Obesity

 

 

          It's a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. People are considered obese when their Body Mass Index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of the person's height in meters, exceeds 30 kg/m2.Obesity is from the Latin word, obesitas, which means "stout, fat, or plump."Ēsus is the past participle of edere (to eat), with ob (over) added to it.

The Greeks were the first to recognize obesity as a medical disorder. Historically, obesity has been viewed as a sign of wealth and prosperity because for most human history mankind struggled with food scarcity. Human obesity is clearly depicted in Stone Age Artifacts, notably numerous figurines that have been found within a 2000 kilometre band crossing Europe from South-Western France to Southern Russia. Most famous is the Venus of Willendorf, an 11 centimeter figurine found in Austria.

          The cause of obesity is quite simply when a person consumes more calories from the food that he or she is able to burn. It is a combination of excessive food energy intake and a lack of physical activity. A limited number of cases is due primarily to genetics, medical reasons and psychiatric illness. Eating habits is one of the listed cause of obesity. Nutritional guidelines even when widespread have done so little to solve the problem of overeating and poor dietary choice. An increase in the average amount of food energy consumed came from an increase in carbohydrate consumption rather than fat consumption. The primary sources of these carbohydrates are sweetened beverages which are consumed in our daily food energy and also potato chips. Consumption of sweetened beverages and chips is believed to be contributing to the rising rates of obesity. Inactive lifestyle is also one of its causes; nowadays lots of people are not physically active; they spend hours in front of TV and computer. In fact, more than two hours a day of watching TV has been linked to overweight and obesity. Other reasons for not being active are using a car instead of walking, and less physical activities at home and at work because of modern technology and conveniences. People who are inactive are more likely to gain weight because they don’t burn the calories that they take in from food and drinks. Genetics is one of the factors which cause obesity; it tends to run in families. However, families also share diet and lifestyle habits which may contribute to obesity. The chances of being overweight are greater if one or both of your parents are overweight. Genes also affect the amount of fat you store in your body and where on your body you carry extra fat.

 Environment is another cause for obesity; a person’s environment also plays a vital part. Environment includes lifestyle behaviors, such as kinds of food a person eat and the physical activity they have. Some people tend to have high-fat diets, putting taste and convenience ahead of nutritional facts when they choose their meals without doing any physical activities to burn the calories they take. Today more people drive short distance to work instead of walking, and tend to eat out instead of cooking.

Psychological disturbances may also influence eating habits; many people eat much in response to their emotions such as happiness, boredom, sadness, excitement and sadness. Most overweight people have no more psychological disturbances than people at their normal weight; the ones who seek treatment for serious weight problems have difficulties with binge eating.  The binge eating is when people eat large amounts of food while they can’t control the amount of food they eat; people who have a severe problem have what is called binge eating disorder. This people may have more difficulty losing weight than those people who can control the amount of food they eat.

Medication: some medicines may cause weight gain. These medicines include some corticosteroids, antidepressants, and seizure medicines; these medicines can slow the rate at which your body burns calories, increase appetite or cause the body to hold extra water.

Some medical condition may also lead to weight gain and lead to obesity. Such as hypothyroidism; it is when the thyroid gland fails to produce enough thyroid hormone which often results in a lower metabolic rate and loss of vigor. Another medical condition is the Cushing's Syndrome; it’s a hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the body tissue to high levels of the hormone cortisol; symptoms include upper body obesity, a rounded face, increased fat around the neck, and thinning arms and legs. One more medical condition that results in obesity is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which is a condition characterized by high level of androgens (male hormones), irregular or missed menstrual cycle and in some cases multiple small cysts on the ovaries.

 

References:

"Obesity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity>.

 

 "What is Obesity? What is BMI (Body Mass Index)?." Medical News Today: Health News. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/obesity/>.

 

"Obesity: MedlinePlus." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obesity.html>.

 

"Obesity.org." Obesity.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. <http://www.obesity.org/>.

 

"Obesity - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/obesity/DS00314>.

 

subject. "International Journal of Obesity." Nature Publishing Group : science journals, jobs, and information. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2013. <http://www.nature.com/ijo/index.html>.

Famous Landmark EIFFEL TOWER in PARIS

The Eiffel Tower  also known as the “ Iron Lady “ of France is one of the world’s premier tourist site and was built in commemoration of the French Revolution; it is the tallest tower in Paris; the height of the tower including the antenna is 1,063 feet (324 m). It is also the most visited paid monument and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  The Eiffel Tower was named after Gustave Eiffel who designed and funded a big amount of money to build the tower completely; the French government partially funded some of the expenses. After Gustave Eiffel finished discussing and explaining the use of the tower, he finished his talk by saying that the tower will symbolize “not only the art of the modern engineer, but also the century of Industry and Science in which we are living, and for which the way was prepared by the great scientific movement of the eighteenth century and by the Revolution of 1789, to which this monument will be built as an expression of France's gratitude.” Although it was named after him, the original structural concept and form was originated by Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier and the main architect was Stephen Sauvestre. The main purpose of this tower is to be a theme structure for an international exposition in 1889 which is to celebrate the 100^th year’s anniversary of the French revolution. But as time passed by the military discovered that the tower can be used as an antenna for the newly invented radio and for the television and telecoms companies. .  The tower was completely built in 2years, 2 months and 5days between 1887 and 1889; it was inaugurated to the public on March 31, 1889 and was opened on May 6, 1889. The Eiffel Tower stands next to the Seine River and is located at the northwestern extreme of Parc du Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It cost 8 Million Francs (US $ 1.5 Million in 1980 Dollars, US $ 34 Million in 2007 Dollars).  The Eiffel Tower is still in existence and still standing today, even though the construction was only meant for the duration of the exposition and despite all the protests from the artist and  many people who feared that the tower does not fit into the architecture of Paris. These days there is no issue among the people of Paris about this tower and in fact they can’t imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower. And the tower itself has become the symbol as a City of Light. Today, the Eiffel Tower is the most famous landmark and the greatest symbol of Paris, France, and also a nice tourist destination.

The material used in building the Eiffel Tower is wrought iron also known as puddle iron of the best quality; it’s very pure and strong so that even windstorms weren't able to destroy the tower. The base is made of concrete. There’s a glass used on the first floor of the tower. And some non-metals were also used but not steel. The puddle or wrought iron that was used was being mined in some areas around France and they took it to factories for processing and formatting. They took the materials by horse-drawn carts from the factory in the nearby Parisian suburb of Levallois Perret but before they took the materials they assembled some parts of it.  There were some changes made from the original design such as the making of exterior appearance temporarily by adding a horizontal extension of the third floor in order to increase the public access. And also the spiral staircase from second the platform to the summit was removed but was replaced by two emergency and service staircases. Although the concept and form was made by Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, and the main architect was Stephen Sauvestre, Gustave Eiffel is the one who furnished and finalized everything about the Eiffel Tower.  After  Gustave Eiffel’s retirement he did important work on meteorology and aerodynamics.  The main contractor was the Companies des Establishments Eiffel. There are around 300 people who constructed the Eiffel Tower. Some problems are encountered while making the tower such as:

–  There’s one person died by falling down the Eiffel Tower

–  Finding the site to build the tower was a problem

–  The money needed in building the tower was also a problem

–  There’s some protest from some artists that didn’t  believe that it was feasible

–  There’s criticism by comparing the Eiffel Tower and the Egyptian Pyramid.

The Eiffel Tower is very important in history and even today seeing it standing is a living proof that this tower serves its purpose. It becomes one of the tourist destinations in Paris and also one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The peak of the tower is used as an observatory station in measuring wind speed. The tower plays a vital role as a radio transmitter, aircraft beacon and television antenna and on top of being a moneymaking tourist attraction. It’s been an icon in movies and has become undisputed symbol of Paris and even for all of France.

 

 

REFERENCES:

·                   "Eiffel Tower History and Facts: When and Why was Eiffel Tower Built." www.buzzle.com. Madhura Pandit, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-the-eiffel-tower-paris.html>.

·                   "Eiffel Tower - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower>.

·                   "Eiffel tower." Corrosion science and engineering information hub. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://corrosion-doctors.org/Landmarks/Eiffel.htm>.

·                   "The Eiffel Tower." A Design and Technology Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://www.technologystudent.com/struct1

·                   "Eiffel Tower changes its look – at least temporarily - DETAIL-online.com." DETAIL-online.com - The portal for architecture and construction. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://www.detail-online.com/architecture/topics/eiffel-tower-changes-its-look-ndash-at-least-temporarily-007755.html>.

·                   Calore, Paul. "Eiffel Tower History - Cost To Build The Eiffel Tower | What It Costs." Historical | What It Costs. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://historical.whatitcosts.com/facts-eiffel-tower.htm>.

·                   http://www.atkielski.com/main/EiffelTowerFAQ.html

·                   http://www.tour-eiffel.fr

 

Youth put skills ahead of money

About 50 students and recent graduates took part in the forum held a day before the Emiratisation Summit. In a live voting session, 30 per cent of participants said the opportunity for growth and promotion was the most important factor when considering a job offer; 20 per cent said learning new skills was the top factor; while 18 per cent said work environment and culture was the main factor. Only 10 per cent said they would consider salary first. A mere 2 per cent said working hours were the most important criterion. Asked whether working for the private sector would throw up challenges, 81 per cent said yes and 13 per cent said no. Responding to the same question about the government, 40 per cent said yes and 31 per cent said no. According to INJAZ UAE employers tell them they can't hire Emiratis because they can't give them the salaries and working hours they demand.

Another survey was conducted in the capital as part of an Emirati youth forum, and revealed that 30 per cent of the university students and fresh graduates polled place utmost importance on growth and promotion opportunities when selecting a job. Nearly 70 per cent of participants at the forum said that getting a job is their most immediate priority after graduation, over further education or entrepreneurship opportunities. When choosing between public and private sector positions, the deciding factors for Emirati youth tend to be growth and promotion opportunities, work environment and skill development.

Tawdheef, the annual Recruitment Show. Which begins in the capital on Tuesday, will see more than 2,500 job vacancies up for grabs. The vacancies are available at more than a hundred public and private sector organizations in a variety of industries, including finance, oil and gas, media, and health.

Houbara

 

The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) announced it has exceeded yearly expectations of Asian Houbara release into the wild. A total of 13,000 Asian Houbara birds produced in the UAE and a total of 5,373 chicks hatched at the new Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre at Saih Al Salem, and 7,732 at the National Avian Research Centre. It is a big leap from the 2,726 chicks bred last year, thanks to the transfer of 5,000 houbara, including 3,000 breeding birds, from the IFHC centre in Morocco. The Moroccan centre bred 17,262 North African houbara this year, up from 14,734 last year. In Kazakhstan, those numbers rose to 303 chicks from 77. Conservationists warn that falconry is under threat from poachers and non-traditional practices.  According to experts, among some of the many reasons which have caused a decline in the houbara population in the UAE, is the demolition of its natural habitat to use the land for city development.; also many falconers have drifted away from traditional methods of hunting, by over-trapping houbara birds, which are not the falcon’s natural prey in the first place. So the falcon becomes accustomed to hunting houbara and begins to prey on them. The houbara, which weighs between 1.2 and 2.2 kilograms, is not natural prey for most falcons, who prefer small birds or large rodents. Falcons must be trained to hunt houbara. The best conservation plan would be to "kill" the black market for houbara, the issue IFHC face is that they cannot determine the size of the black market, which is why these surveys are important.

How do Gulf corals beat the heat

 

In geological terms, the emirate's modern coastline is extremely young - just 4,000 years old. In that time, somehow its corals have managed to beat the heat. So has that been a slow process, creating a stable local stock of heat-resistant corals, or dose each generation in turn find its own way of coping. The coral live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae, a type of algae that lives inside the coral's tissue. The algae photosynthesise, producing sugars that provide up to 90 per cent of the coral's energy, and in return, the coral provides shelter, nutrients - mostly nitrogen and phosphorus - and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Such a cosy arrangement is not without pitfalls. So co-dependent are the two species, that if one dies the other is unable to feed itself to stay alive, leading to coral bleaching. And 2010 was hot, too, with water temperatures in the Gulf exceeding 37°C. Corals were lost on many reefs in the southern basin of the Gulf, the waters between Qatar and Dubai.

 Corals reproduce in one of two ways: through fragmentation or larval production. Fragmentation, is when a piece of coral breaks off, rolls across the sand, lands somewhere else and starts growing. The slow rates of recovery suggest that the problem is not larval production, but more the harsh environments the larvae find when they land. And with the water already so hot, the corals are at the thresholds of their tolerance, so even slight increases in stress can push them over the edge.

New pearl Museum opens in RAK

 

RAK, historically known before as Julfar, was the capital of pearl trading is evident from old documents by European travelers and sailors.  The pearling industry collapsed in the Gulf in the early 1930s with the Japanese invention of cultured pearls. So it means a lot to open a museum for pearls here to revive the history of the pearl trading in RAK. The museum belongs to RAK Pearls Holding Company and they are farming cultured pearls since 2005 in RAK.

 The museum is one of a kind in the region; visitors feel like they are transported into a different world, because of the interior design of thousands of shimmering empty oyster shells along the walls. On the first floor is a historical journey, including a detailed showcase of tools and gear worn by pearl divers. Divers use alg’reat because their skin couldn't survive without this moisturizer.

The museum's second floor is lined with displays of the world's famous pearls, and instruction on how to distinguish natural and cultured pearls. There are small, 10mm, white-and-beige Akoya pearls, and larger, black-lipped pearls and also there are Buddha oyster shells. At last the Miracle of Arabia pearl is displayed there, sitting on a red velvet throne inside the museum.

First reflective statement

What is this course about ?

 

The course tackle about academic reading and writing course, were student will develop their skills from their own using different resources.

 

 

What have I learnt so far ?

 

I have learned how to use different materials, techniques and resources from my own to  do my reports. Using internet, books and even newspaper.

What do I expect to get from this Couse?

 

This course will sharpen my ability to be good in English and will broaden my horizon in English world.

 

What do I know about hedley ???

 

Mr. Hedley is married to Mary with two kids and with four grandchildren. He works at Trust summer school, E-ton as a tutor and in Culford as Director of administration. Sports is also included in his interest as he play Rugby in Westleigh (Leics), Bromsgrove (Worcs) and Calder Vale (Lancs) RFCs. He even represented Brunei  in the annual triangular Borneo Cup. Mr. Hedley  actively participate in squash and tennis, and have represented the British Club .  Like each normal person he also love movies including Singin' in the Rain; Chinatown; Oklahoma; Carousel; Suspicion; Foreign Correspondent; Shall We Dance? Inherit the Wind and play and adore music from the 60s of the following famous singers like Gershwin; Rodgers & Hammerstein, Fred Astaire; George & Ira Gershwin, ; Crystals; Spector, Greenwich & Barry and Eric Clapton. He also have favorite books that I myself have in my shelves like Emma by Jane Austen; Farewell My Lovely, et al, by Raymond Chandler; Canton Airlift by Andrew Gear.

The Hajj

 

 

Muslims all over the world come together in a pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia every year. To celebrate the Hajj, all Muslims from different races, rich or poor and physically fit are expected and obliged to be present in this holy period.  The day and particular date is celebrated based on the Islamic calendar. During this period millions of people all over the world gather together which is health threat that is the major problem the Saudi health authority is facing. Before entering Mecca cleansing and wearing simple clothes are required to show respect to God and fairness for everybody. People walk 7 times in the Ka’aba, the black cube in Mecca and walk through the hills of Safah and Marwah and to the plain of Arafath wHere the last sermon of Mohamed was held. The same evening people go camping at Muzdalifah. Meanwhile, back in Minah they throw stones at the pillars where they believe Satan tempted Abraham, however some people don’t believe in this belief, then sheep are slaughtered as part of the pilgrimage and given to the less fortunate afterwards. Before the final ritual they return to Minah to pray for 3 days. Before ending the final ritual, the people gather together around the Ka’aba  and do the Tawaf.