Sport’s marketing as a career

In order to apply for any job opening one needs to have a resume of its own which is a summary of the education, skills and experience of an individual. It is one of the ways of screening job applicants therefore it is very important for a person to have a resume that is presentable and up to the mark. There are mainly three different formats of writing a resume, However there is no fixed pattern and it depends on an individual that which one does he chooses depending on the industry and ones own comfort.The different forms are as follows:Chronological Resume: This is the one of the most commonly used style which outlines the work experience in a reverse order, starting off from the most recent job towards the first one. This is best for those applicants who have a strong work history. Functional Resume: This type of resume focuses on individuals skills based on the job function. Combination Resume: This is somewhat a balance between the chronological and functional format resumes. I t states the skills and the experience of an individual first and then the employment history.This format is relatively used less than the other two. I have used the Chronological format in my resume. I chose this since I have been associated with reputable organizations and this would give a quick and easy overview to my employer of my career path and achievements in a chronological manner as it sorts out the experience by date and highlights my most recent developments. Question 2 Sport’s marketing as a career Sports’ marketing is a career for those individuals who have the passion for Sports and who want to integrate this love with the business.There are ideal jobs in this field since the entire media and television network these days is devoted towards the coverage of sports and the sporting events. The industry is dependent on the corporate sponsorships and the marketing in order to cover the huge costs of athletes, coaches and other related employees. Some of the jobs in this field are like working to acquire events sponsorships, becoming a sport marketing agent, event planner, event broker, event marketer, and work for sponsor created events and then there are opportunities on a global scale as well such as the Olympics and the world cup soccer.In future the employment opportunities in this field are expected to rise as competition would be intense. This is a kind of a field where you can enter without any formal training, however in order to excel it is always better to acquire a degree in sports marketing. To start of with it is better to do some internship in this field after the education. Not all the colleges but still there are numerous universities that have added this degree in their undergraduate program due to the rising scope of this field and the interest of students. Some of the students offering this program areThis is just the general salary range of a typical sport marketing employee; however this range can vary depending o n the industry, and the competition and individual skills of a person. Below is the salary range of a typical marketing person. Career as a Graphic designer Graphic designers are artists who use their creativity to find solutions to problems through illustrations, colors, photography, animations and numerous other layout and print techniques. They use computer software packages to aid them in their work. In order to become a graphic designer and to enter this field the best way is to acquire a degree in this area of study.One can also acquire it after completing a course in some other program. The bachelors level programs and associate degrees are offered in many universities and colleges nowadays, it is a 2-3 years of program. Apart from the qualifications these individuals need to be very creative so they can communicate their ideas effectively on paper, verbally or visually. Some of the jobs that a graphic designer can undertake are such as a creative/art director, layout artist, logo designer, flash designer, multimedia designer, web designer, brand identity designer and so on. I would like to pursue my career in Sports marketing in the coming future.This job suits my temperament and is an area of interest for me. Moreover this multibillion sports industry is full of opportunities and is growing huge with the passage of time and offering attractive salary packages. I have been associated with the admission department of my university recently and I have done management related job too in the past, I also have a degree in management and an experience of organizing, planning and control. I have leadership qualities and can lead a team therefore I believe this job in sports marketing would suit me. I want to see myself as the director of some sport marketing company in the future.There is a long way to go and I am looking for the right kind of job and opportunity to enter this field and as soon as I get one I would switch my jobs. Tip Sheet †¢ Internet i s a place where one can find thousands of job opportunities at one time from all over the world. It connects the employer with the potential employees. †¢ It can be very frustrating and time consuming looking for the appropriate career guide and job hunting sites. †¢ It is important to be ware of the well known career networking websites. Use a good search engine in order to locate all the top sites for jobs and companies.†¢ Linkedln is one site that connects professionals in 200 countries and has executives from the fortune 500 companies as its members, and then there is Xing which is mainly popular in China and Europe. †¢ Create a professional and impressive networking profile because first impression is the last impression on the employer who is looking for an applicant online. †¢ Always have a resume that is ready to send †¢ Try to be strategic by timing yourself and use the valuable time effectively rather than getting distracted on sites. †¢ Use professional name, email and business phone in order to interact in professional networking†¢ Do not make cold contacts. First build a relationship with the potential employer that too with someone with common interest. †¢ The photograph on the online profile should be of the person whose profile it is and it should be in formal business attire. †¢ You should see all the jobs available †¢ The use of suitable search words makes the work much quicker and lead to efficient job searching †¢ It is advisable to save your searches as it will save your time in future †¢ Smaller websites have relatively fewer job offerings but at the same time they have less competition for jobs. ReferencesGraphic Designers. (2007, Dec 17). Retrieved August 3, 2009, from Bureau of Labot Statistics Web site: http://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos090. htm Graphic Design jobs, descriptions, design careers advice. Retrieved August 3, 2009, from Design: Talkboard Web site: http://www. des igntalkboard. com/design-articles/job-descriptions. php GRAPHIC DESIGN: A CAREER GUIDE. Retrieved August 3, 2009, from AIGA Web site: http://www. aiga. org/content. cfm/guide-whatisgraphicdesign Hoover, Amy; White, Mary Gormandy Careers in Sports Marketing. Retrieved August 3, 2009, from Love to know Web site: http://jobs.lovetoknow. com/Careers_in_Sports_Marketing Jones, Emily Career Networking and the Internet: Networking Tips for the Digital Age. Retrieved August 3, 2009, from Suite101. com Web site: http://job-search. suite101. com/article. cfm/career_networking_and_the_internet PayScale – Marketing Managers. Retrieved August 3, 2009, from Simply Hired Web site: http://www. payscale. com/af/calc. aspx? af=2385&src=SH1&job=Sports%20Marketing&city=&state= Sports Marketing Salaries. Retrieved August 3, 2009, from Simply Hired Web site: http://www. simplyhired. com/a/salary/search/q-Sports+Marketing

American Revolution Vs. French Revolution

A revolution is defined as an overthrow or repudiation through replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed. While there have been numerous revolutions throughout the course of history, the two most arguably prominent revolutions remain to be the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Thus, this discourse will show an analysis of the two revolutions by comparing and contrasting them with one another. In order to be able to do this, it is important to first understand the motives behind each revolution.Then, the main differences and similarities between these two revolutions will be explained. Lastly, I will be concluding this discourse by stating the relevance of its implications to this very day. American Revolution and the French Revolution For centuries humanity has been both a witness and a player in the countless wars and battles that have encapsulated this world. The reason and justifications for these conflicts are countless in nu mbers. There are revolutions waged for power. There are also wars fought for wealth.There are battles engaged for territory. There are even struggles and encounters over love. Amidst all of these rationales or excuses most people have in order to fight, the most admirable and morally justified are those revolutions fought for freedom. Sometimes, when looking at the world from a certain perspective, people realize that each society and each person fight a constant never-ending struggle. Each one may fight to live, to survive, to be successful, to be accepted, to be loved, to be trusted and most important of all, to be freed.Freedom, no matter how brief or insignificant it may seem, can thoroughly change a person and a country forever. A lot of people know and accept this by heart because of their beliefs and because of history. Therefore, it is the essence of this discussion to set the spotlight on the American and French revolutions which paved the way in rewriting and redefining th e very notions of freedom and oppression in the world. The American Revolution The American Revolution was movement that effectively ended British Control and signalled the birth of a new nation, the United States of America.While the precise beginnings of the American Revolution remain highly debated, there are many reasons behind the revolution. One of the primary factors that prompted the American Revolution was the growing support for the political ideology of â€Å"republicanism†, which basically became the goal for most colonists during that time (Palmer, 1959). The taxes that the British Crown levied upon America also added to the growing resentment against the crown and strengthened the â€Å"republican† ideals of overthrowing corruption and the unjust government.Another major reason why the American Revolution started was because of the fact that the British were not including the Americans in the decisions that were being taken for the taxation proceeds from the citizens or the Americans who felt that they were not being asked to participate in important decisions (Blanco 757). The seeds for revolt were planted by the resentment at the non-inclusion at the decision making process given the fact that the Americans felt that they made significant contributions to the coffers of the British.At this point in time, the American colonies lacked any form of representation in the governing British Parliament (Greene 831). As such, many of the colonists felt that these new series of tax laws were illegitimate and therefore refused to honor them. America, at this point, was willing to wage war in order to be properly represented and to be allowed to take part in the decision making process (Blanco 757). It had now become a common sentiment among the Americans that there were so many things that they felt had to be done but were left unresolved due to their exclusion.America went to war not to prove that they were stronger but rather they went to war in order to set things right. America wanted to help the people in living an unsuppressed life and this was why they fought for independence. As history clearly reveals, the American Revolution was a successful one as it was a manifestation of the right of people to overthrow unjust and oppressive rulers and governments (Wood, 1993). The success of the American Revolution became an example of the first successful revolution against a European empire. It gave other colonies a model breaking away and become self-governing nations (Palmer, 1959).The French Revolution The French Revolution was a major turning point in European History as it signalled the end of aristocracy and marked the age of western Democracy. The citizens of a nation were no longer to be regarded as servants but as a dominant political force in determining policies of a nation (Doyle, 2002). There are many interrelated causes for the French Revolution. Perhaps among the most obvious cause was the rising ambition of bourgeoisie class who were allied with the lower class folk in their attempt to overthrow what was then perceived as an oppressive monarchy in France during that period (McPhee, 2002).With the hardships that the peasant class experienced during those times, the bourgeoisie was easily able to manipulate them and gain their support. The fiscal crises that ensued due to the insolvency of the French monarchy led to massive poverty and hunger in France and further attempts to remedy the situation by imposing higher taxes finally caused the lower classes to overthrow the rulers of France (Doyle, 2002). This was based on the economic issues that were attributed to the monarchy and its governance in society.Louis XV was engaged in numerous wars with other countries. These wars sucked the wealth of the country in providing for the costs of war. This therefore led to the bankruptcy of France. In effect, the taxes were raised higher to the discontent of the people. Moreover, there are also those who attribute part of the economic problems to Marie Antoinette who wasted the money of France in indulging herself needlessly while the country was suffering from famine and poverty. It was quite evident in that the country was in trouble.There was a high rate of unemployment while diseases and famine were lurking around the sidelines. This constantly increased at an alarming rate, the number of people living in starvation. This was further aggravated and multiplied because of the failure of Louis XVI to deal with these problems when his reign had come. Socially, there are also numerous factors that influenced the French Revolution. There was the vast resentment of royal absolutism. This further led to having negative sentiments against the professional and mercantile classes with regard to the bias noble and certain classes had.In addition to this, the privileged church became richer and richer while the poor and impoverished had less and less. The church exploited their po wer and influence in society at the expense of the citizens. Comparison between the French and American Revolutions The most striking difference between the French Revolution and the American Revolution is the impact that the revolution made on the course of history. The French revolution was basically an overthrow of an already existing regime (Doyle, 2002).The French were not subjugated or conquered people unlike the American colonists who were considered as such. The American Colonists had already retained an independent identity apart from being part of the British Crown (Wood, 1993). The French revolutionists, on the other hand, were part of France, citizens who wished to implement change in the ruling system in their attempt to alleviate their plight. The other distinct characteristic between these two revolutions is the motivation or reason behind the revolution and the goals that each revolution sought to accomplish.The American Colonists sought independence from the British Crown and to remove all oppression and corruption that they faced (Wood, 1993). The French revolutionists sought to implement change in the system and to overthrow the ruling class in France. The French revolution was not a fight for independence but rather a movement against oppression (Doyle, 2002). In terms of the manner in which the revolutions were made, the two countries differ oppositely. The French â€Å"rebelled† according to the exact nature and essence of the word itself.The French stormed the castle and established their own rule. On the other hand, the American dealt with the British government differently. First, they tried to negotiate with England. However, outcome of this negotiation with England came no productive conclusion. England simply ignored this which actually paved the way for the declaration of independence by America. But England did not respect this declaration and kept on meddling in the lives of the Americans. Thus, the war of the American Rev olution began.From a theological point of view, the two revolutions also are in contrast with one another. As mentioned earlier, the French violently rebelled immediately while the Americans first tried to negotiate peacefully. First of all, the Americans pursuit and struggle for independence was done through the guidance of moral values and influence of God. They sought to foster a way to achieve their independence without having to shed blood. While on the other hand, the French way was radically different. Their method was fuelled by an invigorating hate and resentment towards their oppressors.They executed anyone who had any affiliation with the aristocracy establishing a revolution of godlessness. In the context of revolution as an overthrow or repudiation and through replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed, it must be said that while the goals they sought to accomplish were different, both the American Revolution and the French Revol ution were truly revolutions. The American Revolution sought the overthrow of the British system and independence from the so called â€Å"colonizers†.Under the context of revolution as it is understood in class, this is a real revolution. The French Revolution is also a real revolution because it was mainly an uprising against the oppressive ruling class in France at that time. It must be pointed out however that had the French Revolution been carried out on a smaller scale and as against specific pillars of authority and power within the French political system, then it could have been properly considered as a rebellion instead.The French Revolutionists sought to change the established political system to improve their situation. Conclusion In conclusion, a revolution, in the real sense of the word, is any act or series of acts in an attempt to overthrow or repudiate an established government or political system by the people governed through replacement of the ruling class . Both the American Revolution and the French revolution possessed the same goals, the overthrow and repudiation of existing governments or political systems.A difference that may be made without deterring from the context of the word revolution as used is to classify the American Revolution as a revolution on a larger scale and as against a foreign government and the French Revolution as a revolution that seeks to overthrow the unjust and oppressive government. The societies in the world are greatly influenced by these two significant events. They remain as the lessons or guidelines that shape the way countries and governments deal and administrate those under their rule.Moreover, these events have been a model even to those individuals who have crazy, greedy and insatiable ambitions of acquiring power and wealth at the expense of other people. References: Blanco, Richard. The American Revolution: An Encyclopedia 2 vol (1993), 1850 pages Carnes, M. C. , & Garraty, J. A. (2006). The American nation: A History of the United States. Central Texas College Edition. Boston: Pearson. Doyle, W. (2002) Oxford history of the French Revolution, 2nd ed. , Oxford: Oxford University Press Greene, Jack P. and J. R. Pole, eds.The Blackwell Encyclopedia of the American Revolution (1994), 845pp; emphasis on political ideas; revised edition (2004) titled A Companion to the American Revolution. McPhee, P. (2002) The French Revolution, 1789-1799, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Palmer, R. (1959) The Age of the Democratic Revolution: A Political History of Europe and America, 1760-1800. vol 1. Wood, G. (1993) The Radicalism of the American Revolution: How a Revolution Transformed a Monarchical Society into a Democratic One Unlike Any That Had Ever Existed. Alfred A. Knopf.

Current Issues in the Philippines Essay

According to the Greek philosopher, Plato, â€Å"Nothing is more important in human life as education. It is an indispensable necessity for mankind.† Education is the key that levels the playing field of opportunity between the rich and poor, amongst social classes and races. In the Philippines, the lack of education is the primary reason why it cannot move forward towards progress, and has led to social problems such as: scarcity of job opportunities, impoverished family life, and lack of environmental concerns among the marginalized members of our society. The lack of education of Filipinos living in the slum areas in major cities of the country is the void that keeps the gap between the rich and the poor. It is one of the major contributory factors that has caused the Philippines to remain as a third world country, aside from corruption in government. Our president, Benigno C. Aquino III, strongly believes that education is the first step that will lead the Filipinos to the â€Å"tuwid na daan.† The lack of education can be equated to poor job opportunities. Job hiring, nowadays, is highly competitive among fresh graduates. In fact, the degree or course of an individual is not only the basis for getting a good paying job, but from what university or college he/she graduated from. Hence, since good job opportunities are scarce for those who have not gone to school, low paying â€Å"blue-collar jobs† is the only means to survive. Most often, these people are the victims of contractualization from which they do not receive benefits as compared to regular employees, and the protection from the abuses of companies that give below daily minimum wage that is set by law. In the survey conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2011 on Child Labor, it showed that out of the 29.019 million Filipino children aged 5-17 years old, about 18.9 percent or 5.59 million were already working, usually in hazardous conditions. For parents who lack education, they actually pressu re their children to work. Instead of sending them to school, they force them to do so in order to help in the family’s financial needs. It works to the advantage of companies, those cost-cutting with their labor over-head, to employ children at a low cost. In reality, even these children themselves are unaware of their rights. They choose to work because they witness the poverty in their own family for which they feel the responsibility to help. In the remote provinces, young women who lack  education are victims of white slavery or women trafficking, either domestically or abroad. They are forced by their parents who are bribed by recruitment agencies, without knowing that their daughters will be turned into sex slaves by foreigners or even local sex dens in key cities in the country. Out-of-school-youth is increasing every year as the population increases. There have been crime syndicates preempting these children to commit crime since they are protected by the â€Å"juvenile law.† Minors at the age of 15 who commit crime will not be charged of the crime committed in a regular court, but will simply have to undergo rehabilitation in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Because of this, crime rates committed by minors have increased in the past years since the conceptualization of this law. Another social impact of the lack of education is poverty. Since job opportunities are deficient, the financial status of the family suffers. Such condition leads to poor family planning, malnutrition, and juvenile delinquency. The lack of the basic knowledge on family planning has led to population explosion among the poor families. Statistically, large family size comes from the underprivileged families of the society. This is the result of the myth that the more children they have, the more chances they will have to be free from poverty if one of their children is fortunate enough to find a job that pays well. According to Plato, â€Å"No man should bring children into the world, which is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nature and education.† Parents must be mindful of their responsibility of sending their children to school in order for them to have a brighter future, and not by means of luck. The lack of environmental awareness is another detrimental effect caused by the lack of education. These poor families are also known as informal settlers that reside in slum areas. They have created environmental problems such as air pollution, water pollution, flooding and congestion. Since they are formed in an environment where exposure to all kinds of pollution is highest, they usually operate outside society’s norms where environmental laws are not strictly enforced. They are situated along river lines or seashores which are frequently affected by typhoons, rains, erosion and sea  surges. Not only does is this harmfully affect their environment, but also their health. The risk of over-crowding along rivers and the narrowing of our floodway system, the garbage pollution they contribute everyday lead to disease outbreak like dengue, flooding, and casualties during typhoons and heavy rains. For a family of a deprived household with more mouths to feed, children also become victims of malnutrition. Improper nutrition affects all body systems, from physical growth and vision, brain vigor, and immunity. According to the survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), Filipino children suffer from micronutrient deficiency: Vitamin A, iodine and iron. The lack of Vitamin A affects eye health, while iodine affects cognitive functions and iron for fighting anemia. These defects have been mostly rampant among children of distressed families. Lack of education is one of the major reasons why there is poverty in the country. To level the playing field of opportunities to every Filipino, I suggest that the government provide free and quality education to every child. The K-12 program in our educational system is one of the best initiatives this administration has done. The underprivileged children can now compete with children in exclusive schools, since they now have the same foundation of nursery and kinder education in preparation for a free grade one to seventh grade education given to them by the government. The passing of the RH bill is also a positive move the present government has done to address overpopulation. Relocating informal settlers to a safer community environment is a long term remedy for the issue of over-crowding, flooding and health risks. As mentioned, education is the only way to level the playing field of opportunities between the rich and the poor. As Plato said, â€Å"Every boy and girl must be educated to his/her limit. Education, therefore, should be provided by the state not by parents.† The government’s K-12 program shows its determination to provide every child the right to education. What matters here is the full implementation of the programs that would benefit every child, especially those in the farthest corners of the country. Plato perceived education â€Å"as the total development of a man: mind, body, and soul by using every possible means.† Knowing the capabilities and ingenuity of every Filipino, through education, we can help the Philippines become one of the leading countries in Asia in the coming years. REFERENCES: Ballesteros, M. M. (2010). _Linking poverty and the environment: Evidence from slums in philippine cities._ Retrieved on December 19, 2013 from http://dirp3.pids.gov.ph/ris/dps/pidsdps1033.pdf. Castillo, T. (2013). _Pinoy kids micronutrient deficient._ Retrieved on December 19, 2013 from http://tempo.com.ph/2013/06/pinoy-kids-micronutrient-de%EF%AC%81cient/#.UtSTrzfnimR. Cousins, B., Fry, S. (2002). _Health of children living in urban slums in asia and the near east: Review of existing literature and data._ Retrieved on December 19, 2013 from http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNACQ101.pdf. Salaverria, L. B. (2013). _Revised penal code revised: Criminal age lowered to 13 in house bill._ Retrieved on December 19, 2013 from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/465181/revised-penal-code-revised-criminal-age-lowered-to-13-in-house-bill. Tesha, J. (n.d). _Plato’s concept of education._ Retrieved on December 19, 2013 from http://sdsmorogoro.com/common/My%20pages/Research%20Papers/Plato%27s%20Concept%20of%20Education.html. Tubeza, P. C. (2012). _5.50 million child laborers in philippines, says ILO survey._ Retrieved on December 19, 2013 from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/218947/philippines-has-3-m-child-laborers-nso-ilo.

Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Globalization - Research Paper Example That may be a problem now, but in the future it is likely that labour will become more mobile and more people will come to the U.S. to work. This means that non-citizens may be applying for welfare benefits if they fall on hard times. That could be expensive and raise many peoples hackles. Already, there is criticism of the U.S. foreign aid program which suggests that is nothing but a form of international welfare, money spent with no return or even benefit to those who receive it. However, there are potential benefits to the U.S. from the process of globalization as they relate to social welfare. As the world shrinks in size, we will be able to examine other countries policies for dealing with these kinds of problems. There may well be innovative and successful programs out there that can help us if we adopt them and put them into practice. Globalization means that the world becomes smaller and it becomes easier to share good ideas. Perhaps some good ideas about social welfare will come our way too. Work consulted Barzilai, Gad. (2003). Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities University of Michigan Press. Dolgoff, R. & Feldstein, D. (2009). Understanding social welfare: A search for social justice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.

Impact of Nationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Impact of Nationalism - Essay Example The most important feature of nationalism is the nationalistic behavior. It defines the ability and willingness of a nation to make sacrifices to construct national instruments such military, diplomacy, intelligence, economic etc that are necessary for the survival and integrity of any nation to keep them safe from external threats. This ability to make sacrifices for the country is the most important aspect of any countries foreign policy. The same is true for all aspects of national life. This willingness of the people to make sacrifices and nationalism makes any country more powerful. An empirical study of different cases of the world reveals that this nationalism can be mobilized to identify opportunities and achieving national goals and it can also be channelized to deal with threats to the nation as is the case of USA. Emergence of Nationalism was also observed in Russia and China after the cold war. However in the case of Russia with the disintegration of Soviet Union, the pow er, prestige, authority and economic independence was lost but Russians gain their identity and could express their love and affection for their nation. This nationalism helped them come out as triumphant from the economic and political turmoil caused by disintegration. The impact of nationalism is so strong that just ten years after the disintegration of Soviet Union, all the countries that emerged from it are very different from each other.

Exotica and feminisim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Exotica and feminisim - Essay Example All the feminist authors and activists are of the view that such type of films showing women mere in supporting roles, as well as exhibiting their body parts as sign of men’s entertainment, are not only humiliating, but also prove the women folk as the lesser creatures or worthless stratum of society, which contain inferior status than men. Before embarking upon the above-described film in details, it would be appropriate to define feminist perspective: Social groups have not only been divided into different classes in respect of socio-economic status and different occupations and professions, but also distribution of the individuals of a society is based on age, ethnicity, race, region, religion and gender too. Social inequalities are found in all fields of life and in all the institutions and organizations existing in a society. In this pretext the Feminist perspective theory came into existence. The idea of division of labor on the basis of gender gave birth to feminism. It was a strong voice against the inequalities between men and women in respect of social status, division of power as well as work and gender discrimination. â€Å"Feminism is†, Macionis submits, â€Å"the advocacy of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism. The first wave of feminism in the United States-began in the 1840s as women opposed to slavery drew parallels between the suppression of African Americans and the o ppression of women.† (2007:353) The theory aimed at seeking equal status for women in every field of human life, where no one could treat them as inferior community on the basis of gender discrimination. The theorists who brought the significance of women’s participation in the social construction programs to the limelight were declared as rebels in the beginning, and then liberals and Marxists subsequently. With the passage of

What Is The Level Of Agricultural Protectionism In The Developed World Essay

What Is The Level Of Agricultural Protectionism In The Developed World And Why Does It Occur - Essay Example Avoiding too much importing will protect the countries, especially developed, to lose the balance of trade as well as local businesses in their country. It protects its countries local industries to decline. According to Hussein Haeri, 'Agricultural protectionism' in the European Union takes many guises, such as "domestic support policies, import barriers, and export subsidies,3" to name a few measures. In fact, the European Common Agricultural Policy accounts for almost half of the European Union's budget. This results in significant distortions in both European and international agricultural markets. (Haeri, 2001) In the event of educating the poorer countries with regards to the benefits of 'free trade' the EU adopts and formulated policies, which restrain the trading of agricultural products freely or at a lower tariff. While the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer, some rich countries are hiding in disguises. Agricultural protectionism occurs because when tariff levels are low, the productivity of the farms of the developed countries will be low. It is not difficult to see why price supports for dairy, sugar, peanuts, tobacco, and other U.S. farm products have led to protectionist policies. In recent years, for example, domestic prices of U.S. dairy products frequently have been two to three times world prices. The case of sugar, for which domestic price in mid-1986 was about four times world price, is even more dramatic. Without rigid import controls, consumers would undermine domestic price support programs by substituting lower priced imports for price-supported products including sugar, butter, cheese, and peanuts. (Pasour, n.d) 2.b) What form does it take and effect does it have. Agricultural protectionism comes in discreet forms. They over ride in domestic support policies, import barriers, and export subsidies. The effects of agricultural protectionism are: Farmers and other workers are not permitted to do their activities such as farming, etc. It is their field and because of agricultural protectionism, they are not allowed to do their job of which they are most productive. If farmers and other workers can't do their forte, they cannot gain enough income and benefits, thus they became poor. Billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies are paid to U.S, European and Japanese farmers which depress world prices and make it tougher for our farmers to earn a decent return for their hard work," Mr Vaile said. (Vaile, 2005) The high global cost of goods deprives the poor ones to buy enough for their living. Commercialize agricultural goods that are not usually good for the health. Flooding of their (developing countries) domestic market (import surges) with products sold on the world market at less than their cost of production. (n.d) Displacement of local trading capacity which was intended to, and in some circumstances initially did, fill the void left following the deregulation of local markets and associated dismantling of parastatals. (n.d) Worsen the global poverty by imposing high import tariffs for small or developing countries, so instead of pulling up those developing countries, many of which have dived down to poverty due to these factors. Increased tradeproblems, tensions and job losses. For sugar, the deterioration of economic conditions which initially curtailed imports into major Asian markets has also led to a substantial drop in imports into the Russian. (FAO, n.d) Tight supplies in the vegetable oil market, particularly emanating from a drought-induced contraction in palm oil availability from major Asian producing countries, boosted prices, while oilmeal prices suffered from a decline in the demand for animal feeds in crisis-affected regions, accentuated by abundant supplies of

The Marshall MBA Prime Program Personal Statement

The Marshall MBA Prime Program - Personal Statement Example The opportunity of working in a foreign country excited me and I promptly accepted the nomination. Part of the challenge was to audit an industry I had limited knowledge about since Jordan was not a crude oil exporting country. The other would be to interact with the different cultural mentalities of our clients' multinational staff. The Audit team comprised two Senior Associates and five junior associates including myself. The flight to Tripoli was uneventful and upon arrival at our location a heterogeneous mix of people representing our client greeted us. At first I could not help but go through the motions as I shook hands and tried to keep track of the names of our hosts. As I got settled in my hotel room later that night and after a formal reception with our hosts, I was still astonished as to how many different international delicacies were offered at the dinner. The audit proper began in earnest the next morning as we set up our workstations and devices. About two-thirds of our Client's Finance department staffers were from different countries in Europe, the others being Americans, Egyptians, India nationals, Pakistanis and a few Libyans. Although most of the staffers communicated in English, some of the expatriates were quite knowledgeable in Arabic: this pleasantly surprised me. After work hours most days, we would mostly dine at the hotel or at nearby restaurants with our hosts.

Discussion 3, ch 16 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion 3, ch 16 - Assignment Example The advanced forms of machinery also ensured that production within industries was more effective because the machinery came to cater for deficiencies with manpower such as human errors and fatigue, which slowed down production (Weathers, 73). Labor was another factor that aided in the growth in wealth as labor accounts as an important input to production, meaning that the more labor there is, the more the level of production can be guaranteed. Earlier, industries spent so much on labor, making it impossible to employ a good number of laborers to man the industries and thus affecting production negatively. As there was being an improvement in the economic wealth of the country as informed by the industrialization, it was expected that employees who were behind this growth would also benefit accordingly. This however was not the situation as employees had a strong feeling that they were being used unfairly in working more than they were paid or remunerated with. As this happened, it became important that the employees make their voices and grievances heard by appropriate quarters and authorities who could address their issues. One way by which the employee force did this was to form national labor unions that represented the collective voice of the employee force (Kautsky, 34). Another way for the labor force, mostly through the unions available to stage strikes, which prevented them from giving off their expertise and skills all together so that their employers would be aware of their challenges and address these appropriately. These two approaches were generally positive and influent ial as the interests of the employees became generally represented through the approaches they used. 3. In the late 1800s in the United States, workers transitioned from mostly agricultural workers to mostly industrial workers, and you have read the history of that transition. Today, workers in the United States are transitioning from

SOCIAL WORK (ETHICS AND VALUES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SOCIAL WORK (ETHICS AND VALUES - Essay Example The crying is a symptom that an unfavourable situation cropped up. Rajiv disliked being rushed. Similarly, Lola disliked waiting excessively for Rajiv to finish his food. Lola must implement absolutism ethics (Royakkers, 2011). Absolutism states that there are absolute ethical or morality standards. People must obey the ethical or moral standards, without exception. There are no excuses or exemptions in the compulsory implementation of the moral standards or ethics standards. In the current case, Lola should not rush Rajiv’s eating. Lola’s personal issues or problems should not affect or reduce the social workers’ required minimum social work performance. Lola should be penalized in order to prevent a repeat of her unethical behavior. Surely, absolutism ethics dictates Lola must wait until Rajiv finishes his meal. Lola must implement relativism ethics (Hales, 2011). The concept focuses on the individuals forming his or her diversely unique ethical standards. Other individuals influence how a person’s ethical standards are formed. Other societies can affect how a person’s ethical preferences are crafted. Consequently, one person’s relativism ethics may differ from another person’s relativism ethics. One’s cultural upbringing influences the person’s relativism ethics preferences. For example, people in the United States insist that it is morally right to eat beef. On the other hand, people in India insist that eating beef is immoral. Lola’s forcing Rajiv to uncomfortably rush his eating is not Lola’s workplace’s work ethic. Obviously, Lola must incorporate the social work community’s relativism ethics, imitating the other social workers’ making life for the patients more comfortable. Lola must implement deontology ethics (Tannsjo, 2013). Deontology ethics focuses on duty. It is the duty of every person to obey all ethics standards. There is no exception to the strict implementation of the ethical standard.

The Works of Ernest Hemingway Essay Example for Free

The Works of Ernest Hemingway Essay Ernest Hemingway is one of the most distinguished and seasoned American writers of all time. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1899 to parents Clarence Edmonds Hemingway and Grace Hall Hemingway. He grew up and obtained primary and secondary education in Oak Park. After high school, Hemingway decided to skip college and take on a career in Journalism for the local paper of the state of Kansas. Writing for The Kansas City Star for six long months was Hemingway’s first job. His experiences as a journalist for the Star contributed to his writing styles – brief yet succinct and forceful. After the Star, Hemingway enlisted himself as a volunteer for the Red Cross Ambulance Corps during World War I. He came up close to the carnage and atrociousness of the war through his experiences and his involvement with army officers. After being wounded in the war, Hemingway returned to Oak Park where he continued his writing career for the local paper in Toronto, while also busying himself with writing novels and short stories; three of his most popular novels being â€Å"A Farewell to Arms,† â€Å"For Whom the Bell Tolls,† and â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea,† that were highly influenced by his experiences during the war and other personal and social events thereafter. (Wagner-Martin, 15-40) Hemingway’s ingà ©nue in writing earned him various awards including the prestigious Pulitzer Price for â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea† and a Nobel Prize in Literature for his numerous lifetime writing achievements. (Wagner-Martin, 16) It was Hemingway’s excellent and distinct writing style and structure that earned him regard and prestige. With this in mind, the remainder of this text will look into the established writing styles and writing structure of Hemingway, which earned him honor and esteem, as evident in his three most popular works as aforementioned above. In addition, the major themes, motifs, and symbolisms present in the three novels will be compared vis-à  -vis in order to determine how Hemingway solidifies his ingenuity into writing. In general, the writing style of Ernest Hemingway is considered by many of his readers and critics to be simple but articulate. A written text published by the University of North Carolina, which features the works of Hemingway, discusses the simplistic nature of his works. His choice of wordings in his works were observed to be selections of unadorned nouns, verbs, and adjectives, however, Hemingway was still able to articulate obscurely and vividly significant scenes which make up the essence of his works, particularly his novels. (Canada) For Hallengren, a writer for the Nobel Foundation, who also wrote an article that features the Nobel Prize worthy works of Hemingway, Hemingway’s writing style may be labeled as â€Å"hard-boiled.† The â€Å"hard-boiled† style was attributed to the particular era in which Hemingway lived most of his life as journalist and a novelist. This particular style was described as an inhuman, unsympathetic, and callous way of expressing views and opinions, which led the term to symbolize how pieces of literature that are direct and simple, perhaps rather frank and guileless, actually are. (Hallengren) In terms of the major themes that Hemingway uses to solidify his thoughts and ideas in his literary works, his were identified to be focused on depicting the lives of two particular groups of people. The first group of people consists of individuals who have grown insensible, unfeeling, and callous, due to the various circumstances in their lives that have caused them to lose their grip on the moral fiber that is supposed to rule or govern society and experiences that also caused them to lose heart and consequently teaching them to fend for their personal interests instead. The other group of people are those who live to fight against various circumstances and experiences that confront them. In general, the first group consists of frail or weak people who cannot seem to get past through trials and hardships and refuse to face them courageously. They surrender to circumstances, which test their strength and will to stay true to themselves and functional and valuable to the society that they live in. On the other hand, the second groups of people are those who are willing to toughen hard times out in order to emerge victorious in the end having been able to prove something to themselves and the society. (â€Å"Ernest Hemingway†) The aforementioned major themes, which Hemingway incorporates to his novels, is evident in the three widely acclaimed novels: â€Å"A Farewell to Arms,† â€Å"For Whom the Bell Tolls,† and â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea.† Lieutenant Frederic Henry (â€Å"A Farewell to Arms†), Santiago (â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea†), and Robert Jordan (â€Å"For Whom the Bell Tolls†), the protagonists in these three novels, qualify as individuals who represent those who fight courageously and determinedly against unwanted or unfortunate circumstances in their lives that seem to confront their ability to control and manage such situations. However, at one point in their lives, they allowed themselves to be defeated by the difficulties, challenges, and dilemmas that they cannot seem to overcome.   Lieutenant Frederic Henry served for the Italian Army during the First World War. Like what most people expect of uniformed individuals who work for the military, he was described as callous and insensitive in carrying out his duties and responsibilities. As the war progresses and the Italian Army was slowly lead to their demise, the soldiers who fought in the war started to feel how the world is crumbling down around them. Fear, uneasiness, and aggravation of what is to come since the defeat of the Italian Army were the main catalysts for Henry’s display of needless violence and betrayal. (Hemingway) Santiago was an experienced fisherman. He believes in his skills and abilities as a fisherman and takes pride in his perception of his success. However, his self-assurance and pride is shattered by his failure of catching fish within the eighty-four days that he has set off to sea. He became the butt of all jokes in their village and from this unfortunate situation, he began to feel and endure the struggles and difficulties that challenge his ability to believe in himself and to appreciate the purpose or meaning of his life at an old age. (Hemingway) Robert Jordan was an American working as a professor in one of the universities in the United States. It was during the time of the Spanish war when he decided to enlist for the Republican faction of the war. Jordan’s motivations to put his life at risk were his belief of the purpose or cause of fighting for the stand and convictions of the Republican side of the Spanish war – that is to fight against fascism. Jordan was assigned a bold and dangerous task that is to detonate explosives to annihilate a bridge utilized for transport by the Fascist camp that will consequently help the Republican side to get ahead of their game, which leads him to a series of circumstances and experiences that opens his eyes to the reality of the implications of the war. (Hemingway) The situations that the protagonists in Hemingway’s novels find themselves in symbolizes the various personal struggles, difficulties, and challenges that individuals face everyday and the corresponding responses that people opt to act on in order to resolve them. For Henry, it was fear and the unpredictability of war that led him to feel at war with himself and the situation that he finds himself in; for Santiago, it was his loss of self-assurance that left him questioning himself as a person; and for Jordan, it was the question of whether the cause that he supports is something that he really believes in. I believe that these particular situations are explicitly revealed within the novels. These situations are set under the context personal conflicts that all individuals face each and every day of their lives, if not at one point of their lives wherein they have no choice but to endure the results or consequences of unfortunate situations. In each situation, the protagonists were shaken by the circumstances that creates a moral or ethical imbalance within themselves, stirring their values, beliefs, and personal constructs. These particular situations represent what was aforementioned of the two groups of people that constitute the major theme of Hemingway’s novel. At one point in each novel, the protagonist falls under the construct of the first group of individuals who cannot seem to get over the difficulties and challenges that they experience. This seems to go on during the primary parts of the novel. However, on the latter parts, Hemingway’s motif seems to change to incorporate the characteristics described for the second group of people who decides to fight courageously in order to resolve problems and difficulties or to undo the faults or mistakes that they did due to their inability to get past their personal or moral struggles. (Meyers, 35-36) Another theme or motif, as aforementioned, is the concept of love, acceptance, and sacrifice as the only way for redemption. Both Henry and Jordan fell in love with a women, which have led them to rethink all the singular details and situations that resulted to their dilemma. It seemed that loving allowed them to feel emotively and passionately about their real purpose, leading them to know what they should do in order to resolve their dilemmas. For Henry, it was his decision to leave the army, and for Jordan, it was his decision to make a sacrifice in order to prove to prove to himself the reason for his enlisting in the Republican side of the war. Santiago, on the other hand, redeemed his failures by being at peace with himself and accepting that situation that he was in at that point. (Hemingway) Overall, in comparing the three novels of Hemingway, we arrive at the conclusion that although they were set in three different situations, subject to various struggles and difficulties, the central theme boils down to the personal struggles and moral dilemmas that allows individuals to commit mistakes and question themselves. However, in the end, love, acceptance, and sacrifice will always redeem us and will finally help us in letting everything fall into the right places at the right time.

Manifest Destiny American Civil War Essay Example for Free

Manifest Destiny American Civil War Essay Manifest Destiny In the 1840s the United States increased its territory to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This land was acquired through treaty, war, and negotiation. The opportunities of this large area of land offered in terms of resources and trade were great. The positive of M.D. do not outweigh the negative consequences. Manifest Destiny is a historic duty, in the 1800s the Americans believed that the manifest destiny of the United States was to expand to the Pacific Ocean. The United States started as costal colonies but eventually the fulfilled their manifest destiny and expanded buy conquering and purchasing land. The Americans gained more land by buying it from France in the Louisiana Purchase and they also acquired land by cession as they did in the Mexican Cession. Other ways of expanded their land was to take it by force; many settlers killed the Indians and stole their land from them. The Americans in the 1800s believed that it was the historic duty of their nation to expand to the Pacific Ocean. They believed that the land was rightfully theirs. They ignored the fact that the land was already occupied and began to move west. They did not recognize the Indians as people; they saw them as potential slaves, so they simply killed them and took their land. Much of the land was bought from France in the Louisiana Purchase, but other lands such as Texas, California and Oregon was not theirs. Using both military strength and negotiations, the US was determined to fulfill their historic duty. The main difference between the border issues of Oregon and Texas is the way these issues were settled. The Texas issue resulted in a war with Mexico, which gained land and lost soldiers. However, this did allow the US to gain more land than just Texas. The Oregon issue, on the other hand, was more peaceful. The US negotiated and made a treaty with Britain instead of going to war with them. However, both these issues were different ways the US gained land and expanded their nation.

Assess the artistic limitations of the dogme 95 vow of chastity

Assess the artistic limitations of the dogme 95 vow of chastity Assess the artistic limitations of the Dogme 95 â€Å"Vow of Chastity† In the mid 1990s, a creative and low cost filmmaking was created Dogme95. The founders were two Danish directors, Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg. (Hudson, 2005). Unlike any other film, it follows different set of rules. Written in Vow of Chastity, a rulebook of Dogme95, it restricts the use of props, sets, lighting, sound, and music. The camera is handheld and simply captures what is taking place (Schlosser, 2000). Dogme 95 is certainly a departure from the conventions of the film-making process. The statement â€Å"Dogme 95 is a rescue action!† was stated in the manifesto if the Dogme 95 which perhaps is true for most filmmakers who wanted freedom of their ideas and faithful presentation of scenes. Mark Paul of Wayne State University agreed that Dogme 95 films have rescued the cinema from the conventional films of Hollywood which are ‘overly polished, ‘undemocratic in art, and ‘superficial.  Ã‚   Directors have enough freedom to showcase the ‘truth without addition, reduction, or any manipulation (Paul, 2002). In order to resist superficiality in Dogme films, von Trier and Vinterberg wrote â€Å"The Vow of Chastity† which consists of the specific rules that are mandatory in order to categorize a film as a Dogme. Von Trier asked Vinterberg if he â€Å"wanted to start a new wave with him?† In less than one hour, they already had the rules (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). As a guest in Thà ©atre de LEurope in Paris during the 100th anniversary of the birth of film, von Trier proudly announced Dogme. The rules are: (1) shooting must be on location without bringing any props, (2) sound and image are produced together, (3) the camera to be used is handheld, (4) use of natural light only, (5) no optical filters, (6) no superficial actions, (7) no geographic alienation, (8) no genre films, (9) the film format should be in Academy 35mm film format, and (10) the director must not be credited (Trischak, 1995). The last rule sounds unusual since the directors are always credited in the conventional films. At the end of the ten rules, the director should swear to refrain in creating based on personal taste. Only the real events should be presented based on the real settings. The reason behind the prohibition of the use of props is to challenge the filmmaker into creating authentic films and portray the ‘truth. More time is dedicated into developing a good acting because breaks for hair, make up, costume, and light change are eliminated. The use of handheld camera is intended to follow the actors instead of the actors following the camera. In this manner, the actors could really perform their characters while the camera captures the scene. Additionally, using handheld cameras provides more takes with longer time (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). The first Dogme creation by Vinterberg, The Celebration, was one of the best cinematic explorations which covered the issues on a dysfunctional family in the middle of a celebration. The film won many awards and was nominated in various prestigious awards associations. Among the awards it received were Jury Prize from the Cannes Film Festival, Best Director from Gijà ³n International Film Festival, and Independent Spirit Award (Hudson, 2005). The second film of Dogme was The Idiots, which was written and directed by von Trier. The film featured young characters who go around to spasse (Danish term which means to intentionally act like idiots). Watching the film might turn off its audience because of the hilarious acts and abhorrent ways of responding to the problems faced by young people (Schwartz, 1998). The third Dogme film was Mifune by Sà ¸ren Kragh-Jacobsen, which became one of the multi-awarded Dogme films. A.O. Scott of the New York Times reviewed it as â€Å"by any standard, a pretty good film† and was given the awards Silver Bear and Special Jury Prize for Kragh-Jacobsen from the Berlin Film Festival (Hudson, 2005). Mifune was able to present the real people in real situations and would surely attract the audiences attention. The scenes appear so realistic and painful at the same time (Ilic, 2005). The creation of Dogme 95 and the implementation of its rules have been the subject of questioning and curiosity from directors. The production cost of Dogme films is relatively cheaper because crews are eliminated; however it does not mean that this is a resort to producing low-budget films. There are no limits as long as it will compromise to the Vow of Chastity. In Denmark, a low-budget film could cover more than half a million. Nevertheless any Dogme film can be produced around a million or more than a hundred million dollars. Among the Dogme films, â€Å"The Idiot† was the most expensive. The introduction of Dogme 95 however did not receive much criticism especially from the Danish government wherein the state willingly increased the filming fund by 70% (Trischak, 1995). Another issue on the production of Dogme films is the use of the old fashioned Academy 35mm film format because is considerably expensive. The 35mm film is used so that Dogme films can be shown in all movie theatres. However, because of its cost some directors resort to shooting film with Digital Video first then transferring it to the 35mm. The recorded images through DV, on the other hand, are strictly prohibited from editing considering the Vow of Chastity (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). Classifying a film as a Dogme has become harder. The first four to six Dogme films were originally discussed by the first directors and founders of the Dogme 95 films including Vinterberg, von Trier, Kragh-Jacobson, and Levring. They reviewed each film according the rules in the Vow of Chastity; however, as the directors became busier in their own Dogme film productions, not enough time was allotted to discuss the other films. In Julian Donkey Boy, the story about a schizophrenic man, the rules created was pushed to its limitations. It all now depends on the judgment of the directors (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). However, Vinterberg argued that if the director feels that the film might not be in accordance with the rules then, he must do something about. Another question raised was about the synchronization of a foreign language, say English or German; can it be certified as a Dogme? If it will be based on the second rule: sound and image must be produced together; technically it cannot be classified as a Dogme. Watching a Dogme film in foreign language therefore is not very entertaining (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). The Vow of Chastity provided both freedom and restriction to the directors. With the limited resources such as props, music, sounds, and lights, the director is challenged to be resourceful and creative in filling these gaps. In the film The Celebration, Vinterberg was able to incorporate music by placing the story on a Danish gathering tradition wherein the people are accustomed to celebrate while singing. On the other hand, in â€Å"The Idiots†, a musician character played a toy-like instrument in the beginning of the story (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). In the conventional films we see these days, there are different genres such as science fiction, animated, action, adventure, comedy, romance, horror, war, musicals, historical, and many more. However, in Dogme films it becomes selective because you only present what is happening then and now and not what is in the past or what will be in the future (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). Therefore, war and historical films are impossible because flashbacks should not be used. Neither do sci-fi, animated, and musical films. These genres require musical equipments and props and the scenes are time manipulated. In the history of filmmaking, Dogme 95 is notably one of the best cinematic explorations of realism. The presentation of this realism is only possible through the elimination of the traditional cinematic process accompanied with various experimentations on the production and presentation (Vaughan, 2004). The Vow of Chastity made it possible to restrict and compress it down to what is real only. There is no addition, reduction, or, any manipulation to the story that a director wishes to tell. It is obviously anti-film tradition in nature however its simplicity and honesty offer a different kind of pleasure and emotion. Unlike the usual films, our minds are already set to decipher the ending. However, in Dogme films, the audience could only figure what is being shown at a time. The first three Dogme films have been very successful. After ten years since its beginnings, Dogme films are getting less and less popular. Von Trier and Vinterberg are now working on different kinds of films aside from Dogme. The brothers now are no longer managing and judging Dogme films. They have decided to allow the directors to judge their own creations but still following the rules. Producing one is a big challenge. Ironically, Vinterberg confessed that The Celebration was the easiest he made.9 Dogme is still alive and more and more films are released and reached the number to Dogme 254th film (Dogme 95: Frequently asked questions). Nowadays, the films that the brothers are releasing are combination of filmmaking from the conventional and from the Dogme. According to Jack Stevenson, film journalist in Denmark, Its All About Love and Dogville by Vinterberg and von Trier respectively can be classified as anti-Dogme films. Both directors have departed from Dogme and now making films beyond the Vow of Chastity. (Mitchell, 2005) In an interview with Kristian Levring, one of the founder of Dogme movement; Susanne Bier, the director of The One and Only and Open Heart; and Anders Thomas Jensen, a famous writer and director, the screenwriting processed was discussed. Thomas Jensen said that the scriptwriting is very different because there are limitations like superficial violence and action. Bier added that due to these limitations, â€Å"Dogme tends to lend itself to realistic storytelling.† Levring agreed that these liberated and improved Dogme including his film The King is Alive. (Kelly, 2008) Dogme offered an incredible twist in filmmaking, surprising the audience in ways that are not expected. In the presence of restrictions and limitations, it has entitled directors with freedom of creation with aesthetic value and provided a different kind of satisfaction.

The Evolution of a Small Park Essay -- Descriptive Essay About A Place

Place Essay – The Evolution of a Small Park Piazzetta Vescovato is not just the prettiest square in the heart of Brescia’s historic downtown. Piazzetta Vescovato is a powerful symbol. Nested between Corso Zanardelli and Via Trieste, this little site has been a meaningful part of the lives of generations and generations of Bresciani (inhabitants of Brescia). Half a century ago, la piazzetta(as I like to call it) witnessed the horrors of the Second World War, when frightened people stepped on its sanpietrini(those little cubic stones that made up the pavement of medieval European streets), attempting to escape the Nazi soldiers or to reach a rifugio,an underground cellar that offered protection from the bombs thrown down by German planes. After the war ended, the little square began to swarm with people engaged in different kinds of activities: shops reopened, bars appeared, and the Vescovato (the residence and office of the Bishop), after having undergone some repairs, was functioning again — inciting respect and intimidation. The aura of sacredness surrounding it, backed up by substantial monetary funds (as in any good Roman Catholic institution), kept the masses at a safe distance, and poor people discovered quickly how the Christian message had gotten lost amidst the power and bureaucracy of it all. La piazzetta did its best to escape the authoritarian, obscure effect of the clergymen across the street. The bar at the northwestern corner of Via Trieste and Via Mazzini, and the one right in Via Mazzini, a little down the street toward Corso Zanardelli, balanced things out a bit, with their noisy male clientele celebrating the end of the war with a few bianchini(glasses of local white wine), games of cards, ... ...aluable upper middle-class clientele. The oysters and champagne bar is gone. In its place, an expensive baby clothes boutique, right in front of one of the clergy stores, has been open for quite a while now. People stroll by, admire, and go on to mind their own matters. It seems like the order has been re-established by some external force, unknown to the layperson passing by. But if you stop there for a minute and listen carefully, you may hear some of the thousand songs of terror, hope, glory, sadness, utopia, joy and grief, irresponsibility and disillusion trapped in the leaves of the four trees. It is a subdued howl that has become part of the spirit of the piazzetta itself. Not everybody hears it, or feels it. Only the ones who know how to dream have access to the magic of it. And only for them, Piazzetta Vescovato, symbol of Resilience, comes to life.

William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and in Virginia Woolf’s A Mark on the

William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and in Virginia Woolf’s A Mark on the Wall - Subjective Narratives in Modernist Texts Like many other modernist texts, William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying employs many unreliable narrators to reveal the progression of the novel. One of the most interesting of these narrators is the youngest Bundren child, Vardaman. Like the rest of his family, Vardaman is mentally unstable, but his condition is magnified due to this lack of understanding of life and death. Because he doesn’t grasp this basic concept, Vardaman’s attempts to understand his mother’s death are some of the most compelling aspect of the novel. Over the course of the book, Vardaman attempts to rationalize his mother’s death through animals, particularly a fish. Through these rationalizations, Vardaman comes to a seemingly logical conclusion about the nature of life and death. While these conclusions seem perfectly logical to Vardaman, they are nonsensical to the reader. This concept helps illustrate the use of subjective narrators in As I Lay Dying, and defines it as a Modernist text. Vardaman’s first narrative comes right after his mother Addie’s death. Frightened, he runs out of the house and tries to rationalize what has just happened. He describes his earlier chore of gutting and chopping up a fish in the yard and then directly relates this experience to Addie: â€Å"If I jump off the porch I will be where the fish was, and it all cut up into not-fish now. I can hear the bed and her face and them and I can feel the floor shake when he walks on it that came and did it† (53-54). Here, Vardaman is confused as to what exactly happened in Addie’s bedroom. He portrays the before and after of the fish, being â€Å" fish†... ... of the text. The use of the subjective narrative in Modernist literature is one component of the movement’s radical break from previous literary periods. The subjective, psychologically oriented narratives in As I Lay Dying and â€Å"A Mark on the Wall† are illustrative of this radical literary change. Vardaman Bundren’s irregular logic reconciling his mother’s death, Virginia Woolf’s meandering stream of consciousness narratives help define their texts as key elements of this groundbreaking movement. Works Cited Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. New York: Random House, 1985. Woolf, Virginia. â€Å"A Mark on the Wall.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Twentieth Century. 7th ed. Vol. 2C. Ed M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton, 2000. 2143-2148 5 Hill

Ministers Black Veil :: Character Analysis, Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne has always been [caracterizado] for using symbols and ambiguity on all of his stories. This is the case in â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† where he introduces the story of Minister Hooper, a religious man that starts wearing a black veil on his face until the day he dies. While re reading the Ministers Black Veil it is impossible just to come up with one conclusion of the motives why Minister Hooper puts on the veil. Since Hawthorne uses the act of ambiguity in this parable for the reader to come to their own conclusion, there are a significant amount of interpretations of the Minister’s black veil. The reader becomes acquainted with the protagonist at the crucial moment of his life, the moment in which he decides to wear a black veil on his face. But every reader encounters the same question, why did Minister Hooper put on the veil? {NEED A TOPIC SENTENCE} The very beginning of the story is a portrait of a happy everyday life in Milford - merry children are willing to make fun of a graver's gait, spruce bachelors are looking sidelong at the pretty maidens and a sexton is tolling the bell - and its light-hearted mood contrasts with that of the rest of the story. It gives us a taste of what the parson's life was like before his decision to wear his black veil.When Mr. Hooper appears wearing a black veil â€Å"[s]wathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath† (1) a period of alienation starts in his life. This event is not expected since Mr. Hooper is â€Å"a gentlemanly person† (1) and has the reputation of a â€Å"of a good preacher, but not an energetic one: he strove to win his people heavenward by mild, persuasive influences, rather than to drive them thither by the thunders of the Word† (2). The veil itself, Hawthorne tells us, consists o f two folds of crape which entirely conceal Mr. Hooper's features, "except the mouth and chin, but probably did not intercept his sight, further than to give a darkened aspect to all living and inanimate things"(1). E. Earle Stibitz explains how Mr. Hopper’s is shown as an â€Å"essentially weak man, poorly prepared by his unmarried solitude, his somewhat morbid temperament, and his professional position to deal in a stable way with an absorbing religious idea that harmonizes with his personal and vocational prejudices(188).

Home Depot Environmental Issues

1) On the basis of Home Depot’s response to environmental issues, describe the attributes (power, legitimacy, urgency) of this stakeholder. Assess the company’s strategy and performance with environmental and employee stakeholders. A stakeholder framework helps identify the internal stakeholders and the external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders such as: employees, boards of directors, and managers. Customers, special interest groups, regulators, and others who agree are external stakeholders who collaborate and engage in confrontations on ethical issues. ) As a publicly traded corporation, how can Home Depot justify budgeting so much money for philanthropy? What areas other than the environment, disaster relief, affordable housing, and at-risk youth might be appropriate for strategic philanthropy by Home Depot? Home Depot is about giving back and recycling money through the community. Giving to the community in return gives to Home Depot. Consumers motto after what t hey have set forth and help fulfill the need to give back to those in need.Those in need and those who help are a part of the environment, disaster relief, and youth. They are hitting every corner possible. Other areas could be the elderly in the community and schools in the community. What Home Depot does spreads out to consumers and the community. 3) Is Home Depot’s recessionary strategy of eliminating debt and halting growth a wise one? What would you recommend to the CEO? Wiser more than likely, the strategy Home Depot has set forth goes well in hand with their do good model.Home Depot has shown it doesn’t have to expand and add to in order to remain the top home improvement store. With the circulation of money from stakeholders and consumers, money does not have to be borrowed from outside lenders. Receiving payback money would add to the recession by borrowing what you do not need to owe at a later time. I recommend the CEO to not forget about employee incentives and keep the funds in circulation through the community and consumers. Similar essay: Summary â€Å"The Environmental Issue from Hell†

Disease Control and Prevention

There are three basic approaches to preventing and controlling transmission of diseases: a) vector control (if applicable), b) personal protection, and c) vaccination (â€Å"How Vaccines Prevent Disease†). The CDC has expanded existing domestic and international community-based control programs for preventing infectious diseases. New preventive projects are being evaluated, including preventives of antimicrobial resistance, food borne and water borne illness and others.â€Å"Prevention is better than cure† – we always hear this statement whenever a new disease outbreak occurs to a community or a region. Disease prevention is indeed far more economical than treating the disease itself. One of the most practiced is the use of vaccines (Overturft). Prevention and control of all non-vaccine preventable diseases must rely on vector control and personal protection. Vector control however is seldom supported as a n independent program.Rather, it is in general incorporat ed into a larger prevention program that engages active surveillance for the disease and the vectors, personal protection, diagnosis and management of the disease and vector control. The purpose of surveillance is to help prevent disease by providing a mechanism for early caution or epidemic action, thus allowing for public health action. This is more than ever true for vector borne diseases such as dengue that often cycle silently in an area with intermittent epidemics that may cause significant morbidity and mortality.As a result, it is significant to have active laboratory based surveillance for infectious diseases to keep an eye on transmission even though there may be no evident disease in humans or domestic animals (Gersovitz and Hammer). To manage the condition, and the global nature of the diseases, the World Health Organization has responded by expanding its surveillance and other operations to meet the challenge of emerging and recurrent infectious diseases (â€Å"Infecti ous Diseases†). Disease Control and Prevention In a family which has a history of birth defect cases, it is difficult to accept the truth that your future child has a greater risk of having a birth defect. Prevention of the possible birth defects is the most common advice given to the family by many doctors. The proper and enough absorption of folic acid give many expectant mothers low risk of having babies with birth defects. Not all birth defects are fatal or untreatable like many parents believe. Many improved medications on birth defects are available and guaranteed to prevent having babies with birth defect.Some are treatment for babies that still in the womb. The most important thing for the treatment is to be able for the mother to understand the risk factors and how she can prevent having a baby with a birth defect. Knowledge about Birth Defects A birth defect is an abnormality of structure, function or metabolism that is present at birth. This abnormality leads to mental or physical disability or can lead to death. Many birth defects are known ranging from minor to serious. They are considered the leading cause of death of many babies in their first year of life.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 120,000 babies are born each year suffering from birth defects in the United States alone. Causes of Birth defects About 60% of the birth defect cases have unknown causes. Environmental and genetic factors are also causes of birth defects (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 352-356). Genetically inherited birth defects occur when one or both parents pass along a defective gene to the child. Genes carry thread-like structures called chromosomes that determine individual characteristics and feature (Millensky, 1989, 201-267).Any faulty or missing gene can cause birth defect. Some of the birth defects can only occur if both parents are carrier of the defect. Even healthy parents can have effective genes and pass this on to their child. This kind of event is called the recessive inheritance. Recessive diseases are more severe than dominant diseases. Some examples of birth defects that are caused by recessive inheritance are sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease, phenylketonuria (PKU) and cystic fibrosis (Millensky, 1989, 201-267).If only one parent passes along the recessive gene, the normal gene received from the other parent will prevent the disease. However, that child will be a carrier of the disease. The carrier of the disease has a 25% chance to have the disease if the other parent is also a carrier. Birth defects, such as Down syndrome, can also be caused by too many chromosomes or damaged chromosomes. Babies with Down syndrome have varying level of mental retardation and heart defects.On the other hand, environmental causes of birth defects include poor prenatal care, exposure to chemicals or radiation and use of drugs and alcoholic drinks during pregnancy. Any substance that can cause any abnormal development is termed â€Å"teratogenâ⠂¬â„¢ (Benneth, 2006, 217-230). Certain infections can result in birth defects when the woman deals with it during her pregnancy. About 40,000 babies a year are born with a viral infection known as cytomegalovirus (CMV) (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 352-356). These babies develop serious disabilities including mental retardation and loss of vision and hearing.Some of the other infections that can cause birth defects include syphilis, toxoplasmosis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis and parvovirus (Benneth, 2006, 217-230). In unusual cases, having a chicken pox during pregnancy can also cause birth defect. Much absorption of alcohol during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. This syndrome includes mental retardation, low birth weight and heart problems. If alcohol has severe cause, so is the improper use of drugs. Drugs that can cause birth defects include tetracycline, sulfa drugs, hormone supplements and recreational drugs such as cocaine and LSD.Some birth defects, such as neural tube defects and cleft lip and palate are considered multifactorial birth defects which are caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Other causes of birth defects are Rh disease. This disease is the incompatibility of the mother’s and baby’s positive and negative blood factors (3). Common Birth Defects The most common defects in the United States are the Cleft lip or palate and Down syndrome. Each year, about 6,800 and 5,500 babies are born with cleft lip/ palate and Down syndrome respectively (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 352-356).Effects of cleft lip/ palate include problems in eating, speech and language. Cleft lip/ palate are not dangerous and surgical repair of the cleft can be done when the child reach the right age and size and is in good health to tolerate surgery. The most common problem encountered by children with clefts is hear infections. The cleft allows fluid and germs to enter the ears more easily that norma l that causes the infections in the ear. The occurrence of cleft lip/ palate can also cause more cavities leading to dental problems, thus, dental checkup is recommended by doctors.Moreover, statistics show that about 1,900 babies are born with a serious heart defect called transposition of the great arteries each year (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 352-356). Though advances in surgery developed the outlook for affected babies, heart defects still remain as the leading cause of birth defect infant deaths (Martin, 619-622). Doctors and many experts can not explain the real causes of abnormality in the heart, although both genetic and environmental factors are considered.Another defect that is caused by both genetic and environmental factors (including insufficient amount of folic acid) is the Spina Bifida or open spine. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1,300 cases occur each year. Other common birth defects include musculoskeletal defec t (arm and leg defect), gastrointestinal defects, and eye defects (). Martin, 619-622 Birth Defect of Body Chemistry Birth defects of body chemistry are not visible, but they can be harmful and worst, fatal. In 2002, about 3,000 babies were born with defects affecting body chemistry.A recessive genetic disease is the common cause of disorder of body chemistry. The inability of cells to produce enzymes or proteins that are needed to carry substance from one place to another to change certain chemicals to another is the main cause of this disease. An example is Tay – Sachs disease. Affected babies lack an enzyme needed to break down certain fatty substances in the brain cells. These fatty substances destroy brain cells that may result to blindness, paralysis and even death at the age of 5. Another example is phenylketonuria (PKU).In this disease, the baby cannot process a part of protein which builds up and damage the brain. Birth Defect Testing There are two types of testing a vailable in many hospitals and health centers to look for possible occurrence of birth defects. The first one is the screening test, which is able to look whether the baby is likely to have birth defects. If the screen test is positive, the second teat which is the diagnostic test should be performed. The rule of the diagnostic test is to confirm or rule out the possible problem that was detected by the screen test.Screening tests The processes involve in performing screen test that looks for Down syndrome are the nuchal fold ultrasound and a blood test. The ultrasound test uses sound waves to measure the thickness of the fetus’ neck while the blood test is intended to measure the levels of beta-hCG and a protein called pregnancy- associated plasma protein. Another screening test that is done between 15-20 weeks of pregnancy is the maternal serum triple or quadruple screening test. These tests check the amounts of three or four substances in a pregnant woman’s blood.Es timation of the chance of the fetus to have Down syndrome or other health problems is done after these blood tests. The quad screen on the other hand, check the substances (alpha-fetoprotein, and unconjugated estriol) and the level of hormone inhibin A. The doctors estimate the tendency of a woman to have a child with birth defects or other health problems through the data provided by the tests along with the age of the woman and other certain factors. Ultrasound on the other hand is a test that shows the development of the baby.This is usually done during the 18th and 20th week of pregnancy. Ultrasound can be used to screen some chromosomes with problems and find structural problems of the heart, spine, abdomen and other parts of the body. Diagnostic test Doctors usually used Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) to look at cells in the placenta. In this test, a sample of chorionic villus cells is collected by putting a small tool into the uterus through the vagina or by putting a needle through the belly into the uterus. This test can find many family diseases such as hemophilia and sickle cell disease.Another test under diagnostic is Amniocentesis which looks for many chromosomal problems by looking at the cells in the amniotic fluid. This test can find neural tube defects such as Spina bifida. Newly- born babies can also be tested, with the permission of the parents, for possible birth defects. Usually, all states perform PKU and congenital hypothyroidism on all the babies. The tandem mass spectroscopy is a new technique used by many state to newborn babies. This technique provides many features that screens for many disorders of metabolism on a small blood sample. PreventionThere are many ways of reducing the risk of a woman having a baby with birth defect. These ways should be remember and should be take into consideration by many women who wants to have a healthy with no physical or mental defects. One important thing to remember is the preconception visit wi th the health care provider. The health provider identifies the health conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which may cause risk in pregnancy. The provider can advice on lifestyle factors, such as quitting smoking and alcohol drinking that can cause risk in pregnancy.The medication intake of the woman is also check by the health provider to make sure that the medication is safe to pregnancy. The visit to health providers is crucial to women with chronic health problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. A great example is the woman which have diabetes has more likely to have a baby with birth defect compare to the woman who is not diabetic. Controlling the blood sugar levels of the woman starting before pregnancy can give low risk of having a baby with serious birth defects (11). This advice can be provided by the health care providers.Another thing that can be done by the health provider during the preconception visit is to see whether the vaccinations of t he woman are up to date. If the woman has no vaccines against chickenpox and rubella, she has to be vaccinated before pregnancy. In this way, possible risk of birth defect can be lower against woman with no vaccines. Vaccinated woman should wait for a month after being vaccinated before trying to become pregnant. All women should also know their health history including that of their partner and their family. With this, the provider can identify risk factors for inherited genetic conditions.The usual thing that the provider does when this case occurs is to refer the couples to genetic counselor that can explain the risk of birth defects and provide them assistance in conducting proper tests. Pregnant woman or woman who is planning to get pregnant should avoid any alcohol absorption, smoking and intake of drugs. The woman should not take any medication over the counter without making sure that this medication is safe for pregnant women. All women who could become pregnant should take a daily multivitamins containing folic acid.Studies show that proper intake of folic acid during early pregnancy will provide low risk of having a baby with neural tube defects (Spina bifida). Folic Acid to Prevent Birth Defects Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate which is a b vitamin found in a variety of foods. Folate is needed both before and in the first weeks of pregnancy and can help reduce the risk of having babies with common birth defects such as neural tube defects, which affect the brain and spinal cord. Neural tube defects can occur in an embryo before a woman realizes she is pregnant.This is the reason why it is important for all women age 15 to 45 to include folate in their balanced diet. With this, women who will get pregnant reduce their risk of having a baby with defect of the brain or spinal cord. New technologies were developed to include folate in many food supplements. The Food and Drug Administration requires food manufacturers to fortify enriched grain p roducts with folic acid. In this way, women can get sufficient amount of folic acid even in breads and fortified grains such as enriched pasta, rice, waffles and cereal bars. Other ways for pregnant women to have sufficient amount of folic acid are as follows:1) Eat fruits, dark-green leafy vegetables, dried beans and peas, and other foods that are natural sources of folate, 2) Eat folic acid-fortified enriched cereal grain products and breakfast cereals, 3) Take a food supplement containing folic acid. Nutrition information indicated on the labels of many food and dietary supplements can guide many women in identifying the amount of folic acid they are obtaining. Neural Tube Birth Defects The technical names of the two major neural tube birth defects reduced by adequate folate intake are anencephaly and Spina bifida.With proper medical treatment, most babies born with Spina bifida can survive to adulthood. But they may require leg braces, crutches, and other devices to help them wa lk. Other maternal factors also may contribute to the development of neural tube defects. Among these include the following: 1) use of certain ant seizure medications, 2) severe overweight, 3) family history of neural tube defects, 4) prior neural tube defect-affected pregnancy, 5) fever during early pregnancy and 6) diabetes. Studies about Folate In the 1950’s, scientist first suggested a connection between neural tube birth defects and diet.This incidence has always been higher in low socioeconomic groups in which women may have poorer diets. Another study looked at folic acid intake in Hungarian women. The evidence indicated that mothers who had never given birth to babies with neural tube defects and who took a multivitamin and mineral supplement with folic acid had less risk in subsequent pregnancies for having babies with neural tube defects than women given a placebo. Another study conducted by the U. S. Public health service in September 1992 resulted to a data that s hows that all women of childbearing age capable of becoming pregnant consume 0.4 mg of folate daily to reduce the risk of having a pregnancy with Spina bifida. This value corresponds to FDA’s Daily Value for folic acid, which is 400 micrograms for non-pregnant women. On the other hand, the Department of Agriculture said that many women between 19 and 50 consume much less than 400 micrograms of folate a day. Where to obtain Folic Acid Folate occurs naturally in a variety of foods, including liver, dark-green leafy vegetables such as collards, turnip greens, and Romaine lettuce, broccoli and asparagus, citrus fruits and juices.Folate can also be obtained from dietary supplements, such as folic acid tablets and multivitamins with folic acid, and from fortified breakfast cereals. Certain information on food and dietary supplement labels can help women spot foods containing substantial amounts of folate. The exact amount of folic acid is indicated in the label’s nutrition f acts panel. Some food and dietary supplement labels may claim that their product has sufficient amount of folic acid that reduce risk of having babies with birth defects. The products that claim this must: 1) provide 10 percent or more of the daily value for folic acid per serving;2) not contain more than 100 percent of the daily value for vitamins A and D per serving because high intakes of these vitamins are associated with other birth defects; and 3) List on the label’s Nutrition or Supplement facts panel the amount by weight in micrograms. This claim about folate is supported by the studies and statistics have been discussed but these alone will not ensure a healthy baby with no birth defects. Not only folate intake, but genetics is one of the factor that affect the pregnancy and providing risk to have babies with defects. Women have options for reaching the folate intake goal.They can attain this both before and during pregnancy by having a healthy balanced diet. The com bination of having proper intake of folic acid will ensure that women have low risk of having babies with birth defects. References American Academy of Pediatrics. Cytomegalovirus, in Pickering, L. K. (ed. ), Red Book: 2003 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, 26th edition. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 259-262. Benneth, K. A. Fetal Surgery for Myelomeningocele, In Wyszynski. Neural Tube Defects from Origin to Treatment. New York City, Oxford University Press, 2006, 217-230.Birth Defects. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Spina bifida and Anencephaly Before and after Folic Acid Mandate, 1995-1996. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, volume 53, number 17, 362-365. Children , Youth and Women’s Health Service. Alcohol- Effects on Unborn Children. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from Department of Human Service. Birth Defects in Victoria in 2003 and 2004. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from http://www.betterhea lth. vic. gov. au/bhcv2/bhcarticles. nsf/pages/Birth_defects_in_Victoria_2003_to_2004 Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Diseases Control and Prevention. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Diseases. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from http://www. cdc. gov/ncbddd/fas/fasask. htm Martin, J. A. , et al. Annual Summary of Vital Statistic. Pediatrics, Volime115, number 3, 619-634. Millensky, Aubrey. (1989). Genetic Disorders and the Fetus. 3rd edition, 201-267. New York: Plenum Press. (1995)Tropical Pediatrics and Environmental Child Health, Vol. 23, number 1, 4-10.

Cell Phones Effect on Society

RBMOnline – Vol 18. No 1. 2009 148-157 Reproductive BioMedicine Online; www. rbmonline. com/Article/3628 on web 3 November 2008 Review Cell phones: modern man’s nemesis? Ashok Agarwal is a Professor in the Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and the Director of Center for Reproductive Medicine, and the Clinical Andrology Laboratory at The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, United States.He has published over 400 scientific articles, reviews and book chapters in different areas of andrology, male/ female infertility and fertility preservation. His research program is known internationally for its focus on disease-oriented cutting edge research in the field of human reproduction. His team has presented over 700 papers at national and international meetings and more than 150 scientists, clinicians and biologists have received their training in his laboratory.Dr Ashok Agarwal Kartikeya Makker1, Alex Varghese1, Nisarg R Desai1, Rand Mouradi2, Ashok Agarwal1,3 1 Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; 2Department of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA 3 Correspondence: Tel: +1 216 444 9485; Fax: +1 216 445 6049; e-mail: [email  protected] org Abstract Over the past decade, the use of mobile phones has increased significantly.However, with every technological development comes some element of health concern, and cell phones are no exception. Recently, various studies have highlighted the negative effects of cell phone exposure on human health, and concerns about possible hazards related to cell phone exposure have been growing. This is a comprehensive, up-to-the-minute overview of the effects of cell phone exposure on human health.The types of cell phones and cell phone technologies currently used in the world are discussed in an attempt to improve the understanding of the technical aspects, including the effect of cell phone exposure on the cardiovascular system, sleep and cognitive function, as well as localized and general adverse effects, genotoxicity potential, neurohormonal secretion and tumour induction. The proposed echanisms by which cell phones adversely affect various aspects of human health, and male fertility in particular, are explained, and the emerging molecular techniques and approaches for elucidating the effects of mobile phone radiation on cellular physiology using high-throughput screening techniques, such as metabolomics and microarrays, are discussed. A novel study is described, which is looking at changes in semen parameters, oxidative stress markers and sperm DNA damage in semen samples exposed in vitro to cell phone radiation.Keywords: biophysics, cell phone, general health, infertility, radiofrequency electromagnetic waves, RF-EMW Introduction Cell phone usage has increased by leaps and bounds in the past decade and a half. From being a luxury limited to the wealthy, cell phones have b ecome a commodity, virtually indispensable in daily lives. However, every technological advance and its overuse have a negative aspect. The increase in popularity of cell phones is accompanied by a growing concern regarding the harmful effects of cell phone radiation (radiofrequency electromagnetic waves; RF-EMW) exposure on human health.An earlier report of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, established by the UK government, summarized the relevant studies on the biological effects of RF-EMW (Huber et al. , 2000). Since then, a flurry of scientific activities has attempted to define and quantify the adverse effects of RF-EMW. Despite the increasing number of reports concerning the effects of RF-EMW on various biological systems, no satisfactory mechanism has been proposed to explain the effects of this radiation (Feychting, 2005).Although cell phone companies constantly reassure their subscribers about the safety of their product, reports based on animal and human exper iments showing adverse effects of cell phones on biological systems have surfaced. According to various reports, excessive cell phone usage has led to fatigue, headache, decreased concentration and local irritation and burning (Sandstrom et al. , 2001). The possible role of cell phone exposure on tumour induction also has been proposed in an epidemiological study (Hardell et al. , 2006).Recent studies also have highlighted the role of cell phone exposure on sperm motility, morphology and viability, thus proposing a reduction in male fertilizing potential (Agarwal et al. , 2008). Other reports suggest that RF-EMW may lead to DNA damage and chromosomal instability (Diem et al. , 2005). Even though the current research may have been inconclusive, it still has been successful in providing preliminary data and identifying trends on both sides of the argument that cell phone exposure may lead to harmful effects on human health.These 148  © 2009 Published by Reproductive Healthcare Ltd, Duck End Farm, Dry Drayton, Cambridge CB23 8DB, UK Review – Cell phones: modern man’s nemesis? – K Makker et al. studies have been handicapped by many drawbacks in design and methodology. In particular, comparing animal models with humans (Cairnie and Harding, 1981) is impractical. Differences in geometry, size and physiological responses between man and experimental animals imply that the results in animal studies should be interpreted with caution.Experimental approaches involving animal studies and in-vitro studies, along with high-throughput screening techniques like transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, can augment the validity of epidemiological studies addressing the effect of RF-EMW on reproductive tissues, cells and functions. Recent studies using these approaches have yielded interesting clues on the effect of RF-EMW at the cellular and molecular levels. This article highlights the adverse affects of RF-EMW on human biological systems by review ing relevant studies and recent research to aid in deeper understanding of this important health issue.The novel study currently being carried out in the centre is briefly discussed. 1900 MHz), and they have the capacity to switch automatically among these four frequencies. Specific absorption rate (SAR) is the energy flow per unit of mass (watts/kg; W/kg). It is a measurement of the power or heat absorbed by the tissue either in a local area of a human tissue or averaged over the whole body. In the USA, the SAR of cell phones varies from 0. 12–1. 6 W/kg. Standards are designed to limit the SAR in the body to safety levels. The Federal Communications Commission has set a SAR safety limit of 1. W/kg, averaged over a volume of 1 g of tissue, for most parts of the body (see website). Exposure guidelines for RF protection had adopted the value of 4 W/kg averaged over the whole body (SARWB) ‘as the threshold for the induction of adverse thermal effects associated with an inc rease of the body core temperature of about 1 °C in animal experiments’ (Barnes and Greenebaum, 2007). Cell phone radiation output power is measured in units of watts or dBm (decibel referenced to 1 mW). Usually cell phones with higher frequency are assigned less output power. Cell phones commonly used these days operate at an output power of less than 1 W.Power density is a term for characterizing an RF electromagnetic field. It is defined as the power per unit area and is measured in units of mW/m2 or  µW/cm2 (Food and Drug Administration website). Maximum permissible exposures are based on SAR and power density measurements. The Federal Communications Commission has established safety standards on power density for cell phone base station antenna using 1900 MHz band for the general population an uncontrolled exposure of 1000  µW/cm2, and for the 850 MHz band the maximum exposure allowed is about 580  µW/cm2, as averaged over any 30-min period.Recent studies demonst rated that RF-EMW emitted from commercially available cell phones have no thermal effects (Straume et al. , 2005; Anderson and Rowley, 2007; Yan et al. , 2007). An overview of cell phone technology Telecommunications technology has advanced rapidly and explosively in recent years. The earliest, fully automatic cellular phone systems that were used were called Nordic mobile telephone, now classified as first-generation cellular phones. Introduced in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they were based on analogue technology.The second-generation cell phones that replaced the older analogue type are based on digital technology. These digital models have increased voice capacity, provided faster data transfer speeds, longer battery life, less power use and better signal quality than the firstgeneration cell phones. The cell phone technologies that are commonly used nowadays are the global system for mobile communication (GSM) and code division multiple access (CDMA). Both of these technolog ies are used by cell phone companies in the USA.The GSM technology uses narrow-band time division multiple access (TDMA), whereas CDMA incorporates the wider band that allows more users without interference and better security by providing every user with a unique code. The third-generation cell phones, which may be available for general use in the near future, consist of universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS)/wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) and the high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) phones.The UMTS utilizes a GSM infrastructure with a W-CDMA air interface (the specification of the radio transmission between a mobile phone and the base station), which adds advantages to UMTS over GSM technology. The HSDPA is based on the W-CDMA technology with improved downlink speed that allows even higher data transfer speeds and capacity. Cell phones in the USA operate on the frequency bands of 850 MHz and 1900 MHz. In most other parts of the world, the frequency bands used are 900 MHz and 1800 MHz.The newer phones offer a quad-band feature, which means that they can operate on the four common frequencies (850/900/1800 and RBMOnline ® Effect of RF-EMW on general health This section provides a discussion of the various aspects of human health that have been proposed to be, or actually are, affected by cell phone radiation (RF-EMW) (Figure 1). Effect on cardiovascular system (CVS) Braune et al. (1998) exposed human volunteers to RF-EMW and reported an increase in blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) on exposure to RF-EMW at 900 MHz for 35 min.Blood pressure increased by 5–10 mmHg, accompanied by a significant decrease in capillary perfusion due to vasoconstriction. They demonstrated, however, that autoregulatory blood pressure mechanisms were intact, as shown by a decrease in heart rate to nullify the increase in blood pressure. In a follow-up study done by the same group to corroborate their previous findings, a statisticall y significant increase in blood pressure was shown, but the analysis of variance showed that the changes were independent of EMW exposure (Braune et al. , 2002).Later, Tahvanainen et al. (2004) demonstrated cell phone exposure does not acutely change arterial blood pressure and heart rate. 149 Review – Cell phones: modern man’s nemesis? – K Makker et al. Figure 1. Effect of electromagnetic radiation from cell phone usage on various human systems. OS = oxidative stress. In an animal study, Ozguner et al. (2005) reported increase in oxidative stress in rat myocardium on exposure to 900 MHz RF-EMW (30 min/day, for 10 days). kit or using a landline phone to reduce cell phone exposure (Oftedal et al. , 2000).The generation of reactive oxygen species by RF-EMW exposure is still to be proven convincingly, although many groups have provided evidence in animal-based studies. An increase in kidney tissue malonaldehyde and urine N-acetyl-? d-glucosaminidase and decrease in renal superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were reported by Oktem et al. (2005). Similar results were shown by another investigator (Irmak et al. , 2002), who provided evidence in favour of EMW-induced oxidative stress. They showed an increase in superoxide dismutase activity and a decrease in nitric oxide concentrations in sera.Conversely, no change was seen in the concentration of intracellular oxidants [oxidized form of glutathione (GSSG) accumulation, oxidation of thiol] and antioxidants (CuZn-superoxide dismutase, catalase) in cells exposed to radiofrequency radiation (CDMA and GSM, 835– 847 MHz for 20–22 h) (Hook et al. , 2004). Effect on sleep Despite concerns that sleep patterns are disturbed due to excessive cell phone usage, Huber et al. (2000) did not report any significant change in sleep quality, sleep latency and rapid-eye-movement sleep latency in healthy young men exposed to 900 MHz for 30 min.The only effect reported was an increa se in electroencephalogram power density during the first 30 min of non-rapid-eye-movement sleep, especially ? waves and sleep spindles (the type of sleep waves seen with an electroencephalogram). They concluded that the effect of RF-EMW exposure was transitory, limited to the initial phase of sleep and outlasting the RF-EMW exposure. Recently, Perentos et al. (2007) found no significant change in resting electroencephalogram on human volunteers exposed to RF-EMW. Cell phones and neurohormonal secretionVarious epidemiological studies have highlighted effects of cell phone usage on neurohormonal secretion. Conflicting results have been reported by different groups regarding the effect of cell phones on melatonin secretion. De Seze et al. (1999) reported no change in maximum serum concentration (P = 0. 63), the time of peak concentration (P = 0. 49) and area under curve (P = 0. 56) of the hormonal profile. On the other hand, Burch et al. (2002) concluded that subjects with cell phone usage >25 min/day had lower creatinine-adjusted mean nocturnal concentrations of a melatonin metabolite, 6-hydroxymelatonin sulphate (6-OHMS), (P = 0. 5) and lower overnight 6-OHMS excretion (P = 0. 03). They concluded that prolonged usage of cell phones may lead to reduced melatonin production. Djeridane et al. (2008) demonstrated 900 MHz RFEMW would not significantly affect endocrine functions in men. RBMOnline ® Local and general adverse effects Sandstrom et al. (2001), in a questionnaire-based study involving some 17,000 respondents, showed that cell phone usage led to complaints such as warmth on and behind the ear (31%), fatigue (28%), headache (21. 4%), decreased concentration (15%), dizziness (10%), memory loss (9%), and tingling and numbness (6. 7%).They also concluded that a statistically significant positive trend was shown by warmth and neurasthenic symptoms (headache, fatigue) with calling time and number of calls per day. They proposed that these changes were due to either radiofrequency exposure or thermal effects of EMW. Of all the people who attributed these symptoms to cell phone usage, 45% of them took steps such as reducing calling time, changing cell phone model, using a hands-free 150 Review – Cell phones: modern man’s nemesis? – K Makker et al. Effects on cognitive function Preece et al. (1999) exposed human volunteers to RF-EMW and reported that the nly cognitive function test that altered post-RF-EMW exposure is choice reaction time, leading to an increase in responsiveness. They reported no change in word, number or picture recall or any change in spatial memory. They proposed that the increase in responsiveness was due to a mild local thermal effect of EMW on angular gyrus (the interface between visual and speech centres) or to mechanisms mediated by heat shock proteins. They also concluded that memory is not commonly affected by cell phone exposure as the memory area of the brain (hippocampus) is deep seated i n the medial temporal lobe of the brain.Later, Regel et al. (2007) demonstrated RFEMW exposure reduces reaction speed and increased accuracy in working-memory tasks. As discussed previously, recent studies reported that RF-EMW emitted from commercially available cell phones have no thermal effect (Straume et al. , 2005; Anderson and Rowley, 2007; Yan et al. , 2007). However, several views were proposed to elucidate the disruption of metabolic pathways by RF-EMW. Some of these views are based on experimental evidences and some on hypothetical models. Isocitrate dehydrogenase, an important enzyme in the citric acid cycle, is one of the targets of cell phone radiation.Alteration in the enzyme activity leads to decreased production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in mammalian cells (Nylund and Leszczynski, 2004). Since sperm motility depends on the active generation of ATP, such a mechanism might cause the decline in sperm motility during RF exposure. Spermatozoa lose their cytoplasm po st-spermiation, leading to the loss of their antioxidant protective mechanism and rendering them inherently vulnerable to induction of DNA damage. They are differentiated to the point that they cannot undergo apoptosis in response to any form of severe genetic damage (Aitken, 1999).In addition, during the process of maturation, spermatozoa are separated from the Sertoli cells, their nursing cells. Several investigators have demonstrated an increase in DNA fragmentation in a variety of human and animal cells following cell phone exposure (Lai and Singh, 1996; Diem et al. , 2005; Panagopoulos et al. , 2007). Lai and Singh showed that exposing rats (n = 16) for 2 h to pulsed 2- µs pulse width, 500 pulses/s and continuous wave (2450 MHz) leads to an increase in breaks of single-stranded DNA (P < 0. 01) and double-stranded DNA (P < 0. 01) in rat brain cells.They proposed that this could be due to either direct EMWmediated effects or a defect in DNA repair mechanisms. In contrast, sever al studies found no effect of EMW on genotoxicity. Stronati et al. (2006) demonstrated no effects of RF exposure on DNA strand breakage (assessed by COMET assay), unstable chromosomal alterations (assessed by metaphase analysis) or alterations in the speed of in-vitro cell cycling (assessed by nuclear division index) in lymphocytes in their experiment involving exposure of human blood samples to RF (24 h, 935 MHz). A large-scale in-vitro study conducted by Sakuma et al. 2006) concluded that RF-EMW from mobile phone radio base stations do not act as a genotoxicant (at SAR up to 800 mW/kg). The induction of DNA damage in spermatozoa has been associated with male infertility, early pregnancy loss and morbidity in the offspring, including childhood cancer (Aitken, 1999). Aitken et al. (2005) demonstrated that exposure of mice to RF-EMW, 900 MHz, 12 h/day for 7 days led to damage to both the mitochondrial and nuclear genome of epididymal spermatozoa (P < 0. 01). However, currently no hum an studies are available demonstrating DNA damage in sperm cells by RF radiation exposure.Several animal studies have attempted to highlight histological changes in testicular tissue on exposure to RF-EMW. Dasdag et al. (1999) demonstrated a decrease in mean seminiferous tubule diameter in rats (n = 18) by exposing them to an 890–915 MHz cell phone, 2 h/day for 30 days (P < 0. 05). However, a similar study carried out later by the same group did not reveal any statistically significant result of cell phone exposure on seminiferous tubular diameter, lipid composition, malonaldehyde Tumorigenesis Carcinogenic potential of cell phone radiation is one of the most conflicting aspect in various studies conducted by several groups.Following public concern that cell phone exposure may lead to cancer, Hardell et al. (2006) conducted an epidemiological questionnaire-based study and concluded that astrocytoma (grade III–IV) and acoustic neuroma did show a positive correlation wit h cell phone usage, and the odds ratio increased with latency (10 years). However, no increased risk was shown with astrocytoma (grade I–II), non-Hodgkin lymphoma, salivary tumours or testicular tumours. With regard to testicular tumours, they concluded that the risk of seminoma and non-seminoma was not increased, a dose–response effect was not observed, and he location of the cell phone was not associated with testicular cancers (Hardell et al. , 2007). Other scientists have concluded that the current evidence for a causal association between cancer and EMW exposure is weak and unconvincing (Colonna, 2005). Cell phone and effects on male fertility Pathophysiology Despite reports from numerous groups suggesting a possible role of cell phone exposure in male infertility, the exact mechanism of the effects of EMW on male reproductive system is yet to be elucidated. Though various effects have been proposed, foolproof experimental evidences are lacking to substantiate it. Human testes need physiological temperatures 2 °C lower than body temperature for optimal spermatogenesis. Highintensity RF has heating properties that lead to thermal effects on the testes. An increase in testicular or body temperature on exposure to EMW may cause reversible disruption of spermatogenesis (Kandeel and Swerdloff, 1988; Jung and Schill, 2000). EMW can also affect reproductive function via an EMW-specific effect (a ‘microwave’ effect produced by an increase in tissue temperature less than its normal temperature fluctuation) or in combination with the thermal molecular effect (Blackwell, 1979). 51 RBMOnline ® Review – Cell phones: modern man’s nemesis? – K Makker et al. concentration, sperm count or sperm morphology (Dasdag et al. , 2003). Ribeiro et al. (2007) also did not find any significant adverse effect of cellular phone exposure (GSM 1835–1850 MHz exposure, 1 h/day for 11 weeks) on rat testicular histology and function . However results of in-vitro studies are conflicting. An in-vitro study divided neat semen samples from healthy volunteers (n = 27) into two parts and one part was exposed to 900 MHz EMW for 5 min.Compared with the unexposed sample, the exposed sample was found to have a significant decrease in rapid progressive motility (Grade A, P = 0. 0007), an increase in slow progressive motility (Grade B, P = 0. 0007) and an increase in the percentage of immotile spermatozoa (Grade D, P = 0. 0003) (Erogul et al. , 2006). Recently, Falzone et al. (2008) studied the effect of pulsed 900 MHz radiation on various kinetic parameters and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP)of purified human spermatozoa (by percoll density gradient). They found significant decrease in straight-line velocity and beatcross frequency at an SAR of 5. W/kg. However, at an SAR of 2. 0 W/kg they found no significant change in any kinetic parameters, including MMP. Significant changes in sperm morphology were not reported in the animal studies carried out by Dasdag et al. (1999, 2003). Similarly no significant (P > 0. 05) alteration in morphology was reported by another group based on their animal experiment (Yan et al. , 2007). However, the same group reported that 80% of the slides in the exposed group showed large clumps of sperm cells that were able only to turn about in their position and were not able to break free.On the other hand, significant data were brought out in a study in which 15. 3% of men using cell phones sporadically for 1–2 years had only 10–19% normal spermatozoa, and 15. 3% had total azoospermia, whereas men frequently using cell phones for >2 years had only 8. 3% normal spermatozoa, and 22. 9% showed total azoospermia (Wdowiak et al. , 2007). EMW and semen parameters The effects of cell phone exposure on male fertility have been studied exhaustively in recent years (Deepinder et al. , 2007).The effects on sperm concentration, motility and morphology have been ev aluated in many animal and human studies, but results are inconclusive. Motility is the only parameter that the majority of studies have shown to be significantly affected. The need to further evaluate the effects of EMW on sperm morphology, viability and concentration still exists. Dasdag et al. (1999) reported a decrease in sperm count; however, the decline was not statistically significant (P > 0. 05), and they were not able to repeat the same results later in a similar study (Dasdag et al. 2003). Another group reported that exposure of rats (n = 16) to a 1. 9 Hz cell phone from a distance of 1 cm for 6 h/ day for 18 weeks did not lead to significant decline in sperm concentration. The exposure group had a mean sperm count of 7. 45 ? 107  ± 1. 03 ? 107 sperm cells/ml, and the non-exposed group had a mean sperm count of 7. 7 ? 107  ± 8. 11 ? 106 sperm cells/ml (P > 0. 05) (Yan et al. , 2007). In an epidemiological study, researchers concluded that no statistically significant (P > 0. 05, chi-squared test = 1. 8) difference in sperm count resulted from cell phone exposure (Wdowiak et al. , 2007). In a study carried out by this centre, a significant decline in sperm count was demonstrated in men who used cell phones for >4 h/ day (n = 114, count 50. 30  ± 41. 92 ? 106/ml) as compared with those who did not use cell phones at all (n = 40, count 85. 89  ± 35. 56 ? 106/ml) (P < 0. 0001) (Agarwal et al. , 2008). As mentioned earlier, motility is the only parameter that consistently has been shown to decline in studies carried out by various groups.In a study involving 371 men presenting for an infertility workup, duration of possession and daily transmission time of cell phones correlated negatively with the proportion of rapid progressive motile spermatozoa (r = –0. 12 and r = –0. 19, P < 0. 01) and positively with the proportion of slow progressive motile spermatozoa (r = 0. 12 and r = 0. 28, P < 0. 01) (Fejes et al. , 2005). The same group also concluded that low transmitter (60 min/ day) groups also differed in the proportion of rapid progressive motile spermatozoa (48. 7% versus 40. 6%, P < 0. 01).Wdowiak et al. (2007) reported that 65. 7% of men not using cell phones had >50% (WHO category A + B) sperm motility, whereas only 35. 4% of men who frequently used cell phones had >50% (A + B) sperm motility. Agarwal et al. (2008) had shown a significant reduction in motility of spermatozoa in men using cell phones >4 h/day versus men not using them at all (67. 80  ± 6. 16% versus 44. 81  ± 16. 30%, P < 0. 0001). In an animal-based study, a significant decrease in sperm motility on exposure to cell phone (n = 16, P < 0. 05) was reported (Yan et al. , 2007).The researchers also reported that the majority of sperm cells in the exposure group were dead (live cells 44. 88  ± 20. 66%); in the control group, the majority of sperm cells were alive with constant, active motility (live cells 70. 93  ± 12. 94%). Transcript omics and proteomics in elucidation of biological response of cell phone radiation Research over the last two decades on the effect of RFEMW has yielded controversial results. It is said that even an extensive epidemiological study might not be sufficient to elucidate the health effects of electromagnetic radiations because of the low sensitivity of this approach.Hence, to validate the results from epidemiological studies, further data from animal and in-vitro studies needs to be analysed. Several lines of evidences suggest that the novel methodologies such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics could help in the search for clues to the negative impact of cell phone radiation on human health. High-throughput screening techniques combined with modern bioinformatics could be used to pick up minute variations, like those caused by RF-EMW affecting protein or gene expression, that might be of insufficient magnitude to alter cell physiology or give any phenotypic alteration (Fig ure 2).Heat shock proteins (Hsp), which are molecular chaperones, comprise a group of highly conserved, abundantly expressed proteins with diverse functions, including the assembly and sequestering of multiprotein complexes, transportation of nascent polypeptide chains across cellular membranes, and regulation of protein folding. Protein phosphorylation is a first line of cellular response to any stimuli by either RBMOnline ® 152 Review – Cell phones: modern man’s nemesis? – K Makker et al. Figure 2. A proposed model to study the effect of cell phone radiation using the high-throughput technologies.These techniques combined with modern bioinformatics could be helpful to find minute variations caused by RF-EMF in protein or gene expression changes that might be of insufficient magnitude to alter cell physiology or give any phenotypic alteration. MALDI-TOF = matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight; SAGE = serial analysis of gene expression. int ernal or external factors. By using western blots or mass spectrometry, the phosphoproteins could be located after cellular irradiation from a mobile phone to check for any alterations in cell response.By using this approach, Hsp27 was determined to be a molecular target event of RF-EMW (Leszczynski et al. , 2002). A study using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry found statistically significant altered expression levels of 38 various proteins in human endothelial cell lines following GSM 900 MHz irradiation (Nylund and Leszczynski, 2004). Two of the affected proteins were determined to be isoforms of cytoskeletal vimentin and might have an effect on the physiological functions that are regulated by the cytoskeleton.Results from a study using human lens epithelial cells (HLEC) cell lines indicate that exposure to non-thermal dosages of RF for wireless communications can induce no or repairable DNA damage and the augmented Hsp70 protein expression in HLEC oc curred without change in the cell proliferation rate (Nylund and Leszczynski, 2004). The induction of Hsp70 by extremely low frequency (ELF) EMW also involves elements of the mitogen-activated phosphokinase (MAPK) family of cell response cascades, which are recognized signal transduction systems present in eukaryotes.MAPK pathways consist of distinct cascades of regulator enzymes that serially activate one another to control the expression of specific sets of genes in response to growth factors, cytokines, tumour promoters and other major biological stimuli. The authors suggest that nonthermal stress response of Hsp70 protein increased on RF exposure might be involved in protecting HLEC from DNA damage and maintaining the cellular capacity for proliferation (Lixia et al. , 2006). RBMOnline ®The phosphorylated Hsp27 (activated) has been shown to inhibit apoptosis by forming a complex with the apoptosome (complex of Apaf 1 protein, procaspase 9, and cytochrome c) or some of its comp onents and preventing proteolytic activation of the procaspase 9 into active form of caspase 9 (Concannon et al. , 2001). This, in turn, prevents activation of procaspase-3, which is activated by caspase 9. Apaf-1 plays an important role in the induction of apoptosis (Zou et al. , 1997). Cytochrome c release from mitochondria occurs when there is a DNAdamaging stimuli-induced apoptosis.Together with dATP/ATP, cytochrome c initiates formation of an apoptosome consisting of Apaf 1 oligomers. The Apaf 1 apoptosome recruits and activates caspase 9, which in turn activates the executioner caspases, caspase 3 and caspase 7 (Zou et al. , 1997). The induction of the increased Hsp27 activation by the RF-EMW exposure might lead to inhibition of the apoptotic pathway that involves apoptosome and caspase 3. It is proposed that such events occurring in RF-EMW-exposed cells that had undergone either spontaneous or external factor-induced transformation or damage could support survival of the tran sformed/damaged cells (Leszczynski et al. 2004). The exposure of the EA. hy926 human endothelial cell line to 900 MHz RF-EMW induces activation of the p38 MAPK stress response pathway and leads to an increase in expression and phosphorylation of the small stress response protein Hsp27 (Leszczynski et al. , 2002). Other studies have shown that the phosphorylated form of Hsp 27 has the ability to translocate to the nucleus and to induce changes in gene expression (Geum et al. , 2002). The evidence suggests that different types of cells from different species might respond differently to mobile phone radiation 53 Review – Cell phones: modern man’s nemesis? – K Makker et al. or might have different sensitivity to this weak stimulus. The results from the studies by (Nylund and Leszczynski, 2006) show that gene and protein expression were altered in multiple cell lines in response to 1-h mobile phone radiation exposure at an average specific absorption rate of 2. 8 W/ kg. However, the same genes and proteins were affected differently by the exposure in each of the cell lines. This suggests that the cell response to mobile phone radiation might be genome- and proteome-dependent.The magnitude of the genetic background for some stimulus-specific responses was highlighted by some studies comparing different cell lines (Czyz et al. , 2004). It is postulated that the genetic constitution, as well as carrier frequency of the modulation schemes and exposure duration, may play a substantial role in responsiveness of cells to RFEMW. These findings might also explain, at least in part, the origin of discrepancies in reproducibility of studies among different laboratories (Nylund and Leszczynski, 2006).Some evidence has suggested that RF-EMW may change expression of DNA transcription factors and cause changes in cell cycle kinetics. Litovitz et al. (1993) have shown that exposure of mouse L929 fibroblasts to 915 MHz at an SAR of 2. 5 W/kg induced the express ion of ornithine decarboxylase protein, an enzyme important in cell cycle regulation. Natarajan et al. (2002) reported that exposure of a monocytic cell line to 8. 2 GHz pulse-modulated RF-EMW increased the binding of the nuclear factor kappa light chain gene to its consensus DNA sequence.Later on, relative expression and localization of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) and their receptors (BMPR), major endocrine and autocrine morphogens involved in renal development, were investigated by Pyrpasopoulou et al. (2004) in newborn kidneys from RF-EMW-exposed pregnant rats. The kidneys of newborns from the RF-exposed rats showed up-regulation of BMP4 and BMPR1A and down-regulation of BMPR2. This study suggests that RF-EMW might interfere with gene expression during early gestation and result in aberrations of BMP expression in the newborn (Pyrpasopoulou et al. 2004). RF-EMW has also been reported to affect the expression of Jun, a proto-oncogene (Ivaschuk et al. , 1997). Using serial an alysis of gene expression (SAGE), Lee et al. (2005) reported that in-vitro exposure of HL-60 cells to pulsemodulated 2. 45 GHz RF fields at an SAR of 10 W/kg for 6 h resulted in the differential expression of more than 750 genes. In contrast, many other recent studies have failed to find evidence of RF-field-induced changes in Hsp expression after RF-EMW exposure at frequencies ranging from 900–1950 MHz and SAR from 2–10 W/kg (Capri et al. 2004a,b; Laszlo et al. , 2005). Qutob et al. (2006) also reported no evidence relating nonthermal RF field on gene expression using microarray analysis in cultured U87 MG cells. Studies done on Drosophila melanogaster developmental potential by exposure to non-thermal radiation from the GSM mobile phone found increased numbers of offspring and elevated Hsp70 levels (Weisbrot et al. , 2003). This study also reported increased serum response element DNA-binding and induction of the phosphorylation of the nuclear transcription factor EL K-1 by cell phone radiation.The rapid induction of Hsp70 within minutes by a non-thermal stress, together with identified components of signal transduction pathways, could provide sensitive and reliable biomarkers that could serve as the basis for practical mobile phone safety guidelines (Weisbrot et al. , 2003). The indications to date that certain genes are influenced by EMW suggests that genome-wide scans of the transcriptome are necessary. Among the several technologies used for genomewide gene expression analysis, SAGE is one promising method that seems particularly applicable for EMW research.SAGE has been used in many biological and medical studies involving various eukaryotic species. So far, more than 19 million copies of SAGE tags have been collected from humans (Wang, 2006). In a recent study by Remondini et al. (2006), which was part of the Fifth Framework Programme project REFLEX (Risk Evaluation of Potential Environmental Hazards From LowEnergy Electromagnetic Field Ex posure Using Sensitive InVitro Methods), six human cell types, immortalized cell lines and primary cells were exposed to 900 and 1800 MHz.RNA was isolated from exposed and sham-exposed cells and labelled for transcriptome analysis on whole-genome cDNA arrays. NB69 neuroblastoma cells, T lymphocytes, and CHME5 microglial cells did not show significant changes in gene expression. In EA. hy926 endothelial cells, U937 lymphoblastoma cells and HL-60 leukaemia cells, between 12 and 34 genes were up- or down-regulated (including bcl-2-associated transcription factor BTF gene). The findings conclude that analysis of the affected gene families does not point towards a stress response, and no consistent RF-EMF signatures could be detected.However, following RF-EMW exposure, some but not all human cells might react with an increase in expression of genes encoding ribosomal proteins and therefore up-regulating the cellular metabolism (Remondini et al. , 2006). Theoretical approaches also have b een proposed to elucidate the mechanism behind the stimulation of biosynthesis by EMW (Blank and Goodman, 2008). Electrons have been shown to move in DNA and biochemical reactions could be modulated by EMW (Blank, 2005). Interaction with electrons could explain the activation of DNA by weak, low-frequency EMW, as well as the more energetic high frequencies.Evidence from biochemical reactions suggests that electromagnetic fields can accelerate electron transfer. Interaction with electrons could displace electrons in H bonds that hold DNA together, leading to chain separation and initiating transcription. The electron transfer would favour separation of base pairs, and DNA geometry is optimized for disaggregation under such conditions. The initial interaction could involve the displacement of electrons in the H bonds that hold DNA together, thereby causing chain separation and initiating transcription and translation.EMWinitiated DNA separation can set in motion the interconnected bio chemical signalling pathways that are activated in the stress response (Blank and Goodman, 2008). The effects of lowfrequency EMW on Na/K-ATPase activity (Blank, 2005) to generate ATP is another pertinent field to explore in the context of spermatozoal motility. The Na/K-ATPase is an enzyme of the plasma membrane of most animal cells that uses the free energy from the hydrolysis of ATP to mediate the exchange of cytoplasmic Na+ for extracellular K+ in a 3:2 ratio (Kaplan, 2002; Sanchez et al. , 2006).The Na/K-ATPase plays a key role in numerous cell processes that depend directly or indirectly on the transmembrane gradients of Na+ and K+. The enzyme is essential in maintaining cell osmotic balance, volume, pH and the cell resting membrane potential and in providing the chemical energy for the secondary Na+-coupled transport of other ions, solutes and water across the cell membrane (Skou and Esmann, 1992). This enzyme has an important role, along RBMOnline ® 154 Review – Cel l phones: modern man’s nemesis? – K Makker et al. with Na+/H+ exchanger, in human sperm motility (Woo et al. 2002; Sanchez et al. , 2006) These cellular pathways should be further analysed in the context of EMW. More recently Friedman et al. (2007) found significant increase in plasma membrane NADH oxidase activity of mammalian cells (HeLa cells) after exposure to 875 MHz EMF. Although the use of the discovery science approach employing high-throughput screening techniques will not yield foolproof evidence of a health hazard or its absence, it will be essential in unravelling the complexities of the biological effects potentially exerted by RF-EMF exposure. upport of previous studies, they also will open opportunities for groundbreaking research in this area. References Agarwal A, Deepinder F, Sharma RK et al. 2008 Effect of cell phone usage on semen analysis in men attending infertility clinic: an observational study. Fertility and Sterility 89, 124–128. Agarwa l A, Desai NR, Makker K et al. 2008 Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) from cellular phones on human ejaculated semen: an in vitro pilot study. Fertility and Sterility Epub ahead of print. Aitken RJ 1999 The Amoroso Lecture. The human spermatozoon – a cell in crisis?Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 115, 1–7. Aitken RJ, L. E. Bennetts, Sawyer D et al. 2005 Impact of radio frequency electromagnetic radiation on DNA integrity in the male germline. International Journal of Andrology 28, 171–179. Anderson V, Rowley J 2007 Measurements of skin surface temperature during mobile phone use. Bioelectromagnetics 28, 159–162. Barnes FS, Greenebaum B 2007 Bioengineering and biophysical aspects of electromagnetic fields. In: Barnes FS, Greenebaum B (eds) Handbook of Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields 3rd edn. CRC Press, Boca Raton, USA.Blackwell RP 1979 Standards for microwave radiation. Nature 282, 360. Blank M 2005 Do electromagne tic fields interact with electrons in the Na,K-ATPase? Bioelectromagnetics 26, 677–683. Blank M, Goodman R 2008 A mechanism for stimulation of biosynthesis by electromagnetic fields: charge transfer in DNA and base pair separation. Journal of Cellular Physiology 214, 20–26. Braune S, Riedel A, Schulte-Monting J et al. 2002 Influence of a radiofrequency electromagnetic field on cardiovascular and hormonal parameters of the autonomic nervous system in healthy individuals.Radiation Research 158, 352–356. Braune S, Wrocklage C, Raczek J et al. 1998 Resting blood pressure increase during exposure to a radio-frequency electromagnetic field. Lancet 351, 1857–1858. Burch JB, Reif S, Noonan CW et al. 2002 Melatonin metabolite excretion among cellular telephone users. International Journal of Radiation Biology 78, 1029–1036. Cairnie AB, Harding RK 1981 Cytological studies in mouse testis irradiated with 2. 45-GHz continuous-wave microwaves. Radiation Researc h 87, 100–108. Capri M, Scarcella E, Bianchi E et al. 004a 1800 MHz radiofrequency (mobile phones, different global system for mobile communication modulations) does not affect apoptosis and heat shock protein 70 level in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from young and old donors. International Journal Radiation Biology 80, 389–397. Capri M, Scarcella E, Fumelli C et al. 2004b In-vitro exposure of human lymphocytes to 900 MHz CW and GSM modulated radiofrequency: studies of proliferation, apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential. Radiation Research 162, 211–218. Colonna A 2005 Cellular phones and cancer: current status. Bull Cancer 92, 637–643.Concannon CG, Orrenius S, Samali A 2001 Hsp27 inhibits cytochrome c-mediated caspase activation by sequestering both pro-caspase-3 and cytochrome c. Gene Expression 9, 195–201. Czyz J, Guan K, Zeng Q et al. 2004 High frequency electromagnetic fields (GSM signals) affect gene expression levels in tumor suppressor p53-deficient embryonic stem cells. Bioelectromagnetics 25, 296–307. Dasdag S, Zulkuf Akdag M, Aksen F et al. 2003 Whole body exposure of rats to microwaves emitted from a cell phone does not affect the testes. Bioelectromagnetics 24, 182–188. Dasdag S, Ketani MA, Akdag Z et al. 999 Whole-body microwave exposure emitted by cellular phones and testicular function of rats. Urological Research 27, 219–223. Cleveland Clinic pilot study To validate the results of recent epidemiological studies and to establish a cause and effect relationship between cell phone usage and decrease in semen parameters, a novel in-vitro experiment was designed. Semen samples were exposed to EMW from a commercially available cellular phone (GSM network, 850 MHz,), and the effect of EMW on semen parameters, DNA integrity [using TdT (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase)mediated dUDP nick-end labelling assay] (Tesarik et al. 2006; Ozmen et al. , 2007) and disturbance in reactive oxygen species metabolism was assessed post exposure. In this study, healthy donors were enrolled to provide semen samples. The semen sample obtained from each volunteer was divided into two parts: EMW-exposed group and control group. Environmental condition was monitored throughout the experiment. The frequency emitted by the cell phone was also confirmed with help of a radiofrequency spectrum analyser. One portion of the sample was exposed to radiation from a commercially available cell phone.A second portion was kept non-exposed for the same time duration. Measurement of sperm concentration, motility and viability was carried out as described by the World Health Organization (1999). Samples also were assessed for reactive oxygen species, total antioxidant capacity and DNA damage (Agarwal et al. , 2008). Conclusion As highlighted above, many aspects of human health have been proposed to be affected by cell phone exposure. Ranging from mild local warmth to possible tumour inductio n, EMW have been suspected of involvement in many health concerns.At this time, evidence is lacking to strongly prove or disprove any of the proposed harmful effects of EMW. However, the significance of these studies and their possible implications in the future cannot be ignored. Findings and trends available from these studies provide a strong indication to carry out further studies to establish a clearer and more evidence-based conclusion. Both human and animal-based studies have provided a hint that EMW may be involved in the pathogenesis of male infertility, but considerable work is required to provide scientific support for this view.More importantly, studies must be carried out in human semen samples as data from animal studies are limited in their applicability in humans. High-throughput screening techniques may be an important tool to evaluate the molecular effects of EMW on the biological system. 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