A Human Is A Complex Organism

Human beings are complex and special organisms as there is a complex organisation of cells in the human body. The organisation in the human body is summarised as follows: Cells—> Tissues—> Organs—> Systems—> Organism.The same type of cells which carry out a specific function are organised into a tissue. For example, a group of nerve cells form a nerve tissue. They are organised to work together to perform specific functions as the result of cells in the human body do not work individually.An organ is a group of tissue that cooperates to carry out a specific life process. For examples, epithelial tissues form blood vessels. Several organs are organised into a system.Each system consist of several organs which are organised to carry out life processes such as respiration, reproduction and digestion.Various systems in the human body are well organised to carry out all the life processes efficiently. They are able to function because the cellular components wo rk together to ensure the survival of human beings.The human brain is well developed to integrate information's and store them as memory. This allows human beings to have the ability to talk, think rationally, create new things, learn from experience and use languages. The ability to do all these makes us really special compared to other organism.Water is driven into the tanks to raise density and allow the submarine to sink and it also pumped out to reduce density and hence allow the submarine to float. The tanks can be filled with water and air, which allows the submarine to sink or rise in the water. When a submarine is floating, its ballast tanks are filled with air, which makes it less dense than the sea water it displaces hence allowing it to float. Submarines sink when water is let into the ballast tank. This is because the submarine's density becomes greater than that of the surrounding water, resulting in negative buoyancy and causing it to sink.

Citizens for Democracy

A democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving free elections that are periodically held. The necessary moral and intellectual characteristics the citizens of a democracy must possess for the survival and the prosperity of such a form of government include: respect for laws, respect for rights, respect for authority, equal mental worth, and opportunity for all citizens. Some other scholars have argued another notion pertaining to the success of a democracy. Those scholars have suggested the presence of certain economic conditions is necessary for a democracy to continue to exist and to flourish. A democracy will go as far as the citizens of that democracy will take it. Therefore, the moral and intellectual characteristics that those citizens possess are pivotal. Moral characteristics are those in which help the citizens set a standard of what is right and good for the country. These include respect for laws, rights, and authority. The citizens must respect the laws for many reasons, mainly for fear of punishment that usually entails a loss of freedom. The citizens must also have a respect for the rights they and others have. This gives each citizen a sense of equality to one and other, they all have the same rights under the law, which allows freedom to be put into action. Besides these characteristics, the citizens of a democracy must have a respect for authority. Those in authority are the ones protecting the laws and the rights of the citizens. If the citizens value their freedom and liberty, then they must respect the protectors of those freedoms and liberties. Intellectual characteristics are necessary because the citizen's ability for rational or intelligent thought adds to the prosperity of the democracy. The citizens must be able to, as Tocqueville states, â€Å"educate democracy; to put, if possible, new life into its beliefs; to purify its mores; to control its actions; gradually to substitute understanding of statecraft for present inexperience and knowledge of its true interest for blind instincts; to adapt government to the needs of time and place; and to modify it as men and circumstances require. The citizens of a democracy must see each other as having equal mental worth. All citizens should understand that the opportunity for education should be present. But, the amount of education should not be what is most important: the citizens must understand it's what you do with the education that matters most. Intellectually everyone is different; some are more educated than others, and others less. The citizens must have the insight to understand that everyone is equal under the law and in the rights that are bestowed upon them. These characteristics are all very important to the survival of a democracy. Theodore Roosevelt explains this best when he stated, â€Å"A democracy must consist of men who are intellectually, morally, and materially fit to be their own masters. † There are, however, other scholars who believe that certain economic conditions must be also present for the continued survivability of a democracy. The characteristics of the citizens are very important to the success of a democracy, but groups of people known as progressives, believe that economic situations in a democracy play just as important of a role. The economic situation that they claim is needed is economic equality. As Franklin Roosevelt, a progressive and former President of the United States, stated, â€Å"Our government, formal and informal, political and economic, owes to everyone an avenue to possess himself of a portion of that plenty sufficient for his needs, through his own work. † It is the government's responsibility to ensure economic equality to all citizens, which is important, because, the prosperity of a democracy depends on the prosperity of its citizens. Theodore Roosevelt, another progressive and President, furthers this notion by contending, â€Å"there is no point in having prosperity unless there can be an equitable division of prosperity. † This must therefore be extended to economics: for the democracy to move forward and provide for its citizens, the citizens themselves must have the economic stability. If there were not an equal distribution of prosperity, in the economic sense, the government would have to create programs to â€Å"level the playing field. Examples of these programs are welfare and affirmative action. While these programs are different, they have the same purpose: to help those in need which would, in turn, level the playing field. A democracy is faced with many challenges that it must be able to adjust to, including the economic growth of its citizens and the security of that growth. L. B. Johnson stated, â€Å"The challenge of the next half of the century is whether we have the wisdom to use that wealth to enrich and elevate our national life, and to advance the quality of our American civilization. Therefore, for a democracy to survive, that democracy and the citizens of the democracy must have the ability to move forward and shape their own future to assure prosperity and survival. This is the link between the economic and the political. In conclusion, the citizens of a democracy must possess for it to succeed and survive. Others believe economic conditions affect the prosperity of a democracy. While there are other characteristics that generally impact a democracy, the ones explained are seen as the most important.

Arguments against CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility While there may be people who are for the idea of corporate social responsibility, there are also others who oppose to it. One of whom, as we all know, is Milton Friedman. He believes that only individuals can have social responsibilities and that the purpose of a corporation Is to provide the highest possible returns to shareholders while obeying all the laws and regulations. There are 5 mall arguments against CARS.First of all, it lowers economic efficiency and profits. CARS also imposes unequal costs among competitors and imposes hidden costs which are passed on to stakeholders. Also, more often than not, carrying out these social responsibilities require skills which businesses may lack. Lastly, it places responsibility on business rather than individuals. A business may have to allocate a certain amount of resources Just to meet the needs of the people and environment.Suppose the firm currently has an unproductive operation in a certain country an d it would definitely be better for the company if it closes this operation down but this will also mean that al the employees will lose their Jobs and Income. This will affect their livelihood and probably their families as well. For the firm to have corporate social responsibility, this will mean that the firm will have to keep It going so as to ensure their well-being Is taken care of.However, this results In costs that are higher than necessary which ultimately leads to lower profits. Stockholders get a smaller return on their investments, making it more difficult for the firm to acquire more capital to sustain the company in the long run. Another example will be when a firm invests more in a reticular technology so as to ensure that environmental concerns are met but this may backfire especially if there is only a handful of consumers who actually care about these environmentally-friendly products.They may not be willing to pay a slightly higher price for such products. This ag ain reduces profits and lower economic efficiency. Money used in attaining greener technology can otherwise be invested elsewhere to yield higher returns that will be more beneficial to the company. Even though corporate social responsibility Is well-intended, such social costless lower businesses efficiency, thereby depriving society of higher levels of economic productivity needed to maintain everyone's standard of living.Moving on, the reason why it imposes unequal costs among competitors is because the more responsible companies would have incurred higher costs, putting them at a competitive disadvantage compared to other companies in the same industry. In a highly competitive market, the more responsible companies are even at risk of being out of business since their less responsible opponents will attempt to capture a larger market share.

What is the result of the credit crunch, a recession or a depression Essay

What is the result of the credit crunch, a recession or a depression Recession of 2007-2009 and Great Depression - Essay Example The effects of credit crunch were considerably destructive for the financial institutions. Most of the investment banks were suffered a lot. They had no choice either to reduce the value of their assets or to file for bankruptcy. For many investment banks, even the value reduction of assets did not prove to be sufficient enough to protect them for the severity of the global financial crunch. It looked as the investment banks were struggling to fight for their existence; they were trying to stay alive and remain a part of the financial world. But, for many banks, their lives saving attempts were insufficient to protect them from the effects of the credit crunch. As a result, many investment banks had no choice left in the period of 2007 to the year of 2009; willingly or unwillingly, many declared their bankruptcy. In the initial face of the credit crunch, the financial and investment banks faced the harshness and severity of the financial crisis, the entire situation was so disappoint ing that many disappeared from the international financial circle and mergers, acquisitions, liquidations, bankruptcies and nationalization were the only options left for them (The WTO Doha Round and Regionalism, 2009). ‘Recession is when your neighbour loses his job; depression is when you lose yours’ (Ronald Reagan (1980) as saying, quoted by Eslake, 2008). Interestingly, there is no official or generally accepted criterion to identify a difference between a ‘recession’ and a ‘depression’. ... On the face of it, the period of recession is comparatively less than the period of depression. For instance, some economists are of the view that the recession may occur and last for two to three quarters. And its impacts could be limited to some particular sectors of an economy. As a result, recession could put negative impact on the index of employment and may trigger some sort of unemployment in some specific economic sectors of the economy. On the other hand, the period of depression tends to be larger and wide spread. The Great Depression of 1929 did not continue for one or two years; rather it constantly showed its pressure on the economy throughout the decade on the 1930s. Additionally, depression tends to be wide spread in an economy. It almost hit negatively to each economic sector of an economy. Causes of the Great Depression The decade of 1920s considerably experienced consumers taking on more debt in America. In this period of decade, according to Bernanke (1983) the out standing amount of real estate mortgages sharply increased from the level of $11 billion to the level of $27 billion. The debt instalment also saw a sharp increase due to a wide spread availability of consumer goods. Due to the facility of credit and other forms of debt, many consumers facilitated their needs by increasing their purchases of household appliances, cars, homes and other basic necessities that they liked (Parker, 2007). This cause came from the consumer side that were mostly showing their consumer confidence on the economy of the America. On the other hand, the stock market was touching new psychological heights. And on each passing day, the stock market had something more than the previous day

American History Since 1900 assignment four Essay

American History Since 1900 assignment four - Essay Example This of course leads to abuses against due process that is guaranteed in the constitution. The idea that someone is innocent until proven guilty was perverted by the weight of congressional hearings during the McCarthy Era. If a person chose to refuse to incriminate himself or herself by claiming their 5th amendment rights, they would be viewed as guilty. On the other hand, if they chose to testify on their own behalf, then they could be forced to incriminate others. This placed citizens accused of un-American activities in an unjust situation. One Hollywood personality that chose to testify was Edward Dmytryk. He naively thought that if he testified, the public would back him and the left-leaning friends he had would come to his rescue. He attempted to testify and he was made to appear guilty. He lost many friends and his job as a result. Lillian Hillman refused to testify by invoking her 5th amendment rights. Many thought this would only serve to make her appear guilty, but she rep orts hearing individuals in the audience making positive comments about her willingness to stand-up to the congressional committee. Vietnam was another country in Asia that was under pressure to become a Communist country. President Kennedy described the countries falling in Asia as dominoes. If one falls then another will follow. America tried to create a government in the south to withstand Communist pressure from the north. This failed so the United States chose to escalate the war through a campaign of bombing. Ground troops were added but proved largely ineffective. America divided between supporters and protestors of the war in Vietnam. President Nixon finally got the Vietcong to come to the peace table. The war was a defeat for America. With the election of President Reagan in 1980, America took a large turn towards becoming a more conservative nation. President Reagan worked hard to incorporate a new conservative agenda into domestic policy. Government funding of abortions t hrough Medicaid was banned. Many gains for gays and lesbians at the local lever were overturned and the overall size of government was reduced. Taxes were cut because Reagan believed that free enterprise was the best way to grow an economy. Spending on the military was increased in an effort to out-produce the Soviet Union. This resulted in the Soviet Union failing eventually, but also made government deficits. Richard Nixon’s political strategy reflected the racial and radicalism of his era in several ways. He ran on a strong platform of law and order. He wanted to show America that the hippies and their kind were actually the minority of people in America, not the majority. The complete chaos created by rioting minorities in urban areas and the debacle of the Democratic convention in Chicago played into Nixon’s hand. Many Americans actually expressed their view that the students at Kent State deserved to get shot. This need for law and order is what Nixon was able to tap into. He was easily elected as President. The main causes of the Watergate Scandal were the illegal and unethical methods that the Nixon administration were employing to find out about their Democratic challenger’s strategy. They hired individuals to steal secrets and the thieves were caught. What added to the scandal was the fact that Nixon denied that

World History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World History - Essay Example The country was divided as never before or since and it was seemingly the last time civilians bravely sacrificed themselves for a cause. The Vietnam War divided the nation along ideological battle lines. The older generation, the ‘establishment’, was of the WWII period and operated under a nationalistic perspective. They believed that to be a true patriot was to blindly follow the authority of the governmental powers that be, to support your ‘country’ even when you thought it was wrong. The young college protesters, the ‘new generation’, the counter-culture redefined this notion of patriotism. They believed that to be truly patriotic was to question the decisions of government and openly dissent when it was judged to be wrong. The philosophical chasm was wide and emotions ran deep on both sides. Those that protested sacrificed much. They suffered the scorn of their parents who couldn’t understand why their children were rebelling against the very foundation of their parents’ beliefs thus causing what was referred to as the ‘generation gap.’ Some war protesters were killed by soldiers of the National Guard as was the case at Kent State and South Carolina State. The protesters and draft-dodgers were thought of as anti-American by the mainstream citizenry who regarded their actions as nothing short of treasonous. This attitude makes one wonder what the ‘greatest generation’ thought they were fighting for during WWII. They fought to defend freedom on foreign soil but were very much opposed to the constitutionally guaranteed right to peacefully assemble in their own country (Bexte, 2002). The war protesters of the 1960’s had the courage to act upon their political and philosophical convictions unlike those who are opposed to the Iraq War today. The two conflicts are eerily similar on many fronts yet the public reaction has been very dissimilar. Then as now, those opposed to the war are

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Media - Essay Example Unfortunately the same mishap has been integrated to the contemporary media. Media as a social art has its aim to inform a vast range of subject. Globalization had undeniably helped it attain that goal. That is when global mass media ties the world together. Global industrialization had lead to innovations that had aid the media with their venture. Most notably, globalization had made it possible for the media to let the far smaller nations to have a glimpse on what was happening to the titans. Having been improperly handled, that thought benefit had nonetheless lead to overwhelming effect of western culture to outside countries which further lead to cultural degradation and national conflicts. This same effect had managed to inflict the contemporary media. Although the increasing concentration of mass media ownership within and across the nation borders may be considered as the most significant development in international communication, this had rather cause deregulation and privatization. Globalization had secured the presence of giant mass media firms in all the national aspect of every region worldwide. This had allowed them to syndicate with dozens of national media firms worldwide to produce and disseminate news and entertainment to localities. This had made them in control of everything that would be aired and implied to the international market. The media that were supposed to be objective, having neutral observation and letting the fact speak for themselves, have been made into a model of little analysis, that was inefficiently statistical and a one way communication. As a result, the important world facts had been replaced with political scandals, celebrity divo rces, natural disasters and anything that will ward off the public’s eye towards the true significant matters. The mass media that was supposed to ask deeper questions about the exercise of power, the

Critique 2 research papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Critique 2 research papers - Essay Example It has been my opinion that the lesbian, gay and bisexual populations likely suffer from a greater level of depression and other mental health disorders because of their position in society. Society has a dim view of this, because for many people homosexuality is seen as either wrong, or the people who have this sexuality are ill. Article Choice The strategy that I used in the discovery of these two articles was very decisive and simple. I was searching through my university’s online library database, EBCOHOST, using search terms of ‘mental health gay’, ‘mental health lesbian‘, ‘mental health bisexual’ and ‘suicide’ in the same contexts. I found a plethora of articles, so I did some skimming of each one to find the two that I would like to use for this paper. Upon further reading of each article, I was especially intrigued by these two because they two claimed to be the first of their kind, given the body of research that the authors of these articles were aware of. This piqued my interest further, and found within them many similarities in the methodology of the analyses, which will be discussed. They both covered within limitations the differences of age, gender and race within their samples. The findings of each article had some discrepancies, but also had certain key points that were similar. Critical Summation First, I am going to explore the article written by Brian S. Mustanski, et al. In this article, it is put forth that among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth aged 16 to 20 years in Chicago, the prevalence of a mental health disorder is higher than that of heterosexual youth. Other sample studies have shown few LGB identified respondents, due to the combining of disproportionate representation. This allows for major inconsistencies in the study and findings previous concerning the gender differences and the individual’s sexual orientation. Most studies that are similar i n nature also did not allow for transgender participants. This understudied population was found in one small study to have an elevated level of substance abuse and victimization, but there was little to no evidence to support findings of higher than normal depression levels. There are many theories that warrant mental health disparities among LGB youth, namely minority stress. This theory simply states that racial or ethnical minorities are more likely to have a mental disorder resulting from prejudicial discrimination from their communities. This assessment covered posttraumatic stress disorder, anorexia, bulimia, depression, conduct disorder and suicidality. In a sampling of 246 youth with ethnic diversity were used in this study to prove this hypothesis. Using the DSM-IV via the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC, Shaffer et al., 2000) allowed the researchers to use strictly specific diagnoses among the adolescent sample group. Along with the DSM-IV and DISC, this study used the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI 18, Derogatis, 2000) to measure the levels of psychological stress within the prior week. In testing of the hypotheses in reference to demographic differences, anorexia and bulimia were excluded. Another group, non-LGB, were used as a model to avoid further discrepancy. It was found that racial or et

The Social Factors Influencing Consumer Decision Essay - 1

The Social Factors Influencing Consumer Decision - Essay Example Similarly, the purchase situation also has an impact upon the consumer decision making procedure (South-Western College Publishing, 1997). Hereby, the main objective of the report is to critically discuss the role of internet upon the five stages of consumer decision making process and how internet assists the consumers in their ultimate decision regarding purchase. The first step of the consumer decision making process prompts all succeeding activities. The consumer is bound to fill the gap that exists between the actual state and the desired state when the person’s threshold regarding the problem awareness is reached. It is the external as well as the internal factors that assist in triggering the problem recognition in such cases. In traditional markets, conventional marketing communication increases the demand by means of conventional media such as advertisements made on the television. However, the internet as a medium tends to be comparatively new and therefore novel forms of communication is required. Computer-mediated environments facilitate recognition of the individual needs (Amazon, 2012). In the context of consumer problem recognition, it becomes quite significant for the internet marketers to acquire the consumers in the initial stage. The marketers with the assistance of the databases related to the consumer information are in a good position to identify and predict the requirements of the customer. Amazon.com can be considered as one of the good examples of online business that intends to narrow the service gaps so that the customers demand can be satisfied. When the consumer begins to shop at Amazon’s online store, Amazon tends to comprehend their expectations.

Reflection Paper #4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Reflection Paper #4 - Assignment Example He asserts that leaders need to inspire action rather than manipulating the people to act. He eludes that the motivation all start with WHY. He then elucidates the WHY concept where the saying that organizations must know what they do. Additionally, he claims that the companies and people know exactly how and what they do. Further, few individuals or corporations articulate the essence of why they do the things they do (Paradiso, 2015). Pertinent to Dan Pink’s conception of motivation, my strategies have experienced significant influence. The leadership approaches need not to follow the carrot-and-stick approach but have foci on the aspects of mastery, autonomy, and purpose. In this regard, it is of profound importance for the methods to motivation to master the content, have independent decisions and aim at achieving particular goals. Based on Simon Sinek’s notion, the leaders and their institutions must know what they want, how to meet the goals it, and should have specific aims to achieve it. The calling of the leader is to influence the followers to attain the set goals and objectives. Leaders have a significant role to change the peoples’ attitude toward the expectations of the society besides their responsibilities. Different individuals have varied mission narratives cognizant to their long-term goals. For instance, I intend to be a renowned motivational speaker and influence both employers and employees toward embracing organization ethics in their organizations. Fundamentally, the ethical issues that the people face in their workplaces help me grow and learn to have a vast understanding of the causes of such challenges. In return, the knowledge amassed will allow the development of working strategies to the identified problems. In most cases, I possess a growth mindset concerning the online test on Dr. Dweck’s mindset test. In reality, mindsets predict the level of motivation and achievement. Contextually, positive or growth

Organizational Behavior Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Essay 1) Think about your own work experiences and/or current job. Can you distinguish between your job values, attitudes and moods? Identify two of each, and state why you classify them as you do. I think that the job values that I have towards my career are the same in any position that I may hold. I think that with hard work and dedication, 2) Evaluate your level of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with your current (or former) job (or role in a group or team) in terms of the various job facets discussed in this Lesson. How do you think your job-related behavior has been affected by your satisfaction/dissatisfaction with each of these facets (to the extent you can dissect the effects of each)? To what extent has your level of satisfaction changed over time? Why, or why not? Might this be related to how your needs have changed? In my opinion, the level of satisfaction/dissatisfaction that one may have in their plays a heavy role and influence on job longevity. Personally speaking, human relations supervision, creativity, coworkers, and ability utilization are some of the most important factors that may affect me and my outlook on my role and position in an organization. For example, I have been in job where I felt as though I was more qualified than my manager, and often found myself doing her job, and trying to cover up for her mistakes. I have also experienced severe job dissatisfaction with my role in the company, but stayed longer than intended because I genuinely liked my coworkers and had developed true friendships with them. Right now in my life, I would say that abillity utilization and creativity are two important factors that I consider when choosing a role. The relationships that I have with my co workers also play a major part, as for me spending 8-10 hour days in a small space with people you dont necessarily like can be pure torture. 3) Think about the Job Facet Model, Hertzbergs Motivator-Hygiene theory, and the Discrepancy Model as approaches to understanding how job satisfaction works. Which approach makes the most sense to you, and why? Relate your answer to your own work experience. 4) What do the leaders in your organization, group or team currently do to keep the level of member satisfaction high and/or improve the satisfaction of members? What effects, if any, do you see these actions as having on performance, absenteeism, lateness, turnover and organizational citizenship behavior? If their actions do little to keep satisfaction high, how would you evaluate the effects of low satisfaction on these five potential outcomes?

Homosexuality in Ghana Essay Example for Free

Homosexuality in Ghana Essay Homosexuality is one of the prime heated debates globally. Being a social issue that is affecting the antiquity marriage culture and religious believes; it has raised numerous controversies among the societies, government and non-governmental organizations. The term homosexuality has been widely and globally to different extents. Some people have used the terminology to refer to the physical and emotional attractions of people of the same sex. Other people have defined it as the preference for emotional sexual relations of people of same sex. This is implies that homosexuality comprises of gay, lesbians and bisexuals. Homosexuality has becomes a global social problem of controversy fundamentally due to the gender identity as well as sexual orientation. (Adu-Gyamfi, 2007) Historically, homosexuality is an act that has been in existence for several decades or so centuries. In most of the European nations, the first report on homosexuality as social issue appeared in 17th century in the year of 1885. The British parliament was thus the first find faulty on homosexuality, hence, by the 1885, they cast their votes against homosexuality making it a criminal act. Since then, there has been much concern over homosexuality making states like Germany to launch campaigns over it. During the campaigns, thousands of homosexual individuals were arrested and confined into camps for correctional purposes. According to the works of Melville, homosexuality was being in practiced in the early years of the twentieth century. His study revealed that homosexuality in the Dahomey where the Fon people was dominating population. Homosexuality therefore appears to have been eminent issue which, not only the Europeans, Asians and American states are coming into term with, but most countries in African continents are still struggling to cope with. As cooper points out, he says â€Å"I had enough evidence to believe that any habit, regardless of how compulsive, how deeply ingrained, could be broken once and for all. (Cooper, 1991) Literature review Like in many other countries, homosexuality in Ghana has divided the community as whole into their different opinions. Some people in the community have embraced this new kind of culture while a good proportion of the community population rejects. It is determined that most of the Ghanaians reside in rural areas. Actually, two thirds of the community populations are in the remote parts of the country where the media and other socials influencer are much limited. The population of the youths is relatively high, forming forty five percent of the total population. Although scores of African youths have been assimilated and generally adapted new lifestyles of the westerners, there is much resistance of this transition in the Ghanaian’s youths. The penetration of changes in their cultures has highly been resisted through the maintenance and teaching which demonstrates the ancient ways of gender roles and marriages value. This implies that there is a lot of controlled over the operations of the community which in the present world’s view, numerous activities are contrary to their expectation. (Murray, and Roskam, 1998) According to many researches in the Ghanaians social liberty, the community of females and children in the states are well undermined and mistreated. Due to the maintenance of distinctive gender role among men and women, Ghana is described as a man’s world. This indicates that the women in Ghana are counted as subordinates both in home leadership and also in the leadership level of country. The value of children in the Ghanaians community have is indescribable and this has given marriage issues first prior and extended restrictions to adoption of western nature of lifestyles. Childlessness for men and women has got the highest humiliations in a couple families but this is much more to the females. Thus, the erosion of the old traditions and cultures are still minimal but they are up held with great respect in most ethnic groups such as the Akan who believe that childlessness is an abnormality and unhealthy to the females. The transitions in the social practices coupled with economic changes have compelled and diminished most communities’ traditions on marriages and children value. However, these have little effects in the Ghanaians. Sex preference has been a common practice in many developing countries, whereby unwanted sexes are given the dire consequences. This has little penetration in the Ghanaians having no strong bias for a specific sex. (Murray, and Roskam, 1998) Influencing factors of homosexuality in Ghana Imprisonment Ghana is one of the states which are depicted to offer severe penalties to the perpetrators of the law. Though prisons are institutions set up for correctional purposes, numerous reports shows that the Ghanaians prisons’ condition harden the people’s character instead of correcting them. According to the numerous researches which are conducted in their prisons, many of them reveal that the conditions make the inmates lives to tolerate harsh environment. It is said that inmates who are imprisoned for a period extending to more than two years do commit criminal offences which are more worse than the crime they were convicted. One common crime which is disclosed is the involvement of inmates in homosexually. Instead of reforming these inmates, most of them find themselves hardening in their lives as result of the mistreatment. Due to stress and sexual desire within the people behind bars, homosexuality in prisons is reported as serious and rampant in jails. Men and women serving as inmate may develop the sexual desire like any other person, as results of the restrictions and limited interaction of males and females, same sex inmates engages on mutual carnal sex. (Murray and Roskam, 1998) Education The self-control in most students is very low. This is aggravated by the challenges which arise at the adolescent stage. Cooper observed that when he grew up there was change in his life. He thus said â€Å" I became the scientist of my own desire, plotting ways to change my yearning for boys into a yearning for girls†. While in most case boarding schools are perceived to be of advantageous on learning and achieving higher level of education, student enrolled as boarders in these schools are still under compelling conditions on interactions. Though some students do snitch out school to find their opposite sex friend for sexual satisfaction, hopeless and desperate boys and girls in schools normally get entangled in practicing homosexuality in dormitories. This occurs especially not with equals but it involves seniors and juniors of the same sex. The practice by students in same sex is not a permitted act in the law and society; it takes place as way of satisfying the sexual whim. Though in some schools there both boys and girls such as mixed boarders, homosexuality is not something unheard off. In such environments, homosexuality such lesbianism, gay and bisexuality are common practices. Among the female students in mixed school, homosexuality is increased due to the educational set goals. The practice of homosexuality among them is a way of evading the consequences of unwanted pregnancies which can lead to the termination of their studies. (Cooper, 1991) Economic reason Tourism is becoming a booming trade in the world. Ghanaians are not exempted from such opportunities of tourists in their state. Tourists arriving from the Western countries and American states roam everywhere, bringing with them the culture of homosexuality. The interaction of the tourists with locals transforms their culture. However, it is common that most of these local people in Ghana falls victims of money which is trick applied by the foreigners. Some of the people end up engaging themselves as heterosexual prostitutes while other ruins their lives with the illicit acts of homosexuality. This influence is much augmented by the modern technology. According to several sources, chat rooms have become social places which sex tourists are highly concentrating on conducting their preys. They visit such chat sites to makes relationships with the young youths online but when they physically arrive, they get involved into multiple sexes-with them in promise of finances. Usually, the socio-economic problems are primary factors which are thus compelling the youths look for financial aids and relief at this risky illegalized ways. Thus influx of serial monogamy, unstable marriages low economy in one way or the other have rapidly increased the ratio of homosexuals, creating a breading grounds for pimps who end up being homosexuals or bisexual partners or prostitutes. Adu-Gyamfi, 2007) Major problems associated with homosexuality Mistrust among couples, unchecked spread of sexually transmitted diseases, low productivity due stigmatization, high incidents of suicide as a result of rejection, are some of the negative effects that are a result of homosexuality, which many recognize but regards as unethical unacceptable trend, however, the greatest obstacle has been to control the unexpected explosion of both hetero bisexual prostitutes who have invaded the cities with a bang. Bernard said â€Å"My longing was wrong in the eyes of my mother, whose hazel eyes were the eyes of the world, and if that longing continued unchecked, the unwieldy shape of my fate would be cast, and I’d be subjected to a lifetime of scorn. All in all, unlike conventional sexual partners, homosexuals are viewed with suspicion more than often mistreated in some cases denied access to public facilities like hospitals schools, while on the other hand the government has ignored their plight, infringing their right of association hence making the civil society to be aggressive, more abusive towards them. Cooper, 1991) Homosexuality is not only black-market in the society due to fear from the society but it is also criticized as major contributor to the numerous sexual transmitted diseases. The homosexual community is well associated with common problems which may include soreness and ulcers in the sex organs and the anal points. Despites the impeding hazards of these initials problems of soreness, seeking of health services rare happens among them, and in case the condition call for healthy care attention, it only happens at the late period of the conditions with most of the victims rare looking for the help from governmental and public healthy service providers. The fear on prolonged interrogations from the officer makes them to get drugs from the counters rather than dispensaries and hospitals a facts which may worsen the spreading of dangerous plagues in the countries such HIV? AIDS. These events have propelled some humanitarian organizations to speak on behalf of homosexuals, who have been associated with all manner of vices from prostitution, child pornography to drug trafficking, thus advocating for their respect, recognition acceptance in the society. (Adu-Gyamfi, 2007) Conclusion Homosexuality is one of the issues which have strongly been resisted in Ghana. It has received much opposing forces both from the government as well as the society. Though it is not genetically associated, the efforts of the resisting groups are becoming wastes. Through diverse circumstances, many Ghanaians have been fallen into this tragic incident which is a taboo among the society and illegal in the governmental constitutions. Though the government, some groups people in the community and other organization like those of religious institutions have all tried to shut down the doors of homosexuality, traces of this cultures which was initially associated with the westerners have permeated in the country mysterious. Surprisingly, such organizations can be blamed over enormous contributions to the acts. Having the understanding of the situations under which homosexuality in states is being augmented, this call for new strategic ways of intervention rather than imposing more stringent rules on homosexuality which ruin the live of many young men. This means that homosexuality is no more of benefit to the individuals who practices it except shame. The most fundamental of all factors to be considered is the impacting of moral understanding of the nature of sex practices and the empowerment of the community to alleviated poverty level among members of the society. (Cooper, 1991)

History of Medieval Welsh Law

History of Medieval Welsh Law I will first look at Roman Law as this will give me the best understanding to see if Medieval Welsh Law was built up from Roman Law, or whether the medieval law is its own unique system of law. Wales was part of the Roman Empire for over 300 years. Roman law was unlike the oral culture that Wales possessed before they arrived, as the Roman law was written enabling discipline, where everyone lived and was punished by all the same rules, so not arbitrary. The procedure of a trial differed somewhat under the Republic and under the Empire. In Republican times justice was administered in accordance with the formulary system named from the formula which was drafted by the magistrate responsible for the administration of justice in the city. Any citizen could press charges against another through a patronus acting as his advocate. The charge had to be in inscriptione (in writing), signed by both delator and subscriptores (accuser and witnesses) and delivered to the praetor (judge). Praetores were in charge of the law courts and presided over the quaestiones (jurors). The accused had to be present at the nominis delatio (making a formal charge). The delator and the subscriptores swore oaths that they would not bring false witness and penalties were given against the delator, if himself or his witnesses were later to have been found to have lied. All witnesses could be questioned and subjected to speeches attacking their credibility. Rules for permitting evidence would seem to us to have been very negligent, and the court considered the written word or spoken word as legally binding. To decide the vote, each juror in secret erased a C (Condemno) or an A (Absolvo) from a pre-marked tablet, the praetor (judge) then announced the jurys decision. Because it was easy to bring suit against another person, there were indeed many lawsuits, as people were enticed by the material rewards if a suit were won. If the accuser won his case, a praemium was given to him. But if he lost, he was deemed to have committed a calumnia (false accusation) or a praevaricatio (collusion, or conspiracy to prosecute falsely) and was fined. If a criminal was caught red-handed or confessed the deed, punishment was inflicted without trial. If he claimed innocence and was a reputable citizen, trial was held before the praetor; otherwise, he was tried in front of a triumvir. In both instances, an advisory commission (consilium) was called to determine the question of guilt. And in either case, the punishment, personally was severe. Due to the growth of the Empire trial procedures changed somewhat and a new system was created, known as cognitio. It involved â€Å"ligigation being heard and decided by the provincial governor or his nominee, the iudex pedaneurs.† Two appeals were to be allowed in every case, a principle which is still followed in civil law today and has even influenced the structure of appeals in the UK in recent centuries. (Legal history of wales book) The first step was the postulatio or application for a hearing; then, the nominis delatio, the formal charge by a delator with his subscriptores present; the consuls next summoned the senate to determine if charges should be heard as one charge or should be divided; next was the inquisitio, in which evidence was heard; debate followed and speeches were limited by a water clock then finally a vote on the verdict. The praetors and propraetors (governors) published a list of principles and formulae of their practices in the form of edicts at the beginning of each term. Although each could effectively alter the formulae, in general the list remained the same. For example â€Å"one might legally kill to defend oneself,† this is still recognised by the modern laws of today. The judge was bound to follow the opinion of the jurists where they were agreed on a point of law, but if there was disagreement, the judge was free to decide the point of law as he saw fit (book). The views of the jurists would be relied upon as legal authority Before 212AD the Britons had the status of foreigners or peregrines and lived under a separate law to the Romans. The 3 laws under the Institutes of Gaius were: Ius civile – laws for citizens Ius gentium – laws for all nations (e.g. prohibition of murder) Ius naturale – natures laws (e.g. brothers forbidden from marrying their sisters, men forbidden from marrying a cow) The year 212 AD was very significant as it enabled every free person in Britain to automatically achieve Roman citizenship. This allowed the Britons to be classed as citizens enabling to enjoy all the benefits, the right to live by Roman Law (ius civile) and acquire the protection of the law. Following 212 AD the Britons lived by Roman law within the Roman Empire for almost two hundred years, enabling a significant legal development of the native people. An example can be shown by how the welsh embraced and so faithfully maintained the Christian religion and the legal order of the church itself was grounded and remained grounded in principles derived from Roman Law. This is represented by the church saying â€Å"ecclesia vivit lege romana,† the church lives by Roman law. Roman citizenship is generally described as an combination of three private law and two public law rights. In public law, citizens had the right to vote in the legislative assemblies – suffragium, also the right to stand for certain public offernces ius honorum. In private law, the citizen had the right to trade using roman law contracts, the right of commercium, had the capacity to contract a roman law marriage, conubium, and was able to make, witness and benefit under a roman law will, testamenti factio. Sources of the Roman Law Emperors edicts Responsa prudentium – the works of the learned jurists – their writings. The jurists expressed the values of the law and decided that the law is not arbitrary and must conform with standards of justice. The jurist Ulpian wrote, â€Å"Justice is the constant and perpetual wish to give every one their due† The jurists were an important professional class who practised their skills independently of those who argued cases before the law courts as jurists concentrated on jurisprudence. Jurisprudence was to be defined by the jurist Ulpian â€Å"as the knowledge of things human and divine, the source of what was just and unjust.† Ulpian also defined justice as â€Å"the constant and perpetual wish to give to everyone their due† This definition underlies the roman practice of allowing slaves and peregrines to earn freedom and citizenship by good works. The writings of the jurists were however a source of law in their own right. â€Å"It is significant that this source of law, quite foreign to the later common law of England, was to have its counterpart in the high respect accorded to jurists in the native welsh laws.† The father as a parent was important under roman family law, as they saw the family unit a legal unit and thought it was important to protect. In roman law the family unit is greater and more powerful than the common law today. The head of the family was usually the father and was known as the paterfamilias. Roman Law was ahead of its time in terms of equality for example with Property Law, When property was inherited it was split between all children, not discriminatory like most cultures e.g. sex/race discrimination. So adopted child has the same status and right as a natural child. Concept of anybody – any country, had black generals, by your behaviour you became a roman. Shows they were ahead of their time in concept of equality. 3) For perhaps a thousand years the native law of wales has been known as the law of hywel or cyfraith hywel in welsh or lex hoeli in medieval latin – from law of hywel dda. Cyfraith Hywel, the law of Hywel, was the name by which their native law was known to the Welsh in medieval times. The law of Hywel lost its primacy after the conquest of Wales by Edward I and the passing of the Statute of Wales in 1284, but it remained an important ingredient of the law administered in Wales until the Act of Union in 1536 His reign was a peaceful one. Hywel was in a position to promote reform and uniformity in Welsh law. The law of Hywel was based on tradition rather than king-made, and is believed to have been adapted from existing laws. Some aspects probably predated his lifetime. The law did not overly stress the power of the crown, but mostly aimed to protect the people of Wales. The native laws were the recorded customs of the people, which is distinguished from Roman Law (the laws of the Emperor) and Canon Law (the laws of the Church. One advantage which Welsh law enjoyed in the political storms of the thirteenth century was that it had written form. Already in the twelfth century it was felt to be an embarrassment if law remained unwritten. Roman law was embodied in texts, and with the great legal revival of the eleventh and twelfth centuries it was felt that any law worthy of the name should be written. Hywel dda’s objectives was to examine the law, through this to validate and amend the current laws at this time, even introduce and remove laws, promoting a unified concept of Welsh law For centuries to come, living under the Law of Hywel would be one of the definitions of the Welsh people. There was a distinction between south and north wales Title/role Rome Medival welsh law Judge/presider Praetor or magistrate Elected Has consilium of three legal experts to consult In south wales, local lord would be the judge, with the advise of a lawyer, and the church would have its own courts for ecclesiastical matters. North Wales, a professional judge decided cases.. Roman influence – law reporting, use of formula Jury Quaestiones 32 to 75 jurors, depending on type of case Chosen from album judicum, list of men of senatorial or equites class Verdict decided by majority vote Usually 12 jurors Selected from a panel of citizens Individually examined, accepted, or rejected by prosecution and defense Verdict usually must be unanimous Verdict C = condemno, A = absolvo By secret ballot Result announced by praetor Guilty or not guilty By unanimous decision but each jurors vote can be polled in open court Decision read aloud by judge Prosecutor Accusator Private citizen Public official elected or appointed Defense attorney Patronus or advocatus May not accept money, although favors allowed Professional lawyer Accepts retainer or fee or works pro bono publico Defendant Reus Innocent until proven guilty Kept under house arrest or imprisoned until trial Usually in private home Innocent until proven guilty Imprisoned or free on bail or own word until trial Witnesses Subscriptores, required by magistrates subpoena Subpoena can be issued Clerks Scribae to record events Recorder/stenographer Makes word-for-word transcript of proceedings (required in event of appeal) The lawbooks do mention some practices which are confined to particular parts of wales, but we shall see that their compliers felt quite free to draw their material from any part of wales with the assurance that it was good law for any other part. –maybe from book Welsh Medieval Law contains many similarities to the Roman Law that came before it. An example of this is clearly shown with the law of marriage. Both traditions were contracted informally, without ant ceremony, the mutual intention of the couple to live together as man and wife being sufficient. Boys had to be of the age fourteen and girls twelve, but the girl could not bear children until 14 and not after 40 years of age, this is developed from the same principle as Roman Law. In roman law didn’t discriminate between married and cohabiting couples. Especially in context of children. Status of illegitimate children is still a controversial issue today. Married women held their own property (but not land) and although came under the protection of their husbands, had rights as members of their own family. The wife would be granted a dowry by her own family, her gwaddol and she would be given a share of her husbands property, her agweddi. The husband giving wife agweddi depending on how you analyse it, as looking at it from as modern day viewpoint then it appears discriminatory. But back in the period of Hywel Dda the elements of welsh law did protect women, even though it was still a male dominated world the women had a far better status than the laws of England at the time provided for them. After the consummation of the marriage, the wife’s husband would give her a gift known as the cowyll and would also pay her arglwydd an amobr, a payment for taking her virginity. The church began to increase its powers with the law making decisions, and set out prohibited degrees of marriage, and objected to marriage as far as fifth cousins. The welsh did not agree with this and so were in constant breach of this canon law. However the Romans had a different viewpoint and allowed 2nd cousins to marry which was the same line the Welsh followed. The Welsh law on marital separation was also similar To Roman Law, if the marriage was dissolved within the first seven years then the wife kept the bounty that she had received at the time of the marriage. If the marriage was dissolved after seven years, the matrimonial property split according to the rules laid out. The rights of the parties also depended on whether the repudiation was with cause. A man could repudiate his marriage if his wife was immoral after marriage, had lost her virginity before marriage, or if there was an underpayment of gwaddol by her own family. A women could do the same if her husband had committed three adulteries, was impotent, had bad breath, or if he introduced a concubine? To the family home. With regards to Roman law marriage would be terminated if either party repudiated the other (repudium) or both agreed that the marriage was at an end (divortium). The position of women under welsh law differed significantly to that of their Norman-English contempories. Women remained independent and not considered to be the property of father or husband in the same way. The welsh lawbooks have a combination of crudity and sophistication in the texts, this can be seen on the law of women. Welsh law showed its equitable and just side by not recognising any distinction between children born within wedlock and those born outside. This was important when determining liability for compensation in the event of commission of wrongs by or towards the child. I will now look at land law where the uchelwyr enjoyed land rights collectively, with the penteulu, the head of the household nominally in charge. The name for this family holding was gwely, the soms would inherit jointly in equal and individual shares for four generations. However when the father died the property was inherited by the sons only. [I think roman law was more equality based]. Land could not be taken forcibly from lawful owner which is based on roman law. With regards with property other than land, other property was inherited by all the children in accordance with the law. The wife kept half of her husbands property and the remainder of the land was split with sons taking equally and then finally daughters taking half of that which the sons received. However in certain parts of South Wales, the Roman influence ensured that daughters inherited in equal shares with the sons. With roman law once the paterfamilias died the family inherited it as a group a unit. In order to split the property between themselves as individuals they had to do so by initiating a procedure an action familiae erciscundae. Otherwise they could continue to hold the property collectively in a consortium. Water, air and land were open to all, and unoccupied land could be possessed and later owned, if it had been in uninterrupted possession for four generations or more, this also resembles roman law of setting limitation periods for the highly valued land. Childless couples can adopt children and adopted child has same rights as natural child. Even if the father then remarries and has children, then the adopted child is still the first child and the next in line of the paterfamilias. Unjust roman laws – being able to discard children who were unwanted (as in with disabilities) but they didn’t have the medical resources that we have today. Plus they thought of disabled children as living with sin. Paterfamilias could put to death his children and his slaves for any act of disobedience or disloyalty. After observing the welsh medieval law it appears to echo Roman law, however one difference I have noted is that welsh law did not recognise the roman distinction between sale and exchange. A main reason to this may do with the limited supply of minted coins in wales so unable to carry out commercial transactions, and instead carried out echange described as cyfnewid. So in this aspect Welsh Law of Hywel Dda was not as sophisticated as roman law, but Welsh law evolved in a certain way to deal with the economy. The basis of criminal law in medieval welsh law was the â€Å"three columns of the law,† which were homicide, theft and arson. In regards to homicide a killing had to be intentional for there to be punishment, and an unintentional killing would be resolved by compensation only. No compensation payable if the victim deserved to die, only due in the case of accidental killing, galanas. A physician was liable for the death of a wounded man to whom he gave treatment, particularly when he had failed to apply the skill expected of him. This is recognised in our modern laws of today as a form of professional negligence. A relict of Roman law is the ritual in confronting the thief, and gaining admission to search premises and requiring the suspect to swear as to whether the property was in possession. A judge who gave a wrong judgement could be sued, the roman equivalent to this law is known as qui litemsuam fecit. In medieval wales theft was regarded as a very serious crime and compensation and punishment was awarded. In addition to compensation for the damage caused, there was another form of compensation the sarhad. Sarhad means an insult and has to be intentional, the roman comparison is the iniuria. As can be clearly identified Welsh law differed to roman law on being a legal system that was compensation based rather than punishment. The reason this may have been the case is due to people in medieval wales saw compensation as a more just payment and solvement of the case. As the economic value in wales was very poor, more people probably would rather the money or equivalent to the money than justice served. So making amends is better than punishment being carried out. An issue to this was that those who were financially stable would be able to be above the law and commit crimes as they could afford the compensation and wouldn’t have to worry about the repercussions of their actions. As you look more in depth at the law of hywel dda as the state grew stronger, punishment was becoming more important but compensation still had priority. The payment was meant to buy off the vengence of the other group and prevent a blood feud arising. At the time of medieval Wales the law on issuing compensation rather than punishment to the welsh people probably appeared to them as sophisticated and just. However to modern eyes the Roman law model appears more equitable and just as they punished those at fault and is like our legal system of the 21st century. â€Å"The detail the law books supply with regard to the judicial process of the welsh laws go far to revealing their sophistication.† The administrative system of medieval Wales is like the roman jury system. The sophistication is provided by the roman model as this is the template that is adapted to fit in with the welsh system. â€Å"Different forms of witness were of acute concern to medieval lawyers, for in an age without police or forensic science the problem of proof was particularly difficult. Moreover, in a small-scale society, the difficulty of obtaining impartial witnesses might be severe.† The judge placed specific emphasis on quantity of witnesses, as they believed the more people you had on your side the stronger your case. Yet quantity isn’t quality, as you could have fifty witnesses who are all liars, better to have one truthful person which our modern law system is based on today. It is also equity based as the medieval welsh law followed the roman law and didn’t go back to the Celtic times of trial by ordeal and instead stayed sophisticated with a legal system put in place by the Romans. The Romans introduced a legal system which is a hallmark of their system, even though it was expensive as they had to give jobs for the legal professions, justice was above this they wanted it to prevail. A clear and distinctive identity of welsh law is the treatment of foreigners, where they provided privileges for visitors like food and shelter. This maybe due to the type of society formed as Wales was a close knit nation, needing tourism. Furthermore the Law of Hywel Dda was mainly written in Welsh furthering its distinctiveness of welsh laws. The laws of courts contain discussion of the status of the king, the members of the royal family. The queen was allotted 1/3 of the kings income for her personal use and that she is accorded a status greater than that of any of the court officers. This reflects the higher status enjoyed by women under the laws of Hywel Dda than in most contemporary legal systems. –maybe from the book. The Roman legal system is indeed different from what we follow but there are parallels in the roles of the participants, in the value of established procedure and precedent, and particularly in the many Latin terms and phrases that are still part of our legal language today. Romes continuing influence on society today is apparent in the government structure and legal system in use in much of the western world. One of the most sophisticated and practical systems of jurisprudence which the world has so far produced, and one merits of which allowed it to re-emerge in not just the medieval law but the legal system of Britain today and as the basis of the family of legal systems known as the civil law. Even the Welsh Dragon of our nations flag is actually symbol of authority by Romans. Welsh laws are officially regarded as the customs of the people. Distinguished from Roman law, laws of the emperor and medieval welsh laws are different. Enforce a law rather create law. He saw himself as a ruler/governor of Wales not as an emperor, so saw himself as enforcing things. I think that Roman law was the initial building bricks for the construction of law we know today and even though certain aspects of the law of hywell dda is unique to welsh medieval law, the main foundation is roman.

Science has Revolutionized the World :: essays research papers

Science may be described as the key to the prevailing mode of life in a so-called developed community. We revel on the idea that we are living in a modernized world which has been given a new look and shape due to science. Science has in fact transformed the world into one of wonders and blessings as well as one of deceit and curse! The wonder of science which is dominating the work-place today and which is powered by another boom of science, electricity is none other than the machine. Today more and more work are being performed by machines. Machines are the key to success in various fields. As a result, this is increasing the production rate which in turn is enabling many business to flourish. With the advent of machines, people are getting more time to pursue their hobbies, among which watching television occupies an important place. Television serves as a means of entertainment. Switching off from daily routinization, the husband can watch live matches available through the satellite while the wife can enjoy watching her favorite soap-operas, resting assured that her household chores are being done by the washing machine or dishwasher. Actually, machines have freed people from performing dull drudgeries and have make life less arduous. In the past, the lady was more healthy as she was not assisted by any electric appliance, she used to cook on the hearth. She had to bring bundle of woods from the neighbouring. In that way she used to entertain the beauty of nature. While chopping the wood at her place, she was doing some physical exercise. But it is a pity to note that a modern lady depends on gaseous stove and rice cooker. The electric washing machine washes her clothes. The electric grinder powders the spices and the electric juicer mixes juices. Owing to absolute reliance on those household appliances, she tends to become bulky, inactive and even look diseased. She hardly entertains a long and happy life. Radio plays a significant role in the context of entertainment.

Things They Carried Essay: American Heroes -- Things They Carried Essa

The Things They Carried: American Heroes "Speaking of Courage" in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, is more than a story about a soldier's personal experience of the Vietnam War. It is more than a story about his fight for his country, God, and fellow soldiers, and not to mention his return home. "Speaking of Courage" is not only an allegorical story about the disconnection between Vietnam and the rest of the world, but also an allegory about the disconnection between the soldiers and the life they once led. Norman Bowker's flashback of Song Tra Bong, sets up the story for cultural analysis. The monsoon signifies the war as a whole, as it causes violence to spill over the entire world. Over time the monsoon causes the mud to act as quicksand, sucking in everything it touches. Like the monsoon, the war causes men to be drafted to fight for their country. The mama-sans yelling at the soldiers to get out of the muddy field represents the world being against the war. America is protesting and rioting for the war to be called off, but the soldiers are ordered to do their job, just as Lieutenant Jimmy Cross orders the men to stay on the muddy field. Once the men discover that the field is a shit field, it is obvious that the shit field symbolizes the political involvement in the war. The politics of the world start the war, and they order men to go out and fix the shit by fighting one another. When Kiowa begins to sink in the horrible slime, all Bowker can do is watch. This not only signifies the men being drafted into war, but also the men being killed one by one. The soldiers of the war face death every day and they know that, in an instant, they could be the next to die. Bowker; however, ... ... Bowker almost won the Silver Star symbolizes how America did not win the Vietnam War, nor did they loose. O' Brien uses July 4th, Independence Day, as the date of Bowker's return home to signify America's lack of pride for not living up to their heroic reputation. At the end of the story, Bowker watches and even enjoys the firework show over the lake. The fireworks symbolize the end of the war and a new beginning. Bowker's enjoyment denotes the soldiers blending in with society once again. Tim O'Brien's story, "Speaking of Courage," is an allegory that opens up the hearts of soldiers. O'Brien's use of metaphor allows the reader to relate on a personal level with the soldiers of the war. Men who fight for their country and die on the battlefield are more than just a number or a casualty. These men all have a bond that most of the world does not understand. Things They Carried Essay: American Heroes -- Things They Carried Essa The Things They Carried: American Heroes "Speaking of Courage" in Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, is more than a story about a soldier's personal experience of the Vietnam War. It is more than a story about his fight for his country, God, and fellow soldiers, and not to mention his return home. "Speaking of Courage" is not only an allegorical story about the disconnection between Vietnam and the rest of the world, but also an allegory about the disconnection between the soldiers and the life they once led. Norman Bowker's flashback of Song Tra Bong, sets up the story for cultural analysis. The monsoon signifies the war as a whole, as it causes violence to spill over the entire world. Over time the monsoon causes the mud to act as quicksand, sucking in everything it touches. Like the monsoon, the war causes men to be drafted to fight for their country. The mama-sans yelling at the soldiers to get out of the muddy field represents the world being against the war. America is protesting and rioting for the war to be called off, but the soldiers are ordered to do their job, just as Lieutenant Jimmy Cross orders the men to stay on the muddy field. Once the men discover that the field is a shit field, it is obvious that the shit field symbolizes the political involvement in the war. The politics of the world start the war, and they order men to go out and fix the shit by fighting one another. When Kiowa begins to sink in the horrible slime, all Bowker can do is watch. This not only signifies the men being drafted into war, but also the men being killed one by one. The soldiers of the war face death every day and they know that, in an instant, they could be the next to die. Bowker; however, ... ... Bowker almost won the Silver Star symbolizes how America did not win the Vietnam War, nor did they loose. O' Brien uses July 4th, Independence Day, as the date of Bowker's return home to signify America's lack of pride for not living up to their heroic reputation. At the end of the story, Bowker watches and even enjoys the firework show over the lake. The fireworks symbolize the end of the war and a new beginning. Bowker's enjoyment denotes the soldiers blending in with society once again. Tim O'Brien's story, "Speaking of Courage," is an allegory that opens up the hearts of soldiers. O'Brien's use of metaphor allows the reader to relate on a personal level with the soldiers of the war. Men who fight for their country and die on the battlefield are more than just a number or a casualty. These men all have a bond that most of the world does not understand.

Exceptional Students Essay -- Teaching Education

Exceptional Students Every year there are changes made about a child’s education, in the attempt to provide the best education possible for children. In recent years, the education of students with disabilities, who were previously not educated in the regular school system, has been publicly debated. The idea of inclusion, or mainstreaming has received a great deal of support. Although there is the need to adapt programs and sometimes classroom environments for the child with special needs, there are many benefits for all that are included in this situation. This paper will define the phrase â€Å"mainstreaming†, and what constitutes a child with disabilities. The role that teachers play within the classroom is one that will affect all students. The importance of teachers will be discussed as to their influence on children and parents. As well, strategies that a child and youth care worker could use when working with the disabled will be discussed. Over the past 30-35 years there have been much advancement made towards the education of students with disabilities. Students with disabilities can include students with â€Å"mental retardation, hearing impairment (deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (blindness), serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, health impairments, or learning disabilities.† (Deiner 1993, p. 27) In the past, disabled children were often placed in institutions, or kept in the home, with no form of education. Educating the disabled was thought to be a waste of time, since their future roles were limited. At the present time, inclusion begins early, within the schools, and continues throughout the life span, through employment. There has be a significant shift away from the placement of disabled children in institutions, and instead into the classroom. This idea of â€Å"mainstreaming† means moving handicapped children to the least restrictive environment, away from segregated classes and into regular classes. These changes have occurred for many reasons. Parents began to advocate for their disabled children, and put pressure on administration and lawmakers to allow children equal chances. Federal legislature ruled in favor of the development of special education programs. Court decisions ruled in favor of every child’s right to receive public education. The ... ...vel of engaged behaviors. The ability for the teacher and special education teacher to work together in a team teaching role will definitely benefit the student (Logan, Bakeman & Keefe 1997). Planning is the key to successful disabled children. As a child and youth worker you need to be able to adapt programs for children, based on their ability, and be willing to help them reach their goals. Bibliography: References Scruggs, T.E., & Mastropieri, M.A. (1996). Teacher Perceptions of Mainstreaming/Inclusion, 1958-1995: A Research Synthesis. Exceptional Children, 63(1) 59-74. Field, S. (1996). Self-Determination Instructional Strategies for Youth with Learning Disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29(1), 40-59. Logan, K.R., Bakeman, R. & Keefe, E.B. (1997). Effects of Instructuinal Variables on Engaged Behavior of Students with Disabilities in General Education Classrooms. Exceptional Children 63(4), 481-497. Goldson, E. (1998). Children with Disabilities and Child Maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 22(7), 663-667. Deiner, P.L. (1993). Resources for Teaching Children with Diverse Abilities. Harcourt Brace College Publishers, Orlando, Fl.

Effects on Eating Fast or Processed Foods

Today, many people eat fast and processed foods instead of a home cooked meal. Most people think that fast food is fast, cheap and convenient. However, at the same time, fast food is contributing to a big social problem in the United States. In the US alone eight out of ten adults over the age of 25 is overweight due to fast and or processed foods, and not eating the right types of food. It’s important to obtain a healthy diet or the effects can be horrific of many chronic health risks such as: obesity, heart disease, Insulin Resistance, diabetes, and or even death. The number of fast food restaurants has doubled in more than 30 years in the United States. From Numberof. net, â€Å"There are 160,000 fast-food restaurants in America. These restaurants serve more than 50 million Americans daily†. From McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, to Wendy’s, the oils alone cause immense amount of health problems. The average calorie intake for an adult is from 2000-2500 calories per day, depending on height and weight. At Burger King alone, just for one Bacon Double Cheeseburger Deluxe is 700 calories, that’s not counting a medium soda and fries. Big Breakfast Platter from McDonald’s, which contains 1370 calories and nearly 65 grams of fat. Most restaurant meals are loaded with fat, sugar, and calories. Fast food is one of the main reasons for the rapid increase in the rate of obesity. Over Two-thirds, more than 190 million Americans are overweight or obese, due to fast foods. As from theyesword. com, â€Å"through studies into the question of whether fast food causes obesity, researchers have found that families that choose fast food as a meal three or more times a week do run a higher risk of obesity†. People can go through the drive-thru window order food without having to get out of their cars. This poor diet and lack of exercise increases obesity. According to the American Medical Association, â€Å"being obese means that 30% of your ideal body weight is constituted by fat†. All the excess fats can lower your energy levels which in turn lowers the amount of exercise activity. In turn, many more people with obesity in the United States could carry $1,500 more each year on health care, about 41 percent more than an average-weight, healthy person would. Everybody knows that fast food isn’t healthy but few realize exactly how unhealthy it truly is. Children who commonly eat fast foods have the same risk of developing clogged arteries as an adult five times their age. According to WebMD, â€Å"Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U. S†. To prevent heart disease you must keep your cholesterol low. Which is a waxy substance produced by the liver and found in certain foods, like: Whole-milk dairy products, butter, cream, ice cream, Cream cheese, ect. Most of processed food is made up of sodium, salt, which is an ingredient companies put in fast food to make meat and dairy products last longer. Too much sodium causes 35 percent of cardiac attacks in the world, show the results of the research of Canadian scientists. Canadian research scientists, which included 52 countries, showed that people who applied â€Å"westerly diet† based on meat, eggs and fast food, most cases of heart attack, while the risk was much lower in those who ate more fruits and vegetables. Insulin Resistance is a step before diabetes; is when the body is unable to us the cells of the body to respond to insulin. Meaning the body can’t break down the sugars from the carbohydrates of the food. It then can’t run the energy off the fat cells, similar to Diabetes. Many Americans can also get this from bad dieting. To prevent this someone must eat less fat and calories; less highly sweetened drinks and more high fiber foods is an important part of a healthy life. With all the high cholesterol, sodium, eating high amounts of sugars, and not exercising can cause type two diabetes. Stated from Mayoclinic, â€Å"Type 2 diabetes is when your body is resistant to the effects of insulin. Untreated, the consequences of type 2 diabetes can be life-threatening†. People would argue that eating healthy could become expensive, depending on where you live, what you eat, and how well you cook; it’s possible that dining out is more cost effective than preparing your own meals. Eating at home also requires more planning, but in the long run it’s more healthy then eating out. â€Å"In the United States, more than 50,000,000 people depend on fast food. Over 110 billion dollars are spent by Americans alone for different types of fast food†¦,† Stated SweetAdditions. Net. Talked about on HealthTree, â€Å"The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study (2010) monitored the eating habits, recreation and activity levels of 3,021 young adults over 15 years. The results suggested that fast food can cause extensive health issues, and that the connection goes beyond fast food and obesity. † Also, â€Å"The study also proved that regular fast food consumption increased the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. † If the fast food chains don’t make a difference in their high processed, greasy foods; we’re going to have a big problem. Not only being in chronic health risks such as: obesity, heart disease, Insulin Resistance, diabetes, and or even death, bigger, but the world will never know till it happens. Reference http://cholesterol.emedtv.com/cholesterol/high-cholesterol-foods.html

Historical Development Of The ECCE Sector In Ireland Essay

As part of this assignment I will write about the historical developments of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) sector in Ireland, History of ECCE provision in Ireland Pre-school education did not really exist in Ireland apart from a few exceptions until the 1980s and 1990s. This was largely due to the fact that until quite recently the majority of Irish women did not work outside the home. Even if they did the childcare was usually provided by family members or childminders located in the community known to the family. Irish policy discouraged women from working outside the home. The ‘marriage bar’ meant that women working in the public service had to leave their jobs as soon as they go married and become stay at home mothers and wives. This ban was lifted in 1957 for primary school teachers, but it was 1973 before the ban was lifted for other women in the public service. Until resent years in Ireland, very few mothers worked outside the home. Therefore , there was little focus on pre-school education in Ireland until the late 1980s and 1990s Most of the progress in the area of pre-school education in Ireland has come from the privet rather than public sector. Outside the state –funded primary school system, investment in pre-school provision was traditionally targeted to support children in need of specific interventions, including educational disadvantage and children with special needs. The ECEC needs of babies, young children and their families were met instead by a broad range of community, voluntary and private enterprise. ECCE service provision was unregulated until 1997. When the Child Care (Pre-School) Regulations 2006 came into effect, no stipulation was made regarding qualifications necessary to deliver such service, especially those provided by community and  voluntary sector relied heavily on volunteer staff. Even in the private sector, salaries were low and conditions of employment poor. Opportunities for employment in state-funded services were very limited excluding primary teachers in infant classes and similarly characterised by low status and low wage. Working in childcare was not generally viewed as a desirable choice. One important initiative came from the public sector in 1969, with the opening of a state –run pre-school in Ruthland Street Dublin. The Department of Education worked with Van Leer Foundation – an organisation that promotes the early education of children living in  economically disadvantaged areas. Together they set up the pre-school in Ruthland Street as a template for other such pre-schools around the country. These pre-schools were known as Early Start pre-schools. A total of 40 pre-schools opened nationally – all of which are still open today. The aim of these pre-schools is to combat the effects of economic and social disadvantage on educational achievement. This is archived by giving children a good start to their education. In 1992 Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This helped to bring public consciousness the rights of children. And in 2000, the Department of Health and Children published the National Children’s Strategy. This set out ten-years plan for improvement of children’s lives in Ireland . The strategy document stated that its vision was for: An Ireland where children are respected young citizens with valued contribution to make and a voice of their own , where all children are cherished and supported by family and the wider society; where they enjoy a fulfilling childhood and realise their potential. (DoHC 2000 10 ). One of the goals of the National Children’s Strategy is that children will receive quality  supports and services to promote all aspects of their development (DoHC 2000:30) The strategy aims to fulfil this by providing quality childcare services and family – friendly employment measures. National Forum on Early Childhood Education (1998) The National Forum on Early Childhood Education was established in 1998 by then Minister for Education and Science, Micheal Martin. The forum brought together organisations and individuals with an interest in early childhood education , and in this way it created a ‘think thank’ from which a number of very worthwhile initiatives came one being the White Paper  on Early Childhood Education , Ready to Learn (DES 1999 ). National Voluntary Childcare Collaborative (1999) The National Voluntary Childcare Collaborative (NVCC) was first established in 1999 which today comprises of seven national non – government agencies dedicated to the promotion of ECEC in Ireland. While the organisations involved are non-governmental, the NVCC can receive government funding. The seven organisations involved in the NVCC are Barnardos Childminding Ireland Children in Hospital Ireland Forbairt Naionrai Teo Early Childhood Ireland Irish Steiner Kindergarten Association. St Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland White Paper on Early Childhood Education, Ready to Learn (1999) The purpose of this White Paper was to set out government policy on all issues relating to early childhood education. Quality of provision was the key theme of the White Paper. It recognised that while there was much quality provision in the ECCE sector, there was also a need to standardise provision. These findings led directly to the Child Care Pre- School Regulations (DoHC 2006) Siolta (CECDE 2006) and Aister (NCCA2009). All three of these initiatives are concerned with standardisation and quality of provision. Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (2002) The Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE) was established by Dublin Institute of Technology and St Patricks College, Drumcondra . It was launched by the Minister for Education and Science in 2002. CECDE aimed to achieve the goals set out in Ready to Learn (1999) . The organisation was disbanded in 2008, when it was seen by government to have achieved everything it was set up to do. Among other things, CECDE produced Irelands first quality framework entitled Siolta . The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education (2006). Child Care (Pre-School) Regulations 2006 Child Care (Pre-School Services) (no2) Regulations 2006 was produced by the Department of Health and Children. This document set out pre-school regulations and put statutory basis ECEC services provision in Ireland. The regulations clearly list all the requirements that must be met by organisations or individuals providing ECCE services to children aged 0-6. The regulations cover such issues as first aid, management, staff –child ratios, behaviour management, fire safety measures, premises and facilities, heating, ventilation, lighting, facilities for rest and play. Fulfilment of the requirement of these regulations undoubtedly put much work and expense on ECEC providers , particularly those providing services from premises that were not purpose built. However many people believe these regulations have done more than any other initiative for the improvement of ECEC services for children. This is because they are on a statutory footing and they enforced by HSE inspectors. Siolta The Department of Education and skills published Siolta The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education in 2006. The Siolta framework was developed by CECDE in a  process that took over three years and involved 50 different organisations representing childcare workers , teachers , parents , policymakers and researchers. Siolta aims to define , assess and support the improvement of quality across all aspects of practice in ECEC settings that cater for children aged 0-6. Settings covered by Siolta include full- and part-time day care, childminding services and sessional services e. g. Montessori classrooms and infant classes in primary schools. The inclusion of infant classes in primary schools represented a new departure for ECEC in Ireland. Up until the publication of Siolta (and Aistear in 2009) , pre-school and primary school children were treated very differently. It is now understood that children aged 0-6 require a developmental-based (as opposed to subject based) curriculum regardless of whether the child is in pre-school or primary school. Since December 2008 after CECDE was disbanded, the Early Years Education Policy Unit in the Department of Education and Skills has been responsible for the implementation of Siolta. Aistear (2009) Up until recent years, the curriculum followed by pre-school settings was largely undirected and unregulated. This has inevitably resulted in variation in the quality of the curriculum provided by settings. In 1999, the NCCA published the Primary School Curriculum, which did direct and regulate the curriculum followed in infant class. However, in 2004 the OECD conducted its Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Policy in Ireland. This review found that education provided in infant classes in primary schools in Ireland was too directive and formal (OECD 2004:58). In 2009, the NCCA published Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. The ultimate aim of Aistear is the development of the whole child. This is in contrast with the  previous Primary School Curriculum, which was more subject based. Infant classes in primary schools must now follow the Aistear curriculum. This is a huge departure for ECEC in Ireland. For years, Scandinavian countries have been using curriculum similar to Aistear and it is now understood that introducing children to formal, direct education at too young an age is counterproductive and can suppress children’s natural enthusiasm and curiosity for learning. American educator John Holt (1923-85) devoted much of his time researching this topic. It is important to note that Aistear is inspected in primary school settings only. It is not  inspected in pre-school settings , which may have reduced its impact. Free Pre-School Year Programme In 2010, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs introduced the Free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education Programme. Before this, it was only children in disadvantaged areas who could avail of free or subsided pre-school education. The Free Pre- School Year Programme recognises that all children benefit from quality pre-school education. The programme recognises that because pre-school education in Ireland usually comes from private providers, it is expensive and therefore not available to all children, e.g. parents not working outside the home. Under the programme, pre-school providers are paid per child enrolled . The provider must meet certain criteria before entering the scheme, e. g. staff qualifications. This has had the effect of incentivising providers to meet criteria, which in turn has increased the quality of provision. ECEC Services Currently Available in Ireland The types of ECEC services currently available in Ireland can be organised under these headings : Sessional services, which provide ECEC services for a set period of time during the day e. g. 9am 1pm. Full –time services which provide ECEC services throughout the day Part-time services which provide ECEC services for a total of more than 3. 5 hours and less than 5 hours a day . It may include a sessional pre-school service for pre-school children not attending the part-time day care services. Up to 80% of services in Ireland, whether sessional or full time, are owned and operated by the private sector. All registered services regardless of who operates or funds them must comply with the Child Care Pre-School Regulations 2006 and they must follow the Siolta and Aister frameworks. Sessional Services Playgroups  Playgroups operate in a range of settings and are usually open approximately three hours per day. Children usually attend playgroups from the age of two-and-a-half until they go to primary school. Some playgroups are privately owned. Community playgroups are primarily funded by government and run by community members. Many community playgroups are staffed by individuals on government employment schemes like Community Employment Scheme (CE). These staff members are encouraged to undertake further education and training. Montessori Schools Usually, Montessori pre-schools are privately owned and they operate for approximately  three hours per day. Some Montessori schools run two sessions’ morning and afternoon, with children attending one session per day. Montessori pre-schools are run according to the principles and educational methods of Maria Montessori. While Montessori pre-schools in Ireland do follow the Aistear framework, they also learn via the Montessori curriculum and practical materials. Naionrai Naionrai are pre-schools run through the medium of the Irish language. They are supported by an organisation called Forbairt Naionrai Teoranta and there are almost 200 of them nationwide. Naionrai also follow the Aistear framework, of which there is an Irish language version. Children between the ages of 3-5 attend for approximately three hours. Early Start The Early Start Programme is a one –year preventative interaction scheme offered in selected pre-schools in designated disadvantaged areas. The objective of the pre-school programme which is managed by the Department of Education and Skills is to tackle educational disadvantaged by targeting children who are at risk of not reaching their potential within the school system. The Early Start Pre-School Programme was introduced in 1994 in eight pilot  schools in disadvantaged areas. It expanded the following year to 40 schools and now caters for over 1,650 children in Ireland. Most Schools are located in the Dublin area, with 26 schools there. There are six in Cork, three in Limerick. There is one in each Galway, Waterford, Bray, Dundalk and Drogheda. Early Start implements the Aistear framework in effort to enhance the overall development of young children and to prevent school failure by trying to counteract the effects of social disadvantages. Pre-schools for Traveller Children Up to recently funding was provided for a number of pre-schools that catered for specifically Traveller children who might not otherwise have been able to avail of a pre-school year. However, since the introduction of the Free Pre-School Year Programme in 2010, all children can avail of one year’s free pre-school, so there is no longer separated provision for Traveller children. Pre-Schools for Children with Special Needs Local Health Officers and/or voluntary bodies provide services for young children with severe or profound disabilities. Services are provided in specialised centres around the country and are generally run by clinical director and staffed by nurses with an intellectual  disability qualification, ECEC trained teachers and often therapists. While pre-school children in Ireland do not have a specific right to education, they are entitled to certain health services that are related to education. The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for providing psychological services and speech and language therapy services for pre-school children with disabilities who are assessed as needing these services. Assessments of children under 5 are carried out under the ‘assessment of need ‘provisions of the Disability Act 2005. The Visiting Teachers Service of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) provides a service to young children with visual and /or hearing impairment, from the age of 2. There are a small number of pre-school class units for children with autistic spectrum disorder. These unites are sometimes attached to primary schools. There are also a number of ABA schools in Ireland. These schools cater for children with autism by using a specific method of teaching called Applied Behavioural Analysis. Parent and Toddler Groups These are informal groups where babies and toddlers go with their parents to meet other  babies, toddlers and parents. They are aimed at providing play and socialisation opportunities for children and normally take place in settings such as community centres or parents homes. Parent and Toddler groups are supported by Early Childhood Ireland. Full-Time Services Creches, Day Care Centres and Nurseries These terms are used to describe services offering full-time care and education for babies and children. Services are usually provided for children aged 6 months to school going age. Childcare regulations state that the adult-baby ratio must not exceed 1:3 this ratio increases to  1:5 for babies over 12 months. Because of this many settings will not accept children less than 12 months. Many facilities also offer afterschool care and/or homework clubs for primary school children. This means that creches, day care centres and nurseries now cater for children aged 6 months to 12 years. While most full-time services are privately owned and funded by parental fees, a small number are government funded, i. e. community creches. Some large employers and also many of the larger colleges and universities provide creche facilities at subsidised rates for their staff and students. These usually operate a long day (8am-6pm) to facilitate working parents. Some city creches open as early as 6am. Family Day Care/ Childminding This is the most common form of ECEC service in Ireland. According to Childminding Ireland (2012) approximately 70% of children in out of home settings are cared for in this way. It is estimated that there 37,900 childminders working in Ireland today. (National Childcare Strategy 2006) Childminders who care for three or fewer children are exempt from the Childcare (Pre-School). Regulations 2006 however they are encouraged to register  voluntarily with their local Childminder Advisory Officer (CMO) , whose name and contact details are available through the local City/ County Childcare Committee (CCC) Under the Childcare Act 1991 , childminders caring for more than three pre-school children are required to register with the HSE . However many not do so. All childminders whether registered or not are encouraged to follow the National Guidelines for Childminders, which were published by the Minister for Children in 2006 and updated in 2008. Recent government initiatives had tried to regulate their services. These initiatives have tried to  regulate this area by offering a number of different incentives to childminders who register their services. These incentives include training by CCCs; financial support like childminding development grant 1000 euro and capital grants 75,000, and tax exemptions childminders can earn up to 15,000 per year tax free. If childminders register, they are included on the CCC list of registered providers. This can be a useful way of advertising childminding services, since many new parents look to the list of registered providers when investigating childcare options. Occupations within the Childcare Sector Nursery nurses. These practitioners provide care for children in day or residential nurseries, children’s homes, maternity unites and similar establishments. Related job titles include creche assistant and nursery nurse. Playgroup leaders These practitioners deliver and facilitate play opportunities for children in a age range of formal and informal settings, including play groups, play schemes, free play locations and after-school activities. Related job titles include play leader and playgroup assistant. Educational /Special Needs Assistants These practitioners assist teachers or relieve them of a variety of non-teaching duties. Job titles include classroom helper, education care officer, non-teaching assistant , school helper and special needs assistant. Childcare manager/supervisor These practitioners ensure that the care and education of the children is being maintained at all times. They take care of any issues that arise and they are in direct contact with parents. They are responsible for the day-to-day running of the childcare facility. This role requires childcare qualifications well experienced in the area. The role also requires excellent interpersonal and organisation skills and the ability to manage a team of employees. Montessori teacher These practitioners ensure efficient day-to-day running of a Montessori education setting. They follow Montessori guidelines regarding the education of young children. They present different exercises to children using the Montessori materials and they practise observation on a regular basis. Other childcare and related occupations There are many other childcare practitioners who perform a variety of domestic activities in the day-to-day care of children. They supervise and participate in children’s play, educational and other activities. Related job titles include childminder, nanny and au pair  City/County Childcare Committees (CCC’s) There are 33 City/County Childcare Committees that were established in 2001 to encourage and facilitate the development of childcare locally. They provide information and advice on setting up your own business in the childcare sector, training courses for people interested in working in the childcare sector and useful information for parents about local childcare facilities. In Budget 2006, the Irish government announced the establishment of the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP), which succeeded the previous earlier Equal  Opportunities Childcare Programme. City/County Childcare Committees are open to members of public who wish to apply for grant assistance and support information under the National Childcare Investment Programme. Public Health Nurse The public Health Nurse is employed by the HSE. Their role is to serve the community with a range of healthcare services; they are also registered general nurses. They are based within the community and will cover certain local areas. They may visit schools. They may visit the elderly people who require help to dress a wound. They also visit newborn babies and their  mothers within six-week period of them being discharged from hospital. Public Health Nurses engage in regular contact with GPs, hospitals and other healthcare providers about a patient in their care. This will ensure that other healthcare providers have up to date knowledge so they can ensure best practice. Special Need’s Assistants Special Needs Assistants (SNA’s) are employed to facilitate learners with a disability related to education. SNA’s may work in a special or mainstream school either on a part or full-time basic. They take on a non-teaching role and are always under the supervision of the class  teacher. An SNA may help a child to get on and off buses. They may also help with feeding and toileting. SNA’s are required to have an appropriate qualification to work as a special needs assistant. Primary Teachers Primary teachers are qualified are qualified to teach the primary school curriculum to children aged 4-12. Primary school teachers have a number of important roles. They ensure the social and academic development of the children in their care. They plan and deliver lessons within the primary school curriculum and they have regular interaction with parents and guardians. Educational Psychologists. The role of educational psychologist is to assess the needs of children and young people who have problems relating to behaviour, learning and/or social /emotional development. This may be done by observing and/or interviewing the child. The appropriate methods of helping the child will be established e. g. different therapies, counselling or learning support programmes. Educational psychologists work in many different settings, within schools, the HSE, private practices and third –level institutions. Family Support Workers The Family Support Worker Service offers practical and emotional support to families if it is  required. The aim of this service is to ensure where possible that children remain with their families. This service also offers home-based support to families for a certain number of hours per week. The support service includes parenting skills, information on diet, nutrition and healthcare, budgeting and family finance, and confidence and personal development. If the family support worker has concerns regarding the family, they will report this information to a social worker. Social Workers The Social Worker in childcare services can work in four main areas: child protection, child  placement, child and adolescent psychiatry, and family support. Social workers often work with families and individuals that require support with a number of problems such as emotional, social, psychiatric and behavioural. They may also work with individuals and their families on a regular basis regarding issues such as child abuse and domestic violence. Childcare Organisations and Non-governmental Agencies Barnardos Barnardos children’s charity delivers a variety of services and work in close proximity with children and their families depending on their specific needs. The aim is to promote family learning and development and, therefore, to enhance the families overall wellbeing. Barnardos strives to give children positive childhood experiences. If a child’s learning and development, and his or her emotional wellbeing is successfully and measurably improved through our work. Then the child’s ability to benefit from life opportunities and manage life challenges will be improved and therefore, the path of his or her life will be changed for the better. Barnardos aims to improve government laws, policies and procedure across all areas that affect children’s lives. They do this to ensure that the knowledge and experience they gain through working with children and their families in areas such as education and health is heard at government level. They also engage in regular political meetings with government and opposition parties and relevant policy makers. There are a number of ways in which people can learn about the work of Barnardos. Internet, posters, media interviews and articles. Barnardos offers services across three stages of child development : Children aged 0-5 (‘best start’) Children aged 6-12 ‘(best chance’) Children and young people aged 13-18 (‘best choice’). Barnardos may work with a child’s family in order for the child to experience a happy family life with good relationships with parents and siblings. This work include: Providing group sessions with parents and children to practise skills such as listening and problem solving skills. Providing help and advice to parents in different areas like challenging behaviour. Engaging with children of different ages on reverent and often sensitive issues e. g. a family affected by alcohol misuse Providing a guardian ad litem: a person who is qualified and experienced in working with  children that are involved in family law proceedings. This service gives children involved an independent voice in court. This person can speak on behalf of the child and explain what their particular wishes are. The guardian ad litem works in conjunction with the child’s family at all times. Providing an origin tracing service, this is especially for people who spent some or all of their childhood growing up in an Irish industrial school. This confidential service provides them with the necessary assistance in finding information relating to their relatives. Staffs who deliver this service are highly trained. Providing a confidential post adoption service for adults such as a helpline or e-mail service for birth family and adoptive family members. A mediation service is available for people who were adopted and have come in contact with birth relatives and want to begin correspondence. There are training and support meetings for parents who have adopted children from various countries outside of Ireland. The service may also be useful for adoptive parents to discuss any questions they may have about their adult adoptive child seeking birth relatives. Barnardos provide a range of parenting programmes and talks. These are designed for parents  of children of every age 0-18. These programmes can offer support to parents in managing their child’s needs and understanding their child. Topics will be selected to address the needs of parents and their child’s stage of development. Teen parent programmes are another important part of the work Barnardos do. In these programmes, Barnardos works in careful collaboration with teenage parents both male and female, together with their children to assist them with advice on financial /educational support. Services Provided to the Community Barnardos works with children in disadvantaged areas. They provide many services,  including the following. Early Years/Tus Maith Service These are programmes suitable for children aged 0-5. The main principle is to support children and to manage transition into primary school. This programme works using the HeighScope approach, where children have direct experiences based on their own interests and ideas, along with a programme called REDI programme (research –based, developmentally informed) Friendship group Barnardos realise the importance of children having friends particularly friends of their own age . Therefore; they offer a friendship group which facilitates children in learning the  necessary skills to establish genuine and meaningful relationships. These friendship groups are typically suited for children aged 6-9 . Each group is made up of six children and two staff who meet every week for two hours over the period of a week. Vetting service Barnardos provides a vetting service that assists in the processing of Garda vetting applications for a number of groups/organisations that are not directly registered with the Garda Vetting Unit. This is at the request of and in collaboration with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) Wizard of Words. Barnardos provides a service known as Wizard of Words (WoW). The programme is a paired literacy improvement programme. It is suitable for children in first and second class in primary school. The programme is delivers one-to-one tuition with older volunteers during school time and on the school premises. The trained volunteers who are typically 55 and over meet with children who have been nominated by the teacher, three times a week during school hours. The volunteers provide reading supports in the implementing of the programme, monitors progress and ensures that the programme is run effectively. WoW is  currently hosted in eight schools in Dublin and Limerick. Training and consultancy Barnardos offers training to childcare professionals, parents and all people that work in the childcare area. The training given is within the important context of Siolta , the National Quality Framework . Bereavement counselling Barnardos has bereavement counselling service for children and young people who have lost someone close to them. They try and help them through the grieving process and give them the opportunity to talk. Counsellors are based in Cork and Dublin, but work with children from across the country. Childminding Ireland Childminding Ireland aims to promote quality childminding as a benefit form of non-parental care for children of all ages, from infancy to school –age. Childminding Ireland explains that childminders are dedicated to offering constant care in small, home like settings in which children are most comfortable. Childminding Ireland, as the National Association, is committed to promoting the development of quality in family –based care for children by providing a range of services for childminders, promoting Siolta quality standards, development of local childminding networks (www. childmindingireland.ie). Childminding Ireland has a number of objectives in relation to childcare. They aim to : Promote high-quality ECEC standards for children and ensure that all their development needs are met Support and advise childminders and parents in the area of ECEC Maintain a code of standards for family-based care for children Encourage the recognition of childminding as a positive care facility for young children. Childminding Ireland strives to ensure that their knowledge is heard at government level; they have direct contact with the Minister for Children and the officials who design policies that are direct.