Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Unit 7 Discussion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Unit 7 Discussion - Research Paper Example If an economic crisis is experienced, then it is a sure thing that firms and corporations will opt for downsizing and in the process render people jobless. In turn, these people will settle on criminal activities. The third type of data that will be used is the rate of poverty. This statistic depicts the number of people living below the poverty line. They have no income, and engaging in criminal activities will be their only way of survival. The fourth type of data will involve the rate of economic growth. The rate of economic growth in a country indicates how the economy is performing. A positive economic growth means that industries that employ people are coming up. On the other hand, a negative economic growth, means that industries that used to employ people are being closed down, and as a result, people loss their jobs and resorting to crime. The final type of data will involve information regarding the crime perpetrators. Since employment is related to the economy, it will be important to research if the perpetrators were either employed or unemployed at the time they committed the criminal activities (Siegel,
Monday, October 28, 2019
Conclusion On Maternal Health Seeking Health And Social Care Essay
Conclusion On Maternal Health Seeking Health And Social Care Essay The objectives of this study are to describe maternal health-seeking practices of adolescent and adult mothers during pregnancy and childbirth and to determine the effects of maternal health-seeking practices on their pregnancy outcomes. This study used the secondary data from a cross sectional survey named Survey of Pregnancy, Birth and Early Life (SPBEL) which was conducted in Kanchanburi province, 2003. A total of 117 nulliparous adolescent mothers aged 15-19 and 193 nulliparous adult mothers aged 20-29 who have delivered singleton live births within two years were included in this study. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the effects of maternal health-seeking practices on pregnancy outcomes. Our study found that the adolescent pregnancy rate (15-19 years) in Kanchanaburi province was 13%. Regarding their background characteristics, adolescent mothers tended to complete similar education level like adult mothers. A higher proportion of adolescent mothers were unemployed in comparison with adult mothers in this study. Concerning with health-seeking practices, a high level utilization of antenatal care was found in both adolescent and adult mothers and most of them received four or more antenatal visits. However, delayed and less frequent antenatal visits among adolescent mothers were found compared with adult mothers. Delivery rate at health facilities was very high and the rate did not differ between adolescent and adult mothers. With respect to pregnancy outcomes, adolescent mothers were found to have a higher incidence of preterm and LBW deliveries. Overall, pregnancy outcomes of adolescent mothers were more adverse than adults. Bivariate analysis showed maternal health-seeking practices had no significant effects on pregnancy outcomes of adolescent and adult mothers. Further adjustment of socio-demographic factors did not change the observed associations. On the other hand, we observed that age was a significant risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Nulliparous adolescent mothers had two times higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes than adults. In our study, we found the associations between pregnancy outcomes and their residence. The risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes for mothers from urban stratum was higher than that of mothers from rice fields, cash crops and upland strata after controlling age, health-seeking factors, level of education and employment status. Recommendation On the basis of our findings, some recommendations for policy implications and future studies are formulated in this section. Recommendations for policy implication High adolescent pregnancy rate calls for policy makers to give greater emphasis on sex education and promotion of contraceptive use among adolescents in schools as well as in the community. These interventions will help in delaying the initiation of sexual intercourse and improving use of birth control among adolescent women. Effective interventions to reduce either intended or unintended pregnancies among adolescents could improve adolescentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ maternal and child health. Despite the overall high use of maternal health care, adolescent mothers were less likely to use maternal health services compared with adult mothers. It was suggested that physical and social barriers accessing maternal health care for adolescent mothers need to be addressed by the government to improve maternal health care utilization among adolescent mothers. It is also recommended to initiate teenage specific antenatal clinic with youth friendly manner which could provide multidisciplinary care by detecting and managing biological and social risk factors for pregnant adolescents. Adolescent mothers were more likely to deliver preterm and LBW babies who are at higher risk of neonatal death. Moreover, neonatal morbidity among babies born to adolescent mothers was relatively higher than babies born to adult mothers. Provision of better antenatal and delivery care for pregnant adolescents could minimize the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is crucial to provide training for health providers to understand more about the higher risks of adolescent pregnancy to achieve better pregnancy outcomes. In addition, health providers should be encouraged to pay special attention to postnatal contraception for adolescent mothers to postpone next pregnancy until they are biologically, psychologically and financially able to care for another baby. 5.2.2 Recommendations for future research Further research is needed to elucidate the relationship between adolescent pregnancy outcomes and health-seeking practices. We suggest a prospective cohort study with a large sample size that includes information about potential risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as genital tract infection, pregnancy complications such as pregnancy induced hypertension and premature rupture of membrane, maternal malnutrition, anemia, and social problems faced by adolescent mothers to confidently conclude the effects of health-seeking practices on outcomes of adolescent pregnancy. Access to quality antenatal and delivery care will also be needed to consider as one important factor to determine the effects of maternal health care on pregnancy outcomes. Hence, it is recommended to include quality of maternal health care as one confounding factor of pregnancy outcomes. Our results provide a starting point to explore the reasons for relatively poor health-seeking practices of adolescent mothers. Qualitative study focusing on health-seeking behavior of adolescent mothers and social problems they encountered during pregnancy and delivery should be conducted for more in-depth understanding of adolescent pregnancy outcomes.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Shakespeare in the Sound and the Fury Essay -- Sound and the Fury Essa
Shakespeare in the Sound and the Fury  The "Tomorrow" soliloquy in Act V, scene v of the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth provides central theme and imagery for The Sound and the Fury. Faulkner may or may not agree with this bleak, nihilistic characterization of life, but he does examine the characterization extensively.             Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow            Creeps in this petty pace from day to day            To the last syllable of recorded time;            And all our yesterdays have lighted fools            The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle!            Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,            That struts and frets his hour upon the stage            And then is heard no more. It is a tale            Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,            Signifying nothing (Shakespeare 177-8).            The passage suggests man is mortal while time is immortal. Time maintains its pace independently of man's actions; it creeps through man-made institutions eventually leading to man's death. However, time maintains indifference towards man. Life spans are infinitesimal in comparison to the smallest division of time. In reality, the significance man ascribes to human existence is false: life has no significance. Life is merely a brief episode of strutting and fretting, "full of sound and fury, . . . signifying nothing."  Every section of the Sound and the Fury relates to Macbeth's speech. Each narrator presents life as "full of sound and fury," represented in futile actions and dialogue. Benjy, Quentin, Jason, and Dilsey all emit constant wor... ... Faulkner's views on life, a supposed contrast to Macbeth's. After hundreds of pages of examining Shakespeare's passage, Faulkner concludes his work with an uplifting transcendence of nihilism. Faulkner leaves the reader with hope, the signification of meaning yet to come.  Works Cited  Commentary. The Sound and the Fury. Olemiss Resources               http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/n-sf.html  Faulkner, William. The Sound and the Fury. New York: Vintage Books, 1984.  Harold, Brent. "The Volume and Limitations of Faulkner's Fictional Method." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 11, 1975.  Irwin, John T. "A Speculative Reading of Faulkner" Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 14, 1975.  Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Â
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Assessments for Early Childhood Programs Essay
William J. Wilson once said, â€Å"The person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, or perseverance†. Why do we test students? What is the purpose of assessments? Do these tests and assessments benefit the students? These are questions educators have been asking for years. It is impossible for one to determine a child’s academic abilities based solely on a test. Yet there still needs to be some form of assessments performed in order to evaluate the academic level each student has reached. But how much assessing is too much? How heavily do educators rely on the results of these assessments? The main issues, when it comes to assessing early childhood students, are the consequences of the assessment results and how they affect the child. According to The National Academies of Sciences, there are two key principles that support the success of assessment. The first is that the purpose of an assessment should be a guide for assessment decisions. The purpose for any assessment must be determined and clearly communicated to all stake- holders before the assessment is designed or implemented. Most important, assessment designed for programs should not be used to assess individual children. Because different purposes require different kinds of assessments, the purpose should drive assessment design and implementation decisions†(The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). The second principle is that any assessment performed should be completed in a â€Å"coherent system of health, educational, and family support services that promote optimal development for all children. Assessment should be an integral part of a coherent system of early childhood care and education that includes a range of services and resources†(The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). These two principles explain the main purpose of why assessing is important and how assessments should be conducted. After having an understanding of the purpose of assessments, why is it so important to begin evaluations at such a young age? What is the purpose of evaluating infants and toddlers? Author Sue Wortham explains evaluating toddlers and infants determine whether the child is developing normally or if they show any signs of delay and need assistance. All in all, the main purpose of assessment is to benefit the child (Wortham, p. 32). The NAEYC believes that during a child’s early years, evaluating and assessing their development should be the primary focus. They want to study how young children grown and learn. All the â€Å"results of assessment are used to inform the planning and implementation of experiences, to communicate with the child’s family, and to evaluate and improve teachers’ and program’s effectiveness†(Wortham, p. 4). Teachers also use assessment results to in order to plan their curriculum accordingly. So exactly do assessments search for? Assessments look not only for what the child is already capable of doing independently but also what they can do with the help of a teacher or another student (Wortham, p. 35). So how are they assessed exactly? There are many different assessments given to children across the U. S. everyday. These may be administered orally or as written works, such as questionnaires, surveys, or tests. These may include: standardized tests, observations, checklists, rating scales, rubrics, interviews, or portfolios. Each of these serve a different purpose in order to give different pieces of information needed to evaluate the child in question. Standardized tests, though many disagree with them, are meant to measure individual characteristics. Observations, on the other hand, are one of the most effective ways to measure students’ characteristics. When children are young, it can be hard at times to determine if there are any developmental delays (Wortham, p. 39). Developmental checklists, or scopes, are mainly used at all levels of education. These checklists are lists of the learning objectives that have been established by the teacher in order to keep track of their learning and development. Items on a checklist are rated with a negative or positive response from the teacher. Rating scales, unlike checklists, provide measurement on a continuum and are used when a collection of criteria is needed to attain specific information. Another form of assessment teachers commonly use is Rubrics. Rubrics were created to â€Å"evaluate authentic and performance assessments†(Wortham, p. 41). Rubrics, like rating scales, have a range of criteria that must be met. However, unlike rating scales, rubrics can be used to not only determine the quality of performance required, but are also used to assign grades. Rubrics make it easy for students to understand what is expected and is makes it easier for teachers to grade assignments. The final types of assessments that are most frequently used are performance and portfolio assessments. These evaluations might be administered through interviews given directly by the teacher in order to understand the child’s thinking and understanding (Wortham, p. 41). Teachers may present these evaluations through directed assignments, activities, or games. The performance results are typically kept in a student or teacher portfolio. These portfolios contain samples of student’s work and are used as a sort of progress report card. Keeping detailed reports of student’s work in the portfolios help teachers keep track of their student’s progress and help determine which areas of learning are lacking attention (Wortham, p. 41). Overall, according to Wortham, these tests, whether administered to an individual child or a group of students, are meant to determine a student’s â€Å"abilities, achievements, aptitudes, interests, attitudes, values, and personality characteristics†(Wortham, p. 9). Now having an understanding of the different types of assessments used to evaluate students and the purpose, let us turn to the negative and positive effects of these evaluations. It is crucial for educators to administer tests and evaluations carefully, because it they are poorly articulated, it can lead to decisions that are unfair or unclear, and they may do harm to programs, teachers, and, most importantly, children (Snow, C. E. & Van Hemel, S. B. , p. 341-342). Evaluations and assessments are not meant to punish a child, and therefore, should never be overseen lightly. It is important that the information gathered outweighs any negative effects. Editors of Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How, Catherine E. Snow and Susan B. Van Hemel, explain that â€Å"although the same measure may be used for more than one purpose, prior consideration of all potential purposes is essential, as is careful analysis of the actual content of the assessment instrument. Direct examination of the assessment items is important because the title of a measure does not always reflect the content†(Snow, C. E. & Van Hemel, S. B. , p. 346). So what are some negative effects? Negative consequences of assessment findings may include program de-funding, closing a center, firing a teacher, mislabeling a child, or a reduction in program resources (The National Academies of Sciences, 2008). These effects, such as mislabeling a student, can follow students for the rest of their education career. Once a child is entered into a program, it can be difficult at time for teachers to look past that label. Children all develop at different his or her own pace. No one child will develop and learn the same way as another child. They all grow up and develop at different stages. Yet educational theorists have been able to observed and gather enough information to conclude that children, if divided in age groups, do tend to follow a certain development pattern. The problem is, it is hard to determine which children are the outliers in these results without carefully administering proper assessments. Assessments are not used to necessarily judge student or punish them. Their main purpose is to help students, teachers, and parents. So what are some positive effects of assessment and evaluations? Students that benefit from assessments and evaluations are those that are properly observed and tested. Teachers also benefit from the use of assessments because it helps them create an appropriate curriculum for their students. Evaluating children at a young age can have a positive effect if a delay or disability is in fact found, and because it was caught early, the student has a better chance of exceeding their potential in school. Catching developmental delays or disabilities at a young age is the same as finding cancer at an early stage in the sense that the earlier the cancer is found; the chances of survival are greater. Assessment results are used to plan for instruction, evaluate instructional programs, and report student progress. These are all positive results of assessments. Without the results of assessments and test, how can educators determine what to teach their students? Evaluations, if planned and administered properly, can be more beneficial than harmful. Unfortunately, not all teachers evaluate children fairly or appropriately. So it is important for parents to stay involved in their children’s education in the event that the results of an evaluation do not match the potential of their child. Parents should know the norms and abnormalities of their child’s behavior. Therefore, it is always beneficial to the child for parents and teachers to communicate. This way if a child is acting up in class, and the teacher notifies the parent, the parent may confirm any fears right away by simply saying, â€Å"that isn’t like him†or â€Å"he’s just nervous†. Avoiding drastic measures and not jumping to conclusions is the proper way to evaluate a child fairly. What are the predicted long-term benefits to Early Childhood Assessments? Are assessments and student evaluations accurate? Should teachers be required to assess and evaluate students as much as they already do? These are just a few of the questions that plagued educators for years. Too much assessing has placed so much pressure on students and teachers, inevitably taking away a child’s desire to learn for the sake of learning. The purpose of assessments and evaluations is a great concept, but placing too much pressure and emphasis on the test results is tainting the original purpose of learning.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Pros and Cons of Inclusive Education Essay
Pros and Cons of Inclusion in a general education classroom Inclusion in a general classroom is one of the largest controversies that schools face today. Most administrators, parents and teachers question the likely academic impacts associated with the placement of students with special needs into general educational classrooms. Inclusion is the educational approach that requires students with disabilities to learn together with non-disabled students. Rather than the segregation of students based on their physical abilities and disabilities, inclusion dictates that each and every student is a learner who should benefit from a challenging, meaningful and appropriate curriculum. Despite the fact that inclusion had its focus on disabled students, it has been designed to accommodate diverse strengths, experiences, and challenges of all students. Research suggests that inclusion is beneficial for the students’ academic progress; increases social development and helps increase self- esteem of the students. The following annotations throw more light on the concept of inclusion in general educational classrooms. Caralee Adam’s â€Å"The Challenges of Inclusion†. She highlights that most experts and teachers support the objectives of inclusion. However, the main idea she addresses is responsible inclusion. In other words, the teachers and the experts are calling for modifications in the inclusion models such that some scenarios like violent or aggressive kids can be handled effectively.She presents relevant and sufficient evidence in the name of Bill Hutchison, a violent eleven-year old with Down syndrome. This source helps to highlight the key leverage points for effective inclusion. The reputable publication is obtained from a credible source and is sponsored by Scholastic Administrator. Adam owns a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Orleans. She i s a trusted and renowned freelance writer on topics such as health, personal finance, parenting education, et al. Barker’s Does Inclusion Help? This annotation addresses a range of questions through research but chiefly, the impact of inclusion on the entire body of students. On the same note, Barker is interested to know the attitude of disabled students towards learning. He provides sound evidence through a descriptive research. In line with the thesis statement, the publication helps us recognize the effect of inclusion on the students and their attitudes too. Through this research we can answer whether inclusion really helps or not. This is a trusted reputable source too sponsored by the National Association of Special Education Teachers. Benefits of Inclusive Education. In contrast to most articles that focus on the benefits of inclusion to only disabled students, this annotation highlights what both disabled and non-disabled students benefit with by learning together in one classroom. For instance, disabled students are rewarded with friendships and social relations, greater access to general curriculum, greater opportunities to interact et al. The benefits to non-disabled students include: meaningful friendships, helps them respect all people, ability to understand and accept diversity et al. This source-Kids Together , Inc- is reliable as it is a nonprofit organization that provides resources and information for adults and children with disabilities. This agrees with our thesis statement on the benefits of inclusion in a general educational classroom. However, this source does not provide us with significant evidence through real-life examples or by research whether the specified benefits are actually realized. The next annotation is titled, â€Å"Cons of Inclusion†. This annotation highlights some of the arguments as well as the major concerns against inclusion. In particular, it states the disadvantages of inclusion in a general educational classroom.For instance, inclusion consumes a lot of the teachers time while some teachers lack training and classroom management is a difficult task. In spite of the fact that we do not know the exact author of this article, the source is reputable, credible and the evidence it provides in one 10-year-old Ryan with learning disabilities is magnificent. This evidence is collected through observational fieldwork and hence it is significant. It is too in line with the purpose of the essay though it features it is a one-sided scenario. In other words, it addresses the cons of inclusion rather than both the pros and cons of inclusion. Another interesting annotation on inclusive education is, â€Å"History of Inclusion†by Stephanie Torreno. A century ago, most disabled students were uneducated but today they do learn beside non-disabled students, thanks to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the subsequent 1986 and 1992 amendments. Consequently, educational and employment rights for disabled persons were guaranteed by federal funded institutions. Most importantly, it brings to light a series of legislation s that have been adopted in the context of inclusive education and regarding employment of disabled persons. Understanding the history of inclusion helps us to evaluate how beneficial inclusion has been hence agreeing with our thesis statement about benefits of inclusion. This source is a reliable one as the author herself is disabled. And therefore we do believe in her interest regarding government laws on education and employment of disabled people. She was born in Niskayuna , USA and in spite of her physical disability, she owns a bachelor’s of Arts degree in Psychology and technical writing. Inclusion by CollenTomko is also another annotation on inclusive education that we focus on. According to Collen, the inclusion objective is attained when children fully participate in class activities as members with all the services and support that they require. Regardless of the class the students learn in, the developed plan should be around their individual needs. She asserts that, children do not necessarily have to become normal in order to effectively contribute to the world. This and in accordance with the context thesis statement on benefits of inclusion, we are able to understand the main goal of inclusion. Kids Together Organization is an already trusted source and Collen Tomko who holds her Bachelors degree from Pennsylvania State University is the president and co-founder of this non-profit organization providing more reason to believe her. Next is, Inclusive Learning Environment for Students with Special Needs. Dee Dickson is the founder of New Horizons for Learning (NHLF), a resource for comprehending learning. The network was used to convey new information to teachers. NHFL guides teachers on fresh effective teaching and learning practices so as to see the whole process of inclusion a success. For us to realize the full benefits of inclusion in general education classrooms, NHFL therefore provides teachers with updated information and resources to effectively educate inclusive classrooms. On Dee Dickson, she has taught each and every level right from elementary schools up to university. In this regard, her experience in teaching diverse students is profound and therefore provides reason to believe in her articles. Besides, New Horizons For Learning is an established, reputable and among the leading learning web sources that identify and communicate successful strategies to adopt in educational practice. Another Inclusive education related annotation is SEDL-Issues About Change: Inclusion: The Pros and Cons. The article addresses the advantages and disadvantages of inclusion in general educational classrooms. Many questions are asked in this context, namely: what inclusion actually means; how inclusion looks like; comparison and contrast between full inclusion and mainstreaming, et al. It investigates a range of issues that surround inclusion. But chiefly, and in with reference to the thesis statement, the article highlights the pros and cons of this practice. The provision of a historical synopsis about special education development ensures that we could trust this source even though the author is not stated. The paper also provides us with implications for policy makers and educational practitioners. The other paper on the same topic is â€Å"Special Education Inclusion†. This article highlights the confusion the concept of inclusion causes to parents and educators. They do not know whether inclusion is required legally or not and also what is better for their children. The article therefore is about what institutions must do so as to maximally meet the needs of all disabled children. In other words, before we realize the benefits of inclusion, we must answer the question on what must be done and how it should be done. All stakeholders must be involved research, discussions and examination of the entire inclusive educational program for effective or fruitful planning. The annotation is sponsored by a credible source-The Winsconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) which is a representation of education of public employees. Special-needs Education: Does Mainstream Inclusion work? The article is about developing a closer relationship between mainstream schools and special education schools. Yes, ideal inclusion is very expensive but having special schools separately is expensive as well. The respondents featured in this article believe that the curriculum for disabled students needs to be totally different from that of non-disabled students but it is so heartbreaking when students are isolated and stuck in classrooms lacking specialized help. Hence advocates co-location so as to ensure that these students do not suffer. Thus, inclusion in general educational classrooms becomes the only choice. The source is from a UK-based newspaper-The Independent Saturday and can thus be trusted. Starr, Linda. â€Å"Inclusion: Has It Gone Too Far?†One of the advantages of inclusion is reduction of educational fragmentation and provides an environment in which all the available educational resources are used to improve the performance of each and every child. Inclusive education can be designed for the benefit of both students and teachers through ensuring that all the fisca l and human resources are utilized for the entire body of students. Reduction in educational fragmentation is main benefit of inclusion and therefore in line with the thesis statement about the benefits of inclusion in general educational classrooms.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Introduction to Ancient Stone Debitage
Introduction to Ancient Stone Debitage Debitage, pronounced in English roughly DEB-ih-tahzhs, is an artifact type, the collective term used by archaeologists to refer to the sharp-edged waste material left over when a flintknapper creates a stone tool (that is, knaps flint). The process of making a stone tool is rather like sculpture, in that it involves whittling down a block of stone by removing unwanted pieces until the sculptor/flint knapper achieves the final product. Debitage refers to those unneeded stone fragments. Debitage is the French term for this material, but it is commonly used in the scholarly literature in most other languages, including English. Other terms in English include waste flakes, stone chips, and chipping debris; all of these refer to the stone fragments left over as a waste product created when a worker produces a stone tool. Those terms also refer to chipping debris leftover when a stone tool is repaired or refined. Why is Debitage Interesting? Scholars are interested in the stone flakes left behind by flintknappers for a number of reasons. The pile of debris is the location where stone tool production took place, even if the tool itself was taken away: that alone tells archaeologists about where people lived and worked in the past. The flakes also hold information about the type of stone used to make a stone tool, as well as the technology, the steps taken in the manufacturing process. Some of the waste flakes may be used as tools themselves, to scrape plants or cut meat for example, but by and large, the word debitage refers to those pieces which have not been reused. Whether the flakes were used as a tool or not, debitage accounts for the oldest evidence discovered for human-like behaviors: we know ancient people were making stone tools because we have found purposeful flaking debris even if we dont know what was being made. And as such, they have been recognized as an artifact type since the first decades of the 20th century. Analyzing Debitage Debitage analysis is the systematic study of those chipped stone flakes. The most common study of debitage involves simple (or complex) cataloging of the flakes characteristics, such as source material, length, width, weight, thickness, flaking scars, and the evidence of heat-treatment among many others. Given that there can be thousands or tens of thousands of pieces of debitage from a site, data from all of those flakes definitely qualifies as big data. In addition, analytical studies have attempted to classify the flakes by step in the tool-making process. In general, a stone tool is made by removing the largest pieces first, then the pieces get smaller and smaller as the tool gets refined and shaped. A popular tool-based debitage typology in the late 20th century consisted of categorizing flakes into three stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary flakes. These rough categories were thought to reflect a very specific set of flake removal processes: primary flakes were removed from a block of stone first, then secondary, and finally tertiary flakes. Defining those three categories was based on size and the percentage of the cortex (unmodified stone) left on the waste flake. Refitting, putting the stone pieces back together whether simply one flake to another or reconstructing an entire stone tool, was originally quite pain-staking and labor-intensive. More recent tool-based imaging processes have refined and built on this technique considerably. Other Analytical Types One of the problems with debitage analysis is there is just so much debitage. The construction of one tool from a block of stone can produce hundreds if not thousands of waste flakes of all shapes and sizes. As a result, studies of debitage as part of the study of all stone artifacts at a given site are frequently completed using mass analysis techniques. Size grading by using a set of graduated screens to sort debitage is often used. Researchers also sort the flakes into categories on a variety of attributes and then count and weigh the total in each category to estimate types of flaking activities. Piece-plotting of the distribution of debitage has been used, when it can be determined that the scatter of flakes has laid relatively undisturbed since its deposition. That study informs the researcher about the mechanics of flint-working activities. As a parallel study, an experimental reproduction of flint knapping has been used to build a suitable comparison of debitage scatters and production techniques. Microwear analysis is the study of the edge damage and pitting of debitage using a low- or high-power microscope, and it is generally reserved for debitage that has likely been used as a tool. Sources and Recent Studies A great source for information about all types of Lithic Analysis is Roger Graces Stone Age Reference Collection. The late Tony Bakers excellent lithics site while now outdated still contains buckets of useful information based on his understanding of the mechanical processes he learned in his own flintknapping experiments. Ahler, Stanley A. Mass Analysis of Flaking Debris: Studying the Forest Instead of the Tree. In Alternative Approaches to Lithic Analysis. The Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association. Eds. Henry, D. O., and George H. Odell. Vol. 1 (1989): 85-118. Print. Andrefsky Jr., William. The Analysis of Stone Tool Procurement, Production, and Maintenance. Journal of Archaeological Research 17.1 (2009): 65-103. Print. - . The Application and Misapplication of Mass Analysis in Lithic Debitage Studies. Journal of Archaeological Science 34.3 (2007): 392-402. Print. Bradbury, Andrew P., and Philip J. Carr. Non-Metric Continuum-Based Flake Analysis. Lithic Technology 39.1 (2014): 20-38. Print. Chazan, Michael. Technological Perspectives on the Upper Paleolithic. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 19.2 (2010): 57-65. Print. Eerkens, Jelmer W., et al. Reduction Strategies and Geochemical Characterization of Lithic Assemblages: A Comparison of Three Case Studies from Western North America. American Antiquity 72.3 (2007): 585-97. Print. Eren, Metin I., and Stephen J. Lycett. Why Levallois? A Morphometric Comparison of Experimental ‘Preferential’ Levallois Flakes Versus Debitage Flakes. PLoS ONE 7.1 (2012): e29273. Print. Frahm, Ellery, et al. Sourcing Geochemically Identical Obsidian: Multiscalar Magnetic Variations in the Gutansar Volcanic Complex and Implications for Palaeolithic Research in Armenia. Journal of Archaeological Science 47.0 (2014): 164-78. Print. Hayden, Brian, Edward Bakewell, and Rob Gargett. The Worlds Longest-Lived Corporate Group: Lithic Analysis Reveals Prehistoric Social Organization near Lillooet, British Columbia. American Antiquity 61.2 (1996): 341-56. Print. Hiscock, Peter. Quantifying the Size of Artefact Assemblages. Journal of Archaeological Science 29.3 (2002): 251-58. Print. Pirie, Anne. Constructing Prehistory: Lithic Analysis in the Levantine Epipaleolithic. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 10.3 (2004): 675-703. Print. Shea, John J. The Middle Stone Age Archaeology of the Lower Omo Valley Kibish Formation: Excavations, Lithic Assemblages, and Inferred Patterns of Early Homo Sapiens Behavior. Journal of Human Evolution 55.3 (2008): 448-85. Print. Shott, Michael J. The Quantification Problem in Stone Tool Assemblages. American Antiquity 65.4 (2000): 725-38. Print. Sullivan, Alan P. III, and Kenneth C. Rozen. Debitage Analysis and Archaeological Interpretation. American Antiquity 50.4 (1985): 755-79. Print. Wallace, Ian J., and John J. Shea. Mobility Patterns and Core Technologies in the Middle Paleolithic of the Levant. Journal of Archaeological Science 33 (2006): 1293-309. Print. Williams, Justin P., and William Andrefsky Jr. Debitage Variability among Multiple Flint Knappers. Journal of Archaeological Science 38.4 (2011): 865-72. Print.
Monday, October 21, 2019
7 Work From Home Jobs You NEED to Avoid
7 Work From Home Jobs You NEED to Avoid Everybody thinks working from home is the best possible thing. The grass that is always greener. But there are a few work from home jobs that are more trouble than they’re worth. You may think it’s worth it to work in your pajamas, eating Cheez-Its for breakfast, but at least in a few cases, you might be wrong. Here are a few of the worst work from home jobs, in case you’re considering the career move.1. Obvious ScamsIf a work from home job seems too good to be true, it probably is. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scams out there. Be on the lookout for gigs like â€Å"envelope stuffing,†â€Å"at-home assembly,†â€Å"claim processing,†or â€Å"refund recovery.†And don’t accept any job that asks you for money up front. Keep your private info private until you’re sure an opportunity is legit.2. SalesSales is a pretty tough gig even when you’re not working from home. This work is actually quite competitive. Just think how many of your social media pals are constantly hocking some product or another. Do you really want to be that person who drives their family and friends crazy with constant promotional blasts?3. In-Home Day CareUnless you really love kids, this is often way less money than it’s worth. You’ll have much less privacy, and be exposed to a lot more germs. And you’ll probably have to chase down payments from parents (who will also expect you to work when normal people are vacationing).4. Mystery ShoppingIt sounds brilliant, right? Get a free meal, go shopping incognito, all while making a bit of extra cash. But remember that these assignments pay much less than even minimum wage and you’ll have to work a lot of them to make any money at all.5. MLMDirect sales gigs sound really promising out of the gate. Work from home, unlimited earning potential, being your own boss, but keep normal(ish) hours†¦ But you’ll be on the hook to sell to everyon e all the time, and this can get exhausting. It’s also very tough to do in a saturated market.6. Cold CallingThis work is never fun, no matter where you’re making your calls. Lead generation is necessary for a lot of businesses, but unless you have nerves and personality of steel, it’s miserable work calling uninterested parties and trying to get them interested before they hang up on you in a huff.7. Pay-Per-TasksMindless work for cash? Sounds easy enough, right? Just remember that available tasks can fluctuate widely from season to season and often the rate is mere pennies. You’ll be competing with overseas workers as well, who have a lower standard of living and need less to live- and are hungrier to do the work.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Common Slang Words for Vagina
Common Slang Words for Vagina The vagina is, of course, the correct word to describe female genitals. But while vagina is the clinically correct term, squeamishness continues to surround the use of the word. In addition, discussion of genitals (male or female) is often considered racy or even obscene. These cultural issues have given rise to the development of an incredible range of slang terms for the vagina. Some of these terms are essentially euphemisms- terms that are considered to be acceptable even in the mainstream media. Others are childish or silly, while still others are degrading or even downright disgusting. Cultural Stigma The use of the word vagina has always caused cultural controversy. Use of any terms related to sexuality (particularly female sexuality) has long been banned from network television. In 1972, comedian George Carlin created a now-famous monologue called Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television. Carlins intent was to illustrate how refusal to use words gives them power. As he said in an NPR interview in 2004: These words have no power. We give them this power by refusing to be free and easy with them. We give them great power over us. They really, in themselves, have no power. Its the thrust of the sentence that makes them either good or bad. While some discomfort over the use of sexual terminology has eased up with the rise of cable and streaming media, our cultural squeamishness has not disappeared. In previous generations, children (particularly girls) have been encouraged to use nicer words such as peach, flower, or kitty, but with increased awareness of child sexual abuse nearly all educational experts stress that children be taught the correct word vagina and other body parts. Commonly Used Terms for Vagina Below is a breakdown of the most commonly used terms and slang for vagina; the categories are somewhat arbitrary. The meaning of each slang word is the same, but its implications vary depending not only on the term itself but also on the way in which it is used. Slang Words (Single Words) vajayjay vag twat slit snatch cooch coochie cooter cooze coozie gash hole muff flange minge box quim pocketbook poon poontang purse fud (Scottish term) Polite Slang Phrases (Two or More Words) nether regions lady garden girly bits private parts Slang Phrases (Two or More Words) mossy cleft hot box squeezebox vertical smile cha cha love tunnel Food-Related Slang cherry bearded clam furry taco tuna taco fur burger cream pie beef curtains meat curtains meat sleeve hair pie honey pot Animal-Related Slang beaver pussy kitty rat panty hamster Words Used by (or Around) Children privates private parts bits down there peach flower kitty tutu wee wee no no cookie muffin cupcake tweeny (between legs) fanny (used in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand) front butt who hoo/woohoo hoo hoo foo foo
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Women Suffrage and Temperenace Movement Research Paper
Women Suffrage and Temperenace Movement - Research Paper Example One of the most contentious issues was the issue of abortion. Although women had different reasons for demand and fighting for their rights, the cause was the same – liberation of women from male domination and freedom from discrimination in every field of life The International Woman Suffrage movement was established with the aim of granting equal rights to women in all matters. Although the women suffrage movement began in 1848, the Civil War in America overshadowed it. After the war, the issue of â€Å"Black Suffrage†was emphasized, and there were policy differences between the members (Ford, 2009, p.418). The Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was basically the first popular accumulation of women that was devoted to social reform the basis of which were the principles of Christianity, linking it with secular contemplation and long term strategies for social reform (Farmer, 1893, p.356). Julia Ward Howe and Julia Stone were the founders of the American Women Suffrage Movement (AWSA), which also had men as its members. The mainstay of the suffrage movement was the temperance movement that was established in the United States in 1874 as a Protestant restructuring and modification movement for which the leading and driving element or force were the missionaries that were trying to spread the Gospel in non-western and southern countries. Frances Willard was the founder the WCTU, and she recognized the connection between temperance and allowing women to vote, encouraged the women of her union to support and work for women’s voting rights. The association, challenges and disagreements between its mission, Christianity and self-control (temperance) posed a predicament for the women on ideological, philosophical, political and practical aspects to change society and also the world. Its supporters dismissed criticism of it being gender biased because of the tremendous number of male
Friday, October 18, 2019
LANGUSGE AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE EXCERPT FORM THE ROVER Essay
LANGUSGE AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE EXCERPT FORM THE ROVER - Essay Example The major themes observed in this excerpt include prostitution or women liberation according to the author’s perspective, love and lust. Behn uses the profession of prostitution as a tool to demonstrate her definition of women liberation where men and women are treated as equals with same rights. This theme is apparent from the line, â€Å"is all this heaven of beauty shown to move despair in those who cannot buy?†as Hunter (1993, p.103). also states, â€Å"in the Rover the chaotic, unrepressed â€Å"other†body of woman is idealized to allow Behn to express a cultural longing for a prelapsarian Golden Age where sexes love mutually and women are desiring subjects rather than passive objects†The character of Willmore and Angelica are used as an aid to symbolically represent the theme of lust and love because the whole episode that is depicted in this scene is a matter of lust for Willmore while it is love for Angelica. Behn (1967, p. xiv) states, â€Å"f or Willmore†¦ women are objects to be bought and sold, love is merely lust†. This statement is also supported by the non serious demeanor of Willmore in the scene where he is intent on getting his way and uses words as the weapon to persuade Angelica.
Why study the humanities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Why study the humanities - Essay Example They complete the degrees to make their parents happy but pursue a very different career path where their passion lies. This leads to time wastage and wasting of resources. These parents could have used that money to enroll their children in courses that the students’ desire be it humanities or sciences. Thus, it is important to study humanities due to various reasons. One of them is the ability to understand the diverse cultures of various individuals. It is evident that in the various working stations of individuals, you will find people from various cultural backgrounds. It is important to understand the way of life of such individuals to enable a good working relationship to ensue. Humanities help us understand that there are diverse cultures, values, and beliefs of individuals that need to be respected to avoid conflicts. It enables us to have an imagined way of life created by the different minds thus helping us understand how individuals in different cultural backgrounds live. Humanities also awaken the imagination of individuals enabling them to think critically and independently. From this imagination, individuals are able to develop their creativity. Various works of arts are works of imagination. Imagine watching a play and you feel so connected with it. You feel as if what is happening in the play is happening in real life. That is the works of creativity and that is what learning humanities help to achieve. That movie that you love a lot or that song that you love; it was written and created by a humanity student. Therefore, if individuals think that learning humanities is not important, they should try to figure out what they would do without their favorite music or movie to help them unwind after a very long day. Learning humanities is also important since it allows individuals to learn the cultures of different individuals across the globe. It would be unfortunate to travel to a country that values
STRATEGIC ANALYSIS assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
STRATEGIC ANALYSIS - Assignment Example Though the amount posted by Dollar General for the merger was far better, the lack of compliance on the company’s part saw the deal being snatched away from the palm of their hands by Dollar Tree. The major requirement for the Dollar General- Family Dollar merger to come to fruition was that the former should sell at least 3500 overlapping stores as this would pose a problem with antitrust regulators. Dollar General was reluctant as the number was too high for it to divest. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree merger will be forced to part ways with 300 stores only. Therefore, the shareholders made a plausible choice by voting for Dollar Tree despite a lower initial amount that the company brought forth. Dollar General’s inability to divest more than 3500 stores meant that the merger would have faced problems with the antitrust regulators. Furthermore, the number of stores that were to be divested in the Dollar General- Family Dollar merger was very high and would cost the shareholders millions of dollars. On the other hand, Dollar Tree- Family Dollar merger would lead to loss of 300 stores that can be easily recovered in the near future. Merced, Michael. Family Dollar Shareholders Approve $8.5 Billion Deal with Dollar Tree. The New York Times, Jan. 22, 2015. Web. Feb. 7, 2015.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Recount and the U.S. Supreme Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Recount and the U.S. Supreme Court - Essay Example a political battle ended by the federal courts as the Florida Supreme Court ordered for a state-wide recount which is later on brought to an end by the U.S. Supreme Court. In this case, the Supreme Court resolved whether the recount is constitutional and identified a remedy once deemed unconstitutional. Within the American Judiciary, a writ of certiorari could be granted only for compelling reasons but of judicial discretion. One of the grounds cited by the judges, as per asserted in Rule 10, was the occurrence of discrepancy on the decision of Florida Supreme Court for ballot recounts. It could be recalled that in December of the same year, the Florida Supreme Court stated multiple court decisions regarding the presidential election and the process of manual recount which was mandated to be statewide and even with the appeal of Bush, were ordered for stay. Justice Scalia argued that the petitioner Gore has a substantial probability of success and a manual recount was granted in order to count the legally casted votes that may not be counted by the machine such as in cases of dimpled chad. Moreover, it was accounted by the justice that halting the pro cess of recounting votes will inevitably shed a confusion of the legitimacy of the election. Yet the issue remains, why did the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the decision of Florida Supreme Court on its mandated recount? The majority of the justices elected that the decision of Florida Supreme Court for state-wide manual recounting was unconstitutional as they reckon that the Florida Legislature aimed to utilize the â€Å"safe-harbor†benefits of â€Å"determination of controversy as to appointment of electors†as stated in Title 3 of the United States Code  § 5. Three justices, Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas, claimed that the Florida Supreme Court’s decision violated the intent of Florida legislature while seven of them concurred that there was a defiance of the Equal Protection Clause in manual counting as there has
Lesson 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Lesson 2 - Assignment Example the five dimensions are conscientiousness, openness, agreeableness, neuroticism and extraversion. The acronyms CANOE NEOAC, or OCEAN are used to refer to these traits. An aggregate of factors are found under each dimension. First, Openness is a trait which encompasses features such as insight and imagination. It also implies that individuals bearing it generally appreciate emotion, art, unusual ideas and adventure. On a broader spectrum, openness infers to the level of intellectual curiosity, preference or creativity that an individual has. Therefore, people having this trait tend to possess a wide range of interests. Second, Conscientiousness implies to the art of being dependable, organized, act dutifully, having goal directed characteristics with a superb impulse control. People with this trait have a tendency to be mindful of little details. Third, Neuroticism refers to the habit of experiencing unpleasant emotions such as anxiety, anger, vulnerability and anger. This implies that individuals who are high in this behavior/trait often experience sadness and emotional instability. Fourth, the primary attributes under agreeableness are altruism, affection, affection trust and a wider variety of prosoc ial behaviours. Fifth, The common features depicted by people having Extraversion as a trait include sociability, assertiveness and excitability. As such, individuals having this dimension express themselves emotionally. This personality test was designed to help individuals identify some vital personal preferences in how they make decisions or view the world.. The acronym MBTI represents the indicator. The MBTI assessment was developed by Isabel Myers and Katharine Cook. The model uses four dichotomies or preferences; extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeing and judging/perception. Under Extraversion/introversion, Myers acknowledged that each and every one of the cognitive functions can
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Recount and the U.S. Supreme Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Recount and the U.S. Supreme Court - Essay Example a political battle ended by the federal courts as the Florida Supreme Court ordered for a state-wide recount which is later on brought to an end by the U.S. Supreme Court. In this case, the Supreme Court resolved whether the recount is constitutional and identified a remedy once deemed unconstitutional. Within the American Judiciary, a writ of certiorari could be granted only for compelling reasons but of judicial discretion. One of the grounds cited by the judges, as per asserted in Rule 10, was the occurrence of discrepancy on the decision of Florida Supreme Court for ballot recounts. It could be recalled that in December of the same year, the Florida Supreme Court stated multiple court decisions regarding the presidential election and the process of manual recount which was mandated to be statewide and even with the appeal of Bush, were ordered for stay. Justice Scalia argued that the petitioner Gore has a substantial probability of success and a manual recount was granted in order to count the legally casted votes that may not be counted by the machine such as in cases of dimpled chad. Moreover, it was accounted by the justice that halting the pro cess of recounting votes will inevitably shed a confusion of the legitimacy of the election. Yet the issue remains, why did the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the decision of Florida Supreme Court on its mandated recount? The majority of the justices elected that the decision of Florida Supreme Court for state-wide manual recounting was unconstitutional as they reckon that the Florida Legislature aimed to utilize the â€Å"safe-harbor†benefits of â€Å"determination of controversy as to appointment of electors†as stated in Title 3 of the United States Code  § 5. Three justices, Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas, claimed that the Florida Supreme Court’s decision violated the intent of Florida legislature while seven of them concurred that there was a defiance of the Equal Protection Clause in manual counting as there has
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Cost (Management) Accounting Adds Value to an Entity Research Paper
Cost (Management) Accounting Adds Value to an Entity - Research Paper Example Vanderback)i Cost or managerial accounting is modern day useful accounting technology that helps departments of a business in variety of ways. Some of its major applications are as under: Inventory valuation: Costing helps in calculation of cost per unit. This cost per unit is employed to value inventory for financial statement and other purposes. Record costs: Costs associated with a product or service need to be recorded for the purposes of preparing income statement in order to evaluate the performance of the department and company over the selected financial period. Pricing of products and services: Cost per unit is helpful in the business to tag sale prices to its products and services. For example, if the cost of a product comes to $1.10 per unit, the management of the business may decide to price the product at $1.50 per unit in order to earn a profit margin of ?0.40 per unit. Decision making: Cost information is useful for the business to make important decisions regarding qu antity of the production keeping in view demand of product available in the market. Most business decisions are cost related as the ultimate aim of any business is to earn maximum profits by reducing costs. Practical use of managerial (cost) accounting practices Target costing Target costing is an application of absorption costing. It involves setting a target cost by subtracting desired profit from a competitive market price. Real world users include Sony, Toyota, and Swiss watchmakers, Swatch. In effect it is the opposite of conventional ‘cost plus pricing’. â€Å"Sony target costing system got five stages which are target price setting, target margin setting use interactive process and try to meet division’s long term profit objective, target cost setting which target cost is equal to target price minus target margin, and lastly is defined whether group target is met or not. If group target is met, it will go to final stage which is final decision making.â₠¬ (Sony Corporation: The Walkman Line)ii Target costing is in fact an adoption of absorption costing.â€Å"Under absorption costing both fixed and variable costs are charged to product costs.†(Rajasakeran V.)iiiAbsorption costing is invariably used by most companies in order to determine the full production cost per unit. In target costing Sony first estimate the selling price for a new product. Then reduce this price by its required level of profits. This provides a target cost figure for product designers to meet. Then it endeavours to reduce costs to provide a product that meets that target costs Marginal Costing Airlines generally use marginal cost concept. â€Å"When an airline flies without passengers in its seats that revenue is lost forever. So rather than having a fixed price for all seats for a particular flight it will vary its pricing based on how urgent the passenger wants to make the flight and how many seats are available. If the flight is partly booked it wi ll reduce it ticket prices in the last minute. Flying an extra passenger will only cost the cost of an extra sandwich. As long as the ticket price is over this extra sandwich cost it will make a profit.†(Skanda Kumarasangam)iv The airlines use marginal costing system. The marginal cost is the extra cost arising as a result of making and selling one more unit of product or service, or saving in the cost
Monday, October 14, 2019
Effectiveness of Support Services for Reducing Poverty
Effectiveness of Support Services for Reducing Poverty A 6000 word literature review project which critically analyses and evaluates the effectiveness of family support services aimed at reducing stress and poverty for the parents of children in need. Introduction The whole issue of parents and children in need is a vast, complex and ethically challenging one. This review is specifically charged with an examination of those issues which impinge upon the stresses and strains that are experienced by parents of children in need. A superficial examination of these issues that are involved in this particular area would suggest that there are a number of â€Å"sub-texts†which can all give rise to this particular situation. Firstly, to have a child in need is clearly a stressful situation for any parent. (Meltzer H et al. 1999) This can clearly be purely a financial concern and a reflection of the fact that the whole family is in financial hardship, perhaps due to the economic situation or perhaps due to the actions of the parents themselves. Equally the need of the child can be a result of a non-financial need, so we should also consider the child who is in some way handicapped, ill, emotionally disturbed or perhaps in need in some other way. This produces another type of stress on the parent, and these stresses are typically longer lasting and, in general, less easily rectified than a purely financial consideration of need. (Hall D 1996). It is part of the basic ethos of the welfare state that it should look after its less able and disadvantaged members. (Welsh Office 1997). Parents of children in need will often qualify in this definition. We shall therefore examine the various aspects of this problem. Literature Review We will make a start by considering one type of child in need. The first paper that we will consider is that of Prof. Vostanis (Vostanis 2002), which looks at the mental health problems that are faced by deprived children and their families together with the effectiveness of the resources that are available to them. It is a well written and well researched paper, if rather complex and confusing in places. We will consider this paper in some detail as it provides an excellent overview of the whole area. The paper starts with a rather useful definition for our purposes. It qualifies the deprived child, initially in terms of a homeless family, that being : A family of any number of adults with dependent children who are statutorily accepted by local authorities (housing departments) in the UK, and are usually accommodated for a brief period in voluntary agency, local authority or housing association hostels. This period of temporary accommodation can vary enormously depending on the time of year and the area considered, and can range from a few days to perhaps several months. The target in Greater London is currently to rehouse homeless families within 4-6 weeks. In London particularly, the homeless families can be placed in Bed Breakfast accommodation. (D of H 1998) In this respect, the immediate family support mechanisms do appear to be in place. Vostranis however, goes on to make the observation that despite the fact that the definition of the homeless family is rather broad, it does not cover all of the potential children in need, as those children and their carers who have lost their homes but have managed to live with relatives, on the streets or perhaps live as travellers, are not covered by the statutory obligation to provide housing. The official figures therefore, he observes, are generally an underestimate of the true situation. The official figures for the homeless families are put (in this paper) at 140,000. (Vostanis Cumella, 1999) The authors give us further information in that many families will become homeless again within one year of rehousing and the typical family seen is the single mother and at least two children who are generally under the age of 11 yrs. They also observe that the typical father and adolescent child tend to be placed in homeless centres. (D of H 1995) In exploration of the particular topic that we are considering, the authors give us the situations that typically have given rise to the degree of parental stress that may have led to the homelessness. They point to the fact that a homeless family is usually homeless for different reasons to the single homeless adult. Vostanis (et al 1997) is quoted as showing that 50% of the cases studied were homeless as a direct result of domestic violence and 25% as a result of harassment from neighbours. The authors observe that the numbers in this category (and therefore the problems), are rising. (Welsh Office 1999). There are a number of section to this paper which are not directly referable to our considerations. We shall therefore direct our attention purely to those parts that have a direct bearing on the subject. One particularly useful and analytical part of the paper is the section that details the characteristics and needs of the target group. This is a very detailed section, but it makes the point that the children in need in this group are particularly heterogeneous, generally all with multiple and inter-related needs. Homelessness is seldom a one off event. This particular observation, (say the authors), is crucially important for the development and provision of services. Most families have histories of previous chronic adversities that constitute risk factors for both children and parents (Bassuk et al, 1997). Such events include family conflict, violence and breakdown; limited or absent networks for family and social support; recurring moves; poverty; and unemployment. Mothers are more likely to have suffered abuse in their own childhood and adult life and children have increased rates of placement on the at-risk child protection register, because of neglect, physical and/or sexual abuse. If we specifically consider the health needs of this population, the authors categorise them thus: The children are more likely to have a history of low birthweight, anaemia, dental decay and delayed immunisations, to be of lower stature and have a greater degree of nutritional stress. They are also more likely to suffer accidents, injuries and burns. (BPA 1999) Some studies have found that child health problems increase with the duration of homelessness, although this finding is not consistent. A substantial proportion of homeless children have delayed development compared with the general population of children of a similar chronological age. This includes both specific developmental delays, such as in receptive and expressive language and visual, motor and reading skills, as well as general skills and educational status (Webb et al. 2001). It is for this reason specifically, that it has proved extremely difficult to assess the effectiveness of the family support services because of the multivariate nature of the problems that are presented. The authors point to the fact that one of the prime determinants of the degree of support available, is the actual access that the families have to these services. Many sources (viz. Wilkinson R 1996), equate the poor health of the disadvantaged primarily with the lack of access to services. One immediate difficulty is the current registration system in the UK. In order to be seen in the primary healthcare team setting, one must be registered with a named doctor. In the majority of cases that we are dealing with here, they have moved area and registration is probably not high on their list of priorities. One can argue that there is the access to the A E departments of the local hospitals but there is virtually no continuity here and they are no geared up to provide anything other than immediate treatment. (Hall D 1996). This fact restricts their access to primary healthcare team procedures such as immunisations and other preventative medicine health clinics. (Lissauer et al, 1993) . By the same token these groups also have restricted access to the social services, whether they be the access teams, the family teams or the family support units and other agencies. The authors also point to other more disruptive trends in this group such as an inability to attend a particular school for fear of being traced by an abusive partner. It follows that these children do not have a stable social support of a school. They are denied such factors as peer groups, routines and challenges which are both important protective and developmental factors. (Shankleman J et al 2000). The summation of all of these factors, and others, is that the effectiveness of the family support services is greatly reduced by the mobility and the transient nature of the family unit. Quite apart from the difficulties outlined above relating to the problems of access to avenues of help open to the child in need and their families there are the problems engendered by the fact that social service departments in different areas of the country may not have immediate access to the previous records giving rise to many potential, and real, problems with continuity of care. This problem is brought into more immediate focus when one considers the increased frequency of child protection registrations in this particular group. (Hall D et al 1998). One specific analysis of the family support services of this particular group comes in the form of the psychiatric services. In the context of the title of this piece, it demonstrates how these particular services, (but not these alone), are failing to deal with the totality of the problem. All of the aspects that we have outlined so far are conspiring to dilute the effectiveness of the services provided. The fact that they are a mobile population with no fixed address means that some of the services may choose to invoke this as a reason for not making provision for them, particularly if resources are stretched. If more resources are given, then they are typically preferentially targeted at the single adult homeless population where the need is arguably greater. The authors of this paper point to the fact that this may not actually be true as some studies have shown that homeless single mothers and their children have a 49% psychopathy rate and only an 11% contact with the support services. (Cumella et al, 1998). The impact of this fact on the children can only be imagined. To an extent however, it can be quantified as the authors cite other studies which show a 30% need rating for children, (they do not actually define exactly what their perceived level of need was), contrasted with a 3% contact rate for children and adolescents in this area. (viz. Power S et al. 1995). Putting these considerations together, the authors outline a set of proposals which are designed to help improve the access to some of the essential services. The model that they propose could, if successful and with a degree of modification, prove suitable for adaptation to other areas of the family support services. It is not appropriate to discuss this model in detail, but suffice it to say that it has a tiered structure so that the degree of distress and need is titrated against the degree of input generated. One of the reasons that we have selected this particular paper to present in this context is for its last section. It proposes a â€Å"family support services model†which has been developed and pioneered in the Leicester area. In the context of our review, it is worth considering in some detail. A service provided through a family support team (four family support assistants).This is designed to detect a range of problems at the time of crisis; manage a degree of mental health problems (behavioural and emotional); provide parenting-training; support and train housing (hostel) staff; co-ordinate the work of different agencies; and provide some continuity after rehousing by ensuring intake by appropriate local services. The family workers are based at the main hostel for homeless children and families. Other, predominantly voluntary, services have established alternative posts, such as advocates and key workers. Whatever the title of the post, it is essential that the post-holder has some experience and ongoing training in mental health and child protection, so that he or she can hold a substantial case-load, rather than merely mediate between already limited services. The family support workers have direct access to the local child and adult mental health services, whose staff provide weekly outreach clinics. Their role is to work with the family support workers and other agencies, assess selected children and families, and provide treatment for more severe problems or disorders such as depression, self-harm and PTSD. A weekly inter-agency liaison meeting at the main hostel is attended by a health visitor, representatives of the local domestic violence service and Sure Start, There are also close, regular links with education welfare and social services. The aim is to effectively utilise specialist skills by discussing family situations from all perspectives at the liaison meeting. A bimonthly steering group, led by the housing department, involves senior managers representing these agencies, as well as the education and social services departments and the voluntary sector, and they oversee and co-ordinate the service. This appears to be something of an exemplar in relation to services provided elsewhere. The paper does not provide any element of costings in this area neither does it provide any figures in relation to its success rates, contact rates or overall effectiveness. In conclusion this paper is an extremely well written and authoritative overview of the situation relating to the stresses of the homeless parent with children and the effectiveness (or lack of it) in its ability to reduce the stresses experienced by the homeless children in need and their parents. It proposes remedies but sadly it does not evaluate the effectiveness of those remedies. In order to address these shortcomings we can consider another paper by Tischler (et al 2000). This looks at a similar outreach set up which has been designed to capture the families of children in need who might otherwise slip through the net. This paper is written from a different perspective and specifically analyses the effectiveness of these services as they pertain to an entry cohort of 40 families. This particular study was set up after preliminary work was done in the Birmingham area with 114 homeless families and this study defined the needs of the families but did not quantify their support systems.(Vostanis et al 1998). This paper set out to identify and measure the support systems available and their effectiveness as far as the families were concerned. The stresses encountered were partly reflected by the incidence of psychiatric morbidity. The mothers in the group were found to have over 50% more morbidity than a matched control group. The children in the group were found to have â€Å"histories of abuse, living in care, being on the at-risk protection register, delayed communication and higher reported mental health problems.†All of which adds to the general background stress levels. (Kerouac S et al. 1996). This particular study found that despite the psychiatric morbidity in the children, (estimated to be about 30%), and the psychiatric morbidity in the parents, (estimated at about 50%), only 3% of the children and 10% of the parents had had any significant contact or support from the social services. In this respect, this paper is very useful to our purpose as it quantifies the levels of intervention and access to healthcare resources that this particular group has. By any appreciation, it would be considered woefully inadequate in any society that calls itself civilised. In the terms of the title of this piece, the effectiveness of the family support services is minimal. Like the last paper discussed, this one also considered how best to tackle the problem, and this one is of much greater value to us, as it specifies a response, or intervention, to the problem in much the same way as the Vostranis 2002 paper did, but it makes the same measurements as it did prior to the intervention, and therefore allows us an insight into the actual effectiveness of the intervention. The way this particular study worked was to assess the problem (as it has been presented above), devise an intervention strategy and then to measure its effect. This particular study goes to great lengths to actively involve all the appropriate agencies that could help the situation by having a central assessment station that acted as a liaison between all of the other resources. In brief, it actively involved liaison with the following: Education, social services, child protection, local mental health services, voluntary and community organisations to facilitate the re-integration of the family into the community, and particularly their engagement with local services following rehousing; and training of staff of homeless centres in the understanding, recognition and management of mental illness in children and parents. This is essential, as hostel staff often work in isolation and have little knowledge of the potential severity and consequences of mental health problems in children. It was hoped that, by doing this, it would maximise the impact that the limited resources had on reducing the levels of morbidity and stress in the families of the children in need. The post intervention results were, by any estimate, impressive considering the historical difficulty of working with this particular group (OHara M 1995). 40 families (including 122 children) were studied in detail. The paper gives a detailed breakdown of the ethnic and demographic breakdown of the group. By far the biggest group were single mothers and children (72%) The results showed that the majority of referrals were seen between 1-3 times (55%), with a further 22% being seen 4-6 times. It is a reflection of the difficulty in engaging this type of family in need that over 25% did not actually keep their appointments despite the obvious potential benefits that could have been utilised. The authors investigated this group further and ascertained that a common reason for non attendance was the perception that the psychological welfare of the children was not actually the main concern. The families perceived that their primary needs were rehousing and financial stability. Other priorities identified were that physical health was a greater priority than mental health. The authors also identify another common failing in the social services provision, and that is the general lack of regular contact. They cite the situation where some families cope well initially, apparently glad to have escaped an abusive or violent home situation, but a prolonged stay in a hostel or temporary accommodation may soon precipitate a bout of depression in the parents and behavioural problems in the children of such parents. (Brooks RM et al 1998). They suggest that regular re-visiting of families who have been in temporary accommodation for any significant length of time should be mandatory. This paper takes a very practical overview by pointing out that workability of the system is, to a large extent, dependent on the goodwill of a number of committed professionals. The authors state that this has to be nurtured and they call for sufficient funding must be given to enable this particular model to be extended to a National level. Thus far in the review we have considered the effectiveness of the service provision in the support of the families of the children in need in one specific target grouping, those who are stressed by virtue of the fact that they are homeless. We will now consider the literature on a different kind of family stress, and that is when a parent dies. This leaves the children with a considerable amount of potential emotional â€Å"baggage†and the surviving parent with an enormous amount of stress. (Webb E 1998). An excellent paper by Downey (et al 1999) tackles this particular problem with both sensitivity and also considerable rigour. It is a long and complex paper, but the overall aims and objectives are clear from the outset. The structure of the paper is a prospective case study which aims to assess whether the degree of distress suffered by a family during a time of bereavement is in any way linked to the degree of service provision that is utilised. The base line for this study is set out in its first two paragraphs. Parentally bereaved children and surviving parents showed a greater than predicted level of psychiatric morbidity. Boys had greater levels of demonstrable morbidity than did girls, but bereaved mothers showed more morbidity than did bereaved fathers. Children were more likely to show signs of behavioural disturbance when the surviving parent manifested some kind of psychiatric disorder. (Kranzler EM et al 1990). The authors point to the fact that their study shows that the service provision is statistically related to a number of (arguably unexpected [Fristad MA et al 1993]) factors namely: The age of the children and the manner of parental death. Children under 5 years of age were less likely to be offered services than older children even though their parents desired it. Children were significantly more likely to be offered services when the parent had committed suicide or when the death was expected. Children least likely to receive service support were those who were not in touch with services before parental death. Paradoxically the level of service provision was not found to be statistically significantly related to either the parental wishes or the degree of the psychiatric disturbance in either the parent or child. (Sanchez L et al 1994) The service provision did have some statistical relationships but that was only found to be the manner of the parental death and the actual age of the child at the time. The authors therefore are able to identify a mismatch between the perceived need for support and the actual service provision made. Part of that mismatch is found to be due to the inability of the social services and other related agencies to take a dispassionate overview. Elsewhere in the paper the authors suggest that there are other factors that add to this inequality and they include lack of resources and a lack of specificity in identifying children at greatest risk. (Harrington R 1996) The authors examine other literature to back up their initial precept that bereaved children have greater levels of morbidity. They cite many other papers who have found distress manifesting in the form of â€Å"anxiety, depression, withdrawal, sleep disturbance, and aggression.†(Worden JW et al. 1996) and also psychological problems in later life (Harris T et al. 1996). In terms of study structure, the authors point to methodological problems with other papers in the area including a common failing of either having a standardised measure or no matched control group (Mohammed D et al 2003). They also point to the fact that this is probably the first UK study to investigate the subject using a properly representative sample and certainly the first to investigate whether service provision is actually related to the degree of the problems experienced. The entry cohort involved nearly 550 families with 94 having children in the target range (2-18). With certain exclusions (such as two families where one parent had murdered the other etc.) and non respondents, the final cohort was reduced to 45 families and one target child was randomly selected from each family. It has to be noted that the comparatively large number of non-respondents may have introduced a large element of bias, insofar as it is possible that the families most in need of support were those who were most distressed by the death of a family member and these could have been the very ones who chose not to participate. (Morton V et al 2003) The authors make no comment on this particular fact. The authors should be commended for a particularly ingenious control measure for the children. They were matched by asking their school teacher to complete an inventory of disturbed behaviour on the next child in the school register after the target child. A large part of the paper is taken up with methodological issues which ( apart form the comments above) cannot be faulted. In terms of being children in need, 60% of children were found to have â€Å"significant behavioural abnormalities†with 28% having scores above the 95th centile. In terms of specific service support provision, 82% of parents identified a perceived need for support by virtue of the behaviour of their children. Only 49% of these actually received it in any degree. Perhaps the most surprising statistic to come out of this study was the fact that of the parents who were offered support 44% were in the group who asked for it and 56% were in the group who didn’t want it. The levels of support offered were independent of the degree of behavioural disturbance in the child. As with the majority of papers that we have either presented here or read in preparation for this review, the authors call for a more rationally targeted approach to the utilisation of limited resources. The study also provides us with a very pertinent comment which many experienced healthcare professionals will empathise with, (Black D 1996), and that is: Practitioners should also be aware that child disturbance may reflect undetected psychological distress in the surviving parent. While not suggesting that this is a reflection of Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, the comment is a valid reflection of the fact that parental distress may be well hidden from people outside of the family and may only present as a manifestation of the child’s behaviour. (Feldman MD et al. 1994) The conclusions that can be drawn from this study are that there is a considerable gap in the support offered ( quite apart form the effectiveness of that support) in this area of obvious stress for both parents and children. (Black D 1998). This study goes some way to quantifying the level of support actually given in these circumstances. We have considered the role of the effectiveness and indeed, even the existence, of adequate support services for the children in need and their parents in a number of different social circumstances. The next paper that we wish to present is an excellent review of the support that is given to another specific sub-group and that is women and children who suffer from domestic violence. Webb and her group (et al 2001) considered the problem in considerable (and commendable) depth The study itself had an entry cohort of nearly 150 children and their mothers who were resident in a number of hostels and women’s refuges that had been the victims of family violence at some stage in the recent past. The study subjected the cohort to a battery of tests designed to assess their physical, emotional and psychological health, and then quantified their access to, and support gained from, the primary healthcare teams and other social service-based support agencies. This study is presented in a long and sometimes difficult to read format. Much of the presentation is (understandably) taken up with statistical, ethical and methodological matters – all of which appear to be largely of excellent quality and the result of careful consideration. The results make for interesting and, (in the context of this review), very relevant reading. Perhaps one of the more original findings was that nearly 60% of the child health data held by the various refuges was factually incorrect. This clearly has grave implications for studies that base their evidence base on that data set (Berwick D 2005). Of great implication for the social services support mechanisms was the finding that 76% of the mothers in the study expressed concerns about the health of their children. Once they had left the refuge there was a significant loss to the follow up systems as 15% were untraceable and 25% returned to the home of the original perpetrator. The study documents the fact that this particular group had both a high level of need for support and also a poor level of access to appropriate services. In the study conclusions, the authors make the pertinent comment that the time spent in the refuge offers a â€Å"window of opportunity†for the family support services to make contact and to review health and child developmental status. This is not a demographically small group. In the UK, over 35,000 children and a parent, are recorded as passing through the refuges each year, with at least a similar number also being refered to other types of safe accommodation. Such measures are clearly not undertaken lightly with the average woman only entering a refuge after an average of 28 separate assaults. One can only speculate at the long term effects that this can have on both the mother and the children. In common with the other papers reviewed, this paper also calls for greater levels of support for the families concerned as, by inference, the current levels of effectiveness of the family support services is clearly inadequate. Conclusions This review has specifically presented a number of papers which have been chosen from a much larger number that have been accessed and assessed, because of the fact that each has a particularly important issue or factor in its construction or results. The issue that we have set out to evaluate is the effectiveness of the family support services which are specifically aimed at reducing the stress levels for the parents of children in need. Almost without exception, all of the papers that have been accessed (quite apart from those presented) have demonstrated the fact that the levels of support from the statutory bodies is â€Å"less than optimum†and in some cases it can only be described as â€Å"dire†. Another factor that is a common finding, is that, given the fact that any welfare system is, by its very nature, a rationed system, the provision of the services that are provided is seldom targeted at the groups that need it the most. One can cite the Tischler (et al 2000) and Downey (et al 1999) papers in particular as demonstrating that a substantial proportion of the resources mobilised are actually being directed to groups that are either not requesting support or who demonstrably need it less than other sectors of the community. Some of the papers (actually a small proportion) make positive suggestions about the models for redirecting and targeting support. Sadly, the majority do little more than call for â€Å"more research to be done on the issue†. In overview, we would have to conclude that the evidence suggests that the effectiveness of the family support services in reducing stress and poverty for the parents of children in need is poor at best and certainly capable of considerable improvement. References Bassuk, E. Buckner, J. Weinreb, L. et al (1997), Homelessness in female-headed families: childhood and adult risk and protective factors.  American Journal of Public Health, 87, 241–248 1997 Berwick D 2005 Broadening the view of evidence-based medicine Qual. Saf. Health Care, Oct 2005; 14: 315 316. Black D. 1996, Childhood bereavement: distress and long term sequelae can be lessened by early intervention.  BMJ 1996; 312: 1496, Black D. 1998, Coping with loss: bereavement in childhood.  BMJ 1998; 316: 931-933, BPA 1999, British Paediatric Association. Outcome measures for child health.  London: Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 1999.  Brooks RM, Ferguson T, Webb E. 1998, Health services to children resident in domestic violence shelters.  Ambulatory Child Health 1998; 4: 369-374.  Cumella, S. Grattan, E. Vostanis, P.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Essay --
The Segregation of Éire Ireland has a very conflicted history. Just when that history may seem to take a turn for the better, it seems that there is always another event to keep the trend of depression ongoing. The separation of the Protestant and Catholic Church would be the center of these events. However, the two different groups could potentially work together for the betterment of the nation. Through an analysis of why Protestants and Catholics split in the first place, disadvantages that Catholics would face in the coming years and also how these disadvantages were lifted, an argument will be developed in that there is perhaps the chance that they may end up working together in the future for the betterment of Ireland. Although these two groups would fight over the countless decades, they need to join into one entity if they wish to see a better future for Ireland. The traces of the split can be seen nearly five hundred years ago during the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. During King Henry VIII’s rule, Henry had wanted a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to marry Anne Boleyn. When the Pope would refuse to allow a divorce between Catherine and Henry, Henry would decide to start his own church so that he could be in a position of power to proceed with the divorce. This church would become the Church of England. Through this radical break away from the social norm, Henry VIII would be remembered as a man who would go to great lengths to get what he wanted. This break would also signify the beginning of the Protestant Reformation across Europe. This event marks the first time that two groups are seen as a national friend and foe recognition. As Bartlett notes, â€Å"By the 1570’s loyal and disloyal ... ...ehind leaders such as Wolf Tone, pledging their support in the form of the United Irishmen. Even though the 1798 Uprising would ultimately fail, this milestone in Irish history had the other citizens of Ireland that the Catholics were willing to lay aside their past differences for the betterment of their nation. This begs the question that will they continue to work together in the future. Based off the past evidence, Protestants and Catholics have little to lose in assisting each other and having Ireland progress into a nation that is one unified completely. What needs to happen though is that each side has to lay out the terms with no outside influence. There can be no ambiguous statements surrounding these terms and officials have to free of bias, as much as a person can be, to effectively write equal terms that ensure economic progress and religious tolerance.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
United States Agency for International Development Essay -- AIDS HIV F
United States Agency for International Development When the Department of Defense awarded Halliburton subsidiaries billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq in an uncompetitive bidding process, taxpayers and members of Congress alike cried foul. Liberals at Swarthmore College bemoaned the mixture of domestic business interests with foreign policy and reconstruction efforts. Initially, foreign companies were formally barred from the lucrative reconstruction projects. This spring, Halliburton delayed billing the DOD over $140 million under allegations of overcharging for military meals and energy supplies. Where the DOD controls reconstruction in Iraq, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) controls foreign development aid. While the bloated and uncompetitive contracts to Halliburton attracted a hail of criticism, USAID emerges largely unscathed from criticism despite a legacy of brazenly self-interested and inefficient foreign aid policy. USAID balances two mandates: protecting American interests and promoting inter national development. Tied aid-- grants or loans which require consumption of the donor country’s goods and services-- is an obvious and insidious manifestation of this dual mandate. An examination of American aid policy, a colonial precedent to tied aid, and the experience of Egypt from 1974-1989 reveals how tied aid poisons and adulterates the practice of development. Tied aid: â€Å"Seductive†but â€Å"seriously wrong†(Hancock 61) Tied aid is not a win-win situation. A balance between domestic interests and foreign development restricts the full potential of foreign aid. Michael Maren’s The Road to Hell offers a scathing indictment of foreign aid infused with self-interest and laments how â€Å"the hum... ... Philip Publishers Ltd: United States, 2002. Campbell, Catherine. ‘Letting Them Die’: Why HIV/AIDS Intervention Programmes Fail. Indiana University Press: United States, 2000. Hancock, Graham. Lords of Poverty. First Atlantic Monthly Press: Great Britain, 1989. Maren, Michael. The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity. The Free Press: New York, NY, 1997. Mitchell, Timothy. Rule of Experts: Egypt, Techno-Politics, Modernity. University of California Press: Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, 2002. Radelet, Steven. Challenging Foreign Aid: A Policymarker’s Guide to the Millennium Challenge Account. Kirby Lithographing Company: United States, 2003. Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) website. http://www.fightglobalaids.org/files/phatfile/appropriationskit.doc USAID website. http://www.usaid.gov/about_usaid.
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