Interpersonal Communication Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Interpersonal Communication - Term Paper Example An understanding of interpersonal relationships is an essential element in developing good interpersonal relationships. Individuals indulge in different levels of interpersonal relationship that depends upon the person with whom they indulge into interaction. This interpersonal communication can be done both with the use of direct and indirect mediums like face to face interaction, or computer mediated interaction. For ensuring a successful interpersonal interaction, it is important the sender and receiver of the message interpret and understand the message with an adequate level of meaning and its implications. Although interpersonal communication provides communication between two or more people, it also plays an important role in maintaining the communication between two people who are in a relationship and it is said to be the basis of every interpersonal relationship. There are various principles that define the ways in which interpersonal communication is conducted effectively. One of the principles implies that interpersonal communication is inescapable. It says that even if two people do not want to communicate, this attempt of not communicating generates communication is established between them (Deams, 2007). Another principle says that interpersonal communication is irreversible, as whatever has been said cannot be taken back. It is said in a Russian proverb that once a word goes out of the mouth, you can never swallow it again. Another principle says that interpersonal communication is complicated as there is no form of communication that is simple. There are number of variables that are involved in establishing an effective interpersonal communication. It has been observed by the theorists that whenever communication is initiated there are six people who are involved: the person who initiates the communication, the person who is the receiver of the information, the thinking of the

Flexibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Flexibility - Essay Example It works in interrelation with different operational and transactional factors like workforce, technological capital, organizational systems and the concern as a whole. Flexibility allowed in the labor force earns due efficiency if it helps to augment the degree of commitment of organizational workforce. (Procter & Ackroyd, 2009, p. 495). Three main themes would be outlined in the paper, which can be given as follows. The concept of flexibility to be successful must be closely tied to high degree of organizational commitment. Present level of increased competition triggers the need of a flexible workforce who would rightly adapt to changes in level of demand and operational process. The function of flexibility earns success if the employees work together in a committed manner to achieve organizational goals (Guest, 1989.p.49). Moreover, flexibility of the labor force tends to identify the Human Resources Management as a strategic initiative, which helps the company to earn a distinct competitive advantage. Human Resource Management as a strategic function encompasses the different policies and end goals behind the proper management of the labor force. The strategic face of human resource management is likely needed in bigger firms with several departments and also in other multinational firms for maintaining a strong binding in the labor force. (Boxar, Peter & Purcell, 2003. p.50) In key connection to the concept of human resources management is the process of recruitment and selection of the right candidate to help achieve the organizational goals. Thus recruitment and selection procedures and methods must be devised keeping in mind the end goals. The modern day organization desires to bring in a lot of flexibility in their organizational procedure and management of human resources in the organization. Modern day companies observe that through a flexible workforce the company can achieve high levels of profit and

Crichton Smith Critical Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Crichton Smith Critical Evaluation Essay Home by Iain Crichton Smith is a short story which creates a sense of time and place. This essay will examine how the sense of place is shown in setting and will comment on the message the writer has. Jackson is a man returning to his hometown in Glasgow from South Africa. It becomes apparent to the reader that the setting, in both time and place, is a very important aspect in conveying the meaning of the text. In the short story it becomes apparent that the place has changed since Jackson was last here as the city of Glasgow has undergone a period of decline and decay. This is shown in different ways such as characterisation, descriptive language and the use of imagery. Smith shows firstly how very unpleasant Jacksons hometown has become at the start of the story. He describes how things are poorly maintained like his old tenement has become drab and the walls are described as:  Brown above and dirty blue below, pitted with scars  Brown shows how unpleasant the setting is through the use of negative colour imagery. The colour brown very often has negative connotations. This gives the reader an immediate negative image of the tenement. Also Smith uses the colour blue which should give a positive image, however he uses it with the word dirty which also gives the reader an image of the unpleasant environment around the tenement. Also to give the reader a bit more of a negative image of the area, Smith writes pitted with scars, which has two meanings in the story one of which is suppose to mean the area is literally scarred because the area has been very poorly maintained and is very unpleasant. The second meaning is that it is metaphorically scarred because it has had an emotional impact on everyone in the neighbourhood. This is also used to highlight the horrendous living conditions in Glasgow. While Jackson remains regretful about the hardships of the living conditions in Glasgow and in his tenement, Jacksons wife has a more realistic idea that times have changed in Glasgow when she says to Jackson, Lock the car dear, This shows the reality of this area and shows Jacksons ignorance and that his wife is very wary about that particular area. Jackson shows how naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve he really is and that he does not realise that the place has changed dramatically and protests: They dont do things like that here  The image of the unpleasantness of the area is again highlighted.  as the town had changed a lot since they had left it, that much was clear  The story continues by focusing strongly on the negative changes such as, the loss of the community spirit, the local shops and the loss of friends to featureless estates. Smith is clearly commenting of how the social conditions of Glasgow have changed dramatically through time. Jackson visits his old office, a place of happy memories of. However, upon entering the office his memories are shattered and he begins to realise how uninteresting and unpleasant the office actually is. Jackson stood cringing in that rotting office. This shows that Jacksons view is beginning to change as he draws back and he does not enjoy being back at his old office. Both cringing and rotting have negative connotations and this highlights how uncomfortable he is beginning to feel in an office that appears to be decaying in his eyes. At this point the reader is also meant to see that Jacksons nostalgia destroys the strikingly expressive memory immediately after arguing with the factor of the building. Jackson shows and immediate change of attitude and character when he now sees Africa as home by suddenly saying;  I wish to God we were home  This speech shows the dramatic change in his character. The reader sees how the nostalgia that Jackson had has been completely destroyed. Also he sees people who live in the tenements as punks when Smith writes;  By God, they knew how to deal with punks where he came from  Iain Smith uses very effective word choice. Punks shows how Jackson sees people who live in the tenements in a very bad way. The reader is made aware of the ignorance of Jackson and he appears to have learned nothing from his visit and he would have still have acted aggressively.  Overall, Home by Iain Crichton Smith is a short story which has been shown throughout. The character of Jackson has changed dramatically because of the setting in place. This short story shows that people can be naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve when they are talking about where they come from but when they leave and come back again and see a massive difference which changes the character of the person.

Gender Identity In Friends Tv Show Film Studies Essay

Gender Identity In Friends Tv Show Film Studies Essay When we say that gender identity is socially constructed, what we do mean is that our identities are a fluid assemblage of the meanings and behaviours that we construct from the values, images and prescriptions we find in the world around us. Our gendered identities are both voluntary we choose who we are and coerced we are pressured, forced, sanctioned and often physically beaten into submission to some rules. We neither make up the rules as we go along, nor do we fit casually and without struggle into preassigned roles. (Carter and Steiner 2004) The influences that gender roles and our daily occupations have on our lives extend well beyond the workspace. In the popular television series, Friends, the show exhibits six main characters, consisting of three males and three females. During each episode, several portrayals of the intermingling of work and gender related issues arise. These issues interact with the personal and social lives of each of the main characters. Thus, each character finds that their careers define themselves, and that they are defined by their gender roles and their chosen job markets. Looking into how the role of each character affects their social relationship, one thing that I am interested in is that the successes, failures and experiences of their careers can also play upon the characters friendships. This essay aims to explore how each character attempts to represent their social class and their gender roles. Also, it will attempt to demonstrate whether their careers have a direct impact on their s ocial relationship. For this assignment, five episodes of Friends were chosen from the second season of the series, which aired September of 1995 into January of 1996. The answers to the three following questions were then sought from each episode. 1.) What careers do each of the characters have, and how do they attempt to represent themselves as employees of such? 2.) Do the careers have a direct impact on their personal identities, if so, how? 3.) Do the careers and gender roles of each character have an impact on their social relationship? 4.) Are there any other gender and work related issues portrayed? The following answers will come as a result of the inquired questions. Each of the male characters attempted to represent themselves with success in their career fields, although it may not have always happened. In their various fields of work, Joey and Ross feel the desire to depict profitable growth and flourishing careers. Joey, as an actor, spends time trying to coerce his way into various employment situations. In the episode, The One After the Super Bowl, he specifically wines and dines an assistant movie director in an attempt to obtain an acting role for a movie. In the end he succeeds, but prior to his victory he expresses distress about being outshined in show business by Ross pet monkey. In this context, I could consider about Joeys self identity. Giddens (1991) mentioned a persons identity is not to be found in behavior, nor important thought this is in the reactions of others, but in the capacity to keep a particular narrative going. Here Joey gives a good example that competition (with a monkey), whether real or imagined, impacts how one man feels he represents himself as successful or not in his chosen career. Joey felt surpassed in the acting business. While he performed as a television character, a monkey without acting skills had appeared in popular advertisements and a film. Understandably, Joey displays feelings of confusion and jealousy when an animal obtained more attention from Hollywood than himself. Joeys personal identity as a successful actor comes into question, which instigates him to pursue a role in a film as well. Joey succeeds, obtaining a supporting role. His self identity as a successful actor reappears when he feels that he has accomplished as much in the acting business as the monkey. On the other hand, the character Ross tries to represent himself as successful in his job by proving the scientific credibility of his research. In the episode, The One with Phoebes Husband, Phoebe reveals that she does not believe in the theory of evolution. Ross, as a palaeontologist, feels the inclination to convince her that evolution really exists. He spends considerable effort to explain to Phoebe the way humans have changed throughout time. When Phoebe finally persuades Ross to admit that other explanations seem plausible for humans existence besides evolution, Ross feels his incentive to work shattered. Overall, Ross represents himself as a realistic fact finder in his career, and makes attempts at success by researching and sharing the information he finds with others. Ross obviously feels his job success through the proven facts that he and his career endorse. When others question those very facts, he feels not only his career but also his personal identity challenged. Ross, unlike Joey, has no competition and does not need to achieve more to feel successful. Instead, his values, reasons, and passion for why he works in the field he has chosen come into question. Phoebe challenges Ross to examine his motives, and then determine whether he wishes to continue down his career path once he admits other explanations for human evolution could exist. Admitting to other possible theories of human life makes Ross wonder about the legitimacy and value if his own work. No conclusion to this dilemma appears in the episode, and viewers are left to wonder how Ross overcomes such a critical experience. An adequate example of Chandlers career did not appear in the chosen episodes for examination. However, each of the present examples given illustrate Mac an Ghaills observation on mens attitudes concerning their careers. Nothing is more important to a mans pride, self respect, status, and manhood than work. Nothing. Sexual impotence, like a sudden loss of ambulation or physical strength, may shatter his self -confidence. Butà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦pride is built on work and achievement, and the successes that accrue from their work(Mac an Ghaill 2007). On a similar context, Gauntlett(2007) also describes about mans pride and self-esteem in society; both of them are based on confidence in the integrity and value of the narrative of self-identity. Joeys situation supports former statement by the revelation of his damaged pride and self identity when his acting career falls into the shadow of a monkeys stardom. Ross exemplifies latter statement as his confidence diminishes when he questions the validity and worth of his work. The women of the series do not seem to feel as much pressure to express their success in the career world, but do instead feel the gender limitations that their chosen careers impose on them. Monica, as a chef, finds herself without a job and struggling to obtain a new one. During the episode, The One with the List, she desperately takes on an assignment with a food company awaiting an FDA approval on its product mock-o-late, a substitute for chocolate. Her task with the food product concerns making thanksgiving recipes with mock-o-late as the main ingredient. After all her hard work with this horrible product, the FDA refuses to approve the chocolate substitute. Therefore, all of her effort goes wasted. However, she still receives a check from the food company. This encourages her to return to them for employment when they make another attempt with fish-stacios. Due to her desire to work, Monica describes herself in her career field as, having no morals and in need of money. Monica, unfortunately has an advanced level of training as a chef and yet reduces herself to take whatever job avails itself. One might wonder if the Jane Arthurs opinion, women face persistent discrimination based on their gender; they are paid less, promoted less, and assigned to specific jobs despite their qualifications and motivations(Arthurs 2004), rings true in this situation for the despairing culinary artist. Unlike Monica, Rachel, a waitress at the local coffee shop, remains content with her career. Surprisingly, she reflects no concrete representation of herself as the other characters do. The same situation arises with the character Phoebe, who has a career as a masseuse. Both of these women in the episodes chosen have very few, if any, attitudes that they reveal towards their chosen careers. Although their careers lack emphasis in the series, they still play vital roles in the characters personal identities and friendships as will later be shown. Moving onto the impacts that the careers have on their social relationships, the most prominent example of such appears in the episode, The One with the List. During this particular show, Ross tries to decide whether or not to break up with his current girlfriend in order to go out with Rachel. While trying to make his decision, Joey and Chandler convince Ross to create a list of pros and cons about each woman. Ross lists Rachel as only a waitress while his current girlfriend shares his career of palaeontology. Ross still breaks up with his girlfriend and seeks to start a relationship with Rachel. However, Rachel finds the list and discovers Ross thinks of her as only a waitress. The differences perceived between Rachels career and Ross career establishes the foundation of a rift in their friendship as well as their potential relationship. The Ross measured the difference between Rachels career and his girlfriends career by level of success. Labelling Rachel as only a waitress depicts Ross disdain for average jobs, yet Rachel does not feel inadequacy with her career until Ross brings it up. Rachel, Phoebe and Monica do not seem to measure themselves by their careers like the men in the series. Instead they view their careers mainly as a way to pay their bills. This gender difference shows that women tend to stress work less in relation to their sense personal identities. Careers to the women appear as more of a means of survival, while men view it more as a self defining role. Another issue that revealed itself concerning work and genders impact on relationships happened in the episode, The One with Phoebes Husband. In this particular viewing, fans find out that Phoebe has a supposedly gay husband from Canada. They were married so that Phoebes husband could obtain a green card and join the American Ice-escapades. However, to Phoebes disappointment, her husband turns out to be straight and presently wants a divorce. Previously, the characters career as an ice skater led him to think that he might be homosexual. He drew this conclusion before many years, as a young man, since all his friends and fellow skaters were gay. Feeling pressured to fit in, Phoebes husband presumed and tried to convince himself and everyone around him that he shared a homosexual orientation. This extreme view of gender roles in the work place obviously had huge and lasting impacts on the relationship Phoebe had with this man. Interestingly, this characters career dilemma did not focus on success or personal motivations to work, it revolved around wanting to fit into the crowd. As a skater this man was already talented, and obviously his passion for skating motivated him to continue. The gender identity that people labelled male skaters in his career field with, as well as the established gender of his fellow friends and co-workers, presented him with the problems he encountered. Finally though, he broke through the social labels to assert himself as a heterosexual. Consequently, an important point to note considers the fact that Rachel and Ross careers alone do not cause the problem in their friendship. Nor did Phoebes husbands career cause their resulting conflict. The dilemmas actually arose from the combination of perceptions they held about each others careers and also the feelings attached to them. Rachel finds herself defined by her career in the One with the List episode, and not in a favourable light. Interestingly, Ross too had found his own career criticized by a friend as was mentioned previously. When Phoebe cast Ross work into doubt by questioning evolution, Ross sense of self esteem fell. A parallel of low self esteem occurred in both characters (Rachael and Ross), when their careers value came into question. Careers do seem to have an important impact on friendships, but could it also be said, as in Phoebe and her husbands case that friendships have a rebounding affect on careers? Overall, the six main characters in the series Friends do visibly define themselves in relation to their careers, and that those very careers touch their friendships in significant ways. Upon viewing all five episodes there also appeared other work and gender related issues that will be shortly summarized for observations sake. First, most of the secondary characters that were depicted in positions of employment on the series were male. Two janitors, a lawyer, a movie producer, a company and a zoo manager all were men. The only two women who appeared employed aside from our main characters were a makeup artist and an animal trainer. This bias of more males than females in the working world being presented may have been due to the random selection of the episodes. However, the jobs shown in the viewed episodes do reflect that males hold more prestigious jobs. One could wonder if that bias comes from the writers or whether Kimmels observation gathered from Rhodes work, Speaking of Sex, Different occupations are seen as more appropriate for one gender of the other, and thus women and men are guided, pushed, or occasionally shoved into specific positions (Kimmel, 2004) again applies to the situation. (Words 2,349)

Intimate partner violence

Intimate partner violence Abstract Using four published articles this paper takes a look at gender differences in addressing intimate partner violence (IPV), the causes, whos at risk and what can prevent revictimization. Not only will this paper explore intimate partner violence (IPV) and the motives behind it, it will also discuss the court system, public policies, and the gender bias it holds. A portion of the studies analyzed in this paper used the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to gain research. This study is the largest annual crime victimization survey worldwide. The information used for analysis in these particular journals was gathered from 1987 to 2003, and participants in the study were interviewed once every six months for three years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This paper attempts to evaluate Intimate Partner Violence and compare the severity and frequency of male perpetrators and female perpetrators. IPV is defined by Cho and Wilke as â€Å"a violent crime, including rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault, and simple assault, committed by a current of former spouse or boy or girl friend†. This topic is important to study in order to reduce the prevalence of IPV and to be able to better help victims of IPV.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a 2004 study, Henning and Feder compared the demographic characteristics, severity of intimate partner violence and criminal histories of men and women arrested for assaulting an intimate partner in order to analyze the increase in female arrestees due to IPV. The study will evaluate if women offend as often and as seriously as men.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The study analyzed 16,200 men and women from 1997-2001 that were arrested for misdemeanor or felony domestic violence assaults. Henning and Feder (2004) found 16.8% of people arrested during the four year period were women. It was found that females that were arrested were younger than male arrestees and were also young than the victim. In addition to this, the majority of men and women were African American. Additionally, female offenders were more likely to get arrested with their partner and also more likely than men to be charged with a felony assault and to have used a weapon. Contrary to this however, women were not more like to have injured their partner during the dispute. Males in the study were more likely to have had the police involved in a previous domestic abuse incident and also more than twice as likely to have prior arrests.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The study shows that while women do have a fairly high level of intimate partner violence, it was concluded that risk assessments associated with men that were arrested were much greater than risk assessments associated with women that were arrested. Furthermore, the criminal history of men that had been arrested previously for domestic violence and nonviolence charges may be more likely to continually be arrested for domestic violence, while women in the study â€Å"appear to be at low risk to engage in continued aggression or criminality† (Henning and Feder, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A significant weakness in this study is that it fails to take into account self defense from women. For example, if a woman was using violence as a form of self defense, she would still be included in the study. A major limitation of this study is that it only analyzes men and women in Shelby County, TN and may not be an accurate representation of all men and women.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In research acquired by Muller, Desmarais Hamel (2009) it shows that women initiate physical aggression as often, or more often than men, rarely in self defense, and motivated for similar reasons, typically for the purpose of expressing frustration, to communicate or to control, our out of desire to retaliate. Our public policy focuses primarily on male- perpetrated domestic violence and the needs of female victims and their children (Muller et al., 2009). There are close to 2,000 shelters nationwide and only a handful offer beds or services to battered men and their children (Muller et al, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Muller et al. (2009) research reveals that women are significantly more likely to have their abuse protection request granted than men, with an approval rate of 91% versus men at 66%. Currently there are 227,941 active restraining orders against adults; almost all of them are domestic violence cases (Muller et al.,2009) Approximately 72% were protecting a woman from a restrained man, 19% restrained a same-sex partner, and 9% restrained a woman from a protected man according to Muller et al (2009). Female defendants were much more likely to use a dangerous weapon when attacking their victims and were also more likely to scratch or gouge their victims (Muller et al., 2009) In Hambys summary article she brings to light the fact that women perpetrate physical abuse against their children in roughly equal numbers, if not more than men. Along with Muller et al. (2009), Hamby research also complies that women report more victimization crimes with the police. Interestingly enough once the police were called they were more likely to arrest assailants of females (36%) versus males (12%) (Hamby, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The findings were parallel in both Muller et al. (2009) and Hamby (2005) articles, concluding that due to the size differential injury rates are much higher in assaults against women. Research demonstrates that men far more hesitant to report domestic violence than women, even in the more severe cases (Muller et al., 2009). Muller et al (2009) also showed that male plaintiffs are more likely to drop a case given the decreased likelihood that they will report their abuse. This can be due to prevailing norms regarding masculinity, men may be opposed to convey their fear or to call the police even when they have every reason to do so (Muller et al.., 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cho and Wilke (2010) examined the effects an arrest has on a domestic violence offended and revictimization. Cho and Wilke analyzed men 18 and over who reported being a victim of IPV from a female perpetrator (female victims were also analyzed for sake of comparison).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the study, Cho and Wilkes found, there are 8 times as many female IPV victims as male IPV victims, which highly contrasted with Hambys findings. Female victims in this study were younger than male victims. Similarly to Henning and Feders 2004 study, female victims reported more minor injuries while male victims endured more aggravated assaults (Cho and Wilkes, 2010). Also, as Henning and Feder reported, Cho and Wilke found â€Å"more female perpetrators used severe violence and weapons than did male perpetrators†. Male victims were revictimized less frequently than female victims; which may be in part due to what was suggested in Henning and Feders 2004 study, that women are less likely to be repeat offenders, and also with Hambys research that women report more victimization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the study, there appeared to be no significant relationship between perpetrator arrest and reducing revictimization of males. However, perpetrator arrest reduced the odds of female revictimization by 45% (Cho and Wilkes, 2010). Also, while Cho and Wilke found there was no difference in revictimization in cases with or without weapons, it was found that victims of rape/sexual assault were three times more likely than victims of simple assault to be assaulted again. Like Henning and Feder, Cho and Wilke concluded that men are IPV victims much less frequently and they confirmed that IPV is mainly male violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A significant limitation in this study is that only 33 of the 298 men study were revictimized, and out of those 33 men, only 7 had perpetrators that were arrested (Cho and Wilkes, 2010). Since this number is so small, it would be hard to link arrests to the reduction of revictimization. Another limitation is that the study did not take into account the context of the violence, or what â€Å"type† of violence it was, much like Henning and Feders 2004 study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A more conclusive study of IPV would provide a better insight to the understand of male vs. female perpetrators. However, based on the studies analyzed, one can assume that women are much more likely to be the victim of IPV than men. Muller et al. 2009 research deviates from these findings, but it is in the minority. This was the main concern in comparing the four studies, as it seemed like it would be very clear as to which were more likely to be perpetrators men or women. For the reason that only one of the four studies found that women perpetrate more than men, it is safe to assume that women are more frequently victims of IPV.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As suggested, services and after care for victims of domestic violence is much more geared toward women. Research in the studies proposes men may be less apt to look for help after IPV as well as less likely to report IPV, which can be a severe factor in the skewing of information. Although research suggests that men are more capable of hurting women in IPV disputes, women and men both need to be held to the same standards when it comes to arrests and seriousness of the offenses. In order to more accurately assess the prevalence of IPV against men vs. against women the same action must be taken to each offender. References Cho, H, Wilke, D. (2010). Gender differences in the nature of the intimate partner violence and effects of perpetrator arrest on revictimization. Journal of Family Violence, 25. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/content/g66p6m7l17h04783 Hamby, S. (2005). Measuring gender differences in partner violence: implications from research on other forms of violence and socially undesirable behavior. Sex Roles, 52(11), Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/content/n73725h872gn7564/fulltext.pdf Henning, K, Feder, L. (2004). A Comparison of men and women arrested for domestic violence: who presents the greater threat?. Journal of Family Violence, 19(2), Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/content/mju9703751346711 Muller, H, Desmarais, S, Hamel, J. (2009). Do judicial responses to restraining order requests discriminate against male victims of domestic violence?. Journal of Family Violence, 24(8), Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com.proxy.library.oregonstate.edu/content/r8j8u66319rl13j7/

Fluids And Hydration :: essays research papers

How important are fluids? Fluid replacement is probably the most important nutritional concern for athletes. Approximately 60% of your body weight is water. As you exercise, fluid is lost through your skin as sweat and through your lungs when you breathe. If this fluid is not replaced at regular intervals during exercise, you can become dehydrated. When you are dehydrated, you have a smaller volume of blood circulating through your body. Consequently, the amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat decreases and your exercising muscles do not receive enough oxygen from your blood. Soon exhaustion sets in and your athletic performance suffers. If you have lost as little as 2% of your body weight due to dehydration, it can adversely affect your athletic performance. For example, if you are a 150-pound athlete and you lose 3 pounds during a workout, your performance will start to suffer unless you replace the fluid you have lost. Proper fluid replacement is the key to preventing dehydration and reducing the risk of heat injury during training and competition. How can I prevent dehydration? The best way to prevent dehydration is to maintain body fluid levels by drinking plenty of fluids before, during, and after a workout or race. Often athletes are not aware that they are losing body fluid or that their performance is being impacted by dehydration. If you are not sure how much fluid to drink, you can monitor your hydration using one of these methods. 1.Weight: Weigh yourself before practice and again after practice. For every pound you lose during the workout you will need to drink 2 cups of fluid to rehydrate your body. 2.Urine color: Check the color of your urine. If it is a dark gold color like apple juice, you are dehydrated. If you are well hydrated, the color of your urine will look like pale lemonade. Thirst is not an accurate indicator of how much fluid you have lost. If you wait until you are thirsty to replenish body fluids, then you are already dehydrated. Most people do not become thirsty until they have lost more than 2% of their body weight. And if you only drink enough to quench your thirst, you may still be dehydrated. Keep a water bottle available when working out and drink as often as you want, ideally every 15 to 30 minutes. High school and junior high school athletes can bring a water bottle to school and drink between classes and during breaks so they show up at workouts hydrated. What about sport drinks? Researchers have found that sports drinks containing between 6%

Winston Churchill Essay -- essays research papers

Winston Churchill: Britain’s Man of the Century Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Winston S. Churchill It was words such as these and the certitude in which he said them that played an important role in guiding Britain’s people through the trials and tribulations of the Second World War. Churchill was also an accomplished writer who composed several campaign reports and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 for his six volume history of World War II. But there is much more to this noble man other than his tongue and his pen. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill is a great mind because of the everlasting impression he left on Britain through his genuine leadership, his firm resolution, and his unrelenting defiance. It was divine intuition that put Winston Churchill in a position of leadership made evident by the amazing effect he had on his countrymen through the words that he spoke and through his idea of forming the "Grand Alliance". When his speeches were broadcasted over the radio during wartime, Britain stopped. Every citizen listened to each word he said with great attentiveness. Churchill’s Blood, Sweat and Tears speech is a fine example of his beautiful art of speaking as it filled the people of Britain with much needed hope and bountiful courage: You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea, and air. War with all our might and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. (Churchill) His manner of speaking was just as important as what he was saying, hence without his brilliant oratory, Churchill would not have been as successful in politics. As far back as 1930, Winston Churchill had the idea that the only way to stop Hitler was to form the "Grand Alliance" with France and the Soviet Union. He was certain that a unified and resolute front could cause Hitler to back down. It wasn’t until 1941 that his idea was put into action, but when in place, the "Grand All... ... Parliament rarely changed parties and Churchill was execrated for years by the Conservatives for his betrayal. Unaffected by his former party, Winston Churchill, as undersecretary of state for the Liberals, played a considerable part in making peace with the Boers. His decision to leave the Conservatives was largely criticized, but the ends justified the means in this case as it led to his political greatness. Winston Churchill lead his country with such grace through the uncertain times of war, he showed great resolve especially while Prime Minister during Britain’s darkest hour, and he also chose to defy strong opposing forces to maintain honesty within himself. On January 24, 1965, Sir Winston Churchill died of a massive stroke and was later buried in a little churchyard near Blenheim Place, his birthplace. Winston Churchill was a very kind and gentle man with a terrific sense of humour and it is safe to say that such an individual will never again come to pass. Although he lies in eternal rest today, his unmatched spirit lives on in the heart and soul of every British citizen of the past, present, and future.