Leading Causes of Morbidity and Mortality in the US

Leading Causes of Morbidity and Mortality in the US The Leading Causes of Morbidity and Mortality in the United States Crystal Mullen ASSIGNMENT: Research the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. What are the leading causes? Why is it important to be aware of them? Write a 4-5 page APA formatted paper discussing your findings. You will need to include a minimum of 3 references to support your findings and opinions. Before beginning this assignment I was thought morbidity and mortality referred to things that are scary, gross and filled with gruesome deaths. I thought that morbidity referred to what I saw on Halloween or some horror movie. As it turns out morbidity refers to: â€Å"the incidence or prevalence of a disease or of all diseases in a population (Medical Dictionary, 2014)† Based on this definition I can see that morbidity is data collected regarding the various diseases that can afflict a population (Diffen, 2014). Furthermore, I saw mortality simply as a fancy way of saying that everyone is going to die. Because my view of mortality was overly simplified, I didn’t appreciate the weightiness of this information: â€Å"Death, especially of large numbers; heavy loss of life (The Free Dictionary, 2014).† Based on this definition, mortality is more than just dying, it’s documenting populations that have died. This data can be separated into different categories: perinatal mortality rate, crude death rate, maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, child mortality rate, age-specific mortality rate, and standardized mortality rate. Once the data is collected it goes to the National Vital Statistics System so that the information can provide cause of death information based on geography and demographics (Diffen, 2014). Therefore, having an understanding of the difference between morbidity and mortality, I can further research the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Based on what I’ve found, the top five causes of death, or mortality, in the United States are heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, strokes, and accidents. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has documented that approximately 600,000 individuals will die of heart related illnesses in the United States every year. In fact one of every four individuals will die of heart disease. Furthermore, coronary heart disease, the most common form of heart disease will kill over 385,000 people in the United States this year alone. Finally, though not exhaustively, every year, 715,000 Americans suffer from a heart attack. These are simply the statistics for heart disease (CDC, 2014). There are quite a few risk factors that enable individuals to be susceptible to heart disease. First of all, individuals who smoke, have high blood pressure or high LDL cholesterol. Furthermore, individuals will increase their risk for heart disease if they struggle with a healthy weight, eat unhealthy live a sedentary lifestyle or drink alcohol excessively (CDC, 2014). Sadly because this is the lifestyle of many Americans, they are continuously vulnerable to hearth disease. However, while these risk factors are excessive, there are ways for Americans to reduce their susceptibility to heart disease simply by making healthy food choices that are low in salt and fat and high in fiber and protein. Furthermore, it has been proven that limiting alcohol intake and daily aerobic exercise will lower a person’s blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. These changes will lower a person’s vulnerability to hearth disease (CDC, 2014). The second leading cause of death, mortality, in the United States is cancer. The ten most prevalent in the United States include cancers of the prostate, breast, lung and bronchial, colon and rectum, corpus and uterus, urinary bladder, skin, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney and renal pelvis, and cancer of the thyroid (CDC, 2014). At this time there are no explanations why one person will develop cancer while another person won’t. However, there is research that links certain risk factors to a person’s susceptibility to suffer from cancer. Certain risk factors, such as growing older, family history, sunlight, and even certain hormones and radiation may be beyond an individual’s ability to control. However other risk factors, such as excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, or obesity are risk factors every individual can avoid. Furthermore, annual check-ups with a healthcare clinician can also warn an individual of additional risk factors to avoid (National Cancer Institute, 2014). Chronic lower respiratory disease is the third leading cause of mortality in the US. Chronic lower respiratory disease refers to persistent, continuing diseases of the lower respiratory tract. Examples of Chronic lower respiratory disease includes COPD, Emphysema, Chronic bronchitis, and Cystic fibrosis. The symptoms of this disease include are shortness of breath, coughing up blood, chest pain, wheezing, loss of appetite, loss of weight, and bluish discoloration of fingers and lips (Right Diagnosis, 2014). There are quite a few risk factors that increase a person’s chances of chronic lower respiratory disease. Certain risk factors, such as chemical fumes, air pollution, and long term to exposure second hand smoke is beyond a person’s control to prevent. However, risk factors such as smoking can be eliminated so minimize a person’s vulnerability to chronic lower respiratory disease. Strokes are the fourth leading cause of death, mortality, in the United States. Strokes are the equivalent to a heart attack in the brain. This is because the blood vessels in the brain rupture when the blood supply to the brain is blocked. When this happens, brain tissues die and generates a weakness or numbness on half of the body. A stroke is a medical emergency, but with quick treatment to the stroke victim, it is possible for the victim to avoid physical disability and death (CDC, 2014). As with the other causes of morbidity, there are quite a few risk factors of having a stroke that are both within, and beyond an individual’s control. For example, risk factors like family history are beyond an individual’s control. However, behavioral choices such as poor eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are risk factors that can be avoided to reduce a person’s chance for suffering a stroke (CDC, 2014). I believe that because there so many ways to prevent a stroke, this must be the reason why it is the fourth and not the first leading cause of morbidity. Finally, the fifth leading cause of death, mortality in the United States is accidents. There are many forms of fatal accidents including (but not limited to) death by motor vehicle, vehicles, poison, slip-and-fall, choking and even fire. Motor vehicle accidents happen all too quickly and far too easily simply when the drivers get distracted. Car (vehicle) accidents often happen when the driver is doing everything else while driving such as texting, talking on the phone, applying makeup, or even shaving. Poisoning occurs either with tainted food or water, as well as ingesting legal and illegal drugs as well as various pesticides. The most common forms of poison are hydrocodone, heroin, cocaine and even alcohol. Although people do die from falls, this isn’t usually a problem for individuals under 65 years old. Death by fire occur either from carelessness such as a paper close to a fire or perhaps falling asleep while smoking. Finally, just as senior citizens are at the highest risk for falling, toddlers are at the highest risk of choking. So it’s a good idea to remove food or small toys out of a child’s unguarded reach so that they won’t suffer from choking (Listosaur.com, 2011). Based on what I’ve read, all accidents are preventable yet all accidents can be deadly. Conclusion Based on what I’ve read, and based on my own lifestyle, it is very important not only to be aware of risk factors of diseases because I am then armed to prevent them in my life. First of all, if I know risk factors for heart disease include poor eating habits, then I can create a meal plan that is low in salt and fat and high and fiber and protein. Furthermore, if I know that one way to avoid lung cancer is to avoid situations where I’m ingesting second hand smoke, then I know to avoid areas of work where people are taking their smoke break. Finally, though not exhaustively, if I know that a risk factor for a child to choke are innocuous food like grapes, stew meat, or nuts, then I know I need to cut up my little one’s food into tiny bite sizes so that he or she can enjoy the food without obstructing his or her windpipe. Therefore, if I take care of my health, I have a greater chance of living a long and healthy life. References CDC. (2014). Cancer Prevention and Control. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/data/types.htm CDC. (2014). Health Disease. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from Center for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/ CDC. (2014). Stroke. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/stroke/ Diffen. (2014). Morbidity vs Mortality. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from Diffen: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Morbidity_vs_Mortality Listosaur.com. (2011, July 22). Top 5 Causes of Accidental Death in the United States. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from Listosaur.com: http://www.listosaur.com/miscellaneous/top-5-causes-of-accidental-death-in-the-united-states.html Medical Dictionary. (2014). Morbidity Definition. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from The Free Dictioary: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/morbidity National Cancer Institute. (2014). Cancer Causes and Risk Factors. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/causes Right Diagnosis. (2014). Chronic lower respiratory diseases. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from Right Diagnosis.com: http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/c/chronic_lower_respiratory_diseases/intro.htm The Free Dictionary. (2014). Mortality Definition. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from The Free Definition: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mortality

The Four Political Parties Of Canada Essay -- Canadian Politics Politi

The Four Political Parties of Canada   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a country as vast and as culturally diverse as Canada, many different political opinions can be found stretched across the country. From the affluent neighbourhoods of West Vancouver to the small fishing towns located on the east coast of Newfoundland, political opinions and affiliations range from the left wing to the right wing. To represent these varying political views, Canada has four official national political parties to choose from: the Liberals (who are currently in power), the Progressive Conservatives, the New Democrats, and the Reform Party. What is particularly interesting is that none of the latter three parties compose Her Majesty's Official Opposition in the House of Commons. The Bloc Quebecois, a Quebec separatist party who only ran candidates in the province of Quebec in the last federal election in 1993, won 54 seats in that province, and claimed the title of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition over the Reform Party, who garnered only 52 seats. Because the Bloc ran candidates only in Quebec, it would be difficult to think of them being a national political party, even though they hold a significant number of seats in the national legislature. This paper will examine the significant early history of Canada's four main national political parties, and then will analyse their current state, referring to recent major political victories/disasters, and the comparison of major economic policy standpoints, which will ultimately lead to a prediction of which party will win the next federal election in Canada.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starting on the far left, there is the New Democratic Party of Canada. Today's modern New Democratic Party was originally called the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), and was founded in 1932. Originally led by a man by the name of James Shaver Woodsworth, the CCF was formed by several radical farming groups who found out that they had more similarities with each other than just their destitution. The 1920's had been a dark period for radicals and unions within Canada; poverty and significantly lower wages for workers were prevalent, and apathy regarding these issues was rampant. When the depression wove its destructive web across Canada in the 1930s, proponents of capitalism were staggered, but their left-wing opponents were too busy coming to the aid o... ... into the 21st century, however, will be made in the soon-to-be- called Canadian federal election. Democracy will speak out once again. BIBLIOGRAPHY (1996) A Fresh Start for Canadians [Online]. Available: http://www.reform.ca/FreshStart/summary.html [1997, Feb.25]. Guy, John J. People, Politics and Government. Scarborough: Prentice Hall, 1995. Harrison, Trevor. Of Passionate Intensity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1995. (1996) Liberal Party of Canada [Online]. Available: http://www.liberal.ca/english2/policy/red_book/chapter1.html [1997, Feb.25]. Macquarrie, Heath. The Conservative Party. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1965. McMenemy, John, Winn, Conrad. Political Parties in Canada. Montreal: McGraw- Hill Ryerson, 1976. Morton, Desmond. The New Democrats, 1961-1986. Toronto: Copp Clark Pitman Ltd., 1986. (1996) New Democrats of Canada [Online]. Available: http://www.fed.ndp.ca/fndp/fairtaxnow.html [1997, Feb.25]. Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Designing a Blueprint for Canadians. Ottawa, 1997. (1996) Progressive Conservative Youth [Online]. Available: http://www.openface.ca/PCU/library4.html [1997, Feb.25].

Violence, Terrorism, and the Interactions between Cultures Essay

Violence, Terrorism, and the Interactions between Cultures When humans from different cultures interact, the result is often bloodshed, domination and disease. Also, without exception, the exchange of ideas gradually occurs. All of these factors have shaped the course of history. While much of the spread of disease has been reduced since the Black Death, much bloodshed still comes from the interaction of cultures, possibly from physical contact without intellectual or rational interaction and understanding. Interaction itself is necessary and does result in good as well, especially in terms of technological advancements. The spread of disease is possibly one of the most dramatic results of interactions between cultures. The different ways of living in Europe and other parts of the world caused very different illnesses to develop in each. Europeans lived in close quarters in densely populated cities, which allowed crowd diseases, such as measles, to develop. These diseases quickly result in death, or recovery and immunity. Thus, they do not remain relevant in smaller communities; by the time victims have recovered fully, the disease is not around to be spread. In larger communities, the disease can shift from area to area, remaining in existence until there are babies to be infected in the original area. (Diamond) A leading theory maintains that these diseases developed from animal diseases that adapted to the environment of the human body when humans and animals were in close contact. In particular measles and smallpox came from cattle, and the flu came from pigs and ducks. (Diamond) Because this con tact with animals, the close contact with thousands of other humans in cities, and the connection of populations by trade, a... ...p. 1-35. Cipolla, Carlo M., Epilog from "Guns, Sails, and Empires: Technological Innovation and the Early Phases of European Expansion, 1400-1700" Sunflower Univ. Press, 1996, pp. 132-148. Diamond, Jared, "Ch. 11: Lethal gift of livestock," in "Guns, Germs, and Steel" W.W. Norton & Co, 1997, ISBN 0-393-03891-2, pp. 195-214 Ponting, Clive. Ch.11 from "A Green History of the World," St. Martins Press, NYC, 1991, pp. 224-239. Pursell, Carroll W. Jr., Ch. 1 and 2 in "Early Stationary Steam Engines in America: a study in the migration of a technology" Smithsonian Inst. Press, 1969, pp. 1-27. Schneider, Jane. Rumpelstilskin's Bargain: Folklore and the Merchant Capitalist Intensification of Linen Manufacture in Early Modern Europe. In Cloth and Human Experience, edited by Annette B. Weiner and Jane Schneider. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993.

Living for Normality :: Cultural Culture Essays

Living for Normality Most people want to be normal. The definition of normal however, depends on the culture of the person making the judgment. Far too often, normal is defined in America by looking at the actions and beliefs of the average white middle class family. This definition of normal fails to let other cultures to be accepted, creating distance and misunderstanding. One type of culture, which has traditionally been labeled as uncivilized, are those found in Africa. Other more civilized cultures tend to look down on those who belong to African cultures, labeling their customs and ways of life as abnormal. Randall Bass, an Associate Professor of English at Georgetown University, made an interesting argument in his book, Bordertexts: Cultural Readings for Contemporary Writer. Bass describes a passage from a local newspaper out of Louisville, Kentucky. The newspaper coined the phrase, "national geographic nudity" in describing a movie. Bass's impression of the phrase is shown in the following passage, "Somehow the phrase 'national geographic nudity' implies that the natives were not as present or as visible as the other people in the movie." Here Bass is proving the point of cultural differences relating to the definition of normality. While the natives view their nudity as normal, nudity is generally not accepted by any class from America. This dif ference is a prime example of clashing definitions of what cultures accept to be normal. The next step up the ladder of normality is the lower class. Unlike the natives who don't look to fit into the normal set by American middle class, American lower class are constantly looking for ways to improve. PBS ran a very interesting special on classes within the United States. In the special, "People Like Us," was a section devoted to a woman named Tammy and her family. Tammy is a typical lower class citizen; she lives in a trailer in a small town, trash piled around, and no car to drive. After being on welfare for eighteen years, Tammy got a job at a Burger King restaurant 15 miles away. Tammy wants to become better; in fact she wants to go back to school. "I'm hoping to go to college and be a school teacher. That was my goal from the time I was five years old up until now." Even though Tammy wants to move up a class, she still realizes to which group she belongs.

Telling the Partial Truth: Ethical or Unethical?

Telling the Partial Truth: Ethical or Unethical? Guan Huang 250547949 D. Proessel Philosophy 2074G March 27th, 2013 The article Advertising: The Whole or Only Some of the Truth by Tibor R. Machan states that only telling the partial truth is ethical in advertising. I completely agree with the author’s standpoint and am trying to defend his viewpoints by supporting in four aspects. Firstly, I am going to prove Machan’s position that sales associates are selling a combination of product, environment and service.Although there will be various prices for the same product at different stores essay writer australia, sales associates are not obligated to provide all of the locations that sell the product, and the price of said product at each location. Second, I am going to defend Machan’s position towards consumer beware. Thirdly, I will argue against potential criticism by strongly supporting Machan’s position— commercial advertising should be forgiven f or putting one’s best foot forward.Finally, I will highlight the definition of essential truth versus the whole truth to support Machan’s point that failing to tell the whole truth is ethical with some boundaries. In Leiser’s argument, suppression veri is unethical because the salesperson may use the technique of price deception, which is concealing the fact that their product can be purchased at a far lower price elsewhere. As Machan says, â€Å"it is legitimate for customers to seek satisfaction from the market, we must keep in mind that customers often seek various combinations of satisfaction, not simply product or price satisfaction† (Machan 586).Machan claims that when a customer is buying a product, he or she is not just looking for the product itself and the price. He or she also adds many other factors such as certain location of the store, customer service during the purchase, and store environment into consideration. These various combinations of satisfactions cannot be ignored. Buying a cup of Starbucks coffee in the Starbucks coffee shop compared to purchasing a bottle of Starbucks coffee in the grocery store can be a good example.The Starbucks shops don't just sell coffee; they sell an atmosphere (Daniel R. ). People go to Starbucks usually not for just a cup of coffee, but the combination of product including relaxing atmosphere in Starbucks store, the friendly service they provide, other Starbucks products that could be also bought etc. But purchasing at a supermarket also can be seen as a combination that includes self-service, a package of Starbucks in bulk, and convenience. The combinations are simply valued differently, and thus are priced differently.As a result, this proves Machan’s position that sales person is selling the combination of the product and that price deception proposed by Leiser is inconsistent. After proving a classical form of egoism as the most appropriate method to morally guide busine ss conduct, Machan holds the position that to promote one’s rational self-interest, â€Å"a merchant could be acting with perfect moral propriety in not offering help to a customer with the task of information gathering† (Machan 588). Thus, it is morally correct to answer only part of a question, or even deflect a question from a customer to avoid lying to them.As long as the merchant does not lie, it is perfectly ethical to communicate to the customers with a sole goal of selling the product (not caring for the customers’ personal interest). Buyers should take the responsibility to gather information. For example, McDonald’s posts all of the nutritional information of their foods on the company’s website. It is the customers’ personal responsibility to go on the website to find the information, and not the servers’ responsibility to inform the customers of the caloric or sodium content while placing the order.Machan’s position here is that information is available (through various forms communication) and the customer must not rely on the merchant to receive this, but take a proactive role while deciding on their purchases. Machan holds the position that commercial advertising should be forgiven for putting one’s best foot forward. To prove this, he demonstrated that even apart from advertising, people often enough advance a biased perspective on themselves, their skills, looks, and so on (Machan 585) first by using the example of CV and dating to show how people give others an overstated first mpression. Then by claiming commercial relationships usually take place between strangers (Mahan 589), he finally reaches his position. In his example, people will highlight his/her advantages and try to diminish his/her disadvantage as much as possible when going to a date or sending a resume to a potential company he/she may work for. At this point, the potential criticism may claim that it’s a fal se analogy by comparing commercial advertising as going on date or sending a CV. People show their best image on a date or people listing all their asset in a resume is their private business.It is their own interest to do so. But in terms of commercial advertising, advertiser is in his or her public life. There is no difference between an advertiser and a doctor or journalist in some ways. Advertisers should take some responsibility to play as a public role, thus to give some probable benefits for people on the other side. With this false analogy (Exhibit 1) the potential criticism may claim that Machan’s position that commercial advertising should be forgiven for putting one’s best foot forward is less convincing. I will argue against this potential criticism in support of Machan’s position.To begin with, the potential criticism commits a classic problem of causal oversimplification. The line of reasoning here is that because advertiser should take some respon sibility to play as a public role, so he or she has the obligation to give some benefit for people on the other side. This argument is solely based the altruism school of thought. However, the potential criticism has not indicated any other schools of thought in which the argument could be plausible, but only with basis of altruism can this line of reasoning (where helping each other is key) be applied (Exhibit 2).However, as Machan argued in his paper, only the most robust form of altruism, a form where â€Å"none is left to be the beneficiary of human action, can be a candidate for the morality to guild merchant† (Machan 588). In reality, the robust form of altruism is too extreme to be possible in society which proves that the possible opposing view is incorrect. The potential criticism also argues that the example of a date and CV is a false analogy to commercial advertising since private issues are different from public issue. Let’s consider what would happen if a rather lazy person pplied for a company with a well-written resume or if a very sloppy man was given a makeover and then goes on a date. With these enhancements, the rather lazy person has a possibility of being hired by the company, and the rather sloppy man could get a second date. Thus, the company and the girl may be harmed from people’s putting best foot forward in private issue situation. The company could have a bad employee (laziness) and the girl may realize that what seemed like a well-groomed man is actually not and that she has wasted her time.As customers can also suffer from sellers putting their best foot forward, we find that in terms of result, there is no difference between private issues and public issues. So we do not need to focus on whether or not the issue is personal or public. The answer seems to be straightforward: the example of date and CV can be seen as a good analogy to commercial advertising and those examples can be used to reach Machanâ€℠¢s position— commercial advertising should be forgiven for putting one’s best foot forward.Machan also holds the position that from a robust or classical ethical egoist standpoint, â€Å"the [essential truths] about an item or service being traded should be told† (Machan 591). Essential truths can be further thought of as information regarding the function of product when utilized under normal circumstances. So when a customer buys an air conditioner, it is expected that it will keep a room cool in the summer. This is different from the whole truth, since failing to tell the essential truth will violate the principle of an honest transaction, which is more important to oneself than competitive advantage (Machan 589).For a merchant, the truth should not be concealed just to obtain the competitive advantage. On the other hand, the whole truth also includes the information regarding what is incidental or merely closely associated with the essential truths about a p roduct. This information is not important and it’s truly not possible to tell all. Machan holds the position that essential truth should be told, but not the whole truth. Many examples can be found in the real world can be used to support Machan’s position. In the pharmaceutical industry, companies must list all the functions as well as side effects of the drug on the package.This information is essential because when we buy medicine, we must know what the function of the medicine is, and whether or not it is safe to take in our situation. Many drugs are not safe for pregnant women to take, and they must be informed of it. This would be essential information that must be given, whereas other locations where the same drug is available is not essential information about the product and can be kept to the seller. As I proved above, only telling the partial truth is ethical in commercial advertising.Merchants sell metaphorical package of goods when selling a single product , because they are also selling the store’s environment, and their service in addition to the product. Customers are all different, and some may place higher value in location of the store or attitude of the salesperson than price, so when the sales associate fails to speak of other locations selling at a lower price, this is not price deception. Different stores may have different combinations of satisfaction, and thus it is completely ethical to avoid presenting information about other stores.It is important for merchants to always put their best foot forward and present only the most valuable aspects of their product. There is no need to provide the customers with more information than they need, as buyer beware is a very realistic aspect of our world. We cannot provide all the information for everything we are telling others about, so customers should have the initiative to do adequate research before deciding on a purchase. Merchants are only obligated to provide the mos t essential information needed about the product.Thus, when advertising, it is completely unnecessary for merchants to tell the customers everything about the product. As long as the merchants are not lying to the customers, telling partial truths about products is a very ethical form of advertisement. Exhibit 1 Public Life Public Life Private Life Private Life Doctor or journalist Doctor or journalist Commercial advertising Commercial advertising Not a good reason to prove Not a good reason to prove Sending a CV Sending a CV Going on a date Going on a date Exhibit 2 Altruism AltruismHe/she should give some benefit for people on the other side He/she should give some benefit for people on the other side Advertiser should take some responsibility to play as a public role Advertiser should take some responsibility to play as a public role Work cited Tibor R. Machan. â€Å"Advertising: The Whole Truth or Only Some of the Truth?. † Allooff and Vaidya 584-592. Fritz Allooff and An and J. Vaidya. Ed. Business in Ethical Focus an Anthology. Canada: Broadview, 2008. Print. â€Å"The Starbucks Culture† Daniel Rein. Web Feb, 10, 2007

Analyse the Ethos of Partnership with Parents Essay

The relationship between parent and practitioner or the service that they are working within is crucial to the effective outcome for all those concerned. It now seems impossible in modern Britain to imagine developing any kind of relationship with a child without taking into account the wider family and the impact it has on that child. Given that this is the case it is essential to understand the nature of that relationship and although there can be many types, the most effective parent-practitioner relationship is a partnership. Ideally, this would be defined by mutual participation, shared power, involving the expertise of both partners, with agreement about aims and process, negotiation, mutual respect and trust, and open and honest communication. In caring for someone else’s child, we inevitably work within an ‘emotional framework’ (BOVE 2001) and need to ensure that the ‘equivalent expertise’ of parents is fully recognised. Although the idea of partnership is widely accepted in current service policy, its meaning is rarely fully understood. Dictionary’s provide a range of meanings from â€Å"a person who takes part with another in doing something† to â€Å"an accomplice† but a parent- practitioner partnership has to be one in which both parties work closely together with active participation and involvement as opposed to the professional working on (e. g. treating) the parent. A fitting definition of partnership working that sits with this ethos is: ‘†¦. cross sector alliance in which individuals, groups or organisations agree to: work together to fulfil an obligation or undertake a specific task; share the risks as well as the benefits; and review the relationship regularly, revising their agreement as necessary. ’ (Quoted in Partnership made painless – a joined-up guide to working together, Harrison R et al, Russell House Publishing, 2003) In education, the idea of a partnership between parents and practitioners has been around for many years. In the late 1970s the Warnock Report reviewed provision for children with special educational needs in England and Wales. The report contained an influential chapter entitled ‘Parents as partners’ (CEEHCYP, 1978). In 2003 the government published a green paper called Every Child Matters (ECM). This started a big debate about services for children, young people and families. There was a wide consultation with people working in children’s services, and with parents, children and young people. The organisations involved with providing services to children and young people – from hospitals and schools to police and voluntary groups – began to team up in new ways, sharing information and working together to protect children and young people from harm. Following the consultation, the government published Every child matters: the next steps, and passed the Children Act 2004, providing the legal framework for developing more effective and accessible services focused around the needs of children, young people and families. In November 2004, Every child matters: change for children was published. This outlines the way local programmes for children, young people and families should be developed. Every Child Matters emphasises a vision for working with families that puts outcomes for children and young people first. It stated that working together as a partnership had a positive effect on parenting. For example, more self-confident adults are likely to be more self-confident parents. Together from the start, guidance published in 2003, on which the Early Support programme is based, said: ‘Parents have rights and responsibilities in relation to the development and care of their child. Professionals have a duty to acknowledge and understand the unique role and relationship each parent has with their child. ‘ This focus is shared by many other and more wide-ranging policy initiatives. The Children’s Plan, Building brighter futures, which sets out a ten-year Government agenda from 2007, identifies partnership with parents as its ‘unifying theme’. A partnership needs to respect the special knowledge that each partner brings to the relationship. Parents are the experts on their own children and when a partnership is built upon the well-being and the rights of all concerned and share common goals and shows mutual respect for differing roles and opinions, then children,parents and practitioners will all benefit. There are a number of basic principles of partnership as defined in the Quality in Diversity in Early Learning (Early Education Forum 1998). Below is a brief summary of these principles and how they can be achieved within a setting or any relationship: * Respect children/adults as individuals regardless of ability, disability, race and religion. Encourage individuals to bring in items from home to inform groups/practitioners about their culture or every day experiences. Personalised transition stages. * Respect cultural differences and beliefs in raising a child and explore these with open and sensitive dialogue. Speak to the parents about their belief systems and how they differ, explore ideas that may not be apparent to them. Self-education regarding differing cultures. * Have a willingness to relate to children and their parents in diverse ways and to share the responsibility of the relationship Home/school agreements. ‘Family plan’ booklets. Agreed aims and objectives and clear outcome indicators. * Respect parents in their decisions. Set up good communication methods ie. communication book. Set up parent councils for settings. Regular feed back questionnaires. * Commit to communicate regularly and in as many languages as needed. Translators. Literature in differing languages. Parent notice boards. Newsletters. * Commit to listen to parental views and take their concerns into account Regular meetings and open communication. Feedback questionnaires. Parent days. * Clear communication about the ways in which parents can contribute to their child’s education and improve the quality of the setting at home as well as outside. Offering parenting groups (i. e. PEEP) Parenting courses (i. e. literature and numeracy) * Clear communication channels between parent and practitioner to share knowledge. Communication book, being approachable and listening. Acting on the parents suggestion. Discussing aims and outcomes. * Clear procedures to support parents becoming involved in the management and day to day life of their children in various settings. Home/school agreements. Parent consultation days. Parent workshops. Open access. Partnership is not a relationship that can develop quickly and naturally; it requires time, effort and skill. It also follows that an effective partnership may not be possible in all cases or at all times; it depends upon what the participants bring to the situation, and some may not want or be able to work with others in this way. The better the partnership between the parent and practitioner the easier it will become to achieve agreed outcomes. Parents will be more in control and motivated and will understand what is expected of them in their role as partner. In sharing the process the parent will feel more empowered and is more likely to draw on lessons learnt in times of future difficulty. Their trust of professionals will also be reinforced and they are more likely to ask for help in other aspects of their lives.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Oil and gas production, drilling, and trading is a big issue in the United States. Currently, much of the oil we use comes from foreign sources. Many argue that we should reduce foreign oil dependency by reducing our consumption and by drilling for oil right here in the U. S. For approximately forty years, a debate has been brewing about oil exploration and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is 19,000,000 acres of land in northern Alaska, a U. S. state. It is the largest protected wilderness in the United States and was created by Congress under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) of 1980†³ (Wikipedia Foundation, Inc) More specifically, within the ANWR, a 1,500,000 acre area located between the Beaufort Sea(northern border), Brooks Range (southern border), and the Prudhoe Bay (western border) is the center of controversy. This area is commonly referred to as section 1002 because when the ANILCA was created, in section 1002 of the document, the decision of how to manage oil and gas exploration and development for this area was tabled. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. ) There are various opinions with points for and against oil drilling in the ANWR's section 1002. At this point, I am against it. I recently read a quote by U. S. , President, Barak Obama in Wikipedia. It states, â€Å"In a League of Conservation Voters questionnaire, Obama said, â€Å"I strongly reject drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge because it would irreversibly damage a protected national wildlife refuge without creating sufficient oil supplies to meaningfully affect the global market price or have a discernible impact on US energy security. † (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc)I have to say, I agree with President Obama 100%. This area is true wilderness. According to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it is the most diverse ecosystem in northern Alaska. It is home to many Native Indian tribes, a l arge population of porcupine caribou, some large whales, and other smaller animals not popular elsewhere. Not to mention, it is on the coastal line of Alaska, which opens it up huge varieties of marine life and migrating birds from all over. Many people don't realize that oil drilling is big business. It will not only require oil drilling equipment and stations, but there will be roads, airports, housing, shopping, etc.This means much of the land will forever be affected. Many animal habitats and natural migratory and breeding patterns may be disrupted. The air and water will be polluted from vehicle traffic, the oil drilling itself, and many other human behaviors. Human waste will need to be dealt with. You name it, it will be a problem. Another concern is the potential for accidental pollution. As a matter of fact, in 1989, there was a bill on the table and it looked like it might make it through the Senate, to allow the drilling, when the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska.It was the largest spill of its kind where 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of crude oil spilled out of the tanker and into the surrounding waters, killing and injuring countless wildlife and destroying their habitats. (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc) Lastly, experts are not even sure how much oil is even there. A U. S. Geological Survey published in 1998 stated there was between 5. 7 billion barrels to 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil and natural gas liquids the ANWR's coastal plain area. As compared to an estimated 120 billion in the rest of the U. S.It is estimated that drilling in area 1002 would amount to about 1% world oil production by the year 2030. (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc) This would create such a small impact on the products and services generated at the end user level. In other words, the rich oil investors will get richer and people like me will be no better off. The benefits do not outweigh the risks. I say not to drilling in the ANWR! Works Cited Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Arctic Refuge drilling controversy. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Ed. 7 September 2012. Web. en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Arctic_Refuge_drilling_controversy. 30 September 2012.