Investing In The Future :: essays research papers fc

Investing in the Future Welfare and school reform are two of the most widely discussed issues in politics today. Many people are calling for reduction or elimination welfare programs as well as programs that provide breakfast and lunch at schools. They argue that people should be able to provide for themselves and their children with minimal government assistance, and spending other people's tax dollars to assist the less fortunate only makes the problem worse. The main problem with this line of thinking is that it forgets about the children involved. Children have no control over what family they are born into. Many are born into situations, such as single parent families, where the families have no way of giving their children a good chance of developing into healthy, well adjusted adults. Something must be done to break this cycle, because besides helping children to develop to their full potential, government assistance "saves society the costs incurred when intellectually and socially impaired children grow up to be intellectually and socially impaired adults"(Collins 59). The need for some sort of assistance for many children became obvious to me on a volunteer project I did in high school. The summer after my junior year I took a trip to San Antonio with about twenty other students. We were divided between two different projects, and I went to work in a summer day-care program in an underprivileged area. The day-care was for children aged infant to eighteen, and on an average day about 175 children would come through. They only had two full time workers, and relied on volunteer groups that came through about once or twice a month to help them. They used to have more workers, but lacked the funding necessary to keep anyone on permanently. Many of the children were dropped off before the center opened at 8:00 in the morning, and the meals they received at the center were the only meals they got all day. Almost all the children showed a great need for attention and affection. It was this experience that made me realize that many children grow up without a real chance at a decent life. Helping children early is crucial. Much research has been done recently on early childhood development, and there is much evidence that there are windows of learning for the development of vision, feelings, language and other things. A window of learning means that there is a certain period of time in child development when the brain "demands certain types of input in order to create or stabilize certain long-lasting structures"(Nash 53). This type of

Letter to the brazilian government regarding the amazonian rainforest

I am writing to you to express my views and opinions about the Amazonian rainforest and the way it's being exploited. I am fully aware that you, as a government, are being threatened to reduce the amount of trees you cut down from other countries; this letter may initially appear to be like those others, but I understand both sides of the argument, although I do strongly believe it is best that we protect the rainforest than destroy it. I do realize that you are desperately trying to develop into one of the world's most economically developed countries. Whilst destroying the rainforest would originally generate a huge income, I understand, the profits would not be as great if the natural resources were to be managed in a sustainable approach in the future. Amazonia will eventually be deprived of its resources at this going rate – the effects this will cause will be difficult to resolve. Firstly, Amazonia is a way of life to the indigenous people; they have lived in this rainforest for thousands of years. If you were to destroy Amazonia, these people would be forced to leave their homes as their homeland/habitat would be in the way of loggers, and legal legislations would not permit the locals to stay put, as they do not possess ‘ownership deeds', as you are aware of. This may cause more deforestation, as the tribes would have to find new areas in the rainforest to live – others may migrate (sometimes illegally) to other countries in South America or even around the world; so they will become more densely populated with mostly uneducated Brazilians, as, most of the indigenous people have never gone to school. At present, South America has an increasing population of roughly 371 million people. Notably, the most densely populated countries in South America are Brazil (186,112,794) followed by Colombia (42,954,279), Venezuela (25,375,231) and then Ecuador (13,363,593). Each of these countries are partly covered by the Amazonian Rainforest – if it were to be destroyed, a majority of these people would be likely to migrate to another country located in South America, probably a MEDC compared to the others, as it would be cheaper and easy to reach. By destroying the rainforest you would be putting your local civilization in jeopardy, just to make money, in which I would agree, this would improve the countries economy in the distant future – but it does not necessarily make this right. Not only would destroying the Amazonian rainforest have huge effects on the locals, the consequences of destroying it would make a global impact. Accordingly, the vegetation of the rainforest accounts for 20% of the world's supply of oxygen – which could be a cause for concern to the native mammals on our planet. If the trees and plants were to be destroyed the CO2 would also cause a great risk; being released into the atmosphere, as a greenhouse gas, will contribute massively to global warming. Our descendants will suffer from these effects; be witnessing flooding and climate changes worldwide, if you were to act irresponsibly and destroy Amazonia. Can you imagine your children being affected by this global impact? It surely must defeat the morals of destroying the Amazonian Rainforest in the first place. As you must be aware of, the rainforest's natural diversity is huge. It's home to over 1000 different tree species; 40,000 plants, 2. 5 million insects, 3000 fish, 1,300 birds, 440 mammals, 430 amphibians and 380 reptiles. Destroying the habitats of the wide variety of these species will cause a majority of them to become extinct, as most can't be found anywhere else in the world. It is because of the equatorial climate in your region of the world that these species exist, and the weather is perfect for them to survive and thrive. The plants, as you will know, oppose the potential in containing undiscovered medicines which can possibly cure fatal diseases; which could benefit the human civilization forever. This could possibly give you an alternative for making huge sums of money – extracting medicines that can cure world-wide spread diseases that will always be in demand. But on the other hand, destroying the rainforest will provide the world many valuable resources like hardwoods and building materials; which are imperative in global development. Your country would receive a substantial amount of money as these materials can be used for a lot of practical uses aswell – highlighting there world-wide benefits. Finally, destroying Amazonia would provide key professions, such as loggers, cattle ranchers and miners to the local people who seek employment which requires little/no education. This is important for them as they will be able to afford a better standard of life, in which their family will benefit from. But these people are only, however, interested in their own wealth fare – not the environment around them. They simply do not care about the millions of animals that will suffer from their actions – but it is you that can prevent this, or even just change these occurrences. However, this is understandable on their behalf; they need money to survive, but the reasons for deforestation are easily outshone by the fact that the rainforest needs to be preserved. In addition, those local people can capably make a relatively large amount of money if they were to work as an act of sustainable development. Simple farming methods could be taught to the local people, which are efficient in growing reasonable amounts of produce, time after time; these allotments would be placed in selected areas of the rainforest – therefore this allows different sections of Amazonia to be protected and local people can be provided with free knowledge and education, to benefit the quality of their produce and its efficiency of being more environmentally clean and effective. Mining companies could be restrained into only being able to mine only certain amounts/types of the minerals underneath the rainforest flooring, at different intervals during a year/month. Taxes can be installed on each ore the foreign companies extract, so the country itself would receive extra amounts of money from work they don't participate in, as their own resources are being disposed. Once theses mines have been exhausted – deprived of all their natural resources – the companies must reforest the area, to help repair the damage to the environment. This possible legislation can also be applied to the logging industries. The trees cut down should be replaced immediately by the seeds of that species – afforestation. This would at least enable the survival of the vegetation in Amazonia in the future. Also once again, it could be acceptable to place a tax on the more expensive tree species which are cut down, which would decrease the companies profits which may prevent them from cutting down so many of them; and the local governments would receive this money which could possibly increase their yearly revenue dramatically . Ecotourism will provide employment for the local people, but more importantly boost the economy, just like all of the other sustainable activities, but the difference would be; the beneficial improvement to the popularity and reputation of the rainforest. Amazonia's natural beauty will be appreciated as it deserves, with a minimal amount of deforestation, and a global demand to witness its magnificence, which will always be constant – fetching high prices from each tourist. The use of ecotourism could be extended to the creations of national reserves and parks, in and outside of Amazonia; which would provide a wide range of employment and the potential to be the most ‘exotic' of the world's national parks, which would make a visit there highly expensive and therefore profitable for the countries. By following these policies, horrific consequences are being prevented and compromises have been put into place to ensure that both groups of people, wanting to protect the rainforest and destroy the rainforest are happy with the agreement. If any of these legislations were to be broken then fines could be used to create negative publicity for the companies; which could decrease their popularity severely and damage the economical structure. In conclusion I strongly believe that you should try your up-most hardest to protect the Amazonian Rainforest. Whilst you have plenty of sustainable ways to provide your country with resources needed to develop efficiently, your local people can also benefit from the new legislations I strongly recommend you implement. If you were to decide to destroy the entire rainforest, global warming would endanger the world, and for that sole reason other countries would attempt to stop you, creating wars, in order to inevitably save the plant. Your only acceptable reason for cutting down the rainforest is to make money from the large amounts of natural resources you produce. But when the rainforest would be completely destroyed, you will have nothing that is valuable remaining. Moreover, the profit you would make from the various techniques of sustainable development, in a relatively short time period, at around a matter of a decade, would be greater than if you were to destroy the rainforest entirely. So you could receive a better ‘turn-over' from saving the planet, eventually. It is not essential that you totally cut down the rainforest. Destroying it will cause far more arguments and worldwide horror than leaving Amazonia to provide us with the resources required.

Childhood Obesity Essay - 1454 Words

A healthy, average 6-year-old child has the lowest BMI than any other time in his or her life. However, in this day and age overeating and other health habits have given evidence to research that this generation has the highest rates of obesity in children. Since 1980, the prevalence of obesity has almost tripled (â€Å"Centers for disease,† 2011). Childhood obesity is becoming a serious national problem. It’s even becoming a concern internationally as well. Historical comparisons from every nation find obesity increasing at especially alarming rates in children. Even our pets are overweight. A recent USA Today magazine includes the headline, How to help your fat dog† (Moon, 2008). Unless the rate of childhood obesity decreases, today’s†¦show more content†¦Friends and acquaintances stop me all the time to tell me I’m so slender!† (Moore 2010). So when it’s not the genes, what is it that is causing this problem? Anne Moore continues her argument that â€Å"fast food, towns without sidewalks, urban poverty, working women, sugared cereals, school lunches, high-fructose corn syrup, deep-fried candy, and television† keep America especially inactive and eating unhealthily. While the fast food is really harmful after an excessive amount, fast food chains and their advertisements are often blamed too harshly. Advertising is not the main cause and blame for childhood obesity. Ads simply promote one brand name over another. They do not persuade people to do things they are not already doing (Moerdyk, 2008). They already drink cold drinks, eat food, drive cars, and buy groceries. The advertising tries to get people who already drink cold drinks to try theirs, drive their cars, and buy at their store. â€Å"The reason we have so many fat, unhealthy kids who get involved in drugs and all sorts of other bad habits has got little to do with advertising and a lot to do with parents who dont give a darn what programs their kids watch on TV or what movies they go to† (Moerdyk, 2008). There are other factors involved that include culture and social influences. Governments determine the school lunches and whether or not soda and snack vending machines are on school campus. Adam Burnstein did research on the quality of schoolShow MoreRelatedChildhood Obesity : A Obesity1247 Words   |  5 PagesChildhood Obesity: A Review to Prevent the Risk Factors of Childhood Obesity in Our Community. The rates of childhood obesity Worldwide are alarmingly high! Obesity is a global nutritional concern and leads to horrible consequences on our children and becomes a worldwide pandemic. Worldwide estimates of obesity are as high as 43 million, and rates continue to increase each year. In this study, people will find healthy tips to prevent childhood overweight or obesity to help children in our communitiesRead MoreThe Prevalence Of Childhood Obesity1678 Words   |  7 PagesThe prevalence of childhood obesity has remained a serious matter in the United States over the years despite its recent decline (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Children who are obese can experience the same devastating health effects as adults who are obese – cardiovascular issues, diabetes, breathing problems, and so forth. In addition, children who are obese are more than likely to become obese as adults, therefore the development of a health fair that would highlight increasedRead MoreThe Effects Of Obesity On Childhood Obesity Essay1953 Words   |  8 Pagesfind out what has caused or what the leading factors to obesity are. Researchers are currently still doing research to find out what causes or what may be the lead to obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition which considers a child to be obese if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. (Rendall., Weden, Lau, Brownell, Nazarov Fernandes, 2014). Obesity is on a rise in the Unites States and all over the worldRead MoreEssay on Childhood Obesity1599 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and is steadily affecting many low- and middle-income families particularly in the United States. The socioeconomic status of these families contributes to the childhood obesity epidemic. Summary of Article 1 The article, â€Å"Beliefs about the Role of Parenting in Feeding and Childhood Obesity among Mothers of Lower Socioeconomic Status† is a study that was conducted by Alison KalinowskiRead MoreChildhood Obesity : Obesity And Obesity Essay1671 Words   |  7 PagesFight to End Obesity Childhood obesity has increased drastically over the past years and has become a health risk to children. In fact, childhood obesity has doubled in numbers in the past thirty years (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity occurs when an individual becomes overweight and can be diagnosed by using the body mass index or BMI scale. Obesity causes many diseases in children which cannot be cured without a doctor, in result, childhood obesity drives high health care costs. The existenceRead MoreChildhood Obesity and Its Effect1260 Words   |  6 PagesChildhood obesity is considered to be a serious issue among our youth. Obesity can cause many types of physical problems, which most are aware of, but it can also cause some undesirable internal feelings within children and adolescents who suffer from it. Self-esteem, or self-worth, is important as it helps develop personality and is a major ingredient to our mental health status (Wang, F. and Veugelers, P. J., 2008). Some have said obesity may e ven have a negative effect on cognitive developmentRead MoreChildhood Obesity : The Adolescent Essay3626 Words   |  15 PagesChildhood Obesity: The Adolescent The Finale Paper Presented to: GEN499: General Education Capstone Instructor: Robert Bass Ashford University By: Ranita Wallace March 27, 2015 Childhood Obesity: The Adolescent Obesity is a growing health problem. Obesity is when individuals are overweight, it causes health problems and is a threat to their lives. Usually obesity is a result from over eating and lack of exercise. Obesity is the cause of many health problems such as diabetesRead MoreChildhood Obesity Essay976 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to a 2010 report by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past thirty years. As well as having an impact on health, studies have cited a relationship between obesity and poor school performance as well as a child’s readiness for learning and education. This can be correlated with studies finding â€Å"obese children have a greater risk of social and psychological problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem†Read MoreChildhood Obesity : Obesity And Obesity1505 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood Obesity Introduction Childhood Obesity has become more critical public health issue worldwide. However, obesity ratio varies from country to country. In addition, up to a quarter of Australian children are suffering from childhood obesity and obese children are at higher risk to become obese adult. For this reason, child’s weight always matters because it can impact on their health in future. There may be many reasons which affect childhood obesity including sedentary life style, lack ofRead MoreObesity : Childhood Obesity And Obesity955 Words   |  4 Pageswhere the life expectancy of today’s generation is being threatened. Prevention of overweight and obesity is imperative. Parents, especially mothers play a major role in preventing overweight and obesity among the children. Their knowledge of nutrition, food selection and family meal structure has major impact on their children’s food habit. The preschool age is crucial for the children to learn and develop their lifelong hab its. Education starts from home, where parents are the primary source