I hate being so skinny. I am fairly tall and weigh only 104 pounds. People always get tips on how to lose weight and look good, but what about me? There in no way to make a stick look nice.

I hate how people assume that I am ill because I am skinny, people have actually asked me if I make myself puke or if I starve myself! OOH, this is so irritating! I don’t ask obese people is they ate too much or sat around too much!

I hate how eveyone I know thinks that I am a geek. So what, I like to read, are they jealous or what?

I hate house breaking puppies. Actually, I hate when some one else steps in the doo doo because I am the only one who apparently can smell. And, I am the only that will clean it up and put the pup outdoors. I also hate how everyone acts like it is my job to clean up the accidents, even if they see the doo doo, they won’t clean it, they will yell “Mom, there’s doggie doo….”

I hate how male cats like to pee on plastic. What the heck is the deal with that? Can’t they pee on a tree like dogs?

I hate how my cat leaves dead creatures with their guts hanging out, under my dining room table!

Ok, enough ranting this morning… if you can’t tell, this has not been one of my best mornings…..

There is no politician that is coming to your home with the perfect for you job under their arm.  Making you weak and dependent on government is not caring for you. 

The reality is that liberals have been tearing at your heart and soul for the majority of your life trying to convince you that government should be your second chance.  With their art they get you to develop a bad attitude about life.  This bad attitude makes you drop out of school, make children you cannot afford, join violent gangs, abuse alcohol and drugs, and spiral down to an existence of emotional turmoil and mental health hardship.  They do this with their art ridiculing the foundations of society such as family, personal responsibility, education, and hard work.

We too are willing victims as long as we can be passive and emotionally blackmail people into taking care of us.  However, when we get to a certain age we realize we squandered our potential and denied ourselves our romantic ideal.

If Obama cared he would realize the basic human function that gives joy and happiness from planning a dream and working to accomplish that dream.  Obama only cares about feeding his narcissistic need to feed his own ego.

I believe it is appropriate after three and half years to evaluate the lack of progress of Obama.  Jan 21 2009 the unemployment rate was 6 percent.  It rose to 11 percent.  It is now reported at 8.3 percent.  The only reason the unemployment rate has gone down is because people have given up on looking for work. 

In addition, Mr. Obama has stopped economic growth with his bad attitude towards the successful, his enormous spending, and his desire to raise taxes.  Who wants to be successful when Obama wants to take the away the rewards of personal success?

I have said that one function of government is to administrate the departments of that government.  Mr. Obama as chief executive officer of the American government has had “fast and furious”, “GAS splurging at Vegas, “Secret Service in Columbia”, “Department of Energy harassing American energy producers”, and many more scandals related to the departments he, Mr. Obama, is supposed to be administrating.  Part of administration involves auditing for waste, fraud, and mismanagement.

Therefore, Mr. Obama has done everything wrong and it is costing the average American citizen.  A person who cares makes better choices.  These choices actually help people help themselves.

However, all we see from Obama is mismanagement, fraud, and waste.  In addition, we see hatred and rancor from Obama towards anyone who disagrees with him.

Mr. Obama did the economy improve under your leadership? The answer is no.  Therefore, you have not helped anyone.

The bigger question is “why are we being petty”.  America needs mature and personally responsible people, who are self-reliant.  People may tell me that I only say that because I do not understand how hard it is to find a job.  I look at CareerBuilder and Monster.com almost every morning.  Just because you do not want the job does not mean there are no jobs.

We need to care about ourselves.  We need to be the solution to our challenges.  Everyone blames politicians.  Who lets politicians do what they did while in office.  I believe that would be the apathetic, disinterested, and uninvolved citizen.

Now, I have a small fear that the independent voters’ narcissistic need to win will lead to another four years of Obama.  However, you do not attack business people and the Christian church and then expect to win the presidency.

I am not going to say I understand how independent voters actually believe that Obama is a better choice for America. The following is what Obama with his own words and actions has proven:

1.      Obama is not a leader in foreign relations.

2.      Obama hates anyone who disagrees with him.

3.      Obama uses bureaucracies to punish his political enemies.

4.      Obama hates personal success.

5.      Obama does not want anyone but liberals to have wealth.

6.      Obama cannot keep his promises.

7.      Obama likes to spend other people’s money.

8.      Obama stops economic growth with negative criticism of business leaders, high spending, over regulation, and high taxes.

What bitterness is

Bitterness can better be seen as a spiritual poison and a means by which many get destroyed under its corrosive effects. It is the source of countless spiritual, emotional and physical problems in millions of lives today. It can be tricky to recognize bitterness because it’s not a symptom or visible on the surface like anger usually is. Many bitter people claim that they aren’t  angry or hateful persons, but that’s not what bitterness is all about. Bitterness is an underlying problem that doesn’t always manifest on the outside, but dwells in that person’s system, essentially, it is hidden.

Hidden bitterness

 Bitterness is like a root hidden in the soil under the surface. Few plants show off their root system, but if the plant didn’t have a root system it wouldn’t survive. A root’s job is not to manifest on the surface, but to brew under the surface and fuel things that are on the surface. In the same way, hidden bitterness is in a person’s soul. It is a hidden element that lies under the surface, and out of it springs up anger and other negative emotions against others and against the circumstances around them. People who have a root of bitterness find it easy to get upset over things that other’s are doing around them. It’s like a brewing fountain that lies beneath the surface, waiting to fuel something that is on the surface. Many women who have been raped for example, are kind and gentle and loving people, but inside they are bound up because of what was done to them many years ago. Just because they aren’t angry or outrageous individuals, does not mean they are free from the root of bitterness.

Link Between Hidden Bitterness and anger

Individuals who have hidden bitterness will often find it easy to become angry  over little things that go on around them. It is easy for them to look at the circumstances around them as the source of their problems, rather than seeing how they are handling those circumstances. Instead of letting it go by forgiving those who hurt them, they let it get to them, and it devours them alive.

How to deal with Hidden Bitterness and anger

The only way to deal with hidden bitterness is to cut it off at the roots and remove it from your soul. There is need to make a choice to release all hurt and bottled up feelings inside your systems, by forgiving and forgetting about those who hurt you. Make a complete “U” turn from those feelings of bitterness and forsake them and  instead, allow love to minister to your soul!

Hate and Fear go hand and hand…….

People ask me why I don’t hate. Why don’t I hate my abuser. I really dislike them of course I do.

I realized I have allot of anger but it isn’t directed at the person, but at the behavior. What they did to me. I hate how they treated me.

That is why I stay away from them. I don’t like the drama and lies. The backstabbing and deceit. The falseness and superficial relationship.

I like honesty and keeping it real. I like to smile and laugh. I had enough crying in my lifetime. In my childhood and in the military. Enough is enough.

So as a adult I can control my life, I can control my environment and what type of behavior I allow in my life. That means the type of people I develop a relationship with. I can’t be a fake friend. I am to real for that.

I keep bad behavior out of my house and life. We control our world. Don’t let other people’s bad behavior interfere in your world no matter what the relationship is. Relatives, co-workers, siblings, neighbors…..if their behavior isn’t good for you, irritates you or your home darn it control your world…….

Stop it at your door….You don’t have to allow the behavior in your world…..It is YOUR world!!!!

How I don’t hate the person but the behavior? I know many donn’t understand that. But think about it.

 How does a person forgive? How do they allow a person back into their life? They forgive the behavior, the act the person committed. Because the person is still the same. You can hope they change, you can hope they won’t do whatever it was they did again. But you didn’t forgive based on character. You either decided it was good for you to forgive the act or they asked for forgiveness. That doesn’t mean “THEY” changed.

It is the same concept as fear. It is the ACTION..Not the person…….Not the place…It is what was done or is done…..

Reality of Fear:

 You arent scared of the dark, you are scared of what is in it.

You arent afraid of heights, you are afraid of falling.

 You arent afraid of the people around you, you are afraid of refection or distrustful.

 You arent afraid of love, you are afraid of not being loved back.

 You arent afraid to let go, you are afraid to admit they are gone.

 You arent afraid of getting hurt again, you are afraid of getting hurt again for the same reasons.

 It is funny how we can turn things around in our head. For those that have been hurt, it isn’t love they should be scared of ….It is the TYPE of people that hurt you. For those that have are distrustful, learn to set boundaries….then you wont be afraid of those around you For those that don’t know what is in the dark, take a light..don’t put yourself in places or positions where you know you are going to be uncomfortable.

For those afraid of not being loved back, dont give your all to someone who treats you as a option. Never love someone more than yourself. So instead of generalizing your fears, narrow them down alittle. Then you can tackle them head on a little at a time…step by step…..

You see you set boundaries….You can love…You just insure you are also being respected. You insure it is 100%/100%…… Reality of fear is everything is not what it seems at first…. Baby steps…….narrow it down and take small steps……and you will find facing your fears isn’t that hard after all.

If you think you are afraid of water is that true or is a fear of drowning? Don’t BLAME the water…It is YOUR fear of drowning…

There are many factors involved in BLAMING, finding reasons, fault or any excuse to validate feelings……Always look at the facts…THINK not feel about the situation and you will react differently. Because if you were truly afraid of water…you wouldn’t bathe…

So always look at your “FEAR” and see what it is you are really afraid of.

Makes it alittle easier to deal with… SO look at your fear and place the blame where it belongs…..The action, the behavior…Then you can do something about it

One step at a time ♥

Analysis of Ethics in the 21st Century

21st Century marked the imposition of disputes between territories, the 9/11 trauma, Iraq and Afghanistan war, Egyptian uprising and riots in the African countries. The challenges faced by the world in this hour are also widening and prolonging. These impediments are even more multifarious and exhausting in facet. There is a pertaining threat to environment and natural resources, a continuous depletion of natural resources, and the increasing gap between affluent and poor. The society is engaged in technological progress and globalization and so problems today are global rather than local. This situation, united with the unparalleled interconnections and interdependence among people from all countries, is defined as a ‘crisis’ or ‘uncertainty’ which founded the human society until now. Humankind is very far away from reaching a resolution needed to tackle the trans-boundary dilemmas and predicaments that escort the growing global family.  However, what seems right is to address the conditions of such a society demand manifestation on the essential elements required to preserve a productive and peaceful global community. (UNESCO Headquarters|2001)

A conference held at the UNESCO Headquarters on September 21-22, 2001 analyzed the role of ethics in today’s globalized world. A Report was made on the two day conference. In this report, different sessions were discussed such as structure of ethics of the 21st Century, the role ethics play in the 21st Century, different approaches towards an ethical environment, and the future of ethics. (UNESCO Headquarters|2001)

Ethical Behavior

According to the Institute of Global Ethics, ethical behavior is complementary to:

·         Being trustful and sincere in all our transactions whether personal or professional

·         Accountable and responsible in every dealing

·         Mindful and respectful of self esteem of each and every individual

·         Impartial and fair in every relationship

·         Empathetic and gentle in every situation (Bailey J.I| February 2004)

These are fantastic rules, powerful yet simple. They relate to literally every façade of human life and to every institution and organization. These are our embrace. We as individuals should adhere to these wonderful rules; and must not let any public perception change our views or discourage our beliefs. These are the basics of our existence, our survival and our upbringing. These are the ethics on which our decision making should be based upon. Deciding between two rights is what ethical management comprises of. It does not in any way signify that either of the two choices is unacceptable.  But it means that one should be careful, compassionate and responsible in choosing the better option. Constant changes in the economic and social climate shifts public opinion and so today we face several discrete challenges brought into affect by such external forces.  To remain loyal to our ethical responsibilities and principles, there are three focal areas we need to emphasize on. These are diversity, honesty and integrity and access. (Bailey J.I| February 2004)

The Role of Ethics in the 21st Century

            Today, world tolerates the problems of ethics along side the technological and scientific domains that dominates the human race. Human beings can not just respond by themselves without the assistance of technology. Issues within the scientific community cannot be confronted until philosophical and ethical considerations are taken into account. Ethical reconciliation should be utilized when solving problems or interacting with diverse cultures. If one wishes to arrive at ethical clarifications of problems at hand, references must be cited to the traditional world of thought and wisdom. According to Prof. H. Atlan, philosophy is the key to arrive at ethical answers and to attend the problems of science and technology faced today. (UNESCO Headquarters|2001)

            There are two types of ethics that relate to globalization. First one is based on ethics of sovereignty of States and the power structure. The second one relates to the responsibilities of the liberal market. These two kinds of ethics and the vibrant relationship between them state the condition of ethics today. Globalization in the 21st Century gave birth to an accord between people who think internationally. In actuality, the emergence of a global civil community, by the sponsorship of global democracy, global governance and residency all contribute towards surfacing of ‘globalization of ethics’. (UNESCO Headquarters|2001)

Ethical Training

Most students and officers when hear the word “ethics” become spell bounded and images of departmental sanctions, internal affairs of a company, and extensive lawsuits came dawdling into their minds. As discussed earlier, ethical behavior is the basis of any university, college, organization or educational institution. It should be a persistent theme in every training program. Even though there is a vast literature on ethics and business ethics as well in our growing globalized world but there is a basic flaw in all these endeavors- instructor of these ethical training programs lack knowledge pertaining to ethical knowledge and ideologies. Another challenge that different departments face is vast ethical frameworks from which the units/officers must work. For instance resources officers versus petrol officer and traffic verses SWAT. (Dr. Bayley B. | August 21, 2009)

In any case, the norm of “one stop shop” might not be the most feasible and effective way for ethical training of officers as well as students. Officers, teachers, and students need to learn how to handle ethical challenges faced by them in the 21st Century and for that it is essential to discover ethical ideologies and philosophies. As a students’ instructor or of your department, one should identify the different orientations among your people. (Dr. Bayley B. | August 21, 2009)

Importance of Ethics

Why immense importance is given to ethical principles in this century? They are the fundamental rules of any profession. Without an ethical framework, it is not possible to set rules that form the basis of any career and differentiate it from quackery or amateurism. In any profession of the world such as artists, doctors, dentists, journalists, performers, actors, etc need good ethics to be good at their work. Any profession needs ethical guidelines to be well recognized and formed. (Allain. J.P | May-June 2001).

Is it fair to let small producing units produce in less favored regions of the world? To see their livelihood threatened by free market policies and laissez-faire? In today’s 21st Century free market and laissez faire are dominating the one empowered human race. In one’s own profession, it is considered ethical to eradicate the standards and working policies when competitors face them so that their marginal costs increase and when it comes to our enterprise, we vote in favor of whatever labor we are exploiting, and is it ethical to cheat your customers? Certainly not, but there is no reason to know it. (Allain. J.P | May-June 2001).

We must not just eliminate our tenets lightly, we must continue to enhance and improve it. We should modernize our ethical system wherever required to face the challenges faced by us in the 21st Century so that our cultures and traditions do not lose their true essence and color. We should move towards modernism but by pursuing ethical principles, ideologies and philosophies. (Allain. J.P | May-June 2001).

References

UNESCO Headquarters (2001), Report on Ethics for the 21st Century, Division of Human Sciences, philosophy and the Ethics of Science and technology. [ONLINE} Available at:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001246/124626eo.pdf

Bailey J.I (February 2004) Ethics and the 21st Century. Centre for the Study in Ethics in Society. Western Michigan University [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.wmich.edu/ethics/pubs/vol_xv/judith_bailey.pdf

Dr. Bayley B. (August 21, 2009). Improving ethics training for the 21st Century.  Ethics in Law Enforcement. Policeone.com. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/1864833-Improving-ethics-training-for-the-21st-century/

Allain. J.P (May-June 2001). The role of ethics in a deregulated 21st Century. International Association of Conference Interpreters [ONLINE] Available at:

http://aiic.net/ViewPage.cfm/page352.htm

Community Action Programs-  This programs were started under LBJ in his Great Society Program.  Their intentions were to eliminate poverty at the base level by getting the people suffering the most directly involved with their input.  Instead of people with no connection to the situation deciding what was best for them, they could, and were expected to create their own programs to help their community.  These programs were very successful and their main obstacle in most cases was their communities own local government, who sometimes became wary of the large amounts of aid going into these groups that they had no control over.  Historically, these programs, in correlation with others helped to decrease poverty in our nation to a low level that it has nearly stayed at since.  

The movie Crash is the perfect modern day movie that depicts the stereotypes, prejudice, and intercultural related demographics into one intense drama. This movie perfectly relates to the intercultural communication studies that have been discussed thus far this semester. The Los Angeles area where the story takes place is a highly diverse city that truly does capture the different cultural views and relations people have with one another. Every character in the movie played a huge role in allowing the viewer to understand the different influences and behaviors the numerous cultures have towards their very own culture and that of others’.

The first and most obvious concept found in the movie was the idea of intercultural communication having barriers. These different barriers include Ethnocentrism, prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Numerous characters of the movie behaved in ways towards other cultures using one or all of these barriers. At the very beginning of the movie the role played by Ludacris’ character clearly does a lot of stereotyping, and does not do a good job proving to his friend that their cultures are equal to others. Stereotyping is a widely held belief about a group of people and it is a hard idea to shake. He started immediately complaining while they walked out of the coffee shop that they had waited over an hour for service, and blamed the poor service on being African American. The friend pointed out that their waitress was also black but Ludacris continued to say the reason they didn’t get good service was because people hold the stereotype that African Americans do not tip well. Later, Ludacris admits to his friend played by Larenz Tate, that he stiffed the waitress on the bill anyways.

Directly following the scene with Ludacris and Tate, Sandra Bullock and Brendan Fraser’s characters come walking into the picture. Sandra Bullock noticed Ludacris and Tate, and suddenly became “cold” and grabbed a hold of Fraser. Ludacris noticed this and immediately pointed of that she did this maneuver because he is of the African American race. Sandra Bullock was purposely grabbing onto Fraser’s characters because of the two men and in doing so she gives the perfect example of discriminating towards another culture. She tried to avoid and distance herself from Ludacris and Tate because they were not of her race.

In contrast Ryan Phillippe’s character at the beginning of the movie seemed to display the opposite cultural beliefs than his partner Matt Dillon. Phillippe becomes disgusted with the way Dillon treated Howard and his wife and requests to be reassigned a partner. Phillippe did not seem to be a prejudice or stereotypical man, but events that took place in the movie changed his perception on other cultures. By the end of the movie Philippe did an entire 360 and shoots Tate’s character for reaching into his pocket for what Philippe thought was a gun, but was actually a matching figurine Phillippe had in his car. Beliefs in our society are often shaped by our experiences and relationships we have with one another and Phillippe’s changed after Howard’s character changed from a law abiding citizen, to another police hating outlaw.

Culture is continuously changing and evolving across the world and will continue to do so. The concept that culture is dynamic and heterogeneous was definitely made clear in Crash. Culture is no longer homogeneous and there are numerous views found within a single one. The character’s played by Ludacris and Tate makes this concept very evident with numerous examples from the movie. They were constantly arguing throughout the movie because each man had his own beliefs and views of their own, and other cultures. Ludacris constantly made assumptions about other cultures views of his own and believed everyone was against him. A belief as simple as riding public transportation raised controversy with two friends. As Tate’s character began waving down a bus Ludacris stopped him and made the accusation that buses have large windows so people can look in and see all of the African Americans inside. Even though the issue is not as serious as having different views such as immigration, it still shows how different two members of the same culture can be.

It was not only the experiences, relations and cultural beliefs held that shaped the way the characters acted in the movie but also their histories. Cultural history has a huge impact on the different ways interactions and communications take place. One of the histories that occurred in the movie was based on the gun seller’s political history. Political histories focus on events that have occurred within one’s culture or country and they can be extremely one-sided based on the view from which it is being told. The gun seller began yelling at the Persian store owner and blamed him for 9/11 and called him “Sadam”. Not only is this extremely racist and ignorant of the Persian man’s culture but it reflects the personal, political history the gun seller possessed.

Another concept that clearly stood out was when Terrence Howard’s character entered into the movie. Howard was obviously in the upper class of society and financially well off. He had a beautiful wife, expensive car and a dream job. The first argument with Howard and his wife, Thandie Newton, was over the encounter with the police officer played by Matt Dillon. Dillon’s character molested Howard’s wife in front of him for no reason what so ever and instead of fighting back he apologized to the officer so he and his wife did not get arrested. During the argument Newton made comments to him about the closest thing to him being black was him growing up watching The Cosby Show. This accusation is suggesting that Howard’s character has assimilated himself with the dominant culture in that particular society being white and upper class.

As the movie progressed and came to an end one of the biggest transitions of behavior and beliefs came from Ludacris’ character. When we first meet Ludacris he was a racist, ethnocentric believing person that wants nothing to do with any other culture than that of his own. But by the end of the movie there is a huge change in the way he viewed the demographics of the world. He clearly reexamined himself and learned about other cultures from his close friend, and other characters he encountered. Ludacris experienced self-reflexivity and changed his outlook on life. He had the perfect opportunity after stealing the Chinese man’s van and selling the poor innocent immigrants to the car dealer he goes to. The man even offered Ludacris $500 a head but shockingly Ludacris turned down the offer. Instead he freed the men women and children and gave them money to buy food. His identity developed throughout the movie and made him more accepting of other cultures and more respectful of his own.

The movie was a conglomerate region of diverse cultures interacting, behaving, and mainly communicating with one another. The most shocking and obvious parts from the movie was the way the actors talked to members of cultures other than their own. Communication is a process that can have many different meanings, intentions and interpretations. One of the communication behaviors displayed in the movie was the idea that communication is clearly dynamic.

Everyone’s past definitely influences the way we communicate today. Past could mean events that occurred; people that have been encountered, stories and histories passed down, or simply the environment one was raised. Matt Dillon displayed communication that was definitely influenced by his father’s passed. When Dillon tried to get money for his father’s health problems the women on the phone said she could not help him. Dillon asked for her name and she responded Shaniqua which triggered Dillon to make a racist comment. Later he made the attempt to go and meet with the woman for a second chance at help and talked down on her because of her skin color mentioning that she beat out five, white-collar men for the position she held. He explained his father’s story of how he employed only African Americans and paid them equally when times were much different. After the city gave minority-owned preference in city contracts he explained his father lost everything. There is clearly past influence on Dillon’s communication behavior to African Americans.

Intercultural communication can be changed based on power positions and settings within society. After Fraser’s car was stolen he began to brainstorm on ways to change his appearance to better affect his political votes. He became frustrated that the men who high jacked him were African American and wanted to promote himself as an African American loving man. He argued with the man and woman in his house about a potential African American he wanted to put a medal on, and became furious when he found out the man was from Iraq. Fraser used the building block of communication as a weapon of power. Also, the context of his interactions differed from when he was in his own home talking to his coworkers than when he was in the court house in front of potential voters.

Also, Jennifer Espositos character of the female cop had a few different ways of communicating to others. When she communicated with the women at the beginning of the movie over the car accident she mocked the woman and made fun of her accent. Espositos character acted superior towards the Chinese woman’s culture and was very rude and discriminating with her words. Espositos partner was played by Don Cheadle and he also displayed some different communication behaviors discussed in class. While in bed with Espositos character he talked disrespectful toward his mother when she called him on the phone. Then he continued to do so when calling his partner an American then a Mexican when she is neither at all. He was ignorant with his actions and words and played the masculine role towards two females.

In conclusion, the movie Crash was a clash of demographics that were all related in one way or another. Every character in the movie played an important role that affected those around them and others without even knowing. The way cultures behave towards one another is so diverse and constantly altering within our culture. This movie was a perfect example of how intercultural communication can be perceived and used so differently amongst cultures. 

“The bloodiest peacetime pogrom in twentieth-century Europe took place in the Polish town of Kielce one year after the war ended, on July 4, 1946″

Although the statement above is untrue, for the bloodiest was in Kishinev in 1903, the thesis of book is an interesting one. It analyses the state of mind of Poles and Jews after the 2nd World War. When the picture of Jews who came back to Poland after the Holocaust is very true, deep and eloquent, it is not so with depicting Poles. An idea that anti-Semitism and pogroms after the Shoah were fueled mainly by Polish obsession of Jewish richness seems to me too Marxist.

The previous publications on the subject by different authors stressed on Communist apparatchiks’ insiration to the pogrom. Gross shows us an alternative view.

I believe that a specific religiosity, a typical Polish Catholic ignorance of Old Testament, lack of an egalitarian tradition, and identification of Jews and the Soviet regime in eyes of the public – so ideological reasons – might give a more precise description to what happened in town of Kielce in 1946.

In the article Evaluation of the BOD POD for Estimating Percent Body Fat in College Track and Field Female Athletes: A comparison of Four Methods out of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the authors discuss various ways to measure body composition of the female athletes. The extended definition is located in the first paragraph of the introduction. The authors define the importance of body composition and its relation to sports performance.

“In sports that involve power, speed, and endurance, excessive body fat may impede the athletes’ ability to jump, run fast, or improve aerobic capacity. Conversely, low %BF is associated with conditions such as disordered eating, iron deficiency anemia, amenorrhea, premature osteoporosis, and sports injuries.”

The author targets a specific audience, female track and field athletes, and relates the importance of body composition to their health and athletic performance. The authors use partition to break up the various techniques of determining body compostion, hydrostatic weighing, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), skinfold measurement, and air displacement plethysmography (ADP). Each technique has its own paragraph and the principle of operation. By breaking up the techniques into multiple paragraphs and defining how each works, it helps the reader to get a better understanding of the terminology and familiarize them with terms they may not have heard of before. Also, in each paragraph the authors give pros and cons of the technique. Comparing and contrasting technique allows the readers to focus on the benefits of each method and how they differ from each other.

The authors did a phenomenal job executing their definition. The breakdown of the methods into multiple paragraphs and defining and comparing each technique made it an easy read. The paragraphs were concise and did not include excess information so that the audience was able to fully understand the purpose of the methods and how they worked even if they had not been familiar with the methods before.

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=9&hid=17&sid=b9befe4a-fbf7-44cc-8071-2448bac0e39a%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=c8h&AN=2010098485#db=c8h&AN=2010098485 (find at WVU)

Part 2:

The BOD POD is one of the multiple techniques for estimating body compostition. It uses air displacement to measure body volume and determine the density of the individual. The BOD POD is an egg shaped machine that is noninvasive and is a relatively fast way to determine lean body mass. While the BOD POD is a relatively accurate and effective method that can be used on a wide range of the population, the machine is expensive and is often limited to elite athletes and those participating in studies.

Previously, the most often used method of determining body composition was underwater or hydrostatic weighing. This method also determines body density by submerging the individual in water and having them exhale the air from their lungs. Hydrostatic weighing while effective, is uncomfortable to those being measured. The BOD POD is just as effective as hydrostatic weighing and is less stressful on the individual. They do not have to be submerged; they simply sit in the chambered egg shape machine and breath normally while the machine calculates the body volume.

Determining body composition is extremely important for acknowledging health concerns within the population. A high percentage of body fat is related to many health concerns such as heart disease and diabetes. A low percentage of body fat relates to issues of osteoporosis, amenorrhea (the dissipation of the menstrual cycle), and helps to identify eating disorders. As previously stated, the machine is expensive and is often used by the elite athletes. Determining the body composition of athletes may be an indicator of preparedness. Too much body fat will hinder performance resulting in increased sprint times, decreases in weight training performance, and decreased jumping ability. If an athlete is too lean, it may indicate that they’re not obtaining enough nutrients in their diet to sustain their high level of activity. Therefore, too much lean tissue will also hinder performance. By using the BOD POD, coaches and training staff can monitor the health of their athletes’ bodies and adjust the training and nutritional aspects of their programs to fit the needs of each individual.

In conclusion, the BOD POD is the most effective and comfortable way of measuring lean body mass by using air displacement to calculate body density. It is safe and non invasive giving the individual a good idea of their bodies overall condition and can indicate whether or not they should decrease or increase body mass to improve their health.