embark in search of Odysseus.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Essay -- Politics Political Scien

Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Freedom is one of the most central and certainly most emotive issues in political philosophy. It has been discussed since the times of ancient Greece, and is still as controversial and divisive a topic as ever. This question deals with two separate questions concerning freedom: Firstly, why we consider freedom necessary, and secondly, what exactly is meant by freedom. Clearly, the answer to the second part will greatly affect the answer to the first, but it shall be seen that it is a very challenging task to arrive at a definition of freedom. It is possible, however, to make this job easier by not strictly defining freedom, and using an examination into the desirability of freedom to help form this definition. This will be done below. One of the first issues to be resolved is the relationship between 'freedom' and 'liberty'. There has been several theses proposing a distinction between these two concepts. Theorists such as Belaief and Pitkin claim that liberty is a political term, while freedom is metaphysical. This distinction, however, is a false one. The only difference between these two terms is linguistic convenience. To illustrate, in the example above, liberty could be described as 'political freedom'. This shows the error in the apparent distinction. The two terms are synonymous, and will be used interchangeably in the remainder of this essay. We use the terms 'freedom' and 'liberty' in everyday language without giving much thought to a detailed description of the concept to which these terms refer. It is possible, to a certain degree, to examine why we see freedom as morally good, also without completely defining it. The investigation into a definition of freedom wi... ...as a whole. In answering this final question raised, the conclusion to the essay emerges. We have seen how difficult it is to simply define liberty as a single conception, but have discovered many properties that a statement of freedom must posses. In the question between the conflicts of freedom, where two persons individual freedoms create a zero-sum game, the idea of social freedom emerges, and the idea that it is possible for there to be restrictions on an individual's freedom that are morally desirable. To best, and most simply explain in what sense we want people to be free, a balance must be found between the extent to which society may restrict an individual's freedom, and vice versa. As can be seen by observing politics throughout the ages, it is finding this balance that has proven to be the most challenging aspect of the ongoing question of freedom. Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Essay -- Politics Political Scien Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Freedom is one of the most central and certainly most emotive issues in political philosophy. It has been discussed since the times of ancient Greece, and is still as controversial and divisive a topic as ever. This question deals with two separate questions concerning freedom: Firstly, why we consider freedom necessary, and secondly, what exactly is meant by freedom. Clearly, the answer to the second part will greatly affect the answer to the first, but it shall be seen that it is a very challenging task to arrive at a definition of freedom. It is possible, however, to make this job easier by not strictly defining freedom, and using an examination into the desirability of freedom to help form this definition. This will be done below. One of the first issues to be resolved is the relationship between 'freedom' and 'liberty'. There has been several theses proposing a distinction between these two concepts. Theorists such as Belaief and Pitkin claim that liberty is a political term, while freedom is metaphysical. This distinction, however, is a false one. The only difference between these two terms is linguistic convenience. To illustrate, in the example above, liberty could be described as 'political freedom'. This shows the error in the apparent distinction. The two terms are synonymous, and will be used interchangeably in the remainder of this essay. We use the terms 'freedom' and 'liberty' in everyday language without giving much thought to a detailed description of the concept to which these terms refer. It is possible, to a certain degree, to examine why we see freedom as morally good, also without completely defining it. The investigation into a definition of freedom wi... ...as a whole. In answering this final question raised, the conclusion to the essay emerges. We have seen how difficult it is to simply define liberty as a single conception, but have discovered many properties that a statement of freedom must posses. In the question between the conflicts of freedom, where two persons individual freedoms create a zero-sum game, the idea of social freedom emerges, and the idea that it is possible for there to be restrictions on an individual's freedom that are morally desirable. To best, and most simply explain in what sense we want people to be free, a balance must be found between the extent to which society may restrict an individual's freedom, and vice versa. As can be seen by observing politics throughout the ages, it is finding this balance that has proven to be the most challenging aspect of the ongoing question of freedom.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Politics And History Of Japan Essay

Nazi rule in Germany was unleashed after the Reichstag Fire in Berlin and almost 3 years after this, the February 26 incident helped to introduce militaristic rule in Japan. The February 26 incident awakened the sleeping giant that was Japan and triggered off major world conflicts. The February 26 Incident On February 26, 1936 a breakaway faction of the Imperial Japanese Army composed of young junior officers and swearing allegiance to the Kodo ha faction within the Army, slipped into the middle of Tokyo and captured key government buildings including the one which housed the Diet or Japanese parliament and Army headquarters. Groups raided the residences of the Prime Minister and senior officials in an attempt to assassinate them.   Prime Minister Okada Keisuke had a narrow escape when the rebels killed his brother in law instead. Others, among them the Finance Minister, were murdered. Subsequently that day, the rebel faction went to the Army Minister to make their demands. They declared the government unfit to lead the affairs of Japan not able to do enough for it as a military power, instead more involved with politics and their self- interest. The action, the group declared was taken in the name of the Emperor. They demanded an immediate dissolution of the Government and the installation of a military General sympathetic to their cause. However, this infuriated Emperor Hirohito who was appalled at the killing of senior colleagues. He summoned Aide de Camp General Shigeru Honjo and declared the faction members as rebels who were acting without the authority of the Imperial Army. The Emperor wanted the rebellion to be squashed. But Army retaliation was not forthcoming as senior officers were still in agreement with the agenda of the rebels. However   the ‘Toseiha’ faction in the Army which was against the doctrines of the Kodo Ha, volunteered full support to the Emperor and even the Imperial Japanese Navy sprung into action, moving its ships into the Tokyo Bay to cut off the rebels. When Emperor Hirohito was informed about the reluctance of the Army to take decisive action, he vowed to personally lead his ‘Imperial Guard ‘into the fray. The following day, martial law was declared and the rebels were boxed in and pamphlets of the Emperor’s declaration were circulated indicating that there was no support from any of the forces for their attack. General Honjo, once a believer of Kodo Ha doctrines was on the Emperor’s side. The offensive lasted till February 29 when the army moved in to capture the rebels and senior members of the faction were ordered to commit ‘seppuku’ or ritual suicide rather than lose their honor in a public trial. Other junior officers were spared. Altogether, 70 coup members were arrested and prosecuted for the crime.[1] Subsequent Events   Ã‚   The four day siege resulted in martial law being stretched to July. The army, sensing an opportunity, used the power provided by martial law to expand its powers and budget. Prime Minister Okada was replaced by Koki Hirota. This effectively ushered in totalitarian rule in Japan which was to set the stage for the Second Sino – Japanese War.[2] Historical Background of Militarism In Japanese history, the role of the military, or to be more precise, militarism has had an overwhelming role in shaping Japan’s world view. Militarism stands for a nation’s strength and should play a dominating role in political as well as social life. The influence of militarism goes back to the days of the Meiji Restoration, known in Japan as the Meiji Ishin or Revolution. This period stretched back to the days of the Tokugawa Shogunate and caused far reaching social changes in Japan of the late 19th century. This was a direct reaction to the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry’s fleet of American ships on Japanese shores. Commodore Perry forced a treaty – ending 200 years of Japanese insulation in matters of business – enabling trade between Japan and the United States. The Restoration came into being with the Satsuma Choshu Treaty which ultimately led to swearing of complete allegiance of the ruling Shoguns of that time to the Emperor. This was a creed forbidding all defiance to the Emperor (as Japanese history of that period depicts). Most Japanese leaders of that period were of Samurai descent and swore by the codes of the ancient Samurais – loyalty and allegiance to the ruler, dignity and honesty. The Japanese perception of events of that time was that the country’s sovereignty was threatened by outside forces. This justified building up a strong economic and military base to counter such a threat. This tradition continued till the 1800’s when mass conscription to the army and navy was considered an indication of unquestioning loyalty to the Emperor. Part of the reason for the widespread intrusion of militarism through to 1878 was the complete detachment of the forces from civilian society. The Staff commands established by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy were responsible for formulating all defense strategy and were directly under the command of the Emperor. The Staff Chiefs were therefore under no obligation to the Prime Minister or any form of civilian law, During the Taisho period there was a return to democratic governance when the Washington Naval Treaty was signed and Japan participated in the League of Nations only to crumple with the onset of the Great Economic depression in 1929 when the world economy collapsed and caused trade barriers to be imposed by western nations. This was also coupled with domestic problems at home where several radical groups surfaced and there was even an attempt on the Emperor’s life, in 1932. These distressing events gave rise to patriotic feelings (maybe misplaced) in Japan. Such jingoism saw the military as the only solution to Japan‘s seemingly unending series of crises. The romantic notion that it was time for an Asian resurrection under Japanese rule took root. With the signing of the London Naval Treaty in 1930 by Prime Minister Osachi Hamaguchi and his party, the Navy was severely curbed in influence. This was seen by both the opposition and the military as endangering the country’s security. This whipped up jingoistic sentiment to the extent that Hamaguchi was killed in 1930 and the brief interlude with democratic rule came to an abrupt end. Subsequently, patriotic fervor in Japan gave the military free rein in Asia.[3] This was responsible for Japan’s involvement in several Asian conflicts: the Boxer Rebellion, World War 1, the Russo – Japanese War. The infamous Manchurian Incident of 1931 led to Japanese forces’ take-.over of all Manchuria – to protect Japan’s interests, chiefly Manchurian oil fields. The idea of military expansionism drove Japan into successive conflicts with China. In fact, there even was an attempted coup in Tokyo labeled the ‘Imperial Colors Incident’ which failed but was not made public knowledge. Ultimately, however, the swaggering domination of Japanese militarism failed to establish a dictatorship. The first nails into its coffin were driven by the government of Konoe Fumimaro, when, following wartime priorities his government, through the National Mobilization Law, brought all of Japan’s assets under its purview.   Also, in 1940, the formation of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association led to a single party political rule much discrediting the military.   On February 26, 1936, the rebel officers would hardly have been to foresee all this when they tried to take over Tokyo’s streets and were unleashing a murderous campaign. Until recent times, much romantic lore still surrounded military campaigns which allude to the glory of Japan’s military and Samurai like allegiance to the Emperor. The Emperor still remains a symbol of sovereignty in Japan and is much revered, being treated like a Head of State but is no longer the supreme authority over all Japan’s matters specially armed conflicts. Yukio Mishima spoke about the glory of Japan and the Emperor just before committing suicide inside a military barracks in 1970 and he was a well known literary figure in Japan   who wrote a novella on the February 1936 Incident–   proving that modern Japanese society still retains vestiges of its old fascination for matters martial. The members of the group that was behind the failed coup in 1936 are even being seen by some academics as. These were misguided bunch of young radicals who were only acting for Japan and God. They were not as ruthless as members of Hitler’s army were during the days of the Putsch.[4] February 26, 1936 – It’s Implications Under Koki Hirota’s rule m Japan and China engaged in the biggest war Asia right through 1945 from 1937 onward. The trend of militarism and military aspirations made stronger by the February Incident increased Japanese military aggression in Asian territory mainly to buttress its economic interests. The Second Sino – Japanese War was directly the result of Japanese policy toward China aimed at exploiting its natural reserves like oil.   Equally aggressive was the Chinese stance founded upon a new found realization of the unity of the Chinese people and their right to their own territory. A series of comparatively smaller sized conflicts led to a full scale conflagration. In 1937   The invasion of Manchuria – described above and particularly, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident of 1937 led to the war. Lugou Bridge in China is also known as the Marco Polo Bridge because Marco polo is supposed to have referred to this bridge while on his travels. It was controlled on its west end by the Japanese army and on the East by the Chinese Kuomintang Army. The bridge was a lifeline to Beijing to all areas under the Chinese army’s command – if this bridge fell – Beijing would too.[5] On June 1937, Japanese forces sent a message to the Kuomintang on the western end of the bridge about a missing soldier who might have gone over. They asked to be allowed to carry out a search on the opposite end. The Chinese refused the request acting under orders from their command chain. The Japanese countered this with a threat to open artillery fire if they were not allowed through. The prolonged aftermath saw led to the Japanese finally crushing the Kuomintang resistance and driving on toward Beijing and taking it over following which Japan had assumed control over the North China Plain, a strategically important region. The North China Plain has Beijing to its North East edge and Tianjin , an important industrial center on its North coast, What the Japanese actually did was to set up a ‘puppet’ state called Manchuoko , in Manchuria, installing the last Chinese Emperor   as a figurative head. This region actually prospered and its steel production exceeded Japan’s. Japan even gave up its membership of the League of Nations in 1933 after international protests over the incident but continued with its aggression in Chinese territory. Following the Marco Polo bridge incident, China and Japan engaged in full scale conflict from 1937 till 1945. On December, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a full scale attack on the American Fleet docked at Pearl Harbor.   The compulsion of Japanese militarism post the February 1936 Incident and its acquisitive instincts in Asia made Japan very sensitive to the presence of others in the region. Its attack on Pearl Harbor was part of a preventive strategy aimed at halting what its military leaders saw as a build up of American interests in the region. Preventive conflicts have always risen because one or the other side believes that an offensive will result in preventing some projected or future incident. In Japan’s case it was its apprehension that American presence in the region was building up and would result in counter aggression for control over its territories in Asia and the Pacific. Pearl Harbor was the base for the American Naval Fleet and was attacked by almost 6 carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy.   Waves of air attacks were also launched from the Navy vessels and over 300 aircraft flew over Pearl Harbor and destroyed the standing American fleet of ships. By this attack, America was forced to abandon its position of neutrality and enter into World War 2. For long America   was also building up its armed presence in Indo – China as we; as the East Indies as part of a series of counterbalancing moves aimed at keeping a check on Japanese movement in the region which was aggressively aimed at securing Asia and therefore its supreme position as its leader. Japan. Specifically, the objective of the Pearl Harbor attack was to secure Japanese advances into the East Indies islands and Malaya, both rich sources of oil and rubber. President Roosevelt was conscious of this when he ordered his fleet be strategically stationed in the Philippines region. According to Japanese assumption – a complete halt to American activity in the Pacific region – turned out to be completely wrong and it eventually had to surrender to American troops in 1945 bringing an end to World War II.[6] The Axis Pact In September 1940, Japan entered into a pact also known as the Tripartite Pact, with Fascist Italy and Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Germany which was the official declaration of the Axis Powers against the Allied powers. At the height of their power all 3 members commanded huge territories in Europe and Indo-China. Japan was under Emperor Hirohito and its main objective of signing the Pact was to protect its protect its military and economic bases in the pacific region. When Europe was engaged in its conflict with Germany, Japan insidiously moved into European colonies around the Pacific. America was the only nation to alert to Japanese intentions in this part of the world and countered Japan. Japanese believed that a war with the West was inevitable given its cultural differences but, given its unbridled militarism, Japan’s intentions were also materialistic. However, a certain section of the military leadership believed the conflict was to be aimed at hemming in Soviet Russia. But relations with the USA were also strained with American sponsored embargos on Japan m partly in response to its offensives against China. Japan saw US action against it as an act of western Imperialism and proceeded to band with Germany and Italy through the Tripartite Pact. Japan rushed headlong into its military inspired acquisitions also honed by the oil embargo imposed by the USA, which made it dependent on the resources of other countries. Many in Japan believed the conflict with the Americans could be resolved through negotiations but military leaders insisted on stepping up military offensive in Asia. When Germany was carrying out its Blitzkrieg in Europe m Japan was doing the same in Asia having control over large parts of Asia including Taiwan and Manchuria. But uncontrolled military offensives inevitably end and so did Japan’s end in the Battle of Midway when its fleet was destroyed by American ships.[7] The atom bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki preceded by the declaration of war by the Soviet Union broke Japan’s military might forcing it to surrender to America in 1945.   The international War Crimes Tribunal sentenced Japanese military leaders to death. Japan’s militarism blinded it to the might of America’s military might and made it underestimate Chinese resistance. Its territories were taken under American control.   The Japanese also miscalculated the output of the war machinery in America which h outrivaled that of Japan’s. Truly Japan’s military leaders had become complacent and could not realize that they were going through a death wish which was to almost obliterate Japan (the atom bombings) from the face of the Earth.[8] In conclusion it should be stated that one good outcome was Japan’s access to American industrial technology and Japan’s subsequent rise to the world’s major industrial leader. Today, largely because of this Japan is also a technology leader and makes business conquests in place of military ones through its electronics goods ad cars. Japan wages its own internal battles with rising economics problems and unemployment and job cutbacks but the collective Japanese psyche has grown wise to blind nationalism and tries to blend with the world. It now enjoys a stable democracy and single party rule with its armed forces under the command of the prime Minister, Japan has no need for war and a Pacifist constitution has m in fact been built into the Constitution which forces it to renounce aggression and armed conflict .this was bequeathed to it by America after the .defeat of 1945. Japan is well on its way to new millennium bidding goodbye to its aggression and the February Incident will always remain a blot on its history and its pacifist character. Bibliography: Goddard, J; Nation Management: Making the Most Out of It (Christchurch: Howard & Price. 2006) pp 433-5 Gervers, V; Japan at War (Melbourne: HBT Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2000) pp 167 Knott, P; Analysis of US Wars (Dhaka: Dasgupta & Chatterjee 2005) pp 188-9 Kumar, H; Justice of Winners: Win Some, Lose None (Auckland: HBT & Brooks Ltd. 2005) pp 334 Manning, C S; Principals and Practices of War Industry: Trade of Death (Christchurch: National Book Trust. 2004) pp 279 Powell, M; Anatomy of Modern Crusades: Independence to WWII (Wellington: ABP Ltd 2001) pp 49-53 Prawer, H A; Kingdom of Japan (Dunedin: Allied Publishers 2004) pp 221-5 Tyerman, J; Invention of the Japanese Great War (Dunedin: Allied Publications 2001) pp 233-37 [1] Tyerman, J; Invention of the Japanese Great War (Dunedin: Allied Publications 2001) pp 233-37 [2] Prawer, H A; Kingdom of Japan (Dunedin: Allied Publishers 2004) pp 221-5 [3] Goddard, J; Nation Management: Making the Most Out of It (Christchurch: Howard & Price. 2006) pp 433-5 [4] Gervers, V; Japan at War (Melbourne: HBT Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2000) pp 167 [5] Manning, C S; Principals and Practices of War Industry: Trade of Death (Christchurch: National Book Trust. 2004) pp 279 [6] Powell, M; Anatomy of Modern Crusades: Independence to WWII (Wellington: ABP Ltd 2001) pp 49-53 [7] Knott, P; Analysis of US Wars (Dhaka: Dasgupta & Chatterjee 2005) pp 188-9 [8] Kumar, H; Justice of Winners: Win Some, Lose None (Auckland: HBT & Brooks Ltd. 2005) pp 334

Monday, September 16, 2019

Cancer Fighting Diet

[pic] This Article has been added to your favorites. View your profile [pic]Cancer Diet AdsProstate CancerFighting Lung CancerColon Cancer SignsHealth Diet FoodPreventing Cancer [pic] Beets are protective against cancers of the skin, lung and colon. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States today. While the link between diet and cancer remains somewhat elusive, there are specific dietary factors tied to a reduction in cancer development. Foods that are high in fiber, nutrient-dense and antioxidant-rich offer the most protection against cancer development. According to the American Cancer Society, foods that offer the most benefits include legumes, cruciferous and green leafy vegetables, whole fresh fruits (especially red and citrus fruits) and foods high in omega-3-fats. Broccoli Broccoli is an example of a cruciferous vegetable. Others within the same family include cabbage, onions, garlic and cauliflower. They are rich in phytonutrients, or disease-fighting plant compounds that directly inhibit the growth of cancer cells and the development of tumors. 2. Salmon Fatty fish, such as salmon, is rich in vitamin D–which offers protection against the development of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer–and omega 3 fats. Omega 3 fats act as anti-tumor agents because they help prevent cancer cells from sticking together, forming solid tumors. Oranges and Citrus Fruits Citrus fruits are an excellent source of vitamin C. Vitamin C protects the body's cells against free radical damage, which can cause damage to DNA (mutations) that increases the risk of cancer development, especially of the digestive system and colon. Blueberries The nutrients found in blueberries may help reduce the risk of developing colon and ovarian cancer. Phenolic compounds (another phytochemical found in blue/purple vegetables and fruits) inhibit the rapid growth of cancer cells and work to destroy cancer cells in the colon. Spinach and Kale Dark, leafy, green vegetables such as spinach and kale are rich in a flavonoid phytonutrient called kaempferol. Women who eat the most kaempferol-rich foods have a 40 percent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer than those that with the lowest intake of kaempferol-rich foods. Raspberries Raspberries are the richest food source of ellagic acid. Ellagic acid is a phytochemical that offers powerful anti-cancer benefits according to the American Cancer Society. It can inhibit cancerous tumor growth in the esophagus, lung and colon as well as the breast and prostate. Pomegranate Juice Recent findings by the American Cancer Society also show that drinking 8 oz. of pomegranate juice daily significantly slows increase of blood levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, which is the marker used to test for prostate cancer as well as measuring the growth of prostate cancer. Black Beans According to a study published in Food Chemistry and Toxicology, when researchers fed laboratory animals a 20 percent black bean diet, it significantly reduced the number of pre-cancerous cells, even in animals who were also given an agent that promotes cancer by mutating cellular DNA (cyclophosphamide). Green Tea Green tea is high health-promoting flavonoids, including catechins. The most notable catechin in green tea is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). EGCG offers anticancer and antioxidant benefits. Like vitamins E and C, catechins act as free radical scavengers and are particularly protective against breast and prostate cancers. Beets The pigment that gives beets their purple-deep red color is known as betacyanin. This phytochemical acts as a powerful cancer-fighting agent, particularly against the development of cancers of the skin, lung and colon. Compounds in beets increase the effectiveness of antioxidant liver enzymes which help protect our cells against free radical damage. [pic]Sponsored Links Advanced Cancer Treatment Cancer Treatment Options as of March 2010 www. Issels. com Which Foods Burn Fat? The eating program preferred by bodybuilders and fitness models www. burnthefat. com Lose Weight w/ Green Tea Lose 2. times more with Wu Long tea. Buy 3, get 1 free! 2xGreen. WuLongForLife. com Stem Cell Therapy Germany Lower fasting glucose levels Decrease hypoglycemic events www. XCell-Center. com/Diabetes/ References †¢ â€Å"Dietary factors and cancer chemoprevention: an overview of obesity-related malignancies;† N. S. Murthy, S. Mukherjee, G. Ray, et al; 2009 †¢ â€Å"Food Chemistry a nd Toxicology;† Black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ) as a protective agent against DNA damage in mice; L. Azevedo, J. C. Gomes, P. C. Stringheta, A. M. Gontijo, C. R. Padovani, L. R. Ribeiro and D. M. Salvadori; Dec 2003 †¢ â€Å"Cancer Letters;† Chemoprevention of lung and skin cancer by Beta vulgaris (beet) root extract; G. J. Kapadia, H. Tokuda, T. Konoshima and H. Nishino; Feb 1996 The Anti-Cancer Diet Cancer Prevention Nutrition Tips and Cancer Fighting Foods [pic][pic] [pic] Are you interested in doing all you can to improve your health and fight off cancer? Maybe you have a history of cancer in your family or a loved one who’s battling the disease. Maybe you’re dealing with cancer yourself or trying to prevent a recurrence. Whatever the situation, your dietary choices matter. Some foods actually increase your risk of cancer, while others support your body and strengthen your immune system. By making smart food choices, you can protect your health, feel better, and boost your ability fight off disease. In This Article: †¢ What you need to know †¢ Focus on plant-based foods †¢ Bulk up on fiber †¢ Cut down on meat †¢ Choose your fats wisely †¢ Choose cancer-fighting foods †¢ Prepare your food in healthy ways †¢ Related links [pic]Print   [pic]Authors [pic][pic][pic]Text Size What you need to know about cancer and diet Not all health problems are avoidable, but you have more control over your health than you may think. Research shows that a large percentage of cancer-related deaths—maybe even the majority—are directly linked to lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, a lack of exercise, and an unhealthy diet. Avoiding cigarettes, minimizing alcohol, and getting regular exercise are a great start to an anti-cancer lifestyle. But to best support your health, you also need to look at your eating habits. What you eat—and don’t eat—has a powerful effect on your health, including your risk of cancer. Without knowing it, you may be eating many foods that fuel cancer, while neglecting the powerful foods and nutrients that can protect you. If you change your diet and behaviors, you can minimize your risk of disease and possibly even stop cancer in its tracks. Cancer prevention diet tip #1 – Focus on plant-based foods Why plant-based foods are cancer-fighting powerhouses It comes down to this: Plants have less fat, more fiber, and more cancer-fighting nutrients. These three elements work together to support your immune system and help your body fight off cancer. The best diet for preventing or fighting cancer is a predominantly plant-based diet that includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. A plant-based diet means eating mostly foods that come from plants: vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and beans. The less processed these foods are—the less they’ve been cooked, peeled, mixed with other ingredients, stripped of their nutrients, or otherwise altered from the way they cam out of the ground—the better. There are many ways to add plant-based foods to your diet. A nice visual reminder is to aim for a plate of food that is filled at least two-thirds with whole grains, vegetables, beans, or fruit. Dairy products, fish, and meat should take up no more than a third of the plate. Keep in mind that you don’t need to go completely vegetarian. Instead, focus on adding â€Å"whole† foods, which are foods close to their original form. Just as important, try to minimize or reduce the amount of processed foods you eat. Eat an apple instead of drinking a glass of apple juice, for example. Or enjoy a bowl of oatmeal with raisins instead of an oatmeal raisin cookie. Simple tips for getting more plant-based foods in your diet †¢ Breakfast: Add fruit and a few seeds or nuts to your whole grain breakfast cereal (oatmeal! ). †¢ Lunch: Eat a big salad filled with your favorite beans and peas or other combo of veggies. Always order lettuce and tomato (plus any other veggies you can! ) on your sandwiches. Order whole grain bread for your sandwiches. Have a side of veggies like cut up carrots, sauerkraut or a piece of fruit. †¢ Snacks: fresh fruit and vegetables. Grab an apple or banana on your way out the door. Raw veggies such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, jicama, peppers, etc. are great with a low-fat dip such as hummus. Keep trail mix made with nuts, seeds and a little dried fruit on hand. †¢ Dinner: Add fresh or frozen veggies to your favorite pasta sauce or rice dish. Top a baked potato with broccoli and yogurt, sauteed veggies, or with salsa. Replace creamy pasta sauces, with sauteed vegetables or tomato sauce made with healthy olive oil. †¢ Dessert: Choose fruit instead of a richer dessert. Or a single square of dark chocolate. Buy organic or local produce, if possible. Some pesticides found in commercially-grown produce are also suspected carcinogens. Organic foods are free of these pesticides, and locally grown produce is less likely to have been treated with chemicals to prevent spoilage. Cancer prevention diet tip #2 – Bulk up on fiber Another benefit of eating plant-based foods is that it will also increase your fiber intake. Fiber, also called roughage or bulk, is the part of plants (grains, fruits, and vegetables) that your body can’t digest. Fiber plays a key role in keeping your digestive system clean and healthy. It helps keep food moving through your digestive tract, and it also moves cancer-causing compounds out before they can create harm. Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In general, the more natural and unprocessed the food, the higher it is in fiber. There is no fiber in meat, dairy, sugar, or â€Å"white† foods like white bread, white rice, and pastries. Simple ways to add more fiber to your diet: †¢ Use brown rice instead of white rice †¢ Substitute whole-grain bread for white bread †¢ Choose a bran muffin over a croissant or pastry †¢ Snack on popcorn instead of potato chips †¢ Eat fresh fruit such as a pear, a banana, or an apple (with the skin) †¢ Have a baked potato, including the skin, instead of mashed potatoes †¢ Enjoy fresh carrots, celery, or bell peppers with a hummus or salsa, instead of chips and a sour cream dip †¢ Use beans instead of ground meat in chili, casseroles, tacos, and even burgers (bean burgers taste great! |High-fiber, cancer-fighting foods | |Whole grains |whole-wheat pasta, raisin bran, barley, oatmeal, oat bran muffins, popcorn, brown rice, whole-grain | | |or whole-wheat bread | |Fruit |raspberries, apples, pears, strawberries, bananas, lackberries, blueberries, mango, apricots, | | |citrus fruits, dried fruit, prunes, raisins | |Legumes |lentils, black beans, s plit peas, lima beans, baked beans, kidney beans, pinto, chick peas, navy | | |beans, black-eyed peas | |Vegetables |broccoli, spinach, dark green leafy vegetables, peas, artichokes, corn, carrots, tomatoes, Brussels | | |sprouts, potatoes | Cancer prevention diet tip #3: Cut down on meat Research shows that vegetarians are about fifty percent less likely to develop cancer than those who eat meat. So what’s the link between meat and cancer risk? First, meat lacks fiber and other nutrients that have been shown to have cancer-protective properties. What it does have in abundance, however, is fat—often very high levels of saturated fat. High-fat diets have been linked to higher rates of cancer. And saturated fat is particularly dangerous. Finally, depending on how it is prepared, meat can develop carcinogenic compounds. Making better meat and protein choices You don’t need to cut out meat completely and become a vegetarian. But most people consume far more meat than is healthy. You can cut down your cancer risk substantially by reducing the amount of animal-based products you eat and by choosing healthier meats. †¢ Keep meat to a minimum. Try to keep the total amount of meat in your diet to no more than fifteen percent of your total calories. Ten percent is even better. †¢ Eat red meat only occasionally. Red meat is high in saturated fat, so eat it sparingly. †¢ Reduce the portion size of meat in each meal. The portion should be able to fit in the palm of your hand. †¢ Use meat as a flavoring or a side, not the entree. You can use a little bit of meat to add flavor or texture to your food, rather than using it as the main element. †¢ Add beans and other plant-based protein sources to your meals. †¢ Choose leaner meats, such as fish, chicken, or turkey. If possible, buy organic. †¢ Avoid processed meats such as hotdogs, sausage, deli meats, and salami. Cancer prevention diet tip #4: Choose your fats wisely A major benefit of cutting down on the amount of meat you eat is that you will automatically cut out a lot of unhealthy fat. Eating a diet high in fat increases your risk for many types of cancer. But cutting out fat entirely isn’t the answer, either. In fact, some types of fat may actually protect against cancer. The trick is to choose your fats wisely and eat them in moderation. †¢ Fats that increase cancer risk – The two most damaging fats are saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products such as red meat, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Trans fats, also called partially hydrogenated oils, are created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid and less likely to spoil—which is very good for food manufacturers, and very bad for you. †¢ Fats that decrease cancer risk – The best fats are unsaturated fats, which come from plant sources and are liquid at room temperature. Primary sources include olive oil, canola oil, nuts, and avocados. Also focus on omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation and support brain and heart health. Good sources include salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds. Tips for choosing cancer-fighting fats and avoiding the bad †¢ Reduce your consumption of red meat, whole milk, butter, and eggs, as these are the primary source of saturated fats. †¢ Cook with olive oil instead of regular vegetable oil. Canola oil is another good choice, especially for baking. †¢ Check the ingredient list on food labels and avoid anything with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, which are usually found in stick margarines, shortenings, salad dressings, and other packaged foods. Trim the fat off of meat when you do eat it, and avoid eating the skin of the chicken. †¢ Choose nonfat dairy products and eggs that have been fortified with omega-3 fatty acids. †¢ Add nuts and seeds to cereal, salads, soups, or other dishes. Good choices include walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, pecans, and sesame seeds. †¢ Use flaxseed oil in smoothies, salad dressings, or mixed in snacks such as applesauce. But do not cook with flaxseed oil, as it loses its protective properties when heated. †¢ Limit fast food, fried foods, and packaged foods, which tend to be high in trans fats. This includes foods like potato chips, cookies, crackers, French fries, and doughnuts. †¢ Eat fish once or twice a week. Good choices include wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring, and black cod. But be conscious of mercury, a contaminant found in many types of fish. Making smart seafood choices For a list of the best and worst seafood choices, see the Pocket Seafood Selector, from the Environmental Defense Food. Cancer prevention diet tip #5: Choose cancer-fighting foods Your immune system keeps you healthy by fighting off unwanted invaders in your system, including cancer cells. There are many things you can eat to maximize the strength of your immune system, as well as many cancer-fighting foods. But keep in mind that there is no single miracle food or ingredient that will protect you against cancer. Eating a colorful variety gives you the best protection. †¢ Boost your antioxidants. Antioxidants are powerful vitamins that protect against cancer and help the cells in your body function optimally. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium. †¢ Eat a wide range of brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Colorful fruits and vegetables are rich in phytochemicals, a potent disease–fighting and immune–boosting nutrient. The greater the variety of colors that you include, the more you will benefit, since different colors are rich in different phytochemicals. †¢ Flavor with immune-boosting spices and foods. Garlic, ginger, and curry powder not only add flavor, but they add a cancer-fighting punch of valuable nutrients. Other good choices include turmeric, basil, rosemary, and coriander. Use them in soups, salads, casseroles, or any other dish. †¢ Drink plenty of water. Water is essentially to all bodily processes. It stimulates the immune system, removes waste and toxins, and transports nutrients to all of your organs. Cancer prevention diet tip #6 – Prepare your food in healthy ways Choosing healthy food is not the only important factor. It also matters how you prepare and store your food. The way you cook your food can either help or hurt your anti-cancer efforts. Preserving the cancer-fighting benefits of vegetables Here are a few tips that will help you get the most benefits from eating all those great cancer-fighting vegetables: †¢ Eat at least some raw fruits and vegetables. These have the highest amounts of vitamins and minerals, although cooking some vegetables can make the vitamins more available for our body to use. †¢ When cooking vegetables, steam until just tender using a small amount of water. This preserves more of the vitamins. Overcooking vegetables leaches the vitamins and minerals out. For an extra vitamin boost, use the vegetable cooking water in a soup or another dish. †¢ Wash or peel all fruits and vegetables. Use a vegetable brush for washing. Washing does not eliminate all pesticide residue, but will reduce it. Cooking and carcinogens Carcinogens are cancer-causing substances found in food. Carcinogens can form during the cooking or preserving process—mostly in relation to meat—and as foods start to spoil. Examples of foods that have carcinogens are cured, dried, and preserved meats (e. g. bacon, sausage, beef jerkey); burned or charred meets; smoked foods; and foods that have become moldy. Here are some ways reduce your exposure to carcinogens: The 5 Worst Foods to Grill o Chicken breast, skinless, boneless, grilled, well done o Steak, grilled, well done o Pork, barbecued o Salmon, grilled with skin o Hamburger, grilled, well done Source: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Do not cook oils on high heat. Low-heat cooking or baking (less than 240 degrees) prevents oils or fats from turning carcinogenic. Instead of deep-frying, pan-frying, and sauteing, opt for healthier methods such as baking, boiling, steaming, or broiling. †¢ Go easy on the barbecue. Burning or charring meats creates carcinogenic substances. If you do choose to barbecue, don’t overcook the meat and be sure to cook at the proper temperature (not too hot! ). †¢ Store oils in a cool dark place in airtight containers, as they quickly become rancid when exposed to heat, light, and air. †¢ Choose fresh meats instead of cured, dried, preserved, or smoked meats. †¢ Avoid foods that look or smell moldy, as they likely contain aflatoxin, a strong carcinogen. Aflatoxin is most commonly found on moldy peanuts. Nuts will stay fresh longer if kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Be careful what you put in the microwave. Use waxed paper rather than plastic wrap to cover your food in the microwave. And always use microwave-safe containers. Related articles [pic]Organic Foods Understanding Organic Food L abels, Benefits, and Claims [pic]Healthy Recipes Making Fast, Healthy, and Delicious Meals More Helpguide Articles: †¢ Healthy Eating: Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet and Sticking to It †¢ Healthy Fast Food: Tips for Making Healthier Fast Food Choices †¢ Dietary Supplements: The Smart and Safe Use of Vitamins and Supplements Related links for cancer prevention and the anti-cancer diet The Cancer Prevention Diet Cancer Prevention – This article talks about the relationship between human behaviors such as diet and cancer. (National Cancer Institute) The Anti-cancer Diet – This article gives very detailed information on 12 dietary recommendations that lower your cancer risk. (Ask Dr. Sears) Cancer Prevention: Ask the Expert: Nutrition – Brief answers to some common questions about the relationship between diet and cancer. (Michigan State University) Foods for Cancer Prevention – A brief summary of what cancer is, plus what dietary choices help to reduce your risk of cancer. (PCRM) Foods that Fight Cancer – Information on specific foods and their role in protecting your health. AICR) Fiber 101: Soluble Fiber vs. Insoluble Fiber – A summary about why eating fiber is important, as well as the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber, plus examples of fiber rich foods. (HealthCastle. com) Cancer Facts: Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk – Inform ation on the relationship between eating meat and how that affects your risk for cancer. (The Cancer Project) Cooking to Prevent Cancer Cut Calories & Fat, Not Flavor – Recommendations for how to reduce your fat intake when cooking while still maintaining flavor. (American Cancer Society) Going Low-Fat: Low-Fat Cooking Methods – This article is filled with tips on how to cook tasty low-fat meals. NutritionMD) Cancer Prevention and Immune System Strengthening Immune Function: Choose Immune-Boosting Foods – This article has information on immune boosting foods and includes recipes as well as information on specific nutrients. (NutritionMD) Maya W. Paul and Melinda Smith, M. A. contributed to this article. Last reviewed: December 2009. Cancer-Fighting Foods Your Best Defense for Staying Healthy By Kristi Patrice Carter †¢ [pic][pic] †¢ [pic] †¢ [pic] †¢ [pic] †¢ [pic] †¢ [pic] †¢ [pic] †¢ [pic] Pages:  Ã‚  1  Ã‚  2  Ã‚  3 Ever since you were a small child, you were told to eat a balanced diet consisting of fruits, grains, vegetables, meats and dairy products. You probably saw the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid plastered on the wall of your doctor's office and were familiar with its recommendations to eat 6 to 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta; 3 to 5 servings of vegetables; 2 to 4 servings of fruit; 2 to 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts; and 2 to 3 servings of dairy products on a daily basis. But can you honestly say that you follow these guidelines? Do you eat a balanced diet low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol? Do you eat enough fruits, vegetables and fiber? If you don't, you could be putting yourself at risk for developing certain types of cancer. Protecting Yourself According to the American Cancer Society, â€Å"As many as 500,000 Americans die from cancer each year. After cardiovascular disease, it is the second leading cause of death in the United States. † Although the specific causes of most cancers are not known, the U. S. government's National Cancer Institute estimates that â€Å"35 percent of cancer deaths are related to poor eating habits. † That's right, by simply modifying one's diet, 35 percent of these deaths may have been prevented. What can you do to protect yourself from this deadly disease? According to Barbara Rhodes, a licensed registered nurse in Illinois, â€Å"Although no single food can prevent cancer, you can reduce your risk of developing this disease by eating a low-fat, balanced diet, avoiding excess fat and increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables and fiber. By doing this, you strengthen your immune system and your body ultimately becomes a cancer-fighting powerhouse. † The Lowdown on Low-fat Why is it important to eat a low-fat diet and avoid excess fat? â€Å"Although fat is an essential nutrient which provides our bodies with energy and cushions our vital organs, too much fat is not good,† Rhodes says. â€Å"If we have a diet laden with too much fat, abnormal cell divisions may occur, which could increase our risk of colon, breast and prostate cancer. Therefore, meat-based diets are potentially very dangerous and must be limited. † â€Å"A healthy diet is one low in fat,† says Michelle Williams, a food preparation and dietary consultant for Cook County Hospital. You can easily lower your fat intake by eating less red meat (beef, pork or lamb); buying skim milk, low-fat dairy products such as yogurt and sour cream; purchasing lean cuts of meat and trimming excess fat before cooking; supplementing rich sauces with natural seasonings, spices and herbs; using egg whites instead of whole eggs; skimming excess fat off chilled soups and stews before eating; using low-fat margarine, salad dressing and mayonnaise; and using vegetable oil in place of melted butter. † Cancer-preventing Foods Another important element in a healthy diet is eating more fruits, vegetables and fiber. â€Å"Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, low in fat and contain protective vitamins and minerals. They are a rich source with natural antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E and beta carotene, and may help block cell damage caused by free radicals. They also contain vitamin B (folic acid) which may inhibit the transformation of normal cells into malignant cells and strengthens your immune system. Fruits and vegetables also contain phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant chemicals) which appear to prevent some cancers and inhibit spread of malignant cells,† Rhodes says. â€Å"And fiber is important because it increases the movement of digested food through your intestines and ultimately reduces the amount of time your colon is exposed to cancer-promoting substances formed during digestion. † Which cancer-preventing foods should always be included in your grocery list? †¢ Fruits like apples, peaches, pears, apricots, berries, oranges and apricots †¢ Vegetables from the cabbage family †¢ Deep yellow and dark green vegetables like squash, turnips and their greens, Brussels sprouts and broccoli High-fiber foods like legumes (peas, beans and lentils) and whole-grain breads, rolls, pastas and cereals †¢ Reduced-calorie or low-fat salad dressings and margarines †¢ Low-fat dairy products like skim milk, skim-milk-based cheese and yogurt †¢ Lean cuts of beef, lamb and pork †¢ Fresh fish, shellfish, chicken or turkey †¢ Limited amounts of artificial products, synthetic chemicals and saturated fats By eating a low-fat balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, avoiding excess fat and getting enough fiber, you can reduce your chances of getting cancer. Not only will you become healthier, but your immune system will be enhanced and you will become a â€Å"cancer-fighting powerhouse. â€Å"