Boxing Day Tsunami, 2004

Boxing Day Tsunami, 2004 Introduction First of all, the main objective of this academic report is to describe the third-biggest ever recorded tsunami, which is known as Boxing Day 2004. Moreover, this event was one of the biggest natural disasters in recent history. This report is mainly divided into four sections: the introduction where an outline regarding the objectives and the purpose of this report is presented, the methodology, the discussion, the conclusion and finally the bibliography. This sad event began at 7:59am local time on December 26, 2004, thus it was named as Boxing Day. The epicentre of the 9.1 magnitude quake was located in the Indian Ocean near the west coast of Sumatra. Waves of up to 30 metres were detected and hit first regions of Indonesia, then waves reached Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, and- more than seven hours after the initial quake, the tsunami was observed in Mauritius and along the east coast of Africa. As can be seen, the Boxing Day tsunami achieved many cities across the world, devastating native vegetation and cities near the coast. Methodology The present report is based on four articles, which will be cited in the bibliography section. After carefully reading those articles, the main findings are described throughout this academic report. Discussion The Boxing Day Tsunami was caused by a displacement of water. The convergence of other plates strains the area, and at the quakes epicenter, the India plate is now moving to the northeast at 5 centimeters per year relative to the Burma plate. The aftershocks were distributed along the plate boundary from the epicenter to near Andaman Island. With at least 168,000 people killed when walls of water smashed into Nias Island and Aceh province, Indonesia was the nation hardest hit by the tsunami. Followed by Sri Lanka (35,000 people), India (18,000), and Thailand (8,000) (Figure 1). Hundreds also died in Africa, while thousands of foreign travellers were killed in the disaster, including 26 Australians. The Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 is believed to be the deadliest tsunami in history, killing more than 229,000 people (ABC, 2014). Figure 1. Deaths and damage caused by the Boxing Day Tsunami on December 26, 2004. Despite there being many hours between the earthquake and the impact of the tsunami, nearly all the victims were completely taken by surprise. With no adequate warning systems, there was no alert issued to people to seek safety. This is also the explanation why so many people were killed in this big tragedy. A few survivors included Tom and Arlette Stuip, who were holidaying in Khao Lak,Thailand. Said: We were having breakfast at the hotel on a terrace, overlooking the pool, the beach and the Andaman Sea. My husband Tom noticed the waiters were all pointing at the sea, which was receding rapidly. It was a fascinating sight. People got their cameras out and walked towards the dry seabed. The beach was full of sunbathing tourists. (Ryder and Dafedjaiye, 2014). (Figure 2) Figure 2. This is the image of the waves before Tom and Arlette fleeing the hotel. The waves stripped vegetation from mountain sides hundreds of metres inland, and threw boats into trees (Figure 3). A great arrangement of humanitarian aid was needed because of widespread damage of the infrastructure, shortages of food and water, and economic damage in the region. The estimated cost of the damage was around $10bn (BBC, 2014). Therefore, to help the people affected by the disaster more than $14 billion in aid was given by the international community (ABC, 2014). As a result, ten years later, many coastal towns and villages have rebuilt their communities and lives, and tried to forget the natural disaster that made so many people suffer. (Figure 4). Figure 3. A house standing amid devastation caused by tsunamis in the Galle district in the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, 27 December 2004. Figure 4. Before in August 2005 and after in December 2007 views of Calang, Aceh province. Conclusion This report described one of the biggest tragedy named Boxing Day Tsunami in 26th December 2004. This event resulted in the deaths of around 229,000 people. While this is the official number of deaths, it is estimated that this number can be even bigger. Although the tsunami happened almost 12 years ago, it is a topic of interest since many people were killed, and surprisingly no warning system was working in the regions to warn thousands of people. However, there are still questions over how safe the region is, since this is a natural catastrophe that can happen again. The Indian Ocean countries, including Australia, cannot ignore the potential dangers for future destructive earthquakes and tsunamis. The tragic events of Boxing Day 2004 make evident the need of establishing a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean. Bibliography Cummins, P. (2005, March). The Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami. Retrieved March, 2005, fromhttp://www.ga.gov.au/webtemp/image_cache/GA5892.pdf Boxing Day tsunami: How the disaster unfolded 10 years ago. Retrieved Dec 24, 2014, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-24/boxing-day-tsunami-how-the-disaster-unfolded/5977568 Sherie, R. and Dafedjaiye. H. (2014, Dec). Tsunami stories: Your experiences. Retriever Dec 25, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/30462238 Chadha, R.K. (2014, Dec). What caused the massive 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Retriever Dec 25, 2014, from http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/what-caused-the-massive-2004-indian-ocean-tsunami/article6723085.ece Figure 1. Boxing Day tsunami: How the disaster unfolded 10 years ago. Retrieved Dec 24, 2014, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-24/boxing-day-tsunami-how-the-disaster-unfolded/5977568 Figure 2. Sherie, R. and Dafedjaiye. H. (2014, Dec). Tsunami stories: Your experiences. Retriever Dec 25, 2014, from http://www.bbc.com/news/30462238 Figure 3. Akkoc, R. (2014, Dec) 2004 Boxing Day tsunami facts. Retriever Dec 19, 2014, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/11303114/2004-Boxing-Day-tsunami-facts.html Figure 4. Akkoc, R. (2014, Dec) 2004 Boxing Day tsunami facts. Retriever Dec 19, 2014, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/11303114/2004-Boxing-Day-tsunami-facts.html

Tanning and its Risks :: Skin Cancer Health Beauty Essays

Tanning and its Risks Liza Schenkel, a 2002 graduate of Ball State University, visited her dermatologist for a routine checkup, and asked her doctor to take a look at some spots on her body that looked abnormal. She said: "I had noticed a spot on my chest that didn't look right. This spot changed colors during the summer months, was raised from the skin, and had a peculiar shape." These were all warning signs of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Schenkel’s doctor immediately removed the spot and sent the skin cells to a lab to be tested. The cells proved to be cancerous and Schenkel was diagnosed with melanoma at 22. She is representative of the growing problem of skin cancer among college-age persons. The increase in cancer among young adults is a result of a growing obsession with tanning. Unlike some of her friends, Schenkel does not believe that she was obsessed with lying out in the summer months and visiting the tanning bed. She did not visit the tanning bed until her junior year in high school and that was at the most, once a week, with exceptions for special occasions. At her lake home, she would generally tan on the weekend by boating and swimming. She never thought that these habits would lead to skin cancer at such an early age. "Compared to my friends who went to the tanning bed every other day, I thought I was responsible. I had my moments of irresponsibility but I never thought it would happen to me." Schenkel represents the growing trend of younger people tanning for the sake of vanity despite possible health risks. The Los Angeles Times reported a study in May 2002 that said from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, melanoma rates rose 60.5 percent among women age 25-29 and 26.7 percent in the same category for men. The age group of those developing cancer is emerging from high school and college, where tanning has become a fashionable trend. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that skin cancers are the most common forms of cancer in the United States. Skin cancers are also the most preventable and curable cancer.

Comparing Carbon Footprint of Reusable Nalgene Water Bottles to Single

One of the greatest problems facing humanity is global climate change. Global climate change is the increase in average global temperature, caused by an increase in greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are the blanket of gases surrounding the earth that allow the world to be inhabitable. This layer of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases works in the same way that a greenhouse does, by trapping heat energy inside the atmosphere. Unfortunately, since the Industrial Revolution, people have released more of these gases into the atmosphere, thickening the blanketing layer. This thicker layer traps more heat, leading to dramatic changes in the earth's climate. In order to reduce to potential climate change, the amount of greenhouse gases being released need to be reduced. One starting point to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that you release is to find your carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases that is emitted over the full life of a process. Although it is called the carbon footprint, it is a measure of the total greenhouse gases released, converted to the equivalent amount of CO2. This number is not completely accurate, but it is a good estimate of the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere through our activities. Once you have found your personal carbon footprint, you can begin to work to reduce it. One way to reduce your carbon footprint is to look closely at each product you use, and find a more carbon efficient version. This paper can help you with that. In this paper, you will find a comparison of the carbon footprint o... ...s&oldid=228960982 Pacific Institute (2008). Bottled Water and Energy: A Fact Sheet. Retrieved July 31, 2008, Web site: http://www.pacinst.org/topics/water_and_sustainability/bottled_water/bottled_water_and_energy.html Pimental, David & Marcia. "Energy use in food processing for nutrition and development." Retrieved July 31, 2008, from http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food/8f072e/8f072e06.htm Neustaedter, Randall (7/18/2004). Plastic Water Bottles. Retrieved July 31, 2008, from Holistic Pediatric Association Web site: http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/108/1/Plastic-Water-Bottles Images http://jamaicaplainforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/low-carbon-diet-earth.jpg http://archives.zinester.com/13183/128920/202817_global-warming%20(Small).jpg http://www.martin-waugh.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/water-drop-1b.jpg http://www.nalgene.com

Interpersonal Relationships Paper

There is evidence that a motivation for helping is feeling empathy for the other person. Researchers hypothesize that people are altruistic as long as the result is reducing another's stress. Unfortunately, some researchers believe that altruistic helping is instrumental egoistic response. Providing evidence of this is difficult as egoism and altruism are motivational concepts, and they cannot be directly observed, (Nier, 2010). Summary of Issues The arguments in contention deal with altruism and whether people feel motivation for pure altruism or empathy. C. Daniel Batson and his colleagues believe that people have a motivation to help not for what they can receive but for pure altruistic reasons. Nier (2010) states that people who are altruistically motivated to help do so with the goal of increasing the welfare of others, (Nier, 2010, p. 379). Batson, Duncan, Ackerman, Cuckley, and Birch performed an experiment using similarity information to manipulate another's empathy. With 44 female introductory psychology students as the subjects the women are randomly selected to fill out a personal and interest questionnaire. The subjects were assigned to four conditions of easy versus difficult escape and similar versus dissimilar victim design through a random block procedure with 11 people in each cell. One participant from each cell is excluded because that person can suspect Elaine was not receiving shocks. They participants are told to wait for a second subject, Elaine, who is a conspirator of the experiment, and given an introduction while waiting. Drawing roles after signing a consent form is next with the 2 drawing rigged. They measure the level of arousal on a monitor to determine accurately the worker’s emotional response as well as help to form an impression. They manipulate the difficulty to escape a situation by letting every subject know that Elaine will complete all 10 trials. This gives the subjects a chance to help her by trading places with her after the second trial. They use similarity manipulation and need situation to determine the subject’s level of empathy. The experimenters give the subjects a chance to trade places with Elaine if they so choose to do so. The results suggest to researchers that suggesting that empathic motivation to help can be altruistic. Batson et. al. conclude that the easy-escape-dissimilar-victim condition is lower than the other three conditions. The difficulty to escape from the situation has a big effect on helping. Robert Cialdini and his colleagues believe that people have a motivation to help others so that they can feel better themselves rather than empathy. Those egoistically motivated to help others help so that they can increase their own welfare and personal gain. The idea is that those with low empathy should help less but when a person’s empathy is high, the sense of escape minimizes by the person’s primary altruistic motive to help the victim. Cialdini and his colleagues sought to test alternative explanations separating subjects’ feelings from empathic orientation. They replicate the Batson et. al. procedure presenting a gratifying event, allowing the subjects a chance to help a victim or escape the situation, finally assessing the subjects’ helpful tendencies against Batson’s measure of empathic concern. The results find that subjects with a high-empathy-set had elevated helping scores except when they got a sadness-canceling reward. This shows that they are no more helpful than those with low- 3 empathy. It seems that it was personal sadness that causes a person to have an increase helping motivation. Evaluation of Arguments Each argument proposes hypotheses about altruism and if it exists or not and how much altruism plays in motivating others to help another. Empirical research with a basis of self-interest provides limited and often insufficient explanations for some helping behaviors meaning that altruism can be another separate construct, (Burns, et. al, 2006, p. 83). It is not necessarily just altruism that encouraged the participants to help but a sense of sadness over the victim’s plight. By relieving the sadness of the victim, the subject’s sadness can disappear. Helping can have rewards for most adults it can restore mood. Rather than helping for altruistic reasons, people help others for their own reasons such as personal mood management. Batson and his colleagues identify an empathy-altruism model, which involves one person witnessing another’s distress elicits personal distress and empathic concern from the witness. Personal distress can promotes an egoistic need to help another’s distress and empathic concern develops an altruistic desire to reduce the other person’s distress, (Dovidio, Schroeder, & Allen, 1990, 249). The other determination of some researchers is that people who have high levels of empathy have high levels of helpfulness. Empathy can enhance prosocial behavior. Selfishness and egalitarianism are important for interpersonal settings, whereas the outcomes for another, or altruism, are important for enhancing joint outcomes, (Van Lange, 2008, p. 767). The 4 participants saw Elaine’s distress and wanted to eliminate it as their need to escape the situation decreased. Support of a Concept After analyzing both arguments and evaluating them, it seems that the most plausible argument is that altruism does exist, but it is not the biggest motivator for helping others. Some researchers believe that there are several volunteering activities where altruism is not a particular motivator, (Burns et. al. , 2006, p. 82). Involuntary volunteering is one. A person can have a court order to volunteer for example. People can start out with altruistic reasons for helping but altruism is not always the main motivator. In some ways helping another when they feel a sense of connection cannot be selfless because by helping another would be helping the helper, (Maner et. l, 2002, p. 1602). Some studies have evidence that suggest that when people appear altruistic that the motivations are ultimately egoistic by nature. Conclusion Altruism is about doing the greater good without any expectations back. Unfortunately, whereas altruism does exist many researchers determine that helping others is not for purely altruistic reason as people help others for many reasons. People can start out with altruistic motivations but they do not always stay altruistic.

Historical Changes of Affirmative Actions

Affirmative action was established to practice equal employment opportunity. Moreover, in general, it is a catchall phrase that refers to laws, customs, and social policies. It intends to ease the discrimination between majorities and minorities by giving more opportunities for diverse demographic groups in various social organizations. Also, it refers to both voluntary and mandatory efforts practiced by federal, state, local governments, private employers, and schools to overcome discrimination and to urge equal opportunity into the educational system and working environments (Stephanopoulos and Edley 1995). On the other hand, it is criticized and discussed since it was established due to its has very broad influences in America society. It is not simply a legal issue, but also an issue that affects every American†s way of life. However, it†s just like other laws and regulations, none of them can please all kinds of people. I am a supporter of the affirmative action. Some may say that this is because I am a student, and I need affirmative action to protect my opportunity of finding jobs in the future; unfortunately, they have the wrong thought. I am Taiwanese, and I will find my job in Taiwan where there is no regulation like affirmative action. Therefore, I am standing at a very objective position to discuss this topic with you. Of course, you can always keep you opinions in minds, but please open your minds to look at what I am going to tell you. I. The historical changes of affirmative action Affirmative action was first seen at 1961. President John F. Kennedy referred to his executive order that asked all federal contractors treat the applicants and their employees â€Å"without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin† (Pasour 1989). In 1964, affirmative action expanded its scope to prohibit employment discrimination by large employers, having over 15 employees, whether they have government contracts or not. In addition, from 1965 to 1967, affirmative action was expanded to require all government contractors and subcontractors to take it to expand job opportunities for women and minorities. Then, from 1970 to 1973, legislators evaluated and compared the affirmative action this program and status quo and made this program have more flexible goals and timetables for every organization to achieve it. II. I-200 & Proposition 209 V. S. Affirmative Action When I heard that Washington and California have passed Initiative 200 (I-200) and Proposition 209, which are regulations that against affirmative action, I think the residents of these two states may not clearly realize what the affirmative action really is. These regulations were passed because the supporters believe affirmative action has gone too far to protect minorities and women. Furthermore, the affirmative action causes reverse discriminations, preferential treatments, and privileges at not only work places but also schools. Proponents of I-200 and California†s proposition 209 also argue that affirmative action has led American colleges and universities to use racial and ethnic as criteria to select a significant fraction of their entering classes. They also argue that because of affirmative action, companies may hire less qualified minorities or women instead of best-qualified white males. I cannot agree! If those are true, why are most of the top level managers white males? Besides, why are women getting lesser pay than men have when taking charge of the same duties? According to the report of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission in March 1995, â€Å"a large proportion of minorities and women are locked into low-wage, low-prestige, and dead-end jobs† (Murrell and Jones). The Glass Ceiling Commission reported that â€Å"97 percent of senior managers at the Fortune 1,000 corporations were white males†(Morin and Warden A01). Also, in 1998, women were earning 75% of men†s salaries base on the same kind of job, said by Jim Hose, a Human Resource Professor of Eastern Washington University. The general pattern of male-female relations continues in modern societies. An example like Home Depot Inc. , â€Å"it was suited by EEOC in 1997 because it hired women into low-level jobs, such as cashier, with little chance for advancement into sales or management positions† (Lerner D3). The evidence shows that affirmative action is still needed due to society†s unequal status. Most importantly, opponents argue that affirmative action causes reverse discrimination, and that is not true. A statistic shows that â€Å"fewer than 100 out of 3000 discrimination cases filed actually involved reverse discrimination and only six out of 100 cases were true† (Wilson 1995). When the U. S. overnment stars to practice affirmative action, it creates broader opportunities for all populations instead of only for white men. At this point, white males may have some impact on them, but the affirmative action is still needed when you consider society as a whole. Another issue has been brought out by advocators of I-200 and Proposition 209, that affirmative action leads schools to select candidates unfairly. However, universities do not just look for racial and ethnic diversity when composing a class. Universities may reject some white students, but the reasons are absolutely not simply about racial and ethnic issues. According to the date, which is based on 1996 applications for ten public Virginia universities, â€Å"show those universities selected applicants would consider about race, sex, SAT scores, class rank, and high school grade point averages† (Mcqueen A13). Affirmative action is the regulation that ensures everyone in America has fair chances in every organization. Why did legislators established affirmative action? Is it because of historical discrimination of white people against African Americans? This notion gives those opponents a very big chance to criticize affirmative action. They argue that discrimination between blacks and whites has become history; therefore, we should not have affirmative action to deepen prejudice or recall everybody†s attention to racialism. Has our society become equal without discrimination? I don†t believe that someone is so naive to think so. Perhaps those critics just don†t want to face the truth of the status quo. There was an example on ABC news, which filmed two men that have the same education, age, appearance, and other qualities, However, one is African American and another is white. While the white got full service in shoes store, got a lower price and better financing plan for buying a car, the African American got opposite treatments. Thus, when you think that affirmative action is enough, please consider what the real world is. The truth is that there is pervasive racism in all areas of U. S. society. IV. Four-fifth rule/Quota and Affirmative action The most common argument about the affirmative action is that many people believe that affirmative action leads organizations to not hire the best-qualified people due to some quota restrictions, such as the four-fifth rule. The four-fifth rule means â€Å"adverse impact exists if the selection ration for the discriminated-against group is less than four-fifths (or 80 percent) of the selection ration for the majority group† (Ledvinka and Scarpello 143). These opponents of affirmative action argue that some affirmative action practices have involved the use of preferential treatment and privilege to achieve workforce diversity that destroyed the purity of assessing candidates. At this point, I am not going to say that there is no company that likes what they have described, but the problems occurred due to misunderstanding of those regulations. What we say about the Four-fifth rule, or simply say quota restriction, is a goal set by government for every organization to follow. So far, there is no company which hires employees base on BFOQ (Bona fide occupational qualification), that has been charged because of not reaching the goal of the Four-fifth rule. â€Å"True affirmative action does not enshrine preferences or mandate quotas. Nor has any effective affirmative-action program ever been structured to allow unqualified candidates to take jobs over the qualified† (Redwood 136). Everyone can have goal. By setting a good goal for yourself, even you can†t reach it, you are still going toward right direction. The affirmative action and Four-fifth rule as like. V. How do you identify the term â€Å"Best-qualified†? Can you give the â€Å"best-qualified† a definition? No, I can†t. Actually, by using â€Å"best-qualified,† this phrase is usually very subjective. Different employers have different considerations under their â€Å"best-qualified† catalogs. Tom may be the best-qualified candidate for company A, but may not be eligible for company B. Also, â€Å"Employers have traditionally hired people not only on test scores, but on personal appearance, family and personal connections, school tiles and on race and gender preferences, demonstrating that talent or desirability can be defined in many ways† (Kivel 1996). As we know, many job opportunities are heard from informal networks, like friends, family, and neighbors. If there is no affirmative action to ensure that everyone has a fair chance at what is available, the segregation between different groups, such as black and white, men and women, will become more and more serious. VI. Affirmative Action creates diversity for our environment Affirmative action helps organizations to find diverse and talented employees. America is a diverse country; therefore, if your company has more diverse employees, your company can get various ideas, information, and knowledge to enhance your competition. Many companies, such as Mountain Bell, have commented that â€Å"by instituting affirmative action, they not only made their employee population look like American, which is a diverse country, but also found more talented and skilled workers† (Pendleton and Douglas 1991). Another example for supporting affirmative action is the Aire Sheet Metal, which its president, Bobby Bramlett, said that â€Å"affirmative action creates opportunities with contractors who otherwise wouldn†t know us, or give us a chance†¦ The work comes through relationships, but that first opportunity to build a relationship comes from affirmative action† (Spencer 151). Therefore, affirmative action can let companies have various personnel to enrich companies† overall human resource and enhance companies competitive capacities. In conclusion, I just want you to recognize what affirmative action really is. Affirmative action ensures that everyone in America has an equal chance to compete with others. It is a law to minimize the gap between blacks and whites, men and women. Although affirmative action may have some impact to white males, we still need this law to balance our society by considering the society as a whole. Affirmative action is good for overall U. S. society, especially, when people can combine those diverse powers together. Affirmative action is a long-term benefit for the U. S. society. I believe every American should support this regulation.

Sad sad story

This core course provides opportunities to explore a range of topics In the field of political Ideas, continental theory, aesthetics politic cal theory and art practices and strategies. Its purpose is to establish a common intellectual, historical and theoretical framework for students coming from diverse disciplines. Broadly, it considers key questions regarding the (so – called) ‘aestheticism Zion of politics' and the ‘plasticization of aesthetics' as emergent in the 20 the centuries.Assessment one 5,000 word essay P071014B Internship (MA International Studies only Lecturer: Dry Simon Griffith Spring Term This optional co ruse will involve spending two days each week for the duration of a term as an intern in a placement provider working in the field of politics, public policy or international studies. In the past students have undertaken p ligament s at a range of organist ions, including charities, think tanks and pressure groups; dies connected with integratio n al organizations such as the KIN; appropriate businesses; and political parties.Students will be attached to a placement supervisor during their placement . This p errors will supervise their work while on placement, in liaison with staff at Goldsmiths. Dents should find their own placements in the autumn term and will support them in that process. These placements must be cleared with the course convener. There is also a small pool of guaranteed places which will be competitively allocated.In fairness to hosts, we will also have to be confident that students' levels of attendance and achievement hill at Goldsmiths suggest that they can benefit from the inter unships The course is assessed in two ways. A reflective essay of 2, 5 3,000 words, worth % of the overall grade, which will apply the academic approaches of students' A studies to the practical experiences of their internship. A further 2 0% of the grade will be allocated on the basis of qualitative reports from the placemen t supervisor, based on all or some of the of Lowing criteria from the M A in IS learning outcomes.P071009B Global political cultures 1: Knowledge Power Culture Elect ere: Professor Sandy Seth 15 CATS Autumn Term Thursday 10. 00 22. 00 This course aims to raise questions about whether the concepts and categories through which we usually study the ‘international' or ‘global' are adequate to the task. It critically ex. Mines categories of the social sciences and humanities that are usually simply presupposed and ‘applied', and which, despite their Western or European origins, are assumed to be ‘universal'.It does this by closely examining some of the most important thee retrial writings of the post period, focusing upon books and debates which had repercussions far beyond their immediate disciplinary boundaries, including books by Kuhn, McIntyre, Factual, Said, and others. Students explore the claim(s) that far fro m being objective and universal, our knowledge is shaped by culture, history and politics. In seminars we ask, can different ‘conceptual schemes', ‘paradigms' or ‘traditions' be compared to see which one is better, or are they incommensurable?Do theories and explanations triumph over rival theories because they are ‘better' or for other reasons? Does knowledge serve to unmask power, or is it always caught up with and complicit with power? This course requires students not simply to advance their knowledge of politics, but to explore the politics of knowledge, and to do so, in particular, by inquiring into whether the categories and concepts of the social sciences are genuinely international and universal, or merely modern/Western and parochial.Assessment This course is assessed by one 3000 word essay P071012B Memory and Justice in Post Conflict Societies Lecturer: Jason Dramatic So 30 CATS Autumn Thursday 1 1. 00 15. 00 This course focuses on how societies emerging from different types of conflict (such a s war, genocide, dictatorship and grave human rights abuses) engage in the process of justice – such as trials, truth commissions, reparations, apologies and pub lice commemorations and social recesses, expressed through the media, culture and civil society initiatives.By exploring the complex relationship between conflict, memory and Justice in various cross – cultural settings, it seeks to provide an understands Eng of the ways in which such processes can promote or hinder reconciliation and the rebuilding of social, inter communal and inter national ties. The course will also assess the role of external actors (as for example, international war crimes tribunals) I n terms of how they affect internal processes of acknowledging past abuses. Case studies, including Germany , Japan , South Africa, he former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, will inform the theoretical debates and provide a comparative perspective.Films and decorum entries relating to the weekly topics will also be screened as an integral part of the course. One 5000 word essay on a topic of the student's choice, in a agreement with the course tutor. SUPPRESS Theories of International Relations TAB 15 CATS Autumn Term Wednesday 10. 00 This course provides a survey of the classical, critical and newly emerging theories of international relations, namely: realism/unrealism, liberalism/unilateralism, Marxism, constructivism, post modernism, minims, post colonialism, the aesthetic turn in IR and theories of Justice.The course approaches each of these theories through the concept of power, seeking to explain the radical shifts that have occurred both in our understanding of power as well as the role that it plays in international politics in the last century. The course combines its examination of theory with debates on contemporary case studies that serve to showcase the link between theory and practice. This course is assess De by one P071024A The European Union and Immigration: The Contours, Po litics and Economics of a New Policy Domain

Early childhood education Essay

In a childcare setting the practitioners has an important role in supporting children. In a childcare setting the practitioner needs to help the children learn and achieve their full potential in their development stages; they must understand where the children are at in their development and know what they should be trying to achieve next, the practitioner can do this by spending time with the child and learning what the child can do and what they are struggling with so then they can plan activities to help the child with what they are struggling with and help them achieve their next stage of development. As a practitioner you’ve got to think about if the child is ready to be achieving the next stage of development because if they are not ready then it will be harder for them to do it; when a child achieves something new that they have not done before it is the practitioners job to praise them so they will feel like they did something good and will feel like doing it again as they like being praised for it and having that attention. Practitioners must make sure that all children in the setting are safe and secure; at all times children must be supervised, at least 1 of the staff members must be qualified in each room and their must be at least 2 members of staff in the room so if you need anything you can go and get it without the children being left on their own. To keep the children safe you must make sure that all dangerous objects and equipment are kept out of sight of children and make sure if it is equipment outside such as climbing frames or slides etc. that they do not go on them, you must make sure before the children go outside to play that you check whether all the playing equipment is safe so their wont be any accidents or injuries and if it is dangerous weather such as raining or snowing you must not allow the children on the equipment that they could injure themselves on. at my previous placement in the playground their was some monkey bars but in certain conditions when it was raining or snowing this piece of apparatus where not in use and all the children were told they could not use it; they did this so that none of the children would go on it and slip and injure themselves. When children first start the setting the practitioner has to make the child feel safe and secure because if you welcome them and you are warm and comforting they will feel more comfortable in the setting and won’t mind leaving their mum and dad’s and will want to stay their and play with their friends. it is important that you work in partnership with parents because the parents know their child better than anyone, this allows you to find out what the child’s likes and dislikes are and if you have good communication with the parents you will know what to expect the child to be like in the day whether they are upset or happy or they might need a sleep as they didn’t have much the night before, when you work with their parents you can find so much about the child which will help you later on and you can talk about the child about how they could help them develop if they are struggling or if they need advice on how to potty train them. (see appendix 1) E2 Many families have to deal with change in their lives and they usually have the support of their families to support them through these changes. Many families face daily issues that affect their family life and often need help to sort them out. These issues could be financial difficulties; all families have a lot of things to pay out for such as housing bills, care provision for their child and food etc. if the families cannot pay for this then it can be very hard on them if they don’t have the correct support of their families and organisations as they could not have enough money to keep their house or to buy food and clothes for their child, families could support them with this situation by helping them out with buying stuff for the child for example a few extra clothes, food etc. , but also if the family also cannot afford this there is organisations you can go to within your community that helps in these situations such as food banks. Another issue is employment; if a member of the family loses their job then it can be difficult as you will not be getting enough income as you usually would and will be harder to provide for the child or if the mother wants to go to work and earn some extra money and not just be at home then it could be difficult if both the parents/carers work as you have to find provision for the child and can be difficult if you cannot afford to put the child in the nursery, families can support you with this as you can ask them if they can have the child for a bit some days whilst you are at work or you can try and get government funding at a nursery so you can take them in maybe in the morning depending on when you work and get another member of your family to pick them up if you are unable to. Many families go through divorce and separation and it can affect the family in so many ways; if the two parents separate then their will not be as much income so they will struggle in paying on everything and also may not have somewhere to go straight away so they might have to go and live with some of their families and will be cramped. There are certain organisations that can help you with these situations, you can go on the council list and they will try and find you a place as soon as possible as you will be classed as homeless and you can get housing benefits or benefits as a single parent. There are different types of family structures and it depends what structure you are in with how much support you will be getting not just with family but organisations within you society as well. Parents whose families are married will not need as much support as they will be getting more income and can get support of each other but they will get some support if they need it. when the child is being brought up by a lone parent then they will get support by all their family as they might need help to look after the child when they have something to do or has to work; when a parent is bring up the child on their own then they might be struggling financially as they will only be getting their income and no one else’s, if you are a single parent then you can claim money for being a single parent to help you out a bit more. In reconstituted where only one adult is the biological parent to the child and where there may be children who may have different biological parents; in this family they will have the support of both families and will still get benefits to help them out with money. All families need support at some point in their life and there are many organisations and self help groups that can provide this support and there are many different settings where you can take your child and they will be cared for such as respite care, holiday play schemes, parent and toddler groups, schools, workplace nurseries, child minders, pre-school, after school clubs, residential care, day nurseries and creches. There are four different types of sectors that provide care and education for children which are: statutory sector voluntary sector private sector independent sector A statutory sector has to be there by law and is funded by the government. Local schools is an example of a statutory sector, they have to be there by law and gets funding by the government so they can afford all the equipment and everything they need to run the school. Schools look after children from the age of 5-11 years old; they follow a set routine. Foundation stage covers EYFS and year 1 to year 6 covers the national curriculum. Schools are open from 9-3:30 from Monday to Friday. Schools are closed in the holidays such as Christmas, Easter, summer and half terms. Schools are located all over in areas easy to access so it is easy for the parents to drop and collect the children off at their school. In all schools there is always enough space for an outside area for example the playground and an indoor area where they can do P. E activities. Local schools can be adapted when needed for example building ramps for people with disabilities so they find it easy to access the school. Schools also provides snacks for the children which are healthy such as fruit and vegetables to provide them with some of their five a day. they should also have toileting times such as before they go out for break or before dinner. Statutory schools are free apart from paying for school dinners, school trips and some snacks. The aim of a statutory sector school is to provide opportunities of education for every child and to support their learning and to help them in areas where they are struggling. They also aim to provide a safe and secure environment to keep the children from harm. Another aim is to provide social opportunities for the child for example learning to make new friends, learning to socialise with people, learning the difference between adults and children and learning to respect others. It may also provide opportunities for the family as they will be meeting other parents and socialise with them and get support from them if they need it and also they can find different services through schools to help support them. A voluntary sector are provided by organisations such as charities. Volunteers and paid staff provide services in the same way as in the statutory sector. mostly all their funding’s come from donations from others. Mother and toddler groups, brownies and pre-school groups are apart of this. Mother and toddler groups are usually for children aged 2-4 years. Mother and toddler groups are usually open between 9-11:30 in the mornings or 1:30-3 in the afternoons. These kinds of organisations are usually placed in a church or community hall. The staff at these groups are usually parents themselves but the person that runs the group has to have a level 3 qualification in childcare. The group may ask for a small donation each week to cover the cost of booking the hall and also for lighting and water bills. The area where the group is located in may not have an outdoor play area for the children to play in. The group should also follow the EYFS Curriculum where children will learn through play and the space may also be Ofsted inspected . The main aim of a mother and toddler group is to provide short term care so the parent or carer gets a little time to themselves in case they need to get anything done and it also gives children the chance to develop their social skills and to make new friends. Another main aim is to get children ready for nursery. Also it provides opportunities for parents or carers to meet new people whilst helping out with the organisation or just dropping the child off at the group; this gives the parents someone to talk to about their child and if they need advice they can talk to someone. A private sector is where you have to pay extra to try and get their best out of their child’s education. When you use a private day nursery you are charged for using them, you are approximately charged ?150 a week to use these services, but at some nurseries they offer free government funding for parents who can’t afford to keep taking their child there. Nurseries are normally open from 8am-6pm all year except from bank holidays. At nurseries they look after children aged 6 weeks-5 years. They provide all meals including breakfast, snacks, dinner and tea. They also have sleep facilities, indoor and outdoor play areas for children to play in. The building may not of been purposely built to be used for a nursery but can be adapted for the children to provide their size abilities. All the members of staff will be fully qualified, managers and room leaders must be level 3 qualified. Ofsted will come and inspect the building and the staff to make sure it is safe and also to check whether they are following the EYFS curriculum. The aim of a private day nursery is to provide safe and secure environments for children to keep them from harm and to make them feel comfortable in the setting without the parents being there with them. it also gives the children the opportunity to build their social skills and make new friends. Another aim is to provide a stimulating environment with bonding sessions between the child and their key worker. Whilst the children are at nursery it gives the parents the chance to get a job and earn some extra money. E4+C The children’s act 2004 goes on about the rights of the children. This act is concerned with families and the care of children, local authority support for children and their families, fostering, childminding and day care provision. The children act is really important because it says the importance of putting the child first. This act states what is best for the child must always be the first consideration; when caring for children you must always think about what is best for the child because in all situations the child must always come first and you have got to think about how the child is going to react about situations they don’t like, you’ve especially got to think about the child when it comes to activities because you have to think about where the child is at and got to adapt the activity to suit their needs. It also states that unless the child is at risk or harm, a child should not be taken away from their family without the families agreement; children should never be taken away from their family because families the most important people in their life, the only reason you should take them away is if you have concerns about the child that they are not safe then you would have to contact other services such as social services and get the situated observed. Courts must put the children first when making decisions; when making decisions in court such as who gets to look after the child the mother or father you have to think about who the child would be best looked after with. There are five outcomes for children that the childrens act 2004 talks about. (see appendix 3) In Health and Safety at Work act employers must make the workplace as safe as possible; when working with children you have to make sure all the workplace is safe and none of the children can injure themselves or get hurt. Before the children goes outside to play a member of staff must go out and check whether all the equipment is safe and not broke so the children can’t hurt themselves on them. All dangerous equipment or substances must be kept out of all children’s reach so they can not harm themselves on them and all plug sockets must have plug guards in to stop the children from putting their finger in them and all plug sockets must be turned of at all times when not being used. you must decide how to manage health and safety in the setting for example doing a written policy on how to make sure none of the children get hurt and how to keep them safe and healthy. All employees must work safely; if you are given guidance about how to use equipment you must use it that way and no put anyone in danger. E5 E6 When working with other professionals it is important to respect and value the knowledge of other professionals because everyone has better knowledge in certain areas and if you have concerns about something and you are not sure what to do then you could go to other professionals and ask for their opinions such as if you are having concerns about children if their acting a bit strange and you think they are in danger such as at home they are being hurt as they have got some strange markings or bruises appearing then you can take it to other professionals and see what they think and they can take it into their hands and look into it; they can observe the child closely to see what they actually think and the two professionals can work together and keep a close eye on the child and keep exchanging information so it works out best for the child in the end and to put them out of danger. You have got to have good communication skills whilst working with different professionals as you are working with different professionals all day and you have to communicate with them and share information with them for example teachers and teaching assistants work together all day, they share the class such as when doing phoenix or numbers they have half the class each depending on where the children are one of them will have the lower group and the other one will have a higher group and they’ve got to communicate with each other so they know how all the children in the group are doing and if they are improving; when you have shared this information you still have to communicate about what they could do to improve the child’s learning. It helps improve outcomes so if you think something is happening with a child and is bothering them then if you are working with different professionals that expertise in different things then it will benefit children in the end. If you have more professionals working together on a situation then they will pick up on signs quicker and it will benefit the child a lot because the sooner they know what’s going on than the less hurt the child gets and they won’t be as traumatized. If you are working with different professionals then you are learning from each other; each professional knows different things and knows how to handle different situations so if you come across a situation like that then you’ll know what to do. It helps us look at everything as a whole for example if you are looking at the child’s h health. Every professional works on different aspects of the child’s development so if you work together then you can go to them for advice. By working in a multi professional approach it maintains a focus on the child; by putting them at the centre of everything they do and by involving them, this ensures that everyone communicates about the child. It improves communication and strong partnerships between all other professionals which is important as they will have to work together at some point in your career. D1 If you have good knowledge about childcare then it can help you to recognise the care needs of all children in the setting. If you take reliable and valid assessments of the children then you will see exactly where the child is at and what they need help in; they might be really clever in certain areas but might need a bit of a push in others, if you do observations and assessments on the children then you will be able to plan activities where it can help them to know how to plan activities to make them develop their learning. You should always use development norms when thinking about what the children’s needs are because each child has different needs and depending on the age of the child they will have different needs as well so you have to look up where they are supposed to be and where they actually are and see what their needs will be, this will help you plan activities as well as you know where the children are at and whether they are above or below their developmental norms. Prediction of next stages; if you can predict what the next stages are of the children are it will help you to plan activities for them to help them to help them achieve their next stage and push them in that direction. You’ve got to understand that all children are different and have different needs so you’ve got to find out what all the children’s needs. D2 To improve my own practice I could look back at what I’ve done and discuss my strengths and weaknesses. You need to think about how you currently work and looking at what you need to do in order to improve. You should stand back, take a look and recognise what works well, but also you need to be able to recognise what could be changed. To be a reflective practitioner you need to be self-aware and look at how you work with children, colleagues and parents as honest as you can. Evaluating your own practice helps to put you in control of the changed that should be made, enables you to identify your professional development needs and will make you more confident. Being a reflective practitioner involves asking people you work with what they think you do well at and where you could improve. Everyone has their own ways of working and doing things differently, if you ask other people what they think you could improve at then they could tell you what they thinks going well and maybe give you examples of different ways of doing certain things, then you could test them out and see which way works best for you. Other people can look at what you are doing and discuss your strengths and weaknesses accurately, but when you might be looking at what you do well and what needs improving you may not look at every single thing as you can only look back at what you have done and other people can look at It as you are doing the activity. C B A Appendix 1 Nursery Nurse and Nursery assistant job description Nursery nurse’s provide care for children up to the age of 5 years. they work primarily with young patients, although some are employed in nurseries looking after children of NHS staff. Nursery assistants will work alongside and usually under the supervision of qualified nursery nurse’s The work of nursery nurses typically includes the following: provide physical, emotional and spiritual care to children coordinating play for children in a range of settings supporting carers in the parenting of their children  developing play as a means of communicating information to children, to distract them during unpleasant procedures and to maintain their stage of development during illness or stress maintaining the environment in a child-friendly manner maintaining toys and play equipment finding ways to stimulate children particularly those with special and sensory needs attending meetings working with members of multidisciplinary agencies within and outside of the NHS organisation they are working for maintaining records nursery assistants will assist nursery nurses in most aspects of their work, ensuring that the children in their care remain safe, happy and stimu lated. Additional responsibilities for nursery nurses after further training or experience include: supporting children who have been abused playing a key role in supporting public health assisting in the education of learners/students who are training to work as a nursery nurse or assistant Nursery nurses and nursery assistants work in a variety of settings both in the hospitals and in the community. In hospitals this will include in children’s wards, nurseries and outpatient departments in community settings this could include working in nurseries in a health centre, or in a community centre, GP surgery or children’s centre. Appendix 2 Westdale lane all about us. Westdale infant school is a local authority/community school established over 40 years ago in its new building to educate. The school is placed on a pleasant site in the area of Mapperly area in Nottingham, falling within Gedling Borough although only 3 miles outside the centre of nottingham. The schools capacity is 180 children. 60 per year. The families come from mainly the catchment area or close by. However, there are a number of children who live further away. The school is adjacent to Westdale Juniors where most children move to for year 3 in their education. There is no doubt that teachers, the staff team and governing body pride themselves on the achievements of the school and all work in order to maintain very high standards. Please see our latest Ofsted report (available through this website) to see evidence of our performance. The report shows that out school performs above the national average for overall education attainment and is well lead by senior staff. The school excells in providing a stimulating learning environment for our children and there are many enrichment based activities such as trips outside the school and visits by musicians, story tellers, and theatre groups. Much pride is taken in providing a sense of community particulary involving parents and seeking their views. we have a very successful record on fund raising based on out of school events for all members of the family. The school takes seriously its role in embracing all elements of equalityand diversity to reflect our ever changing communities. we accomadate children with special needs and learning difficutlies and the school makes every effort to support children from different backgrounds and cultures. Appendix 3 Five outcomes for children stay safe- from: maltreatment, neglect, violence, and sexual exploitation; accidential injury and death, bullying and discrimination, crime and anti-social behaviour in and out of school; insecurity and instability. Be healthy- physically healthy, mentally and emotionally healthy, sexually healthy, healthy lifestyles, choose not to take illegal drugs. enjoy and achieve- ready for school, attend and enjoy school, achieve strethcing national educational standards at primary school; achieve personal and social development and enjoy recreation, achieve stretching national educational standards at secondary school. Achieving economic wellbeing- enagage in decision making and support for the community and environment; engage in law abiding and positive behaviour in and out of school, develop positive relationships and choose not to bully or discriminate, develop self-confidence and successfully deal with significant life changes and challenges, develop enterprising behaviour. make a positive contribution- engage in further education, employment or training on leaving school; ready for employment, live in descent homes and sustainable communities, access to transport and material goods, live in households free from low incomes.