Haiti Day 1

Haiti Day 1 This term Im taking a class this term called MAS.963, or Special Media Projects in Haiti. The class was conceived fairly last minute after the earthquake hit in January, and is structured around weekly guest lectures about Haitian culture and sustainable development. At the same time, weve been working in small groups to devise projects that we could take to disseminate in Haiti at the end of April. Im working with Anila 10 to disseminate low cost water testing devices that were developed by D-Lab, a lab/class at MIT that focuses on sustainable technology in developing countries. We hope to bring the tests to chlorinators set up by a nonprofit and check out the e. coli levels in these water sources, as well as train their workers on site. So today, were in Haiti. I dont know what I expected I guess I didnt really think about how bad it would be here until I stepped off the plane. Ive traveled to developing countries before, and Ive traveled to areas after theyve been hit by natural disasters before, but never of this scale. We got off the plane, and the airport was mostly intact except that immigration was in a warehouse that was the first clue that something was off. After hopping in a van, we rode through the mostly unpaved roads of Port-Au-Prince to see signs of destruction and devastation in every direction. There are tent cities for miles. People everywhere. Concrete rubble and garbage flow in waves down long streets; turn the corner and what was once a house lies in shambles. It seems like an impenetrable problem. How to rebuild after all this, how to deal with so many displaced people, how to implement infrastructure in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and most of all, how to make sense of all of this in just one short week. This is what Im struggling with the most I feel like we can never do enough, and yet I want to do so much. I feel ridiculous and strange sitting in a hotel room with air conditioning writing on the internet about how I feel when there are thousands of people outside our door without a roof or running water. I wish there was more that we could do. But there is also the undeniable sense of hope here; there are still people dancing and singing in the streets. As we stood on the roof of our hotel after dinner, looking out at the mountains and the stars hanging above Port-Au-Prince, we listened to salsa drifting over from a neighboring restaurant and watched women carry huge buckets of waters on their shoulders, stepping to the beat of the music. There is something so resilient about the spirit here that I cant help but naively hope that maybe we will be able to do something small to contribute, even if were only here for one short week. Tomorrow, well go to meet with representatives from the Haiti WASH cluster, which is a UN organization that deals with sanitation and water issues in Port-Au-Prince. Tomorrow, well begin to work away at the impenetrable problem, doing whatever small things we can to contribute. Until then!

Teens Need Positive Body Images Essay - 1739 Words

When walking down a junior high, high school, or college hallway, it’s not an uncommon occurrence to hear a young woman say something bad about either her body or another girl’s body. Negative comments instill a deeper impact than merely hurting a child’s feelings. They lead toward lowered self-esteem, increased dieting or eating disorders. Young girls require illumination at an early age into positive body images, avoiding those repercussions and the extremity of committing suicide such as demonstrated in â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy from 1973. No matter the passing time or the era the world is in, young women maintain affected by negative body image. This needs to be cut off at an early age before it has a chance to†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The only rule is that batting (padding) must be added to save the starving Barbie, so she can digest food and use her brain† (Deeds, 28). These workshops assist young women in developing a lov e for their own body. If taught to look at themselves and accept their bodies early on, the more confidence they will exude when they begin junior high school. Once they enter junior high, if not before, puberty begins. It causes many body changes in young teen girls. Sure, every girl goes through puberty but the weight goes up and down, breasts spring up, and the emotions have a tendency to go crazy. Girls get lost within themselves as they try to be someone they are not. If the young teens had been taught positive body image earlier in life, this wouldn’t even be an issue at this point. But by this time, many girls haven’t learned to accept their bodies. So, anything their peers say will affect them not just emotionally, but physically. In Piercy’s poem she states, â€Å"Then the magic of puberty, a classmate said:/You have a great big nose and fat legs† (643). After hearing this, devastations occurs for many young teens. This resounds in their head li ke a broken record. 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The One Best System to Use for Essay Topics for 7th Grade Students

The One Best System to Use for Essay Topics for 7th Grade Students Sometimes finding a topic may be one of the most difficult parts of writing an essay. Before actually beginning to compose your essay, you have to choose an issue to write about. Pay through PayPal or some other payment option available. Therefore, every paper must be written carefully. Welcome to stay in touch by means of your paper writer controlling everything. It is suggested to look for the one which has a great reputation and offers high-quality papers at economical prices. The crucial reason many writers fail is they don't go further. A conclusion is, undoubtedly, the most significant portion of the argumentative essay since you can either support the very good impression or destroy it entirely. Anyway, direct and indirect quotes are required to support your understanding of academic writing style. One of the most frequent reasons people start looking for assistance with essay writing is they realize they're running out of time. The Appeal of Essay Topics for 7th Grade Students For that reason, it's important to make them experience its different facets to enhance their knowledge. Fossil fuels ought to be mostly replaced by systems that use some type of renewable supply of energy. Learning There are many strategies and approaches to learning and grasping the exact materials. Any sphere and degree of complexity is going to be addressed successfully. Face to face communication was damaged beyond repair as a result of social networking. The ability to supply information in various contexts is necessary to effective communication. You don't have to supply somebody else's point of view instead write what you personally consider the circumstance or subject. Essay Topics for 7th Grade Students Help! Aim to make over half of what you say positive and enjoyable to obey. Give reasons why you believe your plan would get the job done. Explain why you think that your plan will do the job. Essay Topics for 7th Grade Students - the Conspiracy Well, you own a task to compose a 7th grade essay. Expository essays describe a procedure or offer factual details. Like every assignment, a descriptive essay has a certain intent. Get a complimentary plagiarism report together with your edit essay order. You may continue to keep your argumentative essays for your upcoming job portfolio in case they're highly graded. For this, you will need to perform a small questionnaire. It's a significant classroom management tool. You want to set up facts, possess the confidence and demonstrate the crystal clear evidence of your private viewpoint to certain phenomenon. Learning materials As people study, the correct collection of articles dramatically enhances the procedure. Make certain that you have gathered sufficient info to present your writing. Research-based topics require students to collect information till they write. Lies You've Been Told About Essay Topics for 7th Grade Students Compare and contrast essays are among the most usual kinds of papers that students might have to learn how to write, especially at the middle school and higher school levels. In addition, it depends upon the special college subject. You will receive more students engaged in reading if you're able to recommend books yourself. General information Students that are new to the topic of social studies must be ready for in-depth education at their initial lessons. Choir also provides opportunities for students to come up with team building and leadership abilities. Participation demands a 1 year commitment students won't be permitted to drop either band or orchestra when the year has started. Participation in concert performances outside normal class hours is needed. Computers and smartphones provide parental controls. Deciding on your topic isn't that easy. After you have the topic, answer the question and support your answer with three or more explanations for why you believe it. Anyway, below, you will find topic that are great for both situations. Describe something which you used to enjoy that at this point you find embarrassing. Describe something you wish to accomplish in your life. Each style differs in two ways. Think of your favourite place to eat.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance Free Essays

Better Business Bureaus (BBB) is an organization that ‘checks’ on both businesses and charities. They offer an objective view of different businesses and charities, which they award with their seal, after passing several criteria. Such seals add confidence to consumers and donors who wants to associate with them. We will write a custom essay sample on BBB Wise Giving Alliance or any similar topic only for you Order Now Currently, there are 3 million local and national establishments that are being constantly monitored and evaluated. Better Business Bureaus holds tightly on good business values. Some values that they uphold the importance includes, fairness and honesty, which should be incorporated in business ethics and for charity. They were first established in 1912. This is a program that will help donors identify legitimate and responsible charities. These charities are evaluated according to a set of standards; reports are then published to aid donors regarding the different charities. The reports are usually within three-year periods. The charity seal is optional to those that have passed the charity standards. The charity standards were developed by several institutions to ensure that the standards reflect those that the public needs. Information like charity fund allocations, organizational structure, ‘truthfulness’ of their accounts and their willingness to share other basic information about their organization. These are then analyzed to meet the standards. Review the report of at least one charity and discuss what you find. The information included in the reports are: charity contact information and description, Better Business Bureau comments, programs or activities of the charity, governance, including names of the head and their compensation, fund raising methods, financial reports including their budget allocation and tax status. These are very helpful information in identifying the best charity institutions that the donors would want to help, as well as to define transparency to their current donors. The information are just enough to build the confidence of donors, these should be the basic information, no more and no less. Reference BBB Wise Giving Alliance. (2003). Standards for Charity Accountability. Retrieved March 18, 2009 from http://www. bbb. org/us/Charity-Standards/ How to cite BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Papers

Sociology of Religion- Approaches to Secularization free essay sample

Sociology of Religion- Final Assignment 2013 1. One of the definitions of secularization is the transformation of a society from close Identification with religious values and Institutions toward nonreligious (or irreligious) values and secular institutions. The Secularization thesis states that as society progresses, particularly through modernlzatlon and rationalization, rellglon loses its authority in all aspects of social life and governance. Max Weber described this process as the disenchantment ot the world. One ot the most significant sociologists who wrote about the Secularization Theory, Jose Casanova, spoke of three ajor approaches to secularization, referring mostly to Western Christian cultures (Casanova, 2007, p. 8). HIS works generally referred to the process of secularization as it took place in Europe, sparked by the Age of Enlightenment, and later on, constitutionalized in the US. One major approach to secularization by Casanova is the process of secularization as social differentiation. Casanova defined this approach as conceptualization of the process of societal moderni7ation as a process of functional differentiation and emancipation of the secular spheres†primarily the tate, the economy, and science†from the religious sphere and the concomitant differentlatlon and speclallzatlon of rellglon within Its own newly found rellglous sphere. We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology of Religion- Approaches to Secularization or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In other words, as modernization carried out the ideas of rationalization, methodological individualism and scientific research, European societies had become much more differentiated. That resulted In all social spheres leaving the regulation by religion and developing according to their autonomous laws Hence, gradually, the church had lost most of Its Influence and control on most social spheres. Furthermore, social differentiation caused religion to become another autonomous sphere among others, a sphere which is designed to fulfill special religious or spiritual functions religion became another social activity. Deprived of religious influence, the rise of the modern state as an autonomous institution allowed religious toleration as long as the domestic security Is maintained, thus resulting In more secularization. In addition, as Weber stated, as rationalization proceeds both in religion and in other institutional spheres, the tension between religion and other spheres grow. The rise of scientific research which led to question metaphysical perception, and the new capitalistic economies, gave a boost to secularization and formed d new order of society. The effect of seculdrlzdtlon In Europe took place In the states, as the liberal American model believed that the true church, constituted by all those who have a commitment to faith, becomes Invisible, The assumption is that everyone who has commitment to fate becomes a part of the religious community. There is no need of knowing who is a member of the church as theres no church elite which can rule over society. The Individual doesnt express himself in religious institution but in politics and in work ethic. Thus, in practice, all the churches are basically unnecessary. The emphasis Is that one has to work In a calling in the world for the greater glory of God. If one perfects the work based on his faith described as holy community. This holy community is what leads to separation of church and state as church is not that important anymore. As mentioned above, social differentiation causes religion to be Just another social sphere. This process leads to the second approach of Casanova which is the decline of social significance f religion one does not need religion in order for the social systems to function. According to Bryan Wilson ( 1982, p. 1 51), individuals devote less time, energy and resources to the supernatural, their thinking becomes more rational, empirical and instrumental, they rely less upon religious actions such as prayers and ceremonies to achieve their ends, and the types of explanations that they offer for natural events are less mythological and supernatural. Wilson claims that what drives this secularization is the transformation from a community to an urban society (p. 52-154), an explanation which is somewhat similar to the Durkheims definitions of mechanic and organic society. In a community, theres much more emphasis on personal relations, less differentiation and social control is achieved through morality. However, in modern society, social relations weaken and what becomes significant is role expectation. Religion and its morals are not considered central anymore and the weight shifts to exchange relationship. Casanovas third approach, privatization of religion defines secularization as an idea that religion becomes a matter of subjective individual choice. As opposed to Durkheim who saw religion as the basis of collective representations, this approach does not need a collective representation as it works on a different level. Peter Berger stated that individuals seek to build their own meaning system representation. According to Berger, religion naturalizes the social order, hence secularization does not necessarily lack religion and is no longer necessary in order to provide the glue of society as society can function by itself. Furthermore, in modernity, religion loses its place as forming meaning for the entire society and gives meaning only to the individual (Berger,1967, . 127). As a result, religion becomes one meaning system among many, where one can live a fulfilled life without a religion and achieve happiness, self-fulfillment, success, etc. on his own without referring to the transcendent. One can also find other meaning systems such as humanism, sports or any other concept which he can interpret as influential and inspiring. Since religion is not taken for granted anymore, it has to market itself and adjust to the different needs of individuals. Hence one can see the rise of denominations, each one attempting to target a different religious udience. Moreover, the definition of a religious individual becomes much broader, as one can believe but not take any part in traditional ceremonies etc. All in all, it can be said that what all approaches have in common is the devaluation of religion, from a state which it was dictating the social order to a state that its influence on society has deeply weakened. However, the approaches do not cancel out religion and see it as diminished; each approach describes a different role which religion provides in a different context. In addition, all approaches are based on the ideas of the nlightenment, creating a modern order characterized by rationalism and methodical individualism. In contrast, the decline of religion and privatization approach focus on micro changes, those concerning the individuals and their perception of religion, while the social differentiation focuses on the formations of specialized autonomous Secularization Thesis describes a process in which society becomes more secular as modernity progresses. Social differentiation, through rationality, managed to remove the influence of religion in the defining professions such as media, law, academics economy, etc. , and reconstruct them as autonomous spheres. These prominent, now secular spheres define social reality and give the feeling that the whole world is secular, but in fact, Berger states that this might be an illusion of a certain elite. In truth, a major complication in the Secularization Thesis is the return of religion, describing four major events which took place in the 70s and onwards. The Islamic revolution in Iran led by Ayatollah Khomeini resulted in the re-implantation of Islam into all social spheres. The Moral Majority organization in the US, with a membership of 4 million members, was one of the largest conservative lobby groups in the country nd managed to influence on many political agendas. In addition, the formation of the national conservative Hindu Bharatiya Janata party in India and the religionization of the Israel- Palestine conflict also emphasized and gave a central platform for religion to affect other social spheres, mainly politics. What these events had in common is the belief that the social order had to change by a new comprehensive system, emanating from religious principles and embracing law, politics, society, economy and culture. In fact, going back to a de-differentiated society with religion dictating most social spheres defines fundamentalism. The first approach to fundamentalism sees fundamentalism as universal, characterized by a family resemblance among various movements, analyzed in terms of religious idealism and most importantly is against secularization and the modernity which carries it. In this paradigm, fundamentalists are the Other of the modern subject. They are irrational as they are led by charismatic totalitarian leaders who construct cosmological mythologies and mythologize their enemies. They are absolutist, totalistic, hence rigid and not subject to change or even negotiation. Furthermore, hey are organized in militant defensiveness, set high social boundaries with severe sanctions in which to enforce its beliefs and actions. This is all done in order to protect the group from contamination and preserve purity. Despite their traditional, not modern beliefs, fundamentalist movements are very aware and conscious to modern society. They do not simply re-affirm the old doctrines; they subtly lift them from their original context, embellish and institutionalize them and employ them as ideological weapons against a hostile world. In order to spread their ideologies, the ovements use modern technology such as television, radio and the internet, accepting that some adjustments to their traditional methods must take place. Another approach to the study of Fundamentalism is Eisenstadts Multiple Modernities. This approach explains that as modernity is characterized by intensive critical thinking concerning the traditional premises of the ontological, social and political orders, one can basically question everything. As a result, since everything can be doubted, there is a loss of all markers of certainty. This loss leads to two opposing yet complementary directions of the construction of society by conscious uman actions: pluralism and absolutism. Pluralism creates a social order of choice, options that one can choose from as the uncertainty is growing. On the other hand, totalistic social order describes an attempt to create one utopian unconditional world more into conformity with the transcendental ideals, and this social order is the one adopted by fundamentalist movements. Every modern society locates itself in a different fashion upon the spectrum between absolutism and pluralism. Therefore there are multiple modern societies and not only the western variety fundamentalist movements within the framework of Multiple Modernities. Fundamentalist movements have modern totalistic characteristics such as the Jacobin party had in the French revolution (Eisenstadt, p. 175) and like communist movements, which attempted to capture the political center of society and to remake society and culture in accord with their utopian-religious vision. To conclude, according to the definitions used above, political fundamentalist movements are an alternative modernity. As long modern societies are based on modern tradition the modern religion disappears and new religious movements which are ideological are coming to be. Political fundamentalist movements are an attempt to continue modern ideological politics in an age of the end of secular ideologies. Bibliography Berger, P. L. (1967). The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. New York. Casanova, J. (2007). Rethinking secularization: a global comparative perspective. Religion, Globalization, and Culture, 101-120. Eisenstadt, N. S. (2000), Between Europe and Islam: Shaping modernity in transcultural space. Brussels Wilson, B. R. (1982). Religion in sociological perspective (Vol. 7). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The War On Drugs Essays - Drug Control Law, War On Drugs

The War On Drugs Essays - Drug Control Law, War On Drugs The War On Drugs War On Drugs In todays society, the war on drugs has become a major issue in our cities and the business community. Many cities have started programs to make the situation better, but some have failed and the situation has become worse. The root of all the problems discussed in this case study, can be linked to drugs. There are many organizations and volunteer community groups as well as law enforcement, that are continuously trying to make our cities safe. This struggle is know globally as the War on Drugs. Drugs and Children The war on drugs is a very big part of our society. We face difficult decisions everyday dealing with drugs and how they affect our cities. Our children play a big role in that society, and they are a major factor on the war against drugs. We try to keep children away from the drug situation, but you cannot isolate them forever. Children will have to face the issue as they get older, or even while they are young. We must teach our children about the issues on drugs and make sure they are aware of the dealings that go on. Most children cannot speak to their parents about drugs, and those are the children who are usually doing drugs. If children cannot be open with their parents, they will find some other means of dealing with drug issues. History Nearly thirty years ago, the Nixon administration was the first administration to declare the war on drugs. President Nixon is credited with setting up the first methadone centers and abstinence programs cross the country. At the time these programs received two-thirds of the federal drug budget and the results were: crime rates fell and fewer people died of overdose. The Just Say No movement (led by first lady Nancy Reagan) was coupled with rigorous law enforcement and produced solid results. By 1992, for example, marijuana use by high school students had dropped significantly (http://ehostvgw15.epnet.com). The Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, is the legal foundation of the government's fight against the abuse of drugs and other substances. This law is a consolidation of numerous laws regulating the manufacture and distribution of narcotics, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, anabolic steroids, and chemicals used in the illicit production of controlled substances. (usdoj.gov/dea/briefingbook/page9.htm) Drug Enforcement Agency The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets. (usdoj.gov/dea/briefingbook/page2.htm). The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was formed as a specialized branch of the justice department in 1973. This specialized bureau is on the front lines of the War on Drugs every day. The DEA is not only concerned with assisting local law enforcement, but a global policing as well. Drugs in the Workplace Many chambers of commerce throughout the nation have put Drug-Free Workplace programs into effect. The drug-free workplace program addresses not only issues in the business community, but the society as well. Statistics show that 70 percent of illegal drug users are employed, and 44 percent of drug users sell drugs to co-workers (http://ehostvgw6.epnet.com). The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that drug use in the workplace costs employers $75 billion to $100 billion annually in lost time. Sixty-five percent of all accidents on the job are directly related to drugs. Substance abusers are absent three times more often and use 16 times as many health care benefits as non-abusers (http://ehastvgw6.epnet.com). Many companies are aware of the drug problems within the office and are taking action to fix the situation. There are companies that have drug-screening test to employees to make sure that they are not using drug substances. The company must have a suspicion of that employee of using the drugs before giving the drug test. In the

4 Tips on Managing Your Student Loans

4 Tips on Managing Your Student Loans New grads, take heed. You’re freaking out about the escalating price tag of your education and that’s totally fair. But don’t panic yet. Take a step back to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishment. Then plan your strategy for a sane repayment plan and fight back against the fear and doom. Here are 4 steps to getting yourself on the right track to a secure financial future. Starting now will set you up to avoid crashing and burning in a pile of tears and terror in a year or two.1. Don’t ignore your mailSo many grads can’t even bring themselves to open their first loan statement, let alone log in and look at the big fat number staring at them from their laptop screens. But avoiding the inevitable will not make that number smaller. In fact, you could make a bad situation even worse. Step one: open the envelope. Know exactly what you owe. The devil you know, right? If you have multiple loans, track down the names of your servicers and make a list of each, detailing the interest rates and balances. This will be crucial to smart planning.2. Be wary of the grace periodA sixth month grace period does not mean you don’t have to think about your loans for six months. Remember that your loans will continue to accrue interest- and lots of it- while you’re merrily trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up. The grace period exists mostly to benefit those who may need the extra time to get set up in their post graduate careers. Treat it as such.The longer you wait to start repaying, the more interest will accrue. And that interest will be added to your principal balance as soon as your loans come up for repayment. The longer you wait, the worse it gets. Step two, in a nutshell: use your grace period if you need it, but consider making payments against the interest while you wait.3. Keep your term as short as you canIt may seem like a good idea to pay your loans back in 25 years instead of 10. After all, a lower monthly payment number is a seductive thing. But just remember that the interest clock is not going to slow down for you. You could end up paying back almost double what you owe if you take a significant amount of time to repay. The Student Loan Repayment Calculator online is your friend. You should never choose repayment terms that you can’t handle, but you should chose the fastest repayment timeframe that makes sense for you. It will save you money!4. Consider refinancingOne way to lower your interest rates, particularly across a wide range of loans from different servicers, is to go through a refinancing company. You can always make an inquiry with a company like SoFi without committing to a refinance. In most cases, refinancing means a lower interest rate and a lower amount paid in the end. If you can guarantee total savings like this, it’s almost always worth it to consolidate. Be careful, however, of your particular situation and how it qualifies (or doesnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t) you for different loan forgiveness plans. If you don’t qualify for loan forgiveness or income-based repayment (often requiring you to pay a lot more over a longer period), a private lender is always an option.Repaying your student loans can seem like a prison sentence. And in some ways it is. But it’s always a better idea to have more information, to be more involved, and thereby more empowered. Be proactive and put your best foot forward. Future you will thank you!