Four Freedoms Essay

The poster that I chose to do my analysis on is by Adam Lewin. His art is modern and is representative of current events. He is an illustrator and an art director. He has studied at the Pratt Institute, the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, and New York University (http://www. thoughtsondemocracy. blogspot. com/ 2009). The poster is representational of what is currently happening in American culture today. Lewin’s poster persuades me not to want to live in the United States anymore. His poster depicts our freedoms being taken away from us. The â€Å"Freedom of Speech† picture persuades me not to want to protest. It conveys to me that if we go out into the streets and exercise our freedom of speech we will be gagged and hauled off to jail. The Police in the poster look menacing and colossal, and the protester looks small and meager. The â€Å"Freedom of Worship† poster persuades me not to tell anyone what religion I am for fear that I may get killed, for not being the right religion. The man looks as though he is lying on a gurney and has been shot dead because he was worshiping to the wrong religion. Lewin’s â€Å"Freedom From Want† reminds me that we should not feed our children McDonald’s. Children know what the golden arches mean before they can even read. The fast food industry has made Americans huge. The little boy in the picture has a super-size coke in front of him, and he looks like he is pointing to get some more food, which he clearly does not need. This persuades me that there is no freedom from want because Americans are gluttons. They want as much as they can possibly acquire to fill them up emotionally. Lastly, â€Å"Freedom From Fear† persuades me not to want to break any laws (running a red light, talking on cell phone while driving) big brother is always watching us especially at every stop light. On the positive side it might make some people feel safe and might deter a criminal from committing a crime. Lewin’s and Rockwell’s posters look completely opposite from each other. Rockwell’s poster is indicative of what the people looked like in the 1940’s (wholesome). It seemed to be a more innocent time, but it wasn’t. Rockwell was painting an ideal instead of reflecting a reality. Whereas, Lewin is doing the opposite, he is reflecting the reality of the current American way of life. However, there are many similarities between the two pictures. In Rockwell’s â€Å"Freedom of Speech† painting it looks as though the people in the painting are giving the man respect and listening to what he has to say. However, I read that these men did not agree with what this man was saying. Therefore, it relates to Lewin’s poster because both these men are being degraded for speaking their minds. Also both men look like they are from the working class. The religion that I saw represented in Rockwell’s â€Å"Freedom of Worship â€Å"is Christianity. Thus the painting failed to represent multiple religions. This relates to Lewin’s poster because in my opinion Lewin’s poster is suggesting that the man in the picture is dead. This suggests that the predominate religion of the 1940’s (Christianity) is dying. practicing one Also people should have the right to practice any religion they want as FDR suggested in his speech. Lewin’s and Rockwell’s â€Å"Freedom FromWant† relate because neither of these scenes are lavish and the food seems to be the focal point. Also, the elderly woman seems to be the one serving everyone and the boy in the picture is pointing as though he is waiting for someone to serve him or give him more food. Although these two pictures look completely different they relate to each other in the same way. They both depict safety and security. When I was a little girl my mother use to tuck me into bed every night and this made me feel safe as the mother and father in the Rockwell painting are doing to their children. The man is holding a paper which tells of the horrors going on overseas. They are protecting their children from the evils of the world and easing their young minds. I think that Lewin’s depiction of the cameras eases the American people’s minds or maybe the powers that be. Surveillance cameras may help catch criminals or even terrorists. The poster, which depicts four separate themes, will be shown to reflect contemporary understandings of democracy and the democratic system in operation. The theme in the upper left hand corner under â€Å"Freedom of Speech† depicts a young man being dragged by two police officers. Although our Constitution guarantee’s freedom of speech, nevertheless the arrest of this young man portrays what occurred recently when the Wall Street protesters gathered peacefully in front of the New York stock exchange, yet they were arrested and thrown in jail for disturbing the peace. However, what they were actually doing was exercising their first amendment rights of free speech. The second image on the top right hand corner under â€Å"Freedom of Worship† depicts a dead person. Unfortunately this depiction is very true in today’s society. We are constantly informed of suicide bombers in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq who , in the name of religion, strap bomb belts on themselves and blow themselves up in mosques and other places where their co-religionists ( of different sects) are worshiping. It also suggests to me that the practice of one religion in the United States no longer exists. Since there are people from all over the world living in the United States we have an array of different religions. The third image on the bottom left hand corner under â€Å"Freedom of Want† depicts a young man pointing to a half empty glass. This expresses the current division in contemporaneous society of the haves and the have not’s. This young boy seems overweigh and is probably a member of the have not’s. I say this because insufficient funds results in poor eating habits, such as overindulgence of processed foods. The final image on the lower right hand corner under the caption â€Å"Freedom from Fear† depicts an array of surveillance equipment. Thanks to the increased awareness of crime coupled with modern high technology, these surveillance cameras are designed to catch criminals in the act of committing a crime there by resulting in quicker arrests and convictions, and possibly preventing the crime from being committed in the first place. Surveillance cameras which were installed in all entrances to the London underground have effectively prevented a repeat of the 2005 underground bombings. Therefore commuters have no fear using the â€Å"tube† and are thus free from fear, exactly as the artist intended to demonstrate.

Living in a Violent Culture

Most violent acts committed in modern times are seen as unthinkable and heinous. Today’s culture appears to be at its most serene and peaceful. However, this may not be true. Today’s culture is still one of extreme violence and is comparable to some of history’s most horrific times. Over the course of history, violence in culture has been in fluctuation but has always been considerably aggressive. Modern violent culture is comparable to history’s as society’s forms of entertainment are still violent, racial, domestic, and religious. Disputes still occur and lastly, war and cruel punishments still exist in the world. Fortunately, there is hope as violence, although still existing, seems to be improving and slowly diminishing. Over time, modern forms of entertainment appear to have changed. However; it can be disturbing the similarities in which violence appears to be a common factor throughout history. Rome is said to be the birthplace of violent entertainment. Some historians suggest that we should not be surprised by their violent games and competitions because the Romans were at war throughout their history. Ancient Rome is infamous for their gladiatorial battles; battles in which men were forced to fight one another to the death. Many gladiators were prisoners of war, criminals or slaves. Thousands of people would watch as these men were thrown into the fight against their will. Women would even attend these events and watch men fight to the death. This would first appear to us as shocking, but today’s society is attracted to films indicating this exact behavior. The film Gladiator is about a general whose family is murdered by a prince and this man becomes a gladiator to seek revenge. This movie won 5 Oscars as well as numerous other awards. This is undeniable evidence that society has not changed when it comes to these sorts of things. They still watch the same forms of violence. In Medieval times, crowds would come to watch the public executions of heretics and traitors. The crowds would chant and yell awaiting the death of the accused. The movie Kill Bill follows the story of a woman who was almost killed by a group of people working for her husband. This woman learns to fight and the only thing on her mind is to have revenge on the assassination team that betrayed her. The entire point of the movie is supporting the woman in killing off each and every person involved in her attack. Just like the support given by crowds against deserving criminals, audiences support the character against the deserving criminals in her case. This movie was played worldwide and was top grossing during its time. This is even more evidence supporting the fact that culture has not changed a lot. In sixteenth-century Paris, a popular form of entertainment was cat-burning, in which a cat was hoisted in a sling on a stage and slowly lowered into a fire. This of course seems repulsive to think of now, but today there are still cock fights, dog fights and bullfights. Bull fighting is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France and in several Latin American countries. This form of entertainment involves one or more bulls being ritually killed in a bullring as a public spectacle. It can be considered a blood sport. Bull fighting is now becoming more controversial but is still seen as very respectable. Many people come to bullfighting arenas simply to watch animals being killed as a means of entertainment. This is not very different from cat burning. Both are violent and should be unacceptable. In some ways, today’s culture is worse than the past. Even in history, murder was still wrong under the wrong circumstances. Other actions such as rape and abuse were still regarded as bad and could be punished. Today, the world has video games in which young boys and girls are exposed to this violence in a whole new way. They are given the opportunity to play the bad guy without actually committing the crime. This not only teaches these children that perhaps violence is okay, but what if one day, playing the game is not enough for them. For example, there is a game called Phantasmagoria that was banned in various countries for â€Å"sexualized violence†. In no way should rape ever be drawn and put into a game. This is a new kind of violent entertainment that promotes violence in today’s culture. To use violence as a means of entertainment also promotes violence as okay in certain situations. Racial, religious and domestic disputes occur today all over the world and have been forever. Anti-Semitism has been in the world since Earth’s earliest civilizations and it continued extensively until the 1940s and resulted in the death of over 6 million Jews. Violence occurred during the Crusades in the medieval times; during which religiously sanctioned military campaigns forcefully and violently fought to abolish other religions through violence and torture. These two events are similar in that they fought to abolish another group of human beings because one group thought they were more superior. Rwanda is filled with genocide and child soldiers. A child soldier lives their entire life violently. They are forced to murder and therefore grow up knowing nothing but that. The Muslims and the Jewish people in the Middle East still fight over land. Today even in Canada there are ethnic disputes. Canada has two â€Å"founding nations†: the French and the English. Disputes occur between the French wanting to separate from Canada. It is only a matter of time before this dispute ends in violence. Slavery among cultures had always existed. The targets of slavery were minority groups. This had always been the case. It was not until 1834 that slavery was abolished in Canada and it would not be until 1863 that it was abolished in the USA. Today, southern states still experience extreme racism towards African Americans simply because they are a ‘minority’. Although ethnic conflict may be inevitable in the modern world, prevention techniques such as understanding other cultures, recognizing warning signs of ethnic violence and developing a plan of action can lead to diplomatic settlements and can help to contain violent outbursts. There is hope to end the racial violence that still exists today. Education for all cultures is now abundant as well as human rights laws that work to prevent the harm of anyone due to their race. Another form of practiced violence in the world is domestic violence. Women seem to always be a target for violence. In ancient Greece, women were practically prisoners in their own homes. They had no rights and they were owned by either their father or their husband. Thus, these men had the right to abuse them. In Medieval times, if a woman got pregnant and decided to attempt an abortion, they were subject to horrible methods of torture and eventual death. Today, the extent of violence slowly diminishes. However, women are generally still targets for abuse in relationships. Domestic violence occurs everywhere in Canada and in the States. Honour killings are still performed to this day in the Middle East. An honour killing is when a woman is suspected of being unfaithful to their husbands, dressing inappropriately, engaging in homosexuality or wanting to be out of an arranged marriage. Women can be stoned to death or buried alive as well as other methods. Clearly this is a culture of violence when all of these things are still occurring. From racial disputes, to religious disagreements; from fights over territory to the abuse of women, violence occurs everywhere. In fact, violence will most likely survive until the end of human civilization. The most extreme form of violence and dispute is war. It is almost as if the world is addicted to war; it is the ultimate power struggle. War is something that can influence an entire nation. It can turn people against another group of people and is the ultimate act of violence. Violence is inevitable in any culture. War however, is not. History is flooded with war. In fact, war continuously existed from Egyptian times until medieval times. There was no escape from that. A shred of hope for our future would include the fact that war did not exist in today’s culture. However, it still does. From land rights, to religious disputes to rivalries, war has always existed. And today, the world continues to fight. The US led war to continue to exist in Iraq. The aim has been the destruction of Iraqi society enabling the US and Britain to gain control of Iraq's huge oil reserves. In five thousand years of hosting empires, the fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers has endured many tyrannical regimes. Sumerians, Chaldeans, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Macedonian Greeks, Seleucid Greeks, Romans, Parthians, Arabs, Mongols, Ottoman Turks, and the British have all passed through and left their mark, for good or ill. Some, like the Assyrians, have come â€Å"like a wolf on the fold†; others have stayed long enough to build more than they destroyed. The Americans, are coming like the Assyrians. Currently, the war is not solving any problems. It’s a continual battle in hopes for some sort of end. Men are dying from Canada, the USA and from Iraq. Money that could be spent to better each of these countries is being used on the war. People back home are listening and waiting to hear about the next soldier that has died. Today, war is still an issue. War is what seemed to have made previous civilizations so unstable. This culture may never truly be civilized until it learns that violence is a short term means to an end of a problem. As Bertrand Russell says, â€Å"War does not determine who is right, it determines who is left†. War is a similar factor in each of the civilizations prior to this one, and in this one. If war is eliminated, perhaps violence as a whole would be on its way out. Until then, today’s culture will be one of violence. Looking back at the past, mankind may take pride in the supposed lack of violence in the world today when comparing it to the past. However, violence still exists almost as vividly and as evil as it once did. It will not be until mankind desires to rid itself of the unnecessary violence in its entertainment. It will not be until religious, racial and domestic disputes are abolished and everyone is equal that violence will be eliminated. And lastly, it will not be until war is no longer an option for solving problems and people come to diplomatic solutions will the world be rid of violence. Until that time, today’s culture and all the future ones to come will be ones of violence.

West African Theater Essay

African theatre is influenced by African dramatic traditions and Western theatre. The influence of Western styles originates from European presence, European education , and the artists training outside of Africa. The magnitude of foreign influence varies from country to country. This influence slowed the development of African theatre in Zimbabwe. For example, productions continued to exemplify Western theatre. The Afrocentricity in West Africa in the 1960s was a reaction to the oppression of French Directors. They left a mark on production styles. Examples of such oppression can be seen in the Daniel Surano Theatre in Senegal. This is where the productions of Aimà © Cà ©saire can be seen. The productions of Bernard Dadià © reflect French comic traditions and Jean Pliya is one the many of playwrights focused on the European historical events. The writing of Western playwrights has resulted in a literary style that appeals to a sophisticated and rare audience to which dance and mu sic productions have a minor role in the theatrical arts. Village theatre in Africa is based on the tried and true traditions of music, song, dance, and drama. This produced a fertile foundation for the development of urban contemporary theatrics. Theatric entrepreneurs built upon the traditional village storytelling and borrowed production styles from the European productions performed in West African urban areas in the 20s and ’30s. Concert productions traveled in Togo and Ghana. During the 50s the Ghanaian â€Å"Trios† appeared with Bob Cole and his company performing for audiences in Accra with hilarious dramatizations of the local events. The first professional theatres in Nigeria were produced by the local  actor-managers. The three most successful were Kola Ogunmola, Duro Ladipa, and Hubert Ogunde. They were all Yoruba and started work as teachers by making plays based on the Bible stories in African churches. Ogunde’s first production was The Garden of Eden (1944) in the Church of the Lord. Then in 1945 he mad e a satire called Strike and Hunger. It was based on the clash between Nigerian workers and the European bosses. Ogunde’s success had allowed him to create the Ogunde concert party. It had a style similar to the British concert parties of the time. They performed domestic comedies and political satires between the opening and the closing with interjections of song and dance unrelated to the plot. The popularity Nigerian independence in 1960 brought an explosion of productions in the urban arts focused on new African forms and the disapproval of European influences. This resulted in an imaginative presence in literary and popular theatre that was to be influential throughout Africa. Yoruba Opera companies, also known as traveling theatres, had hit the road. Ladipo produced spectacular productions based on themes from Yoruba mythology and history. His series on the kingdom of Oyo was published in 1964 as Three Yoruba Productions (Oba Koso [â€Å"The King Did Not Hang†], Oba Moro [â€Å"The King of Ghosts†], and Oba Waja [â€Å"The King Is Dead†]), had the power and mythology similar to a traditional Greek tradegy. Kola Ogunmola created comedies portraying himself as the amazing actor and mime. He modified the techniques of Ogunde by replacing the saxophones with the Yoruba drum. He wrote strictly structured lines without destroying the gentility of the social satires. His most commonly seen production is Ife Owo (1950; Love of Money). His greatest success was with Omuti Apa Kini (1963). Although Ogunmola and Ladipo died in the 70s, their legacy lived on as decorated trucks transported Yoruba Opera companies to one-night performances in towns and villages. The Yoruba musical drama Obaluaye (1970) was composed by Akin Euba and it had an impact on the work of literary playwrights such as Ola Rotimi. and Wole Soyinka. Ola and Wole spent many years as university playwrights/directors and their ability to stage their own works led them to have a strong theatric skill set. Wole Soyinka was a brilliant critic and satirist who was the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 86 was regarded as Africa’s best writer. His art reflects the difficulties facing an African playwright writing in English. He moved from naturalistic treatment of his subjects to the Yoruba view of subjects. His early satires The Trials of Brother Jero (1960) and  Lion and the Jewel (1963) are popular with all English-speaking audiences. However the philosophical and verbal complexities in his later works are aimed at the select few. Death and the King’s Horseman (1975) and The Strong Breed (1963) are focused on the impact of cultural conflict. On the other hand, Soyinka’s political satires, such as Kongi’s Harvest (1965), are both raw and entertainment focused. A Dance of the Forests (1963) and The Road (1965) described the complicated dramatic paradoxes of African life through the Yoruba myths. Secondly, Soyinka criticized the myth of th e glorious African past by rejecting the African concept that the revival of African culture has to come from African cultural heritage to be made for and performed to celebrate the Nigerian independence of October 1960. His drama became pessimistic after the civil war in Nigeria. This can be seen in Madmen and Specialists (1970). He also used past historical events and new versions of old productions to create new productions. His rendition of the Bacchae of Euripides was observed by many in the National Theatre of London in 1973. The Opera Wonyosi was a version of The Beggar’s Opera that was seen in the University of Ife in 1977. Ola Rotimi created theatrical English imbedded with African proverbs and idioms. His style of directing made good use of active movement and resulted in enthusiastic responses from universities and popular audiences. Rotimi was best at historical tragedies such as Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (1971) and Kurunmi (1969) which dealt with the Yoruba wars. He also had a knack for satire. An example would be Our Husband Is Gone Mad Again (1966). In the field of directing, Soyinka and Rotimi both made imaginative use of dance and music. Intercultural exchange had strange results in Ghana. In the 60s Saka  Acquaye’s The Lost Fisherman is a musical based on the â€Å"highlife† and it was a popular success. Another success story was Efua Sutherland’s traveling theatre which produced productions based on the village storytelling and local village themes. Her productions in English used the Greek models. Ama Ata Aidoo was the most famous Ghanaian playwright in the post 60s period. The Dilemma of a Ghost (1964) showed the complicated cultural conflict occurring Ghanaian village when a young adult returned from his studies abroad and he brought his new African American wife along with him. Anowa (1970) is a play that deals with the role of Africa in the slave trade and the servant like treatment of women. Commonly, Hausa drama has a strong appeal and originates from the dramatic style of the old storytelling. It is centered on social problems. It is especially focused on the stories involving the Hausa family and its complications with polygamy. This idea has been contreversial in many productions such as Tabarmar Kunya (1969; â€Å"Matter of Shame†) by Dauda Kano and Adamu dan Gogo. Some productions satirize the uneducated people’s dependence on Muslim scholars. An example would be Umaru Balarme Ahmed’s Buleke (1970) and it shows characters who lead the hectic modern lifestyle and continued to hold onto the roots of the old country. The productions are commonly performed in schools and frequently broadcasted on television and radio. Kabbada is an important Ethiopian playwright who created the historically based production Hannibal and it was performed in Dakar, Senegal, in 1966. The most remarkable work of Mangistu LammÄ  is the play Yalaccha Gabbiccha (â€Å" Marriage of Unequals†) and it deals with social inequality. It was performed for the first time in the Addis Ababa in 1964. It is a production showing a family going through a transition from the ways of the old country to the soulless reality of city life. Somali theatre had been firmly grounded since the 50s and is very popular. Many have yet to be published to the mass public. Shabeelnagood (Leopard Among the Women) was written by Xasan Sheikh Mumin and it is a production about a heartless trickster who marries naà ¯ve and young women. It was originally published in Somali and translated to English in 1974. It had its first performance in Mogadishu in 1968 and it also had radio  serialization along with a successful tour. Somali theatre has been compared to the theatre of the Elizabethan era in England because of its unique combination of popular culture and sophisticated art and its capacity to generate interest for a large demographic section of the 20th century population. Personal Analysis Upon analyzing the information it is understood that the European empires injected their artistic theology into West African theater resulting in an entertaining composite style. In some ways this was a positive change for the artists in African theater; it was this change that created a modern African style with the ability to deliver traditional storytelling to a broader audience. Bibliography 1.Abiodun, Rowland, Henry John. Drewal, and John Pemberton. The Yoruba Artist: New Theoretical Perspectives on African Arts. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1994. 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. 2. Ann Wynne, Elizabeth Gunner, and Peggy Harper Jr. â€Å"African Theatre (art).† Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. 3.Ogunba, Oyin, and Abiola Irele. Theatre in Africa. Ibadan, Nigeria: Ibadan UP, 1978. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.

Rounding with Mixed Decimals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Rounding with Mixed Decimals - Essay Example Adding extra zeros to the right of the last decimal digit does not change the value of the decimal number (Math League, 2008, pg. 1). Children should also be familiar with the whole number portion and with naming what digit is in what place. For instance, in 14.65, the whole number portion is 14. An example of the latter can be illustrated with 4.165. In this number, 4 is in the ones place, 1 is in the tenths place, 6 is in the hundredths place, and 5 is in the thousandths place (Math League, 2008, pg. 2). A variety of specific examples or tasks can be used to check student understanding of rounding with decimals to the nearest tenth and to detect the existence of any possible conceptual and/or procedural errors. First of all, if the assignments are being conducted via paper and pencil, traditional assessment instruments such as the paper test can be used to measure success or detect weak areas. Second of all, if the assignments are being conducted via computer software drills, the software often gives immediate feedback that can be used to detect any strengths and weaknesses that students may have. Third, if the assignments are being conducted via flash cards, immediate feedback can be gained and recorded by quickly jotting the notes regarding the students performance in a notebook for later analysis and recommendations or guidance in the area (Reys, et.al., 2004). According to 321 Know (2008, pg. 2), â€Å"Rounding decimals is very similar to rounding other numbers. If the hundredths and thousandths places of a decimal is forty-nine or less, they are dropped and the tenths place does not change. For example, rounding 0.843 to the nearest tenth would give 0.8. If the hundredths and thousandths places are fifty or more, the tenths place is increased by one. The decimal 0.866 rounded to the nearest tenth is 0.9.† According to Math League (2008), the general rule for rounding decimal numbers must be

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The Olive Tree Case Study - Essay Example This is a good aspect for its business position (Porter, 2008). The initial costs that include  £143,000 for annual rent,  £445,000 for turning the bank into a restaurant, and a bank loan of  £335,000 have not been covered especially considering that only sales amounting to  £588,498 were realized in the entire trading period. Nevertheless, without considering all the costs of establishing the restaurant, a net loss amounting to  £76,602 is recorded, further strengthening that the restaurant is yet to make profits. This paper focuses on the Olive Tree Restaurant Case Study. The paper presents an analysis of its performance that give way to meaningful recommendations based on the business performance indicators. In this regard, the analysis is based on an interview conducted with Angelo, the restaurant owner, as the respondent. Some data on the restaurants progress in terms of sales, costs, rent, rates, fuel, wages, and other operating costs were collected. Analysis was done on this data in order to confirm the responses provided though the interview. The Olive Tree Restaurant boasts of a number of strengths although, like any other business, there are various weaknesses associated with its operations. The major strength is its ability to recording large sales amounting to almost  £600,000 (588,498 to be exact) within the first trading period. i. Loyal Customers: With regard to this strength, the restaurant management ensures that customer are warmly welcomed after entering the restaurant thus encouraging them to remain loyal to the business (McQuarrie, 2006). This aspect specifically generates the feeling of being special, appreciated and honoured by being a customer to the restaurant. In return, a customer is likely to feel important to seek the restaurant services a second time or even become a loyal customer (Chamberlain, 2010). ii. Effective restaurant operations: This strength is

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International trade - Essay Example Finally, it comments on the validity of the model and its implications in today’s world. Before discussing the content of the model, it is important to know the assumptionson which the model is based. As already discussed this model assumes that there are two countries producing two goods, having two homogeneous factors of production. It is also assumed that technologies prevailing in the two countries are identical. Production of the two commodities abides by the conditions of constant returns to scale. One of the two commodities uses one of the two factors of production more intensively in comparison to the other. The existence of perfect competition is assumed in both commodities and factor markets. Factor mobility prevails within the same country but not among different countries. Tastes are also considered to be similar between the two countries. Finally, it is assumed that there are no trade barriers and no costs incurred for transportation. The Heckscher-Ohlin theory states that a capital abundant country exports commodities which are capital intensive and the co untry which is labour abundant exports commodities exports labour intensive commodities. This model has been explained with the help of a diagram. The country which is exporting is referred as the foreign country and the country importing is referred to as the home country. It is assumed that the home country and the foreign country is exporting commodity 1 and 2 respectively. Then, according to the assumption, the home country exports good 1, while the good 2 is exported by the foreign country. To prove this, a particular case of factor endowment difference is considered, L/K > L*/K*, and it is also assumed that labour endowments in both countries remain identical. Thus, L = L*. The capital endowment in the foreign country exceeds that in the home country, i.e. K > K*. In order to determine the

Incarcerations effects on families Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Incarcerations effects on families - Term Paper Example Now there is a new category for incarceration, debtors, even for very small debts. In a bid for increased corporate welfare, businesses in some states (Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, Washington, for example) enlist the police, sheriff, and court system to imprison those who owe money and are not paying it quickly enough. A recent news article told about the case of Lisa Lindsay, a breast cancer survivor who ignored a $280 medical bill she was told was in error and not owed. A collection agency got jurisdiction over it and Illinois state troopers took her to jail in handcuffs (Sherter, 2012). In more than one third of the states in America, many poverty-stricken seniors, veterans, mothers, fathers, and the unemployed have been locked up in prison for the flimsiest of reasons, being unable to settle even the tiniest of debts. The marginalized poor are being increasingly criminalized. It is not the assumption of this paper that incarceration is totally without merit. There are peop le whose thinking is so distorted and whose actions are so dangerous that society must be protected from victimization. On the other hand, a rapidly rising prison population, unrepresentative of socioeconomic and racial parameters of the general population, and in comparison to the incarceration/population ratios of other countries, suggests a possibility that the USA criminal justice system is failing to solve crime through incarceration, and is worsening the situation. Incarcerating a person who is found to have broken the law removes a single threat from the street, perhaps, but there are less visible outcomes this paper intends to consider. Incarcerated prisoners, on any given day, represent more than 500,000 families being impacted by incarceration (Hairston, 1991). Those families need to be strongly bonded and assisted by personal and community networks. Maintaining strong family ties has been found to support prisoner and family mental health, increase the probability that th e prisoner will have a family to return to after prison, and reduce the probability that the prisoner, once released, will have to return to prison for probation violations or other criminal activity (Hairston, 1991). In support of strengthening family ties, prisons are beginning to implement more generous family communication policies, marital and private family visits, children’s centers in the prison, and prison visitor hospitality houses. Families of prisoners are organizing to advocate for conditions and services that support prison families (Hairston, 1991). A lot more is needed, however, not only to provide a strong family network for the prisoner, but especially to counter the profound negative effects of incarceration on other members of the family. The effects of parent incarceration on children is a significant social issue because 56% of all state prisoners have minor children, and the majority of incarcerated adults are, in fact, state prisoners (Lengyel, 2006). Separation from an incarcerated father, the stigma attached to the incarceration, and deceptions played on the child around that incarceration have reportedly been associated with emergent aggressive and antisocial behavior, particularly in the sons of

Aol Time Warner Merger By Nina Munk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aol Time Warner Merger By Nina Munk - Essay Example During the same year the group's recording and music publishing arm was sold for US$2.6 billion to a consortium led by Edgar Bronfman (former head of Universal), becoming Warner Music. ''Fools Rush In,'' by Nina Munk, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, is the best so far. Marrying exemplary reporting with lively, lucid writing, she makes a convincing and devastating at the same time case that Levin wrecked the legacy of Henry Luce, the founder of Time Inc., in the service of his ego. Levin wanted to redeem his weak performance at the company's helm with what he liked to call a transforming transaction. He had already transformed Time once, in 1990, when he helped engineer its merger with Warner Communications. That was another lousy deal. What he transformed in the AOL merger was $200 billion of his shareholders' money into nothing. Munk's entry to the growing list of books about the AOL Time Warner merger provides a thorough recap of the catastrophe, with the author coming to her own conclusion on the causes behind the merger's failure. After more than 100 pages of the obligatory background on AOL and its chairman, Steve Case, and Time Warner and chairman Jerry Levin, Munk begins to make her argument that Case and Levin, who ran their companies with few checks and balances, bear the greatest responsibility for orchestrating a deal that had little chance to succeed. She presses her case by hitting hard on the fact that few Time Warner executives knew about the pending deal until hours before it was announced, and that even fewer executives supported the proposal. That due diligence for the $165-billion merger only took three days and that many of the merged company's top managers sold large chunks of stock (including Case who sold shares worth $100 million) shortly after the deal closed is further proof to Munk that the combination was not well thought out and that many managers had doubts about its success from the very beginning. For readers looking for a quick review of events surrounding the AOL Time Warner merger, Munk's book fits the bill, but for those who are already well versed on the subject, Munk (a contributing editor at Vanity Fair) adds little new information. Many readers will find Munk's book comparable in terms of entertainment value (especially humor) as well as quality of thinking and writing. Both were thoroughly researched. The completion of each was aided and enriched by dozens of rigorous interviews of key participants. However, there is one significant difference: senior-level executives at Enron (notably Jeffrey Skilling and Andrew Fastow) have been accused and some charged with serious illegalities whereas none of those involved with the merger of AOL and Time Warner have, at least until now. "This is a the story of how two men, Jerry Levin and Steve Case, caused what may be the biggest train wreck in the history of corporate America." Munk goes on to suggest that "In broad terms, the disastrous merger of Time Warner and AOL epitomizes the culture of corporate America and Wall Street in the late 1900s." Part Three The Big Deal: AOL and Time Warner, 1999-2000. Step-by-step, Munk traces the process which eventually resulted in "the biggest train wreck in the history of corporate America." I was fascinated to learn about the nature and extent of Ted Turner's involvement amidst corporate intrigues which would have made the Medici envious. Part Four

Understanding the Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Understanding the Childhood - Essay Example The essay "Understanding the Childhood" talks about the maladjustment or maltreatment during childhood which more often than not surfaces in some form of societal contradictions and confrontations in a child’s later life. The paper also discusses a school, not as an institution that had strict administrative procedures. The primary right of a child is not to be affected by social prejudices and legal structures, if any, that might be prevalent against their parents. All actions taken by legal, social, governmental and non-governmental bodies that might affect children must be taken with the best interest of concerned children in mind. United Nations has also declared in its charter that, except under extraordinary circumstances, therefore, State should ensure that a child is never separated from their parents. The world body has also been unambiguous in its censure of illegal human trading in children and has directed State to take the most stringent measures to prevent any su ch nefarious activity. A child, like any other adult human being, will be entitled to freedom of opinion, thought and expression and will also be entitled to their right of privacy. However, Helen Penn draws our attention to the fact that notions of childhood is not the same in every region of the world and varies much wider than can be conceived by a Westerner. Just to place her argument in proper perspective, hence she draws the example of poverty as viewed in the Western world and elsewhere.

Visitor Impacts on Public Parks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visitor Impacts on Public Parks - Research Paper Example This paper will look at the effects of uncontrolled continual streams of visitors to my local park and the solutions to the problems they cause while enjoying the privilege. Parking at our local park has become a nightmare due to limited zonal spots for everyone involved. In fact, the numbers of vehicles lined up at the gate of the park have become a nuisance as they are preventing access to the park itself and discouraging more people from gaining access. This is a menace as the image of the park is tainted since they are regarded as negligent in providing for the needs of the visitors. In addition, the cars pollute the environment, with the effects being carried over to the protected resources inside the park1. In my view, people should be made to leave their personal means of transport at home and the park should have the mandate of providing public transport to people at designated times and venues. Such a move will ensure that the number of visitors gaining access to the facilit y is controlled in any one time. While inside the park, it has become apparent that the standard of cleanliness is deteriorating each day as the visitors are trashing everywhere they go. Plastics are the order of the day not mentioning the unsightly array of leftover food at every footpath in the surrounding environment. Some of the caged animals can be seen munching on some of these foods which they may have been offered by the visitors or perhaps collected as they roamed freely in their habitats. Ingestion of these foods can be dangerous since of it may not blend in well with their natural diets. There have been cases of food poisoning reports at alarming rates for the last quarter of the year. The management should provide more employees to investigate into the matter while drawing a keen eye that would help identify the culprits. These visitors should be fined heavily for their acts and given restriction from gaining access to the park until deemed necessary2. Some sections of t he park do not access to public foot paths or bridges across water bodies. This has forced visitors to find their own way around thus they have resulted in a lot erosion of the ground and destruction of vegetation and leading to deterioration of the environment. Some of them have penetrated sensitive parts of the forest which have led to some animals strayed into areas of the park they are not supposed to. These animals can be dangerous to the general public making the park to be hazardous for visitors and could lead to closure of the park. Measures should be taken to ensure that a guard is placed at strategic positions in the park where they can prevent such destructions from taking place in the first place. In another instance, campsites have been devouring parts of the forest since some extreme campers have brought down trees to create room for their tents or just for the mere advantage of the experience. The fires that have been made are frightening the wild animals and eating a way at the vegetation that may have been growing for thousands of generations. The animals have disappeared into the heart of the forests and are not seen during day which has proved to be very disappointing to the visitors of the park. This has also led to loss of enthusiasm for the diehard animal lovers who come to the park with the sole intention of sighting the fascinating creatures. Poaching is another vice that has risen lately amongst the visitors.

Health of the Aging (CASE) Module 1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health of the Aging (CASE) Module 1 - Coursework Example These reforms create cost-sharing and premium subsidies, create new markets for purchasing of health insurance, and develop new rules that would govern health insurance and the involved industry (Rosenbaum, 2011). The second element that has an impact on the elderly involves ensuring accessibility of the populations that are medically underserved to primary health care. Due to the elevated health risks involved with the elderly, they remain underserved in the society, thus prompting for the need of establishment of a system that will provide utmost care for them. The provision of long-term care has a direct impact on the elderly as most of the elderly individuals suffer from chronic illnesses such as diabetes among others, which require lifetime management (Rosenbaum, 2011). The intent of the Health insurance coverage reforms is to establish standards that guide insurers to mitigate the discrimination that initially existed against older people and other highly vulnerable groups including women and children (Rosenbaum, 2011). As such, this element bans the annual coverage limitations, use of conditions already in existence and prolonged waiting periods. On the other hand, the intent of improving the accessibility to primary health care is to mitigate the shortage in health care professionals, who provide primary health care. This can be achieved through investing in the development of the community health centers and the establishment of the National Health Service Corps. Lastly, the intent of the long-term care initiative is to protect the families of individuals who are terminally ill from becoming bankrupt through the establishment of Medicaid options that facilitate community-based care (Rosenbaum, 2011). The Patient Protection and Affordable Act is likely to lead to low access to Medicare for the older adults in the long term given that it mandates Medicare payment reductions. As such, funding cuts on the involved services have a direct

Myself the Writer Essay Example for Free

Myself the Writer Essay One of the reasons why I love writing is because it is my desire to progress in writing through setting more achievable objectives, building on novel ideas, in addition to developing new skills. Through writing I am able to advance my knowledge on a variety of subjects. Every time I write I am able to learn something new. I take writing as a way through which I can express my feeling. However, writing is a challenging task due to the fact that it calls for extra caution. There are many rules and regulations that surround writing. Some of these rules limit the extent to which one can express himself in writing (Elbow p, 12). There are various challenges that I come across in the process of writing that tend to slow me down. Finding the right words is the hardest of these challenges. Sometimes it is very hard to find the most appropriate words to make my writing sound the way I would like. Writing can also be a boring as well as demoralizing task when a writer fails to get the necessary information (Elbow p, 26). Trying to figure out the words that will follow the work I have already completed is the other challenge that I face as a writer. Lack of knowledge concerning a particular topic is the other challenge I face as a writer. Along with lack of knowledge, lack of information from various sources is the other factor that negatively impacts on my writing. Writer’s block is the other challenge that I face in writing. However, I have learned that in order to overcome writer’s block I need to put down what is in my head. Work Cited: Elbow P. , (edn 2), (1998). Writing with power: techniques for mastering the writing process, ISBN 0195120175: Oxford University Press US

Plagiarism Assessment Types of Plagiarism

Plagiarism Assessment Types of Plagiarism This essay is going to consider the issues around and avoidance of plagiarism. Its going to look at definitions and the different forms of plagiarism as well as the impact and consequences of plagiarism. Its going to explore the use of correct referencing format for a variety of research sources. Plagiarism is the act of using someone elses words and/or concepts, applying them and not giving recognition to the person who thought of them and then passing those words/concepts as their own. (Reserved, 2017) There are various forms of plagiarism and all are severe infringements of scholarly morality. (Bowdoin.edu. N.p., 2017) The most common types of plagiarism are direct, self-plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism and accidental plagiarism. (Bowdoin.edu. N.p., 2017) Direct plagiarism is the literal replica of a piece of a different persons work that doesnt contain acknowledgment, or quotation marks. The purposive plagiarism of a different persons work is improper, scholarly fraudulent and requires punitive measures, including expulsion. (Bowdoin.edu. N.p., 2017) Self-plagiarism takes place when a pupil hands in their own preceding work, or incorporates sections of preceding works without acceptance from all lecturers involved. For example, it would be inadmissible to mix a section of an assignment a person wrote in their first year into an assignment they are writing in their second year. Self-plagiarism is also implemented when handing in the same assignment in different classes without acceptance from both lecturers. (Bowdoin.edu. N.p., 2017) Mosaic plagiarism takes place when a pupil obtains phrases from an authorship without citing, or when numerous words are replaced with synonyms but keeps to the original layout of the source. This is known as patch-phrasing. Whether its deliberate or not, it is scholarly fraudulent and requires punitive measures. (Qcpages.qc.cuny.edu, 2017) An example of mosaic plagiarism goes as followsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Here is a sample piece of text, Directions: After waxing has been completed, apply the lotion generously, gently massaging into the treated area for a soothing and relaxing effect. A plagiarized version of this would be, Method: After waxing has been completed, spread the lotion generously, softly massaging into the treated area for a soothing and calming effect. The underlined text in this example is what has been plagiarized. Accidental plagiarism is when someone doesnt cite their findings, or misrepresents their findings, or accidentally rephrased a finding by using like for like terminology, sentences and/or layout without giving credit. (Bowdoin.edu. N.p., 2017) Plagiarism accusations can account for a pupil being dismissed or deferred. Their scholarly report can reveal the practice has been breached, likely provoking the pupil to be eliminated from university or joining another university. Universities take plagiarism as a severe matter. Universities often withhold pupils for their first infringement. Pupils are normally eliminated if more breaches are made. (Ithenticate.com, 2017) When someone has been marked with plagiarism accusations, a pupils career can be desolated. Publishing is an essential part of an illustrious, intellectual career. To relinquish the capability to publish possibly means the end of a pedantic role and the loss of respectability. (Ithenticate.com, 2017) The juridical follow up of plagiarism is considerably significant. Copyright measures are infallible. An individual simply cannot utilize someone elses work without citing and referencing. The original composer of the work has the right to sue the plagiarist. A few forms of plagiarism can also be suspected as a felony, and can lead to confinement. However, these punitive measures are often applied to people who have a career in writing, for example authors and journalists. In some cases, pupils and others can have monetary penalties if found plagiarizing. (Ithenticate.com, 2017) The result of plagiarizing is extensive and applies to everyone. Obliviousness or a persons capacity does not justify someone from the principled or juridical developments of plagiarizing. Prior to starting a project, it is advised to have knowledge on plagiarism. Identify what legislates plagiarism and how to abstain from plagiarizing. Indolence or infidelity can affect a persons reputation and career. (Ithenticate.com, 2017) References Bowdoin.edu. (2017). The Common Types of Plagiarism. [online] Available at: https://www.bowdoin.edu/studentaffairs/academic-honesty/common-types.shtml [Accessed 7 Mar. 2017]. Ithenticate.com. (2017). 6 Consequences of Plagiarism. [online] Available at: http://www.ithenticate.com/resources/6-consequences-of-plagiarism [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]. Qcpages.qc.cuny.edu. (2017). Plagiarism 9. [online] Available at: http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~redwards/Plagiarism/09.html [Accessed 12 Mar. 2017]. Reserved, A. (2017). What is plagiarism? Definition and guidance. [online] Available at: https://www.scanmyessay.com/plagiarism/what-is-plagiarism.php [Accessed 22 Feb. 2017].

Impact of Health Inequalities on Parkinsons Disease Patient

Impact of Health Inequalities on Parkinsons Disease Patient In the department of health publication from ‘Vision to Reality’ (2001), the minister for public health, Yvette Cooper, and the chief medical officer, Professor Liam Donaldson, stated the following: ‘At the beginning of 21st century, your chances of a healthy life still depend on what job you do, where you live, and how much your parents earn. This is unfair and unjust. That is why this Government is committed to narrowing the health inequalities that scar our nation and to improved health for all’. How does this statement support the elderly with Parkinson disease in Bromley trust Kent? Introduction The focus of this community study is to explore the health inequalities which affect a specific group within Bromley community. This group has been defined as those suffering with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative condition that tends to affect an older client group and can also be associated with complex medical needs. This essay will define and explore the concept of inequalities in health, define the disease ad its effects on people as their families, and relate these to a community in the Kent area served by Bromley NHS Trust. The other aim of this essay is to postulate solutions and interventions which might address some of the health inequalities and challenges posed by this particular condition and its prevalence within the community. The literature points to the specific health problems and challenges of this client group, and there is government and governance literature which specifically addresses their needs. However, it appears there is still a deficit between the needs of clients, which are complex and difficult to address, and the level of provision in health and social care services, which continue to be under-resourced and less than ideally designed. Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease which occurs as the result of the loss of nerve cells in the substantia nigra in the brain (PDS, 2007). The lack of these cells results in a lack of dopamine, a substance that allows messages to be sent to the parts of the brain that control movement (PDS, 2007). When about 80% of dopamine is lost, symptoms start to develop, and levels continue to reduce over time, causing symptoms to increase (PDS, 2007). Two proposed causes are genetic disorders and environmental toxins (PDS, 2007), although a range of other associations continue to be explored. No real cause is known, and there is no known cure, although some medications can mediate the course of the disease and help in symptom control (PDS, 2007). Motor symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor, bradykinesia and stiffness of muscles, while non-motor symptoms include sleep disturbance, constipation, depression and urinary urgency (PDS, 2007). Fatigue is another symptom (Lloy d, 1999). It is obvious from this range of symptoms that sufferers may need an increasing range of health and social support services and interventions during the progression of the disease. One epidemiological review puts the rate of Parkinson’s disease in the UK population at 19 per 1000 per year, with a lifetime prevalence of 2 per 1000 people (MacDonald et al, 2000). The Parkinson’s Disease Society (PDS, 2007) state that one in 500 people in the UK suffers from the disease. This would suggest a considerable burden on local health and social care services in any locality. However, there is also the issue that such statistics often only represent the tip of the iceberg (MacDonald et al, 2000). There may be a greater number who have not yet been diagnosed or who do not access services and so are not counted in surveys. The age range of sufferers of Parkinson’s disease is 40-90 years, with the greatest proportion in the 70-74 age group, and the next highest rate in the 74-79 age group (MacDonald et al, 2000). This is obviously an age-associated condition. The Bromley Health Services NHS Trust provides an outpatient Parkinson’s clinic run by Dr B Kessel as part of the elderly medicine directorate (www.bromleyhospitals.nhs.uk, 2007). There is also the Joint Allocation panel which the elderly medicine team contribute to in providing complex home care packages. Therefore, it would seem that for this locality, there is some specialist Parkinson’s disease provision. However, there are no figures to describe the uptake and demand on health and social services from Parkinson’s disease sufferers. For example, the demand on community nursing services, social care services, nursing homes, continence services, primary health services and pharmacy services. Parkinson’s disease is usually treated by drug treatments which aim to redress the loss of dopamine (Pentland, 1999). Levodopa-containing agents replace dopamine within the body, while dopamine agonists mimic the action of dopamine (Pentland, 1999). Enzyme inhibitors can be used, which prevent dopamine breakdown, and anticholinergics can reduce the action of acetylcholine which can also improve symptoms (Pentland, 1999). There is ongoing debate and review of the risk-benefit ratio of these treatments but they have been shown to be effective in limiting symptoms (PDS, 2007: Pentland, 1999). Other pharmacological interventions may be utilised to relieve specific symptoms, such as hypnotics for insomnia, antidepressants for confirmed depression, and pain killers and quinine for pain and muscle cramps (Pentland, 1999). Hoever, achieving and maintaining the correct, effective drug regimen as the condition progresses can be problematic for client and medical team (Lloyd, 1999). Health Inequalities It was in 1998 that health inequality reduction became express aims of the NHS in the UK, with the publication of A First Class Service (DH, 1998). Since then, inequalities in health have remained on government and health service agendas. The National Service Framework for Older People (DH, 2001) sets out a number of standards to address key inequalities in health experienced by the subject group concerned in this essay. The fact that such standards have had to be set is evidence of demonstrable inequalities linked to these areas. To begin with, inequalities are linked to age. It has been shown that in some health and social care services, older people and their carers have been victims of age-based discrimination in access to services and availability of services (DH, 2001). The locality here, Bromley Trust in Kent, does not advertise specialist Parkinson’s disease services explicitly on their website, and so sufferers of this condition fall under the aegis of elderly care services and also neurology services (trust ref). However, resourcing for such services may not be optimum, with less resources perhaps given to less fashionable areas of health need (DH, 2001), but rather to the more ‘fashionable’ and topical areas such as children’s and cancer services. There are certain areas of need which could be viewed as common to older people’s services and specific to those with Parkinson’s disease, such as community equipment (DH, 2001). Another specific inequality for this client group is access to palliative care services, with many palliative care services only available to cancer sufferers (DH, 2001). Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative and ultimately terminal condition, and as such should be a defining condition for palliative care. However, palliative care services in some areas may be funded by cancer charities such as Macmillan Cancer care, which may pose a challenge. This leads to a policy issue which could only be addressed at policy management level within the local trusts. The burden on family and unpaid carers is considerable, and increases with the progression of the disease (Lloyd, 1999). This leads to further demand on services due to carer-related illnesses (Lloyd, 1999). Again, unequal access to services, here based on the condition and the lack of support for those affected by it, continues to exist. The issue of inequality related to ethnic minority or background (DH, 2001) may also be applicable here, as the locality does contain a range of different minority ethnic groups. However, the demographics are not available to explore the rates of Parkinson’s disease across the different ethnic minorities in the region. The literature does highlight one specific incidence of health inequality in relation to this disease. It appears that sufferers who are hospitalized do not have timely access to their medications due to the restrictions of ward rounds and nursing routines (Agnew, 2006). Another inequality is in access to community care assessments which provide the intense levels of care and support necessary as the disease progresses (Lloyd, 1999). Not only do Parkinson’s disease sufferers suffer from a relative difficulty in accessing and obtaining such assessments, the assessment provides only a partial picture when exploring to what extent the health and social care needs of people with Parkinson’s are being assessed (Lloyd, 1999). The assessments are apparently predominantly medical, failing to address the other range of needs, particularly social and emotional issues and everyday living needs such as personal care (Lloyd, 1999). As these assessments are generally not carried out in the person’s own home, they are inadequate in providing a true picture of the realities of the disease in individual cases (Lloyd, 1999). The more general subject of health inequalities highlights a range of factors which might adversely affect the health and wellbeing of this client group. Poor health is linked to social background factors (Iphofen, 2003). The Bromley community area encompasses a wide range of socio-economic groups, from those deemed to be in poverty through the middle classes to the affluent classes. Research has demonstrated that those low down on the social class hierarchy tend to have worse housing, poor nutritional status, are less fit and are more likely to engage in damaging or risky health behaviours (Iphofen, 2003). It is logical that these people are the most likely to become ill, die sooner, or be most in need of health and social care input and support (Iphofen, 2003). Other factors which may affect health inequalities include culture, gender and ethnicity (Iphofen, 2003). It is also important to consider the role of individual action and self-reliance (Iphofen, 2003), which may seem at odds with current political trends towards ‘nanny state’ policies which are in danger of labelling vulnerable groups and individuals as being to blame for their own ill-health. One example of this is the smoking ban, which has been legislated on the back a growing trend of refusing medical treatment to sufferers of smoking-related conditions until they have given up smoking. A similar trend appears to be occurring for obese and overweight individuals, but it would seem that this form of discrimination, whilst socially and morally wrong, is politically sanctioned. Health Problems related to Parkinson’s Disease. As can be seen from the literature, there are a wide range of health problems which affect Parkinson’s sufferers, primarily related to the disease and its symptoms and their affects on health and independence. Parkinson’s is a long term illness (Rhind, 2007; Kristjanson et al, 2006) and as such will require long term nursing and social support, surveillance and review. Parkinson’s disease causes physical disability, and affects all of the activities of daily living by restricting independence, self-reliance and self care (PDS, 2007). It can affect people’s ability to maintain relationships, carry on in employment and leisure activities, and to continue to live on their own in their own home, or with their families (PDS, 2007). Lloyd (1999) also highlights the fact that Parkinson’s disease is socially unacceptable and this can have ongoing effects for the sufferer and their carers. One of the problems associated with the disease is dysphagia, the inability to swallow or difficulty in swallowing (Miller et al, 2006). Dysphagia can have obvious physical effects, such as choking, and inability to access proper nutrition or maintain healthy weight (Miller et al, 2006; Lorefalt et al, 2006). It can also have social and psychological effects, such as embarrassment and depression, withdrawal from social eating situations and effects on family and carers (Miller et al, 2006). Treatment for dysphagia is limited, and so the condition can lead to long term alterations in nutritional state leading to interventions such as total parenteral nutrition (Miller et al, 2006; Lorefalt et al, 2006). Another associated set of symptoms are psychological symptoms. These can vary, but can present as depression, sleep, confusion and delirium, hallucinations and dementia (Nazarko, 2005). These can be challenging conditions to treat, and may require a mixture of support, psychiatric intervention, pharmacological intervention and sedation, and family/carer support (Nazarko, 2005). Such symptoms represent a considerable demand on existing services, and as yet, there are no specialist psychiatric services for this client group within the locality under discussion. Addressing Health Inequalities by Condition Management The Department of Health (2001) stresses the following are necessary to combat the continued inequalities experienced by the older age group in accessing services and support: an integrated approach between local authorities and health services; strong clinical and managerial leadership; service user and carer representation at every level; working parties and management groups which continually address and review the situation. Other actions include workforce development (DH, 2001), and there may be a greater need for training and awareness-raising, particularly with nursing staff. Nursing staff need to listen more to Parkinson’s sufferers when providing care (Agnew, 2006). Another issue is the proper assessment of older people’s conditions (DH, 2001), which is important as Parkinson’s disease can present as one of a complex range of multiple diseases or conditions. Modern management of Parkinson’s disease (PD) aims to obtain symptom control, to reduce clinical disability, and to improve quality of life (Pacchetti et al, 2000). Specific instruments or tools may be necessary as part of the assessment process (Heffernan and Jenkinson, 2005). The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellece (NICE, 2006) make the following recommendations: people with suspected Parkinson’s disease should be seen by a specialist within six weeks; new referrals with later progress of disease should be seen within two weeks; there should be regular, ongoing review of the condition; sufferers should be empowered to participate in their care; and all people with Parkinsons should have regular access to specialist nursing care to provide monitoring and adjustment of medication, a point of contact for support including home visits and a reliable source of information about clinical and social matters relevant to Parkinsons disease. There is a need to access and engage with psychiatric services due to the long-term psychological and emotional effects of the disease (Lloyd, 1999). NICE (2006) argue strongly for specialist nurses and multidisciplinary clinics, which would be appropriate given the complex presentation of the disease. T his comprehensive approach would go a long way to reducing the inequalities experienced by this age group. However, the local services in Bromley may not be currently resourced adequately to meet such targets. Other interventions might also include speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and of course palliative care services (Carter, 2006). The local trust has service provision in all these areas, and all but the last can be demonstrated to be involved in the care of clients with Parkinson’s disease in Bromley. However, it might be that more provision and more targeted provision might be necessary to reduce the inequalities suffered by this client group. Some literature suggests the use of complementary therapies such as massage to support those with the condition (Patterson et al, 2005). Other therapies such as music therapy might be appropriate (Pachetti et al, 2000). Music as a therapy acts as a specific stimulus to obtain motor and emotional responses by combining movement and stimulation of different sensory pathways (Pacchetti et al, 2000). In a prospective, randomised controlled trial, music therapy was found to be effective on motor, affective, and behavioral fu nctions, and as such would be a valid addition to therapy programmes for people with Parkinson’s disease (Pacchetti et al, 2000). One example of successful care management has been described by Holloway (2006), who reports in the implementation of a care pathway to meet specific needs. The pathway is user-led, conceptualising the user/carer as the communications centre, resourced and supported in the management of their situation by the professionals to achieve their own integrated package of care (Holloway, 2006). This pathway takes into account individual disease presentation, social factors, severity of illness and degree of use of services (Holloway, 2006). The research showed this pathway to be feasible for implementation within standard, existing clinics and was well received by clients and carers (Holloway, 2006). Another programme which has demonstrated some success and positive outcomes is a club for patients and their carers at a day hospital in Bridlington (Nasar and Bankar, 2006). The multidisciplinary team use the club for patient assessment, education and disease management, while it also provides the patients and carers with a forum for discussion and an opportunity for social interaction (Nasar and Bankar, 2006). Another important aspect of reducing health inequalities is in developing alliances with service users and engaging with specific groups who are socially excluded (Watterson, 2003). It may be that the reason that Parkinson’s sufferers feel so excluded is due to nurses’ perceptions of them as less than cognitively competent, due to prejudices about the nature of the disease. Service users have important and often critical knowledge and experience about their lives, condition, symptoms and responses to treatment (Watterson, 2003), which could greatly enhance both policy planning and direction and individual care planning and ongoing disease management. There are challenges associated with attempting such engagement, and even further policy and procedure planning, with associated resource input, would be needed to ensure accessibility, effective communication and responsiveness. Conclusion As has been demonstrated, sufferers of Parkinson’s disease, itself a complex aetiology, presentation and progression, have a range of specific and challenging needs which are not being met by the local services in Bromley. While some services exist, there are other models of care, management, assessment and monitoring which have been demonstrated to be effective in other localities, which may be appropriate for this specific client group. Services need to be client centred and comprehensive, utilising tools and guidelines developed specifically for the disease and its symptoms. Services must also be multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and also holistic. However, the provision of such services may not be practical within the current NHS climate. With the direction set out in government and NICE documents, however, it would appear that the drive to improve such services will go ahead. This essay addresses a very small, confined client group with a specific disease presentation. However the scope of health inequalities across the whole population may be much wider and more disturbing. It would appear that there is a need for targeted programmes to tackle health inequalities in almost every service, but if these can be addressed in one area, they can be addressed across the whole service to counteract years of unequal access and provision which have continued to fail those in most need. 3,000 words. References Agnew, T. (2006). Nurses out of step with Parkinsons patients. Nursing Older People. 18(6). 8-9 Carter, L. (2006) The role of specialist nurses in managing Parkinsons disease. Primary Health Care. 16(8). 20-2. Costello, J. Haggart, M. (eds.) (2003) Public Health and Society Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Department of Health (2001) The National Service Framework for Older People Available from www.dh.gov.uk. Accessed 14-4-07. Heffernan, C. Jenkinson, C. (2005) Measuring outcomes for neurological disorders: a review of disease-specific health status instruments for three degenerative neurological conditions. Chronic Illness. 1(2). pp. 131-42 Holloway, M. (2006) Traversing the network: a user-led Care Pathway approach to the management of Parkinsons disease in the community Health Social Care in the Community 14 (1), 63–73 Iphofen, R. (2003) Social and individual factors influencing public health. In: Costello, J. Haggart, M. (2003). Public Health and Society Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Kristjanson, L., Aoun, S., Yates, P. (2006) Are supportive services meeting the needs of Australians with neurodegenerative conditions and their families? Journal of Palliative Care 10 (2). Lloyd, M. (1999) The new community care for people with Parkinson’s disease and their carers. In: Percival, R. Hobson, P. (eds.) (2003) Parkinson’s Disease: Studies in Psychological and Social Care. London: MPG Books Ltd. Lorefalt, B; Granerus, A; Unosson, M. (2006). Avoidance of solid food in weight losing older patients with Parkinsons disease. Journal of Clinical Nursing 15(11) 1404-12. MacDonald, B.K., Cockerell, O.C., Sander, J.W.A.S. Shorvon, S.D. (2000). The incidence and lifetime prevalence of neurological disorders in a prospective community-based study in the UK. Brain 123 665-676. Miller, N; Noble, E; Jones, D. (2006) Hard to swallow: dysphagia in Parkinsons disease. Age Ageing. 35(6) 614-8. Nasar, M; Bankar, R. (2006) Improving outcome in Parkinsons disease. British Journal of Hospital Medicine. 67(1). pp. 6-7 Nazarko, L. (2005) Part 3: psychological effects of Parkinsons disease. Nursing Residential Care. 7(6).261-4. NICE (2006) Draft Guideline on Parkinson’s Disease Available from www.nice.org.uk Accessed 14-4-07. Pacchetti, C., Mancini, F., Aglieri, R. et al (2000). Active Music Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease: An Integrative Method for Motor and Emotional Rehabilitation. Psychosomatic Medicine 62 (3) 386-393. Parkinson’s Disease Society http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/ Accessed 14-4-07. Paterson, C; Allen, J; Browning, M. (2005). A pilot study of therapeutic massage for people with Parkinsons disease: the added value of user involvement. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 11(3). 161-71. Pentland, B. (1999) The nature and course of Parkinson’s disease. In: Percival, R. Hobson, P. (eds.) (2003) Parkinson’s Disease: Studies in Psychological and Social Care. London: MPG Books Ltd. Percival, R. Hobson, P. (eds.) (2003) Parkinson’s Disease: Studies in Psychological and Social Care. London: MPG Books Ltd. Rhind, G. (2007) Managing Parkinsons disease over the longer term. Independent Nurse. 22 Jan. pp. 18-9 Wacker, R.R., Roberto, K.A. Piper, L.E. (1998) Community Resources For Older Adults: Programs and Services in an Era of Change London: Sage Publications, Inc Watterson, A. (ed.) (2003) Public Health in Practice Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan http://www.bromleyhospitals.nhs.uk/referrers/clinical-services/elderly-medicine/ Accessed 14-4-07.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) and George Orwell :: Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 Essays

1984 and George Orwell 1984 is about life in a world where no personal freedoms exist. Winston the main character is a man of 39 whom is not extraordinary in either intelligence or character, but is disgusted with the world he lives in. He works in the Ministry of Truth, a place where history and the truth is rewritten to fit the party's beliefs. Winston is aware of the untruths, because he makes them true. This makes him very upset with the government of Oceania, where Big Brother, a larger than life figure, controls the people. His dissatisfaction increases to a point where he rebels against the government in small ways. Winston's first act of rebellion is buying and writing in a diary. This act is known as a thought crime and is punishable by death. A thought crime is any bad thought against the government of Oceania. Winston commits many thought crimes and becomes paranoid about being caught, which he knows is inevitable (Greenblast 113). He becomes paranoid because a young woman who is act ively involved in many community groups follows him. Winston is obsessed with the past, a time before Oceania was under strict dictatorship. He goes into an antique shop and buys a shell covered in glass, which is another crime punishable by death. He sees the same woman following him. Many thoughts race through his mind "I wanted to rape you and then murder you afterwards. Two weeks ago I thought seriously of smashing your head in with a cobblestone. If you really want to know, I imagined that you had something to do with the Thought Police" (Orwell 101). The girl who was following him slipped him a note while at work. The note said, "I love you"(Orwell 90). They make plans to meet each other and carry on an illegal love affair. This love affair is another rebellion against the government. It goes on for some time. Winston rents a room where he and Julia can be secluded from the outside world. They meet a man named O'Brien who indicates that he is another revolutionary . Winston and Julia go to his house to meet with him. O'Brien gives than a seditious book to read.

William Carlos Williams The Rose - A Symbol of Love :: Williams Rose Essays

William Carlos Williams' The Rose - A Symbol of Love William Carlos Williams was a poet and writer who defied norms and constrictions in order to achieve new perspective and enlightenment, especially when it involved the tried and true. He sought to bring new life to old concepts through allowing imagination to shape the form, instead of allowing old ideas to influence our understanding of the subject. This is especially true in the poem "The Rose", which approaches a subject that may induce thoughts of significant others and prom-night disasters, and instead elaborates on the roots of the age-old symbol for love. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what this poem is about, so hopefully something will make sense by the end of this paper. The poem starts out as a description of the flower that we all have either received, given, longed for, or been cut by. Instantly, there is the feel of conflict in the language that is being used. Abrasive, heavy words that could be used to describe a murder are mixed with other words that seem to convey a sense of hope and spacial energy. The clusters of thought that somehow constitute a complete sentence make the reading somewhat difficult from the very beginning, but it seems to take on a multi-layered personality as the poem plays itself out. Although there is no mention of the thorny stem, words such as 'sharper', 'cutting', and 'edge', instead describe the flower itself. The constant reference to materials that possess qualities different from any rose such as 'metal', 'copper', 'broken plate", and 'steel', serve to indicate that this flower is being seen through a set of eyes that have perhaps been cast and hardened by the capacity for love. In contrast to the Nine-Inch Nails words, there are several phrases that become rather ethereal in their incantation. "Grooved columns of air", "But if it ends the start has begun", and "penetrates the Milky Way without contact" all seem to place this flower at the very center of nothingness. This contrast brings to mind high quality photography, which can make an image seem to have sharp edges and contrast greatly with its background.

Symptoms and Treatment of Bronchitis :: Health Medicine

Symptoms and Treatment of Bronchitis Bronchitis is the inflammation of the bronchi. It may develop suddenly, following a head cold (acute bronchitis), or it may persist or return regularly for many years, causing progressive degeneration of the bronchi and lungs (chronic bronchitis). Certain people are more susceptible than others; Men are more of a target to bronchitis than women, out numbering them 10 to 1 cc the reasons are unclear. Of course smokers are 50 times more likely to get chronic bronchitis than nonsmokers. Acute bronchitis is a bacteria or virus infection, often following a cold smoking. People who have acute bronchitis usually have a mild fever, soreness under breast bone, irritated by coughing. First they have a dry cough then the cough later brings up green and yellow mucus. The cough may persist to 4 to 6 weeks. Chronic bronchitis is produced by other chronic problems: sinusitis, smoking, TB, etc. The Bronchi becomes thick, inelastic, and accumulate mucus and pus in lower part of lungs instead of bringing discharges up and out. The result is chronic cough, shortness of breath, sometimes spasm, and frequent infection. In acute bronchitis, the basic symptoms are a head cold, fever and chills, running nose, aching muscles and possibly back pains. This is soon followed by the obvious persistent cough. At first the cough is dry and racking and eventually becomes phlegmy. The persistent cough is worse at night than during the day, and when the person breathes in smoke and fumes. The main symptoms most recognized in chronic bronchitis is, again, a cough, with sputum, often occurring in paroxysms. Other symptoms in chronic bronchitis are dependant on how much, or how little, emphysema is present. This disorder causes the lungs to become overstretched, making the breathing process difficult. The chronic bronchitic with no emphysema tends to be overweight and often has a bluish tinge to his or her lips due to lack of oxygen. Shortness of breath only occurs during exercise and other strenuous activity. The bronchitic with a great deal of emphysema, who has lost a lot of his or her oxygen cc exchanging ability, due to the condition, is short of breath at all times. The bronchitic with emphysema very often are underweight and, as the disease comes worse, develops a barrel chest. The Chronic bronchitic also wheezes because of the obstruction. NOTE: Emphysema is a state of overdistention of the tiny air-containing sacs of the lung. The cause of bronchitis are from viral or bacterial infections which spreads to the chest.

Awarness and Attitude of Primary Teachers Towards Child Rights Education Essay

The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines basic rights of children covering multiple needs and issues. India endorsed it on December 11, 1992. Following are a few rights in the immediate purview of Smile Foundation as well as India. The right to Education: 50% of Indian children aged 6-18 do not go to school Dropout rates increase alarmingly in class III to V, its 50% for boys, 58% for girls. The right to Expression: Every child has a right to express himself freely in which ever way he likes. Majority of children however are exploited by their elders and not allowed to express. The right to Information: Every child has a right to know his basic rights and his position in the society. High incidence of illiteracy and ignorance among the deprived and underprivileged children prevents them from having access to information about them and their society. The right to Nutrition: More than 50% of India’s children are malnourished. While one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished. The right to Health & Care: 58% of India’s children below the age of 2 years are not fully vaccinated. And 24% of these children do not receive any form of vaccination. Over 60% of children in India are anemic. 95 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their fifth birthday. 70 in every 1000 children born in India, do not see their first birthday. The right to protection from Abuse: There are approximately 2 million child commercial sex workers between the age of 5 and 15 years and about 3. 3 million between 15 and 18 years. They form 40% of the total population of commercial sex workers in India. 500,000 children are forced into this trade every year. The right to protection from Exploitation: 17 million children in India work as per official estimates. A study found that children were sent to work by compulsion and not by choice, mostly by parents, but with recruiter playing a crucial role in influencing decision. When working outside the family, children put in an average of 21 hours of labour per week. Poor and bonded families often â€Å"sell† their children to contractors who promise lucrative jobs in the cities and the children end up being employed in brothels, hotels and domestic work. Many run away and find a life on the streets. The right to protection from Neglect: Every child has a right to lead a well protected and secure life away from neglect. However, children working under exploitative and inhuman conditions get neglected badly. The right to Development: Every child has the right to development that lets the child explore her/his full potential. Unfavourable living conditions of underprivileged children prevents them from growing in a free and uninhibited way. The right to Recreation: Every child has a right to spend some time on recreational pursuits like sports, entertainment and hobbies to explore and develop. Majority of poor children in India do not get time to spend on recreational activities. The right to Name & Nationality: Every child has a right to identify himself with a nation. A vast majority of underprivileged children in India are treated like commodities and exported to other countries as labour or prostitutes. The right to Survival: Of the 12 million girls born in India, 3 million do not see their fifteenth birthday, and a million of them are unable to survive even their first birthday. Every sixth girl child’s death is due to gender discrimination. Child Rights in India: An Introduction India is a party to the UN  declaration on the Rights of the Child 1959. Accordingly, it adopted a National Policy on Children in 1974. The policy reaffirmed the constitutional provisions for adequate services to children, both before and after birth and through the period of growth to ensure their full physical, mental and social development. Accordingly, the government is taking action to review the national and state legislation and bring it in line with the provisions of the Convention. It has also developed appropriate monitoring procedures to assess progress in implementing the Convention-involving various stake holders in the society. India is also a signatory to the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children. In pursuance of the commitment made at the World Summit, the Department of Women and Child Development under the Ministry of Human Resource Development has formulated a National Plan of Action for Children. Most of the recommendations of the World Summit Action Plan are reflected in India’s National Plan of Action- keeping in mind the needs, rights and aspirations of 300 million children in the country. The priority areas in the Plan are health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and environment. The Plan gives special consideration to children in difficult circumstances and aims at providing a framework, for actualization of the objectives of the Convention in the Indian context. Status of Children in India. Recent UNICEF (2005) report on the state of the world’s children under the title â€Å"Childhood Under Threat† , speaking about India, states that millions of Indian children are equally deprived of their rights to survival, health, nutrition, education and safe drinking water. It is reported that 63 per cent of them go to bed hungry and 53 per cent suffer from chronic malnutrition. The report says that 147 million children live in kuchcha houses, 77 million do not use drinking water from a tap, 85 million are not being immunized, 27 million are severely underweight and 33 million have never been to school. It estimates that 72 million children in India between five and 14 years do not have access to basic education. A girl child is the worst victim as she is often neglected and is discriminated against because of the preference for a boy child. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights In order to ensure child rights practices and in response to India’s commitment to UN declaration to this effect, the government of India set up a National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The Commission is a statutory body notified under an Act of the Parliament on December 29, 2006. Besides the chairperson, it will have six members from the fields of child health, education, childcare and development, juvenile justice, children with disabilities, elimination of child labour, child psychology or sociology and laws relating to children. The Commission has the power to inquire into complaints and take suo motu notice of matters relating to deprivation of child’s rights and non-implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children among other things. Aimed at examining and reviewing the safeguards provided by the law to protect child rights, the Commission will recommend measures for their effective implementation. It will suggest amendments, if needed, and look into complaints or take suo motu notice of cases of violation of the constitutional and legal rights of children. The Commission is to ensure proper enforcement of child rights and effective implementation of laws and programmes relating to children- enquiring into complaints and take suo motu  cognizance of matters relating to deprivation of child rights; non-implementation of laws providing for protection and development of children and non-compliance of policy decisions, guidelines or instructions aimed at their welfare and announcing relief for children and issuing remedial measures to the state governments. Convention on the Rights of the Child Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989 Right to education From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search. The right to education is a universal entitlement to education, a right that is recognized as a human right. According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all[1], an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all, in particular by the progressive introduction of free secondary education[2], as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education, ideally by the progressive introduction of free higher education. [3] The right to education also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education. In addition to these access to education provisions, the right to education encompasses the obligation to rule out discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards and to improve quality of education. [4] International legal basis The right to education is law in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Articles 200 and 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. [5][6][7] The right to education has been reaffirmed in the 1960 UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education and the 1981 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. [8] In Europe, Article 2 of the first Protocol of 20 March 1952 to the European Convention on Human Rights states that the right to education is recognized as a human right and is understood to establish an entitlement to education. According to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the right to education includes the right to free, compulsory primary education for all, an obligation to develop secondary education accessible to all in particular by the progressive introduction of free secondary education, as well as an obligation to develop equitable access to higher education in particular by the progressive introduction of free higher education. The right to education also includes a responsibility to provide basic education for individuals who have not completed primary education. In addition to these access to education provisions, the right to education encompasses also the obligation to eliminate discrimination at all levels of the educational system, to set minimum standards and to improve quality. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has applied this norm for example in the Belgian linguistic case. [9] Article 10 of the European Social Charter guarantees the right to vocational education. [10] Definition Education narrowly refers to formal institutional instructions. Generally, international instruments use the term in this sense and the right to education, as protected by international human rights instruments, refers primarily to education in a narrow sense. The 1960 UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education defines education in Article 1(2) as: â€Å"all types and levels of education, (including) access to education, the standard and quality of education, and the conditions under which it is given. â€Å"[11] In a wider sense education may describe â€Å"all activities by which a human group transmits to its descendants a body of knowledge and skills and a moral code which enable the group to subsist†. [11] In this sense education refers to the transmission to a subsequent generation of those skills needed to perform tasks of daily living, and further passing on the social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical values of the particular community. The wider meaning of education has been recognised in Article 1(a) of UNESCO’s 1974 Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. [12] The article states that education implies: â€Å"the entire process of social life by means of which individuals and social groups learn to develop consciously within, and for the benefit of, the national and international communities, the whole of their personal capabilities, attitudes, aptitudes and knowledge. â€Å"[11] The European Court of Human Rights has defined education in a narrow sense as â€Å"teaching or instructions†¦ in particular to the transmission of knowledge and to intellectual development† and in a wider sense as â€Å"the whole process whereby, in any society, adults endeavour to transmit their beliefs, culture and other values to the young. â€Å"[11] Assessment of fulfilment The fulfilment of the right to education can be assessed using the 4 As framework, which asserts that for education to be a meaningful right it must be available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. The 4 As framework was developed by the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Katarina Tomasevski, but is not necessarily the standard used in every international human rights instrument and hence not a generic guide to how the right to education is treated under national law. [13] The 4 As framework proposes that governments, as the prime duty-bearer, has to respect, protect and fulfil the right to education by making education available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable. The framework also places duties on other stakeholders in the education process: the child, which as the privileged subject of the right to education has the duty to comply with compulsory education requirements, the parents as the ‘first educators’, and professional educators, namely teachers. [13] The 4 As have been further elaborated as follows:[14] * Availability – funded by governments, education is universal, free and compulsory. There should be proper infrastructure and facilities in place with adequate books and materials for students. Buildings should meet both safety and sanitation standards, such as having clean drinking water. Active recruitment, proper training and appropriate retention methods should ensure that enough qualified staff is available at each school. [15] * Accessibility – all children should have equal access to school services regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity or socio-economic status. Efforts should be made to ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups including children of refugees, the homeless or those with disabilities. There should be no forms of segregation or denial of access to any students. This includes ensuring that proper laws are in place against any child labour or exploitation to prevent children from obtaining primary or secondary education. Schools must be within a reasonable distance for children within the community, otherwise transportation should be provided to students, particularly those that might live in rural areas, to ensure ways to school are safe and convenient. Education should be affordable to all, with textbooks, supplies and uniforms provided to students at no additional costs. [16] * Acceptability – the quality of education provided should be free of discrimination, relevant and culturally appropriate for all students. Students should not be expected to conform to any specific religious or ideological views. Methods of teaching should be objective and unbiased and material available should reflect a wide array of ideas and beliefs. Health and safety should be emphasized within schools including the elimination of any forms of corporal punishment. Professionalism of staff and teachers should be maintained. [17] * Adaptability – educational programs should be flexible and able to adjust according to societal changes and the needs of the community. Observance of religious or cultural holidays should be respected by schools in order to accommodate students, along with providing adequate care to those students with disabilities. [18] A number of international NGOs and charities work to realise the right to education using a rights-based approach to development. [citation needed] Historical development. In Europe, before the Enlightenment of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, education was the responsibility of parents and the church. With the French and American Revolution education was established also as a public function. It was thought that the state, by assuming a more active role in the sphere of education, could help to make education available and accessible to all. Education had thus far been primarily available to the upper social classes and public education was perceived as a means of realising the egalitarian ideals underlining both revolutions. [19] However, neither the American Declaration of Independence (1776) nor the French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) protected the right to education as the liberal concepts of human rights in the nineteenth century envisaged that parents retained the primary duty for providing education to their children. It was the states obligation to ensure that parents complied with this duty, and many states enacted legislation making school attendance compulsory. Furthermore child labour laws were enacted to limit the number of hours per day children could be employed, to ensure children would attend school. States also became involved in the legal regulation of curricula and established minimum educational standards. [20] In On Liberty John Stuart Mill wrote that an â€Å"education established and controlled by the State should only exist, if it exists at all, as one among many competing experiments, carried on for the purpose of example and stimulus to keep the others up to a certain standard of excellence. † Liberal thinkers of the nineteenth century pointed to the dangers to too much state involvement in the sphere of education, but relied on state intervention to reduce the dominance of the church, and to protect the right to education of children against their own parents. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, educational rights were included in domestic bills of rights. [21] The 1849 Paulskirchenverfassung, the constitution of the German Empire, strongly influenced subsequent European constitutions and devoted Article 152 to 158 of its bill of rights to education. The constitution recognised education as a function of the state, independent of the church. Remarkable at the time, the constitution proclaimed the right to free education for the poor, but the constitution did not explicitly require the state to set up educational institutions. Instead the constitution protected the rights of citizens to found and operate schools and to provide home education. The constitution also provided for freedom of science and teaching, and it guaranteed the right of everybody to choose a vocation and train for it. [22] The nineteenth century also saw the development of socialist theory, which held that the primary task of the state was to ensure the economic and social well-being of the community through government intervention and regulation. Socialist theory recognised that individuals had claims to basic welfare services against the state and education was viewed as one of these welfare entitlements. This was in contrast to liberal theory at the time, which regarded non-state actors as the prime providers of education. Socialist ideals were enshrined in the 1936 Soviet Constitution, which was the first constitution to recognise the right to education with a corresponding obligation of the state to provide such education. The constitution guaranteed free and compulsory education at all levels, a system of state scholarships and vocational training in state enterprises. Subsequently the right to education featured strongly in the constitutions of socialist states. [23] As a political goal, right to education was declared in F. D. Roosevelt’s 1944 speech on the Second Bill of Rights. Implementation. International law does not protect the right to pre-primary education and international documents generally omit references to education at this level. [24] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to education, hence the right applies to all individuals, although children are understood as the main beneficiaries. [25] The rights to education are separated into three levels: * Primary (Elemental or Fundamental) Education. This shall be compulsory and free for any child regardless of their nationality, gender, place of birth, or any other discrimination. Upon ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights States must provide free primary education within two years. * Secondary (or Elementary, Technical and Professional in the UDHR) Education must be generally available and accessible. * Higher Education (at the University Level) should be provided according to capacity. That is, anyone who meets the necessary education standards should be able to go to university. Both secondary and higher education shall be made accessible â€Å"by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education†. [26] Compulsory education The realisation of the right to education on a national level may be achieved through compulsory education, or more specifically free compulsory primary education, as stated in both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. [27][28] Action For Children (AFC) Action for Children (AFC) conceptualised by Wild Ganzen and supported by Net4Kids and Kids Rights aims at involving privileged citizens, civil society groups and various institutions including corporates in the development process. This programme supported by the Dutch Government promoted consortium (Wild Ganzen, Net4Kids and Kids Rights) has given a boost to the initiative. The programme is being implemented in three developing economies of the world namely Brazil, South Africa and India. Smile Foundation joined hands with the Consortium in April 2008 and since then has been executing the programme in India. The objective is to stimulate more fortunate mass to be a part of the development process and ensure sustainability of grassroots initiatives across India. Through AFC, Smile Foundation encourages people to ‘stand up and act’ to bring a change in the lives of underprivileged children and youth. Action For Children is based on the concept that development is a people’s issue and not just the government’s concern. With this premise, the Foundation has been striving to build a civil society that owes responsibility for societal development and participate whole-heartedly in transforming the lives of underprivileged children. Through AFC, Smile Foundation encourages individuals, civil society groups, corporate houses, professional associations, schools, colleges, youth wings to participate in the development process. The Action for Children programme sensitizes and involves the fortunate mass through: 1. Local Actions Local Action connotes organizing an event to raise funds for a child centric project. It can be organised by individuals, groups and institutions in their region. Local action aims at sensitization and consequent involvement of the privileged mass in raising funds for children through various activities 2. KidsXL KidsXL is a school exchange programme wherein children of privileged school and underprivileged school are brought together under one platform. Several interactive sessions and special activities are organized for the children. KidsXL aims at bringing the children from both the segments closer, thereby reducing social disparities. In the process, the children also learn to be sensitive and responsible towards the society 3. Media Advocacy The aim is to involve media in creating awareness among the people and advocating the cause before a wide audience. The Foundation sensitizes people through documentaries, Public Service Advertisements, news features, advocacy campaigns, rallies etc. 4. Corporate Social Responsibility CSR aims at sensitising and involving corporates in the development process. It gives the corporates an opportunity to give back to the society. It is based on a partnership model wherein corporates partner with Smile Foundation either to support the whole or a part of capital cost or running cost of a child centric project. The inherent objective of the programme is to ensure that the development activities become locally sustainable. For further information contact at afc. north@smilefoundationindia. org    Journal 1. Discipline for Life: Getting It Right with Children. (ED458959) Share Author(s):| Swift, Madelyn| Source:| N/A| | Pub Date:| 1999-00-00| Pub Type(s):| Books; Opinion Papers| Peer Reviewed:| | | Descriptors: Anger;  Child Rearing;  Children;  Cooperation;  Discipline;  Expectation;  Parent Child Relationship;  Parents;  Parents as Teachers;  Praise;  Problem Solving;  Self Esteem;  Teachers;  Timeout Abstract: Based on the view that how parents discipline their children in the early years plays a significant role in determining their child’s future behavior and relationships, this book offers advice for helping parents teach their children to accept responsibility for their own behavior, to form healthy relationships, develop sound and helpful communication, acquire correct principles to guide their lives, use problem solving, discover resourcefulness and negotiating skills, and deal with anger. Although addressed primarily to parents, the book is also directed to teachers and early childhood educators. The book is presented in six sections: (1) â€Å"The Journey Begins,† introducing the fundamental principles of discipline; (2) â€Å"Vision,† presenting a vision of parenting, including information on the current status of America’s children and suggestions for deciding what parents want to teach their children and how they can decide what lesson needs to be learned; (3) â€Å"Gaining Cooperation without Losing Your Mind!,† identifying barriers to cooperation and suggesting ways to use respectful language and teach children respect as a second language; (4) â€Å"Don’t Start What You Can’t Finish,† presenting tips on using various discipline strategies and the consequences of those strategies, problem-solving strategies, and dealing with temper tantrums; (5) â€Å"Building Self-Esteem,† discussing the importance of self-esteem, and presenting ways to help children develop important life beliefs paralleling the components of self-esteem (existence, accomplishment, and mistakes); and (6)†The Journey Continues,† reinforcing the view of parenting as a challenging process for everyone. (Contains 37 references. ) (KB) Journal 2. Knowledge, practice and attitude toward epilepsy among primary and secondary school teachers in South Gezira locality, Gezira State, Sudan Haydar E. Babikar and Islam M. Abbas1 Author information > Copyright and License information > Go to: Abstract Objective: The attitudes toward school pupils with epilepsy are influenced by the degree of school teachers’ knowledge of the disorder. Teachers usually do not receive any formal instructions on epilepsy during their training. This study aims to assess school teachers’ knowledge, attitude and practice when dealing with epilepsy in school children. Materials and Methods: This study was part of a series mandated by the Gezira Epilepsy Care Programme (GECP), to obtain baseline data for a community-adapted epilepsy education program. A pretested, semi-structured, 35-items questionnaire was the investigational tool. It was used to evaluate the knowledge of the basic facts about epilepsy among school teachers in this cross-sectional study. The questionnaire allowed teachers to express their opinions by means of free answers. The schools were chosen at random but not in a systematic equiprobability design. Two hundred teachers from public primary (100) and secondary (100) schools in the rural area of south Gezira Locality, Gezira State, Central Sudan, were recruited. Results: In this study, the majority of respondents had never been informed about epilepsy and therefore gave evasive answers to many questions. Few of the respondents considered epilepsy as contagious. None of participants objected to having epileptic children in their classes. Only 47 teachers (47%) in the primary schools had any knowledge of the initial procedures to help a child in seizure, presenting reasonable answers, compared to 64 (64%) teachers in the secondary schools. Recommendations: All school teachers should be given some kind of training in health services. The GECP should involve teachers in its current training programs for caregivers and lay association to help epileptic patients. INTRODUCTION Epilepsy, one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide, with a prevalence rate of 2. 8-19. 5 per 1,000 of the general population, is more prevalent in early years of life. [1,2] It accounts for 1% of the global burden of disease and about 80% of this burden is in the developing world such as Sudan, where in some areas 80-90% of affected people receive no treatment at all. Epilepsy is currently recognized by many countries and concerned associations as a public health problem. Persons with epilepsy are at the risk of developing a variety of psychological problems including depression, anxiety and psychosis. [3,4] Sociocultural attitudes continue to have a negative impact on the management of epilepsy in many African countries. [5] The disorder is associated with superstition, discrimination and stigma in many of the countries. [6] Still deeply rooted in these communities the idea that the cause of these frightening attacks is possession by evil spirits. Widespread ignorance, fear and misunderstanding has contributed negatively to the management of epilepsy. Thus, many children who have seizures of any kind are first seen and treated by religious or traditional healers. [7,8] Epileptic children suffer untold social deprivations and discrimination in education, which may be more devastating than the disease itself. [9] Children with epilepsy have the same range of intelligence and abilities as the rest of the population. [10] Most children with epilepsy can and should attend normal schools, their activities there limited only by certain factors. However, the attitudes toward school pupils with epilepsy are influenced by the degree of school teachers’ knowledge of the disorder. [2] Teachers usually do not have any formal instructions on epilepsy during their training, so they should be correctly informed about the disorder and encouraged to have a positive and optimistic attitude toward the condition. Other children may be quite helpful if they are aware that the seizure is benign. They should be motivated to offer help and pass on information on epileptic care to their family and friends. [11] To date, there is little research on public attitudes toward epileptics in the Sudan. In order to ensure the proper management of epilepsy, it is important to have a clear understanding of community attitudes toward the disease. The aim of this study is to ascertain the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of school teachers both at primary and secondary levels, in central Sudan regarding the causes, manifestations and treatment options of epilepsy in school children. MATERIALS AND METHODS A pretested, semi-structured, 35-items questionnaire was the investigational tool. It involved questions mainly of the yes/no/do not know variety; however, it also allowed teachers to express their opinions by means of free answers. It was used to evaluate the knowledge of the basic facts about epilepsy among school teachers in this cross-sectional study. Two hundred teachers from 11 public primary (n=100) and 11 secondary (n=100) schools, in the rural area of south Gezira Locality, Gezira State, in central Sudan, were invited to participate in the study by answering the questionnaire. The 22 schools were chosen at random, but not in a systematic equiprobability design. The following criteria: Stay beside the seizing child to protect and turn the head to one side to permit the saliva flow; keep breathing normal, were considered correct first-aid procedures for attending the seizing child. Removal of the child’s shirt and nearby objects or taking him to hospital, were considered less important. Pulling the tongue out or putting a spoon into the mouth were considered harmful and useless procedures. To verify the statistical significance of the two groups of staff or between genders, Pearson ? 2 test was used. RESULTS This study was part of a series mandated by the Gezira Epilepsy Care Programme (GECP), to obtain baseline data for a community-adapted epilepsy education program. It was designed to assess primary and secondary public school teachers, knowledge, practice on epilepsy and their attitudes toward epileptic pupils in the school. Two hundred school teachers who were recruited, responded to the questionnaire. The data relating to teachers’ characteristics are presented in Table 1. Their mean age was 38. 5.