Blood Diamond Essay

The makers of â€Å"Blood Diamond,† an exceptionally thriller starring a most excellent Leonardo DiCaprio, want you to know there may be blood on your hands, specifically your wedding finger. The story involves so-called conflict diamonds, illicitly mined stones that have been used to finance some of the most vicious wars in Africa. If films were judged solely by their good intentions, this one would be best in show. Instead, gilded in money and dripping with sanctimony, confused and mindlessly contradictory, the film is a textbook example of how easily commercialism can trump do-goodism, particularly in Hollywood. The 2006 movie (Blood Diamond) was recently seen by me, this is an American political war thriller film produced and directed by Edward Zwick, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in African war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world. During Sierra Leone Civil War in 1996–2001, the film shows a country torn apart by the struggle between government soldiers and rebels. It also portrays many of the atrocities of that war, including the rebels’ amputation of people’s hands to discourage them from voting in upcoming elections. The film’s ending, in which a conference is held concerning blood diamonds, is in reference to an actual meeting that took place in Kimberley, South Africa in 2000 and led to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which seeks to certify the origin of rough diamonds in order to curb the trade in conflict diamonds. In the face of the evidence, it is impossible to list any benefits for blood diamonds. They have been condemned by the United Nations. The sheer scale of the civil war in Sierra Leone they helped to fund, in which an estimated 120,000 people were killed from 1991 to 2001, proves that these illegitimate diamonds do nothing but cause human suffering. In February 2011, Charles Taylor’s trial before the Special Court for Sierra Leone heard that he received â€Å"mayonnaise jars† full of blood diamonds from the Revolutionary United Front, providing them with the arms they needed in return. The U. S. appens to be the largest consumer of conflict diamonds, purchasing over $33. 7 billion dollars’ worth of the rocks in 2005. Wondering what conflict diamonds are? I’m no fawning fan of DiCaprio, but the film â€Å"Blood Diamond† is nowhere near as fictional as we’d like it to be. Conflict diamonds involve abuse, corruption and death. There goes that gorgeous, shimmery, sparkling stone set in platinum I’ve been dreaming about. This movie and together with some other researches I did has made me to come into a conclusion and a question if I would ever wear a diamond. Here are important reasons, We’ve been conditioned to want a diamond. Who isn’t tired of the advertising and marketing ploys used to brainwash us into believing our value as women rests on the size of our†¦gem? (Toss that in with measurements and marital status and we’ve got an endless supply of not-good-enough. ) Marketers have thrown us a giant, glittering bone, and watched the profits pile up as we’ve chased, fetched and rolled over in order to conform to what we’ve been conditioned to believe is the only acceptable standard. Diamond prices have been artificially inflated by the diamond cartel. The average diamond sold in the U. S. has been over-graded in quality by 2 grades, and the average U. S. couple pays twice what they should for an engagement ring. Do i really want to enter into a lifelong commitment with a man who’s willing to waste his hard-earned cash on a diamond, especially when said diamond is ridiculously overpriced? Diamond mines damage the environment. This is important, even though it’s true of all types of mining, not just diamond mining. Mines are dangerous for workers (including children) and threaten our planet, too. I wish there were a way to dig that deep without so much damage. A diamond is not forever. Nothing is forever. Engagements, marriages, jobs, you name it. If they happen to last a long time, then you are indeed a very lucky person. Why do we kid ourselves into believing that a sparkling rock, delivered to us on the backs of the abused, purchased for more than it’s worth, marketed for more than it means and obtained at the expense of our own dear planet will keep love alive?.

“A Child Called It” by Dave Pelzer

The book â€Å"A Child Called It† by author Dave Pelzer quickly became my favorite book for many reasons but the most important was because it taught me that sometimes people don’t appreciate the wonderful things they have in life, until it’s too late.Reading is a huge part of my everyday life and has given me many hours of enjoyment. I read to gain information, for relaxation and entertainment, like reading the daily newspaper allows me to find out what is happening around the world, in other countries and in our local area, allows me to relax and offers a few laughs.I love finding new and interesting books to read, so one day when I asked my sister for suggestions in finding a book to read, she told me to read â€Å"A Child Called ‘It’† by author, David Pelzer.I read in this book, about one of the worst cases of child abuse, ever reported in the state of California, which has been documented by the child, in this book.David Pelzer provides a very detailed outline of his terrible life after growing up as a son of an alcoholic mother and a father, who stood by and watched the abuse.The story takes a circular trip around the many years of abuse of the boy. He begins by telling us what ended the torment and pain, and continues through the pages, telling us about the haunting years that followed.In one section of the book, Pelzer speaks of the unthinkable horror his mother put him through by explaining that when he was younger, Dave and his family were considered the â€Å"perfect† family but one day his mother and father began drinking and developed problems in their relationship.Dave began experiencing the worst treatment, imaginable. His mother quickly began   treating him as a nobody or an â€Å"It†. His dad wouldn’t address the problems that reeked havoc in his life, which caused Dave to hate him.Dave’s mother did many horrible things to him that he will never forget. He was singled out fo r abuse by his mother, since he had two brothers that never received their mother’s harsh beatings and cruelty.David’s mother would starve him for weeks at a time, without giving him even a morsel of food, so he had to steal food from stores and the school, in order to survive.    One day he stole hot dogs from the school cafeteria and someone caught him. When he got home his mother made him puke it up and then eat it, again. She was so cruel that she almost went to the extent of making David eat his baby brother’s feces.Another incident occurred   when David was cleaning the kitchen floor for his mother. She suddenly stormed into the kitchen and started yelling at him, â€Å"You’ve made my life a living hell! Now it’s time I show you what hell is like!†She took him by the arm, turned on the gas stove, and burned the flesh right off his arm. She proceeded to make him take off his clothes and lay on top of the flames.She tortured him for no other reason, other than her own sick pleasure. She also made him drink ammonia, wear tattered clothes and sleep in the garage. She even had the nerve to stab David and never took him in for medical help.Not only was David banned from the family, but from the public, as well. Pelzer was granted only one change of clothing a year, which he wore daily, to school.He was unable to bathe and was often viewed   as a disgrace, by neighbors and school officials. This touching story ended with David reciting the â€Å"Lord’s Prayer† and praying for God to save him from his life of abuse.Finally, a caring policeman shows up and frees David from the prison he has endured for too many years.The sequel to this book is called â€Å"The Lost Boy.† This story offers detailed claims of the horrible abuse that David’s mother had inflicted upon him but nothing can help you to understand why someone could cause such terrible pain for their own child, especially when the other two brothers are treated with respect.We learn in this book about the struggle for survival, after David’s mother tries to turn everyone against him. She became successful at convincing everyone around David and since they believe that she is a good mother, no one believes him when he cries for help and each attempt at receiving help, he fails.It’s really sad to know that David’s dad never tried to help him and to watch as his dad is terribly controlled by the woman, who abuses him.This intense child abuse seems unbearable, especially for a young child. David’s story about survival, brings a queasy feeling to one’s stomach and stabs at the heart. Pelzer dedicated his life to pleasing his mother, fearing death that come to him, at any moment. His never ending hope kept gave him just enough strength to recover from the last painful fight.Pelzer had lived in, what looked like from the outside world, an average American family, who took vacation s, ate dinner as a family and spent the holidays together, with the one exception of `The Boy` that was continually beaten down, both mentally and physically.

A Dirty Job Chapter 1

This book is dedicated to Patricia Moss, who was as generous in sharing her death as she was in sharing her life. AND To hospice workers and volunteers all over the world. PART ONE THE SORRY BUSINESS What you seek, you shall never find. For when the Gods made man, They kept immortality for themselves. Fill your belly. Day and night make merry, Let Days be full of joy. Love the child that holds your hand. Let your wife delight in your embrace. For these alone are the concerns of man. – The Epic of Gilgamesh 1 BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH – HE KINDLY STOPPED FOR ME – Charlie Asher walked the earth like an ant walks on the surface of water, as if the slightest misstep might send him plummeting through the surface to be sucked to the depths below. Blessed with the Beta Male imagination, he spent much of his life squinting into the future so he might spot ways in which the world was conspiring to kill him – him; his wife, Rachel; and now, newborn Sophie. But despite his attention, his paranoia, his ceaseless fretting from the moment Rachel peed a blue stripe on the pregnancy stick to the time they wheeled her into recovery at St. Francis Memorial, Death slipped in. â€Å"She's not breathing,† Charlie said. â€Å"She's breathing fine,† Rachel said, patting the baby's back. â€Å"Do you want to hold her?† Charlie had held baby Sophie for a few seconds earlier in the day, and had handed her quickly to a nurse insisting that someone more qualified than he do some finger and toe counting. He'd done it twice and kept coming up with twenty-one. â€Å"They act like that's all there is to it. Like if the kid has the minimum ten fingers and ten toes it's all going to be fine. What if there are extras? Huh? Extra-credit fingers? What if the kid has a tail?† (Charlie was sure he'd spotted a tail in the six-month sonogram. Umbilical indeed! He'd kept a hard copy.) â€Å"She doesn't have a tail, Mr. Asher,† the nurse explained. â€Å"And it's ten and ten, we've all checked. Perhaps you should go home and get some rest.† â€Å"I'll still love her, even with her extra finger.† â€Å"She's perfectly normal.† â€Å"Or toe.† â€Å"We really do know what we're doing, Mr. Asher. She's a beautiful, healthy baby girl.† â€Å"Or a tail.† The nurse sighed. She was short, wide, and had a tattoo of a snake up her right calf that showed through her white nurse stockings. She spent four hours of every workday massaging preemie babies, her hands threaded through ports in a Lucite incubator, like she was handling a radioactive spark in there. She talked to them, coaxed them, told them how special they were, and felt their hearts fluttering in chests no bigger than a balled-up pair of sweat socks. She cried over every one, and believed that her tears and touch poured a bit of her own life into the tiny bodies, which was just fine with her. She could spare it. She had been a neonatal nurse for twenty years and had never so much as raised her voice to a new father. â€Å"There's no goddamn tail, you doofus! Look!† She pulled down the blanket and aimed baby Sophie's bottom at him like she might unleash a fusillade of weapons-grade poopage such as the guileless Beta Male had never seen. Charlie jumped back – a lean and nimble thirty, he was – then, once he realized that the baby wasn't loaded, he straightened the lapels on his tweed jacket in a gesture of righteous indignation. â€Å"You could have removed her tail in the delivery room and we'd never know.† He didn't know. He'd been asked to leave the delivery room, first by the ob-gyn and finally by Rachel. (â€Å"Him or me,† Rachel said. â€Å"One of us has to go.†) In Rachel's room, Charlie said: â€Å"If they removed her tail, I want it. She'll want it when she gets older.† â€Å"Sophie, your Papa isn't really insane. He just hasn't slept for a couple of days.† â€Å"She's looking at me,† Charlie said. â€Å"She's looking at me like I blew her college money at the track and now she's going to have to turn tricks to get her MBA.† Rachel took his hand. â€Å"Honey, I don't think her eyes can even focus this early, and besides, she's a little young to start worrying about her turning tricks to get her MFA.† â€Å"MBA,† Charlie corrected. â€Å"They start very young these days. By the time I figure out how to get to the track, she could be old enough. God, your parents are going to hate me.† â€Å"And that would be different how?† â€Å"New reasons, that's how. Now I've made their granddaughter a shiksa.† â€Å"She's not a shiksa, Charlie. We've been through this. She's my daughter, so she's as Jewish as I am.† Charlie went down on one knee next to the bed and took one of Sophie's tiny hands between his fingers. â€Å"Daddy's sorry he made you a shiksa.† He put his head down, buried his face in the crook where the baby met Rachel's side. Rachel traced his hairline with her fingernail, describing a tight U-turn around his narrow forehead. â€Å"You need to go home and get some sleep.† Charlie mumbled something into the covers. When he looked up there were tears in his eyes. â€Å"She feels warm.† â€Å"She is warm. She's supposed to be. It's a mammal thing. Goes with the breast-feeding. Why are you crying?† â€Å"You guys are so beautiful.† He began arranging Rachel's dark hair across the pillow, brought a long lock down over Sophie's head, and started styling it into a baby hairpiece. â€Å"It will be okay if she can't grow hair. There was that angry Irish singer who didn't have any hair and she was attractive. If we had her tail we could transplant plugs from that.† â€Å"Charlie! Go home!† â€Å"Your parents will blame me. Their bald shiksa granddaughter turning tricks and getting a business degree – it will be all my fault.† Rachel grabbed the buzzer from the blanket and held it up like it was wired to a bomb. â€Å"Charlie, if you don't go home and get some sleep right now, I swear I'll buzz the nurse and have her throw you out.† She sounded stern, but she was smiling. Charlie liked looking at her smile, always had; it felt like approval and permission at the same time. Permission to be Charlie Asher. â€Å"Okay, I'll go.† He reached to feel her forehead. â€Å"Do you have a fever? You look tired.† â€Å"I just gave birth, you squirrel!† â€Å"I'm just concerned about you.† He was not a squirrel. She was blaming him for Sophie's tail, that's why she'd said squirrel, and not doofus like everyone else. â€Å"Sweetie, go. Now. So I can get some rest.† Charlie fluffed her pillows, checked her water pitcher, tucked in the blankets, kissed her forehead, kissed the baby's head, fluffed the baby, then started to rearrange the flowers that his mother had sent, moving the big stargazer lily in the front, accenting it with a spray of baby's breath – â€Å"Charlie!† â€Å"I'm going. Jeez.† He checked the room, one last time, then backed toward the door. â€Å"Can I bring you anything from home?† â€Å"I'll be fine. The ready kit you packed covered everything, I think. In fact, I may not even need the fire extinguisher.† â€Å"Better to have it and not need it, than to need it – â€Å" â€Å"Go! I'll get some rest, the doctor will check Sophie out, and we'll take her home in the morning.† â€Å"That seems soon.† â€Å"It's standard.† â€Å"Should I bring more propane for the camp stove?† â€Å"We'll try to make it last.† â€Å"But – â€Å" Rachel held up the buzzer, as if her demands were not met, the consequences could be dire. â€Å"Love you,† she said. â€Å"Love you, too,† Charlie said. â€Å"Both of you.† â€Å"Bye, Daddy.† Rachel puppeted Sophie's little hand in a wave. Charlie felt a lump rising in his throat. No one had ever called him Daddy before, not even a puppet. (He had once asked Rachel, â€Å"Who's your daddy?† during sex, to which she had replied, â€Å"Saul Goldstein,† thus rendering him impotent for a week and raising all kinds of issues that he didn't really like to think about.) He backed out of the room, palming the door shut as he went, then headed down the hall and past the desk where the neonatal nurse with the snake tattoo gave him a sideways smile as he went by. Charlie drove a six-year-old minivan that he'd inherited from his father, along with the thrift store and the building that housed it. The minivan always smelled faintly of dust, mothballs, and body odor, despite a forest of smell-good Christmas trees that Charlie had hung from every hook, knob, and protrusion. He opened the car door and the odor of the unwanted – the wares of the thrift-store owner – washed over him. Before he even had the key in the ignition, he noticed the Sarah McLachlan CD lying on the passenger seat. Well, Rachel was going to miss that. It was her favorite CD and there she was, recovering without it, and he could not have that. Charlie grabbed the CD, locked the van, and headed back up to Rachel's room. To his relief, the nurse had stepped away from the desk so he didn't have to endure her frosty stare of accusation, or what he guessed would be her frosty stare of accusation. He'd mentally prepared a short speech about how being a good husband and father included anticipating the wants and needs of his wife and that included bringing her music – well, he could use the speech on the way out if she gave him the frosty stare. He opened the door to Rachel's room slowly so as not to startle her – anticipating her warm smile of disapproval, but instead she appeared to be asleep and there was a very tall black man dressed in mint green standing next to her bed. â€Å"What are you doing here?† The man in mint green turned, startled. â€Å"You can see me?† He gestured to his chocolate-brown tie, and Charlie was reminded, just for a second, of those thin mints they put on the pillow in nicer hotels. â€Å"Of course I can see you. What are you doing here?† Charlie moved to Rachel's bedside, putting himself between the stranger and his family. Baby Sophie seemed fascinated by the tall black man. â€Å"This is not good,† said Mint Green. â€Å"You're in the wrong room,† Charlie said. â€Å"You get out of here.† Charlie reached behind and patted Rachel's hand. â€Å"This is really, really not good.† â€Å"Sir, my wife is trying to sleep and you're in the wrong room. Now please go before – â€Å" â€Å"She's not sleeping,† said Mint Green. His voice was soft, and a little Southern. â€Å"I'm sorry.† Charlie turned to look down at Rachel, expecting to see her smile, hear her tell him to calm down, but her eyes were closed and her head had lolled off the pillow. â€Å"Honey?† Charlie dropped the CD he was carrying and shook her gently. â€Å"Honey?† Baby Sophie began to cry. Charlie felt Rachel's forehead, took her by the shoulders, and shook her. â€Å"Honey, wake up. Rachel.† He put his ear to her heart and heard nothing. â€Å"Nurse!† Charlie scrambled across the bed to grab the buzzer that had slipped from Rachel's hand and lay on the blanket. â€Å"Nurse!† He pounded the button and turned to look at the man in mint green. â€Å"What happened†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was gone. Charlie ran into the hall, but no one was out there. â€Å"Nurse!† Twenty seconds later the nurse with the snake tattoo arrived, followed in another thirty seconds by a resuscitation team with a crash cart. There was nothing they could do.

Individual Assessment (Part 2) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Individual Assessment (Part 2) - Assignment Example Programming is the act of original formulation of processes and steps within the tendering process. The definition is applicable to both the private and public sector when it comes to tender submission. Programming is a process involved with identifying the mission, objective, procedures, rules, and the manipulation of human capital of an organization in the process of seeking success (Fischer-Hübner 2006, p. 10). In order for an organization to be effective, regardless of the situation, there must be effective channels of communication within all tiers. There should be enough human motivation and responsibility of actions. As such, the tender submission requirements do not subject management, being one of the tender aspects, into the manipulation of a mechanism (Fischer-Hübner 2006, p. 10). Tender management does not have to be viewed in an enterprise point of view alone. The main reason is that programming is an essential function that improves the existence of firms and ev en individuals. There are several factors that influence programming as an aspect of the tender submission. Per se, programming assists the two sectors when it comes to procurement requirements. As observed in the public and private sector, the process of submitting tenders is a process that does not occur in isolation. The process is related to the general flow of market awareness and the awarding process of the different organizations. There are several activities that are involved (Fischer-Hübner 2006, p. 11).

Cognitive week 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cognitive week 5 - Essay Example The trace decay theory and the interference theory aim to explain the implications that result from trying to remember or recall memories; these implications being forgetting or distortion of memory which result in causing false memories in an individual. However when we look at the case by Loftus and Polage (1999) on eyewitness testimony we can see how shortly after viewing the video clips the participants answer’s to basic questions regarding what they had seen were inaccurate and false. This leads us to deduce that false memory problem can be a result of short term memory too. In court cases, mostly in 1983 to 1998, false memory in terms of claimed recovered memory of witnesses and victims had been readily accepted by the courts with convictions being solely on the reliability of these recovered memories. However it is clearer now that these alleged recovered memories have been tampered with mostly by therapists of these witnesses and can be hence be false in nature limitin g their reliability in court. For example a woman accused Dr. Thompson, a memory expert, to have raped her. However the doctor was doing a live interview just before the woman’s rape occurred. It was later discovered during a counseling session the woman’s recollection of the event had become confused and she had simply seen the doctor on television before the assault had taken place; a recollection that had been a result of a false memory (Sachter, 1996). Therefore highlighting the huge role false memory plays in the recollections by witnesses which can lead to false or inaccurate convictions if relied on solely. References Loftus, F. & Polage, D. C. (1999). Eyewitness Testimony. Psychiatric clinics of North America. 22, 61-70. Schacter, D.L. (1996). Searching for Memory - the brain, the mind, and the past. New York: Basic

Prosperity Without Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Prosperity Without Growth - Essay Example This paper illustrates that economists like Tim Jackson have deviated from the notions of economic growth, to incorporate more ideas that lead to sustainable economies. Indeed, the well-being of the individuals and households has taken center stage and the politics have been geared to address these forgotten notions. Indeed, most of the growth that had been the focus of most economies in the past has led to massive boosts in the global economy, but at the cost of the environment and the society. On this grounding, the productions and consumption activities have contributed to more than 60% of the degradation of the eco-systems, raising serious questions on whether this path will lead to sustainable development in the near future. Indeed, only a very small portion of the benefits of the global income is redistributed to the poor, worsening the gap between the rich and the poor. Getting an equitable distribution of resources, therefore, is one of the reasons that the author points to z ero economic growth in prosperity in the world economy. The notion of endless growth has engulfed modern economists, who overlook the social progress related to such kind of growth. Indeed, social stability and development are one of the key pillars of sustainability, which leads to prosperity even in the global economy. In addition, the convening of countless global economic summits to address economic growth and challenges have not prevented the world from going into countless recessions. On this platform, the capitalist movements seem to postulate an endless path of growth, spurred by economic activities of production, looking for new markets and consumption as the main drivers of growth. From this perspective, the postulation of prosperity without growth comes alive, because this continuous cycle may go on indefinitely without improvements in the standards of living of the masses. Indeed, it is imperative to note that any human activity is geared towards the improvement of welfa re, and when such a system fails, it would be preferable to have prosperity even without growth in the world.

Apprencitship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Apprencitship - Assignment Example VET is the Vocational Education and Training Network of Australia which would be primarily focused in this report since it the network that is directly concerned with the object at hand. Many researchers have previously tried to handle this subject but lack of data has withheld the reports from being comprehensive and educational, they have rather come off as reports which are unrealistic on the part of the researcher while he tries to put into writing the things which he believes are important and will need to be changed, rather than trying to gauge from the learner’s point of view as to what are the problems which befall a learner and what the learner wants to be changed. This is an important approach since in this equation; the learner is of primary importance (McDonald, Geoff, Gonczi, Hager, 1992). The aspects which have come forward in the CLARA report are that there are some basic things which need to be given importance to in the case of a good apprenticeship for a new learner. These basic things are the management, the professionalism of the teachers, and the teacher’s attention to the academic records of the student and the student’s strengths and weaknesses. ... Since the basic aim of VET is to provide quality learning, it needs to be believed that VET would provide quality learning in all of the aspects ranging from the start to the end, but is that true? (Vallence, Falk and Kilpatrick, 2001). While VET performs admirably in the areas which are developed, it has been acknowledged that there are difficulties in providing the same kind of support and quality to the areas that are lesser developed because of two primary reasons, the distance and the relatively lesser demand (TDA, 2001). There are three basic things that influence the vocational training in these areas: The education and qualifications of the teachers. Literacy and numeracy. The kind of packages being offered. When the quality of anything is being judged, it should be noticed that quality is a continuously evolving process thus it cannot be put into a specific mould at any time. But quality of vocational learning can be documented in the terms that the quality would be as high or as low as the learner’s satisfaction (Vallence, 2001). The first of the three points that were initially mentioned to be basic contributing factors were the education and qualification of the teachers. The teacher and student relationship is the most basic thing that makes a vocational learning program good or not. The teachers are graded on some basic things like the minimum education of the teachers, the commitment of theirs to the program and the pledge to uphold the quality assured by the VET (Vallence, Falk and Kilpatrick, 2001). The basic problem with trainers and teacher in the rural areas is that the program organizers cannot bargain with them. Since they are being sent to far off

Life after death in Ancient Egypt Research Paper

Life after death in Ancient Egypt - Research Paper Example Admittedly, ancient Egyptians were afraid of death and could only imagine what happened in their afterlives: â€Å"Except in imaginative tales, no one had ever come back to tell of it† (qtd. in Bricker 99). Therefore, ancient Egyptians’ beliefs about life after death deserve special attention. In the first place, it is worth considering ancient Egyptians’ attitude towards death. On one hand, people were afraid of death. Many written works suggest that people regarded it as â€Å"an enemy from which there was no escape, regardless of all preparations† (Hodel-Hoenes and Warburton 26). Everyone, be it a pharaoh or a poor, eventually dies. Thus, death was also regarded as something inevitable. This was, perhaps, one of the reasons why ancient Egyptians respected it so much. There was even The Book of the Dead which was a guideline that depicted all necessary operations to enable diseased to enter the other world and start their afterlife (Hodel-Hoenes and Warb urton 25). The book was concerned â€Å"with practical help and magical assistance for the hereafter†; it was not a simple description (Hornung and Lorton 17). Death was regarded as a turning point where people transformed and began their existence in a new form in another world. It is important to point out that ancient Egyptians’ ideas about the form of the afterlife are quite complex. Thus, there is no certain word in the ancient Egyptian language which reveals the idea of the â€Å"modern concept of soul† (Pinch 147). In ancient times Egyptians believed that â€Å"several components† of a person usually survived death (Pinch 147). The major component was the ka, â€Å"a person’s vital force† which was usually depicted as â€Å"a double† and dying was described as â€Å"joining your ka† (Pinch 147). The ka was closely connected with human body, and mummification was aimed at preserving one’s body for the ka to return to the body â€Å"for a more complete union† (Pinch 147). Mummification is worth special attention since it was essential for â€Å"successful† afterlife. Cunningham and Reich claim that mummification is a reflection of â€Å"the most striking aspect of Egyptian religious thought†, i.e. â€Å"its obsession with immortality† (11). However, James Henry Breasted found quite an interesting explanation for the existence of such beliefs and â€Å"popularity† of mummification. He claims This insistent belief in a hereafter may perhaps have been †¦ greatly favored and influenced by the fact that the conditions of soil and climate resulted in such a remarkable preservation of the human body as may be found under natural conditions nowhere else in the world. (Breasted 49) Thus, the nature itself influenced the beliefs of ancient Egyptians who worked out certain techniques to preserve human body. It goes without saying that elite had more elaborate funer al than poor people did. However, it is important to note that all people were to be buried in accordance with the necessary rituals. More so, there was even a law concerning people dying in the Nile. According to this law all people, irrespective of their social status and wealth, be it an Egyptian or a foreigner, who died in the Nile (even if the person was unidentified) should be buried â€Å"by the inhabitants of the city† and all the necessary rituals should be carried out (Chan et al. 2032). This precision is due to the beliefs that deceased who

Critique of relevant readings and other research on whole school Essay

Critique of relevant readings and other research on whole school development and SDPs linked to my SDP - Essay Example Clough and Corbett say that first education involves professionals been given the responsibility to deal with the handicapped and ‘difficult-to-teach children. Children with special needs need to be taken from normal schools to special schools, which can adequately cater for their needs. Where teachers have special training to handle them and the facilities suit them. Social response sees special education arising from social processes. It is true to say that the education acts of 1981 with its formal structure of assessment and statementing made it possible to remove the boundaries of public expenditure and made it possible to maintain the status quo. Clough and Corbett (2006) say that the different approaches to curricular all circulate upon the fact of what we ask the learner to do, how and when we ask it. This will help the learner establish success, as the community sees it. Using Stenhouse`s research they say that in order to bring into practice classroom and teaching pla ns closer a teacher evaluation is needed for curriculum development to take place. They say that it is only recently in the last decade that school effectiveness was considered something important in schools. Disability studies are entirely different from educational studies. They cite the work of Oliver who wrote the paper ‘The Social and Political Context of Educational Policy: The Case of Special Needs’. Ainscow (2006) inclusion associated with children with special needs when it comes to education. This meaning is gotten from the Education Act 1986 in which inclusion was seen as an act of temporarily or permanently removing a child from school institutions because of disciplinary causes. He defines inclusion as a process that involves overcoming pressures of exclusion, instead of seeing inclusion as being stopped from attending school, seeing it as a way of discriminatory, devaluing and self protection that takes place in the schools and society There are three defi nitions that he gives that the majority of people can accept. The first is that inclusion a way of improving the child`s participation and reducing their exclusion from cultures, the curricula and the communities of the local schools, secondly that it is revising the practices, cultures and practices so as to deal with the different variety of students in schools, and lastly the participation, presence and achievement of children how are likely to face exclusion pressures. Practices such as the reduction of bullying and including parents and professionals in the surroundings of the school in its running are also key aspects of inclusion. Staff in learning institutions should be included when making decisions about learning and teaching activities. The various identities and family backgrounds of the students should also be put into consideration; this will support learning and boost participation of students in school work (Holye, 1). Hoyle (2008) the government wanted that every ch ild no matter their background to have access to health and that they are safe, able to enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and that they are able to their economic well-being. This involves the institutions giving these services to children such as hospitals, the police and school coming together and establishing ways of delivering their services effectively. There are other challenges that the government of England has to deal with other

Fair Trade Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Fair Trade Principles - Essay Example Scarce commodities are considered much more important than commodities available in abundance hence there is a significant difference between the prices of scarce commodities and the commodities which are available in abundance. Let us now consider the demand aspect of the price theory, the demand aspect of the price theory is driven by an important factor which is how desperately a consumer is in need of that commodity or service. If a consumer is urgently in need of the service or commodity, he/she wouldn't mind spending even double the amount of money which they would have spent in normal circumstances. So the demand aspect of the price theory is all about the desire of the consumer to have that particular commodity or service at his/her disposal. Another important aspect which is very important is the demand curve; demand curve gives a good enough indication of the will of consumers to buy the commodity or the service at that particular price. Demand curve and supply curves are studied by an organization to arrive at an equilibrium price. Equilibrium cost is the fixed cost and this changes only when the demand and supply is changed and it does not change unless the demand and supply changes. Let us now take into consideration the difference between luxury goods and necessities, the ... he level of income of an individual goes on to decide what luxury is and what is necessity For instance a rich person can stop buying bikes and as a replacement start collecting cars, this purely depends on the level of income of people. The word luxury has more meanings than one, one often mistakes luxury as a status symbol, for instance a person can buy a Nike shoe considering as a luxury knowing very little about how good the shoe is, so it depends on individuals on how they define luxury. Euro Star and its Price Theory Euro star is a high speed train which covers areas in London, Brussels and Paris. The price theory of the high speed train will be highlighted in the remaining of the paper. There are three different classes namely, the standard class, the Leisure select and the last one is Business Premier. The rates vary depending upon the class, for a journey from London to Paris it would roughly cost about 178 if one chooses to travel in Standard class, on the other hand the fare is higher if one chooses to travel by Leisure select, it would cost roughly about 325 if one chooses a two way journey from London to Paris and back. The third and the most expensive class is the Business Premier which would cost a person roughly about 328.50 for a one way journey from London to Paris. The demand factor of the price theory comes into effect here; people opt to travel by Euro star because they have the willingness to pay for the service offered by the train. This is a very essential concept in price theor y, if the people don't feel the willingness to travel by the train they will stop travelling by the train. This goes to show that the prices of the services offered by the train are quite reasonable and this is exactly why the people feel willing to travel

Speech as a Patriot Essay Example for Free

Speech as a Patriot Essay They ask everything from us but give nothing in return. For to long have they taken away from us. We need to stand up to them and declare independence for ourselves. In the words of Thomas Paine Man did not enter society to be worse off, or to have fewer rights, but rather to ave those rights better secured. We did not come here to pay taxes and subjected to these injustices, we came to build a life of independence. We need to fight back and take what is ours. We need to stand up to the British and show them that together we stand strong. As a whole we need to come together to fight this battle for independence. Again Paines words ring true in stating, Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it. We must fght for what we want, and if that means fighting a war against the British then so be it, e will carry that burden to fght for a free country. When we have independence we will have the right to our own government and our own democracy. We have a right to follow any religion along with the rights to our property, which includes paying taxes. We will have the right to many things that currently we have had taken away from use due to monarchial dictatorship of Britain. Paine also states, The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government. And right now the British government is abusing their power. They are using us, and we have done nothing. How long will this go on until we decide that enough is enough? We need to stand up to them now and claim what is rightfully ours. We have varieties of goods that we can trade in order to build our economy, however under the rules of the British we may only trade within their constraints. We have the potential to build up a strong and independent nation, as long as we sever ties with our dead weight mother. We have few numbers as an individual colony, but with the colonies combined to fight we have enough to beat the British. Paine states, It is not in number but in unity, that our great strength lies; yet our present numbers are sufficient to repel the forces of the world. The continent hath, at this time, the largest body of armed and disciplined men of any power under Heaven; and is Just arrived at the pitch of strength, in which no single colony is able to support itself, and the whole, who unite can accomplish the matter, and either more, or, less than this, might be fetal in its effects. We have distinct advantage in numbers as long as we unite as one, not to mention fghting on ur own soil gives us the upper hand in resources. If we refuse to let the British live in our houses, decline them food and leave them with nothing but the ship they came on we will force them back to where they came from. They have no power over us as long as we stand up and fight. The longer we sit submissive to their rules the harder it will be to tight bac k. We do not need them they need us. In closing I leave you with another quote from Paine fighting for independence is Nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense.

Renaissance Essay Example for Free

Renaissance Essay We mark Italian societys rebirth from the medieval period with the changes that occurred during the Italian Renaissance. Civilization was changing and what we consider the modern world was about to begin. The renaissance activity that happened in Europe outside of Italy is called the Northern European Renaissance. Italys humanist ideas and values moved out of Italy and throughout Europe, which spurred on the Northern European Renaissance. The Renaissance period began in the early 14th Century and lasted until the late 16th Century. Renaissance† comes from the French word that means â€Å"rebirth. † This time period is named and studied because of its unique art, literature, and music. It is also known as societys modern age. The Renaissance was a period of great cultural and technological changes which swept Europe from the end of the 13th century. It was integral in developing Europe was subjected to different changes there were two primary renaissance which were most notable. They were the Italian and the Northern renaissance. Both of the renaissance had a profound impact on Europe. But they also had some typical differences among them and each was unique in its own way. Early in the 14th Century, Italian scholars started to study the ancient cultures that preceded them, like those of Greece and the Roman Empire. This scholarly interest would lead to the Italian Renaissance. Italy and Europe was ready for change after the harrowing destruction of the Black Plague in the Middle Ages. Florence, Italy, was the home of the start of the Renaissance. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, culture, politics, and the arts had only been in decline. Petrarch advocated learning about Italys Latin and Roman history. The Pope and the royalty liked this idea, so other scholars begun to study in the same vein. These scholars valued the accomplishments of the Romans, but they wanted to improve on their society instead of blindly trying to recreate the same thing. These scholars wrote books that would stimulate Italians thinking and give them a new purpose. Italy was divided into distinct city-states, which gave them a more modern, and regional, cultural outlook. The city-states thrived, banking increased, and trade became more important. As Italian society became wealthier, they could strengthen their culture and their ideologies became entrenched. Wealthy people had the means to patronize and fund artists. Scientific development spurred Humanism as well as some of historys most important artists. Architecture evolved beyond the Gothic. The Renaissance period is considered the intellectual birth of modern society. Most thinkers were concerned with humanity and how to become a good and honorable person. The European, but not Italian, renaissance period is called the Northern European Renaissance. Similar growth in society and culture happened in Northern Europe as occurred in Italy during this time. This architecture did not change munch in the beginning, and did not stray far from the Gothic style that preceded it. Humanist changes resembling those in Italy also happened in the culture of Northern Europe. The Italian Renaissance focused its questions on humanity and mans ability to grow and develop. The Northern European Renaissance, though, focused on the secular reform of society and government. As Italian society changed as a result of their Renaissance, the people of Northern Europe became uneasy with Rome and the Popes control of their church. They thought that Italian powers had slipped away from traditional, strict, Christian belief and dogma. They began to strive to reform the church. The Italian Renaissance and the Northern European Renaissance did not happen in exactly the same ways. Italy grew and prospered with their city-state governance, while an aristocracy still controlled Northern Europe. Wealthy Italians patronized the arts, while in Northern Europe the arts were funded by the rulers and the church. Renaissance period art was bright and realistic, and the art of the Northern European Renaissance also followed this Italian style. Artists in Italy tended to work on paintings, sculpture, and architecture. In Northern Europe, artists created furniture, tapestries, and manuscripts. Europes wealthy had a lot of homes; they needed a lot of furniture and decorations. Literature in both regions was concerned with humans and humanity. Italians explored the idea that man was rational and decided rationally how to be a good person. Literature in Northern Europe was more concerned with the Catholic Churchs humanity and how to reform the church. Both areas wanted to reform the church – Northern Europe was more concerned with religion. Art in the Italian Renaissance was paid for by wealthy people. This art was concerned with nature. This art used a contrast between dark and light, 3D perspective, and human images. Northern European art used similar methods as Italian artists, but they were more concerned with depicting religion. Italian art used scenes from religion, mythology, the natural world, and eroticism. Northern European artists made portraits, scenes from the Bible, and tapestries. Aristocrats and the church owned most of the artwork. Below and to the left is a tapestry woven during the Northern European Renaissance called The Wedding Dance. This tapestry was made by the artist Peter Brueghel from the Netherlands. Not many pieces focused on the lives of everyday people as this one did – most were religious in nature instead. The work below and to-the-right is emblematic of the Italian Renaissance. It was pained by Giorgio Vasari.

A Look At Technical Education In Bangladesh

A Look At Technical Education In Bangladesh The Peoples Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia which became independent in 1971 after a glorious nine months of liberation war with Pakistan Army who killed three millions Bangalees. Bangladesh literally means The Country of Bengal. Lying north of the Bay of Bengal, on land it borders India and Myanmar, and it is a close neighbor to China, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. Bangladesh is surrounded by India in The West, North and North-East and Myanmar to the South-East. It is situated between 20034 and 26038 North Latitude and 88001 and 92041 East Longitude. It has an area of 147,570 sq. km. and a population of nearly 140 million. It has a population density of 948 persons per sq. km., which is the highest in world. As the name The Country of Bengal suggests that Bangladesh is an ethnically homogeneous country. Among the different ethnic groups Bengalis 98Â  % and the remainder are mostly, Santhals, Chakmas, Garos, Biharis, Oraons and Mundas. Variations in Bengali culture and language do exist of course. The estimate of religious makeup from the 2001 census reported that the population was 89.58% Muslim, 9.34% Hindu, 0.62% Buddhist, 0.31% Christian and 0.15% Animist. With the highest density of population in the world and slow economic progress, the people of this country are trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty. Over 50% of the people who live below the poverty line are not able to provide for their basic needs and amenities. With 140 million people, Bangladesh is the eighth largest in the world in population. It is also one of the most densely populated countries and endowed with limited natural resources. Bangladesh has to rely, more than most developing countries, on its human resources for progress and prosperity. Educational Structure of Bangladesh The present education system of Bangladesh may be broadly divided into three major stages, viz. general education, madrasha education and technical education. Here I am discussing about technical education in Bangladesh. Technical Vocational Education For the students whose interests are not strictly academic may find technical-vocational programmes more interesting and more valuable for their future. Government tries to ensure that the course curriculum should be relevant to students interest and aspirations while at the same time it should address the needs of the job market. a. Primary level. There is no technical-vocational institution in primary level of education. Ebtedayee in the first level (Primary level) of madrasah education has no scope for technical-vocational education. Accordingly, technical vocational education in Bangladesh is designed in three phases under two major levels of secondary and tertiary level of education. b. Secondary level. Vocational courses starts from secondary level. The certificate courses prepare skilled workers in different vocations starting from ninth grade after completion of three years of schooling in secondary school. At this level the courses are diversified in different vocations spread over 1 to 2 years duration. Recently, 2 years duration vocational courses have been introduced at the higher secondary level in government managed vocational training institute (renamed as Technical School College). Diploma courses prepare the diploma engineers at the polytechnic institutes. This course spread over 4 years duration after passing the secondary school certification examination. There is a technical education board called Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB), which grants affiliation to the technical institutes. It conducts examinations of the students completing different courses in different vocational and technical education, and awards certificates to the succe ssful candidates. TVET System in Bangladesh: An Evaluation Strengths Entrance is reasonably competitive at all levels of formal skill training. Well-developed exit standards exist, i.e., skill testing and certification is well developed and managed. The Technical Education Board (TEB) is small, self-supporting and a relatively effective organization for developing curricula and trade tests. Good models exist for skill training by non-government institutions (including UCEP and MAWTS). There are also good models of industry involvement in providing child labor not only with basic education, but also with vocational training through non-government institutions, including both UCEP and a similar but cheaper model, Suravi. TTCs and VTIs have become more flexible in their non-regular programs by offering short term training programs on a cost-recovery basis in the afternoon and evenings to those who have completed their formal schooling. Several comparatively good quality public training institutions exist, including some of the TTCs under the Ministry of Labor and Manpower, The Surveyors Training Institute under the Ministry of Education and some of the rural training centers of the Ministry of Youth. Weaknesses The overall impact of the formal TVET system within Bangladesh is minimal. The output of technical/vocational education at the certificate level amounts to only 1.8 percent of the graduates at SSC level, and the output of diploma technicians is only 1.4 percent of the output of HSC holders. Moreover, formal training is miniscule in relation to the informal ways the people actually become skilled. The outputs of the formal system account for only a minute fraction of the occupational skills acquired each year. Moreover, relatively few of the graduates of formal VTIs enter local employment, at least in trades. TVET has a poor record in terms of placement of graduates in employment, including only about 60 to 65 percent for TTCs and about 40 percent for VTIs. Unemployment is also common among graduates of polytechnics. Those who do not get jobs are often employed overseas as unskilled labor in jobs that do not require their specific training. Those who do not find jobs often seek furthe r studies at higher levels if they are eligible. The public system is not contemplated by a widespread or vigorous system of non-government vocational training (non-government institutions and proprietary institutions). External Efficiency The main problem is lack of sufficient linkages with employers and the labor market. Employers typically do not participate in determining content of training programs. Courses tend to be offered in response to social demands not based on labor market surveys and analysis. Labor market information is not collected systematically. Employers complain that the government is unable to change curricula quickly (i.e., introduce new courses, expand those in demand and reduce or close those for which demand has slackened) to keep up with technological changes in enterprises (TEB, for example, updates curricula once every five years). Polytechnics, in particular, were slow to integrate computers and instrumentation as integral parts of training in all fields. The clientele of formal vocational training (VTIs and TTCs) tends to be inappropriate. Those with grade 8 qualifications often aspire to further education and white-collar occupations; many have little or no intention of entering the job market and practicing the trade skills acquired. Training institutions lack linkages with local labor market surrounding the institution. This is caused by excessive centralization and rigidity in the system. The heads of training institutions must follow uniform training programs and cannot alter curricula to meet local circumstances. Financial controls are also inflexible and institutional managers cannot give incentives and rewards for good teacher performance. In short, there is a lack of delegation of authority to the heads of training centers. Training institutions do not carry out occupational analysis of the skills in demand in the local area. Training is rarely provided for upgrading those already employed in occupations, including skills in the non formal sector. Few girls are being provided the opportunity to learn skills needed for formal sector employment; reasons include lack of hostels and secure transport, as well as traditionally low demand by employers for female workers. Women in the labor market have few places where they can receive training for raising their incomes through productive activities. Underprivileged youth tend to be screened out of the education system before qualifying for entry into vocational training. Stipends in technical and vocational education are provided on the basis of merit rather than need. Internal Efficiency Training is virtually free and heavily subsidized. Most students receive stipends and many receive subsidized hostel accommodation which adds to the cost per student of training. Substantial resources are wasted in technical and vocational training at present, even though the system is underfunded. Student teacher ratios are only about 10 to 12:1. Training courses focus on certification and last longer than strictly necessary for occupational purposes. Over centralized administration makes it difficult for institute directors to economize on resources. However, recent introduction of the SSC and basic trades programs for students in TTCs/VTIs has led to increase in the internal efficiency of institutions. Underutilization of physical capacity is no longer a problem, and completion rates are better than they were easily in the 1990s. Still, the operating costs of vocational training are high, probably in the order of $300/student per year (24 times the cost of a student in primary ed ucation). Effectiveness Low quality is reflected in relatively low pass rates for many vocational and technical training institutions. About one-third of those who finish technical-vocational courses fail to pass the final examinations. Several factors account for the poor results. The managers and instructors of training institutions lack incentives for good quality teaching. Over centralized control means school directors take few initiatives. Instructors lack accountability, as evidenced by poor attendance rates. Most instructors have not had industrial experience in the skills they are paid to teach. Funds are lacking for in-service training of teachers or industrial attachments. There are few promotions possibilities to provide incentives to staff. Many instructors have occupied the same positions for decades without any opportunities for updating or enrichment. Dead wood tends to accumulate among teaching staff with few, if any, opportunities for recycling. In theory, 60 percent of the time is devoted to the acquisition of practical skills, but in practice it is much less. Most VTIs, polytechnics, and specialized degree programs suffer from outdated, obsolete, and worn out equipment. No budgets are provided for maintenance of equipment, and little for consumable supplies. The share of total revenue spending allocated to TVET declined by about 17 percent, from 2.4 percent in 1990/91 to 2.0 percent in 1996/97. It declined further to 1.5 percent in 1997/98. Capital investment in TVET virtually dried up in the 1990s. Within the institutions students receive group, rather than individual, training. Lesson plans and job sheets are rarely used in the training. Institutions, consequently, cannot properly impart the intended practical training. At the diploma level, intended internships for students at the end of their studies are often not implemented. As a result, polytechnic graduates have not acquired practical shop floor skills. The outcomes are that most graduates of vocational and technical programs are not skilled, and few go into appropriate occupations. Government Plans and Policies No national policy exist on the long term development of occupation training, but two recent documents, the Fifth Five Year Plan and the proposed National Education Policy, point to directions of intended changes. The Fifth Plan calls for enrollments in technical and vocational education to be increased from 3 percent at present to about 20 percent of the total at secondary level. Accordingly, the plan emphasizes expansion of the number and capacity of training institutions in line with emerging technologies. Specifically, the government plans to build dozens of new polytechnic institutes, VTIs and TTCs. In addition, it intends to establish other textile and leather degree colleges, a technical teachers college, and a vocational teacher training institute. By 2002, enrollments are projected to increase from 4,500 students in polytechnic institutes to 20,000; from 2,600 in other technical and vocational institutes to 44,000; and from 12,800 in basic trade training to 30,000. The Fifth Plan also calls for diversification of course offerings in line with emerging technologies. Private involvement is to be encouraged in the delivery of technical vocational education. In addition, the Plan proposes creation of an adequate base for labor market analysis and research on TVET, strengthening staff development programs, and forging closer links between training institutions and local economies. The draft National Education Policy, which was prepared without consideration of fiscal constraints on the recommendations, calls for the major portion of the education budget to be shifted towards TVET. Under the policy, all secondary schools would have vocational streams; NFE would be provided for all school dropouts at existing training institutions after hours, and short courses would be introduced for those particularly technicians in the job market. The structure of diploma training would be extended by six months and the internship by three months. A credit system of student accounting would be introduced to facilitate progression of graduates to the next higher level. Individuals and private enterprises would be expected to share the costs of training, although it is not explained how this would be accomplished. In service training for teachers would be provided systematically. Finally, an overall industrial advisory council would be established to coordinate service offeri ngs among the many government and non-government providers. The Fifth Plan and the proposed National Education Policy touch on many of the critical issues in TVET. Positive features include explicit reference to the need for enterprise linkages at the central and institution levels; emphasis on training provision for new clientele, including upgrading and out-of-school youth; diversification of programs, including training in entrepreneurship; and encouragement of private involvement and beneficiary financing by students and employers. These are important priorities. The next step is to plan to accomplish them. The main weakness of the plan and policy are their emphasis on expansion and greater public financing of TVET. Without needed reforms, plans for across-the-board expansion risk imposing existing rigidities on even larger numbers of trainees. Such expansion would dilute the capacity of the public sector to service adequately the existing institutions and may exacerbate unemployment among the graduates. Apparently no demand studies were done as a basis for selecting the new fields of study. Where needed, expansion could be accomplished at lower cost by expanding existing institutions (e.g., the textile and leather institutes) rather than creating separate new facilities. This underscores the impression that expansion is being sought for political rather than economic reasons. As stated in the 1995 ADB review, IT is possible to conclude that the present intake and training programs are more admissions-oriented than based on real industrial demand. Priority Issues Among all the problems in the system of TVET, four overlapping issues stand out as the most important. They are discussed in sequence below: Lack of linkages with the job market. The TVET system tends to be disconnected from the job market both formal and informal employment. Employers do not participate in setting training policies. Public training institutions do not have mechanisms for consultation with employers, and no incentives are given to managers or instructors to establish them. Moreover, the centralized system of training in which curricula, staff, and resources are all controlled from Dhaka also limits the possibilities of capitalizing on local responsibilities and initiatives. When there are not enough jobs for graduates, programs should be geared more to gainful work in the informal sector, e.g., livelihood skills, entrepreneurship, and self-employment. In sum, a key objective for TVET should be to forge closer links with formal and informal job markets. Lack of impact on poverty reduction. This is a question of the clientele of the system. TVET is almost exclusively geared to in-school male youth in grades 9 and 10 as part of SSC Vocational. The effectiveness of this approach should be evaluated. Similar programs have not proved cost-effective in other countries. Many of the graduates of SSC Vocational have no intention of entering the occupations for which they have been trained. Technical education is also narrowly focused on in-school clientele, whereas surveys show that only one third of practicing technicians have ever received formal education in the field. This calls for more in-service and upgrading training for those in the workforce. TVET needs to diversify its clientele. Vocational training, in particular, has the potential to make a greater impact on poverty reduction by helping trainees become self-employed or generate income. Another main objective for TVET should be to broaden its impact through diversification of cli entele and programs. Ineffectiveness of training support and delivery. One of the main constraints on solution of problems in TVET is the prevailing view that the government must finance and provide training through a centralized system of control rather than seek an efficient division of responsibilities with the private sector. In contrast with the relatively weak performance of the government financed and operated institutions, the non-government sector has demonstrated albeit on a very small scale the capability to develop local needs-based curriculum customized to the experiences of trainees. Above all, several non-governmental institutions have established effective links with employers and have achieved impressive employment rates for their graduates. One of the challenges will be to find ways to expand the service delivery of effective non-governmental institutions in vocational and technical education. On the other hand, the government provides key support on which non-governmental institution s must rely. This support includes such things as development of favorable policy environments, training of instructors, development of teaching materials, and research/information on the employment market. A key objective for TVET is to shift funds towards more effective modes of delivery and strengthen the supporting role of the public sector (as opposed to direct provision) Under-financing. TVET is expensive. It requires more instructors per student than general education because of the requirements for practice in workshops. It requires money for equipment, in-service training and consumable supplies. Most of these necessary inputs are lacking or insufficient in public institutions at present. Most institutions look to the central government to solve this problem, but it does not have the funds. External financing is seen by some as an alternative solution. However, external financing would be unsustainable. In several years, the problems of under-financing of equipment and supplies would reemerge and the problem would not have been solved. An important objective for TVET, therefore, is to mobilize non-public resources in a sustainable way to overcome chronic problems of under-financing.

The Manhattan Project :: History

The Manhattan Project On the morning of August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber named Enola Gay flew over the industrial city of Hiroshima, Japan and dropped the first atomic bomb ever. The city went up in flames caused by the immense power equal to about 20,000 tons of TNT. The project was a success. They were an unprecedented assemblage of civilian, and military scientific brain power—brilliant, intense, and young, the people that helped develop the bomb. Unknowingly they came to an isolated mountain setting, known as Los Alamos, New Mexico, to design and build the bomb that would end World War 2, but begin serious controversies concerning its sheer power and destruction. I became interested in this topic because of my interest in science and history. It seemed an appropriate topic because I am presently studying World War 2 in my Social Studies Class. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were always taught to me with some opinion, and I always wanted to know the bomb itself and the unbiased effects! that it had. This I-search was a great opportunity for me to actually fulfill my interest. The Manhattan Project was the code name for the US effort during World War II to produce the atomic bomb. It was appropriately named for the Manhattan Engineer District of the US Army Corps of Engineers, because much of the early research was done in New York City (Badash 238). Sparked by refugee physicists in the United States, the program was slowly organized after nuclear fission was discovered by German scientists in 1938, and many US scientists expressed the fear that Hitler would attempt to build a fission bomb. Frustrated with the idea that Germany might produce an atomic bomb first, Leo Szilard and other scientists asked Albert Einstein, a famous scientist during that time, to use his influence and write a letter to president FDR, pleading for support to further research the power of nuclear fission (Badash 237). His letters were a success, and President Roosevelt established the Manhattan Project. Physicists from 1939 onward conducted much research to find answers to such questions as how many neutrons were emitted in each fission, which elements would not capture the neutrons but would moderate or reduce their velocity , and whether only the lighter and scarcer isotope of uranium (U-235) fissioned or the common isotope (U-238) could be used. They learned that each fission releases a few neutrons.

The Abandoned Colony by Karen Ordahl Kupperman Essay -- roanoke colony,

Thesis: The Roanoke colony proved to be an unsuccessful venture in the New World for England, since leaders of the expedition held the viewpoint that privateering would prove to be the most profitable aspect of founding the new settlements in the West. However future, still unsuccessful attempts to make a permanent colony at Roanoke, helped England understand how to build a prosperous one; and it became a building block for establishing future colonies for England and helped shape the ideas that would help launch their empire. Summary: This book starts well before Roanoke was founded. It detailed how, at the time, England was not a superpower. Spain and France were the most dominant of the European countries, but internal conflicts in France made it weak, while Spain was getting extremely wealthy off of Indians and the Aztecs. England saw this as an opportunity to expand into the New World, and had Walter Raleigh head the trip. The main goals of the colony were to expanding their efforts of privateering, with a sustainable colony as an after thought. It was initial devised as a way to intercept merchant ships more effectively from other countries (mainly Spain) and be a short-term base of operations. Most if not all of the men brought over had only military experience, so they struggled with building proper housing, getting clean water, and growing crops. Ultimately, conflict erupted when the Indians grew weary of giving such a large amount of supplies to the colonists, and many high ranking officials died on the Indian side. The settlement was abandoned due to lack of supplies. After this unsuccessful attempt, John White lead another group intended to be a permanent settlement to Roanoke, and the prototype of plantations he u... ...ue detailing what Ralegh and White did after the Roanoke colonies. To sum up my opinions, this book was not only an excellent read from a scholarly perspective, but is also great for anyone to read if they are interested in the early colonization efforts of the New World and how it functioned. I would, however, not advise anyone to read this without having some background information on Western European powers and knowledge of Indian tribes in the mid to late 16th century. Works Cited Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony by Karen Ordahl Kupperman; Roanoke Island: The Beginnings of English America by David Stick Review by: Neal Salisbury American Indian Quarterly , Vol. 9, No. 2 (Spring, 1985) , pp. 184-186 Roanoke: The Abandoned Colony by Karen Ordahl Kupperman Review by: Bernard W. Sheehan The American Historical Review , Vol. 90, No. 3 (Jun., 1985) , p. 750

The Impact Of Religious Settlers In Religious Times Essays -- essays r

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The places where we live today have not always been here. The way we live has not always been the same. In fact, very few places that existed back in the colonial times exist today. If they still exist, it is because of the success gained over the years gone by after the settlers came to the New World. Settlers came to the New World in search of many things. They came in search of gold, they came for new lives, and they came for religious freedom. In England, during this time period, people were being judged, separated and persecuted on the basis of their religious beliefs. There were two groups of people that were unhappy with the Church. These groups came to be known as the Puritans and the Separatists. The Puritans are the people who are known to want to make changes within the Church of England. Then there were the Separatists, who were so disgusted with the Church of England that they just wanted out. They wanted to be recognized totally separate from it. One group, the Separatists. â€Å" In 1609, a group of about 125 Separatists moved from England to Holland (a part of the Netherlands) because the Dutch had a policy of religious tolerance.† They were able to practice religion how they wanted to, but they were uneasy about the thought of their children losing their English roots as time went on. So they came up with the idea of immigrating to the New World. Only about 30 wanted to voyage to Virginia, which was an unknown land to all. The Separatists sailed from Holland in 1620. This group was also known as the Pilgrims. The pilgrims are widely known for â€Å"The First Thanksgiving† as their offertory meal with the Native Americans. The Pilgrims goal was to establish a colony â€Å" as a distinct body by themselves.† And off they went for their voyage across sea, goals sighted for just north of Jamestown. Unfortunately, they were blown off course, so when they finally got a glimpse of land, it was Cape Cod. It was the separatists that put together the Mayflower Compact, which was a legal basis recognizing James I as their king and it state â€Å" that they would form a civil body politic, which would frame such just and equal laws for the good of all the people.† A solemn agreement was made to abide by the compact, and it was signed before anyone got off the ship. Only men signed the document because women of that time were not cons... ...st everyone who believe that in order to be recognized in life, you had to abide by the religious rules. Puritans especially believed that they could make changes in the Church to fit the needs of the members of the community. But what they did was just make the situation worse for the people who were already unhappy. The Separatists cut off all ties completely with the Church, because they were fed up with trying to deal with its strict rules and regulations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is because of people like Roger Williams, John Wheelwright, and Thomas Hooker that we have some of the religions that we have today. It is also the factor of the colonies being where they are today. Everything that was done in the past by people like them, has had a great effect on today’s society. It is because of the people from the past that gives the people the courage today to stand up for what they believe in. Without theses people, we would not have the great Martin Luther King, Jr., or other great people who made changes in history. We owe a great deal to their courage and their actions, because without them, we may not have some of the places, people, or ideas that we have today.

Rene Descartes and a discription Essay

Rene Descartes (1596-1650) was not only a philosopher but also a mathematician and scientist. As a philosopher, he used skepticism as a means of finding the truth of all. His idea was to doubt everything, and in doubting everything, anything that couldn’t be doubted was definite. â€Å"I will doubt everything that can possibly be doubted, he reasons, and if anything is left, then it will be absolutely certain. † (Moore/Bruder 93) This, Descartes felt was the only way to obtain truth and knowledge. This method was to take away all the confidence in everything that was taught to us, what we sense and believe, and the things we take as being obvious. To truly determine if we know anything is for certain we must doubt it all disregarding all we knew about it before. So everything we currently believe is open to discussion and can be questioned. Descartes’ ‘Method of Doubt’ incorporated two well-known conjectures, a dream conjecture and the evil demon conjecture. What the dream conjecture is, is the notion that everything that is reality might just be a dream. Adding to the dream conjecture, is the evil demon conjecture. This evil demon conjecture, in essence, is the concept that if this all [reality], is just a dream, then perhaps there is an evil demon that is deceiving our minds with these false images of reality. So, we can’t assume that our bodies or that anything of our experience exists and can be trusted to be true. For everything we know could be just a dream and not real at all and controlled by a deceiver. No, Descartes was not out of his mind. He was aware that these two conjecture he composed sounded far-fetched. However, that was the whole point. Descartes was on a quest to find certainty in an any-case-possibility. What Descartes came up with after going through and doubting everything was the cogito, ergo sum or â€Å"I think, therefore I am. † What this meant was if you are thinking, you are existing. â€Å"The self that doubts its own existence must surely exist to be able to doubt in the first place. † (Moore/Bruder 93) Subsequently, this was the only true thing we can know to be real. We know that we exist at least in a form of a mind. So we can doubt our physical existence but not our mental existence because you can think. To take this a step further he developed the clear and distinct test. The clear and distinct test was a test to find out what was true with â€Å"clarity and distinctness. † Meaning, anything that is clear and distinct is true. Using this clear and distinct test, Descartes came to the conclusion that God, in fact, exists. Descartes believed he viewed God clearly and distinctively, and further, God would not let an evil demon toy with his mind, if such a thing did exist. Descartes also thought that there were two distinct substances beyond God, and these two substances were material substance and mind substance. The material substance was all that exists and occupies space and the mind substance is that of thought. â€Å"Because a substance, according to Descartes, â€Å"requires nothing other than itself to exist,† it follows that mind and matter are totally independent of each other. † (Moore/Bruder 95) The result to these two substances being independent of each other is called parallelism. â€Å"The mind, they argued, does not really cause the body to move. When I will that my hand should move, my act of willing only appears to cause my hand to move. † (Moore/Bruder 97)Descartes felt that God was the one who was involved in the mental things that happened and the sequence of material actions. He believed God was the reason those two things happened to happen together. This idea was called occasionalism. Descartes was first to make this systematic account of the mind and body relationship, and also the soul’s contact with the body. (Rorty). Descartes essentially through everything, approached all metaphysical issues by going back and trying to pick apart everything about the basic things. â€Å"Descartes tried to discover metaphysical truth about what is through epistemological inquiry about what can be know. † (Moore/Bruder 97) The profit of Descartes’ ideas is that in the dismissal of everything makes you question and look at elements that may be overlooked because it is human to draw on experience. So, to clear oneself of all former beliefs leaves everything wide open for exploration and opens up a wider scope. The problem I find in his distinct and clear theory is Descartes proof of God’s existence. In â€Å"proving† the existence of God he uses circular reasoning. This circular reasoning is called the Cartesian Circle. The Cartesian Circle is the circular reasoning that, on one hand, we can only know that God exists because we clearly and distinctively perceive it, and on the other hand, we can only know that our clear and distinct perceptions are true because God exits. (Loeb 200-235) This type of reasoning doesn’t make any concrete conclusions on the existence of God. It just keeps going around in a circle, one right after the other. Descartes believe that only his perceptions could be deceived not his mind. So since God was good and perfect, he wouldn’t allow him to be deceived, therefore God exists. To explain his ideas on the existence of God, Descartes states that if one can have an idea of a perfect being, which is God, then a perfect being must exist if we can think it in our minds. All of this to me, doesn’t show any solid proof. Even though you can think something in your mind, doesn’t mean it must exits. I can think lots of things in my mind personally, that doesn’t necessary mean that somewhere, maybe not in the physical world I experience, truly exists. Also, if God did exists, and if God is perfect, as Descartes claims, then why does Atheism and such religious beliefs exist? Wouldn’t perfection be if God could exist and not be questionable? Because what Descartes believes is all that we can perceive clearly and distinctively exists, and he had not given any way that explains how you can perceive God clearly and distinctively, other than stating he can perceive in his mind. Also, another thing that is a problem in Descartes’ method is his goal of proving the existence of the outside world was not valid by any substantial means. There is no proof that any physical object exists aside from a near universal belief that the external world exists. What Descartes says, is that since God makes us believe that there is an external world, then there must be one. However, there are lots of mistakes in his proof of God and it isn’t truly valid. So, therefore we cannot say anything in this external world does exist or either God, based on the knowledge I have obtained on the subject matter on Descartes. From what I have read on Descartes and his philosophical ideas, there are many holes and things to argued; as I’m sure is in most theories. Nonetheless, even though his ideas aren’t entirely credible to myself, I feel that his contributions to the field of philosophy are eminent. Descartes had brought lots of old questions of past philosophers and tried to rationalize them, he failed in my opinion to come up with any competent answers for what he was trying to prove. However, he did prompt other philosophers in his progression to come up later with some better answers to some of these ideas.

Coming of Age Essay

Around the world there are many themes that we find over and over in many cultures and from many periods in time. One of the reoccurring themes that everyone goes through in the lifetime is the theme of coming of age. This occurs when a young person goes through the transition from childhood to adulthood and has life experiences that matures a person. We all have experienced a coming of age story by reading them in books, seeing them on TV or in movies, or maybe even personal experiences based on ones culture. It’s clear that coming of age is a crucial element of our self-representations and conceptions. Generally, all of living is a process of coming of age as seen in the novel, Catcher in the Rye. Holden Caulfield, who is sixteen-year-old boy with the mind of a ten year old. He thinks of innocence as important in the beginning of the novel. But later on in the book, Holden slowly grows to be an adult. For example, when Holden gets soaking wet by rain when he is watching his little sister ride the carousal he â€Å"felt so damn happy all of a sudden†(213). This symbolizes Holden entering adulthood because he realizes the happiness in life. He realizes that he is too big for the carousel and is happy that his sister is happy. Holden’s childish personality continued to wash away as he reached a stage of maturity. Over the course of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout is taken from a position of innocence, in which she believes that she is safe and that there aren’t many â€Å"bad people† in the world, to the position where she has witnessed some of the bad things that have happened but realizes that she is not entirely safe. That is tested at the end of the novel when Scout was attacked while walking home with her brother Jem. Similarities were show in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Hucks maturity begins to grow as he first starts to show emotions toward a runaway slave, and by the end of the novel, has grown up to the point where, when Jim, is captured, Huck decides to give up playing games after Tom is shot to ensure that he would get medical attention that he needed. In an episode of Malcolm in the Middle it revolved around Malcolm trying to help his classmate Dabney get into a paintball match despite the resistance of Dabney’s overbearing mom. Once Dabney unleashes years of repressed aggression, his mom comes around to try to drag him off. Dabney reacts back by saying â€Å" I’m no longer your little boy anymore. I’m your little man† showing that Dabney has matured and stands up and says what he believes. In the movie Edward Scissorhands, Edward is taken in by a family who he depends on. The family teach him how to think for himself so that one day he can gain the independence that is necessary for him to go out on his own. Edward living off of the family’s support and trying things for himself is a coming of age process in itself. When he starts acting out and making his own decisions he is transitioning into an independent mindset that eventually allowed him to make the choice of living alone and fend for himself. Roman Catholics believe that Confirmation â€Å".. completes the process of initiation into the community and it matures the soul for the work ahead.. During confirmation God the Holy Spirit comes upon the person, accompanied by God the Father and God the Son, just as he did at Pentecost. †(Acts 2:1–4) Those who have been confirmed are called â€Å"Soldiers of God†. This refers to their spiritual duty to fight evil, darkness, and Satan. In Nigeria, young girls known as Iriabo spend several weeks in â€Å"fattening rooms† being pampered and wearing copper coils around their legs to restrict movement as part of a ritual marking their official transition into womanhood. In Senegal, Bassari boys undergoing the Kore rite and are taken into a sacred forest where they experience a symbolic death and a return to infancy, a state of ritual purity from where they are reborn as mature members of the community. (Hipple) Ultimately, the coming of age experience is a very much so significant time in ones life. People have to continue to find themselves and explore who they are even after the coming of age experience. It has lasting effects on a person as it has an impact on our dreams and desires that we want to fit into our world.

Introduction to Working with Children Essay

E1 – Task: Select three different types of setting from the statutory, voluntary and private sectors for children in your area. Introduction: There are different types of childcare settings for example statutory, voluntary and private. Statutory – This service has to be available by the government or local authorities. An example of a statutory setting in my area is Ravenstone Primary School. Voluntary – This service is provided by organisations such as charities and most of their funding comes from donations. An example of a voluntary setting in my area is The Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust. Private – These are profit-making services. An example of a private setting in my area is Abacus Nursery. E2 – Task: Give detailed information on how each setting you have selected for E1 support children and their families. Introduction: Detailed information on how each type of setting identified in E1 supports children and their families. Statutory: Children from the ages of 5 – 11 years can attend Ravenstone Primary School. Their aims include: â€Å"Committed to providing an education for the children of Ravenstone which will equip them for the future. 1. We will do this through providing a range of educational, physical, aesthetic and social experiences. 2. These experiences will be of high quality, grounded in high expectations. 3. They will be constantly monitored and evaluated for their effectiveness. 4. They will be provided in an atmosphere conducive to hard work and good relationships between children and between children and adults. The atmosphere will be such that quality is emphasized at all times in terms of work, behavior and ethos, relationships and the environment.† http://www.ravenstoneschool.co.uk/about/show/our_mission 04/10/2012 This setting aims to support children and their families by offering a breakfast and after school facility therefore parents can drop off their child and go work and when finished pick up the child. Private: Children from the ages of 12 months – 5 years can attend Abacus nursery. Their aims include: â€Å"We particularly welcome cooperation with Kaleidoscope[->0], a drama and movement program which was tailor made for us. The children will learn role play, to discuss topics, listen to others, and deliver to an audience and the general confidence to help them thrive once they will start primary school. Aspect of the Alexander Technique are also incorporated for their physical and mental wellbeing. We believe that learning should be a pleasurable experience. Children learn best within a stimulating, secure and supportive environment that acknowledges and builds on prior experiences. At Abacus we recognize that children develop at different rates and it is important that the child’s individual needs are met. Therefore we ensure careful assessment and monitoring of each child in order for them to reach their full potential. Abacus likes to think that the nursery school is an extension of the home, so it is important that the parents feel included and informed in all areas of the nursery programme. Parents are encouraged to take an active role, this can be anything from supplying empty cereal boxes for junk modeling, reading the children stories ,contributing to cultural events and festivals or joining us on trips and outings. We are very pleased to learn that our children often gain entrance in excellent primary schools, from the independent sector as well as the state sector.† http://www.myabacusnursery.co.uk/aboutus.html – 04/10/2012 This setting aims to support children and their families by offering children a place at the nursery whilst parents can go work and see to their other commitments whilst the children will particate with children, be fed, changed and seen to throughout the day at a set fee per term. Voluntary: Children from under 5s and 16+ can attend The Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust. Their aims include: â€Å"The Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust was established in 2003 to provide a community facility in the heart of Covent Garden & Holborn, to serve the needs of local residents and the wider public. The overall aim is to develop Dragon Hall as an income generating community resource that will:  ·Enable partnership working in the area to develop around the hub of the venue and establish a consultative mechanism that will enable resources to be pooled, avoid overlap and duplication of services, identify gaps in provision and develop responses to these  ·Provide a venue where a wide range of activities and projects developed by and of benefit to the diverse community of Covent Garden & Holborn can be delivered – initially with a particular focus on providing equality of opportunity for all young people  ·Act as a resource for local residents and other community organisations† http://www.dragonhall.org.uk/home/objectives/ 04/10/2012 This setting aims to support children and their families by offering services to the public at a minimum fee for all ages. This will support children and their families by giving them something to do and keep them occupied. E3 – Task: Describe the main legislation in your country that supports the rights of children. Introduction: In the UK there are many pieces of legislation that is used to protect children and their families. The United Nations Convention on The Rights of The Child 1989 â€Å"The United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child is an international statement of the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention and opened it for signature on 20th November 1989 (the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child)†. http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/betterlifeleaflet2012_press.pdf 04/10/12[->1] This Convention includes around 48 articles which everyone must follow as it’s the law. Article 31 – â€Å"Every child has the right to relax, play and join in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities† As a practitioner you have to follow this Article. An example of following this article is, you have a child who has a sight impairment and the children are playing football a way you can make sure the child is included into the activity is by getting a special ball which has sound effects which will make sure the child is included. This Legislation protects children and their families and their rights to be included. Human Rights Act 2000 -The Human Rights Act introduces into UK law the rights and freedoms set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. It mostly came into force on 2nd October 2000. http://www.redp.org.uk/legislation/dda/ – 11/10/12 â€Å"The Act was not designed specifically to protect children but they are accorded the same rights as adults. This means they have the right to dignity, respect and fairness in the way they are treated. Thus a setting is not able to use corporal punishment (smacking and caning) even if a parent consents to it, because it is seen as degrading and a violation of a child’s right. The Human Rights Act means that parents of children are also protected.† Penny Tassoni, page 115, 2007. This legislation supports the rights of children and their families by reassuring that the child and their family have a right to dignity respect and fairness. Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 -An Act to make provision in connection with the protection of children and vulnerable adults. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/47/contents – 11/10/12[->2] â€Å"This Act comes into force from autumn 2008. It is designed to make sure that adults working with children and other vulnerable groups are vetted not just in childcare organisations but also in other organisations such as junior football clubs. This Act may make a difference to the way settings use volunteers and also services, although the current standards make it clear that any adult who has not been checked with the Criminal Records Bureau must never be unsupervised with children.† This legislation supports the rights of children and their families by reassuring that the child and their family have a right to be protected from anyone who may harm them; also ensuring safeguarding vulnerable groups is enforced. Equality Act 2006 -This Act is relatively new and comes into force from Autumn 2007. Penny Tassoni, page 116, 2007. â€Å"A key part of the act is the establishment of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. It will enforce equality legislation on age, disability and health, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status, and encourage compliance with the human rights act 1998. The Commission for Equality and Human Rights will replace the following commissions: Disability Rights Commission, Equal Opportunities Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality.† Penny Tassoni, page 116, 2007. This legislation will support children and their families by making sure there protected from being discriminated for their age, disability, gender, race, religion and so on. E4 – Task: Describe the recognised principles and values that underpin working with children. Introduction – EYFS and the CACHE put together The CACHE Statement of Values which is rules or code of conduct that underpins our everyday life when working with children. Principles 1.The welfare of the child is paramount – As a practitioner you will need to follow this principle to make sure you’re being professional. For example, a child discloses that their mum hit them last night, to make sure that the welfare of the child is paramount is by making sure you follow your settings policy and keep what the child has told you confidential as the welfare of the child is at risk. Also by you doing this you are focusing on the welfare of the child and treating children opinions and their concerns seriously. 2.Practitioners contribute to children’s care, learning and development – As a practitioner you will need to follow this principle to make sure you’re being professional. For example, when putting together activities you need to be aware of all the stages of development, so that you are involving all the children so that they’re stimulated. Children need stimulation and challenge to learn and develop. If you are not aware that every child develops at different paces you may put together an activity which is too hard for the child; the child will get frustrated because there not succeeding in the activity and will get upset if they see the other children completing the activity but their stuck on it because it’s not suitable for their development rate. 3.Practitioners work with parents, guardians and families who are partners in the Care, Learning and Development of their children – As a practitioner you will need to follow this principle to make sure you’re being professional. A way you can work with parents, guardians and families with the development of their child is by respecting their traditions in child care practices make the family feel welcomes and part of the setting. You can achieve this by having mini meetings with the children and parents about the development of the child and you can gather information about the child by doing regular observations so when you have a meeting with the parents you and the parents can discuss how to improve certain aspects of the child’s learning so that it’s learning at her/his full potential. Also create a wall where children can put photos of their family and different cultures to make sure there’s diversity in the setting. Values 1.Celebrate Diversity – As a practitioner you will need to make sure in your setting you aim to always present information about different traditions, festivals, and customs to children. You can present information about different cultures and ect. By having a wall where children can display pictures of their culture, traditions and also family members. Another way is by having different outfits for example an African traditional outfit. 2.Equality of Opportunity – as a practitioner you should respect children individuality and give them the right type and level of care. An example is that you have a child who is partially blind; you will need to plan your activities different so that the child is involved and you’re able to give them the right level of care. E5 – Task: Explain the importance of valuing and respecting all children in the setting. Introduction – When working as a practitioner it is important to value, respecting all children in the setting. When working in a childcare setting it is important that you have a clear understanding of diversity and inclusive practice. As a practitioner you will discover when working with children that every child has different needs and a different personality. For example one child may not like broccoli and another may like broccoli it’s all about taking time to realise the little things to make your job easier and therefore you’re making sure the setting is diverse. Inclusive practice when working with children is very important. Inclusive practice is making sure that every child in the setting is included in activities and given a chance, for example a child who’s got a disability will receive special help to make sure their included in everything and helpe d with things they find hard to finish and do. An example of how you can plan to meet the individual needs of a child and their family is to do observations; observations will determine such things as how a child learns and also what they like and dislike, once you know this it will make it easier for you to plan for children and their families making sure that every child is included. An example to show how you can avoid making assumptions about children and their families, a child may have a bruise and you may jump to conclusions straight away and say that one of the parents has hurt the child, which will cause problems due to you jumping to conclusions without consulting the parents. To avoid making assumptions you should always ask the parents first and also go to your supervisor or manager if you’re worried about a child’s safety. Because even though the child has a bruise she/he could of easily fallen over and hurt themselves. C1 – It is important to listen to children’s views and value their opinions because if you don’t listen carefully you could miss out on important information for example that someone is harming them, as a practitioner children look up to you therefore you need to show respect, listen and value their opinions because it’s your job to look after these children and if a child is trying to share important with you and you ignore them there going to feel frustrated and won’t want to disclose any information with you again because they got rejected last time. E6 – Task: Describe three professional skills that will support you work with children Introduction – when working with children it’s important to have professional skills which will help the setting run smoothly. The three professional skills that will support my work with children are being reliable, good communications skills and diversity & inclusive practice.  ·Reliable – this will support my work when working with children because children need a routine and stability and if you’re not on time and always missing days at work it’ll mess up the settings routine and children will feel unsettled. Also it’s unprofessional and your managers will not take you seriously.  ·Good Communication Skills – this will support your work when working with children because you will understand when speaking with children you should always get down to their level and interact with them therefore they feel more comfortable. Also communication in a setting is very important therefore you should always give people eye contact so that they know you’re listening to them, this also goes for when speaking with parents because you’re looking after their child so they need to know that you’re listening and respect what they’re saying.  ·Diversity and Inclusive Practice – this will support your work when working with children because you will understand that every child is different and you know ways to recognize what they like and don’t like therefore it makes it easier when creating activities because you will know what the children prefer. Also with children of a different religion you can have a wall where children put pictures and stuff of their religion on there so that they feel included. Children with disabilities will have extra support on areas they need so that you can plan activities according to children’s development and capability. E7 – Task: Describe how study skills can support your learning during your training. Introduction – Study skills can support me during my training to ensure I learn at my best. Also by looking into study skills you can recognize how you learn best which will increase your chance of reaching your best potential.  ·Note taking – this can support me during my training as whilst in class getting taught I should take notes so when I’m looking back to do an assignment I can re-cap on what was learnt in that lesson. Also by looking through your notes again it will help you take in what you’ve learnt.  ·Research – this can support me during my training as researching up on information needed for my assignments; this will mean I’ll be reading about the same thing through different sources for example books, internet and magazines and newspapers. This information will support my work.  ·Time management – this can support me during m y training as learning how to deal with time is a very important skill I can use at work or placement. I will learn how to manage my time by setting myself goals to reach within a certain time also when doing assignments I will need to balance out my work and also my work will have deadlines which I will need to meet. I will need to learn to be organised as I have deadlines and if I don’t meet them I’m jeopardising my chances of successfully completing the course.  ·Referencing – this can support me during my training as I will need to reference all my work if I found it from a source, for example if I found a piece of information on the internet no matter how small it is if I don’t reference it I’m jeopardising my work being classed as plagiarism which can also jeopardise me passing my course as I’m copying someone else’s work.  ·Reading aloud – this can support me during my training. If I read aloud pieces of information and notes I have taken this will help me to remember information and be more confident with my points. A lso it will help me when I go to placement or work as I will be more confident. D1 – Task: Explain why the practitioner should develop and maintain appropriate relationships with parents and other professionals Introduction – As a practitioner it is important to maintain professional at all times in every case As a practitioner it’s your duty to support children effectively, by this I mean to avoid emotional attachments; because if you and one child get close and one day you’re not in, the child will be upset as it’s used to you being around and the other staff will find it hard to support the child. Also even though it’s hard, try not to have favourites as the other children will feel left out as you’re not giving them the same amount of care. Another important aspect of maintaining a professional approach is to keep information confidential; this is important because there’s a policy in place which states information should be kept stored away and confidential to make sure the children’s safety is protected. The Data Protection Act 1998 – â€Å"It is the main piece of legislation that governs the protection of personal data in the UK† http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Protection_Act_1998n 25/10/2012[->3]. To make sure you maintain confidentiality in a setting you should make sure you avoid discussions which involve sharing information about a child to anyone expect your manager and the child’s parents and always make sure if you’ve written down information about child or received a letter about that child or it’s family always store away the information in the child’s file and cabinet to make sure that the information is safe and no-one else can get ahold of that information. Also make sure that you follow the Data Protection Act 1998 and your settings confidentiality policies. Another way to maintain appropriate relationships with parents and other professionals is to build a good relationship between parents and other professionals, by you having good relationships with parents and other staff members will make sure that every feels happy secure and comfortable in the setting. Also this will benefit the children as parents disclosing that the child might have a problem one the day will ensure that the child is receiving the best care possible. D2 – Task: Discuss the characteristics of working in a multi-agency team Introduction – the characteristics of working in a multi-agency team is very important that you all work together to make sure the child is receiving the ultimate support. As a practitioner and working with a multi-agency team for example maybe a physiotherapist, speech therapist, signers and social workers the first thing you need to make sure is running smoothly is the communication between you the practitioner and the multi-agency team because you’re working together to ensure the child is receiving the right support and also protecting the child’s safety; a way to make sure this is happening is maybe suggest a weekly meeting to discuss important information which is confidential between you and the multi-agency, this way you’re certain that the communication is there also that information is safe and secure between you and the multi-agency. Also the information that is shared between you and the multi-agency should always be locked away and secure as it contains confidential information about the child which could affect the child if the wrong person got hold of it, so make sure that its locked away in a cabinet with a lock, protect your pc with a password and only discussed on a need to know basis. When you interact with the multi-agency make sure that you present all the relevant information you have found out so for example if you did an observation print of a copy for the multi-agency because this information could help the child progress and remember to always give feedback. B1 – Task: Explain why it is important that practitioners understand the limits and boundaries of their role when working with children Introduction – As a Level 3 practitioner is it important that you know your boundaries when working with children E8 – Bibliography Tassoni,P., (2007).Childcare and Education Level 3 1st edition , Heinemann http://www.ravenstoneschool.co.uk/about/show/our_mission 04/10/2012 http://www.myabacusnursery.co.uk/aboutus.html – 04/10/2012 http://www.dragonhall.org.uk/home/objectives/ 04/10/2012 http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publication-pdfs/betterlifeleaflet2012_pres