Nutrition - Obesity Essay Example for Free

Nutrition Obesity Essay Objective: To assess the association between the consumption of fast food (FF) and body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods: A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. Results: A total of 3620 participants had data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and so were included in these analyses. This SEM model of food choices showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets is positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI showed that higher exposure to FF increases the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0.001), which is associated with higher body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS; b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). Conclusions: The teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants and eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. International Journal of Obesity (2011) 35, 1325–1330; doi:10. 1038/ijo. 2011. 120; published online 28 June 2011 Keywords: fast food; overweight; ALSPAC Introduction Childhood obesity prevalence have risen dramatically in the last 30 years in the Western world with the most recent figures for England and Wales show that 17% of boys and 16% of girls are obese. 1 An increase in the availability of calorie dense foods is implicated as one of the factors in the aetiology of the obesity epidemic. Fast food (FF) is one section of the food market that has grown steadily over the last few decades and it was worth d8. 9 billion in the United Kingdom in 2005. 2 FF is typically quick, convenient, cheap and Correspondence: Dr LK Fraser, School of Geography, University of Leeds, University road, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. E-mail: l. k. [emailprotected] ac. uk Received 6 February 2011; revised 21 April 2011; accepted 12 May 2011; published online 28 June 2011 uniform in its production,3 but FF is often high in saturated fats, energy dense and has low micronutrient content. 4–9 Studies from the United States of America have shown that children who consume FF (when compared with children who do not eat FF) have higher energy intake and higher fat intakes9,10 as well as lower vegetable and milk intake. 10,11 Therefore, the consumption of such foods could possibly result in a positive energy balance; and hence, weight gain. There is some evidence from longitudinal studies in the United States of America that consuming FF as a teenager can result in weight gain in both early12 and middle adulthood. 13 FF is often marketed to children and adolescents through television, internet and movie advertising,14–17 with brand recognition being present from an early age. 18 The addition of toys as gifts with FF meals also attracts children. There is growing body of literature that has assessed the location of FF outlets and has found that areas of higher deprivation Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1326 have more FF outlets19–21 and that FF outlets are often located close to schools. 22–24 The majority of research to date has been undertaken in the United States of America, but a study that analysed the fat content of a FF meal in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in 35 countries showed that the amount of fat varied considerably between countries, within the same FF outlet. 25 This means that results from studies in the United States of America may not be generalisable to other countries. This study aims to assess the cross-sectional association between the consumption of FF and the body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods The data for this study were obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC),26 which is a birth cohort study where pregnant mothers who lived in the old Avon County in the United Kingdom (the Bristol region) were recruited in the early 1990s. A total of 14 541 mothers completed recruitment. Because of retrospective recruitment the total sample size was 15 224 fetuses and 14 610 live births. This paper presents data on the teenagers who attended the year 13 clinic and completed the year 13 questionnaire. Variables The food frequency data were collected from the questionnaires completed by mother (or carer) and separate questionnaires completed by the teenagers themselves at age 13 years. The data used from the carer questionnaire (collected at the same time point) referred to the questions ‘How often does s/he eat in a FF restaurant? The responses to this question were collected as never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. The carers were also asked ‘In total, how many portions of vegetables does s/he eat in a week (do not include potatoes)’, ‘In total, how many portions of raw fruit does s/he eat in a week? ’ These were free numerical responses, which were retained as a continuous variable for analyses. In the food frequency part of the teenager completed questionnaire the teenagers were asked ‘If you ever buy food yourself from outside school, or from school vending machines, how often do you buy and eat each of the following things (include after school and weekends): chips, burger, pizza, sandwich, pies or pasties, chocolate, crisps, fruit and other food. ’ The height and weight data were collected at clinic visits at B13 years. The exact age, sex, height and weight were used to calculate a BMI standard deviation score (BMISDS) for each participant (1990 UK reference dataset). 27 The teenagers International Journal of Obesity were classified as obese if their BMISDS was greater than the 95th percentile (BMISDS41. 64). The physical activity data were collected via accelerometry at the age 13 clinic visit. 28 The participants wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days and the measure used from this is mean counts per minute, which is a continuous variable. A deprivation score was assigned to each participant by matching the coordinates of their residential address (when carer questionnaire was completed) to the appropriate lower super output area. Each lower super output area has an index of multiple deprivation score (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 (IMD))29 assigned from the local census data. This is a continuous variable in which a higher number indicates an area of higher deprivation. Ethnicity was assigned as per the child’s ethnicity into a binary variable of ‘white British’ and ‘other’ ethnicity. Statistical modelling Descriptive statistics were performed in STATA version 10 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM has many benefits over traditional regression techniques, which include the ability to model equations simultaneously and the incorporation of latent variables. 30 SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. 31 This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. The SEM analyses were undertaken in AMOS version 17. 0 (IBM SPSS, USA). The hypothesised model for food choices is shown in the results section (Figure 2). The observed variables are displayed as boxes and latent variables as circles. Each observed variable has an associated random error term and each latent variable has an associated disturbance term, which represents the variance in the latent variable that has not been explained by the observed variables associated with that latent variable. Regression paths are shown by singleheaded arrows and covariances by double-headed curved arrows. The model fit was assessed by two indices; the comparative fit index (CFI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The CFI is a comparison of the hypothesised model compared with an independence model where all parameters are assumed to be independent. The RMSEA gives an indication of ‘how well would the model, with unknown but optimally chosen values, fit the population covariance matrix if it were available’. 32 A combination of CFI40. 95 and a RMSEA of o0. 50 is a sign of good model fit. The w2-test of overall fit is very sensitive to large sample size so has not been used in these models. 30 The two models were constructed a priori using previous research. The nutritional content of chips, burgers, pizza and Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1327 pies are known to be high in saturated fat and energy and therefore are ‘unhealthy’,4–9,33 whereas fruit and vegetables are known to contain fibre and vitamins and so are classified as ‘healthy’. Exposure to FF outlets is known to be higher in areas of higher deprivation. 19–21 In the food choices model, unhealthy consumption (latent variable) was modelled from the frequency of consumption of chips, burger, pizza and pies (reported by the teenagers themselves), and the healthy consumption was modelled from the number of pieces of vegetables and raw fruit consumed by the teenager (maternal report). The number of times that the teenager visited a FF outlet (maternal report) was regressed on the unhealthy and healthy consumption variables. The model for the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMISDS is shown in Figure 3. Here exposure is a latent variable modelled from maternal and paternal takeaway frequency and deprivation score. The exposure is regressed on the number of visits to FF outlet. The BMISDS at age 13 years is the main outcome of this model. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee and the local research ethics committees. Results A total of 3620 participants have data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and were included in these analyses (SEM cannot use individuals with missing data). A total of 1711 (47. 3%) were boys and 456 (12.6%) obese. The descriptive statistics are shown in Table 1. Frequency of visiting FF outlets and food consumption frequencies are shown in Figure 1. The results of model 1 are shown in Figure 2 with regression weights shown in Table 2. This model showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets was positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 1 was 0. 98 and the RMSEA was 0. 05 (90% confidence interval 0. 044, 0. 058). These represent good approximate model fit. Table 1. The results of model 2 are shown in Figure 3 with regression weight shown in Table 3. This model showed that increased exposure to FF increased the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0. 001), which in turn was associated with higher BMISDS (b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 2 was 0. 98, and the RMSEA was 0. 021 (90% confidence interval 0. 009, 0. 033). These represent very good approximate model fit. Discussion This study shows that teenagers who are exposed to more unhealthy foods at home are more likely to eat at FF restaurants and have a higher BMISDS. The negative association of increased visits to FF outlets on consumption of healthy foods (fruit and vegetables) has also been demonstrated. The FF restaurant use in this analysis was reported by the mother or main carer of the teenager and showed that nearly 60% of all the teenagers ate at a FF restaurant at least once a month. This appears to be less frequently than in the United States of America, where studies showed that 60% of older children and adolescents ate FF more than once per week34 and that B30% of children ate at a FF restaurant on any typical day. 9. As one part of the SEM this study showed that eating at a FF outlet was associated with a higher BMISDS. There were no previous UK studies to compare these results with, but previous studies from the United States of America have not found consistent results. Boutelle et al. 11 found no association between frequency of FF consumption and adolescent BMI or weight status, and an Australian study Descriptive statistics Mean BMISDS Deprivation (IMD 2007)29 Physical activity (c. p. m. ) Raw fruit (portions per week) Vegetables (portions per week) s. d. Median IQR 0. 29 13. 7 541 9. 5 9. 5 1. 14 11. 4 190 7 7 0. 024 10. 6 511 8 8 A0. 47, 1. 06 5. 9, 17. 0 404, 653 5, 14 5, 12 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; IQR, interquartile range. Figure 1 Food frequency data. International Journal of Obesity Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1328 Figure 2 Results of SEM model of food choices. Table 2 Results of SEM model of food choices Regression weights a Unhealthy’fast food Healthy’fast food Chips’unhealthy Burger’unhealthy Fruit’healthy Vegetables’healthy Pizza’unhealthy Pies’unhealthy Estimate s. e. CR P 0. 285 A1. 023 1. 000 0. 732 1. 000 1. 157 0. 774 0. 530 0. 021 0. 124 13. 439 A8. 274 o0. 001 o0. 001 0. 016 45. 243 o0. 001 0. 148 0. 018 0. 016 7. 802 42. 483 32. 720 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: CR, critical ratio; SEM, structural equation modeling. aAll consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. showed that FF eaten at home (but not away from home) was associated with higher BMI in adolescents (MacFarlane). Two longitudinal studies using data from the CARDIA study found that higher FF intake in adolescence was associated with higher BMI in young adulthood12 and those who ate FF more than twice a week had put on an extra 4. 5 kg of weight 15 years later. 13 The teenagers who ate more frequently at FF restaurants were more likely to eat less fruit and vegetables, as well as consume more unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizza, pies) than those teenagers who ate at FF restaurants less frequently. This is an indication that the consumption of unhealthy foods may displace healthy food choices. This is similar to previous research in the United States of America, International Journal of Obesity which showed that children who ate FF consumed 45 g less vegetables per day than children who did not eat FF. 10 At age 13 years the food frequency data were a combination of maternal and self-report from the teenagers, but the total macro- and micronutrient values could not be assessed in this study as these data were not yet available at the time of writing. Deprivation was the largest contributor to the FF exposure variable. This could be explained by the fact that those of higher deprivation eat more FF because of the relative cheapness of FF. It has also been shown in many studies in the United Kingdom and the United States of America that areas of higher deprivation have more FF outlets than more affluent areas therefore, FF is more readily available. 35 An interesting economics paper from the United States of America showed that increasing the cost of FF by $1 could decrease BMI by 0. 78 units. 36 The increased consumption of unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizzas and pies) by those teenagers who ate more frequently at FF outlets was not surprising, but the associated negative effect of the consumption of fruit and vegetables by these participants is important. These teenagers will not only be consuming more of the saturated fat and salt from the burgers, and so on, but at the same time they are not consuming important nutrients from fruit and vegetables. Although many FF outlets now offer more healthy alternatives such as fruit and vegetables, the consumers may still be choosing the unhealthy foods. Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1329 The FF question completed by the carer did not specify what constituted FF so some respondents may only count large franchises as FF whereas others may use a broader definition that includes independent takeaways. Although the frequency of eating at a FF restaurant was asked, the carers were not asked about the food eaten from these establishments and many FF restaurants now offer more ‘healthy’ alternatives. Although the majority of FF items do not meet the Food Standards Agency nutrient standards for total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium there are wide variations in similar products from different FF outlets with sodium content varying by up to four times in fried chicken products. 37 Therefore, having data on which food items were consumed from which FF outlet would further enhance future studies. There was no information on why the teenagers ate at FF restaurants, and key questions for the future include; was there no alternative eating establishments in their neighbourhood? Did they prefer FF to other meals or was the cost of food important? Conclusions This study has shown that the teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants. Eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. Figure 3 The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI. Table 3 Results of SEM model of FF exposure and body mass index Regression weights Fast food ’exposure. Maternal fast food’exposure Deprivation’exposure Paternal fast food’exposure BMISDS’fast food BMISDS’c. p. m. a Estimate s. e. CR 0. 61 1. 000 9. 20 0. 66 0. 08 0. 00 0. 07 8. 654 1. 07 0. 08 0. 02 0. 00 8. 605 8. 680 3. 586 A3. 351 P o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; CR, critical ratio; FF, fast food; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; SEM, structural equation modeling. a All consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. Strengths/limitations This is a large dataset with good-quality height and weight data taken at clinic visits by trained staff using validated equipment. There were food consumption data about the teenagers available from both the teenagers and their carers, but this is a cross-sectional study so causation cannot be implied from this data. As expected in a longitudinal study there is attrition and the subcohort used in this study may not be truly representative of the whole cohort. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. Acknowledgements. We are extremely grateful to all the families who took part in this study, the midwives for their help in recruiting and the whole ALSPAC team, which include interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council (grant ref: 74882), The Wellcome Trust (grant ref: 076467) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. LKF was funded by ESRC/MRC studentship. References 1 Craig RS. Health survey for England 2007, 2008. Available from http://www. natcen. ac. uk/study/health-survey-for-england-2007. 2 Keynote.UK fast food and home delivery outlets, 2006. International Journal of Obesity Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1330 3 DeMaria AN. Of fast food and franchises. J Am Coll Cardiol 2003; 41: 1227–1228. 4 Astrup A. Super-sized and diabetic by frequent fast-food consumption? Lancet 2005; 365: 4–5. 5 Brown K, McIlveen H, Strugnell C. Young consumers and the hospitality spectrum. Appetite 1998; 31: 403. 6 Harnack LJ, French SA, Oakes JM, Story MT, Jeffery RW, Rydell SA. Effects of calorie labeling and value size pricing on fast food meal choices: results from an experimental trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2008; 5: 63. 7 Lewis LB, Sloane DC, Nascimento LM, Diamant AL, Guinyard JJ, Yancey AK et al. African Americans’ access to healthy food options in South Los Angeles restaurants. Am J Public Health 2005; 95: 668–673. 8 Paeratakul S, Ferdinand DP, Champagne CM, Ryan DH, Bray GA. Fast-food consumption among US adults and children: dietary and nutrient intake profile. J Am Diet Assoc 2003; 103: 1332–1338. 9 Schmidt M, Affenito SG, Striegel-Moore R, Khoury PR, Barton B, Crawford P et al. Fast-food intake and diet quality in black and white girls the national heart, lung, and blood institute growth and health study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005; 159: 626–631. 10 Bowman SA, Gortmaker SL, Ebbeling CB, Pereira MA, Ludwig DS. Effects of fast-food consumption on energy intake and diet quality among children in a national household survey. Pediatrics 2004; 113: 112–118. 11 Boutelle KN, Fulkerson JA, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M, French SA. Fast food for family meals: relationships with parent and adolescent food intake, home food availability and weight status. Public Health Nutr 2007; 10: 16–23. 12 Duffey KJ, Gordon-Larsen P, Jacobs DR, Williams OD, Popkin BM. Differential associations of fast food and restaurant food consumption with 3-y change in body mass index: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85: 201–208. 13 Pereira MA, Kartashov AI, Ebbeling CB, Van Horn L, Slattery M, Jacobs DR et al. Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the CARDIA study): 15-year prospective analysis. Lancet 2005; 365: 36–42. 14 Sutherland LA, MacKenzie T, Purvis LA, Dalton M. Prevalence of food and beverage brands in movies: 1996–2005. Pediatrics 2010; 125: 468–474. 15 Powell LM, Szczypka G, Chaloupka FJ. Trends in exposure to television food advertisements among children and adolescents in the United States. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2010; 164: 794–802. 16 Hillier A, Cole BL, Smith TE, Yancey AK, Williams JD, Grier SA et al. Clustering of unhealthy outdoor advertisements around child-serving institutions: a comparison of three cities. Health Place 2009; 15: 935–945. 17 Lingas EO, Dorfman L, Bukofzer E. Nutrition content of food and beverage products on Web sites popular with children. Am J Public Health 2009; 99(Suppl 3): S587–S592. 18 Robinson TN, Borzekowski DLG, Matheson DM, Kraemer HC. Effects of fast food branding on young children’s taste preferences. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007; 161: 792–797. International Journal of Obesity. 19 Cummins SCJ, McKay L, MacIntyre S. McDonald’s restaurants and neighborhood deprivation in Scotland and England. Am J Prev Med 2005; 29: 308–310. 20 Fraser LK, Edwards KL. The association between the geography of fast food outlets and childhood obesity rates in Leeds, UK. Health Place 2010; 16: 1124–1128. 21 Macdonald L, Cummins S, Macintyre S. Neighbourhood fast food environment and area deprivation-substitution or concentration? Appetite 2007; 49: 251–254. 22 Neckerman KM, Bader MDM, Richards CA, Purciel M, Quinn JW, Thomas JS et al. Disparities in the food environments of New York City public schools. A J Prev Med 2010; 39: 195–202. 23 Davis B, Carpenter C. Proximity of fast-food restaurants to schools and adolescent obesity. Am J Public Health 2009; 99: 505–510. 24 Seliske LM, Pickett W, Boyce WF, Janssen I. Density and type of food retailers surrounding Canadian schools: variations across socioeconomic status. Health Place 2009; 15: 903–907. 25 Stender S, Dyerberg J, Astrup A. Fast food: unfriendly and unhealthy. Int J Obes 2007; 31: 887–890. 26 Golding J, Pembrey M, Jones R, Team AS. ALSPAC-The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children – I. Study methodology. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2001; 15: 74–87. 27 Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA. Body-mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990. Arch DisChild 1995; 73: 25–29. 28 Riddoch CJ, Leary SD, Ness AR, Blair SN, Deere K, Mattocks C et al. Prospective associations between objective measures of physical activity and fat mass in 12–14 year old children: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Br Med J 2009; 339: b4544. 29 Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 (IMD 2007). 30 Kline R (ed) Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling. The Guildford Press: New York, 2005. 31 Tomarken AJ, Waller NG. Structural equation modeling: strengths, limitations, and misconceptions. Annu Rev Clinic. Psychol 2005; 1: 31–65. 32 Byrne BM (ed). Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS. Lawrence Erbaum Associates: London, 2001. 33 Astrup A, Dyerberg J, Selleck M, Stender S. Nutrition transition and its relationship to the development of obesity and related chronic diseases. Obes Rev 2008; 9: 48–52. 34 Taveras EM, Berkey CS, Rifas-Shiman SL, Ludwig DS, Rockett HRH, Field AE et al. Association of consumption of fried food away from home with body mass index and diet quality in older children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2005; 116: E518–E524. 35 Fraser LK, Edwards KL, Cade J, Clarke GP. The geography of fast food outlets: a review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2010; 7: 2290–2308. 36 Powell LM. Fast food costs and adolescent body mass index: evidence from panel data. J Health Econ 2009; 28: 963–970. 37 Dunford E, Webster J, Barzi F, Neal B. Nutrient content of products served by leading Australian fast food chains. Appetite 2010; 55: 484–489. Copyright of International Journal of Obesity is the property of Nature Publishing Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holders express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Bad Choices, Bad Outcome :: essays research papers

Throughout Hamlet’s ordeal, he must interact with many people. Each interaction poses several possible ways to act, because of his obsessive nature, he often chose to sacrifice relationships in order to accomplish other goals and feel better about his situation. Many times, Hamlet could have tried to confront people concerning the way they were acting, but instead chose to ignore their existence, or in more extreme cases, end their existence. I can’t stress enough how different the situation could have been had Hamlet not letting his emotions get the best of him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the major themes within the play is people putting on acts. Hamlet was no exception; he pretended to have gone mad after his father died, even when this faux-madness led to losing people he loved. For example, Hamlet acted completely out of his mind when he was with the woman he truly loved, Ophelia, because of this act, he lost her. Had Hamlet confided in his love, and let her know what was going on as far as his emotions, she may have stayed sane and stuck by Hamlet. This action would also leave the possibility of Ophelia living, rather than drowning in depression. The possibility of not seeing Ophelia anymore could have been explored as well. While it would have been hard for Hamlet to ignore Ophelia, she may have lived her life much longer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another major theme in Hamlet is procrastination. Throughout the play, Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius, but every chance that arises is pushed aside by Hamlet. Claudius was praying all alone, and rather than kill him at that moment, Hamlet thought about the situation and decided that he didn’t want Claudius to have a chance to go to heaven. Had Hamlet simply went ahead and done what he wanted to do, deaths that occurred later in the play could have been prevented. It’s this obsessive nature that led Hamlet to his tragic ending. Hamlet never thought about whether or not killing Claudius would hurt his mother; he never even thought to ask her what she thought about his theory that Claudius killed his father. This is yet another example of Hamlet throwing away relationships to deal with things on his own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another folly of Hamlet’s obsessive nature is how he ended up killing Polonius. While talking to his mother, Hamlet was suspicious of being spied on, and when he noticed someone under a curtain, he immediately killed the person without even bothering to check who it was.

Biography of Xerxes

Born in c. 519 BC, of the parents King Darius and his wife Atossa came Xerxes. He was raised in the lavish opulence of an eastern court and became the designated heir to his father†s throne in which he was to rule over the greatest empire of his time for 21 years. The Persian Empire. He was not the oldest of Darius† sons but still became the heir over his oldest brother Artabazanes. There were two main reasons for this, His mother Atossa was the daughter of the great Cyrus making Xerxes his grandson. According to Herodotus Atossa would have used her influence to get her son on the throne. [Herodotus book 7 section-3]. Xerxes stated superior claim to the throne for the same reasons. Spartan King Demaratus who was exiled from Sparta and in the Persian court at the time, suggested that they use the Spartan custom to elect a king. That is that the son who is born first while the king sits on the throne will be the heir no matter how many sons there were before the king became king [Herodotus book 7 section-3]. This made Xerxes the rightful heir how ever he describes his accession himself on limestone foundation block at Persepolis â€Å"†¦ My Father was Darius; Darius† father was Hystaspes by name; Hystaspes† father was Arsames by name†¦ saith Xerxes the King: Other sons of Darius there were, (but)- thus unto Ahura-Mazda was the desire- Darius my father made me the greatest after himself. When my father Darius went away from the throne, by will of Ahura-Mazda I became king on my fathers throne. † So to help legitimise his claim to the throne, Xerxes uses Ahura-Mazda. In another inscription he supports himself by saying † †¦ I am Xerxes, the great king, king of king, king of lands containing many men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of Darius the king, an Achaemid, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, of Aryan seed. † Here he emphasises that he an Achaemenid to add weight on his claim to the throne. According to A. T. Olmstead, Xerxes gained administrative experience by living in the royal Babylonian palace and being able to rule Babylon. Though there is not enough evidence to support this. Some historians say that Darius and Xerxes shared co-regency, but there is not enough evidence to support this either. The evidence we do have on his background and early life before he became king is that his father was a believer in the god Ahura – Mazda and therefore a follower of Zoastrianism. We know that Xerxes carried this on. As far as we know the only real education according to Herodotus that Persian boys were taught was to†¦ † Ride, to use the bow, and to speak the truth† [Herodotus book 1 pg. 137]. The most important and significant things in Xerxes life that contributed to his assent was being the grandson of the greatest king Persia had seen and his mother being that kings daughter and able to use her influence. Xerxes became the king of the Persian Empire in 485BC. In his 25 years of reign he achieved many things. He was certainly not a lazy ruler and her proved this in the early years of his reign with the swift crushing of the Babylonian and Egyptian revolts. Even as a new king he portrayed traits of a strong and strict monarch. â€Å"He sent an army against the Egyptian rebels and decisively crushed them. [Herodotus book 7 section-7]. The most famous expedition Xerxes was conducted as his attempt to invade Greece. This is seen to most people as a failure as the Greeks defeated him. Though it can also be looked upon as an achievement because although he failed to encompass the entire country into his empire he still managed to destroy Athens, which was one of his main priorities in the first place. † I will not rest until I have taken Athens and burnt it to the ground, in revenge for the injury in which the Athenians without provocation did to me and my Father† [Herodotus book 7 section-8-b]. So his destruction of Athens can be looked upon as an achievement. Xerxes was by no means a poor military conductor as he shows good management and organisational skills in the way he amasses and upholds his army. He had clever and careful planning when it came to invading and according to Cameron and Lawless, Xerxes extended his empire into Thrace and Macedonia as well as adding territory from distant eastern provinces [page 99]. His achievements don†t just focus on warlike activities. His building programs at Persepolis and some closer to home show that his ambitions did not just consist of taking land. He thought expanding his empire was important but so to was internal development. † King Darius my father built and ordered to be built much good construction. By the favour of Ahura – mazda I added to that construction and built further (buildings). † [Cameron and Lawless, pg 181]. Xerxes began building almost straight after he ascended the throne, but the majority of his constructions were done in the last three years of his reign. Some of the buildings consist of the Apadana, which was an audience hall in the Persian royal palace. It was started by Darius and finished by Xerxes. ‘Harem† was Xerxes palace that he built for himself; The ‘Central Building† was another construction ordered by Xerxes; ‘Throne Hall† or other wise known as ‘The Hall of 100 Columns†, was believed to have been started by Xerxes and finished by Artaxerxes; ‘Palace H† was another incomplete building believed to have been stared by Xerxes and incomplete inscriptions suggest that it may have been finished by Artaxerxes. These are just a few examples of the achievements this man completed in his life. It is clear that he was a serious ruler who had many ambitions in his life. The love life of Xerxes is a complicated subject to find evidence on. Herodotus mentions him having only one wife named Amestris and the information on her is extremely little. Her father was probably Otanes who was a Persian nobleman and one of the seven conspirators who helped Darius become King. Further research uncovers the story of Esther and Queen Vashti. There is more information on the story of Esther and Queen Vashti then there is on Amestris. The story of Esther and Vashti is also more probable to be mythology then real history, as a lot of the information doesn†t add up. Herodotus neither mentions Esther or Vashti in his histories and he is our main source to this period in time. The story of Esther is a book in the bible and is where the Jewish celebration of ‘Purim† comes from. According to the story of Esther, King Xerxes was banqueting with all his friend and he was boasting about how he had the finest of everything. Then he called for his wife, Queen Vashti, and told her to walk around in front of his guests wearing nothing but her crown because he believed she was the most beautiful woman and he wanted to show everyone. Vashti was greatly insulted and refused so she was deposed. A beauty contest was held for Xerxes to select a new wife and he chose a young girl called Esther who he apparently fell instantly in love with. Esther†s real name was Hadassah but she changed it to hide her Jewish identity. Then with the help of her influence on Xerxes and her cousin Mordecai she was ale to save the Jewish people from slaughter. This story his been questioned by many scholars and historians and is believed to be mythical. Though there isn†t much mentioned on Amestris, from the main story she takes part in we are able to piece together quite a picture of her. Amestris wove a wonderful shawl as a present for her husband Xerxes. He gave it to his brother†s daughter Artaynte with whom he had had an affair with. When Amestris discovered this betrayal she was furious and immediately blamed Artaynte†s mother and had her brutally mutilated. Xerxes brother then beside himself plotted a rebellion against Xerxes and Xerxes had him killed. From this story we can already gather that Amestris was a jealous and not so nice woman who held quite a bit of power over Xerxes, As she wasn†t punished for what she did. There is another story of Amestris that leads us to believe she wasn†t that good a woman. A custom of Persia was burying people alive! Amestris in her old age did it to fourteen Persian boys of distinguished families, by way of a present which she hoped the god of the under world would except instead of herself [Herodotus book 7 section-114]. In 465BC Xerxes was found murdered in his bedchambers. According to Cameron and Lawless, specific details on the death of Xerxes are unknown. It suggests that Artabanus, the commander of the palace guards murdered him with the help of Aspamitres, a court eunuch [pg. 100]. Therefore Xerxes ended his reign of the Persian Empire as a victim of palace conspiracy and was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes.

Cómo cerrar cita para visa americana de emergencia

En ocasiones puede surgir la necesidad de obtener una visa para Estados Unidos con carà ¡cter de urgencia. Pero,  ¿quà © es considerado como urgente y cuà ¡l es la tramitacià ³n para solicitarla? Ademà ¡s de a esas preguntas en este artà ­culo se recuerda cuà ¡les son las causas por las que la visa puede ser negada. Quà © Es Considerado Emergencia Para Solicitar la Visa Americana Son consideradas emergencias situaciones como: La muerte de un familiar inmediato (padre, madre, cà ³nyuge, hijos o hermanos).Una importante necesidad de recibir atencià ³n mà ©dica en Estados Unidos para sà ­ mismo o para acompaà ±ar a un familiar inmediato que la necesita. La visa para recibir tratamiento mà ©dico es la de turista.Cuando surge una oportunidad de negocio.Cuando se necesita asistir a un evento deportivo, conferencia profesional, un entrenamiento o una conferencia de prensa.Cuando la cita ordinaria para una visa de estudiante està ¡ fechada posteriormente al dà ­a de inicio del curso.En los casos de visas de trabajo, cuando la planilla I-797 està © aprobada y el empleador requiera la presencia inmediata del empleado en Estados Unidos. No se concederà ¡n adelantos de las citas para las visas americanas por cuestiones de turismo ya que eso no es una emergencia. No importa que se tengan los boletos de avià ³n o el paquete de hotel y atracciones. Es por esta razà ³n que nunca debe pagarse por las vacaciones si no se tiene ya la visa en mano. Procedimiento Para Solicitar una Visa de Emergencia Es necesario entender que no existe un procedimiento està ¡ndar, sino que varà ­a de paà ­s a paà ­s. Por ejemplo, en Mà ©xico debe solicitarse una visa de turista siguiendo el procedimiento regular. Y una vez que se tenga la cita, enviar un correo electrà ³nico solicitando el cambio de tramitacià ³n regular a urgente. Si la peticià ³n es concedida, se notificarà ¡ al interesado y se le indicarà ¡ el procedimiento a seguir. Tener en cuenta que la direccià ³n de correo electrà ³nico es distinta si la solicitud se formula en inglà ©s o, si por el contrario, se escribe en espaà ±ol. Si la peticià ³n es denegada, todavà ­a sigue vigente la cita regular para la visa. Sin embargo, en otros paà ­ses la peticià ³n de cita urgente para una visa americana debe hacerse por telà ©fono, por lo que se debe consultar la pà ¡gina web de la oficina consular para saber bien quà © procedimiento debe seguirse. En estos casos de peticià ³n por telà ©fono hay que tener en cuenta que se està ¡ cobrando la llamada a un precio superior al ordinario. Ademà ¡s, si se concede la peticià ³n de cita habrà ¡ que pagar al momento el arancel de la visa, mediante una tarjeta de crà ©dito o de dà ©bito Visa, MasterCard o American Express. En los casos de peticià ³n por telà ©fono de cita urgente para la visa debe tenerse a mano para hablar con el operario la siguiente informacià ³n: Nombre, lugar y fecha de nacimiento del solicitante.Nà ºmero de pasaporte y nacionalidad.Direccià ³n de correo electrà ³nico.Y para ciertas visas, como algunas que permiten trabajar temporalmente en Estados Unidos, informacià ³n sobre las mismas. Si el solicitante no puede realizar la llamada por sà ­ mismo, puede realizarse en su nombre un familiar o amigo, pero necesitarà ¡ tener a mano el nombre completo y nà ºmero de pasaporte del solicitante. Consejo Sobre Lugar de Residencia Para solicitar urgentemente una visa se suele requerir tener la residencia o la nacionalidad del paà ­s desde donde se solicita la peticià ³n, salvo casos muy excepcionales. Por ejemplo, cuando se està ¡ en otro paà ­s de vacaciones y se precisa la visa americana de urgencia para transitar por Estados Unidos en su viaje de regreso al paà ­s de origen. Problemas Para Sacar la Visa de Emergencia A pesar de surgir una emergencia por la que hay que viajar a Estados Unidos, el consulado puede negar la peticià ³n. Y es que para poder obtener una visa americana no inmigrante, como por ejemplo la de turista, hay que cumplir dos requisitos: ser admisible y ser elegible. Son varias las razones por las que se considera que una persona es inelegible para la visa americana. La mà ¡s frecuente es la de no probar lazos econà ³micos y/o familiares suficientes en el lugar de residencia habitual. Si la razà ³n por la que se negà ³ la visa es causa por ser inelegible no es posible solicitar un perdà ³n, conocido en algunos paà ­ses como waiver o permiso. Por el contrario, si la razà ³n por la que el consulado no aprueba la visa es por causa de inadmisibilidad, en algunos casos es posible pedir un perdà ³n. La razà ³n mà ¡s frecuente que convierte a una persona en inadmisible es por estancia ilegal en Estados Unidos en una fecha anterior. Para un mayor conocimiento sobre cà ³mo sacar la visa de turista y cà ³mo evitar su cancelacià ³n o revocacià ³n es conveniente tomar esta prueba de respuestas mà ºltiples, ya que ayuda a aclarar dudas. Este es un articulo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.