Personal Development Plan †Setting Your Vision (Milestone One) Essay

In the last two weeks of taking this class I have learned a lot about myself, or at least thought a little more about who I am as a person and how I handle different situations. I have endured many things in the last two years that I’m sure many people go through, but should never have to. I have fallen to my lowest, and brought myself back up to my highest. This ranges anywhere from being homeless and sleeping in my truck and having no one around to help me out, to getting my own apartment, attending school again, and getting the best job I’ve ever had that actually pays the bills. With the self-assessments we have taken in the last two weeks I have come to realize I am apparently dangerously close to burning out due to being overly stressed. With everything going on in my life I don’t feel like I am close to burn out. I feel like I could take on a lot more and still be ok mentally and physically. The stress scale that I filled out indicated I had a â€Å"High or very high risk of illness.† This is probably of the most accurate test out of the five tests I took. Between working full time, part time school, bills and supporting my live-in boyfriend who is currently unemployed my stress level is through the roof. This gives me a much deeper respect for families with only one income who live this way constantly, even more so when children are involved. By writing out my development plan I hope to get an even better understanding of myself. How I now handle different situations, and getting feedback and suggestions on better ways. I also hope to learn more about career choices and ways to handle the stresses of work and the many thought processes of management thinking. I don’t want to stay in the position I currently hold forever and would definitely like to move up in the company that I now work for. There are many opportunities for advancement at United Healthcare, but I know that to really succeed and thrive I would need to make a couple of self-adjustments and some self-growth before I could truly  grow and thrive. This is why this development plan is so important to me. By writing out my goals and watching myself grow as a person, intellectually and emotionally I can really gather my thoughts and get them organized and really get my goals situated. This organization would help greatly with my motivation. As we read about motivation theories in chapter two, I agree that in on theory there are basic needs that need to be met in order to keep motivated. I also agreed with another theory that sometimes more than one of those could be wanted at any given time [1]. By doing this plan, I hope to be able to find out what my immediate needs are, or the most important that I feel, and be able to keep those needs satisfied in order to stay motivated to advance in my career as well as schooling.

Mary Anne Bell Trasformation

The assertion, â€Å"people never change,† can be disproven as people change differently in various environments. The chapter â€Å"Sweet Heart of the Song Tra Bong† in, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, shows how Mary Anne Bell is affected by the tough conditions of war. Mark Fossie, the boyfriend of Mary Anne, tells her to fly out to Vietnam so that they can be together. Once she arrives, Mary Anne quickly reveals her curiosity by taking an interest in activities to help the squad such as cooking, caring for the injured, night patrolling, etc.Essentially, she starts to become one of the soldiers. O’Brien conveys how the violent and warlike atmosphere transforms Mary Anne physically and psychologically from a civilized and innocent girl to a barbaric and ruthless woman throughout her stay in Vietnam. At the beginning of her stay, O’Brien portrays Mary Anne as a civilized and innocent girl by describing her physical and psychological characte ristics.As Mary Anne makes her first appearance, O’Brien describes her as, â€Å"an attractive girl†¦ [who has] terrific legs (p.90)† suggesting that she is innocent has not experienced harsh conditions. O’Brien presents her as a sexual object in order to emphasize her innocence and unfamiliarity to war. Also, the description of her â€Å"bubbly personality† implies that she is only sees the positive in everyone which displays her naivety and innocence. O’Brien describes that Mary Anne â€Å"love[s] the thatched roofs and naked children, the wonderful simplicity of village life† implying that she is completely unaware of the hostile environment that she is in.Her unawareness and immaturity is shown because she is speaking positively about a place of violence and warfare. Towards the beginning of her stay with Mark Fossie and the rest of the crew members, Mary Anne is described as innocent and naive. but as she continues to learn more ab out the war, and she begins to transform into a barbaric and ruthless woman. O’Brien is suggesting that even though she is from the city and is a part of the higher class, she has respect for and supports those who are not as fortunate.As Mary Anne begins to learn the skills that allow her to be helpful with the war effort, the warlike environment begins to physically and psychologically transform from a civilized and innocent girl to a barbaric and ruthless woman. As the casualties begin to come in, it is discovered that â€Å"Mary Anne [isn’t] afraid to get her hands bloody† suggesting that she has a violent side and is not a typical city girl who gets easily disgusted by blood and wounds. Her openness to the gruesome and wounded bodies is surprising considering that she is a pretty, city-girl.She starts to adapt to the role of the soldier and it shows when she â€Å"stop[s] wearing jewelry (p. 94). † She abandons her fun and innocent personality and be gins to adapt the more stern personality in order to be more effective with the war effort. The war causes her to change her personality into someone that is much more serious. She eventually â€Å"cuts her hair short† showing that she really wants to get away from the helpless, weak-girl impression that she has left of herself; she wants to be taken seriously.The warlike setting forces Mary Anne to become more serious; it forces her to change her physical and psychological characteristics from the civilized and innocent girl she once was into a ruthless and barbaric woman because of the warlike atmosphere she is in. After her transformation fully takes place, Mary Anne physically and psychologically turns into a ruthless and barbaric woman due to the effects that the warlike environment has had on her.When she returns from her three-week disappearance, her eyes are â€Å"not blue†¦ but a bright glowing jungle green (p.  101)† showing the transformation of her e ye color. At the beginning, her eyes are described as blue, the eye color that is generally of attractive people, but now her eyes are green, those of a person who has been in the jungle. She has completed her transformation into this violent and ruthless woman and her eye color shows this. The smell in the room that she was sitting in is described â€Å"like an animal’s den, a mix of blood and scorched hair†¦ and the odor of moldering flesh† showing the filth that she is living in.Comparing her and her environment to that of an animal’s gives the effect that she is no longer the beautiful and clean girl that she once was; she has become a filthier and more barbaric woman. Her â€Å"necklace of human tongues† is the final factor in revealing that her transformation is complete. Most people would find it appalling, but Mary Anne wore it proudly conveying that she had become much more violent than she was before. When she returns, Mary Anne describes h ow she â€Å"feels close to [her] own body† when she is out in the field, suggesting that she enjoys being in the midst of warfare.Her barbaric nature is completely transparent at this point; most people would be scared to be in a place of war where they could lose their lives, but Mary Anne gets pleasure out of it. O’Brien implies that war makes a person fearless because it is a place where one has nothing to lose. She has completed her transformation from an innocent and civilized girl to a ruthless and barbaric woman. Mary Anne Bell, the sweet, innocent city-girl is transformed into a violent and barbaric woman throughout the chapter, â€Å"The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong† due to the effects that war has on her.Towards the beginning she is portrayed as a very beautiful, attractive, blonde girl implying that she is not use to the rigorous work that the soldiers and paramedics do. However, she is very open to learning these things and she gets a joy from he lping in the war effort. She is almost forced to change because she will get hurt emotionally and physically if she is not tough. If she continues to live in Vietnam as an innocent and naive girl, she will be a burden on the group she is with. However, Mary Anne becomes tough; she becomes so tough that it is conveyed as violence and barbarism.

Macro forces analysis within an international market Essay

Macro forces analysis within an international market - Essay Example n customers realize that the product gives them the satisfaction that they need, they will be buying the product from the producer or supplier since it meets their needs and wants. Generally, this paper will analyze the macro environment factors within an international market for investors who are willing to start a fruit juice processing company in the United States. The paper will also provide a research on the macro environment factors in the US and will give recommendations to the investor whether to invest or not. In the analysis of the macro environment of the fruit juice processing industry use of PESTEL analysis framework to scan the environment in United States will be of great advantage. One of the factors that the investors should consider is the technological factor. The investors should consider looking at the technological inventions in the United States which will help in the processing of the fruit juices. The more advancement in technology, the more the production hence high returns due to the mass production of products that are availed to the consumers. According to the CIA (20), World Fact Book, United States is a country that has undergone a very rapid technology advancement since colonialism. It has made many inventions which have brought a transformation in the fruit juice production industry. The investors should consider placing their business in United States because of its technological advancement. Another factor that the investors should consider is the economic status in the United States. Economic factor will influence the consumer buying power and investors should understand the economic trend of United States because of positioning the business. During inflation, the prices rise and the customer’s income is not sufficient to sustain them hence low demand for goods. United States is a country that is economically stable and has no problems of unemployment. Where there is employment opportunities there are reduced cases of poor

Lawsuits Against the Police Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lawsuits Against the Police - Essay Example When one looks into the reports of police brutality coming in from different parts of the US, the numbers are simply shocking. Roberts (2007) has reported that â€Å"a Google search for â€Å"police brutality videos† had showed him, â€Å"2,210,000 entries.† Quoting a Human Rights Watch report, Roberts (2007) has also observed that in most cases, â€Å"no disciplinary action and criminal prosecution† took place. This is because of the difficulties involved in proving the unlawful act of the police officer, the reluctance of prosecutors to fight cases against the police with whom they have good â€Å"institutionalized relationships†, and also because of the general sympathetic attitude of the jurors towards the police (Barak, 2007, p.507). The Justice Department of the United States has the powers to sue police departments under the Violent Crime Control Act (1994) for such misconduct (Barak, 2007, p.506). In the last two decades, such prosecutions include d cases against: New Jersey Police Department to limit its reliance on racial profiling in traffic stops; an Ohio police force to reduce its use of excessive force; the Pittsburgh police department for increased oversight and accountability; and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) over the Rampart scandal, where, in August 2000, a federal judge ruled that the government’s antiracketeering statute †¦could be used against the police (Barak, 2007, p.506). Individual citizens who were subjected to police brutality and abuse have also been filing law suits against police (Barak, 2007, p.506). In some of those cases, courts have awarded huge sums of compensation to the complainants. For example, the Detroit police department was found to have â€Å"paid an average of $10 million dollars per year to resolve lawsuits arising from police misconduct† (Barak, 2007, p.506). Between 1994 and 1996, the New York City had paid an amount of $70 million as compensation awarded by courts in police brutality lawsuits (Collins and Human Rights Watch, 1998, p.78). Similarly, the Los Angeles city had to pay $79.2 million during the period, 1991-96 (Collins and Human Rights Watch, 1998, p.78). When a police officer carries out some kind of ethical or criminal violation, the punishment for that will generally come up to â€Å"reprimands or dismissal from the job†, and also in some cases, â€Å"fines, probation, or incarceration in a prison or jail† (Carmen, 2009, p.444). And in case of violations leading to civil liabilities, â€Å"monetary payment for damages and attorney’s fees,† will be the sanctions imposed (Carmen, 2009, p.444). The liabilities for violations for a police officer could be either under the state or the federal law or both (Carmen, 2009, p.446). Under Federal law, the liabilities are addressed by certain provisions under Civil Action for Deprivation of Civil Right, Conspiracy to Interfere with Civil Rights, Equal Rights Under the Law, Criminal Liability for Deprivation of Civil Rights, Criminal Liability for Conspiracy to Deprive a Person of Rights, Violations of Federally Protected Activities, and other Federal agency rules and guidelines (Carmen, 446). The state tort law, â€Å"state penal code provisions†, and â€Å"regular penal code provisions† are the state laws involved (Carmen, 2009,

Global climate change is invetable Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global climate change is invetable - Essay Example Some people are of the opinion that climate change has occurred because of man’s activities that have interfered with nature. Others argue that the climate changes are natural cycles that occur after certain periods, and they have nothing to do with human activities. The essay will focus on both sides of the opposing viewpoints. It will examine why there is global warming and also its causes. The essay will also focus on the views against global warming. Because global temperature changes occurred mostly during the rapid industrial period, global warming is real, and its effects are tremendous. The presence of greenhouse gases causes global warming. A certain percentage of global warming occurs naturally because of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere. Such naturally present greenhouse gases trap radiation within the atmosphere, causing a rise in temperature and changes in climatic patterns. The rise due to such natural causes is usually minimal and negligible. However, noticeable changes in global climatic patterns occur due to the heightened concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Gulledge, 2012, 6). The increase in concentration of greenhouse gases is attributed to increased industrial activities since the start of 20th century. The increase in concentration implies that more radiation will be trapped in the atmosphere. Industrial activities, which lead to increased carbon emission into the atmosphere, have risen throughout the 20th and 21st centuries causing global warming. For instance, the highest warming has occurred during the last decade with gl obal average temperature rising by 0.51o C relative to 1950s to 1980s (Huang, Wang, Luo, Zhao & Wen, 2012, 39). Model simulations of the greenhouse effect have also indicated that increased greenhouse gases cause global warming. When global average temperature variations are reproduced in model

Sophocles, Oedipus the King ,Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sophocles, Oedipus the King ,Summary - Assignment Example He assures them that this is also his pain and that he has sent Creon to ask the god Apollo for his help. From Creon we learn that Thebes can only be saved when the pollution living inside it is banished. For the murderer of Laios, Thebes’s previous king, resides in the city and was never found. The case was left uninvestigated because at the time the city was troubled by the sphinx. Oedipus also beseeches everyone to help him find this murderer and calls for the blind prophet Tiresias. When he is summoned, Tiresias tells the king that Oedipus himself is the â€Å"ungodly pollution† and that he doesn’t know what a disgraceful and filthy life he is living (Line 353). His shamefulness has caused the grief and suffering through out the city and its residents. This angers Oedipus and he retaliates by saying that he is conspiring with Creon to overthrow him and take the kingdom for himself. Here we learn that although Tiresias is blind, he sees the truth much clearer than the powerful and envious king, Oedipus. Tiresias goes on to prophesize that before the day is over, the man responsible for everything will be found to be â€Å"a resident stranger as it seems, but soon to be revealed as a native Theban† (451).

US History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

US History - Essay Example Zinn occurs to point out how the wicked weaknesses of men may be conveyed and discerned through their approach of treating women. Regardless of disposition, apparently, it is the inherent consideration of men to govern and create their choice of perception freely which sets a state of disturbance in equilibrium for which history can be schemed against to distribute strength eventually in such a way as for developing societies to realize all the dues of women at an instant of being oppressed. In the process of addressing such imbalance of natures and share of control, the shaping of history bears witness to slavery which is not merely confined to gender but to color discrimination as well and the attributes of the oppressors who are chiefly males with mixed gender affiliates. Consequently, the political struggle in an intimate oppression of several forms, designating women as sex slaves, child bearers, servants, and companions, would amount to an amply great cause for women to take a gradual course of action. In resolving to put the people’s history in a context of inequality between sexes as the principal issue of crises across times, women are bound to make an impact through stories that indicate paths to achieving sensible ends with each personal battle. This, as it turns out, is for the world to understand that history, as a deadly tool, is more than a demonstration of established laws, economies, and industries according to potentials that reside in men. By inferring â€Å"It would be an exaggeration to say that women were treated equally with men; but they were treated with respect, and the communal nature of the society gave them a more important place†, Zinn likely takes the position of persuading his readers toward the belief that gender inequality matters with huge influence and serves as a chronic disease that can only be dealt with by a

Achieving Less Stress in the Lives of Informal Caregivers of Adult Research Paper

Achieving Less Stress in the Lives of Informal Caregivers of Adult Children with Multiple Disabilities and the Elderly with Alzheimer - Research Paper Example Such activities not only involve physical stress but mental stress as well. It could have a devastating effect on the informal caregivers, due to the nature of their jobs and criticality of the illnesses of their loved ones. Alzheimer’s is estimated to be the sixth largest cause of deaths in the U.S. annually. A significant number of patients suffering from critical illnesses, contrary to popular beliefs, are cared for by informal caregivers rather than in a formal setting (Arno, Levine, & Memmott, 1999; Brody, 1985; Kosberg & Cairl, 1992; Martire, Schulz, Wrosch, & Newsome, 2003; McAuley, Jacobs, & Carr, 1984). According to latest statistics, approximately 15 million people are involved in informal care to their loved ones suffering from Alzheimer’s, contributing to approximately 17 billion hours of unpaid care. The informal care-givers, often suffer from high amount of stress due to the critical conditions of their loved ones, thus impairing their own health in the pr ocess. It has been proved through research that caring for people suffering from chronic illnesses leads to an adverse and negative impact on the lives of the informal carers, resulting in strained relationships; and often leaving them no time for their families or for leisure, resulting in increased mental stress. Thus, it is of utmost significance to offer assistance and develop strategies to help such informal caregivers in coping with stress, and develop alternative strategies to help reduce or eliminate the physical and mental setbacks suffered by them, in the process of providing care to their loved ones. This paper on â€Å"Achieving Less Stress in the Lives of Informal Caregivers of Adult Children with Multiple Disabilities and the Elderly with Alzheimer† attempts to seek ways and means, which can successfully be applied to reduce such stress and improve the quality of life of the informal caregivers. - Problem Statement: Informal caregivers of persons with disabiliti es experience large amounts of stress due to their constant care giving responsibilities. - Research Question: If caregivers of the disabled adult child and elder received respite care (two or more day a week) intervention during the regular work week will they have lower stress than those caregivers who receive the standard caregiver services? - Background: Providing care to people suffering from critical illnesses entails significant amount of responsibility and dedication towards the patients, which might lead to situations of stress and affect the quality of life of the caregivers in a negative way. Owing to the critical nature of the illnesses of those around them, the caregivers often carry tremendous burden - both

President Bush's speech about Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

President Bush's speech about Iraq - Essay Example Many citizens and press criticized the speech, as untrustworthy and deserving no credit. It is possible to explain by the fact that people are sick and tired of lies they hear about Iraq war. To summaries the speech it is possible to say that the aim of it was to prove the fact that Iraq is the battle in a war against terrorists. In general, Bush's address to the citizens was a disappointment that came under quick and harsh criticism, particularly for its repeated, overt references to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Democrats in their critical remarks accused the President of using notions of obscure a series of failures in the war. The most displeasure of the public was cause by the emphasis that there was no direct connection between Hussein and September 11, saying that the comparison was fair because they were both part of a threat from terrorists nurtured in the Middle East. That argument drew instant scorn from public, who supposed that government was interested in the continued military operations on the basis of a threat that did not exist before the invasion. President Bush made an attempt to find support for his policy on Iraq, and instead it became disturbingly clear that the events of the past years have not changed much in the interpretation of the Iraq

Oil and Fuel Prices Essay Example for Free

Oil and Fuel Prices Essay Since 1980s, the price of fuel and oil has assumed an upward trend. The price of crude oil per barrel was being sold at 40 dollars. In 2007 it was 92 dollars and in February 2008 the price per barrel hit 103 dollars. The rise in oil and fuel prices has led to the rise in the living standards as most commodities are either directly or indirectly affected by it. Many items that are used in our homes are the products of petroleum and those that are not are affected in that the transport cost go high when the price of oil and fuel go up. Though the price of oil has always been on the increase, the recent soaring of these prices had risen to the levels of concern in America as well as to the rest of the world. In June 2008, the price per barrel in USA cost 142$ a figure that has never been witnessed before in the history of oil prices. Why is it that the price for oil and fuel is always increasing, what are the factors that have led to the rise of these prices? This is what this paper will mainly focus on. There are various factors that are attributed to the rise of oil and fuel prices and one of them is the ever growing economies for Asian countries like China and India. As the economies of these nations grow, they demand more energy than before thus causing the demand for oil to go up. Oil demand in China is growing by eight percent annually since 2002 and this is a double to the rate prior to this period. As nations become developed, more industries are built that demand a lot of energy to run them also many people are able to buy vehicles that consume a lot of oil thereby leading to the rise in the price of oil and fuel. (Williams. J. L. 2007) The other cause of the rise of oil and fuel prices is rate at which oil is supplied by those nations that are responsible. If the demand for oil is higher than the rate at which the oil is being supplied, what results is the rise of oil prices. This is what is known as the market forces that control the price of the product or simply the law of the market. Of late, the amount of the oil that is being produced by OPEC has been on the decline and the causes for this problem are many and complex. Some countries have deliberately decided to cut the amount of oil they produce so as to save their oil wells from being depleted. Those countries that are threatened by oil depletion, the cost of production goes up because when the level at which the oil is found deepens it becomes hard to extract it. This has a domino effect as the burden of meeting this cost is placed on the consumers so; if the production cost is high then the price of oil and fuel goes up. (World Bank, 2000) In as far as that some oil producing countries might be experiencing oil shortage, the theory might not be hundred percent true as it is not the sole cause for the rise in oil prices. There are other factors that have contributed to the rise in these prices. Political turbulence in the Middle East has also contributed to the oil shortage in the world. When US attacked Iraq in a bid to terminate the regime of Sadam Hussein, the rate of oil production was affected because the state was subjected to a state of anarchy. This affected the world’s oil prices immediately. The same was witnessed in West Africa and to be particular in Nigeria where the rebels targeted the oil companies and the pipelines. Also in Venezuela strikes, civil unrest and political turbulence hampered the normal production of oil in 2007. All these factors leads to the low supply of oil globally something that causes the rise of oil and fuel prices. This adds weight to the fact that it is the forces of the market that determines the price of the commodity. The price of oil in the United States of America varies from place to place for example in the West Coast, the price of oil is higher than that of the Gulf Coast regions which enjoys much lower prices. It is believe that the difference depends on whether the infrastructure of that region or country are good and more particularly the pipeline network that makes it possible for oil to be transported easily and fast. The other reason that is put forward is the manipulation of prices by the suppliers for example, California has a big population and this means that the rate of energy consumption is very high. The problem that faces California is that there is no competition among the oil companies as far as oil supply is concerned so, what these companies do is that they manipulate the oil prices to suit them. They cause an induced oil shortage leading to increased prices. (World Bank, 2000) Though reasons such as increase in oil demand, environmental issues, weather changes, depletion of oil reserves and poor price control mechanism especially by OPEC has been blamed for the rise in prices. Political turmoil in the Middle East, in West Africa and in Venezuela and the reduction in oil supply could lead to the hiking of prices, there are still other reasons that could lead to the same for example, in 1972, the price per barrel was three dollars but by 1974, the price had already doubled. The reason for this was not necessarily the political disturbance in the Middle East because the United States decided to support Israel but the reason was that the Arab countries whose majority are the main oil producers, got angry by the US move and decided to cut the amount of oil they produce in the normal circumstances. In response, the Arab nations placed an embargo against the United States and its allies infact they decided to cut the amount of oil they produce by five barrels per day. This move has adverse effects on the oil economy as it led to the oil shortage in the world and in turn the rise of oil prices. Associated press, 27th 2008) Whenever oil and fuel prices go up, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is held responsible by politicians and the media. According to Clough, (2006), OPEC is not in anyway responsible for this as its role is to stabilize the price of oil by making sure there is availability of oil in the market by regulating the de mand and supply. The other problem if it not lack of competition among the oil supplying companies, is the merging of companies. In USA companies joining together for better service provision are allowed but the problem is that these companies become a formidable force that exploits the consumers for in US, there are five mergers which are among the biggest in the world and they control 62 percent of oil in the market. These are companies such as Conoco Phillips, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch-Shell, BP Arco and Chevron Texaco. Because of the part of oil they control in the market, they alter prices the way they want or in other words, they form a cartel that no other person can challenge. This dramatic increase in the control of the top five companies†¦makes it easier for the oil companies to manipulate gasoline supplies and to intentionally withhold supplies in order to drive up prices. †(Clough, RG. 2006, 32) To conclude, the tensions that were experienced in Turkey in 2007 and the destruction of pipelines by the leftists could also be contributory factors to the rise in fuel and oil prices but the cur rent rise in oil and fuel prices is not necessarily as a result of political instability but it is also believed that the growth in Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of many nations leads to high oil demands. This is because, as the economy of a country improves, people are able to buy cars and therefore the demand for oil due to increased transport. The prices of fuel and oil are projected to rise to greater heights if the demand for oil by the developing nations continues in the same trend. Political instability in the Middle East is also leading to this problem and if peace would prevail, then the prices would tremendously come down.

Media Representations Of Sexual Offenders In General Media Essay

Media Representations Of Sexual Offenders In General Media Essay The mass media is known to be one of the most influential sources of providing news to members of the public. It is also known to have a powerful impact on the public perceptions of specific issues, for example sex offenders (Brayford Deering, 2012). In order for a story to enter any form of the mass media, it needs to meet certain newsworthy criteria which will help media companies to entice greater audiences, thus increasing overall profit (Galtung Ruge, 1965). Female sexual offending is one particular issue within society which fits all the aspects of the newsworthy criteria. The cases tend to include a sense of seriousness and negativity in which so many of the medias audiences are interested to read/hear about (Greer, 2003). This chapter will focus on how the media represents FCSOs, with particular reference to the Vanessa George case. It will also examine how the mass media are able to influence public perceptions of FCSOs. It is important to note that the majority of academi c research involving Child Sexual Offenders and the media focuses on Sexual Offenders in general, rather than specifically FCSOs, therefore this chapter will adapt from the limited research available. Child Sexual Offenders have longingly received large amounts of negative coverage by the mass media, causing a topic for public debate (Kitzinger, 2004). The media often uses tactics in the form of emotive language, and imagery etc. to influence how the public view certain criminals. One example of this is the use of the iconic image of Myra Hindley within the media reports, which have shaped the way in which society imagines what FCSOs look like (ibid). Even though this was proved to be a co-offending case, it has historically shown how society can view any female involved in these sorts of crimes as going against the traditional gender scripts that woman are incapable of committing such crimes. This relates to the theory used by many feminists that argue that women are described as being double deviant, this is where women who commit crimes receive harsher treatment by society as they not only breach the law, but also break feminine norms (Heidensohn, 1987). Thus in terms of FCSOs, it would seem that they should be regarded as the worst form of criminals due to the extreme ways they break the feminine gender roles. This theory could explain why FCSOs receive such negative portrayals within the media. However, a counter argument of this is that females involved in child sexual offending are often viewed by the general public as harmless, and do not perceive their involvement as a form of abuse. Therefore, media cannot possibly provide such negative representations of FCSOs, if they do not believe themselves that FCSO is a problem within society. This is supported by Denov (2002), who states that the public perceive FCSOs to be less serious than male sexual offenders, this could be due to the common belief that women cannot be capable of committing such offenders. Thus the media are likely to also hold such views and focus their attention primarily on issues in society involving male sexual offenders, as they try to serve the interests of the public. 3.2 How the media influence public perceptions of FCSO It has been argued by many academics that the media influence the publics perception of FCSOs, in a way that can be described as a drug, injecting their opinions directly into the minds of its audience. This is often referred to as the hypodermic syringe model (Kitzinger, 2004). This can be argued to hold a powerful effect, as the amount of emotion produced by these offences could be why the media choose to report on it. As a result of, it causes out bursts of street anger and violence which can be described as a moral panic, creating hysteria (Thomas, 2005; Cohen, 1972) among the public. However, evidence suggests that this has only been presented from the rarity of FCSO cases that are reported on, as the majority of the time society has a blind spot for female perpetrated sexual abuse. This is due to the care-giving roles in which females are socialised to hold towards children (Finkelhor et al. 1988), which again have a habit of being represented in forms of the media; films, news reports, TV etc. Therefore, it could be argued that depending on what ideology the media decide to report on with regards to FCSOs, their portrayal will have a significant impact on how the rest of society view them. 3.3 Media representations of FCSO Historically FCSOs have rarely been reported on within media. This may be due to the myth that abuse by a female is seen as harmless and a confused for of love (Gannon Cortoni, 2010), therefore is not necessarily viewed as inflicting damage on a child, so the media are less likely to report on these cases as they do not fit the newsworthy criteria discussed earlier in the chapter. This could also be a reason why the public generally hold a lack of knowledge around the issues surrounding female child sexual offending. As Strickland (2008) argues, men are traditionally viewed as being the ones to commit criminal offences with aggressive personalities. Consequently, it can be argued that these stereotypes are what make it easy for the media to report on issues, and cases which match these stereotypes that society hold. As indicated in Chapter one (Intro), any abuse by females was usually referred to in the media as a relation or affair (Tsopelas et al, 2012) compared to if the perpetra tor is a man in which case the reporters often refer to them as abusers, again resulting in a lack of reports on cases perpetrated by females. This issue resorts academics to ask the question of whether female perpetrated child sexual abuse is simply underreported by the media due to the above reasons, or if it is so uncommon that there is not enough cases for the media to actually report on. Nowadays the increasing amount of knowledge and awareness on issues of female child sexual offending has roused strong societal reactions, resulting in the increased coverage of them in the media. Gakhal Brown (2011) report on how newspapers portrayed female child sexual perpetrators as evil monsters. This has taken a dramatic change from how they were previously portrayed, and has given society a new way of viewing a serious problem that has come to light. One of the most dramatic cases which the media has widely covered is that of Vanessa George. She was a 40-year-old mother of two who worked at a nursery in Plymouth. In December 2009 she was convicted of sexual assault, the making of and being in possession/distributing indecent images of children, and was given an indeterminate prison sentence with a minimum requirement of seven years. In November 2010, there was a serious case review conducted into the case (PSCB, 2010), and it was discovered that the nursery provided an ideal environment for the abuse to be carried out. It found that certain gaps within the system allowed Vanessa to commit these offences, such as the nurserys phone line being out of order, allowing workers to bring their own mobile phones into the nursery for emergencies. This opportunity presented Vanessa with an excuse enabling her to have her phone in the nursery and thus enabled her to take indecent images of the children. It was also discovered during the investigation of the case that she was in fact part of a co-offending trio, initiated by a male perpetrator named Colin Blanchard from Rochdale. In the serious case review, it was noted that Vanessa had no previous convictions and the abuse only started when she became in contact with Colin over the internet, and was manipulated into committing abuse and then sharing images with him. These particular facts of the case were however expressed in a completely different manner throughout the media reporting on the case. 3.4 Vanessa George case In chapter one it was indicated through the study by Mathews et al. (1989) that there is substantial evidence to suggest that many FCSOs actually target victims who are male adolescents, viewing their abuse as harmless. However, this is not the case when looking at the case of Vanessa George (BBC News, 2010). Across all the media coverage on this case it highlighted the serious issues surrounding female perpetrated sexual abuse which are present in the UK, and depending on the different media types, it was reported in extremely diverse ways. In order to understand how the media represent FCSOs, a comparison needs to be made between the various media types using critical discourse analysis. There are many different definitions of critical discourse analysis, however, within this dissertation we refer to it as the analysis of language used in speech and writing within forms of the media as a form of social practice, where specific ideologies are reproduced through the language in the texts (Wodak Meyer, 2009). This method is appropriate for this dissertation as it is a way in which we can analyse the language used by the media when reporting on FCSOs, and uncover the hidden ideologies in the text which is used to change the audiences opinion on the issue of FCSO. Almost every article written about FCSOs can be analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis, as reporters are required to make certain decisions as to how they want to represent particular ideologies in their article e.g. the terms they use to describe a FCSO, or which quotes to use from members of the public. These can all add to the way the ideology in the text is portrayed overall and thus how these ideologies affect society as a whole (Richardson, 2007). The three main articles analysed were drawn from three different news outlets which hold conflicting ideological stances. Firstly, Public enemy number one was taken from The Sun (Coles, 2011), a newspaper which represents right-wing principles. Secondly, Vanessa George jailed for child sex abuse was extracted from The Guardian (Morris, 2009) which expresses mostly liberalism interests. Finally, Little Teds was ideal place for Vanessa George abuse traced from BBC News online (2010b), which is commonly known to represents a centrism approach to reporting. The Sun, known for its exaggeration of the truth in order to attract the attention of more readers, reports on the case of Vanessa George as being one that has caused so much outrage and shock from the public, that the police actually needed to step in to stop the amount of abuse aimed at her from the public. The way the article presents these dramatic views is interesting for Critical Discourse Analysis, as it is outwardly bias in presenting only the feelings expressed by the parents of possible victims, rather than facts on the case. Therefore, the analysis made, might be able to support the theory that the facts on the case are actually spun to present a particular viewpoint in this case, that FCSOs are extremely disturbing to society and uses particular language which is aimed to influence their audience into holding the same opinions. This is evident in the following quotes: Public enemy number one, Sick b****, The van taking Vanessa George to prison is attacked (See appendix 1 for more examples). All of the following use emotive language to express the disgust and anger felt by many members of the public. This supports Gakhal Browns (2011) argument that the media provide stereotypical portrayals of all sex offenders in general, using words linked with monsters evil perverts. Moreover, these choice of language in articles help provide a negative perception of FCSOs. The fact that the reporter purposely used a collective noun in the article title Public enemy number one-, suggests that they are trying to provide an ideology that Vanessa is hated by all members of the public, and that the audience should also imitate these feelings. While analysing this article, it was found that the only quotations and opinions used, were that of parents involved in the case, who naturally hold bias views. This, itself shows how the reporter wanted to present only one ideological viewpoint. Furthermore, it can be argued that this negative portrayal of Vanessa George, a FCSO, in the media reinforces the argument previously put forward by Heidenson (1987) regarding female offenders as displaying double deviance. On the other hand, the article in The Guardian expresses a more balanced stance, presenting the audience with facts of the case. Its use of imagery shows how Vanessa was part of a co-offending trio, and although she solely committed the abuse in Little Teds nursery, she was in fact in contact with two others; one (Colin Blanchard) who, as argued by the reporter, was coercing her to commit the offences. They reported that Vanessa was besotted with him. Therefore, it shows that the ideology in which this news article is trying to present is not just about viewing FCSOs in a negative light, but more that they want to present the factual issues that society is facing, for example the influence male sexual offenders have on females to force them to also commit sexual offences. However, when analysing this article, it can be argued that it is somewhat bias, as it uses post-modified terms such as paedophile which often disguises the fact that the choice to commit these crimes is not just do wn to sexual preference but is actually a way in which an offender exploits and holds power over children (Kelly, 1998). It also links to the same ideology presented in The Sun, by describing Vanessa in a negative light Cold and calculating. These quotes do, nonetheless, come from the Judge in charge of the case, thus using a more reliable source, than that used by the Sun, to reproduce the ideologies through language. The way in which The Guardian provides a balanced stance, can be argued to be similar to how the BBC reports on the case of Vanessa George. This is due to the way the BBC provide the facts of the case and refer to the serious case review (discussed earlier) as well as other reliable sources such as the councillor for Plymouths Efford and Lipson ward, in order to add to their own reputation of being a dependable source. When analysing this article it is clear that the reporters ideology behind this article is to provide the public with the facts, and try to prevent a moral panic among the public, by reporting on the positive responses professionals have had to the case. The reporter used passive verbs such as reassured, and quotations from Ofsted Ofsted has already implemented a number of changes, in order to show the public that society are able to learn from the mistakes made in this case in order to prevent future cases. However, the BBC used a disturbing criminal style image of Va nessa, which imitate the reporter techniques used in the Myra Hindley case, which, as discussed earlier, add to the stereotypical image of what FCSOs look like (Kitzinger, 2004). Therefore, it could be argued that no matter what type of media, there is always some form of bias in the way reporters want to present their ideology through the language and images they choose to use. Another observation made when analysing this article, is it subheading title Explicit culture, which then goes on to report on the co-offending details of the case. The fact that the reporter has used a subheading, as well as the chosen language, shows that they are trying to make their audience aware of the increasingly serious problem of co-offending child sexual offenders within society. From this Critical Discourse Analysis it is clear that all types of the mass media report in different ways; some use stereotyping FCSOs as a powerful influential tool, others are more objective by presenting the facts of the case. All, however, have had a positive impact as they have raised some new issues that society face with regards to FCSO. Although, a lot of work still needs to be done with all areas of the mass media, in order to educate reporters so that they appreciate the gravity of the issues surrounding FCSO and the traumatic results they can present both victims and general members of the public with, when providing representations on FCSOs (Tsopelas et al, 2012). Actively representing their voice

Living Within Constraints :: essays research papers

Living Within Constraints Constraints on the Expansion of the Global Food Supply In the early ages people were hunters, or predators; they had to survive by killing other species. Although predators are supposed to be the strongest in the food chain, people were vulnerable because they had to depend on the same species below them. Our senses were not developed as well either; hearing, smelling, eye sight were and still are not as good as of those below us. We can’t kill with our teeth or nails, like some alligators could. So after 4 ice ages, only 25,000 people were left. That’s when they realized that they had to change their loosing strategies and that’s when they came up with Subsistence Agriculture. People domesticated animals, plants, and according to the number of the population today, we are doing real well. The world population grew slowly over much of the historic past; it was not until after 1900 that growth accelerated. The 1992 population was 5.5 billion. Now the world population is increasing at about 1.7% yr, corresponding to a doubling time of 40 years. In the early 1960s, most nations were self-sufficient in food; now only a few are. Except for parts of Africa, production exceeded population growth throughout the world. Per capita production has now slowed and appears to be declining. In line with recent studies, we estimate that with the world population at 5.5 billion, food production is adequate to feed 7 billion people a vegetarian diet, with ideal distribution and no grain fed to livestock. Yet possibly as many as two billion people are now living in poverty, and over 1 billion in ‘utter poverty’ live with hunger. Inadequate distribution of food is a substantial contributing factor to this current situation. Less than one half of the world’s land area is suitable for agriculture, including grazing. Nearly all of the world’s productive land, flat and with water, is already exploited. Most of the unexploited land is either too steep, too wet, too dry, or too cold for agriculture. Water Shortages: Pressures from growing population have strained water resources in many areas of the world. Worldwide, 214 river or lake basins, containing 40% of the world’s population, now compete for water. If we improve conservation of water, it would enhance rainfed and irrigated crop yields. A major difficulty arises simply from the rate with which food supplies would have to be expanded to pace or to exceed population growth rates in those countries experiencing high growth rates.

The Relationship Between Sexual Taxonomies and Ideas of the Self Essay

The relationship between sexual taxonomies and ideas of the self (e.g. Foucault, Jagose or Halperin) Sexual Taxonomies are not trans-historical; they are socially and historically situated and created. Sexual taxonomies are the different ideas about what sexuality is and they circulate around contexts, consequently forming identities. When we categorise sexuality it is categorised into heterosexual people and homosexual people but it is widely known that heterosexual is the ‘normal’ and accepted sexuality as â€Å"Homosexuality is a deviation from a privileged and naturalised heterosexuality,† (page 72, Annamarie Jagose, 1996). Terms gay, homo and queer do not mean the same things, â€Å"The blanket term "homosexual" has a number of different, related but distinct meanings: there are several groups of people who are covered by this term, and there are significant variations between them,† (Melinda Selmys, 2012) this has created sexual taxonomies regarding homosexual people. The simplest definition of a homosexual is person of the same sex being attracted t o the same sex. This can become very confusing when identify the self. Historically homosexuality has been masked, ridiculed and not accepted in society even if they share the same qualities as heterosexual people for example â€Å"The vast majority of same sex attracted people have some degree of opposite sex attraction as well [and are defined as] a person who [have] an LGBTQ identity,† (Melinda Selmys, 2012). By observing Michael Foucault in the â€Å"The History of Sexuality† (1976) as well as Annamarie Jagose & Judith Butler in â€Å"Queer in Queer Theory† (1996), we become aware of different ideas/identities of the self. It also shows the debate and hardships homosexuals experience with self-id... ...er Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Idendity. Foucault, M. (1976). â€Å"Scientia Sexualis†. In The History of Sexuality: Vol 1 (1990). (pp. 53-65). London: Penguin Books. Hayek, F. A. (1944). The road to serfdom. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Hennessy , R. (2000). Profit and Pleasure: Sexual Identities in Late Capitalism (2nd ed.). Great Britain: Routledge. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://davidmcnally.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/henessey-profit_and_pleasure_sexual.pdf Websites: Selmys, M. (2012, March 12). Sexual Authenticity: Intimate Reflections on Homosexuality and Catholicism, Queer Theory. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://sexualauthenticity.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/queer-taxonomy.html Warner, M. (n.d.). Queer Theory. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-Dec-1996/jagose.html

Analysis Of Mark Strand?s ?kee :: essays research papers

Although it’s not a lengthy poem, the few words and their layout in â€Å"Keeping Things Whole† certainly possess great significance. This poem is centered on the idea that the narrator’s life is lacking purpose. In exploring the meaning of his existence, he determined that his reason for living was to keep moving so that people’s lives were only temporarily interrupted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strand’s technique of splitting up his sentences helps emphasize certain phrases and ideas. When I read poetry I naturally pause for a brief second at the end of each line to allow the words to sink in, therefore taking an extra moment to realize what the author is saying. With each line in this poem only a few words long, there is a higher pause-to-word ratio, which allows for more thought for each idea the first time you read through it. Strand splits up the sentences in places where he is trying to convey more meaning, with the hope that the reader will pause and contemplate what was just read. His stanzas are concluded when he wants more attention placed on his current idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator’s viewpoint towards life in this poem is quite different from how most people see it. Where he writes, â€Å"In a field / I am the absence / of field.† (ll. 1-3) instead of acknowledging his existence as something, he regards it as a lack of something. This negativity towards himself is what the entire poem is focused on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He uses the idea that when his body enters an area the parts of that area are momentarily interrupted and are forced around him, just waiting to return back to normal once he leaves: â€Å"When I walk / I part the air / and always / the air moves in / to fill the spaces / where my body’s been.† (ll. 8-13) The â€Å"air† in that line symbolizes the existence of other people around him, and the narrator sees himself as a nuisance to those people, always being in the way. He is saying that whenever he enters into a location with a bunch of people, those people see him as a bother and simply as something that they must put up with for a little while. They can’t wait for the narrator to leave so that they don’t have to put up with him anymore and can therefore return to what they were doing. The last stanza explains the narrator’s reason for â€Å"moving,† or in other words living: â€Å"I move / to keep things whole. Analysis Of Mark Strand?s ?kee :: essays research papers Although it’s not a lengthy poem, the few words and their layout in â€Å"Keeping Things Whole† certainly possess great significance. This poem is centered on the idea that the narrator’s life is lacking purpose. In exploring the meaning of his existence, he determined that his reason for living was to keep moving so that people’s lives were only temporarily interrupted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strand’s technique of splitting up his sentences helps emphasize certain phrases and ideas. When I read poetry I naturally pause for a brief second at the end of each line to allow the words to sink in, therefore taking an extra moment to realize what the author is saying. With each line in this poem only a few words long, there is a higher pause-to-word ratio, which allows for more thought for each idea the first time you read through it. Strand splits up the sentences in places where he is trying to convey more meaning, with the hope that the reader will pause and contemplate what was just read. His stanzas are concluded when he wants more attention placed on his current idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator’s viewpoint towards life in this poem is quite different from how most people see it. Where he writes, â€Å"In a field / I am the absence / of field.† (ll. 1-3) instead of acknowledging his existence as something, he regards it as a lack of something. This negativity towards himself is what the entire poem is focused on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He uses the idea that when his body enters an area the parts of that area are momentarily interrupted and are forced around him, just waiting to return back to normal once he leaves: â€Å"When I walk / I part the air / and always / the air moves in / to fill the spaces / where my body’s been.† (ll. 8-13) The â€Å"air† in that line symbolizes the existence of other people around him, and the narrator sees himself as a nuisance to those people, always being in the way. He is saying that whenever he enters into a location with a bunch of people, those people see him as a bother and simply as something that they must put up with for a little while. They can’t wait for the narrator to leave so that they don’t have to put up with him anymore and can therefore return to what they were doing. The last stanza explains the narrator’s reason for â€Å"moving,† or in other words living: â€Å"I move / to keep things whole.

Dram Shop Laws Essay

Dram shop laws are instituted for all places which serve alcoholic beverages including restaurants, taverns and bars. An employee of these establishments may not serve alcohol to minors or those ‘visibly intoxicated’. If the person which consumed the beverage leaves the establishment, gets in an accident or causes bodily harm to another person, the establishment and the server may be held liable for damages. However, this should not be the case. Those who were intoxicated and caused the accident should be the only ones held liable for damages he or she caused to another person. Too many people take advantage of the legal proponent which allows these places which serve alcohol to be held liable. I would like to remove this proponent and make a revision to Montana’s Dram Shop laws, making it better for servers and consumers alike. In the following I will tell you some positive and negative outcomes if this change ever were to occur. I am going to answer the question of the whether Montana should have the liability clause which puts establishments at risk of being held financially responsible. In order to come to a conclusion, both sides must be heard. I will begin why we should remove these laws and positive outcomes. Should Montana in fact have liability clauses which enable the tavern or bar to be held liable? The job of a bartender can be a tedious and stressful one. By removing the liability element of the Dram Shop laws, bartenders can focus on their jobs instead of on attempting to recognize the signs of someone who is ‘visibly intoxicated’ (Rumberger: Kirk & Caldwell). This becomes especially difficult on a bustling Saturday evening when the bass of the band is thrumming in your ears and ten different people are calling out, â€Å"Bartender! On busy Saturday nights, not only are the bartenders kept busy, but the tills are as well. Businesses make quite a bit of money on nights like these; however the liability clause can put a damper on the profits of small, local businesses. Part of a bartender’s whole job is to encourage the buying of alcohol, and the drinker should respond by leaving when he or she has noticed they have developed that ‘buzzed’ feeling. The bartender’s job is simple; tend the bar and comply with the wishes of your customers. When servers have to cut off drinkers, feelings are often brushed and money lost. When someone gets particularly offended, physical altercations can often occur, posing a major health safety risk for all those in the bar. With these laws in place, often bartenders and bouncers put their welfare on the line when it comes to removing drunken patrons. When is seemingly too intoxicated to continue drinking, it is the duty of the bartender to refuse any further service to the customer. Even though this is required by law, it can often result in one if not both, of the parties involved to leave with a bump or bruise, if not worse. When it comes to injuries in public establishments, people these days seem to get all together ‘sue-happy. ’ Without these laws putting liability on establishments which took no part in the maiming of others, the person who actually committed the offence will be the only one who can be held responsible. There are many cases which someone is offended, injured or leaves and commits another crime which can then be financially supported by the small business. Now that I have gone over the positives, I will now explain the negative effects of the removal of this element of the Dram Shop laws. We all know drunk driving is an all too common occurrence in the United States. Most people probably don’t know that a studies conducted have shown that nearly 80 million trips a year are made with a driver having consumed some amount of alcohol (Major Mark Willingham). This means that all establishments must do their part in making these numbers go down. By keeping these laws, bartenders will continue to be pressured to keep people better under-control in bars and taverns. Bartenders are specially trained to recognize the signs of people when they are beginning to show signs of intoxication and how to handle the following situations. Without these laws, employees will lose the proper training by employers with the lack of enforcement (CADCA). These guidelines can help to quickly clear up situations which pose a threat to the server or those also in the bar. As an establishment which serves alcohol, taverns and bars have an obligation to their customers to perform all aspects of proper service (expertpages. om). When someone comes into a place to be served alcohol, bartenders should be able to aid in helping for these customers get home by cutting them off. They are also supposed to provide any service which is asked, usually complied with a cheery demeanor. All these aspects create the foundation for proper service in these establishments. Without the liability element of the Dram shop laws, there is an element of pressure which can result in the loss of proper service. The blatant cause for most terms of Dram shop laws is simple; reduce harmful alcohol consumption and all accidents which would be classified as alcohol-related (whatworksforhealth. com). With all the fine-toothed combed sections of these laws, the ideal set-up has been instituted in communities in order to control these situations. With the concept of liability, these laws do not only hold the person who committed the crime or offence, but can help to keep bars and taverns in check and doing their jobs. Some terms that must be corrected before this law becomes valid are the concept of ‘visual intoxication. ’ There is no clear definition by which you can define someone as visibly drunk, some people are just morons. Some people act more or less drunk than they are. The legal drinking age of 21 must also be clearly stated. I still believe that the liability aspects of Dram Shop laws should be removed. Bartenders keep clients in line as much as possible, but should not suffer blame and loss of business in order to make an educated guess at the intoxicated state of another person. Too many people have taken advantage of these small businesses and there needs to be only one person, the one truly responsible, to be held liable. When these establishments get slam-jammed busy, there is no way for one or two people to properly assess the mental state of someone, especially a stranger. Enough pressure is applied to these businesses in economic times like those we are in. we should take away the possibility that someone could take business, money and good name of any bar or tavern.

Multimedia learning proposes Essay

Multimedia learning proposes ways of going beyond the pure verbal messages which have been used in lectures and printed lessons for hundreds of years. Multimedia learning as Thomas Edison predicted has proved to be an effective method of teaching, has revolutionized our educational system and has supplanted the use of textbooks. Multimedia presentations are known to help learners. The newly developed multimedia technologies which incorporate simultaneous presentations of narration, images and text make the possibilities for instruction vast. Yet how should educators use these technologies to ensure that there is optimal learning? The answer is that the multimedia messages should be designed in the best way using the eight principles for multimedia design as a guideline. Background to the multimedia principles: Mayer is known for his research in the field of cognitive theory. According to Mayer, a multimedia instructional message is a presentation which involves words (such as spoken or written text) and pictures (such as animation, video, illustrations, and photographs) in which the goal is to promote learning. Mayer links cognitive learning theory to multimedia design issues, validating three theory-based assumptions about how people learn from words and pictures: the (1) dual channel assumption which is based upon the theory that pictures are seen by eyes and are processed as pictorial representations in the visual-pictorial channel. Spoken words on the other hand enter through ears and are processed in the other channel of human cognition, the auditory-verbal channel. (2) Limited capacity assumption is demonstrated by auditory- verbal overload. Because each channel in the human cognitive system has a limited capacity for holding and manipulating knowledge, presenting too many visuals and a lot of sounds at the same time causes the auditory-visual channel to become overloaded. And the (3) Active processing assumption implies that optimal learning occurs when learners engage in active processing within the channels which include relevant words and pictures organized into coherent pictorial and verbal models and integrated with each other and other knowledge. The discovery of the eight principles of multimedia design was a result of Mayer’s research. Each principle was based on the cognitive theory and was supported by the finding of the research. The multimedia principles discussed with good and bad practice examples: These eight principles are explained as follows in more detail, along with their applications. Multimedia Principle: This principle states that carefully and selectively chosen words and pictures enhance a learner’s understanding of an explanation better than words alone. Mayer tells us that deeper understanding occurs because students mentally connect pictorial and verbal representations of the explanation. A study was conducted in which students viewed a narrated animation about pumps or brakes or simply listened to a narration; the students who viewed the narrated animation scored substantially higher. There are numerous examples of the multimedia principle. Desktop publishing programs and the illustrative capabilities of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint adding pictures to a multimedia presentation has become relatively easy. A good practice example would be to use an animation of how an earthquake occurs to support the textual and/or verbal description: â€Å"when the frictional stress of gliding plate boundaries goes beyond a certain value and causes a failure at a fault line, which results in a violent dislocation of the Earth’s crust. At this point, elastic strain energy is released causing elastic waves to be radiated, leading to an earthquake. † The goal of this principle is best achieved when graphics used are meaningful and illustrative in juxtaposition with text. Images which convey meaning, not simply multitudes of clip art images with no instructional purpose. It would be bad practice heaps of pictures which show destructions caused by earthquakes are used when explaining how earthquakes occur. It would actually be a hindrance in the process of learning as it would take focus off the topic and instead bring the costs of the earthquake into discussion. A good use of this principle would be when pictures and animations are used for presenting instructional content where there are used as lesson interfaces and not for any decorative purpose. Contiguity Principle: The contiguity principle examines how words and pictures should be coordinated in multimedia presentations. This principle states that there is more effective learning when the narration and animation are presented simultaneously rather than successively. Also, words and associative pictures should be close each other and presented at the same time so that when the narration or words describes a particular process or action, the animation or picture shows it at the same time. A good practice example of the contiguity principle would be showing a car assembly procedure where narration and video are presented simultaneously. Students would learn better when the two things are coordinated than otherwise. It would be bad practice if the entire textual description or narration of the car assembly procedure which has 23 stages is presented first, prior to the animation or when the animation is played prior to the verbal description. A good idea is to display the narration and animation in close time proximity so that when words describe the action, the visual depicts the same action at the same time. This will make it more likely for the learner to build mental connections linking the verbal and visual representations. Modality Principle: This principle states that students learn more deeply and effectively when words are presented as narration rather than on-screen text. Using animation and text is a method most people use when designing PowerPoint presentations. According to Mayer when both pictures and words are used are displayed in multimedia, only the visual channel is utilized and it easily becomes overloaded. A good idea therefore is to use both processing channels; the visual/pictorial channel and the auditory/verbal channel. When the narration presented is auditory, it is processed by the auditory channel allowing the visual channel the resources to process the graphical content without it becoming overloaded. A good practice example of this principle would be to present an animation of how a bicycle tire pump works together with the narration of the explanation. Presenting some information in visual mode and some in auditory mode will expand working memory capacity and reduce excessive cognitive load. It would not be a good idea to play the narration after or before the animation. Redundancy Principle: This principle states that students learn far better from multimedia presentations consisting of animation and narration than from animation, narration, and text. The redundancy principle rejects the idea of presenting duplicate instructions in different forms. Unless it is necessary, presenting the same information both in narration and on-screen text hinders the process of learning rather than facilitating it. Some people think presenting the same information in multiple forms is safe and at best advantageous. However we must understand the architecture of human cognition. When dealing with new and technical instruction, working memory is very limited and presenting the same information in narration and on-screen text will mean that not all information will be processed. A good practice of this principle would be when a lecturer uses presentations to deliver his lectures. He can narrate the instructions while his presentations present animation and pictures. It would not be good practice if the lecturer has text heavy-slides and yet continues to try to maintain the attention of the audience. This redundancy causes the learners or audience to become wrapped up in either the verbal presentation or the textual material and miss the other. Even worse the learner may decide to not pay attention at all when he is being bombarded with so much information. Coherence Principle: This principle states that students learn better from multimedia presentations when irrelevant material is excluded rather than integrated. Irrelevant words and pictures, interesting but irrelevant sounds and unnecessary words huts the student’s learning process. Learners throughout the multimedia presentation try to make sense of the material by building a coherent mental representation and any irrelevant information that comes out of nowhere is likely to disturb the process. A good practice example of this principle would be that when discussing the issue of widespread public display of affection and whether there should be laws imposed against it. It would be a good idea to stick to the topic and present points for or against the argument and the reach a conclusion. If however a person is tempted to spice up the presentation, it would be bad practice. Including dramatic stories of politicians engaged in the art of public affection and video clips where couples are seen showing affection in public would be highly entertaining but off topic and the audience might get upset if they do not make out anything from the four hour long presentation. It would also not be a good idea to include any other non instructional material such as unrelated clip arts, background music, sound clips or detailed textual descriptions. Personalization Principle: The personalization principle states that students learn better when words are presented in a conversational style than in a formal or expository style. Students or audience responds better when a more personalized tone is used in narration. A good example of this principle is when explaining how a human respiratory system works, there is a use of ‘your’ instead of ‘the’. For example instead of saying † During inhaling the diaphragm move down creating more space for the lungs† we say † When you inhale, your diaphragm moves down creating more space for your lungs†. Also when addressing community issues using multimedia presentations it is always a good idea to use ‘your community’ rather than ‘the community’. It will help the learners see that it is his community that has issue and not some other community and will provoke him to take action or become a responsible member of the community. Segmenting principle: This principle states that lessons should be divided into manageable segments. When an unfamiliar learner is introduced to a continuous presentation with a lot of inter related concepts which are complex it is easy for the cognitive system to become overloaded. A good practice of this principle would be when a lecture breaks down complex geometry problems into segments rather than present them as a single solution. This helps learners learn at their own pace. Pre-training principle: This principle suggests that people learn better from multimedia presentations when they are familiar with the names and idea of the core concepts. There is a better transfer of knowledge when the audience is trained on the components the presentation would use preceding a narrated animation. A good practice of this example is when explaining the phenomenon of global warming to children, it would work better when terminologies such as green house gases are explained and smaller concepts are built before proceeding to the presentation. This will help the children integrate their built in concepts into understanding the main problem of global warming. It is not good practice to start with the subject before providing the learners with an appropriate start up knowledge neither would it be a good idea to stop in the middle of the lecture to explain some terminology or a hidden concept. Conclusion: Multimedia enhances learning but for learning to be optimal, there should be effective use of animation, narration and on-screen test in multimedia presentations. Techniques to increase working memory by reducing cognitive load have been proposed by many theorists. These techniques improve instructional design, learning efficiency, and effectiveness. Richard E. Mayer and his Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning has highlighted well-established principles of multimedia learning which the research continues to support, including (a) the multimedia principle, (b) the contiguity principle, (d) the modality principle, (e) the redundancy principle, and (f) the coherence principle and (e) the personalization principle. These principles aid users to design effective multimedia presentations. References Clark, R. C. & Mayer, R. E. (2003). e- Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

Case Study: Impact of Mining

PFII/2007/WS. 3/7 Original: English UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS Division for Social Policy and Development Co-organizers Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Government of Khabarovsk Krai and the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) INTERNATIONAL EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT KHABAROVSK, RUSSIAN FEDERATION AUGUST 27. -29, 2007 Case Study on the Impacts of Mining and Dams on theEnvironment and Indigenous Peoples in Benguet, Cordillera, Philippines Paper by CORDILLERA PEOPLES ALLIANCE I. Background Land and People of Benguet The Cordillera region in Northern Luzon, Philippines, is homeland to more than 1 million indigenous peoples belonging to at least 8 distinct ethnic groups collectively known as Igorots. Two of these ethnic groups, the Ibaloy and the Kankanaey, are found in the province of Benguet, which occupies 265,538 hectares of the Cordillera r egion’s total land area of 1. million hectares. The Ibaloy people live in the southeastern portion, occupying 8 of the province’s 13 towns. The Kankanaey, meanwhile dominate the northeast areas of Benguet. Benguet’s fertile land along the rivers and gold ore in the mountains saw the emergence of distinct villages engaged in various economic activities. Gold mining communities rose in the gold-rich areas in Itogon, while gold-trading villages were established along strategic mountain passes and trails. Rice-growing villages emerged in the river valleys.Swidden farming combined with gold panning in the streams and rivers. Land ownership among the Ibaloy and Kankanaey is traditionally recognized by prior occupation, investment of labor and permanent improvements on the land, specifically irrigation systems and retaining stonewalls of the ricefields. The community shares access rights to the forests, rivers, and creeks, and the fruits of these lands and waters are o pen to those who gathered them. [1] Entry of mining, construction of dams Mining has a long history in the Philippines.Small scale mining has been practiced by Philippine peoples for at least ten centuries, and large scale mining by foreign as well as Filipino firms for about a century. Little is known, though, about mining prior to the coming of the Spanish colonialists in the 16th century. [2] Corporate mining in Benguet started during the Spanish colonial period when Spanish businessmen secured a mining concession from the Igorots in Mancayan and launched the operations of the Sociedad Minero-Metalurgica Cantabro-Filipina de Mancayan in 1856. This mine eventually closed down.When the Americans arrived in the 1900s, they entered into contracts with local families to file legal claims to mineral-bearing land. These claims were later used by American prospectors to create the mining companies that would dominate the mining industry in Benguet. These were Benguet Corporation, Atok Bi g Wedge, Itogon-Suyoc Mines and Lepanto Consolidated. [3] In the 1950s, the Agno River in Benguet was tapped as a source of hydropower. The first dam to be built along the Agno River was the Ambuklao Dam, followed by the Binga Dam.Twelve (12) other run-of-river mini-hydros, all privately operated, were also built in other parts of Benguet. In the 1980s, widespread people’s resistance forced the Marcos government and the World Bank to give up its plans for major dam projects in the region. However, the Ramos government took advantage of the energy crisis in the 1990s and initiated with Japanese funding, the construction of the San Roque Multipurpose Project. The San Roque dam is the third dam to be built along the Agno River, located in the boundary between Benguet and Pangasinan province of Central Luzon. 4] II. Mining Operations, Dams and Impacts on the Indigenous Peoples of Benguet Mines and Dams Present in Benguet The province of Benguet has hosted 14 mining companies sinc e corporate mining started in 1903. Some of these mines have closed down while others have continued. Presently operating in Benguet are two large mines using high technology for large-scale mineral extraction. These are the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (operating for 70 years) and the Philex Mining Corporation (operating since 1955).Benguet Corporation, the oldest mining company in the country, abandoned its operations in 1997 after mining for almost a century. The abandoned open pit mine site, underground tunnels, waste dump sites, mill, diversion tunnels and tailings dams in Itogon still remain today. The company now has ongoing contract mining arrangements with small scale miners. Itogon-Suyoc mines closed down in 1997, but is now negotiating with foreign investors to reopen its mines. In addition, new mining explorations and applications are now coming into other parts of Benguet with renewed efforts by the government to invite foreign investments.These applications of v arious kinds, numbering 138, are found in all 13 municipalities of the province covering 147,618. 9 hectares or 55. 7% of the province’s total land area. This figure is aside from the area already covered by past and existing mines. Thus we have a situation where most of the total land area of Benguet is covered by past, ongoing and future mining operations. Accompanying mining operations is the construction of tailings dams needed to contain the mine wastes. These tailings dams were built across the river beds in various parts of Benguet.However, most tailings dams are not leak proof and have not been strong enough to withstand torrential currents during the typhoon season, and the major earthquake that rocked Northern Luzon in 1990. Through the years, tailings dams in Benguet have proved incapable of containing the volume of tailings that came from the mills. Time and again, these tailings have breached their dams. Benguet Corporation constructed 5 tailings dams. Lepanto ha s 5 tailings dams, 2 of which collapsed. Philex has 3 tailings dams, 2 of which collapsed in 1992 and 1994. In 2001, tailings breached another Philex dam.Itogon-Suyoc has 1 tailings dam that collapsed in 1994. Thus we have a situation where burst, broken, weak and leaking tailings dams dot the major river systems of the province – the Abra River, Agno River, Antamok River and Bued River. Another concern is the series of three mega hydroelectric dams built along the Agno River – the Ambuklao, Binga and San Roque dams – that block the river flow to generate electricity. The power generated by these dams has gone to supply the power needs of the mining companies as well as the overall power demand of the Luzon Grid.However, Ambuklao and Binga dams are dying and no longer fully operational, crippled by the voluminous silt that has accumulated in the reservoirs, upstream and beyond. The San Roque dam, which has the generating capacity of 345 megawatts, is now generat ing only 18 megawatts. Impacts of Mines and Dams The combination of mines and dams in Benguet has had devastating impacts on the environment and on the Kankanaey and Ibaloy people in the province. These impacts have not only caused serious environmental destruction and suffering for the affected communities, but have also violated the collective rights of the indigenous peoples.As proven by the experience of the Benguet indigenous peoples, large-scale corporate mining and dams destroy, pollute, disrupt agricultural economies, and displace indigenous peoples. 1. Land destruction, subsidence and water loss Corporate mining in Benguet is done by surface mining as well as underground tunneling and block caving. Also significant are other surface excavations by the mining companies for the installation of facilities, such as portals for deep mining, lumber yards, ore trains, mills, tailings ponds, power houses, mine administration offices, and employee housing. 5] Open pit mining is the most destructive as it requires removing whole mountains and excavation of deep pits. Generally, open pits need to be very big – sometimes more than 2. 5 kilometres long. In order to dig these giant holes, huge amounts of earth need to be moved, forests cleared, drainage systems diverted, and large amounts of dust let loose. According to the Benguet Corporation, â€Å"Any open-pit mining operation, by the very nature of its method, would necessarily strip away the top soil and vegetation of the land. [6] Sure enough, open-pit mining in Itogon by Benguet Corporation has removed whole mountains and entire villages from the land surface. After exhausting the gold ore, the open pit in Itogon is now abandoned as the company has shifted to other economic ventures like water privatization. Not known to many, Philex also practices open pit mining in Camp 3, Tuba, Benguet, presently affecting 98 hectares of land. The affected area is continuously expanding as the open pit mine operat ions of Philex continue. The land damage has displaced homes and communities and caused the people to lose their lands.Meanwhile, underground block-caving operations by Philex and Lepanto have induced surface subsidence and ground collapse. In Mankayan, where Lepanto is operating, the land surface in populated areas is sinking, causing damage to buildings, farms and property. In July 1999, Pablo Gomez, a villager in Mankayan, was killed when he was suddenly swept away in a landslide along with the Colalo Primary School building. 71 million cubic feet of earth gave way beneath him, covering and destroying 14 hectares of farming land. [7]Aside from land subsidence, the water tables have also subsided as deep mining tunnels and drainage tunnels disrupt groundwater paths. Tunneling often leads to a long-term lowering of the water table. In 1937, a disaster hit Gumatdang, Itogon’s oldest rice-producing village. Atok-Big Wedge drove in two gigantic tunnels on opposite sides of the village, immediately draining the water from its most abundant irrigation sources. In 1962, Benguet Corporation drove in another drainage tunnel that stretched between its Kelly mine in Gumatdang and its mines in Antamok.Instead of just draining water from the mines, the tunnel drained the water from a major irrigation source, drying up ricefields. Ventilation shafts have also drawn water away from surface streams, irrigation canals, and pondfields. In addition, the felling of timber to shore up underground tunnels has denuded surrounding watersheds, aggravating water loss. [8] Not only does mining cause water subsidence, it also deprives farming communities of much-needed water. The industry requires large volumes of water for mining, milling and waste disposal.Mining companies have privatized numerous natural water sources in Itogon and Mankayan for the purpose. Now, the people in many mining-affected communities have to buy water for drinking and domestic use from outside sources through water delivery trucks, or by lining up for hours in the few remaining water sources to fill up a gallon of water. 2. Pollution of Water and Soil Open-pit and underground bulk mining by Philex in Tuba and Lepanto in Mankayan generate ore and tailings at a rate of up to 2,500 metric tons per mine per day. 9] Toxic mine tailings are usually impounded in tailings dams. However, when pressure in the tailings dams builds up, especially during times of heavy rainfall, the mining companies drain their tailings dams of water or face the risk of having the dams burst or collapse. In either case, the tailings eventually find their way out, polluting the water and silting up the rivers and adjacent lands. People of Mankayan remember the Abra River before the mine. It was deep and narrow, just 5 meters wide, full of fish and surrounded by verdant rice paddies.Now there is a wide gorge of barren land on either side of the polluted river. Fruit trees and animals have died from the poisone d water and rice crops are stunted. [10] When Lepanto started operations in 1936, the company dumped mine tailings and waste straight into the river. It was only in the 1960’s that the first tailings dam was built. The dam was abandoned after less than 10 years and the land became unsuitable for agriculture. Tailings dam 2 was constructed in the 1970s. Its collapse caused the contamination of nearby ricefields.Tailings Dam 3 and a diversion tunnel gave way in 1986 during a strong typhoon. Another spillway collapsed after a typhoon in 1993. The spilled tailings encroached on riverbanks and destroyed ricefields downstream. They also caused the riverbed to rise and the polluted water to backflow into other tributaries of the Abra River. [11] An Environmental Investigative Mission (EIM) in September 2002 indictaed that heavy metal content (lead, cadmium and copper) was elevated in the soil and waters downstream from the Lepanto mine.Water samples from the Abra River were found to have low level pH (acidic) capable of solubilizing heavy metals. One resident who used gravel taken from the Mankayan River for construction of his house reported that the steel bar reinforcements were corroded after a few months. The same EIM report revealed dissolved oxygen readings at the CIP Mill Outlet and at Tailings Dam 5A to be below 2 mg/L. Aquatic life cannot survive in conditions where dissolved oxygen is below 2 mg/L.Sulfuric acid is also believed to be the cause of the â€Å"rotten eggs† smell that residents report when mine tailings are released into the Mankayan River during heavy rainfall. Another concern is the high amount of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) found at various points of the Mankayan River downstream from Tailings Dam 5A. [12] Abandoned mine sites like Benguet Corporation and Itogon-Suyoc Mines in Itogon have long-term damaging impacts on rivers and their surrounding fields because of the build up of acidic mine wat er.Acid mine drainage comes from both surface and underground mine workings, waste rock, tailings piles and tailings ponds. [13] Pollution of this kind can continue long after a mine is closed or abandoned, and the water that leaches into the ecosystem is frequently acidic, killing rivers and posing health risks to local communities. [14] 3. Siltation Siltation of rivers is a serious problem in Benguet resulting from mining operations and dam construction. The Ambuklao and Binga dams are stark examples of the detrimental impacts of siltation and megadams on rivers.The steadily rising level of silt in the dam reservoirs and along the Agno River upstream of the dams is covering a wider and wider area around the dams and continues to destroy more and more rice fields. In the case of the Ambuklao dam, the communities of Bangao and Balacbac were located far above the predicted water level of the dam and 17 kilometers away from the predicted edge of the reservoir. These two communities ar e now inundated because of the rising water level and accumulation of silt upstream along the Agno River. Government authorities dismiss the increasing siltation as a natural phenomenon.However, the Ibaloy people know that the dams are the real culprit. The farmlands and communities were never affected by silt before the dams were built despite storms and earthquakes. The dams blocked the free flow of water and silt down to the lowlands. Silt deposits built up in the dam reservoir and blocked oncoming silt that receded backwards upstream, swamping and inundating all farmlands and communities within reach. [15] In the case of the Philex, a tailings dam collapsed in 1992, releasing some 80 million tons of tailings and causing heavy siltation in the irrigation system downstream.The company paid Php5 million to the affected farmers. Again, during a typhoon in 2001, another tailings dam of Philex collapsed. Ricefields in San Manuel and Binalonan, Pangasinan, were buried in toxic silt a m eter deep. This time, Philex refused to admit responsibility for the disaster putting the blame on nature. [16] In the case of Lepanto, the downstream impact of tailings disposal is that along a 25-kilometer stretch of the Abra River, some 465 hectares of riceland have been washed out. [17] Further, Lepanto’s claim that Tailings Dam 5A is actually helping to contain siltation is deceiving.The high level of TDS and TSS from the CIP Mill Outlet up to Tailings Dam 5A indicates that the silt originates from company operations and is not due to natural siltation. [18] 4. Serious health problems due to water, soil and air pollution Contamination of water, soil and air contributes to increased toxic build-up in people’s bodies. Asthma and other respiratory problems often affect local communities as well as mine workers. When people’s health deteriorates, their ability to work and earn money is reduced even further. The old and the young are particularly vulnerable. [19 ]In 1985, a copper ore dryer was installed by Lepanto. The copper dryer affected the 3 barangays of Paco, Colalo and Cabiten in Mankayan. Local residents complained of abnormal withering of crops, sickness and death of domestic animals and high incidence of respiratory ailments. The company was forced to close down the dryer in the face of people’s opposition. [20] The most common symptoms felt by residents of Mankayan who have inhaled chemical fumes emanating from the mine are: headache, dizziness, cough, chest pain, nasal and eye irritation. Other symptoms reported are itching of the skin, rashes and diarrhea.Some residents report that wounds take longer to heal when exposed to the water of the Abra River. Because of past adverse reactions, people avoid contact with the river water. They do not allow children to bathe in the river. Nor do they let their animals drink from it. Incidence of cancer is a cause for further study as it is among the top 3 causes of mortality in so me affected communities. [21] Women are primarily responsible for maintaining the health of the family and the community. As such, women have to carry the burden of ill health arising from environmental destruction and pollution due to mining operations.At the height of the open pit mine and mill in Itogon, some pregnant women suffered miscarriage, while others experienced diseases of the skin, respiratory tract and blood when exposed to toxic fumes emanating from the mill. The drying up of natural water sources in another contributory factor in the poor health and sanitation in the community. [22] 5. Loss of Flora, Fauna, Biodiversity, and food insecurity The drainage area of the Abra River is home to about 1689 species of plants belonging to 144 families, including 177 species of orchids in 47 genera. More than half (51. %) of the plants found within the area are classified as endemics with 60. 7% of all the orchids classified as such. Benguet has the highest plant species diversi ty within the river basin area compared to other provinces. The EIM conducted in September 2002 noted gross differences between the waterways located directly below the Lepanto mining operations and tributaries originating from sources elsewhere. When the company started a fishpond in March 2001, all the fingerlings died after only 4 days. Aquatic organisms like udang (shrimp) and igat (eel) are reportedly becoming rare.Residents observed fish disease and deformities, aside from a drop in the fish catch. Fishkills occur every rainy season, attributed to the release of water from the tailings dams by the company. The loss in aquatic life is a major change in the life support system of the communities who rely on the river for daily food. Not only are livelihood sources affected, but so is the general biodiversity damaged, causing breakdowns in the food web. Once-common birds and tree species have disappeared. Among the bird species reported now to be rarely seen are: pagaw, tuklaw an d kannaway.Trees such as the kamantires and burbala were also identified to be no longer in significant quantities. [23] 6. Dislocation of Indigenous People from Ancestral Land and Traditional Livelihoods Large-scale corporate mining and dams have dislocated the indigenous Kankanaey and Ibaloy people from their ancestral lands and traditional livelihoods. Dams have caused the loss of ancestral lands to inundation and siltation. Descendants of families displaced by dams have been reduced to illegal occupants in the dam’s watershed areas or settlers in land owned by others.Mining patents granted by the government to mining companies have denied indigenous communities of their rights to ownership and control over their ancestral lands and resources. In terms of livelihood, mining concessions have taken over lands used by indigenous peoples for their traditional livelihoods – ricefields, vegetable gardens, swiddens, hunting and grazing livestock. Rice fields along riverban ks have been damaged by siltation. Garden cultivators have lost their crops to surface subsidence. Traditional small scale miners have lost their pocket mines and gold panning sites to the big mines and dams.Some communities have lost entire mountainsides, burial sites and hunting grounds to ground collapse and deep open pits. Traditional fishing is no longer possible in polluted rivers, replaced by commercial fishponds in dam reservoirs. An additional impact is the violation of the collective rights of the indigenous Kankanaey and Ibaloy people of their collective rights to self-determination and cultural integrity as they are displaced from the land and community that is the basis of their continued existence and identity.III. People’s Alternatives People’s alternatives to corporate mining and dams and indigenous systems of sustainable resource utilization and management can be found in indigenous communities in the Cordillera. The Ibaloy and Kankanaey people of Beng uet continue to practice traditional small-scale mining till today. Traditional methods of pocket-mining and gold panning are crude but environment-friendly and have been passed down through generations since the 16th century.Small-scale mining is a community affair and access to resources is defined by customary laws, characterized by equitable sharing, cooperation and community solidarity. Men, women, children and the elderly each have a role to play in the extraction and processing of the ore. They extract only enough gold to meet their basic necessities and receive their share of the gold based on an equitable sharing system. However, as communities are deprived of their land and resources, these traditional small-scale mining methods and positive values are now under threat of vanishing.An alternative source of energy are microhydro dams as opposed to megadams. The experience of the micro-hydro project (MHP) of the Chapyusen Mangum-uma Organization (CMO) in the Cordillera prove s the viability of a community-based and community-owned power system to provide energy for lighting, rice milling, sugar pressing, blacksmithing and carpentry. The MHP has built up the people’s capacity to develop their own local resources while ensuring affordable access of poor households to electricity.It also became an opportunity for the people to improve their organization by participating in all phases of project implementation. The observance of ubfo or the traditional system of labor exchange in community mobilization has had a positive outcome by restoring traditional cooperative practices and the free utilization and exchange of individual skills towards a common objective. [24] IV. Recommendations The experience of the Kankanaey and Ibaloy people brings to a fore the need for changes in the development paradigm and policies affecting indigenous peoples.The following recommendations, arising from various reports and fact-finding missions, are forwarded for conside ration by the United Nations, by international financial institutions, mining and dam companies and national governments: 1. The international community should develop minimum standards for the protection of the environment and human rights that are binding on all countries and companies, based on the highest existing standards, and with effective monitoring and sanctions imposed on the offending parties, be it the national government, funding institutions, or the companies. . There exists the Akwe:Kon voluntary guidelines, developed under the Convention of Biological Diversity, for the conduct of cultural, environmental and social impact assessments regarding developments proposed to take place on, or which are likely to impact on sacred sites and on lands and waters traditionally occupied or used by indigenous and local communities.These guidelines should be made binding rather than voluntary and could be adopted as a minimum standard by international financial institutions and na tional governments when implementing development projects affecting indigenous peoples. 3. Countries that are home to transnational companies should enact legislation that will require those companies to operate using the same standards wherever they operate in the world.Home countries whose nationals and corporate entities inflict damage in developing countries, particularly on indigenous peoples, should impose some form of penalty on the offending parties. 4. An international system should be created to allow complaints to be filed by affected indigenous communities against companies, governments and financial institutions whose development programs and interventions violate the rights of ownership and control by indigenous peoples over their ancestral land, territories and resources and cause serious destruction of the environment. . In the case of Benguet where the indigenous people have already suffered and will continue to suffer enormous damage to their lands and environment due to the long-term impacts of mining and dams, proper and immediate compensation and reparation should be provided to all affected people to include adequate monetary compensation, sustainable livelihood, alternative land, employment and other sources of regular income. A program for the restoration and rehabilitation of lands and waters destroyed by mines and dams should also be implemented. . Past experience has shown that no monetary compensation nor livelihood project could replace or surpass the destroyed ancestral land and traditional livelihoods of affected indigenous peoples. The solution to restoring the living quality and to stop the permanent destruction of the environment is to stop destructive large-scale corporate mining and decommission unviable tailings dams and megadams. Alternatives such as chemical-free traditional small scale mining methods and community-based microhydros need to be promoted and supported. . National legislation and policy on the liberalization of mining and the energy industry need to be reviewed and revised as these have proven detrimental to indigenous peoples in different parts of the country. A new mining policy should support the Filipino people’s efforts towards nationalist industrialization and ensure the creation of jobs, food security, a stable economy, mitigation of environmental degradation, and environmental rehabilitation. ———————– [1] Jacqueline K. Carino. Case Study. WCD. 2000 [2] APIT Tako.Mining in Philippine History [3] APIT Tako. Mining in Philippine History [4] Cordillera Peoples Alliance. December 2002. Cordillera Hydropower Projects and the Indigenous Peoples [5] APITTAKO [6] Christian Aid and PIPLinks. Breaking Promises, making profits. Mining in the Philippines. UK. Dec. 2004 [7] CA and PIPLinks [8] APIT TAKO. Mining In Philippine History: Focus On The Cordillera Experience. Paper presented to the United Nations Economic and Social Cou ncil’s Commission on Human Rights during its Transnational Extractive Industries Review.December 2001 and revised March 2002. [9] APIT Tako. [10] CA and PIPLinks. [11] Save the Abra River Movement (STARM). What is Happening to the Abra River? A Primer on the Effects of Corporate Mining on the Abra River System. September 2003. [12] STARM [13] STARM [14] CA and PIPLinks [15] Jacqueline K. Carino. A case Study of the Ibaloy People and the Agno River Basin, Province of Benguet, Philippines. Presented during the Consultation on Dams, Indigenous Peoples and Ethnic Minorities. Geneva, Switzerland. August 1999) [16] Croft 17] APIT TAKO. [18] STARM [19] CA and PIPILinks [20] STARM [21] STARM [22] Jill K. Carino and Cornelia Ag-agwa. The Situation of Mining in the Cordillera Region, Philippines and its Impact on Land Rights and Indigenous Women. Paper presented during the Second International Conference on Women and Mining. Bolivia. 2000 [23] STARM. [24] Hapit, The Official Publicatio n of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance. 3rd Quarter 2005. A basic Service to the People: The Chapyusen Micro-Hydro Project ———————– [pic]