Developing an Inclusive Education in South Africa

Developing an Inclusive Education in South Africa Introduction. What is inclusion? The foundation for a comprehensive understanding of inclusion have been laid by considering insights derived from United Nations initiatives, international experiences, research and debate in the field of inclusion. Different authors emphasise different aspects when defining inclusion and that makes it clear that inclusion is viewed differently (Dyson Millward 1999:152). Other authors stress access, belonging and participation in the general classroom for all learners with an underlying culture that values diversity. The following are at the sea inclusion is: Increasing participation by the reducing exclusions from curricula, culture and communities. Ainscow (1995:9) Premised out the understanding that learners can contribute one anothers learning. Ainscow (1995:149) Determined by school culture and ethos. Hall (2002:3). Learners who experience barriers to learning attending the neighbourhood schools and being taught in general education classroom. CSIE (2000:12) Initiated an entrenched by legislation and policy. Burden (2000:36) On the other hand, the authors stress support and define inclusion in terms of the ways in which support is facilitated at various levels, and say inclusion is: Dependent on training in requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes. Hall Engelbrecht (1999:231) Dependent on teachers who can would be five-year plans and activities. Ainscow (1995:151) Characterised by collegial stuffed in relationships. Ainscow (1995:151) About diverse learners requiring diverse in even individualised learning strategies. Ferguson Ferguson (1998:307) The examples given above indicate that the two emphases need to be maintained when seeking in comprehensive understanding of inclusion. First is that of school restructuring and improvement towards effectiveness and the second is that of a ensuring access through individually relevant support. Both are supported by the belief and attitudes that would characterise inclusive culture and art and trying to buy policy and legislation. Inclusive education in South Africa Education that was based on race in South Africa was dismantled and substituted by unitary that needed to contribute to building the rainbow nation, as such the separate education system for those learners who were deemed to have special needs was revisited with a view of creating an inclusive approach to education. The legislative framework in which inclusion functions in South Africa is mentioned with specific reference given to education. White Paper Six: Special Needs Education (DoE 2001). It is acknowledged that the field of education encompasses many aspects, including higher education and training, edit childhood education and adult basic education and training the focus in this study is on schooling in areas known as general and further education. In South Africa these are called GET (General Education and Training) Band and the FET (Further Education and Training) Band. An appreciation of the historical, social, political and economic context in which education functions is important to an understanding of the education in a country. Booth and Ainscow affirm this. They conducted a comparative international study on inclusion, they asked questions on what is needed to know about local and national context in order to understand the process of inclusion in any particular country. The apartheid era and post-apartheid Before 1994 in South Africa, education and schools in particular had been the locus of important struggle against apartheid. In 1976 there were uprisings especially in Johannesburg now Gauteng against the use of Afrikaans (modified form of Dutch spoken in South Africa) is a medium of instruction and then followed the 1980 boycotts. Different race groups had different education departments, and white education was administered by provincial education departments. Past racial imbalances meant that education was not equally funded across all racial groups. The inequitable division of resources also meant that some schools were highly resourced than others (model C schools as they were known then) served a very small percentage of learners and separate special schools served mainly white children waiting to have special needs. Since 1994 education is centralised, that is, it is controlled by a single national education department. Special education system was inherited from the apartheid era, which was not that equally developed for all races. The result was that special schools and classes have been well established and resourced to serve white to some extend Coloureds and Indians learners living with disabilities. Many white learners were taught in specially designed classrooms. The majority of black learners were served by education departments that did not provide quality special education services. Schools that were established for black learners who experienced areas to learning were not established by the state, but by churches. The small house below next the red bricks house which was the home was built by my grandfather and the Department of Education requested to use it in 1967 for sub A learners: Consequently, these learners were included in the general system by default, but did not benefit from the support that is necessary in an inclusive system. In the 1990s it was only then that the remedial teaching was offered to blacks to a limited extent in black schools (Nkabinde 1993:110 to 111). As a result barrier to learning went unrecognised and were not addressed and learners experienced repeated failure and eventually dropped out of school (Donald Lazarus 2002:297). There were and still are learners who, because of barriers to learning they experience, do not attend school (Pendlebury Enslin 2004:45) Inclusion supported by legislative and policy framework. The Constitution of South Africa affirms the fundamental principles that are foundational to inclusive education. These principles are of human dignity, equality and advancement of human rights (Republic of South Africa (RSA), 1996 a, Section 1, a), freedom from discrimination (RSA 1996 a, Section 9 (4) and a fundamental right to basic education RSA 1996 a, section 29 (1). The right to education is given legislative expression in the South African Schools Act (SASA). South African Schools Act (SASA) was enacted in 1996, and sets uniform norms and standards for the education of learners at schools. (Preamble SASA, RSA 1996 b). It makes allowance for an inclusive education system in South Africa through the following provisions: Public schools must admit learners and serve the educational requirements† without discrimination (Section 5 (1) ). Not admission test may be used to determine the admission of the learner to a public school (Section 5 (2) ). Where learners have â€Å"special education needs†, the rise in the wishes of the parents must be taken into account when determining the placement. Where it is â€Å"reasonably practicable learners with special education needs should be served in the mainstream and relevant support should be provided for these learners (Section 12 (4) ). Physical, and many these at public schools should be made accessible to disabled learners (Section 12 (5) ) The year that SASA was promulgated, The National Committee for Education Support Services and National Commission of Special Needs Education and Training (NCESS/NCENET) were appointed by the Minister of Education (Prof Bengu then) and the Department of Education to investigate and make recommendations about special needs and support in education in South Africa. The NCESS/NCSNET report recommended that separate special and ordinary education systems be integrated (DoE 1997:155). Some of the ways that the committee saw these being realised, like building modification curriculum development would be included in the education. White Paper Six: Special Needs Education, thereafter referred to as White Paper, published in 2001. The White Paper emanated from the need to respond to the fact that learners with different learning needs were not satisfactorily included in the South African education system. It was found that a small number of schools only served learners rule had been medically diagnosed as disabled and those who experienced difficulties due to other factors like abject poverty found themselves without the necessary support. The White Paper estimates that at the time of publication only 20% of learners with disabilities were included in the special schools and there was also, disparity among the provinces. The white paper was published after a consultative process and outlines and national strategy to include and accommodate those barriers to learning. The following where the principles of the White Paper: All children and young people can learn and need support Difference, including different learning needs, is valued as part of human experience. Education can be enabled to meet the needs of all learners. The home and community form an important source of learning. Attitudes, behaviour and teaching methodologies will have to change to meet the needs of learners. Participation of learners in the educational process should be maximised. The individual strengths of learners should be encouraged. An inclusive education system acknowledges the different levels of support required by different learners and should be organised to provide this. The following strategies were to be followed: improve special schools and convert them into resource centres; Convert about 500 primary schools to be full-service schools that are capable of responding to the full range of learning needs; Introduce management and teachers in the mainstream schools to the inclusion model, with a focus on any intervention in the Foundation Phase (grades R-3); The establishment of district-based support teams (DSTs) to provide support services; The implementation of an interaction programme to support inclusion; A funding strategy to be developed. The White Paper addresses extrinsic and intrinsic barriers to learning, with a particular focus on ways in which the education system may be itself a barrier to learning. There are also factors which become apparent and have an influence on the learning of learners. These factors may include in adequate shelter and nutrition. Hall (2002:34). Intrinsic barrier include various impairments like intellectual ability. The White Paper details the framework for establishing an inclusive education and training system through capacity building and the expulsion of provision and access in all education sectors. In considering financial challenges that are involved the White Paper outlines funding strategy that includes national and provincial spending and mobilisation of donor funding. Building an inclusive education and training is a 20 year developmental goal and short, medium and long-term strategies are described that will address barriers to learning and accommodate diverse learning needs in South Africa. The White Paper outlines South Africa with developments in inclusive education internationally and draws on the foundation laid by the United Nations initiatives and in particular, the Salamanca Statement. The Salamanca Statement and the White Paper The White Paper has included many of the key recommendations of the Salamanca Statement of 1994 and in this way. South Africa can be seen to be pursuing policies, congruent with international trends. The following are Salamanca Statement for governments to give attention to: early identification and intervention when barriers to learning are experienced, the importance of the participation of parents and the need for teacher education to meet the needs of inclusive classrooms UNESCO (1994: I X). All these are included in the strategic plan outlined in the White Paper. Consistent with the Salamanca Statements advice that developing countries should build inclusive schools, rather than try to expand a separate special as a cost-effective way of expanding access, the White Paper describes the conversion of some existing schools into full-service schools that can with the support of DSTs and neighbouring special schools, several learners with diverse learning needs. It is envisaged that these full service schools will be able to accommodate children living with mild and moderate disabilities were currently out of school. The Salamanca Statement sees a special schools having a role to play, not only in educating a small number of learners who cannot be satisfactorily served in ordinary schools but also as a resource centre that can provide inclusive schools with a valuable human and material resources. The White Paper embraced this and foresees that, after an audit of special schools, they will be upgraded to improve the quality of the education they provide for learners with high support needs and will be converted into resource centres. The White Paper reflects the thinking of researchers and theorists in the field of special needs education. The White Paper echoes positions taken from the writing of Ainscow (1995) Booth and Ainscow (1998) and Ballard (1999). The term barriers to learning in the White Paper it also appears in The Index for Inclusion, published by the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE) in 2000. The CSIE uses the term barriers to learning and participation. Inclusion is more than ensuring that learners with various barriers to learning are taught in regular classrooms. It is also about these learners being accepted and having a sense of belonging within the school and the community. Mordal Stromstad (1998:16) ask in this regard, †¦ Is this child surely included as if full member of the community, or have we only made a superficial adaptations which leave the child just as isolated as in a special class or special school? There is prove that the White Paper does not take participation as part of an inclusive system (DoE 2001 a: 16) and yet has chosen to stress the learning needs and barriers to learning. The White Paper could be criticised by those who advocate for a full inclusion approach to inclusion. They abstain from any notion of separate special schools, and their position is that all children irrespective of the severity of their disabilities could be educated in regular classrooms together with their non- disabled peers. The contend of that as long as special schools exist, there will be the assumption that there are some children who cannot be taught in regular classrooms and exclusion will be justified. Van Rooyen La Grange (2003 154) for his critique of the White Paper as the irony of the conditional acceptance of inclusion, noting the conditions that learners have to meet in order to be included in either ordinarily, full-service or special schools. The White Paper only claims an outline (DoE 2001:5). For an inclusive education system and many questions that the White Paper arises are perhaps details that are outside its scope. Practical concerns and many for example it has been noted that some provinces (and we have nine provinces in South Africa) have very few special schools (DoE 2001:30) and yet special schools are conceived as an integral part to the support that full-service school will need. I think in South Africa time will tell whether timeframes envisaged by the White Paper are realistic and whether enough funds can be generated from sources described to implement an inclusive education system. Other publication for schools that are not directly concerned with inclusion and in close of principles integrated into the content. For example, Teachers Guide for the Development of Learning Programs (DoE 2003) describes inclusivity as an underlying principle of the curriculum and explain how barriers to learning should be identified and addressed in the design of learning programs in the various learning areas. These documents are evidence that inclusion is conceived as part of ordinary education in South Africa and teachers are expected to plan teaching and learning in such a way that fosters access and participation. However, even these years of South Africa, move towards inclusion has been noted and teachers. Conclusion In as far as inclusion is concerned of the South African experience must inform the understanding of inclusion that is practical and applicable locally. Inclusion has been shown to rest on values, attitudes and beliefs about society, schools and learners. It is given direction by policies and legislation. In practice inclusion is restructuring schools and providing support to learners through different strategies that facilitate access and participation. A significant challenge faced by South Africa in the implementation of inclusion seems to be the training of teachers in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required for successful inclusion.

Humans Discover Nuclear Fission Essay -- Design Technology Energy Essa

Humans Discover Nuclear Fission It seems as though our fellow Earthlings deserve more credit then we have given them in the past; they have seemingly discovered the so called, â€Å"Nuclear Fission.† The situation on earth has not been reported on in over a century, yet they have advanced rather rapidly; in fact more than they can handle. Nuclear Fission, as discovered here in Trantor, has both benefits and drawbacks in society. However, earth is an obscure planet with rather demanding creatures that in the past have used technology and knowledge negatively. Within the last hundred years, this discovery had made a rather large impact on the people of earth. Amateurs, as they are, they have made their lives easier, yet harder with all the unaccountable damage they have caused. Yet again, humans are reprimanded as being irresponsible. If only they knew better. Energy has become a difficult issue on the planet earth. Because humans do not have magical powers like us, they have to have sources to generate energy. The most popular sources of energy used on earth are fossil fuels, including materials such as coal. However these fossil fuels are said to be running out and so other sources have been identified including solar power, wind power, and recently, nuclear fission. Nuclear Fission, essentially, is the process of splitting atoms with releases of energy. An example of nuclear fission can be seen in terms of radioactive material. When radioactive material decays, protons and neutrons are pulled into arrangements where they are tightly bound. At this stage, nuclear potential energy is lost, and heat is released.. Humans have discovered that faster decay can be produced by bombarding nuclei with other particles. An example of this is Natural Uranium. When a neutron (The Human symbol N) strikes a nucleus of isotope Uranium 235, the nucleus splits giving off, simultaneously, both neutrons and energy. Furthermore, they have picked up on the ‘Chain Reaction.† If neutrons from the fission of one nucleus go onto split other nuclei, the number of nuclei undergoing fission multiplies rapidly. Hence, lots of energy is released in a sort space of time. In certain aspects, this is a good thing. Small amounts of fuel can provide a reasonably large amount of energy. This fuel used is rather inexpensive and can be found worldwide.... ...e diverted human effort to develop peaceful applications of nuclear energy. As a result, nuclear power reactors have been supplying energy for humans for several decades now. Reactor accidents have changed public opinion to an extent, and the future of nuclear energy is uncertain. Yet the energy demand is on increase, and the public opinion may just change again. Whatever the result of this discovery may be, let us hope that humans will be more responsible and conscious in the future. Sources Cited: 1.) â€Å"Basic Nuclear Fission† Thinkquest Team 98, Team 17940. February 25, 2005. Online. Available: http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/fission/fission.html 2.) â€Å"Advantages and Disadvantages† Thinkquest Team 98, Team 17940. February 25, 2005. Online. Available: http://library.thinkquest.org/20331/types/fission/advant.html 3.) â€Å"Nuclear Fission; Energy for War and Peace† February 25, 2005. Online. Available: http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:TfmjwdVC- xEJ:www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~cchieh/cact/nuctek/ln/chapter8.doc+how+society+ culture+politics+affect+development+of+nuclear+fission+and+applications&hl= en&start=8 Humans Discover Nuclear Fission Essay -- Design Technology Energy Essa Humans Discover Nuclear Fission It seems as though our fellow Earthlings deserve more credit then we have given them in the past; they have seemingly discovered the so called, â€Å"Nuclear Fission.† The situation on earth has not been reported on in over a century, yet they have advanced rather rapidly; in fact more than they can handle. Nuclear Fission, as discovered here in Trantor, has both benefits and drawbacks in society. However, earth is an obscure planet with rather demanding creatures that in the past have used technology and knowledge negatively. Within the last hundred years, this discovery had made a rather large impact on the people of earth. Amateurs, as they are, they have made their lives easier, yet harder with all the unaccountable damage they have caused. Yet again, humans are reprimanded as being irresponsible. If only they knew better. Energy has become a difficult issue on the planet earth. Because humans do not have magical powers like us, they have to have sources to generate energy. The most popular sources of energy used on earth are fossil fuels, including materials such as coal. However these fossil fuels are said to be running out and so other sources have been identified including solar power, wind power, and recently, nuclear fission. Nuclear Fission, essentially, is the process of splitting atoms with releases of energy. An example of nuclear fission can be seen in terms of radioactive material. When radioactive material decays, protons and neutrons are pulled into arrangements where they are tightly bound. At this stage, nuclear potential energy is lost, and heat is released.. Humans have discovered that faster decay can be produced by bombarding nuclei with other particles. An example of this is Natural Uranium. When a neutron (The Human symbol N) strikes a nucleus of isotope Uranium 235, the nucleus splits giving off, simultaneously, both neutrons and energy. Furthermore, they have picked up on the ‘Chain Reaction.† If neutrons from the fission of one nucleus go onto split other nuclei, the number of nuclei undergoing fission multiplies rapidly. Hence, lots of energy is released in a sort space of time. In certain aspects, this is a good thing. Small amounts of fuel can provide a reasonably large amount of energy. This fuel used is rather inexpensive and can be found worldwide.... ...e diverted human effort to develop peaceful applications of nuclear energy. As a result, nuclear power reactors have been supplying energy for humans for several decades now. Reactor accidents have changed public opinion to an extent, and the future of nuclear energy is uncertain. Yet the energy demand is on increase, and the public opinion may just change again. Whatever the result of this discovery may be, let us hope that humans will be more responsible and conscious in the future. Sources Cited: 1.) â€Å"Basic Nuclear Fission† Thinkquest Team 98, Team 17940. February 25, 2005. Online. Available: http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/fission/fission.html 2.) â€Å"Advantages and Disadvantages† Thinkquest Team 98, Team 17940. February 25, 2005. Online. Available: http://library.thinkquest.org/20331/types/fission/advant.html 3.) â€Å"Nuclear Fission; Energy for War and Peace† February 25, 2005. Online. Available: http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:TfmjwdVC- xEJ:www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~cchieh/cact/nuctek/ln/chapter8.doc+how+society+ culture+politics+affect+development+of+nuclear+fission+and+applications&hl= en&start=8

Religion and State Sovereignty :: social issues

Religion and State Sovereignty The influence of religion on humankind can be traced back to the first records of history. Religion has served as a pillar of strength to some and binding chains to others. There are vast amounts of information and anthropological studies revealing the interaction of religion and humankind. However, for the purposes of this paper, the time periods of study will be broken up into three sections. Each section will give a general description of how religion affected the institution of the state and its Sovereignty in a Euro-centric perspective. The first period is the early period, which will encompass from Christianity and the Roman Empire to the Medieval times (approx. 311 to 1100 A.D.). The second period will include the Renaissance, the Reformation to the Treaty of Westphalia (1101 to 1648 A.D.). The third and increment of history will range from 1649 to 1945 A.D. The date 311 A.D. marks the issuing of the "Edict of Toleration" for Christians. This date is important because it symbolizes "national" acceptance of Christianity, and planted its roots as a political institution. Later the Roman Empire on the verge of internal collapse acknowledged the importance of Christianity and used it to hold together the remnants of it former self. This adoption of Christianity took form and eventually became the Catholic church.The church became intermingled with politics and became a strong entity. The policies delivered from the church had more authority than the local rulers and magistrates of the developing feudal system. For example, St. Augustine wrote about war and what justified its enactment against fellow men. This policy was followed and adhered to for hundreds of yea rs after St. Augustine wrote it. Another example, is the use of the Bible as a guideline for establishing governing systems. Scripture portrayed God as choosing the king of the people. The pope, being God's "representative" was then given the authority to crown the king. This crowning process gave the pope large influence in the political arena. This ritual continued for a number of centuries. The Crusades, which occurred around 1100 A.D., played a crucial role in challenging the church's authority. The pope identifying the spread of Islam as evil requested all of Europe embark on a "Crusade" to defeat the infidels. As the battles were fought, great treasures were found in the form of books and knowledge. These books were crude translations of old Greek texts, containing information which would eventually produce the waning of Church authority in the future.

Building for brands Essay

Today, companies take extreme care when formu ¬lating and executing advertising campaigns. A special attention is given to the message of an ad and its impact on potential consumers. The main ingredients that contribute to a great advertising campaign are a unique slogan (message) and image of an ad. Marketers communicate through a set of meanings and definitions sending particular messages to consumers and controlling the circulation of ideas about a product (Wells et al 2005). The particular slogan, and the way it is presented, depends on the advertiser’s objective, such as Allstate Insurance Company’s ad: â€Å"You`re in good hands†. Slogan is important element of communication because it sticks to consumer’s mind for a long time even if they do not remember the exact image, they remember the slogan. For instance, Nike creates the following slogan for it advertisement: `Just do it! ’ It appeals to potential consumers through emotional response: a common set of meanings derives not only from the language, but refers more broadly to the pattern of beliefs, codes, and feelings on the basis of which people learn to live with their environment. Visual image supports the slogan and appeals to consumers through a visual analyzer. Humor and relevance help to create a unique advertising message and attracts attention. Such ads have greater emotional impact on potential consumers and their decision to purchase. For instance, a slogan ‘Don`t leave home without it` used by American Express, appeals to emotions and feelings of consumers; this slogan is easy to remembers and repeat. Because products are frequently at different stages in their life cycle in various national markets, and because of cultural, social, and economic dif-ferences that exist in those markets, the most effective appeal or selling proposition for a product may vary from market to market. The choice of media is important because it allows a company to influence and apple to different target groups. Media controls the circulation of ideas about a particular product. For instance, radio advertising is inexpensive; the message cannot be passed or reread. TV media is more effective because people and products have a realism. A television advertisement can be timed to the hour, day, week or program. For instance, Raid’s ad: Kills bugs dead` combine both visual and auditory appeal. The ad `You can do it. We can help` used by Home Depot appeals to me in an emotional level. It appeals to the heart of the intended audience. This message of the ad has a significant impact on tastes and priorities creating fashion. It provides potential consumers with human-centered behavior, inconsiderate of any outside consequences, short-term or long-term. The objective of the ad was to attract attention to their brand name and proposed a support in daily problems. In this case, the big idea of advertisement can be compared with a flash of insight that synthesizes the purpose of the strategy, joins the product benefit with consumer desire in a fresh, involving way, brings the subject to life, and makes the reader or audience stop, look, and listen. It is possible to say that consumers â€Å"read† the message hearing or looking at the advertisement. Home Depot did not try to ‘sell’ its products to a potential consumer but proposed a help and support, problem solving and prove their expert knowledge. The target audiences of Home Deport are individual customers and construction companies involved in building repair and reconstruction services. In sum, following John O’Toole (cited Wells et al 2005, p.67) the big idea of an ad can be described as a flash of insight that synthesizes the purpose of the strategy, joins the product benefit with consumer desire in a fresh, involving way, brings the subject to life, and makes the reader or audience stop, look, and listen. Advertising has a great influence on the society as it is often designed to add psychological value to a product or brand, it plays a more important communications role in marketing consumer products than in marketing products. References 1. Wells, W. P. , Mariarty, S. , Burnett, J. (2005). Advertising: Principles and Practice. Prentice Hall; 7 edn.

Economic Growth and environmental problems Essay

The industrial revolution, which began around 1750, ushered human beings into a new era of modern civilization. While the remarkable progress in science and technology has improved people’s lives greatly, our earth is changing and the environment around us is becoming worse and worse. According to Booth (1991, p.552), the† long-run economic growth relies on the creation of new industries and new forms of economic activity, these new forms of economic activity create new kinds of environmental problems†. Focusing on these aspects, the economic growth will bring about serious environmental problems such as water pollution, air pollution, ozone depletion, and acid rain. One of environmental problems is water pollution that is caused by economic growth and is very widespread and serious in the world. Industrial wastewater is one of the water pollution that people are focusing on nowadays. As we know, with economic growth, there must be setting up more industrial factories in order to satisfy people’s needs. On the other hand, more or less, these industrial factories will drain off wastewater; as we know, these wastewater contain many toxic and harmful chemical substances, such as, SO2, NO, waste gases and some other aromatic compounds. Therefore, we can see that the rapid growth of the urban industry and the high speed of economic development caused a great deal of effect on water pollution especially on industrial wastewater. In addition, with the rapid economic growth, some out of date used water supply systems in developing countries can result in water pollution, especially in the populous mega-cities. The population in developing country mega-cities is increasing so fast that the piped water supply and sewer systems cannot follow the needs of the increasing population. Many sewer networks in developing countries still stay at the standard of colonial period. Therefore, most rivers and canals in developing countries are seriously polluted by untreated waste, sewage and toxic chemicals. Some rivers like the Teito River in Sao Paolo and the Huangpu River in Shanghai have become lifeless rivers (Rampal &Sinding, 1996). As the same time that  the surface water is polluted, various wastes also seriously defile ground water. In the Journal â€Å"2000, Planets Earth at the Crossroads’, the author Jim Motavalli showed â€Å"in developing countries, more than one-third of people lack access to clean water†(1999). Meanwhile, water pollution also aggravates water shortages. With rapid economic growth, the increasing human activity is the major reason for air pollution, especially on global warming, acid rain and smog. Obvious climate changes are the results of a great deal of human-caused greenhouse gas emission. In order to satisfy the needs of continued population and economic growth, people burn more fossil fuel to get enough energy and use more fertilizer on farmland to plant more crops. In these processes, lots of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (NO) are released in to the atmosphere. These gases are generally called greenhouse gases because they can absorb infrared radiation reflected from the earth surface and create â€Å"Greenhouse Effect†. According to Rogers & Feiss (1998,p.301), with the increasing atmosphere concentration of CO2 and CH4 since 1800, the average temperature of the earth rose about 0.5 C during the 19th century, which is about 20 times the natural temperature change. And based on the prediction of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (in Rogers & Feiss, 1998, p.301) in early 1996, the global temperature will increase from 2 C to 6 C by the year 2100. Some evidence supports that the prediction about global warming is true. For example, except for1991 and 1992, the rest eight years from 1985 to1995 have become the hottest years of the past century; among this decade, the average temperature in 1995 was 0.07 C higher than in 1994. With this rising rate, the global temperature will increase over 7 C by the end of the 21st century (Rogers & Feiss, 1998, pp.300-302). Thus, we can how the global temperature has been changed by increasing human activities accompanied by fast economic growth during past 200 years. Global warming may result in some serious consequences, such as the expansion of tropical desert and arid regions; the reduction of agricultural production in tropical area; the increase of sea level; population migration from coastlines to inland; and abnormal weather including more tropical  storm, blizzards, and droughts and so on. The increasing emission of greenhouse gases will continue to affect the global worming more obvious than before. Up to now, people had no idea how to solve these potential environmental problems that will be caused by global warming. Widespread acid rain and smog comes from burning large amount of oil and coal. All kinds of automobiles, factories, industrial boilers, power plants as well as heating devices of households emit thousands tons sulfur dioxide(SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide(CO) and ozone(O3) into the atmosphere everyday. When SO2 and NO2 dissolve in rainwater and increase rainwater acidity, acid rain is formed. Acid rain can acidify many lakes and streams, and it kills all kinds of fish; it also can erode soil and make plants die. Now, in the eastern United States, eastern Canada, as well as Europe, the problem of acid rain is severe. On the other hand, these gases compound with water and dust in the atmosphere, and then form smog. Smog usually stays in the populous mega-cities and contributes to lung decease. 100 years ago, London was famous for its smog. Now, most of the 20 largest cities in the world have smog problem to some degree. Human-caused air pollution is threatening peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s health and our environment. People have entered the new millennium. The global environment has been changing over time due to rapid economic growth. Meanwhile, the economic growth will be ongoing. It is difficult to control the environmental problems that caused by economic growth although people are trying to make some policies to limit and minimize these serious problems. Up to now, rapidly increasing economic growth has seriously influenced the earth environment. All activities are due to the need of population growth and economic development. With economic growth continuing, the environment will worsen. Therefore, to reduce the world’s environmental problems, it is important to control economic growth.

Mission San Diego de Alcalá

The Mission San Diego de Alcalà ¡ is the first of the many missions for which California is famous and is known today as the birthplace of California Christianity.   The first church in California, the mission began with a group of Spanish missionaries in 1769. Founded by Blessed Father Junipero Serra the mission proposed to serve Native Americans of the area. The Native Americans, which the mission proposed to serve, were wary initially at the newcomers. The initial mission structure was built close to the water. Later, the mission would construct a more permanent structure inland, about 5 miles away. The new structured was demolished in an attack by native Americas and the mission was moved back inland some years later. Mission San Diego de Alcalà ¡ and church of today were completed by the early 1800’s. The Mission San Diego de Alcalà ¡ is the first of more than twenty such mission build by the Spanish to serve the Native Americans. The Native Americans have been called by different names throughout history. Originally known as Kumeyaay and Yuma, they were later called Mission Indians or Diegueno. The Kumeyaay were a nomadic group who had never seen cloth until the missionaries arrived. In 1976, Pope Paul VI designates the Mission San Diego de Alcalà ¡Ã‚  Ã‚   as a Minor Basilica. The mission today is an active Diocese of San Diego parish. The mission housed many of the Native Americans, who lived and worked at the mission and grew crops including; corn, barley and grapes. Cattle and sheep in addition to horses were also raised on the mission compound. In the late 1700’s, the mission began to construct a system of aqueducts to bring water to the area and assure successful farming. This was the first irrigation project in this region of California. When California became part of the Untied States, the mission was used for military purposes and then in 1863, President Lincoln gave all of the mission properties to the Roman Catholic Church. At that time The Mission San Diego de Alcalà ¡ was in ruins. Restoration of the mission began in the late 1800’s. In 1900, the land Marks Club of California provided funding, along with other organizations to restore the mission. They worked with local architects to begin stabilizing the mission buildings. Originally build with adobe, the mission buildings were reinforced with concrete during this time in an attempt to add stability and strength.   One of the most famous elements of the mission in the Bell Tower. Today’s Bell Tower has one of the original bells form the early mission. When the Bell Tower was originally constructed it had a central function to the operation of the mission, as clocks were not yet part of everyday life.   Bells were used to signal time for gather for meals, church work and other functions. These restoration efforts were followed by work from other civic groups and school who viewed the mission as historical landmarks and were committed to painstaking and accurate preservation.   The restoration was wrought with financial problems and was not completed until the 1940’s at which time the church became an active parish. Today the mission serves also as a place of historical display and entertains frequent visitors. The site provides the history of both the Native American in the region and the European influence. References The California Mission Site. Ed. The Civic Group. 24 Sept. 1998. Bevil, Alexander D. The Sacred and the profane: The Restoration of Mission San Diego de Alcala. The Journal of San Diego History, Summer 1992, Volume 38, Number 3. History of San Diego de Alcalà ¡ Mission http://www.acces

Blood Transfusion

The purpose of this module is to teach the clinical RN the basics of blood, how to administer a blood/blood component transfusion safely, and the hazards of transfusion related to blood administration. This module is indicated for teaching purposes based on the fact that the NHS requires at least quarterly review of blood usage, oversight of blood transfusion practices, documentation of blood transfusion errors, and evidence of corrective actions taken. Results of one study found that individuals lack of knowledge and training, along with inadequate policies and procedures, were the key elements in more than 350 blood transfusion-associated deaths (Bower amp; Craig, 1997) What is a Blood Transfusion? A blood transfusion is a safe, common procedure in which blood is given to you through an intravenous (IV) line in one of your blood vessels. Blood is transfused either as whole blood (with all its parts) or, more often, as individual parts. The individual parts include red blood cells, platelets, clotting factors, and plasma. Each year, almost 5 million Americans amp; British need a blood transfusion. While most blood transfusions go well, mild complications can occur and serious problems may develop. The Individual Parts Defined Red Blood Cells -the most numerous blood cell, about 5,000,000 per microliter. Red blood cells make up about 40% of our total blood volume, a measure called the hematocrit. Their color is caused by hemoglobin, which accounts for nearly all of the red cell volume. Hemoglobin is the critical protein that transports oxygen from our lungs to the tissues. Red blood cells are normally shaped as round, biconcave discs. Red Blood Cells Image obtained from http://embryology. med. unsw. edu. au/Notes/heart20. htm) Platelets -the smallest of the three major types of blood cells, are only about 20% of the diameter of red blood cells and the normal platelet count is ~150,000-350,000 per microliter of blood. The principal function of platelets is to prevent bleeding. Platelets (Image obtained from http://ouhsc. edu/platelets/Platelets/platelets%20intro. html) Clotting Factors -proteins in the blood that control bleeding. Plasma -a pale yellow fluid that consists of about 92% water and 8% other substances, such as proteins, ions, nutrients, gases, and waste products. It is a colloidal solution which is a liquid containing suspended substances that do not settle out of solution. Most of the suspended substances are plasma proteins, which include albumins, globulins, and fibrinogen. Plasma volume remains relatively constant. Normally, water intake through the digestive tract closely matches water loss through the kidneys, lungs, digestive tract, and skin. Plasma (which is in the yellow) Image obtained from : http://www. mhhe. com/biosci/esp/2001_saladin/folder_structure/tr/m1/s2/ Brief History of Blood Transfusions 665 The first Blood transfusions of record take place. Animal experiments conducted by Richard Lower, an Oxford physician started as dog-to-dog experiments and proceeded to animal-to-human over the next two years. Dogs were kept alive by the transfusion of Blood from other dogs. 1795 In Philadelphia an American physician, Philip Syng Physick, performed the first known human Blood transfusion, although it was not published. 1818 James Blundell, a British obstetrician, performed the first successful transfusion of human Blood to a patient for the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. Therefore, a group A individual can receive blood only from individuals of groups A or O (with A being preferable), and can donate blood to individuals with type A or AB. * Group B – has only the B antigen on red cells (and A antibody in the plasma). Therefore, a group B individual can receive blood only from individuals of groups B or O (with B being preferable), and can donate blood to individuals with type B or AB. * Group AB – has both A and B antigens on red cells (but neither A nor B antibody in the plasma). Therefore, an individual with type AB blood can receive blood from any group (with AB being preferable), but can donate blood only to another type AB individual. * Group O – has neither A nor B antigens on red cells (but both A and B antibody are in the plasma). Therefore, a group O individual can receive blood only from a group O individual, but can donate blood to individuals of any ABO blood group (i. e. A, B, O or AB). If anyone needs a blood transfusion in an extremely dire emergency, and if the time taken to process the recipients blood would cause a detrimental delay, O Negative blood can be issued. Blood Administration * Obtain Signed Consent for the administration of blood products * Check the Drs Order * Determine Clients Allergies and previous transfusion reactions (this can be assessed by simply asking the client if they have had a transfusion before and how they tolerated it) * Obtain baseline vitals and then per hospital/institution policy * Utilize #18 gauge needle * Check Crossmatch Record With 2 Nurses: * ABO- Group * RH Type * Clients Name, Date of Birth and Medical Number * Expiration Date * Administer Immediately- do not store the blood or leave it. If for any reason the blood/blood components are not to be hung, blood may be sent back to Blood Bank (check hospital policy and procedure as most institutions require that blood/blood products must be administered within 30 minutes upon receipt) * Do not warm the blood unless there is a risk of hypothermic response- Then Only by specific blood warming equipment * Never add any medications to blood products * Infuse each unit over 3-4 hours but no longer than 4 hours   Transfusion Reactions Occurs in the first 10-15 minutes or first 50 cc of Blood Reactions can be ALLERGIC, FEBRILE, or HEMOLYTIC (Utilize the Acronym AFH for memorization purposes)   ALLERGIC Signs and Symptoms include the following: * Facial flushing * Hives * Rash FEBRILE Signs and Symptoms include the following: * Fever * Chills * Anxiety * Headache * Tachycardia * Tachypnea HEMOLYTIC Signs and Symptoms include the following: * v Blood Pressure * Tachypnea * Fever * Chills * Apprehension * Headache * Tachycardia * Chest Pain or Lower Back Pain Recent Facts amp; Statistics Regarding Transfusions * Hemolytic transfusion reactions occur in 1 per 40,000 transfused units of packed RBCs. Nonhemolytic febrile reactions and minor allergic reactions are the most common transfusion reactions, each occurring in 3-4% of all transfusions. Nonhemolytic febrile reactions and extravascular hemolysis are observed more commonly in patients who have developed antibodies from prior transfusions. * Anaphylactic reactions occur in 1 per 20,000 transfused units. * Due to improved preventative measures, the incidence of GVH disease is less than 0. 15% * Transfusion-related acute lung injury complicates 0. 1-0. 2% of all transfusions. Risk of transfusion-related hepatitis B is 1 per 50,000 units transfused. Risk for hepatitis C is 1 per 3000-4000 units transfused. * Risk of transfusion-related HIV infection is 1 per 150,000 units transfused. (Kardon, 2009) What do you do if you suspect a Transfusion Reaction? STOP the transfusion immediately * Maintain the line with Normal Saline VERIFY patient identification * Hospital armband, Typenex band, and blood bag must be identical NOTIFY the patients physician STAT * Treat the signs per Drs order and Monitor Vitals * If requested by the physician, initiate transfusion reaction work up NOTIFY Blood Bank STAT Check the Policies/Procedures of the facility at which you are employed * You may have to bag the blood component, IV tubing, filters and all labels in a biohazard bag and it may have to be submitted/returned back to the laboratory as further testing of the components may be clinically warranted (It is a standard policy at Maricopa Medical Center that those components are submitted back to the lab as routine Microbiology cultures are performed to ensure the sterility of the blood) * Additional forms may be required to complete (i. . Transfusion Reaction Forms) * Further samples may be collected from the patient (i. e. Urine, blood samples, etc.