Worker Safety Issue from Fast Food Nation Essay Example

Worker Safety Issue from Fast Food Nation Essay The purpose of writing this essay is to highlight the worker safety issues from Fast Food Nation. The problem basically is worker safety that is put to stake because of the dangers the workers have to face while they are made to do the work. This is the basic problem that has been identified that the workers have to face and certain remedies to these problem are also suggested in the later paragraphs. The worker safety issues are alarming and it is necessary that the employers must take steps to take care of such issues. The fast food industry has activated homogenization of our society and has also hastened the scenario by further creating a gap between the rich and the poor people and fast food have now become very popular for the American people. However, there are some unrecognized truths that have to be taken into consideration. The fast food nation has basically changed the culture of America and the way the people eat.[1] The socioeconomic effects  of the  fast food industry are diverse and the industry is dependent on the federal money i.e. it takes SBA loans in order to run the franchises and to run the fast food business. The assembly line  methods of  fast food production  actually worked their way into  large-scale agribusiness. The beef factories are irregular in size and it is hard to automate the cattle just in the way the poultry and other things required in the fast food business are being manufactured. The places where this takes place are horrible and businessmen mostly employee illiterate workers who are made to work for long hours and get a very low pay.[2] We will write a custom essay sample on Worker Safety Issue from Fast Food Nation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Worker Safety Issue from Fast Food Nation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Worker Safety Issue from Fast Food Nation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Moreover, the conditions in which they are made to work are pathetic and unhygienic that can be a very big threat to the human life. In order to prevent this, it is essential that the businessmen must take steps and for this just an incremental cost is required. Following these lines, now however the American slaughterhouse has improved a lot more than before as the standards have been improved and the workers are safer than before. Furthermore, I would also like to add that the real cost of the fast food is not actually measured in terms of purchase but the cost of the workers is also included. The reason for writing this paper is not that I am anti-fast food but it is to highlight that fact that though some of the fast food giants produce high-quality food at comparable prices to the other  chains, they must also put value in their  workers   as well as the food supply instead of trying to grab even the last bit of profits. â€Å"Fast food is served everywhere. Be it restaurants, trains, airplanes or cruise ships. It has been reported that the Americans spent around $6 billion in 1970 on fast food and the amount further increased to $110 billion in 2001. It has also been reported that the Americans spent more money on fast food than on the other expenses such as higher education or other luxuries. They spend more on fast food than on movies, magazines, newspapers,  videos, and  recorded music   combined.[3]Therefore, the nation’s most prized tradition is the fast food. As the fast food industry has progressed from a stand owned stall to giant corporations, the demand for the workers has also increased. In the following paragraphs I have referred to some of the articles and have given some of the examples of worker safety issues prevailing in the fast food market. The first is about the robberies. This article talks about the pizza delivery boys in Bethlehem who had to encounter robberies. The article tells that the pizza boys were robbed during the hours of work and were also punched down and thrown on the ground, the suspects however fought among themselves for both cash and pizza. Both the robberies took place with two different pizza boys working for two different pizza eateries. The first victim worked for Domino’s Pizza and was robbed by three men who took pizzas and a heated delivery box and this robbery took place before 6:00pm and took place on Morton Street. However, the other robbery took place at around 8:30pm and at Hilton Street. The other pizza boy who was robbed was working for Papa Johns in a way that he was called to the home to deliver two pizzas from.[4] According to another article, the wage rates of McDonalds are inappropriate and they have been criticized in this. This criticism was done by the members of the Service Employees International Union in the New Orleans and their basic theme was to criticize the low wages. This was called to be a nationwide campaign in which the members were to talk to the workers as well as the consumers about McDonalds wages. Furthermore, the article also reveals that McDonalds is against the Employee Free Choice Act. This Act is basically a legislation that gives American workers the opportunity to have better pay, benefits and working conditions. Moreover, the president of SEIU also said that the American workers dont have the buying power. Therefore, there is a need to drive the economy in part because companies like McDonalds are giving CEOs windfalls while workers struggle to afford items on the Dollar Menu.’ America’s workers struggle to pay even their bills, however the CEO’s get huge bonuses yearly. The article also said that a national campaign would be run in which they would distribute leaflets at McDonalds location nationwide that were more than around one hundred outlets. The third article is about the workers who have opened franchises with buyouts. Mark Bergman, who used to work for Ford Motor Co.s sales and marketing department, actually dreamt of pizza and accepted a buyout offer from Ford in 2007 in order to fulfill his dream. He actually wanted to open a franchise of Little Caesars and so he opened a store in Atlanta and although there has been a recent turmoil, he did not worry about that and opened a third pizza outlet and just like Bergman many people invest their money in buying franchises.[5] It is believed that franchising is a way to invest in something that can be controlled and the more you invest the more you get but the credit squeeze makes things tougher and as reported by Domino’s Pizza chairman and CEO David Brandon, the global credit crunch is forcing some Dominos Pizza franchise owners out of business mainly because the banks are cutting off loans. Moreover, the costs of franchising are high and the franchise owners have to face a lot of challenges. The work is not done once the franchise is set up. However, there are long hours of work involved in this business. In 2003- 2007 around 75000 jobs have been cut. Although lots of people inquire Dominos Pizza about the Big Three, however less than 20 percent actually show genuine interest in it as this is not an easy business. Constructing an outlet requires at least 14 months and the net worth required to be proved is $250,000 and $75,000 in liquid capital. Other than this, there is actually no guarantee of success and so caution is necessary. It is not always necessary that of the parent company is doing well, so would the franchise.[6] Another article talks about exploitation of workers done by some of the some  fast-food  chains. A US Senate hearing that took place in April in Florida focused the working conditions of the farm workers and some of the very famous fast food brands such as McDonalds and Yum Brands, which includes Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell, AW and Long John Silvers, agreed to pay the 1-cent increase. Other than this, there was Burger King and Subway also agreed to the proposal but at 1.5 cents per pound and they guaranteed to keep some for their workers. The treatment being given to the farm workers is very bad especially tee tomato pickers who have been earning the same amount for picking up a bucket of tomatoes i.e. 45 cents and this amount has not been modified since 1978 even though the worth of the tomato crop in Florida is worth $619-million annually. Moreover, they workers work seven days a week and work for 10- 12 hours with no overtime pay and no benefits such as sick leave or job security at all. Moreover, they have to face violence and live in pathetic living conditions.[7] Majority of the workers earn less than $10,000 a year and pay relief is one of the most important factor that can make things better for the tomato pickers. For this, the CIW has persuaded the fast food industry to pay one more cent per pound to help the workers and this effort has been successful as they have even used the strategy of applying a fine to those who do not pay this extra amount. CIW also hopes that the new president, Barack Obama will also support this cause that was basically to take care of the human rights of the workers working for the fast food industry and to avoid exploitation.[8] People who eat fast food must be aware of the fact related to the fast food industry and should then take their own decisions whether they must support the industry or not taking care of the status of the industry in the current scenario.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY Essays - Computing, Extreme Programming

HOWARD UNIVERSITY Essays - Computing, Extreme Programming HOWARD UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE SPRING 2017 CSCI 540: Object-Oriented Development Grading You will be graded on how well you unit test your code and identify a reasonable number of edge cases. In addition, your test cases should also be reasonably documented, i.e., comments. Background In this assignment you will be writing JUnit test cases for the stack and queue implementations you developed in assignment #2. In eclipse, or whatever IDE you are using, you should have (2) source directories ...src/main/java (contains assignment source code) ...src/test/java (contains test source code) There are a number of JUnit tutorial and examples that you can find on the internet. You can focus your search on using JUnit with eclipse for those who are using it. As usual, please post your questions to piazza so that your classmates can benefit. Assignment You should create a JUnit test cases for every public method of your stack and queue implementations. Some of your classes may contain private "helper" classes that I assume will be executed when your public methods are invoked. So, you do not have to break encapsulation to test your private methods. Here are some additional requirements/suggestions 1. Package structure of class to be tested and test class should be the same. So, for example, if you created your stack implementation under howard.edu.ood.hw1.collections then the corresponding test case should use the same package structure. 2. Naming convention of test classes If the class to be tested is Stack then the corresponding JUnit class should be called StackTest 3. Naming convention of test methods If, for example, you are testing method pop() in Stack then use something similar to: testPopIsEmpty() { ... } test indicates a test case Pop indicates name of the method that is being tested IsEmpty gives a descriptive indicator in the name of the method of what is being tested 4. Comments Be sure to document your JUnit test cases using javadocs Submitting Your Work When you have completed this assignment and tested your code thoroughly, create a .zip file with your work. The zip file should contain source code only (i.e., no .class files) and only contain the contents of your src/main/java and src/test/java contents. E-mail your final submission to [emailprotected] Make sure to keep a copy of your work just in case!

Definition and Examples of Grammaticalization

Definition and Examples of Grammaticalization In historical linguistics and discourse analysis, grammaticalization is a type of semantic change by which (a) a lexical item or construction changes into one that serves a grammatical function, or (b) a grammatical item develops a new grammatical function. The editors of The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar (2014) offer as a typical example of grammaticalization . . .  the development of be going to into an auxiliary-like item be going to. The term grammaticalization was introduced by French linguist Antoine Meillet in his 1912 study Levolution des formes grammaticales. Recent research on grammaticalization has considered whether (or to what extent) it is possible for a grammatical item to become less grammatical over time- a process known as degrammaticalization. The Concept of "Cline" Basic to work on grammaticalization is the concept of a cline (see Halliday 1961 for an early use of this term). From the point of view of change, forms do not shift abruptly from one category to another, but go through a series of small transitions, transitions that tend to be similar in type across languages. For example, a lexical noun like back that expresses a body part comes to stand for a spatial relationship in in/at the back of, and is susceptible to becoming an adverb, and perhaps eventually a preposition and even a case affix. Forms comparable to back of (the house) in English recur all over the world in different languages. The potential for change from lexical noun, to relational phrase, to adverb and preposition, and perhaps even to a case affix, is an example of what we mean by cline.The term cline is a metaphor for the empirical observation that cross-linguistically forms tend to undergo the same kinds of changes or have similar sets of relationships, in similar order s.(Paul J. Hopper and Elizabeth Closs Traugott, Grammaticalization, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2003) Have Got to According to Bolinger (1980) the modal auxiliary system of English is undergoing wholesale reorganization. Indeed, in a recent study, Krug (1998) observes that have got to for the expression of necessity and/or obligation  is one of the biggest success stories in English grammar of the last century.  Such claims suggest that  synchronic data spanning  several generations in apparent time may provide insight into the mechanisms underlying ongoing grammaticalization processes in this area of grammar. . . .In order to contextualize these forms  in terms of their development and history, consider the history of the modal must and its later quasi-modal variants have to and have got to . . ..Must has been around since Old English when its form was mot. Originally it expressed permission and possibility . . ., [b]ut by the Middle English period a wider range of meanings had developed . . ..According to the Oxford English Dictionary  (OED) the use of have to in the sense of oblig ation is first attested in 1579 . . ..The expression have got to on the other hand . . ., or with got by itself, . . . entered the English language much laternot until the 19th century . . .. Both Visser and the OED label it colloquial, even vulgar. . . . [P]resent-day English grammars usually consider it informal. . . .However, in a recent large-scale analysis of the British National Corpus of English (1998), Krug (1998) demonstrated that referring to have got to  or gotta as simply informal is quite an understatement. He found that in British English of the 1990s  have got to  or  gotta  were one and a half times as frequent as the older forms must and have to.According to this general trajectory, it would seem that the construction with got is grammaticalizing and further that it is taking over as the marker of deontic modality in English.(Sali Tagliamonte, Have to, Gotta, Must: Grammaticalization, Variation, and Specialization in English Deontic Modality.  Corpus App roaches to Grammaticalization in English, ed. by  Hans Lindquist and Christian Mair. John Benjamins, 2004) Expansion and Reduction [G]rammaticalization is sometimes conceived of as expansion (e.g., Himmelmann 2004), sometimes as reduction (e.g., Lehmann 1995; see also Fischer 2007).  Expansion models of grammaticalization  observe that as a construction ages, it may increase its collocational range (e.g., the development of BE going to as a future marker in English, which first collocated with action verbs, before extension to statives), and aspects of its pragmatic or semantic function (e.g., the development of epistemic modality in the use of will in examples such as boys will be boys).  Reduction models of grammaticalization  tend to focus on form, and particularly on changes (specifically, increase) in formal dependency, and phonetic attrition.(The Oxford Handbook of the History of English, ed. by  Terttu Nevalainen and Elizabeth Closs Traugott. Oxford University Press, 2012) Not Just Words, but Constructions Studies on grammaticalization have often focused on isolated linguistic forms. It has frequently been emphasized, however, that grammaticalization not only affects single words or morphemes, but often also larger structures or constructions (in the sense of fixed sequences). . . . More recently, with the increasing interest in patterns and particularly with the advent of Construction Grammar . . ., constructions (in the traditional sense and in the more formal explications of Construction Grammar) have received much more attention in studies on grammaticalization . . ..(Katerina Stathi, Elke Gehweiler, and Ekkehard Kà ¶nig, Introduction to Grammaticalization: Current Views and Issues. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2010) Constructions in Context [G]rammaticalization theory adds little to the insights of traditional historical linguistics despite purporting to offer a new way of looking at data concerning grammatical forms.Still, one thing that grammaticalization definitely has gotten right in recent years is the emphasis on constructions and on forms in actual use, and not in the abstract. That is, it has been realized that it is not enough simply to say, for instance, that a body part has become a preposition (e.g. HEAD ON-TOP-OF) but rather one must recognize that it is HEAD in a particular collocation, e.g. at-the-HEAD-of that has yielded a preposition, or that HAVE turning into EXIST is not necessarily just a random semantic shift but rather is one that happens in the context of adverbials . . .. This is a big step forward, since it takes semantic change especially out of the realm of the purely lexical and places it into the pragmatic domain, deriving changes from inferencing and the like that are possible for words in constructions with other words and in actual, contextually keyed usage.(Brian D. Joseph, Rescuing Traditional (Historical) Linguistics From Grammaticalization Theory. Up and Down the Cline- The Nature of Grammaticalization, edited by Olga Fischer, Muriel Norde, and Harry Perridon. John Benjamins, 2004) Alternate Spellings: grammaticalisation, grammatisation, grammaticisation

A Study of Lean Management 2034 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A Study of Lean Management 2034 - Essay Example Secondly, value stream is identified as the main source of information for the whole process. Thirdly, lean management assists in assuring that the customers receive the right products. Customers pull is important and hence it is the fourth principle for lean management. Fifthly, through lean management there is continuous improvement in productivity and quality of products (Schonberger, 2007). The report explains the operational process in Toyota and how it has helped the company to prosper in the present market. The different approaches that are undertaken by the company to reduce waste, increase productivity and efficiency are also highlighted in the report. In light of this, the report also gives emphasis on the usefulness of lean management in order to satisfy the customers. The success of Toyota is dependent on its reduction system, which focuses on just-in-time management and continuous improvement. The company has developed decentralised structure; the structure encourages team work and employee participation. It has incorporated techniques such as inventory and supply chain management for producing the high quality automobile. Through these techniques it has increased the competitive edge in a competitive automobile market at international level. The success of the company revolves around achievement of high productivity and employment of unique approaches that can solve problem. Toyota Motor Company manufactures vehicles which are sold in 170 countries. However, the company operates worldwide by partnering with 50 overseas manufacturing companies. It manufactures sells and even exports hybrid, passenger, four-wheel drive, sports and commercial vehicles. Customer satisfaction is regarded as the top priority for the company in a competitive automobile market. It aims at building products, which reflect value and satisfy their needs. The customers are general public who have the desire to own a

Critical opinion on history of design Term Paper

Critical opinion on history of design - Term Paper Example Significantly, the design history also exists as a component of practice based courses with its teaching and study being as a result of the National Advisory Council of Britain and was launched in the 1960s under the art and design programs. Considerably, the council aimed at making art and design education a legitimate academic activity which necessitated the employment or ‘buying in’ of specialists from art history disciplines, leading to a particular style of delivery. Wood is among the core components of design (as a material) that most people including designers, appreciate and love; simply because it is an incredibly useful material that has minimal effect to the environment (Gustav 1). Over the years, wood has provided humans with shelter, warmth, tools and furniture and it has been a great inspiration that even the earliest man interacted with wood in this most basic ways and more. Typically, wood is embedded with many layers, all of which are symbolic in the aspects of its history in design, time and where it has been applied; for instance, wood keeps a record of its environment and each year brings new growth that marks its past or the rings of a tree can teach us about the environment and specific events in the trees life holding its history within and its living energy expresses it outward. Most of the craftsmen that use wood in design express energy that is added to the depth of the material; reflectively, furniture has been part of the human experience since the development of the non-nomadic cultures and there is historical evidence that it goes the Neolithic period (Gustav 1). This theory is an example of how design in general has been of great significance to the human era, not to forget that it does not in any negative way affect the environment. Furniture designed from wood is not only a product but is also considered to be a from of

Reducing prejudice in society

Reducing prejudice in society A major problem still occurring in todays society is prejudice. We can observe this in the wide ranges of evidence available. . It is still reported to be in any institution such as school or work and can be learnt from how we see others. The current paper intends to explore and revise the literature that can be found surrounding the topic. Prejudice and discrimination are a reflection of how others respond to people of another group and reflect their affective, behavioural and cognitive reactions to the people within these different groups. The literature surrounding this topic is vast, so this review will focus on a specific strand gathered from the literature surrounding prejudice and concentrate on prejudice reduction within society. Where does it start? There is a negative thought pattern that occurs in early childhood as according to Klein (1992.) Media and books contain stereotyping and thus it is this that creates the foundation for prejudicing occurring in adults. Degner and Wentura (2010) carried out a study that looked at the automatic activation of prejudice in children and adolescents (9 years to 15 years.) There was a continuous pattern suggesting a linear developmental increase of automatic prejudice with significant effects of outgroup negativity which only appeared surrounding 12 to 13 year olds. However, results of younger children showed no indication of automatic prejudice activation. These results suggest that although children are assumed to acquire prejudice at much younger ages, automatization of negative attitudes may well be related to developmental processes in early adolescence. What society views as beautiful is controlled by the media through magazines etc. An article called Preventing Prejudice: A Guide for Counsellors, Educators, and Parents, written by Ponterotto, Utsey, and Pedersen (2006) gave a very useful insight. This piece of literature covers a range of topics on reducing prejudice, one being the roles and responsibilities of those in a position to reduce prejudice; such as teachers and counsellors etc. This is a view which is also shared by many others, who agree that the classroom is where the early signs of prejudice are seen and it is there that they should be alleviated. This would be a direct approach by the teacher. Pate (1995) believed that the teacher should instruct the students to take part in anti-prejudice programs by reading informative books on the topic, integrating a weekly class to enlighten the students and such other activities. However Pate did admit this was not a successful tactic as students may begrudge the instructions and thus strengthening a prejudice therefore, delayed measures are the only resolut ion to create an attitude change with the direct approach being used in the long-run. Teachers have the power and means to implement prejudice reduction techniques. This is a statement many claim, such as Dessel (2010), and could be perceived as being straight forward and true. However, there is still a lack of demonstration of this in action as something which can be repeated in any school. Again other literature from Pate indicates that the cognitive approachs principle is that people can reduce prejudice if they know more about other groups and think more clearly. Pate (1995) stated that various intervention efforts which include; empathy as well as an increase in knowledge and consideration of other groups, different in several ways from the students, are effective. Other studies also share this view about the effectiveness of the cognitive approach in prejudice reduction. For instance, Katz and Zalk (1978) found the ability to recognize and accept differences amongst member groups could promote prejudice reduction. Other classroom approaches might also work in re ducing prejudice. Some examples of this alternative are; semantics, counter-stereotype approach, cultural immersion, the study of cultural anthropology, developing instructional materials and value clarification (Pate, 1995). The common problem is still a lack of evidence and design flaws. Bigler (1999) noted that prejudice reduction research has encountered limitations due to problems with the design of many studies. Some of these include an overly simplistic model, bias in the measuring of attitudes and a want for longitudinal studies in order to ascertain if there are any sustainable effects from the reduction strategies. Some studies in the literature have actually reported that, even though strategies are implemented for reducing prejudice, there are troubling effects . . . of increased racial bias among children (Bigler 1999.) Copious amounts of literature display programs and schemes of how they can theoretically reduce prejudice from an early age such as Weston (1990.) The study claimed that carefully chosen reduction tactics incorporated into the current curriculum can reduce prejudice. This however is claimed by many theorists in different ways, although the study didnt prove to have any valid e vidence to back up the theory. Other researchers have admitted there is a repetition in the guidelines as to how we can reduce prejudice. Work carried out by Parrens (2007) does give a good background on prejudice and is insightful stating that the reduction of malignant prejudice is the responsibility of society. However this investigation lacks the presence of new research, as much already exists in the vast amount of literature available. Even so, it does highlight some factors which have been brought up before to reduce prejudice but underlines a new importance of these factors where they had previously not been counted as substantially important and discusses them further. The focus in much of the literature was on intervention in early children to eradicate prejudice; however this focus has been modified to ensure the inclusion of how social motivational processes and other aspects of a childs social interactions can influence them in their attitude towards prejudice. (Social Identity Development Theory (SID T), (Davis et al 2007). Much of the literature includes theories to reduce prejudice; however Dovidio Gaertner (1993) found that the traditional methods and techniques included in such literature may not actually be very effective in reducing prejudice. As indicated by the material available in psychology, intergroup contact seems to be an essential means of reducing prejudice. Allports (1954) contact theory argues that four major conditions must be met to effectively reduce prejudice. Pettigrew (1998) expanded on Allports theory in his intergroup contact theory by adding another condition of friendship potential. Optimal intergroup contact requires time for cross-group friendships to develop (Pettigrew, 1998) A study was conducted to examine the conflict and prejudice between Israelis and Palestinians. The existing prejudice here was reported to have furthered the development and preservation of two major groups living in direct resistance and antagonism. Stephen et al (2004) conducted such studies. Although the research seems promising in its effort to attempt to discourage and remove prejudicial stereotyping in small groups, literature has several limitations which need to be taken into account. It focused primarily on reducing prejudice between Israelis and Palestinians. This therefore evokes concern as to whether or not there can be a generalization towards conflict in other populations. Each population is different and different underlying issues exist, therefore the mentioned interventions may not necessarily be appropriate to all populations, leading to a possible requirement for adjusting according to the population. The literature also faltered in its lack of longitudinal researc h. From the study the results indicated desired effects; however these could very well only be short term. Bargal (2008) reasoned for adopting a long-range research design, monitoring the study over time, as opposed to it being a short-term intervention. Evidently, more research is required in this area in order to determine whether or not these interventions discussed, offer long lasting effects in terms of conflict resolution and reducing stereotypes and prejudice effectively. Conclusion Most of the literature informs us that the classroom is the best place to reduce prejudice due to the earliness of which it is recognized and can be manipulated. This then proposes that the students can learn empathy and other desirable emotions towards those who are different to them which could lead to unnecessary feelings of us versus them,a classic in-group versus out-group situation. According to literature, by the age of 10 a child may quickly develop a prejudiced attitude due to this becoming autonomous (Yee and Brown (1992), Rutland (1999) and Rutland et al (2005.) However, to validate this claim, more research should be conducted with a certain concentration on the age differences and the environment at home, which may breed hostile attitudes, in turn strengthening a prejudice tendency. The literature should use more of a qualitative based method and data, as opposed to the vast amount of quantitative data, to determine if the results reinforce the existing records. Again since the main reduction strategies are poorly supported by valid studies, they are merely suggestions, insufficiently backed up by research. The studies on these strategies are vague, lacking needed specifics on certain focuses such as gender, age and individual background. Future studies should aim to include a larger focus on strategies involving education and eliciting self-control and should particularly attempt to refer to different types of race and ethnicity. One such piece of literature seemed to demonstrate the best understanding of prejudice reduction tactics by offering field tested tools to determine ways to reduce it. This was written by Ponterotto et al (2006) as discussed above. However since this is one piece of literature, more needs to be focused on not just what prejudice is and the fact that it can be overcome, but to actually display studies of these reductions in action.

Types of Diabetes

DESCRIPTIONDiabetes pertains to a metabolic disorder that is associated with the lack or absence of insulin, a protein that transports glucose into the cells of the body.   Glucose, also simply known as sugars, is considered as the first source of energy for the daily activities performed by the human body, such as walking and standing.   In addition, glucose also serves as the main resource for the energy that is required to fuel cellular processes within the body, including that of growth and repair of cells and tissues.   The food items consumed by an individual generally contain glucose and thus the presence of insulin is important for the transport of this macromolecule to the appropriate regions of the body.Insulin is mainly produced by the pancreas, which is a digestive organ that is strategically located next to the small intestines, where digestion commonly occurs.   Once the process of digestion has been completed in the intestines, the glucose molecules transported into cells through the help of insulin.   In normal individuals, the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas is enough to transport the glucose that is present in the meal consumed.   On the other hand, individuals with diabetes show a lack or absence of insulin secreted by the pancreas, thus preventing the transport of the glucose molecules into the cells.   Glucose is therefore left outside the cells and these remain circulating in the blood.   The continuous accumulation of glucose further extends from the blood to the urine, which in turn are samples employed for the diagnostics of diabetes.CAUSES OF DIABETESDiabetes is generally caused by a number of factors, depending on the type of diabetes that has been positively diagnosed in an individual.   Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), pertains to an autoimmune condition that involves the incapacity of the body to combat infections (NIH, 2010a).   In this case, the immune syst em of an individual causes the destruction of the cells of the pancreas, thus decreasing and possibly preventing the production of insulin for glucose transport.   The actual mechanism that triggers the destruction of the pancreatic cells by the immune system is still unknown and there are active efforts in the field of biomedical research that are attempting to elucidate this reaction.Type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), pertains to an increase in the level of glucose in the body due to aging, obesity or genetic inheritance of the condition (NIH, 2010b).   Type 2 diabetes is therefore more commonly observed among elderly individuals, as their metabolic rate generally slows down as they age.   Obese individuals tend to develop diabetes because their food choices are often different from the recommended daily diet, thus increasing the likelihood that sugar-rich foods would be consumed on a regular basis.Gestational diabetes pertains to the increase in the blood glucose level of a female during pregnancy.   This occurrence is usually linked to the gain in the total body weight of a woman during pregnancy, as well as the decrease in the physical activity of the woman as she progresses through the entire gestational period of 36 weeks or 9 months.   Unlike types 1 and 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes often disappears once the woman has given birth.   The disappearance of the features of diabetes are possibly linked to the loss in the total body weight after birth, as well as the increase in the physical activity of the woman after delivery.EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DIABETESType 1 diabetes generally affects both males and females, yet there are certain characteristics that strongly associated with this metabolic disease.   According to the World Health Organization, type 1 diabetes is more common among whites and is considered as a rare disease among non-white populations of Africa and Asia.   Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is commonly diagnosed in elderly individuals.Moreover, elderly individuals who are overweight are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes because these individuals tend to be less active in physical activities.   Certain populations are thus associated with type 2 diabetes, including those of African and Asian ethnicities.   In the United States alone, there are 24 million individuals with the age of 20 years old and above that have been diagnosed with diabetes (NIDDK, 2007).   On the other hand, there are 12 million elderly individuals who have been diagnosed with diabetes in the United States.TREATMENT OF DIABETESType 1 diabetes is generally treated with the administration of insulin on a daily basis.   Patient are therefore taught how to inject insulin everyday, in order to maintain a normal level of insulin in their blood.   Type 2 diabetes is usually treated with medications that assist in the digestion of glucose from the food items consumed.   This med ication is given on a daily basis using a tablet or capsule format.   In addition to medications, a healthy diet is highly recommended to diabetic patients.   This includes food items that are low in sugar content, such as green, leafy vegetables and fiber-rich fruits and grains.Exercise is also recommended for diabetic patients, as this assists in increasing the metabolic rate of the body.   Diabetic patients are also educated on the condition of hypoglycemia, which is the extreme lowering of the blood glucose level of the body, resulting in fainting and a decrease in the arterial blood pressure.   A dietician therefore plays an important role in the design of the dietary regimen of diabetic patients.   A regular check-up should also be performed every 3 to 6 months, wherein the fasting blood sugar levels are determined, in order to evaluate the progress of the patient with the current dietary regimen.REFERENCESNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disea ses.   (2007).   National Diabetes Statistics, 2007.   Downloaded from http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/DM_Statistics.pdf on July 8, 2010.National Institutes of Health.   (2010a).   Type 1 diabetes: Thirty years of progress.   Downloaded from http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/Type1Diabetes.pdf on July 8, 2010.National Institutes of Health.   (2010b).   Type 2 diabetes: Thirty years of progress.   Downloaded from http://www.nih.gov/about/researchresultsforthepublic/Type2Diabetes.pdf on July 8, 2010.