Sean Amiel S. Monteverde3/17/15SY1142#Psychology&Ethics

Work Ethic and the FilipinoBy Lolita VillaWhat is a work ethic and why has the lack of it been infused in the Filipino stereotype? We are familiar with such national archetypes as Juan Tamad, the benign but lazy individual, with common perceptions that government employees are corrupt and self-serving, or that Filipinos will generally remain lazy and inefficient unless you find them working overseas.Where are these perceptions coming from and do they hold water? In any case, what should we do about it?But first of all, what is a work ethic? In the Random House unabridged dictionary, it is defined as a belief in the moral benefit and importance of work and its inherent ability to strengthen character. S. M. Lipset, in his book "Public Interest," defined it as the cultural norm placing a positive moral value on doing a good job because work has intrinsic value for its own sake. Lipset even goes on to point out that this philosophy was a relatively recent development.In the "Historical Context of the Work Ethic," a paper written by Roger B. Hill, Ph.D., the writer states that work, for much of ancient history, has been hard and degrading. According to Hill, "Working hard--in the absence of compulsion--was not the norm for Hebrew, classical, or medieval cultures." It was not until the time of the Protestant Reformation, all the way to the beginnings of the New World, that physical labor became culturally acceptable for all persons.Much has changed since the times of the Romans and the Greeks wherein manual labor and hard work were equated with shame and non-productivity, since slaves generally could spend their whole lives working without hope of uplifting their social status. Now, after historical developments on the social and economic landscape, and widespread acceptance that hard work and labor usually leads to profit and self-reliance, these changes and other trends have paved the way for shaping the philosophy of the work ethic.

#Health&PsychologySmoking DOESN'T help you lose weight - it makes you eat MORE: Habit makes obese women eat more calories because they can't taste fat and sugarBy EMMA INNESObese women who smoke are less able to perceive fat and sugar in food meaning they tend to eat moreDespite craving high-fat, sugary foods, these women are less likely than others to perceive these tastes, which may drive them to consume more calories.Researchers conducted a series of tests in which different groups of women tasted several vanilla puddings containing varying amounts of fat and were asked to rate them for sweetness and creaminess.Yanina Pepino, assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, and Julie Mennella, a biopsychologist at the Monell Center in Philadelphia, studied four groups of women ages 21 to 41.The groups were obese smokers, obese non-smokers, smokers of normal weight, and non-smokers of normal weight. Compared with the other three groups, smokers who were obese perceived less creaminess and sweetness, Dr Pepino said. They also derived less pleasure from tasting the puddings.Dr Pepino warned that the study only identified associations between smoking and taste rather than definitive reasons why obese smokers were less likely to detect fat and sweetness. But, the findings imply that the ability to perceive fat and sweetness - and to derive pleasure from food - is compromised in female smokers who are obese, which could contribute to the consumption of more calories.

#Environment&PsychologySecond-hand smoke in the environmentBeing around tobacco smoke is bad for you, even if it's someone else's smoke.When someone smokes a cigarette, most of the smoke doesn't go into theirlungs. It goes into the air, where anyone nearby can breathe it.Smokingis banned in many public places. But many people are still exposed tosecondhand smoke, especially children who live with parents who smoke. Even people who try to be careful about where they light up may not protect those around them.What Is Secondhand Smoke?It can come from a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. Tobacco smoke has more than 4,000 chemical compounds, at least 250 are known to cause disease.Secondhand smoke makes you more likely to get lungcancerand many other types of cancer. It's also bad for yourheart.Every year in the U.S., secondhand smoke causes about 34,000 deaths from heart disease and 7,300 deaths fromlung cancer, the CDC says.Smoke makes yourbloodstickier, raises your "bad" LDLcholesterol, and damages the lining of your blood vessels. Eventually, these changes can make you more likely to have a heart attack orstroke.

#Psychology&LawProtecting Women RightsTHE CHALLENGE

Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours and produce half of the world's food. Yet, they earn only 10 percent of the world's income and own less than 1 percent of the world's property. Among the poorest and most at risk in almost every community, women and girls encounter an uphill struggle to realize their human rights to equality and dignity.Although many constitutions and laws around the world outlaw gender discrimination, in practice women and girls still face enormous bias.

WHAT WE'RE DOING

We support efforts to fully implement laws and international commitments that address women's inequality and discrimination; and build effective women's networks and human rights organizations that attempt to prevent and remedy structural causes of gender inequality and discrimination.A critical aspect of this work is to strengthen the leadership opportunities of marginalized women by equipping them with a voice to articulate the problems that affect their lives; craft solutions that help solve these problems; and contribute to practical, legal and policy changes that advance women's human rights and achieve a broader and more meaningful social justice.