Being Thin, Petite, And Attractive Is Driving Young Women

The obsession with being thin, petite, and attractive is driving young women and girls to extreme measures. The way the American society looks at weight and body image is putting a huge burden on the shoulders of our young people. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are two eating disorders that are consuming our youth throughout the country. Thankfully, research has made advances for those affected and giving them to tools to overcome and succeed these overbearing disorders. In the first article, Anorexia Nervosa was studied in a group of women with the mean age of 24. In the study, the women had to write a letter to their anorexia as a friend and then as an enemy. The letters were then reviewed and a coding scheme was developed from that which was written. Through observation of the letters, simple pros and cons could be determined. The patients descried pros of their disorder as helping them feel safe, making them feel more attractive, helping them feel in control, letting them a void uncomfortable emotions, and last, helping them feel different or special. The cons the patients described were the constant thoughts about food, feeling controlled by food, loss of relationships, health risks, and finally, feeling taken over by their disorder. Through this study, the researches could literally see into what an anorexic patient thinks of their disorder. (Serpell et. al.1999) The second journal was very similar to the first, the same study was conducted; however, the focusShow MoreRelatedTo Be or Not to Be Barbie Essay1730 Words   |  7 PagesMarge Piercy’s â€Å"Barbie Doll† she gives an in-depth look at what negative effects the concept of beauty can have on an individual. From infancy to a full-grown adult woman, beauty has been a way of thinking and lifestyle. As a little girl you are given petite shaped, blonde, blue-eyed dolls. While boys are given brawny soldiers and mechanical toys. What do little girls do with these dolls? They put on fresh makeup, change their fashionable clothing, and style there long luscious hair. This alone is creatingRead More Television Commercials Designed for the Female Audience Essay3078 Words   |  13 Pagesand comparison of present-day television commercials. The age group considered child was five to twelve years. Commercials in this group advertised products aimed at children to include cereals, dolls, and toys, as well as products aimed at women, such as laundry detergent, using girls for advertisers. I did find a basic format of the childs commercial, even though the actors and products varied greatly. I found camera action to be slow and fluent. Very few jump cuts and quick zooms were used;

The Galapagos Islands - 1490 Words

The Galapagos Islands, located about 600 miles west of continental Ecuador, contain a rich history of settlement and exploration and represent a living example of evolution that is still relevant today. For centuries, this chain of volcanic islands has been used uniquely by various cultures based off distinct needs. What has remained the same however is the fact that island isolation has forced many animal and plant species to adapt differently from one another based off their island’s environmental conditions, creating a living model of microevolution over time. Today, these models tend to be the primary resources used by biology professors when teaching their students evolutionary topics. The Galapagos Islands are located in the†¦show more content†¦Currently there are two islands, Isabella and Fernandina, which are still being molded today, and are thus still highly active volcanoes. The weather in the Galapagos consists of two different seasons. Both are marked al l year by freezing rain due to the Humboldt Current flowing from the south. Other than this one similarity, the two seasons are completely opposites of one another. Constant wind and fog as well as regular rain showers that often last entire days characterize the months of June through November. December through May on the other hand is sunny, windless, and has very little precipitation. The Galapagos are also affected every three to seven years by a weather cycle known as El Nino. This climate pattern causes extreme drought, which greatly influences both terrestrial and marine organisms. It is characterized by a warming of sea temperature, rise in sea level, and depletion of nutrients. The Galapagos Islands hold a very extensive history marked by constant changes in reasons for people using them. The first documented discovery of the islands occurred in 1535 when Fray Tomas de Berlanga of Panama accidentally came cross them while attempting to sail from Peru back to Panama. There i s much controversy however in regards to the truth behind him being the first to have found the islands. Records show that Incas used these islands for food and exploration years before Berlanga claimed to have found them. Nevertheless, the Galapagos remained unsettledShow MoreRelatedDiversity in the Galapagos Islands861 Words   |  3 Pagesnot see the Galapagos Islands how we do today. The islands hold exotic and extraordinary plants and animals. Of these animals, some are going extinct or have already gone extinct. There are many varieties of natural and introduced plant life. Charles Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He sailed on the HMS Beagle in 1831. He knew he was going to the Galapagos, but he didnt know that he would discover the theory of evolution. The plants on the Galapagos Island are very tropicalRead MoreInformative Speech Galapagos Islands Outline Essay791 Words   |  4 PagesGalapagos Islands Purpose: To inform my classmates about the Galapagos Islands. Thesis: The Galapagos Islands are located in the eastern Pacific Ocean, a beautiful and exotic place for your next vacation. Organizational Pattern: Topical I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: Have you guys heard about giant tortoises? They live in the Galapagos Islands, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. B. Relevance: Most college students want to go on vacation once they graduate from collegeRead MoreThe Galapagos Islands1539 Words   |  7 PagesThe Galapagos Islands The Galapagos Islands are a group of 16 islands located in the Pacific Ocean that straddle the equator about 525 miles west of the South American Coastline. The islands were formed by underwater volcanoes millions of years ago and belong to Ecuador. The Galapagos are well known for their vast diversity in plant and animal populations. Some of the plant and animal life found on the islands cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The Galapagos Islands are considered toRead MoreThe Island Of The Galapagos Archipeggio716 Words   |  3 PagesIsabela Island, the largest island of the Galà ¡pagos archipeggio, seemed to rise straight out of the water. The sedimentary rock cliffs were rusty brown, but were covered with life. Red and black crabs rested on the surface, while blue-footed boobies gracefully dived into the water to catch sardines. Baby nazca boobies peered out of their nests to see a small inflatable boat, known as a panga, bobbing in the water. Our guide, Christina, enth usiastically shared her knowledge of these animals to myRead MoreLife and Business in the Galapagos Islands624 Words   |  3 PagesBusiness in the Galapagos Islands takes place mainly during lunch hour, as many people are out at midday eating. Restaurants may even be closed at night in rural areas. This is because some serve local food or cater for tourists in larger cities. In more recent decades, fast food restaurants common in America have been drifting over to Ecuador, such as McDonalds. There is also a Chinese community that originated back in the 19th century here. This familiarizes the locals with dishes like fried richRead MoreEvoloution of Polar Bears (Lamarck vs Darwin) Essay1102 Words   |  5 Pagescomponent of evolution. Natural Selection occurs when a subject has a feature that enables to be able to survive more easily than those without it. Take for example the Galapagos Finches (Darwin’s Finches). Found on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean are a g roup of about 13 types of finches with different beaks living on separate islands. It is believed that these finches all came from the same ancestral bird, but different food sources caused them to develop different beaks. In 1977 a drought reducedRead MoreGeology of the Galapagos Islands Essay2302 Words   |  10 Pagesfoot on the Islands of the Galapagos Archipeligo setting off on what would become the inspiration for the most important innovation in biological sciences either before or since. That visit solidified for Darwin his notion of the evolution of life on Earth, and helped trigger his breakthrough regarding Natural Selection, ultimately culminating in his groundbreaking masterpiece On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. And although Darwin would never return to these Islands in his lifetimeRead MoreCulture of Ecuador and the Glapagos Islands1469 Words   |  6 PagesEcuador and the Glapagos Islands Meghan Lazor Ecuador is South America’s second smallest country and is regarded as one of the most geographically and ethnically diverse countries on the continent. The Galapagos Islands are part of Ecuador with a small population of only 10,000 people. Both culture-rich countries are largely uncharted, making them an exciting and adventurous place to visit. Ecuador is located in the northwest corner of South America with the Galapagos Islands to the west. The equatorRead MoreCharles Darwin and Galapagos911 Words   |  4 PagesCharles Darwin arrived at the Galapagos in 1835 ready to record everything he saw. Herman Melville got there in 1841 with different goals. They were both young men when they took this journey to raid the islands: Darwin raided in the name of science and Melville for food (Howarth, 99). After their respective journeys, Darwin and Melville wrote two different books describing the same islands. The respective books made the headlines after they were written. This pape r will compare Charles Darwin’sRead MoreEssay on My Dream Place756 Words   |  4 PagesMy dream place would be a house on a Galapagos Island. My land will be located on the Isabella Island. It will be nice and relaxing because it has a constant weather all that time, perfect environment. Also I will have a nice 2 floor cabin. The cabins will look like the ones that you see in forest. My whole family will live there after I am 75. But before that I will spend my time gathering all the money to buy a piece of land, a plane, a boat, and some vegetable seed (lot of them). I want my dream

The Human Factor of Global Warming free essay sample

Global warming has been a growing concern for many over the last several decades. The effects of global warming are evident and broad, with historical research dating the first global warming crisis back 56 million years ago, better known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM (Jardine, 2011). Research from the composition of sediments of fossils shells of marine organisms conclude that carbon dioxide trapped within our atmosphere, increased global temperatures by more than 5 degrees in just a few thousand years (Jardine, 2011). While global warming may not be in question, many scientists have questioned the actual global warming effect theory due to many uncertainties. Whether or not humans are inherently responsible is debatable and subject to skepticism along with whether or not the human race can influence the outcome of such. * The first theory on global warming dates back to 1886. A Swedish chemist by the name of Svante Arrhenius had a theory that a rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions as a result from combusting fossil fuels could enhance the average surface temperature of the earth (Maslin, 2004). While close to half the solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface is reflected back into space, the remainder is absorbed by land masses and oceans, warming the earth’s surface and atmosphere. This warming process radiates energy, most of which passes through the atmosphere and back into space. However, small concentrations of greenhouse gases like water vapor and carbon dioxide convert some of this energy to heat and either absorb it or reflect it back to the earth’s surface (Christianson, 1999). It is this foundation that fuels ours cognitive notion of global warming and the concatenation of events that result in a global rise in temperature. * Global warming is a well known fact; however, there are many different speculations as to the causes. While there are those that like to believe that humans control the course of the global climate system, the truth is that there is also natural climate variability on a year to year basis (Kump, 2011). This variability results through natural cloud changes, which alter the amount of sunlight being absorbed by the planet (Spencer, 2010). There is more complexity to climate variability than sunlight and clouds. Our planet’s climate is dynamic and naturally varies on seasonal, decadal, centennial, and longer timescales. Each up and down fluctuation can lead to conditions which are warmer or colder, wetter or drier, more stormy or quiescent (Millar amp; Woolfenden, 1999). * Perhaps the most well understood occurrence of climate variability is the naturally occurring phenomenon known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), El Nino is a term coined by Peruvian fisherman to identify meteorological instability and ecological effects on fish and coastal life (Caviedes, 1984). This is an interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere over the tropical Pacific Ocean that has important consequences for weather around the globe. The ENSO cycle is characterized by coherent and strong variations in sea-surface temperatures, rainfall, air pressure, and atmospheric circulation across the equatorial Pacific. El Nino refers to the warm phase of the cycle, in which above-average sea-surface temperatures develop across the east-central tropical Pacific (Caviedes, 1984). These variables in our climate are due to the change in the amount of energy entering and escaping from the Earth. The largest contributor in climatic forces comes in the form of short wave radiation from the Sun. Solar variability is major player in the distribution of energy throughout the Earth’s atmosphere. The changes in solar energy can be directly related to the Earths orbital path, changes in the tilt angle of the Earth, or variations in the energy coming from the Sun. Also additional factor which can cause climatic fluctuations on yearly to decadal timescales are volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions lead to enhancements of stratospheric and tropospheric aerosols which for the most part reflect solar radiation, hence leading to global cooling on a global average (Karlen, et al. , 2005). * While humans might not be solely to blame for global warming, we definitely have a major role. Most are familiar with the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) as a major contributor to the overall C02, although, just as equally important is that of deforestation. It was realized that â€Å"conversions of land use, primarily deforestation in the tropics, induce substantial terrestrial carbon losses to the atmosphere, approximately 1. 6 billion tons annually† (Broadmeadow, Freer-Smith, amp; J. Lynch, 2007). While the cause of deforestation varies in different regions, the key contributors are cutting down tree to open up more land for agriculture, urban sprawl (Turk amp; Bensel, 2011). Forests work like filters to remove CO2 from the air and store it in the trees. When the trees are felled or burned, huge amounts of CO2 are released into the atmosphere at a rapid pace. Urban Sprawl, a result of deforestation releases significant amounts of green house gases such as CO2. Not only do you have carbon dioxide being release from burning or cutting of forests, it is coupled by urban sprawl. It just so happens one of the effects of urban sprawl is that â€Å"Concrete production contributes 5 percent of annual anthropogenic global CO2 production, mainly because such vast quantities are used† (Chemistry World, 2008). The result of urban sprawl worldwide currently accounts for 20-25 percent of the annual global carbon dioxide emissions, which equates to 1 to 1. 5 billion tons of carbon (Janson-Smith, Pandya, amp; Toften, 2003). A byproduct of urbanization is that of transportation, which also has profound effects in terms of releasing greenhouse gases. In the United States transportation alone makes up 450 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, with the Department of Energy projecting an annual growth of 1 percent (Turk amp; Bensel, 2011). Sprawl-induced driving not only contributes to the annual accumulation of carbon dioxide which is a prevalent green house gases but also volatile organic compounds such as nitric oxides. These volatile organic compounds have a small direct impact as greenhouse gases but they are also an ozone precursor and account for seven million tons annually (Turk amp; Bensel, 2011). Just as devastating as deforestation due to urban sprawl, is that of deforestation due to agriculture and agriculture by itself and how they contribute to global warming. During agricultural practices, methane gas which is a greenhouse gas, is produced when bacteria decomposes organic matter. It has been estimated that close to a quarter of methane gas from human activities result from livestock and the decomposition of animal manure. Paddy rice farming, land use and wetland changes are also agricultural processes that could contribute to the release of methane to the atmosphere. Use of fertilizers for agricultural activities also leads to higher N2O concentrations from nitrification and denitrification in cropped soil. (Adler, Del Grosso, amp; Parton, 2007). A report from the American Farmland Trust in 2007 stated that â€Å"from 1982 through 2007 the United States lost 41. 3 million acres of rural land which was converted to developed uses†. To put that into perspective that is roughly the size of Florida. An increase in farm land means an increase in crops and in animals, which translate into an increase in ammonia. This by-product of animal waste is due to the often inefficient conversion of feed nitrogen into animal product. Livestock and poultry are often fed high-protein feed, which contains surplus nitrogen. Nitrogen that is not metabolized into animal protein is excreted in the urine and feces of livestock and poultry where further microbial action releases ammonia into the air during manure decomposition (Virgina State University, n. d. ). Studies have shown by the FDA that broiler producers have contributed â€Å"8 times more ammonia emission annually than oil refineries and steel mills combined in poultry heavy states† (Merchant, 2008) and accounts for 27% of total man-made ammonia volatilization in the United States (Virgina State University, n. d. ). Not only do crops and live stock emit large quantities of greenhouse gases, but also the machinery used to aid in farming. The fuel that is used by agricultural machinery for tillage, planting, harvesting and applying pesticides also contributes to carbon dioxide emissions. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency released a report in 2007 detailing U. S. Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Sources, which accounted for six percent of all U. S. emissions. Despite the amount of influence humans have to the overall contributions of global warming, we have made efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. While the inception is conceivable that the human race could influence the effects of global warming, it has yet to be proven. The reluctance in this ever being proven relies on the fact that it would take the entire global community to be involved. That means not only must it be approached scientifically, but also from an economical, social, geopolitical, local political standpoint, and that of an individual’s choice of lifestyle (Christianson, 1999). Humans in general are doing many things everyday to help reduce their carbon footprint believing that their efforts will help stop global warming. Some simple yet conventional methods such as car pooling can make a difference. On average the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, the daily commute to work in the U. S. emits 94 tons of carbon annually (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency , n. d. ), so by carpooling with co-workers you can seriously cut down on an individual’s contribution of greenhouse gases. Another way people are helping to reduce their impact on our climate is by switching from incandescent light bulbs to energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. â€Å"If every household in the U. S. ook this one simple action we would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars† (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency , n. d. ). These are ways in which humans can change aspects of their lifestyle an influence how they contribute to global warming. Our government is also contributing in ways to help stop global warming. The U. S. government introduced a law called The Clean Air Act in 1963 which initially was a research project. Since then it has developed through major amendments to the law into regulatory controls for air pollution. The Clean Air Act is making many companies change their products to decrease these problems. Part of the law says that you may not put a certain amount of pollutants in the air. Hairspray and some other products, like foam cups, had this problem. Making and using these products let out too many volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), ozone-destroying chemicals (chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), and related chemicals (such as CO2) into the air. Now, almost all of these products have a label on them telling people what this product can do to the environment and many people (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency , n. d. ). The U. S. Government through Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has taken coordinated steps to enable the production of a new generation of clean vehicles, through reduced greenhouse gases emissions and improved fuel use from on-road vehicles and engines, from the smallest cars to the largest trucks. They have developed a National Program that will regulate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy of light-duty vehicles. By the government making regulations and holding people accountable, small initiatives have made a difference in the amount of greenhouse gases that have been emitted. However, the combined global efforts of governments on the issue of global warming, is something that is still in the making. In 1992 a treaty named Kyoto Protocol emerged from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at a Earth Summit. The Kyoto Protocol was the first accordance between nations to sanction country-by-country reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions.