Category: Essay

          What exactly is family violence? For anyone who is not familiar with it, it can happen to anyone at anytime. The victims come from all cultural backgrounds, social standings and gender, it does not matter if you are in a relationship or not (violence is ultimately just a power imbalance of an individual) (Canadian Bar Association, 1983-2010). This is where one person tries to control another person, it is the chronic abuse of power. In order to maintain control of the victim the aggressor uses intimidation, fear and abuse. Family violence takes place in many different forms, physical, psychological, sexual, financial, and spiritual abuse (What is Family Violence?). In my opinion no one should have to live in fear of someone they love, family violence should be taken extremely seriously.

          It is a sad state of affairs when you are more likely to be physically assaulted, beaten, killed or sexually attacked at your own home at the hands of a loved one than any place else or by anyone else (Gilda, Berger 1990). The reason aggressors choose to abuse is due to unequal gender roles, violent influences in the media, abuse as a child, or stress on the caregiver (Gilda, Berger 1990). Personally I feel that we are not educated enough about family violence, it is quite unspoken of, this is because of privacy concerns, fear of retribution and maintaining the integrity of family relations. The under reporting on the issue has resulted in ignoring the crimes and denying the harm that the abusers are actually doing to their victims. This type of abuse is often over looked, excused or denied, especially when the abuse is psychological rather than physical (Gilda, Berger 1990). Even though this kind of abuse is minimized it leaves deep scars. For example; The victims of abuse are brainwashed, children who are severely punished are told that they are bad and uncontrollable and must be disciplined. Abused wives become convinced that they are not fulfilling their obligations and responsibilities to their husbands and children sexually abused are led to believe that their fathers intentions are normal signs of affection (Gilda, Berger 1990).

          I have heard a lot of my peers say, “Family abuse? That only ever happens in movies and stuff, doesn’t it?” They are incorrect. Most batterers or abusers are men either towards their wife or children, with that being said there is still a number of men who are abused by their wives. Half of Canadian women (51%) have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexually violence since the age of 16 (Canadian Women’s Foundation Statistics). One to two women are murdered per week in Canada by a current or former partner, spousal violence makes up the largest category of convictions involving violent actions in non-specialized courts in Canada, over 90% of offenders were male (Canadian Women’s Foundation Statistics). 58,486 women and 36,840 children sought refuge in one of 473 shelters across Canada between April 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004 (Canadian Women’s Foundation Statistics). Every 13 seconds a child is abused, by someone they love and worldwide approximately 40 million children are subjected to child abuse each year. In the year 2000 Bibby conducted a survey revealing that 56% of adolescents rated child abuse as their top societal concern (Child abuse Statistics, Barriere, 2005-2011). So then why do we not take it more seriously?

          Victims tend to blame themselves but trust me after time you learn to forget, recognize, ignore but never forgive. Let your abuser live with the heavy weight. It is not your fault.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Word Cited

 

A Guide to the 20^th century, “nd”, Channel 4, Women’s Liberation or Feminism

Retrieved From

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide20/part08d.html

 

Barriere, Darlene (2005-2011). Child Abuse Statistics

Retrieved From

http://www.child-abuse-effects.com/child-abuse-statistics.html

 

Berger, Gilda (1990). Violence and The Family. F. Watts, New York

 

Department of Justice, (2010, Nov), Family Violence Initiative

Retrieved From

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/fv-vf/victim.html

 

Facts About Violence Against Women, “n.d”, Canadian Women’s Foundation

Retrieved From

http://www.cdnwomen.org/EN/section05/3_5_1_1-violence_facts.html

 

Family Violence, (2010, Dec). CBA.ORG – The Canadian Bar Association

Retrieved From

http://www.cba.org/bc/public_media/family/155.aspx

 

Lloyd, J.D. (2000) Family Violence, Current Controversies, Farmington Hills, MI

 

McGaha, Johnny. E & Leoni Edward. L, (1995, Summer). Family violence, abuse, and related family issues of incarcerated delinquents with alcoholic parents compared to those with nonalcoholic parents.

Retrieved From

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n118_v30/ai_17150137/

 

What is Family Violence?, (2000) Family Violence and Prevention

Retrieved From

http://www.toolkitnb.ca/emain.asp?477

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever wondered why one listens to a particular song or a particular genre? Music is everywhere. The way music can affect one’s mood drastically is amazing. Not only does music affect moods, it can affect people’s lifestyles, the way they dress, and in some cases, how they act. It is fascinating to think that a single song or a certain band can have such a drastic effect on a person’s life.

Imagine the movie “The Sound of Music”. It is a good movie with a beautiful soundtrack. Now picture that movie without music. It would not have the same emotional effect as does with the soundtrack. This is because music is a powerful influence on one’s mood. Music can pump one up while working out or before the big game, it can relieve stress and anxiety, and sometimes give an irresistible urge to get up and dance. Different genres of music have different effects on a person’s mood. Rock music is generally motivational, while pop and techno music can improve a person’s joyful mood, and romantic love songs can increase one’s desire for romance. The addition of a splash of music to your daily life can help maintain physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

When thinking about a particular type of music, or a certain genre, one can end up with a stereotypical view of the genre. The genre rock music, for example, is stereotyped as the participants having long hair and leather clothing, while the country genre’s appearance is that of a cowboy, with the textbook hat, jeans and plaid shirt. If thought about, these types of outfits cross onto the fans as well. The rock fan will wear spiked bracers and their favorite band’s shirt, while the techno fan will wear wide baggy pants and a light shirt for easier movement. Music can affect more than a perspective or outfit, and can include the actions of an individual.

When asked to think of a stereotypical rock enthusiast or fan and how they act, the first thing that would come to mind is hair flipping and head banging. Sometimes the idea of aggression or brute force may come to mind. This is just one example of how music can affect the actions of a person. Another way is when one sees their favorite singer or their favourite band act a certain way, whether on stage or on the street, and they may subconsciously or consciously mimic these actions. Whether the action is confidence or a bit of shyness, the effect is still there.

Music is a form of expression. Anyone can write poetry create amazing pieces when the mind is up for the task. This poetry is the basis of music, and can be anything from a small idea that pops into the mind, to being from a personal experience of the writer. Once the poetry is written, instruments may be added to further deepen the emotion behind the music and to further influence the listener.

In short music can be used as an art, a release, and a way of life. Music has always been growing in popularity and will always continue to grow with more artists entering the music scene every day. Music will continue to influence the majority of the world’s inhabitants until the end of time.

What is the first thought that comes to mind when someone brings up a rodent? How about if the word “ferret” manages to wiggle its way into a conversation? If you’re first reaction is “Ew, rodent!”, you are not alone. Many people are ignorant to the true nature of ferrets or their general existence, most people don’t know how great they are as pets, how quirky they are, and how easy to take care of they are. Because of their resemblance to rodents many people will never take the time to learn these things.

When it comes to being a pet, ferrets are the best there is. They are better than dogs for a couple of reasons. The first being that they don’t bark. Other people can come over and they don’t feel the need to bark loudly or feel the need to be obnoxiously in everyones’ face. They don’t need to go for walks, they can if you want to on warm days, as they can’t go out in the cold or in the extreme heat. If you don’t want to leave your house one day you don’t need to, they don’t need to go outside, you can stay inside all day. They also can’t take up a large space on any furniture or beds. They are also better than cats, as they are not as mood swingy. They can also be litter trained, but you can get special pellet litter so it doesn’t smell like litter. They are smaller and don’t need as much attention, as they are quite happy just to run around and play with what they can find. They don’t need all the care that cats and dogs do, as long as you are willing to get down on the floor sometimes and play with them.

Ferrets are very quirky and have tons of personality. Some of them will make noises when they get really excited and they do a little dance called a “weasel war dance”. They are all unique and have different quirks. For example, Clyde, my ferret, likes to steal crusts, shoes, plungers, and a few other things that are a lot bigger than him. He loves blueberries, porridge, and Captain Crunch, but really doesn’t like strawberries or most types of pepperoni. He likes to give kisses, his favourite place to sleep is in any drawer, playing in and with plastic bags, and if he feels like it he loves to cuddle up and sleep on my lap or stomach.

All in all, ferrets are pretty easy going animals. They are so far from being rodents, they separate at class under the scientific classifications. Where rodents are “Rodentia”, ferrets are “Carnivora” and are more closes related to weasels. They are not at all viscous, are fun loving and easy to fall in love with. They make amazing pets and get along with any other animal in the house, as they just want to play. Ferrets are quite small, they can be anywhere from 17 inches and can get up to 25 inches in length when full grown. They do have a cage, but really love to run around and explore. So if you’re looking for an easy and fun loving animal, ferrets are the perfect animal for you.

 

In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. In fact, in the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than tripled.¹ Nowadays, with society being focused on their high-pace, busy and fun lifestyles, home cooked meals are being replaced with fast food. Actually, kids are malnourished and under exercised. This causes high child obesity rates in countries such as, Canada and America. In addition, the media also contributes to this crisis. Obesity, which is the condition of having an excessive amount of body fat, is rapidly becoming a problem especially for children in Western society. It also poses many health risks, but fortunately there are possible ways to be able to prevent and hopefully extinguish this epidemic.

Citizens of the Western society are constantly on the go; they do not have time to make nutritional meals every day for their family and children, so they turn to fast food restaurants. Many fast foods are fried, high in fat and sodium, low in fiber, and contain some vitamins and some minerals which are unhealthy for one’s body. Many children consume excessive amounts of fast food on a regular basis which leads to obesity. In fact, every single day, one out of three young people aged four to nineteen eats fast food.² Undoubtedly, there is a lot of children eating unhealthy food daily. Although tempting, with their mouth-watering, inexpensive products, big portion sizes, and convenience; fast food restaurants are one of the main reasons for childhood obesity. The media is also at fault. Children 8-18 years of age spend an average of 7.5 hours a day using media, including: TV, computers, video games, cell phones, and movies. Of those 7.5 hours, about 4.5 hours is dedicated to viewing TV.³ This means children are exposed to many advertisements on a daily basis, especially for unhealthy food. Also, the amount of time they spend using electronics takes away from their daily physical activity which should be at least an hour a day according to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention.⁴ Instead of enjoying the outdoors, children are fixated on electronics and exposed to the media which is another basis for childhood obesity. This constitutes many health hazards.

 

There are many health and safety risks regarding childhood obesity. For instance: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, asthma, joint problems, musculoskeletal discomfort and diabetes. Obese children could also face discrimination or have low self-esteem. While childhood obesity along with the mental, physical, emotional and health risks are unnecessary, they are preventable.

In order to prevent this problem, a parent or guardian must provide a healthy environment and encourage a healthy lifestyle for their children. This includes healthy meals and snacks, and motivation as well as equipment to exercise or play a sport. If parents cut out all the restaurants, allowed minimal junk food and educated their children about nutrition then it would be easy to avert this condition. In general, the western society needs to change their lifestyles for the sake of the next generation.

Nowadays, a healthy lifestyle is vital for the prevention of childhood obesity. It is up to parents to reduce the amount of time theirs kids are exposed to the media, to educate their children on the importance of physical activity and nutrition and to provide healthy, well balanced meals which excludes fast food restaurants. This should decrease childhood obesity rates which will benefit children and society as a whole.

Footnotes

¹ “Childhood Obesity Facts.” Cdc.gov. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, September 15, 2011. Web. November 1, 2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm&gt;

² Stephanie Watson. “Fast Food.” Teen Health and Wellness. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. August 2010. Web. Nov. 1, 2011.

<http://teenhealthfiles.rosenpub.com/articles/fastfood.html&gt;

³ “A Growing Problem.” Cdc.gov. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, April 21, 2011. Web. November 1, 2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/problem.html&gt;

⁴ “How much physical activity do children need?” Cdc.gov. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, April 21, 2011 March 30, 2011. Web. November 1, 2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/children.html&gt;