Food and Culture: a Cross Cultural Look at Eating Habits Essay

No matter where we are from, eating is one of the most personal experiences of life. Everyone finds enjoyment and comfort in eating foods associated with their early days and heritage, but personal sensations and perceptions on eating are merely a fraction of the global picture. Learning about other cultures, their values, and what they seek will enhance relationships between individuals throughout communities and the nation. Eating habits provide a very conducive way for promoting mutual understanding between everyone. According to dictionary.com, food is any nourishing substance ingested in the body to provide energy and sustain life and growth. â€Å"Food habits refer to the way people use food, including from how it is selected, obtained, and distributed to who prepares it, serves it, and eats it† (Kittler, 2008, p. 2). Early food habits derived strictly from what was available in the immediate environment (McWilliams, 2003, p. 5). â€Å"The country where a person is born and resides shapes the food patterns of the individual and families† (McWilliams, 2003, p. 15). Food helps to establish specific cultures, and has diverse influences on the ways of life of people around the world. Spain, China, and the United States are three societies with vastly different backgrounds and eating customs that contribute to their unique culture and national identity. Food possesses meaning within different cultures beyond simply that of providing nutrients. People often question, why food? If food is thought about solely as the avenue of obtaining the necessary nutrients to live, people will miss the influence and pleasure food has on the rich multitude of cultural landscapes. Food is full of meaning and has become a major form of social exchange. Everyone has heard the acclaimed saying â€Å"you are what you eat,† and many traditional civilizations believe that what they ingest will impact their personal character. But, the saying alone does not move the social world into eating. However, corresponding with the law of Contagion, which states that â€Å"once in contact, always in contact,† when two objects touch, their properties are transferred into the touched object (Rozin, 1996, p. 83). We can view this as those who have prepared, gathered, and served food, are expected to have passed their own characteristics into that food (Rozin, 1996, p.84). Thus, now back to â€Å"you are what you eat,† these elements have become part of the consumer. Every nibble of food involves social integration. Food is a system of communication that constitutes knowledge and information. â€Å"Substances, techniques of preparation, habits are all part of a system of differences in signification† (Counihan, 2008, p. 30). All facts pertaining to food are organized similarly to that of other modes of communication. Food symbolizes and signifies the importance of economic, social, political, religious, and ethnic values among different societies (Montanari, 2006, p.133). Food habits convey the culture of whom it has touched. Food is the warehouse of â€Å"traditions and collective identity† (Montanari, 2006, p. 133). It allows people to partake in their national past. â€Å"Food and cultural identities are the product of history† (Montanari, 2006, p. 135). The historical background of preparation and cooking is rooted deep within traditional ritualization, and permits people to experience the memory of their ancestors in their contemporary life. Food gives people commonality, serving as a means for a way of life. Food, security, and love are our three basic needs. They are intertwined, so we cannot think of any one without the others. These three needs compose our life, and our life can be understood through these needs. Food is a central figure throughout society. It is the â€Å"foundation of every economy† (Counihan, 1997, p. 1). Food assists in interpreting social differences, gender differences, and family and community relationships. It links everything that is significant to people and strengthens social ties. Food is something so common to all, yet it denotes incredibly different ideals from table to table. Food habits are culturally consistent modes of behavior relating to food that have been established by individuals reared in a given cultural tradition (Counihan, 2008, p. 18). The specific behaviors towards food are interrelated with other culture-specific behaviors in the same community. â€Å"Humans do not nourish themselves from natural nutrients, nor from pure dietary principles, but from cultured food-stuffs, chosen and prepared according to laws of compatibility and rules of propriety unique to each cultural area† (Counihan, 2008, p. 76). Food is essential to ethnic, religious, and regional identity. Before delving into the implications of food in the diverse cultural contexts of Spain, China, and the United States, it is important to first understand the background elements of food and how it serves to establish specific cultures. There are four ways to understanding and categorize the food habits and the role of food in different cultures. They include â€Å"frequency of food consumption; ways a culture traditionally prepares and seasons food; daily, weekly, and yearly use of food; and changes in food functions that emerge during structural growth in a culture† (Kittler, 2008, p. 7). The core and complementary foods model groups food together based on their rate of consumption. According to this framework, core foods are those regularly consumed in a person’s diet, most likely on a daily basis, at the heart of food habits (Kittler, 2008, p. 7). Complementary foods are important in making the core balanced. They add the familiar flavors associated with the core foods (Kittler, 2008, p. 8). Secondary foods are widely but less frequently consumed, often eaten at least once a week or more, but not daily (Kittler, 2008, p. 7). Last, are the peripheral foods, which are consumed irregularly. Changes in food behaviors happen most in peripheral, where individual food choices are more characteristic than cultural group habit, and least in core (Kittler, 2008, p. 8). Foods demonstrate a great deal variability according to distinctive regional locations. What defines a meal differs throughout cultures, and unique, local variations are especially prevalent among different regional identities. â€Å"The structural analysis of meal patterns and meal cycles reveals clues about complex social relations and the significance of certain events in a society† (Kittler, 2008, p.9). Every culture establishes which foods are needed to comprise a meal, and what someone eats defines his or her identity within the certain cultural contexts. Specific foods are served for different meals depending on your particular societal customs. Other elements that can define a meal include who prepares it, the type of preparation used, who eats it, and the portion size. Beyond the meal itself is the sequence in which the individual meals take place. The meal cycle is a routine of how many meals are eaten a day and when they are eaten (Kittler, 2008, p. 10). Meal patterns generally follow what is culturally customary and acceptable, but food selection is primarily motivated by taste. Taste is a cultural element, and differing tastes occur among different peoples and regions throughout the globe. Food preference is based on specific locations where â€Å"definitions of taste belong to the cultural heritage† (Montanari, 2006, p. 61) of that society. Local ecological circumstances also influence what a culture will eat and individual food habits. It requires a collective adaptation to their explicit environmental surroundings. A person can only eat what is available and can be obtained, and the cultural group will determine whether certain foods are edible or inedible. Eating choices are largely impacted by the cultural values, beliefs, and practices ingrained by society. Spain is a country of much diversity. Its cuisines are historically rooted and geographically preserved. Spain is composed of distinctive territories of cultures, each with its own unique social customs and culinary traditions. Every region holds certain characteristics of Spain’s diverse terrain, and continues to have its own local variations of Spanish cuisine. Cooking is divided by the different regional preparation methods. Stewing is common in the North, roasting is common in the Central region, and deep-fried foods are very popular in the South (Kittler, 2008, p. 164). Although each region differs in culinary traditions and origins, this paper will look beyond the strong regional ties and explore Spain’s gastronomic heritage as a whole. The Spanish passion for quality cooking is shared throughout the nation. After the oppression of the Franco regime, Spaniards hold a lot of pride in their cultural identities. Food ranks high among their cultural values, shaping the lives of many Spaniards, who are deeply rooted in their regional heritages. Spain’s meal cycle is one way in which their food habits show cultural-specificity and vary drastically from those found in China and the United States. Their traditional meal pattern consists of four meals and some snacks spread throughout day (Kittler, 2008, p. 165). Spaniards eat a light breakfast (desayuno) at around 8:00 a. m. consisting of coffee or chocolate accompanied by bread, churros, or another pastry. Sometimes, a midmorning breakfast of either sausage, fried squid, bread with tomato, or an omelet is eaten at 11:00 a. m. A light snack, tapas, is consumed close to 1:00 p. m. to prelude their three-course lunch starting at 2:00 p. m. (Kittler, 2008, p. 165) Keeping consistent with the rest of its European counterparts, Spain’s largest fare is lunch (almuerzo). Lunch is the main meal, and is typically eaten at home. The first course is the lighter portion, consisting of a soup or salad, while the second course is your classic fish or meat dish. Dessert follows, and can be some simple fruit or cheese, a traditional Spanish flan, or a different sweet pastry or cake. (Spanish eating customs) Many businesses close during the hours between 2:00-5:00 p. m. in order to accommodate lunch and maybe a nap, known as siesta. After being well rested, a Spaniard can enjoy tea and pastries (merienda) eaten between 5:00 and 6:00 p. m. (Kittler, 2008, p. 165). More tapas are eaten at 8:00 or 9:00 p. m. to fill time before dinner. Dinner (cena) is finally served between 9:00 and 11:00 p. m. It includes three light courses like soup, salad, sandwiches or omelets and fruit (Kittler, 2008, p.165). Spain has a large variety of eating customs that one would generally only find in a Spanish kitchen. The most well known eating habit is that of tapas. Tapas are small plates of food to share with a group of friends before a meal. In Spain, eating tapas is an entirely separate dining experience that does not replace an actual meal (Barrenechea, 2005, p. 53). Tapas are not to be eaten at home. Its literal meaning implies going out: â€Å"de tapeo means barhopping, or the art of eating while standing† (Barrenechea, 2005, p. 53). There are many varieties offered, and they are generally finger foods. Another culture-specific custom is that of sobremesa. The word sobremesa translates to â€Å"over the table,† referring to the long-lasting conversations after meals. Instead of finishing the last bite and leaving, Spaniards often stay seated at the table conversing, savoring the company of friends, and sometimes even sharing another drink. (Spanish eating customs) The infamous siesta, already mentioned above, is deeply rooted in Spanish heritage, dating back to agrarian society when farmers needed to rest and digest after the large lunch. Now, it is a time for people to return to their home and families to eat. Family nourishment is a value taken very seriously among Spanirds. Some specialty food items found in Spain include, aceite de oliva (olive oil), jamones de Espana (Spanish cured hams), Chorizo (national sausage of Spain), bacalao (salt Cod), tortilla Espanola (potato and onion omelet), croquetas, gazpacho, paella, flan, and sangria (Barrenechea, 2005, p. 39). All of the aforementioned eating traditions carry a lot of historical significance, and come to symbolize Spain’s cultural identity. The ways in which Spain treats and prepares some of its food also differs from the food habits of China or the United States. Wine and coffee are beverages that seem to be universal to the world as they can literally be found anywhere. However, looking at the two from the cultural context of Spain, one will find that wine and coffee actually have distinct meanings based on regional variations. Whether out at a restaurant or home with family, wine is typical to drink at just about any meal in Spain (Spanish eating customs). It is so common in Spain, that it is often cheaper than water. Coffee is a Spanish phenomenon, and many Spaniards drink several cups throughout the course of one day. Coffee also traditionally follows meals, served after the dessert (Spanish eating customs). It is customary to sit down when sipping on coffee, as to-go (para llevar) cups are very uncommon. The Spanish take pride in enjoying all kinds of food, even a simple cup of coffee. China has a strong national identity deeply rooted in its history. A civilizational standard emerged long ago, and its foods are primarily regional and ethnic, not having to do with social class. China has four distinctive styles of cooking largely influenced by geography and availability. The South is home of Cantonese food, with many elegant dishes. The East relies heavily on seafood and paper-wrapped foods. The North is famous for Peking duck, sweet and sour sauces, wheat noodles, and Mongolian influence. The final region is the West with the Szechwan style cooking of hot spices and use of oils. China’s vast size has influenced the need for collective adaptation within the different regional environments. While these local ecological circumstances influence the certain available foods of each territory, China’s strong beliefs in their tradition and ancestors have demonstrated a large commonality among the Chinese identity. China’s cultural heritage has largely impacted the collective expression of standardized values and food habits. As a non-western nation, China will vary dramatically from the westernized countries of Spain and the United States in its ethnic beliefs and identity. The eating habits of the Chinese play an important role in the patterns of their meals and are very culture-specific. The Chinese eat three meals a day along with additional snacks. Breakfast is typically composed of hot rice or millet porridge, and congee. Lunch is a smaller version of dinner serving soup, a rice or wheat dish, vegetables, and fish or meat. Sliced fruit can be offered when finished eating. (Kittler, 2008, p. 327) The two most important components of a typical Chinese meal are the soup and a large fish cooked and presented whole to end the meal (McWilliams, 2003). The Chinese have two customary rules dating back to ancestral traditions that are needed for every meal. There must be a balance between yin and yang foods to ensure physical and emotional harmony and to protect the body from illness, and there also has to be proper amounts of fan and cai (Kittler, 2008, p. 327). Fan is the foods made from grains and served in a separate bowl to each diner. Cai is the cooked meats and vegetables to add flavor that are shared from bowls in center of table. Fan is the primary item in a meal, and a meal is not complete without it; but it does not need cai. (Kittler, 2008, p. 327) The rules for consumption in China are very different from what is customary in Spain and the United States. Etiquette is a large form of group association in China. There are many specific customs to be aware of when eating a Chinese meal. Proper behavior was determined over 4,000 years ago and many practices continue to be used today (Kittler, 2008, p. 328). The traditional eating utensils include chopsticks and a porcelain, flat-bottomed spoon for soup. Teacups and rice bowls are also made of porcelain. Very few foods are eaten with hands. All of the serving bowls are traditionally served at the same time on a lazy Susan in the center of the table. Each place setting has a bowl of rice or noodles, and each person takes some of the closest item from the communal plate, which is rotated until all items have reached all the people at the table. All diners should take the same amount of cai. Younger diners cannot eat until the elders have begun, and it is seen as rude to reject food. Serve beverages to others before self. Both hands should be used to offer and take a cup of tea. Wine and other alcoholic drinks should not be consumed alone. It is bad manners to eat rice or noodles with the bowl on the table, so it should be raised to the mouth. It is also bad luck to lay chopsticks on the top of the rice bowl or drop them. Do not stick chopsticks straight up in the rice bowl for it symbolizes an offering to the dead. More specific rules beyond that of proper etiquette include not making any noise while eating (except slurping soup), not grabbing food, not eating too fast, not putting food back on the communal plate after tasting it, and not picking one’s teeth. It is considered very polite to compliment the host during the meal on deliciousness of food and on their good taste and wisdom. (Kittler, 2008, p. 328) The Chinese diet is another expression of group association. What is eaten in China’s specific cultural contexts differs from foods Spaniards and Americans would find in their typical diets. The Chinese eat a large mix of food and avoid very little. Rice is the backbone of all Chinese meals. Wheat made as wontons are also widely used. Dairy products are not found in the Chinese diet, but extensive use of soy products serves as a substitute for calcium and protein. Pork is the most common meat, but religion and cost limit how much meat is consumed. Many Chinese are actually vegetarians, making extensive use of the available vegetables. (McWilliams, 2003) Distinctively Chinese vegetables are snow peas, bamboo shoots, chrysanthemum greens, water chestnuts, bitter melon, and lotus root. Noodles are very popular, and often take the form in soup or pan-fried and topped with vegetables. Eggs are also frequently eaten. (Kittler, 2008, p. 325) Foods that would seem unfamiliar and strange to western societies are actually ranked with high value in the Chinese culture. Foods such as snakes, frogs, turtles, sea cucumbers (sea slugs), seahorses, as well as insects like scorpions are all consumed regularly. Hot soup or tea is the beverage of choice. (Kittler, 2008, p. 325) Although environmental constraints influence the Chinese culture, the people do not let it affect their lifestyle. They use cooking methods, such as stir-frying, steaming, deep-fat frying, simmering, and roasting, that all make best use of the limited available fuel. The Chinese also work to find fresh ingredients, which is why many markets sell live animals. (Kittler, 2008, p. 325) Despite the ecological situations, the Chinese people will not sacrifice the importance of their food habits within their cultural identity. The United States is composed of many diverse cultures, and is very unique among countries in the world. It has one of the largest immigrant populations in the world, which has widely influenced diets and available food. Founded by immigrants, the U. S. is home to many different ethnic, religious, and regional groups, each with its own culture-specific eating behaviors. The U. S. has often been considered a â€Å"melting pot,† blending all the different ethnic, religious and regional backgrounds together. While it might be difficult to find a universal, national identity in the U. S. , the broadening of cultural awareness has led to a greater understanding of new food patterns. Changes in the choices of food and habits have occurred throughout the years. â€Å"It is the intricate interplay between food habits of the past and the present, the old and the new, and the traditional and the innovative that is the hallmark of the American diet† (Kittler, 2008, p. 1). American cuisine is far from homogeneous. The diversity of cultures within the United States incorporates the cuisines of numerous communities throughout the world. Eating habits found in the Spanish and Chinese cultures have had some influence among the regional variations in America. Local food preferences are key to the American regional identity (Kittler, 2008, p. 473). Regional food habits are prepared based on the territory’s available local ingredients, which depend on the agricultural environment and seasonal accessibility. The strong relations between place and food suggest the significance on the quality of local food items (Kittler, 2008, p. 474). There are three defining factors of regional fare. The first is that local foods have a strong impact on the development of a specific regional cuisine. The second aspect is ethnic and religious practices, especially when it comes to specialty foods. The third factor is local history, which is related to particular dishes (Kittler, 2008, p.474). The variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds will only keep enriching the regional foods of America and expand our cultural awareness. Culinary trends can be observed in the four regions of the United States: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. Geography and the immediate environment, Native Americans, and immigrants have all influenced the culinary identities of each region. Within the Northeast are New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Each region shared similar Native American societies, followed by European settlements, and now more immigrants from all over world (Kittler, 2008, p. 476). The traditional foods come from the Atlantic Ocean, the native and new produce, and the many freshwater rivers and lakes. In New England, seafood is prominent, especially cod. Indigenous game already existed and beef was brought over by early immigrants. Corn was the foundation of the diet, and beans also had high importance. Root vegetables were common, and wild berries, grapes, and plums were the common fruits, until immigrants planted apple orchards. Maple syrup was the preferred sweetener. (Kittler, 2008, p. 477) The warmer climate and fertile lands in the Mid-Atlantic made for a greater abundance of native foods. Coastal waters provided crustaceans, while estuaries provided birds, and the freshwater had a variety of fish. New foods thrived throughout the region. (Kittler, 2008, p. 477) The Midwest marks the Great Plains region in the center of America. The regional food is typical homestead and farm food (Kittler, 2008, p. 486). The food is known as typical American cuisine. It involved simple preparation of prime meat or poultry, accompanied with vegetables, potatoes, and fresh bread. A meal consists of a filling breakfast for a good start to the day, robust soups and stews to re-energize the body, and a tasty homemade dessert at the end. (Kittler, 2008, p. 486) Food traditions in the Midwest have been maintained from generation to generation. Southern food reflects the times of plantation farms. Corn dishes, pork, sweet potatoes, and greens were the foundation of this regional cuisine (Kittler, 2008, p. 495). The southern lifestyle created a culture of politeness and friendliness. It was also a region of many fruits, nuts, game, fish, and seafood. The South has access to the coast, the gulf, rivers, and woodlands. The people learned culinary cuisines from the Indians, the Settlers, and the African slaves. (Kittler, 2008, p. 495) The final region of the West is the largest region in the U. S. with a large diversity of terrain from the icy tundra of Alaska to volcanic islands of Hawaii (Kittler, 2008, p. 508). The West is home to the tallest mountains, vast fertile valleys and coastal plains, a scenic desert, and a temperate rainforest. The people were able to inherit the diverse food habits from the natives on the variety of lands. Immigrants came from all directions to occupy the West. Its vast size was largely unknown so most inhabitants survived on dried meat, pork, beans, and corn. Growth increased the available food supply, and expensive goods were offered. (Kittler, 2008, p. 509) Depending on the specific region of the West, different foods prospered. Immigrants from a plethora of countries all came to the United States and added their culture-specific complementary foods, which enhanced the existing core foods in America. Although the national identity of the United States is comprised of diverse regional identities from all around the globe, distinctive meal patterns have been established. Meals start much earlier than in Spain, and the rules are not as strict as in China. Meals primarily consist of a large breakfast, small lunch, and large dinner, with the occasional distinctive brunch. The traditional American breakfast offers a range of foods such as pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, toast, and cereal. Lunch is served between 12:00 p. m. and 2:00 p. m. , and consists of nothing big, solely a sandwich or salad. Brunch represents a distinct American cultural eating habit. It is a combination of breakfast and lunch, mostly eaten on weekends and ranges from 11:00 a. m. to 2:30 p. m. Dinner is served between 6:00 p. m. and 8 p. m. It typically begins with appetizers, then a larger hot meal, and finally a sweet dessert. In the U. S. , appetizers are served before the soup or salad, which is then followed by the main course, and lastly by dessert. Americans also tend to value food more for its nutritional content and health effects than for any symbolic use (Kittler, 2008, p. 7). Every different cultural group creates standards reflective of their priorities. The dining etiquette of the U. S. is highly associated with social values. Social influences have a strong impact on eating cultures. Immediately upon sitting down at the table one should put their napkin on their lap. Another rule is the positioning of knife and fork when finished eating. Crossing the knife and fork means that you are still working on your food, but placing them parallel on plate signifies that you have finished eating. It is also acceptable to refuse specific foods or drinks without an explanation. Opposite of the traditional meals in China, in the U. S. , it is very popular to socialize in homes, backyards, restaurants, or other public places. It is not unusual to have a backyard barbeque or picnic in the park. (USA: Language, culture, customs and etiquette). As, an individualistic nation, the sociocultural contexts that influence food intake and choice most in the United States are related more to personal factors. As the world and its food become further explored, new desires about the world of food will emerge. However, according to the development perspective of food culture, structural changes in society can lead to changes in the functions of food and its habits within that culture (Kittler, 2008, p. 7). Is the rising trend towards consumerism and the desire to earn a lot of money ruining the traditional meanings of food? Globalization is the structural change from local and regional organizations to a universal worldwide organization. Globalization is coupled with the food culture change of consumerization, the transition of a society from indigenous producers to consumers of mass-produced foods. (Kittler, 2008, p. 11) Seasonal foods are now available any time of year and specialty products can now be bought presliced, precooked, and prepackaged for immediate consumption. Modernization encompasses the socioeconomic shift from new technologies replacing muscle power and its parallel food change is commoditization from homemade to manufactured foods. Fresh foods are now processed and marketed commodities. (Kittler, 2008, p. 11) Urbanization from rural to urban residence leads to delocalization of producers to consumers only, where the connections between harvesting, cooking, and eating are lost for meals purchased in convenience markets or fast-food joints. (Kittler, 2008, p.11). Lastly, migration from original home to new settings is shared by acculturation to new culture and new foods and diminishing traditional food habits (Kittler, 2008, p. 12). Further research should be conducted on the impact the changes resulting from development have on traditional food cultures and identity as well as quality of food. The Slow Food movement is one effort to reverse the structural and food culture changes (Kittler, 2008, p. 12). To take this research even further is to examine the role of advertising, which is related to globalization and the structural changes in society. Advertising is correlated with food preference (Kittler, 2008, p. 16). Advertising unconsciously transforms our views of food into an entirely new meaning (Counihan, 2008, p. 32). Foods are no longer viewed as a product or substance, but as an experience and situation. Consumer/brand loyalty is now the emotional appeal to foods. Food is seen as entertainment, and the enjoyment of eating is through reading or seeing on TV, instead of physically tasting (Kittler, 2008, p. 16). Food is slowly but surely losing in its substance and rising in function (Counihan, 2008, p.34). Beyond the meanings of food, the effects of eating and food choice can also be examined in relation to how the physiological characteristics of age, gender, and body image are now portrayed in different cultures. The cultural contexts of foods are transitioning along with its influences on food habits. Food establishes cultures in many different ways, and the diverse food habits can tell a lot about a specific cultural identity. There are many different ways in which sociocultural contexts influence eating and food choice. Spain, China, and the United States are three countries each with unique culture-specific values and beliefs, and they are each drastically different from one another. Western society versus eastern society coupled with individualistic or collectivistic nations can strongly impact the eating habits of a culture. Spain is a western-collectivist nation with much technological advancement coupled with the commonality of strong national pride. Spain is deeply rooted in its traditional food habits, and geography has been a large contributor to the regional variations of Spanish cuisines. However, the collective enjoyment of all food elements is a defining feature among Spanish culture. China is an eastern-collectivist nation, which means it is not as developed technologically, but share many commonalities that are more spiritually based within their national identity. Etiquette and diets are a major form of group association within China, and the consumption rules have been historically planted since the times of their ancestors. Eating a certain way establishes association or membership within a group. Environmental limitations affects which foods will be available in each region, but food customs have established a standard collectivism among the Chinese people. The United States is a western-individualistic nation. The cultural identity of the United States has been founded by immigrants, and therefore contains diverse ethnical, religious, and religious beliefs. Social values have had a strong influence on American food culture based on the desire interact with the diverse population. Social class plays an important role of what food is available in the U. S. The individualistic mindset to satisfy the individual self has established consumerism to be prevalent among the American culture. Food offers diverse perspectives about other cultures. Examining food habits is a means for understanding the varying beliefs and behaviors found in other cultures. Humans are omnivores, which provides them with the opportunity to have a choice of what they want to eat, so how they incorporate food into their lives serves high importance. Each cultural group has a different and unique attitude towards life, built upon a universal understanding and ranking of values (Kittler, 2008, p. 37). These values form a collective standard of preferences and priorities contained by certain beliefs. Eating a particular way establishes association or membership within a group. Food habits among each cultural group are linked to their specific beliefs or ethnic behaviors. The development of food habits shows that food means more than just providing nutritional value (Kittler, 2008, p. 3).

Management and Staff Directory Essay

Recommendation Since, the problem at Sundale Club has begun when Ellis hired her close friend Chuck Johnson. Ellis action was bias when Havens reported about Johnson misbehavior, then after Haven was fired. Afterward the whole organization was in turmoil. Therefore the director of Sundale Clube should do something unless the organization will fall. There is several ways which would recover Sundale Club. 1). Restructure of staff directory. Look closely to Sundale Club staff directory, it is look very centralization which help Ellis, who has authority in important decision making on her department. Moreover Watts has lost his fire to run the Sundale Club. Nevertheless as the director Watts should done something to prevent the organization before he retire. Watts should changes the staff directory to, Board of director President VP Athletic VP Marketing VP Finance Manager Marketing Manager Finance Asst. Athletic Since Sundale Club is the largest athletic/social in the city. Centralization structure is not suitable for such large organization. Therefore Watts should change to decentralization; from this structure he can balance the power or authority among the top managers. Even though decentralization structure takes longer time on decision making, but it ensures that the organization will not go to the wrong path or fall into big problem as it was. 2). Hire new mangers or management’s team. As Sundale Club has changed its structure, next step, Sundale Club should recruit new management’s team. Watts might promote Carol and Ellis to the board director and he himself could take the president position as well. As social activities is the main income for the organization. Therefore social department Sundale can place it under marketing department. Sundale have to hire financial and marketing management teams. At athletic department, Sundale may put Pat in the VP athletic, since she has worked here for nine years, and Mercer may take the Haven position. Sundale should fire Johnson; because since he gets in the organization he makes his colleagues feel uncomfortable and most important is a lot of customers withdraw from being Sundale membership. 3). Rebuild the organization culture and gaining customers trust back. Sound difficult if Sundale have to rebuild its culture, but since Sundale has hire new management team, it’s become easier because new employees or managers do not know the Sundale culture yet. There for it is a good time to rebuild its culture. Moreover Sundale has to gain back its customers trust. Since there was a rumor about Johnson’s homosexual behavior in the organization and it will flow to the city too.

Social Influence and the Branch Davidians

Social Influence And The Branch Davidians Abstract I examined compliance gaining strategies used by David Koresh to influence his followers. His claim to be Jesus Christ himself, and his promise to grant his followers eternal life, was highly effective in obtaining his followers compliance. I examined the Branch Davidian’s response to David Koresh’s influence. I observed their willingness to surrender their basic human needs, personal safety, and that of their children. Compliance-gaining strategies used by the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents during the 1993 siege at the Branch Davidian compound were also examined. Social Influence and The Branch Davidians David Koresh used various compliance gaining strategies to gain the allegiance of his followers who according to Time. com (1993) were also known as the Branch Davidians. His followers responded with compliance, ultimately arming themselves in a standoff at their compound in Waco Texas, against the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. The ATF then used compliance gaining strategies in a failed attempt to end the standoff peacefully. David Koresh used methods such as moral appeal, promises, and threats as compliance gaining strategies. It could be considered immoral for a religious person to choose to oppose God, therefore a moral appeal was a highly effective compliance gaining strategy for Koresh to use. Time. com (1993) wrote that Koresh taught his followers saying, â€Å"if the Bible is true, then I’m Christ. † He was appealing to their desire to be moral people who obey the requests of their Lord and Savior. Relentlessly delivering scriptures to his followers was another form of moral appeal. Koresh implored their compliance by appealing to their moral commitment to obey the scriptures of the Bible. Koresh realized that his followers would accept the logic that moral people do not disobey the Bible. Time. com (1993) wrote that David Koresh quoted the Bible (Revelation 2, English Standard Version) saying â€Å"Do not fear what you are about to suffer†¦Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. † Koresh was using a strategy known as â€Å"promise† (Alberts, 2009, p. 11), to gain compliance. Koresh was promising his followers that, just as the Bible foretold, their actions would indeed be rewarded. Koresh used the threat of war as a compliance gaining strategy. He convinced his followers that they would eventually have to prove their allegiance to him by waging war against the enemy. If they were going to be prepared for the impending war, it would be necessary for them to watch movies that prepared them mentally for war. They would also have to participate in military style training, in order to ensure their victory over their enemies. Koresh convinced his followers that the presence of the ATF at their compound was indeed the sign that the war that they were expecting was upon them. David Koresh’s followers responded to compliance gaining strategies with compliance, obedience, and conformity. Females of the group showed compliance by marrying David Koresh and by allowing their daughters to marry him as well. Their tendency to comply may have been because they perceived Koresh as having the authority to demand these unions. Another possibility is that their commitment to the group necessitated consistency in their actions in support of the group. This would require that they comply with all demands made upon group members. Group members conformed to the explicit rules of the group. According to Time. com (1993), Koresh proclaimed, â€Å"all the women in the world belonged to him and only he had the right to procreate. † Therefore, the explicit rules of the group dictated that David Koresh had a right to sleep with any woman in the group. Group members conformed to implicit rules of the group as well. Its members did not question David Koresh’s authority. Koresh instructed his followers to ready themselves for war by training for it. So group members displayed obedience to his demands by participating in what Time. com (1993) reported as â€Å"military style drills† in preparation for war. David Koresh’s followers displayed obedience when they armed themselves against police at their compound in Waco, Texas. The bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms used â€Å"liking† (Alberts, 2009, p. 11) as a compliance gaining strategy during the standoff with David Koresh and his followers. This strategy proved to be effective at times and ineffective at other times. Time. com (1993) reported that ATF agents used a â€Å"respectful† approach. This approach to gain compliance was initially successful and it resulted in the release of twenty-one children and sixteen adults. However, because the ATF used this strategy excessively, it lost its effectiveness and ultimately it garnered a response in opposition to the previous response. According to Time. com (1993), Koresh ultimately responded with disdain and mockery to repeated attempts by the ATF to use respect as a strategy to gain his compliance. The ATF’s failure to achieve compliance with requests that the group members exit the compound resulted in the deaths of the very people that they were attempting to protect. The compound, set ablaze, claimed the lives of numerous Branch Davidians. Compliance gaining strategies can be highly effective. Unfortunately, in addition to positive results, these strategies can produce negative results as well. Compliance gaining strategies, when effective can lead to a person’s freedom from hostile captors. However, failed attempts at these strategies can also result in the death of many people. Compliance, obedience, and conformity can lead to a willingness to make choices that society at large would deem reprehensible. These types of social influence can cause a mother to neglect her maternal instincts and willingly put her children in dangerous life-threatening situations. Compliance can be a formidable weapon against a perceived threat. References Alberts, J. PhD, Ayers, J. PhD, Busha, R. PhD, & Holtz, M. M. A. (2009). Interpersonal Effectiveness. Rancho Cucamonga: Channel Custom Gibbs, N. (May, 1993) Oh My God, They’re Killing Themselves! Time. com, 2, 5. Retrieved from http://www. time. com/time/daily/newsfiles/waco/050393. html Lacayo, R. (March, 1993). Cult of Death: Holed up in a Texas fortress, David Koresh and his followers fervently believe he is Christ – till death do them part. Time. com, 1, 3, 4. Retrieved from http://www. time. com/time/daily/newsfiles/waco/031593. html

Real World Application of OD Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Real World Application of OD Principles - Essay Example A young entrepreneur, like me, would see this as the best opportunity to grow operations in the town and strive to become the major employer following automotive support industry’s departure. This task would not be an easy one, as it involves turning around the company, giving it a three-sixty degree change to position it for business growth and success. Development and change does not only need to take place in one department but at an organizational level. For any  organizational  development to occur there must be a set of sound and clearly specified principles or guidelines. These principles perform the task of a compass  to  navigate  the course of an organizational developmental project, making use of the right  framework and bringing in to practice the perfect tools and technology.  In absence of these clearly defined strategic and operating principles, decisions and choices related to the organizational development framework, tool and technology will miss the desired target.  One will not be able to ensure the achievment of complete organisation development for sustainable efficient performance. There will be no guarantee of achieving  total organization  development for sustainable high performance. Instead, one will be relying on luck. (OD Synergy, 2008) However, in order to incorporate organizational development principles in our practice, it is imperative to understand what organization development is. Organization Development (OD) is an effort (1) planned, (2) organization-wide, and (3) managed from the top, to (4) increase organization effectiveness and health through (5) planned interventions in the organizations â€Å"processes,† using behavioral-science knowledge. (Richard Beckhard, 1969) OD holds the key of an organization’s long-term success. It is easy to make money in the short run; however, making an organization that sustains even in hard times is not an easy task. OD takes into consideration the i dea that if employees are given respect and importance, they will be more productive and organization as a whole would benefit. (Honorable Leadership, 2010) In order to capitalize on the given opportunity I, as CEO of Fortune Mart (chain of stores), need to efficiently apply Organization Development principles and guidelines and strategize accordingly. First and foremost it is vital to ensure that employees are given respect and everyone’s opinion is given importance. My next step towards this would be ‘Empowerment’ of my current human resource. This would primarily be done to provide job security to employees in order to counter the threats they would face from the prevailing rise in unemployment that might bring down their efficiency and productivity. Therefore in order to motivate them, OD intervention must empower the people so that they operate flawlessly for high performance. In the long run, this would result in a stable and loyal workforce. Third step wou ld be to create a ‘Vision and Mission’ to drive the organization further. The basic purpose behind written vision, mission and short term objectives is to make sure that the employees’ aims and objectives are aligned with those of the organizations. Apart from that, vision and mission give the outsiders a picture of what the company is and what it aspires to be in the future. The next step in

Gotta Go Right Now Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gotta Go Right Now - Essay Example According to Patrick (2004), the average capacity of the human bladder is 600mls. However, the urge to urinate becomes apparent when the bladder holds water urine above 250mls. Intake of a lot of water increases the amount of the urine contained in the bladder and as a result, the urge to urinate increases. This leads to the frequent urination. This problem can be curbed by use of replacement approach. According to this approach, an extremely active person or someone living in a hot climate region will naturally need a lot of water. This is because he loses a lot of water through sweat. This approach involves drinking a lot of water that equals to the lost one. Therefore, to increase the water intake without having to increase urinating frequency calls for being active to ensure water is lost through the bowel movements, breathing and sweating. This, when combined with the water needed for metabolism, then, one can reduce the water lost through urinating. On the other hand, frequent urinating can also be managed by spacing out the water drinking

Discuss some of the effects of mass transit and tourism on perceptions Essay

Discuss some of the effects of mass transit and tourism on perceptions of time, space and place in the late 20th century - Essay Example Mass tourism depended upon easier and faster modes of travel as well as the emerging concept of ‘leisure’ time, the creation of disposable income through the urban factories and the media possibilities of advertising and widespread distribution of literature. During the Victorian era, a period filled with the concept of colonization, society was encountering many new cultures and ways of life as a result of increasingly available forms of reliable transportation. Rather than appreciating them for what they offered – differing perspectives, alternate means of solving common societal issues or a way of life that eliminated some of the more common social ills experienced in the newly industrialized societies – colonizing nations sought to overcome these ‘others’ and force them into a worldview in keeping with their own. When this wasn’t possible, as in dealing with faraway nations in the Orient, inventions were made of the bits and pieces of information that came back that defined entire sections of the world according to what was imagined about them rather than on true accounts of them. In doing so, comparisons were made between the ‘other’ and the self, meaning the dominant culture of the col onizing nation which is, in this case, predominantly England, that placed the self at an aggrandized level and the ‘other’ at a level quite inferior. In other words, in encountering the ‘other’, the colonizing nation reacted in a way that demonized them, reduced them to second-class humans and thereby contained them within a less-threatening context while boosting the self to new levels of superiority. It is perhaps most educative to look first to the work of philosopher Edward Said for an explanation of the ‘other’ as he places it within the context of Orientalism, a term he used to define the way in which the English-speaking world sought to contain images of

Criminal Law and Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Law and Criminology - Essay Example As may be inferred from the above stated, the subjectivism/objectivism debate effectively mirrors the existent tension between the principles of deed and equal culpability. The objectivist camp believes that criminal liability should be limited to what the person actually did, while the subjectivist camp upholds the expansion of criminal liability towards the embrace of the person's state of mind. Accordingly, the objectivist camp upholds the principle of deeds and the subjectivist camp that of equal culpability.3 The complex nature of prevailing criminal law lies it that it is neither one nor the other but seeks the embrace of both positions. This lends to several questions, all of which combine to underscore the controversies inherent in the law of criminal liability. The first of these questions pertains to the concept of mens rea. ... As per the objectivist and the subjectivist divide, there are two answers to this. The first define intention as implying that "the agent would necessarily commit an offence in carrying it out."6 The second response states that "intention should only be required for the conduct and the result elements, but not for the circumstance elements, of criminal attempts."7 (Husak, 1997). Divergent responses, reflective of the objectivism/subjectivism divide, only compound the complexities inherent in the determination of criminal liability within the context of the law of attempts. Divergent interpretations of the concept of attempt, as illustrated in the preceding paragraph, are problematic when considering the import of attempt within the context of English criminal law. As Lord Goddard maintained in Whybrow [1951]8 "intent [is] the principle ingredient of the crime." Indeed, the Criminal Attempts Act of 1981 has embodied this principle.9 As stated in the Criminal Attempts Act of 1981, "If, with intent to commit an offence to which this section applies, a person does an act which is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the offence, he is guilty of attempting to commit the offence.'10 The implication here is clear. If a person intends to rob a house but fails, he/she will be held liable for intended robbery and if he/she planned to enter a house and kill its occupants, but fails, he/she will be held guilty of attempted murder. If, on the other hand, a person enters a nursing home with the intention to rob, while knowing full well that if seen by a ny of the residents, the resultant alarm and shock could incite a heart attack culminating in death, he/she will only be held guilty of attempted robbery despite his/her knowledge of

International Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International Human Resource Management - Essay Example Even the superiors are capable of misuse of power and the subordinates accept this trend silently. They focus on the individual’s capacity to leadership and initiative. Here, every individual are highly motivated about their work and hold on to their ambitions to be reached. Whereas, research showing that PD index lower amongst the elite class in Britain than amid of the working classes.  The PDI score at first seems dissimilar with the well established and historical aristocrat class system and its depicts one of the intrinsic tensions in the British culture – between the importance in birth rank on the one side and a profoundly rooted belief that where one have been borned can not be the barrier for the way far he can go. Logic of fair play they maintain that drives an idea that one should be treated in a number of way as equals. The fundamental issue addressed by Individualism this measurement is  the scale of inter-relationships in a society followed by its memb ers.  It has to do with whether people ´s self-image is defined in terms of â€Å"I† or â€Å"We†.  In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist society’s people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty. China is extremely collectivist cultured, where individuals act for the sake of the group and not only for themselves. In their culture family gets the highest preference among all, dedication towards the organization is noticeably poor. Relationship with their well-wishers and the closer ones is collaborative, where as showing of dislikeness or acting neutrally for the outer people is also visible in their behavior. They give higher importance upon personal relationships and in caring of the closer ones. UK is highest among almost all the countries, preceded by only few of commonwealth countries it spawned that is, USA and Australia.

THe importance of art education within our society and educational Essay

THe importance of art education within our society and educational systems - Essay Example In these regards, one might consider the purpose behind including mathematics in education. In great part, individuals will never directly use the mathematical skills they gain in real life situations, however the challenge and process of solving the equations can be transferred to challenges later in life; in the same regards, an art education can be implemented in future careers and life scenarios. In addition to the importance art education has for developing skills, I also believe it is important as it imbues students with a sense of cultural appreciation. When one considers that in great part the function of museums that exhibit art is to highlight the cultural significance of the specific time period or cultural milieu in which the work was created, it is clear that learning about and understanding art is important for the very fabric of society. In this respect, art appreciation allows individuals an added perspective into the historical nature of past and current cultures. Th is appreciation makes individuals more intelligent and open-minded, benefitting both themselves and the world in which they live.

Kampung Desa Essay Example for Free

Kampung Desa Essay Life was a bed of roses for the villagers of Kampung Desa until a gang of robbers had fled from a police station near the village recently. They were on the most wanted list by the police since they had harmed victims before. Ever since their getaway, there had been abundant of reports involving robbery occurring in Kampung Desa. Most victims were unable to identify the culprits because they were wearing masks. The villagers of Kampung Desa had been warned by the police to stay on guard at all times. The villagers were beginning to worry. Some of them immediately installed home security alarms and grille to protect their homes. Due to this alert, the chief of the village, Pak Ali, had to take quick actions. He had no idea what to do. But he cannot give up because there is more than one-way to skin a cat. He discussed with all the villagers and made a conclusion to carry out patrols, which will take effect the following night. In order for this plan to work out, they need to unite and fight those robbers together. The chief also advised all villagers to inform the authorities of suspicious activities happening in their village. see more:forgiveness is divine On that night, a whistle was blown to call the men in the village to assemble in front of Pak Ali’s house. He divided them into groups. Each group will be on guard according to their shifts. They were very enthusiastic and promised not to sleep on the job. The chief noticed the absence of Pak Said, the village’s foreman. He was puzzled. Pak Said never missed any of the village’s activities even if he was ill. Pak Said is known to be very industrious. Pak Ali went over to Pak Said’s house. It was as dark as a dungeon. Pak Ali man up and knocked on the door. Pak Said opened the door with a sour face. Pak Ali greeted him with a warm smile and asked why he did not join the night patrol. Pak Said furiously mocked the patrol by saying it was a waste of time and a wildcat scheme. Pak Ali was willing to compromise with him if he wanted an earlier shift. Of course, that made Pak Said even more enraged. Pak Ali explained that it would be unfair if he lets Pak Said slip away without any sensible reason because all the other men had participated. Pak Said proudly exclaimed that he has three strong sons to watch over his family through thick and thin. Then, he slammed the door before Pak Ali could say anything. Eventually, Pak Ali had to give up. But deep inside his heart, he scorned Pak Said. Who would have thought that his best friend would be so arrogant and self-centered? How could such a man feel no remorse? Nobody knew the robbers were lurking in the dead of the night behind Pak Said’s house. Just as Pak Ali left his house, the robbers were already eyeing on the unlocked door. Pak Said had forgotten to lock his front door after talking to Pak Ali. Pak Said, his wife and his three sons were already sailing in the sea of dreams. This gave an opportunity for the robbers to easily enter his house without anybody’s acknowledgement. Unfortunately, the robbers did not find any valuable goods in the living room, kitchen, dining room nor the storeroom. They were dissatisfied and decided to use force. The careless Pak Said did not lock his bedroom door either. This was indeed like a warm welcome to the robbers. They managed to tie up his wife. He quickly became aware of the robbers. Thanks to his spinal reflex, he bolted out of the room when he had the chance and deliberately ran into his sons’ room. His sons attempted to ambush the robbers. However, the robbers outnumbered them and hit them with a vase until they were knocked out. Pak Said was filled with terror after witnessing the apples of his eyes battered. He was on thin ice at that moment. He had no other choice than to call for help from the patrols. He was wiling to sacrifice his pride for the safe keep of his family’s lives. He screamed for help. To his disbelief, someone heard him and spontaneously blew a whistle. A crowd of people ran toward Pak Said’s house. The robber were frightened of getting caught, so they deserted their loot and hastily ran away but the crowd was able to seize them in the nick of time and tied them to a pole. A stitch in time saves nine. Those brutal robbers could have taken the lives of Pak Said’s family. The police department was straight away notified. Pak Said dashed out of his house and begged someone to call for an ambulance because his sons were severely injured. Pak Ali, whom he ridiculed, called an ambulance even after Pak Said bad-mouthed him earlier. Pak Said was in awe. He was ashamed of what he had said to Pak Ali. He apologised to Pak Ali and all the other villagers for what he had said about them. He should have think before he speaks. He now perceived the real meaning of unity and is forever in great debt for what the villagers had done for him. They all forgave him because to err is human and to forgive is divine.

Carbon Nanofoam Structure and Functions

Carbon Nanofoam Structure and Functions Abstract Carbon nanofoam is the fifth allotrope of Carbon after graphite, diamond, fullerene (e.g., C-60 molecules), and Carbon nanotubes. It was discovered in 1997 by Andrei V. Rode and his team at the Australian National University in Canberra, in collaboration with Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute in St Petersburg. The molecular structure of Carbon nanofoam consists of Carbon tendrils bonded together in a low-density, mist like arrangement. This paper talks about the physical structure, chemical properties, preparation methods and applications of Carbon nanofoam. The most unusual property of Carbon nanofoam is its ferromagnetism; it gets attracted to magnets, like iron. At a temperature as low as -183 ÃÅ'Ã…  C, Carbon nanofoam behaves like a magnet. Also, the foam is a semiconductor, making it attractive for device applications. The reason for the foams magnetic property has been explained in the paper. Carbon nanofoam is hence the first pure-Carbon magnet and also one of the lightest known solid substances (with a density of ~2 mg/cm3), when used along with aerogel. The Carbon nanofoam is believed to remove magnetic prejudice among the known elements, the idea than an element should be stereotyped as either magnetic or nonmagnetic. 1. INTRODUCTION Carbon nanofoam was discovered by  1Andrei V. Rode  and co-workers, in collaboration with Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute in St Petersburg at the  Australian National University  in  Canberra in the year 1997. It is the fifth allotrope of Carbon after graphite, diamond, fullerene and Carbon nanotubes. The molecular structure of Carbon nanofoam consists of Carbon tendrils, bonded together to form a cluster- like assembly of low density in a loose three- dimensional web pattern. The width of each cluster is about 6 nanometers, consisting of about 4000 Carbon atoms. These Carbon atoms are linked in the form of graphite- like sheets but consist of heptagonal structures included among the hexagonal patterns, giving it a negative curvature, (Figure 1(a)) unlike the Buckminster fullerenes [1] in which the inclusion of pentagonal structures gives the Carbon sheet a positive curvature. The density of Carbon nanofoam is approximately 2 mg/cm3, which makes it one of the lightest known solid substances, the other being aerogels whose density is about 100 times more than that of Carbon nanofoam [1]. According to Rode and his colleagues [1], nanofoam contains a number of unpaired electrons due to the Carbon atoms with only three bonds, found at topological and bonding defects. This gives rise to the most unusual feature of Carbon nanofoam, which is that it is attracted to magnets. Moreover, below ˆ’183 °C Carbon nanofoam acts as a magnet itself. Another property of Carbon nanofoam is that unlike aerogels, Carbon nanofoam is a poor conductor of electricity. The clause for the magnetic property of Carbon nanofoam is that only freshly produced Carbon nanofoam is ferromagnetic; Carbon nanofoam is strongly attracted to a permanent magnet at room temperature, initially. This room temperature ferro- magnetic behavior disappears after a few hours of preparation of the Carbon nanofoam, when the temperature eventually fluctuates to go above the room temperature. However, the ferro-magnetic property persists at lower temperatures. Depending on the pressure of the ambient Argon gas inside the chamber where high- pulse, high- energy laser ablation [3] [4] [5] and deposition of Carbon vapors is performed, different Carbonaceous structures are formed. At a pressure of 0.1 Torr*, diamond- like Carbon films are formed. As the pressure is increased to greater than 0.1 Torr, diamond like Carbon- nanofoam is produced. The density of the Carbon nanofoam depends on the density and the polymerization chemistry used during the sol-gel process [3] [4]. The particle diameter of low-density foams is the largest, which is up to 100 nanometers, with a pore size of at least 500 nanometers. The high- density Carbon foams have pores of size less than 1000-Angstrom Units and the particles are ultra-fine, the density being approximately 0.8 grams/cubic centimeter. Electrically conductive Carbon nanofoams are also under production, which has many properties of the traditional aerogel material. Prepared by sol- gel methods, these mate rials are available in the form of monoliths, granules, powders and papers. The foams prepared by these methods are typically of low density, continuous porosity and high capacitance. The most intriguing property of Carbon nanofoam is its Ferro magnetism (Figure 1(b)). The reason for the existence of this unusual property attributed to an allotrope of Carbon, which is conventionally believed to be a non- magnetic element, is due to the complex microstructure of the nanofoam. Few researchers claimed that the ferromagnetism is due to the presence of traces of iron and nickel impurities in their foam. Later they calculated that the small amounts of these magnetic materials could only account for 20% of the strength of the ferromagnetic fields in the foam and concluded that the ferromagnetism is an intrinsic property of this allotrope of Carbon. The unpaired electron that does not form a chemical bond in the 7- corner, 7- edged polygons present in the structure of Carbon nanofoam has a magnetic moment, which is suspected to be the reason of its magnetism. *1 Torr is approximately equal to 1 mmHg; 1 Torr = 133.322368 Pascal Due to the magnetic properties of Carbon nanofoam, it can be used in a number of applications namely, medicine, optics, fuel cells and other electronic devices. They are also being used as lightweight, high temperature insulation materials, absorbents and coating agents and as electrodes for water deionization cells. In biomedicine, Carbon nanofoams are used as tiny ferromagnetic clusters, which could be injected in blood vessels, in order to increase the quality of magnetic resonance imaging. Another application of Carbon nanofoams is in spintronic devices, whose operations are based on the materials magnetic properties. The researchers also have preliminary indications that the novel magnetic behavior also occurs in another nano-compound made of boron and nitrogen, two other elements that are ordinarily non-magnetic. The following parts of this paper discuss in detail, the Molecular Structure Synthesis methods Properties, and Applications of Carbon nanofoam. 2. STRUCTURE OF CARBON NANOFOAM Carbon nanofoam consists of Carbon atoms bonded by both sp2 and sp3 hybridizations, unlike the other allotropes of Carbon such as graphite and diamond which have only sp3 hybridization and C60 and Carbon nanotubes that have only sp2 hybridization [7]. Around 4000 such Carbon atoms are bonded together in the form of a cluster-like assembly of low density. In other words, these Carbon atoms are bonded in the form of graphite-like sheets but consist of heptagonal structures included among the hexagonal patterns, giving it (Carbon nanofoam) a hyperbolic pattern, as proposed for schwarzite[6] The percentage distribution of the sp2 and sp3 hybridizations can be controlled by during the synthesis of the nanofoam. High pulse-rate Laser Ablation method for the synthesis of Carbon nanofoam by A. V. Rode et al [1] demonstrates that there are two types of particles in the foam and that here is a small amount of particles with a high sp2 fraction (~0.9) of graphite-like bonds, due to crystalline graphite used in the experiment. Particles with a fraction, generally lower than 0.8 sp2 are inferred to consist of amorphous Carbon with a mixture of sp2 and sp3 bonding. Particles with lower sp2 content and a higher Plasmon energy are more diamond-like, as they have higher density and a higher fraction of sp3 bonds. Upon measurement, it has been observed that these is a high sp3 content at the edges of the foam and at the edges of the cluster, which is a clear indication that the sp3 bonding atoms are located at the surface of the clusters and that the connections between the clusters a re due to the sp3 bonding. 3. SYNTHESIS OF CARBON NANOFOAM The synthesis of Carbon nanofoam is done on a laboratory scale and is not produced industrially, in bulk. Two methods are adapted for the preparation of Carbon nanofoams, depending on different types of requirements such as particle size, density, resistivity, etc. The two methods are listed and explained below. 3.1. Laser Ablation Laser ablation is the process of removing material from a solid (or occasionally liquid) surface by exposing it to radiation with a laser beam. Depending on the flux density of the laser, the effect of laser ablation varies. For a more clear description; at low laser flux, the material is heated by the absorbed laser energy and evaporates or sublimates. At high laser flux, the material is typically converted to plasma. Usually, laser ablation refers to removing material with a pulsed laser, but it is possible to ablate material with a continuous wave laser beam if the laser intensity is high enough. High-repetition-rate laser ablation and deposition of Carbon vapors results in the formation of quite different Carbonaceous structures depending on the pressure of the ambient Ar gas in the chamber. Diamond-like Carbon films form at a pressure below 0.1 Torr whereas a diamond-like Carbon nano-foam is created above 0.1Torr. The creation of particular molecular structures involves atom-to-atom attachment in appropriate physical conditions at an appropriate rate. 3.1.1. Experimental Setup The experimental setup of the experiment conducted by E.G. Gamaly and piers is as follows: a 42-W, 120-ns pulse-width Q-switched Nd: YAG laser (ÃŽÂ » = 1.064 mm) with variable repetition rate of 2-25 kHz was used. Laser of intensity approximately 109 Watts/cm2, averaged over the pulse duration was created on the glossy Carbon target, keeping the repetition rate fixed at 10 kHz and focal spot scanned over a 2X2 cm area of the target surface. 3.1.2. Formation of Carbon Nanofoam in Ar ambient temperature The diamond-like Carbon (DLC) films is deposited in vacuum of approximately 106 Torr. Transformation to a different form of Carbon material occurs in an Ar-filled chamber at a pressure around 0:1Torr. At this pressure, the mean free path for collisions of the evaporated Carbon atoms is in the order of 1 cm. Thus, Carbon-Carbon and Carbon-argon collisions in the chamber start to play a dominant role in the formation of Carbonaceous structures in Ar-filled chamber. The high-repetition-rate laser evaporation of a Carbon target in a 1-100 Torr Ar atmosphere produces a higher evaporation rate of Carbon atoms and ions than conventional laser ablation techniques. The resulting increased average temperature and density of the C-Ar mixture in the experimental chamber increases the probability of the formation of higher energy Carbon-Carbon bonds. The resulting increased collision frequency from the above deposition conditions encourages diffusion-limited aggregation of Carbon atoms into fractal structures, and the formation of low density Carbon foam. Figures 3.1.2. (a) and 3.1.2. (b) show the scanning and transmission electron microscope images respectively, showing the free-standing Carbon foam. These images are scaled to 1 mm and 100 nm respectively. The analysis of these images reveal that the foam represents a fractal-like structure which consists of Carbon clusters with the average diameter of 6 nm randomly interconnected into web-like foam. The foam looks like a capricious mixture of strings of pearls. [3] Initially, the flow of atomic Carbons is created by the laser ablation near the target surface. After the chamber is filled with an inert ambient gas, it results in the collision of Carbon atoms with the ambient gas atoms, as the Carbon plume expands. Hence, the Carbon atoms collide, diffuse through the gas, exchanging their energy, and finally cool down to the average Carbon-gas temperature. 3.2. Sol Gel Process The sol-gel process, also known as chemical solution deposition, is a wet-chemical technique widely used in the fields of materials science and ceramic engineering. Such methods are used primarily for the fabrication of materials (typically a metal oxide) starting from a chemical solution (or sol) that acts as the precursor for an integrated network (or gel) of either discrete particles or network polymers. Typical precursors are metal alkoxides and metal chlorides, which undergo various forms of hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions. Carbon nanofoam is also prepared from the pyrolysis of organic precursors, such as organic aerogels produced through sol-gel processes (such as resorcinol formaldehyde sol-gels) (Figure 3.2.). The sol-gel solution is cast into the desired shape and after the formation of a highly cross-linked gel the solvent is removed from the pores of the gel. The remaining rigid monolithic shape consists of covalently bonded, nanometer-sized particles that are arranged in a 3-dimensional network. Precursor RF gels can be applied to a fine Carbon felt which is Carbonized to form Carbon nanofoam electrodes [9]. The Carbon nanofoam thus prepared usually has low density and very high specific surface areas (up to ˆÂ ¼1200m2 g-1), and they can be produced in different forms, such as monoliths, fine particles or films. The final shape and properties depend strongly on the sample history, as is the case with all amorphous Carbons. 4. PROPERTIES OF CARBON NANOFOAM Many of the properties of Carbon nanofoams match with those of the traditional aerogel materials. Carbon nanofoams are available in the form of monoliths, granules, powders and papers. They are electrically conductive, synthetic and lightweight foams in which the solid matrix and pore spaces have nanometer-scale dimensions. Prepared by sol-gel methods, nanofoams typically have low density, continuous porosity, high surface area, and fine cell/pore sizes. The foams are also electrically conductive and have a high capacitance. Standard densities of Carbon nanofoams range from 0.25 to 1.00 g/cm3. Carbon nanofoams precursors can be infiltrated into a Carbon fiber mat that, when Carbonized, will result in paper-like electrode material 0.007 to 0.050 inches thick. Morphology examination by scanning electron microscope shows an open cell structure and continuous porosity. The particle size and pore spacing is a function of density and the polymerization chemistry used during the sol-gel process. Low density Carbon nanofoams (~0.25 g/cm3) have the largest cell/pore size with particle diameters of up to 100 nm and pores at least 500 nm. High density Carbon foams (abt. 0.8 g/cm3) have ultra-fine particles and pores of less than 1000Ã…. The nanofoam contains numerous unpaired electrons, which Rode and colleagues propose is due to Carbon atoms with only three bonds that are found at topological and bonding defects. This gives rise to what is perhaps Carbon nanofoams most unusual feature: it is attracted to magnets, and below ˆ’183  °C can itself be made magnetic. 4.1. Ferro magnetism of Carbon nanofoam It is a well-known fact that Carbon and its allotropes are among those materials which do not get attracted to magnets. Although, it has been discovered that Carbon nanofoam is attracted to magnets, and below ˆ’183  °C can itself be made magnetic. This behavior of Carbon nanofoam is unusual as against the magnetic property generally attributed to Carbon. However, at room temperature, the nanofoams magnetization disappears a few hours after the material is produced. The reason for the magnetic behavior of Carbon nanofoam is discovered to be its molecular structure; it consists of a number of unpaired electrons due to the Carbon atoms with only three bonds that are found at topological and bonding defects. The unpaired electrons contribute towards the existence of magnetic moment in the nanofoam, which is believed to be the reason for its ferro magnetic character. Detailed explanation Speaking in terms of magnetic susceptibility, in general, all known Carbon allotropes exhibit diamagnetic susceptibility in the range of à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ =ˆ’(10ˆ’5-10ˆ’7) emu/g Oe with the exception of: Polymerized C60 prepared in a two-dimensional rhombohedral phase of à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡= +(0.25ˆ’1.3)*10ˆ’3 emu/g Oe (depending on the orientation of the magnetic field relative to the polymerized planes) which shows ferromagnetism The disordered glass-like magnetism observed in activated Carbon fibers due to nonbonding à Ã¢â€š ¬-electrons located at edge states, and The unusual magnetic behavior observed in single wall Carbon nanohorns ascribed to the Van Vleck paramagnetic contribution. Although ferromagnetism in polymerized C60 is noteworthy, the exceptionally large magnetic signal in Carbon nanostructures such as Carbon nanofoam remains a case of special interest. In order to study the ferro magnetism of Carbon nanofoam, an experiment was conducted by Rode and his colleagues. They prepared Carbon nanofoam by high-pulse-rate laser ablation of an ultrapure glassy carbon target in a vacuum chamber made of stainless steel, filled with high-purity (99.995%) Argon gas, inside a 2 inch cylinder made of fused silica (SiO2). This setup results in the formation of carbon nanofoam, with a combination of sp2 and sp3 hybridization. The reason for the magnetic character of Carbon nanofoam was then discovered to be the ferromagnetic interaction of the spins of the unpaired electrons, separated by sp3 centers. [6] A possible mechanism for magnetic moment generation would be a simple indirect exchange interaction through conduction electrons located on the hexagons. Low temperature magnetization curves indicate a saturation magnetization of approximately 0.35emu/g at 2 K. [10] 5. APPLICATIONS OF CARBON NANOFOAM Carbon nanofoam is one of the lightest known solid substances till date. Hence, it finds its application in a number of fields. Although there are no immediate applications of Carbon nanofoams, a few of the possible areas where there can be applied are as follows: They could be used in spintronic devices, which are based on a materials magnetic properties. In biomedicine: the Nano metric scale ferromagnetic clusters could be injected into blood vessels to enhance magnetic resonance imaging. It could also be implanted in tumors, where it could turn radio waves into a source of heat that would destroy the tumor but leave surrounding tissue unharmed. Carbon nanofoam can replace the nanofoams of other metals because of its low density, high conductivity, light weight and also its ferro magnetic property. As coatings or absorbents in specialty optics As flexible electrodes for deionization and fuel cells Carbon nanofoam paper Making of High-Sensitivity Ultrasonic Transducer in Air High-performance metal-air batteries Spintronics, meaning spin transport electronics is also known as magnetoelectronics. It is an emerging technology which, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, exploits both the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in solid-state devices. Spintronic devices find their application in perhaps the most important computer subsystems: random access memories and high density non-volatile storage media. Hence in order to develop large memories on a small chip, making the chip as light weighted as possible is also very important. This is where the use of carbon nanofoam gives the desired result. Carbon nanofoam paper is another interesting application of carbon nanofoams. Due to its composition, carbon nanofoam paper has proven very difficult to cut using traditional methods such as metal blades. It was found that using 100 W of power at a speed of 250 inches per minute (IPM) the 0.0075-inch thick carbon nanofoam paper was cleanly cut. [11] For a high-sensitivity ultrasonic transducer in air, nanofoam can be considered to be applied to its acoustic matching layer. Since nanofoam has extremely low acoustic impedance, it is effective for the acoustic matching layer of an ultrasonic transducer in air. The sensitivity of the developed ultrasonic transducer can be made up to about twenty times higher than that of a conventional ultrasonic transducer in air. [12] The desirable structural characteristics of carbon nanofoams can be exploited to design and produce electrocatalytic structures for O2 reduction that will enable high-performance metal-air batteries. While the native carbon nanofoam structure exhibits modest activity for O2 reduction, further functionalization of the nanofoam is necessary to achieve technologically relevant performance. [13] 6. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this term paper throws light on a recently discovered allotrope of carbon called as Carbon Nanofoam, whose molecular structure and properties are different from the other allotropes of carbon such as graphite, diamond, C60, amorphous carbon, carbon nanotubes and fullerene. Carbon nanofoam is found to be one among the lightest known solid substances, which gives it an advantage over other substances in a number of varied applications. The most intriguing feature of carbon nanofoam is its magnetic property. This novel magnetic behavior found in carbon nanofoam has made many renowned scientists and researchers rethink about what makes a material magnetic, since ferro-magnetism is not one of the attributed properties of carbon in any of its forms. Furthermore, this ferro-magnetic characteristic of carbon nanofoam, along with its other characteristics such as extremely low acoustic impedance, low density, continuous porosity, high surface area, fine cell/pore sizes, electrical conductivity and high capacitance is believed to have wide applications in the developing current technology whose motto is The smaller the better!

Femininity And The Female Body Cultural Studies Essay

Femininity And The Female Body Cultural Studies Essay The stereotypical gender roles given by the society are female being feminine and male being masculine. The social expectations of male masculinity and female femininity are described by Mc Cubbin and Blum Dahl, former professors at the University of Minnesota, as Men should be brave, strong, ambitious and aggressive, while keeping their feelings under control; Women should be gentle, nurturant, passive, dependent, and expressive of their feelings (Mc Cubbin and Blum Dhal, 2005, 189). The term femininity involves a social process in which a female sex is recognized with certain traits and characteristics. These traits are marked by the society the moment she is born hence, creating a sexual difference of being a woman. The construction of gender identity by our surroundings if further described by Bornstein as, Then theres gender attribution, whereby we look at somebody and say, thats a man, or thats a woman. And this is important because the way we perceive anothers gender affects the way we relate to that person. (1995, p. 26). A woman meant to be feminine and the degree of femininity she possesses is evaluated by the way she dresses up, the way she speaks, the way she walks, her body language and most importantly her beauty. Paintings, fashion photographs, news photographs, pornographic images, magazines differ in the way they are utilized but, they all interconnect in the representation of femininity and the female sexuality. The photograph by a renowned photographer Horst P. Horst (See Appendix, Figure 1) will be analysed to discuss the feminist issue of measuring a females value through her appearance and the feminism, the feminist theories against it and also representing women as surreal objects. Horst P. Horst was a German American photographer who is famous for his fashion and women photography. The Mainbocher corset is regarded as one of his iconic photographs created for Vogue in1939 (Koetzel, 2003). The image consists of a woman sitting on a bench seen from behind. She is wearing a back lacing corset and looking down through her right arm. The whole image encompasses a feel of a power less woman. However, when seen in different angle, it can give a different meaning altogether. The corset, a piece of underwear, which has a long history connected to it had long been part of a female body. A female wore tight-laced corset in order to define her waist more blatantly. Fontanel depicted the transformation of a female body as a great silky insect with outspread wings (1997, p. 49). In addition to making the waist line more evident, corsets cause breasts to heave and make buttocks stand out creating a slender and seductive silhouette. Therefore, a female wears a gracious instrument of torture so as to transform into a desired shape. Moreover, in the nineteenth century the tightly laced corsets were outrageous and lunatic and caused hindrance in the movement. Dubios in his book An Examination of five plagues regarded corset as one of the plagues as it causes terrible physical damage; deformation, breast sagging etc, when worn for longer duration (Fontanel, 1997). Likewise, it lends a female her femininity but, not a healthy one. Feminists argue that the act of theorizing the body is especially pertinent to women (Carson, 2001, p. 117). Moreover, the bodies of women are controlled by men and are idealized for male consumption. Beauvoir (1997) describes woman as the Other and writes, No biological, psychological or economic fate determines the figure that the human female presents in society; it is civilization as a whole that produces this creature (p. 295). In other words, the culture has created an idealized female body image and is represented in Horsts image. On the contrary, the unravelled corset is recuperating the depiction of the female body from stereotyping. It is portraying womens; freedom from corset, freedom of movement and freedom from conventional gender role. The image also surfaces the notion of surrealism. The word surreal is defined as characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtapositions. Surrealism was an artistic movement founded at the beginning of the 18th century. Andre Breton, the founder of the movement wrote a Surrealist Manifesto and described surrealism as, based in the belief in the superior reality of certain previously neglected associations, in the omnipotence of dreams, in the disinterested play of thought (Mikics, 2007, p. 292) . In other words, surrealism eradicates the borderline between real and unreal and conscious and unconscious. It is a new way of seeing the world. Hence, moving out of the ordinary and getting into the imaginary world. Surrealism: decontextualizing an everyday object and transposing it to an unusual or socially unacceptable place in order to highlight its status as sign. Women have always been the primary subjects of criticism and display and so they are in surrealism. Horsts image focus on one of the most persistent notion of surrealism that is fetishization. The corset is a fetish object creating erotic and provocative image, thus, arousing sexual desire for the object being displayed. According to Freud, it is as though the last impression before the uncanny and traumatic one is retained as a fetish pieces of underclothing which are so often chosen as a fetish, crystallize a moment of undressing, the last moment in which women could still be regarded as phallic (As cited in Wood, 2007, p.32). In other words, the corset accentuates female body parts and shapes her body into an hour glass figure. The less natural her appearance, the more seductive she [] looks (Fontanel, p. 52). This brings up the idea of transforming womens bodies for mens pleasure. In addition, the image also seizes the moment where women is submissive and have no control over m ens desires. Feminists are against the objectification of the female body and representing it as fetishised object as seen in the image. A more modern concept however, is that the corset allows a woman to express her sexual freedom. Women feel more sexy in a corset. It is no longer considered part of a Victorian era dress code, but simply as sexual leisure-wear. the female control over male desires, and the males control over the female body. Conclusion:othing is so lively, so lovely, as deathly pallor: Embracing the body, the corset frames a story to stir the emotions and set the imagination free.

Othello Essay :: essays research papers

Act i. sc. i. ADMIRABLE is the preparation, so truly and peculiarly Shakspearian, in the introduction of Roderigo, as the dupe on whom Iago shall first exercise his art, and in so doing display his own character. Roderigo, without any fixed principle, but not without the moral notions and sympathies with honour, which his rank and connections had hung upon him, is already well fitted and predisposed for the purpose; for very want of character and strength of passion, like wind loudest in an empty house, constitute his character. The first three lines happily state the nature and foundation of the friendship between him and Iago,— the purse,—as also the contrast of Roderigo's intemperance of mind with Iago's coolness,—the coolness of a preconceiving experimenter. The mere language of protestation— If ever I did dream of such a matter, abhor me,— which falling in with the associative link, determines Roderigo's continuation of complaint— Thou told'st me, thou didst hold him in thy hate— elicits at length a true feeling of Iago's mind, the dread of contempt habitual to those, who encourage in themselves, and have their keenest pleasure in, the expression of con-tempt for others. Observe Iago's high self-opinion, and the moral, that a wicked man will employ real feelings, as well as assume those most alien from his own, as instru-ments of his purposes:— ——And, by the faith of man, I know my price, I am worth no worse a place. I think Tyrwhitt's reading of 'life' for 'wife'— A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife— the true one, as fitting to Iago's contempt for whatever did not display power, and that intellectual power. In what follows, let the reader feel how by and through the glass of two passions, disappointed vanity and envy, the very vices of which he is complaining, are made to act upon him as if they were so many excellences, and the more appropriately, because cunning is always admired and wished for by minds conscious of inward weakness;—but they act only by half, like music on an inattentive auditor, swelling the thoughts which prevent him from listening to it. Ib. Rod. What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe, If he can carry't thus. Roderigo turns off to Othello; and here comes one, if not the only, seeming justification of our blackamoor or negro Othello. Even if we supposed this an uninterrupted tradition of the theatre, and that Shakspeare himself, from want of scenes, and the experience that nothing could be made too marked for the senses of his audience, had practically sanctioned it,—would this prove aught concerning his own intention as a poet for all ages?

An Assessment of the Poetry of Robert Frost Essay -- Poetry Robert Lee

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nature is beautiful in every aspect, but as nature changes with every season, beauty and innocence in human life is much the same as the years progress. Robert Lee Frost uses nature in such a profound approach; every aspect of nature can someway correlate with any characteristic of life. Whether it is the beauty in nature signifying the joy and happiness that every person experiences, or it be the traumatic losses and disappointments that may lead to ultimate failure or destruction, Robert Frost illustrates life, love and loss in the most natural and beautiful way feasible. His style is uniquely his own, and his themes are ones that many people can relate to on countless levels, which is what made Frost so popular during his lifetime, and has continued four decades after his death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost was born March 26 1874 in San Francisco where he spent the first eleven years of his life until his father died. It was then that he moved with his family to Lawrence, Massachusetts. While in high school in Lawrence, Frost fell in love with Elinor White, they became engaged and married in 1896 (the same year that their son Elliott was born). After withdrawing from Harvard in 1897, the Frost’s moved to a farm in Methuen, Massachusetts, and began raising poultry. Three years later Elliott died, along with Frost’s mother. Frost and his family then bought a farm in Derry, where they settled down, and Frost began writing. Robert and Elinor Frost had three more children before losing another infant in 1907. In 1912, Frost became irritated with his failure at success, and moved his family to England. This move proved to be successful when Frost’s first book A Boy’s Will was published in 1913, followed by North of Boston in 1914; b oth books appeared in the United States as well by the time that the Frost family returned in 1915. In 1938 Frost lost his wife to illness. New Hampshire garnered Frost the first of his unmatched four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry, followed by Frost's Collected Poems in 1930, A Further Range in 1936, and A Witness Tree in 1942. Frost’s crowning public moment was his recitation of "The Gift Outright" at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in January of 1960. He died on January 29, 1963. Robert Frost lived a very long and often tragic life. He suffered unreasonable guilt, and blamed himself for everything that went wrong. Robert Frost loved his f... ... to gain wisdom. This wisdom should not be what the speaker feels in the last line, that innocence is great and loss of it is to be mourned. This wisdom is in the title of the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Here is Frost telling the speaker to understand that this is the natural way, and so there is no point in fighting it or being sad about it. In fact, within every leaf is just a leaf...meaning without the gold there is no green, without dawn there is no day, without death there is no birth. It is just the way it is and so we better love it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost’s poems are beautifully written, and offer such a deep insight into life, and nature. His work connects to readers on virtually every level of consciousness, and generates readers to understand that their feelings are not rare. Everyone experiences the same emotions, and must overcome many of the same situations in life; but his poems almost bring the sense of possibility. Frost may have become popular at the dawn of the nineteenth century, his life may have ended almost half a century ago, but his poems are still as distinguished as they were before his death, and they will continue to be popular for many years to come.

Evaluating China’s one child Policy Essay

During the 1970s, China felt the indenting need for a drastic policy that would be able to control its ever-expanding population and to begin development in its country and thus the one child policy was born, if the policy had not been instituted china would have faced severe famine and starvation as it would not have been able to cope with rapid growth. The policy was administrated in September 1981 and they called it ‘birth planning’ by which families were given a maximum limit of one child per family however in rural areas, couples were allowed to have two children and this was to help need on agricultural land and farming; those who try to breach this law would face severe consequences. The policy was considered as one of history’s ‘most ambitious pieces of social engineering’ as quoted from The Economist since the policy heavily intervened with families plans for the future and affected how most chines families would function in terms of having children. The policy governed by the Chinese government was said not to last no longer than a single generation and yet here in 2013, the policy still continues to proceed and there are little or no signs of a new policy or removal of this policy from the country. Administration Of Policy The policy in china was very drastic and therefore it contained many punishments for anyone who tried to breach the policy and the government also deployed many forces of administration to make sure that people were being monitored and that no one was trying for a second child. There were family-planning workers in every single workplace to grant families the ability to have a child if they had been on the waiting list and also at this point the couple would be presented with a special card which gives them authority to claim governmental benefits such as free education, free kindergarten facilities, free healthcare etc. on birth of the child. Police called the ‘granny police’, who were not actual police but represented the role of making sure woman were practicing using contraception and to had the objective of reporting on pregnancies so that the local authority would be able to work out whether a family is trying to have a second child illegally. Female women were also given education on the use of contraception and this was to try minimising the amount of unexpected pregnancies. Family planning officials levy huge fines of up to ? 20,000 from those who try to have a second child and this fine account for the estimated value of public services that the forbidden child would have received over its lifetime. Furthermore, in some areas the couple would have been stripped of their house, jobs and even the ability to live in a particular area of the country. Also in earlier time they would have been forfeited their rations and clothing benefits. Furthermore, women would have been given forced steralisations or contraceptive pills and their chances of being able to have children ever again would be removed if they were found guilty of trying to have a second child and this would impose that they would never be able to have a child even if they decide to migrate to another country. This kind of steralisations was only existent in certain provinces of China and it is currently completely abolished from all parts of china as it was considered to unforgiving for a punishment. Changes Generated by The One Child Policy. Without need to say, the obvious: the one child policy had caused a drop in the fertility rate in China. From the starting point of the policy in 1981 to now the birth rate has dropped from an above average 2. 9 to 1. 7 and this has lead to understand that the policy was successful and that it has tackled one of the country’s main concern which is an ever-expanding population. Furthermore, this drop has claimed to prevent up to 400 million births, which would otherwise have kept China’s population at 1. 7 billion currently compared to the 1. 3 billion that it actually is today. However, despite showing a drop in birth rate after the beginning of this policy, there are statistics that show that China’s fertility rates fell drastically during the 1970s and that the policy did not influence the drop in birth rates much. This suggests that the fertility rate was naturally decreasing so there was no need for the policy. This suggests that the policy did not control the country’s population greatly because the fertility rates had dropped severely just before the commencement of the policy. Therefore the implementation of such a severe policy has now indented Chinese people’s concept of families and even if the policy was to be removed people will still continue to have few children and this would not have been the case if fertility rates were allowed to naturally decrease to make the population eventually stable much alike how most other countries have progressed through the demographic transition such as Russia, Germany and Japan. The rapid fall in fertility rate just before the one child policy is clearly shown in the graph that is on the previous page; the graph was taken from the GapMinder webpage which holds information about the world demographic and thus is very reliable. Another negative impact of the one child policy was a case of female infanticide. In fact, this is an interesting concern as it has lead to china presenting a population where there are about 120 Chinese men for every 100 Chinese women and thus there is a shortage of women. There was a severe amount of female infanticide for several reasons. Firstly a male child was seen as more superior for the use on farmland and for the use on agricultural land as men were seen as stronger characters compared to women. Secondly, only the male would be able to carry forward the family name and in China there was a great cultural desire to carry forward a family name to keep the family advancing through generations. Finally, men are usually the main income-earners, either because they are more employable or earn higher wages for the same work, or because they are able to do more agricultural work in subsistence economies. Since male babies have a greater income potential, they are more desired over females and thus female births were usually abandoned or killed. There are some stories of extreme discomfort where female babies have been flushed down toilets and drowned, as they were not considered valuable to Chinese family. Furthermore, the shortage of females in China has lead to a generation where there are â€Å"too many men†, and this was caused by the desire to have a male child in the family. The result of the one child policy has meant that there are 1000 million women whom would else be existent if the policy wasn’t introduced and thus this social engineering has converted the a balanced gender country into an imbalanced country with more men. This has lead to desire to import woman known as human trafficking where women are smuggled using from Burma and North Korea and the women are used as prostitutes or sold as wives and domestic servants in parts of china. This is a negative outcome of the policy by which women are used inappropriately and are illegally imported from other countries. Furthermore, it is expected that by the year 2030 there could be up to 20-30million bachelors in chine whom are unable to find a partner and this would further increase the desire and temptation to want female prostitutes and this will create an illegal transportation of women to china from neighboring countries. Another disadvantage of the policy is that a generation of not enough children is developing in china and this results in not enough children to look after parents which could mean that the country could grow old before it is able to develop it’s economy and becoming rich by limiting the mouths to feed as it is trying to do so using the one child policy. In china this lack of children is called the ‘4-2-1’ dilemma and as The Economist suggests this is where each couple has the job of looking after four parents and one child. This creates a dilemma as the couple’s parents become aged and need the help of the couple and thus the couple have the cost of having to look after their parents all on their own as they would not have any siblings and thus china has created a problem for families trying to develop as they will have a shortage of money to spend elsewhere in the economy to try boost the countries development stage. The imbalanced structure of china’s population also hints that the working force will come to an end by 2020 and therefore this would mean that the country would not be able to further develop and this has again raised pressure on the Chinese government to introduce further amendments to the one child policy. For example, Hu Jintao suggested allowing more than one birth but between longer gaps and also the scrapping of the birth quota so that couples could still have a child even if the maximum number of children in a certain area is reached. This would help to regain a large population of workers in the future generation to continue with the countries development without having to deal with another expanding population. The article presented by The Economist has dealt with many defects of the one child policy including the extortionate amount of female infanticide, the illegal need for a second child, female imports, ‘4-2-1’ issue and the fact that the country could have still developed without the policy as statistics showed that fertility rates were naturally decreasing as people become more educated and this would therefore have reduced to country’s large population and allowed the country to develop as the government would have to feed fewer people and also if the policy had not been introduced there would not be effects one some females lives who have been sterilized permanently after the birth of the first child because this would prevent the mother from having another child ever. Also, the Chinese government are now unable to scrape the policy because they have not alternatives that could be administrated on the scale of the one child policy and therefore the government suggests ‘we will stick to the family-planning policy for decades’ and this implies that the removal of the policy would have a considerate difference on China’s population and that it could possibly improve the gender imbalance which is not of great interest to china as demographers suggest the removal of the policy would suggest a rapid increase in population once again and this would mean that the country would not be able to achieve its goal which is to become a well developed country with a high GDP. The charts below show what would happen to china’s population and its structure by 2050 if the policy was to be removed and as the first graph clearly suggests, the one child policy has been heavily successful in maintaining a smaller population and emphasis should be placed on the fact it is just a smaller population. Although, the population is smaller the structure of the population between men and women and groups of elderly, working class as well as those under 15 is highly imbalanced and as the chart on the right clearly imposes, if the policy was removed the demographic structure will become more balanced once again.