Negative Effects of Fast Food

Negative Effects of Fast Food Fast Food – The Recipe for Death What if I told you that these French fries that you are happily devouring will lead you to your death in 10 years? You will for sure consider me insane. Here are some real statistics to prove my point: according to The Telegraph, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence says that each year, 40,000 deaths occur in Britain alone as a result of eating junk food and high levels of fat and salt contained in it (Smith). In 1976, an extremely satirical pop number written by a singer named Larry Groce hit the music industry. What was unique about this song was that it was not about a long lost love, romance, marriage, personal freedom or something like that. The interesting thing about this song was that it talked about the double life that many people were leading then and we are still leading today (Orel). These double lives revolve around eating healthy food some days and sneaking in junk food whenever we can and this is what is leading us fast to our early deaths. It is time for us to stop consuming junk food and start saving our lives. There are an infinite number of reasons for why junk food is dangerous for human health and should not be consumed. However, I shall focus on only the top three basic ones here. So, why should we not be eating fast food? The answer is that it contains sodium and trans fats, it causes great problems in digestion and it is a leading cause for various life-threatening diseases such as heart disease, kidney disease, liver damage, type 2 diabetes and even cancer. Although there are a number of unhealthy substances and ingredients that are used in fast foods, but the primary harmful, unsavory components that they contain are trans fats and sodium. These two compounds have the ability to wreak complete havoc in our bodies and cause a great amount of damage. Let us first see what sodium does to our body. An average adult has a minimal need of 500 mg of sodium per day (Coila). However, fast foods are â€Å"very high in sodium† (Sodium†). Our kidneys are responsible for expelling extra amount of salts from our bodies. Due to this high quantity of salt, our kidneys have to overwork for eliminating this extra salt. This in turn puts too much pressure on kidneys, increasing the possibility of kidney disease (Pendick; Stiavetti). Moreover, consuming too much salt (sodium) causes the compound to accumulate in our bloodstreams. As a result, our heart is forced to work much harder than what it actually is meant to do. This extra work by our heart causes heart disease and high blood pressure (Stiavetti). Trans fats are some other deadly substances which are created by adding hydrogen to liquid oils. The fat that is produced as a result is termed as the deadliest fat substance by American Heart Association as it can lead to strokes, heart attacks and diabetes (Stiavetti). Fast foods are known for their bad reputation for various reasons. Another reason why fast food is damaging to your health is because it is ruining your digestive system. The more you consume it, the faster it will impair your digestion. Research shows that people who eat a diet loaded with junk food are highly likely to experience digestive problems and frequent stomach upsets. Irritable bowel syndrome and GERD are the conditions that primarily develop as a result of consistently consuming fast foods (Stiavetti). Proponents of fast foods claim that fast food, if taken in moderation is not detrimental to physical health (â€Å"Healthy†). However, this concept is far from truth. Fast foods are mostly deep fried. The oil contained in them deposits in the stomach and causes acidity. They are also very spicy and cause excessive irritation of the stomach lining. Furthermore, they also do not have appropriate amounts of fiber which is important for proper digestion (Rupavate). Finally, the one main reason why we should say outright no to junk foods is that they have the power to cause our death way earlier than it is meant to happen. The intensity of the risk that it puts our bodies to is difficult to put into words. First of all, it causes severe fluctuations in the body’s level of blood sugar, thereby putting our metabolism to excessive stress. Moreover, the increased amounts of sugar require pancreas to produce greater amounts of insulin to protect the body from experiencing a sudden spike in blood sugar levels (Rupavate). Junk foods do not only have an adverse impact on our digestive systems. It also badly affects our brain functions. According to a study published in ‘Brain, Behavior, and Immunity,’ eating fast foods for one week is more than enough to cause impairment in rats’ memories. Similar studies conducted on animals prove that junk foods contain fats that can hamper the ability to acquire new skills. Similarly, junk foods also lead to serious life threatening diseases such as kidney and liver damage, Type 2 diabetes and in severe cases, even cancer. Something worth mentioning here is the reason for why it is difficult for us to say no to fries and other junk foods. As these foods are high in processed salts, it increases the amount of enzymes being secreted and also increases salivation. This can also affect the kidney function adversely (Rupavate). Cancer is also propagated by over consumption of junk foods. According to a research published in European Journal of Cancer Prevention, people who consume a lot of junk foods high in fat and sugar are at risk for developing colorectal cancer. A similar study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center revealed that prostate cancer was common among men who indulged in fried foods more than two times in a single month (Rupavate). Then, we shouldn’t forget obesity which is the mother of many illnesses like high blood pressure, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, reproductive disorders, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, gallstones and cancer (â€Å"Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity†). It is a known fact that consuming fast food contributes to weight gain. One fast food meal can have 1,500 calories alone, while we need 1500-1800 calories in a day (Muntel). Though, all of these realizations are shocking, but not to those who have actually experienced the side-effects of fast food. After coming to America and being away from home, I got hooked on fast food. I started gaining weight and felt lethargic all the time. Movement became difficult; I felt out of breath after little exertion. So, it started affecting the quality of my life. Luckily, I recovered in time; started cooking at home and saved myself. Thus, these shocking realizations call for some serious changes in government policies and food production, so that healthy lifestyle changes could be encouraged, and the horrendous amount of saturated fat and salts that the world consumes could be significantly reduced. These steps would lose weight if taken only on governmental level. It is useless to hope that anything would change unless we as individuals understand the severity of the situation. It is time for us to take control of our lives and start today. It is we who choose how we are going to fuel our bodies. It is our responsibility to protect our lives and those of our loved ones and junk foods are not giving us life, but leading us to our untimely deaths.

Capital Punishment :: Death Penalty Essays

The death penalty has been around for centuries. It dates back to when Hammurabi had his laws codified; it was â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†. Capital punishment in America started when spies were caught, put on trial and hung. In the past and still today people argue that, the death penalty is cruel, unusual punishment and should be illegal. Yet many people argue that it is in fact justifiable and it is not cruel and unusual. Capital punishment is not cruel and unusual; the death penalty is fair and there is evidence that the death penalty deters crime. A big part of abolitionist’s argument is that the death penalty is not humane. They pull in Amendment 8, â€Å"†¦nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† What the victim went though was indeed â€Å"cruel and unusual punishments’.† The murderers’ death is not cruel. The people will demand justice for what he or she has done (Bidinotto 19). Hanging and the electric chair are topics more reasonable to argue, but now because of lethal injection capital punishment has become more humane. The death penalty is not barbaric, the pain and agony that the victim went through is barbaric. Abolitionists were very upset in 1996 when rapist and murderer John Albert Taylor was executed by firing squad; they said his death was barbaric (Feder 32). Charla King, the poor 11-year-old girl he raped and strangled with a telephone cord, her death was barbaric! It makes no sense to think that John Taylor’s’ death was barbaric or inhumane. He would not even hear the bullets shoot out; his victim went through more pain than what any court system could have inflicted on him (Feder 32). In the past people have challenged the death penalty, it has always been denied, lethal injection is fair enough (Johnson 43). There have been inhumane ways in the past; people should be thankful that we use lethal injection instead of using electrocution as first choice (Johnson 43). Honestly, the death penalty is roughly enough pain that can be legally inflicted, they get what they deserve (Bidinotto 19). We will not use the death penalty to get revenge; the legal systems would not tolerate victims’ family using it for revenge. It is to seek justice, not to get even (Bidinotto 20). Second, the death penalty does in fact deter crime. New York, 1990, the murder rate was up to about 2,650 people, every year it has dropped, in 2009 there were only 778 murders.

Definitions of Globalization

Globalization is a concept with many differing definitions. Globalization is a process which entails the free movement of capital, goods, services and labor around the world. Globalization is the massive control of the world†s economy by big business, this control transcends the boundaries of state and country. This transcendence across countries makes the subunits of the economy decompose and depend on the larger companies with a controlling interest in most of the capital within a given economy. These companies then form global constituents, they then have a control of a large volume of capital within many countries. This global control of capital comes through the deindustrialization of larger economic superpowers to third world countries for economic gains of these companies. Seeking lower wages and a large unskilled labor force, companies find it in third world countries. These are concrete examples of global companies seeking wage reductions on an international scale. This migration causes a deindustrialization for the larger countries and a industrialization in these developing countries. In a curious fashion they tend to confirm the Marxist view, long thought out of fashion, that the working classes would be kept at subsistence level. Reebok Shoes, and other footwear giants, are forever shifting their manufacturing base to lands of lower wage scales. (This is more easily done in that industry than would be possible in steel or automobile manufacturing. ) From New England to the American South and on to the American colony of Puerto Rico, thence the Philippines, Taiwan, Korea and Thailand — until the annual wages of the factory are less than the remuneration paid to the basketball star paid to advertise the final product. No, globalization does not mean â€Å"workers of the world unite†. Joan E. Spero, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs stated the issue at hand was one of a formidable size, â€Å"Capital now moves with startling speed around the world. Each day over $1 trillion is traded in a global foreign exchange market that never closes. Technological advances in computers and telecommunications are paving the way for a new information-based economy. † The capital within this globalized economy is not situated as one might have first assumed. The capital is concentrated within the upper management and within the boundaries of the company itself. The growth of the American economy in particular is in no way a direct reflection on the wages and standard of living for most American workers. Large companies set up manufacture of products in developing countries, exploiting the economic need that is present there. Then these companies take this product from this country and bring it back to places like the United States to be marketed. The economic benefits are then reaped by the company. The product was manufactured in this third world country where they were paid small wages and in horrible working conditions. Then the product is taken to the United States where is sold to the American public who played no role in the manufacture of the product thus their purchase in no way supports the circulation of capital within the United States economy and is given specifically to the company. The company then takes the capital and reinvests the money into the company and in foreign industry and the money is not recirculated within the economy that created it. This theory of capital flight is what produces the economic growth of the economy as a whole but the workers and middle class of that economy do not see that growth. The middle class is becoming less and less necessary within the globalized economy. The skilled worker is not necessary due to technological advancements and the movement of industry from the United States to developing countries. The developing countries are used for their large and willing unskilled worker population. The need for specific talent and training is becoming more and more necessary within countries such as the United States. This creates an international division of labor within the global economic market system. The labor market has changed dramatically in the past three or four decades. The unskilled labor work force has shrunk over the last few decades, this change has come due to the expansion of technology within many industries. The worth of those at the highest levels of companies have only gained from this change. The middle management has been almost eradicated from the present economy by technology and â€Å"reengineering†. This â€Å"reengineering† â€Å"combines the skills of specialist clerks and middle managers into software packages that are attached to desktop computers† (Head). The disparities in this competition have become truly obscene. In 1960 the annual compensation of the average CEO of a major US. ompany was 40 times that of the average worker. In 1992 it was 157 times as much. The average CEO of a large corporation now receives an annual compensation package of more than $3. 5 million-their reward for growing company profits by destroying millions of jobs. Over the past 3 years the profits of the Standard and Poors 500 lar gest corporations have grown an average of 20% a year. Stock prices are at record highs. For the most part, these gains went to people who have nothing better to do with their money than gamble on price movements in the giant global casino we call a stock market. During 1995, wages, salaries and benefits-compensation for doing real work-increased only 2. 7%-the smallest rise on record. Thus the role of the middle class has been diminished largely in the new growing globalization of economy. The 1990s have been a prime example of the growth of economy and technology and the massive downfall of the middle class. The advent of technology has left many in the white collar, middle class sector with no jobs or at constant risk of loss of their present one. Over 80 percent of Americans work in the service industry and they practice their own form of the white collar layoffs, they utilize the new tax software that is available, leaving the accountant in the proverbial dust. In strictly economic terms the gap between rich and poor widens and capital accumulates to the point where it no longer quite knows what to do with itself. Rich people valiantly spend what they can on luxuries, but the rich are too few to solve this crisis of overproduction and luxuries are useless to most of the world's people. The remainder of this excess capital swills around in ‘finance houses' and banks getting bored, casting about for something more lucrative to do. That usually means gambling, ‘speculation' on whatever comes to hand: commodities, foreign exchange, bonds, stocks, shares, all kinds of ‘instruments' created for just this purpose. These days, the temptingly volatile 'emerging markets' of the South and former Soviet bloc have become speculative playgrounds. Foreign-exchange transactions, for example, now amount to more than a thousand billion dollars a day, with only a small proportion relating to any ‘real' economic activity at all.

Digestion and Important Functions Essay Example

Digestion and Important Functions Essay Example Digestion and Important Functions Essay Digestion and Important Functions Essay Anatomy   Physiology Digestion is the process by which food is broken down into smaller pieces so that the  body can use them to build and  nourish cells and to provide energy. Digestion involves the mixing of food, its movement through the  digestive tract (also known as the alimentary canal), and  the chemical breakdown of larger molecules into  smaller molecules. Every  piece of food we eat has to  be broken down into smaller nutrients that the body can absorb, which is why it takes hours to fully digest food. The digestive system is made up of the digestive tract. This consists of a long  tube of  organs that runs from the mouth to the anus and includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, together with the liver  , gall  bladder  , and  pancreas, which  produce important secretions for digestion that drain into the small intestine. The digestive tract in an adult is about 30  feet long. Mouth and Salivary Glands Digestion begins in  the mouth, where chemical and mechanical digestion occurs. Saliva or spit, produced  by the salivary glands (located under  the tongue and near the lower  Ã‚  jaw), is released into the mouth. Saliva begins to break down the food, moistening it and making it easier to  swallow. A digestive enzyme(called amylase) in the saliva begins to break  down the carbohydrates(starches and sugars). One of the most important functions of the mouth is  chewing. Chewing allows food to be mashed into a soft mass that is easier to swallow and digest later. Esophagus Once food is swallowed, it enters the esophagus, a muscular tube that is about10 inches long. The esophagus is located between the throat and the stomach. Muscular  wavelike contractions known as peristalsis push the food down through  the esophagus to the stomach. A muscular ring (called the cardiac sphincter) at the end of the esophagus allows food to enter the stomach, and, then, it  squeezes shut to prevent food and fluid from going back up the esophagus. Stomach a J-shaped organt hat lies between the esophagus and the small intestine in the upper  abdomen. The stomach has 3 main functions: to  store the swallowed food and liquid; to mix up the food,  liquid, and digestive juices produced by the stomach; and to slowly empty its contents into the  small intestine. Small Intestine Most digestion and absorption of food occurs in the small intestine. The small intestine is a narrow,  twisting tube that occupies most of  the lower abdomen between the stomach and the beginning of the large  intestine. It extends about 20 feet in length. The small intestine consists of 3 parts: the duodenum (the C-shaped part), the  jejunum  (the coiled midsection), and the ileum(the last section). The small  intestine has 2 important functions. First, the digestive process is completed here  by enzymes and other substances made by intestinal cells, the pancreas, and  the liver. Glands in the  intestine walls secrete enzymes that breakdown starches and sugars. The pancreas secretes enzymes into the  small intestine that help  breakdown carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The liver produces  bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. Bile helps to make fat molecules (which otherwise arenot soluble in water) soluble, so they can be absorbed by  the body. Second, the small intestine absorbs the nutrients from the digestive process. The inner wall of the small lintestine is covered by millions of  tiny fingerlike projections called villi. The villi are covered with even tinier projections called microvilli. The  combination of villi and microvilli increase the surface area of  the small intestine greatly, allowing absorption of  nutrients to occur. Undigested material travels next  to the large intestine. Large intestine forms an upside down U over  the coiled small intestine. It begins at the lower right-hand side of the body and ends  on the lower left-hand side. The large intestine is about 5-6 feet long. It  has 3 parts: the cecum, the colon, and the rectum. The cecum is a  pouch at the beginning of the  large intestine. This area allows food to pass from the small intestine to the large intestine. The colon is where fluids and salts are absorbed and extends from the cecum to the rectum. The  last part of the large intestine is the rectum, which is where feces(waste material) is stored before leaving the body through the anus. The main  job of the large intestine is to  remove water and salts (electrolytes) from the undigested material and to form solid waste that can be excreted. Bacteria in the large intestine help to  break down the  undigested materials. The remaining contents of the  large intestine are moved toward the rectum, where feces are stored until they leave the body through the anus as a  bowel movement.

japanese corruption essays

japanese corruption essays The Japanese political system has it's complexities like any other government. The most boggling one in Japan is it's corruption which has become so popular among the bureaucrats over the years. This government has tried to better itself with each party leader preaching a new hope or reform for the governments future. The question continues to arise on why things are the way they are in this country. With each new party that gains the majority votes, brings a downfall in the future to hurt the Japanese economy and political structure. It might be best said that "The Japanese people have been more than indulgent in allowing political corruption and have coined a saying describing the phenomenon: tok-age no shipp kiri-"Cutting the tail of the lizard." Nature has increased the lizard's chances of avoiding capture by its enemies by equipping it with a detachable tail. When a predator seizes a fleeing lizard by the tail, it breaks off and the lizard escapes. But this loss is not permanent as the lizard can regenerate this portion of its anatomy"(Hayes, 107). This metaphor perfectly describes the corrupt leadership in Japan. Most of corruption that takes place effects the party and its leaders but never causes anything permanent so it is very often that these immoral acts just "slide". This problem is what has caused political corruption to become almost a norm in Japanese society. The long term effects of this corruption has caused a severe damage to Japans political system but those who have gotten caught in scandals are treated with very little punishment. On a local level, there has been many cases of bribes connected to public works and bureaucratic favors. Vote buying has become very popular among the Japanese scandals. The money that was used was always aimed to be passed in an unseen manner. Most of the time these gifts were overlooked as political donations. Accounting regulations have been manipulated and ficti...

Nesting Strategy of Active Directory for Riordan Manufacturing Essay

Nesting Strategy of Active Directory for Riordan Manufacturing - Essay Example Universal Groups - These are formed in the forest comprising of multiple trees (that is, multiple domains). The users assigned in universal groups can get privileges on any domain within the forest. Universal groups can also incorporate other universal groups and global groups within the same forest. Domain Local Groups - These are formed within the same domain in a tree. These can incorporate users from any domain within the forest (provided trust relationships are in place) and can also incorporate the other universal groups, global groups and local groups of the same domain. The difference between groups in organizational units (OUs) is that the groups comprises of users & groups while the OUs comprises of users and computers. The purpose of groups is to assign privileges to users pertaining to networked resources while the purpose of OUs is to use Group Policy Organization (GPO) to apply security & other configuration settings. All groups proposed herewith are security groups. The business framework of Riordan Manufacturing has two locations having corporate functions - Corporate HQ and China. The Corporate HQ has Finance, HR, Marketing and Corporate groups and China has Finance QA and corporate groups. The corporate functions will need access to resources of all locations and department functions as appropriate. In this context the following policies are proposed: (a) The corporate HQ governance functions shall have access rights everywhere on the active directory. (b) The China governance functions shall have access rights in China and Corporate business areas. (c) The QA function in China would govern quality control activities across the group and hence shall have access right everywhere on the AD. (d) All other users shall have access rights within their respective departments/locations. To support the above policies, the following Nesting Strategy has been proposed for Riordan Manufacturing: Primary Domain: Riordan.com Domain Local Groups: Corporate, Corporate R&D, Pontiac and Albany Child Domain: China.Riordan.com Domain Local Groups: China Corporate, China MFG and China MTLS. The Local groups

Sustaining L.A. Interview with Fallen Fruit Assignment

Sustaining L.A. Interview with Fallen Fruit - Assignment Example As an artist involved in community gardens, this is a whole new world of idea for me. The excitement of being able to intertwine two of what I consider most interesting aspects of my personal (and maybe even professional) life is amazing. I remember when Viegener recounts the story of giving free fruit jams in an L.A. art exhibit, stating that it is free because â€Å"it's public jam, it's from public fruit, and you're the public. We get it from you, it goes back to you† and how â€Å"people at the art fair L.A. don't like to maybe see themselves as the public† (2007). This is perhaps one of the most amusing things that struck me because I see the act of making fruit jams and giving them out for free as already an art in itself. Viegener is right in saying that â€Å"the meaning that's created in any work of art is about sort form of exchange that is always social† (2007). This can be applied to my interest in community gardens. The social exchange that is aimed at in Solano Canyon Community Garden is a sort of an inspiration. ... Viegener, Mattias and Burns, David. â€Å"Fallen Fruit.† Interview by Bill Kelley Jr. YouTube. kcet web stories, 2007. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5pcdeZCmK4&feature=player_embedded B. Photo Essay on Solano Canyon Community Garden Photo: Al Renner. Credit: Ann Summa. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2010/11/solano-canyon-community-garden.html When we talk about Solano Canyon Community Garden, we think of Master Gardener Al Renner, an admirably strong and robust man in his 70s who is a legend in his successes in acquiring more lands and funds for community gardens all over the country. He may be a picture of a kindly old grandfather who smiles at little grandchildren, but his active and alert mind makes one think that maybe his gardens give him something that nourishes his inner youth. For someone who hasn't been in Solano Canyon Community Garden before, one would realize that the freshness and vigor of this man can be seen from one's entry to on e's exit in the garden. http://www.mosaicsalltheway.com/publicsccg.html These are the walls the stretch on either sides of the garden's entrance. From the wall art itself, one can immediately sense the meaning the garden people want to send across: diversity and history. The rainbow and the mosaic replica of the elementary school are shown on the walls, and they immediately tell you that yes, this is California diversity and yes, this place has a historical value. You can always look for that face from the first photo and ask all about the garden's story and be amused at how history and diversity can be reflected immediately in his words.