The Effect of Exclusionary Rule and Fourth Amendment

The Effect of the Fourth Amendment is to put the courts of the United States and Federal officials, in the exercise of their own power and authority, under limitations and restraints as to the exercise of such power and authority, and to forever secure the people, their persons, houses, papers and effects against all unreasonable searches and seizures under the guise of law (Ronald 605). The Constitution does not tolerate warrantless, therefore illegal, police searches and seizures–unless there is probable cause. The rights which the Fourth Amendment states were strengthened when the Supreme Court preceded the Exclusionary Rule, and herefore, the rights of the people were strengthened as The Exclusionary Rule, first preceded in 1914, is the understanding, based on Supreme Court precedent, that incriminating information must be seized according to constitutional specifications of due process, or it will not be allowed as evidence (Schmalleger 273). Even the guilty have a right to claim innocence. Hence, this right would be worthless if incriminating evidence was allowed to be obtained, distributed, and used illegally. Furthermore, according to the Supreme Court, â€Å"If letters and private documents can thus be seized and held and used in evidence gainst a citizen accused of an offense, the protection of the Fourth Amendment declaring his right to be sure against such searches and seizures is of no value, and, so for as those thus placed are concerned, might as well be stricken from the Constitution† (Ronald 605). If that â€Å"tainted violence† can be used in court, then the 4th Amendment offers no real protection to a person accused of a crime (Magruder 524). The exclusionary rule was intended to put teeth into the 4th Amendment, and it has (Magruder 524). The Court further built upon the rules concerning evidence in 1918, with the Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine-a legal principle which excludes from introduction at trial any evidence later developed as a result of an originally illegal search or seizure (Schmalleger 274). The Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine was enforced after the case of Silverthorne Lumber Co. v. United States in 1918. Frederick Silverthorne and his sons were accused of avoiding payment on federal taxes. They were asked to hand over their company's books. The Silverthornes refused, citing their Fifth Amendment privilege against self- incrimination (Schmalleger 274). Shortly thereafter, some federal agents ignored their rights and without warrant, eized the wanted books anyway. Since this was an unconstitutional act, the Silverthorne's lawyer testified and asked for the books to be returned. The prosecutor granted his request, and the books were returned. Expecting all incriminating evidence to have descended, the Silverthornes where testified in trial. Much to their surprise, however, the prosecution had made photocopies of the books they seized, and used them as evidence against the Silverthornes. Hence, they were convicted in federal court. They appealed their conviction and their appeal reached the Supreme Court. The Court uled that just as illegally seized evidence cannot be used in a trial, neither can evidence be used which derives from an illegal seizure (Schmalleger 274). The conviction of the Silverthornes was overturned and they were set free. The illegal evidence reproduced from materials obtained by an illegal seizure dismissed the whole case because the prosecutors did not follow the Fruit of the Poisoned Tree Doctrine. Think of it this way: If you have a box full of apples, and then you put a rotten one in the bunch, they will all become rotten at some point. Hence, all the evidence–fruit–obtained from an illegal mean–poisoned ree–is not admissible even if the evidence itself is good† (Gomez interview). Even if a case is developed on years of police research, it may be dejected if that research and the evidence it revealed was obtained Like the Constitution, however, the exclusionary rule is not written in stone. It can be amended and exceptions can be installed to it. In the case of United Sates v. Leon in 1984, the exclusionary rule was first modified with â€Å"the good faith exception to the exclusionary rule. † This exception states that law enforcement officers who conduct a search, or seize evidence, on the basis of ood faith (that is, where they believe they are operating according to the dictates of the law) and who later discover that a mistake was made (perhaps in the format of the application for a search warrant) may still use, in court, evidence seized as the result of such activities (Schmalleger 277). In the Leon case, the officers involved acted upon probable cause, a legal criterion residing in a set facts and circumstances which would cause a reasonable person to believe that a particular other person has committed a specific crime (Schmalleger 277). The suspect, Leon, was accused of trafficking drugs. He was placed nder surveillance, which showed evidence of large amounts of hidden drugs. This lead the investigators to apply for a search warrant. They believed that they were in compliance with the Fourth Amendment requirement that â€Å"no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause† (Schmalleger 277). Although Leon was convicted of drug trafficking, a later ruling in a federal district court resulted in the suppression of evidence against him on the basis that the original affidavit, or document demonstrating the probable cause, prepared by the police had not, in the opinion of the court, been sufficient to establish probable cause (Schmalleger 277). Shortly after, the government petitioned the Supreme Court to decide if the evidence gathered by the officers may still be admissible in trial. The Court decided: â€Å"When law enforcement officers have acted in objective good faith or their transgressions have been minor, the magnitude of the benefit conferred on such guilty defendants offends basic concepts of the criminal justice system† (Schmalleger 277). Due to this, Leon's It is no doubt that over the past few decades more and more justice agencies have become dependent upon computer technology for record management and other purposes (Schmalleger 282). Hence, the likelihood of omputer-generated errors will vastly grow When this trend continues. Computer-generated errors have become the base of another exception to the exclusion rule, the â€Å"computer errors exception. † It was first created in the 1995 case of Arizona v. Evans. Mr. Isaac Evans was stopped for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. With a computer check reporting an outstanding arrest warrant, he was taken into custody. Shortly after, Evans was convicted due to the police finding marijuana in his car. After his arrest, however, police learned that the arrest warrant reported to them by their computer had actually been quashed a few eeks earlier but, through the clerical oversight of a court employee, had never been removed form the computer (Schmalleger 282). The Court later decided that the officers who made the arrest cannot be held accountable for their unintentional disobedience of the exclusionary rule. They were simply acting in good faith according to the information that was provided to them at the time. Isaac The Supreme Court's articulation of the exclusionary rule came in Weeks v. United States, 1914. This was the first landmark case concerning search and seizure and it changed to Fourth Amendment forever. The defendant, Mr. Freemont Weeks, was convicted for selling lottery tickets through the US Postal Service. The evidence against him included various letters and documents that had been seized from his house during a warrantless search (Ronald 604). When Weeks moved for a return of the property due to the violation of the Fourth Amendment in the officers' part, only the non-incriminating evidence was given back. Hence, Weeks was convicted. However, shortly after, he appealed his conviction and it reached the Supreme Court. There, his lawyer reasoned that if some of his client's belongings had been illegally seized, then the emainder of them were also taken improperly (Schmalleger 273). The Supreme Court reversed: â€Å"The United States Marshal could only have invaded the house of the accused when armed with a warrant issued as required by the Constitution, upon sworn information and describing with reasonable particularity the thing for which the search was to be made. Instead, he acted without sanction of law, doubtless prompted by the desire to bring further proof to the aid of the Government, and under solor of his office undertook to make a seizure of private papers in direct violation of the constitutional prohibition against such action. Under such circumstances, without sworn information and particular description, not even an order of court would have justified such procedure, much less was it within the authority of the United States Marshal to thus invade the house and privacy of the accused† (Ronald 605). The Court held that the seizure of items from Week's residence directly violated his constitutional rights and that the government's refusal to return Week's possessions violated the Fourth Amendment (Oyez). Thus, the Supreme Court overturned Week's earlier convictions and the However, the Weeks case made the exclusionary rule pertinent to only the federal government. It was not until Mapp v. Ohio that it also became applicable to the States. Miss Mapp and her daughter by a former marriage lived on the floor of the two-family dwelling (Case 1). Police officers had been on her trail because she was suspected of obscuring, in her house, a man wanted for information on a recent bombing, and for the possession of lewd books and pictures, which was unconstitutional (Supreme 1081). When the officers insisted on entering her home for investigation, she refused, asking them to get a warrant first. The officers advised their headquarters of the situation and undertook surveillance of the house (Case 1). Some three hours later, a larger amount of officers arrived at the scene. When they asked her to come out once again and she repeatedly refused, one of the doors in her house was forcibly opened and the policemen commenced their illegal search in the house. Miss Mapp's lawyer arrived shortly after but the officers, having secured their own entry and continuing their defiance of the law, would permit him neither to see Miss Mapp not to enter the house Miss Mapp continued to protest this illegal act and demanded to see the search warrant. One of the officers help up a fake one, which was snatched from his hand by her and placed in her bosom. As a result, there was a big struggle and she was handcuffed. Afterwards, she was forced upstairs where the investigators searched her closets, dressers, rooms, the rest of the second floor, the child's room, the living room, the kitchen, and a dinette. During that widespread and illegal search, the materials which she was suspected of holding were found, Prior decisions by the U. S. Supreme Court had led officers to expect that the exclusionary rule did not apply to agents of state and local law enforcement (Schmalleger 275). Nonetheless, Mapp's conviction was overturned by the precedent-setting decision that the officers were acting gainst the Fourth Amendment's guarantee that the exclusionary rule should be applicable to the States: â€Å"†¦ or shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. † (Schmalleger 275). The majority court's opinion, as Mr. Justice Black states, was that the constitutional basis of the rule announced by the Court in the present case was the Fourth Amendment ‘s ban against unreasonable searches and seizures considered together with the Fifth Amendment's ban against compelled self- ncrimination (Supreme 1081). Thus, the exclusionary rule The exclusionary rule's precedent brought forth two argumentative problems, however. One of these problems if that the present appeals system, focusing as it does upon the â€Å"rules of the game,† presents a ready-made channel for the guilty to go free (Schmalleger 273). â€Å"If you think about it, the evidence needed to prove a person guilty of a crime is, to my understanding, enough the confirm the person's culpability, and that person should be punished nonetheless. It shouldn't matter whether or not the arresting officer(s) acted unconstitutionally, in which ase, both the criminal and the officer both should be punished. A person's â€Å"guilt† can never be decreased because of the misconduct of another (Gomez interview). Weeks, Mapp, and the Silverthornes are all examples of this problem. The evidence used to incriminate them, whether obtained legally or illegally, prove that they are guilty of disobeying the law in one way or another. Even if the police knowingly violate the principles of due process, which they sometimes do, our sense of justice is compromised When the guilty go free (Schmalleger 273). As police officers, it is their duty to make sure that the guilty are punished. The exclusionary rule somewhat gets in the way of this responsibility. Of course officers should not take advantage and act recklessly, â€Å"but desperate times do call for desperate measures (Gomez Despite these problems, the exclusionary rules has obviously had some positive effects and changes on society. The Fourth Amendment is a very important and critical one in maintaining citizens' property and privacy theirs and the exclusionary rule has established real value to it. The Exclusionary Rule has been justified in part on the ground that it is essential to prevent the fourth amendment from becoming â€Å"a form of words, valueless and ndeserving of mention in a perpetual charter of inestimable human liberties† (Ronald 604). Also, the Weeks, Mapp, and Silverthorne cases are all examples of the exclusionary rules protection against police misconduct. â€Å"Just because they're the boys in blue does not mean that they can be the boys who abuse (Gomez interview). † As an American citizen, and thanks to the exclusionary rule, one has the right to object against illegal searches and seizures. The exclusionary rule In conclusion, the exclusionary rule totally revolutionized the power and rights against invasion of privacy and police misconduct.

An Analysis of Writing Techniques in the Achievement of Desire Essay

This essay is elegantly written with well-chosen words. Besides that, Richard Rodriguez’s adept skills in depicting the author’s complicated yet conflicting mental activities through various literary devices is also the shinning point of this piece of work. In the essay, the author mainly used several techniques such as flashbacks, comparisons and contrasts, definition, quotation, and satire to enhance the readability and entertainment of its content, which cater to most readers’ tastes and could lead them to further and in-depth thinking and reflection. Before analyzing the Rodriguez’s skills to shape and present his idea, a briefing on the essay is necessary. Rodriguez, the author, devoted most of his time to gaining knowledge. He saw schooling as the best way to get rid of his embarrassed status as an immigrant Mexican and to escape from being a poor educated person as his parents. However, after reading hundreds and thousands of classics, he found himself becoming a â€Å"scholarship boy†, otherwise pedant or book worm, overweighed with knowledge but do not have his own views on things. In other word, the whole learning process of him is mimicking and memorizing other’s words. He did not realize this until he wrote a dissertation on Renaissance Literature. He became bored of ceaseless learning and grew nostalgic and missed the family intimacy and consolations. But what irony is that in his efforts to return his family life, he found that it was education that enabled him aware of his status quo and gave him another chance to cherish the forthcoming life. Now, after gaining a rough idea of the essay, we could turn to his first writing technique-flashback. Most stories began with such a written pattern, which could leave the readers in suspense and give them a lingering aftertaste. This is also true of Rodriguez’s work. In the opening of the essay, the author appeared as the guest speaker to give a lecture on the mystery of the sounds of words to the ghetto students. No one was really interested in his speech except a girl whose eagerness to learn and ways of taking note reminded the author of his school days. In order to propel the readers to move on, he uses such a sentence â€Å"It is myself (as a boy) I see as she faces me now (a man in my thirties)†. How could an adult see his youth in a girl’s eyes? A question like that will occur to most readers’ mind, and as a result they would read on with the intention to unravel it. This sentence also plays play the role of linking the preceding and the following passage, because in the second paragraph the author began with words like â€Å"the boy†. The following paragraph all dwelled on in a sequential narration matter. Apart from leading the reader to run along the plots, the main intention Rodriguez employs flashback is to introduce the main question, which is also the clue running through the whole essay, â€Å"How did I manage my success? †. By putting forward the question, the whole work has a pivot on which the reader could gain a better understanding of Rodriguez’s strange behaviors and complicated emotions in the rest content. The sharp and stark comparisons and contrasts between classroom and home, family life and school life, teachers and parents are also prevailing in Rodriguez’s writing. In Rodriguez’s eyes, home is a place one could feel the intense pleasure of intimacy and consolations while classroom is a place relatively reclusive and lonely, but the latter is more favorable when one is ready to embark on a road to knowledge. School life is dull and attentive while family life (concerning the author’s situation, the working class may be more pertinent) is an adult life full of trivial and petty things related to mundane life, such as Rodriguez’s description of his mother’s ironing and father’s habitual self-talks. Teachers, as Rodriguez sees it, they are the idols who could guide him in the process of searching for more knowledge. We can see this in his narration that even as a fourth grade students, he asked his teacher for booklists and librarians even reserve books for him. Parents, however, are poor educated who speak English with Mexican accent, making Rodriguez rather shameful in the grammar school graduation ceremony when the nun condescended to speak to them. These three comparisons and contrasts could be concluded as the conflicts between study and family. The author, with the eagerness to read more and the ambition to become elite, he chose the former. All these may render a strong sense of sympathy in the readers. They may be sorry and even curse the education which brings the author into such a tragic situation. Some readers, who have an intense interest in unrelenting pursuit of knowledge, might awaken to the reality that they are also leading a tragic life just like the author. Consequently, the illuminations people obtained from this essay may even change their way of life. Definition could also be spotted in this essay. The key term, scholarship boy coined by the author, has multiple levels of meanings. Definitions like â€Å"the scholarship boy must move between environments, his home and the classroom, which are at cultural extremes, opposed†, â€Å". . . The scholarship boy does not straddle, cannot reconcile, the two great opposing cultures of his life. †, â€Å"the scholarship boy makes only too apparent his profound lack of self-confidence. †, â€Å"The scholarship boy is a very bad student. He is the great mimic; a collector of thoughts, not a thinker. † and so on so forth. Any reader, who follows closely with the author’s flow of thoughts, could readily identify the scholarship boy he referred in distain and shame is himself. We could also draw such a conclusion from the last paragraph â€Å"I was a scholarship boy at the time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So why does Rodriguez define it so frequently with different interpretations? What’s his purpose? In my view, Rodriguez in doing so is just want to highlight his regrets of distancing himself from family life and his shame of being a machine learning by mimicking and memorizing without originality. Like a person who committed some bad deeds, he would keep bubbling and muttering to show his regrets and sorrows. This would also give a sharp impression on the readers, making them reflect on the purpose of education and their own ways of learning. Quotations are scattered in this essay, most of them are from The Use of Literary Written by Richard Hoggart. For instance, in order to explain a scholarship boy’s nostalgic feeling at the end of his education he cited a paragraph from Richard Hoggart’ book, â€Å"The nostalgia is the stronger and the more ambiguous because he is really â€Å"in quest of his own absconded self yet scared to find it. He both wants to go back and yet thinks he has gone beyond his class, feels himself weighted with knowledge of his own and their situation, which hereafter forbids him the simpler pleasures of his father and mother. . . .† The contradicting moods are vividly presented in these words, which also makes the readers easier to grasp Rodriguez’s painful and conflicting emotions. He wants to go back to the family life and enjoys the intimacy but his desire for knowledge prevented him from doing that, which resembles a girl who is longing for a piece of candy but her decayed tooth deprives this enjoyment. So the author must be very helpless and painful during this process. Satire is also another main technique the author used to better present his idea. The repeat definition of scholarship boy is a satire, people’s constant inquiry of the secret of his success and his unexpected answer (I couldn’t forget that schooling was changing me and separating me from the life I enjoyed before becoming a student. ). The biggest satire of this work is that the author found that the education made him distant himself from his parents while it again offered him chance to care for them. What an irony it is! These ironies add an entertaining yet painful effect to the essay and the readers, driving them to think deep. To sum up, all these writing technique do bring the readers forward and hold their attention, but the unique experience of the author is the trump card of this essay’s success.

Conflict between Georgia and Russia about republics of South Ossetia Essay

Conflict between Georgia and Russia about republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia (2008) - Essay Example Political explanations of the conflict usually revolve around communism while ethnicity is viewed as a cause which was naturally gratified by widespread disparities and as a natural culmination of communist repression. Moreover, it could also be argued that ethnicity as an underlying cause of the conflict is justifiable or understandable considering the existence of such groups in large numbers. Heterogeneity is viewed by some as a driving force behind widespread dissatisfaction among the public that fuelled the desire to demand a separate state. The premises that gave rise to the ethnic and cultural differences can further be attributed to the Soviet political system which rather than diffusing the causes of the conflict, in fact, ended up fuelling it further. Research suggests that historically, ethnic conflicts have lasted longer and was more frequent as compared to conflicts or wars caused due to other reasons. Furthermore, it is also established through research, which ethnically motivated conflicts are rarely solved through peaceful negotiations and usually needs to be resolved through use of military power ending in victory of either side (King 1997, p.13)1. However, the explanations to the Georgian South Ossetian conflict cannot be restricted to any one particular point of view such as ethnicity or suppression during the Soviet Union. It is in fact a result of amalgamation of various complex phenomena. The 1989 Census estimated the population of South Ossetia as 66.61% Ossetians, 29.44% Georgians and the remaining 4% as a combination of Russians, Jews and Armenians. The Ossetians accounted for 74% of the population in Tskhinvali – the administrative state of South Ossetia while the rest of the population comprised of Georgians and other groups of miscellaneous ethnicities. However, the composition of the population underwent drastic change since the onset of the conflict which led to mass migration towards the Northern Ossetian regions as

The Values of Online Advertisement on Social Media Sites Essay

The Values of Online Advertisement on Social Media Sites - Essay Example This paper illustrates that various studies have been carried out on Facebook and how it has now been used in online advertisements and for commercial purposes. In a study by Clemons, Barnett, and Appadurai, the authors set out to establish the value of social media networks such as Facebook to the future of advertising. The authors were able to establish that the social media are a tool which has allowed the consumers to determine what they want to be made aware of the products themselves without being influenced by profiteering companies. The authors, therefore, were able to point out that consumers are now using the Internet and the social media in order to carry out what they want at the time of their choosing. These consumers are also able to escape TV ads through TiVO and seemingly, the social media network is the last resort for advertisers. With the growth of the Internet and the social media, consumers have now become more discerning and not totally trusting what is advertis ed on TV or in newspapers or magazines. These consumers have now become more empowered in their consumption as they are able to use the social media to review products and determine how well a produce would work for them. This study is, however, based on secondary information gathered from a database and from the research of other authors on the subject matter. Nevertheless, the data established by the authors are reliable as they confirm trends already established in previous studies. The authors were also able to provide a clear and valid assessment of the data, linking these to current trends in advertisement and social media applications. Gaps in the data are apparent in relation to the primary database needed to support reliable and evidence-based research. Nevertheless, the value of the social media in advertising has been apparent in this study and in other related studies. In the study by Tucker, the author sought to evaluate how Internet users’ conceptualization of c ontrol over their personal data impacts the likelihood of their clicking on online advertising. The authors used data they gathered from a randomised field experiment where they sought to examine the general efficacy of personalizing ads on social networking sites including Facebook. The authors revealed that the website gave the users the chance to have greater control over their personally identifiable data. The website also did not change how the advertisers utilised data to target and modify the ads. When privacy measures were introduced, the users were even more likely to click on personalized ads. The study suggested that it may be important to give the users control over their private data in order to assist advertising-supported media and advertisers on said sites. This also means that privacy controls can have harmful advertising outcomes. For advertisers, such controls are not enticing prospects, but for consumers, are welcome prospects. As a randomized controlled field st udy, this study provided strong primary evidence for this research. The methodology was well explained and replicable, with the design appropriate for the variables being studied.

Nervous Shock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nervous Shock - Essay Example There are these elements in the mental shock case that have given rise to many debates and concerns on the specific scope of its legal liability. Physical illness has had many liabilities in history characterized by suspicion, fear and ignorance. Past cases have ignored the causes of psychiatric illness. The cases have also witnessed medical discipline judicial suspicion devoted to psychiatric illness treatment as well as the fears associated with opening liability that may lead to a number of claims. The liability of this law is considered to transform into the simplistic notion that if an event is not seen then there is no way it can be proved to have resulted to any harm. This has led some courts to consider psychiatric damage as being less important and not worth any compensation unless the damage is associated with physical injuries that can be measured and seen objectively1. Courts have in the recent past refused to consider psychiatric damage on equal basis as other physical d amages. The House of Lords came to the agreement that in case of any physical injury affecting a plaintiff in circumstances that are foreseeable, no matter how trivial they may be, but end up not taking place, then the plaintiff is viewed to be in a position to recuperate from psychiatric illness even without concerns on whether the condition was foreseeable. Any foreseeable or case of physical injury to some extend legitimate the plaintiff claims of psychiatric illness. The physical injury primacy in the dominion of compensation has proved to be apparent even in situations where the courts are taking part in allowing psychiatric illness recovery. The â€Å"greater subtlety elements† of Lord Macmillan are applicable in cases of psychiatric illness that are not offered by physical injury means to the affected plaintiff2. The Current Law The present law on psychiatric illness liability which does not result from the plaintiff’s physical injury is summarized in two House of Lords decisions; Alcock v Chief Constable of the South Yorkshire Police (1992) 1 AC 310 and McLoughlin v O’Brian. In the McLoughlin case, the husband to the plaintiff as well as her children were victims of a road accident that had resulted out of the defendant’s negligence. The plaintiff received news about the accident two hours later and moved to the hospital where she learned of the death of one child and witnessed the injuries of the rest of her family members in circumstances that were so distressing. The House of Lords agreed unanimously to hold the claim of the plaintiff for psychiatric illness as to sail through. However, the house disagreed on the appropriate approach of testing liability. Lords Edmund and Wilberforce argued that the psychiatric injury foreseeability was not necessarily the main requirement. Lords Scarman and Bridge opted for a test that was solely based on foreseebility. This was untrammeled by temporal, physical and spatial limits that w ere proved to be largely subjective in how they were applied. These factors included in the aftermath test by Lord Wilberforce that led to a direction towards the extent of foreseeability of psychiatric illness. The main issue in the Alcock case was the decision status ruled in McLoughlin v O’Brian case. Its concern was whether the case came up with a liability test that was based solely on psychiatric illness foreseeability or were there other policy factors taken into consideration in determining the liability’s ambit? The case was concern about the actions taken against the police after the disaster that occurred in the Hillsborough stadium in 1989. In the disaster, 95 people lost their lives and more than 400 were injured. The disaster came about after too many fans were

Middle Class Struggles Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Middle Class Struggles Critique - Essay Example The final agreement was that one spouse could hold on to some money ranging from $19,000 to $95,000 according to the state. The law makers gave one spouse the right to refuse any financial obligation thereby shifting the partner's responsibility to the Medicaid. After his old parents could not look after themselves, Adam Albenico was confused on the next step to take considering his parent were from a middle class background making it hard for them to qualify for Medicaid. He visited Mr. Russo an elder-care lawyer and the chairman of the Medicaid task force for the National Academy of Elder Care Attorneys. He presented his case about his ailing father who needed a nursing home services pointing out that long-term care would exhaust their savings in 15 months. Mr. Russo educated him about Medicaid and advised him that his parent's assets be transferred to his mother so that she could sign the legal forms refusing to support her husband. He did this and a nursing home accepted his father but insisted that Albenico should pay for two months of care upfront or $15,000 in case his father's Medicaid application did not go through. He later sold his mother's property to finance her assisted living move but her mother later run out of money and Albenico together with his sister continued paying t

Women Discrimination in Business World Research Proposal

Women Discrimination in Business World - Research Proposal Example According to the sex and power report submitted by the UK Equality and Human rights commission in 2008, women hold only 11 positions in the FTSE directorships. The study revealed that even though anti discrimination legislations have been constituted to help women and it had been implemented long ago, still the position of the women has undergone only little improvement as they are not represented in many of the occupations especially in senior positions (Broughton and Miller, 2009). Very recently BBC news has reported that women discrimination is wide spread in Europe (Viewpoint: A fair deal for women, 2009). It was also revealed that the chances of a woman to get a job in Europe is only 47% because of discrimination against women (Discrimination in the European Union, 2009) Business world is the area where women discrimination is prevalent even today (Peiss,1998). This could be understood from the fact that only a very few number of women are running their own business. When it comes to the senior management only very few women are there in the scenario. This is true through out the world irrespective of the level of development. In USA and in most of the countries in Europe although there are many organizations that draw attention at a global level, only very few have a female in the board level position (Brougton and miller, 2009). Many reasons are attributed to this like women are reluctant to take up such positions, people at the senior management level as well as public have negative opinion on women coming to such high positions, etc. But there might be several reasons behind these main reasons. So there is a great need to understand the full range of reasons, which discourage women to take up promotions to the board level positions to find out s olutions to this problem. In fact one of the key objectives of executive coaching is to encourage women to take up these positions. The reasons why they are not preferred by their employers when it comes to the senior management positions also has to be clearly understood so as to take appropriate measures to encourage these employers to give opportunities for women at least to prove themselves. For this, such studies are highly essential to develop strategies that could help women to achieve progress in their career. So the present study is intended to find reasons for less representation of females in the business world of Europe especially at the senior positions. Review of literature 5.1. Effect of discrimination in Child hood According to Wolfe (2009) stereotyping from the childhood onwards results in women becoming less confident to enter into the business world. From the childhood

Corporate Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Crime - Essay Example They have often been identified as restructuring the economy and their shareholders and the political institutions of a country. Therefore, it is crystal clear that the corporate firms control the important sectors of a country and as such, any change or issues affecting the corporate companies will certainly distress public life. Considering this context, the study of corporate crimes has an elite role in determining the dominant factors that channelize human life. What is Corporate Crime? When one attempts a study on the topic; Corporate Crimes, one has to keep in mind the fact that it is topic which needs a broad research and a systematic study. Even a mere observation will unveil various types of corporate crimes which really makes the study extensive. As the study is extensive, many have attempted to define corporate crime. Sally S. Simpson (p.6.) of University of Maryland, in Corporate Crime, Law and Social Control, identifies â€Å"corporate crime is [as] a type of white-coll ar crime.† Simpson also acknowledges Edwin Sutherland who regarded corporate crime as the â€Å"criminal activity by persons of high social status and respectability who use their occupational position as a means to violate the law† (Sutherland, 1949). ... Corporate crimes have been identified as the deliberate attempt of the companies aimed to injure the public more than street crimes in many ways: economically, socially, physically and environmentally (Corporate crime). But the notable thing regarding corporate crimes is that these criminal violations come under civil and administrative law, and as such, penalties include fines but not imprisonment. Various industries have formed and implemented their own laws and they control their employees by themselves. Corporate crimes are many and varied that one can find it negatively affecting the proper growth of a corporate firm. As it is committed by individuals for their personal gain corporate crimes may cause great loss for the employers. Many have identified the most common form of white collar crime as the employee steals from the employer who cheats customers and pockets the difference. An overview of the corporate crime reveals three types of crimes namely; corporate violence, econo mic corporate crimes and white collar crimes (Corporate crime). Corporate crime involves various kinds of crimes. Corporate violence includes three types of crimes such as, violence against workers, violence against consumers and corporate pollution. This is quite alarming to note that â€Å"6 million workers injured on the job in the US and 10,000 people die in the workplace from injuries and 10,000 from long term effects of occupational diseases† (Corporate crime). Violence against workers is irresponsibility of the corporate executives in arranging occupational health and safety standards which are inevitable for assuring the life security of the workers. Deaths of thousands of workers as an after effect of such kind of reckless

Cuisine in England Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cuisine in England - Research Paper Example e English diet is fundamentally characterized by salty and sweet snacks that include but are not limited to potato chips, chocolate bars, pizzas, burgers and ice-cream cakes. If there was one term to describe most of the English foods, it would be â€Å"processed foods†. Nevertheless, the English do have a whole range of traditional foods that have been part of the English culture for centuries. â€Å"Englands rich cultural mix has brought about a huge range of food options and today the British are happily exposing their taste buds to flavours and experiences from many far-flung corners of the world† (â€Å"Cuisine In England†). This paper would primarily discuss the traditional English foods. There are numerous regional and national varieties within the British cuisine. England is located in the northern side of Europe. To its North is Scotland and to its West is Wales. In fact, the term Great Britain is used collectively for the three of them and when England, Scotland, Wales are also accompanied with Ireland, it becomes the United Kingdom (UK). â€Å"England has a coastline of 3,246 km along the Irish, Celtic and North Seas and the English Channel and a relatively diverse terrain for such a small land mass from rolling plains which stretch from the central area (east of Wales) to her southern extremities excellent for the growing of crops and grazing of livestock† (â€Å"English Cuisine and Recipes†). The transition between the old (traditional) and the contemporary (processed foods) British cuisine can fundamentally be attributed to the decline in the areas of forested woodland due to the industrial revolution and urbanization. Today, forested woodland makes no more than 8 per cent of the total land of UK. Nevertheless, the temperate climate combined with the number of rivers and streams in UK are together sufficient to produce a variety a foods to be consumed by the English people. British cuisine is actually used as an umbrella term for several cuisines include

Students who feel connected to peers Essay Example for Free

Students who feel connected to peers Essay In many cases, violence in schools may be due to lack of understanding and keen eye and ear to the students. Students need to have role models as well as a confidant they can talk to. However, â€Å"When they do not have access to caring adults, feelings of isolation, rejection, and disappointment are more likely to occur, increasing the probability of acting-out behaviors† (Dwyer et al, 1998, p. 10). This writing seeks to reveal what researchers and authors have unveiled concerning the belief that students who have a sense of connection with adults and/or teachers are more likely to go to them and warn them of a fellow student’s plan to violate the school community. Introduction Violence in schools can date as back as when humanity started. This statement simply means that violence can be defined as an occurrence that happens as a result of the imperfections of humanity. However, violence should not be taken as something that can harm the true bond of humanity but one that can be curbed and minimized with the right communication systems. In many cases, violence in schools can be avoided if only fear of attack after reporting violence plots can be curbed. As study carried out using hypothetical scenarios showed that though some students felt that fear of being punished or attacked would make them not intervene or report a violence plot. â€Å"High schools are generally larger than middle schools and provide less opportunity for teachers and students to interact, which is the foundation for building trust, caring and community between the two† Willenz (2009). Research findings on past occurrences and response levels In some cases schools have counselors to talk to the students and â€Å"At the high school level, counselors are part of the staff. However, the average high school counselor has between 350-400 students to advice. This is too many students for the counselor to have a personal relationship with students† (Johnson, n. d). However, a good number of students revealed that they would be willing and ready to report violence plots/plans to an adult or teacher if they not only had a good relationship with the adult/teacher and had a sense of belonging and were proud of their school. The main question would then be: how do schools/teachers create the kind of environment and relationships in schools that would encourage students to report such cases of violence or intervene if they would not pose danger to themselves? Researchers, authors and various front end campaigners have all tried to engage all their efforts towards finding the real and most effective way to curb violence in schools. Various authors have come to the conclusion that school policies and rules may be so rigid as to cause a gap between adults/teachers and students rather that creating the bond and kind of relationship that would encourage the students to freely speak out and report violence plots by fellow students. In this case the policies and rules would pose more harm to the school and its community more than they would be meant to protect and govern the relationships to create a safe haven for the school communities. In his article, The A-B-Cs of School Violence, Johnson (n. d) reveals that: â€Å"Researchers have completed an analysis of 37 school shootings. The research showed that students at school usually knew what would happen because the shooters had told them, but the bystanders didnt warn anyone. This disturbing pattern gives society a brief ray of hope, because this gives teachers time to intervene. If kids tell, teachers or parents might be able to learn what a student is planning before the violence erupts. † In most cases, schools and the community as well as governments have policies and measures meant to curb violence in schools after they occur, but few measures have been put in place to prevent violence incidents before they happen. As much as teachers may be seen as the adults to be reported to incase of a violence plan/plot, in many cases student counselors and parents can be of great importance in enhancing relationships and freedom of expression among students to ensure they would be free enough to go to the adults without fear of being reprimanded or attached by the violators. Student-teacher relationships have been seen as a great tool that can be used to help curb violence in schools. In order for a teacher to be able to enhance this relationship with the students, there is need for the teacher to ensure that he/she has â€Å"set forth both academic and behavioral expectations for all students. In addition to school wide codes, each teacher must articulate to students on the first day of class the basic standards of behavior for the class. Additional standards may be developed with input from the students to reinforce their commitment to the standards† Johnson (n. d). For violence in schools to be prevented, students must then be deemed as critical information sources as they get to interact at a closer, personal and individual manner than teachers do. Jimerson Furlong (2006) add that â€Å"Students also are an essential source of information and their input into the problem definition undertaking can provide the school safety team with substantial clarification and direction. † Researchers reveal that in some cases students would be comfortable and willing to give information on a fellow student planning to commit a violent offence in or out of the school if â€Å"children feel safe when expressing their needs, fears and anxieties to school staff† (Dwyer et al, 1998, p. 10). â€Å"Teachers who use cooperative learning, peer helping, cross-age mentoring, and community service facilitate resilience. These strategies create a connection or bond between the student and school, allow for practice with social skills, and decrease students’ likelihood of engaging in destructive behaviors† (Vitto, 2003). Having constraints with time, demanding curricular, need for great accountability, as well as pressures related to testing, the teachers’ desires to have and maintain positive and individual/personal relationships with students can be interfered with. In this case the closeness to adults and/or teachers that would encourage students to reports cases of violence before they happen would be reduced. To help counter this challenge, the inclusion of parents as the â€Å"watchful eye† over the students in their communities and schools could help enhance a bond with them as adults and increase the probability of the students reporting violence plans. Many authors have revealed that â€Å"Fear of getting into trouble makes students less willing to go to a teacher or principal with their concerns about a peers potentially dangerous plan and more likely to ignore the situation† (Willenz, 2009). As Vitto (2003) adds: â€Å"Unfortunately, many school reform initiatives focus on inadequate solutions, such as vouchers, increased testing and accountability, year-round schooling, harsher punishments, and zero-tolerance policies. These solutions are shortsighted and ignore critical factors such as the importance of positive teacher-student relationships and the development of social-emotional competencies and resilience† (p. 5). As many researchers have proven, finely operated schools nurture not only their academic but also safety and generally appropriate behaviors that help support students in attaining high standards, cultivate constructive relationships among school teachers, staff and students, and uphold significant parental and societal involvement. These promotes positive cohesion characteristics in schools, enhances prevention and suitable intervention as well as effective response from students in case of a response in reporting plans by fellow students to commit violence related offences. â€Å"For all students, Syvertsen et al. said, knowing they could voice their opinions and be heard by a school official along with their sense of belonging – how they and their friends fit into the school culture – best predicted whether they would confront the peer themselves or tell an adult† (Willenz, 2009).

Effects of the Change4Life Advertising Campaign

Effects of the Change4Life Advertising Campaign The NHS document will go through the changes that are going to be implemented in the NHS. This will go through what might improve in the NHS due to changes and what will not improve. It will go the criticisms that the proposed changes have received and also the positive points that have been received. The proposed changes in the NHS will mean that the GPs will be getting  £70 billion pounds annually. The purpose of this is to get the GPs to manage most of the NHS budget to buy patient care from the NHS hospitals and clinics. According to the new changes the government is planning to close 151 primary care trusts and have them replaced by GPs, the question that has been put forward by this proposal is that how much money is going to be spent on administration rather than health care? And how much money will the GPs take to pay themselves management fees? (Walayat, 2010) By the government announcing that the primary care trusts are going to be closing it marked the first step towards the NHS becoming privatised. The budget of  £70 million will not increase productivity but will lead to a less productive system instead just as the Labour Government experienced when they doubled the NHS budget. The budget will lead to all the GP surgeries to become part of private companies. (Walayat, 2010) Andrew Lansley the UK health Secretary launched a White Paper which was titled Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS under which every GP will have to join a commissioning group by 2011/12 which will close down the Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities systems. The plans will see the GPs being responsible for  £110 billion of the health care budget, some of the budget  £80 billion of this will be going through to PCTs. (Pharmaletter, 2010) An important aspect of the proposal is that the health care providers will be paid according their performance, reflecting outcomes as well as activity and progress on outcomes will be supported by quality standards which are developed by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). (Pharmaletter, 2010) Some advantages of the proposal have been put forward such as that the white paper shows a move towards greater doctor and patient influence over clinical decisions. It is believed that the expansion of NICEs remit which promotes best practice is a high priority for the future of the NHS than the narrow cost effectiveness calculations on new medicines that it is currently conducting. (Pharmaletter, 2010) There are criticisms of the new proposal it has been stated that the plans could cost the NHS its  £20 billion efficiency savings target. Health director James Gubb stated that the NHS is facing the most difficult financial times in its history and that it is not the time to change structures but its better to get behind the difficult decisions PCTs will have to make. Other criticisms are that the White Paper was a waste of time and a waste of money. They also stated that the GPs do not have enough power to see any changes in the system. (Pharmaletter, 2010) The changes to the NHS will be taking place in 2013, already it has emerged that GPs that are covering half the country have already signed to start piloting the changes. The cost of the programme is  £1.4 billion, most of this will come over the next two years as more than 20,000 people from management and the staff from administration are being made redundant from the health authorities, primary care trusts and the Department of Health. (BBC, 2011) GPs will be expected to publish yearly reports of their performance. There will be a Health Watch network where feedback will be gathered from patients. The new bill will set out a duty to maximise access to a wide range of services. If GPs do under perform they will be financially penalised as a proportion of their income. (BBC, 2011) The British Medical Association believe that the government are taking a big gamble with the changes to the NHS and others have just stated that the health service will not be able to do what they are expected to do and that the new changes have a big risk of failing. (BBC, 2011) With the changes the ministers, including the secretary of state, will no longer be able to intervene when a hospital is threatened to close. Instead there will be a NHS independent board who will oversee the GPs. They will buy the care for their patients from any willing provider meaning from an NHS organisation or a private company. (Channel 4, 2011) Critics have said that this in a way is putting profit before care and that the services will end up closing down as they will not be financially viable even when they are need by the public. The changes in the NHS are complex and are mainly to do with management although Andrew Lansley the health secretary has ensured that patients are at the heart of the changes. (Channel 4, 2011) The changes mean that there will be a loss of 24,500 jobs and approximately 21,000 of them will be going through redundancy. The changes will be in place in 2013 and in the following year all hospitals will be foundation trusts, which will mean that hey will be controlling their own budget and have control. (Channel 4, 2011) The changes that are being made have been labelled as dangerous by the health experts and campaigners who are desperately trying to save the NHS. The changes will be getting rid of the targets that say that operations are performed within 18 weeks and also seeing your doctor within 48 hours. Private firms will now be able to bid for contracts for anything from standard check-ups to complex surgery. Patients will now have to wait longer to get appointments to see the GP, as local surgeries will be part of the financially powerful regional GP groups, as they now have almost  £80 billion of the health budget they could get rid of expensive treatments which in turn will make patients look for a different surgery which meets their needs. (Buckland, 2011) The patients will not see much change to the NHS but if the government does fulfil the aims it has set then the patients will have more control over their care than what they used to. The patients will now have a choice on how they want to be treated and where they want to be treated. Patients already have a choice on what hospital they want to go to but the choice is now extending to GPs. The boundaries that were set for registering with the GP are not in use any more and now they can choose whichever doctor they wish. (BBC (a) 2011) To conclude the NHS document has gone through what the changes are going to take place in the NHS and what this will cause. It has gone through the strengths and the criticisms of the changes. It has also stated that the GPs will now have control over the NHS budget and the changes will take place 2013. This assignment will be going through three health campaigns that are based in the UK to promote healthy lifestyles. The first campaign is change4life campaign it will go through what this campaign promotes, its aims and what it has achieved so far it will then go onto criticising the campaign and explain what has not worked. It will then go through whether enough is being done to promote healthy lifestyles. The second campaign is anti-smoking campaign it will again go the aims, what it has achieved and the criticisms of the campaign. It will then go through whether enough is being done to promote healthy lifestyles. The final campaign is sexual health campaign it will go through its aims, what it has achieved and its criticisms. It will then go through whether enough is being done to promote healthy lifestyles. The conclusion will bring the main points together and summarise what has been said in the portfolio and will also state whether the campaigns have done what they have aimed to do. Change4life is a society-wide movement that has the aims to prevent people from becoming overweight by encouraging them to eat better and move more. The campaign aims to motivate a societal movement in which anyone who has an interest in preventing obesity, they can be businesses, healthcare professionals, charities, schools or families can play their part. (Department of Health, 2010) The Change4Life campaign started in January 2009 and started by targeting young families with children aged 5-11 years. Since then the movement has grown and is now targeting parents of 1-4 year olds (Early Years) and new parents with babies (Start4Life). (Department of Health, 2010) The Change4Life advertising campaign has made the subject of weight and physical activity a hot topic and it urges us to make changes to our diet and levels of activity. The campaign talks about fat in the body rather that fat bodies and makes the link clear between fat and preventable illnesses. Change4life puts the blame of obesity onto modern life, which affects everyone instead of blaming the parents. (Department of Health (a), 2010) The steps that Change4life support will help people to improve health and their diet for example by swapping sugary food for healthier alternatives, cutting down on portion sizes and putting a limit on snacks. But a criticism that has been put forward is that change4life could be flawed from the start. They have been criticised for having partnerships with companies such as Nestle, PepsiCo and Mars. (Watts, 2009) Change4life tried to justify the partnerships by claiming that they want everyone to work together to fight obesity. However the question that has been put forward by critics is the involvement of manufacturers of fatty, sugary snack products going to help reduce obesity? (Watts, 2009) There is not enough evidence to say that social marketing is effective than other methods of improving health, but it seems that the government which is pursuing Change4Life have abandoned pursuing the steps that need to be taken to tackle obesity and focusing on how best to advertise the campaign. It was published in a report that it is urgent to act on the obesity crisis now as it was predicted that 9 out of 10 adults will be obese by 2050. (Watts, 2009) The department of health is now keen on getting corporate partners that the department seems to have forgotten the certain steps that need to be taken that can stop obesity such as protecting children from junk food marketing or forcing companies to use effective nutritional labelling. (Watts, 2009) The UK Public Health Association Chairman, David Hunter has warned that the governments  £75 million Change4Life campaign will fail to stop the rising levels of obesity unless it develops a strategy to change long-term behaviour. He has stated that the evidence that has been found that their campaign can have a positive effect for short term but it cannot be used for long term and so something needs to be done to prove that the campaign is not a waste of money and time. (Clews, 2009) Now it is being said that the new coalition government is taking away the funding from Change4life which was put forward by the Labour government. The new health secretary Andrew Lansley stated that the campaign should be supported by businesses not the government. (Tasker, 2010) Lansley stated that the new government will aim to use more social media to get the message of Change4Life across rather than the traditional advertising campaigns and will make it less of a government campaign but a social movement, by asking charities and local authorities and the commercial sectors to get involved. (Tasker, 2010) Lansley praised the scheme by saying that it has achieved a lot; especially in the way it has bought many people together such as healthcare professionals, teachers, charities, businesses and thousands of volunteers who have their support. (Tasker, 2010) Although there have been criticisms of the campaign there have been achievements. The campaign has worked alongside with a range of colleagues such as GP staff, primary schools and early years settings. In all the work they have encouraged colleagues to register as Local Supporters and to adopt the Change4Life brand in their activities. (Department of health, (b) 2010) A Change4life van is used by the Healthy Lifestyle team to deliver cooking sessions to help at-risk families learn how to cook simple, low-fat meals. Change4Life brand has also been incorporated into Healthy Heroes programme that was developed in primary schools to encourage children to be more active. Sport and physical alliances, School Sports Partnerships and Food Forums have all got the Change4Life sub brands and are using both Bike4Life and Walk4life in their cycling and walking schemes. (Department of health, (b) 2010) Anti-smoking campaigns uses advertising to put out their word to stop people smoking, a lot of different advertisements have been used which are directed to smokers. It has been found that a  £4 million advertising campaign which shows fat oozing out of the smokers artery has been a huge success for the anti-smoking campaign. After seeing the advertisement a total of 10,000 people contacted the British Heart Foundation charity and 62,000 have visited their website. Smoking has been estimated to cause 114,000 deaths in a year in the UK, 30,000 of these due to cardiovascular disease. (BBC, 2004) On the 1st July 2007, England introduced a new law to make all enclosed public places and workplaces smoke free. This will ensure that England has a healthier environment so that everyone can socialise, relax, travel and shop free from second hand smoke. The law also states that smoking is not allowed in public transport or in work vehicles where there is more than one person in the vehicle. Staff smoking rooms and indoor smoking areas are no longer allowed so everyone who wants to smoke will have to go outside the building. (Smokefree, 2007) Local councils are responsible for enforcing the new law in England. There are now penalties and fines for those who do not abide by the law, some of these fines are as follows: if someone is caught smoking in smoke free premises or in work vehicles will have a fixed penalty of  £50 or a maximum of  £200 if they are convicted by court. There is a fixed penalty of  £200 if there is a failure to put up no-smoking signs. There is also a maximum of  £2500 if the person who manages the premises or vehicles fails to prevent smoking. (Smokefree, 2007) The smoking ban has triggered the biggest fall in smoking ever seen in England. It has been found that more than two billion fewer cigarettes were smoked and 400,000 people have quit smoking since the ban was introduced, researchers have said that this will prevent 40,000 deaths over the next 10 years. There is no guarantee that the rates of smoking will not raise again so it is essential that the downward pressure is maintained. (Laurence, 2008) However it has been stated that the ban on smoking in public has failed to increase the number of people quitting. The proportion of men who smoke has risen since the ban while there has been no change among women. It has been hoped that the ban would help reduce the smoking rates among the poor but instead smoking in working-class men has risen. (Martin, 2008) The Health Survey for England, which was carried out by the NHS has raised fears that smokers are now simply smoking at home which is now putting children at risk. The Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Norman Lamb stated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦stark figures which demonstrate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the governments strategy on smoking has not been successful. A spokesman from the pro-smoking pressure group stated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦figures show that the smoking ban has been an unmitigated failure. (Martin, 2008) However a spokesman from the Department of Health replied to the criticisms by stating that the Smoke free laws were put forward to protect employees and public from secondhand smoke, and that the legislation was never intended to be a measure to reduce smoking. (Martin, 2008) Now in America the district officials have said that the best way to get young people to stop smoking, is to use bar and nightclub scenes and advertisements that show men and women in sexually suggestive poses. They are now planning to spend millions of dollars over the next few years for this plan. The local health authority had determined that to counter methods that tobacco companies have used to lure young people into thinking that smoking is cool, the most effective way to stop people from smoking is to fight fire with fire. (Kanigher, 2010) A criticism of this idea was put forward that the advertisements message of anti-smoking is diluted by the images which promote booze and sex. The complaint was that they are not promoting a healthy lifestyle; they may be telling them not to smoke but instead are promoting drinking and sex. The answer to this criticism was the reason they put on the advertisements of bars and nightclub scenes is because young smokers are drawn to that lifestyle. (Kanigher, 2010) The sexual health campaign is in place to inform people to have safe sex to prevent sexual transmitted diseases (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies. A lot of campaigns are now in place to inform mainly teenagers the importance of safe sex. The campaign aims to create a culture change where stakeholders and consumers are equipped and have the confidence in engaging in conversations about sexual health and relationships. (Everett, 2009) They have stated that they were behind in their target which was to halve the under 18 conception rate by 2010 and also another aim which they need to do is to lower the rates of abortion and repeat abortion as they remain high in people under the age of 25. (Everett, 2009) There are three marketing objectives that the campaign has the first is prevention-building attitudes, knowledge and skills that make safe sex more likely. The second is protection-which encourages protective behaviours that make sex safer and intervention-intensive support for those who are most at risk. Within these three marketing objectives there are six strands of activities which are for prevention-knowledge and education and communication and negotiation skills. For protection-there will be contraceptive choice, carrying condoms or access to condoms. For intervention-there will be integrated education and service delivery. (Waters, 2009) The campaign gets their information across by using the television, radio and the press. They use stories from media to support the campaign and fuel discussions. By doing this they persuade people to find out more information about their campaign through their website which is hosted by the NHS Choices which have details of the services available and how to get in contact with the service providers. (Hadley, 2009) Statistics have shown that teenage pregnancy rates have fallen, according to data collected from the Office of National Statistics there was a fall of 3.9% of pregnancy rates of girls under the age of 18 in 2008 while pregnancy rate for under sixteen year olds fell 7.6%. However, this is far short of the government aim to have it halved. (Bawden, 2010) Victoria Sheard, who is deputy head of police at Terrence Higgins trust, stated that there is a need for young people to be given more information to protect themselves. She also stated that it is not easy for the teenagers to get hold of information and support that they need from schools. (Bawden, 2010) It has been stated that the pregnancy rates will rise unless the government takes renewed action. The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) has warned that the budget cuts and the changes in the NHS are going to threaten the current downward trend in teenage pregnancy. The under-18 conception rate has been at the lowest for over twenty years, on the other hand experts have said that the target to halve the teenage pregnancy rate will be missed. (BBC, 2010) The TPIAG is calling on the current government to invest in contraception, sex and relationship education, they have stated that the pregnancy rates will rise again unless there is sustained commitment and investment in contraceptive services, along with better sex education. The local authorities and primary care trusts will be facing bigger bills if the contraceptive services are reduced. (BBC, 2010) In November 2009 a national campaign called sex worth talking about was launched by the Department of Health who had the aim to help young people to become better informed about their sexual health, how to avoid unwanted pregnancies and access treatment for STIs. The first phase of the campaign was focused on contraception and the choices available. The second phase was launched in 2010 which shifted the focus onto Chlamydia with the warning that this has no symptoms and can be passed on without people knowing. Then the third stage which was also launched in 2010 moved the focus back onto contraception again. (Politics, 2011) The factors that are behind the poor sexual health of Britain have been debated and there is no single suggestion. Many have complained that the culture and the increase of sex education promote promiscuity which makes it certain that people will transmit STIs or unwanted pregnancies. (Politics, 2011) Others have put forward that the current education policies are not successful in adequately equipping young people to promote their own sexual health and others argue that Britain need to have an open attitude towards sex to encourage safe sexual behaviour. A lack of resources for sexual health services have been blamed for the rates of infection. (Politics, 2011) The Department of Health does admit that the sexual health services do need to be more modernised and they have set themselves targets to cut the rate of unwanted pregnancies and reduce the spread of STIs however, they also state that they have had achievement in lowering the rate of pregnancies. (Politics, 2011) The British Medical Association (BMA) warned of a sexual health crisis in Britain and called on the government to reduce rates of STIs. The BMA warned that clinics will not be able to cope with the rising rates of STIs without the government support. (Politics, 2011) The three campaigns above are linked by the personal responsibility agenda that is now being put forward by the government. The personal responsibility agenda puts forward that there is the need for people to take charge of changing their own behaviour instead of relying on the interventions that are in place. It has been stated that it will be difficult in shifting the focus this way. However, it is what is needed as it could change behaviour. (BBC, a, 2010) A lot of people have supported this idea by stating that the interventions that were put forward did not work but actually made health inequalities worse. But for this agenda to work there has to be support from the coalition government. (BBC (a) 2010). There have been criticisms of the personal health responsibility agenda, some of which are that the agenda blames the victim, because they ignore the social context in which the individual makes their decisions and health related actions take place. This is more problematic with the poor as it is said that poverty is the main risk factor for illnesses. (Minkler, 2009) Another criticism is that the personal health responsibility agenda is that the government will move the blame from themselves to the individual. The basis of this criticism is that the conservative government have used the personal responsibility agenda to justify the cutbacks needed in health social programmes. (Minkler, 2009) Looking at the criticisms and the strengths of the agenda it has to be put forward that after all the years spent on interventions and other campaigns supporting people to change behaviour will the personal responsibility agenda work? Will people change their behaviour after living in unhealthy lifestyles for so many years? The three campaigns that have been mentioned in the portfolio have given an overview of what the campaign does and the strengths and weaknesses. Overall with the campaigns it has been found that the campaigns have got their strengths but also have a lot of criticisms that they have top work on to improve which they have been doing to prove that they do work. Each campaign has in its own way given information on the health risks and what can prevent them. All three of the campaigns are linked by the personal responsibility agenda which states that the people have to take responsibility for their own health, this has its own strengths and weakness with one of the main criticisms being that the government do not want to take the blame if this does not work instead the blame will be going to the individual who did not take responsibility for their own health. Overall the portfolio went over what the campaigns promote, what they have achieved, their criticisms and what they are aiming for in the future. The campaigns overall do give out a positive message to the public but now need to improve on how they are going to lower the rates of the health risks mainly in those who are living in poverty.

Nafta Essay -- North American Free Trade Agreement

The North American Free Trade Agreement or as its most commonly known NAFTA â€Å"is a comprehensive rules-based agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico†, that came into effect on January 1,1994. All three countries signed it in December of 1992; later on November of 1993 it was ratified by the United States congress. NAFTA was not only used in cutting down on tariffs between both countries but it also help deal with issues such as Transportation, Border Issues, and Environmental Issues between these two countries. NAFTA changed some tariffs immediately and within fifteen years other tariffs will fall to zero. NAFTA was not created to just lower tariffs it was also created to open protected sectors in agriculture, energy, automotive trade, and most importantly textiles. It also opened up the U.S. Mexico border to previously restricted areas of trade. â€Å"It set rules on government procurement and intellectual property†. Now after it’s fourth year of existence it is apparent that it is good for Mexico and the United States. Because of NAFTA Mexico has been able to make significant changes in their economy, far more than the U.S. â€Å"The Mexican overall trade balance went from a $18.5 billion deficit it 1994 to a $7 billion surplus in 1995†. Even though American exports slipped $4 billion in 1995, the recovery of the Mexican economy in 1996, when the GDP grew 5.1%, American exports came round and grew to 20%, later to 35% thanks to NAFTA. Also because of NAFTA two way trade between the United States and Mexico has grown to 60% from 1993. Although Mexico’s economy is making its first boom in sixteen years, it is still â€Å"economically small compared to the U.S†. Mexico’s economy has been compared to that of the size of Florida. Because of this all the hype about the loss of jobs to the U.S., especially California, have been taken over the top. According to the most recent information it was proved that NAFTA has had almost no effect on U.S. employment levels. At first when NAFTA came into effect U.S. employment levels did decrease, but within three years all employment went back up to normal. Some say that this in fact is not due to NAFTA, but to the continuing expansion of the U.S. economy. Another aspect that has made Mexico’s economy boost is the Maquiladoras program. It began in 1995 as a side program of NAFTA, †and set up a special cust... ...ans of transporting goods across the border. Normally trucks are forced to wait in long lines for several hours; this is due to the lack of adequate infrastructure. This also causes polluting exhaust to escape into the air causing an even greater problem in the border air; this causes 20% of all air pollution. The 2,000-mile border separates two regions with totally different economical levels as well as environmental concerns. â€Å"The North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) was approved as a side agreement to NAFTA to insure that all parties enforce national and international environmental laws. It was also created to address any environmental problems due to NAFTA implementation. Because of this two environmental agencies have been set up to tackle these issues, they are the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and the North American Development Bank (NADBank). They have set up mechanisms that allow community participation as well as allocat ed and approved funds for infrastructure projects. This in turn has created an upswing in the battle against environmental pollution along the U.S.-Mexico Border, may they be directly related to NAFTA or not.

Mine Okubos Citizen 13660 - Japanese Americans Have No Rights :: Mine Okubo Citizen 13660 Essays

Mine Okubo's Citizen 13660 - Japanese Americans Have No Rights â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Weiler). As stated in the Declaration of Independence, all American citizens are â€Å"endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Right †(Weiler) website. However, the United States did not hold true to this promise when removing all Nisei, Japanese Americans, from the pacific coast and transporting them to various relocation centers. In these relocation centers, the Nisei, also referred to as evacuees, were burdened to live in harsh environments, secluded from the outside world. The novel Citizen 13660 describes how the United States stripped the Nisei of their unalienable rights nor other rights entitled to United States citizens. All American citizens are entitled to the right to vote. While in the relocation centers the Nisei had very little contact with the outside world. In an act to solidify and come together as a camp, the evacuees decided they would try to form a type of self-government which would consist of a Center Advisory Council. For some this would be a completely new experience. â€Å"The election gave the Issei their first chance to vote along with their citizen offspring† (Okubo 91). The Issei, not being American citizens having emigrated from Japan, did not have the right under the United States Constitution to vote. However, their only chance at voting was shortly taken away when army orders said that only American citizens would be able to vote. Soon however, all forms of voting for the self-government were disassembled when army orders stopped the planning of the Assembly Center government. This goes against Amendment XV of the United States Constitution which stat e, â€Å"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude† (â€Å"The American Presidency†). Also, when taken to the relocation camps, the Nisei lost all representation in the United States government. They no longer had a representative to tell about problems with the camp or to even protest being there. By being relocated they lost their right to vote a representative. In the United States, it is illegal to hold a person against their will without probable cause yet the Issei and Nisei were both stripped from their homes and brought to a foreign location.

Alcohol Consumption Essay -- Social Issues, Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol consumption poses a threat for many public health harms. Impaired driving is one of the largest contributors to motor vehicle crashes (Burris, Grunwald, Anderson, & Filippoli, 2011). In the United States each year roughly 13,400 people die and an additional 255,500 are injured in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver according to Burris et al., 2011. In 2006, these crashes accounted for almost a third of all U.S. traffic-related deaths (Burris et al., 2011). Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in the United States according to Pandrea, Happel, Amedee, Bagby, & Nelson, 2010, and studies show that reducing alcohol consumption can lead to public health improvements such as decreased incidence of â€Å"liver cirrhosis, delirium tremens, male suicide, criminality, hospitalizations, alcohol-related disease mortality, workplace injuries, STDs, IPV, rape, robbery, and severe violence towards children† (Jernigan). Public heath deals with many other issues that cause burdens to individuals and society alike such as obesity and gun use. Over the past several months, headlines in the news have been echoing â€Å"Chocolate Milk Removed from School Lunches,† and â€Å"Senate Considers Federal Tax on Soda.† While the removal of chocolate milk from school menus has actually happened in certain school districts across the country, federal tax on sodas has only been a proposal at this point. However, both echoes resounding through the news originated from escalating research that America’s twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity are due to diets high in sugar. The end result is that the actions taken to fight obesity have not been classified as either effective, uncertain, or harmful consistently through studies and ... ...twice and as a result, tax revenues that accounted for 12 percent of the sales of alcohol in 1980 now amount to only 7 percent of total sales. The result is a de facto subsidy on drinking and extra profits for alcohol manufacturers at the expense of taxpayers (Alcohol Taxes on the Federal Front, 2005). CONCLUSION: The beer industry has long opposed raising taxes on its products, even maintaining that they should be lowered. However, lower beer taxes would only add to the deficit, cater to a prosperous industry, reward and encourage heavy drinking, and attract more young drinkers, fueling increased alcohol problems and increasing public costs. The best interests of consumers, young people, the U.S. Treasury, and the public health and safety of America would be better served by raising, not lowering beer taxes. (Alcohol Taxes on the Federal Front, 2005)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

A lot of people assume that one’s daughter is a lot like their mother, and a lot of times that is true, in some aspects. I can tell you that my wisdom and common sense came from my mom. My sense of humor, my laugh, my eyes, and my strength also came from my mom. My mom is the reason I have chosen the career path I have chosen. So, I have a lot of traits in resemblance of my mom, the only trait I lack is her addiction. Growing up I imagined my life to be perfect, as I guess all children usually do.But as the years went on, I slowly began to realize that my life was far from perfect. At eight years old, my parents split up and I was forced to move to the DFW Metropolis to live with my grandparents. Living there I began to realize that my mother wasn’t who I thought she was. She was hardly ever home, her and my grandmother were fighting continuously when I had always known of them to be the best of friends. The fighting escalated more and more, year after year until finall y my mom had enough and we left.I was in fifth grade at the time attending a middle school in the area and my mom and I had left my comfort zone to move in with her friend from work, which was probably the worst decision ever made. While living there I found out that my mom was an alcoholic. Her absence started to occur more often. I would spend my nights lying wide awake in bed waiting for her to get home from where ever she spent her nights; I would call her over and over again until she answered the phone and told me she was on her way back home. I had discovered my mom was far from perfect and so was my life.After a disagreement occurred between my mom and her friend, we were on the move once again. This time we actually got our own place, a one bedroom apartment further away from my grandparents. I was forced to change schools, my first year in middle school. The apartments we lived in were located right behind the school, which was a huge convenience to my mom considering she no longer had to wake up early in the morning to take me to school, this way I could just walk. Living alone with my mother was a fearful life for such a young kid.I never knew what was going to happen. There was always people over late at night, my mom and her friends would lock themselves in her room for hours and not even bother to let me come in with the sound of a knock. I was invisible to her. I would wake up in the mornings with her past out on the couch, surrounded my empty beer and liquor bottles, the house reeked of a skunk odor, and there were pipes on the end tables of the couch. I spent my mornings cleaning up after my mother in fear of someone finding out what I was living with and taking me away.Little did I know, no matter what I did, sooner or later I would be taken away. One night in November, 2003 my mom had taken me over to her friend’s house for dinner. While upstairs watching television, I heard my mom call up to me telling me that we’re leaving. As I walked down stairs I saw that my mom was crying when she walked out the door, whenever I followed her outside she was on the ground convulsing in to an epileptic seizure. The cops and ambulance were called and they had found prescription pills in her purse that were not made out to her and accused her of taking them.After my mom went to the hospital my aunt came and got me and I spent the night with her. The next morning after I woke up, my grandparents were over at my aunt’s house. Everyone, excluding my mom was sitting around the kitchen table talking. As I entered the room they all got quiet and my grandma had asked me to sit down. My grandmother then asked me how I would like to come back and live with them. I was confused. She had not mentioned my mother coming back just me. So, I asked. â€Å"What about my mom? † She answered me. â€Å"Your mother can no longer take care of you.She is sick and needs to get help. † For some strange reason at twelve yea rs old, I understood exactly what she was talking about. I accepted the offer and by that night, I was back at my grandparent’s house. Living with my grandparents made me feel more at ease, I was put back in to my original schools with my original friends and I still got to see my mother here and there. Seeing here every once and a while made me believe she was better. She was happy when I saw her, she wasn’t so upset, she looked beautiful all the time, and she looked like my mother.But all of that was a show. By the time I was in the eighth grade, my mother had slowly became a stranger in my life and when I found out she was arrested and charged a year and a half in prison due to drug charges, my mother was no one in my life. I got letters pretty frequently from her, asking how school was, telling me how sorry she was to have put me through what she did, explaining to me her passion for God that she had picked up on while being locked away, but no matter how many lett ers she wrote to me, I could never find it in me to respond.By the time I received her tenth letter or so, I was tired of getting them. I finally wrote her. I wrote her a one paged, short and sweet letter, explaining to her that I was fine and so was everyone else, I told her school was good, and I answered all of her questions she had written me in her previous letters. Then, I went on to say that I no longer wanted any contact with her until she grew up and realized how to be a mom. That was the first and only time I spoke to my mom while being in jail.After a year and a half went by and my mom got out, I was already a freshman in high school and living my life with no worries. I did see her on the day she was released, I gave her a hug and a kiss and told her that I loved her and always would but my mind had still not changed. That was the day she informed me that I had my mothers attitude. â€Å"Like mother, like daughter† she said and I cringed at the though of being lik e her. My mom had decided on her own, without a judge or a probation officer forcing her to do so, to move in to a sober living home.Of course I was proud of her and happy for her, but I was not getting too excited due to the face that I was not convinced she was sober. It wasn’t until her one year sobriety celebration that I realized this was the real deal this time. My grandparents were slowly, but surely forgiving my mother for what she had done, and so was I. A year went by and my mother stayed sober, two years went by and my mother was still sober, a few months before her third year of sobriety my mom had asked if I would do her the honors by giving her, her third year sobriety chip.I was stunned at the thought, horrified to say the least. I had no idea what I was going to say, but I accepted and I am more than happy today that I did so. I wrote a little speech for that night, and when I stepped up on to the platform and stood in front of the microphone, looking out at a ll the addicts, seeing my mom looking up at me, I then realized that I finally had my mother back. I took a deep breath and I started to speak and I broke down in to sobbing tears. I finally got control of myself and started to speak and simply spoke out two sentences, â€Å"Three ears ago today, I lost my mother to drugs and alcohol.But I am happy to say that not only do I have my mom back, I have my best friend back. † I would proudly say I am just like my mother today. I would go on to explain that I share the same compassion, strength, courage and wisdom as my mother does. I do not cringe at the comment of â€Å"like mother, like daughter†, I accept it and cherish it because I now idol my mom. I had a rough childhood, and even a rough beginning into adulthood, but I can honestly say that I would not change a thing that has happened to me.

Continuities and changes of religion in Sub-saharan Africa Essay

Sub-saharan Africa has undergone changes with religion such as the changing of religious affiliation to Christianity and the practices of cosmology and ontology, however, Sub-saharan Africa has also remained constant with their thoughts being focused on various beliefs like a creator and evil. Christianity was predominantly the main religion in Sub-saharan Africa opposed to the Muslims of North Africa. Christianity in the Americas slowly began to send out missionaries to spread the Gospel and build churches in Africa. The people began to form their daily lives and rituals accordingly and the population of Christians rose from about 9% to around 63% over the years from the 1900’s to modern day. Missions in Africa is most definitely something that Christians in other part of the world have focused on. It seems to be a more targeted area for its other religious practices such as cosmology and ontology. Cosmology and Ontology are more philosophical beliefs in nature, evolution, and the way the world works. In Africa, many small tribes are closed off from communication outside of their tribe, and have practiced certain beliefs for hundreds of years. This belief system tends to lean towards the more relaxed â€Å"religion† and allows freedom for the people in those tribes to do what they want as long as it is â€Å"parallel to what is right in nature†. Everything in this philosophical study is that of nature. Nature is considered holy and worthy of worship. Cosmology and Ontology are how Sub-Saharan Africans attempted to explain our complex world in the simplest way possible that makes sense to them. There were also other beliefs that Sub-saharan Africans developed over time such as the belief in evil beings and â€Å"eternal paradise†. Sub-saharan Africans soon realized that there needed to be some kind of an explanation for what happens when you die, or what evil is. These details did not necessarily help form a new religion, but rather simply added on top of the religions already in place in the Sub-saharan region. In the Niger-congo area, there was a common belief in spirits, a creator of the universe rather than evolution. In other areas, there was the belief in the worship and idolization of ones personal gods whom they gave thanks to and credited much of their life to. These tribes lived their lives to please their gods in order to win favor and win a long and prosperous life. This is also something that was seen in Ancient Greece where Greek Mythology and the worship of gods took place. These people too, lived to please the gods to live a good life. In conclusion, Sub-saharan African has undergone changes in religion such as Christianity and Cosmology, but there was also factors that remained constant throughout the existence of Sub-saharan Africa such as little tribes who believe in pleasing personal gods.

Children relationship with adults

By considering children age groups and cultural differences, I shall explore the various approaches taken to building relationships with adults at different stages and discuss the influences and effects it has on a child's development. I will also demonstrate the ways in which understanding children's development contributes to building positive and successful relationships. Children have emotional needs and are able to express and communicate them from birth. As research has shown â€Å"In order to have a secure base from which to explore the world, be resilient to stress, and form meaningful relationships with adults, babies need a primary adult who cares for them in sensitive ways and who perceives, make sense of the responds to their needs†. This attentiveness approach of interaction in a child's early stages of development forms a bond of trust, promoting confidence and self-esteem within the child, which would contribute in building meaningful relationships with adults around him/her. (from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/parenting_bonding_reactive_attachment_disorder.m) However, different circumstances and experiences do not always allow adults to respond to the child's needs accordingly, which can have a huge influence on a relationship. For example, Charlotte had a traumatic start in life as a consequence of her parent's separation shortly after her birth. She was frequently moved between the two parents and lacked the appropriate care and attention she needed in order to form a secure bond. Her parent's â€Å"were too busy fighting and arguing†¦..to worry about the children,† Charlotte's mother, Emma, recalls. Emma also assumed and hoped that Charlotte â€Å"won't remember that far back†¦.because she was too young†, which indicates Emma's limited knowledge and understanding of child development. As the relationship between Emma and Charlotte was unpredictable, inconsistent and unstable, it resulted in Charlotte feeling very insecure and uncertain of her mother's love. As we learn from ‘The Strange Situation Test' (Understanding Children (2007) DVD Band 2) and by the age of two, Emma describes their relationship as â€Å"a constant battle of wills†. Young children are subject to constant and inevitable changes, which would influence their development. For instance, the transaction of children into the reception class in school is a major change, where the expectations and values they gained at home are challenged (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.86). This can have a negative affect on a relationship between a child and his carer, where the child is struggling to adjust to its new surroundings and his/hers behaviour becoming challenging, since many children become unsettled when starting school. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.63). As young children at this stage of development have limited experiences, talking about their feelings, their fears and concerns can come out in ways that can be misunderstood and misinterpreted by the adult as misbehaving. For example, Ryan's reluctance to keep to a specific bedtime caused problems in the relationship with his parents. During the parent strategies exploration of responses to deal with the child's difficulty, Jodie and Eamon's approaches to the ‘problem' were different. Initially they inflicted power over Ryan by threatening to smack him, shouting and punishing him, which resulted in a conflict in their relationship. On seeking advice, they discovered a more collaborative approach, such as spending special time with Ryan before bedtime. By doing so, it promoted his confidence and encouraged him to express his feelings, which enabled Jodie to have a better understanding of Ryan's thinking process. This account demonstrates the significance of experiences that occur in a child's life, which should not be underestimated by the adult. It also shows, that in order to resolve family conflict it is best to have a direct and open communication where young children are concerned, which helps in achieving a successful relationship. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.84-85) As with the parents, schools also have a responsibility to deal with children's emotional welfare, as well as their physical health and are encouraged to do so by using activities, which enable children to understand their own feelings and by building their confidence to learn, such as ‘circle time'. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.105 {DfEE, 1999, p.16}) This approach focuses on the children themselves, contributing to their self-esteem through development of their listening, speaking and co-operation skills. By using this activity the children's relationship with their teacher is built on trust and respect. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.106) As children grow and become young people, they are expected to take on more responsibilities at home as well as spend more time on schoolwork. Involving children with different chores around the household would help them gain independency by developing a range of skills. Activities' such as, cooking, cleaning, shopping and even looking after other members of the family, helps children develop their communication, intellectual, self-help and practical skills. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.144) In considering cultural differences, South Asian children are also expected to contribute to the family economy, which helps to develop their business skills. For instance, Sammy is expected to help out in the family take-away business and accepts this as part of her cultural up bringing. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.137). Furthermore, in societies where the main concern of the family is survival due to poverty, children work alongside adults by necessity (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.65) as we can learn from Bilkis's and Tinco's daily lives. (Understanding Children {2007} DVD band 6) However, with these great expectations of expanding children's responsibilities, parents are still reluctant to involve children with matters that affect their lives due to their limited life experiences. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.116-117) Nevertheless, studies have shown that by this age, children understand and accept the complexities of family life and want to be part of this, by being consulted and want to participate in decisions making. (Rai and Flynn 2004, p.133). Therefore, in order to maintain a successful relationship, it is crucial for adults to understand children's needs as well as their responsibilities by maintaining an open communication and not taking children's contributions to family life for granted. Conclusion Building successful relationships with children is a complex process. It requires patience and attentive care by adults from infancy through to adulthood. By understanding normal child development, it enables the adult to respond to the child's need positively and establish a secure attachment. Furthermore, as children are subjected to constant changes, their adjustment to these changes is determined by understanding, the expectation and approaches of the adult, in order for the child to deal and respond positively. To achieve this, adults must maintain open and consistent communication, which will contribute to the child's confidence and self-esteem where they will feel valued and important members of society. Therefore, to achieve successful relationships with children, it is crucial for caretakers to have an understanding of child development. Word count: 1,144 Task 2 Since I started this course, I feel that my organisational and efficiency skills have improved through learning to work under pressure and to a deadline in producing and submitting an assignment. I must say that during this course, the concept and understanding of academic studies, such as writing and structure of an essay, was a real eye opener for me, as in my past studies where children are concerned, my written evidence findings were based on own practice and personal experiences. The strengths of my study skills are in understanding the written materials. Being a single mother, I not only relate to the course subject ,but I have also gained positive and negative feedback from my own experiences in raising two young boys from the given information, as I am essentially living and practising it. With the help of my tutor's written and telephone feedback, my academic writing skills have improved considerably from the first to the second essay. However, I feel I have only touched the surface and still find it difficult to gather and select relevant evidence to back up my work, which I consider to be my weakness. In order to make further improvements, I would like to continue to undertake further relevant academic courses and develop my confidence with writing skills, as it is said, ‘practice makes perfect!'.